Gretz on the game
 

GRETZ: A Debut to Forget
Aug 13, 2006, 4:30:44 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ


HOUSTON – OK, so there was something positive that came out of the Chiefs pre-season opener here Saturday evening at Reliant Stadium.

There were no injuries. None. Zero. Oh, there were bumps and bruises, and a few more will pop up in River Falls on Sunday when tired bodies rise from their cots and wonder where that pain is coming from.

But during the game against the Texans, the Chiefs trainers and doctors never had to run on the field. The only ice bag visible on the sidelines was being worn by Eric Hicks, on the right shoulder that underwent surgery in the off-season. That was the best news of the night for the Chiefs, who had more than a dozen players who either didn’t make the trip or did not dress for the game.

There wasn’t much else of a positive nature that came from Herm Edwards first game as the team’s head coach. Once the coaching staff gets the chance dissect the tapes back in the north woods they’ll find some redeeming performances. There won’t be many.

The coach who may get the most kicks out of watching this tape is Denver’s Mike Shanahan. With former Broncos assistant Gary Kubiak now Houston’s head coach, the Texans looked like Denver South. First David Carr and then Sage Rosenfels beat the Chiefs defense with the quarterback bootleg. Over and over, the quarterback got outside and had either a wide-open running lane or an unobstructed view down the field. Shanahan will enjoy watching this tape as much as Kubiak. Remember: the Chiefs second regular season opponent is Denver.

The Chiefs No. 1 offense had 16 plays and produced a touchdown. The play of the game was the 12-yard scoring run by Dee Brown, who replaced Larry Johnson (7 carries for 30 yards.) Brown ran through the left side of the Chiefs line untouched for the score.

The No. 1 defense had a nice stop in the first Houston possession, as they held on a 3rd-and-1 run with James Reed, Kawika Mitchell and Jared Allen all shutting down the back for no gain.

After that, it was a cluster of poor play and bad execution. The player who struggled the most was QB Casey Printers. With Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle out of the game because of injuries, Printers entered halfway through the second quarter and finished the game. He completed just 50 percent of his passes (6 of 12), was sacked five times and threw an interception on a pass that never should have left his hand. Printers tried to avoid a sack at the end of the first half by throwing the ball into the 20th row of the Reliant Stadium lower deck. That drew a very appropriate intentional grounding call.

Overall Printers looked like a young quarterback who is not prepared to play in the NFL right now. He’s certainly no-longer a factor when it comes to the Chiefs backup QB job. As long as Croyle’s shoulder injury is not more serious than the team believes, Printers will have a hard time competing for the third QB job. It was really a disappointment, because the young man has some obvious physical gifts, but his discomfort is obvious.

The focus all during the pre-season will be on the tackles, both offense and defense, and that was a mixed bag against the Texans. On offense, Kyle Turley and Kevin Sampson were solid; Sampson crashed down the line to open the hole that Brown ran through for his TD. Turley did a good job picking up a late blitzing cornerback on one play.

Defensively, Reed made several plays, but Ron Edwards the other DT starter was not much of a factor and seemed to run out of gas. The No. 1 defense was gashed for a 25-yard run by Houston rookie Wally Lundy, which was not a good sign. Ryan Sims had his moments and put pressure on the passer several times. But he and Lional Dalton were controlled too often in the middle of the defense and that’s one of the reason the Texans were able to rack up 173 rushing yards before the night was over.

There is much to work on this week before the Chiefs head to the Meadowlands to play the Giants.

Looked like the same ole crap to me?

They cant play the cover 2! They cant even cover a dish...

Sorry GoPrinters, it looks like Gretz saw the same guy the rest of us did.

Could you say that on an option bootleg that the pass d must have been okay or he still would have gone with the pass?

Cause we were beat on the ground last night, IMO. I'd lay blame mostly on the D-Line (obvlously). We looked like a team that didn't have 2 of our better D-ends playing.

Moooo

Like I said in another thread, with our starters in, the DE blew it but the pass coverage was there. When the backups came in, they did a little better on the line, but the support wasn't in the secondary.

We got burned both ways last night.

This doesn't surprise me considering both Hall and Hali were gone.

And considering how we were talking pre-Law aquisition, our lack of depth at the CB position was no surprise either.

The young safeties looked goood, though. :) I saw Pollard on some pretty routine plays lay a little more lumber into the hit than others would...

Moooo

Both Benny Sapp and Lenny Walls were out last night with injuries as well.

See, I didn't notice them playing either.

With how many people who didn't bother to play, and playing a QB who is such a project, I think we did alright.

Hicks doesn't need to be a starter anymore. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but he's getting too slow. Everyone makes mistakes, but we need a more athletic guy who can make them up easier.

Moooo

So will it be Huard #2 Croyle #3? Printers on practice squad or are we carrying 4 qbs

Huard #2...does this give anyone else a chill up their spine like it does for me.

Yep.

It doesn't give me nearly the chill that "Printers #2" does...

Yep, that's pretty much what Gretz and Dawson concluded last night during the audio broadcast. I didn't see the game, so I can't comment on whether they are right or wrong, but they were definitive that this guy is terrible right now.

Compared to that secure feeling with "odd Todd" in the #2 spot?

I need to see more dtackle Edwards before I say he's like Sims.

I need to see Sims against single teams.