WHITLOCK - IT’S TIME TO LOSE FOR THE FUTURE - Page 12

Hammock Parties · 12-09-2007, 11:14 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...ry/397009.html

DENVER | You hope this wasn’t rock bottom.

Seriously, you hope King Carl, Herm Edwards and the Chiefs have the decency and smarts to save their worst for last, for season-ending road trips to Detroit and New York.

This season can only end on a positive note if the Chiefs get a top-five draft pick out of it and a chance to nab tackle Jake Long or quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm.

Sunday’s 41-7 loss to the Denver Broncos could be problematic. It was the kind of embarrassing, gutless performance that motivates players and coaches to finish the season with pride.

Edwards was angry Sunday. Irritated by the performance of his defense, Herm sounded feisty and prideful in his postgame comments. At one point, he nearly broke into his “you play to win the game” mantra.

No. You play to win the Super Bowl. And when that’s not a legitimate goal, you play to make the playoffs. Once the playoffs are eliminated — as they were on Sunday for the Chiefs — you play to develop your players for next season.

That’s where the Chiefs are now — except they have a special circumstance. They can’t develop Brodie Croyle, Kolby Smith or Dwayne Bowe because KC’s offensive line is so bad that it’s impossible to do anything worthwhile on offense.

When that’s the case, you play for draft position, and you hope the Chiefs can sink deeper than they did on Sunday inside Invesco Field at Mile High.

In losing their sixth straight, the Chiefs rushed for 16 yards in 17 carries, surrendered five sacks, punted eight times, allowed Denver 215 rushing yards and never touched Bronco quarterback Jay Cutler, who finished 20 of 27 passing for 244 yards and four touchdowns.

The Preacher will be preaching this week. He’s embarrassed. If he’s going to lose a game, he’d prefer to lose in the fourth quarter after making everyone suffer through two hours of field-position football.

Denver ran away with this thing, jumping to a two-TD lead in the first quarter and cruising to a 24-7 halftime advantage.

“Our strength is our defense, and we can’t give up 14 points to start out the game and expect to win,” Edwards complained.

Right now there are five teams with worse records than the Chiefs — Miami, 0-13, St. Louis, 3-10, San Francisco, 3-10, the Jets, 3-10 and Atlanta, 3-9. Oakland and Baltimore have the same 4-9 record as the Chiefs.

If the Chiefs take care of business, lose to Tennessee and Detroit, they could head to New York and take on the Jets for the right to draft as high as No. 4.

The key to losing out is packing it in mentally. Sunday’s effort is just the kind of thing that could cause players to refocus.

“It’s not good. We didn’t play well today. It seems like guys didn’t show up today,” Tony Gonzalez grumbled. “Maybe people were already in offseason mode. Maybe they’re already back to their families, going back to Miami or wherever you go during the offseason. It’s sad. It’s frustrating. We’ve got three games left... Let’s go play hard. Let’s try to win. I don’t care about the playoffs.”

I disagree. I loved every pass Dwayne Bowe and Kris Wilson dropped. It was great seeing Ty Law and Patrick Surtain get lit up like Christmas trees. Jared Allen has done more than enough this season to earn a major contract upgrade. He deserved the break he took on Sunday. There’s no reason to waste a sack on the Broncos. And why not let a no-name back jam it right down your throat repeatedly?

You just hope they can do it three more times. We know bad offensive-line play is a given. On one of Croyle’s five sacks, every lineman except Brian Waters got beat.

Honestly, I’m thinking about deducting points from my season-ending Chiefs grades from any player who tries to play hero down the stretch, especially if it’s a veteran player. If Bobby Sippio makes a big play, I’m cool with it. But there’s no reason for an established veteran to do anything beyond go through the motions at this point.

Chiefs fans should do their part by skipping the Tennessee game. We all have a role to play in getting this team to 4-12.

**MahiMike** · 12-10-2007, 10:51 AM

“Our strength is our defense, and we can’t give up 14 points to start out the game and expect to win,” Edwards complained.

And therein lies the fallacy of Herm Edwards and any defensive minded coach. Once a grind-it-out team gets 2 TDs behind, they're done. Game over.

svuba · 12-10-2007, 11:21 AM

"The Preacher will be preaching this week. He’s embarrassed. If he’s going to lose a game, he’d prefer to lose in the fourth quarter after making everyone suffer through two hours of field-position football." - perfect--- screw herm I hope we get manhandled both of the final 2 games.

Herms mantra should be:

"Win or Loose - You play to be within 3 points of your opponent at the end of the game."

duncan_idaho · 12-10-2007, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svuba

"The Preacher will be preaching this week. He’s embarrassed. If he’s going to lose a game, he’d prefer to lose in the fourth quarter after making everyone suffer through two hours of field-position football." - perfect--- screw herm I hope we get manhandled both of the final 2 games.

Herms mantra should be:

"Win or Loose - You play to be within 3 points of your opponent at the end of the game."

ChiefsCountry · 12-10-2007, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TEX

Right - and I suppose Herm just sat there with his thumb up his ass while all this was going on. He went to TWO camps with this TURD O-LINE. He knew what we had or didn't have. He was okay with it all. It's time he's held accountable for some issues as well because he's been here long enough.

You know they went into camp last year with Roaf, Shields and company intact. Roaf retired on the day they left for River Falls.

Redrum_69 · 12-10-2007, 11:55 AM

Chiefs will take a kicker in the first, waterboy in the second, towelboy in the third, benchwarmers in the fourth, and the fifth will be traded off to miami for trent green to come back to KC next year.

SBK · 12-10-2007, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redrum_69

Chiefs will take a kicker in the first, waterboy in the second, towelboy in the third, benchwarmers in the fourth, and the fifth will be traded off to miami for trent green to come back to KC next year.

The only way we take a towelboy that high is if your mom is in the locker room again and we need someone to clean up the skeet stat.

**penguinz** · 12-10-2007, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

You know they went into camp last year with Roaf, Shields and company intact. Roaf retired on the day they left for River Falls.

They knew well in advance that he was seriously considering retirement. In this case you draft or sign a player to fill the position even if you think the chance of losing him is minimal.

Coogs · 12-10-2007, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

If the Chiefs get into position to get Long in the first and Oher in the second, I would do backflips.

They'd be set at the bookends for the next decade.

Oh, and Carl and Herm must go. They would make me do backflips with a half twist.

I got this bit over at GBN. Does not sound like Oher is going to be available this draft.

Junior rumblings… At least according to his mother, Illinois junior RB Rashard Mendenhall is leaning toward entering the 2008 NFL draft. Mendenhall still has to get a report from the NFL’s special draft advisory committee, but according to his mother "We might want to strike while the iron is hot." And Mendenhall may have an unusual extra motivation to turn pro this winter: if Mendenhall indeed leaves the Illini his older brother Walter would be one of the leading candidates to inherit his job as the starting tailback at Illinois. On the other hand, Mississippi junior OT Michael Oher says he is now “leaning toward coming back" to school or his senior season. Oher had been thought to be leaning the other way, however, has reportedly been inspired to stay in school for another year with the arrival of former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt who has moved over to take over at Ole Miss. Same story for Oklahoma junior MLB Curtis Lofton, the Big XII defensive player of the year, who also will check out his potential draft status but says he would only likely enter the draft if he were rated as a possible top 10-15 prospect which he concedes isn’t likely.

duncan_idaho · 12-10-2007, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coogs

I got this bit over at GBN. Does not sound like Oher is going to be available this draft.

Junior rumblings… At least according to his mother, Illinois junior RB Rashard Mendenhall is leaning toward entering the 2008 NFL draft. Mendenhall still has to get a report from the NFL’s special draft advisory committee, but according to his mother "We might want to strike while the iron is hot." And Mendenhall may have an unusual extra motivation to turn pro this winter: if Mendenhall indeed leaves the Illini his older brother Walter would be one of the leading candidates to inherit his job as the starting tailback at Illinois. On the other hand, Mississippi junior OT Michael Oher says he is now “leaning toward coming back" to school or his senior season. Oher had been thought to be leaning the other way, however, has reportedly been inspired to stay in school for another year with the arrival of former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt who has moved over to take over at Ole Miss. Same story for Oklahoma junior MLB Curtis Lofton, the Big XII defensive player of the year, who also will check out his potential draft status but says he would only likely enter the draft if he were rated as a possible top 10-15 prospect which he concedes isn’t likely.

Damn. Guess I don't need to work on my backflips then, huh?

ChiefsCountry · 12-10-2007, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by penguinz

They knew well in advance that he was seriously considering retirement. In this case you draft or sign a player to fill the position even if you think the chance of losing him is minimal.

And if we would have took a tackle in the first two rounds of the 2006 draft this place would have went apeshit.

**HemiEd** · 12-10-2007, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

And if we would have took a tackle in the first two rounds of the 2006 draft this place would have went apeshit.

I doubt too many people would have been upset not picking Pollard, except Gunther.

Coogs · 12-10-2007, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Damn. Guess I don't need to work on my backflips then, huh?

Guess not. Might not hurt to practice them a bit though, as it didn't say he is staying in school for certain.

12-09-2007, 11:14 PM
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4450478	WHITLOCK - IT’S TIME TO LOSE FOR THE FUTURE http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...ry/397009.html DENVER \| You hope this wasn’t rock bottom. Seriously, you hope King Carl, Herm Edwards and the Chiefs have the decency and smarts to save their worst for last, for season-ending road trips to Detroit and New York. This season can only end on a positive note if the Chiefs get a top-five draft pick out of it and a chance to nab tackle Jake Long or quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm. Sunday’s 41-7 loss to the Denver Broncos could be problematic. It was the kind of embarrassing, gutless performance that motivates players and coaches to finish the season with pride. Edwards was angry Sunday. Irritated by the performance of his defense, Herm sounded feisty and prideful in his postgame comments. At one point, he nearly broke into his “you play to win the game” mantra. No. You play to win the Super Bowl. And when that’s not a legitimate goal, you play to make the playoffs. Once the playoffs are eliminated — as they were on Sunday for the Chiefs — you play to develop your players for next season. That’s where the Chiefs are now — except they have a special circumstance. They can’t develop Brodie Croyle, Kolby Smith or Dwayne Bowe because KC’s offensive line is so bad that it’s impossible to do anything worthwhile on offense. When that’s the case, you play for draft position, and you hope the Chiefs can sink deeper than they did on Sunday inside Invesco Field at Mile High. In losing their sixth straight, the Chiefs rushed for 16 yards in 17 carries, surrendered five sacks, punted eight times, allowed Denver 215 rushing yards and never touched Bronco quarterback Jay Cutler, who finished 20 of 27 passing for 244 yards and four touchdowns. The Preacher will be preaching this week. He’s embarrassed. If he’s going to lose a game, he’d prefer to lose in the fourth quarter after making everyone suffer through two hours of field-position football. Denver ran away with this thing, jumping to a two-TD lead in the first quarter and cruising to a 24-7 halftime advantage. “Our strength is our defense, and we can’t give up 14 points to start out the game and expect to win,” Edwards complained. Right now there are five teams with worse records than the Chiefs — Miami, 0-13, St. Louis, 3-10, San Francisco, 3-10, the Jets, 3-10 and Atlanta, 3-9. Oakland and Baltimore have the same 4-9 record as the Chiefs. If the Chiefs take care of business, lose to Tennessee and Detroit, they could head to New York and take on the Jets for the right to draft as high as No. 4. The key to losing out is packing it in mentally. Sunday’s effort is just the kind of thing that could cause players to refocus. “It’s not good. We didn’t play well today. It seems like guys didn’t show up today,” Tony Gonzalez grumbled. “Maybe people were already in offseason mode. Maybe they’re already back to their families, going back to Miami or wherever you go during the offseason. It’s sad. It’s frustrating. We’ve got three games left... Let’s go play hard. Let’s try to win. I don’t care about the playoffs.” I disagree. I loved every pass Dwayne Bowe and Kris Wilson dropped. It was great seeing Ty Law and Patrick Surtain get lit up like Christmas trees. Jared Allen has done more than enough this season to earn a major contract upgrade. He deserved the break he took on Sunday. There’s no reason to waste a sack on the Broncos. And why not let a no-name back jam it right down your throat repeatedly? You just hope they can do it three more times. We know bad offensive-line play is a given. On one of Croyle’s five sacks, every lineman except Brian Waters got beat. Honestly, I’m thinking about deducting points from my season-ending Chiefs grades from any player who tries to play hero down the stretch, especially if it’s a veteran player. If Bobby Sippio makes a big play, I’m cool with it. But there’s no reason for an established veteran to do anything beyond go through the motions at this point. Chiefs fans should do their part by skipping the Tennessee game. We all have a role to play in getting this team to 4-12.
Posts: 278,646

12-10-2007, 10:51 AM	#166
MahiMike He's Mahomie! Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Jax, FL Casino cash: $10023443	“Our strength is our defense, and we can’t give up 14 points to start out the game and expect to win,” Edwards complained. And therein lies the fallacy of Herm Edwards and any defensive minded coach. Once a grind-it-out team gets 2 TDs behind, they're done. Game over.
Posts: 17,387

12-10-2007, 11:21 AM	#167
svuba Starter Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Concord, California, USA Casino cash: $10004900	"The Preacher will be preaching this week. He’s embarrassed. If he’s going to lose a game, he’d prefer to lose in the fourth quarter after making everyone suffer through two hours of field-position football." - perfect--- screw herm I hope we get manhandled both of the final 2 games. Herms mantra should be: "Win or Loose - You play to be within 3 points of your opponent at the end of the game."
Posts: 442

12-10-2007, 11:55 AM	#170
Redrum_69 Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: your nightmares Casino cash: $10004900	Chiefs will take a kicker in the first, waterboy in the second, towelboy in the third, benchwarmers in the fourth, and the fifth will be traded off to miami for trent green to come back to KC next year.
Posts: 6,358