European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 8, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday january 8, 1991 the stars and stripes a a a Page 25commentaryryan guilty of bad bad coaching by John Eisenberg Philadelphia a lets talk bad football coaching. Not just everyday pedestrian bad. We re talking grab some bum out of the stands and he could do better some Sweet Blue haired grandmother knows better and she watches Boyling bad. We re talking get the resume ready bad. In a normally Loath to second guess coaches and managers. Knee perkers second guess. My theory is that decisions Are always a lot harder when you re the one who has to make them. But then along comes a decision that is so stunning in its absence of thought that you can to help wondering a a who a in charge Here Bart Simpson a this is How bad the situation was saturday at veterans stadium it was so bad that it cried out for Bob Irsay. It does no to get any worse than that sports fans. If Irsay had owned the Philadelphia eagles and if he had telephoned the sidelines from his Box late in the third Quarter and Burrup fired buddy Ryan on the spot it would have been appropriate. Not just because As the game wore on Quot Ryan increasingly resembled an Amateur next to the Washington redskins Joe Gibbs. Not just because Ryan steam was veering unsteadily toward its third straight playoff loss. Not just because Ryan a offence once again appeared to be making up the plays in the Hud die. Even that collection of sporting sins paled next to Ryan a decision to pull Randall Cunningham out of the Glafrie late in the third Quarter. Without telling Cunningham. That a the Beautiful part. Ryan did no to just yank the one player who could save the game for him. He broke Cunningham a spirit by keeping the benching a secret until the next series began and a Surprise a backup Jim Mcmahon ran onto the Field. A a a a a a in a sure poorer decisions have been made. Someone Sank his life a savings into eight tracks. Someone thought it  be a big Deal to Bug that one itty bitty office at the watergate. Someone thought a wish tar was Worth $40 million. Ryan was smarter than that. But not much. Imagine. Seventeen minutes were left and the eagles were Only Down a touchdown to the redskins in their first round nil playoff. One Miracle away from a tie. For Fuji Gingham that a a no brainer. Its a Surprise if he does no to come through. He a been Good for at least a we file Glen buddy Ryan watches eagles demise. Miracle a week this year. What a season he has had. He has flown through the air thrown balls 70 Yards jumped Over tall buildings saved the otherwise medi Ocre eagles by himself countless times with his Peerless one Man run and shoot. Along with Joe Montana he a the comeback kid of the nil. Seven Points done to make him laugh. Ryan Only let Mcmahon play one series three incompletion and out but by the time Cunningham was Back the game was Over. Not Only had the seven Point deficit doubled but also perhaps most importantly the eagles had gone flatter than the Field emotionally. Cunningham is their Leader their lifeline their stature. Their  when he came out. It was such an incomprehensible decision that they lost any semblance of an Edge. They knew they had no Chance with Mcmahon that the decision crossed the line from idiosyncrasy , that Ryan was panicking. They a and the entire crowd which went silent a knew it was a. A a a. A a t a a ,. A. A a on to next season. It did t have to be so. V Ryan s explanation "1 was just trying to get something going use a different Pitcher Quot he said. Quot thin Sweren t going too Good out there if you had t noticed. 1 thought i d try  of Pace shake things up  things up. Take out a quarterback who has passed for 3.400 Yards and-30 touchdowns and run for almost �- 1,000 Yards. Try an immobile Gimp shouldered washed up quarterback who has attempted nine passes All season. You were far from alone if you stared at your television and said All together now a who s in charge Here Bart Simpson Quot Mcmahon was perfect by the Way. Three attempts three near interceptions. Cunningham barely contained himself afterwards. He managed to say some of the right things that he was a grown Man and he could take it that he respected Ryan that he has to live with the coaches Gruff Odd ways. But he was furious. Humiliated. Ready to Mutiny. You did no to have to look closely or listen hard. You could Tell the benching had ruined him for the Day ruining with him the eagles Only Hope. A i done to even think Jim was warming up a a he said. A i done to know what buddy was trying to do Quot he said. A.  .-  �. A it. A a a v a a it a kind of an insult when 1 think about it Quot he a said. A a. A a a a a a a a. Even lamer was offensive coordinator Rich Kotite a explanation that it was a just like Quot the Way the eagles had rotated some offensive linemen a trying to get things  Good answer. We Are-40believe that benching a guard is the same As benching the comeback kid remind me not to listen the next Lime a coach tells me that football is a complicated game. One Post game theory being passed around was that Cunningham and Kotite had argued after the previous series and that this was punishment. Another was that Cunningham appeared discouraged and Ryan thought he needed a jump Start. Here is the theory i prefer t hat Ryan just blew his circuits. His Job was possibly on the line and his team was staggering around on the Field and in the moment of crisis lie made the same mistake that a drunk in the upper deck might he closed his eyes and blamed the quarterback. And his players stood there Slack Jawed and said a what the hell is this Quot and just like that their season was Over. The Baltimore sun11 win Campaign fuels interest in Kab Doug Tucker Kansas City to. A and so it will be at least another year before the Kansas City chiefs win their first playoff game since taking the super bowl in 1970. And so Arrowhead stadium stands empty for another postseason. Seventeen years after throwing open its ticket windows one of the a Fly a finest facilities still Waits to be Host to its first playoff  a. A  a Steve Debergh a courageous storybook season comes to an abrupt end. So does Barry words stirring comeback from jail and drugs and despair. So do. The remarkable seasons of Stephone Paige and Derrick Thomas and Albert Lewis. And so does the consecutive Field goal Streak of Nick lower at 24. If his straight As an Arrow last kick had sailed maybe three feet farther through the Sticky Miami air saturday the Streak would stand at 25. And the chiefs would be preparing for the second round. But it fell Short and the Miami Dol Plains ended the chiefs Best season since 1969 with a 17-16 Victory. A number of chiefs had the finest seasons of their careers a possibly the finest they la Ever have. But 11 victories in year no. 2 of the. Carl Peterson Marty Schot Genheimer regime was plenty to fuel inter Estin next year. A a we re disappointed As hell but we re proud a said sch Ottenheimer who has led the chiefs to 20 victories in two years As coach. The previous two chiefs teams had combined for eight victories. A a we re frustrated because we did no to achieve the things we wanted to do which was win a championship. We re going to hold our Heads up and build from Here a sch Ottenheimer said. A what i saw out there was two Good football teams a said Peterson who hired sch Ottenheimer a few weeks after being named president and general manager following the 1988 season. A we Are bitterly disappointed of course but in a just As proud of this team As 1 can  what a year it was for the Long suffering chiefs and their fans who Hadnot since 1972 or 1973, believed really believed their team had a legitimate shot at the super bowl it Alk started with Debergh a amazing season. He threw three interceptions in a loss at Indianapolis on oct. -7 and then did not get. Picked off until dec. 16 Aeu inst Houston shortly alter getting his left Little Finger shattered in a collision Between two oilers helmets. But he wound up the regular season among the a Fly a elite using the savvy gained in a 14 year career to the utmost and hitting 258 of 444 passes7 for 3,444 Yards and 23 touchdowns. Interceptions a paltry Lour. Paige the Veteran receiver had the Best year of his career with 65 catches for a file Marty Schottenheim Imp up to Date m Kansas City .1,021 Yards and five touchdowns. Word who came to Kansas City after being out of football a year Tini died the regular season with 1,015 Yards and a whopping five Yards per carry. He and Paige gave the chiefs a 1,000-Yard runner and 1,000-Yard receiver in the same season for the first time in their history Thomas going to the pro bowl for the second time in As Many seasons will remember 1990 As the year he set an nil one game record with seven sacks in a 1-Point loss to Seattle. Cornerback Lewis and Kevin Ross also will represent  in the pro bowl along with Lowery. Lewis a kick Blocker supreme set an nil record by blocking four punts. Dan Saleaumua established himself As one of the leagues better nose guards and the Star nos guard he moved to defensive end a Bill Maas a showed by mid season he was beginning to Excel at that position too. In addition third year defensive end Neil Smith stamped himself As an Impact player and began fulfilling the great potential the chiefs sensed when they made him their no. 1 draft pick in 1987. Amid the disappointment that washed Over chiefs fans when Lowery a Long Field goal fell Short was for them a new and exciting sensation. Its called optimism for the  the chiefs open Camp next year there is bound to be More interest and enthusiasm in Kansas City than in almost 20-years. A a i can say this without ques Ron a Peterson said a that Well be