Our readers think the Oakland Raiders will have a better rushing offense in 2011 than the Kansas City Chiefs by a slight margin.

However, our favorite go-to scout Matt Williamson (again, no relation) of Scouts Inc. thinks Kansas City’s run game is slightly better. There is no denying it is close. Kansas City had the No.1 run offense in the NFL last year, while Oakland had the No. 2 run offense.

Here are Williamson’s thoughts: “I prefer the Chiefs rushing attack. Their offensive line is just noticeably better. And I think (Jamaal) Charles is the best ball carrier on either team. Plus, their passing game is more dangerous, which helps to free up the running game. Both are excellent, and should continue to be, but I will take Kansas City.”

Still, Williamson thinks the addition of fourth-round pick Taiwan Jones in Oakland could close the gap.

“I think used in spot duty and not overworked, he can have a real place in this league,” Williamson said of the speedy Jones.

By BJ Kissel

– Staff Writer

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Kansas City on Facebook.

Aug 31, 2011 – Jamaal Charles carried the ball 22 times in the meeting last season between the Chiefs and Bills, which tied his season high. While the Chiefs squeaked out the game with a 13-10 victory in the closing seconds of overtime on a Ryan Succop 35 yard field goal, it wasn’t the easiest game for Chiefs fans to watch.

Despite Charles averaging 8 yards per carry and chipping in another 61 yards receiving, the Chiefs still only managed one touchdown in the game. They didn’t turn the ball over, which is the main reason they were able to pull out this victory. But going 4-15 on third down isn’t going to win many games for anyone.

Matt Cassel was fantastically average going 14-26 for 152 yards and a touchdown. But with under a minute remaining in overtime, Cassel threw consecutive passes of 18 yards and 11 yards to Tony Moeaki that got the Chiefs into field goal range and gave them the opportunity to win the game. The Chiefs may have ran for 274 yards in the game with a 6.1 yards per carry average, but it was the passing game that ultimately won this game for the Chiefs.

The Bills have re-shaped their defense heading into this 2011 season. They have lost their two leading tacklers from last season in Paul Posluszny and Donte Whitner. Posluszny signed with the Jaguars and Whitner has joined the 49ers. They also released former first-round pick Aaron Maybin, who recently signed with the Jets. They signed free agent linebacker Nick Barnett, formerly with the Packers, and drafted DT Marcell Dareus with the No. 3 pick overall in the 2011 NFL draft.

The key to this game is going to be very simple for the Chiefs. The Chiefs need to establish that they can run the ball effectively at any time. If the Chiefs are going to be a truly dominant rushing team this year than they need to prove they can successfully run the ball when the other team knows it coming, and still can’t do anything about it. That comes down to winning the battle at the line of scrimmage. The Chiefs haven’t been too successful yet this preseason in terms of their offensive line, but the first week of the regular season should prove to be a barometer for how Haley’s offseason and preseason tactics have worked in regular season situations.

It wouldn’t surprise anyone if most teams the Chiefs play this year do everything they can to try and stop Charles and the Chiefs running game. They will test Matt Cassel early and often and make him prove that he can beat them through the air. There is one player on the Chiefs roster that’s should to be able to help Cassel the most with this problem. That’s Dexter McCluster. He will be able to take short, safe passes and turn them into huge gains.

Teams better not relax when they see Charles leave the game and McCluster comes rolling onto the field. Draws and screens will be set up specifically for McCluster to get some space and break off a big play. Cassel just needs to make sure to make the correct read and to get McCluster the ball at the right time. He’ll take care of the rest as shown this preseason. Cassel still has a lot to prove in situations where the running game gets shut down and it falls on his shoulders throwing the ball, but that shouldn’t happen against the Bills and if it does, the problems are much bigger anyways. 

The Chiefs know that Chan Gailey loves to pass the ball and Ryan Fitzpatrick loves to air it out for the Bills. They will be testing the Chiefs secondary early and often and Chiefs fans ought to be comfortable with that. Rookie linebacker Justin Houston might have the opportunity to build on the pass-rushing repertoire he’s flashed in the preseason and take that to the field, namely to Ryan Fitzpatrick. They already know about Tamba and the Chiefs shouldn’t have any problem introducing some of the new players to the Bills.

The Bills return No. 1 receiver Steve Johnson, who finished the 2010 season with 1,073 yards and 10 touchdowns. But did lose No. 2 Lee Evans in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens. For as much as the Bills like the pass the ball you’d think they would want to keep as many playmakers around as possible. They did sign wide receiver/return man/quarterback/wildcat back, Brad Smith, who signed over from the New York Jets this past offseason. But Johnson and Smith aren’t enough to truly worry this strong secondary.

The Chiefs will get a very good gauge of where they stand in the trenches after this game and that should go a long way in answering some of the lingering offensive line questions that have surfaced in the last couple of preseason games. Buffalo ranked dead last in the NFL last season against the run and the additions they’ve made might help their team, but losing Posluszny is going to hurt the middle of their defense. And that’s right where the Chiefs should try and run the ball.

Read More: Matt Cassel (QB – KAN), Donte Whitner (S – SFX), Jamaal Charles (RB – KAN), Tony Moeaki (TE – KAN), Dexter McCluster (WR – KAN), New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Kansas City Chiefs

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Kansas City on Facebook.

Do you like this story?

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—The Kansas City Chiefs were working on special teams Tuesday morning, specifically the field goal units, when Todd Haley’s voice cut through the air like a foghorn.

Rookie linebacker Justin Houston(notes) was late getting on the field with the first team kick block unit, and Haley let him know it. Forget about the content of the message—the volume of his voice alone was enough to convey a sense of urgency as the Chiefs prepare for their final preseason game.

“I felt like we’ve made improvements all along through training camp and the preseason,” Haley said, “and I feel like we’re doing that again. And if we make improvements, then I’ll feel good.”

Haley said the Chiefs have had perhaps their best week of training camp, even though it was a short one. After losing to St. Louis last Friday, they had heavy practices Sunday and Monday and worked out again Tuesday. They’ll take Wednesday off except for a walk through, and then head to Green Bay to face the defending Super Bowl champions on Thursday night.

Along the way, Kansas City was forced to cut its roster to 80 players by Tuesday afternoon. After releasing seven Monday, the Chiefs reached their limit by putting offensive tackle Ryan O’Callaghan(notes) on injured reserve and waiving kicker Todd Carter(notes).

More decisions will have to be made soon.

Haley and his staff will be able to evaluate the Packers game Friday before making final roster decisions. Teams must cut to 53 players by Saturday. Then it’s on to game week, with the Buffalo Bills coming to town for the season opener Sept. 11 at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I really feel like we’ve been able to stay on schedule as far as how we want to do things,” Haley said. “I’ve fought the urge to be reactionary and do things we hadn’t really planned on doing.”

That’s taken some pretty solid self-control considering how poorly the Chiefs have performed in their first three preseason games. They were wiped out 25-0 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their opener, were trounced 31-13 by the Baltimore Ravens a week later, then watched the Governor’s Cup head back across the state when the Rams held on for a 14-10 victory last week.

The Chiefs have played their starters sparingly with quarterback Matt Cassel(notes) throwing all of 27 passes—and completing just 12. Running backs Jamaal Charles(notes) and Thomas Jones(notes) have combined for 15 carries and 60 yards, and top wide receiver Dwayne Bowe(notes) has four catches for 54 yards.

Cassel said he’s bought into Haley’s deliberate approach to the preseason, which was thrown in flux by the NFL lockout. But even he acknowledged it would be nice to throw a few more passes Thursday night before the games start to count.

“We’ve had three preseason games and you’re trying different stuff and all that,” Cassel said, “and we haven’t exactly pounded the rock like we did last year, and we’re still at this time trying to get used to some new players that we have and go forward from there

“We’ll see,” he said. “Again, it comes down to game plan and what the coaches put together.”

Haley wouldn’t reveal exactly how much he plans to play his first-string units at Lambeau Field, but he did say “our core guys will have a good amount of playing time.” That’s a departure from most Week 4 preseason games, when teams try to protect their starters from injuries.

Haley also said he feels comfortable with the players currently on the roster, despite several apparent holes that could be addressed as other teams make their cuts.

The Chiefs head into the regular season with only journeyman Tyler Palko(notes) and fifth-round draft pick Ricky Stanzi(notes) backing up Cassel, unless they attempt to sign a veteran quarterback. They also lost some key depth on the offensive line when they put O’Callaghan on injured reserve.

Branden Albert(notes) and Barry Richardson(notes) appear to have locked down the starting tackle jobs, with late free agent signee Jared Gaither(notes) providing backup. Gaither was once an emerging star with the Baltimore Ravens before missing all of last season with a back injury, but he’s shown flashes of his old self and will be relied on even more heavily now that O’Callaghan is gone.

“I’ve been healthy since I’ve been here,” Gaither said. “Now it’s just really learning the playbook, getting out there and getting comfortable with the guys. I started to get there last week.”

Gaither knows that time is running out, though. So do the rest of the Chiefs.

“You know, the preseason is all about trying to get better,” Cassel said. “That’s the bottom line. It’s really about your team, because the ultimate goal is to be ready by Sept. 11.”

“I felt like we’ve made improvements all along through training camp and the preseason,” Haley said, “and I feel like we’re doing that again. And if we make improvements, then I’ll feel good.”

Haley said the Chiefs have had perhaps their best week of training camp, even though it was a short one. After losing to St. Louis last Friday, they had heavy practices Sunday and Monday and worked out again Tuesday. They’ll take Wednesday off except for a walk through, and then head to Green Bay to face the defending Super Bowl champions on Thursday night.

Along the way, Kansas City was forced to cut its roster to 80 players by Tuesday afternoon. After releasing seven Monday, the Chiefs reached their limit by putting offensive tackle Ryan O’Callaghan on injured reserve and waiving kicker Todd Carter.

More decisions will have to be made soon.

Haley and his staff will be able to evaluate the Packers game Friday before making final roster decisions. Teams must cut to 53 players by Saturday. Then it’s on to game week, with the Buffalo Bills coming to town for the season opener Sept. 11 at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I really feel like we’ve been able to stay on schedule as far as how we want to do things,” Haley said. “I’ve fought the urge to be reactionary and do things we hadn’t really planned on doing.”

That’s taken some pretty solid self-control considering how poorly the Chiefs have performed in their first three preseason games. They were wiped out 25-0 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their opener, were trounced 31-13 by the Baltimore Ravens a week later, then watched the Governor’s Cup head back across the state when the Rams held on for a 14-10 victory last week.

The Chiefs have played their starters sparingly with quarterback Matt Cassel throwing all of 27 passes — and completing just 12. Running backs Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones have combined for 15 carries and 60 yards, and top wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has four catches for 54 yards.

Cassel said he’s bought into Haley’s deliberate approach to the preseason, which was thrown in flux by the NFL lockout. But even he acknowledged it would be nice to throw a few more passes Thursday night before the games start to count.

“We’ve had three preseason games and you’re trying different stuff and all that,” Cassel said, “and we haven’t exactly pounded the rock like we did last year, and we’re still at this time trying to get used to some new players that we have and go forward from there

“We’ll see,” he said. “Again, it comes down to game plan and what the coaches put together.”

Haley wouldn’t reveal exactly how much he plans to play his first-string units at Lambeau Field, but he did say “our core guys will have a good amount of playing time.” That’s a departure from most Week 4 preseason games, when teams try to protect their starters from injuries.

Haley also said he feels comfortable with the players currently on the roster, despite several apparent holes that could be addressed as other teams make their cuts.

The Chiefs head into the regular season with only journeyman Tyler Palko and fifth-round draft pick Ricky Stanzi backing up Cassel, unless they attempt to sign a veteran quarterback. They also lost some key depth on the offensive line when they put O’Callaghan on injured reserve.

Branden Albert and Barry Richardson appear to have locked down the starting tackle jobs, with late free agent signee Jared Gaither providing backup. Gaither was once an emerging star with the Baltimore Ravens before missing all of last season with a back injury, but he’s shown flashes of his old self and will be relied on even more heavily now that O’Callaghan is gone.

“I’ve been healthy since I’ve been here,” Gaither said. “Now it’s just really learning the playbook, getting out there and getting comfortable with the guys. I started to get there last week.”

Gaither knows that time is running out, though. So do the rest of the Chiefs.

“You know, the preseason is all about trying to get better,” Cassel said. “That’s the bottom line. It’s really about your team, because the ultimate goal is to be ready by Sept. 11.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.