Chiefnj
09-08-2004, 10:53 AM
I know that there are 31 GMs in the NFL who, if given the chance, would wiggle their nose like Tabitha Stevens and instantly trade their offense for that of Al Saunders, Priest Holmes, Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez, Willie Roaf, Will Shields, and the rest of the Kansas City Chiefs offense. I also know that there isn’t a special teams coach in the league who would sell their soul for the privilege of having the human joystick, Dante Hall, return kicks and punts for their team in 2004. And, I’m also certain that there are about a dozen teams who would love to have a defensive coordinator who twice led his unit to being the best in scoring defense in the NFL.
So with all the good things surrounding the Chiefs as they enter the 2004 season, why do some fans have a bad feeling in their stomach? Could it be the difficult schedule that pits the Chiefs against both Super Bowl teams, the hard-hitting Baltimore Ravens and the team that dismantled them in the 2003 playoffs, the Indianapolis Colts? It might be. Is it because the Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game since REM was on the billboard charts with What’s the Frequency Kenneth? That might factor into it. Is it because in the past Chief fans have been able to point out deficiencies in the team and later have that problem bite them in the rear? That sounds like a valid reason - lets explore it some more.
Now, I’m not saying by any stretch of the imagination that the Monday morning QBs are correct. We the fans are rarely correct, but we forget about all of our incorrect predictions as easily as Marty Schottenheimer ruins another young QB. On the rare chance we get something right, we remember it and boast it to our friends, family and internet brethren every chance we get. A typical conversation goes like this:
(Husband and Wife sitting at dinner table with their 10 year old son, Todd.)
Wife: So, Todd, what did you learn in science class today?
Todd: We learned about the whitetail deer. It lives in forests …
Husband: Deer? Did you say deer? Did I ever tell you about my prediction that Elvis Grbac would look like a deer in headlights whenever he got pressured in the pocket? Did your teacher tell you that? Damn coward sat out with a bruised pinky. Confoundit, a bruised pinky!! I knew it. I knew it…
Wife: Ahem. I noticed you had a book by T.S. Elliott sitting …
Husband: Elliott?? Elliott? Did I ever tell you about my prediction that Lynn…
Whether it was intuition regarding the kicking game and He Who Shall Not Be Named (rhymes with Blynn Jelliot) or Elvis starting over Gannon in the playoffs or Dick Vermeil’s decision to hire and retain Greg Robinson, at times the fan occasionally hits the mark when second guessing the franchise. With that in mind lets look at what is sticking in my craw this off season.
1. Old habits are hard to die so lets start with the defense. Chief fans got a late Christmas gift from the team when after winning the Super Bowl they let their much beloved defensive coordinator ride away to Texas. What? They didn’t win the Super Bowl? They didn’t win a playoff game? They didn’t force a single punt, at home, against the Colts?? Then explain why the heck Robinson was given a heroes departure? A press conference filled with tears, hugs and accusations that Mr. Robinson is better endowed than the fans and media, all for a coach who’s scheme couldn’t force one lousy punt? On second thought, don’t explain it, I’ll take Robinson’s resignation/firing/pity party any way I can.
With He Who Shall Not Be Named, Jr. (HWSNBN, Jr), out of Kansas City the fans eagerly awaited the anointment of a savior, a man who could turn the Chiefs defense back into the dominant, QB eating machine of the mid 90s. One candidate rumored about was Gunther Cunningham. Yes, the very same former head coach of the Chiefs who learned, over the internet, that his services were no longer necessary. Many thought, no way, that would be odder than the time I took my mom to my prom and I overheard the captain of the football team say “What’s he doing with my girlfriend?” – and he wasn’t joking.
But, it was true. Which is okay because he’s not HWSNBN, Jr. Like a child at Christmas excited about his first new toy, but yet eagerly waiting to rip open the rest of the packages, Chief fans awaited a flurry of free agent signings. Who would it be - Winfield, Taylor, Kearse, or maybe Robaire Smith? There were so many of them to choose from. And we waited, and waited and waited and signed Dalton. A nice start, but not the big name CB, DT, WR or LB we were looking for.
The Chiefs opted to return the same starting players who failed miserably under Robinson’s “bend but don’t force a punt” defense. Why you ask? I’m not sure. But we were told a new coordinator is all you need. A new aggressive system and a middle of the pack defense is all the Chiefs need to go to the promised land, Jacksonville.
So, now that camp has broken and all four meaningless preseason games are in the books how is that defense looking? Honestly, not that good. The linebackers have been slow in picking up the new system and injuries to MLB’s Maslowski (now on IR) and Mitchell have hampered things even more. This problem is somewhat inexcusable. The staff should have been on notice that Maslowksi’s knee hadn’t healed in the off season and that Mitchell might be slow picking up his third defense in three years. A veteran should have been signed as a safeguard. But, nobody was brought in and the Chiefs will begin the season with Monty Beisel at MLB. Sure, he sounds like a nice kid; a hard working, film studying, blue collar kind of guy. But after bouncing around the roster for the last several years one has to wonder if he can hold down the fort until Mitchell is healed. And then one has to wonder if Mitchell can improve from his poor performance last year.
Perhaps more troublesome is the fact that the starting front 4 is still having huge lapses. Such future hall of famers as Richie Anderson, Reshard Lee, and Ron Dayne were able to penetrate the Chiefs DL and rip long runs during the preseason. True, the Chiefs DL wasn’t giving up 5+ yards on every carry as they did last year which might be viewed as a point of improvement, but take a look at those names again. They weren’t facing Clinton Portis, Jamal Lewis or Ahman Green. Richie Anderson and Reshard Lee. Who the heck is Reshard Lee? Ron Dayne hadn’t seen so much daylight since 1999 when the Huskers steamrolled Mid-Tennessee State.
As for the pass rush, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that Gunther showed an aggressive blitz package. The bad news is that without blitzing the starting front 4 didn’t get to the QB with any regularity. The good news is the Chiefs have a future QB crusher in Jared Allen. The bad news is that according to nfl.com’s preseason stats only 2 Chiefs had 2 sacks in preseason action – Allen and Stills. The good news is that John Browning played well at RDE. The bad news is that the Chiefs only kept 4 defensive tackles, so the likelihood of Browning playing RDE is about the same as Rufus Dawes and Jason Whitlock joining hands and singing Kumbaya.
A new aggressive scheme should help. The starting secondary, when not injured, has looked excellent. The DL seems excited and invigorated which is a plus. Will it all be enough to win a playoff game this year? As long as they don’t finish 13-3, they should. I just wish there was a veteran MLB on the roster.
So with all the good things surrounding the Chiefs as they enter the 2004 season, why do some fans have a bad feeling in their stomach? Could it be the difficult schedule that pits the Chiefs against both Super Bowl teams, the hard-hitting Baltimore Ravens and the team that dismantled them in the 2003 playoffs, the Indianapolis Colts? It might be. Is it because the Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game since REM was on the billboard charts with What’s the Frequency Kenneth? That might factor into it. Is it because in the past Chief fans have been able to point out deficiencies in the team and later have that problem bite them in the rear? That sounds like a valid reason - lets explore it some more.
Now, I’m not saying by any stretch of the imagination that the Monday morning QBs are correct. We the fans are rarely correct, but we forget about all of our incorrect predictions as easily as Marty Schottenheimer ruins another young QB. On the rare chance we get something right, we remember it and boast it to our friends, family and internet brethren every chance we get. A typical conversation goes like this:
(Husband and Wife sitting at dinner table with their 10 year old son, Todd.)
Wife: So, Todd, what did you learn in science class today?
Todd: We learned about the whitetail deer. It lives in forests …
Husband: Deer? Did you say deer? Did I ever tell you about my prediction that Elvis Grbac would look like a deer in headlights whenever he got pressured in the pocket? Did your teacher tell you that? Damn coward sat out with a bruised pinky. Confoundit, a bruised pinky!! I knew it. I knew it…
Wife: Ahem. I noticed you had a book by T.S. Elliott sitting …
Husband: Elliott?? Elliott? Did I ever tell you about my prediction that Lynn…
Whether it was intuition regarding the kicking game and He Who Shall Not Be Named (rhymes with Blynn Jelliot) or Elvis starting over Gannon in the playoffs or Dick Vermeil’s decision to hire and retain Greg Robinson, at times the fan occasionally hits the mark when second guessing the franchise. With that in mind lets look at what is sticking in my craw this off season.
1. Old habits are hard to die so lets start with the defense. Chief fans got a late Christmas gift from the team when after winning the Super Bowl they let their much beloved defensive coordinator ride away to Texas. What? They didn’t win the Super Bowl? They didn’t win a playoff game? They didn’t force a single punt, at home, against the Colts?? Then explain why the heck Robinson was given a heroes departure? A press conference filled with tears, hugs and accusations that Mr. Robinson is better endowed than the fans and media, all for a coach who’s scheme couldn’t force one lousy punt? On second thought, don’t explain it, I’ll take Robinson’s resignation/firing/pity party any way I can.
With He Who Shall Not Be Named, Jr. (HWSNBN, Jr), out of Kansas City the fans eagerly awaited the anointment of a savior, a man who could turn the Chiefs defense back into the dominant, QB eating machine of the mid 90s. One candidate rumored about was Gunther Cunningham. Yes, the very same former head coach of the Chiefs who learned, over the internet, that his services were no longer necessary. Many thought, no way, that would be odder than the time I took my mom to my prom and I overheard the captain of the football team say “What’s he doing with my girlfriend?” – and he wasn’t joking.
But, it was true. Which is okay because he’s not HWSNBN, Jr. Like a child at Christmas excited about his first new toy, but yet eagerly waiting to rip open the rest of the packages, Chief fans awaited a flurry of free agent signings. Who would it be - Winfield, Taylor, Kearse, or maybe Robaire Smith? There were so many of them to choose from. And we waited, and waited and waited and signed Dalton. A nice start, but not the big name CB, DT, WR or LB we were looking for.
The Chiefs opted to return the same starting players who failed miserably under Robinson’s “bend but don’t force a punt” defense. Why you ask? I’m not sure. But we were told a new coordinator is all you need. A new aggressive system and a middle of the pack defense is all the Chiefs need to go to the promised land, Jacksonville.
So, now that camp has broken and all four meaningless preseason games are in the books how is that defense looking? Honestly, not that good. The linebackers have been slow in picking up the new system and injuries to MLB’s Maslowski (now on IR) and Mitchell have hampered things even more. This problem is somewhat inexcusable. The staff should have been on notice that Maslowksi’s knee hadn’t healed in the off season and that Mitchell might be slow picking up his third defense in three years. A veteran should have been signed as a safeguard. But, nobody was brought in and the Chiefs will begin the season with Monty Beisel at MLB. Sure, he sounds like a nice kid; a hard working, film studying, blue collar kind of guy. But after bouncing around the roster for the last several years one has to wonder if he can hold down the fort until Mitchell is healed. And then one has to wonder if Mitchell can improve from his poor performance last year.
Perhaps more troublesome is the fact that the starting front 4 is still having huge lapses. Such future hall of famers as Richie Anderson, Reshard Lee, and Ron Dayne were able to penetrate the Chiefs DL and rip long runs during the preseason. True, the Chiefs DL wasn’t giving up 5+ yards on every carry as they did last year which might be viewed as a point of improvement, but take a look at those names again. They weren’t facing Clinton Portis, Jamal Lewis or Ahman Green. Richie Anderson and Reshard Lee. Who the heck is Reshard Lee? Ron Dayne hadn’t seen so much daylight since 1999 when the Huskers steamrolled Mid-Tennessee State.
As for the pass rush, there is good news and bad news. The good news is that Gunther showed an aggressive blitz package. The bad news is that without blitzing the starting front 4 didn’t get to the QB with any regularity. The good news is the Chiefs have a future QB crusher in Jared Allen. The bad news is that according to nfl.com’s preseason stats only 2 Chiefs had 2 sacks in preseason action – Allen and Stills. The good news is that John Browning played well at RDE. The bad news is that the Chiefs only kept 4 defensive tackles, so the likelihood of Browning playing RDE is about the same as Rufus Dawes and Jason Whitlock joining hands and singing Kumbaya.
A new aggressive scheme should help. The starting secondary, when not injured, has looked excellent. The DL seems excited and invigorated which is a plus. Will it all be enough to win a playoff game this year? As long as they don’t finish 13-3, they should. I just wish there was a veteran MLB on the roster.