Sam Mellinger

The Kansas City Star

I mentioned this in the column, but the Chiefs have gone from averaging 16.6 points and 357.5 yards to 10.3 points and 270.3 yards since Romeo Crennel decided he needed to spend more time with the offense.

What I didn’t put in the column is that they’ve gone from giving up 30 points and 347.5 yards to 21.2 points and 308 yards per game since Romeo decided he needed to spend less time with the defense.

Godspeed to us all if he decides he needs to spend more time with the quarterback.

Anyway, let’s just get to it. This week’s food recommendation is the spiedini at Osteria il Centro^ and the reading recommendation is Charlie Pierce’s essay from Newtown.

^ Thanks, Ryan.

Small programming note: I’m off the rest of week, so you probably won’t see anything from me here.

As always, thanks for your help.

@RoyalsFreeOut Can we make assumptions now? Or would Romeo still be irked? #TT

Tweet of the Day has an early leader.

@theGeneric1 Hard to quantify, but are the 2012 Chiefs the most disappointing team in NFL history? #TwitterTuesday #expectations

I have no idea how to measure that. Just in their own division, the Chargers have had a line of disappointments. What are the last 10 or 15 years of the Cowboys if not a string of disappointments?

But I do think it’s fair to call this the most disappointing season in Chiefs history, and I know there’s an argument to be made for 1998 and a few others. I’m not sure if anything figured these guys to make the Super Bowl — their starting quarterback was Matt Cassel in a conference where other teams have Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Ben Roethlisberger — but they were a trendy pick to win the division. I remember before the season thinking their WORST CASE scenario was 6-10 or 7-9.

This thing unraveled so quickly and completely, it’s an indictment on the leadership of the team, the coaching staff, and a roster with far more holes than most any of us realized before the season.

This team is worse than 2008, which is as incredible as it is sad.

@Gregmire Can you please use the phrase ‘monsoon of suck’ more? #twittertuesday

The Chiefs will almost certainly give me more opportunities.

@gking_gnikg true or false? Chiefs should sign a veteran qb in the offseason to help mentor the one they draft?

False. This is what quarterback coaches are for. If you want to sign a solid backup, cool, but I think the whole mentoring thing is overrated, especially because the guys who are going to come in as backups aren’t exactly Johnny Unitas.

@KyleDuxbury I couldn’t even drink Tank 7 for the game Sunday. I fell asleep on the couch and I’m only 30. What’s wrong with me? #tt

Consult a doctor. This one’s out of my jurisdiction.

@flsku - my @Redskins got 300+ out of @KirkCousins8 yesterday. What should the #Chiefs be willing to send our way to secure him? #TT

Eh, not enough for the Redskins to trade him. I’m not sure Washington can trust Griffin to stay healthy, so it makes sense for them to carry a good backup. Also, I’m not sure the Chiefs should trust one game — against the BROWNS — so much that they decide he’s the guy.

I mean, isn’t that what got the Seahawks in trouble with Matt Flynn?

@LifeofFitz If a large container full trash were to ignite, would you yell #Chiefs or fire?

And we have a new leader for Tweet of the Day.

@KevinJW1 Media must be objective while covering events, but does that include laughter? That would make covering Chiefs (more) difficult.

I think I’ve laughed at the Chiefs every game they’ve played, actually. Let’s review…

vs Falcons: it was so easy to predict they’d fold after the missed field goal.

at Bills: Bowe points at the back of his jersey in the fourth quarter and the Chiefs were down about 100 points.

at Saints: Cassel’s pass to the flat is so bad McCluster is hurt.

vs Chargers: five turnovers in the first half.

vs Ravens: Cassel fumbles snap on sneak attempt at the goal line.

at Bucs: that whole game was a laughtrack, but especially Wallace jumping over Stanford Routt (remember him?) on that touchdown.

at Chargers: Chiefs give up three touchdowns in less than three minutes of the fourth quarter.

at Steelers: Chiefs penalized for celebrating a touchdown that didn’t count.

vs Bengals: Hillis fumbles at the goal line, when a touchdown would’ve given the Chiefs a lead, and the team predictably folds.

vs Broncos: actually, the funniest part came after, when Romeo Crennel praised the play of Brady Quinn…who was 13 of 25 for 126 yards, no touchdowns and an interception (that was on the last, meaningless, play of the game).

vs Panthers: nothing funny about this one. Just Romeo’s finest hour.

at Browns: I think the “A-Hole” chants at Peyton Hillis were the best part.

at Raiders: Quinn’s pass off Devon Wylie’s facemask.

@b_counter lifelong chiefs fan that moved to Denver 1.5 yrs ago. At what point, if any, can I let my loyalties shift? #twittertuesday

That’s between you and your god.

@CornoObbligato Is being a Chiefs fan this season what it’s like to be a kU football fan, except no basketball to anticipate? #TwitterTuesday

That’s probably accurate.

@StraightOuttaEM More likely to be above .500 next year: #royals or #chiefs or #kufootball

In order: Royals, Chiefs, and KU football. And, really, the Royals are the only one with a good hope.

@MathewBerger How do you feel about Shields post A. Sanchez and Dickey deals?

Not drastically different from what I wrote on Friday. Still think the Royals gave up too much, still don’t like that they gave up Myers when he likely could’ve been an instant upgrade in right field, and still respect the guts and understand the spirit behind it all.

It’s only natural to compare what the Royals and Blue Jays did, of course, but there are a few important differences to keep in mind. First, trading for Dickey is not the most important deal Toronto made. They also, essentially, traded for every good Marlin other than Giancarlo Stanton. And the two top prospects the Royals gave up can be instant contributors in the big leagues.

The guys the Mets got may turn into stars, but there is less certainty. Travis D’Arnaud has put up good numbers, but everyone hits in Las Vegas, and he’s a catcher coming off knee surgery. Noah Snydergaard has a higher ceiling than Jake Odorizzi, but he’s also never pitched above A-ball.

Also, with the contract extension, the Blue Jays have Dickey for three seasons and a club option for a fourth.

So I still feel the same way about what the Royals did. Don’t like it, but do respect it.

@Fort80 Royals prediction for 2013?

83-79, with everything from 75 to 92 wins a reasonable possibility. This really is the best team the Royals have had since the strike, and I realize that’s a skinniest-kid-in-fat-camp kind of compliment, so let me put it a different way: it’s the first team in at least a decade that you’d feel comfortable betting on going over .500.

@PmurcNosaj will you tell my friend @grant4mu that just because you publish his Twitter Tuesday questions he is not that big of a deal?

Jealousy is an ugly emotion, my man.

@ZCRUTCH have to know, what is your beef with Caseys pizza? #tt

It tastes like the pizza they used to serve in junior high, only with more grease.

Now, I should say here that I liked the pizza they used to serve in junior high, and I have nothing against grease, but I’m also not 13 years old anymore (shut up!) and I’ve discovered places like Pizza 51, The Other Place, and Caddyshack.

@prezmike25 How come your picture in the paper looks so sinister? #TwitterTuesday

Gotta keep the ladies guessing.

@TheJeffReport More inconsistent in 2012: the Kansas City Chiefs or S2 of Homeland?

I keep hearing people say the Chiefs have been inconsistent, and, not even trying to be a smartass here, I think they’ve been remarkably consistent. They’ve lost 10 of their 14 games by double digits, and eight by more than two touchdowns. They’ve had crappy quarterback play pretty much every week, good punting, weird coaching decisions and an almost admirable resilient cockiness throughout the whole thing.

And I’ve liked Homeland, on the whole. But I never thought it was in the pantheon of great all-time shows.

@prnutz Is it too early to question the hiring of Bruce Webber? K-State goes from NCAA tournament team to a hopefull NIT team. #tt

I’m getting a lot of this, actually, and, yes. I would say that nine games is a bit too early to call a coach a bust. The Gonzaga game got ugly, and the Cats were overmatched against Michigan — and will be again on Saturday against Florida — but nothing’s happened so far that will prevent K-State from being in the tournament. They’ve lost some chances, but c’mon.

Nine games.

@leonthetrader Is Ben McClemore gone to the draft for sure?

Yes. Gone.

When I was doing Sunday’s column on the Jayhawks, I heard some of that “he really likes it here” talk but didn’t get the sense that anyone really believes he’ll play another season at Kansas.

And why should he?

Kid’s a star^. This is exactly as scientific as it deserves, but the first two mock drafts I clicked on had him being selected third and fourth. He’d be crazy to turn that down, even if he “drops” to the late lottery.

^ I’ve said before, either here or on Twitter or both, that I can’t remember watching a player who enjoys being athletic as much as McLemore. Well, I mentioned this theory to a coach the other day. His response: “You know Blake Griffin was always kind of the same way. Those guys just love to jump. Hell, I would too if I could do it like that. They’re like that showhorse who just wants to show you his (man region) all the time.”

If he drops more than that, I suppose you could make a case that he could improve his way back into the high lottery — sort of the oppose case of Phil Pressey, for instance, who needs to go if he can get into the first round because 5-foot-ahem-11 point guards can’t improve their draft stock much — but even that would be a stretch.

In other words: enjoy what is effectively McLemore’s senior year.

@thillsman Any big plans for Christmas? And what did you get us? #TT

Leaving tomorrow for my mom’s in North Carolina, then coming back to watch the Chiefs lose to Indianapolis on Sunday and cook ribs for the local family on Christmas. Yes, ribs. On Christmas.

Because I am a Kansas City cliche.

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