(your) Thoughts on the Chiefs games.

eonblue · 2013-08-18T12:13:54-07:00

I'm glad we won this one. It was exciting to see the side line in joy over the last minute TD/win. The Chiefs 1st string defense was legit and the last minute TD was a great reward for a prolific defensive display. The Niners 2nd/3rd string defense dominated the Chiefs starting O. Smith got absolutely no time in the pocket. When he was able to make a throw Nnamdi or Cox usually had pretty good coverage. Cox gave away two receptions. He was playing zone both times and was slow to react. He was excellent when rushing though. He disguised the blitz very well and was fast to the ball. Two sacks pretty much says it all. He also shed his blockers well and made a couple of tackles on RB Davis. I think he could possibly be a long term option at corner if he progresses at the same rate he has been. He should've gave up three receptions but Baldwin juggled a 3rd down conversion in the 2nd qtr. It may have been because he knew Reid was a couple of yards away. With the angle/space/time Reid had on Baldwin he would've wrecked him. Reid pulled out of the tackle split second when he realized Baldwin dropped the pass. Most guys would have taken the chance to knock the opponents head off. That was kind of all I needed to see on Reid. I think Baalke has picked a future team leader. Reid also had a blitz up the middle that resulted in an incomplete pass on 3rd down in the RZ at the end of the 2nd. Nnamdi is gaining the edge for the #3 spot. He was targeted thrice. Both targets were poor throws but it would've taken perfection to find the receiver. I really couldn't find any flaws in his play. Maybe his coverage on an over thrown ball to Baldwin, but he was tight on Baldwin and he had Spillman over the top. He had one blitz opportunity that resulted in a incomplete pass. The key to the game on friday was the interior defense. Tukuafu-Dorsey-Dobbs/Jerod-Eddie kept Whilhote-Stupar so clean against the Chiefs starting Oline it was embarrassing. The 2nd strings first snap pretty much sums it up. The Dline controlled the LOS and Stupar went in between some tackles to thump Davis for a 1 yard loss. I'll probably get laughed at for saying this but Stupar looked like he was the 2nd backup ILB. He was kept clean the whole time the 2nd string was out but he was crashing gaps for tackles. He tracked plays and flowed very well behind the Oline. He had a sack off a blitz where the RB picked him up. He brushed him aside and made the play. He also got a PD towards the end of the 3rd. It really was quite amazing how well the 2nd string Dline/ILB performed. Tukuafu, Dobbs, Jerod Eddie, and Stupar were all undrafted. Whilhote was a 7th round pick. They dominated KCs starting Oline which has 2 1st rounders, 1 3rd, and a couple of 7's. I think a lot of credit should go to Tomsula and Fangio. We really are lucky to have such a strong coaching staff. Dorsey dominated the A gaps. He was getting 2-3 yard of push. There was a play in the 1st where he just swipes the Center away then benched the FB to get a hand on the RB Davis. He didn't get the tackle but that kind of play altering ability is massive. I love his ability to shed blocks. With that being said I think Williams has sealed up the starting spot. He had 9 snaps which is two less than the rest of starting dline. I'm assuming you can lump him in with that group. One snap in particular he was double teamed by the Guard/Center and with each arm he kept both of them off his body to hold is point. He's a pretty strong dude. I still think his pass rushing repertoire is limited though. He has the strength to bull rush but as far as pass rushing moves his technique doesn't seem very refined. This is why I like Dorsey. His outside swat is so smooth and he can bull rush just as well as Williams. I think he's going to have to put up 2 very strong displays to earn the starting job. He probably wont be able to earn the spot until the season starts either. A couple of short, negative musings. I don't think Skuta should get the spot over Cam Johnson. He is slow rushing the edge. Fasano blocked him out multiple times. He is able to capitalize on the strong Dline play with a couple of sacks but he really just doesn't impress me from a technique standpoint. I don't think he has much to offer the team because I haven't seen him contribute at all on ST. Maybe I'm overlooking something though. LMJ is a backups backup. He has excellent north/south speed. My qualm is his leg strength. On two separate plays his feet were clipped by Hali/Poe and he couldn't keep his balance to continue the run. His style of running is a shifty back but he either needs to shake off these would-be missed tackles or just make the dude miss. He's not agile/strong enough to do either. I hope Hunter comes back full strength because I'm starting to feel LMJ is a guy you only put in when a defense is tired. Maybe it was just KCs defense but still he needs to continue progressing which I'm sure he will. I've remained neutral on Jenkins. I think that cutting a first rounder in his 2nd year is a mark on the FO, and for that reason I would like to see him stay. I've heard some people say we need to feed him more. In the 2nd half there was a 3 down sequence where he was involved in every play. The 1st down the QB was under center he had RB play action with Jenkins on a sweep(I don't know the correct terminology it may be called a triple option). The ball was handed to the RB for a small gain. The 2nd down he was pressed at the line by Sean Smith before he broke outside for about 5 strides and hooked back. He lost his balance and dropped the pass. The 3rd down he was pressed again by Sean Smith but this time broke inside running a corner route. I don't know if he was supposed to hook back again but the QB through the ball right into Smiths hands who was trailing Jenkins. There was a safety over the top so the ball would have had to be thrown perfectly to hit Jenkins but he had a step on Smith. I don't think Jenkins was supposed to hook back. Some people will say that Smith is a very physical corner but the fact is Chad Hall did a better job against him and I believe he's much smaller than Jenkins. It's quite ironic that Jenkins only reception was called back on a Oline holding penalty. I hope the guy keeps going at it though. He shows glimpses of promise but he has to convert. Plain and simple.

Aug 18, 2013 at 1:05 PM

LasVegasWally
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Posts: 24,903

Good post!

My chief concern, pun intended, is our Back-up OT's. They need lots of work.

Wilhoit really impresses me and Aso seems to be a very solid pick-up.

Aug 18, 2013 at 1:10 PM

theduke85
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Posts: 3,745

Wow, excellent analysis! You didn't just give your opinion, you were extremely clear with very specific analysis about the players' technique! I'm serious -- I look forward to more of your posts in the future.

Aug 18, 2013 at 7:10 PM

eonblue
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Posts: 3,852

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
Good post!

My chief concern, pun intended, is our Back-up OT's. They need lots of work.

Wilhoit really impresses me and Aso seems to be a very solid pick-up.

I agree. The 2nd string Oline was dominated albeit it was KCs starting defense. Lack of depth at OG concerns me as well. I really hope we find a way to retain Iupati. Im going to rewatch the game and focus primarily on the Oline. I want to see what we have in Looney and Kilgore.

Originally posted by theduke85:
Wow, excellent analysis! You didn't just give your opinion, you were extremely clear with very specific analysis about the players' technique! I'm serious -- I look forward to more of your posts in the future.

Thank you very much. I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[ Edited by eonblue on Aug 18, 2013 at 7:11 PM ]

Aug 18, 2013 at 7:34 PM

CullyInTheHouse
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Posts: 979

Great post, appreciated your break down.

Aug 18, 2013 at 7:37 PM

matt49er
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Posts: 7,674

I was with you until you called out LMJ. Not a great game by him but the kid can ball. Our RBs are awesome and a perfect compliment to one another, can't wait until Lattimore is healthy. Otherwise I was with you on most things.

Aug 18, 2013 at 7:37 PM

GNielsen
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Posts: 5,464

I really enjoyed all that blitzing. I hope we see some of those aggressive sets during the regular season.

Aug 18, 2013 at 7:50 PM

tohara3
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Posts: 31,137

Originally posted by theduke85:
Wow, excellent analysis! You didn't just give your opinion, you were extremely clear with very specific analysis about the players' technique! I'm serious -- I look forward to more of your posts in the future.

Agree

Aug 18, 2013 at 7:59 PM

SofaKing
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Posts: 27,442

Thanks for the breakdown. Good stuff.

I loved watching our 2nd string D-line completely own their 1st team. Like you said, Wilhoite and Stupar were kept very clean and they both played well. Not only was I impressed with Wilhoite's pursuit and tackling skills, he also made a really nice pass break up in coverage that stood out to me.

Nnamdi looked really solid again. In nickel, I'd like to see him at RCB where he's comfortable, Brown in the slot, Rogers stays at LCB. I like that lineup a lot better than Rogers in the slot, and Brock at LCB.

Skuta is playing 3-4 OLB for the first time, so I'm not surprised the technique isn't there. He looks like he has decent power to bull rush, and has had success doing that. He's also versatile enough to play ILB, and was a stellar special teams player in Cincinnati. I think he sticks.

I'm not so worried about LMJ. He has a small build, but was productive last year when we needed him.

I don't expect much from Jenkins this year. Looks like this guy is a slow learner. Same story at Illinois before he broke out junior year. We're gonna have to get by with Williams and Moore at least until Manningham returns Week 7.

[ Edited by SofaKing on Aug 18, 2013 at 7:59 PM ]

Aug 18, 2013 at 8:06 PM

eonblue
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Posts: 3,852

Originally posted by matt49er:
I was with you until you called out LMJ. Not a great game by him but the kid can ball. Our RBs are awesome and a perfect compliment to one another, can't wait until Lattimore is healthy. Otherwise I was with you on most things.

I agree with you. We have a unique and complementary unit. To be honest my LMJ analysis was probably a little critical. I just expected more so my expectations are probably unreasonable. I can't wait for Lattimore either. He was my favorite college back when he was healthy.

Aug 18, 2013 at 8:16 PM

#10

KegBert
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Posts: 3,852

Originally posted by matt49er:
I was with you until you called out LMJ. Not a great game by him but the kid can ball. Our RBs are awesome and a perfect compliment to one another, can't wait until Lattimore is healthy. Otherwise I was with you on most things.

It may be due to the vanilla offense we are running atm but LMJ's hasn't been very impressive this preseason. I thought he did a good job coming in for Hunter last year and was at great finding creases and hitting them, it seemed like he was gonna break for a huge gain every run.

These past couple games though, it seems like he's not seeing the lanes as well as last year, the speed and quickness is there, he's just not finding the holes. Then again, I could be overreacting and it might just be the vanilla blocking schemes we are using right now.

Aug 18, 2013 at 8:26 PM

#11

sweetDwilly
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Posts: 261

I agree with the OP on LMJ. I'm not impressed at all. He's pretty shifty, but he has no power and his vision seems so, so. He'd probably be great in a high temp offense where the defenders wear down, but we are a slow ground and pound run team with a lot of misdirection.

Aug 18, 2013 at 8:29 PM

#12

LoneWolf
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Posts: 7,064

Im a little surprised there is no analysis on BJ Daniels and his first NFL appearance.

Aug 18, 2013 at 9:16 PM

#13

BrianGO
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Posts: 10,300

Despite the backup quarterback performances, I watched the O-line and noticed some things:

Snyder played very well at LT, even against the starters.
Looney played very well at LG, even against the starters. The refs gave him a bogus holding call.
Kilgore played pretty good at C. He lacks power, but uses good leverage and can move well. The refs gave him a legit holding call on the Jenkins play.
They put Looney at C later in the game, and he wasn't too great at that position.
Bykowski has talent, but is very inconsistent. He is big, athletic and has good instincts, but he played at a division II school, so he has a long way to go to adjust to the NFL game.

Everybody else is camp fodder.

Aug 19, 2013 at 12:51 AM

#14

hofer36
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Posts: 8,257

Originally posted by BrianGO:
Despite the backup quarterback performances, I watched the O-line and noticed some things:

Snyder played very well at LT, even against the starters.
Looney played very well at LG, even against the starters. The refs gave him a bogus holding call.
Kilgore played pretty good at C. He lacks power, but uses good leverage and can move well. The refs gave him a legit holding call on the Jenkins play.
They put Looney at C later in the game, and he wasn't too great at that position.
Bykowski has talent, but is very inconsistent. He is big, athletic and has good instincts, but he played at a division II school, so he has a long way to go to adjust to the NFL game.

Everybody else is camp fodder.

bykowski played at iowa state, which is division 1