Week 2 Chiefs Recap TB 20 KC 15

After Week 2 of the preseason, a few things are looking clearer, while others have become even bigger questions.

Halftime score was knotted up 10-10.

OFFENSE: They showed signs of life this week. Consistency needs to be worked on, but this was a much better showing by the unit as a whole. Cassel spread the ball around and got his top receivers involved.

QB - Cassel looked like he was out to prove something tonight. He looked much better and was made some very solid throws. 14/19 for 125 yds and a TD isn't bad for a half of football. With Brodie Croyle out, Tyler Palko got a chance to work more. He started strong but ended the night with a pair of picks to remind everyone why he is a long shot to make this team.

RB - Solid all around. Thomas Jones started and did exactly what the Chiefs are going to ask of him. He grinds out tough yards while the defense is still fresh. He did fumble on the opening drive which led to 3 points for the Bucs. Jamaal Charles then proceeded to pump up Chiefs fans by averaging over 5 ypc and having only one carry under 4 yards. He also added 23 yards receiving on 3 catches. Dexter McCluster carried the ball once on an end-around that was sniffed out by Ronde Barber for a loss. McCluster also added a 17 yard reception. Jackie Battle took advantage of Kestahn Moore being out of the lineup and had a solid night with 59 yards or 11 carries.

WR - We have a Dwayne Bowe sighting. A few of them actually. 3 receptions for 33 yards. Bowe played strong, using his body to simply keep smaller defenders away from the ball. His hands looked much improved as well. If he can continue this into the regular season, the Chiefs may have a true offensive weapon in the passing game. Chris Chambers also had 2 receptions for 20 yards. It's a good sign that the Chiefs #1 and #2 receivers averaged over 10 yards per reception.

TE - Leonard Pope continued to play well. He's doing everything he can to keep Tony Moeaki at #2 on the depth chart. Moeaki was, again, held out for precautionary reasons. This is one of the more intense position battles on the team.

O-Line - This squad played 10 times better this week. Cassel was sacked once and pressured once but both times were due to overload blitzes. The line played great in the run game as well. It's clear that running to the right will be difficult for the Chiefs. Lilja is a pass protector and O'Callaghan just isn't quick enough for the NFL. However, the left side of the line looks phenomenal. Albert and Waters were handling people last night. Weigmann is a clear upgrade over Niswanger at center.


DEFENSE: They started strong, but seemed to lose their fire as the half approached. Coach Crennel is going to have to find a way for the rest of the unit to help out a young and talented secondary.

NT - Ron Edwards didn't play well at all. He was largely ineffective the entire night. Shaun Smith showed plenty of fire, but no control. He shot past the RB and out of the play a couple of times.

DE - Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson played pretty well overall. They didn't make plays or really rush the passer. But they chewed up blockers all night. It was rare that the Bucs didn't have to double team at least one (if not both) of them. Alex Magee needs to find some drive and become much more effective as a backup.

OLB - Tamba Hali absolutely crushed Josh Johnson. Those are the kinds of plays the Chiefs need. Getting to the QB with just a 4 man rush is the key to a successful defense. It needs to happen a lot more often for the Chiefs though. Vrabel played as expected but Andy Studebaker is quickly gaining on him by putting on solid performances. More needs to be seen from Cameron Sheffield and Corey Greenwood.

ILB - Jovan Belcher may have locked up a starting spot on the defense. He is easily the strongest LB on the team and has worked hard on his tackling technique. He was matched up with a no-show Derrick Johnson last night. Expect DJ to get another shot as the starter next week, but he will have to play better if he doesn't want Demorrio Williams to get the nod. Williams had 3 1/2 tackles, but that was largely against the scrubs. Corey Mays is most likely out of contention for a starting role.

CB - The coverage was there all night. But excellent catches and throws will make it look like Flowers and Carr were getting beat. Flowers' one mistake was trying to take the ball away from a receiver instead of making the tackle. The result was a 53 yard TD. You have to know where the safety help is. That's a young player's mistake, and Flowers is smart enough to correct it. Javier Arenas is most likely the team's #3 CB now that Leggett is likely out for a long period of time.

S - Berry looked sharp. He was making tackles and was constantly around the ball. Kendrick Lewis didn't get his name called all night, but that's what you want as a defensive back. I noticed that he was out of position on a couple of plays (including the 53 yard TD pass). He may have just taken the starting job away from John McGraw. McGraw and Rashard Langford will probably be locked in as the 2s.


SPECIAL TEAMS: This unit is almost perfect. They did everything right last night. It was easy to see why the Chiefs didn't bother bringing in any competition for Ryan Succop or Dustin Colquitt.

K - Succop is a Chiefs fan's favorite. The last pick of the 2009 draft has quickly become extremely popular. He added a pair of FGs to his preseason resume and consistently put the ball deep in the end zone on KOs.

P - Colquitt has a natural advantage being left-footed. It puts a spin on the ball that most returners don't like. Add that to the incredible power and accuracy that he has, and it's hard to imagine the Chiefs letting him go any time soon.

KR/PR - Javier Arenas about broke another one. A 54 yard KR in the 1st qtr set the Chiefs up for a TD drive. This is 2 weeks in a row that Arenas has put on a return clinic. Anyone who was surprised that McCluster wasn't named the return man just needs to watch Arenas work.

ST Defense - It speaks volumes when the other team is willing to take a safety instead of giving you a chance to block the punt. That's the kind of rep this team needs to take to the defense.


OVERALL: A couple of mistakes away from a 1st half shutout. The Chiefs definitely looked better than last year. The mental mistakes are exactly why teams play preseason games, so there isn't much to worry about there. They need to generate more pressure and I expect to see a couple of blitz packages next week. The offense needs more consistency because they have shown the ability to be dominant when things are clicking. The Chiefs look like they can be competitive with average NFL teams. Things appear to be looking better in KC.