Marshawn Lynch Will Likely Enjoy the Ambiance against the Chiefs
by Chris Thorman on Nov 21, 2008 7:31 AM CST
in 2008 Kansas City Chiefs Campaign
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One player we haven't mentioned this week is Bills RB Marshawn Lynch, the second-year player from Cal. Lynch will face the Chiefs' 31st ranked defense (Did you hear that? We're not last anymore!) after rushing for 119 yards and catching 10 passes for 58 yards last week against the Browns. A solid day if I do say so myself.
That was the first 100-yard rushing day for Lynch this year and only the fourth of his career. He rushed the ball 23 times last week, after combining for 23 rushes the two weeks previous to that. When you check out the Bills stats this season, Weeks 9 and 10 exhibit terrible stats almost across the board. Lynch's stats and touches appear to be suffering right along with the rest of the Bills during their four game losing streak.
Why should the Chiefs expect a larger than regular dose of Marshawn Lynch on Sunday?
Well, for one, we're terrible against the run and everyone knows it. In fact, Gunther Cunningham is gloating at this moment, to anyone who will listen, about how in Weeks 9 and 10 the Chiefs didn't give up 100 yards on the ground. They're the only bright spots in the entire season for our run defense.
Also, we added Turk McBride, another starter, to the injured reserve list this week. Little known fact: Gunther Cunningham doubles as a triage nurse on game days, deciding which players are injured the worst.
The sad part about this weekend's defensive play is that even if we shut out the Bills, you still can't point to the game and say, "See? We're getting better." Because we're not. This defensive line is completely broken and I'm of the opinion that Glenn Dorsey may be the only one we should keep around after next year, based on potential alone.
I'm almost wishing for Marshawn Lynch to run over our defense, just so there's more evidence for its dismantling.
***
Here are some links for you this morning.- One of my favorite Thigpen headlines: Chiefs’ Thigpen is packing heat in the shotgun.
- The Bills are hurting too: Bills’ secondary will be short-handed for Chiefs.
- Tyler Thigpen Q&A: "I think the biggest thing for our offense is just identifying what they’re going to try to run, whether they’re going to try to run man."
- Anyone think that Gunther Cunningham acts so tough to mask his now obvious short comings as a coordinator?
- Tony Gonzalez will play on Sunday and Dantrell Savage is on the practice squad now.
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Really?
This defense is completely broken and I’m of the opinion that Glenn Dorsey may be the only one we should keep around after next year, based on potential alone.
Carr, Flowers, Tyler? None of them show enough potential to keep around?
Man PV
You catch all my mistakes in the morning.
by Chris Thorman on Nov 21, 2008 7:49 AM CST up reply actions
McBride, Tyler, Hali?
All so much bathwater to the blogmaster’s rage?
We shall see, but to say we might have been held a few times last week would be a gross understatement.
by Official Arrowhead Pride Parade on Nov 21, 2008 8:42 AM CST up reply actions
If You're Blaming The Officials
That’s a pointless exercise and a weak excuse for losing. We aren’t being held any more than anyone else in the league is being held. There’s no conspiracy against the Chiefs so we get more or less the same amount of bad calls or no-calls that everyone else gets…even against our opponents.
We lost because our defense sucks…not because we got jobbed on a couple of calls.
Supporting the lesser of two evils is still supporting something evil.
We counter your unsubstantiated bickering with our own unsubstantiated bickering!
Last week, more than usual, I yelled at the screen “they’re holding us on every play!”
Now, a convenient way for you to project this on to the coaching failures of the Chiefs: they have failed in teaching our d-line in how to “sell the holding penalty” to the refs. Such a concept may be abhorrent to the soccer-loathing jingoists among us, but we assure you, it is a very real and very alive practice in the NFL today.
The PARADE has not been critical of the Chiefs’ coaching because the PARADE has accepted this one, inalienable truth about the Chiefs’ coaching: The Chiefs are coached like a team coached by a former defensive back.
That is NOT a compliment. It also answers a multitude of questions and implications foisted upon this current Chiefs team. It is evident from the Chiefs’ playing style that Herm has never had to throw a block in his life. However, the Chiefs do play like a bunch of wild-eyed Tazmanians that only defensive backs like Sean Taylor and Kevin Ross seem to understand. In short, Bernard Pollard is the Chiefs’ spirit animal, the question is how does this translate to our D-line and backers?
by Official Arrowhead Pride Parade on Nov 21, 2008 10:38 AM CST up reply actions
I Can Agree With That
In short, Bernard Pollard is the Chiefs’ spirit animal, the question is how does this translate to our D-line and backers?
It translates to them being unacceptably weak against the run and historically inept against the pass.
Now, a convenient way for you to project this on to the coaching failures of the Chiefs: they have failed in teaching our d-line in how to "sell the holding penalty" to the refs. Such a concept may be abhorrent to the soccer-loathing jingoists among us, but we assure you, it is a very real and very alive practice in the NFL today.
That is an excellent point. It’s unfortunate, but the people who generally get the calls are the ones who get noticed by the ref. However, I don’t think that it’s a huge difference…perhaps a couple of calls a game. Just because the players aren’t “selling” the holds doesn’t mean the refs quit watching (because they’re evaluated by the NFL’s head of official afterwards too, and he sees the blown calls).
Supporting the lesser of two evils is still supporting something evil.
Cunningham
I don’t think he’s trying to mask anything (at least not intentionally), I just think he confuses screaming and swearing with direction and motivation. Sometimes acting fired up can help…but when you don’t also teach good fundamentals or have a solid plan to begin with, it usually doesn’t. Most of the time it just makes you look like a buffoon and the only people who appreciate it are the fans who don’t recognize that the “fire” isn’t getting results.
Supporting the lesser of two evils is still supporting something evil.
Yeesh...
I’m almost wishing for Marshawn Lynch to run over our defense, just so there’s more evidence for its dismantling.
Grumplestiltskin
by Official Arrowhead Pride Parade on Nov 21, 2008 8:38 AM CST reply actions
I think Lynch is a tad overhyped
Not that he sucks, or that the KC d-line is anything but bad. But you did mention that last week was Lynch’s first 100yd rushing game of the season. In WEEK 11! That doesn’t scream elite rusher to me. Neither does…
a 3.7 yd per rush average, or
not notching even 80 yards rushing in any week (prior to last week), against the likes of the Rams, Raiders, Seahawks, and Jaguars.
Now, of course, we got f’ed-in-the-a by Pierre Thomas, of all people, last week, so I can’t really defend our defensive woes this season. All I can do is seek to expose Lynch (or perhaps the Buffalo o-line, as it were) as a “fraud.” Maybe he comes into our house and rips us a new one. Maybe Fred Jackson does so instead.
But here we are, amidst a stretch of 4 games where we had a legitimate shot at a win in the final minutes of the 4th quarter. We seem to be “improving,” some even appear to have found a little hope. But we’ve got to win one to keep that alive, right? We can’t just continue to “stay in the game” and feel as if we’re building on something. You can’t have a foundation of 6 straight losses and a 1-18 mark in your last 19 games, can you?
Doesn’t this have to be the week?
Most Of His Problems Stem From The Line
They’re not opening holes and his left tackle (Jason Peters) has been struggling all year since holding out to open the season. Lynch’s biggest problem this year has been his tendency to dance behind the line too much instead of just hitting holes (on the few occasions he gets them), but he’s a burner in the open field and an excellent pass-catcher so he’ll be plenty for us to handle. He’s certainly not a fraud.
Supporting the lesser of two evils is still supporting something evil.
it actually ended up being more like a wee heavy
but the extra alc. per volume has come in pretty handy so far
Tried to brew my own beer
in high school once. It was all foam and never changed to liquid.
by Chris Thorman on Nov 21, 2008 4:55 PM CST up reply actions
And Jackson
Will probably not be that much of a factor. He’s a good back who can spell Lynch but he doesn’t generally get enough carries to make a huge impact.
Supporting the lesser of two evils is still supporting something evil.
Funny
that’s what I might have said about…
Sammy Morris: 10 rushes, 53 yards, 1TD
Michael Bush: 16 rushes, 90 yards, 1TD
Jerious Norwood: 11 rushes, 75 yards
Jonathan Stewart: 19 rushes, 72 yards
LenWhale White: 17 rushes, 149 yards, 3TD
Leon Washington: 3 rushes, 67 yards, 1TD (and a receiving TD!)
Pierre Thomas: 16 rushes, 88 yards, 1TD
All I can do is seek to expose Lynch (or perhaps the Buffalo o-line, as it were) as a "fraud."
Fraud: Lynch, no. O-Line, yes.
Buffalo Rumblings - all you care to know about the Buffalo Bills and more
by Brian Galliford on Nov 21, 2008 1:04 PM CST up reply actions
I did put "fraud" in quotes
To be honest, I like Lynch. He seems like a really cool guy (Who doesn’t love Dave and Buster’s?!) I just think that the name recognition and the fantastic rookie season have blinded people to his lack of production this year. Sophomore slump, nothing wrong with that, happens to the best of us.
I Think That's More About The Line
Although I do think Lynch deserves part of the blame because he tends to do a little too much jitterbugging when he runs. I don’t think he’s afraid of contact, but he seems like he tries to get a little too clever for his own good when he should just blast ahead.
Supporting the lesser of two evils is still supporting something evil.
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