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Posting it now because I know I'll forget to do it this upcoming weekend.

Hali suspended. Flowers questionable. The Chiefs coming off a devastating loss to the Seahawks.

But then again they still have Berry and Derrick Johnson, thus still strong up the middle. We'll probably have to attack the edges. Get mismatches with Routt on the outside.

And focus on stopping the run, but also not let their big physical receivers in Bowe and Baldwin outphysical the smallish Grimes and Samuel. And Breaston vs. Robinson, after the latter's showing against Bess does not look that promising.

Will the Falcons actually begin a season on the road well?

Falcons win 31-23

For the second consecutive season, and once again, thanks to my wife, I'll be at the season opener for our team. STOKED, I AM!!!!!!!

Even better seats this time, section 100, row 6

Congrats bud, hopefully they score an offensive touchdown this time

You do realize that if they lose, you are banned from ever attending a Falcons road game ever again...

I second that. But they can't lose...can they?

Can they? Sure.

Will they? I don't think so.

But any given Sunday as it's always said, which is why IMHO pro football is superior to all sports.

My guess is the Chiefs are going to try and establish the run. Dwayne Bowe, Moeaki, Baldwin, Breaston aren't going to be easy matchups for our guys. Not saying they are going to each put up 100 yards on our defense, but they'll make our guys work. The key for the Chiefs is their O-line which has the makings of being very good with Hudson at C and Winston at RT. And if all that comes together like Pioli & Crennel hope it does, then they will be able to move the ball and score points against our defense. Not saying they will score 35 but they could certainly put up 21-28 points, which as you know makes it a winnable game.

If they can establish the run early in the game, it can create vertical opportunities for guys like Baldwin to attack our defense. So our Run D has to be good. There are some questions about that with Akeem Dent in the middle, who IMO hasn't been overly impressive in the preseason in limited action. He's not been bad, but I also wouldn't say he's been good either.

And so you wonder about our offense and what it can do. We have weapons that should be able to attack their defense, especially with Hali out, and Flowers questionable. But what happens if Justin Houston steps up and fills Hali's shoes. What happens if the Falcons try to establish the run and get nothing going? What happens if Derrick Johnson/Berry lock down Gonzo, and Routt and whoever else manage to contain Jones & Roddy. Questions still remain whether this offense is better prepared to handle numerous 3rd & long opportunities than they were a year ago.

I think we have the edge in matchups, but it's relatively close. Arrowhead is a tough place to play, and if the Falcons get "shrinkage" like they often do on the road, and 1 or 2 big plays can swing the game into the Chiefs favor.

Again, I think the Falcons will win, just illustrating a worst case scenario, similar to how the Bears game was last year.

Did you think the Falcons would win the season opener against the Bears like I did?

Yes, I thought Abe, Edwards, and Babs would dominate their O-line and Cutler would have no time to throw. And the Falcons would be able to attack guys like Tim Jennings and the Bears bad safeties to win that game. I figured Peppers would be a huge hassle, but I figured the Falcons would overcome that. Didn't see Henry Melton kicking Garrett Reynolds butt as much as he did, as well as the turnovers that Ryan had early in that game.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/0 ... aling-heel

Chiefs' Flowers still out with slow-healing heel

Posted Aug. 26, 2012 @ 12:04 p.m. ET
By Eric Edholm

Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel said back on July 31 he thought CB Brandon Flowers would be back “soon” from a left heel injury he suffered in a practice that night. More than three weeks later, Flowers remains out.

Few know why, and no one is saying.

Crennel repeatedly has given updates on Flowers’ status while emphasizing how much the team needs him back on the field. With Week One very much closing in and the Chiefs’ secondary already down a starter (FS Kendrick Lewis, who could miss the opener against the Falcons because of a shoulder injury), there is legitimate concern.

One source told PFW this week that the team is having some trouble pinpointing exactly what is giving Flowers continued problems and why he hasn’t healed faster. Flowers, who has been seen in a walking boot, is the Chiefs’ best cover man, with the team having lost Brandon Carr to Dallas in offseason free agency.

The additional uncertainty could lead to the team keeping 10 or 11 defensive backs for the opening 53-man roster. The locks (or virtual locks) to make it are Flowers, Stanford Routt, Jalil Brown and Javier Arenas. Other corners on the depth chart now, all of whom are fighting for spots, include fifth-rounder DeQuan Menzie, Jacques Reeves, Chandler Fenner, Neiko Thorpe and Mikail Baker. Adding a corner released from another team’s roster is a solid possibility, too.

If the team is without OLB Tamba Hali (suspension) and Flowers and Lewis in Week One against the Falcons, it could be a tough chore stopping Matt Ryan and Co.

I think Lofton is twice as good as Dent!! I think they'll rush for more than 100 yards...

Our match-ups are better but we'll find a way to lose. From Baker to Reynolds to
McClure; Claybo and Blalock I can't be proud of a single lineman; except McClure's longevity which won't be worth .02 that Sunday.

Who are you and what have you done with Cyril?

http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/0 ... n-for-hali

Posted Aug. 27, 2012 @ 2:20 p.m. ET
By PFW staff

Updated 2:20 p.m. ET, Monday, Aug. 27

Here are some Whispers we've been hearing from our sources around the AFC:

• The backup to Chiefs OLB Tamba Hali, who is suspended for the opener against the Falcons, is Andy Studebaker, who started the early part of last season before giving way to then-rookie Justin Houston. With 2½ career sacks, Studebaker is not considered a strong pass rusher. He could be the first- and second-down option, giving way to Cameron Sheffield, who has flashed as a rusher but also has been hurt at times this preseason.

I don't know?? I think back to Turner running for 40 yards at a time in Preseason, I think back to
Ryan's dinks and dunks, I thought back to teams blitzing us and killing us and I thought about who was gonna get pressure on the Qb.??

The announcers have glossed over the bad and stressed the good!! I don't like many of our players; I've considered stopping being a season ticket holder so maybe I'm looking for an excuse..... If we win our first two I'll just chalk it up to looking for an excuse to stop going after 35+ years . If Payton Manning throws for 400 + yards and
Ryan doesn't get 300 against Denver I'll consider it remembering all those lousy teams??

https://twitter.com/randycovitz/status/ ... 8272306176

#Chiefs ILB Derrick Johnson hurt ankle vs. Green Bay. Could be doubtful for season opener vs. Atl ... KC already minus Hali




Now Johnson is potentially missing? Wow, if the Falcons don't roll on these Chiefs I'm going to be upset. I'm not saying they need to beat them by 20, but if Hali, Flowers, and Johnson all don't play, the Falcons shouldn't have major issues moving the ball and scoring against the defense.

They've basically lost the equivalent to Grimes, Abraham, and now Weatherspoon on our defense. If that happened to us, unless we were playing a Bottom 5 offense, there's no way we would expect to win. Against a playoff-caliber offense and potentially Top 10 one, we wouldn't be able to hold them under 30.

They'd better do well because it's obvious this team has lost the confidence of it's fans. I totally agree that the announcers have glossed over inadequacies. All they do is praise this teams talent. But talent is not enough. The Eagles, Cowboys, and Jets all have talent, but are grave underachievers. And our team is much better than all of those teams.

It's not enough to just make the playoffs every year. IMO, if u make the playoffs every year and just get ousted im the first round, your're simply just the best of the worst.

A tidbit from the KC Star:

Not too worried about their passing game. If we can't stop Cassel, then were in for a very long season.

However, Jamaal Charles scares the crap out of me. If back in form, he is by far the best RB in the NFL.

Well, Matt put up 299 yards with 3 TDs, for a 136 QB rating. We scored 40 on the road. Not a bad season opener.

Glad you got to see it CJN.

Yep, an uncharacteristically strong start for the Falcons. Good to see the offense being able to move the ball against a defense that we all hoped/wanted them to eb able to with Flowers & Hali out. Need to work on that redzone offense however, seemingly got a little too conservative there.

Defense did not play well in the 1st half, as the Chiefs had little problem moving the ball. But they stepped up in the 2nd half with those turnovers. Great game by Stephen Nichiolas, may have been the best of his career. Abe, Moore, both got off to slow starts but they made plays in the 2nd half. Chiefs 11 for 16 on third downs needs to improve. Still despite improved play in the 2nd half, they still converted 6 of 10 third downs, although they went 3 of 3 on the final drive when it was clear that the Falcons had packed it in.

This was the type of offensive performance on the road that we've been waiting for here in Atlanta. A good way to start the season.

Ditto! It was a really good day! I was concerned about the defense in the first half, but it's great that we now have a coordinator that can make adjustments! I have a feeling that things will get better from here as Nolan and our defensive players continue to jell.

Certainly didn't hurt my feelings that Saint Drew and company went down today either! Yep it was a really wonderful day!

Thanks. It almost makes last year's season opener worth it...Well, in actuality, it WAS worth it, considering the total experience of this game. I can't expound on that right now because I have to catch up on some reading for class, but later today, if the Lord wills, I'll be posting a thread on just how awesome this experience was. But to say the least, last year's season opener was worth the agony.