If you can't win in the trenches...

[Best22]

Alex Smith deserves criticism, sure. That's for another thread. But it's hard to win when you can't win in the trenches. No time for Smith. Wentz has a lot more time.

It's a glaring problem with the team today. We scored 42 last week because we win up front. Today is a different story because of our performance on the lines. This is what cost us the Steelers playoff game

[threebag]

Originally Posted by milkman

That Phiily front is damn good, but the OL wasn't nearly as bad as everyone is painting them.

Smith had 4 or more seconds on all but one play.

That is plenty of time.

You sure it was all but one play?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

Do you guys ever consider that the Eagles have a REALLY REALLY REALLY good defensive front 7?

Schwartz was blitzing them all day. It wasn't like they were getting pressure on Alex with only 3 or 4 guys.

Not defending Witzmann by any means. He looked pretty bad in that first half. But they eventually got it together and played like a cohesive unit.

They're still a good offensive line. Not the best, but pretty good. And we've still got Parker Ehinger as a wild card, too.

Basically, calm the **** down.

Seriously.

"Smith deserves criticism...." for what, exactly? He played well against the 2nd toughest front he'll play this year. If Hill doesn't just loose track of where he is on the field, Smith goes for right at 300 again (that was a PERFECT ball). The OL looked good for the most part and the Eagles were being aggressive with their blitzes.

DL and secondary held a damn good offense (good QB, improving Wr corps, very good TE and a guy like Sproles that can give anyone fits) to a single TD plus a garbage time score.

what the hell did people expect this week? That's a quality football team that will challenge for a playoff spot. That was a good win.

[Simply Red]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Seriously.

"Smith deserves criticism...." for what, exactly? He played well against the 2nd toughest front he'll play this year. If Hill doesn't just loose track of where he is on the field, Smith goes for right at 300 again (that was a PERFECT ball). The OL looked good for the most part and the Eagles were being aggressive with their blitzes.

DL and secondary held a damn good offense (good QB, improving Wr corps, very good TE and a guy like Sproles that can give anyone fits) to a single TD plus a garbage time score.

what the hell did people expect this week? That's a quality football team that will challenge for a playoff spot. That was a good win.

[Sandy Vagina]

Originally Posted by Simply Red

agreed. Glad to see DJLN giving credit where it's due.. despite his Mahomoism.

[stevieray]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Seriously.

"Smith deserves criticism...." for what, exactly? He played well against the 2nd toughest front he'll play this year. If Hill doesn't just loose track of where he is on the field, Smith goes for right at 300 again (that was a PERFECT ball). The OL looked good for the most part and the Eagles were being aggressive with their blitzes.

DL and secondary held a damn good offense (good QB, improving Wr corps, very good TE and a guy like Sproles that can give anyone fits) to a single TD plus a garbage time score.

what the hell did people expect this week? That's a quality football team that will challenge for a playoff spot. That was a good win.

it's two good wins against two good teams. with better second half adjustments/performances.

Like Nagy immediately told Hunt, "It's not how you start, but how you finish".

...It's what separates the wheat from the chaff in December and January.

[chiefzilla1501]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Seriously.

"Smith deserves criticism...." for what, exactly? He played well against the 2nd toughest front he'll play this year. If Hill doesn't just loose track of where he is on the field, Smith goes for right at 300 again (that was a PERFECT ball). The OL looked good for the most part and the Eagles were being aggressive with their blitzes.

DL and secondary held a damn good offense (good QB, improving Wr corps, very good TE and a guy like Sproles that can give anyone fits) to a single TD plus a garbage time score.

what the hell did people expect this week? That's a quality football team that will challenge for a playoff spot. That was a good win.

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

1. Chiefs' offense look effective and aggressive first 1-2 drives (sometimes)
2. Chiefs' offense goes frustratingly conservative for the next 2-3 quarters
3. When Chiefs must score in the 4th, they look aggressive again

People are just frustrated because we all know that Alex Smith can look like 1 and 3 all game long. But he consistently chooses not to. We've seen this formula too many times to be extremely concerned that this formula won't work consistently in the playoffs.

[Sandy Vagina]

Originally Posted by stevieray

it's two good wins against two good teams. with better second half adjustments/performances.

Like Nagy immediately told Hunt, "It's not how you start, but how you finish".

...It's the what separates the wheat from the chaff in December and January.

Yep. Rarely been so happy to see halftime in a game. They really needed to regroup, formulate a decent plan B, and get their QB refocused.

[splatbass]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

what the hell did people expect this week? That's a quality football team that will challenge for a playoff spot. That was a good win.

Some people think anything other than a complete blowout win is a failure. They have unrealistic expectations. A win is a win.

[kcchiefsus]

I'm no expert, but it seems to me like the answer to beating the blitz is throwing screens and quick slants to punish them for being too aggressive. I don't remember seeing much of that.

[splatbass]

Originally Posted by kcchiefsus

I'm no expert, but it seems to me like the answer to beating the blitz is throwing screens and quick slants to punish them for being too aggressive. I don't remember seeing much of that.

I think it usually is, but I think Andy has a reason for the plays he calls, and we internet experts may not always understand why. He has been pretty successful for a long time though, so I think he knows what he is doing.

[OldSchool]

Originally Posted by chiefzilla1501

Tell me if this sounds familiar.

1. Chiefs' offense look effective and aggressive first 1-2 drives (sometimes)
2. Chiefs' offense goes frustratingly conservative for the next 2-3 quarters
3. When Chiefs must score in the 4th, they look aggressive again

People are just frustrated because we all know that Alex Smith can look like 1 and 3 all game long. But he consistently chooses not to. We've seen this formula too many times to be extremely concerned that this formula won't work consistently in the playoffs.

Or you could consider:

1. The first 15 scripted plays called and executed decently well.
2. Hit a lull as the coaches try to figure out what will work best for how the opposition has prepared for you.
3. Eventually make the right adjustments to start finding success again.
4. Hitting your stride and finishing the game.

[splatbass]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Or you could consider:

1. The first 15 scripted plays called and executed decently well.
2. Hit a lull as the coaches try to figure out what will work best for how the opposition has prepared for you.
3. Eventually make the right adjustments to start finding success again.
4. Hitting your stride and finishing the game.

This.

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by OldSchool

Or you could consider:

1. The first 15 scripted plays called and executed decently well.
2. Hit a lull as the coaches try to figure out what will work best for how the opposition has prepared for you.
3. Eventually make the right adjustments to start finding success again.
4. Hitting your stride and finishing the game.

Point 4 is what we never seemed to do last year and have gotten much better at this year...