David Bell Kansas City Chiefs

Chiefs: He Tweeted Last Week

David Bell January 16, 2019 No Comments

 

 

 

 

Chiefs: He Tweeted Last Week

 

by David Bell | January 16, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To the Kansas City Chiefs: he tweeted last week…and I am with the Chiefs all the way. Joe Montana will be at the game Sunday evening and that says a lot about Montana and the Chiefs in my view. He is right there again, 25 years later, rooting for the Chiefs.

 

The Usual Suspects

The usual suspects are on the injury report. Sammy, Spencer Ware and xxx. LDT (Laurent Duvernay-Tardif) has been placed on the active roster and Ron Parker has been released. From what HC Andy Reid said, Watkins will be ready to go. If LDT is on the active roster then he must be ready to go but he won’t be in game playing shape. I suspect though, that they will fit him in and get him time in the game. He may be better than that though. Berry’s status is the same day to day type deal. Reid said that he was not disappointed that Eric could not go in the division game.

 

The rest of us? We are along for the ride.

 

Sammy Watkins

The importance of WR Sammy Watkins was evident in the matchup against the Colts but was especially noteworthy due to his one-hand grab. Here are his per game numbers for 2018/19 according to Graham Barfield of NFL.Com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

True, Watkins missed games. When he has been paired with Tyreek Hill the offense is far more dynamic. The numbers prove it. Me? I am pleased as punch at having Sammy Watkins as the Chiefs #2 WR. Until he arrived, the Chiefs under Andy Reid, did not have a top rated #2, a possession type WR. For that matter, until Tyreek Hill came along, Alex Smith did not have a true #1 WR either. If you think about that, then you can see why Watkins is a crucial cog in the offensive machine.

 

Alas, Kareem Hunt is Gone:

Enter Stage Right – Damien Williams

It’s true we miss the contribution of Kareem Hunt. Even though Damien Williams numbers surpass the per-game numbers of Hunt, it is difficult to imagine replacing the threat that Kareem Hunt provided the Chiefs. Howsomever: Damien Williams has dynamically added back the missing ingredient that Hunt brought to the table. Witness what Williams did in the Colts game: 129 Yards rushing, 2 TDs and catches to boot. The Chiefs found good reason to extend Williams and his contract is through 2020 at just under $3M.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Chicago Bears Head Coach, Matt Nagy, appears to be ready to work with Hunt next year. We’ll see. In the Chiefs case, there was no alternative to releasing the running back. We all thought: ‘Alas, Babylon’. Turns out not to be the case.

 

The Chiefs Have an Offensive Line

In 2018, the Chiefs suffered mightily along the front 5. First, LDT went down with his leg injury. So what happened? Andy Reid inserted Andrew Wylie, an UDFA that Veach signed before the season began. Another great move by Brett Veach to sign meaningful talent that had slipped through the cracks elsewhere.

 

Center Mitch Morse suffered a concussion and was out 4 games. Backup center, Jordan Devey, who replaced Morse was then injured and moved to the IR. I should point out here that Devey played well until he was injured. One thing to note is the protection of the quarterback that Morse provides. He had not given up a sack in more than 1,000 snaps through last week. It’s true though, Rodney Hudson (who departed in free agency in 2015) has better numbers but Morse made the best of it and I cannot say that I have any disappointment in his replacing Hudson who went for more dough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At this point, in steps a 2nd player that Brett Veach went and found — he had signed the 1 game former Cleveland Rookie, Austin Reiter who filled in admirable for Morse from then to the point in time that Mitch could return. Reiter demonstrated that this was a superb choice.

 

Still Later, Cam Erving, the starting LOG was knocked out for a couple of games. In steps Jeff Allen who played well spotting in which one would expect of Allen, a quality offensive lineman that was lost to free agency a couple of years ago. Now you might say this or that about the Chiefs offensive line but the stats point out that the Chiefs offensive line is pretty dang good! The Chiefs rank 3rd among playoff contenders, following the Patriots and Saints according to Footballoutsiders.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I can say here that the addition of offensive linemen by Brett Veach were all superb additions to the roster and have been one reason that the Chiefs were able to keep on winning despite the injuries.

 

What to Expect on Sunday?

A hard fought battle in cold weather played somewhere in the 0 to 10 degree range. This is cold but nothing to throw the Chiefs. Two years ago I attended a game at Arrowhead in which the kickoff occurred at -1 when they played the Titans.

 

Charvarius Ward, Jordan Lucas, Eric Murray,

Daniel Sorensen and Maybe a “Berry on Top”

All season long the Chiefs struggles in the secondary seemed monumental. We were starting Ron Parker at Safety and Orlando Scandrick at one cornerback position. Three games ago, things changed. I can’t state that Andy Reid forced the changed but against the Chargers, Ward was inserted in the game. He was picked on and targeted often. He had errors and it cost the team in terms of the game but he also made plays during the contest. Since then, Ward has settled in at corner and we shouldn’t be looking back. This young man has taken the bit in the mouth and has not looked back.

 

At safety, a shift occurred when Ron Parker sat down (since then, he was released). Eric Murray, Daniel Sorensen and Jordan Lucas have stood well in the safety mix and the last two games showed the difference — especially the game against the Colts. It’s certainly not perfect but a far cry from where the Chiefs were for most of the season.

 

This weekend? I can’t tell you that Eric Berry will be on the field but I suspect that he will be. Reid made no commitment but word out of the inside of Arrowhead is that Berry will play. I have no proof, only a passed rumor.

 

I am not going to state that Scandrick was woeful — he wasn’t. With all the things that went wrong with the secondary, it’s a good thing Veach found him. Ditto going out and trading a pick to get Lucas and trading Ehinger for Charvarius Ward. Even signing Ron Parker was important at the time: recall that the Chiefs lost Armani Watts along the way.

 

 Belichick and Brady Bemoan Their Status

I have no doubts personally. Like last week when the Chiefs got the playoff loss monkey off their back, I believe they will slay the “Tom Brady” dragon, or exorcise the demon that the Patriots have been to all of the the AFC for more than a decade. It’s time. Over at Foxboro, Brady and Belichick have been complimentary of the Chiefs and pointed out several times that they are the underdog in the AFC Championship. Sure. Brady will be Brady and they are coming of a drubbing of the visiting Chargers in the Division round.

 

Dispelling Dyspepsia

I have believed since before the season began that this Chiefs team was a very good one and pointed this out in several preceding pieces, all the way back to pre-season. I cautioned that this was a very good roster of players. They have proved me correct. GM Brett Veach signed players who have made a difference going back two years. The win versus the Colts demonstrates that point. We fans may have a long memory of play off failures that should have been dispelled now though dyspepsia will remain with us. The Chiefs will banish a demon Sunday and the vaulting of the Chiefs 10+ year dynasty will be freed when we get to Atlanta.

 

I think the page will turn to a new era come Sunday Night and then we can move on to the last task: getting rid of the ghost of 1971 (or Hank Stram’s firing, whichever way you see it). It’s our time now and we have the horses to get it done in a hard fought contest, because that is what I expect the game to be. Chiefs 34-24 over the Patriots!

 

Oh yeah, here’s a most revealing message from Joe Montana, to the Chiefs: he tweeted last week:

 

 

 

 

 

 

David Bell – ArrowheadOne

 

 

 

 

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