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Kansas City Chiefs Column
By
Lloyd Baskett
8/3/10
The transition
from the Peterson / Edwards era to the Pioli / Haley era is in full
swing. The current regime has systematically purged the team of
players that don’t fit their “mold”. One of the biggest examples of
this purging was releasing Bernard Pollard last year because he
didn’t buy-in to the new plan, then watching him have a near
“ProBowl” year with Houston.
Looking back at Herm’s three draft years and noting what players
(either drafted or acquired as Free Agents) are still on the team,
here is speculation as to their chances of making this year’s
opening day roster.
1. Brodie Croyle – QB will be the #2 quarterback
2. Brandon Flowers – CB will be the starting Corner and may have a
breakout season
3. Jamaal Charles - RB is already one of the most exciting your RB’s
in the game
4. Jackie Battle – RB will have a difficult time making the team,
and if he does it will be as a Special Teamer
5. Maurice Leggett – DB will likely make the team due to his
versatility in the secondary and ability to play Special Teams
6. DaJuan Morgan – S has shown very little since being drafted and
is never mentioned by the coaches
7. Brandon Carr – CB will likely make the team due to his physical
attributes and experience, but his play has fallen off since his
rookie year
8. Mike Cox – FB is in a struggle with a couple of players brought
in by Pioli / Haley for the Fullback slot
9. Jarrad Page – S because of his refusal to sign his offer sheet
and the drafting of Berry and Lewis, Page has seen his last play as
a Chief
10. Rudy Niswanger – C will make the team
11. Barry Richardson – OT will make the team out of default unless
they pick up another legitimate OT before opening day
12. Glenn Dorsey – DE will make the team, but will have to show
continued improvement to stick around next year
13. Brandon Albert – OT will make the team, but will have to show
big improvements to avoid being replaced in ‘11
14. Dwayne Bowe – WR the same as Albert
15. Brad Cottam – TE on PUP
16. Tamba Hali – OLB ready for a breakout season
Of the 16 players from the Peterson / Edwards era, 8 will likely be
starters (Flowers, Charles, Carr, Niswanger, Dorsey, Albert, Bowe
and Hali). Of those 8, Flowers, Charles and Hali are clearly
ascending players. The rest are hanging on to their jobs or have to
show significant improvement to continue to be a part of the future
of this team. That means that, at best, the opening day 53 man
roster will be comprised of 15% holdovers. Somewhere between 5.6%
(3) and 15% (8) of the holdovers from the Peterson / Edwards era
will be considered part the foundation the team will build upon.
That is not much of a legacy.
7/6/10
Now is a good
time to take a breath, step back, and take a serious, objective look
at what to expect from this team in ’10. The Chiefs have been the
laughing stock and butt of jokes for several years and deservedly
so. But there is a different feel about the team going into this
preseason. And it’s not just coming from the “homers” if you will.
Most of the media types see some, to significant progress for the
team in ’10, with most predictions from them in the 7-9 to 9-7 won /
loss records. But more significantly, when you see blogs from fans
of other teams, particularly those in the AFC West, there is a
begrudging respect and reluctant admission that the Chiefs are no
longer the pushovers they have been in the recent past.
With that in mind, an objective look at positions, not players, can
help determine whether the unusual positive aura is warranted.
OFFENSE
Quarterback
Should be solid, if not spectacular. Improvements and upgrades to
the O-Line, consistency and solidarity with the WR’s, and a reliable
TE should all positively impact the performance at this position.
Running Back
Will be one of the strongest positions on the team, if not in the
whole league.
Wide Receiver
Still a question mark. No proven, consistent game breaker.
Improvements can be made by reducing their league-leading totals of
dropped passes from last year, as well as eliminating the constant
shuffling of players in trying to find the right mix. This will
allow the QB’s to develop timing and rapport.
Tight End
Still a question mark. Staying healthy at this position will be the
key. No proven game breaker, but serious potential. Improvements can
be made by eliminating the constant shuffling of players in trying
to find the right mix. This will allow the QB’s to develop timing
and rapport.
Offensive Line
Somewhat a question mark. Significant improvements and depth added
to the interior positions. But there is a serious lack of depth at
the Tackles.
DEFENSE
Line
Major question mark. The D-Line is heavily invested with high-round
draft picks that have yet to distinguish themselves. The incumbents
will have to show significant improvement since no serious upgrades
were made in the off season.
Linebackers
Question mark. The Chiefs should be able to find 4 competent
starters from the host of LB’s they have on the roster. The problem
is those with the talent don’t have the experience, those with the
experience are past their prime, and those with both talent and
experience are inconsistent.
Defensive Backs
One of the youngest, deepest and most talented groups in the league.
Other teams will be waiting for the Chiefs to make cuts from this
group to pick up likely starters for their teams.
SPECIAL TEAMS
No major question marks. The kicking game is in excellent shape. The
long snapper is reliable. Significant upgrades (on paper) have been
made to the return game. More size and speed has been added to the
coverage teams.
The Chiefs are still a long way from being a legitimate contender
with the question marks noted. Most every team has a few “ifs” this
time of the year that could make their season successful were those
“if’s” to pan out. The Chiefs are no different.
If:
- The WR’s significantly reduce their drops and develop a rapport
with Cassel
- The Offensive Tackles stay healthy and elevate their game
- The TE’s stay healthy
- The D-Line can reduce the big-play runs given up
- The LB’s fill the correct gaps and drop into the proper zones
…then there is optimism for this season. However, this is 5 areas of
concern out of 9. All 5 areas are unlikely to jell completely. There
are 3 “Wild Cards” in the equation that could offset any player
improvement shortcomings.
1. The schedule is much easier (on paper) than it has been in years.
2. The AFC West is in a state of flux.
3. The “All Star” coaching staff Pioli has assembled with Weis,
Crennel, Thomas, Carthon, etc.
Mixing all of the variables together, there is, and should be,
optimism. But a great deal has to fall into place for the Chiefs to
make the playoffs in ’10. They will be markedly better, but still
have too many holes to fill to contend this year.
6/9/10
Aside
from Dwayne Bowe’s alleged leak to the media about groupies
in players’ hotel rooms on road trips, this has been a very
quiet, efficient and productive spring. The rookies are
acclimating themselves well. The veterans appear to be
committed to Haley’s program. Everyone came back in good
shape, close to their proposed playing weights.
Participating in the voluntary OTA’s has been 100% of all
players under contract - Jarrad Page has not participated
because he has yet to sign his tender offer.
The rookie appears to be transitioning smoothly to the pro
game. None of them have the “deer-in-the-headlight” look
about them. Nor does being an NFL player seem too
overwhelming for them at this point. It’s way too early to
tell, but several of them have lined up with the “One’s”.
Eric Berry looks to be a lock as one of the starting
Safeties. This week, Kendrick Lewis joined him, and they
were pretty effective. It would take a great leap of faith
for Haley to thrust two rookies into the fray as starting
Safeties, but Lewis may force his hand. This is particularly
true since Page has been a no-show.
Dexter McCluster is going to be an impact player at any one
of several positions, WR, RB, Wildcat, Slot, KR. But he may
not start at any of those. In any event, he has shown that
he is a playmaker and game breaker. They even came up with a
new position listing for him – OW Offensive Weapon.
Although a minor injury has keep Tony Moeaki on the sideline
for much of the OTA’s, much is still expected from him this
year. But the best TE in camp so far has been RFA Leroy
Banks from Southern Mississippi. He has caught everything
thrown his way, missed very few assignments and been a
competitive blocker. Potentially, here is another spot where
rookies man the opening day positions.
Brian Waters has taken rookie OG Jon Asamoah under his wing
and is grooming him to be one of the principle interior line
reserves this year. His ultimate position will likely be OC
after the Wiegmann / Niswanger era is over.
Some of the 1 -2 year guys who have shown well so far are S
Reshard Langford, ILB Jovan Belcher, OG Colin Brown and OLB
Pierre Walters. They have shown tremendous improvement over
where they were last year.
Of the veterans, apparently ILB Derrick Johnson has won back
a starting role – at least for now. He temporarily has
figured out that Haley expects full effort at practice as
well as in the game. QB Matt Cassel has added more muscle
and is much more a vocal and physical leader. OL Waters,
Wiegmann and Lilja, along with OLB Vrabel, have all bought
in to Haley’s philosophy and are “she riffing” the
clubhouse. They are setting the examples for the youngsters
and taking care of clubhouse issues like the abovementioned
Dwayne Bowe gaffe.
The new coaches, Weis, Crennel, Thomas, Smith, Pleasant,
Clark, and Parmalee are all on the same page as Haley. They
are extensions of him in the various position drills and
scrimmages, delivering the same message in different ways
based on their different personalities. As an example, the
defense looks at Crennel as the wise “grandfather-type” who
knows everything and whom they don’t want to disappoint. The
DB’s follow Thomas around like school kids soaking up
everything he says – it doesn’t hurt that he continually
reminds them that he holds the all-time interception record
for KC!
All-in-all at this point, Haley is having a hard time in his
press conferences hiding the fact that he’s very pleased
with this group, where they are, and how they are
progressing. Hopefully, he’ll still be feeling the same in 7
months.
5/5/10
Most everyone
agrees that KC had an excellent Draft. They addressed several areas
of need, while adding much needed speed and apparently high caliber
individuals to the team.
S – Eric Berry should be an immediate starter and potential
Rookie-of-the-Year. Many see him as a future multi-Pro Bowl
participant.
WR/RB/KR – Dexter McCluster will likely not start, but will be in on
as many plays as any starter because of his speed and versatility.
He brings long-needed big-play ability to several facets of the
game.
CB/KR – Javier Arenas will be the Nickel Back and primary Kick
Returner. Again, he brings speed, versatility and big-play ability.
C/G – Jon Asamoah will be the primary backup to both Guards and the
Center. He has great size a nasty streak and will be groomed as the
future replacement for one of the interior line positions.
TE – Tony Moeaki will likely start at TE. He’s not as tall as Tony
Gonzalez, but will be a capable replacement. He can run, block,
catch, and is a match-up nightmare.
S – Kendrick Lewis could team with Berry to form an all rookie deep
Safety tandem. He is a big hitter, and will at least make the team
as a backup and Special Teamer.
OLB – Cameron Sheffield will probably be on the taxi squad as he
transitions from DE to OLB.
ILB – Michael Johnson and DT – Garrett Brown are two Rookie Free
Agents who, by the needs at the positions they play, may have an
outside chance to make the team.
Another sidelight are the rumors surrounding DL – John Henderson and
OT - Jared Gaither who are still unsigned Free Agents and have been
linked to the Chiefs for several weeks. The signing of either one
will upgrade either line, and impact the final 53 man roster.
With this potential influx of new talent (they have to be signed!),
who are some of the familiar names who MAY not have a job in KC this
fall?
QB’s – Palko and Gutierrez. Bill Stull from Pitt was invited to
Rookie Camp and apparently impressed the coaches.
RB’s – Kolby Smith, Jackie Battle and Javarris Williams
WR’s – Quentin Lawrence, Lance Long
OL – Colin Brown, Ike Ndukwe
TE’s – Jake O’Connell, Leonard Pope
LB’s – Demarrio Williams, Corey Mays
DB’s – Donald Washington, DaJuan Morgan, Jarrad Page
Again, this is pure speculation, but with the infusion of new
talent, the team will no longer wait for “potential” to develop, or
those who are continuously injury-prone to heal. Competition is
going to make everyone on the team better, and will produce a better
product.
The team is getting younger, faster, and more athletic; more fit,
and will have better character and a higher football IQ. Several of
the rookies have already captured the fans’ eye, and will give the
team an identity going forward. Eric Berry’s rookie jersey was the
4th best selling jersey in the country, not just in Chief’s
territory. Berry, along with Charles, Arenas, McCluster and Moeaki
are the types of exciting, young players the fans can rally around
and become the faces of the franchise.
4/6/10
With the
Draft to start in two weeks, now is the time to speculate what KC
will do with their 8 picks. Many of the needs have been filled,
albeit temporarily in some cases, with the Free Agent acquisitions
made in the last month. Free Agents ORG – Lilja, C- Wiegmann, and
Slot Receiver – Urban, and DT – Smith could all be starters, with
RB – Thomas sharing the halfback duties with Charles. In addition,
the retention RFA’s of LB – Vrabel, WR – Chambers, and LB – Johnson
adds three more starters to the mix. Add RFA Special Teamer Copper
and nine question marks are addressed, at least for the short-term
on paper.
The three biggest areas of need to be addressed in the Draft are, in
order, Safety, Offensive Tackle, Wide Receiver and Linebacker. An
infusion of youthful talent is needed in these areas. As always,
other areas can always be upgraded, and competition increased. But
finding starters in this draft for these three spots is paramount.
Before attempting to project what KC might do, there is one option
that could be a possibility. Baltimore is asking for a high 2nd
round pick for OT Jared Gaither. KC has 2 picks in the 2nd round.
Swapping one of them for Gaither and inserting him on the offensive
line would be a good move. But the projection below assumes KC keeps
all of its picks in the same spots, and assumes all teams are in the
same spots with the same needs as of today.
Using the latest NFL Draft Blitz Mock Draft as a guide as to what
the other teams would pick, and subsequently what players would be
available when the Chiefs pick in each round, here’s my projection:
1 Eric Berry Safety Tennessee
2a Vladimir Ducasse OT UMass
2b Daryl Washington LB TCU
3 Linval Joseph DT East Carolina
4 Jimmy Graham TE Miami (Fla)
5a Andre Roberts WR/KR The Citadel
5b Zane Beadles G Utah
5c Jermaine Cunningham DE/OLB Florida
Berry, Ducasse, Washington and Graham would be projected starters
over the incumbents. Joseph and Cunningham could fit into the
rotation, and have the ability to start in the future. Roberts could
fit into the receiver rotation, and contribute as the punt / kick
returner. Beadles could spend the year on the practice squad, bulk
up, and be groomed as the ultimate replacement for Weigmann at
Center.
Many mock drafts have other selections for the Chiefs at number
five, OT – Okung, DT – Williams, ILB – McClain, QB – Clausen. Okung
would not be a bad choice, with plenty of the next tier Safeties
being available later, i.e., Mays, Allen and Burnett. If the team
had not signed Smith at DT in the offseason, Williams might have
been a viable option with pick five. There are too many other
pressing needs to fill than to use the 5th pick on McClain. He’ll be
a good-great player, but Berry or Okung will be his equal, and fill
a bigger need. The only reason to pick Clausen would be to
facilitate a trade for additional picks. There is absolutely no
reason to bring in Clausen and create a QB controversy.
If Clausen or Bradford were to fall to the Chiefs at pick five,
their phone would be ringing off the hook. That would be the best
possible scenario. This draft is deep, particularly in the positions
where the Chiefs have needs. If we wanted to dream, Jacksonville
could call and offered to swap 5 and 10, and add their 4th round.
Miami could call and offer to swap their 12 for 5, and add their 4th
and 7th. Seattle could offer to trade their 2nd number 1, pick 14,
and add their 3rd and 7th. With all of the issues surrounding the
Pittsburgh QB situation, they could offer to swap their 18 for 5,
and add their 2nd and 4th. Obviously, it takes two to trade, and it
is fun to speculate. But that’s what this time of the year is for.
3/9/10
As we sit in the midst of the Free Agency signing period,
the Chiefs have basically done nothing. They have re-signed
WR Chris Chambers, but have done little else. This may be a
less-than-average Free Agency class due to next year being
uncapped and many potential UFA’s became RFA’s, but
perennial doormats Detroit have been extremely active.
On the first day of Free Agency, the Chiefs apparently were
in the bidding to trade for WR Anquon Boldin, but lost out
to the Ravens. At least, at that time, the appearance was
the team would be active in trying to acquire players to
fill the numerous gaps. As has been previously stated, Free
Agency is only one step by which players can be acquired.
And one has to ask the question when a player is made
available through Free Agency, “Why didn’t his team attempt
to keep him?”
Scott Pioli is supposed to be a personnel guru, and
excellent talent evaluator. This year will tell the tale.
To date, with as little activity as has come from One
Arrowhead Drive, he is going to have to really score in the
Draft, with college Free Agents, and veteran releases.
There are far too many holes to fill in order to upgrade
this team to be inactive in any phase of player acquisition.
One disturbing fact was published last week in that Kansas
City now has the LOWEST payroll in the NFL, and the most
room under the salary cap. One of the disturbing aspects of
having an “Uncapped” salary year not only means there is no
limit to what teams can spend, but also no limit as to how
little teams must spend.
After the great win against Denver in the last game, hopes
were high and it looked as though the team had already hit
bottom and was poised to begin a comeback toward
respectability and contention. The lack of activity during
these first days of Free Agency, coupled with the lowest
payroll revelation, does not give the fan a continued sense
the momentum is maintaining.
It is still early in the process. Pioli is supposed to be
good at what he does. I suppose we fans should be patient
and let him do his thing. The problem is we’ve been patient
since 1994-our last playoff win. Patience is wearing thin.
2/5/10
All
spots on the coaching staff were filled this week. The addition of
Emmitt Thomas as DB Coach was an excellent hire. He brings a wealth
of experience, knowledge success and respect to the one area of the
team with several players in place to ascend to the upper echelon.
In addition, it was a great PR move as he brings ties back to the
great teams of the past and reminds the public of better days gone
by – and possibly in the future. He was a multiple All-Pro and is in
the Hall of Fame, so his credentials will carry a lot as he develops
the young DB’s. Lastly, it is shrewd moves to have Thomas mentor the
young, up-and-coming Ronnie Bradford, who will be Thomas’ assistant
coach. Thomas is 66 and said that one of the reasons he chose to
come back to KC was to finish his career where he started it. It‘s a
wise move to have him grooming his replacement and have Bradford at
the ready when Thomas does decide to retire.
Romeo Crennel has eased into his role as D-Coordinator very easily.
He has a calm, assuring demeanor that gives the sense of
understanding the task at hand without being overwhelmed by it. He
looks to be like that favorite uncle that everyone has who knows all
there is to know, who you don’t want to disappoint, and who can get
your attention when necessary. He seems at peace with where he is at
this point in his career and looks as though he really wants to turn
this defense around and make it his own.
Charlie Weis appears to be relieved to be away from the grind of
being a Head Coach, albeit at the collegiate level. In a recent
press conference when asked about that issue, or any issue germane
to decision-making, he gladly pointed to, and deferred to Haley, to
address those issues. He says that he has been
wearing out” one player via telephone already, but wouldn’t say who
that player is. One would have to suspect it is the starting QB –
Cassel.
The Chiefs are calling the completion of the coaching staff the
culmination of “Phase I” of the rebuilding process. By past history
and pedigree, I’d say “Phase I” is a supreme success – on paper. Now
they have to produce, and not rest on their laurels.
The real issue is to upgrade the players so this All-Star coaching
staff can improve the level of play and translate that into wins,
playoff games and Super Bowls. The first part of that process is to
evaluate the current players on the team. Haley has identified
several players as those he calls “foundations” upon which he can
build the team. It will be interesting to see if the new staff
agrees with Haley’s assessment.
After evaluating the players they want to keep, Pioli and Haley have
to decide how to sign the UFA’s and RFA’s, if any of them are in
that list of “foundation” players. Then, the team can look to the
free agent market, due to open up the end of February, to target
additional players to recruit and sign. Hopefully, these players
will be young, ascending players with high upside, and not
over-the-hill, big name veterans whose best days are behind them.
This is a real fun time for the fans to speculate and determine how
to spend Clark Hunt’s money.
Even more fun follows the next couple of months as the team gets
ready for the Draft. After signing as many of their own players as
they want to keep, and acquiring as many FA’s as they can afford
(and who want to come here), then it’s time to pick young players
that you want in the Draft. With a supposed deep and talented Draft,
particularly at positions where the Chiefs have the most glaring
needs (almost everywhere); there is an opportunity to fill several
of those needs immediately. Not counting compensatory and/or
supplemental picks, the team has eight picks (5, 36, 50, 68, 99,
132, 138 & 143) in the top 143, barring any trades. Then comes the
long process of getting the players signed.
Immediately after the Draft comes the recruiting of all undrafted
college free agents. This is usually a feeding frenzy and is more
controllable by the players being able to pick and choose what they
perceive is the right situation for them. There are numerous
examples of undrafted free agents who have gone on to stellar
All-Pro and, in some cases, Hall of Fame careers. So this phase is a
real opportunity.
Lastly, the veteran release date in early summer affords every team
a chance to fill in a spot or two, as a stop-gap measure, with a
veteran who no longer fits in his current team’s plans. These guys
will plug in that position as a short-term starter, key backup for
depth and special teams, or to aid in locker room leadership and
chemistry.
In addition, trades can be made at any time up to the trading
deadline in mid-season. But there are ample opportunities and ways
to rebuild and restock the team through different “Phases”. Now that
the All-Star staff has been assembled and declared a “home run”,
it’s time for them to hit “home runs’ in these other phases of
player acquisition.
1/8/10
In spite
of the disappointing record, events of the past week point toward a
more optimistic view that would have seemed possible earlier. Much
has been made of the emergence of Jamaal Charles as an elite back in
the league.
The hiring of Charlie Weis as O.C. is big news. The pursuit of Romeo
Crennel as D.C. is encouraging. The teams on next year’s schedule
offer a chance for an improved record. All of these issues are
positive signs to look forward to.
However, there are some underlying factors that I think are just as
compelling and additional signs to be encouraged by:
1. The team played hard in every game and didn’t quit on Haley. He’s
been extremely hard on his players, but they seem to be “on board”
with what he’s trying to get from them. A prime example is at the
end of the Denver game when Charles scored his last TD and the game
was no longer in doubt. There was a shot on the sidelines of Bowe
and Haley. Bowe was hugging and congratulating Haley with genuine
sincerity. Bowe has been one of Haley’s main whipping boys
(deservedly so) all year.
2. Brian Waters and Haley got off to a tumultuous start this year,
and Waters is the uncontested leader of the locker room. At the
final news conference, Waters seemed to be “buying in” as well. It
appeared that he and Haley had buried the hatchet and moved on to
some semblance of mutual respect. Waters acknowledged that everyone,
including Haley, had grown and learned from their mistakes this
season.
3. Haley acknowledged that he had too much on his plate which
stymied his growth as a Head Coach. His hiring of Weis is a major
step in that growth. That hiring also will provide someone who will
push back when Haley goes on one of his tirades and add a different
perspective to the situation – plus it would seem that Pioli will
want additional perspectives to add to those of his inexperienced
coach. If Crennel is hired as the D.C., that will enhance the
situation 100% more. Haley will have two old veterans to keep him in
line when he strays and while he learns.
4. The addition of Weis (and possible addition of Crennel) will have
to enhance the Chiefs’ ability to attract Free Agents. The general
consensus around the league is the Chiefs are on the rebound and
have some good foundation players around which to build. Adding 5-6
high quality Free Agents, and having 9 picks in the Draft, coupled
with a fair schedule, could have them competitive in ’10. The
changes in the coaching staff are a big improvement and should be
another reason Free Agents may consider signing here.
Haley identified several current players as “core” players to build
around – Charles, Cassel, Flowers, Hali, Dorsey, Colquitt, Succoup,
and to a lesser degree, Johnson, Albert, Bowe and Jackson. That
leaves an enormous number of upgrades to be made. They have at least
nine picks in the Draft, and pick 5th, so barring trades they should
be able to 5 of the top 100 picks with their nine current choices.
The rest of the upgrades will come from trades and Free Agency.
Playing the “What If” game, and assuming all could be signed and
would sign here, here is a list of instant fixes to several areas of
need. All are currently UFA’s.
Pos Player Current Team Age
WR Miles Austin Dallas 26
RB LenDale White Tennessee 25
TE Owen Daniels Houston 27
OG Jahri Evans New Orleans 27
OT Marcus McNeil San Diego 26
DE Johnny Jolly Green Bay 27
DT Vince Wilfork New England 28
OLB Demeco Ryans Houston 26
CB Richard Marshall Carolina 25
FS Nick Collins Green Bay 27
SS Roman Harper New Orleans 27
Obviously, they could not sign ALL of these Free Agents (although
they are still rumored to be close to $60M under). But there are 11
positions listed where the talent level would be instantly improved
over the incumbents, if not as an immediate starter to certainly
push to start and add depth. If the Chiefs were to:
1. Acquire at least four impact Free Agents like from the list above
2. Draft three starters and two meaningful backups from the 5
top-100 picks they have
3. Have a couple of the remaining picks make the team to add depth
and Special Teams players
4. Find an undrafted Free Agent or two
5. Add Romeo Crennel as D.C.
6. Factor in the coaching changes
7. Factor in the friendlier schedule
8. Take advantage of a year’s experience for Haley and Pioli
They would instantly upgrade the team, and who knows what happens in
’10. That is a lot of hoping, and having a lot of things go right
this off season. But, that is what the off season is about when your
team has only won 6 games in two years!
12/8/09
Most years, the
season flies by all too quickly. This year, for Chiefs’
fans, it cannot end soon enough. As I sit through another
thrashing by the Broncos this afternoon, it is painfully
evident that this team is years away from being
competitive. There are too many holes to fill by the Draft,
waivers, free agency or any other vehicle to make them
competitive any time soon.
I had been in Todd Haley’s corner for most of
the year, giving him the benefit of the doubt. But his
failure to take risks (i.e., 1st and goal on the 1 and a
toss sweep, 4th and 1 at midfield down by 11
with a minute left in the half and kicking a field goal,
running a fake punt and failing deep in Chiefs’ territory,
etc.) have left me wondering what he’s thinking. I like
and appreciate the discipline, structure and accountability
he’s tried to establish. However, for the first time today,
I get the sense that he’s losing the team. They have played
hard for him all year and endured his rants and tirades.
But they have so little to show for their efforts.
Obviously, a major portion of the failures of this team fall
on the players’ shoulders, but the Head Coach is responsible
– and Haley isn’t getting it done. Yes, he is overmatched
in every contest, so it is more important for him than most
to get the most out of his team by developing and calling a
sound game plan.
Secondly, it is also staring to look like
Pioli wasted $63M of Clark Hunt’s money on Matt Cassel. He
is indecisive and inaccurate. Certainly, he has been under
duress all year due to an ineffective offensive line and
punchless running game. However, today the running game was
relatively effective and the protection was adequate – yet
he still missed receivers all over the field. It is true
that this receiving corps is not as good as half of the
one’s in the NCAA, and they drop as many as they catch. The
absence of Bowe adds to the limited talent. But, like
Haley, it is Cassel’s job to lead the team and make plays.
His passer rating at one point in the Denver game was 3.2!
This is likely frustration and venting, and it is too early
to tell for sure with everything else so wrong with this
team. But, it does beg the question as to whether that $63M
could have been spent paying for linemen receivers and
safeties, letting Croyle and any one else play this year,
then drafting a QB in ’10. Hindsight is always 20-20.
There is very little positive to discuss.
The only bright spot has been the play and evolution of
Tamba Hali as an OLB. Even Jamaal Charles reverted back to
his habits of fumbling at the most inopportune times. It
will be up to Haley and Cassel to right the ship and salvage
something out of the rest of this season. Then, it will be
up to Pioli to do some major talent acquiring to upgrade
this roster in the off-season. These fans and this city do
not deserve a product as poor as has trotted out on the
field this season, and certainly the past two weeks. If
Clark Hunt wants to see a full stadium and avoid blackouts,
he’d better see to it that things start to get turned around
now so the fans can, at least, look forward to next year.
11/10/09
Aside from the annual
circus surrounding Larry Johnson and his non-football
related issues, the story around One Arrowhead Drive is
still the same – LOSING! Fans held hope that the
combination of the bye week before the Jags game, coupled
with not having to deal with the recalcitrant Johnson either
in the locker room or in the lineup, might lead to a chance
at victory.
It is becoming more obvious that Todd Haley should not be
calling plays on game day. The new offense that has been
created may be OK, but the play selection is curious at
best. The going for it on fourth and short is OK, as are the
onside kick attempts and fake punts. It is the play
selection on first down that produces the league-worst third
down conversion percentage of 19%. If there are a set of
scripted plays to start the game, there does not appear to
be any flow or plan. The offense never gets into any
rhythm, blocking, protecting, running or passing. Granted,
the offensive line has been horrid. But, if they were to
concentrate on run blocking, per se, possibly they could get
in synch with the backs and average more than 3.5
yards/carry.
The offense is in shambles. The personnel are overmatched.
The depth is thin. There is no continuity on the offensive
line due to injuries and ineffective play. Receivers drop
passes that could sustain drives. Tight ends are doing
nothing but taking up roster spots. The quarterback is
inconsistent – forcing passes into coverage, missing
receivers who are open, not throwing to receivers who are
open, throwing interceptions, etc. This is supposed to be
Haley’s strong suit. If that is true, he needs to start
with himself and start putting this offense together and
become respectable. Right now, they are a JOKE!
The defensive front seven are making some progress. There
are still too many blown assignments that allow breakout
runs. But Edwards, Dorsey and Jackson are starting to hold
down the line of scrimmage. Tamba Hali is playing the OLB
spot very well. Demarrio Williams is OK in the middle.
None of the rest of the linebackers are doing anything to
distinguish themselves. They are particularly vulnerable
over the middle.
Injuries have riddled the secondary, leading to numerous
blown coverages and big plays. The starting corners, Carr
and Flowers are OK, although their development in year two
appears to be stymied at present. McGraw has been the only
bright spot all year at safety. Everyone else has
underachieved, particularly Brown. He is an older version
of what we had with Pollard – slow, stiff and can’t cover.
The only bright spot on the team are the special teams.
Coverage has been good, protection, for the most part, has
been OK. Colquitt and Succoup have been outstanding. The
glaring weakness here is in the return game. No one has
stepped up to accept that role. They spend too much time
dancing instead of busting it in to the wedge and trusting
their blocking.
With this performance, it is never too soon to start looking
at next year and free agency and the draft. It is obvious
that we will certainly have a top-five (maybe top three)
pick in 2010. But before that, hopefully, Hunt and Pioli
decide to spend some money in free agency this year and get
some young, quality players to supplement the draft. The
needs are too many to try to address solely through the
draft.
As far as the rest of ’09, Pioli needs to continue to scour
the free agent market for players who have been released,
like Chambers and O’Callaghan, to be stop-gaps until the
talent level can be improved. Haley needs to self-evaluate
his role, swallow his ego, and entrust the play-calling to
someone else. He can still be the architect, but someone
else should be the implementer.
Lastly, no one wants Larry Johnson back, not the fans, not
the coaches, and truth be known, not the players. In fact,
Johnson himself just wants this year to be over so he can
move on. The team needs to see what they have in Charles
and Smith so informed decisions can be made for acquiring
running backs in the off season. Leave Johnson at the end
of the bench, pay him his money and hopefully he won’t
spread his cancerous attitude any further throughout the
locker room.
10/6/09
Scott Pioli
and Todd Haley could not have imagined the scarcity of talent on
this roster when they accepted their current positions. They have
turned over roughly 50% of the roster they inherited. Only a handful
of those players have found jobs with other teams. The past week
alone they made 8 transactions, trying to improve the talent level.
Based on the first four games, it is obvious the Chiefs are
over-matched. They are smaller, weaker and slower than everyone
they’ve played at almost every position. At those positions where
they do match up physically, they either lack experience, intensity
or aptitude for the game.
Currently, there are probably six of the fifty-three players on the
team that could potentially start for another NFL team:
CB – Flowers
WR – Bowe
P – Colquitt
K – Succoup
OT – Albert
OG – Waters
Of these, only Flowers and Colquitt could start for a contender.
Pioli and Haley continue to patch things together with the likes of
TE – Leonard Pope, OT – Ryan O’Callaghan, LB – David Herron and the
other veteran free agents they’ve signed since last off season. But
the long term solution is to build through the draft. It has been
documented numerous times how the previous regime squandered draft
choices, and then made poor talent evaluations with the choices they
had. In looking at three of the first four opponents this season,
the Ravens, Eagles and Giants all have quality depth at most
positions that has been stored up based on their successful drafting
and talent assessment. Even the Raiders have more talent, they just
have poor leadership.
Another issue that stands out from the first four games is the play
calling of Todd Haley. Although it is refreshing to see him go for
it on fourth down, attempt fake punts and onside kicks, the problem
is that these actions are necessary because of an anemic offense. In
the second half of the Eagles game, he said he wanted to develop an
identity of a tough, ground oriented offense by running the ball
when the Chiefs were so far behind. Then in the Giants game, with
1st and goal from the one, he called passing plays. If the Chiefs
don’t have the confidence to power the ball in on four tries from
the one yard line, that’s either an indictment on Haley’s play
calling or the talent level of the offense.
The team has been in position to compete for wins in three of the
first four games. Big plays given up by the defense has allowed the
opponents to either win the game, or pull away to avoid any last
minute heroics. The defensive line is over matched. The linebackers
are too small, and the safeties are too slow and out of position.
The other team is able to pick up the majority of blitzes called,
leading to big plays downfield.
The early prediction of going 6 -10 may still be viable once the
difficult run through the NFC East is completed. But this team has
to learn how to win. They are undermanned and overmatched, but to
their credit, they do hang in there and fight. The offensive line
did look a little better with O’Callaghan at RT, so maybe they can
begin to develop some continuity. Maybe Haley will find his stride
at running the team and calling plays. Maybe Cassel will develop
some rapport with his receivers and hit them in stride. Maybe the
front seven will get to the QB and disrupt their passing game. Maybe
the teams in the latter half of the schedule will be descending
teams versus teams vying for playoff spots. That’s a lot of “Maybe’s”.
The truth of the matter is this ’09 version of the Chiefs is more
akin to being an expansion team than an NFL team that needs to
rebuild. There is very little to work with. A good draft in ’10, an
off season of active, quality free agent acquisition, and continued
purging and development of this roster will get the team to a
position where they may field a team that is physically competitive.
9/9/09
After an off
season where getting any news out of 1 Arrowhead Drive was a major
accomplishment, the past four weeks have been quite the exception.
QB – Matt Cassel injured his knee in the 3rd preseason game feeding
speculation as to the length of his injury, as well as his
durability. The opportunity presented itself for Croyle, Thigpen or
Gutierrez to step up and prove their worth in the final two weeks of
preseason and in the final preseason game. There was a great deal of
speculation regarding Thigpen being given an opportunity to
challenge Cassel for the No. 1 QB spot. However, based on all three
of the backup’s showings during this two week period, particularly
in the St. Louis game, none really distinguished themselves. There
is little doubt that if Cassel is injured for any extended period,
the QB situation here is in dire straits. Luckily, Cassel has
returned to practice, and may yet start the season opener in
Baltimore. Once he is cleared to play, look for one of the backup’s
to be cut (probably Thigpen), and another WR added. If that happens,
look for Pioli to search the waiver wire for a seasoned backup QB to
have in reserve along with Croyle, and then put Gutierrez on the
practice squad. If Cassel were not able to play for a couple of
weeks, it may be a blessing in disguise. That could give Pioli and
Haley time to stabilize the offensive line, and have that clicking
upon Cassel’s return.
Haley fired Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey and assumed the play
calling responsibilities himself. Apparently, Gailey was not
aggressive enough and Haley wanted to see more energy and up-tempo
from the offense. Haley’s first game calling plays against St. Louis
was a mixed bag. The play calling was more aggressive. There were
several long plays. But the execution in the red zone was still
lacking. The need to upgrade personnel on the offensive side of the
ball is apparent.
Obviously, the biggest area of concern is the offensive line. Albert
and Waters on the left side can hold their own with anyone at LT and
LG. Niswanger appears to be improving at Center. The two guys traded
for from Miami, OT Ikechuku Ndukwe and G Andy Alleman, may add depth
and flexibility, as well as bolster the right side of the line. The
pick up of RT Ryan O’Callaghan to replace McIntosh has got to be an
improvement. The line is still in a state of flux, but Pioli keeps
adding pieces and searching for ways to put an effective,
competitive team on the field while trying to build it with his
players.
Even though the final 53 man roster has been named, Pioli will
continue to look for available players to improve the team. The
biggest surprise cut was WR Ashley Lelie. He appeared to be open
deep whenever he was in the game, and caught several passes thrown
his way. As thin and under-talented as the Chiefs are at WR, Lelie’s
cut was a surprise. Veterans LB Zach Thomas, SS Bernard Pollard, C
Eric Ghiaciuc, OT Damion McIntosh were not surprise cuts. Thomas had
done nothing due to various since signing in the spring. Pollard has
never progressed since his rookie season in developing his cover
skills and tackling fundamentals. His preference to try to make the
big hit versus wrapping his arms has cost the team too many big
plays on defense. Ghiaciuc rarely saw any playing time in preseason.
McIntosh never adapted to the RT spot, and was never in shape. He
failed the preseason conditioning drill, and never bought in to the
Haley way of doing things.
As there are every year, several rookies made the team. But there
were few surprises here as well. K Ryan Succop has been very
dependable on kickoffs and field goals while demonstrating a very
strong leg. WR/KR Quentin Lawrence brings much-needed speed to his
positions. CB Donald Washington may press Brandon Carr for the
starting job opposite Flowers by year-end. TE Jake O’Connell leaped
Brad Cottam as the No. 2 TE behind Sean Ryan. LB Jovan Belcher (FA)
was impressive on defense and special teams. If Derrick Johnson
doesn’t step it up, he could lose time to Belcher, as could Demarrio
Williams. DE’s Alex McGee and Tyson Jackson have been steady and
impressive, and have earned their spots. LB Pierre Walters is a big
fast guy who made his mark of Special Teams, and will have a chance
to tutor under Mike Vrabel as his successor.
There are several guys whose positions appear to be tentative at
best, and who could get waived if better alternatives present
themselves. Derrick Johnson needs to translate potential in to
productivity. This is his contract year, but he has failed to live
up to his lofty draft status. Brad Cottam is in a similar situation.
With the Gonzalez trade leaving the TE spot wide open, it was
Cottam’s to seize. He hasn’t. Thigpen had a large following of
supporters, but his performance the past two weeks has exposed him
for what he is – a scatter-armed QB who can’t take snaps from under
Center and who can’t go through his read progressions. OG Mike Goff
has only survived so far because there was no other alternative.
Alleman or Ndukwe may take his spot, and he may be replaced by a
yet-to-be-claimed waiver wire player. He has experience, but now
that the two guys from Miami are here, they bring experience, are
younger, and more productive.
A few guys made the cut that were long shot veteran acquisitions.
The most pleasant surprise has been ILB Corey Mays. He has played
ILB light’s out, and was only thought to be a stop-gap until Zack
Thomas healed. Mays would have beaten Thomas out even if Thomas had
been healthy. RB Jackie Battle has run hard and made significant
contributions on Special Teams. He has gone from just being a “guy”
to someone who can contribute. S DaJuan Morgan finally showed in the
St. Louis game why he was a high draft choice last year. He made
plays all over the field, so much so that Pioli felt comfortable in
cutting incumbent Bernard Pollard.
Finally, three veterans who appear to have stepped it up and bought
in, and who could be cornerstones upon which to build are WR Dwayne
Bowe, RB Larry Johnson and OG Brian Waters. All initially bucked the
new (or old) regime for various reasons and wanted to push their own
agendas. Pioli and Haley appear to have gotten them to buy into the
idea of the team coming first. After his early demotion to third
team, Bowe has caught and blocked like an elite receiver. Johnson
has run hard, gave efforts to block, showed his old speed, and been
a positive influence in the locker room. Waters has been one of the
only dependable offensive lineman and assumed his old role as the de
facto leader of the offense. Time will tell if these positive
attributes will continue.
The one constant is that wherever he can find someone who is more
willing to buy in and do things the “Chiefs” way, Pioli will not
hesitate to make a change. There are no “sacred cows”.
8/10/09
The
long-awaited opening of training camp has finally arrived. As of
this writing, all draft picks have signed, with number one pick DE
-Tyson Jackson, becoming the third highest paid defensive end in the
league and highest paid Chief in history. In addition, the team also
made some interesting pick-ups from the waiver wire. The most
notable signing being 13-year veteran WR - Amani Toomer. Other
interesting moves were picking up QB – Matt Gutierrez and LB-Vince
Red on waivers from New England. It appears that Pioli / Haley are
continually searching the waiver wire for players to use as interim
pieces until they can amass the team they want through the draft and
trades.
There was some grumbling from several veterans who failed to pass
the conditioning drill. Eventually, all did pass. Many of the
players embraced the conditioning, and passed with no problems. As
is custom, all that Haley provides when asked questions is typical
“coach speak”. So, the only feel for what is going on in camp has to
be derived from media-types covering the team.
All have been impressed with Matt Cassel. They all like his
preparation, QB skills, leadership, presence and ownership of the
team. The acquisition of Gutierrez clouds the mix of who will be
backups to Cassel, and in what order, between Gutierrez, Croyle and
Thigpen. Pioli would not have claimed Gutierrez if he did not plan
to give him a legitimate shot to compete.
Another area of off-season concern was Larry Johnson’s attitude.
According to all present, he appears to be the consummate team
player. He has lost weight, taken on a leadership role on the field
and in the locker room. He has been amiable toward the media and
said all of the right things. He has run hard, and worked on blitz
pick-ups and catching screens. One of the biggest surprises has been
the emergence of little-used Jackie Battle. He has lost significant
weight and really shone well during early camp. He looks to be a
lock as Johnson’s backup. Jamaal Charles has gained weight, but has
had fumble problems and been unsteady on his feet.
Dwayne Bowe is still inconsistent, but at least acknowledges it and
is working to get better. Toomer will likely start as the No. 2.
Beyond that, everything is questionable. No one has stood out, with
Devard Darling being kicked out of one practice session for lack of
focus. None of the other receivers has stood out, so look for Paoli
to continually scan the waiver wire for WR’s.
The same can be said for the TE’s. No one has done anything to
distinguish themselves.
The offensive line is still a question, but it appears that Brian
Waters is going to perform in a professional manner after his
off-season rift with management and trade demands. Reports are that
he has been dominant in drills. Branden Albert lost significant
weight and continues to improve after early problems with technique
due to playing at a lighter weight. Neiswonger and Ghiaciuc appear
fairly even at competition for the Center spot. Damion McIntosh
struggled and complained most about the conditioning and, although
he’s still running with the No. 1’s, it’s only a matter of time
before he’s replaced by someone here or yet to be acquired.
The defensive line has been unsettled due to Jackson just signing
today and Glenn Dorsey nursing an injured leg and not being in
shape. Rookie DE-Alex McGee has been mentioned by Haley as having a
positive camp, which is like getting rave reviews.
The only LB that has been mentioned for his production on the field
has been 4th year man Corey Mays, who has been reported as being
very disruptive to the offense. Zach Thomas and Mike Vrabel have
been coaching on the field and Derrick Johnson continues with his
5-year tease showing flashes of brilliance, then disappearing for
several plays. Vince Redd, like Matt Gutierrez, was claimed from New
England to come here to compete, and is a presence at 6-6, 260.
Tamba Hali is adapting better to the switch to LB from DE than is
Turk McBride. Demarrio Williams has been injured and likely won’t
make the team.
Donald Washington joins last year’s rookie class of DB’s, Brandon
Flowers, Brandon Carr and Maurice Leggett, to make this an area of
strength on the team. Rookie Londen Fryer has been mentioned a few
times as well, along with Ricardo Colclough.
Safety is an interesting area. Mike Brown was signed a few weeks
ago, but Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard are still running with the
No. 1’s. I’d suspect they are on a short leash, and any failure on
their part to elevate their game will result in Brown replacing one
of them. Jon McGraw has shown he can be a capable backup, but DaJuan
Morgan has spent from his rookie season last year until now on the
sidelines – injured. He likely will be cut.
The biggest questions on special teams are 1) can Tanner Pardum, a
LS from little Baker University, handle the deep snapping duties as
a rookie?, 2) is Quentin Richardson the answer as a Returner?, 3)
can Ryan Succoup handle the kicking duties that he’s been granted
with the release of Conner Barth?
There are still numerous holes to be filled and question marks
throughout the roster. It would not surprise me if Pioli brought in
7 – 10 players from the waiver wire to shore up the positions in
question this year. He wants to be as competitive as possible in
’09, but realizes that he’ll have to draft well in ’10 and beyond if
he is going to get this team to the playoffs / Super Bowl.
7/7/09
Another
relatively quiet month in the off season at One Arrowhead Drive. The
Chiefs have signed their #5 pick (OT – Colin Brown) and their two #7
picks (K – Ryan Succoup, TE – Jake O’Connell. In addition, they
signed veteran Safety Mike Brown to add competition in the defensive
backfield. The only other news of note is the deal to relocate the
training camp facility from River Falls to St. Joseph.
There has been no additional information on the Brian Waters
situation, or any feedback on the status of Larry Johnson. Now is a
good time to reflect on the upcoming schedule and speculate, based
on realistic assumptions.
Presumed Offensive Starters a/o 7/1/09
QB -Cassel, RB - Johnson, WR - Bowe, WR - Engram, WR - Bradley, OT
-Albert, OG - Waters, OG - Goff, OT - McIntosh, C - Ghiaciuc, TE –
Cottam
Presumed Defensive Starters a/o 7/1/09
DE – Jackson, DE – Dorsey, NT – Tyler, OLB – Hali, OLB – Vrabel, ILB
– Thomas, ILB – Johnson, CB – Flowers, CB – Carr, S – Page, S –
Brown
Week 1 – at Bal
The offense will likely not be jelled and will have difficulty
scoring. Likewise, the defense will not be jelled either. – Loss
Week 2 – Oak
The home opener, a loss at Baltimore, the usually inept Raiders and
Haley’s wrath over last week’s loss should pull out a win. – Win
Week 3 – at Phi
McNabb will be justifying his new contract. – Loss
Week 4 – NYG
The offense and defense will have started to settle in, but it won’t
be enough to match the talent level of the Giants. – Loss
Week 5 – Dal
I look for an upset this week against the Cowboys. – Win
Week 6 – at Was
All things being equal, I don’t see Washington being that much
better at this point in the season. I could see KC getting their
first road win. – Win
Week 7 – SD
The team will play tough at home, but lose a close game to Rivers,
Tomlinson, Gates and Merriman. – Loss
Week 8 – Bye
Week 9 – at Jax
Jacksonville will be too tough at home. – Loss
Week 10 – at Oak
The Raiders will be motivated to salvage some part of their season.
– Loss
Week 11 – Pitt
No chance. – Loss
Week 12 – at SD
Another close game, but the edge goes to the Chargers at home. –
Loss
Week 13 – Denver
After 5 losses in a row, they rally at home and beat Denver. – Win
Week 14 – Buf
After last week’s win, momentum builds and they beat the Bills in a
close game at home. – Win
Week 15 – Cle
They should be the better team at this point in the season and will
be playing their last home game. – Win
Week 16 – Cin
This will likely be a toss-up, so I’ll give the Bengals the edge at
home. – Loss
Week 17 – Den
They will play Denver tough, but lose at Invesco. – Loss
This will conservatively give them a record of 6 – 10, and a
significant improvement over last year’s record of 2-14. There are
several games that could swing to wins which would make the record
better, but 6 – 10 looks realistic until the management team can
upgrade the talent and several positions.
It has been interesting to watch Pioli and Haley as they distance
themselves from the Peterson/Schottenheimer/Cunningham/Vermeil/Edwards
regimes. Players from the past era look to have two strikes against
them as the new guys are looking to build this team with their own
players. Marginal players, troublemakers, under-achievers and the
like appear to be on a short string as the new regime cleans house.
6/6/09
There
have been no major happenings in Chiefs’ Nation in the past
30 days.
Rookie mini-camp and OTA’s were held.
Neither generated much news. Mike Vrabel and Brian Waters,
two people expected to provide veteran leadership, were
noticeably absent from their second OTA. However, both did
show up for the mandatory minicamp.
Normally, conventional wisdom states
that it takes at least three years to accurately evaluate a
team’s Draft. Last year, it was widely acknowledged the
Chiefs had a super-successful draft. However, it is
interesting to look back on it today and make an early
assessment. As of today, the new regime has already cut 40%
of the players in last year’s “A” draft. Gone are Will
Franklin – WR, Kevin Robinson – WR/KR, Brian Johnston – DE
and Mike Merritt – TE. No explanations were provided as to
why each was released, and all were later-round picks.
Nevertheless, they still represented 40% of last year’s
class.
In addition, the Glenn Dorsey
situation needs to be factored in to last year’s
evaluation. He was widely regarded as the best player in
the Draft. However, he showed very little last season to
warrant those projections, and this year is fighting for a
position under the new regime and the transition to the 3-4
defense. Jamaal Charles and Brad Cottam saw some playing
time as backups, but did not do much to distinguish
themselves. Cottam is being called upon to take Tony
Gonzalez’s TE spot in ’09 by default. Charles did not do
enough to make the team feel comfortable enough to get rid
of Larry Johnson. Charles was asked to add some pounds to
increase his ability to on more of the ’09 workload, and he
is now up to 205. In both cases, the jury is still out.
The only true draft successes (albeit
only after one year of play) have been the three Branden’s –
Albert OT, Flowers CB and Carr CB. That makes the early
success evaluation for the ’08 Draft only 30%. That is a
long way from being called an “A” Draft. The limited
successes of Conner Barth K and Maurice Leggett CB, both ’08
FA’s, does help improve the overall class rating.
It is evident the new regime is reinventing the team, not
only by the changes in philosophy, but in the personnel
changes as well.
5/5/09
Scott Pioli’s first Draft has come and gone, and like most
Chiefs fans, I am puzzled. Several selections left me
wondering what the thought process was in the decision(s)
that were made.
Round 1 (3)
Tyson Jackson is a solid DE and fits
the need for a big, 3-down player in the 3-4 scheme. His
selection with the #3 overall pick was overvalued. One has
to wonder how much effort was made to trade down and amass
more picks, and possibly select Jackson later in the first
round. This question is particularly puzzling when the Jets
and Browns were able to pull off the trade for the Jets to
trade up for Sanchez. On the surface, it would seem the
Chiefs could have accepted the same (or a lesser) deal and
move down. Possibly, there is still some bad blood from the
video camera incident between the Jets and Scott Pioli (when
he was with New England) that precluded the Jets from
wanting to trade with Pioli.
Round 2 (34)
Traded for Cassel and Vrabel. A
definite “homerun”.
Round 3 (67)
The Alex Magee pick at DE is a
mystery. Jarron Gilbert from San Jose State, who was picked
by Chicago one pick later, is taller, more athletic, more
productive, just as versatile and led the nation in tackles
for losses. Michael Johnson (DE) from Georgia Tech is a
physical specimen with unlimited potential who was picked at
(70) by Cincinnati. Matt Shaughnessey (DE) Wisconsin was a
steady, productive 3-down lineman who was picked at (71) by
the Raiders.
Round 4 (102)
There are three standout, rookie CB’s
from last year’s Chiefs rookie class who played major
minutes. Consequently, there were other positions of need
this year that could have been addressed with the pick used
on Donald Washington (CB) Ohio State. C, DT, WR and G could
all have been addressed in this round. Jonathan Luigs (C)
from Arkansas was taken at pick (106) by the Bengals and
would have been serious competition from Nieswanger. Sammie
Lee Hill (DT) from Stillman was taken by Detroit at pick
(115) and is a “Vince Wilfork-type” NT. He could have
filled a need for the 3-4 defense that is currently not on
the roster. T.J. Lang (G) from Eastern Michigan taken by
the Packers with pick (109) could have been either the
current, or the ultimate replacement for Brian Waters. Mike
Thomas (WR) from Arizona is a vertical threat and return man
that would add to the undermanned, unproven WR corps.
Round 5 (139)
OT Colin Brown was one of the largest
tackles left on the board at this pick, but is a reach at
best. He played RT at Missouri in their spread offense for
two years and has very little experience as a run blocker.
Several other OT’s were available at the pick that were
generally more highly regarded. Three of them were Jamon
Meredith from South Carolina taken by the Packers with pick
(162), Fenuki Tupou from Oregon taken by the Eagles at pick
(159) and Xavier Fulton from Illinois taken by Tampa Bay
with pick (155).
Round 6 (175)
There are no issues with Quentin
Lawrence (WR/KR) from McNeese State at this spot since it
was not addressed earlier.
Round 7A (212)
There are no issues with Javarris
Williams (RB) from Tennessee State at this spot since it was
not addressed earlier. He should have a chance to make an
immediate impact as a short-yardage back and special teamer.
Round 7B (237)
There were TE’s available at this spot
comparable to Jake O’Connell from Miami-Ohio that would not
have cost a seventh round pick in 2010. They were Dan
Grankowski from Maryland who was picked by Detroit with pick
(255), David Johnson from Arkansas State picked by
Pittsburgh with pick (241) and Cameron Morrah from Cal
picked by Seattle with pick (248).
Round 7C (256)
PK Ryan Succop from South Carolina
could have been signed as a priority free agent and this
pick been used for another position player of need.
To date, there have been minimal
college free agent signings. Aside from the acquisition of
Cassel on offense, the defense has received the majority of
the attention. It appears the defensive line is shaping up
to have some sort of DE rotation consisting of Dorsey,
Jackson and Magee and a DT rotation of Tyler, Edwards and
Magee, depending on down and distance.
The LB situation has several veteran
incumbents to spread throughout the new 3-4 defense.
Johnson, Thomas, Vrabel, Beisel and Williams are the known
entities, with several lesser-known LB’s competing. No
big-name LB’s have been acquired either through the Draft or
through free agency to add to this group. At this writing,
Leroy Hill of Seattle and Barry Foote of Pittsburgh have
been released and are available.
The CB’s appear to be the group that
is most set. Incumbents Carr, Flowers, and Leggett will be
joined by fourth round pick Washington to give the team a
young, talented group of CB’s for a long time.
No significant changes have been made
to the Safety position with the top four being Pollard,
Page, Morgan and McGraw.
The projected gain on the offensive
side of the ball by the acquisition of Cassel was offset
somewhat by the trade of Gonzalez to Atlanta. There has
been some activity on the offensive side of the ball,
particularly on the line. Mike Goff (ORG) from San Diego
and Eric Ghiaciuc (C) from the Bengals were added to
upgrade the line. Bobby Engram was added to contribute at
WR.
The offensive line still needs
upgrading at RT, as well as addressing the issue with Waters
wanting to be traded. Larry Johnson is one slip-up away
from being released. It is possible the new offensive
philosophy will allow the team to absorb that loss (should
it arise) with a RB by committee of Charles, Smith and
seventh round pick Williams. Johnson’s age and productivity
probably means a reduced role in the offense even if he does
stay with the team.
Scott Pioli stated after the Draft
that there was still plenty of work to be done. There are
rumors circulating about acquiring Edgerrin James (RB) and
Anquan Boldin (WR) from Arizona. If these moves can be
made, Piloi should field a team that can be competitive in
’09 in the weak AFC West.
4//8/09
As we have grown
accustomed by now, there is little information being shared
with the public by the new regime at One Arrowhead Drive.
They have not divulged their reasoning as to why they have
only pursued and signed backup and special teams players
during free agency. There have been numerous, available,
impact players at all of the positions of need. No one
knows whether any of these players were pursued and the
Chiefs were beaten out, or whether theChiefs even expressed
an interest. There still is an enormous amount of money
available under the salary cap. Speculation is that veteran
players at certain of the spots of need will be addressed as
those veterans are released after the Draft. Since these
veterans are generally considered the second-tier type
players, it still begs the question as to why some of the
other top-tier free agents were not signed.
Pioli and Haley have preached changing
the culture and philosophy of the team. They are looking
for high character players who meet the previously stated
requirements (big, strong, fast, smart, tough), who are good
locker room guys, good teammates, and who want to be
Kansas City Chiefs. One can only assume the reasons none of
the big name free agents were not pursued (if indeed they
were not), is none of them met any, or all, of these
criteria. The guys that have been signed all appear to have
these traits, but they should be counted on as role players
at best.
Piloi and Haley have both stated their
philosophy is to build and sustain the team through the
draft. The Cassel trade has cost the team their second
(#34) pick in this year’s draft, leaving them with a total
of seven (including that last pick in round 7). Piloi’s
implementation of the New England way of running a team
would indicate he would like to amass more picks. New
England has always been a key mover / shaker on Draft Day,
trading and amassing picks for future years. There is no
reason to think Pioli would not like to do the same thing
here.
The shocking trade of Jay Cutler to
the Bears from Denver could provide Pioli with that
opportunity. A scenario could play out where Detroit takes
QB Matt Stafford with the #1 pick. Everyone assumes St.
Louis will take the best OT available on the board to
replace Orlando Pace. The Chiefs are next at pick #3.
Several teams (Denver, Seattle, NJ Jets, Tampa Bay,
Tennessee, Carolina and Tennessee) could have an interest in
trading up to get a shot at Mark Sanchez. He, along with
Stafford and Josh Freeman are the only the QB’s considered
worthy of a #1 pick. With those few optionsat QB, it is
conceivable that one of those teams may contact KC and offer
a deal to trade. Piloi would likely listen to any offer,
possibly even one that was less than the current chart
values, if he could trade down and gather more Day One
and/or future picks.
The Chiefs have brought in several
players for private workouts that are projected to be
mid-first round picks. It would seem the Chiefs are
gathering data on who might be available if some team
offered to trade up, and give KC a mid-first round pick.
So, what could they do on Draft Day?
Option 1 – No Round 1 trade
They will draft either OLB Aaron Curry
or OT Eugene Monroe with pick #3, and then draft the best
athlete in the subsequent rounds. However, they will
continue to pursue trades throughout the draft to accumulate
additional picks. Since the issues around his guaranteed
money has been resolved, the Chiefs will likely have Larry
Johnson on the block, and listen to any offers they get for
him. I do not believe they will actively pursue trading
Tony Gonzalez or Brian Waters, even though those players
have openly asked to be traded. If a team makes an
overwhelming offer for either of these players, they could
be moved.
Option 2 – Trade Pick #3
This speculation depends on what they
would get in return only in this year’s draft. Future picks
could significantly change the options. The third overall
pick is worth 2200 points. Let us examine what each of the
possibilities mentioned above could offer KC in pick and
point value:
Denver - #1 (1200) & # 1A from Chicago
(900). This would come close to a value trade on both sides
(with other late round picks moving back and forth to make
up the 100-point shortfall). Denver would still have their
second pick in round two. However, it is hard to conceive
the Chiefs making a trade with their division rival, but
this would give KC 2 #1’s and a #3 on Day One and allow
Denver to draft their percieved QB of the future (Sanchez).
Seattle - #1 (1800), #3 (250) & #4
(100). This would come close to a value trade on both sides
(with other late round picks moving back and forth to make
up the 50-point shortfall). To date, Seattle does not have
the extra picks to give up this much for a QB.
Carolina - Has already traded their #1
to Philadelphia. They do not have the picks to trade.
Tampa Bay, Tennessee and the Jets -
All would have to mortgage this draft to accumulate the
points needed to move up to the Chiefs’ #3 pick. And, Josh
Freeman will likely be available for one of these teams to
either draft outright, or trade picks with other teams that
won’t be as costly as having to trade up to pick #3.
It is also possible that any of these
teams could try to work a trade with St. Louis, one slot
above KC. However, that slot is worth 2600 points, and
would be more costly.
Overall, if the Chiefs are able to
trade the #3 pick to Denver for #12 & #18, it is conceivable
that Pioli may try to parlay one of those picks into even
more picks. He will actively try to acquire as many picks
as possible for this year, and next year, to fill as many
holes as possible.
The team needs to fill several spots,
either through the draft or free agency:
RT – Replace McIntosh *
C – Upgrade over Nieswanger
LG – Possibly replace Waters
WR – Deep threat *
RB – Everydown back to possibly
replace Johnson
FB – Upgrade over Cox
NT – To anchor the 3-4 *
DE – To switch to the 3-4 *
ILB – To match with Johnson and Vrabel
in the 3-4 *
OLB - To match with Johnson and Vrabel
in the 3-4 *
SS – Upgrade over Pollard
The asterisks denote must needs to be
filled, presumably with draft picks. There are numerous
holes to fill. Look for Pioli to try to gather as many
picks as possible to address those needs on Draft Day.
3/7/09
The front office is now pretty much all in place, with the
exception of naming Denny Thum President. The coaching
staff is pretty much all in place, with the exception of
Romeo Crennel deciding whether or not he wants to accept the
D.C. position. Free Agency has started, and as of this
writing, the Chiefs have yet to sign anyone of note.
Certainly, the big trade to
acquire Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel has been paramount on
the radar screens, the fact remains that numerous free
agents that could have helped this team immediately, at
numerous positions, have already signed with other clubs.
The ability to complete the Cassel / Vrabel trade was
monumental, and will pay huge dividends. However, it would
seem that there could have been more attention paid to
pursuing some of the other available players on the market
at the same time. The impact of Cassel’s contract on this
year’s cap number is yet to be determined, pending him
signing a restructured deal. However, the team had close to
$50M in cap space prior to the Cassel acquisition. Several
prime free agent players were signed for what the Chiefs
could have easily afforded, while they negotiated with
Cassel.
Now, the free agent market is
thinning for impact players. Igor Olshansky at DE and
Khalif Barnes at OT are still available at this writing.
Both could be easily signed for the cap money currently
available, and would immediately upgrade their respective
positions.
Much ado has been made of the
big trade with New England. Writers in NE are saying the
Chiefs were taken – that Belichik got the better end of the
deal by acquiring the Chief’s 34th overall pick.
The Boston pundits are calling Cassel a one-year wonder who
was on the verge of being cut last spring. They point to
his lack of playing time, but in college and the NFL as a
negative. They also feel that Belichik’s motivation was to
dump the $14M in cap money so NE could sign free agents.
Even if all of this is true –
so what? The Chiefs have the cap money to accommodate
Cassel’s current franchised salary. He is 26 years old,
with four years as an understudy to, arguably, the best QB
of this generation. He has not been hit. He has
demonstrated the ability to improve his reading of the
defenses and pocket awareness. He won 11 games as a
starting QB in ’08. The Chiefs still retain the overall #3
pick in the draft and pick up a veteran LB in Vrabel to help
in the locker room and in the transition to the 3-4
defense. Rather than have to spend that #3 pick on either
Matt Stafford or Mark Sanchez, both of whom have questions,
they have seen what Cassel can do in the NFL. Based on
interest in Cassel from other teams, those teams had him
highly regarded as well. So, if the writers in NE think the
got a “win” in this situation, I can assure you that the
Chiefs feel the same.
However, this complete deal
may not be done. One scenario that could pan out is as
follows:
1.
On Draft Day, NE somehow
acquires an additional pick in round 3-4
2.
At the time that
newly-acquired pick is to be made, there are still RB’s on
the board like Donald Brown, Shonn Green, Rashad Jennings or
Javon Ringer
3.
KC restructures Larry
Johnson’s contract
4.
NE trades that newly-acquired
pick to KC for Larry Johnson
5.
KC picks one of those backs
with the NE pick
My suspicion is that, somehow
on Draft Day, Larry Johnson goes to NE as the final piece to
this puzzle.
Lastly, Brian Waters now
wants to be traded because the new regime did not give him
his “props”. Again – so what? This franchise has been run
by the inmates for far too long. A protocol needs to be
established and maintained. No one has heard Pioli’s or
Haley’s side of the story, and we will not. Nevertheless, I
seriously doubt that Waters had an appointment. Secondly,
Pioli and Haley were in the midst of negotiating one of the
biggest trades in franchise history, supposedly going after
free agents, acquiring Romeo Crennell, setting their draft
board and assessing players.. They were a little busy at
the time. Maybe they could have handled it better, but
their reaction demonstrates that they are all about the
team. No one player is going to dictate what they think is
best for the team. They are management and they are in
charge. Waters and all of these other “crybabies” are paid
an obscene amount of money, albeit they do risk their bodies
on a daily basis.. They made that choice when they signed
those contracts. To quote Pat Hill, the head coach at
Fresno State, they need to “shut up and hit somebody!”
2/11/09
In the
past month, the Chiefs’ organization has been re-born.
Clark Hunt has stepped up, taken the reins, and shown
leadership in making the long-overdue decision to help Carl
Peterson find other employment. He then hired the No. 1
executive available, Scott Pioli, to be his new G.M. In
turn, after several agonizing days of evaluation, Pioli
dismissed Herm Edwards, who had proven that he was in over
his head. In addition, during that time several Assistant
Coaches were given permission to seek employment elsewhere,
most notably, Gunther Cunningham.
Now, Piloi and Hunt have hired the hot
name in the up-and-coming coaching circles, Todd Haley, to
be the new Head Coach. Although he has yet to assimilate
his staff, it has been interesting that one of the existing
coaches not being given permission to talk to other teams
has been Chan Gailey. It is presumed that he will be
retained as the O.C., and possibly Assistant Head Coach, to
serve as a mentor for Haley. If that is the case, the
attention now turns to hiring a Defensive Coordinator and
assembling a defensive staff. The rumor mill has Romeo
Crennel as the leading candidate.
With all of these changes, which have
been discussed ad nauseum, it is time to get back to the
real world. The calendar is moving forward and the Free
Agency period the end of February, and the Draft is the end
of April. The new management team has very little time to
assess, evaluate and develop a strategy to address their
plan of attack for acquiring players this off-season.
According to Pioli, he wants players who are: 1) Big, 2)
Mean, 3) Fast, 4) Tough and 5) Smart. That being the case,
it is interesting to see how many of the existing starters
and core players from last year would meet all of those
criteria:
Big
Mean Fast Tough
Smart
OFFENSE
Thigpen
x x x
x x
Johnson
x
x
Cox
x
x
Bowe
x x x
Bradley
x
x
Gonzalez
x x
x x
McIntosh
x
Smith
Nieswanger
x x
Waters
x x x
x x
Albert
x x x
x x
Cottam
x
x
Charles
x
Big Mean Fast
Tough Smart
DEFENSE
McBride
Dorsey
x
Tyler
x x
Hali
x
Johnson
x x
Thomas
Williams
Flowers
x x x
x x
Carr
x x x x
Page
x x
x x
Pollard
x x x
Edwards x
Boiman
x x x
Surtain
Babin &n
bsp;
Boone
x x
Based on this evaluation (note those
“bolded), an upgrade is needed everywhere except the CB’s
and left side of the “O” line (Thigpen needs more of a
look).
Another way to assess the team is to
see how many of our starters could have started for any of
the playoff teams:
OFFENSE
For sure: Gonzalez, Waters Possibly:
Albert, Bowe Maybe: Johnson, L.
DEFENSE
For sure: None
Possibly: Flowers, Carr Maybe: Page
Again, not much talent when assessed
against the talent on playoff teams.
The two venues to address now are Free
Agents and the Draft. What happens in one affects what is
done in the other. The Chiefs are over $30M under the
salary cap. Even withholding cap money needed to sign draft
choices, the Chiefs will have plenty to spend on Free Agents
who will instantly upgrade the team.
As an example, on defense, they
could target DE’s Julius Peppers, Chris Canty or Terrell
Suggs; DT’s Albert Haynesworth, Rocky Bernard or Jovan Haye;
MLB’s Karlos Dansby, Jonathan Vilma, Channing Crowder, or
Eric Barton; OLB’s Bart Scott, Michael Boley, Leroy Hill or
Angelo Crowell.
On offense, they could target C Jason
Brown; G Jahri Evans; OT’s Jordan Gross or Stacy Andrews.
Any of these players would be an
instant and immediate upgrade over the incumbent. Most
would bring much needed leadership and attitude; and most
would fit Pioli’s five criteria. However, these players’
current teams will most likely any of these guys would be an
instant and immediate upgrade to the incumbent. Most would
bring much needed leadership and an attitude, and most would
meet the five criteria Pioli identified.
However, if the Chiefs were to sign a
DE, LB and OL as Free Agents to fill starting roles, their
drafting strategy would be better defined. In addition, if
they were to complete a trade with NE for Matt Cassell (not
likely), that would further define their draft needs. Right
now, all is speculation pending what happens in Free
Agency. The good news is, with Pioli as G.M. instead of
Peterson, there should be more players willing to sign with
K.C. as opposed to not being a consideration previously.
It
will be equally interesting to see how the new management
team deals with the public demands to be traded by Johnson
and Gonzalez, and the arrest of 3rd string TE
Mike Merritt. Their handling of the volatile situations
will define the team culture and determine whether the
inmates are running the asylum. Gonzalez may have some
trade value, and may be worth a 2nd or 3rd
round pick to a potential contender. Johnson’s contract
would be too large of an impact to anyone’s salary cap,
unless NE would want to trade Cassel. In that case, the
impact to both team’s cap status would be minimized.
Possibly KC could send Johnson and their #1 to NE for Cassel
and NE’s #3. NE already has two #2’s, and this would give
them Johnson, two #1’s and two #2’s. KC would get Cassel
and an additional #3. KC would desperately like to amass
additional picks.
1/9/09
A merciful end has
finally come – not only to this miserable season, but also to the
reign of the longest-tenured General Manager in major professional
sports. His departure has been long called for, and long overdue.
The reasons for him needing to vacate the job have been documented
numerous times, and would serve little purpose to re-hash at this
point. Suffice it to say, he is gone and the team is finally moving
on.
At this time, Clark
Hunt is in the midst of the G.M. search. He has already made one
major decision, which should pay dividends in the future. That is,
he has decided that he wants to split up Peterson’s former duties
and title, separating the President / CEO functions from that of the
General Manager. More often than not, it has been proven in recent
times that these functions cannot be combined and still be effective
under one person.
Hunt has been
quietly conducting interviews. The only name that has been made
public is Scott Pioli from New England. It is widely believed that
Pioli wants total control, which may be a deal-breaker here in K.C.
Hunt has other names on his list, but has not gone public with
them. He has also stated that anyone from an interviewee’s camp who
leaks any information to the media will eliminate that candidate
from consideration. His search appears to be one that will be long
and methodical.
The new G.M. will
have total control of the personnel side of the team. That means he
will decide on all coaches and scouts. The future of the Head Coach
and his Coordinators and Assistants is up in the air, pending
finding the new G.M., and then allowing him time to assess and
evaluate.
There are several
inherent problems with the G.M. decision dragging out over a long
period of time:
1.
The Head
Coach and his staff need to be in place to decide the direction of
the team going forward – will the youth-movement be continued? Will
the “spread offense” continue to be the staple? These decisions
need to be made BEFORE the scouting combine starts to evaluate
players for the Draft and BEFORE the Free Agency period begins.
2.
Every
day, more and more teams are dumping their incumbent Head Coaches in
search of replacements. If the new G.M. decides to do the same
thing here, several prime candidates (and their staffs), may already
be taken.
3.
Season
ticket renewal notices will soon be mailed. Many season ticket
holders are taking a “wait-and-see” attitude as to what front office
personnel changes are going to be made before renewing their
tickets.
4.
The
entire fan base is taking a “wait-and-see” attitude to determine if
they are going to invest another 20 years of their heart and soul in
this franchise.
5.
The
opportunities for Herm Edwards and his staff to find other
opportunities will be lessened if the G.M. search extends too long,
and he decides to clean house completely.
There are too many
issues hinging on the G.M. decision to warrant further discussion
until he is hired. The fan base is edgy as they see and hear all of
the rumors about all of the G.M. and Head Coaching candidates, but
hear very little from Arrowhead. In that way, nothing has really
changed. Hopefully, this time the information blackout is for a
valid reason, and not to serve the ego of the former President / CEO
/ General Manager. In addition, for the sake of all of the Chiefs’
fans, Clark makes the right decision, even if it takes longer than
we would like.
12/9/08
At this point of this
season, it is not about the won / lost record, but rather whether
improvement is being made. There is no value in discussing the merits
of a 2 – 11 record at this point. The question is whether the current
group of first, second and third year players are progressing. The rash
of injuries to many of them, and the veterans around them, makes a true
assessment difficult to gauge.
The ’06 Class
Hali is an undersized,
slow DE with a penchant for injury. He is, at best, a #2 DE along with
a premier pass rusher (ala Jared Allen). He has already peaked and has
very little upside as a #1 DE and pass rusher
Page made great strides
his 1st year, and leveled off last year and this year. He is
too big and slow to react to be a FS. He has marginal foot speed and
would be better suited as a SS. He has little upside potential.
Pollard is even slower
afoot than Page, with slower reaction times. He is too enamored with
making the big hit and not wrapping up on tackles (as are most of the
players on defense). There have been numerous drives that were kept
alive where he had the ball carrier stopped to force a 3-and-out, but he
tried to make the big hit and failed. He is a good Special Teams
player, and may have a future as an OLB. However, he is very limited as
a SS and has no upside.
Neiswanger was a FA
Center and is now the starter. He stands too tall (6’-5”) in his blocks
and gets pushed into the backfield to disrupt too many plays. He has
some potential and with a year of starting under his belt, more time in
the weight room and more consistency from his linemen, he should
marginally improve.
Webb has been a total
bust at WR. He has had numerous opportunities to grab one of the
starting wideout spots, but has regressed from his rookie year.
Croyle was an
interesting experiment that was an obvious failure due to his inability
to stay healthy. If he has any future in the NFL, it will be as a back
up. However, if he does continue to pursue his QB career, it probably
should be somewhere else to avoid an awkward situation for him and the
Chiefs.
The ’07 Class
Bowe has all of the
makings of a premier WR. He has a propensity to drop too many easy
catches. He had 998 yards as a rookie, and could equal or surpass that
number in ’08.
McBride was making
progress at DE before going on I/R. He could blossom as a #2 DE
opposite a premier pass rusher.
Tyler was MIA as a
rookie DT, but has made some progress in ’08. He still takes too many
plays off and does not always play with fire and focus. He does still
have some potential to develop into a credible DT.
Picking up QB Thigpen
as a FA from the Vikings looks like a steal. He has continued to grow
and develop to the point where he now has to be, at the very least,
considered a possibility at QB for the long term.
Battle has spent the
majority of his two seasons on the practice squad. He will have a
chance to display his RB skills over the last 4 weeks of this year.
Taylor has yet to crack
the starting offensive line at any position. There have been numerous
opportunities due to injuries and ineffectiveness. He flashed some
potential as a rookie, but has shown nothing in ’08.
Smith has had some good
games at RB spelling Johnson. However, he is injury prone and currently
on I/R. His best opportunity may have already passed him.
The ’08 Class
Dorsey has been nursing
a bad left leg all year. That, coupled with learning the nuances of
playing DT and executing the responsibilities that are different than
what he did in college, has slowed in development in his 1st
year. All of the scouts had him listed as the best defensive player in
the ’08 Draft, so the potential is still there. He should show
significant improvement in ’09.
Albert has been slowed
by injuries as he switched from OG in college to OLT in the pros. He
has made steady progress since his return and looks to be a solid player
for years to come.
Flowers has stepped in
from day #1 as the shut-down corner and has done a great job. He will
only get better with more familiarity to QB’s, WR’s, schemes, etc.
Charles has shown
flashes of brilliance, but has not exhibited the toughness to stay on
the field. He is a capable blocker, good receiver and great runner in
space. He can be the prototype #2 back in a 2 RB offense. If the
Chiefs stick to the “I-Gun” offense, he is a perfect match.
Cottam is being groomed
as the eventual replacement for Gonzalez at TE, but is mostly being used
as a blocker. He has shown good hands, but can still learn some tricks
fro the master before Gonzalez retires (or is traded).
Barth has only kicked
for ½ of the season. His kickoffs are deep enough to be respectable and
he is perfect on FG’s. He looks to be the answer, but long-term
consistency will need to be shown.
Robinson has been the
KR for the past couple of games. He has not busted a long return yet,
but at least he catches the ball and goes upfield. He still has some
upside.
Leggett has been a find
at CB as a FA from a small college. He has two defensive TD’s the past
two weeks. The game does not look too big for him. He has tremendous
upside potential.
Morgan has been injured
at S and not played much. He should move into one of the Safety spots
in ’09 where an upgrade is needed.
Carr is improving
slowly at CB. He plays somewhat tentatively. He has all the tools and
should develop into a good Corner.
Cox has been OK as a
blocker at FB. He still does not blow defenders out of the hole, nor
has he been given many opportunities to handle the ball. He should
evolve into s serviceable FB over time.
Merritt has been
injured all year and has yet to play. If he is supposed to be the
replacement for Jason Dunn as the blocking TE, he cannot be assessed
until ’09.
Richardson has been
active a few games as a spare offensive lineman but has not gotten into
a game. He is a developmental project, but has great size.
Franklin has not
developed at the WR spot opposite Bowe. He has good downfield speed but
rarely gets balls thrown his way in games. He has underachieved so far.
Johnston got a few
starts at DE before going on I/R. He needs more time in the weight room
and time working on techniques and fundamentals.
The Chiefs will have
one of the first five picks in next year’s Draft. The selection of
those players will be more vital than ever if this team is to affect a
quick turnaround. Secondly, the development of those players selected,
as well as those retained, will have to be better than what has occurred
in the recent past. There are too many players who should be making
more of an impact who are just marginal at best.
“Great players make
great coaches”. That is not true if the coaches do not develop the
great players they acquire.
11/10/08
Luckily, for Chiefs’
fans, this season is half over. If the pain, frustration and
disappointment of the second half of the season match that of the first
half of the season, it will be very trying. But, this is a prime
opportunity to assess the team, management and coaches at the half-way
point.
Tight Ends – (A-)
Gonzalez has continued
to play at a pro bowl level on a terrible offense, enduring double-,
triple coverage, holding, etc., and is still producing outstanding
numbers. His tirade to be traded was a major distraction for a couple
of weeks, but to his credit, he has not let his disappointment at not
being traded affect his play. When thrown to, Cottam has shown good
hands and running skills. Both have been effective blockers in the run
game.
Wide Receivers – (D)
Bowe has been
inconsistent, dropping key passes in crucial situations. Darling, Webb
and Franklin have been virtually missing in action. Only the
acquisition of Bradley and his contributions over the last two games
prevents this grade from being an “F”.
Offensive Tackle – (D)
When Albert has been
able to play, he has done a credible job, and shows tremendous upside.
Taylor has shown that he can be at least a stop-gap player, but is
probably too small to man the RT spot long term. McIntosh was routinely
getting schooled, but has shown some improvement the last couple of
weeks. Maybe the line is starting to gel with injured players coming
back and players in new positions getting accustomed to those positions.
Offensive Guard – (D)
This is a similar
story to that of the OT’s. Waters has done nothing to play up to his
former Pro Bowl level. Jones’ situation mirrors that of McIntosh in
that the first five games, he was getting beat routinely. The last
couple of games, he has improved. At least both of them have stayed
healthy.
Center – (D)
Nighswonger’s first
five games were like the right side of the line – poor. He too has
picked his blocking up better the last two weeks.
Running Back – (D)
Johnson has been a
non-factor since he can’t stay on the field for having to deal with his
myriad of off-the-field issues. Smith was doing nothing to distinguish
himself, then he went on the I/R after the loss to Tampa. Charles has
shown explosiveness and tremendous upside, but has made some costly
rookie mistakes. Cox has blocked adequately.
Quarterback – Inc.
There is no way to
give a fair grade here with the #1 and #2 QB’s on I/R, and the #3
starting his fourth game next week. Croyle and Huard are most likely
done as Chiefs. Thigpen has been very impressive against the Jets and
Tampa, but the body of work is too small to say he’s the answer. The
signing of Gray provides a big, young, strong arm to develop.
Special Teams – (C-)
Due to all of the
injuries and dismissals, determini8ng a grade here is difficult. The
only consistent member of the Special Teams all year has been Savage.
He’s been OK, but nothing spectacular. There have been changes in
personnel everywhere else, so consistency has been a factor.
Defensive End - (F)
No pass rush – end of
story. Hali, McBride, Boone and Johnston have been totally ineffective
in the pass rush.
Defensive Tackle – (D)
No pass rush up the
middle and missed gap assignments sum up the first half. Dorsey has
been nursing a sore knee and has been unspectacular for the fifth
overall pick. Tyler has been somewhat better than last year, but not
much.
Linebacker – (F)
This area has been the
most disappointing. This is where the team had the most experience, but
has seen the least production. Edwards has been hurt most of the first
half, and his best days are behind him. Johnson shows occasional
flashes of brilliance and dominance, and then disappears for plays/games
at a time. Williams has done nothing. This whole unit is either
overrated or underachieving.
Cornerbacks – (B)
Aside from occasional
rookie mistakes, Flowers and Carr have done a credible job. Both look
like long-time starters for the future. Surtain has been a non-factor
due to injuries. The hosts of other rookies that have had to be used
have performed like the rookie, backup players they are.
Safety – (D)
Page and Pollard have
not continued to evolve and develop. Page looks to be 20 pounds
overweight and can’t cover anybody. Pollard is too concerned with
making a “blow-up” hit and almost never wraps up a tackle. This has
lead to numerous long gains and late game losses. McGraw has bee a
solid backup, and Morgan has been invisible.
Coaching – (D)
Cunningham’s defense
and his players are not evolving. They continue to repeat the same
mistakes game after game, both in play-calling, coverage and
techniques. Gailey has been hampered by inconsistencies in personnel
due to the reasons mentioned above, so a true measure of his play
calling is still up for debate. Edwards now appears to play not to
lose, not “to win the game”. His game management faux pas identified in
New York are still prevalent. He has been dealt a rash of injuries
during a time of rebuilding. The past couple of weeks, the effort by
the team has been there. However, it is becoming more apparent that his
long-term profession may be in the TV booth, rather than on the
sidelines.
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