Chiefs Linebackers: 1st Half Snaps vs the Ravens

Chiefs Linebackers: 1st Half Snaps vs the Ravens – In the first two games there has been a good deal of shade thrown on the Chiefs starting linebackers. After reviewing of the Chargers game, I was unable to come up with anything except expletives about both Anthony Hitchens and Damien Wilson. Hitchen’s rating was in the 28th percentile and Wilson’s was 48th from Pro Football Focus. Both substandard ratings for starting NFL LBs. This week with the Kansas City Chiefs facing the Baltimore Ravens away from Home, I was highly concerned about the who, what and how well, the starters would perform.

I’ve watched the replay of the Week Three Game versus the Ravens however, this article will publish before my second pass with the Coaches View. I remain highly skeptical that we have the right two starters for the defense. True, rookie Willie Gay got 9 snaps in this game and he made one really good play, but didn’t hurt the team otherwise. Much of his participation came in the second half when the Chiefs ran with 3 LBs.

What follows are my notes from the 1st half of the Ravens game. I specifically watched LB play and how well they did their job — and basically there are a bunch of Neutral ratings on snaps through the whole game. There were also many times that Hitchens or Wilson, sometimes both:

Still, Lamar Jackson ran the ball 9 times and had only 42 yards. Jackson averaged 70 yards rushing in each of his first two games so holding him to 42 was success. However, Seth Keysor has hit upon the need for the defense to tackle better:

The Chiefs have a number of things to be concerned about in terms of run defense. The return of Big Mike Pennel (his legal name) helps the interior, but they’ve had some pretty serious issues with the linebacker group getting to their fits quickly enough and finishing tackles strong. They’ve also seen some whiffs from the safety group that have allowed runs that should be relatively short gains to become much longer. None of those issues are completely resolved.

In the second half, the LB’s played far better than the first half, but the game circumstances changed so that passing became the focus of the Ravens play calling. Still, the Ravens ran the ball successfully and time and again, the Chiefs LB’s were blocked, or they took the fake, and were not in on stopping their RB. This why I am quite disappointed with the linebacker play.

It is true that I am probably a harsh critic of LB’s. Further, I have a long memory and of most recent circumstance I recall how well Derrick Johnson played the position, and he actually called plays on the field. I remember him stopping a runner in the hole, the runner would cut outside, DJ would rotate his body, pivoting and taking on the RB outside. He had several great seasons and that same complement became a critique as I reviewed film in his last season at KC on the field after the injuries. He was not the same player. It was heartbreaking for me.

We just don’t have a DJ quality player as a starter on this team. The Chiefs could retain Wilson, before Hitchens, and he could be a 3rd LB or a 4th. The missing ingredient is so evident to me though simply because I miss DJ. I am hopeful that Willie Gay Jr. can give us what we need. His snaps for this game increased to 9, but we need him to get on the field and be trained up so he can be a starter. The Chiefs need to divest themselves of Mr. Hitchens and take the hit on cap space loss.

David Bell – ArrowheadOne

Linebackers: 1st Half Snaps

Ravens First Drive

Snap 1: First down – Hitchens and Wilson. 4 yard play. Hitchens gets assist.
Snap 2: Run left; Hitchens tackle, Wilson assist. 4- yard play.
Snap 3: Big gainer by Jackson, fake hand-off left, Jackson kept to the right. Hitchens ran himself into the pile and was totally out of play and pursuit. Wilson disengaged a blocker and was caught up by the OT to the right, slipped that block but could do nothing to intercept
Jackson. The block on Wilson was effective, it slowed Wilson enough that Jackson was free and clear outside. He stepped out of bounds due to Sorensen fighting off a block. 1st down, just short of the 40.

Snap 4: On First down, Jackson’s first pass down field, LB-s Neutral. Good defense by Fenton. Incomplete
Snap 5: Fake hand off up the middle: Gay and Wilson. Wilson bit and hit up toward the LoS. So did Gay. Jackson keeps for a 5-yard gain. Gay can’t recover and get outside. Gay Loss. Wilson Loss.
Snap 6: 3rd and 5. This play is RP or a called wishbone type run by Jackson. He is caught and about to be tackled. The toss goes to the RB, Gay reads it and tries to get outside but doesn’t make the stop until the play gains 6 yards. Sorensen starts at the LOS on the defensive left, but the WR route takes him away from where the play is called. He leaves his target and comes up and makes the tackle. Not Neutral. Gay is the only LB. He reads the play, but has to wait for the Jackson to hit the hole outside the ROT, he is taken out and the toss made. Gay reads it, but can’t get their soon enough to effectively make a play (he gets his arms on the RB to no avail. This is a hybrid defense. Tyrann Mathieu is up at the LOS on the right. First down.

Snap 7: Run play inside the tackle. Gay and Hitchens. Gay to the defensive right. Hitch does nothing from the weak side, Gay reads the play, gets in the hole, but is effectively blocked by TE Boyle. Niemann fights off the block, but can’t get back in the hole. He makes a swipe at the legs of the RB, but can’t take him down. 1st down. The play gets the ball to the 15 from the 26.

Snap 8: Hitch – poor read completely out of the play. Should have read it and hit the RB from left to right pursuit. Niemann read correctly got in the Slot to make a stop. Pulling TE blocks him effectively coming from the offensive right to make the block in the 5 or 7 hole, left. Niemann is blocked in the slot effectively. Loss rating. Hitchens Loss. He should have been pursuing laterally and the safety(s) should have filled to the play. They were blocked, screened and the play goes for a 1st down.
Snap 9: Hitch and Wilson, from the 15. This is a forward toss to 13 motion from the off right to take the ball. Wilson gets an assist, Hitchens isn’t around the ball and should have been. Wilson is blocked, Sorensen behind him is blocked, but makes a tackle after a 7-yard gain.
Snap 10: 2nd and 3, Wilson is reading the play, comes to the LoS outside right next and behind the DT on the def right. Fake hand off to the RB, keeper by Jackson to the offense’s right. Wilson reads and is immediately in pursuit. Can’t catch up to Jackson, so a Neutral for Wilson, but a good read. Hitchens is caught up in the blocking to the offensive right. Hitchens is totally knocked out of getting up to make any play. He did read where the ball was going, but the RoT took him out and knocked him back towards the goal line. Fortunately, Thornhill was up on the LoS, reads run, fends off a block, almost losing his feet but kept them and got to Jackson about 5 yards deep. Going down, Jackson was lucky to throw it away. Thornhill makes a heck of play.
Snap 11: 3rd, and 3. Three WR’s tight to the LoS right, WR far right. rollout play read by Mathieu who defends the pass and stops the play for a short or no gain. Ravens kick FG. LBs – Hitch and Wilson, Neutral.

Ravens up 0-3.

Chiefs Go 75 yards in 6 plays for a TD, Butker misseS XP. Chiefs: 6-3

Ravens Second Drive

Ravens get ball at 34 with a good kickoff run back. Butker intentionally kicked it short to force a return.

Snap 1: Hitch and WIlson. Play is run left. Wilson runs himself too far to def right. Hand off to Ingram play goes for about 8 yards but Ravens flagged. 1st and 20.
Snap 2: Repeat. Hitch and Wilson. Screen pass left, nice toss but Fenton reads it perfect, Wilson comes up in support but Fenton makes the play. Neutral for LB’s. Wilson has coverage right on the TE.
Snap 3: Pass play to the offensive left, the play is defended by both Wilson and Fenton. The ball is knocked loose after the catch, but OB. LB loss for Wilson, who was beaten in coverage. Hitch Neutral. 8-yard gain. Fenton almost knocked it loose trying to save it in bounds, but fails in the attempt.
Snap 4: Pass play, but Jackson is sacked and the ball knocked loose as he runs to his left. Lucky for the Ravens that the ball went OB. Chris Jones almost had him stripped for a turnover. Mike Danna (51) almost saved the ball going OB and tried to knock it back from the Sideline, but didn’t quite get it. LB’s neutral.

Punt. Chiefs drive the field, score with inside pitch to Sherman, XP good.

Chiefs: 13-3.

Kickoff: Chiefs break down due to Darwin Thompson failing to contain the edge.

Ravens TD & XP. Chiefs 13-10.

Chiefs fail to get a 1st down.

Good punt, deep to the Raven’s territory, but a good run back helps Ravens Field Position at the 27.

Ravens Third Drive

Snap 1: Pass play with Jackson roll out right. Incomplete. both LBs bit on the run fake. Both were pursuing where the ball would go if it was handed off. Both completely out of play. Both Hitch & Wilson, loss. Neither near the ball, neither saw the fake. Both were completely misreading or not seeing the fake, nor Jackson rolling. This was a bad play for both LBs. 4-yard completion.
Snap 2: 2nd and 6. Incomplete pass 30 yards down field. TE in motion left to right. Picked up by Hitchens who trails. Safety or CB deeper so no throw possible. Ward makes a defensive play. TE was in motion, but Hitch remains rooted. He ends up taking the coverage, but is trailing the TE. A good throw to the TE would have been complete. Wilson is defending to the LoS, but was to the inside, not out where Jackson rolled. Both LB’s – Loss. Neither in position to do task.
Snap 3: 3rd and 6. This is a roll right again for Jackson. Hybrid defensive set with only Wilson on the field. Sorensen is up I think, he pursues right or rushes but the play goes outside his rush. Neutral. This play is a heck of a play by Tedric Thompson. He reads it, lays a hit on the receiver and knocks the ball lose. Right behind him was Fenton. if he had caught the ball and somehow slipped hit by Thompson, Fenton was right there to lay him out. No way this is going for a first down. Again, Wilson, the only LB, was not a factor
as he was part of the pass rush.

Ravens punt.

Chiefs begin at 27. Big gainer to Kelce to the 44 of Baltimore. Then a plus catch by Watkins. Pass to Hill for TD & XP.

Chiefs 20-10.

Ravens Fourth Drive

From the Ravens 25

Snap 1: Fake hand off left holds Hitchens, and Wilson, both get a bad read, takes Wilson out of play. Hitch Neural, Wilson Loss.
Snap 2: goes for 2 yards to offense left. LB’s not factor. Neutral. They were up in the mix.
Snap 3: rollout right by Jackson, then a pass after a fake hand off left. Both Hitch and Wilson apparently can’t see the fake hand off. They were both approaching the left side of the offensive line and neither read the fake nor that Jackson had the ball. It was a pass play to TE Boyle, Thornhill read it and came up and made a very good stop. Gain of a yard, but off the ball, Sneed is called for holding, 10 yards, 1st down.
Snap 4: Both Hitch and Wilson attack the LoS on run play up middle. The yare part of breaking down the blocking. Play goes for a yard, but neither make the tackle. Still, LB win for both.
Snap 5: Hitch and Wilson drop into pass coverage. Wilson is part of the defense against the TE pass goes incomplete. Wilson does make the play underneath, gets his hand on the ball to deflect it and pass goes Incomplete. Win for Wilson, big time. Neutral for Hitch.
Snap 6: pass play LB’s neutral on roll right. Jackson about to be tackled, Sneed nearly makes the pick but it’s incomplete. Sneed is hurt on this play (reportedly, a fractured collarbone). The LBs are Neutral, but on such a play one of the LB’s should be mirroring Jackson.

Ravens punt.

Chiefs possession is the drive to the 50 yard line and bomb to Hardman. XP good.

Chiefs 27-10.

Ravens Fifth Drive

Snap 1: hybrid set, Niemann and Sorensen. Niemann is blitzing and does good job. pass complete for Sorensen who picks up the TE as he drops in coverage. but the ball goes to a trailing receiver so effective play but the trailing RB receiver gets about 7 yards due to the blitz. LB’s Win.
Snap 2: another hybrid: Gay and Sorensen who blitzes. Niemann drops in zone coverage but can’t make a play. Hard to call it a loss. Sorensen doesn’t get to the QB, and gay hasn’t quite dropped to position to prevent a catch. But he was properly dropped to about 10 yards or so deep in the zone. Neutral.
Snap 3: Hybrid again. Niemann and Sorensen. Hugh. Looks like Niemann set the play call. He & dan positioning. No Blitz, boh Ben and Sorensen drop into zone coverage. ball comes loose on QB hit, Niemann recovers. LB win/win.

Chiefs take the ball to the Ravens 30, pass to Hardman, which he can’t make in the endzone. Next play, pass complete to Sammy. Chiefs with 9 seconds.

FG attempt by Butker, and he misses. Dang it!

At the Half: Chiefs 27-10

Now at this point, I think the LBs have made 2 significant plays: one by Wilson, 1 by Niemann. The rest of it is Hitch and WIlson not making reads, not being in on the play mostly. I am dissatisfied with it. I like when Niemann was on the field. I saw no mistake by Willie but he was limited in snaps getting most of his 9 in the second half. Just wonder about this whole mix. I see constant misreads and inability to see a fake hand-off by both Hitchens and Wilson. Of course, I am not at the field level of viewing the play.

David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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