2010 Chiefs: The Cinderalla Story
What is the number one goal of any team in the off-season? Improvement. Besides the Kansas City Chiefs, there were few teams that needed that exact thing at the end of the 2009 season. Dismal seems to be an appropriate word to describe their season, but it was an improvement upon 2008. They scored a total of 294 points (18.4 points/games), which was good enough for 23rd in the NFL and allowed an embarrassing 424 points (26.5 points/game). To put this in perspective, just note that there are 32 teams in the league. Frankly, that is not a recipe for success and the Chief’s record wound up being 4-12. Even though it was Todd Haley’s first season as head coach and Scott Pioli’s first year as general manager, it still would have been hard to do worse than the franchise’s worst season yet in 2008 when they finished 2-14. For the 2009 season, they switched the defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and I think that Jamaal Charles came up huge late in the year after he took over for Larry Johnson. He started ten games and finished with 1120 yards rushing and 7 touchdowns. They may have finished 4-12 and last in the AFC West, but look at it this way: they doubled their amount of wins.
The theme of this past off-season has been change. Former Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weiss was brought in as offensive coordinator and they also brought in former Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel as defensive coordinator. Both Weiss and Crennel coached in their respective positions for Pioli while he was the GM in New England a few years back. Also, Richie Anderson who previously coached for the Arizona Cardinals was brought in as the wide receivers’ coach. Former New England Pats lineman, Anthony Pleasant is the new defensive line coach. Weiss’s buddy, Bernie Parmalee who coached with him at Notre Dame has been another welcomed addition to the staff. He has taken over as the tight end coach. KC great Emmitt Thomas is the new defensive backs’ coach. Also, former New York Jet and NE Patriot great Otis Smith is the new defensive quality control coach. It all starts in the gym and I think the Chiefs understand that. One of the most well respected strength and conditioning coaches has been brought in as well. Mike Clark has been a terrific acquisition.
This past off-season has been a tremendous draft year for Kansas City. They took Eric Berry out of Tennessee with their first round pick and he has not disappointed. Their defense is ranked 8th. They have only given up 18 points/game and are making plays. Not to mention that their takeaway/turnover differential is a +6, which is good enough for 5th in the league. Well done, Kansas City. Eric Berry is great and all, but I think we should stay on the topic of rookies and spend a little time talking about the rookie MVP of the season so far-Tony Moeaki out of Iowa. He was the 93rd pick overall in the 3rd round, but he has with out question been one of the Chiefs unsung heroes this far into the 2010 campaign. Everyone always talked about how he has great hands and was a good blocker when they drafted him. You cannot complain with their choice to take him in the 3rd round, but my ears perked up a bit after he caught two touchdowns in the first 3 games. Oh, and at the halfway point he has looked like Matt Cassel’s favorite receiver leading the team in catches with 30 and 344 receiving yards. Not too shabby.
Offense wins games, but defense wins championships. This is a Chiefs defense that is not going to roll over to anybody. They have beaten the teams that they are expected to beat and have held their own against legitimate contenders. In the week five game against one of the most tactical and impressive quarterbacks known to man, Peyton Manning did not even throw Indy’s first touchdown, which actually came in the 4th quarter on a Mike Hart run. Defense is a collective effort. With that being said, the defensive MVP at this point would have to be LB Tamba Hali. The dude is a beast. Everyone had a lot of questions coming into 2009 because he was being switched from a defensive end to an outside linebacker when the team went from a 4-3 to a 3-4. With a year in the new formation under his belt, he has simply flourished in 2010. Right now he is 3rd in the league in sacks and leads the NFL in QB knockdowns and hurries. Not only that, but he is also a blue-collar guy who goes out every down and does his job. How could you not like him?
The end of the last year showed just how electric Jamaal Charles can be and it was a great move bringing in Thomas Jones, an established veteran who would be a welcomed addition anywhere. If I didn’t know any better, I would have thought Priest Holmes was still getting the ball for KC. He is young so sky is the limit, but he is the single most effective back on a per carry basis in the league. He is leading the Chiefs with 719 yards on 113 carries and last time I checked the depth chart, Thomas Jones was number one. Read this statistic-Charles has 24 less carries than Thomas Jones and 149 more yards. It is simply unheard of and this two back monster they call a backfield is winning them games. Despite limited carries, Charles is on track to hit the 2,000 yard mark rushing and receiving. I am looking forward to seeing this guy in a couple years when he has a franchise tag.
You cannot talk about a team’s success without mentioning the quarterback. However, with all the success and new acquisitions for the Chiefs, Matt Cassel has almost not been mentioned in conversations. He is minding his own business and restoring pride back to Kansas City. Cassel has had some great weapons put around him and he is doing some work with them. Honestly, it feels like every game there is at least one 40 yard touchdown pass to Dwayne Bowe or Dexter McCluster is taking a kick back 90 yards. I am counting on a few Pro-Bowlers wearing KC helmets. He has 1412 passing yards with 12 touchdowns and 4 picks. His completion percentage is right around 58% and Cassel is sporting a quarterback rating of 89.2. Me being a Lions fan (and trust me, I know how depressing it is), those are quarterback stats I would take any day.
I feel a bit proud. Weeks before the season started I was sitting down having a conversation with my brother about fantasy football. I told him to take Jamaal Charles a few rounds into the draft. I told him that KC’s offense will have a breakout year and Jamaal Charles will be the talk of the league. The weapons on that team are too plentiful to not be a contender and they picked the perfect year to make some noise. The AFC West is a division waiting for a team to take control and not let go. The Chargers have been a disappointment and I laugh at my girlfriend every time she says she is a Broncos fan. The Raiders are actually surprising me a bit with this three game winning streak, but I am not sold on them yet. This is your time KC, show the league what Arrow Head Pride is all about.
By: Josh Sames
