Teicher: Playoff loss illustrates Chiefs’ problems at wide receiver

[Tribal Warfare]

Playoff loss illustrates Chiefs’ problems at wide receiver
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

The Chiefs were so disturbed about the state of their wide receivers heading into preparations for Sunday’s playoff game that they signed veteran Kevin Curtis, who was sitting at home looking for work.

The 30-7 loss to Baltimore showed their concern was in the right place. The Chiefs were outplayed to the extent that even having Roddy White and Reggie Wayne, the NFL’s two top pass catchers this season, wouldn’t have made much of a difference.

But the game showed how much that upgrading the position needs to be a point of emphasis during the offseason.

The Chiefs completed just six passes to their wide receivers, the longest for 8 yards to Dexter McCluster. Their Pro Bowl wide receiver, Dwayne Bowe, not only didn’t catch a pass, but the Chiefs never threw one his way.

“It happened, but that’s over,” Bowe said Monday. “Their defense schemed around me to take me out of it, and that’s exactly what they did. We’ve just got to find ways to move the ball better.

“I felt like I was open some plays and could’ve gotten the ball. If I had another guy over there, who knows how the game could have gone?”

Quarterback Matt Cassel indicated the Chiefs were trying to get the ball to Bowe but the Ravens wouldn’t let them.

“Out of the first five passes or six passes we threw, he was the primary target on all of them,” Cassel said. “They just did an outstanding job of covering him.

“They tried to control the run game with their front seven and a lot of times they were able to roll a safety over the top of him and put a defensive corner right in front of him so he was double-teamed most of the day.”

Otherwise on Sunday, the Chiefs had the 32-year-old Curtis, who signed last Wednesday, as well as rookies McCluster and Verran Tucker and another veteran, Terrance Copper, playing at wide receiver. Tucker and Copper are with the Chiefs mainly because of their special-teams skills.

Unavailable Sunday was Chris Chambers, the Chiefs’ best wide receiver last season. Chambers finished an unusual season in a bizarre way: He was again healthy but not suited up for the game.

“I had kind of seen the writing on the wall a little bit because my (snaps) were being cut in practice and I still wasn’t getting any information about it from my receiving coach,” Chambers said. “I’m a veteran receiver with the most playoff experience, and you’d think they’d want me out there, and that wasn’t the case. I still haven’t talked to the coach about it yet.”

Coach Todd Haley was unavailable Monday to speak regarding Chambers. The Chiefs re-signed Chambers last offseason but have clearly given up on him. He was also scratched from the lineup three times during the regular season.

Chambers wasn’t getting open as often as he did last season. He caught 22 passes with one touchdown but was more productive toward the end of the regular season.

He said Monday that he would have given the Chiefs more had he not been yanked from the lineup so many times.

“I’m not the type of receiver that’s going to (play well) coming off the bench,” he said. “They started a rookie (Tucker) ahead of me for a couple of games. I know we’re trying to get other guys looks, but I feel I didn’t get a fair shake as far as being out there and making (catches). I know me. I know I can be extremely streaky at times, and if there was a game or two dedicated to just getting me the ball and getting me going, I think I would have done more towards the end here, but that wasn’t the case.

“I thought we started to get a little something going a few games ago. I thought I was getting back to form, and all of a sudden we get to the biggest game of the year and I’m not playing with no explanation. Zero. That’s nothing against Kevin, because I think he’s a good receiver and he did a good job for the most part. I thought (signing Curtis) was more about shoring up our receiving corps and bring in more experience (because) we had some guys who (weren’t) probably ready from a knowledge standpoint.

“I thought it had more of a negative effect on our team, me not being out there. Guys were wondering, ‘Why are you not playing?’ It’s guys that respect me, believe in me. I felt it was going to be my opportunity to (make up for) a disappointing season from a production standpoint.”

Bowe and McCluster will be back next season. Copper and Tucker will also probably at least go to camp with the Chiefs because of their special-teams skills. Curtis signed for just the playoffs, so his time with the Chiefs might already be finished.

The same could be said for Chambers.

“We didn’t see eye to eye on some things,” Chambers said, speaking of Haley. “I didn’t think I had too much of an opportunity. I didn’t get a lot of targets, maybe two targets a game. I don’t think any receiver can be productive doing that. I don’t know whether they gave up on me.

“I definitely have more left in the tank. I can still catch the ball extremely well. I wasn’t dropping balls. I wasn’t doing crazy things on the field, making mistakes like that.”