KANSAS CITY, Mo — New Kansas City Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo makes no bones about it, he is laying a foundation for the future.
"What I look for right now is building a foundation ...," Spagnuolo said during the second week of organized team activities. "It's been all about building a foundation of fundamentals — to communication, to believing in the system. I talk about mastering the things that take very little talent."
The philosophy hasn't been lost on new defensive end Frank Clark.
"You got coaches, that (test) your leadership." he said. "Their coaching mindset is just winning and competition, getting better. I feel like those are steps to where you want to become as a franchise."
While the players and coaching staff are still working on the system and communication, they are light years ahead of where they expected to be heading into the third week of OTAs.
"It's been a little bit up and down, which is to be expected when it's new — the terminology is new, people are new, the guys are getting used to each other," Spagnuolo said.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid likes what he 's seen so far.
"Some of that has to do with being able to bring in assistant coaches that have been with Spags, so they are able to hit the ground running." Reid said. "That pays off at a camp like this in their communication with the players, knowing the defense, being able to communicate and teach it. I've been impressed with that."
The Chiefs hope they have all the right pieces to the puzzle not just for this season, but building a championship culture for many years to come.
