("sweet daddy stevo") hey, y'all are taking requests, right?
(chick in the band) sure! what would you like us to play?
("sweet daddy stevo") sweet caroline!
(chick in the band) (pauses)
(chick in the band) well, we've never really had that one requested before.
("sweet daddy stevo") (in shock) really?
(chick in the band) we'll give it a try, if you'll come up and sing it.
("sweet daddy stevo") sure, why not.
If you weren't lucky enough to witness my on-stage singing debut, well ... in the words of the great Mr. Hugh M. Hefner, "it was something really special". In a total train-wreck kind of way.
Oh, and as a FYI … rumor has it there might be a "live blog" of Tuesday's election debacle. As our old high school history teacher would say, "stay tuned" ...
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Let's get one thing out of the way. You never apologize for a win. Especially when said win keeps you 1 1/2 clear of the field in the AFC West, and ties you for the best record in the conference. Having said that, wow, that game yesterday was worse than even I anticipated it would be. And I'm the guy who spent all week saying that "I have a horrible feeling about this game".
If this team is fortunate enough to reach the postseason, don't underestimate the outcome yesterday. A loss would have been catastrophic. A tie would have been a disaster. But remember -- legitimate playoff contenders find a way to beat bad teams at home. They may struggle, they may play worse than the MU rushing defense in the first quarter from Saturday, but they find a way to win. The Chiefs struggled big time yesterday, but in the end, they found a way to win. And that's all that ultimately matters. They won.
As always, my thoughts on the day that was, and the game that was, is in the recap below ...
* some tragic news to report from Saturday to begin with. After I finally found my sweet 1970s red velvet pimp daddy jacket to complete the look, I decided to get in a few quick games of bowling, since I haven't gotten off to a great start this fall. So, I head over to everyone's favorite run-down bowling alley ... only, it's closed.
(tony bruno voice) no!
Laurel Lanes is no mas, and has a "for sale" sign up. On the Steve Tragedy-o-Meter, this ranks somewhere between "Prop 19 fails tomorrow" and "Prohibition returns". Let's hope somebody with deep pockets buys the place and reopens it.
* a very crowded start to the day yesterday. All told, a group of about 20 folks on the two buses. And once again, neither bus was even close to being first in line. I think people are starting to not just get, but actually read the memo that says "hey, it's ok to be a Chiefs fan again".
(best. sign. ever. photo: me).
* It was a little bit Nipsey Russell out there yesterday morning. The wind was ridiculous. At least the sun was shining. But man, was I glad we went with buffalo stew and chili as the menu. It was definitely Nipsey Russell out there.
(wait, someone other than me passed out at a chiefs tailgate? what the hell?!?! photo: me).
* About 9:30am, it was time to have some fun. Someone came up with the smart idea to put the sides up on the EZ Up, to block the wind. Once that was proven to work, there was really only one option left to do. Bust out the table, it's beer pong time!
((joe budden voice) pong! pong it up! photo: me).
* Another sign I might have had a bit too much the night before? I didn't drink at all during tailgating yesterday. I had one cocktail, and that wasn't until 10:30, after Anthony and Gregg both started taunting me for not drinking. Peer pressure rules.
(hey look! it's "tony and lisa"! sorry about the name screwup last game guys. talk about a brain fart. our good friends jeff and paula, in from omaha yet again to root this team on to victory. photo: me).
* We had a Jenni sighting yesterday! Her first game of the year.
* After a solid three plus hours of tailgating, enjoying the music, beer pong, tossing the football around, good conversations, fun folks stopping by ... finally, the moment everyone had been waiting for, arrived.
Katie had dressed up like our good tailgating buddy across the street, Castro. (Honestly, it was scary how much she looked like him). Only, it gets to be 10:30, and he's not there yet. Tyler jokingly suggested he was probably in jail from the night before. Another person joked he was probably still passed out from the night before.
Finally, as we're breaking down the tailgate, about 11:10am, he arrived. And he did not disappoint. He was lugging not one, not two, but three! freaking bottles of Patron around in a Bud Light beer case. He also had another bottle of Cuervo in there. Thankfully, the guy can take a joke or three, and loved the imitation. After a few shots of Patron and Cuervo, it was off to the stadium.
(seeing double at 11am. a tailgating tradition for 15 years and counting. photo: me).
* My victory bet shots for this game? I promised to do a whipped cream shot, this time hitting my knees and letting someone spray that crap into my mouth (aka "the way it should be done"). I also had to do a shot of Cuervo with Castro after the game. (More on this later. Let's just say, the guy's an all time classic).
* Pretty uneventful walk in. After heading through security, I headed over for the beer line, because I knew I was going to need something to get through this game. Again, I had a bad, bad feeling about this game. I get in line behind this chick that's about my age, and to be honest, the first thought that entered my mind when I saw her was, to borrow a phrase from the talentless, crappy rapper J'Kwon: "e'rybody in the club gettin' tipsy". She finally gets up to order, and orders a margarita, only she doesn't want it in the "souvenir glass", she wants it in a normal plastic beer cup. (To be fair: she did exactly what I was planning to do. I have no use for those "souvenir glasses". That, and they don't fit in your cupholder.
So our concession lady agrees to do it, only she notes to the chick that her glass won't be full, because she can only pour as much as the souvenir glass would hold (about 16oz), and the plastic beer glass is 22oz. The chick just kind of nods, not really paying attention. The concession lady comes back, and the glass is maybe 2/3 full, just like the concession lady had told her it would be.
Tipsy chick just went ape sh*t ballistic. "Why isn't my glass full?" Then starting dropping swear bombs and calling the concession chick every name in the book. Finally after about a two minute verbal tirade, she leaves $11 on the counter, grabs her drink, and stumbles off.
Now, forget the obvious point here (that $11 for a watered down margarita without salt is an absolute national outrage, and that wasn't even the worst overcharge -- they wanted $13.50 for a bench warmer! $13.50 for watered down hot chocolate with a splash of schnapps!). No, what struck me is this: how degenerate of a drinker have you got to be, to be so smashed at 11:30 in the morning, that you come unhinged over how your drink was poured? I certainly am no stranger to the world of drunkenness, but I have never been so lit at 11:30am that I can't control my emotional reaction to someone pouring me a drink. Oy.
* The KC Wolf sketch was worse than horrible. Like it's not bad enough that we have a lame mascot that hasn't had an original sketch in a decade. Now, we don't even get the "visiting team's fans mock Wolf, then run away, so Wolf gets on a conveniently-placed ATV to chase them down the tunnel and then pummel them" sketches. Yesterday's sketch was Wolf doing basic training, then driving down the tunnel on his ATV, waving a US flag, and ... scene. That was it.
And yet, that wasn't even the worst part of the pregame festivities, because ...
* My most irrationally hated moment was nearly a minute premature! Either the Chiefs were running horribly behind schedule (my guess) ... or the flyover pilot couldn't even come close to timing the moment right. He or she flew the fuel tanker over the stadium right as Trailer Choir had just begun to sing the Anthem. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: if there's one thing in life you never want to be known for, it's arriving prematurely.
* Bills won the toss, elected to defer. I thought that was a mistake -- why not take the ball, try to score early, and try to take the crowd out of it early?
* Of course, the Chiefs drive, but stall at the Bills 33. Rather than go for it on 4th and 8, or try a long field goal into the wind, the Chiefs punt. Touchback. I was not happy with the decision. I would have tried the field goal, to at least see what Succup's range on the east side was for yesterday. I'm fully aware there's a 95 percent chance that kick would have missed. The wind was horrid in there yesterday. But if you're going to gamble, why not there, on the opening drive of the game? Either kick the field goal, or go for it. You sure as all hell don't punt the ball when it only nets you a gain of 13 yards (and gives the ball away).
* Thankfully, we were facing the Bills. Who could do nothing on offense until the 4th quarter yesterday.
* The first "what the f*ck is he thinking?" Matt Cassel moment of the day? On a 3rd and 3 at the Chiefs 48, late first quarter, Cassel attempts a pass to an open Jamaal Charles that would have gotten the Chiefs a first down. The problem was ... the pass was horribly thrown.
* After a quarter of play, each team had had three possessions. Each team had punted three times. As I texted a few people later in the game, but it certainly applied at the time as well, "is this game as coma inducing on tv as it is in person". Somehow, the crowd kept in it. Because we are the best, most loyal, most passionate, most knowledgable fans in the NFL.
* First drive of the 2nd quarter, the Chiefs have a 4th and 2 at the Bills 19 in my end zone. Todd Haley opts to go for it. As I've noted many, many times before: "you always take the point early. Because it will always bite you in the ass if you don't". I'm not saying Succup would have made it. But why not attempt it, again, if only to confirm the kicking conditions and establish his range? That, and if you can't hit from 36 with no pressure on the situation, you probably shouldn't be kicking in the NFL.
* The next Chiefs drive (after another Bills three and out), the Chiefs get to midfield and have 3rd and less than a foot. I turn to the guy next to me (more on him momentarily), and we both immediately concur that you just pound it straight ahead with TJ, get the yard, and keep the drive going. The Chiefs come out with Cassel in the shotgun, and he short-arms a pass for Leonard Pope. Haley then elects to punt. On a 4th and less than 1 at midfield. After he's just gone for it on a 4th and 2 inside the red zone. Baffling, to put it mildly. And boo-inducing, deservedly so.
* The Chiefs next drive was our sole touchdown of the day, and if I'm going to rip him for some idiotic decision making yesterday, I gotta give Cassel some credit for the two big plays on the drive. The first being a beautiful pass to Charles in the middle of the field that led to a 30 yard gain. Cassel waited, drew the rush in, then lofted it over the defensive linemen right into Charles' hands, and he took off with a lot of room to run. The second being two plays later, after Charles runs it to the goalline. Cassel went no-huddle, to keep the Bills defensive personnel on the field. A brilliant read, because the Bills were in a cover three. Cassel takes the snap, take a one step drop, and aims it at D Bowe, who makes the catch against a clueless Bills defender.
I'm all for ripping Cassel when he sucks. But that was a brilliant read of the situation, first by forcing a reeling Bills defense in a bad personnel formation to stay on the field, then by calling for a no-risk pass (either Bowe drops it, and we've got 2nd and goal at the 1, or he catches it, and we score. The Bills defender had no opportunity to defend the pass). Job well done.
* The Bills final drive of the half stalls just inside of Chiefs territory, and we reach halftime at 7-0. So before I go any further, because I'm sure my impression of halftime was far, far different than that of just about anyone who will read this, let me say, this is my blog, this is my post, this is my opinion. I do not hate the US armed forces, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for those who have served. So if what I took from halftime offends you ... I am not apologizing for it, because it's my post, it's my opinion.
Having said that up front: I thought the halftime was well done. I didn't have an issue with anything that occurred. The Chiefs had a stirring tribute to various service men and women who are season ticket holders. The Marine Corps recruits who were sworn in got a very loud, long, and deserved applause. As did the scrolling list of everyone from Chiefs Nation that had given the ultimate sacrifice in the last two years.
What struck me wasn't the mood, or the tone, or the actual ceremonies. What I'll take from halftime is this: what a waste of human life.
Every name that scrolled by, most complete with pictures, just showed the tale. Young people giving their lives for what, exactly? For a war the previous President declared victory in over seven years ago? For a nine years and counting failed operation against the Taliban in Afghanistan? How much better would our nation be if these brave, heroic folks were still amongst the productive and the living here in the States, if they'd never had to go fight in a war (or wars) that the plug should have been pulled on years ago (or never started in the first place).
And worse yet, we're applauding this? We're celebrating the waste of these people's lives? What's wrong with us?
What a waste of human life. What a waste of potential. What a waste. That's what I took from halftime. The waste of life, money, and national prestige that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are. If that makes me anti-American, or some kind of horrible person, so be it. Maybe this country would be better off though, if we'd stop and think for even a couple minutes and asked "wait, is this war really worth it? Are we really safer as a nation because of Iraq and Afghanistan?" Again, just one person's opinion, and at times, that opinion is certifiably nuts. And maybe this is one of those times. But I stopped and asked the question. And the answer I reached is "nope. These wars don't make us safer, and they aren't worth the sacrifice and lives it costs to fight them". Which is why I felt the way I did watching those names scroll by yesterday. What a waste of human life.
(And spare me the "typical Democrat blaming Bush for everything" bullsh*t. Every one of those poor folks was killed in combat under Obama's watch. Obama to me is worse than Bush, in that he should know better than to keep wasting our nation's most valuable resource (its people) in wars that are unsustainable and unwinnable. You don't keep ramping up troop levels in some ridiculous effort to salvage something out of the situation; you pull the plug and cut your losses).
OK, back to the game before I say even more that p*sses off every person in the readership base ...
* The Bills first drive of the second half, was a thing of absolute beauty for both Buffalo and KC. Once they scored, I just turned to the guy next to me, and just shook my head with a knowing "man, that was great to watch" look. He had turned to me ... with the same exact look on his face. You have to appreciate beautiful football when you see it, and that drive was just epic. 15 plays (none for negative yardage, save for the false start that the Bills took to open the drive). 9 minutes off the clock. 9 minutes! And it ends in points with the Lindell field goal to make the score 7-3 Chiefs.
Kudos not only to Chan Gailey for brilliant play calling, to finally get the Bills on the board and move the football as well ... but also to Romeo Crennel for adjusting the defense. The Bills had marched down the field using short, controlled passes. Nothing went for big yardage. Fitzpatrick didn't even try the big throw, it was all check-downs and screens.
Crennel, realizing this, subbed out every LB save for DJ, and went with a cover four once the Bills got to the Chiefs 30. The Bills stalled at that point, because the Chiefs had flooded the coverage, there was nowhere for Fitzpatrick to safely throw the ball. It's the little things in a game that can change the outcome. This was a highly underrated little moment, stalling the Bills offense by thinking one step ahead of their playcalling.
* I've mentioned the guy next to me yesterday. I have no idea who he is, he's never sat in 132 before. I don't even remember his name. But it was absolutely refreshing to sit next to someone who (a) understands the sport, (b) is sober (I hate being around visibly intoxicated people during a Chiefs game. I control my drinking out there until the game is over, and I'm pretty much a full blown alcoholic at this point. What's your excuse?), and (c) is like looking in the mirror. Let me explain.
No, the guy isn't as good looking as me, or have the chicks drooling in the hopes they can score a night with me, like I inspire girls to do. No, what I meant was, every freaking mannerism I do at a game? He was doing it as well. It was scary. I always hold up the closed fist when the Chiefs D makes a stop on third down, to signify "fourth down, send in the punter". He did the same thing. It wasn't a copy cat thing where he saw me do it, and thought "yeah, I'll do that too". He did it because it was a natural reaction, like he always did it.
We shared the same exact thoughts on strategy. At least 5 times yesterday, I turned to him to say what I thought or what I'd do, and he beat me to the statement.
Fun guy to sit next to. He's the first person I've sat next to in that place for the first time, and hoped he'd come back again, in a long time. That, and sweet Jesus, how scary is it that there's two people in this world that act, talk, and think exactly like me? The "Two Steves". That's like, terrifying.
* After exchanging punts, the Chiefs get the ball near the end of the third quarter at their own 30. And then proceed to run the football ten consecutive plays, setting up a 3rd and 8 at the 15 or 16 of Buffalo. We just overpowered those guys yesterday. And that's with two untested guys manning the guard positions in Richardson and (making his first start ever) Asomoah. Sadly, the 11th play was a short completion that came nowhere close to getting the first down, and the Chiefs settled for a Ryan Succup field goal to extend the lead to 10-3. But still, I love old school, "we're pounding the football down your throat until the gag reflex kicks in" football.
* At this point, there's about 10 minutes to play. The Bills, save for one drive, have done nothing on offense all day. And yet, we're only up a touchdown. Time to get nervous ...
* The Bills put together a couple first downs, and face a 3rd and 8 at the KC 43. (Two plays earlier, the Chiefs appeared to recover a fumble, but it was (correctly) overturned by replay. In the words of the late, great Esther Rolle: "damn, damn, damn!").
To say that Eric Berry blew the coverage, is an understatement. Roscoe Parrish was pretty much uncovered, easy 30 yard gain on 3rd and 8. Inexcusable. Absolutely horrendous pass coverage at a critical moment in the game. (Plus there was no secondary help -- Chiefs blitzed seven on the play). I know a lot of Chiefs fans will look at the 4th down touchdown (more in a second) and think that was the big play on the drive. Fine, I can buy that ... but Eric Berry having a total brain fart and forgetting to cover his guy on 3rd and 8 was every bit as big. If he's there and defends the pass, the Bills have to punt with 4 minutes to play, and if we can keep doing what we'd been doing all day on offense (running the ball at will) and gain two first downs, it's ballgame. Instead, the Bills tie it up with 2:18 to play, and I have to deal with the first of several "why! Why did you have to predict we'd lose! Godd*mmit Stevo, why!" blasts from the section 132 faithful.
(And yet, as panicky or worried as the others were, trust me -- nobody was more nervous than me. I'd envisioned this exact ending all week, and here it is playing out in front of me.)
* The Bills touchdown. Replay had no choice. I know that it was ruled a touchdown on the field. I know that the replays they were showing indicated that the receiver was down just before the goalline. But the angle of the replay didn't show where the ball was. Unless you're 100% certain, you can't overrule the ruling on the field. As much as it sucked ... the refs handled it right.
* After confirming at least two flasks still had liquor in them, the guy next to me and I begin rationally discussing this, and we come to the conclusion, this isn't so bad. Finally, Matt Cassel is in a position where he'll have to deliver. If the Chiefs can move the ball, get a couple first downs, they should at worst be in position to try a long field goal as time expires. Either it's good and you win, or you miss and go to overtime. No reason to panic yet. This is a golden opportunity for Matt Cassel to win over the skeptics.
Instead, he just threw fuel on the fire his skeptics have lit, tossing arguably the single worst pass attempt I have ever seen in my life on 3rd and 1. I literally stood there with my jaw wide open for fifteen seconds after seeing the "attempt" on 3rd and 1. Cassel bounced it. To an open receiver. Not even four feet away from him.
He bounced a two yard pass on 3rd and 1. In the words of the Spanish Bumblebee on "The Simpsons": aye yay yay! No me gusta! Now, it's stressful. The Chiefs not only are tied with an 0-6 team ... we're giving them the ball back with 2 minutes and 3 timeouts left. This is no bueno.
* Only, are we giving them the ball back? The Chiefs don't send in the punter! They're going for it! Cassel lines up under center, and in section 132, this hot-as-hell blogger immediately hits his knees and begins repeatedly saying "oh f*ck no. oh f*ck no. oh f*ck no". Fortunately, someone with an ounce of sense intervenes and calls timeout. (Couldn't tell you who did, again, I was on my knees pleading for someone to intervene and end this insanity). In trots Dusty C, who gets off a nice kick.
What angered me though, is why use the timeout? If you get the ball back, aren't you going to want and/or possibly need that third and final timeout? If you're going to punt, just take the penalty. Again, I like a lot of what Todd Haley and his staff are doing. I love the go-for-it mentality a lot of the time. I love the risk taking. I love being ahead of the NFL curve for once, instead of playing catch-up. But please, Todd, do yourself and everyone else a favor, and immediately hire Mike White again to manage the clock and timeouts. Not having that timeout really hurt, because ...
* It should be noted, on their last five drives (two in the fourth quarter, three in overtime), the Bills reached Chiefs territory. They only scored once, on the first drive. This one, the second, ends with Eric Berry picking off Fitzpatrick, to give Cassel and the Chiefs one more chance at eeking out the win in regulation. Granted, it would be a long shot, as the Chiefs started at their own 40 with no timeouts and only 20 seconds to play. But hey, stranger things have happened.
Of course, Cassel is immediately sacked, and we head to overtime. (Where not having that TO we whizzed away on the 4th and 1 punt hurt). But at least the defense held. This is going to be a recurring theme the rest of the game. They bent, but they never broke.
* Bills win the toss. They reach the KC 43 on one play, a 12 yard run and a 15 yard face mask penalty. Oy. Fortunately, the Chiefs man up, forcing two incompletions and a meaningless 3 yard gain. The Bills punt.
* Sitting two rows behind me yesterday, was one of the most annoying women I have ever had the unfortune to sit by. She literally screamed on every play, and she was cheering for Buffalo. In early overtime, I'd finally had enough, and turned around and started screaming at her. "Will you please shut the f*ck up! Shut the f*ck up! We're sick of this sh*t! Just shut your f*cking mouth!" Kind of shocked her. Kind of shocked me too -- I certainly have never told a 50ish year old black woman to "shut your f*cking mouth" before. That's what stress does to you.
(And did she shut up? Hell no. She just kept getting louder and more obnoxious. Sadly, she ducked out right after the Chiefs won, so I didn't get to say anything lippy or smart-assish to her. Here's hoping, unlike the guy next to me yesterday, that woman never comes with 500 feet of section 132 ever again).
* The Chiefs get to midfield, and face a 4th and 2. In trots Dusty C. Looks like Coach learned from his brain fart 10 minutes earlier. Good to see.
* The Bills again drive, and line up for a game winning 53 yard attempt. It's good. Only, Todd Haley pulled the patented mike shanahan "call TO right before the snap" move. On the retry ... it's off the upright! No good!
(For a 13-10 game that was more painful to watch than any episode of season eight of "NYPD Blue" (man the Rick Schroder years sucked) for the first 55 minutes, the last 20 were really, really intense and intriguing).
* After the miss, I turn to the guy next to me, and we both agree -- air it out. Go for the jugular. The Bills will be expecting another run, try to catch them off guard. Cassel goes play action on 1st down, and hits a wide open Tony Moeaki for almost 20 yards. The Chiefs then run it the next six plays, to set up a Ryan Succup attempt from 39 yards out. The 3rd down run infuriated me. We were playing it way too conservatively. We didn't even attempt to get the first down and extend the drive, we were content to attempt a 40 yard field goal, into a very stiff wind. That decision bit us in the ass when Succup wasn't even close on his attempt. Instead of a Chiefs victory, we're still going, and now momentum is back with the Bills.
(blackstreet voice) Play on playa.
* The Bills take a play from the Chiefs / "Two Steves" playbook of our previous series, and here again, is one of those highly underrated moments that everyone will skip over when trying to figure out how we won this game. The Chiefs are caught with their proverbial pants down, so to speak. We are completely unprepared for a Bills bomb. Brandon Flowers has no choice, and reaches out and grabs a wide open, streaking for a huge gain Lee Evans. I couldn't get upset, Flowers had no choice. Either he draws the flag, or the Bills win the game on a 71 yard touchdown, Evans was that wide open. I pound the seat in front of me in frustration though, because the pass interference call was going to get the Bills inside of Chiefs territory again.
Only ... Al Riveron calls defensive holding on Flowers. Instead of this being a 35 yard pass interference penalty, it's only a 5 yarder. Still, this being the Bills, they manage to reach the Chiefs 40 yet again, and given that Lindell hit the upright from 53 yards out, they only need about 3 yards at this point to try a field goal that has a decent shot of going in.
First down: incomplete, great coverage by Carr.
Second down: incomplete, batted down (and nearly picked) by Arenas.
Third down: intentional grounding. The Bills line just collapsed against the Chiefs pressure.
With its back to the wall, with the hopes of Chiefs Nation fading, with the prospect of p*ssing away one of the most winnable games on the schedule now a very realistic possibility, the Chiefs defense, on the ropes, having been on the field for a staggering 31 out of the last 43 minutes of play (aka "they're spent"), these guys manned up in a way no Chiefs defense has in at least 5 years, since "The Stand" on 4th and 2 against denver. When we needed them the most, they delivered their finest hour.
(Yes, the goalline stand against San Diego in the opener this year was a huge defensive moment ... but it wasn't as big as holding in overtime yesterday. If San Diego scores on that drive eight weeks ago, we go to overtime. If Buffalo scores on that final drive yesterday, we lose. That's a pretty big difference).
* So now, once again, for the fifth time in the last 17 minutes, Matt Cassel is being given the ball, needing only to drive for a field goal to win. Finally, Cassel delivers.
* Before I forget and get into the Chiefs final drive, I gotta say, there was a moment in there on Sunday, when I literally got chills. You could kind of hear it a little bit in the 4th quarter and overtime, but on the final stand, you heard it on 1st down, you started to really hear it on 2nd down, and on 3rd down, it was deafening, a chant you haven't heard much in that stadium lately, a staple of the 1990s and early 2000s.
"De-Fence! (pound seat! pound seat!)"
"De-Fence! (pound seat! pound seat!)"
Awesome stuff.
* Chiefs take over with 1:13 to go, no timeouts, at their own 31. Succup has already missed in overtime from 39, so realistically, we've gotta get inside the 20 to have a shot. 60 yards, in 70 seconds, with no TOs.
First down, a beautiful little dump off to Charles, who jukes his way downfield for 16 yards. The noise, the hopes, starting to build. Cassel hurries the guys to the line, the ball is snapped, and in another one of those "whoa, this guy might not be as bad as we think!" moments that frustrate the living hell out of me when it comes to Cassel, Cassel doesn't spike it. Instead he looks to the sideline, to see if Tucker can shed his defender, or if his defender isn't paying attention, expecting the spike. Cassel was trying to steal the win right there. Sadly, the Bills defender was paying attention, so Cassel then just overthrew Tucker out of bounds to stop the clock.
Say what you want about the guy, and God knows I said a lot of unprintable comments at times about him yesterday and in the prior games of his tenure here ... but in the heat of the moment, he kept his head. He didn't just robotically spike the ball -- he tried to catch the Bills off guard and steal the victory. That's what I want in my quarterback, someone who doesn't lose his head in the moment. That was a great positive sign yesterday.
* Next play, now near midfield, a beautiful pass to Moeaki for 18 to the Bills 35. At least, no matter what, we can attempt a field goal now. Plus, the Bills are flagged on the play for (I forget which) defensive holding or illegal contact. Chiefs decline and take the result of the play, but because of the flag, the clock is stopped.
Cassel again drops back to pass, again hits Moeaki for a first down, to the Bills 24. It's 42 from there. That's makeable. Cassel spikes the ball on first down to stop the clock with :26 left.
Before I can even say it, the "other Steve" leans over and goes "run it here! Catch them off guard, and the clock is not a factor right now!" Exactly what I was thinking. It took 16 seconds to run the previous play from snap to spike, and that's on a downfield pass. If you run it here, with everyone congested in the middle of the field, you should be able to spike the ball with at least :05 left.
Chuck Weis had the same line of thought as the "Two Steves". The call is a Jamaal Charles run, and he almost breaks it. He's drug down at the 16 by the last line of defense. Cassel calmly gets the team to the line, and (another underrated moment) waits a second for everyone to stabilize, before snapping and spiking the ball. Cassel understood -- a penalty there means a 10 second runoff, and no field goal attempt. Take the extra second or two, make sure everyone is set, then spike it to ensure you get to at least attempt a kick. You only need :01 to try a field goal, as we all (sadly) learned in last year's Big XII Title Game. Outstanding job by Cassel on the last two drives yesterday -- he kept his composure, he out-thought the defense, he understood the risk of spiking it before everyone was set.
And oh yeah, he moved us into makeable field goal range on both drives.
* Succup lines up, and as I hit my knees to pray for the kick to go through, I have to be honest. I had zero doubt he'd make it. I almost didn't hit the knees, I knew he was going to drill this one right down the middle. He knew the wind now. He knew what to expect. (Which is why not trying the field goal on this end of the field in the 1st quarter hurt. If he'd had the prior experience, he might have made that first OT kick, or better yet, if he makes that first quarter attempt, we never go to overtime).
The kick, it's good! He played the wind perfectly. After some jubiliant high-fives and victory hugs, I just kind of drop into my seat with a goofy, relieved grin on my face.
* I get to the top of the steps, start heading towards the ramp, and I can't help it. Todd Reesing fist pump. After fist pumping some more as the steel is getting pounded in celebration by thousands of Chiefs fans (not one of whom left early yesterday -- great job guys!), I look over at Katie and she goes "oh just do it!"
You're damned right I ran over and started pounding the columns in celebration. It's every bit as cool as I thought it would be. (And yes, it frightens me too that smacking a steel column can get me that excited. It's easily as comparible an excitement as laying on a stage with a dollar bill in your mouth inside a run-down shack on the gravelly road portion of East 15th Street in unincorporated Douglas County while a "waitress" collects her "tip". Uum, not that I've ever done that. Let's just move on).
* Ran into Bill outside the gate. Both of us just had the same look of relief and joy at the same time. Vessie joked "if we play any more games like this, I'm killing Bill's surgeon and the guy who saved his life last year. I can't take this stress anymore!"
Which is exactly what I felt like too. Completely stressed out. I even texted "first time i've had to puke from stress out here since 2006. it feels great!"
* Got back to the buses, and pushed everyone out of the way, repeatedly saying "I need my vodka. I need my vodka". Best tasting screwdriver of the day. I'd earned it.
* Did the whipped cream shot first.
(i'd like to think this had a huge part to do with the victory. photo: somebody using my camera to record yet another humiliating moment in my life).
* Castro arrived with his tequila bottles, and since I had to do a shot, I start asking around for one of the little solo shot cups we use. Castro had other ideas -- he pulled out a huge shot glass, poured it to the top, and said "enjoy it man!" Unreal. The dude walks around with 8oz shooter glasses in his pocket.
(Also unreal? When he first got there for post-game celebrating, our Cuervo bottle was pretty much completely full. Not even 15 minutes later, it was half empty. There were only two people drinking out of it, and the second person only did two shots out of his shooter glass. He drank nearly half a handle of tequila in 15 minutes, and not only was not lying on the ground unconscious, he wasn't even showing any visible outward signs of intoxication! I didn't know whether to be impressed or scared. I went with impressed).
I somehow managed to get the whole shot down without any of it coming back up. Although the tequila certainly was trying to escape my stomach. (Apparently tequila and vodka do not mix at all. My stomach was rumbling the rest of the afternoon).
* Pretty uneventful drive home, other than Joe and his date engaging in some very public displays of affection. After watching the late games and having a couple more screwdrivers, it was off for home.
* Now ... the season gets interesting.
Sunday, come 3pm, the Chiefs visit the second place oakland raiders. The surging oakland raiders, who absolutely boatraced the donkeys in denver, and demolished the first place Seahawks yesterday. Yes, the Chiefs have won seven straight in the Black Hole ... but 6 of those were by a touchdown or less. (Only the 2006 game was a double digit final).
History indicates this will be a tight, low-scoring defensive battle won by the team that makes the fewest mistakes. Maybe, just maybe, yesterday was a godsend. The raiders have improved, but they're not as good as the Chiefs. Yesterday, the Chiefs showed they can win ugly. Which is good, because I think we're going to have to do that again on Sunday.
Enjoy Victory Monday. God knows I am, albeit with shakes, a still rumbling stomach, and bloodshot eyes. And then be ready for the most stressful game of the season so far come Sunday afternoon. They only get more stressful from here folks. Every week gets more nerve-wracking than the previous one. And I can hardly wait!
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