Ten Things About Today's Game
 

Ten Things About Today's Game

10. My dad passed away two years ago, about a week after the Chiefs playoff loss to Baltimore. He was my best Chiefs buddy and my reason for being a life long Chiefs fan. A few weeks before he died he asked our family to bury him in his favorite suit and his favorite Red and Gold Chiefs Socks - which we did. As they say in the commercials, "He was fan enough." In 1977 one of the Christmas presents my dad got me was a Chiefs coffee cup. It's one of those odd items that has survived the journey all these years. Every game day, if I am at home, I have my morning coffee from this same cup, which I only use on Chiefs game days.
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Win or lose, the cup's been with me for 35 years. As we start another season, I just wanted to give props to my dad for giving me this passion. I thought of him a lot today, especially with that first sip of Joe this morning.

9. I'm looking at this season through the prism of where we exited, and that's recovering from the ashes of a 2-14 season with NO AFC West wins, only one home win and that coming the day after a player killed his wife, then himself, in front of the head coach in the team parking lot. With the record setting futility of last year's offense, the inept coaching, the fan revolt and front office house cleaning, I don't think there's been a darker, angrier, more depressing season. I think everyone has been skeptical this summer as to what we'd get with so much upheaval in all phases: coaching, front office and roster. If my count is right, 31 of the 53 are new guys this year. Six guys picked up on pre-season final waivers were in Chiefs uniform today. On offense, we saw a new starting QB, new starting wideout, two new starting linemen, new tight end and new fullback. Plus, KC has historically been TERRIBLE playing in Florida, period; and worse on opening day on the road. The last time the Chiefs won their season opener on the road was 2002 at Cleveland (The Dwayne Rudd Helmet Game) under a former Philadelphia Eagles head coach, Grandpa Dick Vermeil. The Chiefs ended up 8-8 that season, which is what a lot of folks expect for this season.
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8. The Jacksonville crowd was pathetic. They had several areas closed off, and there were tons of empty seats between the 30 yard lines. I know it was a hot, muggy day, but this is a season opening home game, people. Here's a screen shot of half time. Either everyone went up to get some shade, everyone went home, or both. By the fourth quarter it looked like there were mostly Chiefs fans left in the building. I can't see how they can keep a franchise in Jacksonville for many more years without moving to LA or London. Jacksonville doesn't deserve an NFL team with that kind of backing, even one that sucks as bad as the Jags sucked today.

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7. What was the opening night review for Alex Smith? I thought Alex Smith was a combination of the best of Rich Gannon and Trent Green. I thought his first half was excellent. Looked like Green because he hit guys in stride, where they could do something with the ball once it was caught. He avoided turning the ball over; no picks, 21 of 34 for 173 and two TDs. He looked like Gannon with four scrambles for 25 yards. And he spread the ball around. Nine different guys caught passes today. That's what game management is; getting everybody involved, not turning the ball over and keeping the defense off the field. The pass to Avery hit him right in stride, and gave him the angle to break a tackle headed for the corner pylon -nice hit by the Jags mascot at the end of that play, btw... The pass to Hemmingway for the second TD was perfect, right where it needed to be, when it needed to be. Those two passes alone we never saw from Cassel or Quinn, ever. And think about this: Although we didn't score a single offensive point in the second half, our point total of 28 is more than we scored in ANY GAME last year. That's reason for optimism.

6. What can you say about the defense? They essentially pitched a shutout. Granted, Gabbert sucks like a Hoover. We're fortunate the Jags didn't start Henne, or the game may have been more competitive. Six Sacks -including three for Houston and one each for Jackson and Poe- and a pick six for Hali; our all-pro defensive players showed up today. DJ led the defense with seven tackles, but how about Poe's day? Five tackles, a knocked down pass and a legit bull rush sack? Awesome. I think Andy Reid should make the entire defense swear off BBQ if that's the results with Poe.

5. Special teams got off to a scary start with the blocked punt. If you go back and look at that play, Cyrus Gray was the protector. He broke left to pick up a guy on the edge. Akeem Jordan releases early, and a guy squirts between the hole Jordan leaves behind and comes right where Gray had been in protection. With a bunch of new guys picked up off the waiver wire starting on punt team, it's not surprising. Coach Toub will get that fixed. Otherwise, Colquitt was pretty good today with nine punts and a 58 yarder among the kicks. Jacksonville only crossed the fifty on offense once the entire game, and never scored. Field position was a big part of that result. For the Chiefs, McCluster fielded seven punts and did OK, but he needs to get north-south and not dance around so much. He did have one nice return for 36 yards. Overall, our special teams are light years better than last year, and Toub is the reason.

4. Charles got hit hard in the third quarter on the running play that eventually put him out. He took a knee to the quad, and I think it was smart to get him out and keep him out with the game out of reach.
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He should be OK for the Dallas game.
Sitting Charles was a good chance to see what Knile Davis could do in a real game situation. Of all the backs, I was most impressed with the fullback Sherman. He was the leading receiver today with four for 44 yards. He also blocked well on short yardage. He's what we got for the Javier Arenas trade to Arizona. Looks like a good move.

3. Fisher v. Joeckel: I think its safe to say Fisher wins this matchup. The Chiefs ran behind Fisher several times today. He did get beat for one sack in the fourth quarter, where Smith held the ball too long.
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But Joeckel got smoked by Houston on two sacks, and he missed chopping Hali down on the play that ended in a pick six.
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Match to Mr. Fisher.

2. After an entire season of negativity, it's refreshing not to have to look for things to complain about after a win. My only concern from this game is how the offense continually stalled between the Jags' 50 and 40 in the second half. We had no second half offensive points, and went three and out with excellent field position too many times. The defense was so good today that it didn't matter. But somewhere down the road Smith is going to need to sustain drives and run clock. He'll need to keep the defense off the field, especially later in the year as players get dinged up. Looks like the only guys who were affected today were Charles and Albert, and both should be OK next week for Dallas.

1. Jacksonville isn't a good team. Today they looked like the Chiefs looked last year and the year before. It was a mismatch. What a nice change to be on the other side of the equation. I believe we'll have a fighting chance in most of our games this year. The offense is diverse enough where you can't just key on Charles. There's enough legit targets where you can't just concentrate on stopping Bowe. This defense looks awesome, especially in passing downs where you don't know who's coming. Special teams are greatly improved -save for one glitch today- and the team played with energy and discipline, very few penalties, no pass interference, no holding, no unsportsmanlike stuff. And next Sunday, I'll get up early and tip my coffee mug to the old man, and get ready for the home opener. He never liked Dallas.

In

Good work George. !00% in with this one.

Another fine write-up, sir.

Try using the Chiefs mug every day, its working for me...

Pete is going to bitch at you for this.

LMAO

nice job, george. take care of that cup.
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Awesome

In. Great #10 story.

They have a weird pricing structure, the seats between the 30s are exorbitantly expensive.

The crowd was fairly decent at kickoff, not near a sellout but not bad. Living here, I think the fan engagement in Jacksonville is just as high or in the same ballpark as it is in Kansas City. It's just that there are only 1.3 million people in the metro and the team sucks balls, so that's what you end up with.

enjoyed it... really good post! :thumb:

It isn't Sunday without George's 10 things.

:thumb:

I think you make a good point about Jacksonville looking like we did the past few years. It's good to see that we clearly outclass a team that is basically the equivalent of who we've been the last two years. I think that's proof that the Reid era is off to a good start.

Your white?

Fisher isn't really the guy that got beat on that play - he pushed his man up and around where the picket should have been. He absolutely did his job.

That sack was on Jeff Allen getting beat by a drum when he failed to pick up the stunt from Branch. When he got smoked, Smith had to scramble out and that's what led to the sack. Fisher did fine on that play.

But Fisher did get beat a time or two on bull-rushes. I feel likely he'll struggle against power rushers this season as those appear to be the guys that are getting inside his pads and just driving him backwards.

I have a coffee cup exactly like that one. DONT ever put it in the microwave because the gold rings are metalic and will SPARK! :drool:

I feel for you with your .missing your Dad. You never do stop .missing someone you was so close too. As for the game review, it is, as always, fantastic reading. I agree whole heartedly with everything you wrote. We need more posters like you here.

Pete should just bring down the meatloaf then go back to the kitchen.

Always look forward to your "Ten things". This one was exceptional. Coincidently, I was at the Dwayne Rudd helmet game and my brother wanted to leave early since we we're rolling back to Chicago. I told him" We stay until the end of the game." and what an end.
Take care of that mug.

Well once again I am happy to wait for your "Ten Things" as we begin a new season. Let's hope it's as good as we believe it can for a change!

Nice job as always! :thumb:

Both teams have been mirror images of each other for years. Both got new HC's and front offices.

Today we saw the difference between a defensive-minded HC and an offensive one.

No contest.

To me the most concerning part is Bowe's continued struggle to get open.

Good job George

Arenas has looked like a clown today. Brings the ball out twice only to give his team poor field position

They said it was 95 at kickoff and we're talking about two 2-14 teams... no reason to pay for that, especially when the home team did even less to improve itself than the other team.

I remember that Browns game well, sitting in my dorm, then running out into the hallway yelling "HOLY SHIT!"

You are absolutely shitting me.

You believe the difference in these two teams is the head coach?

Not Houston, Berry, Hali, Flowers, Charles, Bowe, DJ and Poe? Because all 8 of those guys are better than every single player on the Jaguars roster. Those guys could all go on the IR tomorrow and the Chiefs would still have a better team than the Jags.

Bradley vs. Reid has very little bearing on today's outcome.

But hey, when you have a message to deliver, don't ever miss a chance to deliver it, By God - accuracy be damned.

Great read, I enjoyed it.

CBS kept showing this poor Jags fan every time Gabbert would do something stupid.

I felt his pain. I really did.

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I was waiting for your post George. Thanks enjoyed.

Loved it. Have really come to look forward to reading these every week. Jax crossed the 50 twice though. We pushed them back the 1st time, which got me jacked up, but they did make it across twice.

I was in that crowd today that you show that screenshot. As a Chief fan I definitely felt for the Jag fans. It was like a graveyard after it was 14-2.

It was also a very bad stadium. Smelled like mildew and there was nowhere to hide from the heat which was brutal.

:hail:

I agree. It was nice to see a competitive team.

Hopefully a sign.

Yep. CP will never be a more article-centric site like ArrowheadPride, but George's "10 Things" is always a very solid read.

pretty much agree with everything, the best takeaway from the game was the level of coaching that was apparent in all phases...these guys are getting excellent instruction from competent people...

i wasn't nearly as enamored of Smith's piddling production, and his hesitation, but he doesn't turn it over...there is no excuse for punting for an entire half against such a shitty team...just watched Keapernick flay GB alive, 400 yards and 3 tds, and understand we have a different class of QB, and pray for a great defense

to whit...the defense blew me away...jags were easy marks, but still, shit...that was rape

poe destroyed on the interior, i never thought we'd see it from him (somewhere pioli is jerking it), and look at the difference it makes...everyone else looked fast and confident

dallas is now a very curious game

The famous Casselexpression. I did that many times over the last few years. ROFL

Surprisingly, Kendrick Lewis didn't look like a big bag of dicks either

This.

oh yeah, jr hemmingway getting a td...nice to see a 7th rounder with promise

That mug ain't from 1977.

That guy was ****ing hilarious. When that jackass fielded the punt after a great bounce instead if letting it bounce was comedy gold.

Glad you're back George.

I was more impressed we got him the ball. Who's the last guy we had that could make that? Green could. 8 ****ing years. Maybe hutard if it was Gonzo.

Might have been 78 or 79, It's old. The only thing it says on the bottom is "Made in Thailand."

So it's got that goin' for it....

Outstanding, man, as usual.

I was impressed with how we turned turnovers into touchdowns. Haven't seen that for a while.

And watching a QB actually progressing through his reads was refreshing after years of Cassel's tunnel vision.

It was/is refreshing to hear our HC say the things he did after a win like that. There was no satisfied in his voice.

Smith did what he did today, and our HC acknowledged it wasn't good enough. That was cool to hear. If this is the worst we get out of Smith, that wouldn't be terrible, but he's got to be better to beat good teams.

I wish I could see a better view so I could tell if our WR's were having trouble getting open or if he was just afraid to throw it into tight windows. It's great that he goes through reads, but it'd be greater if he was able to put it where the play was supposed to go in the first place.

Ten Things About Today's Game
 

That was me last season.

Great read George.

Personally, I think this team has moved from beating themselves to forcing the other team to beat them. What does that mean? No stupid penalties or bad turnovers, solid defense and an efficient offense.

If they want to move into the elite, they gotta make plays while also not beating themselves, i.e. they have to have risky plays that they can execute with the talent they have. I'm not sure they have that talent on offense, but if they can play good defensive football, they'll win their share of games.

Jacksonville is such a crappy measuring stick.

TJack got pantz today....

Ha - after the Jags st botch up, the guy behind him went 'What...the...****!!?'

ha!

did anyone catch a screen shot of Tyson Jackson's ass??

that was hard to miss...

whoomp, there it is...

You know your defense is having a good day when the opposing quarterback has more stitches than first downs.

great read as always, not a chiefs season, without your 10 things. the winning in florida is a pretty big thing, no matter the team.

go chiefs!!!!

Compared to the last two openers it's night and day. This team was prepared and ready to play ball. Refreshing.

This.

Yep. They were hapless in '11 and last year KC came out and went toe to toe with Atlanta for a half. Then it was all she wrote in the 2nd half. But yeah, you're so right.

George, great read, as always. "Thing" #10 for the win.

I think we were holding back in the second half to some extent

Don't know why but I think we were

Reid went into a shell offensively in the 2nd half, having unleashed more than enough to beat the Jags...

but also, I'm sure Jacksonville has some decent coaches who made some adjustments as well.

I mean, the defense pitched a shutout, but the Jags O-line is terrible, the RB is ancient, the TE is a ghost, And I don't even think that they have a WR on the roster...so they SHOULD shut Jacksonville out.

On a side note, I wish we would have flipped a 6th to the ravens for boldin

yeah, me too...

but the Chiefs HC isn't the brother of the Ravens HC.

This is what you do best, good work.

Your left nut looks to be swollen.

THe seats between the 30 are like the Arrowhead gold level. They have good football fans there problem is...Florida, FSU too close...the same reason the NBA won't work in KC...KU, MU, KSU

Enjoyed as always...
Thanks George

I don't think I've ever replied to your "10 Things..." series, but I've always read them and always enjoyed them. One of the things I always look for on this board.

It is an official part of my football Sundays

That Poe bull rush sack is my favorite Chiefs play in recent memory. Thanks for the writeup.

On top of that, the Ravens HC never has to worry about competing with the 49ers HC before the super bowl. I don't think he wanted Boldin to go to an AFC team. Dumping Boldin's salary off on the 49ers was both a favor to Jim and a defensive move to insure he wouldn't face Boldin in the playoffs.

Fisher playing RT means he's leaning and planting your feet for leverage opposite of what he's always been doing...so naturally he's not going to be as strong at it, because his muscles and their repetition are used to doing it a certain way. So he's gonna struggle against bull rushes....big time, he's having to block and plant for leverage from his weak side if you will. I bet when Albert leaves next season, and when he moves back to LT, we'll see an even improved (in terms of technique and w/ a year of NFL under his belt) and a much better and stronger Eric Fisher. Wonder if Schwartz would be our RT or Allen? Stephenson? Or would they go via FA or draft?

7th round picks don't matter/Hootie

100% with you on your thoughts of our 2013 Chiefs.

Thanks for sharing the story or your coffee cup and your Pops.

Great job george. Make it a win.

I usually stay off the web Sundays, too much football. So Monday morning, I run to the Planet for George's 10 Things. Goddam classic! Excellent read as always.

Did anyone else notice that the announcers in this game for CBS were seriously slobbering some Jaguar cock? I mean, they so wanted Jacksonville to win, made excuses for Gabbert the whole game, and were just generally annoying to listen to. Maybe it was the whiskey, but they seemed pretty biased to me...

Love these, George. Oh, and Cheers to Dad's! Those that are with us, and those that are gone:toast:

Kudo's, great write up!

This.

:thumb: Very good read Thanks George

Great job!! Very sorry for your loss bud- best wishes.

Missed the entire game after the first 4-5 minutes. Traded it in to coach a 98-degree fall-ball double header. Tough to on many levels to say the least.

And your Dad is awesome George. Yeah, even now...........