Week 11 - Seahags 20 at Chiefs 24

Nothing beats a nice roasted and stuffed bird this time of year.

I admit it, I don't like the Seahawks. And not because of Dave Krieg getting sacked 7 times by Derrick Thomas, and almost an 8th when he threw a hail-mary that somehow found Paul Skansi in the endzone to beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead. I was at that game. If ever there was a moment you can say the air went out of a stadium... And it's not because of their contrived and bogus attempts to steal Arrowhead's decades old recognition as America's loudest outdoor stadium. And it's not because "I'm jealous" of their recent success. It's because they are a very dirty team with a notorious cheater for a head coach. Pete Carroll is classless. His USC team had to vacate a national title and had a Heisman Trophy revoked - the first time in NCAA history. His teams not only cheat, they play dirty, they talk trash. The Seahags are the most penalized team in the NFL the last three seasons. They lead the league in unnecessary roughness penalties - nearly twice the NFL average. They have more than twice the NFL average in penalty yards. They've had more players ejected than any other NFL team. Carroll doesn't just cheat during games. He was caught cheating during the off-season and fined $300,000 by the league. Pete Carroll is the role model for what's wrong with football. It sure felt good to out-tough them yesterday. And that's exactly what the Chiefs did. KC stood up the Seahawks and smashed them in their squawking beaks. And with the Rams dismantling Peyton Manning and the Donkeys, KC is tied for the division lead and controls its own destiny.

Offense: In this day and age, 190 rushing yards to 108 passing yards is almost unheard of. And for both teams to finish with more yards on the ground than in the air - simply never happens any more. But it did at Arrowhead, yesterday. This was a ground war between two of the best RB's in the League, Jamaal Charles and Marshawn Lynch, and two of the NFL's better running QB's, Russell Wilson and Alex Smith. Again, the Chiefs WR's couldn't find paydirt, but Charles and Davis did. The first KC drive was masterful. They executed 15 plays for 86 yards in 9:01 that only saw two 3rd downs (both 3rd & 1), capping it off with a 1 yard run by JC. That drive broke a Seattle 29 game streak without giving up a score on an opponent's opening drive. The next drive was the exact opposite style, with the exact same result. There were 4 plays for 80 yards in 2:13 that never saw a 2nd down, that also ended with JC reaching the endzone. I was impressed by De'Anthony Thomas. Not just his running, but his downfield blocking for JC. The tiny man was even seen taking two guys out on one run. The down side for the O's - they coughed up two fumbles, and neither of them was by Knile Davis! JC and Kelce each provided Seattle with early Christmas presents and a short field, which resulted in 10 points. Seattle's vaunted defense frankly did not look as impressive as Buffalo's did last week. I know they have injuries, but so do the Chiefs - so does everyone 11 weeks into the NFL season. But Jamaal shredded them and Smith out-managed them. There were no sacks by Seattle, which is pretty remarkable given the way Smith has been harassed this year. KC lost the turnover battle, the time of possession, the total yardage, in fact pretty much every stat on the sheet except the important one - the scoreboard.

Defense: I know defenses hate to be labeled "bend but don't break", but can someone give me a better description of what we saw yesterday? They didn't force any turnovers. They were gashed a few times by big plays. They gave up 204 rushing yards - 71 of them by the quarterback. But when it was crunch time, they did the crunching. Three stops on fourth down in the fourth quarter. That's getting it done. Due to Seattle's notorious rushing attack, the Chiefs didn't do much of their characteristic blitzing. Candidly, despite the 2 sacks and the times Wilson was chased out of the pocket, it was mostly a game defended by a surprisingly tight - even though thinned by injuries - defensive backfield. Last week's hero, Ron Parker got schooled a few times early, but also came up with some nice plays. In the end, however, it was all about what Kool Aid Man calls "The Bigs" (he'd know). The fat boys up front, who spent much of their day chasing Russell Wilson from behind,  did the heavy lifting when it mattered.  Special shout out to the Kool Aid Man. With one TO in his pocket, he challenged the spot of the ball, and forced a fourth down, which his Bigs used to stuff Marshawn Lynch and turn the ball over on downs. Oh, and Doug Baldwin - shut up. You ran a borderline pick route in the end zone, and then whine about incidental contact by Sean Smith, when the KC D-backs didn't bite on it? You weren't catching that ball anyway, unless you were suddenly 17 feet tall. And thanks to the stop on fourth and goal, the D's streak continues of no rushing TDs allowed in a game.

Specials: There were only two punts by KC. But we still have the NFL's best punter. One of his punts was perfectly downed at the 4 yard line. The tiny Brazillian made his only FG, which now runs him to 11 in a row after a very shaky start. Knile Davis did a great job on kickoff returns, posting a nearly 32 yard average, and DAT had one solid punt return that resulted in a dirty, cheating Seahawk - Ricardo Lockett - being ejected from the game for punching Kurt Coleman in the face. You have to be a pretty special brand of stupid to fist-punch a guy wearing a helmet.

Throw Him A Bone: Who but Jamaal Charles? It was the JC Show all day. Despite the fumble, he was on fire. Earlier in the week, one of the Seattle defenders said, "Kansas City is easy to figure out. Shut down #25 and make them beat you with their passing game." Yeah, how'd that work out for you? I'll refresh your memory - 159 rushing yards, a staggering 8.0 yard per carry average and two touchdowns.

Doggity Dog: This one is tough. No one stands out as having had a really bad game. That's what it takes to out tough the meanest team in football. I think I'm going to go with James Michael Johnson. He had three tackles, but he also was the one most responsible for allowing Marshawn Lynch to pile up 124 yards, almost entirely up the gut.

Next up - At the Black Hole against the hapless Faders on Thursday night at 7:25 PM CST.

Tailgating Recipe:
How about a simple cocktail to keep you warm?

I call this one The Dizzy Irish Monk.

1 part Dizzy Three espresso-infused vodka (any coffee vodka could be subbed, in a pinch)
1 part Bailey's Irish Cream (or similar Irish cream liqueur)
1 part Frangelico (or similar hazelnut liqueur)

Stir together. Can be served over ice, straight up or even warmed (which is how I like it!)

Week 10 - Chiefs 17 at Bills 13

Now that's football! A real slobber-knocker in cold, rainy weather. It took both guts and guile to get the W.

It's often hard to quantify what coaching does on game day to help win or lose. Occasionally blatant things like clock management or trick plays, sure, but play-by-play, throughout the course of a game coaching is less visible than player execution. A couple of plays in this game, however had the Kool-Aid man's autograph all over them. Most notably the two runs on which the Chiefs scored their two touchdowns. The play-action to Sherman and then pitch to Jamaal Charles on 4th and 1 that led to a 39 yard gallop into the end zone. And then the naked bootleg by Alex Smith, finished by the quarterback putting his head down and plowing through a safety at the goal line. The game was full of tough playing, and more than one cheap, dirty shot by the Bills. Tamba Hali got pissed off after being punched in the gut repeatedly. Alex Smith was speared after he gave himself up on a slide. Jamaal Charles was slammed about 2 yards out of bounds. Only the spearing was flagged. On the late hit, there was no flag for that, but the Chiefs were called for holding on that play. The officiating was pretty suspect, but there were a few that favored both teams.

Offense: Can I take back last week's accolades about the offensive line play? They were mauled by the front seven of Buffalo. Absolutely shredded. They gave up six sacks and ten pressures, three batted passed and one jump ball that could easily have been picked off. If not for Alex Smith's feet, it could have been a lot worse. The run blocking didn't fare much better most of the afternoon. Jamaal had three consecutive runs to begin the game that went for negative yardage. It took him five carries to get back to zero. The Bills, with their bye week and homefield, found a way to neutralize Charles and Kelce most of the day. Ultimately Charles did wind up with 118 total yards from scrimmage, but most of that came in the fourth quarter. I have been happy to see D. Bowe step up his game the last few weeks. He's becoming a guy you can go to in traffic to pick up a tough first down. With his size, that's what you'd hope he could do. Now if they can only find a consistent flier who can actually catch a ball, to put on the other side, we'd have something. Still no WR TD's, but TD's were hard to come by in this one. One of the Chiefs' best weapons the last several games has been the three-tight-end formation. Unfortunately, with Harris suffering a broken foot in practice, that was scrapped this week. It's the kind of formation that would have been nice to have against such an aggressive defense. And would be nice to have next week against a similarly nasty Seattle defense. The big take away for me is just how tough Jamaal Charles and Alex Smith are, when they need to be.

Defense: They didn't get the big sacks (only one), and they did give up a few big plays. But they made the big plays when they needed them. No one in upstate New York had a bigger day than Ron Parker. He's a cornerback who has played strong safety most of this season, due to the injury to Eric Berry, but he was back in his natural habitat yesterday. Bob Sutton broke from his usual alignment, to have Parker lineup against rookie phenom, Sammy Watkins, regardless of which side of the field he was on. As a result, despite 10 targets, including three in or near the end zone, Watkins finished the day with 4 catches for 27 yards and no scores. But Parker's biggest play came when he tomahawked the ball out of Bryce Brown's hand, saving a sure touchdown, and giving the ball back to the Chiefs on a touchback. That TD would have put the Bills up 17-3 midway through the third quarter. The Chiefs D was particularly nasty in the red zone. The Bills had four drives that made it inside KC's 20, and only had 6 points on two chip-shot field goals to show for it.

Specials: Special teams had a mixed bag. DeAnthony Thomas had one nice kickoff return for 38 yards, but he was awful on punt returns - fielding balls he should have let go, and letting balls go he should have fair caught. Colquitt had a punt that should have died on the one, but the coverage team blew it. On the other hand, Wilson and Sherman teamed up to strip Leodis McKelvin on a punt return, setting up the go-ahead TD two plays later. Santos made his only field goal, but his kick offs are still way too short, giving up 84 yards in kickoff returns.

Throw Him A Bone: Who else but Ron Parker. He was playing out of his mind - 8 tackles, three passes deflected, a forced fumble that saved a touchdown, and a near interception on fourth down from the KC 15, that killed the Bills' last real threat to win.

Doggity Dog: The entire O-line was brutal, but I'm giving the newspaper on the muzzle to DeAnthony Thomas, who consistently misplayed punts, pinning the Chiefs deep. In a hostile environment on the road, in a low-scoring defensive battle, those yards matter.

Next up: The world champion Seattle Seahawks (that's still hard to say) bring their limping, but still dangerous game to Arrowhead at noon on Sunday.

Tailgating Recipe:
Time to think about Thanksgiving week tailgating. This one comes from my good friend Marc "Mr. Cheezwhiz" Chechik. A fantastic musician from St. Louis. Check out his band Melody Den. Their CD makes a great stocking stuffer.

Chechik Cranberries.

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup water

The juice and zest of one orange and one lemon

2 bags fresh cranberries

1 cinnamon stick

Directions: 

Rinse cranberries with cold water. In a medium saucepan, add sugar, water, lemon juice and orange juice. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and add cranberries, cinnamon stick and zest. Return to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low. Cook until cranberries start to burst, about 10 - 15 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Pour sauce into a serving bowl and chill in the refrigerator. Remove cinnamon stick before serving.

Serve chilled.

Week 9 - Jets 10 at Chiefs 24

The word "tailspin" comes to mind. The Jets are just "plane" bad.

As for the Chiefs, you needed to remain in your seat with your tray table stowed and your seat belt securely fastened for the first quarter take-off of this one, but once KC reached cruising altitude, they put it on auto-pilot, and you were free to move about the cabin. The Chiefs did enough to win, and then just enjoyed the in-flight service in the second-half. They avoided any significant turbulence, while cruising to a lopsided victory at home against one of the three worst teams in the NFL.

Offense: This is becoming a pretty well-oiled machine. Alex Smith may not be flashy, but he's very efficient. I've been hard on the O-line this year, justifiably, but it gets better every week. This week was one of the best group performances we've seen this season. Smith suffered just one sack for 3 yards, throwing for nearly 200 yards and 2 TD's (*) in the first half, while the running game put up over 100 yards and a score of its own. The (*) goes to one of those plays that haunt bad teams and benefit good teams. ESPN's website called it the "Butt TD". Anthony Fasano fell down and missed his block on Muhammad Wilkerson, who batted down Smith's pass into the end zone. Unfortunately for the Jets, he batted it right into the waiting lap of Fasano, who was sitting upon his arse, a foot from the goal line. Fasano rolled over and placed the ball on the chalk for a score. The one critique - and I admit, it was irrelevant to the outcome of this game - why in the world were the Chiefs throwing the ball on their last drive in the fourth quarter? Just before the two-minute warning, Charles picks up 4 yards around end. But then for some strange reason, Smith throws incomplete to Bowe, inexplicably stopping the clock. On the next play, Smith is in the shotgun, obviously planning another pass, and suffers his lone sack of the day. Once again, KC gives up no turnovers. After the three INT's in game one, Smith has had just one in the subsequent 7 games. Of QB's with over 100 pass attempts, only Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson have fewer than four.

Defense: The run defense continues to struggle against good backs, but to its credit, KC hasn't given up a single rushing TD this season. The pass defense remains one of the NFL's best, (zero 300 yard passing games rendered this year) despite injury depletion. This feat is thanks largely to the play of Hali, Poe, Bailey and Houston, up front, and surprisingly solid secondary play from a patchwork of D-backs. Justin Houston is a beast. He's always been a very good pass-rusher, but he's becoming something else. He's now becoming a run-stopper, an occasional coverage guy who still manages to pick up a sack or two every game. He's had at least one sack in every game except Denver this year. He's on pace to break DT's team record, and possibly even threaten Michael Strahan's NFL record. The comparisons to Derrick Thomas are bound to start. It will take this level of performance over a few more years to justify it, fully. Thomas had 11 seasons, nine of them at pro-bowl level, compared to Houston's 3-1/2 years and two pro bowls. However, Houston is - at this point in his career - a better all around football player than DT. The continuing injuries to the defensive backfield may start to take a toll against better competition, but this week, it didn't matter. It was good to see #29 on the field, even in a limited capacity, after 5 games out of the line up. The downside, another week goes by without forcing a turnover. But hey, that's just a number. The only stat that ultimately matters is on the scoreboard.

Specials: I'm sorry. I do not understand squibbing kickoffs. I know Harvin is a great runner, but frankly, against a better offense, this could have been disastrous. In fact, it would have been anyway, if not for the soccer-style slide tackle by the Brazilian Enfante - which is unfortunately a penalty in the NFL. I'd much rather kick touchbacks on the off-chance that Harvin breaks one, rather than give the offense the ball on the 35 yard line to start every drive - and STILL almost give up the home run. On the good-guy side, Mamba only had one kickoff return, but it was a Doozy. A 78-yard streak that was only kept out of the end-zone by his shoestrings. He also had an 18 yard punt return average, and was smart enough to let a touchback sail over his head.

Throw Him A Bone: Today's bone goes to linebacker Justin Houston, who had four tackles, two for sacks (Big Macs for everybody!). Houston is turning into a special player. The kind of guy who may one day join yesterday's inductee, Priest Holmes, and find his name in big black letters on the facia of the upper deck at Arrowhead. String several years like this together.... Let's not get ahead of ourselves. For this day, Houston was the man.

Doggity Dog: I don't like piling on the little runt, but Cairo Santos gets the newspaper on the nose today. I know his coach told him to squib kick, but they were ugly squib kicks, and were highly ineffective - consistently giving the Jets great field position. Thankfully they were too inept to capitalize on it. If these kicks were suppose to stop a "home run", they failed miserably. The only thing that prevented a touchdown runback was Santos himself getting flagged for illegal tripping. Learn to tackle, you wuss. That guy's only 5'11" and 185, and he's named Percival.

Next up - The Chiefs take their winning streak on the road, as they shuffle off to Buffalo for some hot wings and cold weather. A big test with significant playoff implications, and a pretty solid chance of lake-effect snow. Bring your parkas and set your DVR's for noon on Sunday.

Tailgating Recipe:

This comes from my friend Todd Zimmer of Roeland Park, KS, who makes "Zim's Hot Sauce" - my go-to hot sauce. If you want to substitute, you can use Frank's, Texas Pete's, or any similarly thick hot sauce. But my recommendation is to pick up some Zim's! www.zims-sauces.com

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

2 cups sour cream

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 Lbs thick sliced bacon, cooked in Zim’s Bufsas sauce & crumbled

4 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup Zim’s Bufsas hot sauce

Assorted crackers

Directions:

1. Cook one side of the bacon in a frying pan. Flip bacon over and put a stripe of Zim’s down the middle of each strip.

After second side is done, flip once again to caramelize Zim’s onto the bacon. Quickly remove from pan, place on paper towels and let cool. Chop or crumble bacon.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, onion and mayonnaise until smooth. Fold in Zim’s bacon, 3 cups of cheddar cheese and Zim’s Bufsas. Transfer to a 2-qt. baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 375° F for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve with crackers or tortilla chips.

Week 8 - Lambs 7 at Chiefs 34

Lamb - It's what's for dinner.

It took the guys a little while to get rolling, but once they found that extra gear, this thing became a rout. The Lambs faked some of the same trickery they pulled on the Champs last week, but the Kool Aid Man would have none of it. Hard to believe that in five meetings, this is Andy Reid's first win over Jeff Fisher. It couldn't have come at a better time. The Chiefs are coming into the soft underbelly of their otherwise brutal schedule, with a home game against the reeling Jets, and then on the road vs the Bills. KC is now tied in the loss column with San Diego, who has yet to have their bye week. I don't want to gloss over just how many ridiculous penalties St. Louis had. They punished themselves repeatedly with cheap shots and stupid, Raider-esque fouls. Oh, and for the record, I liked Donovan McNabb as the color announcer. He was very funny.

Offense: Alex Smith was Mr. Efficiency, only missing on 4 attempts. That 85.7%, believe it or not, sets a Chiefs franchise record for the most accurate passing day by any QB with over 20 attempts. The only downside is that, once again the WR's not named Bowe were invisible. However Bowe and both Fasano and Kelce had big days, and Charles had 44 yards on 4 receptions. But this game was not won by the air force. The ground troops dominated this battle. Jamaal Charles has carried the rock across the goal line more times than any other player the past two seasons. Four more than Julius Thomas of the Broncos and five more than Marshawn Lynch of the Seahawks. He padded that resume with two more yesterday. Knile (singular, Donovan) Davis also put up two scores. One from scrimmage, and one on the opening kickoff of the second half. All-in-all, add in Alex Smith's scrambling and you have 34 carries between them for 143 yards and three TD's. As good as the run blocking was, the pass blocking was about that bad. And Mr #1 Overall, Eric Fisher got beat like a rented mule by Robert Quinn. And when he wasn't, he was guilty of boneheaded, drive-killing penalties.

Defense: What can you say? Everyone was having fun. Ron Parker, in his fifth game filling in for the injured pro-bowler, Eric Berry, made a statement. An interception and a sack in the first half that killed St Louis drives. The sack was huge because it came on third and goal, and forced them to attempt a field goal that sailed wide right. Justin Houston added three sacks, taking his place as the NFL sack leader at the halfway point of the season. Rookie Dee Ford got in on his first NFL sack, which he shared with Allen Bailey, who also had 1.5 sacks. But the five sacks alone don't tell the story of how badly Ram's QB Austin Davis was harassed, and how well covered his receivers were by that patchwork young secondary, which came up big again, for the third straight game. Big Macs for everybody!

Specials: The best special teams performance by KC in a very long time. The Duke managed to make all of his kicks, including a text-book perfect 53 yarder. Colquitt - the best punter in the NFL - dropped three more punts inside the 20, pinning St. Louis into holes they couldn't get out of. The Mamba didn't really get loose on punt returns, although he did have one nice 14 yarder. Knile Davis broke the back of the Cardinals on the first play of the second half, taking the opening kickoff 99 yards for a score.

Throw him a bone: Any number of people could have gotten the bone today. Knile Davis, Jamaal Charles, Justin Houston - but I'm going to give it to Ron Parker. You don't expect an all-pro performance out of the guys below the surface on your depth chart. But he gave one in this game.

Doggity Dog: If little is expected of second-teamers like Parker, a lot is expected of the number one overall pick in the draft, and Eric Fisher continues to disappoint. He's pretty good a run blocking, but his pass blocking is not worthy of his draft position, and his stupid penalties only make things worse.

Next up - The low-flying Jets stumble into Arrowhead next Sunday at noon.

Tailgating recipe:

Lamb chops with mint pesto and honey mustard sauce:

2 lamb chops per serving, tossed in Tuscan olive oil and lightly salted with sea salt
Sear over med-high heat to desired internal temp (about 4 min per side for medium-rare)
Fresh black pepper to taste

Mint Pesto:

Combine in food processor and run to desired texture.

·       3/4 cup packed mint leaves

·       2 scallions, thick sliced (including greens)

·       2 medium garlic cloves

·       1/4 cup sunflower seeds
·       1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

·       2 tablespoons Meyer lemon olive oil

·       Sea salt to taste

Honey Mustard Sauce:
Whisk together

·       1/2-cup sweet/spicy mustard (like Boulevard Pale Ale mustard)

·       2 tablespoons clover honey

·       1 tablespoon Ginger white balsamic vinegar

Week 7 - Chiefs 23 at Bolts 20

¡Cabe e é Bom! (It's up and it's Good! - in Portuguese)

It's a good time to be a KC sports fan, for a change, eh? Tomorrow Kansas City will host a World Series game for the first time in 10,586 days. GO ROYALS!

And this was a game the Chiefs had to have in order to have any hope of a postseason this year. Had they fallen three full games behind San Diego and Denver with head-to-head losses against both, it would have taken a miracle to dig out of that hole. And for the third time in six games, the Offense had the ball inside 2:00 with a chance to win. Hey, one out of three looks better than 0-3 - just ask the Angels and the Orioles. Today, the former "Duke of Doink" actually won the game with a 48-yarder with 21 seconds left to play, and rather than Alex Smith throwing the game-ending pick on the final drive "Mr MVP" Phyllis Rivers got to wet the bed this time. It's a division, road win. I'll take it.

Offense: Let me go on record saying the Kansas City Chiefs have the worst wide receiving corps in the National Football League. They drop more balls than the St Agnes Parish Bingo-palooza. Junior Hemingway had a sure TD planted right in his breadbasket, and he made it look like it had been dipped in bacon grease, forcing a punt. Bowe had an easy catch go right through his hands that would have give KC a first and goal at the 10, relegating the Chiefs to a field goal.  A.J. Jenkins lost track of the sideline on what would have been a walk-in touchdown. All that said, after Brandon Flowers' bone-head whack of Jamaal Charles took himself out of the game, Bowe came on with a pretty decent day - 5 grabs for 84 yards, and a couple of key first downs. Speaking of Jamaal - He broke the Chiefs all-time rushing record, previously held by Priest Holmes, on a mind-bending, 16 yard cut-back run and helicopter leap into the endzone for KC's first TD. A play where our old buddy Brandon cleaned his own clock. And then Jamaal was the first one to congratulate Anthony "Sausage" Sherman, who simply wasn't going to be denied the endzone! (h/t Phil) A word about a pet peeve of mine. Offensive pass interference. Specifically "pick" plays. Anthony Fasano was flagged for a OPI negating a nice catch for a first down by Travis Kelce. This is a play the Denver Broncos run all day, everyday, and NEVER get flagged for. And on replay, you can see that the defender is actually holding Fasano. Grrrrr. The line gave up three sacks and a bunch of pressures, but blocked well for the run. Overall, the Chiefs were very effective running the ball on a defense that coming in was one of the best in the league at stopping the run, and they got points when they needed them, and they owned the clock - 39 minutes to 21. Sometimes the best defense is to keep their offense on the bench.
Jamaal Charles sets Chiefs rushing record on this crazy run

Defense: The walking wounded did a nice job, for the most part. Once again with Ron Parker subbing for Eric Berry, who has now missed four games, and five weeks with an ankle sprain. Other people are stepping up. The inexperienced guys in the backfield - Coleman, Fleming and Gaines - had a solid game. Gaines made a highlight reel play in the end zone in front of Allen, to keep 6 off the board. Rivers is going to hit his targets, but they came up with big plays on several occasions. Coleman was out of position on Gates' TD, but made up for it with the game-clinching INT. Fleming was victimized by the worst pass interference call I've seen in a coon's age. The Kool-Aid man was so furious I thought he was going to blow his sweet, refreshing beverage all over the line judge. The front seven kept good pressure on Rivers much of the afternoon, sacking him twice - one each for Hali and Houston - including a strip that unfortunately, Rivers was able to reel in. And big Josh Mauga may have played his best game as a Chief. He looked Derrick Johnson-like, knifing in to blow up plays and making 5 tackles.

Specials: Credit where due. I have been hard on Cairo Santos. Today, he came up big (or as big as anyone 4 ft 7 can - Does he have to buy those cleats in the Youth dept at Dick's?). His kickoffs were decent, and he was 2 for 2 in field goal attempts, including the 48 yarder that won the game. Toub has apparently figured out some things. They were generally better across the board. Colquitt dropped two inside the 20, but had one unfortunate touchback. Mamba is really fun to watch, but hurt the team on at least one punt he should have fair-caught, but let it roll to the 5 yard line. It looked like he may have lost it in the sun, but either way, he reminds me of Dante Hall in that feeling of exhilaration you get every time he touches the ball.

Throw him a bone: Congratulations #25 - you now stand alone as the greatest running back in Kansas City Chiefs history. This is an elite group that includes Heisman winners Mike Garrett and Marcus Allen, the "Swiss Army Knife" Ed Podolak,  the "Nigerian Nightmare" Christian Okoye, Larry "Diapers" Johnson and the man you surpassed yesterday, Priest Holmes. And you got there in fewer carries than any of them, by having a ridiculous 5.4 yard-per-carry average that is the best in the history of the NFL. Better than Jim Brown, better than Gayle Sayers, better than Barry Sanders, better than anyone who ever carried a pigskin.

Doggity Dog: Junior Hemingway. Sorry you got hurt, but maybe that means Wilson or someone else can get some reps with the 1's. You are a serious disappointment.

Next up, hosting the St Louis Lambs, who are fresh off a win against the defending champs that had more trickery than a David Copperfield show at Caesar's Palace. The prestigious "Governor's Cup" is on the line! Set your DVRs for High Noon at Arrowhead.

Tailgating Recipe:

Orange Baked Chicken with Mr. Doggity's Bajan Hot Sauce recipe

Recipe submitted by my tailgating buddy, Mr. George Blowfish:

Preheat oven to 375. (These can also be done on the grill)

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts on a baking sheet.

In a bowl - 1 tsp ea garlic powder, onion powder, Old Bay, plus a pinch of sea salt & ground pepper, couple shakes of Mr. Doggity's Bajan Hot Sauce (or any mustard-based Caribbean-style hot sauce), 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil.

Brush the chicken with mixture.

Pour about 2 fingers of OJ into the pan with the chicken. Cover with foil, bake for about an hour. Flip chicken at 30 min and add more OJ .

10 min before the chicken is done, pull the chicken, drain most of the juice into a saucepan to make a glaze.

To the saucepan, add 1 tsp brown sugar, a dash of OJ, and a shot of the Hot Sauce. Put the chicken back in the oven until glaze is ready.

On high heat and cook glaze down until it thickens. Stir so it doesn't burn. Pull the chicken out and brush it with the glaze. The chicken will be tender and moist, and the glaze adds a hot, sweet kick. Yummy.

Week 6 - BYE WEEK!

Next week - Chiefs will go to sunny San Diego to play the red-hot Bolts at 3:05 PM CDT

Week 5 - Griefs 17 at Niners 22

Hey, at least the Royals won, right? Look, I never expected to win this game. I saw this game on the schedule and marked it as a probable loss. The frustrating part is - they could have and should have won this game. Unfortunately, our old nemesis, Jim Harbaugh out coached the Kool Aid man today. I know "it was hot" - get me a waaaamulance. That should have been to the advantage of the team wearing white shirts, who spent training camp in Missouri's heat and humidity, over the guys in the dark shirts who live in the Bay area, where you have to wear sweaters in August.

But did I mention the Royals won?

Offensive: One of Reid's greatest attributes is his loyalty to his players, but it is often also his undoing. Today was the latter. In trying to get everyone involved in the offense, he refuses to run with what's working. And he can't seem to go more than one week without abandoning the running game. He has what Phil Simms called the best running back combo in the NFL - Charles and Davis - and yet they only got the rock 17 times between them. In the first half, the Chiefs offense dominated the time of possession, ran over the vaunted 49er D with a near-perfect mix of pass and run. And then Reid completely abandoned it. By the game's end the Niners owned the clock and the scoreboard. Amid all the hype about Alex Smith vs Colin Kaepernick, the real glaring difference between these teams is in their respective ability to catch the ball (or not). Brandon Lloyd (of Blue Springs, MO) made the catch that defines that difference. With Sean Smith practically wearing his jersey, he made a circus catch around Smith's arm, and fought him all the way to the ground, coming up with a huge first down. By contrast, in similar situations, Dwayne Bowe had balls bounce off his stone hands. Our receivers only really have two issues they need to work through. They can't get separation and they can't catch. Other than that, they're great. The INT that ended the game was so horribly reminiscent of another former 49er QB we picked up - Elvis Grbac. It was badly overthrown, but in that situation, he shouldn't have even been targeting Fasano. Kelce is your hot TE. And Bowe and Jenkins are along the sidelines, where they can get out of bounds and maybe steal another play before the 2:00 warning. Yes, the Chiefs were victimized by really poor "homer" officiating. The ball placement was horrid all day, and never in KC's favor. But in the end, it was coaching and execution. The Chiefs stepped on their own tail, and lost a winnable game.

Defense: The bad - Mauga and James Michael are NOT Mays and DJ. And they badly miss DeVito. SF gashed them between the tackles all day long. Mauga's game-leading tackling was mostly from behind. Between Gore and Hyde, plus the feet of Kaepernick, they put up 171 yards rushing. Just smash-mouth football. Former Niner, Marcus Cooper was the victim of a hard shove from Stevie Johnson that completely threw him off his coverage, resulting in SF's only TD. The Good: The rush was not always there, but it showed up late. On one drive, Kap was sacked on three consecutive plays. On one play, Poe just threw the right guard into the stands and blew up the pocket, flushing Kap into the waiting arms of Allen Bailey. Overall the coverage wasn't bad. However, as noted above, SF has big, physical guys who can actually catch a football. Still in all, the D kept holding them to long field goals. Unfortunately, their kicker can make long field goals.

Special Bus: This was the worst special teams performance in the Reid era, and one of the worst I've seen out of the Chiefs since the 1995 season's playoff loss to Jim Harbaugh and the Colts. About the only good was the return of Mamba - DeAnthony Thomas. He was electrifying in his first NFL touch - a 28 yard punt return. He is going to be a special player if he can stay on the field. Even the best punter in the NFL had a terrible day, mostly caused by a touchback that should have never happened. Phillip Gaines was in perfect position to down the punt inside the 5, possibly even the 1, when the back judge threw one of the best special teams blocks you'll ever see. What the hell was he doing there? I know he's supposed to watch down the goal line for the touchback, but can't he do that from a step into the endzone, rather than standing in the field of play, in the way of the coverage unit? The Duke of Doink didn't miss any field goals. So there's that. But his kickoffs remain short and returnable. The specials were punked on a fake punt where they looked completely lost. The D had forced a fourth quarter stop and a 54 yard FG attempt, only to have 12 men on the field - a foul that gave SF a first down. The perfect metaphor for this day came on the final FG by SF, when Chris Owens and Phillip Gaines ran into each other, and knocked each other out of the game.

Throw him a Bone: I have to give it to The Mamba - DeAnthony Thomas. A 28 yard punt return and a really good looking catch out of the backfield with a tight-rope walk down the sideline for a touchdown. I'm looking forward to a lot more Mamba this year.

Doggity Dog: No choice but the Kool Aid Man, Andy Reid. Poor game plan. Poor game management. On this day, the Royals played near flawless ball, while the Chiefs got Yosted.

Next up - I guarantee they won't lose - They have a BYE - then the following week, they hit the road back west to play the red-hot Phyllis Rivers, Antonio Gates, and the division-leading Bolts in yet another late game.

Tailgating Recipe:
Caribbean Shrimp Kabobs

Ingredients:
1 pound large raw shrimp (>20 count), peeled and deveined
1 cup pineapple juice
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp Hot Sauce (I use a Caribbean habanero-based sauce)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup bell pepper - cut into squares
1/2 cup sweet onions - cut into squares
1/2 cup pineapple chunks
2 Tbsp good Olive Oil
1 tsp Jerk seasoning.
4-6 skewers

Directions:
Mix pineapple juice, lime juice, salt and hot sauce together and pour into a gallon size zipper bag along with the shrimp. Marinate shrimp in the mixture for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Place shrimp, veggies and pineapple on skewers, alternating pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with jerk spice. Grill (or pan sear) about 4 minutes per side, until shrimp are opaque.

Serve as an appetizer or over rice as a main dish.

Week 4 - Patsies 14 at Chiefs 41

Way to kick off this amazing sports week in KC - Monday Night Football, playoff baseball, Sporting KC soccer and NASCAR at Kansas Speedway. A 41-14 pasting of the Patriots - a game that wasn't actually as close as the score indicates.

I'm not sure if this was more a case of, "Who the hell are these Chiefs?" or, "Who the hell are these Patriots?" The Patsies have had a rough year, but this is ridiculous. Can you even conceive of THE Tom Brady getting benched on Monday Night Football, after throwing two picks (one a pick-6) and losing a fumble? The badly depleted Chiefs defense put a clown suit on one of the most vaunted QB's in the history of the NFL.

I feel compelled to say that I am not a big fan of the whole "Guinness Book - Loudest Stadium" thing. Seattle started it, in their semi-enclosed, Kansas City architect-designed, corporate-sponsor-whore building, by calling in Guinness. And it's bull crap. Whether or not you reach a particular decibel level is not relevant unless you know WHEN to make noise to impact the game, and when to shut up to help your team. Arrowhead is deafening. I know. I've been there. It's rock-concert loud. But only when it's supposed to be. That said, the crowd at Arrowhead didn't just beat the Seattle number, they annihilated it. They beat it as badly as the team on the field beat the Patriots. The decibel A-scale (audible sound) is measured logarithmically. Every 5 decibel increase in the number is equal to a doubling of the sound level. So the 142.2 number they put up is nearly twice as loud as Seattle's 137.6. And they took the reading on a Larson-Davis 831! I have always trusted L-D for my sound recording instruments. They are the best on the market.

Offense: Number - 303 - the most yards given up in a half by the Pats in the Belichik era. Can we all stop with the "game manager" label now? Alex Smith is a very good quarterback. He is not yet an elite QB. You have to put some trophies in the case to earn that moniker. But I can't think of very many teams in the NFL where he wouldn't be an upgrade from what they have. Hell, last night New England fans would have traded QBs! Alex was 20 of 26 for 248 yards, 3 TD's and 0 turnovers and a 144.4 rating. That's called winning. Great to have Jamaal back. Not just for his game-breaking talents, but did you see some of the blocks he threw? The difference between Alex running for his life, and having time to put up those numbers is due to Jamaal's sure hands and great blitz reads. That said, the Knile factor is pretty exciting - both backs at or near 100 yards. The old "thunder & lightning" combo. And I absolutely loved the play calling last night. That three-tight-end set is brilliant. Opposing D's have no clue what's coming. The O-line played better. They still need shoring on the right side, which will come next week when Stephenson returns. Kelce had another impressive game - 8 catches for 93 yards. D-Bowe loves the national audience, apparently with his best performance in over a year, 5 catches out of 6 targets for 81 yards. And every one of those 5 grabs was for a first down. For one night, this looked like the Trent Green/Priest Holmes Chiefs. And they have finally figured out the formula for beating the best QB's - chew up the clock, dominate the time of possession and keep him safely on the bench. 

Defense: For playing wounded, they picked a good day to all show up for work. They went three games with no turnovers, but made up for lost time at the best time - in PRIME TIME. Shawn Smith picked off Brady when Edelman cut off his route. Then Hussein Abdullah snagged one he ran in for a TD - for which he was rewarded with the "stupidest penalty ever called™". Tamba had a huge strip-sack that led to a KC TD. Houston added a couple of sacks, as well. Big Macs for everybody! Tamba looked pretty fleet for an old lineman, as he went out in respectable pass coverage. Big Dontari Poe even got in on the offensive side, playing decoy fullback on a goal line pass play. They seemed to let up on the gas when Brady was benched, allowing some garbage points, but overall, no complaints.

 Specials: Let's start by mentioning we have the best punter in the NFL. His services were not needed much, but when they were, he delivered. Pinning the Pats back on the 1 yard line on the drive where Tamba got the strip. The Duke Didn't Doink. Santos made all of his kicks, and the only one returned was caused by the "stupidest penalty ever called™" on Hussein Abdullah, for simply falling to his knees in the endzone. No celebration, no game delay. Nothing offensive. Nothing disrespectful. HEY NFL...

Throw Him A Bone: Jamaal Charles - playing through pain, simply did everything. Running, catching, blocking - and Three TD's. He's a beast.

Doggity Dog: Frankie Hammond, Jr. has no clue what he's doing. He looks completely lost out there, whether fielding punts or playing wide out, he's a warm body taking up space waiting for Mamba to return.

Next up - The Chiefs head to the left coast to take on Alex's old team, the Niners at Blue Jean Park - another late start. Set your DVR to 3:25 CDT.

Tailgating Recipe:
New England Chowdah!

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks (reserve tender leaves) trimmed, quartered lengthwise, then sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 (10-ounce) cans chopped clams in juice
1 cup heavy cream
2 bay leaves
1 pound potatoes, cut into 1/2- inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté until softened, mixing often. Stir in the flour to distribute evenly. Add the stock, juice from 2 cans of chopped clams (reserve clams), cream, bay leaves, and potatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly (the mixture will thicken), and then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook 20 minutes, stirring often, until the potatoes are nice and tender. Then add clams and season to taste with salt and pepper, cook until clams are just firm, another 2 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Garnish with celery leaves.

Week 3 - Chiefs 34 at Flippers 15

The Chiefs opened a can of whoop-ass on Flipper.

These are a lot more fun to write when the Chiefs win. However, sorry to be Debbie Downer - but, while the score looks like a blow-out, the game didn't feel that way. Thanks in large part to the gaping hole in the middle of the defense, from the loss of both inside linebackers and a pro-bowl safety, Miami (ironically) gained way too many yards on the ground. Especially given that their starting back - and old KC nemesis - Knowshon Moreno was absent. And, and while the run blocking gets better each week, passer protection is still a huge problem. Does anyone know what happened to the special teams? The best part of this game - besides the W - no serious injuries! That's one week in a row!

Offense: First of all, where the hell has Joe McKnight been hiding? He looks like Dexter McCluster, except he can catch. And, for the second straight week without Jamaal, Knile Davis looks like "the real deal" (OLD Chiefs fans will recall that cringe-worthy reference). Davis is a nice change up to Jamaal. He's very fast in the open field, although not nearly as shifty or quick as Charles. But he doesn't have to be. He runs over people, not around them. He's become a lot more patient in following his blockers and waiting for a hole to open. And 32 carries in the Miami heat and humidity is a serious workload. He looks like Larry Diapers, with a better attitude. That formation with the three TE's broke at least three good plays yesterday. Kudos to the Walrus (goo-goo-goo-joob) and Doug Peterson, or whoever is responsible for that play. Alex was pretty sharp, and used his legs to get out of trouble. But he was working out of a special-teams-induced hole, much of the afternoon, and the blocking on pass plays was - frankly - bad. Five sacks, a safety and forced fumble is not getting it done. The right side of the O-line continues to be like an I-70 on-ramp. Stupid Stephenson has one more game out. Man do they need him back. The drops from Bowe, Avery and Kelce were not helpful, either. Bowe is a huge disappointment, and there isn't a WR on this squad that scares anyone. Still in all, credit them for finally finishing drives. The TD by Kelce was pure speed, size and as Roy Williams used to say, "wont to". The defense didn't give the O any turnovers and the special teams pinned them deep on several drives, and yet they found a way to get points.

Defense: That's more like it! Still too many big runs up the gut, and still no turnovers (KC is now -5 in TO ratio), but four sacks and a strip is always a good day. Tamba got the best of former teammate, Fat Albert on a few plays, netting five tackles, three for loss, including the strip sack. Big Dontari Poe had two sacks right up the middle and Houston added another. Significant credit for those sacks also has to go to a much improved performance by the secondary. They were not torched on Sunday. They were very sound, and came close at least three times to picking off Tannehill. They need to spend more time in practice catching the ball! Alan Bailey got a big mit up to knock down a fourth-down pass in the fourth quarter. Huge play. Another very encouraging sign was the limited play of first-round rookie, Dee Ford. On one third-and-short play in the fourth quarter, when the Chiefs needed a stop, Ford blew around end and caught the back from behind, dropping him short of the first down. Huge (and very DJ-like) play. If they can get James-Michael Johnson to stay in his gaps on running plays, and can get Berry back to cover his backside, this defense could become pretty good.

Specials: We have a great punter.
The rest of them - ugh. Kickoffs were terrible. Coverage on kicks was terrible. The penalties were ridiculous. NO punt returner should ever field ONE punt inside the five, let alone two. Add in failing to call a fair catch, and letting the ball roll 20 yards, to inside the 5. Frankie Hammond needs to be benched. The offense kept starting in a huge hole. Only having the best Colquitt in the league and the emergence of McKnight salvaged anything out of this mess. Hopefully Mambo gets well soon. As they say, the greatest ability is availability.

Awards:
Throw Him A Bone: Gotta go to Mr Scrapheap Salvage - Joe McKnight. He was doing it all. He was only the leading receiver with 6 grabs out of 7 targets for 64 yards - one more yard than all the wide receivers combined. A very healthy 10.7 yards per reception, and a TD. Oh, and he returned 3 kickoffs 65 yards for a 21.7 yard average. Did I mention that he also had a carry out of the backfield? Hopefully his questionable behavior that got him cut by the Jets, and out of the league for a year, is behind him, and he can become a reliable player for KC.

Doggity Dog: Dave Toub - this dud's for you! One of the worst all-around special teams performances in recent memory. Toub needs to get his house in order.

Next up,  Chiefs host the Patsies at The Head on Monday Night Football, BABY! So, set those DVRs to 7:30 Monday night!

Tailgating Recipe:

MrDoggity's Caribbean Chicken Hot Wings 

Brine:

1 tbsp. sea salt

1 tbsp. honey

2 tsp.  paprika

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 split and seeded habanero pepper

½ tsp. allspice

1 can lime seltzer water

Juice of 1 lime

2 lb. chicken wings, cut with the tips discarded (I save the tips to make stock)

Baste/seasoning. 

¼ cup good olive oil (I use lime infused from Olive Tree)

¼ cup MrDoggity's Bajan-Style Hot Sauce (or any Caribbean-style hot sauce)
Juice of 1 lime 

Mix all brine ingredients, and brine chicken for 1 to 2 hours.

Pat chicken dry and oil with good olive oil. Cook on indirect grill, at medium heat, for 20-30 minutes, turning and brushing with baste about half way through and again about 5 minutes before removing from grill. Make sure chicken is cooked until juices run clear.

Toss in a bowl with remaining baste and serve.

Also works great with large prawns or shrimp.  

Your Faithful Scribe,
Mr Doggity

Week 2 - Chiefs 17 at Donkeys 24

No where to go but up! Last week it was Achilles' tendons. This week it was ankles.  At this rate, expect two starters to go down with shin splints next week.

Once again the Chiefs lost two starting players in a game. In this case two pro-bowlers, and arguably the most important man on the roster, yesterday to ankle injuries. This comes on the "heels" of last week's loss for the season of Mike DeVito and leading tackler, Derrick Johnson to Achilles' injuries. Hopefully Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry are not as serious, but it's not good, either way. KC has pass-rusher extraordinaire, Tamba Hali and starting cornerback Marcus Cooper both slowed by bad ankles. There are, of course injuries at higher elevations, as well. Starting kick return specialist, De'Anthony Thomas has a bad hamstring, offensive guard, Jeff Allen has a dislocated elbow and inside linebacker, Joe Mays has a wrist injury keeping him off the field. As for the guy missing action for reasons the furthest off the ground, starting right tackle, Donald Stephenson's bone-headed doping wins for "highest" reason. The training room must look like a M*A*S*H unit.

Offense: The common refrain coming out of yesterday's game is, "There are no moral victories in the NFL." And that's true. However, I never expected to even be in this game - and if you'd told me we would lose Charles and Berry, I would have set the DVR to Gilligan's Island reruns. And yet they were in this game, right up to the final seconds. Knile Davis stepped up in the absence of Jamaal, and performed well. Where you noticed the difference was in blocking and receiving. But as for running the ball, he did a very good job. The run blocking looks like it's improving, but pass protection is still an issue. Of course that is exacerbated by receivers who can't get separation, causing the QB to spend too much time in the pocket. Thankfully we have a mobile QB, but it would be nice if he didn't have to be the leading rusher. Speaking of Alex Smith, I think he may have played one of his best games as a Chief yesterday, in that futile effort. He made plays where there were none. He finally got the tight ends involved. Kelce had a great day. He made smart decisions, generally good throws and he showed a lot of guts. He forced Denver's defense into three offsides, and he did exactly what you need to do in Denver. He owned the time of possession, keeping Peyton Elway safely on the bench. The drive to start the third quarter was exactly what they needed to do - burn ten minutes off the clock - the longest duration of any drive by the Chiefs in 16 years. And then the wheels came off. Two penalties - one for holding by the rookie guard, on a long run that swung 29 yards difference. Then Alex, running for his life, crossed the line of scrimmage on a pass that would have been a first and goal. Instead it was 5 yards backward and loss of down. Then they brought out that kicker... more on that later... The bottom line again was they moved the ball well, but stalled in the red zone. You just can't do that.

Defense: After losing the "QB" of the defensive last week with DJ's season-ending injury, that role fell to fellow pro-bower, Eric Berry, who also went out in the first half, and did not return. Peyton Manning is almost impossible to sack because of his quick release and the way his receivers run pick plays. Yes. I said it. They run pick plays. They have cute names for them, and they disguise them, and they never get caught by the refs, but they cheat. They run illegal picks several plays per game. I will give credit to Bob Sutton for having the D-backs somewhat ready for it. They did a pretty good job of avoiding the picks, but Denver will get its yards on these plays, and for a couple of drives they ran them effectively. Hali managed a sack that was mostly due to the corners beating the picks. The middle linebackers were frequently gashed by the Broncos running game, however. I'm beginning to wonder if the front office won't be forced to go pick up some warm bodies off the scrap heap, just to suit up enough guys.

Special Teams: Have I mentioned that we had the best Colquitt on the field yesterday? The guy is rock-solid at dropping the ball inside the 10. It's a good thing too, because we need a better Colquitt than Denver does. However, I still don't get the coaching decision to punt on 4th & 1 at midfield. That is a head-scratcher. And then there's that other kicking guy. The Duke of Doink. He took all of the momentum built by a 10 minute, clock chewing drive, and barfed it up with missed 37 yard field goal. Then the Chiefs stopped Denver and forced a punt. After a 90-yard, 7:42 drive, the Chiefs scored a TD, and it suddenly looked like we might have us a football game, here. Only to have The Duke squib kick a line drive kickoff that never even made it to the endzone. There is simply no excuse in that thin air to ever have a kickoff returned. But they did get a huge return, all the way back into Chiefs territory. You give Manning less than half a field, at home, protecting a narrow lead, and he will come away with points. Only three this time, but at least their new kicker actually puts his kicks between the uprights.

I usually don't mention officiating in this report. Losers blame refs. But man those guys were bloody awful yesterday. Oh - and the worst groundskeeping crew in the NFL. The field was atrocious. My daughter played youth soccer on better fields. The Chiefs should sue the Donkey field crew for the injuries to Berry and Charles.


Awards:
Throw Him A Bone: Alex Smith showed the heart, the head and the guts that earned him the big bucks. One of his best performances as a Chief.

Doggity Dog: The Duke of Doink, Cairo Santos. The worst kicker in the history of kickers. (We don't even think about the kicker who shall remain nameless. He is dead to us.)

Next up: Chiefs at Fish from Unnamed Corporate Sponsor Field in Miami, FL. Head's up, despite this being an Eastern time-zone game, it will be the late game of a double-header next week, so it will start at 3:25 CT, again.

Tailgating Recipe:
Grilled corn and black bean salsa:

Ingredients:
4 cups chopped tomatoes
1 ear roasted sweet corn
1 15oz can unseasoned black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup green onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 chopped roasted hot Hatch chili pepper (or other hot pepper, more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro (optional)
2 tablespoons Olive Tree Jalapeno-lime white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Olive Tree Sea Salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Your Faithful Scribe,
Mr Doggity

Week 1 - Titanics 26 at Griefs 10

I picked a bad week to give up sniffing glue.

Hey, the Royals beat the Yankees on Derek Jeter Day! I guess I am forced to talk about the Chiefs here, aren't I? This game was as putrid as a bag of gym socks stuffed with rotting potatoes, left in the car trunk for a week in 100º heat. Given that this was a home game against one of the weakest teams the Chiefs will face all year, this could mean the return of....

Don't tempt me.

Offensive: The $68 Million Man - Alias Smith - put up a whopping 19 of 35 for 202, four sacks and three interceptions. This is a guy who threw just seven picks in the entire season last year. Of course, he was running for his life at times, but nobody was ever open. And, granted, a couple of the INTs were because Donnie Avery is a tiny little slacker, who makes up for being short by not finishing plays. I know that Dipstick Dwayne was serving a suspension, so they had to plug someone into the flanker slot. But how about anyone over 5 feet tall - and maybe a guy who completes his routes? Did they give Jamaal the day off, too? He had 7 carries for 19 yards, and only 11 touches for 34 yards. There were third and three or four situations when they had Cyrus Gray on the field, and Jamaal on the bench. Seriously? Reid's mustache is apparently growing into his brain. And don't even get me started on how offensive the line was. Eric Sandcastle was washed out by waves of Titans. This O-line is as porous as a worn out fishnet. If there was a bright spot, they did FINALLY get the tight ends involved in the passing game, and they avoided the stupid penalties that plagued them in the preseason.... And Dexter McCluster had a pretty good day.... Oh, wait.

Defenseless: Well, you're down one corner coming in, on a unit that is already a weak link, and you don't have one of your starters at linebacker, and then your best defensive player goes down with an apparent achilles injury that may cost him the season. And then another defensive starter goes down with an apparent achilles injury. They did manage four sacks against a very highly touted and expensive offensive line, but ZERO turnovers, none, nada, zilch, got nuthin. The defensive backfield remains a huge problem. There simply aren't any guys on that unit who can cover good receivers. And teams like Denver - our next opponent - are loaded with good receivers. They might as well play without a secondary and blitz every play, because if the QB has time to find a target, they're going to get torched anyway. Years ago, when I did this report, the corners were held down by William Bartee and Eric Warfield - whom I affectionately dubbed "Chrispy" and "Toasty". I think we may see a reprise of those monikers.

Special Ed: Wow, that whole, "cut Succop and keep Santos" thing looked like a stroke of genius yesterday. And by that I mean that some genius must have had a stroke. In the absence of D'Anthony "Mamba" Thomas, Frankie "Fall Down" Hammond and Knile "Knee Down" Davis didn't exactly electrify the crowds. And, I'm sorry, but YOU NEVER FIELD A PUNT INSIDE THE FIVE! Maybe it goes out of bounds anyway, but footballs are shaped funny and they bounce funny. Maybe it has a little English on it, and backflips into the endzone. Let it hit the frickin' ground and take your chances. Cairo Santos will now be known as "The Duke of Doink", after finding both uprights on consecutive kicks. Even the one he made he played off the bumper. The good news is, we still have maybe the best punter in the NFL. It's a good thing. It looks like we're going to need him.

Awards:
Throw him a bone: Justin Houston with two sacks means at least we get the consolation prize this week - a free Big Mac. Woo-Hoo!

Doggity Dog: Donnie Avery. Yes, I know he led the team with 7 catches for 84 yards, but even on the one or two good plays, he didn't look very good making them. He bobbles the ball on nearly every catch. He takes plays off. He doesn't finish plays - case in point, the interception where he just laid on the ground and didn't make any effort to ensure the player was down by contact. The Chiefs got a huge break on that one from the refs. On both picks when he was targeted, he made no effort at all to fight for the ball or break up the pick.

Next up - The Donkeys at "Generic Corporate Sponsor Stadium at Mile High (and I mean HIGH, baby...)"
Remember to adjust your DVRs - this one is a 3:25 CT start!

Tailgating Recipe:

SO….
Now that cooler weather is upon us. All the more reason to BBQ! Not that we ever have much in the way of leftovers when I get out the smoker, here's an idea for any ribs that don't get eaten the first day.

BBQ Rib Chili:

Stock:

Put 2 pounds (5 - 6 bones) smoked BBQ spare ribs (you can use baby-backs, too) in a stock pot, pour a 46 oz can/jar of tomato juice, adding just enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 1 to 1-1/2 hrs, or until the meat falls off the bone, cleanly. Set aside to cool. Remove bones and gristle. Chop any large pieces of meat into bite-size chunks and return to stock.

Chili:

In a separate stockpot or Dutch oven, heat 2-3 Tablespoons of good olive oil. Add 1/4 cup each, finely chopped yellow onion, bell pepper and celery. Sauté until translucent over medium heat. Add 2 cloves minced garlic, 2-3 finely chopped hot chili peppers (jalapeno, Serrano, etc. - more or less to taste) and stir. Muddle 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, 2 teaspoons oregano (Mexican, if you can find it), 1 teaspoon cumin seed, 1/2 teaspoon coriander seed, and then stir into pot. Deglaze with 1/2 cup beer (anything you don't mind drinking the rest of!), add in a 20oz can of whole tomatoes with the liquid, crushing them as you add, then add the stock and meat. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cook for at least 30 minutes.

At this point, adjust the heat and seasonings. If you are so inclined, you can also add a can of beans (sorry Texans, some people like it that way!), when you add your other liquid ingredients.

Your Faithful Scribe -
Mr Doggity.