Learning from the Super Bowl Champion Patriots, Re-Grading the 2014 Draft
I think the Chiefs have an offense that is very close to operating similarly to the New England Patriots offense that just won the Super Bowl. Yes, I’ll explain.
On this episode of Roughing the Kicker, Joshua Brisco and Ryan Landreth discuss new Hall of Famer Will Shields, talk about the the breaking Justin Houston news, grade the Chiefs’ 2014 draft class, and break down how the Chiefs can learn from the Super Bowl and the New England Patriots offense.
Look at the most impactful players in New England’s Super Bowl performance and compare them to the Chiefs’ closest potential counterpart:
Tom Brady: 37/50, 328 yards, 6.6 YPA, 74% completions. Alex Smith’s 2014 season: 7.0 YPA, 65% completions. Alex Smith is no Tom Brady, but with this gameplan (plus a more reliable running attack), I’m starting to think that the huge distance may be minimized.
Shane Vereen: 11 rec, 64 yards. Jamaal Charles and De’Anthony Thomas both have the ability to be a pass-catching mismatch out of the backfield. (Not to mention that Charles can out-rush any of the Patriots’ backs.)
Julian Edelman: 9 rec, 109 yards, TD. This is the player the Chiefs have to add. Edelman isn’t your traditional 9-for-100 mismatch that’s built like Calvin Johnson. But a team doesn’t have to have that, and the Patriots just showed it. A small, shifty mismatch who can be your go-to guy in crunch time? Hello Randall Cobb and/or Kevin White, we’ll be calling.
Rob Gronkowski: 6 rec, 68 yards, TD, is Rob Gronkowski. Travis Kelce: Lead tight ends in yards after the catch in his first year on the field. Not to mention the fact that Pro Football Focus named him the best run-blocker at the position as well.
Danny Amendola: 5 rec, 48 yards, TD. Albert Wilson: Averaging 16.3 YPC as an Amendola-esque quick, shifty, small WR, I think Wilson could be more than Amendola as he develops in his second season.
My five-year-old sister, Chloe Brisco, stands next to Hall of Famer Will Shields at Shields’ gym, 68’s Inside Sports. Photo by Mischele Brisco.
Perhaps this is not a form of offense that can win every game, but the Patriots just won the Super Bowl with it, and I think the Chiefs are on the right path – and I didn’t believe that before I started writing this post.
Also on this show, we take a look at Mel Kiper’s re-grading of the 2014 NFL draft, talk about the newest Chief in the Hall of Fame: Will Shields, talk about the Super Bowl’s final play, and discuss Chiefs news from a multitude of sources.
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Roughing the Kicker is a podcast on Arrowhead Addict Radio hosted by Joshua Brisco and Ryan Landreth. RTK is about the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL through the eyes of Chiefs fans.