MERRIL- Coming undone (after reading this article, I hate Herm even more) - Page 4

Chiefs Pantalones · 12-31-2006, 02:53 AM

Coming undone
The Chiefs unraveled during their losing streak, and now their wild-card hopes hang by a thread.

By ELIZABETH MERRILL
The Kansas City Star

A plane ticket back home to Texas was cheaper online last week, and Derrick Johnson’s mama the schoolteacher is itchin’ to see him. Johnson knows the odds, how he has a better chance of getting bitten by a longhorn, but he couldn’t bring himself to click.

“You never know what happens in the playoff picture,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of bad luck to be planning ahead.”

As a second-year linebacker in Kansas City, Johnson knows this late-December drill all too well. Leave your calendar open, your locker ready to pack, and then sit, wait and hope. Today marks the second year in a row the Chiefs are hanging by a playoff thread, only this one is so thin that the rookies were walking through the locker room late last week passing out keepsake footballs to be autographed in the traditional season’s-over ritual.

Some players are hopeless optimists. They can’t help it. They’ll eat, drink and spit the Jaguars, they’ll watch the scoreboard today to see whether the Steelers can knock off the Bengals and the Patriots can beat the Titans. Even if all that falls into place, the biggest long shot doesn’t start until later in the afternoon, when San Francisco must win at Denver.

Guard Brian Waters said he didn’t even know the scenarios and frankly didn’t care. He said the Chiefs have a hard enough time just dealing with Jacksonville.

“It’s not even an issue, man,” he said.

He may have been fibbing a little.

“I think it’s just a natural instinct that you will (scoreboard watch),” Waters said. “But you look at those matchups. … You really try not to lean too much on that because you don’t want to be disappointed. I think we’ve had enough disappointment as the season went on.”

This is the third time in the last five years that the Chiefs have gone into the final weekend needing help. Last year may have been the hardest. They hammered Cincinnati and needed one team to help. Problem was, it was Detroit, which was playing Pittsburgh.

The Steelers taunted them for much of the afternoon, almost bungling the game away. They went on to win the Super Bowl, and the Chiefs went home at 10-6. They’ve been to the playoffs just once since 1997.

Coach Herm Edwards wasn’t around for the 2005 fade, but he has some theories as to why Kansas City has had so much week 17 heartbreak.

“To me it’s a mind-set,” he said. “We might have to change the culture a little bit, too. It’s work. But it can be done. It’s got to get done, to be quite honest. We can’t keep sitting in this situation.

“It’s a process. Once you feel it … it’s similar to what happened in New York for us. They kind of got it, they understood it. That’s what this team has to come to grips with. All of us. When we get it, it’s a good thing because then you don’t have to talk about it any more. And that’s what they’re going to talk about again in the offseason, that they almost got there. It’s a sick feeling. It’s a sick feeling for everybody.”

Edwards suggested the Chiefs lack a killer instinct that permeates teams like Denver that have been there before. On Thanksgiving night, the Chiefs beat the Broncos and had the inside track to the playoffs with a 7-4 record.

What happened in December makes the average disappointment-weary Chiefs fan toss their face paint. Kansas City went to Cleveland, blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead, and started a spiral of three straight losses.

Hold on for that one game against the Browns, with their 3-8 record and their backup quarterback, and the Chiefs are in the playoffs with a win over the Jaguars and no outside help.

This year’s Cleveland was last year’s Buffalo. Another playoff picture in focus, another inexplicable road loss.

“We had our opportunities,” Edwards said. “We were a 7-4 football team and a fifth seed with five games left. And we didn’t handle it very well. I don’t know why that is. We prepared the same way, we did everything the same. It’s a little bit on everybody, and I guess that’s what we’ll have to swallow if we don’t get in.”

When their postseason hopes dimmed two weeks ago at San Diego, Edwards did his best to steer the team toward weekly goals. “We need to win a game,” was a phrase spouted by at least six players in the week leading up to Oakland. It was the same thing Edwards had been saying for weeks.

So now the Chiefs sit at 8-7, all geared up with probably nowhere to go. Defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson said it’s a bad feeling in his stomach, but it hasn’t affected practice. He called last week’s workouts spirited and lively.

He doesn’t dare think about whether they’ll be back on the field next week.

“I try to block it out,” he said. “I know it’s going to be hard because there’s going to be a lot of people, friends, family, who are going to be calling, ‘What are you going to do next week? Are you coming home?’

“I’ve just got to keep my mind focused on what we’ve got to do this Sunday.”

Even if that includes a little scoreboard watching and wishful thinking.

Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson instructed the scoreboard operators last year not to flash the Steelers score, though Peterson peeked and some of the players kept up with it on the sidelines.

There was no word late last week whether the scores would be blocked out again today. This year, there may be too many what-ifs to really matter.

Edwards, whose optimism could normally make Julie Andrews jealous, didn’t know want to think of where his head would be at late today if everything fell into place on the field and his fate were left somewhere on a snowy field in Denver

“Like everybody else, you’re hoping,” Edwards said. “Ahh … it’s not a good feeling at all. I don’t like being in this situation. I haven’t been in this situation a whole bunch.

“Sometimes you have to change peoples’ thoughts on how they do things.”

crazycoffey · 12-31-2006, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Welcome to the board. If you can't take mild ribbing for intentionally stirring the pot -- for being a n00b who instantly criticizes the board and tries to tell lifelong Chiefs fans what kind of fans they should be -- then you should drink heavily tonight and then drive your car into a tree, killing yourself instantly in a very gruesome and gory way that gets posted on r-o-t-t-e-n.com.

Oh OK, take your own advice than, dick weed You ribbed, I ribbed back, eat a shit sandwich and die from choking on the vomit.

siberian khatru · 12-31-2006, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crazycoffey

Oh OK, take your own advice than, dick weed You ribbed, I ribbed back, eat a shit sandwich and die from choking on the vomit.

Now, THAT'S more like the Planet!

See, we'll get you acclimated in no time.

FringeNC · 12-31-2006, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Your last sentence is definitely at least debatable. He just doesn't seem to have a grasp on things during the game. Even my wife, who knows nothing about football, occassionally says during the game "why does the Chiefs coach always look so confused?"

That being said, your first sentence is crap. The process by which Herm led that team to 4-12 was pretty simple:

Step 1: Starting QB injured
Step 2: 2nd-string QB injured
Step 3: 3rd-string QB injured
and so on.

You're right. It was a cheap shot on Herm. I don't really hate Herm until he opens his mouth and starts sputtering crap. He's done some decent stuff this year -- I think he is good at creating a decent atmosphere in the locker room. I think Herm could be successful if he was surrounded by a very good GM, and very good coordinators...but he doesn't have that here...He just doesn't know enough Xs and Os to do himself.

crazycoffey · 12-31-2006, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Now, THAT'S more like the Planet!

See, we'll get you acclimated in no time.

haha lol

Ok, kick off

htismaqe · 12-31-2006, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TN_Chief

Oh is it? You'd have to be a moron to not be cognizant of the NFL's hissy fit whenever a team hires a coach without the search process including an African-American candidate or two. What has that led to? Romeo Crennel has been a mess in Cleveland. Herm has a career losing record (over 6 seasons) as a head coach. Art Shell...don't even get me started. In my opinion, and I'm entitled to it provided I'm not offensive about expressing it, these guys are still around as HCs because they fit the league's desire to appear PC. I'm not suggesting that there aren't excellent African-American head coaches. Dennis Green, though a mess in Arizona, was great in Minnesota (and despite the trainwreck in the desert still has an impressive coaching record). Tony Dungy has been an outstanding coach for two teams. But IMO, some coaches have been guaranteed virtual immortality due to their skin color (because the league desperately wants to appear progressive).

Are you suggesting that Crennel wasn't a qualified head coaching candidate? Or Art Shell? How does Steve Mariucci get coaching jobs, or Dom Capers, or Jim Fassel?

The NFL is a good old boys network and it applies equally to EVERYBODY, regardless of skin color. But yes, you are a racist.

TN_Chief · 01-01-2007, 06:42 AM

Whatever you say pal. You just keep right on ignoring reality. Are Mooch, Capers or Fassel coaching in the NFL right now? No. Why? They all got fired for doing a lousy job.

What I'm "suggesting" is that due to the NFL's wish to appear PC, their skin color made them "more qualified" than other candidates...and that it buy's them a margin of error that other coaches don't have.

htismaqe · 01-01-2007, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TN_Chief

Whatever you say pal. You just keep right on ignoring reality. Are Mooch, Capers or Fassel coaching in the NFL right now? No. Why? They all got fired for doing a lousy job.

What I'm "suggesting" is that due to the NFL's wish to appear PC, their skin color made them "more qualified" than other candidates...and that it buy's them a margin of error that other coaches don't have.

And I could continue to post of example after example where white coaches were given ample opportunity to fail and CONTINUE to get jobs.

You're full of shit, racist.

SLQ · 01-01-2007, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FringeNC

Garcia is so much better than Huard it's not even funny.

If Garcia was much better than Huard he might be sitting pretty. He is not. Garcia is a mediocre QB, that is why he isn't in SF any longer.

Head to head I think we would all see that Huard is a better technical QB as well as a more accurate passer. Who ever gets him for next year had better use him before he gets much older.

TN_Chief · 01-01-2007, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by htismaqe

And I could continue to post of example after example where white coaches were given ample opportunity to fail and CONTINUE to get jobs.

You're full of shit, racist.

Great. I've given 3 examples in the last decade. Where are yours?

And you know something...I love people like you. People who are so quick to drop the "racist" label. It shows me your level of intelligence. That you don't have the IQ to consider the argument being made in total...you're so overwhelmed with the matter of skin color that you miss everything else. I gave you 2 examples of guys I consider to be excellent coaches that are also African-American (Denny Green and Tony Dungy). Had we pilfered either of them from their respective teams last year I'd have been happy. And had they turned in a final record (9-7 plus backing into the playoffs as Herm has done) I'd have been more than happy to give them the benefit of the doubt. Why? Because they have a solid history of success...which Herm doesn't. Both of those guys have earned an extra measure of respect and margin for error...Herm, Art Shell, Romeo Crennell have not.

htismaqe · 01-01-2007, 09:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TN_Chief

Great. I've given 3 examples in the last decade. Where are yours?

And you know something...I love people like you. People who are so quick to drop the "racist" label. It shows me your level of intelligence. That you don't have the IQ to consider the argument being made in total...you're so overwhelmed with the matter of skin color that you miss everything else. I gave you 2 examples of guys I consider to be excellent coaches that are also African-American (Denny Green and Tony Dungy). Had we pilfered either of them from their respective teams last year I'd have been happy. And had they turned in a final record (9-7 plus backing into the playoffs as Herm has done) I'd have been more than happy to give them the benefit of the doubt. Why? Because they have a solid history of success...which Herm doesn't. Both of those guys have earned an extra measure of respect and margin for error...Herm, Art Shell, Romeo Crennell have not.

I love it when people throw out the IQ smack. What your IQ on the SBv5?

The NFL recycles coaches, whether their head coaches or assistants. Sam Wyche, Bum Phillips, Tom Coughlin, and the list goes on. Why is Marty still a head coach? Because he's black? His track record is remarkably similar to Herm's, only he's been coaching 5 times as long.

Tony Dungy...

. He got handed the league's best offense on a silver platter and he's done what with it? NOTHING.

And keep throwing Romeo Crennel in there too. It makes your argument even funnier. The guy has been a head coach for 2 years, IN CLEVELAND. Bill Belichik failed there too, he must suck. There's absolutely ZERO argument the Crennel was the most qualified coordinator in the NFL at the time he got the Cleveland job.

TN_Chief · 01-01-2007, 10:13 AM

The last time I was tested was in '91, my second year of college. It wasn't the SB, it was the WAIS and my score was 141.

12-31-2006, 02:53 AM
Chiefs Pantalones GO CHIEFS!!!!!! Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $6878717	MERRIL- Coming undone (after reading this article, I hate Herm even more) Coming undone The Chiefs unraveled during their losing streak, and now their wild-card hopes hang by a thread. By ELIZABETH MERRILL The Kansas City Star A plane ticket back home to Texas was cheaper online last week, and Derrick Johnson’s mama the schoolteacher is itchin’ to see him. Johnson knows the odds, how he has a better chance of getting bitten by a longhorn, but he couldn’t bring himself to click. “You never know what happens in the playoff picture,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of bad luck to be planning ahead.” As a second-year linebacker in Kansas City, Johnson knows this late-December drill all too well. Leave your calendar open, your locker ready to pack, and then sit, wait and hope. Today marks the second year in a row the Chiefs are hanging by a playoff thread, only this one is so thin that the rookies were walking through the locker room late last week passing out keepsake footballs to be autographed in the traditional season’s-over ritual. Some players are hopeless optimists. They can’t help it. They’ll eat, drink and spit the Jaguars, they’ll watch the scoreboard today to see whether the Steelers can knock off the Bengals and the Patriots can beat the Titans. Even if all that falls into place, the biggest long shot doesn’t start until later in the afternoon, when San Francisco must win at Denver. Guard Brian Waters said he didn’t even know the scenarios and frankly didn’t care. He said the Chiefs have a hard enough time just dealing with Jacksonville. “It’s not even an issue, man,” he said. He may have been fibbing a little. “I think it’s just a natural instinct that you will (scoreboard watch),” Waters said. “But you look at those matchups. … You really try not to lean too much on that because you don’t want to be disappointed. I think we’ve had enough disappointment as the season went on.” This is the third time in the last five years that the Chiefs have gone into the final weekend needing help. Last year may have been the hardest. They hammered Cincinnati and needed one team to help. Problem was, it was Detroit, which was playing Pittsburgh. The Steelers taunted them for much of the afternoon, almost bungling the game away. They went on to win the Super Bowl, and the Chiefs went home at 10-6. They’ve been to the playoffs just once since 1997. Coach Herm Edwards wasn’t around for the 2005 fade, but he has some theories as to why Kansas City has had so much week 17 heartbreak. “To me it’s a mind-set,” he said. “We might have to change the culture a little bit, too. It’s work. But it can be done. It’s got to get done, to be quite honest. We can’t keep sitting in this situation. “It’s a process. Once you feel it … it’s similar to what happened in New York for us. They kind of got it, they understood it. That’s what this team has to come to grips with. All of us. When we get it, it’s a good thing because then you don’t have to talk about it any more. And that’s what they’re going to talk about again in the offseason, that they almost got there. It’s a sick feeling. It’s a sick feeling for everybody.” Edwards suggested the Chiefs lack a killer instinct that permeates teams like Denver that have been there before. On Thanksgiving night, the Chiefs beat the Broncos and had the inside track to the playoffs with a 7-4 record. What happened in December makes the average disappointment-weary Chiefs fan toss their face paint. Kansas City went to Cleveland, blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead, and started a spiral of three straight losses. Hold on for that one game against the Browns, with their 3-8 record and their backup quarterback, and the Chiefs are in the playoffs with a win over the Jaguars and no outside help. This year’s Cleveland was last year’s Buffalo. Another playoff picture in focus, another inexplicable road loss. “We had our opportunities,” Edwards said. “We were a 7-4 football team and a fifth seed with five games left. And we didn’t handle it very well. I don’t know why that is. We prepared the same way, we did everything the same. It’s a little bit on everybody, and I guess that’s what we’ll have to swallow if we don’t get in.” When their postseason hopes dimmed two weeks ago at San Diego, Edwards did his best to steer the team toward weekly goals. “We need to win a game,” was a phrase spouted by at least six players in the week leading up to Oakland. It was the same thing Edwards had been saying for weeks. So now the Chiefs sit at 8-7, all geared up with probably nowhere to go. Defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson said it’s a bad feeling in his stomach, but it hasn’t affected practice. He called last week’s workouts spirited and lively. He doesn’t dare think about whether they’ll be back on the field next week. “I try to block it out,” he said. “I know it’s going to be hard because there’s going to be a lot of people, friends, family, who are going to be calling, ‘What are you going to do next week? Are you coming home?’ “I’ve just got to keep my mind focused on what we’ve got to do this Sunday.” Even if that includes a little scoreboard watching and wishful thinking. Chiefs president/general manager Carl Peterson instructed the scoreboard operators last year not to flash the Steelers score, though Peterson peeked and some of the players kept up with it on the sidelines. There was no word late last week whether the scores would be blocked out again today. This year, there may be too many what-ifs to really matter. Edwards, whose optimism could normally make Julie Andrews jealous, didn’t know want to think of where his head would be at late today if everything fell into place on the field and his fate were left somewhere on a snowy field in Denver “Like everybody else, you’re hoping,” Edwards said. “Ahh … it’s not a good feeling at all. I don’t like being in this situation. I haven’t been in this situation a whole bunch. “Sometimes you have to change peoples’ thoughts on how they do things.”
Posts: 26,653

01-01-2007, 06:42 AM	#51
TN_Chief Herm Edwards is...Kim Jong-il Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Eden Prairie, MN Casino cash: $10004900	Whatever you say pal. You just keep right on ignoring reality. Are Mooch, Capers or Fassel coaching in the NFL right now? No. Why? They all got fired for doing a lousy job. What I'm "suggesting" is that due to the NFL's wish to appear PC, their skin color made them "more qualified" than other candidates...and that it buy's them a margin of error that other coaches don't have. Last edited by TN_Chief; 01-01-2007 at 06:54 AM..
Posts: 1,049

01-01-2007, 10:13 AM	#56
TN_Chief Herm Edwards is...Kim Jong-il Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Eden Prairie, MN Casino cash: $10004900	The last time I was tested was in '91, my second year of college. It wasn't the SB, it was the WAIS and my score was 141.
Posts: 1,049