Moneyball

The Steroid Era in major league baseball changed the game in many ways.  Majestic home runs and high powered offenses became prevalent.  Power was glamorous and glorious and commonplace.  Salaries skyrocketed along with the pitchers’ ERA’s.  In the midst of all this run scoring, something horrible happened.  Once proud, successful small markets teams were priced out of the market for the muscle bound big boppers that suddenly ruled the game.  Organizations such as Kansas City, Pittsburg, Cincinnati, San Diego, Oakland, and Minnesota were on the outside looking in as the fat cats threw money at slugging free agents year after year.  Teams had to change their business model to even hope to compete.  Success had to be built from within each organization through the draft and be selective with the leftover free agents.  There was very little room for error and teams that missed on their top picks soon became buried in the standings.

The movie Moneyball is really the story of Billy Beane, a former first round draft pick of the New York Mets.  More so than the book by the same name, the film tells the story of Beane’s struggle to think outside of the box.  As the general manager for the small market Oakland A’s, he had to watch a successful team from the 2001 playoffs be dismantled.  Free agent star players from that team were plucked away by teams with deep pockets like the Yankees and Red Sox, frustrating Beane to no end.  A chance meeting with a Yale graduate named Peter Brand led Beane and the A’s to embrace a form of player evaluation based on mathematics and algebraic formulas rather the excepted commonplace evaluations used for decades.

The movie follows Beane’s travails trying to convince his own scouting and coaching staffs of the relevance and possibilities of trying something new, as well as following Beane’s own career through flashbacks.  Beane and Brand searched for players who had the skill set of getting on base but for whatever reason were undervalued by the market.  The film chronicles the 2002 season for the A’s as the team struggles to produce the results Beane and Brand expect and what happens when those expectations finally came to fruition.  The book devotes a great deal of space to the drafting process and philosophies and that part is completely ignored in the movie. 

Moneyball is not just a film for baseball lovers and stat nerds, although it probably helps.  The movie is dramatic and exciting and does a good job at explaining the process for non baseball fans.  Brad Pitt portrays Beane with just the right amount of charisma and quirkiness.  Jonah Hill is Brand and seems woefully uncomfortable through most of the movie.  Philip Seymour Hoffman is pretty good as Manager Art Howe, who according to the movie, fights Beane tooth and nail on Beane’s new vision but accepts the accolades when success is attained.  

The fact is Moneyball the book, and the success of the 2002 A’s had a huge impact on baseball, especially now, as baseball recovers from the Steroid Era.  Not only have small market teams embraced sabermetrics (the term for the algebraic application to baseball) but big market teams have as well.  If you have every watched and game between the Yankees and Red Sox, you will know how long and drawn out each contest can become.  One of the philosophies of sabermetrics is to work pitch counts and get on base as often as possible, really embracing base on balls.  This has caused games to drag on at times.  Some teams have been slow to embrace the new method.  The Kansas City Royals for instance, a very cash poor team, was very slow to embrace sabermetrics.  Other teams, such as the Twins, Yankees, and Red Sox have all had a lot of success.  In the case of the Yankees and Red Sox, money and sabermetrics have lead to championships.  Now, all teams pay attention to the mathematics of baseball and not just the raw results.  As the power and glamour of the Steroid Era fades and statistics return to the levels known before the game was ruled by cheaters, sabermetrics is now becoming more and more accepted throughout the game and once again the small market teams are forced to look for success outside of the box again.  That is for another day.

Moneyball is a baseball movie but I don’t believe you have to be a baseball fan to enjoy it.  It’s a good story and it plays out well on the big screen.  Pitt and Hoffman give good performances and director Bennett Miller seemed intent on not bogging the movie down with the math itself or on discussing the draft process, which would bore non baseball fans.  If you are a fan of sports movies or films high on drama, give Moneyball a chance.

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Who Is To Blame For the Chiefs' Mess?

Even before the season started, I feared the 2011 version of the Kansas City Chiefs was being overrated.  The Chiefs won the AFC West in 2010 mainly because of their last place schedule and a great success at avoiding the injury bug.  While, after suffering through three brutal seasons before last year, I was thrilled the Chiefs had some success but I was never comfortable with the level of talent.  Let’s just say I was afraid the Chiefs were a paper tiger.

Many fans want to string up Coach Todd Haley already.  Haley certainly has his coaching flaws.  Haley treats the pre-season with a seemingly lackadaisical attitude and he just can’t seem to fully support anyone but himself calling the plays offensively.  He stills makes some head scratching decisions on the field but, honestly, what head coach doesn’t?  With all his issues though, is he really to blame for this train wreck?  Would any other coach have any better success with this shallow, thinly talented squad?

For me, this mess falls directly at the feet of General Manager Scott Pioli.  As of a few days ago, sixteen players on the Chiefs roster were holdovers from the Herm Edwards era.  Yes, the same Herm Edwards regime that won six total games over the last two years before Pioli took over.  While there is going to be leftovers from a team from just four years ago, 30% is much too high.  If those players were all that good as a whole, they would have more than they did.

Injuries have without a doubt crippled this team badly on both sides of the ball in 2011.  Losing Tony Moeaki, Eric Berry, and Jamaal Charles would be a tough pill to swallow for any team.  Regardless, this team had a glaring lack of talented depth right from the get go.  It was as thin last year but Kansas City avoided major injuries through the 2010 campaign.  While these injuries are serious, compare the depth of this team to last year’s champion, the Green Bay Packers.  The Packers were plagued all last season by major injuries but had the depth in place to overcome them.  Matt Cassel is no Aaron Rogers so we cannot expect the same results but a greater depth of talent would have made the spate of early injuries easier to deal with.

At first, it was believed Pioli would be great on draft day.  After the 2010 draft, he was almost proclaimed a hero.  Pick after pick looked like it might produce quality players.  Those picks certainly had plenty of opportunities last year and did produce in some cases.  A year later, though, and the bloom is wearing off.  The best player, Eric Berry is out for the year and several of the other players don’t look as good as they did early last year.  After the Tyson Jackson fiasco in the 2009 draft and the thus far disastrous pick of Jon Baldwin in this past draft, Pioli doesn’t seem near the genius as he was thought to be.  Even if Dexter McCluster is great for the remainder of this season, at his diminutive size, just how long can he be productive?  Just how many nickel and dime defensive backs can a team have?  It is like having a team of utility infielders and 4^th outfielders in baseball. 

Pioli’s inactivity in the free agent feeding frenzy that followed the end of the lockout is inexcusable.  Not filling the glaring holes that existed going into this season has been a huge mark against Pioli.  On top of that, the Chiefs lost a couple of very important and underrated players in Seth Smith and Ron Edwards that were not properly replaced.  Neither player was a star but the Chiefs could ill afford to lose both, especially the versatile Smith.  The Chiefs are way under the salary cap and coming off a division title, and I can’t believe better players couldn’t have been convinced to sign with Kansas City without more effort. 

I never want my team to lose games, especially this early in the season.  I am not rooting for the Chiefs to lose every game just so they can draft Andrew Luck.  First round quarterbacks are no guarantee (Heath Shuler, Ryan Leaf, David Carr, etc.) and the Chiefs have too many holes to lose games just to fill one.  I want the Chiefs to win.  I just don’t think they have the talent to do so.  They have two winnable games coming up against the Vikings and Colts but they may be the last two all year.  Kansas City has a brutal schedule for the second half and they just aren’t going to win many games.  While I want them to win games, if they do continue to lose, by the time the last few games roll around, I won’t be cheering very hard. 

Todd Haley is going to take the fall.  If they lose to the Vikings and/or Colts, it may be as early as the bye week.  It is easier to fire a coach in mid season than a general manager.  Make no mistake though.  This mess is Pioli’s.  Coaches have a hard time coaching up poor draft picks and throw away free agents.  Haley can only coach the talent Pioli gave him and for 2011, it is not very much.  There is a lot of talk about doing it the “Patriot Way”.  Well, that’s all just dandy if you have a Tom Brady.  Maybe that’s Pioli’s plan – just throw a crappy squad together, lose a lot of games, and try to draft another Tom Brady, in the guise of Andrew Luck.  Maybe he can then copy the “Patriot Way” here in Kansas City.  You know, I’d rather just win games the old fashion way.  You know, with lots of talent.

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Boxing Is a Joke

As a kid I was a huge boxing fan.  It was so long ago, I can barely remember it.  I followed boxing through high school and college.  I believe it has never been the same since Buster Douglas surprised Mike Tyson.  With Tyson plummeted from the lofty heights of seeming invincibility, the heavy weight class, the highest profile class of boxing, never recovered.

For twenty years now the heavy weight class, once the home of the superstars of the sport, has been filled with no names and mediocre contenders.  No excitement or interest remains for the heavy weights. 

The excitement and interest has been generated in the lighter weight classes.  Marketable stars who like to fight suddenly took over the sport.  With the expansion of the pay per view spectacle in the early 1990’s, the sport was in a position to take off.  Instead, it has become a joke.

Money rules all in boxing as in all professional sports.  There is no getting around that.  It is a fact of life in our culture.  I am not commenting on that aspect of the sport.  I have a problem with the fact that everything is aimed toward the NEXT big time event.  No matter how big the present star match up may be, the next one will always be bigger.  The bigger that match up is, the bigger the monetary stakes. 

For years, controversy has reigned over the sport.  From violent thugs in the ring doing inexplicable things (Tyson biting off an ear) to obviously corrupt judges not being held publicly accountable for their scorecards, boxing has down nothing to fix the issues.  Incompetent or corrupt referees continue to work key fights.  The sport is a mess.

I knew all this.  I have known it for twenty years.  Still, I got drawn in.  I have become a Victor Ortiz fan.  He is a local boy with a heart wrenching story.  He is personable, genuine, and an all around nice guy.  How could you not pull for this kid?  When he unexpectedly won the welter weight belt and earned a match against the talented and smart sleaze bag, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., how could he not be the fan favorite?

Mayweather co-promoted the event along with Oscar de la Hoya.  He earned 25 million for last night’s bout while Ortiz, the champion, earned a career high 2.5 million (or as Mayweather called it – shoe box money).  Despite the fact Ortiz was the fan favorite over the arrogant thug wannabe Mayweather, the smart money, or apparently, all money, was on the challenger/promoter.  Ortiz was an overwhelming underdog but didn’t seem to faze him.

The first three rounds belonged to the technically and fundamentally sound veteran.  One judge and the pay per view announcer had Mayweather winning 2 of the rounds while the other two judges had Ortiz losing all three rounds.  Ortiz was clearly winning the 4^th round, pinning the undefeated former champion against the ropes and was pummeling him late in the round.  Then Ortiz, who had been hinting on HBO’s 24/7 that Mayweather was a dirty fighter, gave Mayweather a little head butt.  The referee, Jose Cortez, stopped the bout and correctly deducted a point from Ortiz.  The fighters, who had retreated to their corners, approached the center of the ring.  The referee was still looking toward and talking to either the judges or the time keeper.  Ortiz approached Mayweather and apologized for the head butt and leaned in for a glove touch and half hug.  The referee was still not looking at the fighters and had not clapped them in.  Mayweather, in the ultimate act of a cheater, sucker punched Ortiz in the side of the head while feigning acceptance of the offered sportsmanship induced hug.  Ortiz stumbled back and looked at the referee, who was STILL not looking at the fighters.  While Ortiz looked to the referee, arms at his side and defenseless, Mayweather stepped in and clobbered Ortiz in the head, knocking him to the floor, senseless.  As the crowd roared its disbelief and indignation referee Cortez did not immediately disqualify the money maker Mayweather.   Instead, he counted out the dazed champion.  When he reached ten, he declared the thug the winner.  The crowd roared its disapproval.

After the fight, boxing legend Larry Merchant interviewed the so-called winner in center ring.  He asked Mayweather why he would do what he did.  Mayweather responded by thanking God (Satan was more appropriate) and again the crowd reigned boos down on him.  Merchant rephrased his question and again Mayweather deftly ducked the query like an Ortiz jab.  Merchant pursued the matter until Mayweather screamed that the interview was over and he wanted a new interviewer.  He told Merchant he didn’t know sh*t about boxing and wasn’t sh*t.  The 80-year old legend replied that if he were 50 years younger, he would kick Myaweather’s ass.  The crowd filled the arena with cheers of agreement.  I am not necessarily a Merchant fan but he was totally justified in his line of questioning and in his response to Mayweather’s dissembling and thuggery.  Ortiz, on the other hand, responded in exactly the correct way.  He said it was what it was and he would have to live with it.  He said it with his customary smile.  The crowd cheered him lustily.

Hence, yet another black eye for the sport of boxing.  While I would not go so far as to say the fight was fixed, it is obvious that the judges and referee were quite aware of who was paying the bills – Mayweather Promotions.  That is was a giant conflict of interest seems to be swept under the rug.  Merchant tried to make that point to Mayweather before the “champ” exploded but nobody seems to think it is inappropriate.

And this wasn’t even the first controversy of the night.  In an earlier fight between Canelo Alvarez and Alfonso Gomez, these two fighters were in an evenly matched battle when, in the 6^th round, the heavily favorite Alvarez pinned Gomez on the ropes, landed four could punches.  The referee stepped in a very prematurely ended the fight even though it was clear Gomez was not in serious danger.  In Gomez’s post-fight interview, he said it was not surprising and that he really didn’t really have a chance against the immensely popular Alvarez.  He was not talking about his talent but about the fact that the powers that be didn’t want him to win – just like those powers couldn’t afford for Ortiz to win.

This morning, I read an AP account of the fight and the ending.  It didn’t even remotely resemble what really happened.  It was so slanted it was nearly a flat out lie.  Surely the conspiracy doesn’t include the fourth estate?  At this point, who knows?

Now the scene is set for Mayweather to fight Manny Pacquiao was a giant pay per view purse.  I would love to see Pacquiao to refuse the fight, not because of any fear for the thug but on principle.  Because Mayweather stole his belt.  That will not happen because of the money involved and there doesn’t seem to be any principles left in this sport.  It is not about skill or talent.  It is about money and big talk.  I think I have paid my last penny to Mayweather Promotions and the pay per view powers.  At least the WWF doesn’t pretend (anymore) to be legitimate.

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My Dream Conference

I need to preface today’s post.  I am not claiming any inside information.  I do not have any secret, unnamed sources.  I am not trying to start or encourage any rumors.  The following is just a combination of my own wild speculation and wishing thinking.  I just decided to combine interesting ideas I’ve heard or read about with my own private musings.

As the Big XII continues to slowly crumble into an eventual pile of dust, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I would like to see happen over the next few months.  What schools would I like to see aligned with my hometown Jayhawks?  Most, if not all of these ideas, are going to be impossible.  They will never happen.  I understand all of this but it is a fun exercise.

The first thing that needs to happen is the current ten schools need to resolve their issues.  Some are real; some are childish.  It doesn’t matter.  These schools have a great geographical center with many long time rivals and they need each, whether they know it or not.  The teams causing the most problems are probably going to be worse off wherever they may go.  The quicker these programs realize this, the quicker some sort of stability can be gained back. 

Secondly, once a stable and trusting relationship can be re-established among the members, they need to convince Notre Dame to join the Big XII.  I know this is a lost cause but it could actually make sense for the Irish to step off their pedestal before it topples.  With the present setup of the conference, the Irish can keep their NBC revenues in the Big XII when that would never happen in any other BCS conference. 

Next, convince Arkansas that their most natural rivals already play in the Big XII and not the SEC.  I cannot imagine Dallas Cowboys owner and Hog alumnus, Jerry Jones, wouldn’t be thrilled for the possible renewal of the Longhorn/Razorback rivalry.  Bring in Arkansas and now there are 12 teams in the Big XII.  Is this where they should stop?  I don’t think so.  If these twelve teams make up one conference, suddenly the power would shift back to the Big XII.

The conference should ride the momentum of adding a couple of big boys to get ahead of the curve and expand to 16.  I’ve heard that the Big XII also owns the naming rights of Big XIIII and Big XVI.  I don’t know if this is true but it certainly would be logical to me to try to fill out one of those lofty names.

There are so many schools out there but I tried to think about what schools I would like to see in my conference and that would add TVs for the all important television contracts.  I think Pittsburg would be a nice fit.  It would open up a strong recruiting center and bring in a lot of viewers.  The Panthers have strong football and basketball programs and would be a great place in which to travel.  If Pittsburg leaves, maybe Louisville could be swayed to follow.  The Big XII would certainly be an upgrade for both programs in football and the conference is suddenly looking very appealing from a basketball point of view as well.  The football side of things is really looking up and I think the conference could now add a school more known for its roundball prowess.  Surely Memphis would leap at the chance the upgrade their league quickly. 

Now if these schools would join the conference, Arkansas would be added to the old South division and Notre Dame, Pittsburg, Louisville, and Memphis to the old North.  The South still needs another school.  The geographically logical choice would be TCU.  Or maybe Houston instead.  To me, these schools would be last resorts.  The conference already has the state of Texas nailed down.  I would like to add BYU.  Like Notre Dame, they need a football conference.  They have historically solid football and basketball programs and I think it would be beneficial to the league overall.

As a basketball fan, this lay out really excites me.  What a powerhouse basketball conference this would be.  Every single game would be a battle.  And it wouldn’t be too shabby on the gridiron either.  The Big XII (Big XVI?) would suddenly wield a big stick nationally in the top two team sports.  It would be the best basketball league by far and potentially the second best football conference.  Think of the revenues that could be generated with the new markets.  From a fan’s viewpoint, who wouldn’t be excited?

It is all a pipe dream, of course.  Texas and Texas A&M do not look like they can mend fences.  OU suddenly thinks it is too good for everyone else.  Of course, I am not convinced the Pac-12 wants to expand.  From everything I’ve read, all of the schools are happy with present alignment.  I’m not even sure the SEC is very enamored with A&M.  The Big East (which would itself dissolve if my scenario ever played out) and the ACC do not make sense for anyone geographically.  The Big Ten doesn’t appear eager to add anyone other than maybe Notre Dame.  There may not be anywhere for the discontents to go.

This is an extremely fun topic to discuss and argue about and to speculate about.  Ultimately, we the fans, just have to wait it out and let the situation resolve itself.  Hopefully, it will be sooner (no pun intended) rather than later.

I recently passed the 1000 viewer mark on my sports blog site.  I want to thank all of the people who read my ramblings and have supported me in this endeavor over the past several months.  Thank you all very much.

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2012 Looks Bright for the Royals

For the first time in years, I am not looking forward to the end of the season as a Kansas City Royals fan.  I am having a blast watching this young team grow and gain experience. I don’t seem to be the only one, either.

The 2011 baseball season has not even ended yet and the Kansas City Royals look like they are ready to leap right into the 2012 season without pause.  The Royals’ youth movement is in full swing, with no starting offensive player older than 27.  Four rookies man the infield, gaining valuable experience for the future.  The outfield is loaded with 27 year olds with several seasons of experience between them and have all had turn around seasons in 2011.  The Royals, at least offensively, appear eager to just skip past the off season and to get the next season going right way.

The pitching, of course, is not so anxious to jump into 2012.  The bullpen is as young as the offense.  Rookies have played key roles all year.  Joakim Soria, at 27 years old, is the old man in the pen, and he has had an up and down season, fighting his control most of the year.  The young cannons have had their issues as well, mainly with throwing strikes consistently.  At times, though, all of the youngsters have looked dominating and it is not hard to look at 2011 as year for growth and experience with the guys.  The future looks bright with these home grown arms.

The rotation, though, is ready for the winter break.  While some strides have been made, none of the pitchers featured in the 2011 rotation can be considered a number 1 or number 2 starter.  Luke Hochevar, Danny Duffy, and Felipe Paulino all have shown flashes here and there but have lacked consistency.  None look able to hold their won against the aces around the league.  Bruce Chen and Jeff Francis have done everything the Royals have asked but they cannot be in the rotation in 2012 if the Royals hope to take the next competitive step forward.  While the offense and bullpen seem poised for that next giant step forward, the rotation is holding them back.

General Manager Dayton Moore has to find away to bring an ace into the fold.  The free agent pool is very shallow and it would be extremely difficult, maybe impossible, to convince any of the worthy hurlers to come to Kansas City.  The starting pitching prospects down on the farm have proven unready for the big time, so that leaves a trade or two necessary to fix the problem.  Without breaking down the foundation he has built, Moore is going to have to figure out a way to swing a couple of deals to bring top notch pitching to Kansas City.  Moore has somewhat limited options.  Melky Cabrera could be a trading piece, although he has fit in nicely with the team with his play and age.  Joakim Soria could possibly be moved.  Greg Holland looks like he could close out games but Soria’s value is probably on the low side after his sub par season. 

That leaves the farm system.  Even though the Royals have plundered the top of the system, the talent is still considered deep.  Could Moore, would Moore, part with some of that talent if it meant he could bring a talented, top of the rotation arm to the team?  At this point, he needs to.  The Royals have shown great improvement and to make the playoffs, they have to win their division.  They have been competitive within the AL Central all year.  They are only a couple of good starting pitchers away from being a major force in the division.  If Moore has the opportunity, look for him to pull the trigger on a couple of big deals this winter.

2012 could be the brightest season in Kansas City in decades.  The future is bright with shining young talent.  They are so close.  Let’s hope this off season is as exciting as the youngsters on this team are and the Royals can finally make that leap to the next level.  Hopefully, they can make the fans excited in September for years to come on accomplishments, not promise.

(Note - it was just two months ago I wrote a post about how I was worried about 2012.  While I still have those worries about the starting rotation, the offense and bullpen have me very excited and more optimistic about 2012.)

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2011 Kansas City Chiefs Preview

Anyone who is hoping the Kansas City Chiefs repeat as AFC West champions are probably going to be disappointed.  I think it is just as likely the Chiefs finish closer to fourth in the division then to first.

As a fan, I was sorely disappointed in the Chiefs during the feeding frenzy that was this year’s free agent period.  With plenty of holes and salary cap room, it would have made sense for the Chiefs to make a big splash in free agency.  It just didn’t happen.  I really thought the Chiefs were about 3, maybe 4, good players away from really competing not only for the division but for the AFC title as well.  Pioli pretty much sat on his wallet and let impact player after impact player sign elsewhere, including a couple from Kansas City’s roster a year ago.  The holes and lack of depth in a couple key areas still exist and with the much tougher schedule in 2011, I can’t see a replication of the 2010 season.

The four biggest signings were DT Kevin Gregg, WR Steve Breaston, FB Le’Ron McLain, and LB Brandon Siler.  None of these guys are what could called top notch guys.  Gregg is aging with beat up knees.  He probably is a very slight upgrade from Ron Edwards but a slight downgrade from the flexible Sean Smith.  Regardless, the Chiefs are replacing two guys with one.  Steve Breaston was probably the best signing, mainly because the Chiefs are so thin with legitimate wide receiver talent.  Even so, Breaston is still a long way from star status.  Special teamer Brandon Siler was supposed to fortify a weak line backing core but is lost for the year with an injury.  FB McLain is a decent signing and can hopefully help out in short yardage situations, both blocking and running the ball.  All other signings were either projects or back of the roster filler.

The Chiefs are still woefully weak and thin on the offensive and defensive lines.  I’m afraid protecting Cassel and pressuring opposing signal callers are going to be big issues again in 2011.  Games are won and lost in the trenches with the big boys and I don’t see Kansas City improving at all in these key areas.

The Chiefs’ thoughts, I’m sure, are that this is still a very young team and natural improvement will make this team better.  In certain areas, this is probably true.  The defensive backfield is probably this team’s biggest strength.  They are young and eager and there has been natural growth in the past two years.  I think the line backers may be better than a year ago.  I’m not convinced the Chiefs are better in any other area.

Some rookies could step forward to make an impact and that would drastically improve this team.  OL Rodney Hudson should get plenty of snaps and offers some interior depth along the line.  Allen Bailey looks to have talent and may figure in the D-line rotation.  As the season progresses, LB Justin Houston may offer a boost.  Finally, if he shows some maturation, WR Jon Baldwin could help out a very weak position.  All of these players play at positions that are in need of help.   If the Chiefs have any chance at marked improvement, these four players must contribute in a positive manner.

At quarterback, I’m still not convinced Matt Cassel is the man.  He holds the ball too long and he tends to throw high, although he did this less and less as the season progressed a year ago.  He is very tough but doesn’t have the strongest arm in the world and he needs to increase his accuracy.  He does a good job managing the game and makes few terrible decisions on the field.  Still, he needs time to throw and I don’t think he will have much time behind this line.  The running game is in fine shape with Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones.  I also like Le’Ron McLain.  He not only adds blocking but can bulldoze his way between the tackles.  I just find it hard to imagine Cassel can equal his 27 TD/7 Int numbers from a year ago.  Charles’ 1467 rushing yards and 6.4 yards per carry will be very difficult, if not impossible, to match or surpass.  If the offense isn’t better, it is going to be a long season.  I’m just not sure the defense is good enough to pick up the slack.

Kansas City benefited from a last place schedule in 2010 but have a difficultl first place schedule in 2011.  The last eight games will be especially brutal.  The second half starts with Denver at home, then at New England, Pittsburg, at Chicago, at NY Jets, Green Bay, Oakland, and at Denver.  The three easiest games, on paper, just happen to be against the Chiefs’ most hated rivals, Oakland and Denver.  Without major improvement in numerous areas, Kansas City will be lucky to finish with 4-6 victories.

I hate to be so negative because football season is much more fun when the Chiefs are winning games.  I fear a long and frustrating season is ahead.  I place the blame on Pioli’s lack of action in signing free agents.  If I am wrong, and I most certainly hope I am, then I will be quick to praise Pioli for knowing what he is doing.  I don’t see any crow in my diet anytime soon.

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