Chiefs: Sunday Pre-Game Notes and Quotes

Chiefs: Sunday Pre-Game

Notes and Quotes

by David Bell

The Big Red One On the Steeler Match-up?

I think this one image from Arrowhead Pride says it all!

Mike Tomlin: He’s a ‘Sharp Cookie”

Tomlin is quite aware of the threat that Patrick Mahomes brings to the table according to his weekly presser on Tuesday. He observed that the Steelers had met with the former Texas Tech QB before the 2017 draft. He said of PMII:

“He’s a sharp guy…Interviewed him through the draft process when he came out. He’s got really unique arm talent. He can make any throw on the field. He can throw from a variety of positions. He can throw stationary, he can throw on the move. He’s got an awesome repertoire of physical talent. He’s a sharp kid, he just is. He’s mature beyond his years. In conversing with him, I think it’s reflected in the amount of things that they were able to do last week in Week 1. The changes in personnel, the obscure things, the designed quarterback runs, the gadget plays. He managed it all and managed it all very well and managed it all in a road game environment.”

Tomlin also expressed that the thought the Chiefs would get Travis Kelce involved a lot more this week and that his team would have to a do a good job of containing Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill, further stating the friendly confines and the noise should help his team. My view of what containing Hill means is that the DBs will have to give up the short game to contain the over the top deep throws to Hill. This would open the intermediate field up for both Kelce and Watkins, to to mention Hunt out of the backfield. Or maybe this is the week that Hill becomes the decoy and Watkins and Kelce have that field day!

What Should Sutton’s Defense Worry

Most About? James Connor of Course!

Clearly, with the results tallied from the game against the Chargers, the Chiefs have got to focus on the opponents running backs. Sutton’s defense did not stop the run or the pass against the Chargers. But what may be equally as telling is the fact that the overall yards to the Charger’s RB pair of Gordon and Ekeler was 300 yards. This cannot be allowed in week two even with Le’Veon Bell absent from the game roster. Bell is a special player whose patience compliments his short area quickness. Since Bell is not on the active roster, the Chiefs must handle Connor. I see this as a SILB job to meet Connor straight up and I also see the import of Hitchens who had 15 stops in the game against the Chargers.

It is true that the Steelers aerial game will have Antonio Brown who is always a threat. Every game, every time his feet his the turf. If it’s a single threat and not double or triple? If Sutton’s prepares his defense properly, confining Big Ben’s aerial game by read and reaction to Connor or their #2 RB with Bell out then the ability to defend the aerial game should be made easier. “Added Insult to Injury”?  Heyward is likely out which means that the Steelers are losing a receiving tool for Big Ben at the same time. Sutton’s comments this week in the presser were to keep the opposition from scoring. Well, help-yeah for heaven’s sake! However, getting the Steeler’s offense off the field rather than marching and winning the ToP game is equally as important Bob ( It’s true Sutton acknowledges this in his presser)!

Giving James Connor a field day with the Steelers would be a killer formula for defeat. If it happens again, expect QB Ben Roethlisberger to be a continual threat through the air.  Keep in mind how well James Connor performed against the Browns last week in tie with the Steelers. No matter which way you look at that game though, you have to credit the lowly Browns with a “Moral Victory”. Keep in mind that one recent Steeler victory was on a fluke, a pass off of a helmet caught by Antonio Brown no less. Hey Bobby! Let’s make that fluke happen for the Chiefs this time.

On the Chiefs side of things last week, not only did Rivers hit WR’s and TE’s but he also completed a “bunch ” of passes to the running backs and Sutton’s defense allowed Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler to run amuck almost at will.

Connor does not possess the SAQ (speed, agility & quickness) of Bell but he is a fast enough and a good sized running back who can “break your back.” He is also adept as a receiver. Connor played for the University of Pittsburgh and thus he is playing in front of a “double” hometown crowd. The Chiefs must take away the run game and receiver threat out of the backfield (my observations today or from Yesterday’s piece “A Berry on Top”). Big Ben would love to have Connor give him the ability to throw on any down with impunity and it will be up to Sutton’s Front 7 to nix this out of the gate.

So if the Chiefs stop the run and the receiver out of the backfield, what then? They force Antonio Brown to be the top threat and if the game is one dimensional to Brown or less capable receivers, I expect the Chiefs to come out on top.

Ragland’s Deal is As Straight up

an ILB Job as Any

If stopping Connor is a must, then Reggie Ragland is the man to do it. I note above that Bell’s ability to wait for the hole to open and his ability to cut (SAQ) is a different game than is Connor’s. Here is what Reggie had to say about what was different and how to stop the Steelers RB:

“Le’Veon (Bell) has more of a patience to his game and James (Conner), he’ll come straight down and just run it for the most part. I got to do a good job in my gaps regardless because both of them can run the ball really well. I got to do a good job of seeing it and just hitting and attacking.”

The Chiefs Injury Report

The Chiefs have two players that appear to be out for this contest: Ben Niemann, ILB, has been ruled out with the hammy injury suffered last week. Eric Berry is ruled “Doubtful.” This category is probably 99.9%  assured to be “ruled out” since he has not practiced since early August. All other players should be ready to go.  If I were going to worry about any other injury it would be that of Reggie Ragland’s knee. 

The Steelers Injury Report

The Steers have a lot of question marks and would call attention to the fact that two of their top 3 safeties are either questionable or doubtful plus the fact that Big Ben has a throwing arm elbow banged up and is listed as questionable. What would or should give Mike Tomlin concern is how to back-fill the Cornerbacks should either or both men be unable to play. Roethlisberger’s elbow is also a worry but  if you are familiar with the Steelers, he will be ready to play with it, regardless. When I think about the basics? I must consider that the Steelers have three players on the defensive front affected by injury as well as one of their OG’s. If I then look at players who are unlikely to play? Burns, Heyden and Alualu. That’s a pretty big affect among starting defensive players from one week.

I should note that over at Pittsburgh, they are reporting that Ben Roethlisberger will be ready to go.

Not only did Burns miss two practices and was only limited on Friday, he was also fined more than $13k for his unsportsmanlike idiocy in last weeks game. The Steelerswire quoted a tweet about the incident Friday by Ray Fittapaldo. Burns later effectively called himself a ‘bonehead’ and that he had to maintain his “professionalism.”