The Anti-Whitlock Posnanski: Start Croyle Now!

[Deberg_1990]

I guess he wants to start a QB controversy...


http://www.kansascity.com/180/story/278351.html



CHICAGO | Chiefs coach Herm Edwards smiled just a little after I asked him the question. “You going to start a quarterback controversy?” he asked.

Sure. Why not? Here it is: It’s time. Bench Damon Huard. Start Brodie Croyle.

A few things became clear Sunday afternoon as the sun set over Soldier Field. One, the Chiefs have absolutely no idea how to tackle Devin Hester. Two, the only way the Chiefs’ offense can score touchdowns these days is to have a receiver run the wrong route. They might want to put that crazy Dwayne-Bowe-takes-the-ball-away-from-Tony-Gonzalez play in the playbook (although in that case Bowe might run a different wrong route). Three, a Bears opponent is never completely out of the game as long as Rex Grossman is the quarterback.

And four, the big one, it’s time for the Chiefs to go with Croyle.

This doesn’t have anything to do with panic. OK, well, yeah, it might have a little something to do with panic. The Chiefs are 0-2. They should feel a little panic. They are the only team in the NFL that hasn’t won a game yet going back to the preseason. They have looked miserable on offense. Hopeless. This is a team heading for a long, dry season unless something drastic happens.

As Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez said, “Something’s gotta be done.”

Well, what can be done? The Chiefs are not exactly a team overflowing with options. They could let “Hard Knocks” star Bobby Sippio play a little receiver. They could have angel of death Ray Farmer walk through the locker room carrying a scythe. They could cut another kicker. Edwards could unleash another classic, “You play to win the game,” rant — those are always entertaining.

None of those things, though, seems likely to make a difference. No, the Chiefs are not stalling. They are freefalling. It’s time to break the emergency glass. It’s time to bring in Brodie Croyle.

But this isn’t just about shaking things up. The Chiefs have lost faith in Huard. There’s no doubt about that. The reason Edwards went with Huard to start the season is because he’s a veteran guy, he’s been there before, he played well much of last year, he supposedly has that mystical ability to, as coaches say, “manage the game.” Edwards had wanted to go with Croyle, but the guy looked dazed and confused all during the preseason. Edwards felt like he had no choice. Croyle was given a chance to win the job. He did not win it. Edwards figured that Huard had been through a few football wars.

“He gives us our best chance to win right now,” Edwards would say.

Well, that quote has been turned inside out. The Chiefs played Sunday as if they believed that Huard had no chance to win the game. You didn’t need Bill Belichick’s secret film crew to predict what that Chiefs’ offense was going to do. The whole offensive game plan was built around draw plays, 3-yard slant passes to Jeff Webb and dump-offs to Kris Wilson. It was surprising that Huard didn’t have training wheels on his shoes.

And for most of the second half it looked as if the Chiefs were simply trying to keep the score respectable. Three times on third and long — when trailing by more than a touchdown — the Chiefs ran the football. That’s high school stuff.

The irony, of course, is that on third and 1 in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs did give Huard a chance to throw. He made a bad decision — he tried to float a fade pattern pass to Samie Parker (generously listed at 5 feet 11 in your Chiefs media guide). The ball was knocked away and then intercepted. That ended things. Privately (and not so privately) Chiefs coaches and players were upset. This is exactly the kind of game-killing decision they were hoping to avoid by starting the veteran Huard.

With about three and a half minutes left in the game, Brodie Croyle came in. Instantly, things were electric, exciting, he hit all five of his passes, he drove the Chiefs down the field, there was energy and hope. Croyle threw a beautiful 34-yard pass to Webb — the longest pass play of the game for either team. Now, nobody is kidding anybody here — it was the end of the game, the Bears were in a prevent defense, the game was more or less over, it was all pretty meaningless. Croyle understood that.

He still looked awfully good.

“Obviously, in that situation, we’re two scores down, they’re going to play a certain kind of defense,” Croyle said. “But it was a step forward for me personally.”

Hey, nobody is saying that Croyle is ready to step in and be a young Joe Namath. He would undoubtedly make mistakes, force bad throws, take bad sacks — there would be some pain. But there’s plenty of pain now. Croyle’s got that great arm, that enthusiasm, that charisma — he might make some plays and change the mood.

One thing is clear: The Chiefs can’t keep going the way they’re going. The defense is getting frustrated with the offense. The offensive stars — Larry Johnson and Gonzalez in particular — are losing patience. The older guys and younger guys on the team are beginning to splinter. This season is dying. Herm Edwards can’t let the season die without at least trying the bold move.

“Are you ready to start Brodie Croyle?” I asked Herm Edwards as he was walking out of the locker room.

“You going to start a quarterback controversy?” he asked back.

“Yes,” I said.

“I have faith in Damon,” he said finally. “But I do believe Brodie is our future.”

Consider the controversy started.