Ralph Vacchiano
NFC East Reporter
LAS VEGAS — When most of the Kansas City Chiefs were putting on their AFC Championship shirts and hats two weeks ago, safety Justin Reid was handing out something different. He made his own shirts for the defensive backs, filled with pictures of their defensive coordinator and the words “In Spags We Trust.”
Soon everyone on the defense wanted one. Within days, they were being sold to the public.
Perhaps the only person in Kansas City who didn’t want the T-shirt was the man whose face was on the front.
“No,” Steve Spagnuolo said. “I was trying to burn them all.”
It’s not that the uber-popular “Spags” didn’t appreciate the gesture. In fact, he said, “It blew me away.” But the Chiefs defensive coordinator was both “humbled and embarrassed” by the attention and the credit he was getting for the dominant unit he has built. He’s always preferred to stay outside of the spotlight, especially when things are going so well.
“I’m way too humble,” he said. “It’s a great compliment. I love those guys for that. But I’d much rather have them be under the rug somewhere.”
There is no hiding anymore for the 64-year-old coach who has a chance to become the first coordinator on either side of the football to win four Super Bowl rings. He won his first way back in 2007 with the New York Giants when his upstart defense helped knock off the previously perfect New England Patriots, who came into Super Bowl XLII with one of the greatest offenses of all time. And he’s already won two titles in his first four years with the Chiefs.
This one feels a little different, though, because Spagnuolo’s defense has carried Kansas City for much of the season. He’s taken a unit that ranked 27th just two years ago and turned it into the No. 2 defense in the NFL. And in three games this postseason, against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens — three of the top six offenses in the league — the Chiefs have allowed just 13.7 points per game and a total of just 10 points after halftime.
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“Spags really knows how to dial up some game plans, man,” Reid said. “I mean, it’s magical what he’s able to do and what he sees and how he’s able to create pressure and problems. It’s beautiful, man. It’s poetry. He’s such a whiz. You just know that if you just execute it the way Spags sees it, it’s going to work.”
“Sometimes we might be in zero coverage and we’re like, ‘Oh, come on, Spags,'” added safety Mike Edwards. “But hey, you’ve got to listen to him, man. He does it for a reason. He’s very smart.”
Spagnuolo earns that kind of trust from his players because the one thing he’s always done as a coach is believe in his players. Back in 2007, in his first season as an NFL defensive coordinator, his Giants defense was horrible in the first two games of the season. It gave up a total of 846 yards and 80 points and the team’s season was on the brink at 0-2.
His message that week was “Stay the course.” He told the players to keep doing what they were doing, that his scheme would work and that they’d turn it around. The next week, the Giants won a game with a goal-line stand in Washington, kickstarting a Super Bowl run.
“I had a lot of confidence in them then,” Spagnuolo recalled. “Fortunately for them, they did hang in there and kind of turned it. Then we went on a roll.”
Almost two decades later, those Giants still talk about Spagnuolo the way these current Chiefs do. They remember his brilliance, his patience and his ability to be calm in the storm. But he has always been a lot more than that to his players, too.
“Oh man, he’s a phenomenal person,” Edwards said. “I wouldn’t even say ‘Coach.’ I say ‘person.’ From top to bottom, he’s just an unbelievable person. When his coaching takes over, he’s phenomenal. He’s a mastermind on defense. But he really cares for each and every player. That’s what you want in a coach — someone that you look up to, someone you learn from.”
“He’s a mentor and he’s a father figure in a lot of ways to a lot of the guys,” Reid said. “He’s such a great coach and such a great man.”
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A lot of that comes from Spagnuolo’s humility and his deep Christian faith. He believes in listening to his players, treating them like equals, and never assuming he’s better than them or that he has all the answers. He also believes he should treat his players like family. He even brings them baked goods and pasta dishes prepared by his wife, Maria, every week, just like he did back in the early days with the Giants.
Every single defensive player asked about Spagnuolo smiled when he talked about Maria’s banana pudding. Getting a delivery from her is one of the highlights each week.
“Oh my gosh, she’s unbelievable,” Edwards said.
Whether it’s the food or the game plans or the talks about life, Spagnuolo’s players can’t stop gushing about how much they love their coach. Reid called him “my favorite defensive coordinator of all time, and I’ve had a couple.” Defensive tackle Chris Jones said Spagnuolo “should be in the Hall of Fame.
“I mean, look at his résumé,” Jones said. “When you look at where our defense was two years ago to where it was this year, that type of progression and what Spags was able to do with these young guys was remarkable.”
“He’d hate this, by the way,” Jones added. “He’d hate me fluffing him up. But that’s my guy.”
His guys consider him the ultimate players’ coach. And they appreciate that he never blasts them publicly and even his private criticism comes with a soft touch. He can get mad, they said. He certainly can be stern when he feels it’s needed. But he makes sure the players always know his criticism is coming from his belief in them.
Or, as Jones said, “He’s Italian. He’s going to slap you and kiss your face after you do something wrong.”
After the AFC Championship Game win over Baltimore, some Chiefs sported “In Spags We Trust” T-shirts when posing with their defensive coordinator in the locker room. (Photo by Greg Auman)
That kindness was sometimes considered a weakness during his three years as the head coach of the St. Louis Rams. He had a 10-38 record from 2009-11, including seasons of 1-15 (in his first year) and 2-14 (in his third). Some around the NFL believed he didn’t have the personality to fire up underperforming players, to scream and yell at them when it was needed.
And some of that impression comes from his sideline demeanor, which has never been fiery. That’s by design, he said. He prefers to be stoic — a trait he said he learned when he worked under Andy Reid in Philadelphia at the start of his NFL career.
“The thing I always say about Andy is he’s rock solid,” Spagnuolo said. “He never gets too high, he never gets too low, never gets rattled, never gets blown off course. He stays the course all the way through. When players see that and believe that, very rarely do they get rattled either.
“I do think that’s important. Look, if you’re going crazy on the sidelines, the players are going to do the same thing.”
His players have always appreciated that, just as they seem to love that he’s not a self-promoter. He’s not even willing to bask in the history he might make on Sunday, when he could break a tie with former Washington defensive coordinator Richie Petitbon, former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, former Patriots and Giants offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, and former Patriots and Giants defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel — the only other coordinators to win three Super Bowl rings.
When Spagnuolo was asked what such a momentous achievement would mean to him, he said “Yeah, nothing right now.”
“All we’re trying to do is win this game,” he said. “I’m not even thinking about that. I’m thinking about these guys we have. I would really like to see our players who haven’t had a chance to win one of these win it. That’s what I’m most excited for.”
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With Spagnuolo, it’s always been about his players. He treats them like they’re his sons. All he wants is what’s best for them.
And they can tell that he really means it, that his care for them is real.
Because it is.
“I love them,” Spagnuolo said. “The respect and the love is mutual, I’ll tell you that.
“Listen, we got to that first playoff game and I told the guys — you guys know I’m a solid Christian and I’m a prayerful guy — I prayed in the morning, ‘Just give me another week with these guys, just to work with them again.’ Then I felt like I didn’t pray strong enough because I wanted another week, and then another week after that.
“I love being around them.”
His players have always felt exactly the same way.
Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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