Broncos at Chiefs - Week 13 - Record: 7-5

I never do my blog during a game. Well, not never, but rarely. But I'm starting this here in the 1st quarter, because, well, I have work early tomorrow. And I will preface all this with this: I will never give up on my team, ever. There is still lots of time left for the malevolent forces of the universe to be turned back for once and the Chiefs to overcome the curse once and for all. Maybe it will happen here in the 2nd quarter of this game. I hope. I always do, no matter what. But for now...

The Horse Curse is alive and well.

I did actually think we'd do well in this game. I actually thought we'd have a chance, that we'd have to beat an aging Peyton Manning sometime, that a banged up Broncos team would give us a little bit more of an edge.

Not.

Right now we're down 14-0, and it hasn't even been that close. Two three-&-outs for us, two slices right through our melted butter defense for them. We have an agile, mobile, smart quarterback who hasn't done squat. They have a quarterback who can't move an inch with his legs, but completes passes at will. Whoever Peyton Manning is against everyone else, he's twenty times as good against us. Third-and-long? He's just toying with us.

Thing is, this has less to do with Smith vs. Manning as it does with their O-line vs. ours. Their O-line is sharp, strong, and beating the tar out of us. They have a third-string running back in there who's running up and down the field, and it's because they're executing with an O-line that is, well, it is obvious. Let's give them their due.

It is also their wide receivers vs. ours. Don't laugh now, but the distinction is somewhat comical. Sure, we don't throw the ball, and it's not just because our pass protection is for crap tonight, but because our receivers just aren't up to the quality of Denver's, by light years. I hope and hope and hope and hope we can still be meaningful on the pro football field this year without wide receivers even remotely close to Denver's -- I hope and hope and hope...

Oh, and yeah, make that now three three-&-outs. Denver's resumed carving up the leftover turkey. The 2nd quarter has just started.

What happened to this team that beat New England and Seattle? Was it because those teams just had really down efforts those games to give us the terribly false impression that the Chiefs were anything? We looked very poor against the Raiders and I actually thought we'd step it up this time, make those corrections, play well and, yeah, even win this one. Show the league that we're for real.

But damn.

In fact, I noticed today the Raiders lost 52-0 to the Rams, who we also hammered. That's very scary. The Raiders beat us, but then they get utterly blasted today. Were we that bad against this woeful Raiders team?

Well here, we're not just bad but stupid. The Broncos just ran a fake punt for a first down. How do we let that happen? We missed a tackle there also, and really, we've been missing tackles all night.

They keep showing us that they've got this special "six-linemen" set. It works because we simply can't play eight guys up to defend the run, because Manning and his receivers are so good.

Thing is, the Broncos being banged up? Sorry, but it is really hard for us to get it done without Derrick Johnson, Mike Devito, Larry Allen, Eric Berry, and a host of other good players we have out for the season. Yes, all teams have their injuries, which says something else. The Broncos are just really good at getting the most from the players they have. As great as it is to have Andy Reid and his coaching staff, they just look completely overmatched by this team.

The Horse Curse is a mean mnnkin nfnkkll...

Ahh, just looking forward to the day when we can beat the Broncos with a team that's good enough to be destined for authentic Super Bowl contention. Yeah, it happened all the time in the '60's. Guess we're being punished for that now -- in the AFL's early years I think we went 25-2 against Denver head-to-head, go ahead and look it up, it's something like that. Now I'm pretty sure Denver has caught up to us, at least close to us -- through the awful Kansas City '70's, the strong Denver '80's, we did play Denver okay in the 90's, but since then it's still been pretty much all Denver...

::Sigh::

But then, I have faith.

Some day that curse will end. It will.

Oh, we got a first down! Awright! And right after that Jamaal got positive yardage! Awright!!!

And wow! Jamaal gets a clutch 4th down run! Then a long pass to Kelce, then a touchdown pass to Fasano! Yaaay! We do have a couple of decent tight ends! Coo-ell!

Second half starts, and YES. Houston gets to Manning and forces the fumble deep in Broncos territory. In fact the color guy announcing says what we've all been thinking when facing Manning, if we can just get to him after he waits that one more second, we'll stop him.

And now, derrck. On third down Smith does his awkward throw to Bowe who awkwardly tries to catch it, with predictable results. This just isn't Manning to Thomas. It just isn't.

By the way, just looking here at that Broncos-Chiefs head-to-head history. Know that great Thanksgiving night win we had against Denver in 2006? Just a few weeks before Lamar Hunt passed away? That inaugural NFL Network game we won 19-10? It was a terrific win, one we needed and helped us later get into the playoffs by virtue of that miraculous New Year's Eve course of events.

That win was four victories over Denver ago. Just four. Since 2006. We've beaten Denver only four times since that game. Denver's already beaten us five straight times since we last beat them at the end of the 2011 season. Errrgh...

So yeah, it's now 20-10, not an insurmountable lead, but damn. We just can't keep them from getting 1st downs. Their O-line is just killing us. We're still not tackling.

Still hoping still hoping still hoping...

Urgg. After we stop them, they get an interception off a batted ball high in the air, deep in our territory. That's nice. We get a nice turnover early on, but they get one back here. Unlike those fine Chiefs teams of, say, the '90's, we are not being helped by the turnover this year. We stink at that. But then, I never want to rely on that. Turnovers are nice, but we've got to be good. We just need to be better than the other team.

But you know? Our pass defense has actually been doing a pretty decent job here against Manning. 'Course it's now 3rd-&-eight, sooo... Hmm! Manning misfires, and they have to go for the FG. Okaaay...

But, grahhh... what's with that. Alex Smith does a play action thing on 3rd down at midfield and the Broncos just stuff it. I mean that play wasn't even funny. It looks as if they know what we're doing. That curse is gruesome, it just makes it so the opponent's players have this extra sense. Figures.

Now we've lost Allen Bailey. But then, great play on a third down play by Phillip Gaines. We're doing okay with our pass defense against Manning, we really are.

Buuutttttt, what am I thinking. On another punt play by them, one of our guys accidentally, barely touches the punt down the field so the Broncos get it again deep in our territory. Ahem, curse. What am I thinking.

Damn it I'm sick of this crap.

Sometime it's going to end. Sometime it's going to end. Sometime it's going to end. I just know it...

Now it's the 4th quarter, when we've been pretty beast this year. Time for the fine comeback. I'm up for it. Smith's just completed two fine passes. We're down 26-10 but there's time.

Hoping hoping hoping...

Avent, then Kelce, now Bowe. My wife just said, "We should've been playing like this since the beginning..." What a crack-up. Now Smith runs for a 1st down... Oh, and that's nice, Von Miller just barrels into the back of Smith with his helmet to get the personal foul call. That's nice.

Oh yeah, take that. Smith comes back to throw a touchdown pass to Jamaal who stays on his feet to shoot into the endzone. 26-16. Still lots of time. Our pass defense has been doing well against Manning and his receivers, can we keep it up?

Nah. We still can't stop their run. They're back to carving us up. They've run for 200 yards, so, yeah, not having Johnson, Devito, and Berry is bad, very bad. Their O-line is still playing well. Oh well. And ya know, even though we are doing okay against Manning's passing game, we're still not getting picks. We have just got to intercept a ball here and there.

And Conner Barth kicks another FG. That's nice, another former Chief, just like Succop kicking a bunch of FG's against us in that first game against the Titans. That's nice. That's just like the curse, just like it.

And more curse: sure we're down by too much, but a blatant Denver pass interference isn't called, then we get a penalty against us for delay of game. Can't say the refs aren't a nifty part of the curse.

And a nice pass to Avent, then Avery, then the completely gratuitous fumble, and... yeah.

Nckkkgk. That's it. Done deal.

As it is, we'll just have to hope for another 2006, the way this is looking. We're suddenly at 7-5, seemingly out of it, really not as good as we should be, umm... What else?

Amazingly they just showed the latest playoff qualification picture. We're still in the mix with a bunch of other 7-5 teams. Maybe we'll win a couple more games and get into the playoffs, maybe. We still have to face Arizona, Pittsburgh, and a phenomenally clutch San Diego who as you know is a vibrant part of the Horse Curse. Whew.

So, yeah. It'll end some day.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

It'll end soon.
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Eric Berry and the Chiefs Twilight Zone

Last night we went to see the most recent rendition of Twilight Zone cinema, Interstellar. Thing is, just an hour before the film started we arrived to meet up with one of my sons at the theater, upon which he told me and my other son the just-breaking news: Eric Berry has cancer.

Now, before I go any further, the overwhelming concern for Eric Berry is light-years above anything football or Chiefs. We are praying for him and for his healing, for his family and for the medical personnel, and for Eric's strength of which we know he has a great abundance. Eric, just Eric, is the one in our thoughts and prayers.

But the fact is, I only know Berry though my appreciation of the Chiefs. I don't know him personally, I don't have to know him personally to care about him as a Chiefs player, and as such I look at things in terms of the Chiefs. Again, I'd like Eric Berry to be extraordinarily healthy and successful at whatever he does even if he had nothing to do with the Chiefs, but because he's on the Chiefs his success and Chiefs success are in many ways one in the same.

This is where I just think about our Chiefs.

Yes, as you know if you've been reading this blog, I tend to be very intense and think of things in terms of great magnificent events and eventualities. I fastidiously try to figure out everything and try to get at what's going on with everything, and because I'm a passionate Chiefs fan, I'm always thinking about what this Chiefs thing is and what that Chiefs thing is and what this other Chiefs thing is, really, truly, actually. If you think this type of analysis is overblown or melodramatic or even rabidly obtuse, I can understand, I can.

With that in mind, you can probably figure where this is going.

What in the world is going on with the Chiefs and their tragic history?

I know I know, lots of pro football players have nasty injuries and terrible misfortunes. Every team has their own history of bad shit happening to players and all that, Yes, I know, at least the Chiefs have a Super Bowl trophy in their glass cabinet -- the Lions Browns Bills Chargers Eagles Falcons Vikings Jaguars Panthers Bengals Cardinals Titans Texans still don't have one. I know I know I know...

But damn.

The crappy things that happen to too many of the Chiefs players just seem to be so... I don't know, so... crappy.

What is the litany now? Stone Johnson Mack Lee Hill Joe Delaney Derrick Thomas Jovan Belcher... I'm probably forgetting some. Yes I know Eric Berry is alive and battling this and I know he'll beat it, I know. It's just that when I hear these things I go, what is the deal with the Chiefs?

Are we just not supposed to do well?

There is an old Twilight Zone episode that just makes me think about this. Three astronauts are in a hospital room, one of whom is lying in a bed recovering from something that happened on their spacecraft's re-entry. One of them is starting to freak out, convinced that all of what they're experiencing at the moment should not be happening, that somehow, someway, they all should've died. As the episode proceeds, each of the three astronauts "disappears" with no one believing they even existed at all.

It is a very weird, very odd, and yes, very creepy story.

Sorry, but I think of this whenever I think of the Chiefs.

We did win that Super Bowl on January 11, 1970, and deservedly so.

But damn, are we damned to never be successful ever again? Did it have something to do with Otis Taylor probably stepping out-of-bounds as he caught that pass from Len Dawson throwing from the end zone that got them a key 1st down in the 1969 AFL championship game against the Raiders? Thing is even if the officials rule the pass incomplete, that doesn't mean the Raiders should instantly assume they'd have done anything with that 4th down after that. Yeah, I hear Raiders fans say that would've shifted the game in the Raiders favor and all that. Hey, Raiders fan, remember, the Chiefs still won 17-7.

My point is, was there some crazy hex put on us because of something that happened that shouldn't have happened in some supernatural sense? Or something that did happen that shouldn't have? I've called it the Curse of Odin. Vikings, Raiders, something else, I dunno... But I do know this: Look at our postseason efforts since then. Abysmal. Look at much of our regular season efforts, except for the 90's and what could be a Chiefs renaissance right now -- also pretty abominable. Look at our drafted and developed quarterback situation, I've gone bananas detailing that and all the commensurate horror associated with it. I'm about to do the same with our wide receivers history. It appears very, very ugly.

Our draft classes as a whole? Most of them... ::Whimper:: Now to be fair, some of our recent draft classes have been pretty damn good actually. On the other hand, I've made special mention of the awful 2009 draft class. Well, you know who the only player we have that made the 2010 class anything worth a darn? Yeah...

Eric Berry.

Otherwise that one was pretty crappy too.*

You just can't be Super Bowl contending quality footballers when that is happening, you just can't.

I think the Chiefs will play inspired football Sunday, a lot because of Eric Berry. I also think they have enough talent and coaching to beat the Broncos, I really do.

But it just takes so much to beat that nfnking curse, I'm telling you.

By the way, as I said, we saw Interstellar, and it was fun, engaging, though there was the terrible issue of the time continuum paradox, which the movie couldn't resolve -- most movies can't. Kind of annoying.

It made me think of one thing related to that, and that was how the future humans could use their knowledge of multiple dimensions to allow present humans to rescue mankind from environmentally oriented destruction. One thing they did was put a wormhole in space so they could travel to other worlds to find good ones to populate.

Now, here's my question. If they could mess with dimensions of space and time, why didn't they just put the wormhole right outside the front door, here, on planet earth? Why put it way out next to Saturn? Derrr...

Well, yeah, the obvious answer is, there wouldn't be a movie, would there? Yeah, yeah, smart-aleck.

But the main reason is this.

If God made it so we just had everything, instantly, and we didn't have to lift a finger to do stuff --

How boring would life be?

It's why we compete in things like football games, and why we join up with other fans to root for our boys out there battling and battling.

It may also be why Eric Berry has this thing. I'm not saying cancer is anything good at all. I do struggle with the idea that hardships have to be in our lives so we can overcome them, I do, don't get me wrong.

But then...

Eric is going to battle now like he's never battled before, and whatever Chiefs are involved or anything, that's the part that makes him stronger and wiser and better, no matter what happens. And hey, we can pray like crazy for him too. That's a good thing. 

And maybe that's the good thing God wants the most insane Chiefs fans to get in all this. Yeah we want wins. Wins wins wins wins wins. Maybe even a playoff win. Ahh, a playoff win...

But maybe being best is about a lot of other things -- way more important things than we can ever know. Maybe we're supposed to know that.

Maybe that's what we're supposed to do well with.
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*To be fair, that class had Dexter McCluster, Javier Arenas, Jon Asamoah, and Tony Moeaki, all good players at one time for the Chiefs. Thing is now they're all gone, so that 2010 class for the Chiefs at this time is pretty meaningless, except of course for Eric.
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Chiefs at Raiders - Week 12 - Record: 7-4

Gotta give the Raiders credit. Fine work today. They deserved to win. It is good to see a team that has played as hard as they have with the heart they have finally win a game in a season that has been a nightmare for them so far. I remember how that feels. Remember the horror of our 2012? No one should ever have to endure that, not even the Raiders and their fans.

Funny, 30 years ago, 1984, the Chiefs faced an 0-10 Oilers team -- and lost. That's nice.

I had no illusions about what could, and did, happen in this game. The Raiders are an NFL football team. The Raiders have been playing decent football in their games, most of them close affairs. Any NFL team can win on any given Sunday. The Broncos had a pathetic game on Sunday and we all thought, "Woo-hoo we're ready to take over the world!", but you know, the Chiefs aren't immune to not-so-great games either.

The Raiders had a bit of a wilting there in the middle of the second half and it looked like we'd actually take this game. But they came alive again, and in the 4th quarter did what they needed to win.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs. How many blown plays did we have? Off the top of my head, Husain Abdullah not making that interception late hurt us. That would've stopped that game-winning Raiders drive. In fact, how many interceptions did we drop today? A few. Yeah, coming in we had the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL, but yeah, we kind of sucked today, and yeah, I saw a stat right after the Abdullah fail-to-pick that the Chiefs really suck at interceptions. Umm, No. 1 pass defense? But yeah, when you think about it, when have the Chiefs intercepted a pass? Hardly ever. It was never as ruthlessly costly as it was today. We had our chances.

As it is, I could remark about this Chiefs blap or that Chiefs blap, eh, whatever. We showed we could do some things with our passing to our receivers, but not a lot. I'm still very concerned. We got untracked with our usual 4th quarter push, but today our 1st to 3rd quarter game was pathetic. Yeah, it was raining, but when we're that far behind (14-0 score) we absolutely have to have a passing game.

Will this game get us untracked to know that nothing is a given? Yeah, that'd be nice, that we really step it up against Denver, that'll do it.

But then, does this reveal that we are not as good as our record? Damn, we not only have Denver next, but we also have Arizona (9-1 record) and Pittsburgh (with an unconscious Ben Roethlisberger at QB) coming up on the road.

We'll just have to see if we're for real.

Everybody has a poor game.

But will we get back up and be for real?

We'll have to see, that's what it is all about.

It only counts if it is for real.
_

Seahawks at Chiefs - Week 11 - Record: 7-3

This team comes through big-time clutch again.

A back-and-forth affair the Chiefs worked their ay-snnns off to win. This Seattle team was as good as advertised, the Super Bowl champions still with many of their key guys workin' us over in this one. Their running game immense, their D still stout as ever. But in the end, the grinding Chiefs took it.

We started with two very nice drives, one a long one another a short one, both ending with touchdowns (Jamaal TD runs, what else?) Then it started to get dicey. The Chiefs actually could've done more to put this one away early but two fumbles on two possessions in the middle of the game really hurt us. The Seahawks actually went ahead early in the 3rd quarter with a touchdown pass to -- OUCH -- former Chiefs tight end Tony Moeaki.

Also nerve-wracking was Russell Wilson's running. Where was Eric Berry or someone to shadow that guy? He seemed to wiggle his way out of every pocket collapse, and scamper for far too much yardage. The good thing was that Wilson's passing accuracy was just not fully there today.

But then, damn, this pass defense. Who'd've thought these guys would be so smothering? No Brandon Flowers, no Eric Berry for much of the season -- the guys we have out there are Ron Harper, Kurt Coleman, Husain Abdullah, Phillip Gaines... Who are these guys? Good thing Berry is back, and there is veteran Sean Smith playing big. Whoever they are, they work to make this team the one with the best pass defense in the NFL. Whuhh? Yeah, how about that.

Thing is, as I look at this pass defense, these guys are really all over those receivers. Know how in years before the other team's receivers would get great separation on us? How annoying. Meanwhile this year, our guys are a rancidly wet blanket on their guys. That game against the Broncos, second game of the year, the one we lost by only a touchdown? I see that as a key game, because we learned how to blow up the opposing offense's pick and misdirection routes. Our D-backs are very good at helping one another out, no receiver getting too untracked to make any destructively big play. We do get a little soft sometimes -- we gave up two receiving touchdowns, but that was it.

And it helps with our run defense being beast too, yet again another day without allowing a rushing score. Twice close to the goal line Seattle sent Marshawn Lynch into the line, and we stopped him both times. Twice Seattle had a fourth and very short, and we stopped them both times, the last one late in the game when our D-line stood them up.

Our play was terrific in the trenches, and it is a cliche, I know -- this is where football games are won. On offense Jamaal got untracked with the help of that O-line. But you have to give a heads-up to Alex Smith, who I'm watching a bit more closely and realizing how slick he is off the snap. He beautifully ran that quasi-option pitch to Jamaal for that one-yard touchdown run.

And one more shout out, this to the special teams. First we had great runbacks, two of them from Davis and Thomas, each one preceding the two costly fumbles from Jamaal and Travis Kelce. Secondly, when we had 4th down with three minutes left holding that four point lead, we really needed to pin the Seahawks deep. Sure enough, there was the great punt by Colquitt, and as the ball headed into the endzone, there was Junior Hemingway to leap at the ball, grab it, and toss it back for Albert Wilson to bat it down keeping it from being a touchback.

Seahawks ball at their four. Bah-bam. What a play.

And it was those receivers who made the play.

They weren't out there actually catching the ball. Did you know of our pure wide receivers, meaning not tight ends or scatbacks (namely De'Anthony Thomas), only Dwayne Bowe had any catches. And even then, only a couple. And still none of them touchdowns. And we still didn't have Donnie Avery. And A.J. Jenkins was out injured. I mean, did any wideouts besides Bowe even line up today? Weird: our D doesn't allow a rushing touchdown, still, but our O can't get a wide receiver to score. Still.

But then, I wonder...

I keep hearing -- of the little I do hear about -- I keep hearing about the job Andy Reid is doing. Because our running game is so efficient, because Alex Smith is so smooth out there with the short passing game, because we can play grind-it football so well...

Is that such a big deal?

Is Andy Reid doing such a fine job that he doesn't even have to worry about a wide receiver game?

That question just scares me. Yes, I'd love for it to be true. I'd love for us to find that splendid wide receiver package when we need it, but for now we're doing fine. But... what about when we really need those receivers to show up? I'd love for that to happen. Are they for real and just being kept in Reid's back pocket for now? Hmm. I'm just not sure.

For now, Reid is proficiently leading a squad deftly executing well at every other facet of the game.

I can go for being 7-3 and now tied with Denver for the top spot in the AFC West.

I can go for that.
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Chiefs at Bills - Week 10 - Record: 6-3

Know how cursed we are in the playoffs? Year after year after year after year we're in the playoffs, everything that can go against us, does go against us.

But I have to say after watching this one, there are those times during the regular season when we are the ones who are charmed. This game was definitely one of those games.

Really, we had no business winning this game. The Bills just looked better, played better, looked sharper, played with more skill and athleticism. We bent and bent and bent on defense, and we slogged and slogged and slogged on offense.

We're No. 1 in pass defense in the entire NFL? It looked like Sammy Watkins could've had his way with us if he wanted. We have the fewest penalties in the NFL? I think I'd heard an announcer say that -- that's amazing if you ask me. Our D has still not allowed a rushing touchdown? Bryce Brown was on his way until a wonderfully opportune strip by Ron Harper. We have very few turnovers? Knile Davis had a fumble that was really more their D stripping it, but still. We average 25 points a game? Are you serious? We had only three by the end of the 3rd.

I also heard that we have allowed the fewest 4th quarter points in the NFL, and that is one stat where our team clearly excels. Today they allowed zero, and Ron Harper was the man of the quarter. The Bills had the ball deep in Chiefs territory with lots of time left, and a 1st and 10. Harper batted down three passes in the series, twice while covering Watkins. The first of those was his best play, almost intercepting a perfect pass from their QB Kyle Orton in the end zone.

Meanwhile, Alex Smith is driving me crazy. If you recorded the audio in our mancave from 10:00 am to 1:15 pm Pacific Standard Time, here is what you would've heard.

"Throw the ball." "Throw the ball." "Throw the ball." "Throw the ball." "Throw the ball." "Throw the football." "Throw the damn ball." "Throw the ball." "Throw the nfnking ball." "THROW - THE - FOOTBALL." (That last one accompanied by the standard thrashing body-writhing on the couch.)

I think Smith was sacked 57 times today, maybe 58. And I honestly would say that only about a third of those was because the O-line just couldn't hold it. No, I really think the reason he's not throwing the ball is that one thing that is still driving me crazy crazy crazy.

Our receivers.

Every time Smith doesn't unload when he just dang-well does have enough time to get a pass off, I wonder. Is it just that our receivers are just not getting untracked? I know, you may be wondering why I'm complaining -- Smith was still 17 of 29. And Dwayne Bowe made some fine catches running some terrific routes. There was even one long pass play down the middle of the field to a wide-open A.J. Jenkins -- that was nice to see.

Or... hrmphh... could it be that Smith just cannot throw the accurate ball as often as he must?

Really -- what do you think?

This is why Smith drives me crazy.

Happy as happy can be: Smith runs for the late go-ahead touchdown on a read-option, even plowing into a defender at the end zone.

Head-shaking dejection: Smith actually attempts a deep throw and badly misses a step-ahead Jenkins.

Happy as happiness of all happinesses: Smith improvises, keeps his head in the game, then whips that clutch pass to someone like Travis Kelce as he did to get that key first down very late in the game.

Head-shaking-off-my-neck from the dejection: Smith just flat-out doesn't fire that precise pass to that receiver precisely running that precision route that a precise pass requires... and then he goes down.

They showed us all that Smith had a 66-point-something passer rating at the end of the 3rd quarter. Just so you know, that stinks, and they said as much. Then he went off and led a fine 4th quarter Chiefs effort. Whaddya do with that.

Yeah, I know. We're 6-3. We've won four straight with a decent combination of skill and guts. We got the job done. Luck doesn't come without the requisite preparation and continued tough play. I can only think of that tackle by Albert Wilson plowing into the punt returner leading to the fumble and recovery that set up the critical final touchdown.

And not enough can be said about Andy Reid and his coaching staff and the job they've done. You can see it in their playcalling, you can see it in their adjustments, you can see it in how they keep this team fired up for every play. I mean, talk about big-time Chiefs highlights: the call on 4th-and-1, the pitch to Jamaal he goes on to take to the house. I mean.

We're in good shape for Seattle next week, a very tough game no matter how many keep saying "Eh, Seattle's not the same team as they were last year." Yeah, right.
_

Jets at Chiefs - Week 9 - Record: 5-3

What a weird team this is.

We have this terrific running game, but we have no touchdowns by receivers. We're last in all receiver categories, fewest yards, zero touchdowns, that kind of thing -- yet we're winning games without them, and a lot of that is because of our tremendously resourceful quarterback and a pair of bruising tight ends. Fasano and Kelce each scored a touchdown today, the former with the help of a batted pass that ridiculously landed in his hands while laid out on the goal line.

Then there's our defense. We haven't allowed a rushing touchdown all season, the only team in the NFL with that distinction. Yet the Jets' Chris Johnson ran all over us today. Now the Jets are not world beaters, and the Chiefs may have been doing a bit more toying with them than bending a bit too much. But then on today's broadcast I also heard, at least I think I heard, that we had the No. 1 pass defense in the league. Are you kidding me? Today Percy Harvin caught everything and seemed to run for miles on us. But then again, we got Eric Berry back today, and there was that game a few weeks ago when we did mess with Peyton Manning enough to keep the Broncos to only three points in the second half.

Since that Denver game we're 5-1, but it looks like we are getting a lot of breaks. But then, is this team authentically making things happen the way they want them to happen so those breaks fall our way? I can't think that they aren't, the Chiefs have got fine talent in a number of areas.

But just as much I wonder how long we're going to go before our deficiencies hurt us big, I mean, we beat a struggling team today at home only 24-10. Was this because we let up a lot or just couldn't put them away like we should have?

Eh, this is just NFL football. It really is just that.

Weird too that we are dominating the AFC East this year. It was the total opposite three years ago when we faced all four teams through the season and were outscored in all something like 417-3. This year we hammered what has still showed itself to be a terrific Patriots team, we strangled the Dolphins at their place for our first win and it was actually pretty convincing, and we took out the Jets today. Next week we're in Buffalo, and we all have very painful memories of our recent meetings with them. I mean, last year we barely beat a third-string Bills quarterback who gave us a gift 100-yard pick-six.

Wonder if we'll be looking ahead for that Seahawks game two weeks from today?

At the beginning of this season I thought there were good reasons we could be 16-0, and others that portended an 0-16 team. Here we are at the halfway point and we're 5-3, blistering good teams and waddling about with poorer teams.

Weird.

But, well, NFL football you know...
_

Rams at Chiefs - Week 8 - Record: 4-3

Oh did this game start poorly. The Rams shot right down the field and scored a touchdown with a handful of plays that made our defense look like melted butter.

But shortly thereafter we made whatever adjustments we needed to, and it was over. There was a nasty burp at 7-7 when Jamaal fumbled after never even getting the handoff cleanly and the Rams got the ball at our 10, but we stiffened and their kicker (whew) missed a field goal.

Otherwise there was Jamaal, Knile, Knile, Jamaal, Jamaal, Knile. Very nice. Our D also played well,
with great pass coverage forcing the Rams quarterback into flustered throws and the grip of Chiefs pass rushers. Justin Houston had three sacks, and to shut down the Rams late they got Dee Ford in there -- it was nice to see him make some plays.

I was concerned for a bit about our stalwart No. 1 overall pick last year, Eric Fisher, who is playing well but today gave up a nasty sack by Robert Quinn and then had a movement penalty against him a couple plays later. Cause for extended concern? I don't know, everyone can have tough moments in a game.

I mean, look at someone like Dwayne Bowe.

This was one of those stellar days for Dwayne Bowe. Ever notice that Bowe will have those cringe-generating games where he drops that one pass or runs that silly route that just kills us, but then he'll come back and win our hearts with a game like today? Everything threw to him was snatched splendidly, including one pass he grabbed that was way over his head while the defender was tackling him before the ball got there.

Yes, they'll still say our receivers haven't caught a touchdown pass yet, and yes, that's a bad thing. But come on, look at Alex Smith's play today -- agile, quick, decisive. After every gasp we take when he looks to pass, he'll find a way to zip the ball to some receiver. Damn he did that well today, going 24-for-28 -- that's amazing.

All this was topped by Andy having another game in which he masterfully disguised his intentions, imaginatively mixed it up, and again deftly used our running game to dominate. Knile and Charles may get all the press, but we're above .500, 4-1 in our last five games, and steadily moving into contention position.

I'm great with that.
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Chiefs at Chargers - Week 7 - Record: 3-3

What it takes to beat the Horse Curse.

We had to overcome three or four gruesomely dropped passes. We had to overcome a sure touchdown not scored when A.J. Jenkins stepped out of bounds. We had to overcome a splendidly batted ball that daintily dropped into the hands of Antonio Gates for a Chargers touchdown. We had to overcome that ugly seven-headed beast known as the officiating crew who called at least three brutally phantom penalties against us but simply refused to keep the Chargers tackles from holding Houston and Hali.

I was sure something was going to happen to keep the Horse Curse marauding against us, but sure enough, we managed to succeed in doing the one thing that snuffed that sucker today. It is the key thing a team can do to stop the Chargers, and we did it wonderfully today. Damn was Reid good at making this happen -- in fact this is one Reid's best coaching skills.

We kept Philip Rivers off the field.

It was beautiful to behold. The Chiefs were able to chew up clock for inordinate amounts of time, scoring five times in the process, the fifth coming on a nail-biting 48-yard field goal from our brand spankin' new kicker Cairo Santos whose entire 5'8'' frame was well-deservedly mugged after his kick won the game.

Our time of possession was double that of the Chargers, and one less time for Rivers to display his supernatural prowess against us is big-time significant.

While there is a tremendous feeling of relief, that our boys can actually dent this curse (our first win in SD since 2007, really) -- we still have issues. Our receivers did make some clutch catches today, I was very pleased to see that, especially late in the game, but come on -- still too many drops! Our D-backs were beast when it counted -- gotta give Phillip Gaines some more playing time! -- but we are still missing Eric Berry. When is he coming back? I liked seeing some of the support players come through -- is that A.J. Jenkins showing that he can be a weapon? -- but we still need more consistency from others to take the load off Charles and Davis.

And as much as we scream our lungs out at Alex Smith to throw the ball, not get sacked, run there, don't run there, do this do that do that do this -- he still hangs in there and provides a very nice, steady attack that today served us very well.

We're holding our own at 3-3, and that may be very good because it'll motivate the team to know they've got to keep working hard to get into real contention position. Hey, look at baseball's Giants and Royals. They knew they had to battle coming out of the wild-card spots and couldn't afford a let-down. Object lesson.

Of course, now all resolutely faithful all-Kansas City sports fans can sit back Tuesday and enjoy the Royals playing in

THE WORLD SERIES CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE IT
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Chiefs at 49ers - Week Five - Record: 2-3

This was indeed a game we could have won, we should have won against a very good team.

It was showcased as Alex Smith's return against his old team, and for much of the game he did pretty decently. But let's just be honest about two key things.

1. Alex Smith does need to make the accurate throw when he needs to. Sure there was that ugly overthrow in the last minute, the pass intended for Anthony Fasano that was intercepted sealing the Niners victory. But there were several other passes that were just thrown low or wide when the Chiefs needed to make those connections. He completes those passes and this game is ours, one that for quite some time really looked like was ours.

2. Alex Smith does not have the receivers to make things happen like they should. We were without Donnie Avery because of injury, but even with him this is not a receiving core that'll get us to the next level -- it just isn't. It is scary that it isn't. I'd even heard the announcers relay some stat, I don't remember what it was, but it was indicative that this is the worst receiving core in the league. I think the stat was something like, our receivers do not have a touchdown all season. Sorry, but this is a tremendous liability. Ready for the start of The Wide Receiver Project? After all it is Halloween season, I should get that going to make things especially scary.

Again, this was a game we had. I liked our running game, it was solid and on-track like it should. I liked our pass rush, for a time we really hogtied their QB Colin Kaepernick. And who can't be thrilled with De'Anthony Thomas finally getting in the mix, even scoring a screen-pass touchdown with some extra power running to get into the endzone.

What concerns me are a few things, things that are pretty major.

First of all, I think the play of the game was a clutch Niners play that no one could do anything about. We had the Niners on a 3rd-and-long and under a fierce rush Kaepernick threw up a long duck, and their receiver Brandon Lloyd makes a fantastic catch with Sean Smith draped all over him. (But there ya go, that's a play their receiver makes. Errgck.)

Our D-backs were good sometimes, but then there's Marcus Cooper. Sometimes he's terrific, like when he contributed big-time to disrupting the Peyton Manning pick-passes a few weeks ago, but today he was roasted. How much longer do we have to wait for him to take advantage of his raw physical ability and shut down the guy he's covering?

Our run defense wilted when it got late. The Niners were able to run effectively, get those late field goals, run clock in the process, and keep our offense on its heels.

Regarding both of these critical breakdowns, it must be pointed out that those injuries we've had to key defensive players hurt. Eric Berry is still not in there. Mike Devito and Derrick Johnson are key run stuffers and they're gone for the year. They mentioned how well we've done to make up for them, but sorry, their absence really hurt us late today.

And what about that 12-men-on-the-field penalty when the Niners were punting, giving them a 1st down. Incredible. That one penalty was even worse for the Chiefs than the Brandon Lloyd catch, and it was a mistake contending teams don't make.

After a breakout game Monday night and a chance to show up in the top ten of all the sports network/sites "Power Rankings", now we have to settle for still wallowing around in the bottom half again, and it'll be for a while because the Chiefs have a bye next week.
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I can't finish this post without making mention of the amazing sports week it has been for all things Kansas City in the sports world. After the Chiefs destroyed the Patriots at Arrowhead last Monday night, the major league's Royals hosted the A's at Kauffman in the one-game wild-card playoff game, and they won it in thrilling fashion, 9-8 in 12 innings. The Royals have gone on to win the first two games of their ALDS contest against the Angels.

Indeed, on Wednesday when I presume the soccer team Sporting KC was playing in the Washington D.C. area, they visited the White House where the president welcomed the, yes,

 

World Champion Kansas City professional soccer team.

What a week for Kansas City, who as a city had gone 48 straight combined team-years without a playoff win by the pro football team and an appearance in a playoff series by the pro baseball team.

With their strong pitching, stifling defense, tenacious hitting, and rich enthusiasm, the Royals have gone a long way to make things up-to-date in Kansas City once again.

Now the Chiefs just need to keep moving forward and get to their next level.
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Patriots at Chiefs - Week 4 - Record: 2-2

Remember that game 23 years ago? You know it. All Chiefs fans do.

October 7, 1991. The Chiefs had been starting to show that under new management and coaching, they could be molded into a contender. They'd done well the previous two years, even making the playoffs the year before. They started this campaign a bit sluggishly, they were 3-2 when they went into a Monday night affair with another up-and-coming team, the Buffalo Bills.

Remember that?

The Chiefs destroyed them.

Pretty much every single Chiefs fan considers that the launchpad game to a decade of football excellence in Kansas City.

I'm reluctant to call this game a watershed game like that one. But I can't help but get that feeling, just the feeling. Just that sweet feeling of solid success reasonably if modestly portending future success. Hard not to just have that feeling for now.

Everyone anticipated this one to be pretty evenly matched. As I listened to some of the introductory remarks, that the Patriots had a good defense but had been trying to find themselves offensively, I wasn't going to disagree. I didn't know.

But I have known that the Chiefs do have a number of things going for them that led to this dominant performance tonight.

Jamaal Charles' return -- he had three touchdowns tonight. Travis Kelce's emergence -- he is so strong and quick. Knile Davis' steadiness -- he gives the Chiefs so many options. The finely rebuilt offensive line -- they had a terrific game against the Patriots strength.

And that's just the offense. Houston and Hali were monsters again tonight. Our D-backs played admirably without a still-hobbling Eric Berry. And yes, Dustin Colquitt, yeah, again, the punter, was his usual excellent self.

And just so many more Chiefs highlights. I could mention many more people in the Chiefs success mix tonight.

But as great as all this Chiefs stuff was, it's all happening because Andy Reid is the master engineer of this surging locomotive. He is the one factor that got me to believe we should have a pretty good chance in tonight's game. It was easy to see his extraordinary work in the Miami game. He did it again tonight. He just does such a great job of arranging the components of his football team to get the most of them, to get the dubya.

Still a lot more season to go. But damn. This was nice tonight.

Oh, and whaddya think? They wore the red pants at home only once last year, in a win against the Cowboys. They donned them again tonight, and looked terrific.

More of the red pants at Arrowhead? Whaddya think?

It worked great for them again tonight.
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Chiefs at Dolphins - Week 3 - Record: 1-2

The very first blog post on this site was in 2005, October, a few games into the season when I just up and decided to do a Chiefs blog. As you know I only write about the game of the week, the only thing my eyes behold, mostly because that's just about all the Chiefs heart-rendering eventualities I can take. In fact I started this a mere two games after a game against the Eagles we'd led big early but ended up losing big, in a season we'd need just one more win to make the playoffs in a 10-6 campaign. Heart rendering indeed.

The reason I bring it up is that that first post was about the Chiefs game in Miami. It was notable because it was played on a Friday night because of some hurricane thing going on. What was neat was that we won the game with the help of two Lawrence Tynes 50-something yard field goals.

The game today was especially sweet, for a number of reasons. In no particular order:

We showed we could play with critically critically critically key people not in the lineup. Of course Johnson Devito Allen weren't there -- they're gone for the year. Charles Berry Thomas weren't there, they're injury status is still up-in-the-air. Our right tackle Donald Stephenson has still got one more game on his suspension, and today we had another guy in there working on the line.

Speaking of the line, Eric Fisher is starting to show his No. 1 overall pick quality. Our running game ground out 174 yards. Of course Knile Davis and our other fine O-linemen such as Rodney Hudson had a lot to do with it.

This also speaks well of our coaching. Exceptional job by Andy Reid today. The game started out very vanilla -- at one point I screamed at the set watching yet another run off tackle that the Dolphins defense very predictably squashed. Good thing I screamed very loudly because they heard me. Reid started mixing it up, being imaginative, going to different guys, using his tight ends like crazy for power blocking and elaborate short yardage passing schemes. Joe McKnight scored two touchdowns today! Joe McKnight!

Our defense was again very bendy, but still got enough of the job done to stuff them when we needed to. The absence of Johnson and Berry is very obvious, but our guys still worked their asses off to not let the big gains they gave up get to them.

We made some bonehead mistakes, like that safety, what an aggravation that was. But damn, we do have those skill players who can make key plays when we needed. Our QB got sacked too many times, but again, Alex Smith is a guy who won't let those things get to him. Not his best game -- too many weirdly errant passes -- but he is resilient, athletic, versatile... very good to have in there when you want to win games in spite of the ugly stuff.

Hey, I can't not say something about Dustin Colquitt. I actually really like saying good things about him even though he's the punter. I mean, first a 63 yard punt, then a 64 yard punt. That's great defense, right there -- and the guy doesn't even have to make a tackle. Oh, and after that safety? High, booming kick to put Miami way back at their own 20-something.

Finally, we beat the Dolphins, an AFC East team. Remember the horror that was three years ago? When all four AFC East teams beat us by a combined score of 397 to 2? (Or something like that) It is sweet to have Andy Reid and Alex Smith this year, not Todd Haley and Matt Cassel -- and it is nice to have a number of clutch players to complement them that could make this season a decent one for us.
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Chiefs at Broncos - Week 2 - Record: 0-2

I just can't stand it. I just have to start this post early. Right now we're down 21-10 as the first half  comes to an end. Please know that I've had no illusions about the likelihood of this outcome.

I'll wrap this up as this ugliness wraps up later. Don't really know what else to say however. I really don't.

My point now is this.

I don't know how much more pronounced The Curse can be. I really don't. I thought everybody was convinced of The Curse's ugliness through the years of never getting that drafted and developed quarterback, but no. I thought it'd be easily seen through the years of losing playoff game after playoff game even when we had pretty damn good teams, but no. I thought for sure it'd be seen in its gruesome barbarity after last season's wild-card game against the Colts. Apparently not then either.

A while back I'd made mention that this season could look like 2004 -- a year after a fine 13-3 season we started flat and had a poor season. No, as I look at the brutality of The Curse this year, it is looking like 2011. Remember that year, when we got crushed in the first two games and in the process lost three of our key players all to ACL injuries. We actually finished at 7-9 because ironically Todd Haley did a terrific job of getting us physically ready to play, and our resilience carried us through the season. Still.

Hey, there is no guarantee this will not be more like 2012.

And you can thank The Curse for that.

We've already lost Derrick Johnson and Mike Devito. I learned this week we lost Jeff Allen too. Gone for the year. Today we've lost Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry.

The Curse couldn't just let the wild-card game be and have it be over -- remember? That game when we had all our key players get clobbered by injuries? No, there just wasn't enough torment. It just has to continue unabated. Instead it has to vomit itself up all over us this year too.

Still don't think there is a Curse? Just look at this game. The air is thick with it. And I'm watching from a thousand miles away. I have nothing against Peyton Manning, I know it is very hard to beat him. That's cool. More power to them. We should beat a good team -- we should be good enough to beat The Curse.

But look at what's happened in this game. There're the injuries on top of injuries -- covered that.

There're also those picks the Broncos get away with to spring their receivers. No, they're not penalties they say, they're within one yard of the scrimmage line. Bullshit. I also thought they were supposed to be calling penalties against the receivers pushing off, well, that's not happened. (And here as the second half starts, a phantom holding call against our guy. Fortunately Alex Smith hit Travis Kelce to get the first down.)

Then there was the catch by that Broncos receiver that he fumbled, and after the officials ruled that their original ruling stood, incomplete pass, we now have no more challenges. Retarded, that challenges rule.

And to top it off, the officials didn't stop play when the two-minute warning hit. The Broncos moved all over the place, the Chiefs line moved, and they called a five-yard penalty against the Chiefs. Sure it's a little thing, but damn.

That Curse.

As it is, this Chiefs team is still playing with all the heart in the world. That's my team.

Right now as the 3rd quarter has started they've been moving the ball again. Smith is sharp. Knile Davis is a slashing maniac out there. Our receivers are making plays (how about that!!!) There was just a terrific slant pass catch for a first down by, yep! -- A.J. Jenkins!

And there. Finally they get these guys on a defensive holding call. Very obvious.

But then, those injuries.  We've got goal-to-goal, and one of those replacements on the line is called for his second holding of the game. Errgck. And we're going backwards. Now Smith gets sacked. No offensive line. Smith scrambling and scrambling and throwing it away again.

And we miss the field goal. Ten minutes of a pretty damn good Curse defeating drive, only to have yet again

The Curse prevail.

Really, the upshot of this is this. Until some things happen that are waaay not like any of this horror that Chiefs fans have endured year after year after year, then I'll know The Curse has been overcome. That means we start to see the things happen year after year after year that every other team has been able to enjoy -- again, the D&D quarterback (and receivers!) winning games, the team winning a few playoff games once in a while especially when it is good enough to, winning those playoff games on some consistent basis -- with a true absence of any of the insanely stupid misfortunes -- all coming from a front office that is truly stable, enduring, inspiring, and football smart like all get-out -- when those things start happening then we can know.

Thing is, even as it is, even at its worst, I'll still love my team. I see the nightmare in all its horrific glory, but it'll be just as wonderful when it gets overcome.

That's the beautiful day I look forward to.

End of 3rd quarter. Still 21-10 and within reach. Am I fooling myself, allowing The Curse to yank my chain?

These are still my Chiefs playing their hearts out. Will still believe the glory can happen, always.

Maybe that's starting to happen now. This catch Anthony Fasano just made is the catch of the year. Ay-mayzing. Reaching up, tipping it, falling down, juggling, snapping it out of the air flat on his back. Wow.

And there's a touchdown! Davis, right over our still pretty damn good O-linemen Fisher and Hudson.

Know what else I like -- our D-backs are really starting to blow up that patented Broncos pick-play crap. Sweet. Know what? We've pretty much stuffed them in the 2nd half!

So here we are, three minutes left, down by a touchdown, at midfield, giving it our best. That's cool. Thought it'd be much worse than this. This terribly injury ravaged team still has the players, all Chiefs, all playing like maniacs, very cool, playing like crazy to actually win a game no one thought they'd even be this close to winning. That's very cool.

But, yep, there it is, Smith's pass gets batted down on 4th and goal...

Still...
_

Titans at Chiefs - Week 1 - Record: 0-1 - ADDENDUM

I simply cannot go another moment without just adding a significant feature to this endeavor's modest rant about the ugliness of this year's Chiefs opener. The original and usually only take is here, and everything there still applies.

But damn.

Here's what I happened to catch after the game. My wife had the Niners game on and, as I've mentioned before, I'm a modest 49ers fan because I grew up in the Bay Area. Still wholly for the Chiefs, but the Niners are okay. (After all they supply us with quarterbacks all the time.)

I'm watching this game, and sure enough there's Colin Kaepernick connecting with Anquan Boldin over and over and over again. He'd done it in previous years, too. Boldin was also a beast with Baltimore, and with Arizona before that.

Now, of course, here's my question.

Where is that guy -- for the Chiefs?

When have we ever been able to have him?

Yes, the only one who was that guy, and granted he was that guy, was Otis Taylor. But ya know?

That's it.

Never ever since Taylor have we had him.

Now I'm not yet getting into what will certainly at some time be The Wide Receiver Project, not yet, but damn.

Don't tell me that Dwayne Bowe is that guy. He wasn't there today, I know, but while he is pretty good, and while I like him a lot -- I do, and a lot of Chiefs fan do too, that's fine -- Bowe is no Anquan Boldin. Boldin has helped his teams win buku playoff games, while Bowe has won -- ahem -- how many?

Here's the next thing I have to write right now, just have to. That other thing I overheard during this Niners broadcast.

The Vikings demolished the Rams today.

Now the Vikings have a decent defense apparently and all that. Okay.

But you know what I thought about. You know...

Matt Cassel.

Sure enough, Cassel was instrumental in helping the Vikings win big, with the help of --

Here's the pay-off... Wait for it...

...

Some wide receiver I'd never heard of before for reasons having to do with him being new or me just being sports celibate and not paying any attention, but because of...

Cordarrelle Patterson.

Amazing game today. Tons of yardage piled up. And yes...

A wide receiver.

So he makes Matt Cassel look really good, and...

Makes me think...

Remember 2012? Remember how awful Cassel was? Welllll, do you know what I'm thinking?...

About how it really, maybe, probably, might be, actually, perhaps

Have been

Our terrible receivers?

Know another major reason we may very well suck this year besides the free agency issue? I can give it to you in two words.

Jonathan Baldwin.

Just looked it up. Didn't know this, just looked it up on the web.

The 49ers cut Baldwin back at the beginning of August. Didn't even wait around. Guess it's good we got A.J. Jenkins for him, but I don't think Jenkins is long for the Chiefs right now.

So yeah. Cordarrelle Patterson - Jonathan Baldwin. Jonathan Baldwin - Cordarrelle Patterson. Wonder which one brings smiles to Matt Cassel and which one... okay...

Ya know, I'm going to say it now. I'm going to say it right now.

I've always spoken highly of Clark Hunt, and I'd like to give John Dorsey the benefit of the doubt for doing his very best to make the best personnel decisions he can. He hasn't been around for long, so we'll see.

But damn, if this team doesn't get some overall organizational stability for a long period of time like a Steelers or a Patriots have had, and if this team does not actually do something to strengthen its long-term draft cohesion by avoiding yawning gaffes like the Baldwin pick and all of our 2009 draft set, then the Chiefs can never truly be considered in the contender class. They just can't.

Yes, we have to let Dorsey have his shot. Yes we have to see if Clark has now learned enough to make sure it's all extraordinarily top notch for years and years to come. I'm very afraid it'll take that long for me to again really say that we've got what it takes, and damn, reasonably so.

It just can't be denied. Today was an ugly, ugly day in our history. Yeah, call me melodramatic, that's cool, I can take it. But I'm afraid there will be lots of time here in the season for me to put together The Wide Receiver Project and we may just find it just as gruesome as The Quarterback Project.
_

And again, just for more ugliness if you dare look, here's my original Chiefs Game Today post for today's game.
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Titans at Chiefs - Week 1 - Record: 0-1

Well that was an ugly nffgcknk.

It'd be nice for once, ya know? For once it'd be really nice for us to have a dominant team from the start of a season to the end. Just to have things go smoothly, everything running like clockwork, come out of the gate with a comfortable 31-7 win, convince people we were for real on the way to a 12-4 record and -- I know, how ambitious: at least one single playoff win -- at least.

I thought we'd maybe have a shot at that this year. We've got true football studs in people like Eric Berry, Anthony Fasano, Justin Houston, Dontari Poe, Travis Kelce, Knile Davis, and yeah, even Alex Smith though you wouldn't know it from today. Yeah, I'd like to think there are a few others, but well, this was ugly.

Smith had a miserable game and we could go into all the reasons why. Smith himself was subpar, but his offensive line was awful, our receivers were awful, so what do you expect. Jamaal Charles couldn't go anywhere. Our defense was very bendy, a lot because we just have a very weak defensive backfield. And having key injuries to key people like Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito when you just cannot afford them in any way didn't help.

There are another dozen or so very very ugly nfffkgcknkking things I could paste all over this post, but I just want to mention another thing -- in fact in my opinion it is one of the ugliest things among them all. Yes, injuries and poor behavior that cause suspensions and things are pretty bad, but in my view this here is right up there. I've always thought so, and if you'll indulge me I'm going to light into it again. I know not a whole lot of people agree with me, but let's get right to it.

One of the worst things ever is

Free agency.

Even after the end of our season last year, one that ended in such traumatically ugly fashion, I actually thought we were set for a great year this year. We had depth, we had promise, we had a brand spankin' new front office group to make the best decisions about player stuff, and wow! With free agency (yeah, thought we'd actually benefit from it) we could sign a couple players to fill holes.

Well, the truth is,

Free agency crushed us instead.

And it wasn't just free agency. It was the asinine attempt to solve the crappiness of free agency:

A salary cap.

Again, after very eagerly thinking about who we could get in the free agent market to fill holes, I watched Branden Albert go, Jon Asamoah go, Dexter McCluster go, Tyson Jackson go, and... who else. I know I'm forgetting someone.

The result? A hash of players trying to get together and play together and -- damn, with pro football you desperately need consistency through the years, and when a team has that much disruption, fergetaboudit.

The most telling evidence was what happened with our offensive line today. It was a disaster. Smith couldn't get untracked, Charles didn't go anywhere.

Then there were the salary cap room-makers. First releasing Brandon Flowers, then Ryan Succop. Our defensive backfield today was predictably softer than a marshmallow, and Succop was splendid hitting four straight-down-the-middle field goals today for... the Titans. Meanwhile our new rookie FG kicker boinked two off the upright. One fortunately went in -- guess there's that.

So yeah.

The Curse, a wretched part of it just plain the whole free agency thing, starts very early for us this year.
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Chiefs Preview 2014 - The 19-0 Team or the 0-16 Team?

When your team loses 57-0, people always say, "Whupp, at least you didn't lose a close heartbreaker." When your team loses 24-23 on a last-second 73-yard hook-and-ladder, they say, "Whupp, at least you were always in the game and didn't get clobbered."

Seems like either one is wretched. Sure enough, if you were to apply that to seasons, the Chiefs got to endure both, consecutively, in 2012 and 2013. Two years ago the team was never in it, blasted away from day one. That was fun. Last year we were extraordinarily competitive for 16 and 3/4 of the games, until that traumatic 4th quarter in Indianapolis. That was just as fun.

So yeah, with apologies to Charles Dickens, it was the worst of years, and, um, it was the worst of years.

So here we have 2014, with hopes high because of that very strong 2013 regular season campaign. But then, our preseason showing this fall was abysmal, and the Chiefs franchise value has dropped from mid-pack to 24th. What's with this? Can we truly gauge the value of this team?

So without further ado, here's the Dave Beck take on the 2014 Chiefs. I do feel they are good enough to be 19-0, I really do. But then, sometimes I look at them and go, ergcck, they'll be 0-16. I'll write it all up side-by-side, covering five different categories.

Management

The 19-0 team.

Clark Hunt has been and still is an extraordinarily devoted owner, very active in the community, deeply interested in the prospects of his team and doing what it takes to get them competitive. Andy Reid is definitely one of the best pre-game arrangers and in-game adjusters there is. And John Dorsey is making bold moves, such as releasing super-Chief Brandon Flowers for the greater good of the whole team. He's brought a sense of stability and enthusiasm back to the front office, something the Chiefs have desperately needed for a long, long time.

The 0-16 team. 

John Dorsey foolishly released their best cover-man, Brandon Flowers, when the defensive backfield is very thin to begin with. And is Andy Reid over-the-hill? Will he overcome his notorious reputation for messing up the last two minutes of every game? I really think The Curse had much more to do with the playoff loss than anything Reid did or didn't do, but when it comes down to it, Reid has to take the hit for not taking care of business when the Chiefs imploded late in that game. Last year when we shot out to a 9-0 record we got a lot of breaks in close games to teams fielding second and third string quarterbacks.

Quarterback

The 19-0 team.

Alex Smith is now inked to a new massively loaded four-year deal, so he's on board for four years of blazing Chiefs glory. I know he can get us there, keep us there, get us to all revel in being there. He's experienced, smart, playing in his prime, and working under the brilliant guidance of quarterback uber-guru Reid. It's nice too that we've got a kid, Aaron Murray, who has the makings of a fine quarterback -- could it be??? A home drafted and developed guy who someday -- psyche! -- can actually win a Chiefs game? Wowwie!

The 0-16 team.

As fine as Smith is, he is still not a Chiefs drafted and developed guy. This woeful Chiefs plague carrying through the eons of history is indeed an essential part of The Curse, it just is. Smith is phenomenally talented, but the question still has to be asked: Will he ever get to the next level and be regularly spoken of in the class of Manning, Brady, Brees?.. And crap, look at that offensive line, rebuilt, unstable... and his receiving corp -- ::whimper:: If Smith has to keep scrambling for first downs no matter how spectacular his runs are, well, Steve Pelluer did that really well -- remember that? -- and, well, how many hundreds of Super Bowls did he lead us to?...

Trenches

The 19-0 team.

Dee Ford is a rookie stud. The little I saw of him in exhibition play -- raw, but fierce. Awesome. Tamba Hali still has some gas in the tank, and Justin Houston is just starting to be very, very good. With Dontari Poe anchoring the middle, I see Broncos and Chargers pockets collapsing like railroad trestles made of balsa wood. And DJ just never gets old, one of the best run-sackers in the league.

On the other side only four offensive linemen in the modern era have ever been picked No. 1 overall, and they all have gobs of Pro Bowls and are Hall-of-Famers and all that (Ron Yary, Jake Long, and Orlando Pace, BTW) That other guy? Eric Fisher, our guy. He's just getting going, and if he's even decent we'll be fine. Rodney Hudson is very good, Jeff Allen is coming around, and Jeff Linkenbach is a fine FA pickup.

The 0-16 team.

Those free agent losses are killers. Losing Branden Albert is crushing, even though my inveterate Chiefs fan uncle says "Good riddance." We've also lost Donald Stephenson for the first four games because of a PED penalty, and while that's only four games, we have to scramble the O-line and try and see where everyone fits and -- szhee, that's always a mess.

On defense, can we cover for the fine run defense of Tyson Jackson? Granted he was no great shakes -- speaking of which, now that Succop's been released, we now have no one on the team from that horrific 2009 draft class. That's very bad. Anyone decent from that class should be coming into their own right now, but -- there's no one. Not a single soul. And that was after a 2008 year when we were 2-14. Are you laughing and weeping at the same time right now?

Specialty

The 19-0 team.

Two words. Jamaal Charles. He's at the top of everyone's fantasy league draft classes, No. 1 pick overall. He should be. We've got terrific depth at running back, with Knile Davis, and Cyrus Gray is pretty good for a No. 3. The Chiefs run offense has never been an issue.

Dwayne Bowe's expressed a measure of renewed commitment, and could be very good in his last few years here as that go-to receiver. (And that one game suspension, not nearly as much of an issue in my mind as the Stephenson one.) Our tight ends are great, hey, Travis Kelce reminds me of Jimmy Graham, and he's not even the starter. De'Anthony Thomas looks like an even studlier scatback than Dexter McCluster.

Our kick return team is incredible -- I didn't even know this but I saw somewhere that our 2013 team set an NFL record last year with a 29-yard per return average. That's really cool. And on defense Eric Berry is one of the best safeties in the NFL.

And yes, can't neglect to mention our punter, Dustin Colquitt, one of the best ever, really. Yeah, he is the punter, but he does regularly pin the opponent deep and that helps the defense tremendously. This year Ray Guy was the first punter elected into the Hall of Fame, and I do remember back in the 70's just hating the way he was so instrumental to the Raiders winning all the time. He really was a factor.

The 0-16 team.

Our receivers. I'm afraid, I'm very afraid. They have shown a little bit in the preseason to give us a little bit of hope, but damn. I've railed and railed and railed about our woeful D&D quarterback misery, but you know? I've recently been thinking about something just as abysmal: our woeful drafted and developed WIDE RECEIVER misery. Not going to share it now, but I went back over all our drafted wide receivers, and you know what I found? Well, as I said, not for now -- not in mixed company. The guys out there this year -- gulp, here they are -- Donnie Avery, A.J. Jenkins, Junior Hemingway, Frankie Hammonds, and Albert Wilson (pictured). The last two were FA grabs who did stand out a bit in preseason, but that may mean nothing.

Just so you know, just so there is no misunderstanding. I expect the very best from them. I'd like the think Alex Smith will go a long way to help make them better. I'd like to think our running game will set up the passing game, as it has always traditionally been. And no matter what, they're Chiefs.

Another factor in averting the 0-16 horror relates to two key elements of Jamaal Charles' game: one, he stays injury-free, and two, he gets used more imaginatively. With our receiving core like it is and our running back situation a shining lamp on a hill, why not use Charles in receiver mode waaay more often?

Intangibles

The 19-0 team.

The Arrowhead fans are back. It is good to see sold-out games again, our people setting the legitimate stadium loudness record (sorry, but the Seattle stadium boombox doesn't count). We've also got a few more primetime television appearances to polish our credentials.

I also like the way the team has worked in comprehensive preparation specifically to beat Denver and San Diego, teams with pocket quarterbacks who really need to be pressured -- ahh Tamba Hali Justin Houston and Dee Ford -- no way Manning and Rivers are going be able to get away with it this year.

And sorry, but an old-AFL team is due, is due for a good sustained run of Super Bowl greatness. The Chiefs are ready to take that mantle.

The 0-16 team.

We have a very tough schedule this year. Look at it. We play the NFC West in our interconference games. While we've been fantastic against the NFC teams of late, the Seahawks Niners Rams Cardinals are all now very good teams. We also have the AFC East, and the Patriots Dolphins Bills Jets always hammer us. Then there's the Horse Curse, meaning if our pass rush isn't beast-above-beast, Manning and Rivers are going to carve us up as they always have. Really, look at all that. That's reasonably 0-12 right there, I'm not kidding you.

Tough schedule? I'm great with that, though. If we're going to make winning mean something, we have to beat the better teams. Let's just get the hell out there and beat them this year with our fine management, coaching, talent, skill, drive, and passion. Wait, that's a 19-0 remark. Sorry.

Thing is, we'll need all that to beat The Curse. That's critical. Should we make the playoffs? We'll need the most beast team to do it, and winning with a blistering schedule may do the trick.

Will we get into the playoffs? This year is looking a bit like 2004 to me -- I hope not. But in 2003 we surprised everyone -- started 9-0 then too -- and stormed into the playoffs. But the following year we were horribly mediocre. 19-0? 0-16? Are we a bit of each and do we finish 9-7 if we try real hard?

Then a playoff game? Can we win at least one, for once?

So what is it?

I'll close with this. In the off-season I caught two brief Chiefs related things on television, you know, NFL Network type airtime fillers. One was a single play that I think pretty much encapsulated the Chiefs in the 70's and much of the 80's. A quarterback with No. 11 took the snap, stumbled, fell down, hopped back up, then threw a duck that was summarily picked off by a Raiders linebacker and run in for a score. I didn't even know who that quarterback was until I looked it up. It was Tony Adams in 1978, just FYI (I mean, I just had to look it up and find out). The point being that I think about what people think about the Chiefs and I wonder if it is really just one big massive plotz, like that play.

On the other far, far end of the spectrum was what I saw in a story I'd never seen or heard about before, the one about Charlie's Bar in Philadelphia. Seems like this is something that is quite the NFL human interest story, and one most would know about, especially if you're a Chiefs fan. Seems Charlie's Bar there in Philadelphia, is a haven for Chiefs fans, yes, the enthusiastic rooting for all things Kansas City Chiefs. 

Seems the bar owner many years ago just up and decided, "I'm going to be a Chiefs fan." And everyone came on board. Crazy thing is, I look upon that with great warmth, but also sadness. Our Chiefs have just not done that much to merit such heartfelt devotion. And yet, that warmth, that these people still find the best in a team that deserves that devotion, no matter how much The Curse has tried valiantly to derail that affection.

There is, as always, great pride the be had about this team.

And of course, there is Leon Sandcastle. I've been meaning to put this here, because it is so much fun. It'll be a fun season, and what better way to kick it off than to share those parts of last season when Sandcastle played so astoundingly. Splendid!

Can't wait for 2014!

The Quarterback Project, Part ???

As I've shared in this blog a thousand times, I do work very hard to avoid any Chiefs chatter about anything except on game day when the game is actually on. I confess, though, that it gets a bit difficult around draft time. I have been actually pretty resolute in not paying attention to Chiefs draft items, except for seeing somewhere somehow who the Chiefs got with their first pick. Even then I pretty much look at nothing else about any given draft item.

I can't help but put a post up here at this time -- and yeah, I usually do put up at least one related to some draft pick remark each April (and now May) but it is usually just to say how I feel about whatever things I'm usually talking about in game day posts anyway.

Anyway, this time it has been a bit different. I'm not even going to mention who we got first, or second, or whenever because for one, again, I still know nothing about these guys. But I will mention who I found we got in the 5th round, and I was pleasantly surprised with our pick.

It was Aaron Murray, a studly QB from Georgia, about whom I was actually thinking about last year how nice it would be for the Chiefs to get this guy if he came out a year early. For the most part I know far less about college football than I do about the pros, but for some reason this particular QB was touted as a top flight guy. At least that's what I'd heard.

Great! Love it!

Still, why did he drop to No. 163 where we got him? Was it the ACL injury? Was it his being not over 6'2"?

And then there's the Chiefs QB situation, I happened to pick up that contract talks with Alex Smith are stalled. Ergck. Ergck ergck ergckk...

There is just so much emotion in all of this, perhaps too much, yes. But I can't believe there is a genuine Chiefs fan out there who isn't feeling it deeply with all this.

And one of the reasons, yes, has to do with The Quarterback Project. This is indeed my term for all the information about quarterbacks being drafted and developed for success in the NFL with specific attention to the Chiefs place in that -- which is... pretty much non-existent.

A phenomenal piece with lots of gruesome graphics was posted at SB Nation the other day, just before the draft, which puts the essence of The Quarterback Project into neat tidy chart form, which is, still, extraordinarily ugly. Take a peek. It is here. (Warning: viewer discretion is advised.)

From this you can see in bright brilliant colors why the Chiefs are one of the few teams since the merger in 1970 who've never been to the Super Bowl. And not just that, but crazy-ass not-even-close. In fact one of the things that is stunning about that first chart is that it only encompasses the period after 1984. I can almost guarantee you that the time period before that was just as abysmal.

So yeah, we're all wondering, is this it? Is he the guy? Will Aaron Murray finally be a guy who can actually be a -- gulp -- drafted-by-the-Chiefs developed-by-the-Chiefs winner-for-the-Chiefs? I mean, it just seems so preposterous -- no Chiefs fan has ever experienced that. Do you realize that? None! Ever! In the entire history of Kansas City Chiefs football the words "drafted," and "developed," and "quarterback who wins Chiefs games" have ever been put together in the same sentence.

I say this, this stuff about it all being so preposterous, in all seriousness. You'd think that now, finally it just flat-out has to be. That after Smith plays fine for us for next however many years we can get him for, Murray steps in and is -- finally finally glory-be -- the man. Our own man -- valiantly taking us to the promised land! (Yes, I do say all this with that glisten in my eye and goofy smile on my face.)

Of course, there is that utter failure to suspend my disbelief. There's that part of me that thinks of Fuller and Blackledge and Elkins and Blundin and Croyle and on and on and on it goes, just convinced that Odin has already determined centuries upon centuries ago in the halls of Valhalla that this was just never to be for the Chiefs. Never ever, never ever.

I mean. Murray dropped to the 5th round. The fifth round! How many 5th round QB picks ever pan out? Hardly any. Yeah, hardly any, I've checked! It's depressing. Virtually none, really.

But then this is Aaron Murray. Last year when he said he might come out early he was spoken of as maybe, maybe a first overall pick! So what's with that?

Ergghck. I just don't know what to think.

All I can do is just hope, at this point. That's all there is, really. Just hope that we had a good draft this year.

Can't do anything but anything right now.

That's cool.

Just the hope is fine.
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2013 Season - Chiefs Playoff Hell - Postscript

For the Chiefs Playoff Hell post with the exasperated resignation, that's here.

For the Chiefs Playoff Hell post with the resolute acceptance, that's here.

I'd like to say that I've confidently shifted into full acceptance mode, but I'd be lying. Sure, since Saturday I'm good sometimes, indeed most times, but other times it still doesn't feel so good. Wanted to just share here a bit more, do more of the therapy, the processing, just work through it all. Thanks for joining me in that effort, hope this is meaningful to you in some measure as well.

On my evening walk the other night I was doing what I usually do with my cerebral activity, spending about half of it thinking about the standard stuff -- family, work, home, leisure activities, news items, devotional time -- and the other half thinking about Chiefs things (yeah, sorry, that's just how it is -- I try to make it different, but, well, there ya go).

About two-thirds of the way into my walk my mind wandered into my remarks in a couple of posts recently about how abjectly horrific our record has been for some time against first the Chargers, then the Colts. Then I thought, hmm, there is something indeed these two teams have in common. My mind ventured into very prominent but not so publically displayed logo designs of both teams that feature, yes, you may have figured it out.

Horses.

I then added the other horse team in the mix, the Broncos, and the wheels started turning.

Just for thought...

San Diego. The last time the Chiefs beat the Chargers twice in one season was 2003, and since then we are 5-15 against them. During that period they've beaten us twice in a season five times. Over the last 13 games we've beaten them only twice, the last time largely because Philip Rivers fumbled the snap when they were in game-winning field goal range. Ironically, if you remember, that game was on Halloween night. We've lost the last four in a row to them.

In the last 2008 matchup between the two teams, at Arrowhead, we were ahead 21-10 at the two-minute warning. Sure enough they got two quick touchdowns to win the game 22-21. That game was at the tail end of a very bad season for the Chiefs, who were going nowhere anyway, but still. The two games this year were heartbreaking losses, the first of which cost us our two All-Pro pass rushers which turned out to be for the rest of the season, effectively, and the last of which the Chargers won with the help of a brutally missed penalty on the last play of the game.

The one single playoff game the Chiefs have ever played against the Chargers was the 17-0 disaster that summarily ended our 1992 season.

Denver. The last time the Chiefs beat the Broncos twice in one season was as far back as 2001 if you can believe that. Since then we're 9-17 against them, and during that period they've beaten us twice in a single season four times, including the last two. Just as he did with the Colts, Peyton Manning just lights up the Chiefs with the barest lifting of his pinkie.

The one single playoff game we've had with them was that gargantuously pukifying 14-10 loss from the 1997 season.

Indianapolis. The Chiefs have a 3-13 record overall against the Indianapolis version of the Colts. The first of those three wins was the first we played against them not-Baltimore, in 1985 at Arrowhead with Todd Blackledge the quarterback. The game after that one was a classic way to start the wonderful history of the Chiefs misery against the Colts. It was in 1990 when one more win on the season would've given us the bye and the home game to start the playoffs. We held a comfortable 19-10 lead in the 4th quarter, then the Colts put up 13 to beat us. It was one of the losses in an 11-5 season that forced us to go to Miami for the wild-card game, which we lost 17-16.

The rest of the agony through the years is pretty plain and extraordinarily grisly.

Overall, comprising the totals from the three time periods above (Colts 1990 on, Broncos 2001 on, Chargers 2004 on), the Chiefs are 16-45 against these teams. In 2013 the Chiefs went 11-0 against teams not horse related, and 0-6 against the three horse teams. Through the years the Chiefs have lost all six playoff games they've played against them ('92, '95, '97, '03, '06, '13). The horse teams have a current 11-game winning streak against us.

How many times have there been in NFL history when every time a given team has gone 13-3 in the regular season they've lost their first playoff game? It's happened to the Chiefs three times ('95, '97, '03), I'd bet you they're the only one ever. How many times have there been in NFL history when every time a team has started a season 9-0 and they've lost their first playoff game? It happened to the Chiefs twice ('03, '13) -- honestly I can't see how there has been any other team this has happened to.

And all of those playoff losses?

Every one to a horse team.

Those three teams are now in the divisional round of the playoffs, all three of them, and all three there at the Chiefs' expense in some way or another. And the fourth team? The Patriots. Right now the Broncos and Chargers are getting terrific production from two former New England stalwarts, Wes Welker and Danny Woodhead, respectively. Meanwhile, the Chiefs worked like crazy to model their organization after the Patriots with the likes of Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel, and, oh, guess you could throw in Matt Cassel too. How's that workin' for the Chiefs?

And, by the way, isn't that a picture of Paul Revere on the Patriots helmet? And warning the colonists that the British were coming, didn't Paul Revere ride around on a...

Horse?

Call it the Horse Curse if you will, there is something going on here.

Of course the next thing I'm thinking about was our horse relationship. What's with that?

The most obvious connection is the one with Warpaint, the name of the horse upon which someone waving a Chiefs flag rides around the field. All I could think about was, is this horse being abused in some way? Is there some PETA member horse lover witch doctor somewhere putting the hex on us? I mean, really. What's going on with this?

It's now widely known and mildly amusing how much Eric Berry fears horses, but this... this... Is there something else happening here?...

Around the beginning of the season I'd seen or heard something, somewhere in which it was said the Chiefs had the look of a Super Bowl team. I didn't go anywhere near it, but I thought about the New York Giants and why this 9-7 team a couple years ago won the Super Bowl. The reason they won was because of three key things they had going for them at that time.

1. An experienced head coach (Tom Coughlin).
2. A resourceful quarterback (Eli Manning).
3. A ferocious pass rushing unit (led by Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul).

I suddenly got that warm confident feeling inside. The Chiefs had

1. The experienced head coach (Andy Reid).
2. The resourceful quarterback (Alex Smith).
3. The ferocious pass rushing unit (led by Tamba Hali and Justin Houston).

Sweet.

I forgot one thing, however.

The fourth factor in that mix.

The New York Giants: 4. A charm that allows a 9-7 team to get every break they need to run the table.

The Kansas City Chiefs: 4. A curse that prevents an 11-5 team from keeping stupid things from happening to torpedo their playoff hopes.

Errrckhck.

I'm still looking, still thinking, still pondering. Yeah, many will tell me to get over it, stop obsessing so much about it, it's done, it's over, let it go -- all that. I got all that. I'm good. It is more a simple thought experiment anyway. I'm certain The Curse is something much more prosaic, much more related to elements connected with the NFL itself even, and in some ways as insidious as that is, there's not a whole lot I can do about it.

The poor officiating and the small media market elements enter into it. Whaddya do. The inept things the Chiefs have done themselves so many times enter into it. Whaddya do. I really wonder how many close to the Chiefs really know about crap that was, has been, even now is going on however wherever whatever and they know there's little they can do about it.

And what of the Hunt family? There has never been a time when Chiefs fans wonder if there is just something going on there. But I can't for two seconds believe that all the Hunts -- now Clark -- haven't been straight-up spot-on doing their very best for the Chiefs. That Clark went out of his way to clean house and bring in the best -- and succeed in doing so -- is testament to that. A pretty damn good regular season after last year's disappointment definitely says something about that.

In some ways all of it keeps everything ripe for discussion. I see so many who think the Jared Allen trade or the pick of Fuller before Montana are critical reasons to add to the mix, but I don't think so, at all. It seems fewer see the Marv Levy dismissal or the Hank Stram meltdown as what I believe are faaar more crushing to Chiefs success. There have been so many of these.

Yeah, I'd rather there were a lot more playoff wins, thank you. It's time for a few more of those instead.

What makes me especially sad is coming across this photograph. Chiefs fans are so passionate about their team. Yeah all teams' fans are passionate, I know. But no other team has the heartbreak we do. And ours are the loudest. Sorry, but this is proof. We love our team more than anyone else loves their team.

And what we have left to do is hope that John Dorsey is a heads-up guy and will keep getting this team back to respectability (he's already gone miles doing that) and back to that 1960's-style dominance (oh glorious day!) We pick 23rd in the draft, I think I saw somewhere, so we should be able to get a fine new receiver or pass rusher. Dorsey has nothing to do with the whole paranoid Patriots thing, thank goodness, but rather he comes out of the wholesome Packers organization -- so yeah, there's tremendous hope there that he'll assemble the team we need and get it to gel and play so well that no curse can overcome it.

That's the Chiefs takeaway from all this.

The Life takeaway is just that, again, there's a blessing somewhere for someone out of this. God'll see that happen.

I was encouraged by the sunrise the morning after I wrote the acceptance post. I went out to get into my car to go to work, and the sky was lit up in red. I'm not kidding you, it was red. I took a photograph of it, of the dawn of that new day. I'll share it with you here. January 7, 2014.

Richly, deeply, profoundly, vibrantly, joyously red and gold, don't you think?
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