Kubixs' Analysis: Preseason Week 3 - K.C. vs Miami
As I woke up at 8:30 on this beautiful Sunday morning so that I could catch the Dolphins game re-airing on NFL network, I got so excited I started taking notes throughout the game to see where we did good and where we need improvements. After watching the last several preseason games in-depth, there's a single word that sticks out in mind: Hope.
I'm going to break down key players, groups, and teams and give my pro's and con's on each as well as an overall performance grade. Take this as you will, as it is just my opinion.
Offense:
KEY PLAYERS - Tedd Ginn Jr., Chad Pennington, and Anthony Fasano.
Pros:
Tedd Ginn Jr. - I've heard alot of comments about Ginn being a bust, not showing his 1st round pick worthiness, and showing no potential. His performance in the last two games have been outstanding. After seeing these performances, nobody has the right to undermine his ability. Yes, it's only preseason, but he has gone up against two great defenses and made consistent and a few big plays. The only, and I mean only, play I saw that Ginn should have played better was a 3rd down conversion near our goal line where he ran an out pattern short of the first down. Overall, I give him an A.
Chad Pennington - Noodle arm may just be the savior of our offense. He's most famous for not being able to throw a deep ball, but he's also known for making great reads and getting the ball to the open man with room to run. He might throw short passes, but he's almost always finding a man that has room to run for a few more yards. I did not see a single mistake from Chad in that game, but there are room for improvements. Defenses are known to creep up against him knowing his tendency for a short passing game, and he needs to air (even though it looks like a punt) it out to show the defense he's not afraid to throw it downfield. He also needs to make sure to throw PAST or CLOSE to the 1st down marker on 3rd downs. I couldn't really see the rest of the receivers, but either way, he needs to get the ball to a man who has a good chance at the 1st down. He also played the pocket very well, scrambling for a big gain and giving himself time to find the open man. Overall, I give him an A.
Anthony Fasano - If he hasn't secured his job as the starting TE, I don't know what the hell i'm missing. He caught every single thing thrown his way, and also ran excellent routes for such a big man. With checkdown Chad looking his way frequently, I expect big things from Fasano all year long. Overall, he gets an A.
Ricky Williams - Ricky came out strong once again, and looked good throughout his play. He took what the defense/offensive line gave him, and oftentimes picked up more. I believe he had somewhere around 11 carries for 50 yards, and i'll take that anytime. Overall, I give him a B+.
Jalen Parmele - Parmele did well in this game. He had a great run, created by the offense line, and was able to pick up 88 yards on 7 carries in a single drive. His effort on his touchdown was phenomenal. I haven't seen too many RB's put out that much effort throughout an entire play especially when it looked like he was going to be short 2 yards. His grade: A-.
Cons:
Chad Henne - Henne struggled in this game, and struggled alot. During last weeks game Henne came out struggling, locking on to receivers and forcing some throws. After a series or two, he began to get comfortable and starting making better reads and smart throws. This week I never saw him get comfortable in his throwing game. He consistently locked on to one receiver, and oftentimes tried to force the ball into tight places. On his endzone interception, he threw a fade route low, and was easily picked off. He needs to throw that ball up in the air, allowing his bigger receiver to go up and make the play. The only thing saving Henne from an F performance, is his calmness in the pocket, and his ability to make minimal movements to avoid the pass rush. I'm a big fan of Henne, and it hurts to give him a D-.
Offensive Line - The o-line did a great job protecting the QB and giving him plenty of time to read the field and make good decisions. However, for each preseason game, they have consitently NOT done well running the ball up the middle. They need to get their teamwork down, and create holes for the phenomenal RB core we have. They do a great job blocking on outside runs, but they must learn to control the middle of the line. Our RB's are great, but they will have the most success up the middle. Overall, they get a B.
Defense:
Key players: Matt Roth, Channing Crowder, and the entire defense line.
Pros:
Matt Roth - This was Roth's first game at trying out the OLB position. He's 285 lbs, huge for a linebacker, and was able to make play after play after play. Seeing a big man like that getting pressure on the QB almost every play, getting sacks, being in the backfield to recover a fumble, and not allowing rushing plays to get outside of him, really makes you feel excited about what he's going to bring this year. His only weakness is pass coverage, but that's not what we're planning to use him for. Overall, he gets an A+.
Channing Crowder - The devastating duo that Crowder and Roth combine to make, is going to put a lot of frustration into offensive lines, and fear into quarterbacks. These two were able to generate a huge amount of pressure, collapsing pocket after pocket, and eventually making big plays such as sacks and fumbles. You could see the QB's start to make quicker and quicker throws, which lead to bad throws and INT's. I loved Z. Taylor, but Crowder is beginning to step out of his shadow. Look for big things from this man, with an A.
Defensive Line - Roth, Holliday, Merling, and Langford look to be a SOLID defensive line. I literally saw them control the line for two entire preseason games. Runs up the middle were stopped cold, pockets are being crushed, and QB's are going down faster than Pamela Anderson. This defensive line is going to the heart of this defense to come for years. With help from Crowder and the secondary, i'm looking forward to a much improved defense over last year.
Defensive Secondary - In the offseason, and even the 1st preseason game, I did not have much faith in the secondary. Earlier this week an article was released talking about how this secondary might be the gem of the defense. I paid attention particularly to the secondary throughout this game. Man, I was impressed. Receivers were locked down in man to man coverage by the CB's, the safeties NEVER allowed a man get past them. With pressure being delivered by the d-line, they were able to take advantage of it and coming up with I believe 3 interceptions. A few more of those passes broken up were close to being INT's as well. This secondary has really inspired hope in me for this season. The only thing saving them from an A+ was giving up pass after pass on that initial drive in the 3rd quarter. But i'll take that every single game. Much props and an A to this group.
Jason Allen - J. Allen has had an excellent preseason, not giving up any big plays and coming up with big plays. His coverage has been excellent, and his tackling is solid. You heard his name a lot in that game, and it will continue throughout the season. Allen gets an A in my book.
Cons:
When a defense gets a shut out, especially when the opponent gets starting position inside your 40 several times, there's not going to be much to criticize.
Special Teams:
Pros:
Dan Carpenter - We didn't get to see it much previously, but he has shown one of the key reasons why he's won the starting job. His kickoffs are absolutely the best we've had in a long time. He's able to kick the ball deep, with amazing hangtime ability, allowing our special teams coverage unit to get downfield and get a chance to stop the ball inside the 20. He has showed us consitency in his FG abilities so far, and did not create any mistakes. He gets an A-.
Special Teams Coverage - Our special teams coverage unit was pretty damn good in this game. They were able to get downfield quick and make the tackles without allowing much gained yardage. If they can keep this up throughout the season, that will pay dividends off toward the end of the year. A-.
Cons:
I didn't see any big mistakes, besides an illegal formation call that lost us a fumble recovery. I'll talk about penalties a little further down, but these should be easily fixable.
Summary:
Pros:
Offense - Our starters did an excellent job moving the ball downfield, NOT DROPPING ANY PASSES (from our starters), and controlling the clock. I see good possibilities in this group. We're playing good old fashioned smashmouthed football, which will tire out the defense and pay dividends in the 4th quarter. Those short passes Pennington makes will allow us to consistently pick up the 4th down, tire out the defense, and control the clock all game long. The key to our success is going to be to keep the ball out of the opponents offense, consistently put together drives and points, and let our defense do what they've been doing so far. We have GOT to start being more consistent in the redzone (6 plays inside the 4 yd line resulting in a FG? C'mon guys). We also must correct our penalities. Overall: A-.
Defense - The sole reason that's going to push us to a winning record this season (if it happens), is going to be the performance this defense will put on week after week. Our front 7 are looking sharp, and I mean SHARP. Our secondary is on their men tighter than leotards. With the amount of pressure and sacks we're getting, our secondary will have a field day of interceptions this year. Overall, they get an A+. Consistently stopping drives that start inside our 40, making a goal line stand, and allowing NO points is HUGE.
Cons:
Penalties - Penalties are KILLING us. Illegal formations should be the rarest penalty in the league, and we've already scored 2 or 3 of them in the last two preseason games alone. We have got to learn how to line up, it's got to be the simplest penalty to avoid. Other penalties dont really bother me as much as this one, and it kills me.
Offensive Line Run Blocking - As stated earlier, we have to control the trenches. We are not consitently giving our backs good holes to punch through. This is the one area our entire offense needs to improve. Give the R&R Express holes, and they will give you touchdowns.
