Chiefs Lose to Texans - Brandon Flowers Complains to Ref

Chiefs vs. Colts - turning point in the game:  Dwayne Bowe drops the ball in the end zone.
Chiefs vs. Texans - turning point in the game:  Brandon Flowers gives up on a play to call for a flag.

I don't claim to be a Chiefs expert by any means, but I made one observation today that I thought needed mentioning.  This game turned at the precise moment when Brandon Flowers stopped his coverage of Andre Johnson to complain about a push off that was never called.  It wasn't until I rewound the play several times (love that rewind button) that I convinced my fellow Chiefs fans that Flowers still had a chance to break up that play if he wouldn't have quit on the play, threw his arms up and looked for a flag.  If you watch the play closely, Brandon could have stayed with the play until the end and easily kept Andre Johnson from catching that ball.  Instead, he quits in the middle of the play and starts to yell at the ref before the play is even over!  C'Mon MAN!

Today's loss was very similar to last week's loss when the game seemed to turn on one event - Dwayne Bowe's dropped a pass in the endzone, the game turned because Peyton's face lit up and came out of the funk that he had been in up to that point and turned on the zipp.  This week's Chiefs loss to the Texans had a similar moment;  when Brandon Flowers completely gave up on a play to waive his arms about and try to coax a flag out the ref on a completed pass to Andre Johnson that he could have easily defended had he stayed with the play.  The so called "push off" was NOT that big of a deal folks.

Notice to Brandon Flowers:  This is the NFL, you're going to get pushed around - A LOT - but you need to finish plays and help your team to put up W's.  Finish the damn play and let the refs sort it out after the fact.

Helen Netherton - Maryville, Missouri Woman to Turn 110 Years Old

Helen Netherton celebrated her 110th birthday early this year in Maryville, Missouri today.  Helen will officially turn 110 years old on December 19th, 2010.  Helen is a resident of Maryville, Missouri.

Local news has been helping Helen Netherton celebrate all of her recent birthdays beginning with her 100th birthday 10 years ago.  The kindly woman was received by several of her friends at her recent party and she commented that "she didn't know that she had so many friends!".  Helen says that you "should love your friends".  Netherton contributes her long life to a good diet, drinking lots of milk and help from the Lord.

Best of luck Helen from your friends at Kansas City News!

Chiefs Lose to Texans, Fall to 3-2

Despite a strong effort from its offense and a breakout game from WR Dwayne Bowe, the Chiefs blew a late lead and lost to the Houston Texans, 35-31. Kansas City played well on both sides of the ball, but couldn't hold off a potent Texans offense late. Despite the loss, the Chiefs still find themselves in first place in the lousy AFC West.

Kansas City found themselves leading the entire game, but a stalled late drive gave Texans QB Matt Schaub too much time. After failing to convert a late third and 2, Schaub eventually found WR Andre Johnson wide open in the end zone for the game winning score. The loss wasted both Matt Cassel and Bowe's best games as Chiefs, as well as a strong running attack led by Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles.

A loss is a loss, but Chiefs fans should still remain optimistic about this season's potential. With such an easy schedule, Kansas City should be able to drop a few games on the road against potential playoff teams. With its next two games at home against Jacksonville and Buffalo, and a weak division, the Chiefs still remain in the driver's seat in the AFC East. If Kansas City's offense can continue to improve, there is no reason why this team shouldn't be in contention when January begins.

Colleges Start Basketball Practice

Area colleges officially started basketball season last night and KU put on their annual Dog and Pony show know as "Late Night in the Phog" (it should be called "acting stupid in that dump that looks like a warehouse"). This is good news for Kansas fans who can stoke the fires of inflated sense of "Self" again. With the football team looking a little bit like a Division II powerhouse, thoughts can now turn to a little round ball. Kansas has won 6 straight Big 12 regular season championships, and there is no reason to think otherwise until another team steps up to knock them off. The Jayhawks are not, however, the favorite this year. That title belongs to Coach Frank Martin and his Kansas State Wildcats.

In Manhattan, the Wildcats also held their first public scrimmage and team introduction on Friday night. But they did more than just practice as Athletic Director John Currie also announced plans for a $20 million state of the art basketball training facility. This is good news for the Wildcats, as they were the only institution in the Big 12 that had not at least begun a basketball training facility. This should help with their future recruiting efforts. The Wildcats are looking to improve on their run last season into the Elite Eight.

Down I-70 in Columbia, the Tigers started out in a low key fashion with only a simple afternoon practice. They will not show the team to the public until the annual Black and Gold Scrimmage on October 28th. Head Coach Mike Anderson likes the low key approach and takes a workman like attitude to coaching. Of course, the fact that media that covers Mizzou are all in College Station for the Football game probably has something to do with the delay. Coach Anderson finally has a true big man in Ricardo Ratliffe (Big 12 coaches voted him preseason newcomer of the year), Mizzou has good reason to be optimistic about the upcoming season.

Kansas State Routs Kansas

Heading into last night's Sunflower Showdown, most fans expected a tight game between two in-state rivals. Last year's game in Manhattan was close, and both the Wildcats and the Jayhawks were coming off bad loses in conference play. Nothing could have prepared either side for the final result, a 59-7 bloodbath in favor of KSU.

K-State is a good team, a team that will likely finish second or third in the Big 12 North and make a middle-tier bowl. There is no way, however, that the Wildcats are 52 points better than the Jayhawks. None. Coaching is 100% to blame for this loss and the final score. There already is a website dedicated to the firing of Turner Gill, and with each crushing blowout, the notion is becomming more likely.

Losing isn't what this is all about, its the nature of the loses and the direction of the program. KU Football is in a state of emergency and is close to destroying everything Mark Mangino built. Only 31 games ago, KU was winning the Orange Bowl. Now KU isn't just losing games, it is getting blown out. Instead of fixing the problems on the field, Gill is focused on implementing rediculous rules to "build character" in his players. I'm not ready to throw in the towel yet, but KU is on the verge of hiring a new athletic director. Gill better improve quickly, or his days are numbered.