The Chiefs: a Dichotomasaurus

Here in the middle of the football year known as 2015, there appears to be as many questions about this year’s Kansas City Chiefs as there were during the offseason. Are the Chiefs… the five game in a row losers they proved to be from September 17th to October 18th… or are the Chiefs the 45 to 10 Lion tamers they proved to be last Sunday? The answer… may be one of a universal mystery variety.

And these questions extend far beyond this season. Some of these queries are ancient.

Of course, any confabulation concerning these Chiefs should begin with head coach Andy Reid. Is this the skipper who navigated the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl in 2004… or is he the mutha of all OL-whisperers who decided to bring in and place mournful misfit Mike McGlynn on the field for most of the 2014 season? While the question points to a great dichotomy, could it be true that Andy Reid is both? It’s probably more correct to say Reid is all of that and all his decisions in between. Then, the question is… which Reid will we get on any given Sunday?

His team seems to follow suit. Mainly the suit of a chameleon.

Take quarterback Alex Smith: is Sir Alex the field general who went 30/46, threw for 348 yards and 4 TDs with no INTs in the playoff game against the Indianapolis Colts two years ago… or is he the 49ers Mr. Expendable who was ousted by a guy (Colin Kaepernick) who was then ousted by another dude (Blaine Gabbert) who has a 5-22 record and has thrown fewer TDs (23) than INTs (24). At least Alexis can run (he set the all-time record for rushing yards by a Chiefs QB in a single game just last Sunday). It’s rumored that he doesn’t have forearms and that his wrists are attached to his elbows and that’s the “real” reason he doesn’t throw downfield: he can’t.

Talking about REAL rumors… was Justin Houston really spotted in Cancun around October 4-11? What’s his cover story? Really now… is he the guy who combined for 18 total tackles and 5.5 sacks in all his other games… or did K.C. slip in a faux-Houston look alike those two other weeks… I could swear he disappeared during that time.

The questions about this team abound.

Are the Chiefs formidable DL threesome of Allen Bailey, Jaye Howard and Dontari Poe the new dynamic trio that K.C. fans are all gah-gah over… or are they the same three who are (in part) responsible for allowing other teams to rush for more than 100 yards per game?

This year… even the strengths of the Chiefs team appear to be filled with inherent weaknesses. It makes you wonder from week to week, which team you’re going to get.

Is Andy Reid the coach who selected Donovan McNabb with his first pick in the 1999 draft… or the coach who took Eric Fisher #1 overall in the 2013 draft? Now, don’t argue that there wasn’t a QB to be taken at #1 in 2013 because Sean Renfree was sitting there until the 249th pick in the 7th round. I understand Renfree is sitting on IR for the Falcons… maybe Dorsey could trade for him. We’ve got some OL that need moving.

You see from game to game, we never know who we’re going to get. Is it the “Andy” of Mayberry… the guy everyone loves and likes because he can turn any loss into a moral victory? Or… are we getting the “Andrew” Cunanan Andy, the serial murderer who kills our hopes… forever keeping us on the edge of our chairs… until he pulls the chair out from under us allowing us to plummet deep again into our misery.

Andy and Alex are not the only ones on this team to leave us wondering, from week to week, whether or not we’ll get a, “Return of the King” or a Stephen King, story.

If you’ve been to a Chiefs training camp in the past two years then you’re aware that one of the stars of camp has been WR Albert Wilson. Last year was especially good for him in camp and he seemed to catch everything thrown his ways. However, once the season began, Albert was nowhere to be found with 4 catches in the first half of the season. This season Albert began with 3 receptions against Houston in game one and even though he was targeted he had zero catches the next two weeks. Now you see him… now you don’t.

This hoopla to Houdini act leaves fans wondering just what the heck they are going to get from week to week.

The offensive line is especially frustrating. Most fans have just written them off. However, they turned in a very good performance last Sunday by helping the team to a 45-10 victory with 206 yards rushing and getting a big assist in helping QB Alex Smith to a 108.7 rating. Is the Oline gelling or were they just up against a terrible defense? The previous few weeks the offensive line faced the Steelers, Bears and the Vikings whose defenses are not top of the league and yet QB Alex Smith was under constant duress in those games. Actually, last Sunday was the best the Oline has looked all season. Have they turned the corner… or are they in need of a coroner?

No one knows for sure.

The pass defense has a similar story although not to the degree of the offensive line. Two years ago the pass D finished 25th in the NFL. In 2014 the pass defense was much better and they finished 2nd in the league in yards per game allowed. This season? The coverage has been poor and currently ranks 23rd.

Now, some will say that’s because defensive coordinator Bob Sutton hasn’t been dialing up the pressure on opposing QBs and I won’t disagree with that. However, Sean Smith being gone the first three games and rookie Marcus Peters doing rookie things… although most will say he’s been the Chiefs best DB… he’s still in his learning year. The point is… this year’s group is not producing like last year’s group. For whatever reason.

I love me some special teams coach Dave Toub. It would be correct to say I have a Man-crush on Toub. However, for some reason, this season, even the special team have been inconsistent.

And that… just adds to the unpredictability of this year’s team. While we know they are capable… they aren’t able to pull it off for some reason. Not consistently anyway.

They’ve become the very definition of a dichotomy.

The new news here is… it’s getting to be an ancient story. As old as the bones of… say… a Dichotomasaurus.

So much promise. So many broken promises.

What do you think Addict fans? Feel like you can count on your Chiefs in any aspect of their game? I’m not so sure.