Positives and Negatives of the Chiefs 2012 Season

I don’t think there was an analyst, coach, writer, or even fan that could have seen the 2012 season being as dismal as it had turned out for the Kansas City Chiefs. Everyone out there can see just how overwhelmed this coaching staff is with game planning and the decisions that need to be made each week. In my eyes, there are not too many positives that I can pull away from the front office or coaching staff.

So tonight, I decided that I would pull out some of the positives and negatives from the players that make up this great team. Some of these athletes have been out-performing and have been flat out amazing in my eyes. On the other hand, there have been some big disappointments from what we would have all guessed when looking at the roster in July. Below are the standouts and disappointments for the 2012 season.

First, we will examine the positives of 2012.

Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Jamaal Charles began to make a name for himself in 2009 when he ran for more than 1,100 yards and 7 touchdowns. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry and became the first running back to reach 1,100 yards on fewer than 200 carries. The Texas alumni continued his success in 2010 when he was just shy of 1,500 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry. Although Romeo and his staff are clueless when it comes to using one of the most valuable running backs in the league, he has still managed to have a great season. Charles has three rushing touchdowns of 80 yards or longer this season. This stat alone ties the record for most in any season. Today Charles continued to amaze as his Quarterback under-threw the ball left and right. On the day, Charles finished with 22 carries for 226 yards and his speed after breaking the line of scrimmage continues to be an amazing thing to watch.

Derrick Johnson has been another bright spot in an otherwise miserable year. Like Charles, our star middle linebacker played his college ball at the University of Texas. On the season Johnson has a total of 119 tackles (104 solo). He ranks only behind James Laurinaitis and Lavonte David in solo tackles on the season. He registered seven of those tackles today and has been a force in the middle all season. He has played quality football throughout the year and has made his presence felt in the backfield on many occasions.

Next, let’s examine two players that everyone had high hopes for coming into the season, but have been very disappointing.

Many experts believed that Jonathan Baldwin was a diva coming out of Pittsburgh. Fans had their fears become reality when Baldwin broke his hand in a locker room fight before playing in his first regular season game. He has everything you could want in a receiver measuring 6’4″ 228 pounds. During training camp, many were hyping Baldwin and expecting a huge year from him. Unfortunately, it did not work out that way. Baldwin currently has 18 receptions for 261 yards and does not impress anyone. He hasn’t shown the ability needed at this level to create separation off the line.

Although no one can replace the hall of fame play of Tony Gonzalez, there was definitely some high hopes for Tony Moeaki. He has shown flashes of great play, but dating back to college, he has never been able to stay healthy all year. When Kevin Boss went down, I expected Tony to take over and while he is not having a terrible year, he still only has 31 receptions for 432 yards. He is only one year removed from his ACL injury, but I was expecting much more from him this year.

Watching the terrible play and coaching all season has definitely been depressing, but Jamaal Charles and Derrick Johnson have been a ray of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy season.