Friends!

We have a crisis here at Big Cat Country.  You see, my closeness to the city of Kansas has me overrun with friends and writers who follow their beloved Chiefs with a passion and fury that can only be found in the Miserable state of Missouri, where flatness reigns and Branson is as close as we get to culture and class.

Don't beleve me?  Here's what Bart has to say.

Anyhow, I recently did an interview with the fine folks at the Fanhouse .  We're doing a little of the classic "five questions".  Here's what I asked (I'm a lover of softball questions about teams I'm not familar with.

Big Cat Country: I live here in Missouri for the time being and I greatly admire the
passion that Chiefs fans have for their team.  What is it about
Arrowhead and the team that makes for such passionate fans?  Who is
the biggest division rival, I seem to get a different answer from
everyone?

FanHouse: Chiefs fans are die hard, no doubt about it.  What makes them great
fans?  Well, that's up for debate.  Many people will say it's the lack
of other successful pro teams in the area, but I think it's just their
love for the game and their hometown team.  That answer may seem
simple, but that's all it is.

As far as a division rival, it's got to be the Oakland Raiders.  It
often goes overlooked, but the Chiefs-Raiders rivalry is every bit as
volatile as Giants-Eagles, Redskins-Cowboys, Red Sox-Yankees and so
on.

Big Cat Country:   If you were game-planning against the Jaguars, what would you do?
Are there any match-ups that you'd try and exploit?

FanHouse: Offensively, I'd focus on the Jaguars secondary simply because Tony
Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe are so extremely athletic.  With Damon Huard
finally coming around, it'd be a good time to throw the ball high,
have them go up and get it and make some plays.

Defensively, I'd look to put as much pressure on David Garrard as
possible.  He's still relatively young and prone to some mistakes.  So
I'd use some different blitzes, some different formations and do
everything I could to pressure him and confuse him.

Big Cat Country:  Who should we know about on the Offense and Defense that we
probably haven't heard of?  Who has been the biggest surprise so far
this season?

FanHouse: Well, rookie wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is the easy answer offensively.
 With Eddie Kennison out with injury (probably coming back this week),
Bowe has really stepped up and made some big time throws.  While his
name is becoming more familiar around the league, teams still tend to
forget about him on game day.

Defensively, outside linebacker Derrick Johnson is having a big time
year.  Although he's generally played solid football for Kansas City,
he's really coming into his own this year.  He's already collected 26
tackles, three sacks and an interception.  He can rush the passes,
play the run and he's quite capable in coverage.

Big Cat Country:   Are you satisfied with Herm?  I was listening to local sports
radio and a few callers were saying that they'd rather have Marty than
Herm.  That being said, it was before beating the Chargers, so I'd
imagine they're singing a different tune now.

FanHouse: If fans want to make the playoffs only to lose in the first round,
then Marty is the man for them.  If they want a coach who is
passionate about what he does and works hard to get his team ready,
then Herm is the right fit.  Things didn't look good in the first two
weeks, but the players seem to have rallied around Edwards.  Fans
should wait more than two games before they start calling for someones
head.

Big Cat Country: Who wins and what's the score?

FanHouse: This is going to be a great defensive battle; more so than people
probably realize.  Given the wave of momentum the Chiefs are riding,
as well as home field advantage, I've got to give Kansas City the nod.
 17-13

Thanks Dan over at Chiefs Fanhouse for the time!  I'll post the link to my interview as soon as it pops up.

Adam over at Arrowhead Addict has his "Ten Reasons the Jaguars are Losers" post up.  It's pretty funny, especially the Happy Gilmore reference.  I expect all of you reading this to let him know just how pleased you are with his post.  Seriously, all three of you who read this go defend our boys with some tongue in cheek comedy.

Finally, don't forget to visit Arrowhead Pride for your latest news and updates!

-Chris