Ten Things About Last Night's Game

[gblowfish]

Ten Things About Last Night's Game

10. I took last week off, which was the first actual week of pure vacation I've had in about a year and a half. Saw Mizzou beat Notre Dame in basketball; saw the last MU-KU football game for the forseeable future; did Thanksgiving in a little tiny town in North Central Kansas; even had a date with my wife. We saw "Puss In Boots." Hey, it was all good! Then we wrapped it all up with the second nationally televised Chiefs game in a week, the turd in the punchbowl called "The Tyler Palko Show." I was thinking this morning, what was worse - The New England game, getting blasted 34-3, or last night, having a chance to win with a minute left and losing 13-9? They're both gut wrenchingly bad, its just that the defense played much better against Rapistburger than they did against Brady.

9. On the way to work this morning I heard a Chiefs commercial. The commercial says something to the effect of "Make Arrowhead as difficult as possible on our opponents." I hate to tell the Chiefs PR wanks this, but of the 71,000 plus there last night, around half of those were Steeler fans. Of course, when your team has been in eight super bowls and won six of them, you're going to have a lot of fans. Being a Steeler fan in football is like being a Yankee fan in baseball: You know you're not going to have to wait around long for a championship season. Of course, Clark Hunt could care less whether the 71,000 fans wore red and gold or black and gold, as long as they had green, that's winning as he measures it. The Hunts are about business, not about football. Last night, in the eyes of Clark the Business Shark, business was good. Very good, indeed.

8. Back to Tyler Failco, AKA Tyler Picko, AKA Tyler Pittsko, AKA Tyler Callabaloo. Six picks and a fumble in two games is no way to go through life, son. Wrap your head around this for a minute: Last night's stat line for Palko: 18-28 for 64%, 167 yards, average pass completion approx 6 yards. Also three picks and a fumble lost. Zero TDs. Passer rating: 40.9. Palko vs. Detroit: One pass attempt, Zero completions, passer rating: 39.6. Now, measure that against Cassel's last start against Denver: 13-28 for 46%, 93 yards, average pass completion approx 3.5 yards. One TD, no picks, passer rating: 66.5. So except for Palko's obvious red/black color blindness problem, he's equal to or better than Cassel's last effort. Point is, had Cassel played, he would have been just as bad. Chiefs just would have punted three more times instead of handing the ball over on picks. Same result, drive stalls, ball turned over.

7. One final thing on Callabaloo: His performance was actually better than a former Chiefs first round draft pick. Yes, that's right. In 1985, Todd Blackledge (AKA Todd Sackledge) played a home game against the LA Rams, and the Chiefs lost 16-0. Sackledge threw six picks in that one game. Six picks...in one game. His stat line was 14-32 for 161 yards, almost identical to Palko's line last night, and Palko only had four turnovers. So, if you want to qualify disasters by saying "it could have been worse," I've actually seen worse. But not by much. Oh, and Blackledge's team finished the 1985 season 6-10, which is better than the 2011 Chiefs will finish.

6. I heard several post game interviews this morning. The ones with Kyle Orton were especially amusing. The Chiefs PR wanks have done a great job coaching him on media-speak. He was asked three different questions by three different reporters, all basically asking "Could you have played? Have you learned the offense? Is KC's offense that much different from Denver?" Orton gave the exact same answer to each question: "I'm just glad to be here. I'm trying to learn the offense as quickly as possible. I just want to help the team win." He said the exact same thing to the three questions almost word for word. Here's the scary thing: The Chiefs pick up Orton off the street. And he is, arguably, better than any QB the Chiefs started the season with. Let's look at 2010 lines: Cassel: 15 starts, 58% completion ratio, just over 3100 yards, 27 TDs, 7 picks, 2 fumbles lost. Orton: 13 starts, 59% completion ratio, just over 3650 yards (playing two fewer games than Cassel), 20 TDs, 9 picks, 1 fumble lost. So in playing two less games than Cassel, he threw for more than 500 more yards, had about the same amount of turnovers and a few less TDs. So both guys are basically the same guy. And we picked him up off the street. What does that say to depth at QB, the most important position on the team? Not much, Mr. Pioli.

5. Why did the Chiefs draft Stanzi? They must not think much of him. I have not watched the NBC broadcast yet -I'll watch it tonight when I get home from work- but I noticed at halftime Coach Haley was having a very spirited discussion with QB Coach Jim Zorn. He was jawing with Zorn pretty good, and kept looking over a Palko on the bench. I think Haley was seriously considering benching Palko in the second half, and Zorn talked him out of it. Since we kicked off, Pittsburgh got the ball first to start the second half. I think if we would have gotten the second half kickoff, Haley might have made the change. Stanzi was warming up more seriously during halftime then he did during pre-game. So I think the temptation was there to change, and Haley decided to stick with Palko. Turned out, bad choice.

4. I still can't get a hold on Coach Haley's game management. You fake a punt to continue a drive, then when you get fourth and two with seven minutes left on the Steeler 22 yard line, you lose your nerve, kick a field goal, and you're still down by four; hoping to get the ball back. The defense did get the ball back, but Palko proved to be worse in the two minute drill than normal game time. Either way, you need seven to tie. So why not go for it with seven minutes? If you fail, you give the Steelers a long field, and still have time to get the ball back and try again. Taking a field goal there does you no good. You just lose by four instead of seven. The Chiefs offense has failed to produce a TD in 41 straight possessions. That's staggeringly bad offense from a head coach who is supposed to be an offensive guru. Fail, fail, and more fail.

3. The defense played its best since the Oakland game. I think Pittsburgh came in thinking it just had to step on the field to win. DJ had nine tackles, Hali caused at least three holding penalties and was chasing Rapistburger all night long. Houston played well, as did Kendrick Lewis. The one Steeler TD drive was punctuated by several official calls that sustained the drive. Not activating "The Donald" Washington and having McGraw back helped the pass defense a lot. Steeler receivers were held pretty much in check save for the one TD by a backup tight end. The defense was on the field more than they should have been, yet they held up. Nothing but respect for them, they played hard and played to win. They just got zero help from the offense or special teams.

2. When Troy Head-n-Shoulders got knocked out, the Steeler run defense was compromised somewhat. Still, KC's longest run of the night was only nine yards. That's another big reason Palko was forced to throw so much, no real help from the ground game. That last two minute drill was its own special kind of cluster fuck. They mis-managed the clock before the two minute warning. Then Fat Albert gets dinged up, they put in Gaither The Human Speed Bump, who's only contribution to the evening is forgetting the snap count. They pull Gaither, put Fat Albert back in, Pittsburgh uses the interruption to re-set their defense. Then Callabaloo throws into triple coverage to end it. Was it mis-communication? Was Bowe supposed to go long and broke off his route? Who knows? And who cares, really. It just shows how important the QB-Receiver relationship is when its crunch time. These guys looked like they just met for the first time in the parking lot before the game. And if three guys are on Bowe, somebody has to be open somewhere else.

1. The season is toast. KC might steal a win against Chicago, or Oakland, or Denver, but for all practical purposes, it's all over. Coach Haley will not get fired. The front office will blame the whole year on injuries. They'll probably try to re-sign Orton, promise him a shot at starting, and go into next year with Cassel/Orton as the one-two QB lineup. Which will mean more of the same dink and dunk offense. Chiefs will draft a tackle, and talk about how excited they are to go into the year with Bowe, Baldwin, Moeacki, Charles and Dexter McNuthin. It will be business as usual. The most important thing to the front office is, season ticket renewals will go out this week. Nothing like putting millions of dollars in the bank and drawing interest on it for six months. And if you thought a stadium half full of Steeler Fans was bad, just wait until December 18th when the stadium is 3/4 full of Cheeseheads.

[PatriotsFan :)]

But Stanzi wouldn't have palyed well.

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by PatriotsFan :)

But Stanzi wouldn't have palyed well.

Spel chek iz fur puzies.....

[KCFalcon59]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

8. In a QB driven league, it's really sad to see KC completely 100% mismanage the position over the last 45 years.

FYP

[PatriotsFan :)]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Spel chek iz fur puzies.....

• I like to throw a badass spelling error out there every once in a while just to toss things up a little.
• Sometimes I post naked.
• At work.
• It's how I roll.
• And Stanzi Sucks.
• Orton will lead the Chiefs 5- and you will see Baltimore in the Playoffs AGAIN.

[notorious]

Originally Posted by PatriotsFan :)

• and you will see Baltimore in the Playoffs AGAIN.

Nah, I deleted that off of Tivo mid-way through the 3rd quarter last year.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

One other thing about Steeler fans. I don't hate them, like Raider or Donk fans. They are what we should aspire to be. They travel in droves, they support their team to the fullest, and the team is the identity of their city. Pittsburgh and KC are very similar towns. KC hasn't even sniffed a Super Bowl since Montana was here 18 years ago. Imagine what KC fans would be like if we had been to 8 superbowls? I feel the same about the Packer fans. Hard to dislike them, they are very loyal to their team.

The thing about the Steelers and Packers is, the teams have been loyal to the fans too. They've busted their asses as organizations to get good coaches, players, the best of everything. Football is the only thing that matters to them. Not so much here. Money is what matters to our ownership, especially pocketing $30 million of it annually off the salary cap whenever possible.

Does Pioli need to explain the whole cap available vs. cash available dynamic to you, yet again? It's like the Chiefs have come down with a terminal case of David Glass-itis.

[durtyrute]

Great post but Haley is far from an offense mastermind. Besides in Arizona, when he had Weisenhunts offense and Kurt plus Fitz, when has he shown that on his own he is an offensive matermind? We are the suck when Haley calls the plays.

[TIED5573]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

One other thing about Steeler fans. I don't hate them, like Raider or Donk fans. They are what we should aspire to be. They travel in droves, they support their team to the fullest, and the team is the identity of their city. Pittsburgh and KC are very similar towns. KC hasn't even sniffed a Super Bowl since Montana was here 18 years ago. Imagine what KC fans would be like if we had been to 8 superbowls? I feel the same about the Packer fans. Hard to dislike them, they are very loyal to their team.

The thing about the Steelers and Packers is, the teams have been loyal to the fans too. They've busted their asses as organizations to get good coaches, players, the best of everything. Football is the only thing that matters to them. Not so much here. Money is what matters to our ownership, especially pocketing $30 million of it annually off the salary cap whenever possible.

That's the deal right there. Both are small market teams, like KC. Both had early success and faltered, like KC. But BOTH righted the ship and kept their fanbase support. KC had the same opportunity, and failed. I think I read at one time that Kraft even modeled the Pats on the Chiefs organization. Yet here we are, and unless we can come up with a QB, we have what we saw last nite. No hope.

[whoman69]

Originally Posted by loochy

NOBODY KNOWS

IT'S ONE OF LIFE's WTF SITUATIONS!

How did they build the pyramids?

What happened to Atlantis?

Who really shot JFK?

Are there aliens visiting us?

Will Kim Kardashian find true love again?

Why won't they give Stanzi a chance?

Let's not forget the whole how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop question.

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by whoman69

Let's not forget the whole how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop.

Or how many to get to the center of a Kardashian....

[whoman69]

Originally Posted by Otter

How did they build the pyramids?
Whips and expendable labor
What happened to Atlantis?
Never really bought into it but if I had to guess the same thing that happened to the guys who organized the pyramids, shit happens
Who really shot JFK?
The mafia, The Kennedy's made their fortune off of bootlegging then turned their backs on some very powerful people
Are there aliens visiting us?
Probably not but I'm open to discussion
Will Kim Kardashian find true love again?
That vapid whore doesn't know what it is
Why won't they give Stanzi a chance?
We've come full circle

[/QUOTE]

You magic eight ball certainly has a lot of choices.

[Buehler445]

Good writeup. As always. Can't say I disagree with any of it.

#1 makes me want to puke. But I see it happening. If they bring Cassel back, I may find something else to do on Sundays. Upgrading Cassel will help this team more than anything they could possibly do. And everybody knows it but Pioli/Haley, whomever is making the decision there. I'm not sure I can give it another year.

And there is absolutely no reason to not try Stanzi. The D is playing lights out, and holds a good offense to 13 points, and we can't score 10. Breaston and Bowe are making plays, and we're able to get a little on rushes. The deficiency is Palko. It makes no sense to shy away from Stanzi. It wouldn't have taken much of a spark to get it going. Hell, if Palko doesn't throw his first INT and Breaston catches it, and everything else remains the same, we win. Just mind boggling.

[Slainte]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

And if you thought a stadium half full of Steeler Fans was bad, just wait until December 18th when the stadium is 3/4 full of Cheeseheads.

True. GB has the best traveling fanbase in the NFL by far. In Tampa, for years they sold Bucs-Packers "solo" game tickets in 3 or 4 game packages, in an attempt to discourage Pack fans from buying them up. They may still do that, for all I know.

[Calcountry]

Based on your assessment, Sunday ticket is out for next year as well.

My son was asking me, which season was the best Chiefs Season of all time? To which I responded, when they had Joe Montana, the lost the AFC title game to a 4 time SB loser, but that was in my lifetime. They did win a super bowl.

He says to me, if they ever win a Super Bowl while we are alive, you owe me a dollar. The kid still has faith, I don't. Oh well, at least I was able to pass, "There is always next year", down to another generation.

[WV]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

One other thing about Steeler fans. I don't hate them, like Raider or Donk fans. They are what we should aspire to be. They travel in droves, they support their team to the fullest, and the team is the identity of their city. Pittsburgh and KC are very similar towns. KC hasn't even sniffed a Super Bowl since Montana was here 18 years ago. Imagine what KC fans would be like if we had been to 8 superbowls? I feel the same about the Packer fans. Hard to dislike them, they are very loyal to their team.

The thing about the Steelers and Packers is, the teams have been loyal to the fans too. They've busted their asses as organizations to get good coaches, players, the best of everything. Football is the only thing that matters to them. Not so much here. Money is what matters to our ownership, especially pocketing $30 million of it annually off the salary cap whenever possible.

You would hate steeler fans if you lived on the east coast.