Andy Reid: Snatching Defeat
From The Jaws Of Victory
Watching the game on Sunday I went through a number of emotions. Early on I was feeling great due to the first two drives resulting in touchdowns. And not just run of the mill, grind out 14 plays, touchdowns. These were quick strike and fun to watch. The offense had finally come out swinging. And then the third series happened. I began to feel a sense of impending doom. Uh oh, we have a 2 touchdown lead and it is the first quarter.
In hockey, they say that a 2 goal lead is the most dangerous. I think that might apply to an Andy Reid coached football team too. A 2-touchdown lead is the most dangerous. He seems to feel a need to remove his foot from the gas and try to coast to victory. As a matter of fact, it seems he always tries to do the minimum to win, but this finally bit us.
Over the course of the 4 years he has coached, I am continually amazed at how often he abandons something that is clearly working. The only thing I could ever think of that made the slightest bit of sense is that he doesn’t want to overexpose his plays if he doesn’t need them for a win. Of course, there are 2 exceptions to this that I am sure will be news to every Chiefs fan. Jet Sweep and Bubble Screen anyone?
I took some time and logged the plays of the game to see what the numbers could tell me about the game. Overall it was pretty balanced between rushing and passing with 27 rushes and 30 passes. However, too many went to Ware overall and not enough to the other playmakers.
Rushing
From a rushing attack, it went about like you would expect. The primary running back, Spencer Ware, rushed 18 times for 70 yards with the rest of the group only touching the ball for a total of 9 plays. So, Ware is given the ball 2 out of 3 times.
Passing
From a passing attack, based on skill level, one would expect Travis Kelce, Jeremy Maclin, and Tyreek Hill to get a lot of targets. The three of them combined only accounted for half of the pass plays, but 123 of the 153 yards. And, even with targeting Hill 3 times, he didn’t get a catch. That’s right, Hill touched the ball 1 time on offense, ran it 68 yards for a touchdown, and didn’t get it again the rest of the game. The rest of the plays were to 6 other players and a few botched by Alex Smith, in addition to the 12 incompletions. I would have expected at least 20 of the 30 to go to the playmakers.
Tyreek Hill
As I mentioned, the ball only went Hill’s way 4 times in the game, 1 rush and 3 pass, on offense. I was reminded of the game that Reid forgot he had a guy named Jamaal Charles in the backfield. Both of those are criminal. When you got electric players like them, you need to turn them loose and see if the defense wants to try and stop them. If they do try, it will take multiple dedicated defenders. That would mean others would be singled up and should be able to make plays. With Maclin, Ware, and Kelce also on offense, there is a mismatch there somewhere.
While I can understand using Hill as a decoy in certain situations, 56 minutes is a long time for him to be a decoy. With his elite skillset, we should be daring other teams to try and stop him. The following picture shows the view most players on the field get of Hill, so maybe we shouldn’t be afraid of getting him the rock.
Travis Kelce
Kelce was targeted more than I realized before checking the stats, but still a few times short of what is to be expected. He is inarguably the best tight end in the game today, with Rob Gronkowski out. He is also a player that is a mismatch against any player on the defense, whether it is from his size or speed. Minimally, he should have been part of the plays at the goal line when we were attempting to score touchdowns, not a blocker.
Alex Smith
I am usually pretty supportive of Smith, since he fits this offensive scheme, protects the ball, and is the best option we have had for a while. That being said, his throws were off all day and he basically quit trying to go deep once we got the 14 point lead. This is way too conservative, regardless of the lead. Additionally, the defensive backfield is where the Titans are weak, so instead of working them, we rushed the middle and threw ridiculous screens.
Onward
Perhaps this will be a blessing in disguise. We probably need a little wake up call in the locker room as we approach the end of the season. Something the team can rally around and use to propel them into the playoffs with a hunger. With two games left, we need to dial up the aggression and score as often as possible, turning the playmakers loose. They are big boys on the other team, so they should understand that you can’t let up for a second.
Let’s get ready for the Broncos on Christmas. Here’s to hoping the Santa doppelganger on our sideline can remember who plays on our team. To help him out, here’s a little help.
And there’s The Rub!
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