Whitlock: Peterson drowning in river of denial

[tk13]

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/11445941.htm

Peterson drowning in river of denial

JASON WHITLOCK

You don't have to be Mel Kiper Jr. to figure out why the Kansas City Chiefs struggle in the draft.

Carl Peterson is no different from you or me. Denial and a lack of discipline make him prone to repeat the same mistake.

Peterson is no different from the overweight man or woman who hops on the Internet, researches the top fad diets, learns everything he/she needs to know about shedding 20 or 30 pounds and then quickly fails to execute once the menu is passed around at The Peach Tree.

Seriously, when you think of Peterson camped inside the “war room” this Saturday contemplating the 15th pick in the draft, think of your kind, gold-hearted friend who hits the basement of Mi Cocina on a Saturday night only hours after crying about getting used by groupies and playas.

“I just like to dance,” your friend says while passing out a phone number to everyone except the busboy.

Yes, Carl Peterson likes to dance on draft day. It's the Super Bowl for NFL general managers and team presidents. The problem for Chiefs fans is Peterson dances like no one's looking. He's in total denial that the Chiefs have a problem on draft day.

Wednesday afternoon, Peterson and his longtime, primary dance partner Lynn Stiles met with the media and discussed Miami cornerback Patrick Surtain, Saturday's draft and, most interestingly, for a brief moment whether Peterson was aware that Chiefs fans were dissatisfied with the way he and his scouting department perform on Super Bowl Saturday.

“You know something, we have 72,000 season-ticket holders,” Peterson said. “We've renewed 95 percent of those people again this year. I haven't had a letter or a fax or a phone call from any of those people. And I haven't, honest to goodness, I haven't had any letters from outside of that, if you want to say, sphere of what I consider real Kansas City Chiefs fans, because they step up each year and put their money down and say, ‘I'm here to see the Chiefs.'

“So, candidly, the criticism comes from some of the media,” Peterson went on. “I've even got it at this point (after) 16 years, and I don't consider it criticism. I consider it speculation. And that's what they get paid to do, speculate. And I respect that.”

Here's some more media speculation: Peterson is lost in denial. There are boatloads of Kansas City Chiefs fans irate about his inability to perform on draft day, and he's convinced himself that because they still buy tickets they're unaware of his draft failure.

Hey, people read my newspaper column. Therefore, I'm not 5 to 6 pounds overweight. Problem solved. You follow?

It's like your cousin who swears he doesn't have a drug or alcohol problem because he hasn't missed a day of work in five years. Never mind the fact that he has two out-of-wedlock, one-night-stand kids whom he yells at for no reason when he's hung over.

What makes matters so frustrating when it comes to Peterson is he's been through years and years of counseling. He knows what to do on draft day. He spends months traveling the country preparing for his annual Super Bowl. He's been burned so many times — Trezelle Jenkins, Ryan Sims, Junior Siavii, Eddie Freeman, Greg Hill, Sylvester Morris, Harvey Williams, Kawika Mitchell — that he really has no excuse for screwing up.

The Chiefs generally get burned in the first two rounds of the draft when Peterson chooses to go with potential over production. Stiles fell in love with Jenkins' wingspan and 6-foot-8 frame. The Chiefs should forbid Stiles from ever using a measuring tape.

“Personally, I look at production,” Peterson said when asked how he balances a prospect's potential versus his college production. “… Potential can get you into trouble.”

You see? Peterson knows what to do. He gets in the war room and panics. There's a lot of pressure in the war room. It's no different from stepping to the free-throw line with only a few seconds on the clock and the game hanging in the balance.

The college production of Sims, Siavii and Freeman never matched their talent. Should we be surprised that they have experienced or are experiencing the same problems here?

But, again, the Chiefs are in denial. On Wednesday Peterson defended the play of Sims and Siavii, suggesting it's much too early to call either a “bust.” It's not too early to suggest that neither player helped the Chiefs last season. At one point Stiles basically said the only problem with last year's draft was that Kris Wilson got hurt and the coaching staff didn't put Samie Parker on the field early enough.

Stiles could be right. But it doesn't explain why a team with such horrifying defensive talent wasted picks on two offensive players a year ago. See, when you're trapped in denial, even when you do something right, it turns out to be wrong.

Let me show Carl Peterson the way. Hi, my name is Jason Whitlock, and I'm a recovering Gates-aholic. It's been two days since my last presidential platter.

[whoman69]

I agree with Keg on every step of this. I don't think that anything Whitlock says to CP, no matter how close to home it hits, is going to change the way that CP does things. Carl has got to recognize that he has been taking way too many chances in the draft, and those chances have not paid off. Last year was the closest thing we have had to a solid draft in the last half dozen years, and even that is up in the air. But you still can't just assume that Carl is going to screw it all up again. What's the point of having that defeatist an attitude?
Thusfar noone has offered for Surtain more than the 4th that we have offered. To just throw in the 2nd instead would be to up the ante by 700%. We still need that 2nd in this draft, whether its to try to move up, or to fill out our roster with another LB. Trade the 2nd for Surtain and we have Kawika Mitchell as a starter once again.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by whoman69

We still need that 2nd in this draft, whether its to try to move up, or to fill out our roster with another LB. Trade the 2nd for Surtain and we have Kawika Mitchell as a starter once again.

I also prefer to keep the second round pick. However, Mitchell will be on the field regardless of what the Chiefs do with the pick.

[bricks]

Originally Posted by Brock

I've attended nearly every game since 1983. Carl Peterson certainly isn't going to stop me from a day at the stadium, no matter how futile the team is.

do you like getting ripped off? I'm assuming so. Are you satisfied with the products this team puts on the field? And, then on top of it that jacka** has to say the "real" Chief fans are season ticket holders, even though we are losing it's ok.
CP has to use the "fans attending the games" excuse as a cover up for his failures. So basically it's like he is saying "yeah we are losing, but, it's ok because people go to the games". that's a slap in the face, imo. Keep going to the games Brock, your an example of what this Chiefs organization wants, they love you. your a contributer, to an owner who doesn't give a sh*t about failure, and only cares about profitability. They could care less if you go home disappointed, and they really like your money. Keep up the good work.

[Brock]

Originally Posted by bricks

do you like getting ripped off? I'm assuming so. Are you satisfied with the products this team puts on the field? And, then on top of it that jacka** has to say the "real" Chief fans are season ticket holders, even though we are losing it's ok.
CP has to use the "fans attending the games" excuse as a cover up for his failures. So basically it's like he is saying "yeah we are losing, but, it's ok because people go to the games". that's a slap in the face, imo. Keep going to the games Brock, your an example of what this Chiefs organization wants, they love you. your a contributer, to an owner who doesn't give a sh*t about failure, and only cares about profitability. They could care less if you go home disappointed, and they really like your money. Keep up the good work.

What a numbnuts. I was here before Carl Peterson, and I'll be here after he's gone. It's real easy for you to sit up there in the middle of nowhere and pronounce your judgement on those of us who choose to be Chiefs fans and show up on Sunday. GFY.

[KCTitus]

Originally Posted by Vlad Logicslav

I think you really don't get it, we don't love to hate the team, but we do despise the team management for their ineptness. That is not at all the same as hating the team.

I have a pretty good handle on it. It's about 4 paragraphs of an explanation I dont feel compelled to write, but suffice it to say it has something to do with ones self esteem, self worth and projection.

Hating could be too strong a word, though, how about 'hoping/wishing for failure'.

[KC Dan]

Originally Posted by bricks

do you like getting ripped off? I'm assuming so. Are you satisfied with the products this team puts on the field? And, then on top of it that jacka** has to say the "real" Chief fans are season ticket holders, even though we are losing it's ok.
CP has to use the "fans attending the games" excuse as a cover up for his failures. So basically it's like he is saying "yeah we are losing, but, it's ok because people go to the games". that's a slap in the face, imo. Keep going to the games Brock, your an example of what this Chiefs organization wants, they love you. your a contributer, to an owner who doesn't give a sh*t about failure, and only cares about profitability. They could care less if you go home disappointed, and they really like your money. Keep up the good work.

You know, I read these kinds of posts all of the time here and I gotta say, of course they don't care what you think. It's a business and like it or not, CP's job is to put azzes in the stands and make money. You know what - he's doing a fine job at that.
Now, does that mean I, as a season ticket holder from Vancouver, Wa. am happy about the lack of playoff success. NO, of course not but CP is doing exactly that Lamar wants him to do - make him money. I enjoy the live game experience and if I didn't I wouldn't go - wins or no wins. CP is selling a gametime experience not a guaranteed Super Bowl Champion. If he was doing the other, he'd been fired in 1995. IT'S A BUSINESS, whether we like it or not.

[Logical]

Originally Posted by KCTitus

I have a pretty good handle on it. It's about 4 paragraphs of an explanation I dont feel compelled to write, but suffice it to say it has something to do with ones self esteem, self worth and projection.

Hating could be too strong a word, though, how about 'hoping/wishing for failure'.

so all of us who hate this teams management have self esteem, worth and projection issues. Way to go Titus you are almost as good as Carl at insulting the masses.

I probably do have excessive self esteem, value my own opinion far too much, and project that to the team management and expect more out of them than I should. But I am not lowering my standards just because you want to suffer their failures with Red and Gold glasses.

Having said that, I highly doubt that all the people that despise the Chiefs management fit the same categorization as I do.

[Logical]

Originally Posted by KC Dan

You know, I read these kinds of posts all of the time here and I gotta say, of course they don't care what you think. It's a business and like it or not, CP's job is to put azzes in the stands and make money. You know what - he's doing a fine job at that.
Now, does that mean I, as a season ticket holder from Vancouver, Wa. am happy about the lack of playoff success. NO, of course not but CP is doing exactly that Lamar wants him to do - make him money. I enjoy the live game experience and if I didn't I wouldn't go - wins or no wins. CP is selling a gametime experience not a guaranteed Super Bowl Champion. If he was doing the other, he'd been fired in 1995. IT'S A BUSINESS, whether we like it or not.

That is his job as President where almost everyone agrees he is a success. He still is a miserable failure as a GM. Being a GM is about winning and not just regular season games.

[bricks]

Originally Posted by Vlad Logicslav

I think you really don't get it, we don't love to hate the team, but we do despise the team management for their ineptness. That is not at all the same as hating the team.

True. I'll tell you though, I'm starting to despise Hunt for rewarding Peterson with a new contract. I don't hate the Chiefs, like them deep down inside, but, my passion is starting to decline for this franchise a bit. Especially, after Hunt starts praising carl by saying,"He is one of the top echelon executives in this league". Makes you wonder, how you could love our owner for making preposterous statements like that. I certainly hate him for saying that.

[CanadaKC]

Nothing is better than the media "reminding" Carl of the actual reality out there in terms of the temperment of the fans. Carl can spin it however he wants...but the truth is simply the truth...our drafts have sucked...and he and Stiles are sqaurely to blame. I remember being on this BB the last three drafts and all of us were having meltdowns. Chief fans will no longer put up with his crap. He has to draft a defensive stud player...and he needs immediate results from that player. Dunta Robinson and Jonathan Vilma come to mind.

[KCTitus]

Originally Posted by Vlad Logicslav

so all of us who hate this teams management have self esteem, worth and projection issues. Way to go Titus you are almost as good as Carl at insulting the masses.

I probably do have excessive self esteem, value my own opinion far too much, and project that to the team management and expect more out of them than I should. But I am not lowering my standards just because you want to suffer their failures with Red and Gold glasses.

Having said that, I highly doubt that all the people that despise the Chiefs management fit the same categorization as I do.

Speaking of funny, your first paragraph is a great example. It's almost pavlovian how easy it is to get the desired response. Speaking of Carl's insult, I really dont feel insulted, but Im somewhat amused by the number that are.

I guess if one is looking to get insulted, one can pretty easily whether it be a internet poster or NFL GM.

[ExtremeChief]

Originally Posted by KCTitus

I have a pretty good handle on it. It's about 4 paragraphs of an explanation I dont feel compelled to write, but suffice it to say it has something to do with ones self esteem, self worth and projection.

Hating could be too strong a word, though, how about 'hoping/wishing for failure'.

So we should just sit around and hold hands, sing kumbyah and think it will be better this year? We don't have the right to complain, bitch, question, and discuss what we think are problems in the front office??? I'm not a "real fan" if I don't tow the line and become complacent, then make fun of every other poster that complains because they aren't a GM?? That's horseshit.

My self esteem, self worth, etc has absolutely nothing to due with my feelings on the Chiefs. I love this team, and will always love this team. And I absolutely reserve the right to complain, bitch, or (heaven forbid) discuss what the front office has or hasn't done in the past.

I think Carl is obviously a great business man. You can't argue with the results he has gotten financially. But I think the Chief's success should also be measured on wins, preferrably in the playoffs. Would another GM be better??? Who knows. But I find it remarkable that he gets to keep his job 4 more years when this team hasn't has a successful post season FOREVER.

[KC Dan]

Originally Posted by ExtremeChief

I think Carl is obviously a great business man. You can't argue with the results he has gotten financially. But I think the Chief's success should also be measured on wins, preferrably in the playoffs. Would another GM be better??? Who knows. But I find it remarkable that he gets to keep his job 4 more years when this team hasn't has a successful post season FOREVER.

To respond to your post and Vlad's, I would add that the main failure is not CP's but Lamar's. If he truly wants playoff wins and a Super Bowl, he would note CP's failings and hire a GM to get the personnel necessary to win in the postseason. Lamar is old and wanting that nestegg to grow for his survivors since he is seeing his own mortality waning. That is most likely why he hasn't gotten more involved to demand a Championship team. Carl is doing his job well as President of the team and it trumps his GM position.

[Chief Henry]

Dammitt Carl...

[nmt1]

Originally Posted by ExtremeChief

But I find it remarkable that he gets to keep his job 4 more years when this team hasn't has a successful post season FOREVER.

Therein is the rub. It's not us, the fans, who determine whether or not Peterson is successful, it's Lamar Hunt. Hunt has decided that Peterson has been successful, regardless of what has happened in the playoffs and there's not a lot we can do about it.