CHIEFS FANS BETTER GET USED TO LOSING
I had some of my questions answered Friday night in Minnesota's 17-13 win over the Chiefs. Some will require some extra time with my DVR. I have to admit my concentration isn't in regular season form, had family over to watch the game, had the Tennessee/Dallas game on, the Nationwide race from Bristol along with the Chiefs game. I didn't see as much as I wanted to, so a Tivo review is in order sometime tomorrow. Many of my pregame questions were answered so here's my recap;
Can this offensive line protect Matt Cassel?
Wow, if there is any doubt the answer is a resounding "no" you weren't watching the same game I was. This will be a season-long problem. The talent just simply isn't there. I said a year & a half ago, when they had 6 picks in the first 81, take at least 3 offensive linemen. The Peterson/Edwards braintrust took but 1, Brandon Albert. They picked Glenn Dorsey, Brandon Flowers, Jamaal Charles, Brad Cottam & DeJuan Morgan. Flowers has delivered as billed & should continue to improve. The other 4? Can't say I have high hopes for any of them. Barry Richardson, who started at right tackle was a 6th round pick in the same draft. I've said since before that draft, Richardson was a softy in the run game & way too slow reacting to the pass rush. Herb Taylor is a more athletic version of Richardson, but he's soft as well. I've bitched about Rudy Niswanger being stood up & shoved into the backfield time after time. Last night was no exception. Brandon Albert didn't do a great job of slowing down the backside pursuit as Kansas City continually ran right. He let a cornerback get inside of him for a sack. I'd give Brian Waters a passing grade but I will admit, I thought veteran guard Mike Goff had at least one more year left in him, it appears I was wrong. Goff looks slow & over matched. What is really scary about their performance last night was neither Jared Allen or Pat Williams played a down for Minnesota. So our boys got shoved around all night by a D-line minus 2 Pro Bowlers & they got flagged too often, the O-line accounted for all but 1 of the Chiefs' penalties. The truly bad news is that after playing soft since their college days, Richardson & Taylor aren't going to, all of a sudden, get physical & start blowing people of the ball. Rudy Niswanger will continue to get stood up & out leveraged. Mike Goff won't regain his quickness at 33, McIntosh can't move his feet & it will only get worse at 32. Can you see a trend? It may become apparent by week 5 or 6, Kansas City has 2 legitimate players on their O-line, Albert & Waters, end of story. I wish I had been able to see Eric Ghiaciuc in camp, he was a fairly physical player when he was with Cincinnati. This unit right here will hold this team back this season & there's no quick fix. Free agency or the draft is the only way to cure the problem, you can't coach them up, most of their mediocrity meters are pegged.
Can Cassel move the team?
Yes he can if he survives the crappy line play. He looked like the quarterback Kansas Citians thought they were getting when the trade was made. He looked confident, when he had time, he did his check downs & threw the ball with some zip & accuracy. I am beginning to think Brodie Croyle & Matt Gutierrez will be Cassel's backups. Both looked decent, but then I said after the '07 season, Croyle wasn't as bad as people thought, he couldn't stay healthy, or upright for that matter, with the dismal line the Chiefs fielded.
Will Engram, Toomer or Lelie play?
All 3 played, Toomer was the only one to catch a pass. Engram wasn't thrown to, Lelie had 2 come his way, he was interfered with in the endzone & 4 snaps later he couldn't come down with a Gutierrez fade on 4th down for the game winner. Lelie has never been a big redzone threat. The play call was puzzling. I couldn't make any real solid judgments on so few snaps, maybe next week someone will stand out, then again maybe they won't.
How will Dorsey respond?
Honestly, I can't recall Dorsey's name being mentioned. He'll be on my Tivo review 'to do' list.
Will the linebackers make some plays?
Yes & no. Once again the defense generated no sacks, although they did create some pressure. Cory Mays looks to be better than just a special teams guy. Tamba Hali should make the grade once his fundamentals become more consistent. Derrick Johnson got caught inside twice, mistakes a 4-year vet shouldn't be making. Did I miss Andy Studebaker? Another Tivo review.
Don't give up the big play.
They did a decent job until Tavaris Jackson hit Darius Reynaud on a post pattern & he took it 64 yards to the house for the winning score. Safety DeJuan Morgan dove for the ball & Reynaud scored untouched. Morgan needs to reread the safety's job description, don't let anyone get behind you, don't get caught looking into the backfield & don't leave your feet when your the last line of defense. On Minnesota's first touchdown, Jackson broke contain, scrambled right & lofted a throw to Visanthe Shiancoe in the back of the end zone. Shiancoe was so wide open it was hard to tell who was responsible for him.
Can we get someone, anyone, to emerge as even an average return man?
I didn't see it, Maurice Leggett had a 10-yard punt return, which is slightly better than average. Nothing else exciting on the return front.
Fewer penalties, better focus & composure.
Yes, yes & yes. It wasn't the rain soaked Chinese fire drill of last week, much easier to watch. The bad part was Matt Cassel being sacked 3 times & no matter who was playing on our O-line or the Vikings' D-line, they got the best of it. They were much more physical, our QBs were under fire all night. They better get used to it, as should Larry Johnson. I wonder if he can average 4 yds per carry with this crew, leaning instead of blocking.
A few more reactions. Dwayne Bowe made it clear how much he is needed. Jarrad Page keeps improving his game. Jamaal Charles continues to be the easiest guy on the field to tackle & he lost a fumble. Dantrell Savage runs like he's Larry Johnson, but he's about 180 pounds, so his lifespan on this team won't be long. Jackie Battle looked pretty decent until he put one on the ground too. Nothing will get a back cut quicker than fumbling. Tank Tyler made some plays at nose tackle. Let's hope he's finally found a home. Keeping place kicker Ryan Succop with no competition is looking pretty smart at this point. I'm beginning to think it's Haley's offense & not lack of talent, that uses the tight end so sparingly. Two games down & I doubt they're any closer to figuring out who will start opposite Bowe, or who will make the squad at WR. Did anyone else feel Herm Edwards' ghost in the Metrodome with that gawdawful last minute play calling at the goal line? It was deja vu.
Can this offensive line protect Matt Cassel?
Wow, if there is any doubt the answer is a resounding "no" you weren't watching the same game I was. This will be a season-long problem. The talent just simply isn't there. I said a year & a half ago, when they had 6 picks in the first 81, take at least 3 offensive linemen. The Peterson/Edwards braintrust took but 1, Brandon Albert. They picked Glenn Dorsey, Brandon Flowers, Jamaal Charles, Brad Cottam & DeJuan Morgan. Flowers has delivered as billed & should continue to improve. The other 4? Can't say I have high hopes for any of them. Barry Richardson, who started at right tackle was a 6th round pick in the same draft. I've said since before that draft, Richardson was a softy in the run game & way too slow reacting to the pass rush. Herb Taylor is a more athletic version of Richardson, but he's soft as well. I've bitched about Rudy Niswanger being stood up & shoved into the backfield time after time. Last night was no exception. Brandon Albert didn't do a great job of slowing down the backside pursuit as Kansas City continually ran right. He let a cornerback get inside of him for a sack. I'd give Brian Waters a passing grade but I will admit, I thought veteran guard Mike Goff had at least one more year left in him, it appears I was wrong. Goff looks slow & over matched. What is really scary about their performance last night was neither Jared Allen or Pat Williams played a down for Minnesota. So our boys got shoved around all night by a D-line minus 2 Pro Bowlers & they got flagged too often, the O-line accounted for all but 1 of the Chiefs' penalties. The truly bad news is that after playing soft since their college days, Richardson & Taylor aren't going to, all of a sudden, get physical & start blowing people of the ball. Rudy Niswanger will continue to get stood up & out leveraged. Mike Goff won't regain his quickness at 33, McIntosh can't move his feet & it will only get worse at 32. Can you see a trend? It may become apparent by week 5 or 6, Kansas City has 2 legitimate players on their O-line, Albert & Waters, end of story. I wish I had been able to see Eric Ghiaciuc in camp, he was a fairly physical player when he was with Cincinnati. This unit right here will hold this team back this season & there's no quick fix. Free agency or the draft is the only way to cure the problem, you can't coach them up, most of their mediocrity meters are pegged.
Can Cassel move the team?
Yes he can if he survives the crappy line play. He looked like the quarterback Kansas Citians thought they were getting when the trade was made. He looked confident, when he had time, he did his check downs & threw the ball with some zip & accuracy. I am beginning to think Brodie Croyle & Matt Gutierrez will be Cassel's backups. Both looked decent, but then I said after the '07 season, Croyle wasn't as bad as people thought, he couldn't stay healthy, or upright for that matter, with the dismal line the Chiefs fielded.
Will Engram, Toomer or Lelie play?
All 3 played, Toomer was the only one to catch a pass. Engram wasn't thrown to, Lelie had 2 come his way, he was interfered with in the endzone & 4 snaps later he couldn't come down with a Gutierrez fade on 4th down for the game winner. Lelie has never been a big redzone threat. The play call was puzzling. I couldn't make any real solid judgments on so few snaps, maybe next week someone will stand out, then again maybe they won't.
How will Dorsey respond?
Honestly, I can't recall Dorsey's name being mentioned. He'll be on my Tivo review 'to do' list.
Will the linebackers make some plays?
Yes & no. Once again the defense generated no sacks, although they did create some pressure. Cory Mays looks to be better than just a special teams guy. Tamba Hali should make the grade once his fundamentals become more consistent. Derrick Johnson got caught inside twice, mistakes a 4-year vet shouldn't be making. Did I miss Andy Studebaker? Another Tivo review.
Don't give up the big play.
They did a decent job until Tavaris Jackson hit Darius Reynaud on a post pattern & he took it 64 yards to the house for the winning score. Safety DeJuan Morgan dove for the ball & Reynaud scored untouched. Morgan needs to reread the safety's job description, don't let anyone get behind you, don't get caught looking into the backfield & don't leave your feet when your the last line of defense. On Minnesota's first touchdown, Jackson broke contain, scrambled right & lofted a throw to Visanthe Shiancoe in the back of the end zone. Shiancoe was so wide open it was hard to tell who was responsible for him.
Can we get someone, anyone, to emerge as even an average return man?
I didn't see it, Maurice Leggett had a 10-yard punt return, which is slightly better than average. Nothing else exciting on the return front.
Fewer penalties, better focus & composure.
Yes, yes & yes. It wasn't the rain soaked Chinese fire drill of last week, much easier to watch. The bad part was Matt Cassel being sacked 3 times & no matter who was playing on our O-line or the Vikings' D-line, they got the best of it. They were much more physical, our QBs were under fire all night. They better get used to it, as should Larry Johnson. I wonder if he can average 4 yds per carry with this crew, leaning instead of blocking.
A few more reactions. Dwayne Bowe made it clear how much he is needed. Jarrad Page keeps improving his game. Jamaal Charles continues to be the easiest guy on the field to tackle & he lost a fumble. Dantrell Savage runs like he's Larry Johnson, but he's about 180 pounds, so his lifespan on this team won't be long. Jackie Battle looked pretty decent until he put one on the ground too. Nothing will get a back cut quicker than fumbling. Tank Tyler made some plays at nose tackle. Let's hope he's finally found a home. Keeping place kicker Ryan Succop with no competition is looking pretty smart at this point. I'm beginning to think it's Haley's offense & not lack of talent, that uses the tight end so sparingly. Two games down & I doubt they're any closer to figuring out who will start opposite Bowe, or who will make the squad at WR. Did anyone else feel Herm Edwards' ghost in the Metrodome with that gawdawful last minute play calling at the goal line? It was deja vu.
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