Why Viking Are 1-2 & Good NFL Teams Are Down, Chiefs 3-0

The Chiefs 3-0, Vikings 1-2, Why Good Teams Are Diving

Living in the Midwest has it's drawbacks, but it also has it wonderful perks, as well. As a rule, people who follow sports, live and die with the team around their city, and even if they are not fans, they love to follow and bash them (See: K. C. Royals, Chiefs, Cleveland Indians, Browns, Denver Nuggets, etc..etc...). Hence, this article was born. Sports is not just a bunch of gifted and "bigger" than the normal people, with skills, and those skills propel them to win (See: K. C. Royals in '85, Cardinals '83, N. Y. Jets '09, Boise State, the last three years). Hence, the term/saying, "There is no "I" in "TEAM." These are team sports, and there are several reasons why a team, like the K. C. Chiefs (this year) are 3-0, while Bret Favre's Vikings are 1-2 (with their win, over Detroit, who's RB was hurt the second half and their #1 draft pick, last year, is done for the year). Kansas City should go 10-6 this year, while the Vikings should go 9-7. K. C. will get a wild card seat, and Minnesota will just miss the playoffs.Regardless of team sport, the only way they will win year in and out (Patriots, Lakers, Devil Rays, Jayhawks) is thru playing as a team and as individuals, knowing your role and shutting your mouth. Sticking with the Chiefs and Vikings, as the rule/example, this is glaring right now. For the Vikings, they have Sidney Rice (http://sidneyrice.com/) out for the first half of the season, Brett Favre is not healthy, and the Defense (Jared Allen) are playing as individuals, period.

The Minnesota Vikings (http://minnesotavikings.com/) were one game away from the Super Bowl, last year, but that was last year. The Chiefs (http://kansascitychiefs.com/) were not good last year and were not picked above the Chargers (who they beat in the opening game) and Denver, much less having a 3-0 start. The Chiefs, unlike the Vikings, players know their roles, as of now. Dexter McCluster, one of the Chiefs top picks, out of Mississippi, this year is serving as a fast slot receiver, running back, special teams return guy, and he gives 100% every snap. Matt Cassel, unlike Favre (http://brettfavre.com/) who should not have come back this year, is making the short passes, not turning the ball over and is making a big play when he has it (42 yard strike to Bowe) and also checks down/throws the swing pass/looks for 2nd and 3rd options. The stats from week three games, of both the Chiefs and Vikings, tells the story of the two QB's, right now:Favre 23 of 34, 231 yards, 1 TD, 2 int's Cassel 16/27 251 yards, 3 TD's, 1 IntAnother example of the difference from the Chiefs and Vikings, is they are not playing like every play is their last play.

Football is truly a "game of inches." Read anything you can on Vince Lombardi (http://vincelombardi.com/), as he showed and coached every game, getting his team to buy into that kind of a mind set. The Chiefs are not playing every down this way, and it is truly because (my opinion), the days (for most players) of playing every down, play, pitch like it is your last, are over. Money and attitude has crept into ALL major league games, and into the colleges, giving coaches a harder time to pick the best players. Even in the interviews, OTA's, and all the tests they test players on, before drafting them, coaches and general managers choose players, as best they can. The Chiefs have a very young team, while the Vikings are made up of mostly veterans. The Chiefs are playing hungry, while the Vikings look like they are playing for themselves, stats and the "highlight play." With the exception of Adrian Peterson (http://adrianpeterson.com/) Shiancoe (TE) and E. J. Henderson (LB), as of now, are the only players who would "fit" on the Chiefs roster. This is due to age (Favre, Berrian), superstar attitudes (Allen), and poor execution and blaming others, after. The Chiefs being young and led by a quarterback not 100% tested (Matt Cassel, out for the whole season last year) they have a handful of plays a game, like the Vikings have, more than half the time. However, the Chiefs are playing hard, are winning in any way they can, and all the players are playing for time, for the win, but most importantly for the WIN. They are not "phoning in the win," like the Vikings look like this year (or the Saints looked like, last Sunday Night, week 3, who also, lost).

Last, the reason the Chiefs are a playoff team and the Vikings are not, is the Vikings have not made the choices, draft picks and trades to retool their team, but the Chiefs have. The Chiefs, grant it because they have struggled for a while, so they have had higher draft picks, have made the deals (Cassel, Thomas Jones, Chris Chambers), trades (getting rid of Jared Allen, for high picks and cash), and they have built the team thru the drafts and from the defensive side of the ball (Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali, Eric Berry, etc..etc..). Yet, they have also made good on their late draft picks and the "signings" (meaning the team didn't draft the player, but every other team passed on them, and they picked them up in the supplemental draft, or just signed them as a free agent). In the third round, the Chiefs picked up tight end, Tony Meoaki, from Iowa in the third round. He is in the top five of statistics for all tight ends in the NFL, as a rookie, and wasn't "hugely" touted, coming out of college (at least not to the extent he is playing). Eric Berry, safety, is playing like his job is on the line, not like the number one pick of the Chiefs, who will play either way. This attitude comes from the coach, period. Everything starts from day one, with a coach who either gets it, knows his players (which ones to coddle, which ones to hammer, and those to leave alone, as they know what they did wrong, and those to praise). Todd Haley, the Chief's head coach, is doing a great job, in leading a team of first thru fourth year players. While, Viking's head coach, Brad Childress, has reigned in Brett Favre and the options he has at the line. A man who has not missed a game, since he started his first game in the NFL (http://nfl.com/), now has a leash on him? His nickname, the gunslinger, now has his guns put in his holsters? All this, after almost going to the Super Bowl, last year. Is this good coaching, while Jared Allen is celebrating "assist tackles," with his patented celebration?

I could write a novel on just these two teams, so I will end this with just three examples. However, when the Chiefs are in the playoffs, and the Vikings are at home for them, Favre retires, the Vikings have to have two to three years of "rebuilding" and the Chiefs start reloading, don't say that nobody spoke up, or had any idea. This did not just come out of the blue skies. All this and I am a Rams fan, and can't stand the Chiefs.

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