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Spags the favorite to replace Werthers? (Schefter)


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Give me your best NASCAR formation...

 

.                                           Houston----KPass-----Jones-----Ford

 

I actually think we would be fine at Dline BUT LB is gonna need some work!  This does work in Hitchens favor though as he has experience and ability to play all three LB spots.

Five Things to Know About New Chiefs’ LB Anthony Hitchens

Matt_Headshot2
Matt McMullen

Chiefs Reporter

The Kansas City Chiefs bolstered their defense on Wednesday by signing inside linebacker Anthony Hitchens.

Here are five things to know about the Chiefs’ new linebacker.

1. Hitchens played the last four seasons with the Dallas Cowboys

The 25-year-old Hitchens played in 60 games for Dallas over the past four seasons, registering 304 tackles (193 solo), 21 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one interception.

He was a versatile member of the Cowboys’ defense this past season, playing all three linebacker positions in Dallas’ 4-3 scheme. That’s no small feat, with Cowboys’ Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli explaining midseason that Hitchens was one of the few players he had ever seen that could play the strong, weak and middle positions.

That versatility was on full display in Week 13 against Washington, when Hitchens recorded a career-high 15 tackles (12 solo) and three tackles for loss.

031418Hitchens1.jpg

2. He was stout against the run last season

Hitchens was among the premier run defenders in the NFL last season according to the advanced metrics. In fact, he was graded as the best run defender on the open market by Pro Football Focus.

Additionally, Hitchens was one of just three inside linebackers to not miss a single tackle last season among players to play at least 25 percent of their team's run snaps. 

031418Hitchens2.jpg

He was effective in pass coverage, as well. Here’s some further analysis from Pro Football Focus:

Hitchens finished with 38 total defensive stops, good enough for second on the team, despite missing the team’s first four games. He didn’t allow a touchdown on 37 targeted passes in 2017 as well, rounding out his performance.

3. He’s familiar with the Midwest

Hitchens played collegiately at the University of Iowa, leading the Big 10 in tackles his junior season (124) and earning team Defensive MVP honors as a senior.

His performance caught the attention of the Cowboys, who selected him in the fourth round (No. 119 overall) of the 2014 Draft.

031418Hitchens3.jpg

4. He has an inspirational backstory

Hitchens moved in with a close friend’s family when he was just 12 years old in hopes of achieving a better future. Here’s a brief explanation of his childhood as written by Brad Anderson, who essentially served as Hitchens’ father growing up.

In September 2005, Zach became good friends with a boy named Anthony at school. Anthony used to ride his bike from his house, which was over 2 miles away, to our house. Amy used to take many of the boys on Zach’s football team home after practices; Anthony was one of them. Eventually, Anthony started spending school nights at our house. One night, Anthony looked at Amy and me and said, “I think I will just move in here too”; and so came son number 4.

The Morning Journal (Lorain, Ohio) wrote a story on Hichens’ journey back in 2012 while he was still a standout at Iowa. Check it out here.

5. He was a standout athlete in high school

Hitchens participated in football, basketball and track in high school while growing up in Lorain, Ohio. He was a running back in those days, rushing for a school-record 3,864 yards and 52 touchdowns over the course of his high school career.

                  

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If we are going to change to a 4-3 then we need to pull someone current and relevant. Spags is a has been with a good D 10 years ago.  

I'd rather pull someone from a Baltimore, Chicago, Minnesota staff that has experience with a solid program NOW.

Older guys tend to get set in their ways and live in the past. Reid is an outlier to this as is BB when it comes to evolving. Based on Spags age and bottom tier recent D''s we need to be forward thinking in my opinion.

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2 minutes ago, Iluvhouse24 said:

Jesus christ. Being a Chiefs fan really makes me feel less like a pessimist than I do in general. People bitch no matter what the fuck they do. Id rather have Spagnuolo blindfolded and high on mescaline calling plays than Bob Sutton. 

Isn't this the kettle calling the pot black or whatever? 

We can't lean on his past success because the best defenses, except for one year in 2016, were over 10 years ago.

It's a different scheme than Sutton and I understand the talent levels may not have been up to par, but his recent track record is not good at all.

The Chiefs need to do their due diligence here and exhaust all options to make the right hire.

If Spags is hired immediately without any looks, it's a bad move. 

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3 minutes ago, Iluvhouse24 said:

Jesus christ. Being a Chiefs fan really makes me feel less like a pessimist than I do in general. People bitch no matter what the fuck they do. Id rather have Spagnuolo blindfolded and high on mescaline calling plays than Bob Sutton. 

If the choice is Bob Sutton or Spags, then I'll take Spags.  If the choice is Spags or everyone else in the world, then I'd take someone else. 

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Geez, im not overly excited about Spags but he's a step-up from Bobby. 

My concern is that it's reminiscent of Sutton-  stopped the patriots, had a good D a year or two with the Jets, etc.

I'm lukewarm about the possibility based on track record - defensive rankings his last 7 years.... 29,19,22,32,32,10,31.

Just looking for something more dynamic

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Ill put it this way. He's had 5 years in this league as a legit defensive coordinator because the mess and situation in New Orleans when Peyton was suspended and Gregg Williams fired was untenable. In those 5 years he's had a top ten defense three times. He inherited crap defenses in 2007 and 2015 and turned them both around. He also came up with a game plan which held the best offense in NFL history to 14 points in the Super Bowl. He was a crap head coach as most of these type guys are. But his experience there means this is a guy Andy doesn't have to worry about. And absolutely he's had some real problems at other times. This is no guru genius that will come in here and turn this group into the 1985 Bears. But his defense is aggressive and unpredictable which is what we needed on Sunday.  

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God forbid anyone does any critical thinking and doesn't line up and take what's spoon fed to us. Reese said it well, anyone but Bob, but there a lot of options out there that very well may be better. 

It's a great opportunity to find the best available and not just go with what's familiar.  Nothing wrong with fans using their brains and voicing opinions if they have a valid reason behind it. "Well it's not Bob" is not a valid argument.

 

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Mloe68 said:

Ill put it this way. He's had 5 years in this league as a legit defensive coordinator because the mess and situation in New Orleans when Peyton was suspended and Gregg Williams fired was untenable. In those 5 years he's had a top ten defense three times. He inherited crap defenses in 2007 and 2015 and turned them both around. He also came up with a game plan which held the best offense in NFL history to 14 points in the Super Bowl. He was a crap head coach as most of these type guys are. But his experience there means this is a guy Andy doesn't have to worry about. And absolutely he's had some real problems at other times. This is no guru genius that will come in here and turn this group into the 1985 Bears. But his defense is aggressive and unpredictable. 

It's not 2008 anymore. 

His last tenure with the Giants was pure bend but don't break with barely any adjustments.  He's Bob Sutton with a different alignment.

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3 minutes ago, oldtimer said:

 I dont think so..  some people need to re-generate

Not being sarcastic but I can't remember a coach who left the game and came back a winner.

Maybe Im wrong but i still worry about that and how many times spags has been passed over for head coaching positions 

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Not sure that Pats offense with moss and welker is any less potent than anything we have today, offensively thinking.   

He might or might not be a great choice but Andy isn’t going to hire a young and up and comer if he wants to turn over the entire defense.   So who are the best options who he could do just that?  

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22 minutes ago, liquidfriend said:

Well if Spags is the guy, I would probably probably rip the bandaid off and do it from the ground up the right way.

Cut:

Ragland and Houston

Tag and trade:

Dee Ford

Move DoD and Hitchens to the outside.  Would need to find a Mike and a couple DE's

Don't you think Houston would be fine as a DE?

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