Change is Coming

An opinion is not something that is evident for every person on every subject. Generally, I have an opinion that I make publicly known about nearly everything. If something comes up that I do not have a perspective on, I research it so I feel I am properly equipped to have an opinion.
The Chiefs got pulverized by the Buffalo Bills today. The worst team we have played since Oakland in Week 2 just set a scoring record against the Chiefs by scoring 54 points. It was almost as ugly as Florida beating up on Citadel this weekend (which on a side note should let Gator fans know why they got jumped in the BCS this weekend by scheduling a cupcake this late in the season).
Florida is good by college standards however, and the Buffalo Bills are not. I find myself at a loss for words. I wrote a pregame post for the first time ever (which might have gynxed the outcome) and the people that I asked to show up did not.
I will say this, after the game Herm was right when asked about Tyler Thigpen. He put it in perspective that this was his sixth game, and these happen to everyone. Funny thing, if 55% completions, 462 total yards, 31 points, 3 touchdowns, 2 INT's, and an 85.9 QB Rating is a bad game then we should only be so lucky. Herm didn't go that far as to say that he had a good game, but he put it in perspective that mistakes do happen.
The culprits that I spoke of before the game were still in full force today. Five turnovers will kill you, but the Chiefs have done that before to better offenses and STILL never given up 54 points. Gunther Cunningham should be fired tomorrow morning and Herm should take over defensive playcalling the rest of the way. If Chan Gailey is our offensive mastermind independently and Herm is a defensive minded coach, then give him a few weeks to show that he can coach a strong defensive unit.
Also, Rocky Boiman was out leading tackler. That guy would not even be on most rosters, and he's leading the way for our defense. Bernard Pollard and Maurice Leggett combined for 16 tackles, which is shocking because one is a nickle back who is not an every-down player. On the season, three of our top five tacklers are in the secondary (Bernard Pollard, Jarrad Page, and Brandon Carr). On even rushing plays, the tackles are being made 6 yards down the field. This defense is playing worse football than the Greg Robinson defenses of the Vermeil years (on a side note, Syracuse beat Notre Dame this weekend in quite a shocker).
Change is the word. Barack Obama won a presidential election with a brand and given the need for that brand it didn't matter whether he offered credibility to the brand through substance. We all now hope that he is what he said he is. I hope this brand can be taken a step further to the football field and the Chiefs. We all hope there is change. Young teams make mistakes, but don't call the plays. You can't blame the players on the field for games like this, you can only blame the people who put them on the field.
This city loves sports as much as any. At game time there were close to 60,000 people there to watch a 1-9 team. Is someone trying to tell me that this team could not have had a more productive youth movement with someone like Alen Faneca and Damien Woody for 2 years on the offensive line? That these skill players on offense couldn't punch it in from inside the two with those guys on the line? That Javon Kearse, Justin Smith, or even retaining Jimmy Wilkerson would not have made this a better defensive line for two years until you can get more picks in here?
Last week, I said this team is good enough for a Christmas list, and none of that has changed. I said who needed to prove something against Buffalo, and none did anything and should be out of town immediately. Of those eight players that I said we need to field a strong team, I currently have no doubts that the team that is about $30 million under the salary cap could have turned this into a postive season really fast. The fans could have embraced players the work that Tyler Thigpen, Mark Bradley, Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Brandon Albert, and others are all doing. We could have also marveled at Tony Gonzalez some more.
Now all people have to complain about is Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards. They should, because the little things that management can do to build a culture of winning are not being done. It is unfortunately that things are going to go this way. Hopefully Clark Hunt sees things the way we all do.

Buffalo Bills

Finally, the schedule is starting to shape up nicely for the Chiefs. If the Miami Dolphins are the best team you still have to face over the course of six games, we can finally start to expect wins out of this Chiefs team yet. There are simply too many holes to fill to expect wins over really good teams, but this team can beat mediocre teams. The individuals with jobs on the line should be in full display this weekend. Here is what I expect to see against the Bills:

1) Derrick Johnson is coming back from injury. Johnson and Gonzalez are probably our best trade bait in the offseason, and at this point I would say that I want Johnson gone. We spent a first round pick on a guy with every tool imaginable to perform in the NFL except one: brains. For a guy as big, fast, and experienced as he is, I think it is reasonable to expect more than 100 tackles and at least 5 or 6 sacks per season. He does neither, and also does not force turnovers or lead our young defense. He needs to go somewhere where others can make him perform better, he's a strain here. I would rather pickup a slower linebacker in the middle rounds than to let Johnson play another season as long as he has the smarts to read what the offense is doing.

2) Coaches on the hot seat. Gunther Cunningham, Mike Priefer, and Tim Krumrie. The secondary has played well, so I only place defensive blame on Cunningham and Krumrie, but the play of the front seven on this team has been horrible. The front seven has DJ, Hali, Dorsey out of the first round, McBride from the second, and Tyler out of the third in the past few years. These players are strong prospects who are not performing. The Bills don't score a lot of points but they can run the ball, and that does not bode well for the front seven. The special teams in Buffalo are Grade A quality, if the Chiefs give up a return TD, then those are the guys who need to go.

3) Larry Johnson. Right now, I want him cut. I understand he had a few big runs last weekend at the game. However, watching the game and seeing our O-Line open holes for him, and seeing him run for 8-10 yards a few times, I expected to return home to see a stat line with 100 yards. I saw 64. Those big runs were thanks to the offensive line play, the no-gainers that led to him only netting 3.5 YPC after all of those big runs makes it obvious that he is not getting it done. We can draft a guy in the mid rounds and head into next season with Smith/Charles and be fine. LJ better show a lot or he should be out of here for a 5th rounder this offseason.

4) Right side of the offensive line. We already know that none of you will have jobs after the season. Just open a couple of holes on the goal line as an audition for your next job....please?

Everyone else: KEEP IT UP. The passing game has been great behind Thigpen, and the young guys on offense just keep showing up each week. The pass blocking has been good as well. Brandon Flowers will be back this week, and we should be able to keep the Bills running the whole game.

If Gailey and Thigpen put us out to a 10+ point lead in the first half again, watch out. The Bills will not come back in that game. But we can't let them back in it either. We have to hit the gas pedal, and not let off until the game is over. The Bills will not beat us with Trent Edwards throwing the ball.

Also, watch JP Losman. He will make a nice backup to Tyler Thigpen along with a mid-round draft pick next season. He'll also be a free agent. If he plays, picture him in Red and Gold next season. It is very possible.

Good Enough for a Christmas List

This is the time of year where family and friends continuously come up to you and ask for your Christmas list. How many of us really have a clue what we want? There's the occasional doll for a young girl, a video game or a football for a boy, maybe even a new football player's jersey, if you're so inclined. Once you're an adult, I think it is more difficult because we look more to what we need rather than the junk that's going to feed our materialistic sense for a month or so and then becomes obsolete in our selfish world. Some of us choose to still ask for our wants, while others just request a gift card for a rainy day.
I think this analogy can describe several teams right now in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys, I would say, fit into the materialistic mode. They had Barber, Owens, Witten, Jones, Romo, and others on offense, yet they threw conventional wisdom to the wind and blew the bank on Roy Williams in the middle of the season. It is the materialistic sense that Jerry Jones has that he will spend money to put what he "wants" on the field at all times. They have much of what they need, but there's an occasional Gucci Bag or H3 that they feel they can't live without.
The Tennessee Titans fit well into the example of those who have what they need, and ask for a gift card for a rainy day. Each year, the pundits say they don't have enough receivers. Yet Justin Gage broke out for two huge touchdowns yesterday against the Jags. Around the country people know maybe three players on their defense, yet they are among the best every season. By contrast, there is no one on that team who has done less to pursue their success than their most recognizable player, Vince Young. They'll take the gift card because they use what they have, they're not glamorous, and they are frugal enough to make the most of what they have. The Cowboys will only drive an H3 for 50,000 miles and trade it in for something else, while the Titans will drive a Honda Civic for 300,000 miles and get 50 miles per gallon on top of it.
But where do the Chiefs fit into this example? I would say that the Chiefs are a young adult right now, and much closer to the Tennessee Titans at this point than the Dallas Cowboys. They don't have everything around the house that they need but they know what they're missing. They have the refrigerator they need to store the steaks, but no grill to cook them on. They have the player but no DVDs. A reading lamp without bulbs. You get the picture.
Right now, the 20-something Chiefs have an offensive team to build upon, but still has a few holes. They have strong leadership in Gonzalez and Waters, a solid young QB in Tyler Thigpen, and they go three deep at Wide Receiver in Bowe, Bradley, and Franklin. Cottam is even a promising replacement to Gonzalez in a couple of years. Brandon Albert is a very auspicious Tackle who, during the Buccaneers game, missed one block that got his QB destroyed. He walked over to his QB with his head down, and an ashamed demeanor about him. Since then, I haven't seen him miss a block in the next two games. I didn't even discuss our young Running Backs, but there is talent there even with the likely termination of Larry Johnson in the off-season.
On Defense, we also know what we have. Dorsey and Tyler have played increasingly better in the middle. Our young secondary is probably the most encouraging unit on the team, if that unit had a pass rush to help them out, they would be talked about right now on the national level. Even on special teams, we have a great punter that is obviously a fixture of this team's future.We know what we want for Christmas, and it's easy to write a list. We're not wandering around Walmart trying to make up a list of things we don't even know exist, we absolutely know where our deficiencies are.On Offense, we absolutely need a new Center, Right Guard, and Right Tackle. New starters on Week 1 at those three positions are necessities. Also at Kicker, Connor Barth might have beat out other players to be the kicker, but he has yet to impress me. He was missing 45 yarders in warm-ups on Sunday. He needs to go.
Defense is where we have the most holes. Tamba Hali and Turk McBride can play the Left End position, but this team needs a strong Rush End to pressure the opponent's QB and take pressure off of the endowed secondary. The linebackers can all go. Derrick Johnson could probably command a high draft pick, and Demorrio Williams and Rocky Boiman can stay on for depth. Other than that, we need three players there.
That makes 8 of 24 players (counting kickers) that we need to turnover in this off season. This last season, we turned over QB, FB, LT, C, RG, RE, DT, WLB, MLB, CB, CB, and K. That's 12 last season. This season, we need to make it 8. We have solutions at several of those (QB, FB, LT, DT, CB, and CB). Now we're down to 8. Even good teams in the NFL can name 5 guys they need to replace, and the great ones can even name 2.
We're getting closer to being the Titans, but let's not make the mistake of being the Cowboys. Which one is looking more likely to win the Super Bowl this year?

The Sunday that Wasn't

This Sunday, I was in attendance to watch the Chiefs take it to the Tampa Bay Buccanneers, but then they didn't. When considering how to approach a perspective on the game, it comes down to themes that were, but then weren't. This post will be random ideas:

1) The Wildcat was an excellent approach for a change of pace and gave the Chiefs a lot of matchup problems in the first half. But then they didn't use it again.
2) Jamaal Charles looked like a running back who was already to become a starting running back for this team next season, but then he coughed up the ball on the Chiefs own three yard line.
3) Turk McBride appears to have emerged as a legitimated NFL defensive end, but then he gets a late hit on the QB about once a game.
4) Bernard Pollard plays a solid game, tackles and covers well, but then whiffs on a tackle in OT that sent Mark Clayton for a HUGE gain and eventual game winning field goal.
5) Brad Cottam looked like Tony Gonzalez in the first quarter, catching a pass, refusing to go out of bounds, and hitting about three Bucs in the process. But then they didn't throw him the ball again.
6) The Chiefs pass defense looked respectable, but then Brandon Flowers left the game and Jeff Garcia threw the ball all over Leggett, Brackenridge, and other backup corners all day long. It makes you feel good that our two rookie corners mean that much to this team.
7) Tony Gonzalez appeared to have interfered on that last catch when observing in real time (as I was there), but then replays made it look different. If the NFL allowed interference penalties to be challenged by replay, the Chiefs would have won that game, but if I was the referee I would have made that call in real time. Sorry Chiefs fans.
7) We were taking it to a potential playoff contender in the NFC, but then we lost.

This theme was all over the place Sunday, which happens with young teams who are "getting there" but "aren't quite there yet." We are seeing promise, and there are a few guys who deserve game balls for not being the "did but then didn't" group. Tyler Thigpen was again a QB who made great decisions. Mark Bradley has emerged as a solid second option at WR behind Dwayne Bowe. Brandon Flower s and Brandon Carr still deserve A LOT of credit for being the most stable unit on our defense (and they're both rookies playing there). Jarrod Page made an amazing play knocking down that Galloway potential TD pass.

As for this team at this moment, here's what I think we have: One Solid QB for this season at least and next if he keeps playing this way, one solid RB for the future, an emerging o-line, two WR's, two TE's, two CB's, two Safety's, one DE (McBride surprisingly), and two DT's. I have said before that if Albert continues to play well, I would still draft Michael Oher in round 1. I have not changed my mind. I think if we had Albert at RG and Oher at LT, we would have a really solid o-line by the end of next season. If we can replace McIntosh, a potentially great one.

Now for two negatives from that game. Herm Edwards needs to bench ANY player who whiffs on a tackle like Pollard did in overtime, period. Something must be done to make players tackle better, and he needs to make examples of those who don't. The tackling on this team must get better. In addition, while Kolby Smith was on the ground after his season-ending knee injury, I watched Dwayne Bowe take off his helmet, walk over to the Buccanneers defense, and have a meet/greet/laugh session with the opponents. He should have either been with Smith, in the huddle waiting on the next play, or on the sideline with his position coach until the next play. In a game where he did that selfish act, Ike Hilliard stood on the sideline after the half and shook hands with each military individual who walked off the field after the halftime celebration. No other Buc or Chief did that, as a matter of fact Weatherford punted balls during the half over the group being welcomed into the US Army at the break.

Hilliard should be commended, and Dwayne Bowe should start taking his cues from class acts like Ike Hilliard and Warrick Dunns instead of coming up with the next way to show the world that despite his talent, he really doesn't care about being anything but an entertainer on the field.

Thigpen

Sunday was the day of Tyler Thigpen. Not Carl Peterson, not Herm Edwards. If anything, Tyler Thigpen played to win and the other two set things up for failure.

Thigpen threw the ball all over the field with conviction. He made our questionable receiving corps look good while hitting 7 receivers, he made our questionable o-line look good by surveying the field and making quick decisions so as to not hold the ball too long. He made Chan Gailey look like a genius. He made himself look like the quarterback of the future, even if only for a day.

First off, let me say that in all walks of life, being good at something makes those that it directly affects look better. Good coaching makes subpar talent look better than it is, which is not happening right now with the Chiefs. Good QB's make receivers and lines look better than they are, which Thigpen did. Good receivers catch inaccurate balls, and make subpar QB's look better. Good blockers make RB's look better, good pass rush makes a secondary look better, and the list goes on and on.

Tyler Thigpen made the offense look REALLY good yesterday, and until there were 5 1/2 minutes to play, Chan Gaily made the offense look REALLY good as well. The college spread can work in the NFL. The field MUST be spread out in all of football. The teams that do it (Patriots, Colts, Chargers, Rams (previously), Cowboys, Giants, etc.) are always there in the end. You have to open up the field to be able to run.

This week, the Chiefs are looking to sign Daunte Culpepper, who at this point in his career is incapable of providing what Thigpen did yesterday. He's no leader, he's injury prone, his no longer mobile, and he's expensive. He also doesn't know the system, so he might start 4 games for us this season even if we give up on Thigpen.

Why not spend the rest of the season working the spread offense with Thigpen at the helm? It allows us to evaluate receivers and lineman, it allows us to evaluate a potential offensive system, it also helps us evaluate the defense because it's the only way we can move the ball and give them a breather in between series.

The answer is in those who should be gone. Peterson doesn't have the guts to not sign Culpepper and possibly face blackouts, and he doesn't have the guts to go against Herm and see to it that this game continues for the rest of the season unless Thigpen gets hurt. It's sad that those who should exemplify making those around them look better are the ones that make this franchise and those around them look worse through their own doing.

Peterson's Foolishness

Carl Peterson today signed Quinn Gray to replace Brodie Croyle at QB on the Chiefs' roster. I'll bet that based on the title of the article that you all think I am going to bash Peterson for making this deal. I hate to disappoint, but that's not where I'm going at all.

Chiefs' management is in disarray. They have a team not playing for their head coach, and across the state we see a Rams team with potential playing hard for a new coach who the players like. The Rams just ran through the NFC East like a wrecking ball through a paper mache house, and after four of the worst weeks in team history. Can the same happen if Herm was gone? Would the offensive and defensive play calling start to mimic the intelligence of the coordinators and not the foolish preferences of Herm Edwards? There's only one way to find out....

And now on to Carl Peterson and Quinn Gray. I happen to believe that Gray is a good signing. He torched us when he came in for Jacksonville previously. He has a good arm, a body that can hold up to the beating, and he's still young. Only one of which could we say for Daunte Culpepper, and none of which could we say for Bruce Gradkowski. Damon Huard has none, Thigpen has a good arm and is young, and Brodie was the same as Thigpen. It's cheaper AND it's smart. Unfortunately though, Peterson has no credibility in this town anymore. The city will see this signing, and bash on it because Peterson called it. It is deserved disdain that we now treat Peterson with, so I will not say that the fans are foolish for not believing in Quinn Gray.

I will say right now, Quinn Gray is not our QB of the future. That guy still has to be a young guy in FA next year, a young guy we trade for next year, or a draft pick. I would say that based on the QB's likely to come out next year, we would be better off trading for Colt Brennan early in the offseason and giving up a 3rd rounder for him. The trio of Colt Brennan, Quinn Gray, and Brodie Croyle heading into next season with Brennan or Gray as the starters would be much more formidable than Huard/Thigpen are now. If none of those two work out, then the first round of the following year will absolutely bring out Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford, Matthew Stafford, Nate Davis, and others who could possibly stay in college this season.

Another alternative we have right now is to sign Andre Woodson off of the NY Giants practice squad in Mid-November. Then, we could have Gray knowing the offense, deactivate Huard for the remainder of the season, and head into the offseason with Brodie Croyle, Tyler Thigpen, Damon Huard, Ingle Martin, Quinn Gray, and Andre Woodson all under contract. We keep them all because Thigpen, Gray, and Woodson finish on the final roster, Croyle/Huard are on IR/inactive, and Martin is on the Practice Squad. Only three roster spots taken, yet we have 6 in the wings for next season. If we draft a guy, sign a guy, and/or trade for a guy, we could potentially have 8 QB's under contract to narrow down through the offseason program and training camp next season.

This team doesn't need a temporary fix in Dante Culpepper or Bruce Gradkowski right now, it needs bodies at QB. If Peterson had any credibility, he could make such moves throughout the rest of the season and we could see that the effort (for once) is being made. Unfortunately though, Quinn Gray alone is not the necessary approach. If Carl Peterson read this blog, he might be amazed at the type of potential some simple analysis by an outsider could provide.

Sadly though, he has been destroyed by his own doing and even a good start is not enough to resurrect his perception in the Kansas City community and fan base.

How Does Sunday Happen?

There is one thing left to understand: the coaches of the Kansas City Chiefs are not on the same page. It looks to me like they are not game planning at all to the teams they play, they are simply evaluating players. Is that not what it looks like?
When your offense is so predictable that the other team stacks the box daring you to throw it more than 10 yards and YOU DON'T DO IT. Look, I think we have something with Chan Gailey. Not because of his performance this season, but because of his resume. Herm Edwards has a resume of being a QB killer, a poor game manager, and a conservative game caller. He wants to build this team in the image of a team like the Jacksonville Jaguars, a team that can run the ball down the throat and hit you in the mouth on both sides of the ball. Well, Jack Del Rio allows his coordinators to call a pass play on first down every once in a while. They take a few deep shots each game. They are unpredictable, although they still have a good run/pass split. How does Herm think we're going to become the Jacksonville Jaguars if he is never going to become Jack Del Rio?
When your defense has speed all over the field yet they are out of position to chase anyone down? Gunther Cunningham NEVER coached a Tampa-2 scheme in any other experiences. Now, teams do run some Cover 2 from time to time, but the Chiefs are not pulling off what they need to. Also, when you blitz it is the job of the Defensive linemen to drive the blockers away from the blitz lanes so the linebackers are either 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 with a runningback. That's when blitzes work. Bernard Pollard and Brandon Flowers are the two best tacklers on this defense, which goes to show you why opponents are gouging the Chiefs running the ball every game.
Plays succeed by talented players, sure. But even more so by talented coaching and design. The Chiefs under Vermeil had an amazing offense with a bunch of old lineman, a weak-armed and immobile QB, and terrible WR corps. They led the league each year because of design, not by talent. The Washington Redskins probably don't have as much offensive talent as the Cowboys or Eagles, but they beat them on the road in consecutive weeks by outcoaching their opponents.
I am sick of the Kansas City Chiefs getting outcoached each week. This Chiefs team is deeper right now on Offense at WR, TE, and RB than they ever were under Vermeil. They are deeper at CB, S, DT, and OLB than they ever were under Vermeil. I don't care about youth, this team has more talent than nearly any Chiefs team has had in the past 10 years. Croyle has more talent than Trent Green ever had.
If the coaching on this team, by personnel changes or by indivdual improvement, does not change soon, then this team is going to ruin a lot of young careers and the best fan base on the NFL by letting talent and potential turn into a group that is accustomed to losing and accustomed to not doing the right thing.
I would love to see Clark Hunt give Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards their walking papers today. Seriously. They should be gone and not be allowed back in the complex tomorrow. They need a good, young GM prospect to take over the team and a coach who is not already on the outs with another team (remember Herm-ball 2004?).
Fans all want Bill Cowher here. That's not necessary. The Falcons didn't need Cowher this year to emerge, nor did the Dolphins, Titans, Redskins, or Bills. They need a philosophy and they need a coaching staff that is on the same page. I love the trust that Herm Edwards has placed in our scouting department and the trust that Carl has also allowed to go there in order to bring in the talent that we have.
Unfortunately though, under Herm Edwards we will see the Chiefs lose by 34 points a lot more often than we see the Chiefs even score 34, much less win by 34.

A Win is a Win

Look, there are a lot of people today who are feeling that the Chiefs are now going to do great things or are feeling some sort of confidence that is above and beyond what we should be feeling for this team right now. The Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos, who had a lot of morons in the media declaring them the "Class of the AFC" right now.

To begin with the quality of the win, it is necessary to look at who you are playing. Has Denver been able to stop anyone this season? Has Denver finished a single game this season (without referee or inept kicker interference)? Can Denver stop the run or the pass? Is Jay Cutler still a reasonably young QB? Since all of these answers slant to the negative side, you begin to realize why the morons in the media seemed to need "a class team." Ignoring their ignorance, that title has went to the Tennessee Titans and coach Jeff Fisher this entire season. When Herm Edwards becomes a guy who can coach a team with a QB who completes 50% of his passes throws more INT's than TD's is the day that I'll put him in a class with other good defensive coaches like Fisher.

No matter Denvers problems, they have still played good football and beat (narrowly) two good opponents. This Chiefs team dominated a veteran o-line with young defenders, had two young corners shut down the second best passing attack in the NFL (no matter what the end game stats say), and a past-his-prime running back ran all over the field against a rush defense that will continue to be exposed the rest of the season. Denver has all of the deficiencies that will make our team look solid now, and will possibly make us look good in Denver.

Either way, kudos are deserved by a few players who dominated the game yesterday: Brandon Carr, Turk McBride, Brandon Flowers, Dwayne Bowe, Larry Johnson, Brad Cottam, and Damon Huard. Also, not much credit has been given to this representative of the team, but Bernard Pollard's hustle a few times might have saved this game for the Chiefs in the first half. I watched him single handedly contain the running game around the corner when he was the last line of defense; holding Denver to a two-yard gain instead of a TD on a broken tackle. He hustled down the field on a screen pass that had the makings of a 70 yard touchdown all over it. Denver settled for a field goal. Big game Bernard Pollard. That guy has really stepped up this year.

If those guys can continue to shape this into a tough football team that is not mesmerized by anyone, then this season can still get turned around. But don't be fooled. The Chargers (twice), Titans, Saints, Bills, Panthers, and Bucs are all teams that will play us better than Denver did. We can out-physical Denver, but (with the exception the Saints) these teams will cause us to really have to get up and play hard. We can do it, but they won't come as easily as the Broncos did.

Week 3: Atlanta

This is going to be short, sweet, and simple. The differences between the winners and losers in this league are very simple, and this is not going to take much when it comes to what can win this game. Here goes:

1) Mix Up the Run and the PASS. If the Chiefs give Tyler Thigpen the opportunity to run some play action, roll out of the pocket, and hit Bowe and Gonzalez in the open. It will give us a great chance for victory. Don't forget that Brad Cottam (huge and athletic) has been non-existent and Will Franklin will be back from injury. Those two both need to be involved in this offense. If we mix it up early, LJ/Charles will run for at least 100 yards on this defense, and Thigpen will throw for 200 yards. If not, a long day for both facets of the offense.

2) Defensive Players need to STAY PUT. The players on this team need to keep their lanes, Brandon Carr needs to keep contain on the corner in the running game, and the safeties need to stay back and not get beat by the deep ball. The Falcons think they can move the ball on our defense right now, and we need to change that mindset early by getting the young guys to maintain their responsibility. They were very undisciplined last week, we need to change that right now or it will be a long season no matter if the offense progresses.

3) Herm Edwards needs to let the PLAYERS PLAY. The team doesn't just have runningbacks and lineman. If he lets Thigpen and the Receivers earn a paycheck, it will go a long way to help the team win. Right now, he's not coaching to win the game. He needs to change that, or else he needs to be fired before the bye week.

Winning or losing this weekend are as simple as those three things. I'm picking win. But I'm thinking I'm giving the others in the league a free advantage this week though.

Tyler Thigpen - Starting QB

Good. That's all I'm going to say today. Look, if you have a QB like Thigpen, then you don't have to play the stupid game of Huard/Hagans because you can run your QB and also have a chance to complete a pass. He might only complete 55% of this throws this week, but that's still about 20% better than Vince Young does, and VY was on the cover of Madden.

I'm just going to leave you all with one thought today: smarts. Watch what plays we call in the game. If we run the ball sometimes in passing situations, and decide to throw the ball with one or two guys back helping block. We WILL win this game. If we don't, then plan on more of the same. We have to get defenses on their heels, and Thigpen gives us the best chance to do this. If we get Thigpen outside the pocket at least 1 out of every 3 or 4 passing plays, he has a really good chance to succeed.

If Herm and Chan "play to win the game" by mixing it up a little bit, sustaining some drives, and giving the defense a break every once in a while, we will win. Simple as that. Players are ALL professionals. What seperates the teams is the coaching just like the difference between two armies 200 years ago was the generals making the decisions. Right now Herm is not coaching to win the game, and they are not putting players where they need to be to succeed on plays.

I hope Clark Hunt is paying attention to this fact, and will evaluate Herm the same way Herm is evaluating every single player on this roster right now.

Does Rebuilding have to look this Stupid?

There has been a constant theme on the talk radio shows around town since the Chiefs played two days ago: fans say they want to rebuild but are they patient enough to handle it. The hypocracy of those douche bags questioning our patience really set me off last night. I love the fact that one Kansas City Talk Radio Duo spent the first three days of last week blaming the problems from the New England loss on Brodie Croyle and discussing the fact that he can't stay healthy. I understand that he's the poster child for the rebuild, but when he's not in the lineup they don't discuss how much worse things look without him being there.

I would like to see Neil and Marty from 610 Sports, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Cal Ripken, or even a UFC Champion stand still for about two seconds and let Adalius Thomas run through them like a freight train through a Geo Metro stranded on the tracks, and see if any of them hold up any better than the Metro. If any of those guys got picked up and slammed to the ground the same way Brodie did, they would have a separated shoulder now as well.

The NFL is set up to do one thing really well, and that is pass the ball. I watched the San Francisco 49ers throw the ball all over the Seattle Seahawk defense with JT O'Sullivan at QB. Come on, it's not hard if you're not a complete idiot. The league has moved toward zone defenses because you can't man up on receivers and not get interference calls. Well, all of it except Herm Edwards.

This will probably be the only time you hear me elaborate on the great coaching job done by the 49ers, because it's not that great. It's just what the average fan should expect, because the 49ers are an example of a bad team who played a rational game. If you don't have a good offensive line, then you leave a couple of guys back to block when you pass. Out of 11 offensive players, you have a QB and 5 lineman who stay back no matter what. So, you have 5 players left to be either blockers or pass catchers. You can also motion a receiver toward the line to "chip" the defensive end so he has to stay inside before leaving in route (I know these are technical terms, hopefully Herm can keep up here).

I watched the 49ers keep two extra players in to protect, and three guys ran slants and hook routes into holes in the Seattle zone. O'Sullivan/Mike Martz read the zone, open receivers were found. Now, San Francisco has a head coach on the hot seat, because he's stupid. He can analyze the game at about the same NFL IQ that I can, and that was good enough to win a game. What does that say for Herm Edwards?

If some individual from Argentina or Brazil or India who is used to 'futbol' instead of football were to watch the game, with no knowledge about what is going on in the game, eventually the following question would arise: "Why does the other team keep throwing to those fast guys, and why does the red team keep running into the wall of players? Do teams alternate throwing and running quarters in the game through some sort agreement with your opponent?"

It's easy to throw in the NFL. The Chiefs seem to leave 8 blockers in to run the ball and only leave 5 in to pass it. Well, if once in a while you leave 8 blockers in and pass the ball, opponents realize that it is possible for you to pass in that formation. Or, we could run a toss sweep every once in a while with only 5 blockers in to make them realize that it's possible to run out of that formation. We do such a great job at telegraphing our plays that the only time we run with 5 blockers is when the practice squad WR is taking snaps as our QB. If that's not bad coaching, I don't know what is.

It starts to make you wonder; was the foreigner right about some agreement in place? Maybe we are content with being the cupcake dessert on our opponents 16 game buffet. Teams like the Patriots, Chargers, Broncos, Colts, Cowboys, Eagles, and others choose to be a steak containing a lot of gristle that you can't really bite through. Teams like the Chiefs look like they could take some ingredients and make at least the potatoes or vegetables on the side, but they choose to turn them into jello pudding......

Sorry this was just about looking stupid, tomorrow I'll discuss why the word REBUILDING is not the excuse for our problems right now.

Underqualified

Yesterday, as I watched the Chiefs game, there was one recurring theme going throughout the game. Underqualified. You know, like "Joe Blow isn't even qualified clean the dog crap off of my shoes, much less be a Corporate CEO." There were way too many Joe Blow's running the show yesterday for Kansas City, and not enough legitimacy running around. Let's begin:

1. Herm Edwards. How did this guy become a coach anyways, and what's so wrong with the job as the head of the scouting department? When he drafts guys, they all seem to be legitimate prospects unlike previous regimes. BUT, why at head coach? Why can't he just run the scouting and leave the coaching job to the pros.
2. Marcus Hagans. Wow? Our Practice Squad WR was taking snaps at QB. I'm going to guess that was Herm's idea in the midst of his underqualified status. In a meeting with Chan, he probably said, "Hey Chan, let's fool those stupid Raiders and bring in a WR to take snaps and run the option. And not one on our roster, we don't want them to get hurt. What's that kid's name on the Practice Squad, that Higgins guy or whatever you call him. Get that guy ready right now." I don't blame Hagans. He was just doing his job last week and catching balls like he's qualified to do. Then Herm had to go and screw things up.
3. Tyler Thigpen. At least he practiced at QB last week. But that's about all I can say.
4) Tamba Hali. I feel bad for Tamba, he got put into this situation BECAUSE we traded Jared Allen, his potential was not what lead us to trade him. We should have taken Turk McBride, put him on the rush side, and let Tamba be the complimentary player he is. The Raider's o-line is terrible, and they made Tamba disappear yesterday.
5) Devard Darling. He was signed to be our deep threat. We have thrown ZERO balls farther than 30 yards (which on a pass to Jamaal Charles is Huard's fault and not Chan's. one got called) and Devard got ran down by a safety. His ONLY job is to run fast, and he couldn't do that. Now, against the Raiders, we have our underqualified speed receiver taking passes over the middle. Perhaps that was his punishment for getting run down the prior week, but I am going to chalk it up to more ignorance from Underqualified Person #1.
6) Adrian Jones. This one gets chalked up to Carl Peterson, and not Herm. It's not Herm's fault that he doesn't have any more linemen. Unfortunately, Adrian Jones is a starter on this team when he should provide needed depth to an Arena League team.
7) Damien Macintosh. Same comment as Adrian Jones.

Now, if you ignore all of those underqualified individuals who played a role in Sunday's thumping by the Raiders, then we have a shot. Larry Johnson can run right, the qualified QB we play could throw to two qualified receivers, the Raiders wouldn't have been able to run left as easily, and Chan could have called his offense without Herm's bad ideas.

Next I might talk about solutions, but it might take me another six months to get through all of the problems.

Why Blog? Why Kansas City Sports?

Unfortunately, I consider myself an observer. Generally, that is a good thing. If you are quick to read the virtues in people you meet, if you can see what something is going to become when its creation is in infancy, or even if you're just observANT enough to see a cop sitting on the side of the road consistently when you're doing five miles per hour over the speed limit. I feel I am pretty quick on all of those as well, but I need something to vent my nonproductive observations each day.

So, I decided to blog about something outside of my life rather than to journal about what's in it. Journaling is for people who write about their life from a state of weakness, they do not have either the common sense or the inner strength to just sort through problems rationally, so they feel like they have to write down their thoughts over and over again and eventually they will make sense. That's not me. I have to write about observations about something of interest to me. Plus, why would I write a bunch of personal stuff about myself on a blog for the world to read. Some will agree with me and mirror my struggles, but I already know those people exist. If you want to talk over coffee sometime, reply to a post and give me an invite.

I think my main passion is over-analyzing things that really mean nothing directly to me. However, those are the things that we all blog, write, and read about, aren't they? My two interests seem to be politics and Kansas City Sports. If I wrote about politics it would not take long before I would have to shoot myself; you can only spend so many days talking about how much you hate the honest socialists in the Democratic Party and the lying socialists in the Republican Party. It is so easy to read our Constitution, make an honest OBSERVATION about reasons for founding our country the way the forefathers did and why that system would work, and see how we have been violating that intent for the past 100 years. There's little chance of turning that around, and plus it hits my pocketbook much more and thus the reasons for the potential future suicide.

But sports, the great American passion that does not impact us directly but we continuously focus on it daily as though our lives depend on it. I fall into this trap occasionally as well, however I can at least make the observation that my life does not depend on our sports teams. I enjoy them, generally I do nothing else on a Sunday afternoon than watch the Chiefs play. But I still understand that my life does not begin at kickoff and end in the grave at the closing whistle (only to be reincarnated at the following week's kickoff).

Lately, our sports have begun to suck. For a while, a VERY LONG TIME AGO, we had the Royals. Then the started to suck, and have continued down that path for nearly the past two decades. The Chiefs gained some direction, and became a model franchise for a few years. However, we have nearly lost an entire generation of sports fans waiting on winning playoff football to return to Kansas City. Today they both suck. This town, like every other town, already has plenty of observers. However, eventually someone is going to read into this, and realize that a fan really understands the sport, the problems with the team, and deserves to not be treated like an infant child when they spend thousands of dollars on season tickets.

If I had a journalism background, I suppose I could be a syndicated sports writer. But I don't, and today anyone can write without syndication. So that's what I plan to do, I'm going to write for you all for free and see if my observations can take the full time jobs of a few people that seem to know nothing about sports and get paid very well to do something they are not good at. I am going to release my observations daily on whomever takes the time to read them.

I apologize that today's post sucked, especially after the Chiefs made me want to puke today. I'll try to interject some humor on the posts, and hopefully I will keep all of you interested. Tomorrow will be a better day for this blog, just like I hope tomorrow morning feels better than tonight feels to a Chiefs fan.

Come back tomorrow for some real thoughts, but you should all know that I am going to write for you as the observer that you all are and I hope more of you are devoting your time to a healthy release of your frustrations (like this) and not doing unhealthy things like drinking your Chiefs frustration away or worse.

Tomorrow will be a new day. On this blog, tomorrow will actually be a sports day. Sorry if you wasted your time today, but this is why I write.