Let’s face it! It has been a long time since Chiefs fans have felt apathy! Oh sure, there have been games and even bits and pieces of the past many seasons that have left a bitter taste in the mouths of Chiefs loyalists, but apathy in it’s truest since is not bitterness, anger, frustration or hopelessness.

But rather it is a combination of all of these emotions and it takes the perfect combination of all of these negative feelings to create it. Apathy is a psychological state of mind that is built into human beings as a way of dealing with nothing but negativity. When we are faced with negative image after negative image, the human mind basically “shuts off” from spending anymore valuable time or energy on such endeavors.

It takes a lot to create apathy, but this is where we now sit as fans of the 2007 version of the Kansas City Chiefs. Granted, there are much bigger concerns in life than the fortunes of a football team in the National Football League, and that is precisely the reason why Chiefs fans are feeling apathetic. They simply have “bigger fish to fry”, than investing more time and money into a team that has dropped of the cliff!

Losing football games will happen and there have certainly been many heartbreaking and turbulent seasons, however this just “feels” different to dedicated fans. And when Arrowhead Stadium is half filled on a Sunday in December you know that this goes beyond a 4-10 record. Even beyond a seven game losing streak! This season “feels” different because of the way the Chiefs lose games and the reaction of the coaching staff and management to these losses.

When coaching and management don’t seem to care, why should the fans? Oh sure, Herm Edwards cares, but it seems it is about number 49 on his list of things to concern himself with. It is this fans’ belief that he simply wants his paycheck and for some reason he is infatuated with “The Shield”. This of course is his reference to the logo of the NFL. He is obsessed with doing things that are good for the League. That of course would be fine, if it was secondary to what was good for the Chiefs! Is it just me or does Vince Lombardi do cartwheels in his grave every time he hears a Herm Edwards press conference? And if I see one more Chiefs-Colts game with Herm Edwards and Tony Dungy French kissing at midfield before and after the game in their matching sweater vests I will need to be committed. Of course Tony Dungy doesn’t mind yucking it up because he knows he’s going to take his old brown nosing buddy out to the woodshed for a royal beating!

So with this and many other factors this year, we find the Chiefs slipping back in time. Back to the days of the late seventies and throughout most of the eighties, before Marty Schottenheimer came along. Notice I did not say before Carl Peterson came along, because he was nothing more than a benefactor of brilliant Schottenheimer coaching and a guy named Derrick Thomas. Yes, we are in a time warp and maybe we should head down into the basement and search for our bright yellow bell bottoms and then in the box right next to it our album of Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall”. This way we’ll feel right at home while dealing with another Chiefs season down the tubes!

So yes, we now have apathy and a “throw the baby out with the bathwater” mentality. The question this offseason for Mr. Clark Hunt will be, does he have the willpower to make the necessary changes and stop this negative flow instantly after the season? A large part of me, and I’m sure many Chiefs fans is the fear that nothing will change and we will head into next season with the same cast of clowns that we have now. This of course will create more apathy! Despite the record, Herm Edwards may not be in this position if he just learned how to answer questions more wisely and if he would put the Chiefs before “The Shield”. But of course if he was intelligent enough to know that the Chiefs wouldn’t be 4-10.

Lamar Hunt is looking down from heaven and shedding a tear for his beloved Chiefs and for what they’ve become. Of all the things that Mr. Hunt would have wanted to avoid is fans becoming apathetic and staying away from Arrowhead. And if he could see what tickets are going for on E-Bay he would be particularly disturbed.

Welcome back to your past! Chiefs coaching and management have created disillusionment to permeate the fan base and have allowed the team to slip back in time!