[Lightrise]

Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic

Nooooo, our players are definitely not 3-4 players. And if you are confused by that, please refer to the last 2 Patriots drives.

Ragland and Hitchens are so damn slow, as is Houston. We have two linebackers with speed, Ford and DOD, and one linebacker who looks like he is running in claymation, in Speaks. Ford is a very good pass rusher, but he is bad against the run.

3-4 linebackers need to be able to run to the ball, or their spot in pass coverage, or actually cover a RB or TE out of the backfield. Also 3-4 linebackers need to avoid engaging with offensive linemen in order to be able to run to the ball.

Not only are our linebackers slow, but they have a very bad habit of stepping up directly into the offensive linemen allowing themselves to be easily blocked. It's one of the main reasons we cannot stop the run.

Another reason this defense struggled against the run is Bob Sutton's inability to actually put 3 defensive linemen on the field at the same time. No matter how physical a linebacker is, offensive linemen firing out when run blocking usually win that battle at least 80% of the time.

I believe with our current personnel, a 4-3 would put them in much better situations, where they have a chance to be successful. I have said it a thousand times, as many others on CP have, but Bob Sutton's worst attribute as a DC was his inability to adapt his scheme to fit the players on this roster.

In my mind there is absolutely no acceptable reason to have Speaks or Houston trying to cover RBs and TEs one on one in down field pass coverage. In fact, I don't think Houston or Speaks should even be dropping back in zone more than 5 yards from the LOS. This season, neither Speaks nor Houston had a positive outcome in passing situations farther than 5 yards from the LOS.

Whoever we get, and whatever scheme he runs, if the only adjustment he make is not asking players to do things they are physically incapable of doing, it will be an improvement.

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That is the cold hard truth here. As I look at the league and what we will have to face, which is some version of what Andy delivered offensively this season, the Chiefs have to return to their roots. That means a fabulous secondary and an attitude that causes fumbles. How this happens is an open question. I don't see it happening with an aging Berry or Houston, nor the linebackers you just mentioned. This problem needs ANOTHER 2 years to be fixed, unfortunately. The plan has to continue to be scoring 40 points a game and we have to tackle the secondary first. This means a Safety in the first round, a CB and Edge rusher in the second round, a linebacker in the 3rd rounder, a player trade that gets us into the 3rd again for a RB. Delay extending Jones until next year. Our needs suggest the DC needs to be Ryan.