Larry Johnson

Everyone says he can not be traded because of the cap hit.  Let's take a look at why this is true.  Here's the breakdown of the hit we would take if we traded him before the week 6 deadline.

Prorated 2008 salary: $1.7 million

2009 salary: $4.55 million

Prorated Bonus ($12.5 million over 6 years and prorated in 2008): $9.68 million

Total Cap Hit in 2009: $15.93 million

This is my understanding of the cap hit we would take if we traded him.  Of course, after 2009 that number would drop drastically.

Tony Gonzalez

This is intriguing but only because we know Tony still has it.  The facts are, though, that he's 32 years old and hasn't committed to playing beyond 2009.  I could see him being sent to a contender looking to be pushed over the hump.

But would the Chiefs do it?  Unlikely.  Right now he and Bowe are our only consistent offensive threats in the passing game.  And our passing game sucks so we need Tony more than anyone else.

Damon Huard

Believe it or not, Huard has some value.  He's a proven back up at the most important position in the league.  Unfortunately for us, like Tony we need him more than anyone else.  We can not, repeat can not continue this season without Huard.  Croyle is unlikely to stay healthy for the next 11 games which would leave Tyler Thigpen or someone off the street to lead our team and we've seen how catastrophic that can be.

Patrick Surtain

I'm down for moving him.  He's in the 4th year of a 7 year deal signed in 2005.  Brandon Carr has proven he can hang in the secondary so Surtain seems to be a stop gap until the rookie is ready to take his spot full time.  On top of that, there's been talk of Carr taking Surtain's spot at some point this season anyway.

• The updates from One Arrowhead Drive are becoming fewer and fewer.  Check out Herm's latest Q&A.
• Bob Gretz reminds us that quarterback troubles aren't unique to Kansas City.
• Brian Waters said the play of the offensive line this year compared to last year "Ain't even close."  [Gulp] Really??
• The guys over at Arrowhead Addict are trying to gain momentum for their 'Cowher-Vick 2009' campaign.
• The best college quarterbacks potentially available next year: Out of this group, who would you take?
• Who knew Dwayne Bowe and I both watched Full House growing up.
• Jon Yoon weighs in on the 'trade LJ' talk.
• Tom Brady, the QB to whom Bernard Pollard will be forever linked, finally had his knee surgery.
• And from the 'It was bound to happen sooner or later department': Pacman Jones got into a fight (with one of his own security detail) in a hotel restroom on Tuesday night.

So, I was on the plaza last night walking to my car probably around 6:30ish and who do I see jogging down the street with a pit bull looking dog?  Tank Tyler.  Glad to see he's staying in shape.  It's shown this season.

Around here we've beaten the offensive line to death with consistent (but deserved) criticism.  Their inability to effectively protect the quarterback or consistently create running lanes for Larry Johnson has been a massive problem.  It's handcuffed our team's ability to get anything going offensively.

However, the other side of the line has been just as big if not bigger of a failure in the Chiefs downfall.  The defensive line, comprised of two 1st round picks, one 2nd round pick and a 3rd round pick (albeit all within the last 3 years) aren't getting to the quarterback nearly enough.

With a below average output from the defensive line, Herm Edwards had this to say, “At times we got there, but we didn’t sack him. If you hit the guy and disrupt the guy and he can’t throw it on time, that’s almost as good as a sack. If you can make the guy throw quick, you’ve got a chance.”

Ugh.  You HAVE to get to the quarterback in this league.  It's as crippling as not having the ability to make first downs through the air on offense.

Teams pass the ball now.  A lot.  It's performances like these that really do make me think Herm is instituting game plans that are simply out-dated.  I mean I'm not blaming the guy.  That's his style.  It's just unfortunate his style is heading in the opposite direction the league is headed.

The KC Star and the FanPosts touched on this subject as well.

Nick Athan at WPI:

The Chiefs’ biggest debacle so far hasn’t been losing to the Patriots, Raiders, Falcons or Panthers. It was letting Pennington get away. He wanted to come to Kansas City, but the Chiefs didn’t pull the trigger. Whether it was a coaching thing or a management thing, the bottom line is this season could have been different if Pennington was a Chief and not a Dolphin.

I definitely see the argument here.  But what good is reliving the past going to do?

Joe Posnanski:

Well, it was fitting that this was the fifth week of the season because the Chiefs have now gone through all five stages of grief. There seemed to be no denial left in the locker room after the Chiefs’ nauseating 34-0 loss Sunday to Carolina. There wasn’t much anger. The Chiefs’ players were not in the mood for bargaining, and few players even seem very depressed.

Uh oh.  When the anger and depression after a devastating loss isn't there, what's next?

Kent Babb:

Then again, the Chiefs are approaching the season’s midway point, and other than the Denver victory, there haven’t been many indications the defense can string together decent performances, let alone good ones.

It's getting to (or gotten to rather) the point where we really need to question the defense.  That was our one area where we saw the potential last year.  Even if it is a rebuilding year, the run defense is a major cause for concern for me.

The Red Zone on Tony Gonzalez's record breaking catch:

The broken record was considerably quieter than it might have been in Kansas City, where last week Arrowhead Stadium officials had planned to stop the game and acknowledge the 12-year veteran.

Ugh.  After a game like this I feel sick to my stomach Tony couldn't break it at home.  Although I will tell people I'm fine if he wants to go to a contender, I can't fathom this team without him.

Larry Johnson:

“I’ve seen it coming. There are certain things in a game that you as a player know what’s going to happen. They’re going to gang up on the run because of the success we had the week before. That’s what you’ve got to live with. You’ve got to take it in stride and hopefully do better next week. This is a young team, and this is what happens when you rebuild.”

Somewhere in the back of my mind I wanted to see LJ get mad.  I wanted him to be pissed.  This lack of anger at a pathetic performance like this really makes me wonder what the state of the locker room is.  At some point, being a "players coach" stops being a good thing, especially when you look around and can't pinpoint just one problem.  It's the whole team.

All I'm looking for is a little accountability and for MY TEAM that's not too much to ask.

What about you - does it worry you that even LJ isn't throwing a hissy fit after a loss like this?

• Branden Albert is officially out against the Carolina Panthers.
• The defense wants to feed off of the offense.  For once.
• The Brandon Carr experiment is turning out better to be better than advertised.
• For those of you that haven't seen it, the Al Davis press conference earlier this week is a must see.  Trust me.
• After LT, AP and Michael Turner, the Panthers are ready for LJ.
• The Panthers are having offensive line issues as well.
• Many people predicted the AFC West and NFC South to be among the NFL's worth divisions.  I'd say the West is winning that battle.
• Bob Gretz lets us get to know Jake Delhomme's career path a little better.
• It's good to know Chris is facing similar issues in India as he is here.

More to come on the Panthers directional run and pass tendencies so we can determine which Chiefs defensive player is going to have the biggest day.

One thing I like to do after a sweet, sweet victory such as our Kansas City Chiefs' last night is go back and review what we thought needed to happen in order to win versus what really happened.

Go back to this post and review what everyone thought needed to happen.  I'd say we were spot on with a few of them.

We Must Protect This House!

Protect Arrowhead we did indeed.  I suggested the crowd wouldn't play much of a factor in the game considering the lack of impact it had on the first game against the Oakland Raiders.  However, at least from the TV broadcast, it appears that the crowd got into it and created some noise despite the level of attendance.

The Mike Shanahan coached Broncos moved to 3-11 all time at Arrowhead as we furthered our dominance over them at home.  For whatever reason, we've got the Broncos number when they come into Arrowhead.  We avoided the 3 year sweep with this victory and reaffirmed my belief that Arrowhead is the toughest place to play despite the team on the field.

Larry, Larry, Larry!

Dead on.  LJ started early with a 60+ yard run on the second play from scrimmage and continued to beat down the Broncos defenders all the way into the 4th quarter.  This moved him just 7 yards from the season rushing leader through 4 weeks.

LJ's performance was a great reminder that when it really comes down to it we're only going as far as he can take us.  Our quarterback situation combined with our less than innovative offense makes LJ moving the chains a necessity and he did that today.

He took the pressure off Damon Huard and the rest of the offense.  Just as importantly, he allowed us to hold the ball for over 33 minutes and I think we saw the advantage that created for our defense.

Early and Often

This was true to an extent.  We didn't get behind early but the Broncos gave us EVERY opportunity to pull away and we wouldn't take it.  We led 6-0 after the 1st quarter, 13-10 after the 2nd, 16-13 after the 3rd, and finished the game with a 33-19 advantage.

What I'm really excited about is the 4th quarter points.  When the pressure was put on and the Broncos pulled to within one score in the 4th quarter our offense responded big time on the shoulders of LJ.

Here are a few predictions from your fellow APers:

"What is success this week? Offense breaks 20 points and we lose by less than 10pts?"

"I can’t stress this enough – Damon Huard staying in the whole game and not being pulled is a big key."

"I cannot wait until Sunday so people might actually remember that Damon Huard is a pathetic quarterback. Thigpen is awful. Huard is pathetic."

Put me on board with that first comment.  I would have been happy to cover the spread but we did oh so much more than that.

So we know what we thought would happen.  Now that we look at what really happened, whose performance surprised you the most?

* End of the longest losing streak in Chiefs history.

* The players made plays.  Larry Johnson 7.1 yds/carry.  Dwayne Bowe 7 Receptions 81 yds.  Tony G 3 receptions 47 Yds.  Damon Huard 75% comp % with no INTs.  Derrick Johnson 1 forced fumble, 1 int.  Dorsey and Tank Tyler stuffing the middle.  Herb Taylor filling in for Brandon Albert.

* Kolby Smith doing the Tomahawk Chop

* Young Chiefs Defense becoming ball hawks.  Every play the Chiefs defense was ripping at the ball.  The result was two fumbles recovered and two interceptions.

* Our young CBs holding their own.  Carr had 2 Tackles, 3 passes defended, an interception and a fumble recovery.  Flowers had 7 Tackles, 2 passes defended and a fumble recovery.  Dmitri Patterson had 8 Combined Tackles.

* Larry Johnson runs for 198 yards and 2 TDs

* Arrowhead Stadium rocking the whole game instead of booing.

* Chiefs score 32 points.  (what is this?  the arena league?)

* Herm going on the field to check on Tony G when he was hurt (which he NEVER does)

* Denver Broncos only had 94 yards total rushing.

*Dantrelle Savages 51 yard Kickoff Return when we needed it most.

* LJ smiling

We Must Protect This House!

Dating back to 1990 the Chiefs have posted a 13-5 record against the Broncos in Arrowhead.  Though I would imagine most, if not all, of those victories came at the hands of a deafening Arrowhead Stadium, a site we're not likely to see this weekend.  If you head on over to the mothership they're still touting tickets for sale which doesn't bode well for home field advantage either.

Last year's game at Arrowhead on November 11th marked the beginning of the Brodie Croyle era.  Damon Huard led the Chiefs into halftime hanging onto an 8-6 lead before succumbing to an injury that would eventually supplant Croyle as the starter for the remainder of the season.  Interestingly enough, we've got the same quarterback issue and the same quarterback starting this game.

Judging by the putrid [actual] attendance at the home opener against the Oakland Raiders, the crowd is unlikely to play much, if any, of a factor this weekend.

Larry, Larry, Larry!

The success of the Chiefs in Sunday's contest lies (or lays?  Help!) on the shoulders of Larry Johnson.  LJ was an important contributing factor when we placed the trifecta on the Broncos in three straight home victories from 2004-2006. 

LJ, by the numbers, in career starts against the Broncos:

Granted the pre-2007 teams are drastically different than today's team but the same principle still holds true.  Get LJ the ball.  It's unlikely we'll see him approach 30 carries, especially with the addition of Jamaal Charles, but against a porous Denver defensive line the yards should/need to come aplenty.

Early And Often

I know this is a Captain Obvious sighting here but getting behind in this game is simply not an option.  Not with our offense against their corners and especially not with the Broncos offense against whichever KC defense decides to show up that day.

The Chiefs have been miserable in the first half thus far while the Broncos have been the league's best.  To be more exact, the Chiefs have scored 0 (!) first quarter points and 10 second quarter points.  The Broncos, on the other hand, have notched 28 first quarter points and 44 second quarter points which puts them atop the first half scoring leaderboard.

This seems like an impossible task but it starts with our ability to run the ball.  I don't want to sound like Herm but this is one scenario in which establishing the run and slowing the game down is pertinent.

Any other keys to victory on Sunday?

(Photo by John Amis)

Well, well. Another week. Another loss. I began this recap with the intention of brushing a broader stroke but I didn't have the heart for it. Here's a few things I took away from yesterday's game.

Turnovers will always kill you

Whenever a team loses a game and I take a look at the box score, my eyes almost always go to the turnover line. Sure enough, the Chiefs were -2 yesterday in the turnover category and lost by 24 points despite similar offensive stats to the Falcons. Tyler Thigpen's two interceptions within three minutes of each other in the second quarter, in hindsight, was the devastating blow dealt to the Chiefs. Those two picks gave Atlanta excellent field position (KC 18 and the KC 40) for what ultimately led to ten more points and a 24 to 0 lead a few minutes before half.

No reason to mention Thigpen's third and final pick which resulted in a touchdown by the Falcons' Chris Houston. Dwayne Bowe slipped and Thigpen had already released the ball.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a -1 turnover ratio on the season but the wrinkle in that is the Chiefs' opponents take advantage of those turnovers and score, literally after every turnover mind you, and the Chiefs do not. That's a basic football stat that you have to shake your head at if you're a Chiefs fan. That's a lot of power to have conceded to your opponent each game.

Hey, was that Larry Johnson on the field?

Lost amidst yesterday's destruction was that Larry Johnson had the best rushing performance by the Chiefs since Kolby Smith pounded the rock 31 times for 150 yards against Oakland last year (Side note: I completely forgot that Kolby Smith carried the ball that many times). LJ ran the ball 24 times for 121 yards and a touchdown.

One thing I've found myself doing when looking at Larry Johnson's stats over the last year is take away his longest carry and see what the YPC average is. With his long run of 48 yards included, LJ had a 5 yard per carry average. Take out that run and he averaged about 3.2 yards per carry. I like to use that second number as a more accurate judge of a runner's effectiveness over the period of an entire game.

Even with that second number right around 3 yards, the Chiefs were able to effectively run the ball for the first time in a long, long time. I actually saw a few holes opened up by the offensive line yesterday and that is said with no sarcasm whatsoever. They have been the first running lanes Larry Johnson has seen all season.

Remember, Tyler Thigpen is only temporary

The Tyler Thigpen led Chiefs' offense put together, for about 28 minutes to start the game, one of the worst strings of drives I've seen in a long time. And I watched all of last season!

The debate between starting Tyler Thigpen over Damon Huard is really only a relevant one if Brodie Croyle is out for a long period of time. Thigpen is not a future starter for the Chiefs and we need to treat him like that. Right now, the Chiefs starting quarterback is hurt and the team is in triage mode, trying to get as many pieces to work together as possible to maximize survival. The situation is obviously not ideal but I think that the Chiefs keeping Thigpen in is a good move, if only because wins aren't the ultimate goal this season. It doesn't matter if Huard or Thigpen is in there if neither one is going to be the full-time starting quarterback. It's a band-aid, barely covering the wound and we have to grit through the pain.

With those criticisms aside, Tyler Thigpen did lead touchdown scoring drives of 74 and 82 yards and that's no joke for this current Chiefs team. The best three drives of the season have been with Thigpen at the helm. Even going back further than this year, those two drives yesterday and his 9 play, 80-yard drive last week were some of the best drives the Chiefs have had since 2006.

For that, I will politely tip my hat to Tyler Thigpen and anxiously await the return of Brodie Croyle, or whoever our next quarterback is.

Defensive problems loom large

The Chiefs defense started the game off well, forcing three straight three and outs on the Falcons. But then the floodgates opened. Two quick touchdowns by the Falcons towards the end of first quarter shook the Chiefs defense and they never recovered.

A tough Matt Ryan and another week of ineffective pass rushing resulted in no sacks for the Chiefs. The run defense let the team down again, giving up 186 yards on the ground. This weekly recap is getting quite repetitious by the way. We are getting torn up on the ground.

I don't buy the argument that the defense is tired because they're on the field so much. First, the time of possession for all three games this season has not been out of whack for the Chiefs or their opponents. Plus, the Chiefs scattered in enough three, four and five minutes drives between their three and outs to give the defense time to rest. The defense did get a lot of time on the field during the first quarter yesterday but if your team can't make it through the first quarter endurance wise, geez I don't know what to tell you.

The Falcons aren't that bad

"We lost to the Falcons!"

I heard that quite a bit yesterday and even said it myself a few times. But after sleeping on it, the Falcons are actually a pretty solid team. They have what appears to be a good quarterback in Matt Ryan and their running game is a complete 180-degree turn around from last year. Their pass rush is pretty solid and their offensive line is leaps and bounds ahead of ours. Let's give the Falcons some credit for yesterday's win.

Amid all of the hullabaloo over Larry Johnson' fiery comments about his role with the Kansas City Chiefs is a very valid point made by the running back - The Chiefs need to use certain players more, mainly because it just makes sense to do so. Larry Johnson had 416 carries two years ago because that's partly his style and part of what made him an effective running back. We shouldn't deny the ability of players in favor of some sort of scheme.

Larry Johnson

This one is pretty obvious in my opinion. I know the Chiefs have had to pass quite a bit in the first two games of the 2008 season but that is no excuse for Larry Johnson to only receive two carries in the second half of last week's game. The Chiefs only rushed the ball four times as a team in the second half on Sunday.

To be fair, Larry split his 22 carries in Week 1 equally over the first and second halves but last week's play calling was atrocious in the second half.

Is LJ being taken out because of insufficient pass blocking? Is he actually being phased out of the offense? The first one rings much more true than the second. I will say I agree with Larry - Get him the ball at least, at least 20 times a game and you can feel good about your play calling. That seems like a no-brainer to me but so have a lot of things this season.

Jamaal Charles

I know it's a bit odd to suggest Larry needs more carries and Charles does as well but I think you know what I'm getting at.

I'm suggesting Jamaal Charles get more carries at the expense of Kolby Smith getting fewer. Now, Kolby only has one carry on the season mind you but Charles has yet to be anointed the official #2 back and I'm going to assume that Kolby Smith still factors heavily into the game plan as far as the #2 RB spot.

I think we've all loved what we've seen so far from Jamaal Charles - the quick cuts, the darts in between the tackles and that feeling of anxiety you get while watching a super fast running back who he can break off a big run at any time.

Any WR not named Dwayne Bowe (And more Bowe too!)

Hopefully rookie WR Will Franklin returns this week and can take some of the heat off of Bowe but I haven't heard anything definite on that quite yet. I went over the lack of receiving options in my recap of last week's game and it has quickly become a growing problem inside my head. We're back where we've pretty much always been Chiefs fans, without a sold receiving corp. That should feel familiar.

Glenn Dorsey

It seems to me that in the four or five games I saw Dorsey play while he was at LSU, he made his mark in the games as a disruptive force behind the line of scrimmage. In the short first two games of Dorsey's career in the NFL, the Chiefs appear content to have him in more of a run-stuffing role on the line of scrimmage. Let Dorsey do his disruption act within the limits of the Cover 2 defense and hopefully we can see our rookie doing his sack dance against the Falcons this weekend.

Dantrell Savage

This is another obvious one, right?

Savage was inactive last weekend in favor of Eddie Drummond B.J. Sams who yet again showed us nothing. Savage may have the same luck with this special teams coverage unit but we can all agree that youth should be served at the kick return position. As long as Savage doesn't fumble the ball, why not let him get 10 yard returns instead of Sams?

By the way, after this post, I'm retiring my small personal campaign for Savage and against Sams. I'm tired of talking about it already.

Who do you think should be a bigger part of the game plan this weekend?