Whitlock- OPTIMISM GRINDS TO HALT

Chiefs Pantalones · 07-29-2006, 01:44 AM

JASON WHITLOCK COMMENTARY
COMMENTARY
OPTIMISM GRINDS TO HALT
Guess we can thank Willie Roaf for Ty Law, Kyle Turley and Tamba Hali’s on-time-for-camp signing.

Things were going much too smoothly at Arrowhead Stadium this summer for something really terrible not to be driving Carl Peterson’s actions. Now we know: Arguably the Chiefs’ most valuable player had told Peterson and coach Herm Edwards that his playing career is over.

And now everything makes sense. The Chiefs dusted off Kyle Turley, sweet-talked Ty Law and paid Tamba Hali to mask the stink of Roaf retiring.

Problem is, we’re just not that stupid. Roaf’s exit puts a dark cloud on what previously had been the most anticipated Kansas City football season since the 1998 disaster.

My optimism has been replaced by fear — fear of Trent Green getting steamrolled by defensive ends traveling the Jordan Black Expressway to quarterbacks. Green is an iron man. He’s played five years and 80 regular-season games without missing a start. It’s difficult to imagine that streak continuing with Roaf at home awaiting his invitation to Canton, Ohio.

Anyone holding out hope that Priest Holmes might decide to return needs to let that fantasy go. Holmes would be foolish to play this season without Roaf. Nope. Let Larry Johnson carry that burden. He’s young and desiring a megacontract. He can take the hits.

Oh, it’s going to be MartyBall all the way this season. Edwards has no choice. The Chiefs will have pass-protection problems, receiver Eddie Kennison isn’t happy with his contract, and Al Saunders’ imagination is now in our nation’s capital.

New offensive coordinator Mike Solari is going to pound the football. The Chiefs will try to control the clock and play solid defense.

I don’t have a problem with that plan. I just question whether they have the depth to pull it off. Remember, there’s no depth behind Johnson. Tony Richardson plays in Minnesota. Will Shields is old. And the Chiefs are still banking on Ryan Sims improving their defensive front four.

This is an absolute disaster. What’s worse is Roaf’s explanation for retiring. He said his body was worn out by four years of being locked in Dick Vermeil’s boot camp in-season and offseason programs.

Vermeil’s marathon practices shortened the career of one of the best offensive tackles in the history of the game. Roaf said his body didn’t feel right in May, and he let Peterson and Edwards know he was going to retire. Roaf said he even filed his retirement paperwork.

Of course, Peterson failed to share this bit of information with us. Peterson thinks Big Willie is going to change his mind. Peterson thinks Big Willie hates training camp and might change his mind later.

Hmm. Peterson didn’t want anything to interfere with season-ticket sales. He didn’t want to spend the whole offseason listening to experts speculate about what the Chiefs would do to fix their offensive line.

You can’t fix the hole Roaf created. A tackle combination of Jordan Black and Kyle Turley is a far cry from Roaf and Anybody.

Can the Chiefs still make the playoffs? Yes, they can sneak in as a wild card. But they’re no longer a legitimate Super Bowl threat. Not unless Hali and Law turn Kansas City’s defense into a real strength.

This news is a just a terrible kick in the gut. I’m more sad than mad.

07-29-2006, 01:44 AM	Topic Starter
Chiefs Pantalones GO CHIEFS!!!!!! Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $6868717	Whitlock- OPTIMISM GRINDS TO HALT JASON WHITLOCK COMMENTARY COMMENTARY OPTIMISM GRINDS TO HALT Guess we can thank Willie Roaf for Ty Law, Kyle Turley and Tamba Hali’s on-time-for-camp signing. Things were going much too smoothly at Arrowhead Stadium this summer for something really terrible not to be driving Carl Peterson’s actions. Now we know: Arguably the Chiefs’ most valuable player had told Peterson and coach Herm Edwards that his playing career is over. And now everything makes sense. The Chiefs dusted off Kyle Turley, sweet-talked Ty Law and paid Tamba Hali to mask the stink of Roaf retiring. Problem is, we’re just not that stupid. Roaf’s exit puts a dark cloud on what previously had been the most anticipated Kansas City football season since the 1998 disaster. My optimism has been replaced by fear — fear of Trent Green getting steamrolled by defensive ends traveling the Jordan Black Expressway to quarterbacks. Green is an iron man. He’s played five years and 80 regular-season games without missing a start. It’s difficult to imagine that streak continuing with Roaf at home awaiting his invitation to Canton, Ohio. Anyone holding out hope that Priest Holmes might decide to return needs to let that fantasy go. Holmes would be foolish to play this season without Roaf. Nope. Let Larry Johnson carry that burden. He’s young and desiring a megacontract. He can take the hits. Oh, it’s going to be MartyBall all the way this season. Edwards has no choice. The Chiefs will have pass-protection problems, receiver Eddie Kennison isn’t happy with his contract, and Al Saunders’ imagination is now in our nation’s capital. New offensive coordinator Mike Solari is going to pound the football. The Chiefs will try to control the clock and play solid defense. I don’t have a problem with that plan. I just question whether they have the depth to pull it off. Remember, there’s no depth behind Johnson. Tony Richardson plays in Minnesota. Will Shields is old. And the Chiefs are still banking on Ryan Sims improving their defensive front four. This is an absolute disaster. What’s worse is Roaf’s explanation for retiring. He said his body was worn out by four years of being locked in Dick Vermeil’s boot camp in-season and offseason programs. Vermeil’s marathon practices shortened the career of one of the best offensive tackles in the history of the game. Roaf said his body didn’t feel right in May, and he let Peterson and Edwards know he was going to retire. Roaf said he even filed his retirement paperwork. Of course, Peterson failed to share this bit of information with us. Peterson thinks Big Willie is going to change his mind. Peterson thinks Big Willie hates training camp and might change his mind later. Hmm. Peterson didn’t want anything to interfere with season-ticket sales. He didn’t want to spend the whole offseason listening to experts speculate about what the Chiefs would do to fix their offensive line. You can’t fix the hole Roaf created. A tackle combination of Jordan Black and Kyle Turley is a far cry from Roaf and Anybody. Can the Chiefs still make the playoffs? Yes, they can sneak in as a wild card. But they’re no longer a legitimate Super Bowl threat. Not unless Hali and Law turn Kansas City’s defense into a real strength. This news is a just a terrible kick in the gut. I’m more sad than mad.
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