Preseason Game One: Minefield of Emojis

Wow. The Kansas City Chiefs first preseason game of 2017 was… was… was like walking through a minefield of Emojis for sure. Mixed emotions… err… mixed emojis? Yes. But more like emojis that blow up in your face. Some good. Some bad. Some Meh. Some comical at best… and I don’t mean “comical” in a funny way.

Let’s get to it.

Yesterday I gave you a primer for the game so let’s use that for evaluating… if that’s what you want to call this… as we go through this game.

Bray and Mahomes Snaps

Tyler Bray looked like he did when he first played at Tennessee: tentative and out of rhythm. Not sure why but if he wants to be the #2 QB on this team he needs to have a good outing the next two weeks. On the other hand, #3 QB Mr. Mahomes thrilled us all with his first throw and catch for a long gain. Sure, it was called back, but to hear Arrowhead come alive like that was a special moment. Mahomes 7-of-9 passing and a TD pass were good enough to have fans continue to look forward to the future with glee.

Who Will Start Next to Derrick Johnson at ILB?

That privilege went to Ramik Wilson. I read a recent projection of the Chiefs 53 man roster and they said Ramik Wilson would not even be on the team. Here, Wilson showed well why he should be the starter on day one in September.

Many Eyes Will Be on New Left Guard Bryan Witzmann

Witzmann did alright… or I would give him a solid MEH. On the first play when Tyreek Hill caught the long pass from Alex Smith, Witzmann was being stood straight up and being driven back into Smith. Smith got rid of the ball just in time but he really didn’t hold the ball that long. Witzmann gets no red star on his forehead for that play. On the next play he was of no consequence. On the next play he was actually being beat wide but that left the field open for Alex Smith to run to up the middle of the field freely. No star on this play. On the next play he was stood up again but he stood his ground on what turned out to be a pass to Spencer Ware in the flat. Nothing to write a song about. From the eleven-yard line he blocked no one as Smith threw the ball high and behind Demetrius Harris in the endzone. On the next play, a first down pass to Ware in the flat, he left Morse and helped Fisher to give Smith a clean pocket. This was his best play, a C+ move for sure. Okay, B-. On first and goal from the two, he got a little push as Ware ran between Morse and LDT to get into the endzone. Overall: not a failure of a first drive for Bryan Witzmann. Needs to learn to keep his pads lower as he was too high on every single play.

How well Dee Ford plays & is Houston the Superman of old?

On the first drive for San Francisco, which was a three-and-out, Allen Bailey had a stuff on the first play, and the next two pass plays were schemed vanilla by Bob Sutton and both Ford and Houston got some push… Ford fell down on the second pass play… but nether looked like the world beaters we’re hoping to see when the regular season begins.

Did RB Kareem Hunt (#27 on offense) looks like he could be a difference maker?

Kareem who? Oh, the one-carry for zero-yards Kareem Hunt? That guy? Yes, I’ve heard of him before. Not sure who he is though. Let’s see… the K.C Chiefs… right? Hunt, Hunt… I know I’ve heard that name connected to the Chiefs before. He’s not the new General Manager is he? No? Oh well. Go ahead and tell me. Who is this Kareem Hunt guy?

How well the starting R-CB plays

Steven Nelson looked good early but I believed he was fooled on a play later. After the 49ers got an INT of Tyler Bray on the Chiefs second drive, Nelson followed a WR across their formation then gave close man coverage and knocked the ball away on a crossing route to force a 4th down and a FG try. Between Nelson. Phillip Gaines and Terrance Mitchell, I feel good about how they will provide solid play at the Right-CB position opposite Marcus Peters. For some reason Brian Hoyer decided to go right at Peters on their first drive and that resulted in the same kind of batted ball effort that Nelson gave on their second drive when Peters was no longer on the field.

Can any of the other TEs catch the ball (#84, #85, #88 & #89)

Orson Charles had a nice catch (2 in all). Ross Travis had one catch. I would like to have seen Demetrius Harris (zero receptions) have a “fair chance” to catch the ball on the Chiefs first drive in the back of the endzone but Alex Smith didn’t lead him far enough. We need to know if Harris has finally learned to hold onto the ball before he is possibly cut or released. He’s done well in camp… but we can say that about so many receivers and ball catchers who’ve come and gone.

How well did any WRs not named Tyreek Hill play

QB Tyler Bray hit WR Chris Conley deep on his first play from scrimmage. It didn’t really matter to me that offensive pass interference was called on Conley on the play… he made a good move, the defender started holding him first, and he made a great catch-and-run to the endzone. I think that 3 out of 4 times, that play is a TD in the regular season. Robinson, DAT and Kemp all had a catch. Kemp’s catch was the throw Mahomes made back across his body for a TD. Seantavius Jones had a couple of catches. This looks like a talented group!

Does Tyreek Hill go long- gonna be hard to miss this one

Well ladies and gentlemen, it took all of one play to see if the Chiefs were serious about going deep this year. The most obvious candidate for the deep route was Tyreek Hill and he caught a beautifully placed ball over his head which dropped ever so neatly into his cradled arms. I could write poetry, it looked so purdy. As soon as that happened, I’m surprised that head coach Andy Reid didn’t go ahead and take Tyreek Hill off the field. Instead he stayed long enough to drop a pass that referees originally thought might be a lateral instead of a forward pass. It turned out to be an incomplete pass and the Chiefs continued with their first-offense- first drive for a score.

How will players 90 through 60 play?

This wasn’t actually on my primer list but it should be noted that they did not play well. The strength of this team appears to be players 1-thorugh-50 and then it tails off quickly. Players 90-60 are responsible for the Chiefs losing this game but since it doesn’t count or really matter… we can say it doesn’t matter at all.

However, if you are one of those players from 90 to 60 and you will be out on the street in a couple of weeks… here’s a tip for you: don’t show anyone, and I mean ANYONE… this game tape.

What did you think Chiefs fans?

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