NEW ORLEANS – New York Giants legend Carl Banks knows firsthand what it takes to win Super Bowl championships, and the Kanas City Chiefs have proven repeatedly they do, too.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes are without peers in the NFL, and they’ve provided much of the foundation for the league’s newest dynasty. But not all of it, mind you.
When assessing Kansas City’s historic championship run, one cannot overstate the contributions of defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and defensive lineman Chris Jones, the in-house counterparts to Reid and Mahomes on the other side of the ball. As the two-time defending Super Bowl champs pursue a record third consecutive title Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, Banks is confident he knows what it will take for the Chiefs to break new ground in the Super Bowl era.
“There is a saying, and it has been 100% true from the beginning of the Super Bowl [era] until now: Offense wins games – defense wins championships,” the onetime outstanding Giants linebacker told Andscape in a lengthy phone interview last week. “The Giants have won four Super Bowls … and that saying holds true for all of them. When you hear people talk about Kansas City these days, and they say this almost like it’s a footnote, ‘They’re not as explosive [offensively] as they have been in the past.’ Well, that used to be their biggest trump card.
“Now, don’t get me wrong. They are coached very well offensively. Coach Reid [the Chiefs’ top offensive tactician and primary offensive playcaller] is one of the best to ever do it. They scheme very well. But there aren’t a lot of explosive plays in their offense like there were [earlier in Mahomes’ career]. So how are they able to keep winning like this? Their defense. Their defense is the reason they haven’t taken a step back. Their improvement there is why there in position to go for three in a row. Their defense won the Buffalo game.”
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Known for his timely blitz plays, Spagnuolo called one of his best in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ 32-29 victory over the visiting Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game.
After the 2-minute warning, Buffalo faced fourth-and-5 from its 47-yard line. The Chiefs blitzed on the right, overwhelming quarterback Josh Allen’s pass protection. Under duress, Allen got off a pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid, but Kincaid couldn’t come up with the ball after having to stop, change directions and dive for it.
The Chiefs took possession with 1 minute 54 seconds remaining on the game clock. They gained two first downs, the last coming on running back Samaje Perine’s 17-yard catch-and-run pass from Mahomes. Game over.
Second to none in his line of work, Spagnuolo again displayed his acumen with X’s and O’s, saving that blitz play for just the right moment, Banks said.
“That corner blitz Steve Spagnuolo called was so well-timed. I mean, he pulled that one out,” Banks said, excitement evident in his tone. “I don’t think he showed that the whole game.”
Not coincidentally, Banks believes, the Chiefs’ run of dominance began when they hired Spagnuolo to direct their defense before the start of the 2019-2020 season. In six seasons with the Chiefs, Spagnuolo, who also worked under Reid when Reid was Philadelphia’s head coach, has helped the Chiefs win three Super Bowls. If the Chiefs win their fourth Super Bowl of the Reid era Sunday at Caesars Superdome, they will accomplish an unprecedented feat.
In the Super Bowl era, which began in 1967, nine teams have won consecutive titles (the Pittsburgh Steelers accomplished the feat twice). The Chiefs are the first such team to return to the Super Bowl a third consecutive season. The 1976 Pittsburgh Steelers, 1990 San Francisco 49ers and 1994 Dallas Cowboys returned to their conference championship games the season after becoming back-to-back champions.
In Super Bowl XLII, Spagnuolo’s excellent defensive plan helped the Giants shock the New England Patriots 17-14. Led by head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, the most-successful head coach-quarterback duo in NFL history, the Patriots were attempting to join the 1972-73 Miami Dolphins as the only teams in league history to go undefeated.
Spagnuolo is the only defensive playcaller to be a four-time Super Bowl winner in that key role.
Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire
Banks was a pillar on two Giants Super Bowl winners before Spagnuolo joined the franchise. Banks took direction from Belichick, the Giants’ defensive coordinator under head coach Bill Parcells in Super Bowls XXI and XXV. The Giants have had the best two defensive coordinators in NFL history, Banks said.
“He’s right up there. He’s right up there with Belichick, so that tells you what I think about him,” Banks said of Spagnuolo. “I would have to put them and [longtime NFL coach Dick LeBeau] on the Mount Rushmore of defensive coordinators.
“Now, that’s not to discount anyone else. But when you look at the success their teams have had in terms of winning championships, and the way their defenses led the way and the unique defensive game plans that did it, they have to be there.”
However, great coaching can only do so much.
To win multiple Super Bowl championships, teams need great players. Jones is the Chiefs’ defensive anchor.
A six-time Pro Bowler and six-time Associated Press All-Pro (including three first-team selections), Jones sets the tone for Kansas City’s defense as Mahomes does for its offense. Spagnuolo permits Jones to move between the interior and edge at his discretion, trusting Jones to determine where he can best wreck an opponent’s best-laid plans.
Jones is Spagnuolo’s top lieutenant on the field. As a student of the game, Banks enjoys watching them elevate the Chiefs’ defense together.
“You can see the trust, which is what you need, and to have that [coach-player relationship] … it’s incredible,” Banks said. “Jones can do so many things. He’s an excellent run stopper. He’s so athletic that he’s disruptive in the passing game. And he’s not just a big slug in there. He’s got pass rush moves. He’s got good lateral quickness. And he’s the guy who makes their linebackers look even better than they are.
“When you have a guy who’s that good in the middle and you have really good linebackers, he’ll make them great. And if you have great linebackers, a guy in the middle like Chris Jones will make them phenomenal. With all the attention the offense has to put on him, it frees them up. The Chiefs have other really good coaches and players on defense. You’re not gonna win as much as they do without that. But it starts with Spagnuolo and Jones.”
The Chiefs’ dynasty has many pillars. Spagnuolo and Jones are two of them, and they’re striving to make it the greatest of the Super Bowl era.
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By: Jason Reid
Title: Don’t forget Chris Jones, Steve Spagnuolo and the Kansas City Chiefs defense
Sourced From: andscape.com/features/dont-forget-chris-jones-steve-spagnuolo-and-the-kansas-city-chiefs-defense/
Published Date: Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:08:03 +0000
