WHITLOCK - Herm is innocent, Carl is evil

[Hammock Parties]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...ry/841754.html

In the minutes after the Chiefs failed to unload unhappy tight end Tony Gonzalez, Herm Edwards sent a clear, concise, fair and accurate message Tuesday afternoon:

The aborted fire sale and current mess at Arrowhead Stadium are not his creation or a reflection of his coaching methods.

When asked by radio reporter Rhonda Moss what Gonzalez’s trade request said about Carl Peterson, the Chiefs organization and its current head coach, Edwards — perhaps unintentionally — summarized his position on the whole affair.

“It doesn’t say anything about me,” Edwards responded. “It doesn’t say one thing about me. It has nothing to do with me. You need to ask the player that. That’s not for me to answer. I’m not going to answer for a football player. I don’t have to do that. I answer for the decisions that I make, what comes out of my mouth.”

Edwards couldn’t have been more transparent.

Kansas City’s inability to retrieve reasonable compensation for Gonzalez is not Herm’s fault. Larry Johnson’s third assault case and possible suspension (by the league or the Chiefs) are not Herm’s fault. The lack of league-wide interest in the services of Damon Huard, Patrick Surtain and Donnie Edwards is not Herm’s fault.

You can blame Herm for Kansas City’s 5-16 record over the past two seasons, but it is unfair to make him culpable for the sad reality that things are likely to get worse before they get significantly better for the Chiefs.

Carl Peterson is responsible for that.

Much will be made of Herm’s apparently smug and dismissive tone at Tuesday’s news conference. He said he hadn’t spoken to Gonzalez about the situation and probably wouldn’t. Edwards said he hadn’t spoken to Larry Johnson about his latest off-field mishap. With his team sitting at 1-4 and reeling from an embarrassing loss at Carolina, Edwards is focused on controlling what he can control and leaving the rest in God’s hands or the people responsible for the problem.

It’s a prudent approach, if you believe the truth will set you free.

It’s no secret that the Chiefs are an organization burning in flames, and Edwards seems to be getting more and more comfortable letting everyone see the gas, matches and electric fans sitting on Carl Peterson’s desk.

Let’s look at this objectively, shall we? Peterson has run this ballclub like a private fraternity. His special pledges — Gonzalez, Johnson, Priest Holmes and, to a lesser degree, Donnie Edwards — have been rewarded with contracts that haven’t necessarily been in the best interest of the football team.

•Peterson misread Gonzalez’s ability to deal with a rebuilding process.

•Peterson misread Johnson’s ability to handle success, money, leadership and a 400-carry season.

•Peterson misread Holmes’ desire to continue playing football after recovering from a hip injury by any means necessary.

•Peterson misread Donnie Edwards’ ability to remain healthy after more than a decade of being injury free.

•And most damaging, Peterson miscalculated by a year the right time to blow up the roster and usher in a youth movement.

All of that misreading, miscalculating and special friendship with players who have never won the Chiefs a single playoff game created the chaos that has turned the franchise into a laughingstock.

Look, if the Patriots give Tom Brady and Tedy Bruschi one contract extension too many, I’ll understand it and totally forgive Bill Belichick. If the Colts let Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison overstay their usefulness, it’s defensible. Those players won championships for their franchises.

But the NFL is the league that dumps Joe Montana and Jerry Rice, runs Brett Favre to New York and lets Joe Namath hobble around Los Angeles and O.J. Simpson limp across San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge.

Meanwhile, Carl Peterson tosses golden parachutes to his favorite draft picks and free-agent signings over drinks at the Capital Grille.

It’s unprofessional. It’s irresponsible. It’s a good-old-boy network in a league that requires a ruthless disloyalty when it comes to money.

You know what used to irritate Marty Schottenheimer? Every time he tried to take a hard-line disciplinary stance with Derrick Thomas, the Golden Child would run to his adopted father (Peterson) for protection.

Gonzalez has spent the last two weeks upset that he didn’t get to break the tight-end record at home against the Broncos. He had his family in town. The Chiefs were going to stop the game and have a quick ceremony.

Who do you think planned the on-field party, Herm or Carl? Who do you think raised Tony’s expectations for a hey-look-at-me moment and set up potential conflict between star player and head coach, Herm or Carl?

The way the club is currently managed, a coaching staff filled with Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh, Don Shula and Hank Stram couldn’t lead the Chiefs to .500.

[SBK]

This article will bring a bunch of "I usually never agree with Whitlock but he nailed this one" by the same people that write it for all his articles.

He's right on this, Carl has created a freaking clusterfudge here and for some reason Clark just keeps writing his checks.

[BigRock]

Originally Posted by Claythan

Edwards seems to be getting more and more comfortable letting everyone see the gas, matches and electric fans sitting on Carl Peterson’s desk.

That's a funny line. Electric fans.

[Coach]

Whitlock doesn't get it, does he? Nobody's buying tickets to watch a Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards football team, one way or another. For those who are, they are probably what Blob Gretz calls them, classless and deranged fans anyways.

Let me point this out to you Whitlock, if you are ever still lurking or posting on this board. Name one rookie player, outside of the secondary/defensive backs, that has shown considerate improvement from week in to week out?

Or even better, let's see if there has been any improvement as a team in whole? Other than the close NE game, and the possible fluke win aganist Denver, this team has been downright awful in all aspects of the game. If there isn't any improvement from either the team in some categories, or individual player(s) then who's to blame?

That's right, Herm Edwards and his coaching staff.

Whatever Whitlock, keep defending your so-called lover Herm Edwards, when it's clearly obvious to this fan that the shit has hit the ceiling fan. I'm tired of listening to Herm lame excuses on why things never work. "Oh, I don't know, because I haven't watched the tape yet."

Huh? Hello, Herm? Were you at the game, or were you fantasizing about your shenanigan needing some attention from your wife or mistress?

Whatever, Whitlock. I encourage you to read this post anyways, although I don't expect you to do so anyways, since you work for the almighty powerful Kansas City Star, and only your opinion matters, and everybody else's opinion don't mean diddly poo.

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showt...49#post4975349

[cdcox]

Heh, Claythan can't spell incompetent.

[Mr. Kotter]

Jason....nails this one. 100% dead-on, on all of this IMHO.

[cdcox]

Herm and Carl were engaged in a fist fight and Jason just dumped a bag of knives on the floor. I hope this escalates.

Handguns, Jason, we need handguns!

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Herm and Carl were engaged in a fist fight and Jason just dumped a bag of knives on the floor. I hope this escalates.

Handguns, Jason, we need handguns!

What, pray tell, would happen if someone came out and blamed Herm for this mess?

[TrickyNicky]

Carl must go. We can't then promote Stiles or Kuharich. I don't know if Clark is smart enough to know that. I think he'll go with someone he's already met and comfortable with and the Good-ole-boy network will continue. Herm is an idiot, sure, but the Front Office is priority #1.

[morphius]

TG is not stupid, he sees that Edwards creates offenses that Herm would have liked to face as a defender. If TG believed that the O was going in the right direction, he wouldn't have tried so hard to get out.

Of course it does still fall on Carl, as he is the dolt who TRADED for Herm, but both guys equally suck and should be equally looking for employment outside of KC.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Herm, once again, throws anyone and everyone under the bus to save his own hide.

Don't say we didn't have plenty of advanced warning about his dumbassery and incompetence.

[FAX]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Herm and Carl were engaged in a fist fight and Jason just dumped a bag of knives on the floor. I hope this escalates.

Handguns, Jason, we need handguns!

Amen.

Herm needs to grow a pair. Anyone can see that Carl has hung him out to dry. Carl's shown him total disrespect in this deal. Does Herm get to go to Florida and party down with the owners while the franchise goes to hell in a handbasket? No! Herm has to answer media questions about why HOF players don't want to be on his team any more. To make matters worse, he has a locker room filled to capacity with disfunction and mutual disdain. It's just not fair and Herm owes it to himself, his family, and all that is good and right in this world to jerk down Carl's trousers and gnaw off his nutsack.

FAX

[ClevelandBronco]

Originally Posted by Claythan

•And most damaging, Peterson miscalculated by a year the right time to blow up the roster and usher in a youth movement.

Yeah. He missed it by a year...

or five.

[TrickyNicky]

or fifteen.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by TrickyNicky

Carl must go. We can't then promote Stiles or Kuharich. I don't know if Clark is smart enough to know that. I think he'll go with someone he's already met and comfortable with and the Good-ole-boy network will continue. Herm is an idiot, sure, but the Front Office is priority #1.

Clark is a smart dude. I also think he knows he has to make his own bones in the NFL. His father was respected for 1) creating the AFL; 2) winning a SB; and 3) playing a big hand in the merger that created the modern day NFL. Clark hasn't done jack shit. He'll get no respect in club 32 until he does.

I think he cleans house, at least on the football side of the organization.