KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Congrats. Todd Haley put a clown suit on Dwayne Bowe, and Dwayne Bowe put a clown suit on Matt Cassel.

Unfortunately, no one inside Arrowhead Stadium was laughing Saturday night.
We were fighting tears. The preseason debut of the Kansas City Chiefs’ new leadership was painful to behold.
The Houston Texans pushed and shoved the Chiefs all around Arrowhead, winning, 16-10. Most troubling, Kansas City’s Cassel-led offense couldn’t sustain anything.
Randy Moss’ BFF completed just two of five passes for 15 yards. At least two of his throws were dropped. With Cassel at QB, the Chiefs failed to cross the 50 and recorded just two first downs in five series.
KC’s first-unit offense made me long for the good-old days: when the Herm Edwards-coached Chiefs routinely accumulated four or five first downs in a half.
I felt sorry for Cassel. Lobbing balls to Terrance Copper, Brad Cottam, Sean Ryan and Devard Darling is a lot different from playing catch with Moss and Wes Welker.
Haley’s feud with Bowe cost Cassel the luxury of throwing to Kansas City’s most talented receiver. Haley demoted Bowe to third string for Saturday’s exhibition. Bowe’s lackadaisical practice attitude won’t be tolerated by KC’s get-tough coach.
I’m all for discipline. And I’m all for embarrassing Bowe into carrying himself like a professional.
But you have to discipline Bowe in a way that makes sense for everyone, including KC’s new and unproven $60 million quarterback.
When the Bowe Show took the field late in the second quarter, along with backup quarterback Brodie Croyle, Kansas City’s offense was magically energized. Croyle took full advantage of Bowe’s physical gifts.
Bowe caught two passes for 28 yards on his first series, a nine-play, 49-yard drive that led to a 47-yard field goal just before halftime. In the third quarter, Bowe tacked on three more receptions for 42 yards. In two quarters, he caught five passes for 70 yards.
“I think that was the response Coach was looking for,” Cassel said of Bowe’s showing.
Haley seemed pleased with Bowe’s effort. The first-time head coach said Bowe practiced better the two days leading to Saturday’s game.
The Chiefs didn’t score in the third quarter, but their offense looked far more effective under Croyle’s Bowe-aided guidance than Cassel’s.
Croyle completed 12 of 18 passes for 145 yards. It’s the best I remember Croyle ever playing in a Chiefs uniform.
Yes, Bowe and Croyle worked against Houston’s second-team defense. But there was no denying Bowe’s impact. He’s a difference-maker. He stretches a defense. He’s a big target. He’s the only legitimate playmaker on Kansas City’s offense.
Without him, Cassel has no chance at success.
The Bowe-Haley feud has to end. We don’t have to declare a winner. Haley can take credit for inspiring Bowe to play hard. Bowe can satisfy himself with the knowledge that the Chiefs’ offense can’t move forward without him.
Haley wants to establish himself as a young Bill Parcells. That’s an admirable goal. Someone better remind Haley that Parcells made his no-nonsense bones in the era before players received multimillion-dollar signing bonuses.
Parcells had far more leverage. Players have plenty of leverage now. Bowe can hold this offense hostage. Cassel’s success is dependent on Bowe.
Bowe may never be a great practice player. He may never duplicate Jerry Rice’s hands.
Until the Chiefs find someone better, Haley is going to have to learn to co-exist with Bowe. Haley came up as a receivers coach. He’s known for clashing with receivers. We’ve seen him battle Terrell Owens and Anquan Boldin.
When Haley was an assistant, there was always a head coach to mediate his dispute with receivers. Now Haley is the mediator. He might be a bit heavy-handed. He might not fully appreciate the ramifications of his Joe “Lean on Me” Clark disciplinary strategy.
Cassel is still in the infancy of building the kind of confidence it takes to excel as a starting quarterback. He’s been a starting quarterback once in his last eight seasons. He had a pretty good season leading one of the NFL’s best teams.
He won’t have the luxury of quarterbacking a great team this season. He’s been elected the captain of the Titanic. Bowe is the lone working engine of the Titanic offense.
It’s not wise to clown around with Bowe.