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Q&A with Kansas City Chiefs Examiner Dan Rose
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The San Diego Chargers try for their sixth straight overall victory and fifth in a row over Kansas City when the Chiefs come to town on Sunday.
San Diego (7-3), which leads the AFC West by 1/2 a game over Denver, routed Kansas City 37-7 at Arrowhead Stadium back in October.
We spoke this week with Kansas City Chiefs Examiner Dan Rose http://www.examiner.com/x-7168-Kansas-City-Chiefs-Examiner on the state of the Chiefs, what they have to do in order to have a shot at winning on Sunday and some other topics.
Q. How big was Kansas City's win over Pittsburgh as far as giving this team some confidence heading into the final six weeks of the season?
A: It was huge because it was our first win over a good team. It was gigantic because the Chiefs were thoroughly outplayed on offense and defense for three quarters, but hung on and got the win. Coach Haley has been on a fitness kick since he got here, making the team lose nearly 1,000 pounds of weight, so that they would be in better shape in the fourth quarter. In the Pittsburgh game, we fans could see that it was the Steelers who wore down at the end and not us. Trust me, for Kansas City fans, that's something we haven't seen since Marty Schottenheimer was coach. Finally, after the Larry Johnson drama and the Dwayne Bowe suspension, the team needed some positive things to happen so that the coaching staff didn't get tuned out by the players.
Q. Is it safe to say having Larry Johnson off the team now will allow the Chiefs to focus more on the field?
A: Nobody outside of Kansas City can appreciate how lousy it was to "root" for a guy like Larry Johnson. Yes, he had a couple of great years, but the city never embraced him because he never tried to embrace the city. It's funny, but inside the locker room, no player ever came out against Johnson, but they sure weren't quick to defend him. I think the final straw was when Johnson Twittered disparaging remarks about Todd Haley. Haley wiped Johnson's slate clean last spring with anything that had gone on before, and often cited Johnson as a player that worked hard. Then, when Johnson threw Haley under the bus, I think even the players who don't like Haley thought that was a bush-league thing to do. Nobody shed a tear when Larry was released. The fans, however, rejoiced.
Q. With a new coach and QB this season, are the Chiefs ahead, behind or about where most people thought they would be after 10 games?
A: Record-wise, they're pretty much exactly where most of us thought that they would be. Before the season, I thought that they had a shot at 6 wins if everything went OK. They could still do that. But firing offensive coordinator Chan Gailey a week before the season started put this team back. Even though I could understand Haley's reasons for doing it, I think it was a big mistake. Haley put in an entire new offense the week before the season opener, so September and October became like training camp. Now that they've finally gotten comfortable with the base offense, Haley's starting to put in new plays depending on what team they're playing against. In fact, the touchdown shovel pass that Jamaal Charles caught to tie Pittsburgh last week was only put in on the Wednesday before the game. I'm hoping that the Chiefs will be able to do more on offense for the rest of the year.
Q. What will be the key for the Chiefs to having a chance to win in San Diego on Sunday?
A: Play it like the Pittsburgh game. Do not turn it over on offense and get into Philip River's face. For whatever reason, Rivers sometimes struggles against KC with turnovers, especially in the Red Zone. The Chiefs must get three turnovers out of the Chargers offense or special teams and not turn it over more than one time. Finally, if Jamaal Charles can continue to run well, that will take the pressure off of Matt Cassel. You will enjoy watching Charles run the ball. He's got Olympic track speed at RB, so if he can get past your D-line, he's got a chance to do something with it. Oh, one more thing. Chiefs fans want to give San Diego a huge thanks for dumping Chris Chambers earlier. We realize that YOU guys didn't really need him anymore, but when you're running people like Bobby Wade and Lance Long out on the field as starters, it's a good sign that the receiving corps aren't up to snuff. It would be nice for this week if Chambers tried to prove to the Chargers brass that they made a mistake.
Q. Given this is the 50th anniversary of the AFL, who would you say in no particular order are the 3 greatest Kansas City Chiefs of all-time?
A: Well, #1 is a total no-brainer. Even though you don't want them in any particular order, thirty-five years after he retired, quarterback Len Dawson is the undisputed icon of the Chiefs franchise. He is as popular today in town as he was when he was leading the team to two Super Bowls. For the other two, you'd have to flip over to the defensive side of the ball and I'd go with middle linebacker Willie Lanier and the late Derrick Thomas. Most people don't know that Lanier was the first African-American to ever play middle linebacker in the NFL and is still regarded as one of the most ferocious hitters to ever play. With Thomas, he did things on the field that you just don't see done that often. Not only does he hold the NFL single game record for sacks with 7, he's tied for the #2 highest total with 6. Some of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL like Jim Kelly, John Elway, Warren Moon and more say that playing against Thomas was hell. He passed away 10 years ago and you still see his #58 jersey out at Arrowhead every game day. Honorable mention goes to defensive lineman Buck Buchanan who many experts feel is one of the greatest defensive linemen to ever play. Too bad they didn't officially keep defensive stats throughout most of Buchanan's career.
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