Chiefs WHITLOCK - Pioli, Haley create KC's worst team

Hammock Parties · 09-27-2009, 09:57 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...y/1474216.html

PHILADELPHIA | That was not fun. Or entertaining. Or promising. Or anything positive.

It was a three-hour ordeal, the Kansas City Chiefs’ venture into Lincoln Financial Field, which ended with a 34-14 Eagles victory.

We watched it. Or listened to it. Or heard about it.

Think about the 46 Chiefs players who suffered through it. Whatever level of disgust or disappointment you felt witnessing the Philadelphia Eagles demoralize your favorite team, multiply your angst by 20, and then you’ll know what those three hours felt like to the average Chiefs player.

Football, even at the professional level, is still just a game, and games are supposed to be fun and entertaining. You never want to be on a team that quits. That’s no fun.

The Chiefs surrendered at halftime Sunday.

Down 24-7, first-year coach Todd Haley looked at his team’s paltry rushing statistics (18 yards In nine carries), pondered the likelihood of the Chiefs digging out from a 17-point deficit on the road, remembered last week’s debacle against Oakland and decided to milk the clock with KC’s ground game in hopes of avoiding further embarrassment and a Matt Cassel injury.

It wasn’t fun, inspiring or anything positive. It was enlightening.

Right now, Todd Haley and Scott Egoli are in way over their heads. They’ve taken the scraps Herm Edwards and Carl Peterson left, supported them with spare parts from New England, emasculated them with intimidation tactics that allegedly foster a culture of winning and created a team far worse than anything we’ve seen represent our city.

A culture of winning? Can you build one when you run the ball on 10 of 11 plays while trailing 27-7 in the third quarter?

Haley treated the second half like an exhibition game. He wasn’t playing to win. He was playing to avoid further embarrassment.

“We are trying to win the game, but at the same time we are trying to establish an identity around here,” Haley said. “Three yards of rushing offense at halftime (Larry Johnson’s halftime total), to me, is unacceptable. ... You can call it conservative if you want. I think it had a purpose as far as myself and the team goes, and I’ll leave it at that.”

I get it. But I didn’t trade for Matt Cassel and give him $60 million.

If the game plan was to establish an identity in 2009, then the first-time general manager and first-time head coach should have drafted Mark Sanchez rather than take a $60 million flyer on a career backup. When you drop $60 mil on a 27-year-old quarterback, you expect him to fling the ball when the team falls behind by two or three touchdowns.

In the second half, the Chiefs ran it 20 times and threw it eight. For the entire game, the Chiefs never threatened the Philadelphia defense downfield. When Cassel dropped back to pass, he rarely lofted the ball more than 8 yards past the line of scrimmage. He completed 14 of 18 passes for 90 yards. You can blame it on the pass protection, but there’s no doubt Haley put training wheels on Cassel.

The Chiefs weren’t trying to win the game. They were trying to survive. They were trying to catch a flight back home. Unfortunately the New York Giants will be waiting for our Chiefs next Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Giants can get after a quarterback as effectively as any team in the league, and they can score points.

The ordeal we experienced Sunday might just be the beginning of a pattern.

No matter what Pioli and Haley think of the personnel they inherited from Peterson and Edwards, I can guarantee you all of these players have some level of pride. They were stars in college. They planned on starring in the NFL. They have friends across the league. They were not happy running out the clock against the Eagles.

Of course, they’ve been programmed and scared into concealing their feelings about the direction of the organization. In the name of doing things the Patriots Way, Pioli and Haley have treated grown men like children. In the process, they’re turning playing a game into a chore.

It’s a bad foundation. Football is too challenging and too brutal to be reduced to a chore. It takes more than a multimillion-dollar contract to sustain the emotional energy necessary to prepare and compete at the highest level.

Haley and Pioli can lose this team quickly. Getting it back won’t be as easy as running off the players who disagree with their tactics. The disagreement will be across the league. Players don’t care that Pioli fetched coffee for Bill Belichick and Haley coached receivers for Bill Parcells. Players want to win and be treated like men.

Haley is already adjusting. He was far more professional and composed on Sunday than he was in his first two games.

“That is something that I have to work on at all times,” Haley said of losing his temper. “The leader of this team cannot lose complete composure a significant amount of time, although it is something that’s hard for me. It is part of me. I think it is part of what has gotten me to where I am right now, but now that I’m the head coach I have to work on that all the time.”

Good. That’s a start. Next week let’s put together a game plan that creates the appearance of trying to win.

Hammock Parties · 09-27-2009, 09:57 PM

I disagree, Jason. Herm Edwards created KC's worst team last season. And it took him three years.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 09-27-2009, 10:00 PM

Simply Red · 09-28-2009, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

this, still.

Simply Red · 09-28-2009, 07:15 AM

Hey guys, it could always be worse, I mean, we could all be Royal's fans, too.

Mile High Mania · 09-27-2009, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

I disagree, Jason. Herm Edwards created KC's worst team last season. And it took him three years.

I'm sure you have your rebuttal article about 95% ready for publishing... seems like you wait for Jason to print his article for the week and then you reply in kind.

Hammock Parties · 09-27-2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mile High Mania

I'm sure you have your rebuttal article about 95% ready for publishing... seems like you wait for Jason to print his article for the week and then you reply in kind.

I've done it a few times. It's fun. Not this week.

RippedmyFlesh · 09-27-2009, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

I disagree, Jason. Herm Edwards created KC's worst team last season. And it took him three years.

Agree
Look at what herm inherited and look at what haley inherited.
Herm made the chiefs worse. Haley is trying to dig out of his mess.

keg in kc · 09-28-2009, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

I disagree, Jason. Herm Edwards created KC's worst team last season. And it took him three years.

Carl Peterson created KC's worst team. It took him 15 years.

And I have some great beach front property here in Olatha available cheap for anybody who thought that was going to be fixed in a single offseason.

Fish · 09-28-2009, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Carl Peterson created KC's worst team. It took him 15 years.

And I have some great beach front property here in Olatha available cheap for anybody who thought that was going to be fixed in a single offseason.

Fixed no.... I just want to see a little improvement from game to game. I'm seeing anything but that. Lack of talent cannot completely excuse that.

keg in kc · 09-28-2009, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Fixed no.... I just want to see a little improvement from game to game. I'm seeing anything but that. Lack of talent cannot completely excuse that.

They improved from week one to week two. Then they took a step back in week three. And that's all the season they've had so far. Better learn a little patience or you're gonna shoot yourself before the bye.

Chiefnj2 · 09-28-2009, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

They improved from week one to week two. Then they took a step back in week three. And that's all the season they've had so far. Better learn a little patience or you're gonna shoot yourself before the bye.

Did they improve in week two, or just play an inferior opponent?

Fish · 09-28-2009, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

They improved from week one to week two. Then they took a step back in week three. And that's all the season they've had so far. Better learn a little patience or you're gonna shoot yourself before the bye.

Improvement against the Raiders is mighty tough to quantify.

And honestly, I've never been as emotionally detached from this team as I am right now. My criticism shouldn't be viewed as emotional.

Chieftain58 · 09-28-2009, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

I disagree, Jason. Herm Edwards created KC's worst team last season. And it took him three years.

GoChiefs, do you work for the Chiefs? Your pissed off in every post and you must see thing a little differently than everyone else.. Your perspective is coo-coo coo-coo..... You claiming LJ is the man makes me think your his brother!

kcpasco · 09-27-2009, 09:58 PM

Did Whitlock watch that game in Carolina last year?

09-27-2009, 09:57 PM	Topic Starter
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4330478	WHITLOCK - Pioli, Haley create KC's worst team http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...y/1474216.html PHILADELPHIA \| That was not fun. Or entertaining. Or promising. Or anything positive. It was a three-hour ordeal, the Kansas City Chiefs’ venture into Lincoln Financial Field, which ended with a 34-14 Eagles victory. We watched it. Or listened to it. Or heard about it. Think about the 46 Chiefs players who suffered through it. Whatever level of disgust or disappointment you felt witnessing the Philadelphia Eagles demoralize your favorite team, multiply your angst by 20, and then you’ll know what those three hours felt like to the average Chiefs player. Football, even at the professional level, is still just a game, and games are supposed to be fun and entertaining. You never want to be on a team that quits. That’s no fun. The Chiefs surrendered at halftime Sunday. Down 24-7, first-year coach Todd Haley looked at his team’s paltry rushing statistics (18 yards In nine carries), pondered the likelihood of the Chiefs digging out from a 17-point deficit on the road, remembered last week’s debacle against Oakland and decided to milk the clock with KC’s ground game in hopes of avoiding further embarrassment and a Matt Cassel injury. It wasn’t fun, inspiring or anything positive. It was enlightening. Right now, Todd Haley and Scott Egoli are in way over their heads. They’ve taken the scraps Herm Edwards and Carl Peterson left, supported them with spare parts from New England, emasculated them with intimidation tactics that allegedly foster a culture of winning and created a team far worse than anything we’ve seen represent our city. A culture of winning? Can you build one when you run the ball on 10 of 11 plays while trailing 27-7 in the third quarter? Haley treated the second half like an exhibition game. He wasn’t playing to win. He was playing to avoid further embarrassment. “We are trying to win the game, but at the same time we are trying to establish an identity around here,” Haley said. “Three yards of rushing offense at halftime (Larry Johnson’s halftime total), to me, is unacceptable. ... You can call it conservative if you want. I think it had a purpose as far as myself and the team goes, and I’ll leave it at that.” I get it. But I didn’t trade for Matt Cassel and give him $60 million. If the game plan was to establish an identity in 2009, then the first-time general manager and first-time head coach should have drafted Mark Sanchez rather than take a $60 million flyer on a career backup. When you drop $60 mil on a 27-year-old quarterback, you expect him to fling the ball when the team falls behind by two or three touchdowns. In the second half, the Chiefs ran it 20 times and threw it eight. For the entire game, the Chiefs never threatened the Philadelphia defense downfield. When Cassel dropped back to pass, he rarely lofted the ball more than 8 yards past the line of scrimmage. He completed 14 of 18 passes for 90 yards. You can blame it on the pass protection, but there’s no doubt Haley put training wheels on Cassel. The Chiefs weren’t trying to win the game. They were trying to survive. They were trying to catch a flight back home. Unfortunately the New York Giants will be waiting for our Chiefs next Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Giants can get after a quarterback as effectively as any team in the league, and they can score points. The ordeal we experienced Sunday might just be the beginning of a pattern. No matter what Pioli and Haley think of the personnel they inherited from Peterson and Edwards, I can guarantee you all of these players have some level of pride. They were stars in college. They planned on starring in the NFL. They have friends across the league. They were not happy running out the clock against the Eagles. Of course, they’ve been programmed and scared into concealing their feelings about the direction of the organization. In the name of doing things the Patriots Way, Pioli and Haley have treated grown men like children. In the process, they’re turning playing a game into a chore. It’s a bad foundation. Football is too challenging and too brutal to be reduced to a chore. It takes more than a multimillion-dollar contract to sustain the emotional energy necessary to prepare and compete at the highest level. Haley and Pioli can lose this team quickly. Getting it back won’t be as easy as running off the players who disagree with their tactics. The disagreement will be across the league. Players don’t care that Pioli fetched coffee for Bill Belichick and Haley coached receivers for Bill Parcells. Players want to win and be treated like men. Haley is already adjusting. He was far more professional and composed on Sunday than he was in his first two games. “That is something that I have to work on at all times,” Haley said of losing his temper. “The leader of this team cannot lose complete composure a significant amount of time, although it is something that’s hard for me. It is part of me. I think it is part of what has gotten me to where I am right now, but now that I’m the head coach I have to work on that all the time.” Good. That’s a start. Next week let’s put together a game plan that creates the appearance of trying to win.
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09-27-2009, 09:57 PM	#2
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4330478	I disagree, Jason. Herm Edwards created KC's worst team last season. And it took him three years. __________________ Chiefs game films
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09-27-2009, 10:00 PM	#3
OnTheWarpath15 MVP Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $4761115
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09-28-2009, 07:15 AM	#5
Simply Red You Sweetie! Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $2021206219 VARSITY	Hey guys, it could always be worse, I mean, we could all be Royal's fans, too.
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09-27-2009, 09:58 PM	#15
kcpasco MVP Join Date: Sep 2007 Casino cash: $7603463	Did Whitlock watch that game in Carolina last year?
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