Gretz says Kennison is prob out for "Several Weeks"

[|Zach|]

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2004/09/20/whats_up_with_offense/

For the second Sunday in a row, the Chiefs lost to a better team. They are now 0-2. The two teams that beat them are now 1-1. So obviously Denver and Carolina are not great teams; just better teams than the Chiefs right now.

Obviously we could spend many words and inches talking about the problems of the Chiefs defense, but at this point, that would seem like piling on. Let’s take this time to look at the offense, and specifically the Chiefs passing game.

Right now, it’s not very good. It’s not anything close to what we’ve come to expect from this offense and these players. Over two games:

• No. 1 receiver Priest Holmes has caught five passes for 14 yards, with a long catch of six yards, with no touchdowns. In the last two seasons, Holmes has averaged five catches and 45 yards per game.

• No. 2 receiver Tony Gonzalez has caught six passes for 80 yards, with no touchdowns. Ever since he became a starter in 1998, Gonzalez has averaged 4.6 catches and 55.6 yards per game.

• The most explosive receiver on the team, Dante Hall, has two catches for 17 yards and he’s carried the ball twice for 15 yards. That’s 32 yards of offense on only four touches in two games.

• Trent Green has completed just 50 percent of his passes, has yet to throw for a touchdown, is averaging only 5.5 yards per attempt and has a QB rating of 53.9. Last year, he completed 63.1 percent of his passes, threw 24 touchdowns, had an average yards per attempt of 7.72 yards and a quarterback rating of 92.6.

• WR Eddie Kennison left Sunday’s game in the first half with a strained hamstring. He’s likely out for several weeks. That put rookie free agent Richard Smith on the field for more plays; he didn’t catch a pass and dropped two, although one was a difficult catch.

In two games, the Chiefs offense has scored only four Holmes rushing touchdowns. For the team that led the NFL in scoring over the last two years, that’s quite a slow start.

So why are the Chiefs suffering on offense? Let us count the ways, for they are many. Injuries are a problem, that being the pre-season injuries to veteran receivers Kennison and Johnnie Morton; the loss of receiver Marc Boerigter for the season and rookie tight end Kris Wilson for half of the year. Opponents have scouted out their screen and short passing game to Holmes and blow up the plays before they even get started. Offensive line play has been inconsistent, especially at the tackles where John Welbourn has struggled and so has Willie Roaf (two holding penalties in two weeks and Carolina’s Mike Rucker was a dominating force in the second half that Roaf could not stop.)

Right now, the Chiefs offensive options appear very limited. Green is forcing things now, trying to make plays, trying to make up ground. Gonzalez is now the receiver he relies on most and opponents know that, and are all over him. Holmes sat out the last several possessions during Sunday’s game, yet Dick Vermeil says he was physically fine in the fourth quarter. So why was he on the sidelines?

Yes, the Chiefs defense is struggling after two games, but that doesn’t come as a great surprise. Not so with the problems of the offense.

[The Bad Guy]

I can't wait for Vermeil to say they aren't interested in Keenan McCardell again.

[teedubya]

damnit ChiefsCountry!! :cuss:

[TEX]

The CHIEFS are in this situation because they failed to address the issue in preseason. We've had WR issues since day one of camp. The CHIEFS did NOTHING as their top 3 went down. Now here we are... :shake:

Richard Smith and Parker are NOT the answers, but they're the ONLY ones we have now. They're the Monty Biesel/Kawika Mitchell of the offense... :shake:

[penguinz]

I say make priest part of the passing game. Who cares if it is not what he wants. Be a team player and carry the f*(&ing team on your back!

[Rausch]

:shake:

[ChiTown]

As if it matters.........We still have Chris Horn and Jeris McIntyre from the Practice Squad :banghead:

[The Bad Guy]

The funny part of all of this is that the problems we had in 2001 are still the same problems we have today.

Vermeil has tried to put a band-aid over a gun shot wound and it's blown up in his face.

[teedubya]

bandaid over a gunshot wound.

haha hahah aha

ROFL so true though. man. :(

[BigRedChief]

Better make the McCardell trade happen now. It's frigging desperation time at WR if you ask me.

[HolmeZz]

There's no better time to make a McCardell trade than now. Both us and Tampa are struggling.

[R&GHomer]

The funny part of all of this is that the problems we had in 2001 are still the same problems we have today.

Vermeil has tried to put a band-aid over a gun shot wound and it's blown up in his face.


:thumb: Bingo, give that man a cigar!

Kennison and Morton are average wide outs at best, but the system can work if they are both healthy and giving it 100%. As it stands we are in the same boat as 2001 and it’s apparent in Greens performance. I’m not going to allow myself to Chicken Little just yet, but they had better do something, and do it quick. Hell, I don’t think parker even suited up for yesterday’s game.

Edit: For those that would argue that bringing in Mcardell would be pointless because he doesn’t have any time with the offense, is absurd. Remember how much of a deference it made when we got Kennison half way through the season.

Carl and/or Lamar need to pony up and get Mcardell.

[ChiTown]

:thumb: Bingo, give that man a cigar!

Kennison and Morton are average wide outs at best, but the system can work if they are both healthy and giving it 100%. As it stands we are in the same boat as 2001 and it’s apparent in Greens performance. I’m not going to allow myself to Chicken Little just yet, but they had better do something, and do it quick. Hell, I don’t think parker even suited up for yesterday’s game.

Samie Parker is injured. We'll see if he comes of the injured list this week.....

[jspchief]

The loss of Kennison doesn't bother me. It may sound crazy. I'm sick of these clowns we call starters. Kennison at his best is only mediocre. I'm ready for Richard Smith to be a starter. I'll put up with the mistakes and drops, because by the end of this year, he'll be at least as good as the best Kennison. I would have preferred it was Morton, but I'll take either to get Smith out there

I haven't given up on this season. I've given up on our WRs. I believe we can still make the play-offs, and the WR spot doesn't make or break it. I'd much rather have Smith with 14 games under his belt than come play-off time, than the two WRs that have shown they have little to offer.

[jcroft]

At the end of the year Smith will be as good as the best Kennison? Can we quote you on that?

I'd love to see what the kid can do, but you're saying he'll be as good as a former first-round pick who has been consistently good (not great) for us the past few years?

I dunno, that's a lot to say on what little we've seen of him.

[jspchief]

At the end of the year Smith will be as good as the best Kennison? Can we quote you on that?

I'd love to see what the kid can do, but you're saying he'll be as good as a former first-round pick who has been consistently good (not great) for us the past few years?

I dunno, that's a lot to say on what little we've seen of him.

I don't know if he really will be better. What I do know is that we'll never get better at that position if we are content with "good (not great)". I know next year I'd rather have the hopes of an up and comer than be hoping that old eddie can just be good enough again. I know I've seen rookie WRs all over the league that are getting touches and making plays, while we run the same three "never was/will-be" guys out there. I see guys like Keary Colbert that are hungry for the ball and attack their receptions while our guys drop anything that doesn't stick to the hands at the end of their alligator arms.

Our current starters are not playmakers. They won't become playmakers with time. Richard Smith or someone else on our roster might.

[tonyetony]

Im ready to see more of Parker and Smith now. They need playing time against the Texans to be a little more prepared for the Ravens the following week. Note to Saunders-Never ever make me watch Morton run another deep slant route ,he isn't very fast, just send him over the middle until he is knocked out of the game.

[ChiTown]

Note to Saunders-Never ever make me watch Morton run another deep slant route ,he isn't very fast, just send him over the middle until he is knocked out of the game.


ROFL We should be so lucky...

[siberian khatru]

Holmes sat out the last several possessions during Sunday’s game, yet Dick Vermeil says he was physically fine in the fourth quarter. So why was he on the sidelines?


Considering Gretz is the house mouth, and this was posted on the team's official site, I'd say someone at 1 Arrowhead Drive knows the answer to this. Gretz/The Chiefs aren't third-party spectators here. It's ludicrous for the team site to speculate what's going on with the team. Either answer the question or don't ask it all, don't pretend like it's a big mystery.

[Spicy McHaggis]

I've always liked Kennison more than Morton because he brings a deep threat element to the offense. I would rather have Morton's pansy ass sitting on the bench than Kennison. I don't recall Eddie giving up on two passes yesterday. That's not the point here though. Whoever said we put a band aid on a bullet wound was absolutely right. The only thing to do now is to make a strong move and stick by it. Trade for McCardell if you're going to put him in and lets roll. If not, put a rookie in like Smith and keep him there and let him get first team reps. Just don't waffle around with it Dicky V. It was your judgement that put us in this situation now try and find a solution. No more excuses.

[jcroft]

Our current starters are not playmakers. They won't become playmakers with time. Richard Smith or someone else on our roster might.

Now that is a statement I can agree with.

[tonyetony]

Was I the only one who saw Gamble run past Morton on the deep throw like he was standin still?BTW CP that was the highest rated player on the board you decided couldn't contribute to our d this year when you traded down to take a projected 4th rounder.

[Frazod]

IMO

It's becoming clear that this year will be the last gasp of the Chiefs as we currently know them. This is the end of Vermeil (thank God), perhaps the end of Holmes (sadly-what a waste), certainly the end of that useless bastard Morton and several defensive fuqtards who should have been shot out of cannon out of town along with Knobinson.

There is no one single player who can help. Trading away a bunch of draft picks to Tampa to bring in McCardell to help now is like borrowing against everything you own to finance a fresh coat of paint for the Titanic.

Simply put - our defense doesn't have the talent to compete. Our offensive weakenesses have been exposed to the league, and as a result our primary weapons have been largely neutralized. Injuries have depleted key positions at which we have NO depth. Couple that with poor management decisions, bad coaching and a brutal schedule, and it all adds up to one inescapable conclusion - we're f#cked this year. Barring a miracle, it's over.

An optimistic outlook is a wasted, painful season that will produce low draft picks, followed by a couple of years of rebuilding. Then, perhaps, we'll have a shot then. It would be nice if the year still started "200X" instead of "201X," but who knows.

I think that the window officially closed for this bunch on that wretched, sunny, unseasonably warm day last January. Now we're talking years. Hopefully only a few.

:shake:

[Spicy McHaggis]

I'm pretty sure Gamble was gone at #28 to the Panthers. Not that it would have cost us too much to move up and grab him

[FloridaChief]

He's still got another year on his contract. You think he'll bail early anyway?

I'm trying to think of an arguement for him staying on another year.

Nope, snake-eyes on that one...

[Frazod]

He's still got another year on his contract. You think he'll bail early anyway?

Yes, one way or another.

We're 2004's answer to the 2003 Raiders. 4-12 looks about right for this bunch, although I'm not sure how they'll win 4.

He won't survive it one way or another.

[BigRedChief]

I think the window is defintely closed after next year. It started closing right now this year a little bit when DV had a meltdown and didn't go for it on 4th and 1. Priest was wasted yesterday just like his best years were with us.

[Sure-Oz]

Injuries are really killing us right now, besides the lack of giving a shit by our GM.

[BigChiefFan]

Injuries are really killing us right now, besides the lack of giving a shit by our GM.
That's exactly how I feel about our GM. Carl needs to relinquish the GM responsibilities or should I say lack of GM duties.