Jonathan Baldwin? Move It On Over!
By merlin
"That baby of mine wouldn’t let me in.So move it on over. Rock it on over.Move over little dog, a mean, old dog is movin’ in.-GEORGE THOROGOOD – MOVE IT ON OVER (Hank Williams)"
That’s right, Mr. Balwin, welcome to Todd Haley’s doghouse. You may not realize it, but you are in good company. See that hole in the wall? That matches Derrick Johnson‘s fist. That Krispy Krème doughnut? Dwayne Bowe left it. That one is a bit stale, you may want to throw it out. You see, Jonathan, you are in some select company. Todd Haley’s doghouse is more formally known as Todd Haley’s Home For Talented Athletes With Attitudes. Your problem is that you have talent, a ton of it. All your life you have been the best at your position on your team, no questions asked. However, your life took a dramatic turn. You entered the NFL zone. Here, you are not the most talented player at your position on your team. In time, you may be the most talented player at your position, but not right now. Consider the quote from Crash Davis in the movie Bull Durham:
"Crash Davis: Your shower shoes have fungus on them. You’ll never make it to the bigs with fungus on your shower shoes. Think classy, you’ll be classy. If you win 20 in the show, you can let the fungus grow back and the press’ll think you’re colorful. Until you win 20 in the show, however, it means you are a slob."
Right now, Jonathan, you are a slob, a talented slob, but a slob. You are the NFL equivalent of the minor league baseball player with fungus on his shower shoes. You have a big decision to make. You can swallow your ego, grow up and learn or you can shut down, wallow in self pity and cash your checks. Do you want to be the next Larry Fitzgerald or the next high profile NFL bust? The choice is yours.
Addicts, I don’t want to dive into the question of who is right and who is wrong in the Jones/Baldwin altercation. I am a bit surprised that things turned that physical, but it happens. It’s important to keep a couple of things in perspective. I have my issues with Todd Haley, but he can get the most out of wide receivers. However, the process is not quick. Look at Bowe as a prime example. It took Bowe a full year in Haley’s Home before he had a breakout season and that’s after two years of good NFL production. I expect it will take Baldwin the better part of this year to see if the light will go on and he will be the stud receiver he can be. My advice? Forget about Baldwin for the better part of a year. The Chiefs will have to live with low expectations for his rookie year. The Chiefs will have to rely on other receivers to take the load off Bowe. I am fine with that approach. The key for the Chiefs is not this year, it’s next. Next year, I hope the Chiefs are a strong playoff team that can dream about the Super Bowl. This is the year to force our way into the playoff converstation. It will take a lot of work, but it’s possible.
OK Addicts, that’s my take on the Baldwin situation. My bottom line is that I want to win a Super Bowl. The Chiefs are not at a level yet where that is a realistic goal. If Baldwin has to spend a year in the doghouse, so be it. If/when Baldwin gets his head on straight, the Chiefs will have a dangerous receiving corps. If he doesn’t, we need to draft another receiver.