We Are All Chiefs Now

[Angus]

http://www.theboysblog.com/

We’re All Chiefs Now

By Rafael Vela

The NFL is a copycat league. Any successful strategic innovation is quickly appropriated by rivals, who either mimic your plays or hire your coaches and players away.

By this standard, the Kansas City Chiefs are being flattered by mimicry, at least in the NFC East. Nfl.com columist Pat Kirwan, a former coach and scout, canvassed some current league coaches and got their reaction to the Cowboys’ new two TE system. One compared Dallas’ new offense to the Chiefs, who have run a two-TE, two-WR system extensively in recent seasons.

Dallas fans can hope the comparison is apt; the Chiefs have averaged 356 points since 2003, 54 points more than the Cowboys over the same span. They ran roughshod over the divison last year, posting 31 points against the Eagles and 28 against the Redskins and Cowboys. No offense stressed the Cowboys D more than the Chiefs. The two-TE packages were responsible for much of the damage and I’m sure Bill Parcells and his staff noticed.

I pulled the tape of last year’s K.C. game and watched again to see what tricks the Cowboys may be lifting from the Chiefs’ playbook. K.C’s success suggests its schemes not only influenced the drafting of TE Anthony Fasano but the signing of free agent G Kyle Kosier as well.

The Chiefs offense spent roughly 60% to 65% of the Dallas game in their version of the two TE package. The rest of the game they used a three WR set. lifting H-back Tony Richardson for third WR Sammie Parker. Kansas City was able to stay in its base package so much because H-back Tony Richardson’s game is so flexible; the eleven year vet could line up in the backfield and lead RB Larry Johnson on power running plays. Other times he would motion wide into the slot and lead Johnson on toss plays to the open side. The motion would pull a Cowboys linebacker into space and give Johnson more running gaps outside the tackle.

The Chiefs hurt Dallas using Richardson in two specific ways with TE Tony Gonzalez. In the first package, Richardson lined up in the slot opposite Gonzalez, who lined up tight. This gave Kansas City a three WR look, though Richardson was one of the wideouts. The package put Gonzalez in man coverage, either against an inside linebacker like Bradie James or a safety. The fleet Gonzales ran hooks and crosses and was assured 10 to 12 yards every time the Chiefs threw to him. You can imagine Dallas isolating Jason Witten this same way, using Fasano in the slot to get Witten the single coverage he so rarely faced in ‘05.

The greater damage came when Richardson was used as a decoy to set up the running game. Kirwan’s piece quoted an NFL coach who predicted,

“The real winner in the new ‘Dallas offense’ should be running back Julius Jones. Priest Holmes, Tiki Barber and LaDainian Tomlinson are all great backs, but the running opportunities they get when they set up the offense the right way doesn’t hurt their chances. Julius Jones is going to get more rushing plays with a blocker on every defender in the box than he has had in the past.”

The Chiefs frequently put Richardson in the slot on first downs. The Cowboys would move an outside linebacker out into space to cover him. This left Dallas with six man defensive fronts to face Gonzalez and the able K.C. line. The numbers favored the running game and Johnson made some impressive gains running against these undermanned fronts.

Kansas City also hurt Dallas with a package that put Richardson and Gonzalez on the same side, opposite the Chiefs receivers. I wrote a piece on this formation demonstrating how the Packers had killed Dallas with deep seam passes to TE Keith Jackson. The Chiefs had other ideas. When they overloaded a side, they ran that way. K.C. would have the Richardson/Gonzalez duo block down on the Cowboys’ OLB and DE, while the Chiefs tackle and guard would pull wide to lead Johnson on toss plays. Johnson twice ran untouched for touchdowns on this play. The keys were the effective perimeter blocks of the tight ends and the ability of the Chiefs’ linemen, particularly left guard Brian Waters, to get out on the perimeter and squash Dallas safeties.

I would be very surprised if this play did not become a staple of the ‘06 Dallas playbook. The Cowboys used a similar play later in the Chiefs game to spring Marion Barber for a long run. In ‘05, however, this was a situational play, that Dallas only ran on third and short. Unlike Kansas City, who used this play in all situations because its execution was so strong, Dallas relied on surprise; it hoped to catch defenses loading up the middle and outflank them.

Dallas lacked the guard play to run this all the time. LG Larry Allen had especially lost his pulling skills by ‘05. I’ve reviewed two late ‘05 games recently and noticed that Allen could still run to the perimeter, but could no longer hit moving targets. Does this mean that Kyle Kosier can? Nobody knows, but Allen’s lost skills explains why Kosier will get the chance.

So who will run the better version of the Chiefs offense in the NFC East this year, the Cowboys, who retooled their personnel to better resemble Kansas City’s base-formation machine (and lets not forget Terrell Owens, in addition to Fasano and Kosier) or the Redskins, who hired K.C.’s OC Al Saunders? It may be an apples-to-oranges comparison. All of Washington’s offseason offensive moves allow Saunders to implement the three-WR sets K.C. used. Wideouts Antwaan Randle-El and Brandon Lloyd were obtained to complement Santana Moss. TE Chris Cooley mentioned recently that he was exicted by Washington’s new emphasis on becoming a more vertical passing team.

It seems that Dallas and Washington have split the schemes, with Dallas choosing to copy the TE-based aspects of K.C.’s offense and the Redskins taking the WR-based parts. Whatever the case, they both want to be like the Chiefs now. May the better copycat win.

[DWinzit]

Seems like part of Gibbs and Parcells history. Nice long winded article.

[No_Pressure]

Copycats?

Heck heres something I read weeks ago while browsing wikipedia:

(Under Style of play)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Gibbs

"Gibbs is credited with inventing the single back, double tight end set. He used it to neutralize Lawrence Taylor, realizing that to successfully block him with a running back was impossible; an extra tight end and a tackle were required. When Gibbs incorporated the shifting and motions for which his offenses were known, the formation also created a lot of mismatches that could be exploited. He is also one of the few coaches that utilizes the H-back position prominently in his offensive schemes."

If anything Kansas City's offense is just a copycat of both the 80's Redskins and late 70's early 80's Chargers under Gibbs and Coryell right? And hey I bet Coryell's offense was just a copy of something else before it right? 2 TE sets arent a new thing for Bill Parcells to see, and throwing the ball downfield a lot isnt something new to Gibbs, the OC who coordinated the "Air Coryell" offense

[skinz4evr]

Copycats?

Heck heres something I read weeks ago while browsing wikipedia:

(Under Style of play)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Gibbs

"Gibbs is credited with inventing the single back, double tight end set. He used it to neutralize Lawrence Taylor, realizing that to successfully block him with a running back was impossible; an extra tight end and a tackle were required. When Gibbs incorporated the shifting and motions for which his offenses were known, the formation also created a lot of mismatches that could be exploited. He is also one of the few coaches that utilizes the H-back position prominently in his offensive schemes."

If anything Kansas City's offense is just a copycat of both the 80's Redskins and late 70's early 80's Chargers under Gibbs and Coryell right? And hey I bet Coryell's offense was just a copy of something else before it right? 2 TE sets arent a new thing for Bill Parcells to see, and throwing the ball downfield a lot isnt something new to Gibbs, the OC who coordinated the "Air Coryell" offense

Actually I thought Coryell WAS credited with coming up with an original system that alot of people used variations of, but I could have been deceived. And that was a great excerpt from Wikipedia, but I don't always trust it 100% because people can edit or add to the content. But after looking at what you are saying about Bill Parcells, didn't he have another blocking TE in NY and Bavaro catching? I know I saw some 2TE sets.

[No_Pressure]

Yeah I mean sure dont trust wikipedia but everyone knows it wasnt the Cheifs that came up with using a good 2 TE set, etc. I think Saunders did a good job calling the plays, and it helps to have the best TE in the NFL. Gibbs is credited on wikipedia, someone taught it to him, probably Coryell, someone taught the idea to Coryell, and someone taught the guy that taught Coryell. It isnt like KC is starting a new trend these days, Parcells isnt stupid he has played good 2 TE sets before and he has used 2 good TE's before... the article was an interesting idea but I think they were looking too far into nothing.

[Skeletor The Invincible]

There are a whole lot of problems with that. The first was mentioned above.

The second I would like to point out is that, if anything, while the Cowboys are 'copycatting' the Chiefs, the Redskins simply stole their entire offensive system. No copycats there.

[HardyNickerson56]

Al Saunders did work under Coryell with those Charger's teams didn't he? I know in Kansas City most of the credit for the offense was given to his time under Coryell.

[tr1]

No offense stressed the Cowboys D more than the Chiefs.

Our aquiring Saunders must have BP shaking in his boots.

[Kurd Cudins]

I would think that signing the coordinator of said Chiefs offense gives us the edge on this one. How can this guy even ask this? My question for him is who will run Al Saunders offense better than Al Saunders? :helmet:

[Shotgunner]

Interesting. Gibbs and Parcells looking closely at each other, as ususal.

Advantage Parcells, in head to head wins but, Saunders is the difference this year and that will turn the tide.

[tizzod]

The entire article is about Dallas and then it's "oh yeah, the Redskins got Saunders. Which team will be better?"

Nice one-sided analysis.

[No_Pressure]

Al Saunders did work under Coryell with those Charger's teams didn't he? I know in Kansas City most of the credit for the offense was given to his time under Coryell.

Yes, he did. He was a position coach after Joe Gibbs was the OC there, Saunders took over the OC job a few years after Gibbs came to D.C. and in 1986 he was promoted to head coach after Don Coryell started out 1-7.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sdg1986.htm

That year shows the coach transition. Saunders learned from Coryell and was in San Diego at almost the same time as Gibbs...strange that news sources didnt make a bigger deal about it though. This is why Gibbs wanted to get him. The roots of Saunders offense are the same as a Gibbs offense, only Saunders works better in the modern NFL apparently.

Saunders also coached at San Diego State with Coryell in the 70's but I am not sure if Gibbs was there...I think he was.

[DCsportsfan53]

Joe Gibbs offense and Saunders offense come from the same place. They're very similar. To ignore that fact in this article and concentrate soley on the Chiefs and Boys is kind of retarded. And I don't what makes him think we aren't going to use 2 TE sets. We have a real nice, deep set of TEs and H backs and will still use these sets heavily.

[Warhead36]

We could easily go into a 2 TE set if need be with Fauria and Cooley, and you could even throw Sellars into that as well.

[scruffylookin]

Didn't Saunders just bring what he had in St. Louis to Kansas City?

It's not the "Kansas City" offense....it's the Al Saunders-Joe Gibbs-Don Coryell offense........and we got two of them. If anything, Al Saunders and Joe Gibbs should be flattered that the Cowboys are trying to copy their stuff.

[No_Pressure]

Didn't Saunders just bring what he had in St. Louis to Kansas City?

It's not the "Kansas City" offense....it's the Al Saunders-Joe Gibbs-Don Coryell offense........and we got two of them. If anything, Al Saunders and Joe Gibbs should be flattered that the Cowboys are trying to copy their stuff.

Well the Saunders offense is what works in the modern era. I am guessing he picked up something from Martz in St. Louis and combined that with his offenses in K.C. Either way, despite what formations you are using, it all comes down to who is calling the play. I would take the coach of one of the best offenses for the last few years over Parcells.

[THEHEREAFTER]

Our aquiring Saunders must have BP shaking in his boots.

Different personell.

[bigbaby]

First Off I Like That Article, Good Insight To The Upcoming Season. But We All Know Gibbs Created Football.

[tr1]

Well the Saunders offense is what works in the modern era. I am guessing he picked up something from Martz in St. Louis and combined that with his offenses in K.C. Either way, despite what formations you are using, it all comes down to who is calling the play. I would take the coach of one of the best offenses for the last few years over Parcells.

Wasn't Martz an assistant for Gibbs here during Gibbs I?

[tr1]

Different personell.

I like our safties in a match-up....our corners can hold their own as well.

[jrockster21]

Wasn't Martz an assistant for Gibbs here during Gibbs I?

No. Martz was QB coach for Norval from 97-99 I believe. He left in 99 to St. Louis and took Green with him. It was during the ownership changeover, and Danny wasn't allowed to make offers to any players.

[ArmchairRedskin]

Yeah the Chiefs scored 28 points on us, but their offense only scored two TD's. The third TD was a fumble recovery. Plus I don't see Julius Jones taking a screen pass 60 yards on us like Holmes did. Besides, Dallas' success with this system hinges on the play of a rookie TE.

Whatever makes Parcells sleep better at night, I guess.

[Walking Deadman]

http://www.theboysblog.com/

We’re All Chiefs Now

By Rafael Vela

Dallas fans can hope the comparison is apt; the Chiefs have averaged 356 points since 2003, 54 points more than the Cowboys over the same span. They ran roughshod over the divison last year, posting 31 points against the Eagles and 28 against the Redskins and Cowboys. No offense stressed the Cowboys D more than the Chiefs. The two-TE packages were responsible for much of the damage and I’m sure Bill Parcells and his staff noticed.

.

No offense other than the Chiefs eh?

How much was the final score at the FedEx game??? Didn't we score 35 with our "lackluster O" as some would try and call it. Plus the Chiefs lost to Dallas and Philly despite the high point total. So if Dallas wants to copy everything that the Chiefs do, then they'll still struggle.