Whitlock's Charger game column... - Page 2

shaneo69 · 12-25-2005, 06:00 PM

Without playoff berth, is it really a winning season?
By JASON WHITLOCKThe Kansas City Star

Dick Vermeil teared up.

Eric Hicks gloated: “Everybody, go out and party too much tonight. I heard we have a problem with that.”

And Carl Peterson sounded like a man with 2006 season tickets to sell, thanking fans and congratulating himself: “This makes for a very Merry Christmas for everybody in this organization. … 10-6 is a big improvement.”

On the day before Christmas, the Chiefs demolished the team that demolished The Team and kept their faint playoff hopes alive for another weekend. The Chiefs desperately want their 20-7 victory over the San Diego Chargers to be more than a moral victory.
Willie Roaf summarized Kansas City’s playoff chances this way: “They better sign Barry Sanders back.”

You see, for the Chiefs to make the playoffs, they’ll need more than a San Diego loss to the Broncos, champions of the AFC West. The Detroit Lions will need to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh.
Barry Sanders in his prime might be unable to knock off the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

Barring a miracle, beating the team that beat The Team inside Arrowhead Stadium will serve as the highlight moment for the 2005 Kansas City Chiefs. Peterson, Vermeil and the Chiefs players obviously believe they answered their critics and skeptics on Saturday, even if they failed to make up any real ground in the playoff race.

If the Chiefs can knock off the Bengals on New Year’s Day, Kansas City will finish 10-6, which, according to Peterson, is a big improvement over last year’s 7-9 finish.

You know what? Peterson is right, as long as you ignore the fact that a playoff-less season in year five of the Vermeil regime is inexcusable when you have the league’s most talented offensive line, deepest backfield, one of the league’s toughest quarterbacks and a defense reinforced with high-priced free agents.

A 10-6 record is a big improvement as long as you ignore Vermeil and Peterson’s stated goals. A 10-6 record is a big improvement as long as you ignore the fact that Will Shields and Priest Holmes might retire, Trent Green and Willie Roaf will be 36, Tony Richardson will be 35 and Vermeil doesn’t really want to coach anymore.

As good as things looked on Saturday — and they looked really, really
good — there’s no reason to believe that Vermeil and Peterson can sustain it. That’s not a statement about their competence. It’s a statement about the reality of the last decade of Kansas City professional football, and a statement about the age of Kansas City’s offensive football players.

Since 1995, the Chiefs have been consistently inconsistent — up and down season to season and in many seasons game to game. Trent Green has been healthy for five straight seasons.

This will sound funny coming from me, but it’s true: Larry Johnson is the only reason to believe that things will be different next season. He’s the only reason to believe the Chiefs could field a real Super Bowl threat.
Larry Johnson was made for Arrowhead Stadium. As a runner, he’s big, explosive and violent. He has the power of Christian Okoye and the speed of Joe Delaney. In terms of raw talent, the Chiefs have never had a back as gifted as Johnson. Priest Holmes doesn’t compare. Larry will surpass Holmes’ single-season rushing record next week. Johnson is 66 yards off Holmes’ mark. Had Johnson started from day one, he would’ve eclipsed the 2,000-yard barrier.

On Saturday, Johnson played a complete football game. He was deadly as a runner and as a pass-catcher. And he made a legitimate effort to block. He finished the game with 131 rushing yards in 32 carries. He caught four passes for 48 yards. He scored twice, once on the ground and once through the air.

It was cold, wet and muddy on Saturday, and Johnson loved it. You put Johnson in Arrowhead Stadium in December and January with a solid defense and the right coach, and the Chiefs are pretty unbeatable.
The right coach is the key. The right head coach will help Kansas City’s defense perform at a consistently high level. Gunther Cunningham was a terrific defensive coordinator working under Marty Schottenheimer. Greg Robinson was an adequate defensive coordinator working under Mike Shanahan. The failure of Kansas City’s defense falls on Vermeil.

The failure to make the playoffs will fall on Vermeil and Peterson. If they fail to man up and admit it, don’t be surprised when Chiefs players run off to Honolulu and all the Plaza nightclubs partying like they just won the Super Bowl. The same thing happened after the 2003 season.

Alphaman · 12-26-2005, 10:54 PM

If the Chiefs end up 10-6 they will be a victim of an odd year. Look at J-Ville's schedule. Texans twice, Titans twice, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams. That's 7 games against teams that will draft in the top 10.

Most years 10-6 would put a team in the playoffs, possibly the division champs.

We did have our chances. 2 costly turnovers against Philly, flat performance against Buffalo and a missed block/a missed int against Dallas. Anyone of those three games and we'd be playing for a playoff spot without help. That being said, if we can pull out a victory, it's not a bad season. Disappointing, but not bad.

Halfcan · 12-27-2005, 12:47 AM

Boy fatboy flip flops on LJ again. Better hope he doesn't miss a block or he will be a heartless bust again.

Sorry the defense is inconsistent because of players like, TinkerBell, Warfield, Wesley, Woods, Bartee, Junior, Simms. DV is not the problem.

htismaqe · 12-27-2005, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alphaman

If the Chiefs end up 10-6 they will be a victim of an odd year. Look at J-Ville's schedule. Texans twice, Titans twice, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams. That's 7 games against teams that will draft in the top 10.

Most years 10-6 would put a team in the playoffs, possibly the division champs.

We did have our chances. 2 costly turnovers against Philly, flat performance against Buffalo and a missed block/a missed int against Dallas. Anyone of those three games and we'd be playing for a playoff spot without help. That being said, if we can pull out a victory, it's not a bad season. Disappointing, but not bad.

Don't blame turnovers.

In both the Philly game and Dallas game, our smoke-and-mirrors defense couldn't get a stop. Stop either team JUST ONCE on 3rd down and the turnovers never come into question.

12-25-2005, 06:00 PM
shaneo69 Smug Weasel Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Bleachers at Busch Casino cash: $10004900	Whitlock's Charger game column... Without playoff berth, is it really a winning season? By JASON WHITLOCKThe Kansas City Star Dick Vermeil teared up. Eric Hicks gloated: “Everybody, go out and party too much tonight. I heard we have a problem with that.” And Carl Peterson sounded like a man with 2006 season tickets to sell, thanking fans and congratulating himself: “This makes for a very Merry Christmas for everybody in this organization. … 10-6 is a big improvement.” On the day before Christmas, the Chiefs demolished the team that demolished The Team and kept their faint playoff hopes alive for another weekend. The Chiefs desperately want their 20-7 victory over the San Diego Chargers to be more than a moral victory. Willie Roaf summarized Kansas City’s playoff chances this way: “They better sign Barry Sanders back.” You see, for the Chiefs to make the playoffs, they’ll need more than a San Diego loss to the Broncos, champions of the AFC West. The Detroit Lions will need to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh. Barry Sanders in his prime might be unable to knock off the Steelers in Pittsburgh. Barring a miracle, beating the team that beat The Team inside Arrowhead Stadium will serve as the highlight moment for the 2005 Kansas City Chiefs. Peterson, Vermeil and the Chiefs players obviously believe they answered their critics and skeptics on Saturday, even if they failed to make up any real ground in the playoff race. If the Chiefs can knock off the Bengals on New Year’s Day, Kansas City will finish 10-6, which, according to Peterson, is a big improvement over last year’s 7-9 finish. You know what? Peterson is right, as long as you ignore the fact that a playoff-less season in year five of the Vermeil regime is inexcusable when you have the league’s most talented offensive line, deepest backfield, one of the league’s toughest quarterbacks and a defense reinforced with high-priced free agents. A 10-6 record is a big improvement as long as you ignore Vermeil and Peterson’s stated goals. A 10-6 record is a big improvement as long as you ignore the fact that Will Shields and Priest Holmes might retire, Trent Green and Willie Roaf will be 36, Tony Richardson will be 35 and Vermeil doesn’t really want to coach anymore. As good as things looked on Saturday — and they looked really, really good — there’s no reason to believe that Vermeil and Peterson can sustain it. That’s not a statement about their competence. It’s a statement about the reality of the last decade of Kansas City professional football, and a statement about the age of Kansas City’s offensive football players. Since 1995, the Chiefs have been consistently inconsistent — up and down season to season and in many seasons game to game. Trent Green has been healthy for five straight seasons. This will sound funny coming from me, but it’s true: Larry Johnson is the only reason to believe that things will be different next season. He’s the only reason to believe the Chiefs could field a real Super Bowl threat. Larry Johnson was made for Arrowhead Stadium. As a runner, he’s big, explosive and violent. He has the power of Christian Okoye and the speed of Joe Delaney. In terms of raw talent, the Chiefs have never had a back as gifted as Johnson. Priest Holmes doesn’t compare. Larry will surpass Holmes’ single-season rushing record next week. Johnson is 66 yards off Holmes’ mark. Had Johnson started from day one, he would’ve eclipsed the 2,000-yard barrier. On Saturday, Johnson played a complete football game. He was deadly as a runner and as a pass-catcher. And he made a legitimate effort to block. He finished the game with 131 rushing yards in 32 carries. He caught four passes for 48 yards. He scored twice, once on the ground and once through the air. It was cold, wet and muddy on Saturday, and Johnson loved it. You put Johnson in Arrowhead Stadium in December and January with a solid defense and the right coach, and the Chiefs are pretty unbeatable. The right coach is the key. The right head coach will help Kansas City’s defense perform at a consistently high level. Gunther Cunningham was a terrific defensive coordinator working under Marty Schottenheimer. Greg Robinson was an adequate defensive coordinator working under Mike Shanahan. The failure of Kansas City’s defense falls on Vermeil. The failure to make the playoffs will fall on Vermeil and Peterson. If they fail to man up and admit it, don’t be surprised when Chiefs players run off to Honolulu and all the Plaza nightclubs partying like they just won the Super Bowl. The same thing happened after the 2003 season.
Posts: 4,910

12-26-2005, 10:54 PM	#16
Alphaman Veteran Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Austin, TX, USA Casino cash: $10004900	If the Chiefs end up 10-6 they will be a victim of an odd year. Look at J-Ville's schedule. Texans twice, Titans twice, 49ers, Cardinals, Rams. That's 7 games against teams that will draft in the top 10. Most years 10-6 would put a team in the playoffs, possibly the division champs. We did have our chances. 2 costly turnovers against Philly, flat performance against Buffalo and a missed block/a missed int against Dallas. Anyone of those three games and we'd be playing for a playoff spot without help. That being said, if we can pull out a victory, it's not a bad season. Disappointing, but not bad.
Posts: 1,380

12-27-2005, 12:47 AM	#17
Halfcan In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2005 Casino cash: $7327995	Boy fatboy flip flops on LJ again. Better hope he doesn't miss a block or he will be a heartless bust again. Sorry the defense is inconsistent because of players like, TinkerBell, Warfield, Wesley, Woods, Bartee, Junior, Simms. DV is not the problem.
Posts: 43,200