Brad Childress was the Vikings head coach from 2006-10, and served as the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2012. He got those positions largely for being the executor of offensive game planning under Andy Reid when the pair was in Philadelphia in the early 2000s.
Since then, “offensive success” and “Childress” haven’t exactly gone hand-in-hand. Childress’s current claim-to-fame, other than a few dust-ups with Brett Favre at the end of his career, is he’s the owner of the most unique and befuddling job title in the NFL.
Childress is the “spread game analyst” under Reid with the Chiefs, the Steelers’ opponents in Week 7.
So what is that, exactly? It sounds more like the title given to a blogger as part of an incredibly ambitious web site.
Childress told Mark Craig of the Star Tribune in Minneapolis he “primarily speaks with the receivers during games.” Craig pointed out the Chiefs receivers didn’t catch a touchdown pass in the 586 pass attempts they had from Week 14 2013 to Week 3 of this season, a streak that spanned 18 games. Childress was apparently in contact with them the entire time.
Maybe Childress is insulting their well-being and hurting their feelings.
Still, 30 years of football experience as well as a strong relationship with Reid can be a compelling reason to bring Childress on in such a unique role. Alex Smith completed 31 of 45 passes against the Steelers last year, throwing no touchdowns but no interceptions in the Steelers’ 20-12 win.
Completing short passes, aiming for yards after the catch and maintaining possession. That’s a spread offense. That’s Childress and the Chiefs. It’s just not the sexiest offense in the world. The Chiefs are 22nd in the NFL in scoring offense, averaging 21.2 points a game. They lost Jamaal Charles to a torn ACL in Week 5. They managed just 10 points in a Week 6 loss to the Vikings.
To say their offense is struggling is an understatement. Blame Reid, the playcaller, as well as losing a dynamic playmaker like Charles before Childress, but such an anemic offense having a specialized assistant seems humorous.
An offensive line that is failing at a significant level is also neither Childress’s problem nor a benefit to what he’s trying to accomplish. Smith has been sacked 23 times in the Chiefs’ six games, the second-most in the NFL next to Russell Wilson’s 26.
The Steelers’ pass rush has been effective this season, and it would seem they have a big advantage in that regard compared to the Chiefs. Expect Reid, Childress and Smith to load up on short passes, like they did last season, and dink and dunk their way down the field.
The Steelers are allowing just 18 points a game, and much of that is due to a dominant red zone defense that’s allowing just under three red zone trips a game, 12th-best in the NFL.
The Steelers’ web site does not list a “red zone defense analyst,” and while they’re still allowing 58 percent of red zone trips to result in a touchdown, dink and dunk teams have not found success against the Steelers in terms of scoring points.
San Diego has, statistically speaking, one of the best passing offenses in the NFL. Phillip Rivers has 2,115 passing yards, and he leads the NFL in that category. The Steelers held the Chargers to 20 points, and the final three of those points were scored on a 54-yard field goal with two minutes remaining in the game. Colin Kaepernick had a season-high 335 yards against the Steelers, and he led his team to just 18 points.
Pressuring Smith and accepting the doldrums of their completions-based offense will be key for the Steelers in this game. And Childress and Reid have yet to find a way to prevent a defense from succeeding with that game plan.
