Preseason Week 4: Chiefs 17 Eagles 20

This was by far the best performance the Chiefs have shown in the Preseason over the last 3 years. And we finally have a decent look at what the Chiefs might be bringing this year.

Halftime score had Philly ahead 10-7

OFFENSE: This is going to be control the clock football. Run the ball and utilize the short passing game looks to be what Todd Haley has in store this year. The ground game is looking good and the personnel seem to match up well against opposing defenses.

QB - Cassel by no means had an outstanding game. But he didn't have a terrible one either. He continued to show himself as a game manager whose focus is more on not losing the game than it is on winning it. 14-23 for 85 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT. I really don't think you can get much more average than that. Brodie Croyle is still hurt but will be the team's #2. Tyler Palko must have some kind of family connection to still be on the team. Bill Stull is a non-factor as he is only on the roster because of league requirements regarding the injury to Croyle.

RB - Obviously this will be the source of the Chiefs offense. Kansas City will live and die with their run game. Fortunately, it appears to be a pretty good run game. Thomas Jones continues to get tough yards between the tackles, and even added a nice 11 yard TD run. His purpose is going to be wearing down the defense. Jammaal Charles broke a nice 20 yard run that accounted for half of his total. 40 yards on 6 carries again had him averaging over 5 ypc. Even without the 20 yarder, he still averaged 4 ypc. Jackie Battle looks to have successfully held off the youngsters Kestahn Moore and Javarris Williams for the 3rd down back position. Look for either Moore or Williams to stay on the active roster while the other is sent to the practice squad for one more year.

FB - Still a battle between Tim Castille and Mike Cox. Neither plays consistently well and it's probably a reasonable assumption that Tim Castille will be the opening day starter.

WR - Dwayne Bowe and Chris Chambers are exactly what the Chiefs need on the outside. Large possession receivers with big play ability. They will run the tough routes across the middle but are able to go up and get the deep ball as well. Quentin Lawrence, Jeremy Horne, Dexter McCluster, and Jerhome Urban will round out the depth chart but the order isn't clear just yet.

TE - Leonard Pope has retained his starting job for now. Tony Moeaki has flashed a lot of ability and talent, but is still raw and has injury concerns. Look for him to be involved more as a blocker this year rather than a weapon.

O-line - The improvement from last year is obvious, but it isn't consistent. Weigmann appears to simply be better all around than Niswanger who has seen some time at guard recently. Waters and Lilja appear to be solid, but the Chiefs need some depth there. Branden Albert is coming along quickly at LT but needs to sharpen his skills. There is still a hole at RT that needs to be plugged quickly.

DEFENSE: It's been almost a decade since I could say the Chiefs defense was the best unit on the field in a game. They forced turnovers, pressured (and sacked) the QB, made plays in the backfield, broke up passes, played well in coverage. They really played well for the first time in a long time.

NT - Ron Edwards has been serviceable. The same can be said about Shaun Smith and Derek Lokey. It really doesn't seem to matter who starts because they all play just ok.

DE - Glenn Dorsey has looked much improved this year. He is constantly demanding a double-team which is exactly what he's supposed to do. On the other side it looks like Tyson Jackson is going to be pushed by Alex Magee. Magee has played better, but Jackson was the #3 overall pick and it's going to be hard for the Chiefs to forget that. Both players are sub-par right now.

OLB - They got after Kolb like he shot their dog. Hali was constantly double-teamed and was STILL getting pressure on Kolb. Vrabel did exactly what you would expect him to do and played smart football, directing the defense. The star from this unit was definitely Andy Studebaker who led the way with a pair of sacks. He looked like a man possessed going after Kolb. Cameron Sheffield also played better than expected until suffering what is being described as a "neck injury" (latest report says that he is able to move and is being held for observation).

ILB - There are some guys who want to play this year. Jovan Belcher appears to have locked up one of the starting roles which isn't a surprise considering he is the strongest LB on the team. The other spot is a different matter altogether. Derrick Johnson and Demorrio Williams are locked in a position battle that could get someone killed. Both are playing hard and appear to have stepped up their game in areas they were criticized for in the past. The highlight of this battle had to come when Williams sacked Kolb hard and just a couple plays later, Johnson (not to be out done) broke up a pass with a vicious hit.

CB - Kolb's numbers through 3 qtrs - 11/25 for 103 yards, 0 TDs and 1 INT. Flowers and Carr looked very good. Arenas continued to struggle against taller receivers but was constantly in position. They need to find some depth here and soon.

S - Berry continued to be a constant presence. He's making tackles and plays which is exactly what the Chiefs want out of him. Kendrick Lewis managed to snag an INT and showed that he could be functional as a starter. He has definitely taken advantage of John McGraw being out of the lineup. McGraw and Rashard Langford appear to be the current 2nd team and have both played adequately.

SPECIAL TEAMS: This is by far the best unit out there for KC. They have played well in almost every aspect so far in the preseason.

K - Succop is still very accurate and very powerful (well, kicker powerful). He is a KC favorite and has shown they were right not to bother bringing anyone in to challenge him. He continues to boot the ball deep on KOs.

P - It's almost not even fair. Dustin Colquitt seems to be able to put the ball just wherever he wants to. That includes 4 of his 7 punts going inside the 20. Oh, and he may have sent one for 73 yards. No big deal.

KR/PR - Javier Arenas needs to settle down. He's been close to breaking one the past couple of weeks and that showed against the Eagles, in a bad way. He was fielding punts he should have let go. He was trying to make returns out of obvious fair catch situations, and was simply too impatient in waiting for his blocks to develop. There is such a thing as wanting it too much.

ST Defense - The coverage teams have been great. They fly down the field and are in position on almost every punt or kickoff.


OVERALL: The Chiefs biggest problems are in the trenches. They have to get a playmaker on the D-line and plug the hole at RT. If they can find a way to do that, then this team is definitely moving in the right direction. There is still a severe lack of depth at a lot of positions which will hurt them in the 4th qtr and later in the season. They appear to at least be on their way to being a middle of the pack team. It's probably at least another year or 2 before they see the playoffs again.