After their stunning, last-second collapse against the Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star writes that Herman Edwards and the rest of the Chiefs’ coaching staff should be fired.
That was pretty much all I could come up with. And really, even if you total up all the positive vibes, it probably does not quite make up for the astounding way that the Chiefs blew an 11-point lead in the final 5 minutes Sunday.
They blew it by punting on fourth and inches, then by allowing the Chargers to drive 89 yards in about 3 1/2 minutes (all without using a timeout), then by Dwayne Bowe dropping the onside kick, then by forgetting to cover a Chargers receiver deep (even though they were in a coverage conveniently designed to have four defensive backs deep), then by forgetting to cover a receiver in the end zone, then by pulling out their Three Stooges playbook for the final offensive drive, then by missing a 50-yard field goal at the buzzer.
The only thing missing was the “Psycho” music and the see-through shower curtain.
And the truth is that, after that sort of mind-shattering collapse, it’s hard to come up with a single good reason why anybody involved with the Chiefs should be back next season. Sure, everyone knew that this year would be trying, that there would be more losses than wins, that young players would make lots of mistakes. But there was no way to see this mess coming.
After a game like Sunday’s, it’s kind of hard not to share Posnanski’s feelings on the subject. But in the coaching staff’s defense, this is a young team severely void of talent. They don’t have an offensive line, the secondary is littered with inexperienced players and quarterback Tyler Thigpen (who has made strides this season) is in his first year as a starter. Look what Edwards is working with. You actually have to hand it to him because for the most part, the Chiefs have been somewhat competitive even though they’ve found every way possible to lose this season.
Then again, sometimes it’s just better to blow up the entire thing and start fresh. Turnarounds in the NFL happen all the time (see the Dolphins, Ravens, Falcons and Jets this year), so regardless of the situation, maybe it is time for the Chiefs to start anew.
