After thirteen years and 259,000 miles, I sold my 1996 Chevy Suburban yesterday. No I didn't do the "cash for clunkers" deal. I didn't need a new car, my Suburban had become an extra vehicle around the house, but it still looked great and was functional. But as the new owner pulled out of the driveway it got me to thinking there was really a lot of comparison between me and the coaches and GM's getting ready to make player decisions in NFL training camps.

Let's say you've had a player who's been a fixture on your ball club for several years. A consistent performer who never misses a game. But as his career has gone on, he's cost you more and more and he can no longer do some of the things he once could. He doesn't have the acceleration he once had and there are younger guys who could probably do the job as well now at less money, but he's been a workhorse for you on and off the field and you find it hard to let him go.

The good teams always seem to make the right decision at the right time on when to let the veteran player go and hand the job over to someone new. That's why the Patriots and Steelers have been so good for so long. It doesn't have to be a rookie, maybe it's a player who's been in your system for a couple of years, watching and waiting for his opportunity. The key is being willing to make the decision before that veteran's performance really starts to slide. Some coaches and GM's are great at it. Others let loyalty cloud their decision making and in the end it costs their team and it usually costs them their job.

As I think of my old Suburban and my unwillingness to part with it over the last couple of years, I get the feeling I wouldn't have made a good GM. Then again, maybe I just need a bigger budget to operate with.

Anyone see a receiver in the group?

As the Chiefs head into their first exhibition game, by the way that’s what they are, not pre-season games as the NFL wants you to call them, the most talked about subject in training camp is the receiver corps, or lack thereof. This is what I warned of when training camp opened. There’s little speed and not much talent.

Former number one pick Dwayne Bowe has been dropped to third team after coach Todd Haley tired of him imitating Roberto Duran and his hands of stone in practice. Last week they signed free agent Amani Toomer to help add depth and he’s already second team with a bullet. GM Scott Pioli spent 63 Million dollars locking up new QB Matt Cassel, but Cassel must be wondering if this group is really who he’ll have to throw to this season. Some of these guy cans be timed with a sun dial.

Coach Todd Haley has coached wide receivers before and knows what great ones look like, he had an up close view of Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona, but no one in Chiefs camp comes close to carrying the jock strap of Fitzgerald. Bowe can be good, but he’ll never be great and after that the Chiefs roster is littered with the castaways of Gilligan’s Island and there’s not even a choice between Ginger or Mary Ann.

With the departure of Tony Gonzalez, tight end has become a huge weak spot as well, though not as important in Haley’s offense. Let’s be honest here. The Chiefs are just hoping they can patch something together this season and maybe find a diamond in the rough. Still, it begs the question, who’s going to catch passes this season? Someone’s going to have to and Haley is hoping they step forward starting Saturday against the Texans. If not, let the merry-go-round begin.

Thomas and Taylor both deserving of Canton

As the Chiefs continue to work toward their first exhibition game on Saturday against Houston, last weekend gave Kansas City fans a chance to look back to their glory days in the 90’s when Marty Schottenheimer had come to town and brought a dominating defense and a team that contended year after year..but never made the Super Bowl.

With the Hall of Fame inductions in Canton, Ohio, the late Derrick Thomas was finally given his due and joined the ranks of the all time greats of professional football.  Thomas was a freak.  A linebacker who wasn’t a pure linebacker in the sense we usually think.  His greatest talent and what sent fear into opposing offenses was his ability to speed rush the quarterback and make the big play at the critical moment in the game.  Tragically a car accident claimed his life and ended his career early, but not before he’d done more than enough to earn enshrinement into the hall.

Thomas had more sacks in the nineties than any player and his penchant for stripping the ball and forcing a turnover at just the right moment was what made him famous.  Fueled at home by fans clad in red and reeking of bar-b-que smoke, Thomas helped make Arrowhead stadium the toughest road environment in the NFL during the nineties.

While I’m happy that Thomas finally got his due, nine years after his death, It’s another Chief I want to talk about for a moment.  When Kansas City won Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings, the highlight play of the game was a touchdown catch and run of  46 yards by Otis Taylor who high stepped down the sidelines.  Those who had watched Taylor throughout his career knew that he was one of the best receivers ever to play in the AFL.  He was truly the first of the big men wide receivers standing 6-3 and 215 pounds and he made the big catches in the big games

For a team whose offense didn’t revolve around the pass, Taylor still managed 410 receptions for over 7300 yards and nearly 18 yards per catch.  He also had 60 regular season TD’s in a career that spanned 10 seasons.  He was a crushing blocker and the ultimate team player.  Bullet Bob Hayes of the Cowboys went into the hall of fame along with Derrick Thomas.  Taylor may not have been as fast as the world’s fastest man, but he was a better receiver and deserves to have his bust in Canton.

My Manifesto

After nearly a three year hiatus, I'm at it again.  It's time to focus in earnest on the job at hand.  What is that job?  Well, it's to talk about sports, life and the things that are important to me.  But before we get started, it's time for an introduction.  My name is Duke Frye. I’ve worked in radio and television most of my adult life. For a few costly years, to my deep financial regret, I owned a food service business. But that’s another story for another time.

Today, I’ve come to post my manifesto on the doors of this site much like Martin Luther did in 1517, but I doubt the pope will be as pissed at me as he was with him. You may or may not agree, I really don’t care, but at the least we’ll have a starting point from which to begin our conversations.

I believe American’s have lost their sense of humor. There’s a difference between laughing at the expense of others and being able to laugh at ourselves. We’ve got enough serious issues. Remember to laugh.

I believe we went to war in Iraq for the wrong reasons. I also believe our servicemen and women there and in other foreign countries deserve our support and respect. I don’t believe dissent is unpatriotic. It’s our duty to speak up against our government, if we feel strongly about it. It doesn't mean we have to scream in each other's faces though.  That freedom to speak is what makes America unique in the world.  Ask the Iranians.

I have no plans to burn an American flag any time soon, but I believe that it’s my right to do so, given to me by the people who framed the Constitution. While they may not have gotten everything correct, I have no doubt their reasoning for allowing me that right is much sounder than the fools in our government clamoring for a constitutional amendment banning my right to do so.

I believe that a person can believe in evolution and creation and have absolutely no conflict in doing both. I do. I also believe that evolution is based in scientific fact and should be taught as such, while creation should be taught in history and religion classes.

My wife and I sent our children to public school be exposed to the real world, science, religion and other kids driving sixty thousand dollar BMW’s while they drove a twelve year old Suzuki Samauri that backfired from time to time. From that education, they learned life isn’t fair and we don’t all look alike, but that’s okay. We don’t all think alike either, but that’s a very good thing. Most importantly, they learned to make informed decisions for themselves. Something we’re proud of and the rest of you should be thankful for.

I believe few things beat a warm summer night spent watching a baseball game, drinking a cold beer and enjoying a hot dog with friends, no matter how bad your favorite team is and mine is bad (the Kansas City Royals).

I believe, as a nation, we have to learn that politics is compromise. We have a lot of politicians holding court both my state of Kansas and the nation’s capital claiming only they know what’s best for you and me. What we have very few of is legislators. People who can disagree with each other, but who know in the end, they must compromise and meet in the middle somewhere for the betterment of the country. A true legislator knows cramming my beliefs, or yours, down the throat of every other American is what is wrong with our country today. In the end we must converse and compromise.

I believe a flat tax would work if we could get the lobbyists out of the way, a KU win over Missouri makes for a great fall afternoon and any day spent fly fishing is a good day.

I also believe I met the love of my life 35 years ago and she remains my greatest supporter along with our three children. That, I believe is enough for this man.