The last twenty-five starts by the Kansas City Chiefs have resulted in two wins and twenty-three losses.  During the 1990's the Chiefs were one of the winningest teams in the NFL.  Sadly, we have fallen precipitously from those heady Schottenheimer days when we expected, even perhaps demanded that our beloved Chiefs win.

 The most successful coaches in the NFL and the most successful coaches to coach the Chiefs have all had one thing in common, that is, they had the "killer instinct".  They knew how to win and they were not timid about doing so.  Hank Stram was the master of the killer instinct.  Hank was not afraid to make a statement with the scoreboard.  Following the Chiefs loss to Green Bay in  Super Bowl One, Vince Lombardi (Green Bay's coach) dissed the Chiefs by saying that the representative of the upstart AFL did not measure up to the teams of the older NFL.  This irked Hank Stram greatly.  The following preseason ( the first game in fact) the Chiefs absolutely throttled the Chicago Bears of the NFL something like 66-14 (don't quote me on the score).  This was in the days when "Warpaint" the horse was the mascot and Warpaint was ridden the length of the field after each Chiefs score.  The Bears were beaten so badly that it prompted the Bears coach to say "We couldn't beat the Chiefs, but we damn near killed their horse!"  The point being, Hank Stram made his statement on the football field and on the scoreboard.

We have just come through one of saddest and most pathetic periods in Chiefs history.  The philosophy of "play not to lose the game" absolutely ate the Chiefs and us fans alive.  Todd Haley has the chance to make HIS statement both on the field and on the scoreboard.  It is absolutely imperative for the success of the Chiefs (both current and future) that the losing mindset be cast aside.  The Chiefs and conversely we (as fans) have to redevelop the "killer instinct".  We have to not be afraid to roar both on the field and in the stands.  Anyone who has ever sat in the middle of the "Sea of Red" and listened to the crescendo of sound from 70,000 plus absolutely joyous fans knows what I am talking about.

 I have no doubt that Todd Haley and the coaching staff will take care of things on the field.  That leaves the stands up to you and I.  I am looking forward to once again striking fear into the hearts of our opponents.  If both the team and the fans nurture the "killer instinct" we will go back to those days of opposing teams dreading to set foot in Arrowhead.