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I saw some people last complaining as the Kansas City Chiefs made their way to a 1-3 preseason record after the loss to the Green Bay Packers.
@bobfescoe @ArrowheadPride Are we worried yet? 4 games.Lethargic,questionable depth,questionable o-line.I don't see an increase in readiness
— Damir (@Damir2K11) August 29, 2014
@ArrowheadPride I just turned the game off cause I'm sick of being so let down by the chiefs.
— ℒαℸℎℴη (@lathonv) August 29, 2014
My question to you: Does anyone remember last year's preseason? In September, was anyone thinking about preseason? I can hardly remember anything about last year's preseason, and I definitely wasn't thinking about preseason in September and October. Set your expectations correctly.
I'm not telling you how much stock you should put into the preseason (that's your call) but I am hoping you have the right context if you're upset after the Chiefs 20-point loss to the Packers on Thursday night. For that context, check out this list of Chiefs who did not play in Green Bay (via the NFL's snap count):
Offense: Alex Smith, Jamaal Charles, Dwayne Bowe, Donnie Avery, Anthony Sherman, Rodney Hudson, Jeff Allen, Zach Fulton, Anthony Fasano, Eric Fisher, Junior Hemingway, Charcandrick West
Defense: Chris Owens, Sean Smith, Eric Berry,Husain Abdullah, Justin Houston, Derrick Johnson, Mike DeVito, Dontari Poe, Allen Bailey, Joe Mays, Mike Catapano, Tamba Hali.
Jamaal Charles had five touches in one Chiefs preseason game. It's nearly impossible to effectively judge the Chiefs offense without Jamaal Charles. It's not an excuse; it's just the truth. It's a different offense. The same goes for a defense that isn't routinely dialing up their blitzes. Sure, even the Chiefs starters didn't look great but give them a shot with a real playbook full of blitzing.
While we're here, a couple observations about who did and didn't play:
- The left guard battle (assuming Jeff Allen goes to right tackle) remained on with Jeff Linkenbach and Ricky Henry playing on Thursday night.
- RB Charcandrick West probably won't be making the roster.
- CBs Marcus Cooper and Ron Parker did play in the game. So did the guys vying for the inside linebacker spot who will end up starting (Josh Mauga, Nico Johnson, Frank Zombo).