So this was the scene heading into week four. The Chiefs were 0-3, coming off of a 12 game losing streak since last October and the Broncos were 3-0. However, the Chiefs were able to win against all odds while hosting their bitter rivals. And anytime you pull the upset against your bitter rivals in front of your fans, the level of confidence will sky rocket. I’ll tell you what, as a die-hard Chiefs fan, yesterday felt like Christmas in Kansas City. I almost forgot what winning felt like until yesterday afternoon.
While the Denver Broncos were the hottest offense, they also had the coldest defense. This past Sunday, they were cold on both sides of the ball. After a huge block by Damien McIntosh, an offensive lineman who hasn’t been so bright for Kansas City, Larry Johnson earned himself 65 yards, the longest of his career. The Chiefs got a field goal off of that long run. Not bad so far.
After a nice pass to Brandon Marshall, Turk McBride’s hustle forced Marshall to fumble to football to allow rookie Brandon Carr recover the ball. The Chiefs were able to get another field goal following the turnover. Jay Cutler did not let the Chiefs smile for long as he started to get the Broncos going on a hot drive, which eventually lead to a Brandon Marshall touchdown over Brandon Carr. Cutler tried to get the offense to click again after a short pass to Marshall, but Derrick Johnson tackled Marshall hard popping the ball out as the other rookie cornerback, Brandon Flowers picked up the ball and took it to the two yard line. The Broncos were able to bounce back and get themselves a field goal before halftime.
The score was 13-10 heading into the half as the Broncos should have tied the game if it wasn’t for a chip shot missed field goal by Matt Prater. After a field goal by both teams, the action picked up in the boring third quarter as Derrick Johnson picked off Cutler. Despite Larry Johnson fumbling right after the Derrick Johnson fumble, Cutler threw two straight interceptions, this time to rookie Carr. The Chiefs were able to pull off a victory with a Tony Gonzalez touchdown, who is three yards shy of breaking Shannon Sharpe’s record for most receiving yards by any tight end in NFL history. Larry Johnson also got back into the endzone twice for the first time since 1/1/07 in Dick Vermeil’s final NFL game. “It felt good,” said Johnson. “At first I was thinking I should have been in there the first couple of drives. But we kept fighting and T Herb Taylor did an excellent job coming in filling in for T Branden Albert. To be able to put the ball in there twice, especially at that crucial time in the game, that’s how you want to end the game.”
Johnson also had a total of 198 rushing yards off of 28 carries with a 7.1 yard per carry average. This is the old Larry Johnson all the fans wanted to see, and their money was worth it as Larry Johnson is leading the entire AFC in rushing yards. LJ also is third overall in the NFL in rushing.
Larry Johnson did an outstanding job, but he didn’t do it all alone. The rookie cornerbacks and the rest of that defense were on fire as well limiting Jay Cutler to his success despite his 361 yards passing. “I thought our corners did a pretty good job on the receivers,” said head coach Herm Edwards. “Denver passed the ball some but (CB Brandon) Carr and (CB Brandon) Flowers – two rookie corners – did a good job. The one touchdown pass (by Denver) in the end zone was a big time catch and the young (corner) came back and intercepted one later.” Brandon Flowers was also going up against a close friend of his from college, Eddie Royal.
The locker room was full of smiles as the music was playing during the celebration. Even former Chief who got cut this past week, Jason Dunn, showed up to visit his teammates.
Like I said earlier, many Chiefs fans including myself forgot what it felt like winning a game. Kansas City finally won by snapping our 12 game losing streak against our undefeated rivals at home. Larry Johnson is now on top of the AFC in rushing. Could this have played out any better?
Winning was a huge Christmas gift that came early for Chiefs fans this year. The reason Kansas City hasn’t won a game in a while is because of the dull performances of Tyler Thigpen and Brodie Croyle. Anytime Damon Huard starts a game and finishes, the Chiefs find success. Unlike last year, Huard is working with improved and better football players than last year. This was his first time starting a game and playing all the way until the end. There is no question in my mind that if he started and finished the games against New England and Oakland, that this team would be in talks of possibly winning a division. I never want to hear Herm Edwards say that “Tyler Thigpen gives us the best chance to win.” That is not the truth as we all know. I would be really stunned if Croyle replaces Huard if this team continues its success.
Overall, awesome win for Kansas City and I hope each and every Chiefs fan is smiling right now.
—I normally don’t tell you what I will write about next time, but this will be one of few times. Tomorrow I’m going to write about Shannon Sharpe and why I’ve had enough of his pompous attitude.
This has been an ultra busy week for me and I apologize for you readers. This is my first year trying out a writing blog. I use to be active with doing video blogs on youtube, until I learned how to do a podcast/internet radio shows. But I’m trying to expand myself as much as possible and I appreciate you guys bearing with me. And some good information you might want to know: There is a possibility I may begin blogging for a certain website that I will not name incase things do not go as planned.
In this entry, I will have my Chiefs and Broncos preview as well as my power rankings and week four predictions.
So the Chiefs have lost their first three games of the season. Going back to last years nine game losing streak, they are on a 12 game losing streak. No matter who starts at the quarterback spot, it seems they either get hurt, or they are just awful, or in Brodie Croyle’s case, both. And they are going to host their bitter rivals, the Denver Broncos who are 3-0 and the hottest team offensively. Do I expect the Broncos to win like most people? Yes, however, I think this will be somewhat of a respectable game.
While the Chiefs defense has not been able to keep games close, they haven’t really gotten blown out yet. They’ve played against teams who have young and inexperienced quarterbacks. This week is not the case as Jay Cutler, who is second in passing yards with 914 and has a QB rating of 110.6 which is the third best in the NFL after three weeks. Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page better be ready to play good coverage, because if they can’t, then this will be a long game for the defense. And if you thought their performance against Matt Ryan was awful, just wait until you see this game.
The Chiefs offense currently is under construction as they’ve had three QB’s start in three games. Damon Huard will get his second start of the season as he started in week two against Oakland. Huard went two for four and threw a pass to Devard Darling, who could not contain possession of the ball as it got intercepted by the Raiders. Huard left the game early because of an injury. No one knows what the injury really was because it seems everyone in the locker room is saying something different. Huard as the quarterback puts a smile to many faces in Kansas City, and it also gives Tony Gonzalez some faith as he as stated before that he has a decent history playing with Huard as they have a ‘connection’ on the field. While the Broncos have been impressive on offense, their defense has been ugly this year. Denver is the worst team against the pass, and with a quarterback like Huard, I expect Huard to have an easy time getting the ball to Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe. The Broncos are 15th in the NFL against run, so the Chiefs will need to work hard on creating holes for Larry Johnson.
Overall, I can see this game turning into a shootout as Damon Huard and Jay Cutler show off their arms at Arrowhead Stadium. Despite the poor play of the Chiefs lately, I think Chiefs fans who plan to attend the game this week are in for a good one. I don’t expect the Chiefs to pull an upset, but I do expect them to make this a close contest. If they end up getting throttled by the Broncos defense, then that will send a message that this team will not be able to capture a victory. Broncos win it 38-31.
( ) = Last weeks ranking
1-Cowboys (2): Welcome to the number one spot Dallas! The Cowboys have stepped up as a team as all their playmakers have been playing with a swagger. The Cowboys went to Green bay and defeated the Packers as they’ve made it clear that they are the best team in the NFC. Are they the best in the NFL? I think so.
2-Titans (4): I really have been impressed with the Titans this year. I’ve always been afraid of the defensive line, and with the addition of Jevon Kearse, this line is more freighting with Vanden Bosch and Haynesworth. While Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin combine for seven interceptions (best in the NFL), the guys in front have 11 sacks (third best in the NFL.) Offensively, this team has a great rookie at running back in Chris Johnson. Don’t forget about LenDale White either. As far as the QB position, as long as Kerry Collins is winning, there is no need to wait for Vince Young.
3-Giants (5): The defending Super Bowl champs have been doing the same thing all year as John Carney kicked the game winning field goal in overtime to continue the success.
4-Chargers (8): After two tough losses, the Chargers came out this week with a message against Brett Favre and the New York Jets.
5-Bills (9): This has been the team that has surprised me the most. I never ignored the fact that they have two very good running backs, but it seems many people, including myself, were not aware that this Buffalo team had a secret weapon in Trent Edwards.
6-Steelers (3): This defense is starting to slip after being the best last year. If you thought the Eagles and offense was good, wait until they meet Baltimore, Jacksonville and many others. The offensive line also needs to recover after that awful blocking game from last week.
7-Eagles (10): The Eagles have been very impressive as they were able to limit the Steelers last week. McNabb did not have his greatest game, but the defense was their to make up for it all.
8-Colts (6): When it seemed like they were about to win, Josh Scobee was the hero for the Jags. Peyton Manning also needs to regain himself as he has more interceptions than he has touchdowns at the moment.
9-Vikings (11): With Gus Frerotte leading the way, this team might begin to win some games. The defense is also starting to come together as well.
10-Patriots (1): At home, against the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots simply got beat up by Ronnie Brown. Is Matt Cassel going to be able to help the Patriots this year?
11-Packers (7): What was expected to be a big prime time game turned into a blowout at Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers suffered his first career loss as a starter.
12-Broncos (15): Jay Cutler is emerging as the Broncos are one of the hottest offenses right now. But this team can be defeated if they play a team with a better offense.
13-Jaguars (16): When everything looked dim, Josh Scobee brought a bright light for Jaguar fans winning their first game of the season on the road.
14-Buccannears (19): Scored 27 points against a good Chicago defense and survived a close one.
15-Saints (12): It’s nice to see that Drew Brees can be a valuable fantasy player, however, it did not help the Saints this week against the Broncos. This defense needs to step up if they want to win.
16-Redskins (20): Won against an unproven Arizona Cardinals team, now lets see if they can beat Dallas, a team that has proven themselves.
17-Seahawks (18): A win is a win, but it may not be much to brag about. They beat the Rams after all.
18-Panthers (14): Blew a lead against the winless Minnesota Vikings, allowing them to win their first game of the season.
19-Jets (13): The future hall of fame QB, Brett Favre, has not been a big asset to the Jets so far. However, he is not the only one struggling.
20-Cardinals (17): Despite the tough loss, they are still on top of the NFC West along with the 49ers.
21-Falcons (23): Matt Ryan and Michael Turner continue to impress the world as they win two games. Do the Falcons have a nice future? I think so.
22-Ravens (25): The offense has been doing pretty well with Joe Flacco under center, but the defense deserves more credit for this strong start.
23-49ers (26): Great start to the season, lets see if they can keep it up.
24- Dolphins (30): This team has gone through so much pain and misery. For them to go at New England and destroy the Patriots is just huge. Ronnie Brown should be proud of himself and so should every Dolphin fan. But was this major luck, or are the Dolphins beginning to step up?
25-Texans (21): I guess I was wrong about this team, but there is no question in my mind that Andre Johnson is a monster when given a good QB.
26- Browns (22): Derek Anderson might have been a one year wonder. Is the Brady Quinn era about to be reticent?
27-Lions (29): A major loss to the 49ers, but Lions fans have a reason to celebrate as Matt Millen has finally been fired!
28-Bears (27): Chicago could not hang on against Tampa Bay. At least the Cubs won the division.
29-Bengals (24): Chad Johnson seems like he knows numbers in Spanish. Does he know how to say 0-3 in Spanish?
30-Raiders (28): Lost a very close one to the Bills. I just wanted to see the Raiders win so I can see everyone in the media freak out for the Raiders being above .500.
31-Rams (31): The Rams have Trent Green starting this week, who is very familiar with the Al Saunders offense. Last year with the Redskins, Todd Collins stepped up and had to play an offense he was familiar with as a backup and he succeeded. I expect Trent to help the Rams win a game.
32- Chiefs (32): This team needs a new coaching staff as the current staff really has no idea what they are doing. And they are the team with the best draft. What have any of the rookies done so far?
I recovered well after a nightmare the previous week
Last week: 10-6
Season: 21-24
ATL @ CAR—CAR
CLE @ CIN—CIN
HOU @ JAC—JAC
DEN @ KC—DEN
SF @ NO—SF
ARI @ NYJ—NYJ
GB @ TB—GB
MIN @ TEN—TEN
SD @ OAK—SD
BUF @ STL—BUF
WAS @ DAL—DAL
PHI @ CIN—PHI
BAL @ PIT—PIT
While Tyler Thigpen was throwing interceptions and incompletions, but Matt Ryan was throwing to his receivers and celebrating all game long. While Larry Johnson was getting a lot of rushing yards, being the fourth best running back Sunday, Michael Turner got into the endzone three times and celebrating all game long.
It took a while before either team could find a first down in the first quarter as both teams kept going three and out. Once the Falcons found their rhythm, they began to tear the Chiefs apart. The Falcons had a total of 186 rushing yards, not as awful as the previous Sunday giving up 300, but it was good enough to dominate as the Falcons won 38-14. Don’t forget Matt Ryan either. The Rookie quarterback played a great game going 12/18 for 192 yards and a touchdown. Despite Ryan hasn’t faced many great defenses, he’s only a rookie and you cannot ask anything more out of him right now. Michael Turner is on fire as well in Atlanta. These two young studs have the ability to create a strong QB-RB duo in the NFL in a couple years.
Defensively, the Falcons just knew what to do against a number three quarterback. Erik Coleman led the Falcons in tackles and he also had an interception and a forced fumble. John Abraham had two huge sacks and a forced fumble as well. Brent Grimes and Chris Houston both had one interception as well.
It was nice to see Larry Johnson be in the top five this week in rushing and get over 100 yards. That will not occur a whole lot this year. The Chiefs are usually on top of things when LJ is over the 100 yard mark as they have an overall record of 21-7 when LJ goes over 100 rushing yards. I’m not here to bash Tyler Thigpen though. There is a reason Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle beat him on the depth chart this year. There is a reason he was on the Vikings practice squad when the Minnesota drafted him last year. Herm Edwards stated that he will put Damon Huard in for Tyler Thigpen if Thigpen struggles. Herm said the same exact thing in the 2007 playoff game against the Colts addressing that if Trent Green struggled, Huard would enter the game.
I’ll admit that I was a believer in Herm Edwards. After the great draft, I backed off on the front office hoping they would move this team forward. Herm has been to the playoffs four times in his career and he is one of few coaches that start slow, but he finished the season strong. Edwards and the entire front office and coaching staff decided to rebuild through the draft. The Chiefs came out with the best draft out of any other team, but they still have a lot of inexperienced players on this team. And I slowly continue to realize why Herm Edwards is not the right person to coach these young and outstanding athletes.
Above I mentioned a statement from Edwards saying he would bring Huard to the game Thigpen struggled. Thigpen first five drives were all three-and-outs as Thigpen went 14/36 for 128 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Thigpen struggled and he never came out for Huard. Herm is always sensitive when people call him a liar. He cannot escape it this time! Herm is a liar! This may seem controversial to some of you and that’s fine as we all have our own opinions, but it’s controversial enough that you don’t keep your promises. Heading into the 2007 season, Edwards told the media that he is a man of his word and he will do what he says. Sorry, but that’s a big lie as well. I don’t mean to make it look like I am calling out an NFL head coach. What I am trying to do is state the facts.
This team is in the laughing stock at the moment, and it keeps becoming more laughable each week. It will be even more laughable when the 0-3 Chiefs host the 3-0 Broncos at Arrowhead. I wonder how many people will show up to that game?
Last week was an ugly week for me as I went 3-11. A lot of games seemed like they were going my way until the fourth quarter, teams made adjustments and I ended up picking the wrong team. Hopefully I can bounce back this week.
Last week: 3-11
Overall: 11-18
KC @ ATL--ATL
OAK @ BUF--BUF
TB @ CHI--CHI
CAR @ MIN--MIN
MIA @ NE--NE
CIN @ NYG--NYG
HOU @ TEN--HOU
ARI @ WAS--WAS
NO @ DEN--DEN
DET @ SF--SF
STL @ SEA--SEA
CLE @ BAL--BAL
JAC @ IND--IND
PIT @ PHI--PIT
DAL @ GB--GB
NYJ @ SD--SD
Tyler Thigpen gets the start Sunday for the Chiefs. In the first three games, there have been three different starting quarterbacks and the Chiefs are now on their third string QB. It’s really obvious the expectations are much lower than before, even though the Chiefs never had high expectations, but now it’s below rock bottom. Thigpen just cannot get into the rhythm, so just like everyone else, I’m not expecting much out of him. Expect a lot of three and outs. By the time that happens, the defense will have to stay on the field a lot and once they get worn down, Michael Turner has a shot at burning this Chiefs defense. Rookie quarterback Matt Ryan also has a shot catching attention from the national media as he has had a decent rookie year so far.
( ) = Last weeks ranking
1-Patriots (1): This team survived another close battle against a divisional opponent with Matt Cassel as the starting QB.
2-Cowboys (2): A great contest in Dallas as the Cowboys prevailed against the Eagles.
3-Steelers (3): Tough time scoring, but good enough to win under strong winds and against a divisional opponent on the road.
4-Titans (5): I have to credit the Titans after two unexpected wins against two very good offenses.
5-Giants (6): The Giants just had full control of the Rams all game long.
6-Colts (7): An outstanding comeback to beat the Vikings, but will Manning play like this all season?
7-Packers (14): Aaron Rodgers has with two huge divisional wins under his belt helps the Packers move up.
8-Chargers (4): I won’t drop them down by much because of the bad call. Those types of things happen in all of sports, but the Chargers had to play catch up against a divisional opponent. They do not want to find themselves in that situation again.
9-Bills (13): The Bills have defeated two very good teams so far. This could be the Trent Edwards and Marshawn Lynch era in Buffalo.
10-Eagles (8): Despite the key loss to Dallas, Donavon McNabb is the old Donavon McNabb we all knew. If he can stay healthy, then he is capable of being the best QB in the NFC.
11-Vikings (9): This is not the start Brad Childress had planned for the Vikings. Blowing a 15-0 lead is unacceptable.
12-Saints (10): After a close battle, the Saints could not come out on top over the Redskins and the NFC South favorites kickoff their season 0-2.
13-Jets (12): Losing to the Patriots is a common thing, but Matt Cassel winning the game is not.
14-Panthers (17): Another big comeback against a very good defense helps Carolina to go on top of the NFC South.
15-Broncos (18): The Chargers should have won, but bad calls happen in sports. Broncos may not have won fairly, but like I said, bad calls are unavoidable. The Broncos are on top of the AFC West, but I won’t bump them up that high.
16-Jaguars (14): What happened to this team? Is David Garrard going to be one of those players that only had one year of success? Garrard had three interceptions in the 12 games he started last year. After two games, he has three INT’s.
17-Cardinals (19): An impressive start and maybe it was a good idea after all to have Kurt Warner at QB.
18-Seahawks (16): Two shocking losses. Maybe someone else in this division will win the NFC West.
19-Buccaneaars (23): They stopped Matt Ryan and Michael Turner and earned a divisional win.
20-Redskins (26): After struggling against the Saints, they pulled it together and came out with a victory.
21-Texans (21): Ominous weather conditions kept the Texans out of action.
22- Browns (15): Had a chance to win it on national TV and gave it up to the Steelers.
23-Falcons (20): Where was the offense this week? Obviously not prepared.
24-Bengals (22): I know what Ocho Cinco is saying. Cero-dos
25-Ravens (25): See the Texans.
26-49ers (27): Maybe this team will move forward without Alex Smith. It seems like it so far.
27- Bears (24): They started off good with their defense against the Panthers, but it seemed as if they gave up.
28-Raiders (32): Darren McFadden is awesome, and thank goodness for Michael Bush and Justin Fargas.
29-Lions (29): Got beat up by the Packers. Luckily they’ll remain at 29.
30-Dolphins (30): Chad Pennington is still trying to find his rhythm and get things going with the Dolphins.
31-Rams (28): Al Saunders cannot get this offense going, but it’s not his fault. Will Stephen Jackson ever show up?
32-Chiefs (29): Just when it seems they hit rock bottom, they go even lower as they’ve lost 11 straight games.
My predictions will be out later tonight.
Repulsive, appalling, thwarting..
Those are just a few words that best describe the game between the Chiefs and the Raiders. Completely awful performance by the offense, the defense for the most part got the job done. I know that sounds very strange since Oakland ran for 300 rushing yards, but I’ll explain why I credit the defense.
The offense was just a joke. There is no another way to say it. Three quarterbacks in the first quarter for Kansas City? Whoever’s plan it was to put Marques Hagans at quarterback is out of their mind. I’m sorry for the harsh words, but it’s true. Not even Oakland was fooled when Hagans came in shotgun formation and scrambled up the middle small gain. Just about every run for the Chiefs was up the middle for no gain. Larry Johnson mustered 22 yards off of 12 carries. While Johnson had to watch his team score on the sideline, Darren McFadden, Michael Bush and Justin Fargas all had a great game with 300 total yards rushing. That is 85% of their total offense as McFadden gets his first career NFL touchdown. As far as the Chiefs defense, you have to credit the fact they played hard every time. All the forced fumbles and the big hits applied by this defense kept us in the game for the first 40 minutes. After so many three and outs, this defense only had small breaks after forcing Oakland to give the ball to Kansas City when the Chiefs could not make anything out of any possession until the final five minutes when Tyler Thigpen got the ball to Tony Gonzalez for a touchdown and a two point conversion to Mike Cox. The defense still did awful, but it’s unfair to blame them when they gave the Chiefs offense many opportunities to score and take the lead.
The offense is just dreadful from quarterback to offensive coordinator. I still feel like we are running a Mike Solari offense. When will Chan Gailey do a bootleg or a play action pass? An even better question, when will Gailey stop making Johnson run up the middle? As far as Thigpen’s poor play on Sunday, there is a reason he is the third string quarterback.
The Chiefs better prepare for a game plan fast against Atlanta. Atlanta’s defense can force the Chiefs to go three and outs and if you thought 300 yards was bad enough, wait until you see what Michael Turner is like. He has already become the Falcons big weapon so far.
This team needs to hurry up and make some changes weather its play calling or putting in a different player at a different position. The so called “plan” right now isn’t working and there needs to be some changes made.
Damon Huard will start this Sunday against the Oakland Raiders as both teams are trying to avoid kicking off their season with an 0-2 start. Two years ago on opening day, Huard stepped in for Trent Green who got injured and was not having a good game. Huard came in and lead the Chiefs to the endzone. Throughout the season, Huard started eight games and threw for 11 touchdowns and one interception with a QB rating of 98.0. Huard played a total of 10 games, but the reason he did not start the entire season was because Herm Edwards emphasized that Green was “the starter.” Many Chiefs fans were disappointed Huard never started another game again that year. Edwards said if Green was struggling in the playoffs against the Colts, then he would pull Green out and put Huard in. Green struggled, but that never happened. Two years later, Brodie Croyle gets hurt, like always, and Huard gets the call. Huard finds the bright light by leading the Chiefs to the red zone twice and also had a touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe. However, Huard also threw an interception into double coverage and got sacked twice. You guys know the rest of the story.
Many fans feel this is going to slow down the Chiefs. I want to know what you people have against Huard. Why is everyone addicted to Croyle? I’m going to make it clear right now that my patience with Brodie Croyle, our “future quarterback,” is gone.
In 2007, Croyle played in nine games and started six. Croyle was 127/224 for 1,227 yards with six touchdowns and six interceptions and earned a QB rating of 69.9. Remember the game against the Titans last year? Croyle’s QB rating was over 100 and he had two touchdowns and no interceptions heading into halftime. Coming out of the half, Croyle blows the game by throwing two interceptions, costing the Chiefs the game. I’m not done yet. Remember the game against the Lions? Croyle throws an interception, an awful throw not to mention, and it got taken back for a touchdown. Croyle also hurt himself as he tried to tackle the defender with the ball. Following the injury, number 11 is called and he starts dominating by throwing for 24/36 for 305 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Yes, it was the Lions, a bad team defensively. But that doesn’t eliminate the fact that Brodie Croyle, Herm Edwards’ favorite player, cannot get the job done no matter who the opponent is. Despite Huard did great against Detroit, the Chiefs could not win as that was part of their nine game losing streak from last season, which has currently extended to 10 straight games. Croyle has started seven games and has never won a game as a starter. Croyle has played 12 games in his pro career. The first time Croyle played, the Chiefs won as Croyle kneed the football to wrap up a 41-0 victory over the 49ers. But in the 11 other games that involved a pass attempt from Croyle, the Chiefs have never won.
Brodie Croyle cannot take a hit and if he does, he’s injured. Croyle cannot score many points. Croyle cannot win. I don’t want to come out with a harsh manner, but please ask yourself if you really want Croyle as your starting quarterback. I remember when Kansas City drafted Croyle. I questioned the draft pick and I still do. Why did Edwards go for a QB who has had a history of injuries in his football career? With Huard as our leader, the Chiefs can win more games. He has a better offensive line, better receivers, Tony Gonzalez and Larry Johnson around him. Tony Gonzalez has even said that he likes Huard a lot and they’ve had a good connection in the past on and off the field. I guarantee you Huard will dominate against the Raiders. If Jay Cutler and the Denver Broncos offense, which was not expected to do so well, can do it, then so can Damon Huard and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs will beat the Raiders 24-10.
Last week I went 9-7. Hopefully I can bounce back this week.
CHI @ CAR – CHI TEN @ CIN – CIN GB @ DET – GB BUF @ JAC – JAC OAK @ KC – KC IND @ MIN – MIN NYG @ STL – NYG NO @ WAS – NO SF @ SEA – SEA ATL @ TB – ATL MIA @ ARI – MIA SD @ DEN – SD NE @ NYJ – NYJ PIT @ CLE – CLE PHI @ DAL – DAL BAL @ HOU – HOU
Everyone make sure you check out my internet radio show called the "Chiefs Endzone Show" featured on TheSportsStuff.com and on iTunes. I host the show and give more in-depth analysis of the Kansas City Chiefs and have interviews with players and other broadcasters. Be sure you check it out!
I want just say, anyone who thought Bernard Pollard’s hit was dirty, then all I have to say is: I guess every NFL play we saw was dirty. Pollard was on the ground after some good blocking by the Patriots offensive line. Pollard had to crawl to make the tackle and it was NOT a dirty hit.
On a side note, Chris Simms and Tim Rattay were both expected to try out for the Patriots. Coincidentally, they will both try out for the Chiefs as they were never given a contract offer from the Patriots assuming they have other plans.
( ) = Last weeks ranking
1-Patriots (1): Patriots win without Brady, but need to come up with a plan fast.
2-Cowboys (2): Great job on both sides of the ball. Cleveland has no shot at making this game a close contest.
3- Steelers (5): Who’s James Harrison? I don’t know if we will ever see his name again, but he was the Steelers MVP after an impressive defensive standout to beat the Texans.
4-Chargers (3): They lost in a close battle with the Panthers.
5-Titans (9): Beat a very good Jacksonville team and limited the Jaguars on offense. Vince Young did not look good, but the running game made up for it.
6-Giants (10): Not an impressive second half, but the Giants got the job done against a divisional opponent on opening day.
7-Colts (4): Very disappointing game. Peyton Manning missing the pre-season really hurt this team?
8-Eagles (13): We finally saw the OLD Donavon McNabb! If McNabb and the Eagles come out like this every week, then this will be a team many will fear.
9-Vikings (7): Lost in a close Monday night game. The defense does not seem ready to play together yet.
10-Saints (12): Drew Brees, like always, had a great game, but it was Reggie Bush who really came through for the Saints to beat the Buccaneers in a close contest.
11-Packers (14): Aaron Rodgers did great in his starting debut, but Atari Bigby was the hero intercepting a pass from Tavaris Jackson to seal the game.
12-Jets (15): Despite barely beating the Dolphins, this was the first time they had Favre as the starting QB. The Jets will be a threat to the Patriots.
13-Bills (22): This team really pulled a shocker against a very good Seattle team. This team dominated on both sides of the football and on special teams. If they keep playing like this, the Patriots have another team crawling behind their backs.
14- Jaguars (6): They lost a close one to the Titans. All we can hope for is they come out strong next week.
15-Browns (8): The offense could not pass the test against the Cowboys defense. Can they pass the test against the Steelers?
16-Seahawks (11): The heavy NFC West favorites got unexpectedly throttled by the Bills. Can this team function without a strong running back?
17-Panthers (20): In an upset over the Chargers, the Panthers score a touchdown in the final seconds of the game to defeat the San Diego Super-Chargers.
18-Broncos (23): Denver crushed Oakland at the Mcafee Coliseum. The Broncos take front stage in the AFC West.
19-Cardinals (21): Big win over the 49ers as Arizona is the only team that is first place in the NFC West.
20-Falcons (32): Detroit is not a good team, but the Falcons were just unstoppable. Matt Ryan and Michael Turner were eager to make plays soon for this young team. John Abraham was also a force on defense.
21-Texans (19): The Steelers offense was just too much for the Texans too handle. However, the Texans know they have a secret weapon in Andre Johnson.
22-Bengals (16): The Bengals were limited and could not pass the challenge against the Ravens defense.
23-Buccanneers (17): The defending NFC South champs suffer to the Saints in a close game.
24-Bears (30): The Bears get revenge on the Colts from Super Bowl 41 and really put Peyton Manning under pressure. This is the same Bears defense we all saw two years ago. Don’t leave Matt Forte out as he is the best player on offense.
25-Ravens (31): Baltimore has shown that defenses win championships. But they also did it with some fire power coming out of rookie QB, Joe Flacco.
26-Redskins (18): Awful and poor performance Thursday night. The Redskins had many chances to win the game, but they blew it.
27-49ers (25): They kept it close with the Cardinals until the fourth quarter. It’s a good thing Frank Gore is back because he might be the best player the 49ers have.
28-Rams (24): St. Louis scored three points as the Rams simply could not get anything going their way.
29-Lions (26): Disappointing performance against the Falcons. I bet the Lions miss Shaun Rodgers a lot by now.
30-Dolphins (28): Kept it close with the Jets, but were not able to pull a win against a divisional opponent at home.
31-Chiefs (29): The Chiefs kept it close as well, but they could not pull a victory even without Brady.
32-Raiders (27): This team allowed the Broncos to do just about whatever they wanted to do. This team took a beating from rookie Eddie Royal.
Tom Brady goes down, but the Patriots still survive a tough one. In this blog entry, I run down the game and after that, I’ll give you my opinion on this game from top to bottom. I also have a message for Randy Moss!
Heading into this game, the Chiefs were heavy under dogs and many felt the Patriots would win and cover the point spread. That wasn’t the case early in the game as Wes Welker fumbles in the first drive of the game recovered by the Kansas City. In the second drive of the game, Brady threw a pass to Randy Moss. However, Moss trips and fumbles on his own and Kansas City took advantage of the fumble and took over again. As Brady got the pass off to Moss, safety Bernard Pollard applied pressure on Brady and knocked him down by the foot, causing an injury. Many, including Moss himself, felt Pollard’s hit was dirty. I taped the game and watched it in slow motion and I have to say, the hit looked clean. According to Yahoo.com and NFL Network, Brady is out for the season as the Patriots are bringing in some QB’s Monday for a work out. The Patriots offense also had six fumbles last year, they had two tonight.
Despite the Chiefs recovering the two fumbles, they could not score in either of the two drives as they were given a pair golden opportunities to get a head start. The Chiefs punted on 4th down as Dustin Colquitt does what he does best when he is told to punt the ball. Bernard Pollard picked up the punt at the two yard line. After two running plays for negative yardage, Matt Cassel, Brady’s replacement, comes in on 3rd down and throws a 51 yard pass to Randy Moss. Eventually, Cassel found Moss in the endzone to score the first points of the game. Moss also hit the 100 yard mark in the second quarter. After Nick Novak’s 40 yard field goal, the Chiefs were heading into halftime trailing 7-3. Dwayne Bowe had a tough time in this game as he dropped many passes including a key pass thrown to him on 3rd down and a screen pass attempt to him. The Chiefs play calling was ludicrous as it seemed the plan was run, run, pass and punt, like last year. Not to mention a lot of Larry Johnson’s run was up the middle. Anytime Johnson ran to the outside, which rarely happened, he made a lot out of that. Also in the third quarter, Brodie Croyle was taken away from the game after taking a big sack. Damon Huard was his replacement as Croyle is expected to be out 2-4 weeks.
The Patriots continued to attack the Chiefs with Laurence Maroney and Sammy Morris run the ball finding the Chiefs weak spot on defense. Morris scored a touchdown on the ground extending the lead for the Patriots making it a 14-3 game. After dropping many passes, Bowe made up for his errors after a touchdown pass from Damon Huard in the following drive. Late in the fourth quarter, Stephen Gostkowski got a 37 yard field goal to extend the lead by a touchdown. The Patriots were able to get the field goal off of an interception by Huard thrown into double coverage. Huard finds former Baltimore Raven, Devard Darling for 68 yards as the Patriots stopped him at the five yard line, being his only catch the entire game. The Chiefs had 4 chances to get a touchdown. Damon Huard throws a beautiful pass to Bowe, but Bowe cannot hold on to the ball. The Chiefs run it with Johnson and for no gain which makes me want to ask, is Mike Solari still on the team? Huard throws a pass, but was incomplete as the Patriots almost intercepted it. On one final play, Huard throws right to Dwayne Bowe, but was beautifully covered by Delta O’Neal, sealing the game in Foxboro.
Offensively, the Chiefs put up a good fight (with Huard) against a very good defense. However, the play calling is still no different than last year. It felt like watching Mike Solari run the plays. I thought in the pre-season Chan Gailey proved to everyone that this is not going to look anything like Solari. Johnson and Charles did well together, but they could have been explosive together if the coaching staff was smarter. Dwayne Bowe was the weakest link as he dropped many passes as the biggest dropped pass came in the fourth quarter. I’ve always supported Damon Huard because anytime Croyle gets hurt, it seems like Huard comes in and finds the door to success. I loved Branden Albert’s blocking ability as well.
I’m not going to judge this defense so much since Brady did not play, but for a team that has Moss, Welker, Maroney and Morris, the Chiefs did great holding this team to only 17 points. How many teams did that last year? Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers both were average in this game as both made rookie mistakes and got burned a couple times. That’s just something they will have to learn from and move on with. The same goes to Glenn Dorsey who did not have a big game.
Randy Moss was pretty upset with the hit on Brady and called it a “dirty” hit. He followed up by saying that he has NEVER been dirty. Well folks do I need remind you how dirty Moss can be? Remember the time he went out of bounds on purpose during a Vikings game? What about the time he pretended to pull his pants down and mooned the Green Bay fans in a playoff game? And if those aren’t dirty, how about the time Moss was accused of battery before the Super Bowl? That was the second time he was accused for an incident like that. Mr. Moss should think twice what he says next time. He has no room to go calling Pollard or Pollard’s hit “dirty.” I can keep going ladies and gentleman, but hopefully you get the picture.
Overall, not bad by the Kansas City Chiefs in a game that was expected to be one-sided with or without Brady. The Chiefs had four chances to score in the endzone at the end of the game on the five yard line, and could not do anything. The play calling needs to change because it’s no different than last season. This is the tenth straight loss for Herm Edwards and the Kansas City Chiefs. Will it be 11 in Oakland?
I just want to say, Christmas has arrived!
The Patriots will aim for their 20th straight win in the regular season. Their last loss in the regular season was at Miami in a 21-0 shutout. The Dolphins defense pounded Tom Brady all day as he played very poorly, which you rarely see out of the MVP. Coming off of a 16-0 season as Super Bowl runner ups after failing to go 19-0, the Patriots will come into this game with a statement to re-attempt their undefeated streak. Tom Brady has said that he will start tomorrow against the Chiefs. The Chiefs second first round pick, Branden Albert, has been practicing and will be ready to start as well.
Let’s face it as Chiefs fans. The Patriots will win the game and the main reason for that is because of the amount of inexperienced players the Chiefs have. Their will be many players starting for the first time in their career tomorrow at Foxboro. The Patriots have a strong defense and will put Brodie Croyle under a lot of pressure, unless this Chiefs offensive line can protect Croyle. If Croyle has the time and protection, then he will get the ball to Tony Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe as Ellis Hobbs and Terrence Wheatley will have a lot to worry about. If the line can block, then that means Larry Johnson has a shot to get 100 rushing yards for the second time on opening day, his first against the Jets in 2005 with 110 yards rushing. However, my expectations are not very high for this offense line. It will be up to the offensive line if the Chiefs want to be a threat on offense.
Switching to the other side of the football, you have a young, but physical group of defenders against the number one offense. With Brandon Flowers making his debut, Tom Brady should not have a tough time getting the ball to Randy Moss. Glenn Dorsey and Tamba Hali will try to mimic the New York Giants into putting Brady under pressure. If they can do that, the Patriots offense might be in trouble. If Dorsey and Hali (and Turk McBride and Tank Tyler) continue to physically attack Brady, then there is a chance Brady might leave the game, giving the Chiefs a chance to win!
The Chiefs are 16.5 point under dogs and that should not come as a surprise to anyone. But if the Chiefs defensive line can put Brady under pressure and if the Chiefs offensive line can block, then we have ourselves a game at Gillette Stadium.
