Chiefs Knock off Steelers 27 - 24 in OT
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THREE TIGHT ENDS OFFER COUNTER
November 22nd – 11:13 AM

Will we see a new-look jumbo package today featuring three tight ends? How about on third down passing situations to counter the blitz? Just how Chiefs head coach Todd Haley uses his tight ends to help counteract the “Blitzburgh” defense remains to be seen, but three active tight ends offer more versatility today in blocking schemes.

With injuries forcing a number of players to the sidelines that would normally be active, the roster shuffle allowed Haley to keep three tight ends active for the first time this season. Leonard Pope will be the starter, backed up by Sean Ryan and Brad Cottam, but all three will be very relevant “behind the scenes” in making the Chiefs offense click today.

INACTIVES ARE IN
November 22nd – 10:35 AM

CHIEFS

15           QB Matt Gutierrez (3rd)
20           CB Donald Washington
29           RB Dantrell Savage
50           LB Mike Vrabel
52           LB David Herron
55           LB Justin Rogers
62           C/G Andy Alleman
85           TE Jake O’Connell

STEELERS
2             QB Dennis Dixon (3rd)
38           FB Carey Davis
43           S Troy Polamalu
65           G Kraig Urbik
66           T Tony Hills
77           DE Sunny Harris
81           WR Shaun McDonald
90           DE Travis Kirschke

TRAPS, CHALLENGES AND A REMINDER
November 21st – 6:00 AM

The infamous trap game is descending upon Arrowhead this Sunday; at least that’s what Steelers pundits would like for us to believe. I’m not buying.

According to the law of sports, a trap game can occur when a good team (Pittsburgh) must travel to play a team with a much inferior record (Kansas City) right after going head-to-head with a rival/top team the week before (Cincinnati), with another difficult team looming the next week on the schedule (Baltimore). In this case, the trap result would have Pittsburgh overlooking Kansas City due to concentrating their efforts on Baltimore.

First off, NFL teams only concentrate their efforts on the opponent at hand regardless of what anyone says or believes. Secondly, if the Chiefs emerge victorious this weekend it will because they matched Pittsburgh’s physical style of football on both sides of the football and played a mistake-free game. It won’t be because of the “trap.”

“By looking at the record of the two teams, a lot of people might think this is going to be an easy game for us,” Steelers LB James Farrior told the Pittsburgh media earlier this week. “I know the media likes to build it up that way.”

Kansas City has enough issues of their own this weekend to worry about whether or not the Steelers are overlooking them. Despite the win-loss record, Kansas City will do battle against the defending Super Bowl champions without both their primary play-maker in the receiving game (WR Dwayne Bowe) and their defensive leader (LB Mike Vrabel).

A passing game without Bowe puts much more pressure on the Chiefs rushing game to turn in a similar performance to that of last Sunday’s effort in Oakland. RB Jamaal Charles turned in both the Chiefs first 100-yard rushing performance of the season, as well as the team’s first rushing touchdown of the season on his fourth-and-one 44-yard breakaway run.

Charles faces a much stiffer test going up against the league’s top-ranked rushing defense this weekend (69.3 yards per game – the Raiders yield nearly 100 yards more per contest on average). In fact, Pittsburgh hasn’t given up an individual 100-yard rusher since Fred Taylor broke off 147 yards in Jacksonville on 12/16/07.

“It’s definitely been a year where we’ve faced some adversity and it’s one of those where you grow up and learn from it,” Chiefs QB Matt Cassel said. “I truly believe that through adversity comes advancement. I think we’re getting stronger as a team.”

This game will also mark a day of mixed feelings for Chiefs head coach Todd Haley. Haley has family ties to the Steelers organization, growing up on the sidelines while his father served as Director of Player Personnel. Pleasant memories certainly form when you’re running errands and washing “Terrible Towels” for legendary Pittsburgh players such as Jack Lambert and Mike Webster in between Super Bowl wins.

The most recent Steelers Super Bowl win that Haley was involved in, however, wasn’t so memorable. Sunday will be the first time that Haley has stood on the opposing sideline from Pittsburgh since witnessing LB James Harrison roll 100-yards for an INT return touchdown en route to a 27-23 Super Bowl win over Haley’s Arizona Cardinals.

“I think you have to look at it,” Haley said of watching the Super Bowl game tape to prepare for Pittsburgh. “That is actually my first time looking at it since the game ended so that was kind of an odd experience. It was not pleasant at the end but I think it is just part of the due diligence of getting ready.

“It was on the T.V. a couple times,” Haley continued. “They were rerunning it and I would walk through and I just couldn’t bring myself to watch it. It was a painful, painful experience. An experience I am glad that I had but it is hard, when you have the lead in the Super Bowl to be World champs and you end up on the wrong side of it. It is really hard to swallow as a competitor or as a person.”

Haley isn’t the only person wearing red and gold this weekend that’s was involved in that Cardinals/Steelers Super Bowl matchup last February. Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, assistant head coach Maurice Carthon and assistant Dedric Ward all witnessed Harrison’s return and WR Santonio Holmes’ game-winning TD catch from the sidelines, while TE Leonard Pope, WR Lance Long and FB Tim Castille were all rostered members of the Cardinals as well.

“I don’t look at it as any kind of redemption because we are in Kansas City now and we’ve got a totally new team with a new staff,” Haley explained. “A couple of us that were in that game happen to be here, but we are trying to get better every day, find our way, find our identity and we have a chance to play one of the best teams in the league, if not the best. It is a great challenge for us and I think we are just looking forward to that.”

Since that game, the Steelers have that developed that championship swagger and brought it with them into the 2009 season. The swagger carries a certain attitude with it and it’s something that opponents must match early, or they will be in for a long day. The Steelers mindset is to get out early and run away from their competition, each and every time they take the field.

“Your goal is to never make it even a close game,” Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger said. “We come out, execute the gameplan and hope for the best.”

The Chiefs likely face their most difficult challenge of the year this Sunday going into the game short-handed. This game will undoubtedly be a gut-check for the Chiefs. An impressive showing against the league’s elite can do wonders for the psyche of a young football team. Back-to-back victories can do even more. It’s something the Chiefs haven’t experienced in over two years.

Putting A Name On It – Things I Think I Know
• Lost in last Sunday’s Oakland victory, and RB Jamaal Chalres’ breakout game, is the fact that Kolby Smith still logged nearly 1/3 of the Chiefs carries. Smith doubled his carries from his return to the field in Jacksonville (from four to nine). Although Charles is the feature back, this is still a running back by committee system. Expect Smith to play a significant role in the run game this Sunday, especially with an ultra-physical Steelers defense on the other side of the football.

• I fully expect Pittsburgh to go to the run game early and often on Sunday. Despite a tight game, the Steelers threw the ball twice as much as they ran vs. Cincinnati a week ago. Especially concerning was that the Pittsburgh run game was largely effective and they still shied away from it in that game. The six-point loss, coupled with a 4.4 yards per carry mark, drew a few “future yielding” remarks from Pittsburgh players and coaches about returning to the run this week in KC.

• Speaking of running the football, LB Andy Studebaker will get a healthy dose of extensive NFL action in place of the injured Mike Vrabel. With the Chiefs most experienced defender on the sidelines, I expect the Steelers to test one of the most inexperience on the edge throughout the game.

• CB Travis Daniels hasn’t found his way onto the field for defensive snaps since re-joining the team two weeks ago. I expect that the end this weekend. With CB Maurice Leggett claiming a stake last weekend at free safety in third-down passing situations, Daniels is pushing CB Mike Richardson for nickel duties.

• I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Chiefs keep three tight ends active this week to help account for Pittsburgh’s blitz packages. The idea may not be likely, but it’s not out of the park irrational either.

• WR Lance Long may very well lead the Chiefs in receiving on Sunday. With Pittsburgh’s blitz packages, Long could be the quick-hitter out of the slot for zone soft spots.

• Big Ben will bounce back, he always does. Roethlisberger turned in his first TD-less performance in 16 games last weekend and in two of his past three starts he’s left much to be desired. Remember, before last Sunday’s game, Roethlisberger was tied with Peyton Manning for the best completion percentage in the NFL (70.6%).