Mellinger | Chiefs go right back to role as NFL’s worst team
 

Sam Mellinger | Chiefs go right back to role as NFL’s worst team
By SAM MELLINGER
The Kansas City Star
The most disappointing bunch of losers in the NFL is back. That was a tragic, heartbreaking and in some ways inspiring eight days the Chiefs just navigated. They learned a teammate had murdered a woman and then killed himself, played their best game of the season the next day, and spent last week burying their friend and grieving for two families and even preparing for another football game.

That tragedy will be part of what we always remember about the 2012 Chiefs.

But the awful football they play is what will define them, and ultimately what will keep some of them from being part of the 2013 Chiefs.

The world moves fast. Maybe that’s callous. But the NFL is big business. Everyone is judged on performance, and now, two games removed from Jovan Belcher’s murder-suicide, the focus is back to the Chiefs’ place as the most disappointing team in the NFL.

They lost 30-7 to the Browns here on Sunday. That’s thirty. To seven. To the Browns.

That’s the Browns, who entered the weekend 27th in offense and 23rd in defense. The Browns, who haven’t beaten anyone this thoroughly since 2003. The Browns, who have a general manager most fans assume is out the door and a coach many of them hope is out the door.

Jamaal Charles sliced through and then outran the Browns’ defense for an 80-yard touchdown on the Chiefs’ first play from scrimmage. The Chiefs ran 51 more plays without any more points.

Romeo Crennel talks sometimes about keeping scores close, inching far closer than an NFL coach should to claiming moral victory, and the Chiefs just got blown out by a team that hasn’t blown anyone out this bad since its starting running back was 13 years old.

Of course, it’s entirely possible it’s been that long since the Browns played a team as bad as these Chiefs.

And if you’re wondering whether the Chiefs are still rocked by the tragedy, if the hangover of losing a friend and teammate kicked in this week instead of last, well:

“No, not at all,” Dexter McCluster says.

“No, we came in excited to play this game,” Tamba Hali says.

“I don’t think so,” Justin Houston says.

“It’s not a distraction for us,” Brady Quinn says.

“I think if there was a letdown, we wouldn’t have played the first half the way we played the first half,” Crennel says.

You know, the Chiefs were actually losing at halftime. Ugh.

Anyway, this is a group clearly in over its head, overmatched against NFL teams. They call timeout to get the ball back at the end of the first half, only to run out the clock with a draw that everyone back in Kansas City knew was coming. They gave up an accidental 93-yard punt return, missed a short field goal, kicked it off out of bounds and threw jump-ball fade routes to Jamar Newsome (recently promoted from the practice squad) instead of Jonathan Baldwin (the first-round pick two years ago).

On defense, they started Tysyn Hartman and played Josh Bellamy, Leon Williams and Nieko Thorpe. On offense, they started Quinn and played Patrick DiMarco, Terrance Copper, Shaun Draughn and Newsome — together.

This is a team that still often talks like turnovers are the biggest problem but has now won just one of six games with two or fewer giveaways. They continue to make a case as the cockiest terrible team in league history — Shaun Smith tweeted before the game that “we are gonna win today by 10 the brownies (stink).”

This is a broken roster — especially if Dwayne Bowe’s injury is serious, and if he doesn’t return next year — that’s being coached down instead of up. They are in the fourth year of a building process, and instead of the Right 53, they have, roughly, the Right Dozen Or So.

General manager Scott Pioli fired coach Todd Haley one year ago this week. Pioli talked about the team’s inconsistency and too many blowout losses, among other things. He said he needed to do his own job better, and that he should be held accountable.

Well, the Chiefs now have three fewer wins and two more losses by more than two touchdowns compared to the same time last year.

Pioli and Crennel earned everyone’s empathy and respect for how they reacted to an impossible and life-changing tragedy nine days ago. But in the NFL, jobs are given and retained based on wins and losses, and the Chiefs are the worst and most disappointing team in the league.

Three games left.

Anyone know the date of the draft?

Today was extremely difficult to watch.

Bullshit, man. I loved watching my Browns today.

They never left the role

I believe Mellinger is trying to tell us something.

He knows.

Meanwhile, as we continue to set records in incompetence, Chiefs fans rag on each other over how to define the term, "fan", the owner is silent, and none of our ex-players have the courage to speak up and call out this organization for allowing things to deteriorate so badly.

I swear to God, every man whose name is on that damn "Ring Of Honor" and is still drawing breath ought to be shouting their outrage to the rooftops. Where is the tradition? Where is the pride?

I'm disgusted with this farce of a franchise.

FAX

Cheer up FAX, the Chocolate Painii awaits us.

Chocolate Panini?

http://img4-3.realsimple.timeinc.net...ndwich_300.jpg

No Painii. A Pain, Penii combo never seen before.

First line in the article:

"The most disappointing bunch of losers in the NFL is back."

Ouch ROFL

Of all people, Lenny always acted like he was one of us. He had an opportunity to blow the lid off last year, even hinted about it beforehand, and chickenshitted out. This year he did the same. Lenny is no longer The Cool

Yep.

If there is justice in the universe, this team won't win another game, and the line that defines the undeserved bravado of the current regime (22 guys off the street) will be an effective instrument of mockery as Pioli is run clear the hell out of town.

I think I'm gonna change my name to Chocolate Panini when Geno is picked.

lol Yep, the BROWNS! We got blown out by the Cleveland freaking Browns. Losing is one thing, but 30-7 and 30 unanswered points.

THIS. Mellinger with the failure.

And the "right 12 or so" that Mellinger mentions were on the team BEFORE dipshit Pioli arrived...

Obviously, the Chiefs are not a good team, but how much of their suckitude is simply a function of a non-existing passing attack? Last week, when somehow they were able to move the ball through the air, they looked like an NFL team.

Actually, this shuts up the legion of true fans who would of inevitably cried, "IT DIDN'T LOOK LIKE WE WERE THE WORST TEAM IN THE NFL AGAINST THE MIGHTY PANTHERS LAST WEEK, DID YOU SEE THEM AGAINST THE FALCONS TODAY? #Improvement #ItsaProcess #GradedoutPerfectly #FinishStrong"

When have we done this?

I'm pretty sure that's the saddest collection of starting talent in awhile. Gotta be worse than 2009, even.

We absolutely have the worst coaching staff in the league. When you look around at other teams, especially this late in the year, they are having to play some guys they probably weren't planning on. But they can atleast contribute a little.


Ours can't, because they have no idea what they are doing or how to do anything.

This coaching staff couldn't develop a boob if they were a 16 year old female. This thing needs burnt to the ground.

It is. Pioli inherited a 2-14 team and 4 years later made it worse...

Bullshit, we are perfectly on track for 2-14 again.

LOL! Yeah but after 4 years, if you're not any better, you're worse.

Can we just get on that Twilight Zone episode where we go to sleep in that hyperbaric chamber and wake on Draft Day? PLEASE?

Didn't we get called twice for twelve men in the huddle today? A couple weeks ago have a guy run out of bounds three times on punt coverage too. Things like that are just being stupid. They make dumb and dumber look smart.

There was some talent on that Herm Edwards 2-14 team. That talent is now either gone, heading out the door, or 4 years older with nothing to show for it. The roster is in worse shape than it was when Pioli took over without a doubt.

Biggest margin of victory in a game for Cleveland since 2003.

Another shining achievement to add to Fat Scott's resume this season.

Well played ROFL

Hell NO, because if its the Twilight Zone, we would awaken and Pioli would still be doing the drafting and he would be laughing...

/season
/franchise

Crennel is criminally stupid. In a halftime interview, he actually said the offense was playing well. This guy may be the worst HC in the history of sports.

I'm sure he meant 2nd half, however I do agree that he has no business being a HC.

Nuke it from orbit the only way to be sure.

No. It was a halftime question from Gammon about how to get all 3 phases working and Crennel came to the defense of the offense and defense.

Yes, technically, the punt return TD and missed FG were the difference at halftime, and certainly STs shouldered the blame. But the offense outside of 2 plays had been shit in the first half.

Chalk it up to coach speak if you want, but to me statements like that with Crennel's total lack of in game awareness and ability to make adjustments. The guy is nothing more than a sideline spectator on gamedays.

Yeah - I agree. Nice guy. Good DC. Terrible HC.

ours cant because we have no talent or depth