Reid starting to trust offense

[Coach]

Haven't seen this posted. If so, deal with it. A little long, but good reading material.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...chiefs-offense

The Kansas City Chiefs were thought of as a great defensive team with a below-average offense just a few weeks ago, but over the past month the script has flipped. The offense is now producing like a top-level offense—a positive sign as the Chiefs march toward the playoffs.

One of the main reasons the offense has been so productive over the past month is that head coach Andy Reid is finally starting to trust his offensive players. The more Reid has trusted his offense, the better it has produced.

Reid has a reputation as an offensive guru, but the Chiefs were very conservative on offense earlier this season. While the Chiefs were winning, the offensive production always seemed to be a red flag—notably the performances of quarterback Alex Smith and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe.

Given the quality of the defenses the Chiefs have played over the last month, Reid was wise to open up the offense. As expected, opening up the offense started with the quarterback and the Chiefs’ best player—running back Jamaal Charles.



Alex Smith

Over the first 10 games of the season, Smith threw just 11 touchdowns, completed just 58.1 percent of his passes for 2,149 yards, averaged just 5.97 yards per attempt and tossed just four interceptions.

Smith was confirming what everyone feared—he was simply a “game manager” that didn’t lose games for his team, but also couldn’t carry the offense. Given Smith’s track record, there wasn’t much evidence to prove to the contrary.

Seemingly out of nowhere, Smith has exploded over the last four games to complete 69.2 percent of his passes for 1,011 yards, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. Smith’s yards per attempt over the last month is 8.43 which is more consistent with the type of production we are used to seeing from the great quarterbacks in the league.

The receivers aren't getting significantly more targets, but they are producing more on a per play basis. The notable difference in recent weeks has been the production of Bowe.

For the first 10 games of this season, Bowe averaged 3.7 receptions and 11.51 yards per catch. Over the past four games, Bowe is still averaging about the same number of receptions, but he’s averaging 13.4 yards per catch.

With the Chiefs trailing by a touchdown late in the second game against the Denver Broncos, the final sequence demonstrated how much Smith now trusts Bowe to make a play in traffic. Smith targeted Bowe on three of his final five passing attempts.



First, Smith threw a perfect beautiful back-shoulder ball to Bowe that was complete for 23 yards. The play put the Chiefs in the red zone with just about two minutes left to try to tie the game.

On the next play, Smith went right back to Bowe hoping to hit him between the safety and the cornerback near the goal line. Smith threw high of Bowe, but came back to him one more time on fourth down two plays later.

The Chiefs were forced to open things up in this instance trailing by a touchdown late in the game, but Smith and Bowe both proved they could perform in those situations despite being unable to get the game-tying touchdown in this instance.



On the third play of the next game in snowy Washington, Smith again found Bowe in tight coverage for a big gain. The first series of the game is almost always scripted, demonstrating how Reid trusted the new-found chemistry between Smith and Bowe.



Last week in Oakland, Smith hit Bowe on a slant on the offense’s fourth play of the game. It was a crucial 3rd-and-2 situation that extended a drive for the Chiefs that they would eventually score another touchdown on to go up 14-3.

It wasn’t a particularly great throw from Smith, but he has learned that he doesn’t have to be perfect when throwing the ball to Bowe. Oakland’s cornerback even interfered, but Bowe still made the catch for the first down.



Jamaal Charles

The other key factor over the last month has been the production of Charles. Over the first 10 games, Charles averaged 1,186 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. Over the last four games, Charles has 650 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns.

Charles has clearly been the focal point of the offense this season, accounting for 38.4 percent of the Chiefs’ offensive yards. By comparison, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson accounted for 43.0 percent of his offense during his MVP campaign in 2012.

How has Reid opened up an offense involving Charles when he’s clearly the opposing team’s focus? The answer is really quite simple: get him the ball in space.

That can be easier said than done. One of the problems the Chiefs had earlier in the season is the screen plays required Charles to stop and face Smith. The blocking needed that delay to get out in front Charles.

With his blazing speed, Charles has a huge advantage if he can get to the second level without slowing down. Defenders could read the screen and converge on Charles before he really could get going.

The Chiefs simply ran too many plays that required Charles to stop or slow down. In Week 2, Charles gets a free release on an angle route, but Smith is looking to his left and misses the opportunity to hit Charles in stride.




Smith still finds Charles for a short gain and a first down, but the defender has time to react. Charles is tackled immediately, taking away his ability to make people miss.

The solution for the Chiefs has been to move Charles around. Against San Diego, the Chiefs split Charles out wide and ran a clear-out route to him. Wide receiver Donnie Avery pulled the coverage deep and Smith hit Charles for a first down.



Screens are executed more quickly and Smith has the opportunity to get Charles the ball and see what he can do with it. When defenses might otherwise have a book on Charles, Reid has thrown in new wrinkles and trusted the offense to execute when called.

After the Raiders pulled within four points last week, the Chiefs faced a 3rd-and-1 in their own territory and Reid called a wheel route to Charles. Knowing full well that the Raiders had their base defense on the field, Reid knew Charles was either going to be covered by a linebacker or the struggling strong safety Brandian Ross.



Charles beat linebacker Miles Burris badly, made the catch in stride and juked free safety Charles Woodson on his way to end zone. This play provided yet another example of how much Reid trusts his offense to execute.

Had the Chiefs failed to convert on the play, they would have punted the ball back to the Raiders. Given the defensive struggles Sunday against the Raiders, that could have been a disaster for the Chiefs.

Instead, Reid had confidence Smith and Charles could execute the play. The touchdown put all the pressure back on the Raiders, who fumbled the kickoff to put the game on ice.

Perhaps it was only a matter of time before Reid and the Chiefs figured each other out, but he is clearly now calling plays with confidence in his team’s ability to execute them. Smith is more confident in Bowe and his other receivers when they are covered, as opposed to earlier in the season when a receiver needed to be wide open for him to make the throw.

Most importantly, Charles is healthy and the Chiefs are creatively trying to get him the ball in space and in stride. Not that the Chiefs weren’t trying to do that earlier in the season, but it appears as though the players have a better understanding of how to execute those plays.

[OnTheWarpath15]

I'll admit, I skimmed that quickly - but I have a small issue with this:

Perhaps it was only a matter of time before Reid and the Chiefs figured each other out, but he is clearly now calling plays with confidence in his team’s ability to execute them.

It doesn't appear that the play calling has changed a bit - we're running the same plays, but Alex is pushing the ball downfield instead of passing up opportunities for chunk plays in favor of the safe checkdown.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

I'll admit, I skimmed that quickly - but I have a small issue with this:



It doesn't appear that the play calling has changed a bit - we're running the same plays, but Alex is pushing the ball downfield instead of passing up opportunities for chunk plays in favor of the safe checkdown.

This. It looks more like Smith is trusting Bowe more. The same Bowe that everyone called worthless and lazy because he got paid.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

I'll admit, I skimmed that quickly - but I have a small issue with this:



It doesn't appear that the play calling has changed a bit - we're running the same plays, but Alex is pushing the ball downfield instead of passing up opportunities for chunk plays in favor of the safe checkdown.

No, they are running the same plays, but Reid is adjusting to the skill set that the Chiefs have. In the middle of the article, it was talking about Charles.

The Chiefs simply ran too many plays that required Charles to stop or slow down. In Week 2, Charles gets a free release on an angle route, but Smith is looking to his left and misses the opportunity to hit Charles in stride. Smith still finds Charles for a short gain and a first down, but the defender has time to react. Charles is tackled immediately, taking away his ability to make people miss.

When Reid (and his offensive coaches) see that, they figured a way to adjust it to BOTH Alex Smith and Charles strength, which is moving to Charles on the side of the ball where Alex will see it first hand right off the bat.

The solution for the Chiefs has been to move Charles around. Against San Diego, the Chiefs split Charles out wide and ran a clear-out route to him. Wide receiver Donnie Avery pulled the coverage deep and Smith hit Charles for a first down.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

I'll admit, I skimmed that quickly - but I have a small issue with this:



It doesn't appear that the play calling has changed a bit - we're running the same plays, but Alex is pushing the ball downfield instead of passing up opportunities for chunk plays in favor of the safe checkdown.

I think people expend far too much effort trying to analyze things that they miss the simple explanations.

Everything statred to click when Smith started attacking downfield.

The blocking "improved", the running game became more effective, and the short passing game opened up.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by milkman

I think people expend far too much effort trying to analyze things that they miss the simple explanations.

Everything statred to click when Smith started attacking downfield.

The blocking "improved", the running game became more effective, and the short passing game opened up.

This.

[Aspengc8]

Originally Posted by milkman

I think people expend far too much effort trying to analyze things that they miss the simple explanations.

Everything statred to click when Smith started attacking downfield.

The blocking "improved", the running game became more effective, and the short passing game opened up.

Excellent post. Guys on the first page nailed it, too. We are running the same schemes & passing concepts since the beginning of the season. Execution & trust is what we see now.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by milkman

I think people expend far too much effort trying to analyze things that they miss the simple explanations.

Everything statred to click when Smith started attacking downfield.

The blocking "improved", the running game became more effective, and the short passing game opened up.

Absolutely, I can get behind with this. But in my opinion, it also has to do with the improvement of the line play before Smith could somewhat start attacking downfield.

I felt Smith was getting pressure from left, middle, right early on the season, combined with his holding on to the ball too long and "checkdown" mentality was part of the reason as why he couldn't attack downfield. There was a few articles around that Reid has been working on him to change that mentality.

I also feel that having "confidence" is the key factor as well.

[JENKINSWINS]

Originally Posted by Coach

Absolutely, I can get behind with this. But in my opinion, it also has to do with the improvement of the line play before Smith could somewhat start attacking downfield.

I felt Smith was getting pressure from left, middle, right early on the season, combined with his holding on to the ball too long and "checkdown" mentality was part of the reason as why he couldn't attack downfield. There was a few articles around that Reid has been working on him to change that mentality.

I also feel that having "confidence" is the key factor as well.

This!

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Coach

Absolutely, I can get behind with this. But in my opinion, it also has to do with the improvement of the line play before Smith could somewhat start attacking downfield.

I felt Smith was getting pressure from left, middle, right early on the season, combined with his holding on to the ball too long and "checkdown" mentality was part of the reason as why he couldn't attack downfield. There was a few articles around that Reid has been working on him to change that mentality.

I also feel that having "confidence" is the key factor as well.

Chicken and egg.

The line can't block nearly as well when the defense knows the offense can't (or won't) explore entire areas of the field.

Improved offensive line play leads to the ability to throw downfield.

Throwing downfield and stretching the field leads to improved offensive line play.

It's not either/or.

[Coach]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Chicken and egg.

The line can't block nearly as well when the defense knows the offense can't (or won't) explore entire areas of the field.

Improved offensive line play leads to the ability to throw downfield.

Throwing downfield and stretching the field leads to improved offensive line play.

It's not either/or.

I like to think it's a combination of both. What if the addition of Schwartz replacing Asamoah, and to a lesser extent, slight improved play of Allen, Hudson and Fisher on the line (by experience)? Allen was a rookie last year, and Hudson was lost last year due to an injury, combined with that he also switched from his natural position (guard in college) last year before he could learn the position (in live game situations) due to being cut short of injury?

Schwartz alluded it to timing on this article.

http://espn.go.com/blog/kansas-city-...espnapi_public

"It just takes time," Schwartz said. "We're fortunate that now it's starting to click, just at the time we need it to. We've done a better job up front with the little details, with us working with the back, knowing what the back is going to do."

The evidence backs that up, as sacks of quarterback Alex Smith are down. Yards per carry from Charles are up, and so are points from Kansas City's offense.

It also can be argued as well that Smith is getting rid of the ball faster covers up some of the O-line deficiencies as well, by stepping back 1,2,3, and then chucking it deep, and as well as him having some chemistry/trust with Dwayne Bowe as well, along with some good playcalling from the coaches.

We have scratched our heads at times during the 9-0 run that some playcalls were confusing, but I haven't seen too much of that in the last few games.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

Chicken and egg.

The line can't block nearly as well when the defense knows the offense can't (or won't) explore entire areas of the field.

Improved offensive line play leads to the ability to throw downfield.

Throwing downfield and stretching the field leads to improved offensive line play.

It's not either/or.

This.

[JENKINSWINS]

Originally Posted by Coach

Absolutely, I can get behind with this. But in my opinion, it also has to do with the improvement of the line play before Smith could somewhat start attacking downfield.

I felt Smith was getting pressure from left, middle, right early on the season, combined with his holding on to the ball too long and "checkdown" mentality was part of the reason as why he couldn't attack downfield. There was a few articles around that Reid has been working on him to change that mentality.

I also feel that having "confidence" is the key factor as well.

Still this!

[Wallcrawler]

Smith's confidence is the reason the offense is producing more. At the halfway point of the season around 80% of Smith's passes weren't going further than 5-10 yards.

So much is/was made of how he just doesn't turn the ball over, and perhaps he let that mentality affect his game. Playing to not turn the ball over, instead of playing to make plays and score points.

I know Madden doesn't really compare to real life, but when I was going for one of the achievements for maintaining an extraordinarily high completion percentage and no turnovers by the QB for an entire game with a minimum of 15 passes, I was terrified to throw anything out there very far for fear of screwing up my progress and getting picked off.

Playing to not throw the INT could have affected his decisionmaking.

If Sutton can get that defense back to even half of what it was the first nine weeks, this team can make some noise in the playoffs. The only game we've lost on the road was the first game against Denver.

[JENKINSWINS]

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

I'll admit, I skimmed that quickly - but I have a small issue with this:



It doesn't appear that the play calling has changed a bit - we're running the same plays, but Alex is pushing the ball downfield instead of passing up opportunities for chunk plays in favor of the safe checkdown.

Of course that's how it would appear to you. I see the Oline creating clean pockets and giving him time to throw the ball. I also see an offensive team that's able to do more out of certain formations to take advantage of what they've seen from their opponents before.