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Fountain City Blues
Love Everybody
Setting the table:
The game of football is played with the highest level of passion possible, an energy most simply don’t understand. But realize this: what occurred on the Chiefs sideline and in the locker room during the AFC Championship wasn’t a brief spat or a heat-of-the-moment flare up.
- This is not a normal story from the KC Star or better publications.
- The length of this article is intended to provide context and insight.
- Patrick Mahomes did not throw the game.
- The NFL did not order the Chiefs to throw the game.
It was instead the culmination of several issues that all came to a head at the worst time possible.
We ask that you put away your preconceived notions about national reporters caring about Kansas City. This story will not be reported on because of the optics involved.
In regards to our sources:
Most of you reading this understand where the Chiefs Kingdom Editorial Board comes from — the twitter handle of @1_Chiefskingdom, originally known as “Save Our Chiefs.”
That account is run by a few people, but the owner is someone who has covered the team in the background since 1997, first on KFFL.com, then NFLScoop.com and eventually to Draftsharks.com.
The “Save Our Chiefs” movement, the single greatest fan revolt in sports fandom history, rekindled the owner’s connections to those in NFL circles. Chiefs employees fed us info, gave us insights to the hiring of Andy Reid and much, much more. Since, we have taken a step back, only reporting sporadically. We don’t have a podcast, a website needing clicks, or a need to generate profit. We simply share what we know for the enjoyment of Chiefs Kingdom.
We get asked about our sources. Let me tell you how they come about: The NFL is a multi-billion dollar industry. They control 100 percent of the narrative. Nothing is left to chance, except the police blotter. Even then, they can control the longevity of something in the media.
But when it comes to the team level, people will talk. And in the case of the Chiefs most recent playoff loss, they are.
Based upon information provided directly to us, there is a narrative being pushed not only by the Chiefs, but at least two high-profile players. There is nothing wrong with that — this is how the off-the-field game is played in the NFL.
Ted Crews, Executive Vice President of Communications for the Chiefs, is the main handler of information both public and private, and does a masterful job of controlling information released to local reporters and national insiders. So when things like “Andy Reid Meeting with Eric Bieniemy” come out, it’s because the team, or agents (or sometimes both), wanted the news out. Sub-tier employees of the Chiefs also have access to this information.
There are several people at One Arrowhead Drive who want a certain narrative pushed out so a different one can be ignored. The Chiefs are wary of the optics of separating from Eric Bieniemy. Technically, they already have, as Bieniemy has no contract with the club and is a free agent. Given the Brian Flores lawsuit, and perceptions of racist behavior towards Bieniemy, the Chiefs simply don’t want to be in the crosshairs of the same controversy right now.
There is no racism involved with Bieniemy not getting a head coaching job. When you interview for a role 15 times and come away empty handed, it’s time to look at the man in the mirror. Bieniemy has rushed his interviews, been incomplete in thought and structure and has lacked a true plan that a billionaire owner can get behind.
The back-channel communication on Bieniemy is simply not good and it has zero to do with race. Case in point, the NFL begged and pleaded with the Saints ownership group to “strongly consider” Bieniemy. In the end, the team felt Dennis Allen’s plan and continuity was more important than Bieniemy’s ideas and the NFL’s pleadings.
So what now? Bieniemy is a free agent. He will meet with the Chiefs and talk through options. They have held initial talks with another round coming soon. However, considering what has happened, and what you’re about to read, it all boils down to..
The Chiefs and Eric Bieniemy are not meant for each other.
To understand this, travel back in time to Super Bowl LV. The Chiefs were fresh off a 31–9 thumping due to their Dollar General-style duct tape offensive line. Mahomes ran for 500+ lateral yards escaping rushers, and the Chiefs were exposed.
Walking out of the stadium that night, Bieniemy’s contract with the Chiefs had expired, which was a well publicized story leading up to the Super Bowl. Bieniemy was passed over for head coaching opportunities. Whispers started to circulate about his deficiencies as a coach. Players, for the most part, remained silent.
Between the Super Bowl and the draft, Bieniemy quietly signed a one-year deal for just over $1 million. The Chiefs did not release details, Kansas City news didn’t really report on it.
According to our source, when training camp arrived, Bieniemy was different. He didn’t have the same energy he was previously known for. He was short and temperamental with a lot of people behind closed doors.
Flash back to August 2020. Bieniemy made this statement about Patrick Mahomes:
There was nothing playful about this quote. According to our source, Bieniemy disliked the dynamics Mahomes brought to the offense because he felt it hurt his chances to become a head coach. His statement may have come across as a joke, but as with any joke told, there is always some truth hidden in the delivery.“You guys have been around him — you know him,” said Bieniemy. “He’s a competitive prick. OK? He’s a great kid, but he’s a competitive prick. He wants to improve at everything he could possibly improve upon. He wants to be the best at whatever he can do. And along the way, he wants to make sure that he’s leading the guys, he wants to be held accountable by his peers, but also, too — he just wants to work. And that’s what you love about being around him every single day.”
The 2020 season featured some minor disagreements between Mahomes and Bieniemy, that are at times just part of playing in the NFL. It was nothing out of the ordinary.
However, the situation began to head down a slippery slope as Super Bowl LV preparations went south. Bieniemy was interviewing for a head-coaching job while the team was trying to navigate the game plan and offset their offensive line problems.
Mahomes and Reid, according to our source, had a good plan in place. Bieniemy didn’t like it. He made several changes, and he had the power to do so in his contract, because he called the plays in 2020, as he did in 2021.
One month after the Super Bowl loss, the decision was made to bring back Bieniemy on a quiet one-year deal, while hoping he would receive the head-coaching opportunity he had worked for. Everyone was on board with the game plan.
Focus on the optics. It’s easier to lose a coach publicly to a promotion than having to potentially fire a high profile coach. Optics matter, a lot, to these owners.
Then the Chiefs started poorly in 2021. Mahomes struggled. Eyebrows were raised. The national media dug in, smelling blood.
The reality of the situation: schemes were misaligned, several defensive backs were not getting along with defensive backs coach Sam Madison, and the Chiefs had lingering injuries.
And then the biggest snowball of all started rolling again: the hidden feud between Bieniemy and Mahomes.
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