Ramblings Of An Old Chief
Saturday the Old Chief had the opportunity to attend the Border War showdown at Arrowhead. Several interesting things happened prior to the game…
First of all, arriving early I had the opportunity to tour the complex. I was surprised by the extent and complexity of the remodel. During the tour, I was able to look at models of the future Arrowhead — sweet. It will improve the quality of fan experience by leaps and bounds.
Next, after the tour I ran into the man himself — Carl Peterson. He was gracious and asked that the fans be patient with the remodeling process off and on the field. When asked about future free agent acquisitions he stated, “That’s Mr. Hunt’s decision.” He seemed confident but approachable. I was left with the opinion that he will finish his contract and then perhaps move to the board or the business side of things.
I also had the opportunity to discuss several items with scouts of several teams. Their consensus:
1. Tyler Thigpen is a good backup and Chan Gailey has done miracles with him and the offense
2. J-Mac (Jeremy Maclin) is not ready for the pro game. Needs to bulk up, not get knocked off routes and needs to run better routes.
3. In general, the MU players are overvalued by the media and their fan base
4. The Chiefs will invest in another QB either early in the draft or in free agency. The consensus was the investment in Brodie Croyle has been the prime reason for the failures of the last two seasons.
5.Being desperate for talent due to injuries and poor performances may ultimately lead to discovery of free agent castoffs who might blossom under Herm Edwards‘ guidance. Again the impression I got from our discussion was that Herm was an excellent teacher with young players
Before I leave for a week, I must discuss on theme of the weekend:
TRICK PLAYS
What was Bo Pelini thinking with the fake field goal flip? Didn’t Tom Cable watch that game? What was with Sebastian Janikowski running a fake when he was a sure three points? Furthermore, it is sad when you call a fake punt (Gary Pinkel) and your team is so unsure about the call that they get a delay of game penalty.
Remember we all like these freak trick plays, but often there is a high risk-to-reward ratio.
Until next week…
Very intersting update Dr. Best. I dont understand why something wasnt done by the Chiefs to “soften” the blow of the construction, free parking, free food something. No promotions this year, nothing. VERY cool that you talked to Carl himself thanks for the update!
December 1st, 2008 at 2:53 pmAwesome post, it is good to hear what the scouts are saying…too bad they don’t believe Tyler can be a starter apparently.
If noone else is watching Monday Night Countdown, Mort just reported that Herm is likely safe this year and even next year. He suggested that 2010 would be Herm’s pressure year as renovations will be complete and they will want a good product on the field. The reasoning he suggested was that Clark admires the longevity and consistency that the Steelers and other organizations have and that he likes coaches with personality and integrity and Herm certainly has that. Personally, I wish he would have found someone better before committing to longevity, lol.
How did you get that oppurtunity Doc? Or I guess one of the Best boys may have to tell me since replies are apparently not what the doctor ordered typically. lol…
December 1st, 2008 at 7:47 pmGreat read indeed.
I am glad to hear that the Brodie investment is over. What are the scouts saying about LJ?
I am not a Herm fan, but given the rebuilding process, I can see leaving him in place for 2 more years.
One has to be impressed with our ‘08 draft. There is a ton of talent already in action, and some still developing (and likely will blossom when a couple more holes are plugged).
I’m convinced we need to take an offensive lineman and right DE for #1 and #2 picks next year…and then more linebackers. Our pressure on the QB has been abysmal.
As far as trick plays? You’re brilliant if they work, and a retard if they don’t.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:55 pmOK. The Scouts are all WRONG. Probably on Al Davis’s payroll. I will bet a 100 bucks they were singing the praises of Jamarcus “I love cheeseburgers” Russell, just a few years ago.
Anyways, “The Great Cock of the South” Tyler Thigpen is a starting QB. He is exactly what we need right now.
1. He is tough. Maybe not Abrams Tank tough like Bret Farve. But definitely Sherman Tank tough.
2. He is accurate enough.
3. He is arm strength enough.
4. He runs like a fricking running back.
5. He can come back from a bad game (ala raiders)
Contrary to what the “experts” say. He should save us from making the mistake of taking a QB high in this draft. That shouldn’t be done for 2 reasons.
1. We have too many holes (OLB,ILB,C,rOG,rOT,lDE)
2. This draft class sucks (except the jr./soph)
We should only take a QB in the first if Sam Bradford Declares. Period.
Oh, and we do have a good backup QB. Brodie Croyle. I’ve always said he has proven himself as a 2nd stringer. Cut the rest. Maybe grab a 3rd in the 5th 6th or 7th.
This is what I think we should do…
1st Ray Malualuga ILB (Laurinaitis)
2nd Brian Cushing OLB (McRath)(Freeman)
2nd Alex Mack C (Luigs)(Caldwell)
3rd Phil Loadholt rOT (Tupou)(Boone)(Meredith)
3rd Fenuki Tupou rG (Cantfield)(Parker)
4th Trevor Cantfield (Parker)
this assumes a trade down for a 2nd and a compensatory pick at 3rd.
Also pay for the services of Terell Suggs a proven rushing rDE.
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:01 amGreat article.
It doesn’t matter how much people (including myself) want him to go away, Carl isn’t going anywhere. Let’s be realistic.
Did Carl happen to mention anything about his tremendous track record of failure regarding evaluating talent on the defensive line? And Herm’s inability to “coach them up”? Did he admit that the Chiefs have wasted an unbelievable amount of high draft picks on defensive linemen that were marginal at best? Does he have a plan to address that glaring weakness in his ability to evaluate talent over the years when it comes to defensive linemen?
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:41 amBlaster, I love your draft schedule there but I don’t think Cushing will be available there…I would love it if he was…No matter what, we must get Maualuga…I’ve said it before and I will say it again, either take best MLB or best OL over DE or QB, You don’t need to rush the passer if they can run all over you and you don’t need a flashy quarterback if you can’t keep him upright in a PRO offense….
I am looking forward to Carl moving over to that business side, but I am pretty confident that Bill Kuharich will replace him on the GM side or a similar position…People forget to recognize that though Kuharich was in New Orleans he is still a very bright prospect in the business including recent mentions of him for the Detroit GM job…I don’t think we should lose him…
Anyone else think Adam looks like the drummer on the new FreeCreditReport.com ad where they are in like…medieval or whatever?
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:26 pm1. I love Chan Gailey. He’s a God awful head coach, but I think he’s very good at being a coordinator or position coach. With the pure garbage he has to work with…….at the very least he’s been able to keep games competitive. I love his decision to run shotgun and the pistol offense. He at least knows how to utilize what he has.
2. I want Carl gone BADLY, however I think we owe it to him to let him finish out his contract. Whether we like to believe it or not, we owe our franchise to Carl Peterson. Before he came along we were a laughingstock. We had been to 1 post season in something like 18 years. With all that said, he DESERVES to be fired right now, but personally I think we let him leave with some dignity.
3. I don’t like Herm. I didn’t like him when he was with the Jets, I don’t like him now, and I won’t like him at his next stop. To be an NFL coach, you have to be a little arrogant, but you don’t have to be a complete and utter prick. Players like him. That leads me to question his control. Do players like him because he’s their best friend and he won’t stand up to them, or do they like him because he’s a good football coach? I want him gone, but I can understand their rational behind keeping him. He is good with working with younger players. More than that, we don’t want to start looking like the Raiders firing our coaches every 3 years. Eventually good young coaches will be hesitant to come here if they think they’ll be fired at the first sign of adversity.
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:13 pmGreat points all around…
Chan has worked magic, I personally think…
Without Carl we could have been sold or moved in the early 90’s, never though of that…
I dont know why they like Herm…ill try to find out…
December 2nd, 2008 at 2:48 pmWoody I agree on Cushing. This is more a dream list than anything. But as you know, stranger drops have happened. I also added 2nd and 3rd choices to show who we should hit up if said players aren’t available.
I also think we should take an ILB instead of a DE because top rushing DE’s are just too hard to predict. I think Maligula and Laurinitus are a much safer bet this year. Last year you could have probably talked me into Chris Long. The top DE this year makes me nervous(not thinking of his name). He is a workout freak. Those guys are always risky. Injury, overinflated, etc.
December 4th, 2008 at 10:57 am