The G-Men: The Should-Be Blueprint For The Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t going to wake up this year, next or the one after that and discover that they have become the New England Patriots. Not going to happen. That’s why they need to adopt a New York state of mind, and quick. No, Herm Edwards, not your former J-E-T-S–the G-Men. The Chiefs need to examine the New York Giants‘ roster that Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin built in The Big Apple, and use that blueprint as a guide to success back in K.C.
The Giants have become a hard-nosed team that successfully both runs the football and rushes the passer week in, week out. Because of those highly desired gridiron traits, the G-Men were road warriors. That’s how you get it done in the NFL–protect your own backyard, give ‘em hell on the road.
If you compare the Chiefs’ and Giants’ rosters, you’ll see that the two teams have a lot in common. Bookend defensive ends? Check. Smash-mouth feature running back? Check. Perennial All-Pro tight end? Check. Bona fide No. 1 WR? Check. Rangy linebackers? Check. Somewhat spotty secondary? Check.
The Giants’ offensive line is solid, but not spectacular. Where they really have us beat is at the defensive tackle and quarterback positions. That’s why I fully believe that if the Chiefs adopt my NFL Draft plan they will put themselves on a trajectory similar to the one the Giants have enjoyed. I’m not saying we’ll win a Super Bowl, I’m saying we’ll put ourselves in position to compete for the Super Bowl.
- Step One – Draft DT Sedrick Ellis, USC
There is at least a handful of can’t-miss prospects in this year’s draft class. What does that mean? It means that picking fifth we can’t afford to walk away from NFL Draft weekend without one of the five best players from the draft. It also means that we shouldn’t trade down. The top players in this draft blow the rest of this class away, but it’s deep because of underclassmen. That means that we’d be foolish to trade back to draft two players in the first round similar to the talents we can pick up in the second and third rounds.
Ellis will be a star. His addition to our defensive line will give us one of the most ferocious units in the league by far. We all witnessed how the Super Bowl was won. Ellis will make our D-line G-Menesque. I recommend picking him over even Darren McFadden, Jake Long and Matt Ryan. I’d give Glenn Dorsey the same recommendation if he passes our injury screenings. We also cannot give in to temptation and draft either Chris Long or Vernon Gholston–we have our defensive ends. Two great ones at that.
- Step Two – Draft an Offensive Tackle in Round Two
I hear the meat-and-potatoes Chiefs fans out there collectively groaning, but I don’t give a damn. Sure, Jake Long could be the best tackle to come along in some time. He could also be a poor man’s Joe Thomas. Wouldn’t we be better off drafting the best second round tackle in recent memory? After all, this is possibly the greatest draft class of tackles ever. Teams fail in the draft when they fail to adapt to the draft and its talent.
There are two unique forces at defensive tackle, but about seven or eight very solid offensive tackle prospects out there. I think going with Ellis or even Dorsey in round one, followed by someone like Gosder Cherilus, Ryan Collins or Sam Baker in round two is the way to go. I know how much Chiefs fans like Long, and how much Mel Kiper likes Ryan Clady, but I think a starting left tackle will be available with the fourth pick in round two. Remember Redbeard’s personal salvation project Tony Ugoh, the rookie who protected Peyton Manning’s blind side last year? He was the 42nd pick. Joe Staley went 28th overall. A very good tackle will be there.
- Step Three – Trade up and Draft A Quarterback
I like Brodie Croyle, I really do. But given his durability issues it would be ignorant for us to put all of our eggs in the Brodie basket. Remember what Woody Allen said?
“80 percent of success is just showing up” — Woody Allen
That alone could doom us during the Brodie Croyle era. That’s why we need to use our plethora of picks and move up to get a second second-round pick and draft a quarterback. Either Brian Brohm, Chad Henne or Joe Flacco will be there. And all three are underrated. Alex Smith went No. 1 and none of these three studs can crack the first round? Something’s not right here, not with the players but with the scouting. Remember John Beck and Trent Edwards–who both look like they are on their way to becoming good quarterbacks–they were there in round two last year. Brady Quinn damn near was.
We draft a rookie to sit for a year or two while Croyle gets his shot. If Croyle stumbles, they step in. If Croyle succeeds, we are in the same predicament the Browns now find themselves in, which is a good pickle to be in if you ask me. Research shows that quarterbacks who are slowly groomed typically succeed. I’m confident that if we had both Croyle and one of the three above-mentioned rookie QBs, that we would finally be successfully in developing a QB of our own. Don’t we all want that?
- Step Four – Draft Corners, More Hogs and A Return Man in the Later Rounds
Bill Kuharich, Herm and Ray Farmer have actually been pretty good in the later rounds of the draft. Jarrad Page. Kolby Smith. Some good finds. They need that trend to continue. We need two solid corners–which Herm always says he can find late–a guard and a return specialist. If a receiver slips into round three or four and has no business being there, we also should look at him, especially if he doubles as a return guy.
I truly believe that if the Chiefs follow this blueprint, that Herm Edwards’ bold prediction to Eric Casillias will be right –the Chiefs will end up being like the Giants two-three years from now.
Great Article. I can’t get this kind of stuff on my beloved Chiefs anywhere but here, and on a daily basis even! I dont necessarily disagree with the first pick being a D tackle. But, I still say we go OT, and if Jake Loing is gone, we reach for another OT. I know that sucks, but it is our greatest need and it has to be addressed with our first pick. The Chiefs have left themselves little room for mistake. (We still need to bring in Shane Olivea!) Additionally, I disagree Adam, I think that trading down is the best option for us, if Jake Long is gone. Jake Long, in the eyes of the media, is a "for sure" tackle. Trading down if he is gone makes picking the next best tackle not such a risk, talent and money wise. Just my arm chair opinion. Good Work!
March 13th, 2008 at 3:08 pmGood to see a fresh post – I have to disagree with the pass on Jake Long thing…..He is a no brainer to me…..but I am really hoping that the Chiefs recognize what a Dorsey/Ellis could do to finish out our D……..I also feel that a OT like Baker/Collins will be there in the 2nd…..trading the bottom picks to get back another 2nd has ALWAYS made sense to me……I would only do it if Brohm was there though….. lastly, I really hope we are not done with WR…….I am really wanting a top 3rd round WR to compete for the #2 spot…..there are some really good ones and if we aren’t going to go and get the DJ Hacketts/B. Johnsons of the world than draft the A. Bowmans that will fall to the third
March 13th, 2008 at 3:16 pmJeremy I dont believe in reaching in the first round, ESPECIALLY at the 5 spot whrere you need to get a 10-year pro bowler and have the ability to. Reaching at the 5 spot gets you guys like Ryan Simms…….
March 13th, 2008 at 3:36 pmdefensive tackle is our 3rd biggest need if o line is #1 and cb is #2, so i wouldnt draft a dt with the fifth overall pick, both dts could turn out to be exactly like ryan sims in the sense that glenn dorsey might not be the same after his injury and i remember that sedrick ellis didnt perform very well at the combine. if jake long isnt there then i dont think its that much of a reach to go after ryan clady. they thought levi brown was a reach but he turned out pretty good
March 13th, 2008 at 3:43 pmWhile I disagree on taking Ellis over Long (were he still there) and trading down to stockpile more picks I’m becoming more and more excited that Ellis could be our pick. I’m getting used to the fact that Long will be gone by our pick and no one else that is considered a top 10 pick (Gholston, McFadden, Ryan, etc.) after that fits what we need more than Ellis. Dorsey’s injury history keeps getting more entries the more he is checked out. I agree with everything else you said. One great thing is that we have so many needs that anything we do provided we are looking at positions of need (CB, OL, WR) at that point is better than where we are at now. People also need to remember that we have a lot of work in front of us and I see us taking this draft and next year’s draft to get back on our feet again and make a playoff push. You can’t fill as many holes as we have with one draft. Especially, considering how inactive we have been in Free Agency.
March 13th, 2008 at 3:55 pmYour right Levi is "pretty good" – but they could have had ADRIAN PETERSON – Arizona will be kicking themselves for YEARS!!!!…..It is a reach to take a Clady at 5…..deal with it…..take the best player available – period!
March 13th, 2008 at 3:57 pmWow! I am amazed that there is no other support for an OT as our first pick. It is the most glaring problem we have! Ask yourself this: why is Clady a reach at #5 but not at #7 when most mocks say he will go to the Pats? Two spots is hardly a reach. Now, if the Chiefs bring in Shane Olivea and plug him in the Right Tackle spot we have more freedom, but they have not done that. We have a need for three starters on the O-line! So I will be mad as hell if we don’t go OT with our first pick! Really Mad! Then we can go OG with the second and CB with any of the others. Am I that alone on this one? If we don’t sign anyone pre-draft, we have to go OT and OG respectively! Have you all forgotten that our Offense could not move the ball at all last year? AT ALL!! Do you really wanty to go through that again? I sure don’t. GO CHIEFS
March 13th, 2008 at 4:02 pmDave, hindsight is 20/20 and Petersen was an injury risk, that is why he dropped. The fact of the matter is, no one knows how these kids are going to turn out, and every team could look back and kick itself for not picking a certain player. IT IS ALL UNKOWN, EXCEPT WE DO KNOW THAT WE NEED AN OT! WE HAVE TO GO WITH NEED AND OT IS THE NEED! Wow I am really fired up about this.
March 13th, 2008 at 4:07 pmFinally….someone gets it….Long is going to be good no doubt about it but in my opinion he COULD be as good as Joe Thomas probably not….Ellis is going to have the better career…we are one or two players away on our defense from making it a top 5 Defense…. one of those players being DT, Turk Mcbride was a reach in the second and will most likely play end….Tank Tyler has the lazy bug in his system and if he wanted the job he could have taken it last year….Alfonso Boone is a beast and paired up with a good pass rusher we will have run stopping and a triple threat in HAli Allen And Ellis. Then you get a guy like cherilous in the second….i agree with trading up i disagree with getting a QB i think you get either another lineman or a corner or Wr to go along side Bowe because i think Darling is a slot but all in all this is the best post you have had good job!!
March 13th, 2008 at 4:08 pmClady is projected in most drafts to go to Denver or Detroit i have only seen one saying he will go to the Pats….and if Jake Long wasn’t in this draft Clady would be projected to go even higher just becasue they are projected there doesn’t mean they should go at that pick
March 13th, 2008 at 4:10 pmYou are right Ian, the newest mocks have Clady slipping farther, but at one point, (and I posted it on this site), sportingnews had him going at Number one! Number one! Their new mock has him slipping too. I am juust saying if we can’t trade down, we have should take the next best tackle. The Chiefs have left themselves very little choice.
March 13th, 2008 at 4:15 pmLove the plan. but instead of QB at #3, i’d hope for a Reggie Smith or Brandon Flowers to fall to us there. Wasn’t Croyle a 3rd rounder?
March 13th, 2008 at 4:19 pmI really cannot believe anyone, fan or otherwise, is suggesting the Chiefs take anyone other than an Jake Long with the first pick. Larry AND Kolby have proven they cannot run without a solid line. Face it they are not like LT. If Jake Long is gone by #5 and I agree, regretably, that this is a strong case given we have St. Louis, Atlanta and the underaiders ahead of us, all of whom need OL help as well. We need to address our other GLARING need, CB. We need to get Aquib Talib if JL is gone. As most of you have stated OT is deep in this draft and our next two picks could be as good as Willie Roaf and John Alt, but not as expensive as JL would be. I really hope he falls to us though! He is a freaking stud on the OL.
March 13th, 2008 at 4:23 pmI’d say that calling the Chiefs secondary "spotty" is pretty generous, they’re in dire straits. The best strategy is always best player first, then need. If Long is at 5 we’d be crazy not to take him, otherwise we’ll have a great DT. I’d love for us to grab Joe Flacco in the second, by the way.
March 13th, 2008 at 4:25 pmAlso, how much better is Clady than a guy like Baker who should be there early 2nd? i say it’s worth it to wait till #2 for OT. And this banter about ellis having a bad combine is rediculous. The combine is a bit of a joke. Espessially when you are looking at a DT. I want a DT who is good in game situations, not track meets. Did you see the man at Senior Bowl? Forget the combine.
March 13th, 2008 at 4:27 pmOh my – I just want to bang my head against the wall……Jeremy, every Chiefs fan I know wants an OT in round one – his name is Jake Long…..it’s Clady that causes all of the problems……Look, if you want him – great…….Michael, if you want Talib – fine……you can’t win them all – we all have players we want…..but I see 6 people that are incredible athletes……#1 McFadden…#2 Dorsey……#3 Jake Long…..#4 Chris Long…..#5 Ellis…..#6 Ghoulston……..I want one of these 6…..end of discusion
March 13th, 2008 at 4:30 pmDave, point taken. I would just like to point out, that every team could use a takle, and by the time our second pick comes up, Long, Clady, Williams, Otah, and Baker could all be gone. I hope not, but it is a real possibility. I guess I will shut up now! HaHaHa.
March 13th, 2008 at 4:42 pmwe should draft rodgers-cromartie at 5 we need to take a risk we always go safe and it usually backfires who cares about small school, level of comp, etc. he sure looks like a stud to me and if we dont get him the pats probably will
March 13th, 2008 at 4:50 pmbut only if jake long is gone(heprobably will be)
March 13th, 2008 at 4:52 pmalso michaelsan diego LT has a pretty good oline to run behind
March 13th, 2008 at 4:55 pmyour cool Jeremy – I have had my Boise State lovin brother showing me Clady for years and I don’t want to take him just becuase he is an OT…..If Herm & co feel he is a future Pro Bowl LOT then so be it…… just dont pass on a great athlete on need only
March 13th, 2008 at 5:00 pmRogers-Cromartie at 5 would be a massive reach. He wasn’t even projected as a 1st rounder till the combine, and I find combine performances carry much more weight than they should. In this particular draft, I don’t see the talent level at CB differing that much between RD 1 and RD 3. I think there is tons of talent this year at CB, just no elite talents. The first might go to New England at 7 and that could be one of 4 different CB’s.
March 13th, 2008 at 5:35 pmHey Bigchief you said you "hope" someone falls to #3 we can’t "hope" DRC KILLED everyone at the combine also you used the senior bowl to justify ellis did you watch the game??? doubtful cause if you did you would’ve seen DRC KILLING them there also
March 13th, 2008 at 5:42 pmalso i’m a huge KU fan but i saw talib get burned alot this year
March 13th, 2008 at 5:43 pmi like ellis a # 5 but im not sure we need a tackle i dont think carl or herm has the balls to draft ellis theyll grab an o lineman at # 5 but great article though!!!
March 13th, 2008 at 6:01 pmNo way we pass on Jake Long. We all saw how well Joe Thomas played… And Jake is a hell of a lot better than Joe… I’m almost positive that IF Long IS there (by chance), We’re taking him. Its dumb not to. I mean, if we arent in it for Jake Long, then what the hell? Why arent we signing Max Starks? Of Shane Olivea? We are going for Jake Long. Period. If he’s IS gone though, I DO agree we need to take 1 of the 2 DT’s. Dorsey of Ellis though. He is such a high impact player and will be for a long time to come. Better than Warren Sapp in my opinion… Especially if he lined up next to Allen and Hali… I hate the thought of taking a DE. It sounds retarded, UNLESS we move Tamba to DT and be that Justin Tuck’ish type of guy for our D-Line. But other than that. No way. It’s Jake Long, if not Dorsey, if not Ellis, if not DMC. Thats that. And if Jerry Jones wants to make a nice little offer then I ACTUALLY think we chould take it. Cause AGAIN, we’d kill you birds (OT -Otah CB-DRC) with one stone. AND getting a later pick for ANOTHER O-Lineman. It makes all the sense in the world… Holl back!
March 13th, 2008 at 6:04 pmJason, I dont like Talib too much either. I dont know why… I think to me, he just looked REALLY sloppy out at the Combine. Just no coordination. I heard the hype, but I didnt see crap.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:06 pmWow. should. TWO birds. Sorry… #26 had tons of errors. Im rushing. AA!
March 13th, 2008 at 6:08 pmMichael from San Diego, hate to burst your bubble but the Chiefs were 4-4 when L.J. was healthy and running the ball pretty well despite a line that hadn’t gelled at all, and playing stout run defenses like Jacksonville, Minny and S.D. Lumping him together with Kolby Smith is an effin’ joke, man. L.J. may not be L.T., but he deserves to be mentioned in that elite class of backs.
And this message is to everybody: Talib is a reach at five! He’s not even the best corner in the draft, people. That’s DRC!
March 13th, 2008 at 6:24 pmDRC will go in the top 15. Sucks, but he will now.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:26 pmI also don’t think Herm will ever consent to us picking a CB in round one. Just not his style.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:26 pmI want to reiterate that regardless of what you think about DRC, he will likely be a top ten pick. Aqib Talib will likely not.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:28 pmAnd I honestly think that we can get almost just as good of a tackle in round two as round one. I really do. The Colts did last year with a later pick in a weaker class of OTs.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:29 pmYou might be right about herm but DRC might be the biggest raw talent in the draft and if we dont get him the PATS probably will
March 13th, 2008 at 6:36 pmoh and sorry roc27 but DRC wont be there for dallas’ pick(either one)
March 13th, 2008 at 6:38 pmJason, I said that for ellis, the senior bowl performance was more indicive as to how ellis will be in the nfl, than his combine performance. That does not change the fact that Rogers-Cromartie should not go at #5. Ellis had been rated high even before the senior bowl.
March 13th, 2008 at 6:48 pmMost people rate McKelvin and Jenkins above Rogers-Cromartie
March 13th, 2008 at 6:51 pmMOST people said tom brady should’nt go before 6 jared allen a 4 come on Most people may not be rightmaybe the senior bowl was INDICATIVE of how DRC would be in a game situation
March 13th, 2008 at 7:12 pmmost corner rankings have DRC either #1 or #2
March 13th, 2008 at 7:22 pmDRC excels at the cover 2 (which we play)we have NO cornersistill wish for J.LONG but we really need as back up plan if we could cover downfield maybe our pass rush would be a little better tank boone and turk + a later rounder would solidify the d for possibly years
March 13th, 2008 at 7:47 pmIf Jake Long is gone and either Ellis or Dorsey are on the board, we need to pick one of them; doing so would improve our D-line and help give us the push up the middle that we’ve been lacking for awhile now. Boone was a force, but he ran out of gas midseason. If we take one of the top Defensive Tackle’s in round one we can still solidify the offensive line in round.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:20 pmI agree with Nathan–Boone was only good for about eight of the ten games. Tank and Turk might not be Ryan Sims, but they aren’t Henderson and Stroud (or Rogers and Williams for an example that actually plays together).
Five is way too early to pick any CB in this draft. Doing so would be a bigger reach than Clady, Otah or Williams. If Jake, Glenn and Sedrick are all gone and Matt Ryan is there, we’d be absolute fools not to take him. I might actually do the Blueprint 2 just about that.
March 13th, 2008 at 9:31 pmWe have a couple of young promising cover two corners on our roster. If we didn’t, we could absolutely draft two studs on day two. If the Chiefs draft a first round CB, I’ll move. Our secondary was spotty? None of out OL’s would start for Kansas!
March 13th, 2008 at 9:56 pmIf we can trade down for muliple picks 08 and 09 then I say we take Brandon and turn him into LT. He will be better than Long in NFl after 1 year
March 13th, 2008 at 10:45 pmI like the point of the article, it’s just a weak argument in the first round. We need J. Long if he is available period. That line will take time to develop, and we want a superbowl ASAP. If we can’t address need why throw out the DE’s? The Giants did it with three awesome DE’s! Plus DE is a position you commonly take high and pay high. Plus, will Allen be here when we are ready to contend? No one knows. If the DT’s are much better players, then take one, but we can afford to give our two young DT’s a chance to grow, and take a top ten DT next year if they continue to disapoint.
March 13th, 2008 at 10:53 pmI dont know why people get all wrapped up about J Long, he will not make it to 5.
I will take a bet with anyone that is willing!
Unless we trade up for Jake Long, he will not be a Chief, FACE IT PEOPLE
March 13th, 2008 at 11:06 pmRed Eye, those red eyes of yours must be really bugging you if you couldn’t see that Brian Waters was good enough to start for Kansas. Same with Damion McIntosh when he was healthy, which wasn’t often.
I do agree with you about not drafting a first-round corner, but this myth that you can just pick any bum out of the crowd and plug him into the Cover 2 needs to be busted. Two ex-Pro Bowlers didn’t play well in the system last year. With the new rules you need speed and talent at corner. Period. We better draft a corner in the first four rounds. If not, there will be more BBQ in our secondary than our parking lot.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:32 amI agree that Long will be gone as well, and I also think that Ellis and Dorsey (if healthy) are possibly the best two DTs we’ve seen in the past five years. I’m serious. The only way I’m cool with Gholston is if we’ve traded or are in the process of trading J.A., after he forces our hand. If all those option are off the board and J.A. is still a Chief, we go Matt Ryan if he’s there. No doubt about it. That’s my next post. Stay tuned…
March 14th, 2008 at 12:34 amOk gotta admit. I have not seen DRC. Don’t know anything other than he has done well in the combine and Kiper likes him. As for LJ, let me put it this way. He ran like a kid afraid to get hit. Take a look at the supposed good 4-4 stretch and if you watch closely and compare it to his performance a year prior, he was NOT lowering his head to deliver hits. After getting his big contract he started taking hits NOT dishing them out like he says he likes to do. Don’t believe me, then check the game footage again and watch how he hit the line MOST of the time, not PART of the time. Now that could have been about his injury, but we will have to see. I personally thought after his 06 performance that we would see him breaking tons of records, but now………I want to think that, but…..Maybe a couple of stud OL’s in this year’s draft (I would say free agency, but unfortunately the Herm and Carl show are against hiring the Shane Oliviea’s of the NFL. Besides didn’t he sign with someone this week?) and he will be back to form. I like him let’s make that clear!!! I am just worried about the way he went into the line this past year as opposed to the 06 season. As for Aquib Talib, since I am unfortunately in SD, CA I didn’t get to see anything but what the "experts" were saying on ESPN. That and the VTech stomping KU gave in the bowl game. God that was nice to see, FINALLY!!!!…..Dave….I would rather have Ellis than Dorsey. Something doesn’t feel right about the kid. Either way, I think they are the reason KC gets Jake Long. I know Atlanta, St. Louis, heck even Miami, all need OL help, but they need D help more than OL help. Plus they have all signed some good free agents so far. Wish we could do that, Williams and Darling notwithstanding. As for trading out of #5 slot, I think that is a mistake. There are too many good players we could take in this position to be giving the pick up to the likes of Dallas, screw the cowboys. They have gotten a ring or two since 70 (our LAST appearance I believe), we haven’t. Come to think of it, were any of the posters here alive for that one? I know I wasn’t! I want OUR Chiefs there again. I know we need a younger team and agree that it needs to be built in the draft, but not at the cost of being another Chiefs team of the 80’s. I would rather have a team that gets to the playoffs ten years in a row and loses then a team that gets worse than 500, like this year. Odds are if they start a run like they had in the 90’s, they will end up getting to a SB. Just need Carl to take some legitimate chances. Like getting a better backup/starter at QB. There are plenty out there we could use. Unfortunately, I think Damon has had the best run he can and if Brody can’t stay on the field, then he does us no good as a "franchise" QB. Like his arm and gunslinger mentality, but not sure it goes with a run first offense?!
March 14th, 2008 at 1:08 amWow! Didn’t realize that last post was that long winded. Sorry folks!
March 14th, 2008 at 1:14 amBTW, I REALLY don’t think the Giants are that good. The best team really did not win the SB this year. Shame too. Would have been great to see. They got lucky and Eli should be bagging groceries for what he did to SD. Not a Charger fan, but that was just down right wrong! Shows he, and his father, don’t have the character his brother has.
March 14th, 2008 at 1:18 amYeah, Adam, I’m pretty sick of hearing that Cover 2 doesn’t require good corners. First off, it’s plain wrong. Second, when you have weak safety help (Pollard and Page are far better against the run and as tacklers than covering passes), your corners need to be that much better. Third, when Gunther "Kill The Quarterback" Cunningham is your D-coordinator, your LB’s are going to be blitzing, and there’s no dancing around that fact.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:26 amWe need an offesive lineman worse than we need a defensive lineman. Not to mention we have three good players on the D=line already, yes Boone is a balla.Not shuring up our offensive line will hurt LJ ,Brodie (scrub-bucket) croyle, and cause Tony to become more of blocking tight-end . We need a top 3 O-lineman!!!Also we should look at woodson QB, because Brodie hasen’t let us to victory, and is built like a school-boy. Please put on some weight Bro-Cro!!!
March 14th, 2008 at 7:37 amDrafting a CB: I think RD 3 is perfect for a Corner this year. Either way, it is unlikely that whoever we get will play as poorly as Law did for us last year. Plus don’t we still have Brackenridge, Barksdale, and Patterson? One of those guys has to emerge as something. Also if we keep Sapp (covered very well at times last year) that position really isn’t THAT bad. At least we do have some young prospects.
March 14th, 2008 at 7:44 amFirst off, love the article.
Secondly, to borrow from the political arena, “it’s the offense stupid.”
My biggest concern about waiting to draft an OT until the 2nd round is that I think it’s entirely possible that will be a run on OTs in the 1st round and all the guys we’re thinking/hoping will be there in the 2nd round, won’t be. Yikes! For that reason alone, I absolutely believe that our 1st pick out of the gate has to be the best LT available. How we get there, trading down, picking outright, whatever, is less important to me than the fact that we just do it. Waiting until round 2 is a risk we cannot afford to take.
Reality – 1) our defense is in good hands and not really that bad, 2) our offense possesses talent but does not score points – bottom line, it is abysmal, 3) special teams, both in terms of field position gained and field position yielded is abysmal.
Rebuilding and improving the offense must be priority numero uno in this draft and improving ST needs has to be 2nd. As I said above, our 1st pick cannot be anything other than the best available LT. Our 2nd pick should be either OG, CB, or WR and if its CB or WR, he better be fast and able to step in immediately as our return guy. Depending on what we do with our 2nd pick, our 3rd pick can be either OG, CB, WR, C, or maybe even QB.
Regardless of how many picks we have, I would be extremely pissed if we selected more than 1 defensive player before the 4th round.
4th pick same as 3rd pick but add DT and if it’s the 4th round we can not pass on FB Owen Schmitt if he’s there. 5th pick/round, same as 4th, but start thinking more about fast, hard hitting wild men to put on ST. 6th round same as 5th. 7th round, add PK to the mix.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:00 amFirst off, D Thomas, Andre’ Woodsen is not the guy. Not sure if you are a Kentucky fan or what, but that would be a huge mistake. Also, Boone would be a great No. 2 DT, but he is too inconsistent to be a No. 1. As far as drafting an OT, getting one of the top eight will be like getting a top three one most years…
March 14th, 2008 at 11:43 amDouble D, I hear you, but disagree. Some thought Joe Staley would sneak into the top 15 last year, and he was there at 28. Tony Ugoh was there at 42. I’d say it depends on WRs, CBs, hell, even QBs and LBs which tackle we get, but a damn good one will be there at 35. I guarantee that.
As far as taking a DT later than round three–I don’t even trust us taking one later than round one. If we don’t take Ellis or Dorsey I want us to stay the hell away. We’ve botched too many DT picks. And I’d have no problem with us going DT-OT-CB in the first three rounds. Our defense needs work, too, and if we also address those needs it can keep us in games this year.
March 14th, 2008 at 11:48 amAmen Adam- Amen!……The only (and I repeat only) thing the we are differing on is what to do in round three – I really want one of the top wideouts……but I guess it comes down to who is there…..if king is there in round three, I would take him – maybe a few others…..my problem is when I look at the Wideouts in this draft I want one……not the 5th/6th rounder but the 2nd/3rd round wideout…..since we ignored the WR position in FA (Darling doesn’t count in my book because he is a backup and nothing more) we have to adress it in the Draft.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:00 pmMichael San Diego, L.J. was a little timid and slow coming out of the gate, but wouldn’t you have been as well with no O-line and our playcalling, not to mention no training camp (thanks, Carl). Then he played against one stout defense after another, most notably Minnesota, Jacksonville and San Diego. By the time we got to San Diego, he was rolling. Same with Green Bay before his injury. Those defense were stout against the run, too. Did you see how physical he was in that game out there in San Diego? I’m guessing you did, given your user name. That last run to end the game was awesome.
Also, don’t know if you are new, but bashing or even going after L.J. on this site will get you nowhere. That’s my guy.
And the Giants are and aren’t that good. What they do is a fabulous job masking their decencies. And just like teams get to pick, players have some right to try and determine their destination. Looks like it was the right call for both franchises.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:04 pmCornelius, great points. Even though on Page, no, he can’t tackle. It drives me crazy that other pundits are higher on page than Pollard. I watch the games, do they? A free safety who can’t cover or tackle is worthless. At least Pollard brings the boom against the run.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:07 pmI think OT gives us a better chance to win more games now. DT is too risky, to big of a chance at getting another Ryan Sims. I know the chances of taking one in the second round is good, but we pick high enough in rd 2 to steal a player that was supposed to go in rd 1.
March 14th, 2008 at 12:56 pmAdam – The one thing I trust Herm to do is find, develop, & utilize defensive talent from the later rounds. Our defense played pretty well last year. Because of our crappy offense, they spent way more on the field than they ever should have and by the middle of the season, they were worn down. By week 12, if not sooner, everybody in the league knew that our offense was not going to score points and as a result, every team we faced thereafter abused our defense with the run. Last season’s defensive stats are skewed because of the offense, not because of the defense.
The defense can certainly stand a little tweaking but to say it’s okay for 2 of our first 3 picks to go to defense is nothing short of being in denial.
March 14th, 2008 at 1:19 pmI can never tell them apart. All I remember of the safeties (as a unit)from the season were some great TD saving tackles that would have been averted had either one been decent in pass coverage. That’s one of my biggest beefs with sports news by the way, somebody talks about a team they know nothing about and the talking heads adopt what he says and spout it constantly as it quickly becomes assimilated into the "common knowledge" database. They’re probably a fan of Page because of his ST impact, which he should remain a ST star without being a defensive starter.
March 14th, 2008 at 2:49 pmDave, you’re never going to get me to concede this point. Our CBs were awful last year, and when you are rebuilding you take what the draft gives you and the best players available. You do not reach under any circumstances, and you don’t pick a lesser player just because a certain position is at a slightly higher premium. That’s stupidity and not being patient. Jake Long might go No. 1 orf 2, and Clady is a reach. We have to draft one of the two DTs or Matt Ryan if Long is long gone. Period. And we have to get a corner by no later than round four or we are in deep shit. Cover 2 will be Cover 187 with the talent we have back right there. If it was such a magic coverage scheme everybody would be running it. Right?And neither Ellis or Dorsey will be Ryan Sims. I guarantee that. You sound like a scorned lover with that comment, kcrob69.
March 14th, 2008 at 2:51 pmI always thought Pollard was better on special teams by far. And while I saw No. 49 bring the wood, I saw No. 44 bring the whiff. As you can tell, I’m not a very big Page fan. If Kenny Phillips or Reggie Smith are there in round two, we’d have to think about it. Especially with Smith (he can also play corner) if we go OT in round one. It might be time to turn the Page.
March 14th, 2008 at 2:54 pmDon’t get me wrong Adam, (I) like you have been trying to correct all Chiefs fans that the Cover 2 does infact need top CB’s……frankly I get really upset at this idea that it can be found in the last round of a draft……what I am trying to say in the earlier post is that I really like the WR’s in this years draft and would love to find a way to get one in the early rounds…..but, I am evidently the only Chiefs fan who does not think Darling is a #2 so I will quietly pray for a better wideout – and if they draft a CB instead I will be OK because we need better corners aswell….are we good?
March 14th, 2008 at 3:54 pmBy the way Adam – you brought this up, not me……I have been wondering what to do if Phillips is there for us in the 2nd round…..think of the people that "could" be there for us…….QB Brohm/Flacco, OT Baker, ILB Connor, SS Phillips, CB Talib, WR Hardy/Manningham, TE Davis……I could keep going……point is – we will have a tough decision to make – I think we need to talk about the 2nd round more
March 14th, 2008 at 3:59 pmAdam, post 57. Perfectly put. And yeah, i seriously, seriously doubt ellis or dorsey would amount to a simms. not even close. I also thought pollard was a better ST player. Didn’t he block like 3 kicks in his rookie year?
March 14th, 2008 at 5:30 pmim telling you guys DRC is the guy for us and if J.Long is gone thats where we need to go im not stupid im PRAYING for J.LONG but he’ll probably be gone and i see such an upside to DRC look at cromartie in SD he was raw coming out only played at FSU one good year and look now. he went just ahead of us i wish we got him now we might be able to make amends
March 14th, 2008 at 5:33 pmDave, at this point we need talent. So if someone who has no business slips to us in round two we almost have to take him. Two Pro Bowlers from this draft would be a coup. Except TE and LB. I don’t think we could go there with who we already have. It also depends if we go OT in round one or not. If we don’t, we almost have to in round two.
March 14th, 2008 at 5:56 pmPollard did block three kicks in a year, and one last year.
As for DRC, he might have top five talent, but he won’t go that high because of where he played. It’s not about talent, but where the market has these guys going. You don’t want to use a top five pick on a guy you could trade to get at 10-15 for sure.
March 14th, 2008 at 5:58 pmAdam, not sure how old you are, but I have been a fan of the Chiefs since I knew what football was. So we’ll say the early to mid eighties. Let’s put it this way. I remember the the Blackledge years. Our last dedicated attempt to groom our own QB. I am an avid fan so therefore I can bash LJ. He wanted LT money, got it and then came in scared like a school girl. Don’t blame Carl for him holding out. That is the players decision, er right, however you want to look at it. If he was a team player he would have been in camp. Carl has a TEAM to worry about and I agree with him not killing the teams chances by drowning one player, no matter how good he is, with 70% of the cap money. Have you ever seen LT on TV while his teammates are fighting it out in preseason. I think not, he is a team player. LJ looks after himself. That is why he and Dick didn’t get along at first. He learned a little humility from Priest but not much. As for the pollard and page talk, I think they will be another Kevin Ross/Deron Cherry combo given time and the correct coaching. But we as fans usually aren’t too patient are we? LOL!!
March 14th, 2008 at 7:24 pmCharles Davis from Nfl.com has KC taking Jake Long with the 5th pick (Chris Long, Glen Dorsey, Matt Ryan, and D-Mac). http://www.nfl.com/videos?videoId=09000d5d80738d50
March 14th, 2008 at 8:47 pmLast year i went on a bit of a tangent when the LJ contract situation was going on, and honestly my opinion hasn’t changed so much. I think that as the O-Line and play calling go, so does the RB. I’m not always so sure it is nessesary to spend that much on a running back, espessially one that at times can seem extremely selfish. But, that being said, if there was an RB to spend money on based on potential and past production, it would have to be LJ. I think the problem most people have with him is that it is taking him a while to mature. What can you do about that though, thats just who he is. He has talent, he’s proven he can put up numbers, lets get an o-line and offensive co-ordinator and make it happen.
March 14th, 2008 at 9:44 pmI actually think that it’s just that East Coast L.J.–tats, Roc chain and all–doesn’t sell that well in middle America. He doesn’t have an attitude problem. I’d be questioning him if he didn’t get pissed about the atrocious playcalling and blocking last year. That’s how I feel, anyway. Chiefs fans need to chill on L.J. The other myth that needs to be busted among Chiefs fans is that running backs grow on trees. Maybe in Denver with their old system, but that’s just not the way it works in the NFL.
March 14th, 2008 at 10:03 pmMichael San Diego, I’ll hold you to that. If Jared Allen holds out then it isn’t Carl’s fault by your logic either. If a guy plays at an All Pro level for more than one year, then you must pay him like one. Period. L.J. Would have been crazy not to have gotten paid after rushing 416 times. Earl Campbell told him get paid before your body crumbles in five years. Chiefs fans need to understand that players have to look out for themselves sometimes, too.
LOL at him being scared. That’s complete bullshit. The guy ran as well as Jim Brown could have been that albatross of a line and Solari’s playcalling. Stop blaming L.J. for our futility just because you don’t like him, Chiefs fans. Getting sick of it. As you long-time A.A. readers can vouch, bashing L.J. is the one way to get me pissed in a jiffy.
And Jarrad Page is not the answer.
Anyway, Michael, friendly debate about these things is good and we welcome that. I just get a little angry about Chiefs fans and L.J. Jared Allen goes DUI crazy and the town loves him. L.J. has some rap ties and is a little too demonstrative sometimes and he’s public enemy number one. Contract-wise, if you call L.J. selfish than you have to call Jared selfish, too. I hate to go here, but sometimes I can’t help but think it’s a racial thing.
March 14th, 2008 at 10:11 pmGood point about how we should be more concerned if LJ wasn’t upset at our shittyness last year. Put’s a nice perspective spin on things. About Allen though, I’m not sure people were jacked about him getting a DUI, or that happy with him after it had happened, it’s how he handled it afterwards that really sets him apart. He showed super committment. I mean stopping drinking completely? That pretty admirable. Not many guys can get a suspension cut in half. He sure ain’t Koren Robinson.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:14 amRace has nothing to do with it either. I’m sure most would rather pay Priest in his prime than LJ in his prime. It’s all about personality, and for whatever reason LJ just rubs fans the wrong way. Not sure why, but thats the way it is. Regardless. He’s good, he’s one of the best backs we could hope to have, and as long as he is a chief, I’m on the LJ train.
March 15th, 2008 at 10:21 amI have not seen greatness yet out of Tamba Hali. Just my opinion
March 16th, 2008 at 9:53 amAdam, totally agree with you about Jared. Until he proves with out a shadow of a doubt that he can not get another DUI, then he needs the franchise tag nailed on him unitl he does. Great player but needs to just shut up and play. I agree that the players need to watch themselves, but I am an avid believer that if LJ plays through training camp and the preseason, then we see a different side to him during the regular season. The money situation always works out AND he had a year left on his current deal. You say he needs to protect himself, but do you honestly beleive he helped himself and the team by holding out? He was not ready for the season to begin because he did not work out with the team. BTW, don’t you find it the least bit ironic that as soon as Priest announced his intentions to come back, LJ suddently finds what the Chiefs were offering him to be good enough for him to sign? Again let me reiterate, I like LJ except for the way he did business last year. He is going to break some more records before he is done.
March 16th, 2008 at 4:14 pmAdam, how is this for an irony. DeAngelo Hall has refuted reports that he is definitely headed to Oakland. Do you think it would be possible for the Chiefs to send Greg Wesley and a late round pick to Atlanta for Hall? Or do you think that is "too high of a price in the Chiefs eyes"?
March 17th, 2008 at 4:10 pm