COMMENTARY
Croyle has been unimpressive
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
Luckily the Chiefs stink. Therefore there will be no full-blown quarterback controversy. Not this week anyway.
Brodie Croyle has the luxury of being less than mediocre for as long as he wants this season.
Backup Tyler Thigpen is a wishbone quarterback. And third-stringer Damon Huard might as well be nicknamed the “fire extinguisher,” because he’ll only be cracked open during an extreme emergency — such as late-season local blackouts when the Chiefs are putting the finishing touches on a 14-loss season.
OK, I promised to be positive about the rebuilding process Herm Edwards and The Artist Formerly Known as King Carl have undertaken.
The truth is there is much to be excited about with Kansas City’s offense. Chan Gailey and his offensive coaching staff are doing a tremendous job. KC’s patchwork offensive line continues to open gaping running lanes for Larry Johnson.
Saturday night against the visiting Arizona Cardinals, Johnson looked spectacular in the first half, ripping and darting for 61 yards in 14 carries. Kolby Smith came off the bench and uncorked a 15-yarder, too.
Kansas City’s running game appears to be back. And that’s without the services of first-round pick Branden Albert, the Chiefs’ left tackle.
Obviously the Arizona Cardinals are not a run-stuffing, defensive juggernaut. But Kansas City’s offensive line isn’t supposed to be one of the league’s great walls. This line has been thrown together.
Dare I say Brian Waters, Rudy Niswanger, Adrian Jones, Damion McIntosh and Herb Taylor are jelling?
If they are, the Chiefs’ offensive rebuilding job is way ahead of schedule. And that could be a problem for Brodie Croyle.
Imagine this scenario: Kansas City’s running game is extremely productive, Dwayne Bowe improves on his rookie-year performance, Tony Gonzalez remains Tony Gonzalez, and rookie William Franklin develops as a viable pass-catching option.
What if Croyle, KC’s young QB of the future, is the offensive weak link?
That won’t be good. Chiefs fans are angry. You already know the background about Carl Peterson’s 20-year Super Bowl plan and the lack of patience that has created among the Chiefs’ fan base.
Well, now Chiefs fans have to slog through the debris of Arrowhead Stadium’s reclamation project just for the right to watch a bad football team, pay $22 to park and God knows what for an overpriced beer.
Tempers are ready to flare. Arrowhead fans will be quick to boo and just as quick to throw a bag over their heads.
The Artist Formerly Known as King Carl will be the No. 1 target of fan abuse. Herm Edwards will be next. And then perhaps Brodie Croyle.
His play in two preseason games has been uninspiring. Saturday night he was awful. He had a long completion of 7 yards. He connected on seven of 13 passes for 38 yards. Larry Johnson moved the ball between the 20s. Croyle couldn’t get anything going in the red zone.
Maybe it’s the vanilla preseason playbook. But you have to believe Edwards and Gailey desperately want Croyle to throw a few TD passes to build confidence.
Yes, Herm Edwards loves a field goal more than most coaches, but he knows the Chiefs need to sell a little excitement this season, too.
Right now the Chiefs have one quarterback on their roster who can win an NFL game — and it ain’t Brodie Croyle or Tyler Wishbone.
It’s Damon Huard, the human fire extinguisher.
You remember the Chiefs were 0-6 in games started by Croyle a season ago?
I’m not ready to write Croyle off. It’s early in his development. But he doesn’t appear to be particularly accurate or savvy. He did a better job surveying the field on Saturday than he did in KC’s exhibition in Chicago. It didn’t do him much good, though.
You’re not going to win NFL games with 7-yard completions. The opposition is going to play man-to-man, crowd the line of scrimmage and make life miserable for Larry Johnson.
There’s no reason for a bad football team ever to have a quarterback controversy, especially between a kid and a career backup.
But that’s where we’re headed if Croyle doesn’t show some flashes of mediocrity and goodness in Kansas City’s road exhibition next week against Miami.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com.
