Scoutin' Those Chiefs: Week 4's 30-16 Win Over the Chargers

Week four for the Chiefs resulted in the second-consecutive come-from-behind win for the boys in red and gold. This time their opponent was an allegedly tougher, more talented squad in the form of Marty Schottenheimer'sNorv Turner's San Diego Chargers. At kickoff, the spread favored the home team by 11 1/2. Needless to say, the Chiefs had their work cut out for them, and halfway through the game, things looked bleak. LaDainian Tomlinson appeared ready to shed his first-three-game drought of solid rushing, netting 116 yards in the first two quarters alone. The Chiefs, however, stayed focus and came out of Qualcomm victorious. Here's how.



Though no longer a cheesehead, Chiefs place kicker Dave Rayner continued his stellar work in the kicking game. His kickoffs were consistently strong and his work between the uprights improved to 85.7 percent. Loosely translated, Rayner is six for seven, his lone miss a block. Rayner's contribution to the Chargers game came in the form of nine of the Chiefs' 30 points and set them in position to score 24 unanswered. Should his effort of consistent excellency continue -- and there's no reason to think that it won't -- the Chiefs coaching staff will have one less thing to worry about, and Chiefs fans will do everything in their power to forget the 2007 fifth-round-draft-pick debacle known as Justin Medlock. Now, if the Chiefs can only get something going in the return game, field position shouldn't be such a worry for the team's overall approach and strategy to the game.

First let me say that I support the cultivation of Brodie Croyle. I really do. Now, if it turns out that he's week as raw spaghetti, we'll have to move on to other options. In the meantime, I said all along that Damon Huard should be our starting quarterback heading into this season. Furthermore, I didn't want to see Trent Green back under center after his injury last season. Huard was clearly the mojo of this team's "push" for the playoffs, and you don't mess with the mojo.

Now, there was some talk that that fool of a head coach of ours was considering benching him in the Minnesota game, a game, mind you that the Chiefs won once Huard was allowed to open up the passing game. Key word in that last sentence: allowed. Herm Edwards tried to do to Huard what he did to his offensive coordinator: throw him under the bus. How? By hinting to the media that Huard was getting nervous and looking away from his early reads prematurely, thus the dink-and-dunk passing attack that equaled no success in the first half. Bullshit. Why would Huard do that in week three (on his own) when last year, he was hitting Tony Gonzalez and Eddie Kennison between the numbers 25, 30 and 40 yards downfield.

He's found a new toy this year. One the Chiefs acquired for him in the first round of the draft. He looks a little something like this:



Oops. I mean this:



D. Bowe has reared his young head as the first real Chiefs receiving threat in a long time. It is hoped that he continues his success, especially with the alleged return of Kennison this Sunday at home versus Jacksonville. His 18 catches for 299 yards and three touchdowns have been a massive contribution to the fact that the Chiefs are currently tied for first in the AFC West. And it is assumed, with a large morsel of optimism, that his stats will continue to improve.

Finally, the efforts of this O'Doul's drinking animal mustn't be overlooked. Not only did he win the Buck Buchanan Award as the nation's top defensive player in NCAA Division I-AA (second place was a guy named Boomer Grigsby) his 10 tackles, two sacks and pair of forced fumbles in two games are massive. It's only a matter of time until offensive lines begin double teaming him, forcing Tamba Hali and Alfonso Boone to give pressure to the passer from the the left side and middle, respectively. Now, if the Chiefs can manage to put together two good halves instead of a solid second half, they should find themselves sliding ahead of this AFC West three-way tie.

Last time I checked, that amounted to an Arrowhead Stadium full of good mother-effin' times.
Read more