Below I wanted to provide a bit of statistical evidence that our run defense hasn't changed in five years despite an array of new personnel, a new head coach and a new (but certainly not improved) offense.
Below are our current run defense numbers for the 2008 campaign:
| Left End | Left Tackle | Left Guard | Up the Middle | Right Guard | Right Tackle | Right End | ||||||
| Plays: 27 | Plays: 35 | Plays: 11 | Plays: 81 | Plays: 15 | Plays: 31 | Plays: 38 | ||||||
| NFL Rank: 13 | NFL Rank: 5 | NFL Rank: 27 | NFL Rank: 3 | NFL Rank: 23 | NFL Rank: 9 | NFL Rank: 2 | ||||||
| Avg Gain: 8.26 | Avg Gain: 5.14 | Avg Gain: 4.73 | Avg Gain: 5.42 | Avg Gain: 4.07 | Avg Gain: 7.16 | Avg Gain: 4.87 | ||||||
| NFL Rank: 30 | NFL Rank: 26 | NFL Rank: 26 | NFL Rank: 29 | NFL Rank: 21 | NFL Rank: 32 | NFL Rank: 17 |
As demonstrated by the numbers above, we are pathetic at stopping the run. We all said the same thing in 2003 when our offense was top flight. The excuse for the run defense then was that the offense scored too quickly tiring the defense out.
Now, check out our 2003 run defense numbers after the jump.
| Left End | Left Tackle | Left Guard | Up the Middle | Right Guard | Right Tackle | Right End | ||||||
| Plays: 74 | Plays: 33 | Plays: 22 | Plays: 186 | Plays: 29 | Plays: 43 | Plays: 50 | ||||||
| NFL Rank: 7 | NFL Rank: 31 | NFL Rank: 29 | NFL Rank: 1 | NFL Rank: 24 | NFL Rank: 25 | NFL Rank: 18 | ||||||
| Avg Gain: 7.38 | Avg Gain: 7.09 | Avg Gain: 4.23 | Avg Gain: 4.95 | Avg Gain: 5.79 | Avg Gain: 5.07 | Avg Gain: 3.62 | ||||||
| NFL Rank: 31 | NFL Rank: 32 | NFL Rank: 21 | NFL Rank: 28 | NFL Rank: 27 | NFL Rank: 28 | NFL Rank: 7 |
What has changed? Nothing! I'd say Gunther's [in]ability to stop the run is becoming more apparent. What's the excuse this time?
0 recs | 28 comments
question
Do we have the talent on the D line to be competent in a year or two? Is the problem talent or coaching?
ChiefsDude - October 29, 2008
Yes
but we need a MIDDLE LINEBACKER. It’s arguable the most important position in the Cover 2. I can already tell a difference in our interior D-line in regards to keeping the guards and center off our our LB’s, but our LB’s now have to actually be in the right place and make the freakin’ tackle!
PVChiefsfan - October 29, 2008
2003
Gun was not our Defensive Cordinator in 2003 he was hired back after that year. Our defense has improved every year under Gun until this year where we only have 2 starters playing the same position as last year, everyone either changed position or is a new starter.
tevans96 - October 29, 2008
You're right
But the bigger point is that we haven’t done anything in 5 years to fix the run defense. They’re still as incompetent as they were 5 years ago.
Joel Thorman - October 29, 2008
we have not jelled
I think the big problem this year is that the guys on defense don’t trust eachother. They are overplaying and moving themselves out of position, there have been several plays where we give up long runs and you can see the player get out of position and then get himself out of the play.
3 rookies + 3 first year starters, or over half your squad, is not a good combination for success. And on top of that I think we all agree that at least 2 positions, DE & MLB, need to be upgraded next year. And the biggest problem is that those are the two most critical positions in the D we run.
tevans96 - October 29, 2008
Yeah right.
Wasn’t there a point (in the last 3 years) where we didn’t give up a 100 yard rusher for 10 +games? I think K. mitchell was the Middle linebacker. I could be wrong, but I thought we were second only to B-more, as far as 100 yard rushers go.
GHOST OF DT - October 29, 2008
A few years ago that is
GHOST OF DT - October 29, 2008
Herm rating
http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/staff/posts/18422
This is a link to who players vote they would most like to play for. Herm is number 5. Clearly the players that voted for him don’t like winning or doing anything to prepare them to win.
CBaller13 - October 29, 2008
I know I am biased
but we just haven’t fielded a great career middle linebacker since Willie Lanier. We haven’t fielded a great group of linebackers since Bell, Lanier and Lynch.
I just don’t know what the answer is.
Lanier63 - October 29, 2008
MLB
Until we get this position upgraded I don’t see a way for us to improve our D no matter what we run or who calls the plays.
We had some ok talent in the 90’s but have not kept the right guys the last 10 years.
tevans96 - October 29, 2008
I guess it can be said that
the better defenses stay together for many years.
Lanier63 - October 29, 2008
Yes it can
JasonM - October 29, 2008
or at the very least
keep essential parts together for an extended period of time, and surround them with good supplemental talent
sm7600 - October 29, 2008
Sounds like a balance or rookies and veterans...
…hmmmm….vaguely remionds me of something called “rebuilding” :)
THE_TRUTH - October 29, 2008
Goonther said that the LB's are the QB's for the defense...
Explains why we haven’t done well scouting players for either positions (shouldn’t have said that Gun now you just jinxed the position forever)
When was the last time we drafted a QB that ever took us into a position to make it to the SuperBowl? I think the answer is NEVER, even Dawson was a free agent pickup from Cleveland. Wow! that’s nuts.
Of the past 10 years we have only drafted 7 LB’s, and of those only 3 were taken in the first day (K. Mitchell ‘03,Key Fox ’04, D. Johnson ’05). The Chiefs didn’t even take a LB in the past 3 drafts even though our defense has been questionable for so many years.
Why did we never properly addressed the position that is the most critical for the success of a Cover 2 scheme?
aPacificChief - October 29, 2008
Carl Peterson
Lanier63 - October 29, 2008
Goonther
…Nice. Never heard that one :)
Joel Thorman - October 29, 2008
Hey PT congrats on your own article spot.....
aPacificChief - October 29, 2008
Thanks!
Joel Thorman - October 29, 2008
But we never were able to draft a QB throughout the history of the franchise...
that ever was able to get us to the SuperBowl. I agree about Peterson’s failures, but why are we so bad in drafting QB’s?
aPacificChief - October 29, 2008
Just look at 1983
That year there were 6 QB’s taken in the first round, this is considered by far the strongest QB draft class of all time. The Chiefs as we all know were one of the teams to take a QB in that class. So what do we do with the 7th over all pick and the 2nd QB taken, we select the one with the worst pro career out of the bunch.
4 of the 6 lead their team to the super bowl – John Elway (5 – 2 wins) Jim Kelly (4) Dan Marino (1) Tony Eason (1)
Of the other two QBs one, Ken O’Brien had a productive 11 year career. While the other player, Todd Blackledge, only played 7 seasons and only 5 with the Chiefs.
That draft as much as anything I think makes this organization gun shy about drafting a QB, the only guy they had no chance of getting was Elway. They could have picked any of the others. But unlike San Diego we have not even tried again after our mistake we just go with retreads.
tevans96 - October 30, 2008
NUTS.....Ya know the next highest QB we ever took after Blackledge was Elkins...
in ‘89 with the 32nd overall pick in the second round. So I’d have to agree with the gun shy part.
Fascinating……The Chiefs selected another 5 QB’s since Elkins, and none higher than the 32nd pick since ’89.
aPacificChief - October 30, 2008
cause we are the CHIEFS!!! we have shitty luck when i to comes to that stuff we cant find a tom brady, or a trent edwards we are so unlucky and i know all yall see that too!!!
kcchiefsfan56 - October 29, 2008
so we are more likely to get the George Plimpton's?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_Lion
Lanier63 - October 29, 2008
Interesting read Lanier...is it that bad? That we would have a QB who didn't even know how to play the position on roster?
aPacificChief - October 30, 2008
You should have seen the movie
Lanier63 - October 30, 2008
I'll look it up...thanks :)
aPacificChief - October 30, 2008
Stefan Fatsis
Wrote a similar book recently. He spent time with the Denver Broncos. I think it’s called 6 seconds of panic.
Joel Thorman - October 30, 2008
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