Scouting The Enemy: KC Chiefs 2012 Training Camp

 Posted by at 12:00 PM  1 Response »
Aug 172012
 

Al Pacino said “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer”, and that’s exactly what I did Wednesday as I traveled to St. Joseph, Missouri to attend Chiefs training camp. The Raider Nation has tremendous dedication and support for their team, but understanding how they match up against familiar foes within the division is taking it to another level, so I went inside Chiefs training camp to bring you an unbiased opinion of what the 2012 Kansas City Chiefs bring to the table.

Rejuvenated, a word I would use to describe the 2012 Chiefs squad who had their season derailed by injuries in 2011. They are returning a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball in 2012 and added a few key off-season acquisitions including right tackle Eric Winston, running back Peyton Hillis, and yes former Raider cornerback Stanford Routt. It wasn’t long ago that the Chiefs won the AFC West despite the fact that Oakland swept the division in 2010. After an up and down 2011 campaign that had them destroying Green Bay’s hopes for perfection in week 15, and also losing 5 games by 27 points or more, they will look to get back on track in 2012.

On the offensive side of the ball, Jamal Charles is showing no lingering effects from the torn ACL he suffered last year, and this season he is joined in the backfield by Peyton Hillis who appears to once again have something to prove after a 2011 season in Cleveland that left much to be desired. Charles wasted no time in team drills taking his first carry off right tackle and showing his burst to get to the second level. Hillis seemed to feed off Charles’ energy throughout most of the team session as he showed no hesitation getting up field and lowering his pads to finish off runs. He was also targeted more than you would expect in the passing game as well, although most routes were either in the flat or screen plays. If both backs can stay healthy this season, it will be a tough combination to stop on a consistent basis.

Dexter McCluster is working exclusively with the wide receivers this year after spending time at both running back and wide receiver in his first two seasons. It appears the Chiefs will look to create mismatches whenever possible with Dexter’s quickness in the slot. They will try to force opposing defenses to cover Dexter with a nickel corner in hopes of weakening the run defense. If they get a linebacker matched up on him in coverage, they will look to exploit it. You will struggle to find any linebacker who would be able to match McCluster’s quickness in coverage, but Raiders linebacker Philip Wheeler probably provides as good of chance as your going to find. It will be an interesting match up to keep an eye on throughout the season.

Of course, if you plan to consistently win in this league, you must have consistent play from your quarterback. That is something the Chiefs have been unable to get from Matt Cassel to this point in his career. Practice revealed much of the same from Cassel as he struggled to be on target with his throws at times. While running a two-minute drill Cassel missed high on consecutive throws, with the latter being a sure touchdown to Jon Baldwin had the throw been on target. He will have to improve if he plans to help his team take that next step. With Dwayne Bowe still amidst a holdout, Baldwin is getting his chances as the “X” wide out and looks comfortable there. He made a few nice plays before hurting an ankle getting tangled up with cornerback Jalil Brown on a comeback route. After missing a few plays though, he was able to return to practice and appeared to be fine. One young player that seemed to stand out a little was rookie wide receiver Brandon Kinnie out of Nebraska. He made a very nice adjustment on a back shoulder throw along the sidelines and then had a nice leaping catch for a touchdown later in practice.

Ricky Stanzi looked sharp for the most part and connected on a few nicely thrown deep passes, one of which was against cornerback Stanford Routt. It would appear that Stanzi has a leg up on Brady Quinn for the backup quarterback spot as Quinn did little to impress, although it was only one practice. I don’t think either posses any immediate threat to Cassel, but you can bet the Chiefs are trying to evaluate if Stanzi can develop into a starter in the future. He has a way to go still , but he seems to have a smooth throwing motion to go along with decent accuracy.

While it is worth noting that Stanford Routt was running with the second team defense Wednesday, I wouldn’t look too much into it. It’s likely the coaching staff just wanted to get a look at Javier Arenas and Jalil Brown against the starters to see how they would hold up. Brown did have one nice pass breakup on a pass intended for Baldwin, but Arenas struggled to stay with Steve Breaston at times. Routt certainly did not look like a guy fighting to keep his job by any means as he was content playing mostly off coverage giving the receiver 1o-15 yards of cushion. However, to his credit, he was one of the last players to leave the practice field after staying a little later to help some younger players with technique. Brandon Flowers was held out of practice with a heel injury and was likely getting treatment during practice as he wasn’t out on the field.

One player who had no problem grabbing attention was safety Eric Berry who was animated throughout the entire practice. It is no secret that he plans to be a staple in the Chiefs defense and was playing very close to the line of scrimmage on most defensive sets. He showed off his anticipation and quickness while jumping a Matt Cassel slant route and taking it the other way for a would be defensive touchdown that got both sidelines hollering. Much like Charles, he seems to be 100% recovered from his torn ACL and ready to go this season.

The hit of the day was delivered by linebacker Andy Studebaker who stoned fullback Shane Bannon at the pylon during goal line drills which was followed by roars of approval from the players and fans. While Romeo Crennel may seem quiet and focused at times on game days, he was very energetic and motivating especially towards the end during goal line plays. I get the feeling you didn’t see much of that during the Todd Haley days in Kansas City.

Overall, I think this Kansas City team will go as far as Matt Cassel will take them. It will be important for Cassel to not try and do too much this year, and take what he is given. This Chiefs team has a defense capable of keeping them in games even when their offense is struggling and they certainly have plenty of weapons on offense capable of scoring.  Cassel needs to play an Alex Smith type role and just focus on making smart decisions and the Chiefs will be a tough out this year.

Of course, all bets are off once you step foot into the Black Hole!

 

 

 

 

 

Do the Raiders Need a Power Back?

 Posted by at 8:00 AM  4 Responses »
Aug 062012
 

Much like the understanding that the NFL has become a passing league, it has also has adopted the “running back by committee” model. In a day and age where running backs seem to be a dime a dozen, teams are less likely to commit to one guy and therefore take on the RBBC approach to the season. With the mindset of having multiple backs sharing the touches, many also assume that each team needs a “speed back” and a “power back”. The idea, of course, being that the power back gets the tough yards and wears down the defense while the speed back plays the finesse role and provides the home run threat to the offense.

The last few years the Raiders have had the luxury of a backfield that consisted of Darren McFadden and Michael Bush. In some ways, it seemed to be the perfect combination power and speed that would be a nightmare for any defense. Except when you break down the games when both running backs were healthy last year, you saw more of McFadden wearing down the defense and Bush playing more of a backup/short yardage role. Bush only averaged 7 touches per game through the first 6 games last season while McFadden was averaging nearly 22. With that stat alone, it’s tough to make any kind of argument that Bush had a big impact on games while McFadden was playing.

Of course Bush was also used as the short yardage back which lead many to wonder how the Raiders would convert short yardage plays without him. There is no doubting that Bush was pretty effective in short yardage and he proved that over the last three years by converting a respectable 42% (15 for 36) of his carries inside the 5 yard line for touchdowns according to Chet Gresham of writing for thefakefootball.com. However, with Bush getting most of the short yardage carries, it was assumed that McFadden couldn’t handle those duties when that is far from the truth.

Per the same data, McFadden has converted 7 of his 9 attempts from inside the 5 yard line over the last three years (78%). That conversion percentage is tops in the league for that statistic, meaning McFadden is more than capable of converting short yardage plays as well. Cedric Benson, who many have been calling for to replace Michael Bush, had a 31% (12 for 39) conversion rate from inside the 5 over that same span.

While McFadden possesses the speed and agility to turn any play into a home run, he certainly is not your prototypical speed back by any means. McFadden brings with him a wicked stiff arm and is not afraid to lower his pads and seek contact. Take a look at a few examples:

However, even though Darren has the ability to do it all, Dennis Allen will have to find the right balance between his running backs and not overuse him throughout the season. Mike Goodson and Taiwan Jones are vying for the backup role and both have the ability to provide a spark off the bench to help keep McFadden rested, but neither bring much value to the short yardage game. Owen Schmitt and Marcel Reece will get a chance to show what they can bring to the backfield at times this year too, and both are capable of hammering out a few yards when needed. Lonyae Miller is also one to keep an eye on. Miller has a much more hard-nosed running style was impressive at times with Dallas last season. Be careful how quickly you judge the unknowns like Miller, because Arian Foster was also once an undrafted free agent.

When people talk about wearing down defenses, why is it that big backs always come to mind? Sure they can punish tacklers at times, but more times than not bigger backs are slower to the hole and can be bottled up and gang tackled before doing much damage. Speed backs on the other hand force the defense to always be chasing for fear of being a step late and giving up a potential touchdown on every play. You factor in a guy like Chris Johnson who can stop on a dime and reverse field and McFadden who can deliver a devastating stiff arm if you do finally catch up to him and you begin to reevaluate which one would wear you down quicker.

Training Camp Day 4 Primer

 Posted by at 10:43 PM  No Responses »
Aug 022012
 

Friday’s training camp practice starts at 2:20 p.m. Did you forget what happened the rest of the week or are you still catching up from a busy work week?

No problem! Check out these links to my camp report series.

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3

With training camp underway, our friends at TiqIQ bring you a “limited-time only” offer on discounted tickets from their partners at PrimeSport. Just click the image and use promo code: “TiqIQ” at checkout and you can save 10% off your purchase of Raiders tickets from now thought Sunday, Aug 5th. So take advantage of this deal soon and keep your eyes out for great deals from TiqIQ and PrimeSport throughout the season.

Seriously these guys provide an awesome service and it’s worth checking out if you are shopping for single game tickets.

Oakland Raiders Training Camp Report: Winners and Losers from Day 1

 Posted by at 5:53 PM  No Responses »
Jul 302012
 

As seen on Bleacher Report.

Owner Mark Davis and general manager Reggie McKenzie were in Napa, Calif. to watch the first practice under new head coach Dennis Allen. The new era of Raiders football got underway on a beautiful sunny day in wine country and finished on a positive note for the defense when rookie defensive tackle Christo Bilukidi picked off a Terrelle Pryor screen pass and returned it for a touchdown.

Allen believed the Raiders had a pretty good day of practice, but there was plenty of room for improvement. Once Allen goes back to watch the video of practice, he will see a few players that really helped themselves on Monday and a few who didn’t.

 

Winners

Eddie McGee

Not only did McGee make a few nice catches, including a long grab from Carson Palmer over veteran cornerback Shawntae Spencer, but McGee was coming in with Ford with the No.2 unit ahead of standout rookies Juron Criner and Rod Streater.

It’s a sign that McGee is very much still in the mix to make the team, particularly because he made the most of the opportunities that were given to him.

 

DaMarcus Van Dyke

Van Dyke broke up a pair of passes during practice while playing with the first-team defense. One of the two break ups was nearly intercepted and it fired up a few of his teammates on defense temporarily.

Veteran cornerback Ron Bartell missed practice with a hamstring injury which opened the door for Van Dyke to get playing time with the starters. It’s worth noting Van Dyke played behind Spencer during OTAs and minicamp with Chekwa getting the reps behind Bartell, but it was Van Dyke that had that duty today.

The Raiders need both Van Dyke and Chekwa to become solid NFL players in 2012 and it’s possible Van Dyke could push for a starting role if he keeps performing like he did on the first day of training camp.

 

Pat Lee

The depth of the secondary in Oakland is very much a question mark in 2012 and Lee is just one of the many players McKenzie brought in to solidify the position. Lee is a known commodity on special teams, but will probably need to prove himself to be a quality reserve to make the roster.

Lee made one of the best defensive plays of the day when he got a hand on a pass over the middle and tipping it up in the air where Chimdi Chekwa was easily able to intercept it. It’s the type of play that is likely to get Lee noticed when the coaches re-watch practice on video.

 

Jacoby Ford

Ford took an end around to the left, planted to go up field and crumpled to the ground holding his left knee. It was scare for the speedy receiver, but after walking it off and a little work from the trainer, Ford jogged into position with Denarius Moore and the punt return unit.

Moments later Ford was jumping up and down on his left leg as if to tell the media and his teammates that he was okay. Ford reiterated that he was fine after practice, “I think it just scared me more than anything.”

Ford may be something of a special package player in 2012 and he might end up returning both punts and kicks to save Moore. Ford also received reps with the No.2 offense and in the three-receiver set. He’s a winner for coming out of the practice healthy.

 

Rod Streater

Streater made two more nice catches in practice including one deep pass and one fluttering pass he grabbed between two defenders. Had the defenders been wearing pads, Streater may have gotten a good pop from the defender and been lucky to come down with the ball, but he showed he’s willing to elevate and make a play.

If you were to describe Streater, it would be sneaky fast and fluid. At this point, it would be hard to find a reason Streater wouldn’t make the final 53-man roster.

 

Marcel Reece

The offense didn’t do much deep passing and all the quarterbacks were checking down to the fullbacks. Reece was targeted many times in the flat and underneath linebackers and if this is part of the new offense, it will suit Reece and veteran running back Darren McFadden.

 

Losers

 

Aaron Curry

Curry was placed on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list with a knee issue and did not participate in practice. The PUP designation may indicate that he might be the furthest away from returning to practice of the four players that didn’t participate on Monday.

Miles Burris took his place with the starting defense. Curry needs to get back quickly before Burris gets adjusted to the pro game and turns the outside linebacker spot into a camp competition.

 

Juron Criner

Criner got reps with the No. 3 offense, but didn’t make any noteworthy catches on Monday. After all the noise Criner made during OTAs and minicamp, it was a disappointment that he didn’t get much action.

Part of this could just be opportunity as the offense practiced a lot of short passes and only occasionally tried a deep pass and any opportunity to impress in drills would have been on the far-side of the field away from the critical eyes of the media.

 

Terrelle Pryor

Matt Leinart is clearly the backup quarterback and it’s not even a competition right now. While Pryor’s arm strength is good, he lacked confidence throwing over the middle, fumbled a snap and threw an interception at the close of practice after stumbling on his drop back.

Pryor’s passes didn’t hit the receivers in stride and too many passes came out of his hand wobbly. Pryor’s asset is his legs, but the quarterbacks weren’t asked to use them much on Monday.

 

Shawntae Spencer

Getting beat deep by McGee sticks out, but otherwise he didn’t make much of an impact. If Van Dyke continues to play like he did Monday and Bartell comes back full strength, Spencer might find himself as a backup.

 

Injury Report

Aaron Curry (Knee): Physically unable to perform
Shane Lechler (Knee): Present, but no participation
Ron Bartell (Hamstring): Did solo work on separate field only
Travis Ivey (Conditioning): Ran on the treadmill for most of practice.
Mike Mitchell (Knee): Full participation
Stefan Wisniewski (Shoulder): Full participation

The Raiders have a non-padded practice tomorrow at 2:50 p.m. Follow @Raidersblog on Twitter for practice updates.