16 posts tagged “herm”

The Kansas City Chiefs have now lost their eighth straight game on the season. Also making it 19 losses in the last 20 games. Herm Edwards, Carl Peterson and Gunther Cunningham somehow maintain to keep their jobs. As much as I love Cunningham as a coach, it seems like he's not the good defensive coach he once was. It could be because of the lack of talent, however, giving over 400 total yards four times in the last five games and giving up 54 points to a struggling Buffalo Bills offense, is unacceptable. I realize the Chiefs defense had to go take over the field because of the turnovers, but I don't think this defense cannot allow 54 points. Most points allowed in Chiefs history.

Herm Edwards goes for two against the Chargers, he gambles on fourth down early in the game, but he punts on fourth and two with ten minutes left, giving Drew Brees, one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league today, a chance to run out the clock and possibly put points on the board. He did exactly that. Enough with the “positive losses” or “moral victories.” This team has lost 18 of their last 19 games. Is there really a positive loss in the last 18 games? There might be improvement, but who cares about improvement when you’ve only won one game in the past 19 games. Yes, there have been injuries, but look at the Chargers and the Colts last year. They had to deal with injuries all year and they were still in the top three in the NFL last year. Like Gonzalez said, “it’s getting old.”

Last week: 8-8 – Maybe I need to stop pulling for upsets.

Last season: 81-77

CIN @ PIT – PIT

PHIL @ BAL – BAL

HOU @ CLE – CLE

TB @ DET – TB

BUF @ KC – BUF

CHI @ STL – CHI

NYJ @ TEN – NYJ

NE @ MIA – NE

MIN @ JAC – JAC

SF @ DAL – DAL

OAK @ DEN – DEN

CAR @ ATL – ATL

NYG @ ARI – NYG

WAS @ SEA – WAS

IND @ SD – IND

GB @ NO -- GB

With so many bumps and bruises left and right, the Chiefs once again had another shot at winning the game. It came to a point where Herm Edwards had to make a decision. Go for two, or kick the field goal and go to overtime. Herm made his players play to win the game, not tie it. I have no problem with the call despite the Chiefs could not succeed. What I do have a problem with is the fact that Edwards could have made the right play calls earlier with Chan Gailey and they would have never gotten to the point where they would have to force a two point conversion. Don’t get me wrong, when the Chiefs are not playing, I love watching tight football games in overtime. But as a fan, I don’t like seeing the Chiefs in overtime. The Chiefs have had bad luck in overtime the past couple of years. Winning the coin toss doesn’t win you the game, but teams do a very good job of taking advantage by scoring on the first drive in overtime.

If you’re not sold on Tyler Thigpen, then you better get used to hearing his name because he is starting to get some attention. 124 pass attempts without an INT in these last three starts along with six touchdowns. Can you ask for anything else out of Thigpen right now? I just feel bad for the kid that he has to come through in the final drive when he has done his job in the beginning. The defense breaks and they allow opponents to take the lead and Thigpen has to score on the final drive under pressure. Tyler Thigpen has to be the quarterback of the future. Expect me to return to that topic in the off season. For now, the Chiefs are still losing games.

Many people are being soft on the Chiefs this week and mainly that is because of the injury bug that has spread throughout this team. Offense, defense, special teams, heck, even one of our staff members got hurt. Remember the pre-season in which players ran into the Chiefs doctor? I have no idea why people are going easy on the Chiefs. They called the wrong plays in the second half. I credit this defense a little bit for forcing turnovers and limiting their opponents in scoring. However, the amount of yards they give up is ludicrous. They have forced nine turnovers in the last three games, but still give up over 300 total yards and quarterbacks in the last three games have thrown at least 290 yards. How high could those numbers be if the Chiefs were not able to force turnovers? Not to mention the Chiefs have only turned the ball over once in the last three games. A 9-1 victory in turnover battles usually helps you win games, but that hasn’t been the case for the Chiefs and that is no excuse, even with injuries.

I know how all you Chiefs fans feel right now. I am just as frustrated as every die-hard fan at Arrowhead. Herm Edwards and Chan Gailey can be good together. They have shown it in the last three weeks. Herm Edwards has been on the doubtful side for everyone and he had a shot to prove me and everyone else wrong, but he failed. I have more on my mind I want to discuss later.

Last week: 7-7

Season: 73-69

NYJ @ NE – NE

DEN @ ATL – ATL

DET @ CAR – CAR

PHI @ CIN – PHI

NO @ KC – KC

BAL @ NYG – NYG

MIN @ TB – MIN

OAK @ MIA – OAK

CHI @ GB – GB

HOU @ IND – HOU

STL @ SF – STL

ARI @ SEA – ARI

TEN @ JAC – TEN

SD @ PIT – PIT

DAL @ WAS – DAL

CLE @ BUF – CLE

Forget about the nice touchdown grab by Dwayne Bowe, forget about Kolby Smith scoring the touchdown with Larry Johnson out, forget about the trick play with Tyler Thigpen catching a touchdown and forget about the fact that we now have a kicker. The Chiefs put up 27 points against a team that was second in the NFL in points allowed this season. “It just shows what our offense can do.” Thigpen told me. “It really feels good going up against a tough defense and moving the ball. We need to look at that and build on it.” That was not expected from the Chiefs. Thigpen played a great game against the Jets, but would he do it against a defense that is in the top 10 in every major defensive statistical category? He did, in the first half. The Chiefs were in full control in the first half as the offense chose to do whatever they wanted to do as they were leading 24-3. The Chiefs forced three fumbles and Brandon Carr also got an interception, giving him a total of two on his rookie season. However, when things were looking bright in Arrowhead, the light began to fade away.

With five minutes remaining in the first half, the Buccaneers kick returner, Clifton Smith, came through with a 97 yard kick return for a touchdown. Matt Bryant also kicked another field goal to decrease the deficit to 11 points heading into halftime. After a very quiet first quarter, the Buccaneers began to strike as they reached the redzone. The Chiefs were able to force a fumble inside their five as they recovered. But rookie running back Jamaal Charles fumbled without any force, giving the Buccaneers field position at the two yard line. Tampa Bay got the easy touchdown with a trick play as Earnest Graham threw the touchdown pass to Alex Smith. Jamaal Charles did make up for his error by taking his team to the redzone allowing Conner Barth to extend the lead to eight in the fourth quarter. Charles also got over 100 yards (106 to be exact) for the first time in his career as Kolby Smith left the game early due to a knee injury and will not return this season. Tampa Bay was able to strike back yet again and succeeded on a two point conversion, giving the Chiefs only 14 seconds after the kickoff to win the game. After Thigpen was forced to throw the ball away with seven seconds left, Herm Edwards decided to knee the ball and send it into overtime. Maybe he doesn’t realize that in overtime, the winner of the coin toss scores on the first drive. The snake bit Herm as the Buccaneers won the toss and closed the game up with a chip shot field goal by Matt Bryant.

I don’t know where to go with this. I really don’t. It’s frustrating enough when this team has a 1-15 record in their last 16 games heading into this game. Fortunately, that goes back to last season. But there is a good chance for the Chiefs to have a one win season. Everyone in the locker room felt that this team was un-conservative in the second half. In this game, the Chiefs were not as conservative as usual, but they didn’t succeed in the fourth quarter with the lead. Yes, there was another awful call on Tony Gonzalez by the one and only, Ed Hochuli. Hochuli is having a more difficult than season than Herm Edwards. He had to correct himself three times in overtime for a ball placement. And to be fair, he even threw some bad flags on Tampa Bay. Hochuli deserves a fine/suspension, however, it’s really hard to blame the officiating of the game when you win the turnover battle, fumble at your own two yard line, give up an easy kick return for a touchdown and when your team simply cannot tackle. The Buccaneers created the biggest comeback in franchise history and I applaud them. They show why a team should never give up no matter what the scoreboard says. But in the end, it’s the Chiefs who beat themselves and just like Tony Gonzalez said, “It’s starting to get old.”

Arrowhead Stadium was 90% full. However, fans did not bother coming early to tailgate despite the bueatiful weather on a November 2nd. Will this be the last time we see Arrowhead that full? Here is what I want to know. How will fans take this? Have the fans lost faith after blowing a 21 point lead, or do they see signs of improvement with Thigpen after two very good starts? The only game that will host a full house at Arrowhead will be the Kansas and Missouri game later this month. That tells what path the Chiefs are on.

It was unexpected of Tyler Thigpen to do well this week as the top two QB's and Larry Johnson were all unavailable for this past weeks game. Credit Tyler Thigpen who out played future hall-of-fame quarterback, Brett Favre. But it wasn't all about out playing Favre, it was just playing well and that is what Thigpen did. Imagine if he had a smarter coaching staff, he (and maybe Croyle) could have had some wins under their belt. There is nothing more anyone could have asked out of Tyler Thigpen.

Tony Gonzalez has finally let it out. He asked for a trade this Friday. Good for Gonzalez. He has been hiding in the shadows for too long. He has given this team way too many chances and has been very loyal. Carl Peterson decided to blow off those chances and abused his loyalty. It is rumored that the Giants, Packers, Eagles and Bills all have interest in getting the Pro Bowl tight end who has shattered many records, including most receiving yards by any tight end which was broken last week. It’s a win-win situation for everyone except for Carl Peterson. Fans will have to accept the fact that Gonzalez is not here just to put a smile on the fans. He came to the NFL to win something every NFL player dreamed of winning since they were a kid, a Super Bowl. Gonzalez will go after his ring and the organization will get more young guns. However for Carl, he doesn’t win. The fact that it had to come to the point where Gonzalez asked for a trade shows that Peterson just blew it! Look at who he’s traded: Trent Green, Jared Allen and soon to be traded, Tony Gonzalez. There is a chance that Larry Johnson gets traded. Carl Peterson continues to show that the only way to solve someone’s problem is to trade them to another team to make them a happy player. Shame on Carl.

I have a lot of respect for Trent Green. And lets not forgot how Carl Peterson handled the Trent Green trade. I can only wonder how he plans to deal with the Gonzalez trade.

My message to Tony Gonzalez: Your not just the best tight end in NFL history, your one of the best football players in NFL history. On the field, I saw a guy who always worked hard and was a mentor to young players on the team. Gonzalez never had an attitude about anything and he always did what he was told to do. I’m surprised the Chiefs gave Pat Thomas the role of a captain, but Tony does not. Off the field, Gonzalez was a great man. Always involved in charities and visited children in the hospital who were struggling. All we heard about this summer was how Chad Johnson is running his mouth and how Cedric Benson can’t stay out of trouble and many more. We finally heard something positive this summer. Tony Gonzalez saves a man who was choking on his food in a restaurant. With his work ethic on and off the field, Chiefs fans around the world loved Tony Gonzalez. Arrowhead Stadium will never be the same without the best tight end in NFL history. Thank you Tony and good luck on your quest on finding your Super Bowl ring you deserve!

The Top Ten

1-Titans (1): This team continues to win games because of their defense.

2-Giants (2): Survive a really close one. Without a question, this is the best team in the NFC.

3-Redskins (6): This team has really done great. They’ve defeated the Cowboys and the Eagles, two very tough teams in their division. Should the Giants watch their back?

4-Cowboys (3): With the Redskins hot streak, the Cowboys will go down. I applaud their victory over the Bengals, although they gave up 22 points.

5-Bills (3): After a hot ride, the ride came to a stop as the Cardinals stopped the AFC East leaders.

6-Chargers (6): A bye week in hand, this team will come out strong defensively and hope to have a bye week this year in the playoffs.

7-Panthers (7): This team shut out Kansas City. Something they were expected to do.

8-Steelers (8): The Steelers hold off the Jaguars in another close prime time game.

9-Colts (-): After a rough start, this team looks like they have found their rhythm.

10-Patriots (-): After an awful performance against the Dolphins, this team looks like they have found a way to make plays with Cassel.

Goodbye to the—

Jaguars: Lost to a good team, but it was a close one.

Eagles: Just like the Jaguars, they lost to a good team in their division.

Nice week last week hope to get double digits in the win column.

Last week: 8-6

Season: 36-36

CHI @ ATL—ATL

MIA @ HOU—MIA

BAL @ IND—IND

DET @ MIN—MIN

OAK @ NO—NO

CIN @ NYJ—CIN

CAR @ TB—CAR

STL @ WAS—WAS

JAC @ DEN—DEN

DAL @ ARI—DAL

PHI @ SF—SF

GB @ SEA—GB

NE @ SD—SD

NYG @ CLE—NYG

Back when he was coaching the Jets in 2002, Herm Edwards and the New York Jets were not happy heading into the bye week. After winning their season opener against the Bills in overtime, the Jets went on to lose their next four games. After the first victory, the Jets lost to the Patriots, Dolphins and Jaguars on a combined scored of 102-13. The next loss came against the Kansas City Chiefs at The Meadowlands. When it seemed the Jets had full control of the Chiefs heading into halftime. The Chiefs had full control of the game in the second half as Priest Holmes rushed for 152 yards and also caught nine passes for 81 yards. Wide receiver, Johnnie Morton rushed for 51 yards off of only two carries. The Chiefs defense also limited Chad Pennington and everyone else from scoring a lot of points in the second half. The Chiefs rallied and won the game 29-25.

Heading into the press conference, Edwards was asked, ‘has your team quit?’ Edwards gave that person a bad look for a moment and said, “Hello? You play to win the game? That’s the great thing about sports!”

The Jets were heading into their bye week trying to find a way to turn their season around. Coming off the bye week, the Jets began to become the hottest team in the NFL that season as they won 8 of their last 11 games. Edwards compiled a 9-7 record as it was enough to win the AFC East. The Jets went on to defeat the Indianapolis Colts in the playoffs 41-0. However, the hot smoking Jets got stomped by the Raiders 30-10 in the divisional playoff round.

Although the Jets could not win the Super Bowl, they realized that it was never too late to earn a spot in the playoffs. During his time with New York, the Jets always faced tough circumstances when it seemed this team had no shot at making the playoffs. They continued to prove everyone wrong until 2005 in which Jets all star quarterback, Chad Pennington, went out with an injury, who wasn’t having a very good year. The Chiefs gave the Jets a fourth round draft pick to allow Herm Edwards leave the Jets and join Kansas City.

When the Kansas City Chiefs were hitting rock bottom in the 70’s and 80’s after Hank Stram left the team, Carl Peterson came to Kansas City as the new general manager in town and helped the Chiefs go to the playoffs seven of the next nine seasons.  Without Marty, the Chiefs made the playoffs only twice in the past 10 seasons.

I tried to back off Herm and Carl before the 2007 season as they have proven in the past that they are capable of turning a team around. Coincidentally, just like 2002, Herm Edwards is heading into the bye week with a 1-4 record. Still, I don’t see the same thing happening.

After a quiet week in the land of Arrowhead, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt has decided to keep everyone on the team.

My expectations for this team won’t change. But I’ll tell you what. I’ll give Herm Edwards and Carl Peterson one last chance.

The Chiefs had the best draft out of any other team in the NFL. However, none of their rookies are currently running for rookie of the year. Unlike the Chiefs, most NFL teams didn’t draft 12 players, yet there are teams who have rookies who are getting the job done. Most rookies don’t step up until November anyway. And we all know how competitive the final two months are in the NFL.

If the Chiefs can win at least five games combined in the month of November and December, then I will back off both Herm Edwards and Carl Peterson. I won’t pray for Clark Hunt to re-sign them, but that will give me the idea that Peterson and Edwards know what they are doing with their “plan” during this rebuilding process.

Herm Edwards says he plays to win the game. He certainly is not playing to win the game, he’s playing to either keep games close or have a good effort, or he just flat out loses. Derrick Johnson, a player who I have a lot of respect for, says the Chiefs are not rebuilding. He claims rebuilding is a ‘college word.’ My question to Johnson is if you’re not rebuilding, what are you doing then? This team is obviously isn’t winning many games. Let’s see if the Chiefs used this bye week wisely. We’ll have to find out next week.

I’ll be back this weekend with power rankings, predictions and more. I hope your all enjoying the start of your weekend.

I’m going to open this by admitting that I was wrong. I was wrong! It seems Tamba Hali cannot even win against a back up offensive tackle. And it also seems Larry Johnson is being paid millions of dollars because he earned two whole yards. Yet he’s upset that the Chiefs put Charles as the running back in the fourth quarter. I have a lot I want to get off my mind, so I’m not wasting any time.

Let’s all admit the fact that today the Chiefs were awful on all three phases of the game. Offensively, this team either turned the ball over, or went three and out. The only time this offense began to get things going was in the fourth quarter in which the game was already over and the Panthers were just playing prevent defense. I won’t get on Gunther Cunningham’s back because this defense had to play for nearly 39 minutes and it’s been like that all year. While Dustin Colquitt competes with Tony Gonzalez to be the team MVP, Dantrell Savage gets a -10 yard punt return. Savage can make players miss, but he tries too hard as he keeps going side to side.

I have to credit the defense for their play. They gave up two some touchdowns early in the game, but they made up for their errors by forcing a fumble and intercepting a pass in the endzone while the Chiefs still had a chance to get back in the game. However, the Chiefs offense could not come up with anything as the score speaks for itself.

Let me start with Larry Johnson and let me remind you that he is coming off of a successful week while gathering 198 yards. Herb Taylor stepped up for Branden Albert as well. I felt that Carolina’s defense was as similar to Denver’s. It didn’t seem that way as Johnson only gained two yards off of seven carries. Johnson had tripled the amount of carries compared to the yardage he earned. Heck, Tony Gonzalez had more receptions than Johnson had total yards.

Damon Huard didn’t like he was prepared in this game as he threw two interceptions for 86 yards as he got beat up by the Panthers defensive line as well.

The only highlight in this game was Tony Gonzalez setting the record for most receiving yards by any tight end in NFL history. I have yet to see a congratulatory statement from Shannon Sharpe, even though we should not expect one out of him.

Overall, this team was just awful. This is the first time the Kansas City Chiefs got shut out since December of 2002 against the Oakland Raiders in the season finale. And there could have been a possibility that the Chiefs could have been shutout more than once this year. I have a lot on my mind to share throughout the week with you all. One thing I will say is, Herm Edwards no longer earns the right being the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. I’ll talk more about Edwards tomorrow. But for now, this is an embarrassing loss and Herm Edwards could find himself out of town before the next game as the Chiefs head into the bye week. I’ll have more tomorrow.

Huge win last week for Kansas City Chiefs fans. However, the Chiefs are 1-3 and have won one of their last 13 games. It’s time to get back on track as the Chiefs are getting ready to face a very fierce Panthers team as they currently hold a 3-1 record. Let’s see if the Chiefs can build off of what they did last Sunday.

Jake Delhomme has been the story for the Panthers so far this season. Despite only completing 60% of his passes, he has only thrown one interception. Delhomme also has four receivers with at least 10 receptions who all have over 100 yards. The hottest receiver, Steve Smith who is coming off of a two game suspension, has really been good as he has 10 receptions for 166 yards. He has an average of 16.6, better than anyone on the team. However, Delhomme may realize that he will need to get the ball out of his hands quickly as offensive tackles Jordan Gross and Jeff Otah are both out for this game. This gives the Chiefs defensive line to step up and put Delhomme under pressure. Quarterbacks realize that it’s safer to take the sack rather than throw the ball way. But they do it anyway. In Delhomme’s case, he is dealing with a minor thigh injury. Therefore, chances of him taking the sack are low as he’ll most likely throw the ball away, and you know what happens next. The rookie corners, Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr have a chance to take over the spot light again. Don’t forget about Demorrio Williams either, who is replacing Donnie Edwards. Williams did a great job applying pressure on Jay Cutler forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly forcing incomplete passes. Expect a play from Gunther Cunningham’s play book which has Williams going after the QB. The Chiefs scored 13 points off of three of their four turnovers against the Broncos. The Chiefs have a very good shot at repeating what they did last week.

As much as I like Damon Huard and the way he comes through, I feel he will be limited in this game as Carolina as one of the best in the league against the pass. But never doubt Huard as he has Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez. However, like last week, the key to victory will be running with the football. I don’t know if we should expect another 198 yard performance, but we should very well expect another great game from LJ.

If both defenses have a hard time containing the offense, we may be in for a shoot out in Charlotte.

Key to victory:

--Turk ‘N’ Tank ‘N’ Tamba and Dorsey. Defensive line needs to take advantage as the Panthers offensive line is banged up.

--LJ. Despite Branden Albert is out, Herb Taylor has shown that he will make sure the value of this offensive line does not go down. Expect the Chiefs to run a lot. Herm won’t give the ball to LJ 30 times, at least I hope not. So expect Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles to be involved in this game.

Chiefs win 34-31

I will be doing power rankings a little bit differently this time. Instead of ranking all 32 teams, I figured it’d be more interesting to just do the top 10 teams.

(last week)

1-Titans (2): This team is on fire right now and it’s going to take a lot of fire power to beat this defense. They are leading the NFL in interceptions and forced fumbles and third in sacks. The offense earns credit as well as the passing game is currently in an incipient phase.

2-Giants (3): Despite a no show last week, this team will move up since no other team really deserved this spot.

3-Bills (5): You really have to show the Bills some love as they’ve yet to lose a game when many predicted that this team would be on bottom of the AFC East.

4-Cowboys (1): The Cowboys are no longer the best team as they lost to a divisional opponent, who seems to always have the Cowboys number. The Redskins.

5-Chargers (4): They won, but it wasn’t a pretty win.

6-Redskins (16): I’ve been wrong about the Redskins and it’s time I give them credit. Jim Zorn has really done a great job so far as he’s lead this team to three straight victories.

7-Panthers (18): Now with Steve Smith back into action, this Panthers team is more dangerous as Jake Delhomme has a complete set of weapons.

8-Steelers (6): What seemed like a second straight loss, ended up being a comeback win into overtime.

9-Jaguars (13): The Jaguars look like they’ve found a rhythm after a slow start to the season.

10-Eagles (7): Tough loss to the Bears who were able to limit Donavon McNabb.

Goodbye to the—

Colts: What happened to this team? Is age really starting to get them? Let’s see how Tony Dungy used the bye week.

Vikings: The pass defense has improved, but it’s not enough as this team has only one win this year.

Patriots: This team looks desperate without Tom Brady

Another tough week for me as there were a lot of close games, here are my predictions.

Last week: 7-6

Season: 28-30

TEN @ BAL – TEN

KC @ CAR – KC

CHI @ DET – CHI

ATL @ GB – GB

IND @ HOU – HOU

SD @ MIA – SD

SEA @ NYG – NYG

WAS @ PHI – PHI

TB @ DEN – DEN

BUF @ ARI – BUF

CIN @ DAL – DAL

NE @ SF – NE

PIT @ JAC – PIT

MIN @ NO – MIN

Hope you guys enjoyed the read. I’ll post after the Chiefs game with some post-game comments.

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