Whitlock: The woes not about the nachos

[tk13]

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10325598.htm

The woes not about the nachos
JASON WHITLOCK

Wednesday night at Mi Cocina on The Plaza, I joked with Chiefs running back Priest Holmes about “the nachos,” the ones CBS cameras caught Holmes munching on in an Arrowhead Stadium suite while the Chiefs were getting tossed by the San Diego Chargers.

We were at Mi Cocina celebrating the birthday of a mutual friend. Priest was in good spirits, and didn't mind laughing at the absurdity of the latest minicontroversy to engulf the disappointing Chiefs.

Some Chiefs fans are bothered that Kansas City's best player — though nursing a knee injury — isn't on the sidelines with his teammates during games. Priest has watched the last two KC defeats from a comfy and warm suite. Shouldn't he be on the sidelines supporting his teammates?

Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil says it doesn't matter where Holmes watches the game. He can't help the team. It's potentially dangerous for Holmes along the Kansas City sideline. And Holmes wasn't the only injured member of the Chiefs to watch the game from an Arrowhead suite.

Vermeil is right for all the reasons he stated and for at least one more. Holmes isn't a rah-rah leader. It's not within his personality — or at least the personality he shares with the media inside Arrowhead Stadium — to yell and scream and be a vocal game-day leader. Holmes is a leader by work ethic, example, preparation and production.

However, the nachos controversy is not much ado about nothing. The shot of Holmes eating nachos while the Chiefs were falling to 3-8 symbolizes the Kansas City 2004 season. The shot — a quirk of fate that says nothing about Holmes or his commitment to the Chiefs — will live on as a symbol of why the Chiefs couldn't come close to duplicating their 13-3 season.

Vermeil's Chiefs have had a total breakdown in team chemistry and togetherness. And they have a major void in leadership.

Yes, without question, the Chiefs need to improve their defensive personnel. And yes, their schedule was more difficult this season. But if the Chiefs were all on the same page, if the Chiefs had some true leadership, if this year's Chiefs had a modicum of the togetherness that powers the New England Patriots, the Chiefs would be 5-6 or 6-5 this season.

The Chiefs are a mess. We learned this week that the Chiefs are a fractured and split group. During a practice session, they brawled as if they were South Carolina and Clemson or Ron Artest and sanity. According to a report, Vermeil swore his team to secrecy about the brawl.

This team isn't together. Priest Holmes sitting in a heated stadium suite while his teammates chilled against the Chargers symbolizes the split.

Holmes isn't to blame for the split. It falls on Dick Vermeil. His indifference to the defensive side of football contributes to the split. Vermeil sets a tone that the whole team and organization follows. He helped hatch the failed plan that called for the Chiefs to retain their own defensive players.

Do you think Vermeil would try to win football games with offensive players as mediocre as his defensive players? Heck no. But he asked Gunther Cunningham to win with inferior talent.

Teams get split when egos run out of control. Cunningham's ego made him believe he could turn around a defense solely with scheme and attitude. Cunningham and Vermeil should have never signed off on Carl Peterson's policy of retaining the group of players who cost Greg Robinson his job.

But Peterson and Vermeil wanted to prove they were right about the 2003 Chiefs team. That team, they believed, was good enough to win a Super Bowl. That team lacked leadership, too. But it was so talented offensively and caught so many breaks that no one noticed the team lacked leadership.

The Chiefs haven't been consistently good since Marcus Allen retired. He was the last member of the Chiefs who had the total respect of the entire organization, players on both sides of the football, players of all race and backgrounds.

Marcus retired after the 1997 season. The Chiefs fell into the toilet in 1998, Marty Schottenheimer's last year. When Marcus spoke, everybody listened. He had charisma and star power. He wasn't near the player that Priest Holmes is, but Marcus contributed in other ways. He gave the team confidence. He was backed up by great players — Derrick Thomas, James Hasty, Neil Smith — and a resume filled with individual and team accomplishments.

The Chiefs have some would-be leaders — Trent Green, Tony Richardson, Eric Hicks, Brian Waters, Will Shields, Tony Gonzalez. But they've never won anything. They haven't won a playoff game since 1993.

The guy best suited to lead the Chiefs, the guy with the Super Bowl ring, the NFL records, the spectacular talent, doesn't want the job of vocal team leader. He'll sell T-shirts promoting “Keep the Faith.” But he's not coming out of the suite as long as the heat is on and the nachos are good.

[nmt1]

Same garbage, different article.
It's truly amazing to me that the Star's editors don't send back his columns every once in a while and ask for some new material.

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by Dartgod

I thought the same thing. Here's what I concluded.


When Priest is sitting in front of him, he doesn't have the balls to call him out.



When he is penning the article, he all of a sudden has huevos grande.

we have a winner.......

Originally Posted by ZachKC

So how many people are going to make their 5th consecutive "usually I hate fatlock but this column is right on" post?

I've only ever seen you say that.

[Dartgod]

Originally Posted by Phobia

I've only ever seen you say that.

Well then, the answer would be "one".

[PastorMikH]

I'll bet right now Carl, er, ah, uhm, Rufus Dawes, is sitting at his computer typing a rebuttle to put up on the Chiefs website today.

[KCTitus]

Originally Posted by PastorMikH

I'll bet right now Carl, er, ah, uhm, Rufus Dawes, is sitting at his computer typing a rebuttle to put up on the Chiefs website today.

A rebuttal to what? That Holmes is to blame or not to blame? Maybe Carl/Rufus is smarter than me, but I got mixed signals on this article.

[Chiefnj]

I think Whitlock is trying to say is that it's a shame that Priest isn't a vocal leader (because it's not in his nature) because he is the guy best suited to be a vocal leader based on what he's achieved in the league in KC and Baltimore. He isn't faulting him for it; although he takes a little bit of a dig at him at the end with the nachos comment.

Using Whitlock's logic, it could be argued that Trent Green has the same leadership qualities that Priest has. Green has a ring, has overachieved from where he was drafted, didn't get his shot for a long time, etc. He has a history somewhat similar to Priest, and he appears to be more vocal and has the respect of his teammates.

They need veteran leadership on defense.

The other night one of the NFL shows had tape of the Eagles in the locker room after their win and clinch of the NFC East this past week. Hugh Douglas has the team gathered around and says "T-shirts are nice (referencing NFC East Champ T-shirts and hats that were given out), but diamonds are a girls best friend baby" and then everyone yelled 1-2-3 team. My point is that even though Douglas' best days are way behind him, he is still a leader in the locker room and apparently has the respect of the younger players.

[Ugly Duck]

Originally Posted by tk13

It's potentially dangerous for Holmes along the Kansas City sideline.

No lie.... that place is a pit! Kansas City has a higher crime rate than Oakland, CA. No sense in subjecting anybody to that cesspool of violence unless absolutely neccessary. And, can you believe it.... some people live there voluntarily!

[ptlyon]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj

The other night one of the NFL shows had tape of the Eagles in the locker room after their win and clinch of the NFC East this past week. Hugh Douglas has the team gathered around and says "T-shirts are nice (referencing NFC East Champ T-shirts and hats that were given out), but diamonds are a girls best friend baby" and then everyone yelled 1-2-3 team.

So does that mean that they are or do they wanna be girls?

[Otter]

Holmes leads by example every time he steps onto the field.

Sure in a perfect world he would be a verbal leader as well but calling him out for that is like saying Barry Sanders was the reason the Lions played so poorly, he just didn't do enough.

I think Whitlock inhaled a KC Masterpiece rib and it's now lodged in his skull and applying pressure to his brain.

[stevieray]

Get over it already. I swear, you'd think you were reading the transcript from the View.

Men talking about nachos and assumed motives....

[Brock]

What a load of bullshit. The team sucks. It's on the coaches, period. That's the way it works in the NFL.

[Chief Henry]

ptlyon.....please check your private messages

[Iowanian]

The Chiefs should just Sign Don King as a reserve Fullback next season.

[Calcountry]

Originally Posted by KCTitus

A rebuttal to what? That Holmes is to blame or not to blame? Maybe Carl/Rufus is smarter than me, but I got mixed signals on this article.

Holmes left his hip and his knee on the football field. Fug Whitlock in the arse and let him go suit up.