Chiefs’ Offensive Struggles in Camp Mean Defense Shines

Jul 28, 2013; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chase Daniel (10) throws a pass during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs were back on the practice field in St. Joe, Missouri this morning. It was their first practice since their preseason game against the New Orleans Saints on Friday night that featured the debut of the Andy Reid/Alex Smith era in the BBQ City.

While the first team offense shined under the bright lights of the Superdome, they were less than stellar on the practice field this morning. Since I wasn’t actually there, I did what any other displaced Chiefs fan would do: I took to Twitter to get a play by play of the action. Following are some of the tweets out of St. Joe this morning, chronicling the “O’s” challenges.

These were only a few of several that blew up my Twitter feed this morning. The theme of the day was definitely negative offensive plays. It seems all four QBs were sacked several times and didn’t seem to be in rhythm with their receivers. This downswing wasn’t just limited to the “2’s” and “3’s” but the “1’s” who seemed so perfect on Friday night were obviously out of synch as well.

The question is, what happened? Is this a sign of things to come? Are we in full blown déjà vu from last season where the first team was flawless in the initial preseason game and then fell apart for the rest of the season?

I don’t quite think it’s time to hit the panic button quite yet. Judging an offensive downswing in practice is tough, mainly because the Chiefs’ offense is going against the Chiefs’ defense. If the offense isn’t doing great one day, it only means the defense has stepped up a bit. If the reports coming out of St. Joe reflected the fact that all four quarterbacks and were able to throw 40 yard strikes at will to whichever receiver they chose and the defense wasn’t able to stop them at all, I would be very concerned about this franchise.

The problem is, the Chiefs have had such bad offense for so long, fans have forgotten about the defense. It would seem to me that Chiefs’ Kingdom only wants the offense to excel. The fact of the matter is, though, sometimes the defense is going to win the day.

Perhaps the offense (especially the first team) is on a bit of “hangover” from Friday night. Operating a flawless drive for a touchdown can do that to you. Also, don’t forget, starting right tackle, Eric Fisher, wasn’t on the field today due to a shoulder and thumb injury. That could also account for some of the protection problems the Chiefs offense experienced on the practice fields today. The O-line, perhaps more than any other unit on the team, must fully gel as a cohesive team and replacing one member of that team can throw the chemistry the five have developed out of whack.

Regardless, I expect just as many big things out of the Chiefs’ defense this year as I do the offense. I won’t make you suffer through cheesy clichés like “Defenses win championships”—my bad, I guess I just did – but hearing Hali, Houston, DJ and Berry’s names on training camp live tweets is a welcome change to the massive amount of  offense we’ve been hearing.

The bottom line is, don’t fret, Chiefs’ faithful. While I haven’t crowned our boys in red and gold Superbowl champs yet, I think the team is on the right track and there’s no need to worry…yet.

Until next time, Addicts.