NOTES: So Much For Quarterback Controversy

From Charlotte, North Carolina

Herm Edwards caused quite a stir last week when he said that if the Chiefs won in Carolina with Damon Huard at quarterback, there might be a tough decision for him to make when the team came out of its bye week to face Tennessee.

Scratch that. Any controversy went bye-bye with the Chiefs 34-0 loss to the Panthers and with Huard’s performance.

The veteran quarterback finished the game with a 19.2 passer rating. He threw two interceptions and fumbled twice when hit on sacks. One fumble was recovered by RB Larry Johnson. The other went to the Panthers.

Nobody, not Edwards, Huard or Brodie Croyle had anything to say after this debacle.

But there’s little doubt now that if he’s physically ready, and he showed last week during limited participation in practice that he is, then Brodie Croyle should take the first snap against Tennessee on October 19 at Arrowhead.

TONY GETS HIS RECORD

It was a non-descript six-yard catch late in the first quarter.

But it was a record setter for Tony Gonzalez. That catch gave him the pro football record for most career receiving yardage by a tight end.

Gonzalez finished the game with three catches for 17 yards. He now has in his career:

• 10,075 receiving yards. Shannon Sharpe had 10,060 yards.
• 841 catches. Sharpe had 815.
• 68 TD catches. Sharpe had 62.

He’s now caught a pass in 120 consecutive games, a team record.

Afterwards, Gonzalez wasn’t really much interested in talking. Other than calling the team’s performance the worst he had seen in his professional career.

NOW CAROLINA PLAYS RUN DEFENSE

In the first five games of the ‘08 season, the Carolina defense has faced four of the league’s top six rushers coming into the weekend, as well as last year’s leading rusher. None ran for 100 yards. They held San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson to 97 yards, rookie Matt Forte of Chicago to 92 yards, Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson got 77 yards, Michael Turner of Atlanta ran for 56 yards last week and Larry Johnson got his two yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS PROVIDE NO HELP

There was no juice from the Chiefs kicking game. Tough to blame K Nick Novak who only got on the field one time, putting the opening kickoff at the Carolina three-yard line that was returned only 19 yards.

P Dustin Colquitt kicked seven times and averaged 49 yards a kick, with a net average of 39.3 yards. Several of his kicks, however lacked the typical hang time the Chiefs expect from Colquitt.

In the return game Dantrell Savage averaged 25 yards on four kickoff returns with a long of 31. He had two punt returns for minus-2 yards, thanks to a minus-10 yard return when he ran sideways instead of north and south. It was a major rookie mistake. Maurice Leggett returned one kickoff for 30 yards.

On coverage, the Chiefs allowed 19 yards on the only kickoff they covered and on five punt returns, Mark Jones averaged 13.6 yards, with a long return of 26 yards.