The Sleeping Giant Awakens

The first preseason game of the year is always a time of optimism for your Arrowhead Adventurer. So optimistic am I, that I always assume traffic will be light, and miss the first quarter of the game every damn time.

This Friday’s game was no exception.

“Oh well, I can always watch the parts I missed on the DVR,” I said to my girlfriend as we greeted familiar faces in our section upon arrival just a little after the second quarter. Which is what I did.

It turns out I didn’t miss much. Except Peyton Hillis handing his first touchdown game ball to the guy who sits on the only row in front of my seats, and just to my right. Just to the right of two empty seats in front of me I likely would have moved into.

Oh well, nothing new for me. Last year I went to the bathroom only to find out my girlfriend and my empty seat were both featured exclusively in a shot during the Monday night football game.

That’s ok though. The list of things I haven’t missed in my Arrowhead Adventures is endless, or at least may  seem endless to Addict readers.

Friday night, in my humble opinion was a smashing success for Chiefs fans. Arrowhead, the “Sleeping Giant” didn’t just waken, it came alive.

Though it was a disappointment that Bowe didn’t make it on the field, it was amazing to see players like Hillis and Winston in a Chiefs uniform. For several seasons I have suggested that Brady Quinn would make a nice addition to the team despite Merlin’s views, and was pleased to see him on the field in red and gold as well. (I don’t know why I wanted him to be a Chief, I just did. Apparently so did Pioli.)

All of our injured players are back! Cassel came out strong in an apparent attempt to nullify skeptics (he still has a long way to go), and at last we have a head coach that I both like and trust. Vermeil for me was our last.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, as was the stadium at night. So gorgeous, in fact that half of Kansas City turned out, if not to enjoy the game then to enjoy the incredible tailgating that makes Arrowhead famous.

Arthur Bryants was partly to blame for my late arrival. And that’s fine.  A plate full of the world’s best BBQ in exchange for a quarter of glorified scrimmage is always a fair trade.

When it comes to sliced pork and fries, there is no place on earth that does better than Arthur Bryants. The atmosphere just makes it more special.

I witnessed plenty of good food preparation on the lot. The gold parking section was full, which is a real surprise during preseason. It can be hard to get the elite pass holders to anything but a real game.

The red sections were full as well.

Bowe’s absence aside, it would be hard to beat Friday’s preseason opener. It certainly left me with an optimism I have not felt in several seasons.

My observations:

SO many good things to watch and see it’s hard to follow it all. The offense looked great. It is sad that Charlie Weis isn’t still here to work with this bunch. His departure was a major step backward in my opinion.

The defense looked awesome. Romeo has to be happy with that bunch as well.

Matt looked confident. But he still does not have the crowd. We are talking about a crowd made up of a lot of people who were given their tickets, and do not know football, sure.  But lots of hard-core fans out there as well.

I need to see more of the running game. Over the next several games, I will.

This could certainly be the season. Plenty of preseason remains to find out. What do you think, Addicts?