The Kansas City Chiefs are winning again. It seems like a long time since fans could wake up on Monday morning and feel like everything was right with the universe.
When NFL teams are winning that means that a lot of people are doing a lot of hard work. The Chiefs offensive line is no doubt a group that is putting in a lot of quality time to make this team what it is to this point in the season.
The past two weeks we have spotlighted Brandon Albert and Barry Richardson's strengths and weaknesses. This week we will take a look at the Kansas City Chiefs offensive left guard: Brian Waters.
Brian Waters has now seen 11 NFL seasons. During that time he has established himself as a top quality left guard by being named an All-Pro by the Associated Press...not bad for a guy who never played offensive line until he reached the NFL.
So how has Brian Waters been doing over the last 7 weeks?
Performance Perspective
| 60% or below |
70% | 80% | 90% or above |
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| 60% is an indication the lineman was some defenders boy toy. |
70% is a rough day in both the run or passing game. The lineman probably got notice a lot and won't hold a job scoring 70% every week. |
80% is a solid day for run blocking but only an average day for pass blocking. Players strive to be above 80% every game. |
Player had great game run or pass blocking if they score a 90%. All pro players are consistently in the 90%. |
| Brian Waters | # Driven |
Game Grades After a Review of the Tape | |||||||||||||||||||||
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4 |
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Strength after reviewing the tape: Pass blocking. After 11 seasons in the NFL Brian understands the tricks defensive coordinators try and play on unsuspecting offensive lineman. Fortunately for the Kansas City Chief those tricks don't work on Brian Waters. Waters is stout on the pass rush and rarely gets driven by the bull rush. He moves well on his feet and keeps his weight centered which allows him to adjust to defender moves. He was moved to left tackle for a series while his fellow teammate Brandon Albert was hurt and didn't miss a step. Brian Waters can pass block against the best in the game. Has still possesses a little bit of a nasty streak when it comes to run blocking, has the ability to get to the second level, and can pull both from the playside or backside. Waters has pass blocked at the Pro-Bowl level through 6 games of the 2010 season. Weakness after reviewing the tape: In the run game Waters gets beaten more than his blocking percentage indicates. It is no secret that Brian has gotten a step slower then when he was in his heyday. However, like all great veterans, what he lacks in youthfulness he makes up for with his knowledge of the game. The Chiefs employ the zone blocking scheme and Brian often uses veteran techniques to block lineman he cannot reach block. He constantly uses the defenders momentum against them by tugging them, pulling, pushing, slinging, cutting, and spinning (the defender) . In the end, he gets the job done. And that's the most important thing of all. Brian may be more susceptible to nagging injuries and the wear and tear of the 16 game NFL season. Performance might decline due to this or, if the coaches are proactive about it, might be asked to do less pulling or second level blocking as the season progresses...time will tell.
Reviewer's Summery: Waters is still performing at a high level and is a big reason this Chiefs team is back at the top of the NFL in rushing. He still is getting it done after 11seasons in the NFL. Brian's ability to pull, zone block, or drive block makes him a valuable commodity in the NFL. |
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Some fans have asked Bewsaf if Brian Waters will be moved to center next year. They see Brian's eventual replacement setting on the sideline, Jon Asamoah, and are excited to see another Pioli draft pick show his stuff. From what I have seen Jon will be a good one. But for now, Jon is going to have to wait because Brian Waters is still showing people in the NFL that he can get the job done from left guard. While I do think that Mr. Waters is coming to the end of his career, there is no indication that Brian will be anywhere other than left guard.
Other fans have been critical of Waters and the offensive line. They tend to think that the rushing production is in large part due to the quality of the running backs and not the performance of the lineman. All I can say is that I have never seen a great back that didn't have a good line. Yea, great backs make a line look a little better. But when it comes down to it...if there isn't a hole then the back isn't going to find one.
Click On "Bewsaf Past Posts" for more past articles
| *Chiefs vs Texans - Breaking Down The O-Line Tape | *Kansas City Chief's Brandon Albert: Just The Facts |
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