What's It Like To Be On The Verge Of Becoming A Dynasty?

From the FanPosts  -Joel

Just exactly what is a Dynasty? 

Webster's Unabridged says, 1. a sequence of rulers from the same family, stock or group, 2. the rule of such a sequence.

This word has been adapted to specific teams in the NFL over the years because of number two above.  Several teams have been able to leave their mark on the league by winning multiple (sequential or not) Super Bowls over a period of several seasons, ending in the season of their final triumph in the game.  Studying those recognized dynasties reveals the fact that there are different ways of establishing a dynasty in the NFL.    

According to Mike McAllister of SI.com, the top five dynasties in the history of the NFL are (1) '74-'79 Pittsburg Steelers, (2) '61-'67 Green Bay Packers, (3) '92-'95 Dallas Cowboys, (4) '81-'89 San Francisco 49ers and finally, (5) '01-'04 New England Patriots. 

I stopped with the Patriots for obvious reasons (the list actually has the top ten dynasties), but also because of the difference between the way that this dynasty was created versus the other four.  Indeed, Mike McAllister put it this way:

Unlike the first four teams, the Pats are not a team that relies on stars.  Just seven position players since '01 have made the Pro Bowl (compared to the '90s Cowboys with 17 Pro Bowl performers).  Instead, it's the coaching of Bill Belichick and his staff that sets the Pats apart.   

I think he forgot something.  Follow me after the jump to find out what.

What's it like to be on the verge of becoming a Dynasty?  Maybe we could ask Scott Pioli.

I think McAllister completely forgot about the ability of a certain GM who has been building on his reputation ever since then. I speak of the one and only Mr. Scott Pioli.

I know, I know, Pioli just rode Belichick's coattails right?  Without Belichick, Pioli wouldn't know where to begin.  Yada, Yada, Yada.  There are alot of folks out there that subscribe to exactly this theory. 

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My friends, I would like to submit that there are other possibilities.  One of them (one that I fervently believe to be true) is that Mr. Pioli not only 'gets it', he is well on his way to repeating the heavy lifting necessary to create an OPPORTUNITY for a dynasty to exist and thrive right in good 'ol KCMO.  

Pioli and Belichick walked into the Patriots complex at about the same time.  I think it took them both to create the winner that was to be.  Call me crazy, but I don't subscribe to the 'lone wolf Belichick theory at all.  One only needs to look at Belichick's record with and without Pioli et all.  I give equal credit to each man for his part.  Both were instrumental. 

What's it like to be on the verge of becoming a Dynasty?  Maybe we could ask Coach Belichick.

In 2000, Belichick took over the head coaching job in New England.  Pioli was brought aboard shortly thereafter.  

Belichick restructured the team's personnel department in the offseason, and later proclaimed that the team "could not win with 40 good players while the other team has 53," after a number of players showed up out of shape for the start of training camp.

What a coincidence!  The Chiefs experienced the same problem in Pioli and Haley's first year as well.  I'll be.  What are the odds?  The same thing happened to the Cowboys when Parcells took over that team in 2003.  I have become a believer that the names Parcells/Belichick/Haley are almost interchangeable when it comes to the basic theory of how they run a football team.  Haley just happens to be the most recent installment of the first chapter in the book.

Belichick's out of shape team proved to be going nowhere with a 5-11 record for the season.  Not far off the Chiefs record for 2009 now is it?  The following year they would go 11-5, win a Super Bowl and kick off their own dynasty.  My heart flutters at writing that line and the wildly euphoric notion that it could happen again. 

Nobody gives the Chiefs a chance in hell of doing that this year. Just how much of a chance do you think they were giving the 2000 5-11 Patriots in the 2001 season?  Aging QB, new unknown players all over the place, new coaches, very unlikely said the pundits.  Fortunately, the Patriots didn't listen.

What's it like to be on the verge of becoming a Dynasty?  Maybe we could ask Tom Brady.

Probably the most significant thing to happen to the Patriots during the 2000 season was drafting Tom Brady.  Who was in charge of that again?  Oh yeah, Pioli.  Talk about finding value in the sixth round!  I wonder if Tom's success had anything to do with bringing Cassel in at the get go in KC?  Yepper!

Brady busted his hump to take over the second spot on the Pats roster during the 2000 season.  This turned out to look like divine intervention because the next year when Bledsoe went down with injury, Brady grabbed the reins and went on to win a Super Bowl.  Think about that for a moment.  The first time he becomes the starter he has a Super Bowl winning season.  To top it off, it was merely the first step in the birth of a new dynasty.  Talk about having greatness thrust upon you!

Interestingly, Cassel was the one that took over for Brady when he went down with injury and turned in a respectable 11-5 record (same as Brady had done behind Bledsoe a few years earlier).  Blink!  History repeats itself?  Unfortunately a Super Bowl just wasn't to be for Cassel at that time.  It was still good enough to convince Pioli (and apparently Josh McDaniels as well) that Cassel was a hot commodity.  Pioli latched on and brought him to KC to give him a chance at the big time.   

You absolutely must wonder...if Brady had not won that Super Bowl and those going forward, would he today be referred to as a 'servicable backup' and nothing more as Walter football recently commented about Cassel?  The difference between great and average in the NFL can often fit on the head of a pin.

What's it like to be on the verge of becoming a Dynasty?  Maybe we could ask Richard Seymour and Romeo Crennel.

In 2001, Pioli drafted Richard Seymour as defensive tackle.  Richard had three sacks in 13 games played in that position. Also in 2001, Romeo was brought in as defensive coordinator to allow Belichick more time to be the head coach.  These two started the year just like any other year and ended up Super Bowl champs.  Could this blueprint be unfolding in Kansas City?  Maybe Eric Berry is the first round pick that goes to the Super Bowl as a rookie with Romeo this time.  I know it's just wishful thinking...right?

What's it like to be on the verge of becoming a Dynasty?  You really should ask Charlie Weis. 

I think that Charlie might just tell you that it has something to do with installing Erhardt-Perkins.  Charlie has installed this offense twice before (maybe three times if you count Notre Dame, and now four with KC) and won multiple Superbowls with it.  In 1990 he was named Bill Parcells offensive assistant with the NY Giants, installed the offense and won Super Bowl XXV in the same year by beating the Buffalo Bills 20-19.  In 2000, he took over as offensive coordinator in New England because Pete Carroll and Ernie Zampese couldn't get it done and installed EP once again.  This time he had to wait a year before the Super Bowls began but 2004 ended with his fourth Super Bowl win, all by a margin of three points or less. Charlie Weis has presided over four Super Bowl winning offenses running the famed EP scheme and did so by a margin of only 10 points in four games!  No wonder the guy has an eating disorder.

What's it like to be on the verge of becoming a Dynasty?  Maybe Mike Vrabel can give the best answer.

Mike Vrabel.  Here's something about Vrabel that I'll bet many of you didn't know.

Vrabel was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (91st overall) of the 1997 Draft.  He spent the first four seasons of his career in Pittsburgh (wearing #56). His most notable play as a Steeler came in his rookie season, when he sacked Drew Bledsoe in the 1997-98 AFC Divisional Playoffs to clinch a 7-6 win for the Steelers.

That would be the same Drew Bledsoe that played for the New England Patriots. The team that Vrabel would go on to become a part of that won three Super Bowls.  Ironic?  Hand of fate?  More divine intervention?  You be the judge.

Then, there's this:

Vrabel was a backup for the Steelers throughout his tenure there, and had considered retiring from the NFL before he signed with the Patriots.

At the end of Vrabel's tenure with the Steelers, it had mostly been an issue with the numbers game at linebacker, as the Steelers had veterans Jason Gildon and Earl Holmes firmly in as the starters as well as the emergence of Joey Porter at the position. Before leaving for New England, Steelers head coach Bill Cowher told Vrabel that while he believed Vrabel would be a starter in the NFL, he wouldn't be a starter with the Steelers. Vrabel has since credited Cowher for his decision not to retire and sign with the Patriots.

Retire?  Lordy, to think of what he would have missed had he done so! 

Fast Forward to the end of the 2008 season.  New England is beginning to slip.  Vrabel is getting long in the tooth and suddenly he is traded in a deal with the upstart Matt Cassel to one of the hardest struggling teams in the league, the Kansas City Chiefs.  What would you do?

Vrabel didn't immediately show up for work. That's OK, said Pioli and crew, he'll be here when we need him.  They were right. Vrabel could have retired after last years mess. Why didn't he? Particularly after suffering all the BS about how he is past his prime and should have just packed it in and joined the rest of the washed up players in the NFL's old folks home. Why?

Do you think there's a chance he sees the potential that we all covet so highly?  Do you think he may be reliving one of his greatest experiences in life that happened a mere six or seven years ago?  Does he believe in the magic that is happening in Kansas City RIGHT NOW?  You can bet your sweet potatoes he does!  Don't you think that it has occured to him what he would have missed if he had retired after his Steeler experience?  He will NOT miss this bus when it leaves the station.

What's it like to be on the verge of becoming a Dynasty?

The real answer is that it is different every time it happens.  The New England dynasty did not rely on Pro Bowlers to exist.  It relied on hard working coaches, smart leadership in the front office and journeymen players that bought in to the idea of the right 53.  Considering Vrabel and Brady's parts in the story, maybe it did rely on some powerful karma as well.  Be that as it may, it's success is well documented and many in the NFL have tried to copy it without success.  Kansas City now has many of the architects that created that dynasty.  Will they succeed in creating their own?  That future is still unclear.

I don't know Chiefs fans.  Maybe we don't need to ask anybody at all.  Maybe all we really need to do is Stop, Look, and Listen.  There are multitudes of ney sayers out there and I understand that.  But if we are on that precipice, I don't want to miss seeing the forest because I was too busy looking at the trees.

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