SBNation.com User Blog: MichaelMantastic

Albert shouldn't be our tackle

MichaelMantastic — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:29:24 -0000

Albert shouldn't be our tackle

In Alex Smith fashion, if you look at his career, he's given up a lot of sacks. Last year he had the advantage of really playing against NO elite rushers from the left side.

Pioli fired

MichaelMantastic — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:12:54 -0000

Pioli fired

Who is the next whipping boy for the KC Star?

Chiefs fan to the Playoffs... The Packers playoffs.

MichaelMantastic — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 15:09:48 -0000

Chiefs fan to the Playoffs... The Packers playoffs.

Heading to the Packers game tomorrow. Anyone have some tips on how to not get frostbite? I'm not sure if I know how to swivle my head for passes longer than 10 yards yet.

The Reid Option - In depth analysis of how Andy would fit with the Chiefs.

MichaelMantastic — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 15:38:46 -0000

Andy Reid is popping up as a prime Chiefs option, and while there are a lot of polarizing opinions of 'he sucks' or 'he's been to five championships!', let's take a more casual look at Reid's positives and negatives, and how he could fit with our team, the Kansas City Chiefs.

What makes Andy Great?

In KC, it's all about the QB

Andy understands how to evaluate QBs, develop them and use them in vertical system. To say that the Chiefs need this kind of talent on our sidelines and in our draft board is the understatement of the year. There are a few very positive gambits we have that will attract an incoming coach, and the main one is that we have an opening at QB (which by itself isn't attractive) but several powerful options to have a coach bring in a few talented guys and make them 'his own'. There are a few good FA options, and the #1 overall pick are very shiny toys that a HC will want to use. Reid has been a veritable production academy for QBs that are attractive to the rest of the league. McNabb and Kolb were highly sought-after resources that although didn't pan out outside of the Eagles, created a powerful resume while under Reid's tutelage.

What makes him fail?

Reid's failings are almost as strong and play almost as powerfully as his weaknesses.

Not a dynamic leader

Reid is not a dynamic leader. He's not a Jim Harbaugh or Dick Vermeil; he's not going to empassion players by example and lead them out of the tunnel screaming. He's a Norv Turner or Bill Belichick cerebral type that is great when you're winning, but makes you look floundering when you're not. This matters since the KC environment is quite hostile lately.

Not a 'high character' guy.

Throw whatever you want at Pioli, no one is really going to have a problem bringing a random Chiefs player home for dinner. You can't say the same about Reid's choices of players. From Terrel Owens to DeSean Jackson to Babin, this is a group of players that are in it for themselves. These players put up the big numbers they want, but aren't as concerned with winning. Babin was let go because he wanted sacks, but would refuse to cover or stop the run. He wanted his stats.

Not a good talent evaluator at everything but QB.

Reid's defenses have been overpaid, overhyped and lack cohesion. We know firsthand how Raider's CBs lack the ability to play zone. The Eagles have real pain in this area, signing Asomugha to a crippling $60 million contract.

What will work well with the Chiefs?

Pioli's strengths play to Reid's weaknesses, and vice versa. Pioli believes in versatile, high character guys with very strong contract discipline. Which is good, because that's his job.

Reid has an eye for QBs, and how to make them work. Which is good, because Pioli's attempt at that for the Chiefs has fallen flat.

Reid brings a style of offense that the Chiefs are hungry for- one that scores. He understands how to develop players and move the ball up the field. He incorporates them into a system that will allow them to succeed during the season and into the playoffs.

What will be a struggle with the Chiefs?

The Person

Reid has some unfortunate similarities with our latest coach, Crennel. They look and act similar (I'm calling for some clever Walrus 1 is replaced by Walrus 2 jokes). Their lack of dynamic leadership makes it easy to pile on them when they're down.

Again, the KC Star's business/promotion model is to go knives out against the Chiefs for a chance at future promotions, ala Whitlock style. This will create some miserable times as we hit the down cycles (which WILL come, no matter who we get).

Reid will be another polarizing figure for the Chiefs scene. It won't take long for the KC Star to set their sites on him as their next target, and although it might take awhile for the fanbase to follow, it will when things are down.

The Assistants

While Pioli is oft derided for being awful at picking Coaches, I'd argue that in 2010 he may have put together the best coaching staff we'll see at Arrowhead for some time. Weis and Crennel were Pioli implants.

Regardless of if you think we 'deserved' to make the playoffs that year, we took a noodle-armed QB, relatively unknown RB and put together an enjoyable year to cheer for the Chiefs.

On the flip side, Pioli definitely shows his lack of large pool of candidates for the assistant positions by letting them go unfilled several times in the last few years.

This will be a struggle due to Andy Reids collossal failures and assistant coach building in the last few years. No better example is a look at Luis Costello. The Eagles needed a Defensive Coordinator and Reid promoted his man from Off Line coordinator, then fired him when it wasn't working out. Beyond that, Reid didn't help Costello 'own' the defense, as there are rumors about the front 7 playing independant of Costello's scheme.

This is singlehandedly the biggest issue with this match up. Getting the right assistants in place with two guys that are perceived as dangerous bosses.

Conclusion

Recruiting is a lot less about who you want, than who you have in front of you. For all time, people will lament who we don't have, as if there was every opportunity to get anyone. Key factors here- we have Pioli. No GM is going to want to come to KC with the current media anger blitz that rivals Philly's. No one wants their first step into a city to be a media guillotine. Reid may well be the best option we have.

Pioli may be a villain here in KC, but given the culture the KC Star has built, he's probably our only option at this point that isn't someone taking a huge leap from an unqualified position, or a former GM like Holmgren, Millan, or Piolan that have their tails firmly tucked between their legs.

With those two statements, if Reid comes to KC, we MUST keep Pioli. Clark MUST play it right to set each of them up for success. Putting these guys at their strengths, and allaying their egos enough (which shouldn't be hard considering their recent failures) to structure them away from their weaknesses, we have a well rounded FO.

Reid only has a chance at being a good fit if Clark divides the duties between Pioli and Reid appropriately. At the end of the day, it's about winning. With the right set up, Reid might not be the flashiest option, but he can help us win if we provide a positive environment for him to thrive in.

What makes Andy Great?

In KC, it's all about the QB

What makes him fail?

Reid's failings are almost as strong and play almost as powerfully as his weaknesses.

Not a dynamic leader

Not a 'high character' guy.

Not a good talent evaluator at everything but QB.

What will work well with the Chiefs?

Pioli's strengths play to Reid's weaknesses, and vice versa. Pioli believes in versatile, high character guys with very strong contract discipline. Which is good, because that's his job.

Reid has an eye for QBs, and how to make them work. Which is good, because Pioli's attempt at that for the Chiefs has fallen flat.

What will be a struggle with the Chiefs?

The Person

The Assistants

Regardless of if you think we 'deserved' to make the playoffs that year, we took a noodle-armed QB, relatively unknown RB and put together an enjoyable year to cheer for the Chiefs.

On the flip side, Pioli definitely shows his lack of large pool of candidates for the assistant positions by letting them go unfilled several times in the last few years.

This is singlehandedly the biggest issue with this match up. Getting the right assistants in place with two guys that are perceived as dangerous bosses.

Conclusion

An NFL kind of rewind- Chiefs lose their holes

MichaelMantastic — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 03:47:46 -0000

The new NFL Rewind package has made for a totally geeked out weekend for me. Here's what I saw: With one exception, the Kansas City Chiefs are going to be a vastly improved roster in 2012.

We'll start with the exception: Cassel and Orton really are in two different worlds. It's a shame that Ortons quick read-to-delivery time isn't around with better talent this year.

With Orton being able to progress all the way down to Becht, Pope, Copper you have to wonder what a year of Boss, Moeaki and (hopefully) a better route running Baldwin would do. Orton's 'inability to score in the redzone' would never be brought up if several receivers, including McLain, Bowe, Breaston didn't forget their hands when trying to catch his passes.

You get the feeling the plays Cassel runs, they're developed for the timing of his longer setup for release and have a specific receiver intended each time. The cleverness is in the OC's hands and not Cassel's. The timing gets thrown off sometimes a bit because of Cassel's inconsistent footwork on his drops.

The Foundation

These are the two most important people on the Chiefs roster: Hali and Bowe.

Bowe is special. His route running and ability to get to where the QB needs his is scary. Before the film I wasn't too concerned with a deeper 2012 receiving corps going on without Bowe, but the reality is, he's not replaceable. Even with his perceived drop problem, he really moves the chains. I still say he's not a top ten play maker for QBs with a long ball, but his short(er) game is perfect for Matt Cassel. He fits very well with the Chiefs.

The Chief's defense is centered around Tamba Hali. The rest of the defense gets to time their jumps, reads, etc knowing that the QB is going to be pressured. Regardless of Hali's actual sack count, the opposing team's plays are timed and developed to count on his pressure. When the QB has to hurry during a Hali attended three man rush, that opens a lot up for the defensive play makers. I was excited for Houston as the next Hali, but Hali really is special. He makes any contribution the rest of the team makes a lot better.

The Defense

The secondary is going to see vast improvements. Langford, McGraw, Piscetteli were outmatched and were responsible for some really big plays and penalties against the Chiefs last year. Even if Routt isn't the play maker Carr is, the quality of the secondary between the two outside cornerbacks are going to make things tough on the AFC West QBs. Even average to above average years from Elam and Berry will be a big, big difference here.

I was buying into Belcher being 'acceptable' from the fan base until watching him. This guys is painfully unathletic. I wonder if the Chiefs had Kuechly circled before Poe in the draft. The Chief's run defense looks pretty bad 80% of the time, and just killer the rest. The main difference is how big the line package is/how much a run is expected. They do well when it's a sure run. I hope Poe and Siler have opportunities to change that in the some of the passing oriented sub packages.

The Offense

Pioli didn't add top playmakers to the squad, but like on the defense, he's taken most of the worst players and added some quality average to slightly above average players.

The Thomas Jones / Jackie Battle duo being replaced by Charles and Hillis is a big deal. Argue that Charles isn't 100% and Hillis has lost it, but it doesn't take much to be a big upgrade over the body of work Jones and Battle put out last year. Even average to slightly above average years from these two will be a huge upgrade and will help Cassel with 8 man boxes on the PA.

Boss/Moeaki are a huge upgrade over Becht and Pope. I saw defenses change against the Chiefs last year that didn't respect the running game of the Chiefs (for good reason). This made it harder on the whole offense.

My opinion of McCluster has improved greatly. If he learns to quit putting his feet out in front of him (stopping his momentum on cuts) he would be an even more important key. It's understandable than an OC would have a hard time finding a true placement for him when Charles and Breaston seem to be 'purer' versions of what McCluster does, however.

Summary

I've caused some angst in the past by indicating that some of our favorite Chiefs players aren't top ten players- with the exception of Hali and possibly Derrick Johnson- they arent. But they don't need to be. Pioli has done a great job at taking maybe 5-6 of the 8 worst players on the 2011 squad off and replacing them with some quality players that will reduce mistakes, and occasionally make some good plays. No real strengths were added, other than taking away the very big weaknesses.

2012: Look for an exciting defense if Tamba stays healthy, and I dare to say a somewhat 2010 like Offense if the running game gets reestablished. Hopefully the line is a bit tougher against big power defenses this time around and make the 'push' through 2013.