Sunday Morning Cup O’Chiefs
From Millbrae, California
When the Chiefs and Raiders meet on Sunday afternoon at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum they will play the 100th game that mattered in the history of this storied rivalry.
They have played 96 times in the regular season and three times in the playoffs and they have combined for some of the greatest moments in pro football history.
But right now, guys like Dawson and Lamonica, Biletnikoff and Taylor, Bell and Hendricks, Rudnay and Otto wouldn’t recognize what’s happening on the field.
Can you really call it a rivalry when one team is 3-8 and the other is 1-10?
Can it really be another chapter in a storied history of games when one team is 1-19 in the last 20 games, while the other is 4-16 in the same time frame?
Since the Raiders made the Super Bowl at the end of the 2002 season, they have an NFL worst record of 22-69. The Chiefs in that same time-frame are now 44-47.
The Chiefs against the Raiders used to mean something. It mattered. That’s not the case right now and hasn’t been the case for some time. In fact, one would probably have to go back to the Y2K Bowl on January 2, 2000 when the Raiders beat the Chiefs 41-38 in overtime at Arrowhead Stadium. That victory allowed Oakland to finish .500 on the season and knocked Kansas City out of the playoffs.
How bad is this match up? CBS-TV is forced to broadcast the game because they carry the AFC. They’ve assigned their least active and talented broadcast crew in Bill Macatee and Steve Beuerlein. Kansas City and northern California will be the only areas of the country that see this game, and again that comes only because CBS must provide that coverage.
There will be little or no carryover from the previous 99 games when these teams play on Sunday. The only game that really matters is the 99th meeting, back in September when the Raiders rolled into Arrowhead and handed the Chiefs a 23-8 loss. In that game, the Raiders embarrassed the Chiefs by running for 300 yards. And, there wasn’t a single fight, which tells you there isn’t much emotion left in this battle.
Rivalries are built on two things: geography and playing games of importance. The Chiefs and Raiders have never been about geography. They have always been about playing games of importance.
Until now.
OPPONENT NEXT/OAKLAND RAIDERS
Interim coach Tom Cable is trying to sell his guys on getting fired up for divisional games. We thought that was a given in the NFL, but apparently that’s not so with the Raiders.
The silver and black are trying to string together back-to-back victories, and eliminate the culture of failure that has infected the team.
FROM THE PAGES OF CHIEFS HISTORY
On November 30, 1975, the Chiefs lost to the Baltimore Colts 28-14 at Memorial Stadium. It was a memorable day because it was the game that convinced QB Len Dawson that he needed to retire. Dawson started that day for the Chiefs and was sacked seven times, while throwing two TD passes and two interceptions. Dawson hit WR Larry Brunson for a 25-yard score and his final pro TD pass was to Doug Dressler for three yards. Baltimore RB Lydell Mitchell had 178 yards on 26 carries. DE John Dutton had three of those seven sacks.
SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO …
Born on this day in 1931 was QB Cotton Davidson, who started for the Dallas Texans the first time they played against the Oakland Raiders back in 1960. Davidson played through the first game of the 1962 season with the Texans before he was traded by owner Lamar Hunt to the Raiders for Oakland’s first-round draft choice. Hunt has said it was the only trade he ever made himself, not informing head coach Hank Stram of the move. The reason he made the deal was a new quarterback the team had signed out of the NFL named Len Dawson who looked so good Hunt thought there wasn’t any reason to keep Davidson. He was right and that first-round pick became Buck Buchanan. Davidson played 10 seasons in the NFL-AFL, his final six years in Oakland.
Born on this day in 1962 was a fellow named Bo Jackson. A Heisman Trophy winning (1985) running back from Auburn, Jackson would go on to play both pro football for the Raiders and pro baseball for the Royals and other teams. He scored 18 career TDs over four seasons for the Raiders before a hip injury ended his football career.
A couple of former Chiefs defensive linemen were born on November 30: Nate Hobgood-Chittick (2000-01) in 1974 and Bryan Proby (1995) in 1971.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
New York Giants WR Plaxico Burress won’t play on Sunday against Washington. He was out with a hamstring injury and then he shot himself at a Manhattan night club. I can’t make this stuff up so it’s any better than this. Here’s another story on the situation.
Cleveland TE Kellen Winslow says the zebras are screwing him when it comes to pass interference. Hey, if he wants to find somebody who agrees with him, talk with Tony Gonzalez.
AROUND THE REST OF THE AFC WEST
Out in San Diego, they are hoping draft choice Jacob Hester is ready to start making a contribution to the Chargers offense.
It’s the Jets-Broncos on Sunday and a chance for Jay Cutler to go head-to-head with the legend, that Favre guy.
What a fall from grace when no one but the diehard fans will be seeing this game. It must be troubling to Macattee and Beuerlein to be assigned the ignominy of broadcasting it as their respective careers must be in similar dire straights as the Raiders and Chiefs seasons.
However, all that aside, I have too many longterm memories of this rivalry when it mattered not what the other team’s record was because the game would always be a Pier 6 brawl. Because of that history, I suspect today’s contest will not disappoint.
Might be right,Rich, I have seen some good games at the Mineral Bowl between Jr. College teams, very entertaining. Of course if someone from the Big 8 (olden days) had shown up it might not have been so much fun. Sort of like the chiefs playing a real NFL team.
It is interesting that Bill Grigsby, the biggest chiefs booster I have ever met, would pick the 1977 team over the 2008. Oh well, there is always next year.
exactly tm1946!
worst chiefs team (so far) of all time….and Gretz wants to give the coaches extensions!
And Rin Tin is excited about the coaching staff.
I think he is only joking, he seems to enjoy himself sort of like mental masturbation.
Anyone who likes this staff is probably a chief’s employee. I doubt any could get a job in football after what they threw up this year. Next year the same guys may actually do their job and be revered by one and all.
tm, aka transcendental masturbation… emphasis ‘dental’
Keep up the great work Coach Edwards. ALL of KC (emphasis ‘ALL’) is behind you and we know that you will lead us back to glory very soon now.
AND NOW, Clark Hunt has RE-affirmed Herm’s The Man!
Herm sucks…Herm has ruined the chiefs..Ohh but we’re re-building, well we weren’t last year and we went 4-12..And we’re going to go 2-14 this year!!!Yes lets give Herm a coaching extension, right Bob?!?
Hey don’t forget me!
I was excited at the Herm hiring and I am still excited about him as our coach. I for one (along with Bob according to findthedr) am in favor of an extension. He will, listen carefully now! He will bring us a Super Bowl.
I third that sentiment – viva Herm! Herm Edwards forever!