The Raider-Hater's Realization

 So after the most embarrassing loss of the season (so far), the Chiefs make the change to Brady Quinn, bringing an end to the frustrating Cassel Era. Also, the flimsy rumors about the Chiefs offering Pioli a contract extension, at exactly his lowest point of fan popularity, have all been vehemently denied by the organization. On top of these nuggets of good news, we have a winnable game against the always fun-to-hate Raiders at Arrowhead this week. So, are you excited?

I can tell what you're thinking, and I know. I know, I know, I know. The season's over, the team sucks and they should just keep losing so we can draft a real quarterback next year. How can I be excited about this crappy team? How can I even be expected to care?

Well, truth is that I'm not here to spread hope and joy. I'm not a professional, I'm just a fan, and I'm just as upset as all the other fans. My objective today isn't to fart rainbows into your morning coffee- not only because that sounds really gross and frightening, but also because I'm fully aware of how hopeless this season feels. But even after such disappointment, there is reason to be excited for this game. Problem is, the reason to be excited is, itself, disappointing.

By now, you've either noticed a lot of Chiefs fans that want the team to suck in order to improve the draft position, or you've become on of them. Whether you want the team to lose enough to pick up Geno Smith next year, or you're holding onto hope and still rooting for a wild card spot, you'll soon be disappointed. The simple truth is, this team has way more talent than the average NFL bottom-feeder, and winning a few more games is inevitable. The Chiefs still have two Raiders games on their schedule, as well as home games against the Panthers and Colts, and a very winnable game in Cleveland. With a schedule like that, they'd have to be trying to lose in order to avoid three or four more wins. That puts the Chiefs at 4-12, at worst. Other teams with tougher schedules will have worse records than that by season's end, putting them ahead of Kansas City in drafting order. That means no Barkley, no Geno, no elite quarterback for the Chiefs next year.

That's right folks- the Chiefs will even suck at sucking. Doesn't it all sound like a bad joke? Cheering for KC is so awful that they can't even make us happy when we want them to be terrible. So, why be excited about a meaningless game against two awful teams in the middle of hopeless seasons? Because an exciting game against a hated rival is all we're going to get, and hope is still a distant speck on the horizon. There will be no losing hard enough to ensure getting our pick at QB next year, and with Cassel being benched that means it's time for some *gulp* rebuilding with a new, mediocre quarterback.

This is assuming Scott Pioli won't trade up in the draft, which to some would seem like an unfair assumption. Many have hope, even automatic confidence that he'll make moves to get the #1 or #2 quarterback in the draft. I'd love to have that kind of faith, but until Pioli employs anything more than his usual boring, conservative tactics, I'll keep on assuming. So now, we're talking about these Jason Campbell, Matt Flynn, Kevin Kolb kind of guys that are happy to be starting anywhere, so long as they aren't the guy holding the clipboard. That may be fun for a while, but it will be a Band-Aid on a bullet wound to the stomach. So, let's just sit back and enjoy the aura of mystery surrounding Brady Quinn this week. Savor that new QB smell for a moment, before he explains to us all why he failed to win a starting job anywhere else. For this week, he gets the Rich Gannon treatment. It's all the fans' what-if's and pipe dreams, suddenly becoming a reality. With little to root for these days, that should be something we can all embrace and enjoy, at least for a day. Because, who knows? Maybe he's the guy, this determined, studious 1^st round draft pick. There's no knowing for sure until he gets a chance, and today is the day he gets it. So yeah, there's reason to be excited. Hope is gone, but today there's potential for some serious entertainment. Isn't that all you can hope for, after the games become technically pointless because all hope is gone? So please, appreciate the game this afternoon, and don't let this cloud of disappointment ruin today's entertainment. It's the Raiders at Arrowhead and we've got a new QB. Enjoy it.

Until then, let's take a closer look at today's competition- the Joker to our Batman, the Ivan Drago to our Rocky Balboa, the reviled, revolting Raiders.

This Oakland team is erratic and unpredictable. With a competent quarterback to run the show, the Raiders offense is clearly more potent than it's been in prior years. Their offense is 9th league-wide in passing yards, but their rushing attack is second to last behind Darren Mcfadden. Oakland's offense showed potential in their 34-31 win against Pittsburgh, in which Palmer completed 70% of his passes for 3 TDs and Mcfadden averaged 6.3 yards a carry. But, they showed inconsistency in Miami, where Mcfadden had 11 carries for 22 yards, and Denver, where the Raiders scored only two field goals. Their secondary is struggling, their rushing defense ranks near the middle of the pack, and the defense has mustered only 7 sacks in 6 games. There is admittedly more talent in black and silver than we have seen for several years, but nothing extraordinary is happening in Oakland. New coaching, new quarterback, same old mediocrity for Raiders fans.

Usually this would be my time to poke fun, to use demeaning nicknames and make crude jokes about our bitter rivals. At this point, though, I could go to a bar in Kansas City, overhear a drunk guy talking about how his beloved Raiders suck year after year with no hope in sight, and easily mistake him as one of my own. That is the ultimate fear. Only after looking deep into the soul of your enemy can you truly understand yourself. I think some smart, famous person said that, I'm not sure, but it's applicable to this situation. Look hard at the past few years of Raiders football. Since 2007, they have 30 wins in total. Now, look at that same time-frame for the Chiefs. Go ahead, count 'em up. That's 27 wins. 27 wins in five years. Let me put it another way: the Kansas City Chiefs, UNDER SCOTT PIOLI'S COMMAND, spent the last five years sucking more than the Raiders. Hell, that's not the ultimate fear. The fear has become reality, and now it is the ultimate evidence of how awful the Pioli Regime has been for Kansas City.

A few weeks ago, following a loss against the Chargers, I shared an opinion on this blog that a particular point in that game was the worst moment for fans since Pioli took over. While that was not untrue at the time, I learned a valuable lesson from saying something that weighty so early in the season. Honestly, every moment since then has been worse. The bad play makes the constant bad breaks all-the-more jarring, and vice versa. Trying to think of a single moment so far seems pointless, but it makes me wonder; could anything be worse than a loss this week, at home against the damn Raiders? It would be bad, but at least now I'm wise enough to say that it couldn't get worse. Hopefully, this newly found wisdom will aid me this week in my commonly unsuccessful five predictions.

1. I refuse to believe this team is mentally downtrodden enough to play lazy against the Raiders. With only a few practices to prepare him, Quinn fights through a shaky defense with a wobbly offense and wins a close game, 27-23. The Chiefs defense makes a big hold late to end it, giving Arrowhead a reason to really explode for the first time this year.
   
   
2. Oakland is trying to avoid their ugly traditions by avoiding penalties and limiting turnovers. The Chiefs haven't won the turnover battle in a single game this year, and only last week against the Bucs could they keep the ratio even. Look for these disturbing trends to continue with the installment of a new Chiefs QB. Kansas City ends the day with a -2 turnover ratio, and still wins.
   
   
3. Javier Arenas is making me complain about him much less nowadays. Look for him to improve his average yardage this week with some broken tackles on punt returns. I'd still put Devon Wylie in his place, though.
   
   
4. With all the magical possibilities that come with a new starting QB, there come twice as many possibilities for disaster. Expect at least one interception from Mr. Popular today.
   
   
5. In the name of tradition, the Raiders commit at least two egregious penalties to continue drives for KC. You still suck, Oakland. Don't ever forget it.