Eric Winston Says Chiefs Run Game Needs To Be Effective Early

We've talked again and again about how the Kansas City Chiefs are not a team built to make big comebacks. My biggest key to almost every game the Chiefs play is starting fast. They can't get in a hole early and they need to be able to continue to run the ball because that's where their A game is.

Chiefs offensive linemen Eric Winston talked yesterday about the running game and offered up what I felt was a very good run down of what the Chiefs need to be able to do to be successful.

"We had some good runs in Atlanta, but to run the ball you have to be up front," Winston said, via comments sent out by the Chiefs. "So you have to be good early in the game. You have to give (Brian) Daboll a reason to want to run it more, so that means you have to have more positive runs. You get a couple drives together, you put up some points, you get 7, 10, or 14 points in the first couple drives, and all of a sudden you're playing up front and you can call more. The thing is, if you want more runs which every offensive lineman does, then we need to produce and we need to produce early in the game."

Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIRE

Sometimes players are more eloquent in their description of the game than the reporters. (OK, a lot of times they are.) Winston pretty much nails it here. Despite some of the struggles the Chiefs have had in the run game this year, at least statistically, that's still their bread and butter. They haven't yet been in a position where they're forced to control the clock and rush the ball in the second half. Two running backs like Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis can wear a defense down but the Chiefs aren't even giving themselves the chance to do that. When you're down multiple scores, you have to rely on the pass and that's not the Chiefs game.

Goal No. 1 against New Orleans next week shouldn't change: start fast and keep the run game alive throughout the game.