Chiefs at Bengals - Week 16 - Record: 3-12

We have dropped so many passes this year that I think Tim Castille had to make up for all of them by making an amazing catch in the end zone while being brutally sandwiched between three Bengal defenders. I don't think Castille's had any other passes thrown his way all year. If we've needed anyone to catch any balls, why don't we just throw to Castille every play?

Anyway, our defense stepped it up big-time today after their stunningly putrid performance last week, actually containing a good Bengals team and holding the game close until the last quarter when punter Colquitt and downer Quinten Lawrence pinned them at their own 2. The Bengals even ran a play in which they lost a yard, so with 2nd and 11 from their own half-yard line, you know what happened? Of course you do...

The Chiefs couldn't finish.

Yet again.

The Bengals drove the length of the field to score the game-winning TD, burning up most of the rest of the clock.

Matt Cassel still had a full two minutes to show he's a big-time clutch performer, but after a couple of decent gains, he threw an interception to end it. Well, live and learn. Good thing he's doing that now and not when we're actual contenders and we'd really need it.

He also threw another interception that technically was an overthrow to Dwayne Bowe, but it really gnaws on me to watch a great talent like Bowe just not get up to get that one. He really could have. This is precisely one of the things that gets me about this team. It just doesn't have that whole feel of being a solid "get the job done" team. Do you feel that way?

Just make the tackle. Just catch the damn pass. No matter what. Get the job done.

The contending teams do this. They look like they'll make the play they need to make no matter what. Far too often the Chiefs look like they're just trying. That's dandy. Trying. Cool.

But how about we get the job done.

Oh, and Larry Johnson didn't hurt us, mostly because the go-to back they've had all year was doing just fine. Again, we did much better stopping their guy, and our now-solid go-to guy got another 100+ rushing.

With that in mind, I thought now is as good a time as any to share my ratings for our key players. With only one more game after this, might as well get right to it. They are classified as follows.

1. Untouchable. These guys we keep no matter what.

2. Touchable but with the right price. Should keep but if an offer comes up... Placement in this category does not mean I do not like these guys. It's just, hey, it's all about the Chiefs. If an offer comes up...

3. Okay, but if we can fill their spot, then...

4. Moderately serviceable, keep if we absolutely can't fill their spot.

5. Will not miss them.

So here goes:

Untouchables: Brandon Flowers. Yep, that's it. One guy. Pathetic, I know. But at least Flowers is here. What a phenomenal talent this guy is, and he's only just learning. Today he wrecked his shoulder big-time and was back out on the field in the next defensive series. Every Chiefs fan should love this guy.

Touchable but with the right price: Matt Cassel, Dwayne Bowe, Ryan Succop, Dustin Colquitt. Yeah, pathetic that only two regularly playing guys show up here. And even so, you'd think Cassel and Bowe would be untouchable, but damn it, Bowe just too often doesn't make the play he can make when he must, and damn it I'm just not yet convinced Cassel is going to be Super Bowl calibur. Any team that wants to actually win the Super Bowl some day must have a QB who is nothing other than a future Hall-of-Famer, or very close to it. (See this post for more.) On the other hand it is great we have both our kicking specialists very solid for a long time to come.

Okay, but if we can fill their spot, then... Chris Chambers, Brian Waters, Jamaal Charles, Mike Vrabel, Brandon Carr. Waters is a perenniel All-Pro stuck on a very weak O-line, but he's complained too much about the Chiefs. Must of it is wholly justified, but still. Chambers and Vrabel have been terrific pick-ups, and I like them both a lot, but if they're not going to be super vets in the next few years their spots will simply have to be filled. Charles needs to give me a full season before I consider him more highly.

Moderately serviceable, keep if we absolutely cannot fill that spot: Glenn Dorsey, Tyson Jackson, Branden Albert, Tamba Hali. Look at this list. All guys on the line, the most important part of the game. Don't win the line, don't win the game. And Dorsey and Jackson are only this high because they were our really really high picks the last two years and they damn well better be a billion times better than they've been.

Will not miss them: Everyone else, which sadly is way too many of our players. Exceptions to this may certainly include people like Wallace Gilberry who has actually made a few sacks this year (you mean we've actually sacked guys this year???), and Quinten Lawrence who's still young and may have decent service in him we haven't seen yet. I don't know the potential of these guys or any of the guys the Chiefs themselves are high on that I can't see from the behind the sidelines. Other exceptions include injured guys like Jarrad Page who may certainly come back and prove they should be in one of the higher categories.

Again, the key, the key of all the keys, is whether Scott and Todd can really look at those guys and see if they will be rock-star players or just guys to replace because they won't ultimately be all about, yes, here it is again...

Wait for it--

Get the job done.
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Browns at Chiefs - Week 15 - Record: 3-11

How wretchedly woeful is this, as I listen to the Arrowhead fan boos reign down on the Chiefs and their loss to an equally pathetic Browns team.

Len Dawson said it best when at one point he very simply and very plainly said something he'd been saying all year. "Where was the defensive line and the linebackers?"

Here were the un-eye-popping stats for their go-to back of the game, some previously unknown guy named Jerome Harrison. 88 carries for 301 yards in 13 games. Last year he had 246 rushing yards total.

This one game: 34 carries for 286 yards, the third highest rushing total in NFL history.

There are a number of other woefully wretchedly woeful things I could mention: Our special teams finally got beat bad, letting their go-to return guy torch us for two touchdowns. The Browns had scored 158 points all year, they put 41 up against us today. A team put 40+ points against us for a third game in the last four.

And yet again yet again yet again--our dropped passes.

Last week I brought up the idea that Matt Cassel might be throwing a heavy ball. I realize I was too severe. Much of the problem is that we just have a bunch of receivers with bad hands. Even Dwayne Bowe returning after his four game suspension dropped passes. Today Cassel demonstrated he's got what it takes, nothing different than what we all know about him, and that with some time, coaching, an O-line, and receivers without butter on their fingers he can't help but get even better.

Otherwise, what's new. Just another woefully wretched woefully embarrassing experience.

Thank goodness that there is some hope. There's Cassel. There are our fine cornerback Brandons, Flowers and Carr. Our fine kicker is so young that we can count on him being around for a while, at a point when we'll actually have a pretty good team. Our fine punter was still (with the exception of one shank) booming punts again today. Jamaal Charles with his trick shoulder and all is getting us to believe he may actually be an above-average back.

And our fine industrious GM has his nine draft picks in the first six rounds in April.

Right now it is really bad, but there's every reason to believe this is the worst it will be. It can only get better. Maybe not this year, that's a given, but there is real hope.
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Bills at Chiefs - Week 14 - Record: 3-10

Remember the days when Arrowhead was the most raucous stadium on the planet? The radio broadcast has been having promos honoring the 50 years of the AFL, and today's was about the Chiefs seminal Monday night game against the Bills back in October 1991 when they stomped them 33-6. There was the DT-led defense and the rumbling touchdowns of the Nigerian Nightmare, but the highlight was the fans who yelled so loud that the noise level reached just 14 decibels below that which is tolerable to the human ear.

Ahh, those were the days.

These days there are a smattering of encouraging cheers, God bless those fans. After our team sucks for a while, however, there are mostly just boos.

We played a Bills team that also sucked, but alas, we suck way worse. The only thing that was really anything to smile about was Jamaal Charles' zipping 76 yard touchdown. In fact he ran for a total of 143 yards, yet I just can't figure why we didn't hand him the ball more considering the Bills poor run defense.

Matt Cassel threw 43 passes when a few more of those really should have been runs.

And that leads to one of the key things I am now starting to believe is plaguing us. It is something I hadn't really been afraid of before in any way, but now I'm starting to get a bit scared. That key issue is--

Matt Cassel.

Now, here's why he should not be any concern at all. The guy looks like a quarterback, he really seems to have the tools required to be a great one. He has shown flashes of brilliance and has made some great decisions, even in situations when he needs to be clutch. He's also very tough, and does things that a leader should do out there.

But here are the things that are starting to scare me. First, and something I think is a serious problem, is that I really believe he throws a very heavy ball. We just have too many dropped passes for a pro football receiving core. Everyone is dropping passes. He is also overthrowing everyone. It makes you shake your head till it almost comes off your body to keep seeing our guys out front and then watch the ball sail beyond their reach.

He has also been making some awful pass decisions. He was picked four times today--granted one was at the end of the game on an attempted hail mary, but still. We all know last year he played for a fine New England team with better receivers and a very fine offensive line, and this year he does have an awful offensive line. I mean, I would not be surprised at all to watch Cassel at some post-game press conference very understandably say, "When we get a better offensive line we'll be able to do a bit more."

But it is starting to become very evident that there is still major stuff Cassel needs to work on. And really, this gets back to the coaching. When is Todd Haley going to get this guy to settle down and stay within himself? When is he going to really coach him on those mechanics, especially getting him to throw a much softer pass? When is he going to see what the limitations are of this team and play the best game with what he's got?

Of course we just have to wait until Pioli can build a decent team with some strong drafts so he's got people he can actually showcase. But then we don't necessarily have to wait for that-- we just need to get the right mix out there and find those gems wherever they are.

There is no question our offensive line has to be a priority, and since I tend to liken our team now to the 1990 Cowboys who were able to go from the pits and build a great team into the 90's (yes, at least I'd like to think we can do that), I looked at their stellar offensive line to see how many first round picks there were. I was amazed at what I found.

None of them were first rounders.

The highest was huge Larry Allen, plucked in the 2nd, and he still went on to a slew of Pro Bowls. Then there was stud Erik Williams, a 3rd rounder. Amazingly, the stalwart left side made up of Mark Tuinei and Nate Newton were not even drafted. They were just found, and developed into those positions. They played like madmen and made the Pro Bowl in however many years they did.

So really, any future success is in the hands of Scott Pioli. That's all it is. Will he do better than other GM's at finding talented players? If he does better, we'll do better. If he doesn't, we'll just wallow around in the muck more and more.

Already the list of needs we have is a mile long. I'm sure I'll take some time to flesh this out a bit more, but with three weeks left all I feel like doing is grouse about what we need.

We need at least two good solid offensive linemen. Maybe more. Today our great red-and-gold hope in that area, Branden Albert, was again far from spectacular and piled up more penalties. Brian Waters is the only guy who is remotely decent and everyone knows how frustrated he is with things.

We need at least two good solid defensive linemen. You'd think they'd be Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey, but Jackson was invisible yet again and Dorsey injured his knee today. Great. You remember this was the real concern with him from day one. That's just great, just great.

We still need that Ray Lewis type presence in the middle of the defense, we so so SO need that. We need a great pursuit guy to compliment him on the outside, and while Tamba Hali has been mildly serviceable, we simply have not been able to overcome the failure of Derrick Johnson to blossom.

And one of the most important things, we need Todd Haley to get off his rear end and really coach this kid Cassel if we actually want to stop embarrassing ourselves out there.
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Broncos at Chiefs - Week 13 - Record: 3-9

Well, at least they weren't wearing those old AFL uniforms today. I really thought they would, the game being Denver-KC, but they didn't. Actually, that's really too bad because right now, we really could use another team's uniform to hide behind.

We stink. What's new. Our offense stinks--I don't really know if I've ever seen any pro team in any single game flat-out drop as many passes as our guys did in this one. Our defense stinks--I don't really know if I've ever seen any pro team allow the opponent to just run over a defense like we let Denver do to us today.

Thank you Carl Peterson.

But instead of ragging all over this team like I get sick of doing every stinkin' week of the season, it is really time to just reflect on something that, ironically, Carl Peterson did do that was really great.

He drafted Derrick Thomas.

Today was Derrick Thomas day at Arrowhead, and at least there was that. And how great is that. Got his number retired and all kinds of other things happening to honor one of the greatest Chiefs ever, indeed one of the greatest players in all of NFL history.

As much as I abhor what Peterson did to our current team, I could not help but be blown away when watching his presentation speech for Thomas' Hall-of-Fame entrance back in August. Peterson not only did great, lauding Thomas with the deepest respect, but regaled the audience with a narrative about a career that I never knew was as stratospheric as it was.

Really, as much as credit as should justifiably be awarded all the Chiefs players of the 90's, Peterson minced no words: the wonderful success of the Chiefs during that time was due more to Thomas than any other player.

I remember it all myself. I think I just sort of took it for granted that we got turnover after turnover after turnover, and that we did so with a designed Thomas-led lightning attack. Back then it was not like today's Chiefs, who only get a turnover to keep a 44-13 score from being 51-10.

Thomas did it so we could win football games.

It was indeed crushing when he passed away in 2000, as if he was destined to play just during those 90's. You couldn't help but wonder why the good ones have to go like that, and go so soon.

So in a season that's just one great big miserable practice session for our beloved team, how great is it to see all the accolades go to a Chief among Chiefs.
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Chiefs at Chargers - Week 12 - Record: 3-8

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

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

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

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

Three guys.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yeah, right.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Good thing: We're at home for Pittsburgh.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There were two basic reasons we lost this game.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Meanwhile, it was cool to see a fine receiver like just-signed Chris Chambers nab two clutch TD's in the last minutes during our frantic blitz to come back. A nifty on-sides kick recovery, a spiffy two-point conversion to get to within a field goal late--good fun in a game we just weren't in for the reasons mentioned above.
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Chargers at Chiefs - Week 7 - Record: 1-6

It was kinda cool to turn on the TV and see the Chargers playing that spunky little high school team from Texas. I couldn't tell where in Texas the team was from, but they all had figures on their helmets that were shaped like the state of Texas, so I knew they were from Texas.

But wow, to hold an NFL team like the Chargers to a mere 37-7 win was amazing! Did you watch those high schoolers play such gritty football? It was inspiring!

Just how hard those high school receivers tried to catch the ball all those times just before they dropped it. Just how much their runners strained to get at least a few yards with an understandably way overmatched high school offensive line. Just how well their high school quarterback did, only throwing three interceptions. Hey, one of his receivers actually made a terrific catch for their one touchdown! Maybe the Chiefs can keep an eye on this "Bowe" guy and consider drafting him in a few years.

And the defense, wow! Their defense backs were actually playing pretty close to the Charger receivers before they made all those catches for big yards and touchdowns! Only a few times did they look completely lost out there at the snap, such as when Darren Sproles caught that screen pass and ran 50 yards for a touchdown, but what do you expect from such an inexperienced high school team?

I know the Chargers have to get a good practice game in, but I think they went a bit too far when that rusher easily slid though the line to block the punt then easily jump on it in the end zone. That was just a bit too cruel. Come on, give these kids a break, huh?

It is a good thing the Chiefs had a bye this week and...

Wait, you mean...

The Chiefs bye is next week?

Then who did the Chiefs play today?...
_

Chiefs at Redskins - Week 6 - Record: 1-5

Woo-hoo! Even as a Chiefs fan, every Sunday can't be contemptible. It was starting to look like the whole Chiefs thing was just one long long existence of hopeless agony, and after going 2-28 over the last two years this consideration was certainly not unjustified.

But we got a fantastic win today! It wasn't pretty, we still have tons and tons and tons to do to get to be a contender in the NFL, but today was very very sweet. Beating them at their place even! All the good stuff (for once, a number of pretty good things!)...

Larry Johnson getting just enough push from his line at opportune times to ramble for over 80 yards. Not the standard 100 we'd gotten from him regularly when we actually had an O-line, but very nice for today.

Dwayne Bowe did get the 100-yard game, in receiving, making some very nice grabs and runs.

Special teams getting a super blocked punt, very opportunistic.

Our defense! Awright! Holding the 'Skins to just two field goals! Yes you could say the 'Skins beat themselves by playing so miserably--we came in as the 32nd ranked defense in the NFL. Ouch. But we'll take it! It's a great shot in the arm for a team that has been heeding the Haley call and working so hard. I mean, how about that safety from Tamba Hali? And hey, lookitthat, Glenn Dorsey is actually really starting to be a real presence on the D-line!

And what can you say about Ryan Succop. I can say it is about damn crackin' time we got a kicker who we can actually know will make a field goal when he's supposed to. I mean, come on, am I right? Are you like all Chiefs fans who for years have hated to endure the utter awfulness of sweating out every single score we try to get with a kick? Aaagh! Sure I could be whistling to soon, but the guy was terrific today, four-for-four with two of them beyond 40. Awesome.

That's it, that's it. Only great things about our boys this week, and forgive me if I forget some things. A sweet wonderful switch from all the despair of weeks past.
_

Cowboys at Chiefs - Week 5 - Record: 0-5

We can't even pretend to be a team from Dallas to get a win.

It was neat to see the throwback uniforms, the Chiefs version what it was. All they did, really, was change the helmet by replacing the "KC" arrowhead with an outline of the state of Texas and a star where Dallas is located. It was fun to hear the talk about how back in the early sixties the Cowboys would not play the Texans because it was considered that the Texans were the better team.

It was also sweet to hear how Scott Pioli is right now doing much of what the Cowboys did in the early 90's. Back then Dallas was a pathetic mess--sounds quite familiar doesn't it?--and Jimmy Johnson came in with his oversized toolbox and really started messin' with things. I am so hoping the same results will eventuate for the Chiefs.

As for today, no one can say the team is not playing with great desire.

They just aren't playing with much talent.

I'd give the benefit of the doubt to some of our specialists, but, what's killing us is our line on both sides. Same old song and dance. Matt Cassel played wonderfully, but he was still scrambling around behind a line that just couldn't protect him. Larry Johnson looked like a statue out there because he simply can't go anywhere. Not a single O-lineman can stand anybody up, so, every running play--bam, instant statue.

Even though we took Dallas to overtime, this defense made a nobody wideout, Miles Austin, look like a superstar by utterly failing to make easy tackles. This is besides the fact that this very average Cowboy team helped us out tons with fortuitous turnovers and convenient penalties.

So yeah, loss 28 of 30 games now.

But yeah, if we can snag three Super Bowl championships or so in the next few years after this prolonged torment of abject destitution, I'll be fine.
_

Giants at Chiefs - Week 4 - Record: 0-4

Even though we have such a bad team, I still shake my head after each of these losses wondering how this could be. Oh I do know why it is, and his initials are Carl Peterson. But I just think here on the occasion of our 27th loss in the last 29 games, I just think wondering just how this state of affairs can be when just a bit more than a mere 10 years ago we were in the class of the NFL.

Tonight in the other room my wife happens to have the Pittsburgh-San Diego game on, and I think about Pittsburgh being a team from such a small market, like Kansas City, but I just feel very jealous that they can have a prime-time showcase every other week while we must wallow in a sea of 12 noon central games. Today's game was actually broadcast nationally but that was only because we were playing the Giants, one of the best teams in the league.

For as much as our trooping trooper team ("They played like troopers out there yay!") gave the Giants a good run, it looked like the Giants were just treating this like a practice game. I can't say it enough, I love my Chiefs, every one of them, all the time. But I can't help but share what I see here.

I will mention our good things. Brandon Flowers, what a terrific cover guy. Mike Vrabel, nice to have him and see how New England has been so dominant because they've had players like him. Bobby Wade helped make our receivers look like a solid strength of our team with a fabulous play sweeping under a pass for a diving TD. And yet again, Dustin Colquitt is one of the best punters in the league. I'm sure I could name a few others.

But our line on both sides of the ball is still just mince meat. Our offensive line actually showed some ability today, a little. One thing that would help is for Todd Haley to stop running plays like that little QB hold-the-ball thingie then hand-off to Johnson. That went nowhere all 57 times it was run. I'm exaggerating of course, but it seemed like it was that much and I think the only time the fans really booed was when they saw that play for the 57th time.

Haley is just trying to be too fancy out there when he needs to get these guys going with the basics first. When we were down on the one-yard line we didn't send Johnson over the top once. Even with our O-line it's worth at least one try.

Meanwhile the overall Kansas City sports patheticness just keeps steamin' along. The regular major league baseball season ended today with the cross-parking-lot neighbor Royals finishing in the cellar of the AL Central for the umpteenth year in however many utterly forgettable years. Barring a miracle of all miracles for the Chiefs this year, it'll be a combined 40 team-years without an NFL playoff win or MLB playoff appearance for a big league pro sports Kansas City team. That's the largest of any other municipality by far. (The next up is Cincinnati with 32.)

Sigh.
_

Chiefs at Eagles - Week 3 - Record: 0-3

I'm afraid this blog is going to be pretty much like all the other blogs about this pathetic team, only worse. Actually, I should add that this is a good thing, because there won't be any of that close-game nonsense that fools us into thinking we have a team that can compete in the NFL.

Well, here's the blog entry for this week...

Them: Running, passing, catching, scoring.

Us: Fumbling, getting stuffed at the line, piling up penalties, moving backwards into 4th and 30's.

Really, do I need to say anything more?

Well, because I have to write to assuage the agony that is my team, here are a few other thoughts.

Remember four years ago when we played the Eagles? We were ahead 24-7, at home, and ended up getting clobbered. Today we were down 24-7 and, well, you know what happened this time. Whimper.

That year, by the way, was actually pretty decent--we finished 10-6 just missing the playoffs. And we missed the playoffs because we just didn't tackle when we had to--remember that awful Giants game that killed us? Funny, it looked like nothing's changed since then.

'Course, that's because for years and years we'd been laboring under the misapprehension Carl Peterson could actually get us players who could play. Well, enough of them, anyway. I've always loved all my Chiefs. I still want them to win a Super Bowl, though.

Seems like the Chiefs are now officially the worst team out there. The Lions won today. That's two wins each for the Lions and Chiefs in their last 27 games. Yeah, we're 2-25 since the middle of the '07 season.

Takes time takes time takes time. Pioli-Haley Pioli-Haley Pioli-Haley. Pant pant pant pant...

Must finish though by pointing out that one bright spot, Mark Bradley's nifty catch at the side of the endzone for one of out TD's. At least we've got some pretty decent receivers. Yay!
_

Raiders at Chiefs - Week Two - Record: 0-2

What's funny about this game was not that we lost to the Raiders, because usually that alone is enough to steam any Chiefs fan. With this game, it just doesn't matter who it was, what's really aggravating is that we lost to a team that played so pathetically.

The Raiders just went nowhere on offense the entire game, and our defense decided to play the matador defense in the last drive where they needed to score a touchdown from deep in their own territory with little time left. This is how ridiculous it was. Their QB completed something like three passes all game up to that point. Then we let him look like John Elway at the completely wrong time.

We also lost because Cassel made several awful throwing decisions, a couple of critical interceptions and a wasted toss that cost us a FG at the end of the first half. Turned out the be the difference in the game.

Yes, there is a learning curve, and it was Cassel's first regular season game on a bum knee. But it is just frustrating that this learning curve is so steep. It is Mt. Everest steep.

I'm telling you, it is steep now making for awful losses like this one, but it'd better make for some spectacular character building that'll do us good later.

Errrrrrrrgh... the Pioli-Haley train still just starting out of the station. Okay, patience now... Takes time...
_

Chiefs at Ravens - Week 1 - Record: 0-1

It's true that we never even should have been in this game at all. But the best thing about this was that we actually were in it and that was only because of one thing.

We actually had some ganas.

I don't know about you, but I really did sense the impact of the new Pioli-Haley regime out there. Looking at everything about this game (such as a teeny ten first downs for us and over thirty for them) you know these Chiefs had no business being on the same field with those guys. Our offensive line continues to be thoroughly inept--same old story, no holes for our runners and no time for our passers. Our defense is just not up to stopping quality offenses no matter how tired our own offense made them.

But we still got some fine big plays from Jon McGraw and his great punt block and scrambling touchdown, Derrick Johnson and his fine interception and run, and Ryan Succop and his 53 yard field goal. Hey, isn't it great we have a field goal kicker named "Suck up"? Okay, I'm sure every Chiefs fan has already blabbed about that to death. In fact if we want him not to suck maybe it's best we don't mention it. We so need a kicker to not suck for once.

Anyway, kudos to Pioli and Haley for actually doing things to get us to a point when we'll actually win a few games sometime soon. Since this was the first real Chiefs exposure I've had since December, I noted for the first time that Pioli picked up veterans like Mike Goff and Ikechuku Ndukwe for the O-line. Our O-line still has a reeeeeally long way to go, but at least he's looking to do something about it.

Haley is also instilling a no-nonsense business-like approach to the game, challenging some guys who should be way better to actually be the better they're supposed to be.

All of this resulted in a game we were stunningly in all the way up until the middle of the fourth quarter when our still-workin'-on-it defense was just too damn tired to do anything. Baltimore had the ball for 40 minutes of the game. Even Pittsburgh's steel curtain would melt if they had to be out there for that long.

I've always hated hated hated moral victories, but this was about as good as any. It's a fantastic first step for an inspired team and the Pioli & Haley building program.
_

2009 Chiefs Preview - It Isn't Pretty

Anything that really counts for anything in the NFL begins a week from today. The regular season commences and our Chiefs open at Baltimore. I'll pop in each week to offer some thoughts from an impassioned fan so devoted to his pro football team that he can't do anything but tune in to the games for three hours... and that's it.

Thing is, my Chiefs radar is always up--it is indeed impossible to draw it in--so I'll pick up things here and there. The smattering of Chiefs items I've caught leading up to next Sunday will provide a pretty good idea of why I do no Chiefs thing unless it is Sunday from 12 to 3 central time.

Item #1 - With a desperately desperate need for offensive linemen new GM Scott Pioli used his 3rd pick overall to get a not-nearly-heralded-at-No.-3 D-lineman from LSU, Tyson Jackson. Pioli had better have the greatest prescient ability not held by other experts and I am telling you flatly I would luuuuuuuv for Jackson to be the reincarnation of Bruce Smith.

But I don't think so. Cynical me. I've just seen too many of these guys we're trusting our GM to know better about turn out to be not what they should be. Jackson at No. 3? He'd better be a nuclear-powered Bruce Smith. They say his pairing with fellow LSU alum Glenn Dorsey will be a fine thing. Whoa. We're still waiting for Dorsey to be studly which he waaay wasn't last year.

Item #2 - I saw one single Chiefs play this preseason. As I was heading out the door at our hotel room during a vacation stay, my son had some sports report on and I happened to see Chiefs highlights coming on. I turned to catch the play (that radar being fully enabled) and what did I witness? Was it the fantasy in my brain--brand spankin' new QB Matt Cassell throwing a spectacular TD pass against the Seahawks?

Not exactly.

Instead it was Cassell finding himself suddenly subsumed by of a phalanx of Seahawks injury-causers, disappearing until he emerged limping around. And why was he in that position, Chiefs offensive linemen? Yes, I'm talking to you, Chiefs offensive linemen. Explain yourselves.

See, that's what steams me just as much as any lasting injury effects of the Cassell incident. Even as much as the fact that exhibition play even remotely allows an NFL team's quarterback to be in such a position--is anyone planning to do anything about that?

It is most steam-making to know that we just didn't do a whole lot to build the most important part of an offense besides the QB, and that's the offensive line.

Now, maybe they did. Maybe Branden Albert is ready to take on the second most important single position on the offense, left tackle. Maybe this is the year these young kids start to blossom on the way to fine Super Bowl runs over the next several years.

Yes, yes, I'm serious about that. Maybe. We just need to give Pioli and Haley a chance. I'm fine with that. It's just when you see them use a No. 3 for someone not projected to be anywhere near there, when you see your OL utterly fail to fully protect your QB of the future, when you see stuff like this for a team that just can't afford it, it can just be very discouraging.

It sure can't seem like it can be any worse. In the last 24 games we've played, we have 2 wins. Think the Lions were worse? Not by much. The Lions have had one win over their last 24 games, but that one game: beating the Chiefs.

I guess the adventure is in just seeing what happens next. At least there's that.

(Part 5 - Conclusion)
Past Disconsolations and Future Deconstructions of a Kansas City Chiefs Fan (Go to Part 1)

“The Los Angeles Chiefs.”

Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?

Okay, okay, before you go ballistic on me now, hold on. Just hold on—whoa up, I said whoa up for a minute…

Can there be any reasonable explanation for the fact that the second largest market in the country has been utterly bereft of any NFL presence in any way for the entirety of the past 14 years? Do you realize that for 14 barren forsaken years the NFL has done without the gobs and gobs and more gobs of revenue a Los Angeles franchise would produce for NFL-itude all around?

What could possibly be the reason behind such a patently insane state of affairs?!

Well, there is actually a reason, one which makes perfect sense for all NFL things financial, and it highlights the real issue with the individual pro football markets.

Let's start with the markets first. Because the NFL gets most of it revenue from the gargantuous television contracts it has with the various networks, money that is spread equally among all the teams, there isn’t really a whole lot any given ballclub can do to directly use its market to get better players on its team. Free agency really isn’t a workable item for pro football, and that is simply because the careers of pro football players are so short and the team dynamic is so important that shifting around players too much won’t provide any given team the capacity to gel so it can win.

So what is it precisely that a team owner can do to make the team more marketable? There are really only a couple of things, and both of them are major. The first is simply to provide the best stadium accommodations there can possibly be. Sure this involves rows upon rows of luxury boxes, but any businessperson will assess the market and respond accordingly.

Every year Forbes puts out its infamous list of “10 Teams Most Likely to Move.” The three NFL teams to make it most recently were the Vikings, Bills, and 49ers. When you look at those three teams you’d think, “Golly, those have been some pretty successful teams!” (Actually, the Niners haven’t had a winning season in six years, but they are practically married to the Bay Area.) What gives?

It is one thing, and one thing only: Each has a really crappy stadium arrangement.

Now to the Chiefs. Arrowhead has always been one of the prime spots to watch pro football anywhere. It has always been an exceptional facility, and even after 30-some-odd years it is holding up so well that (yay!) the Chiefs didn’t make the Forbes list. Clark Hunt oh-so-well knows the virtues of having a primo stadium situation, so he is now looking to pour his monetary contribution into what he can do there.

What is it that gets all team owners going ga-ga to make sure their own market situations are top-notch?

This is the answer to the Los Angeles question.

Because there it is. Out there just waiting, lying there on the left coast.

Los Angeles.

All this time Los Angeles has been used as leverage to force other markets to invest gobs of money to stay viable. I remember from the little that I read about the Cincinnati stadium situation that its people were getting soaked to make sure their sporting venue enjoyment was spot-on. Because of my sports celibacy I never saw how that turned out, but I know everyone in a metro area is expected to pony up in some way—often it’s with a grip of tax revenue in some form—or it’s “Off to L.A. with us then!”

The real sticking point is that Los Angeles has been plagued by that dratted stadium issue. The Rams and Raiders unceremoniously ditched the Coliseum, snubbed the Rose Bowl, and abandoned any other plan that kept them from getting precisely what they wanted.

But lo and behold…

Did you know that there is a major Los Angeles area stadium project in the works as we speak? This is not just any old stadium—the rich football-crazy powers-that-be have learned. This is beyond state-of-the-art. Situated about 30 miles east of Los Angeles between Diamond Bar and Walnut, it is a comprehensive commercial development wrapped around a stadium design that features exclusively luxury boxes on the entire upper half of one whole side, stretching from goal line to goal line.

Teams should be salivating at this.

Are the Chiefs?

Let me say right now that I’m not suggesting a thing, except that I want to see the Kansas City Chiefs winning Super Bowls. Note, I want nothing less than the Kansas City Chiefs winning Super Bowls.

But I admit I have my doubts. And my doubts do relate to the market problem. While the draft restrictions and revenue sharing genuinely give the Chiefs their fair shot at winning, I still firmly believe the market thing is detrimental. Players do have a vested financial interest in playing for teams the media decide to showcase more, the best front office people earn a greater measure of respect with a winning environment aided by large-market advantages, and NFL is fine with the those teams getting that wider attention because it does generate more revenue overall.

The added concern for the Chiefs is how much financial capital Hunt will direct toward stadium improvements while the team is left hanging. This leads to that other critically important thing a team owner can do besides tinker with stadium stuff:

He can create, build, and foster a winning environment throughout the entire organization. This doesn’t require as much financial capital as a profound commitment to the vibrant development of human capital. It must course through the owner’s veins so much that it permeates the entire organization, and it is far more about incisive leadership than adept money allocation.

Indeed this is the one single answer to those who’d screech, “What about the small market Pittsburgh Steelers? What about them? They’re always successful!” The reason is simply because in the Rooney family they’ve been blessed with arguably the best ownership situation in all of pro football. It has been so good they have been able to neutralize the effects of their small market status.

Again, the essential element is the kind of top-down leadership that breeds team success. Here’s the question I ask you, really, this is the gazillion dollar question of all questions:

Can Clark Hunt do that?

If the answer is yes—that is: Yes, Clark Hunt’s leadership will breed sustained team success—then what am I saying? Los Angeles—where’s that?

But if the answer is no, he can’t do that… If instead Clark meekly hides behind a milquetoast “hands-off” policy or flails about meddling in things he shouldn’t...

Yeah, I want the Chiefs winning in Kansas City.

I want the Chiefs

—winning—

in Kansas City.

But, ahem—just to ask the question, now, just to ask it…

What if the Chiefs cannot win in Kansas City?

What if Clark Hunt just can’t do that job, some of it from no fault of his own other than he’s just got that smaller market? What if the stadium refurbs end up meaning squat because no one wants to come watch the team anyway? What if Scott Pioli just isn’t getting that talent out there onto the field? What if we continue to be stuck in that long putrid rut so reminiscent of the Chiefs in the 70’s, then the mid-80’s, then the late-90’s to early 00’s, and now again?

To be honest, I shudder at the thought.

I can guarantee you, the NFL will not for two seconds allow whatever Los Angeles team there is to wallow in mediocrity for years upon years. This isn’t even to say there is necessarily any competitive duplicity going on—the market asymmetry already supplies that.

Some thoughts to ponder, that’s all. I know there are many Chiefs fans who’d care nothing about the team if it isn’t in Kansas City—that’s fine. I know there are those who’d want to see the team succeed even if it was in another place such as Los Angeles—there is a certain dysfunctional quality to that sentiment, I will agree.

The dilemma is still bracing.

On the one hand: Chiefs! IN KANSAS CITY! Always losing!

On the other hand: Chiefs! WINNING! But in Los Angeles!

Yes I know there are many who’d say “Why the dilemma? The Chiefs can win in Kansas City!” Yes? No? I don’t know, challenge me. Is it truly possible for the Chiefs to win in Kansas City? Or should we give it up to a situation elsewhere where it will have a better chance of winning? I’m all in for giving Clark a shot at it, I’m with you there! But then, on the other hand… aagh!

What do you think?!

Let me just close with a few last items.

One, we’ll have a new head coach. I’m sorry to see Herm leave, I liked him, I really did. But I also believe the head coach has much less of an impact than the GM who gets the guns for him and the guns themselves out on the field, particularly those crucial linemen on both sides of the ball.

Two, the Carolina Panthers—another small market team—seemed hopeless in 2001 when after winning their first game lost all 15 remaining games in that season. Two years later, they were in the Super Bowl. Hey, at least we won two games this season.

And finally, I just happened to recently catch this really pretty cool thing about our Chiefs. Get this: They have an overall winning record against every other team in their division. Would you know it? Yeah! Against the Broncos, our team is 53-44, against the Chargers they are 50-46-1, and against the Raiders they are 51-44-2.

Come on Clark! We actually have a legacy! Let’s keep it!
_

(Part 4)
Past Disconsolations and Future Deconstructions of a Kansas City Chiefs Fan

Size matters.

As in market size, that is.

It seems to me that most people shrug off the idea that larger metropolitan markets offer their teams distinct competitive advantages in professional sports leagues, but as an Economic instructor for twenty years I also know that most people are economically illiterate. I do not say this with any antipathy toward anyone, it is just a fact of life—most people just don’t know enough about basic fundamental economic truths to really understand. Many of them are seasoned sports pundits who make grand pronouncements of what’s really happening economically in professional sports, when they really don’t know. They offer terrific insights as to why a batter is hitting .450 or how well a given linebacker rushes the passer, but when they pontificate about the economics of big-time sports, far too often they just sound foolish.

They’ll frequently put up some numbers, feebly trying to claim that market-size does not matter by pointing at the few small market teams that have occasional success and the few big market teams that don’t have a whole lot of it. “See!” they blab, “Markets don’t matter!”

But they do. The reason is simple. The more revenues an organization can gather from whatever source as a direct result of having more fans, and the more latitude they have to translate that into spending the required amounts of money to hire the best personnel on or off the field, the better advantage the team will have to win games. Just because some big market teams do poorly with this largesse or some small market teams do well with what they have does not obviate that fact.

I have even posited in the past that the game is manipulated to the extent that media-favored teams are given advantages as well. The purpose of this is also elementary: A professional sports league cannot survive with revenues it expects to get if small-market or media-disfavored teams are regularly showing up in championship games.

I will confess that this distinction is much more pronounced in other leagues than the NFL, as a general rule, only because the NFL works industriously to ensure each team has some equal chance of success by strictly regulating player entrance into the league with the draft and significant reserve constraints, and by evenly distributing television revenue among all the teams no matter how big the markets are. A Pittsburgh-Seattle matchup for the whole enchilada, say, would make league execs cringe, therefore you will never see a Pirates-Mariners World Series. You will, on the other hand, occasionally see a Steelers-Seahawks Super Bowl (as we did in 2006).

What does this have to do with the Kansas City Chiefs?

Obviously the answer to the trivia question at the end of the last post is our cherished city. You can look at the post to see the question, or should be able to figure it out just by looking at the following information.

City, Combined Years, NFL Team (Last Playoff Win), MLB Team (Last Playoff Appearance)
Kansas City, 38, Chiefs (1993), Royals (1985)
Cincinnati, 31, Bengals (1990), Reds (1995)
Dallas, 21, Cowboys (1996), Rangers (1999)
Detroit, 19, Lions (1991), Tigers (2006)
Houston, 19, Oilers (1991), Astros (2005),
Pittsburgh, 16, Steelers (2008), Pirates (1992)
Cleveland, 15, Browns (1994), Indians (2007)
Miami, 13, Dolphins (2000), Marlins (2003)
Baltimore, 11, Ravens (2008), Orioles (1997)
San Francisco, 11, 49ers (2002), Giants (2003)
Seattle, 10, Seahawks (2007), Mariners (2000)
Oakland, 8, Raiders (2002), A’s (2006)
Atlanta, 7, Falcons (2004), Braves (2005)
Minneapolis/St. Paul, 6, Vikings (2004), Twins (2006)
New York (1), 6, Jets (2004), Mets (2006)
St. Louis, 6, Rams (2004), Cardinals (2006)
Tampa/St. Petersburg, 6, Buccaneers (2002), Rays (2008)
Denver, 4, Broncos (2005), Rockies (2007)
Chicago, 2, Bears (2006), Cubs and White Sox (2008)
New York (2), 2, Giants (2007), Yankees (2007)
San Diego, 2, Chargers (2008), Padres (2006)
Boston, 1, Patriots (2007), Red Sox (2008)
Milwaukee/Green Bay, 1, Packers (2007), Brewers (2008)
Phoenix, 1, Cardinals (2008), Diamondbacks (2007)
Philadelphia, 0, Eagles (2008), Phillies (2008)

(Just some brief notes: For baseball, mere appearance in the playoffs is considered here because it is harder to get in to begin with and easier to win at least one game in a series. For football, at least one playoff win is considered because it is easier to squeak in but harder to win at least one playoff game. Also, Houston's NFL team is now the Texans, Washington is not on the list because the baseball Nationals have been in D.C. for such a short time, and the New York teams were divided into two pairs.)

With these criteria you can see that Kansas City has a longer combined playoff drought for its baseball and football teams, and what’s so notable is that it is twice as long as every other city except Cincinnati and Dallas.

What do baseball’s Kansas City Royals have to do with any of this?

The Royals were probably the best overall team from the early 1970’s through the 1980’s. Before free agency and other big-market, media-favoring disadvantages eviscerated their competitiveness, they ran a remarkable operation under the leadership of Ewing Kauffman. But as Kauffman aged and had to consider a successor, he insisted on handing the team over to someone who would keep the team in Kansas City.

I won’t say here categorically what’s what regarding who could have bought the team but didn’t because a prospective owner would want to move it from Kansas City, but the fact is since 1993 when Kauffman passed away, the team has been under the thumb of David Glass, and it is no secret that his management has been widely considered to be one of the worst ever in sports history.

I do not disagree that Glass’ ineptitude is greatly responsible for the Royals failure for so many years. But I do honestly believe Glass would never for two seconds have been the owner if Kansas City was a more viable market.

Yes, this breaks my heart. But I just don’t think this is lost on insightful Kansas City fans.

Even Chiefs fans.

The Royals have to do with the Chiefs because, even though the draft and revenue-sharing allow the Chiefs reasonable contention every once in while, the team is still crippled by being in a small market not necessarily favored by the media that generates the league revenues that all teams enjoy.

Please make sure you know what I’m saying here. Kansas City is one of the most awesome places in the world. I am enamored with it any time I visit. It has an endearing quality that goes far beyond its renown as the Midwest railway hub, its spectacular fountains, and its barbeque eateries. It isn’t just lyrics in the song from the classic musical Oklahoma that tell of people traveling from states all around just to be there. It actually happens.

I am not mincing words here. It is not even that I believe these things about Kansas City subjectively, I know it is an objective truth. Funny, I even happened to hear a morning radio talk show guy just the other day say, “I’d never been to Kansas City but it is great! I loved Kansas City! It is a wonderful city!” I did not know the context for which he said that, but it seemed to come out of nowhere. He was about as effusively sincere as I could ever hear one be.

Make no mistake about it, I love Kansas City, I love the Chiefs, and I always will, period.

But it is also true that as much as the NFL portrays itself as the big-market-numbing, insist-on-parity king of the pro sports leagues, it cannot deny that it has had an ace up its sleeve to keep its teams viable in their locations. It has been holding that card up there for 14 years now and it is there exclusively to ensure that markets are able to support their teams for the entire league’s financial profitability. That card is...

Los Angeles.

(Part 5 sorts all this out. Stay tuned.)
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(Part 3)
Past Disconsolations and Future Deconstructions of a Kansas City Chiefs Fan

So the Chiefs have a new boss. Scott Pioli. I know almost nothing about him. What I do know about him I know only because my sports radar picks things up from news, random comments from people, those things. Apparently he came from New England, and he was sought after by a number of teams, including the Browns I think.

But that’s it. I don’t know a lick of information about him other than that.

The reason for my blissful ignorance is because of what I’d committed to doing after that fateful Monday night game against Denver. The day after that game…

November 17, 1998.

That was it. That’s the date.

On that day I firmly decided to completely abandon all my attention to any and every major sports thing there was. No more watching or listening to games. No more reading about them in the newspaper. No more gazing at televised replays and accompanying commentary about that touchdown or that homerun. No more starting conversations with others about this or that piddly little sports thing just to see if what they said would give me a teench more confidence about my team’s imminent prospects.

This newly professed sports celibacy was certainly a challenge, but for just over ten years now I’ve done pretty well. It has indeed been rewarding to put away all the fits of rage when my team didn’t do what I think it should have done, all the petty jealousies when some other guy got the trophy, all the selfish ambitions that made me revile other people I don’t even know. And all this from a guy who has never bet a dime on a sporting event.

Yes I’ve gone off the wagon a few times. I have peeked at championship games a couple times—I confess I did enjoy watching KU’s Jayhawks get that clutch NCAA basketball title against Memphis this past year. And I haven’t become a complete sports recluse—if someone else wants to engage me about sports items I’m not going to ferociously shun them from my presence. If my son continues his fine play in organized baseball I’m not going to smugly refuse to follow his progress—in fact I’ve recently softened a bit of my baseball celibacy to join him and do the dad-son thing in cheering on the Angels, a team he has become quite fond of.

I am, however, still firmly committed to staying true because it does help me focus a bit more on what’s important. Not that rooting for my team isn’t, and this is why in 2003 I decided to allow myself one simple sports indulgence. Yes, you know what it was:

Follow my Kansas City Chiefs once again.

I picked a fine year to do it. We started 9-0 that year, with Trent Green slinging the ball beautifully and Dante Hall zipping in and out of special teams coverages for eye-popping scores. It was fun. While the years following haven’t been as spectacular, I’ve actually enjoyed doing precisely what I committed to do, and that is to just watch the games.

Still, no newspapers, no web-surfing for every Chiefs nibble, no nothing except tuning in each Sunday from 12 noon to 3 central. Yes, I know during those three hours I can’t help but absorb all manner of Chiefs information from the marvelous to the abominable, but, whatever.

In the middle of the 2005 season I started to make this Chiefs thing more vibrant by starting a blog with this novel perspective as its theme. All I would do is comment on what I got from those three hours. Nothing else would color my commentary, even though I do admit some of it will contain that static I pick up with my sports radar—it’s just impossible to shut that damn thing off. I do also allow myself to research events and information from previous years, which is why I can include some historical context.

So now we’re back to the present and our brand-spankin’ new GM Scott Pioli of whom I know little and respectfully hope to keep that way (I think I did know far too much about Carl Peterson).

This whole dynamic relates to why I go to great lengths now to avoid all the static. If I scour the web and find every thing about Pioli there is to know, I’ll discover one of two things, or both. Before I get to those things you must know this.

I once also followed the 49ers like a madman, since I spent much of my upbringing in the Bay Area. I don’t think you can get two opposite ends of the GM spectrum as you can between Joe Thomas, who in 1978 practically destroyed the team, and his successor Bill Walsh, who is canonized for almost single-handedly reinventing the passing game, possessing one of the most phenomenal eyes for talent the league has ever seen, and making the Niners the most dominant team in the NFL for years and years.

So I could look at Pioli and (1) see traces of Joe Thomas—even if there are none but I’m just obsessively looking for them—which will only depress me. Or I could look at him and (2) see traces of Bill Walsh, at which point my elation will be so high that when Pioli doesn’t win us the next 57 straight Super Bowls all I can feel is, yes, depression.

Oh, so then nothing but depression results from my completely uncharitable voyeurism of this fine new football executive we have? Therefore, what’s the point.

My concern goes much deeper, and it has to do with some things I’d been thinking about for some time. They are ruminations much more far-reaching than whatever it is our new GM can do for my beloved pro football team in Kansas City, and I want to share them here in this blog.

But that is for next time. For now, here is a trivia question, some chewing tobaccee for your mind: Which city with a major league team and an NFL team (there are 24 of them in the U.S.) has the second longest drought without a playoff appearance by the baseball team and a playoff win by the football team? Answer: The second (note: the second) longest drought is Cincinnati at a combined 31 years, the Reds having last been in the National League playoffs in 1995 and the Bengals last earning an NFL postseason win in 1990. The third longest is 21 years, by the way (Dallas, if you can believe it--the Cowboys haven't won a playoff game since 1996).

Now, ahem, can you possibly guess which city has the longest drought? And do you know how long that has been? Hint: the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex is a quite barren place in October and January.

(Part 4 is next. We've done the past as pretext for the future, now for those deconstructions...)
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(Part 2)
Past Disconsolations and Future Deconstructions of a Kansas City Chiefs Fan

I must confess I am one of the worst losers I know. You’d know because of how gracious I appear when losing. That may not seem to make sense, but ever since I was shredded by some personal events as a child and I put all my emotional eggs in my sports teams basket, I realized I’d alienate just about everyone if I didn’t learn to manage those feelings.

It may have been best then that the 1970’s were a terrible dry spell for the Chiefs, and that I’d pretty much resigned myself to Chiefs ineptitude. But surprise! In the fall of 1981 I was paying little attention to the NFL when I discovered my team was actually winning games! And they were winning enough to be in real contention. This splendid feeling dissolved as the season waned and they couldn’t hold it, but they ended up 9-7 and captured our hearts.

I followed the Bill Kenney years with eager hope, fondly remembering a Thursday night nationally televised game in which he took apart the Raiders. Joy! And when we drafted Todd Blackledge I was sure he would be the guy to lead us to the promised land, after all, he was the second quarterback picked after John Elway in that 1983 superstar quarterback draft.

1986 would see us genuinely contend again and three spectacular special teams touchdowns against Pittsburgh in the last game of the season would usher us in the playoffs for the first time since that 1971 Christmas day game. The problem was Blackledge had been playing far less spectacularly than we’d all hoped he would. All those years we were hoping against hope he'd get it, but he just never ever could read defenses. The playoff game against the Jets would finally show that he was just not the guy, and our special teams excellence would prove our undoing as it would encourage the hiring of the special teams coach Frank Gansz to run the whole team. I’d always thought Jack Steadman couldn’t run a football team, and this ridiculous move was the topper of them all, yet another symptom of the front office bungling that had doomed the Chiefs to mediocrity for nearly twenty years.

As bad as it was, one of the most extraordinary experiences I’d ever been blessed to enjoy occurred during the awful strike-marred season to follow. After spending time visiting family in Topeka, my uncle in Kansas City offered me the opportunity to use one of his season tickets to come to Arrowhead the day before I was scheduled to fly out. The Chiefs were at home to play the Jets and I wasn’t going to miss this chance. It was the only time I’d ever been to Arrowhead.

It was a rainy drizzly day and the Chiefs were starting third-string quarterback Frank Seurer, and bless him, the little guy played his heart out. Jets back Freeman McNeil ran all over us gaining 184 yards, but we still made it competitive losing by only a touchdown. Just soaking it all in, beholding my team in the very distinctive temple of all things Chiefs, getting to see the magnificent Christian Okoye rumble up and down the field, sitting right there close to the action at around the fifty yard-line with my fellow impassioned Chiefs-rooting uncle and cousin—it was nothing but a transcendent experience.

Still, the discouragement continued until 1988 when the bright light of day streamed in. The Chiefs seemed to get it in gear and brought on board Carl Peterson and Marty Schottenheimer to run things. No Chiefs fan was capable of restraining their glee at this uncharacteristically radical move by Chiefs ownership, handing the team to two proven winners to really, actually, truly get the Chiefs into the upper echelon of NFL contention. Their efforts culminated in 1993 when the Joe Montana-led team played in the AFC Championship Game for a chance to get into the Super Bowl.

Even though we lost that game to the Bills, every Chiefs fan had every reason to believe that the rest of the 1990’s would be ours. Hope not only sprang eternal but was bursting out of all of our red and gold pores.

Thing is, the playoff game to get us to Buffalo, the win against Houston, would be to this point 15 years later the last playoff game we’d ever win.

What followed through the rest of the 1990’s was a series of some of the worst, most horrific clutch losses any team can sustain, much more a phenomenally talented team like the one the Chiefs put on the field. There is no question Marty Schottenheimer had a lifelong playoff curse against him, really. He was a rotten postseason coach, but even that cannot explain the abysmally bad luck his teams have had in the playoffs—just witness what happened with his Browns and Chargers teams.

1998 was the year that the Chiefs simply put me out of my misery, precisely because it was so miserable. It started with extraordinarily high hopes that we’d finally get deep into the playoffs. A 13-3 record assured us home-field advantage throughout and we had an impenetrable defense, yet sure enough we had Marty calling the shots. We weren’t helped by a number of other silly things that gave Denver the critical edge they needed to eek out a win in the divisional playoff game. I spent the entire time shaking my head, and I think my head would’ve fallen off my neck if the game had gone on any longer.

In the summer my hopes were sky-high as we picked up some key defensive players. I remember one of them was Chester McGlockton, and I thought we are definitely going to the Super Bowl that year. I was even more stoked when we took care of the Raiders with ease to open the season on a Sunday night and continue to win 4 of our first 5. Finally! Smooth sailing to dominance in the NFL.

Then the losing began. First it was to New England, and I remember being abjectly bewildered as to how we could be getting so thoroughly pasted. Then we dropped another game, then another, then yet another. It reached a head on Monday night against Denver when I was going bananas wondering how the bleeding was going to stop. This had to be it—we weren’t this bad a team and the game was at Arrowhead.

I was driving home from work, flying down the freeway so I could catch the game on television, but it didn’t matter. I was in a state of catatonic numbness listening on the radio as Bubby Brister—little second-string quarterback Bubby Stinkin’ Brister—run for a 38-yard touchdown. I was completely flummoxed as to how on earth that could be allowed to happen, of course not watching it I just couldn’t imagine, and to this day I don’t know and don’t want to know.

Yeah, it didn’t matter. We ended up getting clobbered, and I knew at that moment that I just had to do it. I just had to. My insides were just completely chewed up. There was nothing left there.

I had to give it up, let it go.

(Part 3 next time will address what precisely this meant. Stay tuned.)
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(Part 1)
Past Disconsolations and Future Deconstructions of a Kansas City Chiefs Fan

This is a critical time in the destiny of the Kansas City Chiefs football franchise, and I wanted to take some time to expand a bit on this humble blog I’ve been doing now for about three-plus years. I’d like to share a bit about my own history with the Chiefs, provide some context for this blog’s approach, and share some visceral thoughts about what I see is going on with the widest overall picture in mind. I’d like to simply include this in installments as I proceed.

I was born in Manhattan, Kansas, where my dad was going to school (Kansas State) and serving in the National Guard (Fort Riley). Seeking a promising business opportunity provided by his uncle, he took our family to California when I was two.

I started paying attention to professional sports in 1971 when my father took me to my first professional sports affair, a bright summer day game featuring the major league baseball Giants and the Cardinals at Candlestick Park. I was overwhelmed by the glory and pageantry of a live sporting event at such a magnificent venue. Hey, Candlestick was state-of-the-art in those days.

Earlier in that year I remember being out in the front yard with my dad and all his tools and handyman equipment. He was working on one of his wonderful home improvement projects, and on the radio was Super Bowl V between the Colts and Cowboys. I’d really known nothing about any team, and I was rooting for the Cowboys for no reason other than having a rooting interest. I recalled it was hard to know who was doing what because the quarterbacks were named Morrall and Morton.

The following season the Kansas City Chiefs were in the playoffs again with a very strong team, playing at home against the upstart Miami Dolphins. Every Christmas afternoon we’d go to the very spacious Los Gatos home of the same uncle who inspired our move out here, and I remember peeking frequently at the game on television. As a ten year-old I was busy bopping about with cousins and such, but I did watch enough of the game to appreciate this team and its play. Ed Podolak will always be one of my heroes for his phenomenal game that day -- I distinctly remember standing there watching him take that punt in the second overtime and zoom down the far sideline deep into Miami territory to get us into easy game-winning field goal range. Well…

Every Chiefs fan knows the outcome of this affair. As I was so young, it would not have the heartbreaking effect later Chiefs playoff catastrophes would have. But this team that was cheered on by my close Kansas City family was forever most prominent in my heart as my favorite professional sports team of them all.

(Part 2 is forthcoming, featuring my Arrowhead stadium experience...)
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