5 Players to Watch: Chiefs~Eagles

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The third preseason game is the best barometer of where your team is at heading into the regular season. The Chiefs face a pretty good team with playoff aspirations that will provide a pretty good challenge. If our sights are set on the playoffs this year, we should be aware of it after tonight. With little else to say, I present two opportunities I'd take advantage of in the preseason.

1. Go for two point conversions. Once you have a few extra point opportunities completed, I would switch it up and go for two after most (not all) touchdowns. This is especially true with a veteran special teams unit. If you're working with the same snapper/holder/kicker, the extra point is albeit a foregone conclusion, so why not take an extra opportunity on goalline offense, plays that oftentimes decide games?

2. Insert the backup Quarterback with the first unit without warning. Try and simulate a situation where your starting QB gets injured, and the backup is forced into the lineup. Keep him in for a drive or two, and then go back to the starter. Prepare your team for how it might happen during the season.

5 Players:

1. Brandon Flowers, CB, #24- Goes up against the speedster that is DeSean Jackson tonight. B-Flow made a terrible play last week, going for the ball way too late, and allowing a touchdown. We aren't accustomed to seeing that from him, but if we are to make a playoff push this year, we need our good players to play to their full ability and not rely on reputation. He isn't to the point where we can assume that won't happen regularly, he needs to continue to prove himself, and tonight is a good place to start.

2. Dexter McCluster, Slash, #22- Very involved in game number one, not so much in number two. I'd aim to get him as much work as possible, with his transition to a new position still fresh. He adds a whole new dimension to our offense, as long as he is comfortable. Use these last two games to get the Ole Missile as affluent as possible.

3. Branden Albert, LT, #76- Gets his best test of the preseason against Trent Cole, coming off a 12.5 sack season, tonight. The holes on the line have reared their head mostly on the right side to this point. We badly need Albert to breakout this year, with little consistency found from the rest of the line.

4. Demorrio Williams, ILB, #53- Lost his starting job for the time being to Derrick Johnson. While I was in favor of this, Williams showed me a lot more last week than D.J. He looked anything but satisfied with his demotion. Or maybe the backup LB's just always look better going up against second units. Tough to say. This may be the best position battle on the team going on right now.

5. Kevin Kolb, Eagles QB, #4- I want to see how uncomfortable we can make him. The easiest way to win football games in the NFL is to make the opposing Quarterback uncomfortable. It used to be the Chiefs forte, with a ferocious pass rush combining with the Arrowhead Stadium crowd, and led to one of the best home field advantages in the league. We need to get back to that, especially before Monday Night Football, September 13th, against the San Diego Chargers.

His Dirkness