Shane Life

As much as I don’t like to write people off before they’ve been given an adequate shot, I’m starting to think that signing Matt Cassel to a long-term, expensive contract was one of the worst decisions that the Chiefs have made in recent years (dating back to the King Carl days). One thing is sure, Cassel is certainly not who he was advertised to be…a savvy, accurate, good decision-making quarterback.

The Chiefs front office (particularly GM Scott Pioli, who made this ludicrous signing) want to assure the fans that it is the offensive line that is the problem, not their 6-year, $63 million man.

I’m not buying it.

If Cassel has proven anything to me this year, it’s that he makes really bad decisions at inopportune times and he consistently under- and over-throws his receivers. Now, granted, it’s not like he’s throwing to Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco out there, but some of his throws have been so abysmally inaccurate that I’m really starting to doubt his capability at all.

The front office wants to tout his mobility. And I’ll concede that yes, he can run. It doesn’t mean he has to. There are two things that bother me about his so-called “mobility”:

1. He exercises the run option too quickly. I’ve seen him leave the pocket far too early on numerous times this season, leading to him getting lit up by a linebacker or losing yards as he’s pulled down by a defensive end who now has to chase him a little less.
2. The key to “mobile” NFL quarterbacks is that they have the capability to throw on the run. Cassel can’t. He can’t hit the broad side of a barn on the run. Now, neither  can his predecessor at New England, Tom Brady. But Brady is deadly accurate in the pocket. Cassel is not. Brady has good protection. Cassel does not. But if you’re going to call yourself a mobile quarterback in the NFL, you’d better be able to hit a receiver or a tight end or fullback on the run. And I’ve seen nothing this season that proves Cassel can do that.

Much of the blame for this season’s failures should fall squarely on the shoulders of the head coach, Todd Haley, who looks completely inept when it comes to managing a team during a game. I think that Haley was in the right place at the right time in Arizona.  The Chiefs had to get rid of Herm Edwards last year, because let’s face it, a cinnamon roll could coach better than Edwards. But I doubt that Haley was their #1 choice when it came to choosing someone to lead the Chiefs back to the playoffs (although I think fans would just accept a .500 season at this point).

I really enjoy Haley’s passion and tenacity. But those two things don’t win games if all they are doing is covering up the mistakes of your players that you can’t seem to coach. I think both Haley and Cassel are going to get another year to prove themselves. Rebuilding this once proud franchise is not going to happen overnight. But I think both our head coach and our quarterback need to be put on notice. I will be watching you.

That is, of course, unless the game is blacked out again.

So, the Chiefs finally released the homophobic, underperforming, “marquee” running back.

Finally.

It’s been a long time coming. His two good seasons, including his single-season rushing record 2006, were behind one of the greatest offensive lines in history. He no longer runs with any passion or toughness. His off-the-field antics have just gotten to be too much.

While it’s possible that he lands somewhere else, I don’t care. I applaud Scott Pioli and Todd Haley for getting rid of him. There are others in the locker room who are not happy, but none of them are a complete embarrassment to the organization like Johnson has been over the past several seasons. There are some who think he was just getting what he wanted. I think that we’ll find that all he got was the opportunity to go be someone else’s problem.

He’s not a Chief anymore.

And that makes me glad.

Larry Johnson’s Twitter tirade and subsequent suspension caused an uproar on the web and in the media.

And rightfully so.

The Chiefs suspended him for a game, so he loses a crapload of money. His reputation as a homophobe (something that was already pretty well-known) was cemented.

Is it enough? Is it too much? I read an interesting perspective from former NFL GM Charlie Casserly today.

One thing is sure. Chiefs fans have had enough. Me too. Johnson has fallen apart now that the offensive line isn’t made up of perennial Pro Bowlers like Willie Roaf and Will Shields who opened gigantic holes for him to run through. He doesn’t run with any toughness anymore, falling down as soon as a linebacker touches him. So much of his tirade focused around how great his dad is as a coach. Frankly, I’d take his dad on the field as an alternative to his 2.7 yards-per-carry average.

But even more offensive than his awful on-the-field play is his off-the-field activities, whether it be the latest incident or him spitting in women’s faces or throwing them against walls. He’s a despicable human being and his play on the field no longer justifies any sort of loyalty by the Chiefs. We’re on the hook for his salary anyway…let’s just toss him aside in the same way that he’s single-handedly trashed his career.

Maybe that’s harsh. I don’t care. He’s a terrible football player.

Get rid of him and don’t let him get the Chiefs’ all-time rushing record.

The Chiefs shocked everyone in the NFL today by defeating the Washington Redskins at home 14-6.

14 points seems like 2 touchdowns, right? NOPE. 4 field goals by the greatest Chiefs kicker of the last decade, Ryan Succop and a safety at the end of the game by Tamba Hali. Madness.

It was an ugly game that was dominated not by defense, but by two offensive deadbeats who took turns turning the ball over and running into the back of their respective offensive lines. Larry Johnson somehow managed to put together his best rushing effort of the season, including his longest run from scrimmage (a whopping 17 yards!).

One of the worst things I saw during the game was the Gatorade dump on head coach Todd Haley once the team sealed the deal with Hali’s safety. Look, I know “a win is a win” but the victory only proves that KC as an organization is only run slightly better than Dan Snyder’s Redskins. Seriously, if there was ever a team that languished in mediocrity longer than the Chiefs, it is the Redskins (although they’ve been to the Super Bowl more recently, but who hasn’t?).

I don’t mean to be one of those people who is a pessimist about my favorite team, but I gotta call a spade a spade. The Chiefs are still one of the worst teams in the NFL. It just so happened that this Sunday, they were matched against another one team in that same lower echelon.

I just hope it doesn’t ruin our draft pick for next year.

For a fleeting moment today, Chiefs fans had hope.

What a weird game. At first, it looked like the Chiefs were going to get blown out. Then a freak punt block from the clear best part of this abysmal Chiefs team (the special teams) and an interception by Derrick Johnson and all of a sudden, the Chiefs are not only in the game, they are winning.

But then we came crashing back to reality.

Our defense got torched and we once again realized that our offensive line sucks and the only wide receiver we have that’s worth anything is double-covered. Mark Bradley, you should be fired for failing to get that first down early in the game. Look, I’m happy for Tony and his “winning team” and all that, but it would be a lot better to have another option besides D. Bowe. The other receivers that the Chiefs have this year are like a who’s who of human crap. And don’t even get me started on Larry Johnson and his 1.8 average.

One thing I liked, Todd Haley’s sideline reaming of Brodie Croyle after this 4th-string clown had to call a second timeout in a row. Whether he can coach will remain to be seen. I’m holding off judgement because I never thought we were going to win this game. Baltimore is a good team. Flacco is a potential franchise quarterback, especially if he can play against Maurice Leggett every week.

No one ever said that the Chiefs would be good this year. I certainly didn’t expect them to beat the Ravens. At times, they looked exactly like the team we thought they’d be: clueless on offense, mistake-prone on defense, Colquitt nails as always. At other times, they actually managed to move the ball on offense with Brodie Croyle at QB (how did that happen?) and our defense was stout, coming up with a huge interception by my man DJ.

I think that Chiefs fans should probably get used to this kind of schizophrenia of our beloved home town football team. I think Baltimore is a tough opponent to judge ourselves against and it doesn’t get any easier in the coming weeks, but I’m somewhat encouraged. Here’s to the new 5-year plan…

Over the last few days (and weeks), there have been several positive changes at 1 Arrowhead Drive. New General Manager Scott Pioli and Head Coach Todd Haley are intent on ensuring that Kansas City fans know they are not messing around.

First, the Chiefs dumped the unproductive, salary-cap heavy Patrick Surtain, Donnie Edwards, and Damon Huard. All three players were consistently injured

Then, Pioli leaned on his buddies at the Patriots for one last favor. He managed to acquire Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel for only a second-round pick in what could potentially define the early years of this young general manager’s career. To get two players of this caliber for only a second-round pick is a no-brainer. The Chiefs will obviously restructure Cassel’s $14.5 million guaranteed (franchise-tag-determined) into a longer term deal. Vrabel is on the downside of his career, but is still pretty productive. I’m not sure if he’s an upgrade over Donnie Edwards (a player that I always really liked), but I’d say he’s at least equal value.

There isn’t much of a risk to this deal. Even though Cassel only has one year as a starter (thanks to the Chiefs, ironically), he’s got the stats to warrant the trade. In a relatively shallow draft, the Chiefs managed to keep their 3rd overall pick, which they can now (and should) spend on a stud pass-rusher or try to get two first-rounders.

Whatever happens, I think it’s safe to assume that we’re in for a very different ride than we’ve been used to under Carl Peterson. To see the Chiefs in the free agent mix this early in the game is a great thing. I’m really looking forward to seeing what else they look to do. They certainly have the cap room now that those veterans have been jettisoned. We need to fill lots of spots and without a lot of great draftees out there, I’d look to the Chiefs to sign more free agents in the next few weeks. Hopefully a wide receiver so Cassel has someone to throw to besides Dwayne Bowe.

Preseason football can’t get here soon enough.

I’m about half a day late to this dance, but that doesn’t mean I can’t celebrate. Herm Edwards is finally gone.

I want to point you to a post that I wrote on December 18, 2006 in which I called for his firing:

The Kansas City Chiefs are a poor excuse for a mediocre football team. And I blame Edwards. His poor game planning has single-handedly ruined one of the league’s most potent offenses over the last 5 years and turned it into a team that loses to THE CLEVELAND BROWNS.

So a mere two years later, I finally get what I’ve been asking for all along.

I’m not sure what took the organization this long to let him go. He had to know that the writing was on the wall, but I’m assuming that Edwards thought to himself, “If I get fired, I still get paid, but if I quit, I don’t.” I’ve never seen Herm as a quitter. He’s a decent guy, a man of faith and family and all that, but as a football coach, he is dismally underqualified.

We know that Herm can’t take all the blame for the disaster that is the Chiefs, but he should bear a large amount of the responsibility with his antiquated approach to offense and his inability to put together a defense. With Carl Peterson gone, the writing was really on the wall for a guy whose team was only better than Detroit, Oakland and St. Louis over the last two years and only had two wins in the last 25 games.

The rumor mill is abuzz with who will be the next head coach at 1 Arrowhead Drive. Chris Mortenson at ESPN is lobbying heavily for former Donkeys redfaced coach Mike Shenanigans. I hope for the love of God he is wrong. The Chiefs fan in me will always be conflicted cheering for that guy. I can’t figure out what the appeal of Shanahan is. This is a guy who melted down in the horrid AFC West this year, ultimately losing their last three games and the division to the Chargers who had started the season at 4-8.

If the Chiefs are looking to go with a proven coach, I’d prefer Bill Cowher (he claims he doesn’t want to coach this year, but I imagine he could be convinced). But honestly, if I’m Scott Pioli (or any general manager for that matter), I’m not paying these big salary coaches a dime. I’d rather go with a guy like Haley, the offensive coordinator from the Super Bowl-bound Arizona Cardinals. The time for these old coaches is over. Let’s get some new blood on the sidelines and see what they can do. It seems to be working out OK for Pittsburgh and Arizona, who both have first-time head coaches (Mike Tomlin and Ken Whisenhunt, respectively) at the helm.

No, I didn’t get a job.

It appears the Chiefs have hired Scott Pioli as their next head of football operations. This isn’t exactly news…Clark Hunt has been courting the Patriots’ head of player personnel for weeks now, but Pioli made no bones about the fact that he didn’t want to inherit Herm Edwards and wanted him out the door before he came in.

That didn’t happen, but it appears that it is only a matter of time before the Evil Carl and his awful hire (from the start, as I said time after time on this blog) Herm have both been run out of town.

I’m so happy.

We all know the Chiefs stink. Carl Peterson getting fired (or resigning or whatever) isn’t going to fix our problems. We still have a complete clown for a coach.

I had said to myself that I wasn’t going to blog about it anymore, but watching the hatchet job he does every Sunday, it’s difficult to keep quiet.

Now that Clark Hunt has done the right thing in getting rid of Carl, he should follow up by removing the coach who single-handedly has dealt this team loss after loss over the pass two years. Watching Miami’s Tony Sparano coach his team to a possible playoff berth one year after their abysmal Cam Cameron 1-15 season assures me that with the right leadership, ANY team can turn it around. There are folks who will say that Carl was the problem and that Herm should be given the chance to “get his guys”. Well, I think that Herm could fill every coaching slot with “his guys” and draft for another 2 years and we wouldn’t be much closer then than we are now. He’s just a bad coach.

He was a bad coach in New York. He lucked into the playoffs on the heels of Dick Vermeil’s guys his first year here and has since turned the Chiefs into the AFC’s version of the Detroit Lions. In fact, if the Lions didn’t exist, I doubt there’d be much discussion as to who the worst team in the NFL is.

Clark Hunt has shown that he’s got the stones to do the right thing. He should do it again and get rid of Herm, start anew and renew the loyal Chiefs fans’ faith in 1 Arrowhead Drive. I think that 2-14 is a good enough excuse to blow it up. Let’s now see if Clark Hunt will do it.

Let’s hope that next week’s second half meltdown to the Bengals is the final time we have to watch Herm stomp the sidelines of the field acting like he cares when he really has absolutely no clue how to coach an NFL team. For the sake of the organization, it’s time to let him go.