"It was a defining moment, and when a defining moment comes along, you define the moment, or the moment defines you."
-Roy McAvoy (Kevin Costner), Tin Cup
Wow. Wow. I will say it again, wow. I have not seen a game like this from the Chiefs in a long time. This was complete and utter domination. If you takeaway the last 20 seconds of garbage time the 49ers were held to under 200 yards and 3 points. Is it possible for a coordinator to win coach of the year? Cause if it is then Romeo Crennell deserves it for turning this defense from one of the worst in the league to a legit D. Frank Gore is one of the best runners in the league and this D just straight stuffed him all game.
Normally, I am constantly nervous during Chiefs games waiting for the "other shoe to drop" as it were, for something to go really wrong for the Chiefs, but I didn't have that nervousness this game. I was calm because the Chiefs were just taking care of business. All. Day. Long.
As always, here are my thoughts of the good and bad from this game:
Good:
Defense - Wow. I have not seen a defense play this well since the 90's. EVERYONE played well. 5 sacks, an interception, less than 200 yards passing, under 50 yards rushing, this was as dominant of a performance as you could have asked for in this game. Crennell is scheming like crazy and every week he has his D ready to play. I have never been as confident in a defensive play caller in KC....well, ever.
Brandon Flowers - Could he be any more legit? He is not the best player of the defense, he is the best player on the TEAM. Besides his super athletic interception, he had three pass breakups that I can think of off the top of my head, and possibly others. He is a pro-bowler for sure this year and I would put him against any corner in the league (for those keeping track at home I called this nearly a year ago).
Defensive Line - I am gonna group these guys all together cause they all played extremely well. Frank Gore has ran for over 1,000 yards in the last 4 seasons and the D-line played a big part in completely shutting him down. The line (and the linebackers for that matter) didn't bite on many things, didn't get fooled, just dominated the 49ers. I will mention Tamba Hali here (even though he's a linebacker), but from his rush backer spot Tamba, with the help of my boy Glen Dorsey, was creating havoc all day long. Hali tallied 3 sacks and a few other pressures and knock downs. Hat tip to the D for their dominant performance.
Dexter McCluster - Done and done. Run DMC has reached full on man-crush status. This kid is so dynamic and he can do so much he is really invaluable. Even if he doesn't get the ball, he presents matchup problems and teams will have to account for him. He is just electric when he has the ball and showed it with his screen pass touchdown reception as well as his kick returns. Good show Run DMC.
Tony Moeaki - The leaping tungan does it again. I will admit, I was skeptical when Pioli traded up to draft him, but now I know why Pioli is where he is and I am a lowly accountant, he was right. Moeaki has done nothing but lead the team in receptions, yards, and receiving TD's. Oh yeah, and he made one of the absolute best catches I have ever seen a Chief make.
Scott Pioli, Todd Haley, Charlie Weis, and Romeo Crennell - Scott Pioli looks like one of the smartest men in the NFL now. Who are the people making names for the Chiefs this year? Dexter McCluster, Eric Berry, Tony Moeaki, Javier Arenas, all players drafted by Pioli that are gonna be a big part of the Chiefs future here. Todd Haley seems to be finding his groove as a coach, Charlis Weis showed why he was regarded so high with some phenomenal play calling, and Crennell showed he can scheme like a mad scientist and COACH UP his players, they are all showing that they may actually have been worth it.
Matt Cassel - I have ragged on Matt Cassel the last two weeks, but if I'm gonna ding him when he's bad, I have to give credit when he does well and he played well today. I am not ready to say that he's solved all his problems, he still has happy feet, still needs to make better decision, and still doesn't have an NFL arm, but I will tell you what, he played well and made some big time throws today. He also looked to have a better pocket presence and even stepped up a few times, which I had as of yet not seen from him. If he can play at this level the rest of the season the Chiefs can make some noise.
And for the,
Bad:
Matt Cassel - Just to reiterate what I wrote above, he needs to make quicker decisions, not get locked on to his primary target, and needs to settle his footwork in the pocket.
Disparity in Carries Jamaal Charles vs. Thomas Jones - Again, Jones had 19 carries and Charles had 12. It looked like the coaching staff had a bit of a better groove today with subbing them in and out, but they still need to get Charles the ball more. He had 12 rushes for 97 yards, for 8.1 yards per carry. 8.1 YPC!!! How do you not get him the ball more? This is still ridiculous but as long as it's working it's not a huge issue and I think they are gameplanning the switching better now and it will only get better as the season goes on.
Final Thoughts - I put the quote from Tin Cup at the top because this game was a defining moment for the Chiefs. Everyone in the media was saying that this game was a very good litmus test for the Chiefs and would show if 2-0 was a fluke or if they have a legit chance to compete for the division. They showed they can compete for the division with this dominant performance.
The Chiefs dominated every phase of the game and made the 49ers look silly all day long. San Fran looked like they were overmatched and, honestly, they were. The coaching staff looks good, the front office looks, the young talent looks great, the Chiefs could be opening up a HUGE window this year and I for one am extremely excited. Boo-yah! Chiefs 3-0!!!
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