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!

 

 

 

 

 

Week 16 Preview: Silver Bells

 Posted by at 10:56 AM  No Responses »
Dec 242011
 

The Raiders simply must win their next two games to have a chance at the playoffs. The Chiefs are playing for the playoffs themselves and will need to win the last two games. This is a late December trip to Arrowhead with playoff implications despite struggles along the way for both teams.

Reeling after an explicable defensive meltdown last week at home versus the Detroit Lions, the Raiders will attempt to pick their season off the scrap heap Sunday in Kansas City. Temperatures will be win the mid 40s and mild, not what one would expect for a late season trip to Arrowhead stadium. The mild temperatures mean the Raiders will have dodged their cold-weather games this season. It didn’t make any difference in their blowout loss to the Packers two weeks ago and the Raiders are hoping to avoid any repeats.

The last time the Raiders faced the Chiefs, Todd Haley was the Head Coach and Matt Cassel was the Quarterback for the Chiefs. Fast forward 11 weeks and Romeo Crennel and Kyle Orton are leading the Chiefs final leg of the season with a slim opportunity to make the playoffs by winning their final two games.

Crennel, a coach with a deep history with Bill Parcells, would be a candidate for several open defensive coordinator positions if he doesn’t retain the top job in Kansas City. It is believed Crennel’s performance over the final two weeks will make a difference and he’ll have his team ready to go.

The Raiders last faced Orton in week one sacking him five times and limiting him to 52.2% completion percentage despite allowing him to pass for over 300 yards. Orton has only been sacked four times since week one in 141 attempts.

Rewind to week 7

Darren McFadden goes down with what seemed like a minor foot injury and is still recovering. Lack of his presence in the Raiders offense is significant reason why the offense has sputtered down the stretch. Kyle Boller is back on the bench and Carson Palmer has had more than a few days to prepare for the Chiefs. The Chiefs blew out the Raiders in Oakland.

When the Raiders have the ball:

Not to short change the Chiefs defense, but it is really a three-man wrecking crew. Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson and Brandon Flowers are all dangerous defenders at each level of the defense. In the passing game, the Raiders will avoid Brandon Flowers as much as possible and hope to keep Hali blocked long enough for Carson Palmer to get the ball to his other receivers. Johnson is excellent against the run and the Raiders offensive line will need to get to him in the running game to make sure he isn’t blowing up Michael Bush’s chance at big runs.

Jared Veldheer vs. Tamba Hali

Veldheer struggled with Hali in week 7. Hali was putting pressure on or hitting the Raiders quarterback on all of the Raiders six interceptions that day. Veldheer knows Hali and he will need to limit him and the bull rush move Hali had success with. The Raiders could try to roll a back to his side at risk of pressure coming up the middle. It’s a chess game the Raiders win if Veldheer can limit Hali.

Michael Bush and Offensive Line vs. Derrick Johnson

The offensive line can really help Bush versus the Chiefs linebacker. If the offensive line can seal off Johnson and Bush can get into the secondary he’ll have a big day. Bush hasn’t had a solid day running the ball since week 10 in San Diego. The good news is the Raiders had success running the ball against Kansas City in Oakland, but the interceptions put them in such a hole that the running game couldn’t be a focus. Johnson is a good run defending linebacker and the Raiders success on the ground depends on Bush slipping past Johnson and the Raiders getting a blocker on him.

Carson Palmer vs. Chiefs Secondary

Brandon Flowers is most dangerous, but the Chiefs secondary gobbled up all kinds of errant passes the last time these two teams played. Palmer, with a much better handle on the offense, needs to shred the Chiefs secondary. The Raiders will need to protect Palmer and if they can do that Palmer has the weapons to get payback. Expect the Raiders to setup the deep pass with the run and see if they can’t make a few big plays in the passing game. Expect Darrius Heyward-Bey to continue to be the possession receiver and the Raiders to run Denarius Moore deep.

Darrius Heyward-Bey vs. Brandon Carr

The Raiders best matchup is with Brandon Carr on the outside. The Raiders want to exploit the Chiefs safeties and getting them to roll help to one side will equal opportunities in the passing game to the other. If Carr plays soft Palmer will take the short gains all day long, but if Carr starts playing close to the line the Raiders will try and get one deep behind the corner and deep outs and crosses in front of the safties. DHB has been the Raiders most consistent, healthy, and productive receiver. Expect that to continue.

When the Chiefs have the ball:

It starts with stopping the run and allowing the Raiders defensive line to get after Kyle Orton. Breaston and Bowe are very capable receivers and if given time Orton will find them open down the field against a week Raiders secondary. The Chiefs are using a running back by committee approach that is working. Jackie Battle, Thomas Jones, and Dexter McCluster are all getting snaps and present different challenges.

Rolando McClain vs. Chiefs Three-Headed Running Back

McCluster is a scat back type with a bunch of speed. McClain and the Raiders defense have to seal the edge and force McCluster to take his runs inside. Jones is a much more traditional back that the Raiders have had good success stopping in the past. He’s smart, but lacks the burst he once had. McClain needs only to fill the right running lanes to keep Jones from hurting the Raiders. Battle is the true weapon here. Battle is a little bit like Michael Bush, he’s big and fairly nimble for his size. He’s bruising because of his size and McClain will not be able to arm tackle Battle and have success. There is a lot of pressure on McClain as he must account for several different looks on offense.

Stanford Routt vs Dwayne Bowe

Routt need to put together one of his good games that is also penalty free. He’s capable and has a challenge with Bowe. Good news here is Bowe is good, but he is no Calvin Johnson.

Raiders DL vs. Chiefs OL

Things typically start in the trenches and that’s where the Raiders defense can do damage. The Chiefs are particular suspect on the right side of the line. Expect the Raiders to attack Barry Richardson and Jon Asamoah. Richard Seymour and Lamarr Houston should have a nice day and if Tommy Kelly and Kamerion Wimbley can get into the mix the Raiders should be able to put pressure on Orton and force him into mistakes.