Art Hains
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The home stretch
When this season began, realists knew the Chiefs were undertaking something that was long overdue. Much like how our current economic situation came about because short-term considerations were paramount, with no thought to the long-term ramifications, so it was with the Chiefs. For several years, they had patched leaks that sprung, maintaining a competitive team, but at the expense of the future. The team did squeeze into the playoffs two years ago, and what a wonderful day that was for Chiefs fans! I was on the air doing a talk show in Springfield that Sunday afternoon after the win over Jacksonville, and all the other events were unfolding into the early evening that sent the Chiefs into the playoffs.
My son and I drove the 7 hours each way from Springfield to Indianapolis that next weekend, in anticipation of a playoff upset of the Colts, who were thought to be soft against the run. We're going to control the clock with LJ, run it down their throats, and move on to the next round. Bob Sanders and the Colts defense had other ideas. It was not an enjoyable day.
That would've been the time to start making wholesale changes, but we'd just been to the playoffs, right? A nip here, a tuck there, and we're good to go. Results proved otherwise, and there was no federal bailout.
Essentially, the Chiefs got into this situation because the retirements of Willie Roaf and Will Shields were never adequately addressed, combined with the litany of wasted high draft picks in the early 2000s. Ryan Sims is the poster child for this group, which includes Craphonso Thorpe, Snoop Minnis, Sylvester Morris....even Victor Riley and Trezelle Jenkins, going back to the 90s.
So it's an all-0ut reconstruction project, and starting with the Jets game Oct. 26, the next four weeks produced encouraging, though not winning results. All four games were entertaining and competitive, and you could see improvement. Last week against Buffalo, though, after a fast start....two or three big steps backward. Ironically, maybe Tyler Thigpen's growing confidence borne of his nearly mistake-free play the previous four weeks, led him to take chances that led to a pair of disastrous interceptions in the second quarter against the Bills.
As Jason Whitlock wrote this week, we'll find out in the next two weeks whether the Buffalo game was the aberration on what otherwise is an upward arc for the Chiefs, or whether the 4-game stretch was merely a product of an unusually-positive turnover/takeaway ratio(+11!)
which defied all the actuarial tables by failing to produce any wins, but merely kept the Chiefs in those games. Last week they were minus-5 and we saw the results.
The Chiefs need to win 2 or 3 of these last 5 games, to validate that there is improvement being shown. Losing, obviously, becomes a habit and you can't ignore 1-10, even in a rebuilding year. Whether we get the first pick in the draft, the 5th or whatever, you should get an impact player. A little late season success is more important than giving up one or two draft positions. All of the remaining games are winnable. Throwing out San Diego because they were part of both the 4-game competitive stretch and the next 5 games, the remaining opponents are all not as good as the Jets, Buccaneers and Saints. Avoiding the mistakes of last week and returning to the competitive ways of weeks 8-11 should produce good results. But if not....then there are some hard questions to be answered as to this team's true future potential.
My son and I drove the 7 hours each way from Springfield to Indianapolis that next weekend, in anticipation of a playoff upset of the Colts, who were thought to be soft against the run. We're going to control the clock with LJ, run it down their throats, and move on to the next round. Bob Sanders and the Colts defense had other ideas. It was not an enjoyable day.
That would've been the time to start making wholesale changes, but we'd just been to the playoffs, right? A nip here, a tuck there, and we're good to go. Results proved otherwise, and there was no federal bailout.
Essentially, the Chiefs got into this situation because the retirements of Willie Roaf and Will Shields were never adequately addressed, combined with the litany of wasted high draft picks in the early 2000s. Ryan Sims is the poster child for this group, which includes Craphonso Thorpe, Snoop Minnis, Sylvester Morris....even Victor Riley and Trezelle Jenkins, going back to the 90s.
So it's an all-0ut reconstruction project, and starting with the Jets game Oct. 26, the next four weeks produced encouraging, though not winning results. All four games were entertaining and competitive, and you could see improvement. Last week against Buffalo, though, after a fast start....two or three big steps backward. Ironically, maybe Tyler Thigpen's growing confidence borne of his nearly mistake-free play the previous four weeks, led him to take chances that led to a pair of disastrous interceptions in the second quarter against the Bills.
As Jason Whitlock wrote this week, we'll find out in the next two weeks whether the Buffalo game was the aberration on what otherwise is an upward arc for the Chiefs, or whether the 4-game stretch was merely a product of an unusually-positive turnover/takeaway ratio(+11!)
which defied all the actuarial tables by failing to produce any wins, but merely kept the Chiefs in those games. Last week they were minus-5 and we saw the results.
The Chiefs need to win 2 or 3 of these last 5 games, to validate that there is improvement being shown. Losing, obviously, becomes a habit and you can't ignore 1-10, even in a rebuilding year. Whether we get the first pick in the draft, the 5th or whatever, you should get an impact player. A little late season success is more important than giving up one or two draft positions. All of the remaining games are winnable. Throwing out San Diego because they were part of both the 4-game competitive stretch and the next 5 games, the remaining opponents are all not as good as the Jets, Buccaneers and Saints. Avoiding the mistakes of last week and returning to the competitive ways of weeks 8-11 should produce good results. But if not....then there are some hard questions to be answered as to this team's true future potential.
Friday, October 17, 2008
An eventful week
For not having played in two weeks, the Chiefs have made their share of news. Last weekend, Fox Sports reported that Tony Gonzalez had asked management for a trade. As we know now, the trading deadline came and went, and Tony is still a Chief. Then on Thursday, the team announced that Larry Johnson would not play in this week's game against Tennessee because of violating team rules.
On the first point, I think most Chiefs fans can appreciate Tony's desire to take a run at a Super Bowl before his playing days end. He is still at the top of his game, and has given the Chiefs 12 years of good service. But apparently, with the gun to their heads of the Tuesday 3 pm trading deadline, the best offer was a third-round draft pick from Green Bay. The most-productive pass receiving TE in NFL history is worth more than a third-round pick, even at age 32. Given more time in the off-season, surely a more reasonable return can come the Chiefs way, and Tony's wishes can be accommodated. In the meantime, being the professional that he is, expect him to continue giving 100% the rest of the season.
In the case of LJ, it appears that Herm Edwards had finally had enough. This isn't an on-field production deal, though Johnson's ups and downs have been well-documented. In his defense, much of those problems stem from no longer having Willie Roaf and Will Shields opening up gaping holes in opposing defenses. It has to do with apparently persistent lateness to team functions, including flights to out of town games. I strongly supported Johnson's contract re-negotiations in the summer of '07, given the short shelf life of a heavily-used NFL running back. But since then, Johnson seems to have been a front-runner, who shuts it down when things aren't going well. As they haven't been for the Chiefs since last November. It'll be interesting to see what Jamal Charles and Kolby Smith...younger, shiftier runners, can do against a tough Tennessee defense.
Somewhat lost in all of this is the return of Brodie Croyle at QB this week. Many Chiefs fans have already written Croyle off and are calling for a new "QB of the future." I say, in fairness to him, we still don't know what he can do. He started at the end of last year behind a banged-up O-line, then got hurt in the first half of the first game this year. The Chiefs must find out about Croyle, and they hopefully have 11 healthy games remaining this year to get some better answers, so as to make an intelligent long-term decision. I agree, all the rebuilding in the world won't get you to your ultimate goal without a dynamic QB. Croyle's tendencies are to be a bit of a gunslinger. He should settle for moving the chains for awhile, then gradually taking his shots downfield. But his arm and personality are well-suited to being a difference maker at the position. His decision-making and ability to stay healthy are the key factors for which to watch the rest of the season.
On the first point, I think most Chiefs fans can appreciate Tony's desire to take a run at a Super Bowl before his playing days end. He is still at the top of his game, and has given the Chiefs 12 years of good service. But apparently, with the gun to their heads of the Tuesday 3 pm trading deadline, the best offer was a third-round draft pick from Green Bay. The most-productive pass receiving TE in NFL history is worth more than a third-round pick, even at age 32. Given more time in the off-season, surely a more reasonable return can come the Chiefs way, and Tony's wishes can be accommodated. In the meantime, being the professional that he is, expect him to continue giving 100% the rest of the season.
In the case of LJ, it appears that Herm Edwards had finally had enough. This isn't an on-field production deal, though Johnson's ups and downs have been well-documented. In his defense, much of those problems stem from no longer having Willie Roaf and Will Shields opening up gaping holes in opposing defenses. It has to do with apparently persistent lateness to team functions, including flights to out of town games. I strongly supported Johnson's contract re-negotiations in the summer of '07, given the short shelf life of a heavily-used NFL running back. But since then, Johnson seems to have been a front-runner, who shuts it down when things aren't going well. As they haven't been for the Chiefs since last November. It'll be interesting to see what Jamal Charles and Kolby Smith...younger, shiftier runners, can do against a tough Tennessee defense.
Somewhat lost in all of this is the return of Brodie Croyle at QB this week. Many Chiefs fans have already written Croyle off and are calling for a new "QB of the future." I say, in fairness to him, we still don't know what he can do. He started at the end of last year behind a banged-up O-line, then got hurt in the first half of the first game this year. The Chiefs must find out about Croyle, and they hopefully have 11 healthy games remaining this year to get some better answers, so as to make an intelligent long-term decision. I agree, all the rebuilding in the world won't get you to your ultimate goal without a dynamic QB. Croyle's tendencies are to be a bit of a gunslinger. He should settle for moving the chains for awhile, then gradually taking his shots downfield. But his arm and personality are well-suited to being a difference maker at the position. His decision-making and ability to stay healthy are the key factors for which to watch the rest of the season.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Like the period after the Civil War has come to be known as the Reconstruction, the Chiefs' growing pains of Rebuilding continue to be felt. Not to compare the two directly, but from a football standpoint(with no loss of life), the process is a necessary one signaling a seismic shift in the order of things. The Chiefs are going from one of the oldest teams in the league to the youngest. It isn't unlike the mid-70s, when the Super Bowl teams' personnel had faded away, and there were no ready replacements. Hopefully, this turnaround won't take 15 years, and I'm confident that it won't, for a variety of reasons.
One is the current NFL rules, designed to promote parity. Most of all, the salary cap forces teams to prioritize, and prevents good teams from hoarding good players for years. These players go into the free agent market, and are available to teams that are struggling, but have cap room because of their relative youth. The '08 Chiefs certainly fall into that category.
Another is the seemingly-better results of the last 3 drafts. Certainly, the final story on all these players won't be written for some time, but the Chiefs have Jarrod Page, Brandon Pollard, Brodie Croyle and Tamba Hali to show from the '06 draft. '07 brought D-Bowe, Tank McBride, Turk Tyler, Kolby Smith and Herb Taylor. And of course, this year's draft was widely praised.
I expected the Chiefs to struggle this year, but admittedly, not as much as in the last two games. I think the offensive line IS improved, evidenced by the running game's success in the second half last week. I also think play at the QB position has greatly hurt the offense's chances to move the ball through the air. Hopefully, that will be less of a problem this week with the steady Huard back at the helm, and more so when Croyle returns for the Tennessee game. And we still don't know about Croyle. It isn't fair to judge him on the last 6 games of last season without LJ and with a makeshift O-line.
I am very surprised, though, at the porousness of the defense against the run. The young line, I think, shows promise, but the linebacking corps has to step up and make some plays. This is where the Chiefs have devoted most of their draft attention in recent years, and they did make strides last year, but they've gone backwards in the last 2 weeks.
It's going to be a painful process, but one in which hopefully perserverence will lead to some improvement, and hope for a better future.
One is the current NFL rules, designed to promote parity. Most of all, the salary cap forces teams to prioritize, and prevents good teams from hoarding good players for years. These players go into the free agent market, and are available to teams that are struggling, but have cap room because of their relative youth. The '08 Chiefs certainly fall into that category.
Another is the seemingly-better results of the last 3 drafts. Certainly, the final story on all these players won't be written for some time, but the Chiefs have Jarrod Page, Brandon Pollard, Brodie Croyle and Tamba Hali to show from the '06 draft. '07 brought D-Bowe, Tank McBride, Turk Tyler, Kolby Smith and Herb Taylor. And of course, this year's draft was widely praised.
I expected the Chiefs to struggle this year, but admittedly, not as much as in the last two games. I think the offensive line IS improved, evidenced by the running game's success in the second half last week. I also think play at the QB position has greatly hurt the offense's chances to move the ball through the air. Hopefully, that will be less of a problem this week with the steady Huard back at the helm, and more so when Croyle returns for the Tennessee game. And we still don't know about Croyle. It isn't fair to judge him on the last 6 games of last season without LJ and with a makeshift O-line.
I am very surprised, though, at the porousness of the defense against the run. The young line, I think, shows promise, but the linebacking corps has to step up and make some plays. This is where the Chiefs have devoted most of their draft attention in recent years, and they did make strides last year, but they've gone backwards in the last 2 weeks.
It's going to be a painful process, but one in which hopefully perserverence will lead to some improvement, and hope for a better future.
Labels: Reconstruction
Monday, August 11, 2008
A great start for the Chiefs Thursday night in Chicago! As a lifelong Chiefs fan who grew up in Marshall, MO and went with my Dad to my first NFL game at Municipal Stadium, I've been emotionally connected to this franchise, like most of you, for a long time. My Sunday afternoons for many years have been spent pacing in front of the TV(or wherever I happened to be watching/listening) and my demeanor for the rest of the day was determined by the outcome of the game. Now, it'll be a little different being on the job on game day, but it's great to be part of such a great team of professionals at the Chiefs Radio Network. I appreciate the trust Donna Baker, Mitch and everyone else have placed in me.
Training camp last week at River Falls was a great experience, and seeing the players working each day in practice just invests you more in how they do in the games. They did well. My take, on my sports call-in show in Springfield, is that Chan Gailey may be our MVP. The creativity shown on offense, and execution to go with it, will make up for whatever the Chiefs may be lacking right now in offensive line/playmaking experience. If you can't overpower 'em, you can trick 'em. I was very impressed with the high quality of individuals on the coaching staff, starting at the top. Herm is one of those rare coaches who can be all business, but kind of light-hearted at the same time. One of mine and Mitch's friends, Charlie Spoonhour, was the same way in basketball.
I like Maurice Price. I've liked him from the day I saw about 45 minutes of an OTA in late May, and he caught everything thrown in his area code last week at camp, and in Thursday's game. I think he can emerge as a helpful receiving threat, to go with D. Bowe and Tony G.
Nothing has overly changed in the overall season outlook. This is a rebuilding year, but kind of like the St. Louis Cardinals this season, maybe the Chiefs can win a good amount while they're rebuilding. The turnover of the roster was necessary, and maybe a year overdue, but now there's a freshness to the team and not just different players, but young, athletic players who hopefully can be a part of great things for years to come.
And from what I've seen, I'm not as concerned about Brodie Croyle as some. Yes, he still has to prove himself but I think, with the new offense and what should be an improved offensive line when Brandon Albert returns, he can make the plays if his supporting cast gives him a chance. I look forward to the next step, both for the Chiefs team and our Radio Network team, this Saturday against Arizona.
Training camp last week at River Falls was a great experience, and seeing the players working each day in practice just invests you more in how they do in the games. They did well. My take, on my sports call-in show in Springfield, is that Chan Gailey may be our MVP. The creativity shown on offense, and execution to go with it, will make up for whatever the Chiefs may be lacking right now in offensive line/playmaking experience. If you can't overpower 'em, you can trick 'em. I was very impressed with the high quality of individuals on the coaching staff, starting at the top. Herm is one of those rare coaches who can be all business, but kind of light-hearted at the same time. One of mine and Mitch's friends, Charlie Spoonhour, was the same way in basketball.
I like Maurice Price. I've liked him from the day I saw about 45 minutes of an OTA in late May, and he caught everything thrown in his area code last week at camp, and in Thursday's game. I think he can emerge as a helpful receiving threat, to go with D. Bowe and Tony G.
Nothing has overly changed in the overall season outlook. This is a rebuilding year, but kind of like the St. Louis Cardinals this season, maybe the Chiefs can win a good amount while they're rebuilding. The turnover of the roster was necessary, and maybe a year overdue, but now there's a freshness to the team and not just different players, but young, athletic players who hopefully can be a part of great things for years to come.
And from what I've seen, I'm not as concerned about Brodie Croyle as some. Yes, he still has to prove himself but I think, with the new offense and what should be an improved offensive line when Brandon Albert returns, he can make the plays if his supporting cast gives him a chance. I look forward to the next step, both for the Chiefs team and our Radio Network team, this Saturday against Arizona.