Whitlock - Chiefs face a painful offseason

[Hammock Parties]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/columnists/jason_whitlock/story/424552.html

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. | The worst team in professional football closed out its season with an agonizing-to-watch, 13-10 overtime loss to the Jets that was really a poorly disguised cry for help.

You just hope Clark Hunt, Kansas City’s wet-behind-the-ears owner, was listening.

His organization is in decay, and denial won’t cure what ails the Chiefs, who finished 4-12, their worst campaign in 30 seasons.

“Everyone needs to take a look in the mirror,” defensive end Jared Allen said when it was over.

“Let’s bring the pain,” Tony Gonzalez stated glumly. “Do something and do something drastic. There is something wrong, obviously.”

Obviously. The Chiefs wrapped up the 2007 season extending a franchise-record losing streak to nine games and jockeying for an elite draft position. The Dolphins and the Rams completed the year with records worse than the Chiefs, but there is no real discernible difference between Kansas City and 1-15 Miami.

Put them on the field in a New Year’s Day Toilet Bowl game and Vegas oddsmakers would likely favor the ’Phins. At least they’ve tasted victory in the past two months.

Yeah, it’s time to bring the pain. There is no easy fix for the Chiefs.

“We have to add more depth,” Allen said when asked what the organization needs to do during the offseason. “We’re shallow in a lot of positions.”

Brian Waters added: “Everybody has to be on the same page. There was a tidbit of hesitation about going young. I guess I can’t blame them; no one expected us to be this bad.”

No one? Not true. This 4-12 season was five years in the making and extremely predictable. In a desperate attempt to make the Super Bowl before Dick Vermeil got tired, the Chiefs spent the Vermeil era on a rampage to win it all taking every shortcut available.

They didn’t develop talent; they acquired it through trade and free-agent spending. Those chickens have come home.

Willie Roaf, Priest Holmes, Trent Green, Eddie Kennison, Casey Wiegmann and John Welbourn — the veterans Vermeil acquired for his record-setting offense — have either retired or announced their retirement with their play this season. Meanwhile, Vermeil’s defensive acquisitions — Ryan Sims, Junior Siavii, Eddie Freeman, Kawika Mitchell, Kendrell Bell, Shawn Barber, Patrick Surtain, Ray Crockett, Glenn Cadrez, Dexter McCleon and Greg Robinson — could form an all-bust fantasy team.

Carl Peterson, the general manager who takes enormous pride in being the league’s toughest contract negotiator and in his ability to avoid “salary cap hell because of it,” is locked in an “incompetence hell” of his own creation.

You just hope Clark Hunt is watching. You hope he understands that loyalty has its limits. He briefly slipped into Herm Edwards’ postgame news conference, and disappeared just as quickly.

We don’t know much about Clark. We don’t know how much he values winning. He’s probably not Jerry Jones, a billionaire whose ego is fed by the Cowboys. That’s all right. But 4-12 should hurt. It should embarrass. It should provoke.

Peterson called the nine-game losing streak “unacceptable.”

What then is 15 years without a playoff victory? How about putting together the league’s worst team in your 19th year of leadership?

Sunday was a cry for help. The Jets are nearly as bad as the Chiefs. A mediocre New York defense gutted Kansas City’s offense, holding the Chiefs to 53 rushing yards, sacking Brodie Croyle three times and limiting him to 20 of 43 passing. On offense, the Jets rushed for 199 yards. On their game-winning drive, Thomas Jones ran at will, setting up the clinching field goal.

What did we learn this season about the Chiefs that we didn’t already know?

Tony Gonzalez and Jared Allen are two of the best players at their positions. Nearly everything else is a total mystery. The season was a waste. Someone has to pay for this.

“Let’s bring the pain.”

[BigRock]

In a desperate attempt to make the Super Bowl before Dick Vermeil got tired, the Chiefs spent the Vermeil era on a rampage to win it all taking every shortcut available.

They didn’t develop talent; they acquired it through trade and free-agent spending. Those chickens have come home.
:clap:

[jjchieffan]

More garbage from Fatlock. That dumb*ss is as pathetic as Autumn Wind. Starting off his article calling the CHiefs the worst team in football. Hello? They won more games than Miami and St. Louis. The Jets, Ravens, and Falcons are just as pathetic. I have a more accurate statement. Whitlock is the worst sportswriter in professional sports. What a douchebag.

[Rasputin]

I'll start liking Jason if he can get Carl fired untill then nothing he has ever written has gotten Carl fired so it's just words.

[dirk digler]

:clap:

In 19 years we have rarely developed talent it didn't start with DV.

In 19 years Carl Peterson has never developed a QB he always traded or signed someone's elses.

[el borracho]

"The season was a waste. Someone has to pay for this."

The two biggest greivances of this wretched season are the fact that, other than Bowe, we learned nothing of importance and the fact that, other than Solari, none of the responsible parties will suffer any consequence. This truly was a wasted season.

[Spicy McHaggis]

More garbage from Fatlock. That dumb*ss is as pathetic as Autumn Wind. Starting off his article calling the CHiefs the worst team in football. Hello? They won more games than Miami and St. Louis. The Jets, Ravens, and Falcons are just as pathetic. I have a more accurate statement. Whitlock is the worst sportswriter in professional sports. What a douchebag.

I'd put the Rams, Jets, and Ravens above us. Either way you look at it this team is a complete embarrassment.

[Hammock Parties]

The two biggest greivances of this wretched season are the fact that, other than Bowe, we learned nothing about our youngsters

I think we learned plenty about Croyle, Webb, Tank, Turk, Boomer, DJ, Hali, Allen, Pollard, Page, Brackenridge and probably a few others I'm forgetting.

We did it in a half-assed way though.

[The Bad Guy]

More garbage from Fatlock. That dumb*ss is as pathetic as Autumn Wind. Starting off his article calling the CHiefs the worst team in football. Hello? They won more games than Miami and St. Louis. The Jets, Ravens, and Falcons are just as pathetic. I have a more accurate statement. Whitlock is the worst sportswriter in professional sports. What a douchebag.

The Chiefs are a laughing stock.

When you don't win in 2 months, you are the worst team in the NFL.

[The Bad Guy]

I think we learned plenty about Croyle, Webb, Tank, Turk, Boomer, DJ, Hali, Allen, Pollard, Page, Brackenridge and probably a few others I'm forgetting.

We did it in a half-assed way though.

I learned that Pollard is great - but only on special teams. At SS, he's horrible.

I'll reserve judgement on Hali. I like his motor.

DJ is a very good player.

Boomer sucks.

Turk was another horrible 2nd round pick. Tank is nothing more than a rotation-type guy.

Webb needs muscle desperately.

[jjchieffan]

I'd put the Rams, Jets, and Ravens above us. Either way you look at it this team is a complete embarrassment.

I agree that the team is an embarrassment. I guess how each team improves itself in the offseason will prove which team is worse. The jets didnt seem any better than us today. Both teams loked pathetic out there.

[OnTheWarpath15]

The Chiefs are a laughing stock.

When you don't win in 2 months, you are the worst team in the NFL.

I'm not arguing with you, but the Dolphins didn't win for over 3 months.

14 game losing steak > 9 game losing streak.

There is enough room for Miami on the laughing stock train......

[Bowser]

Webb needs to be on the same bus Samie Parker is on.

[suds79]

More garbage from Fatlock. That dumb*ss is as pathetic as Autumn Wind. Starting off his article calling the CHiefs the worst team in football. Hello? They won more games than Miami and St. Louis. The Jets, Ravens, and Falcons are just as pathetic. I have a more accurate statement. Whitlock is the worst sportswriter in professional sports. What a douchebag.

He's talking about what a horrible state the Chiefs are in and you're splitting hairs about his comment if we're the worse team in the NFL or not? Who cares?

Okay. Agree or disagree with that part of it. It doesn't really matter. But I'd have to say I think he's right on with the rest of it.

[jjchieffan]

The Chiefs are a laughing stock.

When you don't win in 2 months, you are the worst team in the NFL.
The Chiefs arent the only teams with that distinction. The Ravens streak was just as bad, Miami's was worse. I don't think they have any room to laugh at the Chiefs. Besides, you missed the point of my post, which was that Fatlock is just a POS potstirrer with no journalistic ability. He writes controversial crap so that people will read it. I would also say that he is Goatse's roll model, but then we would just neg rep me again. :ROFL:

[el borracho]

I think we learned plenty about Croyle, Webb, Tank, Turk, Boomer, DJ, Hali, Allen, Pollard, Page, Brackenridge and probably a few others I'm forgetting.

We did it in a half-assed way though.
Ah, you got in before the edit. I don't think we learned much at all about Croyle, or Brackenridge. We already knew about DJ, Hali and Allen. I'll concede that we had a chance to evaluate the safeties. None of the other guys matter (which is why I edited my original post).

[The Bad Guy]

The Chiefs arent the only teams with that distinction. The Ravens streak was just as bad, Miami's was worse. I don't think they have any room to laugh at the Chiefs. Besides, you missed the point of my post, which was that Fatlock is just a POS potstirrer with no journalistic ability. He writes controversial crap so that people will read it. I would also say that he is Goatse's roll model, but then we would just neg rep me again. :ROFL:

Whitlock is a very, very talented writer. Contrary to what you believe, I think he's one of the best in the country. He speaks his mind, is very creative to hook the reader, and gets his point across.

I think you're getting too worked up over this "what team is shittier argument".

It doesn't really matter at all. The Chiefs went from first place to losing 9 games in a row.

[Pablo]

Webb needs to be on the same bus Samie Parker is on.Eh...Webb and Parker are both pretty cheap. I'd love it if we could acquire a young WR via FA or the draft to take their spot, but regardless, either one of these guys is a good #3.

[Dylan]

Willie Roaf, Priest Holmes, Trent Green, Eddie Kennison, Casey Wiegmann and John Welbourn — the veterans Vermeil acquired for his record-setting offense — have either retired or announced their retirement with their play this season. Meanwhile, Vermeil’s defensive acquisitions — Ryan Sims, Junior Siavii, Eddie Freeman, Kawika Mitchell, Kendrell Bell, Shawn Barber, Patrick Surtain, Ray Crockett, Glenn Cadrez, Dexter McCleon and Greg Robinson — could form an all-bust fantasy team.

Copy editors are often invisible to the public, and sometimes within a news organization.

Can someone please email Mr. Jason Whitlock for me and tell him that Kawika Mitchell signed with the N.Y. Giants as an unrestricted free agent March, 2007. Can you also tell him the Giants love him and he's been doing great in his new position?

Just cut and paste, it will take a minute.

It's late and I got to go to bed.

Thanks!


Nitey Nite, Sleep Tight :ZZZ:

[ChiefsCountry]

Willie Roaf, Priest Holmes, Trent Green, Eddie Kennison, Casey Wiegmann and John Welbourn — the veterans Vermeil acquired for his record-setting offense — have either retired or announced their retirement with their play this season.

Copy editors are often invisible to the public, and sometimes within a news organization.

Can someone please email Mr. Jason Whitlock for me and inform him that Kawika Mitchell signed with the N.Y. Giants as an unrestricted free agent March, 2007. Can you also tell him we love Mitchell and he's been doing great in his new position?

Just cut and paste, it will take a minute.
It's late and I got to go to bed.

Thanks!


Nitey Nite, Sleep Tight :ZZZ:

Other than Surtain and Bell all those guys are gone from the Chiefs. That was the bust part.

[SPchief]

The Chiefs arent the only teams with that distinction. The Ravens streak was just as bad, Miami's was worse. I don't think they have any room to laugh at the Chiefs. Besides, you missed the point of my post, which was that Fatlock is just a POS potstirrer with no journalistic ability. He writes controversial crap so that people will read it. I would also say that he is Goatse's roll model, but then we would just neg rep me again. :ROFL:


I don't see how this article is controversial?

[Dylan]

Oh, OK. Thank you.

Can you just edit it and begin with, "Can you tell him the Giants love Mitchell and he's been doing an amazing job in his new position?

If Mr. Denver stops by, can someone please tell him to thank the Denver Broncos for me? Domenik Hixon's 74-yard kickoff return for a TD was sweet last nite.

I got to get up in 5 hours.

Thank you.



j/k :D

[Mr. Flopnuts]

More garbage from Fatlock. That dumb*ss is as pathetic as Autumn Wind. Starting off his article calling the CHiefs the worst team in football. Hello? They won more games than Miami and St. Louis. The Jets, Ravens, and Falcons are just as pathetic. I have a more accurate statement. Whitlock is the worst sportswriter in professional sports. What a douchebag.



Every team in this league has won a game since we won our last if I'm not mistaken. That would easily make us the worst team in the league. We got owned by teams who were stumbling just as badly as we were. If you didn't know that we were the worst team in the league when we got beat the way we did by Detroit, then you're homer glasses are blinding.

[AcesCasino]

It's a twenty-way-tie for last, if you don't make the playoffs....moot point.......

[The Bad Guy]

Oh, OK. Thank you.

Can you just edit it and begin with, "Can you tell him the Giants love Mitchell and he's been doing an amazing job in his new position?

If Mr. Denver stops by, can someone please tell him to thank the Denver Broncos for me? Domenik Hixon's 74-yard kickoff return for a TD was sweet last nite.

I got to get up in 5 hours.

Thank you.



j/k :D

Not all Giants fans share your same opinion of Kawika.

[Boyceofsummer]

Would you rather he stay silent and TAKE IT! This team has quit.

If Drummond suits up for one more practice/game I am washing my hands of this franchise and becomming a full time Patriots/Bellicheck fan.

[Ozarks-Chiefs-Fan]

More garbage from Fatlock. That dumb*ss is as pathetic as Autumn Wind. Starting off his article calling the CHiefs the worst team in football. Hello? They won more games than Miami and St. Louis. The Jets, Ravens, and Falcons are just as pathetic. I have a more accurate statement. Whitlock is the worst sportswriter in professional sports. What a douchebag.

I hate to say it but i think he's right about the Chief's being the worst team in football.

[kcxiv]

I hate to say it but i think he's right about the Chief's being the worst team in football.
Yep, i said that about 2 weeks ago. I dont think we can even beat the Dolphins right now. We just cannot score. They would beat us in a game even at Arrowhead right now. lol

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x241/corizz/pinky.jpg

[CupidStunt]

Someone say we learned "a lot about" Brackenridge? Like what?

We don't know shit about Brackenridge.

[Otter]

Following this team has become like trying to sit through a Madonna movie.

All you need to know is that the same man who hasn't won a playoff game in 15 years is coming back.

Clark Hunt: "**** you Chiefs fans, just give us your money"!

[Eleazar]

More garbage from Fatlock. That dumb*ss is as pathetic as Autumn Wind. Starting off his article calling the CHiefs the worst team in football. Hello? They won more games than Miami and St. Louis. The Jets, Ravens, and Falcons are just as pathetic. I have a more accurate statement. Whitlock is the worst sportswriter in professional sports. What a douchebag.

The Dolphins would probably beat this team.

[stevieray]

wosrt team in football?

that would explain why we had to give up picks to get our last two HC's...

[TEX]

wosrt team in football?

that would explain why we had to give up picks to get our last two HC's...


:clap: And it all starts at the top.

[siberian khatru]

Clark's gonna give Carl (and Herm) another chance.

Another chance at what? To improve a 4-12 team to ... what, 6-10? 8-8? Give Carl a chance to get the Chiefs back to what they were before, which was what?

Find me a GM in any sport who has kept his job despite his team not winning a postseason game in 14 years.

Carl shouldn't be fired because of 2007. He should be fired because of 1998-2007. Ten years that don't even resemble his "glory years" of 1990-97 -- which produced no championships and a 3-7 playoff record.

[Sure-Oz]

We'd lose to the Dolphins

[Sure-Oz]

Clark's gonna give Carl (and Herm) another chance.

Another chance at what? To improve a 4-12 team to ... what, 6-10? 8-8? Give Carl a chance to get the Chiefs back to what they were before, which was what?

Find me a GM in any sport who has kept his job despite his team not winning a postseason game in 14 years.

Carl shouldn't be fired because of 2007. He should be fired because of 1998-2007. Ten years that don't even resemble his "glory years" of 1990-97 -- which produced no championships and a 3-7 playoff record.
Marty masked carl's ineptness with his coaching that is for sure, we havent done shit without marty.

[Chief Henry]

Dam good article if you ask me.

[siberian khatru]

Marty masked carl's ineptness with his coaching that is for sure, we havent done shit without marty.

I agree.

Actually, we didn't really do shit WITH Marty (one AFC title game -- thanks Joe!), but we've done even less without him.

[splatbass]

Would you rather he stay silent and TAKE IT! This team has quit.

If Drummond suits up for one more practice/game I am washing my hands of this franchise and becomming a full time Patriots/Bellicheck fan.


Please become a Pats fan now. I'm a life long Chiefs fan, that means good or bad (even worst team in the league) I'm a Chiefs fan. You clearly aren't. And there are a ton of other fair weather fans here that can go with you.

[Eleazar]

Clark's gonna give Carl (and Herm) another chance.

Another chance at what? To improve a 4-12 team to ... what, 6-10? 8-8? Give Carl a chance to get the Chiefs back to what they were before, which was what?

Find me a GM in any sport who has kept his job despite his team not winning a postseason game in 14 years.

Carl shouldn't be fired because of 2007. He should be fired because of 1998-2007. Ten years that don't even resemble his "glory years" of 1990-97 -- which produced no championships and a 3-7 playoff record.

QFT

[StcChief]

an all-bust fantasy team.
and the draft picks that didn't pan out....

where are they selling insurance now.

[Marty Mac Ver 2.0]

webb and parker need to spend a little time at Butler County Community College.

[Micjones]

We aren't going to see major change at the top.

It's going to be player change hopefully.
Good thing is... We should have another good draft. I'm guessing the best one since Herm joined the team.

[stonedstooge]

I thought a couple of days ago everyone wanted Whitlock to get involved and bring the issue to light. He's done that. He even stated that someone needs to pay i.e. Carl and Herm. Can't argue about how he stated it he did what we wanted. Now will it reach national attention and more importantly the Clark clans attention. We can only hope so. I thought his article was good for how he normally writes and said what needed to be said. Can't get caught up in whose the worse team right now. Right now we know the Chiefs suck and thats the only one I care about at this time. I don't give a s**t wheter we could beat the fins or the Rams, etc. I just know that this team needs improvements that need to start from the top down. I've been a Chiefs fan since Bobby Bell rubbed my head at a charity basketball game back in the late 60's and this is the worst cluster f**k of running the Chiefs I have seen in all of those years, those that I remember anyway.

[brent102fire]

Does it really matter who's worse? Not really!! All that matters is the Chiefs did not make the playoffs and are one of the worst teams, record-wise, in the NFL. Changes need to be made. I don't think the season was a total waste.
Croyle finally got some experience and knows he will be the starter next year going into TC.

Kolby Smith is a solid # 2, LJ will be the # 1.

Bowe got some experience playing in the NFL and will only get better.

The O-line needs some upgrading, BAD!. They will have to build around Waters and Macintosh.

They need a FB!!!!

Hali, Allen, DJ, Boone, Harris, Edwards are the building blocks.

McBride and Tyler will get better. They are solid and made some plays at times.

The secondary may need an overhall. I think Wesley should be a starter at SS, not Pollard.

Brackenridge and Patterson could be starters soon.

It's hard to be a good, consistent defense when the offense goes 3 and out a majority of the time and the defense is on the field a majority of the game. The D would have been alot better if they didn't have to pick up the slack for the dreadful offense.

[Boyceofsummer]

Please become a Pats fan now. I'm a life long Chiefs fan, that means good or bad (even worst team in the league) I'm a Chiefs fan. You clearly aren't. And there are a ton of other fair weather fans here that can go with you.


I don't remember my Chiefs as the Texan's but I remember watching and cheering for them before the AFL Championship game in snowy Buffalo on my uncle's snowy farm TV. (NOT '93') I watched and cheered through all the coaching and player changes in the 70's & 80's. I sat in Arrowhead in the 90's and for every home game the season that culminated with freezing my ass off and listening to Elliot miss the final attempt in the Arrowhead bathroom while warming my frozen feet. I new he'd miss it. I couldn't stand to watch it. But this season is the clincher. This coach and all the cronyism associated with his staff and Carl Peterson is nearly the last straw.

**** Drummond & Happy New Year to you.

[bowener]

Boyceofsummer, thank you for that story... it depresses the hell out of me because that will probably be me in 30 years or so... minus getting to watch the Chiefs in a championship game of any kind. :banghead:

I think we all dislike Whitlock more or less, but do you think we could all band together and feed JW's ego through whatever means necessary, email and what not, and convince him to continue writing scathing columns about what is gong on at arrowhead 1... eventually one of the bobbeling heads there would have to respond to his shit, and hopefully expose how inept they are and end up canned.

What I fear is we will become the red sox of the NFL, or worse the cubbies.... and we will continue saying that, "next year will be better," and "they have to win a champioship sometime in my lifetime, right?" Just think of all those cubs fans that have come and gone without seeing shit, but every year the hoped and prayed, only to have their dreams crushed and destroyed. God it sucks to be a Chiefs fan with no improvement in sight. This must be how they felt at the Alamo when nobody came to help... just kept scanning the horizon for something, but nothing ever came. :deevee:

[Mecca]

Please become a Pats fan now. I'm a life long Chiefs fan, that means good or bad (even worst team in the league) I'm a Chiefs fan. You clearly aren't. And there are a ton of other fair weather fans here that can go with you.

Every fan has a breaking point, why should you invest your time and emotion into a team that right now appears they they don't care as much about winning a championship as you do?

[splatbass]

Every fan has a breaking point, why should you invest your time and emotion into a team that right now appears they they don't care as much about winning a championship as you do?

Your breaking point must have come about 20 years ago because I've never seen you make one single positive post about the Chiefs. There are Raider fans that say nicer things about the Chiefs than you do, and I'm not just talking now, but ever since you've been on CP.