Chiefs Well, I saw the preseaon game and I gotta tell ya...

donkhater · 08-24-2008, 12:42 PM

...It's about what I expected.

After following the game via the thread last night, I was prepared for the keystone cops. I thought they looked mediocre. Are they ready to compete for a playoff spot? Of course not. The chicken littles on this board need to come to grips to what this team is in the midst of. Rebuilding. Two units stood out as especially underwhelming:

Special teams: Why this continues to be the bane of this team boggles the mind. Outside of Colquitt, this continues to be one sad unit. They were responsible for the crappy field position (both ways) the whole first half and of course gave up the TD.

O-line: One of (if not the worst) unit from last season was without its #1 pick and looked like it. This team doesn't have the type of depth to withstand any type of injury to the starters. Croyle never really had much time to pass and allowed the sack that resulted in the fumble and TD. No question. These guys have to improve on the fly.

Outside of those shortcomings, I thought the rest of the play was OK, just not overwhelming. The defense allowed a couple runs to Ricky and of course the TD pass, but the few pass plays Pennington did complete he was flushed from the pocket and was hit as he threw (on the TD). They are starting to get to the QB, they just have to complete the play. The goal line stand was teriffic and really didn't allow any other extended drives the first three quarters.

People cited DJ as playing well, and he did, but he was slow in getting depth on the TD catch. The defensive player that stood out to me was Brandon Flowers. He was in on virtually every tackle seemingly and had good coverage most of the night. He is a definate keeper.

The safety play seemed inconsistent and I actually liked the moves I saw out of Hali even though he didn't get to the QB. It's the nimblest I've seen him in two years.

Bowe disappointed and LJ is looking for the homerun too much. People knock his blocking, but there isn't any RB in football that likely going to succeed in blocking a 280 lb OLB/DE.

For some reason I keep wanting to not like Kolby Smith (I don't know why), but the guy keeps on chugging away. He is really a Kimble Anders clone isn't he? Does a little of everything.

Now to Croyle. People bitch about him dinking and dunking then bitch about him holding on to the ball. He can't win. The dude has no time and when he did, the WR were not open. Herm said something to this effect at halftime how they couldn't get off man coverage.

Croyle's stats last season were comparable to Matt Schaub's, who most people feel is a more than competent QB and he's been in the league two seasons longer.

Bottom line is, I'd rather watch a young fast team struggle through the year than an old slow one, which is what last season was. There are going to be a number of games like this this season and some games they are going to look pretty good. A young team is usually very inconsistent and I expect this one isn't going to be any different. But I AM looking forward to seeing these young guys play and watch their improvement.

**Mr. Flopnuts** · 08-24-2008, 12:53 PM

How did you see it? I programmed my DVR to record it early this morning and got the Bucs vs. The Jags instead on NFLN.

donkhater · 08-24-2008, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr Flopnuts

How did you see it? I programmed my DVR to record it early this morning and got the Bucs vs. The Jags instead on NFLN.

It was on the NFL Network at 10 AM EST.

TRR · 08-24-2008, 01:17 PM

I agree with what Donkhater said. It wasn't as awful as some people made it out to be (which is always what I expect from Chiefsplanet). Croyle didn't play well, but wasn't awful. He seemed to always be on the run, and when he did have time (bootlegs especially) WR's and TE's didn't do enough to seperate themselves in man coverage.

To me, KC showed more of the design and scheme in the first Preseason game than they did in the second and third game. I truly believe they have some different things to unvail as the season begins.

I would like to see the starters get more time in the last Preseason game thann normal. The starters need a good outing to establish confidence. All and all though, I don't think the entire Miami game was a disaster. I took a couple of positives away from it.

Pasta Little Brioni · 08-24-2008, 01:24 PM

Nice evaluation!!!

donkhater · 08-24-2008, 01:35 PM

The defense, especially, wasn't nearly as bad as I read it the night before. Yes, the line needs more push and the linebackers are lacking, but outside the first drive (that ended with a good goal line stand), Miami really didn't move the ball all that great.

One more thing. Imagine Pennington behind our line. Honestly, I doubt he would do much better than Huard. He is a veteran and maybe quicker with his reads and not so obvious in giving the play away, but his does not have the mobility, arm or (most importantly) the potential of Croyle. Will Croyle come around? I hope, but it is FAR to early to declare boom or bust, IMO.

donkhater · 08-24-2008, 01:40 PM

I imagine most of the feelings people have over last nights game is dependant on their expectations for this year. I have none other than FINALLY watching my Chiefs develop some young talent they got through the draft. I expect ups and downs. Good games and bad and I expect them to improve as the season wears on.

The only thing I'll be disappointed with is a bad attitude as the season progress. Tanking it like the end of Gun's regime will be unacceptable.

FloridaMan88 · 08-24-2008, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TRR

I agree with what Donkhater said. It wasn't as awful as some people made it out to be (which is always what I expect from Chiefsplanet).

The Chiefs were just DISMANTLED in the most important of the preseason games by a team that finished 1-15 last season and you and other Herm homers claim it wasn't as bad as it looked?

Chief Faithful · 08-24-2008, 03:18 PM

While it is easy to dwell on the negatives there were several things I saw that are positive:
1. Flowers and Carr were great draft picks. Both shined bright last night.
2. Croyle didn't look great, but he didn't panic or throw interceptions (I don't count the desperation toss at half time).
3. Last night was Richardson's best game. He should be starting by mid-season and develop into a fine RT.
4. Is there any doubt Savage should be kept and Sams cut?
5. Dorsey is an animal and is going to be a pro-bowler sooner than later.
6. DJ is starting to fill his expectations and Thomas is a big upgrade over Harris.
7. Johnson, Battle, Kolby, and Savage all made a case to make the team.
8. IMO - Price should be the #2 WR.

Last night the team looked like a rebuilding team, but it also looked like a typical preseason game with the vanilla play calling. It is really hard to make any conclusions for the upcoming season from last night.

Jawshco · 08-24-2008, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Faithful

While it is easy to dwell on the negatives there were several things I saw that are positive:
1. Flowers and Carr were great draft picks. Both shined bright last night.
2. Croyle didn't look great, but he didn't panic or throw interceptions (I don't count the desperation toss at half time).
3. Last night was Richardson's best game. He should be starting by mid-season and develop into a fine RT.
4. Is there any doubt Savage should be kept and Sams cut?
5. Dorsey is an animal and is going to be a pro-bowler sooner than later.
6. DJ is starting to fill his expectations and Thomas is a big upgrade over Harris.
7. Johnson, Battle, Kolby, and Savage all made a case to make the team.
8. IMO - Price should be the #2 WR.

Last night the team looked like a rebuilding team, but it also looked like a typical preseason game with the vanilla play calling. It is really hard to make any conclusions for the upcoming season from last night.

Good Post. You said just about everything I was thinking about the game. I don't think we should over analyze the score on this one. It was 17 points, one score coming from a stupid return that was poorly defended. That Dolphin team feels good right now, but they're not that good. We're a young team, and we're going to have to face the reality of some ugly games this year, but overall...it's a process we have to go through to get better.

Prince looked great. If Franklin can't go, he's the one I want to see as our #2 or #3 WR.

PastorMikH · 08-24-2008, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chief Faithful

While it is easy to dwell on the negatives there were several things I saw that are positive:
1. Flowers and Carr were great draft picks. Both shined bright last night.
2. Croyle didn't look great, but he didn't panic or throw interceptions (I don't count the desperation toss at half time).
3. Last night was Richardson's best game. He should be starting by mid-season and develop into a fine RT.
4. Is there any doubt Savage should be kept and Sams cut?
5. Dorsey is an animal and is going to be a pro-bowler sooner than later.
6. DJ is starting to fill his expectations and Thomas is a big upgrade over Harris.
7. Johnson, Battle, Kolby, and Savage all made a case to make the team.
8. IMO - Price should be the #2 WR.

Last night the team looked like a rebuilding team, but it also looked like a typical preseason game with the vanilla play calling. It is really hard to make any conclusions for the upcoming season from last night.

Rep

BigVE · 08-24-2008, 04:21 PM

Brian Waters was interviewed at the half and the reporter asked him if he was disappointed that we didn't score when we got so close. Waters laughed and said " we are only running about 2 plays so it's not real hard to figure out what we are going to do, but yeah its disappointing. We expect to be able to score in that situation whether it's preseason or not." He is right in both respects...regular season we will see a bit more and THEN we can REALLY whine and complain.

donkhater · 08-24-2008, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsfan88

The Chiefs were just DISMANTLED in the most important of the preseason games by a team that finished 1-15 last season and you and other Herm homers claim it wasn't as bad as it looked?

If you are among those who judge preseason games by the final score then yeah, I guess it was as bad as it looked. However, these games are a joke and it's really incredible that the Ritalin-needy posters on this site need to be reminded of that year in and year out.

I suppose Carolina is REALLY 42 points better than Washington, huh?

This is a young team and as such will be incredibly inconsistent. Learn to accept that and enjoy the fact that this franchise is FINALLY developing their own draft choices and you'll get through the season without lithium.

FloridaMan88 · 08-24-2008, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by donkhater

If you are among those who judge preseason games by the final score then yeah, I guess it was as bad as it looked. However, these games are a joke and it's really incredible that the Ritalin-needy posters on this site need to be reminded of that year in and year out.

I suppose Carolina is REALLY 42 points better than Washington, huh?

This is a young team and as such will be incredibly inconsistent. Learn to accept that and enjoy the fact that this franchise is FINALLY developing their own draft choices and you'll get through the season without lithium.

Didn't we hear the same thing from Herm and his legions of supporters last year, after the Chiefs pathetic showing in the preseason? "Oh don't worry we are playing very vanilla" "No worries, once the season begins, we'll show our TRUE offense", etc.

A strong showing in the preseason is important for a young team like the Chiefs with so many unproven players.

donkhater · 08-24-2008, 05:28 PM

One more thing. This Miami team did pretty much the same thing to Jacksonville. Is Jacksonville in trouble?

08-24-2008, 12:42 PM
donkhater Brilliant!! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Indiana, USA Casino cash: $10014051	Well, I saw the preseaon game and I gotta tell ya... ...It's about what I expected. After following the game via the thread last night, I was prepared for the keystone cops. I thought they looked mediocre. Are they ready to compete for a playoff spot? Of course not. The chicken littles on this board need to come to grips to what this team is in the midst of. Rebuilding. Two units stood out as especially underwhelming: Special teams: Why this continues to be the bane of this team boggles the mind. Outside of Colquitt, this continues to be one sad unit. They were responsible for the crappy field position (both ways) the whole first half and of course gave up the TD. O-line: One of (if not the worst) unit from last season was without its #1 pick and looked like it. This team doesn't have the type of depth to withstand any type of injury to the starters. Croyle never really had much time to pass and allowed the sack that resulted in the fumble and TD. No question. These guys have to improve on the fly. Outside of those shortcomings, I thought the rest of the play was OK, just not overwhelming. The defense allowed a couple runs to Ricky and of course the TD pass, but the few pass plays Pennington did complete he was flushed from the pocket and was hit as he threw (on the TD). They are starting to get to the QB, they just have to complete the play. The goal line stand was teriffic and really didn't allow any other extended drives the first three quarters. People cited DJ as playing well, and he did, but he was slow in getting depth on the TD catch. The defensive player that stood out to me was Brandon Flowers. He was in on virtually every tackle seemingly and had good coverage most of the night. He is a definate keeper. The safety play seemed inconsistent and I actually liked the moves I saw out of Hali even though he didn't get to the QB. It's the nimblest I've seen him in two years. Bowe disappointed and LJ is looking for the homerun too much. People knock his blocking, but there isn't any RB in football that likely going to succeed in blocking a 280 lb OLB/DE. For some reason I keep wanting to not like Kolby Smith (I don't know why), but the guy keeps on chugging away. He is really a Kimble Anders clone isn't he? Does a little of everything. Now to Croyle. People bitch about him dinking and dunking then bitch about him holding on to the ball. He can't win. The dude has no time and when he did, the WR were not open. Herm said something to this effect at halftime how they couldn't get off man coverage. Croyle's stats last season were comparable to Matt Schaub's, who most people feel is a more than competent QB and he's been in the league two seasons longer. Bottom line is, I'd rather watch a young fast team struggle through the year than an old slow one, which is what last season was. There are going to be a number of games like this this season and some games they are going to look pretty good. A young team is usually very inconsistent and I expect this one isn't going to be any different. But I AM looking forward to seeing these young guys play and watch their improvement.
Posts: 3,994

08-24-2008, 01:17 PM	#4
TRR The Priest and I Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: CO Casino cash: $9870185	I agree with what Donkhater said. It wasn't as awful as some people made it out to be (which is always what I expect from Chiefsplanet). Croyle didn't play well, but wasn't awful. He seemed to always be on the run, and when he did have time (bootlegs especially) WR's and TE's didn't do enough to seperate themselves in man coverage. To me, KC showed more of the design and scheme in the first Preseason game than they did in the second and third game. I truly believe they have some different things to unvail as the season begins. I would like to see the starters get more time in the last Preseason game thann normal. The starters need a good outing to establish confidence. All and all though, I don't think the entire Miami game was a disaster. I took a couple of positives away from it.
Posts: 7,262

08-24-2008, 01:24 PM	#5
Pasta Little Brioni Consuming CP souls Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: U.S.A. Casino cash: $3708880	Nice evaluation!!!
Posts: 68,859

08-24-2008, 01:35 PM	#6
donkhater Brilliant!! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Indiana, USA Casino cash: $10014051	The defense, especially, wasn't nearly as bad as I read it the night before. Yes, the line needs more push and the linebackers are lacking, but outside the first drive (that ended with a good goal line stand), Miami really didn't move the ball all that great. One more thing. Imagine Pennington behind our line. Honestly, I doubt he would do much better than Huard. He is a veteran and maybe quicker with his reads and not so obvious in giving the play away, but his does not have the mobility, arm or (most importantly) the potential of Croyle. Will Croyle come around? I hope, but it is FAR to early to declare boom or bust, IMO. __________________ The welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants
Posts: 3,994

08-24-2008, 01:40 PM	#7
donkhater Brilliant!! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Indiana, USA Casino cash: $10014051	I imagine most of the feelings people have over last nights game is dependant on their expectations for this year. I have none other than FINALLY watching my Chiefs develop some young talent they got through the draft. I expect ups and downs. Good games and bad and I expect them to improve as the season wears on. The only thing I'll be disappointed with is a bad attitude as the season progress. Tanking it like the end of Gun's regime will be unacceptable. __________________ The welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants
Posts: 3,994

08-24-2008, 03:18 PM	#9
Chief Faithful Predicting Chiefs Victory Join Date: Sep 2001 Casino cash: $9966500	While it is easy to dwell on the negatives there were several things I saw that are positive: 1. Flowers and Carr were great draft picks. Both shined bright last night. 2. Croyle didn't look great, but he didn't panic or throw interceptions (I don't count the desperation toss at half time). 3. Last night was Richardson's best game. He should be starting by mid-season and develop into a fine RT. 4. Is there any doubt Savage should be kept and Sams cut? 5. Dorsey is an animal and is going to be a pro-bowler sooner than later. 6. DJ is starting to fill his expectations and Thomas is a big upgrade over Harris. 7. Johnson, Battle, Kolby, and Savage all made a case to make the team. 8. IMO - Price should be the #2 WR. Last night the team looked like a rebuilding team, but it also looked like a typical preseason game with the vanilla play calling. It is really hard to make any conclusions for the upcoming season from last night.
Posts: 4,315

08-24-2008, 04:21 PM	#12
BigVE Veteran Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: centralKs Casino cash: $10005250	Brian Waters was interviewed at the half and the reporter asked him if he was disappointed that we didn't score when we got so close. Waters laughed and said " we are only running about 2 plays so it's not real hard to figure out what we are going to do, but yeah its disappointing. We expect to be able to score in that situation whether it's preseason or not." He is right in both respects...regular season we will see a bit more and THEN we can REALLY whine and complain. __________________ Meh.
Posts: 4,829

08-24-2008, 05:28 PM	#15
donkhater Brilliant!! Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Indiana, USA Casino cash: $10014051	One more thing. This Miami team did pretty much the same thing to Jacksonville. Is Jacksonville in trouble? __________________ The welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants
Posts: 3,994