Take
a Memo:
New
ways to blow a lead
Posted
10-21-02
by
CK Rairden
Landmark columnist
The Chiefs defense is now finding new and
more interesting ways to blow fourth quarter leads each
week. There are not enough adjectives to describe how
bad the KC Chiefs defense has become.
However, the fans are sure sending plenty
of expletives for the Greg Robinson and the TURNSTILE
defense.
As I composed the notes for the “Take
A Memo” column this week, I began to feel like Bill
Murray in the movie “Groundhog Day.” Wait—haven’t
I used that before? Hmm, that sounds familiar…Many
seemed to be exactly as the notes that I had produced
for the first six games.
That led me to a change of plans for this
week’s column, from “Take A Memo” to—
“See I Told You So!”
(Oh stop complaining—there are a few
new ones at the end of the column.)
Originally posted 9/10/02 Game One:
—The bend but don’t break defense
bent, then broke and broke and broke and broke and broke
and broke and....
—Anyone still believe the Chiefs interior
defensive line doesn’t need some serious help?
—Anyone still believe that Priest Holmes
is a fluke?
Originally posted 9/17/02 Game Two:
—Ladies and gentleman introducing your
starting KC Chiefs cornerbacks, Eric Torchfield and William
THE Burnee.
—Home field advantage is long gone.
—This defense has zero playmakers.
—A winnable game and a great opportunity
from the fast start were wasted.
Originally posted 9/24/02 Game Three:
—The Kansas City Chiefs defense is
beginning to resemble a baseball relief pitcher. They
can stop an offense for a few ‘innings,’ but
then they are just hammered.
—Greg Robinson believes this defense
is starting to gel? This defense is Jell-O.
—I will never get tired of watching
Priest Holmes.
—Recipe for disaster.
1) Take a cup full of slow linebackers.
2) A cup full of corners who can’t
cover.
3) Add two slow safeties that are late in
coverage help.
4) And throw in a gaggle of defensive linemen
who have trouble
getting a pass rush.
5) Final ingredient: a defensive coordinator
who out-thinks himself and his players, but not the opposing
offensive coordinator.
Originally posted 10/01/02 Game Four:
—Wow, the Chiefs’ defense is really,
really slow.
—John Tait still gets beat way too
much. He is the weak link of an otherwise potent O-Line
—Al Saunders is now entering the upper
echelon of offensive coordinators.
Originally posted 10/08/02 Game Five:
—Greg Robinson names one of his defenses
the 3-0-8 spinner defense. I’m changing that. You
can now call it the 3-0-8 TURNSTILE defense. Opponents
just pass right through it on their way to lots of yardage
and eventually the end zone.
—Can you imagine how good this team
could be with a defense?
—Can you imagine how good the Chiefs
defense could be with—
A) A new defensive coordinator
B) A defensive line that could tackle and
generate a pass rush
C) Fast, hard hitting linebackers
D) Safeties that could cover and tackle
E) Corners that could play press coverage
without getting burned several times a game.
—Kind of scary, but Trent Green doesn’t
seem to panic anymore.
—I once called RB Priest Holmes a “poor
man’s” Marshall Faulk. That was an obvious mistake.
He’s an underpaid Marshall Faulk.
—Don’t look now but Trent Green
has a 2-1 TD to INT ratio, is hitting on 65% of his passes
and has a 100.4 QB rating.
—That may have been what Dick Vermeil
had in mind when he sent a number one draft pick to the
0-5 Rams two seasons ago.
Originally posted 10/15/02 Game Six:
—The Chiefs blitzes don’t work
because the defense is so slow. The blitzing defenders
come untouched many times but are so slow that they arrive
at the QB too late to disrupt the play.
—A golden opportunity wasted by this
loss, but this offense is still a blast to watch. They
continue to develop offensive weapons, and Trent Green
is maturing with each snap.
—Shaunard Harts and Scott Fujita played
well on the defense, other than that this defense can’t
tackle, can’t stop the run, and can’t stop the
pass. Is there any more to say about Greg Robinson‘s
TURNSTILE defense? Nothing that can be printed here.
—The older, slower defensive personnel
and coordinator dictate that unless the Chiefs offense
gets the ball in the 4th quarter with more than 10 seconds
remaining, the Chiefs can’t count on any defensive
stops.
—This has been obvious since the beginning
of the season, and still nothing has been done about it.
And that’s an embarrassment.
Oh alright—here are a few new notes
from this week’s Memo pad—
—The fourth quarter magic is gone.
The Chiefs have now been outscored 35-17 in the last two
games blowing 10 and 14-point leads in the final quarter.
—Cover two will not work with this
defense. The safeties are always out of position.
—If you are going to ask a linebacker
to cover a TE like Shannon Sharpe don’t ask Glen
Cadrez or Mike Maslowski.
—Here is what little pass rush, a lousy
defensive scheme, and defensive backs and linebackers
that can’t cover can produce:
QB’s Performances vs Chiefs (2002):
Kelly Holcomb 27-39 for 326 yards, 0 INT, 3 TD (Week
1) Win
Mark Brunell 25-36 for 320 yards, 0 INT, 2 TD (Week 2)
Loss
Tom Brady 39-54 for 410 yards, 1 INT, 4 TD (Week 3) Loss
Jay Fiedler 29-45 for 310 yards, 4 INT, 1 TD (Week 4)
Win
Chad Pennington 23-30 for 245 yards, 1 INT, 2 TD (Week
5) Win
Drew Brees 28-41 for 319 yards, 2 INT, 2 TD (Week 6) Loss
Brian Griese 30-50 for 376 yards, 0 INT, 2 TD (Week 7)
Loss
—All this and an angry All-Pro QB is scheduled to
make an appearance at Arrowhead stadium next week.
(CK Rairden can be reached by email
at ckden@yahoo.com)
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