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All we know at the moment is that the worst team in the NFL is in Missouri. Whether it's the St. Louis Rams (who're playing right now and are somehow already down 10-0 with 6:44 left in the first quarter) or the Kansas City Chiefs (who finished playing halfway into the third quarter of their own game) is a topic of discussion.
The Chefs, well, they're not without talent -- Tony Gonzales is a future Canton inductee, Larry Johnson is an exceptional athlete (unfortunately, he knows this), and Jared Al...wait...hrm. Well, that ended sooner than I thought it would. Unfortunately what Rick Dean calls "the 'what the hell' elevation of third-team QB Tyler Thigpen to starter" (the only reason for not fielding Brodie Croyle right now is if he's been knocked Batman) is not your sole clue that coach Herm Edwards has a hammer and somehow sees everything in the world as a Philips-head screw. Thigpen looks like he's a nice guy, someone you wouldn't mind sitting down and watching the game with -- and that's exactly what he should be doing. Otherwise you get passes to Dwayne Bowe that the receiver couldn't catch if he were thirty feet tall. True, Thigpen can scramble. But if that's your criterion for judging quarterbacks, let Larry Johnson take the snaps; he might be a better passer.
We're watching the Herm Edwards experience die slowly in Kansas City. The sad thing is Edwards seems to know this, almost reconciled to painful losses against teams like, sigh, Atlanta. It could be that Edwards's eye is on the long game -- where will he be coaching next year? The appropriate move from transition team to young up-and-coming team requires a sacrifice of a caretaker coach to signal to the fanbase that the times, they are a-changin', and maybe Herm's just not putting his heart and soul into the '08 Chiefs. That's actually the generous assessment. The alternative is that the Chiefs have a paucity of potential and what little remains Edwards can't use to field a competitive NFL team.
Which leaves us with questions -- do you fire Edwards at season's end, or sooner? (I believe the organization still has enough class to wait for week 17's close before lowering the boom, but by then, it will be a surprise to no one.) Whither Gonzales? (Is it time for KC's greatest tight end -- receiver? -- to hang up the cleats? It would be a shame to see such a career end ringless, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him go.) What about Johnson? (The man's never been shy about making his displeasure known -- I doubt he'll be a Chief by the end of '08, certainly not '09.) What do the '09 Chiefs look like? (Like a kindergarten class photo -- new faces everywhere, several new draft picks, maybe one grizzled mentor quarterback, a Testaverde-turned-Gandalf for when the future franchise quarterback gets butterflies or diaper rash, but otherwise, familiar in jersey colors only.) And is it really too soon to give up on the '08 Chiefs? (True, we're only three games in, but we've seen significant disorganization, inability to convert in pressure situations, and worst of all, timidity. There are cures for that, but none the NFL will allow to be used in stadiums. Barring a fundamental change in lineup, staff or philosophy, this team is over.)
Next week the Chefs host the Broncos, and I don't think I can watch. Edit: though if I had to wager a guess on how it's going to go....
E2: I am so making an icon out of this. At least one.
The Chefs, well, they're not without talent -- Tony Gonzales is a future Canton inductee, Larry Johnson is an exceptional athlete (unfortunately, he knows this), and Jared Al...wait...hrm. Well, that ended sooner than I thought it would. Unfortunately what Rick Dean calls "the 'what the hell' elevation of third-team QB Tyler Thigpen to starter" (the only reason for not fielding Brodie Croyle right now is if he's been knocked Batman) is not your sole clue that coach Herm Edwards has a hammer and somehow sees everything in the world as a Philips-head screw. Thigpen looks like he's a nice guy, someone you wouldn't mind sitting down and watching the game with -- and that's exactly what he should be doing. Otherwise you get passes to Dwayne Bowe that the receiver couldn't catch if he were thirty feet tall. True, Thigpen can scramble. But if that's your criterion for judging quarterbacks, let Larry Johnson take the snaps; he might be a better passer.
We're watching the Herm Edwards experience die slowly in Kansas City. The sad thing is Edwards seems to know this, almost reconciled to painful losses against teams like, sigh, Atlanta. It could be that Edwards's eye is on the long game -- where will he be coaching next year? The appropriate move from transition team to young up-and-coming team requires a sacrifice of a caretaker coach to signal to the fanbase that the times, they are a-changin', and maybe Herm's just not putting his heart and soul into the '08 Chiefs. That's actually the generous assessment. The alternative is that the Chiefs have a paucity of potential and what little remains Edwards can't use to field a competitive NFL team.
Which leaves us with questions -- do you fire Edwards at season's end, or sooner? (I believe the organization still has enough class to wait for week 17's close before lowering the boom, but by then, it will be a surprise to no one.) Whither Gonzales? (Is it time for KC's greatest tight end -- receiver? -- to hang up the cleats? It would be a shame to see such a career end ringless, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him go.) What about Johnson? (The man's never been shy about making his displeasure known -- I doubt he'll be a Chief by the end of '08, certainly not '09.) What do the '09 Chiefs look like? (Like a kindergarten class photo -- new faces everywhere, several new draft picks, maybe one grizzled mentor quarterback, a Testaverde-turned-Gandalf for when the future franchise quarterback gets butterflies or diaper rash, but otherwise, familiar in jersey colors only.) And is it really too soon to give up on the '08 Chiefs? (True, we're only three games in, but we've seen significant disorganization, inability to convert in pressure situations, and worst of all, timidity. There are cures for that, but none the NFL will allow to be used in stadiums. Barring a fundamental change in lineup, staff or philosophy, this team is over.)
Next week the Chefs host the Broncos, and I don't think I can watch. Edit: though if I had to wager a guess on how it's going to go....
E2: I am so making an icon out of this. At least one.
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