Holy guacamole, the Chiefs are fun to watch

I was sitting on my couch Sunday afternoon, working on newspaper stories while watching the Kansas City Chiefs play like garbage, and then play like the invincible team we want them to be every second of the game.

Bzz-bzz-bzz.

My phone was going off. There was a new text from brother in Kansas City. Chris and his wife, Amber, have been raising their triplets to be fans of all the KC teams – the Chiefs, the Royals and Sporting KC. My niece, London, doesn’t care much for sports, although she happily sports the colors of our teams and will excitedly yell “Go Chiefs!” when prompted.

The other two-thirds of the the triplets, Miles and Griffin, are developing more of an interest. They were watching Sunday’s game, splitting their attention between the TV and their computer tablets.

Chris made a mention of the score. Miles, who had turned his attention away from the game for what seemed like only two minutes, looked up and quickly assessed the situation. A 10-0 early deficit – a death knell for most earthly football teams – was quickly been flipped to a 28-10 advantage for Kansas City.

“28?????! Holy guacamole!” Miles yelled out.

You got it, Miles. Guacamole and other holy substances that normally do not get mentioned in a family newspaper.

Of course, many Chiefs fans were doing some agonizing late in the game as Kansas City let a good Miami Dolphins team get close enough to make things interesting. But it never felt like the Chiefs were going to lose.

In fact, over the past three seasons, it almost never feels like the Chiefs are going to lose.

That’s such a change from my childhood experience. The Chiefs were irrelevant during my youth in the 1970s and early 1980s. My allegiance floated around to different teams. In fact, I was in college when Kansas City became good for the first time in my memory.

Those were the glory years of Marty Ball, under the leadership of general manager Carl Peterson and head coach Marty Schottenheimer.

Schottenheimer coached 10 years, and only in his last season did the Chiefs have a losing record (7-9). They were a middling squad for a few years, including during the first part of Dick Vermeil’s time. Vermeil had recently brought a Super Bowl trophy to St. Louis (remember when they had a team?).

There were two amazing seasons in there, but with heartbreaking playoff results, similar to Marty’s best years, save for a 1994 trip to the AFC Championship with a legend named Joe Montana.

And after that came another dark period. And this wasn’t just a dark period. The Chiefs were arguably the worst franchise in all of professional football.

The pall over the team extended beyond football losses. Rock bottom was when a player murdered his girlfriend and then killed himself at the team’s practice facility.

These were the Chiefs of my boys’ youth. They were a difficult team to love.

Fortunately, things changed. New leadership came in, with new head coach Andy Reid, under-appreciated in his final seasons in Philadelphia. The Chiefs got good, and fans began to dream big. A few seasons later, they found this Texas kid with a rocket arm, magic legs and a smile that – combined with his football talents – is worth a half-billion dollars.

The Chiefs could become the NFL’s next dynasty. We get worried when they don’t win by 30 points. We expect magic on every drive and nearly every play. We’ve gone from always anticipating the worst to expecting the very best at all moments.

It’s not rational. That’s why we’re “fans” – it is short for “fanatical.”

But when it all comes together, it is amazing to watch. I can only imagine what it is like for today’s young Chiefs fans who have known nothing but success at the highest levels.

My 6-year-old nephew summed it up in two word: Holy guacamole.

• • • Travis Mounts is managing editor of Times-Sentinel Newspapers, based in Cheney. He is past-president of the Kansas Press Association.