AFC West Roundup

[Orange Crush77]

If we could get any semblance of competent o line play, we should take the division. Our defense is championship caliber.

 

[cdumler7]

If we could get any semblance of competent o line play, we should take the division. Our defense is championship caliber.

That is what I was thinking. Those first couple of games the OL looked like it had really taken a very nice step forward compared to last year's group. A couple of injuries and they have looked like they have gone right back to where they were. So hopefully a few days extra rest and some time for the coaches to really sit down and watch the tape and figure things out will get this group on track. I'm not ready to hit the panic button on that group yet as I said at the beginning of the year that it would take at least 8 weeks for this group to get used to each other with 4 new starters. When you add some injuries to having to try and move guys around it doesn't help.

As for the AFC West I still think we have to be the front runner. KC seems to be way too inconsistent at this point. We see weeks like this last one where they dominate and then other weeks where both sides of the ball are getting completely destroyed.

The Raiders have a great offense but as we have seen that defense is down right terrible. This isn't just a new people getting used to playing together thing. They are blowing coverages, missing tackles, getting pushed off the LOS. Lots of issues on that defensive side of the ball. I still see an 8-8 team that maybe goes 9-7 since they won a couple of those close ones early on that gave them a nice boost.

The Chargers well I think they dug themselves too big of a hole to start out the season. I honestly do view them as the 2nd best team in this division as they have a decent defense and still an explosive offense even with the injuries. Coaching and turnovers have been their undoing so far this year.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

At this point with the Raiders I'll be shocked if JDR isn't calling the shots entirely on defense by season's end. The hybridization experiment has flunked and is going to threaten their postseason hopes at this rate.

 

[cdumler7]

At this point with the Raiders I'll be shocked if JDR isn't calling the shots entirely on defense by season's end. The hybridization experiment has flunked and is going to threaten their postseason hopes at this rate.

How many times did we try to warn Raiders fans that some of the players they got did not fit the system that they were going to try and run? So far that whole experiment has been a complete bust on that side of the ball. Either they need to change their scheme or just realize they wasted a huge chunk of money. Just goes to show the whole "winning Free Agency" thing doesn't really mean much especially if the players are not good fits for the scheme. I would say there are very few players in the league that can go to any team and play in any scheme and be successful wherever they go. Heck JJ Watt is one that if he didn't play in a 1-gap attacking type system I don't think he would be that successful. He is not the best at anchoring and holding the point of contact allowing others to make plays while he takes on multiple blockers. His best work is when he is allowed to attack down hill and fight through those double teams. So he wouldn't be a great fit in a Del Rio Scheme either.

 

[cdumler7]

And actually from what I understood Del Rio took over playcalling for the defense a while ago. At least the last few games worth. Maybe he gave it back but I had heard there was a major rift between him and KNJ going on so Del Rio just said the defense is his.

 

[Fountain City Blues]

And actually from what I understood Del Rio took over playcalling for the defense a while ago. At least the last few games worth. Maybe he gave it back but I had heard there was a major rift between him and KNJ going on so Del Rio just said the defense is his.

If you believe Del Rio KNR was calling plays yesterday. A rift would be anything but surprising, however. Frustration is probably mounting quite a bit internally.

How many times did we try to warn Raiders fans that some of the players they got did not fit the system that they were going to try and run? So far that whole experiment has been a complete bust on that side of the ball. Either they need to change their scheme or just realize they wasted a huge chunk of money. Just goes to show the whole "winning Free Agency" thing doesn't really mean much especially if the players are not good fits for the scheme. I would say there are very few players in the league that can go to any team and play in any scheme and be successful wherever they go. Heck JJ Watt is one that if he didn't play in a 1-gap attacking type system I don't think he would be that successful. He is not the best at anchoring and holding the point of contact allowing others to make plays while he takes on multiple blockers. His best work is when he is allowed to attack down hill and fight through those double teams. So he wouldn't be a great fit in a Del Rio Scheme either.

I for the most part I have harped more on Sean Smith since I have, predictably, seen quite a bit of Sean the past 3 years so I'd like to think I know what I am talking about when I say offman is not a great skill of his; and consistently needs safety help. But yeesh, I thought they'd be at least a mediocre group at this point. The communications and assignments are consistently off and some of that is onfield leadership (Cwood anyone?) and a lot of it is coaching/scheme, but someone needs to be accountable at some point. It's pretty bad when teams have zero fear of the defense in any capacity. The only offense they have been able to slow down even a little has been the Titans, let that sink in. Most underachieving defense in the league by a long margin.

 

[cdumler7]

If you believe Del Rio KNR was calling plays yesterday. A rift would be anything but surprising, however. Frustration is probably mounting quite a bit internally.



I for the most part I have harped more on Sean Smith since I have, predictably, seen quite a bit of Sean the past 3 years so I'd like to think I know what I am talking about when I say offman is not a great skill of his; and consistently needs safety help. But yeesh, I thought they'd be at least a mediocre group at this point. The communications and assignments are consistently off and some of that is onfield leadership (Cwood anyone?) and a lot of it is coaching/scheme, but someone needs to be accountable at some point. It's pretty bad when teams have zero fear of the defense in any capacity. The only offense they have been able to slow down even a little has been the Titans, let that sink in. Most underachieving defense in the league by a long margin.

I would bet there is a ridiculous amount of pressure internally for the Raiders to finally have a winning season. When they go and spend so much money to improve this team and while record wise they have shown improvement I'm not sure the product on the field has been that much of difference at this point. They have won some close games that they would have lost last year which is a step in the right direction but it is easy to see especially on the defensive side of the ball they are completely lost. And it isn't just a communication issue at this point. Scheme wise as we have talked about a lot has been terrible but even more we saw yesterday the Chiefs just blow that front-7 of the Raiders straight back 3-5 yards on many of the plays. They lacked lane discipline. They had terrible technique when trying to break down and make a tackle. So this goes beyond just scheme being an issue. They are an undisciplined group with some guys playing out of position. Really to me they are a good showing of how talent is only part of the equation. I liked some of the players they brought in like Sean Smith and Reggie Nelson. When you have no clue how to use those players and refuse to bend on how you play them well that is just terrible coaching.

As for Del Rio saying KNJ was the play caller. Maybe he called the game I don't know but to me that sounds like the old Del Rio that I remember of placing blame on everybody else but himself. He did that in Denver all the time throwing players under the bus when the defense had a bad game. He would always comment about how the players didn't execute the scheme they were supposed to. Well maybe some of that is true but when you refuse to blitz, mix up schemes to confuse a QB, play so far off man that all they have to do all day is run the quick screen passes and pick up 7-10 yards every time you make it pretty easy for any team to beat this scheme.

 

[CEH]

If we could get any semblance of competent o line play, we should take the division. Our defense is championship caliber.

According to former Olineman in this scheme,

Kubiak is still running the same system even though they outlawed the cut block. Shanahan in ATL is running the same system but they have adjusted the blocking scheme since the back side pursuit is no longer being cut.

 

[cdumler7]

According to former Olineman in this scheme,

Kubiak is still running the same system even though they outlawed the cut block. Shanahan in ATL is running the same system but they have adjusted the blocking scheme since the back side pursuit is no longer being cut.

Honestly this will be a big week for the OL. They are finally all healthy again and have the entire week to work together. If they can't start getting it together now then we are definitely in some trouble. Our defense can only take us so far this year.

 

[CEH]

Denver picking up BALT/MIA version of Schofield. Billy Turner gave up 3 sacks to the Titans and was cut.

 

[cdumler7]

Denver picking up BALT/MIA version of Schofield. Billy Turner gave up 3 sacks to the Titans and was cut.

Well this move is mostly substituting a bad player for another bad player. His 3 sack game form what I understand was with him playing Tackle where the Broncos most likely want him more as a guard. I think they are looking for a guy to possibly take Garcia's spot. Right now of the 5 starters he has struggled the most and has really been an area teams have attacked with great success.

 

[iknowftbll]

I am not surprised the line has struggled. In fact, the first two games I was surprised they looked so solid. This is a ZBS and 4 of 5 starters are new, along with a couple injury replacements. In other words, lots of turbulence in a scheme that requires continuity. I am really curious what the long term plan here is. It would be great to get some semblance of an adequate line together before we get our QBs killed back there!

 

[cdumler7]

Denver picking up BALT/MIA version of Schofield. Billy Turner gave up 3 sacks to the Titans and was cut.

Just watched the Titans game for this kid.

the good
Miami had their best success running to his side of the OL. Opened up some pretty big holes
Highly athletic
Very strong on top of having quick feet

the bad (why he was cut)
Terrible technique--Will get caught lunging quite often getting himself out of position often in the pass game
Football smarts--One thing the Titans kept doing to him was doing a DL stunt. He would stop his initial guy but when the 2nd guy twisted he was slow to react

As an OG I could see him being successful especially in the run game for us. I wouldn't be surprised if Garcia continues to struggle that they put this kid in and see what he can do. Most of his problems were having to play in space where technique insufficiencies really show up like we saw with Schofield last year. Move him in where the lanes are a bit smaller and maybe he can make a nice transition. Not saying it is the best signing ever but with how Garcia has been playing all year the Broncos have to try something.

 

[cdumler7]

Well figure I'll give my thoughts on this upcoming weekend. The AFC West after this past weekend definitely got a lot more clouded. Broncos had a chance to really separate themselves from the pack and blew a great opportunity. So now just looking at the games for this week...

Saints @Arrowhead--The Saints have been the 2nd highest scoring offense in the NFL only behind the Falcons so far this year. The Chiefs have played 2 teams so far this year that are in the top-10 for scoring offenses. They gave up 27 to the Chargers and 43 to the Steelers. So the Chiefs defense has had their struggles against high powered offenses. Now one does have to wonder if they have taken the same path as last year of getting some things right during the Bye Week as that defense looked much better against a good Raiders offense this past week. The nice thing for the Chiefs is the Saints right now have statistically the worst defense in football. So this game actually could turn into a bit of a shoot out. I still like the Chiefs at home though against this defense and especially with the Chiefs ability to run the football being able to control the clock. Chiefs 27 Saints 24

Chargers @Falcons--2 high powered offenses facing off. The Chargers have had some time to get a bit healthier and some extra days to prepare for this game. Even with that I just think the Falcons take this one. They have been pretty darn impressive this year beating Denver in Denver then should have possibly won the game in Seattle. Just too many weapons for them against a pretty depleted Chargers defense. Falcons 31 Chargers 24

Raiders @Jaguars--This to me is the most intriguing match up of the 3 divisional opponents. These were the two young teams people thought would maybe rise up and surprise people. The Jaguars struggled early on but have righted the ship with 2 straight wins. You throw in the Raiders have never actually won in Jacksonville and I think we could see a nice upset in the Broncos favor here. Jacksonville has plenty of offense to take advantage of this terrible Raiders defense and I think enough on defense to slow down the Raiders defense. Still I predict a high scoring game with the Jags coming out on top 30-27.

Finally Texans vs. Broncos--2 I guess you could call them division leaders (technically Oakland has the division lead because of a division win) facing off. Osweiler returning, our coaching staff playing the team that fired them, and so on. Lots of story lines to focus on. I'll start with this though...Since week 8 of last season the Texans are ranked 1st in ypg allowed, pass yards allowed per game, sacks, and are 2nd in yards allowed per play. Broncos in that same span are 3rd in ypg allowed, 2nd in pass yards per game allowed, 1st in yards per play, and 2nd in sacks. So 2 of the best and most consistent defenses in the NFL over the last calendar year.

Honestly one could say the Broncos and Texans parallel in what we see of struggling offenses yet winning by dominating defenses. They are also similar in the fact that defensively the area they struggle with most is stopping the run with the Texans ranked 29th in the league in rush yards allowed per game and 21st in yards per carry. In fact the Texans just helped the Colts break their NFL streak of games without a 100 yard rusher that was at something like 55 games. All other games Gore had been held to 82 yards or less. DeMarco Murray had a huge game against them having 95 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. Blount went for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns. Every game since then he has been held to 54 yards or less. So they are vulnerable to the run game if the Broncos can get some things right this week.

Anyway I could go on and on about how to attack but this is a huge game for both teams. Right now though I see it meaning much more for the Broncos needing to stop a 2 game skid and stay close in the divisional race. I have Broncos winning this one 24-10.

 

[iknowftbll]

^ Good read, CD. I've been swamped lately so I'm going to spare the extra analysis and go straight to scores:

Broncos 17, Texans 10. The offense shows improvement but the Texans still keep scoring under control. Broncos defense tees off.

Chiefs 31, Saints 28. The Chiefs should be able to move the ball and score against the Saints, but I agree with you the jury is still out on that defense. Especially against the better offenses.

Raiders 31, Jaguars 17. Here's where we disagree. I am picking the Raiders, though I see your point about the Jags seemingly having found their feet. I wasn't aware the Raiders have never won in Jacksonville. Funny thing...Jack Del Rio hardly ever did either!

Falcons 42, Chargers 35. Shootout of the week. No defense. Whoever gets the ball last wins.

I think the AFC West is going to be a very intriguing division in the coming weeks!

 

[iknowftbll]

Raiders @ Jaguars or Saints @ Chiefs. If you have the choice which one would you rather watch? I'll likely skip back and forth, unless one of them becomes a run away win for any of the teams involved. Right now I'm watching the Chiefs. They picked up some first downs on their opening drive before punting. The Saints strolled right down the field and scored a TD. I picked the Chiefs to win (Raiders too) but hope I'm wrong on both.

 

[SpringStein]

With all three division foes winning today, the pressure is on to win tomorrow to not lose ground on all three.

 

[CEH]

With all three division foes winning today, the pressure is on to win tomorrow to not lose ground on all three.

I'd say "Must win" being a home game. Cannot lose another home game. 6-2 is the floor for a home schedule and expect to win the division especially already having dropped a road AFCW game.



When are you heading down today?

 

[SpringStein]

I'd say "Must win" being a home game. Cannot lose another home game. 6-2 is the floor for a home schedule and expect to win the division especially already having dropped a road AFCW game.



When are you heading down today?

Was just going to ask you the same - yes, and when we know where we will tailgate I'll text you. Your cell still ends in 3201?

 

[CEH]

Was just going to ask you the same - yes, and when we know where we will tailgate I'll text you. Your cell still ends in 3201?

Yes . Looking forward to it.

DC had a hostage crisis Saturday night. Trouble follows him everywhere.