Monday
Morning Quarterback suggests calling Mayes, kicker tryouts
9/24/2001
by C.K. Rairden
Landmark columnist
The good news—NFL football returned
on Sunday. The bad news—no one told the Chiefs offense.
The Chiefs offense spit and sputtered early, gained little
as the game unfolded and produced a mere 3 points.
• • •
MMQB will tell you why, but with the Chiefs offensive
personnel problems, even the cynical bunch that head up
the MMQB division of Chiefs Chatter will be a challenged
to offer up a quick fix.
• • •
Due to injuries, this team has little experience at WR
and it showed in the worst way on Sunday. Until something
is done to get at least a couple of wideouts that can
gain separation, defensive opponents will continue to
key on Tony Gonzalez who is the lone threat the Chiefs
have at the skill positions when they throw the ball.
That equates into teams only having to contain the run
and will result in more offensive performances like this
one.
How serious is Derrick Alexander’s Achilles injury?
No one knows for sure, but with the head injury Snoop
Minnis suffered on his acrobatic catch in the third quarter,
the decision to carry only 3 receivers and Dante Hall
on game day has blown up in the collective face of the
coaches during the first two losses.
• • •
MAKE SOME PHONE CALLS
Pick up the phone and call Derrick Mayes. Yes I realize
he’s not a permanent answer and I’ve heard the
critique that he doesn’t fit the system the way the
Chiefs would like him to. But the team needs a receiver
with a bit of experience. He gets decent separation, has
reasonably good hands and spent training camp with the
team.
The other knock on Mayes is that he doesn’t play
special teams. So what—you desperately need a healthy
experienced wide receiver. Make some special teams adjustments.
Without some sort of threat on the outside, it is going
to be very difficult to move the ball through the air.
Pick up the phone and call Al Del Greco, Doug Brien maybe
even Brad Daluiso and get them in for a tryout now. Correct
the mistake that you made by passing on John Carney and
Joe Nedney and get someone in with some leg. If you are
having difficulty deciding on a 52-yard attempt only trailing
by 10 with your defense playing well, it’s time for
a change.
Get a strong leg in now.
• • •
The Chiefs have struggled for two games on offense. Even
as poor as they have been on that side of the ball with
a kicker they have a shot for at least one win. The adjustments
need to be made in personnel, or it will continue and
snowball. Pick up the phone and make some calls.
|
