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
Friday, August 14, 2015
The Four Seasons
As every football fan knows, there are four seasons - preseason, regular season, postseason and offseason.
Our long-suffering offseason is nearly over. Saturday night the 2015 Chiefs will smack pads for the first time since the bitter end of the 2014 campaign over eight long months ago.
Here is what I will be looking for:
Offense:
Has the line really improved as much as everyone is predicting? Do they hold their blocks, to they move with the pocket, do they seal their running lanes? Last week, one of the greatest linemen (and greatest human beings) to ever wear the red and gold was inducted into Canton. I remember that line. They were a force that no defense had an answer for. When Priest Holmes was tearing up the turf and Trent Green went through games with a jersey so pristine that didn't even need the laundry after his perfect spirals to Tony Gonzalez. We may never see its likes again. I don't hold this group to that standard, but they have to be better than 26th in the league in pass protection this year.
Has the upgrade to the receiving corps really made a difference? And directly related to that, can Alex Smith throw that pretty Trent Green spiral down the field if he has time and a receiver he believes in?
Is Jamaal really LeBron?
Defense:
The new kids in the secondary will get a test against a pretty good offense.
Is Eric Berry back? Man, what a story. I may have to go buy his jersey, just because.
Is Derrick Johnson back? He is a force that was badly missed last year.
Is Mike DeVito back? Without Poe early in the year, we need him.
The pass rush - Tamba is getting older, does he still have gas in the tank? Justin is the mosquito who just hit an artery. How many times have we seen a guy who is a beast in a contract year, but way too fat and happy after he inks the deal?
Specials:
We still have the best punter in the NFL. Can the Brazilian midget make the kicks under the new rules? After the preseason video the Chiefs sent out, I really think owner Clark Hunt should handle PATs this year. That boy's got leg!
DAT - is he the real deal for returns?
Honestly, I don't expect that much on Saturday. But it's always nice to see the guys who may be your next Jake from State Farm get to play fantasy camp.
Welcome back to the Kingdom!
Your faithful scribe,
MrDoggity.
Our long-suffering offseason is nearly over. Saturday night the 2015 Chiefs will smack pads for the first time since the bitter end of the 2014 campaign over eight long months ago.
Here is what I will be looking for:
Offense:
Has the line really improved as much as everyone is predicting? Do they hold their blocks, to they move with the pocket, do they seal their running lanes? Last week, one of the greatest linemen (and greatest human beings) to ever wear the red and gold was inducted into Canton. I remember that line. They were a force that no defense had an answer for. When Priest Holmes was tearing up the turf and Trent Green went through games with a jersey so pristine that didn't even need the laundry after his perfect spirals to Tony Gonzalez. We may never see its likes again. I don't hold this group to that standard, but they have to be better than 26th in the league in pass protection this year.
Has the upgrade to the receiving corps really made a difference? And directly related to that, can Alex Smith throw that pretty Trent Green spiral down the field if he has time and a receiver he believes in?
Is Jamaal really LeBron?
Defense:
The new kids in the secondary will get a test against a pretty good offense.
Is Eric Berry back? Man, what a story. I may have to go buy his jersey, just because.
Is Derrick Johnson back? He is a force that was badly missed last year.
Is Mike DeVito back? Without Poe early in the year, we need him.
The pass rush - Tamba is getting older, does he still have gas in the tank? Justin is the mosquito who just hit an artery. How many times have we seen a guy who is a beast in a contract year, but way too fat and happy after he inks the deal?
Specials:
We still have the best punter in the NFL. Can the Brazilian midget make the kicks under the new rules? After the preseason video the Chiefs sent out, I really think owner Clark Hunt should handle PATs this year. That boy's got leg!
DAT - is he the real deal for returns?
Honestly, I don't expect that much on Saturday. But it's always nice to see the guys who may be your next Jake from State Farm get to play fantasy camp.
Welcome back to the Kingdom!
Your faithful scribe,
MrDoggity.
Monday, November 17, 2014
Week 11 - Seahags 20 at Chiefs 24
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!)
Monday, November 10, 2014
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
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.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Week 9 - Jets 10 at Chiefs 24
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.
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