Teicher:Chiefs have catching up to do at wide receiver

[Tribal Warfare]

Chiefs have catching up to do at wide receiver
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Desperate to find some speed for their feeble offense, the Chiefs turned to a most unlikely source for wide-receiving help before last week’s game against the Denver Broncos.

Bypassing veteran Steve Breaston and fourth-round draft pick Devon Wylie, they turned to Jamar Newsome, who was freshly promoted from the practice squad.

The extent of Newsome’s NFL experience to that point: two games last season with Jacksonville.

It’s come to that for the Chiefs and their passing game. At wide receiver, at least, their choices this season have often been unappetizing: a usually well-covered Dwayne Bowe, a short pass to Dexter McCluster, or the underachieving Jon Baldwin.

It’s little mystery why the Chiefs are last in the league in scoring.

So the Chiefs took a chance with Newsome, a fast receiver who brought some speed to an otherwise plodding position group.

“I don’t think you can say that’s been the only deficiency,” coach Romeo Crennel said. “But that’s one of the things that we deal with — trying to get more speed on the field — because teams have been kind of pressing us a little bit. When you press, (receivers) aren’t open right away, and so now the quarterback has to hold the ball and the line has to protect longer. If you have some speed on the field, you have a chance to beat the press and get guys off you a little bit.”

Newsome didn’t make much of an impact, catching one pass for 10 yards against Denver. But he could be involved again Sunday when the Chiefs play against Carolina at Arrowhead Stadium.

Wylie might be, too. McCluster, who showed symptoms of a concussion after the Broncos game, didn’t practice Wednesday, though Crennel said McCluster has been cleared by doctors to play.

The Chiefs have nothing to lose by going with youth at wide receiver. They thought the position would be one of strength going into the season.

Instead, it has been inhabited by some of their biggest underachievers. McCluster’s longest catch this season is 26 yards. Breaston, after catching 61 passes last year, has seven receptions this season. Wylie hasn’t caught any passes.

But none of the Chiefs’ receivers are falling short of expectations like Baldwin, who was the star of offseason and training camp practices but has just 16 catches and no touchdowns through 11 games.

“As a receiver, you always want to make plays,” Baldwin said. “All I can do right now is keep working and just be ready when the opportunity presents itself.

“Receiver is a position where you know you’re not going to get the ball every play. It comes in flurries. All you can do at practice is keep preparing the same way, so when you do get the opportunity, you’re not stunned. You’re already prepared.”

Crennel wouldn’t go near a question about whether Baldwin was this season’s biggest disappointment.

“Everybody takes a role in this offense, and the offense as a whole hasn’t been as good as we want it to be, or need it to be, to win games,” Crennel said. “And this team hasn’t been as good as we want it to be, or need it to be, to win games. I’m not putting it on one guy. He’s going to be out there, and if the ball comes, we expect him to make the play. I cannot guarantee the ball is going to him. What I’ve found out is that if you make the play, the ball will go to you more.

“He hasn’t gotten as many opportunities, and if you look at Jon, he tried during the course of the game. He was open on one play, but Brady (Quinn) went the other way. If he would have gone to Jon, it might have been a touchdown. As coverages develop, as things develop in the game, the quarterback goes from one side to the other side and they just haven’t been going to him as much.”

The Chiefs started the season getting some big passing plays. They had 10 pass plays of 20 yards or longer in their first two games.

But they’ve had just 17 such plays over the last nine games. Last week, Denver had five of them and the Chiefs just one, a 21-yard catch-and-run by tight end Tony Moeaki.

That’s the only play of 20-plus yard in Quinn’s two starts at quarterback.

“They’re doing a good job getting open and doing their assignments,” Quinn said, taking blame for the problem. “It’s up to me as a quarterback to give them a good ball.”

As long as the other receivers are struggling to catch passes for significant yardage, the Chiefs will look for help in players like Newsome. He was signed to the practice squad late last season, went to camp with the Chiefs this year and spent the first 11 weeks of this season on the practice squad.

“I’ve been practicing with the offense for a while even though I was on the practice squad,” Newsome said. “I’ve been practicing, and the coaches know I have a lot of talent and I’m a smart player. I think they realized that maybe it was time to allow me the chance to do something.”

[munkey]

Talk about grasping at straws...you all know where this is going...no QB in the draft. It seriously wouldn't surprise me.

[ptlyon]

Blaming the WRs for the ineptitude of the QB position is beyond laughable... THIS my friends, is what is wrong with this organization, and why we have sucked for years.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Well, at least it's better than "Chief concerns" for the one billionth time

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by ptlyon

Blaming the WRs for the ineptitude of the QB position is beyond laughable... THIS my friends, is what is wrong with this organization, and why we have sucked for years.

Len Dawson has been blaming it on the WRs consistently since about 2006. Seriously.

[ptlyon]

Funny, when Bowe wasn't signed, Baldwin & the others excelled. Bowe signs & what happens? He gets focused on & they can't seem to get it to the other receivers. Either it's play calling, or the qb won't look in anybody elses direction... What bullshit

[ptlyon]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Len Dawson has been blaming it on the WRs consistently since about 2006. Seriously.

Don't really listen to the games maque - but seems right a qb would blame the receivers

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by mikey23545

“They’re doing a good job getting open and doing their assignments,” Quinn said, taking blame for the problem. “It’s up to me as a quarterback to give them a good ball.”



Well, at least a QB taking the blame for the failures in the passing attack is refreshing.

I thought the same thing. That is more than Cassell has ever said on his part (grades out perfectly). Quinn still sucks but at least he admits he has a job to do and not doing a good job of it. I can respect Quinn for saying that but have no respect for Matt Fail Cassell.

[Rasputin]

Get Geno Smith and a lot of our problems go away.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by ptlyon

Don't really listen to the games maque - but seems right a qb would blame the receivers

Len is pretty frustrating to listen to, both during the games and in interviews.

He's on 810 every week and all he does is talk about WRs that can't get separation and linemen that can't block.

He didn't even start mentioning the horrible QB play until Brady Quinn came in. Makes one wonder if he's being paid to protect Matt Cassel, too.

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by KC Tattoo

Get Geno Smith and a lot of our problems go away.

This. High level QB play has a tendency to mask alot of problems....just look at Dungver.

[ptlyon]

ok htis, forget what lenny says, whats your take?

[TheGuardian]

Wow, Quinn took the blame for some of the crappy play! Amazing! It's like he's the only one on the team with any amount of integrity! Jesus.......

[Pasta Little Brioni]

The O-line issue has already been settled. It isn't the problem. It's not the receivers either. It's amazing how often you see Bowe pwn a corner deep (like he did to Chump) and the ball not even come CLOSE.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by ptlyon

Blaming the WRs for the ineptitude of the QB position is beyond laughable... THIS my friends, is what is wrong with this organization, and why we have sucked for years.

Yep, for at least four years anyway.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by ptlyon

ok htis, forget what lenny says, whats your take?

I don't think the WRs are very good. I think the offensive line is MORE than adequate.

But most of all, I think the QBs are pure SHIT and trying to evaluate the other offensive units is a lesson in futility until the QB position is FIXED.