| xfactor |
10-21-2010 11:24 AM |
X-Factor's Inside the Huddle-Time to pound pussies!!
Watching the Chiefs has been torture the past couple of weeks, one fan told me the other day.
During the past few seasons you knew by halftime that the game was over. There was no stringing you along to see what would happen in the second half.
“Now they’re waiting until the last couple of minutes to break my heart,” the fan said.
That, as they say, is progress. Winning for 59-1/2 minutes is good. It’s not good enough if it’s the first 59-1/2 minutes as the Texans reminded us last Sunday.
Obviously, that’s one reason why the 35-31 loss at Houston was a lot more frustrating than losing the previous week at Indianapolis. It brought back memories of Chiefs during the Dick Vermeil era when we could put up points by the truck load, but we couldn’t play defense.
You think the game was frustrating as a Chiefs’ fan, you have no idea how cornerback Brandon Flower feels. He is one of the most calm, collected football players I know, and to see him so angry that he had to be restrained following a pass interference call on the winning drive was telling. He felt the call should have gone the other way and Flower isn’t one of those showboating corners who feels the officials always get it wrong when a call goes against him.
That was, undoubtedly, a huge play - maybe the play of the game.
However, we did come away with some positives.
•Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is back in everyone’s good graces after making a couple of terrific catches.
•Quarterback Matt Cassel again showed he can be very efficient and not lose us a game.
•We’ve reestablished that we have the No. 1 rushing team in the NFL (164.6 ypg) and the No. 5 rush defense (90.8 ypg). That’s not a bad combination.
•Plus, despite back-to-back losses, we have proven we can go on the road against two playoff caliber teams and play with them.
•Finally, we still have a 1-1/2 game lead in the AFC West. And, right now, it doesn’t appear that the other three teams are preparing to make any kind of move.
Now we have to take advantage of the situation and that opportunity will come during the next couple of weeks when Jacksonville and Buffalo come into Arrowhead. Speaking of those two teams, perhaps it’s an ironic twist that former Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards will be calling the signals for the Jaguars on Sunday due to the injury to Jacksonville starter David Garrard.
What a perfect situation. A new quarterback, still learning the system coming into hostile Arrowhead. These are the games that KC fans live for.
Oh, it gets better. Runningback Maurice Jones-Drew, who is one of the best in the league, is reportedly nicked up and not 100 percent, and the Jaguars are coming off an embarrassing 30-3 loss to Tennessee. They may be angry about the loss, but the bigger question is, “Can they do anything about it?”
The answer: Not likely, especially if Jones-Drew can’t perform at a high level. This is a team that’s ranked No. 23 in scoring offense (18.3 ppg) and No. 26 in passing (166.2 ppg). On their best day they’re one-dimensional.
The KC offense ought to be like that anxious horse that everyone is trying to force into the starting gate at the Kentucky Derby. This is a chance to put up some career stats against a defense that’s currently ranked 31st in points allowed, 28th in pass defense and 27th in total yards allowed.
And they’re minus-seven in the turnover department.
* * *
The difference with this year’s Chiefs - and it reflects on what the fan said earlier - is that everyone’s angry about last Sunday’s outcome because we “expect” to win again. That’s a feeling that we haven’t experienced for awhile.
Tuesday was a day off for the players, yet we still saw a lot of them coming into Arrowhead and talking to coaches. The players are angry and hurting after the loss to Jacksonville. That’s a reflection on how this team feels about themselves and their expectations.
Now it’s up to me and the Chiefs Nation to have this team ready on Sunday.
* * *
Nothing had been happening with player moves this season for KC until this week’s decision to trade defensive end Alex McGee to Tampa Bay. General Manager Scott Pioli then signed defensive lineman Atiyyah Ellison who, coincidentally, had played for Jacksonville last season.
With the release of McGee, the front office has practically cleaned house of the first Pioli/Todd Haley draft. The only players remaining are Tyson Jackson (LDE), Ryan Succop (kicker) and Quinten Lawrence (practice squad).
While signing Ellison fills the roster spot, there are some who question how permanent this move is. After all, we need help at wide receiver, especially since Chris Chambers didn’t play last week because of a broken finger. And we could definitely use some help at defensive end, which was evident with the lack of pressure on Houston quarterback Matt Schaub in the fourth quarter.
San Diego is one of the few teams who could help in both areas with wide receiver Vincent Jackson not playing because of a contract dispute and former linebacker great Shawne Merriman possibly in his final season for the Chargers. He might still have enough in the tank to help our 3-4 defense.
You never know what Pioli is thinking until after the deal is done. He could pocket the reported fifth round pick he got from Tampa Bay or he could include that in a package for players who could make an impact on this season. After all, the Chiefs are a legitimate playoff contender in the AFC West and teams never like to let these opportunities slip away.
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X-Factor's Inside the Huddle-Time to pound pussies!!
(https://chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=235508)