WINNING ALWAYS MAKES MONDAYS MORE TOLERABLE BUT THIS ONE.....WOW!
Where did that come from? By that I mean the total domination of the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers. Did you see that coming? I didn't see that coming. But early in first quarter things just weren't quite right for the guys in green & gold. Oh I expected the Chiefs to play hard for interim coach Romeo Crennel, especially the defense, but it was the change at quarterback that boosted Kansas City's offense. They didn't look like the same crew we'd been watching all season. Yes, like so many other weeks, they were unable to convert in the redzone, but we didn't see the Haley shuffle, 1-2-3-kick, 1-2-3-kick. In fact the Chiefs went 3 & out just twice in the entire game. That alone is reason for celebration. The other thing that impressed me was their ability to put the game away running the ball for two 1st downs in the closing minutes, keeping the Packers from one last shot at their 14th win.
From the very first drive, it was clear Kyle Orton was a huge upgrade from what we've been forced to watch the last month. Orton's timing with his receivers wasn't the best, but he made a lot of excellent throws, 18 of his 23 completions going for first downs. He threw for 299-yards without a single turnover. Orton knew where his guys were supposed to be, moving them into proper position despite of only participating in only seven practices since joining the team. Before you start with the emails, one game does not make a season. Orton played well against a Packer defense that was just going thru the motions for much of the day. If Orton plays well in their final two games, he is in the QB derby for next season. He is a free agent, but he has to play somewhere & having Orton & Cassel battle it out for the starting job, well we could do worse. With our sixth win, getting one of the three top QB prospects is just about out the window, an Orton/Cassel competition might be the best shot we have for next season. One comment regarding the offensive line, center Casey Wiegmann & left guard Ryan Lilja were constantly overpowered by B.J. Raji.
More than Orton or the defense, Romeo Crennel should receive the lion's share of the praise, weathering the storm this past week after Todd Haley's firing. He got his team refocused & able to play pretty much mistake-free football on both sides of the ball. He also helped himself, moving into the lead for the vacant head coaches position. Whether it was New England, Cleveland or since he's been here, I've never heard any negative player reaction to Romeo Crennel's coaching or his treatment of players. It was obvious to anyone watching, these players were genuinely happy for Romeo & that could go a long way toward winning this job. How this team plays in the next two weeks versus Oakland on Saturday & at Denver on January 1st should tell us whether he gets the job. If they play well enough, Crennel could get the job without anymore interviews. My only concern is his age, Crennel is 64-years old, only the Giants' Tom Coughlin is older league-wide. This is an all-consuming job that takes a helluva toll on men younger than Crennel, but I think he's the frontrunner right now.
From the very first Packer drive, it appeared QB Aaron Rodgers & his receivers weren't in sync. It stayed that way for most of the afternoon. The Packers spent much of game sleepwalking thru possession after possession. TE Jermichael Finley dropped three passes, WR Jordy Nelson was called for offensive pass interference....twice. Rodgers missed Donald Driver low a couple of times & their pass protection was inconsistent. I'm not saying Green Bay came into Arrowhead expecting the Chiefs to capitulate with little resistance, but they obviously weren't themselves & it cost them their chance at an unbeaten regular season.
Tamba Hali tortured left tackle Marshall Newhouse all afternoon recording 4 tackles, 1 for loss, 3 sacks & 2 other QB knockdowns. I was expecting him to stand after a sack & do the "discount double check" over Rodgers. After right tackle Brian Bulaga went out & his replacement, Derek Sherrod, suffered what appeared to be a broken leg, Rodgers' protection slipped even further. Another part of Green Bay's inability to score was the Chiefs' secondary played extremely well, Rodgers didn't even complete 50% of his passes. It should be mentioned Jon McGraw wasn't active, his spot shared by Sabby Piscatelli & Reshard Langford. Better safety depth & a defensive lineman who is capable of making some plays & this defense could be pretty damn stout.
So we finally got a respite from the losing, the excuses, lousy preparedness & horrific quarterback play. Nice wasn't it? That we got it against a 13-0 team that's defending Super Bowl Champs makes it even sweeter. Now give me a similar effort in defeating the hated Oakland Raiders this Saturday & we'll all have a Merry Christmas won't we?
From the very first drive, it was clear Kyle Orton was a huge upgrade from what we've been forced to watch the last month. Orton's timing with his receivers wasn't the best, but he made a lot of excellent throws, 18 of his 23 completions going for first downs. He threw for 299-yards without a single turnover. Orton knew where his guys were supposed to be, moving them into proper position despite of only participating in only seven practices since joining the team. Before you start with the emails, one game does not make a season. Orton played well against a Packer defense that was just going thru the motions for much of the day. If Orton plays well in their final two games, he is in the QB derby for next season. He is a free agent, but he has to play somewhere & having Orton & Cassel battle it out for the starting job, well we could do worse. With our sixth win, getting one of the three top QB prospects is just about out the window, an Orton/Cassel competition might be the best shot we have for next season. One comment regarding the offensive line, center Casey Wiegmann & left guard Ryan Lilja were constantly overpowered by B.J. Raji.
More than Orton or the defense, Romeo Crennel should receive the lion's share of the praise, weathering the storm this past week after Todd Haley's firing. He got his team refocused & able to play pretty much mistake-free football on both sides of the ball. He also helped himself, moving into the lead for the vacant head coaches position. Whether it was New England, Cleveland or since he's been here, I've never heard any negative player reaction to Romeo Crennel's coaching or his treatment of players. It was obvious to anyone watching, these players were genuinely happy for Romeo & that could go a long way toward winning this job. How this team plays in the next two weeks versus Oakland on Saturday & at Denver on January 1st should tell us whether he gets the job. If they play well enough, Crennel could get the job without anymore interviews. My only concern is his age, Crennel is 64-years old, only the Giants' Tom Coughlin is older league-wide. This is an all-consuming job that takes a helluva toll on men younger than Crennel, but I think he's the frontrunner right now.
From the very first Packer drive, it appeared QB Aaron Rodgers & his receivers weren't in sync. It stayed that way for most of the afternoon. The Packers spent much of game sleepwalking thru possession after possession. TE Jermichael Finley dropped three passes, WR Jordy Nelson was called for offensive pass interference....twice. Rodgers missed Donald Driver low a couple of times & their pass protection was inconsistent. I'm not saying Green Bay came into Arrowhead expecting the Chiefs to capitulate with little resistance, but they obviously weren't themselves & it cost them their chance at an unbeaten regular season.
Tamba Hali tortured left tackle Marshall Newhouse all afternoon recording 4 tackles, 1 for loss, 3 sacks & 2 other QB knockdowns. I was expecting him to stand after a sack & do the "discount double check" over Rodgers. After right tackle Brian Bulaga went out & his replacement, Derek Sherrod, suffered what appeared to be a broken leg, Rodgers' protection slipped even further. Another part of Green Bay's inability to score was the Chiefs' secondary played extremely well, Rodgers didn't even complete 50% of his passes. It should be mentioned Jon McGraw wasn't active, his spot shared by Sabby Piscatelli & Reshard Langford. Better safety depth & a defensive lineman who is capable of making some plays & this defense could be pretty damn stout.
So we finally got a respite from the losing, the excuses, lousy preparedness & horrific quarterback play. Nice wasn't it? That we got it against a 13-0 team that's defending Super Bowl Champs makes it even sweeter. Now give me a similar effort in defeating the hated Oakland Raiders this Saturday & we'll all have a Merry Christmas won't we?
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