Whitlock:Chiefs’ play is scaring the wrong people

[Tribal Warfare]

Chiefs’ play is scaring the wrong people
JASON WHITLOCK COMMENTARY

Scared yet?

An unintended consequence of Scott Pioli’s and Todd Haley’s master plan of inspiring fear and intimidation throughout the Chiefs franchise is that they’re scaring the (spit) out of us, too.

I’ll admit it. I’m scared. I’m afraid Pioli and Haley are on a ridiculous power trip, have no real clue how to fix the Chiefs and are going to spend the entire season hiring and firing players like 15-year-old fantasy-football owners.

Against the New York Giants, the Chiefs trotted out their third different starting right tackle, Ryan O’Callaghan, a Larry Johnson-led wildcat formation and some no-name special-teams player to replace Monty Beisel.

The result? The Giants toyed with the Chiefs, winning 27-16 in a game that was boring, uncompetitive and pointless for the boys in red.

If you’re not scared, you probably spent the afternoon at Kansas Speedway watching NASCAR.

A week after promising to establish a tough, physical, impose-our-will-on-the-ground identity, Haley spent the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game against the Giants padding quarterback Matt Cassel’s stats with shotgun pass plays from inside the New York 10.

Cassel connected on fourth-quarter scoring tosses of 1 and 2 yards. Kansas City’s Sixty Million Dollar Man completed 15 of 32 passes for 127 yards and two TDs. He survived five sacks. The offensive line was leaky, and Cassel fell into the annoying habit of anticipating leaks that weren’t there.

Scared yet?

I am. I’m not sure if the players in the locker room are all that scared. Oh, they’re quiet, fearful of saying the wrong thing. But scared straight, scared into playing at a high level? I see no evidence. Do you?

Cassel throws behind his receivers on crossing routes and overthrows his receivers on any route more than 15 yards downfield. The offensive line can’t protect Cassel or open holes for Larry Johnson. Dwayne Bowe and Bobby Wade had little trouble dropping balls that hit them in the hands.

A pass rush from KC’s front four? Nonexistent. New York’s Steve Smith caught three more passes while you were reading the first 400 words of this column. Did the Chiefs ever cover Smith? Is he the second coming of Jerry Rice?

And please, someone tell me what linebacker Derrick Johnson did to the Chiefs’ coaching staff. Is he simply a high-profile example of Haley’s and Pioli’s willingness to target any player for embarrassment?

Johnson spent most of Sunday afternoon warming up on the sideline, jogging, stretching, trying to keep circulation in his legs. In terms of big plays this season, Johnson is responsible for the biggest — the long interception return against the Ravens. A team in desperate need of playmakers could certainly be helped by Johnson’s athletic ability.

He’s a bench-warmer. He’s a symbol in the my-way-or-the-highway army.

Haley’s highway, at some point, has to produce tangible results. His coaching Godfather, Bill Parcells, preached that you are what your record says you are. The Chiefs are 0-4 and gaining momentum. A winless know-it-all doesn’t garner much respect.

I believe Beisel was released in a futile effort to prove to the players in the locker room that Haley and Pioli weren’t strictly targeting holdovers from the Carl Peterson era. Haley and Pioli want to create the impression that they’re equal-opportunity jerks.

I’m not buying it. Neither, apparently, is Larry Johnson.

When asked after the game what the difference was between the Chiefs and the Giants, Johnson had a one-word response.

“Ego,” he said.

When asked to clarify, Johnson said “ego” again. He repeated it several times before reporters moved on to other questions.

It’s no secret in Kansas City or across the league. The No. 1 character trait/flaw driving the Chiefs organization right now is ego.

Pioli created the Sixty Million Dollar Man, and the Chiefs repeatedly went shotgun from the 1 in an effort to justify a few of those $60 million.

Rather than embrace and coach up the players they inherited, Pioli and Haley have treated Peterson’s leftovers as if they could be replaced by guys off the street. It’s just not a sound foundation. It’s a highway to nowhere.

[beach tribe]

Originally Posted by Buster Hymen

WOW

The same group of girls, worshiping at the trough of fatlock, a hack that they would normally trash as being a hack, unless his unfounded comments support their agenda of hate for the new regime.

Who'd a thunk that shit?

Coincidently, this same group of ladies were front and center with gems like this...

"The Chiefs fanbase can't stomach a rebuild. They long for 8-8, and endless mediocrity."

The one consolation in this weekend is that it should temper some of the Sanchez worship, but I doubt it.

I hate Twit, but he's actually right about some of this stuff. I like Haley, and I don't think Pioli is as egotistical as most think, but like I said, we were losing big at halftime against the Eagles, and he wants to come out and run the ball. Then we are inside the 3 yard line this week, and he wants to run plays out of
SG, and call passes. Who are we??? How can we build an identity like this??

Just line up in I-form, and smash in for the TD. By trying to outsmart people, he's doing the exact opposite. He's out dumbing people.

[bobbything]

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

What did you really expect with new systems on offense and defense being executed by a bunch of no-talent bums?

You say you've seen improvement. I don't see much of anything. We can split hairs if you want, but, really, I don't think this team has improved. What did I expect? I don't know. I didn't really have any expectations. The last year I had any expectations we went 7-9. Since then, I've learned not to get that pissed off when the Chiefs suck.

However, I will say that it's been a while since I've seen an offense this inept. System, talent, play calling, whatever you call it, it sucks. And I really don't know what it is Haley is trying to do. He has what he has to work with. If you're looking for specifics, I don't know why we don't run more play action; considering Haley now is obsessed with running the football. Hell, throw in the run and shoot. If Cassel is worth $60 mil, surely he can make his reads before the snap using receiver motions and the such. It would require more thought, though, than just handing the ball off and trying to muscle our way to a few yards.

I dunno. I don't think anything we do will be that much more effective.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by beach tribe

Just line up in I-form, and smash in for the TD.

We already know that won't work, so why try it?

[Tiger's Fan]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

We already know that won't work, so why try it?

Because LJ said so.

Collectively we hate him, but now he's the voice of reason.

[Tom_A_Hawk]

Originally Posted by Raised On Riots

It's not the losses, it's the performance during them.

And if anyone has a ****ing problem with that take, you can absolutely go **** yourself.

glad to see you are open minded and are interested in others opinions

[Chiefnj2]

I would hope that the head coach who fired his OC a month or so ago, would be able to have something better than the league's worst ranked 3rd down conversion rate. Why dismiss Gailey if you can't improve on what he was doing?

[Sure-Oz]

i thought lj was throwin a shout out to beyonce with that ego comment cause of her stupid song

[SenselessChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

We already know that won't work, so why try it?

If Haley is trying to build an identity, if he is running the ball to 'prove a point', then you pound the ball there.

The problem I have with Haley is I see no consistency. He takes stupid chances like an onsides kick in the Raider game, but doesn't go for it from inside the five yard line.

He runs it to prove a point against Philly... but passes the ball down at the goal line the next week.

He runs draws with LJ when Charles would be the better option.... with the assumption being that he fumbles, but he still gets to return the kickoffs.

It is one thing to show confidence and build an identity. It is another to look as if you are floundering......

[bowener]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

I didn't hear about the LJ, "ego" thing. Anyone else have any comments about this?

I believe if he said it, it was directed more toward the NY players... Kids like Bradshaw seem to have hella big ego's out there on the field. Giants should have had a shrunken ego from this game, we never stood a chance, and they should have beat us by 30.

[BigChiefFan]

Super Bowl contender, just add water.


I see mass hysteria is in full swing. Get a grip. The chicken littles need to pull their heads out of their asses.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

I'm sure someone will claim that Whitlock is lying, or bending the truth, exaggerating, etc - even though it happened with other reporters witnessing it.

NO dumbass people wont say that when it's actually credible. you know when others can quote WHO ACTUALLY said it. get the difference? i would guess not

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

cough Sauto cough

another one of these guys who just dont understand. dumbass

[Halfcan]

I think Jwit is right-why run the fuggin shotgun from the one when you have ran it up the middle a bizzillion time allready this year??

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Halfcan

I think Jwit is right-why run the fuggin shotgun from the one when you have ran it up the middle a bizzillion time allready this year??

Whats ironic about that is, this is starting to look alot like the Gailey offense from last year.

That Goaline sequence in the Cinci game last year comes to mind.

[Christofire]

1. Every column, Whitlock writes something that completely undermines the points he's trying to make. This column, it's the Beisel thing. Honestly, I think Beisel was released because he was just too damn slow. They said releasing him was a numbers thing, but then they turned around and picked up a linebacker that they touted because of his speed. If it was a numbers thing, then the numbers they're talking about are 40-yard-dash times.

2. The only possible reason for throwing on the goalline is Haley didn't feel like we could outman the Giants' goalline defense in an obvious running situation. Then again, we can't outman the opposing d-line in an obvious passing situation either, so basically we're screwed. That doesn't explain why we wouldn't try playaction. Regardless, we need O-linemen ... desperately. And I'd be willing to trade Bowe to get one, personally.

3. I don't think our defense is terrible, but this is the second time in two weeks we've burned ourselves by taking bad tackling angles (last week vs. DeSean Jackson, this week vs. Nicks on the WR screen for TD.) We had three or four players who accidentally got blocked out by a jumble of other defensive guys within the first 15 yards of that screen play, effectively taking them out of the play.

4. Not loving our playcalling in regards to pass defense. On the longer TD to steve smith, the underneath defenders released two receivers running nearly identical routes up the left side of the field to be covered by ONE safety. First off, that's great offensive play design. No matter who the safety chooses, a good QB makes him wrong. I can understand why the LB would pass his receiver off to the safety, but until we get better pressure, I don't think we can afford to get cute with our coverages. For better or worse, let's play man with our CBs as much as possible, and hope they make plays (which they did on numerous occasions yesterday).