I'd Rather Not Talk About It, But if I Must ...

Kansas City Star

If you read this blog, then I am certain you would have taken the time to watch the Chiefs opening preseason game of the 2011 season. And since you watched the opening preseason game, I'm also certain that you probably have very strong feelings regarding the performance of your beloved team. And if you have strong feelings regarding the Chiefs performance, then I recommend taking a deep breath, check your blood pressure, and remember that the Chiefs won the AFC West last season.

And one poor preseason performance shouldn't remove all the good, warm fuzzy feelings we have left from last season.

Have fans overreacted? Probably. I was at the game and I wasn't the happiest person in the world when exiting Arrowhead. I was upset that the Bucs had left their starters in against our second and, at times, third string players (what exactly does that prove?); I was upset that Palko looked so awful; I was upset that Ricky Stanzi garnered zero pass protection from his offensive line; I was upset that Matt Cassel didn't even attempt a pass; I was upset that Quinten Lawrence tried to return the opening kickoff from deep in our own endzone; I was upset that I had gone to the game with a Bucs fan; I was upset that the Chiefs looked like an inferior team; I was upset that the game reminded me so much of the last game I saw the Chiefs play (back in January); I was upset that we kept turning the ball over; I was upset that I saw a couple of people wearing Raiders jerseys; I was upset at the playcalling; but most of all, I was upset about how plain sloppy we were.

[The above thoughts are listed out of order; I just thought I should note that to ensure I'm not a crazy person.]

Areas of frustration began feeding off one another, until on the final possession of the game with two minutes left, we decide to run the football and thus run out the clock. The frustration of the crowd climaxed, and as the players were waiting for the clock to read zero, Chiefs fans began booing. Their once beloved AFC West Champions were now nothing more than a disappointment, a realization of all of our fanhood nightmares.

And so the overreaction began.

I, too, was a victim of the initial overreaction that accompanied the blowout loss. And as fans, it is our right to overreact whenever we please. It is also our duty, however, to be able to handle such overreaction and put it into perspective, even a positive light if the team has earned it (which, because of last year, I say it has). So, here's some perspective:

• No one was injured. This is the main goal of any preseason game. From starters to undrafted free agents, coaches don't want to see players suffer injuries in a meaningless game.
• Let's go back to the above sentence, more specifically, the second to last word. These preseason games are meaningless. In no way can they predict how the season will go. Last year, the Chiefs barely won one preseason game, and the year the Lions didn't win a game, they were undefeated in preseason.
• Both turnovers occured due to non-starting players. The fumble on the snap was when Darryl Harris was in at center, and the fumble that occured down field was because of Jackie Battle. It's not like Wiegmann or Hudson screwed up and Charles put it on the turf.
• If you were unsatisfied with the playcalls, it was Bill Muir who was calling the plays. I'll admit that he's no Charlie Weis, but I'm sure he was given a short leash. And if you were so unsatisfied beyond the point of consulation, then there's always Todd Haley waiting on the sideline.
• This should go without saying, but the depth charts we saw for the game probably won't be the same depth charts we see at the beginning of the season. A lot of our starters didn't play, or weren't used when they were in, and a lot of guys that were starting, we won't see starting in September.

I hope my bullet points of perspective have helped calm your nerves a little bit, or as much as they can be after a 25-0 beat down. We play the Ravens this week, and hopefully our starters will be in a little longer so we can see how well (or bad) they do on a more realistic scale.

But if your fanhood was questioned by unfulfilled exhibition expectations, then I recommend clicking here.