Shame On The Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs are embarrassing and pathetic. Not just the offense or defense and certainly not any one player. No, the level of horrendous play this squad has reached can only be accomplished through a collective effort.

When a team gets beat badly in one game, it can be explained by a litany of factors. In the contest against the Atlanta Falcons, the Chiefs were without Brandon Flowers and Tamba Hali. It's not an excuse, but merely a fact. What's the reason in Buffalo last weekend? It was a gutless performance by a team that lacks any kind of intestinal fortitude.

It's easy to blame Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel. The head coach definitely deserves some mud to be flung at him thanks to useless gameplans and absolutely no adjustments.

Pioli built a deep roster but has a quarterback who can't throw if he even senses pressure. It's one thing to become less effective when you're constantly being hit, it's quite another to just flail around at the first hint of a defensive presence. The general manager has to take responsibility for that, it's completely on him.

That said, this debacle is mostly on the players. In all the years of watching football, I've never witnessed a more talented group of players underachieve more. Some will say it's only two games, but it doesn't matter. Good teams - or teams that have pride - don't put together two performances like that. Units like the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers rally to show everyone what they're made of.

When Kansas City had that opportunity four days ago, they were down 35-3 to a team without a solid quarterback and sans their best player. Everyone in the world knew C.J. Spiller was getting the ball, and yet the Chiefs seemed indifferent when the notion of tackling came up.

I was vocal before the season, saying this team would make the playoffs and possibly even have a run in them. I was wrong. This group has zero hope for 2012. The physical ability is there in spades, but the heart isn't. The chests are hollow and the expectations are nil.

The fans of Kansas City deserve a team that gives everything it has for 16 Sundays and hopefully a few more. Those days are long gone, vanished with Marty Schottenheimer in the 1990's. Instead, we all get to observe a group that clearly could care less about the outcome of the game.

Certainly there are a few players on this team that want desperately to win. Well it's time to stand up and call out the teammates who are substandard. Winning is bred from leadership and talent, one without the other is certain to fail.

If I played on that team, I'd rip my name off the back of the jersey. I wouldn't want anyone to know who I was.

Personally, I would be too ashamed. Too bad the Chiefs aren't.