Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe Getting Called Out For Alligator Arms

by Joel Thorman on Dec 28, 2009 7:01 PM CST in 2009 Kansas City Chiefs Campaign

Yesterday, Kansas City Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe displayed what a few folks are calling "alligator arms".

In the second quarter of Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Bowe ran a route over the middle of the field and Cassel tried to find him in stride about 30 yards from the line of scrimmage.

The ball floated over Bowe's head - probably not catchable - and into the hands of a Bengals defender just ahead of him.. Bowe might have had a shot at batting the ball down so it couldn't be intercepted but we'll never know because he got those "alligator arms" right before he crossed paths with the defender and didn't even try to knock it down.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated said of the play, "Are you kidding me, Dwayne Bowe? What a shameful, unprofessional display of alligator arms, resulting in a Matt Cassel interception that never should have been."

"We coach our receivers pretty thoroughly on the fact that when the ball's in the air, if we don't catch it, we need to make sure they don't catch it," Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said today when asked about the play.

There was another interception late in the game that was thrown in the direction of Chris Chambers. Haley said of the plays, "Both receivers have to do a better job of breaking up the ball and they understand that."

"Our rule is if you don't catch it and you are in the vicinity of the ball, we can't allow them to have a chance at catching the football."

Bowe may not have had a chance to knock it down but the point is he didn't even try when in reality the ball was probably a lot closer than he may have realized.

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Comments

I just don't get it

Blame Bowe for the first one and Chambers for the 2nd one? I know Matt Cassel is the golden boy, but both throws were terrible and I’d be pissed if I was Dwayne or Chris to get blamed for Matt’s mistakes.

Johnnie Morton: The Man. The Myth. The Legend.

by craig in calgary on Dec 28, 2009 7:03 PM CST reply actions

That last sentence would have been weird if Bowe's first name was Joel

Johnnie Morton: The Man. The Myth. The Legend.

by craig in calgary on Dec 28, 2009 7:06 PM CST up reply actions

Both interceptions were Cassel's fault

But that doesn’t excuse Bowe’s effort on the play. Chambers on teh other hand did everything he could. His momentum had him drifting the oterh way. Not sure how he was suppsoed to get back to break it up.

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by KCSatchmo on Dec 28, 2009 7:16 PM CST up reply actions

Bad pass by Cassel, but I think they are trying to mitigate damage.

Your teammate makes a mistake, but you gotta help your team.

by worc on Dec 28, 2009 9:32 PM CST up reply actions

I don't think either receiver

was to blame for the interception, both were bad passes. What the writer is say (and I agree completely) is that Bowe did absolutely NOTHING to attempt to break it up! I was pissed when it happened, he is getting more and more lazy as the season goes on, not deserving of a #1 receiver. Chambers on the other hand did try to break it up but was unsuccessful.

by Tooner on Dec 29, 2009 10:15 AM CST up reply actions

Total B.S.

How does Bowe get more blame for that interception than Cassel?

That ball was thrown so far over his head he probably thought it was intended for another wide receiver behind him.

I hate this crap where everyones on the new coaches bandwagon so they start throwing the good players under the bus to agree with them.

by ChiefDJ on Dec 28, 2009 7:06 PM CST reply actions

I dont' agree at all

of course Cassel is to blame, and it’s on his stats.

At the same time, Bowe didn’t even put his hands up for that ball… which isn’t right.

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* the LB corps may become the biggest strength of the Chiefs in 2009
* The OL is NOT as bad as you think it is... give it time, and you'll see improvement this season
* Stats are for losers

by stagdsp on Dec 28, 2009 7:08 PM CST up reply actions

Armchair WRing

The ball was well over his head. Why should he lay himself out jumping after a ball thats 3 feet over where he could jump?

by ChiefDJ on Dec 28, 2009 7:09 PM CST up reply actions

Maybe because He's a football player?

Though honestly, for a 3-12 team, I don’t really fault him. If the playoffs are on the line, I expect him to go up and attempt to knock the ball down though.

Predictions:

Kansas City will not win more than four games in 2009
Kansas City will have a new OC and DC in 2010
Kansas City will win at least seven games in 2010

by jmcgoblue on Dec 28, 2009 11:06 PM CST up reply actions

I'll have to see the game again

but I blamed Bowe on the game thread when I saw it live. Not only do I think he could have kept it from being deflected, I thought it was very catchable. Until I see otherwise, I stick to that. It also looked to me like Bowe slowed up. I think that pick may be entirely on him. The second was on Cassel, and I thought Chambers did all he could but the CB made a very good play on it.

-"A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married." - H.L. Mencken

by Big Chief on Dec 28, 2009 11:37 PM CST up reply actions

Watching the replay posted below just shows

that Bowe did slow up and pulled in. King is right, that was pathetic. If he keeps running and puts his hands out that’s a completion. He saw the safety and tried to protect himself.

-"A man may be a fool and not know it, but not if he is married." - H.L. Mencken

by Big Chief on Dec 28, 2009 11:46 PM CST up reply actions

i dont agree with that

it doesnt matter how many wins you have, you are being paid alot of money to do your job. Atleast go out there and make an effort. And if your not willing to make the effort then sit your ass on the bench and give 1 of the younger guys a shot. What if Charles thought that way and just fell down every time before he even got back to the line, and said o well its a 3-12 team im not going to take anymore hits, same thing imo.

by banshee_01 on Dec 28, 2009 11:45 PM CST up reply actions

Yeah, I agree with you

He should have made an effort on the play to knock the ball down. I’m just saying, on the other hand, I’m not going to rip him apart for the play, because it’s the next to last game of the season for a 3-12 team. I can’t blame him for not wanting to risk breaking his ribs to deflect a bad pass. Now if it were earlier in the season, or this was a team fighting for a playoff spot I’d feel differently.

I think your point of view is just as valid as mine, but I tend to take the pragmatic view on these things.

Predictions:

Kansas City will not win more than four games in 2009
Kansas City will have a new OC and DC in 2010
Kansas City will win at least seven games in 2010

by jmcgoblue on Dec 29, 2009 12:04 AM CST up reply actions

agree

it just pisses me off when I see anybody in pro sports do that, these guys are suppose to be PROS and you see lack of effort like that. I think thats why I dont like 2.7, other then a couple of years, he didnt show any effort.

by banshee_01 on Dec 29, 2009 12:22 AM CST up reply actions

3 feet over where he could jump? I now suspect that you didn’t even see the play. And why would he lay himself out? Because that’s his job…..

by T-Rich on Dec 29, 2009 2:19 AM CST up reply actions

I agree 100%

It was a bad pass, but there wasn’t even an effort to break it up!

by Tooner on Dec 29, 2009 10:17 AM CST up reply actions

Haven't you been on this site all season?

He has yet to have thrown one that was his fault.

Predictions for 2009:

The Chiefs will regret cutting LJ

Bowe's numbers regress due to lack of decent QB play.

The D gets better in the second half but still is plagued by big plays

Cassel looks more like the guy Pioli almost cut in the '08 preseason instead of the franchise QB he hoped he would be when he traded him for

Chiefs 3-13

by bonesjackson on Dec 29, 2009 12:53 AM CST up reply actions

Well

I was at the game, but honestly I didn’t notice.

This is the first thing from AP I’ve read since I’ve been back from Cincinnati, but Cassel looked above average, not spectacular Sunday. Seems like he had a fair amount of time in the pocket, probably due to the draws and the running game being moderately successful.

It’s hard to tell how many of the balls were altered by the wind. It’s definitely worth emphasizing that the cold and a fairly strong breeze played a factor.

The defense seemed fired up, and for the most part, it looks like most of the defense did a great job. I’m not sure how often Flowers was directly on OchoCinco, but he played him real well it seemed. Chad is one of the best receivers in getting seperation in the league, if not the best. Scouts will tell you this.

Oh yeah, I don’t have any voice today, but I tried to emphasize to Bengals fans how much distain there is for Larry Johnson. That’s about it.

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by Bryan Everson (The Royalty of Roto) on Dec 28, 2009 7:08 PM CST reply actions

Its because the broadcasters started whining about it and talking about the dropped passes

Because it was in their talking points so it was anywhere in the neighborhood of a WR they would start talking about how bad the WRs were.

Seriously, it was so far overthrown that nobody would have thought anything of it if the broadcasters hadn’t said something. But since they did, everyones blaming it on Bowe.

by ChiefDJ on Dec 28, 2009 7:11 PM CST up reply actions

It's easier to throw Bowe under the bus than to blame the 60 million dollar man

Sure he’s had some drops, but he has also made some incredible catches that he has no buisness catching because they were behind him or over his head

Johnnie Morton: The Man. The Myth. The Legend.

by craig in calgary on Dec 28, 2009 7:14 PM CST up reply actions

Its not even about that really

Bowe has made plenty of fantastic catches he had no business bringing in and we’re sitting around nitpicking his effort by how far he raised his hands in a vain attempt to catch it.

Lame.

by ChiefDJ on Dec 28, 2009 7:26 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs

agreed plus one

Hali, Johnson, Vrable, Mays, Williams, Studebaker, Belcher

-Come Get Some-

by Chiefsfan85 on Dec 28, 2009 7:32 PM CST up reply actions

Problem is we'll never know if it was a vain attempt

because he didn’t bother to try.

This is my signature line. It is full of awesome and win.

by KCSatchmo on Dec 28, 2009 7:34 PM CST up reply actions

have you ever played WR?

and had a ball thrown well over your head, so much so that when you say it you said to yourself “theres no way i’m getting that”. Yould you just throw your arms up anyways just to make everyone feel better? if it over my head its over my head, i’m not just going to act like I made an effort for no reason.

at the same time if i think there is any chance I can get a hand on it, I will give it my all

its obvious that in his mind there was no shot…as an NFL Wr i kind off give him the benefit of the doubt especially since he is not knows to just give up on balls

by KCCheeze on Dec 28, 2009 8:56 PM CST up reply actions

This is true...maybe Bowe knows something we don't....

But it would have clearly been somewhat close (it wasn’t 25 feet over his head) but maybe Bowe knew he wouldn’t be able to reach it.

Don't Fuccop Succop

by chicks_love_chiefs on Dec 28, 2009 9:31 PM CST up reply actions

Here we go kids.....

Cassel: He threw the Interception is on his hands unless the ball was tipped or WR falls down.

Bowe: He needs to make every effort into catching a ball regardless.

Fact: Ball couldn’t have been catched, interception is Cassel’s fault. Lack of effort is on Bowe.

Hali, Johnson, Vrable, Mays, Williams, Studebaker, Belcher

-Come Get Some-

by Chiefsfan85 on Dec 28, 2009 7:15 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

here it is

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2009122701/2009/REG16/chiefs@bengals#tab:watch

you decide

by stagdsp on Dec 28, 2009 7:15 PM CST reply actions

pause that thing at 26 sec.

If I were more tech savy, I’d post a screen print…

it looks to me like it could have been within reach

by stagdsp on Dec 28, 2009 7:19 PM CST up reply actions

camera angles

by KCCheeze on Dec 28, 2009 7:27 PM CST up reply actions

Here

Maybe not catchable, but it’s not that bad. He could have got a hand on it for sure.

TOUCHDOWN! KAN-SAH-CITY!!!

by TheScootness on Dec 28, 2009 7:40 PM CST up reply actions

Agreed

He put his hands down as soon as the ball got there. His should have been going up at the time. Looks like to me he just gave up on it.

by DLChiefs on Dec 28, 2009 7:44 PM CST up reply actions

Here's another shot where the ball is just coming down and Bowe is starting to put his arms up

Bowe is over 6’ tall, so it looks to me like the ball is a good 3 feet over his head. Also the Bengal that intercepted it caught it on the 38 yard line on the left hash mark, 4 or 5 yards down the field.

Could Bowe have made a stab at it with his arms in the air? Apparently it would have made some feel better. But its neither here nor there. All this happened in half a second for Bowe on the field. He didn’t have the luxury of rewinding and pausing to make a decision.

The ball was WELL over his head in the split second he had to make the decision as to whether he would be able to get a hand on it or not. With some of the unbelievable catches Bowe has made, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

by ChiefDJ on Dec 28, 2009 8:01 PM CST up reply actions

also as you can see

he did jump for it, then started to reach up and he obvioulsy felt there was no way he was even going to get close to the ball. I have never seen Bowe just “give up” on any ball that was close enough for him to touch

by KCCheeze on Dec 28, 2009 8:50 PM CST up reply actions

also

it looks like he mistimed his jump so he was kind of on his way down as the ball got there

by KCCheeze on Dec 28, 2009 8:52 PM CST up reply actions

i'll bet bowe can dunk a basketball which would mean he can reach a 10 foot rim

and if that ball was only 3 feet over his head, he could have conceivably gotten a hand or even 2 on it

The only players I hurt with my words are the ones who have an inflated opinion of their ability. I can't worry about that.
Bill Parcells

Knowledge is confidence. And confidence lets you play fast.
Bill Parcells

by kcguy on Dec 28, 2009 9:04 PM CST up reply actions

easy now

lets not get too crazy.

Don't Fuccop Succop

by chicks_love_chiefs on Dec 28, 2009 9:33 PM CST up reply actions

but can he dunk with full pads on? Probably not.

Hali, Johnson, Vrable, Mays, Williams, Studebaker, Belcher

-Come Get Some-

by Chiefsfan85 on Dec 28, 2009 10:25 PM CST up reply actions

In that picture, the ball is about 3 1/2 feet over his head

And it looks like he’s in the air. Now I know Bowe is good, but he’s not stretch arm strong. He can’t pick at a ball thats 42 inches above him.

by Sam D on Dec 28, 2009 9:53 PM CST up reply actions

i couldnt' figure out how to post it

but, i sent a screenshot to joel and chris

on my picture it looked MUCH closer

by stagdsp on Dec 28, 2009 10:29 PM CST up reply actions

This so cool ! Above & beyone the call of duty !

I decided to agree with by Chiefsfan85 ; based on what i see !

by 65tosspowertrap on Dec 30, 2009 7:23 AM CST up reply actions

Wow really?

Find something new to talk about. Cassel shouldn’t of thrown it to Bowe in the first place. The title should really read, “Why Cassell makes such idiotic throws” Bowe does need to work on his hands but it really wasn’t his fault at all

by Chiefs190 on Dec 28, 2009 7:42 PM CST reply actions

He actually made a good decision

throwing that ball. Lower that ball two feet and that is easily a catchable ball my friend.

When i saw the game i noticed that it looked like he gave a half jump, so if your telling me that if he gives his best effort on his jump and then extends his arms he is not only able to touch the ball enough to tip it away he has enough contact on that ball to catch it.

The blame doesn’t lie on one person here, it’s a combined effort, hence football is a team sport

swish

by swish7209 on Dec 28, 2009 8:16 PM CST reply actions

yeah, Bowe did beat the coverage there

it could have been dropped in there just like the Castille TD

he gave a half jump, and didn’t extend his arms at ALL… I really believe he could have gotten a hand on it, at least

by stagdsp on Dec 28, 2009 8:21 PM CST up reply actions

Make A Play.

Yeah, the ball was thrown high – but guess what, Dwayne Bowe’s job is to catch the football, simple as that. Make a play. Make a football play, that’s what it came down to, and that’s why Dwayne Bowe is a #2 WR in this league because he’s not willing to do what it takes to be a star in the NFL. For as many passes as he’s dropped – he owes Cassel an acrobatic catch once in a while.

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by FredThreezy on Dec 28, 2009 10:18 PM CST up reply actions

I completely agree

The interception is not only Matt’s fault or only Dwayne’s fault that was a combined effort.

But i am pissed at the lack of effort on that play it is inexcusable. The ball is clearly within reach, and i feel like he was saying to himself, “hey what the hell this isn’t the best pass and if i touch this im gonna get nailed.”

Cassel did everything he needed to on that play, Bowe lacked the effort and ending up giving his QB a pick

swish

by swish7209 on Dec 28, 2009 10:31 PM CST up reply actions

They both suck.

by Chiefsfan1970 on Dec 28, 2009 10:02 PM CST reply actions

settled

Don't Fuccop Succop

by chicks_love_chiefs on Dec 28, 2009 10:08 PM CST up reply actions

what a horrendous throw ... unless the idea was to throw it to the 35 yd line

and maybe that was the call …

Haley: ok Matt, go throw one down the middle to the 35 yard line
Cassel: you got it, coach!
Bowe: Matt, the play is designed for me to be at the 42 …
Cassel: you heard him, Dwayne, don’t argue, just run your route, be one the Right 53
Bowe: you are the best leader in the world, Matt, on my way now!!!

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisiton!

by upamtn on Dec 28, 2009 10:26 PM CST reply actions

Im not going to say it was a good throw

because it wasnt, it was definatly over thrown, was it out of reach who knows because he didnt even try. Thats where I have a problem with it is he didnt even reach up or barely even jump off the ground. Now people want to bitch about Cassel being paid alot to do his job and not living up to it. Well its not like Bowe is only making $7/hr to be out there. Hes making alot to do his job as well, he could atleast give some kind of effort on that play. How about lead by example, what are the younger receivers suppose to think when they see the suppose to be #1 wr not even making an effort on that play. If he wants to prove he should be on this team next year he needs to give 100% every play, and I would give him a 0% for effort on that one. Just my opinion.

by banshee_01 on Dec 28, 2009 11:32 PM CST reply actions

I agree Bowe should have made a play on it

But if you get a finger on it, it is a drop in some minds. Maybe he was trying to keep from having another drop.

Predictions for 2009:

The Chiefs will regret cutting LJ

Bowe's numbers regress due to lack of decent QB play.

The D gets better in the second half but still is plagued by big plays

Cassel looks more like the guy Pioli almost cut in the '08 preseason instead of the franchise QB he hoped he would be when he traded him for

Chiefs 3-13

by bonesjackson on Dec 29, 2009 12:55 AM CST reply actions

If Bowe is seriously thinking like that ("I better not to try to catch it, it might be a drop") then he has no business in the NFL.

Toby is in HR, which technically means he works for corporate, so he's really not a part of our family. Also, he's divorced, so he's really not a part of his family.

by Rev. Slappy on Dec 29, 2009 2:29 AM CST up reply actions

Draft

I wonder if there are any teams in the league who would give up a 2nd round pick for Bowe. .. A year ago I never would have said that, but he’s been disappointing. I also wouldn’t be upset if they traded Dorsey for a 2nd round pick to a 4-3 team.

by zbschiefs on Dec 29, 2009 8:51 AM CST reply actions

I'm sure there are teams that would make either of those trades

I could see KC trading Bowe for a 2nd rounder, but I don’t think I’d be happy about it. He’s the only guy on the team capable of being a #1 receiver, and even if we drafted his replacement with the pick, it would probably take the guy a couple years to develop. Plus, I like Bowe & don’t really want to see him go somewhere else.

As for Dorsey, he’s too much of an asset to the D to be given away for a 2nd rounder. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Cleveland ran all over us with Dorsey out of the lineup. His knee issues do worry me though, so I wouldn’t be totally opposed to seeing him traded for late 1st & 2nd rounder (or even an early 2nd & 3rd). Maybe we could send him to Detroit & hope that Magee is ready to step up.

Predictions:

Kansas City will not win more than four games in 2009
Kansas City will have a new OC and DC in 2010
Kansas City will win at least seven games in 2010

by jmcgoblue on Dec 29, 2009 9:22 AM CST up reply actions