Stillers @ Chefs Pregame Analysis (Game #2, @ KC)
The Stillers make their obligatory biannual trip to
Arrowhead Stadium to face the KC Chefs, winners last week over the Diego
Bolts.� The game features two of the
very best offenses in the AFC.� If you
like watching prolific offenses, then shame on your for 6 weeks if you miss
this game.��
�
* When the Chefs have the ball, they'll be led
by QB Trent Green.� I was never that
high on Mr. Greenjeans when he was with the Rams, but Greenjeans has really
meshed well with Coach Vermeil and this KC offense.� Green had an outstanding season last year, and picked right up
where he left off with a very impressive performance vs. the Bolts.�
The co-leader is RB supreme Priest Holmes.� The Priest is truly a do-it-all back,
capable of running off tackle & around end, and, equally important, is an
incredibly dangerous weapon out of the backfield.� There were questions going into this season about The High
Priest's hip injury, but last week's dominating effort against SD erased any
doubts.� Priest is joined by FB Tony
Richardson in the backfield.� Richie is
easily one of the better all-around FBs in the game today.� He can block, run, and catch with equal
aplomb.�
The O-line is unquestionably one of the top 3 lines the
Stillers will face all season, and is arguably the best we'll see.� The tackles, Tait and Roaf, are perhaps the
best tandem in the league.� Will Shields
is a very solid guard.� LG Brian Walters
and C Casey Wiegmann are considered the softest spot on this O-line, although
neither is a slouch.� Wiegmann, though,
is very smallish, at just 285 pounds, so he'll have his hands full trying to
stave off Casey Hampton.� This line pass
protects and run blocks quite well, thus giving Green and Priest the room they
need to operate.�
Leading the pass catchers is all-world TE Tony
Gonzales.� Gonzo possesses superior
size, quickness, and athleticism for a TE, which makes him a matchup problem on
99% of the possible matchups he is involved in.� Gonzo nicked up his ankle last week, and is questionable for this
game.� If Gonzo can't play, this is a
huge break for the Stillers.� The Chefs
wisely replaced such slackards as Snoopie Minnis and Derrick Alexander, and
they'll go with Freddie Kinnison and Johnnie Morton as the starters.� This isn't anywhere near a starting duo of,
say, Plex & Ward, but it's a solid, experienced, reliable duo that gives
Green some decent options besides The Priest and Gonzo.�� Kinnie had a very good season last year --
averaging 17 YPC -- and he grabbed 4 balls last week against a solid Bolt
secondary.� Blazing-fast Donte Hall
should see some work as a #3 receiver.�
The key matchup will be the containment of Priest
Holmes on both running and passing plays. �The Stiller defense got gashed several times last week for 5, 6,
& 7-yard chunks.� But, due to the
large deficit, the Ravens had to abandon the ground game.� Holmes, unlike Jamaal Lewis last week and
other bigger backs, is the kind of back that typically gives the Stillers fits,
due to his smaller stature, electric quickness, and shifty moves.� Priest can also scorch a defense by catching
the ball.� The Chefs love to dump off short
passes to the Priest, and then allow him to use open space to saunter or juke
past slower coverage men.� James Farrior
is going to have to play a major role in stopping Priest in the passing
game.� Kendrell Bell will also have to
chip in, especially because he's such a good, crisp tackler.� OLB Jason Gildon is at a complete mismatch
trying to clumsily cover Holmes, so much so that the local chapter of the
Americans with Disabilities Association might very well charge onto the field
and demand government interference if this kind of disadvantaged mismatch takes
place more than a couple times.� This is
mismatch city at its worst.� ROLB
Clark Haggans doesn't have the speed to keep up with Holmes, but he's shown
plenty of grit and toughness to at least give it a gutty effort.�
* When the Stillers have the ball, player of
the week Tommy Maddox looks to slice and dice the KC defense.� Be forewarned, of course, that this Chef
defense isn't anywhere as poor as it was last year.� Off-season acquisitions and the return of some injured players
make this Chef D a bit more formidable than last season's sieve.�
Up front, the Chefs added FA DE Vonnie Holliday, and he
immediately made his impact by rudely dumping Drew Brees several times last
week.� The Chefs also "added"
Ryan Sims, their first rounder last year who missed virtually the entire season.� Sims and Holliday give the Chefs an
immediate upgrade over the pylons they used last season.� Veterans Hicks and Browning round out the
d-line.� Holliday poses the biggest
threat, and he'll most often be lined up against Marvel Smith.�
The LB corps is still a bit weak for my tastes.� The Chefs did make a very smart move by
adding FA Shawn Barber from the Iggles.�
Barber plays with attitude and has good skills.� ILB Mike Maslowski played outside last year,
but he's far better suited for the inside. �He's more of a scrapper, and at only 6-1", 242 pounds, he'd
darned well better be.� Much like LOLB
is the weak link in the Stiller LB corps, LOLB Scott Fujita is the weak link
here in this KC LB corps.�
The KC secondary got torched so badly last season that the
Chefs eventually had to hire the fire crew from the nearby KC International
Raceway and have them on the sideline in order to quickly squelch the fires
after the repeated secondary burnings.�
To his credit, GM Carl Peterson added veteran Dexter McCleon to help
shore up this porous secondary.� McCleon
isn't the 2nd coming of Mel Blount, but he's very capable.� The Chefs also "added" starting FS
Jerome Woods, an incumbent who missed the entire 2002 season due to
injury.� Eric Warfield mans the other
corner and Greg Wesley serves as a solid SS.�
The Stiller ground game was a mixed bag last week.� Amoz had some success early on, but got
bottled up quite a bit.� Bettis ran thru
an 8-foot wide hole for a 12-yard gain, but otherwise did nothing.� Haynes carried 11 times and averaged well
under 2 yards a crack.� The front 7 of
the Chefs is malleable, and the Stillers would love to be able to get some
yardage on the ground in order to chew clock and keep Maddox from what figures
to be a good amount of pass pressure.�
I attended the 2001 whipping of the Chefs at Arrowhead, and
I can vouch for the loudness this stadium and its fan base generates.� The Stillers committed some foolish false
starts last week in the comfort of their own home.�� This week will be an immense challenge.� The tackles, Smith and Fordham, will also
lose a split-second when the ball is snapped, because they will never be able
to hear Maddox's snap-count.�
�
The key matchup will be Plex and Ward against
Warfield and McCleon.� This Stiller duo
hasn't been shut down in quite some time, and they have the advantage in this
matchup.� Early success by Plex and Ward
could take the KC fans out of the game, as well as give Maddox some more
options in the running game and with Reimersma.�
* Special Teams: �The Chefs employ speed merchant Dante Hall as both their KR and
PR.� Hall will be 14 times more
dangerous than last week's Lamont Brightful, so the Stiller spec teams will get
it first real test of the regular season.�
The ageless Morten Andersen handles the placekicking chores.� He doesn't have the leg he once had, but
he's reliable and accurate.� Reed and
Miller kicked well last week, and both will need to continue that in KC this
week, especially if blustery weather hits the KC region.�
Key Individual Matchups:
* Gonzo versus whomever covers him.� Last week, Billick inexplicably treated his
gifted TE, Todd Heap, as though he were a leper.� Heap wasn't involved at all in the first half, which was when
rookie QB Kyle Boller could have gained some desperately needed confidence and
yardage.� If Gonzo plays, I don't expect
Vermeil to make the same mistake.�
Logie, Troy, Farrior, and (God forbid) Alexander must do everything in
their powers to slow down Gonzo.�
* Holliday vs. Marvel Smith.� Smitty is famous for falling asleep at the snap count.� As noted above, he'll never hear the snap
count inside Arrowhead, and he'd better stay awake and protect The Madd Ox's
blind size.
* RG Will Shields and RT John� Tait, vs. LDE Aaron Smith and LOLB Jason Gildon.� Shields vs. Smith is a terrific matchup that
will be a real war all day long.� Tait
is a gross mismatch over Gildon, especially in the running game.� The Chefs will be smart if they run behind
Tait.�
* Synopsis: As noted last week, the Stillers
got no real test from the rookie QB K. Boller and the anemic Raven
offense.� This week, the D now gets what
might be their sternest test of the year against the potent Chef offense.� The Stiller offense should have good success
against the Chef defense, although it won't be anywhere as easy a going as KC
opponents had last year.� Two things
concern me: the KC home field advantage and the KC offense.� The Stillers are prone to loads of slop in
front of a hostile crowd, especially on offense.� The Stiller defense hasn't see anywhere near this good of an
offense, in terms of the total package of QB, O-line, running the ball, and
passing the ball, since the 2002 season began with tilts against NE and
Oakland.� We know full well how those 2
games turned out, and I still have my doubts about this Stiller defense.�� Assuming Gonzo plays, the Stillers will
fight hard but will succumb to the Chefs in an exciting 27-24 thriller.�
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