KU reflect / post coming later.
This one ...
This game is possibly the toughest defeat I've suffered since Philly in 2005. I didn't make it into work for two days after that one, I just locked myself in my room (ok not "locked" but "closed the door") with a bottle of vodka, some Sprite, and dealt with the loss Steve style.
Or maybe the toughest since Baltimore in 2006, when I spent the postgame cursing, screaming, pacing the back grassy lot in G that I know and love, and when a fellow tailgater stopped me and simply said "hey man. You look like you need some weed ..."
Toking up didn't help deal with that defeat. Getting hammered didn't really help deal with the Philly defeat in 2005 either.
And it probably won't help deal with this loss.
But I'll be damned if I'm not gonna try.
Because games like yesterday ... are why I love sports so much. The thrill of victory. And the gut wrenching agony of defeat. Thank God for both. Because after the last few seasons, I was beginning to doubt I'd ever feel the latter again ...
* Left at 7ish for the game. As usual, I was the last to arrive. As usual, I was late. As was unusual, if you had "0" in the Steve drinking game, you'd have pushed. I can't explain it, but I didn't have my usual screwdriver or three on the drive there. Maybe that's what screwed us, effing with tradition like that.
* Rock solid tailgating crew. Plenty of good friends and folks up from Dallas. More in from Omaha and other parts of Nebraska. The usuals. Good times.
* Smart decision of the day numero uno: Tyler decided to save spots to ensure we had plenty of room to tailgate. To ensure this, he "relocated" a few parking barriers to block off the entire back section of the grassy lot. Brilliance at work.
* I am a helluva lot better at cornhole than I am at washers. Then again, the fact that I wasn't facing Dusty might have contributed to my 2-0 record.
* the brisket was rock solid good. Ditto the baked beans. The jello shots though ... I think I did a subpar effort on those. Way to vodka-y for 9 in the morning.
* the extra security yesterday was, in a word, ridiculous. I get that we're on whatever the hell color designates higher alert. I get that we were playing the Cowboys. Having said that, if you're going to demand "extra" patdowns, at least pat down areas where folks would hide things! Am I wrong about this? I have smuggled a flask into that stadium now every game for the last five seasons. I put it in the same place every game. It is a fairly obvious place to put something (aka "the back wallet pocket"). ANYONE doing a MINIMAL amount of security would feel it, locate it, and confiscate it. Nice job, Chiefs security. Nice job. I swear, you could smuggle a dirty bomb into that stadium with zero issues, but by God if you park in the back of Lot G before 10am, we're towing your ass. Good to see the Chiefs have effed up priorities.
* Speaking of effed up priorities, and since I'm going negative here for a moment, I might as well unload. What in the f*cking hell did we replace the TD Pack Band with? This Rumble thing, whatever the hell it is, is crap. Its absolute crap. If I wanted to watch a bunch of 20 something year olds beat crappy rhythms on a drum, I'd go see Kings of Leon tomorrow.
I have no problems with starting new traditions. As long as they don't suck ass. Rumble sucks serious ass. Bring back Tony DiParto, bring back Patti DiParto-Livergood, bring back the band that gave us THE highlight from last season. Because Chris Johnson plays a better bongo than these Rumble tools play a drum.
Seriously, Rumble works for soccer. Foreign futbol. Not American football. Take the damned drums to the storage facility, and give us Tony DiParto on a trumpet instead.
* ok, game ball time. And the Steve game ball goes to ... Coach Asshat. I cannot believe I am about to type the next phrase ... but yesterday's offensive playcalling is EXACTLY what I expected when Coach Haley took over. There was a healthy run / pass mix. We actually tried to get first downs on 3rd down by (gasp) throwing it to the yard to make marker.
Let's get into this. If I ripped Coach Asshat last week for his chicken sh*t play calling, I have to give credit where its due. This week's key play selection, courtesy nfl.com's play by play:
First drive: flea flicker! On 2nd and 6, LJ takes the handoff, flicks it back to Cassel, who airs it out for Mark Bradley. The pass was incomplete. But -- but! -- this is why the forward pass can be beneficial. Because if the defensive back, in this case Terence Newman, holds you, its a first down. Good play call. I didn't even mind the 3rd and 11 screen pass that followed this up. I have no issues with settling for the punt when you're inside your 20. Again, I can't stress this enough, yesterday was EXACTLY what I hoped for when Coach Asshat took over play-calling duties.
Second drive: not one of Haley's better efforts. In fact, this was the only time all game I booed the play calling. And man did I boo it. Chiefs recover a muffed punt at the Dallas 23. Chiefs go pitch LJ for minus 6, draw LJ for one, and short incompete to Ryan. Horrendous play calling sequence. Succup nailed the field goal to go up 3-0 though.
Third drive: after a Romo fumble sets us up at the Cowboys 16, this was just brilliance. First, the screen to LJ to get us in goal to go. Then the obvious run on 2nd and 2 ... with Vrabel tackle eligible. Tricking Dallas into a, uuh, false sense of security. Because on 3rd and goal at the 1, touchdown Mike Vrabel. It was like 15 years ago on that play, Montana to Joe Valerio. It was absolutely beautiful. Yes, I had tears in the eyes after that one. GREAT sequence of plays.
Fourth drive: we wound up punting, but on 2nd and 9 at our own 33, Haley aired it out, Cassel going deep to D Bowe for 20. Even on 3rd and 17 later on, Haley had an air-it-out play called, which resulted in Cassel scrambling for 10.
Fifth drive: Basically bleeding out the clock to end the half, Haley took two decent shots. He had Cassel drop back on 3rd and 2 (which he scrambled for the first down on), and on 3rd and 6 (which he completed the pass, but short of the first down to Bradley). We're at halftime, and my biggest bitch is that we settled for the field goal on drive number two. I'm good with it.
Sixth drive: Not much you can do on 3rd and 20.
Seventh drive: Arguably Haley's best non-absolute-pressure drive of the season. Chiefs never faced longer than 4 yards after first down. We ground out yards, ate up clock, and wound up with a field goal after a highly questionable (at least to me) no call pass interference on 3rd and 3 at the Dallas 20. No complaints. Excellent drive.
Eight drive: Cassel's pass on 3rd and 5 was deep enough to convert. Good defense on the play by DeMarcus Ware. Tough drive in that we lost Branden Albert ... but then again, he's been like a matador at left tackle this year, so was it really a loss.
Ninth drive: Oh my goodness, what could have been. The Chiefs convert a 3rd and 26. They nearly convert a 3rd and 22. Sadly, Ryan Succup's attempt is blocked. We're tied at 13 at this point with 3:09 to play. And as the kids would say, NOW it gets interesting.
Dallas starts at their 36, 3:09 to go. Forty seconds later, one of the sweetest skinny post routes you will ever see puts Dallas up 20-13. Absolutely AWESOME play call by Jason Garrett, he caught us playing man cover one, and the safety went with Witten. Just a brilliant, brilliant play call. You gotta give credit where its due. Which leads us to arguably the best Chiefs drive since LJ scampered 19 yards to seal last year's win over denver.
Let's take this drive play by play, because (a) its my blog, I can do what I want, and (b) it was even better in person than it is in the recap.
Chiefs start at their own 26, 2:09 to go.
And note to "buddy" and "awesome chick" who left at this point ... what the f*ck were you thinking? You don't leave a 7 point game with 2:09 to go to ... what? Beat traffic? Drink cheaper booze? Hook up? (ok, ok, that one is a perfectly acceptable reason to leave early). But other than "we're so horny that we had to go and, uuh, respond to nature's call", there is not one damned reason to leave that game early. I expect better of you two. Unless "respond to nature's call" is the reason. In that case, have fun!
(And respond to the call later next time).
1st and 10, KC 26: incomplete to D Bowe. Not one of Cassel's better throws. Still, it was refreshing to see us actually try to gain something really positive entering the two minute warning, as opposed to the usual "draw play up the middle" in this spot.
2nd and 10, KC 26: a beautiful RB screen to Charles, that he breaks a tackle on and gains 17. We've got 1st and 10 at the 43 at the two minute warning. For some odd reason, I was completely calm at this point. I honestly believed we'd get the job done.
1st and 10, KC 43: Cassel sacked. And yet, it was the aftermath of this play that had me fired up. There was NO panic on the Chiefs part. None. Cassel simply regrouped and got the guys ready for the next play. I'm telling you, not just Haley, but even our QB won me over yesterday.
2nd and 14, KC 39: Cassel incomplete. Solid D by Newman on the play. But for the first time this season ... ok, maybe the second, since the Vrabel tackle eligible play lulled Dallas earlier in the game ... I LOVED how this play set up the next one. They went right at Newman, with Bowe. Knowing full well that on the next play, the safety help would rotate to Bradley's side, thinking D Bowe can't run three straight routes deep. Think again, Son of Bum.
3rd and 14, KC 39: 26 yard gain to D Bowe. Awesome over the middle, no safety help thanks to second down, play call. Absolutely brilliant. Keep this in mind, the idiocy of Son of Bum consistently rotating the safety help. D Bowe gets thrown to for a third straight time coming up ...
1st and 10, Dal 36: Cassel to D Bowe, gain of 17. Newman was on an island, and it done sunk on this play, as he left the field hurt. I had a couple Cowboys fans from Wichita in front of me, good folks who we actually met up with 4 years ago in a random meet and greet at Texas Stadium, and have maintained a relationship with since. I patted Mike on the back and said "its just like 4 years ago!" His response: "Yeah, but this time I think we can win".
(Four years ago, Dallas up 3 with 16 seconds left, Trent Green hits a 50 yard bomb to Dante Hall, and Tynes has a 41 yard attempt to tie. Sadly, wide left. But still, every time KC and Dallas hook up, its good stuff).
1st and 10, Dal 19: Cassel incomplete to Bradley. Loved the play call though, we went for it on first down.
2nd and 10, Dal 19: Short gain to Charles. I'm perfectly fine with calling RB screens on 2nd and 10 when they've been working all day.
3rd and 7, Dal 16: The only play call on this drive that irked me. Cassel short to Bobby Wade, incomplete. Although in that spot, I was ok with it. You're in four down territory, if you complete that pass its 4th and 2, much more makeable than what we wound up with.
4th and 7, Dal 16: Payday. I haven't cried over a Chiefs play since LJ's scamper against denver last year to seal the victory. I literally melted down when D Bowe made the catch to pull us within one. I hugged Sheila. I slapped high fives with Katie, with Russ and Mona, and the obligatory "hell f*cking yes!" high fives with Chris and Greg. Mike, the Cowboys fan in front of me, in a truly classy gesture, simply turned around, high fived me, and said "this one should end in overtime". Yes. Yes it should.
Overtime, sadly, was ugly. But like I said congratulating Mike, Zack, and whoever the hell else was behind me in Cowboys gear, "we got what we paid for". That game was fun. If you're gonna suck, as the 2009 Chiefs apparently are destined to do, at least give us a reason to show up.
Nobody who saw yesterday's gut-shot defeat can deny that was fun. That was as good as it gets. You had a fading veteran team, desperately needing a win to keep the season on, somehow finding a way ... ok, two deep bombs to Miles Austin ... a way to keep the season on.
But more importantly, you saw a young, unproven bunch of kids hang toe-to-toe for 68 minutes with a Super Bowl contender. I'm not saying this was a moral victory, because I don't believe in those. But yesterday. Five years from now, when the Chiefs are back among the AFC's elite, we'll look at this one, and say "hey, that's the day we knew we could do it".
Sunday, was the Chiefs v denver at Arrowhead in 1989. denver came in here, got a couple late huge bobby humphrey runs, and beat us 16-13 to cripple our season. But it was the game that established an identity for the Marty led Chiefs rookie season. We might not beat you, but by God we'll fight you for every inch. Every down. Every point.
Yesterday, the Chiefs finally manned up. Today, we all have hope. Because there is a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. If Coach Haley calls games like he did yesterday, we can at least take any team to overtime. And eventually, the defense will stop a team or two, and change "take any team to overtime" to "beat anyone on our best day". I'll take that. After two long, dark years, I'll definitely take that ...
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