“We’re going to do something really special here and I think it’s going to happen sooner rather than later. … Again, our goal is to be great and we’re going to do that.”Todd Haley, in a postgame interview with Len Dawson after the Chiefs were drilled 30-7 by the Ravens, Chiefs Radio Network
GH: Haley was maybe the only upbeat voice following yet another embarrassing Chiefs’ opening-round playoff loss. On the heels of the Oakland beating last week inside Arrowhead, not everyone was as optimistic. Read on.
“Really, this was just a distasteful and disgusting performance where really the entire season just imploded on the Chiefs.”
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
Kevin Kietzman, 810 AM
“This sure isn’t the way you want to end up.”
Len Dawson, after listening to Holthus praise the way the Chiefs played the final two months of the season, Chiefs Radio Network
Len Dawson, after listening to Holthus praise the way the Chiefs played the final two months of the season, Chiefs Radio Network
“I don’t know what you learn from this one. It stinks.”
Ryan Lilja, Chiefs offensive guard, Metro Sports
Ryan Lilja, Chiefs offensive guard, Metro Sports
“Kansas City looked in over their heads … and that’s no knock on the Chiefs.”
Chris Berman, ESPN
GH: Uhhh well yeah, Boomer, I kinda think it is. But at least it’s accurate.
Chris Berman, ESPN
GH: Uhhh well yeah, Boomer, I kinda think it is. But at least it’s accurate.
“The maturity level of the Chiefs is not where it needs to be to win in the National Football League.”
Richard Baldinger, Metro Sports
Richard Baldinger, Metro Sports
“The thrill of winning the division is dwarfed by a devastating defeat.”
Dave Stewart, Metro Sports
Dave Stewart, Metro Sports
“They’ll come a day. They’ll come a day that we’ll win this game and move on.”
Mitch Holthus, Chiefs Radio Network
GH: Even the always-optimistic Holthus sounded dinged by yet another playoff loss – the NFL record 7th consecutive for the Chiefs. Four playoff games were played this past weekend and three of them were very competitive. The one at Arrowhead had the hometown fans leaving in droves, starting early in the fourth quarter.
Mitch Holthus, Chiefs Radio Network
GH: Even the always-optimistic Holthus sounded dinged by yet another playoff loss – the NFL record 7th consecutive for the Chiefs. Four playoff games were played this past weekend and three of them were very competitive. The one at Arrowhead had the hometown fans leaving in droves, starting early in the fourth quarter.
“As good as Matt Cassel was (during the season), he was like a rookie today, guys. This was his first playoff experience. … The playoffs have a way of separating the men from the boys.”
Bill Cowher, CBS
GH: Tough words from Cowher since I’m guessing he’s grouping Cassel with the boys. There were plenty of Chiefs to point the finger at but Cassel will do for starters. Read on.
Bill Cowher, CBS
GH: Tough words from Cowher since I’m guessing he’s grouping Cassel with the boys. There were plenty of Chiefs to point the finger at but Cassel will do for starters. Read on.
“Matt Cassel’s passer rating last week: 19.1. His rating this week: 20.4. Blech.”
Kent Babb, Twitter
Kent Babb, Twitter
“You can’t win playoff games throwing the ball for 70 yards.”
Dan Marino, CBS
Dan Marino, CBS
“It was like a giveaway game for the Kansas City Chiefs.”
Boomer Esiason, CBS
GH: We have watch Cassel almost magically avoid right-in-the-hands interceptions all season. The spell wore off on Sunday against the Ravens. Cassel looked hurried, scared and inexperienced. It wasn’t like Oakland where he didn’t have time to set up. It was more like the Ravens confused him with coverages and he panicked.
Boomer Esiason, CBS
GH: We have watch Cassel almost magically avoid right-in-the-hands interceptions all season. The spell wore off on Sunday against the Ravens. Cassel looked hurried, scared and inexperienced. It wasn’t like Oakland where he didn’t have time to set up. It was more like the Ravens confused him with coverages and he panicked.
“The Chiefs man up just couldn’t handle the Ravens. It didn’t matter what they called.”
Danny Clinkscale, 810 AM
Danny Clinkscale, 810 AM
“They were playing the coverages that opened up down the field so we kept seeing them play the same thing over and over again. When it keeps working you want to keep going back to it. We were able to take advantage of those things.”
Todd Heap, Ravens tight end on his 10-reception day, CBS
GH: Heap is an often-injured stud of a tight end who is mostly disappointing to fantasy owners. Not Sunday at Arrowhead. Heap was left wide open on simple crossing and drag patterns that the Chiefs just refused to take seriously. Romeo Crennel failed to adjust the Chiefs’ defense and the Ravens took advantage of his gifts.
Todd Heap, Ravens tight end on his 10-reception day, CBS
GH: Heap is an often-injured stud of a tight end who is mostly disappointing to fantasy owners. Not Sunday at Arrowhead. Heap was left wide open on simple crossing and drag patterns that the Chiefs just refused to take seriously. Romeo Crennel failed to adjust the Chiefs’ defense and the Ravens took advantage of his gifts.
“I gotta take my hat off to the Ravens and their plan for the game. … None of them were healthy but he was good to go.”
Todd Haley, when asked to explain Dwayne Bowe not getting a reception, Fox 4
GH: Bowe remains a mystery. How can the league leader in TD catches not even get thrown to in the Chiefs first playoff game in four years? Were the Ravens that good or does Bowe give up way too easily when the going gets tough?
Todd Haley, when asked to explain Dwayne Bowe not getting a reception, Fox 4
GH: Bowe remains a mystery. How can the league leader in TD catches not even get thrown to in the Chiefs first playoff game in four years? Were the Ravens that good or does Bowe give up way too easily when the going gets tough?
“S Eric Berry having a great game for the Chiefs; broken up 4 passes. Meanwhile, QB Joe Flacco the Ravens’ leading rusher (28 yards).”
Rachel Nichols, ESPN reporter, with an in-game tweet on Twitter
GH: I saw lots of praise for Berry’s play on Twitter and other outlets. It’s my opinion that Nichols and those pumping up Berry do not understand his role as a safety. I’m not alone. Read on.
Rachel Nichols, ESPN reporter, with an in-game tweet on Twitter
GH: I saw lots of praise for Berry’s play on Twitter and other outlets. It’s my opinion that Nichols and those pumping up Berry do not understand his role as a safety. I’m not alone. Read on.
“Up and down game for the rook RT @MikeNYC24 Eric Berry is getting absolutely abused by a tall, plodding old white tight end.”
Jason McIntyre, of @TheBigLeague, Twitter
GH: Berry failed so miserably early to contain Heap that the Chiefs were forced to try other DBs in order to stop Heap. Nothing seemed to work. Berry is very athletic and does break on the ball well. He is simply too often not where he needs to be – whether it’s a blitz, run or pass. And an error by your safety is not easily hidden — it can result in giving up big chunks and touchdowns.
Jason McIntyre, of @TheBigLeague, Twitter
GH: Berry failed so miserably early to contain Heap that the Chiefs were forced to try other DBs in order to stop Heap. Nothing seemed to work. Berry is very athletic and does break on the ball well. He is simply too often not where he needs to be – whether it’s a blitz, run or pass. And an error by your safety is not easily hidden — it can result in giving up big chunks and touchdowns.
"Eric Berry again on the blitz. The timing is not good. He’s not getting there!"
Phil Simms, CBS
GH: After two early safety blitzes by Berry that resulting in huge passing plays for Baltimore, the Chiefs backed Berry off and moved their DBs 15-20 yards deep. It allowed Joe Flacco to dump passes to his backs and tight ends with great success. It was maddening to witness for Chiefs fans.
Phil Simms, CBS
GH: After two early safety blitzes by Berry that resulting in huge passing plays for Baltimore, the Chiefs backed Berry off and moved their DBs 15-20 yards deep. It allowed Joe Flacco to dump passes to his backs and tight ends with great success. It was maddening to witness for Chiefs fans.
“Chiefs losing with class and dignity at least. And poise.”
Doug Stewart, WHB reporter, in a sarcastic tweet as numerous fights and shoving matches broke out late in the game, Twitter
GH: Twitter was loaded with complaints from Chiefs fans about the refs. The refs were fine. It was the Chiefs that lost this game. And the way the Chiefs folded in the second half was far from classy – just as Stewart stated.
Doug Stewart, WHB reporter, in a sarcastic tweet as numerous fights and shoving matches broke out late in the game, Twitter
GH: Twitter was loaded with complaints from Chiefs fans about the refs. The refs were fine. It was the Chiefs that lost this game. And the way the Chiefs folded in the second half was far from classy – just as Stewart stated.
“The beginning of this game, with Arrowhead rocking, looked like the 1990s. Now, it looks more like 2008.”
Sam Mellinger, with a fourth-quarter tweet, Twitter
GH: We can all remember how great we felt as Jamaal Charles broke that TD run and the Chiefs led 7-3. It was happening! It was real! Unfortunately, it was fleeting…as were Chiefs fans on I-435 & I-70 with much of the fourth quarter to play. A win would have been a huge upset — but is it too much to ask to be competitive?
Sam Mellinger, with a fourth-quarter tweet, Twitter
GH: We can all remember how great we felt as Jamaal Charles broke that TD run and the Chiefs led 7-3. It was happening! It was real! Unfortunately, it was fleeting…as were Chiefs fans on I-435 & I-70 with much of the fourth quarter to play. A win would have been a huge upset — but is it too much to ask to be competitive?
“I was proud of the way they were handling themselves. … The guys were settling down and playing football.”
Todd Haley, Metro Sports
GH: Haley’s words were almost the exact opposite of how I saw the Chiefs disintegrate on the field during the second half.
Todd Haley, Metro Sports
GH: Haley’s words were almost the exact opposite of how I saw the Chiefs disintegrate on the field during the second half.
“Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali took a cheap shot at Flacco’s legs near the midway point of the third quarter. Ravens right guard Chris Chester did nothing at that point, which may have been a good thing. But later in the game, some Ravens should have retaliated. If either Michael Oher or Orlando Brown were nearby when that happened, Hali would have been on his back missing a couple of teeth.”
Mike Preston, columnist, Baltimore Sun
GH: Preston writes with a Whitlock edge. It works. Read on.
Mike Preston, columnist, Baltimore Sun
GH: Preston writes with a Whitlock edge. It works. Read on.
“Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was clueless without his running game. Once the Ravens got ahead by more than a touchdown, this game was over because Cassel can’t carry an offense. Actually, he had a total meltdown. He completed only nine of 18 passes for 70 yards, and had three interceptions. His lackluster performance shows the true genius of Patriots head Bill Belichick who succeeded with Cassel as his starter when Brady went down with a knee injury in 2008.”
Mike Preston, columnist, Baltimore Sun
Mike Preston, columnist, Baltimore Sun
“The other dumb-dumb award goes to Haley. How can you not throw the ball to receiver Dwayne Bowe one time? I don’t care how great the Ravens cornerbacks are or what kind of scheme they use. Your best receiver, and one of the best in the league, has to touch the ball.”
Mike Preston, columnist, Baltimore Sun
Mike Preston, columnist, Baltimore Sun
“My message to our guys was don’t let a tough ending overshadow a lot of really good things. … You can’t let any loss drag you down and take away all the progress you’ve made.”
Todd Haley, Metro Sports
GH: The Chiefs were 10-6 and won the AFC West. Those are big positives. They also set the expectations for the 2011 Chiefs into a whole other atmosphere – one that will have very little understanding for less. Read on.
Todd Haley, Metro Sports
GH: The Chiefs were 10-6 and won the AFC West. Those are big positives. They also set the expectations for the 2011 Chiefs into a whole other atmosphere – one that will have very little understanding for less. Read on.
“Dawn of a new era.”
Headline for KC Star’s Chiefs special section on Sunday
Headline for KC Star’s Chiefs special section on Sunday
“That (2011 Chiefs’) schedule has 6-10 or 7-9 written all over it.”
Frank Boal, TV 41
GH: Haley gets to prove he can coach in 2011. 9-7 would be a decent season. 6-10 would be a disaster.
Frank Boal, TV 41
GH: Haley gets to prove he can coach in 2011. 9-7 would be a decent season. 6-10 would be a disaster.
“This will not salve the wound of today but the Chiefs are moving in the right direction, I think you’ll have to agree.”
Mitch Holthus, Chiefs Radio Network
GH: Holthus preached for eight months last year about the momentum the Chiefs gained with their final season win in Denver. So how do we spin these two ass-kickings at home to end the season into gold?
Mitch Holthus, Chiefs Radio Network
GH: Holthus preached for eight months last year about the momentum the Chiefs gained with their final season win in Denver. So how do we spin these two ass-kickings at home to end the season into gold?
“Weis never came to the locker room after the game according to sources.”
Bob Fescoe, Twitter
Bob Fescoe, Twitter
“I screwed up. Weis was in the locker room after the game. My apologies.”
Bob Fescoe, Twitter
GH: Shocking.
Bob Fescoe, Twitter
GH: Shocking.
“Lezak is hoping for 7 inches tonight… and it might snow.”
Steve Ozga, Twitter @OzBrau
Steve Ozga, Twitter @OzBrau
GregHall24@yahoo.com and Twitter / greghall24
Forget all the haters
Hall you are the biggest bandwagon guy in the city…dog the team all you want. Did anybody think going in to the game the Chiefs were better than the Ravens? Did anybody think this was a Super Bowl, let alone and 8-8 team when the year started. No. Hate all you want, this team blew your expectations out of the water. We were underdogs…at home. We got beaten by a better team. Yeah, it’s cool knock Haley, Cassel, et al after a loss, but this team is light years ahead of where we were last year. 10 wins, a division title and a home playoff game….we had 10 wins the 3 last years…combined. So go on Hall and continue to hate. I know you’ll be the first guy calling for Haley’s head and saying Weis deserves all the credit for ’10 next year when we have the toughest schedule in the NFL so just save us the 60 seconds and don’t write that and try to come up with something creative and/or interesting instead of your usual ‘chiefs suck, Haley sucks, etc….
The comments section on here still is sh-t
Bottom line, the Chiefs suck ass
They were nothing but a product of playing in the AFC West and having the shit NFC West in their schedule rotation. They were 2-4 against the 2nd worst division in the NFL (AFC West) and 4-0 against the NFC West. That’s over half their win total right there. This is no miracle turnaround. This isn’t a team “moving in the right direction”. This season was a scheduling quirk and nothing else. Had the Queefs had the NFC East, North, or South, they’d would’ve been staring at 2 or maybe 3 more losses. Any thought otherwise is laughable. Piss on the Chiefs. They’re garbage.
EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Headline of this game is “IT WAS THE SCHEDULE AFTER ALL! 6-10 TEAM FLIP RECORD BECAUSE OF WEAK SCHEDULE!!!”
Idiots
Yes, the Chiefs record this year was a product of their schedule. However, the other three teams in the AFC West played mostly the same schedule. There were only two different teams the Chiefs played that the Chargers, Raiders, and Broncos played.
Weak Schedule made season.
So then why did the Raiders and Chargers look better then KC with the same schedule? The last two weeks proved KC were frauds! We all know the Chargers were better then the Chiefs, but the Raiders were better too.
Hall Any thoughts on this?
From Bottom Line Communications…
KC SPORTS MEDIA WENT FROM JOURNOS TO CHIEFS CHEERLEADERS
It all came crashing down after weeks of insufferable hype.
The Kansas City Chiefs were trounced by a 30-7 margin by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the NFL playoffs. They will now have gone 18 years since their last playoff victory.
The defeat should not have come as a surprise to the sports media who have watched the mediocre Chiefs win their Division while playing the easiest schedule in the league.
And while no sports journalists at the Star went so far to actually pick the Chiefs to win the game, they certainly contributed one puff piece after another on the Chiefs to help hype the game.
Why? $$$$$$$
The Kansas City Star sports Section Sunday (1/9) was a grand total of 10 pages. However, a special “Playoff Extra” section in the Star was 18 pages and chock full of ads. That represents major revenue for a newspaper preparing for another round of layoffs.
While the Star was raking in money over the Chiefs the radio sports talk stations were also doing their level best as all-out cheerleaders. All week long the cheerleading talkers at KCSP predicted a Chiefs victory and explained in detail how it would be accomplished.
Anyone listening to programming all week on sports talk leader WHB (“Hey meteorologist Gary Lezak at KSHB is predicting a Chiefs victory!!”) or the embarrassing pre-game pep rally hosted by sports talk leader WHB on Friday (and broadcast by KCTV) “sponsored by Miller Lite!” saw WHB morning talk hosts lead the crowd in a series of Chiefs cheers with each one predicting victory.
It certainly was not difficult to determine which radio station is an official “broadcast partner” for the team. Even the area’s leading talker Soren Petro embarrassed himself.
%u201CI like the Chiefs chances here,” said WHB’s noon-time talker. “Vegas thinks this is gonna be a fight!%u201D
Expect the “Monday Morning Quarterbacks” to now pretend they were not totally on the team’s PR bandwagon. Hindsight is always 20-20.
The only media person in Kansas City who was willing to tell folks that the “Emperor has no clothes” about the Chiefs’ chances was KSHB’s Jack Harry. Maybe that’s why he was given the “Joe McGuff” award for being the area’s top sports journalist.
He is the only one who acted like a journalist. The rest should be embarrassed.
I still don’t think Haley is NFL head coach material but …
as I’ve said before I’ll admit I’m wrong if he does well against next year’s schedule and without Weis. To date, however, he hasn’t accomplished any more than Herm did.
No, it is not too much to ask for the Chiefs to at least be competitive. That’s really all I asked for yesterday. Miserable fail.
Whitlock with a great line on Twitter!
.Denny Green: “Chiefs are who we thought Seattle was.”
Classic!
RAVEN DOINATION
Kerouac foretold, and so it was… my team, the one formerly known as the CHIEFS but of late kcindy embarrassed themselves, the entire city, the NFL and probably The Gipper up in Providence too.
That they emulated their out of control coach with an even more unprofessional on-field display when they lost their poise and resorted to cheap shots, fighting and the like, well… if Lamar Hunt were still on this mortal coil, references to Derrick Thomas, Wayne Simmons et al ‘Monday Night Meltdown’ of afore would have been the reference.
Ty “Inaction’ Jackson – the first of 2 consecutive years of #1 draft busts by egoli – trying to unscrew a Raven players helmet from the BALTIMORIAN’s head was reprehensible. This years #1 BUST berry, wasn’t as egregious… he merely got beat up & down the field all day long, not unlike his 2010 effort regular season.
If ever a team ‘backed in’ to the post season & then ‘backed out’, kcindy on Sunday epitomized the deux. Two straight blowout losses – both at home – the indicator… not ready for prime time by any other. Humiliated, they exited the field tail between their legs.
The beat down was worse than that ballyhooed 23-8 loss by Herm Edwards to INDY – IN INDY – in 2006, a game that was actually but a one score game until a late INDY TD made it a 2 score final. Yesterday it was already over and an rout at 23-7 still in the 3rd quarter (actually, yesterday’s game reminded me of Superbowl 1, when first half circumstance & but a 14-10 deficit KC to GB begat a 2nd half reality and decimation.
Too, they em
No more tomato cans – coach returneth to pumpkin, wheels fall off the FRAUDCHISE (EXPOSED: 3 ints, fumbles & sacks as Walter Mitty looked every inch of mutt ca$$el.) Too, rella’s only score was a gift from BALT via a fumble; otherwise, charles as bowe was a non-factor the rest of the day (that he got hurt – again, same whenever he is hit by a real team – was ‘no surprise’. His future can be measured in fleeting future moments rather seasons in the sun.
Why?
Una vez mas.
NO MORE TOMATO CANS to kick around.
The final kcindy line the 2010 frauds:
0-2 vs winning teams, 2-4 vs .500 teams – oh, and can’t forget that poor DEN team’s beat down of ‘rella – a cumulative 2-7 vs teams with a pulse, any. The rest? tomato cans 8-0.
Get it now gullible fandumb?
(PS) Even SEATT advances in post season – heh heh heh. There is your basic (lack of) validity the modern NFL, just as Kerouac illuminated all season long.
Now that the pretenders’ have been dismissed, the 8 current NFL teams with an pulse any (tho none could carry the shoes the 1969 Chiefs, Raiders or Vikings as well as 60 other teams since) will bring the farce called ‘modern NFL’ to a fitting conclusion… ho hums resonating.
If there is a 2011 season, they will take after MIAMI’s Dolphins likely: from 1-15 up to 11-5 back down to 7-9 and for affirmation another 7-9 this year. Same scenario, same ‘great’? leadership parcells (i.e., egoli). Progress in 2010? When you play but the dregs the NFL and prevail, cannot be considered forward steps, rather, no better than one step forward followed by same back year aft.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
: )
AND ‘DOMINATION’ TOO
(it’s hard to type correctly between my tears- er, giggles… YOU KNOW whom I’m laughing at, chuckie cheese lowe, bs schnoz, rainbow brite, harley har har, et al.)
Peace, peasants.
OH
and of course mr. glazedover… can’t wait to see ho he spins the $63 mill FRAUDCHISE into ‘it wasn’t his fault’, etc. etc..
IS it embarrassing?
Is it embarrassing to want and pick your home town time to win? This is just a stupid comment.
Embarrassing pep rally? 11,000 fans didn’t think so.
Embarrassing is you ol wise one being you!
Embarrassing is losing to Co!
Great game …
… of unmasking the Chiefs.
Now we know the REAL Chiefs…
>they ARE pretenders …
>they ARE NOT a good team …Haley was at least truthful about that all year …..
>they ARE in need of a quarterback … the curtain has been pulled back … Cassel is AWFUL, no really, AWFUL … he is a professional second string quarterback … he was at his best mid-season playing against other AWFUL teams… he will not get better …the sooner the Chiefs accept that fact and obtain a QB, the sooner they can begin to improve … (and Croyle is worst, he will not be back next season)
>they ARE NOT going to the playoffs next year and probably not in 2013… the sooner everyone accepts that the better
>the ARE back to square one in the ‘rebuilding’ plan … the delusional high was fun for October & November , but now it’s worn off … the sooner the Chiefs get into football rehab the better …
I’m With Cliffy
I still have a lot of concerns about Haley. I hope I’m wrong and will happily admit it if I am, but so far he just hasn’t done much more than Herm, If memory serves, Herm backed into his playoff appearance when a bunch of teams could have taken that slot whereas Haley won the division outright in week sixteen (game fifteen). Of course, you could argue that Haley backed into his with this weak schedule but I still think that was a smidge more impressive than what Herm did. Still, Haley is going to get a chance to prove he can coach next year. The schedule is going to be as brutal next season as it was gentle this season.
Speaking of next season, what are the Chiefs biggest needs heading into the offseason? I think they need to address the right side of the offensive line and get another really good field-stretching wide receiver. And I think they need to draft a QB. Maybe Cassel is the real thing and maybe he isn’t, but I’m getting pretty sick of the Chiefs not even TRYING to develop thier own QB.
How did STDiego do yesterday?
Can’t find it.
Did they play?
Chuck…I can’t find it either…will KC play next week?
Will they play next week?
They played one more than STDiego
.