Ten Things About Today's Game

[gblowfish]

Ten Things About Today's Game

10. I woke up early this morning. I never sleep very well the night before the season opener. Here in KC it was a cool clear morning. So around 6:30 I hung out the Chiefs Flag on the front porch, picked up the Sunday Paper in the yard, brewed up some strong black coffee (Maxwell House, no foo foo coffee for the kid) and poured it into my long time favorite ceramic Chiefs mug; the same one I've had game day morning coffee from since the early 1980s. I was expecting a low scoring game. I was half right. This was a game of two halves, showcasing the really good Chiefs who have a chance to do some playoff damage; and the really mediocre Chiefs, who fritter away leads and can't deliver the kill shot. So, depending on if you are a glass half empty or a glass half full person, you can make a case for either side. Since I think this is a borderline playoff team, I'll discuss both sides, but look through this universal prism: Any win is a good win; and any win on the road is a gooder win. And a win on the road for a season opener is a goodest win of all.

9. The stat sheet and the headline in the paper will say "Alex Smith threw for 243 yards with three TDs and no picks." And that is true. Alex played well enough to guide this team to victory, by scoring enough in the first half to put it just.....just....far enough out of reach to hold on in the second half. Both TD passes to Kelce were well thrown. And KC made Houston pay for their mistakes, on a pick and sack-fumble inside their own 20. But Smith was pretty much 2014 Smith. He only averaged 6.7 yards per reception, and KC was 2-12 on third down. Smith rushed nine times for 15 yards, most of those rushes were running for his life from Watt and Clowney. When Smith did throw relatively long, Maclin juggled one pass falling out of bounds -which was an almost completion, and on another occasion in the fourth quarter, Smith flat out over threw Maclin who had a step on coverage. So teams are going to start concentrating on Kelce, who is Smith's security blanket; and not worry much about Maclin being a deep threat until its proven Smith can hit him in coverage and make it stick. Maclin ended with 52 yard on five catches, and had an injury scare. Really wondering whether he'll make it through the year in one piece. At least he played today, which is more than we can say for the guy he replaced. Smith spread the ball to seven different receivers, which is what Reid's offense is all about. Usually that's a good stat when we have that many guys involved in the passing game.

8. Kelce was the offensive star today with six catches -he caught the ball every time it was thrown at him- and 106 yards. Both TDs were things of beauty, but he also had several key blocks helping Charles gain yards. His most clutch catch was with about four minutes left to sustain a fourth quarter drive to kill clock on Houston's comeback effort. Smith checked down to him way short of a first down, and Kelce ducked a tackle by the linebacker in coverage, and had just enough burst to get past the sticks and move the chains. That play, and Maclin recovering the onside kick, were the most important plays in the fourth quarter. Kelce also had an injury scare after taking a tough hit on a reception. When he was pulled out, the offense ground to a halt. His health is also a major concern as the season rolls on.

7. Charles averaged 3.6 yards a carry on 16 carries. That's against arguably one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Charles had several good burst plays, squirting through and falling forward as he usually does, and also looked good catching the ball, with a great second effort on his TD to get inside the pylon. Charles was also money in pass protection, saving Smith's bacon on several plays from blitzes. Well rounded performance by Charles, and I'm glad they got Davis into the mix enough to give Charles a blow now and then. That's going to be critical this year to keep Charles available all through the year.

6. JJ Watt is a monster. He had two sacks -including one after his helmet was ripped off his head- with nine tackles, six of those for a loss. There were a couple plays where Watt went totally unblocked, which is baffling to me. I don't know if that's a blown blocking assignment, or sheer stupidity on the Chiefs part. One play was a Smith naked bootleg, who rolled head on into an un-blocked Watt for a loss. Yikes. Considering our big time, big contract first pick in the NFL draft cornerstone left tackle could only manage to play on one snap in the fourth quarter today, I thought Jah Reid did a decent job on Watt. This is a guy who was cast off as not good enough to even make the Ravens' roster, and after he practices with the team for a couple days, we start him against JJ Watt. He didn't get Alex killed, so that's a very good thing. I also thought Mitch Morse did a great job as a rookie playing his first NFL regular game. Jabba the Wilfork did little today, and Morse was out on screens blocking for Charles on several plays. Stephenson may have dislocated a finger in the fourth quarter, and let's hope that doesn't side line him. He also had a fine game. O-Line only had one penalty that I can think of (when Reid ripped off Watt's helmet) but that was declined by Houston. Houston's defense started winning the line battle in the second half. That plus Andy Reid going ultra conservative again - trying not to lose instead of rendering a kill shot - meant no points in the second half. All in all, O-Line had a plus day.

5. Chiefs won the battle of the specials. Houston's kicker Bullock whiffed on an extra point, which put pressure Houston the rest of the game. It really changed the complexion of the first half, and later Houston was pressed to convert a two pointer to get it back. Our Brazilian Midget hit all his XPTs, although he hit a couple ducks that went through ugly. Santos also missed a 50 yarder that would have given us some extra fourth quarter cushion, but did hit from 48 in the first half. Thomas had 81 yards on five punt returns -although he almost muffed one in the second half- and Colquitt averaged 44 yards on seven punts, including pinning Houston inside the 20 four times -which could have been six times if our flyers could keep their toes off the goal line stripe.

4. I thought the player of the day for defense was Derrick Johnson. Man, it's so good to have him back on run support. Here's a guy who got blown up on opening day last year, re-habs, and a year later, leads this stellar line backing corps with six tackles and a sack. Houston was his usual disruptive self. He had a sack, ran the QB into a couple of other sacks and forced a fumble that led to Charles' TD. Allen Bailey -who must get some recognition this year- had two sacks and a got the fumble that Houston poked out. Chiefs defense had five sacks on the day. But perhaps the biggest play was a second half fourth down stand on fourth and one to kill a Houston drive deep in KC territory. If Houston takes that field goal, which was a fairly sure thing, they're not scrambling around in the fourth quarter in panic mode. Jaye Howard and Poe both played very well. I think Tamba has clearly lost a step, and was handled one on one most of the day. Might be time to have him back up Dee Ford. Just a thought.

3. Peters had a memorable rookie day. Got a pick that led to KC's first TD and a lead on the road, then got beat twice for TDs. He defended three passes, including a couple that stopped Houston drives, and was not the weakest link in the defensive backfield. That would be Jamell Fleming, who was worked over by a Hoyer -who sucks- and Mallett, who is second string to a guy who sucks. You can bet that The Five Head (with his Michael Jackson glove) and Rodgers will be targeting #30. Fleming should have gotten a PI in the end zone at the end of the first half, but for some reason the ref's were letting everybody play today. KC only had two penalties enforced against them, which is great on the road considering the crowd noise. Houston kept jumping off sides in their home stadium, which is embarrassing, and the sign of a bad team. Guess Romeo is going to have to remind them to eliminate bad football.

2. Good Andy v. Bad Andy: Good Andy: First half play calling was very good. They kept Crennel's defense off balance despite Houston having no fear of the long ball. Routes to Kelce, balance of throw and pass to Charles, power running by Davis, jet sweeps to Thomas, occasional hitch to Maclin, all well done. Most pass routes were quick to keep Alex from getting killed -that's where his 6.7 yards per pass came in. With a 27-9 lead at half, I thought "Surely we'll put this game away in the second half and coast." Then comes... Bad Andy: Team goes ultra conservative in the second half. Several times inside Texan territory, Reid decides to punt for "field position" instead of pressing for a killing TD. One more TD would have meant a four possession lead, which would be difficult for any team -except maybe, oh, say, Indy- to overcome in one half. Instead, the only scoring Reid attempts is a 50 yard FG which the Brazilian Midget chokes on. Instead, KC gives up 11 unanswered second half points, and allows Houston to get within an onside kick of a chance to tie the game. That's much closer than this game needed to be. And, Houston got that close with their second string QB. Houston had 66 more total yards -which was all passing yards because rushing yards were even, six more first downs, and converted more third downs than KC. But the two turnovers killed Houston. Turning the ball over inside your twenty will kill you every time.

1. I'm always excited to win. One thing I wanted to mention in passing. I had a very difficult time reading the game in progress thread on the CP today. I think our server is being overwhelmed again. I suppose that means that the CP is gaining in popularity, but perhaps we need some road construction to ease the congestion? It sucks when you can't read the CP while the game is under way. Maybe if we all kick in $5, Kyle can buy a NSA style super server? At the time of this writing, Five Head is losing to Baltimore at home, and the Bolts are neck and neck with Detroit. If Denver and San Diego could both manage to lose today, that would make Thursday's game much more comfortable. All the pressure would be on Denver if they come in here 0-1. We'll see. Denver's passing game is a lot like our passing game, except refs do not allow you to touch the Five Head under ANY circumstances. So I have a sneaking suspicion the NFL is saving our penalties for Thursday Night. Charles and special teams could be the key in that game. At least we know we won't be starting the year 0-2, and if we play well, we could be starting 2-0. That's a very good thing. Is your glass half empty, or half full? Which ever it is, fill it with something strong. It's gonna be a barn burner Thursday at Arrowhead.

[WilliamTheIrish]

Go george

[Sandy Vagina]

meh.. did not enjoy much, but as always, your effort is good.

[New World Order]

You the man George

[Hoover]

Alex was great today. I mean stop your bitching people. Our running game was taken away by the Texans D, yet Alex stepped up and delivered. There was not one moment where I was upset with him.

[Trivers]

Nice writeup.

This reflects the glass half full George that we know and love.

An 18 point lead combined with a Thursday game would change my coaching.....they played out the half.

[Trivers]

Nice writeup.

This reflects the glass half full George that we know and love.

An 18 point lead combined with a Thursday game would change my coaching.....they played out the half.

[big nasty kcnut]

Great read thou i think knew the were watching the game to see anything to plan on and andy covered up his gameplan so he can catch denver napping.

[Easy 6]

Not finished reading yet, but gotta give a big Keanu Reaves WHOA! to Fisher not playing and that they started Jah Reid already?

Wooow.

Its a damn miracle he only gave up two sacks, I'd say its a fine showing for him today overall.

Still think you're being a bit hard on Smith though, gb... opening day on the road, and the Texans apparently adjusted well at the half.

Bottom line is, he did enough to win on opening day, on the road against one helluva defense/continues reading...

[ChiefsCountry]

I agree with most of the football takes on this with you George. Solid write up for the game.

[Mr. Flopnuts]

Ahh yes, football is officially back. The top ten list is here again. I find that over 90% of the time I agree with you spot on in your takes. While I agree with some of what you say today, I am excited for this team to finally shake some of your pessimism out of you. This team is for real. Week 4 we will be back at full strength with our entire roster available to us. Fleming is a short term issue. Peters tackles incredibly well, and looks seasoned rather than like a guy playing his first professional game. Alex is gambling down field, and once he hits his stride with Maclin, this offense is going to be dangerous. Get ready, George. It's going to be a magical year! Thanks as always for the entertainment following a Chiefs game. I'll look forward to reading the first top ten following the Chiefs beating Peyton Manning as a bronco later this week. Enjoy your evening my friend.

[Frosty]

Originally Posted by Hoover

Alex was great today. I mean stop your bitching people. Our running game was taken away by the Texans D, yet Alex stepped up and delivered. There was not one moment where I was upset with him.

I felt really good about the win. However, the Eeyores and sad sacks on this board are really harshing my mellow.

I agree that the server sucks, though.

[Buzz]

Bad Andy needs to take a page from the Dick Vermiel playbook and keep his foot on the gas.

[smith11]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Ten Things About Today's Game

10. I woke up early this morning. I never sleep very well the night before the season opener. Here in KC it was a cool clear morning. So around 6:30 I hung out the Chiefs Flag on the front porch, picked up the Sunday Paper in the yard, brewed up some strong black coffee (Maxwell House, no foo foo coffee for the kid) and poured it into my long time favorite ceramic Chiefs mug; the same one I've had game day morning coffee from since the early 1980s. I was expecting a low scoring game. I was half right. This was a game of two halves, showcasing the really good Chiefs who have a chance to do some playoff damage; and the really mediocre Chiefs, who fritter away leads and can't deliver the kill shot. So, depending on if you are a glass half empty or a glass half full person, you can make a case for either side. Since I think this is a borderline playoff team, I'll discuss both sides, but look through this universal prism: Any win is a good win; and any win on the road is a gooder win. And a win on the road for a season opener is a goodest win of all.

9. The stat sheet and the headline in the paper will say "Alex Smith threw for 243 yards with three TDs and no picks." And that is true. Alex played well enough to guide this team to victory, by scoring enough in the first half to put it just.....just....far enough out of reach to hold on in the second half. Both TD passes to Kelce were well thrown. And KC made Houston pay for their mistakes, on a pick and sack-fumble inside their own 20. But Smith was pretty much 2014 Smith. He only averaged 6.7 yards per reception, and KC was 2-12 on third down. Smith rushed nine times for 15 yards, most of those rushes were running for his life from Watt and Clowney. When Smith did throw relatively long, Maclin juggled one pass falling out of bounds -which was an almost completion, and on another occasion in the fourth quarter, Smith flat out over threw Maclin who had a step on coverage. So teams are going to start concentrating on Kelce, who is Smith's security blanket; and not worry much about Maclin being a deep threat until its proven Smith can hit him in coverage and make it stick. Maclin ended with 52 yard on five catches, and had an injury scare. Really wondering whether he'll make it through the year in one piece. At least he played today, which is more than we can say for the guy he replaced. Smith spread the ball to seven different receivers, which is what Reid's offense is all about. Usually that's a good stat when we have that many guys involved in the passing game.

8. Kelce was the offensive star today with six catches -he caught the ball every time it was thrown at him- and 106 yards. Both TDs were things of beauty, but he also had several key blocks helping Charles gain yards. His most clutch catch was with about four minutes left to sustain a fourth quarter drive to kill clock on Houston's comeback effort. Smith checked down to him way short of a first down, and Kelce ducked a tackle by the linebacker in coverage, and had just enough burst to get past the sticks and move the chains. That play, and Maclin recovering the onside kick, were the most important plays in the fourth quarter. Kelce also had an injury scare after taking a tough hit on a reception. When he was pulled out, the offense ground to a halt. His health is also a major concern as the season rolls on.

7. Charles averaged 3.6 yards a carry on 16 carries. That's against arguably one of the best defensive lines in the NFL. Charles had several good burst plays, squirting through and falling forward as he usually does, and also looked good catching the ball, with a great second effort on his TD to get inside the pylon. Charles was also money in pass protection, saving Smith's bacon on several plays from blitzes. Well rounded performance by Charles, and I'm glad they got Davis into the mix enough to give Charles a blow now and then. That's going to be critical this year to keep Charles available all through the year.

6. JJ Watt is a monster. He had two sacks -including one after his helmet was ripped off his head- with nine tackles, six of those for a loss. There were a couple plays where Watt went totally unblocked, which is baffling to me. I don't know if that's a blown blocking assignment, or sheer stupidity on the Chiefs part. One play was a Smith naked bootleg, who rolled head on into an un-blocked Watt for a loss. Yikes. Considering our big time, big contract first pick in the NFL draft cornerstone left tackle could only manage to play on one snap in the fourth quarter today, I thought Jah Reid did a decent job on Watt. This is a guy who was cast off as not good enough to even make the Ravens' roster, and after he practices with the team for a couple days, we start him against JJ Watt. He didn't get Alex killed, so that's a very good thing. I also thought Mitch Morse did a great job as a rookie playing his first NFL regular game. Jabba the Wilfork did little today, and Morse was out on screens blocking for Charles on several plays. Stephenson may have dislocated a finger in the fourth quarter, and let's hope that doesn't side line him. He also had a fine game. O-Line only had one penalty that I can think of (when Reid ripped off Watt's helmet) but that was declined by Houston. Houston's defense started winning the line battle in the second half. That plus Andy Reid going ultra conservative again - trying not to lose instead of rendering a kill shot - meant no points in the second half. All in all, O-Line had a plus day.

5. Chiefs won the battle of the specials. Houston's kicker Bullock whiffed on an extra point, which put pressure Houston the rest of the game. It really changed the complexion of the first half, and later Houston was pressed to convert a two pointer to get it back. Our Brazilian Midget hit all his XPTs, although he hit a couple ducks that went through ugly. Santos also missed a 50 yarder that would have given us some extra fourth quarter cushion, but did hit from 48 in the first half. Thomas had 81 yards on five punt returns -although he almost muffed one in the second half- and Colquitt averaged 44 yards on seven punts, including pinning Houston inside the 20 four times -which could have been six times if our flyers could keep their toes off the goal line stripe.

4. I thought the player of the day for defense was Derrick Johnson. Man, it's so good to have him back on run support. Here's a guy who got blown up on opening day last year, re-habs, and a year later, leads this stellar line backing corps with six tackles and a sack. Houston was his usual disruptive self. He had a sack, ran the QB into a couple of other sacks and forced a fumble that led to Charles' TD. Allen Bailey -who must get some recognition this year- had two sacks and a got the fumble that Houston poked out. Chiefs defense had five sacks on the day. But perhaps the biggest play was a second half fourth down stand on fourth and one to kill a Houston drive deep in KC territory. If Houston takes that field goal, which was a fairly sure thing, they're not scrambling around in the fourth quarter in panic mode. Jaye Howard and Poe both played very well. I think Tamba has clearly lost a step, and was handled one on one most of the day. Might be time to have him back up Dee Ford. Just a thought.

3. Peters had a memorable rookie day. Got a pick that led to KC's first TD and a lead on the road, then got beat twice for TDs. He defended three passes, including a couple that stopped Houston drives, and was not the weakest link in the defensive backfield. That would be Jamell Fleming, who was worked over by a Hoyer -who sucks- and Mallett, who is second string to a guy who sucks. You can bet that The Five Head (with his Michael Jackson glove) and Rodgers will be targeting #30. Fleming should have gotten a PI in the end zone at the end of the first half, but for some reason the ref's were letting everybody play today. KC only had two penalties enforced against them, which is great on the road considering the crowd noise. Houston kept jumping off sides in their home stadium, which is embarrassing, and the sign of a bad team. Guess Romeo is going to have to remind them to eliminate bad football.

2. Good Andy v. Bad Andy: Good Andy: First half play calling was very good. They kept Crennel's defense off balance despite Houston having no fear of the long ball. Routes to Kelce, balance of throw and pass to Charles, power running by Davis, jet sweeps to Thomas, occasional hitch to Maclin, all well done. Most pass routes were quick to keep Alex from getting killed -that's where his 6.7 yards per pass came in. With a 27-9 lead at half, I thought "Surely we'll put this game away in the second half and coast." Then comes... Bad Andy: Team goes ultra conservative in the second half. Several times inside Texan territory, Reid decides to punt for "field position" instead of pressing for a killing TD. One more TD would have meant a four possession lead, which would be difficult for any team -except maybe, oh, say, Indy- to overcome in one half. Instead, the only scoring Reid attempts is a 50 yard FG which the Brazilian Midget chokes on. Instead, KC gives up 11 unanswered second half points, and allows Houston to get within an onside kick of a chance to tie the game. That's much closer than this game needed to be. And, Houston got that close with their second string QB. Houston had 66 more total yards -which was all passing yards because rushing yards were even, six more first downs, and converted more third downs than KC. But the two turnovers killed Houston. Turning the ball over inside your twenty will kill you every time.

1. I'm always excited to win. One thing I wanted to mention in passing. I had a very difficult time reading the game in progress thread on the CP today. I think our server is being overwhelmed again. I suppose that means that the CP is gaining in popularity, but perhaps we need some road construction to ease the congestion? It sucks when you can't read the CP while the game is under way. Maybe if we all kick in $5, Kyle can buy a NSA style super server? At the time of this writing, Five Head is losing to Baltimore at home, and the Bolts are neck and neck with Detroit. If Denver and San Diego could both manage to lose today, that would make Thursday's game much more comfortable. All the pressure would be on Denver if they come in here 0-1. We'll see. Denver's passing game is a lot like our passing game, except refs do not allow you to touch the Five Head under ANY circumstances. So I have a sneaking suspicion the NFL is saving our penalties for Thursday Night. Charles and special teams could be the key in that game. At least we know we won't be starting the year 0-2, and if we play well, we could be starting 2-0. That's a very good thing. Is your glass half empty, or half full? Which ever it is, fill it with something strong. It's gonna be a barn burner Thursday at Arrowhead.

need to use a calculator George...smith completed 22 for 243 yds ..that is 11 yds + per reception...if you meant per attempt he was over 7 yds per attempt 33 att divided into 243 yds is just over 7 yds...also they were getting the ball out quick with the oline questions (jah reid in, morse and LDT first time starters)

[RobBlake]

Alex played a good game... no reason to bitch about his play.. just some tighten ups as it is with every game until playoffs. Watching football is understanding the other team will make plays.. sacks happen.. bad passes happen, alex minimized that with quick decisions.