I would like to open today’s post with a brief statement. This will just take a moment…

I TOLD YOU SO.

Sure, I’m not usually the type of person to say, “I told you so,” precisely because when I make a rare prediction, it usually turns out not to be so. But six weeks ago today, I posted the following:

The Kansas City Chiefs will beat the Green Bay Packers.

That’s right. You read it here first…

The Chiefs will beat the Packers. How do I know this? The same way I am able to evaluate every other question raised during this up-and-down Chiefs season: I have no idea. But they will. And the Packers may very well be 13-0 by the time they visit Arrowhead on December 18… They may even be resting some starters. In any event, I don’t expect the Chiefs will be playing the spoiler in terms of Green Bay’s cruise back to the playoffs. But at least [the Packers] will leave here feeling rotten.

Perhaps you infer from my giddiness that I did not have the most confidence in my own prediction. Like I said, I don’t often get these things right. Clearly, the Kyle Orton Era in Kansas City has indeed lasted more than one minute, and now the discussion is whether it should and/or will last more than one season.

I won’t say I expected Sunday’s shocker, but I felt it was really possible, a gut feeling loosely supported by historical data. I had been thinking back to the Chiefs’ triumph over the then-reigning-champion Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009—a year in which KC only won three other games—which led me to do a little research. I found that, since 1979, the Chiefs had been 6-2 (now 7-2) at home against defending Super Bowl champs. So there.

But I certainly didn’t predict that by the time this game arrived the Chiefs would have lost their starting quarterback and then ditched their head coach—the two major developments that made the difference in this upset. This changes everything. Or, rather, everything has changed. From the first drive forward on Sunday, this felt like a new team (with the same, but improved defense).

I’ll let others continue the discussion about what these new circumstances on the sidelines and behind center might mean for the Chiefs into 2012 and beyond. For now, I just care about next week and the week after that. That’s right. I’m feeling overly optimistic again.*

*It’s sorta, like, my thing.

So I will double down and offer one more “bold” prediction: The Chiefs will win the AFC West.

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When Kansas City Chiefs fans think back on the Herm Edwards era most probably find themselves with a sudden urge to begin spewing expletives.

Before the team fell into disrepair under Edwards, however, the former coach did lead the Chiefs to a playoff birth in his first season with a 9-7 record. The team wasn’t that good and was mostly made up of aging veterans so Edwards saddled up Larry Johnson and rode him into the playoffs. Johnson later held out for a big pay day and while he eventually got paid, the Chiefs never got a return on their investment. Johnson was never productive again and is now out of football.

In a conversation this morning on Mike and Mike in the Morning, while discussing Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson’s recent struggles, Edwards talked a bit about what he thinks happened to Larry Johnson.

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Monday nights are usually when I sit down, reflect on what the Kansas City Chiefs did or didn’t do over the weekend just past, and pull something out of my ass together for my Tuesday post. But on this particular Monday night, it so happens I was a bit distracted by something rather compelling that I was watching on television. I only had time to jot down some observations during breaks in the action as it unfolded. So consider these my Quick Slants. Some of them are even football-related…

• Hey, nice graveyard rendition of Danse Macabre by the Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City during the MNF intro (my friend Kristin was the Zombie bassist on the left).
• Not a big fan of all those not-so-terrible white towels. The idea was lame enough at Busch Stadium during the World Series and it’s no more impressive at Arrowhead. What? Is everyone surrendering? Or just waving their tighty-whities in the air? Hard to tell.
• Is that a five-inch Herm Edwards screaming at a couple of clueless tools to “ice down those Coors Lights, baby?” Finally—a coaching job worthy of Herm’s stature.
• Lamest Halloween costume seen in the crowd: Zach Galifianakis’s “Alan” with beard, sunglasses, and strap-on baby (with sunglasses) from The Hangover. Soooo 2009. (And there’s no good reason to remind Chiefs fans of 2009.)
• Did I hear that right about Chiefs center Casey Wiegmann? 10,502 snaps in a row? I wonder if that statistic about a routine, seemingly mundane element of the game will take on more significance later…
• Newest addition to Todd Haley’s nasty-as-he-wants-to-be ensemble: Navy undershirt with some kind of emblem that resembles either a grease stain or maybe a patch of sweat.

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Perhaps if Herm had spent more time drawing up successful offensive and defensive plays instead of drawing up ridiculous training camp signs, he might still have a job.

Perhaps not.

WARNING: This post ends with a bad rap parody.

It’s hard to believe, maybe, that this week marks the four-year anniversary of the debut of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, to celebrate,* the NFL Network broadcast a HK:TCWTKCC marathon yesterday. For one day, it was August 2007 all over again, and the whole gang was there: Herm Edwards, of course, and Gunther “%&#^@!” Cunningham, along with the stars of the show: Turk and Tank. Boomer Grigsby. The Croyles (mostly Kelli). And poor, poor Bobby Sippio.

*”To celebrate” is one way to put it. “To kill six dead hours in the middle of a Monday” is another.

It can also be hard to remember that, at the time, things didn’t look so bad. There was hope. We were coming off a 2006 season in which the Chiefs—though some of you, I’m sure, got “this thing twisted and think we backed into this deal”—were a playoff team, with an All-Pro running back that had just lead the league in carries and finished second in yards. Meanwhile, All-World tight end Tony Gonzalez had been signed to a five-year extension. And now, HBO was reviving its acclaimed NFL training-camp reality series and wanted to feature the Chiefs and only the Chiefs—and had been spending the whole summer hyping it.

No, we didn’t know at that moment just how hard we would all be knocked over the next three years. As late as that Halloween, it still seemed like we would continue to have something to root for. First, there were those 24 unanswered second-half points in San Diego to erase a double-digit halftime deficit. Then, in a very sloppy game in Oakland, the Chiefs outlasted the Raiders to prevail 12-10, securing a 4-3 record and, heading into their bye week, first place in the AFC West. That was October 21, 2007.

The Chiefs would not win again until September 28, 2008. They would lose 12 games in a row and 28 of their next 30, getting outscored 808-499 during that stretch—though the close, late-game losses would be the most pathetic and painful.

(You know, just in case you didn’t remember all that.)

But the point is that now, four years later, though we may whine and moan about our young Chiefs’ growing pains, we also have much to cheer. Which means it’s time for another parody.

So with all apologies* to Jaz-Z for hijacking his original (and to Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, who co-wrote the original original), please enjoy, if possible. Just don’t ask me to perform it for you.

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To say the Kansas City Chiefs’ fullback position is full would be an understatement.  It is not unusual for any NFL team to carry just one fullback (or even no fullback a la Detroit Lions/Barry Sanders).  Last year the Chiefs carried two; Mike Cox and Tim Castille.  (It could be argued they carried three (3) if you count big Jackie Battle who has played fullback in the past).  

Since last year, The Kansas City Chiefs have drafted another fullback: 7^th round pick Shane Bannon.  As it stands now (presumably) we have 3 fullbacks on the roster (four (4) if you count Mr. Battle).  There’s not much room on the roster for these boys.

More after the jump…

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July 12, 2011

Dear Vivien,

I am writing you this letter—okay, so it’s a blog post for my regularly scheduled slot*—with the hope that long before you are able to read and understand this, and optimistically within a matter of days from now, the NFL owners and players will have resolved their silly little labor dispute (no, I cannot explain that to you now—we are still busy trying to explain it to each other) and you will grow up in a world flush with Kansas City Chiefs football, as did your father and those before him.

*Daddy likes to multi-task. So sue him.**

**Not literally. This is just an expression. You’ll learn.

As your father, I see it as my responsibility to ensure that you grow up to know the wonderful joy, occasional disillusion, and ultimate, satisfying bond of being a Chiefs fan. It is, of course, only one of my many important jobs as your dad—which, as you must know, also includes (though it’s never intentional!) embarrassing you thoroughly, beginning with this letter. Sorry, kid—I think I may have seen that Google “Dear Sophie” ad one time too many.

Vivien Jeanette Wishna, born June 20. (Same birthday as Len Dawson.)

First of all, I want to commend you on how far you’ve already come in just three weeks: you eat constantly, burp and fart at will, and don’t even bother to get up when nature calls.* And you complain loudly the moment things don’t go your way. In short, you are well on your way to becoming a real American—and more specifically, a real American football fan.

*Embarrassed yet?

But Vivi, I think you’re really going to love being a Chiefs fan. There is much fun to be had and many thrilling moments to be shared, at home, at Arrowhead, or anywhere. I should warn you, though, that it isn’t always going to be easy. Once you’ve mastered certain mysteries in your young life—walking, talking, algebra, etc.—you will still inevitably have to contend with the inexplicable: A draw play called on third down? An all-time-great running back sitting on the bench? Holding? Holding!?! YOU CALL THAT HOLDING?!?!?

But perhaps, as I really hope, you’ll look back on this era of Chiefs history—with its grainy, “3-D high-definition” video (soooo 2011!)—as the time the team started its return to glory.

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What do you guys think of our old friend Herm’s speech?

Herm Edwards was known as a skilled motivator during his time coaching the Kansas City Chiefs.

His encouragement allowed Glenn Dorsey to get fat.

His encouragement allowed Dwayne Bowe to “stay just the way he was” which was a WR with above average talent and below average hands.

His encouragement allowed the Chiefs to lose a whole bunch of games in a short period of time. Like a lot.

Now Herm Edwards wants to encourage YOU…by giving you a personalized pep talk.

Head over to the Sports Center Facebook Page and watch a hilarious video of Herm being Herm. You can also plead your case for why you need a pep talk from coach Edwards.

Can somebody please ask him to give the crew here at AA a pep talk on how to get through the lockout?

Herm Edwards' #1 skill: the fake hard-laugh (source: pongalong.com)

I despise former Chiefs coach Herm Edwards.  Still.  I don’t think about him every day like I once did, but barring something extreme (divorce, someone killing my dog or cancelling Game Of Thrones) he’ll go down as my most hated person of all time.  I’m sure some of you think I should let it go.  To you I say……things that aren’t appropriate to publish on this site.

I’m in a bit of a bind here.  I like to think of myself as a man who gives credit where credit is due.  We all probably like to think of ourselves that way.  But the measure of that quality isn’t based on whether you can praise a man you love.  For instance, I love Captain D.  I think his fish planks and hush puppies are delicious and reasonably priced.  So if I eat there, and I tell you it was good, does that really prove anything?  A far truer test would be to have me judge a meal from Long John Silvers.  I’ve had beef with that place for over 10 years*.

*I won’t tell the whole story here.  The crux of it is, LJS thinks they’re better than me.  Either that or I was prank calling them all the time and they banned me from the store.  One of the two. 

Sorry gang, havin’ a little fish fun there.  The point is, giving those you dislike a fair shake is the true test.  And I dislike Herm Edwards more than I’ve ever disliked anyone.  All this time, whenever anyone has praised him, or even attempted to excuse him, I’ve been there with a curt reminder to never forget what he turned our Chiefs into.  But when I look at my Chiefs now, I can’t help but notice that the cream of our crop was drafted during the Herm era.  As a self-proclaimed reasonable man, am I now obliged to give him a grudging tip-of-the-cap?

find out after the jump:

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Most coaches probably handed out workouts in the event of a lockout. You hope you have enough veterans that will call upon each other and get players to volunteer to work out.

The problem is they are not doing football stuff. The thing that concerns you the most is injuries. If this reaches August, then you really get concerned.

Veterans could suffer consequences

From www.montereyherald.com (share this quote)

I know you’ve all been anxiously waiting to hear what our old friend Herm Edwards thinks about the NFL lockout. Find out by clicking here.

So here I was, all ready to dissect the shocking, fifth-round-fortune-shaping impact of the recent Kansas City Chiefs-Detroit Lions tampering scandal, when I realized: hey, it’s Oscar Week. And three weeks after the Super Bowl and seven weeks after the Chiefs’ last game,* it’s at least a mild comfort to once again have an over-hyped contest to watch on TV come Sunday, perfect for side bets and drinking games.

*It was an honor just being nominated. Oh, bullshit.

But I can understand if red-carpet cocktails and Oscar pools aren’t exactly any kind of substitute for pre-game tailgating and fantasy team-tracking. So in an attempt to bridge the divide, I went ahead and devised this quick quiz for your amusement.*

*What, you’d rather read more about the CBA?

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Source: fox4kc.com

So I can’t prove it, but I am pretty sure—really, almost positive—that Todd Haley is my cable guy.

He showed up at my door yesterday afternoon (and, might I say, well within the waiting window I had been given) and claimed his name was “Justin.” But from the moment we made eye contact—a lingering, suspicious, Larry David-type stare-down—I could tell he sensed I was on to him. That faint goatee, the tuft of mullet sticking out from under his baseball cap, a brooding, slightly dubious expression—he was a dead ringer for the Chiefs coach, and it dawned on me: I had never met this man before, and I have never met Todd Haley. But I have also never seen them both in the same room at the same time.

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Champs, shmamps -- have you forgotten? This smirking face should haunt your dreams. (Credit: Paul Sakuma-AP)

The Kansas City Chiefs are the 2010 AFC West Champs, and it’s not even 2011 yet. Before Sunday, so many of us still agonized over whether this moment would come at all, let alone with a game left to play in the regular season—and a week left to contemplate the potential implications and complications of the team’s fortunes.

Like Big Matt, I woke up Monday wondering if indeed it had all really happened. I picked up the morning paper and there it was: “Chiefs Clinch AFC West.” Even then, for a second, I worried that I had mistakenly grabbed a copy of The Onion, especially when I opened the sports section and read “Toledo Stunned in Pizza Bowl”—which, as it would turn out, was also an actual headline.*

*Heartfelt condolences go out to those Toledo alums and fans who had been dreaming since childhood of a Little Caesars Pizza Bowl championship.

Yes, it’s real. But since we are Chiefs fans, we only allow ourselves a few moments of stress-free celebration, followed immediately by ohmigod ohmigod—now what are we going to do about this? Do we rest Matt Cassel and Jamaal Charles on Sunday? Do we put Brodie Alabama in for a strategic “cleanup call?”* Do we just punt out of bounds every time we get the ball? When is a good time to pull the defensive starters and how soon do we suspend Shaun Smith’s Twitter account?

*Seriously, WTF?

This fretting, of course, is silly. The Chiefs must play all out and win on Sunday, and I have heard many good reasons why: To guarantee that #3 seed. To ensure K.C. hosts the New York Jets, a team everyone has deemed to be the Chiefs’ least intimidating potential opponent. To avoid a possible divisional-round match-up at New England. To preserve the “Arrowhead Mystique”—that aura of invincibility that breaks the will of any visiting team.*

*And, based on Sunday’s attendance figures, the will of many potential ticket-buyers.

But for all the analysis, it seems we are too easily overlooking why a win is needed most of all: To beat the Raiders. Period.*

*This asterisk is here only to drive home the point that no asterisk to this statement is necessary. (more…)

"We are still trying to figure out who He is, and why He hate Rod Smart" -Jim Rome (Source: Yardbarker.com)

I will admit it.  When the Chiefs brought in HC Todd Haley, and he had his first press conference, my first thought was, “Wow, where did they find this guy?”  Seriously, while watching that press conference I rolled all of the high caliber coaches around in my head that were out there that the media had brought up (Bill Cower being at the top of that list) and wondered, “With all of that talent out there, why the !@#$ did we hire this nobody?”

It only got worse.  After watching Thigpen and company win two games the previous season under Herman Munster Edwards, then start out under the new management with a record of 1-5, I saw the Broncos go 6-0 after bringing in the offensive coordinator from the Patriots.  I can only liken my disdain at that period to watching someone you start a job with get promoted to management while you’re still stuck cleaning the bathrooms.  The fact that it was the Broncos only made it worse.  I felt like they had found the superstar coach of the future while we were stuck with some hard-nosed idiot that was a wet towel in the media and sat our best players.   I was starting to expect to lose.  I was starting to get angry with the team.  I was starting to become a hater.  What an idiot I was.

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Search your feelings, Chiefs fans. You will know it to be true. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

A couple of solid wins and some excellent individual performances have the Chiefs charging in the right direction, and we’re back to embracing that very profound-sounding concept: The Kansas City Chiefs control their own destiny.

Of course, every team controls its own destiny at the start of the season. I haven’t double-checked the record books, but I’m pretty sure any team that has gone an entire season without losing a game has made it to the playoffs, and done rather well there, assuming they continued to win. But destiny, like a high-school party at your parents’ house, is one of those things that gets harder to control the longer it goes on. Even Anakin Skywalker could not, ultimately, control his own destiny—though his midi-chlorian* levels were off the chart, he had no choice but to accept his dark fate as Al Davis Darth Vader.

*Forget Wikipedia; I had to look that one up on Wookieepedia, “the Star Wars Wiki.” Seriously.

But controlling our own destiny is the happiness we‘re all raised to pursue. It’s as American as apple pie from the McDonald’s drive-thru at two in the morning. If we want it, and we work for it, we can get it.

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Why so nervous?

If you’re like me, you might have a little trouble believing that Thanksgiving is only two days away. There are several obvious reasons for this: Daylight Saving Time just ended. The weather (at least in Kansas City) has been feeling like late September. And, oh yeah—the Chiefs are still relevant.

Many of you might be flying home in the next day or two, either to be closer to family or just because you enjoy a good holiday rub-down from your local TSA agent. Either way, wherever you are, I assume you’re going to be watching (or streaming, or listening to, or tweeting, or live-blogging, or somehow following) the game on Sunday with intense concentration and a little bit of anxiety. It’s Thanksgiving weekend, and the Chiefs game matters, and not just as a distraction from four days of aunts and uncles or a brief respite from a tryptofan-induced trance. If the season were a single game, then we’re halfway through the third quarter, and the Chiefs are still in it. In fact, they have a one-touchdown lead—and the ball.

And for that alone, I feel like giving thanks.

After the jump, I’ll list a few specific thank-yous (and I’ll start now by saying thanks for lists, which make putting together a post like this so much easier and more amusing).

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"A man in leather is a man at peace" -uh, Mark Twain? (source: yardbarker.com)

“Around the year 2000 Carl Peterson inexplicably forgot how to draft.  I can’t really say why, but for whatever reason Peterson became one of the worst drafters in the NFL practically overnight.”

That was me, two years ago after Carl Peterson “Stepped down”.  There were many reasons to dislike the guy, and he made a lot of mistakes.  But it always seemed like drafting was his most obvious Achilles heel.  I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it might be time to re-think that. 

Who are the best players on our team?  I suppose answers to that question could vary, but there are a few obvious choices.  Brandon Flowers, Tamba Hali, and Jamaal Charles would have to be first ballot for anyone who’s been paying attention.  After that the waters muddy somewhat, but Dwayne Bowe and Derrick Johnson have certainly made strong cases for themselves this season.  Branden Albert and Glenngary Glenn Dorsey are arguably our best linemen.  Dustin Colquitt is a great punter.  Brandon Carri s a good number two corner.  What do these guys have in common?  They were all drafted by Carl Peterson. 

Look, I’m glad Carl’s gone.  He deserved to be fired for a variety of reasons.  And this isn’t meant to be a backhanded slap at Pioli, either.  The 2010 draft class looks great.  I’m just saying, all our best players were drafted by Carl.  Todd Haley is winning games because of the talent Carl Peterson left behind. 

The case can actually be made stronger.  Even Eric berry, who had his coming out party yesterday, was essentially drafted to replace Bernard Pollard, another standout defender drafted by Carl.  Javier Arenas came from the pick we received for Tony Gonzalez, another Peterson draftee.  Brian Waters and Sweet Ron, our second-best linemen, were both brought in by the leather-wearing smug smile. 

Look, Carl made some MASSIVE blunders on draft day.  When he picked Junior Siavii my jaw dropped, and stayed dropped for two years.  But Carl put together a great defense in the 90s, drafting Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith and Dale Carter and signing James Hasty.  It appears he may have done it again right before he left.  Flowers, Carr, Pollard, Hali, DJ and Dorsey (if you like).  That amount of talent on one side of the ball is nothing to sneeze at.  Turns out all those guys needed was some good coaching.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised our players got better when we upgraded from Herm, Gunther and Krumrie to Romeo Crennel.  All hail Romeo Crennel.  And his pants.  God, I love those pants.

my thoughts on the game after the jump

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Reality is chasing the Kansas City Chiefs.

Reality is chasing their fans.

Don’t look back.

When the 2010 NFL season began not even the most optimistic Chiefs fan could have predicted the team would start 3-0.

When I say “the most optimistic Chiefs fan” I’m not talking about crazy, delusional Chiefs fans like my buddy Casey who last season drunkenly declared during halftime of the Chiefs/Steelers game that if Kansas City pulled out the victory that he would celebrate by tattooing the teams logo on the underside of his forearm. After the game, when the Chiefs had emerged the victor my other buddy Marshall would not let Casey forget his declaration. By the time I got to the next bar where we were going to celebrate (victories were so rare the last three years that any win was worthy of a few more hours of drinking) Casey where nowhere to be found.

“Where is he,” I asked?

“At the tattoo parlor,” said Marshall.
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Source: Yardbarker.com

Former Chiefs coach Herm Edwards is on Twitter. If you are on Twitter I highly recommend you follow Herm. He answers a bunch of questions every morning, at the same time, like clockwork. He always fields questions about the Chiefs and the Jets.

While I don’t think he was the greatest coach, I like Herm and I think he knows football. I enjoy him very much as an analyst and I think he would probably be a terrific scout. Anyway, I asked Herm a question yesterday and today, he answered.

HermEdwardsESPN

This will be the first time he had the same qb in 2 for 2seasons.RT @Arowhead_Addict: is this the year D-Bowe becomes an elite receiver?

What do you think Addicts? Herm doesn’t really answer my question but he does make an interesting point. How much do you think D-Bowe will benefit from finally having the same QB in successive years?

Herm can put 2 and 2 together. Better Players + Better Coaching = More Wins. (Photo Source: Yardbarker.com)

Herm Edwards used to drive the Kansas City Chiefs Bandwagon until Clark Hunt hired Scott Pioli and Pioli, er…kicked Herm off the wagon. But now that Herm no longer has the reigns, there is plenty of room for him in the back of the wagon and it looks like the former coach is climbing back aboard.

Ever since ESPN showed Herm how to use Twitter, like clockwork he answers a few questions each morning. Inevitably he gets a question or two about the Chiefs and answers. Take a look at what he had to say today.

HermEdwardsESPN

I think they will be one of the surprising teams this year.RT @MrDru07: @how many years b4 the Chiefs could be a deep playoff/SB contender?

Herm thinks the Chiefs could surprise this season and he isn’t alone. Even though it is only June, the Chiefs seem to be a popular pick to be the turnaround team of the season.

I have to say, it isn’t a bad bet. The infusion of big play talent and top tier coaches has league pundits paying attention. Factor in the Chiefs easy-sih schedule and all the pieces appear to be in place for a drastic improvement.

As we know, however, in the NFL, nothing is guaranteed. The most talent teams on paper often fall on their face and projected bottom feeders sometimes rise to the top of the division. These scanarios are part of what makes the NFL so popular.

One thing is certain, the Chiefs seem to be gaining momentum in the court of public opinion. If the team looks strong in the preseason, expect these types of predictions to continue.

It would be a welcomed change. After all, after 3 terrible seasons, there is plenty of room on the Chiefs Bandwagon.

Grab a seat next to Herm.

Source: Yardbarker.com

Here is the 2nd part of my interview with former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Kyle Turley. This is probably the juiciest of the 3 part interview.

Kyle was with the Chiefs at an interesting time. He was there for the team’s last playoff appearance as well as for the 4-12 season that followed. Kyle has some interesting things to say about Herm Edwards and Carl Peterson and he provides a insight in to what got the Chiefs in to their current state of suckdom.

I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

You had some trouble with injuries over your 2 years in KC but overall, how was your experience playing for the Chiefs?

“It was cool man. You know, it wasn’t what I wanted to be. I was supposed to come back and have the opportunity to play TE. That is what I initially signed on for and they were going to give me that opportunity and then, all of the sudden, Willie Roaf went down and they were put in sort of a pickle offensive line-wise cause he retired. And it just turned in to this thing, you know, they knew me, they knew my passion and where I stood and that being back on the field meant more to me than pretty much anything and so they offered me the job and I just took it. I felt good at the time, my body was in good shape. I should have stayed at TE, you know, it would brought my snaps down to maybe 20 a game, instead of having to run every play of every game. My body after the back injury and after the weight loss, it really wasn’t conducive to playing that offensive line position.

I did the best I could and I was proud of that. I was proud of the way I came back from that injury and I was able to get a few more years out of my NFL career.

Were they the best years? Not by far but I have a lot to be proud of. The first game back after coming back from such a serious back injury was as emotional to me and important to me as any game. I could have gotten my knee blown out that game and retired that day and I would have been completely satisfied just because it was such an ordeal for me to return to the game of football after that back injury. It was a lot of hard work, blood, sweat and tears man.

So my experience in Kansas City was what it was. We didn’t have much success team-wise, they were rebuilding a lot and we didn’t put many wins together. We lucked into the playoffs that first year.

There was a lot of game playing going on, you know? They were trying to figure out their team and then how they could win. They were just kind of grasping at straws it seemed a lot of times. I think the right people got eliminated and some of the right people got brought in to replace them. That being the case, I think that this year they’ve got great talent to give them a lot of potential to win some games.

If I was a part of that in any way, that’s great man. Just like the Saints winning the Super Bowl, I take great pride that I was a part of that organization to help build whatever it may have been, to help them get where they were going because this game rides on its history, it doesn’t ride on its future and it will always earn its money based on the things that the veterans have come and done. It’s reputation and lure, just the whole thing and what the team believes all comes from the guys who played there. They don’t remember all the wins and losses sometimes but they remember those people that played.”

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Source: Yardbarker.com

You probably already knew this but Larry Johnson is an ass. He always has been an ass and it looks as though he always will be an ass.

Larry made some comments recently on WPGC’s Lil’ Mo Show in DC that confirmed this fact.

Before I get to that, lets take a quick look at how Johnson went from KC Pro Bowler to Cincinnati Bengal to Washington Redskin.

It all started when Johnson was riding the bench behind Chiefs great, Priest Holmes. Johnson had been complaining publicly about his lack of playing time, despite being the back up for one of the games best running backs. Johnson was too stupid to understand that he was drafted as an insurance policy to Holmes. Priest had been injury prone and Kansas City wanted another dynamic back available in case he went down again, which he eventually did. Larry was always going to get his chance but instead of being a humble, team player and waiting his turn, he griped to the media.

Johnson’s behavior led then Chiefs head coach, Dick Vermiel to say that it was time for Johnson to “take his diapers off.”

Vermiel’s words created quite a stir. Johnson was pissed and the media seemed to think it was uncalled for.

We all now know, Dick was right. Vermiel knew Johnson was immature and hotheaded and that is likely why he was keeping him on the bench. Holmes was injured and Vermiel was simply saying Johnson needed to grow up and grow up fast.

For a while, LJ made Vermeil look foolish for sitting him for so long. He went off once he finally got on the field, racking up huge rushing numbers. Still, if you were paying attention you could see that Johnson wasn’t anywhere near as talented as Holmes.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

There has been a lot of hate flowing in the direction of Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe in the last few days. Some of it is deserved and some of it is absurd.

As you have likely heard, Bowe has made some comments recently that have ticked some people off. It all started a couple of days ago when Pro Football Talk reported some quotes of Bowe’s that will appear in the next issue of ESPN The Magazine. In the report, Bowe basically spills the beans on some former and possibly current teammates. He told the magazine that in 2007, some Chiefs players “imported” women from around the country and put them up in the team’s hotel.

Since Bowe’s words have gotten out, everyone from former Chiefs coach Herm Edwards to Bowe’s former teammate, Jimmy Wilkerson, have weighed in. Herm basically said Bowe should have kept his mouth shut. The former coach also said that if players were bringing girls to the hotels in 2007, he didn’t know about it. Wilkerson flat out called Bowe a liar and claimed that security at the hotels was too tight for the type of behavior Bowe mentioned.

The fallout from this has led to a lot of criticism of Bowe. Some are questioning if he could be punished by the league or by the team. Others are saying he could be talking his way out of Kansas City.

To me, this entire episode is a circus filled with hypocritical ringmasters.

And I’m already over it.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

I told you yesterday that D-Bowe made some rather controversial comments via an interview with ESPN The Magazine. I also told you that former Chiefs coach, Herm Edwards is now on Twitter. As soon as the D-Bowe story broke, I wondered what Herm might say about it considering the shenanigans happened during 2007 when he was the Chiefs coach.

Well, Herm has tweeted that he is going to talk about it today on NFL Live.

I’m talking about D-Bowe’s comments on NFL Live @ 4p EST.

If you are able to watch, please do and report back to us what he says. =)

You can follow Herm here. You should also check out this video of Trey Wingo teaching Herm how to use Twitter and telling him “You Tweet to win the game!”

Brilliant.

Source: Yardbarker.com

Source: Yardbarker.com

Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe gave an interview to ESPN The Magazine for a feature called “Postcards from the Edge,” and in it, he basically says that in 2007, Chiefs players used to fly groupies they met on the internet out to the hotels the team was staying in.

“My rookie year, we were playing in San Diego,” Bowe says.  “You hear stories about groupies hanging out in hotel lobbies, but some of my teammates had it set up so there was a girl in every room.  The older guys get on MySpace and Facebook a week before we go to a city; when a pretty one writes back, they arrange to fly her in three or four days in advance. They call it importing.”

Look, I could care less about Bowe giving an interview about stuff that was happening in 2007. I have read some reactions that Bowe’s teammates may not appreciate his candor but I am not sure many of the guys pulling that kind of crap in 2007 are still on the team. This doesn’t exactly sound like the “Right 53″ kind of behavior the new regime expects from its players. I would be shocked if this kind of thing is happening under Haley’s watch. Regardless, if stuff like this did happen last year, you can bet it won’t now that Bowe has spilled the beans.

For me, this is more of an incitement on the “Club Herm” atmosphere of laziness that prevailed under the Edwards regime.

Regardless on your take on all this, it should spark some pretty interesting debate.

Sound off Addicts!

Is it me or is Herm giving Carl the "Evil Eye" in this photo? Source: Yardbarker.com

Not long ago we gave you the heads up that our old friend “King” Carl Peterson was spotted at the NFL league meetings in Orlando. I suggested at the time that the “King” might be looking for a job, possibly with the Miami Dolphins, as he has been linked as a possible successor to Bill Parcells.

Well it looks like more fuel is being thrown on that fire, at least according to Pro Football Talk:

Per a league source, Peterson and Ross were seen together on numerous occasions, with Dolphins G.M. Jeff Ireland and coach Tony Sparano rarely in sight.  It has long been believed that Ross will hire Peterson once current V.P. of football operations Bill Parcells leaves.

The source believes that Ireland and/or Sparano could be in trouble if Peterson is hired, given that Peterson would become the G.M. — and the possibility that he would want to hire his own coach.

It may still be possible that Peterson is simply friendly with Ross and is at the meetings because of his duties as the Chairman of USA Football. Still, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Carl Peterson back in the NFL sooner rather than later. After all, it took him 20 years to leave KC. One doesn’t usually stay in a job that long unless he likes it. I bet Peterson’s time away has given him the itch again.

But the past 24 hours has been an uncharacteristically candid bonanza of Haley discussing the Chiefs. As a blogger who follows his every public word, I’m not used to it and I’m not complaining about it. Keep talking to us, Todd. For crying out loud, you couldn’t keep Vermeil or Edwards away from a microphone.

I think of all the discussion about offensive and defensive line, Haley’s comments on stud WR Dwayne Bowe are a breath of fresh air (posted after the jump):

”He didn’t know what to expect last year so he came in and he wasn’t in the greatest shape,” Haley said Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, Fla. ”He had a difficult road back and it was a struggle but he survived it, much like a lot of us did. He weathered the storm and got his weight where it had to be and more importantly, he understands what’s expected of him.

”I expect him in a couple of days and we’ve stayed in contact and stayed in touch and I know his mind’s in the right place. He wants to be a top receiver and now it’s going to be up to him. This off-season is going to start and (Bowe must) put everything into it to be a top receiver. I do think understanding what’s expected is a big item for Dwayne Bowe. I don’t doubt he has the skill to be a top receiver. He just needs to do it on a full-time basis.”

Due to how candid Haley’s being, I am actually confident about something that I’ve picked up from a Haley interview!  Dreams can come true.

(More after the jump.)

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Yours truly making the trek to a preseason win at Chicago's Soldier Field in 2008.

Why?

I’m a firm believer that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it.

So without further delay, here are a couple I think we need to remember.

1. Of the 53  players on the Chiefs kickoff roster in 2008, only seven joined the team prior to Herm Edwards arrival in 2006.

2. Six rookies were in the Chiefs starting lineup on kickoff weekend in 2008. Thats the most for any KC team since the Chiefs became the Chiefs.

What do I take from that?

Herm and Carl thought they had time. Lots of time. All the time they needed to blow up the KC highrise from the basement up and start building from the ground up.

They thought the KC fans that Carl Peterson brought to Arrowhead (yours truly being one of them), would keep coming. No matter what. No matter how many losses. No matter how embarrassing those losses might be.

And they thought the Hunt family would keep them in their cozy offices at Arrowhead for as long as the view pleased them.

Well as we all know they were wrong. Dead wrong. Out of the NFL wrong.

But was Herm given a chance?

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Source: yardbarker.com

Scott Pioli and Todd Haley have to do better this offseason. I told you yesterday that I thought some fans overreacting a bit to the Chiefs current lack of moves in the free agent market. I preached patience and talked about the virtues of making smart personnel moves and not overacting by blowing huge chunks of money on big name fee agents.

That being said, I still think this is a crucial offseason for Pioli and Haley. Thus far, their moves last season were total failures. The highlights were the trade for Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel and the pickup of Chris Chambers off the waiver wire.

Other than that, Pioli’s first season with the Chiefs was marred by what appears to be a weak, slowly developing draft class and poor free agency signings.

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So begins a multi-part series examining some of the actions and styles of key stakeholders who are critical to the success or failure of this new chapter in Chiefs history. 

First up,

OWNERSHIP

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I was reading over Double D’s excellent feature “Mark it a Double” and something occurred to me. Now that Weiss and Crennel have been hired, the Chiefs have their first united front since the Dick Vermeil era. When Dick was hired he started putting the pieces in place and although it took him a couple of years, the Chiefs got competitive and eventually, they hit the jackpot of a 13-3 season. It was Dick Vermiels team. It was a united front.

When Dick decided to retire, his team was at the end of the line. They had one more playoff run in them and Carl Peterson knew it. Rather than let new his head coach, Herm Edwards, run things as he saw fit from day 1, Peterson forced Herm to roll with Vermiels old crew.

Thus began the era of dysfunction.

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It is the Chiefs fans 2010 January lament. Who can blame them?

It is hard to argue against the idea that the Chiefs did not improve in 2009. Their defense gave up only 16 fewer points than the 08’ squad. The offense scored a whopping 3 points more than Tyler Thigpen and the “Arrowspread” offense. The variance in the numbers between 08’ and 09’ are so minuscule that is it hard to find any real difference between the season that got Herman Edwards fired and the season Todd Haley lead the team, disappointing so many. To most long suffering Chiefs fans, it was just different faces getting the same results.

I’m not here to tell you not to be angry about all the losing. I am here to try to give you an objective look at why the Chiefs 09’ season was not a lateral move. I actually think Haley did a remarkable job, given the circumstances he inherited.

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By the end of the 2008 season, Carl Peterson had resigned and Herm Edwards was on his way out of town. Some of the players from the 08’ class had had decent seasons, including Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr and Brandon Albert. However, with the old regime on it’s way out, the rookies futures were up in the air.

While many of Herm Edwards’ picks were purged by the new regime, many of the top dogs from the 08’ draft class have survived. Looking over the names, these remaining players have an excellent chance to either lift the team up or cause it to sink, as they enter their 3^rd year as pros.

Let’s take a look at who is left and discuss their future roles, after the jump.

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Dwayne Bowe. Someone to build on.

“But for this week’s game, I just think it’s not fair to him. I just think Damon, he got us some momentum going and hopefully we can build on that, said Herm Edwards during a September 9th press conference in 2008.

Nearly a year and a month later, the Chiefs had a new coach, and Damon Huard was long gone. This time, it was Todd Haley putting on his construction hat.

HALEY: I was really proud of the guys. I think they pulled together and overcame adversity, overcame some injuries in some key spots to score a touchdown and tie the game and give us a chance to potentially win the game. I think that’s something we definitely as a team have to build on.”

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When the Chiefs nabbed Brandon Flowers in the 2nd round with the 35th pick of the 2008 NFL draft many experts considered him a steal that low.

Much later in the draft, Herman Edwards and Carl Peterson chose lesser known Brandon Carr, a division II player out of Grand Valley state in the 5th round with the 140th pick. Carr was thought to be talented but a bit of an unknown quantity, being that he did not play at a division I school. It was believed he would be a bit of a project and he began the year as a backup.

The fans may not have realized it at the time, but it was the start of something special.

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Fraud: “Good morning, Gunther. How have you been? I have not seen you since the debacle in the Queen City!”

Gunther: “Its been tough. Real damn tough. The players. The f***ing players. They just quit on our trip to Cincy. Then they fired the King. Then Herm. I knew my ass was the next to go.”

Fraud: “I see. Please, please continue”

Gunther: “You see, dammit, I thought I had lost my touch.  Like I said during our last session, I just didn’t know what to do to motivate these players. After all our draft picks on defense and we finished 29th in f***ing defense. Sh**, I was depressed.”

Fraud: “Tell me more.”

Gunther: “Well, one night I had this dream. I was coaching a team of silver and blue and, believe it or not, we were in the Super Bowl. I had gotten the old gang together for one last run. Donnie on the outside and Marvcus Patton in the middle. Dale Carter and James Hasty at the corners. Neil Smith even slimmed his fat f***ing ass down to play end for me. All we were missing was D.T. We were awesome. I woke up from that dream and got a call from the Lions owner, Mr. Ford. He asked me to move to Detroit and become their defensive coordinator.”

Fraud: “I see. And how did that make you feel?”

Gunther:”Hell, speechless at first. I accepted knowing I couldn’t do any worse of a job in Detroit than Matt Millen’s crew and the Big 3 had done during the last several years. Later, I came to my senses and realized that DETROIT WAS DEAD F***ING LAST IN THE F***ING LEAGUE IN F***ING DEFENSE! Behind even the Chiefs. I went to Mr. Ford’s office ready to turn in my resignation papers. His response: ‘Gunther, don’t worry so much. You can only go one way — up. Besides, there is talk of a bailout with additional draft picks being allocated to Detroit.’ I was pretty upset when I went in there, but that meeting calmed me down. I mean, those dumb bastards went 0-16 last year. I had to coach with Herm f***ing Edwards and still managed to get two wins.”

Fraud: “Yes, Yes Tell me more.”

Gunther:”I got excited. Burned those damn Cover 2 playbooks of Herm’s — that sh** isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on…I told him…you gotta f***ing blitz — then I began calling all the old gang. First, I asked Donnie to play for me for a fourth time. He’s about as damn old as me, but I truly do love that son of a bitch. He said yes. Then Marvcus, Dale, James and Neil. They were all in. Hell, I even got Andre Rison to play for me again. I figured even he could afford a house in Detroit. If it gets burned down that’s his own damn — ”

Fraud: “But, Gunther, wait…what are you going to do if you run in to trouble in Detroit? After all, their winningest coach was WAYNE FONTES!!”

Gunther: “I thought about that, too. But then I remembered something that brought me piece of mind. I can always get a job replacing GREG ROBINSON somewhere.”

Fraud: “Ah-ha! An old patient of mine. Funny. I could never quite fix that one.”

Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards are gone. Scott Pioli and Todd Haley have replaced them. Derrick Thomas will soon be a HoFer. Tony Gonzalez has re-written all the records he basically can, even Pro Bowl ones. Larry Johnson thinks he’s Tony Montana, which is funny given all the fountains in Kansas City. So…

Addicts, where do we go now? Let us know!

The days of torture in America are over. Just days after Barack Obama made the executive order to shut down Guantanamo Bay, Chiefs GM Scott Pioli made one to shut down Herm Edwards. Most of us are jumping for joy, knowing that this coaching imposter can never “Harm” us again with his unique brand of torture. But…

Like with Gitmo, the Chiefs have to make sure they clean up the mess without making things worse.

I think Scott Pioli is up to the task. I like how he’s handling things so far. He appeased both his new boss and the fans in his handling of the Harm situation. Given that Clark Hunt wanted Herm to stay and most fans desperately wanted him to go, Holy Pioli played both sides masterfully. I agree with Jason Whitlock’s stance on this one. Joe Posnanski, get a grip, dude. No need to cry for Herm and his $3 million golden parachute. I wish life was that “cruel” to me. You don’t want to get fired? Then don’t go 6-26, you loser. If any of us were that unefficient at our jobs we’d get canned, too. What’s really cruel is that Chiefs fans like you and me splurged on Chiefs tickets and NFL Season Ticket only to be tortured by Hermball.

Anyway, in order to fix this mess, Pioli must first find the right head coach.

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Thank you Scott Pioli, thank you Clark Hunt.

The best part may be that we never have to see the confused look at the scoreboard again.

There are talks that the Chiefs are near a deal with former rival Denver coach Mike Shanahan.

Check back for much more on this breaking news.

What a great start to the weekend!

NBC Sports analyst Cris Collinsworth expects Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley to become the Chiefs’ next head coach.

“I think he’ll be the coach in Kansas City,” Collinsworth told me Tuesday on a teleconference.

“I’m watching what’s happening with all the (new) coaches, and we’ve seen some of the defensive coaches come off the board, and the one guy nobody is talking about that has surprised me, and it’s because (the Cardinals) flew so far under the radar screen, was Haley. He’s not under the radar screen anymore.

Much, much more to come on my man Haley.

I mean, come on. Say what you will about Carl Peterson, there is no denying that his tenure provided this city and the fans of this team everywhere with some pretty exciting football and that he, more than anyone, was responsible for creating the “Arrowhead Experience.” For that and a host of other reasons, on behalf of appreciative Chiefs fans everywhere, I salute and thank you Mr. Peterson for your many contributions and years of dedicated service to this fantastic organization. I am sure similar success will continue to follow you in Detroit or wherever you happen to land and I wish you only the best on that account.

On that note, I feel I must now move on to the accompanying mob frenzy calling for the head of Herm Edwards and presumably any and all other decision makers. Pretty much everyone I know, have read or listened to fundamentally agreed on what needed to be done with this team after last season. Blow it up and rebuild. Herm and the organization, for the most part, did what we asked of him on that account and there was negligible dissent about the fact that he and the Chiefs, in acing the draft, mastered the essential first step.

Yet, in spite of such universal acclaim and optimism, the dominant consensus about what should be reasonable in terms of a win-loss record for this season remained reservedly low. I believe 4-12 was the most favored prediction. At this point, I would guess the Chiefs stand about a 50-50 chance of going 4-12. But then, so what if they don’t?

Still, if we indeed hit or come close to that mark, I have to admit I will be particularly eager to see how people respond. Why? Because I can hardly wait to see how many people will continue to carry on in shrill fashion, making like this season ended up being some catastrophic disappointment for them. Based on what I see people writing and hear most people saying I totally see that happening. Results meeting expectations be damned apparently, the fevered mob will not be satisfied until it sees the head of Herm Edwards and his entourage roll.

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Harm Edwards has turned losing into an art form. For loss-aficionados, today was a thing of beauty. I wonder if Harm can take up painting because at this point, he might be able to make serious bank at Lloyd’s of London if he can paint as well as he can lose.

21-10 with 1:13 to go. Final Score 22-21, Chargers. Its been a while since I have seen a team that looked so sure to win, dominating for three quarters, only to collapse and get shut out in the 4th. We led 21-3 in the third quarter!

• Will the Connor Barth believers please raise your hand? Thanks, now show yourself out.
• D-Bowe! You’re my man, and you took a big shot- but you gotta hang onto the ball son.
• Harm, what can I say. If we were trying to lose, that was a thing of beauty. It really was. I told my old man with 6 minutes left that I could see us losing this one. He agreed, and we couldn’t stop laughing as it went down. I mean really, at this point that’s all you can do is have a hearty Christmas chuckle at Herm and Company’s ineptitude.

All excuses go out the window at this point. Rookies, young team etc. Yeah we missed a few kicks, a few drops, a pick — whatever…that’s football. At some point blowing big leads has to fall on the coaching staff. That’s where the buck stops. Its not Tony’s fault, or LJ or Thiggy or D-Bowe – (well, maybe D-Bowe)…or Carl or Clark or the fans. It’s the coaching.

I want to take a win anytime, but at this point…why get upset over the loss? — outside of wanting to get rid of this cancerous loser Herm Edwards that is. Even when he is winning he loses! Tampa, 21 point lead, this debacle today…all we can do is laugh and hope Clunt comes to his senses.

I wanted to get this up and let people vent on the comments before we get some post up tomorrow trying to look at the bright side. There is no bright side to this loss, aside from keeping and bettering our draft position. My God, what is it going to take before we can get you homers to call for Herm’s head?

My advice to Clark, next week, take a good look at the empty seats and repeat “HARM” in your head 50 times because that’s how they will continue to look next season. Even when “the plan” takes effect, how is this coach going to maintain a lead? He can’t won’t and don’t. Please spend some of that jack you saved this year at our expense and hire Bill Cowher. I’m begging you, the fans are begging you and we are the ones paying the tab. Be like Nike and “JUST DO IT”

WIN WITH THE CHIN ’09

At first, I was an anti-spread guy when it came to the pros. I’ve softened a little bit on that stance. First off, it’s obvious that Tyler Thigpen is much more comfortable in this kind of offense. The offense line was a five-lane expressway before we implemented the formation. Larry? I think it’s easy for him to get a head full of steam, which makes him extremely difficult to bring down. I also think this offense could potentially extend his career. Tony Gonzalez? More receiving, less blocking. As a result, he’s thrived. Dwayne Bowe has been his usual standout self, occasional drops due to lapses in concentration and all. Mark Bradley has emerged as a legit complimentary receiver.

The other pro is that both Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow run the spread, and rumor has it that we are still thinking quarterback. Don’t shoot the messenger, yo, but we might still draft a quarterback this upcoming spring. If Andre Smith is unavailable, I think anything that early except a QB might be a reach in this draft class. I don’t see a top-five defensive end among the bunch, and I don’t believe top-five linebackers exist. You reach when you pick a LB in the top five. I’ll put it this way; I’d rather have two good quarterbacks than none. Gotta hedge that bet.

One other potential pro is that it could balance out Herm Edwards‘ tendency to be overly conservative. Because the spread is an aggressive formation by nature, conservative playcalling with this formation is counter-productive.

Cons? Well, L.J. isn’t exactly the Wizard of Westbrook as a receiver and Jamaal Charles hands are suspect. I also think it puts you at a disadvantage in the redzone and on short yardage situations, because if you line up in under-center formations after primarily running the spread it telegraphs that you are going to go to the power running game. Especially with Harm at coach. Additionally, if Harm tries to be too conservative late in games he will clip the spread’s wings.

It’s also currently unknown just how effective either Brodie Croyle or Quinn Gray will be in the spread, or if either guy will even be around next year should we stick with the trendy O. Damon Huard‘s done as a Chief, that we know.

Like everybody else, I’m going to keep an eye on Thiggy Smalls these next three weeks. By the end of the season, he will have had basically 10 games in the spread. I think that’s enough of a look for the Addict jury, and the Chiefs, to reach a verdict.

Addicts, should the spread stay or should it go?

Now before all you Herm Apologists and homers and insane sheep come out and stomp your feet and cry “but we ARE looking better”- hear me out. I’m you! I’m die-hard Chiefs! I hate Denver and Oakland and can’t imagine going to a game in any other stadium than Arrowhead! I am the guy that found Joe Phillips! I am the guy who called for Brodie Croyle’s head! I am the guy who gave you LJ’s accuser! I love you man! Sometimes when we love so deeply we have to give out some tough love. Lock the doors, this has went from column to intervention.

I think Tyler Thigpen is good. I’ll say it again, Tyler Thigpen is good. The guy looks like a capable NFL QB. I don’t know if he can start and win games yet, but he gives the illusion of a good football team. A mirage in a dusty desert Chiefs fans crawl to — reaching out for, holding out hope that someone can rescue us from QB hell and quench our thirst for stability. Oh, hahaha! But then there’s Herm Edwards and Ashton Kutcher there at the water’s edge to kick sand in your face with his 32nd ranked defense. You’re on Punk’d!

Some of my detractors out there, newly-anointed Hermaphrodites, claim that I never have anything good to say about Herm. My reply is, give me something good to say! Why do you think I named him Harm? Because the guy does nothing but bad things for our team. We need a Hippocratic Coaching oath that includes “Do no Harm“, the Lombardi Pledge or Ditka Doctrine could be some good names for said oath.

Fact of the matter is, Mr. Thigpen hasn’t won a game yet, and its not for a lack of trying. The same old Herm reasons also apply here why we are still losing games- poor clock management, poor decisions on 3rd and 4th down, not kicking to send a game to overtime… Common denominator = Herm. The only reason the Thigpen isn’t hurt yet a la Croyle & Huard is because of the spread offense. Thiggy Smalls should be on his hands and knees every G.D. night thanking Chan Gailey for his head still being attached to his body.

We went to the spread offense out of necessity! Necessity! We had to get 8 guys out of our box so we could breathe on offense because Herm’s vanilla ice cream offense melted down our hand — and then like Brodie Croyle’s urine — went straight down the leg. Had we not switched to the spread, we’d be signing more guys off the street and Mark Wahlberg isn’t walking through the doors anytime soon.

You know and I know that we aren’t playing Herm football right now and that’s where this Thigpen mirage comes from. We see the ball flying around and making some first downs and even some touchdowns, but still come up short but “Hey at least it was fun to watch right?” Right and wrong, because next year when we have a starting QB and some semblance of an offensive line and maybe some new toys on defense we are going to be right back to square one with Harm Edwards football. Running the ball (if we still have LJ) and trying to play the vaunted Tampa 2 without the right linebackers and we are going to be having all these same conversations again.

• Why can’t we keep our QB upright?
• What is Herm doing/thinking/watching on that play?
• Why are we losing games in the 4th quarter?
• Why are we running the ball up the gut 3 times and punting?

Get ready Hermlovers, because this is what this site will look like just under a year from now.

Clark Hunt — if you or your minions are reading this, I implore you, I beg you…make your mark on this franchise. Its time to step out of Daddy’s rather large shadow and take the reigns of this stagecoach because its headed over the cliff and the horses have blinders on. Hire us a winning coach and the rest of the pieces will fall into place. None of this “do-over” and free shit season pass business. This football team is exactly that, a business. Treat it as such.

I love the Addicts and all Chiefs fans, but I spit the Herm Edwards bait out, and I’m not falling for this debacle and never will. We are worse than the Detroit Lions record-wise. Think about that.

1-18 is UNACCEPTABLE!

I picked us to go 4-12 again this year. Not too much to ask for and it could still happen, but until I see improvement on the win/loss record, we aren’t getting any better no matter how thirsty we are for victories, what we are seeing now is a mirage, and a lot of Chiefs fans are seeing what they want to see.

“Chiefs are making strides under Edwards.”

Thanks to the two bumbling blobs over at The Kansas City Star, we now have this…

Jason Whitlock, stick to what earns you your paycheck — blaming Carl Peterson for global warming, the economy’s collapse, the latest season of Entourage starting off slowly and all the world’s other problems.

Jos Posnanski, stick to baseball — you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about when it comes to the gridiron.

Just because you can write well — and credit where credit is due, you both can do just that — doesn’t mean you can write well about the Chiefs.

Here’s the biggest thing; if Herm Edwards had of made some decent adjustments and not tightened up down the stretch like a nun’s holiest of holies, then the Chiefs would have never even been put in that position in the first place. Yet they were. Harm’s three consecutive three-and-outs gave the game away. For the third time in as many weeks, Harm snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Either this guy is tanking it or he is criminally mishandling leads. There’s no way he’s tanking games either, so you do the math.

Another thing I hated about Harm going for two is that he basically put Tyler Thigpen in a position where he lost the game for the Chiefs, or at least I’m pretty damn sure that’s how he felt after he threw that near pick to end the game. Why not take it into overtime, where you can give Thiggy Smalls more pressure-situation experience and a better chance at being a hero. We all know that most young quarterbacks really struggle inside the redzone, especially inside the 10-yard line. Tony Gonzalez‘s second touchdown was tipped by two Chargers, and it took every bit of Tony’s Hall of Fame skills to make that snag, so don’t give Tyler too much credit there. If we won the toss, there is no way the Chargers would have stopped our offense, as long as Herm allowed Chan Gailey to play call aggressively, which never seems to be the case late in tight contests. In that scenario, Thigpen leads us down the field, we kick a short field goal and Thiggy is the talk of the league. Now that would have been terrible for his confidence. Just terrible, I tell you!

If we lost the toss and, as a result, the game, we could have just blamed the loss on the defense being depleted by injuries. That way Thigpen’s psyche doesn’t get damaged. After all, developing a quarterback is the most crucial part of this rebuilding process. This year, it’s even more important than the final score.

I’m just sick and tired of fans and high-profile journalists alike patting Herm Edwards on the back. I expect that from “yes man” Bob Gretz, but the rest of you are better than that.

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Tyler Thigpen can go out there and play like Drew Brees and we can rush for 100 yards, score 27 points and still lose. The common denominator? Herm Freaking Edwards. Harm Edwards.

My question to you, fellow Chiefs fans, is how much Harm is enough? How long must we deal with Herm wrecking our team and tunneling it further into the ground before we storm the castle?

He’s taken two teams, year-in, year-out playoff participants and gone nowhere but downhill with them.

In KC he took a team with one of the most prolific offenses in the league and turned it into a Pop Warner squad. The Chiefs the last several years have sort of resembled the last two Presidents- (Obama and Bush) a tale of two extremes. Dick’s Team was all offense and no defense, we’ll call his Bush for argument’s sake. Now, I wish I could say Herm “fixed” our defense, gave us a mediocre offense and brought us to the Obama term and Arrowhead glory of the early 90′s: but we have no offense AND no defense; while we still have some offensive stars, their play has been, well…offensive. We can’t seem to find the middle.

Herm’s defensive expertise, which he is given waaaay too much credit for- has given us a worse defense than we had during the Vermeil years. This year we are last in rushing yards allowed by 17 percent. It’s an embarrassment and there’s no way to explain why Harm Edwards still has a job. Unless of course you are Carl’s homie and you work at One Arrowhead Drive, where the “Rebuilding Umbrella” shields you from those heavy downpours of criticism, keeping you warm and dry from the storm.

Fuel to the fire

Herm has been good at squeaking into the playoffs with Bill Parcells and Dick Vermeil teams, at 10-6, 9-7 and then 6-10. He runs RBs like Curtis Martin and Larry Johnson into the ground and can’t protect his QBs. He had to bring Vinny Testaverde out of retirement due to injuries, got Trent Green killed, hurt Damon that year, now Brodie and Damon again. LJ was leading the league in rushing ’til he jumped the shark or we would have been down the same road again. If we had beat the Raiders, we’d be contending for the top seed of the AFC West with two wins! The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Having Herm Edwards as the coach of your football team needs to be part two of that definition. All roads lead to mediocrity.

Oh yeah and we are 1-17. ONE AND SEVENTEEN! Going back to last season’s losing streak of 9 games.

Miami won one game last year, and look what Parcells/Sparano has done with them. Contending for their division, playoff bound- with Herm’s cast-off QB Chad Pennington! Rams, Falcons and Dolphins OH MY! All out-coaching and outperforming the Germ. Please, by all means defend Herm, but I challenge you to do it without the statement of “give him more time.”

• Are we seeing some improvement from young players? Yes, albeit, a little bit- absolutely. Isn’t that to be expected, at least a little bit?
• Are we still finding ways to lose games under Herm? More than we should.
• Was Brodie Croyle a mistake? Of course he was, it was obvious from the get-go.
  
• Was LJ’s contract a mistake? That’s looking like a yes- but don’t count him out.
  
• Letting Jared Allen go? I think we all know we had to.
• Not letting Tony Gonzalez walk? A mistake if we are truly rebuilding.

Finally, this question is for the fans to answer…

Addicts, how much time do we give Harm Edwards despite the Rebuilding Umbrella and other excuses?

Herm Edwards called a press conference this morning at Arrowhead and delivered some shocking news.

Edwards announced yet another devastating suspension for Chiefs fans, coming on the heels of yesterday’s suspension deactivation of star running back Larry Johnson.

“I got some good news and some bad news, the good news is I won’t be on the sideline this Sunday, as I am suspending myself for conduct detrimental to the team. Bad news, which you may have heard about yesterday, is that Larry won’t be with us because he pushed some chickenhead in the face like Samson did on Half-Baked during his back-e-otomy lament, in a downtown KC club 8 months ago.”

Edwards also commented about Johnson’s alleged victim having other motivations than justice, such as money, from his starting running back.

“Now I ain’t sayin’ she a gold digger, But she ain’t messin’ wit no broke ni*#as,” Edwards said.

Bob Gretz asked how Johnson would handle the one game suspension, Edwards said, “He gon’ make it to a Benz out of that Datsun. He got that ambition, baby look in his eyes. This week he’s moppin’ floors, next week it’s the fries. So, stick by his side, I know this dude’s ballin, and yeah that’s nice.”

When asked about why Edwards didn’t wait for the NFL to decide who is suspended and who is not, Edwards continued, “We are trying to beat Commissioner Roger Goodell to the punch, because you all saw Pacman get lifted off the ground and choked out by Roger’s force powers this week, and as you all know from seeing Larry whiff on blocks that the force is not strong with him. We hope this pre-emptive suspension against both Larry and myself will help us get at least one first down and get someone in there to block for Brodie since its possible he could end up in the trash compactor with Chewbacca and Luke facing that Tennessee defense.”

Edwards faced some tough questions from KC media types like Jason Whitlock as well, “Being the best head coach in the league, and maybe of all-time, how can you justifiably suspend yourself?”

“You play to win the game…hello!?” Edwards replied. “My coaching has been problematic for the last six games and two years so I’m hoping that by removing myself from the situation, we will be able to get a win Sunday. It’s a fun time if you have a job. It’s not a fun time when you’re a guy who doesn’t have a job.”

Edwards also commented on the return of Brodie Croyle, the Chiefs oft-injured, winless quarterback and whether he would throw the ball more than usual with his running back out.

“You do what’s best for your team, … throw passes and get (the quarterback) killed. Are you kidding me? For what? That’s ridiculous.”

“What we’re worrying about now is trying to figure out who to blame. But there is no blame, teams go through this,” insisted Edwards. “I mean, really, really, what’s worse for the Chiefs? What’s worse for the Chiefs? If I’m not there, they can’t blame me. Can’t blame me, right? There’s no problem here.”