KC Star: More depressing stuff about how the Chiefs lost

tk13 · 02:26 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10182848.htm

BLACKENED BLUE

Mistake-filled loss dashes postseason hopes

By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star

NEW ORLEANS — The NFL's hottest offense met its match Sunday. And to hear the Chiefs tell it, that opponent was not the forlorn New Orleans Saints.

The Saints entered the game with the league's worst scoring defense, so the Chiefs weren't laying the blame there. Instead, it was directed right back at themselves.

Five penalties and four turnovers made a potent offense look sickly in a 27-20 defeat that lowered the Chiefs to 3-6 and ended all pretense of playoff contention.

“People want to say we're a bad and awful team,” wide receiver Dante Hall said. “We're not a bad and awful team. We're making bad and awful mistakes.

“It's one thing if you can't beat anybody, can't outplay anybody, just can't do anything. But beating yourself, that's hard to swallow.”

The penalty problem spread to both sides of the ball. But the offense committed its fair share with five.

The Chiefs, who had 79 penalties last year, have 73 with this season barely more than halfway to its finish. Coming into the game, only two teams had been assessed more penalty yardage.

“We're probably the most-penalized team in the NFL,” said tight end Tony Gonzalez, who wasn't far wrong. “I don't know what that means. Are we undisciplined? I don't know. Maybe it's just bad breaks.

“It's just careless mistakes. It's borderline stupid.”

The penalties were particularly crippling on offense. One second-quarter drive stalled when the Chiefs had two false-start penalties in a stadium that, until the fourth quarter, was not particularly loud. Another scoreless possession featured penalties for offensive pass interference by Tony Richardson and a personal foul for a late hit by Jason Dunn.

The penalties combined with two Trent Green interceptions and two fumbles, one by Green. The Chiefs had 497 yards as Derrick Blaylock did a nice Priest Holmes imitation with 186 rushing yards.

But the Chiefs moved only sporadically.

“Second and 25 is hard to overcome,” Green said. “We were able to get a couple of them, but when you keep doing it to yourself back to back, it changes the flow and the rhythm. You can see on our last scoring drive how methodically we went down the field.”

The penalties were only part of the problem. The Chiefs committed two turnovers inside the New Orleans 20 and lost a big play when Johnnie Morton fell down on a pass play, leaving Saints cornerback Mike McKenzie open to make an interception.

“We win the ballgame anyway if we don't turn the ball over,” coach Dick Vermeil said, referring to the penalties. “When you make 500 yards of offense, you probably ought to win.”

One interception and one sequence of plays were particularly disturbing to Green. The pick came late in the game, when the Chiefs were moving toward a potential tying touchdown.

He was under pressure and fired high for Blaylock. The ball was deflected and intercepted, ending the Chiefs' last good scoring chance.

“Sometimes it's just better to take the sack,” Green said with more than a little regret. “It was ugly on my part. But I go back to a similar situation early in the game and I was able to escape and get rid of the ball, and that saved us a field goal.”

The Chiefs appeared to miss Holmes only on a sequence of plays in the first quarter. Aided by a New Orleans penalty, the Chiefs ran six consecutive plays inside the Saints' 10.

The Chiefs, who entered the game scoring a touchdown on almost three-quarters of their trips inside the opponent 20, scored on none of these.

The Saints blitzed often and sacked Green once. Blaylock carried twice for zero yards.

“They had shown in previous games they were a pressure defense inside the 10,” Green said. “They were even more pressure inside the 5. We thought we would be able to do some things against that.

“They won the guessing game.”

tk13 · 11-15-2004, 02:15 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10183155.htm

PRIESTLY RUN

Blaylock fills in ably for injured Holmes with 186-yard game

By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star

NEW ORLEANS — The Chiefs asked Derrick Blaylock to do a Priest Holmes imitation Sunday at the Louisiana Superdome.

To the surprise of nobody connected with the Chiefs, he looked more like Holmes than maybe Holmes himself.

Blaylock had a career day in his first start for the injured Holmes. He carried 33 times for 186 yards, the fifth-highest total in Chiefs history, and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 38 yards.

“Derrick is just like Priest,” tight end Tony Gonzalez said, “in the way he hits the hole.”

Blaylock had the NFL's best first career start since Trung Canidate of St. Louis rushed for 194 yards against the Jets in a 2001 game. He was the first Chiefs runner other than Holmes to gain more than 100 yards since Tony Richardson in 2000.

“All Derrick ever needed was an opportunity to play because every time we've put him out there, he's ready,” Richardson said. “He's never let us down.

“You never hear anything negative from him. You never hear him complain about this or complain about that. All Derrick does is come to work.”

Only once, in a 2002 game against Seattle, has Holmes topped 186 yards.

Blaylock hardly looked like an overworked guy afterward.

“Is that how much it was?” Blaylock said when told of the workload. “I've seen how Priest is when he comes in the training room after a game. He's got about nine bags of ice on him. It was a tough game, but it feels good to get 186 yards.”

Blaylock was wearing no ice bag to soothe his aches and pains, but said, “I'm about to go get them.”

The Chiefs were confident in Blaylock's ability to play well. He's done that in spelling Holmes and scored four touchdowns in last month's win over Atlanta.

“But you never know how a guy's going to respond when you change his role, and you've got to find that out,” guard Brian Waters said. “We're not surprised he could do it. He's prepared for this and worked for this.

“You want the best for a guy like that because he's worked so hard and been so patient and never complained about playing time.”

The Chiefs had Larry Johnson available to share the load with Blaylock.

But Johnson, who played poorly after Holmes injured his knee in last week's game at Tampa Bay, didn't play on offense.

“The only thing that's surprising … is the fact he was able to stay healthy for four quarters and take the load,” quarterback Trent Green said. “I anticipated more of a rotation with Tony and with Larry.”

tk13 · 11-15-2004, 02:16 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10183156.htm

Defense revives another loser

By IVAN CARTER The Kansas City Star

NEW ORLEANS — As opposing offenses continue to find relief for what ails them, the Chiefs and their defense are now in their fourth season of serving as the NFL version of a Red Cross sign.

The Saints entered Sunday's game with an ugly 3-5 record, a quarterback in Aaron Brooks who has been treated more rudely than Hurricane Ivan by frustrated fans, and a running back in Deuce McAllister who had exactly one 100-yard rushing game this season.

So what happened?

The Saints picked up a win and took a step toward saving coach Jim Haslett's job. Brooks turned boos into cheers, and McAllister broke off a season-high 127 yards in 16 carries despite playing on a tender ankle.

To add insult to injury, former Chief Joe Horn — who was behind the likes of Andre Rison and Derrick Alexander during his four-season stint in Kansas City — torched the Chiefs' secondary for five catches, 167 yards and a game-winning 42-yard touchdown.

For any Chiefs defender willing to buck up and answer questions after the game, a familiar culprit was identified: the big play.

One week after Tampa Bay's offense had a breakout game against the Chiefs, Brooks registered his longest pass completion of the season, McAllister had his longest carry and Horn had his two longest receptions. A Saints squad that had played like strangers thrown together for a flag football game last week in San Diego suddenly looked like a well-oiled machine.

The Chiefs have allowed 26 pass plays of 20 yards or more, six of them for touchdowns, and 29 runs of 10 yards or more, three of them for touchdowns. Of course, when the Chiefs weren't missing tackles, blowing coverages or otherwise making the Saints look like the 49ers of the 1980s, they were helping the New Orleans cause with ridiculous penalties.

“Three things killed us today,” middle linebacker Kawika Mitchell said. “Penalties, turnovers and big plays. That's it right there..”

Including personal-foul calls on safety Jerome Woods and defensive end Jared Allen, Chiefs defenders were responsible for seven of the team's season-high 12 penalties — not to mention two more that were declined. The defense helped keep the Saints' first scoring drive alive with three flags.

Horn's game-winning touchdown catch, in which he split safeties Woods and Greg Wesley on a deep post pattern, came one play after the defense committed its worst sin.

New Orleans faced a first-and-10 at the Kansas City 42 with 5 minutes, 35 seconds remaining, and Brooks was ready to take the snap when the Chiefs hurried and called a timeout.

One problem: They had only 10 men on the field.

That timeout became critical later in the game when the Chiefs began their final drive with only 8 seconds remaining. Had they kept that third timeout, Trent Green and the offense would have had at least 40 more seconds to work with for that drive.

Vermeil could offer no explanation for the penalties his defense racked up, though. The Chiefs have been the least-penalized team in football during Vermeil's tenure and were flagged 79 times for 698 yards last season. This season, they've already been flagged 73 times for 629 yards.

The loss was also galling because the Chiefs were facing a Saints offense that had self-destructed all season.

The Saints have scored a measly 10 first-quarter points, McAllister has been hobbled by an ankle injury and had 343 yards rushing coming into the game, and Brooks had looked anything but comfortable.

Still, the Chiefs squandered an early 10-0 lead and let the Saints, who were getting booed by the home crowd almost from the first play of the game, off the hook.

“They were ready to fold, and we let them back in the game,” Allen said. “That's what's so frustrating about this one. We had them, but we let 'em get away.”

tk13 · 11-15-2004, 02:16 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10183151.htm

Horn makes plenty of catches running over former team

By IVAN CARTER

The Kansas City Star

NEW ORLEANS — Joe Horn wasn't talking after the Saints beat his former team on Sunday. But that was OK. “Hollywood,” as he was dubbed during his Chiefs days, made more than enough noise with his game.

Horn, known more for his cocky demeanor and outlandish suits than for his skills as a receiver while playing for the Chiefs in 1996-99, was the difference-maker for the Saints.

He caught five passes for 167 yards and accounted for the game-winning points when he split safeties Jerome Woods and Greg Wesley and hauled in Aaron Brooks' perfect pass for a 42-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

A gap opened in the Chiefs' two-deep zone when Woods bit on Brooks' play-action fake. By the time Woods wheeled to chase Horn, who was running full stride through the heart of the Chiefs' defense, it was too late. Brooks' pass was in the air, and Horn was under it.

Earlier in the game, Horn set up the Saints' second touchdown when he fought off the excellent coverage of cornerback Eric Warfield and made a sensational over-the-shoulder catch for a 57-yard gain. That play, too, came on a deep post pattern.

That was critical — perhaps even more so than the touchdown catch. It gave the Saints a 14-10 lead and won over a rowdy Superdome crowd that began booing Brooks and the offense on the first series of the game.

Had Horn not made that catch, the game might have turned out differently.

“I brought my arm down and I thought I was able to get the ball out of there, but Joe just made a great catch, so you have to give him a lot of credit on that one,” said Warfield, who squared off against Horn regularly in practice during Horn's tenure in Kansas City. “Aaron dropped it in there, and Joe was able to look up into the lights … the ball hung up there forever … and make the catch.

“He's a playmaker. He showed that when he was here.”

Horn, who has made three Pro Bowl appearances as a Saint while rapidly moving up the team's all-time receiving chart, caught 53 passes and scored seven touchdowns as a Chief but was still deemed a project following the 1999 season.

The Chiefs allowed the Saints to sign Horn as a free agent and have essentially been searching for a playmaker like him ever since.

The Chiefs did save some face Sunday because wide receiver Eddie Kennison, who played for the Saints in 1999, had a big day against his former team, catching seven passes for 121 yards and a touchdown.

Still, this day was really about Horn, who kept his team's season alive with the 22nd 100-yard game of his career Sunday.

“I think anytime you have a situation with a former player playing against their old teams, it's a motivational factor for that individual,” said Brooks, who has thrown 30 touchdown passes to Horn since the 2000 season. “This game was set up so that Joe would have the opportunity to make a lot of big plays because of the blitz and the man-to-man coverage. We took advantage of that, and Joe did a great job of getting open. There's a guy who I really trust, and I think that's been proven over the years.

“I'm happy for him that he really got to show Kansas City what they missed, and I think Joe is walking away smiling.”

DaWolf · 11-15-2004, 03:12 AM

I have a feeling that DV is gonna retire at the end of this season, barring the Chiefs going on like a 4 game winning streak to end the season or something to lift his spirits and hopes. This season just looks like it is gonna snowball and I think the losses are just going to eat at DV too much, and judging from his past statements about how much losing effects him and drains him at this stage of his life, I look for him to walk away.

The bad news is that Al Saunders is next in line...

teedubya · 11-15-2004, 04:00 AM

no, the bad news is that our hall of fame offense never made it past the first round in the playoffs.

stevieray · 11-15-2004, 07:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaWolf

I have a feeling that DV is gonna retire at the end of this season, barring the Chiefs going on like a 4 game winning streak to end the season or something to lift his spirits and hopes. This season just looks like it is gonna snowball and I think the losses are just going to eat at DV too much, and judging from his past statements about how much losing effects him and drains him at this stage of his life, I look for him to walk away.

The bad news is that Al Saunders is next in line...

why is it you only show up when we suck?

Hydrae · 11-15-2004, 07:47 AM

My concern is that we will do well against the AFCW teams we have left on the roster and will finish 8-8. Thus achieving the worst thing of all, no playoffs and a mid-round set of draft picks.

ROYC75 · 11-15-2004, 07:51 AM

The 6 plays from inside the 10 , was bullshit. How do you march downfield spreading the offense out and running wild only to call 6 plays in a tight goaline formation.

Blaylock was awesome in a spread package, but goaline you can tell he lacks the punch of a PH. Now this could be just the inability of not playing much, but yesterday those extra 4 points could have been hugh.

NewChief · 11-15-2004, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROYC75

The 6 plays from inside the 10 , was bullshit. How do you march downfield spreading the offense out and running wild only to call 6 plays in a tight goaline formation.

Blaylock was awesome in a spread package, but goaline you can tell he lacks the punch of a PH. Now this could be just the inability of not playing much, but yesterday those extra 4 points could have been hugh.

I bitched about the playcalling down there as well. In general, I wasn't keen on the offensive (specifically passing) playcalling all day. Way too much misdirection where they would fake everyone to one side then do a throwback in the other direction. Two of those off the top of my head were in that series. One to Tony G. where everyone went right then Trent threw it back to Tony to the left. Tony was dropped at the LoS. The fade to Blaylock was like that as well.

That series was also much bigger than 4 points, imo. It gave the Saints hope, when we should have been shutting the door on them.

Wile_E_Coyote · 11-15-2004, 08:04 AM

"The Chiefs appeared to miss Holmes only on a sequence of plays in the first quarter. Aided by a New Orleans penalty, the Chiefs ran six consecutive plays inside the Saints' 10.

The Chiefs, who entered the game scoring a touchdown on almost three-quarters of their trips inside the opponent 20, scored on none of these.

The Saints blitzed often and sacked Green once. Blaylock carried twice for zero yards."

-Johnson couldn't score on two tries last week & was labeled a bust agianst a good defense. this was the worst defense in the league

BigChiefFan · 11-15-2004, 08:26 AM

How depressing.

11-15-2004, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by First Down Elvis

why is it you only show up when we suck?

Coincidentally, because we've sucked all season.

11-15-2004, 02:15 AM
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $2072500	KC Star: More depressing stuff about how the Chiefs lost http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10182848.htm BLACKENED BLUE Mistake-filled loss dashes postseason hopes By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star NEW ORLEANS — The NFL's hottest offense met its match Sunday. And to hear the Chiefs tell it, that opponent was not the forlorn New Orleans Saints. The Saints entered the game with the league's worst scoring defense, so the Chiefs weren't laying the blame there. Instead, it was directed right back at themselves. Five penalties and four turnovers made a potent offense look sickly in a 27-20 defeat that lowered the Chiefs to 3-6 and ended all pretense of playoff contention. “People want to say we're a bad and awful team,” wide receiver Dante Hall said. “We're not a bad and awful team. We're making bad and awful mistakes. “It's one thing if you can't beat anybody, can't outplay anybody, just can't do anything. But beating yourself, that's hard to swallow.” The penalty problem spread to both sides of the ball. But the offense committed its fair share with five. The Chiefs, who had 79 penalties last year, have 73 with this season barely more than halfway to its finish. Coming into the game, only two teams had been assessed more penalty yardage. “We're probably the most-penalized team in the NFL,” said tight end Tony Gonzalez, who wasn't far wrong. “I don't know what that means. Are we undisciplined? I don't know. Maybe it's just bad breaks. “It's just careless mistakes. It's borderline stupid.” The penalties were particularly crippling on offense. One second-quarter drive stalled when the Chiefs had two false-start penalties in a stadium that, until the fourth quarter, was not particularly loud. Another scoreless possession featured penalties for offensive pass interference by Tony Richardson and a personal foul for a late hit by Jason Dunn. The penalties combined with two Trent Green interceptions and two fumbles, one by Green. The Chiefs had 497 yards as Derrick Blaylock did a nice Priest Holmes imitation with 186 rushing yards. But the Chiefs moved only sporadically. “Second and 25 is hard to overcome,” Green said. “We were able to get a couple of them, but when you keep doing it to yourself back to back, it changes the flow and the rhythm. You can see on our last scoring drive how methodically we went down the field.” The penalties were only part of the problem. The Chiefs committed two turnovers inside the New Orleans 20 and lost a big play when Johnnie Morton fell down on a pass play, leaving Saints cornerback Mike McKenzie open to make an interception. “We win the ballgame anyway if we don't turn the ball over,” coach Dick Vermeil said, referring to the penalties. “When you make 500 yards of offense, you probably ought to win.” One interception and one sequence of plays were particularly disturbing to Green. The pick came late in the game, when the Chiefs were moving toward a potential tying touchdown. He was under pressure and fired high for Blaylock. The ball was deflected and intercepted, ending the Chiefs' last good scoring chance. “Sometimes it's just better to take the sack,” Green said with more than a little regret. “It was ugly on my part. But I go back to a similar situation early in the game and I was able to escape and get rid of the ball, and that saved us a field goal.” The Chiefs appeared to miss Holmes only on a sequence of plays in the first quarter. Aided by a New Orleans penalty, the Chiefs ran six consecutive plays inside the Saints' 10. The Chiefs, who entered the game scoring a touchdown on almost three-quarters of their trips inside the opponent 20, scored on none of these. The Saints blitzed often and sacked Green once. Blaylock carried twice for zero yards. “They had shown in previous games they were a pressure defense inside the 10,” Green said. “They were even more pressure inside the 5. We thought we would be able to do some things against that. “They won the guessing game.” Last edited by tk13; 11-15-2004 at 02:26 AM..
Posts: 54,906

11-15-2004, 02:15 AM	#2
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $2072500	http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10183155.htm PRIESTLY RUN Blaylock fills in ably for injured Holmes with 186-yard game By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star NEW ORLEANS — The Chiefs asked Derrick Blaylock to do a Priest Holmes imitation Sunday at the Louisiana Superdome. To the surprise of nobody connected with the Chiefs, he looked more like Holmes than maybe Holmes himself. Blaylock had a career day in his first start for the injured Holmes. He carried 33 times for 186 yards, the fifth-highest total in Chiefs history, and a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 38 yards. “Derrick is just like Priest,” tight end Tony Gonzalez said, “in the way he hits the hole.” Blaylock had the NFL's best first career start since Trung Canidate of St. Louis rushed for 194 yards against the Jets in a 2001 game. He was the first Chiefs runner other than Holmes to gain more than 100 yards since Tony Richardson in 2000. “All Derrick ever needed was an opportunity to play because every time we've put him out there, he's ready,” Richardson said. “He's never let us down. “You never hear anything negative from him. You never hear him complain about this or complain about that. All Derrick does is come to work.” Only once, in a 2002 game against Seattle, has Holmes topped 186 yards. Blaylock hardly looked like an overworked guy afterward. “Is that how much it was?” Blaylock said when told of the workload. “I've seen how Priest is when he comes in the training room after a game. He's got about nine bags of ice on him. It was a tough game, but it feels good to get 186 yards.” Blaylock was wearing no ice bag to soothe his aches and pains, but said, “I'm about to go get them.” The Chiefs were confident in Blaylock's ability to play well. He's done that in spelling Holmes and scored four touchdowns in last month's win over Atlanta. “But you never know how a guy's going to respond when you change his role, and you've got to find that out,” guard Brian Waters said. “We're not surprised he could do it. He's prepared for this and worked for this. “You want the best for a guy like that because he's worked so hard and been so patient and never complained about playing time.” The Chiefs had Larry Johnson available to share the load with Blaylock. But Johnson, who played poorly after Holmes injured his knee in last week's game at Tampa Bay, didn't play on offense. “The only thing that's surprising … is the fact he was able to stay healthy for four quarters and take the load,” quarterback Trent Green said. “I anticipated more of a rotation with Tony and with Larry.”
Posts: 54,906

11-15-2004, 02:16 AM	#3
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $2072500	http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10183156.htm Defense revives another loser By IVAN CARTER The Kansas City Star NEW ORLEANS — As opposing offenses continue to find relief for what ails them, the Chiefs and their defense are now in their fourth season of serving as the NFL version of a Red Cross sign. The Saints entered Sunday's game with an ugly 3-5 record, a quarterback in Aaron Brooks who has been treated more rudely than Hurricane Ivan by frustrated fans, and a running back in Deuce McAllister who had exactly one 100-yard rushing game this season. So what happened? The Saints picked up a win and took a step toward saving coach Jim Haslett's job. Brooks turned boos into cheers, and McAllister broke off a season-high 127 yards in 16 carries despite playing on a tender ankle. To add insult to injury, former Chief Joe Horn — who was behind the likes of Andre Rison and Derrick Alexander during his four-season stint in Kansas City — torched the Chiefs' secondary for five catches, 167 yards and a game-winning 42-yard touchdown. For any Chiefs defender willing to buck up and answer questions after the game, a familiar culprit was identified: the big play. One week after Tampa Bay's offense had a breakout game against the Chiefs, Brooks registered his longest pass completion of the season, McAllister had his longest carry and Horn had his two longest receptions. A Saints squad that had played like strangers thrown together for a flag football game last week in San Diego suddenly looked like a well-oiled machine. The Chiefs have allowed 26 pass plays of 20 yards or more, six of them for touchdowns, and 29 runs of 10 yards or more, three of them for touchdowns. Of course, when the Chiefs weren't missing tackles, blowing coverages or otherwise making the Saints look like the 49ers of the 1980s, they were helping the New Orleans cause with ridiculous penalties. “Three things killed us today,” middle linebacker Kawika Mitchell said. “Penalties, turnovers and big plays. That's it right there..” Including personal-foul calls on safety Jerome Woods and defensive end Jared Allen, Chiefs defenders were responsible for seven of the team's season-high 12 penalties — not to mention two more that were declined. The defense helped keep the Saints' first scoring drive alive with three flags. Horn's game-winning touchdown catch, in which he split safeties Woods and Greg Wesley on a deep post pattern, came one play after the defense committed its worst sin. New Orleans faced a first-and-10 at the Kansas City 42 with 5 minutes, 35 seconds remaining, and Brooks was ready to take the snap when the Chiefs hurried and called a timeout. One problem: They had only 10 men on the field. That timeout became critical later in the game when the Chiefs began their final drive with only 8 seconds remaining. Had they kept that third timeout, Trent Green and the offense would have had at least 40 more seconds to work with for that drive. Vermeil could offer no explanation for the penalties his defense racked up, though. The Chiefs have been the least-penalized team in football during Vermeil's tenure and were flagged 79 times for 698 yards last season. This season, they've already been flagged 73 times for 629 yards. The loss was also galling because the Chiefs were facing a Saints offense that had self-destructed all season. The Saints have scored a measly 10 first-quarter points, McAllister has been hobbled by an ankle injury and had 343 yards rushing coming into the game, and Brooks had looked anything but comfortable. Still, the Chiefs squandered an early 10-0 lead and let the Saints, who were getting booed by the home crowd almost from the first play of the game, off the hook. “They were ready to fold, and we let them back in the game,” Allen said. “That's what's so frustrating about this one. We had them, but we let 'em get away.”
Posts: 54,906

11-15-2004, 02:16 AM	#4
tk13 ... Join Date: Nov 2001 Casino cash: $2072500	http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/10183151.htm Horn makes plenty of catches running over former team By IVAN CARTER The Kansas City Star NEW ORLEANS — Joe Horn wasn't talking after the Saints beat his former team on Sunday. But that was OK. “Hollywood,” as he was dubbed during his Chiefs days, made more than enough noise with his game. Horn, known more for his cocky demeanor and outlandish suits than for his skills as a receiver while playing for the Chiefs in 1996-99, was the difference-maker for the Saints. He caught five passes for 167 yards and accounted for the game-winning points when he split safeties Jerome Woods and Greg Wesley and hauled in Aaron Brooks' perfect pass for a 42-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. A gap opened in the Chiefs' two-deep zone when Woods bit on Brooks' play-action fake. By the time Woods wheeled to chase Horn, who was running full stride through the heart of the Chiefs' defense, it was too late. Brooks' pass was in the air, and Horn was under it. Earlier in the game, Horn set up the Saints' second touchdown when he fought off the excellent coverage of cornerback Eric Warfield and made a sensational over-the-shoulder catch for a 57-yard gain. That play, too, came on a deep post pattern. That was critical — perhaps even more so than the touchdown catch. It gave the Saints a 14-10 lead and won over a rowdy Superdome crowd that began booing Brooks and the offense on the first series of the game. Had Horn not made that catch, the game might have turned out differently. “I brought my arm down and I thought I was able to get the ball out of there, but Joe just made a great catch, so you have to give him a lot of credit on that one,” said Warfield, who squared off against Horn regularly in practice during Horn's tenure in Kansas City. “Aaron dropped it in there, and Joe was able to look up into the lights … the ball hung up there forever … and make the catch. “He's a playmaker. He showed that when he was here.” Horn, who has made three Pro Bowl appearances as a Saint while rapidly moving up the team's all-time receiving chart, caught 53 passes and scored seven touchdowns as a Chief but was still deemed a project following the 1999 season. The Chiefs allowed the Saints to sign Horn as a free agent and have essentially been searching for a playmaker like him ever since. The Chiefs did save some face Sunday because wide receiver Eddie Kennison, who played for the Saints in 1999, had a big day against his former team, catching seven passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. Still, this day was really about Horn, who kept his team's season alive with the 22nd 100-yard game of his career Sunday. “I think anytime you have a situation with a former player playing against their old teams, it's a motivational factor for that individual,” said Brooks, who has thrown 30 touchdown passes to Horn since the 2000 season. “This game was set up so that Joe would have the opportunity to make a lot of big plays because of the blitz and the man-to-man coverage. We took advantage of that, and Joe did a great job of getting open. There's a guy who I really trust, and I think that's been proven over the years. “I'm happy for him that he really got to show Kansas City what they missed, and I think Joe is walking away smiling.”
Posts: 54,906

11-15-2004, 03:12 AM	#5
DaWolf Cry havoc... Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10007725	I have a feeling that DV is gonna retire at the end of this season, barring the Chiefs going on like a 4 game winning streak to end the season or something to lift his spirits and hopes. This season just looks like it is gonna snowball and I think the losses are just going to eat at DV too much, and judging from his past statements about how much losing effects him and drains him at this stage of his life, I look for him to walk away. The bad news is that Al Saunders is next in line...
Posts: 6,798

11-15-2004, 04:00 AM	#6
teedubya Most Valuable Poster Join Date: Oct 2003 Casino cash: $9490002	no, the bad news is that our hall of fame offense never made it past the first round in the playoffs.
Posts: 36,649

11-15-2004, 07:47 AM	#8
Hydrae Sandbox: Leander Lasercats Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Austin, Tx Casino cash: $2417000	My concern is that we will do well against the AFCW teams we have left on the roster and will finish 8-8. Thus achieving the worst thing of all, no playoffs and a mid-round set of draft picks.
Posts: 14,684

11-15-2004, 07:51 AM	#9
ROYC75 Time For Your Wake Up Call !!! Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Barn Yard Casino cash: $5773900	The 6 plays from inside the 10 , was bullshit. How do you march downfield spreading the offense out and running wild only to call 6 plays in a tight goaline formation. Blaylock was awesome in a spread package, but goaline you can tell he lacks the punch of a PH. Now this could be just the inability of not playing much, but yesterday those extra 4 points could have been hugh. __________________ Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it. John Lennon
Posts: 36,970

11-15-2004, 08:04 AM	#11
Wile_E_Coyote avatar down for remodel Join Date: Jul 2001 Casino cash: $10004900	"The Chiefs appeared to miss Holmes only on a sequence of plays in the first quarter. Aided by a New Orleans penalty, the Chiefs ran six consecutive plays inside the Saints' 10. The Chiefs, who entered the game scoring a touchdown on almost three-quarters of their trips inside the opponent 20, scored on none of these. The Saints blitzed often and sacked Green once. Blaylock carried twice for zero yards." -Johnson couldn't score on two tries last week & was labeled a bust agianst a good defense. this was the worst defense in the league
Posts: 6,009

11-15-2004, 08:26 AM	#12
BigChiefFan MVP Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: In the Top 10 Casino cash: $9924205	How depressing. __________________ A 35 year drought can make you thirsty.
Posts: 15,777