Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 12/8

via KansasCity.com

Having 24 hours to watch the game video and collect his thoughts on Sunday’s blowout loss to Denver didn’t change Todd Haley’s mind on the Chiefs’ quarterback situation.

Matt Cassel, who struggled through his worst game with the Chiefs in the 44-13 loss to the Broncos, will start Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills at Arrowhead Stadium.

"I’m going to play the guys that give us the best chance to win, and Matt is one of those guys right now," Haley said. "I feel pretty confident in Matt and his abilities, and he’ll bounce back and have another great week of preparation and give us a chance to beat Buffalo."

Haley sticking with Cassel as Chiefs QB from KC Star

I can live with Jamaal Charles fumbling one more time (barely); I can understand that the jitters got to Matt Cassel (forcefully); I’m aware that Todd Haley still hasn’t developed a knack to pull the successful gimmicks (mercifully), and I completely realize that this team is in a rebuilding mode (realistically). But the thing that I cannot get is how on earth the Chiefs could possibly lay such an enormous egg on Derrick Thomas’ day?

Behind his contagious smile and the need to create havoc on the football field, the thing that moved Derrick Thomas was pride. This was his last hurrah, his posthumous swan song and his closing tribute all rolled into one. Without a doubt, the Chiefs were required to put together a performance worthy of everything he ever gave to Kansas City.

The end result was unacceptable. No matter the talent level, the fact remains that in these kinds of games, you have to deliver a winning effort, even if you come up short in the scoreboard. It’s better than an electrocardiogram because these moments tell the true pulse of a team.

The Lowest Point from Bob Gretz

The sun came up Monday morning.

It always does, whether the Chiefs have won or lost the day before. But after games like the Broncos 44-13 battering of the Chiefs, more than a few people want to pull the covers over their heads and forget about the pain.

Others crawl out of bed and face the day. That’s what Matt Cassel did on Monday morning. He was up and out the door of his south Kansas City home and into the Chiefs facilities before many of his teammates.

Sunday against Denver may have been the worst performance of his NFL career, but there’s only one way to wash that nasty taste out of your mouth if you are quarterback. That requires getting to the office and getting to work on putting away the past and starting preparation for the future.

But that doesn’t stop the media and fans from continuing their dissection of Cassel’s ugly performance against the Broncos.

Getting Back On Track … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs from Bob Gretz

You say there is progress being made. Where do you see that?

We are making great progress in the practice area. I think we’ve made great strides. Guys know what’s expected of them. They are pushed hard. They practice hard. They prepare hard. They are meeting extra. They are doing the things necessary to be a good team. Without those things you can’t be a good team. Right now, for whatever reason it’s not translating to Sundays.

From the Mouth of Todd from Bob Gretz

Matt Cassel will be right back under center when the reeling Kansas City Chiefs host Buffalo on Sunday. But what effect will getting benched during a blowout loss to Denver have on the young quarterback?

A positive one, coach Todd Haley insists. Haley also said Monday he's not worried that the leadership he counts on Cassel to provide will be affected by teammates seeing him jerked out of the game and replaced by backup Brodie Coyle.

"No, not in my opinion," Haley said. "Others may have different opinions, but not in my opinion. I think that's a head coach's decision to make, of where the game's at and circumstances surrounding it. Yesterday at that time I thought the best thing for us as a team was to put Brodie in the game and let him play a little bit."

Chiefs seem to be regressing, not progressing from ESPN.com

Last week, we told you about a photo on the Kansas City Chiefs' website that showed mascot KC Wolf kicking the Barrel Man.

Didn't seem funny then, and it got a hellvua lot less humorous when news broke that the Barrel Man, also known as Tim McKernan, died Saturday morning. He was 69.

At least the people at the Chiefs' website were paying attention: By Sunday, the photo above had been taken down from the KC Wolf page, where there's currently no image of the furball at all. But the move was more than a little tardy, especially considering that McKernan has been in ill health for quite some time.

Barrel Man's revenge: Victory over the Chiefs, and the Chiefs' website from Denver Westworld

When I learned Peterson was Persona Non Grata for Sunday’s Derrick Thomas ceremony, it was appalling. How could the Chiefs turn their back on him? How could they disrespect the man who drafted, developed and ensured Thomas was a Chief for life?

Apparently, the new Chiefs have short memories. If Lamar Hunt was still alive, there is no way he would have told Peterson to stay away from a ceremony for a player he affectionately referred to as his "son." Family was important to Hunt. That might not be the case under the current Chiefs’ leadership. To be fair, we don’t know if Peterson’s exclusion was Clark Hunt’s idea or Pioli’s. But both should be ashamed for allowing such a disgrace, especially when you consider how awful the product on the field at Arrowhead is these days. Unless another major shakeup arrives in January, the Chiefs are headed down the path of the Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders and Detroit Lions. Without more seasoned football people manning the administration and coaching staff, three and four-win seasons will be the norm in Kansas City for years to come.

It’s amazing how far this franchise has fallen since Hunt passed away. It’s sad to think that for 47 years, I’ve never once been embarrassed to be a Chiefs fan, but that all changed Sunday with the decision to bar Peterson from the halftime ceremony.

Chiefs Give Peterson The Cold Shoulder from WPI