Tyson Tyme

For the last year-and-a-half, I’ve been obsessed with Glengary Glenn Dorsey.  You all know this.  I probably reference Dorsey on this blog as much as all our other players combined.  There are various reasons for this, which I’ve discussed ad nauseam and don’t need to be repeated.  The point is that for me watching the Chiefs has meant watching Dorsey, and thinking about the Chiefs has meant thinking about Dorsey.  It hasn’t been fun.  And now, I fear all that misery may have irreperably poisoned my brain against him.  I can’t see progress, and I can’t even really want it.  My judgement has been compromised.

Since last week DP started his own course in Beast Studies, I’d like to pass the Dorseywatch torch on to him.  He’ll be able to continue the project more objectively.  I’ve got a new project I’d like to start: The Tyson Jackson Experiments.  I wanted to take things slow with Jackson, but I feel like I’ve given him long enough to get his feet wet.  He was the third overall pick.  Expecting him to show some promise as a rookie is not unreasonable.  And since Jackson is apparently the prototype 3-4 defensive end, I think there is a lot to be learned about our new defensive system by watching him.  Come to think of it, there is a lot to be learned about our new GM by watching Jackson, too.  And since I don’t hate him, I actually kind of like him, my analysis won’t be tainted like it is for the LBB.  Congratulations Fergie, you just made the main stage!(of this blog)

In other news, we’ve got a few mildly exciting players to watch tomorrow:

• Chris Chambers, who used to be pretty good.
• DaJuannaman, who’ll be making his first start.
• Jamaal Charles, who will finally get a chance to prove he can carry the load.

Will any of these guys play well on sunday?  Unlikely, but I’ll be pretty happy if we get a decent game out of someone in that group.  They all play positions of need, and the emergence of any of them would be a pleasant surprise.  Hey, maybe Brad Cottam will actually be activated this game and it can be a 2008 third round pick showcase! 

So, how about that sign the chiefs put up?  Pretty cool, huh?  Perfect timing, too.  If they’d waited until we were 1-7 it might’ve been a little embarrassing.  And Haley says this was planned all along and they just hadn’t gotten around to putting it up until now?  What?  I mean I’ve tried to support Haley, but that is clearly a lie.  Maybe the suits had this “ace” up their sleeve the whole time, and were just waiting for the perfect chance to use it.  “The people are turning against us!  Quick, deploy the sign!” 

Man, these guys are starting to look like total clowns.  Maybe they really will turn the Chiefs around and justify all this “Patriot Way” nonsense.  But maybe they won’t.  This rebuild is starting to look a lot like the last one. 

• Step 1: Trade best player- Check.
• Step 2: Refuse to participate in free agency- Check.
• Step 3: Use top 5 draft pick on an LSU defensive lineman who doesn’t rush the quarterback- Check.
• Step 4: Create meaningless slogan (‘08 “build through the draft!”, ‘09 “Right 53 players!”)- Check.
• Step 5: Lose games- Check.
• Step 6: Blame players- Check.
• Throughout process: Advise patience.  Remind fans that, because of what the last guy did, it will only be possible to be good after many, many years of being bad- Check.

Whitlock had a hilarious interview on Chris and Cowboy recently.  Give it a listen if you’ve got a spare 10 minutes.  He goes on this rant at the end that had me laughing out loud.

Chiefs on Johnson: “The matter is closed.”

Take that, Larry Johnson!  I don’t know what type of coddling you’re used to, but things have changed around here.  Take a cheap shot at your coach, use a homophobic slur on camera, and prove once and for all that you’re a terrible human being, and there will be consequences.  In this case, you’ll be suspended for two games, and then that suspension will be reduced to one.  Sorry Larry, but sometimes we have to take a firm hand in order to teach valuable lessons.  Now you rest up, and we’ll see you back in the starting lineup next week.  We’ll be giving you the ball 25 times!

I know its been a while, and some of you have probably been wondering why I haven’t weighed in on the latest Larry Johnson debacle.  I probably should have, but this is all just so boring to me.  Honestly, I haven’t been even remotely interested in LJ in years.  He’s useless in the passing game, he’s an awful person, and he hasn’t looked like dynamic runner since Willie Roaf retired.  Whether those two things are related or not I don’t know, and I don’t really care to dwell on it.  For whatever reason, LJ just isn’t good anymore.  And its not like this is a recent development.  Since Herm got here Larry has averaged under four yards per carry.  Again, I don’t care to speculate on the reasons why, because they don’t matter.  What matters is that Larry Johnson is the Chiefs’ version of Jose Guillen: a useless, expensive, volatile has-been we can’t seem to get rid of.

At the very least, I think we can all agree that the case for Larry Johnson as a decent human being is pretty much closed*.  For years we’ve been told there was another side to LJ, that he was actually an intelligent, thoughtful guy with a good sense of humor (remember that impression of Herm!  Tee-hee!).  What we’ve actually seen is an out-of-touch, whiny little bitch who fights women and causes headaches for his coaches.  Sure, he apologizes.  So did Jeffrey Dahmer, but that doesn’t mean I’d invite him to my house for dinner.  The Chiefs could choose to believe LJ’s latest apology and welcome him back.  They could also give his carries to Jamaal Charles and Kolby Smith and pay me $5 million to piss on their leg and tell them its raining.  They’ll be getting the same bang for their buck either way.

*If you didn’t get a chance to check out the back-and-forth between LJ and some fans on his twitter page immediately after his famous post, you really missed out.  Truly despicable behavior.  Of course its has all been deleted by now, but Joel Thorman at Arrowheadpride took a picture of the comments and included it in this post a week or so ago.  Must-see.

The irony here is that Johnson was taking cheap shots at a coach who’s giving him more carries than he’d get anywhere else.  If there’s been one consistency in Todd Haley’s game-plans, it’s a heavy dose of LJ.  Haley has been rewarded for his patience to the tune of 2.7 yards per carry and no touchdowns.  What exactly are we holding on to here?  I’m not saying our other running backs are good, but I’m sure they could put up more than 2.7 yards per carry.  Frank Moreau’s corpse could put up more than 2.7 yards per carry (Moreau is dead, right?).

Scott Pioli should’ve seen this coming.  He probably did.  But for whatever reason, he chose to stick with the terrible status quo instead of even attempting an upgrade.  Now Todd Haley, once again, is paying for Pioli’s inaction.  How an organization that spends so much time talking about “the right guys” can continue to employ someone so obviously wrong is beyond me.  If the KC media had any balls, Pioli’s first mention of “the right 53″ would’ve been met with an immediate, “Like who, Larry Johnson?”  It would’ve been interesting to see how our infallible new GM reacted to that.    When someone’s actions directly contradict their words, they should be held accountable, right?  At the very least they shouldn’t they have to explain themselves?  Nah.  No time for stupid questions like that.  Better stick to the approved material.  So, Scott, I got a two-part question here: 1) how do you feel about the Hunt family?, and 2) How does the Hunt family feel about the Rooney family?  Feel free to use the word “respect” as many times as necessary.

I guess I’m stating the obvious here, but I don’t want to see Larry Johnson in a Chiefs uniform ever again.  I’ve heard it suggested that Pioli and Haley don’t want to release him because of the message it would send to the rest of the team: cause enough trouble and we will grant you your release.  I can see some logic in this, although its pretty sad that we’re in a position where we have to think about stuff like that.  Still, if they want to send a message I’d say the thing to do would be to suspend LJ for the rest of the year.  We may not have grounds to withhold his pay, but does that even matter?  If we have to pay the little bitch anyway we might as well use him to set an example that behavior like this will not be tolerated.  Act out and you won’t be released, you’ll be forced to sit at home and watch your value diminish with each passing week.  Now that seems like a message worth sending.

But what do I know?  I’m the idiot who thought Herm Edwards’ rebuilding project was doomed to failure, so clearly my opinion is not to be trusted.

Jesus fucking Christ

I spent 3 hours last night working on an LJ post.  It was very long, and it covered a lot.  I was really proud of it.  Then, because Sprint decided to take away my phone as modem option* so I no longer have internet access at my home, I had to put the computer aside and wait until today to come to the coffee shop to post it.  When I got here and hit publish, I was told that the attempt had “failed”.  I tried to go back, and my post was lost.  I’m unbelievably upset right now. 

*They found out I was getting it for free.  Obviously they couldn’t allow that.

Unfortunately, I don’t see myself re-creating that post.  I skipped a show I wanted to go to to do it, it took forever, and it would be too frustrating to try to do it again.  But my official stance is: LJ is a piece of human garbage and I hope he’s cut. 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go walk some dogs in the pouring rain.

Chiefs trade current bad player for future bad player

The Tank Tyler era is officially over.  Beast Nation’s #2 guy will now be devouring blocks for the Carolina Panthers.  I’d wish Tank well, but I’m fairly certain he’ll be out of the NFL within the next couple years.  Although somehow Junior Siavii is playing for the Cowboys*, so I guess you never know.  Maybe Stank hangs around a while. 

*I still haven’t gotten over the shock of seeing Siavii on that Cowboys sideline.

I was pleasantly surprised by this trade.  I had just predicted Tyler wouldn’t be with the team next year, but I didn’t think we’d actually get anything for him.  Granted a fifth round pick isn’t much (we drafted Colin Brown in the fifth this year), but we could get lucky.  Brandon Carr, Dante Hall and Scott Fujita were all fifth round picks, so you never know. 

I’d seen enough of Stank.  Realistically, I’d seen enough of him last year.  The guy was the worst player on the worst line in the history of the NFL.  Why anyone thought he’d make a good nose tackle is beyond me.  I don’t blame Pioli and Haley for giving Tank a shot (what other options did they have?), but there were a lot of people who actually thought Tank was our NT of the future.  And not just stupid people, either.  Joel Thorman at arrowheadpride was a big Tank supporter.  Kent Babb liked him, too.

If nothing else, the Tank Tyler experiment is interesting for what it can teach us about NFL fans.  Stank never played well in a Chiefs uniform.  He was invisible his rookie year, and did nothing with the starting job he was handed in 2008.  He had one decent game this season, against Oakland, and was still benched the next week.  I know he was a defensive tackle, but Tank was with us for 38 games and he never sacked a quarterback.  When I try to think of his biggest play, the only thing that comes to mind is when he stuffed a goal line run in a preseason game his rookie year.  I remember thinking, “hey, this kid could be good!”  Then he wasn’t, and we (me & you) moved on.

But nobody else did.  Tank Tyler became a fan favorite, and here we are two-and-a-half years later and people are still talking about his potential.  I can come up with three possible reasons for this:

1) His name is “Tank” – I don’t think this is the primary reason, but it definitely plays a role.  If someone is named Tank, stupid people will like him.

2) He had a good combine – This is what Thorman references, and its the closest thing to a reasonable argument.  Tank did have a really good combine.  He had more bench reps than anyone else, and his 40-time was extremely fast for a defensive tackle.  Those two facts even had a bitter cynic like me excited about Tank when we drafted him.  Of course, as often happens, combine stats didn’t translate to on-field success.  But those gaudy numbers stuck in people’s minds, and when a reasonable man believes in Tank, I think this is why. 

3) Hard Knocks – This is the big one.  Tank was featured prominently on Hard Knocks.  And not only that, the show at one point claimed he was “thriving.”  Game, set, match.  The name and the combine stats set it up, but Hard Knocks was what really created this monster (beast?). 

What does this tell us?  Well, for one thing it shows how much we really see when we watch a game.  Tank never did anything good on the field.  No push, no doubles, no sacks, no big plays, few tackles.  Yet he was a fan favorite, and people would swear up and down he was a star in the making.  How could this happen?  Either people simply weren’t watching him, or they were watching him, but their brains, because of preconceived notions, wouldn’t accurately compute what they saw.  I think it’s a healthy mixture of both.  The point is, its hard to learn much from an NFL game unless you’re focused.  Most people (myself included) would rather not focus when watching sports.  Thats fine; its normal.  I’m not attacking anyone here, I’m just making the point (which JoPo makes often) that we can’t really trust what we think we see.

“Hey Big Hatt,” you’re saying, “you’re an awesome writer and I’m totally entertained, but where are you going with this?”  Glad you asked.

This is about Dorsey.  Big surprise, right?  The thing is, I think I need to start fresh with the LBB (league’s biggest beast).  I was ready for Dorsey to suck this year, and thats basically what I’ve seen.  But the truth is I haven’t actually been watching him nearly as closely as I did last year.  I guess in my head I’d already seen enough.  And the fact that Dorsey is Beast Nation’s #1 guy certainly hasn’t helped things.   After reading all those idiots’ inane groupthink and declarations of greatness for the past year, I started to want Dorsey to fail.  That’s no place for a good fan to be.

If I’m going to criticize other people for letting preconceived notions cloud their judgement, I’ve got to hold myself to the same standards.  My boys Todd Haley, Greens, and Diet Pepsi and my girl Sprinkles have all said Dorsey is playing better.  Granted one of those people has been calling for a Joe Montana comeback and thus has diminished credibility, but where there’s that much smoke there has to be some fire.

I’m still confident in my assessment of Dorsey’s rookie year.  I legitimately spent almost all our defensive snaps watching him, and  I didn’t have nearly as much of an axe to grind.  I was seeking truth.  Dorsey wasn’t getting double-teamed, and he didn’t have 46 tackles.  I’m confident of that. 

This season is a different story.  I’ve been watching him more than any other defender, but I haven’t been nearly as disciplined as I was last year, and I think my judgement may have been compromised by personal feelings.  I’m certainly not infallible.  Maybe Dorsey is playing better?  I intend to find out.  This sunday I’ll be watching him every single play. I’m going to focus, I’m going to take detailed notes, and I’m going to post an honest review on monday.  I won’t be drinking or smoking (well…).  All of my brain-power will be focused on the LBB.  I’m determined to make an honest assessment. 

A response to DP’s points about Dorsey and the 3-4:

I don’t think any of us ever expected Dorsey to get ten sacks.  However, I believe that particular statistic has been downplayed so much simply because it makes things easier for us (and our front office).  If our top-5 draft pick defensive ends aren’t getting sacks, the explanation that they “aren’t supposed to” can be comforting.  I wonder how true it is.

Let’s start with this: how may sacks do you think Jared Allen would get if he played in a 3-4?  10?  12?  You’re crazy if you think he’d suddenly drop to single digits.  Honestly, I kind of doubt the switch would affect his totals at all.  That guy would find a way to get to the quarterback, regardless of what system he’s in.  Getting to the quarterback is what he does.  It’s his best skill, and he applies it to his position.

Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey, our starting defensive ends, have combined for 0 sacks so far this season.  This has been explained away by references to youth and the defensive system.  The reality is those guys just aren’t great pass rushers.  That doesn’t mean they’re not good players, but it does mean they struggle to get to the quarterback.  Maybe they have other skills that are just as valuable, or more so.  Scott Pioli certainly seems to think so.  He said he needed Fergie (Jackson) for his system.  Maybe he did.  But is the system really to blame for Jackson’s lack of sacks?  I don’t think so. 

I think a good pass rusher would get to the quarterback regardless of his system.  3-4 defensive ends may have slightly different roles than in the 4-3, but on pass plays they’re still rushing the passer.  When Tyson Jackson sees that QB drop back, I can guarantee his isn’t thinking about how to eat up as many blockers as possible.  He’s trying to get to that quarterback.  If he doesn’t, it has a lot more to do with him as a player than what system he’s in. 

Let’s attack this from another angle.  How may sacks do you think Tyson Jackson would have if he played end in a 4-3?  Would he be a totally different player in that system?  If Fergie played in a 4-3, would he become a 10-sack player?  Of course not.  His strengths and weaknesses would remain the same.  He’d still be the same man.

And no, this isn’t an attack on Tyson Jackson.  I said I wasn’t going to start evaluating him until midseason, and I stand by that.  If Pioli thinks he needs a guy like Fergie, I’m willing to take that on faith (for now).  My point is this: The reason our defensive ends don’t get sacks isn’t because they’re not supposed to, it’s because they can’t.  If they could, they would. 

Talking about how 3-4 ends don’t get sacks and then drafting Tyson Jackson is a self-fulfilling prophecy.  It’s like if I said Michael Crichton movies sucked and then put in Congo.  You’d be like, “What about Jurassic Park?”  And I’d be like, “Jurassic Park doesn’t fit this system.  This system doesn’t need movies with credible actors, a cool plot, and a good soundtrack.  This system needs movies with laughable dialogue and stupid special effects (killer gorillas?!?).”  At that point, if you were a sane man, you’d think, “OK, but what if a movie had a cool plot, a good soundtrack, and Tim Curry and stupid special effects?  Isn’t a movie like that theoretically possible?”  And you’d be told that no, such a movie could not possibly exist.

Eating up blockers and rushing the passer are apparently mutually exclusive.  The thing is, I have a feeling Jared Allen draws more double-teams than Fergie and Dorsey combined.  Do actual double-teams count as eating up blockers?  Something about that doesn’t feel right…..

Addendum: After re-reading, I realized my Congo analogy might not have been crystal clear to everyone.  Let me try again.

Who’s is the best 3-4 defensive end?  Richard Seymour, right?  Now who’s the best 4-3 defensive end?  Jared Allen, right?

OK, so lets say you’re running a 3-4.  Which defense would be better, one with two Richard Seymours at end or one with two Jared Allens at end?  This may not be an open-and-shut case for everyone, but I’d pick the line with the Allens no question.  And thats in a 3-4.  My point is that assuming our defensive ends shouldn’t be getting any sacks just because of the system is a copout.  If the system is really designed for our ends to get no pressure, then it seems to me there’s something wrong with the system.  And it may be that the players drafted to “fit the system” are whats really causing a lack of pass-rushing production, not the system itself.  I guess this is just another version of the chicken/egg question, but I think its at least worth looking into.  

This “eat up blockers, get a push” defensive line is a throwback to a time when running was more important than it is now.  The NFL is more pass-oriented than ever.  Why shouldn’t our ends be expected to get some pressure?  And don’t tell me a 3-4 style defensive end is better for the pass-rush in the long run than a sack artist.  Sack artists draw more double-teams than anyone.  If you want to talk about drawing blockers and allowing others to make plays, thats exactly what good pass rushers do.  Case in point: Tamba Hali’s production with Jared Allen compared to his production without Jared Allen.  So if the goal for a defensive end is to open things up for the linebackers, it seems like a really great pass rusher should be the obvious choice.  

I realize this might not hold true for the running game.  For the running game, the “3-4 style” defensive ends might actually be preferable.  But the running game is not nearly as important as the passing game in today’s NFL.  Teams rack up points and yardage through the air, not on the ground.  If I had to ask my defensive ends to do one thing, I know what it would be.  Regardless of system.  

Look, I’m not saying Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey should be putting up double-digit sack numbers.  But neither do I think we should expect them to put up donuts all season.  To act like you have to be at one or the other extreme is disingenuous.  I think a decent starting line in a 3-4 should be able to put up at least 10 sacks (ours has 0).  And yes, I think a defensive line with two top 5 picks at end should be able to qualify as decent.  Don’t tell me I’m being unreasonable here.

Have you heard the good news?

He is risen.  The end times are finally at hand.  The wheat shall be cut from the chaff.

And not only that, the Chiefs have finally won a game!

Look, I don’t want to say it was my prediction that gave the team the confidence it needed to win.  In fact, I won’t say it.  I refuse to.  This isn’t about me, OK?  Our team won, this is about them.  I mean sure, my prediction couldn’t have hurt.  Realistically, it had to have helped a little.  So I guess you can praise me if you want.  The Chiefs won with an assist to Big Hatt.  Let’s leave it at that.

It’s hard to know how much encouragement we should actually take from Sunday’s win.  The Redskins stink, and the Chiefs didn’t exactly look like world beaters.  They didn’t even score a touchdown.  Still, a win is a win.  And other than the collapse on Portis’ long run, the defense looked pretty good.  Granted most teams don’t have a stinker like Jason “Cam” Campbell at QB, but I think our defense could be solid with a few subtle tweaks.  What are those tweaks?  I was hoping you’d ask that.

1) Give Ron Edwards the lions share of snaps at Nose tackle – Edwards has already taken the starting job from Tank, but from what I could tell they’re still basically on a rotation.  I would estimate its 60/40 in Edwards’ favor.  That ratio should increase.  The Freak is noticeably better than Stank.  On Sunday he batted down a pass and made a great tackle behind the line of scrimmage.  Stank, once again, did nothing.  Edwards may not be a long term solution at NT, but for this year, and maybe even next, he’ll make a fine stop-gap.  My guess is Stank will not be with the team in 2010.

2) Start Derrick Johnson in place of Corey Mays – DJ once again looked good in limited duty.  I got nothing against Mays, but he is nowhere near the player Johnson is.  The problem is that from what I gather the two inside linebacker positions have different roles.  The strong side, occupied by Mays, is more a traditional middle linebacker, whereas the weak side, currently occupied   boy Speedwagon, is more of a playmaking position utilizing speed and explosiveness.  Obviously DJ fits better at Demorrio’s position.  That’s a problem, as Speedwgon has played well, and neither he nor DJ is suited to man the middle.  We’ve got to find a way around this.  Our defense would be at its best with both on the field.

Or we could just trade DJ.  Given that its his contract year and we’re unlikely to re-sign him, that might be the best move.  If we can get a third round pick for him I’d say go for it.  Any lower than that would seem like a waste.  But according to this post on Arrowheadpride, DJ (among others) may be on his way out.  And I guess if we’re not going to re-sign him it makes sense to get whatever we can.  The problem is, other teams probably know this.  That’s bound to bring his value down.  But with several teams (Chicago, Buffalo, Philly) having lost linebackers for the season, we could still get a decent payout.

3) Start Jon McGraw in place of Mike Brown – I can’t believe I’m saying this, but former Herm guy Jon McGraw has won me over.  He was a force on sunday, and if you ask me he’s definitely earned a look as a starter.  Mike Brown has been ineffective since week 2 (although he did have a TD saving catch yesterday).  McGraw, on the other hand, has made the most of limited opportunities.  I’d like to see what he can do with a starting job.  It’s not like Brown really figures in our future plans, so why waste more snaps on him when we might have Bernard Pollard’s replacement already on our roster?  McGraw’s sack was followed by an equally impressive tackle where it looked like he was shot out of a cannon.  I was sold then and there.

For those of you who don’t know, tomorrow is the trading deadline.  So if we’re going to make any moves, now is the time.  Don’t look now, but here’s what Lions beat writer Tom Kowalski had to say about a possible Dorsey-to-the-Lions deal.

Obviously this is just a rumor, but its a rumor that makes sense.  I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Glenngarry Glenn Dorsey dealt.  Everyone swears the LBB is playing better, but I just don’t see it.  He was credited with seven tackles yesterday.  That seemed crazy to me, so I checked the box score and realized that while he was given credit for seven total tackles, five of those were assisted.  In other words, someone else probably made them.  I was watching Dorsey pretty closely and I definitely didn’t see him making a lot of plays.  It’s possible my brain has been permanently poisoned against him, but I think if the guy really had seven tackles I probably would’ve noticed.  I think something else is going on here.

People don’t seem to want to recognize this, but tackle tabulation is far from an exact science.  Unlike other statistics, there is a sizable gray area and plenty of room for interpretation.  For one thing, the final numbers are tallied by the coaching staff after review of game-film.  Human error, and more importantly human biases, are bound to play a role.  This was rampant in the Herm era, when Nap Harris was credited with 116 tackles in 2007 and Dorsey with 46 in 2008.  Both players were brought in by Herm after he deemed them necessary to his system.  Given that his reputation was tied to their success, its obvious he had a hand in their inflated statistics.  Would Nap Harris really have been cut in 2008 if he had 116 tackles in 2007?  Of course not.  His backup was Pat Thomas, for crying out loud.

I’m not suggesting the same thing is happening this year.  Neither Pioi nor Haley have anything personally invested in Dorsey.   However, if they were looking to trade Dorsey, it would make sense to pad his stats.  Haley has praised Dorsey recently, and we’ve been hearing a lot of positive things about his play.  It could be that the Chiefs are legitimately pleased with his progress.  Could be, but I doubt it.  Pioli likes players that fit the 3-4 scheme, and Haley likes hard workers.  Dorsey is neither.  I think they’re trying to paint a pretty picture in order to maximize Dorsey’s trade value.  Let me put it this way: I check the box score after every game, and I can’t recall ever having seen someone credited with five assisted tackles.

I’m sayin’ Dorsey gets traded, and Detroit seems like a good destination given Gunther’s presence.  We should be trying to trade that idiot all our junk, actually.  Remember, it was Gunther who said he was positive these guys were going to become a good defense.  Let’s see if he meant it.  Detroit is likely to have another top 5 draft pick, or at least top 10, and I don’t see them wanting to give up a pick that high for a defensive lineman with one sack in 22 games played.  Still, I’d be pleased as punch if we could get their second rounder.  Stay tuned!

Finally, I’d like to congratulate my boy Haley on his first win.  It wasn’t pretty, but I’ll take it.  And that gatorade shower was hilarious.  It was awesome to see how psyched our guys were to win.  D-Bowe looked ecstatic.  I even saw Haley crack a smile, his first with the team.  Let’s hope we see a few more of those this season, because yesterday felt good.  On the way back to my house I was waving my tomahawk in the air and doing the chop for all to see.  A man could get used to that.

Disaster strikes

I’ve had this post ready since wednesday, but I tried and failed like 5 times to get it up (not like that, dude!).  I won’t bore you with the details, but suffice it to say I had to jump through some serious hoops.  Either the world was against me on this one or I’m just not very smart.  Either way, enjoy!

Last week I got an unexpected piece of great news: The Chiefs were the 1pm game on FOX.  Apparently FOX had such a shitty group of early games that they just divied up the different parts of the country between games most likely to garner local interest.  Somehow, some way, the Dallas/KC game was chosen for New York.  I was giddy.  I’d finally get to watch a game in the comfort of, well, not my home (don’t have cable).  But somebody’s home.  In this case, Ol’ Two’s home.  And not only that, David (Ol’ Two) had agreed to DVR the game so I could come back monday and break it down play-by-play.  Really take my time with it.  I got to do this last season when we played the Jets, and it enabled me to learn much more than I otherwise would have.  In fact, it was when reviewing the “game-film” of the Jets game that I first realized Glenn Dorsey wasn’t actually getting double-teamed like everyone said he was.  He was getting handled, play after play, by one blocker.  I haven’t stopped watching him since.  The song remains the same.

What I’m getting at here is that I was really looking forward to basically everything about this game.  And I actually thought we could win!  In fact, I predicted a victory, something I’ve seldom done these past few years.  So you can imagine my disappointment when I discovered that although the Chiefs were the early game on FOX for New York state, the city itself wasn’t playing it so as not to conflict with the Giants game.  Fuckin’ Giants.  As if I didn’t hate them enough already.  I had to spend the next 3 hours scrambling for live streams to play on a small computer screen*.  Not the best way to watch a game, obviously.  I missed the entire first quarter, and most of the second half was spent either watching choppy feeds or looking for feeds that were still running.  I did find a great one for overtime, but even then the screen was just too small for me to really distinguish players.  So I can’t really provide a lot of insight here.

*Big ups to my boys Chris Thorman and Ken Lopez for helping me find feeds.  Much obliged, fellas.

I will say this: If Todd Haley wants to keep the Big Hatt seal of approval (and who wouldn’t?), he’d better get D-Bowe the damn ball.  Seriously, enough is enough.  I know I sound like a broken record here, but on Sunday Bowe proved once again that he is our offense‘s best weapon by far.  There is no excuse not to use him to his fullest.  The offense struggled along for most of the game sunday, and then when we really needed a touchdown to tie it up Haley was like, “Fine, Bowe.  I guess you can drag us to a game-tying touchdown.  Oh and by the way, you’re welcome.”

Dwayne Bowe could have 100 yards every game.  Instead we’re calling plays to Bobby Wade* and wasting 21 carries on a running back who hasn’t been good in three years.  If Todd Haley really wants to win a game he’ll turn Bowe loose on Sunday.  Washington sucks.  They’re one of only a few teams on our schedule we can realistically beat.  Haley needs to cut the crap and use what little talent this roster has.

*For all the talk of D-Bowe’s drops, its Bobby Wade who leads the team in that category.

And that includes Derrick Johnson.  I’ve been done expecting DJ to be a pro bowler for quite a while, but the guy can still make plays.  Who else on our defense can do that?  Hali.  Flowers.  That’s it.  I would’ve put Bernard Pollard on that list, but instead we’ve got an old, small, slow, “right” guy starting back there.  Pollard was soooooo wrong.  Plus, I was talking to some guys on a message board, and they said Pollard STINKS!!!!

In “answer to my prayers” news, there were some rumors going around about the Chiefs being willing to trade Glenn Dorsey.  Of course Beast Nation erupted at the very notion*, but the fact that such rumors are out there is encouraging.  I’d be thrilled if the Chiefs could get a first round pick for him, but I find it hard to believe anyone with access to game-film would be willing to pay that price.  A 2nd rounder would do me just fine.  I’d even think long and hard about a third.  I guess in the end I probably wouldn’t do that, to tell you the truth.  We all know I don’t much care for Dorsey, but I still don’t think we’re at the point where we should trade the #5 overall pick for a third rounder.  Our third round pick this year was Alex Magee, for Christ’s sake.  Glenngarry stays!

*You guys should’ve read what message board commenters were saying they’d want for Dorsey.  Multiple first rounders, first rounders plus pro bowlers, you name it.  This one guy made a case for Dorsey being worth more than Jared Allen.  It was crazy.

Whitlock said Dorsey actually played a pretty good game Sunday.  Is that true?  Could the LBB (league’s biggest beast) really be turning the corner?  That would be hilarious, but obviously I’m not holding my breath.  I’ll wait for Dorsey to get at least one sack before I ready his spot in the Ring of Honor (which no longer exists).

Speaking of defensive linemen from LSU we drafted way too high, I read that Tyson Jackson only has three tackles so far this season.  Is that for real?  Should I be worried about this?  I’ll admit I haven’t been paying much attention to Jackson, but I definitely haven’t seen him making any plays, either.  I can’t even remember ever seeing him tackle anybody.  I, uh, I guess that means he’s been taking on a shitload of blockers, right?  RIGHT?

I want to see Jason Campbell sacked on Sunday.  Whoever does it gets an exemption from being made fun of until week 12.  That includes you, Dorsey.  Get on it.  Earn my respect.  Show me some of this “potential” I’ve heard so much about.

Chiefs 21, Redskins 10
D-Bowe 2 TDs

What might have been

Kent Babb, who usually I think is just OK, had an awesome post on the Star’s Red Zone blog today.  It’s called Revisionist History, and its basically a realistic look back at the Jared Allen trade and the impact its had on our team.  The post comes on the heels of Allen’s monster game monday night (4.5 sacks, safety, forced fumble), so you can probably guess what view it takes. You know, the correct one.

My view of the trade at the time was that although we got a fairly good haul (or at least, potential haul), our team would definitely be worse because of it.  A first and two thirds is a lot, but Allen is the best pass rusher in the NFL.  Even if those picks worked out it seemed unlikely we’d get an equal return.  So I, like most of you I’m sure, was pissed.  And it only made me madder to listen to the Lie Guys act like they’d pulled off some kind of miracle deal.  Babb mentions this in his post, but those idiots were pretty quick to pat themselves on the back for getting rid of one of the best players in the league.  I remember Gunther at one point saying, “This is the trade thats going to bring us back,” or something to that effect.  Then the draft actually happened and I was like, “Really Gunther?  Brad Cottam and DuJuan Morgan are gonna bring us back?”  It was a joke.  But not the kind that makes you laugh, the kind that makes you cry.

Its easy now to see how horrible that trade was for the Chiefs.  The immediate consequence was a record-shattering 10 sack season, but the fact is we still haven’t really recovered, and it’ll be years before we find another pass-rusher of Allen’s caliber, if we ever do.  The picks we acquired in exchange for the most important player on our team were used to draft Branden Albert, DaJuan Morgan and Brad Cottam.  Only Albert has a future with this team, and even that future is looking less bright with each passing game.  And really, I think it would be more accurate to say that the Allen trade allowed us to draft Dorsey.  We would’ve taken an offensive lineman in that first round regardless.  Our line was simply too bad, and nothing had been done to fix it.  If Allen was still on the team no way they draft Dorsey and leave Traffik Kopp at left tackle.  Even Herm Edwards would’ve known that was suicide.  This trade, in my mind, was Allen for Dorsey.

This post is all speculation, but the point is that Babb’s article got me thinking about our most recent trades, and whether, when its all said and done, we’ll look back at them with appreciation or frustration.  I thought about this for probably two hours today, and my conclusions were, well, lets just call them unpleasant.  Basically, I think that if the Chiefs hadn’t made any trades in the past 2 years, we could be playoff contenders.  I know any sentence that contains the words “Chiefs” and “playoff contenders” is bound to sound stupid, but stay with me here.

For starters, obviously, lets take away the Jared Allen trade.  Without that trade, we head into the 2008 draft with the worst offensive line in the NFL and only one first round pick.  We’d have been forced to either take the best offensive lineman on the board, or trade back and then take the best offensive lineman on the board.  Either way, with Jake Long gone the highest rated offensive lineman is Ryan Clady.  Yeah, that Ryan Clady.  The guy who made the pro bowl his rookie year.  I suppose its possible we would’ve still taken Branden Albert, but I think if we were picking at #5 or #8* Clady would’ve been our guy.

*The reason I throw out #8 here is because New Orleans was picking 8th that year and they offered us a trade to move up and get Dorsey.  We declined.  Exactly what they offered is unclear.  I’ve heard as much as two first rounders (2008 and 2009). Carl claimed it was a first and a seventh, which is an obvious lie.  I think the most likely offer was that year’s first and second round picks, which we were extremely foolish not to accept.

We’d have had only one third round pick instead of 3, so we would’ve had to choose between Brad Cottam, Jamaal Charles or DaJuanaman.  The Charles pick arguably made the most sense at the time given LJ’s suspension, so I’m thinking Cottam and Morgan are the ones to go.  Devastating.

Now lets fast-forward to this year’s draft.  Without the Cassel trade (which I actually still think was a pretty good deal for us all things considered), we’d have all our draft picks and a massive need at quarterback.  With Mark Sanchez on the board at #3, thats probably who we’d have to have taken.  I don’t see Pioli and Haley wanting to go into this season with Thigpen and Croyle as the only quarterbacks.  Obviously they didn’t, which is why the Cassel trade was made to begin with.

We’d then head into the second round with a need at middle linebacker (in this fantasy we’d have stuck with the 4-3 due to Jared Allen’s presence).  And who just happens to be available?  My boy Rey Maualuaga, thats who.  Picking Maualuga would be no sure thing, but remember due to the presence of Allen and Clady we wouldn’t need a left tackle or pass rusher.  We also wouldn’t have Vrabel, and DJ and Speedwagon would remain outside linebackers in the 4-3.  Basically, we’d need an imposing middle linebacker for our defense to be complete and Maualuga would have inexplicably dropped to us.  Not hard to see us making that pick.

I realize I’m dealing with a lot of “what-ifs” here, but thats the whole point.  I’m considering what could have been.  The Chiefs could have Jared Allen, Tony Gonzalez, Mark Sanchez, Ryan Clady, and Rey Maualuga.  That team would be exciting to watch, and they’d probably win a lot of games, too.  Instead we have Dorsey, Albert, Cottam, DaJuanaman, Cassel, Vrabel, Tyson Jackson, and a future 2nd round pick.  Which group would you rather have?  I suppose you could make an argument for either (if you’re a lunatic), but I know which way I’d go, and it’s not even close.  Bring me Dorsey, or bring me death!

We got a bad game, here

The Chiefs have now lost 27 of 29 games.  That, mine freunds, is the worst stretch in NFL history.  Are we having fun yet?  I CAN’T HEEEEEEEEAR YOOOOOOOU!!!!

What do you say after a game like that?  Another game like that?  This one was over from the opening kickoff.  I gotta say, I’m not seein’ many wins on this schedule.  And Haley has got to win at least 3 or he’s gonna look pretty stupid for that “22 guys off the street can win 2 games” comment. 

In what has become a weekly ritual here at the Chiefschat, I’d like to point out that none of this is Todd Haley’s fault.  I’m sure there are things he could be doing better, but he’s going to spend this entire season taking the fall for a whole host of other people’s mistakes.  You can pin this awful roster on Carl Peterson, Herm Edwards, Bill Kuharich or Scott Pioli, but you can’t pin it on Haley.  The worst part about this season is that we don’t get to properly evaluate Todd Haley or Matt Cassel.  The quarterback and the head coach are the two most important parts of a football team, and we’re going to head into next season unsure of what we’ve got.  I think both Haley and Cassel have potential, but this is going to be a long year for both of them.  It’s going to be hard to keep their suckiness in perspective. 

When your team is this bad, the only thing you can do is look for good individual performances.  We had a few of those.  These meaningless games will at least give me a chance to learn a lot about a few key players.  I can live with that.  Eventually I’ll write a book about Glenn Dorsey.  But man, it would be nice for the outcomes of games to actually mean something.  It’s been a long time.

Anyhoo, here’s what I got from the game player-wise.  I’d be interested to hear any evaluations you guys have as well:

• Dorsey was pretty bad again.  He did manage to get penetration once or twice, but never finished the play.  Dorsey is completely helpless as a pass-rusher.  He just doesn’t know what to do.  On obvious passing downs he was getting replaced by Alex Magee or Wallace Gilberry.  Not exactly a murderer’s row for quarterbacks.
• Ron Edwards replaced Tank as the starting nose-tackle, and the difference was noticeable.  Edwards is a far superior player.  He might be the best lineman on our team.  Wow, never thought I’d hear myself say that. 
• Tyson Jackson was invisible once again.  Has anyone been watching him?  I haven’t.  I figured I’d give him half a season to get his feet wet while I finish my Dorsey research.  Eventually, though, Jackson will be under my microscope.  Pioli and co. have been downplaying expectations, but the fact remains Jackson was the #3 overall pick.  He better be good.
• Our boy Demorrio had another good game.  I have to say, the Speedwagon Support Skwad is looking pretty smart here.  When Demorrio played last year, you could tell he had talent.  For whatever reason Gunther didn’t like him, and of course Beast Nation followed suit.  Adam best at Arrowhead Addict nicknamed him “Demorralizing”.  Nice wordplay, but pretty inaccurate.  Speedwagon is good. 
• Branden Albert looked bad again.  Should I be worried about this?  Albert is supposed to be one of our building blocks, and right now I’m not seein’ it.  I think maybe our first round pick in the 2010 draft should be used on the top left tackle.  By no means am I abandoning Fat Albert entirely, but it’d be no bad thing to move him to a position where his inconsistency wouldn’t have such disatrous results.  Let’s face it, our line needs help all over.  Drafting a left tackle and moving Albert to the right side, or to guard, would essentially be upgrading two positions.  Matty likey.
• Brandon Carr is pretty good.  Brandon Flowers is really good.  He’s got pro bowls in his future. 
• Now this was the Corey Mays I’ve been wanting to see.  If he can keep it up our linebackers will become an actual strength.  Hali looks pretty good, Vrabel is solid, and Demorrio is all over the field.  Throw in a healthy Derrick Johnson and we’ve got a pretty good mix there.
• That personal foul on Jarrad Page was a fucking joke.  Those refs should be ashamed of themselves.  If safeties have to be scared to make that kind of hit, football will become much less entertaining.  Thats about the coolest play there is, and Page did it perfectly.  How he got flagged is beyond me.
• Dwayne Bowe needs to get the ball.  I know he was hurt, but Matt Cassel just never looked his way.  Sure Bowe had a drop, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s by far our most explosive player.  I’ve seen enough passes go to Sean Ryan.  If Cassel really liked throwing to his tight end, maybe we shouldn’t have………nah, nevermind.

That’s it for today.  I’m tired.  I think we all are.

We may be 0 for 3 on games played, but we’re 10 for 10 on secrets kept!

In yet another brilliant move by the best personnel man in sports, Tyler Thigpen was traded today.  I gotta say, I love this move.  Thigpen HAD TO GO.  There is simply no room on this team for a durable quarterback who can put points on the board whilst running for his life behind a terrible offensive line.  Bad fit.  Plus, what can Tyler Thigpen do that Matt Guttierez can’t?  As far as I know he never even tried out for the Patriots.

Since Scott Pioli is apparently unable to complete trades with people who aren’t his father figures, Thigpen was sent to the Miami Dolphins.  The compensation?  You guessed it: undisclosed!  Another slam-dunk.  The Giants will never be able to beat us if they don’t know what we got for Thigpen.  This is how championships are won, folks.  I give this trade an A plus-plus, regardless of compensation.

We probably won’t actually find out what we got for Thigpen until sometime next year, but if its anything less than a fifth round pick Scott Pioli is going to have some serious explaining to do.  Jacksonville offered us their fifth rounder a month ago and Pioli declined.  If we gave him to Parcells (Pioli’s father-in-law) for less, I’ll be pretty steamed.  And even if we get a 4th rounder I won’t be impressed.  Had Pioli really not wanted Thigpen, he should’ve been traded in April before the draft.  People were high on Thigpen then, and there were some teams desperate for a quarterback.  We probably could’ve gotten a third rounder in the 2009 draft.  Instead Pioli waited until 3 games into the season when Thigpen had been sufficiently devalued, then asked his father-in-law to throw him a bone.  What a waste.

Any respect I had for Pioli following his credentialing of arrowheadpride is long gone.  This guy has made an absolute mess of things in his first year here.  “In Pioli We Trust” is about as relevant a motto as “Where’s the Beef?”.  Seriously, its pretty hard to trust a guy who’s done nothing to improve this team since he got here.  Actually, I guess that’s not entirely true.  He did snag Alex Magee in the third round.  That, my friends, was a coup.  I mean sure, there were good centers (and Chase Coffman) available.  Sure, our current center is a joke (just like he was last year).  And yes, Magee has yet to pass Wallace Gilberry on the depth chart.  But have you guys ever heard of a little concept called “the right 53 players”?  I rest my case.  I’m sorry, our case.  His case.  I rest the case.  Wait, what were we talking about again?

Well, on the positive side, Glenn Dorsey says he’s better than last year.  And if you want to know if a player is good, who better to ask than the player himself?  The interview was actually noteworthy in that in contains what may have been the biggest softball in the history of sports journalism.  “Hey Glenn,” asks Teicher, “Is it possible that even though you’re playing so much better, it might not show up on the stat sheets?”  Dorsey thinks about it for a while and then goes, “uh, yeah.”  Now that’s an interview!  Adam Teicher, ladies and gentlemen, he’s here all week.  Well, not Saturday.  Saturday he’ll be getting some more RAM downloaded onto his mainframe.  But other than that, he’s here all week.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty sick of hearing about how 3-4 defensive ends are only responsible for eating up blocks, not rushing the passer (sorry, #1 block eater).  I realize linemen in a 3-4 have slightly different roles than in a 4-3, and that usually a 3-4 defense’s top pass rusher is a linebacker, not a defensive end.  But acting like your ends aren’t responsible for rushing the passer is asinine.  Over half of all plays are passes, and defensive ends rush the quarterback on pass plays no matter what defense you‘re running.  Clearly a large part of an end’s job, even in a 3-4, is to be able to apply some pressure.  Ours don’t.  I have no idea why people are so eager to make excuses for Dorsey, I guess its just that they don’t want to believe so high a pick could possibly be a bust.  Yes, he had a solid game against Oakland, but Gretz and Teicher acted like it was his coming out party.  I had a feeling my boy Glenngarry would fall back to earth when he wasn’t playing against the other worst team in the NFL.

Although, to be fair, I can’t really single Dorsey out for his poor play against Philly.  Yes, he was bad (didn‘t record a tackle), but so was our entire team.  I don’t know that I’ve ever seen an offensive line play so poorly.  Even Branden Albert and Brian Waters weren’t holding their blocks (both were also penalized).  I’ve spent a good amount of time watching Albert this season, and so far it hasn’t been pretty.  This does not look like the same guy from last year.  Is it possible all the weight loss has actually hurt him?  Unlikely, but something is clearly wrong.  He’s already given up two sacks, and he only gave up 4 all of last season.  How Albert holds up against the tremendous Giants pass-rush this sunday will be very telling.  Is he really our LT of the future?  I’m starting to think he may be more John Tait than Willie Roaf.  Not a bad player, but not someone to build an offensive line around, either.

I don’t want to talk about the game anymore.  If you want to read about it, I recommend Whitlock here or Frey here.  Both had excellent analysis.  In all honestly, I left my local watering hole before the game even ended.  When it was the 4th quarter and I saw yet another draw on third-and-long I decided I’d had enough.  I was mad at my boy Haley at the time, but now I just feel sorry for him.  Yes, he laid down on Sunday, and that sucks.  In fact, I’ve taken issue with something he’s done in every game so far this year.  But ultimately, this wasted season* isn’t his fault.  Tom Landry couldn’t win with these chumps.  The Lie Guys left a terrible mess behind, and rather than attempt to clean it up Scott Pioli sat on his laurels and smugly pontificated about the vast success in our (his) future.  How many years down the road?  Who cares!  I guess we just have to wait for some more of these mythical “right” players to come along.  Surely his father-in-law or his bestest friend is going to get rid of somebody soon, right?  One can only hope.

*Yes, I’m already declaring this another wasted season.  Contradict me.  Show me how I’m wrong.  I’m being serious here.

Do I think my boy Haley has done a good job so far this season?  I don’t know, you could certainly make a case that he hasn’t.  But does it even really matter?  The poor bastard never had a chance.  Scott Pioli hired Todd Haley and then promptly spread his butt cheeks and squeezed out a steaming mound of shit into Haley’s hands.

“Now go win us some games!  And remember Todd, its not the best pile of feces, it’s the right pile of feces.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Bobby Wade!

So we lost to the Raiders at home for the second year in a row.  I gotta say, that’s pretty embarrassing.  Given how well we were moving the ball and how pathetic their offense was, I just assumed we’d eventually take the lead and keep it.  After Cassel’s incredible touchdown pass to my man D-Bowe I crossed my arms, nodded, and smiled approvingly.  “Game over,” said my inner monologue.  Then I watched in utter disbelief as the worst quarterback in the NFL marched his team down the field for the game-winning touchdown.  I just kept assuming Russell would blow it somehow.  But then he didn’t, and I was left sitting in an enormous Indian headdress getting laughed at by stupid, drunk Jets fans.

Why these idiots were rooting against us I don’t really know, but out of nowhere there were like 8 of them doing the tomahawk chop in mockery.  I think they were just so dumb that they were instinctively against any other fans that were making noise for any other team.  My crew was pretty loud, but we’re definitely good-natured and I think its pretty obvious we aren’t taking ourselves very seriously.  I was wearing an Indian headdress, Ol’ 2 was wearing a XXXL Priest Holmes jersey and Keggers was wearing a gigantic white Chiefs sweatshirt that was a gift from his dad*.  Who could possibly be angry at a group dressed like that supporting a team as bad as the Chiefs?

*We all know how hilarious it is when dads give you clothes.

I guess I should be used to being laughed at by now.  I am a Kansas City sports fan, after all.  Our teams haven’t exactly been tearing it up this millennium.  That’s why it pisses me off so much when every few years a different smug smile is telling me to be patient and acting like I should be thanking him for it.  Scott Pioli may be willing to take his time, but he hasn’t been here these past 10 years.  He’s been in football heaven, where every year it rains ego-boosts and playoff wins.  In Kansas City the only things falling from the sky are fat defensive tackles.  Almost every year we get a nice“300-pound shower”.  So while I appreciate that our GM actually seems to have a long-term plan, I wish he’d hurry it up a bit.

As KCO referenced a few posts back, Pioli wants us all to know what a bad team he inherited.  He “leaked” that fact about only 2 of the players he cut being signed, and he’s cut two of Herm’s 2nd round picks in the last three weeks.  I suspect part of the reason he was so willing to cut Pollard and Turk is for the message it sends: the last organization was inept, this year isn’t my fault.  He wants to distance himself from this roster.  I can’t blame him.  Even Billy Mays couldn’t have cleaned up the diarrhea the Lie Guys left behind. It would be wrong to expect Scott Pioli to instantly turn this team into a playoff contender.  The problem is, he didn’t even try.  He clearly expects a mulligan on 2009, and maybe even 2010.  That is not OK with me.

For those who don’t know, the Chiefs’ total salary is by far the lowest in the league.  As I predicted, we failed to even reach the minimum salary level set by the NFL.  By $7 million.  Since we’re going to be charged the money anyway, would it have killed us to spend it on a player instead of on nothing?  Would our offensive line be worse with Orlando Pace on the right side?  Pioli is fine bringing in old guys if nobody else wants them, but if it means spending a few bucks on a hall-of-famer at a position of need, welllll……let’s just say Orlando Pace must not have been one of the “right” players.  More Patriots castoffs please!

Oddly enough, I was encouraged by a few things I saw during the game.  Most of that encouragement evaporated after I reminded myself we were playing against the most hapless franchise in the NFL, but there are still a few positive signs worth noting:

• DJ had another big play.  That sack was a thing of beauty.  It may be time to reconsider that 3rd string demotion.  I know DJ isn’t consistent, but at some point his potential for big plays is going to be too enticing for Todd Haley to pass up.  Corey Mays looks more like Pat Thomas than Kawika Mitchell, and I can’t help thinking about what DJ and our boy Speedwagon would look like playing next to each other on the inside.

• I think Mike Vrabel can still play.  New England’s willingness to throw him into the Cassel deal had me worried he might be out of gas, but he looked pretty good to me on Sunday.  Words like “mentor” and “winner” are thrown around too often in reference to players who are simply old, but they might actually apply to Vrabel.  It’s good for us to have him out there.

• Although they still can’t generate any pass rush, our defensive line was solid against the run.  Tank in particular had a pretty good game, and even Dorsey had a couple solid plays.  Of course that ball he batted down would’ve been an easy pick six if he wasn‘t such a butterball.  He just couldn’t get up in the air at all.  The fact is Dorsey is much too fat.

• Dwayne Bowe is a stud.  That touchdown catch was incredible.  I felt sure it was going to be the game-winner.  Regardless, there are only 4 or 5 receivers in the league who could’ve made that play.  And that block he laid during one of Cassel’s scrambles was awesome.  I like to see Bowe fired up out there.  He’s the only truly exciting player on our team.

• Our offense moved with Matt Cassel under center.  I know Cassel had two picks, but he also threw some pretty balls and picked up a lot of first downs despite playing behind a terrible line.  He looked a lot like Trent Green looked his first year in Kansas City.  Remember that year?  2001, I think?  Green had 17 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.  He threw several game-ending Interceptions, and Whitlock took to calling him Tr-INT Green.  But the thing is, Green still wasn’t exactly terrible that year.  He had shitty receivers and a mediocre, pre-Roaf offensive line.  Cassel is in a similar situation.  I expect he’ll struggle at times, but we’ve got to keep those struggles in context.  Overall, I was encouraged by his performance.

Whitlock blasted Todd Haley in Monday’s star, but I don’t agree entirely with his assessment.  Yes, our failure to get any points at the end of the first half was embarrassing, but I’m putting that more on Cassel than Todd Haley.  I like that Haley wasn’t settling for the field goal.  Again, anti-Herm.  If Cassel hadn’t thrown that ill advised pass into the flat we still would’ve gotten the field goal.  You think Haley designed that play to go there?  No way.  He was as pissed off about that pass as we were, I can assure you.  I know I praised Cassel earlier, but the blame for not scoring there falls squarely on his shoulders.  I’m gonna chalk it up to growing pains and move on.

Where I agree with Whitlock is in his criticism of Haley’s handling of the wide receivers.  After the game I guaranteed Jason would mention how Bobby Wade was more prominent in the offense than Dwayne Bowe.  It’s just such an obviously detrimental situation.  At one point I noticed Haley was calling plays specifically designed to go to Wade.  I find it hard to believe Wade “earned” such treatment in less than a week with the team.  What is going on here?  Is Todd Haley really using Wade to discipline Mark Bradley and Dwayne Bowe?  I was OK with motivational benchings in the preseason, but these games count.  And its not like Bowe isn’t playing well.  He outperformed Wade despite having half as many balls thrown his way.  And it was Wade who dropped a pass and picked up a block-in-the-back penalty, not Bowe.

Look, I’ve got no problem with Bobby Wade.  He had a decent game Sunday, and he’s probably the second-best receiver on our team (despite not being one of the five best on the Vikings).  My problem is with Haley’s continued refusal to fully utilize the best weapon on his offense.  You know you’re my boy Todd, but enough is enough.  It’s time to unleash the beast.  An no, I don’t mean Dorsey.