Thoughts on the KC/Cinci game
In no particular order.
1- The Chiefs have become masters of whiffing on good drives. Seven good drives yielded 3 points each. If we are to compete with the big boys we need to finish our drives strong. Potentially we left 28 points on the field. But wait, our kicker sets a new Chiefs record for FGs in a game. Who needs Jan Stenerud or Nick Lowery when you got Cairo Santos. Btw, if we finish 4 of those 7 drives with TDs like a legit team should, we win this game.
2- That bit of sarcasm about our kicker out of the way he needs to be mentioned with a big atta boy. The young man has improved a lot over last year. He has become pretty clutch. Too early to tell but maybe Cairo Santos will be mentioned someday along with Stenerud and Lowery. Now if he could only learn you're not supposed to kick off out of bounds.... ;)
3- Oline is crap. But you knew that. Here's a couple of observations about that:
A- Alex was sacked 49 times (most in his career) last year behind an Oline that did not have the 'stud' OG Grubbs and featuring human green light, Mike McGlynn. This year we are on track for almost 70!... Go figure!
B- Given the vast talent we have now accumulated on the Oline this year, (I wish there was a sarcasm emoticon), at what point do we point a finger at our Oline coach and the scheme?
C- The optimist in me thinks, this line is not as bad as it is and will gel sometime soon. The same optimist says that usually one or two bad apples make the whole Oline go rotten. So maybe either a player will be traded for, developed, or mature up and bingo(!) we will have respectable Oline play.
4- Alex Smith: He deservedly got a lot of criticism last week and deserves some this week too.
A- How can a NFL QB throw for almost 400 yards and not a TD pass?
B- Broken record here, but Alex holds on to the ball too long. He deserves a lot of the blame for the sacks as well. He doesn't even know how to throw the ball away. That intentional grounding was pathetic.
C- A lot of people attribute the almost bust status that he achieved at the pre-Harbaugh San Francisco to how his psyche got messed up with bad coaching and regime changes. All that means is that his psyche CAN be messed up. And nothing will mess up a QB's psyche more than sacks, hits, and hurries. Poor dude. PUT A FREAKING OLINE IN FRONT OF HIM ALREADY!
5- Gadget plays only worked for the Chiefs in the Stram era. I have never seen an NFL team botch gadget plays with the regularity that KC has in the last, what, two decades? I doesn't even matter who the coach is. Gadget plays are simply not in KC's DNA
6- What's up with our D and 3rd-and-longs?!!! defending them is another thing that does not seem to be in KC's DNA. Regardless of coach.
7- Speaking of the D, where are they? Where the hell is our vaunted pass rush?
8- Still speaking of the D, why is it that Sutton does not teach them to go for stripping the ball? Marty's Ds had that edge on the opposing Os and would get into their heads by the second quarter on. Our D is close to fielding the same talent, without that essential edge.
9- Officiating rants:
A- Kelce's fumble should have been reversed. Why do they have the replay review technology otherwise?! The game looked winnable until then. Cinci was -17 points in the 2nd half before this game. The officials basically gifted a TD to them to put the game out of reach.
B- On the Cinci's first attempt at the 2 point conversion our 99 was being held by two Olinemen. Yet a dubious defensive holding call was made against our D giving the Bengals the 2nd chance to make it a 2 TD game.
10- Broken record again: One of Alex Smith's positive qualities is his mobility. Why the hell don't we have DESIGNED QB runs in our playbook?! And if we do why the hell don't we use them?! This can be very effective in drives. It can keep oppositions Ds unbalanced and guessing. That threat can open up other plays for the Chiefs. For a supposedly offensive minded coach, we have a very conservative playbook. Maybe that's also why our occasional gadget plays don't work. Maybe that's why we don't score TDs when we get to 1st-and-goal. Can you imagine the QB bootlegs that Alex can take to the house in those situations?
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Originally Posted by Seek
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