Chiefs Article on Cyrus Gray & Chiefs' Run Game

T-post Tom · 02:43 PM

http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2013/3...les-cyrus-gray

The Kansas City Chiefs already have someone to pair with Jamaal Charles

ell... now that John Dorsey has laid the smaketh down on Dwayne Bowe, Branden Albert, Crusty Dusty (I seriously doubt that nickname catches on) and my boy Tyson Jackson, what's next?

(Late note- Apparently, what's next is cutting Winston. All right then...)

We've all got opinions on what the Chiefs need. CB, DE, WR, and ILB (and QB, but I'm letting that argument live to fight another day for right now. Still too soon for me) are all positions that the Chiefs should address sooner rather than later, whether it be through the draft or in free agency. Some people have mentioned interior OL (I think that's insane, but hey, as Dalton would say, "opinions vary").

(Late second note- and now, RT. Although I'm praying they just like Donald Stephenson and throw him there, I see an OT at No. 1 in our future.)

More: Luke Joeckel is visiting the Chiefs on March 22 Chiefs like Sheldon Richardson

According to my very esteemed colleague Joel something-or-other, one of the Chiefs biggest needs at this point is a running back to pair with ultra-stud Jamaal Charles. That's a pretty popular opinion, and I don't hold it against him.

(Even though he's wrong. But we'll get to that. Some of you may already know where I'm going with this. The rest of you probably read the title and put two-and-two together. The rest of you... well, seriously, you should read the title of articles. It takes like two seconds. Anyway... )

The standard idea I hear is that the Chiefs want some kind of "bruiser" to create a "Thunder and Lightning" duo in the backfield. On its face it makes sense, right? You want guys who can force defenses to account for different playing styles. Make Jamaal wear 'em out, then have a hammer crush them in the fourth. It sounds wonderful in the abstract.

It sounds wonderful but reality begs to differ.

Reality begs to differ, though. Let me ask you a question; if you're a defensive coordinator, do you like to have an idea what an offense is going to do based on personnel, or do you like having no idea? Of COURSE you want to know what's coming. The personnel chess match is one that's played all game as coaches/coordinators attempt to find mismatches and surprise the opponent. The longer you can keep the opposing defense guessing, the better off you are.

And that's where the problem of a Thunder and Lightning backfield becomes obvious. When you take out the speedster and put in the bruiser, offensive coaches become more limited. The reason Peyton Hillis struggled last year (OK, one reason of many. Boy was I wrong on that one)? He didn't have the speed to go laterally on our OL's bread and butter stretch running plays, and didn't have the burst to make it through the holes when they were there.

I'm over the Thunder and Lightning attack. That was so last year (/tosses hair). What I want is Jamaal-Lite. I want a running back who has the requisite speed, burst, and agility to run all the same stuff the Chiefs run with their studly first stringer. I want a back that allows the Chiefs to maintain the normal offense when he's in the game. Or, to put it another way...

MOAR CYRUS GRAY!!!

I know what many are thinking. That Cyrus Gray is unproven, he barely touched the rock last year, and this is just another case of a homer getting hung up on a completely unknown because he hasn't actually SHOWN he's bad (Stanzi Nation, anyone?). He made one really, really awful "block" that almost got Matt Cassel killed. I've finally gone off the deep end due to the Alex Smith trade. Fair enough, fair enough.

Oh, I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? Oh, you were finished? Well then allow me to retort...

Actually, wait. Before I retort, why don't you go ahead and watch that again, focusing on No. 20 of the Chargers, a would-be tackler. Better yet, if you have the resources, watch it live and listen to the crowd. There's an audible "whoa" from the crowd when Gray shakes Antoine Cason so hard that I'm worried about brain damage to poor Antoine. That's right, with seven minutes left in an utter blowout, Gray managed to make a crowd collectively say "whoa" loudly enough to be picked up by the mics.

One play is one play. But that kind of move just cannot physically be made by most NFL players.

One play is one play. But that kind of move just cannot physically be made by most NFL players. Ask Shaun Draughn. Being able to move like that isn't a "lucky play," it's God-given talent.

Do I have your attention? Good. Let's talk.

The GIF above shows Gray has the ability to move in ways that defy physics. But it's not as if that's news to those who followed the guy in college. The guy ran for over five yards per carry both his senior and junior years at Texas A&M, and was projected by many to go much higher than where the Chiefs picked him up (the sixth round).

Gray ran an impressive 4.40 40-yard-dash at the NFL Combine (.02 seconds slower than Jamaal Charles), displaying the kind of speed A&M fans knew he possessed. He's fast and agile enough that his freshman year he was actually put on the field as a slot WR at times (don't be frightened by this, Dex-haters, the comparison stops there).

But this is not surprising information about Gray. When the Chiefs drafted him, the majority of us knew Gray was a guy who could burn. The questions people had were more about the rest of the package: size, strength, and vision. So we'll focus on those things.

On this particular play, Gray starts off horizontally, searching for a hole. You can see he makes a quick decision, finds a hole, and proceeds to use his natural ability to cut and accelerate to gain positive yardage very quickly. If you throw Shaun Draughn (sorry Shaun, you're my example of a JAG running back. I love that spin move, though) or Peyton Hillis out there on this play, you get maybe a one or two yard gain. But the ability to see a hole quickly (vision) and accelerate through that hole just as quickly (physical talent) turns it into a first down.

What happens next is worth noting as well, especially considering some of the concerns regarding Gray's size and toughness. Gray is hit at the 22 but keeps his legs moving to gain five additional yards. That kind of willingness/ability to 1) take a shot and keep moving his legs for positive yards as well as2) maintain his balance despite the hit demonstrates that the idea of Gray being some kind of "non-contact" runner looks to be baseless. The balance is what I really appreciate in that last part. Can anyone think of another guy who is "undersized" but uses his balance to fight for yardage? Names escape me so easily. I'm sure I'll think of it eventually.

Now is as good a time as any to point out something to the "he's too small" crowd. Gray measured in at the Combine at 5'10" and 206 pounds. In other words, an inch shorter and 6 pounds heavier than Jamaal Charles measured. Now I don't know if you know this, but when a guy is shorter, he's thicker (crazy, right?). Gray's built pretty sturdy for a guy as fast as he is. All you have to do is look at him to see he's not exactly Dex 2.0 out there. In the Ravens game he took a SHOT from Ray Lewis and bounced right back up. Dude's tough.

Let's keep looking (dang you, RAC for giving us so little game film on this guy!).

Here we see a combination of everything I've talked about regarding Cyrus the Virus. He quickly decides where he's going, makes several remarkably quick cuts (one of which hurts the feelings of a Ravens defender), and pushes forward for an extra couple yards after contact (a bold move, considering it was Bernard "I've injured every Patriot ever" Pollard making the hit).

While the vision and the willingness to power forward are great, I'd like to again call your attention to those cuts. They are just unnaturally quick. There's no good reason why a man should be able to cut that fast and still maintain his balance. Cuts like that are why, despite him seeing almost NO playing time last year, Gray has me intrigued. You cannot teach the ability to cut like that. A player either has it or he does not (and most don't). Gray has it.

For those still not convinced that Gray is willing and able to fight for yardage between the tackles, let's look at one more play.

Now I hate to bring back ANY memory of that god-awful Denver game, but this is worth seeing. At a meaningless point in a meaningless game (the announcers were actually joking about how hard it was to find things to talk about at this point. Ouch. Glad I jinxed those Donkeys), Gray gets hit a little over a yard past the line of scrimmage. He keeps fighting, keeps churning, and gets a first down. It's not like it was even 3rd down and the yardage was absolutely needed. It was first and five on the play.

That's the kind of guy I want getting touches. The kind of guy whose INSTINCT is to keep trucking.

Still not convinced, or think he's too small? Take a look at his college career. He had over 220 touches both his junior and senior year. He was THE guy. There's a decent highlight film of him here.

In it, you see all the things I've talked about here. Speed. Vision. Toughness. ELITE agility.

I've been on this guy's bandwagon a while now, but it's not without reason. His physical tools are perfect to be the secondary RB in the Chiefs offense (we've got Pancakes DiMarco for short yardage/goal line runs, so no need to fret). Yeah, we didn't get a chance to see much of him his rookie year, but I refuse to hold anything done by RAC and Brian Daboll against him. He's flashed incredible tools in those oh-so-limited chances (seriously, RAC, would it have killed you to give him 12-15 carries in ONE game down the stretch?). Talent is talent, and Gray's got it.

Also, let's think about this...

-An "undersized" RB from a college in Texas, despite a sterling college career and a very fast 40 time, falls to the Chiefs later in the draft than it was thought he would go.

-He goes through a rookie campaign where he flashes potential but doesn't see as much of the field as the fans want.

-He's small and fast but seems to possess excellent balance and vision as well.

-He enters his second season with most of the fanbase not counting on a major contribution from him.

Seriously, why does this sound so familiar? This is gonna bother me all day. Oh well, I know what will cheer me up...

Andy Reid, let me be the first tell you... You want to see the offense not fall off the face of the earth when JC leaves the field? I've got the answer.

MOAR CYRUS GRAY!!!!

**Easy 6** · 03-10-2013, 02:41 PM

Trying to get through this, but my. God. do i hate this guys herky-jerky style and formatting.

Quit trying to be so ****ing cute and tell your ****ing tale.

T-post Tom · 03-10-2013, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scott free

Trying to get through this, but my. God. do i hate this guys herky-jerky style and formatting.

Quit trying to be so ****ing cute and tell your ****ing tale.

I went back and put in the code for the gifs and html embed. Hope that makes it a little more readable/enjoyable for everyone.

HolyHat · 03-10-2013, 02:46 PM

I like to read posts from Arrowhead pride, on Arrowhead pride. Good try, good effort.

OrtonsPiercedTaint · 03-10-2013, 02:48 PM

They have Ice Box Powe and Goal Line Poe.

T-post Tom · 03-10-2013, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

I like to read posts from Arrowhead pride, on Arrowhead pride. Good try, good effort.

Well then open a new tab on your browser and get the **** out.

O.city · 03-10-2013, 02:51 PM

TL;DR

**Easy 6** · 03-10-2013, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T-post Tom

I went back and put in the code for the gifs and html embed. Hope that makes it a little more readable/enjoyable for everyone.

He makes some good points, and i'm excited to see what this kid can really do, i didnt know how fast he timed... thats pretty sweet.

Molitoth · 03-10-2013, 02:58 PM

I liked the Cyrus Gray pick and hope he gets some playing time this year.
We have much more pressing needs than RB when we have Gray on this team... we've seen very limited attempts.

okcchief · 03-10-2013, 03:30 PM

I think Gray and Draughn both have potential. I don't want to see anymore than a value free agent or late round pick at RB. It's definitely a position where guys can be found.

milkman · 03-10-2013, 03:39 PM

I loved the Gray pick, and hope he gets a real opportunity to battle for that #2 spot.

Urc Burry · 03-10-2013, 04:05 PM

I liked the Gray pick.. Would of preferred to take a risk on Bryce brown, but no way Pioli does that. But I always compared Grays running style to Reid's old RB in shady mccoy

Sweet Daddy Hate · 03-10-2013, 04:23 PM

This isn't the worst thread ever.
Posted via Mobile Device

DTLB58 · 03-10-2013, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

I loved the Gray pick, and hope he gets a real opportunity to battle for that #2 spot.

Couldn't agree more. I thought he would have last season till he got hurt in TC.

RB is a position we don't need to be spending any $ or draft picks.

**Dave Lane** · 03-10-2013, 04:25 PM

I watched Gray shred Nebraska and thought he was a good pick up and almost forgot he was on the team he was used so little...

03-10-2013, 02:35 PM
T-post Tom Threepeat! Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Milk/Honey/Gazland Casino cash: $4377293	Article on Cyrus Gray & Chiefs' Run Game http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2013/3...les-cyrus-gray The Kansas City Chiefs already have someone to pair with Jamaal Charles ell... now that John Dorsey has laid the smaketh down on Dwayne Bowe, Branden Albert, Crusty Dusty (I seriously doubt that nickname catches on) and my boy Tyson Jackson, what's next? (Late note- Apparently, what's next is cutting Winston. All right then...) We've all got opinions on what the Chiefs need. CB, DE, WR, and ILB (and QB, but I'm letting that argument live to fight another day for right now. Still too soon for me) are all positions that the Chiefs should address sooner rather than later, whether it be through the draft or in free agency. Some people have mentioned interior OL (I think that's insane, but hey, as Dalton would say, "opinions vary"). (Late second note- and now, RT. Although I'm praying they just like Donald Stephenson and throw him there, I see an OT at No. 1 in our future.) More: Luke Joeckel is visiting the Chiefs on March 22 Chiefs like Sheldon Richardson According to my very esteemed colleague Joel something-or-other, one of the Chiefs biggest needs at this point is a running back to pair with ultra-stud Jamaal Charles. That's a pretty popular opinion, and I don't hold it against him. (Even though he's wrong. But we'll get to that. Some of you may already know where I'm going with this. The rest of you probably read the title and put two-and-two together. The rest of you... well, seriously, you should read the title of articles. It takes like two seconds. Anyway... ) The standard idea I hear is that the Chiefs want some kind of "bruiser" to create a "Thunder and Lightning" duo in the backfield. On its face it makes sense, right? You want guys who can force defenses to account for different playing styles. Make Jamaal wear 'em out, then have a hammer crush them in the fourth. It sounds wonderful in the abstract. It sounds wonderful but reality begs to differ. Reality begs to differ, though. Let me ask you a question; if you're a defensive coordinator, do you like to have an idea what an offense is going to do based on personnel, or do you like having no idea? Of COURSE you want to know what's coming. The personnel chess match is one that's played all game as coaches/coordinators attempt to find mismatches and surprise the opponent. The longer you can keep the opposing defense guessing, the better off you are. And that's where the problem of a Thunder and Lightning backfield becomes obvious. When you take out the speedster and put in the bruiser, offensive coaches become more limited. The reason Peyton Hillis struggled last year (OK, one reason of many. Boy was I wrong on that one)? He didn't have the speed to go laterally on our OL's bread and butter stretch running plays, and didn't have the burst to make it through the holes when they were there. I'm over the Thunder and Lightning attack. That was so last year (/tosses hair). What I want is Jamaal-Lite. I want a running back who has the requisite speed, burst, and agility to run all the same stuff the Chiefs run with their studly first stringer. I want a back that allows the Chiefs to maintain the normal offense when he's in the game. Or, to put it another way... MOAR CYRUS GRAY!!! I know what many are thinking. That Cyrus Gray is unproven, he barely touched the rock last year, and this is just another case of a homer getting hung up on a completely unknown because he hasn't actually SHOWN he's bad (Stanzi Nation, anyone?). He made one really, really awful "block" that almost got Matt Cassel killed. I've finally gone off the deep end due to the Alex Smith trade. Fair enough, fair enough. Oh, I'm sorry, did I break your concentration? Oh, you were finished? Well then allow me to retort... Actually, wait. Before I retort, why don't you go ahead and watch that again, focusing on No. 20 of the Chargers, a would-be tackler. Better yet, if you have the resources, watch it live and listen to the crowd. There's an audible "whoa" from the crowd when Gray shakes Antoine Cason so hard that I'm worried about brain damage to poor Antoine. That's right, with seven minutes left in an utter blowout, Gray managed to make a crowd collectively say "whoa" loudly enough to be picked up by the mics. One play is one play. But that kind of move just cannot physically be made by most NFL players. One play is one play. But that kind of move just cannot physically be made by most NFL players. Ask Shaun Draughn. Being able to move like that isn't a "lucky play," it's God-given talent. Do I have your attention? Good. Let's talk. The GIF above shows Gray has the ability to move in ways that defy physics. But it's not as if that's news to those who followed the guy in college. The guy ran for over five yards per carry both his senior and junior years at Texas A&M, and was projected by many to go much higher than where the Chiefs picked him up (the sixth round). Gray ran an impressive 4.40 40-yard-dash at the NFL Combine (.02 seconds slower than Jamaal Charles), displaying the kind of speed A&M fans knew he possessed. He's fast and agile enough that his freshman year he was actually put on the field as a slot WR at times (don't be frightened by this, Dex-haters, the comparison stops there). But this is not surprising information about Gray. When the Chiefs drafted him, the majority of us knew Gray was a guy who could burn. The questions people had were more about the rest of the package: size, strength, and vision. So we'll focus on those things. On this particular play, Gray starts off horizontally, searching for a hole. You can see he makes a quick decision, finds a hole, and proceeds to use his natural ability to cut and accelerate to gain positive yardage very quickly. If you throw Shaun Draughn (sorry Shaun, you're my example of a JAG running back. I love that spin move, though) or Peyton Hillis out there on this play, you get maybe a one or two yard gain. But the ability to see a hole quickly (vision) and accelerate through that hole just as quickly (physical talent) turns it into a first down. What happens next is worth noting as well, especially considering some of the concerns regarding Gray's size and toughness. Gray is hit at the 22 but keeps his legs moving to gain five additional yards. That kind of willingness/ability to 1) take a shot and keep moving his legs for positive yards as well as2) maintain his balance despite the hit demonstrates that the idea of Gray being some kind of "non-contact" runner looks to be baseless. The balance is what I really appreciate in that last part. Can anyone think of another guy who is "undersized" but uses his balance to fight for yardage? Names escape me so easily. I'm sure I'll think of it eventually. Now is as good a time as any to point out something to the "he's too small" crowd. Gray measured in at the Combine at 5'10" and 206 pounds. In other words, an inch shorter and 6 pounds heavier than Jamaal Charles measured. Now I don't know if you know this, but when a guy is shorter, he's thicker (crazy, right?). Gray's built pretty sturdy for a guy as fast as he is. All you have to do is look at him to see he's not exactly Dex 2.0 out there. In the Ravens game he took a SHOT from Ray Lewis and bounced right back up. Dude's tough. Let's keep looking (dang you, RAC for giving us so little game film on this guy!). Here we see a combination of everything I've talked about regarding Cyrus the Virus. He quickly decides where he's going, makes several remarkably quick cuts (one of which hurts the feelings of a Ravens defender), and pushes forward for an extra couple yards after contact (a bold move, considering it was Bernard "I've injured every Patriot ever" Pollard making the hit). While the vision and the willingness to power forward are great, I'd like to again call your attention to those cuts. They are just unnaturally quick. There's no good reason why a man should be able to cut that fast and still maintain his balance. Cuts like that are why, despite him seeing almost NO playing time last year, Gray has me intrigued. You cannot teach the ability to cut like that. A player either has it or he does not (and most don't). Gray has it. For those still not convinced that Gray is willing and able to fight for yardage between the tackles, let's look at one more play. Now I hate to bring back ANY memory of that god-awful Denver game, but this is worth seeing. At a meaningless point in a meaningless game (the announcers were actually joking about how hard it was to find things to talk about at this point. Ouch. Glad I jinxed those Donkeys), Gray gets hit a little over a yard past the line of scrimmage. He keeps fighting, keeps churning, and gets a first down. It's not like it was even 3rd down and the yardage was absolutely needed. It was first and five on the play. That's the kind of guy I want getting touches. The kind of guy whose INSTINCT is to keep trucking. Still not convinced, or think he's too small? Take a look at his college career. He had over 220 touches both his junior and senior year. He was THE guy. There's a decent highlight film of him here. In it, you see all the things I've talked about here. Speed. Vision. Toughness. ELITE agility. I've been on this guy's bandwagon a while now, but it's not without reason. His physical tools are perfect to be the secondary RB in the Chiefs offense (we've got Pancakes DiMarco for short yardage/goal line runs, so no need to fret). Yeah, we didn't get a chance to see much of him his rookie year, but I refuse to hold anything done by RAC and Brian Daboll against him. He's flashed incredible tools in those oh-so-limited chances (seriously, RAC, would it have killed you to give him 12-15 carries in ONE game down the stretch?). Talent is talent, and Gray's got it. Also, let's think about this... -An "undersized" RB from a college in Texas, despite a sterling college career and a very fast 40 time, falls to the Chiefs later in the draft than it was thought he would go. -He goes through a rookie campaign where he flashes potential but doesn't see as much of the field as the fans want. -He's small and fast but seems to possess excellent balance and vision as well. -He enters his second season with most of the fanbase not counting on a major contribution from him. Seriously, why does this sound so familiar? This is gonna bother me all day. Oh well, I know what will cheer me up... Andy Reid, let me be the first tell you... You want to see the offense not fall off the face of the earth when JC leaves the field? I've got the answer. MOAR CYRUS GRAY!!!! Last edited by T-post Tom; 03-10-2013 at 02:43 PM..
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03-10-2013, 02:48 PM	#5
OrtonsPiercedTaint MVP Join Date: Dec 2012 Casino cash: $10004980	They have Ice Box Powe and Goal Line Poe.
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03-10-2013, 02:51 PM	#7
O.city In Search of a Life Join Date: Jul 2009 Casino cash: $2504064	TL;DR
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03-10-2013, 02:58 PM	#9
Molitoth Mahomes Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2004 Casino cash: $2794969	I liked the Cyrus Gray pick and hope he gets some playing time this year. We have much more pressing needs than RB when we have Gray on this team... we've seen very limited attempts.
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03-10-2013, 03:30 PM	#10
okcchief MVP Join Date: Jul 2008 Casino cash: $9849890	I think Gray and Draughn both have potential. I don't want to see anymore than a value free agent or late round pick at RB. It's definitely a position where guys can be found.
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03-10-2013, 02:41 PM	#2
Easy 6 pie is never free Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: the drivers seat Casino cash: $3457775	Trying to get through this, but my. God. do i hate this guys herky-jerky style and formatting. Quit trying to be so **ing cute and tell your **ing tale.
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03-10-2013, 03:39 PM	#11
milkman Dumbass! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Leading the Marty bashing Casino cash: $10029395	I loved the Gray pick, and hope he gets a real opportunity to battle for that #2 spot. __________________
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03-10-2013, 04:05 PM	#12
Urc Burry Veteran Join Date: Jan 2011 Casino cash: $9031048	I liked the Gray pick.. Would of preferred to take a risk on Bryce brown, but no way Pioli does that. But I always compared Grays running style to Reid's old RB in shady mccoy
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03-10-2013, 04:23 PM	#13
Sweet Daddy Hate Unsparing Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	This isn't the worst thread ever. Posted via Mobile Device
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03-10-2013, 04:25 PM	#15
Dave Lane Space Cadet and Aczabel Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Kanab, UT, USA Casino cash: $9333275 VARSITY	I watched Gray shred Nebraska and thought he was a good pick up and almost forgot he was on the team he was used so little... __________________ Thanks, Trump for the civics lesson. We are learning so much about RICO, espionage, sedition, impeachment, the 25th Amendment, order of succession, nepotism, separation of powers, 1st Amendment, obstruction of justice, the emoluments clause, conflicts of interest, collusion, sanctions, oligarchs, money laundering and so much more.
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