How a team and their fans win a football game

Some people will say "defense wins the game" others will point to a powerhouse offense ( "the best defense is a good offense" ), meaning, if you just go and score dang near every time your on the field, it's hard for the other team to catch up               ( provided your defense  can stop the other side at least once.).

As most reasonable fans and players know though, it takes everyone on the team and all units to be playing at their best to win a football game.

In order to win, your defense absolutely MUST prevent the other teams offense from scoring.  How does the defense do that?  By creating turnovers.  Interceptions, Knocking the ball out or away from the intended receiver/carrier. Control the line of scrimmage and pressure the QB.

As several other posts here have shown recently, the Kansas City defensive unit, is not doing these things very well at all.

Of course, it is then incumbent on your teams offense to out there and pound that little ball into the goal every chance it gets.  Not at selected times or whenever it wants to.  They must work to score EVERY time they take the field.  How many touchdowns does it realistically take to win an NFL football game?  Many people will reasonably expect any good team to put up at least two touchdowns.  So, your offense needs to be able to put up three.  Minimum. 

Kansas City offense has been in that position several times over the last few weeks.  They have put up three touchdowns in a game and still lost. 

Another rule of thumb is to not permit turnovers.  It's the Offenses job to keep that ball, not give it up to the other team over rookie mistakes like not catching, carrying or throwing correctly.  Here is another area Kansas City is doing a good job.  They are not turning the ball over, little, if at all.  They are still losing the games.

Any coach who takes shame in piling up points over any other team, huge underdog or or not, has no business on the field.  Your offense has one job as a unit.  SCORE.  That's it.

There is a tendency to give a bit to much emphasis on a teams quarterbacks.  The quarterback runs the offense, not the whole team.

He doesn't run the defense and he doesn't tell special teams what to do.  They have their own leadership establishment and they know their jobs.

What about special teams?  How do they help win the game?  By providing short fields for their offense and taking every opportunity to run that ball as far as they can get it toward the goal.  That pretty much says it all for special teams, offensively anyway.  Conversely, on the  kicking side of th ball, your special teams needs to make sure the ball stays as far back as possible.  Trying to put your opponents in the worst possible position to start a drive from.

The Kansas City special teams have been about fifty fifty on terms of performance and I might be a bit optimistic there.

In the NFL, the Head Coach isn't the dictator or or hand holder that a college or high school coach is.  That's not his job.  His players are pros who are getting paid well to know their jobs and perform.

The best NFL coaches are more like coordinators or facilitators.  They see a whole big picture, they even mostly paint the picture.  They then lay that picture out and give the team what it needs, the people it needs, the asst coaches it needs, etc... to make this picture happen.

You have some coaches who like to be more involved at the ground level though.  They want to be in on the action at the performing level.  Where the coordinators and unit coaches are.  They want to have direct input with the players.  They want to take the player by the hand and point them to what the HC thinks that player should be doing.

More often than not, it is the sign of a coach who hasn't moved past his own need to be in the middle of the action.

If the head coach has a plan laid out and has the people with the abilities to make that plan come together, he should have a successful season.  If not, he needs to watch carefully  what the [people around him are doing, provide direction and make changes when necessary.  If he doesn't or can't do that effectively, he has the wrong job.

In order to win, Kansas City needs to have it's offense be able to score more than it's opponents should average, which they can and have done., tey need to keep possession of the ball and control the line of scrimmage as well as the clock to maximize their opportunities.  Kansas City does need to work on this part of the game.

The defense should be able to contain the opposing offense and put pressure on the key players, be where the ball is at all times.  They have not adequately or consistently done this.

Special teams needs to consistently place their teams possessions in the best possible position at every chance it touches the ball.  Kansas City special teams are not the worst at this, but do need to improve quite a bit.

Overall, Kansas City "can" win games if they improve the overall play of the defensive and the special teams and pick up the low spots on the offense.

If the Head Coach and his staff cannot provide the tools, atmosphere and people to do this, they need to look at changes there as well.  Right now, the Kansas City Head Coach isn't coming across as entirely successful in that light. There is hope though.  There are some good people in place and there are moments where hard work and direction are showing themselves more every week.  Is it enough though?

I am a fan of this team like no other team.  I watch or find myself at least near a radio or something to "attend" the games as best  I can.   I wear my KC gear like a flag and proud of it.

KC is more than just a team to me, they are part of who  I am.  If all I saw was the glass half full side I will someday be sorely disappointed to find it entirely empty from a lack to see something I might not like.   I will praise their achievements, I will will defend their character to the end and I will never miss the opportunity to help prevent them from becoming complacent and accept "good enough".

As a "fan" my role in helping them win is to let them know at every opportunity that I believe in them as a team and their ability to beat the living crap out of any other team they come up against, if they bring their best game.   I might get frustrated sometimes with what  I see as bad play or choices, but that's just because I know they are capable of so much better.

GO CHIEFS!!