Herm Edwards did it again. He got a small lead and thought he could squat on the ball for a few decades without letting the other kids play. Unfortunately, for the eighth year in a row, he was wrong. With a mere three point lead and 5:20 left in the 4th quarter, Herm did the next best thing to kneeling the ball down; he ran three times off left tackle with a third string running back and an unreliable offensive line and then punted. Unfortunately for Herm, this only ran 2:20 off the clock. Oops. He must have forgotten there are only four downs to one set. That happens to all of us in our eighth year of being a head coach and making the same mistake many times.
This was inexcusable and indefensible, in my opinion, and helped lead directly to our loss. In fact, here’s a quick rundown of what I see as irrefutable facts:
a) Herm obviously abandoned what was, up to that point, a successful offensive game plan in favor of running out the clock. There is no doubt that the play calling changed for this series in light of the “insurmountable” three-point lead and it being “late” in the fourth quarter.
b) Running three times off left tackle is the second most conservative thing you can do, with the first being kneeling down.
c) Herm was trying “not to lose the game” and failed. He has done this and failed many times before, both with the Jets and Chiefs.
Throw in the following facts and I have an instant Hermache on my hands due to Herm’s egregious act of forfeiture:
- We’re giving three minutes to Brett Favre, one of the better comeback artists of all time.
- We currently have one of the worst defenses in the NFL (statistically and observationally) so why put the game in their hands right now?
- Our QB was hot, hitting 72% of his passes at that point.
- Herm, do you know the clock also runs on successful passes, even high-percentage passes like screens?
- Kolby Smith is effectively our third string running back and we had not established a running game with him at any point in the game (he average 1.4 yards/carry).
- End-a-rounds, draws, etc. are also runs to consider, you don’t have to run the same play three times.
- The Jets know as well as anyone Herm’s ultra-conservative ways and saw this coming a mile away.
Herm is credited with his now famous misnomer, “You play to win the game.” I find this sadly amusing being as he probably exemplifies this statement the LEAST of all NFL coaches. He constantly plays not to lose, and loves to credit his team for close losses; those “almost not lost” games, if you will.
What did the then 1-5 Chiefs really have to lose at that point by aggressively trying to win the game? Amazingly, if we’d have won, we’d only be two games out of first place in the surprisingly mediocre AFC West. Not that I have any delusions of grandeur this year.
The Jets tried to gift-wrap this one by over-thinking their offensive game plan and trying to pass while we looked run. This helped give us a chance with multiple turnovers, much like we received in the Denver game. The Jets should have watched the Tennessee game more closely where they’d have realized they could run on us even if we were expecting it. But in the end it didn’t mater. At least this game was entertaining and highly competitive until the Herm of old took over…
Oh, and don’t get me started on the fact that we got destroyed by Leon Washington, the man that we effectively traded (via a fourth round draft pick) for Herm Edwards, a man who was about to get fired anyway. This could be one of the most lopsided trades in history. Not because one team got a huge amount of talent and the other got very little. No, it’s because one team got good talent, while the other got hugely negative talent that single handedly set their team back years… I told you not to get me started.
VLTC’s OTC (off-the-cuff) Grades:
QB: A-
- This was a completely different Tyler Thigpen from the one we saw in Atlanta. He respected the pocket, held on to the ball when necessary, and played smart. Big kudos to Thigpen.
- Not much to argue with. He got away with one potential “pick-6″ that was luckily dropped by the defender.
RB: C-
- Larry Johnson was benched again for off field problems.
- Jamaal Charles looked good in limited action before getting hurt.
- Couldn’t establish the run game with Kolby Smith.
TE: A
- Tony Gonzalez is the consummate professional and still one of the best in the league.
- Brad Cottam emerged as a legitimate threat .
WR: A-
- Dwayne Bowe was solid with a 102 yard game.
- Still searching for that second receiver. Is Chicago castoff Mark Bradley (5 catches, 1 TD) the answer?
- Apparently don’t have enough clout to get pass interference calls.
OL: C
- I admittedly didn’t focus too closely on this group today.
- Did well enough to open up the passing game.
- Right side still the weak link.
DL: C-
- We finally got a sack, and the first from our starting defensive line!
- Tamba Hali was finally moved back to the right side of the opponent’s offensive line where he spent the first two years of his career. The move came with spectacular results (1 sack, 2 hurries/hits that led directly to interceptions).
- Too bad the rest of the line is still very weak.
- Gouged for another huge run.
LB: C
- Short of the interceptions, our defense wasn’t very good.
- Big drop by Derrick Johnson, but then again, catching the ball isn’t a priority for his job.
DB: C
- Again, short of the interceptions, we weren’t that great.
- Some big missed tackles at the safety position.
ST: D
- Barth and Weatherford were fine.
- Return coverage horrible!
Coaching: D
- One of the best game plans of the year spoiled by the moronic and ultra-conservative play calling late in the game.
- Good job molding Thigpen into the starting role (this week at least).
Couldnt have said it better myself. Our boys went out and played pretty well overall, not great but at least were at the ball game in thier heads. I told my wife that herm had obviously taken the restaints of of Chan and Gun, (did you notice the resembelance of a Gunther game plan of old in there). No it was not anywhere near perfect but it was a start. Then you could tell that the Herm police were not watching over Chan, UNTIL WE HAD A LEAD IN THE FOURTH. I also told my wife befor that series HERM will take over and he did. Last week in the poll ? I said fire them all but after this I am back to believe that Chan and Gun can be effective if it was not for thier pig headed asshole of a leader.
Comment by tkawk — October 27, 2008 @ 9:00 am
i actually enjoyed watching the game yesterday, until the last minute.nice going herm you dumb sumbitch.
Comment by calichiefsfan74 — October 27, 2008 @ 10:10 am
Don’t get me wrong guys, this was a great game that had a lot of positives. It was also very enjoyable. Unfortunately, the bad decision at the end overshadowed everything for me, hence the relatively negative analysis.
Comment by VLTC — October 27, 2008 @ 10:15 am
I would just like to say congratulations to Tyler Thigpen. What a fantastic performance. You were no doubt the best #4 on the field yesterday. You deserved to win and you deserve the respect of Chiefs nation and players alike.
Unfortunately, we played a team that is not much better than us, so it is hard to judge the teams performance. However, offensively the team played awesome. They moved the ball very well. Thigpen was nearly error free. Considering the improvement over his previous start, I can’t imagine him having a better game. His throws were accurate and his decision making was great. The only things that were questionable were the couple sacks, where a more experienced qb might have thrown the ball away. The pass to Bradley at the back of the end zone was unbelievable.
I will repeat what I said in a post on the Huard topic, Thigpen obviously has the physical tools to be not only good in this league, but great. The comparison to Gannon is apparent, especially after watching his performance yesterday. It potentially changes the draft outlook as well, although drafting a qb is still not a bad decision.
As for the running game, Kolby didn’t hit the whole ONE TIME. He danced just as LJ has been doing in the games in which he struggled. Kolby is a good back, and should have contributed more. I think the running back coach is to blame here. That is the true difference in our running game versus every other team in the league. Most teams can generate two or three yards by running off the center or guard just by momentum alone. BUT, when you are indecisive in the backfield, you lose that momentum and are unable to avoid the crash down from the ends. It is BASIC football that has been taught from Pop Warner through college, HIT THE WHOLE HARD AND FAST. We were always taught that if the whole wasn’t there, HIT IT ANYWAY! It is easy to point the finger at the Oline, but you have to do your part too.
Besides, the fantasy team I picked you up for deserved more than 2 points!!!
Thanks for a competitive, entertaining game, Chiefs. You deserved to win. No thanks to the lame play calls at the end of the game, or the no-call pass interference on the last play.
Comment by Travis — October 27, 2008 @ 10:53 am
Travis,
I dont think the Jets are better than us. We just simply got outcoached at the end of the game.
Comment by J-Rock in Texas — October 27, 2008 @ 11:30 am
J-Rock
My “not much better than us” statement has more to do with the season as a whole, but you are absolutely correct. Athlete for athlete, we match up with lots of teams. BUT you need coaching to put it all together.
Comment by Travis — October 27, 2008 @ 12:30 pm
I think everyone has got this right on. Our youngsters deserved to win this game. They played hard and alot better than they had been. When they were robbed of a chance to win by thier feerfull leader he should have been shot on the spot, or at least beaten within an inch of his life. Herm, you have no upside to the conservative play calling on that series. If you take a chance and dont make it so what you were supposed to lose, but if you get aggresive and these young men win the game what a great gift for thier confidence and morral. Instead you have people asking them why didnt you hit the hole harder or why didnt you make that tackle on the punt coverage or what if on many other things and it is a negative that could have been and should have been a giant positive. Why not risk it even go for it on forth and one. What the hell do you have to loose. DUMBSUMBITCH!!!!!
Comment by tkawk — October 27, 2008 @ 1:58 pm
Tyler Thigpen did do an amazing job yesterday. Two passes stand out though, in a bad way for me. One was the potential pick 6, and the other was the very last play of the game. That might have been pass interference, but I can totally see why it did not get called. The pass was thrown way behind the reciever, leading the defensive players momentum to run into him understandably. IMO it was not interference, just a bad pass. Hermcuffs came on in the 4th again, and its getting tiring.
Comment by Jones — October 27, 2008 @ 2:10 pm
I thought you all wanted us to lose that’s your game plan on Sunday, right? Wear black and hope for the worst. All I have to say is thank you to those who did wish for a loss. At least we got our second real football game of the season. I just hope we keep losing, but play respectively. We only need to win the last two games to finish the season on a positive note. Miami and Cinci go 3-13 get the first overall pick and try to trade it for more picks.
Comment by Jake — October 27, 2008 @ 2:49 pm
On offense you have to attack and keep on attacking throughout the game. Just look at how even though Brett Farve was throwing interceptions they just kept putting it up and attacking. It’s just the way football is played in the NFL these days. The old Martyball philosophy of getting the lead and being conservative is outdated. The play calling at the end whether it was Herm or Chan was just not smart. I don’t think Herm believes in the players ability and it obviously showed on that last possession.
Comment by Rocky — October 27, 2008 @ 4:48 pm
Once again Jake, you make absolutely no sense.
Comment by Alex — October 27, 2008 @ 5:09 pm
You still draft a QB no matter what even if thigpen does do a good job. Look at cleveland Anderson played well last year and now it’s a matter of time before Quinn takes over. Sam Bradford can come out of college if he wants to and i hope he does because that’s who we should get.
Comment by James C — October 27, 2008 @ 6:37 pm
Sadly, Herm has been asking these young players to make plays. He has taken no responsibility all year, it’s always “they have to make a play”. Sunday, the head coach had to make a play and he failed. Once again, he failed to take responsibility.
Comment by Jeff in VA — October 27, 2008 @ 8:01 pm
Travis,
I dont think the Jets are better than us. We just simply got outcoached at the end of the game.
Comment by J-Rock in Texas — October 27, 2008 @ 11:30 am
J-Rock,
Have you been watching this team this year?? There are high school teams better than us. Why are we getting excited because we were actually in a game? The bottom line is we snatched defeat from victory. It’s pretty sad when Chiefs Nation is accepting a close loss as a moral victory. I have to give Thigpen his kudos. He surprised me and really showed a vast improvement over his last start. I knew when we ran 3 times off tackle and gave Favre the ball back we were done. No question about it, the game was over. Too bad Herm is the only one who didn’t realize we needed to run the clock out.
Comment by Mark F. — October 28, 2008 @ 12:52 am
thawk
You are right about the positive things being overshadowed due to the loss, but they play a large role in the loss. Had we been able to run the ball, not hitting the wholes hard, we would have been able to consume more clock, regardless of the line. Kolby Smith can not look at game tape and say “I should have only had 15 yards”. 40-50 yards is more realistic at 3 ypc. It is THE MOST fundamental thing a running back can do to help his line and team. PLEASE, JUST STOP DANCING, PUT YOUR SHOULDERS DOWN AND RUN!!!!
Jones
I don’t understand how you can pick at Thigpen’s performance based on the alternatives that we have seen this season, not to mention his previous performance. Yesterday was the best qb play we have had in years. As for the interference call, it was absolutely a penalty. True the ball was behind the receiver, but it was catchable and would have it him in the back shoulder had the contact not been there.
Jake ?????????????
Rocky
The old Martyball wouldn’t have changed the philosophy from the first to the fourth quarter. It was all conservative; 10 runs, 1 pass (probably a screen). I remember complaining then at times too. But 10-6 was never a bad record, not to mention the bad-ass defenses and awesome special teams he put on the field.
As for being so excited about the game, how long can we wallow in our sorrow? We have to find SOME positives, especially in the type of performance they had Sunday. What is the purpose of watching if you can’t find enjoyment somewhere. I have accepted the fact that we aren’t going to be good, hell, we might not even be bad, but that is why I continue to watch and hope for the best. We know the problems that lie within the organization, but I’ve tried disowning the club (when GC was coach) and it didn’t work. This is who I am, this is my team, and I will continue to root for them until I die.
Comment by Travis — October 28, 2008 @ 1:39 am
Fox sports listed Herm as a “goat” for this week. Here’s what they said,
“It was somewhere between classic and ironic to see the ultra-conservative Herm sit on the football and run down the stretch instead of letting Tyler Thigpen throw the ball in a game he dominated. Jets fans remember this script well when Edwards ran the Jets.”
Comment by Jeff in VA — October 28, 2008 @ 5:43 pm
Do you think Herm gets his play calling from madden 09 or the original?
Wait I got it…How to Coach, for Dumbies!! Nevermind, he wrote it.
I have tried pinching myself, but I think Herm coaching my favorite team is a reality.
If it weren’t for church, Sunday’s would be horrible.
I don’t even check my fantasy team much now and I won my league last year.
Comment by Ryan — October 28, 2008 @ 7:55 pm