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Marty's Midnight Rule


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Some of you may remember when Marty coached here he had the "midnight rule". It simply said that if the Chiefs won we could celebrate until midnight and if they lost we could mourn the loss until midnight and then it was time to get ready for the next opponent. And that is a philosophy he pretty much followed.

 

I confess it is very tempting after this horrible start to say "I Told You So". It provides me a certain sense of vindication for all the cracks made before the season started that I was just a doom and gloom guy. But truthfully I Told You So doesn't help this team out.

 

With two weeks to go after Pittsburgh the coaches and manager need to sit down and evaluate what we have now realistically. Our evaluations going forward must be based on past performance but we all of us have to face certain realities. Our best offensive player is out for the rest of the season .... at least. Our quarterback is the guy we have to ride with whether you hate him or love him. Some of the players we depended on to help us out this season are either hurt or their skills have simply declined. Our dominant preseason games meant nothing once the season started. The rest of the AFC West has improved. These are just a few of the facts we have to face. Posturing about so and so sucks isn't going to get us a win.

 

The big issue is what do we have to do to win a football game today with this cast of characters who are not going away at least until the end of the season?

We have to assume that this starting 22 players are the ones we have to have to carry us for the remainder of the 2015 season. Is it talent? Is it scheme? Is it playcalling?

 

Whatever it is the challenge for us, the 2015 KC Chiefs fanbase, is to see this team for what it actually is and not what we wished it to be. I surmise it is not as good as many fans thought it would be. Nor is it as bad as some of the rest of us think it is right now.

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We have to assume that this starting 22 players are the ones we have to have to carry us for the remainder of the 2015 season. Is it talent? Is it scheme? Is it playcalling?

Holding onto the ball is one of the most basic NFL skills. It's not a talent issue, schematic issue, or playcalling issue. If the Chiefs had not fumbled in the Broncos game three times, had not fumbled at the end of the third quarter against the Bengals, and had not fumbled at the end of the game against the Vikings, they might be 4-2 instead of 1-5.

 

Playcalling is always "bad" in losses. If the game is won, few will bother to question playcalling. It's about the last thing I question.

 

I don't think the talent is bad, although injuries and Sean Smith's suspension have stabbed Cohesion to the heart, with multiple injuries to the offensive line during Training Camp, and Phillip Gaines' season-ending injury ultimately being the most damaging. It shouldn't take an offensive line half of the season to start working together effectively, but this is what happens when your starting five changed throughout Training Camp and continued to change as the season progressed. The loss of Jamaal Charles will also result in a less productive offense, but the differential in lost points will be exceeded by the points given up by a shallow secondary.

 

The scheme is clearly not working, particularly on defense. It was bad in 2013, whereas in 2014 scheme was given a pass due to the numerous injuries to key players. Now the talent is back, but the scheme continues to be exposed. It's frustrating to see the defense have the opportunity to put away games, only to give up exactly what's needed for the opposing team to get back into the game.

 

Bob Sutton is the man I believe to be most at fault for the Chiefs' struggles this season. He's commanding the worst defense in the AFC West, and a bottom-quarter-of-the-league defense overall. His unit has under-performed in the biggest moments.

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Guest Okiechief1

Combo of all 3 in talent play calling and scheme.

 

Scheme and play calling can only hide so much. I've seen to many times players were getting beat physically. IMO that's more talent than scheme. Scheme won't hide a bad offensive line, it's hard to manufacture pressure on the QB when you only have one good pass rusher.

 

Wilkie said it best in the game day thread, we've held onto the myth that some of these guys are better than they actually are.

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I have not seen an article about how great the Chiefs are....

 

But I thought it was reasonable to expect that if we missed the playoffs by one game last year and we were getting our two best run stoppers back on defense we would be a better team.  I also figured that the addition of Maclin would be a large improvement to better diversify the offense.

 

This team initially under performed because of poor discipline ( terrible penalties) and turnovers....Now it is performing at the correct level as Jamal Charles is gone for the year and the Defense is not very good in pass coverage.

 

 

w

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Play calling on both offense and defense is a big factor.  The Chiefs defense is best at pass defense when they attack but they've blown leads in the last minute of two games because they rush three linemen while the opposing QB pick them apart for one first down after another.  Add in that the Chiefs almost blew their lead in the Houston game and it's obvious that their "prevent" defense isn't working.  So why keep doing it while Hali and Houston waste their talents?  And when was the law passed that says the Chiefs have to pass when they need two yards to maintain possession?  It cost them a score on the first drive in the Donks game and numerous possessions in other situations even when Charles was playing.  Clock management is a joke.  If Reid can't delegate play calling, couldn't he at least delegate someone to manage time?  I think the coaching has destroyed any morale the team had and the players have lost the edge needed to win.  Aside from Hudson, the Chiefs didn't lose much from last year's team and they gained DJ, Berry and DeVito.  Yet they have taken a huge step backward and the season is lost in the first third.  The staff needs to go along with some overpaid and uninspired players.  

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It's time to see Murray. Who cares if we can't cut Alex till 2017? The freaking money is guaranteed, whether he plays or not. So they may as well see what they have in the qb they drafted.

 

If Murray comes in and looks like shit, well we draft one in the first round. If Murray looks as if he can play, then we still draft one. Based on what I saw from Murray in preseason, he looks like a better qb than AS11. Better arm strength, mobility in the pocket and can throw fairly accurate on the run.

 

Dammit, Andy! Dammit CHIFS!

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