Kansas rolls 49-3 in opener

As expected, 25th ranked Kansas rolled over Northern Colorado 49-3 in their season opener in front of a capacity of crowd of 52,530 on hand in Lawrence. The Jayhawks led by just a 7-0 margin after one quarter as quarterback Todd Reesing ran in from the one on KU’s first possession. In fact, KU got their first two scores of the game from the legs of Ressing who had 79 yards on the ground for the contest.

A 10 yard pass to running back Jake Sharp made it 21-0 and a 16 yard strike from Reesing to Tertavian Ingram capped a 12 play 76 yard drive to give Kansas a 28-0 lead at the half as the Jayhawks piled up 298 total yards in the first half, 170 of those on the ground a fact that had to please coach Mark Mangino.

The Jayhawk offense stalled in the third quarter and allowed Northern Colorado scored its only points of the game with a field goal, but on the final play of the quarter, Reesing hooked up with one of his favorite targets Kerry Meier for a 71 yard gain followed by 2 yard Jake Sharp TD run to cap an 86 yard drive and make it 35-3.

Kale Pick came on in the fourth quarter to receive his first action at quarterback and the red shirt freshman engineered a 7 play 72 yard touchdown drive with freshman running back Toben Opurm scoring on a 10 yard run.

Opurum closed out the scoring with a 26 yard run for a 49-3 final. Kansas rolled up 547 yards in total offense with Reesing going 13 of 20 for 208 yards. Jake Sharp had 123 yards rushing on 21 carries and Opurum carried it 8 times for 79 yards. The Kansas running game piled up 328 yards for an average of 7 yards a carry.

While the defense held Northern Colorado to just 3 points and 246 total yards there were four pass interference calls on the secondary but that was really the only black mark. Mangino said after the game that he felt his team took care of business and took advantage of what they were given.

Dezmon Briscoe was one of four players who were suspended for the game. Mangino said Briscoe’s suspension was related to his suspension back in the spring and part of his reinstatement came with the knowledge he would miss the first game. Next Saturday Kansas goes on the road to take on UTEP in their only non conference road game.

Bernard Pollard cut by Chiefs as they get roster down to 53

The Chiefs got down to their 53 man roster Saturday by releasing 13 players and placing one on injured reserve. The biggest cut, was starting safety Safety Bernard Pollard. In what could be an indication of how badly quarterback Matt Cassel is injured, KC chose to keep all four QB’s on the roster, although trades and more player moves could still occur over the next few days.

Wide receiver Ashley Lelie, signed during training camp also was released along with veteran linebacker Zach Thomas, who never played during the preseason due to injury. The full list is below:

Released

CB Jackie Bates

TE Tom Crabree

DE Dion Gales

DE Bobby Greenwood

G Darryl Harris

WR Taurus Johnson

WR Ashley Lelie

DT Derek Lokey

S Bernard Pollard

S Ricky Price

LB Zach Thomas

RB Javarris Williams

WR Rodney Wright

Placed on IR:

G Colin Brown

Haley calls plays but still no TD's in 17-9 loss to Rams

New Chiefs head coach Todd Haley wanted to start a winning attitude in the preseason, but Kansas City fell to 0-4 with a 17-9 loss in St. Louis. With Haley calling the plays as offensive coordinator for the first time since dumping Chan Gailey on Monday, the offense showed some spark but still didn’t find its way into the end zone.

Brodie Croyle made the start at quarterback for the injured Matt Cassel and had his moments, but missed too many open receivers. He finished 5 of 16 for 85 yards in the first half. Still, he had a 40 yard pass to tight end Sean Ryan as part of an 86 yard drive from the Chiefs own two. Unfortunately, KC had a TD nullified by a holding call on Ryan. Larry Johnson also had a 41 yard run on the drive.

Kicker Ryan Succop rebounded with three FG’s from 31, 40 and 34 yards and running back Dantrell Savage may have nailed down a job with a hard fought 70 yard run from scrimmage, but KC failed to convert 3rd down situations again and again, going 3 of 16, something Haley hammered on last week after the loss to Seattle.

Despite giving up too many third down conversions 9 of 20, the Chiefs defense managed to be a bright spot, recording three sacks and giving up just 10 points. DaJuan Morgan and Wallace Gilberry were two players who may have played their way onto the squad.

One guy who may have played his way off it was last year’s QB Tyler Thigpen. Coming in to start the second half, Thigpen threw two interceptions, including a pick six to Quincy Butler that gave the Rams a 14-9 lead. Thigpen was replaced by Matt Gutierrez in the fourth quarter. Gutierrez was 7 of 14 for 118 yards.

The most glaring weakness once again was the offensive line which gave up two sacks and had Chiefs QB’s under pressure most of the night. It seems no one wants to play tackle for the Chiefs this season. Don’t be surprised when the cuts come on Saturday that Haley and GM Scott Pioli send some familiar names packing and pluck more players off the cut list in an effort to solve the line problems.

Whatever they do, Haley will still be seeking his first win when the Chiefs open the regular season against the Ravens a week from Sunday.

More questions than answers for the Chiefs

As they head into their final exhibition game, the Chiefs have a more questions now than they had heading into training camp. Everybody knew change was coming this season, but this week it got messy. Head coach Toddy Haley decided with two weeks to go before the season, that he didn’t need offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and was going to call the plays himself.

He’s put a target on his back if the offense continues to struggle with or without Matt Cassel running the show and apparently he’s comfortable with that. Whatever changes are still coming and you can bet there a more changes coming, for at least the next week he’ll be without his starting quarterback in Cassel. There are conflicting reports about how long Cassel will be out and the Chiefs aren’t talking so you have to draw your own conclusions, but it would appear Cassel could be gone for at least the opener against the Ravens. In his stead, Brodie Croyle has been named the starter for the final exhibition game with a chance to secure the starting sport for the foreseeable future.

It also means, at least for the moment, that Tyler Thigpen is likley to stick around, but it’s hard to read Haley’s stance on his QB’s. We do know that former starting defensive tackle Alfonso Boone is now looking for a job as he was released this week along with Amani Toomer, who’d been brought in to see if he could help the receiving corps. Receiver Devard Darling tore an ACL on Saturday and has been placed on injured reserve.

The most important thing Haley wants to see this week against the Rams is some sort of progress on the offensive side of the ball and vast improvement with the special teams. With teams having to cut down to 53 players on Saturday few Chiefs players should feel secure if they make that cut. Watch for a revolving door in the weeks to come.

Toiling in obscurity, Greinke deserves the Cy Young award

How do you make a case for a for a Cy Young for a pitcher who pitches on one of the worst teams in baseball? I’m old enough to remember when Steve Carlton won a Cy Young in 1972 for the last place Philadelphia Phillies winning almost half the teams games with a 27-10 record. But that’s when pitchers threw complete games, he had 30 that year! and they didn’t turn it over the set up men and closers to screw things up.

Zack Greinke just completed a week where he struck out 15 players in one game and followed it up with a one hitter the next time out. Only four pitchers in history have done that. Two will be in the Hall of Fame, Randy Johnson and Pedro Martinez and the third was pretty damn good, Vida Blue won 209 games in his career.

Greinke has just a 13-8 record at this point, but it’s not his fault. He leads the league with a 2.32 ERA almost a half run lower than any other starter at this point and he’s been back by one of the league’s worst defenses and doesn’t get to go against the Royals lousy offense. In 10 of his starts he’s been backed by 2 runs or less. In 17 starts he’s had no more than 3 runs support. No wonder he’s not won more.

No pitcher has won the Cy Young with fewer than 18 wins in a year and it would be unlikely for Greinke to do so but he could still get there. But wins are less a barometer of who is the best pitcher now than ever before, even though Greinke has the most complete games and shutouts in the league this season. He’s just got a lousy team behind him.

If you question whether he’s been the best in the league this year, just ask around. Players and scouts say nobody has better stuff and better command of his pitches. No one else can throw a 96-97 mile per hour fastball and come right back with a 64 mile per hour curveball on the corner and still be doing that in the ninth inning. You just don’t hear much about it because he’s in Kansas City. When he threw his one hitter, you didn’t even hear about it on ESPN.

Don’t tell me about Sabathia, Verlander or Felix Hernandez. This season Zack Greinke has been the best in the American League if not all of baseball.

Gailey canned, Cassel out, Haley says he'll call plays

First preseason NFL cuts are due tomorrow, but the Chiefs made a move today that is sure to surprise some people. Offensive coordinator Chan Gailey was relieved of duties today and Head Coach Todd Haley said today he will call take over the duties, call the plays and serve as quarterback coach. Haley said Gailey wasn’t fired but wouldn’t be coaching anymore and could end up in the personnel department. Don’t bet on it.

In addition, Haley wouldn’t discuss quarterback Matt Cassel, who was not at practice today but there are reports he’ll miss two to four weeks after suffering a strained MCL in his left knee Saturday night. Kansas City has just three days to prepare for their final exhibition game against the Rams on Thursday and with his starting quarterback and offensive coordinator now gone, Haley officially has his hands full.

After the loss to Seattle, Haley said “I don’t think we’re going to be a high powered group right now.”, when talking about the offense. He’s right. Where he’ll turn for the short term at QB is anybody’s guess, but considering Tyler Thigpen was aided by Gailey’s offensive scheme last season, my bet is on Brodie Croyle and Matt Guttierrez.

Don’t be surprised if the Chiefs scoop up Kevin O’Connell who the Pats cut today. He was a third round pick last season and the leading candidate to backup Tom Brady this season. He was drafted under Scott Pioli’s watch in New England.

In other news, Demorrio Williams has taken over first team linebacking duties from former number one pick Derrick Johnson. Top pick Tyson Jackson is now listed as the first team left defensive end and Jon McGraw is first team free safety over Jarrad Page. Page missed Saturday night’s game.

Big 12 preview

The Big 12 season opens with an oddity this week. Oklahoma plays the first college game in the new Cowboys Stadium in Dallas against BYU. You’re telling me they couldn’t get a Texas school to genuflect to Jerry Jones for all that money?

The Sooners return with Heisman trophy winner Sam Bradford at quarterback and another shot at a national title, but most people think they’ll have to get by Texas to get there. At this moment it’s a coin toss to say who will be standing when the conference race ends. With Colt McCoy at the helm and a defense that will be stout, Texas may have one or two less question marks, but they’ll need to watch out for Halloween in Stillwater and not just the Red River Shootout in Dallas. That’s when the Longhorns visit the Cowboys of Okie State, who are primed to give everyone a run for their money with Zac Robinson running coach Mike Gundy’s offensive fireworks. The Cowboys get a test right out of the box as they play host to Georgia this Saturday.

The rest of the south should have Tech sliding back down a couple of notches and Baylor inching up. The real question is how could Texas A&M mess up what was once a 10 win a season program? Answer, they worked real hard at it.

In the north, Kansas and Nebraska should battle for the division title and the Jayhawks should win it on the strength of a veteran QB and explosive offense and they get the Cornhuskers in Lawrence. At Mizzou, Chase Daniel is gone and Blaine Gabbert is in. But the Tigers have a lot of holes to fill and coach Gary Pinkel said last week, “We have to get better fast”.

Colorado may be better, but I’m not convinced. Iowa State, under new coach Paul Rhoads should be improved, but the mystery team in the north is K-State. Bill Snyder is back in the saddle after a disastrous three seasons under Ron Prince, but can Snyder bring back the magic to a field now named after him or will his teams look like the last couple of years before he retired the first time. No one knows, but it’ll be fun watching. The hard part for Snyder is there’s already been a Miracle in Manhattan, so fans actually expect one this time around.

The time is now for Kansas

The kickoff to the Kansas football season is less than a week away and there’s more excitement in the air than any time in recent memory. The Jayhawks are co-favorites in the Big 12 North along with Nebraska. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the conference and the country in Todd Reesing. They’re depth is without question the best it’s been under coach Mark Mangino even with several underclassmen scheduled to start.

But nothing will come easy for Kansas this year. They also face a very tough schedule, particularly on the road. They have three difficult Big 12 South opponents in Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech with both Texas teams on the road. Four of the last five games of the season will be played away from Memorial Stadium, although Missouri at Arrowhead in Kansas City will be a neutral site.

It all means the Jayhawks need to get out of the box strong, work on their weaknesses in the non conference schedule and build toughness for later on the road, particularly on defense. I once interviewed a coach at Willowridge High School in suburban Houston,Texas, a school renowned for turning out talented Division one college players about what he wanted in a player. He replied in a slow Texas drawl, “We want to see them agile, mobile and hostile.” Mangino wants the same from his group, a solid, experienced, but not spectacularly talented bunch. One thing he needs is for a whole new crop of linebackers to step up and prove themselves early on.

No one questions that the KU offense will be good, but how good rests on how fast an offensive line that will likely feature two juniors, two sophomores and one redshirt freshmen, Tanner Hawkinson come together. With the talented Dezmon Briscoe and Kerry Meier leading the receivers and Jake Sharp and highly touted freshman Toben Opurum carrying the ball, the Jayhawks will score.

After 20 wins over the past two seasons, it’s now time to see if Kansas is truly ready to step up and claim it’s first division title. It’s there for the taking and it all starts Saturday night against Northern Colorado.

Not good no matter how you look at it

Well, this wasn’t a part of the plan. The third game of the NFL exhibition season is when coaches expect to see the most out of their team before the real games begin, but for Kansas City, it was a possible preview of the nightmare to come as they fell 14-10 to Seattle.

On the first offensive possession of the game, Matt Cassel, the quarterback new GM Scott Pioli handed a 63 million dollar contract to in the off season, was sacked and went down with an apparent knee injury never to to be seen again. Not a good sign. But that wasn’t all. The Chiefs only TD of the game came on a 28 yard interception return by the talented Brandon Flowers, who proceeded to depart shortly thereafter with a shoulder injury of some kind. Receiver Devard Darling also left with a knee injury. It looked like a Mash unit out there.

With Tyler Thigpen jumping in for Cassel, the offense managed little other than some good running from Jamaal Charles who had 54 yards on 7 carries. KC continued to struggle with their line play despite the introduction of two new players into the mix this week. They gave up 4 sacks and the offense was an abysmal 1 of 10 on third down conversions. Thigpen did little to help his cause in the battle for a spot on the roster despite the unknown nature of Cassel’s injury.

In addition to another poor offensive performance, the Chiefs specials teams pretty much failed at every turn. Rookie kicker Ryan Succop missed a 28 yard field goal attempt as well as hit the crossbar with a 53 yarder. The punt team muffed one return and failed to down a ball they should have gotten to inside the five. All in all an mess.

Despite giving up 406 yards on defense there were some bright spots. Top pick Tyson Jackson showed marked improvement, recording a sack and tipping the pass that turned into the interception by Flowers. Monty Beisel filled in nicely for Derrick Johnson at linebacker, but if the offense leaves them on the field all day long, it will be a very long season.

Watching the performance made me think of a line from the TV show the Big Bang, when Penny, the next door neighbor views what’s going on across the hall and says “Holy crap on cracker”.