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Chiefs’ defense is still a mystery
Edwards isn’t sure what to expect each week from Cunningham crew.
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Midway through Herm Edwards’ first season, the Chiefs are halfway toward being the team Edwards wants them to be.
It’s not necessarily the half Edwards was expecting.
Everything is suddenly going to Edwards’ plan on offense. The Chiefs are running with the ball well, getting big plays from their play-action passing game and limiting their turnovers.
The defense, the domain of Edwards and veteran coordinator Gunther Cunningham, remains a mystery. The Chiefs still aren’t sure yet what they can expect defensively Sunday against the Dolphins in Miami or any other week.
“We’re still trying to find an identity there,” Edwards said. “We just need to be consistent. We’ve had some games where we’ve given up some big plays. But you’re playing against some pretty good offenses and that at times has something to do with it.”
The Chiefs certainly aren’t the defensive disaster they’ve been the last several seasons. They are hanging around the middle of the pack in many major statistical areas like points, total yards, rushing and passing.
“They mix things up,” Miami coach Nick Saban said when asked for his view of the Chiefs’ defensive identity. “They disguise things well. That creates problems for the offensive team they’re playing against.
“They’ve got a very experienced group in the secondary. They bait people into making mistakes sometimes because of their experience.”
That’s all well and good. But as far as a calling card, something their opponent can count on seeing each week for better or for worse, there’s little.
The Chiefs’ defensive signature over the season’s half might be the slippery soles of cornerback Ty Law, who fell down twice in pass coverage and allowed big plays.
Their pass rush is a perfect example. With defensive ends Tamba Hali and Jared Allen making for a promising pair of bookend pass rushers, the Chiefs still only have 18 sacks, which puts them in the middle of the league.
The Chiefs and particularly Allen have made life miserable at times for opposing quarterbacks. They just haven’t done it as consistently as Edwards would like.
“It’s been up and down,” Edwards said. “It’s because of what teams are doing to us. They’re blocking seven guys. That’s when your coverage has to be tighter. We haven’t got that really coordinated yet. It’s not disappointment. It’s just a matter of us growing into what we have to become.”
The run defense has been similarly unpredictable. The Chiefs were truly dreadful only once, in last month’s debacle in Pittsburgh.
Similarly, they played great run defense only once, against Seattle two weeks ago. The Chiefs allowed only 50 rush yards that day, but the Seahawks were without both their star running back (Shaun Alexander) and quarterback (Matt Hasselbeck).
One area where the Chiefs have excelled defensively is turnovers. The Chiefs have forced 16, and only three teams have done better.
But it’s difficult to make a living off turnovers. Sooner or later, the Chiefs will run into an opponent that won’t be so generous.
Even though they’ve created eight turnovers in the last three games, the Chiefs are already seeing that, in a sense.
“Quarterbacks are respecting our secondary,” cornerback Lenny Walls said.
Edwards said, “Going into this week, I kind of told these guys, ‘We’ve got to take the ball away more.’ We haven’t taken the ball away enough. We did (against St. Louis) but we still don’t have enough interceptions. We’ve got only seven.”
The Chiefs looked better in last week’s game in St. Louis than the numbers might have indicated. They allowed 452 yards and let quarterback Marc Bulger complete 31 passes.
But the Chiefs also collected three early turnovers, two on defense, and converted them to a 17-0 lead. The Rams never caught them.
They threatened to but the Chiefs held on downs deep in their territory in the fourth quarter. That important stop prevented anxious moments as the game wound down.
The Chiefs preserved the Seattle win with two fourth-quarter stops.
Those heroics, though, are partially offset by a previous fourth-quarter meltdown against San Diego. The Chargers scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and wiped out a 14-point deficit, though the Chiefs eventually won on a field goal.
That’s just another piece of evidence that the Chiefs remain a work in progress, at least on defense. They still have time, and the ability, to fulfill Edwards’ vision.
“Number one, we have a lot of speed on this defense,” linebacker Kawika Mitchell said. “Everybody runs to the ball. Number two, when we get there, we’re going to hit you and hit you hard. When you play against us, you’d better be prepared for that kind of football because that’s what we’re going to do.”
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/15964995.htm
Edwards isn’t sure what to expect each week from Cunningham crew.
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star
Midway through Herm Edwards’ first season, the Chiefs are halfway toward being the team Edwards wants them to be.
It’s not necessarily the half Edwards was expecting.
Everything is suddenly going to Edwards’ plan on offense. The Chiefs are running with the ball well, getting big plays from their play-action passing game and limiting their turnovers.
The defense, the domain of Edwards and veteran coordinator Gunther Cunningham, remains a mystery. The Chiefs still aren’t sure yet what they can expect defensively Sunday against the Dolphins in Miami or any other week.
“We’re still trying to find an identity there,” Edwards said. “We just need to be consistent. We’ve had some games where we’ve given up some big plays. But you’re playing against some pretty good offenses and that at times has something to do with it.”
The Chiefs certainly aren’t the defensive disaster they’ve been the last several seasons. They are hanging around the middle of the pack in many major statistical areas like points, total yards, rushing and passing.
“They mix things up,” Miami coach Nick Saban said when asked for his view of the Chiefs’ defensive identity. “They disguise things well. That creates problems for the offensive team they’re playing against.
“They’ve got a very experienced group in the secondary. They bait people into making mistakes sometimes because of their experience.”
That’s all well and good. But as far as a calling card, something their opponent can count on seeing each week for better or for worse, there’s little.
The Chiefs’ defensive signature over the season’s half might be the slippery soles of cornerback Ty Law, who fell down twice in pass coverage and allowed big plays.
Their pass rush is a perfect example. With defensive ends Tamba Hali and Jared Allen making for a promising pair of bookend pass rushers, the Chiefs still only have 18 sacks, which puts them in the middle of the league.
The Chiefs and particularly Allen have made life miserable at times for opposing quarterbacks. They just haven’t done it as consistently as Edwards would like.
“It’s been up and down,” Edwards said. “It’s because of what teams are doing to us. They’re blocking seven guys. That’s when your coverage has to be tighter. We haven’t got that really coordinated yet. It’s not disappointment. It’s just a matter of us growing into what we have to become.”
The run defense has been similarly unpredictable. The Chiefs were truly dreadful only once, in last month’s debacle in Pittsburgh.
Similarly, they played great run defense only once, against Seattle two weeks ago. The Chiefs allowed only 50 rush yards that day, but the Seahawks were without both their star running back (Shaun Alexander) and quarterback (Matt Hasselbeck).
One area where the Chiefs have excelled defensively is turnovers. The Chiefs have forced 16, and only three teams have done better.
But it’s difficult to make a living off turnovers. Sooner or later, the Chiefs will run into an opponent that won’t be so generous.
Even though they’ve created eight turnovers in the last three games, the Chiefs are already seeing that, in a sense.
“Quarterbacks are respecting our secondary,” cornerback Lenny Walls said.
Edwards said, “Going into this week, I kind of told these guys, ‘We’ve got to take the ball away more.’ We haven’t taken the ball away enough. We did (against St. Louis) but we still don’t have enough interceptions. We’ve got only seven.”
The Chiefs looked better in last week’s game in St. Louis than the numbers might have indicated. They allowed 452 yards and let quarterback Marc Bulger complete 31 passes.
But the Chiefs also collected three early turnovers, two on defense, and converted them to a 17-0 lead. The Rams never caught them.
They threatened to but the Chiefs held on downs deep in their territory in the fourth quarter. That important stop prevented anxious moments as the game wound down.
The Chiefs preserved the Seattle win with two fourth-quarter stops.
Those heroics, though, are partially offset by a previous fourth-quarter meltdown against San Diego. The Chargers scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns and wiped out a 14-point deficit, though the Chiefs eventually won on a field goal.
That’s just another piece of evidence that the Chiefs remain a work in progress, at least on defense. They still have time, and the ability, to fulfill Edwards’ vision.
“Number one, we have a lot of speed on this defense,” linebacker Kawika Mitchell said. “Everybody runs to the ball. Number two, when we get there, we’re going to hit you and hit you hard. When you play against us, you’d better be prepared for that kind of football because that’s what we’re going to do.”
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/15964995.htm