Reid insists that is not the problem with the Chiefs' woebegone defense.

[oaklandhater]

http://www.kctv5.com/story/30240072/...-older-players

Chiefs starting to face questions about older players

Posted: Oct 12, 2015 8:31 AM PDT
Updated: Oct 12, 2015 10:47 AM PDT
Posted by Chris Oberholtz, Multimedia ProducerCONNECT

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt wears a pink ribbon as he shakes hands with head coach Andy Reid before an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt wears a pink ribbon as he shakes hands with head coach Andy Reid before an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -
Andy Reid and John Fox have been around the NFL long enough to see hundreds of players come and go, some of them only after age has rendered their once-potent ability ineffective.

MORE
Loss of Charles a possible dagger in the Chiefs season

At the start of the second half the Kansas City offense was driving down the field, poised to extend their lead to 24-3 over Chicago.

Then near the goal line on a Jamaal Charles carry, the Chiefs season outlook suffered a big loss.

Continue reading >>
Related Links
Chiefs lose Charles to potentially season-ending knee injury
Reid insists that is not the problem with the Chiefs' woebegone defense.

The Chiefs are actually among the youngest teams in the NFL, the product of several seasons spent picking early in the draft.

But they also have a pair of starting linebackers in Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali that are among the oldest in the NFL, raising the question: Has the game started to catch up to two of the best to ever wear a Chiefs uniform?

"I don't see that decline from our older players right now. I don't think that's the issue," Reid said. "I think they're playing hard and doing the things they've done before."

Reid also acknowledged that the tape — and numbers — rarely lie.

In the case of Hali, the formerly feared pass rusher has just six tackles and one sack through four games. That puts Hali on pace for the fewest stops of his 10-year career, and the fewest sacks since he had three in 2008, his third season in the league.

More importantly, the fact that the four-time Pro Bowl selection has been less effective has had a spillover effect on the rest of the defense.

Teams are more easily able to double-team Justin Houston on the other side, or help with nose tackle Dontari Poe. And if a quarterback has more time to throw, it puts additional strain on the defensive backfield.

The result is the league's 29th-ranked defense, allowing nearly 400 yards per game, and one that is tied with this week's opponent, the Chicago Bears, for most points allowed.

"We've got a good group," Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said. "You have to be very careful not to let your emotion, the highs of winning and the lows of losing, affect you."

Yet emotion is exactly what often forces coaches to leave unproductive players on the field too long. They remember what a player has done in the past rather than take stock of what he is capable of doing in the present, their image of him clouded by sentimentality and time.

Hali, who has not been available to reporters this week, has certainly made it difficult to view him as anything other than a star. He has 80 1/2 sacks in his career, trailing only Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith for most in franchise history. He had 14 1/2 during the 2010 season, which still stands as the fifth-best mark in the Chiefs record book.

He also has proven invaluable in tutoring Houston, now one of the NFL's top pass rushers, and Dee Ford, a first-round pick who is being groomed as Hali's successor.

"One of the foundations of being successful is the loyalty you have to people," said Fox, who is in his first season leading the Bears but got plenty of questions about whether Peyton Manning was washed up during his time coaching the Denver Broncos.

"It can be a tough call," Fox said. "I've had some very tough ones along the way. We're a performance-based business and as a coach or general manager or decision-maker, those are tough calls — how they fit in your system, how capable and reliable they are through time."

Hali, who took a significant pay cut to stay in Kansas City this season, has clearly been reliable. He has rarely been hurt, often playing through the pain of nicks and bruises.

Perhaps all of those are finally catching up to him.

"You know, a lot of them have accomplished a lot for you, so it makes it difficult," Fox said of the challenges that coaches face when it comes to aging players. "It's a tough thing to do."

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Red Beans]

Originally Posted by scho63

This offense vs defense argument is like arguing between which smells worse, dog shit or horse shit.

Well, we all know dog shit is worse, so let's not even go there.

[ILChief]

Start Dee Ford

[Psyko Tek]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

How about Reid insist his play calling and game management is killing this team... More than Smith and the defense combined.

THIS

as long as andy is being andy we are ****ed

[007]

Originally Posted by oaklandhater

Some lady called in to the Radio and pretty much sounded like the leave britney alone guy was pretty much saying next year will be better because we will have a high enough draft pick to get a real LT in there.

This is one of several reasons why I don't listen to sports talk anymore. They only let morons on now.

[Dave Lane]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

I dunno. I would think that the best players want to be on the field.

Maybe I'm abnormal, and admittedly my playing days stopped at ... umm ... pickup games in high school. But if the offense turned the ball over, I'd be all wagging my tail like a labrador saying, "I get to go on the field again!"

Thats not how it works in reality. You go JFC this game is toast.

[New World Order]

Someone should call in to 810 and talk about how we should bring Matt Cassel back.

Unsurprisingly, they might agree.

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

Your leg is bleeding out.

The house is on fire.

Baby Lee is standing there, defiantly. "Your leg is bleeding profusely, but you think getting out of this house solves everything!"

No.

But if you don't get the **** out of the house, it doesn't matter what other problems you solve.

sapho sits around bitching about his leg until his house burns down around him. Turns to his smoldering family and says 'see, I told you my leg was hurt!!'

[rabblerouser]

Originally Posted by Stop, Chiefs

It's already been explained to you that this team would be 3-2 with average QB play.

This team would be 3-2 with better play calling and game management.

[Simply Red]

I have no idea who we even play this weekend. LOL

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

I have no idea why we even play this weekend. LOL

Me either.

[Three7s]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

I have no idea who we even play this weekend. LOL

Vikings.

[rabblerouser]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

I have no idea who we even play this weekend. LOL

It actually doesn't matter.

[Grim]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

How about Reid insist his play calling and game management is killing this team... More than Smith and the defense combined.

this.

[bevischief]

That's not BBQ they are cooking

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by New World Order

Someone should call in to 810 and talk about how we should bring Matt Cassel back.

Unsurprisingly, they might agree.

Cassel would be at worst 2-3 if he had the type of players that Smith has assuming they play the same schedule. The wild card is whether or not he didn't go fetal against the Denver game and was able to convert at least one third down.