The Highs and Lows of the 2007 Season

by Chris on Jul 10, 2008 6:00 AM CDT in 2008 Off Season

We're going to kick off this Thursday morning with what will hopefully turn out to be an interesting discussion. I'm serious this time. And there are lots of new FanShots today so check them out too.

Update: Yes, I know I mixed up the Denver games. It was late.

I want to know what you think is the best, most proud, most exciting moment the Kansas City Chiefs had last season. It can be a game, a play, a series. Whatever you want. Let us know where you think the wave crested.

Conversely, let's talk about the lowest, can't get any worse than this moment of last year.

Let me throw mine out first.

The best moment, the one that immediately stuck out when I thought of this topic, happened in Week 11. The Chiefs were playing the Colts in Indianapolis. We were 4-6 at the time and the severity of the team's problems hadn't sunk in yet, so we were still feeling suspiciously optimistic about the Chiefs. Not thinking playoffs per se but more along the lines of looking for solid progress.

With the score 10-3 in favor of the Colts late in the third quarter, Brodie Croyle completed his fifth pass of an eleven play drive to a streaking, smothered Dwayne Bowe in the left corner of the end zone.

Touchdown. Tie game.

With that, Brodie Croyle had taken the team on one of the longest drives of the season, coming in at eleven plays and nearly six minutes.

I loved it not only because it tied the game against the Super Bowl champion Colts but also because it was Croyle to Bowe, a phrase I had been wanting to yell out all season long. I wanted the young guys to play last year and form that foundation for the years of success to come.

The play just made me smile. At the time, with all of the uncertainty surrounding the team, it was something we could point to and say, "That's what we have to look forward to!"

(Read more about that game at these links:

The Kansas City Chiefs Play the Colts Tight but Lose the Game

Kansas City Chiefs v. Indianapolis Colts -- Game Recap)

Alas, that play was one of the few bright spots amid a nine game losing streak. Without further delay, my worst moment of the 2007 season.

December 9th, 2007. Arrowhead Stadium. The only game I went to last season. And it was a slaughter.

The Broncos, and there is no easy way to put this, destroyed the Chiefs 41 to 7.

And the low point of it all was the entire second half. With the Broncos already leading 24 to 7 at half time (You could make a case for the first half of this game too as the worst moment), they pounded us for 17 more in the second half. The Chiefs' drives in the second half went three and out; interception; fumble; three and out; three and out; three and out; and fumble.

When Brodie Croyle was sacked and then fumbled the ball away late in the third quarter, the fans left in waves and when it was over in just a few short minutes, I bet no more than 20,000 fans remained. At the time, I spun it positively. Since I was staying the rest of the game no matter what, I figured it was a plus because there would be a shorter wait to get out of the stadium. And the beer lines would be shorter.

Don't forget that Tony Gonzalez was injured early in that third quarter. The Chiefs were in Bronco territory for exactly two plays in the second half and one of those resulted in a fumble.

Did I mention this was at Arrowhead Stadium?

I mean, it doesn't get much worse than that in franchise history, let alone 2007.

I wandered out of the stadium and into the parking lot of Arrowhead wondering, like most fans that day, how in the hell did this happened? When did this talent separation between us and Denver occur?

I also wondered where the nearest place I could grab a drink was. Turns out, it was in our car! And did that beer taste bitter. Not bitter because of the loss but because I'm pretty sure it was Keystone Light I was drinking.

(Read our coverage of that game at these links:

Chiefs Finally Hit Rock Bottom in Blowout Loss to the Denver Broncos

The Worst Game of the Season for the Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday Was the Worst in a Long String of Bad Games for the Kansas City Chiefs)

I looked back at these last night and I have to say I really enjoyed my writing on the site at the time and the comments were numerous and intense during that time period. Definitely close to the site's zenith.

Let's hear your worst and best moments.

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Best and worst moments

There are a lot of things you could say were great moments: Tony G breaking the TE reception record, KC Wolf taking out the fan on the field, etc.

But the play that STILL gets me pumped up just thinking about it was Dwayne Bowes first TD catch against Chicago on Sept. 16 Jumping up over the CB in front of him and making a fantastic catch with the defenders finger tips on the ball. Chiefs fans have never seen a Wide Receiver make plays like that where he could dominate the DBs covering him. Bowe made many other great catches and other great TD receptions last year as well, but that first one still sticks in my mind as a singular moment of hope for the future.

Worst moment? Thats kind of tough because you try to block out a lot of that stuff. For me I think the most helpless I felt all year was in Brodie Croyles first game when we had so much hope that he was going to be this fantastic QB that would breathe life back into the team and his good play combined with a good performance by the defense put us ahead of the Colts late into the 4th quarter.

The Colts drove down to the end around the 5 yard line and the defense stopped them on 3rd down so they would have to kick a field goal with over 2 minutes remaining, plenty of time for the Chiefs to get back down the field and kick a game winning FG of their own. But the Colts didn’t kick a field goal. They went for it on 4th and 1 and converted and then proceeded to sit on the 2 yard line not trying to advance at all for the remaining 2 minutes and then scoring with almost no time left on the clock.

It was a brilliant call by Dungy, but it felt like Croyles first victory in his first game had been stolen from him along it seemed, with the Chiefs hopes of recovering the season. Croyle played very well that game, but the bitterness of the last second loss when they should have had the opportunity to make a comeback of their own took that away.

by ChiefDJ on Jul 10, 2008 6:40 AM CDT 0 recs

You stole mine Chris

Since we played the game against the Colts, I have continually pointed to it to show Croyle’s potential – he was on the road, in a loud stadium, in his first NFL start, against the defending Super Bowl champs…it doesn’t get much more difficult than that, but he outplayed Manning in that game (thanks in large part to 1. Freeney being injured and being able to embarrass McIntosh and 2. Allen and DJ harassing Manning on every 3rd and long.) The ass-whooping we had at the hands of the Donkeys was one of the worst home division losses I can remember. But to be original here are my 2nd choices for high and low points.

High point – beating the Chargers in SD, especially the play when DJ sacked Rivers and the ball bounced right in to Brackenridge’s hands – the kid didn’t even have to break his stride, and the national announcer got it wrong and said it was Ty law running the fumbled recovery into the endzone, apparently unaware that Law couldn’t run that far without falling down.

Low point – Losing to the Faders at home…I mean, if we had to break the streak of what, 9 consecutive victories against Oakland, it would have been better to lose to them on the road. My wife and I were coming back from a long weekend vacation and tried to take a shortcut through BFE southwest Missouri (heading to my parents’ house in Joplin to watch the game) to cut some time of the trip…at one point, the stripes in the middle of the road disappeared and I had no idea where we were (the road we were on was not on the map) but I still knew which way was west. We kept winding around past burnt down meth houses and abandoned farm houses and eventually found a highway (Hwy 60 for those who are familiar with the area). We sped home like demons, made it in the door as the ball was being kicked off, and then had to watch the hated Faders beat the Chiefs…at Arrowhead. What a way to end a vacation, huh?

by PVChiefsfan on Jul 10, 2008 7:45 AM CDT 0 recs

RE

I was on the road in Arkansas/Louisiana/Missouri for that game and listened to it on Sirius radio. Miss Arrowhead Pride wondered why I got so quiet throughout that game.

by Chris on Jul 10, 2008 7:48 AM CDT up 0 recs

High moment

I was about 20 rows up from the field at the Packer game and I remember the setting was perfect when LJ got a perfectly set up fake reverse screen, looked up and saw an old and small lineman named Wiegmann galloping ahead of him with a lot of red shirts after that. I just loved the ferocity Larry had trying to get the endzone and when he did he waved and SLAMMED the Chiefs flag down. I was on the opposite side of the field but the youtube clip of it showed a well constructed effort by what was a terrible o-line. I had goosebumps (and still do) watching LJ wave that flag. That just made me feel like we would win that game and the stadium felt the same way. Of course we all know what happened later on….

by dkugler838 on Jul 10, 2008 8:11 AM CDT 0 recs

There is a reason

that Favre will be a Hall of Famer. Just like when Manning ran off the last 7+ minutes of the game at Indy. Great QB’s find ways to win the game for their team.

by PVChiefsfan on Jul 10, 2008 9:30 AM CDT up 0 recs

And got that 4th and 1

with that QB sneak.

by Chris on Jul 10, 2008 9:40 AM CDT up 0 recs

The Packers Game - Low and High point of the season.

High point – When it seemed like Jeff Webb made an awesome sideline catch that might set up the winning drive for us. A win like that against the Packers… I thought we were playoff-bound!

Low point – When I realized that it was actually out of bounds and we were going to lose the game. And then the twist of the knife when we found out later that LJ’s injury was more serious than I would have hoped.

by Vince D on Jul 10, 2008 2:03 PM CDT 0 recs

41-7 was at Invesco, not Arrowhead.

When I first read this post, I thought years of substance abuse had finally caught up to me and my short term memory totally died. I could have sworn that the 41-7 loss to the hated Broncos on December 9, 2007 was at Invesco Field, not the hallowed ground of Arrowhead Stadium. Hell, I even remembered Brandon Marshall throwing around snow in front of those hideous blue and orange banners that line their endzone. Could I have made this all up in my head as some sort of repressing of my memory.

So I went to NFL.com to find answers. Dude, 41-7 happened in Invesco on December 9, 2007. I wonder how you could create this entire memory of having attended a game that didn’t exist. We did lose to the Broncos at home in Arrowhead. But the margin was 23-11. We were actually winning 8-6 at the half. Then Huard threw a pick deep in our own territory on the opening drive of the second half and the Donkeys’ offense took it into the endzone. Then he fumbled on the very next drive and they took that one into our endzone and within a few minutes we went from leading 8-6 to trailing 20-8. That game was at Arrowhead. Either you attended that, or well, I don’t know. You seem to have such a vivid recollection of a game that did not occur in our house and never will. Don’t give the Broncos credit they do not deserve.

by Sudden on Jul 10, 2008 5:56 PM CDT 0 recs

Should have done better research

My fault.

Both games were so terrible I got them mixed up.

by Chris on Jul 11, 2008 7:10 AM CDT up 0 recs

After Huard single-handedly lost that game for us

Croyle came in…what a great way to go into an NFL game as a rookie backup? “Hey Kid…we were up by two but now, thanks to your mentor, we are down by 12. Now go win us the game.” Sheesh…

by PVChiefsfan on Jul 11, 2008 7:14 AM CDT up 0 recs

Front page apology

Sorry for screwing up guys.

by Chris on Jul 11, 2008 7:38 AM CDT up 0 recs

41-7 was at Denver.

Check it out

http://www.kansascity.com/static/media/120907_chiefs/

http://www.nfl.com/teams/schedule?team=KC&season=2007&seasonType=REG

http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=271209007

by 16to89 on Jul 10, 2008 9:46 PM CDT 0 recs

Yes yes

I know. I got mixed up between two games.

Can you forgive me?

by Chris on Jul 11, 2008 7:08 AM CDT up 0 recs

Apology Accepted

All is forgiven, Chris. Though I must add that future posts should not make the Denver Donkeys look any better than they in fact are (and I actually predict they will have the worst record in the division this season).

I know that the second half of this past season was so horrendously bad that I either repressed most of my memories of it or chose to kill my brain cells to the point where any recollection of it would be distorted. I can certainly forgive anyone who chose the same route. In spite of the recent mix-up here, this site remains a solid daily stop for me to get my fix of Chiefs talk. Needless to say not many people in Southern California can recite the entire draft class for the last three years. Keep up the quality work.

by Sudden on Jul 11, 2008 12:40 PM CDT up 0 recs

I made the same mistake

I read right through that post and didn’t think twice about it.

And I was at the Denver game in Arrowhead. And it was my birthday, that’s my excuse for mixing it up.

by primetime 07 on Jul 11, 2008 12:42 PM CDT up 0 recs

I also made the same mistake

and I vividly remember the Denver game at Arrowhead – it was the one where Croyle was thrown in there after Huard gave the Donkeys 14 points…though I was glad that Croyle finally got to play. As ugly as that 9 game streak was, I think Croyle gained some valuable experience. For one game, he outplayed Manning. Who’s to say that for one game he won’t outplay Brady? (takes a sip of Kool-aid :) )

by PVChiefsfan on Jul 11, 2008 2:25 PM CDT up 0 recs

Highs and Lows

Highs
Jared Allen’s first game back.
Actually pretty much him all season.

The D Bowe Show.
Others have mentioned how exciting it was seeing a Chiefs receiver make plays like he did.

Eddie Drummond.
Not for anything good just that watching him run straight into the mass of players and fall down every single time made me want to get high and forget everything about him.

Lows
Anytime Mike Solari called a play.
The Oakland loss.
Watching the team draft Medlock over Mason Crosby and then cut him after one game
Carl Peterson not being fired
That horrible sequence against Denver when Huard turned it over back to back to blow apart a close game. Although that did get him benched if I remember correctly so maybe not all bad.

by Pauli on Jul 11, 2008 12:47 AM CDT 0 recs

Easy

I was in San Diego, having paid seventy dollars for a seat five rows from the top of that junk stadium, surrounded by arrogant and repugnant Bolts fans trying to get us kicked out for wearing Chiefs jerseys… and what do I see, but T-Brack hauling himself down the field for a TD. To waltz into their house and stuff them into the ground was awesome, and I’ll never forget the faces of those same mouthy Bolts fans as they trudged out of the stadium.

Definitely my high point.

The low point? The overtime loss to the Packers. I knew then that we worse had gone to worst, and we were basically screwed. We should have won that game.

by GonzosDirtyTrailer on Jul 13, 2008 6:03 PM CDT 0 recs