The Chiefs Week Four Bye Shows NFL's Ridiculous Side

The Chiefs are on a roll. They've climbed from the predicted basement of pre-season predictions. They're enjoying as comfortable of a lead as you can in the AFC West at this point in the season. Veterans like Derrick Johnson are finding new life, promising youngsters like Brandon Flowers are climbing to new levels and rookies like Dexter McCluster and Tony Moeaki are cementing their NFL footing. And this week, all of the momentum stops.

The first round of the NFL bye week rotation is one of the more ridiculous rules or events in place that receives hardly any notice. Yearly columns abound making fun of the Pro Bowl. The 18-game season possibility is receiving a ton of notice. Yet the fact that several teams each season must halt the weekly grind only three weeks in (after four week of preseason and months of training) gets a slight nod every now and then.

Perhaps if the Chiefs were 0-3, the story would be different. Maybe if the injuries piled up in the first few weeks, I might write an entirely different column. But even if those events were the reality for the Chiefs, the bye week coming in Week 4 of the NFL regular season simply doesn't make sense.

It's just too early. The Chiefs sit at 3-0 and I think even the most diehard fans are still curious as to how good exactly are their beloved Chiefs? NFL experts have no idea what to make of them given the iffy competition so far and the deplorable game conditions in the season opener against San Diego. The Colts game coming up after the bye give the Chiefs the best chance on a national stage to showcase what they're all about.

But instead of heading into the Colts game with a weekly regimen set in, the coaches and players are going to have to adjust to a week off. Worse yet, the Chiefs now have zero breaks the rest of the season in case a slump or injuries do begin to play their part -- and in the grind of the NFL regular season, those things certainly will become a reality at some point.

The best case scenario for all teams, no matter what the first few games bring, is to have all of the bye weeks starting at least in October. There's simply no reason for a team to stop and lick its wounds (or celebrate its victories) after three games. The rigors of a full-season are simply too much for a roster to handle without having a break near the mid-section. And I'm curious to see if the Chiefs end up showing signs of wear as the season wears on because of it.