As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to play in their third Super Bowl, a big credit must be given to DC Steve Spagnuolo after he stopped Josh Allen once again.
The secret to Steve Spagnuolo’s success in the 21st century is that the man is detailed. Many around the NFL complement Spagnuolo’s scheme and production but the root of his success lays in the details and those details have allowed the Kansas City Chiefs to win five AFC titles in six years.
The dominant run established by the Chiefs has long been credited to Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. While both men deserve more than their fair share of the credit, it has been Steve Spagnuolo’s defense that has bailed the team out more times than they can count. Just as they’ve done all season, Spagnuolo’s defense virtually ended the AFC title game after stopping Josh Allen on fourth down.
A designed blitz that people are still trying to figure out threw Allen off of his timing and with Spagnuolo’s coverage design, Allen was left to throw up a prayer that would go unanswered.
This is nothing new to Spagnuolo. While media heads were complaining, stating that the Chiefs, despite only losing one game during the regular season in which their starters played, were not as good as they once were and would struggle to return to the Super Bowl, they failed to recognize it was the defense that was playing at a high level.
While their eyes remained glued on Patrick Mahomes playing efficient football, media heads confused efficiency for inept, completely ignoring the job Kansas City has done with building their defense.
There is a reason why the Chiefs used a bunch of the draft capital aquired in the Tyreek Hill trade to reenforce their defense. Having such a plethora of picks helped the team pick up playmakers such as George Karlaftis and Trent McDuffie.
That commitment to defense is how the Chiefs can let players like Kendal Fuller, Frank Clark, LJarius Sneed, Tyrann Mathieu and Charvarius Ward walk and still remain dominant.
The other part of that equation is Spagnuolo. Defense is ten percent scheme and ninety percent communication. The reason his blitzes are so good isn’t because he draws up good blitzes, it’s that his players know when and how to attack. They know who has the coverage responsibilities as they use less defenders in the secondary and they know the tendencies of the offense.
Spagnuolo will have his toughest challenge yet on Super Bowl Sunday but considering he has four Super Bowls as a defensive coordinator at two different stops. Considering he has built legendary defenses for New York and Kansas City. Considering his resume compared to others, Steve Spagnuolo is without a doubt the best defensive mind of the 21st century.