Players Aren’t Celebrating End Of Season
From the Truman Sports Complex
One would think the end of a 2-14 football season would be celebrated by those who had to slog through the long six months of disappointment.
That wasn’t the feeling at all around the Chiefs facility on Monday morning as the 2008 team met for the last time and headed out the door to begin an uncertain off-season. More than a few players said they would love to start again right now, anything they could do to help fix the problems that led to so many bad outcomes.
“There’s a little bit of a relief that it’s done, but it’s not something I’m celebrating,” said veteran guard Brian Waters. “It feels incomplete. This season has been so disappointing and so incomplete. I walk away from this season feeling like we were on the brink of getting this thing turned around. The game yesterday in Cincinnati was an aberration. We were getting better and I’m sure there are a lot of guys that wish we could go back and get to work and hopefully get a victory.
“I feel like it ended a little short for us.”
Herm Edwards spoke to the team on Monday morning and as he always has been, he was very blunt in his comments to his players.
“He talked about showing up and knowing you are an NFL player and being consistent,” said safety Bernard Pollard. “That you have to come in and know your job. You have to be a professional.
“I don’t think we did that. We were not consistent and it showed in our games. Our biggest thing is we have to learn how to win.”
Center Rudy Niswanger was one of those guys that got no joy out of the end to the season.
“I think when your season ends before winning the Super Bowl, you are never glad that it’s over,” Niswanger said. “Regardless of winning or losing, it’s just fun to play this game. We also had goals coming into the season and you hate to come to a point where you know you are going to accomplish what you wanted to get done.”
No matter what happens in the coming months, the Chiefs acknowledge that they must learn how to win football games.
“It breaks your heart to see what has gone on,” said Pollard. “I didn’t realize how many players we had and went through this year. But you can’t use that as an excuse, because we had enough players to win.
“A lot of the blame is on us. We have to go out and make the play. It was like yesterday (at Cincinnati), we weren’t making the tackles. That wasn’t the coaches; that was the players. Blame goes to everybody when close losses come.
“I wish we would have rallied as a team. Four wins last year, two wins this year, that’s piss poor. This is professional football; we are in the National Football League and we cannot come out playing like this.”
“Piss Poor”
enough said.
Thats why its time we get a GM and head coach that is not going to tolerate and except failure. The time has come for a new era to sweep Arrowhead. If you look at KC the last 10years we’ve only made the playoffs 3 times and we still haven’t won a playoff game in 15 years. The time has come for new direction.
Don’t know about the players, but I’m glad that this team is finished for the year. I couldn’t stand to spend another Sunday sick to my stomach over a team that is unprepared to play and a coach who doesn’t have a clue. This is the end of an era and I was ready for this season to end two weeks ago when Carl stepped down.
Can’t wait until they send Herm packing. His press conference today was more embarrassing than his coaching.
At least some of the players are saying the right things… The problem is Herm can’t teach ‘em how to win. I’m not sure he know’s himself. That’s not a condescending remark, just an observation that he’s never been in a role to teach that many players to do so. In Tampa, he was a db coach. They did it one year. They were very good on defense, but had no “O”. In NY, he inherited Parcell’s guys that learned from a guy that does know how.
I do admire Herm’s character, just not his coaching product, philosophy, game day judgement. This defensive team, for two year’s now, doesn’t tackle consistently well, overruns plays consistently & seems to run a scheme that players aren’t picking up. He can talk about injuries, etc., but the one’s that aren’t injured (except for the young CBs) aren’t getting it done. Yesterday I watched DJ exclusively on many plays. What a waste of talent…poor angles to the hole, late on reads, questionable tackling, etc. Gunther & Krumrie just aren’t doin’ it with these guys. On one play, I watched Dorsey play “handsies” with the other guy like it was a drill Krumrie was shown doing with combine guys. There was no trying to drive through the guy to get to the qb or penetration, etc. If that’s what they’re being taught, Boy Wonder Hunt shouldn’t need to talk to the new GM about this crew (except for Chan). He needs to do it himself & do it now.
sunday was a terrible game!
it was on tivo… i skipped the game and watched the commercial! lol
tim… you are wrong… dorsey had his best game of the year yesterday… 7 tackles…some pressure… deflected pass…
dj just moved to the middle mr. i know more than them!… led team in tackles again… did drop his 2nd pic six of the season though…needs to learn how to catch the ball in his body… .. or move away and use hands…
the cover 2 worked at tampa and indy to win a title… and chicago to get to one…
need to get rid of gun and krumrie … do it the right way… coach from detroit used to be a d-line coach maybe bring him in….
hunt better not be concerned about coaches or players… not his job!
what was embarassing about herm’s conference?
And steve you’re right the last 2 games Derrick seems to be making a little progress playing in the middle the last 2 games. WE might can hold off on drafting a middle linebacker next year and see how his progress is for 2009 and maybe go after another outside linebacker
I wonder if Herm ever thinks that if maybe we had a pass rush we would have won at least a handful of games this year. So with Jared Allen the Chiefs won 4 games last year with no offense. This year Chiefs had a decent offense last 10 games and no pass rush all season and only 2 wins. Once more Herm was wrong in his professional thinking.
Sorry Steve. I don’t believe I’m wrong at all. Dorsey did have one of his better statistical games, but that wasn’t what I was referring to. DJ playing in the middle isn’t unfamiliar. He played there in college some. Bottom line on DJ is that he’s obviously athletically gifted, just isn’t disciplined enough to be consistently productive at a high level. Perhaps a different scheme & different coaches can get him to fulfill a lot more of his potential. What the current staff is doing isn’t working.
I don’t care if they’re rookies or not. Inconsistent tackling by going high and/or not wrapping up is a coaching, discipline & toughness issue. Too many of our players exhibit one or more of these shortcomings. Coaching is obviously a big player here.
I agree Tim with you on DJ, but would add he is not physical enough, as a LB (inside particularly) he can not try to run around blocks, he must take on guys and BEAT them physically.
Trade em!
Yup, Herm’s STILL The Man!
Cue Elton John – “I’m still standin – yeah yeah yeah! I’m still standin – YEAH YEAH YEAH!
heh heh heh
Bloody Monday came and went & while the deserving NFL coaches were let go nee fired Herm is ‘still’ standin’ better than he ever has!
The players are excited knowing Herm Edwards will return as Chiefs Head Coach in 2009, and they are anxious to be augmented by both drafted and free agents acquisitions Herm will make in the coming months- excitement’s growin’ as Herm prepares to lead us forward once again to meet the challenges ahead!
Keep up the great work ‘Head Coach’ of the Kansas City Chiefs, Herm Eddddddd-wards!
Any one have any thing on Andre Smith?
Something about him being suspended for the Bowl Game?
ESPN said on its scroll that he was suspended for improper contact or actions involving an agent.
herm needs to finish what he started all of you complainers always calling for someones head carl resigned now you low lifes that think your chief fans think if you whine long enough we can start over with a new system and alot of rookies can get herm fired maybe he wont be there next year but i support this team and all the coaches that never gave up I dont think you whiners should be allowed to even speak on this site as it seems to be a chiefs support site so enjoy the rebuild and next year we will win some games and with what ive seen we will win the division that means playoffs i hope you all remember. If the coach is changed we will get the #1 pick in the draft we will be as good as the lions this is a very good football team and should not be derailed we are that close to the top have patience and we will see next year how good this team really is SO JUST SHUT UP AND WATCH WHAT HAPPENS 85% IN PLACE AND CAP ROOM TO GO WITH THAT LOOK OUT WHINERS Chiefs forever winners next year Hey did we ever loose and give up 52 points hahahahaha way to go donkeys
November 23, 2008-Buffalo 54, KC 31
Dave, when you say this is a very good football team, what are you basing that on? And predicting we win the division? Dude, we were 2 games better than the Lions. That’s 2 fewer wins than last year.
85% in place?? What does that even mean? NFL caliber starters? I don’t think so. The rebuild is underway, but we have a long way to go. Herm predicting we would be in the playoffs next year is just a weak stab at trying to save his job.
While I certainly hope we DO win the division, you need to take off your Chiefs jammies and watch their performance this last season. NO progress over the last 10 games.
B in Sc, your wrong, there was progress in the last 10 games, and if you didn’t see it, maybe you should watch the game. The chiefs had leads in the last 10 games or chances to win, that is a big improvement over the first 6 games and over the entire year they have improved.
If the chiefs had Jared Allen this year they would have had more sacks, whoopdee doo and wouldn’t have the offense. Remember they picked up a left tackle using a draft pick essentially from the JA trade. They would have had Mcintosh at LT and not getting any blocking. They wouldn’t have done any better this year with Allen.
What is going to happen to this website next year when the chiefs start winning, are all the herm haters going to find other things to bitch about? Maybe the guys aren’t brushing there teeth the right way either, if they were coached better they would have the circular motion down…
Arrowhead, what a load of BS. What progress?? If you believe Thigpen, the one bright spot, is the answer, check your drugs. Bowe, 1000 yarder, had drop after drop while racking up the yards. Def line, who, what, where, when, a bunch of dead men walking the ENTIRE SEASON. CB improved and Albert played, that is 4 players who got better. Will Franklin, where was he. Look at the inactives Merritt, etc. could not play on a crappy team, a rebuilding team.
Get over Allen, HE IS GONE. I hate to beat a dead horse but this team is NO repeat NO better that the start of the year or the 16th game would have been at least interesting not what the chiefs threw on the field. Get real.
tm1946, Im supporting the decision to trade Jared Allen… There wasn’t many players who didn’t play this year from the draft class, if you look at any other team that drafted last year, which is all of them, they didn’t play many of there draftees because they weren’t good enough to win a starting position. every player that played this year should be better next year…
drop after drop but still racked up 1000, they still need another DT and DE. They have wholes, but next year the team will be better. It takes rookie wide receivers normally 3 years to show improvement, bowe is an anomaly, Franklin may get better but you won’t know that until later…
This crap about trading Allen was a good move is just ridiculous!
The guy was ONLY 26 yrs old!
How many of you same people have said the only positions you would draft in the top 5 are L Tackle, QB, DB, or a PASS RUSHER!???
That’s talking out of both sides of your head!
We had a Great DE, so they let a great player go to draft another key position?
I’m sure we could have traded LJ for extra picks instead of Allen, backs are pretty much a dime a dozen.
How did we gain anything? Yes Albert is a good Tackle, but Allen is a GREAT DE! Both worth there weight in gold.
But ask your self this, which side of the ball killed us the most this season?
And now some of the same posters here, are saying we have to get a DE, so following the logic some of you are using we should trade Albert for Peppers or???
When you have a great player in a key position, you don’t trade him to improve another key position.
That’s just asinine!!
yea but he also is one beer from falling off the wagon, you want to give him the big contract and then see him be suspended for the season? That’s an assinine move right there. I wouldn’t trade Alberts for peppers, you have to pick a lineman from the draft, just like they did with Jared Allen.
It’s better to have a good left tackle then a great DE when you want to run the ball and keep your defense off the field. Unfortunately we need a couple more O-linemen to be able to run the ball consistently.
WE CAN’T RUN THE BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1st and goal from the one? Remember?
You go right ahead, rationalize and justify this sorry ass mess all you want, but I ain’t the one Home Boy!
And that was a cheap shot at Allen too, but I guess his was a higher risk than Johnson.
Oh but wait Allen has had an awesome season, stayed clean, played with a severely separated shoulder and HIS TEAM IS IN THE PLAYOFFS!
In the mean time Johnson was suspened for 4 games, can’t pick up a first down when we need it most.
Yeah RighT! See how ridiculous my argument is?
your right, LJ should be gone too, he is a big baby like vermiel said. He needs to put his diaper back on…
The chiefs can’t run the ball, exactly… I dont think that has got anything to do with the head coach, that is an execution problem, someone not pushing there man back, LJ not running hard. Not a coach problem, apparently the players know the play that was called, so they were coached. The players didn’t execute the play…
a year ago when LJ was holding out for the money everyone was bitching at Peterson because he wasn’t giving in to LJ, now its Petersons fault that he did give in to LJ. so your right it was the wrong thing to do, they should have got rid of him last year before he got hurt… And that would have made the fans happy, LMAO…
Rationalize and Justify!! Enabler!
Herm is signed through 2009, so he will be here next year. The contract he signed should allow him to be here 1 more season. If contracts are honored these days then thats justification for him to be here next year and have his team winning…
FAR, FAR superior coaches than Herm are fired with year(s) left on their contract. The Rat had 3 more years. Maty had 2 more years when SD dumped him. Mangini had a year left, Crennell had 3. If one wants to keep Herm simply because he has a year left on his contract, that’s asinine.