Chiefs Mellinger Minutes: Indicting the Chiefs’ offense, defending the defense - Page 4

oaklandhater · 06:05 PM

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...116407498.html

Way to long go to website to read entire article

So, the loss to the Bucs was bad, and bad for a lot of reasons. A few:

▪ Alex Smith wasn’t good enough, again, continuing what’s now a trend.

▪ It was a chance to maintain pace with the Patriots, and a lead in the AFC West.

▪ The Bucs stink, especially on defense, and this should’ve been a layup with the hardest part of the schedule coming up: at Denver, at Atlanta, vs. the Raiders in the next three.

▪ If Alex Smith takes a knee, or trips on his dropback, or, ahem, punts the ball into the stands — if he, literally, does anything other than turn it over there at the goal line — the Chiefs probably win.

All of that is true. So is this:

The Chiefs still control their own season. They can win the division, and have no worse than the AFC’s No. 2 seed by doing nothing more complicated than winning their games.

And we can talk about how they were lucky to win the Chargers game, or the Panthers game, but it’s also true that they were playing without Jeremy Maclin, Marcus Peters, and Jaye Howard (and Jamaal Charles and Parker Ehinger, but they need to get used to that), and with an injured or slowed Dee Ford, Justin Houston, Derrick Johnson and Charcandrick West ... and still would’ve won a game if not for a boneheaded mistake at the goal line.

If you want, you can make some optimism out of that.

My only retort: none of that matters if the offense doesn’t improve, improve quickly, and improve greatly.

@mellinger Fair enough. Let me ask you this: Do you think the Chiefs SHOULD move on from Alex Smith in the off-season?
This is the first offseason they can realistically move on from Smith, the first time his dead money number ($7 million) is manageable.

So, this is possible.

The answer to your question — and I always try to give a more definitive answer to these questions — is that it depends.

Is Kirk Cousins available? Is Watson there in the draft? Is Romo open to coming to Kansas City?

Also, and I’ve watched the games this year just like you have, but it’s worth asking anyway: does Smith stink the last six games, or is he closer to his 2015 self?

In other words: is there a better option?

Because Nick Foles is not a better option. Not based on what we saw against the Jaguars.

If the Chiefs can upgrade the position, they should do it. But a lot of the anti-Smith sentiment feels based in a bit of an anybody but that guy perspective that feels good but isn’t productive in reality.

@mellinger u say they must fix their offense what do u suggest?

I did say that!

And I meant it.

Not running a jet sweep to the tight end who just limped off the field would be a good place to start.

After that, they need to look for more opportunities to throw downfield, particularly with Tyreek Hill. There are ways to line him up in certain situations where the safety makes a decision, and either way something should be open.

But, look, I don’t claim to be smart but I am smart enough to know what I don’t know. Andy Reid is the best known of many Chiefs employees who know much more about their personnel, and football in general, than me. It’s up to them.

What I see is too many failures in execution, and I know that’s vague, and too much like the locker room cliches I try to keep out of my columns, but it’s also true. Jeremy Maclin is their most proven playmaker. He’s currently hurt, and on pace for the worst season of his career.

Alex Smith isn’t running as often or effectively as he has in the past. My theory is that teams began the season game-planning against it, Smith and the Chiefs failed to adjust back, and by now Smith has lost that part of his game. That problem is magnified by the head injury he suffered in Indianapolis.

He was much better against the Bucs than Panthers. Some of that should be expected. The Panthers are much better than the Bucs.

Some of this is a bit of an “other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?”* but other than the horrendous, awful, no-good, bad-idea-executed-poorly, single-biggest-reason-the-Chiefs-lost interception, Smith was pretty good against the Bucs. Missing the third downs is terrible, but Smith was mostly accurate, hit a few deep balls, and had the touchdown scramble.

*Yes, I did use that line on the Border Patrol.

It’s all there, in other words. Maclin needs to be healthy, and productive. They need to continue to target Travis Kelce. Continue to use Tyreek Hill to stretch the field and present safeties with difficult choices. Use an athletic offensive line to move holes and allow Spencer Ware’s talents to shine.

But all of this becomes so much more difficult if Alex Smith isn’t better. He needs better decisions, and better accuracy, but most of all he needs better production with his feet.

He, and the Chiefs offense with him, has always operated with a relatively small margin for error. By allowing such a big part of his game to disappear without making up for it in other ways is simply a brutal obstacle to overcome.

@mellinger Justin Houston was invisible against the Bucs? Overrated or just needs more time?
— Clay Wendler (@ClayWendler) November 21, 2016

On the list of Chiefs worries, this does not make the top 10.

Justin Houston is 27 years old, and just two seasons removed from 22 sacks. The Chiefs were committed to being patient with him, to better ensure that he was stronger when he came back, as opposed to being earlier when he came back.

I don’t know how realistic it would’ve been to expect him to be his 2014 self immediately. It doesn’t work that way.

But if you can’t trust a guy like that, in a situation like this, to gain strength and stamina as he plays, I don’t know who or when you trust.

That doesn’t mean Houston will be among the league’s best two or three pass rushers again. He’s coming back from a very bizarre injury. Nobody knows.

But the Chiefs have much bigger concerns at the moment.

**loochy** · 11-23-2016, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mellinger

If the Chiefs can upgrade the position, they should do it. But a lot of the anti-Smith sentiment feels based in a bit of an anybody but that guy perspective that feels good but isn’t productive in reality.

This is a really good summary of how I feel about the whole thing. We are getting all emotional over this.

Red Dawg · 11-23-2016, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loochy

This is a really good summary of how I feel about the whole thing. We are getting all emotional over this.

Mellinger is an idiot. There is zero reason not to give Foles the job next season and draft a QB this coming year in the early rounds. I don't care what happened in the Jags game with Foles. Look what happened in the Houston game and Carolina game with Smith. There is a long list of shit play by Smith the last two years and he doesn't deserve to keep his job another year or even play another down for us at this point.

Give Foles a full off season as the starter and there's no way our offense will not improve.

Rasputin · 11-23-2016, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tuckdaddy

Mellinger is an idiot. There is zero reason not to give Foles the job next season and draft a QB this coming year in the early rounds. I don't care what happened in the Jags game with Foles. Look what happened in the Houston game and Carolina game with Smith. There is a long list of shit play by Smith the last two years and he doesn't deserve to keep his job another year or even play another down for us at this point.

Give Foles a full off season as the starter and there's no way our offense will not improve.

I'd rather struggle a year with a rookie quarterback under center than watch Foles or Smith take a snap next season. Yeah start a rookie maybe not first few games but **** Foles and **** Smith. The sooner we move on from them two the sooner we can find our QBotf. They've been working on the O-line and it should be better yet next year so the rookie should be well protected and no excuse not to start him if he worth drafting in the first round.

I know Chiefs won't but **** anyone who denies me to dream.

Rasputin · 11-23-2016, 08:47 AM

Cowboys are doing pretty good with a rookie quarterback so you just never know what your going get until he plays.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 11-23-2016, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Tattoo

Cowboys are doing pretty good with a rookie quarterback so you just never know what your going get until he plays.

Doing pretty good?

They have to be a Super Bowl favorite at this point.

And they don't have anywhere near the defense we have. If Dallas had our defense, they'd be unbeatable.

Molitoth · 11-23-2016, 10:03 AM

Gravedigger · 11-23-2016, 10:22 AM

Depends what happens for the rest of the season, I'm still very much on the train that Alex hasn't been the same since the two concussions, and his subpar play is becoming a trend since then. When he ran it in for a TD this last week I thought he was getting back in the swing of things, but the pick in the end zone shows his flaws of not reading the defense to make his own decisions but saying "Okay so I fake the handoff, turn around and throw the football to Conley as quickly as possible." Without understanding a defender could've been in his way he threw it anyways and for all intents and purposes created the winning opportunity for the Bucs.

They better not go broke dick Romo, and I don't believe Foles would be much better if any (it would be a give and take with Alex), we say this all the time, but the only way to succeed is to take chances, if Reid is going to eventually be replaced as our HC because we didn't get to the promised land, then he should try his hardest to show he can evaluate and coach up talent, and draft the Chiefs a QB that will make us remember him and all the good he did while he was here. I say find your Dak Prescott/Russell Wilson, keep Alex one more year, then hand the reins over.

Red Dawg · 11-23-2016, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Tattoo

I'd rather struggle a year with a rookie quarterback under center than watch Foles or Smith take a snap next season. Yeah start a rookie maybe not first few games but **** Foles and **** Smith. The sooner we move on from them two the sooner we can find our QBotf. They've been working on the O-line and it should be better yet next year so the rookie should be well protected and no excuse not to start him if he worth drafting in the first round.

I know Chiefs won't but **** anyone who denies me to dream.

I'm no Foles lover but he's a better now and would be next season while a rookie trains.

TEX · 11-23-2016, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

Doing pretty good?

They have to be a Super Bowl favorite at this point.

And they don't have anywhere near the defense we have. If Dallas had our defense, they'd be unbeatable.

But they DO have a hell of an OL, RB, & WR's. Wish we had that OL.

RunKC · 11-23-2016, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TEX

But they DO have a hell of an OL, RB, & WR's. Wish we had that OL.

Dude.

Maclin, Ware, Kelce, Hill. That's one of the best stable of weapons in the league, especially if Jamaal comes back.

Our OL is not near as good as theirs, but they are top 10. Alex got hit one time last week.

This offense has so much talent on it that a rookie QB could succeed just like Dak.

**OnTheWarpath15** · 11-23-2016, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TEX

But they DO have a hell of an OL, RB, & WR's. Wish we had that OL.

Yeah, that Cole Beasley...

Before the season, you'd be hard pressed to find people here that would have taken him over Wilson or Conley.

Great QB's make the players around them better, and Dak has certainly done that.

I'll give you the OL, they are outstanding - but there is NOTHING wrong with the one we have.

And we COULD have a dominant running game if Andy wasn't a pass happy fool.

This roster literally needs two things: A talented QB and a HC who doesn't go full reerun for 60 minutes on gameday.

Mecca · 11-23-2016, 10:40 AM

The Chiefs are good pretty much up and down the board other than at QB, he refuses to use the weapons.

And Reids desire to call plays like the offense is centered around Alex Smith is ****ing stupid.

Discuss Thrower · 11-23-2016, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnTheWarpath58

This roster literally needs two things: A talented QB and a HC who doesn't go full reerun for 60 minutes on gameday.

It's not going to be long before people realize that last season was the ceiling for this team. There's no upgrade available for either Smith (unless Bray turns into a douchier version of Brady) or Reid.

Martyball all over again..

Mecca · 11-23-2016, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

It's not going to be long before people realize that last season was the ceiling for this team. There's no upgrade available for either Smith (unless Bray turns into a douchier version of Brady) or Reid.

Martyball all over again..

This is actually worse than Martyball, pretty sure this offense would be better with that approach.

**Easy 6** · 11-23-2016, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mecca

This is actually worse than Martyball, pretty sure this offense would be better with that approach.

This is correct, at least Marty knew how to stick with the run

11-22-2016, 05:53 PM
oaklandhater future chiefs fans Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: oakland california Casino cash: $5808993	Mellinger Minutes: Indicting the Chiefs’ offense, defending the defense http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...116407498.html Way to long go to website to read entire article So, the loss to the Bucs was bad, and bad for a lot of reasons. A few: ▪ Alex Smith wasn’t good enough, again, continuing what’s now a trend. ▪ It was a chance to maintain pace with the Patriots, and a lead in the AFC West. ▪ The Bucs stink, especially on defense, and this should’ve been a layup with the hardest part of the schedule coming up: at Denver, at Atlanta, vs. the Raiders in the next three. ▪ If Alex Smith takes a knee, or trips on his dropback, or, ahem, punts the ball into the stands — if he, literally, does anything other than turn it over there at the goal line — the Chiefs probably win. All of that is true. So is this: The Chiefs still control their own season. They can win the division, and have no worse than the AFC’s No. 2 seed by doing nothing more complicated than winning their games. And we can talk about how they were lucky to win the Chargers game, or the Panthers game, but it’s also true that they were playing without Jeremy Maclin, Marcus Peters, and Jaye Howard (and Jamaal Charles and Parker Ehinger, but they need to get used to that), and with an injured or slowed Dee Ford, Justin Houston, Derrick Johnson and Charcandrick West ... and still would’ve won a game if not for a boneheaded mistake at the goal line. If you want, you can make some optimism out of that. My only retort: none of that matters if the offense doesn’t improve, improve quickly, and improve greatly. @mellinger Fair enough. Let me ask you this: Do you think the Chiefs SHOULD move on from Alex Smith in the off-season? This is the first offseason they can realistically move on from Smith, the first time his dead money number ($7 million) is manageable. So, this is possible. The answer to your question — and I always try to give a more definitive answer to these questions — is that it depends. Is Kirk Cousins available? Is Watson there in the draft? Is Romo open to coming to Kansas City? Also, and I’ve watched the games this year just like you have, but it’s worth asking anyway: does Smith stink the last six games, or is he closer to his 2015 self? In other words: is there a better option? Because Nick Foles is not a better option. Not based on what we saw against the Jaguars. If the Chiefs can upgrade the position, they should do it. But a lot of the anti-Smith sentiment feels based in a bit of an anybody but that guy perspective that feels good but isn’t productive in reality. @mellinger u say they must fix their offense what do u suggest? I did say that! And I meant it. Not running a jet sweep to the tight end who just limped off the field would be a good place to start. After that, they need to look for more opportunities to throw downfield, particularly with Tyreek Hill. There are ways to line him up in certain situations where the safety makes a decision, and either way something should be open. But, look, I don’t claim to be smart but I am smart enough to know what I don’t know. Andy Reid is the best known of many Chiefs employees who know much more about their personnel, and football in general, than me. It’s up to them. What I see is too many failures in execution, and I know that’s vague, and too much like the locker room cliches I try to keep out of my columns, but it’s also true. Jeremy Maclin is their most proven playmaker. He’s currently hurt, and on pace for the worst season of his career. Alex Smith isn’t running as often or effectively as he has in the past. My theory is that teams began the season game-planning against it, Smith and the Chiefs failed to adjust back, and by now Smith has lost that part of his game. That problem is magnified by the head injury he suffered in Indianapolis. He was much better against the Bucs than Panthers. Some of that should be expected. The Panthers are much better than the Bucs. Some of this is a bit of an “other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?”* but other than the horrendous, awful, no-good, bad-idea-executed-poorly, single-biggest-reason-the-Chiefs-lost interception, Smith was pretty good against the Bucs. Missing the third downs is terrible, but Smith was mostly accurate, hit a few deep balls, and had the touchdown scramble. Yes, I did use that line on the Border Patrol. It’s all there, in other words. Maclin needs to be healthy, and productive. They need to continue to target Travis Kelce. Continue to use Tyreek Hill to stretch the field and present safeties with difficult choices. Use an athletic offensive line to move holes and allow Spencer Ware’s talents to shine. But all of this becomes so much more difficult if Alex Smith isn’t better. He needs better decisions, and better accuracy, but most of all he needs better production with his feet. He, and the Chiefs offense with him, has always operated with a relatively small margin for error. By allowing such a big part of his game to disappear without making up for it in other ways is simply a brutal obstacle to overcome. @mellinger Justin Houston was invisible against the Bucs? Overrated or just needs more time? — Clay Wendler (@ClayWendler) November 21, 2016 On the list of Chiefs worries, this does not make the top 10. Justin Houston is 27 years old, and just two seasons removed from 22 sacks. The Chiefs were committed to being patient with him, to better ensure that he was stronger when he came back, as opposed to being earlier when he came back. I don’t know how realistic it would’ve been to expect him to be his 2014 self immediately. It doesn’t work that way. But if you can’t trust a guy like that, in a situation like this, to gain strength and stamina as he plays, I don’t know who or when you trust. That doesn’t mean Houston will be among the league’s best two or three pass rushers again. He’s coming back from a very bizarre injury. Nobody knows. But the Chiefs have much bigger concerns at the moment. Last edited by oaklandhater; 11-22-2016 at 06:05 PM..*
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11-23-2016, 08:47 AM	#49
Rasputin Tip of the hat LIV Champs Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: ks Casino cash: $25421	Cowboys are doing pretty good with a rookie quarterback so you just never know what your going get until he plays.
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11-23-2016, 10:03 AM	#51
Molitoth Mahomes Fanboi Join Date: Apr 2004 Casino cash: $154969
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11-23-2016, 10:22 AM	#52
Gravedigger Plays to win the game! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lees Summit Casino cash: $6473101	Depends what happens for the rest of the season, I'm still very much on the train that Alex hasn't been the same since the two concussions, and his subpar play is becoming a trend since then. When he ran it in for a TD this last week I thought he was getting back in the swing of things, but the pick in the end zone shows his flaws of not reading the defense to make his own decisions but saying "Okay so I fake the handoff, turn around and throw the football to Conley as quickly as possible." Without understanding a defender could've been in his way he threw it anyways and for all intents and purposes created the winning opportunity for the Bucs. They better not go broke dick Romo, and I don't believe Foles would be much better if any (it would be a give and take with Alex), we say this all the time, but the only way to succeed is to take chances, if Reid is going to eventually be replaced as our HC because we didn't get to the promised land, then he should try his hardest to show he can evaluate and coach up talent, and draft the Chiefs a QB that will make us remember him and all the good he did while he was here. I say find your Dak Prescott/Russell Wilson, keep Alex one more year, then hand the reins over.
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11-23-2016, 10:40 AM	#57
Mecca Hockey Town Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Casino cash: $-722950	The Chiefs are good pretty much up and down the board other than at QB, he refuses to use the weapons. And Reids desire to call plays like the offense is centered around Alex Smith is ****ing stupid.
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