Chiefs
Chatter
Plent
of mistakes, but still a win
Chiefs overcome
miscues and rally late to top Seattle
Posted
11/2/06
by
Eric Lewis of The Landmark staff
The Chiefs are no strangers to this kind of victory.
Doing everything they can to shoot themselves in the foot,
yet at the end of the day there’s another check in
the win column. The Chiefs defeated the Seahawks 35-28,
putting up an impressive 499 yards total for the offense.
The defense held Seattle to a mediocre 240 total yards,
and completely shut down their running attack. Sounds
impressive right?
What’s not impressive is the amount of mistakes
that were made on the day. Yes it's outstanding this 2006
squad is finding ways to win, but sooner or later these
simple mistakes are going to cost the Chiefs some important
victories down the road. This week's mistakes were obvious,
coverage men falling down, L.J’s dropped passes for
sure first down opportunities, dropped interceptions,
and not to mention the Jared Allen fumble which would
have sealed the victory. Despite these simple mistakes,
that can and will be fixed, the Chiefs are now 4-3 emerging
into a force in one of the toughest divisions in football.
Above .500 for the first time this year, and doing it
with a style entirely of their own.
Huard, no longer a journeyman in my opinion, but a gridiron
warrior if you will. Coming into Sunday’s game the
thought was that the young buck Brodie Croyle was going
to get the start, due to the Huard hamstring injury suffered
in last week's practice. However Huard came out and not
only played through the pain, but had yet another fantastic
day. He finished with 17-25 passes for 312 yards, and
one TD. He took some shots, but hung in there and led
the Chiefs to another victory.
Huard connected with Gonzalez and Kennison both with
100 yards receiving, showing that this offense is molding
into a potent powerhouse.
Speaking of powerhouses, L.J had an outstanding day,
totaling 155 yards rushing and four TD’s. Three on
the ground and one in the air, his 39 rushes proved that
his versatility and durability is uncompromising.
Mike Solari once again had a great week for play calling.
He is utilizing the Chiefs talents and exposing defenses.
His use of the young TE/FB Kris Wilson in the passing
game is excellent. Since Wilson is slotted at the number
three spot on the depth charts for TE, he is highly capable
in the passing game. So lining up in his newly acquired
FB position just gives the offense another weapon. A weapon
that can and will be used in the future, watch for this
kid to get even more exposure.
Edwards’ gutsy call to go for it on 4th down showed
me his conservative game management may be shifting. I
like this call, it shows he is starting to build more
confidence in his squad to go out there and get the job
done.
Even Edwards is wondering what the Chiefs could be capable
of, if so many mistakes were avoided. The Chiefs need
to come out this week against St Louis with the same hard-nosed
mentality and strong character we have come to see from
this scrappy squad.
Surprisingly, the offense was the high point of Sunday’s
shoot out. They are coming together, and proving they
are still capable of putting up points on the board, as
they have been so good at in previous years.
With the changing tides of a new coach, a new offensive
coordinator, a new QB at the realm, and the losses in
the off-season, this slow evolvement was expected. However
there is not much to talk down on because when it comes
to the games on Sunday, they are getting the job done…
The defense made some decent plays, the Patrick Surtain
interception, and the run stopping efforts were huge.
However the back up QB Seneca Wallace had a decent day
finding quick scores early in the game. The Ty Law slip
and fall that gave up the deep TD was just one of his
mistakes on the day. He also dropped a sure interception
that could have solidified the momentum of the game.
Another ridiculous mistake was the Dustin Colquitt mishap
that led to a Seahawk TD. His muffed handling from long
snapper Kendall Gammon was a ridiculous play that could
have been avoided. Colquitt is one of the best punters
in the NFL and he knew better then to try and get a pass
off to a non-eligible receiver. The fumble was scooped
and ran back for a special teams TD.
The Jared Allen interception was a fantastic play until
the end result. Constant pressure from rookie sensation
Tamba Hali, and LB Derrick Johnson finally paid off. When
a tipped pass fell into the arms of Allen, who then aimed
his way to the end zone. What he didn’t expect was
Deion Branch to come from behind and strip the ball away
to give the possession back to Seattle.
The Allen interception would have sealed the deal on
a Chiefs win, but the call was overturned and Seattle
had a chance to come back. The defense stayed strong,
they bent but didn’t break, and held the Seahawks
from a come from behind upset.
The defense altogether is having some troubles keeping
opposing offenses out of the end zone, and giving up big
plays. On the other hand they are making big plays themselves.
They are playing strong football, and even though mistakes
are being made. They still have the ability to dominate
opposing offenses.
They will have a true test going against a tough Rams
team in St. Louis. Their ability to put pressure on the
QB is going to be a huge factor for this Sunday’s
game. However they need to work on issues in the secondary,
to try and ratify blown coverage’s downfield.
The Chiefs' unit impresses me more each and every week.
They are finding ways to win and I can’t get enough
of it. If they can pinpoint their issues, and continue
to grow together. This team is going to continue their
winning ways, and push the limits on what they are capable
of. If they can go to St Louis and dominate both sides
of the ball as they have the ability to do.
It will send a wake up call to the NFL that this Chiefs
team is for real. I have said before they have the talent,
they are now building character and showing a strong will
to win games at all cost.
At the end of the day it doesn’t matter how you
win just as long as you win.
Catch the action Sunday 12:00 noon on CBS Kansas City
Chiefs vs. St. Louis Rams… I-70 Showdown!
(Eric Lewis provides Chiefs' commentary
for The Landmark. Reach him at Platte County's most powerful
newspaper by emailing eric@plattecountylandmark.com)
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