Gutcheck: Rising up for Chiefs’ critical contest
By Ryan Tracy
Sep 28, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) gets a pass away from Green Bay Packers linebacker Julius Peppers (56) in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs are in a free fall, but they can still open their ‘chute. Adjustments can be made to pump some new life into this team. On both sides of the ball, the coaching staff has to adapt. They cannot keep their head in the sand and continue on ‘business as usual’
In truth some adjustments have already been made that, if continued, will pay off.
The was a concerted effort on Andy Reid’s part against Green Bay. He had to get the spark back in the sparkplug of this offense. Jamaal Charles was visibly rattled following his fumbles versus the Denver Broncos. Even an All-Pro like Charles can lose confidence after a performance like that.
“Make sure I’m physically able to go out there and perform and at the same time, I have to keep the guys sharp mentally, especially the young guys.” – Sean Smith on his return
Reid made the best coaching maneuver of the season when he decided to focus on getting Charles into the end zone. He repeatedly showed complete trust in Charles, giving him the ball in the red zone repeatedly. Reid gave Charles the ball with goal to go multiple times the fourth quarter.
Charles answered and scored 3 touchdowns on the night, a fact that seems to have been overshadowed by the loss. It gave Charles mojo. It stopped any chance of the team’s best offensive weapon losing his sharpness.
I have been outspoken this week about the shortcomings of this coaching staff , but have to give Reid his credit as well. Its due. Focusing on making sure Charles could be successful and have a bounce-back performance was the move of an elite coach.
Next: Immediate fix for the Offense?