Would You Could You? Chiefs Fans P. II

Would You… Could You, Chiefs Fans? PART II

To read PART I go here.

It’s time again to play… Would You… Could You, Chiefs Fans? Like any other fan in the Addict, I dream dreams for the Chiefs of free agent super signing sessions and offseason dream drafts coming true simply because I once wished upon a star. I also day dream of dominating defensive designs dancing in my head, producing a plethora of endless little zeros followed by… more zeros.

Now, my “what-iffing” is all about the Chiefs immediate future. Year? 2016! So, let’s play…

Would You? Could You?

Would you, could you… draft another OLB in the 2016 draft in the first 1st or 2nd round?

Dee Ford has not turned out to be the next coming of Von Miller, as some have suggested he might. There’s also a good chance fan favorite Tamba Hali could be retiring, especially since he needs surgery on his right knee. Hali had left knee surgery following the 2014 season and now he needs surgery on the right side. However, he’s stated clearly that he intends to return but leaves some doubt about that, saying that he’ll wait until after he gets healthy this off-season and then will reconsider.

In a piece for the Wichita Eagle called “Hali, Berry, Johnson all want to stay with Chiefs,” Terez Paylor quotes Hali as saying,

"“I love the game, and I’ll give it my all every time I have the opportunity to play.” First I’ve got to get healthy, I’ve got to make sure my body’s in shape to be able to play at the level these young guys are coming in playing at. A couple months from now, we’ll find out where my mind is. But my heart is always with Kansas City, and that’s where it’s going to end.”"

Dee Ford had four sacks in 2015. Three in one game against San Diego in which he nearly single-handedly won that game. But… and it’s a pretty big but… shining in one game doesn’t mean he’s going to be a suitable replacement for one of the best and most durable OLBs in the game… for ten years running now. So, if Tamba Hali is a no go… would you, could you… be in favor of the Chiefs drafting another outside linebacker who can rush the passer, in an early round?

Dee Ford appears to need strength work on his upper body. He’s often not able to handle NFL tackles at the point of contact. Ford must learn to dis-engage with offensive linemen, plus he needs to add some more moves to his arsenal. I saw him use a swing move once this season but other than that he’s almost 99% a speed rusher.

I keep waiting for Ford to really hit someone hard… you know… one of those memorable jarring hits… but it seemingly never happens.

Hali is, 6-foot-3 and 275, Von Miller is 6-foot-3 and 249 and Dee Ford is 6-foot-2 and 243. Ford has exceptional quickness but rarely uses any other move to get to the quarterback than a speed rush while rounding the LT corner… and he all too frequently comes up short. He’s been with the Chiefs two years and needs to develop other moves in order for the Chiefs to rely upon him on an every down basis… otherwise… I’d like to see the Chiefs draft another pass rushing OLB.

Especially if Tamba Hali can’t go in 2016.

Would you, could you… trade running back Jamaal Charles?

I’ve heard talk about this trade idea from some fans. They figure that with the emergence of running backs Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware… then the Chiefs should go ahead and move on without Jamaal Charles and save the price of his 2016 contract.

Let me make my position on this issue perfectly clear: HELL NO!

I would consider the three headed-beast attack of JC-West-n-Ware a dreams scenario for the offense for some important reasons:

• As we have witnessed this season, injuries are an innate part of the lifestyles of the rich and famous national football league employees. Having three backs may cut down on the possibility that each of them would get hurt.
• Jamaal Charles career should be elongated by the addition of two emergent young running mates.
• Young backs like West and Ware need mentoring… the kind of expert mentoring that JC can give. The Chiefs have a great history in the past 15 years now of great running backs and Charles presence can help solidify that legacy going forward.
• Jamaal Charles is one of the best backs in the history of the NFL. His 5.5 yards per carry is the best of any back in the modern era, better than Jim Brown at 5.2, Gale Sayers and Barry Sanders were both 5.0 and Adrian Peterson is at 4.9. Unless some team is willing to fork over a Herschel Walker bounty of draft picks for JC, then why trade him?

John Dorsey said this week that Jamaal Charles is ahead of schedule in his recovery process and should be ready for training camp. Hallelujah. Praise Jesus. And don’t mess with heaven.

Next: Could This Be the Year the Chiefs Fix Wide Receiver?