Column: Chiefs Struggling To Be A Team
From Arrowhead Stadium
For the first time in 29 years, the Chiefs have begun the NFL season 0-4.
The last time it happened was in 1980, under head coach Marv Levy. That was Rebuilding No. 2 in the history of the Chiefs franchise.
That was just after Rebuilding I under Paul Wiggin and before Rebuilding III directed by John Mackovic.
This 0-4 biscuit is courtesy of Rebuilding VIII, from the duo of Pioli/Haley.
The business of turning a football team into a contender isn’t easy. I don’t believe Pioli/Haley thought it would be, although I doubt they considered it would be as tough as things have gotten with the 2009 Chiefs.
Bodies come, bodies go, but still the Chiefs can’t win. For the second week in a row, they were never had a chance to even dream of winning. They were easily the inferior team as they played the New York Giants, just as they were the inferior when they played the Philadelphia Eagles.
And, they will be inferior next Sunday when they host the Dallas Cowboys.
But what’s going on really doesn’t have anything to do with playing through a tough part of the schedule. It has everything to do with the struggle of building a cohesive football team. Right now, it’s hard to see where the ‘09 Chiefs have accomplished much in that direction.
It’s hard for a guy inside the circle like OLB Mike Vrabel, to see right now.
“Regardless of where guys came from, whether New England, Chicago, we have to become a team,” Vrabel said. “When we are playing a complimentary-style game that is when we can be successful. Now it seems like we are just putting plays together; it doesn’t look like a team. Sometimes we get caught up in one play or the next as opposed to the big picture of how we need to play each week to win.”
Other than working, sweating and bleeding together, there isn’t a whole lot that has come across the Chiefs radar screen to help them become a team so far in this season. The team is being coached and handled in a way that is far different than many of the holdover players from the previous regimes have ever experienced. They are not comfortable with the revolving door on the roster, and players showing up on Wednesday for their first practice and playing on Sunday. Todd Haley has said he wants his players uncomfortable. Well, he has succeeded.
The revolving roster happened again against the Giants, as TE Leonard Pope and LB David Herron were both active and took part in the game, just four days after going through their first practice. Guys like Brad Cottam and rookie Pierre Walters have been there through the off-season work and they had to watch Sunday’s game in street clothes because they were inactive.
But that’s the way it’s going to be. Pioli/Haley believe their way is the right way. They both have history and experience in winning organizations. Whether they can make it happen remains to be seen, but ideas like creating a team and winning football games are not foreign concept for them.
“I have told guys that it’s not going to change,” said Vrabel. “We can’t be concerned with who is coming in or going out. You have to worry about yourself and the job you are doing. They are going to keep searching for guys; that is the business. They are searching for guys who are going to help us win and that’s going to go on through the year.
“We just need to understand it, prepare and do our jobs.”
If the Chiefs were paying attention, they had the chance to see a perfect example of a team, one that plays together, one that has complimentary pieces that all fit the jigsaw puzzle of a Super Bowl contender. The New York Giants are good. They are very good.
They are also a team.
“That team right there is a great example of a team that over the last handful of years under Coach Coughlin and their coaching staff has become a team,” said Haley. “They work together; they’re on the same page. You can see that. It’s evident when you watch the tape and see them in person.
“That’s our goal. That’s where we are trying to go.”
Right now, that journey is an ugly one. Offense, defense, special teams, coaching, personnel evaluation are all lacking right now. All areas need to get better. One way for this group to feel like they are becoming a team is to move forward, rather than backwards. That’s where they’ve gone the last three weeks; there’s been no visible improvement.
The Chiefs right now can only dream about having a team like the Giants. They hope to one day say something like Eli Manning said on Sunday after his team went 4-0.
“We have great confidence in our defense that they’re going to get us the ball and get us good field position,” Manning said. “They have confidence in us that we’re going to put some points on the board and not put them in bad situations.
“I think it just all comes back to having a team mentality. If we win, it’s a team win. If we lose, it’s because the team didn’t p lay well enough. We know every week to not be satisfied with just wining but where we can improve and what we can get better going into next week and getting better for each game.”
That’s how it goes with the Giants.
There is oh so much work to do with the Chiefs.
The Cowboys by any strech of the imagination are not a juggernaut. They struggled against a Broncos team who I still believe aren’t as good ast the record. The Cowboys only two wins were against a Panthers team who is only going to win about 4 or 5 games. And a Bucs team that are winless. I thought our first win would come against the Redskins but now I truly believe we can get that against Dallas. Dallas beat themselves. Their receiving core is horrible. And their offensive line is overrated. The only thing Kc would have to do is try to protect Cassell against the Dallas pass rush. The do have a very talented front seven. The Cowboys are overrated and people will begin to see that win they lose to an 0 and 4 Chiefs team.
gee I wonder how bob feels about the new regime?
All-time Head Coach W/L record 1st season DAL/KC franchise history:
Stram 8-6-0 (nigh on an expansion team)
Wiggin: 5-9-0
Levy: 4-12-0
Mackovic: 6-10-0
Gansz: 4-11-0
Schottenheimer: 8-7-1
Cunningham: 9-7-0
Vermeil: 6-10-0
Edwards: 9-7-0 AND PLAYOFFS
‘check’: 0-4 to date (nee 0-8 and counting); 0-4 as 0-8 also worst ’start’ ever franchise history
This is the worst start since 1980 at 0-4 regular season – will tie the worst all-time 0-5 start by Paul Wiggin in 1977 with next week’s pre-ordained loss to DALL; too, they are already WORST EVER at 0-8 and counting pre.
Stars? Not the ones KC sees aft getting clobbered weekly, rather the oppositions – while BALT had a QB in Flacco, OAK none of note, PHILY none really & NY Giants QB Manning/RB Jacobs if we’re feeling gratuitous, DALL will bring a QB in Romo, a RB in Barber, a TE in Witten & a couple WRs in Williams & Crayton PLUS an offensive line … this will be the best offense KC has faced this year.
The Broncos are 4-0…obviously they’re no fluke based on their game vs DALL today, Denver. Alas, KC is not as DEN…home or not. DALL will be as our own #27 once: lean, mean, fightin’ machine.
DALL on D more than up to shutting down KC’s pop gun attack. DeMarcus Ware v Branden Albert et al our offensive line? Ware’s been double & triple teamed in ‘09. Newman on Bowe? And the rest DALL vs Ryan, Wade and…and…0(h) & 9 the humanity!
The ‘62 Lenny Dawson led Texans could beat these Cowboys but not the ‘09 caricatures. Believe Rin when He taketh no joy stating a non-rose colored glasses obvitude… we are DOOMED.
Cassel’s development must become evident and soon. The team has to have a QB that makes plays. We need something and someone to rally around and that is the QB. Cassel must elevate his game.
I thought Cassel looked very poor today.
Cassel? More like Crap-pel!
Cassel didn’t look poor today. He looked average though. He didn’t have the picks but his overall play was not as good as it was last week.
I guess Bob can’t report the reality of this team without people assuming he does not like the new regime. I don’t see it.
Ed, your posts have become more irritating than rin’s. Dallas just got beat by a team from the worst division in football. They will show up in Arrowhead with a chip on their shoulder and will be loaded for bear. Without a huge amount of good fortune the Chiefs simply do not match up. The Donkeys are playing with an amazing amount of determination, something we have yet to see from our Chiefs.
Hey Rin. And how was the 2d and 3rd seasons for those same coaches you listed above? Just to see how their continuity went?
Did they get better or did they get worse?
Do you have the patience to see the current management succeed?
Better yet, do you have the DESIRE to see them succeed? Or would you rather dooms day?
Let me answer that for dog…. RDO John !!!!!! He is a bitter old GM that took 20yrs futility in not getting a SB appearance.He is disowned by his team ….. no ring of honer….. not even a game appearance to honer his futility . Bitter Bitter 20yr has been . PnS
Bob was fired by the new administration, so his feelings about them are clear.
Cassel was indeed horrible today. He NEEDS to get better.
The only way the bitter old GM wins ……If the owner/GM/coaches fail now .Sow the seeds of doubt & hope they lose. PNS HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
“Edwards: 9-7-0 AND PLAYOFFS”
Find a new tune or a new angle on the old tune – this one’s worn out and many-times-refuted by us all.
“Edwards: 9-7-0 AND PLAYOFFS.” Pioli/Haley 0-8 and counting.
You can refute it all you want; but it is true.
Haley is a joke, an unfunny one at that.
Let’s set the record straight on Bob Gretz’ employment history at One Arrowhead Drive.
It is true that one of the changes that has taken place under Scott Pioli is that Mr. Gretz no longer writes columns on the Chiefs web site. But neither does anybody else who did so during Carl Peterson’s tenure. Jonathan Rand, Eileen Weir (not to mention the supposedly mysterious Rufus Dawes) are all gone, too.
Might Bob Gretz be bitter because he no longer writes on the Chiefs site? Possibly. But to say he was “fired” from that position is misleading. That suggests he was singled out. He was not. For better or worse, the Chiefs under Scott Pioli do not want independent columns such as Mr. Gretz was writing on their own web site.
It is also true Bob Gretz was fired from his primary employment as the sideline reporter for Chiefs radio broadcasts. But this happened a full season BEFORE Scott Pioli arrived in Kansas City. It’s reasonable to expect Mr. Gretz could be bitter about this, but if he is, the bitterness would not be directed towards the the present regime – or even the Chiefs organization! His employer was Cumulus Radio, the owner of KCFX-FM and the Chiefs Radio Network.
Yes… it’s true that NFL teams and their radio networks have a very cozy relationship, and Gretz could have been fired from his radio job because that’s what the Chiefs wanted. But if that were the case, why would the Chiefs allow him to continue writing columns on their web site – which they alone control – for a full year afterwards? That makes no sense at all.
Anyone is entitled to disagree with Bob Gretz’ point of view about the new regime at Arrowhead. But to discredit his views because of personal bitterness over his employment is to ignore the facts of the matter, and stands as an insult to the integrity of one of the very best reporters to cover this team during the past two decades.
Edwards 9-7 first year with a very good core of players that were left after vermeil. Haley 0-4 with a bunch of crap left to him after Edwards. I am going to go off today about these chiefs. My wife and I talked about it on our 5 hour trip west home from the game. Chiefs home games right now are just not fun to attend. After having tickets for 21 years the last two years of product on the field has to be the absolutley worst product I have ever seen. The new announcer this year has to repeatedly tell every one IT’S THIRD DOWN just to try and get fans fired up. In the glory days the place rocked the whole game. On our walk to the stadium my 14 year old daughter and her friend saw a couple cheerleaders and wanted a picture they were told as several people around them were “you can call us and book us for your tailgate party” they wouldn’t even take time out for pictures if you didn’t fricking pay them. WHAT A FRICKING JOKE!!!! Your 2-27 in your last twenty nine games and you treat fans this way!!!! Edwards plain and simple was a joke and his hiring put us back three years. I am doing my best to be supportive of the new group in charge but finding it harder and harder watching an offense so inept. We would see Lamar walk around the stadium before games becasue he always told us he wanted to see the fans!! I wonder if Clark is keeping up this tradition? Ok my rant is over for now!!!
Thanks John, that is exactly what I was going to say
Not so fast Rick the Trick…
Rick said
“Edwards 9-7 first year with a very good core of players that were left after vermeil.”
- Vermeil failed to make the playoffs for TWO STRAIGHT YEARS with all that ‘very good core’; Herm made it & it only took him one try…Herm also took the NY Jets to the playoffs his 1st year there this after they missed the playoffs TWO STRAIGHT YEARS w/the great? Parcells & Al Groh.
Otherwise, rant on…
daddy-o
Ok looked at the roster. I should say interior offensive line and better d line. As everyone always says the battles are won up front. I think until we get both straightened out we are in for a long dry spell with W’s
Rick Agreed, I dont know how it’s not that hard to understand every great team had a great Offensive and defensive line. You can’t build around a QB if he is injured!! Every great dynasty had a great O-line, bills in the 90’s, Cowboys in the 90’s, San Fran in the 80’s, Patriots in the 2000’s, Steelers in the 70’s
DE_NILE is not a River! Edwards inherited a good team and backed into the playoffs by 3 other teams losing. I think the odds of that were like 500 to 1. If edwards was that good of a coach he would still be here plus he would have landed another job by now- may still… I really hope he does!(see- Buffalo Bills). Point is: If Haley doesn’t inspire real improvement especially against lesser talent by year end the evidence will be on him.