Here's a quick recap...

It seemed like the play calling was horrible. Offense. As well as defense. We got zero pressure on Ben. We couldnt run the ball at all. We couldnt defend their tightend. Couldnt stop the run at all. Their offensive line just flat out beat our dline. Why was kelce not targeted more? it seemed like the 4 times we threw it to him it was for big completions. But I agree, in the end, its about the qb. Alex didnt play well either and it really shows. You saw a handful of extremely open receivers that he just never saw. Draft a QB if you want to win in todays nfl. All other positions do not matter. Like someone in this thread said. Lookat the last 4 qbs in the playoffs, 3 hofers and this years nfl mvp. We need to draft a qb this year and give Alex 2017 and then give the franchise to the rookie if we want to win a superbowl in the next decade. I'll still be at the games. Tailgating is too much fun and there just isnt anything like the Arrowhead environment. Go Chiefs.

Great read as always George.

The holistic perspective you've provided of KC ineptitude in the playoffs is...damn.

I'm about like you. I at least half expected it. That and I've tried to divest myself emotionally from the outcome of these games. The Indy debacle was the final straw. I had to leave halfway during the 4th quarter and swept the garage. I couldn't even take it. Since then, I've tried to enjoy the ride more than invest myself in the outcome.

Of which I've been pretty successful. I was epic furious and wanted to curbstomp Rape and Bell, but I have removed myself from a lot of the emotion.

I posted this exchange in the what will you do if the Steelers beat the Chiefs thread and I stand by it. I'll take this over unequivocal ineptitude.

You mad

A 16 game sample size means nothing. The Rams and Saints had tremendously opportunistic defenses for a year, and both won SBs in part due to them. The same players returned the next year and that opportunism evaporated into units that were shit.

The Chiefs were Edinson Volquez--an average pitcher that people thought was better than he was because he rode some unsustainable luck for a while.

KC completely dumped the playcalling from the last 5 games (which gave them the most offensive success of the year). The last few games, they were running from under center 1st and 2nd down, lots of inside/outside zones and counter-trey with Kelce pulling. Zone read's with Alex running and sliding. They would consistently put themselves in 3rd downs with 2-5 yards, where its literally impossible to cover short routes to kelce, hill or maclin. That was their formula for success, and they completely dumped it.

I was ready to turn the game off when they came out throwing on first down, to start the second half. Pure dumb-assery.

I'm wondering how ESPN spins it on their NFL shows.



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Thanks George. I agreed with every one of the listed items, and your sentiment about Lucy letting us kick the football one day summed up my feelings perfectly.

The Mrs. and I still look forward to your reviews and we look forward to reading them again next season.

P.S. I'm a Red Coater and I look for you every game.

Good read as always George. Thanks for taking the time to spend another season writing these up.

After thinking about it for a night, I feel like it's the same old thing. If you wrote a book about the Chiefs, it'd be called "Just Not Good Enough."

Alex Smith did not play well enough overall. We need to look to be drafting someone no matter what happened last night, because Alex is getting into his mid-30s. He did do some positive things out there. Especially late, he converted a couple season saving 4th downs... he had a great pass to convert a 3rd and 20. He made a nice play on the 2 point conversion. Made a great downfield pass to Kelce that was dropped. It was SO, SO close to the Alex Smith I personally want to see. He'll never be elite, but if he can just make those few key plays, you can have success. A lot of QBs won Super Bowls that way. Russell Wilson did it, Eli Manning did it twice, even Peyton kind of did it last year even though really he was pretty terrible... just make those handful of key plays to help out. He was throwing past the first down marker, taking some shots downfield... things we always complain about. So I feel like he played better than his stat line but he also made some mistakes out there, had that lull in the middle of the game, some positives but just not good enough.

Then as you mentioned, our other stars... exact same thing. Aaron Rodgers is 139 times better than Smith, but yesterday when the game is on the line... Rodgers made a great throw, but Jared Cook made an even better catch. Guy who had like 30 catches all year, he stepped up and delivered. Amazing catch on the sideline, barely getting his feet in. You could go back over and over again and list off plays like that. Even Roethlisberger, he wouldn't have 2 Super Bowls unless Santonio Holmes makes an all time catch at the end. When do the Chiefs ever make plays like that in the playoffs? Instead when that big moment comes, and our star can make a game changing play, we get the Kelce drop. Just not good enough.

Same thing on defense. You look at teams that win, their star players step up to the plate. Von Miller had 5 sacks and an INT in the playoffs last year, and was just a wrecking ball. Completely terrorized the other teams. We had zero pass rush all night. The biggest defensive play of the game was made by Frank Zombo. Meanwhile, 72 year old James Harrison was making things happen out there constantly. The Chiefs did do a good job holding down the point total considering how many yards they gave up... but when did you ever see the Seahawks, Broncos, Giants or even the Panthers defense play like that? Those teams didn't bend and not break. They set the tone. You rarely see a Super Bowl defense that looks like an elephant getting dragged down the runway trying to stop a plane with its trunk. Just not good enough.

And that brings me to the playcalling. Regardless of the QB, or any other offensive skill players, this team always seems to play well during the scripted play portion of the game, then the offense disappears. There's gotta be a way to fix that. The playcalling on offense and defense had some lapses. Even on the 2 point conversion after the penalty, why did they throw a jump ball to Maclin instead of Kelce? Granted some of that is Smith, but how many teams take their big TE and run him down the middle for a big jump ball like that? Instead I believe we had Kelce run an out on the left side. Smith probably could've made an attempt on that side, but it would've been a tougher pass than the one he made to Maclin. On defense, Houston probably spent too much time in coverage. We let Bell run right over us in the first half. Look at how the Steelers actually adjust their defense to stop our star talent. Instead we let Antonio Brown run past Houston on the most important play of the game. That's the difference between the Chiefs and teams like the Steelers and Patriots. They just play smart like that. It's why they win and their stars have big days... and we lose and our stars don't. It's death by paper cuts because every aspect of the team failed in some way.

I doubt they cover it, they're part of the NFL machine. They'll say something but they'll punch the time-honored excuse buttons of:

* "Well the Chiefs forgot to play the middle 45 minutes." Deflection.

* "It was a hold." Nobody will dare ask about the other non-calls though. Deflection.

* "Kelce." The NFL's latest excuse for Chiefs rapings.

* "Dropped passes." Because that has everything to do with one hold being called on a play when the pass wasn't dropped.

* "Didn't stop Bell" Because that has everything to do with one hold being called on a play when the pass wasn't dropped, and none of the holds that opened holes for Bell were "seen."

* AND MANY MOOOOOOOOOORE!!!

They have their ways of keeping the gravy train pumping steam...

I'm the guy wearing a red hat. You can't miss me....

Actually I just had the ESPN Insiders show on my TV here while I was doing something else. They all said Kelce could've brought this up in a better way... and they all seemed to agree that Fisher held, but officials are completely inconsistent in how they call holding. I was surprised they even said that.

Louis Riddick did also criticize Fisher's play in general, saying this kind of play has always been a problem for him.

Excellent points across the board. These lists should be published.

I hope the mods are proud of what this place has turned to.

Moderators that only care about the "level of football discussion" being dragged down by one poster on the non-homer side versus the half dozen homers / Alex Smith bandwagoners who do the same thing.