For once, Whitlock has it right!
JASON WHITLOCK COMMENTARY
No reasonable explanations for way Chiefs are playing
By JASON WHITLOCK
If Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards woke up Sunday morning determined to prove that Eddie Drummond no longer belongs inside an NFL uniform, Kansas City’s 2007 Arrowhead Stadium finale was a smashing success.
If they awakened with the intention of providing frustrated Chiefs fans with a smidgen of hope for next season, well, let’s just say my dietitian had more success at Ollie Gates’ all-you-can-eat-and-take-home Christmas party.
With the Tennessee Titans in town, the Chiefs mired in an extended losing streak and patience wearing razor-thin on King Carl’s two-decade Super Bowl plan, Arrowhead Stadium has finally turned into a hostile, half-empty environment for the homeboys.
As the Chiefs lost their seventh straight, 26-17, Kansas City football fans watched while wearing paper bags, waving smart-aleck signs and shouting expletives.
“We don’t have a home-field advantage right now,” defensive end Jared Allen said, stating the obvious.
Nope, Sunday’s debacle dropped the Chiefs to 2-6 at the crib this year and 4-10 overall.
Hey, I’m all good with the losing and improvement in KC’s draft position. It’s the way the Chiefs are losing that has me up in arms. There’s no rhyme or reason to what is transpiring with the Chiefs.
Prosecution witness No. 1: Eddie Drummond.
Why? That has been the question about Drummond all season. Why was Drummond signed at the end of training camp when Justin Phinisee, a kid who fit KC’s supposed youth movement, had performed so admirably as the Chiefs’ return man? And now why would the Chiefs return Drummond to the active roster after he enjoyed a very productive month of standing along the sideline in street clothes?
Drummond can’t help the Chiefs in 2008, and he damn sure can’t help them in 2007.
Drummond fumbled a punt, botched a perfectly blocked return with needless juking and stutter-stepping, and slipped and fell inside KC’s 5 on another return.
When I asked Edwards why Drummond was dusted off and put in position to embarrass himself and the organization again, the coach had no plausible explanation.
Reasonable explanations have become a scarce commodity at One Arrowhead Drive. King Carl and Edwards keep referencing a Plan to fix this mess. A Plan is exactly what has been missing from day one.
What I’m about to write isn’t mentioned to toot my own horn; it’s referenced to demonstrate that none of us should be surprised by what we’re witnessing. I refer you to the column I wrote the day before Kansas City’s season opener. It was headlined “Chiefs on a trip to nowhereland.”
Here’s the key excerpt:
“If you watched HBO’s ‘Hard Knocks,’ you didn’t hear a lot of talk about the Super Bowl or even the playoffs. We were just treated to unprecedented access into the Chiefs organization, but we have no idea what the goal is for this year’s squad.
“Good coaches and sound organizations find unique, compelling and entertaining ways to repeat the same message over and over again. What was Herm’s message? The lack of one says a lot about where this organization is headed. Nowhere. The Chiefs are neither rebuilding nor reaching for the playoffs.”
This thing is stale and in need of a drastic overhaul. There is no singular vision driving this organization. King Carl has run out of fresh ideas. That’s no crime. He had a good run. The crime is holding on well past usefulness. The crime is not getting out of the way and giving others a chance. By holding on, he’s allowed chaos and desperation to run wild.
I’ve harped on the Drummond-Phinisee stupidity all season because it’s a sign of the organization’s insecurity. The personnel department and coaching staff watched a kid win the job, then gave it to a washed-up old-timer with a decent resume and connection to KC’s special-teams coach’s dad. What a bunch of clowns.
Greg Wesley, despite his frustrations about losing his starting spot, has actually shown up each Sunday and given a solid effort. He didn’t suit up against the Titans to make room for an additional cornerback. Meanwhile, three-year free-agent bust Kendrell Bell was back in action. Why?
Clark Hunt told me Sunday that he’ll speak with the media after the season. He needs to be wearing his Big Boy shoes. Chiefs fans are ready for a new direction, new leadership. If Clark sticks with the status quo or tries to elevate one of Peterson’s cronies to general manager, the Chiefs fans that show up at Arrowhead next season will be angrier than the crew that just left.
