Chiefs Mellinger: Fire Sutton - Page 24

excessive · 01-07-2018, 04:03 PM

Chiefs need change, and they should begin by firing defensive coordinator Bob Sutton
BY SAM MELLINGER

smellinger@kcstar.com

UPDATED 40 MINUTES AGO

Bob Sutton needs to be fired.

The Chiefs should be looking for a new defensive coordinator. There is no joy in calling for a man’s job, but then, there is no joy in watching a defense underperform its talent and fair expectations over and over and over again.

This can’t continue. That is plain. That is obvious.

Andy Reid isn’t ready to talk about this yet and that’s fine, that’s understandable, that’s his right. What’s more — that’s smart.

The head coach lives this in a way that requires space for any major change. Emotional decisions are usually bad decisions, and Reid had to know the Will You Fire Your DC question was coming in the postmortem press conference the day after another embarrassing postseason collapse.

And he had to know he would answer it with a vague non-answer.

“Time in this league has a funny way of working,” Reid said. “You’ve gotta step back. You’ve gotta evaluate. You’ve gotta go through that process. Look at what’s real, and what’s not. You don’t want to do it when you’re emotional or still tied into what happened obviously last night.

“You’ve gotta fight that. A question like that, you’ve gotta fight that. You step back and you evaluate it, and do what’s right for the Chiefs. If you always come back to that, you’re going to be OK.”

That’s an 86-word excerpt from a longer answer that can be generally summarized: “I just had my heart ripped out, again, and am not yet ready to make any decision more serious than lunch.”

Chiefs' Andy Reid reflects on Wild Card playoff loss: 'We've got to do better'
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid held a press conference a day after the Chiefs’ 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans in an AFC Wild Card playoff game. It was the Chiefs' sixth straight home playoff loss, a NFL record.

Allison Long The Kansas City Star
Again, you can understand where he’s coming from. Even if he somehow has already decided to move on from Sutton, he hasn’t had a chance to tell his friend and longtime assistant yet, and taking some time comes with no downside.

Potential replacements aren’t being hired, and in fact may still be working. More to the point, Reid’s coaching philosophy centers around personal accountability.

After every loss, he says some form of, “we need to get better and that starts with me.” After the offense played dead in the second half against the Titans, Reid said he called the plays that didn’t work and assistant Matt Nagy called the plays that did.

Firing his defensive coordinator the next day would reek of scapegoating.

But if he hasn’t yet, Reid must soon come to the cold and unemotional conclusion that the Chiefs need a new voice for the defense.

That needs to be only part of the change. Alex Smith must be replaced by Patrick Mahomes, offensive line coach Andy Heck needs to make a convincing case to keep his job, and no position group on the team underperformed as much as the defensive line coached by Reid’s son Britt.

Reid himself should wear the biggest chunk of this loss. He just finished his 19th season as a head coach and by now has earned a reputation for regular season success and postseason failure.

Seventy-eight teams have led by 18 or more at halftime of a playoff game. Only four have lost, and two have been coached by Reid in the last five seasons. He is tied for the third-most playoff losses of any coach in NFL history, and the two ahead of him won multiple Super Bowls.

Chiefs are on this list twice: Teams blowing an 18-point halftime lead in NFL playoffs
According to ESPN research, Andy Reid's Chiefs teams are responsible for two of the only four times in modern NFL playoff history a team has blown an 18-point or larger halftime lead.

Neil Nakahodo, David Eulitt, Shane Keyser, John Sleezer, Allison Long The Kansas City Star
Since 2001, he has won just one playoff game as the underdog, and lost seven as the favorite.

The loss to the Titans followed a familiar pattern: the offense went cold, the defense couldn’t get off the field and the Chiefs had a chance to win at the end and failed.

The standard for this team was always postseason success, so the outcome is a failure, and any credible evaluation of another wasted opportunity must acknowledge Reid’s share of this.

But he’s not going anywhere, for better or worse. Chairman Clark Hunt values the stability Reid has created after the horror show Pioli years, Reid signed a contract extension last summer, and he’ll oversee the quarterback transition to Patrick Mahomes.

Sutton has no excuse, and no cushion.

The Chiefs were 28th in total defense, and 27th in yards surrendered per play. They could not stop the run (24th in yards per carry, 202 given up in the playoff loss), which tended to overshadow the fact that they could not stop the pass (24th in yards per attempt).

Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson: 'If you’re good enough, you come out with that win'
Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson called Saturday's playoff loss to the Titans one of the toughest of his career.

Sam Mcdowell The Kansas City Star
The advanced metrics, if anything, are worse. Football Outsiders’ DVOA ranks the Chiefs dead last in the league in overall defense.

This fits what the eye sees, too. They could not get off the field on third down (23rd, and second worst among playoff teams), and could not adjust to opponents’ schemes. Sutton allowed Daniel Sorensen to be exposed against the run for far too long, didn’t do enough to scheme pressure, and was far too easy to manipulate.

His scheme had Justin Houston rushing the passer or dropping into coverage based on what the offense showed, which meant the other side was controlling what the Chiefs’ best player did on any given snap.

Sutton had enough to work with, too, even after losing Eric Berry for the season. The Chiefs spend more than half their salary cap on defense, and that’s with stars like Chris Jones and Marcus Peters still on rookie deals, and Reggie Ragland playing for relative peanuts.

If it was bad luck that Berry played just one game, it was good luck that Houston played 17. The injury excuse is a tired one, anyway. Every team has something. The Titans had two defensive starters on IR, and they managed.

Coaches are supposed to put their players in position to succeed, and far too often, Sutton was doing the opposite. The Patriots gave up an average of 32 points in their first four games (including a season-high 42 to the Chiefs in the opener) and then an average of just 14 the rest of the way.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick is an unrealistic standard for defensive scheme, but this is two years in a row the Chiefs have lost a playoff game at home as the betting favorite largely because they could not stop the run and get off the field on third down.

Against the Titans, a team with a struggling quarterback and dangerous running back, the Chiefs used far too much nickel and even dime personnel — including on Derrick Henry’s 35 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

Whether that was because the Titans were able to influence the Chiefs’ substitutions with their own personnel, or because Sutton made the decision on his own is irrelevant. This just can’t continue.

Let us say it one more time: Sutton is not the only problem, and may not even be the biggest.

Reid is Sutton’s boss, and could’ve better protected his defense and an 18-point lead with more carries for the league’s leading rusher.

Even so, the offense could’ve won the game on its last possession, and this is a staggering fact: all but one of the Chiefs’ losses this season could’ve been wins if the offense performed better on its last drive.

The Chiefs aren’t giving the next defensive coordinator a fair shot if they don’t improve the personnel, too, which is part of why the team needs to replace Smith with Mahomes. The change would create $17 million in cap space and whatever draft picks they can acquire in a trade, which is enough for a corner, edge rusher, and defensive lineman.

There can be no doubt, in any part of the organization, about whether change is needed. We can have lively and smart debates about how far that change needs to go.

But there is no question that it needs to include the defensive coordinator, whenever Reid is ready.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...193446229.html

Hammock Parties · 01-09-2018, 11:49 PM

I realize you think this is trolling, but it's not.

Bob Sutton got this team into the playoffs.

You can't fire a DC over allowing 22 points.

pugsnotdrugs19 · 01-09-2018, 11:49 PM

This team is doomed with Bob Sutton as DC. Absolutely doomed.

His approach is far too bland, unaggressive, and easy to manipulate and/or counter.

**Easy 6** · 01-09-2018, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OKchiefs

Britt Reid for DC!!!

Hammock Parties · 01-10-2018, 12:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19

This team is doomed with Bob Sutton as DC. Absolutely doomed.

I remember when I said this before the Raiders game. I was wrong.

My bobby's back he's gonna save his reputation

Chief Northman · 01-10-2018, 12:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

I realize you think this is trolling, but it's not.

Bob Sutton got this team into the playoffs.

You can't fire a DC over allowing 22 points.

You can when you give up 19 in a half in the fashion they did.

I respect Sutton’s red zone and goal-line defense.

What I hate is how soft the team is between the 20s. Sutton squads have always given up big yardage in both the run and pass. He is a terrible 3rd down playcaller. Over-reliance on turnovers. Always losing time of posession.

When he has had elite talent playing at their peak and injury free, his defenses have produced - but that is the case for most. Most average NFL defenses force a few 3 and outs per game. That is rarely the case with Sutton. He is no chicken salad maker.

The screams of Marcus Peters have told me this.

BryanBusby · 01-10-2018, 02:58 AM

Once Patricia takes the Lions job, werthers will be the longest lasting DC in the NFL...unless Andy does what he should do.

PAChiefsGuy · 01-10-2018, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19

This team is doomed with Bob Sutton as DC. Absolutely doomed.

His approach is far too bland, unaggressive, and easy to manipulate and/or counter.

Says the guy who blames Smitty for most of the Chiefs failures. According to you a mere week ago Alex 'Montana' Smith is the main reason Chiefs can't get over the hump and win the SB. Now everything is Sutton's fault. Which is it?

If you can take the emotion out of the game you'd see that holding the Titans to 22-pts is bad but not horrible considering our defense's talent level.

ILChief · 01-10-2018, 06:58 AM

Anyone been listening to NFL radio on Sirius this morning? Some guy says they said Sutton is retiring. Not sure if they are repeating the Lombard podcast or if they fell for the fake rapoaport Twitter account or if it's legit.

SuperBowl4 · 01-10-2018, 07:16 AM

Sutton needs to go. Maybe Reid also.

Sassy Squatch · 01-10-2018, 07:48 AM

Maybe we could send an anonymous letter to Reid stating that Sutton was in cahoots with Dorsey to get Maclin released. Just might get his hackles raised enough to actually do something.

HC_Chief · 01-10-2018, 07:55 AM

Why is this article so long? It is obvious Sutton needs to go; Sam's editor must have a minimum word count requirement.

Title: Sutton should be fired.
Body: Because he sucks.
Post: Thank you, undersigned every Chiefs fan with functioning eyes.

FloridaMan88 · 01-10-2018, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19

This team is doomed with Bob Sutton as DC. Absolutely doomed.

His approach is far too bland, unaggressive, and easy to manipulate and/or counter.

It is a bigger picture than just Sutton... the fact that Andy Reid isn't going to hold anyone accountable or make any immediate changes to his coaching staff (other than changes in response to people leaving, i.e. Nagy) after a historic playoff collapse is pathetic.

This is basically the same staff and same strategy that has produced two of the most epic playoff collapses in NFL history... how do you NOT make any changes to your coaching staff after 2 epic collapses within a 5 year time-frame?

And for the "be patient, it has only been a few days since the playoff loss" crowd... take note of the fact that Carolina fired their OC and QB coach 48 hours after their playoff loss, Green Bay made several changes to their coaching staff just about a week after their season ended... quality prospective assistant coaches are getting interviewed/hired for other jobs... NOW is the time to act.

Sassy Squatch · 01-10-2018, 08:24 AM

Bob Suttons bend but don't break defense doesn't work when teams make offensive adjustments to come at us with fury and desperation. He won't make necessary adjustments, he's just content to watch as it doesn't just break, but shatters in humiliating fashion

**** letting him walk away with his head held high if the rumors are true. He deserves to hang his head in shame, because he absolutely sucks in the 11th hour when we need him most.

**The Franchise** · 01-10-2018, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCChiefsFan88

It is a bigger picture than just Sutton... the fact that Andy Reid isn't going to hold anyone accountable or make any immediate changes to his coaching staff (other than changes in response to people leaving, i.e. Nagy) after a historic playoff collapse is pathetic.

This is basically the same staff and same strategy that has produced two of the most epic playoff collapses in NFL history... how do you NOT make any changes to your coaching staff after 2 epic collapses within a 5 year time-frame?

And for the "be patient, it has only been a few days since the playoff loss" crowd... take note of the fact that Carolina fired their OC and QB coach 48 hours after their playoff loss, Green Bay made several changes to their coaching staff just about a week after their season ended... quality prospective assistant coaches are getting interviewed/hired for other jobs... NOW is the time to act.

And the Seahawks just fired their OC.

O.city · 01-10-2018, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pestilence

And the Seahawks just fired their OC.

I wouldn’t mind bringing in Bevell to replace Chirldress

He worked well with Wilson

01-07-2018, 04:03 PM
excessive Starter Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: KCMO Casino cash: $9716885	Mellinger: Fire Sutton Chiefs need change, and they should begin by firing defensive coordinator Bob Sutton BY SAM MELLINGER smellinger@kcstar.com UPDATED 40 MINUTES AGO Bob Sutton needs to be fired. The Chiefs should be looking for a new defensive coordinator. There is no joy in calling for a man’s job, but then, there is no joy in watching a defense underperform its talent and fair expectations over and over and over again. This can’t continue. That is plain. That is obvious. Andy Reid isn’t ready to talk about this yet and that’s fine, that’s understandable, that’s his right. What’s more — that’s smart. The head coach lives this in a way that requires space for any major change. Emotional decisions are usually bad decisions, and Reid had to know the Will You Fire Your DC question was coming in the postmortem press conference the day after another embarrassing postseason collapse. And he had to know he would answer it with a vague non-answer. “Time in this league has a funny way of working,” Reid said. “You’ve gotta step back. You’ve gotta evaluate. You’ve gotta go through that process. Look at what’s real, and what’s not. You don’t want to do it when you’re emotional or still tied into what happened obviously last night. “You’ve gotta fight that. A question like that, you’ve gotta fight that. You step back and you evaluate it, and do what’s right for the Chiefs. If you always come back to that, you’re going to be OK.” That’s an 86-word excerpt from a longer answer that can be generally summarized: “I just had my heart ripped out, again, and am not yet ready to make any decision more serious than lunch.” Chiefs' Andy Reid reflects on Wild Card playoff loss: 'We've got to do better' Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid held a press conference a day after the Chiefs’ 22-21 loss to the Tennessee Titans in an AFC Wild Card playoff game. It was the Chiefs' sixth straight home playoff loss, a NFL record. Allison Long The Kansas City Star Again, you can understand where he’s coming from. Even if he somehow has already decided to move on from Sutton, he hasn’t had a chance to tell his friend and longtime assistant yet, and taking some time comes with no downside. Potential replacements aren’t being hired, and in fact may still be working. More to the point, Reid’s coaching philosophy centers around personal accountability. After every loss, he says some form of, “we need to get better and that starts with me.” After the offense played dead in the second half against the Titans, Reid said he called the plays that didn’t work and assistant Matt Nagy called the plays that did. Firing his defensive coordinator the next day would reek of scapegoating. But if he hasn’t yet, Reid must soon come to the cold and unemotional conclusion that the Chiefs need a new voice for the defense. That needs to be only part of the change. Alex Smith must be replaced by Patrick Mahomes, offensive line coach Andy Heck needs to make a convincing case to keep his job, and no position group on the team underperformed as much as the defensive line coached by Reid’s son Britt. Reid himself should wear the biggest chunk of this loss. He just finished his 19th season as a head coach and by now has earned a reputation for regular season success and postseason failure. Seventy-eight teams have led by 18 or more at halftime of a playoff game. Only four have lost, and two have been coached by Reid in the last five seasons. He is tied for the third-most playoff losses of any coach in NFL history, and the two ahead of him won multiple Super Bowls. Chiefs are on this list twice: Teams blowing an 18-point halftime lead in NFL playoffs According to ESPN research, Andy Reid's Chiefs teams are responsible for two of the only four times in modern NFL playoff history a team has blown an 18-point or larger halftime lead. Neil Nakahodo, David Eulitt, Shane Keyser, John Sleezer, Allison Long The Kansas City Star Since 2001, he has won just one playoff game as the underdog, and lost seven as the favorite. The loss to the Titans followed a familiar pattern: the offense went cold, the defense couldn’t get off the field and the Chiefs had a chance to win at the end and failed. The standard for this team was always postseason success, so the outcome is a failure, and any credible evaluation of another wasted opportunity must acknowledge Reid’s share of this. But he’s not going anywhere, for better or worse. Chairman Clark Hunt values the stability Reid has created after the horror show Pioli years, Reid signed a contract extension last summer, and he’ll oversee the quarterback transition to Patrick Mahomes. Sutton has no excuse, and no cushion. The Chiefs were 28th in total defense, and 27th in yards surrendered per play. They could not stop the run (24th in yards per carry, 202 given up in the playoff loss), which tended to overshadow the fact that they could not stop the pass (24th in yards per attempt). Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson: 'If you’re good enough, you come out with that win' Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson called Saturday's playoff loss to the Titans one of the toughest of his career. Sam Mcdowell The Kansas City Star The advanced metrics, if anything, are worse. Football Outsiders’ DVOA ranks the Chiefs dead last in the league in overall defense. This fits what the eye sees, too. They could not get off the field on third down (23rd, and second worst among playoff teams), and could not adjust to opponents’ schemes. Sutton allowed Daniel Sorensen to be exposed against the run for far too long, didn’t do enough to scheme pressure, and was far too easy to manipulate. His scheme had Justin Houston rushing the passer or dropping into coverage based on what the offense showed, which meant the other side was controlling what the Chiefs’ best player did on any given snap. Sutton had enough to work with, too, even after losing Eric Berry for the season. The Chiefs spend more than half their salary cap on defense, and that’s with stars like Chris Jones and Marcus Peters still on rookie deals, and Reggie Ragland playing for relative peanuts. If it was bad luck that Berry played just one game, it was good luck that Houston played 17. The injury excuse is a tired one, anyway. Every team has something. The Titans had two defensive starters on IR, and they managed. Coaches are supposed to put their players in position to succeed, and far too often, Sutton was doing the opposite. The Patriots gave up an average of 32 points in their first four games (including a season-high 42 to the Chiefs in the opener) and then an average of just 14 the rest of the way. Patriots coach Bill Belichick is an unrealistic standard for defensive scheme, but this is two years in a row the Chiefs have lost a playoff game at home as the betting favorite largely because they could not stop the run and get off the field on third down. Against the Titans, a team with a struggling quarterback and dangerous running back, the Chiefs used far too much nickel and even dime personnel — including on Derrick Henry’s 35 yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Whether that was because the Titans were able to influence the Chiefs’ substitutions with their own personnel, or because Sutton made the decision on his own is irrelevant. This just can’t continue. Let us say it one more time: Sutton is not the only problem, and may not even be the biggest. Reid is Sutton’s boss, and could’ve better protected his defense and an 18-point lead with more carries for the league’s leading rusher. Even so, the offense could’ve won the game on its last possession, and this is a staggering fact: all but one of the Chiefs’ losses this season could’ve been wins if the offense performed better on its last drive. The Chiefs aren’t giving the next defensive coordinator a fair shot if they don’t improve the personnel, too, which is part of why the team needs to replace Smith with Mahomes. The change would create $17 million in cap space and whatever draft picks they can acquire in a trade, which is enough for a corner, edge rusher, and defensive lineman. There can be no doubt, in any part of the organization, about whether change is needed. We can have lively and smart debates about how far that change needs to go. But there is no question that it needs to include the defensive coordinator, whenever Reid is ready. http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...193446229.html
Posts: 393

01-09-2018, 11:49 PM	#346
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $3200478	I realize you think this is trolling, but it's not. Bob Sutton got this team into the playoffs. You can't fire a DC over allowing 22 points. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 285,982

01-09-2018, 11:49 PM	#347
pugsnotdrugs19 SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS Join Date: Aug 2013 Casino cash: $8689447	This team is doomed with Bob Sutton as DC. Absolutely doomed. His approach is far too bland, unaggressive, and easy to manipulate and/or counter.
Posts: 26,798

01-10-2018, 02:58 AM	#351
BryanBusby In Search of a Life Join Date: Mar 2006 Casino cash: $3649900 VARSITY	Once Patricia takes the Lions job, werthers will be the longest lasting DC in the NFL...unless Andy does what he should do.
Posts: 22,274

01-10-2018, 06:58 AM	#353
ILChief MVP Join Date: Jan 2001 Casino cash: $7894831	Anyone been listening to NFL radio on Sirius this morning? Some guy says they said Sutton is retiring. Not sure if they are repeating the Lombard podcast or if they fell for the fake rapoaport Twitter account or if it's legit.
Posts: 11,477

01-10-2018, 07:16 AM	#354
SuperBowl4 MVP Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: HERMOSA BEACH,CA Casino cash: $7494900	Sutton needs to go. Maybe Reid also.
Posts: 14,042

01-10-2018, 07:48 AM	#355
Sassy Squatch The man you could post like. Join Date: Oct 2010 Casino cash: $949655	Maybe we could send an anonymous letter to Reid stating that Sutton was in cahoots with Dorsey to get Maclin released. Just might get his hackles raised enough to actually do something.
Posts: 39,276

01-10-2018, 07:55 AM	#356
HC_Chief That's just f***in' stupid Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: suburbia Casino cash: $3687107	Why is this article so long? It is obvious Sutton needs to go; Sam's editor must have a minimum word count requirement. Title: Sutton should be fired. Body: Because he sucks. Post: Thank you, undersigned every Chiefs fan with functioning eyes. __________________ "Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the war room!"
Posts: 12,355

01-10-2018, 08:24 AM	#358
Sassy Squatch The man you could post like. Join Date: Oct 2010 Casino cash: $949655	Bob Suttons bend but don't break defense doesn't work when teams make offensive adjustments to come at us with fury and desperation. He won't make necessary adjustments, he's just content to watch as it doesn't just break, but shatters in humiliating fashion **** letting him walk away with his head held high if the rumors are true. He deserves to hang his head in shame, because he absolutely sucks in the 11th hour when we need him most.
Posts: 39,276