Chiefs What were your impressions of the game? - Page 10

htismaqe · 10-05-2009, 08:24 AM

The game wasn't on in my market yesterday and radio coverage was spotty all day, so I only heard portions of the game.

Who played well? Who didn't? Were there any surprises?

For example, it sounded to me like maybe Big Irish at RT was what most of us expected - a little better at run blocking, a little worse at pass blocking.

Give me your take.

KCUnited · 10-05-2009, 04:39 PM

Listening to Christy and Cowgirl on the way home and they had Bill Maas on and it was obvious to me that they were fishing for something negative out of him. Starting questions off with, 'I don't want to look too much into things or make something out of nothing, BUT...."

**morphius** · 10-05-2009, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Not only is it boring and redundant, it's absolutely, unequivocally useless. All of the talk, all of the analysis has absolutely no bearing on anything. Ultimately only the games and their outcomes mean anything; the rest of the bullshit is just fluff.

Much like this board. And yet I keep posting. Year after year.

*shoots self in head*

My favorite part of the shows are the callers, sometimes I think we have a few idiots around here, but the guys who call in, wow! I think Dane's head might explode.

keg in kc · 10-05-2009, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrRyan

Cassel's accuracy is a bit of a growing concern. I can't remember who he missed in the endzone, but the WR had a good two and a half steps on the DB and the ball was greatly underthrown.

That was Ingram, of all people.

Saccopoo · 10-05-2009, 05:33 PM

My impressions:

Offense:
1. Offensive Line:
- The addition of O'Callaghan at RT helped. I thought he held the point of attack quite well, and looked like he has decent feet. Give him a little more time in the system and he might be a serviceable to good RT for the Chiefs. Unfortunately, the Giants linebackers were able to penetrate between the tackles at will. Niswanger was simply manhandled (and I've kinda been on his bandwagon, giving him the benefit of the doubt, but at this point it's becoming obvious that he isn't able to get out and up of his stance quick enough and is getting pushed back far too easily. This could be mitigated somewhat if we had guards agile enough to pull and cover over, but neither Goff nor Waters is capable at this point in their careers. Waters is looking extremely slow right now, and I think that's hurting Albert, who is also struggling, especially in pass protection. His feet seem to be stuck in mud and he's not able to get his man out and up the field, although it appears that a lot of the pressure from that side of the line is coming in the gap between Waters and Albert. Anyway, the three interior guys were just abused yesterday. The line gave up five sacks and it could have been worse. I know that everyone around here is in love with Eric Berry, but if this situation doesn't improve, Russ Okung will be the Chiefs first round pick.

2. Running Backs
- I'm just not sure Larry gets this. At times, he looks okay, then it seems like he closes his eyes as soon as he gets the ball and just tentatively goes forward regardless, then there are times when he thinks he's Priest and tries to set up the run, but doesn't have the quickness to take advantage of any type of lateral/moving horizontally against the line waiting for a hole to open up. He can't block at all. Period. And he's almost zero threat in the passing game. Because he doesn't have much if any initial burst, but once he gets past the first level (D-Line) he looks okay. Problem is, with the sieve-like performance of the guards and center, he isn't getting the ability to get to that second level of the defense. I think I'd rather see a two-headed skat back Charles/Battle rb group than Larry at this point, because of the lack of performance on the interior offensive line which isn't letting Larry develop that head of steam. There were a lot of one back sets with Larry, but I don't know if that's a good idea at this point. I think you've got to keep Cox back there as much as possible in order to protect Cassel.

3. Tight Ends:
- I'm hoping Pope is able to get into this system quickly. Ryan had a few grabs, and made a real nice catch and run, but he makes far too many mistakes. If Pope doesn't get it, this team is going to have to bite the bullet and spend a high draft pick on a good tight end (Gresham, Pitta, Gronkowski) and give Cassel a reliable safety valve in the passing game. Or maybe Vrabel can play ironman football for the rest of the season.

4. Wide Receivers
- Cassel had arguably his worst day as a Chief yesterday in terms of his accuracy, but if you are a wide receiver, you have to make any and every catch that's close to you to help your qb out. While they didn't really get the time to separate, these guys, especially Bowe, need to start getting a little more physical running routes and sealing their guys off. This is a tough position to call as Matt just didn't have any time to set himself in the pocket and have a receiver run a full route. Bobby Wade looked good again the few times the ball was thrown to him. The guy can at least catch the ball. Engram had a reception for a first down as well. Eric Decker anyone? (Chiefs need a sure handed, physical, smart #2 possession receiver to take pressure off Bowe and let Wade play the slot.)

5. Quarterback
- No one would have criticized Matt Cassel if he pulled a Sanchez and threw the ball up for grabs while curling up into a fetal position. Sacked five times and there was the opportunity for a lot more. Matt has a very good feel for the pocket and has the athleticism to get out and run for his life when called for. He didn't pass the ball well against the Giants in terms of accuracy/velocity, but since he was basically being pressured on every single down, it's really hard to point the finger in his direction. Two touchdown passes and no interceptions against the #2 ranked defense. Could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse. He stood in the pocket (if you could call it that) and never panicked. You could see a bit of frustration on his face from time to time in this game though.

Defense:
1. Defensive Line
- Eh...Tank didn't look as good today as he did the past couple of games, but the line is making good solid tackles when the get their hands on the runner. It's the most noticeably improved area over last years team.

2. Linebackers
- Hands down, Mike Vrabel is a stud. And a scrapper. The guy is amazingly instinctive, and knows where the ball is on about every single play. Too bad our middle linebackers don't. Huge area of concern in that they just can't seem to find the ball. Belcher looks the part, but he's a rook and still isn't getting a huge amount of playing time. Hali looked okay with a sack and strip. (Read somewhere that in the three and change seasons he's been here, he's now third all time on the Chiefs forced fumble list behind DT and Neil Smith. Not too shabby.) Vrabel got jobbed several times when the Giants lineman flatout held him. Chiefs aren't getting many calls so far this year. They've completely ignored the MLB/ILB position in the draft since Percy Snow. It's time to get somebody who knows how to play football and is a football player in the middle. McCain, Pawelek or Spikes early, or Pat Angerer later.

3. Safeties
- If Mike Brown had some quicks left, he'd be pretty good. I just don't know how much he's got left in those banged up, football old legs of his. Page got absolutely jobbed on a unnecessary roughness call when he broke up a pass play with a text book hit on the receiver. One of the worst calls I've seen this year, which led to a Giants touchdown on the next play. You want to say that no one call effects the outcome of a game, but that was a momentum changer for sure. It looks like the Chiefs could use another safety. Berry early or Stuckey a couple rounds later.

4. Cornerbacks
- Flowers is a stud. Carr had an excellent game. (The breakup of the pass in the end zone was a really great play.) If you look at the box and see Steve Smith's numbers, you would have thought that he absolutely owned our corners, but the vast majority of his yardage came over the middle in zone coverage. If Flowers can stay healthy the rest of the year and keep Leggett off the field, we'll be okay at this position.

Special Teams:
- If Colquitt isn't in the Pro Bowl I'll be shocked. Kid is really, really good. And, tragically, he has to be. Succop has a really good leg, and is putting the kickoffs into the end zone. Coverage looked a lot better this game. However, we need a dedicated PR/KR on this team - fourth running back, fifth receiver whose sole job is to run back punts and kicks. CJ Spiller is going to be too expensive in the draft, but a guy like Brandon James of Florida or would be a nice addition to this team.

10-05-2009, 08:24 AM
htismaqe 'Tis my eye! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Chiefsplanet Casino cash: $8129900	What were your impressions of the game? The game wasn't on in my market yesterday and radio coverage was spotty all day, so I only heard portions of the game. Who played well? Who didn't? Were there any surprises? For example, it sounded to me like maybe Big Irish at RT was what most of us expected - a little better at run blocking, a little worse at pass blocking. Give me your take.
Posts: 104,379

10-05-2009, 04:39 PM	#136
KCUnited Cheat Death Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Land of Drincoln Casino cash: $-1591756	Listening to Christy and Cowgirl on the way home and they had Bill Maas on and it was obvious to me that they were fishing for something negative out of him. Starting questions off with, 'I don't want to look too much into things or make something out of nothing, BUT...."
Posts: 36,990

10-05-2009, 05:33 PM	#139
Saccopoo Kindness in words... Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Zion Casino cash: $10025483	My impressions: Offense: 1. Offensive Line: - The addition of O'Callaghan at RT helped. I thought he held the point of attack quite well, and looked like he has decent feet. Give him a little more time in the system and he might be a serviceable to good RT for the Chiefs. Unfortunately, the Giants linebackers were able to penetrate between the tackles at will. Niswanger was simply manhandled (and I've kinda been on his bandwagon, giving him the benefit of the doubt, but at this point it's becoming obvious that he isn't able to get out and up of his stance quick enough and is getting pushed back far too easily. This could be mitigated somewhat if we had guards agile enough to pull and cover over, but neither Goff nor Waters is capable at this point in their careers. Waters is looking extremely slow right now, and I think that's hurting Albert, who is also struggling, especially in pass protection. His feet seem to be stuck in mud and he's not able to get his man out and up the field, although it appears that a lot of the pressure from that side of the line is coming in the gap between Waters and Albert. Anyway, the three interior guys were just abused yesterday. The line gave up five sacks and it could have been worse. I know that everyone around here is in love with Eric Berry, but if this situation doesn't improve, Russ Okung will be the Chiefs first round pick. 2. Running Backs - I'm just not sure Larry gets this. At times, he looks okay, then it seems like he closes his eyes as soon as he gets the ball and just tentatively goes forward regardless, then there are times when he thinks he's Priest and tries to set up the run, but doesn't have the quickness to take advantage of any type of lateral/moving horizontally against the line waiting for a hole to open up. He can't block at all. Period. And he's almost zero threat in the passing game. Because he doesn't have much if any initial burst, but once he gets past the first level (D-Line) he looks okay. Problem is, with the sieve-like performance of the guards and center, he isn't getting the ability to get to that second level of the defense. I think I'd rather see a two-headed skat back Charles/Battle rb group than Larry at this point, because of the lack of performance on the interior offensive line which isn't letting Larry develop that head of steam. There were a lot of one back sets with Larry, but I don't know if that's a good idea at this point. I think you've got to keep Cox back there as much as possible in order to protect Cassel. 3. Tight Ends: - I'm hoping Pope is able to get into this system quickly. Ryan had a few grabs, and made a real nice catch and run, but he makes far too many mistakes. If Pope doesn't get it, this team is going to have to bite the bullet and spend a high draft pick on a good tight end (Gresham, Pitta, Gronkowski) and give Cassel a reliable safety valve in the passing game. Or maybe Vrabel can play ironman football for the rest of the season. 4. Wide Receivers - Cassel had arguably his worst day as a Chief yesterday in terms of his accuracy, but if you are a wide receiver, you have to make any and every catch that's close to you to help your qb out. While they didn't really get the time to separate, these guys, especially Bowe, need to start getting a little more physical running routes and sealing their guys off. This is a tough position to call as Matt just didn't have any time to set himself in the pocket and have a receiver run a full route. Bobby Wade looked good again the few times the ball was thrown to him. The guy can at least catch the ball. Engram had a reception for a first down as well. Eric Decker anyone? (Chiefs need a sure handed, physical, smart #2 possession receiver to take pressure off Bowe and let Wade play the slot.) 5. Quarterback - No one would have criticized Matt Cassel if he pulled a Sanchez and threw the ball up for grabs while curling up into a fetal position. Sacked five times and there was the opportunity for a lot more. Matt has a very good feel for the pocket and has the athleticism to get out and run for his life when called for. He didn't pass the ball well against the Giants in terms of accuracy/velocity, but since he was basically being pressured on every single down, it's really hard to point the finger in his direction. Two touchdown passes and no interceptions against the #2 ranked defense. Could have been better, but it could have been a lot worse. He stood in the pocket (if you could call it that) and never panicked. You could see a bit of frustration on his face from time to time in this game though. Defense: 1. Defensive Line - Eh...Tank didn't look as good today as he did the past couple of games, but the line is making good solid tackles when the get their hands on the runner. It's the most noticeably improved area over last years team. 2. Linebackers - Hands down, Mike Vrabel is a stud. And a scrapper. The guy is amazingly instinctive, and knows where the ball is on about every single play. Too bad our middle linebackers don't. Huge area of concern in that they just can't seem to find the ball. Belcher looks the part, but he's a rook and still isn't getting a huge amount of playing time. Hali looked okay with a sack and strip. (Read somewhere that in the three and change seasons he's been here, he's now third all time on the Chiefs forced fumble list behind DT and Neil Smith. Not too shabby.) Vrabel got jobbed several times when the Giants lineman flatout held him. Chiefs aren't getting many calls so far this year. They've completely ignored the MLB/ILB position in the draft since Percy Snow. It's time to get somebody who knows how to play football and is a football player in the middle. McCain, Pawelek or Spikes early, or Pat Angerer later. 3. Safeties - If Mike Brown had some quicks left, he'd be pretty good. I just don't know how much he's got left in those banged up, football old legs of his. Page got absolutely jobbed on a unnecessary roughness call when he broke up a pass play with a text book hit on the receiver. One of the worst calls I've seen this year, which led to a Giants touchdown on the next play. You want to say that no one call effects the outcome of a game, but that was a momentum changer for sure. It looks like the Chiefs could use another safety. Berry early or Stuckey a couple rounds later. 4. Cornerbacks - Flowers is a stud. Carr had an excellent game. (The breakup of the pass in the end zone was a really great play.) If you look at the box and see Steve Smith's numbers, you would have thought that he absolutely owned our corners, but the vast majority of his yardage came over the middle in zone coverage. If Flowers can stay healthy the rest of the year and keep Leggett off the field, we'll be okay at this position. Special Teams: - If Colquitt isn't in the Pro Bowl I'll be shocked. Kid is really, really good. And, tragically, he has to be. Succop has a really good leg, and is putting the kickoffs into the end zone. Coverage looked a lot better this game. However, we need a dedicated PR/KR on this team - fourth running back, fifth receiver whose sole job is to run back punts and kicks. CJ Spiller is going to be too expensive in the draft, but a guy like Brandon James of Florida or would be a nice addition to this team. Last edited by Saccopoo; 10-05-2009 at 05:38 PM..
Posts: 15,450