One week ago, Kansas City Chiefs fans were asking the following questions:
Just how good can the Chiefs be?
Is this defense for real?
Is the running game back?
Can the Chiefs make the playoffs?
Can the Chiefs win the AFC West?
After the Jacksonville Jaguars debacle last weekend, we are now asking these questions:
Just how God awful are these Chiefs?
Is our secondary the slowest in the league?
Why even use a running back behind this line?
Is the Chiefs season already over?
Do we need to get Bill Kucharich and Lynn Stiles some tape of Brian Brohm?
What a difference a week makes, huh? I’ll tell you what — I don’t remember a regular season Chiefs’ loss that was more deflating. Ever. The Lin Elliot and “No Punt” playoff games were devastating, but I’m talking regular season here. The Steelers game from last year was bad, as was the Philly collapse from the previous season. The 2004 home opener was bad, too. We made DeShaun Foster (32 carries for 174 yards?) look like Walter Payton that game. Still, this was worse.
The only thing that’s keeping me from officially calling this season over is what I think about the Jags. I genuinely think that’s the scrappiest team in the league. I made that pretty clear before the game, too:
"“You know who the Jags are? They’re that little guy in the bar that you don’t think much of. Well, that is until you’ve had a twelve pack, talked some smack, taken it outside and got your ass kicked. The Jags play ugly football, but Jack Del Rio’s team will not back down from a fight, even at Arrowhead."
Wish our boys would have read a little more AA last week, you know, instead of wearing themselves out patting themselves on the backs after that Chargers upset.
Back to the Jags. That team just doesn’t make mistakes. David Garrard hasn’t thrown a pick all season, and overall the team has only two turnovers. And while the offense is pretty damn conservative, they move the chains and stay unpredictable. Dirk Koetter and Mike Tice put on a clinic on how to run an effective ball control offense last Sunday. I sincerely hope that Dick Curl and Mike Solari were watching and taking mental notes.
Even if the Jags are a playoff-caliber team, the loss is still alarming.
What the hell is going on with Ty Law? He looks slower than Jason Belser out there.
How many times will Dwayne Bowe have to tear it up in the second half before we decide to start getting him the ball in the first half?
I know Jacksonville may have the best DT-MLB combo in the league, but I thought our interior offensive lineman were the strength of the O-line? What in the world is going on with Brian Waters?
Jarrad Page gave up two huge plays last week, and looks completely lost out there. The Jags’ coaching staff wanted to exploit him and did.
Chris Terry does not fit on this team. That dude has no heart. He completely just quit on a play and let an mediocre defensive end have an unobstructed path to Damon Huard for a sack. Kyle Turley can’t get healthy soon enough. Yes, that’s how bad Terry is.
Defensively, how long did it take Gunther Cunningham and Co. to figure out that sending the house on third down was playing into the Jags’ hands. Why didn’t he deploy either Bernard Pollard or Derrick Johnson as a spy on MJD? I’ve never, ever seen a team get screened, delayed and drawed to death on third down like that. Our linebackers are so fast that if we don’t send them all there’s no way a screen or delay works on third and long. Gun, I know you’re German (so am I, mostly), but does every third down have to be Blitzkrieg?
Has anyone noticed that Huard tucks and prepares for sacks quicker than any quarterback who’s ever played the game. It’s clear to me that this is a guy who isn’t used to getting hit. Considering that he doesn’t have the mobility or quick delivery to avoid getting sacked that’s a bad combination. Especially behind this line.
The one thing I am excited about this week is the possibility of Brodie Croyle starting. His delivery is quicker and his arm is much stronger. He’s also mobile. I see us booting him out some as well. All of this will help the passing game, and I expect Bowe especially to be even better.
Still, if we can’t run on the Cincinnati Bengals, it won’t matter. The Bengals have arguably the worst defense in the league. If we can’t effectively run on them, then we might as well rest Larry Johnson up for the 2008 season and start scouting offensive lineman. The bad news is that the Bengals are just as desperate as we are, not to mention coming off a bye week. Plus, the thought of Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh facing off with Slow and Slower scares the hell out of me. Page, Pollard and Ty Brackenridge better be ready back there, because Pat Surtain and Ty Law could very well could be burned extra crispy by the end of the game.
Honestly, I just have a hard time seeing this season going anywhere at this point. I hope the Chiefs prove me wrong, but I’m all but certain that our offense is flawed beyond repair. We’ll see.
(And, no, I don’t want to write/talk about Priest Holmes until he gives me something to talk about.)