From the FanPosts -Joel

Hey guys, it's been a while since I've posted anything of substance. There's something that's been on my mind recently that I don't think has been touched on enough and I figured after all this time I might as well be the guy to rectify that.

Firstly, it's been an absolutely awesome year thus far, propelled by any number of things. Outstandingly efficient play from Alex Smith, key plays from role players that we hadn't received in the past, the Herculean might of Justin Houston and opportunistic and gritty play from the secondary.

But perhaps the driving force of the NFL's UNEQUIVOCALLY BEST team (no looking back on this whenever we lose) is the run game, a ground attack so potent that we lead the league in rushing by over 100 yards, average 1.4 yards per carry more than the next closest team, and are second in the NFL only to Tennessee (who have nothing beyond their ground game) in rushing touchdowns with six in four games.

This is a best case scenario for me, men and women of AP. I have had more fun watching this season's Chiefs team than I have watching any football team in the history of time. Obviously the guy who we have the most to thank for these absolutely dominant rushing performances is the Curtis Martin/Ricky Williams/Edgerrin James/Marshall Faulk/Priest Holmes/Emmitt Smith/Jamaal Charles/Marshawn Lynch/Walter Payton amalgam of a ball-carrying, tackle-breaking, defender-humiliating, precedent-shattering collection of positive adjectives we have in rookie phenom Kareem Hunt.

But I've noticed this trend that people tend to gravitate towards when discussing astoundingly talented running backs that perturbs, disturbs and unnerves me. I've noticed it for a while when people discuss Barry Sanders and Jamaal Charles and other generational elusive backs. They partake in this trend because they feel the need to amplify the mystique of these astoundingly talented runners.

People tend to completely undermine the good work these guys' offensive line's have done for them.

It's easy to say, few will question it, and it's hard to prove wrong (though it is, very much, wrong. Unless you're busting through 5 tackles a play no one would be successful without successful line play).

But as a fan of the NFL you put up with people's awful takes. It's as much a part of football fandom as acting like a dick to someone on the internet for being from a different city and cheering on irreparable cerebral trauma. But I've noticed it in regards to Hunt this year, especially in this past week, and I want to make a point abundantly clear;

The Chiefs offensive line is run blocking as good or better than any other unit in the NFL right now, injuries be damned. You just don't get the incredible kind of rushing performances we've gotten without excellent blocking from the OL, WR's, TE, WR's and great playcalling in ADDITION to Hunt's tackle breaking ability.

Pass protection is a different story, and they are getting a lot of help from a guy who sheds tackles like no one we've seen before who takes every inch that he's given. But even with injuries and a coach who sometimes just won't pound it like he should, this line is on a different level than any one that we've seen in a while. And I intend to prove it.

New England

This was Hunt's second carry of his NFL career, and it's an excellent example of the run game working as a unit.

Simple inside zone concept from the pistol set with two tight end personnel, nothing new. Schwartz and Harris both get great drive blocks on base assignments playside. On the backside, Fisher is absolutely textbook. Gets his head across the defender, gets a couple yards of movement up field and never stops running his feet until #90 tries to go under the block and by then Fisher is in perfect position for the backside seal. Toss in a good block by Kelce getting movement backside and Witzmann absolutely washing out the safety #37 in space at the second level and we have the two sides vacuum sealed.

The great part about this play is the teamwork and trust displayed by Morse and LDT. The run is designed to hit up between the tackle on that right side, so getting that deuce block on #97 to the second level is the difference between a big run and nothing. Morse gets an excellent punch off the ball, just enough to get #97 off balance as LDT engages. LDT is a brutal player with a nasty disposition and drives the guy into the dirt to the right. Hunt reads it correctly, this is now an A gap run between guard and center.

The beautiful thing is what Morse does after that great initial shove. He has enough trust in LDT to finish that block that he knows he can move to the next level. Another second of hesitation and #53 gets a piece of Hunt, but he's able to reset his feet and get his body between the linebacker and Hunt with a great piece of blocking in space. Hunt runs violently, gets yards after contact, and that's an easy 10 yards.

Here we have a basic speed option play, once again nothing crazy. Trips left, Kelce on the right. Kelce and Schwartz are gonna leave the edge guy free to pursue the ball. Kelce gets an awesome block in space and gets Hunt the first with some movement at the third level. Schwartz's block isn't the most impressive thing but he gets downfield and gets a piece of the defender enough that he can't impede Hunt's progress.

The most impressive block in my opinion here is LDT's. Attempting a reach block, one of the hardest in football, he completely gets across his man and gets helmet playside. He drives his feet and allows no penetration (in fact gets 4-5 yards of movement downfield) so the only thing Alex has to worry about on the play is the defensive end. He maintains the block all the way through the play. Morse gets beat across the face but keeps with it and fights until he's sealed the edge. Fisher and Witzmann do acceptable jobs of disrupting backside pressure and the deuce with Witz/Morse generates movement on the NT. Hunt takes it for the easiest first you'll ever see.

This is one I wanted to highlight for a number of reasons.

Firstly, beautiful plays design. I can't make the GIFS of some of those shovel passes for this game but we had gotten them a number of times with Kelce up the gut. Edge defender is frozen in his tracks, second level is hesitating just enough for this perimeter run to work. Hunt gets that extra yard and boom. Golden.

Yes, the OL did a solid job blocking. If the edge guy crashes harder after Hunt I'm confident that we very well could have gotten the TD on a shovel inside as well. But the big thing is perimeter blocking which has also been outstanding this year. In particular, DeMarcus Robinson.

Albert gets enough of his guy that he can't reach the edge before Hunt, but D-Rob absolutely manhandles #24 out in space. Takes him clear to the back of the endzone with a great hustle play. He's not the biggest guy, but this is just another example of the Chiefs getting key plays from role players that they just haven't gotten before.

Yet another toss to the outside, but from a different action and COMPLETELY different personnel. Reid tricks everyone on defense lining up three guys off the line in a bunch formation, but little do those unlucky fools know that 66.6666666% of the people in that bunch were basketball stars in college! Ha! Played 'em like a damn fiddle.

And hey, what do you know, the size mismatch works. Our two mammoth WR's/basketball players put up a great display of down-blocking. Witz gets a seal and then gets help from Harris to ensure that no one at the LOS would get to Hunt. Fisher gets an absolutely gorgeous block in space, delivers a great punch and immediately locks up and drives his feet so the defender can't get away, and when the defender loses his footing he flattens him. A pitch-perfect cut on the move WAY out at the second level that wipes out one defender and slows the pursuit of another by Kelce and our boy Kareem the Dream is off to the races.

I'd like to take this moment to propose a theory that has been all but validated by Geoff Schwartz on Twitter;

The Chiefs are not purely a zone or man-blocking scheme, haven't been in the Reid era, and are in fact a hybrid to this day. I'll touch on this later, but it gives a little context for the difference between cutting up a traditional stretch play as we will see later and doing what Chark does here, deviating from the designated hole.

Looking like a bit of an off tackle power from a Wing TE set with the playside tackle pulling around the edge. The way the play was designed I think that's 100% a decent gain if not a TD if Chark follows Sherman around the edge. LDT hadn't been beat around his face and held his ground so West could hit the edge, Kelce and Harris win the surge with base blocks, and he had Schwartz and Sherman leading the way on the sideline if he chose to go that route against what looked like two secondary players.

The cut back works too, however. Morse is gets beat to the hole a bit but redirects his power and uses the defenders momentum against him, driving him completely away from the eventual hole and sealing a lane. On the backside, Witzmann hustles to find someone to block and is able to get across the linebacker and prevent him from making the play (with the assist of a slight hold). There is now a clean lane, and West decided to take the guaranteed TD over what might be a TD on the edge.

Important to note that Fish definitely gets beat here, but the biggest difference between a rushing effort that doesn't go anywhere and an effort that keeps alive for a TD is the hustle to keep up with the defender. Though he is beaten to the hole, he fights the whole play and doesn't not get discouraged with the initial loss and eventually seals the defender. We'll touch on this later.

Philadelphia

I'd like to start off with something less flattering in this game. Definitely our worst outing on the ground, but I think I can tell why (besides the fact that Philly just has a really fast and talented front seven).

Firstly, our blocking on the perimeter wasn't quite up to snuff.

Conley misses a pretty crucial block on the top half of the screen and his guy ends up making the play. It's decently blocked otherwise (Fisher misses a block he usually sticks), but sometimes the right playcall on defense counters execution on offense. That was the case for most of the game, and I think a big reason why we struggled blocking and couldn't get much going in the first half was just the mindset of the Eagles defense. Corners played up, and linebackers were very quick to shoot up at the first sign of a run. That's... going to make you struggle. And Philly won't be the last team to play this way.

Check this one out...

Plays that looked something like this were frequent. We had what looked like good blocking thwarted by the aggression of their front seven

Fisher definitely gets beat here, I'll make that clear. There's a chance his guy makes this play regardless. Attacks too high, loses the hands battle, just flat not a great play for our big LT. But that's not the point.

Even if he dominates his guy on that side, and we get that good base block by Kelce and a good block at the second level with LDT and a good backside finish by Schwartz (aided by a servicable... performance from Witz), and then we have Morse leading up indefinitely towards the sideline, #55 is still coming to hard and too fast. He did not hesitate in his pursuit one bit, crashing hard horizontal to the line and giving Hunt absolutely no space to cut this one up.

It's a good hustle play by Graham (#55) there. But offensively you can't have a guy who is selling out so hard on what he's anticipating and not being punished with a tendency breaker. And for the entire first half, this was the entire Eagles defense. They wanted to shut down Kareem Hunt first and foremost.

Thankfully, you can only be so aggressive until this happens:

5-tech DE sells out on an inside run, but this time Fisher doesn't let any penetration through and instead re-anchors and takes him to the center of the field. Witzmann and Morse get similar down-blocks, Kelce holds firm at the POA, and the left side is golden. LDT pulls around and nails the kick-out block, sealing the lane. Kareem runs through a hole you could drive a plane through if the plane was slender and had no wings. TD city, baby!

Remember what I said about the shovel passes being indicative of run game success? Well here's an example.

In every way but statistically, this is a running play. The blocks like it, and I'm pretty sure there isn't even an option on this one. They were taking advantage of a previous jet sweep motion that was run for a first down with Tyreek, seemingly broke tendency with a handoff to DAT, but the goddamn madman Andy Reid is playing four-dimensional chess while his opponents are playing tic-tac-toe. Boom, flip inside. Weren't expecting that one, huh dummies?

Blocking is just ideal here. Fisher and Witzmann clobber the poor soul who was the deuce assignment, guy is completely swallowed alive (would be curious to know if they were supposed to break off to the second level). Fulton stands tall (or rather, strong and squatty) and doesn't allow penetration. And though it doesn't look like much, LDT's block is crucial. He's athletic enough and good enough in space that his laying a hand on the defender so far out of the play is just enough extra space for Kelce to take this all the way. Just a little slower to the block, and Kelce takes a route slightly closer to the center of the play and might get grabbed by the shoelace and then we wouldn't have gotten that beautiful diving TD.

Closing out the game following a decent up the gut run. 3rd and three, running a crack toss from the I-form.

DE playside gets a good punch on Fish before getting earholed by Kelce. Fish recovers and is able to seal the outside of the lane against the DB who has flown upfield aggressively. Sherman seals the inside part with a healthy lead block and Conley redeems himself with some good open-field blocking to spring it.

Toss in some solid reach blocks from Witz and Morse and a user stumble-recovery from Hunt and you have 1st and Goal. We all know what he does next.

Los Angeles (Chargers?)

Another example of the "passing" game as an extension of the running game. This is a big win for Reid. Another one of these inverted veer run-pass shovel options, but from a completely different action than had been seen before, motioning in Albert Wilson to the flex TE spot, yet another example of using Wilson in the run game. The whole defense is flowing towards Hill on the sweep, Witz and Fulton do a great job on the down blocks, walling off the entire interior defensive line.

Fisher actually ends up creating a lane up the middle by taking the LB the way of the sweep action. LDT's man is so far gone on the fake that his block has essentially been made for him. Hunt even gets a good block that is completely unnecessary as well. Hell, Kelce coming from the WR position is coming across in a dead heat, and were this play from further out Kelce would have absolutely creamed the safety adjusting to the shovel.

This is a good example of decent blocking, but also Hunt taking every single yard available.

It's a designed outside zone stretch that ends up getting hit back in the B-gap. Everyone does a solid job here. Kelce doesn't get the reach block, so the perimeter run is no longer available. Kelce, Fisher and Witzmann do well at "flipping" the gap, redirecting the movement of the front and not allowing penetration.

LDT also keeps up with his block and turns his defender just enough to allow Hunt to skirt by untouched. Schwartz gets a good block at the second level, working his way across the defender and sealing (though had the run not had to be cut back so hard, that reach probably doesn't get in the way). Travis does just enough on his own reach to let Hunt cut it back off of him.

My favorite block is Fulton's, who does an awesome job. He gets a great punch in space and then sticks to the block, piledriving his guy into the turf. It didn't have too much of an effect on the play but I love the effort and the nastiness, something I haven't seen much from Fulton to this point.

This is good blocking across the board once again. LDT gets up the the second level, gets a good punch on the LB. Fisher gets a great kickout block pulling from his LT spot. Fulton does another great job sealing the lane with an assist from LDT. Schwartz has no one to block, in large part to a great block in space by Albert Wilson on a linebacker. Good stuff.

This is absolutely perfect execution by everyone with one notable example.

Love the work that Witz, LDT and Schwartz do especially. Schwartz does a great job of getting an arm over and knocking the defender out of the hole, LDT does well on the base block and finishes it into the dirt again. Witzmann not only sticks with his block but gets a couple yards of movement down the field.

Fulton just doesn't have the athleticism to get across and over that fast. By the time he's engaging the LB is already breaking down to make the play. Morse makes that block, taking that guy towards the sideline with Schwartz by the time Kareem gets past the line.

Another perfectly blocked play helped along by some extremely decisive and powerful running.

There's just so much movement at the point of attack here by everyone. Fulton and LDT cut off the NT, Schwartz gets a great push off the line, Fisher seals off backside pursuit. Witzmann gets a real meaty block in the hole pulling inside and Kelce also gets great movement and finishes an off-balance defender into the dirt. GORGEOUS play.

Don't need to touch on this too much as it's a similar play design with a similar result. This time Fisher pulls around and does an awesome job punching and using that punch to reset his feet, completely kicking out Ingram. Movement at the line by Schwartz and LDT (especially Schwartz, that's a nasty punch that completely knocks the defender out of the hole). Fulton once again fails a bit in space but gets just enough of a piece to allow Hunt to work his magic. Another excellent display of blocking by every WR (Wilson again absolutely doing an amazing job with the cutoff against an LB, in an almost tight end-type role) on the playside in space, and then Hunt just being Hunt.

I'm including these not because they're an amazing result necessarily, but It's what we haven't been getting from our OL's (and TE's, and RB's) in the past. It's obvious KC wants to run this ball given the situation and formation, they run a basic power play off tackle in the first and an inside zone in the second, and everyone executes well enough to give Hunt a little crease against a stacked box. He can get enough yards after contact for those creases to churn into first downs when we really need it. Love Fulton and Witzmann's deuce block in the second one. And then they run the same inside zone play, the LB's over extend to cover it on 3rd and short, the OL washes them out to create a lane and then....

Hunt rides the wave and is off to the races. Witzmann, Fisher and Fulton have the key blocks here. And then Hunt being unstoppable helps, too.

Best thing about this series is it's 3 variations on the same play. A zone power to the right, an inside zone run to the right, and then you can tell by Fisher's block in particular that the third was designed to have a similar setup but a zone cutback built in, so that's not just Hunt being awesome at reading holes. That's a perfect play call and execution.

4 yards, 6 yards, 69 yards. Right when we needed it.

Washington

Let's begin by stating Washington has one of the best run defenses in the league, or to be correct, HAD one of the best. They averaged only 3.4 YPC, third in the league in rushing defense. Then they squared off against KC with three injured starters in the interior and a gimpy Eric Fisher and gave up 5 YPC and 170 yards.

Let's look at a short yardage situation, a problem of ours for years now.

The Kelce Wildcat, my favorite play. No help from any TE's or fullbacks. Kelce runs an inverted veer.

Not too much movement necessarily, but absolutely no penetration. Schwartz, Devey and Fulton do a great job sticking their blocks, and Witzmann gets a piece and seals the edge (intention that Kelce pulls around him).

Kelce does the smart thing and hammers Devey in the back. Boom, hard fought but well blocked first down.

Chiefs come out in the I-form, which has actually been a successful formation for us this year.

Same inside zone play that scored against the Chargers, one tight end, Conley in the slot and Kelce split out wide.

Key blocks here are Fisher, Fulton, Harris and Conley. Fish is masterful on this play, getting his head up the field and working forwards. He gets so much movement at the POA that #97 tries to cut under, but by then he's 5 yards too far. Fulton also gets an awesome punch at the line of scrimmage and shoves his guy out of the hole, and while he fails to stick to that block super well the hole is already wide open and a decisive runner takes those yards. Witz works upfield and sticks #54, and Hunt keeps his balance as #54 gives a diving effort. Harris also gets a great backside seal and some good movement on #94.

Devey does enough to not allow any penetration, getting a hand under the shoulder pad to turn the DT away from the play briefly. Schwartz also gets a good playside seal, and Conley's hustle downfield gives Kareem an extra 3-4 yards after he does his thing, busting over tackler for yards after contact.

Schwartz chips on the edge guy for Harris, and then Harris gives him the old judo hip toss and takes that chump to the ground. Wilson gets yet another great seal in open space, with help from Schwartz.

Devey and Fulton have a great deuce block and get great movement. If it weren't for an amazing play by #53 here barely tripping up Hunt, Kareem has a 1-on-1 with a safety, and we know who wins that battle.

An example of a play that is capably blocked, but really made by Hunt's decisive running badassery.

Same play as the one that went for 69 against the Chargers. We get a couple good seals on the playside, Schwartz, Devey, Fulton and Witzmann washing out their defenders. Sherman gets a good pop in the hole to disrupt the defender and Fish gets another great reach block. Hunt cuts it up the left side B-gap and makes a guy miss, takes it for 9 when there was really more like 5 yards there.

Another great inside zone with with Kareem riding the wave like a pro.

We get an awesome display from all five linemen, boxing in the entire front seven of Washington. Kelce comes across and springs Kelce for the first on a backside block and Harris does enough playside to let Hunt cut it back. Then Hunt runs the ball off Kelce's hip for a big play.

This is the final play I'll touch on. Initially it looks like a great adjustment and jump cut from Hunt, but as the video I'll link to shows in better depth than I could ever hope to demonstrate, this is a designed scissor cutback run that is executed nearly flawlessly. Look at Fulton's feet placement and the direction Alex hands off the ball. That's an awesome playcall.

Geoff Schwartz Breaks Down Chiefs One-Back Scissor

Conclusion

As you can see, Hunt has been only a part of the Chiefs running game resurgence. The OL has been more than doing the job, not only getting tons of movement thus far but also allowing much less penetration at the line of scrimmage. Guys like Fisher have been having the best years on the ground in their careers, LDT and Schwartz have similarly been doing good work. Kelce continues to be amongst the best blocking TE's in the league.

But the biggest difference in the run game has been the effort we've been getting from role players. Guys like Witzmann, Fulton, Wilson, Harris and Devey have been doing more than enough despite their limitations and this is what has spurred the team this year. Every team is going to have to play role players, it's the nature of the most physical team sport in human history. The difference between a decent team and a great team is the performance of fringe roster players, and we've been getting it.

Let me know what you think, if the page is moving too slow I'll hyperlink the GIFS instead of having them displayed on the page. It was a pleasure writing this, and GO CHIEFS!