Chiefs Ten Things About Today's Game

**gblowfish** · 10-31-2010, 06:53 PM

Ten Things About Today's Game

10. Somebody needs to slap Katie Horner around -in a way she wouldn't enjoy, I mean. What happened to sunny and 63 degrees today? We had a little sun, but apparently she forgot to mention the howling 30 to 40 MPH winds. It may not have been quite as bad on the sunny side of the field behind the Buffalo bench. On the Chiefs side, it was downright chilly. And the wind was playing havoc with the kicking game. Colquitt had several squirelly punts. Luckily, Mr. Irrelevant got a chance to redeem himself today, where Lindell did not. I was glad Succop got his second chance and made it count, or he would have been masquerading as "the kicker who shall remain nameless" for Halloween. I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

9. Since it's Halloween night, I had to rush home and get the house ready for the little trick or treaters. I'm in the bat cave writing this while the lovely Mrs. Blowfish is upstairs handing out fist fulls of Kit Kat Bars to the little neighborhood hoodlems. I have not read through the CP board, and I'm sure there will have been mucho discussion about many of the things I'm going to point out, but maybe without that filter you can let me know if you feel the way I do. Arrowhead had a few more empty seats today, not nearly as loud as previous weeks. Sam Mellinger wrote about that today here:

http://mellinger.kansascity.com/

8. First of all, why in the HELL are the Chiefs killing their own drives? There must have been five or six times where Charles and Jones were gashing the ball right up the field. Then Cassel would throw, mis-fire, put it into 2nd and long, then 3rd and 5 or 6, then incomplete on third down. WHY STOP RUNNING??? It's like Weis didn't figure that out until the overtime period. Charles ended up with 177 yards today -that's eight yards per carry friends-, Jones had 77 yards, and no turnovers. This game should have never, ever, EVER been this close. And the reason it was, was because the offense stalled its own drives by abandoning the run for no good reason, and for lapses on defense and in coaching.

7. Two unsung heroes on offense today: Moeaki and Asamoah. Let's start with #81. Moeaki has impressed me very much with his blocking ability. The Chiefs run left a bunch, especially with Moeaki on that side, so the line is Waters, Fat Albert and Moeaki. They are destroying people when we run. He also had some clutch catches in the OT, and you wonder why it took so long to find him. The guy simply catches everything that is thrown to him. If, and a big if, he stays healthy, he could be the Mack Lee Hill winner this year out of an incredibly talent crop of rookies. He's just been excellent.

6. Asamoah started his first NFL game today for Lilja. He did a fine job. Cassel was sacked three times today. At least two of those were his own fault for indecision with the football. Since the Chiefs only had given up five sacks all year before today, three was a lot, but you can't blame it on Asamoah. He helped the team rush for over 250 yards. Big props, because our O-line has some depth this year, and guys are stepping up and not embarrassing themselves when they get a chance to play.

5. I thought the Chiefs won today despite Coach Haley, who went full reerun in the first half. You never, ever, EVER pass up point opportunities, even against a winless team, at home, and especially in less than ideal weather conditions. Haley passed on a mid-30's range field goal in the first half, going on 4th and 3, for absolutely NO REASON. This was just rookie head coach stupidity. Luckily, it did not cost us a win today, but it very well could have. The Chiefs played a first half filled with blown opportunities, then failed to make any meaningful adjustments in the second half. We lucked out that Lindell missed his OT field goal opportunity. That guy is a good kicker, and the wind and distance, and a bit of a tip at the line of scrimmage, was just enough to foul up the attempt. Hopefully Coach Haley will learn something from having to squirm through an entire second half, plus a full overtime, thinking about passing up that one little field goal that could have made all the difference in second half game strategy today.

4. I think we missed McCluster today, although Charles was used a bit like McCluster at times with swing passes. I saw Dexter on the sidelines today in his warmups. He looks like he could play for a high school team. He's a little dude. Hard to believe he's endured the kind of NFL hits he's taken so far this year. It will be nice to have him back vs. Oakland next week. We need his versatility. He seemed to be moving around on the sidelines OK.

3. DJ was killing me today. He dropped one sure pick six in the first quarter, and dropped another sure pick in the fourth quarter that would have prevented the game tying drive. You HAVE to make those plays. Seemed like every fumble or tipped pass or pick-able ball went Buffalo's way this game. Except for the pass that hit Berry right between the 2 and the 9. Even with that, he almost lost it, and fell down when he caught the ball. That was a big pick. Berry is playing better as each week has gone by. He lead the defense with ten tackles today. He's excellent on run support. He still has some coverage issues, but I think he's smart enough to overcome that eventually. I believe he could be another Deron Cherry.

2. I'm going to play Mr. Pessimistic Chiefs fan here for just a minute. I don't believe the Chiefs have beaten a team with a winning record. It was a goal line stand to survive San Diego, a first down made by the nose hair of the football to ice the game in Cleveland, and today we let a winless team take us to the final three seconds of OT before eeking out a home win. Well, better lucky than good, I suppose. But the win today does bode well for the long run, as now there's a bit of a cushion going on the road vs. Oakland and Denver. If KC can can gain a split, we'll still be in pretty decent shape in the AFC West. Makes me wish the defense could have held onto that ten point lead with seven minutes left in Houston. How huge would have been to be 6-1 right now? I'll take 5-2. Game pics from KC Star website are here:

http://tinyurl.com/2bol6cp

1. Today was Military Appreciation Day at Arrowhead. Everybody got a little American Flag upon entering the stadium. At halftime they swore a bunch of kids into the Marine Corps, and showed the cameo pictures of dozens of service men and women from Kansas and Missouri who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. I always get a lump in my throat when we have a military fly over, today it was a big tanker jet. Nothing better than the Arrowhead crowd chanting U-S-A for all the guys in uniform on the field today. It always makes me thankful to have those guy protecting our freedom so we can enjoy our way of life, including our Chiefs games.

CupidStunt · 10-31-2010, 07:00 PM

Far as point 2 goes, they're not as good as their record; HOWEVER, 9, 10 or 11 wins would be HUGE progress for a 4-win, rebuilding team, no matter who they come against. The hope is that they can then build on that with another good offseason filling more holes.

The other thing I'd say is that they're not 5-0 against bad teams while getting blown out by Indy/Houston; they were right in those games and outplayed Houston. They SHOULD be 6-1 with a couple solid wins (SD, @HOU).

I would be way, way less positive if they had been wrecked by those 2 AFC South teams. The losses were actually supportive of KC's progress as a team.

Wyndex · 10-31-2010, 07:02 PM

as always Mr. Blowfish

Mr. Laz · 10-31-2010, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Berry is playing better as each week has gone by.

not really, in the passing game he is pretty much 'ass'

in the running game, he is much better but still tends to hit rather than tackle.

He's still a rookie and it shows, hopefully with this experience he will be a stud for years to come.

fyi - i think we should start McGraw next to him ... having too rookie safeties is just too much dumbass to have in our secondary.

JMO

**DaKCMan AP** · 10-31-2010, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gblowfish

8. First of all, why in the HELL are the Chiefs killing their own drives? There must have been five or six times where Charles and Jones were gashing the ball right up the field. Then Cassel would throw, mis-fire, put it into 2nd and long, then 3rd and 5 or 6, then incomplete on third down. WHY STOP RUNNING??? It's like Weis didn't figure that out until the overtime period. Charles ended up with 177 yards today -that's eight yards per carry friends-, Jones had 77 yards, and no turnovers. This game should have never, ever, EVER been this close. And the reason it was, was because the offense stalled its own drives by abandoning the run for no good reason, and for lapses on defense and in coaching.

The Tampa Chiefs crew was yelling "RUN THE BALL!" all afternoon at the sports bar. We would get a drive going running the ball, then attempt a 1st down pass, and then the drive was over. Very frustrating!

Only thing more frustrating were the couple of times we were gashing them with the run, and then would throw the ball on 3rd & 1 only to punt.

**DaKCMan AP** · 10-31-2010, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

fyi - i think we should start McGraw next to him ... having too rookie safeties is just too much dumbass to have in our secondary.

JMO

Disagree. They need time on the field together to both grow and learn playing next to each other. I'm willing to live with the growing pains.

Mr. Laz · 10-31-2010, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaKCMan AP

Disagree. They need time on the field together to both grow and learn playing next to each other. I'm willing to live with the growing pains.

you certainly make a point, but i think Berry learns more from having success playing with McGraw then playing like a Blink Squirrel trying to find his nuts with Lewis' help.

**DaFace** · 10-31-2010, 07:10 PM

Thanks, George. I always appreciate your takes. Disagree on the 4th down thing, but I'm a stats geek. I know it's a somewhat radical approach and hasn't really been "tested" in the NFL.

-King- · 10-31-2010, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

not really, in the passing game he is pretty much 'ass'

in the running game, he is much better but still tends to hit rather than tackle.

He's still a rookie and it shows, hopefully with this experience he will be a stud for years to come.

fyi - i think we should start McGraw next to him ... having too rookie safeties is just too much dumbass to have in our secondary.

JMO

Yeah....

No.

LaChapelle · 10-31-2010, 07:12 PM

They need to find someone to rotate with Arenas on returns until Dex returns
He has got to be one tired mother****er

Micjones · 10-31-2010, 07:12 PM

Berry's progressing slowly in pass coverage. He's been a big reason why this team has been pretty stout against the run.

KCUnited · 10-31-2010, 07:13 PM

ESPN is crediting Vrabel with 1 more tackle than Berry, FWIW.

I agree on the kick.

KCSupersized · 10-31-2010, 07:13 PM

Nice read Mr. Blowfish.

**gblowfish** · 10-31-2010, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LaChapelle

They need to find someone to rotate with Arenas on returns until Dex returns
He has got to be one tired mother****er

He got lit up major on one punt. He should have fair caught the ball. He hasn't fumbled, though, and that's been very important for a rookie. Ball security on punt returns is crucial.

Deberg_1990 · 10-31-2010, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

not really, in the passing game he is pretty much 'ass'

in the running game, he is much better but still tends to hit rather than tackle.

He's still a rookie and it shows, hopefully with this experience he will be a stud for years to come.

fyi - i think we should start McGraw next to him ... having too rookie safeties is just too much dumbass to have in our secondary.

JMO

Dude relax....we only gave up 10 points today. Good grief.

10-31-2010, 06:53 PM
gblowfish Be Kind To Your Pets Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Glorious Independence, MO Casino cash: $16886178 VARSITY	Ten Things About Today's Game Ten Things About Today's Game 10. Somebody needs to slap Katie Horner around -in a way she wouldn't enjoy, I mean. What happened to sunny and 63 degrees today? We had a little sun, but apparently she forgot to mention the howling 30 to 40 MPH winds. It may not have been quite as bad on the sunny side of the field behind the Buffalo bench. On the Chiefs side, it was downright chilly. And the wind was playing havoc with the kicking game. Colquitt had several squirelly punts. Luckily, Mr. Irrelevant got a chance to redeem himself today, where Lindell did not. I was glad Succop got his second chance and made it count, or he would have been masquerading as "the kicker who shall remain nameless" for Halloween. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. 9. Since it's Halloween night, I had to rush home and get the house ready for the little trick or treaters. I'm in the bat cave writing this while the lovely Mrs. Blowfish is upstairs handing out fist fulls of Kit Kat Bars to the little neighborhood hoodlems. I have not read through the CP board, and I'm sure there will have been mucho discussion about many of the things I'm going to point out, but maybe without that filter you can let me know if you feel the way I do. Arrowhead had a few more empty seats today, not nearly as loud as previous weeks. Sam Mellinger wrote about that today here: http://mellinger.kansascity.com/ 8. First of all, why in the HELL are the Chiefs killing their own drives? There must have been five or six times where Charles and Jones were gashing the ball right up the field. Then Cassel would throw, mis-fire, put it into 2nd and long, then 3rd and 5 or 6, then incomplete on third down. WHY STOP RUNNING??? It's like Weis didn't figure that out until the overtime period. Charles ended up with 177 yards today -that's eight yards per carry friends-, Jones had 77 yards, and no turnovers. This game should have never, ever, EVER been this close. And the reason it was, was because the offense stalled its own drives by abandoning the run for no good reason, and for lapses on defense and in coaching. 7. Two unsung heroes on offense today: Moeaki and Asamoah. Let's start with #81. Moeaki has impressed me very much with his blocking ability. The Chiefs run left a bunch, especially with Moeaki on that side, so the line is Waters, Fat Albert and Moeaki. They are destroying people when we run. He also had some clutch catches in the OT, and you wonder why it took so long to find him. The guy simply catches everything that is thrown to him. If, and a big if, he stays healthy, he could be the Mack Lee Hill winner this year out of an incredibly talent crop of rookies. He's just been excellent. 6. Asamoah started his first NFL game today for Lilja. He did a fine job. Cassel was sacked three times today. At least two of those were his own fault for indecision with the football. Since the Chiefs only had given up five sacks all year before today, three was a lot, but you can't blame it on Asamoah. He helped the team rush for over 250 yards. Big props, because our O-line has some depth this year, and guys are stepping up and not embarrassing themselves when they get a chance to play. 5. I thought the Chiefs won today despite Coach Haley, who went full reerun in the first half. You never, ever, EVER pass up point opportunities, even against a winless team, at home, and especially in less than ideal weather conditions. Haley passed on a mid-30's range field goal in the first half, going on 4th and 3, for absolutely NO REASON. This was just rookie head coach stupidity. Luckily, it did not cost us a win today, but it very well could have. The Chiefs played a first half filled with blown opportunities, then failed to make any meaningful adjustments in the second half. We lucked out that Lindell missed his OT field goal opportunity. That guy is a good kicker, and the wind and distance, and a bit of a tip at the line of scrimmage, was just enough to foul up the attempt. Hopefully Coach Haley will learn something from having to squirm through an entire second half, plus a full overtime, thinking about passing up that one little field goal that could have made all the difference in second half game strategy today. 4. I think we missed McCluster today, although Charles was used a bit like McCluster at times with swing passes. I saw Dexter on the sidelines today in his warmups. He looks like he could play for a high school team. He's a little dude. Hard to believe he's endured the kind of NFL hits he's taken so far this year. It will be nice to have him back vs. Oakland next week. We need his versatility. He seemed to be moving around on the sidelines OK. 3. DJ was killing me today. He dropped one sure pick six in the first quarter, and dropped another sure pick in the fourth quarter that would have prevented the game tying drive. You HAVE to make those plays. Seemed like every fumble or tipped pass or pick-able ball went Buffalo's way this game. Except for the pass that hit Berry right between the 2 and the 9. Even with that, he almost lost it, and fell down when he caught the ball. That was a big pick. Berry is playing better as each week has gone by. He lead the defense with ten tackles today. He's excellent on run support. He still has some coverage issues, but I think he's smart enough to overcome that eventually. I believe he could be another Deron Cherry. 2. I'm going to play Mr. Pessimistic Chiefs fan here for just a minute. I don't believe the Chiefs have beaten a team with a winning record. It was a goal line stand to survive San Diego, a first down made by the nose hair of the football to ice the game in Cleveland, and today we let a winless team take us to the final three seconds of OT before eeking out a home win. Well, better lucky than good, I suppose. But the win today does bode well for the long run, as now there's a bit of a cushion going on the road vs. Oakland and Denver. If KC can can gain a split, we'll still be in pretty decent shape in the AFC West. Makes me wish the defense could have held onto that ten point lead with seven minutes left in Houston. How huge would have been to be 6-1 right now? I'll take 5-2. Game pics from KC Star website are here: http://tinyurl.com/2bol6cp 1. Today was Military Appreciation Day at Arrowhead. Everybody got a little American Flag upon entering the stadium. At halftime they swore a bunch of kids into the Marine Corps, and showed the cameo pictures of dozens of service men and women from Kansas and Missouri who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. I always get a lump in my throat when we have a military fly over, today it was a big tanker jet. Nothing better than the Arrowhead crowd chanting U-S-A for all the guys in uniform on the field today. It always makes me thankful to have those guy protecting our freedom so we can enjoy our way of life, including our Chiefs games.
Posts: 41,016

10-31-2010, 07:00 PM	#2
CupidStunt offense > defense Join Date: Jul 2005 Casino cash: $-736668	Far as point 2 goes, they're not as good as their record; HOWEVER, 9, 10 or 11 wins would be HUGE progress for a 4-win, rebuilding team, no matter who they come against. The hope is that they can then build on that with another good offseason filling more holes. The other thing I'd say is that they're not 5-0 against bad teams while getting blown out by Indy/Houston; they were right in those games and outplayed Houston. They SHOULD be 6-1 with a couple solid wins (SD, @HOU). I would be way, way less positive if they had been wrecked by those 2 AFC South teams. The losses were actually supportive of KC's progress as a team.
Posts: 9,016

10-31-2010, 07:02 PM	#3
Wyndex Starter Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Kansas City, KS eastside Casino cash: $9994939	as always Mr. Blowfish __________________
Posts: 514

10-31-2010, 07:12 PM	#10
LaChapelle Banned Join Date: Mar 2009 Casino cash: $10004900	They need to find someone to rotate with Arenas on returns until Dex returns He has got to be one tired mother****er
Posts: 8,588

10-31-2010, 07:12 PM	#11
Micjones Whose house? Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: KCMO Casino cash: $10005180	Berry's progressing slowly in pass coverage. He's been a big reason why this team has been pretty stout against the run. __________________ It's like when I'm right I'm right, when I'm wrong I could been right, so I'm still right cause I coulda been wrong.
Posts: 15,344

10-31-2010, 07:10 PM	#8
DaFace Kind of a mod Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Donkey Land Casino cash: $-1863101	Thanks, George. I always appreciate your takes. Disagree on the 4th down thing, but I'm a stats geek. I know it's a somewhat radical approach and hasn't really been "tested" in the NFL.
Posts: 53,153

10-31-2010, 07:13 PM	#12
KCUnited Cheat Death Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Land of Drincoln Casino cash: $-1601756	ESPN is crediting Vrabel with 1 more tackle than Berry, FWIW. I agree on the kick.
Posts: 36,996

10-31-2010, 07:13 PM	#13
KCSupersized Starter Join Date: Aug 2006 Casino cash: $10004900	Nice read Mr. Blowfish.
Posts: 673