Can History Repeat Itself, Part Two

 

Wow.

My little piece posted last night about the comparison to the situation that was faced 44 years ago by the Dallas Cowboys to the current Chiefs season caused a reaction. Not only has it come here to the site, but to other sites and outlets as well.

I thought I would touch on some of the things that I’ve read and heard in reaction to what I wrote. I don’t really do that too much and I should probably react to reaction more often. I’m still getting the hang of this Internet thing.

If you missed the piece, here’s the link.

So, let me rattle off some points:

1.) If you’ve read this site at all in its brief lifetime you have noticed that I’m a student of history. I believe in the George Santayana approach that he who does not study history, is doomed to repeat the failures of the past. One of the things lacking from a lot of today’s so-called journalism is context. Context doesn’t look good on TV, so they don’t go after that view. Sports talk radio doesn’t have the time or work ethic to provide context to a situation. Newspapers have the time and space, but nobody reads them anymore and quite frankly most of today’s sportswriters don’t want to be bothered. They are too busy trying to figure out how they can get jobs in radio and television.

I figure that’s what the Internet can bring to the party and that’s something this site will always have: context. I consider myself a student of the game of football and it’s a class that never ends.

Chiefs Update 11/21

From the Truman Sports Complex

Add DT Glenn Dorsey to the Chiefs injured list.  That news came down Friday as the Chiefs wrapped up preparation for Sunday’s game against Buffalo.

Dorsey will be listed as probable on the NFL’s official injury report with a knee injury.  He was limited in his participation in practice on Friday.  If he can’t go, expect Alfonso Boone to move inside and start for him.

Listed as out for Sunday’s game are LB Donnie Edwards, RG Adrian Jones, CB  Pat Surtain and LB Pat Thomas.

Listed as probable were WR Mark Bradley, CB Brandon Flowers, LB Derrick Johnson and S Jarrad Page. 

Demorrio Williams will fill Edwards slot when the Chiefs are in their base defense, with Rocky Boiman handling the middle for Thomas.  Wade Smith will continue to start at RG in place of Jones.

The Bills will be without two starters in their secondary as both S Donte Whitner and CB Jabari Greer are out of the game.  Whitner has a shoulder  injury, Greer is dealing with a knee  injury.  Also out is starting DE Aaron Schobel; Ryan Denney replaces him in the starting lineup.  On Friday the Bills sent LB Marcus Buggs to the injured-reserve list and brought up LB Dustin Fox from their practice squad.

Whitner missed the second half of Buffalo’s Monday night loss to Cleveland due to a separated right shoulder he suffered three weeks ago against the Jets. Greer injured his right knee in the Browns game. 

Whitner’s replacement, Bryan Scott is questionable because of a left knee injury.  If he can’t go George Wilson would start. Rookie Leodis McKelvin will likely start in place of Greer.

WR Josh Reed is listed as questionable, but he’s expected to play for the first time since spraining an ankle against Miami on Oct. 26. Reed practiced all week after missing the last three games.

Some familiar names coming to town on the Bills roster includes former Chiefs LB Kawika Mitchell, former KU tight end Derek Fine, rookie RB Xavier Oman out of Northwest Missouri State and punter Brian Moorman from Pittsburg State. 

On the Bills coaching staff are former Chiefs QB Alex Van Pelt (1993-94) who handles the quarterbacks on Dick Jauron’s staff.  Also part of the coaching staff are Chuck Lester, who was here with Marv Levy in the early 1980s and Nathaniel  Hackett, who handles the offensive quality control position. He’s the son of Paul Hackett, former Chiefs offensive coordinator.

One other note: LB Erik Walden, waived by the Chiefs on Tuesday was claimed on the waiver wire by Miami.

Can History Repeat Itself?

Comparing events, people and situations over time is a funny business. No matter how similar the facts seem, the plots are never quite the same from generation to generation. While moments may seem like copies of each other, when held up to the light the differences become obvious.

Nevertheless, follow along with me on this football story.

A young man, the product of a Texas family that built a fortune in the oil business, owned a professional football team.

His club was going through a tough patch, losing far more often than it won. This wasn’t just one bad year, but several. The talent level of the team was low and what good players were on the roster were young and inexperienced.

The fans were grumbling. OK, they weren’t just grumbling, they were staying away. Attendance and interest were falling.

That natural reaction for any owner in this situation was to fire the head coach. But this owner happened to like the guy, liked what the coach stood for and liked his ideas on building a strong team that would contend for the playoffs over many seasons. The coach was defensive minded and the owner knew from football history that strong defensive teams tend to be more competitive for longer periods of time.

The owner also had a strong general manager to oversee the franchise and the G.M. was completely in the coach’s corner.

The situation called for action.

That’s just what the young man did.  He took action.

On February 5, 1964, Clint Murchison Jr. (below) gave the head coach of his Dallas Cowboys a 10-year extension on his contract. Up to that point, over four seasons Tom Landry had led the Cowboys to a record of 13-38-3. With one more year to go on his original contract, Landry now had an 11-year contract. It was something unheard of in the world of sports at the time.

The rest of the story is one of the great tales in the history of sports.  In 1964, the Cowboys went 5-8-1. The next year Dallas was 7-7. With the 1966 season, the Cowboys finished 10-3-1 and made the playoffs. They would end up making the playoffs 16 of next 17 years, with 11 appearances in the NFL/NFC Championship Game, five Super Bowl trips and two Super Bowl championships. Tom Landry was the head coach for all of those games.

Now that you know this bit of pro football history, let’s bring the picture back to the present. Another young man from an oil family has a struggling football team and a head coach who is drawing fire from fans for the poor play of his team. Some are calling for his firing.

So far it doesn’t sound like Clark Hunt is ready to pull the plug on Herm Edwards.

Despite losing 18 of the team’s last 19 games and racking up a 14-28 record over the last three years, Hunt has been nothing but supportive of Edwards. Remember just a few weeks ago he told the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram: “I think we’re headed in the right direction. It certainly isn’t going to be a straight line; there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs on this road. But I think Herm is the right type of coach to take us through the rebuilding.” Then, this week Hunt told the Kansas City Star: “… I’m encouraged and very interested to see the last six weeks and how we do in those games.”

Far be it for me to pass along advice to Clark Hunt. This is his business and he understands all angles of the franchise far better than me or anybody in the media. But if he really likes Edwards ideas and his way of rebuilding the franchise, then he should step forward and make it obvious.

Chiefs Update 11/20

From the Truman Sports Compex

It was a quiet Thursday around the Chiefs practice facility.  The team held a indoor practice that was just under two hours long.  The door to the roster did not swing open.

And, there was good news as TE Tony Gonzalez returned to practice.  Gonzalez missed Wednesday’s work because of a sore knee, an injury he suffered last Sunday against New Orleans.  But he was back to work on Thursday and was a full participant in practice.

So where DE Tamba Hali, LB Derrick Johnson and CB Brandon Flowers, so it looks like those three defensive starters will be back on the field  this Sunday against Buffalo.

Limited in practice work were LB Pat Thomas, CB Pat Surtain, S Jarrad Page and WR Mark Bradley.

Held out of practice were RG Adrian Jones and LB Donnie Edwards.

Chiefs Update 11/19

From the Truman Sports Complex

The spinning wheel that has been the 2008 Chiefs roster was in motion again on Wednesday.

Gone from the active roster are DE Turk McBride, LB Erik Walden and RB Dantrell Savage.

Added to the active roster were DE Andy Studebaker (top left), LB Curtis Gatewood (bottom left) and RB Jackie Battle.

Added to the practice squad was DT Antwon Burton. The Chiefs were expected to move DT T.J. Jackson off the practice squad to the injured reserve list because of a knee injury.

More importantly, the news of the day was that TE Tony Gonzalez did not practice with the team on Wednesday. Head coach Herm Edwards said it was a sore knee that Gonzalez injured last Sunday against the Saints that kept him out of the practice. Edwards does not expect the injury to keep Gonzalez off the field this Sunday against Buffalo. Over his 12-year career, Gonzalez has probably missed less than a dozen practices during the season. In that time frame he’s missed two games: one in 2006 with a shoulder injury and one in 1999 with a knee injury.

Also not taking part in the Wednesday practice session were WR Mark Bradley (calf), LB Donnie Edwards (hamstring/knee) and RB Adrian Jones (ankle).

Limited participants were DE Tamba Hali (ankle), S Jarrad Page (groin), CB Pat Surtain (quadriceps) and LB Pat Thomas (hamstring).

Back to full practice time were LB Derrick Johnson and CB Brandon Flowers.

Here are the details of the roster moves.

McBride went to the injured reserve list because of arm and shoulder injuries that he collected over the last two games. Walden and Savage were released. The Chiefs hope to add Savage to their practice squad if he clears waivers.

Battle came up from the practice squad for the second time this season. He’s been on the active roster for three games in ‘08.

Studebaker (6-3, 248) was signed off the Philadelphia practice squad. He was a sixth-round choice of the Eagles in the 2008 NFL Draft after playing at Wheaton College in Illinois. He was a Division III All-America selection and finished his career with 30 sacks in 28 games. He’s wearing No. 96.

Gatewood (6-2, 248) spent nine weeks this season on the Washington Redskins practice squad. He signed with the Redskins as a college free agent out of Vanderbilt, where he played 47 games and finished his career with 110 tackles. He’s wearing No. 52.

To make room for Burton on the practice squad, the Chiefs sent Jackson to the injured reserve list with a knee injury that will require surgery.

Studebacker and Gatewood become players No. 72 and 73 to be on the Chiefs 53-man roster this season.

Chiefs Update 11/18

From Arrowhead Stadium

DE Turk McBride has cracked a bone in one of his forearms and the Chiefs are currently trying to decide whether he can play with the injury or whether he’s done for the season.

McBride suffered the injury in Sunday’s game against New Orleans.  If doctors and trainers decide he can play, the Chiefs can cast and pad the forearm.  If they decide that playing will cause further damage, there’s a good chance McBride will end up on the injured reserve list.

When talking about his injured players on Tuesday afternoon, Herm Edwards labeled all of them as questionable for this Sunday’s game against Buffalo.  He’ll have a better idea on Pat Surtain, Brandon Flowers, Adrian Jones, Tamba Hali, Donnie Edwards, Derrick Johnson and Pat Thomas on Wednesday when the Chiefs return to the practice field.

Edwards did say that punter  Dustin Colquitt “should be fine” for Sunday’s game.  “I woudn’t say that he’s questionable,” the head coach added.

There’s A New D.T. On the Football Radar Screen

If you didn’t know his name and his lineage, you would only notice him because he’s a tall, good looking young man.

But knowing who he is, and who his father was, when you first see him, it takes your breath away.

Derrion Thomas is the son of the late Derrick Thomas. He’s a senior at Blue Springs South High School. Every day he grows more into the image of his father. His face is not quite as oval as his Dad’s, but he has the same sparkle in his eye. And his body … well he’s grown into a young man that’s as tall and only a few pounds lighter than the original D.T.

He’s starting to look like his father on the football field as well.

This past Friday evening in the Missouri state high school playoffs, this younger version of D.T. had four sacks in Blue Springs South upset over top-ranked Rockhurst. The Jaguars advanced to the state semi-finals this coming Friday night against Jefferson City.

Whether Derrion plays in this Friday’s game is unknown because of an arm injury he suffered against Rockhurst. The injury occurred in the first half; he played the entire second half with pretty much one arm.

The game, the sacks, the injury capped what was quite a Friday for the young man.

That type of performance in the setting of the playoffs would be memorable enough. But it was an unforgettable night for Derrion because he was wearing his father’s shoulder pads, the same pads that Derrick Thomas wore playing in his last game on January 2, 2000 at Arrowhead Stadium against the Oakland Raiders.

Derrion and his 10-year old brother Robert spent their lunch time on Friday at the Chiefs practice facility. The Chiefs Wives Organization (CWO) led by Lia Edwards held an event to honor some of the kids from the Derrick Thomas Academy. The DTA is a charter school in Kansas City, Missouri that primarily serves at risk, inner-city African-American students who face challenges at home, struggle in the typical public school environment, and/or are in dire need of a strong quality education.

Youngsters from DTA had an essay contest with the subject being Derrick Thomas and the best examples were selected and honored with a day with the Chiefs. Led by Edwards, Lori Peterson and other wives of Chiefs administrators, coaches and players, the kids from DTA got the chance to watch practice and get player autographs. Carl Peterson spoke to the group about D.T. and the importance of education, as did the team’s executive director of player development Lamonte Winston. Derrion got the chance to say hello to Gunther Cunningham (above) one of his father’s football mentors.

Chiefs Update 11/17

From the Truman Sports Complex

When things are as bad as the 2008 season has been for the Chiefs, any good news helps.

This woudl qualify as at least a small piece of good news: the Chiefs no longer have the worst run defense in the NFL.

After 10 games the Chiefs have given up 1,654 rushing yards.  That total now puts them ahead of the Detroit Lions, who after giving up a pair of 100-plus rushers to Carolina on Sunday have allowed 1,715 yards.  It’s the first time since their bye week in October where the Chiefs have not been last in the league against the run.

They are however, still allowing more yards than any defense in the league, giving up 4,025 yards in 10 games.  That’s eight yards more than the Lions, at 4,017.

Unhappily, they are still on a pace to set the team record for most yards allowed in a season.  At 402.5 yards per game, that’s a pace to allow 6,440 yards on the season, which would break the mark held by the 2002 defense.

The Chiefs might be able to slow that pace with the return of some of their injured defenders. That, however, depends on them not losing any other players to injury.

 The team reported back to work on Monday, but they had no team workout.  That’s been Herm Edwards custom over the last few years: late in the season, cut back a bit on the on-field work to save the legs.

The team is very tight lipped these days with information on injuries, so what came out of the wash from Sunday’s loss to New Orleans is unknown at this time.

But there appears some hope that LB Derrick Johnson and CBs Brandon Flowers and Pat Surtain could return to practice work this coming week.  Johnson and Flowers have sore hamstrings and Surtain a quadriceps injury; all missed the last two games.

Now, there are questions surrounding LB Donnie Edwards, who was lifted from this past Sunday’s game in the fourth when he tweaked his hamstring.

There are also concerns with P Dustin Colquitt who did not kick well against New Orleans.  He’s been battling groin and calf injuries this season.

DE Tamba Hali and RG Adrian Jones both have ankle problems and missed Sunday’s game.  Their availability for this Sunday’s game against Buffalo remains in doubt.

Tyler’s Day, L.J.’s Day & Other Notes

From Arrowhead Stadium

There was some good and there was some bad for Tyler Thigpen on Sunday against New Orleans.

First, he threw a pair of touchdown passes to Dwayne Bowe. That’s the fourth consecutive game where he’s had at least one TD throw, making him the first KC quarterback to do that since Trent Green in November-December of 2005.

But Thigpen also threw his first interception in his last 161 passing attempts. His last throw of the day was grabbed by Saints CB Usama Young. That came with 2 minutes, 18 seconds to play and his team down by 10 points.

Now here’s the really bad for Thigpen. He’s started five NFL games and he’s 0-5.

“We’ve got to do better,” Thigpen said after the game. “We’ve got to win a game. That’s the bottom line. It’s not about me. It’s not about what I do or what I put up stat-wise. It’s about this team and we want to win a game.”

Red Zone Misery For Offense

From Arrowhead Stadium

They are frequently the toughest yards in football. First and goal means a lot of things and it takes a lot of precision and heart to make plays work in the shortest part of the field. It’s where brains combine with brawn. There has to be a good plan, and there has to be real feeling that nothing is going to stop this offense from cracking the goal line.

Right now, plenty of folks are debating whether the Chiefs had the brains or brawn when it comes to making some of plays within the 10-yard line. Their failure when they were that close to the end zone was one of the major reasons they dropped their sixth straight game, losing to the New Orleans Saints.

It wasn’t like the Chiefs were never able to punch the ball in when deep in New Orleans territory. Both of Tyler Thigpen’s touchdown passes to Dwayne Bowe came in second-and-goal situations, the first from six yards, the next one from five yards.

But two more times the Chiefs got to a first-and-goal situation and in each of them, they were forced to take a field goal because they could not move the ball. That’s eight points gone from a possible 14 points.

Yes, they lost by 10, but a lot of things change if the Chiefs can punch the ball in.

“It’s one thing we are going to have to work on offensively, our red zone offense,” said Thigpen. “When we get down there that close we’ve got to be able to put points on the board. We can’t settle for three points. We’ve got to have seven points.

“Kicking field goals is going to get you beat in the long run.”

With a big, bruising running back in Larry Johnson back on the field, the Chiefs figured to be perfectly set up to run some tough plays in the goal-to-go situations. Johnson never had a chance. The Saints defensive front overwhelmed the Chiefs offensive line in those situations and forced the play behind the line of scrimmage.

“I’m sure we are going to look at the tape and say we needed to be more physical,” said LG Brian Waters. “I’m sure we will see things we could have done differently, we will see things that we could have called differently. But it comes down to this: whatever is called, we have to execute it and we did not do that today.”

Here’s what the Chiefs did on their goal-to-go plays:

Special Teams Hurt Chances For Victory

From Arrowhead Stadium

Over the last month, as all the defeats and injuries have formed an Everest like mountain for the Chiefs to climb, they have struggled at times with offense, and at times with defense.

And always they have struggled in the kicking game.

Never was that more evident that in Sunday’s loss to New Orleans. The Chiefs did not give up a score on special teams and they did not have a turnover. They did not botch a PAT attempt.

But they contributed mightily to the Chiefs loss. Even the always reliable Dustin Colquitt is getting pulled into the mess.

Let’s count the ways where the special teams did not help:

COMMENTARY: Too Many Mistakes

From Arrowhead Stadium

When you are playing with a team as young and inexperienced and injury-riddled as the Chiefs, the margin for error is very slim.

Put it this way, the only person who could stand on it would be somebody with the last name of Wallenda, first  name Flying.

On the best of days with their finest performance the Chiefs are playing this 2008 season without a net. They could have played 10 wonderful games this year and still been 1-9 on the season. We all know that hasn’t happened; the 10 wonderful games. Obviously, the 1-9 is very real.

They very simply cannot help the other team on Sunday. There’s too much ground for them to makeup that they can slide backwards because of their own hand.

But that’s what the Chiefs did on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. They slit their own throat. They made things easier for the visitors from the Big Easy, who were more than willing to accept all the help they could get because the ‘08 season has not been kind to them either.

After three games where they were a factor down to the final minute, the Chiefs could do nothing to keep the Saints from the victory stand in this affair. On a beautiful, sunny November afternoon, the Chiefs took a step backwards.

Now, they didn’t go back to the bad old days of earlier this season where they embarrassed themselves against Oakland, and Atlanta and Carolina. But their performance was not up to the standard they had set in the last three games against the Jets, Buccaneers and Chargers.

In his locker room after the game and in his post-game press conference, Herm Edwards rattled off the sins committee by the Chiefs. It was a lengthy list:

Offense, Defense, Kicking Game All Fail in 30-20 Loss

From Arrowhead Stadium

The offense had trouble in the red zone. The injury-riddled defense could not slow down the potent New Orleans offense. The special teams were atrocious. That doesn’t leave much left to be able to go out and win a football game.

Those factors combined to leave the Chiefs on the short side of the scoreboard once again, losing 30-20 to the Saints at Arrowhead Stadium.

Unlike the previous three games that came down to the final minute and where the Chiefs had an opportunity to win the game, this one was controlled throughout the second half by the Saints, who with the victory are now 5-5 on the season.

“The first half was a pretty good game,” said Herm Edwards. “What killed us was we got down in the red zone and we couldn’t score. When you play a team like this (New Orleans), you know they have a pretty good offense, with a good quarterback.

“That’s never good to get down there and settle for field goals against a high-powered offense like them.”

The visitors grabbed a three-point lead on the final play of the first half and then scored a pair of third quarter touchdowns that had the Chiefs fighting from behind and uphill for the game’s final 30 minutes.

Without four starters, the Chiefs defense actually held the Saints offense under its season average. But they still gave up 369 yards to QB Drew Brees and the No. 1 ranked NFL offense. The Saints scored three touchdowns and got three FGs from rookie kicker Garrett Hartley. WR Lance Moore finished with 102 yards on eight catches.

Offensively the Chiefs had a pair of touchdown passes between QB Tyler Thigpen and WR Dwayne Bowe and 330 yards in total offense. But the fact they had to settle for a pair of field goals in the red zone instead of touchdowns stymied their chances to break what is now a six-game losing streak.

“We knew we had to score more points than we did,” said Edwards. “We figured it was going to have to be 30 points unless we got some turnovers. We got the one and got the score. We just bogged down in the Red Zone and if those are scores, it’s an entirely different game.”

How The Chiefs Can Beat The Saints

The New Orleans Saints rank as one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams in this 2008 season.

The Chiefs rank as one of the worst.

That makes Sunday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium an important one for both teams. The Chiefs numbers are well known: 1-8, five-game losing streak and winners of one their last 18 games. The Saints are 4-5, and have not been above the .500 mark since the first week of the season. They are 0-4 in away games, although they did beat San Diego in London three weeks ago.

The Chiefs have actually played better football in the last month than the Saints. If they do all the obvious things, they have a chance to win. Here are three other items that will enhance those chances.

Chiefs Update 11/14

From the Truman Sports Complex

All was quiet around the Chiefs as they went through practice indoors for just over one hour on Friday morning.  Nothing has changed on the roster and injury front for Sunday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium against New Orleans.

Herm Edwards said that the following players were out: CB Pat Surtain, CB Brandon Flowers, LB Pat  Thomas, LB Derrick Johnson, G Adrian Jones and DE Tamba Hali “will probably be out” said Edwards.

S Jarrad Page was limited in his practice work Friday, but RB Jamaal Charles and DE Turk McBride were full go and both should play against the Saints.

As for New Orleans, on Friday they listed five players as out of the game with injuries, including RB Reggie Bush, who is trying to come back from a knee injury-surgery.  Also out are CB Aaron Glenn (ankle), C Jonathan Goodwin (knee), FB Mike Karney (Knee) and DT Brian Young (knee).

Listed as probable are WR Marques Colston (knee), T Jon Stinchcomb (calf), K Garrett Hartley (back) and RB Aaron Stecker (hamstring).

Chiefs Update 11/13

From the Truman Sports Complex

Alert all media outlets.  Big news from the Chiefs.

The team did not make a roster move on Thursday.  Or at least they had not made a roster move as of 2:30 p.m.  The way this season has gone, anything is possible.

The Chiefs worked for just under two hours indoors on Thursday and there wasn’t much of a change in the injury report from Wednesday.

Listed as not practicing were LBs Derrick Johnson and Pat Thomas, G Adrian Jones and DE Tamba Hali.  Herm Edwards said Thursday he does not expect any of those players to play.

Listed as limited in their participation were CBs Pat Surtain and Brandon Flowers, S Jarrad Page and RB Jamaal Charles.   Edwards termed the limited players as only having a 40 percent chance of playing.

DE Turk McBride was a full participant in practice and Edwards said he expects him to play Sunday against New Orleans.

Chiefs Update 11/11

From Arrowhead Stadium

Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards held his weekly press conference on Tuesday afternoon and easily could have used half of his alotted time talking about injuries.

No roster moves were announced by the team, but they did have a number of players in for workouts today. Expect at least one, maybe two moves on Wednesday when the Chiefs return to work.

Edwards did have an update on the injury report.  Here’s how it breaks down as of Tuesday afternoon and the players status for this weekend against New Orleans:

• DE Brian Johnston is out with a calf injury. He’s a candidate for the Injured Reserve List.
• DE Tamba Hali questionable with an ankle injury.
• LB Derrick Johnson is out with his sore hamstring.
• CB Pat Surtain is questionable with his quad injury.
• LB Pat Thomas out with a hamstring injury.
• RG Adrian Jones is out with a right ankle injury.
• CB Brandon Flowers is questionable with a hamstring.
• S DaJuan Morgan is questionable with a hamstring.
• DE Turk McBride is questionable with a shoulder injury.  He could also be a candidate for the IR list.
• RB Jamaal Charles is questionable with his sprained ankle.

The Chiefs have requested a roster exemption for RB Larry Johnson, returning from his NFL suspension.  Generally the Commissioner provides exemptions similar to the length of time the player was out of action.  Whether the Chiefs will receive the full week or just a few days they’ll know by Wednesday.

Chiefs Update 11/10

From the Truman Sports Complex

You know that revolving door that’s attached to the Chiefs roster, the one that spins on a regular basis?

Well get ready, it’s going to start spinning again.

In the day after the Chiefs one-point loss in San Diego to the Chargers it was time to evaluate the carnage from Sunday.  It’s not pretty.

Although final decisions were still in the works, it appears that a pair of defense ends - Turk McBride and rookie Brian Johnston - are likely headed for the injured reserve list.  McBride was not active for Sunday’s game with what’s been termed a shoulder injury.  Johnston suffered a torn calf muscle in the game.

And Tamba Hali is unlikely to play this coming week against New Orleans because of an ankle injury suffered in San Diego. 

That makes defensive end a priority as the Chiefs fish in the NFL personnel waters.  Linebacker may be as well.  LB Derrick Johnson did not play in San Diego because of a hamstring injury and the Chiefs don’t expect him back this Sunday.  MLB Pat Thomas left the game with a hamstring injury and he’s unlikely to play against New Orleans.  LB Donnie Edwards left the game with a right thigh/knee injury, but he returned and played the second half.  How he feels on Wednesday may leave him questionable for Sunday’s game as well.

It does not appear that CB Brandon Flowers (hamstring) will be ready to go this Sunday as well, so there’s a chance the Chiefs will have five, maybe six new starters on the defense. 

On offense the Chiefs must still evaluate RG Adrian Jones, who left the game with a knee injury and RB Jamaal Charles, who got a minimal number of snaps because of his sore ankle.

The Chiefs spent Monday looking at the tape of the loss in San Diego.  In the house was RB Larry Johnson, coming off his one-week NFL suspension.  He’ll be on the practice field on Wednesday when the Chiefs return to practice.  Right there will be another roster move, as they need to make room so he can return to the 53-man list.

The Snap That Changed The Game & Notes

From San Diego, California

It’s the easiest play in the game of football, the point after touchdown kick.  Going into this weekend’s games, there had been over 600 PAT kick plays in the league.  Only three had not been successful.  The success rate was 99 percent.

But the simpliest play in the game became a major thorn in the side of the Chiefs on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.  A poor snap from Thomas Gafford and a poor decision by rookie kicker Connor Barth led to holder  Dustin Colquitt trying to throw a pass that went incomplete.

At the end of the game, that botched PAT would be a huge difference in the game.  Had the play worked like it should, the Chiefs would have kicked  another PAT after their late fourth quarter touchdown and stolen out of San Diego  with a one-point victory.  Instead, Herm Edwards decided to go for two points and the victory. 

Through the first half of the season, two-point attempts had a success rate of 46 percent.

So what happened?

“I want to wait and see the tape,” Colquitt said. “It happened so fast, I want to make sure of what I saw.”

What happened was Gafford’s snap bounced back to Colquitt, who was able to gather it in and actually get the ball placed for Barth.

“Dustin got it down, but it just happened so quick,” said Barth.  “I kind of hesitated and now that I think about it, I wish I would have just tried to knock it through somehow.”

Battered Defense Did What It Could

From San Diego, California

At the end of the game, the decision by Herm Edwards to go for two points and win Sunday’s game against the Chargers came down to this.

“When you are 1-7 there’s no question what you do,” said the head coach. “These guys deserved to win a football game. These guys were so beat up on defense it wouldn’t have been fair to not try to go for two points. I’m not sure we could have stopped them anymore. We were running out of bodies.”

In what has been a disastrous season for the Chiefs defense, Sunday afternoon at Qualcomm Stadium may have been their Alamo. Yes, eventually they were overrun by a superior force in the San Diego offense. But this bruised and battered group put up a fight to the end.

When one body went down on the rampart, another jumped in. Some were just arrived recruits, guys that had a total of three practices with the team. They gave up a lot of yards (400) but they didn’t give up a lot of points and in the fourth quarter they stopped the Chargers on three plays inside the last five minutes of the game that gave the Chiefs offense one last chance.

“I’ve never been part of anything like this,” said veteran LB Donnie Edwards, who at one point limped off the field in the first half, only to return in the second. “We had guys falling all over the place and we hung in there and got things done. We deserved to win this game.”

Another Chapter In The Thigpen Story

From San Diego, California.

If you want to know how much progress Tyler Thigpen has made in the last month, the evidence was clearly presented at the end of the first half on Sunday at Qualcomm Stadium.

The Chiefs had a seven-point lead with one minute 23 seconds to play. They also had the ball at their own 20-yard line.

This screamed for three running plays to kill what was left of the second quarter. That’s Herm Edwards-Chain Gailey offensive football; take the lead into the locker room at half-time.

And on first down, they did run the ball, gaining four yards with Dantrell Savage.

Then, on second down all the sudden Thigpen was back to pass. He threw for 11 yards and a first down to Tony Gonzalez. On the next play with 38 seconds left, another pass play was called as Thigpen ran the bootleg to his right. He ended up running and was tackled for minus yardage making it officially a sack.

The half ended with three running plays, although the last one was called for a Hail Mary throw. When there was nothing open, Thigpen took off on what turned out to be a meaningless run.

But what was shown in that final first half possession was the growing confidence level in Thigpen.

“I think they are starting to trust me with more things” said Thigpen. “I just wish we could have won the game. That’s what we need more than anything. It’s a win.”

COMMENTARY: Can’t Hide The Pain

From San Diego, California

It’s impossible at this point for Herm Edwards to hide the pain.

Not after the last three weeks and especially not after what happened at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday against the Chargers.

“I can’t remember three games in a row being that close in games and not finding a way to win one of them,” Edwards said after the Chiefs 20-19 loss. “We’ve been close, we’ve been preaching that. This one came down to the last play.

“These guys deserved to win.”

Edwards dropped his head and shook it from side-to-side, like he was trying to throw a bad headache out of his cranium. More accurately, he was trying to figure out he was going to live with another broken heart.

The Chiefs had come to southern California as the weekend’s biggest underdog in the NFL. The Chargers were favored by 15.5 points. As often happens with media types who never take the time to scratch beyond the surface of the standings, the Chiefs arrived to ridicule on the airwaves and on sports pages of San Diego. This was considered an easy game for the Chargers, a quick victory on their way to getting back into the race for first place in the AFC West.

This was the Chargers’ homecoming game. That’s what happens when a team is 1-7.

Chiefs Drop Heartbreaker to Chargers, 20-19

From San Diego, California

There was no doubt in Herm Edwards mind. Not after everything his football team had been through on Sunday afternoon at Qualcomm Stadium.

He was going for the victory.

And when Tyler Thigpen’s two-point conversion pass to Tony Gonzalez was knocked down in the end zone, the Chiefs lost a third consecutive game that they had the chance to win.

San Diego 20, Chiefs 19.

For the third week in a row the Chiefs were positioned in the game’s final five minutes to pull out a victory. Like the previous two weeks, they came up short. They are now 1-8 on the season and have lost four straight games. They’ve also lost 17 of their last 18 games dating back over the last calendar year.

This defeat may have been the most gut wrenching of the three recent games, maybe of the 17 that came before Sunday. It had a different plot than the previous two games. This time the Chiefs fell behind in the fourth quarter. But they came back and put together a 14-play, 60-yard drive and scored on a three-yard TD pass from Thigpen to Gonzalez.

Edwards decided immediately to go for two points and the victory rather than the tie.

“This team has played too hard to settle for anything less,” said Edwards who had seen his game push several games into overtime over the last three years only to lose the coin toss and never get a chance to have the ball back.

Clark Hunt on Herm

In Sunday’s edition of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, Clark Hunt talks about his head coach Herm Edwards and the rebuilding job going on around the Chiefs.

Those Herm Haters out there are not going to like this.

“We went into the year knowing that we were going into a rebuilding mode,” Hunt told the Star-Telegram. “The great thing about coach Edwards is he’s not afraid to play young players. We have the youngest roster in the league. If you look at starters, they’re the youngest by I think a full year, which is a very big gap. I would say he’s done a good job in terms of achieving the goals that we set out.

“Do I wish we’d won a few more games to this point? Absolutely. But I think we all knew it was going to be difficult.

“I think we’re headed in the right direction. It certainly isn’t going to be a straight line; there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs on this road. But I think Herm is the right type of coach to take us through the rebuilding.”

How The Chiefs Can Beat the Chargers

From La Jolla, California

Under clear blue skies and temperatures in the high 70s, the Chiefs went through a short walk-through practice on Saturday at University High School. It was more of a mental practice than physical. Just enough to get the blood moving and another opportunity to go over the details before Sunday’s game against the Chargers.

On paper, this doesn’t look good for the Chiefs. San Diego is coming off its bye week. The Chargers have been a disappointment this year and as a veteran team, they know it’s time for them to turn it on. Denver’s victory over Cleveland on Thursday night also brings a sense of urgency to Norv Turner’s team.

The Chiefs could play the same type of game they did against the New York Jets and Tampa Bay and get walloped by the Chargers. But beyond the obvious elements we always mention, there are several other key items that if the Chiefs can accomplish them, will greatly improve their chances for victory.

Player Profile: Herb Taylor

When he’s been asked, Herb Taylor has answered the call at both left and right tackle and he has played pretty well.

But so far Taylor he hasn’t been able to crack the starting group along the Chiefs offensive line. But the second-year Texas native makes what contributions he can right now on special teams and on the practice field while he waits for his chance to start.

The big man from TCU loves life and his Texas roots. Get to know more about Herb Taylor and why he no longer wears the glasses you see in the picture to the right. Click here.

Chiefs Update 11/7

From the Truman Sports Complex

The roster door took another spin on Friday morning as the Chiefs added S Oliver Celestin to the 53-man active roster.

Celestin (5-11, 195) has played in 50 NFL games over five seasons with the New York Jets, Seattle and Arizona.   He had five special teams tackles in  two games with the Cardinals earlier this season.  He was released on October 29th.

Out of Texas Southern University, Celestin entered the NFL as a college free agent with Cleveland in 2003.  He went to training camp in  2004 with Minnesota. Celestin is a native of New Orleans.

He was needed because of injuries to safeties Jarrad Page (groin) and DaJuan Morgan (thigh), who both now appear unlikely to play on Sunday in San Diego.

To make room for Celestin, the Chiefs released QB Ingle Martin.  That leaves them with two QBs for the Chargers game.  WR Mark Bradley is the third QB if total disaster strikes.

LB Derrick Johnson (hamstring), CB Pat Surtian (quad), CB Brandon Flowers (hamstring) and DE Turk McBride (shoulder) are all listed as questionable for the game.  They did not take part in the team’s one-hour workout Friday morning.  Limited in work in that session were Page and Morgan.

If McBride does not play, there’s a good  chance four of the playes that joined this team this week could be active for Sunday’s game: Celestin, David Macklin, Ricardo Colclough and Wallace Gilberry.

The team leaves Friday afternoon for San Diego.

Chiefs Update 11/6

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs face one of the best passing offenses in the NFL this coming weekend when they travel to San Diego.  The Chargers are seventh in yards gained through the air and QB Philip Rivers has thrown 19 touchdown passes and completed nearly 64 percent of his throws.

They will have to defense this attack with a patchwork secondary that seems to be losing pieces by the day.  The Chiefs had a two-hour practice session on Thursday and not participating were CB Pat Surtain (quad), FS Jarrad Page (groin) and LB Derrick  Johnson (hamstring).  Limited in participation was S DaJuan Morgan with what Herm Edwards described as a leg injury (thigh) from Wednesday’s practice and DE Turk McBride (shoulder).

So right now the Chiefs have two healthy safeties and five available cornerbacks with Surtain out.  In that group is Brandon Flowers who is coming off a hamstring injury from last Sunday’s game.  That’s an injury that’s notoriously slow to heal. Two others joined the team on Wednesday in David Macklin and Ricardo  Colclough.

Somehow the Chiefs will have to patch all  that together and make it work against the Chargers offense that has scored 23 touchdowns.  The Chiefs have just 13 offensive touchdowns as a comparison.

The Chiefs began their Thursday practice outside, but Edwards moved them inside when high winds made it impossible for the film crew to be stabilized in their lifts.

Chiefs Update 11/5

From the Truman Sports Complex

The continuing shuffle of the Chiefs roster went on Wednesday as the team added three players to the active roster and one to the practice squad.

They also had a lively two-hour practice indoors, as Herm Edwards literally turned up the heat on his team, pushing the thermostat for the indoor facility to 75 degrees to condition his team for their trip this Sunday to southern California and a game with the San Diego Chargers.

Not taking part in practice were LB Derrick Johnson (hamstring) and CB Pat Surtain (quad). Edwards has already ruled Surtain out of Sunday’s game and said Johnson was unlikely to play. Limited in participation was S Jarrad Page (groin).

Good news was that CB Brandon Flowers (hamstring) and P Dustin Colquitt (groin) both practiced.

Joining the 53-man active roster were CB David Macklin, CB Ricardo Colclough and DE Wallace Gilberry. Joining the practice squad was running back Omar Cuff.

Macklin and Colclough are both veteran cornerbacks and that’s a departure for the Chiefs in this season of rebuilding, one that Edwards acknowledged after practice.

“To go in and play right now, it’s tough to get another young guy ready in there because they don’t know the system,” said Edwards. “Macklin has been in the system with Tony (Dungy) and he can go play nickel and corner. He can help us there, and he’s going to be up this week.”

“Up” means that Edwards expects Macklin to be active for Sunday’s game against San Diego and he acknowledged Colclough could be active as well.

Macklin (5-9, 193) (top) is a 30-year old corner with more than 100 games of NFL experience with Indianapolis, Arizona and Washington. He entered the NFL as a third round pick of the Colts in the 2000 NFL Draft out of Penn State. Macklin spent four seasons with the Colts, three seasons with the Cardinals and last year with the Redskins. In the ‘08 pre-season he was with the St. Louis Rams but was released prior to the start of the regular season. He has 14 career interceptions and two more in the post-season. He will wear No. 34 with the Chiefs.

Colclough (5-11, 194) (right) is a 28-year old cornerback who has played in 36 NFL games with Pittsburgh and Cleveland. He came into the NFL as a second-round choice of the Steelers in the 2004 NFL Draft out of Tusculum College. He owns a Super Bowl ring from his time with the Steelers, when he played in Super Bowl XL against Seattle. Colclough spent parts of four seasons with the Steelers and played last year as well with the Browns. He signed as an unrestricted free agent with Carolina but was released prior to the start of the regular season. He has one career interception and 2.5 career sacks. He’s also returned kickoffs and punts over his career. He will wear No. 30 with the Chiefs.

Gilberry (6-2, 268) (left) is an NFL rookie who went to training camp with the New York Giants and was part of the team’s practice squad last week. He was signed by the Giants as a college free agent out of the University of Alabama, where he played in 50 games and made 33 starts for the Crimson Tide. In that time he had 21.5 sacks and earned All-SEC honors as a senior last year. Since he was signed off the Giants practice squad he must remain on the Chiefs active roster for three games. He will wear No. 94 for the Chiefs.

Cuff (5-10, 195) is an NFL rookie who went to training camp with the Tennessee Titans. He spent one week on the Cleveland practice squad after the Titans released him before the start of the regular season. Tennessee signed him as a college free agent out of the University of Delaware, where he played 41 games, running for 4,364 yards and 65 touchdowns.

Hank’s Gallery: Tampa Bay

Some more great photos from Hank Young of the Chiefs ovetime game against Tampa Bay.

Click picture to enlarge.

Chiefs Update 11/4

From Arrowhead Stadium

The revolving door to the Chiefs roster was spinning again on Tuesday and they aren’t done for this week.

The Chiefs have released P  Steve Weatherford, CB Tyron Brackenridge and TE John Paul Foschi.

They have added to the active 53-man roster WR Kevin Robinson and TE Michael Merritt.  Both players have practiced for the last three weeks, Robinson from the Physically-Unable-to-Perform List and Merritt from the Non-Football Injury list.  The Chiefs were forced to make a decision on them this week, as they could have either cut them, returned them to those lists for the rest of the season or activated them.

At this point with eight games to play, the Chiefs have all 12 of their 2008 draft choices on the active roster.  They now have 18 rookies on the active roster, along with three first-year players.  That’s 21 of 51 or 41 percent of the roster is a first-year player.  Seventeen of those 21 were on the field last Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Right now the Chiefs have two roster spots open and will add a third as soon as they place injured RB Kolby Smith on injured reserve for the rest of the season.  Herm Edwards confirmed Tuesday that Smith’s right knee injury will require surgery and end the second-year back’s season.

The release of Weatherford obviously indicates that Dustin Colquitt is ready to kick again after missing two games with a groin injury. 

Edwards said Tuesday that CB Patrick Surtain (quad) will not play against San Diego this coming Sunday and described LB Derrick Johnson (hamstring) as questionable.  He said he expects both CB Brandon Flowers (hamstring) and LB Wes Dacus (groin) to be available for play against the Chargers.

The Chiefs will likely add at least one cornerback to their active roster and one running back to their practice squad in time for Wednesday’s practice.

Chiefs Update 11/3

From the Truman Sports Complex

Larry  Johnson’s one-game NFL suspension began Monday as the Chiefs returned to work after their overtime loss to Tampa Bay.

With the league action, the Chiefs have an open roster spot right now.  They likely will have another one if further tests on RB Kolby Smith’s right knee show that his injury is severe enough to end his season.  That was the prognosis after the game.  If that’s the case, then the Chiefs will have a pair of roster spots to work with as they begin the second half of the season.

LB Derrick Johnson (hamstring), CB Brandon Flowers (hamstring) and CB Patrick Surtain (quad) were not in the locker room during the open media period so the status of their injuries is unknown.  P Dustin Colquitt continues to feel better and hopes that this weekend will bring his return to the lineup from a groin injury that has cost him the last two games.

The first half of the season has certainly been a tough one for the Chiefs.  Their eight opponents currently have a 36-24 record, with six of the eight teams sporting winning records at this time.  The final eight games on the Chiefs schedule come against seven opponents who have a combined record of 23-34, with only one team currently sporting a winning record: the 5-3 Buffalo Bills.

Non-Quarterback Passers for the Texans-Chiefs, 1960-2008