Chiefs Achilles Heel Is The Defensive Backfield

If you’re a Kansas City Chiefs fan and you haven’t heard about Eric Berry going down in game one with an Achilles tendon injury, you must have been on vacation… on Mars. If you have a heart for the Chiefs… it is a broken one as Berry has become not only a favorite of all who know him, but more than just the face of the franchise, the spirit of the team. Without his skills and leadership this year, his absence leaves a giant hole, not only in the secondary on the field, but as a cheerleader on the sidelines and a leader in the locker room. If you watched the Chiefs play in their first game, you may have also noticed that the right cornerback position which was played by Terrance Mitchell, left a lot to be desired. Couple that with the news last week that CB Steven Nelson has a core muscle injury and will be out half the season, and it’s clear, the Chiefs Achilles Heel is the Defensive Backfield.

Last season when Derrick Johnson went down with his Achilles tendon injury… not to make a pun but… the ILBs became the Chiefs Achilles heel, their weakness. This year, the weakness is the defensive backfield and once again, because of an Achilles injury.

First of all, let’s be honest… one game does not a season make. However, like any game, there were certain “tells” or facts that may reveal a pattern if they persist. Like, giveaways/takeaways. Sure, rookie RB Kareem Hunt fumbled the ball away on his first carry. However, it’s a non-starter. I believe Hunt’s fumble doesn’t reveal anything important that we should worry about concerning his game because he has a long history of not fumbling. I’m referring more to the fact that after a season in 2016 of averaging just over 2 takeaways per game, the Chiefs defense had zero takeaways vs. the Patriots.

One reason for that may be that Tom Brady only threw towards Marcus Peters’ side of the field once, without success mind you, and Peters is a known QB-mind-reader.

The greater concerns are at: Safety, where Berry once roamed the range, slot corner where Steven Nelson once ruled the roost, and the right cornerback position where Terrance Mitchell played lights-out at the end of last season.

Let’s take those one by one:

The Skills of a Safety

In an article written by Louis Bien for SB Nation called, “Eric Berry and Earl Thomas were born to play the NFL’s most vulnerable position“ he defines the new age safety:

“The safety position has shouldered more responsibility in NFL defenses as offenses have opened up over the years. The free safety has become a pressure point, a position under constant siege, a job that sometimes requires dowsing multiple fires at once — at times playing as a cornerback, linebacker, giving deep help, slot help, rushing the passer, stopping the run.”

Bien goes on to say that Safeties like Berry and Thomas… as well as the demands of the game… have changed the way we look at Safeties and the definitions we once gave to “weak” or “strong” Safety are interchangeable. More specifically, Bien says of Thomas and Berry,

“Thomas can do everything, and does. He’s not just a near-perfect defensive fail safe, he hawks the ball, and hits about as well as any free safety in the league.

Thomas doesn’t do everything like Berry does everything, however.”

Eric Berry has been one of the best, if not the best, Safety since he came into the league. There is no “replacing” the humanity known as Eric Berry. Sam Mellinger, in his piece called, “A different Chiefs team, and season, from here until the end,” he says of Berry,

“… for all of his football talent, Berry is more respected by his teammates as a man. The quarterback is supposed to be the leader, and Alex Smith does that well, but he also calls Berry the team’s heart.”

When you understand who Eric Berry is and has been to this team, then you understand how absurd it is to hear people ask, “How will you replace him?” You begin to realize, there is no “replacing” him.

However, safeties Daniel Sorenson, Ron Parker and Eric Murray should represent well in his absence. Recently re-signed, and re-signed again, Steven Terrell, will actually present a deficiency at Safety, a noticeable one, any time he takes the field. However, let’s be frank, none of the Chiefs Safeties left on the team at this time, are going to deliver a couple of wins like Berry did vs. the Falcons and the Panthers in 2016.

The Skills of a Slot Cornerback

There are those who believe that aside from the quarterback position, that the slot cornerback is the most important position on the football field. While this piece is not meant to be a referendum or debate on which position is the second most important (because the QB position is the clear cut favorite), what I am clear about is that the Chiefs CB Phillip Gaines is not the best… and maybe not even an average choice to play corner, especially the slot corner position.

Gaines was the third round pick for the Chiefs in 2014 and in the 49 games since he joined the team, he has started 13 games (26.5%). Sure, he’s played in 28 of those game but when your own team doesn’t prefer you as a starter, it is telling. Gaines has also had trouble staying healthy.

Focusing on how Gaines plays when given a chance: he has speed and quickness but isn’t able to consistently stay with his man and too often is seen trailing a wide receiver and not getting his head around to pick up the pass in the air. While I understand that the following is just one fan’s opinion, I also know it is a popular one:

In the first game of the year against Tom Brady, the exact thing we expected to happen, happened. That is, he decided to pick on Phillip Gaines… and everyone knew it.

Right Cornerback Skills

Terrance Mitchell did an excellent job late in the 2016 season at the corner spot opposite Marcus Peters. Last Thursday night? Not so much. Defensive Coordinator Bob Sutton loves to play tight man coverage and give his OLBs the time to put pressure on the QB. That system was a big part of the reason that the Chiefs defense led the league in giveaways/takeaways last season. Bill Belichick and Tom Brady devised a game plan that included targeting everyone of the Chiefs DBs… except Peters. New England wide receivers were targeted 19 times (not counting the 6 to Gronk or all the other targets to the RBs) and Mitchell had one pass defensed in that contest.

The glue-trap coverage Mitchell provided in 2016 was not to be seen on this night. Yes, he had one big play — his one pass defensed — late in the game but otherwise he was always one step behind and responsible for a number of penalties. The positive aspect to Mitchel is that he was playing his first game of this season… because he had missed all of training camp and the preseasons games. So, while it seemed like a miracle that the Chiefs defensive backfield got through that game and wasn’t responsible for a loss, Mitchell may yet return to form and he’ll need to do that for Kansas City’s defense to be successful in 2017.

Some were anticipating the Chiefs taking a DB high in the 2017 draft but totally neglected to secure a high DB pick (6th round pick Leon McQuay doesn’t count either). While you probably won’t find many fans or pundits who would have taken a DB instead of QBOTF Patrick Mahomes II in the first round, there were a number of players the Chiefs could have targeted with the 59th pick in the draft where they took Tanoh Kpassagnon instead, who played zero snaps vs. the Patriots. The 2017 draftees who are DBs that played in the first weekend of this season include:

• CB Chidobe Azuwie who was drafted at #60 (had 38 snaps for the Cowboys),
• there was CB Shaquill Griffin who was drafted at #90 by the Seahawks (had 77 snaps), or
• Safety Eddie Jackson who was taken with the 112th pick by the Bears (had 59 snaps).

Point is, there are strong defensive backs who could have helped the Chiefs in game one of the season. I find that a bit out of character since the Chiefs are always touting that, “You can never have enough defensive backs.”

Oddly, although several other position groups on the Chiefs appear capable of playing at a championship level… at least after game one… the defensive backfield is not one of them. I hope newbie general manager Brett Veach, who is still on his honeymoon so to speak, can still make a move or two because I’m not sure that any of the DBs down the line on the depth chart are going to be able to make a difference playing into the Chiefs mantra, “Next Man Up.” Right now, they seem to be, “Down a man,” maybe two.

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