Steve Spagnuolo on 'cost of doing business' penatlies | KCSN Daily 11.17

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In the last three games played, Kansas City Chiefs CB L’Jarius Sneed was called for seven total penalties.

Typically, most around the league would look at that as a problem. For Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, he sees it as a necessary evil. It’s simply the cost of being a defense that plays a lot of press-man coverage and seeks to take away some of the best players for an offense on a given play.

"Well, I mean, there's some 'cost of doing business' penalties when you're a press team, and you're going against a really good wideout and you're trying to be aggressive and try to take that guy out of the game," Spagnuolo said. "Now, (L’Jarius Sneed) will tell you, he knows he can be a little bit better. Sometimes the hands get a little bit too high and we get hands to the face or we get a little grabby. We can avoid those. But I really don't want LJ to become less aggressive, so he'll probably maintain that and hopefully not get as many penalties." 

As far as staying aggressive and making improvements are concerned, the defensive coaching staff is working with Sneed and really every other player on that. Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt went more in-depth about how Sneed can effectively eliminate the penalties he has been called for.

“I think the first thing for LJ (L’Jarius Sneed) is at the line of scrimmage, nothing is going to change other than lowering his target,” Merritt said. “He may have had one that was called, ‘Hands to the Face’ but the majority of his penalties are going downfield when he’s in phase. So with that being said, not to get too technical, what LJ is going to have to do and what we’ve been working on and even started working on last week and hopefully it’ll start clicking in once he’s in phase running down the field with the wide receiver, he has to know right now that at point in time as you’re reading your keys, when that wide receiver syncs his hips, you have to make sure that you’re just pumping your arms, but what he’s doing is he’s grabbing, he’s reaching trying to just hold on. Almost like what a little kid would do to a mommy or daddy when they’re trying to run away from them, he’s like grabbing. He’s just got to trust that my ability is good enough to run the route with him, and that’s one of the things that we’re working on. But the majority of them again are happening once he gets in phase downfield, so that’s what we’re working on.”

At the end of the day, the Chiefs’ defense would like to be “perfect.” They are, however, alright with paying the toll for being aggressive in the secondary, so long as it doesn’t hurt the bottom line (winning games).

Chiefs have allowed the FEWEST QB sacks allowed in 2023!

Connor Embree on the wide receiver rotation:

The Chiefs are still trying to figure out their wide receiver room, and how to manage all seven to eight players who are up in a given week. Asked how he plans to keep players fresh and keep their heads in the game, Chiefs WR coach Connor Embree explained it’s a season-long process.

“That’s a part of the learning experience,” Embree said. “Most of the guys in this room, they’ve played every snap their whole life. They’ve always been the best guy out there and never off the field. That’s a learning experience where you have to learn, ‘Hey this game I might get 15 reps, then next game I might get 40.’ Like you were talking about Rashee (Rice). So you just have to be locked in, know what you’re doing, know what role we have for you in the game, and then when the play comes for you to make it, you have to make it.”

I get the sense that riding the hot hand at receiver will be the plan moving forward for Kansas City, and that hot hand might be attached to a different player on a weekly basis.

AHPKC - Which Chiefs Player Could EMERGE as a Second-Half Superstar?

Ryan Scott Hall and HisDirkness are back after the bye week to recap the first half of the season and discuss what they want to see from the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half, who they want to see step up, and much more!

Injury Report:

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• Wesley Roesch’s weekly game preview featuring the Chiefs vs. Eagles matchup is here.

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Important Dates Ahead:

• Nov. 20: NFL Week 11 - Chiefs vs. Eagles - Monday Night Football

• Nov. 22: Deadline to activate WR Richie James to the 53-man roster from IR

• Nov. 26: NFL Week 12 - Chiefs at Raiders