Clark Hunt admits that the Chiefs’ success might easily cause one to get spoilt…..
The chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs, Clark Hunt, wanted to give head coach Andy Reid credit after his team’s 25-17 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, which secured the team’s seventh consecutive AFC West title and a postseason playoff berth.
“I want to congratulate Andy, his staff and the team on winning the AFC West. [It’s an] incredible accomplishment to do it eight straight years.
“It was a great victory today: [an] all-around great performance by the team. Special teams, defense [and] offense — all phases — played great. While we’re excited about it, it’s only the first of our goals. We’ve got a lot in front of us from here.”
Hunt acknowledges that it’s become easy to be spoiled by the team’s success during Reid’s tenure.
“I think in recent years we’ve come to expect that the path’s going to be pretty easy to [win] the AFC title — and it never is, right?
“I find that personally, I tend to forget how hard certain seasons have been. You sort of block out the tough parts of the season. You normally think about the victories and winning the AFC West and getting that Lamar Hunt Trophy.
“I want to congratulate Andy, his staff and the team on winning the AFC West. [It’s an] incredible accomplishment to do it eight straight years.
“It was a great victory today: [an] all-around great performance by the team. Special teams, defense [and] offense — all phases — played great. While we’re excited about it, it’s only the first of our goals. We’ve got a lot in front of us from here.”
Hunt acknowledges that it’s become easy to be spoiled by the team’s success during Reid’s tenure.
“I think in recent years we’ve come to expect that the path’s going to be pretty easy to [win] the AFC title — and it never is, right?
“I find that personally, I tend to forget how hard certain seasons have been. You sort of block out the tough parts of the season. You normally think about the victories and winning the AFC West and getting that Lamar Hunt Trophy.
“So there’ll be a time to reflect on this season and look at the challenges — but I would say it’s just part of the National Football League.”
Hunt realizes that in the NFL, hard times can always be just a turnover or two away — but that dealing with adversity has a silver lining, too.
“Every year is different,” observed Hunt, “and we’ve had adversity in some other years where we’ve won the West as well. I do think adversity can be beneficial by the time you get to the playoffs — because the playoffs are never going to be easy. So I think [today’s success] speaks to the character of the team — and that’ll benefit us going forward.”
Hunt can never speak with reporters without being asked about the team’s plans about Arrowhead Stadium — and Sunday evening was no exception.
“I would want to extend my congratulations to Andy, his players, and his staff on winning the AFC West. Storing something for eight years in a row is an amazing feat.
“The team gave an outstanding performance all around, and it was a great victory today.” Every element of the game—special teams, defense, and offense—performed admirably. Even though we’re thrilled about it, this is just the first of our objectives. There is a lot ahead of us from this point on.
Hunt admits that the team’s success under Reid’s leadership has made it simple to become jaded.
“I believe that we’ve grown accustomed to expecting that winning the AFC title will be relatively simple in recent years, but that’s never the case, is it?….
