I have been a Chiefs fan for near 25 years. I am 36 years old now, and time and time again I have seen disappointment. I feel I have been around our team long enough now to finally speak out publicly with my opinions. I have remained quiet until now.
Problem #1:
Willie Roaf retiring on a "last minute notice". This was not fair to the team. If he was contemplating retirement, he should have told the front offices long before the draft. Instead he waited until after the draft to announce his retirement. I understand he was tired and worn down from many years of football, but his last minute decision shows he did not have any loyalty to the Chief's organization. He was simply there for a paycheck. Take Will Shields for example. Will has been there through the good and the bad. Yes, he contemplated retirement each and every year for the last 4 years, but he always came back. This is a TRUE CHIEF. Loyalty is not a common quality in the NFL these days. My message to Willie Roaf: "I hope your retirement SUCKS, and I am positive you will be very fat very soon, if you aren't already."
Problem #2:
The offensive line. Of course I blame Willie Roaf for this, but unfortunately he can't have all the blame. They sucked this year. With the exception of Will Shields and Brian Waters this offensive line was the worst line in the last 25 years for the Chiefs. We can not totally blame Trent Green for the problems at quaterback. When you are running for your life it is hard to keep composure. Even Payton Manning would have had problems behind our line this year. One thing it did prove is that Larry Johnson is a stud. Any guy that could run for as many yards as he did behind such a weak group of offensive lineman is a real man.
Problem #3:
Mike Solari. Sorry everybody, but this guy can not call plays. I do better calling plays on my XBOX compared to this guy. It is not his fault though. He was just not ready. I blame Carl Peterson for not retaining, or at least finding a way to retain, Al Saunders. With the exception of the fat loser Willie Roaf, the Chiefs retained most of their offense. Why could we not be as explosive as the previous 5 years? We finally had a pretty good defense, but then our offense flops. It amazes me that Al Saunders could take this same offense and make things happen. We were way too predictable this year. It is sad when a fan like myself can sit back on the couch and dictate which play call was about to happen! I know some of this was Herman Edwards' conservative style of coaching, but come on! When you have Larry Johnson, Trent Green, Tony Gonzales, Eddie Kennison, Will Shields, Brian Waters, and Casey Wiegmann on your offense, why in the hell would you come in and shake up the offense like they did by going back to "Marty ball"? Oh wait! I can not call it Marty ball any longer. Look at Sand Diego go! When you have the number four offense in the league I guess you can't be considered too conservative. I hope Marty wins the Super Bowl this year so that all of the "anti-Marty" people in Kansas City will shut up! He is and will be the best coach our team has had since Hank Stram.
I complete this post on a positive note though. Our defense, despite losing to the Colts, looked fantastic this year! I am excited to see what happens with them over the next few years. My hat is off to Gunny on his job of rebuilding our defense. He is back in the true form of Gunther Cunningham defense. I predict our defense to be in the top 5 next year.
I love my Chiefs. I always will. I am not a fair weather fan, and I never will be. I truly bleed red (figuratively and literally!), and I will always stand behind this team. Lamar Hunt will be missed, but I think his legacy in Kansas City will continue. God Bless the Chiefs, and God Bless the Chief's fans. Catch you all next season!! GO CHIEFS!!!!!! |