A few thoughts on individual performances in tonights game....

[shammus]

Don't really have any stats to back all this up but here's what I noticed as I was watching tonights game. Defense shows some promise but offense appeared to be really sputtering. Succup and Colquitt were solid on special teams while our return game was pretty bad. Anyways, I'm sure there's stuff I missed, but here's what I saw specifically -

The Good

Offense
Dwayne Bowe - the offense didn't really pick up until he got into the game. Had several nice plays, including a diving catch and didn't drop any passes. He might have been our biggest impact player in that game. Bradley had a couple nice grabs too.
First team Oline - didn't get to watch this unit too close. Looked like Albert was doing well though.
Dantrell Savage had several nice runs and a good catch out of the backfield.
Backup quarterbacks - looked like Croyle did a decent job moving the ball down the field and Thigpen had some success when he was in as well (mostly running though)

Defense
Dorsey and Jackson appeared to be getting good penetration. I thought I saw Jackson even get a sack or did they give that to Studebaker?
Derrick Johnson was all over the field...several tackles
Tamba Hali - same thing...a couple of his stops were in the backfield
Corey Mays - also racked up quite a few tackles. On the whole, the first team unit of linebackers did really well. Demorrio Williams played well when he was in too. Didn't hear them call Vrabel's name though....
Flowers was very effective. Forced a fumble, nearly had a pick six and played solid defense. I thought Leggett looked really good too - had a sack in the first quarter and was still making plays in the 4th
Alex Magee had a few nice stops at the line against the run that I noticed

Special Teams
Succop was very impressive. All kickoffs were into the endzone or close to it. That 48 yard field goal was absolutely nailed. Very impressive in the rain.

The Bad

Offense
The one sack we gave up looked like Brandon Albert's fault. It appeared it was Albert who totally whiffed on Connor Barwin but the announcers said it was Herb Taylor. Offensive line play dropped off when the backups came in.
The success we had running the ball appeared to be because of Jackie Battle and Dantrell Savage, two guys fighting for a spot with the team. LJ and Javarris Williams were "meh" at best and I don't even recall Jamaal Charles getting in the game.
I noticed Thigpen running for his life and Croyle throwing on the run quite a bit.
The offense really sputtered when Cassel was running it. He had Copper and Darling as his starting wideouts though. When Bradley and Bowe came in, things picked up. Cassel had a couple nice completions and it looked like a couple of the others were dropped.
Did Toomer or Engram even play??

Defense
Didn't seem as though our 2nd team defense put any pressure on the QB and they were able to move the ball down the field easier
Didn't hear Tank Tyler's name called more than once (for a tackle) and didn't hear Edwards called at all. How was our play at NT??

Ugh.....for Chrissakes....
Not pretty for our return game. Never saw anyone get past the 23 yard line on a KR or PR and nobody (Savage, Lawrence, Wright) really stood out and distinguished themselves. I noticed a couple drops too which I suppose happens in the rain.
Letting Matt Turk rumble for a first down was abysmal. He even fumbled the snap first. Someone clearly missed an assignment on that one...
Both Cassel and Croyle fumbled a snap apiece from under center. This led to two turnovers on our side of the field. Oddly enough, Houston didn't appear to have any issues hanging on to the ball though...hmmmm....

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by milkman

Just finished rewatching the game, and, yes, I was impressed with the play of both Brown and Harris.

Harris was just flat out impressive for an UDRFA.

I'm glad I wasn't just "seeing" things. It's odd to me that this thread had 126 replies before anyone mentioned the play of Harris & Brown (me).

As for Harris being an UDFA, on one hand, I'm surprised that he was undrafted because he played so damn well but on the other, when guys like Brian Waters and Ryan Lilja are undrafted, it just goes to show that you don't have to spend first or early second day picks on a guard.

I'll be watching both guys closely against Minnesota, though they likely won't see any time against their first team d-line. But, I do want to see consistency and if they both show that, the Chiefs may have part of their future offensive line already in place. I'm pretty stoked about both players, especially Harris because it's been a long time since we've had a good, young, consistent offensive line.

Originally Posted by milkman

Also, in watching the inteerior linemen, I saw that Niswanger did a better job of keeping his backside down at the snap, but he was still slow getting out of his stance and getting up and into position to bolck.
Unfortunately, he is still (marginally) better than Eric Ghiaciuc.

I still can't understand why the Chiefs didn't draft a center and move the 'Wanger to guard. He was far more effective as a right guard than as a center. Let's just hope that the Chiefs solidify the right guard position after Friday (whether it be Brown or Goff - And I'm fully against Goff at this point) because maybe some consistent play at right guard will help the 'Wanger, which is something he did not have last year.

Originally Posted by milkman

Agreed, though it appears he's going to be given the chance to win the job at RT.

How bizarre is that the Chiefs have three legitimate left tackles, which are at a premium in this league, but yet they can't seem to find a right tackle to save their lives. Tait was the last right tackle to really own the position and even he was originally drafted as a left tackle.

Originally Posted by milkman

Corey Mays was impressive, and I just can't see how there is any way that Zach Thomas should be starting ahead of him when he finally makes his way out of the tub. Thomas was clearly on the decline when he was released by the Dolphins, and he wasn't all that good in the Cowboys 34 last year.

If Haley stays true to his word, there's no way that Thomas is a starter. Who knows? He may not even be healthy enough to make the squad and if so, the Chiefs had better be scouring the waiver wire for a backup to Mays.

14 years in the NFL is tough on anyone, espeically a 37 year old linebacker.

Originally Posted by milkman

DJ showed more consistency in his play in this game than in any game that I can remember. This scheme appears to be a good fit for him, though I don't know that he will ever play up to his draft position.

I agree, DJ was "better" but there's no way he ever plays to #15 overall. It's just too late. He is most certainly a disappointment but I guess we all need to move beyond his draft status and just hope he stays healthy and consistent.

That's all we can ask for at this point.

Originally Posted by milkman

Hali was better than expected, but he has a long way to go, and Andy Studebaker looks quicker, faster, more athletic, and seems to have adjusted far more qucikly to the transiton from DE than Hali, not only outshining Hali as a pass rusher, but far more disciplined in run defense, and more fluid in dropping back in pass coverage, though there's still more work there. I won't be the least bit surprised if he replaces Hali in the starting lineup by the start of the season.

Poor Hali, man. That guy has the work ethic of a champion but just can't seem to overcome his limited athletic ability. Whether it's the start of the season or mid-season, I have a feeling he will begin to see the playing field less and less.

Originally Posted by milkman

With Dorsey, Jackson, and Magee, it appears we have a solid DE rotation, but Alex Boone was nearly as ineffective at DE as Ron Edwards was at NT. Tank Tyler outplayed Edwards with the second unit, and should be given an opportunity to line up with the first team
He won't be the answer there, but he doesn't appear to be nearly as big a question.

Tyler must be in the doghouse because I expected him to get the start. He's really the only NT on the roster that has the potential to really help this team, though I think his future is probably not long with the Chiefs. As soon as they bring in someone next year, Tank's either the backup or hits the streets. Unless something dramatic happens, which I doubt.

Originally Posted by milkman

Our situation at WR appearss to be a fluid situation and a continuing work in progress.

I expect that to continue through the end of next year's training camp, if not 2011.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I'm glad I wasn't just "seeing" things. It's odd to me that this thread had 126 replies before anyone mentioned the play of Harris & Brown (me).

As for Harris being an UDFA, on one hand, I'm surprised that he was undrafted because he played so damn well but on the other, when guys like Brian Waters and Ryan Lilja are undrafted, it just goes to show that you don't have to spend first or early second day picks on a guard.

I'll be watching both guys closely against Minnesota, though they likely won't see any time against their first team d-line. But, I do want to see consistency and if they both show that, the Chiefs may have part of their future offensive line already in place. I'm pretty stoked about both players, especially Harris because it's been a long time since we've had a good, young, consistent offensive line.

Give you somthing to think about.

Hypothetically, Brown and Harris show up the same in the next couple of preseason games the way they did against the Texans, Richardson wins the RT job.

What do you do.

You have Niswanger and Ghiaciuc at center, Goff and Waters at guard, Richardson and Albert at the tackles, and Taylor as a backup.

Do you risk putting either Brown or Harris on the PS?
Do you go into the regular season with 10 O-Linemen.

Or do you cut McIntosh and go into the regular season with 9 O-Linemen?

[KCUnited]

Originally Posted by milkman

Give you somthing to think about.

Hypothetically, Brown and Harris show up the same in the next couple of preseason games the way they did against the Texans, Richardson wins the RT job.

What do you do.

You have Niswanger and Ghiaciuc at center, Goff and Waters at guard, Richardson and Albert at the tackles, and Taylor as a backup.

Do you risk putting either Brown or Harris on the PS?
Do you go into the regular season with 10 O-Linemen.

Or do you cut McIntosh and go into the regular season with 9 O-Linemen?

I didn't dvr the game and can't remember, but was Harris playing LG? I don't think we can cut McInwhiff as he is 1 of 2 RTs we got. I would say Brown is in competition with Washington for backup RG. Harris in competition with Wade Smith for backup LG.

[wasi]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

I would say Brown is in competition with Washington for backup RG.

not much of a competition at this point considering Washington hasn't practiced yet.

[Chief Faithful]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I still can't understand why the Chiefs didn't draft a center and move the 'Wanger to guard. He was far more effective as a right guard than as a center. Let's just hope that the Chiefs solidify the right guard position after Friday (whether it be Brown or Goff - And I'm fully against Goff at this point) because maybe some consistent play at right guard will help the 'Wanger, which is something he did not have last year.

I am so pleased someone else has made this observation. The single reason I am not down on Niswanger was do to the play of Jones. I am of the opinion Jones was the worst guard in the NFL in 2008 and the worst guard in Chiefs history. The fact Jones was not catapulted off the roster and into the ocean depths after last years preseason was absolute proof that Herm had no business being an NFL HC. And I am still stunned he was inserted as the starting RG before he had played a single down at that position. I believe Jones made both Niswanger and McFat look worse then they were and neither needed any help.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by milkman

Give you somthing to think about.

Hypothetically, Brown and Harris show up the same in the next couple of preseason games the way they did against the Texans, Richardson wins the RT job.

What do you do.

You have Niswanger and Ghiaciuc at center, Goff and Waters at guard, Richardson and Albert at the tackles, and Taylor as a backup.

Do you risk putting either Brown or Harris on the PS?
Do you go into the regular season with 10 O-Linemen.

Or do you cut McIntosh and go into the regular season with 9 O-Linemen?

Cut Sackintosh. If BOTH Richardson AND Albert get hurt, he'll probably still be available.

Or maybe stick Brown at RT. Maybe. No idea how he has looked, but that is what he did in college.
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[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Cut Sackintosh. If BOTH Richardson AND Albert get hurt, he'll probably still be available.

Or maybe stick Brown at RT. Maybe. No idea how he has looked, but that is what he did in college.
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I guarntee you if Mcintosh is cut a team will sign him.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by milkman

Give you somthing to think about.

Hypothetically, Brown and Harris show up the same in the next couple of preseason games the way they did against the Texans, Richardson wins the RT job.

What do you do.

You have Niswanger and Ghiaciuc at center, Goff and Waters at guard, Richardson and Albert at the tackles, and Taylor as a backup.

Do you risk putting either Brown or Harris on the PS?
Do you go into the regular season with 10 O-Linemen.

Or do you cut McIntosh and go into the regular season with 9 O-Linemen?

IMO, you cut Ghiacuic most certainly. For starters, Waters can slide over to center if needed. If Brown & Harris continue their play, I think you cut FcIntosh, knowing that Herb Taylor could slide into left tackle, right tackle or even right guard if needed.

Goff, I'm on the fence about. I'm clearly not a fan and would prefer that the Chiefs start Brown, if he continues to play well. The Chiefs aren't going anywhere this year and getting experience for Brown would be helpful heading into next year. If he struggles mightily, Goff could relieve him for a few games as he gets his head back.

Keeping FcIntosh or Ghiacuic over Harris would really chap my ass, much worse than cutting Lilja and keeping Richard Smith or Kevin Samson or Brett Williams.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

IMO, you cut Ghiacuic most certainly. For starters, Waters can slide over to center if needed. If Brown & Harris continue their play, I think you cut FcIntosh, knowing that Herb Taylor could slide into left tackle, right tackle or even right guard if needed.

Goff, I'm on the fence about. I'm clearly not a fan and would prefer that the Chiefs start Brown, if he continues to play well. The Chiefs aren't going anywhere this year and getting experience for Brown would be helpful heading into next year. If he struggles mightily, Goff could relieve him for a few games as he gets his head back.

Keeping FcIntosh or Ghiacuic over Harris would really chap my ass, much worse than cutting Lilja and keeping Richard Smith or Kevin Samson or Brett Williams.

Ah. Forgot about Waters once playing C. I was thinking one player could take Niswanger's spot if he went down, but couldn't remember who had experience there.

I agree with your last statement IF they continue to play well
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