Moral Victories

I’ve heard a lot of people talking about how moral victories mean nothing in the NFL. While I agree, I refuse to believe the Chiefs are not a better team flying home from New York, than flying out. As I said last week, the Chiefs falling to 1-5 at the hands of Titans would have been no different as a 13-17 final versus a 10-34 final. What was most disappointing about the Tennessee (and Atlanta, and Oakland) game was our lack of competitiveness.

Fast forward to the Meadowlands. Now we’ve lost a game, we could have won. Yes, I find that to hurt. It should hurt! But on Sunday!

On Monday, we should revel in the fact we were competitive. This is a rebuilding year, in which we have now been competitive in almost half our ball games.

COMPETITIVE
New England
Denver (Obviously)
New York

NON COMPETITIVE
Oakland
Atlanta
Carolina
Tennessee

Look at 3 of those 4: Tennessee is the number one team in the country right now. Carolina is number three. And Atlanta is developing into a top 10. That leaves only Oakland as a performance not worthy. Our second game of the year – in a rebuilding year.
Unfortunately, coming to town this weekend is the number 9 team in the league. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense appears to be as strong as the Tennessee Titans.

TYLER THIGPEN
Personally, I like the mechanics of Tyler Thigpen. His footwork is faster. His fakes are stronger. He just draws cleaner lines with his actions. Last week as he was scrambling for the first down out of bounds at the end of the game, he took a quick step right, as if to cut back to the middle of the field. These caused the d-back to stop pursuing and start to reverse direction. Without this move, I’m not sure Tyler makes it out of bounds to stop the clock before the d-back’s initial full pursuit would have caught him.

It was a great day for Thigpen. I believe there may have been an element in the play calling at the end of the Jets game that was an effort to protect the confidence of this young man – helping to build a player that the Chiefs can utilize for nine more games. As a fan, building a good quarter back is worth a loss IMHO.
Expect the Bucs to test that confidence.

CORNERBACKS
The play of our two rookie cornerbacks, the Brandons!, continues to be a huge positive. I believe as a defense starts to come together, one of its first visible products is turnovers. If I’m right, this is the start of something great.

DEFENSE
The Jets games was Tamba Hali the best Hali has looked in 2008. I vote we make this change permanent. Also, the defense in general did a much better job of seeing the football - with one or two exceptions. I won’t (4) mention any (9) numbers though. Fundamentals!

BRAD COTTAM
Right here is where Tony Gonzalez should plant a legacy seed for after he has finished as a player. It was great to see Brad out there making plays. Imagine what Cottam and Bradley could do for Gonzalez and Bowe. Come on…that’s a little exciting to dream about.

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
The Bucs are good. But if one thing impressed me about the Jets game it is this: the Chiefs had more fight in them. The Jets knocked them to the ground early. Chiefs bounced back. The Jets knocked them down again, and just before the half we landed a huge blow. Then again - but much like the grains of sand that make up a beach, each players small increase in fight and effort is beginning to make a difference.

Forget the Titans!

Come on. There is a reason Tennessee was 5-0 coming into town.

The mighty-mighty Titans were…well…mighty-mighty. I’m not talking about the score. I’m referring to their physical strength. We just weren’t strong enough (or probably tough enough) to beat them. Both sides of the Titans lines were using their arm strength to control the shoulders of the Chiefs. And as the song goes, ‘dem bones is connected.

This is why players must keep their feet moving. Once a player’s upper body is turned, his hips will follow. And if a player has his feet planted when this happens – game over! Thanks for playing. Better luck next time! Allowing someone else to direct where one’s body goes is in direct opposition to the goal of a lineman – defense or offense.

But there are lessons to be learned from this loss.

Offense
After reviewing the offensive plays, you can spread the blame around pretty good. However, the likely truth is the Titan defense was just too strong and fast for most of our offense. But there are still a few stand-out issues. Sorry to harp on this some more…but Adrian Jones and Damion McIntosh are still not getting it done. I thought there was improvement when Herb Taylor was in at Right Tackle. But this needs a solution. Jones needs to start battling up-close – not trying to punch and shove at an arm’s length (see “how to help the defense below). McIntosh needs to lose 10-15 pounds. The weight does him no good, if he can’t get it there.

Defense
It is absurd to think a blind man could play this game despite his physical prowess. You cannot stop…what you cannot see. What good is it for 3 men to be 6-10 yards deep in the back field, when the ball carrier has already gotten back to the line of scrimmage?

(stand on soap box now)

Just as an offensive lineman has to get up and under the shoulder pads of the defense, the defense has to keep his arms locked-out – denying the offensive linemen control. Furthermore, keeping the offensive linemen at an arm’s length, allows him to see around the o-linemen, and thus to keep site of the ball carrier. Otherwise, it’s a total eclipse of the helmet. COME ON NOW…BASIC FOOTBALL! You can’t tackle what you can’t see!!!

Did someone say tackle? Bernard Pollard had several good wraps Sunday. Unfortunately, he had even more where he just threw his shoulder towards the effort. And Pat Thomas is over pursuing and getting trapped. Both guys are committing to uncertainty. Thomas to a spot he thinks the runner is going. And Pollard to a trajectory he believes will allow his shoulders to intercept the breast of the runner.

See the ball! Pursue the Ball. Breakdown and Tackle.
See the ball! Pursue the Ball. Breakdown and Tackle.

In my opinion, this team was better than us. They were stronger, tougher, as fast, and more polished. This game was a loss. And although a 17-13 loss would have felt better, we would still be 1-5. I just hope we are learning lessons.

Changes
QB Quinn Gray (no, you shouldn't recongnize that name) may be coming to town soon. We have a punter from New Orleans, Steve Weatherford to fill in for the injured Dustin Colquit. Them' are some big shoes to fill. Conner Barth returns for a second (or should I say fourth) chance at kicking as Novac is released - those shoes, not so big!

Brett Farve
I really wish we didn't have to play #4 again. Last year's game against Green Bay started a spiral we're still stuck in. If he throws that deep post over us again, I'm going to puke....

Limping out of the bye

To those of us who work in the NFL, the bye week is like a summer vacation. As it gets close, you start cramming more and more into the white spaces in your day planner.
Then… BAM! It comes and goes like a lit rocket…and we’re Wile E. Coyote standing in the exhaust wondering what happened.

And just like Wile E., the smoke clears revealing the ACME truck that is about to hit us smack in the face. Only in this case, it is the 5-0 Tennessee Titans. Remember the Titans?

They have the best record in the NFL right now. They’re on an eight game winning streak (regular season). And they’re just coming off a week of rest too!

I can’t watch!

Limping into the bye

I remember a few shutouts and horrid games in my twenty years. 2006 against Pittsburg. 2002 against Oakland. But I would have to say Carolina was the worst game I’ve seen in my tenure traveling with the club.

I think what makes this so disappointing is the loss of momentum and confidence gained from the Denver victory. Had the Chiefs just lost a tough fought battle to the Panthers on Sunday, our record would be identical to what it is now. However, mentally it is a completely different place!

Regardless, I’ve been preaching you can’t know until you review film…so here it is. I reviewed the first 10 offensive plays. Let’s face it. Defense doesn’t matter for this game – because you can’t win if you don’t score!! Here is the first series:

1. 1st and 10 from the 18 – Jones flinches. (False start -5 yards)
2. 1st and 15 from the 13 - Jones doesn’t punch down enough on the DL for Niswanger to seal an angle. McIntosh plants his feat and loses his block on the DE. Hole closes and 27 falls over backwards when he runs into it. Johnson misses the cut-back. (-2 yards)
3. 2nd and 17 from the 11 – Jones is so slow off the ball that the DL runs straight through the A gap and sacks Huard (for those non x’s & o’s…that’s the worst place to leave open…as it is the closest most direct path to the backfield). Huard doesn’t fumble… Johnson recovers. (loss of 8 yards)
4. 3rd and 25 from the 3 – Screen pass under the goal post. Jamaal doesn’t do much to slow down the DE, but it is a screen pass. Huard waits to long looking left and by the time he turns to throw the screen the DE is there to knock it down.
   The second series is not much better, but the same 4 players struggle all day.
   

Adrian Jones
In general Jones is not quick enough. In situations where he progresses from a chip block to the linebacker, he just can’t get there to seal the linebacker. And because he can’t get to the linebacker quickly, he is unable to spend enough time chipping or punching down coming off the line. This extra half second of double team is what it takes to get a defensive linemen turned and sealed.

Damion McIntosh
Slow feet. Slow feet. Slow feet. Slow feet. No feet!!! Whenever a linemen stops moving his feat…he’s done! Damion is too slow to get up and turned in. Then when the DE starts to move left or right, he just leans with him until he slides off….and WHOOP! Slow feet!

Damon Huard
Beside the obvious freight, I noticed a few mechanical items with Damon. First he carrys the ball low. This requires a lot of time to bring the ball up and throw it. Furthermore, he pats the ball just before doing this. These two habits combine to around ¾ of a second. And that is enough time for the defense to react. Three of the Panthers front four were 6’4” or better. But I question if this wasn’t a factor in the batted passes all day.

LARRY JOHNSON
Despite Larry’s previous stats, he isn’t running well in my opinion. He isn’t making good reads. He isn’t running efficient routes. He isn’t selling the fake. And he isn’t sure footed! Several times including the first play of the game (second after the penalty), the cut-back is open. He just missed it. And this offense requires he make reads.

I also think he is taking some wasted extra steps, either bending routes or shifting left and right. This is drawing the linebackers straight into the gaps. It also makes it difficult for the offensive linemen to set their blocks as they can’t tell where Larry is going. Good running backs excel at setting their blocks and making clean – sharp cuts around them. Larry isn’t doing that right now.

And it is almost eerie how easily this 230lb running back comes down. He often gets one foot swept out and he falls forward. Or he runs into a pile and falls backwards or sideways. Michael Turner is only 10lbs heavier, but he would not come down. Barry Sanders was 30lbs lighter, and he would not come down. 2 yards rushing? As our Director of Master Control Eric Townsend said, “that’s not rushing, that’s falling forward!”

WHAT NEXT
Having to play Tennessee next feels like starting the season in NE all over again. I do know this. What veterans are left (a.k.a TG!!!!!) need to stop worring about being on a great team…and start making THIS team great. The veteran playmakers have to become stronger leaders. The have to show these young men how to WIN in the NFL.