Chiefs Showing They're Not Serious

After the fourth pre-season game this last Thursday night, the Kansas City Chiefs have proven once again that they will not field a winning team let alone a Super Bowl caliber team for the 2011-12 NFL season. The Chiefs had plenty of money to spend and were well under the salary cap to do so. Why did they not bring in some real marquee free agent players or draft any better than they did this April? I believe that I have finally found the answer; the Hunt family now and in the past has not really been interested in fielding a onetime Super Bowl winning team or a legacy type team ala The New England Patriots under Coach Bill Belichick. A persistent rumor going around the Kansas City area during the Carl Peterson era was that Lamar Hunt had told Carl that “I do not care if you ever make it to the Super Bowl, just keep putting butts in those seats” (referring to Arrowhead Stadium). This rumor rings very true if one looks into the past and sees how close the Chiefs were to going to the Super Bowl during the Marty Shottenheimer coached teams. Does anyone still remember the 1996 divisional playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts where Lin Elliot missed three easy to make field goals where the veteran Nick Lowry (who the Chiefs failed to re-sign) most likely would have made them? To add insult to injury, do we also remember the 1998 divisional playoff game where Shotzy started a rusty Elvis Grbac over a well oiled Rich Gannon? Or how about the Dick Vermeil years (and two more playoff losses) where coach V actually thought he could win with just offense and no defense? I am not necessarily one for conspiracy theories, but the more I think about it, I am convinced that the Chiefs will never make it to a Super Bowl (with Todd Haley as coach or anyone else) until the Hunt family finally decides to sell the team to an individual or consortium that really wants to win it all! Robert Craft did it in New England. Why can’t it be repeated in Kansas City? Like last season’s dismal playoff loss under coach Todd Haley, the current Chiefs owners will keep the team just competitive enough to keep you die-hard fans (of which I used to be one!) buying season tickets and team merchandise as the Hunt family is quietly laughing all the way to the bank, country club and golf course! Do not get me wrong, I am an unabashed free market capitalist and will staunchly defend the right of the Hunt family to do whatever they want with the Chiefs, but they will not sucker me anymore into investing my money, time or emotions on a Sunday afternoon. From now on I am just an NFL fan, so bring on the season!