Let’s Argue: “Chiefs should bring back Eric Berry for the playoffs”

Welcome to this week’s edition of Let’s Argue!

Inspired by a video series created by music reviewer Anthony Fantano, Robert Rimpson’s weekly series takes a look at hot takes, unpopular opinions, wacky predictions and more from Kansas City Chiefs fans.

“The Chiefs should sign Eric Berry to win a Super Bowl”

After the Chiefs confirmed on Monday that Juan Thornhill tore his ACL, it’s easy to see why signing a veteran safety looks so appealing.

The Seattle Seahawks brought Marshawn Lynch back in time for their season finale against the San Francisco 49ers. All season, people have been speculating about the New England Patriots bringing Rob Gronkowski out of retirement. It’s not unheard-of for a team with Super Bowl aspirations to bring back a veteran familiar with the system — but that doesn’t necessarily make it a good idea.

My opinion is contingent on two things:

First, how much of faith the team has in Daniel Sorensen and Armani Watts? And second, whether or not Berry is healthy — and in shape.

The latter is very important; it was Berry’s struggle to stay healthy that ended his run with the Chiefs in the first place. To me, however, the former will ultimately determine whether the Chiefs will consider bringing Berry back. If we hear a lot of coaches and players saying they have a lot of belief in the backup safeties over the next two weeks, then I don’t expect the Chiefs to make a last-minute move.

All that being said, Berry was a phenomenal player. His football IQ alone makes it worth at least considering bringing him back.

“Losing Juan Thornhill won’t have a great impact on the defense”

I strongly disagree with this take.

Not only has Thornhill been extremely important for the Chiefs this season, the safety position as a whole has also been vital to the team.

Thornhill has played 95% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps this season — second only to Tyrann Mathieu with 98%. He has been so essential to the defense that he has played nearly every snap.

It’s no coincidence that as soon as Mathieu and Thornhill began to hit their strides, the Chiefs defense improved as a whole. During the team’s six-game winning streak to end the season, they combined for five interceptions and nine passes defensed. Either of them being lost for the playoffs could have a huge impact.

“Chris Jones will be tagged and traded in the offseason”

When it comes to talented guys on the roster being traded, the Chiefs have proven me wrong a few times. But my gut still tells me Jones will get a new Chiefs contract this offseason.

This year, Jones has definitely proven he should be paid like one of the top defensive linemen in the league. I’m also pretty sure the Chiefs — and Steve Spagnuolo — want to keep him on the roster. This isn’t like the Dee Ford situation— where Spagnuolo felt like he didn’t fit his scheme — nor is it similar to the Marcus Peters situation, where coaches felt he was out of control and was too much to handle.

The only reason I think the Chiefs might trade Jones is if he asks for way too much money — enough to stand in the way of an extension for Mahomes. Jones checks all the right boxes. If negotiations are the only thing standing between him and a new Chiefs contract, I think it’ll get done.

“A home playoff game is not an advantage for the Chiefs”

I feel like I’ve harped on this point a lot — especially when discussing whether or not the Chiefs needed the second seed — but this season, the Chiefs haven’t exactly been stellar at home.

They have a 5-3 record at Arrowhead — which isn’t great compared to their 7-1 record on the road. I shouldn’t have to remind you about their abysmal home record in the playoffs.

However, assuming the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens move on to the AFC Championship, the Chiefs will likely be playing only one postseason game at Arrowhead. Last year’s home divisional playoff game worked out pretty well for the Chiefs. Maybe a road game for the conference championship will end the Chiefs’ playoff woes.

“Andy Reid will be more aggressive in the playoffs”

I know that among Chiefs fans, this is a popular theory to explain how conservative Andy Reid has been. But I can’t bring myself to believe it.

While I’m sure that in the postseason, we might see a couple of plays Reid has been saving for special occasions, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be changing what I believe is his offensive philosophy.

Time after time — and season after season — Reid plays aggressively for as long as it takes to get a sizable lead. Then he plays conservatively — an attempt to give his defense its best chance to protect the lead. Over his tenure in Kansas City, he’s done it in both the regular season and postseason. At this point, I think there’s no changing it.

I think the only way to save Reid from himself is for Mahomes to work his magic — or to have a defense that can actual hold on to the lead. In this postseason, the Chiefs may have that kind of defense. We’ll just have to wait and see.