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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.

Bowser
09-29-2005, 04:10 PM
Excellent analysis.

Having Willie Roaf out of our starting O-Line has been discussed ad naseum, but it is a major concern. The Eagles have as good of a defense as we'll see this year, and Roaf not being in there will be huge.

I'm not concerned about Owens, really. He'll get his catches, yards, and probably a TD or two. The key to holding down the Eagles, imo, is getting into McNabb's face and stopping Westbrook. Not an easy thing to do.

We are going to lean on Dante giving us good field position, and I don't like having to rely on that. I would feel better knowing we could walk up and down the field at will, but after last week, I'm nervous about the O.

This is going to be a great game. Close score, too. The winner should win by no more than a touchdown.

Bwana
09-29-2005, 04:22 PM
Good Read

tk13
09-29-2005, 04:29 PM
Pretty good stuff. We did not pick up blitzes very well the other night. That's my biggest concern, since you guys live off the blitz. It's gonna be a great chess match, I'm really concerned that our guys aren't going to keep up. Our tackles are going to have to pick up your DE's, which is gonna be tough... and our RB's need to pick up the blitz. I thought Larry Johnson had some real trouble with that the other night. I'd expect Jim Johnson to exploit that when he's in the game.

Rain Man
09-29-2005, 05:29 PM
Sounds pretty reasonable to me, except Dick Vermeil would argue that Samie Parker only had one drop. He's the only one who believes that, though.

siberian khatru
09-29-2005, 05:30 PM
This is way better than Rain Man's thre --- oh, hey Kevin!

rcloud02
09-29-2005, 06:27 PM
It boils down to this. If the chiefs run well this weekend and out run the eagles. We will win. End Of story.

OldTownChief
09-29-2005, 06:29 PM
It boils down to this. If the chiefs run well this weekend and out run the eagles. We will win. End Of story.

But we would have to score more points also. :shrug:

Chiefs Pantalones
09-29-2005, 06:38 PM
But we would have to score more points also. :shrug:

That's overrated.

Chiefs Pantalones
09-29-2005, 06:44 PM
IMO, this is a bigger test than the Denver game. The Eagles are better on offense and defense. It should be a bigger AND better test. Hopefully we are up for this one.

Braincase
09-29-2005, 06:54 PM
Nice. Respect for objectivity.

CosmicPal
09-29-2005, 07:06 PM
Damn impressive!

Is this the guy who stole LJ's playbook out of his vehicle? :hmmm:

He left out one thing- the opposing team's locker room is painted pink.

J/K...Nice work. He's welcome here anytime....

PastorMikH
09-29-2005, 07:06 PM
Wow! I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say after a post like that from an opposing team's fan posting on our BB. I'm used to donkey fans acting like, well, donkeys. Oakland fans acting similar. I'm not sure how to handle an opposing fan who acts civilized.

:shrug:

Welcome to the BB! And nice analysis!


:)

Chiefsrocker
09-29-2005, 07:10 PM
:toast: :clap: I like that analysis

OldTownChief
09-29-2005, 07:12 PM
Wow! I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say after a post like that from an opposing team's fan posting on our BB. I'm used to donkey fans acting like, well, donkeys. Oakland fans acting similar. I'm not sure how to handle an opposing fan who acts civilized.

:shrug:

Welcome to the BB! And nice analysis!


:)

But Taco doesn't know the first thing about the game of football and its obvious this guy does.

and I agree, this thread was well worth the time to read.

NewChief
09-29-2005, 07:15 PM
Very nice analysis. He's covered pretty much all the bases, though he didn't mention Larry Johnson, I don't think.

Oh. He forget one intangible, too.

We have Rich Scanlon.

jidar
09-29-2005, 07:25 PM
Damned good post.

Gonna be a tough game and not one I'd want to put my paycheck on.

the Talking Can
09-29-2005, 07:34 PM
that's an excellent and fair assessment....better than any of the media around here could produce...

imho, the Eagles are built to exploit our weaknesses right now, and TO doesn't loaf like Moss so he will humiliate and destroy McCleon..

unless our OL pulls it heads out of their ass and learns how to pick up a blitz I think we lose again and pray everyone is healthy after the break....guess I'm still shell shocked from the Denver game

the Talking Can
09-29-2005, 07:44 PM
.. and our RB's need to pick up the blitz. I thought Larry Johnson had some real trouble with that the other night. I'd expect Jim Johnson to exploit that when he's in the game.

it didn't get mentioned much, but LJ was terrible picking up the blitz...frankly, he looked half-hearted..that will get Trent killed and you know DV and AS will take note...I bet we see a lot more Priest in this game

AeroSquid
09-29-2005, 07:46 PM
"Thanks for nothing, Champ. " << haha nice. rest of the article was well thought out too, informative and concise. B+ possibly A :)

tk13
09-29-2005, 07:51 PM
it didn't get mentioned much, but LJ was terrible picking up the blitz...frankly, he looked half-hearted..that will get Trent killed and you know DV and AS will take note...I bet we see a lot more Priest in this game
I mentioned it after the game and got whacked as an "LJ hater", which I'm not, and he wasn't completely useless back there but with the way our tackles were revolving doors our RB is the last line from getting Trent killed. He stands so straight up when he does things, he doesn't always move laterally very well.

kc-nd
09-29-2005, 08:05 PM
We'll be okay as long as our offensive tackles don't start holding to stop the pass rush, and as long as our cornerbacks don't start holding to make sure that the receiver doesn't catch a pass.

Halfcan
09-29-2005, 08:32 PM
Here is my analysis,

When Chiefs have the ball, we kick ass, and TO pouts on the sideline.

When the Eagles have the ball, we kick ass, and TO pouts in the huddle.

Cheifs offense has a break through game. Defense dominates at home again. TO pouts to the media about,(Enter topic) happened and he got no respect and is still underpaid.

Chiefs 31 Eagle 24

Deberg_1990
09-29-2005, 08:42 PM
"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"



Great analysis of our team in general. Fair and balanced and without any built in biases. Great writeup! He was dead-on with Kawika. Pretty much sums up my feelings about the guy as well.

OldTownChief
09-29-2005, 08:46 PM
Great analysis of our team in general. Fair and balanced and without any built in biases. Great writeup! He was dead-on with Kawika. Pretty much sums up my feelings about the guy as well.


Great analysis of the analysis.

Halfcan
09-29-2005, 08:53 PM
I liked mine better-that would be my analysis of the game analsis.

philfree
09-29-2005, 09:36 PM
"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"



Great analysis of our team in general. Fair and balanced and without any built in biases. Great writeup! He was dead-on with Kawika. Pretty much sums up my feelings about the guy as well.

Mitchell played pretty good the 1st two games this season but he regressed at Denver. And IMO he's not dead on at all when he talks about his pass drops. Mitchell has been playing the pass pretty well and he almost had a INT in Denver. I do agree that Mitchell has been a marginal player but if he bounces back and returns to his form of the 1st two games he'll be a good player. Still a work in progress no doubt.

PhilFree:arrow:

tommykat
09-29-2005, 09:41 PM
Mitchell played pretty good the 1st two games this season but he regressed at Denver. And IMO he's not dead on at all when he talks about his pass drops. Mitchell has been playing the pass pretty well and he almost had a INT in Denver. I do agree that Mitchell has been a marginal player but if he bounces back and returns to his form of the 1st two games he'll be a good player. Still a work in progress no doubt.

PhilFree:arrow:

Yeah what he said.............ROFL Off to bed on that note. Wait, not that I meant what PhilFree said is/was wrong, just didn't want to think that hard..;)

philfree
09-29-2005, 09:45 PM
Yeah what he said.............ROFL Off to bed on that note. Wait, not that I meant what PhilFree said is/was wrong, just didn't want to think that hard..;)

Nice sig and may you have sweet dreams.


PhilFree:arrow:

listopencil
09-30-2005, 12:28 AM
http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/5263/week34in.jpg

Fix your sig, the Shit Sucking Pillow Biters are 2-0 in the division and currently hold the lead.

kregger
09-30-2005, 12:28 AM
[QUOTE=Bowser]Excellent analysis.





We are going to lean on Dante giving us good field position, and I don't like having to rely on that. I would feel better knowing we could walk up and down the field at will, but after last week, I'm nervous about the O.

Penalties, penalties, penalties !! We could of had decent field positon at least 3 times, but NOOOOOOO. That crap has to stop or this will be a home game that could be lost.