WEEK THREE: Have you ever looked at the score of a game and say, "This doesn't tell the story"? The fact that KC was within 10 points at the final gun does not begin to describe the wretched performance by a Chiefs team that seems to be regressing every week. By the third possession of the game, Kansas City was no longer a factor in this game. All of their stats came in garbage time, after the Pack had taken their foot off the gas. This thing was never close.
OFFENSIVE: The O-Line is the most offensive thing I've seen since Romeo Crennel coached here. The rookie, Morse is the only guy who played at an NFL starter level last night. Eric #1 Fisher looked like a child among men. He was beaten like a rented mule. Former Pro-Bowler, Grubbs was barely a speed bump on the highway to the backfield. Stephenson was torched and eventually resorted to an illegal leg whip just to slow down the rush. Perhaps the worst performance was by the Canuck doctor, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Which is a shame. He's a nice story, and I love saying his name. Everything sounds better in French, you know. For instance, "la ligne offensive est des ordures chaude", sounds much cooler than, "the offensive line is hot garbage". Charles redeemed his fumbles last week with three rushing TDs, and Jeremy Maclin finally broke the ridiculous nearly two year drought with no TDs by a wide receiver. Alex Smith, on the other hand, is not ever going to be a great QB. He holds the ball too long, he doesn't have good pocket presence, he has a dishrag arm. When he attempts to go deep, the ball has to arc like a punt to get there. By then, the defenders are all over the receivers. He simply can't throw a strike more than about 10 yards. And far too often he's throwing bubble screens and swing passes that are five to eight yards or more behind the line of scrimmage. And frankly, Smith doesn't have the cajones to put the team on his back and will them to win, like a Manning or Brady or Rodgers. Here's one of the worst stats I heard last night. The last time a Chiefs QB lead a scoring drive inside 2:00 of any half, it was Matt Cassell. Smith, in his third season in this offense, has ZERO 2-minute scoring drives. NONE. NADA.
DEFENSIVE: The good news is Derrick Johnson is now the leading tackler in Chiefs franchise history, with 1007. He was the leading tackler again last night. He's simply the quiet heart of this defense. The Chiefs did get to Rodgers once, and should have had a pick-6 that Josh Mauga had hit him in a bad place - his hands. Otherwise, the defense was gashed. Especially the weak links at right and nickel/dime corner. Marcus Cooper is still trying to unscrew his jockstrap. Rodgers hard counts drew Hali and Ford both offside, even though we were told they drilled this all week. And worse, both plays, the defense just gave up on the free play, once resulting in a TD. Jaye Howard was caught leisurely strolling to the sideline twice, by Rodgers' quick counts, resulting in KC getting flagged for 12 men. It was a sloppy, half-hearted effort. And I am even more pissed than I was before at Sean Smith's stupidity getting pulled over driving drunk. What an idiot.
SPECIALS: We have the best punter in the NFL - another couple of kicks deep. One went out on the two. DAT had nothing going. Knile Davis had one great run taking a kickoff into Packer territory, only to have Smith and the Speedbumps go three and out, and punt it away.
THROW HIM A BONE: I'm giving this one to DJ. The Chiefs have had Hall of Famers like Bell and Buchanan and Lanier and Culp and both Derrick and Emmitt Thomas. To be the all-time leading tackler in the history of a franchise known for its nasty defenses, is a very impressive feat.
DOGGITY DOG: Alex Smith is rapidly running out of excuses.
AFC WEST:
Doper Donkeys: Again, they didn't look great, but again, they had the bigger number at the end.
Beachbum Bolts: Got punked by the Vikings.
East Bay Convicts: They squeaked by the hapless Browns.
UP NEXT: The Been Gals in Cincy on Sunday.
I feel like this kid...
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Week 2 - Donkeys 31 at Griefs 24
WEEK TWO: I worked the night of this game. Slinging BBQ at Knucklehead's for the Keb' Mo' concert. I'm frankly glad I was there. After a decent showing in week one by KC, and a narrow escape by Denver, this looked like it was setting up to finally be the day KC punched old "fivehead" in the mouth, and took his lunch money. Beautiful night, wild crowd at The Head, national TV audience, a stumbling Manning. What more could you ask? OK, you could ask for the Chiefs to not throw the game away. You could ask - but good luck with that.
OFFENSE: This O-line continues to struggle, and if they don't find a solution soon, this could be a very long year, with Chase Daniel under center. Smith is running for his life, and the problem is, unlike Manning or Brady or Rodgers, he doesn't have good pocket presence and he holds the ball too long. This is a deadly combination. A combination that resulting in Smith posting a QBR of 7.4. You didn't misread that. His rating was a well-beyond dismal 7.4. Couldn't break 200 yards, zero scores and two picks, including a pick-6, which proved to be the difference in the game. There were three receivers over 50 yards, so they are sharing the rock. But another game goes by without a TD by a WR. Jamaal Charles ran wild over the vaunted Donkey D - when he could find the handle on the ball. He also coughed up two turnovers, including the fumble that ended the game. As reliable as Charles has been, it's hard to pin this loss solely on him, but that sure didn't help. DAT also puked the pig once to give KC five gifts for the day. You can't wrap up footballs and put bows on them for even a depleted Peyton Manning. He will make you pay - and he did.
DEFENSE: Sean Smith's DUI looms large. The front seven harassed Manning, and for a while, made him look very average. They forced a pick, and they stuffed the run. C. J. Anderson, who hung 168 on them last year, barely got out of the blocks with a paltry 27 yards on 12 carries. But when they needed a stop the most - inside 2:00 in the 4th, they couldn't get it done. Manning, who looked hamstrung all day, pulled a classic Manning drive out of his nether region to tie the game.
SPECIALS: We still have the best punter in the NFL.
THROW HIM A BONE: Jamaal Charles - 21 for 125 and a TD.
DOGGITY DOG: Jamaal Charles - 2 fumbles, one recovered for a score to end the game.
The AFC WEST:
Doper Donkeys - See above.
Beach Bum Bolts - The Been Gals hung an L on them.
East Bay Convicts - Shanked the Ravens.
OFFENSE: This O-line continues to struggle, and if they don't find a solution soon, this could be a very long year, with Chase Daniel under center. Smith is running for his life, and the problem is, unlike Manning or Brady or Rodgers, he doesn't have good pocket presence and he holds the ball too long. This is a deadly combination. A combination that resulting in Smith posting a QBR of 7.4. You didn't misread that. His rating was a well-beyond dismal 7.4. Couldn't break 200 yards, zero scores and two picks, including a pick-6, which proved to be the difference in the game. There were three receivers over 50 yards, so they are sharing the rock. But another game goes by without a TD by a WR. Jamaal Charles ran wild over the vaunted Donkey D - when he could find the handle on the ball. He also coughed up two turnovers, including the fumble that ended the game. As reliable as Charles has been, it's hard to pin this loss solely on him, but that sure didn't help. DAT also puked the pig once to give KC five gifts for the day. You can't wrap up footballs and put bows on them for even a depleted Peyton Manning. He will make you pay - and he did.
DEFENSE: Sean Smith's DUI looms large. The front seven harassed Manning, and for a while, made him look very average. They forced a pick, and they stuffed the run. C. J. Anderson, who hung 168 on them last year, barely got out of the blocks with a paltry 27 yards on 12 carries. But when they needed a stop the most - inside 2:00 in the 4th, they couldn't get it done. Manning, who looked hamstrung all day, pulled a classic Manning drive out of his nether region to tie the game.
SPECIALS: We still have the best punter in the NFL.
THROW HIM A BONE: Jamaal Charles - 21 for 125 and a TD.
DOGGITY DOG: Jamaal Charles - 2 fumbles, one recovered for a score to end the game.
The AFC WEST:
Doper Donkeys - See above.
Beach Bum Bolts - The Been Gals hung an L on them.
East Bay Convicts - Shanked the Ravens.
NEXT UP: Monday Night Football at the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau for a reenactment of Super Bowl I.
Monday, September 14, 2015
Week 1 - Chiefs 27 at Texans 20
WEEK ONE: Back in the saddle for the classic "Cowboys and Indians" matchup, except this time the Indians won. This was clearly a tale of two halves. Kansas City came out of the gate hot, scoring on five of their first six possessions. The defense continued last year's QB harassment but thankfully added another dimension - +2 in turnovers. The second half, the good guys kind of went into autopilot mode, and allowed the Texans to think they could get back into the game. In the end, the biggest catch so far of Jeremy Maclin's Chiefs career came when he gathered up the onside kick and went to a knee.
OFFENSE: The O-line looks like a quilt. Not one starter from last year's starting line, in fact a rookie under center, a guard making his first NFL start and a tackle that just arrived in town last week, and had about four days to study the complex Andy Reid playbook. And all they had to do is face arguably the nastiest defensive line in the NFL, and unquestionably the best individual defensive player in J. J. Watt. The line held up. They did allow Watt a couple of sacks and a total of six tackles behind the line, but they never let him disrupt the game the way is capable of doing. On the other hand, the line could not open running lanes, and Jamaal and Knile were never able to get anything going on the ground. This lack of a running game hampered the ability to chew up the clock and salt away the game in the second half. Kelce was a beast with six grabs for 106 and two scores. Maclin had a respectable day, as well - almost making a circus catch in the second half that was overturned on review. Maclin is a major upgrade from Bowe. For one thing, he led the NFL last year with the fewest dropped balls. But yet another game goes by without a TD by a wide out. Smith was very efficient, completing over 2/3 of his attempts with no picks and three TD's. He also picked up a couple of first downs with his legs. At least one of those looked like a designed play - an old fashioned, Barry Switzer-style Oklahoma option. Solid job against a solid defense on the road, indoors.
DEFENSE: The front seven remains the best unit in league, in my opinion. Bringing back Poe, DeVito, Johnson and the emergence of Ford, plus the incomparable duo of Hali and Houston clearly put this bunch in elite status. The real unsung gamers yesterday were backups Jaye Howard and Allen Bailey. Howard had a sack, and Bailey had two, they made 9 tackles between them and Bailey had a fumble recovery on a QB strip by Houston. Safety is another strength on this team with Parker, Abdullah and Berry. However the corners were exposed a bit in the second half. Young Marcus Peters showed flashes, making a nice pick of the Texan's first pass attempt. He showed great recovery speed to break up passes. But he plays too far off receivers and got burned a few times. There were two TD's scored on him, although he had decent position on both, he couldn't make the play. Fleming is probably the weak link, as he attempts to fill in for Sean Smith, who is suspended for an offseason DUI. He was second on the team in tackles, but that was mostly because his man caught the ball a lot. He got away with an interference in the first half, and was often not in good position, or did not look back for the ball. That will get you flagged in this league, more often than not. Expect Manning to look for #30 early and often on Thursday.
SPECIALS: We still have the best punter in the NFL, despite two touchbacks on balls that could have been downed inside the 5, caused by flyers who stepped over the goal line. Santos looked pretty solid except on that 50-yarder. It was 4th and 1 there, and at that stage of the game, I'd have gone for it. What do you have to lose? Even if you don't make it, the ball is still 7 or 8 yards farther back than if you miss the field goal. The goof ups by the flyers not having the presence to know where the goal line is, cost the team on two drives. DAT, on the other hand, had a great game. He had over a 16 yard average on punt returns. You'll take that every day. Thomas had one fumble, but thankfully KC recovered it. The punt and kick coverage teams did a solid job, allowing just 3.5 yards per return.
THROW HIM A BONE: I'm giving it this week to Travis Kelce. What more can you ask of the guy? Over 100 yards receiving and two scores, sure. You expect that. But he also did a respectable job blocking - not usually his forté - against a very aggressive defense.
DOGGITY DOG: I like it when it's hard to decide because there were not really any stinky performances, but I'm giving it to Eric "oh! I think it's broken!" Fisher, who, despite a full week of practice at right tackle, suddenly came up lame when he had to start against J. J. Watt, forcing Reid to start a guy who was playing X-box a week ago.
The AFC WEST:
Doper Donkeys - They barely escaped at home against the Ravens in what had to be the worst looking game by two allegedly good teams that I can remember. Both teams had their only TD's on Pick-6's. Neither Peyton Manning or Joe Flacco - about $40 million worth of 2015 payroll - could find the end zone. In fact, the first play for either team inside the red zone didn't come until late in the 3rd quarter, and it only lasted one play before the runner was thrown for a loss. This was as riveting as a nil-nil draw in a rec-league soccer match.
Beach Bum Bolts - They also barely won at home against the Lions. Phyllis Rivers threw two INT's including a pick-6 in the first half and fell behind 21-3. But the Lions did what they do best, blew a big lead and wrapped up the narrow victory with a bow on top for San Diego.
East Bay Convicts - The Raiders are the Raiders, aren't they? They were mauled at home by the Bengals, and likely lost their only good player, Derek Carr with a hand injury.
NEXT UP: Donkeys come to The Head for Thursday Night Football, baby!
OFFENSE: The O-line looks like a quilt. Not one starter from last year's starting line, in fact a rookie under center, a guard making his first NFL start and a tackle that just arrived in town last week, and had about four days to study the complex Andy Reid playbook. And all they had to do is face arguably the nastiest defensive line in the NFL, and unquestionably the best individual defensive player in J. J. Watt. The line held up. They did allow Watt a couple of sacks and a total of six tackles behind the line, but they never let him disrupt the game the way is capable of doing. On the other hand, the line could not open running lanes, and Jamaal and Knile were never able to get anything going on the ground. This lack of a running game hampered the ability to chew up the clock and salt away the game in the second half. Kelce was a beast with six grabs for 106 and two scores. Maclin had a respectable day, as well - almost making a circus catch in the second half that was overturned on review. Maclin is a major upgrade from Bowe. For one thing, he led the NFL last year with the fewest dropped balls. But yet another game goes by without a TD by a wide out. Smith was very efficient, completing over 2/3 of his attempts with no picks and three TD's. He also picked up a couple of first downs with his legs. At least one of those looked like a designed play - an old fashioned, Barry Switzer-style Oklahoma option. Solid job against a solid defense on the road, indoors.
DEFENSE: The front seven remains the best unit in league, in my opinion. Bringing back Poe, DeVito, Johnson and the emergence of Ford, plus the incomparable duo of Hali and Houston clearly put this bunch in elite status. The real unsung gamers yesterday were backups Jaye Howard and Allen Bailey. Howard had a sack, and Bailey had two, they made 9 tackles between them and Bailey had a fumble recovery on a QB strip by Houston. Safety is another strength on this team with Parker, Abdullah and Berry. However the corners were exposed a bit in the second half. Young Marcus Peters showed flashes, making a nice pick of the Texan's first pass attempt. He showed great recovery speed to break up passes. But he plays too far off receivers and got burned a few times. There were two TD's scored on him, although he had decent position on both, he couldn't make the play. Fleming is probably the weak link, as he attempts to fill in for Sean Smith, who is suspended for an offseason DUI. He was second on the team in tackles, but that was mostly because his man caught the ball a lot. He got away with an interference in the first half, and was often not in good position, or did not look back for the ball. That will get you flagged in this league, more often than not. Expect Manning to look for #30 early and often on Thursday.
SPECIALS: We still have the best punter in the NFL, despite two touchbacks on balls that could have been downed inside the 5, caused by flyers who stepped over the goal line. Santos looked pretty solid except on that 50-yarder. It was 4th and 1 there, and at that stage of the game, I'd have gone for it. What do you have to lose? Even if you don't make it, the ball is still 7 or 8 yards farther back than if you miss the field goal. The goof ups by the flyers not having the presence to know where the goal line is, cost the team on two drives. DAT, on the other hand, had a great game. He had over a 16 yard average on punt returns. You'll take that every day. Thomas had one fumble, but thankfully KC recovered it. The punt and kick coverage teams did a solid job, allowing just 3.5 yards per return.
THROW HIM A BONE: I'm giving it this week to Travis Kelce. What more can you ask of the guy? Over 100 yards receiving and two scores, sure. You expect that. But he also did a respectable job blocking - not usually his forté - against a very aggressive defense.
DOGGITY DOG: I like it when it's hard to decide because there were not really any stinky performances, but I'm giving it to Eric "oh! I think it's broken!" Fisher, who, despite a full week of practice at right tackle, suddenly came up lame when he had to start against J. J. Watt, forcing Reid to start a guy who was playing X-box a week ago.
The AFC WEST:
Doper Donkeys - They barely escaped at home against the Ravens in what had to be the worst looking game by two allegedly good teams that I can remember. Both teams had their only TD's on Pick-6's. Neither Peyton Manning or Joe Flacco - about $40 million worth of 2015 payroll - could find the end zone. In fact, the first play for either team inside the red zone didn't come until late in the 3rd quarter, and it only lasted one play before the runner was thrown for a loss. This was as riveting as a nil-nil draw in a rec-league soccer match.
Beach Bum Bolts - They also barely won at home against the Lions. Phyllis Rivers threw two INT's including a pick-6 in the first half and fell behind 21-3. But the Lions did what they do best, blew a big lead and wrapped up the narrow victory with a bow on top for San Diego.
East Bay Convicts - The Raiders are the Raiders, aren't they? They were mauled at home by the Bengals, and likely lost their only good player, Derek Carr with a hand injury.
NEXT UP: Donkeys come to The Head for Thursday Night Football, baby!
Kelce POW!
A preview of Thursday's game between The Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos.
Posted by Arrowhead Pride: For Kansas City Chiefs Fans on Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)