Andy's Presser and Play calling

[tooge]

Great game. I'm very encouraged moving forward with this team. Lost on the road, by 3 pts, to one of the best offenses in the league. And, had a chance to end it with a dropped INT and a drive with 1:50 to go. I'll take it.

However, Andy Reid mentioned he could've called better plays in the game, and I couldn't agree more. Particularly on the second from last drive. Chiefs get the ball back with 1:50 to go, down by 3 and all 3 timeouts, Rams have none. They get the ball to the 45 ish with a pass to Tyreek with about 1:20 left if I remember correctly, and still 3 timeouts and the clock stopped. They need maybe 20 yards to be in FG range, but obviously want a TD for the win.

Next play is the play where Mahomes is hit as he throws and it's picked by Peters. When the strength of the defense is the D line and it's rush, why not use the screen, draw, WR screens, bubbles, etc to work down the field instead of having Mahomes drop back with nothing but slow developing plays? I'm guessing that's what Andy is talking about. I know, you can second guess anything, but I was watching and thinking, don't try to get it all right here. Next play, game over. Frustrating. I'd think having Hunt in the mix at the end, with high percentage passes would have been the way to go rather than 5-7 step drop plays. Anyhow, great game. Chiefs gonna end up 14-2 with HVA throughout.

[tooge]

I guess my point is, when the D line is badass, and the secondary is shit, then 5 and 7 step drop back pass plays when there isn't much time left really isn't the best idea. The D line just pinned their ears back. Having Hunt as an option, or some quick screens would slow that rush down some. Still a great plan overall. Just not the last 2 minutes

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by petegz28

Only the 2nd team in history to score more than 40+ twice and lose. Bob Sutton's resume is one for the record books.

Not much has changed since the season started. This team will go as far as the Offense can carry them. The Offense was great last night, but 5 TO's on the road isn't going to get it done against one of the top 3 teams in the NFL. Even with our shit D, if we play them even up in TO's, we win that game by 10+ points, IMO. I'm not trying to lay this on the O, but they are pretty much forced to carry the entire load (and be as perfect as possible) until we can get some better talent in the D-Backfield.

[YayMike]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

Not much has changed since the season started. This team will go as far as the Offense can carry them. The Offense was great last night, but 5 TO's on the road isn't going to get it done against one of the top 3 teams in the NFL. Even with our shit D, if we play them even up in TO's, we win that game by 10+ points, IMO. I'm not trying to lay this on the O, but they are pretty much forced to carry the entire load (and be as perfect as possible) until we can get some better talent in the D-Backfield.

The defense in my opinion did a respectable job considering the turnovers and playing a high flying offense. I completely agree: Eliminate even 1 of the turnovers, and we win the game. We got tremendous pressure on Goff. Oh...and the refs weren't calling holding AT ALL on them. Take away 21 points off turnovers, and we win the game.

Let's put the shoe on the other foot: If we are a Lambs fan, and the Chiefs win that game, THEY are asking how their defense gave up 55 points "AT HOME" They are flipping out after losing to New Orleans and Us.

I think we will really benefit from this bye week. Rest and recover. Show Mahommes some film as he wasn't very sharp the last two weeks.

[Iowanian]

I refuse to listen to complaints about play calling when the Chiefs put 51 points on the board.

I'd be pleased to listen to discussion and comment about defensive decisions when the team gives up 54.

[ptlyon]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

I refuse to listen to complaints about play calling when the Chiefs put 51 points on the board.

I'd be pleased to listen to discussion and comment about defensive decisions when the team gives up 54.

Well, the defense sucks, so it would be a long conversation

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by tooge

Great game. I'm very encouraged moving forward with this team. Lost on the road, by 3 pts, to one of the best offenses in the league. And, had a chance to end it with a dropped INT and a drive with 1:50 to go. I'll take it.

However, Andy Reid mentioned he could've called better plays in the game, and I couldn't agree more. Particularly on the second from last drive. Chiefs get the ball back with 1:50 to go, down by 3 and all 3 timeouts, Rams have none. They get the ball to the 45 ish with a pass to Tyreek with about 1:20 left if I remember correctly, and still 3 timeouts and the clock stopped. They need maybe 20 yards to be in FG range, but obviously want a TD for the win.

Next play is the play where Mahomes is hit as he throws and it's picked by Peters. When the strength of the defense is the D line and it's rush, why not use the screen, draw, WR screens, bubbles, etc to work down the field instead of having Mahomes drop back with nothing but slow developing plays? I'm guessing that's what Andy is talking about. I know, you can second guess anything, but I was watching and thinking, don't try to get it all right here. Next play, game over. Frustrating. I'd think having Hunt in the mix at the end, with high percentage passes would have been the way to go rather than 5-7 step drop plays. Anyhow, great game. Chiefs gonna end up 14-2 with HVA throughout.

Yep - The second Mahomes TD was a bad decision by Mahomes - but that play call was really bad at the time - they aren't even that far out of FG range with TOs - Use the middle of the field or screens and have a deep option. EVERY option on that play was at least 25 yards down the field. Really bad play call.

[TambaBerry]

Originally Posted by old_geezer

Our defense is absolutely horrible; hard to argue against that. Having said that I don't blame last night's loss on the defense. Five turnovers by the offense was the deciding factor. Great game and effort IMO.

lol ohhhhh k

[Hammock Parties]

They need to cool it on the 5 wide.

I feel like it's starting to hurt the team more than help.

[KChiefs1]

Chiefs need to do a better job with working the clock. Michael Lombardi stated it pretty well on the Border Patrol.

Clock time = plays

40 seconds is equal to 5 plays for your opponent.

Good listen.

https://omny.fm/shows/the-border-pat...el-lombardi-11

https://theathletic.com/666441/2018/...trick-mahomes/

The NFL looked like a Big 12 game during Monday night’s showdown between the Rams and Chiefs, with the ball moving up and down the field and neither team having any sustained success on defense, (though big single defensive plays were certainly key to the result.)

And who cares, because everyone loved it.

Just as the NBA has become a three-point shot league, the NFL with the Rams, Chiefs and Saints this year has become a whoever-gets-to-fifty-points-first-wins league — and every other team is going to have to figure out how to compete.

When an NFL executive watches games on television or tape, he must always be asking himself, ‘how does my team match up? Can we beat these teams?’ Al Davis, the Hall of Fame owner of the Raiders, was obsessed with making sure his talent level could match the talent within his division as well as the entire AFC. In any discussion regarding the opponent’s players, his questions always focused on ‘can we handle him? Does our talent match their talent?’ And when his team fell short in a specific area, he would try to trade for a player he felt could turn the balance of power in his favor. Divisional matchup boards were essential to him. I would have a chart on my computer that had each player on offense and defense in the league and how the Raider players ranked in their positional comparison.

Last night’s game featured a team from each conference. Therefore, all 30 team builders — even those on the Saints and Patriots, who beat the Ram and Chiefs, respectively — need to ask themselves today: how do we match up going forward?

If I were in New England working with Pats coach Bill Belichick, I would give him my overview of what it would take to beat either team in the postseason. My first concern would be the conditioning of our team. After a game that included 105 total points and 1,001 total yards, we’d need to make sure we were in great shape to play the entire 60 minutes and never wear down. Conditioning is an often overlooked aspect of the game, yet it’s a determining factor in so many. How often have you seen a wide receiver, after he runs a deep route, put his hand up toward the sideline to signal he needs a break, but the corner who covered him has to line up for the next play? If teams want to play man to man, they must be in great shape in every area of their team, from the defensive line to the linebackers to the secondary. It’s taxing for any secondary to play man to man for all 60 minutes. In November and December, conditioning matters more than any time of the season in part because a team in great shape will play with good pad level and with leverage. An out of shape team will play tall when tired and get knocked off the ball. Pad level always matters in football, and being in great shape allows teams to maintain their pad level.

My second concern would center on pacing. In today’s game, where offenses can score over 40 points, pace is vitally important. The Chiefs lost on Monday night not only because of their turnovers, (which were a killer, minus 3 in the turnover/takeaway column) but somewhat because they misunderstood that the essence of the game is not just about scoring quickly, it’s about scoring in a timely fashion and understanding the clock is as much of an opponent as the Rams. And, to be fair, the winning team made this mistake as well. It’s difficult to resist scoring as quickly as possible, but with offenses as lethal as these two, it’s something that is essential to take into consideration. All of us watching at home knew if the Rams got the ball back, they would score again. Why didn’t the Chiefs know this? When the Chiefs got the ball back with 6:33 to go in the game, they needed to factor the clock into their objectives. After the Chiefs converted a fourth and two, the Rams had no timeouts remaining with a little over 4 minutes left in the game. But rather than milking the clock for as long as they could, the Chiefs naturally took the lead five plays later with 2:47 remaining.

When the Rams took the field trailing by four points, they also knew the Chiefs had three timeouts left. Therefore they should have had two objectives: First, score and take the lead. Second, make the Chiefs use their timeouts. Obviously scoring with under ten seconds remaining with no timeouts left for the Chiefs would have been the perfect scenario. Instead, the Rams, like the Chiefs, couldn’t care less about the clock and just wanted to score. Six plays later the Rams did just that, taking the lead with 1:54 remaining … but the Chiefs still had all of their timeouts. In a game where it felt like the last team to possess the ball would be the winner, Kansas City was in a great position, but the Rams’ Samson Ebukam, who had an incredible game, hit Patrick Mahomes’ arm, and former Chief Marcus Peters had the ball drop into his lap.

And even after committing that turnover, the game was not over.

The Rams got the ball back with another chance to make the Chiefs burn all their remaining timeouts, but the Rams wanted to be aggressive and put the game away right then and there. They threw on second down, and the pass fell incomplete, stopping the clock. Yes, Sean McVay is an aggressive coach, and he knows his opponent at hand doesn’t need much time to score regardless, so he was hoping to deny them a chance to have the ball altogether. But every time a team doesn’t force their opponent to use their timeouts, they are graciously giving them five more offensive plays. Why would any team consider doing this, particularly when the opponent is Patrick Mahomes?

It didn’t seem like either of these teams cared much about how the clock factored into the game, but it’s certainly going to be necessary that whichever teams end up facing them in the playoffs do pay attention to it and consider how to pace the game. Because other than the Saints, no team in the NFL can afford to get into a track meet with the Rams or the Chiefs.

The next point I’d focus on: Tyreek Hill. Each time the Chiefs wide receiver makes a catch or sprints past an entire defense, I expect my cell phone to ring with Al Davis on the line screaming to me, “why isn’t he on MY team.” I would explain to Davis that Hill pleaded guilty to domestic violence charges which got him kicked off the Oklahoma State football and track teams, which prevented the Raiders from taking him in 2016, and that’s the right answer to that question. The Chiefs took a huge risk in selecting Hill and that risk has paid off enormously. But understand it is a risk many NFL teams will never accept, and for good reason. Hill was never a fifth-round talent, he was always an elite talent, but character does factor in when building a team.

But Hill is, indeed, a game changer and Davis would have loved having him on the field. His combination of rare explosive speed, hands, and power make him the most dangerous player in the NFL. Just based on the talent level on the field, if the Giants called and offered Odell Beckham Jr. for Hill, the Chiefs would laugh out loud. There is no offensive player like Hill in the NFL and there is no defender on any team that can take him out of the game. You cannot jam him at the line of scrimmage; he is too strong. You cannot allow him free access into his route; he is way too fast. He must be doubled on every single play regardless of where he aligns and Chiefs coach Andy Reid does a great job of finding ways to formation Hill away from double teams.

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The Rams don’t have a Hill, but another point on how to slow Los Angeles down would center on pass rush lanes and discipline. Rams quarterback Jared Goff was outstanding last night, especially considering the Rams decided not to use Gurley to run the ball throughout the game. Gurley only touched the ball 12 times, which is not typical of the Rams play calling. When Gurley is not involved, it places enormous pressure on Goff, and last night he responded when he had time. The key to slowing down the Rams’ offense lies with the pass rush. When the Chiefs rushers were able to get “in the paint,” the area from the back of the center to in front of the quarterback, Goff was not as successful. Opposing defenses must rush Goff down the middle and not allow him to step up and make throws. Chiefs tackle Chris Jones was excellent last night pushing the pocket and forcing Goff not to have a clean pocket. When the Chiefs got into the paint, the Rams’ offense sputtered slightly.

My final point would be that we have to understand the game has dramatically changed. Old school situational field position thinking is a thing of the past. The NFL wants high scoring games. Therefore, we must manage the game differently as it relates to field position, clock management, going for two, and deciding on when to kick field goals and we should never think our defense can close out the game. We must win games with our offense while always understanding that the clock can be our friend and our opponent.

I admit, I loved watching the game, but I suspect few teams in the league are set up to compete at this level, so I don’t expect more 50 point games this season.

We might just have to wait until Super Bowl 53 to get another one.

[Blick]

Originally Posted by Hammock Parties

They need to cool it on the 5 wide.

I feel like it's starting to hurt the team more than help.

Yep, at least against a team like that. Both of Donald's strip sacks came against empty sets. One with Kelce coming in motion to fake a handoff. That should be Tyreek or Hunt on the fake.

Erving also needed help early and often and that's on coaching to provide it.

Those play action deep passes that call for Kelce to block a pass rusher one on one are dangerous and hurt us as well.

The 2nd to last drive should have looked more like the last drive. We had the time and the timeouts remaining to chip away in the middle of the field.

Also could have involved Hunt a lot more. I'm surprised we didn't call more screens to help neutralize Donald and their aggressive pass rush.

[tooge]

Originally Posted by Blick

Yep, at least against a team like that. Both of Donald's strip sacks came against empty sets. One with Kelce coming in motion to fake a handoff. That should be Tyreek or Hunt on the fake.

Erving also needed help early and often and that's on coaching to provide it.

Those play action deep passes that call for Kelce to block a pass rusher one on one are dangerous and hurt us as well.

The 2nd to last drive should have looked more like the last drive. We had the time and the timeouts remaining to chip away in the middle of the field.

Also could have involved Hunt a lot more. I'm surprised we didn't call more screens to help neutralize Donald and their aggressive pass rush.

Bingo. My point all along.

[Imon Yourside]

That playcall on the interception 2nd to last drive was horrible, their was zero reason for a homerun. We needed 10 yard chunks taking all the time off the clock as we scored. It looked more like a hail mary than a regular play, no one within 20 yards of the los.

[Blick]

Originally Posted by KILLER_CLOWN

That playcall on the interception 2nd to last drive was horrible, their was zero reason for a homerun. We needed 10 yard chunks taking all the time off the clock as we scored. It looked more like a hail mary than a regular play, no one within 20 yards of the los.

Yeah, and it looked like the same play they hit Tyreek wide open. Same play action, don't know if the routes were the same. I don't like that. Need to mix it up more and we didn't need a big chunk.

[Imon Yourside]

Originally Posted by Blick

Yeah, and it looked like the same play they hit Tyreek wide open. Same play action, don't know if the routes were the same. I don't like that. Need to mix it up more and we didn't need a big chunk.

At least keep Hunt in to block and let him release short as Mahomes rolls out, so he has an option short.

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

Originally Posted by old_geezer

Our defense is absolutely horrible; hard to argue against that. Having said that I don't blame last night's loss on the defense. Five turnovers by the offense was the deciding factor. Great game and effort IMO.

True. Penalties and turnovers, we should have won by 21