San Diego Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Three Bold Predictions

Mediocrity and the San Diego Chargers seem to go hand in hand.
At times, the Chargers look dominant and ready to take control of the AFC West.
However, there are other times when the seat really heats up for Norv Turner.
Last week's drubbing by the hands of Atlanta 27-3, makes us sports fans really scratch their heads.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs were dead in the water trailing 24-6 against New Orleans, but they came alive and roared back winning that game in overtime.
Is Jamaal Charles really back from his injury? He looked the part last Sunday.
Here are three bold predictions.
Bold Prediction No. 1: The Chargers will throw the ball  -- A LOT
Look for San Diego to exploit the Chiefs' undersized secondary on Sunday. Kansas City’s best cover corner, Brandon Flowers, is only 5-10, so look for Philip Rivers to utilizes his taller receivers to get their offense going.
Kansas City’s pass defense is ranked 12^th in the league, which isn’t bad, but the Chargers' receivers are way more athletic and Norv Turner is excellent at spreading the ball around. After three games, Rivers' numbers aren’t impressive 688 passing yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, but I expect those numbers to get a major boost in Kansas City.
Rivalry games bring out the best in great players, and Rivers will deliver.
But will it be enough for the win? Rivers' stat line: 27 for 41 360 yards, 3 touchdowns 1, interception.
Bold Prediction No. 2: Feed the Beast -- Charles will keep running, and running and running
Jamaal Charles leads the NFL in rushing with 323 yards and averaging six yards per carry. Charles ran for 233 yards against the Saints including that spectacular 91-yard touchdown so the Chiefs will live and die with the running game.
The Chargers are no slouch against the run. They are giving up 67 yards per game which is fourth in the NFL. Expect Chargers linebackers, Takeo Spikes and Donald Butler, to really play close attention to Charles and contain him early. However, as we found out last week, Charles can explode at any time. Charles' stat line: 23 carries 98 yards.  
Bold Prediction No. 3: Cassel will struggle, but the Chiefs find a way to win at home
Matt Cassel's numbers have not been impressive. In fact, he is borderline to be replaced if he keeps playing that way. Throwing four interceptions with a talented offensive cast surrounding him is not acceptable.
However, the Chiefs are playing at home in front of a rabid home crowd so I expect his numbers to mirror that of Rivers. With Jamaal Charles emerging as one of the NFL’s best running backs, the pressure is off of Cassel a bit. All he needs to do is to get the ball into the hands of Dwayne Bowe and Dexter McCluster and get out of the way.
KC has a potent three-headed monster attack, so look for the home crowd to will the Chiefs to a victory over their rival.

Watching Jamaal Charles Is Watching Greatness

Greatness in sports is a funny thing. A lot of the time, people mistake longevity for greatness. They see a guy who has been "good" for years and say, "Hey that guy must be great!" There are a million examples of that phenomenon (stares hard in the direction of Thomas Jones and John Stockton, two players who were never top three at their position at any given time yet get remembered as great).

Almost as often, people mistake team success with individual greatness. Yeah, the Dallas Cowboys were a great team for a long time. But I'll say it flat-out: Troy Aikman was NOT a great quarterback (yes, I'm fully prepared to be flamed by people who disagree. He wasn't. I have spoken!).

What does make a player "great?" I believe that it's not just a matter of longevity (although that's certainly a relevant aspect) and team success (again, a factor to consider, but not the end-all-be-all), nor is it simply a matter of impressive stats (for example, despite his incredible stats, I have a hard time calling Terrell Davis "great" when other, lesser RB's saw success in the same system. Well, OK, maybe he was. But who cares? He was a Bronco!).

At the end of the day, I have to go with the legendary Supreme Court definition of hardcore porn... I might not be able to define it, but I know it when I see it.

And I'm seeing it right now, happening before our very eyes. And if we so much as blink, we might be unfortunate enough to miss it. Yeah, I'm talking about our "scatback" (remember that one?), Jamaal Charles.

We all know that JC is the man around here. But have you ever noticed that when most talk of JC there's always a "but?" (quit snickering, Tarkus)

"Yeah, Jamaal Charles is a stud, BUT he'll never hold up long enough."

"JC's the man, BUT he's always had to share carries. Not a true workhorse"

"Charles has played like an All Pro, BUT he was hurt in 2011 so he's got a lot to prove."

"Yeah he's a great player, BUT players at his position don't matter as much anymore."

Kansas City Chiefs vs. New Orleans: Five Things We Learned

Week 3 brought us a match-up between two teams desperately in search of their first win. The New Orleans Saints played host to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday. After losing by at least two touchdowns in their first games of the season, the Chiefs found themselves in the same predicament well into the third quarter against the Saints.
However, Kansas City found a swing of momentum that would propel them to a 27-24 overtime victory. After watching the two teams play for 68:33, I've gathered some things worth sharing.
Let's take a glimpse at five things we're able to take away from this game.
Saints’ Defense
The Saints ended last season with the 24th ranked defense. However, when your offense is ranked No. 1 overall, poor defensive play can get overlooked. Well the Saints offense hasn't been as potent to start this season, as they've been in years past; bringing more attention to the fact that the defensive problems are just that -- a problem.
The Saints defense fell eight spots since last season, from the 24th ranked to the 32nd, which in turn, makes them dead last. Although we're only three weeks into the season, this is never where you want to see yourself as a team or a coaching staff.
With Jonathan Vilma suspended, then reinstated, then put on the PUP list, the Saints are missing him more than ever. His play surely, but more so his leadership and presence on the field. Defensive captains are put into place to make sure the team stays in sync while on the field, and without Vilma, the Saints look lost at times. More often than any member of the "WhoDat Nation", would ever care to admit.
Steve Spagnuolo: Change Must Take Place
If Steve Spagnuolo would like to stay in New Orleans, he needs to change the culture of their defense quickly. I'm sure after these first few weeks he's asked himself had he gone back to St. Louis. There has to be changes immediately, for the Saints are facing both Aaron Rodgers and Phillip Rivers in the next two weeks.
My pre-season analysis would've led me to believe that these are both games that are well within reach of the Saints. With Aaron Rodgers being an elite quarterback, and Phillip Rivers off to the great start that he is, I can't see the Saints winning either of these without a tremendous change in the culture of their defense.
At this point, the Saints don't strike fear into anyone, especially not veteran quarterbacks.
I realized this early in the week via a conversation with a colleague. I had the option of starting DeMarco Murray (Cowboys standout running back) or Jamaal Charles. Although I'm a die-hard Cowboys fan, this was an easy decision. Charles it was. And although Murray had a fantasy projection of 20 points; Charles' projection of 11 points was never a deterrent.
The difference, I knew that Kansas City was looking to give Charles more carries this week, and they were going to do so against a team who couldn't stop the run. Needless to say, Charles got me over 30 points.
Coach Spagnuolo, the pressure is on! Feel it and make a difference, because this is a bad start that can quickly get worse.

Kevin Boss Among A Few Chiefs Unlikely To Play In Saints Game

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel talked to the media today and he ran down the list of injuries as he usually does. He doesn't have to list players as probable, questionable or doubtful until Friday but he said at least three players would likely be doubtful to practice today and doubtful to play in the game.

Those players he called doubtful are Kevin Boss, who had a head injury last week, Devon Wylie, who has had a hamstring injury the last two weeks, and Jacques Reeves, who suffered a hamstring injury.

That means Tony Moeaki, who saw an increase in snaps last week, should expect the same this week. Wylie isn't part of the regular rotation, only depth, so his likely absence won't affect much. Reeves only played special teams last week after playing every snap in Week 1 when Brandon Flowers was injured.

Kendrick Lewis and Anthony Toribio have missed both games this year and don't see all that likely to play this weekend. Allen Bailey, who has been out both games as well, is now a full participant in practice.

Bob Fescoe Has Epic Radio Rant About The Kansas City Chiefs

Bob Fescoe is a radio host in Kansas City so you know that he loves his Kansas City Chiefs. Well, you can say that he loved them at one point. This team is awful right now and Fescoe had an epic rant about them on Monday.

If you do not want to listen to that, I have the quote transcribed for you below. It is quite the doozy.

    Stop embarrassing yourselves! You’re embarrassing your mother. You’re embarrassing your father. You’re embarrassing the city. You’re embarrassing your wifeand your children. … You’re an embarrassing trainwreck to the 2.5 million people that call this metro area home. You’ve let down all the old ladies that are on life support, rooting for you, trying to pull out another day. You give people nothing to live for. You suck.

Strong words from Mr. Fescoe on the state of the team.  I really can not disagree with his premise.  The Chiefs do not look like a good football team this year.  They really have not looked like a good team in awhile.  The talent just doesn’t seem to work together.  There are good pieces there but they just can’t put anything together.

I imagine that a lot of fans feel this same way.  The KC fans are loyal but they have a pretty bad team to watch.  It has to be painful for them to see this performance.  Maybe it will improve soon, but if not, we can look forward to more rants.

TE Kevin Boss done for day

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Chiefs tight end Kevin Boss will be re-evaluated after being knocked woozy with a blow to the head in Kansas City's 35-17 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Coach Romeo Crennel provided the update, but didn't have any further details on Boss' injury following the game. Crennel added that cornerback Javier Arenas also hurt his neck.

Boss was hurt after making a 29-yard catch over the middle in the second quarter. Stumbling backward, Boss was falling down when Buffalo safety Da'Norris Searcy's forearm hit the back of Boss' head. The tight end's head then hit the ground hard.

Boss stayed down for a few minutes before walking off the field under his own power. He sat on the bench for a few minutes, and was then escorted to the locker room before half time.

Searcy was penalized for unnecessary roughness for the hit.

The Chiefs are off to an 0-2 start for the sixth time in seven seasons, and next play at New Orleans next weekend.

Bills coach Chan Gailey had no significant injuries to report following the game.

He said defensive tackle Marcell Dareus continued playing despite hurting his shoulder. Safety George Wilson returned to play in the second half after sustaining a blow to the head while trying to tackle Boss in the second quarter.

Kansas City Wizards Ready To Rewrite History

It doesn't take a genius to read much into the Kansas City Wizards facebook announcement that a "major Kansas City Soccer Announcement" will take play on Wednesday.

Notice the oh so clever lack of the word "Wizards" and the rampant rumors that the team will undergo a rebranding leading up to the opening of their new stadium.

Andy Edwards of the Daily Wiz has put 1+1 together and come up with the seemingly obvious answer:

    Not much is to be said about the event itself, because well, this has been about as terribly kept of a secret as Thierry Henry-to-New York Red Bulls was. It's long been known that the ownership group OnGoal was looking to rebrand, and that Sporting KC had become the front runner for the new name.

Supposedly, this is just part of a larger effort to expand the brand beyond soccer. We can probably expect to see "Sporting KC" to encompass teams in other sports, which would give some legitimacy to the name.

There have been plenty of people decrying this particular name. The main criticism is that this is just another attempt by a MLS team to appeal to European soccer fans by picking a name that sounds more old country.

In their defense, there seems to be little harm in the move. A name like "Sporting" lends itself to assigning a separate nickname and you can bet they'll still be called the Wizards by lots of people. The only difference is that it won't be plastered across their shirts and other merchandise.

In a bigger sense, OnGoal is obviously intent on starting a new era for their soccer team. There are few ways to accomplish that more clearly than by changing the team's name.

Of course, whether or not this is a success will be determined by fans of the team, not by pundits opining from afar. You can bet that a new stadium, re-energized efforts to reach out to supporters and, ideally, a winning team will go much farther toward accomplishing that goal than any name could.