By BJ Kissel

– Staff Writer

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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

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“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.

“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.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ head coach arrived at training camp after an atypical offseason and decided to go about things a little differently than his peers. Whereas most other coaches tried to play catch up by putting their guys in pads and ramping up the contact early on, Haley chose to bring the Chiefs along methodically, working on their conditioning and slowly building them up.

The results have been mixed. The Chiefs have lost all three of their games — though Haley is 1-10 in the preseason, so that’s nothing new. But they’ve also fared better with each passing week, the margin of defeat in each game slowly dwindling.

After a 14-10 loss to the St. Louis Rams on Friday night, the Chiefs have one preseason game remaining before the regular season, against the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers.

Then Haley will know whether The Plan has paid off

“We’ve got another three practices and be on a plane,” Haley said. “Again, I believe in the guys. We’ll get a good week in and go out to Green Bay. We’ve got to get things going. You never say you have to this or that or the other, but I’d like to see us start to get some success.”

So would the rest of the Chiefs.

Matt Cassel has been abysmal in three preseason games, hardly throwing a pass in a 25-0 loss to Tampa Bay, struggling in a 31-13 defeat to Baltimore, and going 6 of 13 for 59 yards while taking an 11-yard sack in the loss to the Rams.

The league’s top-ranked rushing attack last year, when Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones combined for 2,363 yards on the ground, was supposed to get better with the addition of former All-Pro fullback Le’Ron McClain. Instead, the first-team managed 14 yards on six first-half carries against the Rams’ No.’1 defense. Charles and Jones each carried twice for eight total yards.

“I think this is all just part of the process, and Coach Haley has decided this is the best for our team,” said Cassel, repeating Haley’s refrain about sticking to The Plan. “As a player you conform to whatever he’s got set up for you.”

When asked whether Cassel thinks the first-team offense will be ready for the season opener Sept. 3 against Buffalo, given so little work in the preseason, he offered up a candid answer.

“I don’t think we have a choice,” Cassel said. “So we’ll be ready to go come Buffalo. I guarantee these guys will be ready to go. We’re ready for the season.”

Just not the preseason it seems.

The final box score from Friday night’s game against St. Louis showed little difference between the teams, but that was due largely to the success of the Chiefs’ second team. The halftime numbers from when both teams put their starters on the field told another story.

The Rams piled up 123 yards rushing, including 72 yards from Steven Jackson, while the Chiefs managed only 14 yards on six attempts. Sam Bradford started 8 of 8 through the air and finished with 95 yards and two TDs, while Cassel struggled under duress most of the night.

St. Louis was 7 of 10 on third down, while the Chiefs were 2 of 7.

Things got so bad at Arrowhead Stadium that the home fans booed repeatedly.

“When we look at the tape, there’ll be some things we see and we’ll think, ‘We could have avoided some of those things,’” linebacker Andy Studebaker said. “We’ll look at it and say we made some mistakes that were avoidable early on. … That’s what preseason is all about.”

That may be true, but it’s also about building for the regular season.

In that respect, the Chiefs are still under construction.

“We’ve got limited time left,” Haley said. “It’s going to be a short week and then we’ll get on a plane and go to Green Bay. I believe in our guys. I believe in this group we have. But some things are going to have to improve here pretty quickly in some of those areas I talked about. I believe if we do that then we’ll have a chance to be a competitive team that has a chance to win games.”

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

By Matt Conner

– Editor

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Aug 20, 2011 – He didn’t throw a pass in the first game. His second game was rather meaningless. This is a critical season for Matt Cassel as he now has the expectations of being at the top of the AFC West, especially with the additional weapons he’s been given. So far, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback hasn’t put anything meaningful together in the preseason.

The Chiefs goal at this point, however, is simply to be ready for September 11. But that’s a date coming soon, despite what Todd Haley preaches about the lack of expectations in preseason, Pro Football Focus’ Nathan Janke says Cassel was hardly ready from what developed last night against the Baltimore Ravens.

Janke writes, “On their first three possessions, each of Matt Cassel’s throws went to either Bowe or Moeaki. The passing game generally looked to be very much off: Cassel threw a pass too low to Bowe, one too high, and another behind him and the attempt in Moeaki’s direction was dropped. These were followed by a ball thrown behind Thomas Jones, and two quick slants to Jerheme Urban that failed to connect. Cassel ended with a few very short completions to pad his statistics, but none of it led  to points. More play like that from the Chiefs’ passing game and there’s no hope for a return trip to the playoffs.”

The offseason addition of Steve Breaston gives Cassel that other receiving weapon he lacked last season, and even though Jon Baldwin is currently out, he will also be an addition providing Cassel with an outlet. Tony Moeaki is going to be that much more potent in his second season, while Dexter McCluster will also be added to the mix. Given the success of the ground game, Cassel simply has to step it up this season.

The offense will continue to unfold more and more as the preseason goes on, but the first glimpses of the passing game leave much to be desired. It’s a good thing the Chiefs early schedule is light in the secondary units that Cassel will face in case he takes a few weeks to get going. Chiefs fans hope that won’t even be an issue.

Read More: Matt Cassel (QB – KAN), Tony Moeaki (TE – KAN), Kansas City Chiefs

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