Tyler Thigpen played his heart out Sunday. I was frantically dialing all my friends on my cell phone to see if anyone else was watching the spectacle that Thigpen was making of the Jets defense. Of course only one friend picked up the phone and his response was "no I don't watch that joke of a team".
For the twenty Chiefs fans that did watch this game Tyler Thigpen gave us what we really haven't had all season. Hope. Leave it to Herm Edwards to take it away. Jets fans had to be chuckling to themselves when with 5:20 left on the clock and the Chiefs starting at their own 20 the play calling was as follows dive left tackle 3, dive left tackle 4, dive left tackle 2, punt. I knew it was game over when we were relying on a bottom ranked defense to beat Brett Favre. I screamed at the TV, I cussed, I was beside myself at the play-calling. Thigpen has up to this point carried this team in the spread offense and we go to Kolby Smith? Smith had up to this point 8 carries for 6 yards. I can fall farther than that and Chan and Herm go into their shell scared to death of the criticism.
"YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAME" Right Herm? Well that is until it's late in the game and then you just play not to lose. It's chicken bleep football. Read his comments on the situation.
On strategy at the end of the game…
With that amount of time left and being backed up, we just felt that we could make a first down running the football. We had three shots and we didn’t do it. If we throw it and we stop the clock because we don’t complete the pass, then why are we throwing the ball at the end? You’ve got to pick what you want to do at the end. Things didn’t work out for us. Then, we punted the ball and they had a good punt return. That’s kind of how it worked.
(www.kcchiefs.com)
The key part of the whole sentence is "If we throw it and we stop the clock because we dont complete the pass, then why are we throwing the ball at the end." He wanted to keep criticism off himself. A real coach makes a strong decision there to let his young quarterback try and ice the game. Up to that point he had made very good decisions with the football. He had one bad pass in the first half but he was basically carrying this team. Herm instead does what he always does, plays not to lose.
Let's use a hypothetical that Tyler does go 3 and out throwing the football and we punt. Favre drives down and scores just like he did and now we have MORE time left on the clock for our final drive. We could play the what if game all day with this decision but it's indefensible. The reason the Chiefs were winning was because for once this season they played to their strengths instead of trying to make round pegs fit into square holes. I sat on this all day wondering if I should go off on another rant. I actually had a season ticket holder say to me in the office today "I just cared that we were competitive." Really? You pay hard-earned cash to come "close"? Wow. This franchise has become so forlorn that almost winning is actually inspiring to Chiefs fans.
Herm won't change. He will never change and we will not win with him in Kansas City. Jets fans knew this and to have Dierdorff remind us that Leon Washington was the player the Jets drafted with our pick as he shredded our team was salt in the wound that has festered since Herm Edwards has taken over the Chiefs.
I for one am livid that Clark Hunt is sitting back watching this train wreck.
Keywords: Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, NFL
