R-E-L-A-X-E-D v. OUTRAGED

R-E-L-A-X-E-D v. OUTRAGED

There appear to be two camps of Kansas City Chiefs fans right now:  R-E-L-A-X-E-D and OUTRAGED!

While I am normally a reasonable guy with regards to having patience with the team building process I would probably align myself with the outraged camp at the moment.

The R-E-L-A-X-E-D Camp

There are plenty of fans making similar points that the Chiefs were 1-3 at this point last season yet finished 11-5. Ben Almquist of ArrowheadAddict has twitted:

https://twitter.com/citadelchief/status/782923904952201216″ xlink=”href

The R-E-L-A-X-E-D camp is also saying this was just one game in a 16 game season and over-reacting in a negative way in response to one single loss isn’t necessary. Some will even reason that a one-point loss is the same as a 29 point loss. Mathematically, they would be correct. Unless of course, you are evaluating the defense for total points allowed and trying to determine where they stand when compared to other defenses in the league. Andy Reid, in his press conference on Monday straightened out the Math even more:

https://twitter.com/ChiefsReporter/status/782993267524636672″ xlink=”href

Ah, the embracing of .500 football. Works every time.

Then there’s the tweet that tells us why Andy Reid changed directions in his play calling because his team fell so far behind:

https://twitter.com/pgsween/status/782993170942468096″ xlink=”href

The only problem with that explanation — or could you call it an “excuse” — is that he didn’t go to his long ball offense, pull extra protection in and attack down the seams or to the end zone at all. The team successfully executed two mid-range passing plays to begin the game, one inside the hash marks, one outside. After that, the execution and play calling made no sense until the fourth quarter. Here’s the actual play-by-play of those two plays from ESPN:

• 1st and 10 at KC 22- (14:56 – 1st) (Shotgun) A.Smith pass short middle to J.Maclin to KC 37 for 15 yards (M.Mitchell)

• 1st and 10 at KC 37- (14:18 – 1st) (Shotgun) A.Smith pass short right to C.Conley to PIT 46 for 17 yards (M.Mitchell)

Now, here’s a peek at the first 3 plays Andy called when he went down by 22 points:

• 1st and 10 at KC 28- (1:13 – 1st) (Shotgun) A.Smith pass incomplete short right to S.Ware. Pressure by 97-Heyward and 92-Harrison, Coverage by 37-Dangerfield

• 2nd and 10 at KC 28- (1:09 – 1st) (Shotgun) A.Smith scrambles right end pushed ob at KC 30 for 2 yards (L.Timmons)

• 3rd and 8 at KC 30- (0:37 – 1st) (Shotgun) A.Smith pass incomplete short right to S.Ware. Coverage by 98-Williams

Not a big enough sample size for you? Here’s the Chiefs next 11 play drive ending in a punt:

• 1st and 10 at KC 18- (11:00 – 2nd) S.Ware up the middle to KC 21 for 3 yards (R.Cockrell, A.Moats)

• 2nd and 7 at KC 21- (10:25 – 2nd) (Shotgun) A.Smith pass short right to A.Wilson to KC 36 for 15 yards (J.Jones)

• 1st and 10 at KC 36- (9:42 – 2nd) (Shotgun) A.Smith pass short middle to T.Hill to KC 37 for 1 yard (J.Jones, V.Williams)

• 2nd and 9 at KC 37- (9:09 – 2nd) S.Ware right tackle to KC 41 for 4 yards (J.Dangerfield; J.Jones)

• 3rd and 5 at KC 41- (8:25 – 2nd) S.Ware up the middle to KC 46 for 5 yards (C.Heyward)

• 1st and 10 at KC 46- (7:44 – 2nd) A.Smith sacked at KC 45 for -1 yards (V.Williams)

• 2nd and 11 at KC 45- (7:01 – 2nd) (Shotgun) A.Smith pass short right to T.Kelce to KC 44 for -1 yards (W.Gay)

• (6:25 – 2nd) Timeout #1 by PIT at 06:25.

• 3rd and 12 at KC 44- (6:25 – 2nd) (Shotgun) A.Smith pass short left to C.Conley ran ob at PIT 43 for 13 yards

• 1st and 10 at PIT 43- (6:01 – 2nd) K.Davis right tackle to PIT 45 for -2 yards (V.Williams)

• 2nd and 12 at PIT 45- (5:23 – 2nd) (Shotgun) A.Smith pass short right to T.Hill to PIT 44 for 1 yard (V.Williams)

• 3rd and 11 at PIT 44- (4:44 – 2nd) (Shotgun) A.Smith pass incomplete short middle to A.Wilson (S.Tuitt)

Except for the 13-yard pass to Chris Conley, for 13 yards on 3rd and 12, every play resembled the grind-it-out with runs and short passes offense this team has become all too well known for… and thus extremely predictable.

So, even the R-E-L-A-X-E-D or excuses or perspective approach to viewing the outcome of this game doesn’t hold water.

THE OUTRAGED

What must be recognized by fans and organization alike is… this game was not played in the lone void of 3 ½ hours last Sunday evening. Meaning… it can not be viewed by fans as “just one game.” An NFL football game never is, not even a Super Bowl. Sure, you can hear the coaches touting their usual jargon, “We play one game at a time.” True enough however, the reality is we never look back at a season and say it was evaluated based on just one game. No, I’m not attempting to make a point for the R-E-L-A-X camp… I’m saying there is a pattern of bad football throughout the four games that have been played this season and that although many are upset about this one loss, there’s more to it than that.

Four years ago, in the midst of a 2-14 season, Chiefs fans were upset and OUTRAGED, not about one single loss, but the sum total of what had become of the organization. Are we nearing that point now? Probably not. Not from a general manager’s standpoint but as far as the coaching goes, it’s clearly not headed in a positive direction.

On Saturday morning I published a piece here at ArrowheadOne on the Chiefs BBDB (bend but don’t break) defense. The FKA BBDBD is MIA in K.C. and IDK WHY requiring CSI. The CSI reveals that there’s been a substantive disconnect between what DC Bob Sutton has informed GM John Dorsey what is prescribed to operate his scheme… and what John Dorsey has provided for him in terms of skilled and capable personnel. Now, this in no way excuses Bob Sutton from his obligation to construct a defense that “prospers” by making critical adjustments in his scheme and placing the most prudent personnel on the field to still be successful. However, it does point out that the blame — and there’s plenty to go around right now — is not all on Sutton’s shoulders, as far as the defense is concerned.

Making Critical Adjustments

Making adjustments is, comprehensively speaking, what this game is about. There is not a situation in the game of football — on or off the field — in which changing and adapting is not useful and critical to the success of a game, the team and the organization. In nature, when an organism fails to adapt, extinction is usually the resulting outcome. The same will apply here… and whether or not you believe Andy Reid is a good coach is immaterial because… unless Dorsey, Reid and staff makes the necessary adjustments, their team will not only fail (become extinct) on the field, their stint with the organization will quickly come to a close as well.

While it’s not nearly time to evaluate the team like we will at season’s end, we can say with some degree of certainty that the way this team is playing so far, is not a contender. It doesn’t even appear that the playoffs are in the cards based on the first four games… and the projection of 2-2 to an 8-8 final record. As far as the team’s record goes they now have an uphill battle to make the playoffs. The Oakland Raiders are currently one game ahead and if the Chiefs don’t beat them in their next game, which is in Oakland, then K.C. will have to go 8-3 the rest of the way just to reach 10-6. Even at 10-6, the Chiefs won’t be guaranteed a playoff spot.

Why am I even talking about the “Playoffs?” — “Playoffs? Don’t talk about playoffs. You kiddin’ me? PLyaoffs??” — because the way this team is playing right now, it doesn’t look like they’re heading in the right direction as an organization. So, can this team, including its coaches, afford to take a step backwards and then expect to still be around next year? Probably, unless they do a nose dive from here on out.

So, what really happened on Sunday night? Was it an aberration? Was the one-TD in the past 33 drives allowed prior to the game on Sunday a fluke? The Steelers were coming off of a horrible drubbing and were calling the Chiefs game “Redemption Sunday.” Still, there is no explaining away the lack of cohesive play calling, poor execution, abysmal coverage, lack of help in the secondary, running backward on kick returns… and on and on. What is deplorable is the one-small-hat-size-fits-all statement by the team’s head coach: “After looking at the tape, it’s my responsibility to have my football team ready to play. I didn’t do that.” So was it Andy Reid who:

• Blocked a Pittsburgh Steeler in the back (or made a bad call by the ref) to negate a TD return by Tyreek Hill?
• Fumbled the ball at his own 32-yard line on the second possession of the game to set up a 14-0 hole?
• Marcus Peters playing for the INT instead of offering close coverage (It just doesn’t work all the time and he gets burnt a lot . A lot.)?
• Punted the ball from his own 23 to his own 40-yard line setting up a 22-0 hole?
• Allowed Le’Veon Bell to run between Tamba Hali and Allen Bailey and through Eric Berry’s arms for a 44-yard run?
• Couldn’t keep up with Antonio Brown on a 38 yards TD pass from Ben Roethlisberger?

Certainly, Andy Reid is culpable for oh so much, including a poor game plan, poor play calling and extremely poor in-game adjustments but, there’s so much that a head coach does not do on the field, on game day, and his effort to obscure the fact that his team played an incredibly bad game, is beyond deplorable. It’s disingenuous, dishonest and deceptive. Noble? Not on your life!

No one is suggesting that a head coach should throw his players under the bus. However, taking it position group by position group or skill by skill, a coach can share what they saw in a transparent manner.

That Andy Reid didn’t prepare the Kansas City Chiefs for a primetime game and made the city look bad is enough but he also helped to perpetuate a nationwide — as well as an east coast bias — that the Chiefs are not a team worth respect.

At this point, who can argue that they’re wrong?