Three Jeers: Jamaal Charles Usage Wasn’t Sunday’s Only Mishap
By Ben Nielsen
Sep 7, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Derrick Johnson (56) is taken off the field after an injury during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
JEER #3: Injuries
The two things mentioned earlier can be fixed. A little more time in the film room, a return to sanity in terms of play calling, and going back to basics and taking advantage of what this team is good at should go a long way towards making this a better team on both sides of the ball.
What cannot be fixed for this season are the injuries to Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito. Between those two the Chiefs lost their two best run stopping defenders, and may have lost the game’s best all-around middle linebacker. Replacing either DeVito or DJ simply cannot happen as the Chiefs do not have anyone on the roster who can do what they do at a high level.
The best chance for the Chiefs may be for Bob Sutton to put Eric Berry in the middle of the field and have him act as if he were a middle linebacker. Between him and James-Michael Johnson they should be able to handle the passing game okay. The running game could be a problem but Josh Mauga has shown some good things there that KC could patchwork some things on running downs.
KC may also want to consider moving Tamba Hali back to defensive end and letting rookie Dee Ford take over the edge rushing outside linebacker spot. Hali has better size than Houston or Ford when it comes to stopping the run so he could be the better fit there. It is not a great option but it is something that could work out if Hali is up for it.
No matter what the Chiefs are not replacing DJ or DeVito’s production so somebody is going to have to step up and try to reduce that burden by more than what it looks like on paper.