Sitting on my couch after Thanksgiving dinner, I was hoping to watch my Cowboys defeat the Redskins and continue their run in the NFC East. However, I was greatly disappointed and angered, as they once again dug themselves into a huge hole, only to come up short in a late rally.
This is how it’s always been for the Cowboys. They give me hope, only to let me down in the end.
I was talking to a friend of mine, an Eagles fan, about this situation. Both of our teams were incredibly frustrating, and we couldn’t take it anymore.
Then I said something that offered the bright side of things.
“Hey, at least we aren’t Chiefs fans.”
The Kansas City Chiefs are now 1-10 after losing to the Denver Broncos this past Sunday. They are 29th in the NFL in passing with their quarterback carousel of Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn. Their defense, while ravaged by injures, has underperformed immensely. But it’s gotten so bad that the fans literally cannot take it anymore.
A Twitter account called @SaveOurChiefs has been created to spread the knowledge of how desperately fans are calling for the heads of management. General manager Scott Pioli must be fired, they say. Pioli hasn’t drafted well in the first round since grabbing Dwayne Bowe in 2007 (Eric Berry hasn’t proven to be worth his spot at fifth overall).
Then there’s head coach Romeo Crennel. He was praised after the Chiefs ended the Packers’ undefeated season last year. So what does he do with a new head-coaching job? Not utilize his best offensive weapon, running back Jamaal Charles. There have been two games where Charles has received fewer than 10 carries, four games where he has received fewer than 15 carries, and seven games where he has received fewer than 20 carries. Inexcusable.
And just when you think the Chiefs seem to have turned some sort of corner, they baffle you again.
This past week against the Broncos, the Chiefs had a lead, something they haven’t had much all year. They were faced with multiple fourth-and-1’s in Denver territory. Normally, a 1-9 (now 1-10) team would have some urgency and think, “Hey, we’re toast anyways, let’s just go for it.”
Nope. They kick the field goal.
At that point, it doesn’t matter if they don’t get it. But then again, what does matter to these Chiefs this season?
I’m not blaming it on the players. They’re clearly busting their asses. It’s the coaches and management that need to go, as evident by the @SaveOurChiefs Twitter account paying for a plane to fly over Arrowhead Stadium with a message saying, “We deserve better, fire Pioli, bench Cassel.”
Despite all of these awful stories, the worst hasn’t even been said. Loren Lickteig, a Chiefs fan, passed away this fall at the age of 81. His obituary read this:
“Complications from MS and heartbreaking disappointment caused by the Kansas City Chiefs football team.”
Nothing gets sadder than that.
So when you look at this organization, changes really need to be made. The Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game since 1993 and haven’t won a Super Bowl since Super Bowl IV. A truly dedicated fan base is hungry for success. And if things don’t turn around soon, they may starve to death.
But they still have the Royals, right?
Oh, wait.
