tk13
11-14-2005, 02:24 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/13161105.htm
There are reasons Green has lost his golden touch
By JOE POSNANSKI
The Kansas City Star
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — In the moments after this dud, Chiefs quarterback Trent Green either would not or could not say what went wrong. The Chiefs scored three points Sunday. Three measly points. The most prolific offense of the George W. Bush era never once drove within 15 yards of the Buffalo end zone.
Green had three interceptions, one fumble and was sacked six times, a losing lottery ticket in every state. The offense played its worst game since a meaningless mud-bowl game in Oakland back at the end of the wasted 2002 season.
“I’m confused,” Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez said Sunday.
“I don’t know what it is,” Chiefs running back Tony Richardson said.
“Nope,” Chiefs running back Larry Johnson said. That’s all he said, in fact.
There was so much bewilderment and embarrassment after this 14-3 loss to Buffalo that even guard Brian Waters, one of the best guys in the NFL, did not want to talk. Heck, after this one, nobody knew what to say.
The focus of this fiasco was Green, who played his worst game with the Chiefs. Nothing went right for Green. He was harassed, sacked, baited and knocked down hard when an old teammate, London Fletcher, took a cheap shot after an interception. He had passes dropped. His timing was off. He tried to force one pass into triple coverage.
And there’s no hiding it: After three fairly golden seasons, Green is having a troubling year. He has thrown seven touchdown passes all season to go with six interceptions. He is not throwing the ball downfield. He is taking a beating. He has lost critical fumbles three weeks in a row. The Chiefs’ offense, for the first time in a long while, looks ordinary.
After Sunday’s game, Green either would not or could not say what’s happening.
“I’ll let you guys figure that out,” he said. “I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus.”
Well, we were never very good at guessing games, but heck, we’ll give it a try. For three years, 2002 to 2004, Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders designed an offense that perfectly matched Trent Green’s talents. The Chiefs scored more points than any team in the NFL over that span, and they did it without a star wide receiver, without a breakaway running back, without a deep passing game.
So, how did they score so many points? Well, Priest Holmes was Superman. The Chiefs’ offensive line played better than any unit in the NFL. Tony Gonzalez gave Green a big target to hit on third down and around the goal line.
More than anything, the Chiefs’ offense played to Green’s strengths. He’s as smart and prepared as any quarterback in the NFL. Given time, he will find open receivers. He does not give up on plays. These are the things he does well. In an offense that protected him and gave him numerous options, Green played at a Pro Bowl level.
This year, of course, things are different.
1. Left tackle Willie Roaf, a future Hall of Famer, has played in only three full games. The Chiefs are simply not a very good offensive team without Roaf. They weren’t particularly good the year before he arrived, and they are averaging fewer than 19 points per game when he doesn’t start this year.
Without Roaf, the Chiefs have played a shell game with that offensive line, moving Jordan Black here, sliding John Welbourn there, and it hasn’t fooled anyone. Green has been sacked nine times the last two weeks. He has been hit many more times than that.
2. Priest Holmes is gone. I know everybody loves Larry Johnson’s talent, and I do, too. He’s bigger, faster, stronger. He ran for 132 yards on Sunday, he caught five passes, he chased down Buffalo’s Jeff Posey from way behind after a fumble. It was a terrific play.
He also whiffed on a blitzing linebacker, dropped a pass late, missed a big hole on a pitch play and ran for just 32 yards in 11 carries in the second half. I’m not picking on him — the guy put up great numbers again — but people do forget just how good Priest Holmes has been for this team. He was the team’s leading receiver, he blocked effectively, he scored touchdowns at a record rate, he picked up first downs, he set up his blocks like nobody else, and he seemed to make big plays whenever the Chiefs needed them. He was All-World.
That’s not so easily replaced.
3. The Chiefs’ wide-receiver problem suddenly looks glaring. It’s true that the Chiefs’ high-scoring offense has not counted much on wide receivers — they have not had a wide receiver catch more than 62 passes in the Vermeil era. But this year, it’s clear that defenses flood the middle, go after the quarterback and dare the Chiefs to throw deep.
The Chiefs have failed. Eddie Kennison has had his moments, but no No. 2 receiver has emerged. Green has thrown four touchdown passes to wide receivers, and three of those came late, when the game had already been decided.
Throw all those things together, and you can see why Trent Green has struggled so much. The offense no longer seems designed for him. They are not protecting him. They are not giving him choices. And suddenly his limitations — he’s not elusive, he does not have an overwhelming arm, he does not throw a great deep ball — are on display.
So what now? Well, this is the NFL, and things change quickly. If the Chiefs could win next week at Houston and score a bunch of points, everyone will feel good again. But make no mistake: This Buffalo game wasn’t just another loss. This was one of those games that can make players ask that grave question: “Are we any good?”
The answer to that question, the Magic 8 Ball would say, is “Hazy. Try again.”
There are reasons Green has lost his golden touch
By JOE POSNANSKI
The Kansas City Star
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — In the moments after this dud, Chiefs quarterback Trent Green either would not or could not say what went wrong. The Chiefs scored three points Sunday. Three measly points. The most prolific offense of the George W. Bush era never once drove within 15 yards of the Buffalo end zone.
Green had three interceptions, one fumble and was sacked six times, a losing lottery ticket in every state. The offense played its worst game since a meaningless mud-bowl game in Oakland back at the end of the wasted 2002 season.
“I’m confused,” Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez said Sunday.
“I don’t know what it is,” Chiefs running back Tony Richardson said.
“Nope,” Chiefs running back Larry Johnson said. That’s all he said, in fact.
There was so much bewilderment and embarrassment after this 14-3 loss to Buffalo that even guard Brian Waters, one of the best guys in the NFL, did not want to talk. Heck, after this one, nobody knew what to say.
The focus of this fiasco was Green, who played his worst game with the Chiefs. Nothing went right for Green. He was harassed, sacked, baited and knocked down hard when an old teammate, London Fletcher, took a cheap shot after an interception. He had passes dropped. His timing was off. He tried to force one pass into triple coverage.
And there’s no hiding it: After three fairly golden seasons, Green is having a troubling year. He has thrown seven touchdown passes all season to go with six interceptions. He is not throwing the ball downfield. He is taking a beating. He has lost critical fumbles three weeks in a row. The Chiefs’ offense, for the first time in a long while, looks ordinary.
After Sunday’s game, Green either would not or could not say what’s happening.
“I’ll let you guys figure that out,” he said. “I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus.”
Well, we were never very good at guessing games, but heck, we’ll give it a try. For three years, 2002 to 2004, Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders designed an offense that perfectly matched Trent Green’s talents. The Chiefs scored more points than any team in the NFL over that span, and they did it without a star wide receiver, without a breakaway running back, without a deep passing game.
So, how did they score so many points? Well, Priest Holmes was Superman. The Chiefs’ offensive line played better than any unit in the NFL. Tony Gonzalez gave Green a big target to hit on third down and around the goal line.
More than anything, the Chiefs’ offense played to Green’s strengths. He’s as smart and prepared as any quarterback in the NFL. Given time, he will find open receivers. He does not give up on plays. These are the things he does well. In an offense that protected him and gave him numerous options, Green played at a Pro Bowl level.
This year, of course, things are different.
1. Left tackle Willie Roaf, a future Hall of Famer, has played in only three full games. The Chiefs are simply not a very good offensive team without Roaf. They weren’t particularly good the year before he arrived, and they are averaging fewer than 19 points per game when he doesn’t start this year.
Without Roaf, the Chiefs have played a shell game with that offensive line, moving Jordan Black here, sliding John Welbourn there, and it hasn’t fooled anyone. Green has been sacked nine times the last two weeks. He has been hit many more times than that.
2. Priest Holmes is gone. I know everybody loves Larry Johnson’s talent, and I do, too. He’s bigger, faster, stronger. He ran for 132 yards on Sunday, he caught five passes, he chased down Buffalo’s Jeff Posey from way behind after a fumble. It was a terrific play.
He also whiffed on a blitzing linebacker, dropped a pass late, missed a big hole on a pitch play and ran for just 32 yards in 11 carries in the second half. I’m not picking on him — the guy put up great numbers again — but people do forget just how good Priest Holmes has been for this team. He was the team’s leading receiver, he blocked effectively, he scored touchdowns at a record rate, he picked up first downs, he set up his blocks like nobody else, and he seemed to make big plays whenever the Chiefs needed them. He was All-World.
That’s not so easily replaced.
3. The Chiefs’ wide-receiver problem suddenly looks glaring. It’s true that the Chiefs’ high-scoring offense has not counted much on wide receivers — they have not had a wide receiver catch more than 62 passes in the Vermeil era. But this year, it’s clear that defenses flood the middle, go after the quarterback and dare the Chiefs to throw deep.
The Chiefs have failed. Eddie Kennison has had his moments, but no No. 2 receiver has emerged. Green has thrown four touchdown passes to wide receivers, and three of those came late, when the game had already been decided.
Throw all those things together, and you can see why Trent Green has struggled so much. The offense no longer seems designed for him. They are not protecting him. They are not giving him choices. And suddenly his limitations — he’s not elusive, he does not have an overwhelming arm, he does not throw a great deep ball — are on display.
So what now? Well, this is the NFL, and things change quickly. If the Chiefs could win next week at Houston and score a bunch of points, everyone will feel good again. But make no mistake: This Buffalo game wasn’t just another loss. This was one of those games that can make players ask that grave question: “Are we any good?”
The answer to that question, the Magic 8 Ball would say, is “Hazy. Try again.”