Getting to Know the Kansas City Chiefs
By Ernie Padaon
This won’t be the same Chiefs that we saw earlier in the year. They have stepped their game up and are no longer in the SUCK FOR LUCK competition and they are now competing to take the top spot in the division.
I was able to work with Patrick Allen from Arrowhead Adddict to get a little more insight on what is going on in KC:1. How will the weather be this weekend? Please say no rain!Rain would be a tragedy as we all know that it only rained on the Chargers at Arrowhead last year. ?
Right now the forecast calls for a clear night. Low will be 44 so if all goes well, conditions will likely be around 50 at kickoff.
2. Are you still a running team without Jamaal Charles? What is the scouting report on Jackie Battle?Yeah the Chiefs are still run-first but they tend to be trending away from that just a bit. They have more weapons in the passing game than ever before with Steve Breaston, Bowe and now Jonathan Baldwin.
It hasn’t shown up in the box score yet but I think the Chiefs are moving toward more of a passing attack. They came out hurling it against the Raiders but they got a lead so quickly that they changed it up and started running more to protect the lead.
If I am guessing, the Chiefs will try to throw early and get a lead and then pound away with Jackie Battle late.
Battle is a beast. He is a big, straight-ahead runner with deceptive speed. He isn’t particuarly elusive but if he gets a head of steam he can really push the pile. If you don’t stop him behind the line he can turn a one-yard gain into a four-yard gain with his power.
3. Looks like you all guys got your groove back. What are the main reasons for the upswing?The big thing is that the team has stopped turning the ball over and stopped missing tackles. The Chiefs looked shell-shocked and unprepared early in the year. Starting with the game in SD, they seemed to snap out of it.
Lots of folks will attribute the resurgence to games against the weak Colts, Vikes and Kyle Boller-led Raiders but that is rubbish. Those things helped but the fact of the matter is the Chiefs have dealt with major personnel changes and they seem to have figured it out. They have played well enough to win in four straight games.
The team still has some issues but they are certainly no doormat and could be really dangerous should they continue to improve.
4. Antonio Cromartie called the Chargers “a team that can’t finish.” What is the perception of the Chargers out in KC?KC fans think the Chargers are a talented bunch of cry babies quite frankly. The comments SD players made blaming the refs for last week’s loss made a lot of us roll our eyes.
That being said, KC fans respect the team’s talent, especially guys like Rivers (though we hate him) and Gates (when will he retire?). KC fans know the Chargers will be tough to beat Monday or any day.
5. At this point of the season, who is the Chiefs team MVP?It has to be Dwayne Bowe with linebacker Derrick Johnson being a close second. Both have been fantastic but Bowe has put up consistent numbers all year long. With Charles lost for the year, Bowe kept the offense afloat.
6. Your prediction on how this division plays out.Oh man, that is tough. I might feel differently after MNF but right now, I’d say the Chargers pull it out with maybe a 9-7 or 10-6 record. Followed by the Chiefs and Raiders at 8-8 and the Denver Tewbow’s at 4-12 or 5-11.
It could be tight though. I could easily see a three-way tie at the end of the year with everyone being 9-7.