State of the Kingdom: Week 12

Thanks to my (friend) Sam Mellinger's column yesterday, I'm now painfully aware of just how ghastly this Chiefs team has become. It's hard not to be impressed by statistical anomalies like Dwayne Bowe having the same number of receptions as Dustin Colquitt has punts (49 apiece), our QB's having more concussions (2) than wins (1) and the team having 32 scores (12 TD, 20 FG) to 31 turnovers... credit Sam for doing all that research for me, by the way.

Oh hey - a stat I found all by myself: Romeo Crennel is now 27-50 as an NFL head coach. I mean Boom.

Sometimes perspective can be a useful tool... in this situation however, it's just packing salt on a wound that has already been curing for more than two months now.

Early in the season we were able to revel in Justin Houston's remarkable form and Jamaal going all "That's my JAM!!!" a few times. We kept talking about regressing toward the mean - which is flawed, considering we would have to progress to get there. All in all, deep down (somewhere), hope remained.

Now? Bahaha.

The only thing left for the Chiefs to prove is that they are indeed the worst team in the NFL and with a remaining schedule that includes Cleveland, Carolina and Oakland they will certainly get their chance.

Look: I'm only 27 years old and I'm already sick of searching for reasons to watch and/or cheer late in the season... I can't imagine what my father's generation has been through. I don't know if Dontari Poe is forcing double teams or if Eric Berry is slowly rounding back into playing shape because I'm too distracted by the fact that WE'RE SO DAMNED TERRIBLE.

I think that's the worst part about lost seasons like this one - often times it feels impossible to do the simplest of evaluations when the team is so wholly, desperately, terrifyingly inept week after week.

Even in his darkest moments, former KC Star columnist Jason Whitlock was always poignant... and his recent commentary has been nothing but. On countless occasions he's referenced the state-line-lifestyle of planning your weekend around Sundays at Arrowhead - something I'm all too familiar with.

But that stadium, just like the team, has lost its luster.

And it's a damn shame.

The conversation to be had over the next handful of weeks will almost certainly revolve around three key people: Chairman/Owner/CEO/Esquire Clark Hunt, his "prize" General Manager Scott Pioli and Coach "I don't have a clever enough adjective to describe your disgracefulness" Romeo Crennel.

Something to keep in mind: Todd Haley was 5-8 and coming off a division title when he was fired IN-SEASON last year. Let that sink in.

Perhaps more alarming is the impending roster turnover: Branden Albert, Dwayne Bowe and Dustin Colquitt - none of whom are under contract beyond 2012 - immediately come to mind. There are also guys like Glenn Dorsey, Steve Breaston, Peyton Hillis and Matt Cassel that seem to be gone already.

For a man that preaches continuity, this offseason may prove to be more difficult than Clark Hunt is prepared to handle. The first step is admitting his mistakes... something his (hopefully) soon-to-be Ex-GM has been adamantly unwilling to do.

Clark has done absolutely nothing wrong to this fanbase; he hired the best people he could find and allowed them to do their jobs without interference. On the other hand, unfathomable are the circumstances in which ownership would balk at cleaning this house from top to bottom sooner rather than later.

As it relates to when (rather than if), I'm in the minority. Firing Scott Piloli (et al) could happen tomorrow, two weeks from now or two days after our final game against the Broncos and it wouldn't make a shoddy bit of difference to me... I just want that final result.

Despite the state of things, I feel compelled to ask you all to do the same. Don't you dare waste your patience on the team or the coaching staff - but Clark... he deserves to make these decisions on a timetable he deems appropriate. Until proven otherwise, the man has the fans' best interest in mind regarding the Chiefs.

Try proving otherwise. I'll wait.