DON'T BLAME THE PLAYERS, CHIEFS ILLS ARE FRONT OFFICE DRIVEN
For years I have railed about the Chiefs lack of depth, poor drafting & their generally cheap ways. For the second year in a row, the football team I live & die with has a salary cap surplus of more than $25 million. I've made snide remarks about the on again off again Chiefs career of one Anthony Becht. They sign him, cut him, sign him, cut him, sign him, well you get the picture. Until tonight he hadn't even dressed for a game. Wish it had stayed that way. On a 3rd & 2 from the Pittsburgh 22, Bill Muir made a great call & got the Steeler defense flowing right & ran Jackie Battle back to the left with Becht coming back across the formation as a blocker. Problem was he blocked Battle right off his feet, no first down & we kick a field goal instead of continuing toward a possible game-tying touchdown.
Touchdowns, you remember touchdowns right? No one at Arrowhead does, it's been a while hasn't it? Kansas City has scored exactly one touchdown in their last 16 quarters of football, that's four full games for you non-mathematicians. That is inexcusable, why is it happening?
If you're blaming it on Tyler Palko, don't. Matt Cassel wasn't leading many scoring drives either. I will say this about Palko, there was a reason he couldn't make it in the United Football League or the Canadian Football League or the fact he wasn't drafted by the NFL. He's simply not a professional quarterback. I think even his parents would have their doubts by now. If Scott Pioli & Todd Haley don't know that, we're doomed to many seasons of sucky football.
For the couple of hundred of you who've been here since the beginning, you know I've been ranting about the number of non-NFL talents on the Chiefs' roster. There's too damn many and when injuries occur, like they do every single year, the Chiefs are forced to play the Anthony Bechts & Tyler Palko's of the world. All the while another $20+ million is sitting in the bank making a rich man richer. Now I can't say with any certainty Clark Hunt is behind this money hoard, my wife is sure of it, but I have do have a theory.
When Scott Pioli came to Kansas City everything changed, when I say everything, I literally mean everything. Anyone who had been with the franchise for any period of time, from personnel people to security guards to secretaries, were shown the door. Pioli was going to change everything & he did. But he also wanted to succeed outside the giant shadows cast by his father-in-law, Bill Parcells & Bill Belichick. He was going to reinvent the Chiefs in a way that had never been done before. Other than a facelift for Arrowhead Stadium that was already in the works, what changed for the good? Anybody?
I won't claim to be Missouri's version of Mel Kiper Jr. & I'll admit Ive been wrong about this guy or that guy, but tell me about the great additions Scott Pioli has made to the Chiefs' roster. This man is being paid millions to fill this roster with competitive NFL talent & he's fallen woefully short. The best players on this team were already here when he arrived. DJ, Tamba, all three Brandons, Jamaal & Bowe, altho the alligator arms he displayed on Palko's last interception, made me ill. Pioli has added Tyson, Succop, Berry, Arenas, McCluster, Moeaki, Asamoah, Lewis, Baldwin, Hudson, Houston, Bailey, Jalil Brown Stanzi & Jerrell Powe. Let's examine his personnel expertise.
Tyson Jackson--stop calling him anything other than what is is, a bust & a waste of the third overall pick in the draft. A backup player at best.
Ryan Succop--last player picked in the 2009 draft, good placekicker.
Eric Berry--could become an excellent safety, has the tools & the smarts. But like I said before the draft, selecting a safety with a top-5 pick was a gamble. How many games have Bob Sanders, Troy Polomalu & Ed Reed missed in their careers? Did you see Troy go down tonight? Let's hope Berry returns at full strength next season.
Javier Arenas--Decent punt returner, decent nickel back, not worth a second round pick.
Dexter McCluster--not the playmaker Pioli thought he would be. Fumbles, not effective running between the tackles & only a fair pass receiver. Once again, not worthy of a 2nd round pick.
Tony Moeaki--a very talented tight end prospect who has played in 12 games in two seasons. I said before he was drafted selecting a player with his extensive injury history didn't male sense to a team trying to build a roster, Moeaki fit better with an established team where they already had depth. Leonard Pope, Jake O'Connell & Anthony Becht are not real NFL depth, they are warm bodies.
Jon Asamoah--a solid pick, a player who should improve. He needs to get stronger & more physical. After two seasons, he should already have been there.
Kendrick Lewis--Solid 5th round pick, decent starter, but as good as he'll ever be right now.
Jonathan Baldwin--no point in even reviewing this pick, I didn't like it from the start & Baldwin's done nothing other than one decent catch vs. San Diego to impress me he'll ever be worth his selection.
Rodney Hudson--will be a big upgrade over Ryan Lilja who has been thrown around like a rag doll this season. Hudson will stick & start for years. Lilja was always underpowered & undersized. The Colts were right to let him go. Unfortunately for Pioli, Hudson was drafted to become the center next season, who's going to fill Lilja's spot at left guard?
Justin Houston--Could end up being Pioli's best draft pick if he gets the coaching & discipline he needs.
Alan Bailey--Zero impact so far but he needs another year before we'll know if he can replace Jax.
Jalil Brown--only active twice this season, so it's tough to know how well he can do.
Rickey Stanzi--how bad or unready can he be with Tyler Palko throwing pick after pick?
Jerrell Powe--Drafted him after letting both former nose tackles go in free agency. Then Pioli added Kelly Gregg & Amon Gordon as free agents. How much do the Chiefs believe in Powe? He's only been active for 1 game.
Gregg, Gordon, Becht, O'Connell, Pope, Ryan O'Callaghan, Jerheme Urban, Chris Chambers, Quinten Lawrence, Colin Brown, Alex Magee, etc. etc. etc. Steve Breaston seems like a good free agent acquisition & that's about it for Scott Pioli, but at least he kept over $40 million in the bank & didn't waste it on real NFL players.
The trade of a second round pick for Mike Vrabel & Matt Cassel was a good gamble, I wonder if Bill Belichick was laughing as he hung up the phone, but I thought at the time it was a good gamble. With most of Cassel's contract being front-loaded, he might be gone if they draft a real quarterback prospect in April or he could be relegated to backup duty.
I hate that we've seen three different offensive coordinators in three seasons & I honestly think we're going to see a fourth next year. Romeo Crennell was absolutely the right choice & if he had a couple of above average defensive linemen our defense might really be something under his supervision. Romeo's guys played their collective ass off tonight.
As long as saving $20 million is salary cap is more important than real NFL depth, this team is going absolutely nowhere. Fortunately, Pioli can hoard another $20 million for one more year, after that the new CBA requires each team spend 96% of their salary cap cash. Maybe then we'll have some quality second teamers, that is if Scott Pioli can make better selections than he has in the past.
Touchdowns, you remember touchdowns right? No one at Arrowhead does, it's been a while hasn't it? Kansas City has scored exactly one touchdown in their last 16 quarters of football, that's four full games for you non-mathematicians. That is inexcusable, why is it happening?
If you're blaming it on Tyler Palko, don't. Matt Cassel wasn't leading many scoring drives either. I will say this about Palko, there was a reason he couldn't make it in the United Football League or the Canadian Football League or the fact he wasn't drafted by the NFL. He's simply not a professional quarterback. I think even his parents would have their doubts by now. If Scott Pioli & Todd Haley don't know that, we're doomed to many seasons of sucky football.
For the couple of hundred of you who've been here since the beginning, you know I've been ranting about the number of non-NFL talents on the Chiefs' roster. There's too damn many and when injuries occur, like they do every single year, the Chiefs are forced to play the Anthony Bechts & Tyler Palko's of the world. All the while another $20+ million is sitting in the bank making a rich man richer. Now I can't say with any certainty Clark Hunt is behind this money hoard, my wife is sure of it, but I have do have a theory.
When Scott Pioli came to Kansas City everything changed, when I say everything, I literally mean everything. Anyone who had been with the franchise for any period of time, from personnel people to security guards to secretaries, were shown the door. Pioli was going to change everything & he did. But he also wanted to succeed outside the giant shadows cast by his father-in-law, Bill Parcells & Bill Belichick. He was going to reinvent the Chiefs in a way that had never been done before. Other than a facelift for Arrowhead Stadium that was already in the works, what changed for the good? Anybody?
I won't claim to be Missouri's version of Mel Kiper Jr. & I'll admit Ive been wrong about this guy or that guy, but tell me about the great additions Scott Pioli has made to the Chiefs' roster. This man is being paid millions to fill this roster with competitive NFL talent & he's fallen woefully short. The best players on this team were already here when he arrived. DJ, Tamba, all three Brandons, Jamaal & Bowe, altho the alligator arms he displayed on Palko's last interception, made me ill. Pioli has added Tyson, Succop, Berry, Arenas, McCluster, Moeaki, Asamoah, Lewis, Baldwin, Hudson, Houston, Bailey, Jalil Brown Stanzi & Jerrell Powe. Let's examine his personnel expertise.
Tyson Jackson--stop calling him anything other than what is is, a bust & a waste of the third overall pick in the draft. A backup player at best.
Ryan Succop--last player picked in the 2009 draft, good placekicker.
Eric Berry--could become an excellent safety, has the tools & the smarts. But like I said before the draft, selecting a safety with a top-5 pick was a gamble. How many games have Bob Sanders, Troy Polomalu & Ed Reed missed in their careers? Did you see Troy go down tonight? Let's hope Berry returns at full strength next season.
Javier Arenas--Decent punt returner, decent nickel back, not worth a second round pick.
Dexter McCluster--not the playmaker Pioli thought he would be. Fumbles, not effective running between the tackles & only a fair pass receiver. Once again, not worthy of a 2nd round pick.
Tony Moeaki--a very talented tight end prospect who has played in 12 games in two seasons. I said before he was drafted selecting a player with his extensive injury history didn't male sense to a team trying to build a roster, Moeaki fit better with an established team where they already had depth. Leonard Pope, Jake O'Connell & Anthony Becht are not real NFL depth, they are warm bodies.
Jon Asamoah--a solid pick, a player who should improve. He needs to get stronger & more physical. After two seasons, he should already have been there.
Kendrick Lewis--Solid 5th round pick, decent starter, but as good as he'll ever be right now.
Jonathan Baldwin--no point in even reviewing this pick, I didn't like it from the start & Baldwin's done nothing other than one decent catch vs. San Diego to impress me he'll ever be worth his selection.
Rodney Hudson--will be a big upgrade over Ryan Lilja who has been thrown around like a rag doll this season. Hudson will stick & start for years. Lilja was always underpowered & undersized. The Colts were right to let him go. Unfortunately for Pioli, Hudson was drafted to become the center next season, who's going to fill Lilja's spot at left guard?
Justin Houston--Could end up being Pioli's best draft pick if he gets the coaching & discipline he needs.
Alan Bailey--Zero impact so far but he needs another year before we'll know if he can replace Jax.
Jalil Brown--only active twice this season, so it's tough to know how well he can do.
Rickey Stanzi--how bad or unready can he be with Tyler Palko throwing pick after pick?
Jerrell Powe--Drafted him after letting both former nose tackles go in free agency. Then Pioli added Kelly Gregg & Amon Gordon as free agents. How much do the Chiefs believe in Powe? He's only been active for 1 game.
Gregg, Gordon, Becht, O'Connell, Pope, Ryan O'Callaghan, Jerheme Urban, Chris Chambers, Quinten Lawrence, Colin Brown, Alex Magee, etc. etc. etc. Steve Breaston seems like a good free agent acquisition & that's about it for Scott Pioli, but at least he kept over $40 million in the bank & didn't waste it on real NFL players.
The trade of a second round pick for Mike Vrabel & Matt Cassel was a good gamble, I wonder if Bill Belichick was laughing as he hung up the phone, but I thought at the time it was a good gamble. With most of Cassel's contract being front-loaded, he might be gone if they draft a real quarterback prospect in April or he could be relegated to backup duty.
I hate that we've seen three different offensive coordinators in three seasons & I honestly think we're going to see a fourth next year. Romeo Crennell was absolutely the right choice & if he had a couple of above average defensive linemen our defense might really be something under his supervision. Romeo's guys played their collective ass off tonight.
As long as saving $20 million is salary cap is more important than real NFL depth, this team is going absolutely nowhere. Fortunately, Pioli can hoard another $20 million for one more year, after that the new CBA requires each team spend 96% of their salary cap cash. Maybe then we'll have some quality second teamers, that is if Scott Pioli can make better selections than he has in the past.
Rich
Just got home from game and re-watched it. Can't agree with you more on tonight's column. It really sucks to see that many Steeler fans waving freaking towels all night. Still remember the times on one pushed the Chiefs around at home, especially on a national telecast.
Anyway, time for bed. Enjoy your website and I try to share as often as possible. Continue your outstanding work.
Gary
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Gary,
Tough times for Chiefs fans isn't it? For those of us who go back to the 60's it's been a long, long dry spell with no end in sight.
If you thought the Terrible Towel wavers were brutal, wait till the Green Bay game. I saw the Packers in Arrowhead about '96 or '97 & that was when the Chiefs had 21K on the season ticket waiting list & there were still 5-6,000 Packer fans there. At least they were pretty cool.
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Long ago I thought you were pretty funny, but clueless when it came to the Chiefs. Now I think your still funny but I was the clueless one about the Chiefs. I know I've appologized B 4, but after what we had to sit thru last night, I wanted to say once again you were right.
Now if I can get my mind to relax and not think about the Chiefs I can sleep away the last day of my 5-day weekend.
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