Great timing on the bump. Saw this and figured you guys would be interested.
(first part gives background for this new column on SI).
http://mmqb.si.com/2014/11/06/ben-ro...lce-alex-mack/
Welcome to the first installment of “Settle This.” How it works: You send a topic about which you and a buddy are arguing about, or maybe a subject you don’t quite understand, and I go diving into the film to find your answer.
There’s no agenda here, I only go where the film and/or numbers send me. During my career I’ve taken a lot of pride in not being swayed by sentiment or emotion, and just giving readers my opinion, presented as straight as possible. Yeah, I can be a downer sometimes (some Boston Globe readers dubbed me the “Wet Blanket of Reason” during my time there), but I feel it’s my duty to give you the straight answer, whether it’s what you want to hear or not.
This can only work with your input, so please, if you and a friend almost came to blows during a game on Sunday, send me the topic at
talkback@themmqb.com and let me settle it for you.
Travis Kelce is the top receiver on the Chiefs. He’s having a great year for a tight end, a blossoming superstar who can seemingly do everything in the passing game… and yet he plays only half the offensive snaps every game. Why does Anthony Fasano start over him? Is Fasano THAT MUCH better at blocking? Or just better at catching while seated on his rear
Thanks,
Jake
Didn’t understand that last line until I watched the film (Fasano’s touchdown from his butt against the Jets), but well played.
The short answer is yes, Fasano is that much better of a blocker. He’s one of the better two-way tight ends in the league, and the Chiefs are a run-first team that also uses a fullback (another guy Kelce is losing his snaps to), so Fasano is the man for the foreseeable future.
I wouldn’t say Kelce is a terrible blocker, but remember that he originally went to the University of Cincinnati as a quarterback, and even after the switch to tight end, the Bearcats aren’t exactly an I-formation team. You can tell a lot about how a team views a player by how they use him. When he’s inline, Kelce is basically window dressing. The Chiefs don’t run behind him very often. He’s basically a big receiver, playing the slot on third downs and in the red zone. From watching him on film, Kelce’s got a ways to go as far as understanding blocking assignments and leverage, but he’s certainly far from a lost cause. He’ll get stronger and refine his technique in due course. Not sure where the pre-draft comparisons to Rob Gronkowski, Jason Witten and Jeremy Shockey came from though. He doesn’t hold a candle to those guys in terms of blocking.