HOLY CRAP, CAN YOU SAY "ONE & DONE?"
On a day when former coach Marty Schottenheimer was inducted into the Chiefs' Hall of Fame, the dreaded Oakland Raiders came into Arrowhead & beat the Chiefs for the 4th consecutive time. I'm guessing the outcome sickened the former coach who truly had the Raiders' number, beating them 18 of 21 during his tenure as Chiefs' coach. It marked the Raiders' 1st season sweep since 2001.
So what does everybody think went wrong today? Was it the Charlie Weis exit strategy? Did it cause enough distraction to cause what we witnessed this afternoon? Because of inexperience are the Chiefs just going to play a real stinker every couple of weeks & this was one of those weeks? Since Kansas City had already clinched the division, did the game mean more to Oakland than the Chiefs? How about the Chiefs were exposed by a physical team much like the Raven team they'll face next Sunday? Let me know if you have a particularly insightful analysis of what went wrong today out at Arrowhead. I'll listen to anything.
Before I get all maudlin & hyper critical(as some of you like to accuse me of), let me say I had envisioned a 7-9 or 8-8 season back in August. So a 10-6 record & a division title is certainly a dramatic improvement over the 4-12 of last year. A good start & a favorable schedule made the Chiefs competitive but I think we got a little ahead of ourselves, this is still a team with some glaring weaknesses. When several pundits started the "Kansas City is the only team that can go into Foxboro & beat the Patriots" crap last week, I told you let's not get ahead of ourselves. If the Chiefs' team you saw today is one that could remotely be considered as kryptonite for New England, think again.
What made this loss different from the others? Let's examine where the wheels went off the tracks & where, realistically, they were never on the tracks to begin with.
1. Second worst offensive output(201 total yards) of the season(2nd S.D. game was #1)
2. Offensive tackle play was horrendous, neither Brandon Albert or Barry Richardson blocked anyone all day. Interior line play was only slightly better & TE's Leonard Pope & Jake O'Connell gave up a sack apiece. I've bitched & complained about Albert & especially Richardson since they were drafted in '08. I just don't think we're ever going to see much improvement in their play. Decent backups, but sub-par NFL starters.
3. Matt Cassel was sacked 7 times & knocked down fifteen additional times. When he wasn't running for his life, he looked like "Old Matt Cassel." For a guy who had thrown only 5 interceptions all season, he hit more Raiders on the numbers than K.C. receivers. Two interceptions, could well have been five, with one returned for a touchdown, the 2nd to the 6-yardline. He just didn't look like the Matt Cassel we'd been watching this season. I thought I was watching "Back to the Future, the 2009 Chiefs."
4. Thomas Jones' decline from week one to today is obvious to anyone who's being honest. He's done, finished, through. His quickness, his wiggle, his elusiveness have faded. Jones can no longer make the 1st defender miss. He no longer breaks tackles & isn't a receiving threat out of the backfield. In the last four games, Jones has 58 carries for just 131-yards, that's a 2.25 yards-per-carry average. That's unacceptable for a backup running back, even on a bad team. Jones ran for 896-yards on 245 carries. That's 571 fewer yards than Jamaal Charles. Charles had 571 more yards on 15 fewer carries. Yes, he has been a positive role model for Charles & a good locker room leader, but his declining production will continue to impact this team, he totaled just 17-yards today on 10 carries.
5. The "other wide receiver by committee" is a bust. Chris Chambers, Terrence Copper & Verran Tucker have all been tried at the WR spot opposite Dewayne Bowe. Each has failed miserably. Lining up opposite a wide receiver having a Pro Bowl season, scoring 15 touchdowns, should make your job easier as the defensive emphasis will be focused on Bowe & Jamaal Charles. This trio is about as invisible on gameday as they come. None of them can get separation & tho each has a couple of spectacular catches to his credit, they can't be relied upon on 3rd down to move the chains.
6. Dexter McCluster made an impact early in the season, but after sitting out with an ankle sprain for 4 games, he never really found his way back into the offensive mix. His speed & elusiveness should once again part of the Chiefs' offense.
7. Like Thomas Jones, Mike Vrabel should retire. With Tamba Hali on one side, the Chiefs need a bookend for his talents & it isn't Vrabel. He plays a position that demands a player who makes an impact, he no longer gets it done. Zero sacks & only 3 tackles for loss all season. There was hope at one time Andy Studebaker would get more playing time & with that, increased production. Hasn't happened either. Besides an offensive tackle, an outside linebacker who can rush the passer should be high priority in the off-season.
8. For all the miracles I believe Romeo Crennell has performed with below average talent, when they are consistently pushed off the line of scrimmage, like today, it sets a tone for the whole game. Gashed by opposing runners for over 200-yards in a game still happens too often.
You know what comes with a division title? A much more difficult schedule. The Chiefs will host Pittsburgh, Miami, Buffalo, Green Bay, Minnesota, Denver, Oakland & San Diego. The road opponents look like this: Indianapolis, New England, NY Jets, Chicago, Detroit & 3 AFC West teams. Decidedly tougher than the 2010 schedule don't you think? That means the team will have to be much better just to maintain their 10-6 record. But they do have the foundation to build on now, another productive draft coupled with more experience can put them in a position to repeat as division champs.
After the Colts won & we knew K.C. would be hosting the Ravens, Linda said "I have about zero expectations for next Sunday." Chiefs' fans should take that to heart. Before today I would have said the Chiefs were capable of beating almost anyone if the game was contested in Arrowhead. After what I witnessed today, the phrase that keeps going thru my mind is "one & done."
So what does everybody think went wrong today? Was it the Charlie Weis exit strategy? Did it cause enough distraction to cause what we witnessed this afternoon? Because of inexperience are the Chiefs just going to play a real stinker every couple of weeks & this was one of those weeks? Since Kansas City had already clinched the division, did the game mean more to Oakland than the Chiefs? How about the Chiefs were exposed by a physical team much like the Raven team they'll face next Sunday? Let me know if you have a particularly insightful analysis of what went wrong today out at Arrowhead. I'll listen to anything.
Before I get all maudlin & hyper critical(as some of you like to accuse me of), let me say I had envisioned a 7-9 or 8-8 season back in August. So a 10-6 record & a division title is certainly a dramatic improvement over the 4-12 of last year. A good start & a favorable schedule made the Chiefs competitive but I think we got a little ahead of ourselves, this is still a team with some glaring weaknesses. When several pundits started the "Kansas City is the only team that can go into Foxboro & beat the Patriots" crap last week, I told you let's not get ahead of ourselves. If the Chiefs' team you saw today is one that could remotely be considered as kryptonite for New England, think again.
What made this loss different from the others? Let's examine where the wheels went off the tracks & where, realistically, they were never on the tracks to begin with.
1. Second worst offensive output(201 total yards) of the season(2nd S.D. game was #1)
2. Offensive tackle play was horrendous, neither Brandon Albert or Barry Richardson blocked anyone all day. Interior line play was only slightly better & TE's Leonard Pope & Jake O'Connell gave up a sack apiece. I've bitched & complained about Albert & especially Richardson since they were drafted in '08. I just don't think we're ever going to see much improvement in their play. Decent backups, but sub-par NFL starters.
3. Matt Cassel was sacked 7 times & knocked down fifteen additional times. When he wasn't running for his life, he looked like "Old Matt Cassel." For a guy who had thrown only 5 interceptions all season, he hit more Raiders on the numbers than K.C. receivers. Two interceptions, could well have been five, with one returned for a touchdown, the 2nd to the 6-yardline. He just didn't look like the Matt Cassel we'd been watching this season. I thought I was watching "Back to the Future, the 2009 Chiefs."
4. Thomas Jones' decline from week one to today is obvious to anyone who's being honest. He's done, finished, through. His quickness, his wiggle, his elusiveness have faded. Jones can no longer make the 1st defender miss. He no longer breaks tackles & isn't a receiving threat out of the backfield. In the last four games, Jones has 58 carries for just 131-yards, that's a 2.25 yards-per-carry average. That's unacceptable for a backup running back, even on a bad team. Jones ran for 896-yards on 245 carries. That's 571 fewer yards than Jamaal Charles. Charles had 571 more yards on 15 fewer carries. Yes, he has been a positive role model for Charles & a good locker room leader, but his declining production will continue to impact this team, he totaled just 17-yards today on 10 carries.
5. The "other wide receiver by committee" is a bust. Chris Chambers, Terrence Copper & Verran Tucker have all been tried at the WR spot opposite Dewayne Bowe. Each has failed miserably. Lining up opposite a wide receiver having a Pro Bowl season, scoring 15 touchdowns, should make your job easier as the defensive emphasis will be focused on Bowe & Jamaal Charles. This trio is about as invisible on gameday as they come. None of them can get separation & tho each has a couple of spectacular catches to his credit, they can't be relied upon on 3rd down to move the chains.
6. Dexter McCluster made an impact early in the season, but after sitting out with an ankle sprain for 4 games, he never really found his way back into the offensive mix. His speed & elusiveness should once again part of the Chiefs' offense.
7. Like Thomas Jones, Mike Vrabel should retire. With Tamba Hali on one side, the Chiefs need a bookend for his talents & it isn't Vrabel. He plays a position that demands a player who makes an impact, he no longer gets it done. Zero sacks & only 3 tackles for loss all season. There was hope at one time Andy Studebaker would get more playing time & with that, increased production. Hasn't happened either. Besides an offensive tackle, an outside linebacker who can rush the passer should be high priority in the off-season.
8. For all the miracles I believe Romeo Crennell has performed with below average talent, when they are consistently pushed off the line of scrimmage, like today, it sets a tone for the whole game. Gashed by opposing runners for over 200-yards in a game still happens too often.
You know what comes with a division title? A much more difficult schedule. The Chiefs will host Pittsburgh, Miami, Buffalo, Green Bay, Minnesota, Denver, Oakland & San Diego. The road opponents look like this: Indianapolis, New England, NY Jets, Chicago, Detroit & 3 AFC West teams. Decidedly tougher than the 2010 schedule don't you think? That means the team will have to be much better just to maintain their 10-6 record. But they do have the foundation to build on now, another productive draft coupled with more experience can put them in a position to repeat as division champs.
After the Colts won & we knew K.C. would be hosting the Ravens, Linda said "I have about zero expectations for next Sunday." Chiefs' fans should take that to heart. Before today I would have said the Chiefs were capable of beating almost anyone if the game was contested in Arrowhead. After what I witnessed today, the phrase that keeps going thru my mind is "one & done."
Comments