Chiefs things I think: 2015 1st quarter edition
By Ryan Tracy
Oct 4, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Mohamed Sanu (12) runs the ball against Kansas City Chiefs safety Ron Parker (38) in the second half at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated Kansas City 36-21. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
4. Chiefs hurt themselves with Parker in the Nickel
Ron Parker has grown into an above average deep safety. He’s’ been paid for it. Parker played cornerback a number of times in 2014 and, other than one matchup against a rookie, was sub-par at best.
Yet, the coaching staff chose the worst possible scenario and moved Parker into the nickel corner position against Cincinnati. The result was seven receptions on nine targets for 119 yards. In effect, moving Parker weakened two positions. Fleming or Cooper, while not ideal, are better suited to playing the nickel than Parker. Berry and Abdullah are both better in the box than covering the deep secondary solo. The staff needs to have a better answer as the second quarter of the season begins.
5. Mauga injury is likely to improve the Chiefs defense.
Rookie Ramik Wilson has played 39 regular season snaps, all of which came in week 4 in Cincinnati. Granted, that is not a large volume to snaps to draw conclusions from. However, the film shows that the drop-off in coverage ability is very small. Wilson is just as athletic I space and has shown the ability to make plays on the ball that Mauga has proven he cannot.
More crucial, the Wilson plays the run with more decisive determination. As a rookie, he is overmatched by good guards, but he runs to the ball much better than Mauga.
I’ll just leave this here…
6. No upside to Fulton vs. Duvernay-Tardif
When Zach Fulton took over for Laurant Deuvernay-Tardif in week 4, there was hope for improvement, especially in Reid’s opinion. After watching his play in Cincinnati, its clear that there isn’t much difference between the two when you get down to it. Fulton’s experience and strength make him better in pass protection. He can take on the bull-rush better then LDT can.
Conversely, in the run game that has a premium on mobility, LDT is the more effective run blocker. Put them together and you’d have a solid all-around guard. At this point, its pick-your-poison with these young guards.
Next: Three Things that need to change