Chiefs chatter: What preseason football has taught us

We’re just a scant 48 hours from the final preseason tilt for the Kansas City Chiefs.

In the past three weeks, I believe a portrait of the 2016 Chiefs has emerged. It’s near impossible to make concrete conclusions about what we’ve seen in exhibition games, but I do think they provide some support for certain suspicions we have about this football team. There’s been consistency with the efficiency of the first team offense. Defensive performances have spanned a range from “mid-season form” to “maybe a shell of its former self.” There’s a real sense that our eyes do not betray the ideas we have about the Chiefs.

As I watched Saturday’s contest with the Chicago Bears, it affirmed my hope for head coach Andy Reid and his accompanying offense. I think it’s safe to assume the offensive line group won’t be the Achilles’ heel of Reid’s West Coast system this season.

In fact, their ability to provide quarterback Alex Smith with a clean pocket should serve the team’s passing offense in a way that might not be immediately apparent. Generally speaking, the team has had a great deal of success with quick slants and other passes from the 3-step family. Crossing routes are predicated upon timing and having adequate pass protection provides that window.

For a quarterback like Alex Smith, who is adept at ball placement on short and intermediate throws, the Chiefs can maximize their use of slants and other quick-hitting pass plays. Eventually, defenses will key on those throws.

Hopefully, when that happens, Reid will have sluggo (slant-and-go) routes mixed into his play sheet to exploit cheating defenses over the top. Smith will have to adjust to having additional time, but fleet-footed, agile receivers like Jeremy Maclin, Chris Conley, and Albert Wilson can absolutely terrorize a defense with yards after the catch.

Next: A declining defense?