Alex Smith was not the problem Sunday, sorry haters.

[TigeRRUppeRRcut]

Despite the common thought here that Alex Smith held down the team Sunday, Smith's overall production to the team yesterday graded out very positive in 3 rankings:
Smith: QBR 94.1, QB rating 99, PFF 71.9
Winston: QBR 83.6, QB rating 97, PFF 50.7



https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro...-for-bucs-win/

"Smith gained positive expected points (EPA) on 77 percent of his plays on Sunday, the second-highest rate for a QB in a game this season (Dak Prescott, 83 percent versus Chicago in Week 3). Put simply, more than three-fourths of his plays contributed to the team’s scoring margin, given the context and situation." - http://www.espn.com/blog/statsinfo/p...s-excels-again

This is why we should use our brains instead of repeating the garbage fed to us by Mellinger and Teicher. If Smith only had 34 plays yesterday to do something with the ball and earns both a rushing and passing TD, a FG, to 1 INT (first red zone interception since 2013) and completes an outstanding 77% of passes ... we should probably focus on the real problem yesterday: The Defense. Who didn't show up and allowed Winston/Martin to hold the ball for 35 minutes, earn 24 first downs, and convert 68% of 3rd downs (league average is 40%).

Against the Bucs...
Alex Smith: 1 INT, 99 QB rating
Philip Rivers: 2 INTs, 80 QB rating
Russell Wilson: 2 INTs, 39 QB rating
Drew Brees: 3 INTs, 49 QB rating

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

What does that have to do with their failure to produce a run game all season?

Chiefs have been shit in short yardage situations all year, not just yesterday. It's causing our inability to pick up key 3rd downs. It's shortening our drives.

It's what causes Reid to get all cutesy on 3rd and short with screens and horizontal passes, which ends with fans bitching about not running it.

Yesterday Reid decided that he wanted to give the OL a chance to assert itself and they failed.

Two straight run plays inside the 1? The OL has to win that.

Yup; unrelated issues.

The OL can pass block. Again, you can win pass-blocking with technique and timing. But run-blocking requires strength and attitude and our OL simply lacks that. It has all season.

I hadn't thought about how it leads to all those damn bubble screens but there's some truth to that. Reid runs a lot of those misdirections, etc... because that's what his OL does well. He can run those screens to get his smart, athletic lineman into space where they can use leverage and positioning to beat guys.

But when they have to win in a phonebooth, they just aren't. It's not blaming the OL, it's acknowledging what they don't do well.

If anyone wants to actually try to argue that this OL simply isn't a very physical OL, I don't know what season they've been watching. These guys are completely unable to line up and physically win matchups against a good DL. And it's frustrating because I feel like the opposition has been able to do that to us all season. The contrast there is pretty stark.

NOBODY played well yesterday, but some of the guys that struggled yesterday have played well in the last 4 weeks and have been a big part of some key victories. The run-blocking, OTOH, has been shit for a very very long time now. It's not 'ballwashing' Smith to point out a pretty obvious truth there.

[ToxSocks]

Originally Posted by Pestilence

The running game has suffered. I don't know how much of it is truly the offensive line's fault, the play calling or the RBs themselves. Look at yesterday....the Titans gave up that 65 yard TD run to Hill and then Hill saw how many carries the rest of the game?

Chiefs running game is predicated on illusion. It always has been. Timely draws, fake reverses w/cut backs. Last season it was the option play w/ Alex Smith.

Reek's big run came off a play designed to fool the defense.

I agree that not getting the ball into Reek's hands was not smart. I also believe it may have been a byproduct of the Titans keying in on him. They had guys shadowing him all game long. Every time Reek went into motion they had a guy dedicated to playing man on him. That makes it difficult to scheme him open for things such as reverses, jet sweeps and screens.

Bottom line is this team is dependent on Reid being creative in both the run and short passing game. They don't have the men up front to simply slam body to body and move the DL.

Yesterday, in several situations, Reid decided against being cute, and instead opted for a power run game and again, the OL came short.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by TigerUppercut

A significant percentage of CP lacks common sense.

Fortunately, a lot of the **** posters have been weeded out and have left this place. The overreaction here after week 4 was unbearable. Compared to previous standards, things have actually been okay around here after yesterday's loss.

I'm gonna ask again

Who has left?

Pouring then on ignore doesn't= them leaving

[Sandy Vagina]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Ware is fine. He's certainly strong enough to win in short yardage situations. The O-line simply hasn't been getting push when opposing D's know they're going to run.

Reid's Chiefs have NEVER been a power running team. I've always argued that when people complain that we don't run it enough in short yardage situations.

All of this, truth.. and I was one of many that argued this in the earlier years.

Soft OL is soft.

Plus, why is Reid dialing up the QB read options? For that to be useful, wouldn't Smith have to actually elect to run the ball at times? Why so many sideways passes? and not enough slants, intermediate in or outs? hitches?

Andy Reid is a ****ing idiot of an OC, ffs.

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by carcosa

Did he really say this!?!?!?!?

Clark doesn't need hookers. His wife is a former Miss Kansas.
He does like to take treasure baths.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Detoxing

Ware is fine. He's certainly strong enough to win in short yardage situations. The O-line simply hasn't been getting push when opposing D's know they're going to run.

Reid's Chiefs have NEVER been a power running team. I've always argued that when people complain that we don't run it enough in short yardage situations.

Ware got stood up several times yesterday.

He seems like he should be strong enough to run the ball in short yardage situations but whether it's leverage or fatigue, it's not been happening this year. Guys are hitting him and he's stopping dead. And it's not just when they're getting him at his legs, they're hitting him high and standing him up.

It's been really surprising. It doesn't happen on every play, but it happens a hell of a lot more often than it did last year and much more often than I'd expect for a guy built like Ware is. Maybe you're right - maybe it's just a push thing and he's not able to get that extra stride he needs to be the hammer instead of the nail, but he's not been terribly effective in his own right in short yardage situations.

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Ware got stood up several times yesterday.

He seems like he should be strong enough to run the ball in short yardage situations but whether it's leverage or fatigue, it's not been happening this year. Guys are hitting him and he's stopping dead. And it's not just when they're getting him at his legs, they're hitting him high and standing him up.

It's been really surprising. It doesn't happen on every play, but it happens a hell of a lot more often than it did last year and much more often than I'd expect for a guy built like Ware is. Maybe you're right - maybe it's just a push thing and he's not able to get that extra stride he needs to be the hammer instead of the nail, but he's not been terribly effective in his own right in short yardage situations.

He's not getting much help in the running game this year. Last year it was a combo of Ware and West. West hasn't done SHIT this year.

[bobbything]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Yup; unrelated issues.

The OL can pass block. Again, you can win pass-blocking with technique and timing. But run-blocking requires strength and attitude and our OL simply lacks that. It has all season.

I hadn't thought about how it leads to all those damn bubble screens but there's some truth to that. Reid runs a lot of those misdirections, etc... because that's what his OL does well. He can run those screens to get his smart, athletic lineman into space where they can use leverage and positioning to beat guys.

But when they have to win in a phonebooth, they just aren't. It's not blaming the OL, it's acknowledging what they don't do well.

If anyone wants to actually try to argue that this OL simply isn't a very physical OL, I don't know what season they've been watching. These guys are completely unable to line up and physically win matchups against a good DL. And it's frustrating because I feel like the opposition has been able to do that to us all season. The contrast there is pretty stark.

NOBODY played well yesterday, but some of the guys that struggled yesterday have played well in the last 4 weeks and have been a big part of some key victories. The run-blocking, OTOH, has been shit for a very very long time now. It's not 'ballwashing' Smith to point out a pretty obvious truth there.

I agree with most of this. That said, I've felt that our perimeter rushing has been decent for most of the season. Specific to this game, we did well on the edges when the guards would pull left/right. Kind of reminded me of the early 00 running attacks. But, yes, this OL's strength is not blowing someone up right in front of them. I was pretty shocked when it didn't work on 3rd and goal from the 1 foot line, that Reid tried it again. I was thinking a sweep to the left would have been better because the Titans had everyone lined up in the middle.

I also would like to see our QB line up under center and run a nice, hard play action pass at some point. But, that's an argument for another time.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by bobbything

I agree with most of this. That said, I've felt that our perimeter rushing has been decent for most of the season. Specific to this game, we did well on the edges when the guards would pull left/right. Kind of reminded me of the early 00 running attacks. But, yes, this OL's strength is not blowing someone up right in front of them. I was pretty shocked when it didn't work on 3rd and goal from the 1 foot line, that Reid tried it again. I was thinking a sweep to the left would have been better because the Titans had everyone lined up in the middle.

I also would like to see our QB line up under center and run a nice, hard play action pass at some point. But, that's an argument for another time.

I agree the stretch plays seemed to be working fairly often yesterday. But again, athletic lineman should be able to do that. They can draw their matchup into space and beat them on positioning that way.

It's just not a team built to play power football and that seemed like their biggest problem yesterday. Detox made a good point - Andy gave his OL every opportunity to line up and prove they can do that.

Time and time again they failed. I guess you just look at that game and hope that's the lesson to be taken from it - hopefully Reid learned that this team is going to have to win on the edges because they aren't going to win in the trenches. They tried and failed miserably in that regard yesterday.

[RippedmyFlesh]

No points after halftime for three straight weeks.

“That’s my first time hearing that,” Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...121679397.html

[carcosa]

Originally Posted by RippedmyFlesh

No points after halftime for three straight weeks.

“That’s my first time hearing that,” Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...121679397.html

Better clear up some hard drive space

[OnTheWarpath15]

Anthony Sherman was on the field for 13 of a possible 58 offensive snaps yesterday.

Let that sink in for a second.

Oh, and Harris had 20, and Shags and Jah Reid combined for 15.

What.

The.

****.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by RippedmyFlesh

No points after halftime for three straight weeks.

“That’s my first time hearing that,” Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...121679397.html

Originally Posted by carcosa

Better clear up some hard drive space

[carcosa]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Ware got stood up several times yesterday.

He seems like he should be strong enough to run the ball in short yardage situations but whether it's leverage or fatigue, it's not been happening this year. Guys are hitting him and he's stopping dead. And it's not just when they're getting him at his legs, they're hitting him high and standing him up.

It's been really surprising. It doesn't happen on every play, but it happens a hell of a lot more often than it did last year and much more often than I'd expect for a guy built like Ware is. Maybe you're right - maybe it's just a push thing and he's not able to get that extra stride he needs to be the hammer instead of the nail, but he's not been terribly effective in his own right in short yardage situations.

He's probably worn down from constantly having to plow through non-existent holes. Maybe if he didn't have to practically kill himself to get the first 7 yards, he'd have a better chance of getting the last three.

[bobbything]

Originally Posted by RippedmyFlesh

No points after halftime for three straight weeks.

“That’s my first time hearing that,” Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...121679397.html

This is a little concerning. Couple this with Kelce's comments about the "conservative" play-calling and I'm kind of concerned about the psyche of the offense right now.