Chiefs: Hanging With Chad

Chiefs: Hanging With Chad – Chad Henne may well be the Kansas City Chiefs starter when they host the Buffalo Bills this weekend in the American Conference League final. This may be a cause for consternation to many a Chiefs fan but it doesn’t appear to scare his teammates. The game plan is not likely to change much even though he’s no Patrick Mahomes… or even a Mitch Trubisky, who is ranked near the bottom of the league among starting NFL QBs by NFL.com. However, Henne may be the best backup QB in the NFL and plays with a lot of passion.

Henne is 35 years old and this is his 11^th year having played for the Dolphins for four year, the Jags for 5 seasons, and K.C. for three years now. However, last season Henne rode the bench because of an injury, and that was the reason Matt Moore was the backup. On Sunday, Henne stepped in and on a passing play that produced no options, he turned it up field and used his legs to race close to a first down.

Within inches actually. As TV announcer, Tony Romo stated, “That’s what Mahomes does.” With Henne doing his best impression of, The Magic Man, he apparently inspired his teammates, who immediately got behind him, and the call, on the very next play: a 4th down and one.

“And the Chiefs are going to the AFC Championship Game.” Actually, they’re hosting that game right here in Kansas City this coming Sunday afternoon.

Having Henne in house is a positive for K.C.. He said, “I prepare as if I’m going to be the starter every week.” It’s hard to complain about that kind of attitude. Henne also says Mahomes helps him out along the way so he’s as prepared as a QB ca be. One question many are asking is: will Andy Reid prepare a different game plan for Mahomes then he does for Henne? It appears the answer to that is no. One reason may be the way Henne looked vs the Browns. Take a look at Henne’s first drive against Cleveland which resulted in a field goal:

Maybe you noticed the snap that was low, which Henne was able to handle with ease. There are many excellent QBs around the league that don’t handle a low snap that well. You can’t help but be impressed with each of these Henne passes (below), to both Tyreek Hill who caught it over the shoulder of the defender and then two plays later, to Travis Kelce with the Browns blitzing:

Some fans want (or wanted) the Chiefs to start Matt Moore over Chad Henne, mostly because Moore was in on 2 wins for K.C. last season during their Super Bowl run. However, Moore – who is currently on the Chiefs Practice Squad — might end up as the backup to Henne in this game, if Mahomes is unavailable. Moore, who is now 36 years old, was 2-and-1 in his 2019 starts which included the game where Patrick Mahomes was injured vs the Broncos with 10:00 minutes left on the clock in the second quarter. Over his 10+ quarters of play, Moore was 59-of-91 for 659 yards, 4 TDs, zero INTs, and a 64.8 completion percentage. Those numbers, and that consistent level of play, are likely the reasons many fans are calling for more Moore. For now, I trust in Reid’s judgement so, less Moore, is more.

If Patrick Mahomes does start against the BIlls this Sunday, it will be another miracle turnaround much like when he got over having his kneecap pop out of joint last year vs the Broncos, then missed just two starts on the schedule.

In a recent 810 Sports radio interview with Soren Petro, Eric Eagers from ProFootball Focus — @PFF_Eric – said that if the Chiefs beat the Bills with Chad Henne this Sunday, “That game plan should go into the NFL Hall of Fame.” I wouldn’t go that far, but it would most definitely be a greater task to beat the Bills without Mahomes in the pocket. No Duh.

My take on whether or not Mahomes should come back this week or not is based upon my own mother’s intuition. Here, see what I mean:

That’s right, I say, allow the person in his life who care the most for him… to decide whether or not he should be allowed to play this weekend, even if the doctors clear him. That may not settle well with some fans in Chiefs Kingdom, but I’m certainly good with it! On Wednesday, Chad Henne said in his post-practice presser, “We’re going to anticipate their (the Bills) best shot.” I just hope the Chiefs can give the Bills… their best shot! Go Chiefs!

Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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