Final Ten Things About Today's Game 2014

[gblowfish]

Ten Things About Today's Game

10. When you look at what it would have taken for the Chiefs to qualify for the playoffs today, it was a long shot. Jacksonville sucks. So does Cleveland. If you want a season autopsy, the bad loss to Tennessee in the home opener, the loss to Oakland on that rainy Thursday night game and the piss poor red zone performance in Pittsburgh last week was the cause of death. My whole reason for wanting to see this game today was a) I really hate whiney Phyllis Rivers and wanted to knock his candy ass out of the playoffs; and b) I wanted to see how Chase Daniel would do as a starter. Positive results on both counts. When I got home, i cranked up the CBS broadcast and much to my delight, Dan Fouts, Mr.Charger Homer himself, was the color guy on the broadcast. I loathe Dan Fouts, especially when he fellates Phyllis. The first stat he pulls out of his ass is how Phyllis is 15-2 in December road games. Then, Ian Eagle -his numb nuts side kick- says Phylllis is 11 and 3 in his last 14 games against KC. So, in the first quarter CBS has the Chiefs beat already. How can we possibly top Phyllis, especially after his triumphant comeback win last week in San Francisco (against a 49ers team that has already mailed it in)? How can the Chiefs win with a pint sized read option back up QB who's only started one other NFL game? That's why we line em up and play em, boys. The greatest thing about knocking the Bolts out of the playoffs is the way we let them sneak in last year, by blowing the last game of the season at their place. If you remember, Reid rested all the starters including Smith, Charles, Hali, Berry, Bowe and a bunch of other guys. Daniel had them beat last year, but Succop missed a kick inside 40 yards that let the game go to OT. That missed kick cost Succop his job here this year, btw. Phyllis got the OT win, knocked Pittsburgh out of the playoffs, and then we went to Indy the next week and blew a 28 point second half lead with our "rested starters." Today in a make or break game for San Diego, Phyllis got sacked seven times, lost a fumble, threw two picks and ZERO TD passes. He was shut out in the second half. So cry over THAT for the next eight months, you smug, whiney prick.

9. Chase Daniel played a great game for a backup QB that's seen extremely limited action. He looked sharp in the first half, then San Diego adjusted to him in the second half and shut him down pretty well, only allowing a field goal in the third quarter. The midget could have been five for five today, except Eric Fisher had to be stupid and get a ten yard hands to the face penalty to move the team back to kicking a 50-yarder instead of a 40-yarder. That final 50-yard FG would have put the Chiefs up 22-7, which means Phyllis would have needed two TD's and one two point conversion to tie with about nine minutes left in the fourth quarter. Luckily the defense came up aces in the second half, and make it a moot point. Daniel did a fine job, never looked rattled or out of his element. He held the ball too long a couple of times and took sacks, but never panicked or threw the ball up for grabs.

8. Both teams rushed for almost identical yardage, right at 112 yards. Oliver is a good back for the Bolts. He's a lot like Knile Davis. Charles did OK today, considering he's playing at about 60% of what he should be because of knee and ankle soreness. Bowe fumbled away his TD chance, and the Chiefs set another season futility record because...... -say it with me- Chiefs. At least Kelce got a lucky bounce when the ball came right up to him. Considering that was the only TD that could be managed today, that was a huge play. Kelce also lost the ball after hitting the turf again in the first half. He needs to learn how to secure that ball, and not let it go until he stands up, and hands it to Mr. Official.

7. Three big differences to turn the tide today: Chiefs special teams, turnover battle, and Chiefs third and fourth down defense. Special teams contributed four out of five field goal attempts. Chargers had one field goal attempt and missed it wide left. Colquitt punted great, averaged 49 yards a punt, no painful returns allowed. Chargers averaged 28 yards a punt; Chiefs had 69 yards in punt returns and 55 yards in kickoff returns. Chargers had poor to average field position on most of their drives, except on the drive where Santos missed the 50 yarder.

6. Chris Owens should never be allowed on an NFL field ever again. Of Rivers 249 yards passing, about 95 of that went to Eddie Royal OWNING, and I mean OWNING Chris Owens. He was beaten over and over again. Just brutal. Never thought we'd miss Phillip Gaines that much, but I tell ya, I'll welcome Gaines back next season with open arms. Chirs Owens was embarrassingly bad today. Deron Cherry should force him to take off that number 20 uniform, burn it in the parking lot, then slap the taste out of his mouth. Even on Coleman's first (of two) picks on Phyllis right before the half, Coleman came over the top at the very last second, because Owens was beat badly again, and Royal looked wide open. Owens actually tackled Coleman to prevent a return. Dude has gots to go. He's the second coming of Kendrick Lewis, and he must be killed with fire.

5. The second game difference to turn the tide was turnover battle. Coleman's picks came at the very end of the first and second half. Nice that we got a couple picks today, as the Chiefs have been poor at forcing turnovers compared to last season. The strip and fumble on Phyllis by Houston in the third quarter was the play that turned the game. Chiefs were able to extend the lead from 16-7 to 19-7, which meant Phyllis had to get two TDs to win in the second half. The Chiefs offense didn't help Daniel much in the second half. Dropped passes, stupid penalties -including 12 men on the field- and conservative play calling ground down the offense. KC's offensive line did not run or pass block well in the second half at all. San Diego had four sacks on Daniel, who is a pretty mobile guy. Daniel also had some poor throws, where his rust showed a bit, either mis-reading routes, or not being on the same page with receivers. Still, he did enough to run clock and keep the ball away from Phyllis during the fourth quarter. TOP ended up pretty even, the Bolts had the ball about a minute and a half more than KC.

4. Three Big Kudos for today's win, all on the defensive side of the ball. First, kudos to Bob Sutton for pitching a shutout in the second half. He did that in our last two season wins. Tough to do that against an offiense like San Diego. He did a great job missing many of his puzzle pieces. Bravo, just a great job defensively. Second kudos to Justin Houston, who passed DT for most sacks in a season -and most free Big Macs eaten in a season by KC fans. He almost got up to tie the all time NFL season mark. Four sacks and a forced fumble is what All-Pro's do in big games with playoff implications. Houston earned the major pay day he has coming his way. Dorsey: Pay the man. Third kudos go to Hussein Abdullah, who had a monster fourth quarter. On 4th and goal, he got the big tip to keep the ball away from Gates for one big goal line stop. Then on the next series, he does a perfect Eric Berry impersonation, shoots a gap and stops Donald Brown on fourth and one with 3 minutes left in the game. Huge, huge run stop. Maybe my favorite defensive play of the entire season. Nice picture of Phyllis and his reaction to that play:



3. When the season started, most of us guessed the team would go anywhere from 6-10 to 8-8. KC played a much tougher schedule this season than last, and we didn't face as many back up QBs this year as last. Andy Reid had a mixed year, which is both encouraging and maddening. He can be a brilliant play caller, like he was in the Seattle and New England game, and clueless, like he was against Denver here and at Arizona. He threw way too much to not enough people. He ignores the wide outs. He used Charles incorrectly for most of the year, and his clock management is awful. He does challenge well, and he seems to get the most out of his players. He chooses good assistant coaches. And he's had two winning years in a row, which around here is not a small feat. I hope he learns a few things from this season as he adjusts to the AFC West. HE MUST FIGURE OUT HOW TO BEAT DENVER, or we'll always be a wild card team.

2. We may have seen the last game for Hali, Bowe, Stephenson and Chase Daniel as Chiefs. Who knows what the future holds for Derrick Johnson and Eric Berry? Looking forward in draft and free agency, I'd say the needs list goes like this: 1) Wide Receiver 2) Guard 3) Cornerback. They should draft or free agent pickup at least two offensive linemen and two wide receivers for sure. Biggest strides this year -I think- were made by Abdullah, Kelce, Hudson and Bailey. Most improved player was hands down Houston. Today was a dominating performance. The guy could end up being another HOF linebacker for KC if he can sustain his game.

1. Well guys, that's a wrap. Thanks so much for reading the Ten Things again this season. It's been my pleasure sharing my thoughts with you from the front row. And whether you agree with my takes or not, I'm always respectful of your views and comments. Have a very Happy New Year, and a peaceful, productive 2015. Can't wait for Royals Spring Training!

Game Pictures from the KC Star:
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl...le5078919.html
San Diego Union-Tribune Report:
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/sports/chargers-nfl/
NFL Game Highlights video:
http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/201412...70&tab=analyze

[Deberg_1990]

Thanks George.


Phyllis = most overrated QB of the decade. Great box scores but career loser

[Otter]

Thanks GB! Sometimes I enjoy reading the top 10 more than watching the game.

[2bikemike]

More Accolades for you George!

Wasn't that shot of Rivers frustration the best! I am so happy the Chiefs won because I can't stand how the media around here Bloviates about the Dolts when they win. It would have been an unbearable week if the Not So Super Chargers would have gotten into the playoffs. It was also pretty cool to walk into work tonight and just say "Crushed those dreams" to my fellow co-workers.

There is a lot of work to do this off season and I hope Dorsey gets right to work. Starting with Justin Houston.

[MeaTy The Pimp]

I lurk most of the time, and don't post very often, however, I do want to say thank you for the "10 things" posts. I always look forward to them after the games. Great takes...

[cabletech94]

spot on list, spot on as usual. wish there was a reason for a top 10 every week. A plus thread, would read again.

already ready for next season, thanks blowfish!!!

[Lonewolf Ed]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

So what is the requirement to get a free big-mac? What's the barometer?

You guys are so lucky!

You are welcome to all of the Big Macs I am not going to eat. Feh!

[jonzie04]

Nice list, thanks for doing them blow!



A few more random thoughts I had today Sean Smith had an amazing day to cap off a great season. I dont think he gave up his first reception until like the 4th quarter.

And the Chiefs defense, didn't allow a 300 yard passer the entire season. I was wondering if Rivers would break the trend. He came close, but no cigar.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by jd1020

It's only Fisher's second year in the league and first season at LT. You simply can't expect someone that's seemingly worthy of being the #1 pick in any given draft to be dominating greats like Freeney. Fisher will be fine. He's still improving at his position and will soon be a force at OT for the Chiefs for years to come. I predict in maybe 4 years he'll have ascended the ranks of OT to grade out as perfectly average.

I am not asking Fisher to dominate Freeney… I am asking him not to be dominated by Freeney, a player who is well past his prime.

[TEX]

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

I am not asking Fisher to dominate Freeney… I am asking him not to be dominated by Freeney, a player who is well past his prime.

Yep. Fish is looking more like Robert Gallery (with shorter hair of course) with every game. That ain't good - don't think he can play Guard...

[Why Not?]

Thanks as always. A little bitter sweet to read this one. Another season come and gone.

[jonzie04]

Originally Posted by TEX

Yep. Fish is looking more like Robert Gallery (with shorter hair of course) with every game. That ain't good - don't think he can play Guard...

I dont think so either. I cant think of any 6'7 guards.

I think he'd be fine at RT though, He's a solid run blocker, and he should be able to handle a teams second best pass rusher for the most part, but it wouldn't be as bad though given that Smith will be able to see the pressure coming.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Ten Things About Today's Game

10. My whole reason for wanting to see this game today was a) I really hate whiney Phyllis Rivers and wanted to knock his candy ass out of the playoffs; Today in a make or break game for San Diego, Phyllis got sacked seven times, lost a fumble, threw two picks and ZERO TD passes. He was shut out in the second half. So cry over THAT for the next eight months, you smug, whiney prick.

This was the one and ONLY reason I watched today as there was ZERO chance we would have made the playoffs no matter what any statistical chance said. This was my Christmas gift from the Chiefs!

This season went by so fast and for me it was a down-up-down experience.

-I started the season with low expectations due to our schedule and we didn't fail to deliver early on with a loss in the very first game to the shitty Titans. After that disaster I felt 4-5 wins was realistic. DOWN CYCLE

- Then the Monday night blowout of New England and the start of what appeared to be a fix to all our woes. We actually began a winning streak UP CYCLE

- The mess that was Thursday Night in Oakland burst my bubble and basically we played ourselves out of not only a top spot in the playoffs but completely out with three straight losses. Once again, the Chiefs were the Chiefs and we completely lost control of our destiny! DOWN CYCLE FOR SURE!

Ironically, I think our 9-7 record reflects a perfect balance of the what we have in the good and the bad of this team all season.

Good:
-Defensive improvements and great play from Justin Houston.
-Special Teams overall had a great year with a few minor flubs. Cairo must get more consistent and not miss 45-50 yarders as they may cost us a win in the future.
-Our third down defense and secondary play was so much improved from last year but we still have a few holes and it certainly showed today with Chris (Kendrick Lewis Jr) Owens

Average
-Jamaal Charles had an average year by his standards and not the good to great we are used to. Injuries, our shitty OLine and Andy Reid's play calling really held him back.
-Andy Reids coaching; it is a maddening Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde mystery of trying to guess which coach will show. His poor time management is now a joke as is he horrible press conferences.
-Dontari Poe seemed to be burnt out and he had troubles on the run this season as did our entire defense. We need DJ back so bad!

Bad:
-Our OLine was a dumpster fire and if Fisher cannot improve at all or only slightly next year, he will officially be a MAJOR bust.
-Our WR's getting no TDs or no separation EVER and so many drops especially from our supposed #1 Dwayne "No Show" Bowe
-Tamba Hali and Dwayne Bowe did little to nothing as two of our "best" vets
-Injuries: Losing DJ, DeVito, and Berry hurt and Berry is probably done with the Chiefs.
-Alex Smith and his unwillingness or inability to throw down field. To have nearly a ZERO threat to complete a pass beyond 20 yards is a farce in today's NFL. This is a HUGE handicap for our team and our running game. (See Demarco Murray and the Cowboys)

There is much more to comment on but I'll save it for another time and thread.

Thanks so much George as I now have to wait another 8-9 months to start this all over again. I also greatly appreciate the Guest Spot to write your Ten Things.

Have a fantastic New Year's and I expect to be in Kansas City next year for one game and will certainly meet up with you again!

[cabletech94]

Originally Posted by scho63

This was the one and ONLY reason I watched today as there was ZERO chance we would have made the playoffs no matter what any statistical chance said. This was my Christmas gift from the Chiefs!

This season went by so fast and for me it was a down-up-down experience.

-I started the season with low expectations due to our schedule and we didn't fail to deliver early on with a loss in the very first game to the shitty Titans. After that disaster I felt 4-5 wins was realistic. DOWN CYCLE

- Then the Monday night blowout of New England and the start of what appeared to be a fix to all our woes. We actually began a winning streak UP CYCLE

- The mess that was Thursday Night in Oakland burst my bubble and basically we played ourselves out of not only a top spot in the playoffs but completely out with three straight losses. Once again, the Chiefs were the Chiefs and we completely lost control of our destiny! DOWN CYCLE FOR SURE!

Ironically, I think our 9-7 record reflects a perfect balance of the what we have in the good and the bad of this team all season.

Good:
-Defensive improvements and great play from Justin Houston.
-Special Teams overall had a great year with a few minor flubs. Cairo must get more consistent and not miss 45-50 yarders as they may cost us a win in the future.
-Our third down defense and secondary play was so much improved from last year but we still have a few holes and it certainly showed today with Chris (Kendrick Lewis Jr) Owens

Average
-Jamaal Charles had an average year but his standards and not the good to great we are used to. Injuries, our shitty OLine and Andy Reid's play calling really held him back.
-Andy Reids coaching; it is a maddening Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde mystery of trying to guess which coach will show. His poor time management is now a joke as is he horrible press conferences.
-Dontari Poe seemed to be burnt out and he had troubles on the run this season as did our entire defense. We need DJ back so bad!

Bad:
-Our OLine was a dumpster fire and if Fisher cannot improve at all or only slightly next year, he will officially be a MAJOR bust.
-Our WR's getting no TDs or no separation EVER and so many drops especially from our supposed #1 Dwayne "No Show" Bowe
-Tamba Hali and Dwayne Bowe did little to nothing as two of our "best" vets
-Injuries: Losing DJ, DeVito, and Berry hurt and Berry is probably done with the Chiefs.
-Alex Smith and his unwillingness or inability to throw down field. To have nearly a ZERO threat to complete a pass beyond 20 yards is a farce in today's NFL. This is a HUGE handicap for our team and our running game. (See Demarco Murray and the Cowboys)

There is much more to comment on but I'll save it for another time and thread.

Thanks so much George as I now have to wait another 8-9 months to start this all over again. I also greatly appreciate the Guest Spot to write your Ten Things.

Have a fantastic New Year's and I expect to be in Kansas City next year for one game and will certainly meet up with you again!

i wish I could give out moar REP.

[Marcellus]

Have a great new year George!

[InChiefsHeaven]

Originally Posted by DJJasonp

Great job George. Spot on....only one small point....I don't feel like we lost in week 17 last year. We got royally jobbed on the strip and defensive TD that should have ended the game. Should have never come down to succop kick.

This. The Chiefs did not lose that game last year. They had it taken from them twice. IIRC, the NFL had to apologize the next day, basically admitting that officiating gave the game to the Chargers.