The Chiefs' Possible 2009 Free Agent Pick-Ups

dbk,
The only reason I posted that mock draft was it was the only one I've seen that had us getting someone other than Curry or Crabtree recently. Earlier I saw a couple that had us taking a QB first. I thought it was an interesting direction other than what seems to be the norm out there.

Actually, as frusterating as the head office silence has been, it is also a great contributor to the debating of coordinators, position players, FAs vs Draftees and so on. The less they say, the more folks pontificate.

And I must add, great post Z-Dub!

Regarding rb. If we draft one early, I would love to see Moreno be the one based only on the games I have seen him playing in - I have no knowledge of off field stuff and I did not see all of his games. We'd need to find a partner for trading down.

You certainly have the right to disagree. These guys (below) might have it wrong. I like the way he runs an offense. There certainly are other qbs. I just think if we would consider bringing in Warner that we could get Collins for less. Neither is our qb for the future but either could start now and mentor for one of the qbs currently on the roster or a qb brought in through the draft. Don't take this as my being negative toward Thigpen. I am not. I just think he needs to develop esp. if we return to a more standard prostyle offense. If we stay with the spread, Thigpen would likely be my first choice for qb. I do like the way he played this year (except Atlanta). But following that game, Falcon right DE John Abraham was quoted as saying he knew when we were running and when we were passing because Albert was telegraphing the play with his foot placement. So it's not right to blame Tyler entirely for that game either.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/thehuddle/2009/02/kerry-collins-w.html

http://blogs.usatoday.com/gameon/2009/01/kerry-collins-t.html

Southeast Chief,

This is what he has said. This is from cbssports.com

"Collins said earlier this offseason that if the Titans didn't bring him back that he'd retire."

It is unfathomable to me though that you'd want him to qb the Chiefs.

He was quoted in a USA article from the Probowl that he preferred the Titans but if not them he would go somewhere else to play.

I don't think your statement about Collins saying the Titans or nowhere is accurate. You are accurate in stating that he stated he wanted to be the starter wherever he was playing.

Sgt,

I wouldn't pay any attention to the mock drafts. If the Chiefs aren't letting it become public knowledge what they are doing in regards to asst. coaches..........They sure as hell aren't going to let their draft plans leak. Nobody will know anything until the card announcing the player is read.

Southeast Chief,

He has said he wants to play two more years with the Titans or retire. He will only play for them if he is the starter. He doesn't want to play anywhere else. I wouldn't want him anyways. I'd rather have a quarterback that can put up better numbers than 12:7 and who has their best days ahead of them and not behind them.

Double D, I am with you on Losman and Simms. I feel that either of those two could do very well in the right situation and a great QB Coach. Cassell's price tag is just too high. If we had better protection up front we wouldn't have had to run the Arrow-spread. I can't help but wonder how well Thigpen would have done behind a better line.

There is no doubt we need to get better up front and Scout dot com reporter Chris Stueber has us picking up Virginia's Eugene Monroe OT with our #3 pick. Adding someone like Tauscher thru FA and 1st day O-line pick would be great. But Tauscher is 31, isn't that the wrong direction? Birk is 32, and Goff is 33. All 3 are true iron men and would be an immediate upgrade, but for how long? But of those 3 I would have to pick Tauscher. Other than his 2002 season where he was injured, he has been very durable and has super solid play. With his experience blocking with Favre, he could be a great addition for helping the other guys in the trenches.

I tend to state or restate the obivious. You are dead on about needing to plus up our D. If we were to stick with the spread - not saying we will - we will need qbs who can run and take a hit - in addition to being able to throw. If we go to a more traditional pro style offense, we need blockers (we got better in the second part of last season but I think we need at least two new addition starters) and a qb stud that can see the field, make a decision and not telegraph that decision to the opposition. I think our qbs of the last few years needed a great deal more coaching on not eyeballing their target.

Cassell's price tag is probably too high. I bring up Collins because he has been public about playing and for two more years - and his price would be reasonable. He may not have won a Superbowl but he has won in the playoffs and regular season - when protected. I don't like any of the 2009 draft qbs early - I think Stafford would be a huge mistake - too much money for a guy who gets rattled and makes poor decisons when pressure is applied. Losman might do well - he is definitely not ever going to make it with Buffalo so a change of scene to the right situation may be his ticket.

Curry is a good lb. I also like Laurinaitis and Maleluga. I want us to get a leader and a beast.

We also need a pass rusher like Jared.

I wonder what kind of input Pioli and Haley are getting on all this from the new OC and DC? Oh wait, we don't have either do we?

For my money, er, I mean Clark's money, I would consider the following:

QB: JP Losman or Chris Simms
RB: Leave FA alone. We don't need Darren Sproles when we already have virtually the same thing in Dantrell Savage. If LJ leaves, then I think we let Jackie Battle take on the role as heavy back for short yardage / goal line situations. I would also take a hard look at bringing back Tony Richardson.
WR: Devery Henderson
TE: If we've given up on Merritt then draft a blocking TE in the 5th round or later. Cottam will eventually have to take over for Tony.
PK: Not an urgent need but I would certainly consider drafting Louie Sakoda in the 4th/5th rounds.
OL: It is pretty unlikely that the Panthers will let Gross leave. We should probably talk to Goff, Birk, and Tauscher, sign one of them and then look to the 2nd and/or 3rd rounds of the draft to fill remaining needs. That aside, I think our OL showed signs of improvement last year and I am not so sure it would be such a great idea to start making a bunch of wholesale changes there. In addition to Waters and Albert, I would not overlook the development, talent, and potential of guys like MacIntosh, Taylor, Niswanger (maybe by moving him to RG?), and even B. Richardson.
DL: We should be talking to Peppers and Suggs. If we're going to a 3-4, I would put Tank Tyler at NT and have Dorsey rotate at both DE spots, bring in an elite pass rusher for RDE, and put McBride at LDE. Kind of short-term waste for Dorsey but I imagine he could eventually develop into a pretty decent RDE as long as we can bring a good rush from our LBs. Alternatively, look at drafting at pass-rushing RDE in the 2nd or later rounds.
LB: Dansby would be nice but I can't imagine the Cards would part ways with their defensive leader. Aaron Curry is our best and safest option for bbringing some leadership to our defense and intensity to our LBs.
DB: For better or worse, we'll probably franchise Jarrad Page. Morgan and McGraw give us good depth. Bringing in somebody to replace Surtain is probably the biggest concern -and that's the reason I wouldn't rule out either a veteran FA pick up or drafting Malcolm Jenkins.

Collins would be more experienced than most any QB we could find next year. But, we're not contenders waiting for a QB. We need a guy who's going to be very good to great in a couple of years when we have a team around him, and will be around for years to come. Collins would keep that guy on the bench. He gives me flashbacks of Steve DeBerg. Looking at the numbers and talent around them, I just don't see a huge difference between Collins, Thigpen, and Cassell. NE is a strong team. The Titans are a strong running team. The Chiefs were not a strong team. Thigpen didn't lose those games, the Chief did, and Peyton Manning wouldn't have made much difference.

I think all opinions are fair game. I am not sure Collins is a bad fit. Someone thought he should be in the Probowl. I am not saying he is the only solution. I just know he is consistent even with the subpar receivers that the Titans had this year. He can check down with the best and still has a strong arm for the deep ball. I will admit that he will not be a good fit if we do not protect him - same as any of our qbs.

Chiefs447

Good point, but really dreams are all we've got right now:)

Collins doesn't fit what we are trying to do here, I know most of us are tired of losing, but they are at least finally! trying to do the right things at Arrowhead.

Z Waldron case closed?
I would agree with dbk301 that Cassell did more last year. It's simply unreasonable to assume he would do the same on our team. To measure them by wins is crazy when they were both productive and Cassell had a superbowl caliber team around him. In 1989, the packers went 10-6 and the Cowboys went 1-15, lucky for the Cowboys they didn't dump Aikman for Majkowski. So how about yardage? 249.5yards per start for KC vs 264 yps for NE tends to favor Thiggy in my book. I'm not saying Cassell is bad or that Thigpen is the answer. I'm saying one is no safer a bet than the other and we have needs that are easier to project. For those, we need all of our draft picks. If a great value falls to us this year or next, great, but there are no sure things. I like a lot of things I hear about Stafford, but I saw him play in maybe his worste game, and he looked easy to rattle.

Chiefs447,

People believe things are different now with Pioli, and rightfully so. I am optimistic we will make some HUGE pickups in Free Agency. The days of Carl and his stupid moves are over, we won't see Pioli trade away #1's for a coach or two number 1's for a QB. I would roll with Thigpen and draft a guy (4th round or above) and look at bringing in another younger guy. We can let Huard,Grey and Croyle go.

And yes we can/will trade LJ, I would send him to Seattle,Cleveland or Cincinnati for their third.

The last time he went to the probowl was 1996. Over 10 years ago when he actually deserved to go. His defense and his teams run game got him to the playoffs and the probowl. He threw for less than 2700 yards, 12 TDs, and 7 picks. Less than 60% completion rating. I can name a few AFC quarterbacks that should have been in the probowl over Kerry Collins.

He actually only threw for 400 yds in two consecutive games. Still impressive though. I'd have to say Cassel has done more than Thigpen. After saying that...........I'd be against us giving a first round pick for him.

Red Eyes..
How can you say cassel isn't any more proven than thigpen. I'm pretty sure Cassel went 11-5, throwing for 400 yards in 4 consecutive games last year and Thigpen went 1-9. Case closed.

Cassel could still be traded for less than the first round picks. John Clayton said today that the Chiefs could possibly trade a 2nd for Cassel. Another guy out there is Derek Anderson, but I am not very confident in him anymore.

I like Kerry Collins. He is old/experienced - he wants to play/start for two more years. He is strong and he had a good year with Tennessee. He will not require too much cash to land and if we protect him, he will be successful here.

Peppers, Suggs, and Vilma

I totally agree! Now some would say that Peppers wants to play in a 3-4. That works out because we need to run a 3-4. The last time the Chiefs had a defense it was a 3-4. The argument that we don't have the personel is rediculous. We obviously don't have 4-3 personell either. I know Dorsey is a little lighter than ideal, but he's the same size and build as Dan Saleaumua was. Draft a NT or rush linebacker and we have a top ten defense. This scenario assumes we have coaches.

Cassell? Cassell?
I'm seeing too much of this. I know we are desperate, but Cassell isn't anymore proven than Thigpen. He's just on a better team with better coaches and a better system. New England excells at getting maximum trade value out of average players, and some of us are lining up to be the next victim.
Cassell, Thigpen, Stafford, Sanchez, Bradford... they are all maybe's. When you are a team with multiple holes, you roll the dice as many times as you can, you don't package picks on the same bet you could use one on. Now if the Steelers were willing to deal Ben, that might be worth two first rounders. Then of coarse he would get injured:)
What if we get Cassel and pass on Nate Davis or Freeman in the fourth because we don't need them? You know whoever we passed on would be the next Joe Montana and Cassell would look like a college backup on our team.
Lucky for the Chiefs, Pioli should know first hand what New England is up to with Cassell.

Also, I think the idea of bringing in Suggs, Peppers and Dansby is great no matter what the cost is. We bring in Romeo Crennel to teach the 3-4 and turn Dorsey into a stud nose tackle. I still think Tamba and Turk could be great, especially in that style of D. But if not then we should definitely go after Everitt Brown in the draft. I am sold on this kid. He could be as good, if not better than our Jared Allen pick a few years ago.

I am curious why you think we need another TE whether TG stays or not? We have Brad Cottam, who WILL be the next TG. Of course we did pick up Mike Merritt who could be another JD, if he isn't going to jail for breaking the law, which on second thought would be a great reason for getting another TE, but not until like round 4 thru 7.

I'm still for getting Cassell, although not completely sold, but what if we pass on him and he becomes the next Tom Brady, might as well kick ourselves in the nuts at that point. For all those naysayers who say he's a backup, wasn't Brett Favre a backup, and Kurt Warner, and Trent Green, and a hell of a lot of other gems? Anyway, I really hope we get at least 2 defensive studs such as Suggs, Peppers, or Dansby. Those losses of less than 7 from last year would all be wins this upcoming season. As long as we sign/draft a decent Offensive Lineman, keep Tony G, pick up a couple defensive studs, and have a decent draft, we'll be in business next year.

that would be great to have haynesworth, suggs, scott, and crowder, but that would be a lot of money, and how do we know all of these guys want to come to KC? I say we shouldnt spend too much on FA, maybe just 2-3 impact players that doesnt cost too much. heres a good article on a theory that goes against big FA aqcuisitions.

www.chiefswarpath.com/news/2009/02/08/steeler-way/

MAsterblaster,

Suggs and Peppers would be great and is possible. However, Peppers has said he wants to play in a 3-4, so that could be a problem. I really want us to package guys, commit to Haynesworth,Suggs,Scott and Crowder- tell those guys what (signing all four) you are doing and pay them well.

Sign a vet OL guy. If we could pull this off it would really set our draft up. If we have to stay at three, then we would take a Tackle (which is safer). We would instantly be a playoff contender.

a third pick 1st this year and a 1st next year for a second string Quarterback? I DON'T THINK SO. Keep Pigpen and deal with the quarterback question next year when Bradford declares.

Try this on for size. If we stay in the 4-3, what about picking up Peppers AND Suggs. Is that possible? Could someone more in the know tell me why that would be a good or bad idea?

Cassel is way too expensive. And where's Ward on you fa list?

I heard Dansby might get the franchise tag, so he's out of the picture, but what about Jonathan Vilma, he might be a possibility if Gibbs is hired.