Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones has revealed that all players must adhere to Andy Reid’s unwritten rule that black cleats must not be worn in the locker room.
The Missouri outfit is currently chasing an unprecedented third-straight Super Bowl triumph following landmark back-to-back successes in the past couple of years. As mainstays Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes vie for sporting immortality, the team has won its opening four games of the new campaign.
Behind the scenes it is clear that head coach Reid runs a tight ship too, with his draconian outlawing of the wearing of black cleats in the locker room strictly enforced. Speaking on the “The Rich Eisen Show”, Chiefs star Jones described how new players often need to be schooled in the organization’s customs upon arrival.
Providing a fascinating insight into the culture within the KC inner sanctum, he said: “We have talks. Usually younger guys trying to figure out how to do things, mostly just showing them the way, showing them how it’s usually done here… or a new guy coming on the team and not understanding how this organization operates.
“Like, something as simple as we don’t wear black cleats. It’s simple, but this organization has these little things that we follow by that sometimes players don’t know, before clarifying that the regulations are enforced by Reid, adding: “Listen, I don’t know… I just work here! I don’t make the rules.”
Intriguingly, quarterback Mahomes was wearing black cleats during the Chiefs’ Week 1 clash with the Baltimore Ravens, which saw them win in controversial circumstances. Coming away with a 27-20 victory in the opening week, the game will probably be best remembered for Isaiah Likely having his touchdown ruled out in the dying moments of the affair.
Commenting on the debacle after the Ravens tight end’s toe strayed out of bounds, Mahomes later joked: “It looked good from my angle on the sideline. But then that first view you saw, you can see the cleat. He’s got to wear white cleats next time. That’s my advice for him.”
As for the perennial talk of a potential “Three-peat” this season, Jones admitted that the Chiefs players are blocking out the noise over the prospect. He said: “It’s just so far-fetched man. First you’ve gotta get through the division and not only the AFC West, you gotta get through the AFC. So much adversity can come about.
“So I think more so for us it’s about the smaller goals. Winning the AFC West, that’s the first thing we can do. If we win the AFC West we can put ourselves in a position to be in the playoffs. Then we can think about the AFC, and then we can think about winning the AFC Championship.”
Jones added: “If you win that, then you can think about the three-peat. But it’s just so far fetched and so far away man, so I think you can focus on the smaller goals and if you’re able to hit them then you’ll be where you want to be.”