Chiefs 2006 Season - The "Tale of Two Cities" Take
This season was, as most seasons are, really, a "best of times and worst of times." I thought I'd review this past season by highlighting the five best things that happened, as well as lowlighting the five worst things. We'll start with the worst, counting down:
5. Getting so thoroughly pasted by the Steelers. This was particularly hard to take because the Steelers were themselves having such a poor season. They were due to win one though, and we were just in the way at this point in their schedule. I will say they made up for it a bit by helping us out and beating Cincinnati in the last game of the season. The thing about this game was that it was just so discouraging watching them pour it on against us. That helpless feeling is not fun.
4. Larry Johnson getting facemasked in the Cardinals game. It was so flagrant, so criminal--yes, I don't mind using that word. Any defender who does what he did--to any player, not just our guy, should be suspended for at least half the season, if not all of it. It was frightening seeing the image of Johnson laid out there, he really could have been dead for all we knew.
3. The loss to the poorly-playing Dolphins. This was the very same kind of game we had against Buffalo last year. We go there and just can't do squat. Nothing happens for us, and it just seems so inexplicable. Why do those losses in Miami always seem to be so painful?
2. Trent Green's injury on opening day. That really put us in a hole right out of the gate. Seeing him taken off the field on a stretcher was horrible enough. That no penalties at all would be forthcoming against the Bengals player was just wrong. I guess you could say they got theirs when the Steelers knocked them of the playoffs and allowed us to get in on closing day.
1. The loss to the Browns. This was indeed the most wretched game thing that happened-- not counting the Green and Johnson injuries. Being up 28-14 in the 4th quarter, thinking this was going to legitimize us, then returning from my son's game to see we'd actually lost to this team was devestating. The realization at that moment that we were definitely not the contender I was so sure we were just a couple hours earlier-- abjectly horrific.
While these were the individual worst things, the one sustained worst thing was unquestionably the play of our offensive line. Losing Willie Roaf at the beginning of the year turned out to be way too much to overcome.
You'll also note that the playoff loss to the Colts isn't among the worst things. For me anyway, it's not there because just being in the game was a good thing. Again, at the risk of really really belaboring the point, we weren't going to do jack with that offensive line. So, when we did great for 3 minutes and scored a touchdown at the end of the third quarter, we all cheered and loved it. The rest of the game, when I don't think we even got another first down at all, we shrugged. Oh well, what are you going to do...
Okay, now to the great things. These were the best of times...
5. The win against the Broncos on Thanksgiving Day. We did precisely what we needed to do to beat this team. We just got the job done for all 60 minutes, through-and-through a solid performance, and it was sweet to see-- on the Internet since we couldn't get the NFL Network's game on my family's cable where we were celebrating the holiday. At least the inaugural NFL Network game, for what it's worth, was a Chiefs victory.
4. Damon Huard's play. The guy actually played well for the time he filled in for Trent Green. My uncle is even convinced he should have been the guy to go to whole way, and I don't think he's the only one. I think it wouldn't have mattered considering our offensive line woes, but it was good to see him come through. There was no particular game in which he excelled, so for this point I'm just going to have to go with his sustained play.
3. The win over the Chargers at home. Even though we were way ahead and let them get back into it, we won the game with a long FG from Lawrence Tynes that was very exciting to watch. And Huard's clutch play was instrumental in getting us the W.
2. The win over the Cardinals. That we ended up beating them after the Johnson facemask was sweet indeed. That we came from way behind, at their place, to get it made it that much more joyous.
And the number one great thing, is without question...
1. December 31, 2006. We came into this last day of the year and a full slate of NFL games needing four different results to occur for us to get a playoff spot. All of the them happened. Seeing us get the job done against Jacksonville, watching Santonio Holmes dive into the endzone, noting that Joe Nedney got that overtime FG to put away the Broncos... it was all a dream.
What about next year? I could take all my pot shots at what I think should happen, but I trust Carl Peterson enough to know what to do. It's a new era without Lamar Hunt, let's hope his boys can keep the Chiefs spirit vibrant and focused. As the next season approaches there may be some things on my mind, and I'll bring them up then. One thing is for sure.
We'd better get an offensive line, one that I'll go so far as to hope is as good as the one the Chiefs are famous for having.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Chiefs at Colts - AFC Wild Card Game
Okay, first the good things about this game. Finally, we are now officially, completely, mathematically eliminated. I don't take anything away from the enchantment that was the last day of 2006, it was magical, wonderful, rapturous, all the rest of the superlatives. But knowing what we knew from the 4th quarter of the Browns game on, there was just no way this team was going to go anywhere. So, yeah, no more banging around in our visceras the confusion of whether or not we were actual contenders for a title.
On a more genuinely positive note, I was very pleased with our defense. Quality-wise it wasn't great--it was very good, just not great--Indy stilled gained on us pretty well. But that offense was still Indy's, we actually stuffed them effectively considering it was that offense (the score was just 9-0 at the half!) The best thing about our defense was that they just played with such heart. Could you see that? Seeing the sustained highly energized play of everyone, and knowing we have such dedicated young new players like Tamba Hali out there-- it was fun to watch this in our team.
Now, alas, the bad. And with all due respect to those guys, we lost this game for one reason, and you may know what it was. I'd been speaking about it all year long, in the hushest of tones hoping it wouldn't be as bad as it was, but, ahem, it was. This game exposed it in all its bright, wretched colors.
The offensive line.
No, no, no, it was not Trent Green that was the problem. About half-way into the third quarter the TV camera started regularly showing Damon Huard, as if to say, "When is Edwards going to put Huard in?" Some of us watching the game even got the Huard bug, hoping the coach would make the switch. It was at that point when Green came alive and for three (and only three) glorious minutes at the end of the third quarter, he went 6 for 6 and drove us down for a TD and 2-point conversion.
But that was it. Green would've done fine throughout the game, if he wasn't rushing every play because he knew he'd get clobbered. He had no time to pass, and Larry Johnson had nowhere to run. I can't believe for two seconds we have two pro-bowlers from that line. I'm sure the Will Shields pick was a gimme for a career of greatness, but today he was pathetic, as was the others. It was just a catastrophe.
Hey, don't take my word for it. Here's why: (1) The game: We didn't get our first first down until there was 3 minutes left in the third quarter. That's 42 minutes into the game. (2) Our defense: It just started getting really tired in the second half, and that was solely because they were on the field for so much of the game. (3) The opponent: The Colts didn't just have a poor run defense, they had one of the worst in all of NFL history. How in the world can your top-of-the-league back gain only 32 yards against that? Well, you know...
I should mention that some of that definitely had to have been the coaching. Again, sadly, our game plan went back to being unimaginative. The first play from scrimmage was the ol' "We know you have a bad run defense so we're going to run our best back right into a pile of your guys." They kind of knew that was coming and put their pile of guys right in the place they knew our guy would run.
After the game Edwards blabbed the typically gratuitous "Give 'em credit." Ergh. If he was totally honest he would have said, "Our offensive line stank, and I didn't mix things up enough to take advantage of their weaknesses." That would've told the real story.
A while ago I mentioned that this year seemed a lot like '96. But after looking at things, I realized this year was almost a carbon copy of '94. Remember that year? We started off well going 7-4, then lost three in row late (a couple were abject heartbreakers to Denver and Seattle) to go to 7-7, then had to beat the Raiders in LA to get into the playoffs with a 9-7 record. We then went to Miami and lost there 27-17 in Joe Montana's last game.
This brings up what may be our most harrowing nemesis problem: the old AFC East. Do you know that since the old AFC East was formed in 1970, a year after the Chiefs beat the Jets in the divisional playoff game on their way to the Super Bowl title, we have gone 0-9 against old AFC East teams in the playoffs. Yes, that means any time we faced one of those teams in the playoffs (Bal/Ind, Buf, Mia, NYJ, NE)-- nine times it's happened-- we've lost. Every single time. And in none of those games did we ever face New England! Imagine what that would've been like.
Anyway, here's the sordid record, listed by rating of crestfallen-ness from 1 to 10, 10 being the result brought about the greatest despondency-- to me anyway (though of course all of them were devestating to some degree).
1. 1990 - to the Dolphins. We were up 16-3 in the fourth quarter and Albert Lewis is just a nano-inch away from picking Marino's pass. Instead it goes for a TD and they end up winning 17-16. Rating: 10
2. 1995 - to the Colts. This was pound-for-pound probably the best team the Chiefs ever put on the field, and Steve Bono has a miserable game, Marty Schottenheimer coaches a miserable game, and Lin Elliot misses three gimme FG's. Rating: 10
3. 1971 - to the Dolphins. Jan Stenarud missed three FG's in that infamous long overtime game on Christmas day. Rating: 8 (Not a really high rating because I was still only ten years old, so afterwards I still slept that night)
4. 2003 - to the Colts. We started 9-0 that year, but our defense just continued the slide it started late in the regular season and we just can't keep up with Peyton Manning. Rating: 8
5. 1994 - to the Dolphins. Our very best skill players, Joe Montana, Marcus Allen, and Derrick Thomas each make critical, costly errors. Rating: 7
6. 1986 - to the Jets. Our first playoff game in 15 years, we're just outmatched. Todd Blackledge finally shows he can't be a major league QB. Rating: 6
7. 1993 - to the Bills. Just because we got into the AFC championship game, and were that close. But Joe Montana was knocked out early and it was freezing there-- we were just outplayed. Rating: 5
8. 1991 - to the Bills. The Bills were just a better team. Again, whadder-you gonna do. Rating: 4
9. 2006 - to the Colts. Yesterday's game. Again, that we were there was a bonus. I'd just reveled in us getting there and being in the "Realm of Playoff Existence" for a week. Rating: 4
So there ya go. We continue to have the third longest playoff win drought among all NFL teams. That's hard to believe, but yeah: our last playoff victory was back in '93 when we beat Houston (um, the Oilers, that tells you how long it's been). Every other team but four others have had at least one playoff win since then. (The Bengals [last playoff win in '90] and the Lions ['91] are two, and the new Browns and Texans haven't been in the league that long.)
Where do we go here? The O-line definitely needs something, something major, that's a given. We have to get a new kicker-- alas, the kicking curse came back real fast when our only FG attempt boinked off the upright. Oh joy, that was nice to see yet again.
And the QB situation-- is Trent Green really our guy? If we have to wait for Brodie Croyle to develop, might we think about trying to get a Jake Plummer or Drew Bledsoe for a year or two? Would that work? What do you think?
But hey, I must add another good thing, I just have to say it... our punter is awesome. Really, way to go Dustin Colquitt. Yesterday he was booming punts. Another very positive thing to look forward to.
Thing is, maybe next year we won't need to use him so much if we can get our offense going. It'll be interesting to see what happens-- hopefully Carl Peterson will continue to be a deftly impatient manager and make something happen.
Okay, first the good things about this game. Finally, we are now officially, completely, mathematically eliminated. I don't take anything away from the enchantment that was the last day of 2006, it was magical, wonderful, rapturous, all the rest of the superlatives. But knowing what we knew from the 4th quarter of the Browns game on, there was just no way this team was going to go anywhere. So, yeah, no more banging around in our visceras the confusion of whether or not we were actual contenders for a title.
On a more genuinely positive note, I was very pleased with our defense. Quality-wise it wasn't great--it was very good, just not great--Indy stilled gained on us pretty well. But that offense was still Indy's, we actually stuffed them effectively considering it was that offense (the score was just 9-0 at the half!) The best thing about our defense was that they just played with such heart. Could you see that? Seeing the sustained highly energized play of everyone, and knowing we have such dedicated young new players like Tamba Hali out there-- it was fun to watch this in our team.
Now, alas, the bad. And with all due respect to those guys, we lost this game for one reason, and you may know what it was. I'd been speaking about it all year long, in the hushest of tones hoping it wouldn't be as bad as it was, but, ahem, it was. This game exposed it in all its bright, wretched colors.
The offensive line.
No, no, no, it was not Trent Green that was the problem. About half-way into the third quarter the TV camera started regularly showing Damon Huard, as if to say, "When is Edwards going to put Huard in?" Some of us watching the game even got the Huard bug, hoping the coach would make the switch. It was at that point when Green came alive and for three (and only three) glorious minutes at the end of the third quarter, he went 6 for 6 and drove us down for a TD and 2-point conversion.
But that was it. Green would've done fine throughout the game, if he wasn't rushing every play because he knew he'd get clobbered. He had no time to pass, and Larry Johnson had nowhere to run. I can't believe for two seconds we have two pro-bowlers from that line. I'm sure the Will Shields pick was a gimme for a career of greatness, but today he was pathetic, as was the others. It was just a catastrophe.
Hey, don't take my word for it. Here's why: (1) The game: We didn't get our first first down until there was 3 minutes left in the third quarter. That's 42 minutes into the game. (2) Our defense: It just started getting really tired in the second half, and that was solely because they were on the field for so much of the game. (3) The opponent: The Colts didn't just have a poor run defense, they had one of the worst in all of NFL history. How in the world can your top-of-the-league back gain only 32 yards against that? Well, you know...
I should mention that some of that definitely had to have been the coaching. Again, sadly, our game plan went back to being unimaginative. The first play from scrimmage was the ol' "We know you have a bad run defense so we're going to run our best back right into a pile of your guys." They kind of knew that was coming and put their pile of guys right in the place they knew our guy would run.
After the game Edwards blabbed the typically gratuitous "Give 'em credit." Ergh. If he was totally honest he would have said, "Our offensive line stank, and I didn't mix things up enough to take advantage of their weaknesses." That would've told the real story.
A while ago I mentioned that this year seemed a lot like '96. But after looking at things, I realized this year was almost a carbon copy of '94. Remember that year? We started off well going 7-4, then lost three in row late (a couple were abject heartbreakers to Denver and Seattle) to go to 7-7, then had to beat the Raiders in LA to get into the playoffs with a 9-7 record. We then went to Miami and lost there 27-17 in Joe Montana's last game.
This brings up what may be our most harrowing nemesis problem: the old AFC East. Do you know that since the old AFC East was formed in 1970, a year after the Chiefs beat the Jets in the divisional playoff game on their way to the Super Bowl title, we have gone 0-9 against old AFC East teams in the playoffs. Yes, that means any time we faced one of those teams in the playoffs (Bal/Ind, Buf, Mia, NYJ, NE)-- nine times it's happened-- we've lost. Every single time. And in none of those games did we ever face New England! Imagine what that would've been like.
Anyway, here's the sordid record, listed by rating of crestfallen-ness from 1 to 10, 10 being the result brought about the greatest despondency-- to me anyway (though of course all of them were devestating to some degree).
1. 1990 - to the Dolphins. We were up 16-3 in the fourth quarter and Albert Lewis is just a nano-inch away from picking Marino's pass. Instead it goes for a TD and they end up winning 17-16. Rating: 10
2. 1995 - to the Colts. This was pound-for-pound probably the best team the Chiefs ever put on the field, and Steve Bono has a miserable game, Marty Schottenheimer coaches a miserable game, and Lin Elliot misses three gimme FG's. Rating: 10
3. 1971 - to the Dolphins. Jan Stenarud missed three FG's in that infamous long overtime game on Christmas day. Rating: 8 (Not a really high rating because I was still only ten years old, so afterwards I still slept that night)
4. 2003 - to the Colts. We started 9-0 that year, but our defense just continued the slide it started late in the regular season and we just can't keep up with Peyton Manning. Rating: 8
5. 1994 - to the Dolphins. Our very best skill players, Joe Montana, Marcus Allen, and Derrick Thomas each make critical, costly errors. Rating: 7
6. 1986 - to the Jets. Our first playoff game in 15 years, we're just outmatched. Todd Blackledge finally shows he can't be a major league QB. Rating: 6
7. 1993 - to the Bills. Just because we got into the AFC championship game, and were that close. But Joe Montana was knocked out early and it was freezing there-- we were just outplayed. Rating: 5
8. 1991 - to the Bills. The Bills were just a better team. Again, whadder-you gonna do. Rating: 4
9. 2006 - to the Colts. Yesterday's game. Again, that we were there was a bonus. I'd just reveled in us getting there and being in the "Realm of Playoff Existence" for a week. Rating: 4
So there ya go. We continue to have the third longest playoff win drought among all NFL teams. That's hard to believe, but yeah: our last playoff victory was back in '93 when we beat Houston (um, the Oilers, that tells you how long it's been). Every other team but four others have had at least one playoff win since then. (The Bengals [last playoff win in '90] and the Lions ['91] are two, and the new Browns and Texans haven't been in the league that long.)
Where do we go here? The O-line definitely needs something, something major, that's a given. We have to get a new kicker-- alas, the kicking curse came back real fast when our only FG attempt boinked off the upright. Oh joy, that was nice to see yet again.
And the QB situation-- is Trent Green really our guy? If we have to wait for Brodie Croyle to develop, might we think about trying to get a Jake Plummer or Drew Bledsoe for a year or two? Would that work? What do you think?
But hey, I must add another good thing, I just have to say it... our punter is awesome. Really, way to go Dustin Colquitt. Yesterday he was booming punts. Another very positive thing to look forward to.
Thing is, maybe next year we won't need to use him so much if we can get our offense going. It'll be interesting to see what happens-- hopefully Carl Peterson will continue to be a deftly impatient manager and make something happen.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Chiefs Playoff Berth - The Day-After Postscript
I simply can't go without blogging today with an important note about perspective. Yesterday was indeed a euphoric day, one that any fan of any given team gets very rarely.
But this morning I was stunned to see the Broncos' despair go from bad to abjectly wretched when learning about the senseless shooting death of their fine cornerback Darrent Williams. Some utterly reprobate individuals drove up next to his vehicle and sprayed it with bullets just hours after the Broncos lost. Was this somehow motivated by the loss? One of my first thoughts was of that Colombian goalkeeper a few years ago who was murdered by crazy fans after he inadvertently kicked a goal in for the other team costing them a critical World Cup match.
I just don't know. Should that matter? It is insane nonetheless.
I can only mention that after yesterday's events I realized that the Chiefs stuff only provides a fun but fleeting feeling of those things God wants us to enjoy-- relationship, accomplishment, discovery. Too many times I myself lose track of this and get consumed by the Chiefs stuff. This is not to say it isn't important, but it is really just the faintest image of what God actually has going in those areas.
All good things come from Him, and in light of horrific things like Williams' death, nothing about any Chiefs good thing means a damn. What counts is that He rescues from death and despair and He revels in our engagement with Kingdom things. That's where the genuine accomplishment lies. I pray the Williams family knows that, as well as Broncos and all NFL fans.
(If you're interested at all, I address the whole World vs. Kingdom environment a bit more at my other blog, Wonderful Matters.)
I simply can't go without blogging today with an important note about perspective. Yesterday was indeed a euphoric day, one that any fan of any given team gets very rarely.
But this morning I was stunned to see the Broncos' despair go from bad to abjectly wretched when learning about the senseless shooting death of their fine cornerback Darrent Williams. Some utterly reprobate individuals drove up next to his vehicle and sprayed it with bullets just hours after the Broncos lost. Was this somehow motivated by the loss? One of my first thoughts was of that Colombian goalkeeper a few years ago who was murdered by crazy fans after he inadvertently kicked a goal in for the other team costing them a critical World Cup match.
I just don't know. Should that matter? It is insane nonetheless.
I can only mention that after yesterday's events I realized that the Chiefs stuff only provides a fun but fleeting feeling of those things God wants us to enjoy-- relationship, accomplishment, discovery. Too many times I myself lose track of this and get consumed by the Chiefs stuff. This is not to say it isn't important, but it is really just the faintest image of what God actually has going in those areas.
All good things come from Him, and in light of horrific things like Williams' death, nothing about any Chiefs good thing means a damn. What counts is that He rescues from death and despair and He revels in our engagement with Kingdom things. That's where the genuine accomplishment lies. I pray the Williams family knows that, as well as Broncos and all NFL fans.
(If you're interested at all, I address the whole World vs. Kingdom environment a bit more at my other blog, Wonderful Matters.)
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