Chiefs Gretz: Filling the Gaps

**Tribal Warfare** · 09-19-2008, 07:18 PM

Filling The Gaps
Sep 19, 2008, 8:51:23 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ

To best understand what happened to the Chiefs run defense against the Oakland Raiders stop for a minute, hold up your left hand and take a look at it.

Now hold up your right hand and bring it together with the left, with fingers intertwined and your right thumb falling in the gap between the left thumb and left index finger.

That’s defense. Your left hand and its fingers are the five offensive linemen. Your right hand is the defense filling the gaps between those offensive linemen.

It’s called gap control and it’s vital to the success and failure of the Chiefs defense. The defensive linemen each fill one of those gaps, while the linebackers come up and plug gaps that come open. The safeties have gaps as well and they come up and pick up the slack when circumstances cause a hole in the line and linebackers.

In the basic football sense, it’s a very easy defense to play, if the players stay disciplined and fill their gaps. If they do not, well … put your hands together again and this time put your right thumb in the gap between your index and middle finger, or put your right pinky between your left ring and middle fingers.

Gaps open up. Good running backs and offenses find those holes. The Raiders certainly did last week, running for 300 yards.

Defensive players see the ball and want to go after it full speed. That’s the defensive mentality. They like to take the quickest route to where they see the ball. The problem in the NFL is this: see the ball here one nano-second and boom, the next nano-second it’s over here and suddenly, somebody has rolled in and is pushing the defensive player away from where the ball is going.

The Chiefs started a third-year defensive end (Tamba Hali), a pair of second-year players (Turk McBride and Tank Tyler) and a rookie defensive tackle (Glenn Dorsey). They’ve been schooled and taught to handle their gaps. But when the pressure is on, and the defense is trying so hard to make a stop and turn the game around, gap responsibility sometimes gets forgotten in dreams of making a big play. In the NFL, that’s a ticket to disaster.

“We’ve got some young guys playing up there and they have to be more disciplined,” Herm Edwards said this week. “They just need to play the defense and they’ll be fine.”

The D-Line was not alone. The linebackers didn’t always help matters with their gap fulfillment. Many times they had to deal with Oakland’s center and guards who came roaring off the line to block them. That’s something the defensive line needs to stop as well. On the six longest runs that the Chiefs allowed, their LBs were blocked and the Raiders kept running, and running, and running.

In 10 seasons as defensive coordinator or head coach no Gunther Cunningham defense has come close to giving up 300 rushing yards. In fact, in 166 games, a Cunningham defense gave up 200 rushing yards or more just nine times. This was not something anyone ever expected. And, it had not happened in 31 years. The last time a Chiefs defense allowed that many rushing yards was in 1977, when Cleveland ran for 322 yards.

The discipline must return, especially this Sunday against an Atlanta team that wants desperately to run the football and take the pressure off their rookie starting quarterback Matt Ryan. The only reason the Chiefs are 31st against the run in the NFL is that on opening Sunday, the Falcons ran for 318 yards against Detroit, now the 32nd defense vs. the running game.

The gaps must be filled.

**Tribal Warfare** · 09-19-2008, 07:19 PM

The gaps must be filled !!!! Damn this sounds like one of the job services that Gretz provides King Carl.

**cdcox** · 09-19-2008, 07:48 PM

I gonna go out on a limb and say that KC will hold Atlanta to under 170 yards rushing this week. This is one problem that I think the team could and will fix.

I still think we are going to lose, but I don't think we're going to let Atlanta run all over us.

MGRS13 · 09-19-2008, 08:25 PM

if we fill the gaps and stop the run, and thats a big IF, then Ryan will just end up looking like a three year probowler behind center. We can just look at this like when one of those MANY times a backup QB who has rode the pine for 4 years steps into a game against the chiefs and looks like a world beater. Either way we are going to put our 8 man high school football offense on the field. So even if Ryan looks like a rookie and Turner only gains 75 yards the falcons will still win.

Ebolapox · 09-19-2008, 08:38 PM

you know what's so depressing? all things chiefs. I can't think of a single thing that makes me happy about the chiefs at the moment.

**cdcox** · 09-19-2008, 08:54 PM

H5N1

Ok, that isn't toluene, but you have my curiosity. What is it?

Ebolapox · 09-19-2008, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdcox

H5N1

Ok, that isn't toluene, but you have my curiosity. What is it?

heh, I was wondering if anyone would notice that. it was a google image search, and one I didn't have to alter.

I call it (not a very organic name here) benzene pentapoodle.

**cdcox** · 09-19-2008, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H5N1

heh, I was wondering if anyone would notice that. it was a google image search, and one I didn't have to alter.

I call it (not a very organic name here) benzene pentapoodle.

Ethanol looks like a dog. And dog spelled backwards is God. Coincedence?

Mecca · 09-19-2008, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdcox

I gonna go out on a limb and say that KC will hold Atlanta to under 170 yards rushing this week. This is one problem that I think the team could and will fix.

I still think we are going to lose, but I don't think we're going to let Atlanta run all over us.

Shhh, don't ruin my Turner fantasy output.

Ebolapox · 09-19-2008, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdcox

Ethanol looks like a dog. And dog spelled backwards is God. Coincedence?

intriguing.

ya know, it's funny. when I put up the new avvy, I was in the middle of writing two lab reports and it was like 3:30 in the morning. I did a google image search for toluene (taking a few moments off of working), and came up with that. obviously, I wasn't paying attention to the fact that it didn't have the second benzene ring or the pent-ring between them.

sad.

and I don't recall--are you a chemist? any tips for organic? cause I've done swimmingly great in every chem class I've ever taken--but somehow managed to suck it up in the first organic test (72%--the class average was 60%)--I'll take any tips I can get.

**cdcox** · 09-19-2008, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H5N1

intriguing.

ya know, it's funny. when I put up the new avvy, I was in the middle of writing two lab reports and it was like 3:30 in the morning. I did a google image search for toluene (taking a few moments off of working), and came up with that. obviously, I wasn't paying attention to the fact that it didn't have the second benzene ring or the pent-ring between them.

sad.

and I don't recall--are you a chemist? any tips for organic? cause I've done swimmingly great in every chem class I've ever taken--but somehow managed to suck it up in the first organic test (72%--the class average was 60%)--I'll take any tips I can get.

I'm an environmental engineering prof. I took organic 25 years ago, and got an B my first semester and C my second so I'm probably not the best to take advice from. Tolune is an important groundwater pollutant, so it is one of them that is locked in the memory banks. The thing about organic is that there are certain rules (patterns) that you can follow, but then there are a ton of exceptions to the rules. The exceptions are the killer. Anyway, despite my weakness in chemistry as an undergrad, I've taught graduate level enviromnental chemistry for several years. Life is funny.

In grad school I had to take microbiology and was concerned about doing well in it since I equated it to organic chemistry in terms of being somewhat memorization driven. My strategy was to read the chapter once, go back through and outline it, then distill my notes to flash cards that I would use for the three days or so preceding the test. That worked pretty well. I got the top score in the class and one of only two A's. I'd do that if I had to take organic again. Of course in grad school there were a lot fewer distractions than as an UG.

Ebolapox · 09-19-2008, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdcox

I'm an environmental engineering prof. I took organic 25 years ago, and got an B my first semester and C my second so I'm probably not the best to take advice from. Tolune is an important groundwater pollutant, so it is one of them that is locked in the memory banks. The thing about organic is that there are certain rules (patterns) that you can follow, but then there are a ton of exceptions to the rules. The exceptions are the killer. Anyway, despite my weakness in chemistry as an undergrad, I've taught graduate level enviromnental chemistry for several years. Life is funny.

In grad school I had to take microbiology and was concerned about doing well in it since I equated it to organic chemistry in terms of being somewhat memorization driven. My strategy was to read the chapter once, go back through and outline it, then distill my notes to flash cards that I would use for the three days or so preceding the test. That worked pretty well. I got the top score in the class and one of only two A's. I'd do that if I had to take organic again. Of course in grad school there were a lot fewer distractions than as an UG.

that sounds a LOT like my studying method. I generally do the chapter reading/outline, review notes a LOT, and use notecards sparingly.

it's funny, though, because for most of my 'academic life,' I've barely had to study. like, at all. oh, I'll put a few hours in here and there to make sure I have a firm grasp on the subject and to do the 'optional' homework, but I have a photographic memory that basically ensures that as long as I show up, take notes, and am somewhat attentive, I'm good to go.

but, it's not working so far. I guess I shouldn't complain at actually having to study. really. anyway.

it's early enough into the semester that I can easily pull the grade up with a little hard work.

interesting side-note, a good friend of mine (who works with my wife) had the same prof a few semesters ago. she's one of the smartest people I know--wants to be a pediatrician, accepted into grad school at mizzou--and she went into the final (organic 1) with a D. that was pretty telling to me.

**TrebMaxx** · 09-19-2008, 10:06 PM

Ahhh...I see the point now. The Chiefs study habits are in need of fine tuning or they will never fill the gaps. Got it!

Ebolapox · 09-19-2008, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TrebMaxx

Ahhh...I see the point now. The Chiefs study habits are in need of fine tuning or they will never fill the gaps. Got it!

precisement.

**TrebMaxx** · 09-19-2008, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H5N1

precisement.

09-19-2008, 07:18 PM
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-2767187	Gretz: Filling the Gaps Filling The Gaps Sep 19, 2008, 8:51:23 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ To best understand what happened to the Chiefs run defense against the Oakland Raiders stop for a minute, hold up your left hand and take a look at it. Now hold up your right hand and bring it together with the left, with fingers intertwined and your right thumb falling in the gap between the left thumb and left index finger. That’s defense. Your left hand and its fingers are the five offensive linemen. Your right hand is the defense filling the gaps between those offensive linemen. It’s called gap control and it’s vital to the success and failure of the Chiefs defense. The defensive linemen each fill one of those gaps, while the linebackers come up and plug gaps that come open. The safeties have gaps as well and they come up and pick up the slack when circumstances cause a hole in the line and linebackers. In the basic football sense, it’s a very easy defense to play, if the players stay disciplined and fill their gaps. If they do not, well … put your hands together again and this time put your right thumb in the gap between your index and middle finger, or put your right pinky between your left ring and middle fingers. Gaps open up. Good running backs and offenses find those holes. The Raiders certainly did last week, running for 300 yards. Defensive players see the ball and want to go after it full speed. That’s the defensive mentality. They like to take the quickest route to where they see the ball. The problem in the NFL is this: see the ball here one nano-second and boom, the next nano-second it’s over here and suddenly, somebody has rolled in and is pushing the defensive player away from where the ball is going. The Chiefs started a third-year defensive end (Tamba Hali), a pair of second-year players (Turk McBride and Tank Tyler) and a rookie defensive tackle (Glenn Dorsey). They’ve been schooled and taught to handle their gaps. But when the pressure is on, and the defense is trying so hard to make a stop and turn the game around, gap responsibility sometimes gets forgotten in dreams of making a big play. In the NFL, that’s a ticket to disaster. “We’ve got some young guys playing up there and they have to be more disciplined,” Herm Edwards said this week. “They just need to play the defense and they’ll be fine.” The D-Line was not alone. The linebackers didn’t always help matters with their gap fulfillment. Many times they had to deal with Oakland’s center and guards who came roaring off the line to block them. That’s something the defensive line needs to stop as well. On the six longest runs that the Chiefs allowed, their LBs were blocked and the Raiders kept running, and running, and running. In 10 seasons as defensive coordinator or head coach no Gunther Cunningham defense has come close to giving up 300 rushing yards. In fact, in 166 games, a Cunningham defense gave up 200 rushing yards or more just nine times. This was not something anyone ever expected. And, it had not happened in 31 years. The last time a Chiefs defense allowed that many rushing yards was in 1977, when Cleveland ran for 322 yards. The discipline must return, especially this Sunday against an Atlanta team that wants desperately to run the football and take the pressure off their rookie starting quarterback Matt Ryan. The only reason the Chiefs are 31st against the run in the NFL is that on opening Sunday, the Falcons ran for 318 yards against Detroit, now the 32nd defense vs. the running game. The gaps must be filled.
Posts: 43,419

09-19-2008, 07:19 PM	#2
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-2767187	The gaps must be filled !!!! Damn this sounds like one of the job services that Gretz provides King Carl. __________________
Posts: 43,419

09-19-2008, 07:48 PM	#3
cdcox www.nfl-forecast.com Join Date: Sep 2000 Casino cash: $-458231	I gonna go out on a limb and say that KC will hold Atlanta to under 170 yards rushing this week. This is one problem that I think the team could and will fix. I still think we are going to lose, but I don't think we're going to let Atlanta run all over us.
Posts: 46,032

09-19-2008, 08:25 PM	#4
MGRS13 Veteran Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Home in KC Casino cash: $10074930	if we fill the gaps and stop the run, and thats a big IF, then Ryan will just end up looking like a three year probowler behind center. We can just look at this like when one of those MANY times a backup QB who has rode the pine for 4 years steps into a game against the chiefs and looks like a world beater. Either way we are going to put our 8 man high school football offense on the field. So even if Ryan looks like a rookie and Turner only gains 75 yards the falcons will still win. __________________ There’s a gleam!
Posts: 4,217

09-19-2008, 08:38 PM	#5
Ebolapox remember, remember Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: como Casino cash: $-1560097	you know what's so depressing? all things chiefs. I can't think of a single thing that makes me happy about the chiefs at the moment.
Posts: 26,516

09-19-2008, 08:54 PM	#6
cdcox www.nfl-forecast.com Join Date: Sep 2000 Casino cash: $-458231	H5N1 Ok, that isn't toluene, but you have my curiosity. What is it?
Posts: 46,032

09-19-2008, 10:06 PM	#13
TrebMaxx Supporter Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Peoples Republic of CoMo Casino cash: $-2192748	Ahhh...I see the point now. The Chiefs study habits are in need of fine tuning or they will never fill the gaps. Got it!
Posts: 4,450