Friday, August 31, 2012

Preseason Week 4 - Smashmouth

The starters for both the Chiefs and Packers only played a few drives but it did show me a little bit of what I think we've been lacking in recent years. When looking at some of the best teams in the NFL over the past 50 years like the 49ers, Steelers, and recently the Ravens, you notice one thing: they won't back down from anyone. They look to impose their will both offensively and defensively and, most of the time, do just that.

Last night the Chiefs started the game with 9 consecutive running plays from three different running backs. After two first downs the drive eventually stalled and ended with a field goal but seeing the prospective "thunder and lightning" idea play out as planned was nice to see. Jamal Charles put his speed on display after returning from tearing his ACL last year was encouraging, and watching Peyton Hillis run through and over defenders provided the old school feel.

As if seeing the White Rhino (Hillis) truck people wasn't refreshing enough, seeing Nate Eachus continue what he started last week just added to my excitement. Last week I commented that Eachus may struggle to make the final roster of 53 players but this week it seemed that he was the third string running back and had a good chance of not only making the team, but playing in the regular season.

I hope that what we saw out of the Chiefs continues over the course of the season, because I think the ability to impose your will on the other team is a very important aspect of almost every good team in the NFL. When a team can consistently challenge your defense by running the ball down your throat it's very hard to not get demoralized. If it does continue, which would be harder against a better run defense like the Broncos, I think we have a decent chance of winning our division in 2013.

No comments:

Post a Comment