It was ugly. It was real ugly, but I'll tell you what, the Chiefs eek out a win on the road and they are 2-0. I'll take that to the bank. It was somewhat of a tail of two halves and big plays that changed the course of the game. Like I said, I will take the victory, but the Chiefs have plenty of problems. People have been throwing around the stat quite a bit lately that if you go 2-0 you have about a 65% chance of making the playoffs. That being said, this team is not a playoff team, but it's a HUGE step forward for this franchise to start the season like this. In the last two years this team loses both of these games to start the season, but not this team. They have a different attitude and it shows in wins.
Here are my observations of the good and the bad from the game:
Good:
Thomas Jones - After what I thought was a lackluster performance in week one, he showed why he was one of the best backs in the league last year going 22 rushes for 83 yards. He didn't score a touchdown but I don't think he's supposed to be a scoring machine and I don't think he cares as long as we're winning. More games like this with Jamaal Charles and Run DMC making it happen and the Chiefs have some good options on offense.
The Defense - Overall the defense played extremely well. Cleveland put together a solid 98 yard touchdown drive in the first half and ripped off a big 65 yard td pass to Joshua Cribbs in the 2nd quarter, but after that, they put down the clamps and didn't let the Browns get back into the game. Their running game was shut down and the majority of their passing options were kept under wraps for most of the game. It seems they really have turned things around with the addition of Romeo Crennell. Also, I never thought I would say it but Tyson Jackson was sorely missed. The pressure brought on the QB's was much less without Jackson in there. With Jackson back in there and this defense maturing and getting better, the D-line will be formidable.
Ryan Succop and Dustin Colquitt - Both very reliable. I would take our kickers against any other team in the league for sure.
Brandon Flowers - Man is this guy good. Flowers is an elite CB in the league now and that is solidified. Besides his pick 6 he had where he made a great jump on the ball and ran untouched into the end zone, EVERY time, repeat, EVERY time they tried to throw to the receiver he was covering he was right there with the WR step for step and ready to make the play. I'm not sure how many catches/yards the receivers he has covered this year have, but I'm guessing it's not a lot and I would put Flowers against any CB in the league. Oh yeah, and he is legit in run support as well.
Derrick Johnson - Again, he was all over the field. He has been reborn and finally is playing up to his potential in his sixth year in the league. If he plays like he has the first two games for the rest of the season, he is a pro bowler.
The Offensive Line - Although he didn't take advantage of it, Matt Cassel had all day to throw and the O-Line played very well all day in pass blocking. Their run blocking was hit-or-miss but they hit enough to get the job done.
And now for the...
Bad:
Matt Cassel - I will say it for the last time. I do not like to be the "QB hater" always calling for the starting QB's job and saying he can't get it done. He doesn't have to be the most talented, but if the QB can get the job done I am on board (ahem, Trent Green). However, Matt Cassel just cannot get the job done. I have gone into much detail about what it takes to make an elite QB and Matt Cassel doesn't have it. Going even further, I have also said that you don't have to have a true elite "franchise" QB to win, but I am convinced Matt Cassel doesn't even have what it takes to be "good." Cassel cannot make decisions. The O-Line gave him plenty of time all day long and he had happy feet and couldn't do anything with the football. Some of that may be the receivers which I will get into later, but it's still disconcerting. Cassel had some good throws, but he had much more bad ones. Cassel can't make the hard throw and fit it in a window, and even when the wide receiver is wide open or in the flat, he may catch the ball, the the throw is still not accurate. Cassel is the master of throwing slightly behind, or just a little low, etc. Cassel just flat out cannot get the job done.
The Wide Receivers - Now, I will start by saying that Tony Moeaki played very well. He will wind up being a big time player for us going forward and I am excited we drafted him. Dwayne Bowe and Chris Chambers also had some solid grabs in the game. That being said, the Chiefs receivers need to do better at everything else besides catching the ball. The Browns secondary is awful and Cassel had all day and the Chiefs receivers could not get the job done. Bowe and Chambers need to be more physical and find a way to create some separation at the line of scrimmage and beyond. The Chiefs are never going to be able to stretch the field and open up the run game if their receivers can't get separation.
Safety Play - The safety play was suspect for the second week in a row. Starting two rookie safeties this much is to be expected, but it still needs to be addressed. Eric Berry missed another coverage resulting in a long touchdown pass to Josh Cribbs, that changed the complexion of the game and almost cost them the game. Berry is a stud in run support and he will continue to have growing pains, but to be the elite safety we need him to be he needs to eliminate the lapses in coverage.
Offensive Playcalling - I am rather certain this is due to Matt Cassel's inability to allow them to do it, but Weis and Haley refuse to open up the playbook. How many flare out's and 10 yard post routes can you throw before you realize you need to open things up a bit. They need find a way to get people like Dexter McCluster the ball more and especially Jamaal Charles, which brings me to...
Jamaal Charles NOT GETTING THE BALL - Why does Todd Haley refuse to get Charles the ball? I am getting sick of this ego trip favoritism shown by Haley favoring Jones over Charles for no apparent reason. Charles is the best and most electric playmaker we have on this team and still refuse to get him the touches he needs. Between running and receiving he should be getting 15-20 per game AT LEAST, and that is not happening. We need to get Charles involved in the game earlier and get him more touches. Period.
Final Thoughts: It's a win. A win is a win is a win. What was best about the San Diego game was that you realized what the Chiefs are capable of and looked forward to seeing them continue to improve. Improvement is something that didn't happen this week. With a short week after the MNF game, perhaps it makes it harder to get much work done, but the fact that there was no improvement and we still got a win was big for this team. Now with a full week and the 49ers on a short week, the Chiefs are primed to make some improvement and treat another raucous Arrowhead crowd to a victory making them (hopefully) 3-0. It's no longer shameful to be a Chiefs fan. It might not be pretty, but fact is, they're 2-0 and it feels great.
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