Gunzlingr
09-12-2007, 10:43 AM
If there was a Week 1 antithesis to the Midas touch exhibited by the New England Patriots, it was the pitiful performance of the Kansas City Chiefs, who saw their personnel decision-making exposed on multiple fronts in a galling 20-3 loss at Houston.
The Chiefs lost about every way you can lose on Sunday. First to the Texans on the scoreboard, and just as tellingly, in terms of how almost every key move they've made over the course of the past six months quickly backfired.
To wit:
• Kansas City decided that return man Dante Hall had out-lived his usefulness and traded him to St. Louis this offseason. His replacement, Eddie Drummond, muffed a punt early in the second quarter against the Texans, leading to Houston's first points.
• The Chiefs had seen enough of kicker Lawrence Tynes after his sub-par 2006, and traded him to the Giants in May, after drafting kicker Justin Medlock out of UCLA in the fifth round. Medlock shanked a 30-yard field goal try on Kansas City's first possession, when the game was still scoreless. The Chiefs on Monday placed Medlock, who had endured a shaky preseason, on the practice squad and signed ex-Packers kicker Dave Rayner.
• Kansas City drafted LSU receiver Dwayne Bowe with the 23rd pick in the first round, and he was immediately thrust into a larger than expected role when No. 1 receiver Eddie Kennison injured his hamstring on the Chiefs' first play from scrimmage. Bowe wound up with three catches for 42 yards, but by some accounts had just as many drops in his ragged NFL debut.
• And then there's the Chiefs' muddled quarterback situation, which they have mishandled at every step of the way. Kansas City wanted to turn the page from the Trent Green era, but did so messily. Brodie Croyle proved he wasn't ready for the starting job that coach Herman Edwards was trying to hand him, and the team was forced to turn back to veteran Damon Huard, who was their best win-now option all along.
more... (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/don_banks/09/11/chiefs/index.html?eref=si_topstories)
The Chiefs lost about every way you can lose on Sunday. First to the Texans on the scoreboard, and just as tellingly, in terms of how almost every key move they've made over the course of the past six months quickly backfired.
To wit:
• Kansas City decided that return man Dante Hall had out-lived his usefulness and traded him to St. Louis this offseason. His replacement, Eddie Drummond, muffed a punt early in the second quarter against the Texans, leading to Houston's first points.
• The Chiefs had seen enough of kicker Lawrence Tynes after his sub-par 2006, and traded him to the Giants in May, after drafting kicker Justin Medlock out of UCLA in the fifth round. Medlock shanked a 30-yard field goal try on Kansas City's first possession, when the game was still scoreless. The Chiefs on Monday placed Medlock, who had endured a shaky preseason, on the practice squad and signed ex-Packers kicker Dave Rayner.
• Kansas City drafted LSU receiver Dwayne Bowe with the 23rd pick in the first round, and he was immediately thrust into a larger than expected role when No. 1 receiver Eddie Kennison injured his hamstring on the Chiefs' first play from scrimmage. Bowe wound up with three catches for 42 yards, but by some accounts had just as many drops in his ragged NFL debut.
• And then there's the Chiefs' muddled quarterback situation, which they have mishandled at every step of the way. Kansas City wanted to turn the page from the Trent Green era, but did so messily. Brodie Croyle proved he wasn't ready for the starting job that coach Herman Edwards was trying to hand him, and the team was forced to turn back to veteran Damon Huard, who was their best win-now option all along.
more... (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/don_banks/09/11/chiefs/index.html?eref=si_topstories)