Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo sounds off on challenges without Chris Jones
 

Good read, didn't want it to get lost in the "Chris Jones mega thread......o:-)

Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo sounds off on challenges without Chris Jones
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo admitted that the team will need some time to figure out a plan without Chris Jones.

Aug 28, 2023 at 8:43 AM CDT
Chiefs, Chris Jones, Steve Spagnuolo
What do the Kansas City Chiefs do if Chris Jones continues his holdout? Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has had to ask that question for a while now but an answer will be due soon. Their season opener against the Detroit Lions is now less than two weeks away.

Jones has been second only to Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs' most valuable player in recent memory. The anchor to the defense and one of the very best players on his side of the ball, the 29-year-old lineman wants to be paid like one. He and the franchise have yet to strike a deal.

Spagnuolo admitted that the Chiefs will need some time to figure out a plan without Jones, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN. He said that continuity is key but that this year's team may not have that luxury without one of the keystones in the trenches and four-time Pro Bowler.

For the inside story on the 7 players banned from the NFL, listen below:

“You’re always looking for continuity and continuity comes with reps and being around each other and together,” Spagnuolo said, via ESPN. “We haven’t had that. [There are] a lot of moving pieces right now…Sometimes it takes the first quarter of the season to figure out who you are and what you have. Along the way you hope you’re winning games but it might take us a little while to figure all of that out.”

Jones recently teased that he would return for the Chiefs in Week 8. Exacerbating the Chiefs' concerns over what they would have to do without Jones is the fact that Charles Omenihu, a defensive lineman they signed in free agency, will be suspended for the first six games of the season.

By the point of Jones' alleged return, the Chiefs will have already faced a high-powered Lions offense; Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars; Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets; Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings; and Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chiefs will be leaning more heavily on 2022 first-round pick George Karlaftis and 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah to pressure quarterbacks until Chris Jones is back in the lineup.

Link:https://clutchpoints.com/chiefs-news...topic%2Fsports

False, that would be Kelce.

Thanks for not burying this in a mega thread. Megathreads suck

I like Steve and Chris. I hope they can reconcile.

Without CJ the defense probably isn't going to play at a top-10 level. It might not even be a top-15 unit.

I don’t think it’s obvious the Chiefs are a top-10 defense even with CJ. They barely were in DVOA down the stretch last year when he was playing at a high level.

Without him I definitely think it’s a below average defense.

Last season the defense finished around 11th overall, iirc. With 5 rookies starting/playing significant snaps. So there was an assumption by many league analysts that they would probably break into the top-10 this season, with the consideration that most of the key starters would be returning.

Personally, I was looking forward to seeing how early they'd gel this season, and had high hopes for a unit that placed in the top-10, maybe even the top-7.

Without Jones, who accounted for 25% of the QB pressures on his own, and is the only DL that demands a double-team, I'm now concerned that our DL won't be able t consistently generate anything close to the same kind of pressure, which is a problem, considering that Spags' defense is predicated on generating pressure from the DL.

We'll be fine , Spags loves blitz packages sending LBs,Safetys and corners

We have this great young secondary but without our best player in the front 7 its hard to see how they can improve on last season.

That first quarter/half of the season is gonna be rough while the DLine figures it out.

If Jones is stupid enough to sit until week 8, we're gonna have to blitz like krazy... serious boom or bust defense

Chiefs wouldn't have a pass rush wortha shit. The def would be in the 20's.

Andy needs to take the approach on offense that the Chiefs will need to score 30+ to win... especially during the first six games without Omenihu.

Going for it more aggressively on 4th downs... whatever it takes.

In 2018 the defense was dog shit (with Jones), and a first-year Mahomes was one Dee Ford away from going to the Super Bowl anyway.

When Tyreek left, it forced Mahomes to be more patient, more surgical, and to spread the ball around more.

If Jones leaves, it just might weaken the defense enough that Reid and Mahomes have to go nuclear more often. Can Mahomes do that without Hill? I say yes, until it's proven he can't.

^ gonna have to gamble a lil bit, no way around it

Mahomes will break every record of significance if we have a shitty D this year. I almost don’t care if Jones comes back.

The good thing is that's the easy stretch of our schedule.

If not signing Chris means being able to keep our young badass linebackers I'd be alright with it.

Besides, if you lose an elite player like Jones you weaken in that position but can put those resources towards building another area of strength.

Isn’t it concerning that we’re this far into the current leadership’s tenure that the absence of a single player potentially tanks the entire defense?

Your welcome!

Um, no. The "easy" part of the schedule is the last 9 games, not the first 8. 3 playoff teams, vs. 5.

Oh brother here we go :facepalm:

LMAO

My guess is that Jones skips week 1 game and Chiefs get destroyed. Veech meets CJ’s demands in order to save the season

You think we are going to get "destroyed" in week 1?

This is possibly the best outcome to this mess.

YUCK

Are you on drugs?

Meeting CJ's number just because of a one-game experience is perhaps the least likely and least desirable outcome.

Imo, before everything, we need CJ on the field. He's the most important player on the defense, probably at the very least the third most important player on the team.

Without him out there, at minimum 25% of the pass rush disappears (could be more) , which immediately impacts how effective opposing offenses will be vs. KC. That means fewer 3-and-outs, longer drives, more scoring opportunities, for all those opposing offenses.

Indirectly, it means fewer drives, fewer offensive snaps and scoring opportunities for the Chiefs offense.


So, I ask you: just how perfect does Mahomes have to be if he has to score as many or more points than last season, but with only 7 or 8 or 9 drives per game?

I guess, the question really is, how much do we care about winning another SB this season? If it really matters, then we want CJ back on the field ASAP. Which means getting him signed.


EDIT: forgot to answer the first question. No, I'm not on drugs.

You're missing the point. The idea that Veach would get flustered enough after losing a single game to cave to a number he didn't feel comfortable meeting before is absolutely ludicrous and it's the hallmark of a poorly run organization. The Chiefs are not that.

Remember, I'm the one who told you in another thread that this was a below average defense minus CJ when you were fantasizing about their being in the middle of the pack. I completely understand how important CJ is -- I just dispute the idea that a loss against the Lions should completely change how the front office operates. That's just idiotic.

Oh, that.


I don't really care about how many games it takes. If it's one, great. But whether it's 2,3, or 5 I don't really care about that part. Just get him back on the field was my overriding point.



Ftr, I don't believe there's much chance of DET 'destroying' us, or whatever.

Until proven he can’t? Lol wow.

I have a solution. Trade Shane Buechele for Nick Bosa and seven first rounders

I think you might be on to something there.

If Spags pulls this one off without Jones possibly, he will have 4 rings as a DC. That's gotta be GOAT territory for a DC

https://i.imgur.com/KJqFm1A.jpg

We're not going to get destroyed. Good gods y'all. Is it possible we lose? Sure. But we're not going to get destroyed.

Why "wow"? So far, there has been nothing that Mahomes is incapable of as a QB, except for being a shitty QB.

Actually, he even did that once, for a whole half!

There's nothing he can't do!