FSM Presents: Zo Huddle – A Breakdown of the Kansas City Chiefs Weapons Through the Eyes of a Wide Receiver Guru
What matchup problems do the defending Super Bowl champs bring against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? For this Zo Huddle, we call on Elon Paige (
For those who love a good wide receiver versus secondary battle, the time frame of 3 p.m. PT to approximately 7:15 p.m on Sunday is for you.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ defense has been a machine lately, picking off five passes – a combined four takeaways coming against past Super Bowl Most Valuable Players Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers – during their Super Bowl LV pursuit. Sean Murphy-Bunting has spearheaded the Bucs’ takeaway ship, snatching an interception in all three postseason games.
But does SMB, the Bucs’ rising lockdown cornerback Carlton Davis (who gave the Saints’ Michael Thomas one of his worst games of his career), the opposite CB Jamel Dean, and the rest of the Bucs’ defensive back unit stand a chance against the Chiefs’ arsenal?
For this Zo Huddle feature, we once again return to distinguished WR guru Elon Paige to give an idea of who the KC weapons are and how they measure up:
TYREEK HILL
Paige: “It’s going to be a show. You saw what happened last time (versus the Bucs) during the year, and that was bad. They had absolutely no answer. They came out (after halftime) and still had no answer. It’s going to be a show. They’re going to try to bracket him and put extra guys shaded over the top of him. But they are just going to expose that man-on-man coverage. It’s going to be a day for Tyreek.”
IS DAVIS THE GUY CAPABLE OF BOTTLING HILL?
Paige: “Davis is not the guy you want. The first thing you want to do is get a guy who can jam (at the line of scrimmage). If you have a good corner that can come up and slow him down, you’ve got a shot. Of course, you have got to have a safety who is fast enough to cover the crossing routes, which is what ‘Reek loves, he loves getting across the field. If you don’t have a safety who is fast enough, like what we saw what happened to the Bucs in the first game, it’s not going to be good. He’s just going to beat you to spot, Patrick is going to do his five-step drop and fire. That’s how it’s going to be.”
MECOLE HARDMAN
Paige: “Hardman is going to be that X-Factor. Last week, he had that fumble on the muffed punt but after that, he just turned it on. You saw Pat walk over and say: ‘Hey bro, we’re going to need you,’ and luckily enough, he came out that next drive and busted that long one. He’s that type of guy who is ready at any point to break a long one. And when you have all your attention and eyes on Kelce and Tyreek, you forget No. 17 is over there waiting.”
HOW WILL THE CHIEFS USE HIM EVEN WITH OTHER WEAPONS OPPOSITE OF HIM?
Paige: “Give him the ball on jet sweeps and those short routes, even the long ones, he’ll bust one. He’s that type of player – he’s that dynamic and that’s why they brought him in, to be that compliment to Tyreek. Dangerous, dangerous dude.”
TRAVIS KELCE
Paige: “If you look around the league, there’s literally nobody who can match up with him because he’s such a hybrid: He’s a guy who can use the field, he’s so elusive, he knows how to get open and he’s got great hands. He’s tough to stop.”
WHO CAN POTENTIALLY SLOW DOWN KELCE?
Paige: “I’m thinking they might try to shade Devin White over there. He’s their most athletic linebacker and he’s very physical. They may shade him over there but still, Kelce is going to do what he does. Kelce has been going over 100 yards every week. On third downs, he’s going to be the guy Mahomes is going to go to, especially in the red zone. It’s a lose-lose situation for the Bucs, really. Because if you put an extra guy on him, you leave somebody else one-on-one on the outside.”
SAMMY WATKINS
Paige: “That’s even more of a weapon right there. When Sammy is on, he’s brutal. We saw what he did last year (in Super Bowl LIV) running the inside fade past Richard Sherman, that was at an opportune time. He’s another guy who can break the game open with his speed and lucidity. It’s just too much speed, way too many weapons, and way too much creativity from the KC coaching staff.”
FINALLY, WILL THIS BE A DEFENSIVE BATTLE?
Paige: “No way. Hopefully, Tom Brady can take some shots down the field to (Chris) Godwin and Scotty Miller. The thing about Brady, he finds a way to get it done. But no way it’ll be a defensive battle. It’s going to be exciting.”
On Sunday we will see if Tampa Bay’s defense can slow down the Chiefs offense and prevent Kansas City from repeating as champions. Or will Tom Brady win his seventh Super Bowl, but his first as a Buccaneer? Super Bowl LV kicks off Sunday at 3:30 PM PT on CBS.
Zo Huddle Zo Huddle Zo Huddle Zo Huddle Zo Huddle Zo Huddle Zo Huddle Zo Huddle Zo Huddle
Lorenzo J. Reyna – Franchise Sports Media
Twitter: @LJ_Reyna
