The Chiefs will need to wait another week or maybe another point in time in the exhibition schedule before getting the fresh start they are looking for.

However it might not ever come, judging by how some of their starters played on Friday during their preseason opener where the Falcons defeated them 20-10 in the Georgia Dome.  By the time the Chiefs starters left the game during the second quarter they were trailing 3-0.

Todd Haley, Chiefs head coach said, clearly we have lots of work that needs to be done in many different areas.

After the reserves came in the Chiefs were able to tie the score 3-3 by halftime.

Early second quarter Atlanta took control of the game.  Shann Schillinger intercepted a pass from Brodie Croyle, Chiefs backup quarterback, early third quarter.

Schillinger returned the ball 29 yards, giving the Falcons possession on the 14 yard line of the Chiefs.  Dimitri Nance, five plays later, scored from 2 yards out to give the Falcons the lead for good.

Early fourth quarter Nance scored another running touchdown from one yard out to give the Falcons a lead of 17-3.

The Chiefs for most of the first two quarters looked much like last year where they went 4-12.  The Falcons easily solved their run defense during the opening possession of the game.

The Falcons gained 44 yards before Matt Bryant kicked a field goal of 30 yards to give Atlanta a 3-0 lead.  The drive was ended when Mike Vrabel, Chiefs linebacker, tackled Jason Snelling, Falcons running back, on third down for no gain.

From there, the starting defense did tighten and allowed no additional points during the other two possessions for Atlanta.  However, the starting offense wasn’t able to generate during their four possessions.

The first time the Chiefs had the ball they ran three plays before punting.  During the next possession they turned over the ball when Matt Cassel got sacked and then fumbled.

Then Dexter McCluster and Jamaal Charles provided a spark.  They combined for 62 yards rushing, with the Chiefs being able to work they way into range for a field goal twice.

However Ryan Succop each time missed 53 yard field goals.  The first came after Cassel got sacked on a third down play.  On the first field goal attempt the ball hit the upright on the left, his second try was wide on the right side.

Cassel said, it’s work in progress always this time of the season.  During a first preseason game, lots of new stuff is being tried and you are working with personnel changes.  You want like starting a game, obviously, with three downs and out.  We got ourselves into a situation of no huddle.  That was positive for us definitely.

During the fourth quarter the Chiefs also missed out on a touchdown when a kickoff return of 99 yards from Javier Arenas was erased due to a Justin Cole holding penalty.

Haley said, we can’t take sacks that places the field goal attempt in an area that isn’t a high percentage area for kicking.  We can’t have penalties on kickoff returns.

There were lots of things we could have done better, things we can control, that would have been helpful for us.  A few of the early runs looked like we weren’t blocking anyone.  Then it seemed we did come back and get some people blocked.

There were some positives I think.  The offense placed our defense in some very tight spots.  The defense I think showed good signs from a group that is attempt to become a much better defense.

During the first half Atlanta missed two field goal attempts from 50 or more yards as well.

The only points for the Chiefs during the first half came on a field goal of 20 yards from Succop on the last play of the half.  On the first possession for Croyle, the backup quarterback, the Chiefs were able to drive 78 yards in less than 4 minutes on multiple short gain plays.

On the drive the longest play was a 19 yard pass from Croyle to Kestahn Moore to bring the Chiefs to Atlanta’s two yard line.  The Chiefs, at the point, only had  enough time to get the field goal.

During the fourth quarter, after Tyler Palko replaced Croyle, things disintegrated even more for the Chiefs.  Chevis Jackson intercepted a pass from Palko.

Jackson returned the ball to the 9 yard line of the Chiefs, setting up a field goal of 37 yards from Steve Hauschka to give the Falcons a 20-3 lead.

The only touchdown scored by the Chiefs came on a run of one yard from Palko with 18 seconds remaining in the game.

Popularity: unranked [?]

Every year it happens. A horrible team will come from nowhere and achieve instant success. They are so common, like politicians and sex scandals, that providing specific examples really isn’t necessary. So let’s cut straight to the chase. In 2010, will the Chiefs be that team?

This conversation can only be had with diehard NFL fans. Casual fans will look at the Chiefs 10-38 record from the last three years and see it as a joke. However, diehard fans may appreciate that the possibility has some subtleties behind it. Last season some of the more conspicuous pieces for a sudden turnaround were assembled by the Chiefs. Scott Pioli, new general manager, was hired and Todd Haley, a new head coach, was brought in. New systems were installed by Haley, including the 3-4 defense and shotgun spread offense. Haley and Pioli invested in a new quarterback, Matt Cassel, as well as cultivating the team’s young talent, including about half of their defense along with Jamaal Charles, running back.

These changes represent part of a rebuilding effort that is major. It is certainly debatable whether or not the people chosen are the right individuals for the changes. However, for this introduction’s sake, let us assume that the right guy is Haley and that his systems do work. Also, assume with better players surrounding him and with experience, that Cassel can be like he was for the Patriots down the stretch in 2008.

If the building blocks have been put into place, subtle elements will be what propel the Chiefs to the top.

What exactly are the subtle elements?

Let’s start with the remainder of the Chief’s coaching staff. Kansas City made gains with their mission of becoming the Midwest version of the Patriots when they hired Charlie Weis as offensive coordinator and Romeo Crennel as defensive coordinator. Emmitt Thomas, retired defensive back and Hall of Famer, has been brought in to handle the young secondary. A smart play caller, Haley did show some humility when he turned over the team’s offense to Weis.

Haley, when he took over prior to last season, showed a lot of wisdom when he brought in other prominent assistants to infuse his staff. Gary Gibbs, former defensive coordinator with the Saints, is the linebacker coach. Steve Hoffman, respected kicking instructor, is responsible for special teams. A coach for more than 40 years, Bill Muir is responsible for the offensive line. Maurice Carthon, running backs coach and assistant head coach, was an offensive coordinator once in Cleveland, Detroit and Dallas. Almost all of the top assistant of Haley’s held titles that were higher in other organizations.

The Hunt Family, owners of the Chiefs, wants the team built via the draft. Pioli, instead of acquiring big name veterans, filled in the cracks temporarily with role players who were cost effective. Casey Wiegmann, veteran center, was signed to potentially replace Rudy Niswanger. If Wiegmann, who will turn 37 years old soon, is able to prove in training camp that he hasn’t lost a step, he will not only give the team an inside upgrade but also make a great tutor for Jon Asamoah, third round gritty rookie.

Essentially Pioli replaced Mike Goff, right guard who was athletically depleted, with Ryan Lilja, former Colt and free agent who went undrafted and who was cut by the Chiefs reluctantly six years ago. The additions of a new right guard and veteran center helps to stabilize the offensive line’s interior, which will help with the development of Branden Albert, cornerstone left tackle. These changes, along with the acquisition of Thomas Jones, veteran running back, provide the Chiefs with an inside running game. A year ago they didn’t have that.

In terms of the passing game, they didn’t gamble with a wide receiver with a big name like Brandon Marshall or Terrell Owens. Instead $5.9 million was spent by Pioli to resign Chris Chambers, the team’s play maker. He also used a second round draft selection on Dexter McCluster, who is a multi threat, Percy Harvin-like player who provides the Chiefs offense with a creativity dimension that is much needed.

Small personnel changes such as these could make the difference. Of course Chiefs detractors will argue that Kansas City failed to make adjustments on defense. That is true, minus selecting safety Eric Berry with their No. 5 pick. However in 2010 unseen defensive talent still could emerge. Many predict that Berry will be a star. If that turns out to be true the secondary of the Chiefs could become one of the NFL’s brightest young unit. As a whole, the teams linebacking corps isn’t very impressive. However there are two key players in Tamba Hali, an unheralded star, and Cory Mays, underrated run stopper.

The problem is that the Chiefs linebackers play behind a defensive line of three men that every week gets manhandled. And Kansas City has invested the most heavily in the defensive line. In 2008 Glenn Dorsey, defensive end, was the fifth overall draft pick. In 2009 Tyson Jackson was the third overall pick. Playing next to Ron Edwards, the nose tackle, both of these miscast defensive ends in the Patriot-esque scheme have turned out to be feeble anchors. This is the main reason why last season the Chiefs ranked 31st for total sacks and run defense.

However what is the defensive line could be suddenly improved with a subtle adjustment? Would that cause a domino effect over the whole team? Would that be a climatic chapter for a success story coming out of nowhere? Or would that be more evidence that subtle changes are insufficient for a hapless team?

Offense
It may be a stretch to assume that Matt Cassel with rediscover his 2008 form. Last year was his first with the Chiefs and first season where he was playing as a quarterback burdened with expectations. Cassel only averaged 5.9 yards for every pass attempt. He also was intercepted as many times as he threw touchdowns (both were 16). Cassel, like most quarterbacks who struggle, is uncomfortable being in a pocket that is cluttered and has a tendency of focusing on the rush a lot more than he does his receivers. The willingness he has of running with the ball is symptomatic more of his uncertainty that athleticism.

In all fairness, Cassel didn’t receive very good pass protection. Kansas City surrendered 45 sacks, sixth most for the NFL. Adding right guard Ryan Lilja should help to stabilize the interior. However, drastic improvements for the offensive line will need to take place with the tackles. It is time that Branden Albert, third year pro, make quantum leaps over on the left hand side. This guard from Virginia turned tackle has performed better than the critics have claimed, however not by any great stretch. Albert needs to make improvements with his awareness and initial quickness. Ryan O’Callaghan, right tackle, doesn’t possess feet good enough for thriving on the professional level. Bill Muir, offensive line coach, need to get Callaghan to change his technique to minimize the collapse in his area of the pocket. Ikechuku Ndukwe, former Dolphin and underwhelming guard, is listed as the main backup for the tackle position, which means the Chiefs will sink or swim using O’Callaghan and Albert. Unless someone gets hurt Ndukwe shouldn’t be on the field.

Rudy Niswanger gets pushed around and out-quicked in tight quarters. That’s one of the main reasons why the Chiefs need to get Jon Asamoah, their third round pick, trained to be the first option inside off the bench. They seem reluctant to start Casey Wiegmann, the veteran. Asamoah will be backing up Brian Waters at left guard. Waters, although 33 years old, is a leader with Pro Bowl caliber still.

The mobility of Waters and his knack for driving and locking defenders in 2010 should be paying more dividends now that they have Thomas Jones, who is a journeyman as well as a star that gives Kansas City a running presence inside. The arrival of Jones made it necessary to hold onto lead blockers Tim Castille and Mike Cox even though they have limited skills.

Although last year Jones rushed for 1,402 yards, his career high, and is the only running back along with Steven Jackson of the Rams to have currently had five 1,000 yard seasons in a row, it’s obvious he will be working behind Jamaal Charles, a rising star. There aren’t many players who strictly run outside that can average, like Charles did in 2009, 5.9 yards a carry. Even fewer players possess the breakaway speed and lateral agility Charles. Over last season’s eight final games, the 2008 third round selection out of Texas rushed for 968 yards.

In terms of pay for quarterbacks this year, Cassel will be third highest in the NFL at $11.75 million. However, that won’t deter Haley from turning to Brodie Croyle should the Chiefs passing game falter or stagnate. However as a starter Croyle is 0-9. Kansas City, with a running game that must be respected by opposing defenses and a front five that is improved, the Chiefs have all the right ingredients for a decent aerial attack. On the outside Chris Chambers has the ability to stretch the field. Dexter McCluster, the second round versatile rookie, is able to make players from either slot or the backfield. Leonard Pope, 6-8, 264 pound tight end, makes a great target inside the red zone, although Tony Moeaki, third round rookie does have a wider range of skills. There is also Brad Cottam, the huge 6-7, 269 pound third year pro. Originally he was thought of as a blocker, however as a receiver he has been able to show a fluidity that is surprising.

Dwayne Bowe is the one question mark. Although he has had 2,017 receiving yards during the first two seasons of his NFL career his ho hum speed, immaturity and poor work habits have caused the former first round draft choice to be seen as a disappointment. Bowe, due to the fact that the backup receivers for the Chiefs are Terrence Copper, Lance Long and Jerheme Urban from special teams, will have plenty of opportunities for turning things around. Kansas City will have all the major bases covered when it comes to the passing game if Bowe can use his athletic skills and strength to become a receiver who is reliable.

Defense
The Chiefs must make an adjustment to their defensive line. There is indisputable evidence that the 3-4 scheme, predicated on up front power will not work with the nose tackle being Ron Edwards and the ends being Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey. Edwards is only an average player and cannot command double teams. Jackson and Dorsey are high energy players but they lack the strength and size for holding their point. However it’s still too early for giving up on these former top five draft picks. Kansas City doesn’t really have a choice, considering that backups Alex Magee and Wallace Gilberry are passing down, undersized players.

What type of adjustments can the Chiefs make? They could trying sliding one of their defensive ends over to nose tackle and hope they find another Jay Ratliff (the explosive but undersized Cowboys one gap penetrator). Jackson doesn’t have the initial burst needed for that, however Dorsey could be an option. The odds of this succeeding aren’t really encouraging. However, the odds are zero if you don’t move away from the status quo.

Shaun Smith, the 325 pound newcomer, will most likely see snaps both outside and inside. He doesn’t play hard all the time but has the size at least for keeping blockers from the linebackers, which is critical for Cory Mays, inside linebacker in his fifth year, who is outstanding as a read and then react run stopper. Mays is an undrafted journeyman but has a very high football IQ, allowing him to take strategic angles to the football and help make up some lacking in speed from Demorrio Williams, inside linebacker, and Mike Vrabel outside backer. Javon Belcher, second year pro, will probably end up taking over for Williams. Vrabel is returning for his 14th season after singing a contract for one more year. However it might be a good idea to have Andy Studebaker, third year pro, replace him. Although he is not a tantalizing prospect, Studebaker for his size does move fairly well.

Many times the more variations there are for defensive personnel, the worse the defense is. Players are specialists because they excel in one area. When it comes to defensive personnel packages, specialists are what it’s all about. Tamba Hali, outside linebacker, is a disruptor with high octane who is able to play with leverage and great quickness. He is the only player from the front seven who stays on the field during dime and nickel packages. All the other positions on the front seven are filled with passing down specialists. The defensive end slots are filled by Magee and Gilberry; At inside linebacker it is Derrick Johnson and Belcher; on the outside Vrabel will likely be replaced by Cameron Sheffield, fifth round undersize defensive end rookie from Troy.

Except for Hali and perhaps Sheffield, Kansas City doesn’t have any viable pass rushers. Last season they had the second fewest sacks in the NFL at 22 although they did double their 10 sacks from 2008, an NFL record low. A pass rush that was halfway decent would be huge for the Romeo Crennel unit, particularly if you take into account that the Chiefs have a young secondary ready to blossom.

Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr, third year corners, seem to both improve every week. The better player is Carr. Javier Arenas, a second round draft pick, is a talented return artist. However he is also expected to help with slot defending responsibilities that Donald Washington, Maurice Leggett, Travis Daniels and Mike Richardson botched last year.

Kansas City is relying on Eric Berry, the rookie, to become a star instantly. The heralded Tennesseee three year captain has been compared to Brian Dawkins and Ed Reed. For a free safety that’s like making comparisons with God. The coverage range of Berry’s is critical as the Chiefs are hoping to avoid placing safeties Jarrad Page or Jon McGraw in that space.

Special Teams
Last season Ryan Succop, the kicker, was Mr. Irrelevant. That epithet might be welcome considering the other option for him was being called his last name. He missed just four field goals last year, with three being from over 50 yards. On his kicks Dustin Colqitt, the punter, gets good height. That’s one of the reasons why the coverage unit only allowed 7.1 yards a return which was the seventh best last year in the league. The Chiefs coaching staff is giddy over seeing Javier Arenas, who returned seven punts for touchdowns while at Alabama, as part of the return game for Kansas City.

Bottom Line
It isn’t impossible that the Chiefs could have a breakout season. If Matt Cassel is able to perform well, the Chiefs offense in most of the major statistical categories will rank within the mid to upper range. The biggest issue for the team is the lack of pass rush prowess and size from the defensive front seven. There may be more talent there than is obvious, however the talented coaching staff of the Chiefs will need to work their magic.

Predictions: 3rd place in the AFC West

Popularity: 2% [?]

Last Thursday, Jarrad Page asked to be traded from Kansas City. Why?

Money is only one of the reasons.

Page, according to several reports, has not being getting along with the Chiefs coaching staff. It dates back all the way to the 2009 training camp. Essentially Page was called out by Todd Haley following a preseason game because he had sat it out due to injury. That may have contributed to it, however I suspect there was an issue even earlier. Many players were irritated with the attitude of Haley in his first year.

Page would like to be a starting player. In Kansas City that may not happen. Two safeties were drafted by Kansas City this year, Kendrick Lewis and Eric Berry. The Chiefs are hopeful about both Berry and Lewis. Page may not fit in anywhere.

Money is also an issue. The tender offer for Page is $1.7 million. He might think he’ll be able to do better if released into the open market. Right now the market for free agents is soft. Just ask O.J. Atogwe. Page isn’t exactly a household name.

There are several reasons why Page wants to move on. I would guess all of the above reasons are playing a partial role.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Popularity: 100% [?]

On Monday, the Chiefs officially cut Larry Johnson, running back. In his 75 games with Kansas City (55 starts), Johnson rushed for 5,996 yards on 1,375 carries (4.4 yard average) and had 55 touchdowns. Johnson also had 151 receptions with a total of 1,369 yards (9.1 yard average) and six touchdowns. His career with the Chiefs also included thirty 100 rushing yard games as well as two 100 receiving yard games.

Johnson also holds a single season NFL record with his 416 rushing attempts in the 2006 season in which he also set a single season franchise record with his 1,789 yards rushing. He entered the NFL originally as the first round selection for the Chiefs (27th overall) from Penn State in the NFL Draft of 2003.

He now faces waivers. Unless another team is willing to absorb a prorated amount of his $4.55 base salary as well as the $60,000 plus a game roster bonus, he will clear waivers and be an unrestricted free agent.

The former Chiefs player will also be eligible to collect the remainder of the base salary as his termination pay and keep any money that he earns if another team signs him.

Popularity: 40% [?]

Not many Jacksonville people caught it, but on Sunday the Jaguars defeated the Chiefs. Jack Del Rio, head coach of the Jaguars, sees the victory as a sign that the team really is ready for making a move to contend for the playoffs during the season’s second half.

It is time to surge, Del Rio said after the game. We have lots of work we need to do. I think as we keep going through the year we will continue to improve. At 4-4 we are still alive with everything still ahead of us.

On local television the game got blacked out, as all of this season’s home games for the Jaguars have been, with an announced attendance of only 45,546. The few fans who did turn out were able to see some of the reasons why Del Rio may just be right about his team being on track. However, they also witnessed lots of reasons for thinking the Jaguar are a mere mediocre team that beat up on a weaker team.

The good news was the performance of David Garrard, Jaguars quarterback, who went 18 for 27 for a total of 264 yards, with one touchdown without any interceptions. The favorite receiver for Garrard on Sunday was Mike Sims-Walker who had six catches for a total of 147 yards, including a touchdown of 61 yards.

Sims-Walker said, the offense had a big day. Every man tried to just find holes in the zone. Whoever Garrard threw to made the play. And today it happened to be me.

More good news was some good rookie contributions. Early first quarter Rashad Jennings, running back, had a touchdown from 28 yards to give Jacksonville a 7-0 lead. Jarett Dillard, rookie receiver, had a catch of 33 yards on a third down and 14 play, and Mike Thomas, another rookie receiver, gained 18 yards on the end around play. Del Rio stated that the rookie players had contributed just as they had been expected to.

Del Rio said, this team’s had a lot of turnover and we have lots of young players who are playing right now. We go out expecting to win. We are not settling.

However, the Jaguars were not always able to get the offense going. Maurice Jones-Drew, running back, scored a touchdown during the fourth quarter from 10 yards. However, it was his longest run for the game. He never did break out on any highlight play long runs that he is becoming known for.

Jones-Drew had 97 rushing yards in 29 carries for the game, averaging only 3.3 yards per carry, a far cry from his 177 yards gained on only eight carries last week versus Tennessee. It also raises the question why Jacksonville gave Jones-Drew the football a lot more versus Kansas City in a game where he was struggling than the Tennessee game when he was on a roll.

Part of the explanation is that Jacksonville trailed during most of the Titans game and against the Chiefs were protecting a lead for the majority of the game. On Sunday, though, the Jaguars didn’t really do a good job protecting their lead.

With just four minutes left to play in the game the Jaguars led 24-6. It appeared they would coast into an easy win. However Matt Cassel, Chiefs quarterback, and Chris Chambers, receiver who had just been claimed off of waivers, started to come alive. Cassel connected with Chambers on a touchdown of 54 yards with 2:32 left to play in the game. Then Ryan Succup, Chiefs kicker, recovered his very own onside kick that bounced off Atiyyah Ellison, the 322 pound Jaguars defensive lineman.

Following the game, Ellison explained he was surprised at the football coming to him. What was even a bigger surprise was the Jaguars putting a defensive lineman weighing 322 pounds on the field during an obvious onside kick scenario.

Cassel then led Kansas City down field and connected with Chambers on a score from five yards, making the Jaguars start to sweat. It was only after Jacksonville recovered the following onside kick that the few Jaguars fans could start celebrating.

Cassel said, we had our backs against the wall. We need to start earlier.

For the Chiefs, it was too little and too late, like everything they do during the season’s second half will be. With a 1-7 record Todd Haley, Chiefs coach, will have to spend the remainder of the season attempting to shape the team into a team he wants for 2010. That is what the release of Larry Johnson was all about.

The Jaguars don’t have a chance of catching up to the Colts for the AFC South. The claims of Del Rio that they are still in contention with their 4-4 record would hold a lot more weight if their four wins had been against teams that are better than the Texans, Titans, Rams and Chiefs.

Realistically speaking, the Jaguars aren’t really a playoff team. It isn’t surprising the fans have them tuned out.

Popularity: 46% [?]

Larry Johnson, running back for the Chiefs, is at it once again. The latest antics from Johnson might get him into trouble with Todd Haley, head coach for Kansas City. On Sunday night, following Kansas City’s 37-7 loss to the Chargers, Johnson bashed Haley on Twitter.

The website for the Kansas City Star is reporting also that on consecutive days Johnson made two remarks that were anti-gay.

Johnson referred to Haley in two different tweets. In the first tweet he said, my father has got more credentials than most pro coaches. In his second tweet he said, my father was a player for the “remember the titans” coach. Our coach plays golf. My father briefly played for the Redskins. Our coach. Nothin.

According to the Star, the quotes were from the Toonicon Twitter account, an alias of Johnson’s. The account has a link to the personal website of Johnson.

On Sunday there was a gay slur that was made on the Toonicon account. Reporters who were at Johnson’s locker on Monday claim that he made another gay slur while turning his back away from the reporters towards his locker and said he wouldn’t talk to the press until Thursday.

The NFL is investigating these allegations, according to ESPN. Haley said he takes how players conduct themselves with the media seriously.

Johnson’s views on his coach should not be made public. It’s the latest distraction caused by Johnson that can drive a wedge in the team. The first mistake Haley made was keeping LJ around after Johnson walked out of the final game of last season saying that it was time that he and the Chiefs go their separate ways.

Reading Johnson’s tweet it’s easy to say he’s the bad apple. However, in the larger sense the question is how many of the other players feel the same way? Some of the moves as well as decision making made by Haley have been questioned in the local media. Many seem to think he’s in over his head. Is this just Larry being Larry or is Haley starting to lose this team?

Popularity: 43% [?]

The Chiefs still were feeling pretty good about themselves. Then reality hit. It wasn’t their winning streak coming to an end as much as how it happened.

On Sunday in their 37-7 loss to the Chargers at Arrowhead they reverted to their form from early in the season. That type of loss, one week after the great win in Washington, blindsided all who were wearing the Dallas Texans throwback uniforms.

Larry Johnson, running back, said at that time I don’t really know what went through our heads. Maybe it was some kind of false happiness or maybe thinking San Diego would just lie down after playing a Monday night game. Not sure what it was.

Kansas City wanted desperately to believe their win over Washington represented true progress, a sign the team was coming around to the vision of head coach Todd Haley. However versus San Diego, Kansas City gave up over 50 yards on three different pass plays and over 20 yards on two running plays.

Once again they weren’t able to protect Matt Cassel, their quarterback, who got sacked four times. Cassel also wasn’t able to handle the constant pressure. On three second half possessions in a row he threw interceptions. It ended his streak of throwing 150 passes without being intercepted.

Kansas City didn’t see it coming.

Haley said, we didn’t expect it. All of us were excited about the game. It probably made things worse. Last week we were able to win a tough road game. We had a great week of practice. We had a day of practice in the rain. It started out ugly but I thought our team came together. It was probably our best practice all year on Friday. I was very excited about the game.

I was thinking we really had the chance to compete. The Chiefs do have experience having to deal with lopsided losses. In consecutive games the Eagles and Giants really handled them.

However those games didn’t come after a rare Chiefs win. Those games didn’t snatch their vision away that things were improving.

Their latest loss indicates that the Chiefs gave back all the ground they had gained in the game against Washington and more.

Glenn Dorsey, defensive lineman, said a loss is always a loss, whether you lose by three or thirty points. After every loss I feel exactly the same way. It’s not acceptable, not how we want things.

Previously Cassel had been the Chiefs’ rock, staying strong even while very little else around was really working. Kansas City wasn’t able to protect him and wasn’t able to get a consistent running game going to help him out or get big plays from their receivers.

This was the first loss where Cassel appeared to crack under all the pressure. To start the second half he led the Chiefs on a scoring drive, capped off by a fourth down touchdown pass of seven yards to Dwayne Bowe.

Other than that, the game seemed to be a step backwards for Cassel as well. His first intercepted pass was deflected by Sean Ryan, tight end, to a Charger defender, the second one occurred when he and Bobby Wade crossed wires.

Regardless of who as at fault, the interceptions from Cassel killed any chances of a comeback for the Chiefs.

Cassel said, you don’t ever want to lose this way. We definitely didn’t want to play this way. We will have to deal with this as a team. We need to fix lots of things.

It’s a week off for the Chiefs, so players in the locker room were all promising that they would find solutions to the problems. Everything seemed very clear following this loss.

Johnson said, we come back to our locker room. We just have to deal, in or lose. I think maybe we wanted a win to keeping building from what we were able to do last week.

Popularity: 50% [?]

The game wasn’t pretty. However the aftermath was quite compelling.

The Chiefs (0-5) were able to somehow reverse their 2-28 slump by traveling to Washington and conquering the Redskins.

A 3-0 lead by Kansas City at halftime resulted in Redskins coach Jim Zorn pulling Jason Campbell from the quarterback position and replacing him with Todd Collins, who promptly connected on a deep pass with Santana Moss.

The Redskins took the lead at 6-3.

Kansas City would not go away. On the fly they adjusted to Collins and shut down the Redskins for the remainder of the game and scored points. Ryan Succop, rookie kicker who was the last player drafted in this year’s draft, had four field goals. The Chiefs also had a safety late in the game to give them an eight point victory.

Neither side really had any standout performances. If Dwayne Bowe, receiver, really is on the trading block, he showed plenty of leg with his 109 yards. Larry Johnson, running back, didn’t have a spectacular game but was solid with his 83 yards on 23 carries. For the Redskins, Clinton Portis did have over 100 rushing yards.

But things really got interesting after the game ended. Vinny Cerrato, Executive Vice President of football operations, who is also believed to be on the hot seat along with Jim Zorn, took away Zorn’s play calling responsibilities. Surprisingly, Zorn agreed with the decision.

Tony Dungy from NBC disagreed. I went through that situation in Tampa, said Dungy during the show Football Night In America. It is not good. I made that mistake of agreeing to it. If you are Jim Zorn you need to say I am the one in charge of the team that’s on the field. It’s either that or fire me.

The firing is still a possibility after Sherm Lewis has his dress rehearsal calling plays next Monday night. It is a function he never had while working under Mike Holmgren with the Packers. Zorn could potentially be let go if the Redskins end up losing to the Eagles.

The question would then be whether or not Cerrato gets shown the door with Zorn, or whether he will stick around until the season ends before he is replaced.

Popularity: 48% [?]

On Thursday Kansas City announced that they had signed Justin Rogers, free agent linebacker.

Rogers (6’4″, 246 pounds) played in a total of 31 games over the 2007 and 2008 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys. He had three tackles along with 34 stops on special teams. Rogers also played in one playoff game for the Cowboys. In 2008 he was third for Dallas with 18 tackles on special teams. He entered the NFL originally in 2007 as the 180th pick overall and six round draft choice for New England.

At SMU, Rogers appeared in 43 games, 33 as a starter. He had a total of 184 tackles with 32 for a loss, a blocked kick and five forced fumbles. Rogers finished his career at SMU as the second ranked in all time sacks with 19.5 He was an all district player two times for Commerce High School located in Greenville, Texas.

On Wednesday the Chiefs put Jackie Battle, running back, on injured reserve. In 2009 Battle played in five games for Kansas City. He had 21 rushing yards on seven carries along with six tackles on special teams.

According to the Kansas City Star, Brandon Alberts, offensive lineman, and Andy Alleman, reserve lineman, didn’t practice with the team on Wednesday. It was still uncertain whether either of them will be able to play this weekend against Washington. It could leave Kansas City short. Last week against Dallas the Chiefs had only seven offensive lineman dressed for the game. Right now the only other roster choice for Kansas City is Ikechuku Ndukwe. During the last two games Ndukwe hasn’t suited up.

Popularity: 55% [?]