FanPost

Impressions from Game 4

It sucks having to wait until Saturday night to watch the game. One of the benefits is going into the game knowing what others have said, so I can make a complementary (Two 'e's and no 'i's, when it is what is not.) 'Post, meaning I can say what others haven't.

So with this in mind, I begin very ambitiously with a play-by-play, which I quickly abandon for some comments that relate to my slant. If you see something you already read, I apologize. If you glean something new, I'm pleased.

The ambitious beginning:

KC ball.

  1. Deep throw to Bowe, incomplete. Packers were staying home against the run. Cassel had plenty of time.
  2. Wasted timeout. Set up the smoker to McCluster, lined up behind the left flanker, in a convoy. Not much of a convoy. Don't like the formation. Gain of 2.
  3. 3 wides in a bunch on the right side at bottom of screen. Like the twist they're running. Ball goes to Jamaal who races around the left and runs a slant in the shallows. Cassel hits him in stride and he gets the 1st. Nobody near him who could cover him. Raji puts a nice spin move on Hudson and is in Cassel's face when Cassel makes the excellent throw.
  1. Charles with a decent cutback run on student body right, for 5 yards.
  2. Play designed to go inside. Charles gives up a yard to try and bounce it outside.
  3. Cassel sacked on 3rd and 6. Hudson once again singled-up on Raji. Doesn't look too bad, but our tackles are really getting rolled up, and then beaten INside. McCluster pretending to be in protection, when he's planning on the screen, but too late to sneak out of there, given the speed of the pass rush. But this is exactly the kind of pick and roll situation I want Cassel and McCluster to master. Keep that guy away from the ball, unless you're gonna give it to him.

OK. It's getting close to 10 p.m., and time is thwarting my ambitions. Just watch it thru, til the eyes go, and pick up on the game on Sunday. Done. Check.

In reference to the last play comment, I think McCluster's better (more aware) in protections and more effective, especially against the DB blitz, than I've been giving him credit for. I generally prefer to see him taking guys out of the pass rush by threatening to catch a pass. My theory is shattered, later on, when So'Oto gets the pick on the panic pass to Dex. In Palko's defense, the protections were overwhelmed on both edges.

Palko took the 1-on-1 area throw to Dex. The thing that Dex clearly does NOT bring is winning the battle for the up-for-grabs pass. He can (and did) elevate to make the nab when it's beyond the defender and Dex is on the run, but he failed to sense the LB coming forward, while he was waiting for it. Slate made a similar error on a later Palko pick. As area throws, they weren't terrible by Palko, putting it on the side away from the defender, only the defender was moving towards Palko faster than his intended receiver, and got first crack at the ball. Those were both kind of Favre-like throws, after he got targets who believed that ball was theirs and went and got it.

Complementary comments with Mills bias.

Jones looked better catching the ball on the move than I've been giving him credit for. Nice snag and YAC. Thanks for proving me wrong.

McCluster more able in protections than I give him credit for. Thanks for proving me wrong.

A lot of #77 and #79 on O-Line. They say starters, but KC was still giving some players a last chance at 53, it appears.

Hudson was getting pushed off the line and defeated by the spin move on a pretty regular basis. Saw him singled up on Raji far too much. Then again, it could be the best thing for his development. You've faced the best in the league, my man. It doesn't get any harder until you face Detroit, and you (and/or Wiegs) will be doubleteaming Suh all day long. Good chance they single-up on the rookie in that one. I actually like our O-Line against 4-3 more, anyway, even though Suh's the best DT in the league AFAIC.

Other things... Sheffield was good, but doesn't get a glowing report. He was generally neutralized by the Green Bay RT 1-on-1 as a pass rusher.

Overall impression is that I really want to see the real starting O-Line in place for a whole game. KC will be better at eking out the short yardage dead ahead, with McClain in there.

Colbert's a good pickup. Breaston's a good pickup. Urban? Not sure. QBs still tentative/hesitant working the left side of the field.

Bubble screens suck. Quick passes to the 2-man convoy, with the intention of one guy blocking? Not so good at that, are we?

Always taking the underneath guy. Still no big down-the-field stuff going on. Urban? Team still needs to stretch the field a little better, but they seem pretty good out of the 3 wides, and not bad sending four guys into the pattern. Still a team that needs to send 3 or 4 to generate a mismatch. Could cut to 2 or 3, if they can work the left side of the field more consistently.

Could be telephoto, but Jackson looks slow to get off his blocks and make the tackle on the RB going by. Powe's a little slow in this regard, imo. Jackson got a LOT of snaps in that game.

Overall, our guys can go toe-to-toe with this Green Bay team. We can debate the #1s versus #2s bit, but except for some real bonehead stuff, KC had this game well in hand. The KC D was causing Green Bay problems. We'll see who they go with against Buffalo, but there are guys on this team who can get pressure. More than last year. NT play, in particular, is putting teeth into the ILB blitz.

Anybody notice the early side-by-side lineup of Belcher and DJ? DJ on the strong side. Belcher on the weak side. But with both of 'em in the middle, like that, which side they're on is in flux.

Booth announcers don't know the difference between 24 and 34. Numerous times the play-by-play got it wrong on KC players.

I want to see Jackson sided by Gregg and Houston. I didn't pay much attention to the secondary on the first pass.

Studie is a good coverage 'backer. No pressure. Belcher has a jolting gait.

Sometimes I wonder if Hali's just a poor tackler or if he went above and beyond to just get a hand on the guy.

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.