When you win in the NFL, things are pretty good. The head coach is happy, the media is saying good things about your team and there's something to look forward to on Sundays.
There's also a downside to winning -- other teams want your players and coaches. Obviously if you're winning you're doing something right and other teams want to replicate that success. The Patriots have learned that over the years as they've been losing coordinators, assistant coaches and personnel folks on what seems to be a yearly basis.
The Chiefs may learn the same thing this year. An example of what I'm talking about comes from Woody Paige of the Denver Post as he discusses potential GM candidates for the Broncos.
If Xanders is not retained, then the Broncos should examine Eric DeCosta (the Ravens' player personnel director), Ted Sundquist (former Broncos general manager-in-title under Mike Shanahan), Randy Mueller (former Saints and Dolphins GM) and Joel Collier (Chiefs assistant general manager and son of the Broncos' longtime defensive coordinator). He's just throwing out possibilities and there's no evidence to tie Collier to the Broncos (occupied) GM job but the larger point remains -- the more games the Chiefs win the more likely it is other teams are going to want their players, coaches and personnel folks. The key to overcoming this, as Clark Hunt explained to Kevin Kietzmann on 810 WHB Monday afternoon, is building an operation that lasts. "One of the objectives when we made the change a couple years ago," Hunt said, "and Scott Pioli said it I think in his first interview with the organization, the goal was to build a team that could compete for championships on a year-to-year basis." That's the goal which, like most goals, is easier said than done.