Chiefs’ Breaston calls benching, lack of playing time ‘unexpected’
 

Chiefs’ Breaston calls benching, lack of playing time ‘unexpected’
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star




Based on his limited practice time during the week, Chiefs wide receiver Steve Breaston had an inkling he wouldn’t have much of a role in last Monday night’s game at Pittsburgh.

Little did he dream he’d have no role.

Breaston, the Chiefs’ marquee unrestricted free agent in 2011, was one of the club’s seven inactive players in the 16-13 overtime loss to the Steelers, the first time in his five-and-a-half year career he’s been a healthy scratch.

The benching capped a stretch in which Breaston has been targeted by Chiefs quarterbacks just four times in the previous five games, and he participated in a total of 10 offensive plays in consecutive games against Baltimore and Tampa Bay.

As a result, Breaston has caught just six passes for 61 yards this season, matching the number of receptions he had for Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII following the 2008 season.

“It’s probably unexpected,” Breaston said of his lack of playing time this season, “but I’m really not worried about myself. I’m worried about how we can win a game around here. That’s the biggest thing. My situation is smaller than what this team is going through.”

The question is, how does a guy who caught 61 passes just a year ago, fall so far so fast? Breaston, 29, insists he’s healthier than he’s ever been.

“What’s happened a little bit is that he hasn’t made as many plays, so this past game he took the backseat so that we could get a younger player up to see what the younger player could do,” coach Romeo Crennel said .

“He’s a veteran player, and some young guys might have a little more quickness and a little bit more speed, and if you as a coach want to take a look at that speed, you have to make a move. So I did.”

The younger player, rookie Devon Wiley, in his first appearance since the season opener, participated in six offensive plays at Pittsburgh. Special teams ace Terrance Copper got in 13 plays after Jon Baldwin suffered a head injury in the fourth quarter.

Adding to Breaston’s frustration was that he was returning to his roots in the Pittsburgh area, where he was selected the Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year in 2001 as a star quarterback at Woodland Hills High School and inducted into the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic League Hall of Fame in 2010.

“It was my first time being back in Pennsylvania playing a regular-season game, so that was difficult, I’m not going to lie about that,” said Breaston. “This season has been a lesson learned. You go through certain storms in life, and you go through storms in football.

“I’m not going to hang my head. I know how hard I’ve been working. I’m not going to worry about that.”

Breaston’s role might increase this week against Cincinnati if Baldwin is unavailable. But if the Chiefs decided to go younger at cornerback when they released Stanford Routt after eight games, why not cut their ties with Breaston and elevate one of the three wide receivers on the practice squad — Josh Bellamy, Junior Hemingway or Jamar Newsome — and see what they can do in a game?

“Well, he’s a good teammate and he knows every position, and he can play multiple positions, so he has some versatility,” Crennel said of Breaston. “Those practice squad guys, they have some ability and they have some energy and all of that, but they don’t know how to play every position.”

So in other words, the veteran who signed a four-year contract worth up to $22.5 million last year and knows every position, didn’t get to play any of them at Pittsburgh.

“I’m just trying to do my job and try to make plays in practice, push in practice, help my teammates around me,” said Breaston. “You do your job, be a professional and work. I don’t make those decisions; I go out there and work hard, and I like this team a lot.

“The coaches coach, and they make the decisions. I wake up in the morning and go to work; I do what they ask me to do; I can’t be frustrated.”

Breaston started the first three games of the season, catching four passes for 44 yards. Then he was replaced by Dexter McCluster for two games and double tight-end formations against Baltimore and Tampa Bay. Breaston had a chance to make a big play in the Oakland game but dropped a pass when wide open in the second half, and the Chiefs ended up settling for a field goal that cut the Raiders’ lead to 16-9.

“I know opportunities are few,” Breaston said, “and when the time comes to make a play, I will make it.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/14...#storylink=cpy

I wish Breaston would just drop a media bomb and say what everybody else knows.

Breaston should know he can't catch anything being the 3rd guy in the progression. Don't worry Steve! Help is on the way!

http://static.nfl.com/static/content...0000063835.jpg

Pioli'd.

This

McCluster is the worst player in NFL history.

He has 31 catches for 8.9 yards a catch with 7 drops.

Only 3 guys in the NFL have a worse drop rate right now.

Also he has 5 turnovers in 39 touches.

Biggest joke of all is that every Chiefs fan with a brain knows that Breaston is the emergency QB. It was a total disgrace to have him inactive. You want to "take a look" at some young guys, go do your job and have it in practice all ****ing week you fat sack of shit.

Who needs to look at speed anyways? Are we the Raiders? How about you look at a guy who can catch a damn football?

I feel really bad for Steve. :(

we benched breaston and played copper

everyone should be fired

I really hope that if we get a new GM, he retains Breaston. Anyone with a brain knows this guy can play.

He's a very solid #3 WR and can play the slot or outside!

What's stupid is that Copper was out there for 10 passing plays.

Yeah, don't need Breaston.

:doh!:romeo must have thought we couldn't show our hand vs his old coach...

Breaston is 10x the WR that Baldlose is .

we play worthless pieces of shit like mccluster, baldwin, cassel, copper...

but breaston gets benched....

pioli is the worst, most pathetic piece of shit in the league

God damn this organization couldn't be anymore incompetent from top to bottom. I can't continue to pull for this team with these dick bags running the show. Take away the logo and I hate this team so ****ing much. What a ****ing mess.

Breaston was probably caught downloading one of the fire Pioli songs. It just doesn't make any sense not to have your best guys playing. This one is mind-boggling.

i like breaston and feel sorry for him.

Yeah, Breaston got royally screwed by signing with us. Can't imagine his tale makes free agents cream their jeans about the opportunity to come here.
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Seriously, where would we have gone if Cassel turned the ball over earlier in the game and got slammed by the Romeo Rules? What if Stanzi got hurt? Breaston is the best damn QB on this team and the second best WR and they didn't let him suit up to play either. RAC is a walking Milk Dud.

Breaston's a good guy and a good player. He hasn't been targeted at all by our steaming pile of shit QBs this year.

People who call him a bad player don't know WTF they're talking about. And that includes Crennel for thinking he can get away with playing ****ing Wylie and Copper.

Seriously, I like Copper but he shouldn't be in the offensive huddle if Breaston is healthy and available. ****ing stupid.

Remind you of someone, Romeo?

http://i.imgur.com/MxYrB.jpg

Breaston was productive last year and the chiefs are paying him $5 mill. I'm pretty sure he is a rock solid #3 still...ridiculous how he is not on the field.

Fire everyone, please.

Also, if they weren't going to use him then why not cut him before the season started and not have to pay him?

So stupid.

No idea why the next banner won't read:

Pioli, please kill yourself-SaveOurChiefs.com

If we had a passing game stuff like this would matter.

Said it in another thread, not one thing this team has done this year shows any level of competence through 8 games, not going to change my expectations now.

This is the definition of epic fail.

LMAO

Obviously nothing is going to happen the rest of the season, but if Pioli has a job 10 minutes after the week 17 game, Clark Hunt is going to have be smoked out.

What ****ing good is speed going to do at the receiver position when you have a weak armed, inaccurate QB whose passes eliminate any benefit speed might bring to the game?

Tell me that wouldn't get national attention. LMAO.

Fans begging underachieving GM to kill himself. Winston's tears would solve midwestern drought problems.

Just saw Javier Arenas at Target. He always pretends to be on his phone so that nobody talks to him. I told him to have a great week at practice though. I had negative things to say but I'm not here to break the guy. He isn't Scott Pioli.

poor guy could have signed with anyone when he came here but took a chance with his old coach Haley and probably thought they had a chance at something special, ....

Now he sits on the bench and gets Wylie water...

ROFL

:eek:

We should have just traded him to Pitt in the beginning of the year.

It would be freaking awesome but only in a CP sort of way

Maybe we should send a jug of antifreeze to Arrowhead addressed to Pioli.

LMAO

Pioli's not a gladiator /Winston

Did they even target Wylie?

"What would my nine-year-old think?!?"

Oh he'll be getting some targets this week. :evil:

god bless you

Embarrassing. This shit can't end fast enough

yeah, because the young guys with a little more speed are awesome. who gives a shit about speed when you're throwing the ball 7 yards a pop in crossing routes and dump offs.


I genuinely think this team and coaching staff might be reeruned.

Every time Romeo opens his mouth he sounds stupid.

I do like Wylie returning kicks. Draughn was a joke at it.

Hawkins is going to destroy him.

Uh, all you have to do to ensure an AJ Green v. Javier matchup is play Green on the left side.

I heard on the radio on the drive home that the Chiefs have paid Breaston $750,000 per catch so far this season. Wow.

Cassel has made about $1MM a start, even bigger rip off.

He's under contract so he should be here for the next regime, unless Clark is stupid, extends Pioli, and he dumps Breaston because he's a petty, vindictive asshole.

"Well, he's a good teammate, he plays every position, he's a savvy vet, he has played in the big game, we paid good money for his services... so, the only logical conclusion i could come to, is to bench him for mccluster, copper and any other scrub i could find"

Even leaving out the fact that its an AWFUL football decision... his explanations for things are seriously the very worst i've EVER read or witnessed... i mean, he should be banned from talking to the press again, like they did to Bowe for a while.

Every single time this guy talks, something STOOOPID comes out... if he's a head coach, i'm Crazy Horse.