Well it’s time for part 3 of the incredibly popular series, “At least I’m not a fan of (insert AFC West team here).” And the time has come to dissect the San Diego Chargers and why it’s just not worth it to root for this team.
Unrealistic Expectations
You may think that I’m stepping out on a Limb here labeling the Chargers as the holders of false hope for their fans. They are the defending AFC West Champions, and many feel if not for LT pulling up lame in their playoff game vs. New England they could have won that match-up. Hell if you listen to the pundits in both print and broadcast, the Chargers are a prohibitive favorite to compete with New England and Indianapolis for the AFC Super Bowl berth this season. Charger fans should have high expectations, right…Wrong.
There are several factors working against this team in their quest to finally bring a Lombardi to San Diego. Here they are in no particular order:
Norv Turner – Turner is an outstanding offensive coordinator, but he is a lousy head coach. Ask any Redskins or Raiders fan about Norv’s ability to run a team, and you may have to wait a few minutes for the laughing to subside before you get your answer. Last season he took a team with arguably the best talent in the AFC to the Conference Championship game. Sorry San Diego, you have just seen what will be the high point of the Turner regime.
Turner has a rep of being a RB’s dream, his teams consistently churn out running backs in the top 5 yardage wise in the NFL, well early on his watch anyway. What most fail to recognize is that he runs these backs into the ground, and they rarely reproduce these grand numbers ever again. FootballOutsiders.com has done a great study of the effects of getting too many touches in the run game on running backs. Norv obviously has not read this research.
Turner has no control over the squads he coaches, and that is magnified in San Diego where A.J. Smith is the uncontested boss following his ousting of Marty Schottenheimer. The players have no reason to listen to Norv, and on this team the potential for this to blow up is huge, as other than LT, there are few perceived character guys on the squad.
Ladainian Tomlinson – How the hell can I list LT as a reason that this team will fail? He is considered to be the NFL’s best back and one of the top players in the league. This one is easy for me. NFL backs are not a long-term investment. LT is nearing the end of his run as an elite back, and we may have already seen the wheels fall off last season.
Take a look at the top backs in NFL history, how many of them put up gaudy numbers for more than 5 years? Emmitt Smith and Curtis Martin come to mind, but they were both grinders, they were not likely to get you more than 15 yards a clip. Now maybe LT can evolve into this dependable role, but the home run threat is about to disappear. And due to that, the Charger’s offense is about to get neutered.
Philip Rivers – So with LT breaking down, whom does the pressure of carrying the offense fall to? If your answer is Philip Rivers, than you may be in trouble. I’m not going to lie to you and say that Philip doesn’t have a good supporting cast around him. But it is not the kind of excellent support a player like Philip needs to overcome his shortcomings.
The pending breakdown of LT is going to free up defenses to cover the HB 1 on 1 with a LB. This will force Philip to focus on Gates, who while a great TE can’t carry the offense on his own, and with defenses free to go man on the RB, his production will drop. At WR, the Chargers have a great group of #2’s. But one need only ask Donovan McNabb, a far superior QB to Rivers, how far you can get with only #2 receivers on the field.
In the end, Philip’s crybaby act does not lend him to being a leader of men. If Philip is going to lead this team, he needs to pull a complete 180 and change his attitude. Unfortunately for Charger fans, he needs a strong coach to pull him through this change, and A.J. fired the strong coach who could have done this in favor of a sock-puppet.
Shawn Merriman – Merriman came back from his steroid suspension no longer looking like a potential hall-of-famer. I have always questioned the love that Shawn gets from the media. He is a one-dimensional player; he can pass rush, that’s it. He is a liability in coverage, and not much help in the run game. These holes in his game have only grown worse since his suspension.
IMO, Shawn does not recognize these weaknesses in his game. To me Shawn seems to be the kind of player who buys into his own hype. He has shown no improvement in his game in his time in the league, and the fact that endorsements continue to role in despite his drug issues and the holes in his game, leave him with little motivation to improve. Once again San Diego, you have already seen this player at his best, expecting more is unrealistic.
Jamal Williams – Despite all the accolades that get handed out to other members of the Charger’s D, the lynchpin is Jamal Williams. The last 3 seasons Jamal has been arguably the best NT in the NFL, and it is no coincidence that the Chargers D has been at the top of the league over that time.
Unfortunately Jamal is nearing the end of the line. Jamal struggled with ankle problems at the end of last season, and for a 350+ lb’er, that is a huge red flag. If Jamal cannot return to 2006 form, the middle of the D will be open for business for opposing RB’s. Those LB’s who looked so good when he was eating double team will quickly look average.
There it is, if you are a Chargers fan, you may be looking at this season as the one where the Lombardi finally comes to San Diego, you may look at the relatively young age of your roster, and the fact that most of these players are signed long term and feel that multiple Super Bowls are in your immediate future.
But I am here to douse you with a cold glass of reality. Your best players on offense and defense are at the end of the line, at least as far as being premier players. The emerging faces of your team are hardly the kind of guys to build around, and are just as likely to cost you victory, as win you championships. And the man who will lead you is Norv Turner, a man who inspires confidence from no one.
Unrealistic expectations, which is what you have been blown up with San Diego. That is why I wouldn’t want to be a fan of your team. Because when you look at it you are destined to always fall short of the prize, and become a footnote of a great team that never could get it done in the end. Welcome to the Eagle fan’s nightmare of earlier this decade, the Bills fan’s nightmare of the 90’s, and… well your nightmare of the early ‘80’s. I guess you have been here before, sucks to be you. At least as a Raider’s fan I don’t have to worry about unrealistic expectations.
Showing posts with label feeling better about myself through others missery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label feeling better about myself through others missery. Show all posts
Monday, July 7, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
When you let a Rat run the show, at least I'm not a Broncos Fan
I have to admit, writing about how the Chiefs are slipping into the bottom feeder class of the NFL the other day was cathartic. I usually don’t spend much time bashing other team, I mean I do bash Patriot Fans, but their team is excellent, it’s hard to speak ill of a squad that executes that well.
But do to how much I enjoyed ripping the Chiefs; I decided to turn this into a series. Why I am happy that I’m not a fan of “insert AFC West team here”. And since there are only 3 AFC west teams other than the Raiders, and since I have already completed one of these, I like my chances to actually finish the series. (Unlike the draft series, which kind of died an early death).
So that said, lets take a look at another team in the AFC west, and today it’s the Denver Bronco’s in the crosshairs.
At first glance it’s hard as a Raider fan to write a scathing review of the Bronco’s. The teams have many similarities.
West Coast Offense
Zone Stretch Blocking Scheme
Young Unproven QB with whom the Franchises Future Rests
Non-Existent D-line
Overpays for Free Agents
Outstanding Cornerbacks
But then you look a bit deeper, and the Bronco’s problems clearly run deeper, and due to Shanahan’s untouchable status, aren’t going to get fixed anytime soon.
And you have to start at the Top, with Pat Bowlen. For all the hate Al gets for being a meddling owner, Pat deserves equal for being a dupe. And that’s about the kindest thing you can say about someone who has bought Mike Shanahan’s shit for so many years. Honestly, how long can Shanahan ride the coattails of the Elway Super Bowls, and enjoy carte blanche to run the team into the ground.
Make no mistake, Bowlen has allowed Shanahan to hijack his team and remake it in his own image. Shanahan has final say in personnel; gamelan and I suspect what color underwear Bowlen puts on in the morning.
So how has this worked out for Denver? Lets start with the vaunted offensive line:
The Bronco’s zone stretch system gave the team one of the best running games in Football for the last 10+ years. One running back after another came into the system and produced, the NFL myth became that Shanahan could make filet out of dog shit when it came to running backs. However the bloom is off this Rose in recent years, as Shanahan has lost his magic touch. This isn’t due to the failures of the backs (although moves like Maurice Clarrett are laughable) this is due to Shanahan being unable to evaluate lineman that fit the system.
There is no longer a clear direction on this offensive line. It has been rumored for a few seasons that the Bronco’s were looking to move away from the zone-stretch, but they have yet to undertake the full scale remodeling that this would entail.
At LT the Bronco’s have seemingly replaced the retiring Matt Lepsis with rookie Ryan Clady. So the change to power blocking has taken place at one position, and while Clady looks to be the real thing at LT, he sure doesn’t fit a zone-stretch scheme.
Also this off-season, the heir apparent to Tom Nalen, Chris Myers, was allowed to leave via Free Agency. Yet another questionable move on the line. Nalen is on his last legs, while, IMO, one of the best centers of the last 15-year, it is time for him to hang up the cleats. Is there a problem with Myers, not according to Alex Gibbs, as he is now a Texan running the zone-stretch there.
These two moves have thrown the Bronco’s line from strength to a potential weekness. There is no real back up to Nalen available, and the rest of the line is a bunch of mismatched parts. The failure to adequately replace aging vets in recent years will cause the Bronco’s run game to falter in the near future.
After the line, you have to look at the running backs. Shanahan changes his backs more often than he changes his socks (which is why he is known as Stinky). The latest move was to jettison Travis Henry due to his lack of dedication. A better GM would never have put any stock into Henry, who’s only dedication since entering the league has been to expanding his lineage while smoking herb. Leaving the Bronco’s to count on Selvin Young as their workhorse. I feel better already.
Then you look to Shanahan’s outstanding work with the Wide Receivers. Mike has been unable to find a long-term answer at Wide Receiver since lucking upon Rod Smith. The latest “Star” in Denver is Brandon Marshall, who is as likely to find himself behind bars as in Probowls if he keeps on his current track. And while as a Raider fan I have little room to crow about Javon Walker, at least the Raiders didn’t give up draft picks for him. But hey Denver Fans, at least you have Brandon Stokely locked up for the next 3 years.
Here is the kicker, for all the problems on Offense, Shanahan’s moves on Defense makes them look good.
Who can forget bringing aboard almost the entire Cleveland Browns line a couple years back, despite the fact they sucked as a unit. Now the Bronco’s pin their hopes on Dewayne Robertson regaining his, Strike that, deciding he wants to play for the 1st time in his career. Jets fans, here is your chance to join with Raider fans and point and laugh.
At linebacker, D.J. Williams is excellent when allowed to play outside, and it looks like the Broncos will allow that this year. But do you have any faith in Boss Bailey covering Gonzalez, Gates and Miller. For some reason the Rat does. And who is going to play the Mike? Niko Koutouvides, bless you, do you need a tissue?
The Corners are the only unit that is solid here, arguably the best in the league depending on how you rank Bly vs. Hall. But behind them you have 98 year old John Lynch and Hamza Abdullah. Can you say the middle is open?
Looking at this you have to wonder how Bowlen can allow Shanahan anywhere near the controls of the roster. But for some reason Shanahan is Teflon. He has been allowed to pin the defenses struggles on DC after DC, rather than being forced to accept any responsibility for the unit’s lack of talent anywhere other than CB. He has been allowed to turn the offense from a fearsome unit, to one completely lacking direction.
And that is what it comes down to with Denver. There is no accountability at the Top; every failure is someone else’s fault. Shanahan is the George Bush of the NFL. The Buck stops somewhere else, with Bowlen being the Sean Hanity believing any BS that is blown up his ass.
The fact of the matter is, as long as Shanahan is allowed free reign over the team, the Bronco’s are not getting back to the Super Bowl, and by the time that Bowlen wakes up, chances are the Damage would run so deep that it will take another 2-4 years to get back on track.
Clueless owner, a coach accountable to no one, and a roster that is on the verge of falling apart at the seems. Looking at Denver, Damn it feels good to be a Raider.
But do to how much I enjoyed ripping the Chiefs; I decided to turn this into a series. Why I am happy that I’m not a fan of “insert AFC West team here”. And since there are only 3 AFC west teams other than the Raiders, and since I have already completed one of these, I like my chances to actually finish the series. (Unlike the draft series, which kind of died an early death).
So that said, lets take a look at another team in the AFC west, and today it’s the Denver Bronco’s in the crosshairs.
At first glance it’s hard as a Raider fan to write a scathing review of the Bronco’s. The teams have many similarities.
West Coast Offense
Zone Stretch Blocking Scheme
Young Unproven QB with whom the Franchises Future Rests
Non-Existent D-line
Overpays for Free Agents
Outstanding Cornerbacks
But then you look a bit deeper, and the Bronco’s problems clearly run deeper, and due to Shanahan’s untouchable status, aren’t going to get fixed anytime soon.
And you have to start at the Top, with Pat Bowlen. For all the hate Al gets for being a meddling owner, Pat deserves equal for being a dupe. And that’s about the kindest thing you can say about someone who has bought Mike Shanahan’s shit for so many years. Honestly, how long can Shanahan ride the coattails of the Elway Super Bowls, and enjoy carte blanche to run the team into the ground.
Make no mistake, Bowlen has allowed Shanahan to hijack his team and remake it in his own image. Shanahan has final say in personnel; gamelan and I suspect what color underwear Bowlen puts on in the morning.
So how has this worked out for Denver? Lets start with the vaunted offensive line:
The Bronco’s zone stretch system gave the team one of the best running games in Football for the last 10+ years. One running back after another came into the system and produced, the NFL myth became that Shanahan could make filet out of dog shit when it came to running backs. However the bloom is off this Rose in recent years, as Shanahan has lost his magic touch. This isn’t due to the failures of the backs (although moves like Maurice Clarrett are laughable) this is due to Shanahan being unable to evaluate lineman that fit the system.
There is no longer a clear direction on this offensive line. It has been rumored for a few seasons that the Bronco’s were looking to move away from the zone-stretch, but they have yet to undertake the full scale remodeling that this would entail.
At LT the Bronco’s have seemingly replaced the retiring Matt Lepsis with rookie Ryan Clady. So the change to power blocking has taken place at one position, and while Clady looks to be the real thing at LT, he sure doesn’t fit a zone-stretch scheme.
Also this off-season, the heir apparent to Tom Nalen, Chris Myers, was allowed to leave via Free Agency. Yet another questionable move on the line. Nalen is on his last legs, while, IMO, one of the best centers of the last 15-year, it is time for him to hang up the cleats. Is there a problem with Myers, not according to Alex Gibbs, as he is now a Texan running the zone-stretch there.
These two moves have thrown the Bronco’s line from strength to a potential weekness. There is no real back up to Nalen available, and the rest of the line is a bunch of mismatched parts. The failure to adequately replace aging vets in recent years will cause the Bronco’s run game to falter in the near future.
After the line, you have to look at the running backs. Shanahan changes his backs more often than he changes his socks (which is why he is known as Stinky). The latest move was to jettison Travis Henry due to his lack of dedication. A better GM would never have put any stock into Henry, who’s only dedication since entering the league has been to expanding his lineage while smoking herb. Leaving the Bronco’s to count on Selvin Young as their workhorse. I feel better already.
Then you look to Shanahan’s outstanding work with the Wide Receivers. Mike has been unable to find a long-term answer at Wide Receiver since lucking upon Rod Smith. The latest “Star” in Denver is Brandon Marshall, who is as likely to find himself behind bars as in Probowls if he keeps on his current track. And while as a Raider fan I have little room to crow about Javon Walker, at least the Raiders didn’t give up draft picks for him. But hey Denver Fans, at least you have Brandon Stokely locked up for the next 3 years.
Here is the kicker, for all the problems on Offense, Shanahan’s moves on Defense makes them look good.
Who can forget bringing aboard almost the entire Cleveland Browns line a couple years back, despite the fact they sucked as a unit. Now the Bronco’s pin their hopes on Dewayne Robertson regaining his, Strike that, deciding he wants to play for the 1st time in his career. Jets fans, here is your chance to join with Raider fans and point and laugh.
At linebacker, D.J. Williams is excellent when allowed to play outside, and it looks like the Broncos will allow that this year. But do you have any faith in Boss Bailey covering Gonzalez, Gates and Miller. For some reason the Rat does. And who is going to play the Mike? Niko Koutouvides, bless you, do you need a tissue?
The Corners are the only unit that is solid here, arguably the best in the league depending on how you rank Bly vs. Hall. But behind them you have 98 year old John Lynch and Hamza Abdullah. Can you say the middle is open?
Looking at this you have to wonder how Bowlen can allow Shanahan anywhere near the controls of the roster. But for some reason Shanahan is Teflon. He has been allowed to pin the defenses struggles on DC after DC, rather than being forced to accept any responsibility for the unit’s lack of talent anywhere other than CB. He has been allowed to turn the offense from a fearsome unit, to one completely lacking direction.
And that is what it comes down to with Denver. There is no accountability at the Top; every failure is someone else’s fault. Shanahan is the George Bush of the NFL. The Buck stops somewhere else, with Bowlen being the Sean Hanity believing any BS that is blown up his ass.
The fact of the matter is, as long as Shanahan is allowed free reign over the team, the Bronco’s are not getting back to the Super Bowl, and by the time that Bowlen wakes up, chances are the Damage would run so deep that it will take another 2-4 years to get back on track.
Clueless owner, a coach accountable to no one, and a roster that is on the verge of falling apart at the seems. Looking at Denver, Damn it feels good to be a Raider.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Lowered expectations, at least I'm not a Chiefs fan
Whenever I start to bemoan the plight of the Raiders and their fans, I have to remind myself, it could be worse. I could be a Lions fan or a Cardinals fan, knowing that whatever moves my team makes; ultimately it will be the wrong one and whatever fleeting success we have will quickly disappear. With the Raiders struggles in recent years many are trying to shoehorn the Raiders into this clueless losser category.
“Al Davis has lost it, the team will never win as long as Al is in charge.”
Constant variations of this theme are printed in the media, and recited by message board posters. It would be enough to drive a fan insane. Between the reported Kiffen power struggle, the obscene amount of Money paid to has-been and never were free agents, and a WR who gets rolled in Vegas, it would seem like the Raiders have not yet hit rock bottom, but are continuing to spiral downward.
Well I’m not going to lie to you and claim that all is peachy in Raider land. There are issues, and some high priced gambles have been taken. But you can’t say that the team has thrown in the Towel, they are still doing everything they can to win, and win now.
Which brings us to the team in the AFC West who truly is slipping into Lion and Cardinal territory, The Kansas City Chiefs.
I can hear it now “But Brick, the Chiefs are rebuilding, and doing it the right way through the draft, and they just had what is widely regarded as the best 1st day draft of any team.“
Sorry Chief fans, but your team is not rebuilding, they are buying time by lowering expectations. In fact that should be the slogan that the Chiefs plaster all over Arrowhead, the way the Raiders plaster “Commitment to Excellence” and “Pride and Poise” around the Coliseum.
Kansas City Chiefs “Lowering Expectations Since 2003”
The Chiefs looked to be onto something just a few years back, Dick Vermeil was at the helm and the offense was explosive. But everyone knew the weakness was on the D, and the team went years without addressing it. They lead the league in points scored in 2002, but only finished 8-8, the next year they improved on their offense and went 13-3 winning the division for only the 2nd time since 1997. But they failed to force the Colts to punt once in their home playoff game, and the writing was on the Wall.
This aging team had one, maybe two years to take advantage of their aging vets on offense and make a real Super Bowl push. How did they respond, by throwing caution to the wind and going all out to get some defensive players? Nope, they hired Gunther Cunningham (loosing Greg Williams in the process).
At this point the white flag was pulled out of the pocket and kept ready. Keen observers of the Professional game knew this was not enough to get them over the hump. This was a lateral move at best meant to show the fans they were trying, but really doing nothing to improve.
Since that season, Kansas City has become the land of excuses and individual accomplishments. The Chiefs continually prop up their players as some of the best in the Game. Look at Gonzalez, Shields, and Johnson. They are some of the best in the game, and are putting up record performances for the Chiefs.
Hey we were only the 4th team to ever miss the postseason with a double-digit win total in 2005. (To which they responded, not by trying to improve their team, but by trying to change the playoffs).
It was after missing out on the 2006 playoffs following the 10 win 2005 season that the white flag was raised and waived furiously. How do we know that the Chiefs had given up, easy, they hired Herm.
Edwards is not so much a head coach, but rather a deflection machine. The Guy should run spin classes at Ballie’s, not press conferences. In Herm the Chiefs had the perfect figurehead to run their “rebuilding” process.
The Herm era got off to a ignominious start with Trent Green’s concussion week 1, and the season was truly an up and down affair with the players eventually overcoming Edwards inept coaching to make the postseason, where, unsurprisingly, they were eliminated in the 1st round.
So do the Chiefs try to build on the late season success that lead to an unlikely playoff berth? Nope, they jettison Trent Green, and start the Damon Huard/ Brody Croyle debacle. Essentially wasting the final seasons of Gonzalez’s, Shield’s and the prime of Johnson’s careers.
The Chiefs slogged through a brutal 2007 campaign, winning a total of 4 games, after which, the Chiefs proudly announced, “We are rebuilding”. Well if expectations are sufficiently lowered now, you are rebuilding and Herm Edwards is at the controls of your franchise, you are talking to one of those sycophant fans that believe that this year is the year, every year.
The 1st step of the Chief’s brilliant rebuilding Strategy, trading away their best player on defense, the 26-year-old Jared Allen. This is how you rebuild? Trading away your best defensive player as he enters the prime of his career? No, this is how you further lower fan expectations.
Next is the Draft, where the Chiefs select Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, and Brandon Flowers on the 1st day, causing Mel Kiper to cream his shorts. Sorry, but other than Branden Albert, this group does not impress me. Dorsey has no discipline; his technique sucks and showed no ability or desire to improve in his time at LSU. Flowers is physical and has good instincts, but he takes too many chances to excel at the cover 2 coverage that Herm loves.
So you give up your best defensive player, gain multiple picks, and get an offensive guard out of all your moves to rebuild. The other picks are lateral moves compared to existing players on the roster.
And how about the key player for any team looking to rebuild, the quarterback, the Chiefs stuck with Brody Croyle. With the plethora of draft picks at their disposal the Chiefs could have grabbed just about any QB in the draft other than Matt Ryan. Instead they choose to ignore arguably their biggest need. That is some rebuilding strategy.
The expectations for the Chiefs could not be much lower at this point. Going into the season you have to expect them to be among the early leaders in the 2009 #1 draft pick competition. But the Chiefs continue to deflect, with Herm complaining about players having deals in place before free agency opens (we lost Jeff Faine…WHAAAA). They ask you to look in the other direction and pay attention to standout sophomore Dwayne Bowe, while the rest of the offense falls apart.
And as a Raider fan looking in, I have to laugh, because as low as the expectations are, the Chiefs have set themselves up to lower them further. If Croyle performs as expected, the Chiefs will be looking for a QB next season. Herm’s job will be safe because everyone knew this was a rebuilding year. Next year they take their QB of the future in round 1. Which gives Herm another 2 years grace to develop his protégé.
You have now lowered expectations to the point of “We may be a playoff team in 4 years” in a league where seemingly every team has a realistic chance of making the playoffs if things fall right as the season opens, the Chiefs have set their expectations at, we could make the playoffs in 4 years if everything falls right.
Which means the Chiefs have set themselves up for three more years of Herm Edwards as coach, in a league where teams can turn things around in one or two season via free agency, the chiefs are working on a 5 year plan that won’t even start for another year.
A five year plan that will depend on the success of a top 5 pick on QB, a pick that has a 50% success rate. A plan that by the time it comes to fruition will require them to find another franchise back to replace Larry Johnson who is already falling apart. Will require them to replace Tony Gonzalez and a compliment Dwayne Bowe, oh and put together an entire defense.
So whenever I feel down about the prospects of my team as a Raider fan, I can always look in division and feel better that no matter how misguided my team may seem at time, at least the management isn’t working hard to lower our expectations of the team. The Raiders will do everything in their power to win games.
Have fun Chief fans; enjoy your lowered expectations and the Herm Edwards/Brody Croyle era.
“Al Davis has lost it, the team will never win as long as Al is in charge.”
Constant variations of this theme are printed in the media, and recited by message board posters. It would be enough to drive a fan insane. Between the reported Kiffen power struggle, the obscene amount of Money paid to has-been and never were free agents, and a WR who gets rolled in Vegas, it would seem like the Raiders have not yet hit rock bottom, but are continuing to spiral downward.
Well I’m not going to lie to you and claim that all is peachy in Raider land. There are issues, and some high priced gambles have been taken. But you can’t say that the team has thrown in the Towel, they are still doing everything they can to win, and win now.
Which brings us to the team in the AFC West who truly is slipping into Lion and Cardinal territory, The Kansas City Chiefs.
I can hear it now “But Brick, the Chiefs are rebuilding, and doing it the right way through the draft, and they just had what is widely regarded as the best 1st day draft of any team.“
Sorry Chief fans, but your team is not rebuilding, they are buying time by lowering expectations. In fact that should be the slogan that the Chiefs plaster all over Arrowhead, the way the Raiders plaster “Commitment to Excellence” and “Pride and Poise” around the Coliseum.
Kansas City Chiefs “Lowering Expectations Since 2003”
The Chiefs looked to be onto something just a few years back, Dick Vermeil was at the helm and the offense was explosive. But everyone knew the weakness was on the D, and the team went years without addressing it. They lead the league in points scored in 2002, but only finished 8-8, the next year they improved on their offense and went 13-3 winning the division for only the 2nd time since 1997. But they failed to force the Colts to punt once in their home playoff game, and the writing was on the Wall.
This aging team had one, maybe two years to take advantage of their aging vets on offense and make a real Super Bowl push. How did they respond, by throwing caution to the wind and going all out to get some defensive players? Nope, they hired Gunther Cunningham (loosing Greg Williams in the process).
At this point the white flag was pulled out of the pocket and kept ready. Keen observers of the Professional game knew this was not enough to get them over the hump. This was a lateral move at best meant to show the fans they were trying, but really doing nothing to improve.
Since that season, Kansas City has become the land of excuses and individual accomplishments. The Chiefs continually prop up their players as some of the best in the Game. Look at Gonzalez, Shields, and Johnson. They are some of the best in the game, and are putting up record performances for the Chiefs.
Hey we were only the 4th team to ever miss the postseason with a double-digit win total in 2005. (To which they responded, not by trying to improve their team, but by trying to change the playoffs).
It was after missing out on the 2006 playoffs following the 10 win 2005 season that the white flag was raised and waived furiously. How do we know that the Chiefs had given up, easy, they hired Herm.
Edwards is not so much a head coach, but rather a deflection machine. The Guy should run spin classes at Ballie’s, not press conferences. In Herm the Chiefs had the perfect figurehead to run their “rebuilding” process.
The Herm era got off to a ignominious start with Trent Green’s concussion week 1, and the season was truly an up and down affair with the players eventually overcoming Edwards inept coaching to make the postseason, where, unsurprisingly, they were eliminated in the 1st round.
So do the Chiefs try to build on the late season success that lead to an unlikely playoff berth? Nope, they jettison Trent Green, and start the Damon Huard/ Brody Croyle debacle. Essentially wasting the final seasons of Gonzalez’s, Shield’s and the prime of Johnson’s careers.
The Chiefs slogged through a brutal 2007 campaign, winning a total of 4 games, after which, the Chiefs proudly announced, “We are rebuilding”. Well if expectations are sufficiently lowered now, you are rebuilding and Herm Edwards is at the controls of your franchise, you are talking to one of those sycophant fans that believe that this year is the year, every year.
The 1st step of the Chief’s brilliant rebuilding Strategy, trading away their best player on defense, the 26-year-old Jared Allen. This is how you rebuild? Trading away your best defensive player as he enters the prime of his career? No, this is how you further lower fan expectations.
Next is the Draft, where the Chiefs select Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, and Brandon Flowers on the 1st day, causing Mel Kiper to cream his shorts. Sorry, but other than Branden Albert, this group does not impress me. Dorsey has no discipline; his technique sucks and showed no ability or desire to improve in his time at LSU. Flowers is physical and has good instincts, but he takes too many chances to excel at the cover 2 coverage that Herm loves.
So you give up your best defensive player, gain multiple picks, and get an offensive guard out of all your moves to rebuild. The other picks are lateral moves compared to existing players on the roster.
And how about the key player for any team looking to rebuild, the quarterback, the Chiefs stuck with Brody Croyle. With the plethora of draft picks at their disposal the Chiefs could have grabbed just about any QB in the draft other than Matt Ryan. Instead they choose to ignore arguably their biggest need. That is some rebuilding strategy.
The expectations for the Chiefs could not be much lower at this point. Going into the season you have to expect them to be among the early leaders in the 2009 #1 draft pick competition. But the Chiefs continue to deflect, with Herm complaining about players having deals in place before free agency opens (we lost Jeff Faine…WHAAAA). They ask you to look in the other direction and pay attention to standout sophomore Dwayne Bowe, while the rest of the offense falls apart.
And as a Raider fan looking in, I have to laugh, because as low as the expectations are, the Chiefs have set themselves up to lower them further. If Croyle performs as expected, the Chiefs will be looking for a QB next season. Herm’s job will be safe because everyone knew this was a rebuilding year. Next year they take their QB of the future in round 1. Which gives Herm another 2 years grace to develop his protégé.
You have now lowered expectations to the point of “We may be a playoff team in 4 years” in a league where seemingly every team has a realistic chance of making the playoffs if things fall right as the season opens, the Chiefs have set their expectations at, we could make the playoffs in 4 years if everything falls right.
Which means the Chiefs have set themselves up for three more years of Herm Edwards as coach, in a league where teams can turn things around in one or two season via free agency, the chiefs are working on a 5 year plan that won’t even start for another year.
A five year plan that will depend on the success of a top 5 pick on QB, a pick that has a 50% success rate. A plan that by the time it comes to fruition will require them to find another franchise back to replace Larry Johnson who is already falling apart. Will require them to replace Tony Gonzalez and a compliment Dwayne Bowe, oh and put together an entire defense.
So whenever I feel down about the prospects of my team as a Raider fan, I can always look in division and feel better that no matter how misguided my team may seem at time, at least the management isn’t working hard to lower our expectations of the team. The Raiders will do everything in their power to win games.
Have fun Chief fans; enjoy your lowered expectations and the Herm Edwards/Brody Croyle era.
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