LARNED — As the NFL exhibition season has moved into its final weekend, I am still puzzled about these Chiefs. In preseason games, the guys from Arrowhead have been all over the place. Is that what we can expect all season?
Defensively, the Chiefs have looked great on first and second downs only to let the other team off the hook on third and long. That’s got to drive Chiefs head coach Andy Reid nuts! Too many dumb penalties have been a part of their repertoire as well and that will cause losses against good teams when the games are played for keeps.
I know that preseason games are for finding out just who can play and who is just wishing but, still, new boss Reid and general manager John Dorsey are trying to change the culture, the mentality of this ball club and all of us agree it was needed. In four exhibition games, we’ve only seen brief flashes that they are succeeding. That mindset gets changed in the preseason if it happens at all.
The bad news is ... we haven’t witnessed that change yet. The good news is ... in trying to best last years’ 2-14 record, this years’ bunch can hardly do worse. One thing I am sure of: if the Chiefs start out on the path they did last year, you aren’t going to recognize the roster because Reid and Dorsey simply won’t put up with it.
Can the Chiefs contend in the AFC West? Denver appears to be the class of the division BUT the Chiefs can physically compete with all of the other teams and most of the teams on their schedule. Thus we are left with mental preparation and the so-called “culture” of a football team. I’m betting Reid and Dorsey know how to put that together.

Wildcats have test to start season

Let’s get a couple of things straight Kansas State fans: They are Bison, not Buffalo, and an easy victory is not guaranteed. These Bison from that powerhouse football state of North Dakota can play!
I know Wildcats head coach Bill Snyder has got an outstanding record in season-opening games BUT a lot of that is because of who Mr. Snyder scheduled. These kids from the Peace Garden State don’t play football that way. They have won two straight FCS national championships and are the odds on favorite for an unprecedented third. Yes, this is the same school that started Turner Gill at Kansas on a downhill slide a couple of years ago and eventually guaranteeing that he would be the coach at Liberty University and not Kansas.
The Bison have 9 of 10 players returning who earned All-Missouri Valley first-or second-team honors last year. They are the consensus preseason No. 1 in the FCS poll. They have an excellent quarterback and, more importantly, an outstanding running back. That will be important tonight in Manhattan as they attempt to control the football and the game clock. Bison head coach Craig Bohl and his team WILL NOT be in awe of playing at Kansas State.

Charles Tabler is a contributing writer from Larned.