Gretz - It's Been Done Before

[C-Mac]

It's Been Done Before
Sep 26, 2008, 8:46:46 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ

Not much fun being a Chiefs fans these days, is it? What with the franchise record 12-game losing streak, 21 quarters since the Chiefs have held the lead in a game and the fact that a loss this Sunday to Denver would give them a 0-4 start for the first time since 1980.

Funny thing about that 0-4 start some 28 years ago. The Chiefs finished that season 8-8. They were in the third-year of Marv Levy’s rebuilding project, one that began in 1978 with a 4-12 record, followed by 7-9 in the 1979 season.

Strange things happen when a team is rebuilding. There are dark days and seemingly no future. Then one day, a team that couldn’t get out of its way one week, pulls it together and starts winning. It has happened many times before.

I won’t take you back to the ‘80 Chiefs, who started 0-4 because just about every one of their starting offensive linemen was injured for the opening month. No, let’s look at something more recent.

The Tennessee Titans.

In 2003, the Titans were 12-4 and went to New England and lost a game in the playoffs to the Patriots, 17-14. They were a veteran team with guys like Derrick Mason, Steve McNair, Eddie George, Frank Wycheck, Kevin Carter, Jevon Kearse, Samari Role and Albert Haynesworth.

They were a veteran group, an old group and they were in salary cap jail. The Titans had kept many of their own stars with big money deals. They had little room to maneuver in free agency, whether it was keeping their own players that were coming up or signing others.

By the start of the ‘04 season, George, Wycheck and Kearse were gone. By the start of the ‘05 season, they were joined by Mason, Carter and Rolle. By the ‘06 season McNair was gone too. Only Haynesworth remained.

The ‘04 season finished with a 5-11 record. The ‘05 season finished with a final record of 4-12.

At the start of the ‘06 season, the Titans began 0-5. Combined with a 2-9 finish at the end of the ‘05 schedule, at one point they were 2-14, with an eight-game losing streak.

But while the record was going down, the talent level of young players was growing with good drafts in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

That ‘06 season started with a seven-point loss to the New York Jets. Then it was a 33-point defeat on the road to San Diego. Both of those clubs went to the playoffs that year. But in week No. 3, the Titans lost to Miami 13-10, a team that finished 6-10. They were crushed by Dallas at home 45-14, a Cowboys team that finished 9-7. Then it was the fifth straight loss for that ‘06 season, a one-pointer on the road to Indianapolis.

At that point, the Titans were 0-5, and they were averaging 12 points per game, while giving up 27 points per game. They had a rebuilt offense and a defense that had developed several players and sprinkled in with some veteran free agents, like LB David Thornton and DE Kyle Vanden Bosch. None were signed to contracts for big dollars.

It had been a season of tearing down, and then 21 games of rebuilding over two seasons. In that troubled time, the Titans were an ugly 9-28.

The eight-game losing streak ended in week No. 6, with a 25-22 victory on the road in Washington. Over the final 11 weeks of the ‘06 season, the Titans were 8-3.

Then last year, they went 10-6 and made the playoffs. This year they are 3-0.

So they went 9-28, and now they’ve gone 21-9.

It was hard. It was tough. It wasn’t easy. It’s not complete. The Titans have a problem at quarterback with their first-round guy from the ‘06 Draft in Vince Young. But they continue to win with veteran Kerry Collins. That’s because the rest of the team around him is so good and he’s not making the big mistakes that are part of his profile (176 career TD passes against 173 career INTs.)

The Titans didn’t just wake up one morning and suddenly were better. They paid a price. They got younger, they built through the draft and now, they are reaping the profits from their patience.

It’s a model for what the Chiefs are trying to do. It’s also a story that every Chiefs fan should remember during these dark days.

[CoMoChief]

Tennessee has a coach capable of winning with young players.......

Herm doesnt have that abliity. Playing them just so they get experience is one thing. Putting them in positions to succeed is another. Herm doesn't have that abliity.

[Chiefnj2]

Tennesse went young because they screwed up their cap management.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

Tennesse went young because they screwed up their cap management.

Yep. And the Chiefs did because they backed into the rebuild...
Either way - Herm is no Jeff Fisher. Not even close.

[Micjones]

Rebuilding requires vision, direction, and a coaching staff capable of getting the most of the young players they draft.

Herman Edwards and his merry bunch of delinquents haven't proven they have any of those qualities.

Lumber and cement mean little when the construction company contracted has no idea on how to build a house. Neither does time.

Either you have the requisite skills or you don't.
If you do, certainly it'll take time to build the project to respectable levels, but it will be evident at some point during the building process that you're competent and capable.

We haven't seen any signs of progress.
This has been a disasterous effort to this point.
And our beloved Head Coach hasn't proven that he has the insight on how to get the project back on track.

[KCTitus]

wait...year 3 of Herm's rebuild plan? I thought we were at the beginning of year 2. Herm pissed away (forgive the misusage of the Lexicon term 'pissed away') an entire year under the guise that the team had enough talent to 'make a run'...and they sure did. Made a complete and total a$$ of themselves in the playoffs.

So far, in year 2, of the new rebuild plan this team's in complete chaos. I dont see anything that points to improvement.

[Boon]

This story couldn't have been written if Herm and Carl were in Nashville.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by KCTitus

wait...year 3 of Herm's rebuild plan? I thought we were at the beginning of year 2. Herm pissed away (forgive the misusage of the Lexicon term 'pissed away') an entire year under the guise that the team had enough talent to 'make a run'...and they sure did. Made a complete and total a$$ of themselves in the playoffs.

So far, in year 2, of the new rebuild plan this team's in complete chaos. I dont see anything that points to improvement.

Hopefully Clark sees it that way as well. It's a fkn joke.

[FAX]

Interesting that Gretz would choose the Tacks as his model. There are some similarities, to be sure. But, Fisher's also had some incredible distractions during this last rebuild (PacYourSh*tMan, the McNair lockout fiasco, Vince Young, Reese getting canned, etc.). Herm has yet to encounter or deal with those kinds of serious problems.

There's also another important difference ... the fan base, the community, and the local media were all behind Fisher for the most part - as was ownership, of course.

But the main difference is at HC and the staff. Fisher can coach rings around Herm with one hand tied behind his back and a box turtle on his head. Plus, Fisher's staff is better than ours ... I would say much better.

Other than that, yeah.

FAX

[FringeNC]

**** this shit.

We are in the 3rd year of the rebuild. Every NFL team rebuilds every year. That's what the draft is for. Herm has had 3 f'n drafts. 3! And we get worse every year under Herm. Given how bad we are now, it's apparent that Herm/Carl (and Gunther) are absolutely terrible evaluators of talent AND Herm is an absolutely terrible head coach.

What rebuilding *really* means to the rest of the NFL is that you going to go with a young QB, because that's really the only position that requires a multi-year investment. Nothing excuses a 12-game losing streak with the worst play-calling this side of Pop Warner football.

[Bootlegged]

I bet Gretz masturbates constantly.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by Bootlegged

I bet Gretz masturbates constantly.

While looking at pictures of Carl.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by FringeNC

**** this shit.

We are in the 3rd year of the rebuild.

No we are not. Technically this is the 1st year.

and im not even sure if Herm is 100% committed to it (Why is Mcintosh still playing??)


But this whole column is stupid on nearly all levels. Just because other teams did it, means the Chiefs will be successful at it with the current administration??

[StcChief]

Originally Posted by Boon

This story couldn't have been written if Herm and Carl were in Nashville.

and there is no reason to think we mirror Titans in rebuilding.

[bkkcoh]

Originally Posted by StcChief

and there is no reason to think we mirror Titans in rebuilding.

Yeah, The Titans were in the superbowl before they had to rebuild. If you look at it that way, the Chiefs have been rebuilding for the last 40 or so years............