Chiefs Blob Gretz = IT'S A TOUGH, LONG FIGHT - Page 8

teedubya · 09-17-2008, 04:31 AM

IT'S A TOUGH, LONG FIGHT
SEP 17, 2008, 5:04:21 AM BY BOB GRETZ - FAQ

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/09...gh_long_fight/

Let me start by writing about the Battle of the Bulge.

No, not the pivotal moment in World War II when the Germans made a last ditch effort to turn the tide of the war with an offensive against the Allies in France and Belgium. This epistle is about the battle tens of millions of Americans fight on a daily basis. I’m writing about the fight to lose weight.

How many times have you said “Starting (fill in the date) I’m going on a diet and I’m going to exercise and I’m going to lose (fill in the amount) pounds.” That start-day comes, you are motivated and prepared and for a few days, you eat less and work out more. But then your will wanes and you sneak a little something sweet here, and a little something salty there. It’s just a little; it can’t hurt.

Before you know it, you are back where you started.

I use this tale in relation to where the Chiefs and their fans are after two games of the 2008 season.

Before all this got started, Herm Edwards spoke for months – make that years – that the Chiefs needed to get younger. When the bottom dropped out of last season and the team finished 4-12, it provided the perfect storm. The roster was trimmed, draft choices were accumulated and the rebuilding through youth began.

Based on the e-mail and conversations I had with hundreds of Chiefs fans, the strategy was considered a winner. Most liked the idea that the direction of the team was changed and a group of young players would drive the future.

When a team goes in this direction, there is no going halfway. That would be a giant waste of time. You don’t dip your foot in the rebuilding through youth pool. It’s got to be a head first dive into the deep end.

But it’s one thing to say you are going young and rebuilding. It’s quite another thing to live through the efforts. They are not pretty. They do not always go well. There are ups and downs that wreck the stomach and create anger, second guessing, panic and delusions.

I write this only because I’ve read the e-mails I’ve received here at kcchiefs.com and at my own website, bobgretz.com. I’ve heard a few callers on sports talk radio. I’ve seen the writings and heard the rumblings of various pundits. There is outrage, there is anger, there is second guessing, there is panic and there are delusions.

Going young suddenly doesn’t seem to be the way to go. Fans want the Chiefs to go out and sign somebody, anybody. Others want somebody fired. It doesn’t matter who. They just want someone called on the carpet, head placed in the guillotine to answer for being 0-2 and losing as badly as the Chiefs did last Sunday to the Raiders.

Listen, the team’s performance against Oakland was without a doubt woeful. It was not up to the standards the team established the week before in losing to New England.

But it was but one picture in a series of 16 pictures that will make up the gallery of the 2008 Chiefs season. Those pictures very well may be a series of ups and downs as young players get their feet under them and learn the business of playing pro football. What few older bodies remain will play their way out of the picture or suffer injury that steals their availability.

This is what rebuilding looks like. It’s a dirty, stinkin’, gut-wrenching business, as difficult as anything there is to do in the game of football.

Some would say the Chiefs aren’t rebuilding, they are building. But that’s semantics. What the Chiefs had here for the better part of the last 18 years was winning football. It wasn’t the ultimate success, it wasn’t championship football, but there were more victories than defeat. There was always hope of something better. Eventually, there was a desire for something more concrete than hope.

Right now the Chiefs are trying to re-build a winning football team, one that will be good for years and will challenge for a championship. They easily could have gone out and signed various veteran free agents and put together a more experienced team that would go 9-7, maybe 10-6 and slip into the playoffs every once in awhile.

Would that be satisfying?

From personal experience, I can tell you the only way to lose weight is to eat less and use more energy and that must become a lifestyle, not a momentary thing.

The Chiefs have made a lifestyle change. There are going to moments of hunger, but the goal is better health and a winning football team.

It’s not time to start cheating.

triple · 09-17-2008, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claythan

What should Herm have done? Signed a bunch of free agents?

Herm did the only logical thing he could do - build via the draft. That process involves growing pains.

GET A CLUE.

I see. I should GET OVER IT. We as fans don't deserve any better than going from the playoffs to the worst team in the NFL in 3 years. This rebuilding effort is going SO WELL. The coaching is amazing, young players are maturing before our very eyes. the Chiefs are playing exciting football and growing by leaps and bounds. This roster is just loaded with potential.

But three years aren't nearly enough for a coach to make an improvement in a team. It's more of a five year plan. Carl and Herm have a five year plan to get us to the super bowl, where have I heard that before.

Does it hurt to have Carl's hand up your arse moving your mouth like a muppet?

triple · 09-17-2008, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Dan

I give Herm credit for an eleven game losing streak...

I credit him for turning the offense into a rejected clip from the Benny Hill show...

milkman · 09-17-2008, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Donnie "drag me 10 yards and I will get you down" Edwards? The other two were passed on to Gunther, and ended up being passed on to Herm ****ing Edwards as well. Try again!

Donnie should have been a Cowboy, cause he rides 'em like he's at the rodeo.

**HemiEd** · 09-17-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claythan

Your hatred of Herm Edwards has completely clouded your point of view. You are not willing to give him credit for a GOD DAMN THING.

Oh I give him plenty of credit, plenty. He single handedly, has turned this team in to the laughing stock it hasn't been for over two decades.

Sorry, I have been down this road before and recognize it for the stinking pile of shit that it is.

I am excited about the young talent on this team, if Herm and his flunkies don't destroy it before a real NFL HC gets here.

**HemiEd** · 09-17-2008, 12:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

Donnie should have been a Cowboy, cause he rides 'em like he's at the rodeo.

Exactly, he is actually a better player now, than during his previous stint with the Chiefs IMO.

**luv** · 09-17-2008, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claythan

Your hatred of Herm Edwards has completely clouded your point of view. You are not willing to give him credit for a GOD DAMN THING.

You did finally get to watch Sunday's game, didn't you?

Hammock Parties · 09-17-2008, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by triple

We as fans don't deserve any better than going from the playoffs to the worst team in the NFL in 3 years.

If you seriously want to blame someone for becoming the worst team in the NFL, DICK VERMEIL is the one to blame. He left Herm with practically NOTHING. Then Carl decided to try and hang on to Dick's creaky veterans for two more years before Herm could FINALLY start doing it his way.

Herm Edwards is blameless for the current state of the Chiefs. Only he can save us, however. So get behind him.

milkman · 09-17-2008, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claythan

If you seriously want to blame someone for becoming the worst team in the NFL, DICK VERMEIL is the one to blame. He left Herm with practically NOTHING. Then Carl decided to try and hang on to Dick's creaky veterans for two more years before Herm could FINALLY start doing it his way.

I'm going to blame Lamar Hunt for not firing Carl years ago.

Quote:

Herm Edwards is blameless for the current state of the Chiefs. Only he can save us, however. So get behind him.

Herman ****ing Edwards couldn't save you from drowning in your own piss.

**KC Dan** · 09-17-2008, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claythan

Herm Edwards is blameless for the current state of the Chiefs. Only he can save us, however. So get behind him.

You are a joke now... Get your lips off Gretz and Carl dude...

triple · 09-17-2008, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Oh I give him plenty of credit, plenty. He single handedly, has turned this team in to the laughing stock it hasn't been for over two decades.

Sorry, I have been down this road before and recognize it for the stinking pile of shit that it is.

I am excited about the young talent on this team, if Herm and his flunkies don't destroy it before a real NFL HC gets here.

It wasn't Gansz' fault the team sucked. he had nothing to do with it. Gansz was an awesome coach just like Herm Gansz is. I mean Herm Edwards.

triple · 09-17-2008, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carl's Muppet

If you seriously want to blame someone for becoming the worst team in the NFL, DICK VERMEIL is the one to blame. He left Herm with practically NOTHING. Then Carl decided to try and hang on to Dick's creaky veterans for two more years before Herm could FINALLY start doing it his way.

Herm Edwards is blameless for the current state of the Chiefs. Only he can save us, however. So get behind him.

Sounds like Herm is the one "getting behind" you

I'm not getting behind this culture of failure. I want it changed. It'll be a cold day in hell before I become a Carl shill like you sir.

bobbything · 09-17-2008, 12:36 PM

This team will not win a playoff game before Herm Edwards leaves KC.

Frosty · 09-17-2008, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claythan

Gunther would quit. He would walk if they dumped Herm.

I know that gives some of you a woody.

Boy, if that is true.. put me firmly on the "Fire Herm NOW!!!" bandwagon.

**HemiEd** · 09-17-2008, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arc

Boy, if that is true.. put me firmly on the "Fire Herm NOW!!!" bandwagon.

No kidding, kind of like catching two fish on the same cast. Bonus!

orange · 09-17-2008, 02:33 PM

Jumping back in here, I'm not surprised to see a couple of posters have taken up Pet/Edw/Gretz' defense. I want to respond to a couple of points that have come and gone with little notice.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

I understand, but here's the problem with that.

People "supposedly" jumped on board with this rebuild in the offseason KNOWING that Herm Edwards would be the coach and that Carl Peterson would be the GM in 2008.

Now, those same people are pitching a bitch because, big surprise, Herm Edwards is the coach and Carl Peterson is the GM.

This is bullshit - but I won't say "and you know it" because it's possible the truth hasn't sunk in. In the bolded parts you speak AS IF THE FANS ALL WERE OF ONE MIND and they simply WERE NOT. Most of the posters on this board, callers to KC sports talk, commenters on the KC Star sports pages, etc., NEVER BOUGHT IN to Clark Hunt's decision to retain Peterson and Edwards, and they certainly never forfeited their right to complain about GETTING FED THE SAME OLD CRAP from this organization. At most, much of the fan base showed resigned acceptance, and many never even went that far. The drumbeats for firing Peterson and Edwards - ESPECIALLY Peterson - never stopped.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

It's damn near unprecedented for an organization to bring in a new coach from OUTSIDE the organization in the middle of a season.

- Good candidates typically aren't available, they are working for other teams in some capacity.

- Even IF a good candidate was available, why would he want a job in which he's basically auditioning for a new GM? No one is going to take a job under those circumstances

Even if you accept this argument - and I don't - there is still absolutely NO reason not to dump Peterson now. Bringing in a new GM early would actually be beneficial. He could get first hand experience with the organization including players and coaches in real time and get started on his remodelling without any rush.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claythan

And then Mangini PROMPTLY made the playoffs with Herm's talent.

I'm really not sure how that helps your case that Edwards is a good coach. By your own account, Edwards took a team with playoff type talent and coached them to a 4-12 record. I'm a little confused.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Claythan

Our quarterbacks suck.

Our offensive line sucks.

We have one wide receiver.

We have one linebacker.

Let's agree for the moment that all the offensive players Vermeil had got old. Let's not even talk about the offense at all. Let's talk about the defense. When Edwards came in, he inherited a bad but improving defense - and he continued it's improvement through his first two years. But this is year three and it's apparent early on that the D - Herm Edwards' D - has taken a step backward. Or are you going to blame that on all the great Vermeil veterans on the Defense getting old?

09-17-2008, 04:31 AM
teedubya Most Valuable Poster Join Date: Oct 2003 Casino cash: $9023042	Blob Gretz = IT'S A TOUGH, LONG FIGHT IT'S A TOUGH, LONG FIGHT SEP 17, 2008, 5:04:21 AM BY BOB GRETZ - FAQ http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/09...gh_long_fight/ Let me start by writing about the Battle of the Bulge. No, not the pivotal moment in World War II when the Germans made a last ditch effort to turn the tide of the war with an offensive against the Allies in France and Belgium. This epistle is about the battle tens of millions of Americans fight on a daily basis. I’m writing about the fight to lose weight. How many times have you said “Starting (fill in the date) I’m going on a diet and I’m going to exercise and I’m going to lose (fill in the amount) pounds.” That start-day comes, you are motivated and prepared and for a few days, you eat less and work out more. But then your will wanes and you sneak a little something sweet here, and a little something salty there. It’s just a little; it can’t hurt. Before you know it, you are back where you started. I use this tale in relation to where the Chiefs and their fans are after two games of the 2008 season. Before all this got started, Herm Edwards spoke for months – make that years – that the Chiefs needed to get younger. When the bottom dropped out of last season and the team finished 4-12, it provided the perfect storm. The roster was trimmed, draft choices were accumulated and the rebuilding through youth began. Based on the e-mail and conversations I had with hundreds of Chiefs fans, the strategy was considered a winner. Most liked the idea that the direction of the team was changed and a group of young players would drive the future. When a team goes in this direction, there is no going halfway. That would be a giant waste of time. You don’t dip your foot in the rebuilding through youth pool. It’s got to be a head first dive into the deep end. But it’s one thing to say you are going young and rebuilding. It’s quite another thing to live through the efforts. They are not pretty. They do not always go well. There are ups and downs that wreck the stomach and create anger, second guessing, panic and delusions. I write this only because I’ve read the e-mails I’ve received here at kcchiefs.com and at my own website, bobgretz.com. I’ve heard a few callers on sports talk radio. I’ve seen the writings and heard the rumblings of various pundits. There is outrage, there is anger, there is second guessing, there is panic and there are delusions. Going young suddenly doesn’t seem to be the way to go. Fans want the Chiefs to go out and sign somebody, anybody. Others want somebody fired. It doesn’t matter who. They just want someone called on the carpet, head placed in the guillotine to answer for being 0-2 and losing as badly as the Chiefs did last Sunday to the Raiders. Listen, the team’s performance against Oakland was without a doubt woeful. It was not up to the standards the team established the week before in losing to New England. But it was but one picture in a series of 16 pictures that will make up the gallery of the 2008 Chiefs season. Those pictures very well may be a series of ups and downs as young players get their feet under them and learn the business of playing pro football. What few older bodies remain will play their way out of the picture or suffer injury that steals their availability. This is what rebuilding looks like. It’s a dirty, stinkin’, gut-wrenching business, as difficult as anything there is to do in the game of football. Some would say the Chiefs aren’t rebuilding, they are building. But that’s semantics. What the Chiefs had here for the better part of the last 18 years was winning football. It wasn’t the ultimate success, it wasn’t championship football, but there were more victories than defeat. There was always hope of something better. Eventually, there was a desire for something more concrete than hope. Right now the Chiefs are trying to re-build a winning football team, one that will be good for years and will challenge for a championship. They easily could have gone out and signed various veteran free agents and put together a more experienced team that would go 9-7, maybe 10-6 and slip into the playoffs every once in awhile. Would that be satisfying? From personal experience, I can tell you the only way to lose weight is to eat less and use more energy and that must become a lifestyle, not a momentary thing. The Chiefs have made a lifestyle change. There are going to moments of hunger, but the goal is better health and a winning football team. It’s not time to start cheating.
Posts: 36,825

09-17-2008, 12:36 PM	#117
bobbything Distributor of Pain Join Date: Nov 2004 Casino cash: $8644900	This team will not win a playoff game before Herm Edwards leaves KC. __________________ "It is not enough that I succeed; everyone else must fail."
Posts: 3,480

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