Damion McIntosh, the current starter at right tackle for the Chiefs, had a little article done up about him in the KC Star, discussing his struggle to adjust from left tackle to right tackle in the NFL and the anxieties facing aging players who are constantly looking over their shoulders at younger competitors for their jobs.

He’s trying to grow into being comfortable on the right side, a spot he’d never played in his eight previous seasons. The Chiefs drafted Branden Albert in the first round, and coaches knew immediately Albert would be their left tackle. That pushed McIntosh out of a position he’d played since 2000.

McIntosh agreed to the move because, well, what else could he do? He’d seen other veterans be cut or shipped away, last year’s aging offensive line disbanded as part of Kansas City’s overhaul. McIntosh and left guard Brian Waters are the only starters the Chiefs retained.

“I just made it clear: I’ve never played right tackle,” McIntosh said this week. “I came in and groomed as a left tackle; that’s all I’ve played is left tackle. People assume I can make the change right away.”

We've all been pretty harsh on McIntosh here, even made up a rather insulting nickname for him...in fact I can't recall a single person who's chimed in and said that he's doing an acceptable job at tackle and should remain the starter.  And I think most people can sympathize with the fear losing a job.  But here's the thing that McIntosh needs to realize.

Nobody cares.

Sorry to sound heartless, but that's basically a truth in any competitive job field...nobody wants to hear excuses for why you can't do your job, they just want you to either improve your performance or they want you to step out of the way for someone who can, especially if you've been around that job for a long time (like McIntosh has).  Because in competitive job fields if you can't do your job there's always someone else out there who would love to have a shot at taking the reins.  And in the NFL, when a team keeps a guy who can't do his job out there on the field, then that team isn't making the right move...all they're doing is hurting their people on the field and depriving somebody else of an opportunity to be productive.

Some people will probably read that article and feel sorry for McIntosh, and I suppose I can understand that.  Like I said, being scared of losing your job sucks.  But then McIntosh has also had a pretty lengthy career, he's made a lot of money, and if he's been smart about managing it he should be able to have a very nice life for himself post-football.  And it's also important to keep in mind that all football careers eventually come to an end, and that for every Damion McIntosh, there is also a Herb Taylor...a guy who comes in and busts his ass and plays hard and deserves a chance to show what he can do when the guy ahead of him isn't cutting it (which McIntosh clearly isn't). 

For every negative there is usually a positive, and when Damion McIntosh is saying that he's having serious trouble doing the job that's asked of him, it's time to find out just how much of a positive Herb Taylor can be.