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.

The Chiefs drive chart is below.  The Panthers is on the other side.

Longest Time Of Possession: 3:18

Most Yards Gained: 55

Most Plays: 7

Average Time Of Possession: 1:37

Average Yards Gained: 9.38

Average # Of Plays: 3.9

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

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[Ed. Note: Real life is intruding on my AP time today.  Will be back this afternoon.  -Primetime]

In another piece in the Kansas City Star about our changes at quarterback, Brodie Croyle bristled at accusations that he's too brittle to play the position in the NFL, despite a rather lengthy injury history.  That's not really news, since Croyle seems like a guy who wants to compete and to try to lead (which I've never questioned, despite my criticisms of him), so you'd expect him to stand up for himself.

But then he dropped this quote that caught my eye:

“I won’t be 100 percent. I probably won’t be 100 percent the rest of the year. I’m close enough. It’s just one of those things that ain’t going to go away until you have a couple of months to sit there and rest it."

Which makes me ask a few questions.  Just how badly was Croyle's shoulder injured in that New England game?  Is there damage that's going to require surgery?  Is the Chiefs staff rushing Croyle back into action?  If so, does this mean that Herm Edwards is starting to feel pressure about losing his job?  Does this mean that Damon Huard is more seriously injured than we were led to believe?  And what does this bode for Croyle staying healthy for the rest of the year, even if the line gives him capable protection (which they've shown very little indication they can do)?

Croyle's obviously an adult, and he can decide for himself whether he wants to take his chances out there.  But if Croyle's admitting that he's still injured, and if the coach is willing to toss him out there before he's recovered from the injury, it raises some very interesting questions about just how much pressure the coaching staff is getting (either from the front office or ownership) to start showing some return from  their youth movement...and whether the coaching staff will be returning in 2009 if Croyle suffers another injury or continues to put forth subpar performances on the field.

• Next Up: Tennessee Titans - Visit Music City Miracles for all your Titan needs over the next two weeks.
• Previewing the Titans from the Mothership.
• Will Antonio Gates make a run at Tony Gonzalez's HOF TE numbers?
• For those looking to snag J.P. Losman, Buffalo starter Trent Edwards went down in a brutal hit last week.
• How sweet it is that Tony G. passed Shannon 'Big Mouth' Sharpe for the all-time record for yards by a tight end?  Man, I can't stand that guy!
• Jon Yoon over at MVN is embarrassed by the media coverage of TG's record breaking day.

I'll be back with more soon but on a quick side note, I highly encourage everyone to take advantage of using the 'rec' button for FanPosts.  As I'm sure you've noticed we are getting more and more every day (especially game days), so definitely 'rec' the quality ones up so they don't get lost in the shuffle.

Brodie Croyle confirmed that he will return to the field October 19 (barring any setbacks) to start against the Tennessee Titans with the goal of bringing some stability to the QB position:

"If I’m healthy, I’m going to go," Croyle said today. "I just have to make sure that over the next two weeks that everything keep going the way it’s supposed to be and we don’t have any setbacks. If that’s so, then we’ll be ready to go against Tennessee."

The Chiefs will be going up against a vicious Titans defense after the bye week in hopes of turning what appears to be a dismal season around.  Unfortunately for the Chiefs, the Titans will also be coming off of their bye week, so there's unlikely to be any advantage from the two weeks of preparation.

I'm just going to say it now...a turnaround's not going to happen in Week 6 (if ever).  Unlike Denver, this Titan defense is a turnover and sack machine.  They're averaging three sacks and two INTs per game, and that's while playing against mainly ball-control offenses.  How dominant are they?  Well, they've blown out three out of five teams with a QB (Kerry Collins) who has yet to throw for 200 yards in any game.  And they're averaging over 100 yards rushing per week, despite playing 3/5 of their games versus teams with solid rush defenses (Jacksonville, Minnesota, Baltimore).  Croyle will be extremely lucky to make it through four quarters of this game without getting hurt and 300 yards rushing by the Titans isn't out of the question.

Ugh.  Just, ugh.

So, here's the deal. The feelings regarding our quarterback situation are mixed. However, I feel that a majority of folks are looking to make a change and then some of that group wants to make a change NOW.

I'm on record as saying there's nothing we can do to better the quarterback situation now.  Trade scenarios, while always an interesting discussion, almost never come to fruition.  There's a reason talented quarterbacks never hit the open market.

Below is a list of quarterbacks who are currently free agents.  Keeping this list in mind, I want to hear real solutions to the quarterback problem. Pretend as if trading is not an option (because realistically it's probably not).  Anyone can say 'Hey it's not working dump 'em all!'  But that's not the way it works. 

Tell us who you want and WHY.  The latter is key.  Would any of these players help us now?  Do we currently have the best options on staff?