THE KC EYE

Manning presents a golden opportunity for the Chiefs

2012-01-30T20:13:00.000-06:00

Peyton Manning may not be healthy. Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli may not be willing.

Past that, though, in-lies a golden opportunity for a team and quarterback who'd each be crazy not to at least entertain the possibility of a future together.

It's not rocket science (or anything close to it), which is why most football fans in Kansas City ultimately find themselves frustrated when dreaming of what the Chiefs might look like with a better quarterback. That's true, in part, because the window of opportunity has never been more open for the team to make a real playoff run than it is today.

Suddenly, given Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry return at something close to 100 percent, the Chiefs are set to enter the 2012 season with premier, in-their-prime players at running back, wide receiver, defensive end, inside and outside linebacker, cornerback, and safety. Even those predicting another subtle free-agency period in Kansas City will still agree the team is likely the favorite to win the AFC West next season.

And in the parity-driven NFL, all that really means is the window will soon begin to close. Another season with Matt Cassel at the helm could mean, simply put, one less season for that group of core players to reach the Super Bowl in their prime.

* * *

Forget the health issues, because if Manning isn't able to play in 2012 and beyond, all of this becomes a moot point anyway.

Besides, the Chiefs have been down this road before — that is, scanning another organization's roster in hopes of finding that elusive franchise quarterback.

In fact, this isn't even the first time the team has had an injury-ridden, future Hall of Fame quarterback on their radar. In 1993, it was Joe Montana, who'd missed almost two full seasons because of an elbow injury.

After two years in Kansas City, Montana called it quits. The Chiefs haven't won a playoff game since. That was almost two full decades ago.

One could argue that had it not been for Montana's reoccurring concussions throughout the '93 season — which eventually knocked him out of the AFC Championship game, a 30-13 loss to the Bills — that things may have turned out different for those Chiefs.

The team wasn't all that different back then. It was 19 years ago. King Carl and Marty Schottenheimer were entering their fifth year together. They'd built an efficient rushing attack to compliment an unspectacular passing game. The defense was on the verge of becoming the league's best.

A bold move at quarterback was necessary to take the team to the next level.

Sound familiar?

* * *

Whichever team lands Manning — it seems a foregone conclusion by now that the Colts will release him — their chances of keeping him healthy are much greater today than that of the Chiefs with Montana two decades ago.

Former NFL quarterbacks love to talk about how the game has changed. How the rules have changed. Quarterbacks are protected now. Prior to his current neck injury, Manning hadn't missed a start in his entire 14-year career.

This is where common sense has to take over for Pioli. Maybe the clearest evidence of the issue at quarterback is Cassel's health. In four years as an NFL starting quarterback, he's never once played a full 16-game season, and has consistently been amongst the league's worst at avoiding sacks.

If the health of the quarterback and success of the team are one and the same, Pioli's only option should be to look elsewhere.

* * *

This seems obvious when stated, but here's something: With Cassel, the Chiefs are considered a middle-of-the-pack team. With Manning, the team immediately becomes a real Super Bowl contender.

Here's something else: When given the opportunity to upgrade the most important position in professional sports, wouldn't you be crazy not to at least consider the idea?

If fans can count on something, it's that for the first time, the GM's feet have been put to the fire. No more excuses. No more laying blame on disgruntled head coaches.

It's all on Pioli now, and after a season and beginning to an off-season filled with anger and controversy, going status-quo at this point would just feel like a waste of time.

A golden opportunity awaits. It's time to be bold and seize it.

Babb's story proves these Chiefs are a sad joke

2012-01-17T01:30:00.000-06:00

The worst part about Kent Babb's bombshell story in The Kansas City Star Sunday?

We'd been led to believe the circus was over.

Look, it doesn't matter if you think Todd Haley was overly-paranoid, Scott Pioli is an abusive micro-manager, or that maybe the Chiefs should consider eliminating all on-site vending machines at Arrowhead if the organization's management-staff is sick of picking up candy-wrappers.

Because, really, all of the above is true to an extent, and that may be the most embarrassing part.

There's no sole person to blame here. It's just a complete mess, from top to bottom. Haley is claiming Pioli tapped his personal cell phone (which is a felony, by the way), other former employees are suing the team for age discrimination, and most-to-all close to the situation agree the general manager, at the very least, is an intimidating control-freak that hates it when his co-workers have their office shades open during team practices.

In the meantime, owner Clark Hunt is praising the job Pioli has done in changing the culture at Arrowhead, and oh, by the way, season-ticket renewals are due Tuesday.

Oops.

The Chiefs are the joke of the league, folks. Two major sports-blogging sites, Deadspin and Pro Football Talk, have already taken their shots. A full-on investigation conducted by the NFL likely looms.

The best part? On the football front, Pioli has made it clear he isn't willing to trade picks for the opportunity to draft a franchise quarterback in April. Token yes-man Romeo Crennel — who may want to consider changing his cell number — won't break free from Pioli's clutches long enough to make any considerable difference.

Hunt, whose Chiefs were more than $30-million under the NFL salary cap in 2011, has somehow earned the honor as the only major sports-franchise owner in America more out of touch than David Glass.

What a freaking disaster.

This isn't an overreaction. Three years into his reign as God of Football in Kansas City, Pioli's regime has accomplished nothing more than proving the brilliance of The Patriot Way remains somewhere in New England.

Any doubt as to whether Haley's fixation for Tyler Palko was simply an effort to spite Pioli and sabotage the season is gone. Now, we're only left to wonder if it's possible the former coach's actions were warranted.

The rest of the league is catching on. Before taking the St. Louis Rams job, Jeff Fisher turned down the Chiefs' request for an interview prior to Crennel's promotion, citing ownership and the quarterback situation.

Off the field? Well, the last thing a team with Barry Richardson and Sabby Piscitelli in the starting-lineup needs is a story surfacing about its GM being more concerned with teaching lessons with a forgotten candy-wrapper than improving the talent on the roster. Babb's article is well-sourced and includes current employees. It could eventually evolve into the biggest scandal in Kansas City sports history ... if Haley spills the beans completely.

So while Hunt and Pioli are holding their breath and playing damage control over the next few weeks, the other 31 teams in the league will be evaluating talent and preparing to improve their teams this offseason.

The cycle goes on. The circus continues. It's sad. Our city deserves better.

For Crennel to matter, Pioli must adjust

2012-01-10T02:41:00.000-06:00

Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli is assuring fans they should feel excited about this day, but in reality, how can they be?

"Let us go through the process," stresses new head coach Romeo Crennel.

Oh boy.

This thing could work, you know. The pendulum that is the NFL parity-machine is calling for a bounce-back 2012 for the Chiefs, and given the minute success the team has had of late, it doesn't take much to imagine Crennel being crowned as the savior next season.

In truth, however, and what we all should know by now, is none of this has anything to do with the head coach at all, really.

Because, in an ironic twist, Pioli — contradicting what he preaches to his players and coaches — has made the franchise's struggle for success and relevance correspond with his own personal quest to prove his and The Patriot Way's ultimate superiority.

If Todd Haley was the anti-establishment whose demise became imminent after becoming disloyal and overly-obsessed with defying his bosses, Crennel will be the textbook yes-man whose legacy will be defined by Pioli's ability to adjust and delegate.

And, simply put, Pioli isn't showing signs of realizing the error of his ways.

At his introductory press conference Monday, Crennel cowered behind the GM when asked about the quarterback situation and coaching staff. His words were suddenly calculated and redundant — that refreshingly honest interim head coach had already begun to fade.

Take away the big smile, add a scruffy beard ... Something tells me we've seen this act before.

Crennel is a pawn in this, and if he or Pioli wanted us to believe otherwise, the head coach wouldn't have spent his first day on the job preaching the company-line and defending the status-quo mentality that got us here.

None of this is to say Crennel isn't right for the job. It's to say that because of Pioli, he may not be.

But for the new head coach to matter, we can all agree the GM must overcome his own personal demons of preeminence and find some humility in the process.

There's no mystery here. The "window of opportunity" you hear about so often in the NFL will soon close on the Chiefs. The careers of Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, Jamaal Charles, and Brandon Flowers could all be squandered if Pioli fails to right the ship soon.

It's no coincidence the cornerstone players the team could least-afford to lose were all here before this regime arrived. Adjustments are needed.

It's been 18 years and six head coaches since the Chiefs' last playoff-victory. Only two other franchises have maintained a longer stretch of irrelevance.

The need for change is obvious. Pioli's shown us no sign of it, yet.

Pioli needs to pick a coach and get on with it

2012-01-03T18:24:00.000-06:00

Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli is already a day late and a dollar short. What the hell is he waiting for?

If Romeo Crennel is to be the team's next permanent head coach, the thing should have been done yesterday. Literally.

Seriously, am I missing something here? I thought the reason Pioli canned former ringmaster Todd Haley with three weeks left in the season was to get a head start on the coaching search. Was I wrong?

The season is over now. The playing field has been leveled. The Buccaneers and Rams joined the Chiefs, Dolphins, and Jaguars Monday as the teams looking for new head coaches in 2012. The Colts will soon be next, as reports surfaced Tuesday that owner Jim Irsay has relieved vice chairman Bill Polian and general manager Chris Polian of their respective duties.

When Pioli was hired as GM in 2009, the consensus was the Chiefs were late to the show in getting a new head coach. It took Pioli two weeks to determine Herm Edwards had to go, and by then his probable first-choice and love-child Josh McDaniels had already been stolen away (thankfully) by the rival Broncos.

More importantly, though, this time around Pioli has seemingly already found his man. Crennel went 2-1 as interim head coach, including a victory over the 15-1 Packers, and for better worse, has just about every one of his players campaigning for him to get the job.

The consensus is Bill Cowher and Jon Gruden won't return to coaching next season. According to some, Jeff Fisher isn't impressed with the current situation in Kansas City. Not much has been said about Tony Dungy, but that likely means he isn't interested in coaching in 2012, either.

So what does that leave? For Pioli, the answer should be an easy one.

If Crennel is the right choice for the Chiefs, nothing could be gained from making the fan base or the coach wait much longer. If this thing drags out another two weeks, it'd wreak of a swing-and-miss attempt by Pioli to try and land someone outside the organization. It wouldn't sit well with the players, fans, or Crennel.

Besides, the sooner a coach is hired, the sooner the GM can focus on the real issue facing the team this offseason. The Colts and Rams — two teams that have now ousted the front-office responsible for each's current roster situation — have the first two picks in this April's draft. That means out of Peyton Manning, Sam Bradford, Andrew Luck, and Robert Griffin III, two of the four will be available to the team(s) that value them most.

From now until the draft, any time spent by Pioli not in an effort to get one of the above quarterbacks in Chiefs' red would be a complete waste.

This team has gone too long cycling through coaches to not realize by now what's really going to make the difference. Pioli, who would have likely never been offered a job as general manager if it weren't for Tom Brady, should know better than most.

It's no coincidence all of the established former winning coaches — Cowher, Gruden, Fisher — are all rumored to only be interested in coaching teams with established quarterbacks.

It's also no coincidence that none of those coaches have even batted an eye at the Matt Cassel/Kyle Orton-ridden Chiefs' vacancy.

It's a glaring sign Pioli needs to promote Crennel and get on with it, because if this team goes status-quo at the quarterback position again next season, the head coach selected to run the show won't be all that relevant.

Chiefs' mediocrity is a product of the NFL parity-machine

2011-12-30T20:42:00.001-06:00

The Kansas City Chiefs are mediocre.

Nothing breakthrough here. It's been the case for at least a decade and a half now. The real question is why, and more to the point, why don't they do anything about it?

If, in theory, an average record in the NFL is 8-8 (of course it is), then for the purposes of this blog, let's agree that anything between a 6-10 and 10-6 record should be defined as mediocre.

Since 1998, the Chiefs' year-end records look as follows: 7-9, 9-7, 7-9, 6-10, 8-8,
13-3, 7-9, 10-6, 9-7, 4-12, 2-14, 4-12, 10-6, and 6-9 with a game to go this season. During the span, only four times could the team avoid mediocrity, and just once was it for the right reasons (13-3).

You want answers? Well, the lazy one is that the Hunt family is content with mediocrity on the field just so long as it's beneficial to the bottom-line. And there could be truth to that, but it's not completely fair to put it all on ownership.

Because, the Chiefs and their utter satisfaction with mediocrity are more so a product of the NFL parity-machine than anything else.

What Clark Hunt wants most from the product on the field is the ability to handcuff season-ticket holders with a premature playoff-game/down-payment-for-next-season bill in late-December. If Chiefs' fans were pondering picking up the playoff-game option while buying Christmas gifts these past few weeks, then in Hunt's eyes, general manager Scott Pioli has done his job.

And in the NFL, it's hard not to achieve such a low standard.

Since 2002, when the league realigned the divisions and implemented a more parity-driven scheduling system, the NFL has experienced unprecedented competitive-balance. Unlike before or with any other professional sports league, every team from every market has a legit opportunity to compete year-in and year-out.

A quick glance at the 32 teams' rosters would show that only a handful are more than a player or two away from talking seriously about a deep playoff-run. It was my belief the Chiefs were one of those teams this season, before an uninspiring free-agency period and a joke-of-a-training camp quickly crushed those dreams.

With realignment, teams like last year's 7-9 Seahawks and this year's Broncos and Raiders, both 8-7, are winning divisions. Sunday, five 8-7 teams will fight for a playoff spot, four of which have a chance to win their division.

In the ten years since realignment, the Chiefs have entered the final week of the regular-season with a chance to clinch or having clinched a playoff-spot five times. Three of those occasions the team made the playoffs, which, in Hunt's view, was essentially an added bonus. Regardless of playoff-inclusion, if the NFL parity-machine was allowed to do its job without the team interfering too much one way or the other (like by spending money on top-tier free-agents), then all is well with the world in the eyes of ownership.

The team kept the fan-interest until season's end. Real or not, it felt like the team contended. Job well done — let's do it again next year.

Yuck.

What's most alarming is, with the exception of 2003 (maybe), none of those teams were actual Super Bowl contenders. The question during last year's Chiefs/Ravens wildcard round playoff-matchup wasn't who was going to win, but by how much would the Chiefs lose.

In truth, the NFL has successfully disguised ineptitude with mediocrity and mediocrity with success, with the owners' pocketbooks in mind. It's telling that the last real contender the Chiefs fielded was in 1997, five years prior to realignment and parity.

Now, we bitched and moaned last offseason when the team went all status-quo on us in free-agency. Three torn ligaments later, a simple "hate to say I told you so" just doesn't suffice for me.

The team is 6-9 and going nowhere, and the most disgusting fact to take away from this season is that, to Hunt, it was more or less a success.

The illusion is that the NFL's new-found love with parity has allowed everyone to compete. In reality, teams like the Chiefs seem to have even bigger obstacles to climb because of it.

The blatantly obvious/past-due/painfully true Kansas City sports fan's Christmas wish-list

2011-12-22T00:01:00.003-06:00

KU basketball's national championship in 2008 notwithstanding, the Kansas City sports-scene has been deprived of glory for quite some time. From the almosts and should-have-beens for the '90s Chiefs to the punchline buffoonery of the 2000s Royals, this generation of fans in Kansas City has seen just about everything there is to see ... except, of course, the team(s) they love winning it all.

Well, 'tis the season, right? I present to you:

The Blatantly obvious/past-due/painfully true Kansas City sports-fan's Christmas wish-list.

An NBA or NHL team to anchor the Sprint Center. The Sprint Center opened in October of 2007 as part of an overhaul to Kansas City's now-popular downtown Power & Light district. AEG, the managing partner on the project, finagled a sweetheart deal from the city's taxpayers without having to offer a full-on guarantee there'd one day be a professional team to call it home. Some say KC's population and poor economy deem it unsuited to support another professional sports franchise. Most, however, are eager to find out.

Bill Cowher to be the Chiefs next head coach. It won't happen. Let's just throw that out there. First of all, Cowher would want too much control, and unless Clark Hunt is about to drop a bombshell and fire Pioli (which, if it meant snagging Cowher, I'd pull the trigger on), it's basically impossible. Also, Romeo Crennel is a big, fat 1-0 (no pun intended) so far as interim coach, and it looks like he's going to make the decision for Pioli an easy one. Still, this is a wish-list, and my wish here is for the Chiefs to be legitimate Super Bowl contenders in the very near-future. I'm not sure anyone on the planet is capable of making that happen quicker than Cowher.

Sporting KC to just keep doing what they're doing. This franchise knows a little something about promoting its product. From the sweet new navy and baby-blue color theme, to the awesome, state-of-the-art Livingstrong Sporting Park, to the cool-ass name (Sporting KC ... who does that?!), Sporting has become one of the hottest tickets in town. And, you'll love this — ownership (unlike what we've come to know from the Chiefs and Royals) isn't out of touch with their fan base. In fact, after a rough start to the season in 2011, a member of the team's ownership group, Rob Heinemann, personally called into Kevin Keitzman's afternoon sports-talk show on 810 WHB to apologize to fans for the performance on the field, and commit to righting the ship. Sporting promptly caught fire and climbed all the way into first place before a loss in the Eastern Conference Finals ended their season. Folks, I haven't been this fired-up for an upcoming soccer season since ... well, never. I believe that we will win!

The Royals to have a 40-plus home run hitter ... ever. This thing is long overdue. The Royals record for home runs in a season is 36 by Steve Balboni in 1985. Jermaine Dye came close with 35 in 2000. Then-general manager Allard Baird was so impressed, he traded him the next year. Maybe Eric Hosmer can do it. Billy Butler? Alex Gordon maybe? They say prospect Wil Myers will hit 40 multiple times in his career. Of course, they also said Juan Gonzalez would be a major contributor for the 2004 Royals, but I tell ya, I can't honestly recall actually seeing him in a Royals uniform. Hmm. Anyway. Just somebody, please. Do it already.

The Chiefs to draft a franchise quarterback ... amirite? If this list was prioritized, other than the obvious (winning the Super Bowl, World Series, etc), this one would almost-certainly be listed first. The Chiefs haven't drafted a quarterback in the first-round since Todd Blackledge in 1983, and that year the team passed on future Hall of Famers Jim Kelly and Dan Marino to get him. Now, in then-team president Jack Steadman's defense, Kelly and Marino haven't won any Super Bowls, either. Of course, they played in a combined five Super Bowls, which is five more than the Chiefs have competed in since 1970. King Carl selected Matt Blundin in the second-round of the '92 draft, but was never given an opportunity after the trade for Joe Montana prior to the '93 season, which just so happens to be the last time the team won a playoff game (I'm looking at you, Scott Pioli). This NFL is a quarterback-driven league like never before, and the 2012 draft will be like Christmas for teams who need one. The Chiefs should be first in line. #RGIII4KC

The Royals to sign free-agent pitcher Roy Oswalt. This is a biggie for me, and I'll tell you why. Mission 2012 is just about complete. Next April, this town is gonna go bananas for baseball and fill The K to see the young and exciting Royals compete. It'll be fun, no doubt. The addition of Roy Oswalt would solidify the legitimacy of the Royals' chances. ESPN experts would jump on the bandwagon and start referring to the team as the sexy sleeper for 2012 (much like many "experts" did with the Chiefs prior to 2010). The word out there is Oswalt is injury-prone and is only looking for a one-year deal. Enter the Royals, who are looking for a veteran starter with ace-stuff who can fill a need temporarily before the likes of Mike Montgomery, John Lamb, Chris Dwyer and co. are ready to contribute. It's a no-brainer and a home run for GM Dayton Moore. And the icing on the cake is it'd help us forget he really did indeed re-sign Yuniesky Betancourt (no joke).

The Border War rivalry to return ... soon. First, I'd like to say, even though it wasn't the outcome I'd hoped for, I'm just truly grateful the conference-realignment talk is over. It was dragging me down, man. Anyway, Mizzou splitting to the SEC may be the single-worst blow to the Kansas City sports-scene ever. It sucks, really. And by all accounts, it ain't coming back anytime soon. My prediction is college sports will eventually get a major overhaul and come away with power conferences, reuniting KU and MU. Regardless of how it happens, though, it needs to happen. KU needs it (though they're too bitter to admit it right now). Mizzou needs it (though they're too prideful to beg at this point). But most of all, Kansas City needs it. Shame on everyone involved for letting this tragedy occur.

The Chiefs to ride Crennel and Kyle Orton to the playoffs. Isn't there something dirty about riding a would-be 8-8 team to the playoffs? You know what, forget that. Who cares? The Chiefs have redefined the whole roller-coaster talk when it comes to describing a given team's up-and-down season. Remember when Matt Cassel threw that screen-pass pick in week 3 in San Diego? Doesn't that feel like a decade ago? Certain Vegas odds-makers have the Chiefs' chances at winning the AFC West at five-percent. I'll take it! If the Broncos lose at Buffalo Saturday, the Chargers lose at least one of their two remaining games (vs. Detroit, vs. Oakland) and the Chiefs win-out (vs. Oakland, at Denver), then the Chiefs are in, my friend. Simple as that. Makes for one hell of a Christmas weekend.

Happy holidays from The KC Eye. Here's to a very Merry Christmas ... and at least a couple of my wishes coming true.

As crazy as it sounds, Chiefs have shot at playoffs in spite of Haley

2011-12-18T21:33:00.000-06:00

The legacy of former Chiefs head coach Todd Haley and the circus he ran while in Kansas City will be fully realized in the season's final two weeks.

Because, as crazy as it sounds, this team has a real chance to defy the odds and make the playoffs without him.

It's absolute insanity, really, but so is entertaining the thought of Tyler Palko starting an NFL game at quarterback (and, for that matter, witnessing him win an NFL game at quarterback).

Let's back it up a bit.

After the Denver Broncos cut Kyle Orton last month, I argued the Chiefs would be idiots not to claim the veteran quarterback. It was a win-win situation. Either Orton would play well, make the rest of the season interesting in terms of playoff possibilities in the sub-par AFC West, and give GM Scott Pioli some perspective on just how mediocre incumbent starter Matt Cassel is — OR — Orton would flop, the team would struggle (as they would without him), and waste $2MM of Clark Hunt's $30MM-plus cap space on a calculated risk.

The move made sense.

Unfortunately, as we'd learn quickly after his ousting, Haley was never interested in playing Orton. He knew Pioli had already made up his mind on the future, and the lame-duck coach wasn't going to be a part of it. Haley even contemplated resigning earlier in the season because of it.

Instead, he chose to go out guns a' blazin'. Enter the beard, the ratty clothes, and the Palko love — the collective middle-finger to Pioli and Chiefs management whom Haley considered to be the real problem.

Thursday, fresh off a shave, he appeared on ESPN's "Audibles" to play the role of victim in his spat with Pioli. He took his shots. It seemed to work.

But after watching the Chiefs shock the previously undefeated Green Bay Packers Sunday, Haley's "victim" campaign lost most of its cogency.

Quite honestly, now he just looks like the idiot who was holding the team back.

With Orton in, the Chiefs immediately returned to respectability. The running game benefited from the previously unthinkable possibility of the quarterback throwing the ball down the field. Orton eased through his progressions (you know, like a real NFL quarterback).

The offense sustained drives. For the first time in awhile, the players resembled a group that felt it could win.

And, well, they did.

You could argue the difference was interim head coach Romeo Crennel, but remember — Sunday wasn't the first time the defense stepped up for this team. That happened in losses against Denver, Pittsburgh, and San Diego.

The difference in the result against Green Bay was the offense, and more specifically, Orton.

My dreams of Pioli dreaming beyond Cassel have taken a very important first step, but we'll get to that at a later date.

For now, we get to sulk in what could have been had Haley given Orton a chance at all. Would the Chiefs have beaten the Steelers? Maybe. The Patriots? The Jets? Probably not.

Still, real NFL games were wasted in Haley's attempt to defy Pioli. Now, the Chiefs sit at 6-8, and the biggest hurdle from an Orton vs. Tebow for-the-division matchup in the season-finale is a must-have Broncos loss versus the Bills next week on Christmas day.

As predicted, this thing just got interesting. In spite of Haley, the season's final two games matter.

It's hard to believe, but had Orton started from the moment he arrived in Kansas City, the Chiefs would possibly be in the driver's seat to win the division.

It's crazy.

Of course, it's more likely the aftershock of Haley's immaturity will be too much to overcome, and they'll come up short.

But you know, when it comes to this team, banking on predictability is pure ignorance.

Maybe the craziest possible conclusion to what has been the craziest Chiefs season in recent memory is exactly what's in store.

The circus is gone, but the cycle goes on

2011-12-12T21:22:00.000-06:00

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is thanking fans for their patience and support. GM Scott Pioli is vowing to do a better job.

Todd Haley is thanking almost everyone for the opportunity and is wishing his players and coaching staff good luck.

By now, the fans have had the chance to come to terms with what this all means. Another losing season upon us, and another head coach, deservedly or not, forced to take the brunt of the blame.

It should all sound familiar, because it's the same cycle we experienced just three years ago when Hunt first brought this circus to town.

The similarities are glaring from then to now. Then, it was Herm Edwards making a commitment to building the roster through the draft. The former head coach would qualify for the playoffs just once out of his three seasons in charge, and ultimately was a victim of his inability to pinpoint a top-tier franchise quarterback.

All of the above qualities could be truthfully accredited to Haley, with the main difference being the relationship between the head coach and GM.

The point is less of a defense of Haley than it is evidence of a telling reality: The Chiefs have made little progress since Pioli arrived.

A compelling argument could be made that the GM is to blame solely here, that Haley was given little depth, and that's a tough point to counter when you consider the head coach found a way to win five games with Tyler Palko, Barry Richardson, Jackie Battle, and Sabby Piscitelli receiving substantial playing time.

In three years, Pioli's most impressive talent acquisitions have been Matt Cassel and Eric Berry, and there's an endless list of could-of, should-of, and would-ofs that have left the Chiefs with as many playoff victories in that span as there were in the previous 16 years before his arrival.

But that isn't exactly fair, either. Haley deserved this ousting if for nothing more than for letting things go this far.

Regardless of his performance, the head coach was doomed early on in this relationship because of he and the GM's contrasting styles. Pioli preached it'd be a strength, that the Chiefs' collective brain-trust would be better suited for success because of it.

Eventually, the two collided, with Pioli stepping on toes (Charlie Weis), and Haley rebelling at the point of no return (the beard).

Somewhere in-between there was a never-ending spat involving the quarterback, a complete waste of at least one training camp, and an unprecedented unsportsmanlike penalty that would prove to be the last straw.

It had become a circus, bad enough to where the head coach was privately considering resigning earier this year so he could properly tell his side of the story.

With Haley now gone, the pressure turns to the culprits who remain. Breaking that old, familiar cycle should be priority-one.

Season-ticket renewals are about a month away, so that gives Pioli little time to reflect on the mistakes made the past three years and make what could be, for better or worse, his last head coaching hire as the organization's decision-maker.

A fragile fan base awaits, desperately hoping he gets it right.

The Haley circus keeps on rollin'

2011-12-11T18:08:00.001-06:00

The joke is over. This team is no longer worth it. Three hours on Sunday for a sad, cheap laugh at the expense of the Kansas City Chiefs just seems like a ridiculous waste of time during the holiday season.

Especially when Tyler Palko, Barry Richardson, and ring-master Todd Haley are still receiving paychecks for the circus they've helped create.

It's fine if you'd rather criticize GM Scott Pioli, but the point to make here is that before the pressure shifts to the front office, the original wave of clowns hired to perform will have to be replaced.

The 37-10 debacle at the hands of the Jets Sunday is the new all-time low, even if the final score doesn't suggest it. The offense, led by Palko, could only net four total yards in the first half, and scored just one garbage-time (and hail mary-esque) touchdown in the fourth quarter after the game was decided.

The offensive-line was embarrassingly bad. Richardson was blown off the ball all day, demonstrating his best Roger Dorn-olé impression from Major League. Classy veteran center Casey Weigmann's performance was equally as bad. It's disgustingly evident Weigmann chose to retire a year too late, and his consecutive-snaps streak is handicapping the development of the roster. (Of course, this is that point in the blog where we reluctantly bring up the recently released Jared Gaither, who's now 2-0 as the San Diego Chargers' starting left-tackle, and guard Brian Waters, who was released prior the season and is having a Pro Bowl-type season blocking for Tom Brady in New England.)

Dwayne Bowe dropped passes. Tyson Jackson whiffed. Sabby Piscitelli played. Dexter McCluster flailed. The circus kept on rollin'.

But this thing proved to be an absolute meltdown on a third quarter touchdown drive by New York in-which 81 of the Jets' 90 yards were gained off Chiefs' defensive penalties. Moments after a questionable Jovan Belcher roughing-the-passer penalty extended the Jets' drive when it looked as if the Chiefs had forced a punt, Haley was tagged with an unprecedented unsportmanlike conduct penalty for an apparent heated exchange with a referee. Two more flags for defensive pass-interference followed, all but gift-wrapping the touchdown for New York.

The officials' actions on the drive symbolized a collective middle-finger from the league to Haley. I don't blame them. The holier than thou mentality he's displayed since becoming an NFL head coach hasn't gone unnoticed with officials, either. Don't think for a second they're not laughing with the rest of us when Tyler Palko runs onto an NFL field as a starting-quarterback.

More to the point, though, the drive is the most obvious evidence to-date that the team is finally mirroring Haley's personality. The immature sideline antics (like flicking offensive-coordinator Bill Muir's headset microphone last week in Chicago) and screaming matches with referees (like we saw Sunday) are just off-hand examples, but they sure resemble Le'Ron McClain's unsportsmanlike penalty for arguing with an official (which occurred on the ensuing drive following the Haley penalty), and rookie Jonathan Baldwin missing the first half of the season because of an injury that occurred during a preseason locker room scuffle with veteran Thomas Jones.

If you think the Chiefs play/act undisciplined, well, have you noticed just how undisciplined Haley coaches/acts?

Is Haley to blame for all of the team's problems? Of course not. But Pioli is safe for at least another hire. The sooner that next hire happens, the sooner we know if there's a bigger issue than the lame-duck head coach.

What we do know is the team has been absurdly inconsistent all season, and one of Haley's biggest talking-points is consistency. They aren't improving. And the offense is the worst of all, which just so happens to be Haley's background and the reason he got the job in the first place.

Sunday was a golden opportunity for Pioli to cut-loose. If it doesn't happen by Tuesday, expect Haley to last until the new year when the schedule wraps up.

Until then, enjoy the holiday season — there'll be plenty of green and red at Arrowhead next week when the Packers roll into town and show us just how far from "Super" the Chiefs still are, three years into this circus.

Weis' priorities are out of whack

2011-12-09T20:46:00.001-06:00

For what it's worth, Charlie Weis sounds sincere, at the very least, when talking about turning Kansas football around.

Because, quite honestly, the very least may be all Jayhawk-country yields from a coach who seems to have his priorities a bit out of whack.

Weis opened his introductory press conference Friday in Lawrence talking about family. He says the choice to take the head football coaching job at Kansas was a family decision, and before even considering the offer it was going to have to make sense for his loved ones at home.

Of course, this shouldn't come as a surprise to those of us in Kansas City. After all, it was the opportunity for Weis to move his family to Gainesville and allow his son, Charlie Jr. an intern-like coaching gig with the Gators that was given to fans as explanation for his departure as Chiefs offensive-coordinator after just one season.

Most considered it nonsense. His relationship with Head coach Todd Haley was rumored to be rocky at-best. When Haley benched quarterback Matt Cassel for a series late last season, the consensus was Weis had used the quarterback to undermine Haley.

Less than a week later, the news surfaced that Weis would be heading to Florida after the season. The Chiefs offense immediately went into hiding (no sign of it since).

But what Weis didn't tell us then was that his decision to leave Kansas City was less about his son and more about his special-needs daughter, Hannah. CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd reported back in March of two incidents involving her school bus driver that had Weis' wife, Maura ready to move back to their home near Notre Dame.

Ultimately, Weis says, the move to Florida was best for everyone. Maura loved the area, Charlie Jr. got his first taste of coaching, and most importantly, Hannah was happy.

And this is where it just gets downright confusing. Why Kansas? Why now?

If nothing else, the family-driven Weis had logic on his side before. Now that's gone.

The coach talked for ten minutes Friday about Hannah's happiness in Florida and his wife's reluctance to move back to the midwest. His solution? Instead of turning down the worst college coaching job in Division-1 football, he'll accept it, move to Lawrence with Charlie Jr. — who's transferring to KU by the way — and leave his wife and special-needs daughter back home with unlimited access to the private-jet to visit.

It's strange, contradictory, and unneeded. Weis dumped the Chiefs last January to be with his family, who preferred a change of location ... just so, a year later, he can move away from his family and back to the Kansas City area?

The KU football program has never been so flattered.

The common-denominator here is Weis, who seems incapable of being content.

His heart seems to be with the college game now, but can he commit to the program for the long haul, beyond the Turner Gill-aftermath and the pressure back home?

Sure, this screams low-risk/high-reward for KU, but that'll be a tough sell to the fan base a year from now if Weis bolts his fourth coaching job in four years.

The excuses will be about as unlimited as that private-jet access.

White's ousting proves Royals are still clueless

2011-12-07T18:09:00.001-06:00

The ousting of color-commentator Frank White and producer Kevin Shank from the Fox Sports Kansas City broadcast team should come as no surprise to the common Royals fan.

Instead, it should serve as a healthy reminder of just how clueless the men atop the organization still are.

Look, this is typical Royals. If you're in your mid-20s or younger, decisions like these are all you've come to expect from this franchise — other than the losing. Because, it's not like this is the first time the Royals have made a change that absolutely no one thought was a good idea other than the Royals.

This team has been a running joke for the better part of two decades for a reason — they've earned it. Batting out of order to start a game, running out of money in the middle of a draft, hiring a manager who thinks showering fully-clothed will help inspire his ballclub ... these are your amateur Royals, embarrassing themselves and our city like they're paid to do it.

Oh, wait.

White, a Royals Hall of Famer whose statue sits just outside the stadium gates, says a St. Louis television executive met him at a Plaza bar last week to break the news. Shank, whose been referred to by most involved as "one of the best in the business", says his experience was similar.

Both are convinced they were let go because the Royals felt they've been "too negative" when talking about the team to other clubs. And both have been on a media-rampage slamming the punchline-franchise ever since.

But what the Royals, and in particular, the Glass family failed to understand (and judging by their silence, still don't) is that it just doesn't matter.

If you were to write a book on what a professional franchise should avoid prior to the most-anticipated season in a quarter-century, surely firing the second-most recognizable name in franchise-history because of some harmless, no-bullshit small-talk would be included in the writing.

This is why the Royals are the Royals. They're thin-skinned. They're oblivious.

After 25 years of irrelevance, the fanbase is absolutely ecstatic about the coming season. Finally, the expectation will reasonably be postseason-contention. The summer of 2012 promises to be a fun one.

But with this, the club has somehow headlined a so-far productive offseason with a ridiculously unneeded sour note.

Only the Royals could dictate such a self-destructive change of tone. Same old story.

Now White is telling everyone he's "done with the Royals" and Shank will be job-searching this holiday season.

It's sickening. And the cluelessness off the field has to at least make you wonder about the decision-making on it. Can the same brain-trust that okayed this decision really be capable of turning the team into a winner?

If the Royals are winning in July, the wounds created here may begin to heal. If not, it'll just be more fuel added to the fire.

Just remember to aim your shots at the Glass family. It's their ousting that would be justified.

Your favorite pro-football team's head coach should be fired if...

2011-12-02T20:59:00.001-06:00

Head coach Todd Haley keeps insisting Tyler Palko will get the start Sunday for Cirque du CHIEFS in Chicago, and, as would any other responsible Chiefs fan, I've begun preparations for life without the aforementioned ringleader.

PRESENTING:

Your favorite pro-football team's head coach should be fired if...

His team is outscored by more than 75 points in the first two weeks of a season.
His team scores one touchdown or less in a four-week span.
He grows a beard that would make Charles Manson blush (not that we'd see it).
Said beard was inspired by a winning-streak that began with a victory over the NFL's lone-winless team.
He refers to Tyler Palko, at any point and under any circumstance, as a "starting quarterback".
He ensures his team's star safety has a season-ending injury by sending him back out onto the field three plays after the original injury occurred in the opening game of the season.
He refers to Tyler Palko, at any point and under any circumstance, as a "backup quarterback".
He maintains a maturity-level less than that of Josh McDaniels.
The leading candidate to succeed him is Josh McDaniels.
The second-leading candidate to succeed him is Charlie Weis, the offensive coordinator he ran off after just one season.
He insists Tyler Palko gives his team the "best chance to win".

He has us begging for THIS GUY ---->

He deactivates Jamaal Charles in favor of Dantrell Savage in his second game as an NFL head coach.
His injury-prone starting tight-end is in uniform and on the field in the final quarter of the final game of a preseason.
His injury-prone starting tight-end tears his ACL and is lost for the season in the final quarter of the final game of a preseason.
He refers to Tyler Palko, at any point and under any circumstance, as an "individual worthy of occupying an NFL roster spot".
His 4-7 team's security staff will confiscate your camera if you take a picture of the practice facility — from the outside.
He wears a hat presumably stored between games in front of his vehicle's exhaust.
He looks homeless...

...and smelly.
He wastes an entire week of preparation for Kyle Orton to either fool the Bears or to, you know ... ACTUALLY FREAKING START TYLER PALKO!!!!!

Disgustingly, all of the above is true about Ringleader-Haley. Let the boofing begin.

So, in conclusion, your favorite pro-football team's head coach should be fired if...

...his name is Todd Haley.

I digress.

Pioli must find some humility

2011-11-29T18:33:00.001-06:00

Almost three years into Scott Pioli's reign as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, not much has changed — and the GM himself is mostly to blame.

When Pioli arrived in January of 2009, the Chiefs were young, inexperienced, and under-talented. The head coach was in-over-his-head, the unlucky fellow named Tyler taking snaps under center was the league's favorite punch-line, and the team was steamrolling toward yet another losing season.

Today, some 34 months later, what about any of that can we say has changed?

It's much more complicated than that, of course, but from afar, the lack of progress this team has made since the King Carl era ended is kind of scary.

There are only a handful of positions where the Chiefs can confidently say they've made significant improvement — most of which were areas where players from the previous regime are simply playing better.

Dwayne Bowe, Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, and Jamaal Charles (before the injury) have all evolved into stars under this regime, but it's a far reach to credit the GM for what was more likely Head coach Todd Haley's doing.

And of his most impressive acquisitions, it's telling the trade for quarterback Matt Cassel was likely the best we've seen from Pioli to date.

This past offseason was supposed to be a time to shine for the former NFL Executive of the Year, but instead Pioli, whose roster currently sits $30MM-plus under the NFL salary cap, went for bargain deals and Baltimore Ravens-rejects.

With a shorter, more-frenzied free agency period to work with, Pioli was essentially caught with his pants down. Fan-favorite Shaun Smith, a key to the defensive-line's improvement in 2010, was allowed to walk to Tennessee. Former Raven Kelly Gregg, made expendable by Baltimore because of the drafting of Terrence Cody a year prior (whom Pioli passed on twice), was acquired on the cheap to replace him.

Former Raven left-tackle Jared Gaither, coming off a lost 2010 season because of injuries, was signed while more-proven tackles — like former Viking Pro Bowler Bryant McKinnie — remained on the market.

And naturally, McKinnnie replaced Gaither in Baltimore and is currently anchoring one of the NFL's best offensive-lines for the Ravens. Gaither was cut by the Chiefs Tuesday.

But the root of the team's problems today stem from well beyond this past offseason. It goes back to Pioli's days in New England.

Pioli brought a degree of confidence (~~not~~ to be confused with arrogance) with him to Kansas City, and who could blame him? He helped form four different Super Bowl rosters with the Patriots as Bill Belichick's right-hand man.

'The Patriot Way' has defined him ever since. It's been his mantra since his arrival in Kansas City.

It simply hasn't worked, not yet at least, not according to plan. So the question must be asked: Was New England's reign as the class of the NFL the result of hard work and a commitment to the 'Way', or was it simply the benefit of being the luckiest franchise in the league in finding Tom Brady?

Judging by the results in KC so far, it's growing ever-so-evident that the answer is the latter — and Tom Brady ain't coming to save us.

For sustained success with the Chiefs, Pioli must find some humility.

The Gaither release and Kyle Orton pick-up are signs the GM may be seeing the error of his ways. We need to see more.

Pioli's ego hasn't allowed him to come to terms with the mistake of drafting Tyson Jackson with the third-overall selection in the 2009 draft. This was an attempt by Pioli to replicate the drafting of Richard Seymour in his early-days in New England. Seymour anchored the Patriots defensive-line for years.

For success in 2012, Pioli must understand The Patriot Way is not the only way, and Jackson must go.

Pioli's ego hasn't allowed him to realize the limits of the uber-mediocre Cassel. Pioli helped draft Cassel in New England, and was presumably chasing the second-coming of Brady by trading for him. Predictably, it hasn't and won't work.

For success in 2012, Pioli must invest in a quarterback whose talents match the Chiefs' strengths — not the Patriots' — and Cassel must go.

Pioli's ego played a part in the release of former Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters, who became expendable this past offseason when the team determined second-year guard Jon Asamoah was ready for a starting role. Waters was snagged by — you guessed it — New England, and is having a career year blocking for Brady. The Chiefs offensive-line has been lost ever since.

For success in 2012, Pioli must infuse real talent on the line of scrimmage instead of depending on patchwork acquisitions to make an impact.

Pioli's ego has disguised his torn relationship with Haley, whose days as a head coach in the NFL seem to be numbered. Pioli's clock will start ticking when a decision on Haley is made.

In the meantime, finding some humility should be the GM's number-one priority. The Chiefs' fate, at least in the foreseeable future, absolutely depends on it.

If the Chiefs want to win, they'll claim Orton

2011-11-22T18:10:00.001-06:00

There isn't a choice here. It's a no-brainer. The Chiefs must make a statement to their fanbase and put a claim on recently-waived quarterback Kyle Orton.

It's a shame things have gotten this ugly, that the addition of an average quarterback who's lost his starting job twice in his career could be Scott Pioli's best move all year. But this is where we are now.

The reasons are obvious. We all saw Tyler Palko against the NFL's worst-ranked defense Monday night, right? With Cassel out and Pioli's inability to obtain a backup with NFL experience, virtually anyone would qualify as an improvement.

But that's not it. Orton has an arm Chiefs fans haven't seen since Elvis Grbac (that's right, I said it), and was simply a victim of Tebow-mania in Denver. He can win. And that's important, especially if you're Todd Haley.

We know what got us here. Arrogance on both Pioli and Haley's part have allowed the Chiefs roster to be completely exposed. The offseason was a virtual waste, and the injuries have simply been a symptom of an overall status-quo mentality.

The proof is there. If things were different, Jackie Battle, Sabby Piscitelli, and Leonard Pope wouldn't be embarrassing themselves on national-television every week, and Orton (or a capable backup of the like) would have already been on the roster.

That is, of course, if the Chiefs want to win.

Last season, the Packers overcame a record number of players going on injured-reserve to win the Super Bowl. Even MVP Aaron Rodgers missed playing time.

Simply put, good teams don't get caught up in the mediocrity of winning a sub-par division and then getting embarrassed at home — twice — to end their season. The Chiefs did just that, and sit at 4-6 with many of the same problems that ended their season last January.

One of them is/was Matt Cassel, whose season is officially over. Now is the time to gain some perspective.

Forget about developing Palko or rookie Ricky Stanzi — at least for now. With Orton, the Chiefs could entertain the possibility of making things interesting the rest of the way. The team is still just two games out of first-place.

And by acquiring Orton, the Chiefs front-office and fans alike could finally get a glimpse of what the team's passing-attack and talented receiving-corpse would look like with a quarterback that can actually throw the ball down the field.

Even if it's not long-term, Orton's play could help convince Pioli that Cassel is simply not the answer in Kansas City.

Money isn't a factor. The Chiefs, currently playing their third-consecutive season with the lowest or second-lowest payroll in the league, would owe Orton less than $2MM for the rest of this season.

It's a win-win. If it works, the Chiefs will have returned to respectability and given themselves another option at quarterback for next season.

If it doesn't, they can cut him and draft a quarterback in April.

Well, you know... they better do that anyway.

Losing Cassel hurts the Chiefs, but not in the way you may think

2011-11-14T18:23:00.001-06:00

Matt Cassel and Todd Haley may not realize this now, but the news of the Chiefs starting-quarterback's right-hand injury being more serious than previously thought is the best thing to happen to each of them since their arrival in Kansas City.

Trust me. In the spirit of Tim Tebow, both should be counting their blessings. Their respective positions as the buffoons charged with the extension of football-mediocrity in Kansas City may have just been saved.

Less than six hours after Cassel claimed his right hand was "fine" and vowed to be ready for the Patriots next Monday, the Chiefs' head coach contradicted those statements by stating the injury is "significant" and would require surgery.

Out of respect, I'll pause for a moment as you allow apathy to seep back into your approach to following Chiefs football.

Okay then.

At some point here, we're going to have to stop saying, "It can't get any worse than this", because, quite frankly, things just keep getting worse. But that's neither here nor there.

Losing Cassel hurts the Chiefs, but not in the way you may think. What it does is simultaneously give general manager Scott Pioli an excuse for retaining both Haley and Cassel in 2012. Let me explain.

For Haley, it's the icing on the cake. This season had 'setback year' written all over it even before it began. The schedule looked brutal. Whatever effect the lockout would have, it would seemingly be worse for a younger, "work in-progress" team.

Then the injuries. Tony Moeaki. Eric Berry. Jamaal Charles. Done, Done, and done.

Now, Cassel will have surgery and miss most or all of the rest of this season. The Chiefs will be lucky to win another game, and finish in the bottom-third of the league. Haley will have then had three years under his belt — one of the "rebuilding" tag, one playoff-year, and one ridden by injuries.

He's got an out, and Pioli will be tempted to retain him to buy at least one more season before the pressure shifts from the head coach to the front office.

Makes you want to puke, doesn't it?

Cassel's renewed job security has more to do with Pioli. The Chiefs worst-kept secret — aside from Pioli and Haley's volatile relationship — has been Pioli's affection for Cassel in-spite of Haley.

Cassel was forced upon Haley from day-one, and all of the team's offensive struggles since can be traced back to their dislike for one-another. The problem is, Pioli either can't or won't see this. The Pioli/Cassel relationship dates back to New England, where Cassel turned an almost perfect 18-1 Patriots team the year before into a (here's that word again) mediocre 11-5 non-playoff team in 2008 after Tom Brady was lost for the year in the season-opener. Pioli has been convinced of Cassel's imminent greatness ever since.

The truth is, both Haley and Cassel have done more than enough to justify receiving pink slips.

Haley cost the Chiefs health and victories by turning this past training camp into a weight-loss program. He also may have run off Cassel's one glimpse of hope for sustaining any kind of success — Charlie Weis — because of his ego/unprofessionalism.

His sideline tantrums don't help things, either.

Cassel has never shown the ability to stay healthy, has the league's weakest throwing-arm, and has regressed statistically to his sub-par 2009 form. That's worth noting considering the easier portion of the Chiefs schedule was just completed.

The Haley and Cassel-led Chiefs could only muster 13 points combined against the Dolphins and Broncos. What would they look like against the Patriots, Steelers, or Packers?

We don't want to know, and neither do they.

This is all ironic, because Pioli could use either of the two as a pawn in an attempt to boast confidence in the other. Both Haley and Cassel would love to see the other get the ax.

But if either are shown the door, it'd mean admitting a mistake on the general managers' part. It isn't likely. Cassel's injury allows Pioli to save face for at least another year, and it may be too good to pass up.

The Beard deserves the blame

2011-11-13T19:27:00.001-06:00

In spite of the wishful-thinking Twitter rumor started early Sunday evening, Todd "the Beard" Haley's job as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs (for now) remains in-tact.

After the Tim Tebow Show rolled through Arrowhead earlier in the day, however, the team's playoff-hopes do not.

For a team whose leader's preach consistency above all else, the Chiefs' 2011 season has been anything but. Two blowout-losses. A four-game winning streak that included a comeback victory against the league's lone winless team, a blowout road win against the division-leading Raiders, and a Monday Night miracle (with a little help from some amateur fireworks).

And now this. The Chiefs had an opportunity to enter murderer's row (at New England, vs. Pittsburgh, at Chicago, at New York Jets, vs. Green Bay) at 6-3 and atop the division. Instead, after embarrassing home-losses to the previously winless Dolphins and the Tebow-led Broncos, we're back to square-one, wondering how much time The Beard and the face behind it have left.

Sunday, Haley's Chiefs looked under-prepared for Denver's month-old option-read offense. As a result, the Broncos ran it a whopping 55 times for 244 yards despite losing its top two running backs to injuries. Tebow needed just two (TWO!) pass completions to outscore The Beard's anemic offense, which managed to end its eight-quarter long touchdown drought in the third-quarter.

But the worst part is how the team seems to be regressing in all facets of the game.

The front-seven was unable to get a push most of the day against the most one-dimensional offensive gameplan in recent memory.

The offensive-line allowed rookie Von Miller to have his way with quarterback Matt Cassel the entire game.

When given time to throw, Cassel, who left Arrrowhead with a splint on his right hand Sunday, was plagued by dropped passes and costly penalties.

And down by three with the game in doubt, the Chiefs' supposed strength, its secondary, allowed Tebow to beat them with his arm on a blown-coverage 56-yard touchdown pass to Eric Decker.

The Monday Night miracle feels like ages ago.

If The Beard deserved the credit for the team's resurgence in October, he/it surely deserve the blame for this debacle.

At 4-5, the Chiefs have concerns everywhere, and they aren't going away. Cassel is lost, the play-calling is putrid, and the defense has gone completely soft. There's no guarantee Jamaal Charles or Eric Berry will come back healthy next season from season-ending injuries they each suffered in September.

Somehow, The Beard is blaming losses on "fatigue" after giving his team a pass during training camp with that very issue in mind.

Players are turning to Twitter to cover for personal on-field mistakes and criticize fans for voicing their displeasure with a team going on two decades without a playoff victory.

It's a mess. And sooner or later Scott Pioli will be forced to clean it up.

The Beard — and the face it hides — just won't last long like this.

Haith's past creates more instability for a school seeking the opposite

2011-11-08T21:50:00.000-06:00

Way back in April, long before the latest wave of conference realignment began to gain steam, there was news out of Columbia, Missouri some would argue was much more controversial than Mizzou's jump to the SEC.

It was the hiring of Frank Haith, checkered past and all, to replace Mike Anderson as the school's head basketball coach.

Don't feel guilty if it slipped your mind — some around Columbia would probably still have trouble picking Haith out of a lineup. But that's neither your fault or Haith's, though Missouri's refusal to showcase its new coach to this point may be just as much a result of his on and off-the-court success (or lack thereof) at the University of Miami as it has been with Mizzou's never-ending flirtation with the SEC.

The reaction to Haith's hiring last spring was mostly mixed. No one knew him. After a little research, though, one could stumble upon some very alarming facts about his tenure in Miami.

For instance:

In his seven years as coach of the Hurricanes, Haith's teams made the NCAA tournament only ONCE.

In his seven years as coach of the Hurricanes, Haith's teams had just a .384 winning percentage in ACC play.

In his seven years as coach of the Hurricanes, Haith's teams never once had a winning record in conference play.

In his seven years as coach of the Hurricanes, Haith's teams never finished higher than fifth in the conference.

And so on. On the forefront, for a university hell-bent on preaching the 'bigger and better things' mantra, Haith seemed to be a substantial downgrade to Anderson. After rebuilding the program in the wake of the Quin Snyder circus, who exactly was athletic director Mike Alden handing the reigns over to? Was Haith even worthy, let-alone able to continue to build off of Anderson's success?

But those questions were being asked before reports surfaced of the Miami recruiting scandal.

In August, Nevin Shapiro, a former Miami booster, as part of a much-larger school scandal, claimed Haith had knowledge of money exchanging hands in an effort to secure recruit DeQuan Jones. The scandal allegedly involved players having prostitutes and abortions — amongst other things — paid for by boosters.

The NCAA has not handed down punishment for any wrongdoings done by Haith.

Alden, with most of his time presumably occupied by the SEC's finest, passively chose to stick with Haith without reiterating his commitment to him, while most of Tiger-nation called for the job of a man who had yet to coach a game.

And now, with the SEC decision final, Mizzou will head into its final Big 12 season Friday with a head coach who has never run a clean program or won anything of importance.

It all just seems messy and unfortunate. Would Alden have chosen Haith had the SEC jump been made prior to Anderson's departure? Would Anderson have thought-twice about going to Arkansas had he known Mizzou would soon become a conference rival? Would Alden have been more bold in his coaching search had he been able to use to the SEC-card to lure coaches?

Haith had little time to recruit for next season and beyond after his hiring in April. Mizzou basketball's first two seasons in the SEC could look worse than Anderson's first two in the Big 12. One could argue the program is less stable now than the day Snyder bolted.

And for a school that spent the last three months seeking a more stable conference, that's saying a lot.

KU shouldn't let jealousy get in the way of college sports' greatest rivalry

2011-11-07T19:09:00.000-06:00

There was plenty of vitriol and hate coming out of the Kansas City sports-scene this past weekend, and astonishingly, it had nothing to do with the full sweep of losses by the area college teams Saturday or the letdowns by the Chiefs and Sporting Kansas City Sunday.

No, it came from the backlash of the under-the-radar announcement/celebration/pep-rally made by the University of Missouri late Sunday of the school's intentions to (finally) leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference.

We've all had time to come to grips with just what this move would mean. Hell, the original report of the SEC's interest in MU surfaced more than two months ago. Still, no one knows for sure what to think.

Everyone out of the Mizzou camp, save for Brady Deaton and Mike Alden, seem to be a bit confused and split emotionally — especially those with ties to Kansas City.

Most on the Kansas side are simply in denial.

But one thing is for sure: It'd be a damn shame if jealousy and bitterness got in the way of the continuation of college sports' greatest rivalry.

We have to back it up here, though, because it was mostly jealousy and bitterness that drove Mizzou to leave its home conference of over a century and potentially turn its back on its rivalry with KU in the first place. The Mizzou football program has never quite gotten over its BCS Orange Bowl snub in favor of KU in 2008 — a season in which Mizzou handed Kansas its lone loss and in doing so, made the Jayhawks the beneficiaries of not having to face the Oklahoma Sooners in the Big 12 title game.

Kansas has been mostly irrelevant in football ever since, but none of that matters now. Just so long as the school whose top fans and alumni deep down wish it were their university — and not their rival's — moving onward and upward get their parting shots in before the wake settles.

The truth is, an annual non-conference football contest at Arrowhead Stadium makes sense for all parties involved. For KU, whose football tickets are currently being sold via Groupons, it helps financially and with fan-interest. For Mizzou, it does the same, all-the-while keeping some sort of presence in the Kansas City market.

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self has made it clear Mizzou is all but dead to him and that he's looking out for the best interest of his program only.

"We couldn’t care less what Missouri wants," the coach has stated. "If in fact they want to play us, it will be strictly determined if we want to. It will not be determined by other people, because I’ll be honest, the majority of Kansas fans don’t give a flip about playing Missouri."

Okay. But for a public representative of a university that has been openly bitter of its rival school's decision to do what's best for its own brand, Self is sure quick to remind all parties involved that his school is capable of doing the same.

And hypocrisy aside, it's mighty presumptuous of Coach Self to determine that Jayhawk-country doesn't "give a flip" about its interstate rivalry.

We know Missouri does. In fact, Mizzou officials have stated publicy their desire for the rivalry to continue in both sports, possibly by hosting an invitational basketball tournament in Kansas City during non-conference play.

But that's impossible until the people calling the shots in Lawrence pull their heads out of their asses.

My hope is that they do. If it's Missouri's arrogance that may lead to the eventual fall of the Big 12, it will be Kansas' that will lead to the fall of college sports' greatest rivalry.

Chiefs should go all-red all the time

2011-11-03T20:14:00.000-05:00

One of the tidbits from Monday's thriller against the Chargers was the three Chiefs players who made the best fashion decision in Kansas City since the days of the Royals' black-trip informs in the early-2000s.

I noticed it first on wide-receiver Dwayne Bowe, then on cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr.

The three players chose to wear all-red socks for the primetime television audience, going against the NFL mandated white from the shin down to the shoe-top. It's no secret the NFL is very protective of its shield, and its uniform policy is no exception.

From NFL.com:

"Stockings must cover the entire area from the shoe to the bottom of the pants, and must meet the pants below the knee. Players are permitted to wear as many layers of stockings and tape on the lower leg as they prefer, provided the exterior is a one-piece stocking that includes solid white from the top of the shoe to the mid-point of the lower leg, and approved team color or colors (non-white) from that point to the top of the stocking."

They don't call it the No Fun League for nothing.

It gets better, though. Thursday, 610 Sports' Nick Wright reported that a league spokesperson warned the three players at halftime, informing them they wouldn't be fined if they fixed their socks for the second half.

And as we know, our boys held strong.

Anyway, I wouldn't expect too many more stocking-driven fashion statements from these three if the fines start adding up — especially considering Bowe and Carr have yet to sign long-term deals to stay in KC.

It's my opinion, though, that this was more than just a 'look at me' ploy from Bowe & company. You have to admit, albeit subtle, the all-red socks seemed to give the uniforms a fresh look.

So what do you think? Do the Chiefs uniforms need a makeover? If it were up to me, the all-red socks would be a mainstay from here on out.

The Beard deserves the credit

2011-11-02T20:01:00.000-05:00

After a dismal September, checking-out on the 2011 Chiefs a little early would have been more than justified. Many of us did just that. So if you came back around for the Monday Night Miracle this week, you may have been a bit confused as to just what you were seeing — on the field and off.

Not even the most optimistic of Chiefs fans were predicting this turnaround, a jump from 0-3 to first-place faster than any team has done prior in NFL history. So even those who hung around during the first month of the season aren't quite sure as to how it happened.

Some might credit the soft schedule the team faced after the 0-3 start, including games against the then-winless Colts and Vikings, and the banged-up Raiders.

The pessimistic view of Monday's miracle could be written off as a product of an amateur, yet timely parking lot firework combined with the electricity of a primetime game at Arrowhead and Philip Rivers' boneheadedness.

But regardless, the Chiefs have gone from last to first during the course of October, beating two division rivals in the process. Even the best of teams in the NFL struggle to string together four consecutive victories, but the Chiefs have done just that.

And The Beard deserves the credit.

That's right. Head coach Todd Haley, having vowed to not shave his beard as long as his team continued to win, is now four weeks deep in the greatest facial hair trend this side of the Mississippi, and well, how else would you explain this team's resurrection?

After being mostly ridiculed for a consensus misuse of training camp and the preseason, The Beard has overcome injuries to three key starters — two of them Pro Bowlers — and has the Chiefs in a tie for first-place in the AFC West with home games against the hapless Dolphins and Broncos coming up.

So ask yourself this: Knowing what we know now about the improved Bills, Lions, and Raiders, which would you choose ... starting the season over, or a first-place tie two months into the season?

I'd certainly take the latter.

And if we can agree that the front office could have done a better job equipping Haley with more talent in the offseason, we can probably agree that Haley has done a pretty damn good job getting the most out of what he does have.

Brandon Flowers made Chargers All-Pro wide-out Vincent Jackson disappear Monday night. Tamba Hali scared Pro Bowl left tackle Marcus McNeill into several false starts, at least one holding penalty, and had Rivers dancing in the pocket all night.

Other have improved. Dwayne Bowe is now being talked about with the very elite receivers of the league. Derrick Johnson is finally getting some credit for helping stabilize a rejuvenated defense. And rookie Jonathan Baldwin, in just his second start, made a highlight reel catch in front of a national television audience Monday that has the blogosphere already pushing for a new "OptimusPrime-time" nickname.

The Beard should have been here all along.

Best of all, the players look as if they're finally having fun, and that certainly showed in the moments after Ryan Succop's game-winning overtime field goal Monday when several Chiefs put on Scream masks to celebrate the win and the Halloween spirit all in one.

It's night and day from what we saw just a month ago, and it could get better. Two weeks from now the Chiefs could be 6-3 going into another Monday night showdown, this time with the Patriots, looking to create some separation from the Chargers and Raiders. This thing is just getting good.

What a difference The Beard makes.

Chiefs could make huge statement in Oakland

2011-10-18T21:42:00.000-05:00

There aren't a handful of minds in Kansas City who would have sanely stated this just two weeks ago, and even I've been second-guessing the rationale here.

But you know what? The Chiefs could make a huge statement with a win in Oakland Sunday.

This is not only against most logic, it's a complete flip-flop on the stance most-worth taking for Chiefs fans after the first month of the season.

It was ugly.

Tony Moeaki, Eric Berry, and Jamaal Charles went down to season-ending injuries in consecutive games dating back to the preseason. Prior to that, the team looked disinterested in competing in each of its first three preseason games, and this came after a training camp that looked more like a weight-loss competition than football preparation.

The Bills and Lions then embarrassed the Chiefs in the first two weeks of the regular season, outscoring the team 89-10, and many wondered if 0-16 was a real possibility.

The #Suck4Luck campaign became the talk of the town. It was a matter of when, not if, Todd Haley was going to be fired. Fantasy football owners only gave significant thought to the Chiefs in terms of when a player was facing the team's defense — because it was like winning the lottery.

Apathetic was the way to go about watching the games. A month in, the season had already ended.

Well, like it or not, the ineptness of the Dolphins and Colts have made the Chiefs' #Suck4Luck campaign a pipe-dream at best. An improved Matt Cassel has utilized his best weapon, Dwayne Bowe, en route to two consecutive victories. Jackie Battle looks to be emerging. The defense is missing Berry, but shutting down the Vikings' Adrian Peterson in week five is a sign they can still be effective without him.

Sure, the team's only two wins in 2011 are against teams that are a combined 1-11 to date, but here's this: The Chiefs are that stupid Cassel screen-pass interception in San Diego away from being 3-2, and we know now the Bills and Lions are much better than expected.

Newly acquired Carson Palmer probably won't suit up five days after coming to Oakland, so the 4-2 Raiders will be one-dimensional — and therefore very beatable — on Sunday.

The Chiefs are coming off a bye and for the first time this season there's been some relief from the pressure mounting on Haley. The Raiders are coming off an emotional victory in the wake of owner Al Davis' death, and will be favored with their starting quarterback out for the season.

I can't prove it, but I think I checked-out emotionally the minute Dexter McCluster fumbled the opening-kickoff.

I'm back. Apathy is the way no longer.

The Chiefs have a Monday Night rematch with the Chargers at Arrowhead on Halloween that could be a hell-of-a-lot more fun depending on what happens five days from now.

Forget the brutal schedule down the stretch. This is football, anything can happen. The Chiefs' 2011 season starts in Oakland Sunday.

Chiefs have leaks in their ship

2011-10-14T19:20:00.001-05:00

With the way the team started 2011, you would have guessed the Chiefs' bye-week would have been a blessing to those driving the ship.

Guess again.

It started Thursday, after a report by 610's Nick Wright surfaced that, according to team sources, had the Chiefs lost to Indianapolis Sunday, general manager Scott Pioli would have fired head coach Todd Haley. The team, of course, fought back from a 17-0 second quarter deficit and defeated the still-winless Colts 28-24.

Sports-talk radio listeners in Kansas City have been well-seasoned to take anything Wright says with a grain (or six) of salt, but the fact Pioli made it a point to adamantly deny Wright's claim does speak to the story's potential validity.

And also, if true, what in the world are we to make of Pioli's logic?

Forget about Haley's sideline-maturity issues for a moment. It's hard to imagine any head coach in the NFL today having these Chiefs sitting any prettier than 2-3 after five games. The wasted cap-space, the paper-thin roster... those are Pioli's shortcomings. Firing Haley would only bring more attention to the general manager's part in this mess.

Pioli's smarter than that, right?

But, even if Haley's ousting is justified (I'm not saying it isn't), why would a comeback win against the hapless Colts prove his worthiness?

There are leaks in this ship, no doubt.

What wasn't expected is yet another leak Friday, this time by "local blogger" Bob Gretz (formerly King Carl yes-man website blogger and radio-broadcast sideline reporter), who says the team is planning to sell the naming rights to Arrowhead Stadium for "big dollars".

"It appears (the Chiefs have) finally found a business entity to pony up for the right to put its name on the stadium, or the playing field. Word is that an announcement will likely come in conjunction with the Monday night game against San Diego on Halloween," Gretz writes.

That's right, Jackson County tax-payers. While the team floats through another year of mediocrity, the Chiefs have decided that Arrowhead Stadium — the stadium renovated mostly with YOUR hard-earned money and in-which may only be standing because of the financial risk YOU took on your beloved team — is getting a name change all in the name of the bottom-line and Clark Hunt's wallet.

I'm sorry, I must have missed the memo. When was the vote on this?

Of course, team president Mark Donovan quickly refuted Gretz's report via The Kansas City Star, but the consensus amongst the city's talking heads and those in-the-know seems to be that this thing has been in the works for years.

So, Kansas City... Welcome to Google Search-Engine Stadium, the loudest stadium in th...

I just hope they thought this through.

Look, the ship hasn't sunk yet, sure. But there are leaks everywhere you look, and the only cure (and ultimately the only thing we, as fans, care about) is winning. If this team starts playing more meaningful games in January, I could care less what they call the stadium.

A win next Sunday in Oakland would be a start.

Until then, a fun-filled Big 12 football weekend is in store. It's nice to know when you need a break from the ugly politics and greed of professional sports, you can look no further than clean, pure simplicity of the college game.

Oh, wait.

If this is the end

2011-10-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

There's no reason to place blame now, just time to reflect. It's the dreaded delay between a death and the funeral that follows where making sense of what's occurred is next to impossible.

Is the Missouri/Kansas rivalry really going to end this way?

The University of Missouri announced Tuesday their Board of Curators had voted unanimously to explore other options as it relates to the school's conference affiliation.

Translation: The more-stable Southeastern Conference is right next door, ready and willing to welcome Mizzou with open arms.

So, if this is the end, what do we make of it?

With Texas and Oklahoma around, the Big 12 will survive. With Gary Pinkel around, Mizzou will be just fine.

But what about Kansas City?

The MU/KU rivalry is a part of the city's culture. Without it, a piece of what makes it home to us will be lost forever.

Families divided, couples split, co-workers spending most of their day on the job arguing about their rival school's recruiting classes. We love it and we take it for granted.

It's gone.

You can say goodbye to Big 12 tournament week, when the Kansas City Power & Light district is booming with entertainment and tourists from neighboring states visiting to root on their team and enjoy the city we call home.

Sports-talk radio will take a hit as well. Instead of the upcoming Missouri/K-State matchup dominating the talk this week, picture this: Next year, you'll have to decide between a KU/BYU preview on one station, or an MU/Vanderbilt preview on the other.

Yuck.

There'd be no more rivalry games at Arrowhead Stadium, so if Missouri leaves, this Thanksgiving weekend will be the last football game between our local schools for quite some time.

This would be MU's last go-round in the Big 12 altogether, so we're facing just one last ESPN college hoops Big Monday, when our city and schools are on center stage for two hours showing the country what the greatest rivalry in the land looks like.

Kansas and Missouri, students and fans alike. The hate will always be there, but because of the Kansas City connection, the need for eachother has never been more apparent.

Right now, saying goodbye just doesn't feel right.

If this is the end, know there will come a day I'll tell my future children and grandchildren about a once-great college sports rivalry, and the effect it had on the city I've grown to love.

I'll tell them about Roy Williams' tears and Mario Chalmers' miracle. I'll tell them about Gary Pinkel's visor and his unstoppable offenses, too.

I'll tell them about the night the whole country was watching on national-television as both school's top-ranked football programs squared off under the lights at Arrowhead.

There was Reecing's pass, Taylor's lay-up, Maclin's speed, and Collison's dominance.

There was a rivalry in which no amount of money could ever replicate, and in which its future is in great peril.

Kansas City was at the center of it all. And for a city where the professional sports teams never cease to disappoint, it's sad to think it could get any worse than it already is.

If this is the end, it surely will.

Cassel is in the gray

2011-10-03T20:07:00.000-05:00

In the past eight days, Chiefs' quarterback Matt Cassel has given us a perfect summation as to why he's generally viewed as a strength within the organization and a weakness outside of it.

Problem is, you can usually find him in the gray area between those two points. So making any type of permanent conclusion on just what the Chiefs have in Cassel becomes extremely difficult.

By all accounts, Matt Cassel is a likable guy, and sadly, that may be part of the problem here. He says the right things, accepts coaching well, and always — ALWAYS — takes responsibility for his and his teammates' performance on Sundays.

Despite his relationship with head coach Todd Haley, Cassel is the type of player coaches love. Without the obvious size or arm-strength advantage, he's become an NFL starter by doing the little things and playing smart.

He's tough as nails, too. Last year, less than two weeks removed from an emergency appendectomy, Cassel led his team to victory on the road against a playoff-hopeful St. Louis squad in a game the Chiefs would later realize they had to have.

So the intangibles are there.

Sunday, with their backs against the wall, the Chiefs allowed Cassel to lead the way for their first victory since early last December, and it's no coincidence that victory against the Titans was the last time he resembled anything close to an NFL starting quarterback.

Cassel looked poised, eased through his progressions without panic, and with the game on the line was at his best. It wasn't hard to envision — with a healthy Jamaal Charles, Jonathan Baldwin, and Tony Moeaki — this team winning important games in December and January with Cassel at the helm.

But then there's the other side to this.

In a much more important divisional game a week before, Cassel looked dismal against a San Diego team that appeared disinterested in winning. The Chiefs didn't gain a first-down until the second half. Still, somehow, there was an opportunity for victory in the game's closing moments.

Cassel folded like origami.

Had the quarterback played even half as well in San Diego as he did Sunday at Arrowhead, the talk around Kansas City would be less about who the team will draft in April and more about the strong likelihood of having a winning-record coming out of the bye week.

This is where you have to sympathize, at least to a small degree, with the decision facing general manager Scott Pioli this offseason. Cassel is still relatively young and developing. He's never had two legitimate NFL wide-receivers to throw to while in Kansas City.

And parting ways with a quarterback with a career winning-record just a year removed from a Pro Bowl season isn't exactly the obvious decision, especially after you consider the injuries to the starting running back and tight end.

See, there's so much gray here.

On the one hand, you have a quarterback whose teammates credit the passion he displayed during an impromptu halftime speech as an explanation for the team's determined second half play Sunday.

On the other, you have a fanbase more concerned (even after Sunday) with the appropriately titled #Suck4Luck campaign (rooting for the team to lose in hopes it will be awarded the first pick in next April's draft so it can select the most-hyped college quarterback since Peyton Manning, Stanford's Andrew Luck), than with cheering for the team in its current form.

Sunday was by far Cassel's best performance since the Charlie Weis-to-Florida news surfaced. Was it progress after a rough adjustment period that included a lockout? Or when the schedule gets tougher and the games more meaningful, will Cassel and all his mediocrity rear their ugly head once gain, much like we saw last January?

Again, the gray.

Regardless, next year's draft will be quarterback-heavy. The rest of this season will be an unofficial audition for Cassel to buy a few more years in Kansas City.

And the irony is that — because of a potentially worse draft position — by playing well Sunday, the quarterback may have hurt his team's chances in the future more than help them.

Or, it's possible, Sunday was a major step forward for Cassel.

Just depends on which side of the gray you're on.

With Cassel, Haley is wasting our time

2011-09-26T20:53:00.000-05:00

"I'm excited about our team."

Had this been the third preseason game, those words, spoken by Chiefs' head coach Todd Haley after the team's 20-17 loss in San Diego, may have felt slightly more fitting.

Instead, the Chiefs are 0-3 in the regular season, and proved nothing more Sunday than the disturbing fact that the team can't depend on its starting quarterback when they need him most.

You have to hand it to Haley. Authentic or not, the enthusiasm he's shown in the face of adversity this season thus far is unprecedented for the third-year coach.

Because, exactly what is there to be excited about?

The team's two most electric and fun-to-watch players on each side of the football, Eric Berry and Jamaal Charles, are out for the year.

The offensive-line, considered a surprising strength last season, looks worse now than it was when Haley and general manager Scott Pioli took over.

Most alarming, though, is the play of Matt Cassel. All of the Chiefs' issues this season — from the injuries to the lack of preparedness to start the season — could have been disguised had Cassel re-established his 2010-pre-Charlie-Weis-departure form in 2011.

Instead, Cassel has regressed substantially. He shows zero composure in the pocket, rarely looks downfield, and almost choreographs his throws pre-snap.

Worse, his supposed second option, newcomer Steve Breaston, hadn't seen the ball come his way virtually all season until a minor injury to Dwayne Bowe Sunday forced Cassel to look his way. This implies Cassel is either unable to make progressions against NFL defenses or the offensive-line is unable to effectively protect an NFL quarterback.

Or both.

Haley admitted to simplifying the offense for Cassel in San Diego. The result was nothing new for Chiefs fans hoping for just that; the offense failed to gain a first down in the first half.

And with the game on the line, Cassel threw the ball and the game away to a Chargers team desperately looking for a way to lose.

For a quarterback whose biggest weakness is his arm-strength, throwing game-losing interceptions in the backfield has to serve as a sign of things to come for the head coach.

The truth is, with the season seemingly over and Haley's job on the line, a knee-jerk reaction to Sunday's loss might not be a bad idea.

Injuries aside, good NFL quarterbacks have the ability to pick their team up when times are tough. Cassel (who has less passing yards on the season than Tom Brady's per-game average) is anything but that.

The sooner Haley realizes this, the better.

Maybe the coach is "excited" about his team's chances to snag the golden-ticket in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Because with Cassel, Haley is wasting our time.

The Purpose of Moneyball

2011-09-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

There is a major motion-picture hitting theaters Friday — a movie in which its release I have been anticipating for quite some time.

For reasons beyond your or my control, the relative importance of this movie's story has never been greater, yet, in an all-for-naught manner, its ending may prove that the basis for its tale has never been more obsolete.

The movie, of course, is called Moneyball.

Moneyball, if you're catching up, is a book written by Michael Lewis (of The Blind Side fame) covering baseball's Oakland Athletics and their outside-the-box thinking general manager, Billy Beane in the early-2000s. With Beane's adaption of Bill James' sabermetrics, the A's attempt to win despite having one the game's lowest payrolls by using advanced statistics to the point of complete objectivity — or something close to it — like never before.

Stolen bases, batting average, RBIs— while they still meant something, Beane knew to get ahead and compete with the big-market clubs, he'd have to dig deeper to into the numbers to find cheaper statistical translations to success on the field. Eventually, the A's would use the now famed on-base percentage (OBP) statistic where most teams used batting average, at a time when batting average was valued much higher than OBP. The result was more on-field success for less of the cost.

For years, baseball's traditionalists have argued against the "computer-geek" uprising of analyzing the game this way. Former player and ESPN announcer, Joe Morgan became the unofficial spokesperson for the old way, at one point even claiming that Beane wrote Moneyball himself.

The very fabric of the way we viewed the game, if we so chose to do so, had changed.

The question now, for many, on the eve of Moneyball's motion-picture debut is simple: Was the concept of Moneyball a success? Was its purpose fullfilled?

The premise of the book was not Beane's usage of sabermetrics alone, it was doing so in an advantageous manner in relation to the market-value for players with those qualities. The OBP statistic had been in existence long before Beane became general manager of the A's, it was just that baseball had underestimated its value prior to Beane coming along.

Well, the cat's out of the bag now, and other teams have caught on.

Many big-market clubs, possibly the most-famous being the Red Sox, have allowed the once-undervalued statistics to equal market-value. And Boston, unlike the A's, won the World Series (twice) with a sabermatician aiding their scouting department.

The A's would make the postseason four consecutive seasons from 2000-'03, each time being ousted in the first round. After eight straight winning seasons and a trip to the American League Championship Series in 2006, the team hasn't fielded a winner since.

Seemingly, Beane has lost his zen.

Sure, the game will never be the same. It's the dawn of a new era in baseball and in the world of sports as it relates to how we view and analyze them. James' invention, Beane's adaption, Lewis' writing and now Brad Pitt's acting will all be instrumental in this.

But Moneyball, and all the talk surrounding its importance to the game, will be introduced to the masses Friday with the A's some-17 games under .500 and the Yankees and Red Sox headed for yet another postseason.

Its purpose having gone unfulfilled; the basis of its tale having become obsolete.

The effects of the book will shine through baseball for years to come. Moneyball - the movie, however, can only conclude one way — incomplete.

Blame 'em all, Chiefs fans

2011-09-19T21:18:00.000-05:00

It's okay, Chiefs fans. I understand what you're going through.

You're upset. You're angry. You're utterly confused.

You want to know who's responsible for a team so young and talented and fun to watch just a year ago turning into the joke of the NFL just two games into the season.

Should we blame Scott Pioli, the egotistical general manager, for the paper-thin roster that looks like a shell of its former self after a few key injuries?

Or do we blame Todd Haley, the underqualified head coach, for the unorthodox usage of training camp and preseason that would ultimately prove to be disadvantageous to the team's regular-season preparedness?

Or can we blame Clark Hunt, the business-first owner, for giving us the franchise's worst four-game performance in its 51 years of existence?

Nevermind, Chiefs fans. I've got the solution.

Blame 'em all.

The team lost 48-3 to the Detroit Lions Sunday, remarkably topping its record-setting, no-show effort against the Buffalo Bills a week before, and effectively ending its 2011 season just nine days in.

So how'd we let this happen?

The team selected wide receiver, Jonathan Baldwin in last April's draft having much more glaring needs on the defensive front-seven. The result? After two weeks, the Bills and Lions are the two highest-scoring teams in the NFL, and we all know what they have in common.

Blame Pioli.

Since the announcement of Charlie Weis' departure for the University of Florida last December, quarterback Matt Cassel is 57/109 for 437 yards passing with one touchdown and nine interceptions — in four games. The team has been outscored 150-27 in those same games (three of which were at home), and that stretch involved just one playoff-team from 2010.

Blame Haley.

The Chiefs' payroll is more than $30-million under the NFL salary cap in 2011 after having the league's lowest payroll the previous two seasons. Speculation is mounting that the reason the team has gone cheap is to soften the blow the $125-million commitment the Hunt family made for the stadium renovations years ago would have on the bottom-line. Meanwhile, the franchise hasn't won a playoff-game since the year George Brett retired from the Royals.

Blame Hunt.

The team treated the first two weeks of training camp as if it were filming an episode of The Biggest Loser, while other teams made use of their precious post-lockout time a bit more wisely. Contact drills were a rarity until late in camp. The coach then chose to play his ill-prepared starters deep into the fourth preseason game after treating the first three like scrimmages. Many of those starters were dinged-up heading into the regular-season, including Cassel, but tight end Tony Moeaki was the biggest casualty, being lost for the year.

Blame Haley.

The general manager has now had three offseasons to improve the roster, yet most of the stars and major contributors on the team were brought to Kansas City during the King Carl/Herm Edwards regime. That includes but is not limited to: Jamaal Charles, Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, Dwayne Bowe, Brandon Flowers, Branden Albert, and Glenn Dorsey. And of the 10 players acquired during the 2009 draft (Pioli's first), including Cassel and Mike Vrabel (who were acquired by trading New England a second-round draft choice), only three — Cassel, defensive end Tyson Jackson, and kicker Ryan Succop — are still on the roster.

And after losing safety Eric Berry for the season just minutes into the first game of the year, the team's secondary went from a thought-to-be strength to an absolute joke due to a lack of depth.

Blame Pioli.

NFL owners conspired to lockout the players years before the league's newest CBA was agreed upon in July, in an effort to improve the ever-so-slim $9-billion profit they were turning prior. This resulted in a much-shorter offseason, with no team workouts occurring prior to the new CBA. Injuries are up this year because of it, and it's possible no team has been bitten worse by the injury-bug this season than the Chiefs. The team has lost arguably its best offensive and defensive players in Charles and Berry, along with Moeaki, to torn ACLs. Newcomer Brandon Siler was also lost during the preseason to a torn Achilles.

Blame Hunt.

The Chiefs have nationally-televised, primetime games scheduled with the Chargers, Patriots, and Steelers they'd likely opt-out of now, so the worst of the embarrassment is yet to come.

Sadly, last year's magical turnaround feels like a dream.

Haley will surely fall first, though his role in this may have had the least negative impact. The storyline the rest of the way — past Haley's exit and speculation of who'll be his successor — will be whether or not the team can be bad enough to get the first pick in next year's draft and snag Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck (and, if given that chance, whether or not Pioli can get over his love affair with Cassel long enough to draft him).

Hunt's first hire was Pioli, whose first hire was Haley. All three are in unfamiliar territory, occupying roles they've yet to prove themselves worthy of occupying.

Jointly, they are responsible for the current state of the team. They're in this together.

So blame 'em all, Chiefs fans.

The Gunther Chronicles

2011-09-15T20:46:00.000-05:00

In honor of our Chiefs traveling to Detroit Sunday to take on former team defensive coordinator/head coach/defensive coordinator (again)/crazed lunatic and now Lions' defensive coordinator, Gunther Cunningham, I present to you possibly the greatest six minutes of HBO's Hard Knocks series' history.

"The Gunther Chronicles."

To be fair, this was actually only Gunther circa-2007, well after Head Coach Gunther, who worked 20 hours a day (and did so by snorting smelling-salts and as a result was generally mad at everything that existed) was fired by the Chiefs via the team website.

And that, of course, was just after Defensive Coordinator, Gunther (version 1.0), who, by the way, was the last Gunther to actually help produce a playoff-caliber defense.

But that's neither here nor there. This video is strictly for entertainment purposes only. So, in the words of Gun himself—

Hey.. numb nuts...

Enjoy!

Berry's injury is another strike for Haley

2011-09-12T18:36:00.000-05:00

It looks as if the worst news out of Arrowhead Stadium Sunday had nothing to do with the final score.

The Chiefs announced Monday that safety Eric Berry, who left the season-opener on two seperate occasions early on before heading to the locker room, is out for the season with a torn ACL.

And here's the kicker: It may have been avoidable.

In the first quarter Sunday, Berry was hit low by Bills' wide receiver Stevie Johnson, and had to leave the game momentarily. You can see that video by clicking here.

Berry was seemingly OK. But three plays after re-entering the game, he went down while in pursuit of a ball-carrier without absorbing any contact to his knee. That's when the "tear" of the ACL presumably occured. You can see that video here.

It's likely Berry's ACL had only been sprained on the cut-block by Johnson (which, by the way, the Chiefs have told the NFL they felt was dirty). It's possible the training staff inexcusably allowed Berry to talk them into letting him back into the game, thus risking further damage to his knee.

Now, Berry is out for the year — or worse. ACL tears can sometimes be career-threatening.

Regardless of the circumstances, this is yet another strike for Todd Haley. He already has the Moeaki injury hanging over his head from the final preseason game. Oh, and of course, that 41-7 home loss to one of 2010's worst teams.

Suddenly, the coach who just last season turned a 4-12 loser into a division winner has allowed himself to become mostly hated by the hometown fans, and finds himself smack-dab on the hot seat.

Is it too early to for the Bill Cowher talk to begin?

This start was predictable

2011-09-11T22:01:00.000-05:00

The worst part about the Chiefs' season-opening debacle Sunday wasn't the Dexter McCluster fumble on the opening kickoff, the injury to Eric Berry, or the four touchdown passes by Bills' quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick.

It wasn't the predictable play-calling by first-time offensive coordinator, Bill Muir, the lack of touches for Jamaal Charles, or the almost surreal 41-7 final score.

Hell, it wasn't even the $75 ticket, $27 parking or the $8 beer for a game that was over before the grills in the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot had cooled.

No. The worst part about the biggest opening-day loss in Chiefs' franchise history was how predictable the outcome was.

Let's step back a minute.

The Chiefs, led by General Manager Scott Pioli, spent the better part of the off-season gloating about the team's step forward in 2010 and how the "right-53" was finally starting to come together instead of improving the talent on the roster. Meanwhile, underachievers like Tyson Jackson, Jovan Belcher, Barry Richardson and Branden Albert held onto their starting spots.

There were improvements. The Chiefs selected wide receiver, Jonathan Baldwin with their first pick in the draft and snagged wide receiver, Steve Breaston, and defensive tackle, Kelly Gregg in free-agency.

Then, with no shortage of arrogance, Head coach Todd Haley chose to ease his post-lockout players into training camp with conditioning drills and very little contact. Baldwin, an oft-called "head case" while in college, scuffled with a Pioli hand-picked veteran, Thomas Jones, injuring his hand and knocking him out for the entire preseason. The first preseason game essentially became a glorified practice (full price to get in, of course), as Haley sat out most of the starters.

In the final preseason game, one traditionally used to rest the starters and get a glance at younger players, Haley chose to play his starters into the fourth quarter, risking injuries to key players coming into the regular season.

The result? Starting tight-end, Tony Moeaki gets knocked out for the year with a torn ACL, and quarterback, Matt Cassel gets a cracked rib.

And you thought this team would be ready? Ok?

Sunday the Chiefs looked horrific from the head coach all the way down to the punter. Breaston had a whopping 26 yards receiving (9 more than Dwayne Bowe), Baldwin didn't even suit up, and Gregg's former defense in Baltimore missed him so much they caused seven turnovers in a rout of the Steelers.

But should it really have been that surprising?

Probably not.

A team's whose general manager grossly overestimates the talent on the roster and head coach is constantly and desperately trying to prove he is more than just a former golf-pro by attempting to reinvent the game is bound to show its true colors sooner or later.

It happened Sunday against former Chiefs offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey, now head coach of the Bills, whom Haley fired just before his first season as head coach in 2009.

Yep. This start was predictable.

So what now? The Chiefs have a demoralized, injury-plagued roster, whose last three games that counted were all blowout losses — at home. The coach seems clueless and hasn't won a game sans-Charlie Weis (the second offensive coordinator in two years Haley chose to burn bridges with) in 20 months. The fanbase is already fed-up, and it's early September.

This season seemed doomed from the start.

We thought last year's season-opening Monday night victory over San Diego was something of a changing of the tides for football in Kansas City. This year's fiasco may be a sign it was all just a fluke.

NFL Predictions 2011: Going Green in Super Bowl XLVI

2011-09-07T21:10:00.000-05:00

It's finally here people. The 2011-12 NFL season is upon us. Looking back at my predictions last year, I regret not having more confidence in the Chiefs (I had them making a Wild Card, not taking the division). My Super Bowl prediction was the Ravens over the Packers, which isn't so bad, until you realize I didn't even have the Steelers making the playoffs. I assure you, that is not the case this season. Oh, and uh... if you were wondering, I'd much prefer to not even discuss last year's Mike Singletary - coach of the year fiasco.

OK. Get your pens out and ready. My predictions are as follows.

Final Standings
(* = clinched division & home-field advantage; z = clinched division; x = clinched wild card)

AFC East

z-New England Patriots 12-4
x-New York Jets 11-5
Buffalo Bills 8-8
Miami Dolphins 4-12

A valiant effort by the Bills, but there's no doubt this will be a two-horse race.

AFC North

*-Pittsburgh Steelers 13-3
x-Baltimore Ravens 12-4
Cleveland Browns 7-9
Cincinatti Bengals 3-13

A similar theme prevails in the AFC North, with the Browns attempting to do the unthinkable. They'll come up a little short.

AFC South

z-Houston Texans 11-5
Indianapolis Colts 9-7
Tennessee Titans 8-8
Jacksonville Jaguars 3-13

Everyone seems to be on the Texans' train with Peyton Manning out for at least the first game (and who knows how long). Manning's injury should open the door for Houston, but will they finally walk through it?

AFC West

z-San Diego Chargers 12-4
Kansas City Chiefs 9-7
Denver Broncos 7-9
Oakland Raiders 4-12

The Chiefs will be the best non-playoff team in the AFC, and with a solid offseason, will be the sexy Super Bowl pick in 2012. As for this year? You better hope you drafted Philip Rivers and/or Vincent Jackson on your fantasy team. Super-Chargers indeed.

NFC East

z-Philadelphia Eagles 11-5
New York Giants 8-8
Dallas Cowboys 7-9
Washington Redskins 4-12

A comeback season for America's team? Not so fast. Tony Romo is Matt Cassel on a much bigger stage and the Cowboys are generally overrated coming into every season. The Eagles will snooze through the all-the-sudden weak NFC East.

NFC North

*-Green Bay Packers 14-2
x-Detroit Lions 10-6
Minnesota Vikings 5-11
Chicago Bears 5-11

The Pack have, undoubtedly, the most talent in the NFL. If healthy, they'll show it again in 2011. Detroit, though, will be the story of the NFL by finally making the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

NFC South

z-Atlanta Falcons 13-3
x-New Orleans Saints 12-4
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-11
Carolina Panthers 3-13

This should be a bounce back year for the Saints. Grandview High School's Josh Freeman and his Bucs, however, should come back down to Earth in 2011. And here's to hoping Tony-G finally gets a playoff victory (or more) in what may be the last season for the greatest tight end in NFL history.

NFC West

z-Arizona Cardinals 9-7
Seattle Seahawks 6-10
St. Louis Rams 6-10
San Francisco 49ers 5-11

I'm not sure there's enough talent amongst ALL FOUR of the NFC West's teams to compile a playoff-caliber roster. Kevin Kolb—Larry Fitzgerald—Beanie Wells are probably the best 'big three' combination in the division.

* * *

Regular Season MVP: Philip Rivers, Chargers

Coach of the Year: Jim Schwartz, Lions

First Coach to be Canned: Jack Del Rio, Jaguars

Comeback Player of Year: Matt Hasselbeck, Titans

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Mark Ingram, Saints

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Von Miller, Broncos

SUPER BOWL XLVI PREDICTION: Jets 26, Packers 24

So there you have it, folks. Super Bowl XLVI will be going green with a showdown between last year's champs and the Rex Ryan version of Cirque du Soleil. The Jets will come out on top, and to no one on this side of the galaxy's surprise, Sexy Rexy will guarantee his Jets will win Super Bowl XLVII immediately after the game.

*By the way, the plan is to keep a record of my picks (straight-up) from week-to-week, and possibly compare it to some of the so-called "experts" across the nation. We'll see how it goes. Oh, and I'll take the Packers Thursday.

Grading the Chiefs by position

2011-09-06T20:56:00.000-05:00

The Chiefs released their first regular-season depth chart Tuesday. I took the liberty of grading the team by position and giving something of an expectation for each as, finally, the games are upon us (I don't know about you, but Thursday is going to be something of a holiday for yours truly).

So... here we go.

Quarterbacks. C+

Matt Cassel, Tyler Palko, Ricky Stanzi

"Inexperienced" is the word when it comes to the quarterback position for the Chiefs. Beyond Cassel, the team literally has zero in-game service time from its backups. Though both Palko and Stanzi showed flashes of greatness in the preseason, don't be surprised if the GM Scott Pioli looks for help from an outside source (former Jaguar and newly-available, David Garrard, anyone?). Also, as you should, expect Cassel's play to be a microcosm of the team's 2011 season. Much like the consensus that a much tougher schedule may mean the team will win less despite getting better (presumably), Cassel's 2010 campaign, at least statistically, will be virtually impossible to replicate in 2011.

Running Backs. A-

Thomas Jones, Jamaal Charles, Dexter McCluster, Le'Ron McClain, Jackie Battle

Ok. This is just simply getting stupid. Somehow, after proving to be one of the NFL's most electric players in 2010, Charles is still listed second on the depth chart, behind Jones. I'm beginning to think there's a clause in Jones' contract granting him a month alone with Todd Haley's wife if the team ever lists him as a reserve. Hey... I'm just saying. At any rate, the A-minus grade was given simply because the outlook for the Chiefs' rushing-attack would look drastically different without Charles, even with the signing of McClain (which I loved). And, speaking of life without Charles, expect that to be the major storyline for this year's Chiefs. Charles was dinged up on a regular-basis in 2010 and the team has already been bitten by the injury bug in 2011. Bold prediction: Charles misses at least three games.

Wide Receivers. B-

Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston, Jerheme Urban, Terrance Copper, Jonathan Baldwin, Keary Colbert

The emergence of Bowe as an elite NFL wide-out has been as shocking to yours truly as to anyone. Just two years ago some believed the then-outspoken "Bowe Show" would be cut from the team. Instead, Haley has helped turn Bowe's career around, to the point where the fifth-year star led the league in reception touchdowns a year ago. Still, mirroring that in 2011 will be a tough feat. The Breaston acquisition should help things, though going by the preseason alone, you wouldn't even know he was on the roster. The key here is getting Baldwin ready and healthy by mid-season, when the schedule just gets brutal. My guess is that won't happen, and it will take at least a full season for Haley to get Baldwin career moving in a way similar to Bowe's. Baldwin's impact in 2011 shouldn't be much different than that of Copper, which means we'll only hear his name when he drops a pass.

Tight Ends. D-

Leonard Pope, Jake O'Connell

This would be an F had it not been for Cassel's incredible tendency to use Pope on third down last year (That is, of course, with little-to-no success). But hey, at least we know Pope can catch a pass. Much will be made of Haley's against-the-grain preseason strategy against the Packers Thursday, allowing most starters to play into the 4th quarter. Because of that, Tony Moeaki is out for the season (and Cassel has a cracked rib) and the Chiefs' offense lost a key contributor, particularly on third-down. Is this a fireable offense for Haley? Maybe. Will he be the team's head football coach in 2012? You betcha.

Offensive Line. B-

Branden Albert, Ryan Lilja, Casey Weigmann, Jon Asamoah, Barry Richardson, Jared Gaither, Rodney Hudson, Steve Maneri

The Chiefs have high hopes for the second-year guard, Asamoah this season, and they showed it by cutting Pro Bowler Brian Waters in the offseason. It was a classic Patriot Way move by Pioli, but it will only pay off if Asamoah can live up to the team's expectations. In the preseason, he did not. I still expect Asamoah to be a solid interior-lineman for years to come, but judging by the preseason, the team may have jumped the gun on this one. Maneri will start the season on the practice squad, so the Chiefs are essentially taking a flier on Gaither, with their only other sub being Hudson, who's a rookie. With Richardson seemingly regressing, expect Gaither to take over at right tackle by week 2, and expect Gaither to be on IR by week 6.

Defensive Line. D+

Tyson Jackson, Kelly Gregg, Glenn Dorsey, Allen Bailey, Jerrell Powe, Wallace Gilberry, Amon Gordon, Brandon Bair

The addition of Gregg should help, but as was the case last year, the defensive line remains the Chiefs' biggest and most glaring weakness coming into this season. I bitched when Pioli elected to essentially go status-quo with Jackson instead of upgrading in free agency, and I'll go as far as to say it will cost the team drastically in the win-column in 2011. The sooner the Chiefs admit their mistake in drafting Jackson third-overall in 2009, the better. Watching him get dominated up and down the field by the Packers' first, second, and third teamers Thursday was downright embarrassing. Bailey should be starting by October. Yuck.

Linebackers. B

Andy Studebaker, Jovan Belcher, Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, Cameron Sheffield, Demorrio Williams, Justin Houston, Cory Greenwood

It's finally safe to refer to the Chiefs' linebacking corpse as a strong-point. Studebaker and Belcher should take great strides this season. Johnson is now a team-leader and is the backbone of the entire defense. Hali led the AFC in sacks last season and is primed repeat in 2011. And we haven't mentioned Houston, who could team with Hali to form one lethal pass-rushing combination. A simple Youtube search of the former Georgia Bulldog could help justify the early comparisons to the late Derrick Thomas.

Cornerbacks. B

Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Javier Arenas, Travis Daniels, Jalil Brown

The secondary's stock is on the rise, and it starts with the emergence of Flowers and Carr as dependable corners. With today's NFL being more and more pass-heavy, however, Arenas must improve greatly to justify not addressing this position in free-agency. And with the new kickoff rule, Arenas must improve simply to justify him occupying a roster spot at all. Also, it's time Flowers became something closer to a household name. 2011 should be a Pro Bowl campaign for the young star.

Safties. B+

Eric Berry, Kendrick Lewis, Jon McGraw, Sabby Piscitelli, Donald Washington

One thing people will tend to forget when it comes to grading a team before the season is the potential for young players to get better. And, in the case of the Chiefs' young safeties, A LOT better. As rookies, Berry and Lewis manned the defensive-backfield with the ease that of five-year veterans. These two should improve vastly in 2011, eliminating some of (few) rookie mistake of a year ago. What I love most about them, especially Berry, is their willingness and eagerness to hit somebody. Anybody. I just love it. I do. It's about time the Chiefs' defense became synonymous with the word "tough" again. It's been too long.

Specialists. B

Dustin Colquitt, Ryan Succop, Thomas Gafford

Succop's range may be a bit limited, but he's fairly consistent and he's likable. If he's not collecting multiple touchbacks per game with the rule change this season, though, that's an issue. Colquitt continues to be one of game's better punters.

Returners. A-

Dexter McCluster, Javier Arenas, Steve Breaston, Jerheme Urban

If it were up to me, Arenas would be returning both punts and kickoffs. He seems to be more natural at it than McCluster, and it would benefit the offense (sans Moeaki, mind you) to have McCluster fresh and healthy. In any event, what's not to like about these two with the ball in their hands in space? Absolutely nothing. It will take a special-teams driven victory or two for the Chiefs to be playoff-bound in 2011. The team had just one return for a score in 2010, and that was by McCluster in the first game (Arenas had one called back in Oakland). That won't cut it in 2011.

Overall Average: B-

This is the first year I've graded the team by position, but had I done it last season my guess is they would graded out to something close to a C average. So the conclusion is the team has improved, but have they improved enough to overcome a much tougher schedule? We'll get an idea about that come Sunday.

Look for my 2011 record predictions for the Chiefs and the rest of the NFL, including playoff and Super Bowl picks, tomorrow.

The Chiefs' Back to Desperation Kickoff Rally Bash

2011-08-25T22:11:00.000-05:00

I was elated when I first heard the news of the Chiefs holding their second-annual open practice — or, as the team referred to it as, the "Back to Football Bash" — this Wednesday last. Last year's version included a tour of Arrowhead's finer suites (albeit run by yours truly), a spirited practice, and a should-have-been-had-it-not-been-for-locked-doors-and-blocked-off-exits run-in with team owner, Clark Hunt, and general manager, Scott Pioli. Fun was had.

This year? Not so much.

Not a whole lot was different (although there was about a third as many people compared to last year) to be honest, but the whole thing just felt... forced. First off, the weather was brutal, but that didn't seem to hamper things last year. The practice was generally uneventful (except for a Matt Cassel pick-six at the hands of Jon McGraw), and there was this most-awkward P.A. being done by Chiefs' radio play-by-play man, Mitch Holtus.

"And now the all-important team-stretching drill will begin..."

Right, Mitch.

Luckily the credit card machines worked (see: Chiefs v. Bucs - "the one where the professional sports team alienates half of its drunken audience"), and the beers were a mega-cheapo $8 bucks, or the whole thing would have been a complete FAIL.

There were ushers who greeted us at the front gate; not to frisk us or anything... maybe a David Glass/Wal-Mart influence? Clark, you shouldn't have...

And there was that ominous practice-clock, of which the timer had no bearing on the practice schedule whatsoever... and that which stopped, ever-so-eerily at 15 seconds — never to tick again.

Huh.

It's obvious ticket sales are down, though this statement would be definitively more obvious had you played hooky today (like me) and listened to 810 WHB for an extended period of time. Now, I understand 810 has been partnered-up with the Chiefs since last year, but judging by the amount of tickets they had stashed, the team is having a hell of a time getting rid of them.

And these weren't just upper-level tickets, either (In fact, it's possible none of them were uppers). We're talking lower-level seats sitting in a desk at Union Broadcasting Inc. for Friday's Governor's Cup.

Nice.

Preseason sales, though, are the least of Hunt's problems, and that was never apparent than upon the team's announcement of a "Kickoff Rally" — or "Back to Football Bash Again" as I'd like to call it — to be held at the Power & Light District in Kansas City this Monday. The Chiefs seem to be doing anything in their collective power to sell season tickets (save for, you know, the most logical solution of LOWERING THE DAMN PRICES).

On a side note: Anybody else wondering what the HELL they were thinking when they painted the $200-plus club-level seats an absurdly-noticeable YELLOW? And is anybody else laughing like me while watching a home "sellout" at Arrowhead on television with 10-15,000 seats unoccupied?

Anyway, things have definitely changed out at Arrowhead, and the Chiefs seem desperate. The days of five-year waiting lists for tickets are long gone. The days of parking within a two-mile radius of the stadium (if you're lucky) for a mere TWENTY-SEVEN DOLLARS are here. Rejoice!

And you wonder why I'm struggling to fall for these guys.

Are you ready? The Royals will win next year

2011-08-23T21:00:00.000-05:00

Don't look now. The Kansas City Royals are just about ready to contend.

...Next year.

Shhhh. Don't jinx it!

It may be a tough concept to even fathom, but Royals baseball has become fun to watch again, and the team hasn't even started winning yet.

That may sound silly, and sure, some nights are better than others, but this development is undeniable.

Forget about David Glass, Dayton Moore, past mistakes, and unbreakable trends. The Mission 2012 talk was not only geniune — it's on schedule. Look at Tuesday's starting lineup for example. No hitter in the Royals' batting order is older than 27. Need more? Of those players, all are under contract or club-controlled (affordable) through the 2012 season, and most will be so through 2014.

So the "homegrown" part of Moore's plan — most or all of the roster having been developed, in some form or another, in the Royals' system — seems halfway done.

Can they hit, though?

I say, emphatically, yes. The Royals are amongst the top half of the majors in runs scored and sixth in hitting. And that's with the likes of Chris Getz and Kila Ka'aihue wasting plate appearances for a good part of the year.

Standout youngster, Eric Hosmer plays the game with the composure of a 10-year veteran and is a solid candidate to win the American League Rookie of the Year award.

Royals' young, star-first baseman, Eric Hosmer.

Billy But... excuse me... Country Breakfast's second half power surge has him pacing for 20 home runs, and more importantly, has taken a step back in the right direction as a slugger to be feared in the middle of the lineup.

Alex Gordon is having an absolute breakout season with the bat and glove, teaming with surprise contributors Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur to form one of the most talented outfields in baseball.

If I'd predicted this in March, you would have said I was crazy.

Alcides Escobar has been a human-highlight reel at shortstop. New catcher, Salvador Perez picked off two runners in his first game. The trend is obviously going north — and in a hurry.

The second half of Mission 2012, judging by the major league squad's current record, is quite obviously the most important. This is where Moore will make his bones with the Royals going forward.

This team needs pitching. Luke Hochevar has shown just as many signs that he'll never be a viable top-of-the-rotation starter as he has shown that he can be. Danny Duffy may prove to be a gem, but that's yet to be determined. Bruce Chen has been fabulous as a stop-gap veteran, but frankly, how long can a team go with Bruce Chen as their best starting pitcher? Tommy John surgery has set back the team's most talented pitching prospect according to Baseball-America, John Lamb. Mike Montgomery, another high-ceiling starter in the club's farm system, has been inconsistent-at-best this season and it might be a stretch to expect him to make much of an impact early in 2012.

So Moore has to be aggressive in free-agency and with trades this offseason, and he has the means to do so. The team has an abundance of hitting prospects who could very well be the final piece in a trade that brings back a starter or two. The team's payroll is about 15 years outdated, so the free-agent market shouldn't be untouchable, either. At least one, if not two proven big-league starters would make a world of difference for the outlook of this team next season.

Compliment that with a young and improved bullpen in 2012, filled with hard-throwers everywhere you look, and hey — we may be on to something here.

I must admit, even through this past spring training, all the hype around the Royals' farm system, and Mission 2012, I was a non-believer. Regardless of being reassured — "this time is for real" — I just felt, in the back of mind, in the back of my heart, well... these are the Royals. It can't be good, right?

I guess I had to see it, at least some of it, with my own eyes, because I believe now.

I've never actually witnessed a Royals team with this much talent in my life. It really is something to behold. I can't stress it enough: If this group of young Royals can't make going to Kauffman Stadium fun again, if they can't win, the Royals will never win again. And no questions asked. That's it.

So now we wait. With a productive offseason, some will predict a division title in Kansas City next year, and you may call them crazy for doing so.

Fine. This team looks ready to make believers out of you, too.

The Patriot Way takes all the fun out of it

2011-08-22T21:35:00.000-05:00

I have to get something off my chest — I don't love the Chiefs anymore. And it has nothing to do with my dedication as a fan.

* * *

I've been a diehard fan of the Kansas City Chiefs my entire life. I know, I know... everyone and their mother claim to be diehard fans of their favorite team, to have remembered the good ole days, to have watched every game, and so on. But to me, only a percentage of the folks who make bold statements like such can honestly say, without a doubt, they've been there for it all. Through thick and thin, the wins and losses, the ugly-lows and the should-have-beens, they were there... living and dying with every second of every game.

So maybe I should validate my statement. My earliest memory of the Chiefs is probably a 1992 contest against John Elway's Broncos at Arrowhead — a game in which the late Derrick Thomas caused a sack/fumble in the endzone and recovered it for a touchdown to seal the victory. My favorite game has to be the thriller versus a better Denver squad in 1997. The game featured many future Hall of Famers: Elway, Thomas, Shannon Sharpe, Marcus Allen... and a few more who may be deserving but aren't yet eligible like Will Shields, Rod Smith, Jason Elam, and Tony Gonzalez. The game would go down, though, as the Pete Stoyanovich game, because it was his 55-yard field goal with no time remaining that won the game for Kansas City and sent rockin' Arrowhead into an absolute frenzy. The team carried him off the field. What a day to be a Chiefs fan.

Ironically, it may be the darker days I recall more vividly. Naturally, the Lin Elliot playoff fiasco comes to mind first. It was the first time I'd truly had my heart broken by a professional sports game. I can recall the playoff losses all the way back to the '92 season, but nothing compares to the 10-7 fluke loss the Colts in January of '96. It's possible it's because I was finally old enough then to realize the magnitude of the game at hand, and therefore old enough to realize the absolute defeat of a 13-3 season coming to an end all too soon. I was ten years old. I listened to the late Bill Grigsby talk about his favorite ice cream he'd like to eat after a tough loss on the Chiefs' radio postgame while sobbing in room for hours upon hours after that game.

I still haven't forgotten Rich Gannon's parting gift to King Carl in the last game of the 1999 season — a year after the Chiefs made him expendable and the Raiders made him their starting quarterback. The Chiefs, then led by Elvis Grbac, needed a victory in the season's final game to secure a playoff spot versus the hated Raiders. Down by 21 entering the fourth quarter, Gannon brought Oakland back from the dead in front of a capacity crowd at Arrowhead and eventually led the silver and black to victory in overtime, knocking the Chiefs out of playoff contention.

Even though Marty Schottenheimer had been relieved as head coach a year prior, it was that final game of the '99 season that really felt like the end of an era for the Chiefs. Two weeks later, a fatal car wreck meant Derrick Thomas had already played his last down in the NFL. The core of the roster had already mostly been turned over because of a disaster season in '98.

The team I had fallen in love with was no more.

Aside from the memorable, one-last hoorah for Dick Vermeil in 2003, the past 12 months has easily been the best time to be a Chiefs fan since the days of my childhood. The team has a ton of talent. The quarterback is young and has improved in each of his two seasons in Kansas City. Eric Berry, a Pro-Bowler as a rookie, has some already putting the Hall of Fame tag on him when discussing his potential. Tamba Hali... my goodness... Tamba Hali led the AFC in sacks last year. Did you know that?

And the best part about all of that is this: We haven't even mentioned the team's most exciting and electric player, Jamaal Charles.

So it begs the question — Why can't I fall in love with these Chiefs?

It's possible I'm experiencing what most sports fans that get to my age go through. Maybe, no matter how great, no matter how loyal the players are... Maybe it was those Chiefs who stole my heart first, and it's unreasonable to think it will ever be the same again. Something like a young, teenage boy having his heart broken by the girl of his dreams for the first time. There is that.

But no, I believe it has more to do with the way Scott Pioli and Todd Haley lead this version of the Chiefs. I think it's the "Patriot Way" Pioli brought with him from New England that is getting in the way of how we used to fall in love with our favorite teams and players. We knew DT. Tim Grunhard was a household name. Dale Carter closed down Westport, and Dan Saleaumua grilled burgers at City Market. Will Shields lived in the city year-round, as did a much higher percentage of the players in years past compared to today's group.

Those guys were Kansas City's Chiefs. And we loved them because of it.

Last week, the team's first-round draft pick, Jonathan Baldwin reportedly scuffled with veteran Thomas Jones after a practice. These types of things go on all the time, only in years past, it would be an opportunity for the fans and media to get a glimpse into that player's mind and who he really is.

Today, the Patriot Way only allows for, "Family business," and "I'll only talk about the guys on the field."

In New England, the Patriots developed a reputation for never putting loyalty first in front of the bottom-line, and never scared away from cutting loose from long-time veterans. The same has reigned true in Kansas City with possibly the last two players we were allowed to get to know, Gonzalez and Brian Waters, being shown the door instead of being allowed to retire as Chiefs.

But the core of the problem with the Patriot Way may be the coach himself. The Chiefs play a sport based more on emotion than any other, yet the head coach shows less emotion than a slug. I remember Marty wearing his heart on his sleeve every second of the way. Vermeil did it as well. I wanted those coaches — and, as a result of their coaching, the players they coached — to win just as much as I did the team as a whole. And Haley, as per-Patriot Way policy, can't allow us to get to know him or his players.

Who wants to root for anything like that?

Say what you will about New York Jets' head coach Rex Ryan and the circus-like atmosphere his style promotes, but if all-else is equal, aren't Jets fans left with a better, more entertaining product to invest in that we are?

The Patriot Way is system over player, corporate over blue-collar, on-field product over the overall product.

So I can't say I love these Chiefs, or if I ever will. It's just the law of the land nowadays, and this is my coming to grips with it. Of course, I'll always root for them. I want the Chiefs to win more than you'll ever know. Hey... you know something? The Super Bowl may not be as far off as some think.

It's just the road that gets us there won't be nearly as fun.

Billy who? Meet: #CountryBreakfast

2011-08-04T18:57:00.001-05:00

Thanks to Twitter, the Billy Butler era in Kansas City has come to an end.

Let me explain.

For immediate purposes, forget about Billy Butler. There is no Billy. Bill does not exist. You see, in barely a weeks' time, Butler has gone from a glorified Ken Harvey to the next best thing in Kansas City sports:

#CountryBreakfast.

With the help of a mad, Country Breakfast style power-streak, a quick-witted Royals fan, and one HI-larious foul-up by Fox Sports Kansas City during a rain-delayed, extra-inning game in Boston last week, the Twitter universe has officially tagged Butler with greatest Kansas City sports nickname since the turn of the millenium.

The story at Pinetarpress.com explains the rest.

Then today there was this, from 610's Nick Wright via Twitter: "According to Royals' great Frank White, Billy Butler has embraced the #CountryBreakfast nickname."

Of course he has. So much so, it looks as if the folks at Pinetarpress have designed t-shirts, with proceeds going to the Bishop Sullivan Center's Hit it a Ton campaign "aimed at feeding the hungry in Kansas City".

Well done, indeed. Now... say it with me...

Coun—Try—Break—Fast! Clap...Clap...Clap! Clap! Clap!

Pioli's pants: revisited

2011-08-03T21:18:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I made the case that Chiefs' GM Scott Pioli has essentially been caught with his pants down this free-agency period because of a lack of effort and/or financial commitment from ownership to improve the team. Much to my surprise, I was met with a school of Pioli yes-men and Chief system-protectors who couldn't bare the sight of their fearless leader being shed in such negative light.

Let's examine the facts.

Chiefs couldn't have written the script any better for 2010. Pioli and Head Coach Todd Haley desperately needed to show some signs of life on the field after a rough first-go at it the year before. A good draft class, soft schedule, and the additions of two former Super Bowl-winning coordinators allowed the team to disguise its flaws until the playoffs. The season ended on an ugly turn though with two consecutive blowout losses at Arrowhead and the news of offensive guru Charlie Weis bolting for Florida.

Pioli has seemingly addressed the Weis void. Former Redskins Head Coach and Ravens Quarterbacks Coach Jim Zorn was hired on to aid Matt Cassel's development. Jonathan Baldwin, a wide-receiver from Pittsburgh, was taken with the team's first pick in the draft. Steve Breaston, a former Haley protege in Arizona, was signed to allow Dexter McCluster to be used more effectively and to provide more of a deep-threat to the arsenal.

But what about the defense?

If there was anything we learned from those final two games at Arrowhead last season, it was that the team's biggest weakness is its defensive front-seven. The Raiders and Ravens ran the ball straight through the Chiefs defense en route to easy wins last January.

Three of those seven — defensive tackle Ron Edwards, defensive end Shaun Smith, and Vrabel — have moved on from Kansas City. To replace Edwards, Pioli snagged 35-year old Kelly Gregg from Baltimore last week while the younger and potentially more permanent fixture, San Francisco's Aubrayo Franklin, remained on the market.

Tuesday, Pioli was outbid by the Denver Broncos for former Patriot defensive end, Ty Warren's services. Warren accepted a two-year, $10M contract to play in Mile-High, apparently much-too steep for the Chiefs', who sit almost $30M under the NFL salary-cap.

So that leaves former first-round pick and to-this-point underachiever, Tyson Jackson and last year's third-round selection, Allen Bailey on a rotation opposite Glenn Dorsey to man a defensive line already considered below average.

It gets worse.

The team has yet to really address the linebacker position at all this offseason. Justin Houston was a nice selection in this year's draft, but until he can pass a drug test he'll remain on the sidelines throughout training camp, no help to the team. He is the lone draft pick yet to agree to terms on a contract.

And speaking of linebackers who can't agree to terms, if you haven't heard, sack-artist Tamba Hali hasn't reported to camp and is HOLDING OUT for a long-term contract. Maybe some of those cap-dollars can be used for something good? One would hope, but it hasn't happened yet. Hali is the most irreplaceable player on the defensive unit, and has already stated he will not return to Kansas City if he does not get a long-term deal before the 2011 regular season starts.

So an already questionable front-seven has lost three starters, has multiple players who haven't seen a snap since January, and did I mention what the schedule looks like this season?

You heard of the Jets? How about the Patriots? Maybe the Steelers? What about the Super Bowl Champion Packers? Yep, the Chiefs play all of those teams, plus the Colts, Vikings, Bears, and Chargers — twice. It's brutal, folks, and without a real improvement on the defensive side of the ball the Chiefs have no chance in 2011.

We know Pioli wants to win, so what gives? It's possible the Chiefs are saving a little dough in preparation for the looming cap-bottom (all teams must spend at least 89% of the salary-cap), which will be implemented in 2013. It's been speculated the team has had a smaller budget of late (the team has been last or second-to-last in payroll the last two seasons) to compensate for Clark Hunt's $125M contribution to the stadium renovations years ago.

In either scenario, it's unacceptable and shameful. Pioli's been caught with his pants down, no other way around it.

And for those who remain determined to defend the powers that be, just let this be a friendly reminder as we all contemplate purchasing tickets and breaking the bank on a team that refuses to even consider breaking its own.

Pioli's pants are down

2011-08-02T21:06:00.003-05:00

I've taken a break from the blog this summer so I could digest the Royals as a fan only. It's been great, but I think I've held my tongue long enough.

Scott Pioli's blowing it.

This free agency period was supposed to be the Chiefs' moment to shine. Clark Hunt preached about the new CBA and its small market-friendly terms. The team was $30 some-million under the cap, and there'd be a new salary-cap bottom implemented to disallow small-market teams to stay any more than 11% under the cap to begin the season.

Add that to the fact that Pioli was hired two years ago in-part because of King Carl's missteps in free agency, and you'd conclude the last two weeks have been a complete disaster.

Let's rewind. Entering the 2010 offseason, the outlook for the Chiefs was entirely different. The team was coming off a 4-12 season (a season in which Derrick Johnson and Jamaal Charles couldn't buy their way onto the field — Charles was actually deactivated for one game believe it or not), and had a former golf-pro head coach who seemed to be more interested in publicly embarrassing his players than improving their play on the field. Pioli was cautious in free agency (Thomas Jones to relieve Charles, Ryan Lilja to help on the offensive line) which made sense. The roster was young, fragile, and most importantly, hadn't yet learned how to win.

Now fast-forward. The AFC West Division Champion Chiefs came into free-agency with a few holes to fill: A real, NFL right-tackle would be nice. ... Let's not let any of our own gems get away. ... It's probably time to help out Romeo Crennel on the defensive side of the ball. Possibly upgrade at inside linebacker opposite DJ? ... We could cut our losses now and admit the Tyson Jackson mistake and improve our defensive line. ... If we're lucky... maybe, just maybe, we can snag Nnamdi Asomugha.

That was two weeks ago. In reality, the Chiefs spent the first couple days of free-agency filling need number-six (?) and signing former Cardinal WR (and Todd Haley protege) Steve Breaston to be the team's slot-receiver (this after also addressing the position by drafting WR Jonathan Baldwin with their first pick in this year's draft). Last year's slot-man, 2010 second-round pick Dexter McCluster had trouble staying on the field and has obviously created doubts of his ability in the coaches' minds. More on that in a minute.

Meanwhile, starting defensive tackle, Ron Edwards, and defensive end (and fan favorite) Shaun Smith signed contracts with other teams, unsure of their former employer's confidence in them. As a result, Pioli snagged 35-year old DT Kelly Gregg, formerly of the Ravens, on a modest, one-year deal, while the consensus amongst all NFL insiders was that San Francisco's Aubrayo Franklin was the most-talented and sought-after DT on the free-agent market.

And this came after an interview on Sports-Radio 810's Border Patrol early this week in which Pioli admitted the team would have preferred retaining both Edwards and Smith.

Oops. OOps. And OOOPS!

So Pioli has allowed the team's biggest weakness, the D-line, take a step back while not definitively upgrading anywhere else on the roster.

The topper is the Gregg signing, which directly ties into the Breaston signing. On the forefront, they're both great moves. Gregg, by all accounts, can still fill gaps in the interior and is likely a step-up from Edwards. Breaston had a breakout season three years ago in Arizona — when Haley was his offensive coordinator. He's absolutely helps the offense.

But a look deeper shows a real flaw in "the process" and Pioli's dedication to it. Gregg was only allowed to sign with the Chiefs because the Ravens selected newcomer DT Terrence Cody in the second-round of the 2010 draft — 7 picks after the Chiefs selected nickel-cornerback Javier Arenas and 21 picks after the Chiefs selected McCluster. The Breaston signing only amplifies Pioli's mistakes: Cody, an upgrade to Gregg, is a starter for the Ravens now, allowing Gregg to be expendable. McCluster, a starter-by-default in his rookie season, and one of two players the Chiefs took instead of Cody in last year's draft, has essentially been benched.

Pioli's pants: down.

And Arenas, who spent most of last year returning kicks with average ability and getting burnt by slot-receivers (when he was on the field) will be doing much of the same in 2011 because the team didn't even think about calling Asomugha's agent to see what the price would be (only $12M per, as we'd find out).

Nice.

But make no mistake, as Pioli has and will inevitably tell you again and again this year, the team has no spending limit, and will sign whoever fits the mold as part of the "right-53".

"Right" for what, Scott?

Pioli was hired to excel in this very scenario but instead seems to have been left in the dust. Last year's schedule and a couple of fluke performances allowed the Chiefs to sneak into the playoffs. This year's outlook had a step-back written all over it, and that was before the team's refusal to be players in free-agency.

Single-game tickets for the 2011 season go on-sale Wednesday morning. Buy at your own risk.

The Truth of the Matter

2011-03-23T23:00:00.002-05:00

The truth of the matter is Missouri needed Mike Anderson more than Mike Anderson needed Missouri. Or at least, at the moment it seems that way.

We'd been through this before, the latest having been just last offseason and the coach flirting with a Nike-powered University of Oregon proposal. It is the life of the non-elite basketball school. Coaches either flop or move on to bigger and better things. The Norm Stewart style tradition of endlessly coaching for one university decade after decade seems to have gone by the wayside in college basketball, Coach K notwithstanding.

After all, it was just five years ago this same Mizzou program — then in shambles from the wake left by good ole Quin Snyder —lured Anderson away from the University of Alabama-Birmingham and into the spotlight and the fire of a major college athletics program in a serious world of hurt. Mizzou was simply the next step in the process; the university acting as just another point in the journey for the coach, not the destination.

* * *

Following Anderson's departure was not unlike riding a rollercoaster. Conflicting reports surfaced from Columbia and Tulsa over the course of the past few days, each swaying the emotions of fans, students, and alum of Mizzou and Arkansas alike. Eventually something had to give. And it did.

In the end, the coach's heart was with the Razorbacks and Arkansas, where he spent 17 seasons as an assistant to his friend and mentor, Nolan Richardson. The pair won a national championship there in 1994 playing the same "40 minutes of hell" brand of basketball we've come to know at Mizzou.

"I don't feel Coach Anderson would have left here for any other place besides Arkansas," returning senior, Marcus Denmon, sitting next to fellow teammates Laurence Bowers and Kim English, said in the Anderson-less press conference held in Columbia Wednesday.

Anderson was beloved at Mizzou, which makes this ending and the ugliness of the past week all-the-more harder to swallow. The coach who led Mizzou basketball out of the circus that was the Quin Snyder-era and into a consistent Big 12 conference contender will now, almost undoubtedly be despised by the majority of those who proudly sport the black and gold.

The legacy of the man who returned the school's basketball program to respectablity will forever be scarred by feelings of disloyalty and betrayal.

For Mizzou, there are questions yet to be answered. The coaching search is on — Butler's Brad Stevens being the most interesting name popping up thus far — and there's plenty of talk already about whether or not the Pressey brothers will jump ship with "Uncle" Mike and deliver yet another blow to the Tiger-faithful.

As for the uncertainty of this moment and looking ahead to next season, Mizzou fans can rest-assured the roster won't be starved for senior leadership.

"I play for Missouri," Bowers, also a returning senior along with English, affirmed. "Coach has moved on, so hopefully Missouri can move on."

* * *

The pressure is certainly on for Mizzou Athletic Director, Mike Alden. Some said he hit a homerun in hiring Anderson five years ago. Expectations would dictate nothing short of that this time around.

He's saying the right things, that he loves Mike, wishes him the best, and all the rest. Most importantly, he says emphatically the next Missouri head basketball coach will have to "want" to be there. As simple as that sounds, the absence of mutuality may have ultimately been the crutch in the relationship between Mizzou and its former coach.

The realization that the school has that luxury — to pick and choose, and to be wanted — where it didn't five years ago tells you all you need to know about the job Anderson did and the possiblities for Mizzou basketball going forward.

So it seems the truth of the matter is Missouri needed Mike Anderson more than Mike Anderson needed Missouri five years ago. The program is better off for having known him but yet still better now for having said goodbye.

Five years ago Missouri basketball had fallen on black days. Today, the future is bright.

NFL owners' greed no different from Wall Street's

2011-03-08T01:15:00.001-06:00

This time of year we should be talking about free agency and the draft when it comes to the NFL. Instead, we're wondering if there will even be games played come September because of undeniable and repulsive greed displayed by the owners in the league — not unlike that of our Wall Street pals a few years past.

My taking offense to the pending NFL labor-strike lies somewhere near the risk of the country's most popular professional sports league putting its players out of work during the worst recession in almost a century. It really strikes a nerve after considering the league and its owners were already profiting $9 billion prior to the current dispute over a new Collective-Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

One of the key points of the negotiations is how to divide revenues — or what percentage of the money goes back into paying the players (the product) and how much the owners get to pocket. Before, the owners were receiving $1 billion off the top for "stadium upkeep". Now, they're asking for another billion.

Last I heard, Arrowhead Stadium and numerous other venues across the country were being paid for with taxpayer money.

And that handful of millions (with an M, not a B) Clark Hunt threw in to get a piece of the renovated-Arrowhead pie? Oh, you didn't think that first billion covered the cost?

This is high-level greed, folks. No other way around it. But that's not all.

After a year full of discomfort and unease formed from an in-year rule change (an unprecedented helmet-to-helmet hit policy that put players on alert with fines and suspensions), somehow, Commissioner Roger Goodell and his bandits are maneuvering to disallow the players extended health insurance through their retirement. Oh, that and they'd like them to play two more games (18-game schedule) so the owners can profit MORE.

What???!!!!

Sadly, this comes in the wake of former NFL player, Dave Duerson, who took his own life by shooting himself in the chest, hoping his brain could be examined for damage caused by playing football.

The hypocrisy here is astonishing.

The owners have pushed for a rookie wage scale, which makes sense. The obstacle there is where the money-saved would go. It's likely the players would compromise and go for a restriction on rookie contracts if that money were to help retired players' benefits. Unfortunately, that billion extra off the top the owners are so desperately in need of has to come from somewhere. Hence the stand-off.

In 2008, the owners opted out of the CBA (effective this month) with little fear of a work-stoppage. They'd already worked a deal with the television networks where, in the event of a lockout, that money would still flow right into their greedy hands. Luckily, in an anti-trust claim last week, the players won a ruling which forbids the owners from obtaining that money if there's a work-stoppage.

Goodell and his bandits were scheming this all along. It's become quantity over quality. Money over morality. Absolute-Power over respect.

Now, an already restless fanbase (attendance was down for a fourth straight year last season) has no choice but to sit and wait and hope for a resolution to a non-existent problem — all in the name of arrogance and greed.

Similar men helped collapse our economy. Very few of them were held accountable. The crooks running our favorite sports league into the ground are no different.

Chiefs are all-in with Haley

2011-02-15T19:48:00.001-06:00

The hiring of new quarterbacks coach, Jim Zorn is just the icing on the cake. This is Todd Haley's show now.

Along with the mostly irrelevant promotion of offensive line coach, Bill Muir to offensive coordinator, Haley has the Kansas City Chiefs' 2011 coaching staff set. No more Charlie Weis. No more rascals.

No more offensive coordinators with credentials tenfold that of the team's head coach.

The Zorn hire makes sense. He's a former NFL quarterback and has built a solid resume as an assistant. And who knows? Maybe he is the guy who can make Matt Cassel the elite quarterback Haley and GM Scott Pioli are convinced he's so destined to be.

More so, though, his arrival in Kansas City is affirmation that the Chiefs are going to live and die with Haley, and Haley alone.

As I mentioned about a month ago, I agree with Haley's decision to take the offense back over himself. If we've come to terms with the fact that Haley (and his ego) won't allow another respected voice aid him in the game-planning and play-calling (Weis, Chan Gailey), then it seems to me there is no other real option.

Had Haley hired another established offensive coordinator for 2011, we may have been looking at another Weis-like exit a year (or less) from now.

It's unfortunate the coach's ego has helped limit the options for the team going forward, but this is the way it is. Haley, coming off a coach-of-the-year-like 10-6 season, isn't going anywhere — at least not for another season (and likely, another two). If that's the hand we're dealt as Chiefs fans, the least we can ask for is the team, and more importantly, its coaches, are accountable for the results they yield next season and beyond.

By making it painfully obvious this is his offense, Haley has given himself little room to play the cop-out, blame-game in an effort to save his job if the team regresses next season.

Chicago White Sox pitcher, Mark Buehrle loves dogs, hates Michael Vick (Of course he does)

2011-02-09T23:25:00.004-06:00

Another Vick-hater makes a bold statement, and another simple-minded, closed-eyed "dog-lover" fails to see the bigger picture.

This time it was Chicago White Sox pitcher, Mark Buehrle, who in a feature story on MLB.com this week was not afraid to voice his displeasure with the Eagles quarterback's road to redemption.

"(Vick) had a great year and a great comeback, but there were times where we watched the game and I know it's bad to say, but there were times where we hope he gets hurt," he said. "Everything you've done to these dogs, something bad needs to happen to these guys."

The anti-Vick quotes have since been removed from the story.

So, Mark. Something "bad" — Like 19 months in prison?

Apparently Buehrle isn't a fan of the United States justice system.

Not to worry, though. We can all take solace in the fact Buehrle knows what it's like to be a young, black male from the south who was raised to value dogs not for their love and affection as pets but for the dollar signs they represented in training them as fighters.

Yeah, Mark's been there.

Maybe Buehrle just doesn't believe in role models. Hell, it's not like Vick needed any. Or maybe all the young, black male athlete in 2011 needs for motivation is the story of Buehrle, himself. You know the one — where the young, white, average Major League pitcher evolves into the old, white, whiny Major League pitcher during the course of his otherwise insignificant and worthless Major League career.

Now there's a once-in-a-lifetime experience America's youth could learn from.

Just ask Mark.

What If?

2011-02-05T18:13:00.000-06:00

In the midst of searching for the much-talked about (and, upon viewing — overhyped) Big Ben piano bar video from earlier this week, I found this. It's a clip from the 2005 NFL Draft, which has been somewhat of a talking-point this Super Bowl week because the draft's first-round was highlighted by projected top-five quarterback, Aaron Rodgers' falling all the way to the Green Bay Packers, 24th overall.

On the forefront, the video doesn't offer much, unless you put any real value on the raw and unfiltered analysis by ESPN's Chris Berman and Mel Kiper, Jr. The interesting part, of course, is while the world-wide leader's "experts" sympathize with and attempt to encourage young Aaron, the Kansas City Chiefs were on the clock, fate to-be-determined, with a soon-to-be star quarterback there for the taking.

It got me thinking, what if?

The 'what if' game can be fun to play, probably for none more reason than that it will boggle the mind. Forget the fact that it's mostly unfair to blame then-Chiefs' GM Carl Peterson for failing to predict Rodgers' emergence.* After all, 22 other NFL franchises concluded Rodgers wasn't worthy of a first-round pick that year, either. And that included the San Francisco 49ers, who selected Utah quarterback Alex Smith with the first-overall pick in the 2005 draft. The "20/20 hindsight" factor is only part of it.

*As most Kansas City fans realize now, it's likely King Carl didn't think, for even a second, about drafting Rodgers. That 2005 season would become a farewell tour for beloved coach, Dick Vermeil, and the Chiefs were desperately seeking help on defense in an attempt to return to that untouchable, early 2003-form. By 2005, the Chiefs roster was mostly filled with veterans — a youth-movement, which would come three years later, was already imminent. The team already had its quarterback in Trent Green, who at that point had not missed a start in four years in Kansas City. Vermeil and King Carl decided on Texas linebacker, Derrick Johnson, and the last-chance hoo-rah went 10-6 and fell short of the playoffs.

The more thought-provoking, mind-numbing component to consider is that we have no way of knowing Rodgers would have earned the "Super Bowl quarterback" label had his NFL journey gone in a different direction —

Would it be the Chiefs playing in the Super Bowl Sunday? ... Would King Carl still be in Kansas City? ... Would Rodgers in 2011 with KC be thought of as an underachieving NFL quarterback who never lived up the the hype of his draft selection as opposed to his current status in Green Bay which includes the possibility of surpassing Brett Favre's legacy?

And, of course, we'll never know.

What we do know is that great quarterback play seems to equal great things for that team year after year, and with Rodgers and Big Ben facing off in Super Bowl XLV, this year will be no exception. And we know the Chiefs have a quarterback named Matt Cassel, who thus-far in his career has never been great. There's no debating he's been very good at times — most of which occurred this past season. But "great" has never been a word used to accurately describe Cassel. Does this mean the Chiefs are doomed?* No.

*Maybe a more telling question/answer: Is this the sole reason why the Chiefs are doomed?

Let's look at the quarterback matchups in the previous 10 Super Bowls:

2010: Drew Brees def. Peyton Manning

2009: Ben Roethlisberger def. Kurt Warner

2008: Eli Manning def. Tom Brady

2007: Peyton Manning def. Rex Grossman

2006: Ben Roethlisberger def. Matt Hasselbeck

2005: Tom Brady def. Donovan McNabb

2004: Tom Brady def. Jake Delhomme

2003: Brad Johnson def. Rich Gannon

2002: Tom Brady def. Kurt Warner

2001: Trent Dilfer def. Kerry Collins

It's not completely overwhelming, but most of the quarterbacks on that list would qualify as "great". And most of the ones that don't quite fall into the "great" category were, at least, very good during their respective Super Bowl seasons. Here's the quarterback matchups in the 10 previous Super Bowls to that:

2000: Kurt Warner def. Steve McNair

1999: John Elway def. Chris Chandler

1998: John Elway def. Brett Favre

1997: Brett Favre def. Drew Bledsoe

1996: Troy Aikman def. Neil O'Donnell

1995: Steve Young def. Stan Humphries

1994: Troy Aikman def. Jim Kelly

1993: Troy Aikman def. Jim Kelly

1992: Mark Rypien def. Jim Kelly

1991: Jeff Hostetler def. Jim Kelly

The trend continues. Of those 20 Super Bowl winning quarterbacks (counting the ones repeated for each year they won), only five could have a strong argument made against their Hall of Fame induction. The other 15 are either already in or are sure-to-be HOFers, with Drew Brees being the least likely of the bunch.

The point here is not to dog-on Cassel. This blog has done plenty of that the past few months. It's not an indictment on him, either. It's more just a perspective of what it might take for the Chiefs to get to where the Packers and Steelers will be Sunday. Great quarterback play isn't the only thing that can make a team "super", though the previous 20 years suggest, at the very least, that it surely helps. Great defenses can also carry a team all the way (see: 2000-'01 Ravens, 2005-'06 Steelers). But the Chiefs seem to be as far away from greatness on defense as they are at the quarterback position. Maybe Cassel will become great. Maybe greatness will just fall into GM Scott Pioli's lap — although I'm not sure we should bank on lightning striking twice there (Tom Brady, anyone?). Maybe Eric Berry and Brandon Flowers and Glenn Dorsey will turn the Chiefs' defense into a force again, and with that running game... maybe.

But, come Sunday, I just won't be able to help myself.

Chiefs' quarterback Aaron Rodgers brings Lombardi trophy back to Kansas City!

What if?

*** Super Bowl prediction: Packers 24, Steelers 23 ***

Self made the right call

2011-01-31T03:05:00.001-06:00

Death is the hardest thing we, as human beings, will face in our lives. It seems pretty cut and dry. Adversity will come in many forms, but none quite like the passing of a loved one. The finality of death goes unmatched. It is ultimate loss.

This probably goes without saying. Funerals just aren't very popular. If we could choose, we'd avoid them like the plague. Obviously, someone has died. Now, somehow, after a week of overwhelming shock and sadness, we're supposed to collect ourselves enough to say goodbye to this person who has made an impact in our lives in some form or another. It seems excessive.

This past month, for Kansas basketball player, Thomas Robinson, it has been a gloom reality. Luckily, he has coach Bill Self on his side.

* * *

About fifteen years ago or so, a good friend and colleague of my mother's lost her husband tragically. She had two young children at the time, and only a few of her closest friends, including my mom, to help her deal with the pain of her sudden loss.

I was around nine or ten-years old then, so the memory is a bit foggy. But I remember the importance of my mother being there as her friend grieved (she stayed with her all week), and the importance of her supporting cast's presence at the funeral.

I reference that experience because Self has been publicly ridiculed this week for his decision to "force" the KU basketball team to attend Robinson's mother, Lisa's funeral.* I couldn't disagree with this notion more.

*"We all hurt for Thomas and his young sister. But people die, are born, get sick, get arrested…but life goes on. If KU loses three in a row, you’re going to see some real pain, suffering and anguish at Allen Fieldhouse – and not one of those many tears will be for T-Rob’s mom." - Greg Hall, KCConfidential.com

Hall, in two separate columns at KCC, wrote about his concern for Self "forcing" the rest of the team to attend the funeral and how they'd respond on the court the rest of the season. Shame on you, Greg. SHAME. ON. YOU.

By now you've probably heard about what the 19-year old Thomas is going through. In less than a month's time, he's lost both his grandparents and his mother. His seven-year old sister, Jayla was the one who made the call to Thomas to inform him of their mom's passing. With no father in the picture, Thomas is suddenly the only person close to a parental-guardian Jayla has left.

Upon hearing the news, Thomas convinced Self to let him stay with the team and play the day after Lisa's death. The game would result in a home-loss — the first loss of the season for the team and the first loss at home for the Jayhawks in four years.

Afterward, Self, realizing his error in judgment, announced that Thomas would be leaving the team to handle funeral arrangements. We then learned the NCAA had granted the university permission to pay for all of the funeral expenses, including flying Thomas' teammates to Washington, D.C. Thursday for the service.

Self made the right call. It's silly to think Thomas' teammates haven't been riding this month-long emotional rollercoaster along with him. In choosing to have the entire team attend the funeral, the coach allowed Thomas to have his closest peers alongside him as he searched for the courage to accept life without his mother, all-the-while helping his brothers-in-arms find a sense of closure, as well.

Really, it was Self's duty to allow for this. College coaches go through a ridiculous recruiting process to convince families (sometimes just mothers) to send their young and gifted child to them for four years so their programs will win more games. In return, these coaches promise to do everything in their power to ensure the boy who left home for college will return a man.

These coaches are fathers away-from-home. Self realizes this better than anyone.

Upon his return to the team Friday, Kansas released a thank-you letter Thomas wrote to the fans. Saturday, in the team's first game since the funeral, the Jayhawks soared at Allen Fieldhouse, blowing-out rival Kansas State. The fans came equipped with signs to express their support for Thomas. By the time it was over, there had been a standing-ovation — not just for the recognition of courage and triumph off the court but because of the exceptional play on it.

With Coach Self at Thomas' side, we can rest assured his future is bright. "It's beyond words, how I feel and the love that I have for Kansas University," Thomas would say after the game.

Life's lessons don't always come easy. Thomas and his teammates are coming to grips with this fact as we speak. The essential support and guidance Self has helped provide them can't go unrecognized.

Show us a sign, Mr. Glass

2011-01-19T23:13:00.001-06:00

Tuesday, Royals pitcher Gil Meche shocked the baseball world by announcing his retirement, thus forfeiting the last $12.4 million guaranteed to him for the final year of his five-year, $55 million contract he signed with the team back in 2007.

Now that Meche is gone, and the Royals all the sudden have their lowest payroll (by far) since GM Dayton Moore arrived, projecting somewhere in the $30 million range, the (12) million dollar question is this:

Where's that extra $12-mil going, Mr. Glass?

Meche had an idea for the owner.

"Hopefully the Royals can find some guys to (spend) that money on and help the team win," he said Tuesday, while announcing his retirement.

Wishful thinking, possibly. Maybe even sarcasm.

We've been over it. The team is rebuilding (still?). The youth-movement is on the brink of surfacing. The free-agent market was thin to begin with and is even thinner now (Nice timing, Gil). There isn't much need to clutter the roster with another stop-gap or two who would only, at best, save the team from the embarrassment that is yet another 100-loss season.

Moore knows this. In fact, if you were listening to Tuesday's press conference closely, you'd know he already told us where the money is going.

When asked if the extra dough might go toward adding talent in free-agency, Moore replied, "I don't see a lot out there that's better than what we have or will potentially have in 2011 or 2012."

Translation: The money is going straight into Glass' pocket.

Shocking.

And herein lies the problem with Mission 2012 and all of Moore's efforts to save the Royals from continued baseball futility. His plan is based strongly on a financial commitment from a dead-beat owner who has all-too-often broken promises to his most-passionate customers (fans) and hard-working employees (former GM Allard Baird).

The Meche retirement and the money Glass will pocket as a result is a microcosm of how the former-Walmart CEO is and always will run the Royals organization. He found an average product on the market worth selling at a higher price (Meche). The product sold for awhile, but ultimately turned out to be a lemon. To pay for the mistake of his investment, the price to enjoy the product (which was all-the-while losing value) raised (higher ticket prices, concessions, parking, etc). Upon request for a refund, he refused (pocketing the new-found Meche money).

It sounds a whole lot like Walmart, all the way down to the disgusting smell coming from the restroom. The cycle continues as it has for years — just so long as the customers keep coming back for more.

It's simple. The Royals profit EVERY year. Glass will (and was going to before the $12 million gift) profit millions in 2011 off of another sub-.500 baseball team. Pocketing the Meche money, given the current state of the major-league roster, is obvious greed. It is despicable.

DESPICABLE.

This is as good a time as any to remind the readers of the $250 million stadium renovation passed by Jackson County voters in 2006, which was completed with the grand opening of the new Kauffman Stadium just last season.

Glass hasn't been seen or heard from in Kansas City since.

And let's not forget, the Royals are where they are because of Glass. Sure, the strike in 1994 and the ensuing collective-bargaining agreement (which tended to heavily aid larger-market teams) didn't help, but for the past 16 years Glass has either had the last say and/or the only say in all-things Royals. He's owned the team for over a decade now. He failed to make a solid commitment to building from within until he hired Moore in 2006 and it was only then that he began investing real money in the draft. Since then, there have been missteps, and now here we are in 2011. The major-league roster is actually much worse than it was in 2000. At that time, there was Johnny Damon and Carlos Beltran and Jermaine Dye and an up-and-coming personnel guy named Allard Baird who was ready to make the Royals a winner again. He had no idea.

And now, the fans are just as angry and upset as they were ten years ago. The team is rebuilding (yes... still). It's Glass' work.

Had we any faith in our owner, our frustration would subside with much more ease. Maybe just a signed commitment. Something like, "When the time comes — and it is coming — you can count on me." ... You know, just a few words on the website. Anything. The fans in Kansas City need some kind of sign that when the team is ready to make a run at a pennant — next year, maybe three years from now, whenever — the finances won't run dry and promises be forgotten as the years and losses weigh on our patience and our hearts.

Just show us a damn sign, Mr. Glass.

D-Day plus seven (Thoughts on the Chiefs)

2011-01-16T19:53:00.001-06:00

It's been a week since the Chiefs' blink-of-an-eye exit from the NFL playoffs and most of the cursing and sulking out of Kansas City has dissipated. A few thoughts as we reflect on the season that was and what lies ahead for the Kansas City Chiefs...

Like it or not, Todd Haley is here to stay. When Clark Hunt hired Scott Pioli as general manager two years ago, he made it clear the model franchise the Chiefs would be taking after was that of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And if that's any indication, don't count on a head-coaching change any time soon in Kansas City (the Steelers have had just two head coaches since 1992 and haven't officially fired a head coach since 1969). Let's just hope Hunt can figure out how to emulate those Super Bowl victories.

While we're on the subject, we might as well discuss the rather large void left by Charlie Weis (pun-intended) at offensive-coordinator. Haley seems to be hinting that he may revert back to calling the plays himself next season, as he did in his first year as coach in 2009. The consensus from the fans/media is that Haley was a better game-manager this season because he wasn't preoccupied with the play-calling. While I agree with that assessment, I'm not convinced Haley hasn't learned from his 2009 mistakes and wouldn't be able to pull it off in 2011. If we're stuck with Haley, I honestly believe hiring another coordinator to call plays would be a mistake, as Haley has proven he can't seem to live with the decisions of his colleagues. The Chiefs are going to live and die with Haley as the face of the offense. Hiring anything more than another set of eyes in the press box would simply create turmoil and be counter-productive.

Kansas City's schedule next year is absolutely brutal. Right now, it's feasible to think the team could improve vastly next season yet finish with a worse record than in 2010. The AFC West will play the AFC East and NFC North next season, which means the Chiefs will play the likes of the Patriots, Jets, Bears, and Packers (all of which have yet to be eliminated from the current playoffs as of this writing). To be fair, the rest of the AFC West, via the NFL's balanced scheduling, will play those same divisions. But, as a result of a first-place finish, the Chiefs will get the Steelers (first-place in AFC North) and Colts (first-place in AFC South) in 2011.* By comparison, the Raiders, who finished in third-place, will get the third-place teams from the those divisions — the Browns and Texans.

*A couple positives could come from next year's gauntlet. One would be that the 2011 schedule could be filled with primetime games, especially if the Chiefs can win a few (flex scheduling could help or hurt the team's chances of exposure depending on their early season performance). Also, if the Chiefs can somehow find a way to make the playoffs next year ... talk about a battle-tested team. Watch out.

One obvious way the Chiefs could improve would be by acquiring disgruntled Cardinals wide-receiver, Larry Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald, 27, has one year left on his contract in Arizona, so any pursuit by Kansas City would require relinquishing draft-picks, something Pioli has been reluctant to do in the past. Kansas City is rumored to be one of the likely landing spots for Fitzgerald because of his history with Haley when the Chiefs' coach was the offensive-coordinator in Arizona. Fitzgerald, a four-time Pro Bowler, often credits Haley for pushing him to the limit and helping him turn a corner in his career. My prediction is that if the Cardinals can't work something out soon, the Chiefs will show interest and be one of the front-runners to land Fitzgerald. And if the price is a first-round pick, it's a no-brainer.* He's just that good.

*Think Tyson Jackson. Yep ... worth it.

In watching the playoffs, and specifically the Ravens' Dismantling of the Chiefs last Sunday (D-Day 2011), it seems apparent Kansas City's biggest weakness is lack of toughness on the offensive and defensive line. In the final regular season game against the Raiders and then the playoff game (both home games), the team was simply dominated by superior big-men on both sides of the ball. It was quite embarrassing.

Now, that's not entirely an indictment on the players, personally. Ryan Lilja and Casey Weigmann were great additions on the offensive side in helping the league's best rushing attack. Glenn Dorsey and Shaun Smith were, at times, forces on defense. But overall, the units just don't quite scream "playoff victories", if you know what I mean.

The 2011 season will ultimately be defined by Matt Cassel. The quarterback took great strides this season, but his improvement in 2010 will forever be scarred by his performance after the year turned. There are just an endless amount of questions as the Chiefs head into the off-season, most of which reflect back to Cassel and Haley...

Was the decline in Cassel's play directly correlated with the news of Weis' departure? If so, what does that say about the quarterback's poise and leadership skills? ... Can Haley and Cassel coexist, especially considering the possibility of there being no middle-man (offensive-coordinator) next season?

It shouldn't be understated that Cassel was originally a Pioli-guy, and it's possible if Haley were calling all the shots the team would have never acquired him in the first place. We're long past that now, but it will be interesting to see if the two will ever be productive together without Weis. If the Chiefs struggle with Cassel again next season, will it be time to move on? Would the previous three years be viewed as a waste? Would Pioli even have the guts to admit a mistake? So many questions.

My take? It's impossible to think Cassel will be able to play the type of mistake-free football that had many labeling the quarterback as a Pro Bowl-snub in 2010. And now that Weis and his three Super Bowl rings are Florida-bound, Cassel struggling in 2011 should be a foregone conclusion. Now, Fitzgerald could certainly change that assessment. And hey, Cassel could simply get better. But for a team that looked overmatched and undeserving when push-came-to-shove this season, predicting it to take the next step in 2011 just seems like wishful thinking.

My absurdly early prediction for 2011: 7-9.

As for beyond that, I have this overwhelming, yet sad feeling in my heart and mind, and I just can't rid myself of it...

Matt Cassel will never win an NFL playoff game, and the Chiefs will realize this fact entirely too late.

I sure hope I'm wrong.

Haley's ego and immaturity become more glaring as Weis splits and playoffs near

2011-01-02T17:48:00.004-06:00

This is a confusing time for football fans in Kansas City filled with frustration and mixed emotions about a division-winning head coach and team headed to the playoffs on a very sour note.

On the one hand, Todd Haley has the Chiefs light years beyond where most thought they would be at this point, and the coach is the likely front-runner to win NFL coach of the year.

On the other, the team just wrapped up its regular season schedule with a 31-10 beat down at the hands of the Oakland Raiders inside Arrowhead Stadium, and no one is quite sure what to think or how the team will respond a week from now in the home playoff game.

All of this points back to Haley and the Chiefs' split with offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis.

Friday, when asked if the rumors that Weis was planning to pack his bags for the University of Florida were true, Haley responded, "I have no idea...At a later date, if something comes up, I surely will talk about it, if there is something going on."

When asked again if he had any knowledge of the situation, the coach stated, "It would be news to me."

In leaving his players in the dark, Haley likely lost the respect of his young and fragile locker room. Sunday, Haley's Chiefs resembled their coach by looking uninspired and lost on the field. One could argue the players' performance was something like a protest of Weis' departure — like a child whose parents are going through a divorce and is being forced to say with the parent who was dishonest/is-to-blame for the split.

Matt Cassel's effort was the most alarming. There were numerous occasions when the television cameras caught the quarterback day-dreaming between plays, and his final stat-line would conclude it was his worst performance of the season. Given Cassel's improved play overall this season — much of which should be credited to Weis — and Haley's immature benching of the quarterback just a week ago, it's pretty obvious which parent is Matt's favorite.

It's likely most of the rest of the offense is alongside Cassel in wishing it were Weis staying and Haley leaving.

The Chiefs are now doing a nice job spinning this into a family-related move for Weis, whose son will be attending the University of Florida and may have a future in coaching. After the game Sunday, Haley referred to the Weis split as "bittersweet" and admitted to having productive conversations with him over the weekend on the issue.

It's non-sense.

If Haley wanted Weis to stay, then "productive" would only be an accurate description if he convinced the coordinator to stay. If Weis wanted to spend more time with his family, he'd retire. Going back to the college ranks for anything less than another head coaching job makes no sense for Weis unless he's unhappy in Kansas City.

It's obvious he is.

The original reports of Weis jumping ship also stated the Chiefs granted Florida officials permission to talk to the offensive guru as early as last week. Monday, Weis will fly to Gainesville to be announced as the Gators new offensive coordinator, while the rest of the Chiefs coaching staff begins game-planning for the Ravens.

Haley might as well have bought Weis' plane-ticket for him.

Now the Chiefs are left with a head coach whose ego has forced two (remember Chan Gailey) respected offensive coordinators out of town, a roster whose core has lost complete trust in its leaders, and a fanbase whose even-most passionate believers know exactly how this is going to end.

Timing of Weis news may be sign of things to come

2011-01-02T01:32:00.004-06:00

Charlie Weis jumping ship to become the University of Florida's next offensive coordinator less than a year after his hiring in Kansas City should come as no surprise to anyone. Given he and Chiefs' head coach Todd Haley's respective personalities, one could have suspected the marriage would be short-lived.

No. It's the timing of the news of Weis' departure that is a bit concerning.

The Chiefs, having just clinched their first division title in seven years, are in the rare position of having raised expectations and added pressures as the NFL playoffs near. The team, loaded with a fragile roster full of youth and inexperience, would have been best-served avoiding any potentially damaging distractions heading into the final game of the regular season.

News breaking of the team's play-caller having one foot (or rascal wheel) out the door isn't exactly ideal.

Chiefs' offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis on his rascal during training camp in St. Joseph, MO in August.

Weis will remain with the Chiefs through the playoffs, but at least one report has the coach set to begin calling recruits for the Gators immediately. In such case, the Chiefs' coaching staff would begin game-planning Monday for their first home playoff game since January of 2004 with a coordinator whose attention is divided (Florida's official announcement of the hiring is scheduled for Monday).

That's a scary feeling if you're a Chiefs fan.

Also, it seems extremely odd the team would allow this to become known before the season comes to a close given the tightly-run ship Haley and GM Scott Pioli have strived to create since coming to Kansas City.

This couldn't have been part of "the process".

So the feeling was likely mutual, with Haley having taken over more of the play-calling as the season has progressed. The word around Arrowhead, according to numerous media outlets, is that Weis' impact on quarterback Matt Cassel and the offense's success this season has been highly overstated, and the coaching staff as a whole deserves more of the credit.

The team suddenly downplaying the efforts of its soon-to-be former offensive coordinator sounds more like insecurity and damage-control than truth. The fact of the matter is, the Chiefs went from having one of the worst offenses in the league last season to one of the most efficient this season and their Pro Bowl-robbed quarterback's play has been matched by only Tom Brady and Michael Vick.

The difference is Weis, and without him Haley's ego is bound to regress back to its ugly, 2009 form (see: Cassel's benching in the middle of the Titans game).

My guess is the Chiefs will (and would have, regardless of the news) fall short of the Super Bowl. The team is still, at the very least, another pass-rusher and Larry Fitzgerald short of being a perennial contender.

The news of Weis leaving simply affirms what many have already suspected — the Chiefs' luck will soon run out.

Pioli will then have the offseason to ponder whether he may have kicked the wrong coach to the curb.

Greinke's gone and the cycle continues

2010-12-20T22:29:00.003-06:00

One thing is for sure now that the Kansas City Royals have traded away their ace starting pitcher, Zack Greinke — the team is building quite the stack of chips to play with for the future.

The only problem is, the team isn't quite ready to go all-in just yet.

In fact, you could argue the Royals have already folded for 2011, and the calendar-year won't even officially begin for another two weeks.

These are some tough days to be a Royals fan. General Manager Dayton Moore is done sugar coating and has made it brutally honest the team has no desire to compete next season — and that was obvious before the Greinke trade. The team has been in rebuilding mode since the day George Brett retired (and Joe Montana was the Chiefs' quarterback). As it always seems to be, patience is key in Kansas City.

We're sick of it.

Sure, there are plenty of reasons to hope. The Royals have Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer and a ton of pitching waiting to break through to the major leagues and be the exceptions we've been waiting for. They also have four more young players acquired in the Greinke trade (albeit with generally underwhelming scouting reports given the value the Brewers got in return) who'll help improve the team's farm system which was already likely to receive Baseball America's number-one ranking for 2010.

But there was also reason to hope in 1994 and 1999 and 2003 and so on. The current state of baseball economics and the Royals' ownership are just as much of a reality now as they were then. Who's to say this latest and possibly most promising effort won't be squashed by the same culprits as before? It's frustrating.

The worst part may be what Moore is saying to the Kansas City fans in 2011. Whether it makes good baseball sense or not, along with the David DeJesus trade, the Royals have now parted ways with its two most popular (and, arguably, most valuable) players from the last handful of years — both of whom were extremely affordable — and replaced them with... Who exactly?

Well, the team signed Moore's man-crush, outfielder Jeff Francoeur, .310 career on-base and all, to a one-year deal. Francoeur, who'll be 27 in January, has been tagged as an underachiever after a successful first couple of years in the big leagues, and will be an obvious stop-gap in Kansas City until better and younger talent arrives (see: Rick Ankiel, 2010).

The team also snagged another former Brave outfielder, Melky Cabrera, for a year. Cabrera may have a better upside, having been a promising prospect for the Yankees at one time, but his impact on the 2011 Royals will be virtually the same as Francoeur's — little to none.

What may be most telling about the state of the Royals today is how the Greinke trade was received by the fans in Kansas City. It came as a foregone conclusion, really, and let's not kid ourselves — as Royals fans we knew this day would come since the moment the Cy Young talk started in 2009.

Instead of the highlight of the trade being the addition of a young and exciting shortstop named Alcides Escobar, fans can't get over what a relief it will be to not be subjected to the Yuniesky Betancourt show for another summer.

As Royals fans, we no longer have the ability to think any other way. We're jaded, and that's an embarrassing understatement.

The underlying theme in all this is a profitable professional sports team cutting payroll (again) less than a year removed from its overly-faithful fans delivering its absent owner a renovated stadium (which has, thus-far, served no better purpose than as an excuse for the aforementioned owner to hike-up ticket prices).

Some may argue the Royals should save money now and use it in a few years after the "surge" of young talent arrives and is settled in, in order to make a real run at a pennant. But does anybody really believe the team will make good on that promise? At this point, there's no real reason to believe, when the time comes, that David Glass will make the financial commitment needed to retain any of the prospects that emerge as stars, let alone pursue an impact-free agent for a pennant run.

The harsh truth of the matter is for every Johnny Damon or Carlos Beltran or Jermaine Dye — and now Zack Greinke — we're becoming more and more disconnected from our baseball team in Kansas City. Soon Billy Butler will be gone. It's likely the same will be true for Moustakas in a few years. Maybe Hosmer. And the next prospect. And the next.

We know this cycle.

And in the meantime, as the cycle continues, will the Royals win a World Series? Probably not. Will they make the postseason? It's doubtful.

So what's the point?

This April, in all likelihood, Luke Hochevar and his career plus-5.00 ERA will be the Royals' opening day starter. The prospects will start to trickle into the big leagues, and with any luck, the team will avoid losing 100 games. The fans' patience (what's left of it) will run thin, and I'll scream and yell, we'll accept it like binge-drinking on St. Patrick's Day and the beauty of the Plaza lights because it's what we've come to know in this city.

I've grown tired of it. Wake me up when the cycle ends.

The Beauty of Fantasy Football

2010-12-14T22:48:00.006-06:00

Every so often, as human beings, we come to points in our lives where an overly-obscure and peculiar turn of events unfolds in front of our eyes, leaving us no choice but to appreciate the beauty in its rareness.

This happened to me Monday night, while watching the Ravens/Texans game.

* * *

I've cursed fantasy football with the best of them.

It's a B.S. hobby, I'd say. "Completely random" has been another common admission from yours truly after a frustrating fantasy week. That's just the tip of the iceberg, though.

See, the evil that comes out of me late (sometimes early) Sunday afternoons and evenings stems from something like a Brian Westbrook kneel-down at the one-yard line instead of walking into the endzone three years ago, costing my fantasy team a playoff victory (I lost by three — the touchdown, obviously, would have given me six), and heightened after I selected sure-thing Steve Slaton in the first round of my fantasy draft last season (ouch).

It culminated in week 10 of this season after I brought a 51-point lead into the Monday Night Football game, where my opponent had only Michael Vick left to play in a rainy Washington DC. By Tuesday morning, my fantasy football hopes and dreams were all but crushed.

52 fantasy points by one-single player causing your team to lose by one point will take its toll.

The very premise of the game is a sham, to be quite honest. You draft players from all 32 teams in the NFL to one "fantasy" team, which you now "own". Each week, you have to decide which players to play and which to bench based on injuries, team-gameplanning, and matchups — knowledge of which most NFL teams go to great lengths to deny your obtaining. The points awarded for yards and touchdowns are usually completely out of proportion compared to how the actual game of football is played, and kickers (yes — KICKERS!) have a say in the outcome.

It's ridiculous.

You end up becoming so invested in it, you'll find yourself watching a football game and rooting for the running back and tight-end on one team, all the while hoping the opposing team's entire defensive unit doesn't give up too many points. It becomes scary, at times, as you begin to weigh the possibilities of who you'd rather come out victorious — your fantasy team, or the team you've been a fan of your entire life.

There should be laws against fantasy football, you know. The game is completely preposterous. I think I'm writing it off for good.

Of course, that's how I felt up until Monday night.

* * *

The Monday Night Football game between the Ravens and Texans was (as it was for most FFB leagues) the very last NFL game that would have an impact on the playoff picture for my fantasy league. In my league, it basically came down to two teams vying for the final playoff spot (the fantasy playoffs are weeks 15 and 16). Both teams came into the week with a 7-6 record.

One of the teams, we'll call them Team A, had already won their game, but had no chance of winning the tie-breaker (total points scored throughout the season) over the other 7-6 team, or Team B. So, needless to say, Team A needed Team B to lose.

Team B brought just less than an 11-point lead (we use decimals — don't ask) into the Monday night game over the team they were facing, who we'll call Team C, which had already been eliminated from fantasy playoff-contention. All of Team B's players had played their games, and Team C had only the Ravens' defensive unit left.

Now, for the purposes of this story, I'll only clarify the correct fantasy points awarded for a team defense as those are the only that apply:

Shutout = 12 fantasy points
1 to 6 points given up = eight
7 to 13 given up = four
14 to 20 given up = one
21 to 27 given up = zero
28 to 34 given up = minus-one
35 or more given up = minus-four
Forced turnover = two
Sack = one
Defensive/Special teams touchdown = six

OK. Let's skip ahead to the Texans final drive of the MNF game. It's 28 to 20 Ravens, meaning the Baltimore defensive unit has gained Team C one point for their total points yielded in the actual football game. They also have two sacks, one pick, and a kickoff return for a touchdown, bringing their total fantasy points gained at the moment to 11.

That's plenty to digest, but bear with me.

Team B is now rooting heavily for a Texans' 95-yard touchdown drive with less than two-minutes remaining, because, of course, that would bring the Ravens' defensive unit into the 21-27 point bracket, which would subtract a point from Team C's total putting Team B in the lead.

Another component was the possibility of the Ravens getting a sack, nullifying the fantasy value of the Texans' score. I couldn't help but notice, though, as the Texans were driving, that they would naturally go for two if they scored (being down by eight). If that occurred, Team C would lose a total of two points on the drive (assuming their were no sacks) but would still have an opportunity to win the fantasy match because the MNF game, at a 28 to 28 tie, would be headed for overtime.

As we know, the Texans did in fact score the touchdown with 21 seconds remaining, creating an interesting, only-in-fantasy flip-flop in rooting interest for Team B. On the drive, of course, Team B was rooting for a Texans touchdown, helping them to a probable fantasy victory and playoff berth. Once the touchdown was scored, though, Team B was in fact rooting hard for the Ravens' defense to deny the Texans the two-point conversion which would force overtime (even though the two-point conversion would take an additional point away from Team C because it would give the Texans 28, putting the Ravens defense in the 28-34 points yielded bracket), because overtime was another opportunity for the Baltimore defense to score fantasy points (via pick-six, maybe).

Houston converted the two, forcing the tie, and Team B brought a less-than-two point advantage into the overtime period with its fantasy playoff hopes hanging in the balance.

Baltimore got the ball first, and aside from a kickoff return for a score, Team B was just fine with that. In fact, at this point, Team B was simply rooting for a quick ending. Whoever came out on top — Ravens or Texans — it didn't matter. Just so long as nothing drastic happened on the defensive side of the ball for Baltimore.

The deciding moment came after a Raven punt — much to Team B's dismay — as Houston's Matt Schaub threw a pick-six to Baltimore's Josh Wilson, sending Team A (with eight extra fantasy points, six of which from the touchdown it wouldn't need), not Team B, to the fantasy playoffs (and, oh yeah, triumphantly winning the game for Baltimore).

One other scenario went through my head as this was all playing out Monday and I was evaluating the fantasy magnitude of the moment. I was of the belief that even with a forced turnover, which would give Team C the lead over Team B, Team B could still win the match if the Texans broke 35 points for the game (subtracting three more points from Team C according to our points system above). After the initial excitement of unveiling of an extra sub-plot, I realized, because the game was in OT, it was impossible for Houston, with 28 points, to get to 35. In OT, once a touchdown is scored, the game is over. No extra-point needed. So, essentially, once Wilson made the interception for Baltimore Monday, Team B had been eliminated from playoff contention completely. For fantasy purposes, the touchdown was just icing on the cake.

* * *

Maybe this was too much. Maybe I was just caught up in the moment and fantasy football is just as ridiculous as it has always been. That's probably true. I'm not sure.

I do know that it made me, at least for a moment, see through the frustration that is fantasy ownership, and appreciate the game for what it is and what it was surely created for. It is frustrating. It is random. It's the beauty of fantasy football, and by God, it was brilliant.

City would embrace Cassel as the hero

2010-12-13T19:35:00.004-06:00

We've come a long way, haven't we?

It seems it's been a lifetime since the days of questioning whether quarterback Matt Cassel was somehow holding back the Kansas City Chiefs during their surprisingly hot start early in the season. Now, after a blowout-loss in San Diego Sunday, the team, just a loss away from losing their once-tight grip on a division-lead and a playoff berth, are left to wonder if Cassel can return quickly enough to save the season.

This scenario is so odd and ironic and fitting, it's almost hard to believe. The majority of the Kansas City fanbase has been anti-Cassel virtually his entire time here. He struggled most of 2009 and the early part of the 2010 campaign. As the season progressed, though, he began to vastly improve — to the point of deserving Pro Bowl votes in the Tom Brady and Peyton Manning owned AFC — and the team was set for a probable playoff-run with a two-game divisional lead with four to play.

Then, the emergency appendectomy left the team without its suddenly-revered quarterback for its biggest game to date, and his status going forward is uncertain. You can't write the script any better than this.

This could play out a few different ways, with Cassel's standing as the face of Kansas City's beloved football franchise hanging in the balance.

Fair or not, if Cassel's surgery disallows him to play in St. Louis this Sunday, it would be viewed-upon as a letdown by coaches and players, alike. Fans would be more sympathetic to a player recovering from surgery, but a playoff-bound season stalled by the starting quarterback's inability to get on the field is what it is — a disappointment.

And as hard as it is to grasp after watching the game in San Diego, an injured Matt Cassel is no more valuable to the team than a healthy (and winless) Brodie Croyle.*

*Sadly, that statement remains true vice-versa.

If Cassel returns and fails to lead the Chiefs to postseason play (meaning a loss in St. Louis or at home against the Titans or Raiders), the script would change a bit, but the end result would still yield the same feelings of disappointment for all parties involved. The three remaining games are all extremely winnable. If the Chiefs aren't playing games in January, it'd mean the team's leaders, specifically Cassel, failed to pick them up during one of its easier stretches on the schedule and when it needed them most.

Naturally, the quarterback would get the blunt of the blame.

This whole ordeal could end up playing to Cassel's favor, though. All it would take is his healthy return and three subsequent victories upon it.

Fans would rejoice. The team as a whole would view Cassel as their unequivocal leader — a title you could argue he's already earned, but is in danger of losing depending on how the next three weeks play out. He and the city would potentially erase some of the disconnect created when a quarterback from So-Cal leads a midwest football town.

The appendectomy would essentially result in the growing appreciation of Cassel's value from the fans and media, while allowing him to play the role of something like a savior. Kansas City could eventually become "his town". He'd be a hero.

We all watched in disbelief Sunday — Do the Chiefs really need Cassel THAT BAD?

As we've come to realize, the answer is and has always been a very emphatic — Yes. We need him now more than ever.

Your wish has been granted, Cassel-haters

2010-12-08T22:52:00.000-06:00

Something had to give, right?

It's mid-December. The Chiefs are 8-4 and hold a two-game lead in the AFC West. A win this Sunday in San Diego, and the team would have all but wrapped up the division.

Oh, and yesterday, the team (because of timing, not arrogance) began sending out e-mails discussing playoff-ticket options for its season-ticket holders.

Then, the appendectomy.

Yep. Too good to be true.

According to the Chiefs, starting quarterback, Matt Cassel underwent an appendectomy procedure Wednesday that may force him to miss this Sunday's showdown against the Chargers and beyond. How far beyond, though, is yet to be determined.

My initial reaction was that, considering (at least the perception of) Cassel's competitiveness, combined with the magnitude of the Chargers game, number-seven would be behind center for the red and gold this Sunday afternoon. Also, The Kansas City Star and sports-radio 810 WHB have both relayed, respectively, through the expertise of practicing surgeons that it's likely Cassel's procedure was performed through laparoscopic surgery, making the recovery time much less significant.

Upon further consideration, though, I'm not sure I'd be holding my breath for Cassel to suit up. Under Todd Haley, the Chiefs have shown a tendency to err on the side of caution as opposed to risking further injury when it comes to its banged-up personnel. There's no reason to believe Cassel would be any different.

In fact, you'd think, if anything, they'd be more cautious with their starting quarterback.

For now, though, he's listed as questionable. The Chiefs are calling it a "50/50" Cassel will play, but that's no surprise as, by definition, a questionable status in the NFL means there's a fifty percent chance that player go.

In 2006, Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger underwent the same procedure and missed just one game as he recovered. Other members of the media, though, have voiced their concern Cassel will be out for the remainder of the regular-season.

Don't count on it.

In the meantime, fifth-year veteran Brodie Croyle will get the reps with the first-team offense. Croyle, a third-round pick from Alabama, last started a game in 2009, a 38-24 season-opening loss in Baltimore. He is winless in his nine previous starts in the NFL.

The Star's story on Cassel's surgery included an interesting tidbit from California surgeon, Matthew Lublin, on the chances the quarterback will be able to play.

"It's really a matter of his pain threshold and how he feels," he said, according to The Star. "If he feels OK, I think he would be able to play."

So it's a matter of Cassel's toughness? Maybe...

There's certainly an argument to be made for the fact that Cassel, playing so soon after his surgery, wouldn't really be risking any further damage or injury, and it's just a question as to how much pain is too much.

I'm not quite ready to go that far, but a suited-up Cassel in San Diego would be a real testament to his dedication.

Personally, I'm betting on a Croyle-led Chiefs squad in San Diego. Apparently, the Cassel-haters weren't careful about what they wished for, because they got it. As for what exactly it is, stay tuned this Sunday.

The Second Guess: Todd vs. Josh II

2010-12-07T00:13:00.011-06:00

In honor of Josh McDaniels' last game as the Denver Broncos' head coach (he was fired early Monday evening, if you haven't heard)... it's the return of The Second Guess!

Kickoff

CBS has given us commentators Ian Eagle and former Chiefs quarterback, Rich Gannon for Todd vs. Josh II, so it's sure to be a game full of ath-a-letic plays.*

*If you've never seen a broadcast with Gannon to the color-commentary, you may be clueless here. Just know that for most people, "athletic" is a two-syllable word. For Rich, it has three.

Wow, is it me, or is there a lot of empty seats at Arrowhead? It might be a smart move to paint those $230 empty Club-level seats red, too — at least the ones in the endzone that haven't been used all year. Just saying.

Todd Haley just began the referee badgering on a Tony Moeaki dropped pass on third-down. Upon replay, there was obvious contact, but the no-call was the right call. The boos were sure loud, though.

Following a big third-down connection from Cassel to the finally-healthy, Dexter McCluster, Gannon explained to us, "What did Matt Cassel tell us the other day? He said, 'these receivers, opposite Champ Bailey, are going to have a big day.'" Duly noted.

Hiyooo! Cassel to my man, Leonard Pope for the game's first* touchdown! Or Cassel's man, I should say. Cassel and Pope have been waiting for this moment all season long. Sadly, for the blocking-tight end, it only goes down from here.

*and only

Ok. There have been two NFL Today updates of the Bills/Vikings game from CBS so far. The first one ended with what, at least I believed, was the dead, lifeless body of Brett Favre lying on the Metrodome turf, obviously having been completely overwhelmed by the ferocity of the Bills' defense. This last update was of Vikings' backup quarterback Tavaris Jackson throwing a pick-six to the aforementioned, 2-9 defensive unit. Somewhere, Daunte Culpepper is laughing.*

Brett Favre, after absorbing a hit to his back vs. the Bills.

*That somewhere would be with Denny Green as a member of the UFL's Sacramento Mountain Lions. (They're both where we thought they were.)

Start of second quarter: Chiefs 7, Broncos 0

Wow, aside from the one KC drive, this has been a Colquitt family punt-fest thus far (Chiefs' punter, Dustin Colquitt, is the older brother of Broncos' punter, Britton Colquitt.) I find this so fascinating. You'll see families of doctors, lawyers, even professional athletes — it's not uncommon. But to be the parents of two siblings who become the punters for rival NFL teams, what an oddly cool circumstance. Really, though, what are the odds?

Oh my! Brandon Carr, who has already made a couple nice plays, just dropped a sure-thing pick-six. This is now being referred to as the DJ effect.*

*Derrick Johnson has dropped, seemingly, 50 would-be interceptions this season, a handful of which would have been brought back for scores. Ouch.

Interesting series now for the Chiefs offense as they're driving with about eight minutes remaining in the half. After a big first-down completion to Moeaki to the Denver 39, Cassel, on first-down, got the team out of the huddle late and had to hurry the snap. The play, a pitch to McCluster, went for no-gain, and I get the sense Cassel would have called an audible had he enough time. I also get the sense Cassel would have burned a timeout (instead of the play) had he not feared the verbal blasting his head coach would deliver to him upon reaching the sideline.

Prior to the second-down play (a four-yard completion to Cassel-favorite Pope), Chiefs' receivers Dwayne Bowe (with zero catches to this point) and Verran Tucker went in motion simultaneously, which is illegal. Oddly, Haley, doing his best Bo Pelini impression, argued with the officials after the penalty was called. No clue as to what his case was, either. As his conversation with the side judge ended, it was almost as if he was coaching the official to settle down — as if it were his over-anxiousness, and not his knowledge of the NFL rulebook, that drew the flag.

On second and 15 now, having no help or guidance from their much-preoccupied head coach, the offense failed to execute again. A dump off pass on third-down gave the team fourth and five from the Denver 33 yard-line. In the defensive ball game that this was becoming, Haley chose the smarter choice (punting) over going for it or kicking a field goal.*

*More on that a little later.

The drive, however, was stalled merely by an inexperienced quarterback who chose saving a timeout (and face) over the betterment of the team and head coach whose ego got in the way of his team's success. Not much was made of this during or after the game, but the series was a complete wasted effort by Cassel and Haley, at a time when the Broncos were ready to roll over.

So.. is there a reason the 'NFL Play60' logo on the 30-yard line is twice as big as the arrowhead at midfield? Anybody?

Well, it's pretty obvious the Chiefs' rush defense is flawed. You know it's bad when the Broncos and their 30th-ranked rush offense come to town and run it right down your freakin' throat. Just ask my fantasy team.

Kyle Orton just play-faked to absolutely no one in the Denver backfield on third and short inside the Chiefs' 10. Surprisingly, it didn't work, and the Donkeys were forced to settle for three.

Whoa. Did Eagle just refer to Verron Tucker as "the surprising rookie out of Cal"? I mean, I'm not sure what's more ridiculous — the fact Tucker was described as "surprising", or the use of the word "the" by Eagle (as in, it's Verran Tucker, the surprising rookie; not Verran Tucker, a surprising rookie). It is worth noting Tucker had just four catches coming into this game, but hey, who's counting? Maybe Eagle's surprised Tucker doesn't have more catches.

To be fair to Eagle, Gannon just followed up Eagle's comment by praising The Surprising Rookie with a brief anecdote. Who needs Chris Chambers, anyway?*

*Not the Chiefs, apparently. Chambers was deactivated again this week. After signing a three-year deal in the offseason, somehow the veteran receiver finds himself in Haley's doghouse, and nobody seems to know why.

Finally, Joshy-Josh has put his stamp on this game. There's seven seconds remaining in the first-half, and Chiefs' kicker Ryan Succop gets iced by the Broncos' head coach just before booting his team to a 10-3 lead. Fortunately, Succop made his second try, making the whole thing a big waste of time — all thanks to Josh! (Isn't it cute?)

Halftime: Chiefs 10, Broncos 3

Eagle just asked if we should start referring to the Chiefs' running tandem of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones as speed and slam. Or maybe he was discussing possible nicknames for he and Gannon. Not sure.

Boy, the league has sure put itself in a sticky situation with its new head-to-head hit policy. Broncos' linebacker D.J. Williams just broke up a third-down pass from Cassel to McCluster by driving his shoulder through the ball (and McCluster). I'm not sure what else he could have done, other than not make the play. The flag has completely bailed KC out, as a punt was to follow.

The Chiefs looked like they would take advantage, having driven to the Denver two-yard line. Instead, a very ugly turn of events would follow for the team.

First, a Charles touchdown run was wiped off the board because of an illegal-formation penalty. After a Jones run negated the penalty yardage, a Barry Richardson false-start call then negated Jones' run. Somehow, first and goal from the two just turned into third and goal from the seven.

It gets worse. Following a five-yard Charles run, bringing the ball back to the two for the third time, the CBS cameras showed Richardson (who was pulled from the game because of the false-start) shoving special teams' coach Steve Hoffman during a tantrum-like outburst on the sideline.*

*Richardson shoving Hoffman like a rag doll looked bad, especially considering how many times CBS showed us the replay, but it may be getting a little blown out of proportion. You'll see on the replay that Richardson was upset, and first lightly shoved teammate away before Hoffman approached him. It's my opinion that in the heat of the moment, Richardson reacted similarly when Hoffman grabbed him, not fully realizing it was a normal-sized human-being, not a barbaric-sized teammate, who'd grabbed him at that point. Members of the media have speculated there should be some sort of disciplinary action as a result of Richardson's actions handed down by the team or even the league. Forget the league. The team may handle it internally, but this is really a non-issue going forward and has been since the moment the Chiefs won Sunday.

It gets even worse. Haley, possibly in an effort to mock his team's mental breakdowns, has one of his own, and opts to go for fourth and goal instead of kicking a field goal (and taking a ten-point lead). Now, this wouldn't be such an odd turn of events had it not been for the conservative play/decisions in the first half. The game was obviously not going to be the shootout everyone expected, and a field goal here or there might mean the game. Going for it in this instance has Haley's ego, and not the team's best interests, written all over it.

Then, with the league's best rushing offense mind you, Haley/Charlie Weis call an odd pass-play (probably to Pope) that, naturally, ends with Cassel being sacked for a 15-yard loss (The one positive of not getting the touchdown there — if you run — is you'll pin your opponent inside their own two-yard line where it's tough to run a normal offense and would likely lead to good position for your offense after making a stop). Nevermind that now, of course.

Where has this Brandon Carr been all year? Another pass deflection! Give me this guy alongside a healthy Brandon Flowers in January, and I'll give you a Chiefs' playoff defense that ain't so easy to throw on.

Not again! Kansas City just had a 50-yard run by McCluster wiped out by a Terrance Copper* hold, and this time Haley is well onto the field making his case to the official to no avail. The replay shows an obvious hold (and a beer in Haley's hand, one would think).

*Where's Chris Chambers when you... Oh, nevermind.

This is getting good. The Surprising Rookie just snagged a big third-down catch, and Gannon had the audacity to say, "Verran Tucker has really had an outstanding second part of the season". Hey, no surprise here.

My goodness. Did Carr watch tape of the 1995 Kansas Chiefs' defense this week or what? Jabar Gaffney didn't know what hit him after having the ball knocked loose by the third-year cornerback. The guy is playing his best game as a Chief by far, and everybody in Kansas City knows it including Denver receiver, Brandon Lloyd. The Blue Springs native, whom led the league in receiving coming in, has been held to just one catch thanks to Carr.

The Chiefs are driving, and... a McCluster fumble ends the drive. You know, the beauty of a Dexter McCluster fumble is that you get to watch 300-pound linemen crush a normal-sized human-being into oblivion under the pile. Another blown opportunity.

Start of fourth quarter: Chiefs 10, Broncos 3

The difference between being considered a good player and being considered a great player in the NFL is the ability to finish plays. Carr just learned that lesson after diving and just dropping an interception near the goal-line. Spectacular coverage on Lloyd, regardless.

On a first-down pass (floater) from Cassel intended for Bowe early in the fourth, Champ Bailey, who's been smothering Bowe all afternoon, makes a good play and deflects the pass incomplete. Predictably, Haley demands a flag be thrown, and it's possibly, at this point, the refs have zoned the Chiefs' coach completely out. Or maybe that happened in week one.

It's worth noting Haley would likely not be so demanding of such calls had his team taken advantage of opportunities earlier in the contest (see: third-quarter debacle; head coach's ego; non-existent run defense). Instead, the Chiefs hold a shaky four-point lead and haven't scored since the end of the first-half. The game has disaster written all over it.

Terrance Copper just dropped a would-be first-down reception on third-down, and now is a good time to mention the comment Cassel made to Gannon that Gannon mentioned earlier in the game about the receivers on the opposite side of Bailey — basically the receivers not named Bowe — and the big day they were going to have. At this point in the game, Chief wide-receivers not named Bowe had a total of four catches for 53 yards, and of course, receivers named Bowe have yet to catch a pass.

Denver running back Knowshon Moreno, after a 24-yard gain on third and long, has 160 yards rushing and looks completely unstoppable at this point. Worse, the Broncos are threatening to take what would be their first lead of the game, with a first down at the KC 25. That sick feeling I got in my stomach from the third-quarter meltdown just got a lot worse.

WOW. There's nothing like a Tamba Hali sack/fumble on a Denver quarterback in a meaningful December game at Arrowhead to swing momentum and bring back such fond memories of Derrick Thomas vs. John Elway in the 90s. CHIEFS' FOOTBALL

Chiefs' linebacker Tamba Hali sacking Broncos' quarterback Kyle Orton.

Now, finally, something of substance Haley can complain about. There's a reason Champ Bailey is, well, Champ Bailey, and we just got a glimpse of it here. Bowe, seemingly registering his first catch of the game, was flagged for offensive pass-interference because of a slight push-off the likes of Andre Johnson (see: Chiefs vs. Texans, week six) and Larry Fitzgerald get away with on every down.

Right on cue, CBS shows a highlight reel of Bailey covering Bowe. The only problem is the majority of the plays were running plays where Bowe's job was to block Bailey. But hey, what do they care?

Oh boy! For some reason, Joshy's dad, Thom, is standing behind the coach on the sidelines. The only thing I can compare it to is way back when I was in T-ball and our league allowed a coach to stand in the outfield with the players (yes, I played outfield) for, you know, some helpful encouragement (and a reminder there was a baseball game being played).

So, I don't know. Maybe the Broncos have some sort of T-ball-like arrangement with the league. Or maybe Joshy-poo (as Thom surely calls him) simply doesn't play well with others.

Did I mention the day Carr is having? He just denied Lloyd yet again on third-down. Can a guy claim shut-down corner status after one great game?

After a near-disastrous fumbled snap by Cassel (who recovered), the Chiefs faced third and 17 with about four minutes to play. Every Chiefs fan had to know the following play would be ultra-conservative, as a forced pass and turnover would surely prove costly. The play would be a dump-off pass to Jones who gained 12 yards — five shy of a first-down.

Now, most might consider such a play a wash, but let's consider some things. The gain moved the Chiefs from their own territory to the Denver 45, allowing (Dustin) Colquitt to pin the Broncos deep in their own territory. Had it not been for the Jones dump-off, the Broncos' first play on their ensuing drive, a 17-yard completion to the 32, may have been something more like a 17-yard completion from the 32 (to midfield). Who knows what that potential momentum would have meant for the Donkeys on what we'd find to be their last real opportunity to win the game.

Those little plays, like the one to Jones, are easily overlooked during the course of the game. Looking back, though, it was essential to the outcome.

Sometimes, I guess, it's better to be lucky than good. Orton, in the process of being sacked by Javier Arenas, flipped a pass to Moreno who had a lot of room to roam. Instead, the referee ruled that Orton was "in the grasp" of the defender, and therefore down. The sack doomed the Denver drive, and because of Joshy's next decision, it doomed their chances at winning altogether.

On fourth and four with 2:39 remaining and two timeouts to work with, little-Joshua, with father Thom at his side, elected to punt the football and play defense. Now without even considering how bad the Denver run-defense is (pretty bad), or how good the Chiefs' rushing-attack is (the best), it's obvious the decision to punt makes virtually no sense. The first thought that may have run through your mind there is that, if the Broncos went for it and didn't get it, the Chiefs would already be in field goal range. Well, thanks to a confused Chiefs' gameplan led by ego-Todd, Denver trailed by only four points, and a KC field goal would not put the game away (like it should). Also, a Chiefs' first-down virtually ends the game, so don't worry about what a touchdown could do, because if KC got that close to scoring, they'd be kneeling before then anyway.

So forget field position, it's basically irrelevant.

Ok. Let's go ahead and consider now that Denver has one of the league's worst rush-defense and haven't done so well stopping Charles today. The chances of them getting the ball back with any real time remaining is low. They have, themselves, ran the ball extremely well against the Chiefs thus-far, and remember, have only four yards to go to extend the drive.

So.. punt it is!

Wouldn't you know it? The NFL's best rushing offense got the first-down it needed.* Also, the Chiefs ran mostly stretch and pitch plays which take longer to develop and take longer for the referee to spot the football as the plays generally end outside the hash mark. Hey, at least Haley and Weis seem to know what's going on some of the time.

*They actually converted too quickly. Had the Chiefs not gained a first-down until after the two-minute warning, they would have gone to victory formation instead of having to punt.

After a (Dustin) Colquitt punt (the result of which, at first, looked like a safety for the Chiefs), Orton and the Broncos had just six seconds left to pray for a miracle that wouldn't come.

Final: Chiefs 10, Broncos 6

The Chiefs really eked this one out, and they really only have themselves to blame for it. Now, because of the Chargers being upset by Oakland later Sunday, Kansas City has a two-game lead in the division coming into this Sunday's showdown in San Diego. Even right now, at 8-4, the Chiefs are to the point where if they fail to earn a playoff berth, it would be considered one of the biggest Kansas City sports letdowns in recent memory. With a win next week, though, you can confidently start printing off those playoff tickets, folks.

Finally, after the game, what we all had been waiting for — Todd vs. Josh: The Handshake II. Would Todd point his finger again? Would Joshy-Josh retaliate? Why in the hell is Josh's dad here, and would this be a tag-team affair?

Chiefs' coach Todd Haley and Broncos' coach Josh McDaniels kiss and make-up.

They hugged (and then did this weird head-pat thing). As it turns out, Josh wouldn't need the hug until about 24 hours later.

I think, had he known it'd be his last handshake on an NFL football field, a return-handshake snub would have been in order.

Cassel and Bowe have answered the call

2010-11-29T21:16:00.001-06:00

It's time we give credit where credit is due. Matt Cassel and Dwayne Bowe have answered the call.

This may be a surprise for some of you, but guess what? The Chiefs are 7-4 after blowing out their last two opponents and find themselves all alone atop the AFC West. The team has a young, rejuvenated defense that is making plays and the league's best rushing attack. Yet, somehow, after a 42-24 spanking handed to the Seahawks in Seattle, the talk in Kansas City this week will be Cassel and Bowe.

And get this — the "talk" won't be of the usual, negative sort.

Yes, it was just three weeks ago this very blog called out the leaders of the Chiefs' passing-attack after an embarrassing blowout-loss in Denver left the team out of first-place with plenty of bloated statistics to go around. Cassel threw four touchdown passes and set a career-high for passing yards while Bowe set new personal bests for catches and yards in the game.

The team, however, lost by 20.

This past Sunday, on the other hand, was a completely different story. Cassel connected on 22 of 32 pass attempts for a modest 233 yards. Mix in four more touchdown passes and no interceptions, though, and you'll find the performance was nearly flawless. For Cassel and the Chiefs, though, the most important part was a masterful opening drive, including three connections to Bowe (one in the endzone) that set the tone for the game.

A week before against an overmatched Cardinals team at Arrowhead, Cassel looked nearly as impressive in leading his team to victory. Altogether, his 22 to four touchdown to interception ratio on the season is second only to Tom Brady's 23 to four (Michael Vick's partial-season 13 to one mark notwithstanding). In fact, since the Colts game in early October, Cassel has an absolutely remarkable 18 touchdown passes to go along with just one pick.

Bowe's rise has been more gradual, yet possibly even more impressive. Since his would-have-been game-winning drop in Oakland a month ago, the fourth-year receiver has more than taken a step forward. His stat line from that three-game span — 32 receptions for 465 yards and seven touchdowns — is outstanding, but it doesn't exactly tell the whole story. What's been more telling is Cassel's dependency on Bowe in key third-down situations and in the redzone — where games are decided — and the receiver's ability to come through, as we saw Sunday.

Overall, Bowe's 14 touchdown catches on the season has already set a new franchise-high with five games remaining.

Together, the tandem has helped Chiefs fans forget about the ugly truth that was ten victories in the three previous seasons combined, all the while making dreams of a deep playoff-run this season a little closer to reality.

Talks of Cassel being nothing more than the ultimate game-manager have gone by the wayside, and this is with a platoon of serviceable-at-best number-two receivers (Verron Tucker, Terrance Copper, and Chris Chambers) alongside Bowe. It's also easy to forget the team has been without its playmaking, rookie-sensation slot-receiver, Dexter McCluster for over a month.

Coming into 2010, Bowe was seen as nothing more than another underachieving former first-round draft pick who talked too much. With the recent professionalism on and off the field, though, he has just about closed the door on the days of mistakenly referring to his team's owner's family as "the Clarks" and venting to reporters about women being imported to the players — the likes of which make current coaches and teammates cringe.

The two have certainly exceeded expectations, but let's leave the empty statistics and meaningless Pro Bowl debate for the Denvers and Cincinattis of the world. For Cassel and Bowe, let's allow the Chiefs' 2010 season thus-far be defined by two facts — a 7-4 record and a first-place standing.

The Chargers are just a game off the pace, seemingly breathing down the Chiefs' collective neck, setting up a monster-of-a-game in San Diego in two weeks. The Broncos come to Arrowhead this Sunday. It seems almost unfair that the team's accomplishments so far, led by Cassel and Bowe of late, would mean next to nothing in this city unless the team is playing games in January.

The tandem can ill-afford to let up. If this tale is to have a happy ending, they won't.

I'm thankful for...

2010-11-25T22:53:00.001-06:00

On what has been yet another wonderful Thanksgiving weekend in Kansas City, I'd like to take a page from the Joe Posnanski files if I may and list some of the things I'm thankful for.

The food. The food is quite possibly the best part of Thanksgiving and is really the core of the holiday altogether. This year was no different (green bean casserole, anyone?).

The food definitely takes priority over all-else on Thanksgiving, as well. The game's on? Doesn't matter. So and so hasn't arrived yet? Who cares?! When the food is ready... IT'S TIME TO EAT!

Am I right, folks?

The fam. This one can get tricky at times because it's easy to get caught up in the craziness that is your family on Thanksgiving — especially if your family is as big as mine. Due to the packs of small children running around the house and outdoors (some of which I can confidently identify as "cousins"), and the chaotic movement/noise coming from the kitchen prior to eating, there are times when the family can become completely unidentifiable and just plain wacky. There are even times when a member of said family, maybe an aunt or an uncle, because of the chaos, will set what would otherwise be considered absurd and unreasonable rules for other members of the family or possibly even zones/areas of the household. For instance:

My brother and I walk into the kitchen area (chips and dip on the table), already filled with (seemingly) two to three dozen moms/dads/aunts/cousins/grandpas/monkeys/clowns, for a quick fantasy football chat and bite to eat prior to dinner.

Me: Man, I think we should have started the Saints' defense.

Brother: I'm telling you, the Browns will save us.

Aunt: If you are not part of the cooking team (team?), we ask that you exit the kitchen zone until dinner is served.

Me: Well, at least Brady had a goo...

Aunt: Also, if you are not actively eating, we (who is we?) ask that you do not stop while passing through the kitchen so any unneeded congestion is avoided.

Me: (with brother, while exiting the kitchen 'zone'): Strike one, my friend.

Brother: Indeed.

But there is something nice, something comforting about all the craziness and chaos that comes along with family and the holidays. You wish you didn't have to deal with it, yet it wouldn't be the same without it. Eventually you embrace it. Because it's your family, they're crazy, they've always been crazy, and something would be wrong if they weren't this crazy on Thanksgiving. It's what you know, and you're thankful for it.

(Relevant) football. This one extends well beyond Thanksgiving day football (as great as watching disgraceful and underachieving Lions and Cowboys teams play every year is). This one is about the first-place Kansas City Chiefs, whose surprising success has got this town buzzing for the first time in awhile. It's about Bo and Carl Pelini, who along with their arrogant, self-absorbed Nebraska fanbase, have helped make every intelligent and sane Big 12 football fan a Colorado Buffalo fan come Friday*. Football and Thanksgiving go hand-in-hand, and having most** of the area teams playing relevant games over the weekend is something we haven't seen in awhile. Soak it in Kansas City. This is fun.

*What could be better as we reflect on what we're thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend than a Colorado victory Friday capping what would be a monumental collapse for Husker-nation and serving some do-justice for the Pelini brothers and Nebraska, disallowing them a chance to take the Big 12 title as they turn their back on the conference for good? I'll tell you: NOTHING. Go Buffaloes!

**Sorry, KU.

High-definition TV. My God. Where in the world would I be right now without high-def? Probably somewhere squinting at a television. This was never more apparent than the last couple of weeks, watching early season Mizzou basketball. A couple thoughts come to mind. Firstly, can anyone explain to me what the point was for Metro Sports on Time Warner Cable to promote their new "HD" channel when none of their programming is actually in HD? And secondly... it's probably best spectators don't get such a clear glimpse of an empty Hearnes Center during home games, so nevermind.

NFL Network. Just kidding. Jets/Bengals tonight? Not for me. Still no NFL Network on Time Warner. Thanks a lot guys.

And now, without further adieu, a quick list of all the other things I'm thankful for on this Thanksgiving night in no particular order: my dog, car seat-warmers, Febreeze, my girlfriend, seconds, sports-talk radio, curious aunts, my laptop, thirds, my mom, neighborhood football games, a running vehicle, leftovers, my grandpa's wisdom, the Sunday paper, my grandma's utter genuineness and kindness toward everyone, more leftovers, my brother, this blog, the comfort of Sportscenter late at night, my employment, my beautiful niece, google, DVR, the Royals' farm system, after-Thanksgiving dinner naps, and YOU.

Thanks for reading, everyone — and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Cheap shot on Moeaki may have caused Haley's handshake snub

2010-11-17T22:20:00.007-06:00

Could this, possibly, be what Chiefs' head coach Todd Haley was so upset about after the absolute whipping his team accepted in Denver last Sunday?

I can't argue the hit, applied by Denver linebacker Joe Mays on Chiefs' rookie-tight end Tony Moeaki, violated the NFL's new and improved helmet-to-helmet policy. The updated rule now includes unnecessary hits on any defenseless players — not just exposed wide-receivers — and could result in immediate fines and suspension. It was obvious Moeaki was not defenseless, though the necessity of the hit could surely be questioned. I was shocked, though, that the play received virtually no media coverage outside of Kansas City.

One would hope the Chiefs were smart enough to send a heads-up to the league for review. Moeaki looked pretty bad trying to get back on his feet after the hit, and is likely to miss this Sunday's Chiefs-Cardinals game at Arrowhead because of it.

* * *

After the game, Haley refused to shake Broncos' head coach Josh McDaniel's hand, instead opting to share a few choice words with him while pointing his finger in disgust before walking away.

Haley has since apologized through the media to the fans, the Broncos organization, and McDaniels, though he said he would not reach out to the coach personally. There was speculation Haley's outrage had nothing to do with the Moeaki hit, and had more to do with Denver's unrelenting offensive and defensive attack late in the second-half after the game had long been decided.

Sports Illustrated's Jim Trotter even tweeted about it.

Regardless, it is worth noting that in the Chiefs' 44-24 blowout of the Broncos in last season's finale at Invesco, Haley pulled running back Jamaal Charles in the second-half when he was just 38 yards shy of breaking Adrian Peterson's single-game rushing record.

No matter what side of the fence you're on, this all makes for one hell of a storyline leading into these two teams' rematch at Arrowhead in three weeks.