MINI CAMP SURPRISES, Lets Revist before Camp
(BarryinStlouis)
For those of you who have not read my posts, Im sure you will be able to tell, I like Bob Gretz and the way he is writing this year about this team.I went to the Arby's Minicamp at Arrowhead, and made the evening news for my time on Fox4 that night, so alot of What Mr. Gretz talks about here, I seen first hand.
Mini-Camp Surprises
Jun 08, 2008, 2:45:16 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ
For those fans that used part of their Saturday and attended the Chiefs mini-camp practice session at Arrowhead Stadium there had to be shock and great surprise.
We aren’t talking about all the big holes dug into the ground outside the stadium that are part of the stadium renovation. We also are not talking about all the new names on the roster. Fans have been hearing about the new young faces for months now and knew walking into the building that of the 92 players that were on the field, only 35 had been there the last time the Chiefs took to the playing surface.
What had to be surprising is some of what the Chiefs showed their fans during the 90-minute practice. There were three very noticeable items:
* Bootlegs by the Chiefs quarterbacks.
* Audibles by the Chiefs quarterbacks.
* Man-to-man pass defense by the Chiefs defense.
Let’s start with the bootlegs. The Chiefs defense has had the quarterback boot thrown in their face, especially by the Denver Broncos, for the better part of the last two decades. It started with John Elway and has rolled through to Jay Cutler, and it was especially popular in those seasons with Jake Plummer at quarterback.
One reason the Chiefs struggled with the bootleg is because they never saw it during practice. Under Marty Schottenheimer, Gunther Cunningham and Dick Vermeil, plays were not often designed for quarterback movement. Oh, the scout team would run bootlegs in the week of the Denver game especially, but seldom was it shown in practice.
There’s one thing about defensive players that never changes: the more they see a particular play, the more they understand how to stop the same play. Based on that, the Chiefs defense should be the best in the league playing against the boot in 2008. Since the first OTA practice session, new offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has had his quarterbacks on the move. It’s something both Brodie Croyle and Tyler Thigpen seem comfortable doing. Same for the left-handed David Greene. Given the Chiefs rebuilding on the offensive line, it only makes sense to give the scheme some options that would help the blockers.
Fans may have noticed something else about the offense during the practice: the quarterbacks were actually calling audibles. They would come to the line of scrimmage, start the snap count and then pull back and either verbally or visually announce a change in the play.
This is not a new concept in offensive football, but it’s not something the Chiefs quarterback has been able to do over the previous seven seasons. Under the old Vermeil-Saunders-Solari offense, there was no established audible system. There were times when the offense might go to the line with two plays and the quarterback would pick one, but there was no planned way for the offense to get out of a bad play.
(BarryinStlouis) Look, Im not ****y, and A Mr. "knowitall" but MAN IM TIRED OF BEING RIGHT!!
That’s changed now. The Chiefs will have an audible system.
Defensively during the Saturday afternoon workout, fans got to see the new young defensive backs on the roster play some man-to-man pass coverage. The Chiefs have not done much man-to-man over the last two years; they’ve been predominately in zone pass coverage. Why? A lack of cornerbacks who combined the coverage skills and knowledge with the foot speed and quickness necessary to play the defense.
But youngsters Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr and Maurice Leggett are growing in confidence and understanding of the Chiefs defense and in the last few practices, they have played man-to-man coverage. If the young cornerbacks continue to improve, Cunningham will have many more options when it comes to calling his defenses.
On those three items alone, it has to be a surprising Saturday for Chiefs fans.
(BarryinStlouis)
Well even I was delightfully surprised by alot when I attended Minicamp,..
Ya, Man coverage is what I have been asking for with this defense for a while. I am sick of the free 8-10 yrds we have been giving as a cush. Its time to stand at the line of scrimmage, and chuck that reciever to slow him down. This will give our D-line more of a chance to bury the quarterback. These younger kids are opening up alot of options for Gunther. This has to have gunther smiling behind the scenes. He must be excited about his defense, and its potential.
Brodie looked real good on those roll outs. He did have a "swagger" to him in minicamp, like I expected. Boy his line looked GOOD in front of him. My only problem was McDonaldtosh, he is probably going to get beat out at camp if he dosent play better. I'm fine with that, bring on Barry Richardson. Throw him in there, let him learn.
Its So great to be able to see so many results in MINICAMP with our new offensive coordinator. Brodie has been spending alot of time with him, and the proof is starting to show in big ways. As far as the Bootlegs, this gets me excited too, because even if we assume the worst (like most WRITERS do), our QB will be able to get outside and make a play. He only has the best TE in NFL history to check down too, Or Larry, Or Jamaal, Or Kolby, or even Brad Cottham, who is a monster.
Another thing that stuck out was Dajuan Morgan. This Kid was all over the place, and I see him making a BIG contribution this year. He was only the 2nd best safty in the draft. Just Like FLowers was rated the 2nd best corner, and with Mayok, was his first ranked corner. Our Secondary is going to be impressive this year. Fast, Ball Hungry, and Physical. WOW, I cant Wait!
CHEERS!!!!
As Always,
HAIL TO THE CHIEFS
THE GREATEST TEAM IN ALL OF THE LAND!!
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Hali and dorsey are going to have a QB sandwhich !!! I BELIEVE !!!!!!!!!!!!
The only reason a beer sweats around Canada is because he's decided it will be the next beer he drinks.
Originally Posted by Three7s
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