Chiefnj2
01-10-2014, 06:26 PM
3 notes made by Gregg Easterbrook of ESPN. The 1st and 3rd are about Andy Reid, the 2nd is about funny timekeeping going on during the game.
Sour Play of the Week: A team that loses a 28-point second-half lead must have been mighty sour. Kansas City ahead 44-38 with 4:29 remaining, the Colts reached first-and-10 on their 36 and lined up trips with T.Y. Hilton in the middle across from safety Kendrick Lewis, a four-year Chiefs starter. To that juncture in the contest, Hilton had 12 receptions for 160 yards -- you'd think he would be drawing Kansas City's attention. Yet when Hilton ran a go pattern, Lewis simply stood there like a piece of topiary, making no attempt to cover him. No one from the Kansas City secondary even attempted to run with the guy who already had 160 yards receiving -- and was about to catch the game-winning pass.
That's seriously sour. But the Kansas City collapse could as easily be blamed on a coaching decision. Game tied at 7 early, Kansas City reached third-and-goal on the Colts' 1. The Chiefs used a simplistic power dive play -- no misdirection -- and were stuffed. Now it's fourth-and-goal from the 1. Andy Reid sent in the kicking unit, leaving four points on the field, in a contest Kansas City ultimately would lose by one point.
Reid has a history of doing the "safe" thing then losing. Last season when he was Eagles' head coach, Philadelphia was trailing 2-8 Carolina at home on "Monday Night Football." The Eagles faced fourth-and-2 in Carolina territory and, at 3-7, had nothing to lose. Reid sent in the kicking unit to loud and well-deserved boos. You don't need to know anything else about the contest.
It's fourth-and-goal on the 1 in the playoffs on a day the Kansas City offense would gain 513 yards. One single yard here might have meant the team's first postseason victory in two decades. Instead Reid did the "safe" thing, and in football tactics, the "safe" thing usually is dangerous.
>>>>>>
Adventures in Timekeeping: Timekeepers are supplied by the home team; they are supposed to be neutral, and to be supervised by the officials. Fourth quarter at Indianapolis, the Colts were desperate for time for their comeback. At 14:08, a Colts runner went out of bounds for a first down. The clock should have restarted almost immediately, but did not restart until 2 seconds before the Indianapolis snap, at 14:06 -- this saved the Colts around 15 seconds. At 5:46, Colts still desperate for time, a Kansas City runner went out of bounds, and again the clock should have restarted almost immediately but did not. The clock only began to run as the Chiefs were starting their cadence, so the next play started at 5:40, again saving the home team around 15 seconds.
Several years ago, the out-of-bounds rule was changed such that the ball carrier going out of bounds only stops the clock in the final two minutes of the first half or final five minutes of the second half. Otherwise, "Whenever a runner goes out of bounds on a play from scrimmage, the game clock is started when an official spots the ball at the inbounds spot, and the Referee gives the signal to start the game clock." This usually doesn't take long. On both the above plays, the game clock should have restarted much sooner than it did. Officials didn't notice, nor did any of the 23 coaches of the Kansas City Chiefs.
It turned out the game was decided on Kansas City's fourth-and-11 at the two-minute warning, so the clock favoritism to the home team, which saved the Colts about 30 seconds in the fourth quarter, did not determine the outcome. If it had, this week there would be huge controversy regarding an NFL blunder. Unless the Chiefs had converted that fourth down, and it turned out the extra 30 seconds gave the visitors time to win!
>>>>>>Single Worst Play of the Season -- So Far: Kansas City led 38-10 in the third quarter, staged an epic collapse, but remained very much in position for victory at the two-minute warning, facing fourth-and-11 on the Colts 43, needing a field goal to win. Alex Smith brought the Chiefs to the line and must have thought it was Christmas morning. Indianapolis had come out in a nine-man front with Cover 1, every quarterback's dream defense to throw deep against. On the outside left, 6-foot-2 receiver Dwayne Bowe was single-covered by 5-11 corner Vontae Davis, who was playing injured. Your columnist said aloud (I have several witnesses), "Kansas City should snap fast before the Colts call time out." And then Andy Reid called time out.
His team facing the ideal front to throw against, Reid called time. After the time out, he shifted Bowe from the left to the right; it didn't matter, because Indianapolis took advantage of the time out to change defensive fronts. Incompletion, and Kansas City's epic collapse goes into sports lore.
With four starters out injured by the second half, including star Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs were in a tenuous position despite their 28-point lead. But Kansas City was hardly blameless in collapsing. From the point at which Kansas City led 38-10, Reid called 23 passing plays and 10 rushes. Six of the passes fell incomplete, stopping the clock and preserving time for the Colts' comeback. True, both Charles and his backup were out injured by the late third quarter. But the Chiefs have a third-string back and also have Dexter McCluster, a college tailback. They could have carried out clock-grinding tactics.
Reid's second-half passing calls did result in some first downs. But they not only stopped the clock for Indianapolis, they kept Indianapolis alive psychologically. Seeing Smith constantly heave-ho the ball into the air helped Indianapolis think a collapse could happen.
Coaches have good games and bad games just as players do. Andy Reid, you are guilty of the single worst game-day performance of the year -- so far.
Sour Play of the Week: A team that loses a 28-point second-half lead must have been mighty sour. Kansas City ahead 44-38 with 4:29 remaining, the Colts reached first-and-10 on their 36 and lined up trips with T.Y. Hilton in the middle across from safety Kendrick Lewis, a four-year Chiefs starter. To that juncture in the contest, Hilton had 12 receptions for 160 yards -- you'd think he would be drawing Kansas City's attention. Yet when Hilton ran a go pattern, Lewis simply stood there like a piece of topiary, making no attempt to cover him. No one from the Kansas City secondary even attempted to run with the guy who already had 160 yards receiving -- and was about to catch the game-winning pass.
That's seriously sour. But the Kansas City collapse could as easily be blamed on a coaching decision. Game tied at 7 early, Kansas City reached third-and-goal on the Colts' 1. The Chiefs used a simplistic power dive play -- no misdirection -- and were stuffed. Now it's fourth-and-goal from the 1. Andy Reid sent in the kicking unit, leaving four points on the field, in a contest Kansas City ultimately would lose by one point.
Reid has a history of doing the "safe" thing then losing. Last season when he was Eagles' head coach, Philadelphia was trailing 2-8 Carolina at home on "Monday Night Football." The Eagles faced fourth-and-2 in Carolina territory and, at 3-7, had nothing to lose. Reid sent in the kicking unit to loud and well-deserved boos. You don't need to know anything else about the contest.
It's fourth-and-goal on the 1 in the playoffs on a day the Kansas City offense would gain 513 yards. One single yard here might have meant the team's first postseason victory in two decades. Instead Reid did the "safe" thing, and in football tactics, the "safe" thing usually is dangerous.
>>>>>>
Adventures in Timekeeping: Timekeepers are supplied by the home team; they are supposed to be neutral, and to be supervised by the officials. Fourth quarter at Indianapolis, the Colts were desperate for time for their comeback. At 14:08, a Colts runner went out of bounds for a first down. The clock should have restarted almost immediately, but did not restart until 2 seconds before the Indianapolis snap, at 14:06 -- this saved the Colts around 15 seconds. At 5:46, Colts still desperate for time, a Kansas City runner went out of bounds, and again the clock should have restarted almost immediately but did not. The clock only began to run as the Chiefs were starting their cadence, so the next play started at 5:40, again saving the home team around 15 seconds.
Several years ago, the out-of-bounds rule was changed such that the ball carrier going out of bounds only stops the clock in the final two minutes of the first half or final five minutes of the second half. Otherwise, "Whenever a runner goes out of bounds on a play from scrimmage, the game clock is started when an official spots the ball at the inbounds spot, and the Referee gives the signal to start the game clock." This usually doesn't take long. On both the above plays, the game clock should have restarted much sooner than it did. Officials didn't notice, nor did any of the 23 coaches of the Kansas City Chiefs.
It turned out the game was decided on Kansas City's fourth-and-11 at the two-minute warning, so the clock favoritism to the home team, which saved the Colts about 30 seconds in the fourth quarter, did not determine the outcome. If it had, this week there would be huge controversy regarding an NFL blunder. Unless the Chiefs had converted that fourth down, and it turned out the extra 30 seconds gave the visitors time to win!
>>>>>>Single Worst Play of the Season -- So Far: Kansas City led 38-10 in the third quarter, staged an epic collapse, but remained very much in position for victory at the two-minute warning, facing fourth-and-11 on the Colts 43, needing a field goal to win. Alex Smith brought the Chiefs to the line and must have thought it was Christmas morning. Indianapolis had come out in a nine-man front with Cover 1, every quarterback's dream defense to throw deep against. On the outside left, 6-foot-2 receiver Dwayne Bowe was single-covered by 5-11 corner Vontae Davis, who was playing injured. Your columnist said aloud (I have several witnesses), "Kansas City should snap fast before the Colts call time out." And then Andy Reid called time out.
His team facing the ideal front to throw against, Reid called time. After the time out, he shifted Bowe from the left to the right; it didn't matter, because Indianapolis took advantage of the time out to change defensive fronts. Incompletion, and Kansas City's epic collapse goes into sports lore.
With four starters out injured by the second half, including star Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs were in a tenuous position despite their 28-point lead. But Kansas City was hardly blameless in collapsing. From the point at which Kansas City led 38-10, Reid called 23 passing plays and 10 rushes. Six of the passes fell incomplete, stopping the clock and preserving time for the Colts' comeback. True, both Charles and his backup were out injured by the late third quarter. But the Chiefs have a third-string back and also have Dexter McCluster, a college tailback. They could have carried out clock-grinding tactics.
Reid's second-half passing calls did result in some first downs. But they not only stopped the clock for Indianapolis, they kept Indianapolis alive psychologically. Seeing Smith constantly heave-ho the ball into the air helped Indianapolis think a collapse could happen.
Coaches have good games and bad games just as players do. Andy Reid, you are guilty of the single worst game-day performance of the year -- so far.