eagles4evr
09-29-2005, 04:01 PM
One of the better posters at the EMB posted this game preview for Sunday's games. Just wondering what Chiefs fans think? I included the link but I think you'd have to register to view it so copy and pasted it here.
http://boards.philadelphiaeagles.com/index.php?showtopic=288559
Kansas City Chiefs
2-1
Last week lost to DEN on MNF by a score of 30-10.
Don't read too much into that score. The Chiefs have really struggled at Denver recently:
2001: Denver 20, Chiefs 6
2002: Denver 31, Chiefs 24
2003: Denver 45, Chiefs 27
2004: Denver 34, Chiefs 24
OFFENSE
The Chiefs run a version of the offensive system the Rams use. Instead of stressing the quick, explosive WRs, KC focuses on running the ball and throwing to the TE.
They do a lot of pre-snap motion. Guys will line up all over the place and then shift. A WR might start at FB, then go into motion and get out wide. The FB will line up wide, then come in and get in his normal slot. The goal is to make the defense hesitant about their pre-snap reads and to buy an extra half second of confusion.
They like to bunch receivers. You will see the TE and 2 WRs bunched up close. The players release at the snap and it is tough for DBs and LBs to figure out who to cover based on where the guys run. Also, it creates a natural pick. The players will cross each other and the defenders have to stay back so they can follow their guy. This is done somewhat in the WCO, but the Chiefs do it more.
Priest Holmes likes to run wide, to the left and right. He likes to stretch out a defense and pick a hole to hit.
The passing attack is mostly downfield, but there are some quick throws. KC is a good screen team. They also do a lot of play action passing.
DEFENSE
The base defense is a 4-3, but they mix that up a lot. In the past, Gunther Cunningham has put a lot of pressure on the QB by blitzing and attacking. I studied the Broncos game and they couldn't do a lot of that because Denver is such a running team.
The defense will be aggressive at times. They will be creative. Last year they were very susceptible to play-action passes. Opponents had a rating of 128.7 on PA passes. Ouch.
LAST GAME
The Chiefs got thrashed by Denver 30-10.
The offense really struggled. They didn't score a TD until late in the game. They only put up 70 yds of offense until halfway through the 2nd Qtr. They finished the game with 285 yds and averaged a paltry 4.2 yds per play (PHI had 6.3 on Sunday).
Normally the Chiefs OL is outstanding. They played a sloppy game, especially RT Chris Bober and C Casey Wiegmann. Bober struggled with the stunts that Denver used. Wiegmann is normally one of the best centers in the NFL, but he got shoved backward a lot on Monday. One big problem has been the fact that LT Willie Roaf has been out with a bad hamstring. He didn't practice on Wed. and isn't likely to play at this point. That puts Jordan Black at LT. He's a young player with good upside, but is no Roaf.
The Broncos got a lead and KC was forced to get away from their running game. They were down 17-0 early in the 2nd Qtr. The Chiefs only ran the ball 7 times in the 2nd half. Denver got a lot of pressure on Trent Green. He was only sacked twice, but was hit a lot. The KC OL is made for run blocking, not pass blocking. They do both well, but aren't going to be their best when Green throws over 40 passes.
The defense played well at times, but gave up too many big or medium plays. The Broncos only converted on 25% of their 3rd down attempts. Unfortunately for Kansas City, that was just 2 of 8. No need to convert 3rd downs if you're moving down the field in big chunks. Denver had 5 different players catch a pass of at least 12 yds. Normally that wouldn't be so bad, but Jake Plummer only threw 18 passes. 3 different runners had runs of over 24 yds. I did think KC players tackled well in space. Jake Plummer was sacked once, but there wasn't consistent pressure on him.
The Chiefs may have gotten too cute for their own good. They normally are a 4-3 team. They started the game in a 3-4 set with rookies LBs Derrick Johnson and Kris Griffin on the outside. They used this set a few times. Even shifted to a Bear front one time (DL cover the G-C-G). I also saw them use a 5 man DL on at least one play.
There was bad luck also. Larry Johnson fumbled inside his own 10 yd line. Broncos WR Rod Smith caught a short TD after the fumble. He was wide open in part because 2 KC defenders ran into each other. Yikes. Also, the Chiefs blitzed on a run play and Denver got a 44 yd TD run. They came from the offenses left side and the run went to the right. Vermiel also said that a DT took the wrong gap. As the old saying goes, "Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes he gets you".
PERSONNEL NOTES
Trent Green -- good pocket passer...very productive...last 3 years he threw for over 12,000 yds and had a rating of above 92.6 each year...accurate...very good Play-action passer...
Priest Holmes -- still an elite RB...he made one sensational move vs DEN...was caught in the backfield and jumped backward and around a DL...turned a loss into a nice gain...good rcvr...great instincts
Tony Gonzalez -- the best TE in the NFL...lines up all over - at FB, WR, in tight, flexed out...great hands...big body...runs very well...target all over the field...tough for one guy to cover
Samie Parker -- small, but quick and fast...built like the Rams WRs...has the speed and big play ability that the Chiefs needed...only has 16 career catches, but 2 have gone for more than 40 yards...had a couple of drops the other night, including one where he was wide open and might have gotten a 3rd 40 yd reception
Jared Allen -- 2nd year RDE...had a big year as a rookie with 9 sacks...isn't a great athlete, but is a natural pass rusher...good instincts and great effort
Kendrell Bell -- is playing WLB in a 4-3 for the first time in the NFL...plays ILB when they go 3-4...shows moments of his former self, but I didn't see him make any special plays...still a good run defender
Derrick Johnson -- 1st Rd pick is starting and playing well...the real deal...good combo of size and speed...should be a star in the future...plays SLB
Kawika Mitchell -- the MLB...he's never impressed me...had a great showing at the Combine and was drafted earlier than he should have been back in 2003...got the MLB job due to injuries in the past...shows some ability, but is a marginal player...seems to do a good job of diagnosing plays...has a good burst...needs to get better depth on his pass drops...does not take on or shed blocks well
THE GAME
When Philadelphia has the ball...
Guess what...the Eagles are going to throw it. A lot. KC does not have a speedy defense. We'll spread them out and attack with the passing game. I'm not sure how they'll defend TO. Patrick Surtain is still a good man-to-man CB, but I don't know if they'll have him shadow Owens or not. There really isn't a defender who matches up well with Westbrook either. The Chiefs go against a great TE everday in practice so they might handle LJ Smith pretty well.
The LOS should be a draw. KC's DL has some talent, but isn't anything special. The Eagles OL is the better unit, but spends most of the game pass blocking.
The Chiefs will want to attack Donovan McNabb and try to knock him out of the game, but will they risk having Westy, Owens, Greg Lewis, and LJ running around single covered?
When KC has the ball...
The Eagles have the speed to shut down the Chiefs offense. The DBs can handle KC's WRs. Controlling Tony Gonzalez will be tough. Raiders TE Courtney Anderson had a big game last week and I'm sure the Chiefs will see that as a weakness. Jim Johson will most likely mix up his coverages to confuse Trent Green and Gonzalez. In the past, JJ used a big CB on Jeremy Shockey. It is possible that Matt Ware could see some time covering Tony.
The front seven has been fantastic this year at stopping the run (outside of Wk 1 when Trot was a spectator). However, this is easily the best OL they've seen. Things won't be so easy. If the OL gives Green some protection and Holmes some holes, the Chiefs could score a fair amount of points. We've always had trouble with Tiki Barber and Priest Holmes is a better version of Tiki. We need to penetrate and tackle well.
STs
This is the x-factor once again. Dante Hall is still one of the best return-men in the game. He can change a game very quickly.
Todd France will make his debut as the Eagles PK. The conditions at Arrowhead aren't bad so he should be okay in that sense. The only question then is how good is he. We'll find out on Sunday. His KO's will be critical. You don't want to give Dante Hall any help in getting a big return
The Chiefs kickers are young, but having solid years so far. Gary Stills is their best STs coverage player and he's very good.
INTANGIBLES
The Chiefs played on Monday night, but get a home game.
Arrowhead is one of the toughest places to play. The crowd is very loud. The Chiefs have a distinct home field advantage.
Denver CB Champ Bailey made some disparaging comments about the Chiefs effort on Monday night. That really bothered Vermeil. I'm sure he'll have his team really fired up on Sunday. Thanks for nothing, Champ.
Both teams have injury concerns.
http://boards.philadelphiaeagles.com/index.php?showtopic=288559
Kansas City Chiefs
2-1
Last week lost to DEN on MNF by a score of 30-10.
Don't read too much into that score. The Chiefs have really struggled at Denver recently:
2001: Denver 20, Chiefs 6
2002: Denver 31, Chiefs 24
2003: Denver 45, Chiefs 27
2004: Denver 34, Chiefs 24
OFFENSE
The Chiefs run a version of the offensive system the Rams use. Instead of stressing the quick, explosive WRs, KC focuses on running the ball and throwing to the TE.
They do a lot of pre-snap motion. Guys will line up all over the place and then shift. A WR might start at FB, then go into motion and get out wide. The FB will line up wide, then come in and get in his normal slot. The goal is to make the defense hesitant about their pre-snap reads and to buy an extra half second of confusion.
They like to bunch receivers. You will see the TE and 2 WRs bunched up close. The players release at the snap and it is tough for DBs and LBs to figure out who to cover based on where the guys run. Also, it creates a natural pick. The players will cross each other and the defenders have to stay back so they can follow their guy. This is done somewhat in the WCO, but the Chiefs do it more.
Priest Holmes likes to run wide, to the left and right. He likes to stretch out a defense and pick a hole to hit.
The passing attack is mostly downfield, but there are some quick throws. KC is a good screen team. They also do a lot of play action passing.
DEFENSE
The base defense is a 4-3, but they mix that up a lot. In the past, Gunther Cunningham has put a lot of pressure on the QB by blitzing and attacking. I studied the Broncos game and they couldn't do a lot of that because Denver is such a running team.
The defense will be aggressive at times. They will be creative. Last year they were very susceptible to play-action passes. Opponents had a rating of 128.7 on PA passes. Ouch.
LAST GAME
The Chiefs got thrashed by Denver 30-10.
The offense really struggled. They didn't score a TD until late in the game. They only put up 70 yds of offense until halfway through the 2nd Qtr. They finished the game with 285 yds and averaged a paltry 4.2 yds per play (PHI had 6.3 on Sunday).
Normally the Chiefs OL is outstanding. They played a sloppy game, especially RT Chris Bober and C Casey Wiegmann. Bober struggled with the stunts that Denver used. Wiegmann is normally one of the best centers in the NFL, but he got shoved backward a lot on Monday. One big problem has been the fact that LT Willie Roaf has been out with a bad hamstring. He didn't practice on Wed. and isn't likely to play at this point. That puts Jordan Black at LT. He's a young player with good upside, but is no Roaf.
The Broncos got a lead and KC was forced to get away from their running game. They were down 17-0 early in the 2nd Qtr. The Chiefs only ran the ball 7 times in the 2nd half. Denver got a lot of pressure on Trent Green. He was only sacked twice, but was hit a lot. The KC OL is made for run blocking, not pass blocking. They do both well, but aren't going to be their best when Green throws over 40 passes.
The defense played well at times, but gave up too many big or medium plays. The Broncos only converted on 25% of their 3rd down attempts. Unfortunately for Kansas City, that was just 2 of 8. No need to convert 3rd downs if you're moving down the field in big chunks. Denver had 5 different players catch a pass of at least 12 yds. Normally that wouldn't be so bad, but Jake Plummer only threw 18 passes. 3 different runners had runs of over 24 yds. I did think KC players tackled well in space. Jake Plummer was sacked once, but there wasn't consistent pressure on him.
The Chiefs may have gotten too cute for their own good. They normally are a 4-3 team. They started the game in a 3-4 set with rookies LBs Derrick Johnson and Kris Griffin on the outside. They used this set a few times. Even shifted to a Bear front one time (DL cover the G-C-G). I also saw them use a 5 man DL on at least one play.
There was bad luck also. Larry Johnson fumbled inside his own 10 yd line. Broncos WR Rod Smith caught a short TD after the fumble. He was wide open in part because 2 KC defenders ran into each other. Yikes. Also, the Chiefs blitzed on a run play and Denver got a 44 yd TD run. They came from the offenses left side and the run went to the right. Vermiel also said that a DT took the wrong gap. As the old saying goes, "Sometimes you get the bear, sometimes he gets you".
PERSONNEL NOTES
Trent Green -- good pocket passer...very productive...last 3 years he threw for over 12,000 yds and had a rating of above 92.6 each year...accurate...very good Play-action passer...
Priest Holmes -- still an elite RB...he made one sensational move vs DEN...was caught in the backfield and jumped backward and around a DL...turned a loss into a nice gain...good rcvr...great instincts
Tony Gonzalez -- the best TE in the NFL...lines up all over - at FB, WR, in tight, flexed out...great hands...big body...runs very well...target all over the field...tough for one guy to cover
Samie Parker -- small, but quick and fast...built like the Rams WRs...has the speed and big play ability that the Chiefs needed...only has 16 career catches, but 2 have gone for more than 40 yards...had a couple of drops the other night, including one where he was wide open and might have gotten a 3rd 40 yd reception
Jared Allen -- 2nd year RDE...had a big year as a rookie with 9 sacks...isn't a great athlete, but is a natural pass rusher...good instincts and great effort
Kendrell Bell -- is playing WLB in a 4-3 for the first time in the NFL...plays ILB when they go 3-4...shows moments of his former self, but I didn't see him make any special plays...still a good run defender
Derrick Johnson -- 1st Rd pick is starting and playing well...the real deal...good combo of size and speed...should be a star in the future...plays SLB
Kawika Mitchell -- the MLB...he's never impressed me...had a great showing at the Combine and was drafted earlier than he should have been back in 2003...got the MLB job due to injuries in the past...shows some ability, but is a marginal player...seems to do a good job of diagnosing plays...has a good burst...needs to get better depth on his pass drops...does not take on or shed blocks well
THE GAME
When Philadelphia has the ball...
Guess what...the Eagles are going to throw it. A lot. KC does not have a speedy defense. We'll spread them out and attack with the passing game. I'm not sure how they'll defend TO. Patrick Surtain is still a good man-to-man CB, but I don't know if they'll have him shadow Owens or not. There really isn't a defender who matches up well with Westbrook either. The Chiefs go against a great TE everday in practice so they might handle LJ Smith pretty well.
The LOS should be a draw. KC's DL has some talent, but isn't anything special. The Eagles OL is the better unit, but spends most of the game pass blocking.
The Chiefs will want to attack Donovan McNabb and try to knock him out of the game, but will they risk having Westy, Owens, Greg Lewis, and LJ running around single covered?
When KC has the ball...
The Eagles have the speed to shut down the Chiefs offense. The DBs can handle KC's WRs. Controlling Tony Gonzalez will be tough. Raiders TE Courtney Anderson had a big game last week and I'm sure the Chiefs will see that as a weakness. Jim Johson will most likely mix up his coverages to confuse Trent Green and Gonzalez. In the past, JJ used a big CB on Jeremy Shockey. It is possible that Matt Ware could see some time covering Tony.
The front seven has been fantastic this year at stopping the run (outside of Wk 1 when Trot was a spectator). However, this is easily the best OL they've seen. Things won't be so easy. If the OL gives Green some protection and Holmes some holes, the Chiefs could score a fair amount of points. We've always had trouble with Tiki Barber and Priest Holmes is a better version of Tiki. We need to penetrate and tackle well.
STs
This is the x-factor once again. Dante Hall is still one of the best return-men in the game. He can change a game very quickly.
Todd France will make his debut as the Eagles PK. The conditions at Arrowhead aren't bad so he should be okay in that sense. The only question then is how good is he. We'll find out on Sunday. His KO's will be critical. You don't want to give Dante Hall any help in getting a big return
The Chiefs kickers are young, but having solid years so far. Gary Stills is their best STs coverage player and he's very good.
INTANGIBLES
The Chiefs played on Monday night, but get a home game.
Arrowhead is one of the toughest places to play. The crowd is very loud. The Chiefs have a distinct home field advantage.
Denver CB Champ Bailey made some disparaging comments about the Chiefs effort on Monday night. That really bothered Vermeil. I'm sure he'll have his team really fired up on Sunday. Thanks for nothing, Champ.
Both teams have injury concerns.