NEW ORLEANS – Like clockwork, the Italian meatballs are coming this week. This, too, is part of the Super Bowl preparation for members of the Kansas City Chiefs defense.
It’s no wonder that several of the players from the opportunistic unit coordinated by Steve Spagnuolo sounded a bit hungry as they ramped up for the clash against the Philadelphia Eagles…while singing the praises of Maria Spagnuolo.
Maria, whose husband pushes the buttons for one of the league’s elite defenses, prepares the meatballs and other Italian dishes and desserts for a weekly spread – with a special dish for the defensive player of the week – that says much about how a tight bond exists within the unit.
“That’s pivotal for the success of the team,” Chris Jones, the All-Pro defensive tackle, declared during his media session on Wednesday morning.
Hey, sometimes good home cooking can do wonders.
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“Her banana pudding is crazy,” safety Justin Reid offered.
Or, as linebacker Leo Chenal put it, “We pig out. And we appreciate it.”
The Spagnuolos have fed players for many years, going as far back as 1999, when Steve was hired by Andy Reid for his first NFL job with the Eagles as a linebackers coach. Amid the intense grind of pro football, the gesture undoubtedly helps to build on the relationships between the coach and his players that can be crucial when adversity strikes. Well-fed. Well-motivated. And that’s just one benefit.
“You know what I really like about it? It connects my wife to my guys,” Spagnuolo told USA TODAY Sports. “I’m away from her and I’m with these guys all the time. I love the fact that we’re able to connect her and make her part of the whole thing.”
The proof is, well, in the pudding. The Chiefs are hoping to make history as the first three-peat Super Bowl champion. This season, as Kansas City has extended its NFL-record streak of victories in one-possession games to 17, the Chiefs allowed the fourth-fewest points in the league during the regular season.
And Spagnuolo, 65, has only burnished his reputation as one of the NFL’s premier defensive strategists. During the AFC championship game against the Buffalo Bills, Spagnuolo’s call for a corner blitz on a fourth down – sending Trent McDuffie to team with defensive end George Karlaftis and flush Josh Allen out of the pocket for a hurried throw – resulted in the incompletion that essentially sealed the victory.
It was the right call at the right time, underscoring Spagnuolo’s knack for keeping opponents off-balance. The fourth-down play was the first corner blitz call of the game.
“He will mix it up,” Jones said. “We will blitz on first-and-10 or on third-and-short. You never know.”
Saquon Barkley gets it. Spagnuolo is like a master chess player with moves, countermoves and disguises that can keep you guessing.
“With Spags, you’ve always got to be ready to adjust,” Barkley said. “You just never know what to expect.”
It’s pretty much a given that at some point during the game on Sunday, Fox analyst Tom Brady will mention Spagnuolo “dialing up a blitz.” Brady knows, too. Besides the three Super Bowl rings that Spagnuolo won with the Chiefs, he won his first championship hardware as coordinator when the New York Giants foiled the New England Patriots’ bid for a perfect season in Super Bowl 42 in the 2007 season.
Dial up a blitz? Spagnuolo laughed at the characterization.
“I’m praying up a blitz,” he said. “I’m not dialing up anything. I’m hoping they work.”
More often than not, they indeed work.
Jones said that another key to his coordinator’s success comes with his willingness to listen to input from players. In Jones’ case, he likes to occasionally bring the rush lining up wide on the edge, a suggestion for variety that came from the D-tackle who made his name as arguably the league’s most dominant inside force. It’s been an effective changeup that can create matchup advantages.
Meanwhile, Reid, the versatile safety, talks up the impact that Spagnuolo has had in sharpening his mindset for the game, with particular emphasis on situational football.
It was also telling that last season, prior to the AFC title game, Reid came up with T-shirts for the defensive players that read “In Spags We Trust.” It was a pointed message with much substance. Then, after the Chiefs earned another trip to the Super Bowl, players surprised Spagnuolo with the shirts.
That, too, captured another indicator of Spagnuolo’s success.
“They believe in him,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “That’s the biggest thing. They know that when he speaks to them, it’s good stuff.”
Reid and Spagnuolo met almost 40 years ago, when Reid coached the offensive line at Texas-El Paso. They had a mutual friend, Steve Teelander, who coached at U-Mass when Spagnuolo had an entry-level post as a grad assistant.
“We were both young,” Reid reflected. “He was a good teacher back then, too. You could see that.”
That teaching skill, and trust, were reasons that Reid wanted Spagnuolo on his first Eagles staff.
As Reid put it, “He’s a unifier. He brings them together.”
With some key input from Maria. It seems that a defense that is fed well performs well.