Let the rebuilding begin!
After today's loss....I believe Haley's days are numbered here in KC. Let me throw out some numbers, then I will explain what they mean. The unlucky numbers are 22, 20, 6, 9, 32, 20.4, 4! With those numbers, everybody wins....everybody except the Chiefs. The Chiefs need some serious help across the board, and it can start up front on both sides of the ball. Never mind the "Suck 4 Luck" campaign, Andrew Luck would not last on this team, and I will explain why!
The first number represents the number of sacks we have given up so far during the 2011 season. We have given up 22 sacks which ranks us as 12th most sacked team in the league. The average number of sacks for the top 5 QB's is 9. (Brady-4, Brees - 6, Rogers - 9, Rivers - 4, E. Manning - 7). I know Matt Cassel is not the most prolific passer in the game, but we never asked him to be. But how can we expect him to make the tough throws when we need him to, when is either on his back, or being chased from the pocket. Richardson is not the answer we need at RT, and honestly, we should have moved Albert over to RT and used Gaither as LT, but injuries plagued this team from the start of the limited preseason, and has not let up since. Both Lilja (30) and Wiegmann (38) are over 30, and their better playing days are behind them. Of the other 5, Albert is the oldest at 27, Gaither (25), Richardson (25), Asamoah (23), Hudson (22). There is time for them, but is there enough talent among them to produce an O-line like we haven't seen since Roaf, Water and Shields were road pavers for the backfield and a line that allowed the QB plenty of time to make his reads.
The next set of numbers flips the line of scrimmage. This year, the Chiefs have only accounted for 9 sacks. That is good for 10 best!!! Just kidding, that is the league worst. So far this year, the average of the 32 teams is 20.4 sacks...the next worse team has 4 more sacks than the Chiefs! Of those 9 sacks, 6 are from Hali, Gilberry, Gregg and D. Johnson each have 1. What happened to Houston, Studebaker, Sheffield, Belcher, T. Jackson or Dorsey? This team has the depth to rotate in fresh legs...but apparently those legs, when fresh, are still no better than the worn out legs of my 76 year old grandfather! Over the last 3 season under Haley, they Chiefs have managed a whopping 70 sacks. While that may seem like a lot, that equals roughly 1.7 sacks per game, considering that the league average is close to 3 a game...we are behind the curve...just a bit!
This team needs an overhaul along the front 5 on offense and the front 7 on defense. We have to find a compliment to Hali. I know Houston has the talent, and with a full season under his belt and a longer off-season to prepare, we may see some changes. But during this off-season, the Chiefs should target players along those positions early and often. Then during the free agency period...add some more talent at those positions. Without a sold O-line, no QB is going to last in this system, and without a consistent pass rush, the secondary will receive no help!
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