Sunday Soapbox: Kansas City Chiefs defense cannot be problem in 2018

With Andy Reid insisting that Bob Sutton was not the problem for the Kansas City Chiefs defense in 2017, he eliminated all excuses for the defensive coordinator in 2018.

Yes, there is plenty of blame to go around for the Kansas City Chiefs collapse in the playoffs this past year. However, a lot of the blame falls on the Chiefs defense headed up by Bob Sutton. Andy Reid spoke to the KC Star’s Terez Paylor, and stood behind his defensive coordinator amid public calls for his dismissal.

Now I can appreciate loyalty. I can also understand that the numbers over the past five years say Bob Sutton has actually done a pretty good job. However, I can also see what’s happening on the television screen in front of me. I can also step back to look at a situation and recognize that now was a very good chance for a change.

More than all of that though, I now see that Andy Reid has made two very bold statements that you might have missed. The first is that Reid is handcuffing himself to Bob Sutton. The success of the defense isn’t now just the responsibility of the defensive coordinator. The head coach owns it as well.

https://twitter.com/Jacobs71/status/956388273492037632

The other hidden statement that Andy Reid made in sticking up for Bob Sutton is that the Chiefs are laying their defensive problems at the feet of John Dorsey. Reid told Terez Paylor: “I think overall as a team, we’ve got to get better in some areas.” Well, if that doesn’t mean the defensive coordinator, then it’s referring to the players on the roster that John Dorsey built.

“I think overall as a team, we’ve got to get better in some areas.” ~ Andy Reid defending DC Bob Sutton

The Roster Does Need Work

Now that isn’t some kind of big revelation for Kansas City Chiefs fans. Ahead of this past season, I was practically screaming that the Chiefs needed major help at cornerback and outside linebacker. That help was not acquired as the only move KC really made was drafting a developmental pass rusher in Tanoh Kpassagnon.

Of course we all then saw how Kansas City struggled in the secondary for much of the season. Enough so that they finally had to reach out to Darrelle Revis to come in and help out. At outside linebacker, there wasn’t any such relief effort. Opponents blatantly ran away from Justin Houston’s side of the field, and the Chiefs had no answer.

There were certainly other issues on the defensive side of the ball, but those two were glaring holes before the season even began. So for the KC front office to have not addressed them at all was a major failure. John Dorsey was the man running the show during the start of free agency and the NFL Draft. That’s his ball that was dropped.

No Excuses Moving Forward

This isn’t me giving the Kansas City Chiefs any kind of a reprieve. No, the simple truth is that I am now putting the bulls eye square on Andy Reid. He just doubled down on Bob Sutton as the right man for the job. So now whatever happens on defense is definitely going to be Reid’s fault as much as Sutton’s.