The Kansas City Chiefs’ first three trips inside Green Bay’s 20 two weeks ago netted them a pair of field goals. So did their first three trips against Oakland last Sunday.
     Suffice to say, Kansas City’s red-zone offense has interim coach Romeo Crennel seeing red.
     There is little rhyme or reason to the Chiefs’ ability to move the ball downfield, then have everything come undone when they’re on the doorstep of scoring touchdowns. But their inability to come away with seven points instead of just three might be the biggest reason they’re playing for pride, rather than the AFC West title, when they visit Denver on Sunday.
     “It’s never one guy in this business. It’s always part of a team effort,” Crennel said. “We’ve been able to get down to the red zone, we just haven’t been able to produce.”
     It proved especially costly in an overtime loss to the Raiders.
     Kansas City marched to the Oakland 12 late in the first quarter before a short pass completion and a pair of runs by Jackie Battle and Thomas Jones gained just 7 yards. Ryan Succop came on for what amounted to an extra-point try, though the Chiefs would have preferred that to be the case.
     At least they got three points out of that trip.
     Their next one was even uglier.
     Kansas City had second-and-1 at the 8 when Jones was called for a false start. Now with a more substantial distance for a first down, Kyle Orton was forced to throw. His first pass was dropped by Dwayne Bowe in the end zone, and the next was intercepted by Matt Giordano, the second time in two weeks the Chiefs’ didn’t score any points on a drive inside the red zone.
     Late in the third quarter, the Chiefs faced first-and-goal at the 6 and managed another field goal, leaving them in a 10-6 hole rather than a tie game.
     “If we were able to get that touchdown, just a score sometimes changes the mentality on your team for that particular game. Instead of guys saying, ‘Here we go again,’ guys say, ‘OK, we made it happen,’” Crennel said. “Getting down there is encouraging, so now what we have to do is refine some things so we can get points on the board rather than coming away with nothing.”
     It’s unlikely the Chiefs will solve their red-zone woes before facing Denver on Sunday. After all, it’s hard to figure out exactly who or what is to blame.
     Besides, the problems have existed all season.
     Kansas City has scored a touchdown on red-zone trips just 33 percent of the time; the league-leading Jets have doubled that rate. By comparison, the Chiefs scored touchdowns on 59.62 percent of their trips last year, when they went 10-6 and won the division.
     Inexplicably, the Chiefs are even worse at home, where they don’t have to deal with hostile crowd noise. They’ve scored TDs on only 23.81 percent of their red-zone trips at Arrowhead Stadium.
     Going deeper inside the numbers, Kansas City ranks 25th in the league in red-zone attempts at 2.4 per game. That’s roughly half the number of trips of the league-leading Saints.
     No wonder the Chiefs’ are 31st in the league in scoring.
     “We’ve done a lot of good things,” Orton said, “but we have a lot to improve on.”
     It’s easy to blame the play-calling of new offensive coordinator Bill Muir, or the direction of former head coach Todd Haley, who was fired a few weeks ago. It’s also easy to blame general manager Scott Pioli for not building enough depth to deal with season-ending injuries to Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Cassel, All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles and starting tight end Tony Moeaki.
     But there’s still enough blame left over for the guys actually on the field.
     The Chiefs’ running game, which led the league last season, has produced only four TDs rushing all year, and one of them was by defensive back Javier Arenas out of the wildcat formation. There are 37 players in the NFL with at least four touchdowns rushing, four of them quarterbacks.
     Kansas City’s ground game averages 4.02 yards per carry outside the red zone, but that mark dips to 3.0 yards once the Chiefs cross the opponents’ 20. Jones is averaging just 2.3 yards on a team-high 19 carries inside the red zone, well below his career mark of 4.0.
     The struggles aren’t limited to the running game.
     Orton is completing 47.2 percent of his passes inside the red zone. Bowe has only seven catches for 49 yards and three scores after piling up an NFL-best 15 touchdown catches last season, and free-agent acquisition Steve Breaston has four catches for 30 yards in prime scoring territory.
     “Guys have to look in the mirror and know they’re giving their best effort,” Crennel said. “Like I said, it’s never one guy. It’s not always players. Coaches have to do some things better, put guys in better position, better technique. All those things come into play.”

Here’s one more thing that makes the veteran center a throwback: He doesn’t miss a play. Ever.

Wiegmann will make his 175th straight start when the Chiefs face the Denver Broncos on Sunday, along with adding to an iron man streak of consecutive snaps that already stands at 11,102. Both are the longest active streaks among NFL offensive linemen, dating back to the 2001 season.

“That’s a lot of snaps, and consecutive snaps. That’s pretty good,” Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel said. “You get banged every down, and to be able to take that many snaps and still be out there playing, that’s an accomplishment. I don’t know who else can say that, but that’s an accomplishment.”

Not bad for an Iowa farm boy who wasn’t even drafted.

The Chiefs’ season finale may also be the finale for the 38-year-old Wiegmann, who contemplated retirement after last season. He won’t decide until after the season whether he’s finished, but one thing is clear: The decision won’t come with any fanfare.

“Just looking on the news and stuff, how Jason Taylor announced his retirement. You don’t have to do that,” Wiegmann said. “That’s just wanting attention on yourself. That’s not me at all.”

No, Wiegmann is a laconic overachiever who, at 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds, regularly goes against brutish defensive tackles who outweigh him by 50 pounds. And yet he’s been able to put together a stretch of sustained excellence that is rare in the modern NFL.

His streak of consecutive snaps started on Sept. 23, 2001, against the New York Giants, the first game the Chiefs played after the attacks of Sept. 11. It’s lasted through the presidency of George W. Bush, the war in Iraq, the rise of Facebook and Twitter — you won’t catch Wiegmann spouting off in 140 characters or fewer anytime soon — despite bumps, bruises and aches too numerous to count.

The streak nearly ended in 2005 with an injury to Wiegmann’s right knee, though he pushed through the pain. He admits that he’s spent more time in the training room this season than he can recall, his name showing up on the injury report with finger ailments and a calf injury.

Wiegmann may be the only one who ever thought he’d miss a down.

“It’s been a long year, fighting through aches and pains and injuries,” he said. “But like I’ve said before, I’m here to play football. It has to be something devastating to keep you out.”

Nobody knows whether Wiegmann’s consecutive snaps streak is a record; the league does not track such things. That means it’s virtually impossible to compare it to Brett Favre’s 297 regular-season games started at quarterback or Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,632 straight games in baseball.

One thing is clear: In an era of rapid turnover in the NFL, when season-ending injuries are common and orthopedists are kept on retainer, Wiegmann may be the last of a dying breed.

“The way things are in this league, I don’t think there are too many good examples like him,” said Chiefs running back Thomas Jones, who’s wrapping up his 12th season in the league.

“He’s pretty quiet,” Jones said. “He’s one of those guys who comes to work, does his job. You know what you’re going to get from him.”

Rookie center Rodney Hudson has a locker next to Wiegmann, tucked away in a back corner in the team’s practice facility. He’s been able to glean from Wiegmann the kind of wisdom that only comes with age and experience, from plying your trade in the trenches.

“He’s been a great help for me, and not only me, but other guys also,” said Hudson, who is being groomed as Wiegmann’s successor. “His approach, the way he plays, the things he’s seen, things that have happened — he’s been teaching me what I need to do.”

Wiegmann spent two seasons during his streak with the Broncos before returning to Kansas City this season, landing his only appearance in the Pro Bowl after the 2008 season. And now the end could come after a game against Denver.

Wiegmann still skirts the topic of retirement, even as he plans for the future.

He’s started a business with one of his friends back in Iowa, where they’re purchasing farmland and then leasing it out. He wants to give small-scale and independent farmers a chance to succeed in an age of large-scale operations run by corporations.

In that respect, Wiegmann stays true to his humble nature, which has served him well in the NFL.

“I’ve learned a lot of stuff form a lot of great football players, been taught a lot of great things through my years, family values and everything else, and you kind of take that with you wherever you go,” he said. “You take a lot of it to heart. Whatever I can do, I do. Hopefully I can pass some of that on to a younger player and they can run with it, too.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—Everything about Casey Wiegmann is decidedly old
school.

The style of his facemask was in vogue about 20 years ago. He uses a
pen-and-paper daily planner to keep appointments. And he prefers a simple wooden
stool rather than plush seats that everyone else in the Kansas City Chiefs
locker room collapses on after a hard practice.

Here’s one more thing that makes the veteran center a throwback: He doesn’t
miss a play. Ever.

Wiegmann will make his 175th straight start when the Chiefs face the Denver
Broncos on Sunday, along with adding to an iron man streak of consecutive snaps
that already stands at 11,102. Both are the longest active streaks among NFL
offensive linemen, dating back to the 2001 season.

“That’s a lot of snaps, and consecutive snaps. That’s pretty good,” Chiefs
coach Romeo Crennel said. “You get banged every down, and to be able to take
that many snaps and still be out there playing, that’s an accomplishment. I
don’t know who else can say that, but that’s an accomplishment.”

Not bad for an Iowa farm boy who wasn’t even drafted.

The Chiefs’ season finale may also be the finale for the 38-year-old
Wiegmann, who contemplated retirement after last season. He won’t decide until
after the season whether he’s finished, but one thing is clear: The decision
won’t come with any fanfare.

“Just looking on the news and stuff, how Jason Taylor announced his
retirement. You don’t have to do that,” Wiegmann said. “That’s just wanting
attention on yourself. That’s not me at all.”

No, Wiegmann is a laconic overachiever who, at 6-foot-2 and 285 pounds,
regularly goes against brutish defensive tackles who outweigh him by 50 pounds.
And yet he’s been able to put together a stretch of sustained excellence that is
rare in the modern NFL.

His streak of consecutive snaps started on Sept. 23, 2001, against the New
York Giants, the first game the Chiefs played after the attacks of Sept. 11.
It’s lasted through the presidency of George W. Bush, the war in Iraq, the rise
of Facebook and Twitter—you won’t catch Wiegmann spouting off in 140
characters or fewer anytime soon—despite bumps, bruises and aches too numerous
to count.

The streak nearly ended in 2005 with an injury to Wiegmann’s right knee,
though he pushed through the pain. He admits that he’s spent more time in the
training room this season than he can recall, his name showing up on the injury
report with finger ailments and a calf injury.

Wiegmann may be the only one who ever thought he’d miss a down.

“It’s been a long year, fighting through aches and pains and injuries,” he
said. “But like I’ve said before, I’m here to play football. It has to be
something devastating to keep you out.”

Nobody knows whether Wiegmann’s consecutive snaps streak is a record; the
league does not track such things. That means it’s virtually impossible to
compare it to Brett Favre’s 297 regular-season games started at quarterback or
Cal Ripken Jr.’s 2,632 straight games in baseball.

One thing is clear: In an era of rapid turnover in the NFL, when
season-ending injuries are common and orthopedists are kept on retainer,
Wiegmann may be the last of a dying breed.

“The way things are in this league, I don’t think there are too many good
examples like him,” said Chiefs running back Thomas Jones, who’s wrapping up
his 12th season in the league.

“He’s pretty quiet,” Jones said. “He’s one of those guys who comes to
work, does his job. You know what you’re going to get from him.”

Rookie center Rodney Hudson has a locker next to Wiegmann, tucked away in a
back corner in the team’s practice facility. He’s been able to glean from
Wiegmann the kind of wisdom that only comes with age and experience, from plying
your trade in the trenches.

“He’s been a great help for me, and not only me, but other guys also,”
said Hudson, who is being groomed as Wiegmann’s successor. “His approach, the
way he plays, the things he’s seen, things that have happened—he’s been
teaching me what I need to do.”

Wiegmann spent two seasons during his streak with the Broncos before
returning to Kansas City this season, landing his only appearance in the Pro
Bowl after the 2008 season. And now the end could come after a game against
Denver.

Wiegmann still skirts the topic of retirement, even as he plans for the
future.

He’s started a business with one of his friends back in Iowa, where they’re
purchasing farmland and then leasing it out. He wants to give small-scale and
independent farmers a chance to succeed in an age of large-scale operations run
by corporations.

In that respect, Wiegmann stays true to his humble nature, which has served
him well in the NFL.

“I’ve learned a lot of stuff form a lot of great football players, been
taught a lot of great things through my years, family values and everything
else, and you kind of take that with you wherever you go,” he said. “You take
a lot of it to heart. Whatever I can do, I do. Hopefully I can pass some of that
on to a younger player and they can run with it, too.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs’ first three trips inside Green Bay’s 20 two weeks ago netted them a pair of field goals. So did their first three trips against Oakland last Sunday.

Suffice to say, Kansas City’s red-zone offense has interim coach Romeo Crennel seeing red.

There is little rhyme or reason to the Chiefs’ ability to move the ball downfield, then have everything come undone when they’re on the doorstep of scoring touchdowns. But their inability to come away with seven points instead of just three might be the biggest reason they’re playing for pride, rather than the AFC West title, when they visit Denver on Sunday.

“It’s never one guy in this business. It’s always part of a team effort,” Crennel said. “We’ve been able to get down to the red zone, we just haven’t been able to produce.”

It proved especially costly in an overtime loss to the Raiders.

Kansas City marched to the Oakland 12 late in the first quarter before a short pass completion and a pair of runs by Jackie Battle and Thomas Jones gained just 7 yards. Ryan Succop came on for what amounted to an extra-point try, though the Chiefs would have preferred that to be the case.

At least they got three points out of that trip.

Their next one was even uglier.

Kansas City had second-and-1 at the 8 when Jones was called for a false start. Now with a more substantial distance for a first down, Kyle Orton was forced to throw. His first pass was dropped by Dwayne Bowe in the end zone, and the next was intercepted by Matt Giordano, the second time in two weeks the Chiefs’ didn’t score any points on a drive inside the red zone.

Late in the third quarter, the Chiefs faced first-and-goal at the 6 and managed another field goal, leaving them in a 10-6 hole rather than a tie game.

“If we were able to get that touchdown, just a score sometimes changes the mentality on your team for that particular game. Instead of guys saying, ‘Here

we go again,’ guys say, ‘OK, we made it happen,’” Crennel said. “Getting down there is encouraging, so now what we have to do is refine some things so we can get points on the board rather than coming away with nothing.”

It’s unlikely the Chiefs will solve their red-zone woes before facing Denver on Sunday. After all, it’s hard to figure out exactly who or what is to blame.

Besides, the problems have existed all season.

Kansas City has scored a touchdown on red-zone trips just 33 percent of the time; the league-leading Jets have doubled that rate. By comparison, the Chiefs scored touchdowns on 59.62 percent of their trips last year, when they went 10-6 and won the division.

Inexplicably, the Chiefs are even worse at home, where they don’t have to deal with hostile crowd noise. They’ve scored TDs on only 23.81 percent of their red-zone trips at Arrowhead Stadium.

Going deeper inside the numbers, Kansas City ranks 25th in the league in red-zone attempts at 2.4 per game. That’s roughly half the number of trips of the league-leading Saints.

No wonder the Chiefs’ are 31st in the league in scoring.

“We’ve done a lot of good things,” Orton said, “but we have a lot to improve on.”

It’s easy to blame the play-calling of new offensive coordinator Bill Muir, or the direction of former head coach Todd Haley, who was fired a few weeks ago. It’s also easy to blame general manager Scott Pioli for not building enough depth to deal with season-ending injuries to Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Cassel, All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles and starting tight end Tony Moeaki.

But there’s still enough blame left over for the guys actually on the field.

The Chiefs’ running game, which led the league last season, has produced only four TDs rushing all year, and one of them was by defensive back Javier Arenas out of the wildcat formation. There are 37 players in the NFL with at least four touchdowns rushing, four of them quarterbacks.

Kansas City’s ground game averages 4.02 yards per carry outside the red zone, but that mark dips to 3.0 yards once the Chiefs cross the opponents’ 20. Jones is averaging just 2.3 yards on a team-high 19 carries inside the red zone, well below his career mark of 4.0.

The struggles aren’t limited to the running game.

Orton is completing 47.2 percent of his passes inside the red zone. Bowe has only seven catches for 49 yards and three scores after piling up an NFL-best 15 touchdown catches last season, and free-agent acquisition Steve Breaston has four catches for 30 yards in prime scoring territory.

“Guys have to look in the mirror and know they’re giving their best effort,” Crennel said. “Like I said, it’s never one guy. It’s not always players. Coaches have to do some things better, put guys in better position, better technique. All those things come into play.”