Bleacher Report: Chiefs Playing with House Money in the Playoffs

[Carlota69]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/565147-kansas-city-chiefs-playing-with-house-money-against-the-ravens#

[El Jefe]

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Baltimore Ravens: KC Playing with House Money in Playoffs
By John Bartram (Correspondent) on January 6, 2011
Chiefs PhotosThe Kansas City Chiefs hosting a playoff game this Sunday is far more than was expected from this team.

The 2010 Chiefs season is already a success. They have exceeded their own expectations, as well as the pundits and the fans'. They entered the season predicted to finish last, or close to it by most. They won the division. That is called exceeding expectations.

Clark Hunt, Scott Pioli and Todd Haley are at the top of the list of people who deserve the credit. It started at the top, two years ago and is paying off.

On the field, Matt Cassel, Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe and Tamba Hali, and many other "veteran" Chief players have also exceeded our hopes.

The improvement of Derrick Johnson, Glenn Dorsey and Brandon Carr cannot be overstated. Free agents such as Thomas Jones, Ryan Lilja and Casey Wiegmann added depth and leadership, and none of them failed to deliver.

The rookie class may have been the most impressive. Eric Berry proved to be worth the No. 5 pick of the Chiefs. Tony Moeaki has been sensational. Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas have been spectacular in spots, as well as Kendrick Lewis.

When you put all this together, what you have is the recipe for a team that is being built for long-term success. I believe the short-term success they've had will not be derailed by this season. Coach Haley has gone out of his way to make sure they understand that this is a "work in progress."


Jamie Squire/Getty Images It has become tiresome to hear about the schedule the Chiefs played. The AFC West played the NFC West. The Chiefs finished last season at 4-12. What exactly did you expect the Chiefs schedule to look like?

This Sunday they square off against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens will be the best team they have faced this year.

Realistically, the Chiefs have a slim chance to win this game. They will need to limit Ray Rice and put pressure on Joe Flacco. If they can do those two things consistently, it should at least assure themselves of staying in the game.

Offensively, they must stay out of 3rd-and-long. If not, they will lose. They have to use Jamaal Charles and get in favorable second-down positions. This will provide them with excellent play-action opportunities. If they accomplish all of that, they will have a legitimate chance to win the game.

If they can win, they will then go on the road to Pittsburgh or New England and will have to play better.

Regardless, the Chiefs are winners. That is simply a mathematical fact. They will get better. Next year's schedule is far more difficult, which is a good thing.

In order for the Chiefs to move up, their competition needs to be better. That's one of the things that make Baltimore a dangerous team. They've played the Steelers twice, the Patriots, Falcons, Tampa and the Saints, and finished their season at 12-4.

It's great to be back in the playoffs, and I have no doubt they're back for a long time

[ModSocks]

Finally, someone who gets it.

You taking notes, Claywhit?

[Hammock Parties]

Finally, someone who gets it.

You taking notes, Claywhit?

Are you serious?

This was terrible, homer tripe written by an obvious homer.

[MahiMike]

HEY! Wait a minute. They stole my line! I was thinking about this today. We basically have nothing to lose Sunday. We can play loose because we're already way ahead of schedule and no one thought we're be here. Win and it's pandemonium. Lost, and it's still playoff experience for a lot of young guys who plan on coming back. We won some pots early and now we're using that to go 'All In'. Bring it on!

[ModSocks]

Are you serious?

This was terrible, homer tripe written by an obvious homer.

Nigga please. There is nothing homerish about it. This article was much more accurate than yours.

The Chiefs are a young, ascending team that got more from their players than we thought they would this season.

[Old Dog]

I'm not in line with the "just happy to be here" BS.

[Old Dog]

At the beginning of the season, ABSOLUTELY. I'm sure the vast majority would have taken it. But IMO goals must remain fluid.

[Hammock Parties]

****a please. There is nothing homerish about it. This article was much more accurate than yours.


Homer tripe below:

They will get better. Next year's schedule is far more difficult, which is a good thing.

[Baby Lee]

****a please. There is nothing homerish about it. This article was much more accurate than yours.

The Chiefs are a young, ascending team that got more from their players than we thought they would this season.

It isn't a little homerish to cast a harder schedule as all sunshine?

[Marcellus]

Homer tripe below:

You say they are frauds because they haven't played anybody but call someone a homer for saying playing a tougher schedule will make them better.

You are possibly worse than Whitlock at talking out both sides of your ass.

[Wallcrawler]

Depending on how the offseason goes, a tougher schedule wouldnt be the death sentence everyone thinks it will be.

If we can pick up a receiver to complement Bowe, a pass rusher to complement Hali, and an actual nosetackle to play in the middle of the line, the team is going to improve by big leaps instead of small steps.

Wiegmann and B-Rich are the weak links up front on the O-line, but theyve been servicable.

Its been a long time since the Chiefs were 3 players away from getting over the hump from average team to good/great team.

If the front office drafts like they did this season, we are going to be in for more exciting football from the Chiefs.

[ModSocks]

Homer tripe below:

You say they are frauds because they haven't played anybody but call someone a homer for saying playing a tougher schedule will make them better.

You are possibly worse than Whitlock at talking out both sides of your ass.

What he said.

[JD10367]

I'm not in line with the "just happy to be here" BS.

This.

There's a happy medium between "oh well, they exceeded expectations" and "they lost, what a bunch of frauds, this team sucks".

Yes, they exceeded expectations. But "playing with house money"? Bullshit. You think the 2001 Patriots thought they were "playing with house money"? You think the 2007 Giants thought they were just happy to be there? Only 12 teams make the dance, and there are plenty of supposed contenders littering the side of the road WISHING they were there (i.e. Minnesota, Dallas, the Giants, San Diego). When you get in, you're 0-0 and you better make the most of your opportunity, because there's no guarantee you get another one. Ask the Jim Kelly-led Buffalo Bills. Or Dan Marino. Or the 2002 Raiders.

[HemiEd]

I'm not in line with the "just happy to be here" BS.

Me either, they need to make the most of it and seize the opportunity.

They played well enough in a couple games, to beat anybody.

Lets hope they can find that game effort, and surprise a bunch of people.

[WebGem]

Homer tripe below:

I don't think that's a homer quote at all. I mean think about it, if the ultimate goal here is to win a Super Bowl or become a dynasty or whatever, why wouldn't we want regular season schedules like that? The Patriots/Steelers/Ravens all had really difficult schedules this year and the likelihood of one of them winning the Super Bowl this year is very high. If the team gets to the point where they're as good as they want to be then the schedule won't be as big of an issue and it probably would have been this year had we played a ridiculously hard schedule. It's not like if we progress again this offseason and become a very good/great team and we have say 6 really tough games on the schedule, that we're gonna go 0-6 in them. I think the tough schedule adds a lot of experience the players need and in the overall picture (which isn't just 1 season) it's more of a good thing than a bad thing.

[Ming the Merciless]

This.

There's a happy medium between "oh well, they exceeded expectations" and "they lost, what a bunch of frauds, this team sucks".



This. Clay's "analyses" are often way too black/white for my taste. This guy is a homer, his writing isn't all that great...but he looks like a genius compared to clay simply because he is much more reasonable. It is pretty reasonable to acknowledge progress....It is reasonable to be happy that the Chiefs even got to the playoffs....It is UNREASONABLE to say there isn't progress and we are 'frauds' if we dont win against the Ravens. Sure it is going to suck and be a setback of sorts, but it won't wipee out all of the gains we have made. Thats the difference between Clay and other (better) writers.....Clay seems to write a bunch of crap and then hope he is right, and try to justify it...Whereas other people seem to write about actual truths and observations...

[crossbow]

This is not a "homer" take at all. It is well written and objective. He didn't claim that the Chiefs were a powerhouse playoff team that was gonna surprise everyone and win 42 to 3. He made some level headed points about how the team is progressing and that it will get even better as it faces tougher challenges. The Chief's management is making the right calls and the results show it.

Successful season !!!
Renovated Stadium, Team, And Fans !!!


Embrace it and plan for an even brighter future. Isn't this better then winning 4 games and bragging about how great our punting team is?

As for all of the "fraud" talk...well I don't recall the head coach even saying that the team was a team much less a good one. This is the most humble division winner in the league. Are the Chiefs supposed to just pass on the game because of their schedule? So they don't deserve the 10 wins because their opponents didn't have a winning record last season either? Screw that nonsense. The Chiefs deserve to host a playoff game because they earned it. Their fans deserve it too because they supported the team for decades.

[ModSocks]

This is not a "homer" take at all. It is well written and objective. He didn't claim that the Chiefs were a powerhouse playoff team that was gonna surprise everyone and win 42 to 3. He made some level headed points about how the team is progressing and that it will get even better as it faces tougher challenges. The Chief's management is making the right calls and the results show it.

Successful season !!!
Renovated Stadium, Team, And Fans !!!


Embrace it and plan for an even brighter future. Isn't this better then winning 4 games and bragging about how great our punting team is?

As for all of the "fraud" talk...well I don't recall the head coach even saying that the team was a team much less a good one. This is the most humble division winner in the league. Are the Chiefs supposed to just pass on the game because of their schedule? So they don't deserve the 10 wins because their opponents didn't have a winning record last season either? Screw that nonsense. The Chiefs deserve to host a playoff game because they earned it. Their fans deserve it too because they supported the team for decades.

BS. Chiefs are frauds. I can't really explain why they are, or how that word is even appropriate, but the National Media has convinced me.

[FAX]

This is the kind of season that should make even the most vitriolic and depressed draftabulator happy.

It isn't homerish to recognize that this has been a great season for the Chiefs. We have sucked miserably for years with little or no hope before us. Now, we are finally building for the future ... with talented youth ... and seeing early (not to mention, completely unexpected) results. We haven't been this well-positioned for the future since Marty's early days. I agree with the writer. Win or lose on Sunday, this has been a fabulous year for the franchise.

FAX

[Reerun_KC]

Are you serious?

This was terrible, homer tripe written by an obvious homer.

Says the person whom passes himself off as a journalist without a degree....

[crossbow]

A fraud is a person that knowingly presents an idea, concept, or statement with the intent to deceive. The team isn't claiming anything. They are playing the games on their schedule and winning or losing based on the score. The media is dissapointed because they predicted that the Chargers would win the division and they clung to that belief until the Chargers were mathematacly eliminated. The trolls and lurkers from the other AFC West teams come on this board and spew their biased opinions on us because they are jeleous and want to deny us the pleasure of enjoying our team's acheivments. Its not the Chiefs fault that their star players have only recently come into their own and thus have not become media darlings yet.

[crossbow]

BS. Chiefs are frauds. I can't really explain why they are, or how that word is even appropriate, but the National Media has convinced me.

I am with ya on that, brother. One guy said it and now its like the Internet, TV, radio, and newspapers are hosting a parrot convention.

"Fraud" "Fraud" "Fraud"

So if the Chiefs win Sunday what are the excuses? Are the Ravens frauds then? The Chiefs could be 12-4 if it weren't for phantom pass interference calls - does that make the officiating crew frauds?

[ModSocks]

So if the Chiefs win Sunday what are the excuses? Are the Ravens frauds then?

No no no. You got it all wrong. If the Chiefs win on Sunday it'll be because they beat up on an injured Ravens team and a weeping Ed Reed who just lost his brother.

The Ravens will still be hottest team in the NFL (same way the Chargers are still the best in the division, even though they lost the division) and the Chiefs will still be frauds (Do any of these idiots know how to use the word fraud? :facepalm: ).

[Baby Lee]

I offer this only in the interest of illumination, without a hint of argument, rebuttal or reprisal.

But the fraud issue isn't about how great this season has been or our record or anything of that nature. It's about whether or not we've actually progressed much at all towards being a good team.
And this season has made this difficult to assess in at least two glaring ways; the nearly unprecedented weakness of our schedule, and the egregious in-Conference blowouts we've endured.

We've had much to enjoy, and team fitness is a promising, as are any number if 'intangibles,' but we have no idea if, objectively, we're all that much better than the team that took the field in September of 2009.

To his credit, Haley has been up front about this, more realistic than 'some people around here' ;), and these remarks aren't about him or the team, wrt them having bloated egos.

[Chiefaholic]

Are you serious?

This was terrible, homer tripe written by an obvious homer.

Typical response from Chiefplanet's attention whore.

[ModSocks]

We've had much to enjoy, and team fitness is a promising, as are any number if 'intangibles,' but we have no idea if, objectively, we're all that much better than the team that took the field in September of 2009.


Dude. They won 4 games last year, some of them to very bad teams. 2 Games the year prior to that.

It's not easy to win in the NFL. They've obviously improved. Bowe has improved. Cassel has improved. The Protection has improved. The entire defense has improved. This team is much better.

Im not sure how anyone can watch these games and not see that, regardless of who they played. Last year, the Chiefs wouldn't have had 10 wins with this schedule.

Yeah, they're the weakest team in the AFC playoffs. Sure, they have a long way to go. but they won the AFC West and deserve to be there.

Both the Chargers and Raiders failed. If our schedule was so easy, then why did the almighty powerhouse, SB favorite chargers fall to teams like the Rams & Seahawks? Because it's not that easy, no matter who you play. The Chiefs showed up and did their job.

If the Chargers had squeaked into the playoffs, no one would say shit about their soft schedule.

So why does it have to be such an issue in regards to the Chiefs? It's BS.

Haters gonna hate.

[Baby Lee]

Time will tell.

I don't know why the Broncos, Chargers and Raiders lose to shitty teams but still piss pound the shit out of us. The single inexorable answer is NOT that we're unambiguously obviously improved.

[ModSocks]

Time will tell.

I don't know why the Broncos, Chargers and Raiders lose to shitty teams but still piss pound the shit out of us. The single inexorable answer is NOT that we're unambiguously obviously improved.

Match ups. Plain and simple. IMO, aside from the elite, there are no "better teams" in the NFL.

It's about who matches up with who.

The Raiders are designed to smash the other three teams in the AFC West. The Raiders are big, physical, mauling. They have a great "man" corner.

The Chiefs are smaller and have a more finesse running game. Their D-Line is a match up problem for our O-Line. Same goes for the other side of the ball.

The Broncos are in the same boat as us in regards to the Raiders.

The Chargers are a finesse team even though they're also a big team. Mentally, they're soft. That's why they fold in bad weather and fold against physical teams.


When we play the Chargers, it's another match up nightmare for the Chiefs on D. They're too big, too fast, too vertical. Until we get a good NT and another OLB, we'll always struggle against SD.