What’s New: Chief Archetypes In The Veach-Spagnuolo Era

What’s New: Chief Archetypes

In The Veach-Spagnuolo Era

by Ransom Hawthorne | May 9, 2019

As we reach the end of major acquisitions, it’s interesting to see a number of players on the team that previous iterations of the Kansas City Chiefs would’ve had no use for. From the DL and CB position, to totally new player roles, here’s a look at how GM Brett Veach and DC Steve Spagnuolo have changed, not just the roster, but Chiefs philosophy, when it comes to player acquisitions.

What’s Gone? Before diving into the new, we should pour one out for John Dorsey and his super athletes. Tanoh Kpassagnon we hardly knew ye! Veach has no use for raw athletes, who aren’t football players. While he may still take the occasional flier on one, it’s clearly a lower priority. Fisher, Gaines, Russell and Kpass were all freak athletes, taken in the first three rounds. For Veach, such players have been Tremon Smith (6^th round), Gary Johnson (UDFA) and Sammie Coates (reserve future). The only early pick the Chiefs have, arguably, spent, on a raw athlete, is Mecole Hardman. Given his advanced understanding of coverage (which is crucial to an offense that adjusts routes on the fly), and his stellar performance, as a returner, I don’t think K.C. regards him as raw. At the very least, he’s a smart football player. I don’t think you’ll see projects, like Demetrius Harris anymore. Veach puts a big focus on guys who are football players, bonus points for attitude.

Strong Safety: Under Bob Sutton, this is a position that basically didn’t exist. If you wanted to make the roster, you had to have the speed and fluidity to play deep, with enough physicality to play in the box. This year, the Chiefs targeted a number of safeties who flatout can’t play free, but are tackling machines, in the box. A good example this is former Chicago Safety Harold Jones-Quartey. His 4.7 40 makes it clear he can’t play deep. What he does have, however, is big time explosiveness (40” vertical 11’1” broad), tackling skills, and good hands. It’s the same thing you see in Florida Atlantic Safety Andrew Soroh. Not terribly fast, but explosive, strong, with big hands to take the ball away.

H-Back: When Reid first came to Kansas City, they ran a lot of 3 TE sets. Fast forward to 2018, the Chiefs ran 2 TE sets, only 35% of the time, and their third TE wasn’t even active, on game days. With an offensive shift, toward the Air Raid, the Chiefs need versatile players who are big enough to function as TEs, but possess more speed and receiving ability. Enter John Lovett. While the Chiefs haven’t brought in a bunch of this type of player, they’ve talked quite a bit about Lovett, and made it clear they like what he brings to the table. I sort of wonder if EJ Manuel might be asked to do some similar things. This is a role that Chiefs have, low-key, been looking for, since Veach took over (remember Orson Charles?).

Scat Back: Reid has a type at RB. 5’10” to 6’, 220+lbs. They targeted that profile, in Carlos Hyde, then made three straight investments in guys who don’t match that profile at all. Darwin Thompson is short and light. Marcus Marshall? Short and light. James Williams? Light. One or two additions could easily be overlooked, with 90 roster spots, but three makes it clear, these Chiefs are after a receiving back. Maybe two. When the run game was an important part of the offense, it made sense to weight guys who could push a pile, over guys who couldn’t. There’s still a place for those guys, but anyone who can catch what Mahomes is throwing, certainly has value. With six RBs vying for roster spots, it figures to be one of the most compelling battles in training camp, but remember, they’re now vying for two positions: a traditional back, and a receiving back. Dedicating four roster spots to the position seems likely.

A Tale of Two SAMs: Since the scheme switch, I’d been wondering if Spagnuolo targets SAMs who were more coverage types, and edge setters, or was he more interested in pass rushers. The answer, thus far: both. Damien Wilson is a good coverage LB, who can set the edge, but isn’t necessarily the most gifted pass-rusher. Attaochu, on the other hand, is mostly useless, in coverage, but excellent, as a pass rusher. It looks like Spags wants coverage SAMs, who have the versatility to play Mike, or Will, but also is after pass rush specialists. If there’s a position, in the NFL, for a raw player like Kpass, maybe it’s as a pass rushing SAM.

Ball Hawks: Whether you play CB, or S, in this year’s Defense, you better play the ball. Keith Reaser had 3 INTs, in the AAF, last year. Tyrann Mathieu and Juan Thornhill both prioritize the batted pass, or interception, over the big hit. Bashaud Breeland has had multiple picks, every year, but one, in his career, and was significantly better, than Nelson, at producing batted passes. His last three years of college, CB Rashad Fenton (this year’s 6th round pick, #201) produced at least one interception, culminating in three, his senior year. The Chiefs spent all off-season rebuilding their defensive front. DBs have to be able to feed off of the chaos that pressure creates. This defense was designed to take the ball away. If you can’t do that, you can’t play.

Change is Good: in the NFL, you adapt, or you die. An epic offense, like Green Bay’s, can die over night. A solid defense can wither away without it being realized, until it’s too late. Kansas City is finally cutting edge, on both sides of the ball. That means changing the scheme, and changing the cast of characters most suited to running it. I can’t wait to see how it all pans out, on the field. This defense is going to surprise a lot of people. The offense? It’s not going to fall off, as much as people think. This is a good team, with good coaches, and they have the ear of the GM. For the coaching staff to see Brett Veach go out and get the exact guys they want, has to inspire a lot of confidence. It certainly has for me, so far. Hopefully it will translate to results on the field, this season. Go Chiefs.

Ransom Hawthorne — ArrowheadOne

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