What the New York Jets organization can learn from the champion Chiefs.
Drama the New York Jets leading into the 2020 NFL season. From Jamal Adams‘ trade demands, calling out the coaching staff and then being dealt, it’s been wild in the Big Apple. In short, the Jets are a mess right now and could learn from the best: the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
The champs offer a blueprint for franchises such as the Jets for how to build a winning organization and also establish a football team that has a great team culture. New York is a work in progress yet again and it’s up to ownership and the front office to make personnel changes to improve moving forward.
Kansas City is a prime example that success is possible with the right people leading the way and making decisions. Here are the two major lessons the Chiefs can teach the New York Jets.
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2. Hire a successful head coach with a proven track record
The Chiefs hit a home run when they hired Andy Reid, who had a successful run in Philadelphia previously, leading the Eagles to several NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance during his tenure there. Simply put, he had a track record of winning in the NFL prior to being hired by Kansas City.
In stark contrast, the Jets most recent head coaching hire, Adam Gase, had just been fired by the Miami Dolphins. Granted, Reid was fired as well but Gase had a losing record at his previous stop. Should the Jets move on from Gase, as I and many others are in favor of, they should keep in mind the Reid hire when making their next head coaching selection. Incidentally, Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is a fantastic candidate.
1. Believe in and be smart in selecting the face of the franchise
Though Patrick Mahomes is now an all-world quarterback, he was considered a project coming out of Texas Tech. Yet, the Chiefs believed in him, took their time to work with and coach him and develop him into the leader he’s become. They believed in him, identified his leadership capabilities and stuck by their man.
Jamal Adams figured to be the face of the Jets franchise but his behavior demonstrated anything but leadership. His contract demands and handling of the media were far from anything Mahomes as ever done. Perhaps this is a culture thing as well, stemming from the environment cultivated by the head coach. Regardless, the Jets must be more diligent and wise when identifying and selecting the player who will be the face of their franchise.