Chiefs Mellinger: Fire Sutton - Page 27

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

PAChiefsGuy · 01-10-2018, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pugsnotdrugs19

If Alex Smith is the starter of this team in '18, and I really don't believe there's any chance that he is, we will NOT return to the playoffs. The funk of these playoff losses will remain too strong and it will mess with the psyche of the team.

I'm not saying we will or won't make it with Patrick, we'll need to see how the offseason unfolds. But our odds will be better for the sheer fact that it will change the mood around the team. Also, many resources are to be gained from the inevitable Smith trade.

I disagree with this. It'll be a whole new season. These guys are professional athletes not emotional women or crybabies like a lot of the pussies on this board..

They take one-game just as it is one-game. We lost in the playoffs this season. Who cares? their job is to prepare as best possible as they can for the next opponent and then go out and execute the game plan. I could see if this was the NBA and it was a 7-game series but our guys have plenty of time to get over this loss. They'll be fine.

O.city · 01-10-2018, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

I disagree with this. It'll be a whole new season. These guys are professional athletes not emotional women or crybabies like a lot of the pussies on this board..

They take one-game just as it is one-game. We lost in the playoffs this season. Who cares? their job is to prepare as best possible as they can for the next opponent and then go out and execute the game plan.

They’re also just humans with emotions.

They like alex but I’d imagine the writing is on the wall

staylor26 · 01-10-2018, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

The TEAM doesn't believe in Alex 0-6 in game winning drives this year. That is ****ing pathetic. Some of those like Saturday needed only a FG in those shituations.

Yea that’s just sad and pathetic.

**The Franchise** · 01-10-2018, 10:07 AM

If Alex is back....then I’m out. I won’t be back until Mahomes starts.

Sassy Squatch · 01-10-2018, 10:08 AM

Only time Andy Reid had any real success was when he had both a gunslinging QB who could mask his pass happy tendencies, AND had a DC that could pull his ass out of the fire when his tendencies inevitably blew up in his face. Alex Smith and Bob Sutton have both proven they aren't the men we need. Time to get the **** out.

Red Dawg · 01-10-2018, 10:10 AM

You can't sell Smith to the fans anymore. That is why he must be gone. Clark isn't oblivious to that. It sucks having wait but it will happen. Sutton on the other hand I don't have any cofidence. He should be let go this week if it's going to happen. Every day he's not fired is a bad sign.

kgrund · 01-10-2018, 10:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pasta Giant Meatball

The TEAM doesn't believe in Alex 0-6 in game winning drives this year. That is ****ing pathetic. Some of those like Saturday needed only a FG in those shituations.

Not this makes this THAT much better, but he actually had one which was the Redskins game at home. None the less, time to move on.

RunKC · 01-10-2018, 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

I disagree with this. It'll be a whole new season. These guys are professional athletes not emotional women or crybabies like a lot of the pussies on this board..

They take one-game just as it is one-game. We lost in the playoffs this season. Who cares? their job is to prepare as best possible as they can for the next opponent and then go out and execute the game plan. I could see if this was the NBA and it was a 7-game series but our guys have plenty of time to get over this loss. They'll be fine.

Spoken like a true Alex fan. If you were an actual Chiefs fan you’d understand this shit.

PAChiefsGuy · 01-10-2018, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.city

They’re also just humans with emotions.

They like alex but I’d imagine the writing is on the wall

Smith is well liked. His teammates constantly defend him. You guys act like he is hated by his teammates like fans on this board hate him. That is simply not the case.

Regardless he is gone. Not because he isn't a good QB. It just makes sense. We need the money for salary cap reasons and we have Mahomes.

Molitoth · 01-10-2018, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by O.city

There’s zero percent chance alex smith is starting here next year. Financially they can’t really do it, the fan support would wane .

I thought the same before Matt Cassels last season and yet... the Chiefs brought him back and forced him upon us again for the worst season in Chiefs history.

I want to think the Chiefs won't do it again, but I've lost all faith.

Molitoth · 01-10-2018, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Smith is well liked. His teammates constantly defend him. You guys act like he is hated by his teammates like fans on this board hate him. That is simply not the case.

Regardless he is gone. Not because he isn't a QB it just makes sense. We need the money for salary cap reasons and we have Mahomes.

I'm sure everyone in that locker room respects and likes Alex Smith as a person. They are professionals and they will give the right PC answer.

Inside, I bet many of them just want a better PLAYER at the QB position, but they aren't going to come out and say it.

fairladyZ · 01-10-2018, 10:39 AM

the only way smith stays is on a reworked deal, But we aren't adding years and he's not doing a one year deal, he wants commitment. So alex will be gone 100%

we desperately need that money for cap space cause i think as it stands now we are over the cap.

PAChiefsGuy · 01-10-2018, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Molitoth

I thought the same before Matt Cassels last season and yet... the Chiefs brought him back and forced him upon us again for the worst season in Chiefs history.

I want to think the Chiefs won't do it again, but I've lost all faith.

Reid will do what he feels is best for the Chiefs. That's his job. It's not his job to do what the fans want. If that was the case he'd just take a poll every week and make decisions based on how the fans vote. We all know that is not the smart thing to do.

I wouldn't worry. I seriously doubt Smith will be back. But if he is gotta give Reid the benefit of the doubt. Say what you will but when it comes to QBs he knows what he is doing. I'd say there is like a 5% chance of that happening though due to the salary cap.

Sassy Squatch · 01-10-2018, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Reid will do what he feels is best for the Chiefs. That's his job. It's not his job to do what the fans want. If that was the case he'd just take a poll every week and make decisions based on how the fans vote. We all know that is not the smart thing to do.

I wouldn't worry. I seriously doubt Smith will be back. But if he is gotta give Reid the benefit of the doubt. Say what you will but when it comes to QBs he knows what he is doing. I'd say there is like a 5% chance of that happening though due to the salary cap.

Bullshit. Reid lost that when he embarrassed the Chiefs twice in 5 years. Time to cash in on the Mahomes bet and pray to god it pays off. That's Reid's last hope.

Molitoth · 01-10-2018, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Pioli will do what he feels is best for the Chiefs. That's his job. It's not his job to do what the fans want. If that was the case he'd just take a poll every week and make decisions based on how the fans vote. We all know that is not the smart thing to do.

I wouldn't worry. I seriously doubt Cassel will be back. But if he is gotta give Pioli the benefit of the doubt. Say what you will but when it comes to QBs he knows what he is doing. I'd say there is like a 5% chance of that happening though due to the salary cap.

Back to the future.

01-07-2018, 04:03 PM
excessive Starter Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: KCMO Casino cash: $9766885	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: 383

01-10-2018, 10:07 AM	#394
The Franchise Most Valuable Villain Join Date: Dec 2006 Casino cash: $3125047	If Alex is back....then I’m out. I won’t be back until Mahomes starts.
Posts: 92,082

01-10-2018, 10:08 AM	#395
Sassy Squatch The man you could post like. Join Date: Oct 2010 Casino cash: $2479655	Only time Andy Reid had any real success was when he had both a gunslinging QB who could mask his pass happy tendencies, AND had a DC that could pull his ass out of the fire when his tendencies inevitably blew up in his face. Alex Smith and Bob Sutton have both proven they aren't the men we need. Time to get the **** out.
Posts: 37,884

01-10-2018, 10:10 AM	#396
Red Dawg Going home eventually Join Date: Dec 2002 Casino cash: $4772858	You can't sell Smith to the fans anymore. That is why he must be gone. Clark isn't oblivious to that. It sucks having wait but it will happen. Sutton on the other hand I don't have any cofidence. He should be let go this week if it's going to happen. Every day he's not fired is a bad sign. __________________ If you're not first you're last!
Posts: 30,404

01-10-2018, 10:39 AM	#402
fairladyZ Starter Join Date: Dec 2012 Casino cash: $7535234	the only way smith stays is on a reworked deal, But we aren't adding years and he's not doing a one year deal, he wants commitment. So alex will be gone 100% we desperately need that money for cap space cause i think as it stands now we are over the cap.
Posts: 442