My Chief Concerns: Shuffling The O-Line
By author
Some of you may have read Adam Teicher’s article recently suggesting that Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley thinks that the play of Brian Waters is slipping. (Maybe Waters made the Pro Bowl on reputation alone he suggests). Whether that is true or not is debatable. But what is not debatable is that some changes to the O-line are bound to happen, if not this year, for sure next year.
Casey Wiegmann has not declared whether or not he is going to return for another year. Even if he does, Todd Haley has reiterated numerous times, that every position is open for competition. I have suggested this option previously, and will do so again. We should Move Brian Waters to Center.
Casey Wiegmann is a better choice than Rudy Niswonger at Center, but his play is slipping, as evidenced by the big nose tackles who pushed him around some last year. Brian Waters play is debatably slipping at LG, yet he has some good years left on his plate, arguably at Center (where he gets some help form both guards). At this point I do believe that Waters is a better option at Center than say both Niswonger or Wiegmann. Please don’t forget that Jon Asamoah (G) played admirably last year in relief duty and by all accounts is a star in the making.
More after the jump…
By moving Waters to Center we now have the option of going defense with the first pick, preferably a NT, secondarily an OLB/MLB. Here is the reasoning:
If the Chiefs select no offensive lineman in the draft, then we could place Albert at LT, Asamoah, at LG, Waters at Center, Lilja at RG, and Richardson at RT. That is, in my opinion, an upgrade at LG and at Center over last year and allows us the chance to improve on defense as well.
If the Chiefs select a LT in the first round, then he would take that spot (if signed on time and not a bust), Albert to LG, Waters at Center, Lilja at RG, and Richardson at RT. In this scenario we are arguably only upgrading LG and Center with no certain help at LT and definitely no help on defense. (Asamoah would be on the bench again in this scenario).
Shuffling the line in my first proposed manner makes the need for drafting an O-lineman less. The Chiefs have bigger needs at NT and OLB/MLB, even WR, than we do on the O-line.