Hammock Parties
10-14-2005, 07:40 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/football/nfl/kansas_city_chiefs/12896859.htm
Chiefs’ joyride sputters
Offense seeks boost from Roaf
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
For those who consider themselves mere mortals, the early-season trends would hardly be reason for concern.
For the Chiefs, who expect to be so much more, the offensive numbers are mildly alarming. They are 18th in passing, 13th in scoring, 11th in yardage, middle class in most every respect.
The Chiefs knew their offensive joyride had to end sometime. You might quickly conclude that their four-game pedestrian output is the first sign of such a decline, but that may be premature.
“It’s way too early to say there are chinks in that armor,” ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth said. “All you can really go on is that first game of the season when they manhandled the Jets. That’s more of an indication of this offense because that’s when Willie Roaf played. A lot of what’s happening out there is due to the fact they’ve had a busted-up offensive line. That would happen to any team, and you have to take that into account.”
Sunday’s game against Washington at Arrowhead Stadium might be the best gauge yet of the Kansas City offense. Washington will bring the NFL’s fifth-rated defense, the highest the Chiefs have seen this season.
But Roaf, the Chiefs’ All-Pro left tackle, will play for the first time since the first quarter of the season opener. The Chiefs have blamed his absence for everything from their offensive malaise to the high price of gas.
So getting him back will provide a confidence boost, if nothing else.
“He adds confidence to everybody in that group,” coach Dick Vermeil said. “He adds confidence in game-planning. We’re going to try to benefit from his return.
“Because of concerns we had with pass protection, we didn’t go downfield much with the ball. We didn’t work the tight end down the field as much as we normally do because that takes time. It makes a big difference. It makes a big difference in the confidence of the signal-caller.”
The Chiefs are counting on Roaf to do more than lift morale. They will lean on him to improve faulty pass protection that left quarterback Trent Green battered and bruised after the last two games.
“He allows you to block one defender without assistance,” offensive coordinator Al Saunders said.
“He can handle Dwight Freeney (of Indianapolis) and guys like that, some of the great pass rushers. With Willie back, we can help out the other offensive tackle if we choose to do that.”
Roaf’s absence had a ripple effect on many facets of the offense. Green faced greater pressure, so the Chiefs protected him with extra blockers.
That goes against everything Saunders believes in, but he felt a need to do it to reduce the beating his quarterback was taking.
“For the last three years, that’s been a major part of our ability to be flexible in the passing game,” Saunders said. “You’d like to have five receivers out on every pass you call. Every time you keep in one more eligible receiver, you lessen the ability to take advantage of the defense. That puts more pressure on your individual receivers to be better than the defensive players that are covering them. The numbers aren’t in our favor. They’re in the defense’s favor.”
Tight end Tony Gonzalez has been affected more than anyone else. Gonzalez has been used as a pass blocker more frequently and often ran shorter, quicker routes without Roaf. He has 16 catches, an acceptable number. But he has no touchdowns and a ridiculously low 8.1-yard-per-catch average.
“Not having Willie Roaf was affecting them in a lot of areas,” Schlereth said. “It affects their ability to run the ball and control the clock when they need to. It affects their pass protection. They’ve had to change their protection because he’s been out. Tony Gonzalez has to stay in and block more.
“They’ll make offensive strides this week. You’ll see Tony Gonzalez become Tony Gonzalez again. You’ll see him control the middle of the field and open things up for them on the outside.”
Listen to such talk and it’s easy to conclude that Roaf, and not Green or Priest Holmes, is the Chiefs’ most valuable player. Roaf chuckled at this notion but could see from his sideline view that something wasn’t right with the offense.
“It hasn’t looked the same,” he said. “It hasn’t been the same. I don’t think it’s all because I haven’t been there. Maybe some of it. We went out to Oakland and played a big game without me and beat them out there, and that’s tough to do.
“Take Willie Roaf out of the equation. You’ve still got Trent Green and you’ve still got Tony Gonzalez, you’ve still got Priest Holmes, you’ve still got Larry Johnson, you’ve still got two Pro Bowlers on the offensive line, you’ve still got Eddie Kennison. You’ve still got a football team. We can be effective when Willie Roaf is out.”
For short bursts, they were. The Chiefs scored on their first three possessions two weeks ago against Philadelphia.
They didn’t get another offensive touchdown until the final moments after the Eagles had built an insurmountable lead.
“We haven’t been able to establish a No. 2 receiver,” Roaf said. “They talk about Johnnie Morton and he didn’t do whatever. Well, he came to play every week, and he played hard. We haven’t been able to find a guy to do that, and that’s hurting us. Eddie Kennison is having another outstanding year, but we need somebody else to step up and be consistent.”
That job is Samie Parker’s. In his first year as a starter, Parker got off to a quick start but has done little but drop passes since.
Dropped passes. Spotty pass protection. Inconsistent play from Green. An inability to shake Gonzalez loose.
They’re all problems but even taken together probably aren’t symptoms of a downhill slide.
“You start to wonder about that when guys can’t separate from coverage, if Gonzalez can’t get away from a safety anymore or can’t make the big catch over the middle,” Schlereth said.
“You start to wonder if Eddie Kennison can’t break one-on-one coverage or if Priest Holmes doesn’t have that extra burst, if Trent Green is slow in his drops and slow in his reactions. If you see those things, then I think you can say, ‘This doesn’t look good.’ I don’t see those things right now.”
Losing ground
For the first four games, the Chiefs’ points and rushing numbers are down compared with the last few seasons. The passing game may be poised to get on track, though.
Chiefs’ joyride sputters
Offense seeks boost from Roaf
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
For those who consider themselves mere mortals, the early-season trends would hardly be reason for concern.
For the Chiefs, who expect to be so much more, the offensive numbers are mildly alarming. They are 18th in passing, 13th in scoring, 11th in yardage, middle class in most every respect.
The Chiefs knew their offensive joyride had to end sometime. You might quickly conclude that their four-game pedestrian output is the first sign of such a decline, but that may be premature.
“It’s way too early to say there are chinks in that armor,” ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth said. “All you can really go on is that first game of the season when they manhandled the Jets. That’s more of an indication of this offense because that’s when Willie Roaf played. A lot of what’s happening out there is due to the fact they’ve had a busted-up offensive line. That would happen to any team, and you have to take that into account.”
Sunday’s game against Washington at Arrowhead Stadium might be the best gauge yet of the Kansas City offense. Washington will bring the NFL’s fifth-rated defense, the highest the Chiefs have seen this season.
But Roaf, the Chiefs’ All-Pro left tackle, will play for the first time since the first quarter of the season opener. The Chiefs have blamed his absence for everything from their offensive malaise to the high price of gas.
So getting him back will provide a confidence boost, if nothing else.
“He adds confidence to everybody in that group,” coach Dick Vermeil said. “He adds confidence in game-planning. We’re going to try to benefit from his return.
“Because of concerns we had with pass protection, we didn’t go downfield much with the ball. We didn’t work the tight end down the field as much as we normally do because that takes time. It makes a big difference. It makes a big difference in the confidence of the signal-caller.”
The Chiefs are counting on Roaf to do more than lift morale. They will lean on him to improve faulty pass protection that left quarterback Trent Green battered and bruised after the last two games.
“He allows you to block one defender without assistance,” offensive coordinator Al Saunders said.
“He can handle Dwight Freeney (of Indianapolis) and guys like that, some of the great pass rushers. With Willie back, we can help out the other offensive tackle if we choose to do that.”
Roaf’s absence had a ripple effect on many facets of the offense. Green faced greater pressure, so the Chiefs protected him with extra blockers.
That goes against everything Saunders believes in, but he felt a need to do it to reduce the beating his quarterback was taking.
“For the last three years, that’s been a major part of our ability to be flexible in the passing game,” Saunders said. “You’d like to have five receivers out on every pass you call. Every time you keep in one more eligible receiver, you lessen the ability to take advantage of the defense. That puts more pressure on your individual receivers to be better than the defensive players that are covering them. The numbers aren’t in our favor. They’re in the defense’s favor.”
Tight end Tony Gonzalez has been affected more than anyone else. Gonzalez has been used as a pass blocker more frequently and often ran shorter, quicker routes without Roaf. He has 16 catches, an acceptable number. But he has no touchdowns and a ridiculously low 8.1-yard-per-catch average.
“Not having Willie Roaf was affecting them in a lot of areas,” Schlereth said. “It affects their ability to run the ball and control the clock when they need to. It affects their pass protection. They’ve had to change their protection because he’s been out. Tony Gonzalez has to stay in and block more.
“They’ll make offensive strides this week. You’ll see Tony Gonzalez become Tony Gonzalez again. You’ll see him control the middle of the field and open things up for them on the outside.”
Listen to such talk and it’s easy to conclude that Roaf, and not Green or Priest Holmes, is the Chiefs’ most valuable player. Roaf chuckled at this notion but could see from his sideline view that something wasn’t right with the offense.
“It hasn’t looked the same,” he said. “It hasn’t been the same. I don’t think it’s all because I haven’t been there. Maybe some of it. We went out to Oakland and played a big game without me and beat them out there, and that’s tough to do.
“Take Willie Roaf out of the equation. You’ve still got Trent Green and you’ve still got Tony Gonzalez, you’ve still got Priest Holmes, you’ve still got Larry Johnson, you’ve still got two Pro Bowlers on the offensive line, you’ve still got Eddie Kennison. You’ve still got a football team. We can be effective when Willie Roaf is out.”
For short bursts, they were. The Chiefs scored on their first three possessions two weeks ago against Philadelphia.
They didn’t get another offensive touchdown until the final moments after the Eagles had built an insurmountable lead.
“We haven’t been able to establish a No. 2 receiver,” Roaf said. “They talk about Johnnie Morton and he didn’t do whatever. Well, he came to play every week, and he played hard. We haven’t been able to find a guy to do that, and that’s hurting us. Eddie Kennison is having another outstanding year, but we need somebody else to step up and be consistent.”
That job is Samie Parker’s. In his first year as a starter, Parker got off to a quick start but has done little but drop passes since.
Dropped passes. Spotty pass protection. Inconsistent play from Green. An inability to shake Gonzalez loose.
They’re all problems but even taken together probably aren’t symptoms of a downhill slide.
“You start to wonder about that when guys can’t separate from coverage, if Gonzalez can’t get away from a safety anymore or can’t make the big catch over the middle,” Schlereth said.
“You start to wonder if Eddie Kennison can’t break one-on-one coverage or if Priest Holmes doesn’t have that extra burst, if Trent Green is slow in his drops and slow in his reactions. If you see those things, then I think you can say, ‘This doesn’t look good.’ I don’t see those things right now.”
Losing ground
For the first four games, the Chiefs’ points and rushing numbers are down compared with the last few seasons. The passing game may be poised to get on track, though.