December 1, 2008
Chiefs End Raiders' Delusional Playoff Run: the Good and the Ugly From the Game
I know there are many fans out there who rooted for the Chiefs to lose against the Raiders. I can understand the frustration--a one-win season could secure a better draft position and potentially push Herm Edwards into the unemployment line. I can't be one of those people. I root for the Chiefs even if a win means a fall in draft position. And even in a two-win season, I'm ecstatic about a win against the Raiders.
Let me start with the good from the game:
Tyler Thigpen finally got a win. As a young QB, that had to be a huge monkey on his back. That was really frustrating to watch Thigpen play lights out the last few weeks and not come home with a win because his teammates failed him. Here's an interesting note: this is the first game won by a QB under the age of 30 since December 18, 1999 when Elvis Grbac beat the Steelers (Grbac turned 30 the next season). It is also the first time in two seasons that a QB not named Damon Huard won a game for the Chiefs. Weird, right?
Here's the biggest "plus" I take out of this game: the Chiefs always find a way to lose games. They miss tackles, get sloppy and lazy on defense, fumble the ball at inopportune times, blow the last three minutes of the game, drop a key pass at a key moment, or get tagged with ridiculously stupid penalties on third and short situations. You might say that the Chiefs never seem to catch a break. Today, it was like the Chiefs were looking in the mirror.
The bounces went largely in KC's favor. As I mentioned last week, luck has not been on KC's side this season. Some of this win can be attributed to luck; a large part of the win can be attributed to a young group of players keeping their composure for a full 60 minutes.
Stock on the Up-and-up:
- Gunther Cunningham - As Gun's harshest critic, I'll give credit where credit is due. I still believe he has a huge uphill climb before proving he deserves to keep his job, but the defense today was motivated, fired up, and they tackled spectacularly. We've seen some flashes of this. The question is if Gun can do this consistently.
- Chan Gailey - Thank you, Chan, for making the adjustment to move Thigpen under center in the red zone. It's refreshing to see a coach learn from his mistakes.
- LJ - Terrific game and we saw a bit of the LJ of old. I never thought I'd say this, but he actually looks very natural in that pistol offense. This was the first time in a while I saw him explode and cut through holes, rather than tentatively tiptoe toward the line. In his defense, it's also one of the first times the defense didn't load nine or more guys in a box to stop him.
- Connor Barth - Not to jinx him, but he's been perfect so far.
- Maurice Leggett - I was iffy about the kid, but I'm starting to really, really like him. His coverage has been improving and he is an incredible tackler for a corner.
The Baaaaaad:
I'm not going to say Tyler Thigpen was bad, but his performance concerned me a little bit today. I can handle him not having a good game. What concerned me more was how he fell into a shell. He looked like he lost complete confidence. He was lofting throws instead of zipping them into his receivers. The good news is, the kid's resilient. He won the game for the Chiefs by using his legs. But there's reason to question if maybe Superman is starting to lose his cape. I still think Thigpen has the goods to be the QB of the Future, but a lot of that decision will depend on his ability to bounce back from performances like this.
I'm also realistic and understand that the Raiders may have lost much moreso than the Chiefs won. Jamarcus just had a meltdown, plain and simple. He had open receivers most of the game and missed them. Tom Cable was stupid not to kick a field goal on two straight possessions.
Stock down:
- Tyler Thigpen - I won't say his stock plummeted, but he's starting to look human. The true test of the QB is what he can do after he's gameplanned for. I think he'll bounce back and hope he will.
- Dwayne Bowe - Bowe disappeared today and he once again let an easy screen pass bounce off his chest. He redeemed himself with a fantastic catch to seal the game shut, but his dropsies are becoming a problem.
- Defensive Line - What else is new. The D-line got absolute no push yet again.
Discussion
1 Comment on "Chiefs End Raiders' Delusional Playoff Run: the Good and the Ugly From the Game"
#1
Posted by Big Lee, December 2, 2008 2:51 AM
Listen folks, Herm is good for this team in the short term. He will play the young guys, unlike Vermeil, Stram, and almost every other Chiefs coach. This team needed to be rebuilt, and Herm's the guy to do it. He won't be here when we're title-contenders, but he's good to build the foundation.
Will the foundation be more of this spread-stuff, which suits Thiggy well, or will we get back to a more traditional offense? ?Gailey has done a great job with the college offense, but ran a more traditional set at Dallas. It will affect how we draft.
Speaking of the draft, I'm happy to pick a little later in the draft if it means we're developing talent.
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