Chiefs Sam Mellinger | Disastrous start exposes disconnect between Chiefs leaders, fans - Page 3

**Tribal Warfare** · 09-17-2012, 11:54 PM

Sam Mellinger | Disastrous start exposes disconnect between Chiefs leaders, fans
By SAM MELLINGER
The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs Kingdom Apocalypse is in its third day now, and the takeaway isn’t that there are so many fans screaming their panic and anger — it’s that there are so few fans preaching hope and patience.

It’s not that so many fans are frustrated with their team — it’s that seemingly so few are giving that team the benefit of the doubt.

In this, the Chiefs must face something much worse than losing two football games. They must confront the question of whether they’ve lost their fans’ trust.

That’s a remarkable thing for Kansas City’s most important institution besides barbecue — the only thing in town that can unite black and white, rich and poor, Mizzou and Kansas.

The Chiefs have every conceivable advantage to build a consensus of unanimous support in this region, and they’ve blown it with a series of image and football blunders that turned the franchise into something unworthy of its fans’ confidence.

Think about it. How many of your friends believe the Chiefs will turn it around? How many trust the organization will put in the work and write the checks and make the sacrifices to hold off what feels like a disastrous season? How many outside the Chiefs’ offices are saying the current alarm is misplaced or premature?

In the 24 hours or so after the Chiefs embarrassed themselves in Buffalo, and colleague Kent Babb and I each wrote scathing takedowns in return, I heard exactly one fan stand up for the team. Kent says he heard from two. That’s out of hundreds of emails and Tweets we received from people who love the Chiefs and no longer feel the love back.

Unless we’re only hearing from a (very) vocal minority, this is a problem bigger than a shoddy defense and limp offense, worse than bad draft picks and Jamaal Charles’ knee and even Matt Cassel’s passing.

This is about the fundamental relationship between fan and team, where fans give their unwavering time, money and hope in exchange for the team not taking advantage of them.

In many real ways, that relationship is now broken in Kansas City, and the Chiefs are closer than they should be to what started happening with the Royals in the mid- to late-1990s.

Let’s pause for some context, and the obvious counterpoint that the story would be completely different if the Chiefs were 2-0 or even 1-1 or perhaps even 0-2 with competitive losses.

Winning makes everything better, losing makes everything worse, and being blown out makes everything worst of all. The Chiefs can “fix” a chunk of their image problem by winning next week in New Orleans; do that, and the conversation around town changes.

All of those things are true.

So is this: this season’s losses are exposing underlying issues that have been cooking for years.

There is a disconnect between fan and team that just shouldn’t exist in this market and this sport. The NFL makes sure every franchise has enough money to compete, and fans here don’t believe the Chiefs are using it. The NFL makes sure every team has hope, and fans here are remarkably quick to lose theirs.

Some of that is football, and fans cheering for a team with a bottom-half quarterback in a league dominated by elite ones.

But some of it is emotional, too: fans cheering for a team they’re no longer convinced has their best interests in mind. Clark Hunt doesn’t have his father’s charisma or everyman appeal, and has come to be known more for his salary-cap space than anything else.

The fact that Hunt doesn’t live in town is largely irrelevant for a lot of reasons — he has a place here; his father never lived in KC, either; and in 2012, we have access to things like cellphones, email, video conferencing and a private jet – tools that connect him to this market in ways his dad could only dream of.

But perception has a way of becoming reality. In other words, fans have never felt that Clark is one of them.

As the losses pile up, you could say essentially the same thing about the Chiefs. There is an eroding bond here, not in terms of how much fans love their team, but how much love they feel in return.

Losing two games is bad.

Losing that trust is much worse.

L.A. Chieffan · 09-18-2012, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

What is Mellinger talking about? Disastrous start? Is he serious?

Last year after two games KC scored 10 points and gave up 89 points.

This year they've scored 41 points and gave up 75 points.

The offense is 4x better than last year. The D is giving up a TD less per game.

Improvement!

Agreed, Atlanta is a very good team as they proved last night. Buffalo has one of the most improved defenses in the league.

People are overreacting.

mcaj22 · 09-18-2012, 01:34 PM

yea Buffalo's improved defense

the same improved defense that Mark Sanchez had the game of his life against and threw for 3 touchdowns.

Buffalo is not a good team. they are like 8-8 at best and wont even sniff anything in their own division.

And we can't even hang with them. That's how bad we are.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 09-18-2012, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcaj22

yea Buffalo's improved defense

the same improved defense that Mark Sanchez had the game of his life against and threw for 3 touchdowns.

Buffalo is not a good team. they are like 8-8 at best and wont even sniff anything in their own division.

And we can't even hang with them. That's how bad we are.

There ya' go.

Rasputin · 09-18-2012, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.A.Chieffan

Agreed, Atlanta is a very good team as they proved last night. Buffalo has one of the most improved defenses in the league.

People are overreacting.

This is ****ing reeruned and pisses me the **** off! THIS IS YEAR FOUR FOR PIOLI WE SHOULD BE COMPETIVE WITH THESE TEAMS WITH A CHANCE TO BEAT THERE ASSES AT THE END OF THE GAME AT LEAST BE COMPETITIVE!

We are getting blown the **** out first two games of the season just like last year with little to show that we are a better team even with the return of JC EB & TM. It's ****ing bull shit and embarassing.

Teams that start 0-2 from the merger get about a 11% odds of making the post season. Regardless if we are in a shit devision we still would have to face a real team in the playoffs just to get blown out if we got there. We GOT NOTHING to show that we can play with the big boys in this league.

So what if we win some games? How many times this year are we going get blown out again?

L.A. Chieffan · 09-18-2012, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcaj22

yea Buffalo's improved defense

the same improved defense that Mark Sanchez had the game of his life against and threw for 3 touchdowns.

Buffalo is not a good team. they are like 8-8 at best and wont even sniff anything in their own division.

And we can't even hang with them. That's how bad we are.

Yeah, Mario Williams and Mark Anderson don't count as an improvement.

Buffalo might have the best DL in the league.

mcaj22 · 09-18-2012, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by L.A.Chieffan

Yeah, Mario Williams and Mark Anderson don't count as an improvement.

Buffalo might have the best DL in the league.

they still gave up 48 points to the JETS

that's not improved. We just make teams look better than they actually are.

Rasputin · 09-18-2012, 02:00 PM

L.A.Chieffan is our KnowMo

**DaneMcCloud** · 09-18-2012, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Tattoo

L.A.Chieffan is our KnowMo

Not even close

**cdcox** · 09-18-2012, 04:25 PM

40+ years without a championship
19 years since a playoff win
29 years since drafting a QB

This kind of record really shortens the leash of ownership and management.

The peceptions of being under the cap, of building a team that is juuuusssst good enough, of making do with a back water qb, the arogance, paranoia, and media manipulation just present an image of a franchise that is tone deaf. A lot of goodwill has been burnt.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 09-19-2012, 02:48 PM

That's quality leadership!

whoman69 · 09-19-2012, 03:38 PM

Bills took advantage of the shortcomings of the Chiefs defense, that their sub package can't guard against the run. I thought Stevie Johnson was going to have a career day. Chandler had another big day because our base defense can't cover the pass.

O.city · 09-19-2012, 03:41 PM

The front office treats the fans like shit. You don't win games, continually seem to lie and undersell, the fans are gonna turn on you.

I've never in my life felt this way about the Chiefs. Even during the Herm years, you could see that the change was for the better. I don't really see this ending well. Shits gonna get bad here in KC. I've never cheered for a loss, but I legit hope we get our dicks kicked this weekend. Just to see if Clark or anyone has any balls.

FAX · 09-19-2012, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.city

The front office treats the fans like shit. You don't win games, continually seem to lie and undersell, the fans are gonna turn on you.

I've never in my life felt this way about the Chiefs. Even during the Herm years, you could see that the change was for the better. I don't really see this ending well. Shits gonna get bad here in KC. I've never cheered for a loss, but I legit hope we get our dicks kicked this weekend. Just to see if Clark or anyone has any balls.

I don't think it's a question of hope at this point, Mr. O.city. Honestly, our chances of winning that game are slim and none and slim left town ... on account of getting behind on his season ticket payments and slim would like to keep the knees he was born with in basic, working order.

FAX

Sweet Daddy Hate · 09-19-2012, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.city

The front office treats the fans like shit. You don't win games, continually seem to lie and undersell, the fans are gonna turn on you.

I've never in my life felt this way about the Chiefs. Even during the Herm years, you could see that the change was for the better. I don't really see this ending well. Shits gonna get bad here in KC. I've never cheered for a loss, but I legit hope we get our dicks kicked this weekend. Just to see if Clark or anyone has any balls.

I bet Scotty felt on top o the world after Monday night 2010.

Not so much now.

Sorter · 09-19-2012, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DarthCarlSatan

I bet Scotty felt on top o the world after Monday night 2010.

Not so much now.

If someone really wanted to rustle Pioli's jimmies, they'd email the Dimitroff gif to him. He would snap.

09-17-2012, 11:54 PM
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-2807187	Sam Mellinger \| Disastrous start exposes disconnect between Chiefs leaders, fans Sam Mellinger \| Disastrous start exposes disconnect between Chiefs leaders, fans By SAM MELLINGER The Kansas City Star The Chiefs Kingdom Apocalypse is in its third day now, and the takeaway isn’t that there are so many fans screaming their panic and anger — it’s that there are so few fans preaching hope and patience. It’s not that so many fans are frustrated with their team — it’s that seemingly so few are giving that team the benefit of the doubt. In this, the Chiefs must face something much worse than losing two football games. They must confront the question of whether they’ve lost their fans’ trust. That’s a remarkable thing for Kansas City’s most important institution besides barbecue — the only thing in town that can unite black and white, rich and poor, Mizzou and Kansas. The Chiefs have every conceivable advantage to build a consensus of unanimous support in this region, and they’ve blown it with a series of image and football blunders that turned the franchise into something unworthy of its fans’ confidence. Think about it. How many of your friends believe the Chiefs will turn it around? How many trust the organization will put in the work and write the checks and make the sacrifices to hold off what feels like a disastrous season? How many outside the Chiefs’ offices are saying the current alarm is misplaced or premature? In the 24 hours or so after the Chiefs embarrassed themselves in Buffalo, and colleague Kent Babb and I each wrote scathing takedowns in return, I heard exactly one fan stand up for the team. Kent says he heard from two. That’s out of hundreds of emails and Tweets we received from people who love the Chiefs and no longer feel the love back. Unless we’re only hearing from a (very) vocal minority, this is a problem bigger than a shoddy defense and limp offense, worse than bad draft picks and Jamaal Charles’ knee and even Matt Cassel’s passing. This is about the fundamental relationship between fan and team, where fans give their unwavering time, money and hope in exchange for the team not taking advantage of them. In many real ways, that relationship is now broken in Kansas City, and the Chiefs are closer than they should be to what started happening with the Royals in the mid- to late-1990s. Let’s pause for some context, and the obvious counterpoint that the story would be completely different if the Chiefs were 2-0 or even 1-1 or perhaps even 0-2 with competitive losses. Winning makes everything better, losing makes everything worse, and being blown out makes everything worst of all. The Chiefs can “fix” a chunk of their image problem by winning next week in New Orleans; do that, and the conversation around town changes. All of those things are true. So is this: this season’s losses are exposing underlying issues that have been cooking for years. There is a disconnect between fan and team that just shouldn’t exist in this market and this sport. The NFL makes sure every franchise has enough money to compete, and fans here don’t believe the Chiefs are using it. The NFL makes sure every team has hope, and fans here are remarkably quick to lose theirs. Some of that is football, and fans cheering for a team with a bottom-half quarterback in a league dominated by elite ones. But some of it is emotional, too: fans cheering for a team they’re no longer convinced has their best interests in mind. Clark Hunt doesn’t have his father’s charisma or everyman appeal, and has come to be known more for his salary-cap space than anything else. The fact that Hunt doesn’t live in town is largely irrelevant for a lot of reasons — he has a place here; his father never lived in KC, either; and in 2012, we have access to things like cellphones, email, video conferencing and a private jet – tools that connect him to this market in ways his dad could only dream of. But perception has a way of becoming reality. In other words, fans have never felt that Clark is one of them. As the losses pile up, you could say essentially the same thing about the Chiefs. There is an eroding bond here, not in terms of how much fans love their team, but how much love they feel in return. Losing two games is bad. Losing that trust is much worse.
Posts: 43,428

09-18-2012, 01:34 PM	#32
mcaj22 MVP Join Date: Feb 2010 Casino cash: $10014454	yea Buffalo's improved defense the same improved defense that Mark Sanchez had the game of his life against and threw for 3 touchdowns. Buffalo is not a good team. they are like 8-8 at best and wont even sniff anything in their own division. And we can't even hang with them. That's how bad we are.
Posts: 11,886

09-18-2012, 02:00 PM	#37
Rasputin Tip of the hat LIV Champs Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: ks Casino cash: $225421	L.A.Chieffan is our KnowMo __________________ "Those who don't believe in magic will never find it"
Posts: 56,907

09-18-2012, 04:25 PM	#39
cdcox www.nfl-forecast.com Join Date: Sep 2000 Casino cash: $-478231	40+ years without a championship 19 years since a playoff win 29 years since drafting a QB This kind of record really shortens the leash of ownership and management. The peceptions of being under the cap, of building a team that is juuuusssst good enough, of making do with a back water qb, the arogance, paranoia, and media manipulation just present an image of a franchise that is tone deaf. A lot of goodwill has been burnt.
Posts: 46,032

09-19-2012, 02:48 PM	#40
Sweet Daddy Hate Unsparing Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	That's quality leadership! __________________ 1. Merciless, severe. 2. Given freely and generously. 100% refusal to overrate 20 year Head Coaches with ZERO **ing rings as a Head Coach. CP's Official Professor of 'Dem Blues for 2019/2020!**
Posts: 77,135

09-19-2012, 03:41 PM	#42
O.city In Search of a Life Join Date: Jul 2009 Casino cash: $-555936	The front office treats the fans like shit. You don't win games, continually seem to lie and undersell, the fans are gonna turn on you. I've never in my life felt this way about the Chiefs. Even during the Herm years, you could see that the change was for the better. I don't really see this ending well. Shits gonna get bad here in KC. I've never cheered for a loss, but I legit hope we get our dicks kicked this weekend. Just to see if Clark or anyone has any balls.
Posts: 84,159

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