Whitlock: Chiefs are going the wrong direction

[Tribal Warfare]

Chiefs are going the wrong direction
JASON WHITLOCK COMMENTARY

It’s not working, the “process,” the “Patriots Way,” the musical wide receivers, the $63 million quarterback, the yelling and screaming.

Sunday, the Chiefs darn near made your eyes bleed.

The Denver Broncos took the baton from the San Diego Chargers and obliterated the last pieces of progress left over from the Chiefs’ thought-to-be shocking-at-the-time victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

A week ago, I spared you the final score. This week I will not shield you from the unfiltered truth:

Denver 44, Kansas City 13.

This thing is headed the wrong direction. Not only was the Pittsburgh victory a total fluke, but it’s lost all of its glitter, thanks to the Steelers’ four-game losing streak, including a loss to the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

You can’t shine this up. For the first time since 1983, John Mackovic’s first season as head coach, the Chiefs surrendered 40-plus points in back-to-back games.

That’s right. This is starting to smell like the 1980s on the field and in the stands. Arrowhead Stadium was just a touch more than half-filled on Sunday, and Broncos fans comprised a good 30 percent of the spectators.

The only thing missing was Bill Kenney. Unfortunately, Matt Cassel wishes he played at a level as high as Kenney.

Todd Haley benched The Sixty Million Dollar Man after Scott Pioli’s prize acquisition completed 10 of 29 passes for 84 yards and two interceptions through three quarters of play. Haley denied Cassel the opportunity to get angry, fling the ball with confidence and authority and put up some meaningless stats.

Cassel’s 14.6 QB rating for the afternoon wasn’t all his fault. His receivers, particularly Bobby Wade, dropped numerous passes, failed to complete routes and generally conducted themselves as if they had little interest in risking a Brian Dawkins mouth shot.

So much for the myth that this Haley-coached team never quits. His players don’t care that he yells and screams anymore, if they ever did. He’s getting tuned out. In the first quarter, Wade shouted back at his coach and had to be restrained by his teammates.

The scare-and-intimidation tactics by Haley and Pioli aren’t a viable long-term plan. This “process” is immature. You can see it in the players’ uneven performance and demeanor. Even a proud, distinguished veteran like Mike Vrabel is beginning to crack.

When the Broncos converted a fourth-and-inches into a fourth-quarter touchdown, Vrabel flipped his middle finger to the Denver bench as he walked off the field.

“I was frustrated,” said Vrabel, the former Patriots star. “I’ve been on the other end of one of those (blowout victory) and it’s a lot of fun. Well, now I’ve been on the other side, and it’s not good.”

None of this is good. The Chiefs aren’t getting better. They have a lone bright spot — linebacker/defensive end Tamba Hali, who recorded three sacks on Sunday and has 6 1/2 for the season. He’s drawn several holding penalties this year and has been a consistent defensive force.

No disrespect to Hali, but let me ask this question: Is this the emergence of a true pass-rush force or the second coming of Eric Hicks?

You remember Hicks’ 2000 season. He put up 14 sacks in a disappointing 7-9 season. For a season, Hicks looked like a building block, a foundational block for a bright defensive future.

Over the next six seasons, Hicks recorded 26 1/2 sacks. He was a solid NFL player. He never had another double-digit sack season.

You could argue that if Kansas City had a second playmaker along its front four, Hali would get 10-plus sacks this season. Someone else might argue that Hali is simply doing what he did his first two seasons when he was playing opposite Jared Allen, and Hali’s 6 1/2 sacks look awesome solely because no one else on the Chiefs gets a whiff of the opposing quarterback.

Hali had eight sacks his rookie year and 7 1/2 sacks in year two. He had three sacks last season.

I’m sorry. I can’t pinpoint a legitimate bright spot. Running back Jamaal Charles can’t hold onto the football. He’s fumbled three times. Chris Chambers? He’s likely to fall off the same cliff as the other off-the-street receivers Haley showcases for a week or two.

This season is a disaster. You can’t blame these back-to-back blowout losses to AFC West foes on Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards.

When they took over, Marty and Carl didn’t blame Frank Gansz and Jim Schaaf.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by T-post Tom

I love it when posters here go all Carl Peterson and say that someone else isn't a "real" fan. Or that they're a "faux" fan because they're disgusted with a coaching staff/franchise in disarray. I've been a Chiefs' fan for over 25 years. And I've watched enough professional football to realize when a head coach SUCKS. And Haley SUCKS. Period. He's in over his head. Now I'm willing to give a rookie head coach some slack. But Haley has taken the slack and hung this team in the most dreadful way. Sorry apologists, but there's no excuse for the incredible level of Haley's ineptness. Seriously, enough is enough. Here's but a few of his transgressions:

1. Fired Chan Gailey in an untimely fashion.
2. Changed playbook in an untimely fashion.
3. Alienates players with his Napoleon complex.
4. Consistently makes bad personnel choices. (ex. Lance Long,Mike Brown)
5. HORRIBLE playcalling and game time decisions. (ex. fake punt vs. Donks)

Not sure if your response is in general or in reference to my posts, but I would like to respond either way.

First...I don't agree with your assessment of Haley. I think he kept Gailey because he was forced to by Clark Hunt. I think he changed the playbook because the old one we used where we ran a sad LJ up Brian Waters ass 2 out of 3 plays wasn't working.

I'm glad he has a Napolean complex....better than Vermeil or Edwards, by a long shot.

The bad personnel choices are just as much caused by the lack of truly available talent as anything. If you can let me know where we can pick up some good WR's, O Linemen, or D Linemen, please feel free.

I think Haley knows he has a lot of growing to do....but thus far he hasn't failed as miserably as some would like to infer.

BTW...I can trump your 25 years as a fan, as can many others on here.

mmaddog
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[T-post Tom]

Originally Posted by BigChiefFan

It could be argued, that's he's actually a good coach, who has won a few games, with shit talent.

It could be argued that the sky isn't blue, that water isn't wet, and that the Kardashian family is a fine example of stalwart, old fashioned family values. Anything can be argued.

[gblowfish]

Kenney's career, he was 34-43 as a starter. Sacked 191 times. 105 TDs, 86 interceptions. 54.7% completion ratio. Playoff record: 0-1.

Here's the Wiki entry on Bill Kenney's NFL Career:
NFL

Kenney was given the "honor" of being named Mr. Irrelevant in 1978 when he was drafted by the Miami Dolphins. The award traditionally is given to the last selection of the draft; Kenney earned the award as the second-to-last selection when the last player taken suffered a back injury and failed to report to camp. He was cut from the Dolphins at the end of training camp, but he had more success two years later, when he made the Kansas City Chiefs roster as the backup to Steve Fuller. He ended up starting games late in the year because of an injury to Fuller and did acceptably well. His late season performance helped him to take over the starting job for good in 1981.

After an average 1982 season, Kenney was in line to be replaced by Todd Blackledge, whom the Chiefs drafted as part of the vaunted Quarterback class of 1983. Kenney responded by having a breakout season, setting team records for passing yards (4,348) and completions (346) in a season; the latter was also good enough to lead the NFL. Kenney earned a Pro Bowl berth that season, and is the only Mr. Irrelevant to have been selected to one. At one point, he threw for over 300 yards in 4 games in a row, topping out at 417 yards in a loss to Seattle. Unfortunately for Kenney and the Chiefs, they would lose all four games.

He didn't come close to matching his 4,000-yard output over the next four seasons, but he did enough to prevent Blackledge from starting when he was healthy (in 1984, he missed 7 weeks due to a thumb injury). He eventually gave up his starting job in 1988 when the Chiefs traded for Steve DeBerg. Kenney was released after failing to throw a touchdown pass in 114 attempts that season. He left the Chiefs as the second most prolific passer in team history behind Hall of Famer Len Dawson. He has been passed in most passing categories since then by Trent Green; Green also broke Kenney's single season record for passing yards in 2004.

In 1989, he signed with the Washington Redskins to be the third quarterback behind Mark Rypien and Doug Williams. He did not appear in any games with the 'Skins, however, and he retired after the season.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by T-post Tom

It could be argued that the sky isn't blue, that water isn't wet, and that the Kardashian family is a fine example of stalwart, old fashioned family values. Anything can be argued.

Not intelligently...

mmaddog
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[T-post Tom]

Originally Posted by mmaddog

Not sure if your response is in general or in reference to my posts, but I would like to respond either way.

First...I don't agree with your assessment of Haley. I think he kept Gailey because he was forced to by Clark Hunt. I think he changed the playbook because the old one we used where we ran a sad LJ up Brian Waters ass 2 out of 3 plays wasn't working.

I'm glad he has a Napolean complex....better than Vermeil or Edwards, by a long shot.

The bad personnel choices are just as much caused by the lack of truly available talent as anything. If you can let me know where we can pick up some good WR's, O Linemen, or D Linemen, please feel free.

I think Haley knows he has a lot of growing to do....but thus far he hasn't failed as miserably as some would like to infer.

BTW...I can trump your 25 years as a fan, as can many others on here.

mmaddog
*******

This post [highlighted by the "better than Vermeil" comment] gives you enough fuzzy logic to knit everyone here a warm Christmas sweater for the Holidays. [Hey, you might win a prize! www.KCSweaterParty.com. ] Congratulations. And just remember this exchange when Haley is fired after next year's losing season and we restart yet another "rebuilding" process.

[T-post Tom]

Originally Posted by mmaddog

Not intelligently...

mmaddog
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Exactly my point. Thank you.

[C-Mac]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

God, I HATE having to re-has Ms. Kenney over and over and over again.
Blackledge was drafted because Kenney sucked. You already know all the guys we could have had. Kenney could never stay healthy for a whole season. He was a lot like Damon Huard or Elvis The Pants Wetter, always getting dinged up. If you look at how he made the Pro Bowl in 1983, he was the third or fourth choice, because better QBs passed on playing in the game. He also only had big passing stats because Joe Delaney died the summer before that season, and the Chiefs had no running attack. So they threw 40 times a game. Sure, he had big passing stats, and a losing record. Kenney was one of the main reasons the Chiefs sucked in the 1980s. I don't ever, EVER want to live through another decade with a mediocre QB like that.

I'm not disagreeing with you in any way, except that some talent was required regardless of the situation, Thigpen is proof of that.
Whitlock used Kenney to make his point correctly, I just felt the context of GoChiefs article was misleading, because Kenney was not the worst QB to don a Chiefs uniform. A QB could come in for a handful of plays get knocked out and get a 1.0 QB rating or less so what's the point? I think Rothlesberger even had a Super Bowl QB rating of like 22?

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

Nah, you just like Bill Kenney for some reason.

I've done plenty of research. He was garbage. And George's post backs that up.

There's really no better comparison to make.

He was not garbage, you have no idea what you are talking about. There are plenty of Chief's QBs that would qualify for that label, but Bill Kenney is not one of them.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by T-post Tom

This post [highlighted by the "better than Vermeil" comment] gives you enough fuzzy logic to knit everyone here a warm Christmas sweater for the Holidays. [Hey, you might win a prize! KCSweaterParty.com]Congratulations. And just remember this exchange when Haley is fired after next year's losing season and we restart yet another "rebuilding" process.

Sorry....but my post was no worse than your own. And I'm not into knitting.

I think you make so many leaps with your assumptions you could make Evel Knievel look tame. Trying to already make the prediction that Haley will be fired at the end of next season makes assumptions that makes your logic look fuzzy.

But...we can debate this in January 2011.

mmaddog
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[Mecca]

The fact that there is a Bill Kenney argument is all I need to know about the shitty QB's in this franchises history.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by Mecca

The fact that there is a Bill Kenney argument is all I need to know about the shitty QB's in this franchises history.

True.

[T-post Tom]

Originally Posted by mmaddog

Sorry....but my post was no worse than your own. And I'm not into knitting.

I think you make so many leaps with your assumptions you could make Evel Knievel look tame. Trying to already make the prediction that Haley will be fired at the end of next season makes assumptions that makes your logic look fuzzy.

But...we can debate this in January 2011.

mmaddog
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There's no leap in saying that shitty coaches get fired. If you can't see that Haley has done a shitty job, then you really know nothing about football.

[LaChapelle]

No "nicknames" and only 1 television reference makes Whitlock so much easier to read.

[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by Mecca

The fact that there is a Bill Kenney argument is all I need to know about the shitty QB's in this franchises history.

While Kenney is towards the bottom of the list, I can name about 10 other starting QB's that are worse than him on the all time Chiefs rosters. And some of the are 1st and 2nd round picks.

mmaddog
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[Mosbonian]

Originally Posted by T-post Tom

There's no leap in saying that shitty coaches get fired. If you can't see that Haley has done a shitty job, then you really know nothing about football.

The leap you're taking is that you believe he is a shitty coach. Far too soon to make that assessment.

So I will make the same leap as you....if you really think that Haley has done a shitty job then you really know nothing about football.

See how easy that was....

mmaddog
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