Mecole Hardman knows his role in the Chiefs’ offense

In sports, one of the hardest things to accomplish is building a winning culture.

That’s mostly because building a winning culture presupposes it’s missing — that is, your team is a loser. The other problem is that once you begin winning games by constructing a winning blueprint — an environment that promotes consistent success — it becomes an expectation.

But that’s precisely what the Kansas City Chiefs‘ head coach Andy Reid has done.

As veteran wide receiver Mecole Hardman told reporters after the first full day of training camp practice at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph on Sunday, it’s not just some abstract idea, either.

“I think when you walk in that building — when you step on the field — you can feel it,” said Hardman. “The like, ‘We win here’ type of thing.”

It’s part of the reason that Hardman decided to return to Kansas City for his sixth NFL season. Coming off his game-winning catch in Super Bowl LVIII, the wideout did have some suitors in free agency.

“We had a few options,” he noted, “but it just made more sense. [I’m] just more comfortable with being here my whole career. I know the system. I know the coaches… Coach Reid has a good way of putting me on the field and using me in certain situations. So I’m excited.”

Another facet of a winning culture is avoiding complacency. Just because a team won last year doesn’t mean they’ll win this year. Hardman agrees. Winning the Super Bowl again was nice, but that’s now in the past.

“[It’s] one of those things you enjoy,” he said, “[but] then you’ve got to get back to business — get back to working out. Get stronger [and] faster.”

This offseason, Hardman stayed in Kansas City, training with former teammate Tyreek Hill at Luther Glover Workouts in Lenexa.

“I wanted to get better at the little things,” he explained. “Balance. [Getting] my core stronger. I’ve got everything else, man: the speed, the agility — everything like that.

“I think it’s just the stuff that we don’t work on, you know? Like the single-leg stuff. Get your knees stronger, your ankles stronger. Stuff like that.”

Hardman has also been working on improving as a person — and believes that being a father has helped.

“Having my daughter gives [me] motivation,” he explained. “It gives you fuel to try to set them up long term.”

Still, Hardman knows he is just one of the many weapons at quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ disposal — including second-year wideout Rashee Rice.

“We got a lot of speed, man,” he declared. “And then you got Rashee, man. [He’s] like a bulldog — like a horse that can do all the dirty work. [He can] get the underneath routes — a lot of YAC with him. Then I come in with the little gadget stuff here and there… We’ve got a great room. Everybody knows what’s going on. They know their roles.”