The Chief in the North Podcast

In episode 26, it's a special edition of the Chief in the North. There are 2 main topics of discussion. First, I discuss my recent article on Arrowhead Pride and Tyreek Hill's ascension to elite wide receiver in his first full year at the position. In particular, I take on some of the more common arguments people make against it, and why they're wrong. Next, it's time to talk Mahomes. He'll be starting against the Broncos, and I want to give fans some things to look for when trying to gauge how well Mahomes played. I go through the most important traits in a quarterback, and how someone can watch for them while separating the QB's performance from the team.  As always, we close with mailbag questions.

In Episode 25, it's a good week to be a Chiefs fan.  I've reviewed the film against the Chargers and discuss at length the different looks the defense showed, including a greater variety of formations and more aggressive blitzing, as well as improved coverage. Those differences, as well as the offense's renewed commitment to the run, change the conversation for the Chiefs moving forward from "dead in the water" to "it could happen... I think." I then discuss what I saw reviewing all 5 of the offensive linemen against the Chargers, with an in-depth look at Zach Fulton's work at center, which has been very good as of late. Finally, it's mailbag time, with over a dozen mailbag questions tackled. 

The Chiefs defense looked quite different against the Raiders than it has in some time, especially the pass rush. In this episode, after some discussion of the offensive changes under Matt Nagy (almost all of them subtle and for the better), I take a look at what the defense was doing differently against Oakland this time around to get such better results. In particular, I focus on the pass rush and the secondary, trying to figure out if what we saw Sunday is repeatable. I also discuss Kareem Hunt's revival, as the offensive line finally opened up some holes.  I close with as many mailbag questions as humanly possible in a single segment (I didn't keep count, but I think it was roughly a billion). 

In something of a special edition of the Chief in the North, I try to unpack what has happened between the Chiefs and Marcus Peters, one of the most talented players on the team. I try to approach the issue from all sides, trying to figure out how we got here and what exactly is going on. I also take on some myths about Peters and discuss why the conversation surrounding him is bothering me so much. Before that, I talk about Alex Smith against the Jets and the unusual (for the Chiefs) vertical-oriented game plan we saw. Is that what the offense will look like moving forward? I certainly hope so. Then it's time for an in-depth discussion about the 3rd down defense for the Chiefs: what really IS going wrong, and what isn't? After going back and watching the snaps, I've found that a lot of narratives I'm hearing aren't entirely accurate. We then close out with a rapid-fire mailbag.

It's time to take on the arguments against starting Patrick Mahomes. Alex Smith and the offense are completely floundering, unable to beat simple zone defenses. Yet people continue to insist things like starting Mahomes is "too risky" or that there's no way he's ready to run Andy Reid's offense. In this episode, after a brief discussion of the Chiefs/Bills game, Reggie Ragland's big day, and adjusting our expectations for this season, I take on the 9 most common objections people make to starting Patrick Mahomes and, one by one, explain why they don't really make that much sense given how the season has played out. I then discuss the ONLY legitimate reason to keep Mahomes on the bench, and close out with some mailbag questions. 

I sit in a state of utter shock that the Chiefs were so thoroughly inept against a bad team, which eventually transforms into ranting about some of the very basic failures we saw against the Giants. From failing to beat fairly basic zone coverage, Alex Smith underperforming again, to the offensive line playing badly, the entire game was a disaster that forces us to examine what this year's Chiefs really are.  Then... it's time to have a real conversation about having a conversation. After several weeks of people begging me to talk about Patrick Mahomes, I dive in-depth about Alex's struggles, what the goals should be for this season, and whether it's time to at least start having a conversation about having a conversation when it comes to Mahomes.  I close out with trying to find some hope in the improved defensive play, particularly from Reggie Ragland, and take some mailbag questions on my way out there door. Included in those questions are some thoughts about whether players can show frustration with fans during tough times.  It's not a great week to be a Chiefs fan, but we love them anyways.

20 episodes of the Chief in the North is cause for celebration! And what better way than to have friend of the show Sam Mellinger of the KC Star on to trade hot takes? Sam and I are self-proclaimed experts in having opinions, and we talk about all aspects of the Chiefs halfway (well, kind of halfway) through the season, including: -The best surprise and worst surprise of 2017. -Where we're at with Alex Smith and how we think he'll do moving forward. -Whether the run defense can be fixed... and what does "fixed" really mean? -The new reality of Derrick Johnson. -1 change we'd make to the Chiefs moving forward. -Justin Houston and his man-beastiness, and why it sems like so many are ignoring it. -BUT WHAT ABOUT PATRICK MAHOMES???? -And we close out with a mailbag segment.

Episode 19 is another deep dive into the film as we discuss the Chiefs' loss to Dallas.  Among the many topics covered are Kareem Hunt's lack of carries, Alex Smith's struggles, and whether the pass rush was as concerning as it appeared. After that, we take an extensive look at some pretty major schematic and personnel changes Bob Sutton made to the Chiefs' defense against Dallas, and how it actually paid off in many cases. We then discuss Acker vs Mitchell and why Mitchell is the superior option. Switching to the offense, we discuss Alex Smith's struggles against the Cowboys and why he seems to have issues handling cover 2 defenses. After that, it's a BUNCH of mailbag questions covering a wide variety of topics. 

In Episode 18 of the Chief in the North, it's time to really delve into the film.  I start off discussing the Denver game and the reasons people seem more down on the Chiefs after a 10-point win than they did after their more recent losses. I then give my reasons for optimism. After that, it's time to talk about Justin Houston (for good reasons) and Marcus Peters (for not-so-good reasons), and how Houston has been absolutely stellar this season. Finally, it's time for a film session. I went back and reviewed every run of 5 yards or more by the Broncos to diagnose what went wrong. The answer? Well, it was a lot of things, both in scheme and execution. Finally, it's time we have a long discussion about Derrick Johnson and how he's playing. After all that, I close out with some mailbag questions and try to forget about all the depressing things I just discussed. It's a good day to be a Chiefs fan.

In Episode 17 of the Chief in the North, I decide it's time to go to the film room to examine the Chiefs' defense in their loss to the Raiders last Thursday. There are a lot of narratives flying around out there about Bob Sutton, Justin Houston, 3 man rushes, pressure on the quarterback, and a whole lot more. It seems like everyone has an opinion as to what went wrong on Thursday. But what does the film say? On closer examination, is there any accuracy to the idea that Bob Sutton's "scheme" (which means different things to different people) is ruining the defense? Are the issues the Chiefs had against the Raiders actually schematic in nature? Or is there something else going on? I reviewed the film and examined all of Oakland's successful passing plays. I also charted 3-man rushes by the Chiefs, times Houston dropped into coverage, and the pass rush in general. There's a whole lot of misinformation out there, and it's time we talk about WHY the defense was bad on Thursday (and make no mistake, it was). It's time to bust some myths. After mythbusting, I answer some mailbag questions and preview the Denver game, talking about why this is a unique chance for both the offense and defense to prove something.  Welcome to the Chief in the North, the land of 10,000 takes.  Hope you enjoy.

In Episode 16 of the Chief in the North, I try to deal with seeing the Chiefs lose in eerily similar fashion to the Steelers. I start off discussing playcalling vs execution and why I think it's a mistake to just say "it was the playcalling" for either the offense or the defense. Then it's time to do what's necessary and talk about Alex's roughest outing of the year by far, as he crashed back to earth from his MVP-level play and, despite a late rally, wasn't able to recover. I additionally rant about failing to give the ball to Kareem Hunt, which I still don't want to think about. Then it's time to delve into the run defense and why the Chiefs seem incapable of asserting themselves against the Steelers offensive line. Game after game it's been this way, despite the Chiefs playing well against other good lines. It's baffling.  Then it's your time to sound off a bit with a ton of mailbag questions. Topics vary from Marcus Peters's recent aversion to tacking to what I expect from Demarcus Robinson moving forward.  Finally, I close out looking at the state of where the Chiefs are, what the Raiders game means, and how I think that'll go. You know what? It's still not a bad week to be a Chiefs fan. 

In Episode 15 of the Chief in the North, I discuss various aspects of the Chiefs big win over the Texans, delving specifically into the quarterback play of the two teams. In short, Alex is an MVP candidate and Watson's game is everything that drives me crazy about quarterback narratives. I finally tackle the Marcus Peters question in-depth, trying to figure out exactly what is going on with him and whether or not he can turn it around (on the field, strictly... well, on the sideline during the game, too). On a happier note, I look at Terrance Mitchell and the difference he's made for the Chiefs since his emergence. I then spend some time on why the Texans annoy me, particularly with regards to excuses made for what was really a dominant Chiefs with without roughly a third of their starters. I follow that up with a discussion of what makes the Chiefs a strong Super Bowl contender this season (it rhymes with "galance," which isn't actually a word). Then it's mailbag time, where I disucss Chris Conley, Justin Houston in coverage, and Bob Sutton's job this season. I close out with a preview of the Steelers game and why they scare me due to potential matchup issues.  It was another fun week to record, and another great week to be a Chiefs fan.

In Episode 14 of the Chief in the North, I power through a voice that is on its way to being completely lost and a cold that's incoming (products of an incredible night at Arrowhead) to talk about the Chiefs' epic (that's right, epic) win against the Redskins on Monday Night Football. I open up discussing the game itself, how the Redskins were better than I thought they would be, the atmosphere at Arrowhead, and how bleak things looked starting out. I then look at what it shows about the team to come back in that situation, and what being 4-0 really means. Then it's time to start talking about individual players. I discuss Alex Smith's clutch play down the stretch, Kareem Hunt's freakishness, and Albert Wilson's unexpected emergence as an important role player after he was finally given a role that fits his skillset. I then talk about missing the entire interior offensive line and what that might mean moving forward. Then the conversation shifts to the defense. By popular request, I re-watched every Reggie Ragland snap and spend quite a bit of time discussing the traits he demonstrated next to DJ. I then discuss Marcus Peters and the pass rush, both of which were two of the only negative things to come out of Monday night. Finally, we're on to the Texans. I talk about the budding rivalry between the two teams and fanbases and what I think of Houston overall. I discuss the pieces they have on offense and defense, how they've performed so far this year, and what I think the game against them will look like. It's a good week to be a Chiefs fan.  

In Episode 13 of the Chief in the North, I open up with a ton of discussion of yesterday's big win over the Chargers (who continue their tradition of playing the Chiefs tougher than they have any right to).  On offense, I discuss Kareem Hunt's spectacular start to his Chiefs career, the offense seeming to go back to conservaball against the Chargers, and a great deal more. I spend a lot of time discussing the 5 sacks Alex Smith took Sunday, and whether I viewed those as more a result of line failure, scheme failure or quarterback failure. Also, I discuss Travis Kelce's roll in the game and how I think it could well be an "in game suspension" of sorts by Andy Reid. On defense, it's all about Terrance Mitchell and Justin Houston, two players who showed up big time against the Chargers. I talk about the impact Mitchell's big game can have on future games, and how great it is to see Houston back in top-5-defensive-player form. I also very, very quickly (and only because I've had many people ask me about it) discuss my stance on bringing politics into what I do, or anything other than football.  Basically, it's a "why I choose to stick to sports" moment. Please be nice to me. I then close out with a previw of Chiefs/Redskins, discussing in particular what Washington was able to do against Oakland and why I don't feel that game is a good predictor for how Monday Night's showdown will go.  I will be at Arrowhead Monday evening. If there's anyone tailgaiting, let me know and I'll do my best to come visit, as I'd love to meet anyone crazy enough to listen to this show!  

In Episode 12 of the Chief in the North, I tackle the Chiefs/Eagles game after a quick re-watch looking at certain players.  There's a lot to talk about, with an overall theme of the Chiefs sending a message to the NFL for the second week in a row, this time beating a tough, physical defense and a quarterback who played a really good game under pressure. Despite the Eagles presenting a very different matchup than the Pats, the Chiefs were able to walk away winners for the second week in a row against a good team. That's a big deal. For individual topics, I discuss how I believe Alex Smith's game againt the Eagles may well be more impressive than his gaudy stats against the Patriots, how Chris Jones and the pass rush are a menace to society, and how Kareem Hunt is completely for real (in case you doubted it). I also dive into a few tougher topics, like the offensive line coming back to earth against perhaps the toughest front seven they'll face all year, Mitch Morse being injured (NOOOOOO), and some potential concerns on special teams. Additionally, I take a long, hard look at a great player who can't seem to stop getting stupid penalties in Travis Kelce. I've officially reached the point of being fed up and concerned about when these mental lapses are going to turn around and bite the Chiefs. Finally, I discuss the upcoming Chargers game and some matchup issues they present, followed up by a conversation of where I think the Chiefs' ceiling is this year (spoiler alert: it's high).