A New Era Begins

Okay…busted! I took last week off. We’ll technically, I didn’t take it off - I just didn’t get my work done. Please, please…I’m begging, don’t tell my kids.

My initial thought was to write about how painful the last minute loss to San Diego was. But yesterday as I was watching film, people began to walk briskly down the halls of the Chiefs Offices. After news of Carl Peterson’s resignation broke, things got a bit hectic…and…we’ll….let us just say, I didn’t get my work done again!

I also had a witty prediction all set for the next 5 years based on the AFL decision to cancel the 2009 season. But after reading it, it really sounded more like a psychotic break than vision. So, I’m going to reflect about … you guessed it … Carl Peterson.

CARL PETERSON
First, let me just say: I know fans are extremely emotional about this. It is part of what makes this a great town for sports. There is passion! I still remember traveling to Los Angeles for Raiders games and thinking - does anyone here care? (BTW - the answer was, no!) But there is a piece of me that will forever feel indebted to what Carl Peterson did in this city.

IMHO, Carl showed an unbelievable loyalty to Lamar Hunt and the culture of this city and club. I realize it was a five year plan, and I’m sure no one is more disappointed in it not reaching a Super Bowl conclusion than Carl. I believe he was deeply hurt, not realizing a personal goal of presenting the Lamar Hunt Trophy to Lamar before Mr. Hunt's passing. And I truly believe, he loves this franchise and would do anything for it…including resigning his position.

Carl has always been gracious, loyal, and sincere to me personally. I can accept that change is a part of the game. And with change comes excitement. An excitement for the future and a renewed faith in possibilities.

But I WILL miss him. Just as I miss Marty. They did something special here…and we owe them gratitude for it.

Giddy!

Seriously, I was light-headed. It was a physiological response to winning after a long list of ...well...not winning. Okay, maybe not - but still it felt good to "just win baby!"


It seems Plaxico Burress was not the only one to shoot themselves in their NFL game last week. I honestly don't know why any coach would risk getting the best placekicker in the league hurt when a game IS NOT YET on the line. Probably the same coach that would come out throwing against the Chiefs 2008 Defense.

But before you credit the Raiders defeat as self-inflicted, you should know...the Chiefs read the fake. It was no accident that Maurice Leggett was there to pick up the fumble. Raiders punter Shane Lechler usually sits down (with his butt on his angle or very near the ground). But suddenly, his form changed - and the Chiefs saw it.

As Marty Schottenheimer used to say, "Luck is what happens when preparation & opportunity come together." (Well...close anyway).

The Chiefs Special Teams were well prepared for the Raiders game. It was GREAT to see them capitalize on their opportunity. It was GREAT to see them contribute.

Congrats to Mike Priefer and his men!

Gunny's men did good stopping the run as well, learning from Septembers 300 plus yard tromp.

Next up! THE DONKEYS. Expect Jay Cutler to provide amble opportunity for the Brandon's to show their preparation. And expect Tyler Thigpen to get some bootleg payback.

Len Dawson believed in an Oakland victory. So, this week - I'm going to believe. After all, we won once in Denver - 2000 wasn't it? (Sorry...my bad) What I meant to say was - we beat them here...we can beat them there.

Thanks for Thanksgiving

It seems appropriate for this week's blog to include what I'm thankful for. Of course family, friends, and health are foremost. But there has to be some part of the 2008 season we can all find to be thankful for...

.
..
...
....

oh! Cornerbacks!

Personally, I'm content with Ty Law getting a chance for post season play with Brett Farve - mainly because .... HE'S NOT HERE!!!!! I think one task we have definitely accomplished this year is finding two quality - young cornerbacks. It's probably too early to tell...but based on last week, Maurice Leggett maybe a third.

I'm also thankful for the promise of Tyler Thigpen. Yes, I'm still voting for Thigpen. IMHO, Thigpen really only made one mistake last week against the Bills. Now before you reach for the mouse to tell me 3...three....III....turnovers by Thigpen....keep this in mind: The two interceptions are on curl routes that are a three step drop and fire. Thigpen spends all three drops selling, than looks and fires. As Mitch Holthus put it...that route has a problem!

Looking back through the games to Atlanta, the film showed receiver's nearly getting this on almost every instance of it. In some cases the corner gets it, but can't hang on to it. While Thigpen got the credit for NOT throwing an interception - coach's should have known this was coming. Either its design or execution has been sketchy from the onset of Thigpen starting. After all, flip a coin enough times, it will land on the other side! Before you place this on Chan, the receivers aren't helping this route. These curls could be bread & butter for us, but not until our receivers learn to get separation.

There! I said it.

How about SHOWing us some separation. I could also go into a complete rant about catching balls that hit you in the hands, but that's just not in keeping with the Thanksgiving "Glass-Half-Full" spirit. (You've have no idea - how hard that was to type)

One last thing. I keep hearing about how young this team is. And I believe there is truth in the "rookie wall." And for the 2008 Chiefs, that isn't going to be just a guy or two. But here is what is killing me. Derek Johnson is in his fourth year of pro-football. In fact, he is in a contract year. If ever there was a time to show (I mean, SHOW) coaches what you're made of .... it's a contract year.

After the Bills Trent Edwards crossed the line of scrimmage last week, he became a running back. Why then was Derek Johnson still backing up 2, 3, to 4 yards deep in the end-zone? Why? You can't tell me that Gunther needs to explain to him how the rules work. Chalk it up to sluggish return, his girl-friend having a baby, the flu, whatever. But if you can't feel the game...you better be the most studied guy on the field. That TD was unacceptable. Come on DJ. We need you. Shows us what you are made of.

Boy...this was my warm-fuzzy! At least I left the Special-Teams alone.

Turkey day, then its off to Oakland. The land of Italian cookies. I love SF. Tough game though, expect the Raiders to play a lot of Man-to-man and continue to pry on our run coverage. Best o'luck to Herm and his men. We're going to talk pretty in depth about what the Chiefs can expect with Kendall and Len on pre-game from Oakland.

Till then...Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

When the Saints Came Marching In

There are a couple of items from the Chiefs 20-30 loss to the Saints that stand out to me. The first of these is field position. Shortening the field on the NFL's number one offense was not the Special Teams finest moments. We also seemed to lose the battle at the line of scrimmage when it counted. And bad officiating didn't help. (Yes - I know they only had one camera angle. So, does that make it bad broadcasting? Give me a break - it's bad officiating whether it is on the field or in the reply booth - it's bad officiating. They can't fine me! Bad...bad...bad!!!)

And dropped passes...what kind of SHOW is that?

Enter the silver lining....Tyler Thigpen success in this league may just be tied to his health. If he is fortunate enough to stay healthy, I believe Tyler will become a playmaking quarterback that we haven't seen here in KC in some time. There are two plays in particular I would like to point out:

The first was a design option play. Tyler makes a quick post-snap read on the middle line-backer and defensive line. When I say quick...I mean quick. Within the span of 9 frames of video (which is approximately 1/3 of a second), Thigpen assess whether or not the middle linebacker breaks on the Y receiver's route...AND...if the defensive line is stunting or not. During the Saints game, the Chiefs ran this play twice. Thigpen read it perfectly for a short completion and for a huge QB keeper. The first part that amazes me is how quick this read must be made. And even if you want to believe he guessed right both times - he still beat the corner to the outside on the keeper. THAT IS PLAYMAKING!

On another play, Thigpen scrambles right. He is setting, pumping, and doing everything he can to cause the defense to balk. Seeing no safety in the middle of the field, and Will Franklin breaking, Tyler throws across his body for a 40 plus yard gain. Now every coach out there will tell you, Quarterbacks cannot throw back across their body while running the other direction. Quarterbacks, maybe not...PLAYMAKERS...OH YEAH!

I truly believe an average quarterback, with only 6 games experience would have thrown this ball away. Thigpen waits to the last second and then makes a perfectly safe throw to an area where only a Chief could catch it.

Here's hoping he finds his first win against the Bills this weekend.

Can you feel it?

Never has losing had an allure of success. But there is something about this team. Watching the parade of players try to march in step last week at San Diego was a little unnerving. But despite the look of disarray, each man found a way to contribute. A young team finding a way to be competitive against San Diego was impressive. But a rag-tag young team, that practically had to introduce themselves to one another on the field during the game - well...that was special IMHO.

Monday night I'm fortunate enough to spend some one-on-one time with Herm Edwards. Throughout the last nine weeks, it has been almost a constant evolution of "what could go wrong!" Undaunted, Herm keeps slowly sewing seams in the fabric of problems that plague his team week in and out - as well as patching the latest rips caused from the previous games.

But the last three weeks have each reinforced this feeling inside me that something special is going to happen. And I've come to trust some of this intuition.

In 2003, the Chiefs were 9-0. Everyone was clawing their way on to the bandwagon. It was as if we were on an unprecedented path to greatness. Yet the entire time, I felt we were undeserving of this record. Not that we weren't a good team, but we got lucky a few times. And that made us look GREAT...instead of the reality of just good. And as the law of averages often do, they applied themselves to the remaining 7 games and post-season play. Don't think about it, it will just depress you again.

In our ultimate desire to win a Super Bowl, our 13-3 record did nothing but send us to the bottom of the draft and hand us a difficult 2004 schedule. And don't say..."Yes, but it was entertaining!" Because, if you have been watching the last three weeks and haven't been entertained, go immediately to an urgent care facility!

In much the same way the 2003 Chiefs weren't 9-0 perfect, the 2008 Chiefs are not 1-8 losers. And I believe that just as the 2003 record bore little resemblance to the 2004 Chiefs, our current 1-8 record doesn't provide any indication of the Chiefs of 2009. Trust your gut!

THE OFFENSIVE LINE
Another decent week for the offensive line. There are still problems, but the solid play of Tyler and the revolving running backs seem to be getting it done. It will be interesting to throw Larry Johnson back into the mix this week. Larry may have to find a way to fit into the place the offense has gone to.

TYLER THIGPEN
I think it's early to call Tyler a franchise player. But he has no doubt earned the phrase "it's his to lose." Three solid outings without one interception. I also think he has earned a "get out of jail free" card for a game that goes south on him.

THE DEFENSE
Interestingly enough, much of the rag-tag make-shift defense did pretty good with gap protection - stopping a very good player in LT. In particular, I thought John McGraw and Rocky Boiman stepped up. I'll also state for the record, I believe Bernard Pollard had his finest game of the season thus far. Also for the record - Bernard Pollard needed to have his finest game of the season thus far!!

Good morning Gil. I SAID, GOOD MORNING GIL!!!

Perhaps everything you need to know about life, you can learn from Bill Murray movies. In particular, "What About Bob?!" Bob Wiley had three simple mechanisms for combating life's fears and difficulties:

• "If I fake it, I don't have it!"
• "Baby Stepping"
• "Death Therapy"

Last Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs continued to baby step their way!

The Chiefs had five areas plaguing them game in and game out throughout September and October. These were:

1) Poor defending 3rd downs
2) Can't stop the run
3) Play of the Offensive line
4) Quarterback position
5) Special Teams coverage

That last two weeks, they have performed much better on third downs. The last two weeks, Tyler Thigpen has done more than expected and enough to say he deserves the starting quarterback role.

This week against Tampa Bay, the offesensive line had their best game of this season. And FINALLY, the chiefs play a game in which the oppponets longest run is only 10 yards.
That just leaves special teams coverage. Page Coach Priefer. Coach Mike Priefer, please report to fan accommodations.

TYLER THIGPEN
Against the Jets, the play of OUR number 4, was a welcome surprise. But this surprise came with a certain amount of skepticism. Mainly, could he do it again? This time, against a better team with film study that New York didn't have (save Atlanta). The answer was yes.

Thigpen seems to be a very complete player. He's physical, mechanically sound, fundamentally strong, and mentally prepared. Several weeks ago Tyler and Len Dawson began discussing Tyler's play in the locker room and on the team charter. While Lenny certainly has a lot to teach, Tyler reaching out to Len indicates his desire to learn and improve.

Thigpen's play against the Bucs was prepared and poised. Proof he is studying and learning. He is doing his homework. If there is one lesson I've learned from 20 years with Lenny...it is players can get beat physically; players can get beat mentally; but it is tough to beat a player both ways.

Tyler's growth is a process and I'm sure he'll have a moment of ... we'll... ugly (or two) before the season ends. After all, even Dawson still holds the record for most fumbles in a game (7 against San Deigo-1964: spooky huh?).

BERNARD POLLARD
I really want to like 49. I do. I do. No, I really do. But here is the problem. I'm genetically pre-disposed to be intolerant when no progress is evident. Here is an example from last week's game against the BUCs. In overtime, Tampa Bay is in the shotgun, 1st and 10 from their own 26. Jeff Garcia threw a short pass to Michael Clayton, who proceeded to bounce off 49 and YAC his way down to the KC 45.

BP is charging Clayton with his arms and head down. This is football 101. Always see what you are tackling, if for no other reason than safety!! Second, his arms at his side do absolutely no good. Had he even partially wrapped Clayton, the results would almost asurdely have prevented the YAC.

Although there were a half dozen different plays that could have swung the BUCs/CHIEFs contest. Pollard's lack of fundementals continue to hurt the defense.

KOLBY SMITH
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Kolby. Man, this is a sad injury. Kolby seems to be a team oriented player who finally got the chance to show some skills. And he was! One minute you're having a great game, and the next minute you through for the year. The toughest part of my day is worrying about lunch at halftime.

Moral Victories

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how moral victories mean nothing in the NFL. While I agree, I refuse to believe the Chiefs are not a better team flying home from New York, than flying out. As I said last week, the Chiefs falling to 1-5 at the hands of Titans would have been no different as a 13-17 final versus a 10-34 final. What was most disappointing about the Tennessee (and Atlanta, and Oakland) game was our lack of competitiveness.

Fast forward to the Meadowlands. Now we’ve lost a game, we could have won. Yes, I find that to hurt. It should hurt! But on Sunday!

On Monday, we should revel in the fact we were competitive. This is a rebuilding year, in which we have now been competitive in almost half our ball games.

COMPETITIVE
New England
Denver (Obviously)
New York

NON COMPETITIVE
Oakland
Atlanta
Carolina
Tennessee

Look at 3 of those 4: Tennessee is the number one team in the country right now. Carolina is number three. And Atlanta is developing into a top 10. That leaves only Oakland as a performance not worthy. Our second game of the year – in a rebuilding year.
Unfortunately, coming to town this weekend is the number 9 team in the league. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense appears to be as strong as the Tennessee Titans.

TYLER THIGPEN
Personally, I like the mechanics of Tyler Thigpen. His footwork is faster. His fakes are stronger. He just draws cleaner lines with his actions. Last week as he was scrambling for the first down out of bounds at the end of the game, he took a quick step right, as if to cut back to the middle of the field. These caused the d-back to stop pursuing and start to reverse direction. Without this move, I’m not sure Tyler makes it out of bounds to stop the clock before the d-back’s initial full pursuit would have caught him.

It was a great day for Thigpen. I believe there may have been an element in the play calling at the end of the Jets game that was an effort to protect the confidence of this young man – helping to build a player that the Chiefs can utilize for nine more games. As a fan, building a good quarter back is worth a loss IMHO.
Expect the Bucs to test that confidence.

CORNERBACKS
The play of our two rookie cornerbacks, the Brandons!, continues to be a huge positive. I believe as a defense starts to come together, one of its first visible products is turnovers. If I’m right, this is the start of something great.

DEFENSE
The Jets games was Tamba Hali the best Hali has looked in 2008. I vote we make this change permanent. Also, the defense in general did a much better job of seeing the football - with one or two exceptions. I won’t (4) mention any (9) numbers though. Fundamentals!

BRAD COTTAM
Right here is where Tony Gonzalez should plant a legacy seed for after he has finished as a player. It was great to see Brad out there making plays. Imagine what Cottam and Bradley could do for Gonzalez and Bowe. Come on…that’s a little exciting to dream about.

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
The Bucs are good. But if one thing impressed me about the Jets game it is this: the Chiefs had more fight in them. The Jets knocked them to the ground early. Chiefs bounced back. The Jets knocked them down again, and just before the half we landed a huge blow. Then again - but much like the grains of sand that make up a beach, each players small increase in fight and effort is beginning to make a difference.

Forget the Titans!

Come on. There is a reason Tennessee was 5-0 coming into town.

The mighty-mighty Titans were…well…mighty-mighty. I’m not talking about the score. I’m referring to their physical strength. We just weren’t strong enough (or probably tough enough) to beat them. Both sides of the Titans lines were using their arm strength to control the shoulders of the Chiefs. And as the song goes, ‘dem bones is connected.

This is why players must keep their feet moving. Once a player’s upper body is turned, his hips will follow. And if a player has his feet planted when this happens – game over! Thanks for playing. Better luck next time! Allowing someone else to direct where one’s body goes is in direct opposition to the goal of a lineman – defense or offense.

But there are lessons to be learned from this loss.

Offense
After reviewing the offensive plays, you can spread the blame around pretty good. However, the likely truth is the Titan defense was just too strong and fast for most of our offense. But there are still a few stand-out issues. Sorry to harp on this some more…but Adrian Jones and Damion McIntosh are still not getting it done. I thought there was improvement when Herb Taylor was in at Right Tackle. But this needs a solution. Jones needs to start battling up-close – not trying to punch and shove at an arm’s length (see “how to help the defense below). McIntosh needs to lose 10-15 pounds. The weight does him no good, if he can’t get it there.

Defense
It is absurd to think a blind man could play this game despite his physical prowess. You cannot stop…what you cannot see. What good is it for 3 men to be 6-10 yards deep in the back field, when the ball carrier has already gotten back to the line of scrimmage?

(stand on soap box now)

Just as an offensive lineman has to get up and under the shoulder pads of the defense, the defense has to keep his arms locked-out – denying the offensive linemen control. Furthermore, keeping the offensive linemen at an arm’s length, allows him to see around the o-linemen, and thus to keep site of the ball carrier. Otherwise, it’s a total eclipse of the helmet. COME ON NOW…BASIC FOOTBALL! You can’t tackle what you can’t see!!!

Did someone say tackle? Bernard Pollard had several good wraps Sunday. Unfortunately, he had even more where he just threw his shoulder towards the effort. And Pat Thomas is over pursuing and getting trapped. Both guys are committing to uncertainty. Thomas to a spot he thinks the runner is going. And Pollard to a trajectory he believes will allow his shoulders to intercept the breast of the runner.

See the ball! Pursue the Ball. Breakdown and Tackle.
See the ball! Pursue the Ball. Breakdown and Tackle.

In my opinion, this team was better than us. They were stronger, tougher, as fast, and more polished. This game was a loss. And although a 17-13 loss would have felt better, we would still be 1-5. I just hope we are learning lessons.

Changes
QB Quinn Gray (no, you shouldn't recongnize that name) may be coming to town soon. We have a punter from New Orleans, Steve Weatherford to fill in for the injured Dustin Colquit. Them' are some big shoes to fill. Conner Barth returns for a second (or should I say fourth) chance at kicking as Novac is released - those shoes, not so big!

Brett Farve
I really wish we didn't have to play #4 again. Last year's game against Green Bay started a spiral we're still stuck in. If he throws that deep post over us again, I'm going to puke....

Limping out of the bye

To those of us who work in the NFL, the bye week is like a summer vacation. As it gets close, you start cramming more and more into the white spaces in your day planner.
Then… BAM! It comes and goes like a lit rocket…and we’re Wile E. Coyote standing in the exhaust wondering what happened.

And just like Wile E., the smoke clears revealing the ACME truck that is about to hit us smack in the face. Only in this case, it is the 5-0 Tennessee Titans. Remember the Titans?

They have the best record in the NFL right now. They’re on an eight game winning streak (regular season). And they’re just coming off a week of rest too!

I can’t watch!

Limping into the bye

I remember a few shutouts and horrid games in my twenty years. 2006 against Pittsburg. 2002 against Oakland. But I would have to say Carolina was the worst game I’ve seen in my tenure traveling with the club.

I think what makes this so disappointing is the loss of momentum and confidence gained from the Denver victory. Had the Chiefs just lost a tough fought battle to the Panthers on Sunday, our record would be identical to what it is now. However, mentally it is a completely different place!

Regardless, I’ve been preaching you can’t know until you review film…so here it is. I reviewed the first 10 offensive plays. Let’s face it. Defense doesn’t matter for this game – because you can’t win if you don’t score!! Here is the first series:

1. 1st and 10 from the 18 – Jones flinches. (False start -5 yards)
2. 1st and 15 from the 13 - Jones doesn’t punch down enough on the DL for Niswanger to seal an angle. McIntosh plants his feat and loses his block on the DE. Hole closes and 27 falls over backwards when he runs into it. Johnson misses the cut-back. (-2 yards)
3. 2nd and 17 from the 11 – Jones is so slow off the ball that the DL runs straight through the A gap and sacks Huard (for those non x’s & o’s…that’s the worst place to leave open…as it is the closest most direct path to the backfield). Huard doesn’t fumble… Johnson recovers. (loss of 8 yards)
4. 3rd and 25 from the 3 – Screen pass under the goal post. Jamaal doesn’t do much to slow down the DE, but it is a screen pass. Huard waits to long looking left and by the time he turns to throw the screen the DE is there to knock it down.
   The second series is not much better, but the same 4 players struggle all day.
   

Adrian Jones
In general Jones is not quick enough. In situations where he progresses from a chip block to the linebacker, he just can’t get there to seal the linebacker. And because he can’t get to the linebacker quickly, he is unable to spend enough time chipping or punching down coming off the line. This extra half second of double team is what it takes to get a defensive linemen turned and sealed.

Damion McIntosh
Slow feet. Slow feet. Slow feet. Slow feet. No feet!!! Whenever a linemen stops moving his feat…he’s done! Damion is too slow to get up and turned in. Then when the DE starts to move left or right, he just leans with him until he slides off….and WHOOP! Slow feet!

Damon Huard
Beside the obvious freight, I noticed a few mechanical items with Damon. First he carrys the ball low. This requires a lot of time to bring the ball up and throw it. Furthermore, he pats the ball just before doing this. These two habits combine to around ¾ of a second. And that is enough time for the defense to react. Three of the Panthers front four were 6’4” or better. But I question if this wasn’t a factor in the batted passes all day.

LARRY JOHNSON
Despite Larry’s previous stats, he isn’t running well in my opinion. He isn’t making good reads. He isn’t running efficient routes. He isn’t selling the fake. And he isn’t sure footed! Several times including the first play of the game (second after the penalty), the cut-back is open. He just missed it. And this offense requires he make reads.

I also think he is taking some wasted extra steps, either bending routes or shifting left and right. This is drawing the linebackers straight into the gaps. It also makes it difficult for the offensive linemen to set their blocks as they can’t tell where Larry is going. Good running backs excel at setting their blocks and making clean – sharp cuts around them. Larry isn’t doing that right now.

And it is almost eerie how easily this 230lb running back comes down. He often gets one foot swept out and he falls forward. Or he runs into a pile and falls backwards or sideways. Michael Turner is only 10lbs heavier, but he would not come down. Barry Sanders was 30lbs lighter, and he would not come down. 2 yards rushing? As our Director of Master Control Eric Townsend said, “that’s not rushing, that’s falling forward!”

WHAT NEXT
Having to play Tennessee next feels like starting the season in NE all over again. I do know this. What veterans are left (a.k.a TG!!!!!) need to stop worring about being on a great team…and start making THIS team great. The veteran playmakers have to become stronger leaders. The have to show these young men how to WIN in the NFL.

2-3 into the bye?

One thing is for sure. The contribution from rookies is simply undeniable. Shanahan’s game plan appeared to be “Cutler to Marshall - smoke the rookies!” Well first off, it turned out to be rookie – singular not plural. 34 Brandon Carr was man up on Marshall all day. Having been down on the field for warm-ups Sunday, I can tell you, Brandon Marshall is a little like Michael Irvin or Tony Gonzalez in size. He is not the stature of your typical wide receiver, so Carr had his work cut out for him. However, he made it look fairly effortless in my opinion. I can’t wait to see how these two corners develop.

Typically 446 net yards is more than 1 touchdown. One Touchdown! Major kudos to Gun and the defense for playing the donkeys so tough. And on the other side, the offense and special teams scored 43% more on Denver than the average of Denver’s first three games. Giveaway-Takeaway stills means something, and this game proved it.

I really like seeing the passion that Cox, Cottam, Carr, Flowers, Dorsey, Johnston, Charles, Patterson, Taylor, and even DJ played with on Sunday. Not that it will be easy…but it would be incredible to head into the bye 2-3.

Come November!!

After reviewing the film of the Raiders game, I felt the play of the game wasn't nearly as bad as it seemed Sunday afternoon. Unlike the Raiders game, the Atlanta had so much breakdown, it's hard to assess. There were fewer mistakes by single individuals, but far more individuals making them.

With that said...enough drama already! 3 games in what is supposed to be a two - three year rebuilding process seems hardly worth throwing Herm Edwards under the bus...NO WAIT! A train...a bus isn't big enough...we need a train!!!!

No, I don't like watching the team lose in this fashion. But football is different than other sports. It requires perfection in its teamwork. That comes through reps.

NOVEMBER 2008 will provide us a glimpse to the true potential of our future team. The seed planted by repitition, will begin to grow and take shape. Can't wait? Hop off the wagon. Hopefully you can hop back on. That what other cities fans do.

Ask yourself this one question. If the team goes 3-13 this year, 8-8 in 2009, 11-5 in 2010 making it back in to the playoffs, and 13-3 in 2011 winning the Super Bowl...is a two year sacrifice worth it? New England sacrificed 3 years. Tampa 4 years.

Of course, I reserve the right to jump off the wagon with you at some point. I just want give the youth planting time to grow, before I do.

DONKEY WEEK! Should be interesting...

Ohh... the Humanities!!

I’ll admit, Sunday was depressing. I left the stadium with a feeling of hopelessness. Monday morning was equally depressing, upon learning Sunday wasn’t just a bad dream. But by Monday afternoon, after forcing myself to relive 62 offensive plays and 64 defensive plays, I actually felt better.

And let me just say for the record…until you look at football in slow motion…you’re just guessing!

Here then, are MY observations:

There were a couple of bright spots. I thought the effort of Free Agent Fullback Mike Cox (42) was notable. He stuck with his assignments and was paying attention throughout the entire game. I also thought there were moments when Tyler Thigpen actually showed promise. And, I don’t think the score reflects the 3 ½ quarters of effort put out by the defense. This was a one score ballgame into the second half, against a team that only had to travel half the field to be within Janikowski range. So, let’s just blame the 5 plays of blown defense to inexperience and talk about offense. (Maybe 4 bad plays and 1 bad call…but still!)

I believe Damion McIntosh had a bad day, or a bad match-up. Either way, he was too slow to get any leverage or control on almost every play. The right side just seemed to cave all day. And many times it seemed as though Rudy Niswanger was caught in space with no one to block or progress to. This allows more defenders than could be accounted for in the backfield or gaps. Several times a Raider Linebacker was standing in a gap with no visual or physical impairment whatsoever, and able to pursue LJ from our side of the line of scrimmage.

And at the end of the game when the Chiefs were forced to pass, the linebacker was able to easily see Thigpen fake the handoff. Thus allowing him to pursue the QB full speed.

I also don’t think Larry Johnson is exploding the way he used to. I know others disagree, but that is what I feel. A plays timing or depth can be adjusted to account for this by analyzing what went wrong. But regardless, LJ has to make better reads. There were holes to run through Sunday. He just didn’t get to them in time, make the right read, or he bent the run and led the linebacker straight to the opening. It’s all in the hips!

In one play he starts to cut it back, then completely turns his back to the line preparing to get hit and push with his legs. In my opinion, he could have powered completely through it, had he made up his mind to do so. (Easy for me to say!)

That is the bad. Here is the good.

There were many plays that were just shy of working. Niswanger gets to his double with Jones one half second quicker; Johnson gets to the hole one half second quicker, or makes a better read, or cleaner cut; Thigpen hides the fake a little longer (also something Johnson needs to work on)…and bam! Three to five yards. Open receivers. First down here. Conversion there.

Honestly, people that know me…aren’t going to describe me with the word optimist. I’m just saying, I feel better after watching the film. And football is too complex to judge by the performance in any one game or one game’s statistics alone. Just as the Raiders defense is obviously not as bad as they looked on Monday Night Football.

Speed Kills!

College Hall of Fame Coach Jock Sutherland said, “Speed is not your fastest, but your slowest man.” This is the simple premise that Herm’s youth movement is founded on.

Well after the 2008 Chiefs debut in New England, there is no doubt this squad is fast-ER. And either the Pats have slowed, or these youngsters are quick enough to say - the 2008 Chiefs are fast! I know a “moral victory” can’t help you acquire a post season berth, but this L was on the road against statistically the number one team in the NFL.

Some believe a marquee quarterback can be directly responsible for up to 25% of a team’s success. Given this is true, the Chiefs defense still held the Patriots scoring average well below that of Brady absence alone, despite being denied a safety.

Speed Kills! Youth have it!

BRANDEN ALBERT
It was good to finally get a look at 76. It was even better to not worry about blinking and missing him. Branden Albert played the entire game. And I do mean played! I watched on film as Branden was picking up second and third blocking progressions down to the last offensive play. 6’ 5”, 316 pounds, blocking 6 seconds for 60 minutes. What more can you ask from a lineman.
I remember another great tackle that wore number 76. Okay, maybe one game does not a career make – but it was fine start. I’m looking forward to watching Albert develop.

FOXBORO, MA
This is my 19th season traveling with the team. You’d think I would have seen it all by now. You’d be wrong. On the way home our bus pulled over and I noticed the police escort had stopped and gotten off their motorcycles. Then about 5 minutes later, the bus doors opened and players started filing on to the bus with bags in hand. It seems the engine in bus 3 was a Pats fan…and just refused to haul us back to the airport. I guess it’s better the buses break down than the plane.

3 Mini Blogs (same great taste but less filling)

Let’s Play Already.
I hate preseason Games. Enough Said. Next blog!

Chiefs Lose 15-22.
Alright…I know…hate is a strong word. And there IS value in the lessons of pre-season. So let’s look at just a few statistical averages. (Always play the averages. Even if you hate…uh…don’t like it!)

First 4 interesting stats:

1. Despite the 2-2 record, the Chiefs lose the scoring average of 15-22.
2. Tied for 29th for Field Goals. Chiefs are averaging 269 yards a game and only 1 FG.
3. Chiefs are averaging 1.75 touchdowns per game.
4. Passing Defense is ranked 6th – while run defense is ranked 24th.

The lessons I take from these stats:

1. The 3 pointers need to double or even triple – if you’re playing averages! With 269 yards average and only 1.75 TD average per game. We must achieve more for our 269 yards - field goals. We need an average of 3-7 points more a game. We NEED a kicker.
2. The front 7…must stop the run – 24th won’t cut it. Even with two FG (6 points) more offense, we lose the average game 21-22. The defense has to prevent 3-7 points.
3. Chiefs also averaged 31:14 in time of possession (ranked 8th overall). Another minute would help all of this. 17-16 will work, but 17-14 would be better.

Some Individual stats:

The leading rusher for pre-season was Kolby Smith with 14 carries for 85 yards. That’s a 6.1 yard average. Battle is 5.6 for the preseason. Both almost double that of LJ. Brodie finshed with a QB rating of 65.6. Huard’s was 97.4. (I seriously hope Jack Harry doesn’t notice that. What am I saying?)

THE TURK COMETH! …AGAIN!
No real surprises in the cut downs other than both Sams and Savage made the 53. Off the waiver wire came guard Brian De La Puento (SF49) and LB Erik Walden (Dallas).

ESPN Sunday Madness
Congratulations to the Rockhurst Hawklets who were fairly convincing in their Network TV victory over the Blue Springs South Jaguars. My son is a Jag. I thought typing that out might be cathartic. It wasn’t.

The True Cost of Youth

There was a piece of me that was really disappointed at the shutout in south Florida. But then I realized, THAT IS WHAT YOUTH DO!! They perform above and beyond one moment, then below their abilities the next. However, with each passing moment, they get more consistent. Not always good mind you…sometimes their consistency indicates real issues. But consistency, either positive or negative, is the key.

The true cost of youth is patience. Youth has tremendous physical prowess on its side. But wisdom will come from making mistakes - from trying to apply such prowess in various ways. Even though these young men were the cream of their crop in college, it is just not possible to transition from the college game to the pros overnight. The hard facts are that some will not even be able to make the transition at all.

And CUTDOWN TO 75 IS TODAY - so for some, the oppurtunity to convince a coach they could make the transistion has past. Others have one more shot. Regardless, I also don’t think the Fins are still a 1-15 team. And with the signing of Jay Feely, the Chiefs buy some experience in the kicking game until consistency arrives.

So what is the true cost of youth? Patience.

2008 NFL Rule Book Changes

Every year in March the NFL holds the Competition Committee Meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to review the previous year and assess possible changes to the current rules. Some of this is housekeeping to update old language. Other ideas are forged from on-going complaints. Still others stem from something that occurs the previous season. These ideas are submitted to be researched, studied, and bantered about by “the committee” in some dimly lit conference room at the league headquarters. And each year a handful of changes evolve from “bills” to “law.” Here are the highlights of the changes to the 2008 NFL Rule Book.

RULE NO. 2
The force-out has been eliminated to allow both the receiver and defender an equal opportunity to complete the play. Tell me every DB isn’t smiling over that one! And I dare you to find a wide-out who isn’t wrinkling his forehead like he just took a bite of bad cheese.

RULE NO. 4
When a team wins the coin toss, it must choose either a) to receive the kickoff, or b) which goal to defend, or c) defer. This change essentially gives the winner of the coin toss a third option to defer choosing until the second half. College fans are used to this, and we got to see our first use of this last Saturday as Arizona elected to defer to the second half. I like it…strategy never hurt pro sports.

RULE NO. 8
This revision eliminates the foul for “incidental grasp and release of the facemask.” So forget the “Face-masking 5 yards.” They are all 15 yard penalties now – or it’s not a foul at all. I know this is terribly subjective on the part of the referee, but overall I like this change. If it was unintentional, it shouldn’t be a foul. And before you say, but the deterrent is gone…I think it’s even greater now. If a player is willing to risk getting his hands in there, he takes a chance it will cost him 15 yards.

RULE NO 5, Section 3
This is resolution! Don’t ask me the difference between a revision and a resolution, besides $600 an hour attorney fees. But…this resolution is a biggie. One defensive player is now allowed a wireless radio in his helmet similar to the Coach-to-Quarterback. I’ve always considered defense a matter of reacting. So, I think the results of this will be very interesting. If you are not aware, the C-to-Q radio is cut off when the play-clock reaches 15 seconds remaining. This is done by a league official (what a job!). The same rule will govern and apply to the defensive radio. In some ways it will be interesting to see if offenses change habits accordingly.


UMPIRE POSITION
The committee also reviewed moving the umpire (ref standing near the middle linebacker). This has been discussed much, because this official often gets hurt or interferes with the play. However, without saying why, the committee simply stated “After reviewing the comments, the Committee recommends leaving the umpire in his current position.”

OVERTIME RULES
And of course, the college overtime scheme died yet another NFL death. “By a significant majority…!” Their words, not mine. In case you were wondering, the “significant majority” analyzed the 15 overtime games from 2007. The winner of the coin-flip winning the game actually rose to 60%. That seems fair :~ Way to go competition committee!!!. The committee seems completely okay with the reward for two hard fighting teams to be in the hands of gravity and dumb luck. In all deference to Yogi, tails can fail!

Does anyone else think there is a dark shawdowed smoking man in the corner, from the television networks, during these meetings?

KC at Chicago (Preseason Week 1)

TOUCHDOWN, KANSAS CITY!
One word, Goosebumps.

Len and I stand next to Mitch on gameday. And nothing is better than having to move out of the way, so Mitch has room to pump his fists in a determined declaration of “Touchdown-Kan-sas-City!” But the first time I hear it each year…goosebumps.

Okay, I know it is preseason! But this TDKC was the culmination of a 16 play drive. It’s one thing to go 85 yards, and another to do in 16 plays.

While we’re talking goosebumps…For years Chiefs fans watched Denver quarterbacks (you name ‘em) fake a hand off and run away only to find themselves all alone on the backside. When Brodie Croyle ran that first bootleg, I thought I was going to cry. I was ready to throw Chan Gailey a parade. And I think Lenny would MC.

SOLDIER FIELD
One last note on KC @ Chicago. Chicago is stunning architecturally. It is an eloquent blend of masonry, steel, and light. IMHO, it is the best in the US. But the renovated design of Soldier Field a couple of years ago, seems to overpower the grandeur of the famous landscape of columns. These columns always made such a statement to me. It really was one of the most hallowed feels left in the NFL.

Now…it looks like it was built from leftovers of an X-files movie set.

For those of you who think I'm exaggerating, judge for yourself. Ohh….they’re out there alright!

RULES
Next week I’ll put together the notable changes to the 2008 NFL Rules. The defense is smiling!

Chiefs Albert and Dorsey Injured

There is nothing quite like the start of an NFL season. It’s a sort of “new car smell.” Everything is shiny and fresh, and you just want to sit in it. Talk about it. And look at it. We drove the 2008 Season home from the dealership after the draft. Man, what a draft. Then news breaks from training camp, Albert and Dorsey both injured.

It was like seeing that first ding in the door.

But the season is young, as are our players. And another wonderful facet of youth is - quick healing! Dorsey’s out and Tank will get the start for the first pre-season game, Thursday in Chicago. And though the word now is Albert may miss the regular season opener, try not to focus on the door ding. Keep smelling the new car smell. Three weeks is a long time for someone born in the eighties. And this advice comes from a full-blown pessimist.


EMMITT THOMAS INDUCTED
Chiefs 4 time Pro Bowl cornerback was inducted in to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 2008. I was too young to appreciate the play of the cornerback position when Emmitt was playing. So for those of us who need a perspective: Even today, Thomas remains in the top 10 “most career interceptions.” Congratulations Mr. Thomas. And going in with your son at your side…beautiful.


FARVE
Well the drama continues for the star of “Something about Mary.” How did this ever get to here? A friend once told me, “Never, never gamble on human beings!” This should have been simple, take the old guy, he’s proven. Yes, Brett was wishy-washy and that created a problem for the Pack. But why would you allow a significant change to the formula that put you in the NFC Championship the prior year? IMHO, the Packers initial response to Brett’s request to return should have been, “Welcome back Mr. Favre, you’re locker is right this way!”


REDSKINS
Also congrats to Darrell Green and Art Monk making the cut to the NFL’s most prestigious team – dawning the yellow jackets. But, Jack Kent Cooke must be rolling over. Daniel Snyder (a.k.a the George Steinbrenner of football) is going to try everything once. First he hires the coordinators before he hires a head coach? Well what head coach candidate would want to inherit that? Apparently, no one. So then, let’s promote from within! Never mind the guy being promoted has only been the offensive coordinator for two weeks (two, as in your index and middle fingers). This is the fourth coach Snyder has hired, and he’s only owned the team for 9 years. I think he may even still be paying some of those individuals. Maybe if the former Seattle QB can’t pull it off as head coach, he could get Joe Torre (Billy Martin coaches for God now…or…actually…maybe against God’s team). Like I said, Jack Kent Cooke must be rolling over.