THE NEW BEARS' PLAN

I'm not going to lie, I also thought the Chicago Bears had gone crazy in their first round last draft. Go up a place and pay so much for Trubisky? Why? However, more than a month later, and analyzing what they've done in the off-season, there are things that are shaping in my head as I'll try to explain. Maybe I've gone as crazy as them, but I'm convinced they have a plan. A plan that has Mitchell Trubisky as the trigger man.

When Adam Gase packed up and went to Miami's sunny beaches, the Bears were left orphaned on the offensive end and chose to give power to their quarterback coach in 2015, Dowell Loggains. The Bears' offense last year did not draw too much attention or, at least, did not do so great except for some young guys such as Cameron Meredith, Jordan Howard or Cody Whitehair. The Bears’ plan, and Loggains’, begins with one of these three players. But let's start at the beginning.

TITANS 2012

Loggains is a very young coach, though with experience in this position within the NFL. In 2012, and also after being the QBs coach, he was hired as the Tennesse Titans' offensive coordinator, replacing Chris Palmer, whose 2011 team was one of the worst offenses in the entire league. Loggains was only a year in the position, but he made very clear the philosophy he likes to implement in his teams. Of those Titans I would like to emphasize two situations: the full house formation in the backfield and the game of short passes to medium areas.

2012 Tennessee Titans - Full House Formation por deionmarco

It is strange to see, today, as many situations with full backfield as could be seen in those Titans. They, filling the backfield, could play all kinds of runs, from zone to power run. These full house formations allowed the fullback, and the tight end located in the backfield, to reach the second level with some ease to block the inside linebackers. They had several variations, but it was common to use one for the lead block and another to seal the cutback defender, or to play kick-out, removing pressure to the offensive line, which could afford to focus on the defensive line and do double teams to open their gaps. In the video above we see how the two tight ends come from the backfield, one of them blocking the cutback defender and the other going to the playside run support. The running back, in this case, hit the bend (cutback) to cross the LOS. Also, with three men in the backfield, they could generate more blocks in pass protection or use it as a threat in the passing game. Loggains' favorite grouping personnel are Ace (12 personnel), Tank (22 personnel), Pony (21 personnel) and even Heavy (13 personnel).

The Loggains’ Titans had Craig Stevens play like a TE / FB hybrid they used a lot in the blocks for the run game and a very young Jared Cook playing the middle zones or as a threat in the red zone. Cook was an important factor in winning short first downs through the passing game or taking advantage of the attention generated by the run game to use play-action. In addition, they had another tight end, Taylor Thompson, to use as a blocker in their different heavy formations. The quarterback’s reads were not complicated as they relied on reading specific defenders to choose whether to look for one receiver or another, no lengthy progressions. Simple play for him. They just threw it deep when the scoreboard forced them to risk, since they were trying to take care of the ball and to minimize mistakes. In the following video, we can see one of these situations, and once again with a two tight end's formation. That team had a very defined gameplay, but between the lack of talent and injuries, did not have much success. They finished 23rd in points scored and 26th in yards gained on offense.

2012 Tennessee Titans - 2TE Formation por deionmarco

At the end of the 2012 season, Loggains left the franchise and, in 2014, he signed as the quarterback coach for the Cleveland Browns. He paired there with one of the most privileged minds in the current world of offensive football: Kyle Shanahan. The influence of the current head coach of the 49ers on Loggains was seen when he took command of the Bears offense in 2016 as offensive coordinator.

BEARS 2016

Dowell Loggains demonstrated a wealth of resources in a rather extensive running game. The team went from playing with I-Formation (mostly in off-set) to playing from shotgun or in pistol formation. Many stretchs / outside zones, split zones or toss plays were seen. And the heavy-run offense with the full house formation of 2012 changed to a heavy-run offense with the tight ends in-line or with situations similar to the old flexbone.

The Bears found in Jordan Howard a running back that fits perfectly the game that Loggains wants to execute. He is an excellent runner playing in zone schemes. He has a quick feet for the cutbacks, good vision and enough patience to see the open gap. In addition, he has no problem running between the tackles in power run and lowering the center of gravity to hold and break tackles. Howard can play very physically when the situation requires it. If you couple Howard with Jeremy Langford, Kadeem Carey and the rookie Tarik Cohen (keep and eye on this fast player in trick plays), you have a multidimensional crop. Loggains will do what he likes in an offense: run, run and run. His philosophy is to protect the ball as much as possible with his run-heavy offense. Burning the clock will be the priority goal for the Bears in 2017. In the following video we can see an example of the virtues of Howard:

2016 Chicago Bears - Off-set Counter OF por deionmarco

In addition, the Bears also have a fullback, Fredie Stevenson (selected in the last draft) and three tight ends to make the final roster (Zach Miller, Dion Sims and his second round of this year's Adam Shaheen). I don’t know about you, but I see a clear inclination, in this roster, to what I have told you about those 2012’s Titans.

The arrival of Sims and the election of Shaheen lead me to this point. To keep the passing game under control, Loggains likes to involve the tight ends. In addition, Kevin White is expected to overcome his physical problems to start contributing regularly. With Miller, Shaheen, Sims and White, the quarterback will have possession receivers at almost any snap, allowing him to continue to have 12 or 22 personnel (two RBs and two TEs), which is the backbone for a run-heavy offense. Mixing routes on two levels like the slant-flat concept, Hi-Lo crossers, sucker route, drive, snag, spacing or smash, and look for the comebacks on the outside, will be the main weapons used by Loggains to move the chains in the passing game.

2016 Chicago Bears - Shallow cross off-set por deionmarco

If you noticed the 2012 Titans' videos, the quarterback would start the snap under center. With Loggains in command, and within his offensive scheme, the quarterback will be placed in that spot many times throughout a game. If we go back in time (to 2013) and see Mike Glennon's season as Tampa Bay Buccaneers' quarterback, we can see how these situations are not going to be foreign to him. In that season, it was customary to see him start under center to hand the ball off or to use play action, so the new Chicago Bears’ quarterback will be familiar in these pro formations. They have a quarterback who knows how to handle a system like that and players valid enough to fit what your coordinator is going to ask them, so there’s a plan. The Bears have come up with a plan since the end of last season. Doubts come when we try to put the Mitchell Trubisky we saw in college in this whole system so different from the one he played at North Carolina, right?

HOW TRUBISKY FITS IN THIS PLAN

"But Trubisky has never played in such a system. He has never gone under center nor played that type of dropbacks! ", You will tell me that. Totally true, friends, but there’s a solution. Or, at least, I think that may be.

As I said before, the Bears' plan for this year is to prevent the quarterback from being the lead player. The majority of the offense is going to be based on the ground game and the spaces that can be created from this. Their offensive line is much better than you might think at first. The interior of that unit, in fact, is excellent. Sitton, Whitehair and Long are a very solid group and I would not be surprised to see their performance grow even more if injuries respect them.

So they have an offensive line that will play well and a running game capable of carrying the weight of the team. With this, the Bears can start thinking about giving snaps to their new quarterback. If the problem is for someone who has never do that to play under center, I am going to redirect you to what we saw last year with Dak Prescott.

In Dallas they were able to implement RPO situations so their rookie quarterback had a slightly less traumatic transition into the NFL. They mixed situations coming out under the center and situations playing from shotgun in order for his rookie quarterback to feel more comfortable, giving the full offensive’s load to his offensive line and Zeke Elliott, the running back. With this, Prescott was able to keep mistakes at a minimum, gaining confidence in his game to reached a level which surprised us all.

2016 Chicago Bears - Shotgun RPO 2ª Lectura por deionmarco

With Trubisky, the Bears have to do something very similar. He has very good accuracy in throws between the hashmarks in the RPOs, and it is something that should be exploded in the offense. Also, the new Chicago’s quarterback has the virtue to play well the sprint-action, so the roll-outs would be a good choice within those pro-style formations. These roll-outs are a chance to get him out from under center to look for the flood concept or the swap boot.

To use the play action, obviously, he has to learn how to make the dropback almost from scratch, but the news coming to us from the Windy City are promising. Moreover, before and after the Combine, there was already a visible progression in his footwork. Even so, last year, after Jay Cutler's injury, we saw Matt Barkley playing from shotgun many times, something Trubisky dominates best and demonstrates Loggains's adaptability for any contingency that comes his way.

Mitchell Trubisky Sprint Right Action por deionmarco

If you want to remain a run-heavy offense without having to start under the center, the offensive coordinator has different ways to do it. They could play from shotgun with 12 personnel (with tight ends in-line or in wing spots) or call the pistol formation (including diamond formation to fill the backfield), turning the play-action into a mesh point between the running back and Trubisky, with easy reads in the RPOs and with the possibility that Trubisky would use his legs to gain rushing yards, a threat that Glennon would not have. Obviously, Trubisky has to improve his footwork, his recognition of the pre / post-snap defenses and his decision making depending on what is presented to him in the field, as well as creating chemistry with his new crew. What is clear is that they wanted to surround him as best as possible so the offense’s load doesn’t fall on him. Anything more than 25/30 passes per game for any of these quarterbacks will be a problem for the Bears.

2016 Chicago Bears - Pistol Outside Zone por deionmarco

The summary of all this is that the Bears offseason may not be as crazy as it seemed at first. Or so I see it. They have drawn a road map since the end of last season and their goal has been to form a very solid offense that stays on the field as long as possible. They will not be in a hurry, but they have implied that Trubisky is the future man for this franchise, so they are trying to put him in the best possible position.

We will see a lot of run game in these new Bears, creating heavy formations to look for mismatches with their tight ends and to try to take advantage of the windows opened by opponents with fast men such as Victor Cruz, Cameron Meredith, Markus Wheaton or Deonte Thompson.

They remain, in my opinion, the weakest team in the NFC North, but I have the feeling that there are going to be positive signs coming throughout the season. I firmly believe in a plan that few are feel it coming, and that has a name above all: Mitchell Trubisky.

EL PLAN DE LOS NUEVOS BEARS

No voy a mentir, yo también pensé que los Chicago Bears se habían vuelto locos en su primera ronda del pasado draft. ¿Subir un puesto y pagar tanto por Mitchell Trubisky? ¿Por qué? Sin embargo, más de un mes después, y analizando lo que llevamos de off-season, hay cosas que me empiezan a cuadrar y os las voy a intentar explicar. Quizás me he vuelto tan loco como ellos, pero estoy convencido de que tienen un plan. Un plan que tiene en Trubisky a su punta de lanza.

Cuando Adam Gase hizo las maletas y se fue a las soleadas playas de Miami, los Bears se quedaron huérfanos en la parte ofensiva y optaron por darle poder al que había sido el entrenador de quarterbacks en 2015, Dowell Loggains. El ataque de los Bears, el año pasado, no llamó la atención en demasía o, por lo menos, no lo hizo de manera positiva salvo por algunos nombres propios como pudieron ser Cameron Meredith, Jordan Howard o Cody Whitehair. El plan de los Bears, y de Loggains, empieza con uno de estos tres jugadores. Pero vamos a empezar por el principio.

LOS TITANS DE 2012

Loggains es un entrenador muy joven, aunque con experiencia en este cargo dentro de la NFL. En 2012, y también después de haber sido el entrenador de QBs, fue contratado para el puesto de coordinador ofensivo de los Tennessee Titans, siendo el sustituto de un Chris Palmer que llevó al equipo, en 2011, a ser uno de los peores en ataque de toda la liga. Loggains solo estuvo un año en el puesto, pero dejó muy clara la filosofía que le gusta implantar en sus equipos. De aquellos Titans me gustaría destacar dos situaciones: la formación full house en el backfield y el juego de pases cortos a zonas medias.

2012 Tennessee Titans - Full House Formation por deionmarco

Es extraño ver, hoy en día, tantas situaciones con el backfield tan lleno como se podían ver en esos Titans. Ellos, llenando el backfield, podían jugar todo tipos de carreras, desde zonales hasta de power run. Estas full house formation permitían al fullback, y al tight end situado en el backfield, alcanzar el segundo nivel con cierta facilidad para bloquear a los inside linebackers. Tenían diversas variantes, pero era habitual usar a uno para el lead block y otro para sellar al cutback defender, o para jugar kick-out, quitando presión a la línea ofensiva, la cual podía permitirse el lujo de centrarse en la línea defensiva y hacer dobles bloqueos para abrir sus gaps. En el vídeo de arriba vemos como los dos tight ends salen desde el backfield, uno bloqueando al cutback defender y el otro para el run support exterior. El running back, en este caso, juega el bend (cutback) para atravesar la línea de scrimmage. Aparte, con tres hombres en el backfield, podían generar más bloqueos en la protección de pase o usarlo como amenaza aérea saliendo en ruta. Los personnel grouping favoritos de Loggains son los Ace (12 personnel), Tank (22 personnel), Pony (21 personnel) e incluso Heavy (13 personnel).

Los Titans de Loggains tenían en Craig Stevens a un TE/FB al que usaban mucho en los bloqueos para el juego de carrera y a un jovencísimo Jared Cook jugando en zonas medias o como amenaza en la red zone. Cook era un factor importante para ganar primeros downs cortos mediante el juego aéreo, o aprovechándose de la atención que generaba el juego de carrera para jugar el play action. Además, tenían a otro tight end, Taylor Thompson, para usarlo como bloqueador en sus distintas formaciones heavy. Las lecturas del quarterback no eran complicadas ya que se basaban en leer a específicos defensores para elegir si buscar a un receptor o a otro, nada de progresiones largas. Juego sencillo para el pasador. Lanzar en profundo solo lo veíamos cuando el marcador obligaba a arriesgar. ya que intentaban cuidar el balón y minimizar errores. En el siguiente vídeo, tenemos una de estas situaciones, y una vez más con formación de dos tight ends. Ese equipo tenía un esquema de juego muy definido, aunque la falta de calidad, y las lesiones, no le permitió dar mucho más de sí. 

2012 Tennessee Titans - 2TE Formation por deionmarco

Al acabar la temporada 2012, Loggains salió de la franquicia y, en 2014, firmó como entrenador de quarterbacks en los Cleveland Browns, junto con una de las mentes más privilegiadas que existe en el mundo del football ofensivo actual: Kyle Shanahan. Y se nota la influencia del actual HC de los niners sobre un Loggains que tomó el mando de las operaciones del ataque de los Bears en 2016 y que empezó a dejar muestras de esto mismo en su primer año como OC de los de Chicago.

LOS BEARS DE DOWELL LOGGAINS

Dowell Loggains demostró una riqueza de recursos en el juego de carrera bastante amplio. El equipo pasaba de jugar con fomaciones en I (la mayoría en off-set) a jugar desde shotgun o en pistol formation. Principalmente, se vieron muchas stretchs/outside zones, split zones o toss plays. Y la heavy-run offense con la full house formation de 2012 pasó a ser heavy-run offense con los tight ends in-line o con situaciones similares a la antigua flexbone.

Los Bears encontraron en Jordan Howard a un runningback que se adapta perfectamente al juego que quiere plantear Loggains. Es un excelente corredor jugando en zone schemes. Tiene un footwork muy rápido en los cutbacks, posee buena visión y la suficiente paciencia para ver abrirse el gap. Además, no tiene problemas para correr entre los tackles en power run y bajar el centro de gravedad para aguantar, y romper, el tackle. Howard puede jugar muy físico cuando la situación lo requiere. Si a Jordan Howard le sumamos Jeremy Langford, Kadeem Carey y el rookie Tarik Cohen (atención al uso en trick plays de este rapidísimo atacante), nos queda un cuerpo de corredores repleto de variantes. Es decir, Loggains va a hacer lo que más le gusta en una ofensiva: correr, correr y correr. Su filosofía es proteger el balón lo máximo posible y esto lo va a intentar conseguir con su run-heavy offense. Quemar el reloj será su objetivo prioritario para 2017.

2016 Chicago Bears - Off-set Counter OF por deionmarco

Pero, además, los Bears cuentan con un fullback, Freddie Stevenson (elegido en el último draft) y tres tight ends que van a hacer el roster final (Zach Miller, Dion Sims y su segunda ronda de este año Adam Shaheen). No sé vosotros, pero yo veo una clara inclinación, en esta plantilla, a lo que os he contado sobre aquellos Titans de 2012. La llegada de Sims y la elección de Shaheen me llevan a este punto. La seguridad en el juego de pase, que le gusta a Loggains, comienza en sus tight ends. Además, se espera que Kevin White supere sus problemas físicos y pueda empezar a aportar regularmente. Con Miller, Shaheen, Sims y White, el quarterback va a tener receptores de posesión en casi cualquier snap, lo que le permite seguir teniendo personal 12 o 22 (dos RBs y dos TEs), que es la columna vertebral para una run-heavy offense. Mezclar rutas en dos niveles como los conceptos slant-flat, Hi-Lo crossers, sucker route, drive, snag, spacing o smash, y buscar las comebacks en el exterior, van a ser las principales armas que emplee Loggains para mover las cadenas por aire.

2016 Chicago Bears - Shallow cross off-set por deionmarco

Si os habéis fijado en los vídeos de aquellos Titans de 2012, el quarterback iniciaba el snap debajo del center. Con Loggains al mando, y dentro de su esquema ofensivo, el quarterback se va a situar en ese spot muchas veces a lo largo de un partido. Si volvemos en el tiempo (a 2013) y vemos la temporada de Mike Glennon como quarterback titular de los Tampa Bay Buccaneers, podemos observar cómo estas situaciones no van a ser extrañas para él. En esa temporada, era habitual verle salir debajo del center para hacer el hand-off o para jugar play action, así que el nuevo quarterback de los Chicago Bears estará familiarizado en formaciones pro. Es decir, tenemos un quarterback que sabe manejarse en un sistema así, y jugadores lo suficientemente válidos como para adecuarse a lo que tu coordinador te va a pedir, así que hay un plan. Los Bears han llevado un plan desde que acabó el año pasado. Las dudas vienen cuando intentamos colocar al Mitchell Trubisky que vimos en college en todo este sistema tan distinto al que él jugó, ¿verdad?

COMO ENCAJA TRUBISKY EN ESTE PLAN

“Pero Trubisky no ha jugado nunca en un sistema así. ¡Nunca ha salido debajo del center ni ha jugado ese tipo de dropbacks!”, me diréis alguno. Totalmente cierto, amigos, pero hay solución. O, al menos, creo que puede haberla.

Como os decía antes, el plan de los Bears para este año es darle el mínimo protagonismo a su quarterback. Todo el ataque lo van a basar en el juego terrestre y en los espacios que puedan crear a partir de esto. Su línea ofensiva es mucho mejor de lo que podáis pensar. El interior de esa unidad, de hecho, es excelente. Sitton, Whitehair y Long forman un grupo muy sólido y no me sorprendería ver crecer aún más su rendimiento si las lesiones les respetan. Es decir, tenemos una línea ofensiva que va a jugar bien y un juego de carrera capaz de llevar el peso del equipo. Con esto, los Bears pueden empezar a pensar en darle snaps a su nuevo quarterback.

Si el problema son las salidas debajo del center para alguien que nunca las ha jugado, os puedo emplazar a lo que vimos el año pasado con Dak Prescott. En Dallas fueron capaces de implementar las situaciones de RPO para que su QB rookie tuviese una transición algo menos traumática. Mezclaban situaciones saliendo debajo del center y situaciones jugando desde shotgun para que su quarterback rookie se sintiera más cómodo, dando todo el peso del ataque a su línea ofensiva y a Zeke Elliott, su runningback titular. Con esto, Prescott fue minimizando errores, ganando confianza en su juego y llegó a un nivel el cual nos sorprendió a todos. 

2016 Chicago Bears - Shotgun RPO 2ª Lectura por deionmarco

Con Trubisky, los Bears tienen que hacer algo muy parecido. Él tiene muy buena precisión en los lanzamientos entre los hashmarks tras RPOs, y eso es algo que deben explotar en esa ofensiva. Además, el nuevo quarterback de Chicago, tiene la virtud de salir bien del pocket para jugar sprint-action, por lo que los roll-outs serían una buena opción dentro de esas formaciones pro-style, así que una posibilidad para salir debajo del center serían estos roll-outs buscando el flood concept o el swap boot. Los dropbacks jugando play action, evidentemente, los tiene que aprender casi desde cero, pero las noticias que nos llegan desde la Ciudad del Viento son inmejorables al respecto. Es más, antes y después de la Combine, ya se hablaba de una progresión visible en su footwork. Aun así, el año pasado, después de la lesión de Jay Cutler, vimos a Matt Barkley jugar desde shotgun muchas veces también, algo que Trubisky domina mejor y que demuestra la capacidad de adaptación que tiene Loggains para cualquier contingencia que se le presente.

Mitchell Trubisky Sprint Right Action por deionmarco

Si quieren seguir siendo una run-heavy offense sin tener que salir desde debajo del center, el coordinador ofensivo tiene diferentes maneras de poder hacerlo. Jugando desde shotgun con personal 12 (con los tight ends in-line o con los tight ends en posiciones wing) o mandando la pistol formation (incluída la diamond formation para llenar el backfield), convirtiendo el play action en un mesh point entre el RB y Trubisky, con lecturas sencillas en las RPOs y con la posibilidad de que Trubisky use sus piernas para ganar yardas por tierra quedándose él el balón, una amenaza que con Glennon no tendrían. Evidentemente, Trubisky tiene que ir mejorando su footwork, su reconocimiento de las defensas pre/post-snap y su toma de decisiones dependiendo de lo que se le presenta en el campo, así como crear química con sus compañeros. Lo que está claro es que le han querido rodear lo mejor posible para que no recaiga sobre él el peso de la ofensiva. Todo lo que sea ver más de 25/30 pases por partido en cualquiera de estos dos quarterbacks, será un problema para los Bears.

2016 Chicago Bears - Pistol Outside Zone por deionmarco

El resumen de todo esto es que los Bears no se han  vuelto tan locos como parecía en un principio. O así lo veo yo. Ellos han trazado una hoja de ruta desde que acabó la temporada pasada y su objetivo ha sido formar un bloque muy sólido en ataque para mantenerlo en el campo todo el tiempo posible. No van a tener prisa, pero han dado a entender que Trubisky es su hombre de futuro para esta franquicia, por lo que están intentando ponerle en la mejor situación posible, sin presiones de ningún tipo. 

Veremos mucho juego terrestre en estos nuevos Bears, crearán formaciones pesadas buscando los mismatchs con sus tight ends e intentaran aprovechar los huecos que dejen los rivales al cerrarse con hombres rápidos como Cruz, Meredith, Wheaton o Thompson.

Siguen siendo, en mi opinión, el equipo más débil de esa división, pero tengo la sensación de que va a haber un crecimiento progresivo a lo largo de esta temporada. Progresión que vendrá por ese plan que pocos parecen ver, o creer, y que tiene un nombre por encima de todos: Mitchell Trubisky.

ARE THE CHIEFS WORSE AFTER MACLIN´S RELEASE?

"I've got a ton of trust in the young guys that they'll step up and do a good job for us. We've got enough talent here to do whatever we need to do. I don't worry about that". These statements are from Andy Reid just after the team cut his star wide receiver signed to a big-money deal two years ago. In 2015, Jeremy Maclin came to the franchise with the intention of being the receiver that gave the team a quality jump to a very predictable offense that displayed notorious deficiencies in the passing game. Kansas City gave Maclin top wide receiver money after his great 2014 in the Eagles. The Chiefs signed him a five-year contract and $55 million with $22.5 guaranteed. 

In his first year, Maclin catched 87 receptions for 1088 yards and 8 touchdowns. A good season, although not a the level of excellence that he got under Chip Kelly's offense. Even so, he was the best receiver on the team and gave a very reliable target to Alex Smith. In addition, his injury in the wildcard game against the Texans made him impossible to play against the Patriots in the Divisional Round, something that diminished clearly Andy Reid's offense that day...

By 2016, Maclin´s role was expected to rise, but physical problems and the appearance of Tyreek Hill limited his receptions, and his statistics dropped sharply. In 12 regular season games he got 44 receptions for 536 yards and only 2 touchdowns. Obviously, any team expects much more from their highest paid receiver, but this is not reason enough to cut him, more so if you pay attention to what is left on the roster.

We are going to analyze how the Chiefs can compensate the loss of Maclin, if it can hurt them, or not, and the player that will have to step up after his departure.

THE NUMBER ONE RECEIVER

Jeremy Maclin was the undisputed number one wide receiver on that offense, so initially his replacement would have to come out between Chris Conley, Tyreek Hill or Albert Wilson. I don't think so. I clearly see a man to be the "go to guy" of this offense. Travis Kelce is the man that Andy Reid grabs to be the backbone of the offense. Undoubtedly, the tight end is the most dangerous player they have right now.

Kelce is a terrible mismatch for rival defenders. In the previous video, we can see how he plays againts the linebacker in that man to man defense. He plays a very quick cut and takes advantage of the space created by the wide receiver to gain yards after catch. He's the playmaker the Chiefs have, along with Hill, to attack by the air. The tight end can come out from any spot in the offense. Attached to the offensive line, within the numbers or glued to the boundary. His physique, and speed in each cut, allows him to gain separation either against linebackers or against defensive backs. He's a constant nightmare for defenses. Last year, he was the most targeted player by his quarterback (85 receptions for 1125 yards and 4 touchdowns), but beyond his stats, Kelce generates space for his teammates as he draws two and up to three defenders. In the following video, we can see his speed, his excellent route-running and his fantastic hands against cornerback in man to man defense. If the defense is man-to-man. If he stays healthy, the tight end will once again become the cornerstone of the whole offensive system. 

THE EXPLOSION OF TYREEK HILL

Maclin was the man who could play better in the deep passing game. His location of the ball, his hands and his route running made him very dangerous down the field. However, the Chiefs, and Alex Smith, are not much threat since they don´t put the ball too many times in the air for long distance plays. The inconsistency of Smith in the deep throws is something that has harmed Maclin's perfonmance. The next video shows us how good Maclin is in the deep passing game.

The star appearance of the former West Alabama graduate was the most positive feature in an offense that seemed very limited again in 2016. His versatility was used wonderfully by his coach, which placed him in different spots giving them a constant threat in any type of situation, whether in running or passing game. He was located 52% of his snaps out wide, 39% in the slot and 8% starting from the backfield. His speed is exceptional, electric and dominant. We saw him come out the backfield (even playing wildcats), return punts / kicks or move around the field to look for medium or deep routes, and this is where I will elaborate.

Now, after Maclin's release, Kansas City still has Tyreek Hill to stretch the defense vertically and leave the defenses clear to take advantage of Kelce, or another teammate, on underneath routes. The small receiver is very difficult to defend. If you play in man to man, pressing with the jam, it's very likely that his quick feet get the release to win separation. On the contrary, if you give him space in off-man, his vertical release eats (literally) that cushion before the cornerback has time to react and follow his route. Andy Reid has found his DeSean Jackson and wants to use it in the same way.

In my opinion, Tyreek Hill can not be the WR1. All that versatility I spoke to you may be detrimental to him. I will explain it. Hill, besides being a weapon on the offense, also participates on special teams as a returner, being, at the moment, one of the most dangerous of all in the NFL. This, in a player who is physically small, and somewhat fragile, can end up being a problem. Too many hits, too much time on the field and too much risk for Reid to be left without such a valuable weapon and that supposes so much to him. A WR1 must play all possible snaps when his team has the ball, but overloading Hill can be counterproductive. Last year, still being one of his best players, Andy Reid already took care of him giving him more rest than the Chiefs demanded. Of the 991 snaps played by Kansas City, Hill participated in 401, 40% of the total. No doubt, in 2017 he will have more snaps, but not those that a WR1 should have. Kelce and Hill are the two playmakers needed to make Reid's West Coast Offense not as predictable. They are the ones who create mismatches and those who can give the quality leap into the receivers' crop. They are in charge of making the passing game dangerous.

AND THE REST OF WIDE RECEIVERS?

Reid's WCO allows his players to be open in the route scheme created by the coach. This scheme looks for the weaknesses of the defensive coverage without needing a great one on one by his wide receivers. All those bunch formations to look for routes in traffic, the screens or mixture of concepts for short and fast routes, allows to operate well to wide receivers as possession's receivers. Of course, without the variations given by the playmakers, this scheme would be somewhat lame. Maclin's natural replacement, in this type of game, has to be Chris Conley. Former Georgia Bulldog, drafted in the third round of 2015, has been taking more snaps over the last two years, ending 2016 with 44 receptions for 530 yards, but with no touchdowns on his box-score (he has only one touchdown and he got it in his rookie year). Conley plays very well the comeback route when he's defended in off-man. Good cuts, ball location and, above all, his turn to get some extra yards after the reception, make him be a good target for the quarterback in first or second down.

Conley has good speed, so he will be deployed, along with Hill, to go deep. It was customary, in 2016, to see him play fade routes outside the numbers looking for deep throws. He has to improve his release versus press, and he must refine his speed cuts a little more to look for doubles moves. I'm sure Andy Reid has a lot of confidence in him and in the progression he's been making since joining the team, although Alex Smith targeted him for only 12'9% of the routes he ran. The rest of the wide receivers that have options to make the final roster will come from the list of Abert Wilson, De'Anthony Thomas, Demarcus Robinson, Seantavius ​​Jones and rookie Jehu Chesson. Wilson is a good slot receiver. He's a good route runner in underneath zones to gain separation and give a clear target to his quarterback. Demarcus Robinson play has gained attention in the off-season. The staff is delighted with the second-year player after playing only six snaps with the offensive team in 2016. He played every game of last year, but did so in special teams like gunner and, right now, is the top favorite to occupy the spot that Jeremy Maclin left free on the roster. Thomas's case is different. His speed makes it dangerous in trick plays or in different situations such as screens, but his protagonism is falling as time passes.

Finally, and although he is not a wide receiver, I want to name a player who creates me some interest, tight end Demetrius Harris. I have noticed, in the games that I've analyzed, how the Chiefs were introducing this boy as the year progressed. Reid moved Kelce all over the field while using Harris in-line to block, playing with 12 personnel many times. Harris entered the passing game step by step, and showed a very interesting progression in his route running. If Reid manages to implement the passing game with two tight ends formations, the offense will have more facility to move the chains. Keep an eye on him.

THE RUNNING GAME

I'm not the smartest guy in the class if I tell you that you can not attack by air without a decent ground game. Unless you have Aaron Rodgers commanding the offense, that can not be done. And the 2016 Chiefs did not have a established running game. Spencer Ware is their starting running back, but injuries unable him to reach his full potential. I really like this guy and I think the tandem he can make with Kareem Hunt will give another dimension to the Chiefs' running game. Obviously, the offensive line has to accompany his runners. Not that they were bad or played poorly, but there were situations in which you saw them issues. We could see how physically and power wise lacked in their game. This was more noticeable when the offense was in short yardage plays. The push at the point of attack was not the right one, and it was common to see rival defensive lines dominating the trenches. In 2016 there was a lot of action from the backfield and that hid the little consistency that had the ground game. His performance should be much higher in 2017 if they want to make their passing game more reliable.

In addition to this, and after Maclin's cut, it will also be important the running back's passing game. Ware already showed that he can adapt to almost any route coming out of the backfield, and that he can also move in motion to look for the mismatch against linebackers.

Kareem Hunt has the right skills to shine in this offense. That offensive line can benefit from the footwork and explosiveness that characterize the rookie. But, also, he has good hands to receive some throws. In his college days at Toledo, we have been able to see him playing checkdowns and routes to the flat from the backfield, The RB screens that so much, and so well, play the Chiefs, adapt very well to Hunt's virtues. In the open field, he is extremely dangerous given his speed and elusiveness. Undoubtedly, the performance of these two runners is vital to alleviate Maclin's loss and to give consistency to the offense. Andy Reid must recover the running game to be able to develop the passing game.

If you ask me if the Chiefs are better without Maclin than with him, my answer is no. If you ask me if they are worse, I could not tell you that either. Maclin was clearly underutilized in a system that did not suit him. These Chiefs have a very recognizable trademark, which characterizes them over all other teams. They are a compact squad and they know very well how they play, trust that and die with their ideas. Jeremy Maclin has proved to be an excellent receiver, but he stays somewhat short as WR1 in a team that doesn't risk in the situations that can best suit him or in a system where it is not extremely necessary that type of wide receiver. This, on the other hand, is contradictory with Patrick Mahomes' pick at the most recent draft. The former Texas Tech quarterback was chosen to flip the offense and be more aggressive in the deep game, so the Maclin's loss is not much understood in this regard. However, the Chiefs' stars are fairly well defined in the names of Kelce and Hill and, along with that group of work-man like receivers, make a neat offensive team and very versatile if those pieces stay healthy.

In short, I have the feeling that the Chiefs decided to shed their best wide receiver, but not their essence. That way they have managed to be a respected and, to some extent, fearsome team, and that is what will make them again among the candidates to play in the post season. 

Rubén Ibeas @rubenibg