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by: Jon Reynolds

The NFL is a very physical game. Every day in practice there is physical contact between players. Some of these players are veterans, some are rookies, some are stars and some are trying to just snag the 53rd spot on the team. Try and imagine going against the same group of guys day in and day out. Trash talking. Celebrating. Conditioning. Lifting weights. Being yelled at by your position coach. Being yelled at by the head coach. Being scrutinized by the GM and the owner at every turn. This nonstop grind wears on even the most mentally tough players. If you think that this is the only fight that has happened amongst teammates this offseason you are kidding yourself. This wasn’t the first fight and it will not be the last. These men are in peak physical condition and are extremely successful and driven. You don’t make it to the NFL without being completely committed and dedicated to a cause. Just because teammates might slug it out every now and then doesn’t mean they are any less committed to bringing the Lombardi Trophy to Arrowhead.

Rookie wideout, Jonathan Baldwin, and veteran running back Thomas Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs got in a fight and there is no reason to alarm Chiefs fans. None at all. This incident may even be a spark that will prove to galvanize the team going forward. The details of the altercation will probably never be completely public and there is no need for them to be. The important aspect of this is how Coach Haley handles the team going forward. Is Baldwin a loud mouth loose cannon that will be a cancer to this time going forward? Or is this simply two teammates who got tired of hearing the other one run his mouth? Just because you are a part of a team doesn’t mean that everyone will be best of friends or love hanging out together off the field. In fact, I even like a little altercation every now and then. It shows me that there is some fire and some passion in the pits of these player’s stomachs. Honestly, I think it is beneficial to have a few guys on your team that don’t mind mixing it up a little. Trust me, these players take on that old feeling where “I can pick on my brother” but if you do it we are going to have some serious problems.

I know it may sound kind of crazy, but believe me in team sports it is good to have a little fight every now and then. The Chiefs just need to carry that fight over to the regular season and continue to improve on what was a fantastic 2010 campaign for a team who hadn’t really mattered since Priest Holmes did pretty much everything for KC in 2003. Are the Chiefs ready to take the next step and be a contender for the AFC title? It remains to be seen but if Todd Haley can keep the inter-team sparring to a minimum look for the Chiefs to be a strong AFC dark horse in 2011.

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