Ramblings: Smoke The Peace Pipe And Bury The Hatchet
As the weather gets hotter, the beginning of training camp and grows closer and closer. As we reach the halfway point of this year, it is important to reflect on the first 180 days. Today’s column consists of a critical review of Chief happenings over the last several months, signified by either praise (peace pipe) or criticism (hatchet).
PEACE PIPE
1. Trading for Matt Cassell. Chiefs got a proven NFL starter for at least one year for a second-round pick, and in the process totally dismantled the Broncos franchise (thank you, Josh McDaniels).
2. Drafting of defensive lineman on the first and third rounds.What else can you do after you have resolved the QB situation and are left with the worst pass rush in NFL history?
3. Trading of Tony G. I know this could be on either side of the ledger, but if you really are not selfish and want whats best for Tony and the Chiefs this makes sense.
4. Moving Training Camp to Mo. Western. This makes sense and thank you, Jay Nixon. It allows Royal weary fans to escape to St. Joe for a Chiefs fix, keeps tax dollars in the state and allows the players to get accommodated to the Midwestern heat
5. Roger Goodell for keeping the integrity of the game and handing out discipline appropriately.
6. Continued improvements to Arrowhead. When completed we will have a stadium of equal or superior excellence to the beautiful new Kaufmann.
7. Larry Johnson good behavior? Maybe the trials and tribulations and the lack of interest by other teams have hit home. May we expect a new Larry?
HATCHET
1.Jason Whitlock complaining about the Chiefs trying to run a successful franchise without his interference.
2. Brian Waters acting like NFL Brat of the Year instead of Man of the Year.
3. Continued construction at One Arrowhead Drive — it looks like a war zone.
4. Royals continue their modern tradition of dismal seasons and add pressure onto the Chiefs for a quick turn-around.
5. Mike Vrabel for not showing up for OTA’s.
6. Dwayne Bowe for showing up at 243 pounds. He may be eating his way out of the lineup. Did he get some of buddy JaMarcus Russell’s mama’s cooking when he went back South for the offseason?
Happy Birthday to ArrowheadAddict/FanSided.com co-founder and my son Zach. He continues to amaze me through his teaching, computer skills and coaching.
Dwayne Bowe showed up at 243 pounds?? WTF? I hadn’t heard about this.. geez what a loser. Sorry but that’s unacceptable for our first string wideout.
I hope he cares more about the team and his game than he did about his health this offseason.
June 22nd, 2009 at 11:33 pmI just understand the reasoning for this proper weight gain. Bowe is the lead blocker for Johnson on the sweep.
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:27 amI’ve read tons about coach Haley’s interactions with Branden Albert on his weight and Albert’s subsequent positive reaction. How did this all go down with D-Bowe? What a D-Bag.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:08 amJeez, I hadn’t heard that Bowe showed up weighing 243. And to think I am all the time giving JaMarcus Russell hell for not being able to push himself away from the table.
June 23rd, 2009 at 9:18 amOld Chief:
“2. Drafting of defensive lineman on the first and third rounds.What else can you do after you have resolved the QB situation and are left with the worst pass rush in NFL history?”
Mmmmm, let me take a shot at this one. What else can you do……. Wait, I got it. How about drafting a F’n pass rusher????????????????
June 23rd, 2009 at 11:47 amThe keen observer will note that in able to rush the passer, you must have the opponent in a passing down, which is impossible when you’re giving up 6 yards a pop on a run up the middle. Jackson and McGee are here to help stop the run, which is the first step to building this defense back to respectability. The average first down run last year netted about 6 yards. 2nd and 4 is the stuff dreams are made for as far as O coordinators go. If you do get to third down, its 3rd and short. So they didn’t have to throw that often because they were shoving the ball down our throat at will. However, someone does need to step up when we actually do have a 3rd and long. It was not time to address that yet. Pioli wants to see what he has in his pass rushers already present on the roster before he spends the big money on a new one. Jackson wasn’t the “sexy” pick, but you know what you’re getting out of him at least. A pretty straightforward, no-nonsense, blue-collar type of d lineman.
June 23rd, 2009 at 12:07 pmExactly, Dr. Paine.
Also, it’s pretty tough to generate a pass rush if you don’t have a D-line. I’d expect our new defense, assuming our linemen perform well, to free up linebackers to get to the quarterback.
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:13 pmBy the way, Old Chief, I can’t find anything outside of this blog that says Bowe showed up at 243 pounds. I’m not doubting you, but I’m curious as to what your source is?
June 23rd, 2009 at 8:14 pm@8. bbq
I read of this maybe 8 weeks ago. I think it was a http://www.kcchiefs.com Q&A. Bowe said he was listed last year at 222 but he played at 227. He said Haley wants him down to 217 and that at the time of the article he was participating in the OTAs and already down below last years playing weight.
This isn’t a big deal.
…
3. Trading of Tony G.
You can’t trade Tony for a pick next year and do anything constructive for the 2009 Chiefs. The 2009 Falcons are a better team with him, so that 2nd round pick is really likely to be in the bottom of the second round, somewhere south of pick #55. A third round pick this year would have been maybe 10 spots lower but it would have helped the team this year. They absolutely gave him away.
2. Brian Waters acting like NFL Brat of the Year
Waters wants a new deal to finish his career here in town. He blows off the OTAs as a bargaining chip for a new deal. Waters is going to show up when it matters. Its strictly business and that’s quite alright to me.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:41 pm