Austin Blythe is a small signing who fixes a big problem for K.C. Chiefs

 

by Josh Fann | April 1, 2021

 

The K.C. Chiefs made yet another move in free agency this past Tuesday when they signed former Los Angeles Rams center Austin Blythe to a one-year deal. At this point in free agency, most moves are going to be considered small ones and the signing of Blythe is no exception. Any time you sign a veteran player this late into free agency to a one-year deal, they’re expected to be a bridge player and Blythe fits that description as well. However the “small signing” of Blythe actually fixes a major problem for Kansas City.

Before getting into anything about Blythe, it’s important to note that he appears to be the Chiefs starting center, meaning Austin Reiter is not coming back. Personally, I feel this is an upgrade. Many analysts and fans alike went on about the fact that Reiter didn’t allow a sack last year and is a solid starter, but the truth is, he really only held up in pass-protection because of Patrick Mahomes’ ability to move and escape. Reiter wasn’t necessarily good at moving guys around, which was why he struggled as a run-blocker. That was an issue. The Chiefs spent a first round pick on a running back, so it would only make sense for the Chiefs to do their best to actually provide a competent line for Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs moving on from Reiter shouldn’t make anyone upset.

So, in comes Austin Blythe. Blythe spent the past four seasons with the Rams after originally being drafted in the 7th round by the Indianapolis Colts in the 2016 NFL Draft and spending a season there. Blythe didn’t do much with the Colts, but he has blossomed with the Rams, starting 46 games over the past 3 seasons, and showing off his versatility by playing at both guard and center.

This past season for the Rams, Blythe was actually ranked in the top ten in run-block win rate among centers. In addition, Blythe posted a 73.2 overall run-blocking grade according to PFF and helped lead a top ten rushing offense with Los Angeles. Lastly, Blythe only committed 1 penalty in we’ll over 1,000 snaps in 2020. This should be music to Chiefs fans’ ears because what this team really needed was a center like Blythe.

We already mentioned the Chiefs investing in a running back last year in Edwards-Helaire, so it would only make sense if they also invested in the offensive line to maximize his potential. Blythe is a step in the right direction, and I would imagine Edwards-Helaire was the one most excited about yesterday’s news. Last year, the Chiefs interior offensive line ranked dead last in the league in run-block win rate and adding a top ten center in that aspect is nothing but a win. There were many situations last year in which the Chiefs tried to go with a power run up the middle or needed that extra push on 3rd or 4th-and-short, but Reiter just couldn’t give it to them. Blythe can, which should extend many drives. He should also be able to carve big holes for Chiefs running backs along with the rest of the interior line. Oh yeah, and those infamous 2nd-and-long runs Andy Reid loves to do should see a lot more success as well.

It is worth noting that Blythe isn’t among the best pass-protecting centers in the league and actually posted a very low 52.5 pass-blocking grade from PFF last season. At the same time, it’s always difficult to take PFF grades at face value and preach them as gospel but in the end they still are a good metric. They just don’t take into account much of the context that goes into a player’s grade. For example, people who might point out Austin Reiter is a good pass-blocker because PFF said so may not also consider what we mentioned earlier in that Reiter isn’t giving up much pressure because Mahomes is so good at moving around to where Reiter isn’t getting dinged for anything.

The fact Blythe will likely playing with a very good guard rotation that includes Joe Thuney, Kyle Long, and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif on either side of him should help Blythe in pass-protection a lot as well as the benefit of playing with the best quarterback in all of football in Mahomes. Plus the Chiefs still have Nick Allegretti who may rotate at Center and provide competition for Blythe.

The Chiefs’ signing of Blythe doesn’t necessarily eliminate the possibility of K.C. drafting a center either, but for now, Blythe looks to be a nice player who can bring that power run scheme ability to the Chiefs. With an interior that looks like LDT, Blythe, and Joe Thuney, the Chiefs rushing attack should take huge strides next season and Blythe solves a big problem for the Chiefs that was their poor run-blocking from the middle of the line in 2020. Edwards-Helaire has absolutely no excuse to not run for at least 1,000 yards next year behind this current lineup assuming the Chiefs also draft their left tackle of the future this April.

 

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford says he's inspired by new coordinator Mike Yurcich

 

By Rich Scarcella

18 hrs ago (March 29, 2021)

Penn State senior quarterback Sean Clifford on new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich: "He’s not a thermometer; he’s a thermostat. He walks in and changes the temperature of the room."

The Associated Press

New Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich is fiery, energetic and passionate, according to quarterback Sean Clifford, just like Clifford.

“We’ll butt heads because we’re so similar,” Clifford said Monday. “You see it in the meetings. You can ask any of the other quarterbacks. I’ll be talking because I want to express my point and then he’ll want to talk, too.

“It’s a really good relationship so far.”

Yurcich is Clifford’s fourth offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in his five seasons, three as the starter, with the Nittany Lions. Clifford has adjusted to each change, from Joe Moorhead to Ricky Rahne to Kirk Ciarrocca.

Clifford’s now a senior, though, and motivated to improve on his performance last season when Penn State finished 4-5. He completed 60.6% of his passes for 1,883 yards and 16 touchdowns, but he threw nine interceptions and lost two fumbles, which were returned for scores.

“I had a lot of love for Coach Ciarrocca,” he said, “and now that he’s gone, I’m developing a new relationship with Coach Yurcich. I’m not sad about it. I’m not mad about it. It’s just the way it goes.

“I’m enjoying every minute being coached by him. He’s a great coach. He’s very inspiring and he makes me want to come to work every day.”

Clifford said he believes that learning Yurcich’s offense will be easier than learning Ciarrocca’s offense because the Lions didn’t have spring practice last season and later had to work out in separate pods because of the pandemic.

He called 2020 a “weird year in general” and said he never threw with wide receiver Parker Washington, a true freshman last year, until two weeks before the Oct. 24 opener at Indiana.

“Spring ball is where you really develop your team,” Clifford said. “You work through the kinks. You’re going to mess up. It’s nice to be able to mess up in a practice and break down the film (and correct mistakes).

“Last year, that was after the Indiana game and after the Ohio State game. We were going over those new things that came up and it hurt us, as it did a lot of teams. Spring ball is critical."

He was benched in the middle of a 30-23 loss at Nebraska in favor of backup Will Levis, who since has transferred to Kentucky, and didn’t start the following week against Iowa. He had 11 TD passes and eight interceptions in the first five games, all losses, and five touchdown passes and one interception in the last four games, all wins.

“It was definitely a challenge to be benched on national television and for everybody to see it,” Clifford said. “It takes a lot out of you because you’re that guy. You want to lead your team. You want to be there for everybody.

“The one week that you don’t have that opportunity, it kind of hurts. I would be lying if I said it didn’t. But at the same time, I knew that I had to be there for my teammates and for Will, especially. I honestly looked at it as an opportunity to grow and learn.”

Penn State coach James Franklin fired Ciarrocca after one season and hired Yurcich hoping to improve the offense in general and Clifford in particular. Yurcich has enjoyed success at coaching stops that include Shippensburg, Oklahoma State, Ohio State and Texas.

Clifford declined to get into the specifics of Yurcich’s offense because the Lions aren’t halfway through spring practice.

“Everything is happening so fast and you’re trying to get every install in,” he said. “It’s been exciting. It’s a combination of explosiveness and grinding it out. It’s everything you want.”

Clifford said he liked playing for Moorhead, Rahne and Ciarrocca. So far, Yurcich is everything he wants in a coach.

“He makes you just want to be there,” Clifford said. “It’s really every single day, the way he talks and the way he commands a room. He’s not a thermometer; he’s a thermostat. He walks in and changes the temperature of the room.

“When we’re going over a concept, we need to know every little detail of it. I think that’s what every great OC needs to do.”

Mike Yurcich’s energy leads to early positive reviews for revamped Penn State offense

 

Daniel Gallen, pennlive.com

Mar 23, 2021

STATE COLLEGE — Jake Pinegar typically isn’t intimately involved with either side of the ball during Penn State practices in his role as kicker, but the junior has certainly taken note of new Lions offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich as he installs his system during spring practice.

It’s the second year in a row the Lions are learning a new offense with their third offensive coordinator in three years. A benefit for Penn State in Year 1 under Yurcich, though, is the in-person practices that were absent a year ago for Kirk Ciarrocca’s lone season in State College as James Franklin’s offensive coordinator.

And that’s where Yurcich has made an early impression on his players, whether they’re technically part of his unit or not.

“He brings a lot of fire, a lot of energy, a lot of energy, a lot of fire, and from what I can see, the offense looks great,” Pinegar said over Zoom on Monday. “I’ve talked to [quarterback] Sean [Clifford] and all these other guys about the offense, and they’ve said they love it, and they’re ready to get after it. I think the biggest thing, too, is everybody has just been working incredibly hard this offense.

“I think there’s a lot of juice, a lot of competitiveness and a lot of drive that the offense is looking for.”

Guard/center Mike Miranda echoed Pinegar when it comes to Yurcich’s energy. Miranda said Yurcich showcased it during winter workouts over the past few months, and it’s carried over into the first week of on-field practices.

And Yurcich showcases it in different ways. He doesn’t just raise his voice or run around the field with his different position groups. It’s a little bit of everything.

“He’s a really verbal guy,” Miranda said over Zoom on Monday. “He does run around at practice a lot, but whenever we’re at team periods, we’re doing walkthroughs, you always know where he is on the field. You can always hear his voice, you always know what he’s saying, whether it’s to the offense or whether it’s to the quarterbacks or another position group. His presence is just felt as a coordinator while we’re on the field practicing, working.”

Of course, Yurcich’s personality is moot if the Penn State offense doesn’t see results. That’s why Franklin, rather surprisingly, moved on from Ciarrocca in favor of Yurcich.

Last season, Yurcich was at Texas and helped coach quarterback Sam Ehlinger to a 26-touchdown, five-interception season where Ehlinger averaged 8.0 yards per attempt and posted two five-touchdown games, plus another four-score outing.

In 2019, Yurcich was the passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Ohio State. That year, quarterback Justin Fields, projected to be a top pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, threw 41 touchdowns to just three interceptions. And prior to that, Yurcich spent six years under Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State in the pass-happy Big 12.

Everywhere Yurcich has been, big numbers have followed, which could bode well for Clifford, a stable of interesting running backs and a group of young playmakers at wide receivers. And those numbers typically come quickly, which has stood out to the players early.

“The thing I like most about the offense is it’s uptempo,” tight end Brenton Strange said Monday over Zoom. “I don’t think a lot of defenses just want to run the whole entire game, and that’s what we do. We’re uptempo, fast, get the defense on its heels and create explosive plays. That’s what I like the most about it.”

Miranda thinks when the season comes around, Penn State can be in better shape than its opponents and wear them down during the final stages of a game.

But a key part of that stems from the opportunity right now to prepare for the season. A year ago at this time, the Lions were learning an offense over Zoom while attempting to adjust to a world upended by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, though, Zoom sessions are “just kind of a normal thing,” Pinegar said, and the Lions are getting on-field instruction in March as opposed to later in the summer.

Plus, the loss of meeting time a year ago made players more appreciative for their chance to get together in the same room and go over the new offense this spring.

“Every meeting is an opportunity for us to learn because we can see how much different it can be, how much better it can make us,” Miranda said.

Yurcich’s addition to the Penn State staff created some buzz and optimism around a unit that struggled with injuries and inconsistency during a 4-5 season in 2020. The Lions are trying to put that performance behind them, but there are still some questions that need to be answered, mainly surrounding Clifford, an offensive line looking to replace two starters and a running back room that is deep but has dealt with injuries.

But there’s still plenty of time between now and when Penn State is scheduled to kick off the season at Wisconsin on Sept. 4 for those questions to get answered. From his view, though, Pinegar has been impressed with the initial returns with Yurcich as the offensive coordinator, which could make for some busier Saturday afternoons for the kicker.

“They’re working really hard,” Pinegar said. “As a spectator, obviously, it’s not my area of expertise, but from what I see, it looks like they’re headed in a really good direction.”