A couple changes can make all the difference. (offense)

by chiefs8288 on Jun 30, 2009 12:24 PM CDT Comment 14 comments

I was sitting at work last night looking at Yahoo sports/ Pro Football weekly's NFL preview magazine for 2009. after looking at the broken down stats on the chiefs last season, its clear what the chiefs have to correct in order to be able to really suprise some teams this year.

looking at the offense first:

2008 averages per game:

Net Yards- 308.6 (4939 total) 3rd in AFC West

Rushing (plays)- 23.6 (375 total) 4th in AFC West

Rushing (yards)- 113.1 (1810 total) 3rd in AFC West

Passing yards- 195.5 (3129 total) 4th in AFC West

sacks(allowed) - 2.3 (37 total) 3rd in AFC West

Int. thrown- 1 (16 total) 3rd in AFC West

Fumbles lost- .5 (8 total) 1st in AFC West

yards penalized- 40.3 (739 yards total) 1st in AFC West

punts- 5 (82 total) 3rd in AFC West

what do the chiefs need to do?

1) The Chiefs need to find a way to run the ball more in games. running the ball keeps the clock moving which will help to keep the defense off the field and not be exhausted in the fourth quarter. when you run the ball only 375 times in a season, after L.J. ran for 416 in a season is just pathetic (my opinion). L.J was sidlined four games last year, but here is why they needed to run the ball none the less

Larry Johnson - 193 rush yards, 874 yards, 4.5 avg., 65yard run(longest run), 5TD's

Kolby Smith- 35 rushes, 100 yards, 2.9 avg., 19yard run(longest),1TD

Jammal Charles- 67 rushes, 357 yards, 5.3 avg., 30 yard run(longest) 0TD's

Tyler Thigpen- 62 rushes, 386yards, 6.2 avg., 32yard run (longest) 3 TD's

with L.J in the game and J.C in a change of pace, the chiefs were able to move the ball. the problem is that Herm Edwards/ Chan Gailey wouldnt run the ball. now i know you have to pass more when playing from behind, however, you cant abandon the run when your in the lead or even close to taking the lead. for example in week 7 vs. NYJ, we were in the lead in that game but lost 28-24. the chiefs only ran the ball 20 times! how in the hell can you confuse an opposing defense with only 20 running plays in a game? point is that Todd haley and his staff need to run the ball a little more that Herm and his staff did last year.

2) With Tony Gonzalez being taded to ATL, the chiefs need to have someone step up as a #2 reciever. D-Bowe did drop crucial passes last year, however, his stats still werent that bad. the problem is the drop pff behind him. with T.G gone Bradley, Webb, and Engram need to show up in games or D-Bowe will be irrevelant. here is a comparison with D-Bowe and the Drop off of production after him.

Bowe- 86 catches, 1,022 yards, 11.9 avg. 36 yard(longest catch) 7TD's

Bradley- 30 catches, 380 yards, 12.7 avg., 56 yard(longest catch) 3TD's

if bradley can stay healthy this year, he will be the #2 reciever. Engram will play slot (chifs version of Wes Welker for cassel). recievers need to step up, if they do and cassel can distribute the ball to all recievers both Bowe and Bradley could have a great year.

in my next post i will break down the defense. let me know what you think.

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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It's crazy to say that Herm did'nt run the ball enough

But last year after we switched to the Arrowspread, he did’nt. Herm used to be run, run, pass on every series. And then, after the switch, it seemed like LJ was no longer part of the game plan, even in games where he was killing the other team.
Man, I am so glad Herm isn’t our coach anymore.

by Chiefsfan1970 on Jun 30, 2009 1:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

yards penalized- 40.3 (739 yards total) 1st in AFC West

I didn’t know it was that bad, Haley won’t put up with that! They won’t get a slap on the butt and maybe a hug after the game like Herm would do when they mess up.

Herm is gone things are better with that one move!!

by bringbacktheglory on Jun 30, 2009 1:19 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

that should be the Raiders' specialty!

Both penalties, and butt slapping

by stagdsp on Jun 30, 2009 1:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I kow the Raiders have always been know for penalties

I don’t know why I am surprised Herm set all kinds of bad records with this team so why not that one too.

Herm is gone things are better with that one move!!

by bringbacktheglory on Jun 30, 2009 1:27 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

raiders are the worst in the AFC West i meant first as in the best

here is how it breaks down
1) K.C.- 40.3 yards per game
2) Den. – 46.1 yards per game
3) S.D – 46.7 yards per game
4) Oak- 51.4 yards per game

by chiefs8288 on Jun 30, 2009 1:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

oh... nice

by stagdsp on Jun 30, 2009 1:48 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not really surprised

Good well written article, it shows some of what happened to the Chiefs that might have been missed.

We didn’t even come close to a balanced offense last year, that’s exactly how you get a 2-14 record. Too much throwing keeps the defense on the field way too long thus wearing them out. Even a Pee-Wee football coach knows when you have a lead run the ball and control the clock, Herm must have missed that part of the plan.

is it me? or isn't about time the Lamar Hunt trophy belonged to His team?

by KC Fanatic on Jun 30, 2009 4:16 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree...........

about using the clock by running the ball, but when the other team is putting 8 men in the box, you have to throw the damn ball. Some play action would have been nice to mix in too. You can throw the ball and have a effective running game. The 49ers did it for years, and so have the Pats

by CPT.Caveman on Jun 30, 2009 8:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep

You can throw the ball and have a effective running game. The 49ers did it for years, and so have the Pats

We did it for a few years earlier this decade…

Marley will be walking soon...she could probably play Linebacker better than some of the guys we had.

by PVChiefsfan on Jul 1, 2009 7:51 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ice will cure the swelling, but it's no substitute for setting the bone.

Nice description of certain symptoms in the offense. Over time, run:pass ought to end up pretty balanced, but it’s all about moving the chains and giving yourself more opportunities on offense. Statistics can teach us quite a bit, but I prefer to break games down individually. Were there 8 men in the box every down, cheatin’ against the run all day? Then as offensive coordinator, you KNOW that you have to execute the pass to beat that blitz, or, on a lucky day, break throught the run-blitz and make big plays on the ground in SPITE of the run-blitz.

My point is, last year’s KC offense wasn’t really threatening to hurt anybody deep and fast. DBs were able to play in tight on virtually every down, because neither of their two big guns was going to get beHIND anybody in a hurry (or be able to KEEP a step if they GOT a step. The completion percentages to single-covered WRs on the OTHER side of the field from Tony and/or Dwayne were NOT consistent threats. We can debate whether or not it was Thiggy’s fault, but last year’s offense couldn’t stretch the field vertically, and all bets are off in the prescriptions-for-too-few-rushing-attempts, if you’re basing your analysis on just that stat, and not breaking down what’s actually happening on the field.

Case in point: the beloved Donkeys. Smellway was the big threat the first SB they won. Terrell Davis became a superstar, in no small part because Smellway was The Guy that every Denver opponent focused their schemes against. Nobody was gonna let Elway beat ‘em, so Davis did (Smellway 120 yards passing in that win, I believe, but I ain’t lookin’ it up). The 2nd SB season, after Davis killed the year before, Smellway’s statistics in the SB were HUGE in comparison to the 1st. Nobody was gonna let Davis beat ’em, so Smellway did. (Something like 250 yards in the air, IIRC).

by hmills110 on Jul 2, 2009 2:02 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

The point of that last paragraph being...

… that the particular run/pass mix in a given situation is dictated by the situation on the field and what the defense is giving up. Just looking at a problem in the run game might actually have nothing to do with how well or how often the run is being executed. If the D doesn’t have to respect your aerial threats, anything you’re concluding about the run game might be out of whack.

Looking for an arbitrary balance between run and pass can (and often does, imo) miss the point that one or the other of run/pass is simply deficient. If you COULD execute that quick pass over-top vs the run-blitz, all of a sudden you’re facing less of that run-blitz, and so running the ball becomes SENSIBLE and gains yardage consistently. A team can be forced into passing unsuccessfully ‘most all day because they’ve been forced to go with their weakest/least consistent weapons by a cheating defense.

Why does Thiggy throw to a double-teamed Tony G? Maybe because it’s (unhappily) the highest-percentage proposition in the wake of everything else failing. Webb grows these alligator arms when the 3rd-down pass comes his way, for instance.

by hmills110 on Jul 2, 2009 2:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs