Chiefs at Lions - Week 16 - Record: 4-11

I'm putting this post together as the Chiefs are playing their game. I've never done this before because I'd always waited to comment until all the facts of the day's game are laid out. But really, with our team greatly sucking, the season long in the toilet, it doesn't mean much except that we see who's positioning themselves to hang around next year. I'd imagine there're a whole lot of Chiefs players working to do that, really.

Two other reasons I'm writing this now during game play: One is the very bittersweet memory of the one time I think of the Chiefs playing in Detroit. Do you remember it? 1996? On Thanksgiving Day we paste the Lions to go 9-4. Win one more game and we're in the playoffs. We then proceed to lose to Oakland, Indianapolis (particularly painful since the year before we'd lost to them at home in the playoffs), and Buffalo. We finish at 9-7 and out out out. The second reason is simply that after this game here today, it's off with the family to do Christmas stuff for the week.

So while I do a bit of a running commentary (here in the Chiefs first drive they are indeed looking pretty good--Croyle has deftly completed every pass he's thrown), I thought I'd share with you exactly what I put on my Christmas list to Santa this year. Aagh, just as I speak of our fine Chiefs play, we bog down and Colquitt has to punt from the Lions 39. And he can't even get it out of bounds down there, it's a touchback. So it goes.

Anyway, the list, in order of what I want most:

1. Number one, the most important thing of all--please Santa, please just get us this one thing and all the other things will fall into place,

A new general manager.

(As I write these very words, Lions QB John Kitna gets two long passes--and now, their back with the easy little scamper into the end zone. Det 7, KC 0.)

I will never dislike Carl Peterson for all the fine things he did for the Chiefs. But there is no question we so need a solid football guy who is capable of truly building a championship team and is committed to all things Chiefs. I've never doubted Peterson's penchant for the latter, but there seems to be quite a consensus questioning the former.

We really really need someone who can do the football thing. I don't know if Santa will listen though, because the Chiefs had Jack Steadman hanging around in charge for years and years way after he should've been gone. Santa didn't listen to us then, will he listen now?

2. A bionically reconstructed Anthony Munoz.

To be honest, the way our offensive line has been playing, a plain unreconstructed Anthony Munoz now at 50 years old would probably be just fine. As I pointed out in the last post, if we don't get the finest future-Hall-of-Fame left tackle in this draft we'll be watching a whole bunch of other teams in the playoffs for the next ten years.

3. Brodie Croyle attending a long off-season training regiment with a resurrected Bill Walsh.

There is no question we've got to pick one of those solid O-linemen coming out in this year's draft, but there is one exception to this rule. One exception and only one.

That is if we need to pick up the best QB coming into the NFL.

Our new general manager has got to look very closely at Brodie Croyle and answer this question right now:

Is this guy going to be a Super Bowl calibur quarterback?

I believe Croyle does have the potential, but... Does he have the desire and the temperament to be that guy? If the answer is no, then our first pick should be the best QB available this year. This only works, though, if we're drafting very high, up there with at least the fifth pick or better where the best QB will be there for us.

But here's the crux of the matter. No Super Bowl is won with an average QB. Not even an above average QB. You need a top class guy there. Look at all the QB's who were selected to the Pro Bowl this year. AFC: Brady, Manning, and Roethlisberger. What do all of these guys have in common? They are all responsible for the last, what, five of six Super Bowl titles? Look at the NFC: Hasselbeck, Favre, and Romo. The first two have Super Bowl experience, Romo may very well get it this year.

Again, the question: Within the next three years, will Brodie Croyle be among that bunch?

What is the answer to that question? Chiefs management had better know the answer.

Oh, and just to add, in a span of about four nanoseconds, the Lions block a punt into the end zone for a safety, then their kicker whacks in a 46 yarder to make it 12-0. Good, we're on our way to getting right up there in the draft for that QB if...

My goodness. Three nanoseconds later Croyle throws a pick that is run back for a touchdown. And he gets a personal foul 15 yard penalty against him. Do we really think this guy is in the Brady-Manning class? It's almost as if he is sealing his doom. That is just too much.

More of the list...

4. The baddest, meanest, growliest middle linebacker we can get. This is where we can use a middle-of-the-draft pick to pick up maybe not the best quality guy but the guy who has the loud angry determination that makes things happen in the middle of the defense. How many times did the opponent's offense hand the ball to some guy who rambled right up the gut and over our guys.

Game update: Damon Huard is now in. Did Croyle get injured, or is he just being benched for being miles and miles not Tom Brady? Okay, fine, to give Croyle his due, he is injured. As it is, Huard is moving the ball down the field.

5. A playbook for Herm Edwards with some imagination.

I'm not about to give up on Herm just yet. He is a fired-up, sound-character guy dedicated to winning. But do you get the idea that the other team knows a bit too much about what we're doing out there? We need to mix it up so much more out there, so much more that the defense is palpably disturbed. I just don't ever really see that-- it's almost as if they're smirking out there under their helmets. Do you see this too?

This may require some new coaching blood. In fact, Santa, you look. Do you think we need some new coaches? All right then, add that to the list. Thanks.

6. Other players that I know a new football-minded Chiefs-devoted GM would know how to get.

I'll leave that to him. I won't say at this point I know except for those above-- those are no-brainers. It does seem to me that we do need the following in the mix somewhere:

- Another wide receiver.

- A good coverage cornerback.

- Even more solid offensive linemen. (Whimper--what are we going to do with that line...)

(Woo-hoo! Tony Gonzalez comes through again! Great play to get us down to the Detroit 3, and Jackie Battle pounds it in for the score. And that was with Detroit having 12 men on the field. Hey, we're not totally lame. We're still really lame, but not totally--I guess there's that.)

- Speaking of which, we will be needing a tight end to replace Tony when he retires, but the way he's playing that may still be another year or two down the road.

- We need a reliable long-term kicker for the first time since Nick Lowery. We have had such horrible luck with kickers, and for years we've tried to fill this with retreads like Morten Andersen-- sure they were okay, even future-Hall-of-Fame retreads, but come on. Problem is, this year we tried real hard to fix this with Justin Medlock, and that was a disaster. Maybe a new GM will find a way to overcome the curse of Odin.

All right! Bernie Pollard just intercepted a Kitna pass and rambled all the way back deep into Detroit territory. Hey, a bright spot in all this-- it seems we actually do have decent young safeties.

(Had to go run an errand so I missed what happened in an around the half, but from what I see here: Good!-- we got a TD just before the half, to Jared Allen again. Bad-- their back shoots right off tackle and rambles 53 yards to set up a Lions FG. Where's that mean growling Ray Lewis guy in the middle? Oh, we're getting him for next year? Awright! Thanks, Santa!)

Finally, to polish off my list to Santa,

7. A healthy and happy Larry Johnson.

I'd like to think that a full off-season of recuperation from the foot injury will be quite beneficial, and all that retooling of the offensive line will make him happy.

So, here late in the 3rd quarter, we get something going then get stopped at the Detroit 35, down 22-14. Will Herm let Carney try a 52-yarder? Let's see, let's see, no, he's going to go for it on 4th and 15-- just like Herm, what am I thinking.

And we get the first down when a Detroit guy gets a defensive holding call. Whup, now we're going backwards again. Penalty, sack, pass for no gain, and it's 4th and 14. Herm goes for it, and Huard connects with Bowe for a touchdown! How about that. It's a game again.

And the two-point conversion, whaddya think, another pass to Jared Allen?... Nah, we just try it to plain old boring Tony Gonzalez, a pass batted down at the line.

Two-minute warning, it's 3rd and 15 at our own 29. We just need the FG.

And Huard throws to Jeff Webb? What's he doing that for? Now it's 4th and 15. And then incomplete to Bowe, thuh end.

There ya go. Not blaming Huard because it is the whole package, he can't do it all. Are you listening, Santa? As it is, we're in better shape come draft day, so that's one little package that's nice to get. Let's hope that when we open it in April it'll be something really good.

As it is for right now, I'm off to enjoy Christmas. The best to you and yours.