
KaloPhoenix
Jan 27, 2009 May 31, 2012 77 10224
I'm a 28 year old Electrical Engineer from the Wichita area, where I live with my wife and dog. I'm an avid mountain bike rider, guitar player, and a huge sports fan. I love beer, and am quite opinionated on the subject...so chances are, you're wrong. =)
I'm very critical on formations and formational responsibilities in all sports, but I find myself sucked into NFL defensive analysis. My football playing days were short, due to running and soccer, of which I played through college competitively, but I was a defensive back in a little town in Southeast KS. I started picking up formation analysis back in high school through youth football and soccer coaching, and it stuck.
I've been a Chiefs fan all my life, with my first game being the October 7th, 1991 MNF game where we crushed the Bills behind Okoye, Harvey Williams, and DT. That was also one of the first nights I remember not sleeping all night, because I was so amped from being in that stadium as loud as it was.
I've been doing defensive "grading" on AP for a couple years now, so take a look and let me know what you think!
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Theorizing the Defense: The Philly-Fairbanks
By now, most Chiefs fans recognize Romeo's standard 3-4 defense. It's a 2-gap, Fairbanks-Bullough designed system that he has run for years in New England, Cleveland, and Kansas City. He knows it inside and out, and he knows how to identify players that are best utilized in this system, and how to get the best out of those players.
So naturally, I'm writing posts about how we can change it.
With the doldrums of the offseason settling in, I'd like to examine some options that the Chiefs could reasonably utilize (but likely won't) to try to exploit the abilities and strong traits of the front seven. I know, Romeo's not changing, but let's have a look at some defensive schemes. Today's option: a modified 3-4 Over (or, as I'm calling it: the Philly-Fairbanks 3-4)
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How the Chiefs Defense Became Versatile Again
Dateline - Thursday, April 26th. The agony. The Chiefs just selected a workout warrior. A winner of the underwear olympics, with little to no impressive game tape. 64 snaps a game against Conference USA competition with THOSE stats? Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel must be out of their minds, right? I mean, there were countless defensive tackles left on the board! A 3-4 inside linebacker that would fit our system was available! A top rated guard, too! And yet, we picked THIS guy?
*deep breath*
Yeah, the initial reaction wasn't great. There's still a lot of resentment about the pick on the site right now, and for good reason. There are a ton of question marks about the guy, and while the transition to the NFL is tough for most players, it would appear that Poe's transition is going to be an even bigger hill to climb. However, follow me through this post, and let me see if I can convince you that, from a scheme and versatility standpoint, this was not only a good pick, but it was the right pick.
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Philadelphia Eagles ran the LB drills at Boston College pro-day...Carolina Panthers & KC Chiefs most represented..
Official rumored interest in Kuechly?
The KOP: "The 4 Step Super Bowl Solution!"
Hello all...I am here today to bring you the all encompassing, sure fire, no-way-this-can-fail, only way to go this offseason, just win baby, don't call me Shirley, turn it up to eleven, Super Bowl or bust ways to fix the insert team name here Kansas City Chiefs.
Are you tired of supporting a team that toils in mediocrity? Do you want to show all your insert last year's championship team Green Bay Packers friends that their team is not the only one good at holding shiny things above their heads while standing on podiums? These methods (amongst others) are proven to tone muscle and get you that beach bod...
*whisper*
...huh? Oh, right: they are guaranteed* to get your insert team name here Kansas City Chiefs the Super Bowl win that they most assuredly need. Join me, won't you, as I detail the moves the insert team name here Chiefs WILL and should make to hoist the trophy next year.
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Kansas City Chiefs Front Seven Evaluation: Week 15 First Half

Holy crap, the KPM is back! After a long hiatus, I'm here to bring you the KPM for the Green Bay Packers vs. Kansas City Chiefs game this week. The defense held the vaunted Green Bay offense in a very surprising effort, and I'm back to watch each play and tabulate the scores. As always, the rating system is located here, and as always (always), I am limited to the feed that the standard fan is privy, so please keep your "game tape" comments to yourself. Let's get to it!
I have decided to get a little more in depth with the play-by-play part of this, and after starting, realized how much longer this was going to take. Rather than miss the opportunity to get this out there, I'm putting the first half up, and I'm going to try to find some time to get the second half out of the way later this week.
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Kalo's Knockdown: Chiefs In The Rough
You don't have to be an astute evaluator of NFL football teams to know it's pretty bleak on the Chiefs sideline. Things just don't click right now. The body language of the team spells it out week after week as the team goes through a short span that blows the game apart. Whether it be a Tim Tebow pass to Eric Decker on a blown coverage during the Denver game, a few minute span on either side of the half during the New England game, a three turnover nightmare during the Pittsburgh game, or pretty much everything after the first drive in the Miami game, Chiefs fans find themselves upset and frustrated by their favorite team.
Call me a homer, but I see some serious positives in this team, especially on the defensive side of the ball. "But Kalo," you may say, "This team is 23rd in points allowed, 20th in yards allowed, and 26th in rushing yards allowed. How the *&$% is there anything to be positive about on that side of the ball?"
Well, let me try to sway you...
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SNF Open Thread: Atlanta vs. Green Bay
Sunday nights after a victory are nice, aren't they? Tonight we're treated to the Green Bay Packers against the Atlanta Falcons. Green Bay is led by...let me look that up...some guy by the name of Aaron Rodgers? Apparently he's pretty good. Atlanta, on the other hand, has struggled to live up to the preseason hype, and are looking to flip their season back to the positive. A win over a good Green Bay side would go a long way towards righting the ship. I know CraiginCalgary's vote, but who you guys got? Any fake football players that need to go off for a victory this week? I'm hoping for a fun-to-watch shootout with lots of our very own Tony Gonzalez. I've got Green Bay 35, Atlanta 20.
Here's to another good week!
Kansas City Chiefs Front Seven Evaluation: Week Four
Here we are, in week four of the season, with the Chiefs facing the Minnesota Vikings. As per usual, the system is located here. Each week during the season, I will sit down and watch each play in detail and tabulate the scores. Obviously, I will be limited to the feed that the standard fan is privy, so please, keep your complaints about "game tape" to yourself.
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Dwayne Bowe coming to Derby, KS tonight.
A local bar that I frequent is struggling to keep up with some of the competition in the area and it decided to bring Bowe in to sign some autographs tonight at 7:30 to drum up some business. I think they are charging, but if there's any die hard fans in the Wichita area that wanted to meet Dwayne, he'll be there this evening.
Kansas City Chiefs Front Seven Evaluation: Week 3
Here we are, in week three of the season, with the Chiefs facing the San Diego Chargers. As per usual, the system is located here. Each week during the season, I will sit down and watch each play in detail and tabulate the scores. Obviously, I will be limited to the feed that the standard fan is privy, so please, keep your complaints about "game tape" to yourself.
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MNF Open Thread: 'Boys vs 'Skins
Another Monday Night, another big NFC matchup. After a weekend full of fairly close games (or did it just seem that way because the Chiefs were competitive?), do we get another one that goes down to the wire? Tony Romo's punctured lung has supposedly healed, but will one shot from the defense cause his ribs to hit that spot again? If so, does he come back and lead the Cowboys to another come from behind victory?
Everybody on the Monday Night Countdown picked the Cowboys to handily beat the Redskins. I think the Skins put up a good fight and the Cowboys struggle a bit without Miles Austin...but the Cowboys end up winning it close. Who you got, AP?
Monday Night Football Open Thread: Rams vs Giants
via cbsnewyork.files.wordpress.com
Another week, another east coast team in the MNF spotlight. Eli is now the consecutive starts leader, does his line protect him or revert to '10 vs. Bears performance? Does Bradford step up and carry his team without Danny Amendola and Steven Jackson? Will Ron Jaworski drop an f-bomb this week to one up himself?
Who you guys got? I think the New York Giants win by a couple touchdowns in an ugly game, mostly on the ground.
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Kalo's Knockdown: 3-4 Defense 101
Okay, class, let's take your seats: Kalo's got some stuff he's got to get through. Many of you may be asking "what the hell is this, and where is the KPM?" For this week, I'm forgoing the process in lew of some (hopefully) valuable information, and some clarification on the defense that the Kansas City Chiefs call their "base" defense. I've noticed quite a bit of confusion from some commenters as to the responsibilities of these players, and I've seen even more assumptions garnered from the media and fans regarding the production of players from various spots in the front seven. I've done this once before, but that was 3 years ago, so I thought it might be nice if a refresher course could be completed and maybe it would help those who can't quite wrap their heads around exactly what is going on. If you remember the last one, this might not be for you...but if not, join me after the jump and let's look at responsibilities and how the Chiefs squad fits into them.
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Monday Night Football: Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders Open Thread
After Tom Brady nearly sets the NFL single game passing yard record, we've got two teams from our division wrapping up the weekend with the late MNF game. Does Orton prove his worth? Does Tebow take the field? Does McFadden shred the Broncos D? Do either one of these two teams show up well enough to scare the Chiefs or the Chargers? Who wants this to be an awesome game to try to drown out the tragic Chiefs events in the last 24 hours? Am I just filling space so that SBNation will allow me to post this thing on the front page, even though most of the talk that will occur in this thread is going to be nonsense and bunk that may or may not pertain to the game? Yes. =)
I've got a sloppy game that the Raiders win on a late game defensive stand: 27-24. Who you got?
@KaloPhoenix Live KPM
Tonight I'm going to try a little something out on my Twitter page: I'm going to live tweet the KPM! Anybody who wants to follow along (in addition to the stellar AP Open Threads) can follow along via the link above, and we'll see how this goes!
Kansas City Chiefs Front Seven Evaluation: Preseason Week 2 - First Half
Here we are, back for week two of the preseason, with the Chiefs facing the Baltimore Ravens. As per usual, the system is located here. Each week during the season, I will sit down and watch each play in detail and tabulate the scores. Obviously, I will be limited to the feed that the standard fan is privy, so please, keep your complaints about "game tape" to yourself.
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Kansas City Chiefs Front Seven Evaluation: Preseason Week 1 - First Half
Dear Clark and Scott, thanks for signing Tamba and making this awesome Christoffer banner relevant for awhile.
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LB Tully Banta-Cain Released by Pats - Schefter
Patriots have informed LB Tully Banta-Cain, who had 15 sacks the past two seasons, that he will be released Thursday.
Kalo's Knockdown: Outside Linebacker versus Nose Tackle
Conventional wisdom tells us the most important part of an offense is the quarterback position. Looking at the defense, the opinion varies. Many pundits will tell you that a pass rusher is of the utmost importance. In ESPN's Defensive Player Power Rankings, a whopping 7 of the 16 vote getters were primarily outside pass rushers. However, the 3-4 defense is largely considered to hinge around the play of the Nose Tackle, due to the outward effect on the rest of the front seven. With that in mind, which position holds the most water?
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Kalo's Knockdown: Glenn Dorsey
Hey there, APers! I'm back for the offseason to run through a little segment I've been tossing around for awhile. After spending too much time staring at the defensive front seven, I've come up with my opinions about the strengths and weaknesses of various players on the team. When discussing these with others, I reference these abilities with little to back my opinions up. Therefore, I've decided to run through each player, look at my perceived strengths/weaknesses of the player, and find examples of these perceived weaknesses (and convert them into .GIF format). Up first: Glenn Dorsey.
WARNING: These GIFs are large. To anyone that struggles with bandwidth, this may not be the series for you. For your convenience, the GIFs are clickable links, so they will not auto-play.
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Hali, Berry going to Pro Bowl
Speculation is over: Tamba Hali and Eric Berry are officially headed to the Pro Bowl after the Pittsburgh Steelers victory in the AFC Championship game. Congrats to both!
H/T to dt4ever
Planning on hitting up Lot N before the game!
Hey all, the wife and I are planning on heading to Lot N this morning and enjoying a few beers. If anyone would like to meet up, let me know in this thread and we can have a face-to-face. Go Chiefs!
Kansas City Chiefs Front Seven Evaluation: NFL Week 16

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm here to bring you the KPM for the Tennessee Titans vs. Kansas City Chiefs game last week. The defense played very, very well this week, and several players continued their hot streaks. As always, the rating system is located here. Let's get to it!
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TNF Open Thread: 4 Straight days of Football?!?!?
Tonight brings us the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Minnesota Vikings due to a cancellation of the NBC Sunday Night game. Vick's looking to continue his insane MVP run (both in real and fake football) against a Vikings defense that has been sub-par at best. Meanwhile, the Vikings are trotting out a rookie quarterback in his third NFL game (first start) due to Favre not being able to get back to full health after a couple of injuries. They likely will look to hammer the ball with Adrian Peterson and throw often to Sidney Rice, leaving the Eagles defense with fewer options to cover.
I think the Eagles are just way too much for Minnesota on both offense and defense, but the last time I predicted one of these, Matt Flynn took the nearly unstoppable Patriots to the wire. Who you got?
Who wants to tailgate?
It's official, AP, I'm finally making it to a game this next weekend against Oakland! I figured I'd throw it out there to the others attending the game and see if anyone wanted to join me for a Guinness or six before the game. Use this as a discussion/planning thread and let me know! Hope to see you there!
Kansas City Chiefs Front Seven Evaluation: NFL Week 15

Hey everyone, after a long break, I'm here to bring you the KPM for the St. Louis Rams vs. Kansas City Chiefs game last week. The defense gave up a couple big drives, but in all, performed very well. As always, the rating system is located here. Let's get to it!
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SNF Open Thread: The Unstoppable Force vs. Matt Flynn
After the Chiefs handled their business today, we've got the Patriots versus the Aaron Rodgers-less Packers on Sunday Night Football. The Patriots have been playing lights out football lately, with Tom Brady leading the MVP race by a large margin. The Packers still field a tough defense, but with the way New England manhandled Chicago's solid defense last week, it's hard to think we won't see a repeat performance out of the NE Offense. On the other side of the field, Matt Flynn goes from a loss against a struggling Lions defense to one that has been incredibly stout at home.
So what's your predictions? I've got Matthews with a couple sacks, Flynn with a couple picks, and Brady keeps his non-turnover streak alive.
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Kansas City Chiefs Front Seven Evaluation: NFL Week 12

Hey everyone, I'm here to bring you the KPM for the Seattle Seahawks vs. Kansas City Chiefs game last week. Due to the offense getting out to a lead early, the front seven had a little less impact with the Seahawks become pass-happy. As always, the rating system is located here. Let's get to it!
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Off Topic: World Cup 2022
Tomorrow marks the day that FIFA will decide who will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. As some may or may not know, the United States has placed a bid to gain the 2022 World Cup, and our very own Arrowhead Stadium is on the short list of hosting sites. This is a boon for both the Hunt Family and the Chiefs, bringing over $1 billion in sponsorship revenues to the US alone, not to mention ticket sales and the income brought by tourists to Kansas City. Whether you like the sport or not, you can't argue the potential financial impact to the area and our Chiefs, so cross your fingers and hope we land it!
Kansas City Chiefs Front Seven Evaluation: NFL Week 11

Hey everyone, I'm here to bring you the KPM for the Arizona Cardinals vs. Kansas City Chiefs game last week. It was an interesting game with several surprise performances and a couple of expected ones. As always, the rating system is located here. As I have not been able to grade the Denver game, the overall KPM and KPM/snap aren't included this week. Let's get to it!
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