A friend called over the weekend and our discussion meandered to the subject of the NFL Playoffs that got underway on Saturday. My friend’s position is that the Chiefs are a dynasty; I do not yet have them in such a lofty status – – although another Super Bowl victory this year would elevate them. At some point, my friend asked what I thought the Chiefs lacked in terms of “dynastic stature”.
My answer had two parts:
- I think the “Brady/Belichick Patriots were a dynasty because of the longevity of the excellence there spreading over about 15-18 seasons. Even in years when the Pats were not playing in the Super Bowl, they were serious contenders to have been participants. The Chiefs are getting close to being today what the Patriots were in pre-COVID years, but I think they need more “aging” in that status.
- I think dynasties produce a wide variety of “truly great players” – – not sort of great ones but really great ones – – and again the Chiefs are close but not quite there.
My friend accepted Part 1 but pushed back on Part 2. So, I explained my feeling that the Chiefs roster of late had not produced a wide variety of great players, that did not detract from the greatness of several individual players – – Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones to be specific. I believe that all three of those players will be in the Hall of Fame sometime in the future but as a way to draw a comparison, I suggested a look back at the Steelers’ dynasty in the 1970s.
- QB = Terry Bradshaw – – Hall of Fame
- RB = Franco Harris – – Hall of Fame
- WR = Lynn Swann and John Stallworth – – both in the Hall of Fame
- OL = Mike Webster – – Hall of Fame
- DL = Joe Greene – – Hall of Fame [Aside: The rest of the “Steel Curtain” front four were awfully close to Hall of Fame caliber too.]
- LB = Jack Ham and Jack Lambert – – both in the Hall of Fame
- DB = Mel Blount and Donnie Shell – – both in the Hall of Fame
The only position group not represented here is Tight End; I could not recall who was a tight end for the Steelers in the 1970s but I used Google to check and the only Steelers’ tight end from that era that I can remember even when presented with a list was Bennie Cunningham who was a good player but not a Hall of Fame caliber player.
The thing about the 10 players cited above, is that they came from every position group on the team; there were no significant weaknesses on those Steelers’ teams. As of now, I do not see the same spread of greatness over the rosters of the Chiefs over the past several seasons. Now, if someone wanted to compare the Steelers of the 1970s to the Bill Walsh/George Siefert Niners teams of the 80s and early 90s, I think that would be an interesting discussion.
I’ll close today with some observations by Chuck Noll – – the guy who coached those Steelers in the 1970s:
“Everyone’s job is important, but no one is indispensable.”
And …
“Before you can win a game, you have to not lose it.”
And …
“The critics are always right. The only way you shut them up is by winning.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
The most memorable tight end of that Steelers era was Randy Grossman. Local area kid from Haverford High School, Temple U. with all the Grossmans in Oxford Circle and at my high school (Central…227), he was one of our tribe. Almost (note that it was almost… never got that far) enough to root for the Steelers at that time.
Gary:
I recall the name “Randy Grossman” but I do not have any recollection of his play on the field. Thanks for the information on him.
I put the “actual” number of Oakland/erstwhile Los Angeles Raiders at 22. I would argue that they were a different type of dynasty.
The Chiefs are absolutely a dynasty. They have been to 4 of the last 5 Super Bowls and won 3, and gone to the AFC Championship game 6 years in a row. In today’s NFL, that is unbelievable. Granted they don’t have the number of hall of fame players as the 1970s Steelers, but in today’s NFL no one will ever have that number of HOF players. Free agency and the amount of money it costs to keep those types of players makes it impossible to recreate what the Steelers did. And don’t forget, Andy Reid will be in the HOF too. The Patriots were definitely a dynasty and how many HOF players did they have. For both the Patriots and Chiefs, they may have more HOF players if you count players that were only there for a portion of their success. The simple fact that both teams won multiple championships over a span of multiple years, and had a continued period of great success over multiple years makes them dynasties in my opinion.
Do you consider a team like the Bills of the early 90s a dynasty? They went to 4 consecutive Super Bowls and had a lot of great players, but they never won the Super Bowl. I say no, but I think one could make an argument that they were.
This is a fun discussion. Thank you
GoBirds:
Welcome aboard.
You are correct that Andy Reid will be a HoF coach one of these days – – as Chuck Noll is now. Those situations enhance the argument in favor of “dynasty”.
Some of the Pats players are not yet in the HoF because they have not been retired long enough.
NO, I do not consider the Bills of the early 90s as a dynasty. Yes, they had some great players but – – for me – – a dynasty has to have some championships to go along with a run of highly successful seasons. As you say, the subject is open for debate.