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Wow, I'm surprised no one has seen what I have seen this year! The Chiefs defense has been playing well, especially on Sunday, UNTIL the 4th Quarter! They were tied with Denver, and then gave up 14 points to Carolina in the 4th. This SCREAMS to me, Conditioning! Vermeil complained that it wasn't hot enough in WI this training camp, and it's come back to bite them in ass. First, they're in the thin air of Denver, then the heat and humidity of KC. Conditioning has been more of a factor than anything else on the defensive side of the ball, IMO.
As far as the offensive side of the ball, John Welbourne has been a major disappointment, and the offensive line hasn't been nearly as consistent as the past 2 years. Welbourne's penalties and bad play has not allowed the offense to get into a rhythm. At times, Al Saunders hasn't called a smart game either, which is a little surprising. But the offense will get better, as the will the defense.
My biggest concern this offseason is now a reality, and it's not the offense or the defense - it's the special teams, especially Vermeil's decision to go with Tynes. Yes, Tynes has a much stronger leg than Anderson and has been putting the ball in the endzone on kickoffs. But my primary concern with the decision of Tynes is that it would change the Chiefs offense and their philosophy, which it clearly has! Instead of going for it on 4th and 1 or 4th and 2, Vermeil instead trots out his shiny, brand new, strong legged kicker for a long field goal. In the past, the offense would have gone for it and made it, thus scoring more points, staying on the field longer and wearing out the opponents defense. This year, he sends out the kicker (who missed), therefore giving the opponent the short field, an easier chance to score and more time to wear out the Chiefs defense.
A little change in philosophy, a little more conditioning and more time with the new systems will go a long way for this team. I envisioned them as only 2-2 to start the season and still think they will win 10+ games.
Remember, the most important stretch of the season is the last 6 games, where 5 of those 6 are AFC West opponents. I believe, contrary to last year, this team will be better at the end of the year, as opposed to no improvement.
Dane
~Not panicked
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