Once again, Thanksgiving is upon us, and while the NFL definitely served its fans a turkey of a schedule (see Adam’s revised version over at Fox Sports for how it should be done), the Chiefs are headed out to pay our lifelong enemies by the Bay a little visit.
That in and of itself used to be more than enough to drive conversation around Chiefs Nation for weeks prior to the game, but given the Chiefs abysmal record and the absolute beatdown they suffered last week at home against Buffalo, not too many are in the mood.
The Raiders are coming off a wonderfully good beatdown of their own, although it was in reverse, as Oakland flat out crushed Mike Shanahan and his pack of gutter rats in Denver, which filled me with glee… well, I don’t know if I can go that far, but you get the picture.
It’s likely that the Chiefs will once again find themselves on the wrong end of the scoreboard next Sunday, but that being said, there are still so many things that the Chiefs and their fans can be thankful for this week… aside from all the freaking great food.
I won’t get into the obvious… Thiggy Smalls, Mark Bradley, and the like, as I’d no doubt be stealing someone’s thunder around here in the process. Instead, I’m going to focus on taking a little trip back in history to start (I think five years will do the trick) and then work our way forward to present day, comparing and contrasting King Carl’s and Al “Just Crap Baby!!” Davis’ 1st round draft record as we go.You’ll have to read on to get the full list, but suffice it to say that we as Chiefs fans have much to be thankful for this week… first and foremost, Depend Al is not our owner.
2004
The Chiefs traded out of the 1st round and although I didn’t include him on the graphic, they took DT Junior Siavii with their 1st pick in round two. The Raiders on the other hand had a top pick in this draft and took Robert Gallery, who was immediately deposited on the left side of Oakland’s offensive line.
Neither of these two players have accomplished much of anything, although Gallery is still playing with the Raiders, which is a hell of a lot more than Siavii can claim. That being said, Gallery is a bust of a pick, as he has thus far fallen far short of the expectations placed on him, but given that Siavii’s currently out of work, I’ll toss this one to Depend Al.
King Carl – 0
Depend Al – 1
2005
The Chiefs miraculously found Derrick Johnson still on the board in the middle of round one, despite the predictions of every major pundit, who claimed DJ would easily be drafted in the top 10. The Raiders decided to bolster their secondary by taking Fabian Washington with their pick instead of upgrading other key spots that may have helped the team out in the win column a little bit more.
Washington is no longer with the Raiders and instead he’s now playing the role of a nickel back/dime defender out in Baltimore, so that doesn’t help Depend Al’s cause here. DJ has struggled to graduate past being an average everyday linebacker for the Chiefs, but still has the talent to eventually become a Pro-Bowl caliber player in KC. That’s enough for me to tilt this round in favor of the King.
King Carl – 1
Depend Al – 1
2006
The Chiefs surprised a few people by taking Tamba Hali with their 1st pick in ’06, although at the time they had the One Man Gang rolling downfield at the QB from the RDE spot, so I can understand why the King felt Hali would be a solid pick. Oakland went with a solid safety out of Texas in Michael Huff to keep on fixing their annual problems in their secondary.
Hali has been a disappointment of sorts after his first year in the pros. He’s quietly put up okay numbers, but this year he’s really struggled now that the Chiefs dumped JA off to Minnesota so he could steal every dime in Zygi Wilf’s vault. Huff has consistently struggled as well, even finding himself riding the pine this year, but like Johnson in 2005, I think Huff’s overall level of talent is greater than Hali’s, so I’m giving Depend Al the nod here.
King Carl – 1
Depend Al – 2
2007
The Chiefs had a virtual no brainer of a pick this year with Dwayne Bowe still on the board late in round one. Bowe has been dominant for KC from day one, and if given a solid offense in the near future, I don’t doubt he’ll find himself the recipient of a ticket to Honolulu.
JaMarcus Russell is tough to judge right now, as it takes young franchise QBs some time to develop in the NFL, but so far the Raiders have to like much of what they see in him, as he’s been able limit his mistakes and let his playmakers on offense and defense take over the game.
That being said, when you take a look at the body of work put forward by these two former teammates, I have to hand this one to King Carl, as the DBowe Show has proven itself to be the real deal for two straight seasons now.
King Carl – 2
Depend Al – 2
2008
This is the year that the Chiefs finally erased those painful memories of terrible draft classes, as they found a way to somehow get both Glen Dorsey and Branden Albert into the fold in round one. Getting Dorsey alone would have been a coup in my mind, but to grab both of these guys without giving up much to do it is simply amazing.
The Raiders fooled no one in this draft when they took Darren McFadden, as everyone and their Mom knew Depend Al could never say no to a freakishly talented RB like Run DMC no matter how many solid backs the Raiders already had.
Overall, this one is extremely tough to judge, given that it’s only been about seven months since these guys were walking across the stage in Radio City Music Hall to shake Fidel Goodell’s hand, but I do think there’s a clear winner here.
(Drumroll please………………………………………………………)
Ladies and Gentlemen…. The winner of the 2008 AA Turkey Shoot-Out is…
KING CARL!!!!!
The final score…
King Carl – 3
Depend Al – 2
I’d like to take this time to thank both of our contestants for playing and wish them the best of luck next year…. well maybe not so much luck, but you get my drift.
Happy Thanksgiving… and Go Chiefs!!!