JoePo: There’s no hiding the Chiefs’ rebuilding mode now

[DaKCMan AP]

There’s no hiding the Chiefs’ rebuilding mode now
By JOE POSNANSKI

There are two dirty little secrets that the Kansas City Chiefs have been trying (and, more or less, failing) to keep away from fans and potential ticket buyers all season long.

Secret No. 1: The Chiefs are not contenders. They are in full-fledged, all-out, no-joke, batten-down-the-hatches, release-the-hounds, all-capital-letter REBUILDING MODE.

Secret No. 2: It stinks to be in full-fledged, all-out, no-joke, batten-down-the-hatches, release-the-hounds, all-capital-letter REBUILDING MODE.

Yes, the Chiefs have tried to fool people all around into believing they are actually a reasonably good team. It isn’t remotely true, but that’s not the real problem. The real problem is that the Chiefs have tried to fool themselves into believing that same lie.

There’s no believing that after Sunday, not after the Chiefs lost to the Oakland Scallywags 20-17 at home in front of a lot of empty seats and even more seats filled with people wondering what the heck they were doing there. What a snoozer. There should be a label on Chiefs tickets warning people not to operate heavy machinery while watching this team. The team should have the wonderful Tony DiPardo play reveille at the end of games to wake up the few remaining fans and alert them to go home.

The plot of Sunday’s game — at least, for most of the game — was familiar if you have watched Chiefs-Raiders games lately. It involved Oakland players doing comical things in their patented effort to lose. Turnovers. Stupid penalties. Dropped passes. Oh yeah, I checked with the U.S. Patent Office, the Raiders have registered trademarks on these.

On Sunday, though, the Chiefs matched banana peel for banana peel. The Raiders fumbled deep in their own territory? The Chiefs committed a holding penalty and fell out of field-goal range. The Raiders dropped a couple of key first-down passes? The Chiefs completed three passes in the first half. The Raiders grabbed a facemask for a timely 15-yard-penalty? The Chiefs’ Dave Rayner flubbed a 33-yard field goal.

The Raiders defense caved in the fourth quarter? Chiefs coach Herm Edwards ended the drive by calling one timeout, blowing another with a hopeless challenge. The Chiefs then passed on a field-goal attempt and got stuffed on fourth and 1.

No, you can never feel too good about losing to Oakland because the Raiders played smarter than you did.

But if you spend too much time focusing on Edwards’ timeout polka or the mind-numbing play-calling or the way the Chiefs’ origami defense folded in the last minutes again or the team’s muddled identity (the Chiefs are a field goal-oriented team that can’t make field goals), you might miss the bigger story: The Chiefs, plainly, are starting over.

This is new. The Chiefs have been treading the waters of NFL mediocrity for TEN STINKING YEARS now, and finally they have run out of free-agent life preservers and stopgap players. Finally, they are going with young players and trying to build a team rather than patch together a playoff pretender with duct tape, shoe polish, a couple of big contracts and somebody else’s backup quarterback.

Starting over involves pain. That’s why the Chiefs have refused to even say the word “rebuilding.” Chiefs president Carl Peterson and the marketing wizards have not filled stadiums in small-market Kansas City for 15 years by using slogans like, “Hey, we’ll be really good in a couple of years.”

Well, now, like it or not, it’s happening. The Chiefs are rebuilding now. And I think Edwards is just the right coach to build from scratch. He may drive people nuts with his defensive mindset and game planning, but the guy has a special talent for finding good young players and developing them, which is more important. All year, Edwards kept telling us that rookie running back Kolby Smith —— a fifth-round pick who did not even start at Louisville — was a special young player. Many of us didn’t see it.

So what happened Sunday? Kolby Smith got his chance. And he was fabulous. He juked. He cut back. He drove his legs. He never gave up on the plays. He gained 150 yards and scored two touchdowns — this behind an offensive line that all year made Larry Johnson look like Larry, Curly and Moe.

It looks as if Edwards was right. And it’s no fluke — he has generally been right about young talent. The last two Chiefs drafts have been the team’s best in years — eight players from those two drafts started or played key roles on Sunday.

Say what you want about Edwards: He’s unafraid of youth and the inevitable mistakes. As good as Smith was, it appeared that he hesitated and cut back on the key fourth-and-1 play, costing the Chiefs a chance for a first down and a big play. That will happen.

Brodie Croyle, making his second start at quarterback, was erratic — he mixed good passes with some wild misfires all game long. Defensive end Tamba Hali, so good as a rookie last year, had a sack, but he also appeared to get manhandled on some running plays. Receiver Dwayne Bowe caught four passes and has had a terrific year, but he also seemed to have a tough time getting open much of the game.

And so on. This is the ballad of youth in pro football — high notes, low notes, flat notes. Nobody in Kansas City wants to go through rebuilding now; it has been more than 35 years since the Chiefs were in the Super Bowl. But there’s no choice. This season is gone. The Chiefs are a bad team. They have to develop Croyle and young players and get what they can out of the rest of this season. Then, in the offseason, there will be all sorts of work to do. The Chiefs will have to clean house — players, coaches, you name it — change the offense entirely, have a spectacular draft, you know, all those things that rebuilding teams have to do. Is Carl Peterson right for that job? That’s a topic for another column coming up.

It has been a long time since the Chiefs have gone through this process. The last time was in 1989, when Peterson and Marty Schottenheimer took over a team with nothing, changed the mindset, drafted some defensive monsters, put together a fierce offensive line and built a winning team that gave Kansas City thrills and heartbreaks. The Chiefs held on to that team too long. They flopped on some big-time draft picks. They gambled on some veterans. They let the team rot and decay. That’s where we are now.

And now, they have to start over again. Yes, this year has been miserable. If my guess is right, it will get more miserable before the season is out. Sunday’s loss was part of the misery, but maybe finally everyone can say the truth out loud: It’s time to build the Chiefs again. It’s way past time.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/v-p...ry/376799.html

[Chiefs_5627]

Originally Posted by el borracho

Yes, Herm's drafts have been better than Vermeil's. No sane person would say differently but Vermeil's drafts were terrible. Again, "better than bad does not equal good." You cannot just grade Herm's drafts against Vermeil's drafts- you have to grade them against the other 31 teams, as well.

You didnt read my post.

[el borracho]

Originally Posted by Chiefs_5627

You didnt read my post.

Yes, I did. What grade would you give Herm's drafts here (not just in relation to Vermeil, but in relation to the entire league)?

[Chiefs_5627]

Originally Posted by el borracho

Yes, I did. What grade would you give Herm's drafts here (not just in relation to Vermeil, but in relation to the entire league)?

Around a B. We got a great DE in Tamba, 2 new safeties, very good WR and a QBOTF plus most of the rest are at least in the rotation thats more than i can say for most teams.

[Wile_E_Coyote]

How much time do players need to develop? Different postions take longer. Rebuild means trial & error. Draft is prolly more error than success.

The lowly Raiders have been in rebuild mode for about half a decade & still suck

[Chris Meck]

That's because they fire the coach and start over again every other year.

[Wile_E_Coyote]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

That's because they fire the coach and start over again every other year.

That's got the Fins in; wrong people for this system -hell, also

[Zouk]

Originally Posted by el borracho

Yes, I did. What grade would you give Herm's drafts here (not just in relation to Vermeil, but in relation to the entire league)?

I think you're unrealistic in asking for Pro Bowlers. There are so few rookie or 2nd year Pro Bowlers, and they're often 1st round picks. Herm has not had a top 15 draft pick here yet.

Bowe is an A plus. McBride and Tyler haven't done much yet, but D-linemen take time.

Tamba Hali is good. Guys taken in the picks after him were Laurence Maroney (we weren't taking a 1st round runner), Manny Lawson, Davin Joseph, Johnathan Joseph, Santonio Holmes, John McCargo, and Deangelo Williams. Santonio Holmes is the only guy I might want more than Hali - but then we probably wouldn't draft Bowe the next year. Looking at that list, I think we did good.

I think Bernard Pollard is a work in progress, and I'm not nearly as down as him as others on this board are. He came out as a Jr., so the growing pains are more glaring with him. I personally love Pollard, but the jury's definitely out. Jarrad Page in the 7th round is an A+++++.

The jury's out on Croyle too, but the signs seem promising. I do think Chief fans who think he would have been a 1st round pick are over-rating his natural talent. Love the intagibles. Good value in the 3rd.

I think that's way above average in the league over the last 2 years.

[Chiefs_5627]

Originally Posted by Zouk

I think you're unrealistic in asking for Pro Bowlers. There are so few rookie or 2nd year Pro Bowlers, and they're often 1st round picks. Herm has not had a top 15 draft pick here yet.

Bowe is an A plus. McBride and Tyler haven't done much yet, but D-linemen take time.

Tamba Hali is good. Guys taken in the picks after him were Laurence Maroney (we weren't taking a 1st round runner), Manny Lawson, Davin Joseph, Johnathan Joseph, Santonio Holmes, John McCargo, and Deangelo Williams. Santonio Holmes is the only guy I might want more than Hali - but then we probably wouldn't draft Bowe the next year. Looking at that list, I think we did good.

I think Bernard Pollard is a work in progress, and I'm not nearly as down as him as others on this board are. He came out as a Jr., so the growing pains are more glaring with him. I personally love Pollard, but the jury's definitely out. Jarrad Page in the 7th round is an A+++++.

The jury's out on Croyle too, but the signs seem promising. I do think Chief fans who think he would have been a 1st round pick are over-rating his natural talent. Love the intagibles. Good value in the 3rd.

I think that's way above average in the league over the last 2 years.

,

Nice post, agreed.

[blsilks]

Im sure Herm knows how to strip a car but does he know how to put it back together.

[FAX]

Originally Posted by blsilks

Im sure Herm knows how to strip a car but does he know how to put it back together.

You know, Herm's teams have traditionally gotten off to a slow start, then improved as the season wore on. Not in this case. He can blame injuries, I suppose, but Kolby's and Bowe's performances pretty much shot that one down.

Herm's in trouble. He's making stupid decisions. He can't accurately evaluate a player's performance based on practice. He can't fix the oline. His vets are bitching. He can't trust his players. He sounds tired and defeated.

If we don't see dramatic improvement next year, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't pull a Jet out of KC to somewhere else.

FAX

[el borracho]

Originally Posted by Zouk

I think you're unrealistic in asking for Pro Bowlers. There are so few rookie or 2nd year Pro Bowlers, and they're often 1st round picks.

Ok, it takes time to become a Pro Bowler. Where are the Pro Bowlers that Herm drafted for the Jets? Why are the Jets a 2 win team?

Originally Posted by Zouk

Herm has not had a top 15 draft pick here yet.

Looks like he'll get one this year.

Just to be clear, I see Herm's drafts as a large improvement over what we have had in recent years; I am overall very pleased with them but, looking at it objectively, I don't know that he is much better than league average. Neither the Jets nor the Chiefs are exactly loaded with talent.

[Zouk]

Originally Posted by FAX

If we don't see dramatic improvement next year, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't pull a Jet out of KC to somewhere else.

FAX

It's all about next year. We all know that. I disagree with you though about not evaluating players correctly. Croyle himself has said that he was much more prepared to play in the game after week 9 then he was after the preseason in which he performed terribly. He also said that he thinks he earned the players' respect when he fought back after losing the competition and improving in practice. He gets it.

I also think those of you that want to throw Croyle loose with down-the-field passing are underestimating our inability to pass protect. Croyle had to take a shot in the locker-room to dull pain during this game. The offensive line is unspeakably bad - that's what's causing all the problems and the conservative play calling. You cannot play call around a terrible offensive line that is poor in both run blocking and pass blocking. There is no example of it ever having been done in the NFL.

I agree with those who said that Herm is paying for Dick and Carl's sins. The defense was awful and the offense was old. He only had time and resources to fix one, but in this offseason he'll have a chance to finish the job. I think people will be pleasantly surprised next year.

[Tribal Warfare]

Originally Posted by Zouk

I think people will be pleasantly surprised next year.

We've been saying this line for 19 years now

[Coach]

If it was a rebuilding, then why are the Chiefs playing Welbourn, Terry, and Turdly over the younger players?

[FAX]

Hmmm. Mitch on the radio talking about the hits Croyle took yesterday. He said he counted 6 hits that were really, really hard. In fact, Croyle was supposed to be on Mitch's show tonight but can't make it because he's taking extra treatment tonight.

That, my friends, is a worry. Screw our oline in the ear.

FAX