HALEY'S NEW CHIEFS LOOK A LOT LIKE THE OLD ONES
Watch the 2009 version of the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday evening? I'm not a true P.C. guy, but I am a polite person who is sympathetic to the feelings of others, so I'll just say Todd Haley's Chiefs underwhelmed me. There was a play in the 3rd quarter when Brodie Croyle alertly fired a pass about 5 feet into the grass when the line of scrimmage was about 10 feet away, resulting in a drive-killing intentional grounding call. I think I spit up in my mouth a little at that point. I was feeling queasy for about 2 hours or however long it had been since kickoff. Watching 41-year old Matt Turk, Houston's punter, who fumbled the snap, picked it up, then slogged down the sideline after the Chiefs lost containment, was another special moment. It was hard to watch. The game was played in a downpour that lasted well over 2 hours, showers that seemed to affect the outdoor team a lot more than the "close-the-dome-when-it-rains" team from Houston.
The game was typical of what we have watched this first weekend of the exhibition season, low scoring, mistake filled football, this contest added a simulated typhoon to make things worse. Was it all bad? Certainly not. No one was seriously injured, so there's some good news right? Seriously, Brandon Flowers, Jarrad Page & Dustin Colquitt each continue to improve. Larry Johnson looked lighter & quicker in his one series, Ryan Succop may be the answer at place kicker & Dwayne Bowe should be released from Todd Haley's doghouse. It was nice to see effective clock management again after a long hiatus with Dick Vermeil & Herm Edwards. Scanning over my notes one more time, there just weren't a lot of positives to take away from this contest.
Matt Cassel looked tentative, he had happy feet & he lost a fumbled snap. Croyle's boneheaded play stopped their second decent drive of the 3rd quarter, but at least he was able to recover his own fumble. Tyler Thigpen did his best Magic Johnson impression at the goal line when he made a no-look pass to TE Brad Cottam in the end zone for the Chiefs only TD. When he is on the perimeter improvising, he can & does make some plays, but in the pocket, he's just a below average passer, nothing more. He also threw a pick. Luckily for Thigpen he was playing behind an offensive line that couldn't sustain a pass block for more than 1 second, so he was scrambling around often. Herb Taylor & Barry Richardson, the 2nd team tackles, gave up a sack, were flagged for holding & procedure, to say nothing of being run over & around nearly every snap. I can't blame Haley, these 2 gems belong to Herm Edwards & Carl Peterson, like so many of the warm bodies wearing Chiefs' uniforms.
Jamaal Charles, I don't get it, he never, ever, makes the first man miss. For a so-called speedy 3rd down back, being elusive should be his stock & trade. Dantrell Savage makes a few decent gains then fumbles, killing a decent drive in the 3rd quarter. I saw punt & kickoff returns from 3 guys, at least I thought it was 3 different guys, they had 3 different numbered jerseys. They all looked alike, incapable of generating anything positive. The wide receivers, with the exception of Bowe, were also underwhelming, several key drops, no separation & absolutely no answers. Amani Toomer & Bobby Engram didn't play & with the news the Chiefs worked out Ashley Lelie Friday, one wonders if they will ever see the regular season. I know Haley prefers a 3-wideout set like he ran in Arizona with Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin & Steve Breaston, all 1,000 yard receivers. Now he has Bowe & uh.....well, he has Bowe & ummmmm..........O.K. he has Bowe & a pack of what appear to be stiffs. It will be difficult to watch an offense that has had an all-pro tight end for 11 years & now hasn't got one guy capable of catching 25 passes.
The defense appeared to be a lot more aggressive, putting pressure on Matt Schab, occasionally. Tamba Hali looked good as long as he was moving forward, provided he could stay onside, but when called upon to drop, he looked 'lost in space'. Derrick Johnson & Corey Mays, filled lanes & made tackles, top draft pick Tyson Jackson even got half a sack, woohoo!. The kid from Wheaton College, Andy Studebaker, is all over the place, I don't know how productive he'll be, but I think he'll make the team. Reserve corners, Maurice Leggett & Ricardo Colclough will also make the team as they continue to improve.
Another positive for Haley's Chiefs, the nearly 800 pounds of weight loss is evident. Improved quickness on both sides of the ball is apparent to anyone who's watched this team for a couple of years. They play in a dome next week in Minneapolis, so no excuses regarding the elements. What will be a factor is the "Williams Wall" & Jared Allen. Can K.C. move the ball against this group? Can they protect Cassel against this group? Will Todd Haley turn Dwayne Bowe loose giving Cassel one desperately needed playmaker? Can the revamped Chiefs defense slow Adrian Peterson, Bernard Berrian & Percy Harvin? I think next week, I'll pass on dinner before kickoff, I still have a nasty taste in my mouth.
The game was typical of what we have watched this first weekend of the exhibition season, low scoring, mistake filled football, this contest added a simulated typhoon to make things worse. Was it all bad? Certainly not. No one was seriously injured, so there's some good news right? Seriously, Brandon Flowers, Jarrad Page & Dustin Colquitt each continue to improve. Larry Johnson looked lighter & quicker in his one series, Ryan Succop may be the answer at place kicker & Dwayne Bowe should be released from Todd Haley's doghouse. It was nice to see effective clock management again after a long hiatus with Dick Vermeil & Herm Edwards. Scanning over my notes one more time, there just weren't a lot of positives to take away from this contest.
Matt Cassel looked tentative, he had happy feet & he lost a fumbled snap. Croyle's boneheaded play stopped their second decent drive of the 3rd quarter, but at least he was able to recover his own fumble. Tyler Thigpen did his best Magic Johnson impression at the goal line when he made a no-look pass to TE Brad Cottam in the end zone for the Chiefs only TD. When he is on the perimeter improvising, he can & does make some plays, but in the pocket, he's just a below average passer, nothing more. He also threw a pick. Luckily for Thigpen he was playing behind an offensive line that couldn't sustain a pass block for more than 1 second, so he was scrambling around often. Herb Taylor & Barry Richardson, the 2nd team tackles, gave up a sack, were flagged for holding & procedure, to say nothing of being run over & around nearly every snap. I can't blame Haley, these 2 gems belong to Herm Edwards & Carl Peterson, like so many of the warm bodies wearing Chiefs' uniforms.
Jamaal Charles, I don't get it, he never, ever, makes the first man miss. For a so-called speedy 3rd down back, being elusive should be his stock & trade. Dantrell Savage makes a few decent gains then fumbles, killing a decent drive in the 3rd quarter. I saw punt & kickoff returns from 3 guys, at least I thought it was 3 different guys, they had 3 different numbered jerseys. They all looked alike, incapable of generating anything positive. The wide receivers, with the exception of Bowe, were also underwhelming, several key drops, no separation & absolutely no answers. Amani Toomer & Bobby Engram didn't play & with the news the Chiefs worked out Ashley Lelie Friday, one wonders if they will ever see the regular season. I know Haley prefers a 3-wideout set like he ran in Arizona with Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin & Steve Breaston, all 1,000 yard receivers. Now he has Bowe & uh.....well, he has Bowe & ummmmm..........O.K. he has Bowe & a pack of what appear to be stiffs. It will be difficult to watch an offense that has had an all-pro tight end for 11 years & now hasn't got one guy capable of catching 25 passes.
The defense appeared to be a lot more aggressive, putting pressure on Matt Schab, occasionally. Tamba Hali looked good as long as he was moving forward, provided he could stay onside, but when called upon to drop, he looked 'lost in space'. Derrick Johnson & Corey Mays, filled lanes & made tackles, top draft pick Tyson Jackson even got half a sack, woohoo!. The kid from Wheaton College, Andy Studebaker, is all over the place, I don't know how productive he'll be, but I think he'll make the team. Reserve corners, Maurice Leggett & Ricardo Colclough will also make the team as they continue to improve.
Another positive for Haley's Chiefs, the nearly 800 pounds of weight loss is evident. Improved quickness on both sides of the ball is apparent to anyone who's watched this team for a couple of years. They play in a dome next week in Minneapolis, so no excuses regarding the elements. What will be a factor is the "Williams Wall" & Jared Allen. Can K.C. move the ball against this group? Can they protect Cassel against this group? Will Todd Haley turn Dwayne Bowe loose giving Cassel one desperately needed playmaker? Can the revamped Chiefs defense slow Adrian Peterson, Bernard Berrian & Percy Harvin? I think next week, I'll pass on dinner before kickoff, I still have a nasty taste in my mouth.
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