At this point, in the off-season, resolvable issues are resolved. Arguments with supporting stats have been made and there’s not much to say that you can back up. In these dull days, writers turn to speculation, theories and unverifiable arguments. While there is no proof to substantiate my feelings, my gut tells me this is what is going to happen, this year:
WR Tyreek Hill Will Have Less Yards: Alex Smith rarely overthrew Hill and Tyreek is a master at adjusting to the throw. That meant more catches on some bad throws. Mahomes is more capable of over-throwing Hill, and Hill has no way of salvaging such throws, like he does with under-throws. Mahomes will hit Hill in stride, more often, leading to more touchdowns, but will also throw more un-catchable targets.
The Season Hinges On Dorian O’Daniel’s Health: The Dime Linebacker position has killed the Chiefs for a while now. O’Daniel will be a significant upgrade over Sorenson. If he stays healthy, the Chiefs defense will take a big leap forward. If he doesn’t, the run defense will continue to struggle, in dime packages. Teams with obvious defects don’t survive long, in the playoffs.
Robinson May Start Strong, Stop Suddenly: Demarcus Robinson played at Florida and looks pretty good in warm weather. As soon as it starts to get cold, he’ll manifest the same stone hands he showed against Denver. Chiefs won’t cut him loose, because they lack other depth options, but he’ll be on the roster bubble by year’s end.
Cam Erving Will Look Awful, But…
Inexplicably, Keeps Starting:
Cameron Erving is not a good Center. He is in fact, a very bad C. If he looks like anything more than hot garbage, in that role, I will take back everything I ever said about Andy Heck. Unfortunately, the Chiefs have this nasty habit of latching onto an awful OL and starting him three weeks after everyone else has already figured out he’s trash (remember Mike McGlynn?).
Chiefs STs Units Will Get A KR TD: Dave Toub helped re-write the rules on kickoffs. The Chiefs also rebuilt their STs (which I wrote about a while ago). K.C. will come out of the gate full speed on Kick Returns, while other teams are still adjusting. This will lead to big returns, and at least one TD, before teams wise up and just kick it out the back of the end zone.
Demetrius Harris Will Have A Career Year: Patrick Mahomes style seems to better suit Harris’ skill set. The Chiefs started using Harris on short throws, to get yards after catch (YAC), last year. He’ll have more room to work with this year, as teams deploy a lot of cover 3 and cover 2 to deal with the Chiefs deep threats. Don’t get too excited though. A career year for Harris is, like, 400 yards and a catch percentage that doesn’t give fans a coronary every time he’s targeted.
What are your hopes, dreams and fears for the 2018 season? Do you have a gut feeling, about a player, that you can’t back up with stats? Which of my gut feelings is the most nuts? Which one makes the most sense? Let me know in the comments section. Go Chiefs!
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