I come by these paths based on two similar seasons in Chiefs history. The 1986 season will be path one, the 1990 season will be path two, and then path three will be the future that could be had out of this 2010 team, a path different from the first two. Here we go.
1986
This year marked the first playoff appearance for the Chiefs since 1971. But before we get to that, let's talk about how that team got there.It was the fourth season under head coach John Mackovic. In his previous three seasons, the Chiefs went 20-28. But in 1986, pieces came together. And once again, the Chiefs were lead by their dominant defense. That season, the Chiefs' defense was ranked 8th in total defense and was lead by veterans and young players alike.
The offense, however, was not quite as dominant. After another lackluster performance from Todd Blackledge at quaterback, coach Mackovic put one-time Pro Bowler Bill Kenney in at quarterback. Kenney wasn't the greatest, but he was good enough to get the team to 10-6, although relying on the defense most of the time.
This record was good enough for the second best in the AFC West and got them a wild card spot. But Kenney was injured in the last game of the regular season and didn't participate in the wild card game against the Jets. The result was a 35-15 loss. Mackovic was relieved of his duties at the end of the season and special teams coach Frank Gansz was named head coach.
1990
This year represents the beginning of a fantastic run by the Chiefs; but, once again, before we get into all that, we have to start with how they got there.It was the second year under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. The Chiefs were still known as a defensive team, even though they were only 16th in total defense. That's because they knew how to get to the quarterback. In fact, they lead the league in sacks with 60. Of those 60, Derrick Thomas had 20.
On offense, we were much improved from 1986. We had balance between the run and pass game. Quaterback Steve DeBerg had a great season: 7th in the NFL in passing with 3,444 yards, 23 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. 1989's NFL leading rusher, Christian Okoye, had another great season, although he finished behind teammate Barry Word for yards.
With both sides of the ball playing extremely well, the Chiefs finished 11-5, 2nd in the AFC West, and made the playoffs. They, however, lost in the wild card round 17-16 to the Dolphins.
What all this means
As I said above, these two seasons represent paths the current Chiefs can go down. After Mackovic was fired, the Chiefs won 8 games combined in the two seasons that followed. It seemed that the 1986 team was a one-hit wonder. The 2010 Chiefs, with a much more rigorous schedule coming up next season, could be that sort of one-hit wonder.
In 1990, this marked the beginning of many fruitful seasons in Kansas City, which included several playoff appearances and AFC West championships. But, the Chiefs always seemed to come up short, never making it to the Super Bowl. The 1990 team was not a one-hit wonder, but it just never could get through to the next level. This could be the fate of the 2010 Chiefs; competitive year after year, but never making it to the big show (there's another interesting aspect of the Schottenheimer years I will address in a future post that is similar to the current Chiefs,and worrisome).
Or, the 2010 Chiefs could do what neither of these similar teams could; win. We could be both successful in the long-term (season after season) and the short-term (in the playoffs). The 2010 Chiefs have the building blocks for many successful seasons ahead, and I hope they are different from their predecessors. I hope this team can win the Chiefs a Super Bowl in the not-so-distant future. So, what will it be?
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