Really that bad?

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that the Kansas City Chiefs are not the worst team in the NFL. Honestly, I think there are at least 10 teams that are worse than us. Based on our 0-4 record, this might seem like excessive optimism. I think not.

Watching the NFL today, I realize there are a lot of Have's in the NFL right now, and there are a lot of Have Not's. I'll start with the Have's. The NFL Playoffs this season look like (barring injuries), as predictable as I've seen in a long time. There is a very defined line between the teams that are good and those that are not. This will also create great matchups for the playoffs, but little to look forward to until then.

Right now, after 4 weeks, my playoff teams are listed below:

NFC: Division Champions: Giants, Vikings, Saints, 49ers. Wild Cards: Eagles, Falcons.

AFC: Division Champions: NY Jets, Baltimore, Indianapolis, Denver. Wild Cards: Patriots, San Diego.

I would predict that by season's end, the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints will be playing in the Super Bowl. Indy is destroying teams right now, and New Orleans can even win by 20 points without Drew Brees throwing a touchdown pass.

These teams are excellent. Of that group, the Falcons and Chargers are probably the worst of the bunch, but those two are so much better than the Have Not's that it is just sad.

Let's get back to the Chiefs, and where I rank them in the Have Not's. The Have Not's include the following: Kansas City, Buffalo, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Tennessee, Oakland, Washington, Detroit, Tampa Bay, Carolina, and St. Louis. There are 11 Have Not's, I think this is a very obvious list.

Next, let me ask you: have any of those Have Not's went through a schedule like the Chiefs? The Chiefs have played Oakland, and dominated them in every phase of the game except the final score. These teams have been able to pick up wins fighting amongst one another, the Chiefs have not had the luxury.

The Chiefs have been busy playing teams that they are not ready to beat. They are not yet designed to beat. I know this is of very little comfort, and the Chiefs might not have any fans left coming to the games once they finally get to play these teams.

I can tell you with reasonable certainty right now, that the Chiefs would beat the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and St. Louis Rams more often than not. The Chiefs are not that bad in the secondary, linebacker, wide receiver, quarterback, or running back. They could be decent in the trenches, unless completely over matched.

The Baltimore Ravens, NY Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles are three teams that are greatest where the Chiefs are weakest, and those games showed that. Today showed that. These are teams that are great in the trenches and play mistake free football. They all are prime opponents to blow out the Kansas City Chiefs.

Todd Haley likes to talk about dividing his season in to quarters, and to look for progress every quarter. After the first quarter, the Chiefs are 0-4. In the second quarter, the Chiefs will play against Dallas, Washington, San Diego, and Jacksonville. Of the opponents, they probably match up worst with San Diego right now, but that game is at home.

If Todd Haley can make any improvement this season over last season, he has to start in the second quarter of the season. Dallas is a team that makes mistakes with Tony Romo at the helm. He's not confident at all right now, and their receiver play is average. If the Chiefs can fluster him with the rush, they can play good football.

Washington is a fellow Have Not. One that has had an easy schedule with games against Tampa Bay, St. Louis, and Detroit. This is a game the Chiefs match up better in. Jacksonville can run the football pretty well, however not as well as ANY of the Chiefs opponents thus far.

San Diego, of these teams, plays better football on offense, and has good potential in their front seven on defense. This could be a tough matchup.

The second and fourth quarters of the season are the ones that match up well for the Chiefs, so we can know if they are an average football teams that they will win those games. Those two quarters are going to be the difference between the Chiefs being in the class of average teams (between 12th and 20th best) and being at the bottom of the league.

I know it doesn't, but I really think they are average right now. Others might not be so optimistic, but we need a team that we match up better against. I still expect this team to win 6 games. If so, we're in the Top 20 for sure.

If the Chiefs go out and lay eggs against the Have Not's when they finally get to the breaks in the schedule, this is going to be a very depressing season. I'm not depressed yet. I see progress.

It starts with the Dallas Cowboys. Based on their game today, I can say that they have a big, powerful, clumsy offensive line. If Vrabel and Hali can get a good speed rush off the corner, and Mays/Williams/DJ can hold up in the running game, this team is going to have a shot. A 17-14 game can happen quick in a matchup with Dallas considering the mistakes Romo has been making. I think we can get to 17 against them.

Hopefully win #1 will come next week, and build momentum for the second quarter and assertion to mediocrity.