MU/KU
The Game (written 3 hours after the game ended):
There were three things that lost this game for KU: field goal kicking, Mangino’s first half play calling and the two interceptions.
It was painfully obvious that Todd Reesing was not adjusting to the cold weather early in the game. Heck, even Chase Daniel had to take a little bit of time to adjust (sorta).
MU did a better job of helping Daniel adjust to the weather. I do not remember Daniel throwing a ball more than 15 yards down the field after the first series. His game long pass was 20 yards. All MU did was throw quick slants, outs, screens and so on. Additionally, MU mixed in the run very well.
Kansas should have paid attention to this. Mangino was adamant about throwing the ball downfield. It was there too. But Reesing didn’t have a feel for the ball in the first half and had not developed a rhythm. The result was a crucial interception after MU’s first score that gave MU the ball at the two-yard-line (even though it should have been a touchback). MU would score on that possession.
If KU would have made a point to establish the run in the first half and had not panicked after MU’s first score, the game may have been different.
It is obvious MU’s kicker Jeff Wolfert, who is from Kansas, does not suffer from Dave Rayner syndrome.
Scott Webb (who is not from Kansas but unfortunately plays for them) missed two field goals with KU down 14-0 in the first half. Going into halftime down by one possession as opposed to two possessions would have completely changed the game.
All MU had to do in the second half was not turn the ball over in the second half to win the game (which MU did). If KU was going to play from behind, the needed to be within one score at all times. They would have gotten away with being down two scores early if those field goals had been made.
Finally, MU had 14 points off of Reesing’s two picks. The final score was 36-28. Do the math.
What must be noted is that KU’s defense played exceptionally well, given the circumstances. The two-headed monster of Martin Rucker and Chase Coffman combined for only 7 catches for 54 yards. Jeremy Maclin (the guy I think is going to win the Heisman next year) had only – yes, only – 91 total offensive yards. Maclin’s only real impact on the game came on a 49-yard punt return that MU couldn’t capitalize on. MU only rushed at a 3.5 yards per carry clip despite KU’s defense being on the field for 37 minutes, 25 seconds.
I think most people will look at this game and see Daniel’s 40 of 49 performance, KU’s 1.9 ypc and KU’s two missed field goals as being the difference in the game.
But as I said before, Daniel never truly went downfield in this game (and didn’t really need to). KU matched MU’s yards per completion for the game (7.4 ypc). What MU did that KU did not was mix in their running game (43 of their 93 plays were runs) better than KU. Kansas handed the ball off 15 times out of 71 plays - with most of those runs coming in clumps, not interwoven with the pass.
Either way, what happened, happened. And what happened was MU won (damnit).
FINAL VERDICT (written five days later):
I still agree with most of what I wrote above, minus the field goal kicking. The reality is Missouri backed off in the fourth quarter as a result of being up 28-7 and Pinkel’s obsession with not beating teams by more than two possessions. In the long run, those field goals would have meant nothing.
What I still not figured out though, after five days, is why did Jake Sharp only get one carry? I don’t understand this.
AFTERMATH:
Putting this game in perspective, MU had to win this game. If KU would have won, I could only assume that all MU fans would have committed mass suicide shooting themselves in the face at Faurot Field with the stadium scoreboard reading “Fifth Down”, everyone wearing Tyus Edney jerseys and a never ending loop of “The Flea Kicker” on the video board.
I say this because MU was supposed to be here. They were supposed to be the Big XII North Champions. They were supposed to go to San Antonio to lose to Oklahoma.
KU was supposed to finish fourth in the North. Now, they have locked up at least third place – maybe even tie for second – in the Big XII period.
It was inevitable that KU was going to lose – they are just not the kind of team that goes 14-0 (though I did think they would win this game). But I’d rather they had lost in Big XII Championship game or in their bowl game, not to MU.
Even more frustrating is the position I’ve been put in this weekend. If MU wins, they go to the national title game, but KU is ensured a BCS bowl. If MU loses, Kansas will end up in the Cotton Bowl most likely. Unless a miracle happens.
Do I want to be in the Cotton Bowl instead of the Fiesta Bowl? No. Do I want MU in the BCS National Title Game? No.
Damn Missouri.
RANDOM:
I want to give some kudos to the MU marketing department. MU decided to declare the game a “blackout”, telling all of their fans to wear black. This was a brilliant move given that I do not know many people who have bright blue winter coats. I think this really helped the visual appearance of the stadium in MU’s favor. While I think the fan split was more 60-40 in favor of Kansas, it looked more like 50-50 or 45-55 in favor of Missouri from where I was sitting (which was on the KU side, on the third tear, under the scoreboard). I would say that, along with the fact that MU fans are unquestionably more vocal than KU fans made the stadium atmosphere seemingly more favorable to MU.
I don’t say this to suggest it had any impact on the game, because it didn’t. I say this because in the biggest game in KU football’s history, the KU fans were unimpressive. Maybe it was just the section I was in or the way the sound carries or something, but the MU fans seemed decidedly louder the whole game. I was disappointed by this.
Then there was the whole “pre-game” aspect of the game. At about 4:30, I walked around the entire stadium, searching for something to take pictures of. The best I could find was a small tent set up by the KU Alumni Association that had about 30 people in it.
Before I continue, I should note that there were at least 35,000 people in the parking lot by 4:30 and that is a conservative estimate. Traffic going to the stadium was unbelievable and getting into the stadium itself was a nightmare once the gates opened. It wasn’t like there were a few thousand people scattered around at 4:30.
So with that in mind, having only 30 people in the lone “KU Tailgate Party Tent” was quite embarrassing considering MU had rented out the Arrowhead Pavilion and I saw a flock of people heading towards the entrance.
I will say this: it is completely possible that MU was awarded the pavilion because KU was considered the “home team” this year and KU will get the pavilion next year. Also, I found out that the Stadium Club at Kauffman Stadium was being used by someone, but I don’t know if it was an MU thing, KU thing or
something else.
It should also be noted that I was taking in these sights after going to “College Gameday” earlier that day. Erik told me people associated with MU were planning on setting something up near the “Gameday” set. It appeared MU had slightly more people there and were more energized (or, at least, more drunk) than KU fans.
Maybe KU’s fans were much better than I interpreted them to be or I just have unrealistic expectations, but I couldn’t be more disappointed about how KU and its fans approached this game.
GAMEDAY:
I have pretty much determined that it doesn’t matter where I go, I’ll always be censored. ESPN determined my sign was too offensive to air on television and confiscated my sign. This was done about 25 minutes into the show. I was not given an explanation, but the removal of my sign did ultimately cause an argument that led to one MU fan getting punched in the face by, I assume, another KU fan.
I will forever be impressed by Chris Wessley’s use of a giant Mangino head and a giant cupcake. I am also happy to say that at least three people from our league were at “Gameday”, though I don’t think any of us actually saw each other.
It should also be noted that Kirk Herbstreet is much smaller in person and Lee Corso is much older and dumber. Chris Fowler was who I thought he was (I don’t know what that means).
CHIEFS…
Kolby Smith is my hero. If that guy had a real line, he would have rushed for 250 yards. No question. It is evident he has been watching film with Priest Holmes. Smith was patient, cut-back a lot and broke about 90 tackles. If this was Madden and we could look at the “Yards After First Hit” stat, it would say that Smith had 148 yards after the first hit. I know it was just one game, but the guy was phenomenal in that one game.
I wonder what went through Carl Peterson’s mind while watching Smith? Do you think he’s regretting giving LJ that huge contract? Or was he thinking he’s the best GM ever because he drafted Smith?
Brodie Croyle looked pretty good too when he actually passed.
I watched that kid throw some absolutely insane (insane meaning “great” in this sense) passes to Bowe and Tony Gonzalez that kept the Chiefs in the game. He throws the ball with great strength and surprisingly good accuracy considering he seems to be throwing off his back foot half the time.
His mobility is impressive (and makes me wonder why we don’t bootleg more) and he rebounded mentally very well after that terrible interception at the beginning of the game. He even showed some toughness after being sacked three times, taking several hits and diving (not sliding) for extra yards. He has a little bit of Trent Green in him in that regard.
His stat line was not that great: 12 of 23, 145 yards and an interception. But I don’t think those numbers reflect his performance.
Here is my list of the top five worst coaching decisions in this game (not specific to just Herm Edwards):
5. Special Teams. Where do you begin? Our coverage and return teams are terrible at best and our kicker is makes the easiest field goals look difficult. Why is Eddie Kennison returning punts? I understand Webb and Sippio are returning kicks, but why can’t either return punts? All Kennison does is fair catch every time! And don’t get me started on Rayner… Let’s put it this way: There are 18 teams that have not missed a field goal between 30-39 yards and 11 teams that have only missed one. Three teams have missed two. The Chiefs have missed four. Rayner accounts for three of those misses.
The good news is Rayner is signed through 2008.
4. John Welbourn. There was a point in the second quarter where Rudy Niswanger came in to replace Welbourn. On that drive, 68 yards in 10 plays and ended in a rare Rayner made field goal. Croyle was 2 of 4, both incompletions were drops (one by Smith, one by Gilbert Harris) and his two completions went for 24- and 18-yards respectively. Croyle was not pressured and would only complete one more pass beyond 18 yards.
Welbourn returned to the game after Benny Sapp recovered a fumble. He immediately committed a holding penalty and continued his poor play in the second half.
Niswanger would never return to the game.
This isn’t to say the Chiefs would have scored on every drive and Niswanger would never have committed a penalty (even though I’m trying to make it sound like that). The point is moreso to say Welbourn sucks and is 31 years old. Niswanger is promising, is a guy the Chiefs are high on and is 25 years old. Why not start Niswanger? He can’t do worse can he?
3. Game Management. I liked going for it on both fourth down plays and … [really long pause] yeah, that’s about it.
First, the timeout followed by the challenge deal was bad. Duh.
Second, Herm said after the game he wanted to hold Smith to less than 20 carries because Smith had only 10 carries going into the game and had not built up much stamina.
He would end up with 31 carries on Sunday. I know Smith ran for 150 yards, but he was obviously tired in the fourth quarter and for good reason. Smith gained 10 yards in his last seven carries (9 carries, 24 yards in the 4th quarter). This obviously included the crucial 4th and 1 carry. Speaking of which…
2. First and Third down play calling. Let me list the first down play calling as recorded by ESPN and NFL.com:
Run, run, throw away, deep pass, run, run, run, short pass, short pass, run, run, short pass, run, sack, run, scramble, sack, sack, run, run, run, run, run, short pass, short pass, run and run.
In other words, one play designed to go deep out of 28 plays.
Here are the 12 third down plays:
Short pass, run, run, scramble, short pass, kneel, short pass, short pass, run, short pass, short pass and short pass.
Sorta predictable. Just a little bit.
Here are the third down runs and the fourth down runs:
Run up the middle on 3rd and 1 Run up the middle on 4th and 1 Run up the middle on 3rd and 15 Run up the middle on 3rd and 1 Run up the middle on 4th and 1
See a trend? Add this to all of the short pass attempts and it is no wonder there were five guys waiting for a tired Kolby Smith in the backfield on that 4th and 1 play.
1. D-Bowe and Tony G. who? Bowe caught 4 passes all day (I think he was thrown to 6 times). TG didn’t have a pass thrown to him until there was 3 minutes left in the third quarter.
Before I left for the game, I saw a clip of Herm Edwards at a press conference this week saying that he is not going to put Brodie Croyle in a position where Croyle’s confidence will be shattered.
Explain to me how throwing to Dwayne Bowe about six times and waiting until the end of the third quarter to throw to your Hall of Fame tightend is helping your young quarterback’s confidence?
Didn’t Herm once say, “You play to win the game?” How the hell do you win games by not giving your best players the ball? I don’t understand.
With a remaining Chiefs schedule of SD, at Den, TEN, at Det, at NYJ, a rookie QB, no offensive line and seeming unwillingness to get D-Bowe or TG the ball seems, to me at least, the Chiefs are on their way to a 6-10 season – give or take a game.
The Chiefs are in a four-way tie for the seventh pick in the draft. Here are the teams in contention for a Top 5 pick:
Miami (0-11): Mortal lock for the first overall pick.
St. Louis (2-9): If they stay relatively healthy, and play hip hop music, they’ll drop out of the Top 5.
NY Jets (2-9): Top 5 lock.
Atlanta (3-8): Top 5 lock.
San Fran. (3-8): New England has their pick, which may motivate them to steal a couple wins.
Oakland (3-8): End season with DEN, at GB, IND, at Jax, SD. Ouch. Top 5 for sure.
Baltimore (4-7): Key games at MIA and at SEA will decide their fate.
Kansas City (4-7): Yeah…
Cincinnati (4-7): Finish season with STL, at SF, CLE and at MIA.
Carolina (4-7): Dark horse in the Top 5 bid with games at JAX, SEA, DAL and at TB.
9 Tied at 5-6
I think the only games left for the Chiefs to win against the Jets - and that’s on the road. This leads me to the conclusion the Chiefs will be somewhere between the 7th and 9th pick in the first round of the draft.
According to Scouts current rankings the Chiefs would be in the range to draft: Calais Campbell, DE (7); Brian Brohm, QB (8); James Laurinaitis, ILB (9) and Andre Woodson Jr., QB (10).
I have it out against Brohm. Yes, the dude has got an arm. Yes, he’s accurate and played in a pro system. But isn’t he essentially Brodie Croyle only more polished coming out of college? They guy with the big arm but can’t really move and has serious injury concerns?
Here is my thought with the quarterback situation. If we decide Croyle isn’t the guy, the Chiefs should actively pursue Derek Anderson. Anderson is 24-years-old, six-foot-six, has a big arm and doesn’t make many mistakes (only 3 INTs in last 6 games). I don’t see the Browns trading Brady Quinn and it would not seem intelligent to lock so much money into Anderson and Quinn. I see the Browns letting him go and kicking themselves for drafting Quinn.
Obviously, Croyle not sucking is our best option here.
Given the QB situation, the Chiefs should go after an offensive lineman with their first pick. The problem is that Jake Long will probably be gone by their pick. If he is, the Chiefs should trade down to the middle of the draft and select Ryan Clady from Boise State. If the Chiefs can get picks for next year’s draft and get a top-tier tackle, I would consider the draft a success right off the bat.
Clady is a guy who could play left or right tackle. Scouts at this time say he can play a good left tackle in the NFL. If MacIntosh can continue to average at left tackle, Clady could get his feet wet at right tackle next season - which may be in the Chiefs best interest.
The Chiefs should then spend their second round pick on a corner. If Justin King is available, the Chiefs should draft him. King is a Penn State corner who has both speed (4.4) and the willingness to tackle people (fourth on team in unassisted tackles, seventh in total tackles). Scouts are a little disappointed in that he wasn’t tested much this season. The lack of action resulted in only two picks. Antoine Cason (Arizona) and Dwight Lowery (San Jose State) are other options.
Other guys that intrigue me:
Maurice Purify WR (Nebraska) and Jordy Nelson WR (Kansas State) - Scouts seem to be down on these guys and I don’t know why. Purify plays faster than his 40 time and Nelson catches everything under the sun. The Chiefs need to look at adding another receiver in the offseason.
James McClinton, DT (Kansas) - I know this seems homerish - and Big XII heavy - but McClinton has a motor and attitude that would fit really well on the Chiefs defensive line. If the Chiefs can pick him up as an undrafted guy, it would be a steal.
Ben Moffitt, ILB (South Florida) - The only time I saw him play, he picked off two passes - one for a touchdown - and dominated the middle of the field against West Virginia. He’s 6’2”, 240 pounds and runs and 4.7. The down side is that I only saw him play on game and he is white. But he couldn’t be much worse that Nappy Harris, could he?
Larry Grant, OLB (Ohio State) - I have a hard on for Ohio State linebackers. Sorry. Oh, he may also be the fasted OLB in the draft. At this time, he is projected between 6th round to undrafted.
Joseph Flacco, QB (Delaware) and Richard Santos, QB (New Hampshire) - I read all of this stuff has Santos could go in the second round. As a result, I’m intrigued.
Anthony Alridge, RB (Houston); Chris Johnson, RB (East Carolina); Dantrell Savage, RB (Oklahoma State); Kevin Robinson, WR (Utah State); Dorien Bryant, WR (Purdue) - What is the one thing these guys have in common? They are/could be great returnmen. The Chiefs must address this in the draft.
FREE AGENTS I'D LIKE TO SIGN:
Asante Samuel, CB (duh)
Bernard Berrian, WR
Ryan Lilja, LG
Jake Scott, RG
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