tk13
09-12-2004, 01:04 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/9641116.htm
Oh, brother, Chiefs hope problem solved
JOE POSNANSKI
Chapter 1: A Haunted End Zone
Right there, that's where it happened!” Joe Hardy said.
Blue-eyed, impetuous Joe was pointing to one of the Invesco Field end zones. His brown-haired, brown-eyed brother Frank could only stare and nod. Frank was 18 years old and had been for at least 75 years. The Hardy boys had been through many adventures, enough to fill at least 60 books. The two brothers loved nothing more than solving a tough case. But this, they knew, was the most mysterious and frightening case of them all.
“Yes!” Frank exclaimed. “That's where Clinton Portis scored his fifth touchdown.”
“He wore that belt, remember?” asked 17-year-old Joe. He meant the “World Heavyweight Champion Running Back” belt that Portis had worn while strutting on the sidelines during Denver's 45-27 humiliating victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. It was last December. The Chiefs had come into that game in Denver with an 11-1 record, they were the best team, and they were supposed to go to the Super Bowl. But the Chiefs left Denver a shattered bunch, with a traumatized defense that no longer felt like it could stop anyone. They did not go to the Super Bowl or anything close.
“Everything changed after that game,” Frank commented.
“The Chiefs think they solved that defensive problem,” Joe insisted.
“We'll see,” Frank retorted.
Chapter 2: The Shadowy Coordinator
“What do you mean, Frank?” Joe asked grimly. “You seem worried.”
Frank looked down at a Chiefs roster that his friend, Nancy Drew, had given to him.
“Look at this,” Frank declared. “It's a whole new season. It's a whole new game in Denver. And Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil intends to start 10 of the 11 defenders he started on that dreadful day last December. And the only reason he's not starting all 11 is because of an injury. There's something fishy going on here!”
Joe looked down at the roster himself and nodded.
“How is Nancy?” he asked while trying not to look too interested.
“Forget Nancy,” Frank sighed. “The question we have to ask here is, ‘Why would a team that had one of the worst defenses in the NFL not replace a single defensive player?'”
“Maybe I know the answer to that one.” Frank and Joe wheeled around to find out where that voice was coming from, and they caught glimpse of a man with silver hair. But the man was not waiting around to chat. In a flash, he disappeared into the tunnel and out of sight.
“Greg Robinson!” Frank and Joe shouted out at once.
Chapter 3: An Angry Encounter
“After him — and fast!” Frank gasped. But the brothers had lost the man's trail. They ended up instead in a Denver sports bar where they were given tall glasses of milk.
“Boy! That had to be Greg Robinson,” Joe declared. “The Chiefs fired him, right?” “No, he resigned,” Frank corrected. “He resigned after the Chiefs lost that playoff game to Indianapolis, the game where the defense did not stop the Colts a single time.”
“That's right!” Joe interjected.
“That must be why the Chiefs did not want to replace a single defensive starter,” Frank continued. “They must have thought that the defense was fine and Greg Robinson was the whole reason why it fell apart!”
Just then, they heard angry men yelling at each other. A fight was breaking out! The two youths got up from the table and rushed to the source of the screaming. But it turned out only to be an episode of “Around the Horn” on ESPN. A guy wearing a Terrell Davis jersey turned to ponder the Hardy boys, who were wearing Priest Holmes jerseys of their own.
“Chiefs are going down!” the Terrell Davis jersey guy hollered. “Your defense still stinks! You've got the same players!”
Chapter 4: An Unexpected Twist
“Could that guy be right?” Joe asked nervously. “The Chiefs fired Greg Robinson…”
“Accepted his resignation,” Frank amended.
“Right,” Joe resumed. “They accepted his resignation. Then they hired Gunther Cunningham, who was the Chiefs' fine defensive coordinator in the 1990s. Could the Chiefs defense still stink after that? I mean that's gotta make a big difference, right?”
“It's an interesting question,” Frank concluded. He knew that many of the Chiefs players were happy that Robinson was gone; they thought his defensive plans were meek and confusing. And he also knew that those same Chiefs players were happy that Cunningham had come aboard; they thought his defensive plans were manly and direct.
But he did not know how much of a difference that could make.
“Holy cow!” Joe yelped suddenly. “While you were over here thinking or whatever, I was discussing the case with the Terrell Davis jersey guy. It seems that Denver coach Mike Shanahan was not too happy with his defense at the end of last season either. So you know what he did?” Frank shrugged his shoulder.
“He replaced seven starters,” Joe gulped.
“Holy cow!” Frank repeated. “Replacing players instead of the coach?”
Chapter 5: The Mystery Continues
“Frank, do you think the Chiefs did the right thing?” Joe inquired. “I mean, they had the highest-scoring offense in the NFL the last two years. The offensive players are getting older — this might be the last chance for all of them to play together. Do you think maybe they should have done more than just replace the defensive coordinator?”
“That's a hard question to answer,” Frank responded. “We'll know more today.”
“What do you mean?” Joe interrupted.
Frank pointed to the television screen. An ESPN announcer was shouting about a home run or a sack or a birdie putt or a backhand volley.
“We won't know anything until we watch the game on that channel,” Frank suggested. “The Chiefs return to the scene of the crime. If we see the Chiefs defense running to the ball, occasionally stuffing the run and getting some pressure on the quarterback and not falling for Jake Plummer's little rollout passes every time, then there's hope that Gunther Cunningham really might make a difference. But if we see all those same problems from last year — long runs, no quarterback pressure, utter confusion — we'll know that it's the players and the Chiefs guessed wrong. And if that happens…”
“It could be a long year?” Joe suggested.
“It could be a long year,” Frank echoed.
Frank and Joe Hardy sat at the table pondering the mystery and wishing that, for a night, they might not be eternally 18 and 17 years old. They really wanted a couple of beers.
Oh, brother, Chiefs hope problem solved
JOE POSNANSKI
Chapter 1: A Haunted End Zone
Right there, that's where it happened!” Joe Hardy said.
Blue-eyed, impetuous Joe was pointing to one of the Invesco Field end zones. His brown-haired, brown-eyed brother Frank could only stare and nod. Frank was 18 years old and had been for at least 75 years. The Hardy boys had been through many adventures, enough to fill at least 60 books. The two brothers loved nothing more than solving a tough case. But this, they knew, was the most mysterious and frightening case of them all.
“Yes!” Frank exclaimed. “That's where Clinton Portis scored his fifth touchdown.”
“He wore that belt, remember?” asked 17-year-old Joe. He meant the “World Heavyweight Champion Running Back” belt that Portis had worn while strutting on the sidelines during Denver's 45-27 humiliating victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. It was last December. The Chiefs had come into that game in Denver with an 11-1 record, they were the best team, and they were supposed to go to the Super Bowl. But the Chiefs left Denver a shattered bunch, with a traumatized defense that no longer felt like it could stop anyone. They did not go to the Super Bowl or anything close.
“Everything changed after that game,” Frank commented.
“The Chiefs think they solved that defensive problem,” Joe insisted.
“We'll see,” Frank retorted.
Chapter 2: The Shadowy Coordinator
“What do you mean, Frank?” Joe asked grimly. “You seem worried.”
Frank looked down at a Chiefs roster that his friend, Nancy Drew, had given to him.
“Look at this,” Frank declared. “It's a whole new season. It's a whole new game in Denver. And Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil intends to start 10 of the 11 defenders he started on that dreadful day last December. And the only reason he's not starting all 11 is because of an injury. There's something fishy going on here!”
Joe looked down at the roster himself and nodded.
“How is Nancy?” he asked while trying not to look too interested.
“Forget Nancy,” Frank sighed. “The question we have to ask here is, ‘Why would a team that had one of the worst defenses in the NFL not replace a single defensive player?'”
“Maybe I know the answer to that one.” Frank and Joe wheeled around to find out where that voice was coming from, and they caught glimpse of a man with silver hair. But the man was not waiting around to chat. In a flash, he disappeared into the tunnel and out of sight.
“Greg Robinson!” Frank and Joe shouted out at once.
Chapter 3: An Angry Encounter
“After him — and fast!” Frank gasped. But the brothers had lost the man's trail. They ended up instead in a Denver sports bar where they were given tall glasses of milk.
“Boy! That had to be Greg Robinson,” Joe declared. “The Chiefs fired him, right?” “No, he resigned,” Frank corrected. “He resigned after the Chiefs lost that playoff game to Indianapolis, the game where the defense did not stop the Colts a single time.”
“That's right!” Joe interjected.
“That must be why the Chiefs did not want to replace a single defensive starter,” Frank continued. “They must have thought that the defense was fine and Greg Robinson was the whole reason why it fell apart!”
Just then, they heard angry men yelling at each other. A fight was breaking out! The two youths got up from the table and rushed to the source of the screaming. But it turned out only to be an episode of “Around the Horn” on ESPN. A guy wearing a Terrell Davis jersey turned to ponder the Hardy boys, who were wearing Priest Holmes jerseys of their own.
“Chiefs are going down!” the Terrell Davis jersey guy hollered. “Your defense still stinks! You've got the same players!”
Chapter 4: An Unexpected Twist
“Could that guy be right?” Joe asked nervously. “The Chiefs fired Greg Robinson…”
“Accepted his resignation,” Frank amended.
“Right,” Joe resumed. “They accepted his resignation. Then they hired Gunther Cunningham, who was the Chiefs' fine defensive coordinator in the 1990s. Could the Chiefs defense still stink after that? I mean that's gotta make a big difference, right?”
“It's an interesting question,” Frank concluded. He knew that many of the Chiefs players were happy that Robinson was gone; they thought his defensive plans were meek and confusing. And he also knew that those same Chiefs players were happy that Cunningham had come aboard; they thought his defensive plans were manly and direct.
But he did not know how much of a difference that could make.
“Holy cow!” Joe yelped suddenly. “While you were over here thinking or whatever, I was discussing the case with the Terrell Davis jersey guy. It seems that Denver coach Mike Shanahan was not too happy with his defense at the end of last season either. So you know what he did?” Frank shrugged his shoulder.
“He replaced seven starters,” Joe gulped.
“Holy cow!” Frank repeated. “Replacing players instead of the coach?”
Chapter 5: The Mystery Continues
“Frank, do you think the Chiefs did the right thing?” Joe inquired. “I mean, they had the highest-scoring offense in the NFL the last two years. The offensive players are getting older — this might be the last chance for all of them to play together. Do you think maybe they should have done more than just replace the defensive coordinator?”
“That's a hard question to answer,” Frank responded. “We'll know more today.”
“What do you mean?” Joe interrupted.
Frank pointed to the television screen. An ESPN announcer was shouting about a home run or a sack or a birdie putt or a backhand volley.
“We won't know anything until we watch the game on that channel,” Frank suggested. “The Chiefs return to the scene of the crime. If we see the Chiefs defense running to the ball, occasionally stuffing the run and getting some pressure on the quarterback and not falling for Jake Plummer's little rollout passes every time, then there's hope that Gunther Cunningham really might make a difference. But if we see all those same problems from last year — long runs, no quarterback pressure, utter confusion — we'll know that it's the players and the Chiefs guessed wrong. And if that happens…”
“It could be a long year?” Joe suggested.
“It could be a long year,” Frank echoed.
Frank and Joe Hardy sat at the table pondering the mystery and wishing that, for a night, they might not be eternally 18 and 17 years old. They really wanted a couple of beers.