Welcome to the first edition of "Bajah’s Choose your own adventure" 2011 Kansas City Chiefs Style. For the duration of this post you need to get one thing straight. You are not reading this post, you are experiencing it. The Kansas City Chiefs have become a dictatorship and you are the dictator. Just picture the Cowboys and Raiders for team references. There is no consulting with anyone else. You will choose who we draft, you will choose from different scenarios that come up during the season on what YOU want to do and what YOU think is best. The success or failure of this season is based on YOUR decisions.
There are a few rules before we get started. First, there is no going back once a decision has been made. (I’m looking at you ‘upavolcano’) Second, there is no going back once a decision has been made. Third and most importantly, these things DID happen so there is no attacking the poster for things that YOU did. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. For the sake of not making this too difficult for everyone we brought back Shaun Smith, Ron Edwards and Casey Weigmann is back for another season.
The adventure will be broken down into 4 quarters once you have made your draft picks. You will choose from 3 sets of draft pick options from the first two rounds. This experience is under the idea that we did not make a splash in FA with a Sidney Rice or an Aubrayo Franklin. They both signed with the Redskins anyways.
We do know the home and away breakdown for the season and for the sake of this post I have guessed at a schedule. It goes something like this:
Week 1 – New England – Away Week 10 - San Diego - Road
Week 2 – Denver - Home Week 11 – New York Jets - Road
Week 3 – Chicago – Road Week 12 – Green Bay – Home
Week 4 – Pittsburgh – Home Week 13 – Oakland – Home
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Week 5 – Oakland – Away Week 14 – Denver – Road
Week 6 – Miami – Home Week 15 – Indianapolis – Road
Week 7 – BYE
Week 8 – Minnesota – Home Week 16 – Detriot – Road
Week 9 – Buffalo – Home Week 17 – San Diego - Home
The Chiefs can win the Superbowl if the correct decisions are made, or they could finish 6-10 and lost a key player to a major injury. Will you make the right decisions? Your adventure starts now….it's kinda long...sorry
#1 You have decided to leave Ayers at the SOLB position. This is a great move on your part as you don’t want to stunt the growth of a rookie at a position you did not draft him for. Sheffield steps in and plays ok in Hali’s absence, although he does not phase Rivers or Rodgers in those two games. Sheffield and Ayers wreak havoc on Sanchize and HIV has to watch Cassel throw for 300 yards and 2 TD’s while Sanchize gets pulled in the 3rd quarter after a personal foul from throwing his helmet. You finish 2-2 in the 3rd quarter and sit at 8-4 on the season. A cheap shot on Cassel in the Raider game from Seymour knocks Cassel out for the year. A bright season looks dark and gloomy heading into the 4th quarter of the season.
Choose your own adventure – Do you start the rookie developmental QB, or do you roll with Palco for the last 4 games? If you go with the rook head to #7. If you go with Palco, godspeed, and head to #11.
#2 – Ron Edwards toughing it out – Ron gives us all he’s got but he re-injures his ankle and plays only 1.5 quarters. We fall behind early on a couple of big runs by McFadden. But Cassel ties the game up against Oakland in the 4th quarter with a screen pass to McCluster that went for 67 yards and a TD. Powe does a decent job helping to slow down the Raiders passing game but Jason Campbell does the rest as he is picked off by Eric Berry who returns it 56 yards for a Chiefs TD with just 6 minutes left and that seals it for the Chiefs. Chiefs win @ Oakland. After wins against Miami and Minnesota due to their inability to get pressure on Cassel or stopping Charles the Chiefs had a very disappointing loss against Buffalo. Cam Newton just abused the lack of a SOLB presence and his mobility led to multiple 3rd down runs that kept the ball away from Charles and a very productive McCluster. The Chiefs are 5-3.
Dwayne Bowe voices his displeasure after the game after being targeted just 3 times in each of the last 2 games. He was critical of Haley and Zorn for their inability to find ways to get him the ball. Choose your own adventure, do you sit Bowe, or continue to Start Bowe? If you decide to start Bowe your adventure heads to #24, if you decide to sit Bowe your adventure heads to #28.
#3 – Increasing JC’s carries – What some Chiefs fans have been asking for is now a reality. Jamaal Charles rips off 197 yards on 26 carries and has 2 TD’s against SD in a huge win for the Chiefs. Thousands of "I told you to increase his carries" posts flood AP. Against the Jets he averages 5.3 YPC in the first half and suffers a broken leg as Bart Scott hits him as he is pinned between two DL for the Jets. JC is out for the year.
Continue your adventure here
#4 – You have started a rookie NT in the 5th game of the season and you have sat your Pro Bowl WR for publicly bad-mouthing the coach. You have stones sir. Although you sit at 3-5 you have the command of your team and their practices have been nothing short of spectacular. Bowe has been reminded of the player he wants to become and has proven that this week in practice. You had a meeting with him to clear the air after he sat the first quarter in a loss against the Chargers. He rebounds in a big way with a 180 yard 3 TD game against the reigning SB champs. You reel off a winning streak of 3 wins to sit at 6-6 heading into the 4th quarter.
After a win against Denver you are playing Indianapolis on the road and it’s the 4th quarter. The game is tied and it’s 4th and 3 from the 35 yard line with 1:25 left on the clock. Choose your own adventure – Do you attempt the FG?, Try for a first down?, or Punt the ball? FG – head to #30, First down head to #17, and for punting it head HERE
#5 – Blitzing Big Ben – Akeem Ayers shows his strength in doing what many LB’s have been unable to do in these situations against Big Ben. Not only does he get to Big Ben and bring him down, but he causes him to fumble the ball and Tamba Hali recovers to seal the victory for the Chiefs. This decision came with a price though, Hali rolled his ankle in the pileup for the ball. He is out for 4 weeks. The Chiefs fall to Oakland in Oakland but reel off 3 consecutive wins against Miami, Minnesota, and Buffalo. There could not have been a better time to lose Hali during the season because all 3 of these teams have QB issues. You sit at 6-2 and on-top the division.
Choose your own adventure – You don’t have Tamba Hali for the next 4 games. Who takes over at his spot? Do you move Ayers over to the "Joker" position? Or do you leave Ayers at SOLB and have Sheffield take over for Hali? If you move Ayers over, your adventure continues to #26. If you leave Ayers head to #1.
#6 – Taking Phil Taylor and Sam Acho. You sir…have made a commitment to defense and I applaud this decision. But that doesn’t mean it will affect what happens :) Both of these players have earned starting spots by the end of training camp and Haley will use the words "Get it" to describe them both 67 times during the short training camp. A tough loss against New England starts off the season but our young players look promising and we looked like we belonged on that field with them. Wins against Denver and Chicago set up a big matchup with Pittsburgh. It’s Pouncey vs Taylor. 6 posts are written about this matchup alone this week. Kalo answers many questions and comments more than usual. We lose in a close game 17-14 and again we show that we belong atop the AFC West.
You’re 2-2 and heading into a crucial stretch of winnable games. After wins against Oakland and Miami the team heads into the Bye week. No major injuries but some of the vets are a little beat-up. Do you go hard at it during the Bye-week or do you let them rest? If you go hard at it then continue to #29, if you let them rest head to #22.
#7 – Rolling with the rookie QB. There is hysteria on AP as the doom and gloom of a great start to the season looks dark and gloomy as we head into the last four games of the season with a rookie QB that wasn’t supposed to see the field for 2 years. Although he plays better than most would expect, there is nothing we can do to unload the box. Even Titus Young can’t get the safeties from cheating up while trying to test the young QB. A win against Denver gave us hope, but a hobbling Hali and an IR’d-Cassel can’t do anything to keep this team from falling hard and fast. You finish the season 9-7 and just miss the playoffs.
#8 – Keep Albert at LT. You sit at 6-2 but some decisions you made early in the season show that this record may not be as strong as it appears. The line is in shambles after losing it’s two Veteran anchors and the lack of depth at this position should have made you think twice about pushing these guys so hard during the Bye week. Three consecutive losses to San Diego, New York, and Green Bay derail any thought of home field advantage and now we’re on the outside looking in at the playoffs. MNChiefs fans writes a "Arguing with Idiots" post about the 3 year rule when talking about Taylor. Head to #31 to continue your adventure.
#9 – Dexter in the flat – This is the beautiful thing about having a dynamic #2 WR. It opens the field for the rest of the players. Dexter takes the pass in the flat and converts it into a 40 yard TD pass. The Chiefs take the game and reel off 3 wins in a row and take the division title. In the playoff game against the Steelers a crucial drop in the 4th quarter by Bowe has us talking WR again all off-season. NT and WR become topics of debate for another long offseason.
#10 – Drafting Akeem Ayers and Titus Young – It’s obvious that you wanted some playmakers in this draft. Bringing in Young gives Cassel another dynamic weapon on offense. Akeem Ayers starts right away at SOLB, beating out an improved Sheffield and Studebaker. Although Young gets into a couple of scuffles at camp with Brandon Carr, he shows flashes of Desean Jackson when the ball is in his hands. That proves to be very important in the Monday Night opener against New England. Young finishes the game with 60 yards and a TD, Ayers has a solid game but Brady proves to be too good at Home as we fall 30-21. We beat Denver and Chicago before taking on Pittsburgh.
We’re sitting at 2-1 and taking on Pittsburgh at home. Ron Edwards and Shaun Smith have had the game of their lives shutting down Mendenhall. Chiefs are up 21-20 and Pitt has the ball on the Chiefs 46, it’s 3rd and 7 with 3 minutes to go. Choose your own adventure – Do you blitz Big Ben and send the house, or do you sit back and keep everyone in coverage? If you blitz, your adventure continues to #5, if you sit back your adventure continues to #19.
#11 – You Started Tyler Palco? The season is over. We lose 4 straight and you are sent to the doctor for a checkup……Cough twice.
#12 – After a tough loss against Green Bay and solid wins against Oakland and Denver you head into a big time showdown with Indianapolis. Crennel has Mannings number and they won’t be able to run the ball on our DL this time around. Chiefs win. With two games to play and the division already in hand a letdown at the hands of Detriot gives us a 11-4 record heading into week 17. We already have the division won and we are looking at Home field throughout with a victory. Choose your own adventure – Do you rest the starters or do you go for Home Field throughout the playoffs against the Chargers in week 17? If you rest the starters head to #20. If you play for Home field head to #32.
#13 – After losing 3 of 4 in the 3rd quarter while struggling at San Diego, New York, and against Green Bay, the team shows promise without Hali in a hard-fought victory against Oakland. Titus Young comes into his own and finishes with 120 yards and two TD’s against the Raiders #2 CB. You sit at 7-5 but are trailing the Chargers who stand at 9-3. With wins against Denver and Detriot you finish the season at 9-7 but miss the playoffs. Hali signs a 6-year deal and the LB corps seem to be a strong part of this defense that seems set for the next 3-4 years. 9-7 is a pretty good record against this schedule. You had a successful adventure.
#14 – Starting Bowe – In a tough decision that was ridiculed by "Right 53"defenders on AP you have decided to start Bowe heading into a crucial game against the Chargers. In what Aiken calls "The Decision II", Bowe ends up with a respectable 60 yards and a TD. But this game was all about JC. 180 yards and 2 TD’s gave the Chiefs the 24-21 win on the road against the Chargers. New York was kind to the Chiefs and Powe did have his best game as a Chief and got the KPM "Player of the week" honor. With another loss at Green Bay and a win against Oakland the Chiefs sit at 6-6 heading into the 4th quarter of the season.
After a win against Denver you are playing Indianapolis on the road and it’s the 4th quarter. The game is tied and it’s 4thand 3 from the 35 yard line with 1:25 left on the clock. Choose your own adventure – Do you attempt the FG?, Try for a first down?, or Punt the ball? FG – head to #30, First down head to #17, and for punting it head HERE
#15 – Sherrod and Powe – 1st Quarter – Your first round pick made immediate dividends after a brutal training camp battle between Sherrod and Richardson broke out for the RT spot. Sherrod came out as the starter and Richardson becomes the backup swing tackle. Jerrel Powe shows flashes of dominance as he easily beats out Toribio as the #2 NT behind Ron Edwards after a strong preseason. Sherrod looked great in the first two games but lack of a number 2 pass rusher meant that Brady was able to put up Brady-like numbers in the Monday Night Opener. Sherrod did struggle a bit with that Pittsburgh defense and a crucial sack late in the game sealed the fate for the Chiefs. They finish the first quarter at 2-2 with wins against Denver and Chicago. Powe sees a little action in the Pittsburgh game and gets a favorable KPM rating.
Ron Edwards tweaked his ankle during the Pittsburgh game that led to Powe’s game action. Choose your own adventure – Do you start Powe and give him most of the snaps against this Oakland run-game or do you have Edwards tough it out and give Powe mop-up duty only? If you start Powe your adventure heads to #23, if you start Edwards your adventure heads to #2.
#16 – You won’t win anything if you don’t trust your coaches. Your season is over because you can’t win it by yourself.
#17 – Going for the first down – On a play call that will be dissected from every angle and talked about for months, Tony Moeaki gets tackled 4 inches from the first down marker ---giving Manning the ball back and Vinatieri a chance to win the game in the final seconds. We’ve all seen this story…many times. A loss at Indy is followed by an easy win against an injury-ridden Detriot team sets up the final week matchup with the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers sit at 10-5 and have already claimed the AFC west title. With a win against SD, and some other help the Chiefs could sneak into the playoffs. But Rivers proves to be too much….again….and the Chiefs finish the season at 8-8. Sherrod and Powe have proved to be very good building blocks for the future. 2012 looks bright for the Chiefs.
#18 – Moeaki across the middle – You can’t go wrong throwing it to our Pro-Bowl TE as he converts the pass into a 12-yard gain. Jamaal Charles takes the next handoff on a delay and takes it to the house. A win against Detriot sets up an Epic battle against the Chargers in week 17. AP sets a new record for site views in a month and Joel is promoted to "Whatever is next". Satch writes a post that gets 224 rec’s and MNChiefs isn’t far behind with a beauty with 213 Rec’s. Steve, Tarkus, Ups, Trent, AG, Aiken, Flowers, Citadel, HMills, CWP, BRC, and Falcon all have 1,000 comments during this week. We win the game on a Ryan Succop 55 yard field goal with 2 seconds left on the clock. We head to the playoffs but lose in the first round to the Steelers. Playoffs two years in the row with that schedule, well done Mr. GM.
#19 – Hanging back on Big Ben – You decide to sit back on Big Ben which proves to be the wrong decision. He extends the play without much a pass rush and he finds Mendenhall in the flat and he gets to the first down and Pitt eventually kicks the game-winning field goal. We head to Oakland and it turns out to be one of the uglier games of the season. We lose 24-10 and AP is ridden with anti-Cassel posts. Aiken writes a post for everyone to calm down, and everyone that was calm already agrees. Those who weren’t, don’t, and it leads the mods to delete half the thread. We win three in a row against Miami, Minnesota, and Buffalo. Posts are then written in behalf of Cassel because we just played three games against teams without good QB’s. Cam Newton threw 3 INT’s and had two fumbles in the Chiefs blowout victory against Buffalo. You are sitting at 5-3.
Choose your own adventure – Heading into the toughest 4-game stretch against the Chargers, Jets, Packers, and Raiders you have an opportunity to increase JC’s workload as Thomas Jones is a little banged up. Do you increase JC’s carries to 25+ per game, or do you keep him at 15-20? If you increase his carries head to #3, if you keep them the same head to #25.
#20 – You decided to rest the starters – We win our first playoff game at home but then lose to the Patriots on the road and you are crucified all offseason for not playing your starters against the Chargers. Still a great season to build on but champions are made not only on the field, but some decisions need to be made correctly. And that wasn’t one. Well done against that schedule but what might have been.
#21 – He is a LT….not a Guard. Your season is over….sorry.
#22 – You take it easy on the Bye week. Without a lot of depth on the offensive line it proved to be very valuable to give these guys a much-needed break. They were a little rusty to start the Minnesota game but the defense shut-out a QB-less Viking team and sealed a victory with a Berry Interception return for a TD early in the 4th quarter. They took care of Cam Newton and had their legs under them enough to contain the man who was scrambling for his life the entire game. He did not have a big smile….till the cameras were on him. You’re sitting at 6-2 right now.
Choose your own adventure – Against San Diego there was a play in which your head coach phones you that a play should be reviewed. You think we should save the timeout but Coach Haley is adamant about reviewing this call. If you trust the Coach then head to #27. If you trust your own gut then head to #16.
#23 – Starting Powe – Powe is welcomed very rudely to the black hole as the rookie gets an up-close look at what the Chiefs/Raiders rivalry is all about. Oakland knew we were starting a rookie NT because someone in the front office couldn’t keep their mouth shut. The team goes into a downward spin of losing and finally gets their act together against Buffalo. Despite an athletic performance by Cam Newton, Eric Berry finishes the game with 17 tackles and 3 sacks. Crennel didn’t respect the deep throwing ability of Newton and had Berry eyeing him the entire game. Chiefs sit at 3-5.
Dwayne Bowe voices his displeasure after the game after being targeted just 3 times in each of the last 2 games. He was critical of Haley and Zorn for their inability to find ways to get him the ball. Choose your own adventure, do you sit Bowe, or continue to Start Bowe? If you decide to start Bowe your adventure heads to #14, if you decide to sit Bowe your adventure heads to #4.
#24 – Starts Bowe – The team may be sitting at 5-3 but there are some rumblings that Haley doesn’t have control of the locker room. Bowe starts against San Diego but it doesn’t matter because an-injured Edwards is out 3 weeks for playing on a sprained ankle that was re-injured and Powe struggles to consistently be a force in the middle of the field. Chiefs fall against the Chargers, Jets, and Packers. They do salvage the quarter by getting a win against Oakland. They sit at 6-6.
After a win against Denver you are playing Indianapolis on the road and it’s the 4th quarter. The game is tied and it’s 4thand 3 from the 35 yard line with 1:25 left on the clock. Choose your own adventure – Do you attempt the FG?, Try for a first down?, or Punt the ball? FG – head to #30, First down head to #17, and for punting it head here. (You suck)
#25 – Keeping JC’s carries the same. Charles has another good game against the Chargers but they seemed to run the ball right down our throats as Ron Edwards begins to show his old age. The same story against the Jets as Chiefs fans begin to argue whether or not Phil Taylor or Jerrel Powe should have been the pick. Aaron Rodgers abuses our rookie OLB and we lose again to the Packers in a game that we should forget very soon. They salvage the rest of the season by beating Oakland and sit at 6-6 on the season.
Choose your own adventure – After beating Denver we sit at 7-6 with 3 to play. We’re trailing against Indianapolis late in the game by 4 and we have a crucial 3rd down play. It’s 3rd and 5 on the Indy 40 yard line. Do you get it to Dexter in the flat, or Moeaki across the middle? If you go with Dex head to #9. If you went with Moeaki head to #18.
#26 – You decide to move Ayers over to the "Joker" position. Although he does show his athleticism and displays an ability to get after the QB that we didn’t know we had. It’s very obvious that Studebaker and Sheffield are not ready for full-time duty. You were in a no-win situation. Continue on to # 13 to learn more of your adventure.
#27 – Your trust your coaches and agree to the challenge. – Coach Haley was right and the play was overturned. It led to a Chiefs victory and gave them a huge edge against the Chargers as they take a 2-game lead in the division. After a tough win in New York in which Sanchize was proven not to be able to win it on his own because of their inability to run the ball on Taylor, Acho, and others. He panics and throws 2 costly interceptions. Head to # 12 to continue your adventure.
#28 – Sits Bowe – You have made it clear that you will not have players take their opinions to the media. That shapes this team up with a good week of practice that leads to a solid victory against the Chargers. But that win came with a price, Brandon Albert tears his MCL and his return for this season is questionable, at best. The team loses three straight against the Jets, Packers, and Raiders. Sherrod struggles at times but is adequate and panic sets in on AP and re-mocks are posted daily and Sherrod becomes the new Tyson Jackson. The team sits at 6-6.
After a win against Denver you are playing Indianapolis on the road and it’s the 4th quarter. The game is tied and it’s 4thand 3 from the 35 yard line with 1:25 left on the clock. Choose your own adventure – Do you attempt the FG?, Try for a first down?, or Punt the ball? FG – head to #30, First down head to #17, and for punting it head Here
#29 – You go hard at it during the Bye week – There are still a lot of very young players on this roster and by practicing hard they are getting better everyday. Heading into Minnesota the team has the right frame of mind and their bodies are feeling adequate. Phil Taylor struggles against the Minnesota offensive Line but Acho has the best game of his year so-far and the lack of a QB allows Berry to play close to the line and leads the team in tackles. Chiefs win 24-21. The Buffalo game becomes closer than anyone expected as Cam Newton shows his athletic ability while converting some crucial 3rd downs. It’s still not enough but the hard week of practice made us look a step slow against a very athletic Newton. You are sitting at 6-2 after winning 4 in a row.
Choose your own adventure – Against San Diego the Vets bodies begin to break down and Brian Waters and Casey Weigman both go down with injuries. With some OT depth from later round picks do you move Albert inside to play Guard or do you keep him at Tackle and bring up a PS guy to play on the interior? If you move Albert inside head to #21. If you keep him there head to #8.
#30 – Mr Irrelevant makes the kick of his life (so far) in a thrilling 52-yard game winning field goal against the then-undefeated Colts. The momentum carries on against Detriot in a blowout victory against Kong-Suh and the Stafford-less Lions. Stafford is on the IR, again. Although there still isn’t enough to beat the Chargers as they beat us at home 27-24 and they take the AFC West Crown with a 10-6 record as we finish a respectable 9-7. Sherrod stepped up and became a very good on both the right and left sides and Powe has shown his ability to take over at NT for the Chiefs. A good foundation to build on for 2012.
#31 – What started out as such a promising season has now turned to shambles because an overzealous GM thought it’d be smart to push his guys too hard. Shame on you. The team finishes at 7-9 after a 6-2 start and everyone asks you during the entire offseason why you did that. Why did you do that?
#32 – You go for Home Field Advantage – The Chiefs win against the Chargers and have home field advantage throughout the playoffs. AP is buzzing and Joel is raking in the cash. Up’s, Steve, Craig, HIV, and Aiken all head to the AFC Championship game together at Arrowhead. Not everyone makes it out of there. The Chiefs take on the Packers in the Superbowl and what proves to be a pretty lopsided game as Jamaal Charles wins the MVP award for running all over and around BJ Ragi. Chiefs win the Superbowl 35-17. Congrats on the correct adventure. Thanks for playing.
I'm sorry for the length. Didn't realize how many options this led to...not a math guy.
