Chiefs Offense Rolls, Matt Cassel Doesn't Suck

What a Game! The Chiefs offense was near perfect in their dismantling of the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday afternoon. 503 total yards of offense, 41 minutes of possession, and a 42-24 final score. The game really wasn't close as Seattle scored 7 of their points on a blocked punt in the first half. No longer will this blogger use the keywords "Matt Cassel Sucks". His play the past few weeks has made a believer out of me. Of course the fact that Dwayne Bowe is playing out of his mind and Jamaal Charles continues his excellent play is helping the cause. Cassel threw for 233 yards and 4 TDs, three of them to Bowe. Dwayne Bowe also extending his franchise record string of games with a TD catch and the record for most TD receptions for a Chief in a season with 14 - there are still 5 regular season games on the schedule. Oh, and did I mention he also leads the League in TDs.

Then there is Jamaal Charles - second in the league in total rushing yards, and he doesn't even have the most carries on the team! He averages a stunning 6.3 yards/carry, more than a yard ahead of the League's leading rusher Arien Foster. He reminds of Marcus Allen, only much faster. He can squirt through the smallest of holes, or beat you with his speed around the outside.

The Chiefs remain 1 game ahead in the AFC West with little margin for error, what fun the remainder of the year will be. I think we can look for a beat down of gigantic proportions as the Broncos (and Todd Haley's Best Friend Josh McDaniels) come to town next Sunday in a rematch of the Chiefs worst game a few weeks ago.

Chiefs Survive Scare From Buffalo

This one was supposed to be easy. With the red-hot Chiefs facing lowly Buffalo, everyone predicted an easy Kansas City victory. In the end, the Chiefs were lucky to escape with a win, as Ryan Succop nailed a field goal as overtime expired to give Kansas City a 13-10 victory.

Many thought the Chiefs would coast to an easy win given their favorable matchup in the run game. Kansas City entered the game leading the game in rushing, while the Bills boasted the worst rush defense in the NFL. The Chiefs took advantage of the matchup, rushing for over 270 yards including a 177 yard effort from Jamaal Charles. Matt Cassel delivered a steady performance, and the Chiefs defense looked good all night.

Despite the positives, something was missing all game for the Chiefs, and the Bills were able to keep it close. Facing a fourth and four late in the game, the Bills scored to force a wild overtime that was much more exciting than regulation. The Bills had a chance to win it, and Rian Lindell did just that. Only Todd Haley called timeout before the kick, and Lindell's next attempt hit the upright, giving the Chiefs the ball. Only Kansas City, after an impressive offensive drive, missed a FG of its own. However the Chiefs' defense held, and Succop finally delivered and helped the Chiefs avoid a rare overtime tie.

It was an ugly game, but even good teams have poor showings against bad teams. Kansas City won, and took a giant step towards a post-season birth by improving its record to 5-2.

Chiefs Beat Browns, Move to 2-0

No that title is not a misprint, the Kansas City Chiefs have opened the season 2-0. Kansas City won a close road contest against the Cleveland Browns to remain undefeated and on top of the AFC West standings. While not thoroughly convincing, a win is a win, and the team has already matched half of its win total from last season.

After finishing what was yet again a terrible preseason, many thought that the young Chiefs were still at least a year away from contention. However, the league's weakest schedule and a few signs of life from the running game and special teams turned some fans into believers. After the first two weeks, many are starting to wonder if Kansas City can make a push for the playoffs.

Now before Chief fans get too carried away, lets not forget that even really bad teams can jump out to fast starts (Tampa Bay, anyone?) and then cool off. The Chiefs offense is still held back from subpar play from Matt Cassel and not getting Jamaal Charles the ball enough (despite his eye-opening stats).

The Chiefs have made obvious improvements, but still have a long way to go. With an easy schedule and weak division, there is no reason why the team shouldn't at least contend for a playoff spot. At the very least, the team may still be in playoff contention after week 8, which is a big improvement from the past two seasons.

Chiefs Beat Chargers

After a season filled with close (and not so close) loses, unanswered questions and a somewhat promising finish, the Kansas City Chiefs made starting out the 2010 season on the right foot a priority. The team did just that, upsetting AFC West juggernaut San Diego in the rain, 21-14.

The Chiefs hadn't won on opening day since this guy was in office, and more importantly, had lost to San Diego in its last five meetings. After falling to the Chargers by a combined 59 points last year, the Chiefs win was essential for the team to prove it will be, at the very least, no longer a guaranteed win for other teams around the league.

While the Chiefs played well, two aspects of the team are still troubling. First, the Chiefs continue to underuse Jamaal Charles. Despite showing his big-play ability time and time again, Charles continues to split carries with Thomas Jones. Jones is a steady, productive back, but Charles must be given more touches a game with his home run ability. Also troubling is the continued poor play from quarterback Matt Cassel. If the Chiefs are to make a push for the playoffs, it is important for Cassel to make plays and limit mistakes.

The good news for the Chiefs is the team is loaded with young playmakers to go along with Charles, most notably Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas. Both have big-time return ability and have given the special teams a much needed boost. If the Chiefs can continue to run the ball effectively, find a few big plays from its special teams and Cassel can start playing like he gets paid to, a shot at the playoffs isn't out of Kansas City's reach.

Charles Should Start at Running Back

Chiefs head coach Todd Haley continues to insist that Thomas Jones is the team’s starting running back as the start of the NFL regular season approaches. While Jones has had a steady and productive career, the Chiefs must make Charles its feature back for the offense to be successful this season.

If the Chiefs need convincing, all they need to do is take a look at the Tennessee Titans. After initially splitting carries between Chris Johnson and LenDale White, the Titans gave Johnson the feature back title and he responded by rushing for over 200 yards. The Chiefs are in a familiar situation now, with a steady back in Jones and a home-run hitter in Charles. Last season, Charles rushed for 953 yards over the Chiefs final eight games, and provided an offensive spark the team badly needed.

I was excited that the team signed Jones in the offseason, and am in no way advocating the Chiefs render him meaningless. However, Jones has proven he can produce, and will provide a steady rushing attack should Charles struggle. Let Charles have his chance at feature back, and the Chiefs may find their own Chris Johnson.

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Chiefs Falcons Preseason Game 1 - Are We Going to Throw Long?

 

Chiefs Falcons Preseason Game 1
Are we planning on throwing long anytime this season?

It doesn't matter what happens for the rest of this Chiefs preseason game vs. the Atlanta Falcons, it baffles me that the Chiefs did not attempt one single pass over 15 yards while the starters were in.  Cassel's only attempt at a pass of any noteworthy length was an incomplete pass to tight end Pope across the middle.

The only teams that win in this league are teams that can air it out LONG down the field.  The fact that the Chiefs didn't even ATTEMPT to throw the ball long leads me to believe that we're in for a long and fruitless year.  It is simply not possible to win football games without throwing long.  The defense will abandon coverage and close in on our semi-weak running offense.  The Chiefs are going to have to stretch the field in order to keep the heat off of our running game.

The fact that this is only a preseason game doesn't matter - they still have to get the ball down the field to Bowe or Chambers at least once.

Standouts from tonight's preseason game are Dexter McCluster, who ran the ball successfully for the most part and caught several passes to the wings - short passes that is.  The Chiefs also tried to run a draw up the middle with McCluster - quite possibly the dumbest call of the game.  Dexter McCluster is only 5' 7", 165 pounds, he's NOT going to be able to run up the middle...sheesh.  Another standout was Jamaal Charles who did his usual scampering about for a few yards.

Terrible performances brought to you by Leonard Pope who does not seem to be able to catch the ball at all.  He had two passes bounce off his chest.  Thomas Jones either really sucks or the plays that they had him run were worthless, either way he was suck-o.

All in all this preseason game was quite possibly the most boring football game I've ever witnessed and the Chiefs had better learn to stretch the field with long passes or they are going to lose - a lot. 

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