My Perspective
by Flowers24 on Aug 3, 2011 10:30 PM CDT
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PrintKansas City is the best team in the AFC West. Here's why:
1) The Chiefs have the most talent. I don't think anybody would say Denver has more ability than them. Unless you're Hue Jackson or a writer for Yahoo!, you probably don't believe the Raiders are a very good team now either. San Diego is the team that most think can compete with or are better than Kansas City. I genuinely don't buy it.
If the Chiefs stay healthy, they will win this division going away. Look at both of these teams in their totality. Philip Rivers is an all-world quarterback. Antonio Gates is a Hall-of-Fame tight end when healthy, and Vincent Jackson is an above-average wide receiver. Shaun Phillips is also a very solid player as an edge-rusher. Other than that, who stands out?
The Chiefs have one of the best running backs in the NFL with Jamaal Charles. They have a top ten wide receiver in Dwayne Bowe. They have an excellent slot man in Steve Breaston and a young, emerging TE in Tony Moeaki. While Cassel isn't Rivers, we no longer have a hole at the most important position in the game. Matt Cassel isn't a great player, but he's a quality QB, and ten times the leader of Rivers.
On defense, Kansas City has the conference sacks leader in Tamba Hali. They also have Eric Berry, Derrick Johnson, Brandon Flowers, and Glenn Dorsey. If you pooled the 106 players on both teams and just picked them 1-106 based on who you would take for your team, I bet the Chiefs fill out many more positions that San Diego.
2) Todd Haley is a better coach than Norv Turner. Turner is a great offensive coordinator, but an over-matched Head Coach. I'll give you a perfect example:
September 13, 2010. Kansas City 21, San Diego 14. 1st and Goal at the 4-yard line for the Chargers. The Chiefs defense was on the field all game and the weather was terrible throughout the night. What would you do?
Turner called three passes and a draw play to Darren Sproles. Now I'm not Vince Lombardi, but wouldn't you give Mike Tolbert the ball a few times? If Kansas City needed to score in that spot, I have full confidence they would have. Haley knows how to get the best out of his players, and that's a rare ability. Many coaches have come and gone trying. He understands how to win.
~~~~~~~~
I'm not trying to attack anybody's opinion with my own. I'm simply saying the Chiefs, IMO, are the best team going in the division. Do they have holes? Absolutely. However, this team is poised to be absolutely dominant. With the drafts we've had recently and men like Scott Pioli, Romeo Crennel, and Todd Haley running the show, Kansas City has an excellent future.
Our time isn't a few years from now...it's now.
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.
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i caution u on this thought.......
We have one of the toughest schedules in the NFL this year so we could be good in the division but poor outside of it like Oakland last year
I love that the Chiefs have a tough schedule
If they win big this year, we know they truly belong in the upper echelon of teams.
by SacramentoDrew on Aug 3, 2011 10:49 PM CDT up reply actions
agreed
I was once fired from a job two days after I waited on Matt Cassel and his wife Lauren Killian. Totally my AP moment to remember. Unfortunately also one of my stupidest moments.
by Chiefs_swagger on Aug 4, 2011 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions
yeap, but those two games are Indy and Pittsburg
by ONECHIEFan on Aug 4, 2011 1:12 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Which really isn't to big of a difference
Besides the QBs of course
Me and Matt Cassel just - you up, dog!
by ChiefWarPaint on Aug 4, 2011 2:03 AM CDT up reply actions
plus a division vs division schedule comparion tends to come down to injuries
if one of those qb’s it out when they play but we don’t, it tends to ease the road a little. if we play indy and manning happens to be out for a week with a concussion, then thats quite the difference than an indy team w/ manning
Team Pioli/Haley. Decade of the Chiefs.
Team Colquitt
if I'm not mistaken
Last year, against the Chargers, Indy had injuries at the OL. It was really ugly for them.
by Lightning Hobo on Aug 4, 2011 5:44 AM CDT up reply actions
Yup. Plus we played at IND last year, and SD got them as a home game.
The Chiefs and I have mutually agreed on this decision and although I look forward to continuing my career, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Kansas City.
I get that Manning is out right now, but he's never missed a game.
He’s Brett Favre 2.0. He’d have to be really hurt to miss a game.
"[Jamaal Charles] probably fights crime in his spare time while inhaling carbon emissions, exhaling oxygen, and crapping oil. That’s how awesome he is. Not just good for the Chiefs, but America."
- MNchiefsfan
San Diego has a tougher schedule
because they have to play Kansas City twice.
CHIEFS DYNASTY – we’re kind of a big deal
by kabrink on Aug 4, 2011 2:44 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
WTF???
come on dudes, you aren’t going to green me for this one!?
CHIEFS DYNASTY – we’re kind of a big deal
greened ... and blued
Winner: 2009 Nostradamus of Arrowhead Pride Award
"I shall conquer untruth by truth" - Mahatma Gandhi
"It's always easier to sell 'em some shit than it is to give 'em the truth" - Shel Silverstein, The Perfect High
hi, Mo! 5 minutes!!!
I pay zero attention
to pre season schedule rankings. Last year’s easy schedule did turn out to be easy, but quite often a schedule predicted to be tough turns out to be easy, and vice versa. The NFL changes a lot from year to year. The past 5 seasons have seen at least one worst to first team.
I am not saying our schedule will not be hard, but when you look at who had the toughest or easiest schedules after the season, it is not always as predicted.
"Trying is the first step to sucking" -Jimmy Chance
Remember how Tennessee was going to be a tough game going into last year?
They had won their division the previous year with everybody’s favorite RB at the time. Things change which the centre cannot hold, mere anarchy is loosed upon the world….
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." -Gandhi.
Rivers is still the best qb in the division
so that keeps them in the race but Mathews is out of shape and seems to be a bust, and Gates is already hurt to start the season.
Our entire division has a tough schedule though so 9-7 could take it.
9-7 won't win the division this year
because we will finish 11-5
"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." -Gandhi.
by Sudden on Aug 4, 2011 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Other than that who stands out?
3x Pro Bowl punter Mike Scifres says hi.
But in all reality McNeill is better LT than we have, Hardwick is a hell of center. Antoine Cason is a highly underrated corner. Pro Football Focus did a secret superstar feature about him. Also Antonio Garay is just starting to step into a starters role and has a chance to be pretty good too.
The Chiefs have more talent than in recent years, but we have some phasing out and growing up to do, so don’t sleep on the Chargers.
Scifres is only as good as his coverage unit
We're the same team as last year, except incredibly better, and with new players.
Win in our division ...
and we go to the playoffs!!!
11-5
by i'minCostaRicachiefsfan on Aug 3, 2011 11:17 PM CDT reply actions
tell that to oakland :)
Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.
-Abraham Lincoln
by BJ Kissel on Aug 4, 2011 12:54 AM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
That's so getting rec'd
The Chiefs and I have mutually agreed on this decision and although I look forward to continuing my career, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Kansas City.
Hali will get 23.5 sacks in 2011!
how’s that for koolaid?
11-5
by i'minCostaRicachiefsfan on Aug 3, 2011 11:18 PM CDT reply actions
Na it's not because of Gregg
Houston ‘lit’ a fire under Hali
I don't start arguments, I provoke thinking. -Me
Alameda Ta’amu NT/DE 2012 Draftee
by BAMFSpecialOps on Aug 4, 2011 5:33 AM CDT up reply actions
23.5 sacks would be good...NO GREAT
KOOLAID TO THE MAX! But I will have to admit, Hali is about the best defensive player I’ve seen (on the Chiefs roster) in a while. To have another Derrek Thomas caliber of player…..OH THAT WOULD BE BLISS!!
by Ron Shaggy Swearengin on Aug 4, 2011 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions
With the Breaston/McClain/Gregg/Tamba signings and I assume Carr's, KC does not have holes.
Only dents. A little more body work KC may be looking at winning it all.
by whoadog on Aug 4, 2011 1:58 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Not to mention we have the best O-line in the division.
Raiders have the worst in the league, Broncos still suck in that department, and San Diego isn’t incredible. Even without Brian Waters we still dominate that area.
by NigerianNightmare on Aug 4, 2011 11:19 AM CDT reply actions
Speaking of Waters..
Has there been any word on where he might end up?
by SacramentoDrew on Aug 4, 2011 11:29 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
I believe the Chiefs have more potential than the Chargers
but the Chargers’ stars have proven their worth more consistently than the Chiefs. The Chiefs’ current roster has a significantly higher ceiling than the Chargers’ roster. Hopefully we’ll have more players meet our high expectations than players that don’t.
I disagree about Norv Turner
I’m not convinced he’s even that good of an OC. He has Philip Rivers. Come on, I do not like Rivers but he’s a great QB.
CHIEFS DYNASTY – we’re kind of a big deal
a year ago 99.7% of the bloggers on AP discounted the Raiders from winning more than a few games ... much less defeating the Chiefs twice
in fact, the Raiders not only beat the Chiefs twice, they swept the division … and had they not been their usual self-destructive selves they might well have done more
the Chargers, meanwhile, are being heavily discounted in this post for no other reason (that I can tell) other than pure homerism … yes the Chiefs have improved, no the Cheifs haven’t been the ONLY team to make moves to get better
as far as Pioli, Crennel and Haley, that little blip at the end totally discounts Muir … what a lovely idea, apparantly he doesn’t count (but Haley is on a pedastel)
kabrink hit it above: do NOT overlook Rivers and the Chargers … nor should anyone look past the Raiders, who are indeed loaded with talent (still) and could as easily take this division as anyone else (Jackson is a VERY good coach)
in short, I’ll once again not play the homerific role this year … 8-8 and perhaps 9-7 this year … good enough to win division? perhaps … we shall see
Winner: 2009 Nostradamus of Arrowhead Pride Award
"I shall conquer untruth by truth" - Mahatma Gandhi
"It's always easier to sell 'em some shit than it is to give 'em the truth" - Shel Silverstein, The Perfect High
hi, Mo! 5 minutes!!!
but, but
the Chiefs are the most awesomest team in the world!
I was once fired from a job two days after I waited on Matt Cassel and his wife Lauren Killian. Totally my AP moment to remember. Unfortunately also one of my stupidest moments.
by Chiefs_swagger on Aug 4, 2011 4:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Ups
I’m not a homer by any stretch. Look at my article each thurs that I write. But look at the rosters dude, it’s not even close.
We're the same team as last year, except incredibly better, and with new players.
Homerism kicks in when you compare the quarterbacks.
Our quarterback is not on the same page as Rivers and never will be. All I am saying here is that the Chargers and Raiders are not pushovers as is being suggested. I hope we win, I think we will win, but that don’t make it a sure thing, on paper or not on paper, roster vs roster.
Our quarterback is not on the same page as Rivers and never will be
I think you may have to dine on some crow in a year or two…
Ryan Succop will be the kicker for the AFC in the 2011 Pro Bowl
Yep. Cassel's STARTING to get the level of talent Rivers has had.
Folks talk about him making do with 2nd-tier receivers last year, but they were still much better than the Chiefs in that category.
Cassel has more mobility and toughness. But Zorn definitely needs to make some headway in the accuracy dept for Cassel to be compared favorably with Rivers.
would of ≠ would've
I'm not discounting any team (only discrediting Norv - my main point above)
but I definitely think that the Chiefs are the only team in our division that actually improved in the offseason – at least as measured by additions and subtractions. Of course, this process isn’t over yet either. Further, even without any intended homerism, all of us here know a heck of a lot more about the players we’ve added (and lost) than we do of the team and player circumstances of the other teams. So, there’s a built in bias even if unintended.
But, with all that said, again I do think the Chiefs improved the most and also have the largest base of younger players capable of making another jump in performance. Hence, I continue to predict 10-6 again and another division title.
CHIEFS DYNASTY – we’re kind of a big deal
I sincerely hope you're right on that prediction
I will say that 9-7 MIGHT just take it … if we drop (recordwise) to 8-8 I doubt we make playoffs (then too, look what happened in the NFC East a year ago … but … that was a weak division top to botton, we have 3 of 4 teams that CAN play well, we know about the 4th)
Winner: 2009 Nostradamus of Arrowhead Pride Award
"I shall conquer untruth by truth" - Mahatma Gandhi
"It's always easier to sell 'em some shit than it is to give 'em the truth" - Shel Silverstein, The Perfect High
hi, Mo! 5 minutes!!!
I think
we NEED to get 10-6 to be in the playoffs. In the AFC I just don’t see a 9-7 wildcard. My hope is that 10-6 also wins the division.
CHIEFS DYNASTY – we’re kind of a big deal
I don't ever even look at it that way.
It’s always “Is this team good enough to beat PIT, NWE, IND, BAL?” (Sorry, Rex. You’re not on the list, yet.)
It’s always “If they win, they’re in.” Each game, week to week.
It’s always “Are they winning the matchups?” or “What matchups are they winning?”
It’s always “Are their tactics sound?”
would of ≠ would've
Schedule will be tougher.
But so will the Chiefs. Has anybody noticed that through Draft and FA we are now considerably Bigger , Stronger, Faster. Mostly at backup positions and players that are destined to occupy Special Team slots. Guys like Siler and Piscitelli, Draftees like Miller , Bannon and Jalil Brown. Even the theme of UDFAs seems to have been bigger, stronger and faster.
McClain will be bigger, stronger than TJ when he is in backfield as a feature back or Blocker. Houston is a bigger type LB. Hudson is similar but bigger and younger than Casey, Bailey offers a bigger stronger version of Gillberry.
"You talkin' to me? You TALKIN' to me ?" - Travis Bickle
I don't think Bailey's that much bigger than Gilberry.
But that doesn’t mean you’re not right about getting bigger. Bailey and Gilberry are BOTH bigger than Gilberry was last year.
2010 was about getting faster. 2011 appears to be about getting bigger, and there doesn’t appear to be any dropoff in quickness, although I’m interested to see how quick Dion Gales is off the snap. He’s always just seemed slooooowwwww to me. First, he was sloooowwww as a ‘tweener. The next bigger weight class was/is his only hope. Never understood why matt_grbac liked him so much, but apparently the coaches think he’s made of the right stuff – at least to the extent of keepin’ ’is ass around through the long dry spell.
would of ≠ would've
Jones is making a bid for all-around HB snaps.
He’s apparently showing well, at this point. Hope that holds up, but we’re talking about a guy who came into TC ready to GO. I think they want a mix that keeps Charles’ number of carries on the low side of 20.
I don’t think Mims is faster. While I don’t see any defect in how he carries himself, he’s definitely up at the limit of just not being quick enough. That’s a heavy body on a long-ass frame. A lot of natural advantages, but some poor technique and possibly at a natural disadvantage, ultimately, in the footwork and 1st-step-quickness categories. You have to shift and get your feet behind the direction you need to be applying force to the defender. He’s a guy who might spend his entire brief NFL career reaching and getting called for leg whips committed against pass rushers hurdling his prostrate body.
would of ≠ would've
Link to Bob Gretz.
Must reading that goes well with these threads.
Do we have one place where we could gather all these “eyes-on-the-field” reports? I love all of ’em, even though each one only whets my appetite. Need to get off my ass next year, buy one of those “dragon” things that turns speech into text, and bring the binocs. Heh.
would of ≠ would've
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