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.

Titans at Chiefs - Week 15 - Record: 4-10

Would you believe it. The Chiefs finish 2-6 at home. Never in the 16-game schedule has that ever happened to a Chiefs team. (Back when it was 14 the Chiefs actually had three 1-6 seasons at home, can you believe it? And one of them, the 1974 one, was coached by Hank Stram!)

I don't need to write more about how bad this team is. Brodie Croyle got another learning experience today. He's got skill, but no discipline or experience. A decent drive in the second half was marred by three holding calls-- that tells you how bad our blocking is. Sure we don't have Larry Johnson, but so what. He didn't do squat when he was around because no one was there to open things up for him. But this is a tired story.

The defense-- earlier in the year I took pride in thinking of them as Transformers. Back then they did decently at figuring out the opponent's offense then stopping them cold. Now they're just getting it from the other team, who is transforming their offense to take it to us later in the game. We actually had the Titans at the half, up 14-10. Then we give up that typical big play touchdown pass, they add a few FG's, our offense sputters (ho-hum) and that's it.

So as we lose our seventh straight we're in a better position to get a nice draft pick. And we'd better get the best damn offensive tackle there is. This can't be a "Trezelle Jenkins-whupps-that-didn't-work-out-oh-darn" pick. It must be a Jonathan Ogden-type pick. If our new left tackle isn't that kind of guy, you can kiss any chance of even remotely looking at a Super Bowl any time in the next ten years a very heartfelt goodbye.

Oh, and just to add, last time the team lost seven straight within a single regular season? Do you know when that was? Good, you have a good memory because

It never happened.

Just so you know, we lost eight straight from '75 (four losses to close that season) to '76 (four to open it).

So yeah, hang your hats on that one Chiefs fans. First time with seven straight losses - single season. That counts all the abjectly horrific 70's and 80's years.

I wonder how many more hanged-in-effigy Carl Peterson figures there will be this week? How many will it take for Chiefs ownership get a clue?

Chiefs at Broncos - Week 14 - Record: 4-9

Is there any question now that this one of the worst Chiefs teams in history? Last time we lost six in a row was sometime there in the 70's. I don't remember. And ya know? We aren't even as good as 4-9. The only game we really had was the Bengals game. We got a generous ref's call to help us against the Vikings, we got the Chargers when they were down and had a rare good blast of luck in the second half of that one, and we barely eeked by a horrible Raiders team who later dominated us. Really, we should be 1-12. Too bad we aren't, then we'd get a better draft pick.

So I should briefly offer an apology that in earlier blog posts I ever actually thought we were better than we were. Typical home team gushing, I guess. I can't be faulted for that. But, sorry anyway.

Earlier this week I ruminated about our woes and thought about Willie Roaf, and how we just didn't plan for his retirement. How could we not have done that when he was with us for, what, three or four really solid years after what was already a stellar career, and then after he very predictably leaves the game, we try to replace him with Jordan Black. Either way, this horror can only point in one direction.

Carl Peterson.

Coincidentally, my uncle emails me and tells me that Monday the Kansas City Star had a full spread on how "King Carl" must go. Later I web-referenced that epithet and came across Jason Whitlock's consideration of Mr. Peterson. Not flattering. At this point,

I think I agree.

I pondered all this a bit more: What in blazes am I doing holding any further admiration for the guy, after thinking about the one thing that should be the great flowing feather in his cap? All the division titles and playoff wins and Super Bowl appearances the Chiefs have had since he's been here?

Um.

From my count here they are:

Four division titles in the twenty Peterson years ('93, '95, '97, and '03). Three playoff wins (last one in '93--only two teams, the Lions and the Bengals, have gone longer without one). And a grand total of zero Super Bowl appearances. Please note that this is with a team that could arguably be considered the very best AFC team through the 1990's. And run that by me again, how many Super Bowl appearances in that time, Carl?

Just for comparison within our division, San Diego is not much better than us (4 division titles, 3 playoff wins, one Super Bowl appearance), but that is partly because they too had Marty Schottenheimer for a while blowing playoff games.

Oakland has been better (4 division titles, 5 playoff wins, and a Super Bowl).

Denver is tops by far (5 titles, 9 playoff wins, 3 Super Bowls--two of them for championships).
Maybe that makes it more fair that Denver should paste us today. I should add for the record that I mercifully missed this one. I was at my Dad's for a Christmas-oriented visit. Came home to peek at the NFL.com results and was just not surprised.

41-7. Still disappointed, but way not surprised.

I did look at the play-by-play record there on the web, and I'll just share this thing I saw, a single thing that brilliantly shows how horrific we are.

In the middle of the 2nd quarter we have a 4th and 12 at the Denver 32, and the game is still within reach. We go for it. You've got to be kidding me. Here's the thing.

We get the first down! Yay! A first down! After a 4th and 12th! Yowwie how great is that! What an accomplishment!

It's all we've got!

Oh, and that Dustin Colquitt was out there a lot again. That's good, he should be getting a lot of work in should he be picked as what will be the only Chiefs player in the Pro Bowl.

Chargers at Chiefs - Week 13 - Record: 4-8

At least we have a good punter. Really, Dustin Colquitt was booming kicks, even against the wind. Awesome.

Oh, and we have a really good defensive end who can make spectacular touchdown catches at the side of the end zone once every 47 games.

Other than that, this team is a mess. How 'bout if we just go over it, since we've got some blog space here and all. Let's start at the top.

Herm Edwards. My uncle emailed me the other day and mentioned something I hadn't thought of, and that is the offensive coordinator. As you may know I pay no attention to what's going on during the week, it always just generally depresses me. So I didn't even think the OC should be in the hot seat, but it makes sense.

Thing is, the OC is only an extension of the HC, and that's Herm. I'd always liked Herm and don't really dislike much at this point. But my uncle is fed up with him. He wants both out.

He's got a good point.

This offense just doesn't do anything imaginitive, novel, or even just mildly dynamic to keep the other team scrambling. Okay, so Jared Allen caught a touchdown pass. That was wonderful, it really was a kick to see that.

But this should be a complete embarrassment to the offense when the DE gets your team's only touchdown.

And this was with Tony Gonzalez having a spectacular game himself! But then, that's another thing. When your TE gets ten catches on the day, your offense has problems.

Yes, Dwayne Bowe has a great future ahead of him, but (a) he's still inexperienced and (b) he has so little around him to keep defenders off his back. Kennison is too old, Parker can't run routes, and Webb just looks like a body in a Chiefs uniform out there.

At QB we just have to wait for Croyle to develop. Sure that's promising, but it means nothing to us now. Because of Croyle's back injury, today we went back to Damon Huard, and he was mostly, well, Damon Huard.

Our running game looked like it could be carried for a bit by quick little Kolby Smith, but even he can't overcome the woeful awful wretched (steel your gag reflexes yet again) offensive line. Sure it suffered some injuries, but what difference would it have made? Sure we can't run the ball with that, now we can't pass either (our QB was sacked seven times, intercepted something like three or four times).

How about the defense? Eh. That's about what you could say about it. Once in the year I thought it would be pretty dang good, but now it's just "eh." At the beginning of the year they'd give up a bit in the first half then shut 'em down in the second. Seems now that's reversed. I think I saw a stat that said in the last five games we haven't allowed a TD in the first half. Guh?

But really now. Last week we couldn't tackle Justin Fargas. You think today we're going to tackle LaDainian Tomlinson? Gimme a break.

As it is, that's five straight losses (four of them home games!), something we haven't done since 1979, Marv Levy's tenure. Yeah. First time since then-- not even in the poor Mackovic or Ganz years did we do that.

So, yeah, maybe I should just appreciate Dustin Colquitt and hope he makes the Pro Bowl. At least for this year.

Ee-yack, how sad is that, that that is all we've got.

Wow. Look at that. Three "that"s in a row, in one sentence. How often does that happen? About as often as Jared Allen scores an offensive touchdown?

Raiders at Chiefs - Week 12 - Record: 4-7

At the bye we were 4-3 with four of five home games coming up. Since then we've lost all four we've played, three of them at home. Next week I'm sure the Chargers are thinking about what we did at their place earlier this season. I just don't think they'll have much trouble making it five straight.

Today we let a very bad team run all over us. That supposedly fine defense all Chiefs fans would like to think is our bread and butter? They ran over it like a Peterbilt on buttered bread. As Raider back Lamont Jordan, in what I think was his only run of the game, slogged past Chief after Chief defender on his way to a TD, I had plenty of time to think, "Um, hmm, excuse me, I wonder, is any Chief going to actually, perhaps tackle this particular Raider player here?..."

Newbie back Kolby Smith himself ran a lot over a tremendously weak Raider offense, but QB Brodie Croyle still needs tons of experience despite some signs of quality play. Again, as I said last week, maybe this very stupid loss will keep these young guys hating it with such a passion that when they're actually surrounded by a good team they'll make sure it doesn't happen again.

What is quite frustrating is this placekicker situation. Really, ever since Jan Stenarud (the curse of Odin still haunts us), really, we have just never had a placekicker who'll be there right there and get the job done. All praises to Nick Lowery, I don't for a second disparage him, but the team never got him to the promised land to do anything of substance. I could name other kickers who've been decent, like Pete Stoyanovich.

But this whole kicker thing is just wretched. We think we've got it solved with Justin Medlock, drafting him high to fix it straight away. Then we discover that he really really sucks-- oh that's nice. Then we pick up Dave Rayner who looks like he might be okay, but today he misses another FG he simply has to make-- then worse, the coach has no confidence in him to make a FG late that would've tied it.

We lose the game 20-17. What're we going to do now, ask Santa for a placekicker?

The learning-how-to-lose experience gets more painful.

That'd better be a good thing for later.

Chiefs at Colts - Week 11 - Record: 4-6

I hate moral victories with every fiber of my being. I hate them, I really do. Really really a lot. I hate them for one simple reason: They're always a loss. But ya know, I'm actually a bit fond of this one, and that's only because at this point, it's all I've got.

I'm actually good with Herm Edwards believing we're still in this thing, and by the standings, we really still are! Who cares if we win the AFC West with a 6-10 record, as long as we make the playoffs-- I'm okay with Herm being okay with that.

I'm actually good with Brodie Croyle getting clobbered and coughing up the ball. Might as well get him to know what it's like- QB's fumble a lot by definition. Maybe he'll know how horrible it is, and maybe that will get him to do it a bit fewer in the future. I'm good with that.

I'm actually good with Priest Holmes barely able to get anything going with this offensive line in front of him, because at least he's out there with the other studly vets like Donnie Edwards and Ty Law to inspire these young players for future studliness. That's good.

I'm actually good with those young players suffering a crushing, close loss, so they'll so hate it so much that next time and it won't happen. We've got so many good young players that it's good to get them a healthy hatred for losing, and that can only happen with stupid losses like this one. I'm very good with that.

We had a very real shot at winning this one, with the Colts injuries and all, with their stellar kicker missing two gimme FG's early, with Croyle and Dwayne Bowe hooking up for an amazing TD play-- I thought all along, we're in this baby!

Then, splut. Another stupid loss in the closing minute. (Hey, at least it was different from last week when we lost in the opening minute of the second half...) But this's good for a team that could benefit from learning how to hate it.

I'm good with that.

Broncos at Chiefs - Week 10 - Record: 4-5

At the half I was actually thinking, awright, here we are in this typical (at least of late) defensive struggle with Denver, ahead 8-6 (the safety the result of another phenomenal blocked punt by Bernie Pollard) and we get the ball to start things off here. Awright.

Sigh.

It wasn't so much that we fell apart. The worst of it was seeing that our offense is just as sucky as it has always been, and that our defense is worse than we all thought it was.

Don't give me all that "We still hung in there and moved the ball at the end." Sorry, doesn't count--the team couldn't even score then, either. The simple fact is that this team just isn't as good as the other team out there. Their guy could kick a 50-yard FG, our guy couldn't. Their back got nice holes to run through, our guy didn't. Their QB got the ball to the guy when they needed it, our guy couldn't.

And I swear Denver was penalized 57 times on the day. It was as if they taunted us, giving us all these head starts and we just stumbled. And I think I'd heard something about Denver being plagued by injuries. More handouts just dropped in the gutter.

Sorry. This Chiefs team is just not a very good team. And this is just not news. To the credit of those young genuine quality skill players out there, it really starts with that offensive line. It all starts right there. How much longer can we sing that tired refrain.

And then there's the fact that this is our third home loss of the year. The Chiefs just don't lose at home, they just don't.

But then, this is this Chiefs team.

I just wonder what kind of carnage we'll witness next week in Indianapolis...

Packers at Chiefs - Week 9 - Record: 4-4

What is it with this AFC West? We lose and we're still in first place. Over in Minnesota Adrian Peterson runs all over San Diego-- despite (and I just have to mention it here, if you didn't see it--I just happen to catch it for the moment I had the TV on the other channel) the Chargers kick-return guy snatching a missed long FG from just under the cross bar and running it back all the way for a touchdown. And over in Detroit the Broncos were getting thoroughly pasted a week after Brett Favre did them in-- at least we're not the only ones.

With this game, we just got beat by one of the best QB's in NFL history. Late in the game the guy throws the ball deep off his back foot and he still gets it to his guy. I just don't think our D-backfield really knew what they were up against-- their receivers looked like antelope just roaming the wide open range out there.

Don't know what the status is on Larry Johnson, but (a) let's hope the ankle sprain is not so bad that it'll keep him out long, and (b) it just seems encouraging to have Priest Holmes there to spell him if he does miss some. We just have to see how much the early-2000's Holmes is in the 2007 version.

There is just another consideration too that may sound fatalistic, but I'm just thinking realistically. If Johnson is out for any extended period of time, no big, because that'll buy him some time, save him some wear and tear for a couple years or so down the road when we'll have a chance to be very good.

Come on, how many Chiefs fans right now are really going, "Woo-hoo! Four-and-four! Four-and-four! First place babeee!" I, for one, am so looking forward to the next draft when there will be a truckload of good O-linemen and QB's coming out. This team does have the foundation with Herm Edwards and a young enthusiastic defense, but we gotta have a top-class QB and some offensive linemen who fire off the line.

One other note that I just have to make. Did you catch this? Early on, our guy rushes the QB and barely slaps him on the head and gets a personal foul penalty keeping a drive alive after they had 3rd and long. They go on to get a FG, which, in this one, could have been the difference. A bit later their D-guy comes up the gut and pummels Damon Huard, full helmet to the head. No call. Of course, Huard doesn't complete the pass on a drive where we get squat. I rarely ever mention ref calls because they even out and yah gotta win yourself and all the rest of it. But this discrepancy was just too blatant.

So the great thing about this game was the play of Tony Gonzalez and the knowledge that we have a grip of draft picks coming up for the off-season!

Chiefs at Raiders - Week 7 - Record: 4-3

Just some random thoughts about this game:

- This made it nine straight against the archest rival of all arch-rivals. The last time they beat us was the last game of 2002, in Oakland, shutting us out 24-0 the year they went to the Super Bowl. I have to keep in the back of my mind that some day the Raiders are going to give us a good pasting. I'm just hoping it is not some crucial game we need to get us to the promised land.

- What a joy to see Priest Holmes out there today. I can't see how he'll ever be what he once was, but the question every Chiefs fan will ask for at least a few more years is, who-dya think's better all-time, Priest or LJ? As much as I love Johnson, as any Chiefs fan does, I can't say he's yet passed Holmes as the all-time best Chiefs back. Thing is, this year Johnson does not have that O-line Holmes had for those years, and Holmes never really got us deep into the playoffs. However, to Holmes credit, a lot of that is because we had such a sucky defense then.

- Heard during the game that the Chiefs traded Michael Bennett for draft picks. How sweet is that, not because I didn't like Bennett but because we're stock-piling picks to build this team, which today, let's be honest, ain't goin' to no Super Bowl. (Sure I hope I eat my words.) Thank goodness Herm and Chiefs management are thinking long-term. It will pay off.

- Does anyone miss Dante Hall like I do? He was such a spark, a fired-up guy-- and not just on special teams. It goes without saying that he was spectacular on kick-backs. I'm just sick of watching Eddie Drummond do his little dance thing and get clobbered. Dante just got it and headed up field. The worst he did was get us a few yards. Drummond gets zip.

- And pessimistic me, waiting for the other shoe to drop, namely the shoe of our kicker who will certainly one day miss one of those stupid field goals when we most need it. I just happened by chance to see that Lawrence Tynes missed an extra point for the NY Giants. I didn't feel so bad. I think.

Next week a bye, some rest, and a bit of wonderment (albeit gleeful, certainly) as to how we can possibly be in sole possession of first place.

Bengals at Chiefs - Week 6 - Record: 3-3

The main event of the day was certainly Touchdown Tony's performance, pulling in not one but two TD catches to become the NFL's all-time tight end touchdown guy. Hooray, yay, awright, cheerio, and all the rest of it. I'm not being fully facetious about that, I am thrilled this extraordinary player has been a Chief through his amazing career.

Even though we got a nice win over what should have been a much stronger Bengals team, we still have a lot to work on. Here in the sixth game of the season, we got our first rushing touchdown of the season. 'Scuze me? Our first rushing touchdown of the season? You've got to be kidding me.

I promise I won't mention our woeful offensive line here, but even though LJ got over 100 on the day, much of it was in a few big chunks-- including one nifty 34 yard non-touchdown jaunt. At the one yard line a Bengals defender yanked the ball out of his hands and out of the endzone. Neat. Anyway, that ended up not hurting us, of course, and Johnson may be more ready for such an occurance next time.

The more critical thing was when we needed to run out the clock with a 27-10 lead in the 4th, we kept getting stuffed. That doesn't bode well either.

Our transformer defense did its transformer thing again today, but it can also be said to be the "Give Up the Big Play" defense. Their second TD was simply an incredible pass from Carson Palmer, but the first was just bumbling on our part, just not having the coverage and then refusing to tackle.

As it is, if you can believe it, we're in first place in the AFC West. It is way too early to tell, but is it possible for a team here to win the division with a-- gasp-- 8-8 record? Or even a 7-9 record? That's just heretical.

Jaguars at Chiefs - Week 5 - Record: 2-3

Ahhck. Ergh. Eegh. Urpthl. Urrrng...

I just can't help but say three words. Just three words.

The offensive line.

Yes, yes, I will spare you the comment "It was offensive." But I will say what must be said.

It just isn't very good.

And that is to put it mildly. Does no one else see this? Are we all looking at this team with rose-colored glasses? Do we all like wallowing in our denial?

Whenever a more showcased player like a QB or RB is just plain sucking, you hear it somehow somewhere from someone. When the O-line sucks, no one says anything because, well, it's the O-line. Who cares? What do they do, anyway? They block, how boring is that? How hard is it to do that? I could stand in some guy's way and get paid half what they do.

You could quite glaringly see how bad it was in seeing how well Jacksonville's O-line played. Opened nice juicy holes for the runners. Allowed the QB to get off passes for clutch completions.

Hey, you don't have to take my word for it. The Chiefs have arguably the very best runner in pro football, getting tons upon tons of yards rushing over the course of the last two years. Now, how much did he get today?

12 yards.

12 yards on nine carries.

Herm Edwards. Carl Peterson. Ahem. Does this mean anything to you?

Yes, I know there is little a team can do mid-season. You can't put bionic parts on an Anthony Munoz and sign him up. At least not in the non-Hollywood world.

Edwards could make a few adjustments, and to be sure, give him credit for keeping the passing game decent in this intolerable situation. I am indeed amazed we can even pass at all. This is also because we have two phenomenal receivers, the vet Tony and the rookie Dwayne. What a joy to have Bowe out doing his dazzling thing there and at the same time pulling defenders off Gonzalez and allowing him to be even more studly.

But really. These guys are our offense. They're making Damon Huard look good. A very encouraging sign was watching Brodie Croyle come in and for a second time this season, hey, look like he really knows what he's doing out there. There's a glimmer of light there!

The season can still be something, I won't say it can't be, especially after last year's miracle finish. Our never-say-die spirit got us a final play TD to escape the shutout. Awright.

But whatever happens, if we don't pick the very best O-lineman available in the draft next April, Carl Peterson must be required by law to have a thorough brain examination.

Chiefs at Chargers - Week 4 - Record: 2-2

Last night I saw the movie Transformers at the local IMAX theater. Thought the humongous screen would make it more spectacular, but the film itself was pretty lame so it didn't do much. A "transformer" is a large robot machine thing that can actually become something its little supercomputer registers. Say it sees a Camaro automobile-- it'll just look at it, go buh-zip buh-zop, and it can turn itself into that thing.

The reason I bring it up here is that the Kansas City defense seems to behave in exactly that way. They've played four games this season and in every one they've allowed the opponent to get decent scoring momentum at the start, but then

They transform.

Really, they just sort of change their make-up to match whatever the opposing offense is throwing at them. Stat-of-the-week: (Everyone knows it but it's worth mentioning) The Chiefs defense has not allowed a touchdown in the second half all season. We have just done a terrific job or morphing into an unstoppable force in every game-- what a credit to those guys and to the coaching staff. Some things to note about it:

The D-line: There is no question Jared Allen's presence is a big factor. He moves so quickly and pursues so fiercely. Our guys on the line there batted down, what, three or four passes?

The linebackers: How sweet it is to see Donnie Edwards back with the us. The guy is a stud-- especially at leading the defense. And Derrick Johnson is becoming a consistently top class defender.

The D-backfield: Probably the strength of the defense. You can't say enough about it. They smothered San Diego's receivers, flustering QB Philip Rivers into a nightmare of a second half. How about Ty Law's phenomenal interception today to go with his enduring experience and leadership. How about Jarrad Page batting that last pass in the end zone effectively sealing SD's demise. How about Tyron Brackenridge being right there to grab the loose ball and scoot for the big close-it-out TD.

Not to give short shrift to Tony Gonzalez on his amazing TD catch in the triple team to tie Shannon Sharpe, but what is the deal with Dwayne Bowe? Is this guy for real? Eight catches for 164 yards and a boffo TD... Does this guy remind you of John Taylor, remember him on the other end of Jerry Rice in the '80's and 90's Niners? He's got the same number... Yeah, maybe all Chiefs fans have already thought of this and I'm just behind on picking it up.

Thing is, Bowe is still only four games into his career and he's doing this? Can we say he is that good and not jinx the guy? Granted, SD's defensive backfield isn't the best. And I was getting a bit frustrated when it seemed they were going to him all the time, even that one time in the fourth quarter when the ball just shouldn't've been passed to him and it got deflected and intercepted.

Hey. This team's in first place. Yeah it's only on the strength of two wins in a weak division, but this is really nice for the first quarter of the season, considering.

Vikings at Chiefs - Week 3 - Record: 1-2

The Never-Say-Die Chiefs get their first win with a gritty determination they introduced in the second half of last week's game.

This one opened with Adrian Peterson running all over us for a quick touchdown. From that point on we made the adjustments to calm him down a bit and effectively stuff the Minnesota offense.

Still, our offense was lethargic until Huard exploded in the fourth quarter. What a performance. There was that one series there when they'd alternate: pass-Johnson-pass-Johnson, and every run was small loss and every pass was a big gain. He deserves the kudos, that's just Huard being a big-time QB.

He also got help from his two big-time receivers, the vet Tony Gonzalez and the newbie Dwayne Bowe. First, Gonzalez: How many times does Herm have to see him play as great as he did today and refuse to use him as much as he should? Second, Bowe: The kid is stud out there. How great it is that he's being used so effectively just three games into his career.

And the defense. Just a killer day for them.

What a fun comeback win for a team that, I believe, still has a lot to prove. But then I think, hmm, could this AFC West be so weak that we'd actually have a shot? The Chargers are 1-2 now. Den and Oak still play this afternoon, but the Broncos had to eek out their wins, and Oakland is 0-2.

Yeah, it's way too early, and today we still only got a single touchdown on the day. It is very nice to see the coaching staff work so well with what they got. Let's hope they can keep it going.

They've certainly got the perseverence factor going great for them.

Chiefs at Bears - Week 2 - Record: 0-2

I will admit that there was a teensy-weensy-itty-bitty spoodge of goodness from this game. Even though we were playing the Bears-- the NFC Champions last year-- in Chicago, and up until the two minute warning of the first half we played like a Pop Warner team,

We didn't give up.

Yes, this seems like one of those "Buck up, kids" kind of blabbings, but we genuinely, authentically refused to wilt like our talent dictates that we do.

Yes yes, that cynic in me just keeps pestering me with the certainly preposterous idea that overall this team has got a long way to go to even be considered mediocre.

But hey, back to the good: We really gave it all we had for 60 minutes, even revving it up to take it to the Bears in the second half if not for some critical turnovers and a blocked field goal. And wow! Even Brodie Croyle stepped in and went 4 for 4 passing in one last valiant assault before being denied. And we can refuse to give credit to the defense who shut the Bears down touchdown-wise after their first one in the first period. Their only other TD came from a punt return.

Back to the reality of the situation: Our talent, particularly on offense. It just ain't there. Damon Huard's heart is huge, his game is just-- um-- not. The offensive line is-- yes, yes, I can't help it-- offensive. Larry Johnson, again way below 100. The bright light is top pick Dwayne Bowe, but he's so green he's not much of a factor now, having only two catches on the day.

It just seems to me we've got to open it up. We start almost every series with the standard Johnson-Johnson-pass fare and more times than not it was three-and-out. Against a team like the Bears, stop with the short drop kukka. How about some deep drops, let things open up, use more play action-- with a phenomenal back like Johnson and TE like Gonzalez it can't be that bad.

Stat-of-the-day is not a pleasant one. Remember when it seemed like every year in the 90's we'd get off to a blazing start? Welcome to the 2000's. Of the eight years in this decade so far, we've had five 0-2 starts. This was the fifth 0-2 start in the last eight years. That really sucks.

We get our first home game next week. Yay! Let's see if home cooking makes any difference.

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

I should say something right up front here. I am a devout cynic. If you want "At least we did that well" kind of pap you won't get it here, unless what we did well is actually meaningful. I have all the respect in the world for Dustin Colquitt, you know I'll say it-- he's a great punter. But if the most positive thing about this game is how much the punter was out on the field, that stinks. (Even though it was only four times, it seemed like more...)

It is indeed a horrible feeling when from the day training camp opened you know your team will suck. I will be honest and actually had that hope that Brodie Croyle would pan out. He didn't big-time. Sorry, but a QB drafted that high should be showing up by now. In the one game I watched in pre-season, the one against the Dolphins (and his best showing by the way) he looked like a high school player. Sorry, but he needed to be in there leading the team. He played like he was trying to impress the cheerleaders.

Instead we've got Damon Huard, who was completely underwhelming today. To be kind to him, this was expected. He's just not anywhere near get-you-to-the-dance material. And please don't give me the whole "We shouldn't have gotten rid of Trent Green" bit because he's done. Loved him like nothin' else when he ran our offense, but he's done.

And that thought about our defense picking it up? For one, this defense just didn't get it done. It had those flashes of above-adequate, but, yeah. There ya go.

And for two, you can't expect your defense to carry the team with an offense like this. Larry Johnson, the guy everyone seems to think is Super-Duper-Man, got a woeful 43 yards rushing. Remember the sad refrain from last year? About that one forgotten thing that is arguably the most important part of the team? The offensive line? Kyle Turley is still starting. I don't think I need to say more.

This thing was doomed after the first pretty decent drive when our vaunted new place-kicker bricked a gimme 30-yarder. That was just inexcusable. Sigh.

I found myself in this crushing resignation mode as early as Thursday night, catching myself muttering to the television "I wish we had a team like the Colts." How awful is that.

I could say a whole lot more about this, or that, but it'll still all be abjectly pointless. Oh I'll blog through the season. Faithfully. But right now, I don't know--

At this point, what else do you expect me to say? What else can any Chiefs fan say?

Chiefs Pre-Season Note - 2007

I could begin this post with "Chiefs at Browns," but as I've shared before the exhibition games do not interest me in the least. I may peek in if one is on television just to behold the red and gold zipping by, and tonight while doing some web surfing I took a glance at tonight's contest. Just wanted to see what was going on with our quarterbacks.

I confess I haven't much to say here, because as you know I pay no attention at all to what happens outside of gametime. In the past I've just been so obsessively consumed with who we drafted, signed, traded for, or tried to get out of jail that I deliberately go out of my way to avoid knowing any of it. I've found quite a bit of wonderfully surprising peace in that.

Sometimes, however, a friend or acquaintance who knows of my Chiefs fandom will mention something about our boys and I can't refuse to be considerate and engage them. From what I've gathered the QB job is up for grabs to a rookie (for all intents and purposes Croyle is a rookie), a journeyman, and a Canadian football transfer. Hum. This could sound quite unpromising, but I will always have great hope in the possibility that maybe Croyle could someday turn into a Joe Montana or Tom Brady. Just gotta let things play themselves out.

What I really wonder about is whether our offensive line will be servicable. That's really the main question. Will the defense carry the team this year? What a switch for a Chiefs team if it did. Does this feel a bit like the early 90's? Only thing, again...

In the early 90's we had a terrific O-line.

Chiefs 2006 Season - The "Tale of Two Cities" Take

This season was, as most seasons are, really, a "best of times and worst of times." I thought I'd review this past season by highlighting the five best things that happened, as well as lowlighting the five worst things. We'll start with the worst, counting down:

5. Getting so thoroughly pasted by the Steelers. This was particularly hard to take because the Steelers were themselves having such a poor season. They were due to win one though, and we were just in the way at this point in their schedule. I will say they made up for it a bit by helping us out and beating Cincinnati in the last game of the season. The thing about this game was that it was just so discouraging watching them pour it on against us. That helpless feeling is not fun.

4. Larry Johnson getting facemasked in the Cardinals game. It was so flagrant, so criminal--yes, I don't mind using that word. Any defender who does what he did--to any player, not just our guy, should be suspended for at least half the season, if not all of it. It was frightening seeing the image of Johnson laid out there, he really could have been dead for all we knew.

3. The loss to the poorly-playing Dolphins. This was the very same kind of game we had against Buffalo last year. We go there and just can't do squat. Nothing happens for us, and it just seems so inexplicable. Why do those losses in Miami always seem to be so painful?

2. Trent Green's injury on opening day. That really put us in a hole right out of the gate. Seeing him taken off the field on a stretcher was horrible enough. That no penalties at all would be forthcoming against the Bengals player was just wrong. I guess you could say they got theirs when the Steelers knocked them of the playoffs and allowed us to get in on closing day.

1. The loss to the Browns. This was indeed the most wretched game thing that happened-- not counting the Green and Johnson injuries. Being up 28-14 in the 4th quarter, thinking this was going to legitimize us, then returning from my son's game to see we'd actually lost to this team was devestating. The realization at that moment that we were definitely not the contender I was so sure we were just a couple hours earlier-- abjectly horrific.

While these were the individual worst things, the one sustained worst thing was unquestionably the play of our offensive line. Losing Willie Roaf at the beginning of the year turned out to be way too much to overcome.

You'll also note that the playoff loss to the Colts isn't among the worst things. For me anyway, it's not there because just being in the game was a good thing. Again, at the risk of really really belaboring the point, we weren't going to do jack with that offensive line. So, when we did great for 3 minutes and scored a touchdown at the end of the third quarter, we all cheered and loved it. The rest of the game, when I don't think we even got another first down at all, we shrugged. Oh well, what are you going to do...

Okay, now to the great things. These were the best of times...

5. The win against the Broncos on Thanksgiving Day. We did precisely what we needed to do to beat this team. We just got the job done for all 60 minutes, through-and-through a solid performance, and it was sweet to see-- on the Internet since we couldn't get the NFL Network's game on my family's cable where we were celebrating the holiday. At least the inaugural NFL Network game, for what it's worth, was a Chiefs victory.

4. Damon Huard's play. The guy actually played well for the time he filled in for Trent Green. My uncle is even convinced he should have been the guy to go to whole way, and I don't think he's the only one. I think it wouldn't have mattered considering our offensive line woes, but it was good to see him come through. There was no particular game in which he excelled, so for this point I'm just going to have to go with his sustained play.

3. The win over the Chargers at home. Even though we were way ahead and let them get back into it, we won the game with a long FG from Lawrence Tynes that was very exciting to watch. And Huard's clutch play was instrumental in getting us the W.

2. The win over the Cardinals. That we ended up beating them after the Johnson facemask was sweet indeed. That we came from way behind, at their place, to get it made it that much more joyous.

And the number one great thing, is without question...

1. December 31, 2006. We came into this last day of the year and a full slate of NFL games needing four different results to occur for us to get a playoff spot. All of the them happened. Seeing us get the job done against Jacksonville, watching Santonio Holmes dive into the endzone, noting that Joe Nedney got that overtime FG to put away the Broncos... it was all a dream.

What about next year? I could take all my pot shots at what I think should happen, but I trust Carl Peterson enough to know what to do. It's a new era without Lamar Hunt, let's hope his boys can keep the Chiefs spirit vibrant and focused. As the next season approaches there may be some things on my mind, and I'll bring them up then. One thing is for sure.

We'd better get an offensive line, one that I'll go so far as to hope is as good as the one the Chiefs are famous for having.

Chiefs at Colts - AFC Wild Card Game

Okay, first the good things about this game. Finally, we are now officially, completely, mathematically eliminated. I don't take anything away from the enchantment that was the last day of 2006, it was magical, wonderful, rapturous, all the rest of the superlatives. But knowing what we knew from the 4th quarter of the Browns game on, there was just no way this team was going to go anywhere. So, yeah, no more banging around in our visceras the confusion of whether or not we were actual contenders for a title.

On a more genuinely positive note, I was very pleased with our defense. Quality-wise it wasn't great--it was very good, just not great--Indy stilled gained on us pretty well. But that offense was still Indy's, we actually stuffed them effectively considering it was that offense (the score was just 9-0 at the half!) The best thing about our defense was that they just played with such heart. Could you see that? Seeing the sustained highly energized play of everyone, and knowing we have such dedicated young new players like Tamba Hali out there-- it was fun to watch this in our team.

Now, alas, the bad. And with all due respect to those guys, we lost this game for one reason, and you may know what it was. I'd been speaking about it all year long, in the hushest of tones hoping it wouldn't be as bad as it was, but, ahem, it was. This game exposed it in all its bright, wretched colors.

The offensive line.

No, no, no, it was not Trent Green that was the problem. About half-way into the third quarter the TV camera started regularly showing Damon Huard, as if to say, "When is Edwards going to put Huard in?" Some of us watching the game even got the Huard bug, hoping the coach would make the switch. It was at that point when Green came alive and for three (and only three) glorious minutes at the end of the third quarter, he went 6 for 6 and drove us down for a TD and 2-point conversion.

But that was it. Green would've done fine throughout the game, if he wasn't rushing every play because he knew he'd get clobbered. He had no time to pass, and Larry Johnson had nowhere to run. I can't believe for two seconds we have two pro-bowlers from that line. I'm sure the Will Shields pick was a gimme for a career of greatness, but today he was pathetic, as was the others. It was just a catastrophe.

Hey, don't take my word for it. Here's why: (1) The game: We didn't get our first first down until there was 3 minutes left in the third quarter. That's 42 minutes into the game. (2) Our defense: It just started getting really tired in the second half, and that was solely because they were on the field for so much of the game. (3) The opponent: The Colts didn't just have a poor run defense, they had one of the worst in all of NFL history. How in the world can your top-of-the-league back gain only 32 yards against that? Well, you know...

I should mention that some of that definitely had to have been the coaching. Again, sadly, our game plan went back to being unimaginative. The first play from scrimmage was the ol' "We know you have a bad run defense so we're going to run our best back right into a pile of your guys." They kind of knew that was coming and put their pile of guys right in the place they knew our guy would run.

After the game Edwards blabbed the typically gratuitous "Give 'em credit." Ergh. If he was totally honest he would have said, "Our offensive line stank, and I didn't mix things up enough to take advantage of their weaknesses." That would've told the real story.

A while ago I mentioned that this year seemed a lot like '96. But after looking at things, I realized this year was almost a carbon copy of '94. Remember that year? We started off well going 7-4, then lost three in row late (a couple were abject heartbreakers to Denver and Seattle) to go to 7-7, then had to beat the Raiders in LA to get into the playoffs with a 9-7 record. We then went to Miami and lost there 27-17 in Joe Montana's last game.

This brings up what may be our most harrowing nemesis problem: the old AFC East. Do you know that since the old AFC East was formed in 1970, a year after the Chiefs beat the Jets in the divisional playoff game on their way to the Super Bowl title, we have gone 0-9 against old AFC East teams in the playoffs. Yes, that means any time we faced one of those teams in the playoffs (Bal/Ind, Buf, Mia, NYJ, NE)-- nine times it's happened-- we've lost. Every single time. And in none of those games did we ever face New England! Imagine what that would've been like.

Anyway, here's the sordid record, listed by rating of crestfallen-ness from 1 to 10, 10 being the result brought about the greatest despondency-- to me anyway (though of course all of them were devestating to some degree).

1. 1990 - to the Dolphins. We were up 16-3 in the fourth quarter and Albert Lewis is just a nano-inch away from picking Marino's pass. Instead it goes for a TD and they end up winning 17-16. Rating: 10

2. 1995 - to the Colts. This was pound-for-pound probably the best team the Chiefs ever put on the field, and Steve Bono has a miserable game, Marty Schottenheimer coaches a miserable game, and Lin Elliot misses three gimme FG's. Rating: 10

3. 1971 - to the Dolphins. Jan Stenarud missed three FG's in that infamous long overtime game on Christmas day. Rating: 8 (Not a really high rating because I was still only ten years old, so afterwards I still slept that night)

4. 2003 - to the Colts. We started 9-0 that year, but our defense just continued the slide it started late in the regular season and we just can't keep up with Peyton Manning. Rating: 8

5. 1994 - to the Dolphins. Our very best skill players, Joe Montana, Marcus Allen, and Derrick Thomas each make critical, costly errors. Rating: 7

6. 1986 - to the Jets. Our first playoff game in 15 years, we're just outmatched. Todd Blackledge finally shows he can't be a major league QB. Rating: 6

7. 1993 - to the Bills. Just because we got into the AFC championship game, and were that close. But Joe Montana was knocked out early and it was freezing there-- we were just outplayed. Rating: 5

8. 1991 - to the Bills. The Bills were just a better team. Again, whadder-you gonna do. Rating: 4

9. 2006 - to the Colts. Yesterday's game. Again, that we were there was a bonus. I'd just reveled in us getting there and being in the "Realm of Playoff Existence" for a week. Rating: 4

So there ya go. We continue to have the third longest playoff win drought among all NFL teams. That's hard to believe, but yeah: our last playoff victory was back in '93 when we beat Houston (um, the Oilers, that tells you how long it's been). Every other team but four others have had at least one playoff win since then. (The Bengals [last playoff win in '90] and the Lions ['91] are two, and the new Browns and Texans haven't been in the league that long.)

Where do we go here? The O-line definitely needs something, something major, that's a given. We have to get a new kicker-- alas, the kicking curse came back real fast when our only FG attempt boinked off the upright. Oh joy, that was nice to see yet again.

And the QB situation-- is Trent Green really our guy? If we have to wait for Brodie Croyle to develop, might we think about trying to get a Jake Plummer or Drew Bledsoe for a year or two? Would that work? What do you think?

But hey, I must add another good thing, I just have to say it... our punter is awesome. Really, way to go Dustin Colquitt. Yesterday he was booming punts. Another very positive thing to look forward to.

Thing is, maybe next year we won't need to use him so much if we can get our offense going. It'll be interesting to see what happens-- hopefully Carl Peterson will continue to be a deftly impatient manager and make something happen.

Chiefs Playoff Berth - The Day-After Postscript

I simply can't go without blogging today with an important note about perspective. Yesterday was indeed a euphoric day, one that any fan of any given team gets very rarely.

But this morning I was stunned to see the Broncos' despair go from bad to abjectly wretched when learning about the senseless shooting death of their fine cornerback Darrent Williams. Some utterly reprobate individuals drove up next to his vehicle and sprayed it with bullets just hours after the Broncos lost. Was this somehow motivated by the loss? One of my first thoughts was of that Colombian goalkeeper a few years ago who was murdered by crazy fans after he inadvertently kicked a goal in for the other team costing them a critical World Cup match.

I just don't know. Should that matter? It is insane nonetheless.

I can only mention that after yesterday's events I realized that the Chiefs stuff only provides a fun but fleeting feeling of those things God wants us to enjoy-- relationship, accomplishment, discovery. Too many times I myself lose track of this and get consumed by the Chiefs stuff. This is not to say it isn't important, but it is really just the faintest image of what God actually has going in those areas.

All good things come from Him, and in light of horrific things like Williams' death, nothing about any Chiefs good thing means a damn. What counts is that He rescues from death and despair and He revels in our engagement with Kingdom things. That's where the genuine accomplishment lies. I pray the Williams family knows that, as well as Broncos and all NFL fans.

(If you're interested at all, I address the whole World vs. Kingdom environment a bit more at my other blog, Wonderful Matters.)

Jaguars at Chiefs - Week 17 - Record: 9-7 - Part II

THE MIRACLE HAPPENED! Denver got bogged down and the Niners beat them in OT!

The Chiefs are in the playoffs!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?!!!

The Chiefs are having one huge New Year's Eve party tonight!

My head is spinning, but here's the bombardment of stuff that's banging around in there. I'll try and put it together with some reasonable semblance. And trust me, my curmudgeon hat is safely stored away for a while.

I have to say that while the Chiefs are my number one team in all of sportsdom, the San Francisco 49ers are my second favorite team in the NFL. I was born in Kansas, but actually grew up near the Bay Area. Living there for so long, I obviously got much more coverage of the Niners and followed them quite dutifully, cheering them with great joy through the glory years of the 80's.

I say this because Niners fans have seared into their memories one particular horrific Monday Night game in Denver from 1985. That season the Niners were struggling after being world champions the year before, coming into snow-drenched Mile High with a 5-4 record. The Broncos won the game 17-16 with the help of a snowball thrown from somewhere at kicker Ray Wershing, who then missed a field goal that would've won the game for the Niners.

Wow, what has happened to the home-field Broncos against the Niners since. There was obviously Super Bowl XXIV in 1990, when Denver in their home uniforms were handed the most lop-sided loss in Super Bowl history, 55-10. In 2000, the Niners got the Broncos, who'd won the Super Bowl two years before, so exhausted in their 38-9 win in the last game ever at Mile High Stadium that they lost the wild-card game the following week.

And then there was this season. All Denver needed to do was win.

I had left to do some shopping with my family after the Chiefs game, and I didn't really want to endure the ups-and-downs of this Niners-Broncos affair. I'd just resolved to get the news all at once, when it was well over. So at almost 5 pm our time, we're waiting in a line of cars at a drive-thru burger place and my wife says, "Let's see what happened with the game." She turns on the radio, and I'm stunned...

The game is still going. We listen for a minute, and find out it's in overtime with the score 23-23. This is just unbearable. The Broncos have the ball at their own 11 with about 7:00 left in OT. I'm thinking, great, all they have to do is tie and they still get the playoff spot. But after they run a play, the announcer says, "Wow, these guys are really tired out there." That makes sense, the high altitude and all. But I'm actually thinking, this is really good for us. Denver's deep in their own territory, if we can hold them here, then we've got great field position.

I turn off the radio. Still, I just don't want to go through this.

We get our burgers, get home, and I click on the website. Sure enough, there it was.

SF 26, Den 23.

Wow-oh-wow-oh-wow-oh-wow. In that instant I felt that sort of overwhelming stunned and elated feeling at the same time. I ran in and shouted the news to my wife and kids, high-fiving all of them. I discovered that Denver did indeed stall, the Niners got the ball back, drove down a bit so Joe Nedney could kick the game-winner through. And from the weather reports I heard this week, there was lots of snow in the midwest. Whaddya think of that, Bronco snowball-throwers?!

My uncle from Kansas City called me right after that to talk about this incredible day. About this miracle. We had a 1 in 16 chance straight up, and probably worse than that because Denver had to have been heavily favored.

I think of this as the complete inverse of exactly ten years ago. Remember that? I mentioned it in an earlier blog entry, but to go over what happened on the last day of the season that year: After being 9-4 on Thanksgiving, we lost two in a row to put us at 9-6. A win over Buffalo at their place and we're in the playoffs no matter what. We lose to them, but can still get in if Jacksonville loses to Atlanta. In the last seconds of that game, down 19-17, the Falcons get all the way down to the Jaguar one yard-line whereupon Morten Andersen, arguably the greatest kicker of all time, bricks it. He bricks an 18 yard FG attempt.

I still so remember the despondency of that moment.

But the pain is made much less excruciating with today. That's because for one, the field goals finally worked in our favor in a big, big way. Not only did Cincinnati's kicker brick his easy FG today that would have won their game, but the Niners kicker got his clutch FG for us. In fact he went 4/4, his longest a 46-yarder. We needed every one of 'em.

Secondly, yeah, there it is-- we won today against Jacksonville. As bad as it was that we didn't make the playoffs in '96, it was almost as despairing that this then mere second-year expansion team did.

In this game we actually showed that we deserve to be in the playoffs, finally. A few things came to the fore that could be advantageous for us. I've spent a lot of time highlighting our "glaring deficiencies." Now's the time to showcase our strengths-- since we are a playoff team. (Proud smile...) For your consideration:

- Herm Edwards' "magic," which I'd mentioned a couple games back that, whatever the case, I would be looking for in the last few games of our season. Today he really let fly! We were so much more imaginative on offense-- there was more play action, Larry Johnson even tried a pass, and we got that awesome flea-flicker touchdown.

- Our defensive backfield. It really doesn't get enough credit, but it was such a joy to hear the color guy announcing today that the Jaguars couldn't get a particular pass play done because our coverage was so good. The addition of Ty Law has been a big plus, and he even had a terrific pick setting up one of our TD's.

- Our experience. While I complain about how old we are, this may actually be a big bonus in the playoffs. Eddie Kennison had a phenomenal day. One catch he made was easily a nominee for an NFL season highlight best-- tiptoeing down the sideline, he juggled the long pass until he gently pulled it in for a big gain. Tony Gonzalez is still a monster, and I'd like to think Trent Green can get it done, even though my uncle thought he had a miserable game today.

- Larry Johnson. I've gone the entire season without making much mention of him, but that's only because it is such a given that the guy is a stud among studs. He set an NFL record today with most carries in a season, something like 400-something. My uncle thinks we really have a chance against Indianapolis next week because they can't stop the run. If that is so, and we get that play-action going much more than we have, then we could have a shot at that revenge for what the Colts did to us in the '95 and '03 playoffs.

- Special teams. Believe it or not, one of our consistently best players has been, yes, punter Dustin Colquitt. Bernard Pollard blocked another punt today, this one he took in for a TD. And aren't you just waiting for Dante to bust one again? He's so due. (Oh, and I have to mention: remember 20 years ago, 1986? In the last game of the season, we made the playoffs on the strength of three special team TD's, against, yes, the Steelers.)

What's so great about all this is that, yes, we've got nothing to lose. I almost actually like going in being a 9-7 team more than a 13-3 one. This is almost like the Twilight Zone-- there is just no way we should've gotten here. But we are, and yes, yes, I'm making no apologies-- I don't think for a second we don't deserve to be there. Hey, the Steelers barely eeked in last year and got by Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Denver (all on the road), and finally Seattle to win the Super Bowl. If we get that far, that'll just be-- I don't know, I can't even say.

Right now, we're just here. And today's day, for what it was, will always be treasured by any Chiefs fan no matter what has happened or ever will happen.

It certainly is by me.

Jaguars at Chiefs - Week 17 - Record: 9-7 - Part I

Aaaagh! WE'RE STILL IN THIS THING! Can you believe it?

For the 10 am (PST) slate of games we needed three results, and got them all! (1) We beat Jacksonville, more on that later, in Part II. (2) New England put it to Tennessee. And this year (3) Pittsburgh did what we wanted! They had to beat Cincinnati, and how sweet that was considering what the Bengals unapologetically did to Trent Green in that first game of the season.

Thing was, while I'm watching us hold off Jacksonville, I've got my eye on that Pit-Cin game and note that the Bengals had gotten deep into Steeler territory with the game tied and seconds left. That's it, I'm thinking, we're done-- but then! The guy misses the field goal! Wow-oh-wow-oh-wow.

Pittsburgh then gets the ball for OT, and from about their own 30, Pittsburgh's QB dumps off a slant to a guy who races all the way for a TD!!! My 10 year-old son and I are screaming as this guy Holmes races down the sideline, the 40, 30, 20, 10-- dives into the endzone! Touchdown-- and the Chiefs are still alive!

Being an impassioned Chiefs fan I can't deny I'm thrilled. For another three hours at least our team is on the lips of NFL'ers the world around. Yes, we've still got to pray for a Niners miracle win in Denver (a 1 pm PST game), but for now,

Wow.

Special Pre-Week 17 Note - Our Playoff Chances

I don't normally write a post in between games, as I've worked to strictly devote this blog to thoughts about each individual game sans all the fuzziness that goes on among the elitist media pundits. But since everything hinges on a number of concrete factors this last weekend of the season, I thought I'd comment about where we are.

Last year we took it down to the last game but it was easy then. If we won and the Steelers lost, we'd be in. Interesting to note that the Steelers not only didn't lose (to a very poor Detroit team--we all knew it wasn't going to happen) but they surprised everyone and went all the way to the title.

Yes, believe it or not, this year we are still in it.

I kinda think this whole thing is just yanking us along. Our straight-up chances are 1 in 16, because we need four results to occur for us to get in. But I do confess, like all Chiefs fans, I'm excited. Woo-hoo-- I'm excited just because we're still there hanging by that thread.

Strictly speaking we need:

1. Us to beat Jacksonville at home. Because I pay the tiniest of attention to any other team, much less a non-media-darling like the not-New-York-or-Chicago Jaguars, I just don't have a clue what kind of team they are except that they too are 8-7. But since we're at home, we should be able to beat them. Hey, I know they aren't the Ravens. Prognosis: Very good.

2. Pittsburgh to beat Cincinnati. Okay, this year we need Pittsburgh to win. They are the reigning champs, so they can do it, but they're playing in Cincy and the Bengals need this for their playoff ticket-- and I'm sure they've got on their minds last year's playoff game in which the Steelers wrecked Carson Palmer's knee and then trounced them. Prognosis: Fair.

3. New England to beat Tennessee. New England is certainly a quality team but they too are on the road. I don't know, but I'd like to think they're playing for a bye or home field advantage. Prognosis: Good.

4. San Francisco to beat Denver. Uh-oh. I'm really hoping the Niners are also playing for a playoff spot, but at 6-9 I'm just not sure. (I only say this because I'd heard there may be a losing team making the playoffs in the NFC.) They're also in Denver, which means a Niners victory is nearly impossible. This is where the true miracle has to happen. Prognosis: Extremely poor.

Thing is, we're just being dragged around in the NFL mud anyway. Yes, I'm putting on my curmudgeon's hat again, but in all my silly giddiness that we're still "a contender," we are still hurtin'. Do you actually believe all those glaring deficiencies-- the O-line, the inconsistent D, Trent Green's nerves, unreliable kicker-- are going to vanish?

And if we should have all four of these results go our way, I'll send up the biggest cheer and just think of the Steelers of last year, but would their miracle happen for us this year? We'd have to get through any and most of four utterly dominate AFC teams-- SD, Balt, Ind, or NE, all at their place.

So yeah, I know I know. Just enjoy it now. We're in amongst all the "Who'll make the playoffs" conjecture. The Chiefs are still on people's lips. At least there's that.

So my curmudgeon's hat is off then.

Chiefs at Raiders - Week 16 - Record: 8-7

Not much to say about this game. We slogged to a 20-9 victory. The Raiders are pretty much the 2-12 team their record indicates, committing five turnovers on the day. They don't have extraordinary skill people at any offensive position, though their go-to back-for-the-day Justin Fargas did well. But hey, their QB is young, and Randy Moss has been replaced by some alien imposter from space who merely looks like him.

Larry Johnson had another 100. I think I'd heard something about him earlier in the week criticizing the play-calling as unimaginative. Good for him. I hate to say it, but I agree with him, it is. Today we did a bit more misdirection, got lots of people involved, so that was nice to see. I really believe that Herm Edwards is a terrific coach, but sometimes it just seems that he doesn't fully take advantage of all that he has. Does anyone else feel this way?

Anyway, for what it's worth, tonight we are still in the playoff chase. Woo-hoo! We can revel in it one more night, as I'm sure we can be mathematically put-out-of-our-misery a dozen different ways tomorrow when the full slate of games are played.

As for thinking in more future-oriented terms, an announcer mentioned that guard Brian Waters was going to the Pro Bowl. Hmm. That's great. Maybe the O-line isn't as bad as it seems. Our offensive line problem may be solved by merely getting that solid left tackle.

So yeah. It all comes back around to that key question asked before the season started. Can we replace Willie Roaf? I believe the answer was an unqualified "No." But if we work hard in improving that area, we may be helped more than I thought.

Finally, it was sweet hearing Dick Vermeil do the color in tonight's NFL Network broadcast. He is such a football genius, and I know this may sound perverse but it just kills me to think if we had the defense we have today back in 2003 we'd've been utterly dominant. But what do they say? If poseys were bluebirds and wishes were popsicle sticks, or something stupid like that...

Okay, I'm done for now...

Chiefs at Chargers - Week 15 - Record: 7-7

Before I begin, I want to lay out some ground rules. First, the Chargers are a better team— they deserved to win this game merely by the fact of their superior talent and play. I'm fine with that. Secondly, I know that you can’t meaningfully reconstruct a hypothetical game if things had gone differently, because you just can’t presume things would’ve necessarily gone your way.

With that in mind, the Chiefs got jobbed in this game. Three key things did them in. One, habitual inattentive punt return coverage, two, a stupid call by a ref, and three, a stupid NFL rule that needs to be changed. Let’s look at each, in order, and see what the game result really should’ve been, all other things being equal.

1. On the Chargers first drive, our defense stopped them, setting up a punt. They faked it, snapping the ball to the back who then ran right past a preoccupied Chiefs coverage team for a first down. In the replay it looked like there were only six Chiefs on the field. Five guys up front dutifully waiting for the ball to be booted and then turning to provide blocking for the runback, and one guy waiting way back there to receive the punt. Ahem, where was the containment? We were just brain dead on that one. This is certainly something that the Chiefs need to work on, and yes, it is no one’s fault but our own. Of course, later in the drive the Chargers scored a touchdown. Given.

2. On the Chargers next drive, QB Phillip Rivers tossed a quick out to his fullback who caught the ball, turned upfield, and was summarily leveled by Derrick Johnson. He then fumbled the ball, which was grabbed by Tamba Hali at around the 40 yard line. Oh, problem: Quick whistle by the ref. Great. They call it incomplete and it can’t be reviewed. The announcer even made a comment, something about “there must be a football action” taken, such as actually moving forward at least a teench to demonstrate he had possession. What tripe. This cost us big because shortly thereafter the Chargers punted down to our 5, whereupon we gained about 50 yards before we had to punt. That 50 yards from the Chargers 40 would have been a TD for us. So, real score: 10-7, Chiefs.

3. About midway through the second quarter I’m noticing that we’re down only 7-3, even as we were being outplayed. Okay, good, we have a chance, this is still a game, good. The Chargers are punting from about their own 10 yard line, and a super punt-blocking rookie, Bernard Pollard, swoops in to make a clean block of the punt. The ball flutters forward, however, about 15 yards when one of our linemen takes a stab at grabbing it. The ball barely skims him, it bounces away and a Charger lineman falls on it. Everyone on the Chiefs bench is now fired up, patting Pollard on the back, high-fiving. Chiefs fans around the globe are gleeful, knowing this is our chance to really get back in this, to put it to them.

All of a sudden the Chargers offense is on the field. The ref had to briefly explain to Herm Edwards what is surely called the “Really Stupid Screw-the-Chiefs Punt Block Switcharoo Rule.” It says that as long as a blocked punt crosses the line of scrimmage and touches a defensive player, it’s a free ball, and if the offense gets it, then they get new set of downs.

The bewildered Chiefs then put their vaunted “Huh?” defense out on to the field, and on the very next play LaDainian Tomlinson squirts down the field for an 85-yard touchdown.

The main reason this has got to be the stupidest rule in the book is the whole line of scrimmage thing. The ball barely got past the line of scrimmage. So it would be exactly the same as if, on fourth-and-sixty, Tomlinson got the carry, ran two yards, bobbled it, it bounced against a few Chiefs players, and was recovered by the Chargers. Anyone would certainly cry foul if the Chargers were given a new set of downs. I’m perfectly okay with it if this all happened down the field and they recovered it past the yardage needed for a first down. That’s reasonable. It’s even okay if the defensive guy actually grabbed the ball, had possession of it, ran around a bit, then fumbled the ball anywhere on the field. But here it is, essentially, a great play by the defense—stopping them on three downs and blocking a punt—and the reward for that is giving the offense the ball again and a new set of downs. That is ridiculous.

Driving home from a family Christmas function towards the end of the game, I listened to a San Diego radio station’s announcers, a couple of college-aged Charger sycophants, recount the earlier punt block incident and refer to it as THE CORRECT CALL. Yes, they did speak in all caps, I could tell. Point is, why would they say "THE CORRECT CALL" like that if they didn’t also agree that it is a stupid rule?

If the proper way the rule should be was in place—the blocked punt must go past the first down yardage point and not the line of scrimmage—then it would’ve been Chiefs ball at about the Charger 15. Not even presuming we’d even score, the Chargers would certainly not have gotten their score. So without the stupidity, we’re still up 10-7.

Therefore, the final score would’ve been 16-13, Chiefs, considering each team later added two field goals. 16-13 Chiefs, not 20-9 Chargers.

This is indeed the idiocy that drives me crazy about watching our team. Interesting, today at work a colleague even brought up another such critical stupid ruling/call incident that happened back in the Browns game. I hadn’t known about this because I didn’t see or hear the fourth quarter of that game. But he mentioned that at the end of regulation, Tony Gonzalez caught a pass and rolled out of bounds untouched by any defender with five seconds on the clock. The refs did their twirling arm thing to keep the clock rolling, and with no time outs, regulation ended. Guh? Doesn’t going out of bounds stop the clock??? Apparently we had our shot to kick the game-winning FG, and it was yanked from us because of this stupid call/rule. And I don’t know what it was. The stupid rule? If there is some silly roll-around-on-the-field exception, then change it. The bad call? Then the refs should fess up. But neither of these things happened that I know of. Hey, we're the Chiefs.

With all the typical Chiefs aggravation out of the way, a few other things need to be said about this game.

The first is that our offense is miserable. The O-line topped their performance last week by allowing six sacks this time. Trent Green looks timid—no, better: he looks scared to death out there. It is affecting his passing so much that I don’t think he threw a good pass all night. When he came close, our receivers were dropping balls, not getting open— it was just miserable.

Do you know that—throwing out the meaningless gimme who-cares end-of-the-game TD pass last week—we have not scored a single touchdown since that wonderful 99-yard TD drive in the fourth quarter of the Browns game? It’s almost as if that one drive tired us out so much that we’re done for the season.

This season also reminds me a bit of 1996, exactly ten years ago. Remember that? After winning on Thanksgiving and posting a solid 9-4 record, we didn’t win a single game after that and missed the playoffs. Same exact thing is happening so far this year. Our last win was against Denver on Thanksgiving, proudly getting us to 7-4. Ergh. How ironic that Lamar Hunt actually lobbied the NFL to get other teams besides the Cowboys and Lions to play in those holiday games, and they honored him this year by scheduling the Chiefs at home for the very first ever NFL Network game.

I don’t think we’ll have a chance to be viable on the last day of this season, because even if we do finish 9-7, right now we are 0-5 against any team not in the west, AFC or NFC. So much for having tiebreaker advantages.

So now’s the time to start looking at what we need for next year. Besides all the obvious holes to patch, here’s one thing. We need a snorting, snarling Ray Lewis-Mike Singletary-Jack Lambert-type dude clogging things up in the middle on defense. I like Kawika Mitchell, but we just need that guy who can just smell the play before it happens and mauls everyone in his way to stop it. Someone who just fires up our defense, gets us to that next level. The defense is good, it really is, but these guys have got to know what it means to finish.

As it is, we're finished this year.

Special Note - The Rock of the Chiefs - Lamar Hunt passes away, December 13, 2006

I have not known a minute of pro football without Lamar Hunt. No one has known a minute of Chiefs football without him. After the NFL refused to allow him to add a team to the league, he put together the entire AFL in 1960, and included that team he wanted, then the Dallas Texans. After only a few years, he wanted out of vying for fans with the Cowboys and blessed Kansas City with what became one of the stalwart organizations in football. Even though it wasn't always successful on the field, he made the Chiefs a lasting, vibrant part of the city and the NFL. He was the Chiefs.

The impact of Hunt goes way beyond the fact that he came up with the name "Super Bowl." For starters he not only got the AFL going, but was instrumental in the entire success of the NFL. Many people think it was the Jets upset win over the Colts in 1969 that afforded the AFL respect. No, with all due respect to the Jets, that could have been a fluke. It was the Chiefs Super Bowl win the following year that meant it was for real. Few people outside of the faithful remember what a dominant team this was in the late-60's. The Len Dawson-led offense got the job done, and the defense with Bobby Bell, Willie Lanier, Buck Buchanan, Curly Culp, and Johnny Robinson was phenomenally good, arguably one of the greatest ever.

Right after that, it was AFC teams that defined success in the 70's. The Dolphins, the Steelers, and the Raiders all rolled over their NFC counterparts through that decade. Even though the 49ers and the Cowboys each had their dynasties in the 80's and 90's, people don't fully realize how good the classic AFL Broncos, Bills, and Oilers were in those years.

And if you talk about the 90's you can't deny Hunt's very own Kansas City Chiefs were one of the exceptional teams. There were those close, crushing losses in the playoffs, but remember, this team made the playoffs 7 of 8 years, at one point getting in six straight times. Hard to believe that it is now in our Chiefs memories that we fondly think of Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith, Albert Lewis, John Alt, Christian Okoye, Marcus Allen, and even though they were each there for such a short time but did very well, Joe Montana and Steve DeBerg.

And the 00's? You know it. The most impressive team by far has been another original AFL'er, the Patriots. Lamar Hunt never grumbled or or got petty whenever he endured the frustrations of his team. It was almost as if, when a team defeated his Chiefs in the playoffs, he'd just be proud of all his other babies.

The neatest thing about Lamar Hunt was that he loved sports so much, that in college he earned the nickname "Games." He built on that reputation by industriously putting together all kinds of leagues for things like tennis and soccer. In having such a passion for competition, he made it possible for so many to showcase their skills and have a great time in vibrant competition.

It is not an overstatement to say that half of the NFL was his doing.

It is just weird not having him there being the Rock of the Chiefs. I thought he would be there forever. There is no question his spirit will live on in the Chiefs, in Kansas City, in the NFL, and anywhere people desire to accomplish great things.

Ravens at Chiefs - Week 14 - Record: 7-6

Wasn't the last time we lost a December home game in 1947? Something like that? Oh well, all good things must come to an end.

What probably hurts the most about this loss was not that we got beat for the obvious reasons. And it certainly was not because it showed we can't contend, that was determined last week.

The reason it hurt the most is because it showed just how old this team is. As I'd intimated last week, I'd actually thought Trent Green was back and in good shape to get us going. This game showed that we really need to get a young new guy at the helm, and that doesn't just happen over night. Is Brodie Croyle the answer? I'd like to have that ray of hope that he'd actually develop into a true major league signal-caller. At this point we just don't know.

As for other aged troopers, there is Tony Gonzalez-- how much longer can he go?-- and Eddie Kennison-- with all due respect, he's still our go-to receiver? That's hurtin.' Never mind the anchor of what-offensive-line-we-have-left is Will Shields, who was a rookie in 1947.

For now, we know the obvious:

With all that happened this year personnel-wise, our offensive line just can't get it done. It isn't all Trent Green's fault. He was sacked five times and threw two interceptions. His one TD pass was a late game gimme. Larry Johnson had over 100, but Baltimore's defense is so good they just toyed with him. Take out one ultimately meaningless 47-yard romp and there you have the real running game on the day.

Our defense is exceptionally inconsistent. Every once in a while they shine, but they just don't-- oh how do I put this without belaboring the point-- they don't finish. Give them credit, they actually did a decent job of containing Baltimore's offense. But they gave up the one huge TD pass play, and you just can't do that against this team.

And how about looking at a new placekicker. Even though in the grand scheme of things it didn't matter, Lawrence Tynes missed an easy must-make FG early. To have even a chance, we needed that. After that choke, I knew we'd struggle. We just can't afford to have a kicker blowing these opportunities after a pretty strong opening drive.

Think this was embarrassing? How about this: a work colleague tells me that NBC has selected next week's contest at San Diego-- arguably the best team in football-- for their prime-time evening slot. Great. We wait all season for a Sunday/Monday night game and this is the one they're going to show. One where we're going to get slaughtered before the whole country. Just great.

Yes, yes, we're still mathematically in it for post-season. It'll take more than magic now from Herm Edwards, it'll take miracles from a lot of other places.

As for me, I'm just hoping for the miracles that we'd draft and develop solidly from this point forward, especially at QB and the OL, so we can actually contend next year.

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

Well, it's official. About as official as you're going to get.

We aren't contenders.

Call me an anti-Pollyanna curmudgeon of the worst kind, but really, what do you want? I'd kinda like to win the Super Bowl. I know there are some who'd be tickled just to finish the season with a winning record, but me, I'd like us to go all the way. I dunno, call me crazy.

But the fact is, Super Bowl teams don't blow 28-14 leads in the fourth quarter. (This was against a 3-8 team!) I just can't help but think that our age has to be a factor. We could virtually do what we wanted through three quarters, but after that-- a set of offensive series that included one in overtime-- we couldn't do diddly. Our defense wilted. I actually thought that having Trent Green out for the first half of the season would make him fresh for the second half, but he just couldn't get it done in the second half of the second half of today's game.

Why am I surprised? I should've known our inability to put games away would come back to whack us. We couldn't do it against San Diego, Seattle, or St. Louis, but we barely eeked out wins. This one we lost. Needless to say this should say something about our stamina-- our ability to finish. It's just not there.

Today I actually had to step away from this one right after we marched down the field for a TD on that terrific 99-yard drive. We had to go to my son's last flag football game of the season, and so the whole time I'm thinking, "Woo-hoo, we've got them now. Our dee should be able to close it out. This 8-4 team has got a chance now. We can show we can do well on the road. Awright."

But then I see the score when I get home. But yeah, again, why am I surprised?

Now we're 7-5 (two losses in OT BTW) and now drowning in a conference of 10-2 teams. I saw a news tease the other day that said an NFC team with a losing record could make the playoffs.

Well, sorry, that's just a concern of those who get giddy for a playoff spot. Whee.

For me, well, I'll just watch to see if Herm can do more magic with what's left.

Broncos at Chiefs - Week 12 - Record: 7-4

A long time ago I'd heard that we'd be playing a Thanksgiving day game. Woo-hoo, I thought, that'll be great, it'll be televised and I can watch it with my family. Then I noted it would be against the Broncos, and thought, "Hmm, usually only the Lions and Cowboys get those days' games..." Then I caught that this game would be the first NFL Network game, and I went "Un-kay, it'll be on cable."

Thing is, a week ago I learned that the NFL Network isn't on many of the cable systems, including that of my sister-in-law's where we were enjoying the holiday. Great. This is precisely what I had feared in my gut. Here we've got a nationally televised game at home against a division rival and we can't see it.

The fact that we played really well didn't make it any better-- I wanted to see it! Getting what I know from a few periodic checks on the web, it looked like we did what we should have done in the game at Denver earlier in the year. Our defense was stellar yet again, and this time we got that clutch touchdown that kept us in charge of a predictably low scoring game. Our last drive before the half was an 88-yarder that featured some solid yardage plays and put us up 10-3. We got three more field goals in the second half, moving the ball well each time to keep the Broncos on their heels, finally finishing with the 19-10 win.

It was good to see Tony Gonzalez back and really getting into the mix as he should. Larry Johnson got his routine 100+ yards rushing against a good Denver defense. Trent Green really seemed to be getting back into the rhythm of things and the O-line protected him well considering its condition.

Is Herm Edwards working some magic to get this team into real contention in the very tough AFC? We've now got a nice ten day break until the next game which will be critical-- Cleveland on the road, a game we have to win with that road game against first place San Diego looming.

Raiders at Chiefs - Week 11 - Record: 6-4

In the last seven straight games with the Raiders, the Chiefs have won them all, each by a point total of seven points or less. If you're a Chiefs fan like I am, this would be nirvana, but the nature of sports is always more of a karma thing. Sometime later you'll always get back what you've done to others. If this were the Raiders doing it to us, it'd be pretty unbearable.

Thing is, it really shouldn't have been that close, at least in considering the Raiders as a relatively weak team this year coming in with a 2-7 record. But they are an NFL team and they did have Aaron Brooks back at QB, so it turned out to be another struggle for us.

Behind 13-10 with only a few minutes left, we did get down the field for that go-ahead TD. I just wonder, are we a team that is actually, genuinely clutch, or are we just barely making up for a number of profound deficiencies? Is this 6-4 record really indicative of a winning team? I mean, in the opening moments we ran-- well, I should say, naturally, Larry Johnson ran over the Raiders for a quick TD score.

Then we went as flat as an limp unrolled crepe.

What's the deal? For one, our offensive line is still being held together with paper clips and scotch tape. I don't know, maybe I missed it, but was John Welbourn back in there? That can only help. I also have no idea when Brian Waters is coming back, and my son tells me that Tony Gonzalez may be back next week.

A great thing is that Trent Green was back in there. Sorry, as well as Damon Huard played, gotta go with Green. He was very rusty, but on that last drive today to try to win the game, he showed why he's the #1 guy. That pass he dropped right in Eddie Kennison's lap, precisely where it had to be, was vintage Trent Green.

As for our defense, it looked shaky, overpursuing and running past tackles... in other words, not finishing-- errgh. But ya gotta give it to 'em, they still held the Raiders to 13 points.

And what's with Lawrence Tynes? Double errgh. He can hit a clutch 82-mile field goal to win a game, but he can't hit a 35-yard chip shot that today would've tied it.

This upcoming Thursday, Thanksgiving, we get Denver at home. This'll go a long way to answering that question I asked earlier. Are we for real or are we just fooling everyone?

Chiefs at Dolphins - Week 10 - Record: 5-4

I can't say that I didn't think this was going to happen. I actually thought the Dolphins, not a particularly good team who'd last week beaten the Bears at their place, would play even better.

The Dolphins were just as mediocre as they'd been most of the year. We just sucked, and the 13-10 score wasn't as close as that. It kind of reminded me of last year's Buffalo game, one of those contests we had no business losing and was especially painful to watch. Some items of note that showed exactly how pathetic we were: We got our first first down with three minutes left in the first half. The only touchdown we got was right after a gift turnover deep in their territory. We couldn't even take advantage of a bonked-off-the-upright FG miss by their kicker, when a bit later our guy couldn't hit a 48-yarder.

What was the problem? Easy.

Our offensive line is in tatters.

All Chiefs fans should know the litany by now. Willie Roaf retires, John Welbourne is suspended, Tony Richardson signs with another team... Now Brian Waters is injured. There is just no way you can pluck All-Pro OL-men from trees. If you lose your go-to back, it hurts and everyone knows it. It isn't any different when you lose your extraordinarily talented linemen.

You could see it in the whole game. Damon Huard had a horrible game, which by the way should move Herm's hand in finally putting Trent Green back in. He not only couldn't connect for beans, but he was sacked a number of times, a couple in that most critical last minute drive to get a game-tying FG. Needless to say Larry Johnson couldn't get anywhere.

That's all O-line stuff.

I don't know what we're going to do. Maybe Herm can be a magician. Maybe Green being back in will mean something-- except that I just think about that first game against the Bengals when he was running all over the field and eventually got clocked.

Our defense sure is holding up its end, and this without Derrick Johnson. The only TD they gave up was set up by their only big pass play. Other than that they did pretty well shutting Miami down. Can the defense carry us when our Achilles heel is so pronounced?

How ironic is that. Our bread and butter, that O-line, one that saw Priest Holmes to such renown...

That line could be our undoing.

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

Has anyone noticed that we've won 5 of the last 6? The only thing is that we're 4-0 against the NFC (sweeping the NFC West) and that won't win us any tie-breakers. Can we take all the AFC teams (against which we're 1-3) we've got for the rest of the season?

This game was almost another heart attack game, with us going up 24-7 before they started making waves, getting it to 24-17 and driving for the game-tying score when they bogged down at about the thirty yard line as the 3rd quarter ended. The Rams really killed themselves at that point, getting all kinds of false start penalties and pass interference calls against them. Thing is, are we a good enough team to win without the help? I mean, at one point their QB Marc Bulger was something like 23-26 in passing, and he ended up with over 300 yards on the day. That's phenomenal.

I have developed a new healthy respect for Tony Gonzalez. Is Herm Edwards just using him more and better (5 catches and 2 TD's today)? That's great, but I have to confess I've always had a reserved opinion of him in light of all the plaudits heaped upon him. I think a lot of it is that I do expect him to be super human out there, and I know that isn't fair. The don't think you'd disagree, however, that when he comes up with some of the terrific plays that he does make, he does deserve his ranking as one of the best ever.

We've played a killer schedule so far. I say this because we've got piddly Miami next week. It should be cake, but I fear that's just the game to humble us big-time. It's in Miami, and while we beat them there last year, we have a history of just not getting done at their place.