Final Ten Things About the 2017 Season

[gblowfish]

Ten Things About the 2017 Chiefs Season

10. Now that I’ve had a chance to down a half bottle of Pepto and had a couple hours sleep, I think I can now reason clearly. I want to begin by saying I don’t think any informed Chiefs fan expected this team to be a Super Bowl contender. And you can say that first going into the season after Spencer Ware got hurt, or last going into the playoffs after the team had lost five out of six, and went ‘Oh-for-the-State-of-New York" during November and December. If we didn’t lose to the Titans, we probably would have lost badly to either Pittsburgh or New England on the road. I’ll explain why I think that later when I get to the “Follow the Money” arguments. As far as last night’s soul crushing debacle, it will be the game known as the “Forward Progress Game” to join the annals of other great Chiefs home disasters. The specifics of the game have been talked to death already. I’ll just add a few things. The Chiefs blew an 18 point second half lead at home. They had five yards of total offense in the third quarter. K-Hunt had only 11 carries. KC only rushed for two first downs. On the flip side, Tennessee rushed for 202 yards. Titans had a pick and a fumbled punt; and should have had two other fumbles on Mariota that accounted for a 12-point swing in the game, thanks to the newly retired Mr. Triplette. Buttkicker carried on the storied tradition of Stenerud, Lowrey and the Kicker Who Shall Remain Nameless by doinking a critical kick in the third quarter. Special teams had stupid penalties to kill game momentum, including a personal foul that erased a roughing the kicker penalty that would have sustained a Chiefs drive. Alex Smith was given an opportunity to get the team into field goal range to win, and failed once again; proving he is not a quarterback that can lead a team to victory in a critical situation. Cumulatively, the team has now lost ten of their last eleven post season contests, including six straight at home. Is it possible for us to defer a home game? I don’t see any reason for us to ever host a playoff game in Arrowhead ever again. Let’s just offer the opponent home field advantage. We’ll have a better shot, and it won’t cost our fans hundreds of wasted playoff dollars.

9. About Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs Culture: In the history of the NFL, teams are 67-4 when leading by 18 or more points a halftime. Andy Reid owns two of those miserable losses - The Andrew Luck Colts game, and last night. I heard another stat last night that Andy Reid has the 9th most NFL regular season victories, and the third most NFL playoff losses. I think Andy is basically the second coming of Marty. There’s been great coaches who could not win the big one like John McKay, Don Coryell and Chuck Knox. At least Marv Levy and Bud Grant got to the Super Bowl more than once. Also, much like Marty, Reid is developing a coaching “tree” where former Chiefs assistant coaches leave and find greatness somewhere else. Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy and Bruce Arians all worked for Marty. Doug Pederson in Philly worked for Reid, and now a bunch of teams want to talk to Nagy about a head coaching spot. You can even argue that organizationally, others have left our culture to have a shot at greatness. Pioli and Haley are both still in the big dance. John Dorsey has an exciting future in Cleveland with both the number one and number four overall picks in the upcoming 2018 draft. Chris Ballard is rebuilding the Colts. As far as this latest collapse, Reid didn’t even have the stones to criticize Triplette after the game, because “he didn’t want to get fined.” Thanks for speaking up on behalf of your team, the fans and the organization, Andy. Even if you get fined, you’ll still be able to afford as many trips to Golden Corral as you can handle.

8. The overview of the offense is not all gloom and doom. The Chiefs have a lot to look forward to next year. Assuming the Chiefs deal off Smith, let’s assume they get a second round pick for him- we won’t have a first rounder this year as Buffalo will be laughing all the way to the draft podium with our first round pick- but we should be able to pick up a couple of decent players with two second round picks. We’ll get Spencer Ware and Chris Conley back from injury. We’ll have Kelce, Hill and K-Hunt all back, and all in their prime. And Mahomie will have a full compliment of weapons -more than just Albert Wilson- at his disposal. Four of our offensive line -Schwartz, Fisher, Canadian Doc and Fulton, are above average. Our schedule will be a killer since we finished first in division. We’ll probably miss the playoffs altogether next year. But if you’re gonna break the kid in, might as well throw him up against the best the league has to offer to accelerate his learning curve. You can't beat the best until you've had experience playing against the best. At least the team will be fun to watch, and not a slow lingering death spiral like watching an Alex Smith half like last night.

7. The defense is a lot of gloom and doom. It needs a fix, top to bottom. it needs to start by putting Bob Sutton in assisted living. I suggest sending about 500 of those “Fear Nothing Attack Everything” towels along so his caretakers can wipe his bottom with them. The Titans did not punt in the second half. Not once. Titans were 8 for 13 on third down, and that’s after basically doing nothing the entire first half. Their three points in the first half were gifted by Mr. Triplette. KC defense gave up six yards per play. And where Dick LeBeau made adjustments to shut out KC in the second half, once Sutton lost Chris Jones, his defense went to total shit. It seemed the longer the third down distance to gain, the more Mariota liked it. The fans did all they could do to contribute to the defense. One fan induced penalty actually hurt the team. KC had Mariota stopped, but Triplette called delay of game, which gave the Titans another chance. Mariota then picked up the first down on a scramble, sustaining a 91 yard drive. It was one of those kinds of snake bit moments that fit perfectly to the narrative.

6. I think the biggest problem defensively all season was lack of pass rush. Coming out of training camp, Sutton was counting on Hali, Ford, Houston and Chris Jones to provide the pressure. Hali should have been cut, but the team just let him hang around and draw a paycheck. Ford was useless and injured. Houston is being paid JJ Watt money but disappeared in this game. His only play was to pick up a Mariota fumble, but that play was blown dead by our pal Mr. Triplette. DJ was a liability on pass coverage and was not sent on the blitz nearly enough. He was more dangerous than Houston. The only shining star was Reggie Ragland, who looks like he’ll be a reliable run stopper and a thumper. K-Pass is a puppy and is a project. Chris Jones went out hurt, and his injury -along with the cheap shot that put Kelce out with a concussion- was the momentum swing Tennessee was looking for. They came out in the second half, kicked ass and didn’t look back. That is EXACTLY what the Chiefs should have done. Instead, we got the Andy Reid turtle show.

5. Our defensive secondary needs a total overhaul. One of the reasons they were so bad as a group was the lack of pass rush, giving opposing receivers tons of time to work open. We have two reliable secondary players: Eric Berry, who was lost on a Thursday night game injury to open the season; and Marcus Peters, who is a loose cannon and a head case. The rest of the group are marginal to terrible. Sorensen takes bad angles. Parker flat out cannot tackle. Nelson is injury prone. Murray got beat by Decker for the go ahead TD last night. Gaines, Acker, Smith, Mitchell are all the same guy. That is to say, always chasing somebody downfield on the way to giving up a TD or a DPI. Revis needs to be given his gold watch and sent to the golf course. Veach has been pretty good a snagging guys off other teams practice squads. He needs to scour every single opportunity -including the CFL- to find some reasonably decent defensive backs. Guys who are not afraid to come up and hit in run support, and who can turn their head around. Who knows what Berry will be like coming off his injury? Who knows if Peters can keep from being suspended week after week after week? I would trade Peters for a first round pick, and take another starting corner in the draft. Deal Peters while his value is at a premium. I’m sure Chucky would love to have him in Vegas.

4. I would also make a coaching change in special teams. Dave Toub lived off reputation, and did a poor job. Special teams production on punt and kickoff was terrible, especially on kickoff. We started drive after drive after drive inside the 20 yard line because of Toub’s insistence of running out kickoffs. Penalties in special teams never got solved. Colquitt’s contract is up. I would let him go, just like Denver let his brother go; and draft that kid Dickson off the Texas Longhorns with a third round pick. If he’s not available, go get Corey Fatony from Mizzou with a fifth round pick. Buttkicker was a fine addition. I think he’ll be around for a long time. I was very disappointed that he missed his only kick in the playoffs, but I’m willing to chalk that up to Rookie Yips and kicking in cold weather. It wasn’t a gimme kick, but he had enough leg. He just pulled it. Even if he hits it, the way the defense was playing, Mariota probably would have found a way to get Succop another chance to win. There needs to be some accountability with this coaching staff. Cutting Toub loose would send a message that nobody should get too comfy and ride their reputation. Devin Hester’s career is way back in the rear view mirror now.

3. Alex Smith needs to go. He’s not a bad quarterback, he’s just not a killer and a winner. The reason he needs to go is two fold. One: he’s had his shot to shine here and failed. Five years is plenty. His trade value will never be higher than now. Second: If we keep him for one more year, we’ll be lucky to get close to the same level of play. Next year's schedule looks to be as tough or tougher than this year’s schedule. Additionally, Smith has a history of injury. He made it through this year OK, but he’ll be a year older and a step slower. Also, he’s a free agent after his contract expires. Might as well get something for him while we can. Chiefs fans have had our fill of San Francisco cast offs. DeBerg, Bono, Montana, Grbac and now Smith. Enough. Let’s get on with Mahomie. Let him take his lumps next year, and start building something. Tyler Bray should be toast too. I’m hoping Veach signs a veteran backup -a Nick Foles type- or pulls somebody off a practice squad who could be the next Tyrod Taylor or Teddy Bridgewater. And if Mahomie gets hurt, we’re screwed anyway. So go for it. Let the kid play.

2. Finally, the organization, especially CHunt, deserves heavy criticism. Only three other NFL teams are remotely as futile as our Chiefs: The Jets, Lions and expansion Browns. The original Browns are now the Ravens and have won two super bowls since we were last there. It’s going on fifty years since the Chiefs won a championship. The PR and Marketing Weasels keep pushing this narrative of how Kansas City is a special, rich heritage franchise, and a storied team and a glorious, admired organization. The truth is the exact opposite. To the rest of the league, especially the rest of the AFC West- the Chiefs are a laughing stock. A punchline. A pants wetting, choking, pathetic bunch of inept losers. What hurts most is, that’s the truth. Teams that are true storied franchises like Pittsburgh, New England, Green Bay, Dallas and Denver - and you can even throw in the Raiders- expect Super Bowls. Anything less is an unacceptable embarrassment and abject failure. Green Bay went out and got Rodgers when Favre was done. Denver went out and got Peyton Manning. The Raiders just spent $100 million to get a decent head coach to rebuild their franchise. Here in Kansas City, we get AFC West Divisional Championships, and that’s it. Nothing else is expected, nothing else is achieved. It’s the core of the organizational culture, and it hasn’t changed since the days of Lamar and Steadman, or Lamar and King Carl, or CHunt and Pioli, and now CHunt and Andy Reid. I don’t put this on Veach. Reid is our real GM and Veach is an enabler. Dorsey was the fall guy for last year. Sutton will most likely be the fall guy for this year. CHunt seems to care more about hobnobbing with Roger Goodell and the other Billionaire owners than actually being driven to win for Kansas City. Jerry Jones is a giant pain in the league’s ass, but nobody can deny his singluar, focused drive to win. He’ll do literally anything to win. Here, CHunt is more interested in giving up home games to play in London, and I’m sure he’ll be all in for us to play in Mexico next year against the Rams. The Hunt family doesn’t even bother to live here. In the long run, we might be better off if CHunt sexually harassed his secretary ala Jerry Richardson, and is forced to sell the team. Or move the team to Mexico City, and KC would get an expansion franchise, or a relocation, like maybe the Chargers. At least the Chargers have been to the Super Bowl since 1969. When Andy demurred from criticizing Triplette last night “Because He Didn’t Want To Get Fined, “ CHunt should have been in front of the press screaming bloody murder about getting jobbed in his own house. But nary a peep. I’m sure at the end of the month when we get our bills for 2018 season tickets, the email will talk about “a disappointing ending to a great season where we won our second AFC West Crown.” Yeah, great. That basically equals the Royals winning back to back Cactus League Championships.

1. So that’s it - we end with another epic Chiefs poop stain in the ole’ tighty whiteys. Finally, as far as "follow the money": The NFL is in trouble. A court case a few years back established that the NFL does not owe the consumer a fair or legitimate contest. Buying a ticket only guarantees an “entertainment experience.” With jerks like Papa John screaming bloody murder at Goodell, officiating crew chiefs like Mr. Triplette allowed to butcher a game and then walk away scott free, empty seats in stadiums and declining viewership, the league really needs Patriots vs. Steelers in the AFC Championship, and probably Atlanta vs. Whoever Else in the NFC. That would be the best for ratings. They’d drool for a Pats-Falcons rematch. I also think the league wants a lovable loser. The Chiefs are like the Cubs or Red Sox of the NFL. Good enough to be interesting, nice little side show in flyover country, but never good enough to go be the prime time headliner. And history shows us that's been the case for decades and decades and decades and decades…and decades. Cubs fans and Red Sox fans waited nearly 100 years -both in media markets much larger than Kansas City. And we’re only halfway there. As for me, I’m going to get together with the wife and we’ll decide whether we’re in or out for 2018. Last year I dropped one of my three tickets. This year I may just cry “Uncle” and stop going altogether. Its not worth the treasure or time to watch this horror movie six times in a row. Mahomie may be the only thing that changes my mind. If they bring Smith back, I’m going to have a really hard time with the chosen direction of this franchise. If things don’t radically change, then the joke is once again on me.

Thanks for reading, and considering my thoughts and observations. Have a nice off-season everyone. See you around.

[Dave Lane]

Great post as always.

Just to nitpick a few things after sleeping on it, Butker was not the problem 48-yard kick in 25-degree weather is tough as hell. Just barely missed, but the Titans took a knee at the KC 10 yard line to end the game. Even if you make the kick the odds of Succop missing a 27 yarder is remote so we still lose by 1.

Second, Triplette did blow the whistle and maybe Mariota holds the ball better if he doesn't hear it.

The biggest thing is this Alex in the 2nd half 34 yards passing take the decision away from the kicker and the refs and score. Or at least move the ball. The 34 yards passing is the answer to why we lost. Nothing else makes a difference.

[hitchief]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Have you seen our road schedule? It's a killer.

Patrick is a killer and will overcome any deficiency on this team, EOS. That's why he was traded up for and sat a year to learn and that's what we've been sold.

Since all of the past failures are Smiff's fault, its makes sense that changing that one thing = playoffs at least if not championship.

There can be no excuses next year!

[syncro87]

I've enjoyed reading but have never joined the forum/posted until now. I finally had to activate my account solely to give kudos on this post. Outstanding.

I've been thinking along the lines of point #2 for some time now, but haven't been able to articulate it as well as gblowfish. It's as if the OP got into my head and was able to type out what I've been pondering. #2 is absolutely spot on, and in my view, the root of the whole problem. Point #9 is also right on the money, in particular, not to take away from the rest of the material, which is excellent.

Great "Final Ten Things" post. Brilliant.

[MahiMike]

6. I think the biggest problem defensively all season was lack of pass rush.

I was shocked they didn't put KPASS in for Hali. Really thought they were gonna pull out the stops for Mariota. I absolutely knew he would run wild in the 4th.

[hitchief]

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

Great post as always.

Just to nitpick a few things after sleeping on it, Butker was not the problem 48-yard kick in 25-degree weather is tough as hell. Just barely missed, but the Titans took a knee at the KC 10 yard line to end the game. Even if you make the kick the odds of Succop missing a 27 yarder is remote so we still lose by 1.

Second, Triplette did blow the whistle and maybe Mariota holds the ball better if he doesn't hear it.

The biggest thing is this Alex in the 2nd half 34 yards passing take the decision away from the kicker and the refs and score. Or at least move the ball. The 34 yards passing is the answer to why we lost. Nothing else makes a difference.

Yes, most excellent post. Alex was the reason in this game and all games for the last 5 years. We will win everything going forward by getting rid of that trash.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by syncro87

I've enjoyed reading but have never joined the forum/posted until now. I finally had to activate my account solely to give kudos on this post. Outstanding.

I've been thinking along the lines of point #2 for some time now, but haven't been able to articulate it as well as gblowfish. It's as if the OP got into my head and was able to type out what I've been pondering. #2 is absolutely spot on, and in my view, the root of the whole problem. Point #9 is also right on the money, in particular, not to take away from the rest of the material, which is excellent.

Great "Final Ten Things" post. Brilliant.

Hi George.

[Dave Lane]

Originally Posted by hitchief

Yes, most excellent post. Alex was the reason in this game and all games for the last 5 years. We will win everything going forward by getting rid of that trash.

I agree he is trash that has wasted 5 years of my life and can therefore gtfo.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Idk about that.

Every team in our division, including Seattle who used to be in our division, has been to the SB in the last 22 years.

It’s embarrasing.

Yeah but the Chargers and Oakland got annihilated in the Super Bowl. Never even were in the game. I can't imagine that was a real great experience.

Unless something dramatic happens, this year will continue the lack of parity in the AFC. The Patriots, Steelers, Colts, Broncos, Ravens and Bills will have won the AFC for 29 of the last 33 years. The other ten AFC teams will have won 4 times combined.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Did setting the edge keep us from blowing an 18 point lead or forcing a single punt from the Titans in the second half? Where was Houston in the fourth quarter? Peters has attitude, all right. Enough attitude to punt balls and throw flags into the stands, get in shouting matches on the sidelines with coaches and get suspended for disciplinary reasons. Can't guarantee you could find a first round corner with his ball skills, but could guarantee you could find a guy that won't draw a suspension. And that's "Mister Stupid Mother****er" thank you. At least I put my money where my mouth is. I think the NFL is too big to script every game -like WWF can script a wrestling match- but I do think refs have the ability to steer games, especially with pass interference and roughing the passer calls, holding calls (or no holding calls) or episodes like Mr. Triplette's forward progress calls. Now that's truly some Hogwash.

For someone who has witnessed hundreds of games at Arrowhead, you sure don’t know jack shit about football. You sound like a jilted teenager who thinks they are owed something because they spend money to support it.

[Prison Bitch]

Jerry Jones is a giant pain in the league’s ass, but nobody can deny his singluar, focused drive to win. He’ll do literally anything to win.


With 1 playoff win in the last 20 years, he's obv not doing "anything" to win.

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by syncro87

I've enjoyed reading but have never joined the forum/posted until now. I finally had to activate my account solely to give kudos on this post. Outstanding.

I've been thinking along the lines of point #2 for some time now, but haven't been able to articulate it as well as gblowfish. It's as if the OP got into my head and was able to type out what I've been pondering. #2 is absolutely spot on, and in my view, the root of the whole problem. Point #9 is also right on the money, in particular, not to take away from the rest of the material, which is excellent.

Great "Final Ten Things" post. Brilliant.

George has a brother.

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by Trivers

Respectfully, not one of your better Top 10. You stated you are tired; hope you get some rest.

Your rant was too long and too filled with drama. Golden Corral because you are personally upset that he would not rip the refs...are you willing to pay his fine? Sexually assaulting...would your wife approved of that prose? You are better than than.

Your Hunt characterization was disappointing. We have seen time and time again where Clark writes checks to support his executive team's decisions. He may need to change executives again; but to state that you KNOW he doesn't care is flat wrong.

I've been a fan since '67. And will never give up supporting. Looks like you may have. Sorry to read that. PM me if you want to sell the rights to your excellent seats.

Rants are by nature long and full of drama, especially a season ending rant. But I do feel better now.

I'm sure Golden Corral would be happy to sponsor some Andy Reid commercials that would more than pay for his fine. He could sit down at the table with a bib on, suck on a spare rib, look at the camera and say "At Golden Corral, the time is yours!" As far as CHunt goes, I'm not suggesting he sexually harass anybody, although that seems to be the reason the Carolina Panthers are on the auction block. CHunt is not necessarily a squeaky clean guy, either. The State of New Mexico thinks otherwise.

https://www.foxsports.com/kansas-cit...council-090317

All team owners "write checks to support his executive's decisions." That's what the definition of Team Owner is. The guy who writes the checks.

Does he care? Yeah, in a "Is ending world hunger a good goal" kind of way. Is he clearly as driven as other owners and teams to succeed? Not really. Proof is in the track record. When did Clark take over? Ten years ago? Anything changed around here in ten years? Not really.

So, you want to buy the rights to my seats? What do you think is a fair offer? Don't forget to include punitive and emotional damages.

[FloridaMan88]

Originally Posted by MahiMike

6. I think the biggest problem defensively all season was lack of pass rush.

I was shocked they didn't put KPASS in for Hali. Really thought they were gonna pull out the stops for Mariota. I absolutely knew he would run wild in the 4th.

Tamba Hali who barely played or practiced all season because of his 95 year old knees was suddenly counted on by Sutton to apparently be a key pass rusher in a playoff game.

That failed strategy alone should get Sutton fired.

[JENKINSWINS]

This team has the worst luck with untimely injuries. This year it was DAT and Kelce. The other times it was Maclin and Charles.

[ChiefFanForHire]

Originally Posted by LoneWolf

For someone who has witnessed hundreds of games at Arrowhead, you sure don’t know jack shit about football. You sound like a jilted teenager who thinks they are owed something because they spend money to support it.

You sound like you're too stupid to realize that when the head ref lies about forward progress where there was none to negate our ability to challenge his dogshit call, he's not allowed to do that, and he's technically rigging the game.