Chiefs at Chargers - Week 12 - Record: 3-8

Yet another blowout at the hands of the Chargers. Right now this is a team we just can't do squat against, amplified by the fact that every game we just seem to have a bunch of really stupid things happening to us that undercut our efforts even more. Today it was uncharacteristically bad shotgun snaps from our center, a fumble after a long run by our halfback, and Matt Cassel (who seems to be particularly cursed by the Chargers) throwing an interception off of a lineman's helmet and losing a ball he was about to pass right into the hands of a blitzing safety.

Let's face it, the Chargers have the offense we wish we could have. Taking nothing away from our up-and-coming guys like Cassel, the Chargers simply have better backs (LaDainian Tomlinson, one of the best ever), taller faster wide-outs (our small corners played their hearts out against these guys but still couldn't stop them), a more experienced savvy quarterback (one of the best in the league right now), and a line that--well, any line is better than ours. I mean, we should compare their O-line with our D-line, and it just wasn't even funny. They just shoved us all over the place.

To be honest, our soft defense is really concerning me. Yes, let's give Tyson Jackson another year. Okay, let's give Glenn Dorsey yet another year. I'm just afraid of how many years we have to give these guys. Our D-backs are holding their own especially since we lost Jarrad Page and Maurice Leggett for the year.

All I think about is how those past awful drafts of Carl Peterson has murdered us. I know I know I know it's all about Scott Pioli now, I know. I'm great with that. But the whole draft thing just highlights the stark contrast between a team like the Chargers and ours now. Do you know that we had only three guys that we drafted playing regularly in our offense today. Just three guys. Here they are, don't need much space to put 'em in: Branden Albert, Jamaal Charles, and Brad Cottam. And really, Albert is still very green, Charles is fast but still hasn't proven to me he's a go-to guy, and Cottam is not much more than a 3rd string guy.

Three guys.

That's pathetic. And, really, in that sense, it is a testament to how brilliant Pioli has been in putting any remotely decent NFL offense out on the field to begin with.

Oh, and yeah, I haven't mentioned Larry Johnson, but I can't refuse to point out that for Cincinnati today, he ran for over 100. Sorry all you Larry Johnson un-fans, but they guy is still a stud and was run outta town by a bunch of politically correct thugs who can't see what our offensive line is really like. Oh, and I caught this also, about another supposed former Chiefs miscreant. Jared Allen leads the league in sacks over there with Minnesota. He's got 11. The Chiefs I think had 10 all of last year.

I must say there were two terrific things about this game. One, our special teams are really playing well. Yes it is tiring to have to keep speaking about how great our punter is, but our kick coverage has also really been good in this year when so many kicks are being returned for TD's. It was nice to see our coverage guys stuff Darren Sproles. Kicker Ryan Succop only put through two conversions today, but this guy is solid and looks like he'll be here for a while, something we haven't been able to enjoy since Nick Lowery (with humble apologies to Pete Stoyanovich, but he was pretty much passing through).

And the second great thing is we weren't wearing those silly Texans helmets. I know it's all "AFL 50 Years" and all, but they already did the throwback uniforms back in the '94 season, and it was indeed wonderful then, for a year. After a while it just gets old. I have to say I'd be very very happy to never see the Texans thing again. And hey, the team is not even really wearing the old Texans uniforms.

But next week we get Denver. Again, if they've got those goofy horses on their heads, I could (if they absolutely must) tolerate another Texans helmet just to see that.
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Steelers at Chiefs - Week 11 - Record: 3-7

I don't think there is any question this win was one of the greatest regular season wins in Chiefs history. We've been so bad, and yet today we defeated the world champs with a new GM and coach working their asses off to get us back into NFL contention. No question. This one means a lot no matter what has happened or will happen.

Thing is, this one had connections with a whole lot of other Chiefs-Steelers games. Here we go...

Old game: 1986, last regular season game. Remember that one? The Chiefs take on the Steelers at home and get into the playoffs for the first time in 15 years on the strength of three fabulous special teams touchdowns.

This game: Jamaal Charles opens the affair with a spectacular kick-off return for touchdown, and Ryan Succop wins it with an overtime field goal. Our punter Dustin Colquitt has been fantastic and our kick coverage has been stifling. Our special teams does it again to Pittsburgh.

Old game: 1993, first playoff game. Remember that one? Again at home against the Steelers, we're down 24-17 late when Joe Montana hits Tim Barnett in the back of the endzone to send the game into OT when Nick Lowery ends it with a field goal. 27-24 final in OT.

This game: Was this a carbon copy of that game or what? Down 24-17 late, Matt Cassell hits Jamaal Charles swirling out of the backfield to tie, then OT, then the game-winning FG. 27-24 final in OT.

Old game: 2006, middle of regular season, we play the then also world champ Steelers in Pittsburgh. We get slaughtered. I don't even think we moved the ball a yard, and when they got it they scored a touchdown instantly. It was embarrassing.

This game: Let's face it, the Steelers still outplayed us up and down the yard. Their running game was way better, their passing game was way better, their defense was way better. But then...

Old game: 2009 Super Bowl, Pittsburgh vs. Arizona. Sure it wasn't the Chiefs, but remember, the Cardinals offensive coordinator for that game was Todd Haley. He made the Pittsburgh defense look silly, and Arizona should have won the game except for that very last play of the first half. Remember it? Kurt Warner throws a very ill-advised pass at the Pittsburgh one yard line that is intercepted and run all the way back for a touchdown. Instant 14 point swing. That really meant the game right there.

This game: The Steelers are up 17-14 and threatening again when Ben Roethlisberger was pressured and threw a pass right into the hands of Andy Studebaker, who ran like no linebacker I've ever seen zooming right down the field only to be grabbed from behind all the way down at the Pittsburgh seven. We kick a tying field goal--bam, instant 10 point swing. That was the difference in this game, taking advantage of the few big plays just like Pittsburgh did against Arizona and against Seattle in their '05 Super Bowl win as well. Ahh, turned the tables on those guys--very nice.

Old game: Any 2000's playoff game between the Patriots and Steelers. Scott Pioli was working for the Patriots front office helping build their team.

This game: Now Pioli is with the Chiefs and doing all he can to put guys who can play out on the field. His grade so far is an A+. Sure a lot of these guys are picked off the reject pile, but he's done phenomenally so far. Think of Chris Chambers for one. Remember when this guy was a stud for Miami? Now he's magically on our team and he came up with two utterly clutch catches yesterday, the latter one being all him snagging Cassel's short pass and streaking well into field goal range in OT.

I caught this interesting fact during the game. It testifies to why the Steelers are world champs and the Chiefs are struggling. The Chiefs have no one on their roster from the 01-04 drafts. No one. The Steelers have seven. The reason this is an encouraging stat is that we no longer have Carl Peterson mailing it in, we have Scott Pioli working diligently to make sure we've got the best team we can get. Right now just starting out that means finding small gems in a mountain range of shale. The Chris Chambers, the Andy Studebakers.

I can't wait until he starts finding them in the draft.

Yeah, yeah, I'm excited right now. I still do know we gave up five sacks, I still do know we let Roethlisberger pick us apart all afternoon, yeah yeah. Same ol' same ol.'

But today we played with heart and desire and steeled (or I should say chiefed) determination. We were down any number of times but we got back up and got the clutch big play. (Oh I can't neglect to say how fun it was to watch Derrick Johnson sack Roethlisberger and a lineman together in one tackle--how great was that!)

Everyone on the team was playing like a winner no matter what. It's there, it was so great to see--it's there. Next up is just putting it with the talent.

Very sweet.
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Chiefs at Raiders - Week 10 - Record: 2-7

So much stuff is banging around in my head about everything Chiefs right now that I think I'll just splat it out here in a very simple "Good thing bad thing" format. I dunno, I'm just all over the place right now. Forgive me.

Good thing: We've now won seven straight games at the Oakland Coliseum, and I heard some radio guy say that's the longest streak of any team over any other team at their place in the NFL right now. Yay!

Bad thing: The Raiders are so inept they keep handing us these wins. Hey, I'm am waaay not complaining. But watching these games all I see is the Raiders looking purely awful, so I can't really say how much of this is Kansas City's goodness as it may be. Both of their recent skill posititon high picks, QB JaMarcus Russell and WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, just played miserably, however much this elated me and every Chiefs fan everywhere. Thing is I just want to beat them because we're beating a good team ourselves because we're really good.

Good thing: Jamaal Charles had a 100 yard game that included a nice pinball machine run for a touchdown.

Bad thing: Well, bad things: One, we got our first rushing touchdown of the season here in game nine, two, Charles is prone to fumble (sure enough he did fumble it over to the Raiders right after I found out we're doing great in not-losing fumbles on the year, something like tied for best in the NFL) and three, we don't have Larry Johnson.

I should add my what-will-most-likely-be final two cents about the Larry Johnson thing. Let me just say I'm not pleased with it. I'm not pleased with it because he was basically run outta town on a rail. Again, as I've said before, I'm not a fan or a not-fan. I just want Larry Johnson to score touchdowns for my team. This is not to say I don't care about him and his character. I do.

But I just think his release was the result of what a whole bunch of people thought about his character than what it was. Sorry, but that stinks. I very much chafe at the blatant holier-than-thou attitude by media toadies and fans alike who seem to pick and choose what kinds of things to revile and make unjustified claims about this or that thing, and the target gets caught up in the whirlwind.

In this light I'm sick of the way many speak about these issues, offering a choice that goes something like this: "Which would you rather have, a questionable character guy whose got great talent, or a stellar character guy with average talent?" How many stick their chest out and sanctimoniously say they'd take the latter?

Yeah, right.

So, I will always respect whatever decision Clark and Scott and Todd make for the team's sake, in whatever whirlwind conditions there are, but I can't say I think it's justified.

Good thing: The offensive line seemed to play inspired ball today. They're still far from great, but I really liked things like how Brian Waters caught up to that fumble that ended up deep in Raider territory.

Bad thing: What in blazes was Todd Haley thinking not kicking that field goal late in the third quarter? What was he thinking? I just didn't catch it--somebody tell me because I am completely at a loss. It would've been a chip-shot for Succop. Are we just getting too good at fourth down conversions that Haley thinks we're somehow going to make all of them? By not kicking it we gave the Raiders a chance to win it with a touchdown late, and they almost did if they didn't screw it up themselves.

The only thing is that maybe Haley will be really learning from all this for when it'll actually count.

Good thing: We get the Steelers next week who themselves are coming off an awful loss against the Bengals. I say this is a good thing because this will be a decent test of whether or not we're making some progress.

Bad thing: Saw that Jarrod Page was put on the season-ending injury list, so our D-backfield is still in bad shape. It was nice to see Mike Brown make those clutch interceptions, but still...

Good thing: We're at home for Pittsburgh.

Bad thing: Please please tell me we won't be wearing those Texans helmets again. Once is fine, but let's just be the Chiefs, awright? I know that they are actually great for when we're playing dreadfully and not have to actually be thought of as the Chiefs. I don't think we'll be wearing them next week, but I have a baaaaad feeling we'll see them again for Denver. Ugh.

Actually, I'll be okay with that if Bronco players wear their AFL helmets with the goofy cartoonish horse and the oversized hooves looking like it is being sucked right into a good Kansas tornado.

Yeah, I know, I don't think they will because they didn't have those helmets in 1960. The only thing is, the Raiders today weren't wearing their helmets from 1960, which featured the entire surface completely black.

Good thing: It looks like this year we won't match our record for fewest sacks! I know we've been getting at least a handful of them, we got one or two today I know. From what I'm hearing, anyway, Glenn Dorsey is improving. If the learning curve is nice and steady let's hope that applies to our other very young linemen.

Bad thing: We're still not getting that push, standing guys up, and firmly closing holes. Too much time for QB's and too much space for runners. Again, let's hope these guys are good learners.

It'll be most important when we're actually contenders.

And hey, we can actually beat good teams because we're actually good.

Ahh, that'd be a very good thing.
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Chiefs at Jaguars - Week 9 - Record: 1-7

There were two basic reasons we lost this game.

1. Our two starting safeties were injured. With a young, learning, and not-yet-quite-really-strong defense you just cannot afford that. Big plays by the Jaguar offense were once again our undoing. Their go-to back is a phenomenal All-Pro, and he stood this defense up practically all by himself.

2. We still have a really crappy offensive line. Still. Still still still still STILL.

Note that none of the factors had anything to do with Larry Johnson.

Now I don't know all the things about what he said or what happened, but I got some ideas from the comments in and around the game today. From my perspective I'm neither for or against Johnson. Yes I want him to behave, but from what I see a lot of his "misbehavior" is the result of the wrath so many have against him. Quite frankly, if he's ticked off at the Chiefs, I understand. I'm ticked off at the Chiefs too. This is besides the fact that he's really not a bad guy.

But I also think he should keep his feelings in the appropriate place. As Joe Chiefsblogger I can say just about anything. But he's a player on the team and his words carry a zillion times more weight. What I think he should be doing is leaving his vitriol behind because its quite justified object, Carl Peterson, is long gone. He should be giving his new GM and coach a chance--they've given him a chance and Clark's paying him buku bucks. I think he knows that, and he has apologized for the umpteenth time. Fine.

On the other other other hand, what about whether to keep him or trade him? Again, I don't know. If he had an offensive line I think he'd be just as great as he was in '05 and '06. Everyone knows this and anyone who doesn't is in serious denial. So don't blame Larry. But I will say if we can get a first round draft pick for him and that huge salary, I'd definitely make that deal.

Meanwhile, it was cool to see a fine receiver like just-signed Chris Chambers nab two clutch TD's in the last minutes during our frantic blitz to come back. A nifty on-sides kick recovery, a spiffy two-point conversion to get to within a field goal late--good fun in a game we just weren't in for the reasons mentioned above.
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