Archive for the ‘KC Chiefs’ Category
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 14.
December 16th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » KC Chiefs
I could say a lot of things about today’s game. Honestly, though? There’s not a lot to get too worked up about.
You see, the Chiefs dropped another one (nothing new, unfortunately), attributable to their usual culprits… critical defensive breakdowns and poor special teams. About the only thing I can’t point to as a major factor in the loss was the offensive line. They actually opened a few holes for the running game, and did a decent job protecting Brodie. How’s that for a change?
I’m baffled by only one thing today… Eddie Drummond. Certainly not his play (it’s been awful all season)… I just can’t figure out why in the world he was back returning punts and kicks again today. He’s absolutely horrible… the fumbled punt (my wife said she could have caught it) was simply pitiful, and the 0 yard return to the three was simply sad.
Defense? Well… same story different day. At times, spectacular… at others, atrocious. It’s maddening, especially given that this is supposed to be our strength.
Brodie Croyle? He looked decent for most of his fourth start. Most throws he made today were on the money, with just a few he’d want back (the interceptions being the biggest). It’s just a shame he didn’t get a little more help from the rest of his team today… D-Bowe dropped the first pass of the game, an absolutely beautiful deep strike that hit him in the hands that might have gone for six. Holding penalties nullified several other big gains. He continues to make strides forward (you’ve gotta accept that he’s gonna make a few bad throws and decisions). I still think he’s got a chance to be something special for the Chiefs.
Anyway, yeah… 4-10… seven straight losses (5 at home!)… in line for a high draft pick. Who’d have thought we’d be THAT bad?
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 13.
December 9th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » KC Chiefs
In thinking back over today’s Chiefs game, it’s hard to find much to be upbeat about. They fell to 4-9 on the season, and unless something changes soon, they’re going to end up with their worst record since 1988. A ten loss result is almost assured; twelve doesn’t look out of the realm of possibility.
It’s a real shame for Tony Gonzalez. He continues to play better than any tight end in the game… on a team going nowhere. It’s a real testament to his professionalism and pride. Many guys wouldn’t give 100% as he does in this situation. Many guys evidently AREN’T.
Anyway, the ugliness continues. We’re playing solely to evaluate talent at this point… and for draft position.
Here’s hoping the rebuilding process only takes a year or so. None of us want to have to endure this for long.
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 12.
December 2nd, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » KC Chiefs
Well, in a lot of respects, today’s Chiefs game was pretty worthless… not because of the outcome, but because of who wasn’t in the lineup today. With the Chiefs coming into this one at 4-7, for all intents and purposes out of the playoff picture (maybe not mathematically, but let’s get real), the last few games of this season need to be used to evaluate players. Having Brodie Croyle on the bench with an injured back is simply counter-productive to that goal.
That being said, I can’t say the game wasn’t entertaining. It’s always great to see future hall of famer Tony Gonzalez have a great game… with 10 catches for 140 yards, he easily outdueled Antonio Gates today for tight end supremacy. It really hurts to see him produce such great numbers year after year on teams that just can’t ever seem to put things together. This guy deserves a Super Bowl as much as anyone in the league.
And what can you say about Kolby Smith? He continues to show promise at running back, rushing for a decent 81 yard total. Again, if we knew we had some decent talent on the bench behind LJ, why in the world did we shell out all the bucks to keep him? Of course, we DIDN’T know, but don’t you wish we could have?
How about Jared Allen? There’s a reason this guy is one of the fan favorites on the Chiefs… maybe the favorite (it’s gotta be a toss-up between him and Tony). Today’s performance showed us why… relentless on defense with two sacks and all-around solid defensive play. But the gem of the day? Jared Allen on offense, scoring a touchdown on an incredible diving catch in the corner of the end zone on 3rd and goal from the 2 inn the second quarter. It looked like Huard (we’ll get to him in a second) was throwing the ball away, yet Jared comes down with it for his first offensive TD. Unbelievable.
Sadly, there were some glaring problems. The defense couldn’t stop Tomlinson, and they gave up too many big plays in the passing game. These were UGLY breakdowns, bottom line.
Damon Huard’s performance today proved yet again why he’s a backup. Two ugly interceptions and a fumble, barely a 50% completion rate. He seemed to only look at one guy all day… Tony. I’m glad he had a big day, but a QB has got to distribute the ball better.
Of course, Huard didn’t have any help from his offensive line. Eight sacks? You’ve gotta be kidding me. Utterly ridiculous.
I do have one big question about today, though. If we’re trying to evaluate our young guys, why in the world didn’t we didn’t start Tyler Thigpen, our third stringer? He’s young, and we need to know what we have in him, just as we need to know what we have in Huard. He got in late in the fourth quarter, so I’m happy for him… it’s just a shame he didn’t get the day to try to prove himself. His short stint probably didn’t turn out as he would have hoped, but he did complete his first career attempt to Dwayne Bowe. Its too bad that toss to Tony in the end zone didn’t pan out, or that Bowe couldn’t hold on to the bomb down the sideline. Could have been some great memories for him, especially if his NFL career doesn’t grow from here. He looked decent, though, so I’m thinking he may hang around with the Chiefs for a while. Maybe HE’s our QB of the future.
Anyway, we’re now 4-8. Here’s hoping that Brodie is healthy next week, and that we can find out if he’s worth keeping. I certainly hope so. Maybe we can get some offensive line help, develop another receiver or two, and get our offense back where it needs to be. Given a couple years of rebuilding, maybe we’ll be ready for a playoff run when Arrowhead’s new look is complete.
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 11.
November 25th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » KC Chiefs
This will be short today… my beloved Chiefs blew a big one today at home to the hated Raiders, 20-17. I wasn’t able to see the game live, missing most of it as we spent time catching up with friends in Springfield over lunch, hearing only a bit on the radio as we drove to the restaurant and after hitting the long road home back from our Thanksgiving visit to see the relatives. You wanna talk Thanksgiving blessings? I count not seeing this game as a big one!
Anyway, I will say this… what’s up with relatively unknown rookie Kolby Smith rushing for 150 yards and 2 TDs? Neither Larry Johnson nor Priest Holmes even came close to that kind of a performance this season, but the rookie ran wild? Makes me wonder what in the world we did re-signing Johnson to the big money contract. Maybe we could haved fixed our woeful offensive line with the money saved and draft picks likely obtained.
Gotta love 20/20 hindsight.
Right Herm?
You’re probably kicking yourself not just for that, but for any number of other coaching decisions you’ve made this year.
Speaking of kicking… well… nevermind, I want to think about Lin Elliott Dave Rayner anymore.
How about those #1 ranked Missouri Tigers?!?
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 10.
November 18th, 2007 | 1 Comment | Posted in » KC Chiefs
My beloved Chiefs travelled to Indianapolis today to face a team few thought they’d have a chance to beat. For the first time in ages, they started a quarterback they’d drafted… Brodie Croyle.
It was apparent from the get-go that the Chiefs were going to try to protect Brodie from himself. For most of the day, Chiefs coaches stuck to their conservative play-calling ways. At no time was it more apparent that they didn’t completely trust Brodie in his first start than just before the half. With 1:18 to go, a full compliment of timeouts, and the ball on the 23 yard line, coaching staff decided to stick to the ground and run out the clock rather than trying to execute the two-minute drill… hardly the conventional call given that the Colts were to receive the second half kickoff.
Yes… the play-calling handcuffed him.
For the majority of the day, the passing playbook consisted of short dumpoffs and quick throws to WR at the line of scrimmage. All well and good if you’re trying to promote a high completion percentage… but not all that great to keep the chains moving and score points.
Thankfully, we didn’t wait until it was too late to open things up. With just less than three minutes to go in the third quarter, we turned Brodie lose, and it paid off.
With the Chiefs on the move, and at the Colts 40… boom. Brodie uncorks an 18 yard completion over the middle to Tony Gonzalez. After a short run up the middle, Brodie started slinging again. Incomplete deep to Gonzo in the end zone, and then the gem of the day… an absolutely incredible 19 yard touchdown pass threaded down the sideline to D-Bowe, who made an unbelievable catch, securing the ball with his legs after coming down in the end zone.
Unfortunately, coaching staff put Brodie back in the box afterwards. With the game tied once again, it was apparently time to revert to short dumpoffs and running plays. We didn’t sniff midfield again in the fourth quarter on two drives, and with 6:59 left in game, the Colts took over, marching down the field, running out the clock, and winning with a FG with 4 seconds on the clock.
Only a miraculous ending could bring the Chiefs victory, and it simply wasn’t to be. I’m still not sure why we tried to emulate the Stanford band play rather than Flutie’s hail Mary, especially given the arm strength Brodie has and that we’ve got D-Bowe and Gonzo to run deep… either one of them can outjump about anyone for a last minute bomb. Oh well… odds on either play succeeding are still almost zero.
The positives?
Well, the defense played very well today, except for the last drive, when we desperately needed a stop. They kept us in the game in spite of our offensive game plan. Who expects the Colts to be held to 13 points? Who expects to hold Manning to only 163 yards on 16 of 32 passing?
Brodie played very well also… especially given the handcuffs he had to wear all day. 19 of 27 with one TD isn’t a bad first start.
The last positive? Well… the Chargers lost too, so we’re 4-6, and they’re 5-5. Playoffs still aren’t out of the question at this point, even if we’re clearly not a playoff-caliber team. The benefit of playing in one of the worst divisions in football. Who’d have thought that would be the case last year?
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 9.
November 11th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » KC Chiefs
The good news? BRODIE BRODIE BRODIE!
We’re gonna get to see if Brodie is our quarterback of the future. He certainly looked, well… better than Huard. One ugly interception, which appeared to be the result of confusion over the receiver’s route… but a whole lot of bullets. The kid simply has a cannon.
The bad news?
We lost to the stinking Broncos at home… for the first time in five years.
Here’s why.
First and foremost, our offensive line continues to perform abysmally. I still don’t get how this year’s line can be so much worse than last year’s… it just doesn’t make any sense at all. Here’s hoping Herm decides to demote Mike Solari and put him back where he fits best… offensive line coach.
The return game still stinks, of course. I simply cannot believe we couldn’t find a decent returner amongst one of our young players. Picking up Detroit cast-off Eddie Drummond has been anything but a good move.
But most disappointingly of all… our defense seems to have its letdowns when we can least afford it.
The bottom line? Brodie may have the deck stacked against to help this year’s Chiefs be anything other than mediocre.
Here’s hoping the defense really steps things up and somehow we get even average performance from our offensive line (particularly the tackles). Maybe, just maybe, we can break out of this tailspin. If nothing else, we need to give Brodie a fair chance at being evaluated to find out if he really is the answer for the foreseeable future at QB.
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 8.
November 4th, 2007 | 2 Comments | Posted in » KC Chiefs
A few observations and notes from the Chiefs’ heart-breaking loss today…
- Our offensive tackles stink. No run blocking or pass protection = continued poor production from the offense (no matter who’s at RB or QB).
- Larry Johnson is injured, with return prospects unknown at this point (sure didn’t look good seeing him helped off the field, unable to put any weight on the injured foot). At least we have Priest Holmes. We’re very fortunate that he decided to return.
- Our return game continues to be non-existent. Ditching Dante continues to look like a HUGE mistake. Of course, we’ve had no blocking either, kinda like with our offensive line.
- Last but certainly not least… Damon Huard stinks. Two CRITICAL interceptions today (that’s nine on the season), both leading to TD’s, including the game-icing one that was returned for a TD (while there was still slim hope, no less). Take these away and the Chiefs at least have a good shot at winning.
- Related to the above… We need to start Brodie NOW! The playoffs, let alone advancing in the playoffs… appears to be little more than a dream right now. Let’s get Brodie in there, get him some experience, and see if he really is the future for the Chiefs.
There’s only one good thing to note about today… the Chargers and Broncos lost, so the Chiefs continue to back into first place in the AFC West. Don’t look for that to continue unless the Chargers and Broncos continue their downward spirals as well.
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 7.
October 22nd, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » In the News..., KC Chiefs
Back in week 3, after a much-needed win over the Minnesota Vikings, I predicted the Chiefs could be anything from 4-3 to 2-5 going into the bye week. It wasn’t much of a stretch to make that kind of prediction, of course, but I simply didn’t know enough about what the Chiefs were going to be at that point to make any kind of guess as to where they’d end up.
After yesterday’s nail-biter over the Raiders, I still don’t know, yet this morning, they’re sitting at 4-3, in first place in the AFC West.
Not a bad place to be at this point in the season.
Here’s what we know going into the bye week:
- The defense is much improved.
- Jared Allen looks like he’ll be punching a ticket to Hawaii.
- The offensive line needs work, especially in the running game.
- Larry Johnson is inconsistent.
- Damon Huard may last the season at QB, but he’s not the answer for much longer than that.
- Dave Rayner has a huge leg, but seems to miss the easy kicks. We really don’t want to have to find out if he can drill a game-winner.
- Eddie Drummond is NOT the answer for kick and punt returns.
The uncertainties?
- Will the running game improve?
- What will Priest Holmes’ return do for this team the rest of the season?
- Will the offense develop some consistency?
- Can the defense continue to carry the team?
- Is there any hope for an improved return game?
- Can the Chiefs hold serve at home in the AFC West?
This team may be able to compete for a playoff spot in their division, but at this point, it’s hard to get too excited beyond that. The Chiefs are clearly not on the level of teams like Indianapolis and New England, and unless something changes, playoff success looks to be a distant dream. Just making it there would be a huge success though, given the way Herm is trying to transform this team.
He’s Back!
October 20th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » In the News..., KC Chiefs
Yes, I know it’s late Saturday evening, a time I normally reserve for last-minute preparations for Sunday School tomorrow… but I decided to jump over to ESPN and check out the results of today’s college football action before calling it a night. The headline that caught my eye, though, involved the Chiefs…
I can barely contain my excitement… this is just incredible! Out of action for two years due to a freaky neck injury… deciding to return almost on a whim… after over three months of workouts, and now just one week of practice? Priest Holmes is back on the active roster for the Chiefs!
Simply unbelievable!
Here’s hoping Priest sees action in tomorrow’s game, and that he gives Larry Johnson a bit of motivation to get back to top form.
It Could be a Long Season… Episode 6.
October 14th, 2007 | No Comments | Posted in » In the News..., KC Chiefs
Victory!
The Bengals came to Kansas City today and got mauled by my beloved Chiefs. The defense looked pretty good, consistently getting good pressure on Carson Palmer, with obviously positive results… only 1/11 on third down, with the one conversion coming against weak prevent defense late in the fourth quarter… two interceptions… holding their explosive offense to 20 points. I certainly question why Gunther and Herm abandoned the blitz late, as the Bengals moved the ball at will against the prevent defense (Palmer had WAY too much time to pick us apart)… but the game was pretty much decided at that point, so I can’t fault them TOO much.
As for the offense? Well… what can you say about Tony Gonzalez? Two touchdowns, breaking the NFL record for tight ends… he’s been a mainstay of the Chiefs offense for years, and no doubt will one day be a Hall of Fame member. Huard looked like his normal self… decent, but not spectacular. And Larry Johnson? Well… he finally broke loose with a few big runs, but tempered those with several boneheaded plays, the biggest of which, his failure to protect the ball on a sure TD run in the second quarter. Stripped at the one yard line and turning the ball over to the Bengals, the play could have really killed the Chiefs. Throw in a dumb delay of game penalty with 4:00 left in the fourth and the Bengals clinging to faint hopes, stopping the clock and forcing us to punt from deep in our own end zone… well, again… it could have cost us dearly. Blocking continues to be one of his weak points, as a missed block on a blitz nearly resulted in Huard’s beheading.
Anyway, we’re now 3-3 on the year… tied in the win column for the division lead. With Oakland (yes, Oakland), leading the division by a half game (due to the bye week), next week’s game looms large.
Who knows what could happen yet this year? The Chiefs look spectacular at times, and horrific at others. Two things are for certain… the defense will keep us in a lot of games… and the running game still needs help. It’s a recipe for uncertainty… and a long season.
