Each week, we'll break down the five players who both helped themselves and hurt themselves the most. Joel already tackled (get it?) the five who helped themselves the most in the first preseason game versus the Texans. Here's a closer look at those Chiefs players who didn't exactly state the best case for their roster position in those 60 minutes of gridiron action:
Tyler Thigpen
Thigpen? Joel already placed him in the former category of those who helped themselves. But if Pioli's looking at what Chiefs fans looked at all last season, I think Thigpen's not doing himself any favors. The reason? The sheer unpredictability of having Tyler Thigpen at the QB position will drive a coach who preaches consistency absolutely insane. Sometimes he'll make something out nothing. Other times, he'll kill the momentum. And when you're trying to establish a new foundational way of doing things, you remove wild variables like Thigpen - no matter how talented he may be.
I will go ahead and get it out of the way that I realize I'm in the minority here. And perhaps he certainly didn't hurt himself with his performance last night. But I just had to take some space to simply say that I don't get the buzz from last night. Bowe should catch those passes and earn those numbers in his sleep against the level of competition he faced last night. It's like praising Danny Almonte for pitching well as a 14-year-old against other 12-year-olds in the Little League World Series. Hurt himself? Maybe not. But I don't buy the hype at this point in the preseason that he's some man possessed and ready for the next level.
Those Vying for Wide Receiver or Return Man Spots
Perhaps you need a memo that reads "Dear Competitor, The job is yours to lose." Every NFL player will say that they just want a chance. Well there are more chances for the taking than the Chiefs have seen in some time and yet it's frustrating to watch absolutely nobody stepping up and taking advantage of this chance to be the Chiefs next kick/punt returner or starting wide receiver. When you're throwing pasta named Ashley Lelie against the wall, you realize nobody stands out on your current team. And when certain players are sent home, there's no crying allowed about not having a chance to make the team.
The Right Side of the O-Line
Simply put, the Chiefs exhibited almost zero ability to run the football on Saturday night. And most of this comes from the inability to create holes or provide any run blocking for LJ and company. Direckshun already provided fantastic words on Barry Richardson's performance, but he's hardly the lone gunman out there. In my opinion, they're all shooting themselves in the foot.
Mother Nature
Curse you for raining on the preseason game and messing up all the results.