To say that the Kansas City Chiefs have had a tough season would be a massive understatement. Head coach Andy Reid's team has struggled to close out games, losing all but one of the six games that have been decided by a point so far, which is a situation they went undefeated in last season.
This is uncharted territory for the dynasty after nearly a decade of domination. Sitting at 6-6 to start Week 14, the Chiefs are more likely to miss the playoffs than not, and the margin for error is officially zero. With that in mind, Reid wants everybody to know that his team won't go down without a fight, as reported by Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest.
"Andy Reid says he’s confident the Chiefs will win their next five games and make the playoffs. 'We’re going to try to tickle your tonsils on every play,'” Derrick wrote on Monday.
Andy Reid's Bizarre Battlecry Puts Chiefs on Notice
Talking about tickling tonsils is a weird choice of words, for sure. The Chiefs have lacked that competitive edge and the chip on the shoulders they used to have, so Reid might be trying to push their buttons and get them to show some pride in the final stretch of the campaign.
Of course, that's what great leaders and coaches do, but that's also a bit of a two-edged sword for this coaching staff. This shows confidence in their ability to turn things around, but it also leaves the door open for a major overhaul if Kansas City fails to meet Reid's expectations down the stretch.
The 67-year-old head coach is setting a certain standard, and failure to live up to that would probably signal the beginning of the end for this staff. The fans have complained about offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and special teams coordinator Dave Toub for months now, and even defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has drawn criticism for his recent personnel decisions and not playing rookie cornerback Nohl Williams.
Therefore, it's safe to say Reid's staff could undergo plenty of changes if the Chiefs are preparing for spring break once Week 18 wraps up.
There's no denying that Reid is a future Hall of Famer and one of the greatest offensive play-callers the game of football has ever seen. It would be unfair to say otherwise or not appreciate what he's built and accomplished in Missouri. That's why it's important for the Chiefs to heed his words, no matter how strange they are, and give it their all down the stretch.
That being said, no one is safe in this line of work. The NFL is a ruthless business, and it's never about what you did in the past; it's about what you can do in the present and the future. Even the legendary Bill Belichick learned that lesson the hard way, and if the Chiefs continue to play far below the standards, no one might be safe from Reid's offseason wrath.