Saunders vs. Cameron

[tk13]

I've heard all this talk about how Cam Cameron should be a HC prospect and yadda yadda, he knows how to use a RB, knows how to use Gates. Great up and coming coach, while people forget about or flat out diss Al Saunders. I think Al deserves some credit for keeping things very balanced over the last few weeks in this stretch run, while still giving LJ a ton of touches, probably too many. Biggest game of the season for both teams, and this is how it turned out.

Tomlinson/Gates: 22 touches

L. Johnson/Gonzalez: 41 touches


Chargers
20 runs - 34 passes

Chiefs
37 runs - 35 passes

Given those numbers, no surprise who won this game.

[Logical]

I am not that suprised we held Tomlison down today. He relies on his moves and is not really a straight ahead type runner. Their line also is not really adept at a straight ahead style needed in the mud. Finally, falling behind like that would kill any teams balance.

[Frankie]

Good post, tk13. Though brace for a lot of attacks (for the "probably too many" comment) from LJ's new fair weather fans who think he is god while they wanted to flush him down the toilet a year and a half ago.

[tk13]

I am not that suprised we held Tomlison down today. He relies on his moves and is not really a straight ahead type runner. Their line also is not really adept at a straight ahead style needed in the mud. Finally, falling behind like that would kill any teams balance.
Yeah, there's no doubt that the weather conditions hampered the offense today. But that works both ways. The difference was we put the ball in the hands of our playmakers, and they didn't. That's because Al called a much better game. They could've found ways to get Tomlinson the ball. We ran those sweep plays to 1) get SD's defenders moving laterally on that awful turf and 2) get LJ running out on the outside where the turf was much better.

LJ only averaged like 4 yards a carry today, but we kept giving it to him, and we got back to throwing those little checkdowns that we didn't do at all last week. One of them turned into a touchdown.

[FringeNC]

Neither teams' receivers could catch the ball, and neither QB could plant his feet very well off the dropback. I think this is a bad game to draw generalities with.

I think AS is one of the best, if not the best OC in the league, and Cameron is in the top 5.

[htismaqe]

Good post, tk13. Though brace for a lot of attacks (for the "probably too many" comment) from LJ's new fair weather fans who think he is god while they wanted to flush him down the toilet a year and a half ago.

List of "LJ's new fair weather fans who think he is god while they wanted to flush him down the toilet a year and a half ago":

1) AL SAUNDERS

[sedated]

we need a defensive coach, not a sh!tty O-coordinator that is riding the coatails of a great RB.

[Frankie]

we need a defensive coach, not a sh!tty O-coordinator that is riding the coatails of a great RB.
Saunders was a great O-coordinator BEFORE we had LJ. Your statement is STUPID.

[Frankie]

List of "LJ's new fair weather fans who think he is god while they wanted to flush him down the toilet a year and a half ago":

1) AL SAUNDERS
Did he tell you that himself?

[htismaqe]

Did he tell you that himself?

So that's what you're down to? Playing the "how would you know, you weren't there" card?

[Eleazar]

I am not that suprised we held Tomlison down today. He relies on his moves and is not really a straight ahead type runner. Their line also is not really adept at a straight ahead style needed in the mud. Finally, falling behind like that would kill any teams balance.

The Chiefs generally have done a good job with him, esp at Arrowhead, from what I can remember.

[Frankie]

So that's what you're down to? Playing the "how would you know, you weren't there" card?No. But we know that Saunders had some initial reservations about drafting LJ. Maybe he thought our offensive system was set at RB with Priest and Blaylock and we needed WRs with the draft pick. Maybe he had reservations about LJ's attitude and or whether his running style was a good fit for our system. He wasn't alone. A lot of experts had LJ going anywhere between the mid-1st to mid-2nd. Maybe, just maybe there were some questions about him. Today's effort notwithstanding, I have pointed out some attitude clues that IMO are still exhibited by LJ. I may very well be proven wrong in the long run, but as it is now I dread having to lose a great offensive coach with a long resume in the NFL and HC experience on LJ's account and then have LJ leave the Chiefs at the altar come contract time. I think Saunders is offensively Vermeil without the baggage that DV has. Namely the blind loyalty and his inattention to defense. I think continuing our offensive philosophy is an absolute must while our new HC gives the 'D' more immediate respect than DV did. I have no reason to believe Saunders would have those drawbacks. He strikes me as pretty intelligent and logical when I listen to him. Like I said I had a bad feeling when the Chiefs let WR Joe Horn slip away, and I have it now that it seems the Chiefs are letting coach Al Saunders slip. All you Saunders bashers, and even Gun bashers, should realize that both coordinators operate under the HC's rules and limitations. How they do on their own can be different.

[htismaqe]

No. But we know that Saunders had some initial reservations about drafting LJ. Maybe he thought our offensive system was set at RB with Priest and Blaylock and we needed WRs with the draft pick. Maybe he had reservations about LJ's attitude and or whether his running style was a good fit for our system. He wasn't alone. A lot of experts had LJ going anywhere between the mid-1st to mid-2nd. Maybe, just maybe there were some questions about him. Today's effort notwithstanding, I have pointed out some attitude clues that IMO are still exhibited by LJ. I may very well be proven wrong in the long run, but as it is now I dread having to lose a great offensive coach with a long resume in the NFL and HC experience on LJ's account and then have LJ leave the Chiefs at the altar come contract time. I think Saunders is offensively Vermeil without the baggage that DV has. Namely the blind loyalty and his inattention to defense. I think continuing our offensive philosophy is an absolute must while our new HC gives the 'D' more immediate respect than DV did. I have no reason to believe Saunders would have those drawbacks. He strikes me as pretty intelligent and logical when I listen to him. Like I said I had a bad feeling when the Chiefs let WR Joe Horn slip away, and I have it now that it seems the Chiefs are letting coach Al Saunders slip. All you Saunders bashers, and even Gun bashers, should realize that both coordinators operate under the HC's rules and limitations. How they do on their own can be different.

So in other words, all you've got is this stupid idea that Larry dogs it at the end of games.

Every major media outlet reported it, and even Larry and DV talked about it (without mentioning names).

There was open animosity at 1 Arrowhead between Saunders and Johnson.

Just one more example of Saunders' inability to put aside personal bias and do what's best for the team.