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Well AP this is by far the hardest post I have ever had to write.  I wrote my original "Kool Aid" post almost one year ago.  Since then we have come a long ways.  I mean that in several different ways.  First, our beloved Chiefs have gone from bottom feeder to front runner and Arrowhead has gone from being over run by Cowboys fans to having a dominant home field advantage once again.  Second, AP has grown in size and quality. There are so many well spoken voices on all sides of the issues, it is both humbling and inspiring at the same time.  Finally, on a personal note, I've gone from someone that never even thought about writing to someone who spends every free minute thinking about and researching what I want to write next.  It's because of this new obsession, an obsession fueled by all the AP members who have encouraged me over this last year, that I have decided to accept a position as a writer for our old friend Patrick Allen over at Arrowhead Addict.  So this will be my last official post here at AP.  I'm going to be leaving behind my KCporkchop/KoolAid Man persona and will be writing under my actual name (not easy to do with a name like Lyle Graversen).  However, before I go I felt like the Kool Aid series needed a little closure.  So belly up to the bar for one more round of KC Chiefs Kool Aid.

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What a difference a year makes!  Last year at this time the Chiefs had just won their first game of the season, bringing their record to 1-5.  People were down on Haley, down on Pioli, down on our outlook, etc.  Now, despite two consecutive loses, Chiefs mania is running wild.  There are so many people excited about this team and so many new posters bringing quality posts, stats, and comments to the site that I've started to question if I even need to do any more Kool Aid posts.  You don't need me to break down why you should be excited about our team this week and that we have a great shot against a Jaguars team that may be using its 3rd string QB.  You don't need anyone else to tell you that we have a great running game, the pass protection has been fantastic, or that Brandon Flowers is a beast of a CB.

I have to tell you AP, you're making me work pretty hard to come up with a fresh new batch of Kool Aid at this point.

So I sat down this week and looked at our schedule the rest of the way.  I looked at several of the stats and the records of our upcoming opponents and found some interesting numbers.  The next five games really jumped out at me as games the Chiefs can and should win.  So that's what I'm serving up this week.  More after the jump.

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Let me start by saying that this post is going to use a LOT of numbers.  I've been looking at what the Chiefs have done this season compared to other teams and also with playoff teams from previous seasons.  Obviously the biggest question that is eating at KC fans and filling up AP's posts is the question of "will our passing game be good enough to get us to the playoffs?"  A lot of APers have serious QB envy when they watch other teams play.  Matt Cassel is far and away the most discussed and debated Chief.  I'm not here to discuss "IF" Matt Cassel will be good enough this season or going forward to make the playoffs.  What I wanted to find out is how good do we need him to be.  In other words, how far does he need to go to get the job done.  The discussion of will he get "there" is hard to have if we can't define where "there" is.  I've crunched a bunch of numbers, so hold onto your hats because here we go.

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So let me start by saying sorry that this week's installment is a little late.  All I can tell you is that there is no Kool Aid for workplace internet filters.  So not only have I not had a lot of AP access, but I wasn't in a very "Kool Aid" frame of mind for most of the week.  So given my sour mood and the fact that one of my only online football resources between 7am and 5pm is NFL.com, this week's post will focus on some statistical data that I think shows that the Chiefs have a good chance to go get a win at Houston this weekend.  I'll also explain why I think the run game was more to blame for the Indy loss then Matt Cassel (SAY WHAT?!?!).  So here we go, a very grumpy porkchop's week 6 glass of Chiefs Kool Aid.

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"PLAYOFFS?  YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT PLAYOFFS?"

Well Jim Mora, maybe just a little.

Okay, let me start by saying that I know its WAY to early to be talking about the playoffs for this team.  So what am I going to talk about this week?  Making the playoffs, of course.

Now let me clarify, I'm not predicting that we will make the playoffs.  Before last weeks game I was still thinking 8-8 for this season and probably the playoffs in 2011.  However, after last week's performance and a little fact digging, things are looking pretty good.  After the break I've got a little bit for everyone:  statistics that prove we are on track for the playoffs and some "awesome" pictures that make fun of some of our AFC West rivals.  What's not to like?

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Once again it is a pretty easy week to do a Kool Aid post.  I mean come on, after 10 wins in 3 years it's pretty easy to feel good about things when we start off the year 2-0.  Are we up there with the "Big Dogs" of the NFL?  No.  Are we probably the worst 2-0 team in the NFL?  Yes, although you could have a pretty good debate between us and Tampa Bay.  My point is, when you have set up camp in the NFL's cellar it's hard to get out.  Just ask Cleveland, or other regulars in the NFL's "loser club" like Detroit and Oakland.  Even I, AP's self appointed Kool Aid man have to admit that we had become one of those teams.  Before you can really become a NFL power and challenge for divisions and Super Bowls, you first have to just get yourself out of the basement.  The Chiefs still have some major worts.  They still have to improve, A LOT.  I'm just excited because it looks like we've taken those first important steps out of the cellar.

How many games were we in last year where we had a shot late but found a way to lose.  Two games into this season we have been in those exact same situations and found ways to win.  Don't look at punt returns and interceptions as some "excuse" for why we won.  Look at it as guys are stepping up and making plays that didn't happen in the past three seasons.  This year our defense stopped San Diego at the goal line instead of allowing the TD.  This year our defense was able to stop Cleveland late in the game and then our offense was able to run the clock out.  Teams that have their mail delivered to the NFL basement don't close out games like that.  That is a huge step and it's okay to feel good about it even though we still have a long road ahead of us.

I've got two main points I want to make after the break.

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Let me start by saying that this is not going to be my typical Kool Aid post for a couple of reasons.  First, the Kool Aid is already flowing like water after that win Monday night.  Second, the amount of information pouring out of AP these days is so great that there is very little I could point out that hasn’t already been done by countless others.  Did you hear DJ had 12 tackles and a forced fumble?  Oh, okay, how about the fact that we contained Ryan Matthews for just 75 yards on 19 carries?  You did huh?  I suppose you already picked up on the fact that our kick returners had pretty good averages too?  How about that we only had three penalties?  We didn’t turn the ball over?

 

See what I mean.

 

However, I was one of the thousands in attendance Monday night.  I stood in the Sea of Red, and let me tell you friends, not all the Kool Aid pitchers in the world could contain it.  So I made a conscious effort to bottle some of it up to share with you.

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Let me start by saying that this post will not be KCporkchop's Big Ole Post of Awesome part 2.  This post will be a little more reflective and based in reason as opposed to just pure awesomeness.  Think of this as the Ying to my last posts Yang of positive thoughts about this year's team.  Unlike the last post, I look forward to some debate on what you all agree and disagree with.

What I have done for this round of Kool Aid is take a look at where we are as a team compared to one year ago.  I have broken the team down into 14 areas and will address whether we have upgraded, downgraded, or stayed the same in each one.  So here we go, your 2010 End of Pre-Season Glass of Chiefs Kool Aid.

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WARNING:  This post has no real intellectual value.  This post is not the place to come for a good debate.  It's just a post of silly, awesome, hoopla.  We finally won a preseason game and the countdown to Monday Night Football is on.  So if you want to get excited about our team and all that is awesome, this post is for you.  If you are not all about the awesomeness, then by all means, visit one of the other insightful posts here at AP.

Thank you,

KCporkchop

 

Okay, now that I've got that out of the way let's get the awesomeness started.

Is everyone aware that we drafted this guy?

 

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 Come on I couldn't start a post about all that is awesome with the Kansas City Chiefs without starting things off with Eric Berry.  But Berry is just the tip of the ice burg.  Here we go.........

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Okay AP, before the final cuts come down let's see how well you know your team.  I want your 53.  Let's assume they don't sign anybody and that nobody goes on the IR.  I know that's not likely, but that makes you have to pin things down a little more.  So I'll start things off:

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So a funny thing happened to me yesterday.  School was out for the day and as I often do I went to the mothership and put on Todd Haley's daily news conference to listen to while I finished up some work in my office before going home.  It works well because I don't have to really listen that close while I work because it's pretty much the same coach speak day after day.  Something like....

"We just need to get better everyday.  He's a guy that is starting to get it.  I'll only talk about the guys on the field.  It's a process.  We're going to go with the guys we feel give us the best chance to win."

I could go on, but most of you know what I'm talking about.  Some days you get a treat and Nick Wright will ask a question that you know Haley doesn't want to answer and you get a dirty look or sarcastic remark, but that's usually about it.

That's why yesterday almost slipped past me.  I actually had to stop what I was doing and go back and listen again.  Am I wrong here, or did Todd Haley actually give us a little bit of honesty and insight into his use of our best player Jamaal Charles?  I think he did, and furthermore, I now feel confident that nobody needs to worry about how we will use JC this season.

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Dear Mr. Whitlock,

 

You don't know me.  I mean that in a couple of ways.  First, we've never met.  I'm just a 33 year old school teacher in the Wichita area that is a die hard Chiefs fan and occasional reader of your column.  Second, in hearing your "explanation" today on the radio it is clear to me that you don't know the average sports fan (like me) that is out there listening to you.  I'm not sure who you were talking to today, but it wasn't me.  The sad part is, you continually stated that the problem with newspapers today is that they are trying too hard to win awards and not writing for the actual people.  I think you need to listen to your own advice Jason.  Let me explain...

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Well I don't know about anyone else but the start of training camp always gets me back into full obsession mode after a bit of down time between the draft and the start of camp.  It's not hard to get excited with all the great coverage we have going on from everyone from Joel to fellow readers who are sharing their experiences.  For all the newbs around here, I write these Kool Aid posts on a regular basis.  The idea is to give actual well thought out and statistically backed up ideas as to why we as Chiefs fans can be optimistic.  So use this information to feed your enthusiasm or defend your team against that Donkey fan at work.  Here are some reasons as to why I feel we can be excited about our 2010 Chiefs broken down into seven different areas.

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Hello Chiefs fans.  I hope the summer is treating you well.  I should probably apologize for not being around as much lately.  Being a teacher I have my summers off and all that time away from my desk has really cut into my AP time.  However, in between trips to the park with the kids and working outside on the lawn I've been thinking a lot about the Chiefs and specifically the AFC West.  Now I won't go so far as to predict the Chiefs will win the AFC West, I still think we are probably a year away.  However, if you look at the other AFC West teams I think I can serve up a pretty realistic glass of Kool Aid as to why each of those teams may struggle this year.  So for those of you craving a little summertime glass of Kool Aid, I give you your 2010 AFC West Glass of Kool Aid.

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Let me start by saying that this is not one of my Kool Aid posts.  I was originally planning on using this post to show AP some stats that would give us some idea of what to expect in terms of improvement with our new coordinators.  I decided to compare their stats from previous seasons with what we have seen here in KC the last few years.  However, the results weren't exactly what I was expecting.  After the jump I'll show you what I found.  I usually like to come to some sort of conclusion on my posts, but this time I'm not trying to sway you to the positive or negative.  I would really just like to know what your thoughts and expectations are on these two.

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From the FanPosts. Bumped up the time to now. -Joel

Well, the 2010 draft is in the books.  As usual, there were plenty of surprises.  Some of you are excited and some of you are not.  I've tried to provide a little perspective for you, in this, your post draft glass of.....

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I know the draft has brought AP some new members that may not be familiar with my "Kool Aid" perspective on things. If you are really interested, you can check out my original post The Kool Aid Drinkers Manifesto. I'll summarize the main point as this.  I try and focus on the positives when it comes to the Chiefs. 

I'm not in denial when it comes to some of our problems, but because I am so obsessed with the Chiefs, I can't focus all my thoughts and energy on what's wrong.  I'd go crazy.  I think there are logical, well thought out reasons to have hope for the future of our franchise.  Many choose to label anyone who looks at these positives as a "Kool Aid Drinker".  I got tired of fighting that stereo type so I decided to own it.  So in my Kool Aid posts I try to point out some of these positive things for my fellow AP readers who like me live and die by this team.

Alright, let's get on with things.  Here is my 2010 draft glass of Kool Aid.

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WARNING:  Attention all Chiefs fans.  In just over 24 hours the NFL draft will begin and we are about to enter a....

 

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In order to prove how serious I am about this point I even removed my Eric Berry avatar picture (so you know I must be serious :-P)

One year ago we were all excited about the 2009 NFL draft.  At this point last year I owned every draft periodical printed, had memberships to all the scouting websites and gobbled up every last bit of information on all the prospects I thought the Chiefs should and would be interested in.  I was ready for the Tyson Jackson pick and although not super excited about it, I understood it, and was okay with it.  Then rounds 3-7 came around.  I had so many prospects that I could give detailed scouting reports on off the top of my head that I was ready for the Chiefs to snatch up.  Then they took Alex Magee, then Donald Washington, then Colin Brown, etc. etc. etc.  None of those guys were on my lists.  We didn't draft the positions I thought we should in the rounds I thought we needed to.  None of it made any sense to me. 

You know why? 

 I'm not a GM. 

Reading magazines, blogs, and scouting reports and watching highlights on Youtube doesn't make me Pioli's equal.  When it comes down to it we have our own opinions, but to think that we know as well as he does is foolish.  I started up the "Draft Eric Berry Fanclub" a while back because I love the guy (hopefully they won't kick me out of the club for taking down my picture).  I REALLY hope he is Chief tomorrow.  If he's not I'm still going to trust that Pioli knows more about this team then I do and wants the Chiefs to win as much, if not more then I do.  So I'll trust him even if its (heavy sigh) Brian Bulaga.  I'll trust him even if he drafts a TE in the second round even though we haven't addressed NT yet.  I'll trust him if he drafts some guy I've never heard of in the fourth round when some guy I love and thought would be gone in the second is still on the board.  It's going to happen guys, so prepare yourself. 

Last year's draft was one of the most frustrating drafts of all time for me.  After that I decided I was going to go into the drafts in the future with a different mindset.  I'm ready for anything and excited for the ride.  I have my hopes, but at the end of the day I'm still in the "fog" until Pioli sheds some light onto his very secretive plans.  No matter what happens tomorrow night I'm excited for next season and can't wait to cheer on my favorite team.

 

So there you go AP, consider it a pre-draft glass of Kool Aid if you will.  Enjoy the draft, keep an open mind, and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PORKCHOP OUT

 

First off, I appologize.  This is another post related to the draft.  However, I do not have any intention of this turning into a mock draft fest.  There's a post for people to do that.  It's really a question about last season and how we view our team compared to how outside "experts" view our team.  I am of the opinion that our offensive line made great strides last year and was playing well by the end of the year.  I have, on occasion, been told I was drinking too much Chiefs Kool Aid.  Is this another one of those times?  Can someone help me understand why experts all over (some who I respect, some who I don't) state that OL is one of our greatest needs?  After the break I'll provide the stats that I am basing my opinion on.  I'm not doing this to try and sway anyone to my way of thinking.  I really want to know if I am biased in my opinion.

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WARNING:  This entire post should be written in the sarcasm font.  However, I felt that it might be hard to look at, but be advised sarcasm is afoot.

So in the last few days Walterfootball has turned my whole world upside down.  I the founder of the Draft Eric Berry Fanclub had the very foundation of my universe rocked by this article by Walterfootball that spells out why safeties aren't worth an early first round pick.  It's been discussed on AP a couple times now.  For those that haven't read it, I'll summarize.  Safeties aren't worth picking because teams that drafted safeties in the first 15 picks of the first round were only 242-284 (a 46% winning percentage) with those safeties on their roster.  In other words, they didn't make their teams winners.  So obviously we should disband the fanclub and go with Brian Bulaga who Walterfootball has in their latest mock draft.  However, before we do so let's use a little of their own math and logic.

AP, I present you ERIC BERRY

 

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  VS.

BRIAN BULAGA

 

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THE WALTERFOOTBALL MATH EDITION

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From the FanPosts - Woodman

For anyone who has been a Chiefs fan for more then a decade there is a sense of pride when thinking about the defense our team had back in the 90's when DT was racking up sacks and Marty ball did not just define a coaching style, but an attitude.  People feared the Chiefs and it all started with the defense.  Well the last decade has been a little different.  The last time we had an elite defense was 1997 (13 seasons ago).  If you're like me that makes you feel old.  Can it really have been that long?  Sadly, yes.  Here is a look at where our team finished each season in the rankings for Yards Per Game and Points Per Game:

• 1997:  11th YPG  1st PPG
• 1998:  9th YPG  22nd PPG
• 1999:  14th YPG  13th PPG
• 2000:  18th YPG  19th PPG
• 2001:  23rd YPG  23rd PPG
• 2002:  32nd YPG  28th PPG
• 2003:  29th YPG  19th PPG
• 2004:  31st YPG  29th PPG
• 2005:  25th YPG  16th PPG
• 2006:  16th YPG  11th PPG
• 2007:  13th YPG  14th PPG
• 2008:  31st YPG  29th PPG
• 2009:  30th YPG  29th PPG

So what happened?  How did we go from one of the great defensive teams in the NFL to a whipping boy.  I mean from 2001 (when Vermeil came in) to present we have an average year end ranking of 25.5 in YPG and 22 in PPG.  Well if the old sayings "championship teams are built through the draft" and "defense wins championships" are both true then it stands to reason that it is vital that a team draft quality defensive players.  Let's take a look at how that's gone and who's to blame.

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