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Huard feeling more heat
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
Sunday, you could see the difference in skill — between Damon Huard and Trent Green, Keyaron Fox and Derrick Johnson, Chris Bober and Brian Waters, Jarrad Page/Bernard Pollard and Greg Wesley and Herm Edwards and Dick Vermeil.
The Chiefs traveled to south Florida with too many holes to plug and the wrong coach to plug the most crippling cavity.
Edwards, a defensive guru, patched up a defensive unit that was missing two of its best players, but he stood baffled for three hours on what to do about an offense that couldn’t protect the passer or get receivers running free against press coverage and two deep safeties.
Dolphins 13, Chiefs 10.
There’s really nothing to be gained by lamenting Fox’s critical missed tackle on third down, Bober’s whiffed block on first down late in the game, or the interceptions that Page and Pollard dropped. Johnson, Waters and Wesley are Pro Bowl-level players, and we accept that their subs won’t perform at their level.
The Chiefs lost the game because Huard, the NFL’s second-ranked passer coming into Sunday’s game, got thrown off rhythm by Miami’s relentless, first-quarter pass rush and because Edwards and offensive coordinator Mike Solari never properly repaired a bad game plan.
The Chiefs now have a legitimate quarterback controversy. Based on what we saw Sunday, you could argue that the Dolphins exposed what makes Green a superior quarterback to Huard.
Hit on nearly every throw in the first quarter, Huard threw inaccurately, anticipated phantom pass rushes, forced the ball to Tony Gonzalez and melted on third down all afternoon.
“This is such a game of confidence and momentum,” Huard said after a 15-of-38, 201-yard, zero-TD passing afternoon.
Huard’s critics will say that Miami destroyed Huard’s confidence and momentum, and now it’s time to turn the Chiefs back over to Trent Green.
I can’t disagree, but I’m not sure, either. There’s a mitigating circumstance: Sunday’s offensive strategy.
Edwards and Solari went into the game believing that Dante Hall would be the X factor in Kansas City’s passing attack. Why? I’m not sure. As a playmaker, Hall is in decline. He’s a near liability on kick returns — he tries way too hard — and he’s a difficult find as a receiver.
For some reason, the Chiefs favored a three-receiver set that featured Hall, the completely unreliable Samie Parker and Eddie Kennison. Miami’s mediocre secondary annihilated KC’s receivers in press coverage. Hall and Parker couldn’t get open, and the Dolphins’ pass rush had little trouble slipping past KC’s Waters-less line. Huard was sacked three times and hit more than a dozen times.
“Damon didn’t have any time at all,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to blame him for what happened. I don’t think anyone could’ve done much better under those circumstances.”
The Chiefs didn’t make a concerted effort to get Gonzalez the ball until the second half. They never really involved emerging playmaker Kris Wilson in the passing game. An offense that had perfect clarity for a month abandoned its identity in Miami.
Larry Johnson rushed the ball 18 times. Gonzalez caught one pass in the first half. Kennison caught one pass for 2 yards in the first half. The Chiefs failed on six straight third-down conversions and didn’t pick up a first down until their sixth possession of the game (down 13-0 with a little more than 3 minutes to play in the second quarter).
Would things have been different with Green on the field?
Maybe. What makes Green a special player is his toughness in the pocket, his ability to avoid being rattled by constant pressure.
“You gotta make phone-booth throws,” Huard said after the game.
Huard made a couple on Sunday. He needed to make a couple more. The question Edwards, Solari and Carl Peterson will have to answer this week as the Chiefs prepare for Oakland is: Did they call the wrong numbers, or did Huard dial the wrong numbers?
If Huard punched the wrong numbers, Green will make a miraculous recovery and start this week against the Raiders. If it was a combination of bad game plan and bad QB play, Green will be the backup quarterback on Herm’s speed dial against Oakland.
It’s a terribly difficult decision to make. The Raiders are horrible, but they play inspired defense and get after the quarterback. They’re likely to attack KC’s offense in the same way Miami did.
I’d stick with Huard for at least the first half of the Oakland game. I suspect the Chiefs will go with Green, and you’ll hear no complaining from me if they do.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/15998231.htm
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By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
Sunday, you could see the difference in skill — between Damon Huard and Trent Green, Keyaron Fox and Derrick Johnson, Chris Bober and Brian Waters, Jarrad Page/Bernard Pollard and Greg Wesley and Herm Edwards and Dick Vermeil.
The Chiefs traveled to south Florida with too many holes to plug and the wrong coach to plug the most crippling cavity.
Edwards, a defensive guru, patched up a defensive unit that was missing two of its best players, but he stood baffled for three hours on what to do about an offense that couldn’t protect the passer or get receivers running free against press coverage and two deep safeties.
Dolphins 13, Chiefs 10.
There’s really nothing to be gained by lamenting Fox’s critical missed tackle on third down, Bober’s whiffed block on first down late in the game, or the interceptions that Page and Pollard dropped. Johnson, Waters and Wesley are Pro Bowl-level players, and we accept that their subs won’t perform at their level.
The Chiefs lost the game because Huard, the NFL’s second-ranked passer coming into Sunday’s game, got thrown off rhythm by Miami’s relentless, first-quarter pass rush and because Edwards and offensive coordinator Mike Solari never properly repaired a bad game plan.
The Chiefs now have a legitimate quarterback controversy. Based on what we saw Sunday, you could argue that the Dolphins exposed what makes Green a superior quarterback to Huard.
Hit on nearly every throw in the first quarter, Huard threw inaccurately, anticipated phantom pass rushes, forced the ball to Tony Gonzalez and melted on third down all afternoon.
“This is such a game of confidence and momentum,” Huard said after a 15-of-38, 201-yard, zero-TD passing afternoon.
Huard’s critics will say that Miami destroyed Huard’s confidence and momentum, and now it’s time to turn the Chiefs back over to Trent Green.
I can’t disagree, but I’m not sure, either. There’s a mitigating circumstance: Sunday’s offensive strategy.
Edwards and Solari went into the game believing that Dante Hall would be the X factor in Kansas City’s passing attack. Why? I’m not sure. As a playmaker, Hall is in decline. He’s a near liability on kick returns — he tries way too hard — and he’s a difficult find as a receiver.
For some reason, the Chiefs favored a three-receiver set that featured Hall, the completely unreliable Samie Parker and Eddie Kennison. Miami’s mediocre secondary annihilated KC’s receivers in press coverage. Hall and Parker couldn’t get open, and the Dolphins’ pass rush had little trouble slipping past KC’s Waters-less line. Huard was sacked three times and hit more than a dozen times.
“Damon didn’t have any time at all,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t think it’s fair for anyone to blame him for what happened. I don’t think anyone could’ve done much better under those circumstances.”
The Chiefs didn’t make a concerted effort to get Gonzalez the ball until the second half. They never really involved emerging playmaker Kris Wilson in the passing game. An offense that had perfect clarity for a month abandoned its identity in Miami.
Larry Johnson rushed the ball 18 times. Gonzalez caught one pass in the first half. Kennison caught one pass for 2 yards in the first half. The Chiefs failed on six straight third-down conversions and didn’t pick up a first down until their sixth possession of the game (down 13-0 with a little more than 3 minutes to play in the second quarter).
Would things have been different with Green on the field?
Maybe. What makes Green a special player is his toughness in the pocket, his ability to avoid being rattled by constant pressure.
“You gotta make phone-booth throws,” Huard said after the game.
Huard made a couple on Sunday. He needed to make a couple more. The question Edwards, Solari and Carl Peterson will have to answer this week as the Chiefs prepare for Oakland is: Did they call the wrong numbers, or did Huard dial the wrong numbers?
If Huard punched the wrong numbers, Green will make a miraculous recovery and start this week against the Raiders. If it was a combination of bad game plan and bad QB play, Green will be the backup quarterback on Herm’s speed dial against Oakland.
It’s a terribly difficult decision to make. The Raiders are horrible, but they play inspired defense and get after the quarterback. They’re likely to attack KC’s offense in the same way Miami did.
I’d stick with Huard for at least the first half of the Oakland game. I suspect the Chiefs will go with Green, and you’ll hear no complaining from me if they do.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/sports/15998231.htm
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