If the coaches stay the D will be better next year

by tevans96 on Dec 25, 2008 11:40 AM CST

Yesterday I had to take my car in to get an alignment done, this took over two hours because the guy in front of me had major problems with his car. Anyway this gave me the opportunity to sit and read several ESPN the Magazine and SI magazines. I can not remember in which one I read this and I am having to go off of memory but I wanted to pass along a point that they made about the chiefs and the Defense.

When you go back and look at team that have turned their D around and gotten signifigantly better from one year to the next there is a way to predict what teams are likely to be able to do this. This is in relation to 3rd down conversions given up compaired to how well the D did on 1st and 2nd down.

The Chiefs have been very tough on the first 2 downs all season but they give up 3rd down conversions at a really high rate. Teams that do this will generally address this problem in the offseason, can you say DE, and the next year will suddenly be a very good defense because they fix the major flaw and they are already good on 2/3rds of the plays.

If we end up with the same coaches next year don't be shocked if the D suddenly turns it around and becomes the strenght of our team. - I think the coaches will be new myself but you never know.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.

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Is anybody...

In or around Cameron Missouri? I was on my way down to Texas and my alternator went out. Im tryin to find a parts store that is open or a salvage yard near here where I could go out and pull my own part. This is a great way to spend Christmas, in a days inn in Cameron Missouri.

by ComeSackMyQB on Dec 25, 2008 1:39 PM CST reply actions

That sounds terrible

Sorry to hear you had troubles.

by Joel Thorman on Dec 27, 2008 2:58 PM CST up reply actions

I have no doubt the Defense will be better next year

regardless of who the coach is (unless the new coaching staff does something drastic like switch to the 3-4 for which we don’t have the proper personnel on the roster).

I think the D-line will get better over time. The tackles Dorsey and Tank Tyler should improve with another year under their belts.

Tamba Hali had a terrible year this year, but I think thats all it was, a terrible year. Julius Peppers had 2.5 sacks in 14 games in 2007. Sometimes stuff just happens to players. I don’t think Tamba handled the expectations of replacing Jared Allen well at all and has looked much more comfortable back on the left side.

We need to find a good pass rusher for the right side (hopefully there will be one available in free agency, Suggs probably being the best bet not to get franchised, since all the college prospects appear to be underweight in my opinion).

We need linebacker help of course. DJ is adequate, though has never become the player they hoped he would. DeMorrio Williams has looked good in some games. I suspect he will probably remain a backup unless they don’t pick up an upgrade at his position.

The secondary I think we will be in pretty good shape for as long as they don’t expect more of the guys than they are capable. Flowers is an excellent CB, but if he is put in man to man every down his size will be a problem. Carr and Leggett should continue to develop if they are given the chance. Page and Pollard should continue to mature and play well and hopefully Morgan will develop into a solid backup.

We have the talent on defense for the most part. They just need to continue getting experience and fill in a few of the missing pieces.

by ChiefDJ on Dec 25, 2008 7:42 PM CST reply actions

The 3-4 may happen

If we bring in the GM of Scott Pioli and the Head Coach of Bill Cower which are the two main targets. I unfortuently see the 3-4 coming. I am not in favor of the 3-4 but defenses that run it are generally top defenses. Pioli and Cower both run the 3-4. Which is why we may switch to it.

by NakedDave on Dec 26, 2008 11:39 AM CST up reply actions

Seems like a big setback if we do

Requiring more draft picks to “complete” the system. We could shuffle some pieces and come up with an ok patchwork – Boone would seem a better DE fit in a 3-4 than he does in the 4-3… maybe Dorsey fits there as well. But we flush almost all of our current DE’s out by switching, as none of them really have the athleticism to move to the OLB spot and all lack the size to hold up on the line of a 3-4. Maybe if Turk packs on some pounds he could play DE in the 280-290lb range – but would his skills suffer under the added weight?

This also requires even more LB’s through the draft/FA this offseason. We would need 2-3 LB acquisitions instead of 1-2 to make it work. DJ could play MLB in a 3-4, but we’d need a beefier OLB or two to play the system effectively.

That’s just may take on us switching to a 3-4. I like the 3-4 a lot and I think it is a good system, but I don’t think the 4-3 is a lost cause in today’s game. It can dominate as well as any system if done correctly.

I hear what you’re saying as far as what could happen with a new coach/GM, but it seems like we would be flushing away an awful lot of talent that is currently sitting on the team. But hey, maybe that’s what we need to get better? I guess we’ll see before long.

by Ochophosphate on Dec 26, 2008 12:10 PM CST up reply actions

"Hopefully Morgan becomes a solid backup"

In hindsight, it would have been nice to have a solid starting o-lineman, already beginning to gel with the rest of the guys, instead of a backup safety where we already a little depth.

Lets hope Clark lets the new GM start fresh, with his guys. Who would want a coach, who has lost twice as many as he has won in KC?

by Eric Allen on Dec 25, 2008 11:13 PM CST reply actions

You never know what the future will hold for these guys

We could easily pick up a great offensive lineman this year and Morgan could turn out to be a Pro Bowl Safety. We have no idea, but if that were to happen, nobody would think it was a bad move.

We are looking at it through the prism of one single year, but who is to say that a couple years down the road it will be a non issue?

by ChiefDJ on Dec 26, 2008 8:42 PM CST up reply actions

May be the case, only time will tell.

Lets hope Clark lets the new GM start fresh, with his guys. Who would want a coach, who has lost twice as many as he has won in KC?

by Eric Allen on Dec 26, 2008 10:49 PM CST up reply actions

a jackass will never win the Kentucky Derby

nol matter how well it is trained, and unless there are at least 6 new starters on the D it will not be good enough

The only measure of true success in the NFL is the Vince Lombardi trophy. Anything less is a rationalization.

by sm7600 on Dec 26, 2008 10:37 AM CST reply actions

6 new starters?!

I think you’re blowing that way out of preportion.

We need a pass rushing DE and one, maybe two LBs. So thats 3 players. I think the rest of the guys will just continue to improve over time.

by ChiefDJ on Dec 26, 2008 8:44 PM CST up reply actions

Pollard, Hali, rush end

two linebackers (though god knows why I’m cutting DJ slack at this point), one d tackle…that’s six

Yes, please convice me how no show d tackles,not just for one, but 2 full years, are going to magically improve. Or how Hali is going to improve by osmosis.

The only measure of true success in the NFL is the Vince Lombardi trophy. Anything less is a rationalization.

by sm7600 on Dec 27, 2008 11:29 AM CST up reply actions

Hali

This was Hali’s worst year, given a strong rush from the other DE he should be back. I think he didn’t handle the pressure well this year but will be back to his old form next year.

by tevans96 on Dec 27, 2008 12:10 PM CST up reply actions

injured

Hali has been dinged up this season as well. Not that it’s an excuse, but possibly a contributing factor.

by Ochophosphate on Dec 27, 2008 1:20 PM CST up reply actions

I think you're overly harsh in your judgmente of young players

Hali had a bad year this year, but Julius Peppers only had 2.5 sacks in 2007, but I don’t think any of us think he should be given up on because of that. Hali is not Peppers, but I still think he is a quality DE coming off the left side. Not everyone can be a Pro Bowler.

I honestly don’t understandt he criticisms of Pollard. He is the leading tackler on our team and has already surpassed his total tackles from last year. He is a much imrpoved player all the way around. He has more tackles than several pro bowl safeties this year.

D Tackle? Dorsey isn’t going anywhere. Tank should continue to improve. Don’t really know what you’re expecting out of the D-line. Their job is to stuff the run and the Chiefs are much improved there the second half of the season.

by ChiefDJ on Dec 27, 2008 2:23 PM CST up reply actions

Our defense hasn't been good on 3rd down

for a few years now. In order to be good on 3rd down, you need something called a pass rush. Even when we had Jared Allen we weren’t in the top 10 for team sacks.

Indecision is the key to flexibility

by cmpotter on Dec 26, 2008 10:47 PM CST reply actions

Based off of What?

Last year we were 14th in points allowed, of the 13 defenses that were better than us do you know who had a better 3rd down defense? SD – no, Dallas – no, Stealers – no. No one did, of all the teams ahead of us no one even came close to our third down defense.

This year we got better on 1st and 2nd down but we took a huge hit on 3rd down D. We are letting teams convert almost 50% of their 3rd downs.

by tevans96 on Dec 27, 2008 2:15 AM CST up reply actions

I stand corrected

Last year we were the best on third down. Prior to that we were horrible. One season out of many isn’t great or even good. The whole point of what I was saying is that you have to put pressure on the QB and that is something we aren’t good at.

Indecision is the key to flexibility

by cmpotter on Dec 27, 2008 9:59 AM CST up reply actions

Last year

We were good on 3rd down but we had an offense that was pretty weak.

If you took last year’s defense and this year’s offense, I think our record would look drastically different. With the shape of the AFC West, we may be right in that running for the playoffs – though I don’t think we would be legitimate title contenders by any stretch.

I guess that’s like saying – “Man, if we could take any of our D’s from the early/mid 90’s with Marty, and the offenses from the Vermiel era we would be unstoppable”.

by Ochophosphate on Dec 27, 2008 10:14 AM CST up reply actions