SB Nation - Corey Mays

Who Plays When for the Kansas City Chiefs Defense

Chris Thorman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:06:30 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

about 1 month ago: San Diego Chargers running back Darren Sproles (43) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Mike Vrabel (50) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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Position	Player	% Run	% Pass	% Coverage
DL	Glenn Dorsey	50%	50%	0%
DL	Tyson Jackson	57%	42%	0%
DL	Ron Edwards	50%	50%	0%
DL	Tank Tyler	48%	52%	0%
DL	Wallace Gilberry	48%	52%	0%
DL	Alex Magee	32%	68%	0%
DL	Kenny Smith	71%	29%	0%

We've got a whole new set of statistics that we'll be giving you and they're from a fantastic new site we've just discovered - Pro Football Focus.

Pro Football Focus has play percentage stats (as you can see), special teams tackles, run and pass blocking stats and more...It's really an amazing site. Check it out.

To get us started taking a look at these stats, I've posted the percentage that each Kansas City Chiefs defensive player plays on either running plays, passing plays and on special teams.

I've got the linebacker and secondary stats for you after the jump.

If you include special teams, S Mike Brown is actually leads the team in playing time.

I know it sounds geeky but I'm very excited about the possibilities of mining Pro Football Focus for interesting stats. We'll have a lot more of their stats for you over the weekend and coming weeks.

It's Friday, so my laziness is showing through in the lack of analysis on this post. After the jump, the linebackers and secondary playing time stats.

Linebackers

Position	Player	% Run	% Pass	% Coverage
LB	Mike Vrabel	45%	31%	24%
LB	Tamba Hali	45%	40%	15%
LB	Corey Mays	58%	9%	32%
LB	Demorrio Williams	58%	6%	37%
LB	Jovan Belcher	28%	12%	59%
LB	Derrick O. Johnson	29%	15%	57%
LB	Monty Beisel	19%	3%	77%
LB	Andy Studebaker	100%	0%	0%

Secondary

Position	Player	% Run	% Pass	% Coverage
DB	Mike Brown	46%	3%	51%
DB	Brandon Carr	45%	1%	54%
DB	Brandon Flowers	46%	2%	52%
DB	Jarrad Page	45%	1%	55%
DB	Maurice Leggett	33%	4%	62%
DB	Jon McGraw	32%	9%	59%
DB	DaJuan Morgan	56%	0%	44%
DB	Mike Richardson	16%	4%	81%
DB	Donald Washington	26%	5%	68%
DB	Ricardo Colclough	11%	5%	84%

Anything interesting stand out to you?

Chiefs LB Corey Mays Fined $5,000 For Hit on Chargers Player

Joel Thorman — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:33:29 -0000

More photos » by Ed Zurga - AP

about 1 month ago: San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (21) is stopped short of the goal line by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Corey Mays (51) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

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Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Corey Mays got an unfortunate letter from the NFL offices this week. Per Bill Williamson of ESPN.com, Mays has been fined $5,000 for an unnecessary roughness penalty in the Chiefs 37-7 loss to the San Diego Chargers.

The hit came on the Chargers second possession of the first half. Philip Rivers scrambled 11 yards to the Chiefs 10 yard line and was met by Mr. Mays. The Chiefs were penalized five yards on the play.

The Chargers scored a touchdown on the possession.

$5,000 is actually about 1% of Mays' base salary, which will pay him $535,000 on his one year contract with the Chiefs.

In the game against the New York Giants, safety Jarrad Page drew penalty flags for a hit one a defenseless receiver. Many of us objected after seeing the replay the league office agreed by not issuing Page a fine.

In the Dallas Cowboys game, receiver Bobby Wade was on the wrong side of a similar hit from safety Alan Ball, who was fined for the hit.

Fines from the league are given to one of the NFL's charities. So, not a complete loss.

All Chiefs Players Are Practicing Today

Joel Thorman — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:29:27 -0000

Good news out of One Arrowhead Drive. All 53 players on the Kansas City Chiefs active roster and eight on the practice squad are healthy and practicing today.

These updates are coming from Bob Gretz and Josh Looney.

Last week, the club placed two players on the injury report.

LB Derrick Johnson suffered a groin injury but played in the game. Indications from Todd Haley are that he wasn't completely healthy, which helps explain part of the reason he only got in ten plays. He was listed on the injury report last week as probably.

WR Dwayne Bowe missed the game against the Philadelphia Eagles with a hamstring injury. He made it to the practice field by last Friday and played in the game Sunday against the New York Giants. He was also listed on the injury report last week and reports indicated that he was healing as the week went on.

LB Corey Mays injured his leg during last week's game against the Giants. He came out and was replaced by Jovan Belcher. He was out on the field practicing today.

Josh Looney reports the Chiefs started off practice old-school style by pushing seven man sleds. He also has some information on the uniforms the team will wear this weekend in honor of the AFL's 50th anniversary.

"Also, Kansas City has replaced their white face masks with gray face masks in preparation for wearing their 1962 Dallas Texans uniforms this weekend," Looney says. "The Arrowheads still remain as decals though. The switch of decals from the Chiefs logo to the Texans logo is expected to occur on Friday."

Chiefs Look to Stop Giants' Boss Amidst Trouble with Tight Ends

Joel Thorman — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:01:00 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

The Chiefs are looking to stop Giants TE Kevin Boss on Sunday. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)

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It's no secret the Kansas City Chiefs have had trouble covering the middle of the field thus far in the 2009 season. Between an over-matched Corey Mays against Todd Heap, DeSean Jackson's 64 yard touchdown reception and Brent Celek's 104 yard day, the Chiefs haven't had much success stopping, or even slowing down, defenders in the middle o the field.

In game on, the Ravens' Heap caught five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. In game three, the Eagles' Jackson scored on a long touchdown across the middle and tight end Brent Celek caught eight balls for 104 yards and a touchdown.

The Chiefs only success against tight ends in their first three games came against the talented Zach Miller and the Oakland Raiders. Miller, one of the rising stars in the NFL, was held to zero receptions. That can be looked at one of two ways:

A) The Chiefs stepped up their game and defended the middle of the field or B) JaMarcus Russell had trouble hitting the broadside of a barn.

You can look at either way you want, but it's hard to ignore the latter, especially when other teams have had so much success in the middle of the field against the Chiefs. Opponents have gone deep across the middle against the Chiefs more than all but one opponent. The average gain on those plays is 15.5 yards.

After the jump, we take a look at what the Giants are saying about their tight end, Kevin Boss, and his production on Sunday.

That statistic about opponents going deep across the middle is troublesome for the Chiefs against Boss because he's averaged 20, 13 and 13.5 yards per reception in three games this season. Though he doesn't catch the ball very often, it's usually not a short dump-off.

"That’s a good thing," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said when asked about Boss' big play production. "Some of it is design. And he’s a big target and once he gets rolling he’s able to cover some ground."

The Giants offensive coordinator not only likes Boss' hands, but what he can do once he gets the ball.

"The amazing thing to me is always (how) he can run after the catch," Gilbride said of the 6-6, 270-pound former fifth-round pick. "Looking at him you wouldn’t label him or categorize him as a good after-the-catch runner. He is. He almost makes positive yardage every time. So we certainly try to get the ball in his hands."

Gilbride said Boss "usually catches it and does some things with it."

Haley tried to justify the performances by Heap and Celek this season calling them "a couple of the better tight ends in the league," but in reality Heap hasn't been a real threat in three years and Celek has yet to prove he's a Pro Bowler.

Boss usually isn't mentioned in the same breath as the elite tight ends, nor even with Heap or Celek, but he's still a threat the Chiefs will be looking to stop. This game is going to be an intriguing matchup in this regard. This is an obvious problem for a much-improved Chiefs defense, now that they have some time to recognize that and game plan, will they stop it?

Are the Chiefs Becoming the New England Cardinals?

Jon Yoon — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:00:35 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

FILE -- This is a Sept. 20, 2009, file photo showing Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel leaving the field after an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

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Here's a legitimate question that I don't really know the answer to: are the Chiefs developing a little bit of tunnel vision this season when it comes to free agency? Do you approve or disapprove of the Chiefs bringing in so many players from the Cardinals and the Patriots? Please voice your opinions on this.

It's interesting to note that five of the recent acquisitions the Chiefs made had some experience with one of those two teams: Leonard Pope, Mike Richardson, David Herron, Ryan O'Callaghan, and Lance Long. That's in addition to the moves the Chiefs already made for Matt Cassel, Corey Mays, Matt Gutierrez, Mike Vrabel, and the recently cut Monty Beisel. That makes for ten total acquisitions from those two teams in this season alone. It's also curious that a huge bulk of his other moves (Ndukwe, Alleman, Zach Thomas, Tyler Thipgen trade) were made with the Miami Dolphins, an inner-division team that Pioli played twice a season and that happens to be run by his father-in-law.

On the one hand, you could argue that Pioli and Haley know these players well enough to justify a roster spot. Haley knows players like Long a lot better than most teams do, especially since he's seen them practice while other coaches have not. Furthermore, it's not like the Chiefs have a lot of bright alternatives. Their job is to be better than the lousy backup options that they replaced. That's not a particularly daunting task.

On the other hand, you have to wonder if this tunnel vision is causing them to play favorites over outside options. Coaches and front offices sometimes have a tendency to become too attached to players they helped recruit or groom. I remember when Dick Vermeil insisted that the only major change that needed to be made to his 2003 roster was to change the defensive coordinator. I remember when Mike Solari became so attached to his players that he refused to admit that players like Casey Wiegmann and Jordan Black were much more a part of the problem than they were a part of the solution. It particularly bothers me when the bulk of these decisions seem to be made at positions that are of relatively little importance. I don't understand how bringing in Mike Richardson or David Herron solves the Chiefs' major pass protection problems. Maybe that's just me.

My gut tells me that this form of nepotism isn't good business and it leads me to question whether O'Callaghan was really the best player to pull off the waiver wire, or if he was chosen because he was a Pioli guy. That's particularly significant, given that the Chiefs had to use their advantageous waiver wire position to bring him in. On the other hand, my other instinct tells me that this strategy was the best Pioli could do, given that he entered the offseason game so late and without most of his own personnel guys. After all, the guys he brought in from other squads (Eric Ghiaciuc, Bobby Engram, Mike Goff, Amani Toomer) have all been major busts so far.

My feeling? I think Pioli and Haley have most definitely showed an overly strong favoritism to players they previously recruited and coached, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. Next season, however, they're going to have to prove that they can recruit players better from the outside.

Let us know your thoughts on this.

Poll

Do you approve of the Chiefs picking up so many ex-Cardinals and ex-Patriots?

Yes. Pioli and Haley know them well.

337 votes

No. They aren't paying enough attention to players on other teams.

251 votes

Neutral. I think it's equally "yes" and "no"

308 votes

896 votes | Poll has closed

Chiefs Coach Keeps Talkin' Up Rookie Jovan Belcher

Joel Thorman — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:13:43 -0000

More photos » by Mel Evans - AP

Chiefs head coach Todd Haley has been positive with rookie Jovan Belcher. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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On Monday, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley was pretty simplistic when asked about rookie UDFA Jovan Belcher.

"Yeah, I think you'll see more of 59," in response to Belcher taking first team snaps from Corey Mays in the second half of the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

He went on a little bit to say why he likes Belcher - mainly he can hit, run and play special teams. Simple, right?

Today, the New York media asked a handful of questions on Belcher, which is unusual because A) opposing teams' media usually don't care about UDFAs and B) they only have a limited amount of time to ask questions meaning they'll normally stick to the big names.

Nevertheless, Haley was asked about the rookie and again praised him.

"Not enough, not enough," Haley said when asked how many snaps Belcher was in on last week, "because he is a guy we wanted on the field and just because the way the game went and ended up, not enough. We are going to do some more things to get him out there."

Haley said Belcher was fired up last week, which might have contributed to a few miscues, but that's to be expected of an undrafted player coming out of a small school (Maine).

"I think he was a little wound-up last week with it being his first real action defensively," Haley said. "That caused him to get out of position a little bit, but I think the more he gets his feet under him and gets comfortable a little bit, we are going to see that he has a chance to be a player."

I've mentioned a few times that Belcher was undrafted but, according to Haley, the Chiefs nearly spent a draft pick on him in April partly due to the fact that they had some familiarity with his agent.

"Just a guy that our scouting, personnel staff had on the radar. We thought he was a draftable type player that when he wasn’t we thought it was a bonus to end up with him as a free agent."

And now?

"Now he is getting a little chance to play."

A Few Chiefs Might Be Seeing More Playing Time

Joel Thorman — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:48:18 -0000

More photos » by Mel Evans - AP

2 months ago: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, from right, passes under pressure from Kansas City Chiefs linebackers Demorrio Williams and Jovan Belcher in the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

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In this afternoon's session with the media, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley indicated a few reserve players will begin to see some more playing time.

Speaking on Jovan Belcher, who took over Corey Mays' LB spot in the second half, Haley said he's liking what he sees so far.

"Yeah, I think you’ll see more of 59," Haley said. "I think he’s a guy that’s impressed us all from early on and I think we’ve got a potential player there. Whenever you’ve got a guy who can run and hit and shows up around the football and has done a good job on special teams it helps. That’s a guy that needs to be on the field. It was his first real action. He gives us some speed and is a run-and-hit guy."

Belcher is an undrafted free agent out of Maine so this is great news for him. It seems that every year there's an undrafted free agent that makes an impact. It looks like that player might be Belcher this season.

Another defensive player, DE Wallace Gilberry, caught Haley's eye.

"He made a couple of effort plays," Haley said when asked about Gilberry. "He didn’t have very many plays but I think he showed up, but I like some things that Wallace has done. He’s a high-effort player that seems to play hard and likes it. I would say for the amount of plays that he played he showed up."

Last week the Eagles' DeSean Jackson caught a 64 yard touchdown pass, which prompted Donald Washington to replace Maurice Leggett as the nickelback. The depth chart remains the same at that position but Haley indicated he'll have no hesitation making changes like that.

"We’ll see," Haley said when asked about Washington seeing more playing time. "We were running out of bodies at one point. When you’re not seeing what you want to see I’m not going to be afraid to change any of those guys. They know it and it’s pretty clear we’ve got to get better and it’s not going to stay the same. It’s not going to stay the same. Whatever it is, that won’t be accepted. In my mind it can’t stay the same if it’s not going the way you want it to."

H/T stagsdp in the FanShots for the link

The Kansas City Chiefs Lose the Governor's Cup to the St. Louis Rams

Chris Thorman — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:07:42 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Roberson - AP

3 months ago: Kansas City Chiefs running back Dantrell Savage bounds into the end zone during the first quarter of a preseason NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in St. Louis. The play was called back after the Chiefs were called for offensive holding. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

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Pretty bland game tonight between the Chiefs and Rams. The Chiefs lost 17 to 9. Full stats are here.

It had a few ups and a few more downs than usual. Here are a few post game thoughts. Of course, we'll have much more tomorrow.

This was the first game that Chiefs head coach Todd Haley called the offensive plays. And over half of you gave him a B grade for his first half play calling.

This isn't mean to be a comprehensive post. Fill in the gaps in the comment section.

The Good

The Chiefs racked up over 150 yards rushing on the ground on the strength of a 70-yard run by Dantrell Savage and a 41-yard run by Larry Johnson.
The defense only gave up X points themselves and played pretty consistently the entire game.
Quinten Lawrence had a 44-yard punt return.
Wallace Gilberry, Tamba Hali and Corey Mays all had sacks.
DaJuan Morgan had an athletic, diving interception in the flat.
LB Jovan Belcher may make this team because of his special teams play.

The Bad

WR Quinten Lawrence fumbled the ball away after a short catch. Todd Haley had words for him as he reached the sideline.
Needing to make his mark on special teams to make the roster, WR Taurus Johnson was called for roughing the kicker.
Brodie Croyle wasn't really bad but he wasn't good either. I know the o-line sucks but Croyle wasn't on his A game tonight.
Matt Guiterrez's 4th and 8 pass at the end of the game was a weak decision.

The Ugly

Tyler Thigpen came in and was 2/7 with two INTs.
Three total turnovers. Is this something we need to be concerned about?
Third down conversions: Chiefs were 3/16 (18%) and the Rams were 9/20 (45%).
The Rams and St. Louis in general.

Let us know your thoughts on the game in this post-game thread. Be sane, please. The one thing I'll add is that I'm glad to be able to put this unanalyzable preseason behind and start the regular season. We're so close...

Poll

Are you confident in this Chiefs team heading into the regular season?

Yes

123 votes

Not

627 votes

Not sure yet

180 votes

930 votes | Poll has closed

Open Thread #3: Sacks on Both Sides of the Ball for the Chiefs

Chris Thorman — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 01:01:05 -0000

More photos » by Seth Perlman - AP

3 months ago: Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle (12) is hit by St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Hollis Thomas while throwing an incomplete pass during the second quarter of a preseason NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

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The Kansas City Chiefs lead the St. Louis Rams 6 to 0. There's about ten minutes left in the second quarter.

The Chiefs have two sacks - one by Corey Mays and one by Tamba Hali helped by Mike Vrabel. Poor field position isn't helping the Chiefs' offense.

And Dantrell Savage with the HUGE run! Yes!

So far, it's a pretty even game. Game stats are here.

Matt Hasselbeck Hits Mike Vrabel for Six the Other Way

John Morgan — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:17:27 -0000

More photos » by Ed Zurga - AP

Matt Hasselbeck tried to gun a ball over Mike Vrabel. Instead, he put six on the board for Kansas City.

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It only took two plays for Seattle to put six on the board for Kansas City. Matt Hasselbeck owns the blame.

2. Seattle executed a nice run to the outside left on its first play. John Carlson and Sean Locklear held the short edge on the left and Julius Jones hugged it into the second level. Inside line play stopped the outside rush. Inside linebacker Corey Mays, a depth player fighting to win a starting position in the NFL, tackled Jones after a rush of six.

Let's jump back to just after the snap. When Carlson and Locklear were creating the edge and Jones was just approaching. Steve Vallos snaps and struggles to fight into the second level. He can't angle Mays and isn't strong enough to effectively reach block him. Mays runs past Vallos and towards the left end. He caps Jones' seam and tackles him after six.

1. The interception is simple. Simple enough Hasselbeck should have had no problem avoiding it. Seattle sets trips on the left, wide receiver right, running back left and Hasselbeck in the shotgun. Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast stays 3-4, but with the outside linebackers pressing the line and the inside linebackers playing over the Seahawks bunch.

Right flanker Deion Branch gets inside position on Brandon Flowers and slants inside. Mike Vrabel motions blitz but drops into a curl zone on the offensive right. He is retreating into Branch's passing lane. Hasselbeck guns the ball over Vrabel; Vrabel tips the ball and redirects it over Branch and to Flowers. Flowers returns it for the score.

As mistakes go, this one won't get Hasselbeck cut. The outcome was much worse than the mistake, but Hasselbeck either didn't see Vrabel or underestimated him.