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More holes than KC streets
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
PITTSBURGH | The problem is Trent Green won’t fix the problems exposed inside Heinz Field.
John Elway couldn’t repair what the Pittsburgh Steelers unearthed on Sunday. And neither could Vince Lombardi.
There are holes in the Chiefs, shortcomings that can’t be covered by the return of KC’s starting quarterback or an improved game plan.
What we learned Sunday during the Steelers’ 45-7 thrashing of our local football team is that the Chiefs lost too much on offense from a year ago and didn’t add enough on defense this offseason.
This was no ordinary blowout loss. It was a symptom of a bigger problem. The last time we’ve seen the Chiefs play this poorly was in 1998, when they went on the road to New England in mid-October and the Patriots clocked Marty Schottenheimer’s Chiefs 40-10.
That Chiefs team, which entered the season as Super Bowl favorites, finished 7-9 and finished Marty in Kansas City.
The NFL is a league that prides itself on parity, on 32 teams of equals. No non-expansion NFL franchise is supposed to be 38 points worse than another franchise on any given Sunday.
So how did we get here, how did the Steelers jump to a 31-0 halftime lead?
“The Steelers had their backs against the wall,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards explained, “and played like a Super Bowl team.”
True that.
The defending-champion Steelers entered with a 1-3 record and a franchise quarterback fighting to keep Pittsburgh football fans happy with Charlie Batch on the bench. The Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger were desperate.
That would explain an easy, 17-point Pittsburgh victory. How to explain the additional three touchdowns?
You have to look at the Chiefs for those answers.
Not only did they lose Willie Roaf (Hall of Fame left tackle), Priest Holmes (one-time NFL record-holder for TDs in a season), Tony Richardson (the best blocking back in the league) and offensive coordinator Al Saunders (the play-caller for a record-setting offense), but the Chiefs took no action to replace any of their losses with someone better.
Kyle Turley, out of the league for two years, was signed originally to play the right tackle spot vacated by John Welbourn, and Jordan Black was supposed to fight to backup Turley. Training camp trade acquisition Michael Bennett’s resume looks nothing like Holmes’. The same can be said of Ronnie Cruz’s resume in comparison to Richardson’s. The Chiefs gave offensive-line coach Mike Solari his first crack as a play-caller.
Do any of these moves sound like the Chiefs were trying to improve their offense?
No. It sounds like a team plugging holes in a dam with their fingers. The strategy only works if you add something — a big-time No. 1 receiver, for example. The Chiefs added no new wrinkle to their offense.
And now teams stack the line of scrimmage and dare Larry Johnson to run the football. The kid who was supposed to run for 2,000 yards is going to struggle to crack 1,000. He gained 26 yards in 15 carries Sunday, and he looked tentative and indecisive doing it.
“We’re going to have to demonstrate we can throw the ball downfield or teams are going to continue to sit on 27,” tight end Tony Gonzalez said.
Defensively, the additions of Ty Law and rookie Tamba Hali were good moves. But it’s clear the Chiefs are still soft in the middle of their defensive line. Pittsburgh gashed the interior of KC’s defense with a highly effective running game. Fast Willie Parker and big Najeh Davenport took turns savaging the Chiefs. The Steelers rushed for more than 200 yards.
With no playmaker in the middle of KC’s defensive line, the Chiefs blitz in an attempt to create a consistent pass rush. Roethlisberger torched KC’s blitzes.
“We weren’t mentally ready to play,” guard Brian Waters said.
I asked the Chiefs’ defensive players if they were “flat” or “overconfident.” Sammy Knight and Lenny Walls laughed at the question.
“We just didn’t execute,” Knight said, scoffing at the idea that KC’s two-game winning streak caused the Chiefs to relax. “We didn’t tackle. Every individual is going to have to accept responsibility for what happened today.”
That includes Carl Peterson, the architect of this roster.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/15769104.htm
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By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
PITTSBURGH | The problem is Trent Green won’t fix the problems exposed inside Heinz Field.
John Elway couldn’t repair what the Pittsburgh Steelers unearthed on Sunday. And neither could Vince Lombardi.
There are holes in the Chiefs, shortcomings that can’t be covered by the return of KC’s starting quarterback or an improved game plan.
What we learned Sunday during the Steelers’ 45-7 thrashing of our local football team is that the Chiefs lost too much on offense from a year ago and didn’t add enough on defense this offseason.
This was no ordinary blowout loss. It was a symptom of a bigger problem. The last time we’ve seen the Chiefs play this poorly was in 1998, when they went on the road to New England in mid-October and the Patriots clocked Marty Schottenheimer’s Chiefs 40-10.
That Chiefs team, which entered the season as Super Bowl favorites, finished 7-9 and finished Marty in Kansas City.
The NFL is a league that prides itself on parity, on 32 teams of equals. No non-expansion NFL franchise is supposed to be 38 points worse than another franchise on any given Sunday.
So how did we get here, how did the Steelers jump to a 31-0 halftime lead?
“The Steelers had their backs against the wall,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards explained, “and played like a Super Bowl team.”
True that.
The defending-champion Steelers entered with a 1-3 record and a franchise quarterback fighting to keep Pittsburgh football fans happy with Charlie Batch on the bench. The Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger were desperate.
That would explain an easy, 17-point Pittsburgh victory. How to explain the additional three touchdowns?
You have to look at the Chiefs for those answers.
Not only did they lose Willie Roaf (Hall of Fame left tackle), Priest Holmes (one-time NFL record-holder for TDs in a season), Tony Richardson (the best blocking back in the league) and offensive coordinator Al Saunders (the play-caller for a record-setting offense), but the Chiefs took no action to replace any of their losses with someone better.
Kyle Turley, out of the league for two years, was signed originally to play the right tackle spot vacated by John Welbourn, and Jordan Black was supposed to fight to backup Turley. Training camp trade acquisition Michael Bennett’s resume looks nothing like Holmes’. The same can be said of Ronnie Cruz’s resume in comparison to Richardson’s. The Chiefs gave offensive-line coach Mike Solari his first crack as a play-caller.
Do any of these moves sound like the Chiefs were trying to improve their offense?
No. It sounds like a team plugging holes in a dam with their fingers. The strategy only works if you add something — a big-time No. 1 receiver, for example. The Chiefs added no new wrinkle to their offense.
And now teams stack the line of scrimmage and dare Larry Johnson to run the football. The kid who was supposed to run for 2,000 yards is going to struggle to crack 1,000. He gained 26 yards in 15 carries Sunday, and he looked tentative and indecisive doing it.
“We’re going to have to demonstrate we can throw the ball downfield or teams are going to continue to sit on 27,” tight end Tony Gonzalez said.
Defensively, the additions of Ty Law and rookie Tamba Hali were good moves. But it’s clear the Chiefs are still soft in the middle of their defensive line. Pittsburgh gashed the interior of KC’s defense with a highly effective running game. Fast Willie Parker and big Najeh Davenport took turns savaging the Chiefs. The Steelers rushed for more than 200 yards.
With no playmaker in the middle of KC’s defensive line, the Chiefs blitz in an attempt to create a consistent pass rush. Roethlisberger torched KC’s blitzes.
“We weren’t mentally ready to play,” guard Brian Waters said.
I asked the Chiefs’ defensive players if they were “flat” or “overconfident.” Sammy Knight and Lenny Walls laughed at the question.
“We just didn’t execute,” Knight said, scoffing at the idea that KC’s two-game winning streak caused the Chiefs to relax. “We didn’t tackle. Every individual is going to have to accept responsibility for what happened today.”
That includes Carl Peterson, the architect of this roster.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/15769104.htm
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