Chiefs Preseason Game #1 Analysis

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~There are two backups that need to be starting right now, and I will quickly sour on Haley if they are not promoted. I am speaking of Jamaal Charles and Derrick Johnson. Thomas Jones could be a good addition and all, but this is Charles' team. Our offense doesn't move without him, as proven last night. With Johnson, I believe Haley continues to play mind games with him, aiming to right his mind into that of a fierce, determined Linebacker. I suspect both of these players to be starting by week 1, and will be vocal in my displeasure with Haley if they are not.

~Dexter McCluster was unreal, literally. Clearly, he's a Madden creation. His two plays consisted of the best working plays on Madden (at least a few years back, anyway) with the sweep around the end and the quick out from the slot position. He was unstoppable, just faster than anybody else on the field. I was a step slow to hop on the McDexter bandwagon, but now I'm sitting shotgun. Our offense has some serious weapons right now, led by Charles and Dex.

~My biggest concerns with the team after one game is stopping the run on defense. We were pushed off the line in the first drive, giving up at least five yards a pop. We will constantly need an 8th player in the box, making us vulnerable to playaction passes over the top.

~My biggest concern with the offense is teams stacking the box due to a lack of a downfield threat. The blame for this goes all the way around the offense. The line struggles to hold blocks to give Cassel enough time to look down field, neither Bowe or Chambers are speedsters, and Cassel tends to overthrow deep balls. This will allow teams to bring 8 or 9 players up, forcing us to find ways to throw over the top.

~My biggest surprise of the game was the effectiveness of Mike Vrabel. My main mane, LBR, made the astute statement that Vrabel will be good as long as we are good, which got me to thinking. I remember being very confident in him at the beginning of last season (and preseason), but was semi-embarrassed by his performance the latter half of the season. This makes sense. He just shut it down, with no real reason to continue pushing. Save it for next year, which is now this year. Our defense has a shot to be mediocre at the least if Vrabel plays like he did last night.

Impressive List:
~Kendrick Lewis- QB pressure, helped blow up a sweep, and blanketed Tony G.
~Javier Arenas- Delivered a stiff arm that would make the Viagra CEO proud.
~Maurice Leggett- A few big hits, including a throw down of Rowdy Roddy White.
~Andy Studebaker- Solid across the board, could provide much needed depth.
~Derek Lokey- Should make this team after a few unsuccessful tries.

Disappointment List:
~Ryan O'Callaghan- Got beat a few times around the edge, we seemingly have nobody better to replace him though.
~Jon Asamoah- Got absolutely roasted on back-to-back plays in the 3rd quarter.
~Leonard Pope- Missed a block on 3rd and short, dropped a pass, and dove for a catch that a normal sized man could've caught and ran with.
~Ryan Succop- Missed two field goals, albeit they were long.
~Tyson Jackson- Have yet to see him fight off a block or do anything.
~Corey Mays- Too slow in the middle. A one-on-one matchup with a Tight End is a guaranteed catch.
~DaJuan Morgan- Was actually afraid of the ball when John Parker Croyle floated a pass right to him.
~Zebras- Nice call on the offensive penalty converting a 3rd and Goal into a 1st and 10. I wish Haley would have just sat on the field in protest and drawn multiple unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.

His Dirkness

Kansas City Chiefs vs Atlanta Falcons Preview

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Dirkness don't got too much to say on the game (except that RaCheese Wallace is rockin a Derrick Thomas jersey in the ATL right now!), because it's kinda pointless to preview a preseason game, but what I will give you is 5 players that I'll be keeping a close eye on tonight: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Atlanta Falcons, 7 P.M.

1. Cory Greenwood, LB, #93- Caught my eye a few different times in 1-on-1 pass rush drills at camp on Tuesday. We desperately need a pass rusher opposite of Tamba Hali, and Greenwood provides maybe the most intriguing option.

2. Tyson Jackson, DE, #94- I've recently sold myself on Brother Bear, Glenn Dorsey, but the same cannot be said for Jackson. Reports from camp aren't good to this point, with a possible position battle under way with the full-of-nasty Shaun Smith. I want to see some nastiness from this wildebeest.

3. Kendrick Lewis, S, #49- There's talk of him being the opening day starter at safety opposite of Error Bearer. I'm not in favor of that because of the inevitable growing pains. Unless I see a lot to like from this Lewis kid in the preseason (I'm a huge Kendrick fan already).

4. Dwayne Bowe, WR, #82- The reports from camp almost unanimously suggest that D-Bowe has turned the corner. I want to see it before I believe it. I want to see him eye the ball all the way into his hands. I want to see him go up and get some jumpballs. I want to see an improvement out of Bowe that we haven't seen since his rookie year.

5. Dexter McCluster, RB/WR/KR/PR, #22- I'm downright giddy to see exactly how we're gonna use this kid. I'm envisioning atleast five swing passes coming his way tonight. Plus, I just imagined an awesome nickname for him: Slash. That's creative and has yet to be used.

In conclusion, I feel confident enough in the Chiefs this year that I'm putting $100 down on the Chiefs to beat the Falcons tonight. They are getting 3 points!!! And nothing beats betting on NFL Preseason football. While all you fools are napping off your turkey dinners through the 4th quarter, I will be sitting on the edge of my seat, chewing on my LeBrons, cheering on the CHIEFS!!!

Dirkness