It doesn't appear as if major changes are on the horizon in Kansas City, even if the Chiefs continue to barrel toward a last-place finish. On Sunday, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star reported that Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said that he plans on sticking with head coach Andy Reid and general manager John Dorsey regardless of the team's final record.
Andy Reid’s job is safe despite losing season in Kansas City
Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said Sunday Reid and general manager John Dorsey will be back next year even if the Chiefs collect a top-five pick.
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“I have full confidence in Andy and John Dorsey,” Hunt said. “I think they’re the right people to lead our football team. They’re as disappointed as I am, but I think they’re the right guys to lead us, not only this year, but going forward.”
It’s important to note that an owner’s vote of confidence isn’t always binding. As a recent example, Boston Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in June general manager Ben Cherington’s job was “secure.” Two months later, Cherington resigned from his position after the club brought in a new president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski.
But perhaps the biggest difference between Kansas City's situation and most other last-place teams is that this futile campaign is an anomaly in the Reid era. Prior to 2015, Reid led the Chiefs to 11 and nine-win campaigns, respectively. Dorsey, who worked with Reid on the Green Bay Packers' coaching staff in the mid-1990s, was hired when Reid came aboard.
The biggest problem with the Chiefs under Reid has been their moribund passing attack, which has never ranked higher than 16th in terms of yards per game over the last three seasons. Not a single Chiefs wide receiver caught a touchdown pass from Dec. 8, 2013 through Sept. 28, 2015 (Jeremy Maclin broke that streak with a TD reception during Week 3 this season).
In a league dominated by quarterbacks with gaudy passing numbers, Alex Smith has been more of a game manager ever since Reid and Dorsey acquired prior to the 2013 campaign. In seven years with the San Francisco 49ers, Smith only passed for more than 3,000 yards in a season once. He's surpassed that total during his two years with the Chiefs, but has never finished higher than 17th in terms of passing yards.
Up until this season, though, the Chiefs' formula under Reid and Dorsey has worked. The offense has been engineered by dynamic running back Jamaal Charles, and a strong defense -- the pass rush in particular -- has carried the team to victory.
Injuries have ravaged the Chiefs in 2015, most notably when Charles suffered a season-ending ACL injury Oct. 13. Kansas City has had to use five different offensive line combinations this year as well.
Given Reid’s and Dorsey’s strong resumes -- Reid has a career 152-110 record as a head coach and Dorsey was a fixture in Green Bay’s front office from 2000-2012 -- it makes sense for Hunt to give them an opportunity to get the Chiefs back on track. Still, it’s unusual for an owner to back a coach and a general manager in the midst of a last-place season. But while the 2-5 Chiefs are currently tied with the San Diego Chargers in the basement of the AFC West, there is plenty of time left for Hunt to change his mind.
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