Five Questions With Arrowhead Pride About The Chiefs

by Brandon on Dec 16, 2011 11:00 AM CST in Green Bay Packers Preview

Joel Thorman at Arrowhead Pride was kind enough to answer a few questions I had about the Chiefs before their upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers.

Q: What might be the biggest difference we will notice on Sunday from Crennel vs. Haley?

A: The quarterback. Todd Haley was rolling with Tyler Palko over the last month and he's been dreadful. But Romeo Crennel announced on Wednesday that Palko will not start which means it'll be Kyle Orton if he's healthy or Ricky Stanzi if Orton's not healthy. So, either way, it'll be something new for the Packers (and Chiefs).

Q: What's your opinion on the Tyler Palko vs. Ricky Stanzi debate? Who should start on Sunday?

A: Orton should start if he's healthy. That's clearly the best option. Palko should be relegated to third string because he's clearly demonstarted he's incapable of consistently scoring points. If Orton can't go, then the Chiefs will play Stanzi, which is a good move. We know what Palko is capable of but Stanzi is an unknown.

Q: Packers LT Marshall Newhouse has had trouble stopping some of the best pass rushers this season. He's had bad games against Von Miller, Jared Allen and Jason Pierre-Paul. What might we expect in a matchup against Tamba Hali?

A: Non-stop pressure. Hali has one of those motors that doesn't quit and he gets a lot of sacks on effort alone. He'll go 100 percent all day long. That said, Hali has been shut down at times this year so what it really comes down to is whether Justin Houston, the outside linebacker opposite Hali, can add some pressure as well. Houston has four sacks in the last two games.

Q: The Chiefs defense had two good games against the Steelers and Bears, before struggling last week against the Jets. What are you expecting from them this week?

A: That's such a hard question to answer. At times, the Chiefs have played well enough that you'd think they're a playoff team. At other times, they look absolutely miserable. So this is a big yo-yo team where they're really high one week and bad the next. That said, I think KC shows up and plays well, keeping this under a 14-point line.

Q: What's the final word on the Todd Haley era? Did he get a fair chance, or is he taking the fall for a poor season?

A: I'm not sure about the timing of it -- in the middle of the season -- but the fact that he won't be coaching the team next year isn't a major surprise. There have been rumors of this move for a while now and the Chiefs finally did it. What I'll be thankful for from the Haley era is that he left the Chiefs in a better position than when he found them.

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Comments

Is anybody worried about the Chiefs this week?

Nah, me either. …dumb question, really. They suck rocks.

So, better question, does it worry anybody that nobody’s worried? Trap game? All this 16-0 talk, and wondering whether the Bears or Lions might be a threat, and nobody gives the Chiefs a snowball’s chance. …sounds just a little trappy, doesn’t it? I mean, they are still an NFL team, last time I checked.

I don’t know. It does worry me a little bit. I’d give this game a 5.5 on the Trap-O-Meter.

On the other hand, whenever I think of the Chiefs, I think of our pre-season game against them this year. They played their starters the whole game, and we pulled ours after about two series. And we still won. I know it’s pre-season, but… I mean, our 3rd stringers beat their starters. I remember thinking, “This does not bode well for the Chefs.”

by Curly Lambeau on Dec 16, 2011 12:04 PM CST reply actions

While I don't think many fans are concerned, I think McCarthy has this team focused.

I really do believe they play every game like they’re still fighting for a playoff spot.

by Charlie Kelly on Dec 16, 2011 12:23 PM CST up reply actions

Agree.

Trap games only apply to undisciplined football teams.

by mike_o on Dec 16, 2011 4:32 PM CST up reply actions

worried?

It’s possible that the best team in the league will drop a deuce against a complete mess of a franchise. If that’s the case, I’ll get pretty mad for a while Sunday afternoon, and then, eventually go accomplish something worthwhile, instead of watching football.
A similar scenario could happen the 2 following weeks as well. None of this equals worry for me. While home field isn’t locked yet, the Packers are pretty much playing with house money. I’m not worried until the games start to matter again.
Come January 2nd, though, it’s ok to worry about all of the little things again.

by Anthony Dilweg on Dec 16, 2011 1:37 PM CST up reply actions

the only way the packers drop a deuce against the chiefs

is if they score 200.

"We can't beat William and Mary!! Bill and Mary?? They put their pants on the same way we do!!"

by threadkiller on Dec 16, 2011 3:53 PM CST up reply actions

Drop a deuce in a hockey glove

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Straight-poop-on-New-England-hockey-glove-defeca?urn=nhl-wp20001

"IF CARDS CAN SIGN SUPPAN THEY CAN GIVE ME A HOME"

by Buddhasillegitimatechild38 on Dec 16, 2011 4:42 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

I'd be more worried...

if the Bears were playing their best football right now. Then you could make the case that the Packers could be looking ahead. The Bears are struggling mightily right now without Cutler and Forte, and McCarthy has been pressing all the right buttons to get this team to take one game at a time. I’d give this a pretty low score on the old Trap-O-Meter.

by Icebowler on Dec 16, 2011 4:28 PM CST up reply actions

Can we dare to think than

if we play Pitt in SB this season we only need half our starters and half our third string since Pitt really struggled in KC like 13-10 or so.???

by Tarynfor12 on Dec 17, 2011 5:09 AM CST up reply actions

Its the Bears...

No, KC is so pathetic that our backups would easily win. The sleeper game is the Bears. Even without Cutler and Forte, they will be totally jacked to ruin the 16-0 run. They would take immense pride in that. That is the sleeper. The Lions are too undisciplined to do anything but shoot themselves in the foot, but the Bears have Urlacher and Briggs, and they will bring it.

by DrCheese on Dec 17, 2011 2:46 PM CST up reply actions

There are no gimme's in this league

…and that is why they play the games.
The Chiefs play tough and mean defense (at times), which means they have an increased capacity to put a hurtin on someone.
Wishing Sitton was playing, to firm up and stabilize the middle

by docg on Dec 17, 2011 4:14 PM CST up reply actions

Going to game in KC

This will be our second trip to KC for a Pack game. I highly recommend it to all Pack fans as a place to travel for a game. Excellent steaks at the Savoy or other spots, good barbeque and great football fans. KC fans are knowledgeable about the game, friendly to the enemy fans and have the same down to earth love your team attitude that Green Bay fans have.
Arrowhead is a classic stadium experience with good food and a loud crowd.
GO PACK GO!

by dalpher on Dec 16, 2011 12:42 PM CST reply actions 1 recs

This

Arrowhead has to be the greatest place in the world to tailgate. The only competition Would come from LSU. Arrowhead is amazing

"IF CARDS CAN SIGN SUPPAN THEY CAN GIVE ME A HOME"

by Buddhasillegitimatechild38 on Dec 16, 2011 3:21 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon ranks near the top as well.

Went there this year when Nevada visit them earlier in the year and the fans were really nice to us and the tail gating was awesome.

by WolfpackNev on Dec 17, 2011 3:36 AM CST up reply actions

Make sure you arrive plenty early.

Traffic can be a nightmare on game days.

"There is nothing shrewd about running a red light and later finding out it kept you from being hit by an asteroid." - philofthenorth

by KeepItCopacetic on Dec 16, 2011 3:39 PM CST up reply actions

Have fun

I went to see the Pack in KC during the season leading up to their SB XXXI championship. Got front row tickets behind the Packers bench. KC was one of the best teams in the AFC that year and had a dominant defense. The Pack took a beating with Beebe and Chmura getting knocked out of the game. Despite the loss, the game atmosphere was great. Had one guy offer me $75 for my cheesehead. Couldn’t bear to do it since he would have turned around and spray painted it red. It was a moral decision. Arrowhead is incredibly loud for an outdoor stadium. Best tailgating for BBQ.

by Icebowler on Dec 16, 2011 5:05 PM CST up reply actions

Obviously, Packer fans aren’t too worried about this one. Often, these inter-team posts generate hundreds of comments. This one with the Chiefs has about a dozen comments and half of those are about the pulled pork in the Arrowhead parking lot.

According to NFL.com, the Chiefs are averaging 13.3 points a game. They’ll be starting a QB who has been with the team for two weeks. Most of the excitement coming out of this game is that a Packer victory locks up the number one seed.

Obviously, the Packers can’t overlook the Chiefs and expect a victory. However, MM has the boys dialed in week to week, and Rodgers will direct enough scoring drives to put this one away by the end of the third quarter. Now back to those ribs; dry rub or St. Louis style?

Nitschke never wore an earring!

by Packer Pete on Dec 17, 2011 7:14 AM CST reply actions

Expect to win

Thats exactly what the Packers expect every week! But they don’t take anyone for granted and don’t overlook anyone either. But they are certainly a team that expects to win every week! No matter who they play they expect to win. Its part of how confident they are in themselves.

Our Biggest Challenge is how we deal w/ Success!

by Strohman on Dec 17, 2011 9:26 AM CST up reply actions

Well, as a St. Louisan I'm a little biased

But if you go St. Louis style make sure you have some gooey butter cake for dessert

"IF CARDS CAN SIGN SUPPAN THEY CAN GIVE ME A HOME"

by Buddhasillegitimatechild38 on Dec 17, 2011 12:57 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

Dry rub

by Icebowler on Dec 17, 2011 8:52 PM CST up reply actions

Flynn and Harrell will play...

Seriously, does anyone believe the Pack won’t be up by 4 scores by half-time? Flynn needs reps, and we need to assess Harrell to plan for next year. Flynn stunk it up with the Raiders, and he will need some good game tape if he is going to get anything approaching a good contract next year. And, of course, having him in sync would be helpful going into the playoffs.

by DrCheese on Dec 17, 2011 2:43 PM CST reply actions