The Chiefs have much less weaknesses than what the media and even fellow fans are telling you. They are deep at receiver and running back, have a lot of young guys eager to compete in the secondary, have built their linebacking corps into one of the best in the league, at least in my opinion, and are at the very least decent at defensive line. Let's focus on that last position group however, as many both in and out of Chiefs Kingdom believe the exterior defensive line is the Chiefs' Achilles heel.
The Chiefs ranked 7th in pass rush last year, with a 44% win rate for defensive linemen (ESPN.com) which isn't bad all things considered. The ranking is based off of the ability for the defensive lineman to beat his block with in 2.5 seconds. Much of that is attributed however, to Chris Jones and the interior linemen being studs and getting pressures. On the opposite end, the Chiefs ranked dead last in run stop capability with a mere 27%, based on the amount of times the runner was stopped within 3 yards of the line of scrimmage (or received negative yardage) The way teams achieved this may surprise you, as they did not exploit the inside gaps...They exploited the outside weaknesses and linebackers not being able to make the tackles in their assigned gaps. If you go watch old film, the Chiefs don't look like an AWFUL defense (Much to the contradiction of some) but the holes that the defense had were easily exploited because of no change in scheme and players not doing their job. The linebacker and secondary situation seems to be all but sorted (hopefully), and I think we can all agree that this is a prove it or lose it year for Steve Spagnuolo, so that leaves the EDGE position being the biggest question. With the drafting of George Karlaftis the Chiefs are making gains, but is it enough with Frank Clark coming back along with a few other serviceable EDGEs on the roster such as Mike Danna? Many in Chiefs Kingdom say no, and that the Chiefs should pursue a free agent to fill the EDGE spot. I somewhat agree, however I do not believe the Chiefs defense will be as bad as everyone says they will be if they don't pursue Robert Quinn anymore or any other EDGE rusher. Would it be icing on the cake? Absolutely. Would it help the young secondary get better adjusted and have fairer fights? For sure, however with how the Chiefs are centered, offensive production is key, and they have that in droves (Yes even with the "19th ranked wide receiver room" gimme a break they're a lot better than ESPN thinks and will prove it. Lots to work with there. )
The defense has gotten better from last year, and still has playmakers, the question is is it enough? I say yes, so long as this offense can produce the numbers, which may be a heavy thing to bank on as the Chiefs banked on it last year and ended up underwhelming, but again, the defense has gotten better and the offensive scheme has changed to where now you can't just cover the roof and win. There's options with this Chiefs team, and I like that. I just think that fans are worried there aren't enough options at EDGE, which is necessary but an issue of lower importance than everyone says it is. I won't say to stop pursuing Robert Quinn, but he's not a "Get at all costs" type player, especially given his age. He would help though and bring a veteran presence to the Chiefs defense. That may just be reason enough.
Burn Notice: 8/10 IS it getting cooler outside? I don't think so.
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