Stagner Things: Harsh Chiefs realities

1. It’s not personal, it’s just business. Don’t worry about what players say once they have been released. Their Chiefs career ended, and mostly not by their own choice. They don’t owe us anything. They gave their effort, their health and their time in a very limited window of their productive career. The same goes for coaches and front office guys. They do their best while they are here, and move on when they have to. They all serve at the pleasure of the ownership.
2. Nobody is untouchable, even ‘a boss’. The shocking dismissal of John Dorsey is the latest example of the fact that doing your job well doesn’t guarantee you’ll be in that job forever. Dorsey drafted well, accumulated talent, and was largely proven right on most of his major personnel decisions. In the end, it may have been money, loyalty or cap management that lead to the split. Either way, unless you own the team, you can be shown the door.
3. There’s NO such thing as loyalty in the NFL. The Chiefs have proven that teams aren’t loyal to players. They cut Charles and Maclin, and let Poe sign elsewhere. Players shouldn’t be expected to show any loyalty to teams, when it is rarely displayed in the opposite direction. In Dorsey’s case, he may have been holding out for a shot at the Green Bay job, or he didn’t want to commit for other reasons. Hunt may have asked for a long commitment from Dorsey and didn’t get it, but Clark clearly didn’t feel any obligation or loyalty in the other direction.
4. There aren’t accidents either. Get out of here with the hot takes about the Chiefs “blundering” or being “sloppy”. Each decision is a calculated move based on the facts available at the time. Terez confirmed that Maclin’s agent was properly notified of his release, and the voicemail happened because he was on a plane. Dorsey’s release wasn’t some catastrophic goof by the team either.
5. Hindsight is 20/20, my friend. Of course we can say that it would have been nice to have Chris Ballard on board if they were going to let Dorsey go. Clearly, whatever led to Dorsey’s dismissal happened AFTER Ballard went to the Colts. All signs point to this being a very recent decision by Clark Hunt.
6. Each year’s team is a unique organism. There are new players every year, and players departing every year. There are always surprises on both sides. Try not to think of the Chiefs team in terms of a continuous lifetime, where players stay with the team forever, and they are part of the identity of the team. Think of it in terms of how each year’s team is put together. This year’s Chiefs will have very different dynamics in terms of veterans and rookies, coaching and front office changes, guys getting healthy and guys will get hurt during the season. I look back at the 2016 team and think “that was a fun year, and a really good team.” Hopefully we’ll say the same about the 2017 version, even though it’s a totally separate entity.
7. Coach > GM. Player development > player acquisition (at least until you have to pay them more) We all love big, splashy free agent signings, and draft picks. Every time a player is available, we chime in on Twitter saying the Chiefs should take a look. But, realistically, the BEST chance the Chiefs have for improving their team will come from in house improvements. Demarcus Robinson, Jehu Chesson, Chris Conley, Tyreek Hill, Parker Ehinger, DJ Alexander, Terrance Mitchell... these are the players who can make or break this season. Not Richard Sherman, Anquan Boldin, David Harris, Navarro Bowman and Colin Kaepernick. The head coach pulls the players all together, puts them in position to succeed and is responsible for their development.
8. We should have known this all along, but this move confirms one thing. This is Andy Reid’s team. It’s been his team since Clark Hunt flew in and handed him the keys before he could go to another team. Reid picked Dorsey, and he’ll have a big say in picking the next guy. Reid got his extension, Dorsey was shown the door. Clark wouldn’t have made this decision if Reid wouldn’t have been on board...
9. This may sound like a contradiction...the TEAM is Andy’s...but the FRANCHISE is Clark’s. Clark is the real boss. He gave Andy and Dorsey their power, but (obviously), he can take it back at any time. Dorsey’s dismissal appears to have had little to do with his actual job performance in acquiring talent, but nearly everything to do with his relationship with Clark Hunt (and, perhaps with Reid).
10. Regardless of what we THINK happened, we don’t KNOW much of anything. Don’t tell me it was a “mistake” or that it was based on something petty. We can’t pretend to know whether they were “getting along” or there was some disagreement over major decisions. We can’t say it was right or wrong, a “power grab” or “meddling”. Well, we can say it.. but it doesn’t mean it’s accurate. We have no idea.
11. The season isn’t doomed, the future is still bright. This team is still stacked with young talent. They are returning the bulk of their contributors, and getting some injured guys healthy. They have very tough cuts to make because they have a tremendous roster. They have a solid QB for today, and a high-upside QBoTF they love. I’m confident they’ll hire a competent GM to work with one of the NFL’s best coaches, Andy Reid and keep this thing moving forward. There are at least 2 “future GMs” in the organization already that are well thought of, and that can likely pick up where Dorsey left off. They aren’t going to tank this season or next because they’ve turned over their front office.
12. Rambling theory: Maybe Dorsey wanted the Green Bay way... draft only, no free agents, don’t overpay guys. Reid doesn’t mind paying guys and making a splash. Dorsey’s team is getting younger, and built for the long run. Andy wants to win sooner. Dorsey is a scout’s scout, Reid is a player’s coach. Clark clearly sided with Andy, and they’ll go young with their next GM to execute Andy’s vision.

From the upside down:

Nothing else I can add. Reality is crazy enough. The Chiefs drafted a 1st round QB, Dorsey got fired, Maclin is a Raven and Charles is a Bronco, our pets heads are falling off. It's true that life is stranger than fiction.