Since I've been doing this blog for a few years, and each year I've assembled at least a handful of thoughts about our beloved team before the season starts, I thought this year shouldn't be any different. I do forewarn you, I've paid the teensiest attention to any Chiefs off-season activity. The only nibbles are those that my Chiefs radar just can't help but pick up wherever however.
Why then should you read any further? Because I believe I have the most unadulterated persepective about what I think about this team. My thoughts are not unduly colored by the highs and lows of things Chiefs personnel have done in the off-season, things that would make a rich and full projection of Chiefs future success haplessly distorted.
Oh, I will include some of those things I've discovered here and there, I can't help but. I will emphasize, however, that this is all about game day analysis. I just want to see, hear, and know of what goes on out there on the field.
For instance I did see very short parts of the Green Bay exhibition game. I never pay any attention to pre-season because that always presents the most warped picture of how a team will do in the regular season. I saw that we got two quick scores (yay!) but then did diddly the rest of the way (boo!) I noted that we beat a Green Bay team that I'd learned had clocked Indianapolis (yay!) but I also saw we did it to a Packers team that didn't even play their starting QB (boo!) Really, what can you tell from that?
So here is the reality of our prospects this season, as I see it.
We do have very strong people at key positions. My son told me he'd completed his fantasy draft and picked up Jamaal Charles, who'd been widely ranked in the 15th to 20th spot of all fantasy players. That's great. I was also initially disappointed that we'd gotten a DB, Eric Berry, with our very first very high draft pick this year. I thought our D-backfield was one of our strengths, but I'm getting word that this guy is a true game changer and simply could not be passed up.
I also know that everyone is excited that we've got all the parts in place front office and coaching-wise. Scott Pioli is taking no prisoners in building a fine team. Todd Haley is fully utilizing the very high learning curve and was able to bring on board top former Patriots coaches to make that horsepower in the Chiefs engine really go.
What really has to happen in real life real regular-season real play starting right at the gun on Sept 13th are two key things. To me these are the real keys of real everything. They are simply
1. Our very very very highly drafted defensive linemen simply have to dominate the line of scrimmage. You know who I'm talking about. This is the year Glenn Dorsey must finally shake off any remnant of knee trouble and anchors the defense right at the snap of every play. Tyson Jackson looks like a monster on that line but he's really got to have much much more than a gentle shove against the opponent's lineman.
2. Matt Cassel has to show that he's the real deal. As last year wound down (I think I wrote about this in a blog post), my uncle sent me a very troubling report from an observer noting that the offensive line problems may simply not be with the line but with the quarterback. I'd mentioned that I was concerned that Cassel was throwing a heavy ball, but the further concern was that he just wasn't getting rid of the ball in time. When you and your receivers aren't in sync, that makes the whole offense lethally sluggish. Charlie Weis has really got to have the Bill Walsh touch with this guy for us to have a shot.
Those are my main concerns, and they are not insignificant. For the first time in a long time I'm really not so worried about the offensive line, because I know it was one of Pioli's off-season priorities, and it did pick it up a bit at the end of last season.
The other major item to address is the biggest Chiefs deal of the off season, really. That would be the major renovation of Arrowhead stadium. I hear it's spectacular, but the most important thing is that maybe this "New Arrowhead" will bring a completely new wave of luck for our Chiefs.
As if we need reminding, since Arrowhead opened in 1972, the Chiefs have played a grand total of five post-season games there.
Five.
38 years of Chiefs professional football games, and Chiefs players have been blessed to step on the Arrowhead turf to do playoff battle a teensy-weensy five times.
Oh, and they've won two of them.
In 1991 defeating the Raiders 10-6, and in 1993 defeating the Steelers 27-24.
Thuh end. That's it.
So yeah, a brand spankin' new NEW NEW Arrowhead can't come any sooner.
This brings up the most important factor in the entire mix, really. That would be the owner, Clark Hunt. One thing I happened to see was a link on Yahoo for a page ranking NFL team owners. It was Friday, but I didn't look at it, though I was really tempted.
To be honest I can't see how Clark can't rank highly. He has given so much to make sure Arrowhead remains one of the premier sites to see NFL football. In what I've seen he's gone above and beyond to proudly carry on his dad's legacy. And that's one of the reasons I didn't look at what Yahoo pundits thought about NFL owners.
I think he should rank reasonably well, but I'd just be ticked off if he didn't. I'd be even more ticked off if he had a poor ranking for good reasons which I just don't know about. This kind of scenario is precisely why for these kinds of things, ignorance is the sweetest bliss. It is why you'll only hear from me again after September 13.
It simply does my heart no good to presume things. I only need to know what's happening on the field.
And this year that means our boys take the field in a new Arrowhead with a few years under our belts of what I see is a new, committed, experienced, group of managers, coaches, and players.
See you next week!
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