ChiefsPlanet - View Single Post - Chiefs Sutton's Defense Won't Dictate Or Attack

kccrow · 08-18-2018, 02:55 PM

I think this OP is making a huge assumption based upon the performance of last year's defense. It's pre-season, where vanilla is largely what's on tap.

For starters, Bob Sutton has historically changed his defensive alignments, especially his fronts, frequently to make pre-snap harder on QB's, all the while masking his true intentions. This creates a lot of turnover opportunities, something the Chiefs have been very good at during his tenure. To say he won't try to dictate what the offense does is incredibly premature. He's showing them one thing to make them think they can do something they really can't. Now, if players fail to do their jobs, a la 2017, that's not all on Bob Sutton.

Bob Sutton has also shown that he is more than willing to attack when he has the horses and the situation to do so. He was one of the most attacking coordinators in the league when he came here. Whether or not he will attack is something we'll have to see in 2018, because he certainly left a lot on the table last year in that regard but I can't fault him entirely. I do fault him for being the least aggressive team on 3rd down with only a 14% blitz percentage. He didn't have much for options, but not having your top pass rusher rush the passer with the frequency he did last year was inexcusable. That, of course, doesn't mean Sutton won't go back to a more attack-oriented defense.

A lot does go into attacking. He has to trust the 6 he's keeping back more than he does the 5 he's sending on the attack (or whatever combination thereof). It's yet to be seen if he can trust his DBs enough to consistently send 5 (or more). Then, does he have the horses to actually get home on that blitz? I think the potential starting lineup might, but I think the depth could continue to lack. Not a lot of sense in blitzing just to blitz. A team that blitzes too often is very easy to counter and they will get burned in the NFL. Teams run even more frequently now out of the pistol and shotgun to boot, which makes it even more difficult to get a blitz home.

It's all a timing game. Most teams send 4 frequently, but most do not send 5 as frequently as you might expect. Sure, you have the teams that blitz 35%+ but most teams hover in the low 20's, around 23%. The Chiefs were on the low end at just under 18%, but the middle of the pack on pressure percentage created from that blitz. The problem is, even though they got pressure, teams got big plays on them with a league-worst DVOA. The Chiefs were middle of the pack in all categories when only sending 4. Anyhow, it's one thing to blitz and another to have an effective blitz. Sutton didn't blitz as much last year because the Chiefs just weren't good at it.

08-18-2018, 02:55 PM	#132
kccrow MVP Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Michigan Casino cash: $2957078	I think this OP is making a huge assumption based upon the performance of last year's defense. It's pre-season, where vanilla is largely what's on tap. For starters, Bob Sutton has historically changed his defensive alignments, especially his fronts, frequently to make pre-snap harder on QB's, all the while masking his true intentions. This creates a lot of turnover opportunities, something the Chiefs have been very good at during his tenure. To say he won't try to dictate what the offense does is incredibly premature. He's showing them one thing to make them think they can do something they really can't. Now, if players fail to do their jobs, a la 2017, that's not all on Bob Sutton. Bob Sutton has also shown that he is more than willing to attack when he has the horses and the situation to do so. He was one of the most attacking coordinators in the league when he came here. Whether or not he will attack is something we'll have to see in 2018, because he certainly left a lot on the table last year in that regard but I can't fault him entirely. I do fault him for being the least aggressive team on 3rd down with only a 14% blitz percentage. He didn't have much for options, but not having your top pass rusher rush the passer with the frequency he did last year was inexcusable. That, of course, doesn't mean Sutton won't go back to a more attack-oriented defense. A lot does go into attacking. He has to trust the 6 he's keeping back more than he does the 5 he's sending on the attack (or whatever combination thereof). It's yet to be seen if he can trust his DBs enough to consistently send 5 (or more). Then, does he have the horses to actually get home on that blitz? I think the potential starting lineup might, but I think the depth could continue to lack. Not a lot of sense in blitzing just to blitz. A team that blitzes too often is very easy to counter and they will get burned in the NFL. Teams run even more frequently now out of the pistol and shotgun to boot, which makes it even more difficult to get a blitz home. It's all a timing game. Most teams send 4 frequently, but most do not send 5 as frequently as you might expect. Sure, you have the teams that blitz 35%+ but most teams hover in the low 20's, around 23%. The Chiefs were on the low end at just under 18%, but the middle of the pack on pressure percentage created from that blitz. The problem is, even though they got pressure, teams got big plays on them with a league-worst DVOA. The Chiefs were middle of the pack in all categories when only sending 4. Anyhow, it's one thing to blitz and another to have an effective blitz. Sutton didn't blitz as much last year because the Chiefs just weren't good at it.
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