Mellinger | Ex-GM Peterson ‘saddened’ by Chiefs’ situation

[DeezNutz]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

You are probably too young to remember but before Carl arrived, Kansas City didn't give two shits about the Chiefs, let alone football in general.

They were blacked out for years on end. No one went to the stadium. They went 17 years between playoff appearance, then fired the coach that got them there. They were a national and local joke.

Peterson immediately gave creditability to the Chiefs, not only nationally but more importantly, locally. He hired Marty Schottenheimer, drafted Thomas and began not only building a very good team but within a year, made Arrowhead THE Kansas City destination.

All of the sudden, the Chiefs had a weekly TV show. Radio shows popped up all over town. The Chiefs re-energized the city.

It was an extremely exciting time. People lived and died with the Chiefs. If they won, everyone was happy and ecstatic on Mondays. If they loss, there was an air of depression that could be felt citywide.

No one ever discussed Carl being a failure in Year Four.

. No shit. People weren't flying banners over Arrowhead after the Chiefs advanced to the AFC Championship Game?

Carl and Marty literally built the Arrowhead experience, and it's amazing the amount of revisionist history that has vilified every aspect of Peterson's tenure. Yes, the end was really bad. But that's generally how long-term relationships end.

The beginning, though, was nothing short of fantastic, and it's exactly what the organization and city needed.