Mitch Holthus

HERES AN EARLY POP QUIZ, THREE WEEKS INTO THE SEMESTER.

1. Dwayne Bowe is the best "playmaker" at wide receiver since?
a. Derrick Alexander
b. Chris Horn
c. "Snoop" Minnis
d. Sly Morris
e. None of the above

ANSWER: None of the above...Go back and reference my blog (scroll down) of two weeks ago. Hellllooooo D-Booooowe, has produced by his physical ability and by his "playmaking" attitude. He has been covered and still makes plays.
Don't forget Bowe's 2nd and 13 catch for 17 yards 6:27 into the 3rd quarter...or his 3rd and 2 catch for 6 yards 4:12 into the 4th quarter. It's been a long time since Chiefs fans have seen his ability at wide receiver.

2. The Chiefs would have beaten the Vikings if Justin Medlock had been the kicker? True or False?

ANSWER: False..Dave Rayner had FOUR kickoffs deep into the end zone resulting in poor Vikings field position. His two field goals were the difference in the game...NUFF SAID.

3. The Chiefs best "young" defender in the Viking game was:
a. Jared Allen
b. Tamba Hali
c. Derrick Johnson
d. All of the above

ANSWER: d. Who else is encouraged that the biggest defensive plays in the Viking game were made by some of the youngest players. OK, Jared Allen was huge in the game, but he has help.

4. The Chiefs defense has allowed how many second half touchdowns so far this year?
a. none
b. one
c. two

ANSWER: none...trick question....the Houston 3rd quarter touchdown was a fumble by Kris Wilson and a defensive score by the Texans. Therefore, the defense has yet to allow a second half touchdown this season.

GRADING SCALE-CORRECT ANSWERS: 4 ...You are Arrowman
3 ...You are in the TD Pack Band
2 ...You are a Charger fan
1 ...You are Bronco Billy
0 ...You are Spike the Raider Fan

This isn't a study by the Census Bureau. It's a study of the Kansas City Chiefs. Where's the middle class? Indeed, the Chiefs 2007 roster is a peculiar mix of age and youth. Further examination of the roster illuminates why the Chiefs are in a "retooling" mode.

The Chiefs have 16 players that are 30 years of age or older. That number ranks second in the league to the New Orleans Saints and the Washington Redskins who both have 17 such players. The most glaring position for the Chiefs "30+ group" is the offensive line, where all five starters were born before 1978. Why? The Chiefs drafted four offensive lineman from 2002-2005, players who should be in the pivotal "middle class" of their careers. Will Svitek is the only player drafted in that group that remains on the roster.

The other noteworthy position is defensive back. Ty Law and Patrick Surtain are 33 and 31 respectively. The Chiefs drafted three d-backs during the 2002-2005 time frame and none are on the current squad. Thus, leaving a void in the "middle class" demographic in the defensive backfield.

Interestingly, the Chiefs have 14 rookies or first year players on their roster. The Indianapolis Colts (THE COLTS????...DIDNT THEY JUST WIN THE SUPER BOWL?) are the only NFL team that has more such players with 16 on their roster. As a result, the Chiefs are a unique mix of the old and the new.

The strategy now is to build this team through the draft, while developing the current players to avoid such a .....void in the future. If America is concerned about a shrinking "middle class", the Chiefs are too.

This team "middle class" or not needs a win over the Vikings. I'll see you at Arrowhead!

Hello, Dwayne Bowe, your team needs you!

The hamstring injury to Eddie Kennison does not look good (hamstring injuries are not kind to 34 year old receivers). It means Dwayne Bowe has to become a veteran in a hurry.

Initially, I thought Bowe could ease into the role of "go-to" receiver, but not anymore. Bowe missed 22 practice sessions at training camp with his contract negotiation and those precious practice sessions cannot be replaced. Yet, D-Bowe now has to realize that the guaranteed money he was given is NOT FOR work done at LSU, but for promised performance in the days ahead.

The Chiefs threw Bowe's way seven times in the Texan game. He caught three. He needs to learn the precision of the NFL game and the physical nature of the same. He's going to get hit, throws are not going to be perfect and it's not Play Station 3. It's reality football and it's here.

This week Bowe faces arguably the most physical defensive back seven in the NFL in the Chicago Bears. Every fan knows about Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, but the Bears secondary hits and hits hard. They play with black and blue jerseys in a black and blue division. It's time to take a hit and hang on to the ball.

Bowe has seen his prototype, he plays for the Houston Texans. Andre Johnson is the most complete receiver in the NFL. His 77 yard post pattern for a touchdown against the Chiefs was a thing of beauty, so were his other 6 catches. Many of those throws were in traffic and were not perfect throws by Matt Schaub. Johnson's rookie year was 2003 and he had 7 catches in his first game, five in his second and 7 in his third. He ended with 66 catches his rookie year. Both D-Bowe and AJ grew up in Miami... lets hope D-Bowe can grow up to AJ in the NFL... in a hurry!

Three names who become prominent as the real games begin may not be that familiar to Chiefs fans. One is DICK CURL, Assistant Head Coach and Quarterbacks coach. Curl is Herm Edwards trusted adjutant...he is what Beetle Smith was to General Dwight Eisenhower during the D-Day invasion.

However, his role increased this past offseason when the quarterbacks were put under his authority. It appeared that Mike Shula, the fired Alabama coach, and another of the Tampa Bay "96-00 Band of Brothers" might be the new Chiefs Quarterback Coach but Jacksonville hired Shula. Edwards turned to his trusted aide-de-camp to handle a tough job. This week he tutors Damon Huard to win an AFC road game in Houston. Huard is 10-4 as an NFL starter, but is only 2-4 in AFC road games as a starter. Curl is also the scout in 2001 who "stood on the table" to sign Priest Holmes when everyone else was coveting Charlie Garner. Curl is a good man with a big job.

DAVID PRICE is the next name on the list. Price is in his 24th year as an NFL athletic trainer. He has the ability to find the "fine line" between
protecting a players health interest and understanding the intense competition of the NFL. He is a winner. His work with Damion McIntosh, the injured Chiefs left offensive tackle has been nothing short of remarkable. Price has worked in conjunction with Cedric Smith, the Chiefs strength and conditioning coach, to get McIntosh in a position to return to the lineup well before the original return time. If McIntosh returns before the Minnesota game, you can thank Price.

JIMMY WILKERSON may have had the best training camp of any player on the Chiefs roster. J-Wilk has to play like an NFL starter this week. Jared Allen is serving a two game suspension, and the Chiefs are playing a scheme this week that mirrors the Denver Broncos. J-Wilk is smart and tough, a requirement when playing the "Houston Broncos" or "Denver Texans". Gary Kubiak is the Texans coach and was the offensive coordinator of the Broncos for 10 seasons. J-Wilk will have to defend the zone run, cut back run, bootleg and still pressure the quarterback. He showed this summer that he can do all three.

IT'S ON NOW!