Training Camp Preview: Offense

The Kansas City Chiefs offense, for once, will not be the strength of the team. Over the past five years, the defense has transformed itself from a laughingstock to a stockpiled unit. Meanwhile, the offense is no longer the juggernaut it once was during the Vermeil-Saunders era. Still, I think the offense is good enough to allow this team to make its second playoff birth in a row. Here’s a look at the Chiefs offense, position by position:

Quarterbacks:

This position doesn’t worry me nearly as much as it worries others. I have confidence that either Brodie Croyle or Damon Huard, or both, will perform well. That confidence, however, depends on a few things: A.) Re-signing Larry Johnson; and B.) Signing Dwayne Bowe. Both quarterbacks are intelligent players who will protect the ball, and with D-Bo and L.J. on board they will have the necessary weapons to consistently move the chains. The biggest issue could be pass protection, which I’ll delve further into when I examine the offense line. One positive with Croyle is that he is more mobile than Huard. That mobility might really help him behind a line that could potentially struggle at times.

Casey Printers is the third-string QB, but that doesn’t mean that he’s a bum. Remember, Quinn Gray was also a third-string QB for the Jaguars last year, and he came into the game and carved us up during a Week 17 game at Arrowhead. The Dolphins third-string QB, Cleo Lemon, also saw some PT last year and performed pretty well. If Croyle became injured and Huard was struggling in his stead, we could definitely see Printers. I’m not sold on him at all, but I definitely haven’t written him off yet either. Plus, Printers has confidence, something all good QBs must possess.

Running Backs:

This is simple. I like Michael Bennett, and I think he can be a good change-of-pace back if he can stay healthy (a big if). I like Kolby Smith a great deal, and his versatility should allow him to see snaps at both halfback and fullback. I even think Derrick Ross showed enough promise during the NFL Europa season to warrant a roster spot.

While that’s all fine and dandy, none of those guys can fill even one of Larry Johnson‘s shoes. That’s a scary realization, because Herm Edwards’ gameplan was completely dependent on L.J. in ’06. If the Chiefs re-sign L.J., both making another Wild Card trip and competing in the AFC West would be possibilities. If the Chiefs trade L.J., or let him holdout (gasp!), expect the Chiefs to pick no later than fifth in next year’s draft. I’m not saying that L.J. is the best player in the league, but he might be the player who’s most important to his team.

Fullback Boomer Grigsby likely will see some action after changing positions (from linebacker), mostly on short-yardage situations. Hopefully, he can develop into a devastating lead blocker, but only time will tell. H-back Kris Wilson will continue to line up in the backfield and cause mismatches, and will also play some tight end. Wilson could end up being a poor man’s Chris Cooley.

Tight Ends:

I expect Croyle and/or Huard to hit Tony Gonzalez early and often, using the annual Pro Bowler as a security blanket. Jason Dunn, health permitting, should be back playing what is essentially the third tackle position on short-yardage and goalline plays. Kris Wilson, as stated above, will definitely have a bigger role in the offense in ’07. Even rookie Michael Allan has a chance to make the team, considering that he’s more of a true tight end than either Dunn or Wilson.

Wide Receivers:

Eddie Kennison should start the season as our No. 1 receiver. I wouldn’t be totally surprised if Dwayne Bowe assumed that role by the end of the season, though. Both receivers will have fine ’07 campaigns, and provide reliable targets for whoever is playing at QB.

It’s much more of a crapshoot with the team’s other WRs. Second-year man Jeff Webb is a favorite of Herm, and he could bump Samie Parker out of the slot/No. 3 WR spot. Chris Hannon is a big receiver who the coaching staff also is high on. Expect Hanon to at least make the team and contribute on special teams. Redbeard favorite Brad Ekwerkwu, a rookie out of Mizzou, has also turned some heads during his short stint as a Chief. Expect him to at least stick around until the end of the preseason. Personally, I think he has a good shot to make the final roster, but he might have to steal Hanon’s or Parker’s job to do so. Ean Randolph might make the team, but only strictly as a return man.

Offensive Line:

The interior portion of our O-line — Brian Waters, Casey Wiegmann and John Welbourn — is solid. There’s no reason to ramble on and on about them, other than saying that while Welbourn isn’t Will Shields, the drop-off won’t be as severe as you might think. Shields had his worst season as a pro last year, and got manhandled in the playoffs. Also, Waters might just be the best guard in football. It would be downright criminal for me to write this preview and exclude that statement.

The tackle spots could be our weakest spot. Damion McIntosh (LT) and Chris Terry (RT) will man those spots, and while both have been serviceable in the past, neither has been dominant. I expect McIntosh to play well, and Terry to struggle somewhat due to being out of the game for a while. Either Chris Bober, Kevin Sampson or Will Svitek would start if Terry either ends up in trouble with the law or the league (definitely possible). Out of those three, I like Svitek the best. He dominated in NFL Europa, and has a hang of the tackle position rather quickly after playing defense in college.

Also, don’t count out big Kyle Turley, who’s reportedly expected to re-sign any day now. Turley is 20-25 pounds heavier than he was a year ago, and could end up being our starting right tackle if he can return to the form that made him a force with the Rams and Saints earlier in his career.

The Outlook:

I expect the offense to be very comparable to last year’s unit. I also expect Dwayne Bowe to sign in the next few days. If Larry Johnson gets signed relatively soon, the offense won’t be inconvenienced by either negotiation process. The big keys will be fullback, quarterback and tackle play. If those three positions can match or exceed last year’s contributions from those respective positions, the offense might just be better, because the Chiefs are at least as good at every other position (well, maybe not guard, but everywhere else for sure).