Blogs

Scott Pioli, Kansas City Chiefs Face Important Offseason

By Craig Paquin

The Kansas City Chiefs 2011 season was one that certainly did not meet expectations, exposing holes in the roster and a lack of depth.  Exit Todd Haley, enter Romeo Crennel, and replay the worried look on Scott Pioli’s face because his job is now on the line. Scott Pioli knows that this offseason is the most important of his career; one he must ace if he wants to continue heading football operations at 1 Arrowhead Drive. Pioli will have to work the draft and free agency hard this season to turn around a team that was seemingly going in the right direction only a year ago.

So what are the needs facing the Chiefs this offseason? As far as immediate needs are concerned, the consensus seems to be at quarterback, right tackle, and nose tackle. Looking further, guard, center, inside linebacker, defensive end, tight end, and free safety could be upgraded. After that begins the needs for depth at running back, center, and strong safety.

Let us begin with perhaps the most important position on the field, the quarterback. Matt Cassel’s play this year was certainly subpar. Cassel missed important reads on wide-open receivers and turned the ball over

Looking Ahead at the Chiefs' Fortune

By Nathan Alexander

 

We can only play one game at a time. Don’t get caught looking too far ahead. Take the games as they come.

These are old saws for professional players and coaches. The reminders are not just a way of trying to sound humble, they are actually important mindsets to maximize a team’s chances of winning.

Luckily, fans don’t have to do that. Sure, nothing is set in stone and things can change in the blink of an eye. For example, Oakland was thinking about an AFC West title and maybe a run through the playoffs right up until Jason Campbell’s collarbone shattered. Denver may end up turning into a good team with Tebow at QB, which would have an impact on projections. But we have finished seven weeks of NFL football, so there is a good amount of context by which to judge a team’s strength as an opponent.

Looking ahead at the rest of the schedule for the Chiefs, in order:

SD @ KC

MIA @ KC

DEN @ KC

KC @ NE

PIT @ KC

KC @ CHI

KC @ NYJ

GB @ KC

OAK @ KC

KC @ DEN

 

From that, let’s start with

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

By Nathan Alexander

Chiefs shutout the favored Raiders 28-0

By Michael Scheuerman

28 to was the final score.  Six interceptions, Two of which were returned for touchdowns to help the Chiefs shut out the Oakland "Bully" Raiders.  As a Chiefs fan nothing compares to this feeling.  The thought of all the angry, sad, pissed off Raiders fan yesterday just warms my heart.  The Raiders had beaten the Chiefs five of the last seven meetings.  Even more impressive is the Raiders have not lost a AFC West game since 2009, which also was against the Chiefs.  This game was a measuring stick for the 2011 Kansas City Chiefs.  They measured high in all areas and it's clear they have become a team through all the distractions and doubters along the way.  The fans will enjoy this win for years to come but it's time to move on to the biggest measuring stick yet.

The Chargers are coming to Arrowhead on what will likely be a crisp cool night in what will be a battle for first place in the AFC West.  There will not be a more electrofied place Monday night than Arrowhead stadium.  A playoff atmosphere, a fan base desperate for a championship contender, and a Chargers team that does not lose

The Man On The Gridiron, Masked

By Ryan S. Hall

Perhaps we've been too hard on Matt Cassel.

What I mean to say is... well yeah, the guy is pretty bad. Let's at least be honest for a moment, though: this season's hope was that with elite weaponry in place he could excel despite his many deficiencies. There was talk of "Killer B's" and a stacked backfield; Peter King was comparing Tony Moeaki to Dallas Clark. Thanks to some devastating injuries, Cassel has not been able to enjoy the full complement of players he was supposed to be provided.

Don't get me wrong, he's supposed to be an NFL quarterback. In all reality, if this team is built in the likeness of the New England Patriots then Cassel's arsenal should have no bearing on his production.

But he's no Tom Brady - that much is clear. What he is, however, is still undefined.

Small Victories

By Ryan S. Hall

It was only three short years ago the Chiefs were mired in a slump that saw them win only six games in two seasons. That kind of ineptitude brought about a drastic change in Kansas City that up until now had seemed like it was working.

While players like Brandon Flowers insist that "we won't go back to the old Chiefs" there is little to look forward to on the rest of the schedule. We do have this Sunday's game, however - against a poorly Vikings squad that presents the first genuine opportunity for this Chiefs team to actually win.

And this is where I begin to really admire Todd Haley.

Rather than take the easy way out (see: Suck for Luck), Coach Haley is calling audibles. Frustrating as it may be, this team has been forced to alter their plan for the

Dear Matt,

By Ryan S. Hall

Matt Cassel is playing for more than pride today, he could be playing for his job

Let me start by apologizing. I can't even begin to imagine how difficult this season is going to be for you. After just two weeks, your team has lost their two best players to injury... not to mention your favorite security blanket, Tony Moeaki. There's a much bigger problem at play here, though.

As an NFL Quarterback, you're expected to be a team leader. There have been a few instances since you arrived in Kansas City when I thought, "Damn... he might be the guy." Problem is, the one that comes to mind was only put in perspective because you lost your appendix. Sorry about that, by the way. My point was that playing Quarterback comes with a great amount of responsibility; responsibility that frankly, to this point in your career, you haven't lived-up to.

I have to say: when I first saw

Suck For Luck, Revisited

By Ryan S. Hall

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

Pride and Prejudice

By Ryan S. Hall

For the past 36 hours, I've tried to imagine how Todd Haley is feeling. Following a wildly successful 2010 season, he's now being asked about job security the Monday after game two of 2011... My how things change.

Even after a somewhat questionable preseason, the fan base was wholly behind this team. There was talk of another division crown, the first repeat for the franchise in its history. Yet here we stand, in the wee hours of Tuesday, September 20th and I've just wasted the better part of three hours reviewing my favorite radio show's inane drivel about rooting for losses in hopes of landing Stanford's whiz-kid QB Andrew Luck.

It almost feels worthless preaching to a fan base that has seemingly lost all hope after two miserable weeks.

Again, I'm reminded of Todd Haley.

For all his faults, the Chiefs' Head Coach

Mankato On My Mind

By Ryan S. Hall

Chiefs shutout 25-0 by the Buccaneers

Last night’s defeat – a 25-0 embarrassment at the hands of the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers – came as quite a shock to a lot of Chiefs fans. Online forums are flush with complaints about competitiveness and winning attitude after a game in which the Chiefs sat the majority of their starters. It’s been difficult for some to grasp the trickle-down effect a decision like that has on the quality of play in what was essentially a glorified scrimmage.

Given the fact that the Chiefs are reduced to basically one padded practice a week – not to mention the late start with their full-compliment of veteran players – Coach Haley clearly treated the first preseason game a lot like the Mankato scrimmages of years passed.  While each team has a different plan on how to reach it, the goal of every NFL franchise is to “peak” at the right time. What should be clear after the Chiefs’ first preseason contest is that Todd Haley and Co. are not worried about what other teams are doing; they have a schedule meticulously mapped out and they’re going to do everything in their power to ensure this team plays its best football