Monty
12-17-2004, 04:37 PM
It appears that one of the esteemed members here is writing it once again. Since he won't toot his own horn, I'm doing it for him. :toast: I really liked these columns and am glad to see them back. Here's the latest article:
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Larry Johnson Earns the Right to Start.
By CK Rairden
Dec 14, 2004, 10:28
Last week I made the claim that one drive may have saved Larry Johnson's career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. While that may have been a bit of hyperbole, the Tennessee game proved that no matter how bad his attitude once was, he has now earned the right start the remaining games of this season. His last two games have shown that his poor attitude is gone. His hesitation to hit the hole also seems to have magically disappeared. And while ABC used their prime time slot to lampoon Dick Vermeil's infamous "diaper" remark the fact is Larry Johnson is delivering, but as the Kansas City Chiefs play out the string, it's very clear that as a head coach, Dick Vermeil has not.
The memo pad is full:
The Kansas Chiefs offense is a juggernaut, but their first five possessions resulted in but one touchdown, three punts and an interception. It looked like it was going to be a long night. But a Trent Green led offense will never quit.
It's time to play Chris Horn more for the last three games. His block on the Larry Johnson 46-yard TD in the third quarter was phenomenal. And I can't recall the last time he dropped a pass.
After a pass interference call in the end zone midway through the third quarter ABC analyst John Madden observed, "I tell you, there's a guy that is getting torched tonight--William Bartee." And while I love to beat up on William Bartee as much as the next guy, you could basically fill in the blank with any Kansas City Chiefs' defensive back's name and be very accurate. That group is an absolute embarrassment.
Larry Johnson now owns the Chiefs three longest runs of the season. And his touchdown dance is a thing of beauty; he hands the ball to the referee and congratulates his blockers. It's becoming more difficult not to be a fan of this guy.
For those of you who didn't make it all the way through the fourth quarter, you missed another great move by Eddie Kennison. On the Chiefs' last offensive TD he made an inside/out move that shows why he is still a player…at the times when he's not dropping easy catches.
The Titans' Drew Bennett had a record breaking career day against this sieve that calls itself the Chiefs' secondary. The only thing that stopped him was fatigue.
The most frightening picture of the night was not Dick Vermeil hugging Larry Johnson after his second long TD run, but was the Vermeil/Peterson hug as time ran out on the Chiefs last Monday night game for a while. This duo failed miserably at their collective jobs after a 13-3 campaign. Neither has any pressure as both will return next season unless they decide to resign. There is no sense of urgency, only a complacent attitude. Their four year record of zero playoff wins should not afford that luxury.
While a Chiefs' victory is usually great for the fans, these back-to-back wins are bittersweet. Two weeks ago, the team was set to draft fourth overall in the 2005 NFL draft. But wins against Oakland and Tennessee have dropped them all the way down to the number 15 slot. But cheer up, Carl Peterson's draft history is awful, and he very easily could have blown the pick.
Here is the list as it stands today.
1 San Francisco 2-11 .479
2 Miami 2-11 .557
3 Cleveland 3-10 .599
4 Arizona 4-9 .453
5 Tennessee 4-9 .490
6 Washington 4-9 .516
7 Oakland 4-9 .542
8 Tampa Bay 5-8 .445
9 New Orleans 5-8 .474
10 Chicago 5-8 .484
11 Houston 5-8 .510
12 Detroit 5-8 .521
13 Dallas 5-8 .526
14 San Diego (from New York Giants) 5-8 .542
15 Kansas City 5-8 .547
16 Carolina 6-7 .495
As an added bonus, here is a link to our friends at the Red Zone to the free agents that will be available next season. This team is several players away from being competitive, and they must be active in the off season. It's never too early to start dreaming--start your Christmas wish list and send it to Santa Carl Chiefs' fans.
http://www.theredzone.org/2005/freeagents/index.asp
Link to previous articles (http://www.chiefswarroom.net/tam/)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Larry Johnson Earns the Right to Start.
By CK Rairden
Dec 14, 2004, 10:28
Last week I made the claim that one drive may have saved Larry Johnson's career as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. While that may have been a bit of hyperbole, the Tennessee game proved that no matter how bad his attitude once was, he has now earned the right start the remaining games of this season. His last two games have shown that his poor attitude is gone. His hesitation to hit the hole also seems to have magically disappeared. And while ABC used their prime time slot to lampoon Dick Vermeil's infamous "diaper" remark the fact is Larry Johnson is delivering, but as the Kansas City Chiefs play out the string, it's very clear that as a head coach, Dick Vermeil has not.
The memo pad is full:
The Kansas Chiefs offense is a juggernaut, but their first five possessions resulted in but one touchdown, three punts and an interception. It looked like it was going to be a long night. But a Trent Green led offense will never quit.
It's time to play Chris Horn more for the last three games. His block on the Larry Johnson 46-yard TD in the third quarter was phenomenal. And I can't recall the last time he dropped a pass.
After a pass interference call in the end zone midway through the third quarter ABC analyst John Madden observed, "I tell you, there's a guy that is getting torched tonight--William Bartee." And while I love to beat up on William Bartee as much as the next guy, you could basically fill in the blank with any Kansas City Chiefs' defensive back's name and be very accurate. That group is an absolute embarrassment.
Larry Johnson now owns the Chiefs three longest runs of the season. And his touchdown dance is a thing of beauty; he hands the ball to the referee and congratulates his blockers. It's becoming more difficult not to be a fan of this guy.
For those of you who didn't make it all the way through the fourth quarter, you missed another great move by Eddie Kennison. On the Chiefs' last offensive TD he made an inside/out move that shows why he is still a player…at the times when he's not dropping easy catches.
The Titans' Drew Bennett had a record breaking career day against this sieve that calls itself the Chiefs' secondary. The only thing that stopped him was fatigue.
The most frightening picture of the night was not Dick Vermeil hugging Larry Johnson after his second long TD run, but was the Vermeil/Peterson hug as time ran out on the Chiefs last Monday night game for a while. This duo failed miserably at their collective jobs after a 13-3 campaign. Neither has any pressure as both will return next season unless they decide to resign. There is no sense of urgency, only a complacent attitude. Their four year record of zero playoff wins should not afford that luxury.
While a Chiefs' victory is usually great for the fans, these back-to-back wins are bittersweet. Two weeks ago, the team was set to draft fourth overall in the 2005 NFL draft. But wins against Oakland and Tennessee have dropped them all the way down to the number 15 slot. But cheer up, Carl Peterson's draft history is awful, and he very easily could have blown the pick.
Here is the list as it stands today.
1 San Francisco 2-11 .479
2 Miami 2-11 .557
3 Cleveland 3-10 .599
4 Arizona 4-9 .453
5 Tennessee 4-9 .490
6 Washington 4-9 .516
7 Oakland 4-9 .542
8 Tampa Bay 5-8 .445
9 New Orleans 5-8 .474
10 Chicago 5-8 .484
11 Houston 5-8 .510
12 Detroit 5-8 .521
13 Dallas 5-8 .526
14 San Diego (from New York Giants) 5-8 .542
15 Kansas City 5-8 .547
16 Carolina 6-7 .495
As an added bonus, here is a link to our friends at the Red Zone to the free agents that will be available next season. This team is several players away from being competitive, and they must be active in the off season. It's never too early to start dreaming--start your Christmas wish list and send it to Santa Carl Chiefs' fans.
http://www.theredzone.org/2005/freeagents/index.asp
Link to previous articles (http://www.chiefswarroom.net/tam/)