Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt talked with Kevin Kietzmann on 810 WHB's Between The Lines this week about the playoff-clinching win and the road to the playoffs over the last few years. Hunt touched on the evolution of the current Chiefs, the new regime he put into place nearly two years ago, and one of the greatest home field advantages in the NFL.
You can listen to the interview at 810 WHB. Here are a few highlights:
"We're obviously very excited as an organization to have had such a positive year this year so far. To make the playoffs, win the AFC West, it's really been tremendous." Hunt's been talking about this since he hired Scott Pioli in the second week of January in 2009. The goal this year was to be competitive in December and they did that. I imagine the goal has now switched to being competitive in January. It's a good thing when you succeed maybe quicker than you realistically imagined.
"Looking back, maybe it looks easier than it was at the time. Clearly we were in a pretty big hole going back two or three years. The team was not performing well. I didn't feel that we had drafted well for a number of years. The talent cupboard was empty. It was time for us to make a change which we did." This is Hunt on the arrival of Scott Pioli and Co. in Kansas City. We talked yesterday about the talent left over so you know I disagree with him when he says the talent cupboard was empty. The nucleus of this team -- Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, Dwayne Bowe, Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers, Jamaal Charles and Brandon Carr -- was already here. I think where I disagree with Hunt is more of a technicality. To me, that was a talented group a couple years ago even if they hadn't done anything. But, as Hunt later says, we've seen the players developed very well by the coaching staff in the last year, and they're realizing their talent. I think that's at least part of what he means when he says the "talent cupboard was empty."
"At the end of the day, it's not about me or any one person. It's really about the organization. Clearly our family is thrilled with the way the team has responded. We feel like we have some of the best people in football running our football operations. At the end of the day, we're really just excited for the fans." Hunt said fans had gone through a couple of "lean years" recently and it's been fun seeing the fans get excited and lining up at 5:00 a.m. for playoff tickets. I think you have lots and lots of folks excited about this team around here even if getting out to the stadium on game day is still an issue.
"The team's success at home has been fantastic and, frankly, one of the key reasons we made the playoffs." 7-0 at home. How about that feather in your hat? The Chiefs marketing department will have some fun with that stat when they're promoting tickets next year.