Tribal Warfare
09-22-2009, 03:05 AM
Chiefs put strange mix of receivers on field at end of Raiders game (http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/1461139.html)
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs were down to their final attempt to rescue Sunday’s game from the Oakland Raiders when Matt Cassel dropped back to pass. A quick scan of the field told Cassel that among his receiving options were a seventh-round draft pick playing in his first NFL game and a running back who wasn’t deemed valuable enough by his coaches to suit up for the previous week’s game in Baltimore.
So it’s little wonder Cassel’s fourth-down pass went incomplete, securing the Chiefs’ 13-10 loss — their third straight against Oakland at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs had an idea when they traded Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez last spring they were leaving their group of receivers short on experience and ability.
They couldn’t have known that on the biggest offensive play of a game the Chiefs desperately needed to win, Cassel would be throwing to — among others — rookie tight end Jake O’Connell and the running back, Dantrell Savage. Cassel’s pass went toward O’Connell, who couldn’t make the catch.
Cassel’s other receivers on the play were Dwayne Bowe, Mark Bradley and Bobby Wade. Normally Wade would have been an odd choice to put on the field in such a situation given the fact he joined the Chiefs only last week. But he quickly developed into Cassel’s favorite receiver with six catches against the Raiders.
Coach Todd Haley was unavailable Monday to explain the curious mix of receivers the Chiefs used and whether they would go with that combination when they spread the field in this Sunday’s game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
Haley and the Chiefs don’t have a deep reservoir of receivers to draw from. But among those who weren’t available to Cassel on the play in question were the Chiefs’ two fastest offensive players, rookie wide receiver Quinten Lawrence and running back Jamaal Charles.
Lawrence hasn’t mastered the playbook and dropped plenty of passes during training camp. While he is clearly not ready for a major role, on one play he could have given the Raiders a deep threat to consider.
Charles was inactive against the Raiders, in effect trading places with Savage, who didn’t play in Baltimore. Charles said Monday that the coaches haven’t told him why he didn’t play against Oakland.
“I still don’t even know,” he said.
Against the Raiders, Savage replaced Charles as running back in obvious passing situations. He was one of the busiest Chiefs against Oakland, catching six passes for 43 yards and rushing three times for 26 yards.
He did a nice job at times. He made a couple of Oakland defenders miss in the open field on a screen pass in the fourth quarter.
He also dropped a pass on the Chiefs’ initial third-down play of the game and heard about it from Haley on returning to the sideline. He was the receiver on the infamous pass on the last play of the first half and couldn’t get out of bounds, costing the Chiefs a chance at a field goal.
Savage is more reliable than Charles, who has frequently fumbled. But he doesn’t have Charles’ game-breaking speed and at only 182 pounds can be easier to bring down by opposing defenders.
Also on the sideline for the Chiefs were Bobby Engram and his 648 career catches and running back Larry Johnson. Engram is 36 but has shown the knack for finding seams in coverage. The Chiefs take Johnson out of the game in most obvious passing situations because he’s a liability as a pass blocker and merely adequate as a receiver.
McNabb might play
Eagles coach Andy Reid told reporters in Philadelphia that quarterback Donovan McNabb has a chance to play against the Chiefs. McNabb sat out Sunday’s loss to New Orleans because of a broken rib.
Reid said Kevin Kolb and not Michael Vick would start at quarterback if McNabb doesn’t play. Kolb started against the Saints and passed for 391 yards.
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs were down to their final attempt to rescue Sunday’s game from the Oakland Raiders when Matt Cassel dropped back to pass. A quick scan of the field told Cassel that among his receiving options were a seventh-round draft pick playing in his first NFL game and a running back who wasn’t deemed valuable enough by his coaches to suit up for the previous week’s game in Baltimore.
So it’s little wonder Cassel’s fourth-down pass went incomplete, securing the Chiefs’ 13-10 loss — their third straight against Oakland at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs had an idea when they traded Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez last spring they were leaving their group of receivers short on experience and ability.
They couldn’t have known that on the biggest offensive play of a game the Chiefs desperately needed to win, Cassel would be throwing to — among others — rookie tight end Jake O’Connell and the running back, Dantrell Savage. Cassel’s pass went toward O’Connell, who couldn’t make the catch.
Cassel’s other receivers on the play were Dwayne Bowe, Mark Bradley and Bobby Wade. Normally Wade would have been an odd choice to put on the field in such a situation given the fact he joined the Chiefs only last week. But he quickly developed into Cassel’s favorite receiver with six catches against the Raiders.
Coach Todd Haley was unavailable Monday to explain the curious mix of receivers the Chiefs used and whether they would go with that combination when they spread the field in this Sunday’s game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.
Haley and the Chiefs don’t have a deep reservoir of receivers to draw from. But among those who weren’t available to Cassel on the play in question were the Chiefs’ two fastest offensive players, rookie wide receiver Quinten Lawrence and running back Jamaal Charles.
Lawrence hasn’t mastered the playbook and dropped plenty of passes during training camp. While he is clearly not ready for a major role, on one play he could have given the Raiders a deep threat to consider.
Charles was inactive against the Raiders, in effect trading places with Savage, who didn’t play in Baltimore. Charles said Monday that the coaches haven’t told him why he didn’t play against Oakland.
“I still don’t even know,” he said.
Against the Raiders, Savage replaced Charles as running back in obvious passing situations. He was one of the busiest Chiefs against Oakland, catching six passes for 43 yards and rushing three times for 26 yards.
He did a nice job at times. He made a couple of Oakland defenders miss in the open field on a screen pass in the fourth quarter.
He also dropped a pass on the Chiefs’ initial third-down play of the game and heard about it from Haley on returning to the sideline. He was the receiver on the infamous pass on the last play of the first half and couldn’t get out of bounds, costing the Chiefs a chance at a field goal.
Savage is more reliable than Charles, who has frequently fumbled. But he doesn’t have Charles’ game-breaking speed and at only 182 pounds can be easier to bring down by opposing defenders.
Also on the sideline for the Chiefs were Bobby Engram and his 648 career catches and running back Larry Johnson. Engram is 36 but has shown the knack for finding seams in coverage. The Chiefs take Johnson out of the game in most obvious passing situations because he’s a liability as a pass blocker and merely adequate as a receiver.
McNabb might play
Eagles coach Andy Reid told reporters in Philadelphia that quarterback Donovan McNabb has a chance to play against the Chiefs. McNabb sat out Sunday’s loss to New Orleans because of a broken rib.
Reid said Kevin Kolb and not Michael Vick would start at quarterback if McNabb doesn’t play. Kolb started against the Saints and passed for 391 yards.