Jeers And Cheers: Chiefs at Dolphins

Aug 7, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey watches warmups before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 41 – 39. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Cheer #1: Depth

John Dorsey’s greatest accomplishment in his short tenure in Kansas City is finding guys at the back end of the roster who can contribute when called upon. He’s done this via the draft, waivers, and free agency and mostly without being heralded as making shrewd moves.

Remember when the Chiefs signed Joe McKnight in January? Some, including myself, didn’t even have him making this roster out of camp. Instead, on a day when Jamaal Charles was deactivated due to injury, he plays and scores two touchdowns on six catches.

Last year’s three unwanted picks of Eric Fisher, Travis Kelce, and Knile Davis? The three guys who were either out due to injury or unproductive in their first year? Well Kelce and Davis each scored touchdowns and Fisher threw the key block that opened the hole for Davis to score. Fisher also held Cameron Wake without a sack.

Frankie Hammond Jr. averaged 20 yards per punt return, with 47 yards coming on a critical second half punt. For the most part he gave the Chiefs excellent field position when he was given the chance to return punts. He also had a couple of nice runs that were nullified due to penalties.

Then there’s James-Michael Johnson, a waiver pickup from last season, who has done a very solid job in pass coverage with Derrick Johnson out due to injury. His run defense has to get better, no doubt, but in a passing league his pass coverage is incredibly valuable.

Finally there is Dee Ford’s contribution to the pass rush. For the first time the Chiefs actually put Ford on the field to get after the quarterback and he made his presence felt, causing one incomplete pass on third down by hitting Ryan Tannehill’s arm, notching a tackle for loss on a fourth down play, and causing a couple of hurries. Ford showed the flashes you want to see from your first round pick.

Are there holes on the roster? Sure. But there is something to be said about a team with holes nearly beating Denver on the road and the handling Miami on the road that suggest maybe those holes are not quite as big as we perceive them.