Is Haley trying to create the right identity?

by cpa913 on Sep 28, 2009 10:32 AM CDT

It seemed like every time KC got the ball against Philly, I said it's first down, LJ is going to get the ball up the middle. I couldn't believe how consistently predictable it had gotten. I was shocked to find out that Haley was doing the "do it again until you get it right" routine, because I thought Cassel has the skills to throw the ball to get us back in the game.

This kind of reminds me of a game I played in junior high. We kicked off, and the opponent ran it back for a touchdown. The coach was so mad that he made us kick again, instead of receive, and said he was going to keep kicking it until we got it right.

I realize that Haley said he would be happy to win with three yards and a cloud of dust, the problem is that's the stats for the whole first half. I understand all of that doing it the "right" way, but what if it isn't the right way for this team? Does this really look like a Marty Schottenheimer, huge O-Line, with huge Running Backs, with nicknames like the Nigerian Nightmare, type of team? It seems to me the personnel is not suited for the smash mouth approach and that Charles has proven himself to be deserving of starting based on his performance thus far.

via www4.pictures.zimbio.com

	Rushing				Receiving
	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
2009 Season	10	44	4.4	0	7	63	9.0	0
On Pace	10	44	4.4	0	7	63	9.0	0
Career	77	401	5.2	0	34	335	9.9	1

Savage seems to be the ideal third down back. With speed and quickness, and fight. That run he made in the preseason was ALL fight. That's the attitude this team needs.

via cdn3.sbnation.com

	Rushing				Receiving
	ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	REC	YDS	AVG	TD
2009 Season	3	26	8.7	0	6	43	7.2	0
On Pace	3	26	8.7	0	6	43	7.2	0
Career	18	79	4.4	0	8	43	5.4	0

Well, what about LJ? It's the O-lines fault he hasn't broken off big runs, right? Well, I say the opponent needs to be loosened up with Charles runs, passes over the middle, etc. Once the defense is on their heels, bring in LJ to pound the rock. Use him like the Cowboys used to use Marion Barber when the had Julius Jones starting. He would be ideal in the short yardage and goal-line situations, and 4th quarter against worn down defenses.

via i2.cdn.turner.com

Do you think Haley is creating the right identity?

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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Well, it's hard to see

It’s hard to see an identity when so little of what they have tried has actually worked vs 2 of the first 3 opponents.

Vs the Ravens, nothing worked until they started throwing on every down, and making plays on special teams/defense. In the end it wasn’t enough.

I think they were able to establish the run, and stop the run vs the Raiders, which was the identity I was expecting.
But, they were burned by penalties and turnovers.

vs the Eagles it was like the worst part of the first 2 games all in one game… the running game didn’t work, they had way too many dumb penalties, AND they seemed to give up on trying to win in the 2nd half.

I don’t think the players gave up or stopped trying, but I think Haley gave up on winning that game, and tried to work on running the ball as if it were practice.

So, it’s hard to tell what identity they are establishing, as they haven’t been able to establish much.

The Identity that they SHOULD be trying to establish, IMO:

Throw the football: get the ball out quick, get it to the playmakers in space, and give them a shot… Bowe, Bradely, Wade, Charles, Savage, Lawrence… these guys can all make plays when they get the ball. LET THEM!!!

use LJ as the short yardage guy, and as a change of pace FROM Charles… not the other way around. It’s clear that power running is not the strength of this team, so why beat your head against the wall?

Stop the run and force turnovers on defense. It’s clear that coverage over the middle is a weakness… so they may struggle against good passing teams. Focus on shutting down the run, and taking the ball away. Find a way to get after the QB and hope for the best.

Play SMARTER: they seem to have lost their minds in the last 2 games with penalties. Fix it NOW. This team CAN win if they are smart, they WON’T win if they are dumb. period.

* "I doubt anyone will miss Connor Barth except UCrawford"
* the LB corps may become the biggest strength of the Chiefs in 2009
* The OL is NOT as bad as you think it is... give it time, and you'll see improvement this season

by stagdsp on Sep 28, 2009 11:09 AM CDT reply actions

Well said..

use LJ as the short yardage guy, and as a change of pace FROM Charles

that was exactly the point I was trying to make!

Negative Ghost Rider the pattern is full...

by cpa913 on Sep 28, 2009 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions

Also, can Flowers and Carr catch the damn ball when the QB is throwing it right to them???

How many picks did they drop yesterday? At least 2 that I can think of.

by Chiefsfan1970 on Sep 28, 2009 12:16 PM CDT up reply actions

I agree,

I can’t even count how many times they could have had an int in the last 3 games.

Cassel has something to prove 3TD's against Eagles

by bringbacktheglory on Sep 28, 2009 12:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Short yardage?

Are you sure you don’t mean negative yardage? He isn’t any good at short yardage. I don’t blame him entirely. They haven’t ran a power sweep with him since…Vermeil.

by 12t on Sep 28, 2009 12:20 PM CDT reply actions

Week 4 game plan...

Allow Jacobs to run for 500 yards in hopes he pulls a Hammie…Thus we can trade LJ to the Giants. They can open up the holes that he needs.

by 12t on Sep 28, 2009 12:27 PM CDT reply actions

LJ sucks in short yardage situations

Larry Johnson has always been awful in short yardage situations. Granted, he’s supposed to be a bruiser, a straight-ahead runner, a power-back. But he’s really not. If you go back and look at this third and short or four and short attempts, most have come up, well, short. In simple terms, Larry needs a hole to run through. He’s good running over people in the open when he has a mind to, but he’s not good and finding cracks and slipping ahead for a yard or two. The last back we had in K.C. that really excelled at that was Marcus Allen. And he was not a particularly big guy. Just smart.

Overall, I agree with your post. I think Haley’s a decent coach, but I think he’s making one huge mistake. He’s trying to enforce his will on a team that simply can’t do his will. The great coaches adjust to their personnel, and I don’t believe Haley’s even attempting to do that. Last year, I think Gailey ran the spread as much for the o-line as for Thigpen. He looked at what he had and created an offense that worked.

by Watson_H_Rhodes on Sep 28, 2009 12:50 PM CDT reply actions