Well, in a lot of respects, today’s Chiefs game was pretty worthless… not because of the outcome, but because of who wasn’t in the lineup today. With the Chiefs coming into this one at 4-7, for all intents and purposes out of the playoff picture (maybe not mathematically, but let’s get real), the last few games of this season need to be used to evaluate players. Having Brodie Croyle on the bench with an injured back is simply counter-productive to that goal.
That being said, I can’t say the game wasn’t entertaining. It’s always great to see future hall of famer Tony Gonzalez have a great game… with 10 catches for 140 yards, he easily outdueled Antonio Gates today for tight end supremacy. It really hurts to see him produce such great numbers year after year on teams that just can’t ever seem to put things together. This guy deserves a Super Bowl as much as anyone in the league.
And what can you say about Kolby Smith? He continues to show promise at running back, rushing for a decent 81 yard total. Again, if we knew we had some decent talent on the bench behind LJ, why in the world did we shell out all the bucks to keep him? Of course, we DIDN’T know, but don’t you wish we could have?
How about Jared Allen? There’s a reason this guy is one of the fan favorites on the Chiefs… maybe the favorite (it’s gotta be a toss-up between him and Tony). Today’s performance showed us why… relentless on defense with two sacks and all-around solid defensive play. But the gem of the day? Jared Allen on offense, scoring a touchdown on an incredible diving catch in the corner of the end zone on 3rd and goal from the 2 inn the second quarter. It looked like Huard (we’ll get to him in a second) was throwing the ball away, yet Jared comes down with it for his first offensive TD. Unbelievable.
Sadly, there were some glaring problems. The defense couldn’t stop Tomlinson, and they gave up too many big plays in the passing game. These were UGLY breakdowns, bottom line.
Damon Huard’s performance today proved yet again why he’s a backup. Two ugly interceptions and a fumble, barely a 50% completion rate. He seemed to only look at one guy all day… Tony. I’m glad he had a big day, but a QB has got to distribute the ball better.
Of course, Huard didn’t have any help from his offensive line. Eight sacks? You’ve gotta be kidding me. Utterly ridiculous.
I do have one big question about today, though. If we’re trying to evaluate our young guys, why in the world didn’t we didn’t start Tyler Thigpen, our third stringer? He’s young, and we need to know what we have in him, just as we need to know what we have in Huard. He got in late in the fourth quarter, so I’m happy for him… it’s just a shame he didn’t get the day to try to prove himself. His short stint probably didn’t turn out as he would have hoped, but he did complete his first career attempt to Dwayne Bowe. Its too bad that toss to Tony in the end zone didn’t pan out, or that Bowe couldn’t hold on to the bomb down the sideline. Could have been some great memories for him, especially if his NFL career doesn’t grow from here. He looked decent, though, so I’m thinking he may hang around with the Chiefs for a while. Maybe HE’s our QB of the future.
Anyway, we’re now 4-8. Here’s hoping that Brodie is healthy next week, and that we can find out if he’s worth keeping. I certainly hope so. Maybe we can get some offensive line help, develop another receiver or two, and get our offense back where it needs to be. Given a couple years of rebuilding, maybe we’ll be ready for a playoff run when Arrowhead’s new look is complete.
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