It was quite a  suprise to most of us who witnessed what we saw in Kansas City on Monday Night. We learned a lot about our team, our coaches, and the revival of our stadium and fans. In what was considered a late game, and a wet one at that. The turnout of the opening game of the year was tremendous and impressive. The entire nation had the opportunity to view Kansas City Chief football the way we know it to be. All day tailgating and a jam packed stadium filled to the brim with the loudest, most passionate fans around. After a great fireworks display, a national anthem by Billy Ray Cyrus, fans in Kansas City and the Chiefs were ready to go.

After advancing to 1-0 for the season, here are my week one grades for the Monday Night Football game against the San Diego Chargers.

Quarterback- (D) Cassel looked fairly prepared for the game, but he didn’t look like the quarterback we paid for. Maybe it was because Rivers was on the other side, maybe it was because the line didn’t give much time, I’m not sure. But we need a leader, and when the special teams doesn’t win the game for us, can we count on Cassel to do so?

Running Game- (B+) I learned two things here. Start Jamaal Charles. Thomas Jones is the red zone running back. If I see anything different, I’m simply lost. The Chiefs know well that they have a luxury with the lighting fast running back in Charles and a pounder in Jones. But I’m not sure they used it the right way on Monday Night. I don’t think Jones should be the starter on this team. He’s a good back, but we should use him around the goal line. He doesn’t fumble and he is strong enough to score in the pressure situations. Use Charles to fly down the field and get quick first downs.

Recievers- (C-) Due to the lack of time Cassel was given in the pocket, there were few opportunities to pass the ball. The recievers, especially Chambers looked very slow off the snap. We need to stretch the field more to break down the defensive secondary, which in the long run will improve the running game. Moleaki at tight end, showed hope.

Offensive Line- (C+) Although Jamaal Charles broke through the line for a few nice runs, the offensive line still needs to improve dramatically. If you look at the amount of time the Chargers line gave Rivers on Monday Night, compared to the time the was given to Cassel, there is room to improve. I believe that if Cassel had two more seconds to find his target when he dropped back to pass, the passing game would have looked impressive.

Defensive Line- (A) The debut of Ryan Matthews was a quiet one due to the wall built by the d-line. Wow, did these guys come to play or what? Crennel deserves credit here, as you can see that the line is much more aggressive than last year, with the same players from last year. Dorsey was the all star, finally showing his promise as a fifth overall pick. Tyson Jackson looked good, and when we went down to injury, Ron Edwards stepped in a did his job as well.

Secondary- (C+) Take away what Antonio Gates did to the defensive secondary and they earned at least a B for the way they played. Flowers was a leach at corner and on the other side of the field, Brandon Carr made some big plays by knocking away some bullets by Rivers. First round pick Eric Berry, demonstrated his youth on a few blown coverages on Nanee and Gates.

Special Teams- (A+) Rookies have the best grade on the team. McCluster and Arenas look like the two most dangerous men in the NFL, and they both play for the Kansas City Chiefs. They are the reason we won the game. Arenas got us in amazing field positon on every return, and McCluster’s touchdown gave us the right momentum at the right time.

Overall Grade- (B)

For the best and most affordable Chiefs tickets around, be sure to contact Tickets For Less at 913-685-3322 or visit us online at www.ticketsforless.com