Thinking Out Loud: 'Arrowhead Anxiety' Piece Confuses

Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star writes, in addition to solid columns for the newspaper, a blog for the paper's Web site. You should check it out, and participate in his Twitter Tuesday feature, but don't do what I'm doing in this post. That's not the point of the feature.

I put this together as a post, not because I want to make Mellinger work harder by clicking a link, or because I’m interested in page views; the only traffic this blog gets comes from random Google image searches from a silly feature we used to do a few years ago, and why change that now? The thought is that it’s easier for him to read all of it in one place, rather than trying to piece together @mentions –- no way I can keep this to 140 characters or less -- from my Twitter handle. That said…

I thought Kent Babb’s Arrowhead Anxiety piece was a great example of journalism and reporting. I told him so, and asked him how he felt about it, but got no response.

The reason I wanted to know how he felt about it is similar to why I’m asking you about it today: What does this story do for the Kansas City community and the Chiefs fan base? Is it designed to show Clark Hunt and Scott Pioli that there are ways around their efforts toward secrecy and accountability?

Does it aim to show Chiefs fans that the organization’s brass is, perhaps, focusing on the wrong things? Is it a quiet vote for Todd Haley’s on-an-island methods of madness? Does it suggest that Romeo Crennel (and really any head coach Pioli hires) is, in a sense, being set up for failure?

I mean, I just don’t get it. So the Chiefs general manager keeps tabs on a candy wrapper in a stair well, and pores over phone logs, and makes staff-department members feel as though they’re not allowed to comingle, or that their moves are monitored. If the organization is committed to winning championships, and we know fans of the team want the same, how does exposing the regime’s heavy-handedness advance anything beyond the essence of one particular piece of journalism?

I feel like the media members in this community are either admitted fans of the teams they cover, or they’re adept enough to maintain the expected role of an impartial reporter, but they’re quietly rooting for the success of the clubs they cover. It’s no secret that Babb does a fantastic job as a Chiefs beat writer, and he appears to wish well for the club and its personnel on the field. I’m just having a hard time understanding the point of the piece.

My guess is that Babb is proud of the piece, or he wouldn’t have submitted it, but my confusion centers on how it advances discussion. Are we supposed to be mad at the Chiefs? Are we supposed to think that a lot of those employees are thin-skinned, or that people, for the most part, don’t like change?

The Kansas City Chiefs kept a lot of their front-office administrators in place until the Carl Peterson era came in, and when they made changes, the club went from a joke to a serious, annual, post-season contender. It wasn’t enough, and change was necessary again. This time, the change included the owner, and perhaps Lamar Hunt’s son is going to be less loyal than his father was, all at the expense of winning a Super Bowl.

Maybe Scott Pioli is a little nutty, and maybe the point of the piece was to show that. Or maybe it was just to get readers to think, regardless of direction.
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Tradition Tuesday: Scoping the Choncosphere, 11-25-08

This blog's rough focus? Chiefs/Broncos football? Who in da' game? Banky, Cecil, and Seven? Why two on one? 'Cause that's how them Donkey fans be. Why I keep be puttin' up with it? I's gon' be there when KC gets its first win at the 'Ves'. What, could a fan of a 1-10 team have to say leading up to Raiders and Broncos games, both on the road? Not much. That's why I be readin' what everyone else be writin', and linkin' to it, after the jump.

In all seriousness, we are less than two weeks away from The Tradition 2008, Take II. Cecil and his wife, barring any decisions to take up residence in Ireland, will be there. Seven, and his wife in bloom, have vowed to stop in Colorado Springs to purchase a grill en route. I know not why; they already own 14 of 'em. The wife and I will arrive after a flight consisting of me arguing with her about why she can't "spend Sunday shopping, whatnot since this season is awful and pointless," all of which will occur after I've given the one and only Mayor McVesco instructions on a) how to get to the stadium, b) how to do so with a complete-and-actually-checked-off checklist, c) how to rally his troops so that they may all park and partake together in the same lot, d) how to make ribs, e) the best way to properly estimate how much beer will really be needed, f) how to understand why his team is so entirely gay. I suppose I'll have to, at some point, obtain some shoes that won't leave my feet frostbitten near the famous tamale stand as well. This game will put a wrap on year eight of the Tradition, and I'll make fun of some folks for guaranteeing some stuff later. For now, here's mine: The Chiefs will have won at least one American football contest at InVesCo Field at Mile High Stadium by January 1, 2011. Hey -- they don't call me Risky Business Banky for nothing.

Let's go ahead and introduce the Derrick Thomas-for-Canton debate. Again. I personally won't waste any energy this year on this topic, because everybody else in ChiefsNation will, and then they'll be upset when he doesn't get in again. Chiefs Warpath has the list of semi-finalists for viewing.

They also have a "Top 10 Signs You're a Raiders Fan" list.

My favorite is number three:

"You watch a Chiefs-Broncos game just so you can root for injuries."

Our friend Kim at Predominantly Orange has a breakdown on the division. I don't suppose that's a good read for anyone that's a fan of AFC West teams. But it's there, and portions of the intro sum it up:

"There is a lot of heartache in the AFC West right now...Either way, it’s an ugly division, and whoever makes the playoffs will have no effect on the NFL’s playoff picture after the first round."

Ever the scoopmaster, Chris at Arrowhead Pride has published a piece with tidbits from the San Diego State community/messageboarders discussing the (practically non-existent) possibility of Herman Edwards leaving the Chiefs to coach the football team he played for in college. Oh, if only!

Anytime you make a visit to the casa de Hercules Rockefeller, you're in for some cutthroat, hilariously honest Denver Bronco assessment. After the Chiefs' week two loss at home to the Raiders, I was furious to say the least. His take on Denver's Sunday home loss to the silver and black: no different. Careful, lest you step in a pile of profanity. Or seven.

Chris Kolb drops in for his weekly rant at Arrowhead Addict. His Thanksgiving-week post examines the recent gobblings of a couple turkeys: Al Davis and Carl Peterson.

While the main course is on the table, let's talk side dishes. Ian over at BroncoTalk will contribute to this Thursday's dinner; he's bringing the stuffing:

"Denver will win against the New York Jets next weekend and I will spend this week trying to show you why. The thing is, I don’t call Denver wins, I never guarantee a win, but I promise that Denver will beat the Jets..."

My stepmom always told me not to let my eyes be bigger than my plate when it comes to serving yourself helpings at the table. I think Mr. Henson has tried to fit an entire pumpkin pie on the same plate as his entree fixins:

"When Denver has had the lead in the AFC West following Week 11 (which they do now) they’ve gone to the Super Bowl. Every time (except once) whether they won or lost that Super Bowl is another subject entirely. The only year they didn’t go on to the big game was the 1978 season."

I'm not trying to start a beef with Mr. Henson here; I simply doubt the boldness of either statement. First, no way this team beats the Jets on the road. They were obviously not clicking on all cylinders Sunday at home versus the Raiders, but while that was going on, the Jets were taking care of the then-undefeated Tennessee Titans. Now would be a good time to throw in the "anything can happen"s and the "any given Sunday"s, but I just don't see it happening. Regarding the SB quote, it's an interesting fact, one with little relevance to this season, because you might as well lump 2008 in with 1978; lead or no lead beyond week 11, Denver ain't even sniffin' the conference championship game this year.

And since we've spent a few phrases on the Raiders in this post, we might as well link to this bit on the Chargers. I suppose if you had to write on this division with regard to the entire season, I'd load up the pastry bag with pureed cranberry sauce and pipe "hard to figure out" across my plate.

And that's all I have to say about that.
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Tradition Tuesday: Ten Down, Six to Go

Frankly, the rough focus of this blog -- that'd be the rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos -- has become quite the embarrassment. The Denver Broncos are in first place in the AFC West, but that's no surprise; I picked them to go 10-6. The staggering truth about the scenario in this division is that the Kansas City Chiefs have lost 18 of their last 19 professional football contests. This city is brimming with anger, shame, and defeat, and so is the football team. I think. There remain, nevertheless, six splendid weeks in the NFL schedule, and that month and-a-half is tied together with promise, despair, false hope, and times of goodness. Cecil and Old No. 7 are harnessed to the promise, while I bathe in the despair, false hope, and that poster child of sarcasm, the times of goodness. It may seem unfair that I and I alone must break down the future standings of our division, but maybe, if KC ever gets that second Super Bowl, we'll even out the work load. Nonetheless, with the assistance of some lolcatness, we'll break it down after the jump.

Those beloved, frontrunner Broncos, fresh off their win at Atlanta, will return home to the friendly confines of InVesCo. It is there, in the city of Denver, that they will host the 2-8 Oakland Raiders. Said Raiders are led fearlessly by Tom Cable, who will be making his first appearance in the mile-high city as an NFL head coach. For good measure, it may be his last, as the great mystery that is Al Davis' cerebral cortex continues to cast clouds over the crystals of the soothsayers. JaMarcus Russell and his injury-plagued stars will not help this team win via ground or air, so there is win number seven for Denver. After that, the Broncos travel to the Meadowlands for a visit with the Jet Favres in New York. If I stick with my original prognosis, they win that game, then beat KC and Carolina before falling to the Bills and Chargers to wrap things up. If I were wishy-washier, I'd swap that Carolina win for a loss, and do the opposite for the Buffalo game, but I'll stick to (the latter half of) my 10-6 guns just how they are. If the season ended today, they'd face Baltimore, Miami, Indianapolis, or New England, neither of which probably looks good to BroncoNation.

On the Kansas City end of things, "dismaller" is now officially a word.



They host the Bills this Sunday, then travel to Oakland, Denver (Editor's Note: I may or may not have a pair of compactible brooms for the wife and I at this game.) before hosting San Diego, Miami, and traveling to Cincinnati for bragging rights to the first overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. One of the many joyous topics yesterday on the local TalkRadios was just how losable each one of those games are for these Chiefs. The Bills seem to make easy work of the Chiefs, and given that they are likely a wee bit bummed by the outcome of last night's game, they'll be the hungrier squad, and happy to hand the Chiefs 19 of 20. Okay, there's a chance we could beat the Raiders. It'd be nice, and swell, and cozy for that Thanksgivingy weekend. But let's be honest: If we're going to squeak one more win out of this 'paign, let's save it for early December. Outside of that one Sunday, December 7, who cares what happens? Sure, sure. I'm jinxing it now. Whatever. There's no way we beat the Chargers; I'm sure we'll muff another P.A.T., or something. The Dolphins look listo to come alive, and the Bengals? See the above sentence about Buffalo and "easy work."

So, with all that, it's safe to say (Note: Not really.) that this will be a 2-14 season, which puts me four games off the mark, and a cool 11 contests wrong of the last two seasons. Ah...ya' win lose some, ya' lose some.


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