By now you’ve either heard or read that the Chiefs‘ linebacking corps–a unit which was once thought of as a strength, possibly our biggest strength–is struggling. Donnie Edwards is old and brittle, Napoleon Harris is self-absorbed and soft, Demorrio Williams has been underwhelming so far, and everyone else but Derrick Johnson has no business starting in the National Football League. I’m starting to get pretty concerned.
Addicts, how worried are you about our linebackers heading into the season?
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I was so out of it last night that I timestamped this for 12:01 instead of 00:01…lol. Has anyone noticed the nice little ads for our network previews that are appearing up top today? OK, back to backers…
The way things stand now, I believe we’ll be very strong at both Will and Sam. Mike is biggest question mark – just have to wait and see on that I guess – I personally think it will priority #1 for the offseason. I also hope the situation with Edwards hammy doesn’t turn out to be a season-long concern. Those worries aside, Kcchiefs.com’s Q&A with DJ (8/4) along with other sources have me believing that our backer stock will be up this season so I’m pretty positive on this unit.
I think the root behind some the concern may be due to the fact Gun came in with a philosophy that he first needed to break these guys down before he could rebuild him. This “unlearning” process may make/have made things appear to be in greater disarray than they really are/were. Latest reports now make it sound like both DJ and Williams are really starting to bring it and that things as a whole are beginning to gel.
Not worried! Go Get’em GUN!
I’m not worried either and I agree with Double D. It only seems that the backers are worse than last year because Gun is riding their asses. Be patient and be prepared to be surprised. I think this group will be the strength of a good defense this year.
im worried to a certain extent of how 2 free agent siginings donnie edwards and napolean harris is struggling..but i think gun will get there asses together!
GO CHIEFS!
I wouldn’t mind us taking Rey Maualuga next year.
I really like Rey, too. I wish I could be as optimistic as the rest of the crew on this one.
yea i either see us gettin a lb or another lineman in the first round of next year
Adam,
Gunther blew it up and you’re looking at the aftermath. The good news is that the FEMA check arrived on time and was promptly cashed. The new foundation has been poured and reconstruction is right on schedule. Barring setbacks, you’ll be looking at a structure that is bright and shiny and better than even before in 3-4 weeks max.
I think we’ll be more than fine on the outside. The middle will be trouble. I wish we never let Kawika go, and never signed the bum Harris. Hopefully Thomas, and some of the kids can fill the role adequately until we can draft a stud.
We shall see. Even if Demorrio and D.J. do light it up, what are we going to do in the middle. Nap is worthless, and I’m scared Donnie is done. Pat Thomas has no business starting either.
Adam,
I really need to get a list of where you guys are getting your info. Everywhere I have read, Pat Thomas is the biggest suprise in camp and will likly start in the middle. I have read he has made Nate and Nap look like highschoolers! If he is that good, then I think him, DJ and DW will be interesting to watch. DJ and DW both are fast and DJ, if the Bears game is any indication, is looking to be big this year!
No, everything I’ve heard and read points to him being a surprise, but I’ve seen absolutely nothing from him so far. When I see him step up and make plays in games, then I’ll buy into the Pat Thomas hype. I’m rooting for the Wolfpack boys–Thomas and ex-teammate Oliver Hoyte–but I’m just trying to remain realistic. I haven’t seen anything from either guy yet.
One thing I’ve noticed is that anything short of optimism doesn’t sit well with most Chiefs fans. Sorry, ladies and gents, but I gotta call it like I see it.
I am worried about this unit. I’m still a tad bit worried about even D.J. Him playing well early in preseason games means nothing to me, because his issue has always been disappearing later in games, a la Jared Allen. The great players get stronger during crunch time, i.e. Derrick Thomas. It’s time for this Derrick to step up.
And Nate is long gone, as in not on the roster any more.
I kind of get the feel that Nap is not playing any different than he did last year and that his biggest problem right now seems to be that he is not adapting very well to what Gun is telling him to do. So, if Pat Thomas has taken Nap’s job that kind of signals to me maybe Thomas is the better player for what Gun wants done which essentially means that in this circumstance, Thomas has so far proven himself to be an upgrade over an otherwise decent backer. Sometimes it’s about system and Thomas could be an example of that principle in action.
I think we also have to allow for the possibility that the issue of who will ultimately be our starting mike backer is yet to be decided. I know I’ll certainly be paying a little more attention to how Thomas and Harris each perform during the remaining preseason games.
Adam, it’s not that Chiefs fans can’t accept anything but optimism, it’s just that you tend to be such an extreme pessimist.
Everywhere I’ve read says that Pat Thomas is doing really well, as is Demorrio Williams. If the season started today, DJ, Pat, and Demorrio would be the three I expected to start.
Gunther apparently really likes Demorrio Williams. This guy is apparently a freakish athlete with lots of speed. I’m excited about watching him play.
And if you’d remember back several weeks, I pinpointed linebackers as an area that might need looking at in very early rounds of the draft next year, and you argued with me that it was our strongest position.
That was prior to the preseason. A lot has happened since that time. Napoleon Harris completely falling off, Donnie’s hamstring completely falling off…what worries me about Demorrio, is that if he’s so great, then why is Pat Thomas on the field instead of him? I don’t know, maybe Donnie will eventually move inside. We’ll see.
As far as my pessimism, we’ll see this year if it was really pessimism, or just plain good ol’ fashioned honesty. I’m guessing it will be the latter.
Adam, you’re right about DJ’s tendency to fall off in the second half. Hopefully that’s a problem he is able to overcome this year but you are very correct in pinpointing it as a key area of concern.
Nevertheless, I have this feeling that our defense is going to be stunningly good this year. I really can’t imagine Gun even considering stuff like the 33 stack unless he was completely convinced he has the talent to pull it off. I believe the last time we saw him attempting such an aggressive approach was back around ‘97 when we had the most amazing, bad ass, dominant defense in the entire NFL.
Yes, I guess I do tend to be more optimistic than most because I believe we’re a much better team than most people are willing to give us credit for. Without a doubt, going 4-12 lends itself to a pessimistic viewpoint but I also happen to think that many of the reasons we went 4-12 are no longer a concern.
First and foremost, LJ is back and that is hugely important.
Second, unlike last season, we’re no longer trying to figure out who our starting QB will be – it’s been decided and everybody appears to be on board. No more divided loyalties.
Third, we already know we have no less than 3 pro-bowl quality weapons on offense and as a result of offseason moves (including the hiring of Chan Gailey) I strongly suspect there’ll be least 1 or 2 more that we’ll be able to add to the list.
Fourth, our defense has in fact gotten better every year since Herm arrived. In light of who we still have, who we got rid of, who we acquired, and who is coaching them I see no reason why the aforementioned trend should not continue. We will have a top 10 defense this season, maybe even top 5.
Fifth, I hate to keep going back to this but it is a fact that our record at halftime last season was 9-5-2. I interpret that to mean that our defense played pretty damn well for at least half of most games but because our offense couldn’t keep them off the field they eventually started wearing down in the second half. Not to make excuses for our D, but it I think it is somewhat instructive on that point to refer back to my points 1, 2, 3 and at least acknowledge that this is a team with several playmakers that will be well-equipped to compete by the time regular season gets here. It will likely only improve as the season progresses.
Sixth, a little luck can go a long way. Essentially everything that could go wrong last season did go wrong. We’re due.
I can think of more but I think you get the point.
So do I have concerns? Absolutely. Top of my list – kicking and returning. Herm tends to play games close and it scares the bajeebers out of me that we might not have somebody that can win it for us through the uprights. Field position is king in the NFL and if we don’t have somebody who can kick it into endzone or return it past the 30 then I afraid we’re going to be constantly fighting uphill as a result and that will hurt us. Offensive line and #2/#3 WRs are also high on my list of concerns.
Adam, would you like some of the KC Kool Aid that I have been drinking? lol
There really is no need to worry. We have the talent we have, and Gun will be making the best of it, burrrp!!!!!
That Kool Aid is good. You sure you don’t want some? It makes me cheery! HAHAHA.
Keep an eye on Wes Dacus (and no I am not kidding as I was with McMahan).
Gunther: “Wes Dacus started a little slow here, but in the last week and a half, he’s really stepped up. I saw him play as a sophomore at Arkansas and I always kind of liked him. We had a one one-on-one coverage drill the other day and Tony Gonzalez was standing behind me and he said ‘Damn’ when he watched Dacus. He said ‘Gun, he moves like a corner.’ He really has those kinds of skills. He can drop his hips and he’s really fast. He’s smart and tough.”
Now he ran a somewhat slow 40, which probably kept him from getting drafted, but it may have been just a bad day for him if Gun and Tony think he’s that quick. Probably just a special teamer this year, but who knows. His scouting report says he’s very heady, so maybe he can get in on D quickly.
We will definitely keep an eye on Wes! Thanks for the tip, Maine-Chief.
SBC if youn think ADAM is an EXTREME pessimist you should check out some other sites. wont name wich one but the pessimism over there would make you want to blow your brains out things are so bad. this is WONDERFUL compared
Well it’s ridiculous to tell me to check out another site and then say you won’t name it. So I guess I’ll just ignore that..
well sbc check out chiefs planet you would fit right in with the assholes over there
Keep it civil, fellas
all im sayin is if you think ANYONE on THIS site is an extreme pessimist go there. i dont want to give props to any other site thats why i didnt name it but sbc isnt smart enough to get it
Cool it J
Thanks, D. Just drop it, J, we’re all on the same team here. I totally understand your feelings about Chiefs Planet, too. They are the only Chiefs site that kind of turned up its nose at us. We try to work with all the other Chiefs sites, they just weren’t having it. Oh well.
OK, I honestly don’t feel like anything I said warranted that kind of behavior, JASON. That was rude and unnecessary.
ok sorry sbc you’re right uncalled for.bad day. but like i said if you think pessimism is rampant go there. and i wouldnt say the site because i wouldnt want REAL fans to be subjected to it. i go there to get everyone all riled up its pretty fun if you dont get your feelings hurt easily. lots of old assholes whoh are true pessimists
I know what you mean. I avoid the Star online because the fans that comment there are totally clueless. I mean, it just makes me mad how little they actually know about the shit they’re saying