Sam Mellinger

The Kansas City Star

A few weeks ago, the headline on a column read Chiefs have hit rock bottom, and I winced a bit, because I come from the Buddy Bell school of Kansas City sports.

Never say it can’t get worse.

That said, the Chiefs just got bombed by a mediocre team at home. They benched their team captain and quarterback, again, playing in front of a stadium fairly evenly split between fans wearing black in protest, fans in other colors, and empty seats. Some of those fans say they were detained or kicked out of the stadium for voicing criticism. One of the broadcasters was a popular quarterback from decades past, who essentially said he no longer recognized the team or stadium. He and his partner explained a remarkably strong fan movement demanding change to an audience of millions.

I’m still with Buddy, but like I said on Twitter, short of Scott Pioli stopping a game to moon the crowd on the video board, I’m not sure what “worse” would look like.

This week’s food recommendation is the pork tenderloin sandwich at Kitty’s Cafe (h/t Josh Fisher) and the reading recommendation is (non-sports) Justin Heckert on the Girl who feels no pain.

Anyway, it’s also college football (and basketball!) season now, so let’s get to it. As always, thanks for your help.

@Eli_Spencer Why us?

Well, think of the sports karma we’re all building up. If things really do even out in the end, can you even imagine the decades of dominance Kansas City is about to experience?

@joedice2001 so do u still expect Pioli to be fired still?? If so when??? I say by week 15

I do, yes. I’m not 100 percent sure, obviously, but my sense is that Clark Hunt really, really, REALLY does not want to fire Pioli but is steadily running out of reasons. The team is an embarrassment. In year four. With a roster many thought was good enough to win the AFC West.

If it’s Romeo Crennel’s fault, then Pioli hired him. If it’s a shallow roster’s fault, then Pioli built it. If it’s the quarterbacks’ fault, then Pioli picked them.

And, obviously, driving such a wedge between team and town that fans are literally dressing in mourning and obituaries say things like “complications from MS and heartbreaking disappointment caused by the Kansas City Chiefs football team,” then, well, I’m just not sure what the argument is to keep him.

Why should he get more time? Why should he be the one to pick the new quarterback? Why should he be allowed to hire a third coach?

But as far as when, I don’t know. Maybe it happens before the season’s up. Maybe shortly after. The rush would be to get the new guy in to give him as much time as possible to organize a staff and prepare for the draft, but if you can’t talk to the guy you want until after the season’s over that becomes less of a thing.

@feld_man Cont 2 hear #Chiefs being young team. Pack won SB XLV w/1 of leagues youngest. Will this excuse buy RAC & Pioli more time?

It shouldn’t. But what it should do is make the job more attractive for the next guy, which is part of the point in this post on Arrowhead Pride.

@nsatterl Was the sign confiscation fiasco a message from the chiefs that if signs dont work for players, they dont work for fans either?

OK, that’s not bad.

@ruby92879 why not try Stanzi if your Pioli? If by some miracle he played well it would be the only thing that could save his job

I’m hearing a lot of this, and I suppose it’s understandable since Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn are proving to be equally inept but, people, a friendly reminder:

The last time Chiefs fans used the “he can’t be worse than these bozos we’re playing right now” argument, that quarterback turned out to be Tricyclin’ Tyler Palko.

*@klatzman give me 3 legit options of who might be acquired next that will get my hopes up. *

This question came in this morning, after news of Jeremy Guthrie getting his three-year contract from the Royals.

My answer: James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson and Rick Porcello.

Each would require a trade, each with specific risks and obstacles, each with specific benefits. If Dayton can pull this off, and Glass agrees to fund it, I think they’ve done what should’ve been expected.

@TheBeertree With the latest round of conference realignment starting, should the Big 12 start poaching more teams? If so how many and who?

I don’t think so. The Big 12 is in a pretty good place right now, and aside from being something I never thought I’d be typing, it gives them a relative position of strength. I just haven’t found anyone who convinces me that bigger is better, that more teams signify strength, that quantity is more important than quality.

If the Big 12 could get two strong programs — BYU and Notre Dame, say — then awesome. Do it. But it makes no sense to go add, say, Memphis and Colorado State.

Adding teams that don’t provide more than pro rata benefit — improve the revenue streams enough that 1/12 of the new take is worth more than 1/10 is right now — just doesn’t make sense as long as the grant of rights is solid.

That last part is key, of course. As long as these 10 schools are together, the Big 12 should be in a good place. But if there’s any more defections, it really could go terminal fairly quickly.

In other words: as long as the conference has no more defections, it is FINALLY in a place where it can be selective about who it adds.

@mdwagner2 If #KState loses to Texas they won’t win the BigXII and miss the Fiesta Bowl too? Predictions? #TT

I think they’ll be fine. I know what some people are thinking, that the last time K-State got this close to the national championship and lost they ended up dragging through the Alamo Bowl (against freshman Purdue quarterback Drew Brees) and lost.

But I think with two weeks, senior day, against Texas with a conference title (and BCS bowl) on the line K-State will answer.

I believe in Bill.

@TheJimmyHart Does anyone know where Braden Wilson disappeared to when the Cats needed to run against Baylor? #TT

Three basic criticisms of K-State’s showing in Waco:

Unable to solve a defense that’s among the nation’s worst, pushed around at the line of scrimmage (particularly in the middle, where the Bears ran for three touchdowns and stuffed Klein on back-to-back sneaks at the goal line), and got away from the run far too early.

They’re all difficult to explain, other than with the vague and unsatisfying “it’s hard to go undefeated in college football” line.

Easy to lose sight of, but K-State really does have the chance at the best team in program history. Two more wins.

@ojohnson1 This loss hurts more than 1998 because it forces me to root for Notre Dame. I feel really dirty.

Noted.

I understand the hurt right now, and that losing to Baylor means K-State won’t be able to get the remarkable triumvirate of undefeated, Heisman winner and coach of the year.

But if you lined up the hurt from 1998 and the hurt from right now, I do think 1998 would hurt worse.

@buddytbrown Here in KC success isn’t measured in wins/loses, it’s whether or not there were fewer dance parties than the week before #TT

So … progress!

@DanielSWesley Is David Glass hoping that Pioli sticks around for another year or two? No longer the most hated person in KC #Royals #Chiefs #TT

Ah, yes. The Chris Rock line:

The world’s nuts, and it’s all good for Clinton. Any time something bad happens, it’s good for Bill Clinton. Just gets people off his ass. “Stop thinking about me? Good. Kids got shot? Good, good. People aren’t thinking about me. Tornadoes? Good. People ain’t thinking about me.

@root4ku more disappointing season considering expectations, #KUbball, #chiefs or Mizzou? #twittertuesday

I can only assume this isn’t a serious question, but we were strangely short on college basketball questions this week so I’m using this one to talk about KU.

They’re fine.

Or, more accurately: they’ll be fine.

They lost to Michigan State, a ranked team that was focused after coming off a loss. I understand they looked lethargic against Chattanooga, and I’m not sure we’re looking at a national title contender, but this will be a good team. Their guard play is what needs to come around the most, because Elijah Johnson is playing far too slow and isn’t creating like KU guards usually do, but Withey and Ellis and Traylor will be too much for a lot of teams down low and McLemore just might end up as a lottery pick.

This will sound strange, but I can’t remember a player who seems to just enjoy being athletic as much as McLemore.

I also think Mizzou has enough to make a run at the SEC title and a Final Four. So athletic, and Phil Pressey is obviously a stud.

I don’t know what to make of K-State quite yet.

@theGeneric1 Did you hear Marv Albert talking about the “sad state of affairs”? Clark will hear that, too… right?

I doubt Clark Hunt heard it, actually. He’s watching games live, not on TV, but regardless I think he’s getting the message. He saw the atmosphere he grew up with, that his father spent years cultivating, turned into a shameful embarrassment and outright statement of fan anger. I know I’m mostly alone on saying this, but he’s frustrated and ticked off and everything else.

He continues to do a lousy job of showing it, though.

@DannyApgar David Gerrard please please

Oh gawd. When it comes to quarterbacks, too many Chiefs fans now have the equivalent of 2-in-the-morning beer goggles, and I suppose you can’t blame them. Stare at Cassel and Quinn long enough and maybe David Garrard starts to look like Kate Upton.

@tijuana_gringo i miss croyle v huard and thats pretty sad #TT

Gross!

@kent_swanson Have you ever seen a more uninspiring performance than Sunday?

Yes, I have:

@MooreGregarious How close is #Chiefs GM Scott Pioli to being the most hated person in KC sports history? #TwitterTuesday #HerkRobinsonsRevenge

It’s hard to separate the now from the big picture, but if you lined them all up at the Sprint Center, somehow filtering out the immediate, 2012 it’s-right-there-in-front-of-us stuff and looked at it from a historical perspective, here’s my guess at the order of the boos:

@_RobMartin KC native that’s been away a few years. Back for Thanksgiving, going to try OK Joe’s BBQ for the first time. Any recs?

If you can go Monday or Saturday for lunch, or Wednesday for dinner, get the burnt ends. Ridiculous. If not, go with the ribs or chicken Z-Man. And fries. Always, fries.

@mmMOUF my fence is sealed, deck is restained, and my yard work is up-to-date; can I call this a successful Chiefs season? #twitttertues

Yes. Now, please start on my lawn. I still have to go to these games.

@patronaut0709 #TwitterTuesday How long until Opening Day?

132.

And a trade for Shields or Porcello or nothing, that’s a pretty good indication of the level of Chiefs fail that people are wondering this before Thanksgiving.

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