Steve Spagnuolo spent much of his year out of

[panxing18]

KANSAS CITY , Mo. (AP) —coaching making the 45-minute drive from his home in Philadelphia to the headquarters of NFL Films in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.Spagnuolo had finished a tour as the interim coach of the New York Giants and missed out on the full-time job after the season. He turned down an assistant coaching offer and decided instead to spend the season recharging his proverbial batteries while getting a different perspective on the league.No better place to do that than the repository for all NFL game film.“I’m glad I did it. There might have been another year I should have done it,” said Spagnuolo, who was hired a couple weeks go to be Andy Reid’s defensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs.“I found it to be both challenging and rewarding,” he explained Wednesday. “The challenge was missing football, missing the camaraderie of the players and coaches. The reward was to sit back and see a big picture of the NFL and the game of football, as opposed to being in these buildings during the season with blinders on. Just a big-picture view of the league, the game of football.”While ensconced at NFL Films headquarters, the former St. Louis Rams head coach had plenty of time to check out the Chiefs, whose Super Bowl run came up short in the AFC title game.One of the clearest reasons? Their defense, which ranked near the bottom of the league in almost every statistical category. In fact, it was the defense that failed to stop the New England Patriots in overtime of the championship game, preventing Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of their dynamic offense from even getting onto the field in the extra session.More than anything else it was that performance that sealed the fate of longtime defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. He was fired within days of the season ending, and almost his entire staff was let go, found jobs elsewhere or , in the case of Emmitt Thomas, simply retired.Now, it is up to Spagnuolo to turn around the Chiefs’ weak spot.“I don’t really go backward. I’m not going to pass judgment,” Spagnuolo said. “I think the world of Bob Sutton. Bob and I have known each other a long time. A change was made — coach Reid made that decision — I’m just happy I was able to fall into what I think is a great position.”There are certainly pieces in place for a quick turnaround. There are also some crucial decisions to be made in short order.Top pass rusher Dee Ford is due to become a free agent, though the Chiefs are expected to place the franchise tag on him as they pursue a long-term deal. Defensive tackle Chris Jones is coming off a breakout season and is eligible to sign an extension, while the albatross contracts of safety Eric Berry and linebacker Justin Houston must be dealt with in some fashion. Perhaps they get restructured. Perhaps the two elder statesmen are released. Either way, the Chiefs could sorely use the salary cap relief to shore up other areas of the defense.They also have the draft in April, and a first-round pick for the first time in two years, though they spent nearly all their picks on defense last season, with modest returns.“This is a process. There are no quick fixes. There is no magic wand,” Spagnuolo said. “One person does not assure success, but we’ll do everything to put something together.”Spagnuolo acknowledged in an interview Wednesday the lure of the Chiefs, who are well-positioned to chase championships for years. They have one of the most stable ownerships in the NFL, a highly respected head coach in Reid, the reigning league MVP in the 23-year-old Mahomes , and plenty of high-powered talent on offense to keep pace with just about any other team.The biggest piece missing is a defense that can get off the field when it matters most.Like overtime of the AFC championship game.“You won’t touch a defensive coach in the NFL that wouldn’t want to be on a team with, A, a really good head football coach and, B, a really good quarterback,” Spagnuolo said. “It goes without saying I’m really excited to be part of an organization that has an elite quarterback, and quite frankly to work with Andy Reid again, and what he’s all about and what he’s meant to this franchise and the league as a whole is really, really special.” KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs went into their regular-season finale with a lot riding on the outcome.Beat the Raiders and they would have their third consecutive AFC West championship and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, not to mention home-field advantage throughout. Lose to their longtime division rivals and risk falling to the No. 5 seed as a wild-card team with a much more difficult road to Atlanta.But the biggest takeaway from the Chiefs’ victory over Oakland last Sunday was this: That top seed in the AFC means a first-round bye, and a much-needed opportunity to get some big stars healthy.Star safety Eric Berry had a recurrence last week of the heel pain that kept him out most of the season, sidelining him against the Raiders. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins remained out with a foot injury, running back Spencer Ware was sidelined by a hamstring problem, right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif spent his first week on the practice field after a broken leg landed him on injured reserve.With a week off , there’s a chance all of them could be ready for the playoffs.“We will have to see throughout the next week here just exactly how that goes,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week. “Let’s just see how it plays out and how the guys do. I’m sure some of them will be through the following week, too, as far as the game week goes. We will just have to see how it all goes.”Berry missed all of last season after tearing his Achilles’ tendon, then had his heel act up early in training camp. He didn’t hit the practice field until midway through the season, and didn’t make his debut until Week 15, when the Chiefs lost to the Chargers in a game he played about a half.He played more the following week against the Seahawks, slowly ramping up his activity level, and was starting to resemble the three-time All-Pro of old when he experienced a setback in practice.Now, Berry may be the biggest wild card for the Chiefs heading into the playoffs.On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs have continued to score at a record pace despite losing a series of crucial players. Watkins hasn’t played a full game since getting hurt in early November, Ware has been slowed the last few weeks and Duvernay-Tardif has been on IR since Week 5.The Chiefs are confident Ware will be able to go, an important piece ever since they swiftly cut ties with Kareem Hunt following a series of off-field issues midway through the season. Damien Williams played so well in relief that he earned a contract extension last week, but journeyman Darrel Williams and longtime backup Charcandrick West are the only other running backs on the roster.In other words, getting Ware back provides not only another playmaker but adds some needed depth.Watkins was starting to show why the Chiefs signed him to a $36 million , three-year contract this past offseason when his foot injury occurred. The Chiefs have used a rotation of players to cover for him, and there was enough concern about his returning that they signed Kelvin Benjamin to help.Demarcus Robinson has been perhaps the biggest bright spot since Watkins has been out, but the Chiefs getting their No. 2 wide receiver back for the playoffs would only help the league’s highest-scoring offense.It would also take some of the pressure off wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce.As for Duvernay-Tardif, the Chiefs have shuffled offensive linemen throughout the season as injuries have piled up, even signing former starter Jeff Allen to provide some help. But they’re finally healthy across the board, and that means Duvernay-Tardif can take his time working back up to speed.He had a three-week window after coming off IR before the Chiefs must decide whether to active him, and adding one of the league’s best run blockers back to the mix would be a welcome addition.“He has another couple weeks of flexibility with that. He went through practice last week. We will keep him coming on that,” Reid said. “There are certain things he can do well and other things that he still is working through. We will see how that goes.”As the top-seeded Chiefs spend this week getting healthy, they also will begin preparations for their divisional opponent. They’ll face the lowest remaining seed among the Colts, Ravens or Chargers, and the only team they haven’t faced this season is Indianapolis.They beat the Ravens and split with the Chargers, each team winning on the road.“I always feel like there is a bulls-eye every week,” Reid said, “and that’s OK. That’s the way you want it. We’ve earned the right to be in this position and it’s important you handle it the right way. I know I have a good locker room and they’ll handle it right and the coaches will handle it the right way.”

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]

[veranix]