Keenan Allen

[shogun]

I think when push comes to shove, Allen will be there in the clutch. It feels like the team has been on cruise control the past month since the teams we've been facing aren't at our their level. These next few games we'll probably see more of him. Just watching him when he has the ball he's clearly the most talented WR on the field.

[Steve]

SOmething to think about. Rivers is playing about as well as can be expected. There really is not much more room for improvement. So, where would all of this additional production come from? Royal and Gates are both more productive then they were last year. Floyd is being more productive then VB was last year. We have had a little bit of a dropoff at RB, but not that much since BO and Ronnie have done a good job there too. And we are trying to get more out of Green. There is ALWAYS only so much production to go around, and right now, teams KNOW that Allen will beat them if they don't put a lot of attention on him. The fact that Allen is moderately productive and the others are being much more productive just tells me that we have found a good mix. But at some point, some DC is going to gamble on taking another receiver out of the game by doubling them all over the field, and Allen will be there to hurt them for it. Right now, teams are just not willing to go that route yet.

[blueman]

That's kinda my worry, it's like they're daring us to beat them with Royal and Green etc., and we are. But looking ahead, we'll be facing tougher Ds - I think KC's D might give us a tougher game than Denver's.

I think we're gonna need to throw the kitchen sink at KC, on both sides of the ball.

[richpjr]

I think the big thing is that Floyd is back and playing at a very high level so Rivers has another target to look at. Last year it was Brown and Allen at WR, so it was a no brainer that everything was going to Allen. I also think that his production last year has teams game planning more for him. Finally, I think he is still not 100% healthy and it has affected him a bit.

[Panama]

That's kinda my worry, it's like they're daring us to beat them with Royal and Green etc., and we are. But looking ahead, we'll be facing tougher Ds - I think KC's D might give us a tougher game than Denver's.

I think we're gonna need to throw the kitchen sink at KC, on both sides of the ball.

We've faced Seattle, Arizona, and Buffalo. How much tougher can you get than that? And that's not to mention the Jets, which may have one of the worst secondaries in football but also have one of the best DLs. No, we're not going to be facing tougher Ds. The only D on a par with the ones we've already faced will be SF. KC, St. Louis, and Miami might prove stiff tests, too, but certainly not stiffer than what we've already faced.

[SDFan]

That's kinda my worry, it's like they're daring us to beat them with Royal and Green etc., and we are. But looking ahead, we'll be facing tougher Ds - I think KC's D might give us a tougher game than Denver's.

I think we're gonna need to throw the kitchen sink at KC, on both sides of the ball.

why? KC is not very good. They got off to a fast start last year by beating 8 teams playing backup QBs and hyped by the "new coach smell" we just saw in Oakland last week. BOTH their offense and defense are degraded from last year. All this Chargers team has to do is keeping playing their own game and not kill themselves with penalties & mistakes and we can beat every team on our schedule. The only concern i have going forward is waiting to see if our momentum is broken by the bye week like with NOrv every year.

[SDFan]

I think the big thing is that Floyd is back and playing at a very high level so Rivers has another target to look at. Last year it was Brown and Allen at WR, so it was a no brainer that everything was going to Allen. I also think that his production last year has teams game planning more for him. Finally, I think he is still not 100% healthy and it has affected him a bit.

I believe Woodhead was our 2nd leading WR last year (now gone) and Royal had a career year last year. I think Rivers has the same amount of targets- but more discretion to choose this year under Reich than he did under Wiz.

[SDFan]

who's been more invisible: Allen, Ladarius Green, Donald Butler, Addae or Richard Marshall?

[richpjr]

I believe Woodhead was our 2nd leading WR last year (now gone) and Royal had a career year last year. I think Rivers has the same amount of targets- but more discretion to choose this year under Reich than he did under Wiz.

I was really talking about who was playing at WR. Let's be honest - Floyd is a MASSIVE upgrade over the way Brown played last year. And with the chemistry between Rivers and Floyd, it's not surprising that Rivers looks his way so much when going to a WR. Overall, it's a good problem to have.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

who's been more invisible: Allen, Ladarius Green, Donald Butler, Addae or Richard Marshall?

Unfortunately Richard Marshall is very visible.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

SOmething to think about. Rivers is playing about as well as can be expected. There really is not much more room for improvement. So, where would all of this additional production come from? Royal and Gates are both more productive then they were last year. Floyd is being more productive then VB was last year. We have had a little bit of a dropoff at RB, but not that much since BO and Ronnie have done a good job there too. And we are trying to get more out of Green. There is ALWAYS only so much production to go around, and right now, teams KNOW that Allen will beat them if they don't put a lot of attention on him. The fact that Allen is moderately productive and the others are being much more productive just tells me that we have found a good mix. But at some point, some DC is going to gamble on taking another receiver out of the game by doubling them all over the field, and Allen will be there to hurt them for it. Right now, teams are just not willing to go that route yet.

This is a fair point and one I considered before starting this thread. However, Woodhead and Green were pretty bog components of the offense last year while Allen was having his greatest success and those guys haven't been part of things this year. Yes Floyd is back, so I see that. But Allen's YPC are down, too. At the end of the day he's our #1 receiver. Megatron is the #1 focus of Detroit's passing offense. Just because Golden Tate, Bush, etc catche some balls doesn't mean CJ isn't the point of emphasis.

[Steve]

That's kinda my worry, it's like they're daring us to beat them with Royal and Green etc., and we are. But looking ahead, we'll be facing tougher Ds - I think KC's D might give us a tougher game than Denver's.

I think we're gonna need to throw the kitchen sink at KC, on both sides of the ball.

Maybe, in fact probably, but remember, that while you can debate the quality of the teams we have played overall, all of them have been at least decent on D. The ones that are bad are mostly bad because they have weaknesses at QB and their defenses are being exposed because of their offensive deficiencies. But they aren't any better then Seattle's secondary (nobody is IMHO) and we did a number on them. And in that game, we had a 50/50 run/pass split, but we only got a couple of yards per carry. This time, with BO, we are going to add an explosive element and a consistency that we didn't have there.

Also, KC may have a good secondary overall, but they are struggling to get a nickle package together, let alone have any depth. I defy a secondary to be able to stop our receivers if they stay in base personnel. No LB can run with Gates or Green, and especially the LB KC has. They are fine going forward, but they need help in pass coverage, and they are solid coverage guys. But you need to be better then that if they are going to stay with our TE, or RB.

http://espn.go.com/blog/kansas-city-chiefs/post/_/id/8352/the-job-of-covering-rivers-many-receivers-just-got-more-difficult