Impressions...

No pictures, no BS, just an opinionated post of one man's impressions of the Chiefs second preseason game. I wouldn't allow myself to put associate a grade, but I can say strides were made toward improvement. The Chiefs looked better this week, but by how much? Is it enough to give us high hopes and dreams for the season? Not so sure I'd go that far, but being overly optimistic myself, I've had high hopes since Carl bailed and Clark pulled the trigger on Pioli. I saw a lot of good and bad things out there tonight. There were some highs and lows, a few steps forward, a few steps back. So what we can glean from this event? My thoughts after the jump, and feel free to chime in / add to / agree or disagree.

Game Comparisons:

- 9 less total yards than week one: 298 verse 307 last week. Step back

- Less Penalties: 5-35 yards verse 8-65 yards week one: Step forward and back. Commit less penalites

- Time of Possession: 34:34 vers 28:52. Step forward.

- Turnovers: 2 verse 3 week one. Step forward and back. Ideal turnovers are 0.

QB:

-  Matt Cassel looked poised. He was calm in the pocket with 9/14 for 99 yds and a TD. He should have completed a few more, but as with last week, a few of the WR's couldn't spell catch, let alone make it happen. He also was more mobile and was throwing with precision.

- Matt Gutierrez looked good, 8 of 13 for 68 yards. He constructed a helluva situational drive. I won't get into why we coulda/should/woulda won had this or that happened, because it doesn't matter. We lost, end of story. However, Matt #2 shined and  was money with his throws. Maybe his final throw could have been a little more on target, but I take this as a positive by adding another reliable QB to the depth chart.

- Brodie Croyle was worse this week, only completing 5 of 10 for 41 yards. That said, I was impressed with his athleticism tonight and his ability to take a shot. He got punished with a chin/grill shot and got right back up and shook it off. The biggest positive is that he walks away from another game without injury.

RB:

- Larry Johnson was only handed the rock 8 times. Out of those carries, only mustered up 21 yards. However, he looked like he had a purpose and actually had a nice 18-yard carry. Technically, that one carry was all but 3 of his yards.  

- Jamaal Charles and Jackie Battle neither one looked great. Respectively, they consumed 8 yards on 4 carries and 28 yards on 9 carries. Charles added a nice 20-yard reception, but both of these cats need to read the manual on ball protection. I can guarantee that both of these boys will have sore legs from Haley and Carthon riding their asses all week.

- Notable was Dantrell Savage for picking up 14 yards on 5 carries. 

OL:

- I won't break this down to individual players, but let's just say that all squads played like ass. I have officially renamed them the 1st / 2nd / 3rd Tampon Strings. They earned that after playing like pussies and getting pushed all over the field tonight. Alright, I will pick on Nisweiner because he was getting manhandled. He should get credit for a sack on Cassel because it looked like he brought him down by him damn self. Piss-poor performance. I award them no points and may God have mercy on their souls (gratuitous Billy Madison quote).

WR:

- Dwayne Bowe played well again. He only had 3 receptions for 37 yards, but he scored the lone TD. He was also picking up blocking assignments and running smooth routes. 

- Terrance Dropper was playing like a man asking for a one-way ticket out of KC. 

- Quentin Lawrence played like a man on a mission. He wasn't perfect by no means, but 3 catches for 19 yards isn't too bad. It was the full effort he put forth on each and every play that earns him honorable mention. 

- Notables were Amani Toomer getting a nice grab and Wright snagging a couple. Liked the play of Lelie, even though he didn't amass any stats, he proved he's still a threat on the field and still has soft hands.

Defense:

- Again, won't get in to individuals. Let's just say I was sick to my stomach with the way Tavaris Jackson owned us tonight. The mere fact that we shut down the HOF QB, and let this clown get the better of us, just makes me sick to my stomach. Pendergast came after Favre and backed off shortly thereafter. Our front was getting little to no pressure and the secondary looked like toast getting burned back there. I can say, on behalf of the secondary, that if a QB has all day in the pocket, there isn't too much they can do. Give a guy long enough, WR's are bound to get open. No sacks? No turnovers? Not enough pressure? Saw improvements, but to me, this bunch needs to get slapped around a bit before the next outing. A plus is that we shut down Favre and AP. Overall, they weren't complete shit, but we definitely need improvement.

Special Teams:

- Can I just say that Ryan Succop is looking to be a diamond in the rough? This kid has put it in the end zone every kickoff. He's nailed every one of his FG attempts and doesn't look to be easily distracted. We still need to find a PR/KR, which, the longer it takes, the worse off we're going to be. Although, it looked like they had pretty good coverage on kickoffs and punts. Didn't see anybody really break away from us tonight.

That said, I think we held our own tonight. We put ourselves into a position to win the game, but couldn't make it happen. 1st and goal and no TD? It's ridiculous, but it's a building block. This game is another hard lesson learned from which they can stow away and reflect back on for future reference. I'm sure each player learned a little something tonight, and whether Haley admits it or not, there are a few players deserving of an Arrowhead. If Terrance Dropper is 1st string again next week, I'm going to shit myself. I guarantee Todd Haley will play doctor this week and dissect the hell out of this game. Next week will definitely be another step in this "process"" of development, but the good news is that we're starting to see results. Improve on this next week and the week after, and we'll be ready for a showdown in Baltimore.