Suck For Luck, Revisited

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Like any good argument, clarification is always needed. After many rebuttals concerning part one of this series, "Pride and Prejudice," here are a few things that should add some solidarity to the idea that for the Kansas City Chiefs, "Suck For Luck" is nonsense in its truest form.

First I'd like to delve into our (previously) anointed savior, Scott Pioli. For those of you that want Todd Haley gone - and you will certainly get your wish if we have the first overall pick - you need to think about a few things: for starters, Pioli could have picked damn near any coach out there for this team given his reputation... but he still hand-picked Haley. He took enough time that speculation arose about Herm Edwards being brought back. Pioli was patient enough to wait until after the Super Bowl and as soon as he and Haley got in a room together, the deal was sealed.

Let’s also look at the coaching alternatives following this season: If I hear another word about Bill Cowher or John Gruden, I'm going to lose it on someone. It could be a stranger in the supermarket for all I care... point is, ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

Seriously... pardon me, but wake up Kansas City.

You want to know who the realistic candidates are? Romeo Crennel, Josh McDaniels, Kirk Ferentz and yep, you guessed it - Eric Mangini. Now that's startlingly awesome... and all of them are head and shoulders better than Todd Haley, right? Well, if you want Luck, you have to deal with the consequences and losing Todd Haley is most definitely one of them.

See, Scott Pioli is so enamored with the accomplishments of the Patriots that anyone having anything to do with that organization automatically gets a head start and at least one get out of jail free card... that goes for players and coaches alike. In some ways, it very closely resembles the way Carl Peterson liked to do business - you know, with all his buddies around?

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As it pertains to this football team, right now today (let alone as the season goes on) - we're nowhere near as bad as the first two weeks have looked. Don't even begin to lie to yourself about that either. Even without the likes of Berry, Charles and Moeaki, we are not that bad. Out of sorts certainly, but not downright awful. The Chargers game Sunday afternoon could get ugly but I fully expect us to beat both Minnesota and Indianapolis, which will have us at 2-3 going into the bye.

Frankly, in terms of talent, we're deeper at running back than any other position on the team. Losing a player of Jamaal's caliber would hurt every team but we're certainly better off losing him than Dwayne Bowe, given the issues with depth this team is facing. I can promise you this: we will be ranked in the top 10 in rushing yards this season.

In terms of our first two opponents, we'll see just how good they are in time. Buffalo is 2-0 on the season, with both wins coming against the AFC West. They will absolutely embarrass the Broncos and might even squeak out a win in San Diego. The Lions also play each of the other three teams in our division, so why don't we go ahead and hold judgment until those games happen? And by the way: if you're keeping score at home, the Chiefs were considered weak last season because we swept the NFC West while the other members of our division fared pretty poorly (SD/OAK 2-2, DEN 1-3). Keeping that in mind, you literally never know what will transpire on Sundays in the NFL.

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As a matter of fact, yes, you should be embarrassed. You want to know what the "Suck for Luck" state of mind is all about? Apathy... and it’s a killer of franchises. Without their fans, the Chiefs are nothing; same goes for any NFL team. It shows a complete lack of heart (not to mention common sense) to give-up on a team after two weeks of a season that spans 17.

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There are 7 billion-ish humans on the planet and only six of them are "Franchise Quarterbacks." Of that group, one of the most highly regarded hasn't even won a ring (Philip Rivers). It took Peyton Manning - perhaps the most highly regarded QB of all time - eight seasons to win a championship. Guys like Dan Marino and Warren Moon never got one. Of the current group of elite guys, only two of them (Manning, Rivers) were top-10 picks. Hell, Brady and Brees weren't even first rounders.

In no way am I saying we need to scour the lower rounds to find someone like Tom Brady, despite that seeming to be Scott Pioli's strategy. What I am saying is that the combination of keeping Todd Haley and getting an upper-echelon prospect like Jones or Barkley sounds a whole lot better than dealing with a new coach and a QB in Andrew Luck that is no more likely to succeed than any other guy in his draft class.

Listen: while everyone has a right to their own opinion, sometimes we have to come to the realization that our opinion is stupid. For those of you climbing aboard this Andrew Luck bandwagon after two games... that time is now.

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