Winning is Overrated

For the frangible faithful out there, blogging will resume this week. I was living in the land of slow dial-up (not a redundant statement, by the way. There are varying degrees of dial-up, and this was very slow) and was unable to post for the past week or so. Naturally, the first thing to discuss is the Chiefs end to a seven game losing streak.

I find it quite amusing that now that the Chiefs finally won a game, some people are saying we only won because the Raiders gave the game to us. Are you kidding me? A win is a win, right? How many games have the Chiefs given away this year? The other team didn't get an asterisk next to those games, why should we? So quit the whining about getting a tainted win. Now, on to the bulleted game items:

• Thigpen Gets a Win! So What? Several of the stories in today's KC Star point out that Thigpen finally got his first win as a starter. Good for him. However, it came in possibly his worst performance of the last five games. So what does that stat really mean? Could it be that he's lost several of those past games, not because of his performance, but because the defense and special teams have been terrible? Why does the QB have to get all the credit for a win or all the blame for a loss? Is Larry Johnson ever judged by a win/loss record? How about Derrick Johnson, or even Derrick Thomas for that matter?
  
  Folks will rave about Ben Roethlisberger's rookie season or even how Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan are doing this year. True, they're making plays and avoiding mistakes, but aren't they surrounded by quality players? They have good running games (ATL - 2nd, BAL - 3rd), or pretty good defenses (PIT - 1st, BAL - 2nd). The Chiefs are actually 12th in rushing (no doubt helped by Thigpen himself), but are dead last in defense.
  
  To me it's a bit like the win/loss stat for starting pitchers. They have no control over what kind of run support they get, which goes a long way in determining whether or not they win, not to mention the bullpen's ability to hold a lead. ERA is a much better stat for a pitcher, although it sounds like advanced stats like ERA+ are even better. Yesterday's win was nice, but it had more to do with the defense avoiding big plays and JaMarcus Russell playing horrendous.


• Thanks, Russell! It's an obvious point, but wow did JaMarcus Russell look bad. He had all day to throw (again, little pressure on the QB!) and looked like the early season version of Tyler Thigpen, badly overthrowing wide open receivers. I haven't watched any other Raiders games, but I would question whether he's made any progress. Again the Chiefs failed to notch a single sack, but Russell managed to fall down all by himself. I'm guessing he'll get another year to prove himself, since the Raiders have so much invested in him. One more season for the Chiefs to reap the rewards!


• Missing the Mark Am I the only one that thought the passing game really suffered without Mark Bradley in the lineup? Or did he actually step on the field? Maybe he was there and just never got any looks ... but his presence definitely stretches the field and opens things up for Bowe and Gonzalez. Gonzo certainly had a monster day, but Bowe was MIA and had another ball bounce off of his hands. I imagine it's the sophomore slump striking again, and still expect Bowe to be a quality number one for years to come.


• The Most Irritating Offensive Play Back in the days of good defense, I always hated it when the Chiefs would have everyone covered and get some pressure on the quarterback only to watch him take off and run for a first down. It sure is nice to have a guy who can do that for us instead. For the game, Thigpen had 11 carries for 48 yards, some of which were short gains that prevented sacks. There was a nice QB keeper in the red zone where Charles ran as a lead blocker - I think Thigpen would've scored if he had followed him to the end zone rather than cutting off to the left.


• Field Goals Make Me Want to Barth Do we finally have a kicker we can rely on? Is this what the Chiefs expected from their last rookie, Justin Medlock? (And did I just curse Barth by bringing up that name in the first place? Nah, a curse would involve mentioning Lin Elliot. Ooops...) So far he's 8/8 on the season. That's enough to cause me to overlook the fact that he's a Tarheel.


• Say What? Just something I read multiple times today in the Star: the Chiefs have 17 rookies on their roster. Wow. Nothing to add... just... wow.


• Injury to Insult Did anyone else see the hit Bernard Pollard laid on Justin Fargas just after Rocky Boiman had caused him to fumble? I'm glad I have DVR - I watched that play four or five times in a row. O U C H. Unfortunately it does seem like Pollard often goes for the big hit rather than wrapping up. It's hurt us before, but this time it was highlight material.


• Still Not Pro-Bowl Material Earlier in his career, Donnie Edwards wondered aloud what he needed to do to get to the Pro Bowl. The response was that it wasn't enough to post 100 tackle seasons and play every game, he also needed to make game-changing plays. For at least the second time this season, Derrick Johnson had a potential pick-six bounce off of his hands. Until he starts making plays like that, he'll continue to be a guy playing way below his potential and the expectations that come with being a first-round drafted linebacker.


• Marty Said There'd Be Days Like This Of course we save the best for last. Marty Schottenheimer had a theory that if you just wait long enough, eventually the Raiders will do something stupid to lose the game. The Chiefs didn't actually have to wait that long, as the Raiders ran the craziest fake FG attempt in the second quarter.
  
  It was 4th and ten, and it appeared that C-Bass was supposed to run for the first down. Are you kidding me? He might have the best leg in the history of the NFL but he certainly doesn't have two of them. The Chiefs may have the worse record, but that play right there defines the Raiders. Of course the "pitch" was bad and Maurice Leggett picked it up and returned it for a TD.
  
  That play was unbelievably dumb, and it turned out to be the difference in the game. Maybe the Raiders should've been watching the Nebraska-Colorado game on Friday to see how a fake field goal could blow up in your face?