Brain Fertilizer

A few points:

1) We have an awesome defense. I think we can hold any team under 20 points, even the New England Patriots. And every time we hold a team under 20 points going into the 4th quarter, we can win the game.

1a) Yes, even with this offense.

2) Barring some sort of set-back and/or injury, Brodie Croyle is our starting Quarterback for the next 12-15 years. He went up against an angry, Super Bowl-winning, lost-two-games-in-a-row-and-not-willing-to-lose-a-third, #5-in-the-NFL defense, and did a great job. Good completion percentage, no INTs, several 3rd down completions, avoided pressure to complete the pass, and a touchdown pass that was (in the words of the announcer) "in a shoebox", it was so accurate. And luckily it was to the only guy on the team skilled enough to catch it and get his feet down in bounds...who should be our #1 WR for the next 12-15 years.

3) Chris Terry is a joke at RT. When the ref said, "Holding. Offense.", I guessed the next words would be, "#60." I was right. When a Colt sacked Brodie and stripped the ball, I guessed the replay would show Chris Terry let the defender through too easily. ...sure enough, it was. Our 2008 first-round pick, plus a third or fourth round pick, should go to getting a few Tackles. If we get a starting LT, McIntosh can slide to the RT. If the 1st rounder needs some seasoning, he can start at RT for a year or two, and then by the time he's ready to shift over to the left, we should have another RT ready to go. Our CBs are old, but we've got some young guys that will work fine as long as we continue to get pressure from our D-line.

4) McBride is playing like a vet, not a rookie. He doesn't have many tackles, but he already has a sack, a tipped pass, 2 or 3 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and a handful of QB pressures. And this has all been in the last 5-6 games; before that, he stood out more for his miscues. (although his sack was in the 2nd game, I think). Tank Tyler is not making an impact yet...but he's young, so there's time.

5) Napoleon Harris really hasn't done much this season. He had a few good plays in the first few games, and has been forgettable since. He's been injured a few times, I think...I remember seeing Nate Harris in a few games (looking panicky and rookie-ish). At this point, Nap looks like a bad FA pickup. Here's hoping Nate Harris progresses enough to bench Napoleon before the start of next season.

6) Lots of people complained about the offensive play-calling. I don't know. It looked okay to me. I think if we executed better, the play calling would have been fine. And it's not like we were facing the #32-ranked defense, we were facing the #5 defense in the NFL at their home. I think we called it well, and nearly pulled it off. If the sack/fumble had bounced into the Chiefs hands, we would have won the game easily. If Raynor's doink had bounced through like the Broncos' did last week, we would have won the game, because I don't think Dungy would have done his end-game strategy the same way.

But I don't know. I'd be willing to take a new O Coordinator next year, but I'd be willing to let Solari stay one more year. I've seen far worse O Coordinators have several years of ineffectiveness with the Chiefs (Jimmy Raye and Paul Hackett come to mind), and still be considered good enough to run other teams' offenses afterward. I'm not convinced there are that many good O Coordinators out there. And I think Solari has had some tough handicaps to labor under, like the expected and unexpected retirements of All-Pros, and devastating injuries to key players like Trent Green, LJ, and various O-line players (even Tony G for more than 1 game last year). At the very worst, I'd let Solari have the rest of the season to audition for his job next year. We've got Bowe and Croyle established as players now; let's see what they can do with an offense built around their abilities.