Brodie likes his signal calls to be no longer than a word...

[Direckshun]

WTF?

This is really weird stuff. I'm not sure what to make of it.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...ry/641996.html

Croyle knows he still needs to win over Chiefs
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star

All it takes is a simple word for Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle to spring into action.

Colt. Pony. Dragon.

Any of those words describe a play, the protection and the formation in the Chiefs’ new offense. Having to say just one word in the huddle has lifted a burden in Croyle’s bid to establish himself as the team’s starting quarterback.

He’s not bogged down by the wordiness and complicated terminology that often leads to mistakes and interceptions.

“I really like the offense,” Croyle said Thursday after the Chiefs completed their second week of the on-field portion of their offseason program. “I’m very comfortable, surprisingly. The reads are pretty clear right now for us.

“It’s a pretty simple offense. It’s giving guys the chance to go out and play, not a whole lot of thinking about it, just go out and line up and go.”

Croyle, a third-round draft pick in 2006, was given every chance to win the starting job last year. The club cleared the way by trading veteran Trent Green and gave Croyle an inside track during the preseason.

But he performed poorly in the preseason, allowing veteran backup Damon Huard to open the season and start the first eight of nine games. Once the season was out of hand, Croyle started six of the final seven games — all losses in a 4-12 season — though in fairness he was handicapped by a dilapidated offensive line and absence of running back Larry Johnson.

This year, the job is again Croyle’s to lose. And he’s not about to let another opportunity slip through his fingers.

“I didn’t win the job last year when I wanted to,” Croyle said. “It obviously was not the right time. We got some games under our belt last year, and we’re ready to go.

“This offense gives me a chance to be patient and more consistent … make the right reads and don’t try and force things. Everybody when they get in there, they want to make big plays and win a bunch of games. Usually when you do that, you get yourself in trouble and throw interceptions and bad things happen.”

The Chiefs gave Croyle an enormous vote of confidence when they did not take a quarterback with any of their 12 draft picks. Head coach Herm Edwards senses a different demeanor in Croyle, 25.

“He’s been pretty consistent in throwing the football … a lot more confident than he’s ever been around here,” Edwards said. “He’s feeling he’s the quarterback and that’s a good thing.

“The offense is very similar to what he’s run before. He likes the names of how we (call plays). It gives him an opportunity to do some things at the line of scrimmage where he can get out of the play. He can handle all that.”

Durability has been another issue that has dogged Croyle throughout his career, including high school and college. He missed one start because of a back injury and left another game because of a hand injury. Edwards is convinced a better supporting cast will keep Croyle in one piece.

And new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey is confident a healthy Croyle can be a franchise-type quarterback.

“There’s no question in my mind he can be that guy,” Gailey said emphatically. “There’s no question.”

While Croyle would have to play absolutely dreadfully in training camp to lose the starting job to Huard or second-year man Tyler Thigpen, he realizes this won’t be his team until he leads the Chiefs to some victories.

Croyle has played in just one victory in a Chiefs uniform, when he mopped up the last two possessions of a 41-0 rout of San Francisco in the third week of his rookie season. Since then, he’s appeared in 10 games, all losses.

“When we go out and start winning football games, that’s the first time people will start believing,” he said when asked whether he feels this is his team.

“As good of (practices) and minicamps as I can possibly have, and even a great training camp and even a great preseason, it doesn’t really mean much until you win some football games.

“You don’t call it your team or huddle until you win.”

[Brock]

ADD

[Donger]

Well, let's hope they don't have a play named "Chiefs" and everyone just falls down.

[Hammock Parties]

DRAGON!!!

[DaneMcCloud]

What?

I wasn't paying attention.





Let's just hope that none of their calls are "Colt. 45".

Or they're screwed.

[StcChief]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

What?

I wasn't paying attention.





Let's just hope that none of their calls are "Colt. 45".

Or they're screwed.

or OE40

[Valiant]

The thing that scares me about the offense this year is on how simplistic it is going to be.. Everybody is saying how dumbed down it is and anyone can learn it.. What worries me is:

A: We must have a bunch of reeruns..
B: It should only take the other teams defense one half to understand everything..

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by Valiant

The thing that scares me about the offense this year is on how simplistic it is going to be.. Everybody is saying how dumbed down it is and anyone can learn it.. What worries me is:

A: We must have a bunch of reeruns..
B: It should only take the other teams defense one half to understand everything..

With all due respect, almost ANY offense is going to be much simpler than Al Saunder's version of the Coryell offense.

250 different plays, formations and motions?

That's WAY too much to ask of young players.

[Valiant]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

With all due respect, almost ANY offense is going to be much simpler than Al Saunder's version of the Coryell offense.

250 different plays, formations and motions?

That's WAY too much to ask of young players.

??? They have been playing football how long?? These guys should have no problems learning that many plays IF OUR Coaches are doing it properly..

But If our coaches are literally calling each individual play a special name then that is reeruned and hard to learn..

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by Valiant

hard to learn..

If they are using a naming scheme like that, I bet there are only like 25 plays in the game plan each week.

[Brock]

Just run the play action offense, it's about the only thing that's going to work anyway.

[rad]

Originally Posted by Brock

Just run the play action offense, it's about the only thing that's going to work anyway.

Veer?

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Valiant

The thing that scares me about the offense this year is on how simplistic it is going to be.. Everybody is saying how dumbed down it is and anyone can learn it.. What worries me is:

A: We must have a bunch of reeruns..
B: It should only take the other teams defense one half to understand everything..

I look at it this way

Let's say the Saunders playbook was Harvard. Dumb that down to Solari level and you have, say, Yale. Tries to be Harvard, but just not there. Dumb it down a little more, and we're, say, Kansas. No, that's not Harvard, either, but it's not Kansas City Kansas Community College, either. Can still be respectable.

[Tribal Warfare]

At least he's giving him the freedom to audible, and single word calls are easier to sound off in the opponents homefield when the crowd is screaming.

[whoman69]

I'm not worried about the simplicity of the offense. Some of the most effective offenses have been very simple. Last year the offense was transparent. You can have a simply designed offense and still keep the defense guessing as to what you are going to do. Last year Herm had the offense handcuffed. If he does that again this year there will again be trouble. Croyle needs to worry about that bad habit of his to throw the ball while leaning on his back foot and throwing into coverage.