Football Outsiders on the Chiefs

Amnorix · 09-22-2004, 03:43 PM

They have alot to say about the Chiefs. Unfortunately, none of it good. An excellent website, for those who don't know about it.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/ram...p?p=1756&cat=3

A few snippets in my response.

Amnorix · 09-22-2004, 03:45 PM

Maybe instead of Shanahan’s system being able to turn any running back into a star, it is Kansas City’s defense that can turn any running back into a star. Which brings us to my favorite whipping boy, DeShaun Foster. At halftime this week, Foster had 14 carries for 43 yards. Two of those carries went for 17 yards and 13 yards, so the rest of the time Foster was averaging less than a yard per carry. As I noted on the Open Thread, "he still sucks." Apparently, however, when a resistible force meets a moveable object, the resistible force wins big time. A few posts later, I was stuck writing this: "Foster runs for 71 yards. I knew that the Chiefs run defense would have to show their true colors eventually. Their suck far outweighs his suck."

Foster ended up leading NFL running backs in Week 2 with 174 yards. He was celebrated as the NFL’s latest rushing star by all the same NFL analysts who the week before were celebrating Quentin Griffin. The collective short term memory of the NFL commentariat is staggering. So is the inability to consider the context in which performances take place. I think ESPN.com has their front page already laid out for every Monday for the rest of the season with a big picture of whatever running back played the Chiefs the day before.

......

Finally, this thought: Since Foster and Griffin both had games that mixed bad runs with great ones (Griffin had four runs for a loss, four for no yardage), perhaps we are all wrong about the Kansas City defense. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. (premium link) write this week that "the Chiefs are not only missing tackles, but when they do tackle it is on the second level because they are losing the battle at the line of scrimmage." But when you stop the running back for a loss on one out of four plays, are you really losing the battle at the line of scrimmage? Perhaps the Chiefs defensive line isn’t that bad, but when they do let the running back through, the linebackers and secondary can’t tackle or pursue in the slightest. Certainly that seemed to be the issue with Foster’s 71-yard run. Foster slipped through a small hole to the left of guard Tutan Reyes, who was blocking Chiefs’ middle linebacker Monty Beisel, and after that there were hardly any Chiefs near him except for someone from the Chiefs secondary (Dexter McCleon, I think, it is hard to tell from the NFL On Demand highlights) who dove and missed a tackle. This wasn’t 71 yards of cutting and avoiding tacklers, this was bad defense. In fact, Beisel – normally a special teams player, and filling in for the injured Kawika Mitchell – is going to be a serious problem for the Chiefs. The Panthers’ offensive linemen and fullback Brad Hoover were manhandling him all day.

TEX · 09-22-2004, 04:00 PM

Gee thanks for the info...

09-22-2004, 03:43 PM
Amnorix In BB I trust Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boston, Mass. Casino cash: $10029808	Football Outsiders on the Chiefs They have alot to say about the Chiefs. Unfortunately, none of it good. An excellent website, for those who don't know about it. http://www.footballoutsiders.com/ram...p?p=1756&cat=3 A few snippets in my response.
Posts: 43,125

09-22-2004, 03:45 PM	#2
Amnorix In BB I trust Join Date: May 2003 Location: Boston, Mass. Casino cash: $10029808	Maybe instead of Shanahan’s system being able to turn any running back into a star, it is Kansas City’s defense that can turn any running back into a star. Which brings us to my favorite whipping boy, DeShaun Foster. At halftime this week, Foster had 14 carries for 43 yards. Two of those carries went for 17 yards and 13 yards, so the rest of the time Foster was averaging less than a yard per carry. As I noted on the Open Thread, "he still sucks." Apparently, however, when a resistible force meets a moveable object, the resistible force wins big time. A few posts later, I was stuck writing this: "Foster runs for 71 yards. I knew that the Chiefs run defense would have to show their true colors eventually. Their suck far outweighs his suck." Foster ended up leading NFL running backs in Week 2 with 174 yards. He was celebrated as the NFL’s latest rushing star by all the same NFL analysts who the week before were celebrating Quentin Griffin. The collective short term memory of the NFL commentariat is staggering. So is the inability to consider the context in which performances take place. I think ESPN.com has their front page already laid out for every Monday for the rest of the season with a big picture of whatever running back played the Chiefs the day before. ...... Finally, this thought: Since Foster and Griffin both had games that mixed bad runs with great ones (Griffin had four runs for a loss, four for no yardage), perhaps we are all wrong about the Kansas City defense. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. (premium link) write this week that "the Chiefs are not only missing tackles, but when they do tackle it is on the second level because they are losing the battle at the line of scrimmage." But when you stop the running back for a loss on one out of four plays, are you really losing the battle at the line of scrimmage? Perhaps the Chiefs defensive line isn’t that bad, but when they do let the running back through, the linebackers and secondary can’t tackle or pursue in the slightest. Certainly that seemed to be the issue with Foster’s 71-yard run. Foster slipped through a small hole to the left of guard Tutan Reyes, who was blocking Chiefs’ middle linebacker Monty Beisel, and after that there were hardly any Chiefs near him except for someone from the Chiefs secondary (Dexter McCleon, I think, it is hard to tell from the NFL On Demand highlights) who dove and missed a tackle. This wasn’t 71 yards of cutting and avoiding tacklers, this was bad defense. In fact, Beisel – normally a special teams player, and filling in for the injured Kawika Mitchell – is going to be a serious problem for the Chiefs. The Panthers’ offensive linemen and fullback Brad Hoover were manhandling him all day. __________________ "I love signature blocks on the Internet. I get to put whatever the hell I want in quotes, pick a pretend author, and bang, it's like he really said it." George Washington
Posts: 43,125

09-22-2004, 04:00 PM	#3
TEX Out Gunning CP's Fandom Police Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Galveston, TX Casino cash: $-1416873	Gee thanks for the info... __________________ "Do we have time to run WASP?"
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