Hank Stram was a Character

Comments to include, “there has always been something missing with this team” and similar sentiments were voiced via Chiefs players the 60’s before they found success in KC 1966 forward.

Pundits too.

Stram’s schemes were questioned – “with all that talent, if he’d just play ‘football’, and not try to be so cute” were heard (not sure if that was reference the feeling Stram should been playing Lombardi’s ‘three yards & a cloud of dust’ football or Gillman’s ‘wing it here & there, everywhere’ philosophy, but, that was the inference I interpreted. If on the other hand inference is Stram wasn’t much of a Coach, the record his indicates otherwise.

I suspect ‘those other teams have some players too/are trying to win’ was a factor Chiefs not being ‘as successful’ as some folks believed they might/should have been, but again that is a lament every team doesn’t win the Championship.

If it was just a simple matter of the bigger, stronger, faster team and players winning, would be no need play the game, just toss rosters & resumes on the field. As the Green Bay Packers demonstrated ad nauseam better than any, the bigger, stronger and faster individuals do not necessarily equate being better ‘team’, as in the one that wins.

Period 1966-1971 the Chiefs heydey, I (as a biased KC fan) could argue they might have won as many 6 straight Championships – and why not? They had the talent, they had the experience & they had the size, strength and speed, too. Coaching? Ditto. Perhaps what they didn’t have was the market cornered on resolve, fate and/or motivation.

Coaching moves/situational game philosophy too, arguably I can point out moves Stram made hindsight that I disagreed with, as all good Monday Morning QBs can/always do.

Do recall thinking Otis Taylor was ‘under’utilized, Jan Stenerud ‘over’ and that critical mistakes at critical times prevented KC from one or more Championships they could/would/should have won.

Upshot: Stram in hindsight may have inhibited KC.

An example – Stram played percentages having Stenerud try a FG near end of regulation, 1971 playoff game vs MIA (Jan made Pro Bowl over Yepremian that year but the Dolphin actually had the better season.) Stenerud missed the FG but my opine, the wrong choice was made pre-kick.

You play to win, not merely prevail. As George Patton said his famous ‘speech’ (selectively edited herein)

“An army is a team. It lives, eats, sleeps and fights as a team. And we have the best team. I don’t want any messages saying ‘I’m holding my position.’ We’re not holding a g***amned thing. We’re advancing constantly & not interested in holding anything except the enemy’s balls.”

“We’re going to hold him by his balls & we’re going to kick him in the ass – twist his balls & kick the living s**t out of him all the time. Our plan of operation is to advance and keep on advancing. We’re going to go through the enemy like **** through a tinhorn.”

To wit, right before the attempt Stram had KC run the ball in an attempt to place it more advantageous spot the field for Jan/run down the clock. Based upon Stenerud’s ’71 season as well Stram’s history a similar situation – disastrous. Vs SD in 1967 Hank did the same thing late in a game @KC. With an first down deep in SD territory, instead trying to score a td Hank had KC run the ball a couple times, center it more favorably afield, the clock down to 19 seconds the process.

Stenerud’s 24 yard FG try missed wide left, the Chargers won 17-16 & KC’s repeat title hopes went the way the dodo bird. Were it (for example) the Raiders in those two similar situations 1967 & 1971, odds are OAK would have gone for the td (as in the jugular – their philosophy.) This an example reason I feel Stram/Chiefs philosophy as it were sometimes was not aggressive enough.

Affirming said, aft a poor 1970 season when KC failed repeat as Champions, Stram was quoted as saying “we must be on the attack” in 1971, nod his too conservative approach/reliance on Stenerud / FG’s. That year, Otis Taylor had one of his greatest seasons, but in the end of course Jan missed another FG (several in fact that game). While you win and lose as a team, Stram’s choices in the aforementioned instances proved errant; the Chiefs descended from there into football mediocrity.

KC was not Lamonica’s Raiders, Namath’s Jets or Hadl’s Chargers nor of course Patton’s men, but, in retrospect (and it’s only a guess) had a little more ‘go for the jugular’ mindset prevailed case that era’s uber-talented Chiefs teams, my opine is they at minimum could, perhaps should have won more games/Championships.