Mellinger: Chiefs’ inability to stop the pass is too big a playoff weakness

[OnTheWarpath15]

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/12/24...-the-pass.html

After the Chiefs have lost in the playoffs and the obituaries of their season have been written, we will remember this team in two primary ways.

First, it’s the group that brought pride back to an organization that had lost its way, one of the great turnarounds in recent NFL history.

And second, it will be the team that kept alive the franchise’s 20-year drought of playoff wins because it could not stop the pass.

This season is such a wild ride, already. It started with the cloud of an embarrassing and shameful 2-14 team hanging overhead, then it picked up steam with a string of good breaks and overwhelming defense, and it’s now spinning its wheels uphill through the icy conditions of better competition.

What most people thought before the season was turned to fiction through the first nine games, and what many people thought through the first nine games has again been turned on its head by the last six.

Specifically, this is no longer a defense that fans should be confident with or a competent offense should be concerned with.

Even including a gift against an imploding team from Washington, the Chiefs are giving up 27.8 points per game since their bye week. They rank 21st in opponents’ yards per play (edging out No. 22 Jacksonville).

Their best cornerback from the first month or two of the season has been benched, and the results didn’t change. Their best cornerback from last year has been moved from the outside to the slot and now back to the outside, and the results didn’t change.

A defense that was the talk of the league through Halloween is now a liability against good quarterbacks, at a time when the Chiefs are unlikely to again face anything but a star quarterback.

The Chiefs’ four losses have clear similarities, starting with their inability to stop the pass.

In those losses, opposing quarterbacks completed 67 percent of their passes for an average of 340 yards with 10 touchdowns and just two interceptions. That’s a cumulative passer rating of 111.9. If you prefer ESPN’s Total Quarterback Rating — it’s complicated, but it’s a scale of 0-100 with 50 being average — the Chiefs have given up QBRs of 66.5, 86.7, 97.2 and 55.5 in their losses.

In those losses, we saw Marcus Cooper bullied, Brandon Flowers beat, and Sean Smith complaining about penalties that were fairly called on him.

We’ve also seen circumstances that demand far more from the cornerbacks than should ever be asked — a neutered pass rush giving quarterbacks too much time and a lot of plays with only one safety deep to help.

Using Pro Football Focus’ numbers, almost without exception, the worst games for all three primary cornerbacks are the losses. Then again, the guys at the line of scrimmage aren’t doing their job, either: 6 1/2 sacks and 18.7 quarterback hits and hurries in the wins, compared to one-half sack and 13.2 hits and hurries in the losses.

Even watching video, without knowing assignments and schemes (and who is playing at less than full strength), dividing blame is a circular argument. Receivers are often open, at least in part, because the pass rush isn’t getting to the quarterback. The pass rush can’t get to the quarterback, at least in part, because receivers are open too quickly.

This week, Chiefs coach Andy Reid talked about how much of his team’s inability to stop the pass in the four losses is more on the pass rushers or pass defenders.

“I’d probably say there’s a combination of things,” he said. “The bottom line is we’re not having quite as much pressure on the quarterback. … Pressure and coverage kind of work together. Each (game) is a little different.

“You saw (against Indianapolis), we didn’t have guys covered. We’ve got to make sure we get that straight. … One breakdown, the quarterback sees it, there’s an issue. We need to make sure we get that better.”

You’ll notice there are separate bits of Reid’s answer that put the blame on the pass rush and the pass coverage.

There is enough blame to go around.

The expected return of Justin Houston will help, of course. Everything that defensive coordinator Bob Sutton wants to do is based on pressuring the quarterback, and even on a team with Tamba Hali, Houston is the best pass rusher.

But we’ve seen enough to know that Houston’s return will not be an instant and total fix. We’ve seen enough to know that the cornerbacks aren’t fast enough to keep up on deep routes, that they need more than one safety helping in the pass game, and that the coaches haven’t figured out how to properly defend against crossing routes.

The Chiefs have accomplished a lot this year. Jamaal Charles (offensive player of the year), Andy Reid (coach of the year) and John Dorsey (executive of the year) have strong cases for major postseason awards. The Chiefs should get at least five, and maybe as many as seven players in the Pro Bowl. They have grown from dysfunction to the playoffs, and that’s no small thing, even in the parity-driven NFL.

No matter what happens the rest of the way, this has been a successful and crucial season in the Chiefs regaining their fans’ trust.

But when the season ends with another playoff loss, the important thing will be to patch weaknesses in time to take advantage of the prime years for stars like Charles, Hali and Derrick Johnson.

Mostly, that means figuring out a way to stop the pass.

[BlackHelicopters]

Smoke and mirrors. Won't work against quality teams or playoff teams.

[Discuss Thrower]

The team's fate was apparent when Jeff Tuel smoked the secondary.

Dorsey better pull a rabbit out of his ass with the shitty dressy position they'll be in next Spring or else the team's in serious trouble.

[The Bad Guy]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

The team's fate was apparent when Jeff Tuel smoked the secondary.

Dorsey better pull a rabbit out of his ass with the shitty dressy position they'll be in next Spring or else the team's in serious trouble.

Glad you've already basically given up on next year unless Dorsey performs some sort of magic.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

Glad you've already basically given up on next year unless Dorsey performs some sort of magic.

Do you honestly feel good about any of this year's picks besides Fisher contributing as a starter next year?

I don't. The cupboard was left bare by Scooter and it doesn't look like it will get any better with only a 1st and a 3rd in 2014.

[Snapplez]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Do you honestly feel good about any of this year's picks besides Fisher contributing as a starter next year?

I don't. The cupboard was left bare by Scooter and it doesn't look like it will get any better with only a 1st and a 3rd in 2014.

What does Pioli have to do with Dorseys shitty draft this year?

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Snapplez

What does Pioli have to do with Dorseys shitty draft this year?

It's always easier to blame the administration that is already gone rather than the current one.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by Snapplez

What does Pioli have to do with Dorseys shitty draft this year?

It has to do with the fact there aren't a lot of quality young players on the roster.

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

Do you honestly feel good about any of this year's picks besides Fisher contributing as a starter next year?

I don't. The cupboard was left bare by Scooter and it doesn't look like it will get any better with only a 1st and a 3rd in 2014.

This draft was hit with quite a bit of bad luck with the injuries to Kelce and Commings, its hard for me to call them busts over act of God stuff like that, the books still out on them... if they're all dicked up again next year, that'll be a different story.

Catapano and Kush have potential but needed some grooming before getting any real playing time, i'm ok with that, not every draft pick is ready to roll right away.

Knile Davis has proven to be a find imo, i'll take a few fumbles as long he keeps working on it and getting better, 230 pound, 4.3 fourty homerun hitters aren't easy to find.

A well played 2014 draft and free agency will help a ton.

[CaliforniaChief]

I sure hope Houston's re-emergence will help stop the bleeding.

[TambaBerry]

since are passing defense is so bad, the only way to negate that is with a pass rush or blitzing

[OnTheWarpath15]

A good QB will eat a blitz alive.

And we have been blitzing, and still not getting there.

[TambaBerry]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

A good QB will eat a blitz alive.

And we have been blitzing, and still not getting there.

almost every time we blitzed peyton manning his throws were short or off target

[Fritz88]

Originally Posted by dingleberry

almost every time we blitzed peyton manning his throws were short or off target

Why did he have trouble against SD, Indy, and NE?

We have better pass rushers overall.

I don't understand. It's not only the secondary. It seems to me that teams have really figured Sutton out, no?
Posted via Mobile Device

[Psyko Tek]

Originally Posted by dingleberry

almost every time we blitzed peyton manning his throws were short or off target

you get within 2 yrds of manning he sails it high