Film Review, Ratings/Rankings, and Statistics Thread

[KCSLC2008 606]

Rather than starting a new thread for each player or stretch of the season, I'm putting what I find in here.

 

Starting with what others already provided:

 

Kannsas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry is playing really well. Really, really well. Pro Football Focus currently rates Berry, who is barely a year removed from his cancer diagnosis, as the No. 1 safety in the NFL.

Let me repeat that: Eric Berry is the No. 1 rated safety in the NFL by Pro Football Focus.

How amazing is that? Berry has just looked more active this year compared to previous years. I haven't done a full breakdown of where he plays this year vs. last but it feels like he's playing more coverage rather than sitting at the line of scrimmage like he has done in the past.

If Berry doesn't win comeback player of the year they should stop giving out the award.

 

Here are the Chiefs 2016 free agents - Joel Thorman

 

All of the Chiefs safeties were ranked like this, per PFF:

 

1. Eric Berry

13. Husain Abullah

52. Ron Parker

63. Tyvon Branch

 

I recall so many thinking he was easily replaceable.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Film Review: Alex Smith Playing His Best Football Since Joining the Chiefs: http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2015/12/11/9890398/alex-smith-is-playing-his-best-football-as-a-chief-and-heres-why

 

Not saying he's great, a changed man, or a gunslinger, but this one is more than just avoiding interceptions.

[jetlord 10,209]

Smith trusts Maclin more than he did Bowe.

The Chiefs' play calling open up more for Smith without Charles in the game.

The O-line has moved from disaster to below average.

The Chiefs have played against weaker defenses.

 

Smith fills his role very well for what the Chiefs faced so far this season.

[FANATIC 852]

Smith trusts Maclin more than he did Bowe.

The Chiefs' play calling open up more for Smith without Charles in the game.

The O-line has moved from disaster to below average.

The Chiefs have played against weaker defenses.

 

Smith fills his role very well for what the Chiefs faced so far this season.

Spot on. 

[FANATIC 852]

Ford: Watching those plays sure looked like DT. 7 tackles and that game saving deflection. May have arrived! Im sure Derick pounded some back ups too.

[qnet 1,150]

Ford: Watching those plays sure looked like DT. 7 tackles and that game saving deflection. May have arrived! Im sure Derick pounded some back ups too.

 

I wouldn't go that far.

[eraser 722]

I wouldn't go that far.

Different players, entirely. DT could not have defended the pass to the back of the endzone. It wouldn't have happened. Ford is nowhere near as good at stopping the run or rushing the passer as DT. DT had much better balance, and was stronger. 

[jetlord 10,209]

If Ford has the tools but didn't know how to use them, then yesterday could be a big boost.  Even against inferior competition, it had to be a confidence booster and the pass defended at the end saved the game.  I'm hoping the game will cause Ford to elevate his play above just the first quick step and into a complete OLB.

[KCSLC2008 606]

Anatomy of the Smith-Wilson TD: Good pre-snap read, audible, post-snap read, throw, catch, and speed/balance: http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2015/12/19/10625388/alex-smith-to-albert-wilson-anatomy-of-a-play

[KCSLC2008 606]

http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2015/12/24/10662856/chiefs-alex-smith-and-jeremy-maclin-were-too-much-for-kendrick-lewis

[KCSLC2008 606]

People say that we are run based and short throws, so teams will stack the box. Yet, Charles succeeds and our team wins. People say we focus on Maclin too much, yet he's to pass 1,000!yards for just the second time in his career. What we have isn't perfect, but it shows that if the knee jerk assumptions were true, the NFL defenses just aren't good at stopping our main read or area of play.

 

I know that teams would give us the short to stop the intermediate to deep, but if it has a 17-29 success rate, they're doing it wrong. If our offense or strategy were so bad, we shouldn't be winning, even with defense and Charles specialness.

 

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article51609790.html

[KCSLC2008 606]

http://espn.go.com/blog/statsinfo/post/_/id/112890/dont-look-now-but-alex-smith-is-a-pretty-good-qb

[KCSLC2008 606]

This is a good article about the whole team and what the offense (quality not quantity) has done since losing Charles: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/film-room/2015/film-room-alex-smith

 

Small Excerpt:

 

Then Charles tore his ACL in Week 5. The Chiefs entered Week 6 without their best player and with a 1-4 record. Their hopes of making the playoffs were dashed. This offense, as then constructed, could not function without Charles. The Chiefs would lose again in Week 6, scoring just 10 points without Charles. That was the last game the Chiefs lost. At first it appeared that the Chiefs were just fortunate to face the Pittsburgh Steelers without their starting quarterback. Landry Jones' Steelers lost to the Chiefs by a score of 23-13 in Week 7. A victory over the then 1-6 Detroit Lions before the bye didn't really do anything to alter perceptions. When the Chiefs came out of the bye, they enjoyed a convincing victory over the Denver Broncos. It was a typical Chiefs victory during the Andy Reid era, as Smith struggled to move the ball but the defense created turnovers and contained their counterparts.

 

This appeared to be the point when things changed. Smith stopped playing scared and began acting more like a typical NFL quarterback, someone who made decisions based on the lure of the reward rather than the fear of the failure. His numbers have not been spectacular and his general level of play still is not spectacularly high, but he is helping his team more by being more aggressive.

 

 

Since the Chiefs last lost, Smith has averaged 18.0 completions on 26.2 attempts per game (68.7 percent). Those 18.0 completions have resulted in 195.2 yards per game and 12 total touchdowns with just two interceptions. Smith is never going to be a hugely productive player no matter what offense you put him in. He is naturally inclined to check the ball down to a covered receiver or take a sack instead of attacking a tight window downfield. Where Smith can have a positive impact is by being aggressive enough in the right situation. The right situation calls for a dominant running game and dominant defense. Fortunately, this year, even without Charles, the Chiefs have both.

[azchief21 5,278]

This is a good article about the whole team and what the offense (quality not quantity) has done since losing Charles: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/film-room/2015/film-room-alex-smith

 

Small Excerpt:

 

It's almost like I wrote that article myself. That throw to Maclin in the end zone was one of the best throws of any QB this year. It was a precise dart but most importantly he took the chance.. I was excited when we got him but I have been frustrated by him the last few years. I have no complaints about the way he's been playing now. 

[KCSLC2008 606]

It's almost like I wrote that article myself. That throw to Maclin in the end zone was one of the best throws of any QB this year. It was a precise dart but most importantly he took the chance.. I was excited when we got him but I have been frustrated by him the last few years. I have no complaints about the way he's been playing now.

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5626/23425342624_455ee6fb0c.jpg

[PhataLerror 370]

Where Smith can have a positive impact is by being aggressive enough in the right situation. The right situation calls for a dominant running game and dominant defense. Fortunately, this year, even without Charles, the Chiefs have both.

Once again, they can't compliment Smith without taking it right back.

 

The Chiefs' "dominant" run game actually isn't super special. West and Ware haven't been world beaters. The Chiefs are 13th in the league in team rushing attempts, but so many of those have come from Smith escaping the pocket on quick pressures. Smith accounts for over 23.5% of the team's total rushing yardage, more than any other quarterback except Cam Newton and Russell Wilson, and their teams have run more times (24% and 17% more attempts, respectively) and for more yardage (17% and 14% more yards, respectively) than the Chiefs. The run game is what it is because of Smith, and not vice versa. Opposing defenses have to account for everyone, and not just the runningbacks. That's why the Chiefs are getting more touchdowns per rush than any other team in the league:

 

1. Chiefs (4.53%)

2. Steelers (4.34%)

3. Saints (4.00%)

4. Bengals (3.86%)

5. Vikings (3.80%)

6. Rams (3.79%)

7. Patriots (3.65%)

8. Bills (3.65%)

9. Cardinals (3.64%)

10. Dolphins (3.55%)

12. Panthers (3.24%)

26. Seahawks (1.94%)

 

It's so hard to re-write narratives. No one is willing to put their reputation on the line to be the first person to say that everyone else has been wrong.

[eraser 722]

Once again, they can't compliment Smith without taking it right back.

 

The Chiefs' "dominant" run game actually isn't super special. West and Ware haven't been world beaters. The Chiefs are 13th in the league in team rushing attempts, but so many of those have come from Smith escaping the pocket on quick pressures. Smith accounts for over 23.5% of the team's total rushing yardage, more than any other quarterback except Cam Newton and Russell Wilson, and their teams have run more times (24% and 17% more attempts, respectively) and for more yardage (17% and 14% more yards, respectively) than the Chiefs. The run game is what it is because of Smith, and not vice versa. Opposing defenses have to account for everyone, and not just the runningbacks. That's why the Chiefs are getting more touchdowns per rush than any other team in the league:

 

1. Chiefs (4.53%)

2. Steelers (4.34%)

3. Saints (4.00%)

4. Bengals (3.86%)

5. Vikings (3.80%)

6. Rams (3.79%)

7. Patriots (3.65%)

8. Bills (3.65%)

9. Cardinals (3.64%)

10. Dolphins (3.55%)

12. Panthers (3.24%)

26. Seahawks (1.94%)

 

It's so hard to re-write narratives. No one is willing to put their reputation on the line to be the first person to say that everyone else has been wrong.

Smith is playing with a lot of confidence. He wasn't doing this at the first of the year. The OL was not good, true. However, some of what happened was Smith running when he saw a ghost. It took awhile for him to get his crap together. His runs are now more productive. He is using his wits. When he sees the defensive back turn, and there is space, he takes off. Smith is not running to avoid a sack all the time. He is running to take advantage of the opposing defense. He has a knack for finding a seam, and knows when to get down. Smith is tough. He plays the game like Ty Cobb. When he slides, its spikes in the air. If he gets hit late, he gets in the face of the aggressor. His team has his back. 

 

Last year, there were times when Alex Smith got hit, and no one came to his aid. A lot of guys are gone now. Say what you want, but LDT will bounce a guy that gets on his QB. Same for Reid, he will defend his QB. Jeff Allen, Morse, and even Fish give a darn. I want a guy like Jah Reid taking a penalty to send a message. Penalties suck, but not as much as those that should be extolled, except for the lack of passion/loyalty of a player. 

 

Alex Smith is aggressive without being stupid. Contrast that with Johnny Football, who threw a pass to his right tackle, perhaps because he was playing with a concussion. 

[KCSLC2008 606]

http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2016/1/1/10698036/anatomy-of-a-play-alex-smith-to-travis-kelce-kansas-city-chiefs

[KCSLC2008 606]

KANSAS CITY — Maybe it’s a coincidence, the locals say, but did you know the Chiefs haven’t lost a game since the Royals made it to the World Series? That’s one of many ways to explain the drastic turnaround of the Chiefs’ season. But the most pertinent explanation has nothing to with destiny or chance—it’s how the trust of Andy Reid enabled Alex Smith to dig the team out of its early-season hole.

 

To tell that story, let’s start by discussing one play. There were 36 seconds until halftime of the Chiefs’ Week 16 game against Cleveland, the ninth win of their 10-game streak to close out the season, and the one that, as improbable as it would have seemed in mid-October, earned them a bid to the postseason.

 

In the red zone, the Chiefs called one of their bread-and-****er plays. They were in a 3 x 1 set, with receivers Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant and Albert Wilson bunched to the left side of the formation, and tight end Travis Kelce the lone player to the right side. Kelce was supposed to run a corner route, but as Smith was preparing to take the shotgun snap, he didn’t like what he saw. The cornerback on that side, Tramon Williams, had outside leverage, so it would be hard for Kelce to get open on a route that veered to the outside. But the free safety over the top, Donte Whitner, was cheating slightly toward the three-receiver side.

 

Standing over the line of scrimmage, Smith turned toward Kelce and gave him a verbal cue—“he yelled at me,” Kelce says, smirking—to convert his route to a post. Kelce took off running, planted hard with his right foot to make the cornerback think he was going outside, then angled in toward the goalpost, right into the open void in the defense that Smith had anticipated. Touchdown.

 

On a very micro level, this is how the Chiefs turned around their season. The team was at a crossroads, falling to 1-5 and losing its top offensive weapon, running back Jamaal Charles. So to get out of it, they tapped into one of their most valuable assets: Alex Smith’s brain, giving the veteran more freedom to change protections, runs and routes at the line. For as many great quarterbacks as Reid has coached in his West Coast system—as Brett Favre’s quarterbacks coach in Green Bay, and in Philadelphia with Donovan McNabb—none has been given as much freedom as Smith has this season.

 

“We didn’t do those types of checks with Brett, no,” says Doug Pederson, Favre’s backup in Green Bay and the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator. “The game’s changed a little bit since then. Defenses have changed. But it’s funny, because I think Alex has changed Andy a little bit.”

 

The labels that have followed Smith through his 11-year NFL career are largely dubious ones: Game manager. A guy you can “get by” with. But in Kansas City, it’s hard to imagine the Chiefs would still be playing football in January without him.

 

How Alex Smith and the Chiefs turned their season around | The MMQB with Peter King

[KCSLC2008 606]

Breakdown of the tighter windows Smith has been throwing into and caving after his two INTs: http://www.arrowheadpride.com/2016/1/6/10707090/kansas-city-chiefs-real-super-bowl-contenders-alex-smith-2-0

[KCSLC2008 606]

Andy Reid said that this was the first time in his career that he gave the quarterback the power to change the call at the line of scrimmage if what he sees he doesn't like: http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/14527415/how-kansas-city-chiefs-saved-their-season-nfl

 

I'm not calling Smith elite or anything, but it pays to have a smart quarterback. There article claims that not even McNabb had that freedom and it didn't start until the Pittsburgh game this year for Smith. McNabb is the type of person in the media to refute this, so I fully expect him to say that he had the keys to the car and changed plays all the time, too.

[Calichief 3,016]

Should always always have a way out