Still Nothing
Soapbox…
The Chiefs played their second preseason game Saturday night against the Arizona Cardinals. What did we learn from this game? The usual-nothing.
You see, preseason games are not a good judgment of what a team is going to be during the regular season-never has been and most likely never will be. It is a time for coaches and coordinators to play around a little with their schemes and to see what happens. It’s like a pitcher in spring training, a lot of times, he might throw all curve balls or all sliders during an outing just to work on it-perfect his craft if you will. I’m not telling you something you don’t already know, or at least I hope. The only thing, in my opinion, that you and I can get out of a preseason game is the excitement of being able to watch a player, usually an unknown, make the final roster by his play.
That’s it. Sorry. You don’t get a full grasp of what the offense is going to run during the regular season. You can’t get a feel for what defensive schemes or exotic blitzes Gunther is going to implement come September 7th. Which by the way, I am going to guess that after watching the Super Bowl tape of New England against the Giants, Gunther is going to blitz the crap out of Tom Brady. What we find ourselves doing is setting back in our favorite couch and all of a sudden cocking our head and saying “who is number so-in-so“. He is a player that keeps showing up, making plays, “flashes” as Dick Vermeil used to say. In fact he will make so many plays that he makes the final roster-think Jared Allen (even if you don’t want to). A fourth round pick nobody really ever heard of, he comes into training camp and is clearly head and shoulders above everyone else. DV had to play him.
That is what makes preseason exciting to me. Finding the diamond in the rough. Unfortunately, many media people can’t quite figure it out, they have the mindset that they are watching the Kansas City Chiefs of ‘08. The average fan and the media don’t watch the games the same as NFL coaches and coordinators. They just don’t. The improvement of the player and the focus of what is and is not important are totally different. We generally judge success in the preseason as a win and failure as a loss, the coach and his staff however may view them completely different based on what they were trying to accomplish in a certain game. Let’s wait until the final whistle blows in Foxboro before we come to any definite conclusion about what the Chiefs are, or are not, going to be this season.
Other Things…
Nice to see (or in my case read) Glenn Dorsey was out mixing it up a little Saturday night in Arrowhead. Now if the Chiefs can just get their other number one pick back on the field.
By all accounts, Turk McBride might have finally vaulted himself up into the starting LDE position with his play against the Cardinals. That’s good to hear and will take a little anxiety off my shoulders.
Another bright spot on the defensive side of the ball was the play of Brandon Flowers. Wasn’t intimidated or starfished by lining up across from Larry Fitzgerald.
I’m going to feel a little weird when I have to print the roster sheet off before the first game of the season just so I will know who the heck everyone is. Are you?
Sounds like Brodie had another nice outing.
Looking Ahead…
On a personal note, I will be traveling to Hershey Pennsylvania on Tuesday. Taking my son and his cousin to Hershey Park before he starts his first year of school.
The Chiefs travel to Miami next week. Although I just got finished bemoaning the fact that some people put to much emphasis on the preseason, it appears Herm is going to play the starters a good bit longer this time around. So maybe this week, more than the previous two will give us a better idea of what the Chiefs will be like when the real show starts. I doubt it but we’ll see.
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The thing I like most is seeing our new players go out there and make plays like they have done this for a year or so. Brandon Flowers looks right at home out there and impresses me more everyday that we got him in the 2nd.
Have fun in PA too!
August 18th, 2008 at 6:15 amJust for the record, Hank Stram thought winning in the preseason was important because he believed preseason games set the tone for the regular season.
Glad to see that Turk is hitting his stride. Then again, I knew that he would.
August 18th, 2008 at 10:27 ami know we can run the ball sucessfully i hope saturday let brodie sling that ball out there like gailey lets thiggy do i wanna see his arm and take some shots to the air!! wat do yall think??
August 18th, 2008 at 11:03 amGood point about Hank Stram Double D. He won a Super Bowl, so what do I know????
August 18th, 2008 at 11:21 amI am just glad we won the first one just to get the losing taste out of our mouths…
Yea, hopefully they will play the starters even into the 3rd quarter which is typical of the 3rd preseason game. But i do think even if they do the playcalling will not be representative of our offense this season. I liked the Spring Training analogy. Good work.
August 18th, 2008 at 12:39 pm- I think Brandon Flowers still looks like a rookie, but he looks like an exciting rookie with a shit ton of potential.
- Just a note: Claude McBride is leading the league in sacks for the preseason. Then again, Tyler Thigpen is 3rd in passing yards.
August 18th, 2008 at 2:01 pmGreat article! I am excited to see the first team perform at game tempo and watch them develop together as a unit, even if it is for just a few plays.
It is even better to see which young players are stepping up the the challenge and trying to win that first spot. We can’t see that unless they play and makes me more comfortable that they can step in when necessary.
I also hope we see more of the passing game with Brodie and Thiggy. I’d like to see both more comfortable/confident with our new found “Fearsome Foursome” ProBowl (to be) bound receiving unit (aka Tony G, DBowe, Franklin, Pierce). Either that, or I’d like to see Herm (and us) know if Thiggy is the diamond in the rough that we need, or if he needs to go after a new backup.
August 18th, 2008 at 2:32 pmOne guy I’ve thought very highly of since I first saw him (last week) is Lokey. Watch out for this young DT. I wouldn’t be surprised if he makes the squad instead of Edwards. We’re going with a youth movement, so out with the old DT’s, in with the new. Lokey looks like a big beefy boy, but he’s gone hard every play I’ve specifically watched him on. If I were a GM, I’d want that guy on my squad.
Yeah, Flowers still has the ‘new car smell’ about him, but he’s looking like a Ferrari to me. Once he gets ‘broken in’ a bit, he’ll be fine. He really impressed versus LarFitz. And don’t forget, if our safeties don’t have to worry so much about the CB’s constantly getting beat, they do their jobs better, as well. Great second round pickup. I thought he was actually going to go before Talib. Maybe he should have.
August 19th, 2008 at 1:41 amOnce again you are proving your man love for Brodie Croyle. STEVE LOVES BRODIE. We get it.
August 20th, 2008 at 7:11 pm