WHITLOCK - IT’S TIME TO LOSE FOR THE FUTURE

Hammock Parties · 12-09-2007, 11:14 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...ry/397009.html

DENVER | You hope this wasn’t rock bottom.

Seriously, you hope King Carl, Herm Edwards and the Chiefs have the decency and smarts to save their worst for last, for season-ending road trips to Detroit and New York.

This season can only end on a positive note if the Chiefs get a top-five draft pick out of it and a chance to nab tackle Jake Long or quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm.

Sunday’s 41-7 loss to the Denver Broncos could be problematic. It was the kind of embarrassing, gutless performance that motivates players and coaches to finish the season with pride.

Edwards was angry Sunday. Irritated by the performance of his defense, Herm sounded feisty and prideful in his postgame comments. At one point, he nearly broke into his “you play to win the game” mantra.

No. You play to win the Super Bowl. And when that’s not a legitimate goal, you play to make the playoffs. Once the playoffs are eliminated — as they were on Sunday for the Chiefs — you play to develop your players for next season.

That’s where the Chiefs are now — except they have a special circumstance. They can’t develop Brodie Croyle, Kolby Smith or Dwayne Bowe because KC’s offensive line is so bad that it’s impossible to do anything worthwhile on offense.

When that’s the case, you play for draft position, and you hope the Chiefs can sink deeper than they did on Sunday inside Invesco Field at Mile High.

In losing their sixth straight, the Chiefs rushed for 16 yards in 17 carries, surrendered five sacks, punted eight times, allowed Denver 215 rushing yards and never touched Bronco quarterback Jay Cutler, who finished 20 of 27 passing for 244 yards and four touchdowns.

The Preacher will be preaching this week. He’s embarrassed. If he’s going to lose a game, he’d prefer to lose in the fourth quarter after making everyone suffer through two hours of field-position football.

Denver ran away with this thing, jumping to a two-TD lead in the first quarter and cruising to a 24-7 halftime advantage.

“Our strength is our defense, and we can’t give up 14 points to start out the game and expect to win,” Edwards complained.

Right now there are five teams with worse records than the Chiefs — Miami, 0-13, St. Louis, 3-10, San Francisco, 3-10, the Jets, 3-10 and Atlanta, 3-9. Oakland and Baltimore have the same 4-9 record as the Chiefs.

If the Chiefs take care of business, lose to Tennessee and Detroit, they could head to New York and take on the Jets for the right to draft as high as No. 4.

The key to losing out is packing it in mentally. Sunday’s effort is just the kind of thing that could cause players to refocus.

“It’s not good. We didn’t play well today. It seems like guys didn’t show up today,” Tony Gonzalez grumbled. “Maybe people were already in offseason mode. Maybe they’re already back to their families, going back to Miami or wherever you go during the offseason. It’s sad. It’s frustrating. We’ve got three games left... Let’s go play hard. Let’s try to win. I don’t care about the playoffs.”

I disagree. I loved every pass Dwayne Bowe and Kris Wilson dropped. It was great seeing Ty Law and Patrick Surtain get lit up like Christmas trees. Jared Allen has done more than enough this season to earn a major contract upgrade. He deserved the break he took on Sunday. There’s no reason to waste a sack on the Broncos. And why not let a no-name back jam it right down your throat repeatedly?

You just hope they can do it three more times. We know bad offensive-line play is a given. On one of Croyle’s five sacks, every lineman except Brian Waters got beat.

Honestly, I’m thinking about deducting points from my season-ending Chiefs grades from any player who tries to play hero down the stretch, especially if it’s a veteran player. If Bobby Sippio makes a big play, I’m cool with it. But there’s no reason for an established veteran to do anything beyond go through the motions at this point.

Chiefs fans should do their part by skipping the Tennessee game. We all have a role to play in getting this team to 4-12.

12-09-2007, 11:14 PM	Topic Starter
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4440478	WHITLOCK - IT’S TIME TO LOSE FOR THE FUTURE http://www.kansascity.com/sports/col...ry/397009.html DENVER \| You hope this wasn’t rock bottom. Seriously, you hope King Carl, Herm Edwards and the Chiefs have the decency and smarts to save their worst for last, for season-ending road trips to Detroit and New York. This season can only end on a positive note if the Chiefs get a top-five draft pick out of it and a chance to nab tackle Jake Long or quarterbacks Matt Ryan and Brian Brohm. Sunday’s 41-7 loss to the Denver Broncos could be problematic. It was the kind of embarrassing, gutless performance that motivates players and coaches to finish the season with pride. Edwards was angry Sunday. Irritated by the performance of his defense, Herm sounded feisty and prideful in his postgame comments. At one point, he nearly broke into his “you play to win the game” mantra. No. You play to win the Super Bowl. And when that’s not a legitimate goal, you play to make the playoffs. Once the playoffs are eliminated — as they were on Sunday for the Chiefs — you play to develop your players for next season. That’s where the Chiefs are now — except they have a special circumstance. They can’t develop Brodie Croyle, Kolby Smith or Dwayne Bowe because KC’s offensive line is so bad that it’s impossible to do anything worthwhile on offense. When that’s the case, you play for draft position, and you hope the Chiefs can sink deeper than they did on Sunday inside Invesco Field at Mile High. In losing their sixth straight, the Chiefs rushed for 16 yards in 17 carries, surrendered five sacks, punted eight times, allowed Denver 215 rushing yards and never touched Bronco quarterback Jay Cutler, who finished 20 of 27 passing for 244 yards and four touchdowns. The Preacher will be preaching this week. He’s embarrassed. If he’s going to lose a game, he’d prefer to lose in the fourth quarter after making everyone suffer through two hours of field-position football. Denver ran away with this thing, jumping to a two-TD lead in the first quarter and cruising to a 24-7 halftime advantage. “Our strength is our defense, and we can’t give up 14 points to start out the game and expect to win,” Edwards complained. Right now there are five teams with worse records than the Chiefs — Miami, 0-13, St. Louis, 3-10, San Francisco, 3-10, the Jets, 3-10 and Atlanta, 3-9. Oakland and Baltimore have the same 4-9 record as the Chiefs. If the Chiefs take care of business, lose to Tennessee and Detroit, they could head to New York and take on the Jets for the right to draft as high as No. 4. The key to losing out is packing it in mentally. Sunday’s effort is just the kind of thing that could cause players to refocus. “It’s not good. We didn’t play well today. It seems like guys didn’t show up today,” Tony Gonzalez grumbled. “Maybe people were already in offseason mode. Maybe they’re already back to their families, going back to Miami or wherever you go during the offseason. It’s sad. It’s frustrating. We’ve got three games left... Let’s go play hard. Let’s try to win. I don’t care about the playoffs.” I disagree. I loved every pass Dwayne Bowe and Kris Wilson dropped. It was great seeing Ty Law and Patrick Surtain get lit up like Christmas trees. Jared Allen has done more than enough this season to earn a major contract upgrade. He deserved the break he took on Sunday. There’s no reason to waste a sack on the Broncos. And why not let a no-name back jam it right down your throat repeatedly? You just hope they can do it three more times. We know bad offensive-line play is a given. On one of Croyle’s five sacks, every lineman except Brian Waters got beat. Honestly, I’m thinking about deducting points from my season-ending Chiefs grades from any player who tries to play hero down the stretch, especially if it’s a veteran player. If Bobby Sippio makes a big play, I’m cool with it. But there’s no reason for an established veteran to do anything beyond go through the motions at this point. Chiefs fans should do their part by skipping the Tennessee game. We all have a role to play in getting this team to 4-12.
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