Tribal Warfare
12-02-2009, 12:32 AM
Chiefs secondary has been exposed with big plays (http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/1605764.html)
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
Win or lose, the Chiefs have a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away. They know their defense has a hard time stopping big plays, and the bigger problem is that other teams have begun to notice, too.
And unless the Chiefs get it under control, opponents might spend the next five weeks picking on their increasingly worrisome secondary.
“We will get beat,” coach Todd Haley said this week, a day after San Diego ripped through the Chiefs defense in a 43-14 win.
The Chargers appeared to shape their offensive game plan with the notion of attacking the secondary in mind, and it worked — and kept working against a defense that has tried many options but can’t seem to get past its overmatched personnel and persistent injuries.
Before the Chiefs get to those final five contests in a season that seems as much about education as anything, they have at least learned that perhaps their top offseason need lies at safety.
Once thought to be one of the team’s few strengths entering 2009, that notion changed when strong safety Bernard Pollard was released because of attitude issues, free safety Jarrad Page was placed on injured reserve after a severe calf injury, second-year safety Maurice Leggett also suffered a season-ending injury, and veteran Mike Brown struggled to adapt to an increased role as the starting strong safety.
Now, the Chiefs have what they have, and the Chargers made it clear this past Sunday that the secret is out on Kansas City’s defensive deficiency.
“The big play was a killer for us,” Haley said. “Again.”
The Chiefs’ two previous opponents, Oakland and Pittsburgh, also were successful at long gains, but Kansas City survived those games by holding the Raiders and Steelers to intermediate yardage and limiting the huge holes that Haley’s staff has sunk so much time into repairing.
On Sunday, though, San Diego ran 63 offensive plays, and 10 went for gains of at least 15 yards. Three of those went for at least 20, including a 53-yard pass that Philip Rivers telegraphed to Malcom Floyd. That was the kill shot in a three-play drive that made it look easy to score.
Combined with Kansas City’s own mistakes — it committed four turnovers and looked hapless as San Diego added to what became a huge lead — the Chiefs didn’t seem to have a chance.
“On each and every one of those,” Haley said, “it was pretty clear to me in watching the tape that they were preventable with better technique, better understanding of what was going on.”
The other thing that has held back the Chiefs this season is an overall lack of speed on defense. Kansas City is one of the NFL’s slowest teams, and the team understands that the Chiefs aren’t likely to return to relevance until that fact is addressed. The team could pursue a free-agent safety during the offseason or wait and try its hand at one of the elite safeties, Tennessee’s Eric Berry or Southern California’s Taylor Mays, in April’s draft.
In the meantime, the Chiefs are stuck with what they have. And it’s not as if they haven’t spent this season looking for solutions. They haven’t yet discovered a long-term fix, and it has become clear that, until they do, teams will continue targeting the widening hole in Kansas City’s defense.
“The No. 1 thing is,” Haley said, “we cannot allow big plays. We cannot have that happen.”
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
Win or lose, the Chiefs have a problem that doesn’t seem to be going away. They know their defense has a hard time stopping big plays, and the bigger problem is that other teams have begun to notice, too.
And unless the Chiefs get it under control, opponents might spend the next five weeks picking on their increasingly worrisome secondary.
“We will get beat,” coach Todd Haley said this week, a day after San Diego ripped through the Chiefs defense in a 43-14 win.
The Chargers appeared to shape their offensive game plan with the notion of attacking the secondary in mind, and it worked — and kept working against a defense that has tried many options but can’t seem to get past its overmatched personnel and persistent injuries.
Before the Chiefs get to those final five contests in a season that seems as much about education as anything, they have at least learned that perhaps their top offseason need lies at safety.
Once thought to be one of the team’s few strengths entering 2009, that notion changed when strong safety Bernard Pollard was released because of attitude issues, free safety Jarrad Page was placed on injured reserve after a severe calf injury, second-year safety Maurice Leggett also suffered a season-ending injury, and veteran Mike Brown struggled to adapt to an increased role as the starting strong safety.
Now, the Chiefs have what they have, and the Chargers made it clear this past Sunday that the secret is out on Kansas City’s defensive deficiency.
“The big play was a killer for us,” Haley said. “Again.”
The Chiefs’ two previous opponents, Oakland and Pittsburgh, also were successful at long gains, but Kansas City survived those games by holding the Raiders and Steelers to intermediate yardage and limiting the huge holes that Haley’s staff has sunk so much time into repairing.
On Sunday, though, San Diego ran 63 offensive plays, and 10 went for gains of at least 15 yards. Three of those went for at least 20, including a 53-yard pass that Philip Rivers telegraphed to Malcom Floyd. That was the kill shot in a three-play drive that made it look easy to score.
Combined with Kansas City’s own mistakes — it committed four turnovers and looked hapless as San Diego added to what became a huge lead — the Chiefs didn’t seem to have a chance.
“On each and every one of those,” Haley said, “it was pretty clear to me in watching the tape that they were preventable with better technique, better understanding of what was going on.”
The other thing that has held back the Chiefs this season is an overall lack of speed on defense. Kansas City is one of the NFL’s slowest teams, and the team understands that the Chiefs aren’t likely to return to relevance until that fact is addressed. The team could pursue a free-agent safety during the offseason or wait and try its hand at one of the elite safeties, Tennessee’s Eric Berry or Southern California’s Taylor Mays, in April’s draft.
In the meantime, the Chiefs are stuck with what they have. And it’s not as if they haven’t spent this season looking for solutions. They haven’t yet discovered a long-term fix, and it has become clear that, until they do, teams will continue targeting the widening hole in Kansas City’s defense.
“The No. 1 thing is,” Haley said, “we cannot allow big plays. We cannot have that happen.”