(So here it finally is, after getting delayed by the kickoff of Arrowhead Addict Radio. Yeah, OK, also by the NCAA Tourney. Love me some March Madness.)
As many of you heard during the debut of The Best Bros. Show, Zach and I have an ongoing debate over who the Chiefs should take with the number five pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. After much thought and deliberation, Zach says Jake Long if he’s there, I say Matt Ryan no matter who’s there. I say pass on Jake Long if Ryan or Sedrick Ellis are there, he thinks we pass on Ryan no matter what. Arrowhead Addict is at an impasse when it comes to which player we should select with the fifth pick in a mere five weeks.
Zach isn’t sold on Ryan as a franchise quarterback, while I feel he’s the best quarterback to come along since Eli Manning. Zach says you worry about protection along the offensive line first, and who’s throwing behind them second. I say why even worry about protection if your QB isn’t worth a damn. It’s his opinion that franchise left tackles are the player to build a franchise around. My opinion is that all rebuilding efforts must start with a quarterback. We could be given a gift that allows us to do this next month, but if we pass on Ryan it could end up being a curse.
Judging by the strong reaction to Long among Chiefs fans that I’ve witnessed, I’d say that most of you are with Zach on this one. That’s why I had to drop “The Blueprint 2″ on you.
Since the offseason began, and also since my last Blueprint, some things have come to light that have caused me to change my mind about this upcoming draft:
1. Free Agency – After seeing us sit the sidelines during free agency with a few minor exceptions, it is clear that we are in full-fledged rebuilding mode. Every legitimate rebuilding plan must start with a franchise quarterback. This plan has worked for the past two Superl Bowl winners–the Colts and Giants–and the rest of the AFC West has already caught on as well. Rebuilding from the NFL’s most important position down works.
2. 20 Years in the Making – I’ve heard Chiefs fans clamor and whine for a franchise QB for 20 years, and now that he’s here we’re pulling a return to sender. What gives? It’s time for Kansas City to finally have a star quarterback of its own.
3. Alfonso Boone, Tank Tyler and Turk McBride - After tossing this around, I’ve decided that we are better off at the defensive tackle position than the QB position. Additionally, we possibly have the talent to make the unit work. Now, if Ryan is gone I still go with Ellis, because none of our three guys are anywhere near his caliber, but we might be OK at DT after all. If Dorsey passes our exhaustive physical, then the same applies for him.
4. The Plethora of Top Tackles in This Draft Class – I honestly believe that we can get a guy damn near as good as Jake Long or Ryan Clady with the 36th pick. Tony Ugoh went 42nd last year, and I think there will be three or four Ugohs left for us to drive when round two rolls around. There’s about seven or eight really, really good offensive tackles in this draft. I’ve never seen a group this talented. You don’t really take advantage of the class and the way the talent is stocked in this draft if you go Long at five. It just doesn’t set us up as well for round two. The only possible exception is if Long slides to five and Joe Flacco slides to 36, and both those things would be serious, serious long shots. We can draft a corner, guard and receiver in the middle rounds, possibly, possibly, finding a starter or two.
5. Brodie Croyle vs. Matt Ryan – Croyle didn’t win a game last year and couldn’t stay on the field. All Ryan did at Boston College was win, and he was a tough SOB while doing it by all accounts. You see Ryan talk and you say there’s a guy that a team will rally around. You see Brodie Croyle talk and you want to flip him your keys and have him park your car (maybe it’s just how young he looks and the haircut?). While Croyle has been focused on hunting, Ryan was focused on hunting down the like of the Miami Hurricanes while leading B.C. to the BCS. Ryan is a winner, plain and simple. He’s got the size, the smarts, the leadership ability, he can make all the throws, etc. He’s taken a team with mediocre talent and made a winner out it, so he’s perfect for this gig. Kiper sees it. McShay sees it. Peter King sees it. Why don’t my fellow addicts? And can you really call a QB who can’t beat out Damon Huard a franchise guy?
6. The Chiefs’ Brass – Smokescreen, schmokescreen. When you send your head coach, general manager, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach all the way to Boston to scout a kid, you’re interested in him. Of course we’ve played our cards right up until now. Of course we’re saying we are just being diligent. We don’t want to crush Brodie Croyle, and we want Matt Ryan to fall to five. Herm Edwards and King Carl might like Long better, or even Dorsey or Ellis, but they are very interested in Ryan as well. He had a great Pro Day, and it’s looking like he just might fall to us. Now that I know we are actually interested, it’s totally changed my POV.
There’s my six-step blueprint for why we have to select Matt Ryan. Thoughts?
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The cowboys trade down is always an idea. But its kinda like…do you want a top 5 mutant and a good top 40 player or do you want 3 good top 40 players? Id rather have the mutant. But read my post above….I have a rout to a mutant…an almost mutant and a possible franchise QB. But again..the cowboys tradedown is always interesting to ponder..I have a question for you guys in the know…I was looking at our 10 draft choices and it looks like we get 2 draft choices that were undisclosed from the bucks for our bennet trade and I think 1 other one from the bucks for one other trade…..they dont seem to show up and they are undisclosed still I think….anyone know anything about that?
great question..i was just wondering the same thing
Unspecified Rounds Vikings> Jets (conditional) — Traded Brooks Bollinger to Vikings for C.J. Mosley, undisclosed conditional draft pick (?-?) on 8/31/06 Jets> Raiders (conditional) — Traded Bobby Hamilton to Jets for undisclosed conditional draft pick (?-?) on 9/1/06 Colts> Ravens — Traded Ryan LaCasse to Colts for undisclosed draft pick (?-?) on 9/2/06 Buccaneers> Chiefs — Traded Ryan Sims to Buccaneers for undisclosed draft pick (?-?) on 5/1/07 Patriots> Bears — Traded Dante Wesley to Patriots for 2008 draft pick (?-?) on 8/7/07 Buccaneers> Jets — Traded Jerry Mackey to Buccaneers for draft pick (?-?) on 8/21/07
1295-1Dolphins> Chiefs — Traded Trent Green to Dolphins for 2008 fifth round pick (?-?) on 6/6/07
1816-21Buccaneers> Chiefs — Traded Michael Bennett to Buccaneers for 2008 sixth round pick (?-?), 2009 draft pick (?-?) on 10/16/07
2247-32Giants> Chiefs — Traded Lawrence Tynes to Giants for future considerations (2008 seventh round pick (?-?)) on 5/22/07
that was last updated on the 19th i think it said..but thats really all i could find in a short time..hope it kinda answered you masterblaster
Hey,Adam, there’s a BIG difference between winning in college and the pros. Brodie was also a winner in college! When the starting job is taken away for a couple poor decisions in preseason games, it dosn’t instill confidence in your QB then when he does get his chance you surround him with CRAP and that still won’t instill confidence. Don’t misunderstand, I’m for drafting a QB for competition and depth, just not with a #5 pick!
Bill, Bill, Bill…that isn’t how I saw things at all. Brodie Croyle lost a QB competition that Herm, King Carl and Co. tried to hand to him. And to Damon Huard of all people. C’mon.
After reading a bunch of comments I want to add that OL have to be very smart. They have to memorize more stuff than every position except QB. 13 on the Wonderlic isn’t going to cut it.
im very surprised marino could do it with a 16
Adam has manlove for Matt Ryan. It is bad news for chiefs fans.
if we get Matt Ryan he will be a corvette with engine problems behind our crappy line, and what fun is a corvette when it is always in the shop, atleast if we build the Oline we get to drive around somewhere….
look adam i wasnt bashing LJ nor am i racist ill say jared allen f*****up but i think LJ could be led astray kickin it with a guy like pacman i remember in the past some guuys being influenced by thugs
Jason, I wasn’t calling you racist. Sorry if you thought that. What I was saying, and have always said, is race has something to do with why some fans have embraced Jared and denounced L.J. There demeanor plays a part for sure, but if the black star got the DUIs and the white star had a minor domestic incident years ago and an alleged "attitude," how would most fans look at things? That’s what I’m saying.
It’s Kansas City. I love K.C., but it ain’t NYC.Larry’s influenced by smart urban players like Jay-Z, not moronic thugs like Pacman. I wouldn’t worry about that at all.
Iceman, it’s a lot easier to take a Porsche that needs some work and make something out of it over time than it is to take a clunker and try to turn it into a Porsche.
TLH, Matt Ryan is going to be a very good quarterback. I have no problem coming out and saying it and putting my ass on the line.
well put on both subjects adam
i mean the man shares a place with gay z..im sorry but i dont really like jay z…anyways..i would think he’s above the whole gangsta thuggish thing..we all know jay z’s a pimp not a thug…lol
and have you ever tried puttin spinners and a body kit on a 69 pinto?…me either but im sure it would never look good…i once bought a beat up cadillac and fixed up real nice though…lol..anyways..you gotta start with somethin good to be good and nuthin we have now is any good…
adam, i’ve embraced LJ from the very start. its just you see problems with women with both these guys(albeit a minor issue with LJ) i just wouldnt want this prick to get in larrys ear. also with us not wanting to pay JA over the DUI’S why would we give anything for or to pacman??? any issue and hes surely gone.
jayz no thug??? the man started out sellin crack on the spot. he’s proud of that. thats not pimpin thats thuggish.now ill give you he was smart enough that when he got paid he went straight.but i hate the pacman if we got him and he straight lined i would love him but that is just me i dont care who it is if they help us win then there good enough for me the team is #1
anyway have any of you seen TLH’S latest mock?? someone needs to take away his blogging rights
i was hopin you were gonna say he went straight..i dont think the man will be caught out on the street by himself…gangsta…thugg…hmmm…i think he turned soft…i dont think we need to worry bout anybody influencing LJ..he’s a big boy…either way..it’s not gonna happen anyways…we dont take chances…might actually workout
Hey ya Adam, I was wondering if you could talk to the tech guys at your spot, and have them allow spaces in our posts. That monster post of mine earlier was well spaced out and a lot easier to read before I submitted it. I think a lot of the longer, well thought out, posts would get read if you allowed spacing in the posts.
To say Brodie is a loser and Matt Ryan is a winner is plain retarded, with all due respect to all those mentally handicapped out there, not that any of you are reading this, so really, I take that back. Brodie won as well, in college. Not only do ALL defenses get bigger, stronger, faster. They get smarter. There’s no ‘easy targets’ this week, and ‘90th ranked defenses’ that week. Yes, Matt Ryan has a good chance of being a good quarterback in the NFL, but by the numbers, so did Croyle. By the numbers, Medlock was a better kicker than anyone else in the NCAA before we took him. By the numbers, Tom Brady should have been a nobody, and should still be unknown in households around this country. We can’t afford a Ryan Leaf on our team. Just a month ago, everyone was saying how there wasn’t any clear cut great QB’s in this draft. Now all of a sudden Matt Ryan is the savior of any team that grabs him? I don’t think so. He may be good, hell, he might even be a Hall of Famer, but what if he’s not? What if, with our shitty, and yes, I mean shitty, O-line (still mad about Weigmann leaving) what if Ole Faithful, Adam’s mancrush, gets a broken leg? A torn rotator cuff? You don’t NEED a great QB on your team people. I’m going to use this argument again, TRENT freakin DILFER! Point, set, match. You need a stingy, dominating defense, a tough, mean offensive line, that can GET SOME PUSH, so you can run the ball, and an efficient QB that didn’t turn the ball over would be nice, but not needed. Look at the bears a few years ago when they were 15-1. Grossman got hurt, there’s a broken record, anyways, long story short, KYLE ORTON stepped in for 9 games, passed for barely 100 yards a game, and guess what? The bears were 9-0 in those games. Know why? Good running, good effort up front, and dominating defense. I dunno about you, but after a 4-12 season, I sure as hell would love a 15-1 season. Sedrick Ellis at 5. That’s my pick.
what are we testin for?
If history is any indicator, investing a high draft pick on a QB is a high risk proposition. The next question I have to ask is how good would Matt Ryan have been if he didn’t have Gosder Cherilus protecting his blind side? Moreover, as has been pointed out already, Pro-bowl QB credentials are not a requirement for winning Super Bowls.
Here are some things that I either believe or at least need to be considered with this draft: 1) Jake Long will not be available when we pick, 2) there will be a run on OTs in the 1st round and only 2 potentially good tackles (Collins and Baker) will still be on the board at the start of the 2nd round, 3) Baker and Collins will be gone when we pick in the 2nd round, 4) Baltimore needs to be convinced that unless they trade up into our 1st round slot we will either seek a trade with another team that wants Ryan or we will take him ourselves, 5) if we don’t trade down in the 1st round and also do not “reach” for an OT in the 1st round, then taking an OT with our 2nd round will result in an even bigger reach and bigger disappointment, 6) if we end up picking at #5, whoever we take is likely going to be high-quality contributor, 7) nobody can confidently predict which QB will be “that guy” in this draft – if so, Romo would have been a 1st rounder, right?,
selecting a lineman with the 1st pick is a safer bet than gambling on an impact player, 9) OL is without a doubt the Chief’s biggest area of need, and finally 10) addresseing the OT position right out of the gate, while maybe not sexy, seems to me to be a long-term investment with a solid balance of low-risk and high-upside.
Simply put defense wins SUPERBOWLS. I kinda feel like that the NYG reconfirmed that one. So lets finish fixing the defense with one of the monster DT. And in the second round lets get our franchise OT.
Btw, for those of you who believe Cherilus will still be around in the 2nd round, the Giants are reportedly showing a strong interest in him. Among other things, that tells me that they are expecting Long, Clady, Otah, and Williams to all be gone by the time they pick. If the Giants take Cherilus, then that leaves only Baker and Collins worthy of high 2nd round picks and with 3 teams picking ahead of us, pretty all of whom having glaring OL needs, I see the Chiefs either taking a CB or reaching badly in the 2nd round to fix the OL if they use their 1st round pick on any position other OT. So, if the Chiefs pass on OT in the 1st round, their hand might also be forced to pass on both OT and OG in the 2nd round which essentially means that they won’t be able to select a starting OT out of this draft. Think about it.
Peter King chimes in, agrees: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/peter_king/03/21/mmqb/1.html
Double D, Sam Baker is going to be an awesome tackle. I have no clue why he is not getting more respect.
Ernest, was it the defense that won a Super Bowl for the Colts? No. Freeney and Sanders certainly took the team to the next level, but that offense won it for them. You have to have both.
If I hear that Trent Dilfer argument one more time, I’m going postal. That was one time, and it was almost a decade ago. Look at the past three Super Bowl QBs–ALL THREE WERE FIRST-ROUND PICKS! What if we build an All-Pro line again and Brodie Croyle can’t stay on the field and when he does he continues to play like absolute dump, which is exactly what has happened thus far. XXXLP, the Trent Dilfer argument is as worthless as an asshole on my elbow. The Ravens probably had the best defense ever that year. Either them or the ‘85 Bears.
Jay-Z was a thug when he was young, but now he’s a certified business man. In my eyes, he’s the exact same as L.J. kcikin’ it with Jordan at this point, Jason, and I hear you on Pacman. We aren’t going there, even if we should. I was a huge backer of us going after T.O. and we blew that one. We aren’t Dallas–we don’t gamble on O.T.P. (other team’s problems) even though we have the perfect coach to do so.
And our boy from The Landry Hat is a little crazy, but he’s a great blogger. Just consider him our Woody Paige–he stirs the pot.
One last note for this morning:
If you are going to strikeout on a top five pick, make it on a quarterback, the guy who can win it all for you, not a defensive tackle (Ryan Sims) or an OT (Robert Gallery).
Adam,
I like Baker too and I truly believe that he’ll be off the board when we make our 2nd round pick.
Hey Adam, how do you get spacing in your posts? Is there some spcial / or – line to be put in to get space between paragraphs and/or thoughts? If I do a big post again I (and any potential readers/flamers) dont want it to be a big blob.
(repost of comment 35 with corrected spacing)
Ok…I have been thinking this over for a long time.
Here is the MasterBlaster Blueprint…
Assumption 1. Jake Long is going to be gone. If by some fluke he is not, we take him and have a “by the numbers” draft.
Assumption 2. The falcons will take Matt Ryan…Like I want them to. I say there is a 50/50 shot on Ryan. He will either be the next Eli Manning or the next Leaf. You dont roll 50/50 dice, on a quarterback, with our numerous glaring holes. Also, if Ryan is the next Eli, you will be paring him with a second rate left tackle (cause we didn’t take one here). How do you think Eli would have done last season if he got sacked 55 times? Can you say Patriot superbowl champions?
Also, if the Falcons dont take Matt Ryan, they will take Brian Brohm in the second. They just got a 2nd rounder, right above ours, with the Deangelo Hall trade. So, pray they take Matt Ryan. Frickin Falcons
Round 1: Sedric Ellis. Remember when we were crying that we had a 30th ranked defense not just 2 or so years ago? Guess what. We are in the second year of rebuilding our defense. We aren’t there yet. With Ellis we might be almost there. Allen/Hali bookends with Ellis/Boone tackles…I like it. This might give us a top 5 defense next year. Now I know this looks alot like blueprint 1 (which I love), but here is where it gets interesting…
Round 1: Ryan Clady. We trade up with someone like the patriots somewhere between pick 6-12. We trade our 1st and 2nd round picks in 09. I would love to trade our 1st and 3rd, but I think thats unrealistic this high. I know your saying “MasterBlaster your crazy”. Yes I know. Crazy like a fox. What we are really doing is taking our 1st round pick in 09 in 08. All we are really paying is our 2nd round pick in 09. And, “by the numbers”, our 2nd rounder next year could be a bust. Also, Clady is at the top of this years deep OT class. Next year, the only elite OT, I see, is Oher, and guess what…he will be next years Jake Long…we wont get him either. So go for broke this year, where there is deep talent in our positions of need, and sacrifice next year. Remeber, the Browns got Quinn and Joe Thomas last year, and they don’t have a pick till the 4th this year. I think they did a stellar job going for broke…just look at them now.
Round 2: Brian Brohm. This is assuming Falcons take Ryan. I really think Brohm is a steal. Remeber at the beginning of the season he was the number 1 potential draft pick. Ok, so he had a rough year. Who cares, the guy is a stealy missle man, I think he has winner written all over him. One of those guys that will screw down in the second half and overcome a 14 point deficite. I see him with Payton Manning Heart and mental toughness with Eli Mannings tallent, or maybe even a lil less in the tallent department, but still in the ballpark. Point is, he would be a perfect guy to roll the 50/50 dice on in the second round to be our franchies quarterback for the next 10 years.
The way I see it, based on the last 20 or so drafts, you have a 50/50 shot on your first rounder quarterback, being a franchise QB, and a 50/50 shot on one of the next 4 guys down the line being a franchise quarterback. I think that diamond in the rough for the chiefs is Brian Brohm. I just got a feeling. A Len Dawson/Tom Brady feeling. And it will only cost us a second rounder.
Ok…so far, we have sacraficed a good chunk of our 09 draft. We have given our defense a shot at top 5 defenses next year. We have drafted a possible franchise quarterback and put the 2nd best OT prospect on his blind side. Thats a good start I think. Our glaring holes are still Corner Back, Offensive Guard, and Center. Face it, this is the 2nd year of reabuilding our defense, and the 1st year of rebuilding our offense. There are going to be holes at the end; no matter what. Even with these drastic moves I’ve suggested.
Third Round: Corner Back (I trust herms eye on finding one here in the later rounds)
Fourth Round: some position of need, or depth, or even part of a trade for our 2x 1st rounder2x
Fifth/Sixth/Seventh: The way I see it, in these rounds, you will probably get 1 good guy for 2 busts. You can include 4th round here too. So with these 6 pics (7 if you include 4th round) I hope to get 2 or so diamonds in the rough. 3 or 4 if we get really really lucky. I trust Herm & company in this area. So far, they have done a great job in this area. Colby, Page, et. all.
Whatever holes aren’t filled, you plug with free agents (signed for one year) after the draft. Hell, the fadders are gona have to cut someone after they pick up DMC and the sallary cap hits.
So there you have it, the MasterBlaster plan of attack. I would love to hear feedback and/or massive flaming on this
I like Ellis, Master, but I don’t like Clamhead Clady (13 on the Wonderlic…will he be able to remember the plays?) and Brohm. Brohm couldn’t win at Louisville his senior year with all that talent. All the guy had to do was win 10 games and he was the top pick. He choked. Big time. I don’t want a choker QB. I want someone with a nickname like Matty Ice.
As for the spaces, all of us admins/editors/authors just get them. Maybe if you actually log in up top you get them to. I’ll check into it.
For instance, Joe Thomas scored a 29 on his Wonderlic. It takes brains to play left tackle.
Cool. Good Info. But ya know, at the end of the day, when we are nitpicking like this, we really wont know till the end of next season. So, Ryan v. Brohm and Clady v. Baker…lets agree to have an “I told you so” edition somewhere in Jan 09 haha. I bet we both win one…you know how this kinda stuff goes.
All I know is if I were drafting I wouldn’t pick a dumbass like Clady at that position in round one. I know that much. And, sure, we can all have those conversations. That’s why the site is here.