A "Come to Jesus" with Bob Gretz
Ya know,...There is a fundamental difference between my writings, and those of BoB Gretz. That much is clear to any Chiefs fan right now. I am trying to help fill up the seats. ( Figuratively, speaking )
I do so by talking positive about this franchise. I do so by endorsing the moves made by their front office, and by reporting many, many positve stories that Kansas City Chief fans want to read. Enter Bob's most recent tuesday article. "Please, Less Kool-Aid" ( Here, catch up )
www.bobgretz.com/chiefs-football/please-less-kool-aid-%E2%80%A6-monday-cup-o%E2%80%99chiefs.html
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I just don't know where to begin. So I will start at the top, and I will be quoting Gretz, so pay attention.
"The glass is not just half-full these days among some fans, TV hairdos and sports talk yakkers. It’s overflowing. They have completely bought in to the new trio managing the team, that group includes chairman Clark Hunt who got this whole messy rebuilding started when he pulled the chain a year early on Carl Peterson."
Sports talk yakkers? You must be talking about Nick Wright, or something. And why shouldn't everyone be buying into this new trio of management Bob? They did beat YOUR Steelers last year at home. Something you could have never forecasted. Moving on...
"But let’s inject some reality here and let me ask these questions – just what have Pioli and Haley accomplished since they walked in the door in January-February 2009? Just how are the Chiefs a significantly better team, or a better organization? To win 10 games, they would have to be quite a bit improved from the teams that lost 38 of the last 48 games."
I have counted the many ways this football team has improved on many occasions on this very website, and many others. Some of us,..( cough cough ) are not paying attention. I guess that puts good ole' Bob at the top of the list. He must have been following the Steelers.
Call them a 4-12 team all you want. They are improved. From top to bottom on this roster, and we see an infusion of speed. Closing speed. The kind of closing speed displayed when Jovan Belcher makes a game saving tackle against your beloved Steelers. Let's keep that in mind. Moving on..
"Right now, some two days away from the first practice of 2010 training camp the Chiefs are not significantly better than they were at the end of the 2008 season. Line up the best players on the current roster and almost all of them were in house when Pioli/Haley walked in the door – Jamaal Charles, Brandon Flowers, Branden Albert, Tamba Hali, Dwayne Bowe, Dustin Colquitt, Brian Waters and Brandon Carr. Almost all of those players were products of the drafts staged by Peterson, Herm Edwards and Bill Kuharich, all now banished from the building. Some have developed into more consistent performers. Others have not "
Please don't sit here and try and force feed Chief fans with this notion that Carl Peterson, Herm Edwards, and Bill Kuharich didn't know what they were doing Mr. Gretz. That's just preposterous. Every fan of the NFL understands that all players are not going to be consistent at times. Especially in camp. That's what coach Haley started with. Accountability. From day one, and you know it.
"What significant talent has been added to that core? Mike Vrabel, Thomas Jones, Ryan Lilja – all nice NFL players, but all except Lilja are 30 or older and on the back end of their careers. As we saw last year with Mike Goff and Bobby Engram, those types of players can hit the wall suddenly and they become older bodies taking up a roster spot."
How many times does Scott Pioli have to bring in a 30 plus player that produces at a bargain cost to prove my point on this one Bob? Really? You are aware there could be a work stoppage next year right? Have you taken any of this into account? Mark this down Big Boy.....Thomas Jones will shine this year, especially in fantasy. He could kick your ass. Mike Vrabel is the answer to mentoring these young linebackers. The proof comes in the form of good ole Andy Studebaker almost taking one to the house against your Steelers. And are you seriously complaining about the Lilja signing? How bad was their pass blocking last year Bob? I'd say a significant upgrade. In many areas.
Well, you can read the rest of his banter all you want. Doing it once, was painful enough for me, and I am sure many season ticket holding, die hard Kansas City Chief fans would agree.
Bob, Hope is a good thing. Being a fan is a good thing. You can not take those away from the every day reader that subscribes to your overpriced, "expert" opinion. You have your uses. I will give you that. You have the ability to shed light on many things that get overlooked throughout a 6 month process. But you are failing to see the big picture. This is about hope. This is about bringing life back to a demoralized nation. It is out with the old, and in with the new. So, please...
Have a freaking glass of Koolaid, and shut the F*%k up.
I am BarrysKoolaid.
Prrrrrrrr........
