CHIEFS WIN BIG BUT ENOUGH ALREADY WITH THE 4TH DOWN GAMBLES
The Chiefs won 42-20 this afternoon, but not without putting their fans thru the wringer. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled with a 4-2 record with Buffalo coming to town next Sunday. But if I got to ask Todd Haley one question, it would be "what in the hell were you thinking when you went on 4th & 3 at the Jacksonville 24-yardline? You had an 8-point lead, is there anything wrong with pushing that lead to 11 points?" My wife just about had a meltdown when Jamaal Charles was stopped for a yard loss on the 4th down try. The look on many faces at Arrowhead mirrored that sentiment, why not kick a 42-yard field goal & make it a 2-score lead? I understand taking risks on the road, playing teams like Indianapolis or Houston, but this was Jacksonville. This was a team starting a quarterback who hadn't started an NFL game in five years. Why just last week, he was working on his dad's farm in Minnesota, not practicing to start an NFL game at the most difficult position to play in sports.
Todd Bauman had just thrown a pass that Derrick Johnson stepped in front of & returned for a touchdown. Peyton Manning he's not, altho if you listened to Rich Gannon tell it, Bauman was the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you take a 2-score lead in the 4th quarter, you basically make your opponent a one-dimensional, they'll have to throw the ball & you go after their quarterback. I'm obsessing I know, but I just don't get it.
The offensive line was superb giving Thomas Jones & Jamaal Charles holes, crevices & creases to run. The Chiefs totaled 236-yards on the ground, Thomas had 125 & Charles added 71, both scored touchdowns. Dexter McCluster added 69-yards on 9 touches. This is the best running attack in the league bar none.
Matt Cassel had his best game as a pro & he wasn't even throwing to Moss or Welker. He was 13 of 18 for 193-yards & two touchdowns, his passer rating was 144.0, which is outstanding. It appears to me as long as they are able to run the ball successfully, Haley & Weis won't ask Cassel to shoulder the offense. They will apparently give him more & more chances to succeed every week, building his competence & confidence as they progress thru the schedule. Honestly tho, much of his passing stats were made possible by some ridiculous catches by Dwayne Bowe & Terrance Copper. The 53-yard TD Bowe scored was pretty much all Bowe running, breaking tackles & making moves. The second one he scored was a really a "top-10 play of the day material." But the way I feel, Bowe owed Cassel & he owed us for a bunch of drops over the past 3+ seasons. Too bad they don't have another wide receiver, who's faster & just as big as Bowe. Tony Moeaki had three catches & in the same manner Cassel is being handled, the coaching staff is bring Moeaki along slowly, building his game.
The defense had some moments, but they also gave up large chunks of yardage at times. The pass rush wasn't an issue for Bauman to deal with for much of the game. Tamba Hali got the only sack altho they got some good pressure on key downs. Both of the rookie safeties are late helping over the top, if they were playing a more proficient offense, they would have been burned several times. My wife almost stroked-out on the two pass interference penalties. The one on Brandon Carr was awful, when a receiver has a hold of your jersey for about 10-yards & then pushes you to the ground, how is that defensive pass interference? But the second one called on Eric Berry was a good call because he never looked for the ball & the zebras will reach for their flags every time that occurs.
Derrick Johnson continues to play lights out at inside linebacker. He leads the team in tackles, plays well in space when he drops into pass coverage & had a pick-6 today. The best thing that ever happened to DJ is Romeo Crennell, he's playing like the impact linebacker we all thought he would become.
I can see 9-10 wins now, but don't get over confident, I watched the Bills go into Baltimore, run up 506-total yards & push the Ravens to overtime. Winless teams don't want to stay that way, they put up a helluva fight, just ask the Ravens. Run the ball, cut down on the penalties & stay aggressive on defense, they might have eight wins by Thanksgiving.
Todd Bauman had just thrown a pass that Derrick Johnson stepped in front of & returned for a touchdown. Peyton Manning he's not, altho if you listened to Rich Gannon tell it, Bauman was the greatest thing since sliced bread. If you take a 2-score lead in the 4th quarter, you basically make your opponent a one-dimensional, they'll have to throw the ball & you go after their quarterback. I'm obsessing I know, but I just don't get it.
The offensive line was superb giving Thomas Jones & Jamaal Charles holes, crevices & creases to run. The Chiefs totaled 236-yards on the ground, Thomas had 125 & Charles added 71, both scored touchdowns. Dexter McCluster added 69-yards on 9 touches. This is the best running attack in the league bar none.
Matt Cassel had his best game as a pro & he wasn't even throwing to Moss or Welker. He was 13 of 18 for 193-yards & two touchdowns, his passer rating was 144.0, which is outstanding. It appears to me as long as they are able to run the ball successfully, Haley & Weis won't ask Cassel to shoulder the offense. They will apparently give him more & more chances to succeed every week, building his competence & confidence as they progress thru the schedule. Honestly tho, much of his passing stats were made possible by some ridiculous catches by Dwayne Bowe & Terrance Copper. The 53-yard TD Bowe scored was pretty much all Bowe running, breaking tackles & making moves. The second one he scored was a really a "top-10 play of the day material." But the way I feel, Bowe owed Cassel & he owed us for a bunch of drops over the past 3+ seasons. Too bad they don't have another wide receiver, who's faster & just as big as Bowe. Tony Moeaki had three catches & in the same manner Cassel is being handled, the coaching staff is bring Moeaki along slowly, building his game.
The defense had some moments, but they also gave up large chunks of yardage at times. The pass rush wasn't an issue for Bauman to deal with for much of the game. Tamba Hali got the only sack altho they got some good pressure on key downs. Both of the rookie safeties are late helping over the top, if they were playing a more proficient offense, they would have been burned several times. My wife almost stroked-out on the two pass interference penalties. The one on Brandon Carr was awful, when a receiver has a hold of your jersey for about 10-yards & then pushes you to the ground, how is that defensive pass interference? But the second one called on Eric Berry was a good call because he never looked for the ball & the zebras will reach for their flags every time that occurs.
Derrick Johnson continues to play lights out at inside linebacker. He leads the team in tackles, plays well in space when he drops into pass coverage & had a pick-6 today. The best thing that ever happened to DJ is Romeo Crennell, he's playing like the impact linebacker we all thought he would become.
I can see 9-10 wins now, but don't get over confident, I watched the Bills go into Baltimore, run up 506-total yards & push the Ravens to overtime. Winless teams don't want to stay that way, they put up a helluva fight, just ask the Ravens. Run the ball, cut down on the penalties & stay aggressive on defense, they might have eight wins by Thanksgiving.
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