tk13
11-28-2005, 01:12 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/13271761.htm
Be honest: KC beat a down team
JASON WHITLOCK
Kansas City Star
We might as well be realistic about what we witnessed Sunday afternoon. A realistic perspective on the Chiefs’ 26-16 victory in no way minimizes their accomplishment.
Beating the two-time, defending-champion New England Patriots is never a bad thing.
But let’s be honest: Those weren’t the defending champions inside Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. Sure, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Deion Branch, Adam Vinatieri and Richard Seymour were there, but just about everybody else responsible for New England’s Super success was either somewhere else, home nursing an injury or a total shell of what they once were.
Those weren’t your newborn baby’s New England Patriots.
You really have to see the Patriots in person to appreciate just how far they’ve fallen from a year ago. You just can’t comprehend it watching the Patriots on television. At least I couldn’t. The temptation is to make excuses for the Pats and feel as if they’re a break or two from becoming a dangerous playoff team.
They’re not. They’re dead — especially their mystique and swagger.
Oh, the AFC East is so bad and New England’s schedule is so easy that the Patriots should qualify for the postseason. But there’s no reason to expect them to make any playoff noise … even when running back Corey Dillon returns.
They’re missing too many pieces, particularly on defense. Belichick prefers to run a 3-4 scheme. This year he doesn’t have the linebackers. Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest are too old. McGinest can’t rush the passer anymore, and Bruschi just isn’t the same sure tackler he was before his stroke.
On Sunday, Bruschi whiffed on at least four tackles. He’d perfectly diagnose a play, race into position to make the stop and flat whiff.
Belichick should put Bruschi on the bench and switch to a 4-3.
The Chiefs’ offensive line controlled New England’s pass rush. With Willie Roaf back in the starting lineup, the Chiefs had few problems with New England’s deceptive blitz schemes.
In a 4-3 scheme, the Patriots’ defensive linemen would have a much better chance of creating pass-rush pressure by physically beating some one-on-one blocks. And a consistent pass rush is the only way to protect New England’s injury-depleted secondary.
Trent Green — with all day to throw — hit wide-open receivers all afternoon. Green connected on 19 of 26 passes for 323 yards and one TD.
“Trent couldn’t be much better,” Dick Vermeil predictably gushed. “He had a quarterback efficiency rating of 127. That’s his best game of the year, and he’s coming on at the right time.”
Let’s hope, because the rest of Kansas City’s schedule will be significantly more difficult than it has been the last month. The Chiefs, 7-4, have put themselves in the thick of the AFC playoff race by winning three of four games against the Raiders (4-7), Bills (4-7), Texans (1-10) and the Patriots (6-5). If the Chiefs make the playoffs, they’ll earn it the old-fashioned way: beating playoff team after playoff team. It’s probably going to take 11 victories to qualify for an AFC playoff spot.
That means the Chiefs will have to find four victories in five games against the Broncos, Cowboys, Giants, Chargers and Bengals.
Consider me skeptical.
Sunday’s victory was far from convincing. The league’s best quarterback — Brady — played the worst game of his career, tossing four interceptions, and the Chiefs didn’t put the game away until late in the fourth quarter.
Sorry Greg Wesley, but Brady’s errors were unforced. Tom Terrific repeatedly threw high. The Chiefs sacked Brady three times, but Brady wasn’t under constant pressure. The pressure Brady felt was the knowledge that he had to be perfect for the Pats to have any chance at winning. He couldn’t expect help from his defense, special teams or coaching.
New England’s Charlie Weis-less play-calling was totally unimaginative. Weis had to roll over in his Notre Dame sweatshirt when Brady handed the ball to Heath Evans on a critical third-down play late in the game.
The Pats are in transition. We can wait ’til next year to take them seriously.
The Chiefs? They’re developing confidence and creating an identity. They have a punishing running game — Larry Johnson had 119 yards and a TD — an opportunistic passing attack and a defense that we will learn a great deal about next Sunday when Mike Shanahan and the Denver Broncos get to town.
Slowing Denver’s bootleg passing game and stretch running game will impress me far more than beating up on a team that used to be great.
Be honest: KC beat a down team
JASON WHITLOCK
Kansas City Star
We might as well be realistic about what we witnessed Sunday afternoon. A realistic perspective on the Chiefs’ 26-16 victory in no way minimizes their accomplishment.
Beating the two-time, defending-champion New England Patriots is never a bad thing.
But let’s be honest: Those weren’t the defending champions inside Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. Sure, Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Deion Branch, Adam Vinatieri and Richard Seymour were there, but just about everybody else responsible for New England’s Super success was either somewhere else, home nursing an injury or a total shell of what they once were.
Those weren’t your newborn baby’s New England Patriots.
You really have to see the Patriots in person to appreciate just how far they’ve fallen from a year ago. You just can’t comprehend it watching the Patriots on television. At least I couldn’t. The temptation is to make excuses for the Pats and feel as if they’re a break or two from becoming a dangerous playoff team.
They’re not. They’re dead — especially their mystique and swagger.
Oh, the AFC East is so bad and New England’s schedule is so easy that the Patriots should qualify for the postseason. But there’s no reason to expect them to make any playoff noise … even when running back Corey Dillon returns.
They’re missing too many pieces, particularly on defense. Belichick prefers to run a 3-4 scheme. This year he doesn’t have the linebackers. Tedy Bruschi and Willie McGinest are too old. McGinest can’t rush the passer anymore, and Bruschi just isn’t the same sure tackler he was before his stroke.
On Sunday, Bruschi whiffed on at least four tackles. He’d perfectly diagnose a play, race into position to make the stop and flat whiff.
Belichick should put Bruschi on the bench and switch to a 4-3.
The Chiefs’ offensive line controlled New England’s pass rush. With Willie Roaf back in the starting lineup, the Chiefs had few problems with New England’s deceptive blitz schemes.
In a 4-3 scheme, the Patriots’ defensive linemen would have a much better chance of creating pass-rush pressure by physically beating some one-on-one blocks. And a consistent pass rush is the only way to protect New England’s injury-depleted secondary.
Trent Green — with all day to throw — hit wide-open receivers all afternoon. Green connected on 19 of 26 passes for 323 yards and one TD.
“Trent couldn’t be much better,” Dick Vermeil predictably gushed. “He had a quarterback efficiency rating of 127. That’s his best game of the year, and he’s coming on at the right time.”
Let’s hope, because the rest of Kansas City’s schedule will be significantly more difficult than it has been the last month. The Chiefs, 7-4, have put themselves in the thick of the AFC playoff race by winning three of four games against the Raiders (4-7), Bills (4-7), Texans (1-10) and the Patriots (6-5). If the Chiefs make the playoffs, they’ll earn it the old-fashioned way: beating playoff team after playoff team. It’s probably going to take 11 victories to qualify for an AFC playoff spot.
That means the Chiefs will have to find four victories in five games against the Broncos, Cowboys, Giants, Chargers and Bengals.
Consider me skeptical.
Sunday’s victory was far from convincing. The league’s best quarterback — Brady — played the worst game of his career, tossing four interceptions, and the Chiefs didn’t put the game away until late in the fourth quarter.
Sorry Greg Wesley, but Brady’s errors were unforced. Tom Terrific repeatedly threw high. The Chiefs sacked Brady three times, but Brady wasn’t under constant pressure. The pressure Brady felt was the knowledge that he had to be perfect for the Pats to have any chance at winning. He couldn’t expect help from his defense, special teams or coaching.
New England’s Charlie Weis-less play-calling was totally unimaginative. Weis had to roll over in his Notre Dame sweatshirt when Brady handed the ball to Heath Evans on a critical third-down play late in the game.
The Pats are in transition. We can wait ’til next year to take them seriously.
The Chiefs? They’re developing confidence and creating an identity. They have a punishing running game — Larry Johnson had 119 yards and a TD — an opportunistic passing attack and a defense that we will learn a great deal about next Sunday when Mike Shanahan and the Denver Broncos get to town.
Slowing Denver’s bootleg passing game and stretch running game will impress me far more than beating up on a team that used to be great.