View Full Version : Whitlock: Tagliabue drops the ball
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/12956860.htm
Tagliabue drops the ball by not moving this game
JASON WHITLOCK
Kansas City Star
After consulting Michael Brown’s FEMA playbook, NFL commish Paul Tagliabue decided the safest thing for everyone involved would be to hold a football game in the middle of hurricane evacuations.
Now, had one of Janet Jackson’s exposed breasts been headed for Miami, I’m sure Tags would’ve moved the Chiefs-Dolphins clash somewhere safe, away from a possible eye-gouging nipple.
I’m unhappy. And this is personal.
With Hurricane Wilma headed for southern Florida this weekend, the Chiefs and the Dolphins should be playing at Arrowhead Stadium this Sunday. Instead, the Chiefs will fly to Miami this morning and take on the Dolphins tonight. As I have for each Chiefs game the last 11 years, I’ll be in attendance.
This is the first time I’ll watch a Chiefs game in total disgust. (OK, well, there were the Elvis Grbac years when I wanted Jeff George to play quarterback.)
Perhaps Tagliabue was too busy to watch the Houston highway chaos created by the threat of Hurricane Rita. Maybe Tagliabue is unaware of the impact Hurricane Katrina and the Superdome disaster have had on Americans’ reaction to hurricane warnings.
Yes, Florida has experience dealing with hurricanes. But things are different now. If the storm projections are accurate, the whole Miami area will be wrapped in fear and potential chaos by this evening.
A football game at Dolphins Stadium is an open invitation for increased traffic problems. Local residents are concerned with evacuating or boarding up their homes, so you have to wonder whether the stadium will have enough employees to have regular security and a full staff of service personnel.
And why have law-enforcement officials concern themselves with a football game when I’m sure there are far more pressing concerns?
You have to wonder what is driving this decision. Is it greed? NFL games generate money for the local economy. Moving this game from Sunday to Friday already lessens the game’s profitability for local businesses. Moving the game to another city would be worse. Dolphins’ season-ticket holders would get cheated unless the Dolphins gave some sort of refund.
Whatever the case, money should not be the driving factor in this decision. Safety should be the only issue.
Is Tagliabue concerned about the criticism he received from the Saints because he made them play a “home” game at Giants Stadium? A commissioner has to have the courage to do what’s right.
The right thing here would have been to play in Kansas City. Yes, the Dolphins would have whined about the Chiefs gaining home-field advantage. So what?
Tonight’s game is likely to be sloppy. Neither team has had time to install its full game plan. You can’t prepare for a football game with just two days of practice — Wednesday and Thursday. Friday is generally a day for teams to lighten the workload on players and give their bodies a chance to recover.
In protecting Miami’s home-field advantage, Tagliabue’s decision has actually greatly accentuated the Dolphins’ advantage. The Chiefs are going to step off a plane from a three-hour flight about six hours before kickoff. Is this fair to the Chiefs, who have traditionally played poorly in Miami?
Dick Vermeil will have to perform magic for the Chiefs to be competitive tonight.
Hammock Parties
10-21-2005, 01:17 AM
**** TAGLIABUE!
HolmeZz
10-21-2005, 01:18 AM
Good job, Whitty.
Wow! I completely agree with every word.
Mecca
10-21-2005, 01:19 AM
Yep, we pretty much got hosed. Atleast Whitlock agrees with us and didn't call us whiners again.
BigMeatballDave
10-21-2005, 01:37 AM
Whit nailed this. Agree completely. Tags is a ****ing moron...
BigMeatballDave
10-21-2005, 01:38 AM
Why not play a Sat. game in the Georgia dome?
Dr. Chief
10-21-2005, 01:43 AM
Tag's doesn't care and has no need to. He knows we all drink the kool-aid and will be back next week to watch.
Doesn't matter to me because I am still pissed off!!!
F**K You Tagliabue!!!
That would suck for season ticket holders. I agree that the main issue here is safety, but that would still suck. How would Arrowhead sell tickets that fast? First come, first served?
Taco John
10-21-2005, 02:03 AM
Screw this. No way should you guys get an extra home game. Move it to a neutral stadium if anything.
Tags is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. He made the wrong decision by giving NY a competitive advantage. This time, he made the right one.
RedDread
10-21-2005, 02:08 AM
I think the Alamodome is free this week ROFL
Screw this. No way should you guys get an extra home game. Move it to a neutral stadium if anything.
Tags is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. He made the wrong decision by giving NY a competitive advantage. This time, he made the right one.
I think he made the worst possible decision by holding the game in Miami. That's worse than giving a team an unfair home field advantage, imo.
If they move it to a neutral field, that would defeat the purpose for the Dolphins. They go from home field advantage to playing in a foreign stadium. It wouldn't be the first time, but still.
:shrug:
Hammock Parties
10-21-2005, 02:17 AM
My only problem with the situation is that the NFL lied to the Chiefs.
Complete bullshit. The game should have been moved to Atlanta on Sunday.
At first I was just fine with them moving it to a different day, but now looking at the situation, they're sending us into a city that everybody is gonna try to be getting out of by tomorrow. That's a tough call, maybe we should've moved it to a neutral site.
I think the worst part of it was that they decided on Thursday to play on Friday. That's the worst part, this decision should've been made farther in advance to allow everybody to prepare. I think Tags has eschewed some logic here to ensure the home team plays in it's own stadium, even though you might have two teams of players not mentally there because they're focused on getting the hell out, plus we have no idea how many people are gonna show up tomorrow night...
greg63
10-21-2005, 02:29 AM
Hate to admit it, but Whitlock nailed it! This is perhaps the dumbest decision Paul Tagliabue has ever made! Well no pre-game prognostication required here, jet lag equals defeat. I hope I'm wrong.
Ultra Peanut
10-21-2005, 02:29 AM
Screw this. No way should you guys get an extra home game. Move it to a neutral stadium if anything. Agreed. It should have been played at the Georgia Dome.
ChiefFan31
10-21-2005, 02:43 AM
Agreed. It should have been played at the Georgia Dome.
I will third that motion.
Yes that was a good article by Whitlock. He has actually had a couple of good articles lately. Shocking...I know.
But, he is wrong about the game being held at Arrowhead. That just aint gonna happen. Tag is still cleaning some egg of his face from his decision with the Saints/Giants game.
I would have loved to seen that game being played at Arrowhead.
The NFL sucks for what they are doing :cuss: :cuss:
Otter
10-21-2005, 02:52 AM
Nice article Jason.
I'm by no means a hurricane expert but that baby still has some open warm water to run over and could get up to a CAT5. Moving people into the area should be the last thing going on given the Katrina nightmare.
Tough to wrap one's brain around that decision. If nothing else there are 16 neutral stadiums out of harms way, hold it at one of them. It's not like the NFL doens't have the resources to make that happen.
Hope it doesnt' for the peoples sake but this could come back to bite Tag in ass.
Agreed. It should have been played at the Georgia Dome.
Or, if the NFL is so concerned with the Mexico maket, why don't they just move this game over there like the Cards-49ers game.
Otter
10-21-2005, 02:59 AM
Or, if the NFL is so concerned with the Mexico maket, why don't they just move this game over there like the Cards-49ers game.
I doubt the Mexico Stadium is ready handle things on such short notice.
Again, I don't really know one way or another but between players, reporters, fans, press, cheerleaders and every other Tom, Dick and Harry an NFL game brings I'm sure it takes a little more prep in the Mexco Stadiums.
HemiEd
10-21-2005, 03:01 AM
Nicely done jWhit, and you even managed to get a Jeff George plug in there.
Otter
10-21-2005, 03:04 AM
Nicely done jWhit, and you even managed to get a Jeff George plug in there.
ROFL
Indeed.
the Talking Can
10-21-2005, 04:25 AM
the only thing that sucks is flying and playing the same day...that could be especially hard on some of our older guys like Shields...but if we win we get a nice rest for next week...
4-2 is a world away from 3-3...fingers crossed
Otter
10-21-2005, 04:37 AM
the only thing that sucks is flying and playing the same day...that could be especially hard on some of our older guys like ShieldsHe's only 34. :)
Getting hit in the chest by finely tuned athletes 10 years younger than him, check. Flying out Friday instead of Sunday, uh, no.
Pants
10-21-2005, 05:45 AM
Whitlock, stop whining...
Reerun_KC
10-21-2005, 05:47 AM
I think it would be handled different if these were playoff caliber teams... But considering neither of these teams are a threat for the post season, let alone the super bowl, I feel Tag's took the aproapiate action and just wanted to get this one over with. Now if it was the Broncos, Steelers or Bengals, then he might of done something more drastic..
These teams both have sucked ass the last 5 weeks. What does he care?
Ultra Peanut
10-21-2005, 05:50 AM
Or, if the NFL is so concerned with the Mexico maket, why don't they just move this game over there like the Cards-49ers game.Okay, now that would be dumb, even assuming they could handle it and nothing was scheduled at Azteca.
siberian khatru
10-21-2005, 06:09 AM
Right on.
And for partially selfish reasons, I think the game should've been played in Atlanta. You still would've had many Dolphins fans there, as they'd be evacuating north anyway (many to Atlanta). If they were season-ticket holders, their ducats obviously would be honored at the George Dome. Indeed, moving the game to Atlanta would be even more incentive to get people out of Miami.
Extra Point
10-21-2005, 06:11 AM
Based on precedent, PT should have had the game up at Arrowhead Sunday as first choice, Georgia Dome Sunday as 2nd choice, or ruled the game a tie as 3rd choice.
If I were king, I would have the game a tie. That would be a very unpopular decision. A Cat 3 storm can bring a sh*tload of flooding that would take the good part of a week for the water to move out. Like JW said, this involves a safety issue. We're dealing with peoples' lives, their loved ones, and their belongings. This game doesn't mean sh*t relative to one's life at risk.
Mother Nature is the meanest bitch ever!
morphius
10-21-2005, 06:12 AM
Just as usually is the case, Tags did screw KC in this one. The right thing to do may not have been to have the game in KC, but the right thing to do would to have made both teams fly somewhere today and meet up for a game. Forcing a team to fly in and play a game like this is going to be kind of ugly.
But time after time Tags proves he doesn't care about KC. Just look at his procastination with Warfield, or the fact that he forced us to give up a 2nd round pick for a coach then about a year later banning trading picks for coaches because he is against the idea.
This is going to be a wet, windy, sloppy game from the sound of it. But hey, at least Miami didn't lose their home game...
Red Dawg
10-21-2005, 06:14 AM
Right on Brutha! We are getting screwed.
Kerberos
10-21-2005, 06:21 AM
Whitlock, stop whining...
ROFL
You know that is the FIRST thing that came to mind when I read this.
We have no control over this.
Remember this. Miami may not have jet lag but they have NO MORE TIME to prepare for this game than WE do. I think that point alone gives us a small advantage. The jet lag may equal things out for them.
I really think this should be a good game. I may be wrong and we get our asses handed to us but I am thinking it will be close either way.
IMO
.
Eleazar
10-21-2005, 06:37 AM
The NFL doesn't care what we want. What are we going to do, quit watching?
We're like crackheads or something. There's no substitute and they know it.
Dartgod
10-21-2005, 06:44 AM
I've seen jet lag mentioned a couple of times as a factor in this game. You do realize that it only an hour time difference, right? It's not like they're flying to England for Christ's sake. Jet lag is a non-factor here.
Ultra Peanut
10-21-2005, 06:46 AM
Due to mechanical problems with the plane the team had chartered, Memphis had to fly to Houston on the morning of their game last Saturday.
The result? A 35-20 win.
Bwana
10-21-2005, 06:48 AM
Screw this. No way should you guys get an extra home game. Move it to a neutral stadium if anything.
Tags is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. He made the wrong decision by giving NY a competitive advantage. This time, he made the right one.
Sure, If your a donk fan he did. IMHO the guy is a complete douche bag.
Bob Dole
10-21-2005, 06:56 AM
Having witnessed firsthand the exodus from Houston in advance of Rita, JW does have a point about the transportation issues.
Bob Dole doesn't think they should have played it at Arrowhead, but they really should have played it at it's regularly scheduled time at a neutral location.
(And that opinion has nothing at all to do with the fact that Bob Dole will miss the first half of the telecast because Bob Dole has other obligations. Grrrr...)
Mr. Kotter
10-21-2005, 07:28 AM
Screw this. No way should you guys get an extra home game. Move it to a neutral stadium if anything.
Tags is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. He made the wrong decision by giving NY a competitive advantage. This time, he made the right one.
The RIGHT decision would have been Sunday at a neutral site. That is NOT the decision he made....so, no, it was NOT the right decision.
Lonewolf Ed
10-21-2005, 07:38 AM
Hate to admit it, but Whitlock nailed it! This is perhaps the dumbest decision Paul Tagliabue has ever made! Well no pre-game prognostication required here, jet lag equals defeat. I hope I'm wrong.
It's only a 3 hour flight and a one hour difference in Miami from KC. Jet lag will not be a factor. I don't know what it is about Miami that the Chiefs don't win there. It's like Denver South, or worse.
StcChief
10-21-2005, 07:42 AM
Just as usually is the case, Tags did screw KC in this one. The right thing to do may not have been to have the game in KC, but the right thing to do would to have made both teams fly somewhere today and meet up for a game. Forcing a team to fly in and play a game like this is going to be kind of ugly.
But time after time Tags proves he doesn't care about KC. Just look at his procastination with Warfield, or the fact that he forced us to give up a 2nd round pick for a coach then about a year later banning trading picks for coaches because he is against the idea.
This is going to be a wet, windy, sloppy game from the sound of it. But hey, at least Miami didn't lose their home game... Agreed.
Wet sloppy, hope no one get hurt because of weather conditions that should have been avoided.
He has turned into a completely ineffective Lawyer, commissioner.
Simplex3
10-21-2005, 07:54 AM
Remember this. Miami may not have jet lag but they have NO MORE TIME to prepare for this game than WE do. I think that point alone gives us a small advantage. The jet lag may equal things out for them.
Bzzzz. Miami will have at least 6 hours more than KC to prepare. That's a half day of practice on a week where the teams are getting a total of two days. Sounds like a pretty distinct advantage to me.
No, had Tags made this decision on Monday I would have hated it but the teams would have had time to compensate. Making this decision yesterday afternoon? That's just f**king stupid. This is even dumber than making Arizona play a home game in another country, comprised predominantly of 49ers fans. This is dumber than forcing a home team to play in the visiting team's stadium. This game should have been at a neutral stadium and it should have been on Sunday. Just like the NYG/NO game should have been.
Note to Tags: You guys are looking even dumber than baseball right now. Pull your head out of your ass.
Earthling
10-21-2005, 08:08 AM
I wonder how far away the stadium is from the airport..? They gonna' take a bus to the stadium with the players? Hell, they might not make it there before kickoff time, if its anything like Houstons packed roads were. Why is Tagliabu the commissioner again?
The Bad Guy
10-21-2005, 08:12 AM
Screw this. No way should you guys get an extra home game. Move it to a neutral stadium if anything.
Tags is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. He made the wrong decision by giving NY a competitive advantage. This time, he made the right one.
Well, at least the Chiefs can't use the heat as an excuse if they lose.
If the Broncos were notified one day before that their game was going to be moved up two days, I'd love to see what you and the rest of the pillow-biters you host on your website would whine about.
Simplex3
10-21-2005, 08:17 AM
Well, at least the Chiefs can't use the heat as an excuse if they lose.
If the Broncos were notified one day before that their game was going to be moved up two days, I'd love to see what you and the rest of the pillow-biters you host on your website would whine about.
I'm guessing they'd pitch a fit if it was moved up three hours on that short of notice, much less two days.
stevieray
10-21-2005, 08:23 AM
Well, at least the Chiefs can't use the heat as an excuse if they lose.
If the Broncos were notified one day before that their game was going to be moved up two days, I'd love to see what you and the rest of the pillow-biters you host on your website would whine about.
never happen, tags would cater to Pete Coors and Bowlen.
Raiderhater
10-21-2005, 08:29 AM
Bzzzz. Miami will have at least 6 hours more than KC to prepare. That's a half day of practice on a week where the teams are getting a total of two days. Sounds like a pretty distinct advantage to me.
No, had Tags made this decision on Monday I would have hated it but the teams would have had time to compensate. Making this decision yesterday afternoon? That's just f**king stupid. This is even dumber than making Arizona play a home game in another country, comprised predominantly of 49ers fans. This is dumber than forcing a home team to play in the visiting team's stadium. This game should have been at a neutral stadium and it should have been on Sunday. Just like the NYG/NO game should have been.
Note to Tags: You guys are looking even dumber than baseball right now. Pull your head out of your ass.
This post I admit, it's a combover nailed it.
Inspector
10-21-2005, 08:57 AM
Good points Jason.
There should not be a jet lag issue, but riding in a plane is tiring regardless of the jet lag issue.
I'd be a little stiff (and not in a good way) after riding in a plane for 3 hours. (Of course I'm a few decades older than some of those guys too.)
We better win or we'll have something to bitch about for a long time.
If we lose, ESPN should report it this way:
Chiefs - L
Dolphins / Tags - W
(Does Tags have any family in the Miami area?)
Raiderhater
10-21-2005, 09:04 AM
Good points Jason.
There should not be a jet lag issue, but riding in a plane is tiring regardless of the jet lag issue.
I'd be a little stiff (and not in a good way) after riding in a plane for 3 hours. (Of course I'm a few decades older than some of those guys too.)
We better win or we'll have something to bitch about for a long time.
If we lose, ESPN should report it this way:
Chiefs - L
Dolphins / Tags - W
(Does Tags have any family in the Miami area?)
No, just a despised ex-wife in KC.
This post I admit, it's a combover nailed it.
ROFL WTF?
Good article, Jason. I agree with pretty much everything in it. :thumb:
Raiderhater
10-21-2005, 09:53 AM
ROFL WTF?
I like to relive the past from time to time. :)
Calcountry
10-21-2005, 09:55 AM
Screw this. No way should you guys get an extra home game. Move it to a neutral stadium if anything.
Tags is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. He made the wrong decision by giving NY a competitive advantage. This time, he made the right one.I hope you guys have a fuggin white out, and they have to move one of your games arround, dick.
Inspector
10-21-2005, 10:21 AM
No, just a despised ex-wife in KC.
Really?
Hmmm...interesting...very interesting.
chiefqueen
10-21-2005, 11:23 AM
Hate to admit it, but Whitlock nailed it! This is perhaps the dumbest decision Paul Tagliabue has ever made! Well no pre-game prognostication required here, jet lag equals defeat. I hope I'm wrong.
However in the writers' predictions he picks KC by 3.
(Predictions are not posted online)
Mr. Laz
10-21-2005, 11:27 AM
will be funny as heck if the stadium is freakin' empty tonight.
wonder if all the season ticket holders can demand a refund?
htismaqe
10-21-2005, 11:29 AM
I can't believe the NFL's justification for this was preserving Miami's homefield advantage.
There's a ****ING MONSTER HURRICANE COMING. Like anybody is even thinking about the ****ing game.
Spicy McHaggis
10-21-2005, 11:59 AM
I'm guessing they'd pitch a fit if it was moved up three hours on that short of notice, much less two days.
TJ: It's a well known fact that Warren and Brown like to go to IHOP before the game and moving the time up three hours prohibits them from doing so!!!!
Kyle401
10-21-2005, 12:23 PM
I think it's about time that the NFL developes a policy detailing where and when games are played in the event that they can not be played in the regularly schedule facility at the regularly scheduled time. At this point it looks like there are no consistent contingency plans in place. The commish (and others) make an arbitrary decision on each individual circumstance. At least with consistently applied rules, each team would know what to expect and could plan accordingly.
Chargers-move to a neutral site
Saints-move to opposing team's home stadium and call it a "home game"
Dolphins-Oh what the hell, lets just play in the hurricane.
bringbackmarty
10-21-2005, 12:32 PM
I think the game shoulda been played in k.c. there is no reason to risk anyone's lives. that said, we are gonna kick some phin ass tonite. Priest holmes 160 yds 3 td's, derrick johnson 10 tackles, 2 sacks 1 ff. kendrell bell 8 tackles, 6 solo. Gonzalez 7 catches 92 yds, 1 T.D. Chiefs 31 - phins 13.
Go chiefs.
Calcountry
10-21-2005, 12:32 PM
will be funny as heck if the stadium is freakin' empty tonight.
wonder if all the season ticket holders can demand a refund?Nope. A game was played, and it is not the fault of the provider if the ticket holder refused to go see it.
Hydrae
10-21-2005, 12:56 PM
My concern is for injuries on our side of the ball. Riding for 3 hours on a plane just shortly before kickoff is just asking for hammy type problems.
djwells
10-21-2005, 01:01 PM
WINK in Fort Myers gets to carry the game tonight. Fort Myers is 113 miles from Miami. What was the limit for coverage again???? Oh yeah, that's right 75 miles!
Pants
10-21-2005, 01:08 PM
My concern is for injuries on our side of the ball. Riding for 3 hours on a plane just shortly before kickoff is just asking for hammy type problems.
We ain't talking about couch in an American Airlines Boeing 737 here.
Mr. Laz
10-21-2005, 01:12 PM
Nope. A game was played, and it is not the fault of the provider if the ticket holder refused to go see it.
even if said game time was changed and it's being played during a life threatening natural disaster?
KC Dan
10-21-2005, 01:13 PM
I guarantee that at every NFL office in America, they will be watching this game. Fuggin' hypocrites.
Rausch
10-21-2005, 01:16 PM
I still don't see why this game couldn't have been played in Atlanta, Carolina, or even a college stadium further north yet close to florida.
Let the Phins have MORE of an advantage but still allow everyone to GTF out of the way...
Rausch
10-21-2005, 01:18 PM
Good article by WhitXXLock, btw...
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