Edwards made right decision

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards finally came to a conclusion last weekend that Damon Huard gives the team the best chance to win on any given Sunday.

That's why he chose the 34-year-old veteran over inexperienced second-year pro Brodie Croyle to be the Chiefs' starting quarterback on Sunday, Sept, 9, when they travel to Houston to play the Houston Texans in the 2007 National Football League season opener.

Tonight, the Chiefs close the preseason, traveling to St. Louis to play the intrastate foe Rams at 7 at the Edward Jones Dome on CBS.

Huard isn't expected to play tonight. Why risk injury one week before the regular season starts?

Naming a starting quarterback was one decision Edwards desperately needed to make, and it was made at the right time. More importantly, he chose the best guy for the job.

For some reason, Croyle had become the sentimental favorite in the preseason throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area and beyond.

Maybe the Chiefs were caught up in the fascination of starting fresh with a young quarterback from the Alabama Crimson Tide to pull them out of the throes of mediocrity.

Or maybe this preseason was merely a testing ground for Croyle, with the Chiefs gauging his success rate each preseason game as they groom him for the future. He had plenty of chances.

Whatever the Chiefs' fascination with Croyle, he had three preseason games to prove himself and he proved that he is not ready to be a starter.

Croyle has been hailed as the Chiefs' quarterback of the future, but the future isn't now. Maybe later in the season if Huard falters.

The Chiefs have to live in the present, with an aging offense and its 30-something linemen and skill-position players or in their prime at 27, like All-Pro running back Larry Johnson.

This team isn't predicated on rebuilding for the future. This is a long-suffering franchise with frustrated and faithful red-clad fans -- some which have been season-ticket holders for a trio of decades or more but haven't witnessed more than maybe one or two Super Bowl contenders since Arrowhead Stadium opened in 1972.

The Chiefs haven't played in a Super Bowl since beating the Minnesota Vikings in the grandaddy of them all on Jan. 11, 1970, a 23-7 win. Etched in the minds of Chiefs fans from yesteryear is the surreal image of an NFL Films highlight of wide receiver Otis Taylor breaking through the grasp of Vikings defenders and high-stepping down the sideline for a touchdown after a catching a pass from Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson.

The Chiefs have been in search of a quarterback that can return them to the glory days since, well, Dawson retired.

Sure, they had the cameo two-year fling with Hall of Famer Joe Montana back in 1993 and '94. Montana had the Chiefs at the threshold of the Super Bowl in '93, when the Chiefs lost to the Buffalo Bills 30-13 in the AFC Championship game.

But certainly, quarterback is a position that has been unsettled since, well, the Dawson days.

Since Montana, the Chiefs have tried Steve Bono, Rich Gannon, Elvis Grbac, Rich Gannon again, Elvis Grbac again, as well as an ancient Warren Moon, as they descended into 2000.

Trent Green (2001-2006) finally brought some stability, making the Chiefs one of the most prolific passing teams in the league.

Yet for all the passing yardage Green put up, he led the Chiefs to only one playoff berth and part of another -- both disappointing losses to Indianapolis.

Huard established a 5-3 record last season, helping KC make it to the playoffs while subbing for the injured Trent Green, who suffered a severe concussion in the season-opener and never returned to his earlier form in the late season.

He struggled in the playoff game against Indy and was traded to Miami in the offseason.

Maybe the writing was on the wall, when Huard, who had the second-best passer rating in the NFL last season at 98.0, was signed to a contract extension in the offseason.

Croyle's 5-for-17 passing for 45 yards, along with his third interception in three games in the 30-7 loss to New Orleans last week, clinched it.

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