May 14, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid walks on the field during organized team activities at the University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

With Andy Reid now in Kansas City after a long tenure in Philadelphia, and Chip Kelly now in Philadelphia after building up a college football program in Oregon to the point of being investigated by the NCAA about violations – a sign in college football that you’ve finally made it – there were bound to be some comparisons between the two coaches. After all, Philadelphia hasn’t always been known as the most forgiving fan base, and the “glad-you’re-gone” talk will only escalate before it finally culminates in the Chiefs’ and Eagles’ early season matchup.

As for now, the first real comparisons between how Kelly and Reid run their teams have been coming out over the past week or so. We all heard how Chip Kelly was doing away with the tradition of Taco Tuesday and Fast Food Friday – while Reid didn’t want to take credit for Taco Tuesday, he remained quite fond of Fast Food Friday when asked by reporters and hinted it would continue with the Chiefs organization – and implementing healthy foods in the team’s cafeteria as well as instructions of how to remain health conscious throughout the season and the reasons to do so.

But that’s only one small change from Reid to Kelly, with perhaps the larger change being how the Eagles will conduct OTAs this year. In the article, posted on Monday, May 20^th in The Inquirer, it talks about Kelly’s plan to “cut out the fat” of a typical in-season practice day, and in turn, improve the sleeping and eating habits of the Eagles. “The days will be shorter, the practices, workouts, and film sessions more efficient.”

According to the article, it wouldn’t be too difficult to make days shorter from when Andy Reid was the head coach. “Reid’s days – especially the pivotal practice days of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday – were long. They started with meetings around 8 a.m. and ended after more meetings in the early evening. In between, there was a walk-through practice, a full practice, strength and conditioning, and film study.

“But there was also a decent amount of down time. Reid never came out and said it, but he kept the days long because (a) he could and (b) he wanted to keep the players under his watchful gaze.”

While this seems like a sound practice, especially considering the amount of trouble NFL players like to get into, Kelly countered this by saying “If I can’t trust them when they leave this building then we probably brought the wrong guys in here.” And as the article points out, it’s “not as if Reid’s players didn’t have enough time to get in trouble during the season.”

Just Google: LeSean McCoy, in trouble with law.

So Chiefs fans, what do you think when you read about the differences between Reid and Kelly? From just reading this article, do you like how Reid runs his team, or do you think the innovation Kelly is bringing in is a better method? Are you OK with Reid bringing this style of coaching with him to Kansas City?

We must remember how successful Reid was in Philadelphia while Kelly is still unproven, as well as realize that just because Reid practiced these methods in Philadelphia doesn’t necessarily mean he will bring them all to KC. So fill up the comments section with your thoughts on the Reid vs Kelly comparisons and how you feel about what Reid is bringing to the Chiefs.

April 08, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general aerial view during the opening day game between the Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Also pictured is Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Recently, the new 49ers stadium that is being built in Santa Clara got a naming rights deal. Levi Strauss & Co. was unanimously approved last Thursday night, and the $220 million, 20 year deal went into effect. It’s the second richest stadium deal in the NFL – behind only MetLife Stadium used for the Jets and the Giants – and the facility will be named Levi’s Stadium.

While many might find Levi’s Stadium as kind of a lame name, especially because 1) it’s a jeans company and 2) consumers already have images of football and jeans in their minds from the Brett Favre Wrangler commercials and that’s not necessarily a good thing, I think it’s hard to ignore the historical significance of Levi’s to the San Francisco area.

As NFL.com put it: “Levi’s was founded in 1853 by German immigrant Levi Strauss, who opened a dry goods store for gold miners in San Francisco. His firm switched from heavy brown cloth to create the first denim blue jeans in 1873, catering to manual laborers who needed tougher material to withstand the rigors of their toils.”

The local connection between Levi’s and the greater San Francisco area is a good story, and seems like the perfect fit – sort of like their jeans. This brings me to my next point: if the Chiefs were to ever sell the naming rights of Arrowhead Stadium, or the field, who would be a good corporate partner?

Let me pause for a second and clarify something: I, in no way, shape, or form, support selling the naming rights of Arrowhead Stadium. The Jackson County Sports Complex Authority as well as the Hunt family would get a lot of unhappy fans if the naming rights to Arrowhead were sold, and I would be among them. But don’t let that lead you to believe they’ve never considered it. Back in 2008, the Kansas City Star reported the club announcing that it had entered into an agreement with IMG, a global sports and entertainment company, to pursue a sponsor for the naming rights to Arrowhead. “As we go down the path of bringing in a partner on the field, we would like to keep Arrowhead part of the name,” said Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt. At that time, the team was hoping to get $5.5 million a year for the stadium and $800,000 for the practice facility.

That deal never got done – although the naming rights to the training complex have recently been sold to the University of Kansas Hospital – but rumors of another deal sprung up in 2011. Although this report was never confirmed as in 2008, Bob Gretz of bobgretz.com reported “It appears [the Chiefs] finally found a business entity to pony up for the right to put its name on the stadium, or the playing field. Word is that an announcement will likely come in conjunction with the Monday night game against San Diego on Halloween. No leaks on the name of the company involved, but the word is that it’s a national name, not local, and that this company has not previously been involved in buying naming rights to sports facilities. I’ve been told it will be a very familiar name, one that fans won’t have to use Goggle to discover what that company does.” And yes, he did spell it Goggle.

Once again, that deal either didn’t come through or was just a case of bad reporting. The point is, selling the naming rights to Arrowhead is not out of the realm of possibility, and although I don’t support it, we have to acknowledge that the NFL is a business and teams do whatever it takes to make money. Would fans still come to games if it was [Fill in the blank] Field at Arrowhead Stadium? Yeah. But I think the disgruntled fan factor would be lessened if the naming rights deal was with someone that made sense to Kansas City, someone that had that same kind of fit that Levi’s did with the 49ers. So let’s have some fun, put on our hypothetical hats, and consider potential corporate partners.

Here are some Kansas City-based examples, ranked from lame to pretty cool:

Hallmark Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Russell Stover Candies Field at Arrowhead Stadium

CommunityAmerica Credit Union Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Kansas City Power & Light Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Boulevard Brewing Company Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Oklahoma Joe’s Field at Arrowhead Stadium

The last one was mostly a joke, but if it meant I could buy Z-Man’s at the games, then I would jump on board this corporate sponsor bandwagon. Fill up the comments section with your suggestions. This is just for fun, so I don’t want 100 comments about how the stadium name shouldn’t change. Get creative, have fun with it and remember, no matter what you put, it will still be better than the Raiders’ O.co Coliseum.

November 12, 2012; Pittsburgh , PA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jon Baldwin (89) drops a pass as he is hit by Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor (24) during the second half of the game at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 16-13, in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs made Pittsburgh wide receiver, Jon Baldwin, their first overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. A lot has changed since then: Todd Haley is no longer head coach, nor, for that matter, the guy that replaced him in Romeo Crennel. And the guy that drafted him, Scott Pioli, yeah, he’s gone too. What has remained consistent, however, is Baldwin’s insistence to underwhelm.

His rookie season was shortened because he got in a fight with a guy that had some of the biggest biceps allowed by God. Not a smart move. But even when he came back, all that flash and potential Baldwin demonstrated at Pitt never showed up on the field in the pros; he couldn’t create separation from corners, he looked like he had no idea what to do in bump-and-run coverage, and cornerbacks quite a bit smaller than him had no problem jamming him at the line of scrimmage.

There were excuses, of course. The lockout shortened season made it hard on rookies. He wasn’t able to develop with the injury and when he did come back he had to have Tyler Palko throw to him. These excuses had their merit, so Chiefs fans practiced patience with Baldwin. In the training camp leading up to last season, and with Bowe holding out after being franchise tagged, Baldwin was the talk of the town. The one-handed catches, the leaping ability, the dives, the speed, the athleticism. They were all on full display, and this mythical chemistry was developing between Baldwin and quarterback Matt Cassel. But that’s all it was: a myth.

As Cassel as the starting quarterback, Baldwin wasn’t on the receiving end of any touchdowns, and his best receiving effort of the year actually came with Brady Quinn as the QB and included just 64 yards receiving. Baldwin’s lone touchdown catch of the season came against the Carolina Panthers. In fact, in Baldwin’s TWO seasons with the Chiefs, he has just 41 catches for 579 yards and 2 touchdowns. The two other wide receivers taken in the first round of the 2011 Draft, A.J. Green and Julio Jones, have combined for 4,564 yards and 36 touchdowns.

The amazing thing of all this might be that in 2011, New England Patriots head coach, Bill Belichick, advised Atlanta Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff to not trade up for Julio Jones but instead wait for Baldwin to fall to them at pick #27 if he really wanted a wide receiver. As Belichick put it, “he’s just as good”. Maybe that’s why the Patriots have always had trouble developing homegrown wide receiver talent.

With wide receivers, however, the three year rule is even more important than with other positions. Countless studies have been done, and it shows that for a wide receivers development, the third year is a pretty accurate barometer on if that player is going to make it in the NFL or not. This is the time when most receivers seem to finally make the transition to the NFL and install confidence in their quarterback that they will deliver as a quality receiver. And while Baldwin is transitioning to a new quarterback, a new head coach, and a new offense, it’s pretty imperative that he makes an impact on this season that has been lacking thus far in his career.

So, in Baldwin’s third season with the Chiefs, it’s make or break. His success will be the Chiefs success, but his failure will likely result in the Chiefs turning the page on their 2011 first round pick. Untapped potential sometimes remains untapped; let’s hope that isn’t the case with Baldwin. What would I consider a successful year? Even if Baldwin were to match his career stats, it probably still wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the coaching staff or front office. After all, Baldwin is inherited, and not one of their draft picks. So Baldwin better be above the 750 yards receiving/5 touchdown plateau if he wants to stay on and not have that “bust” label attached to him and his remaining tenure in the NFL.  Is that so much to ask?

Apr 26, 2013; Kansas City , MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs first round draft pick offensive tackle Eric Fisher (center) speaks to the media as head coach Andy Reid (right) and general manager John Dorsey (left) look on during a press conference at the Kansas City Chiefs Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

This week on Arrowhead Addict will be filled with writer after writer talking about the players that the Chiefs drafted this weekend. Paragraph after familiar paragraph will explain how this player will help the team, or how this pick was curious. You will soon know everything you ever wanted to know about Mike Catapano, and Eric Kush, and how there is actually a school in Pennsylvania named the University of California. And since I don’t want to repeat what other people are writing, I’m going to focus more on who the Chiefs should have/could have drafted instead. And although I am in no position to second guess General Manager John Dorsey, for the sake of being different, that is exactly what I am doing.

I am going to start with the selection of Knile Davis with the 95^th pick in the draft. For a 3^rd round pick, Davis comes in as an unquestioned back up to Jamaal Charles. While I would prefer to have a starter with a day two selection, I also acknowledge that Charles is one hit away from missing a season like he did in 2011. That said, why bring in a guy with a history of injury concerns? Davis missed the entire 2011 season as well with a left ankle injury. Then, in 2012, he rushed for only 377 yards off 112 carries, for only two touchdowns. Sure, the Chiefs pointed back to his 2010 season, where he had 1,282 yards and 13 TDs, but his final two years before becoming a pro leave me with concern.

This concern is magnified by the fact that UCLA running back, Johnathan Franklin, was still on the board. Thought of by some to be the best back in the draft, Franklin fell to the 4^th round and the 125^th pick before he was selected by the Packers. Franklin played all four years at UCLA, appeared in 52 games, accumulated 4,369 yards rushing and 513 yards receiving, while totaling 34 total touchdowns. Last season with the Bruins, he accounted for over 2,000 yards of total offense. Those stats are hard to argue with, but it might have been the fact that Chiefs were looking for a larger back. Franklin is just 5-10 and 205 lbs while Davis is 6-0 and 226 lbs.

In that case, Stanford’s running back, Stepfan Taylor, could have been their man. Weighing in at 214 lbs, Taylor played 4 years for the Cardinal, while accumulating 4,300 yards of rushing and 778 yards receiving during that time. Both Taylor and Franklin give you the consistency you are looking for, and could even be found later in the draft rather than with a third round pick – Taylor went in the 5^th round with the 140^th pick to the Cardinals. But maybe the mileage these guys had was a concern, which in that case, Davis makes a lot of sense. He hasn’t put up that many at all.

Next, I’m going to move on to the Chiefs 2^nd sixth round pick: Braden Wilson. ‘Pack it up boys, the draft is pretty much over, there’s no one left so we might as well pick up a full back.’ That’s what I imagine a GM saying when he actually agrees on drafting a full back, especially before the 7^th round. And even when it is in the 7^th round, such as Shane Bannon in 2011 with the Chiefs, it’s usually a wasted pick because … well … it’s not 1974 anymore. I always find it odd to draft full backs in today’s NFL when so many are available as UDFAs; it’s even crazier to think of a full back in Andy Reid’s West Coast Offense.

I acknowledge that Wilson could be the best blocking full back in the draft, but the position is a rarity anymore in today’s NFL. The ceiling for Wilson is a possible replacement for Steve Maneri – come in as a blocking tight end, maybe shift inside before the snap for extra blocking. Reid’s history with full backs is to basically use a larger running back that’s not really in there to block but to catch balls out of the back field and take attention away from other targets. And while Reid in the post-draft press conference said that he’s “also a good catcher of the football,” he never really had the opportunity at Kansas State, just catching 5 passes last year for the Wildcats.

So why not just take Mike Catapano with Wilson’s pick – just three selections before – and then use the lone 7^th round pick on a high upside guy. Believe it or not, but four quarterbacks went in the 7^th round, most notably Zac Dysert, senior bowl invitee, and Sean Renfree, Duke quarterback. While the Chiefs ended up getting a quarterback as an undrafted free agent – Tyler Bray – there was no guarantee he would sign with the team, so the Chiefs took a chance not grabbing a guy. And while I love my Ivy League outside linebackers, I think a backup quarterback is slightly more valuable than a very possible training camp casualty.

Lastly, I will talk about a draft pick the Chiefs never had the possibility to select; in the first real faux pas of the John Dorsey regime, Branden Albert was not traded to the Miami Dolphins. With the Chiefs practically pushing Albert out of the door, the Dolphins decided that a 2^nd round pick, more specifically the 54^th pick in the draft, wasn’t worth it. The Chiefs mishandled the situation, and now the Chiefs are stuck with a disgruntled left tackle on an expensive one year deal.  None of the fans will probably ever know what was the deal breaker in the Chiefs-Dolphins deal for Albert, but let’s just take a look at players taken from the 54^th pick until the Chiefs picked in the 3^rd round with the 63^rd overall pick: Jamar Taylor – CB Boise State (pick 54), Arthur Brown – ILB Kansas St (pick 56), Montee Ball – RB Wisconsin (pick 58), Aaron Dobson – WR Marshall (pick 59), Eddie Lacy – RB Alabama (pick 61).

So, would there have been value with the 54^th pick in the draft? Uh, yeah, with my preference being Arthur Brown from Kansas St. But hey, that’s just me.

At the end of the day, I’m glad it was John Dorsey and Andy Reid making the picks rather than Scott Pioli; I mean, just look at Pioli’s first draft in 2009. Yuck. I don’t want to tick people off that I’m second guessing Dorsey – like I said, I’m doing this for the sake of being different since your being blitzed with post-draft insight already – or that I’m re-drafting the draft the way I would have. I’m just showing the fans what was out there and options that were available. But the die has been cast, and I would like to extend a warm welcome to all the new Chiefs and I look forward to hearing how they perform at the rookie minicamp.  In the meantime, fill up the comments section and tell me what you would have done differently in the draft. Maybe draft a wide receiver, perhaps a big defensive end? Let me know!

Jan 22, 2013; Mobile AL, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey discusses with his scouts and coaches following the Senior Bowl South Squad practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Well boys and girls, the moment is almost here. The NFL Draft is in just over 24 hours, and months of preparation, scouting, analysis, game tape, mock drafts, anxiousness and men running as fast as they can in tight spandex comes to its crescendo as the Chiefs, for the first time in the modern NFL era, have the first pick in the draft. No more wondering, no more debating, but I’m sure there will be a fair share of second guessing. The Chiefs have been on the clock since the season ended, and now it’s time to pick.

To get everyone as excited about the draft as I am, I am going to write on a variety of topics in this very post. My thoughts will be your lunch break. So make your mock drafts, take bets on who hugs Roger Goodell the longest, buy spinach dip, and get ready to be excited.

Does the Albert Deal Get Done?

Here’s my prediction: Branden Albert gets traded on the second day of the draft, and not a moment sooner. The team that gets Albert is going to see if one of the top three left tackles – Joeckel, Fisher, or Johnson – falls to them in the first round. If not, then it will force their hand to complete a trade. Where does he go? It seems the Dolphins are the favorite right now to land Albert, but they were also favorites to land Jeff Fisher and Peyton Manning, and we saw how those instances worked out. But if the Dolphins are willing to trade a second round pick, and the Chiefs already selected a left tackle in the first, then I bet the trigger gets pulled. Also, look out for the Arizona Cardinals to make a move for Albert. They pick earlier in the second round than either of the Dolphins two second round picks, so obviously the Chiefs would prefer that trade.

Chiefs Needs Heading Into the Draft (Sort of in Order)

Defensive End: With Glenn Dorsey gone, Tyson Jackson a free agent after the season, and Dontari Poe still a question mark in the middle, the defensive end position is a need the Chiefs should address in the draft and probably early.

Left Tackle: With Albert franchised and most likely traded before the draft ends, he will need to be replaced, and the number one pick in the draft is the perfect time to do it.

Inside Linebacker: The Chiefs have added three players this offseason at the position – Orie Lemon, Zac Diles, and Akeem Jordan – but an upgrade is definitely possible in the draft and one the Chiefs would do well to address.

Outside Linebacker: With Tamba Hali and Justin Houston on the outside, you might be wondering why this position is on here. Well, Hali’s contract is why. Over the next three years, Hali’s base salary will add up to more than $25 million, not including the $4 million he will get for roster bonuses, and of course, work out bonuses, blah blah blah. In other words, if Chiefs can get a cheaper option, such as a Dion Jordan, than Hali could become expendable.

Safety: This is not a knock on Eric Berry, it’s a knock on Kendrick Lewis. Yes, he’s positively graded out by Pro Football Focus standards; but he’s oft-injured and misses tackles too often for my taste.

Right Tackle: The Chiefs have Geoff Schwartz currently taking snaps at right tackle, and although I have complete faith in him at the position, I think he’d make an even better guard, replacing an iffy Jeff Allen.

Running Back: Peyton Hillis wasn’t as effective as Chiefs fans would have hoped, and now that he’s gone, the Chiefs are in the same predicament they were in during the 2011 season. Sure, the Chiefs have Cyrus Gray and Dexter McCluster, but I’d rather take a back that complements Charles’ skills like what Hillis was supposed to do.  Just a thought.

Am I Glad John Dorsey and Andy Reid are Drafting for the Chiefs and Not Scott Pioli?

Yes.

Sleeper Pick

I’m going to be very biased here and go with DT Brandon Williams. He is a player from Missouri Southern State University, a D2 school, where I happened to graduate from and am currently working for in their athletic department. Because of my position, I have been able to get to know Brandon, especially lately, since we are preparing pre-draft festivities. After all, it’s not every day we have a guy that is about to get drafted.

Williams, an invitee to both the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine, measures in at 6’1 and 332 lbs. And it’s all muscle. The guy is huge, and his strength was on full display when he tied for the most reps in the bench press at the Combine. He has since been visited for private workouts with the Panthers, Rams, Browns (who worked him out as an offensive lineman … because they’re the Browns), Bengals and yes, the Chiefs.

Williams is a three-time All-American, and recently won the Daktronics National Defensive Player of the Year for small schools. He also set the school record in sacks. While there is a stigma about D2 players, and I completely understand that, I can personally attest to his character, and would be very pleased if the Chiefs could grab him on the second or third day of the draft. Mel Kiper Jr. has him as a possible second rounder, while other analysts have him anywhere between the second and fourth rounds. I am very anxious about where he ends up, and am looking forward to seeing him play on Sundays.

How Many Quarterbacks Go in the First Round?

Some say none, some say one, but I’ll boldly predict two or three quarterbacks go in the first round.

Will the Chiefs Draft a Quarterback?

Three months ago I would have argued day and night that the Chiefs should take a quarterback first overall; more specifically, Matt Barkley. Three months later and Barkley’s draft stock has really dropped and the Chiefs did everything they could do convince me they won’t be taking a quarterback first overall. But that doesn’t mean that they won’t take one at all. If the Chiefs can recoup a second round pick, then I could see the Chiefs taking a Tyler Wilson or Landry Jones in the third round to compete for the backup job with Chase Daniel. But I could also see the Chiefs sticking with Ricky Stanzi since they’ve already committed two draft picks for Alex Smith. So I’m going to go with … No they won’t.

What Channel Will I Be Watching the Draft On?

Whatever one doesn’t have Matt Millen.

Food For Thought

Jimmy Johnson on why the Cowboys chose Troy Aikman #1 in the 1989 draft over Tony Mandarich, who everyone was falling in love with leading up to the draft: “I didn’t want to take an offensive tackle with the number one pick in the draft. I want players that put the ball in the end zone … I don’t think you build your team around one offensive tackle. I think you build your team around a quarterback.”

Sept. 16, 2012; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tackle Donald Stephenson (79) during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Bills beat the Chiefs 35 to 17. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Branden Albert might be traded. A tackle might be taken first overall. If both these things happen, then Chiefs fans can forget about Joeckel/Fisher sliding over to the right tackle position and replacing the release of Eric Winston. I know many Chiefs fans weren’t big on Winston after his famous “disgusting” speech following Matt Cassel’s concussion and the cheering that ensued, and certainly didn’t shed a tear when the Chiefs released him because of “philosophical differences,” but Winston was still a good right tackle. In fact, Pro Football Focus had Winston ranked as the fifth best run-blocking right tackle in the NFL.

So, what are the Chiefs options for filling the right tackle position? Obviously, the first, and perhaps best option would be to retain the services of Branden Albert at left tackle and then take a Luke Joeckel or Eric Fisher with the first overall pick and swing him over to right. With Joeckel’s athletic ability, he might be the best option to transition to right tackle, but Fisher said that he can play anywhere on the line and if he was drafted to play right tackle he would “have no problem with that.” Having two first round picks bookend your offensive line wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Option number two: either keep Albert at left tackle or draft his replacement number one overall, as well as a right tackle. Some right tackle prospects include: D.J. Fluker (Alabama), Brennan Williams (North Carolina), Terron Armstead (Arkansas Pine-Bluff), Menelik Watson (Florida State), and perhaps my favorite, Kyle Long (Oregon). Obviously, these names aren’t as high profile as Joeckel or Fisher if they made the move to the right side, but these options are also much cheaper than the money that Albert is demanding before agreeing to a long-term deal. If that can’t be reached, Albert should be traded while he still has top value, and a pick at right tackle could be in order.

Finally, we arrive at option three, which is a lot like option two, but doesn’t include drafting a right tackle but instead uses ones we already have on the roster; first we’ll start with Donald Stephenson. Although Stephenson played left tackle in college at Oklahoma, and spent 323 of his 380 snaps playing this season in his rookie year, he best projects as a right tackle in the NFL. And while he did see playing time last season for the Chiefs after being a third round pick (74^th overall) in 2012, he didn’t exactly instill a lot of confidence in the guys over at Pro Football Focus.

“Stephenson saw his first extended action in Week 11 when he got the start at right tackle before taking over at left tackle for the majority of the remainder of the season. He graded at -6.5 overall, including -7.2 as a pass blocker, and gave up 21 pressures on just 180 pass blocks for a PBE of 89.9 that ranked near the very bottom of the league.”

Yesterday in practice, two other players took snaps at right tackle. Jeff Allen, the Chiefs second round pick from 2012, was one of them. As Adam Teicher reminded us on twitter yesterday, Allen played tackle in college at Illinois, and although he probably projects best as a guard at the NFL level, there is no harm in finding out how he can handle the position.  Much like Stephenson, however, Jeff Allen didn’t receive much praise from the fellows over at PFF.

“Allen was thrust into the lineup at left guard in Week 3 due to an injury to center Rodney Hudson that caused some offensive line shuffling. Though Kansas City had one of the better offensive lines in the league, Allen was the weak link — his -19.1 grade ranked second-to-last among 54 qualifying guards and his Pass Blocking Efficiency (PBE) of 95.7 ranked 55th out of 72.”

And finally, and perhaps the best option, is to move Geoff Schwartz, one of the Chiefs new free agent acquisitions, over to right tackle. I’ve talked about him before on this site, and stated that while Schwartz could be a good right tackle he could be a “great right guard.” Here’s what PFF had to say on Schwartz: “The Chiefs have signed a player with legitimate Pro-Bowl potential if he can get a fair chance to earn the job on merit, and they have done so for peanuts.” That doesn’t sound so bad.

While Schwartz might sound like the best option, we should remember that Stephenson and Allen were rookies last year and it would be too early to give up on a high picks now. But nonetheless, if the Chiefs find themselves in the position to upgrade at the position, they should take it. What do you think Chiefs fans? Move a first overall pick over to the right side, pick a right tackle in the draft, or play someone already on the roster? Fill up the comment section with your thoughts Chiefs Kingdom!

Oct. 09, 2011; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney (93) tries to get around Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Branden Albert (76) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory credit: Michael Hickey-USA TODAY Sports

A story was published last weekend on ESPN about the decreasing importance in the left tackle position in the NFL. It starts with the offseason move of Jake Long, once the first overall pick, and makes the case for how the left tackle position, “once considered an essential building block for every franchise, has seen its importance erode in the era of read-option spread offenses.”

Below is an excerpt from the story:

“Times have changed dramatically since 2006, when the Ravens’ Michael Oher was the inspiration for The Blind Side. That best-selling book and eventual blockbuster movie helped mythologize the left tackle’s role in protecting the quarterback’s back. But in ’06, the ideal QB still stood in the pocket and worked through his progressions before delivering the ball downfield. Today, QB drops are shorter, the ball comes out quicker, the passers are far more elusive and the pressure is coming from all over, not just the right defensive end. As a result, Oher doesn’t even protect the blind side anymore. In Super Bowl XLVII, he started at right tackle.”

The story is full of good nuggets of information and interviews, such as “When coaches talk about position hierarchy, left tackle isn’t among the top few anymore,” an AFC team exec says. “Now it’s QB, pass rusher, cornerback, wide receiver. A guy like Joe Thomas shows that a great left tackle isn’t nearly sufficient.” And this quote by Phil Savage, former GM of the Browns and current executive director of the Senior Bowl: “Now, because of defenses, you’d better be solid across the entire line. Instead of the super-elite left tackle, it’s about five men who block well in a system.”

If you haven’t seen this article already, I highly recommend it. But now to the point of this post: how important is the left tackle position to the Kansas City Chiefs?

Alex Smith is not a spread option guy, nor is he a Michael Vick type player that heavily relies on his feet to make plays and can make an offensive line look better because of his mobility. Alex Smith is the prototypical pocket passer. But in Andy Reid’s offense, the ball will come out quicker and will operate more like a spread than Chiefs fans have ever seen before out of the team. With these quick and intermediate throws, the line isn’t asked to hold their blocks as long as they would have to on a five or seven step drop back. And as the ESPN article pointed out, good quarterbacks in the league have gotten away with average left tackles – Eli Manning has 5^th round pick David Diehl, Aaron Rodgers has 5^th round pick Marshall Newhouse.

Now, is it a bad thing that the Chiefs have such a good left tackle in Branden Albert? No. You always want the best player at any position. What the article is saying, however, is that a team doesn’t need a guy like Branden Albert to be successful on offense, and could get by with a lesser caliber alternative. If Albert is willing to agree to a deal, though, I would much rather have him than not.

But when I read this article, the importance of Branden Albert to the Chiefs was only a secondary thought that crossed my mind. What came first and foremost was the logic of taking a tackle with the first overall pick this year. If the left tackle position has become devalued, then shouldn’t that pick be used on a position of higher value? Like a pass rusher? Or a quarterback? Even the right tackle and guard positions have found their value increase; could the pick be better used on those positions?

Obviously there are many ways that the Chiefs can use the first pick, but you don’t want to be on the wrong side of a league-wide NFL trend. Bill Parcells told ESPN.com in April, 2011 that he didn’t regret taking Jake Long over Matt Ryan, but that “you always wonder if you should have taken a quarterback.” And as another NFL team exec put it, “A guy like Joe Thomas shows that a great left tackle isn’t nearly sufficient.” The Chiefs have a great left tackle already on the roster. Should they use the first overall pick this year on another one?

Dec 6, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer (3) throws a pass against the Denver Broncos at the O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

About two weeks before it could even be officially announced because of league rules, the Kansas City Chiefs traded their 2013 second round pick and a conditional 2014 second round pick for Alex Smith, the quarterback who lost his job due to injury and watched on the sideline as his backup took the team within a score of a Super Bowl win. It’s hard to fault the Chiefs for making a deal for Smith so quickly; after all, I’m sure there were several teams in the hunt for him, but the Chiefs made an offer the 49ers couldn’t refuse, and the deal was a lock. But were the Chiefs too quick to pull the trigger for Smith?

Like I said above, the Chiefs executed the deal about two weeks before it could even be finalized. Instead of letting the market develop and come to them, they were pre-emptive in their search, and got the quarterback that Andy Reid had a man-crush on since his days at Philly. But by taking Smith, the Chiefs didn’t give themselves a chance at other opportunities.

Let’s start with the draft. By acquiring Alex so early in the process, the Chiefs didn’t allow themselves the opportunity to hold private workouts with any of this year’s quarterback prospects with a legitimate chance to go first overall. GM John Dorsey and Head Coach Andy Reid made up their minds that Geno Smith or any other quarterback wasn’t worth the first overall pick very early. What if they misjudged Geno or someone else? Sure, they could still take him, but now they’ve invested three high draft picks over two seasons for two quarterbacks. It seems unlikely that the Chiefs will do that.

Next, by the Chiefs getting Alex, recently available quarterbacks such as Carson Palmer, Kevin Kolb, and Matt Flynn weren’t options. Would I rather have Alex Smith as my starter? Yes; but it’s closer than you think. Carson Palmer was traded to the Cardinals for a conditional 7^th round pick. Kevin Kolb was released from the Cardinals. Matt Flynn was traded to the Raiders for a 2014 fifth round pick and a conditional 2015 pick.

If you’re saying that Alex Smith is by far the better quarterback, I won’t argue too much. But looking at the price the Chiefs paid and the price that these other quarterbacks were available for makes it a little more complicated. Let me run some numbers by you now: in 2012, Palmer threw for 4,018 yards and a 61.1 completion percentage in 15 games for 22 TDs and 14 INTs (better than you thought huh?). Although Kolb was oft-injured and took two seasons to collect 15 games, in his time in Arizona he had 3,124 yards for a 58.5 completion percentage with 17 TDs and 11 INTs (and let’s not forget his connection with Andy Reid, who initially went with Kolb over Michael Vick after trading Donovan McNabb to the Redskins). And Matt Flynn, although never getting the opportunity to start a season as a starter, threw for 480 yards with a 70.5 completion percentage, 6 TDs and 1 INT in his last game as a starter, which came in 2012 against the Detroit Lions.

If the stats above don’t impress you, let me remind you that Alex Smith has only thrown for over 3,000 yards once in his career, has never thrown for more than 18 TDs in a season, and has only completed a full 16 game season without missing a game twice since entering the league in 2005. That’s why a trade for a player like Palmer makes sense to me, especially with the cheap price tag that it included. Even Kolb makes me consider it because of the success he had when Reid was his coach in Philly.

While Alex Smith might fit Andy Reid’s system, the Chiefs could have had more options at the quarterback position if they had waited until recently to acquire a quarterback. But by being aggressive, the Chiefs got the quarterback they wanted, but for a steep price. So what do you think Chiefs fans: should the Chiefs have let the quarterback market develop, or did they make the right move in getting Smith early? Fill up the comments section with your thoughts!

Nov 26, 2011; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks defensive end Dion Jordan (96) against the Oregon State Beavers during the second half at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Z. Rider-USA TODAY Sports

With smokescreens going around the NFL leading up to the draft in April, it’s a very confusing time to be a fan. With the first overall pick, one wouldn’t think that Chiefs fans would still have no clue who the Chiefs will end up taking in the first round of the draft, but that’s exactly the predicament we find ourselves in.

While it does seem likely that if the Chiefs pick at number one overall, that Luke Joeckel will be the man. But what if the Chiefs don’t stay at number one? What if the interest that the Jacksonville Jaguars are apparently showing towards Geno Smith makes some General Manager nervous enough to trade up and grab him? What if the Chiefs can trade the number one overall pick to move down in the draft and pick up additional selections? Then it gets even more complicated.

First we have to find a trade partner. Nick Jacobs from TWC Metro Sports in Kansas City says that he has his eyes on the Cardinals, Jets, Bills and Eagles. Any of these teams could move up for either quarterback Geno Smith (who says there’s no clear number one prospect at the QB position?), Dion Jordan, or an offensive tackle.

Depending how far the Chiefs trade down will also determine what player they could take. Let’s start with the team that I think has a good chance to move up to number one: The Raiders. Trading with the Raiders at number three overall would still allow the Chiefs to get a top-flight tackle such as Eric Fisher from Central Michigan, if he doesn’t go sooner than three. Other players that the Chiefs could probably still get with the third pick but probably couldn’t get any later are Oregon’s DE/LB Dion Jordan, and Florida Defensive Tackle Shariff Floyd. And guess what, the Chiefs have been at the Pro Days or have worked out all of those players, obviously to get a closer look.

Since there is not much of a difference between the third and fourth pick, which is owned by the Eagles, I will skip ahead to the Cardinals, Bills and Jets picks, which are at number seven, eight and nine respectively. Dropping to either one of these picks could still leave the opportunities to pick up Texas A&M’s Defensive End Damontre Moore (who the Chiefs saw at his Pro Day), Oklahoma’s Left Tackle Lane Johnson (who the Chiefs saw at his Pro Day), BYU’s DE/LB Ziggy Ansah (who the Chiefs saw at his Pro Day) or Georgia DE/LB Jarvis Jones. Obviously, there are many other players that the Chiefs could be looking at if they find themselves in this spot, but I wanted to stick to ones that the Chiefs have had contact with.

Just because the Chiefs have seen these players in person, or even if they bring these players in for private workouts, it is no guarantee that the Chiefs will be looking to draft them. And just because the Chiefs haven’t taken a look at a player is no guarantee that the Chiefs won’t draft him either (although it makes it less likely). But while Luke Joeckel is observed by many to be the best player available in this year’s draft, and while new GM John Dorsey has said that he will take the best player available in the draft, would you have a problem with the Chiefs trying to trade out of the pick to select one of the players that I have mentioned above? Do you think there is a big difference in talent between Joeckel at #1 and, say, Eric Fisher at #3 or Lane Johnson at #7?

Personally, I wouldn’t mind the Chiefs trading down from the first pick. If the team can still get a top-tier prospect – and if the Chiefs select in the top ten then that wouldn’t be an issue – while picking up an additional pick on the second day of the draft, I think that would be the best case scenario for the Chiefs entering the draft. What do you think Chiefs Nation? Would you entertain offers for the first pick, or use the opportunity to select the best player available in the draft?

Nov 1, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tackle Branden Albert (76) walks to the locker room after the San Diego Chargers beat the Chiefs 31-13 at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

This week has been very interesting in regards to Branden Albert. The Chiefs left tackle signed his franchise tender, but there is no guarantee that means he will suit up for the Chiefs next season.

It was on Monday when Peter King of Sports Illustrated wrote in his weekly Monday Morning QB piece that Branden Albert could be available in a trade, or at least, the Chiefs would “listen to offers for him.” Later, John Clayton from ESPN, while at the owners meeting on Tuesday, tweeted out that the Dolphins could offer a second round pick to Kansas City to land Albert. After all, they did lose out on free agent Jake Long, who finally decided to join the Rams. Then on Thursday, the USA Today reported the Chiefs weren’t just listening to offers for Albert, the team was “seeking out suitors.” While I think it would take more than a second round pick to acquire Albert from the Chiefs, it certainly seems that the Chiefs are using the media effectively to test the market for Albert’s services, and the Dolphins want it known that they could be a potential suitor.

I know Albert is popular among Chiefs fans, and it was considered a victory when the team slapped the franchise tag on him to avoid losing him to free agency. But that is exactly what could happen next season, when his franchise tag expires and we go through this whole song and dance once more. If the Chiefs don’t think that a long-term deal for the right amount of money is possible with Albert, then they might as well get value out of him – besides a compensatory pick – by trading him to a team that is offering draft picks. And as Nick Jacobs from KC Metro Sports pointed out, Miami has the cap space to pay Albert what he wants, and he would fit their offensive scheme quite nicely.

Dealing in hypothetical’s, of course, let me expand upon the implications of trading Albert and let’s use the target team as Miami. The Chiefs sit currently at an estimated $119.8 million against the cap, which is $123 million this season. Considering the addition of rookie contracts, the Chiefs are likely done in the free agent market. That is, unless, they free up Albert’s franchise tag, which sits at a base salary of $9.828 million. With the extra space, the Chiefs, if they so chose, could address the lack of depth at the inside linebacker position. Heck, if Rolando McClain is ever released by the Raiders after they fail to find a trade partner, the team could even bring in that head case to fill Jovan Belcher’s old role. I know that guy has issues, but so did Aqib Talib, and plenty of Chiefs fans were wanting him brought on before free agency officially began. Plus, his talent can’t be denied, but, like I said, these are all hypothetical situations.

If Albert is indeed traded, that means Luke Joeckel can officially begin looking for houses in Kansas City because there would be little doubt of his selection at #1. With Joeckel replacing Albert on the left side, the Chiefs can use the 2^nd round pick the Dolphins spent to get Albert, say the 42^nd pick in the draft, on Kyle Long, the offensive tackle prospect from Oregon, as the right tackle of the future. Sure, there are a lot of question marks regarding Long, especially since he only had four starts in 2012 and they all came at guard, but Long also has the athleticism and size (6’6” and 313 lbs) to be a tackle in the NFL. Will he be a project? Absolutely; but he’s got the kind of upside that the second round was meant for.

So, by losing Branden Albert, the Chiefs could also potentially be gaining left and right tackles for the future, both of which would come cheaper than the contract Albert assumedly wants. While I think that Albert is a VERY good left tackle, I also think the Chiefs could be better off with the alternative I outlined above, or a similar one. But I want to know your thoughts Chiefs fans! What do you think?

Dec. 23, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver Steve Johnson (13) makes a catch as Miami Dolphins cornerback Sean Smith (24) defends the play during the first half at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The Chiefs have made quite the splash in free agency this offseason, something fans around these parts aren’t used to. And while this activity certainly does not guarantee success – just ask Andy Reid and the Eagles “Dream Team” or Scott Pioli and Chiefs fans everywhere after the last offseason when we got Eric Winston and Peyton Hillis and everyone still naively thought Pioli knew what he was doing – it is nice to see some activity in an attempt to improve the team.

Most of this activity is expected: after all, most new regimes want their own guy at quarterback so we all knew a move was either going to come in free agency or the draft. And then there’s always the expected move of new coaches bringing in free agents from their previous teams: just like Mike DeVito following Bob Sutton from New York. But some of these additions, such as Dunta Robinson, Geoff Schartz and Sean Smith, I would consider luxury additions.

(I’m going to interject here in regards to a signing that might go overshadowed but still important. By the Chiefs getting Anthony Fasano from Miami, they are greatly improving their red zone offense. Let me explain: while Tony Moeaki appears to be the better receiving tight end and perhaps a better target in the middle of the field, Fasano has proved time and again his red zone scoring capabilities. In fact, since 2009, Fasano has accounted for 17 touchdowns. In that same time, KC tight ends have combined for 11. And that time span doesn’t even include the 7 TDs he had in 2008. Plus he’s a decent blocker. All those things combined and you got yourself a good tight end).

What I mean by that terminology is that the Chiefs really didn’t NEED them, but they make the team better in the now, and are the kinds of additions that a team expecting to win makes. After all, the Chiefs already had Javier Arenas and Jalil Brown to play corner and nickel. The Chiefs already had 2012 2^nd round pick, Jeff Allen, at guard, assuming that’s where Schwartz ends up playing (as Pro Football Focus stated on twitter on Friday, Schwartz could make a good right tackle but can make a GREAT right guard). The Chiefs could have stood pat, hoped these players developed, and rolled the dice on their success. Instead, the new regime, with no preconceived loyalties to players from the old regime, went out and got players they believed as upgrades and that would help the team win now.

This should be encouraging as a Chiefs fan, because most teams coming off a two-win season would be looking to rebuild through the draft, not reload during free agency. This is even more of a surprise if you know John Dorsey’s history in Green Bay, where in 2010 the Packers had the third highest percentage of draft picks making up their roster with 71.7%. In fact, when the Packers won the Super Bowl that year, they had just two players on the roster that had been signed as unrestricted free agents, and both (cornerback Charles Woodson and defensive tackle Ryan Pickett) had been acquired in 2006.

For Dorsey to go out and get all these guys, you have to believe he either thinks the roster was in need of a jump start or the team is close to competing for a playoff spot now. Either way, Dorsey is making it known that he is his own man and isn’t afraid to break the Packer mold. This, of course, is something that Scott Pioli had trouble doing and ultimately served as his downfall and reason for scorn from much of the Chiefs fan base.

So, after addressing the cornerback, tight end, quarterback, defensive end, guard, wide receiver and whatever position Robinson is actually going to play, what’s left?

Once again, assuming Schwartz doesn’t play right tackle, I believe that is a position of need. Once the Chiefs released Eric Winston based on “philosophical differences”, who was a top right tackle in the NFL by the way, that opened the conversation up for who was going to replace him. Could the Chiefs roll with 2012 3^rd round pick Donald Stephenson in that role? Sure; but I have to believe that this position will be addressed in either the next few weeks of free agency or through the draft in April. But don’t assume that Winston’s release guarantees the Chiefs selecting Luke Joeckel with the first overall pick. Joeckel played left tackle all throughout college and Branden Albert has played only left tackle while in the NFL. And if you think switching from the left to the right side is easy, it’s not. Can Joeckel do it? Probably; but would the Chiefs spend a #1 pick on a potential right tackle? I guess we’ll find out.

The other position that the Chiefs might want to address before the draft is inside linebacker. With Jovan Belcher’s death and Brandon Siler’s release, the Chiefs are in a position of need there. While linebackers are going quickly on the market, there are still a few that are available, and with the spending spree that the Chiefs are going on (which I’ve stated on Twitter before I have no problem with. After all, it’s not my money, what do I care?), ILB seems like as good of a position as any to throw some money at.

Any other positions the Chiefs should look at before the draft? Just want to talk about how awesome Chase Daniel is? Hit me up in the comments section.

Nov 17, 2012; Atlanta, GA, USA; Duke Blue Devils quarterback Sean Renfree (19) looks to pass as Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive end Anthony Williams (56) approaches during the first half at Bobby Dodd Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Josh D. Weiss-USA TODAY Sports

Will the Chiefs draft a quarterback has been a question that everyone has been asking since before the halfway point of the 2012 season. At times it seemed a certainty, but now the recent trade for Alex Smith has complicated the notion to the point it seems doubtful. But let’s go over the draft, where the Chiefs pick, and see if taking a quarterback in that round makes sense for the team at this time.

1^st Round, 1^st pick:

Apologies to all the quarterbacks in this draft class, but no one seems to think you’re worth the first overall pick. Actually, you should be apologizing to me and all the other Chiefs fans in this world because you are not worthy of the number one pick. Out of all the years, the Chiefs would get stuck with this draft class. Oh well. If the Chiefs absolutely love Geno Smith, they could get him so that he could sit behind Alex Smith and learn. You know, kinda like Aaron Rodgers did in Green Bay, which just so happens to be where the Chiefs’ new GM, John Dorsey, came from. But with the recent release of right tackle Eric Winston, and the commitment the Chiefs have shown for Alex Smith which includes sacrificing their second-round pick, 34^th overall, to get him, you can pretty much pencil in Luke Joeckel in this spot. And yes, feel free to argue this.

2^nd Round, 34^th pick:

Traded to San Francisco.

3^rd Round, 63^rd pick:

I just don’t see this happening. The Chiefs just spent a second-round pick on Alex Smith, so why would they use two straight picks at the top of second day rounds on quarterbacks? Especially since the Chiefs have more needs than quarterback. But I will say this, if the Chiefs are going to take a quarterback in this draft, I think the third-round is the time to do it. Alex Smith has only completed all 16 regular season games twice in his career. If Dorsey & Co. don’t want to bring in a veteran quarterback to back up Alex Smith, which they probably will, then going with the best available quarterback in the third to compete with Ricky Stanzi for the backup role is probably the best route to take, depending on if a quarterback happened to fall this far, and that you don’t think he would be available on the third day of the draft between rounds 4 and 7.

The rest of the rounds:

Speculation suggests that the Chiefs will be receiving a compensation pick for the loss of cornerback Brandon Carr sometime at the end of round three. Combine that with the rest of the rounds, and you have five more chances to take a quarterback. But remember, the Chiefs already have a fifth round quarterback, and his name is Ricky Stanzi … who has started 0 games … not even over Tyler Palko … or at the end of a 2-14 season. Yeah, I just don’t think spending a pick on a quarterback this year after the 3^rd round would even be worth it. And yes, I know Tom Brady was a late round pick, and yes, I’m tired of people using the exception and thinking it’s a rule. Although, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report likes Duke quarterback, Sean Renfree, with a later round pick to the Chiefs. But if you have a late round pick compete with Stanzi over the backup role, you are setting yourself up for failure if Alex Smith does get hurt. If Stanzi is released, then a pick like Renfree, alongside a veteran free agent quarterback, makes more sense.

At the end of the day, I just don’t see the Chiefs taking a quarterback in this year’s draft. I see the Chiefs signing Alex Smith long-term, bringing in a veteran quarterback to serve in a backup role, and keeping Ricky Stanzi to compete for the second spot. The Chiefs have too many needs to spend multiple picks on a single position. What do you think, Chiefs fans? Will the Chiefs indeed take a rookie quarterback in April?

Dec 9, 2012; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith (11) throws the ball before the game against the Miami Dolphins at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

I’m torn about the Alex Smith trade. One side of me likes the trade, and thinks it makes the Chiefs a better team, while the other side of me hates the trade and questions the direction of the franchise under the new regime. Obviously, I am as torn as most of Chiefs nation appears to be. So let me break down my pros and cons of the Alex Smith trade.

Pros

It’s taken me a couple of days to accept this, but the Alex Smith trade does make sense. It makes a whole lot of sense for the 49ers, who reportedly get a 2^nd rounder in 2012 and a conditional 3^rd rounder in 2013. It makes sense for Alex Smith, who is going to a team that has seemingly fully committed to him for the foreseeable future, especially if the rumor of a proposed 5-year deal has any legitimacy. And finally, it makes sense for the Chiefs, and let me explain why.

The Chiefs are not that young of a team. They have veterans scattered throughout the team, especially on defense, where guys like Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali and Brandon Flowers are in their prime and might not be by the time a rookie quarterback developed into the kind of player that can consistently make the team a contender. The same goes for guys like Eric Winston and Jamaal Charles on offense, and no telling how many good years Charles has left in him (history is not on his side).

By bringing in Alex Smith, the Chiefs brought in a good player that can bring the consistency that has been lacking in Kansas City for years under center, as well as a player that has proven he can not only lead a team to the playoffs, but be a star in a playoff win. Smith is a veteran that has been around the block, can provide instant leadership to a locker room, and is not Matt Cassel. Those seem like wins all around.

For those saying the price paid for Smith was too high, I thought it was at first as well, but when looking at other trades involving quarterbacks, it’s actually pretty consistent. In 2009, newly-hired Chief, Scott Pioli, traded that year’s second round pick for Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel. In 2011, the Arizona Cardinals traded cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and their second round pick for Kevin Kolb who, much like Alex Smith, had lost his starting job due to injury (by current Chiefs head coach Andy Reid). Unlike Smith, however, Kolb had a much shorter track record. Throw in that Rodgers-Cromartie is more valuable than a 3^rd round pick, you could say the Chiefs gave up less for Alex Smith than the Cardinals did for Kolb. That sounds like a good deal.

And by committing to Alex Smith, the Chiefs have opened up the draft to bring depth to other positions the Chiefs need. While it was looking less and less likely that the Chiefs would draft a quarterback number one overall, the top of the second round looked very likely for a target at the position. While there was no guarantee what players at that position would be available by the time the Chiefs selected with the 34^th overall pick, the Chiefs made the assessment that Alex Smith was a better 2^nd round pick than whoever else would be left on draft day. That seems to mesh up with everything analysts around the league were saying, so it seems like a smart move.

Cons

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Chiefs did it again. Instead of taking a chance with a rookie quarterback with the hopes of developing him under QB “guru” Andy Reid, the Chiefs switch into safe mode, pull a Carl Peterson, and trade for a veteran quarterback from the Bay Area.

Listen, I’m not saying that Alex Smith=Elvis Grbac=Steve Bono=Steve Deberg. That isn’t fair to him. But you better be sure that Alex Smith ≠ Joe Montana. It’s like the Chiefs are allergic to risk no matter the administration. Why must we always get General Managers who are terrified to take a quarterback in the first round? And for everyone saying that there was no quarterback worth the #1 pick, I want you to consider this:

Just because last year produced amazing rookie quarterbacks, and that the top two best players available just happened to be quarterbacks, doesn’t mean that the Chiefs should be opposed to taking a quarterback this year number one. The 2012 draft for quarterbacks was a once-in-a-generation draft class, and to judge this year’s crop of quarterbacks to last year’s isn’t fair to either the players or the history of the draft. Instead of asking if Geno Smith or Matt Barkley are as good of a prospect as Andrew Luck, you should ask yourself if Geno Smith or Matt Barkley are as good of a prospect as Sam Bradford? Or Cam Newton? How about Matt Stafford? While all of those quarterbacks turned out pretty good in the NFL, none of them were the best player available during their respective drafts, yet were drafted first overall because of their position. Because, believe it or not, teams that pick first are usually the same ones that need a quarterback. This year’s QBs will forever live in the shadow of last year’s, and it’s not quite right. Not saying I would take Geno Smith number one, just saying to look at it in a different light.

But the Chiefs will not be taking Geno Smith, or Matt Barkley, or probably any other quarterback in this draft. Why would they? If Tyler Wilson is available at the beginning of the third round, do you think the Chiefs will take him after just spending a 2^nd round pick on a quarterback? I don’t, not with as many team needs as the Chiefs have. So instead of taking a chance on a quarterback on the second day of the draft, we are stuck with Alex Smith, and just like that, have gone from Cassel to Cassel 2.0.

This brings up a legitimate question: would you rather have kept Matt Cassel and the draft picks, or would you have done the trade? Don’t laugh, this is a serious question. Alex Smith, the same guy who has never thrown for 20 touchdowns in a season, the same guy that has only played all 16 regular season games twice in his career, the same guy that, before the best head coach in the NFL showed up, had his best season represented by an even number of touchdowns and turnovers? Sorry if I’m not completely sold on Alex Smith. Perhaps it was because I watched 49ers games before 2011, including the one in 2010, where I saw the Chiefs and Matt Cassel dismantle the 49ers, while Alex Smith completed less than 55% of his passes, threw an interception, and recorded a total quarterback rating of 12.4. The Chiefs won that game 31-10. And for those saying the 49ers didn’t have a good team around Smith, you are aware they went to the NFC Championship game a year later, right? So, at this point, I’m not sure if I wouldn’t have kept Cassel and taken a chance with a QB in the second, or use that pick to trade into the first to grab a QB. The “Bad Team Tax” seems like too much.

Oh, by the way, all those GMs that traded for QBs from other teams I mentioned earlier: they are all currently unemployed.

And as far as the Chiefs being a better team with Smith in 2013 than they would have been with a rookie QB: I completely agree. But it’s not like I expect the Chiefs to be a playoff team in 2013 anyway. Without Smith and with, say, Barkley, the Chiefs might be a 4-6 win team. With Smith, what are the Chiefs? A 6-8 win team? Maybe I’m underselling the Chiefs, but the team had more woes than the quarterback position, and while improved coaching hopefully solves a lot of those problems, I just can’t say how good the Chiefs actually are. I just don’t expect the Chiefs to be very good next year either way, so in that case, why not let it ride with a rookie quarterback? Get the growing pains out of the way while the team continues to add depth and by 2014, be a playoff contender. If you are expecting Alex Smith to act as a jumpstart and get the Chiefs back in to meaningful December games, I just think you will be disappointed.

Alright, that’s the end of my pros and cons. If you thought I ended on too negative of a note, just go ahead and re-read the pros. I’m still on the fence about this trade, so I’d like to see your thoughts in the comment section as well as on twitter (my handle is @tipof_arrowhead). Let me know what you think Chiefs Nation!

Dec 30 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (88) brings in a catch as Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Javier Arenas (21) defends in the fourth quarter at Sports Authority Field. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs 38-3. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Alright Addicts, I think I finally have something we can agree on here. You readers and I haven’t always seen eye-to-eye, but I think I finally found some common ground: the biggest need in 2013 for the Kansas City Chiefs is quarterback!

And that is where I expect the universal agreement to end.

Now that we’ve got quarterback out of the way, it’s time to break down the other team needs and see what other positions the Chiefs should be looking at. And don’t worry, you won’t have to just listen to what I have to say, I’ll include a poll at the end to see what Chiefs Nation thinks. Which I guess means you could just scroll down and vote … but I’d rather you read the whole thing. Please?

These are, of course, pre-free agency opinions, which should and will change as the offseason progresses and players are gained and lost. So know that this is not a final product. But for arguments sake, let’s assume all unrestricted free agents are gone. What positions will the Chiefs need to look at this offseason?

I asked Nick Jacobs of TWC Metro Sports in Kansas City that question on Twitter. Excluding quarterback, he listed out: 1) Left Tackle 2) Center 3) Tight End 4) Wide Receiver 5) Left Guard.  If these rankings differ from yours, then you and I have something in common. Personally, I think cornerback is the second biggest need on the team, and even asked Jacobs about that. He replied: “If they are getting pressure and disrupting timing then CB you can get by with. You can’t with offense.” He went on, “I think the CB is important but there are a ton of priorities above it right now.”

Let’s examine Jacob’s list. Left tackle makes sense since there is no guarantee that Branden Albert will be back. Next in line is Donald Stephenson, who got some work filling in for an injured Albert last season, is a big downgrade over Albert or even a Luke Joeckel. At center is projected starter Rodney Hudson, who was the Chiefs second round pick in 2011. After taking over for Casey Wiegmann last year, Hudson then broke his leg in late September and was place on IR. Without seeing a full season of Hudson at the helm might be a little preemptive to find a replacement, but Hudson could easily slide into the left guard position that Ryan Lilja vacated with his retirement and Jacobs listed as the fifth biggest non-quarterback need. Although it should be noted that 2012 2nd round pick, Jeff Allen, did a nice job filling that role last season.

Next was tight end, where Tony Moeaki, Steve Maneri and Jake O’Connell man the position. I also need to clarify that Jacobs made this list before the release of Kevin Boss, so the position might have moved up on his list of priorities. While the Boss move came as a surprise to me, Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star speculated the cut came because they weren’t sure if Boss would ever be able to play again because of his history with concussions. Finally, Jacobs came to wide receiver, where the absence of Dwayne Bowe and the recent cutting of Steve Breaston would leave Jon Baldwin, Dexter McCluster (assuming he’s listed as a wide receiver), Devon Wylie, Terrence Copper and a bunch of other guys that wouldn’t even come close to replacing Bowe.

While each of these positions should be looking for additions/upgrades this offseason, I’m still not convinced that cornerback isn’t a serious need for the team. With Stanford Routt being released during the season, the Chiefs got to look at a combination of Jalil Brown and Javier Arenas opposite of Brandon Flowers. While they appeared more serviceable than Routt, it’s still a serious downgrade from what fans were accustomed to with Brandon Carr, who is now experience much more high-profile success in Dallas. And with both Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning in the division, in a passer’s league, the cornerback position is at more of a premium than it has ever been.

Also, what about defensive end? Both Glenn Dorsey and Ropati Pitoitua are free agents, and would leave Allen Bailey as the starting defensive end opposite Tyson Jackson, who is no guarantee to actually be with the Chiefs for the season since he is scheduled to make a base salary of $14.72 million and an additional $250K roster bonus. With the lack of certainty and the surplus of question marks at the position, how will the defensive end stack up on the Chiefs list of priorities?

Last but not least: middle linebacker. Although the Chiefs sent 3 of the 4 starting linebackers to the Pro Bowl, they still have a hole at the other middle linebacker position next to Derrick Johnson. After Jovan Belcher’s death and Brandon Siler’s impeding free agency, the Chiefs are now short at the position and could use help inside. What Belcher brought was the ability to take on blockers and allow Johnson to make the tackle, which might be a task that doesn’t bring a lot of glory but is still very important to how the defense is run.

So what do you think Chiefs fans? What is the top non-quarterback need for the Chiefs in 2013?

Jan 23, 2013; Mobile AL, USA; Senior Bowl south squad quarterbacks Tyler Wilson of Arkansas (8) with E.J. Manuel of Florida State (3) and Landry Jones of Oklahoma (14) listen as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Scott Linehan teaches new plays during practice at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

I’ve stated on Arrowhead Addict before that I believe the best course of action for the Chiefs to take when the draft comes around is to select offensive tackle Luke Joeckel and trade back into the first round for a quarterback. With Joeckel, you replace Brandon Albert with a guy that won’t command such a hefty salary and is also seemingly the best player available. As far as trading back into the first round, it allows the Chiefs to select a quarterback without passing on the best player available.

Do I want the Chiefs to draft a quarterback? Absolutely. But the thought of the Chiefs drafting a quarterback first overall and the quarterback being a bust scares me to death. Getting a quarterback in the second round does not, but I just don’t know what quarterbacks are going to be left at the 34^th pick, and lest we forget the Jaguars pick before us in the second, and I could see them taking a guy that Chiefs fans are salivating for on the second day of the draft.

Would there be anything wrong with waiting for the 34th pick to take a QB? Conceptually no. Taking a second round quarterback doesn’t include quite the commitment that a first round quarterback would require. Don’t believe me? Ask Jimmy Clausen (but the guy does have his own website).  And over the last couple of seasons, several good quarterbacks have come out in the second round: Andy Dalton (#35 in 2011) and Colin Kaepernick (#36 in 2011) mark some examples. But what must be stated is that both those picks came in what was a large, if not particularly exciting draft class. And for every Dalton or Kaepernick, there are Clausens and Brian Brohms. It doesn’t help that this year’s quarterback class is slim pickings, so waiting for the pick might not be the best option to solve the quarterback situation in Kansas City.

Trading back into the first round would be an aggressive move by the Chiefs, but it would also allow for the team to judge how the draft is shaking out, and if there is a sudden run on quarterbacks, the Chiefs could give up a couple of picks and get one of the guys they want before they are left with Tyler Bray or Mike Glennon.

What would the Chiefs have to give up? Well that obviously depends on how far they want to jump. Let’s take a look at some examples:

Two teams that drafted in the top seven picks traded back into the first round last year: Tampa Bay and Minnesota. Minnesota, who held the 4^th overall pick, drafted Matt Kalil with the selection and then traded their 2^nd (35^th overall) and 4^th (98^th overall) to jump up and take Harrison Smith with the 29^th overall pick. Tampa Bay, who took Mark Barron seventh overall, traded their 2^nd (36^th overall) and 4^th (101^st overall) to Denver for its 31^st pick and its 120^th pick. The Bucs selected Doug Martin with the selection. Even New England got in on the action, trading the 27^th and 93^rd picks to jump to 21 where they grabbed Chandler Jones. Examples can go on and on, but it seems like these are good precedents to go by, especially for teams that pick early in each round.

These are all recent examples, and the new CBA makes trading up and down the draft board more flexible, but what you have to like the most is the ability for teams to draft multiple guys in the first round if the price is right. The Chiefs hold one of the top two draft picks in all the rounds, so maneuverability is an advantage. If the Chiefs wanted to move a 2^nd and 4^th to jump up and take a quarterback in the late first round, I would not have a problem with that and would even prefer it. If the Chiefs were planning on using the 2nd round pick on a QB anyway, then why not just pull the trigger early and throw a 4th in and don’t think twice.

The last time the Chiefs traded back into the first round was in 2008 when Carl Peterson took Glenn Dorsey with the 5^th overall pick and then traded an additional first round pick – 17^th overall – as well as a third and a fifth round pick to jump two slots to fifteenth overall where he selected Branden Albert. While this seems like a lot, remember the Chiefs had a ton of ammunition as far as draft picks go after trading future Hall of Famer Jared Allen to the Vikings. While Dorsey never quite lived up to expectations, Albert has exceeded his and might hit the open market just because of how well he has performed during his time as a Chief and how expensive he has made himself become.

Sure, not all trades back into the first round work out. The Browns gave up a future first round selection and a second round pick to take Brady Quinn number 22 overall. Obviously, in hindsight, that was the wrong move; but it still isn’t as bad as if they had taken him number three overall that year. I feel like teams with top five draft picks need to take the best player available while teams with picks in the second half of the draft can take some more risks on players that have question marks, or players that they see a lot in and don’t want to risk them going before they pick again in the second round (the Chiefs taking Jon Baldwin in 2011 at #26 is a good example of that). According to most analysts, a quarterback in the first round would be a risky move, but the risk is lessened when you trade back in. While you lose a couple of draft picks, you also take the draft into your own hands instead of waiting for it to come to you.

While I am by no means a General Manager, and have yet to lead my fantasy football team to the promised land, I believe I speak with logic and purpose when it comes to trading into the first round. Obviously, it depends on how the draft’s shaping up, but if it looks like the team needs to make a move to get a quarterback they favor, I am all about being aggressive.

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh (left) and San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh (right) talk before Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

This past Super Bowl featured a number of similarities between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens; both teams pride themselves for their defense, both teams had quarterbacks that were having some of the best postseason performances in recent memory, both teams liked to control the game through the run, and both teams were coached by members of the same family. They also made bringing in a quarterback a priority when they were given the reigns of their own team.

In 2008, John Harbaugh took over the Ravens. As his first draft pick, he chose QB Joe Flacco from Delaware. He immediately drafted the most important position on the field with the best available quarterback on the board in a draft class short on quarterbacks. Flacco entered the season in a quarterback competition against 2003 first round pick Kyle Boller and 2007 5^th round pick Troy Smith. Boller actually won the QB battle early on, and started the preseason games until being hurt against the Vikings in exhibition and was placed on Injured Reserve. Flacco became the unquestioned starter, made the playoffs in every single season since entering the league, and perhaps made the “elite” case last Sunday.

In 2011, Jim Harbaugh took over the 49ers. As his second draft pick, 36^th overall, he chose Colin Kaepernick from Nevada. While there were still several quarterbacks available in the first when he made his selection – Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, Christian Ponder – he felt that none were worth the value and chose Aldon Smith in the first. But he got the quarterback he wanted in Kaepernick without the fear of reaching. But, just like his brother John, it wasn’t a given that Kaepernick would start immediately, so he reached out to veteran and former 2005 #1 overall pick, Alex Smith, to retain his services with the 49ers. Smith seemingly already had one foot out the door, but when Jim approached him, he decided to stay. And it wasn’t like Smith had been playing to the level he was currently. In fact, Smith’s best season before Harbaugh came to town was in 11 games with 2,350 yards, 60.5 completion %, 18 TDs and 12 INTs. Jim still felt he might be able to salvage Smith, and made him the best QB he could be, until a convenient concussion opened the door for Kaepernick, who went on to lead his team to the Super Bowl.

Both Harbaughs valued the position of quarterback, and spent early draft picks on one, so is it any wonder why these are two of the highest regarded coaches in the league? They wanted to start their regime with their guy, which I guess you could say Pioli did by bringing in Cassel, but that just shows you a decision like that could backfire. If Flacco had been a bust, John might not still have a job in Baltimore, and if Kaepernick hadn’t lived up to Jim’s expectations, he would be second-guessed for replacing Smith halfway through the season. But what does this mean for the Chiefs?

Perhaps nothing, but it’s dumb to think that other front offices don’t look at the Super Bowl teams to analyze how they made it there. While Andy Reid is by no means a new head coach to the league, and he’s had plenty of years to figure out how he wants to run a club, that doesn’t mean he can’t appreciate how these two Super Bowl teams made it to this point.  He could do right in following the blue print that made both the Ravens and 49ers successful; whether that means taking a QB #1 overall or #34 overall has yet to be seen.

I’m sure Reid will want his own guy as well, because it seems having a good QB is the only guarantee for success in this league. (Having a Harbaugh coach your team also seems a guarantee for success. What’s their sister up to?) But will his first year in KC be used as a buffer for a drafted QB to develop while someone such as Alex Smith or even Matt Cassel (whose story in KC is strikingly similar to Alex Smith’s before Harbaugh) holds down the fort for one more season? Although the Chiefs might not be in full-blown rebuilding mode, and while we already have a lot of good pieces that are already in place, it would be foolish to expect immediate success in 2013 with a rookie QB. While I’m in the mindset of drafting a QB and going through growing pains his rookie year, I know with that will come a fair share of losses.

So what is more important to Chiefs fans – and Andy Reid – in 2013? Wins or a rookie QB on the field learning his way in the NFL as preparation for future success? The answer might seem obvious, but they are called growing pains for a reason. Either way, the Harbaughs have shown that good coaching can overcome a lot of shortcomings. Hopefully Andy Reid can have the same impact with the Chiefs as those brothers have had with their respective organizations.

November 25, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith (11) paces the sidelines during first quarter of their game against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) started the game instead of Smith. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

We all know that the quarterback situation is a need that would be foolish not to address this offseason. And by address, I mean not continue with Matt Cassel or Brady Quinn. Whether the Chiefs take a quarterback first overall has yet to be seen, but nothing is a certainty, especially with this draft class. And even with taking a quarterback first overall, or even later in the first or early in the second, doesn’t mean that quarterback will be the starting quarterback for the Chiefs next season.

Jake Locker was drafted in the 1^st round in 2011, but Matt Hasselbeck had been brought in for competition and ended up winning the starter’s job. Christian Ponder was drafted in the same first round as Locker, and also started the season on the bench until Vikings head coach couldn’t stand Donovan McNabb’s awfulness anymore. Heck, back in 2003, Carson Palmer was drafted #1 overall to Cincinnati and didn’t even start his rookie year behind (drumroll) Jon Kitna.

Some quarterbacks are NFL-ready when they arrive – Andrew Luck, RG3, Russell Wilson, etc. Others would be better off with a year to learn the offense. And while coaching staffs usually feel immediate pressure to start a first round pick their rookie year, especially at the quarterback position, that doesn’t mean that’s what’s best for the team. Could you convince me that Blaine Gabbert might not look like such a bust if he had a year or two to adjust to the NFL? Probably not. And let’s not forget that a lot of people thought that the Colts would draft Luck while also keeping Peyton Manning, sort of like the Aaron Rodgers-Brett Favre scenario in Green Bay not too long before that.

What I’m saying is: it wouldn’t be a bad thing to have another QB on the roster that is credible competition.

And since that potential competition is probably not on the roster – I have very little faith in Ricky Stanzi and even the mystique of Alex Tanney isn’t enough to convince me – it will likely have to come in free agency.

With the free agents at the position, there are three different classes that I believe quarterbacks fall into. The lowest level are backups that have just had their contracts expire and are looking for jobs: Brian Hoyer, Drew Stanton, both McCown’s, etc. The middle level are those who have had significant playing time, but for some reason or another, have found themselves in a backup role and are best suited in that backup role: Jason Campbell, Tarvaris Jackson, Rex Grossman, Matt Moore, Matt Leinart, David Carr. The highest level is the one where quarterbacks are highly sought, and for some reason became a free agent: this would include Manning’s release from Indianapolis last season, the impending release of Tony Romo (just kidding), and Carl Peterson’s wisdom to go with Elvis Grbac over Rich Gannon. This third category doesn’t happen often, and usually has an interesting story behind it, or at least the name of a younger talented quarterback.

If, somehow, Joe Flacco craps his pants in the Super Bowl and the Ravens say, screw it, we’re changing direction, then he will find himself in that third category. But since that is unlikely, and since I wasn’t really impressed with any of the names I mentioned earlier in the first two levels of free agent quarterbacks, what are the Chiefs to do?

Enter Alex Smith.

The 49ers may or may not trade him, but it’s already been leaked that Smith will request a release from the team in order to pursue the most possibilities for employment. With the last season and a half of resume, Smith will be pursued in free agency, and will likely come on a short contract, possibly even one year, although I’m sure he and his agent will try for three. If the Chiefs could get Smith on a two-year deal or less, I think that it’s a no-brainer the move makes sense.

A lot of people, of course, disagree with that sentiment. The very intelligent Bob Fescoe, one that speaks logically and wisely at all times, and someone that I would never speak facetiously about (I am) tweeted out that anyone that wants Alex Smith on the Chiefs is OK with mediocrity. I happen to disagree with that. Alex Smith is not a long-term answer, and everyone would know that, especially if we draft his replacement this season. What Smith would be is a stop-gap; someone to tutor and mentor a young quarterback who could find himself in a similar situation that Smith was in back in 2005. And besides, there’s no such thing as a bad one-year contract.

Smith was perhaps the latest blooming quarterback since Jim Plunkett, but he did find that consistency that was so lacking early in his career. It’s amazing what a good head coach and an offensive coordinator that lasts more than a year can do. Since the beginning of the 2011 season, Alex Smith had a 64.3 completion percentage, 4,881 yards, a 7.36 yards per attempts, with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. True, Smith did his best in an offense that didn’t allow him to expose himself like a West Coast Offense surely would, his numbers are still impressive.

While the effectiveness of former 49ers quarterbacks coming over to the Chiefs has had mixed results – Joe Montana, Steve Bono, Elvis Grbac – I hold that against Smith about as much as I hold USC quarterback struggles in the NFL against Matt Barkley; not at all. The Chiefs need to improve their quarterback situation, and if that means bringing in Alex Smith and Geno Smith to compete against each other for the starter’s job, how is that a bad thing?

***

My Super Bowl Pick: San Francisco 27      Baltimore 17

Jan 24, 2013; Fairhope AL, USA; Senior Bowl north squad quarterback Ryan Nassib of Syracuse (12) passes during Senior Bowl practice at Fairhope municipal stadium. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Former Cleveland Browns college scout and scouting administrator for the St. Louis Rams, Russell Lande, made some news in the Kansas City market when he tweeted that there was one quarterback worth taking with the first overall pick and then followed it up with an article for the National Football Post declaring that it was …. Ryan Nassib?

The only reason I knew who this guy was is because of the bowl game in which he played against Geno Smith, which was who I was watching for. But Lande is a MUCH better football mind than myself, and about 99% of the people reading this article, so let’s take a look at what he had to say:

“1. Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse (6020, 228 and 5.05): Already rising up draft boards, NFL personnel are excited to see Nassib matched up with the best senior talent in the country. Quick and athletic to avoid pressure, re-set and make accurate throws, Nassib has NFL teams intrigued. After charting out Nassib in five games we consider him to be the best quarterback in the 2013 NFL Draft and worth drafting with the first overall pick, so we are excited to see how he does in Mobile. Blessed with a strong arm, the ball bursts out of his hand and he can make 15+ yard throws with zip even when a defender is about to hit him and he cannot stride into his throw. Having played in the Big East where the defenses are not the same caliber as the SEC and some of the other conferences, NFL teams are interested to see how he does against top defenders. The big thing that Nassib must work on is his deep passing as he tends to put too much air under his throws which forces his receivers to slow up and wait for the ball. This allows the defensive back to close and make a play on the ball. He could be the story of Mobile if he has a strong week and begins climbing up into the high first round.”

Let’s just say this came as a surprise to me, and a lot of other Chiefs fans. The first I had heard of Nassib possibly creeping into the first round was from Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, when he mocked Nassib to the Buffalo Bills with the 8^th pick in the draft. His justification:

“New Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone comes from Syracuse, where he mentored and coached Nassib. It’s common sense to think the two would like to be reunited in Buffalo, but the mistake people make is in thinking the Bills can wait until the second round to nab one of the hottest rising names in the entire draft class.

We can all agree that quarterback is the biggest need for this team—so why not pull the trigger on the guy you know, love and trust? This may be a reach, but on my rankings, it’s no bigger reach than drafting Ryan Tannehill No. 8 overall last year.”

The frustrating part about Nassib is that hardly anyone can agree on him. Miller followed up mocking Nassib to Buffalo at #8 with putting him as his 38^th best player on a big board. Even Lande’s justification about the Chiefs taking Nassib wasn’t that clear: “In 1999 Andy Reid drafted Syracuse QB D. McNabb with the #2 pick in the Draft & had great success with him, so in the 2013 NFL Draft I think Andy Reid will draft another Syracuse QB, R. Nassib, but this time with the 1^st overall pick to lead the Chiefs!”

So, Nassib might go first overall because Andy Reid – who is not the General Manager by the way – wants to somehow come full-circle and take Nassib because he was successful taking his predecessor 14 years ago from the same school? Or is it because Lande truly believes Nassib is the best QB on the board?

While Nassib could very well skyrocket to the top of the draft board after a strong Senior Bowl and combine – Scott Wright from Draft Countdown said he was better than any of the quarterbacks on the South Team  while Mike Mayock of NFL Network compared him to Andy Dalton because of his “intelligence and love of the game”– I’d still consider most fans at that getting-to-know-you stage. So let’s take a look at Nassib’s numbers throughout his career.

Nassib was a three year starter with the Orange, going 755/1255 (60.2%) for 8,768 yards, with 67 TDs and 27 INTs. That translates to a touchdown pass every 18.7 pass attempts and an interception every 46.5 pass attempts. Just for some perspective, WVU’s Geno Smith threw a touchdown every 14.6 pass attempts and an interception every 69.4 pass attempts on his career. For even more perspective, Matt Cassel’s career featured a touchdown every 26.9 pass attempts and an interception every 35.9 pass attempts.

As far as Nassib’s senior season is concerned, the Orange finished the year 8-5 as Nassib was 294/471 (62.4%) for 3,749 yards, 26 TDs and 10 INTs. He had a 7.96 yards per attempt average, and had a 143.3 QB Rating, good for the 35^th highest passing efficiency in college football – but also below Geno Smith (6^th), Matt Barkley (12^th), EJ Manuel (14^th), Tyler Bray (29^th), Landry Jones (31^st), and Tyler Wilson (34^th). For the season, his numbers break down as 288.38 yards, 2 TDs and .77 INTs per game.

During the season, Nassib had two games in which he had less than a 60% completion percentage – at Rutgers (59.5%) and at Temple (57.1%) – and also had two games in which he had less than a 50% completion percentage – at Cincinnati (48.9%) and in the Pinstripe Bowl (47.8%). With the exception of the Rutgers game, three of those games, including the two under 50%, happened in the final five games of the season. In the other nine games, Nassib’s completion percentage was 66%.

When you break Nassib’s performance down to his competition, Nassib played five games against teams with top-33 defenses – Connecticut (9^th), Rutgers (10^th), Pittsburgh (17^th), Louisville (23^rd), and Minnesota (33^rd) – , five defenses between 34-65 in total defense – Northwestern (47^th), Cincinnati (54^th), Mizzou (58^th), USC (60^th), and South Florida (65^th) -, and then two with awful defenses – Temple (90^th) and West Virginia (108^th) in total defense (and no, I’m not counting Stony Brook).

Against top-33 defense, Nassib was 94/146 (64.4%) for 1,266 yards, 7 TDs and 5 INTs; that averages out as 253.2 yards, a 8.7 yards per attempt, 1.4 TDs and 1 INT per game. He went 3-2 in those games. In the next tier of competition, Nassib was 151/239 (63.2%) for 1,803 yards, with 13 TDs and 4 INTs; that averages as 360.6 passing yards, a 7.54 YPA, 2.6 TDs and .8 INTs.  He was 2-3 in those games. Finally, against the bottom defenses, Nassib was 27/51 (53%) for 345 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT. That comes to 172.5 yards per game, a 6.76 YPA, with 1.5 TDs and .5 INT.

Numbers never tell the whole story, but maybe they will help you understand why Nassib’s draft stock seems to polarizing. He did his best against better competition and struggled against weak competition. But hey, since when is that a bad thing? If Nassib is the guy, and proves to be so during his path to the draft, then so be it. Until then, I’ll just sit back, watch the Senior Bowl this afternoon, and see what the guy’s got.

Jan 4, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas A

Mel Kiper Jr. released his Mock Draft 1.0 on Wednesday and had Luke Joeckel, offensive tackle from Texas A&M, going #1 overall to the Kansas City Chiefs. This is what he had to say about the 6-6, 310 lbs junior:

“He has started every game at left tackle since he arrived on campus, protects the passer with what could almost be perceived as ease and has zero durability questions after three years against very good competition. Joeckel has been so good, a big question about him at this stage might be whether he’s truly nasty enough, a point of pride among elite O-linemen. The kid is a gifted technician at left tackle, and the Chiefs could go with the strategy of drafting their left tackle for the next 10 years here, then taking a shot on the best QB available with the first pick in Round 2. Two needs, two picks. We’ll see, but QB value at this draft slot isn’t in play right now.”

While many Chiefs fans scoff at this pick – myself included – I have a feeling this might be closer to reality than drafting a quarterback.

In new Chiefs general manager John Dorsey’s introductory press conference, he said this about his plans for the first overall selection: “pick the best player available.” He added, ““You spent all those months as a group staying true to your board, and all of a sudden you have to jump a player because of positional needs? I don’t think you do that. We [the Packers] have proven you don’t do that.”

So what he’s pretty much saying is that if there’s not a quarterback worth the first overall pick, don’t count on the Chiefs using that pick on one.

There has been much discussion about who would be the top quarterback in this year’s draft, and many are leaning towards Geno Smith from West Virginia. But being the best quarterback on the board doesn’t necessarily make you worth the first pick, at least according to the best player available (BPA) strategy. In fact, Gil “the Godfather” Brandt of NFL.com doesn’t have a single QB listed in his top 25 college prospects. So if Dorsey truly sticks to the board, and assuming his board isn’t that much different than the analysts, AND assuming the board doesn’t change that much between now and April (which it will), the Chiefs could very well be looking at Joeckel first overall.

So let’s say all those things come into effect. I’m going to play devil’s advocate here and am going to make the Case for Luke Joeckel Number One Overall.

When I wrote my piece a couple weeks back about Andy Reid, I mentioned that he sees the game through the “prism of the pass.” And one of those important elements is being able to keep the quarterback upright. That’s where the tackle position comes in. In Philly, Reid took two offensive linemen in the first round during his time there, and spent over 20 draft picks total on the offensive line. And yes, while Dorsey supposedly has the final say on the draft in April (and based off his press conference, I do believe that. The guy was straight intimidating), you have to believe Reid will have a bit to do with it.

As for the need at that position, there’s no guarantee Branden Albert will be coming back next season besides a franchise tag. In 2012, the tender for an offensive lineman was worth $9.383 million and will remain in that area as the salary cap is expected to remain flat in 2013. This is about a $6.5 million raise from last season. Sure, there’s always a chance the Chiefs and Albert could reach a long term contract before the draft, but it won’t come cheap. Albert has come into his own since being a first round pick, and some even consider him a top-10 left tackle in the league. And while Pro Football Focus went on to call Albert “superb,” that kind of recognition doesn’t come without a price tag.

In taking Joeckel, the Chiefs would be saving themselves quite a bit of money, while also getting a very good tackle prospect. How cheap you ask? Andrew Luck got a four year $22.1 million contract last year as the first pick. Albert and his agents might be wanting a contract where he makes that much in half the amount of time, in the spirit of Joe Thomas, Jake Long and Jason Peters. Is Albert worth that? Would that money be better served going towards a guy like Dwayne Bowe?

If there is no sure-thing quarterback, then why reach for one at the most crucial slot of the entire draft? And if the boards shake down like many analysts think it will, there is a strong possibility that quarterbacks such as Matt Barkley, Tyler Wilson, and Mike Glennon will be available with the second pick in the second round, which the Chiefs own. Much like how the 2011 Bengals selected A.J. Green with the fourth pick and Andy Dalton with the 35^th pick, the Chiefs could sure up two very important positions on the offense with their first two picks without the fear of reaching for a quarterback that is overrated.

Worried about the Jaguars leaping on the best QB available with the first pick of the second round? Then the Chiefs could be like the Vikings last season. They drafted offensive tackle Matt Kalil out of USC number four overall, then traded their second and fourth round picks (#35 and #98 overall) to get back into the first round and take Harrison Smith at pick 29. If the Chiefs are worried about the Jags adding to their QB conundrum down in Jacksonville, this is another reasonable route worth pursuing.

It’s the Chiefs luck that they couldn’t have been this awful last year and have had their choice between Andrew Luck and RG3, but that’s just how it is. The last thing Dorsey will want to do is use his first pick with the Chiefs on a risky quarterback that might not pan out and then have to be tied with him for a few years (this is what I call the Blaine Gabbert effect). If Dorsey truly means what he says and will take the best player available, it seems Joeckel is his man. Doesn’t mean he won’t draft a QB, just means he is true to the board and true to his word.

Sep 29, 2012; College Station, TX, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Tyler Wilson (8) throws a pass against the Texas A

With the success that my Geno Smith article had (and here it is) with breaking down the numbers from his college career, and more specifically his senior season, I’ve decided to go ahead and do the same thing for the top quarterback prospects coming out in the draft. Today, I turn my attention to a player that a lot of Chiefs fans think should be the first pick in the draft, or at least think should be the first pick in the draft after seeing Geno Smith’s and Mike Glennon’s bowl game performances.

The story of Wilson is an interesting one, and can’t be properly summed up by just discussing his senior year. Wilson got his opportunity to start when Ryan Mallett declared for the NFL Draft after his junior year. Mallett, who I considered one of the best quarterbacks coming out in that 2011 draft, unfortunately was rumored to have some less than desirable habits, and fell all the way to the 3^rd round where he is now backing up Tom Brady for the foreseeable future. While Mallett might look back and consider declaring in 2011 a mistake, it has worked to the benefit of his backup, Wilson.

By declaring, it allowed Wilson two full seasons to impress, which he has. His numbers, however, have failed to match many of Mallett’s. In two seasons at Arkansas, Mallett was 491/814 (60.3%) for 7,496 yards, a 9.2 yards per attempt (YPA), with 62 TDs and 19 INTs. In Wilson’s two years as starter, he is 526/839 (62.7%) for 7,025 yards, an 8.4 YPA, 45 TDs and 19 INTs. Now maybe you understand why I was so high on Mallett (and yes, I use ‘high’ ironically).

This is where I’m going to interject briefly about Mallett and his potential availability. Rumors were making their rounds about the possibility of Michael Lombardi getting the nod for the Cleveland Browns GM position and one of his first acts would be to bring over Mallett from New England. If the Chiefs wanted to do something like this, while still drafting a QB to have a competition for the starter’s position – assuming both Cassel and Quinn won’t be retained – I would not hate the idea. Alright, enough with my Mallett-bating.

It’s impossible to talk about Wilson’s stats, however, without mentioning how different his team was from his junior to senior seasons. Wilson had his better year in 2011, going 277/438 (63.2%) for 3,638 yards, an 8.3 YPA, with 24 TDs and 6 INTs. That season, Wilson had wide receivers Joe Adams, Greg Childs, and Jarius Wright who combined for 2,009 yards. They were all seniors, and were all drafted in last April’s draft in the 4^th round. Without those receivers, Wilson’s production slipped, and only produced one receiver with over 350 yards receiving – Cobi Hamilton with 1,335 yards. Not to mention how shaky his offensive line looked compared to 2011. But the graduation of players wasn’t the biggest thing that likely effected the dipping of Wilson’s performance.

In April of 2012, Arkansas Head Coach Bobby Petrino was reportedly in a motorcycle accident (I say reportedly because I’ve heard conflicting reports of what actually happened from people from that area). Usually that would be no big deal, but it ended up revealing that he was not only in an adulterous relationship with a female member of his football staff, but also giving her illegal benefits. On April 10^th, Petrino was fired from Arkansas, and less than two weeks later, John L. Smith, who was the Razorbacks special teams coach from 2009-2011, was named the head coach.

Petrino was a scumbag of a human being, but he was a good offensive-minded coach with NFL head coaching experience that was good at developing QBs. With him gone and Smith in, Wilson was forced to learn a new offense. This is a tall order for any QB, so a regression should have been expected. But let’s begin by breaking down the season Wilson had, which I will split into three parts.

First Four Games

• vs. Jacksonville State, W 49-24
• vs. ULM, was winning 21-7 before being knocked out with head injury
• vs. #1 Alabama, missed game with head injury
• vs. Rutgers, L 35-26

Arkansas was ranked #8 in the country after their opening win against Jacksonville State, but then it all went downhill from there. The Razorbacks would go on to be upset by ULM after Wilson never came out of the locker room after halftime, and then missed the following week against Alabama when his team was dismantled 52-0. He then came back only to suffer a loss to Rutgers. In those two and a half games Wilson played in, he was 50/86 (58%) for 982 yards, an 11.4 YPA, 8 TDs and 3 INTs.

Next Four Games

• @ Texas A&M, L 58-10
• @ Auburn, W 24-7
• vs. Kentucky, W 49-7, game called due to weather with 5:08 in 3^rd Quarter
• vs. Ole Miss, L 30-27

Tyler Wilson and the Razorbacks followed up three straight loses with another, this time to eventual Heisman winner Johnny Manziel. With the Aggies able to have their way with the Arkansas defense, Wilson had to throw early and often in that game. Wilson and the Hogs were able to bounce back with two straight wins over Auburn and Kentucky in which Wilson threw for five touchdowns against Kentucky before the game was called for severe weather with 5:08 left in the third quarter; who knows what his final numbers would have been if they hadn’t mercifully ended it. It then ended with a last second loss to Ole Miss in a game that wasn’t Wilson’s best. Overall, his numbers were 96/160 (60%) for 1,258 yards, a 7.9 YPA, 8 TDs and 4 INTs.

Last Four Games:

• vs. Tulsa, W 19-15
• @ #8 South Carolina, L 38-20
• @ Mississippi State, L 45-14
• vs. #7 LSU, L 20-13

Wilson’s senior campaign ended much as it began: in disappointment. While a win over a conference USA school got them to 4 wins and sorta/kinda kept their bowl berth hopes alive, three straight losses to SEC foes crushed any dreams at making the season a respectable one. During this time, Wilson was 101/153 (66%) for 1,133 yards, a 7.4 YPA, with 5 TDs and 6 INTs. As you can see, Wilson’s accuracy improved a whole 6% from the middle four games, while his YPA went down about half a yard, and nearly 4 yards lower than from his first three games. Wilson also threw more interceptions than touchdowns in the last third of the season.

Averages and Outliers

This was a section I did not have for my post on Geno Smith, and I think that was a mistake. While I did many number breakdowns, I think this section will help even further expand on the type of season Wilson, and the accompanying quarterbacks I will break down in the coming weeks, had.

On the season, Wilson averaged 22.63 pass attempts, 307.91 yards, 1.9 touchdowns and 1.18 interceptions per game. Compare that to his 21.31 pass attempts, 279.84 yards, 1.85 touchdowns and .46 interceptions per game in 2011. As you can see, his senior season was with mixed reviews, especially looking at that increase in interceptions from one year to the next, and a case can be made that he was trying to carry the team on his back too much. On his career (his two years as starter), Wilson averaged 21.91 pass attempts, 292.71 yards, 1.875 touchdowns and .79 interceptions per game. If you throw out Wilson’s outliers this season – being his best game and his worst game (which I made the Kentucky and Ole Miss games) – his averages look like this: 302 pass yards, 1.56 touchdowns and 1.22 interceptions.

And if you like ratios, then here we go: in Wilson’s senior season, he averaged an interception every 30.85 pass attempts and a touchdown every 19.1 pass attempts. In his junior year, those numbers were an interception every 73 pass attempts and a touchdown every 18.25 pass attempts. On his career, he averaged an interception every 44.16 pass attempts and a touchdown every 18.64.

The Opponents

It would be too easy to say that Wilson was 0-2 against teams that were ranked at the time they faced each other (remember, he didn’t play against Alabama) this season. It would also be too easy to say Wilson was a career 4-4 against ranked opponents, including a bowl victory over Kansas State in the 2011 Cotton Bowl. But then I’d be doing both you and myself a disservice by not digging deeper.

In 2012, Wilson faced five teams ranked within the top 50 for total defense in the FBS: Rutgers (10^th), Ole Miss (46^th), Tulsa (25^th), South Carolina (11^th), and LSU (8^th). Against those teams, Wilson was 122/206 (59.2%) for 1,624 yards, a 7.9 YPA, for 8 TDs and 8 INTs. That breaks down as 324.8 passing yards, 1.6 TDs and 1.6 INTs a game. Wilson was 1-4 in those games.

Wilson also faced five teams from 56^th to 79^th in total defense in the FBS (in comparison, Geno Smith was able to face four teams ranked from 98^th to 113^th in total defense. Wilson was not that lucky). Those teams were Texas A&M (56^th), Mississippi State (58^th), Kentucky (60^th), LA-Monroe (76^th) and Auburn (79^th). In those games, Wilson was 106/166 (63.9%) for 1,382 yards, 8.3 YPA, 10 TDs and 5 INTs. That breaks down as 276.4 yards, 2 TDs and 1 INT per game. Wilson was 2-2 in games that he was able to finish (as I mentioned earlier, he didn’t return after halftime in the ULM game).

In Perspective

As I mentioned in the Geno Smith article, 4 wins for a quarterback taken in the first round is rare. For the first quarterback off the board in the last 10 years, those QBs average 10.3 wins in their final season. For QBs taken with the #1 pick, they average 11.4 wins in the final college season (including Sam Bradford’s junior year since he missed majority of senior year). And for first round QBs in general, the average wins for final college season are 9.6.

Wilson isn’t the only QB with first round potential that had an awful season in their final year before entering the NFL. Josh Freeman, Jay Cutler, and J.P. Losman each lost five games in their final college season. You’d have to go back to 2002 when the Redskins drafted Patrick Ramsey with the 32^nd overall pick to get a 1^st round QB with 4 wins or less – Ramsey had 3. But hey, is there really much difference between four and five wins?

Much like Geno in West Virginia, Wilson’s defense held him back. While the Razorbacks offense averaged 23.5 points per game, the Razorbacks 73^rd ranked total defense gave up an average of 30.4 points per game. Can’t win a lot of games when your team gives up more points than it scores (you can call that wisdom by Nathan).

Also, if you want a little more scouting and a little less numbers, here is B.J. Kissel’s case for Tyler Wilson from Arrowhead Pride. As he told me on twitter, if you take away 15-20% of his throws, Wilson would be the unquestioned #1 overall pick. Unfortunately you can’t, and bad decisions are what make his case unsure. And even though Arkansas didn’t participate in a bowl game this season, we won’t have to miss the opportunity to overreact about a single game performance because Wilson is the top quarterback prospect partaking in this year’s Senior Bowl, on January 26^th, so there’s that to look forward to.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I hope I have time to break down at least two more quarterbacks.

December 30, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid looks on against the New York Giants during the first quarter of an NFL game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

One Scott Pioli firing and a failed fat joke by Ed Werder later, the Chiefs made the hiring of Andy Reid as their next Head Coach official Friday evening. Whether this was a good hire or not has yet to be determined, but it is undeniably a big and bold – not to mention expensive – move by Clark Hunt that shows the fan base that he is willing to do what it takes to win and win now. Like when Jim Irsay fired Bill Pollian and his son last year from the Colts in the process of taking back his franchise, it seems that Hunt was determined to do the same.

Hunt, however, will not be the coach and will not be responsible for shaping this team in his own image, which is why I am turning my attention to Andy Reid, and breaking down his career with the Eagles into a few different categories, including stats, tendencies, etc. First and foremost, let’s begin with the wins/losses.

Andy Reid’s Record

In Reid’s 14 seasons as the Eagles head coach, he had a 130-93-1 record, good for a .583 winning percentage. To put that into comparison, Bill Belichick (18 seasons) has a .649 winning percentage, Jeff Fisher (18 years) has a .538 winning percentage, while fired head coaches Norv Turner (14 years) has a .483 winning percentage, and Lovie Smith (9 years) has a .563 winning percentage. In fact, only five teams have a better winning percentage than the Reid-lead Eagles over that same time frame: Patriots, Colts, Steelers, Packers and Ravens. Obviously, when you’ve been a head coach for as long as Reid and you have a record like his, it is impressive.

Included in those 130 wins are nine playoff seasons – 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Of those playoff years, the average number of victories during that time is 11. The five seasons Reid didn’t make the playoffs were his first year (5-11), 2005 (6-10), 2007 (8-8), 2011 (8-8) and last season with a 4-12 record, the worst of his tenure. If you’re paying attention, you’ll realize that Reid never had back-to-back losing seasons, something Chiefs fans should salivate about.

Andy Reid’s Offense

The Eagles offense under Reid – from McNabb to Vick – could more often than not be described as prolific. In eight of Reid’s seasons with Philly, the team was ranked in the top 10 for points per game; and in only three seasons were the Eagles not in the top half of the NFL in that category. If you are more of a yards-per-game connoisseur, they were in the top 10 for that stat seven times.

A reason for this is probably the offensive philosophy Reid follows: the West Coast Offense. And while Reid seemed to be a progressive in recognizing the NFL was becoming a pass-first league when he took over the reins in Philly, it’s actually been a criticism I’ve heard from disgruntled Eagles fans over the last couple of seasons. The most repeated criticism is the utilizing, or lack thereof, of LeSean McCoy. Well, since I watch “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and know that Eagles fans can’t always be trusted, I decided to do a little research of my own.

Under Reid’s guidance, the Eagles attempted passes on just over 57% of their offensive play calls. To put that into perspective, the Chiefs have attempted passes on about 53% of their plays during that same time frame. The difference between those two numbers is 550 pass attempts, otherwise known as one full season by a very busy quarterback. But that’s just known as the West Coast Offense, and isn’t out of the ordinary anymore – the league is averaging pass attempts on 56.4% of plays this season, highest in NFL history for a season.

It won’t produce, however, to the rushing clip that Chiefs fans have been accustomed to. In Reid’s tenure, the Eagles offense only produced a 1,000 yard rusher six times: 1999, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2010, and 2011. Those six comprise of three different runners – Duce Staley, Brian Westbrook, and most recently LeSean McCoy. Jamaal Charles has had three 1,000 yard seasons in the last four seasons, so yeah …

As far as the utilization of McCoy: the running back averaged about 17 rush attempts per game in 2012, 18.2 in 2011, 13.8 in 2010, and 9.7 in 2009. Plus, over those four seasons, McCoy added 1,588 receiving yards; running backs that can catch the football out of the backfield is essential to a Reid team. For comparison, Charles has averaged 14.9 carries a game, not including his injury-shortened 2011 season, since 2009. Compared to McCoy’s 14.7 carries per game average, I think the Chiefs might have a better case for being livid over the under-utilization of Charles.

I did recognize a correlation, however, between rushing attempts and 1,000 seasons for the Eagles. When Reid has allowed the team to attempt a minimum of 415 rushes in a season, the Eagles are 6 for 8 on producing 1,000 yard rushers. The two seasons that didn’t happen, the leading rushers had 936 yards and 613 yards. And if you’re curious about how those six seasons that produced 1,000 yard rushers went, the team averaged 8.8 wins. So running the ball doesn’t necessarily translate into dominance for a Reid-lead offense, but it can’t hurt to have one of the best backs in the NFL on his new team. As Bill Williamson, the AFC West blogger for ESPN, said earlier today: Reid must ride Jamaal Charles.

Andy Reid’s Drafts

As the SB Nation Eagles draft stated earlier, while preparing Chiefs fans for their new head coach, Reid “sees the NFL through the prism of the pass.”  That means Reid loves getting guys that can contribute to the passing game – WR’s, offensive lineman – and can harass the passing game – edge pass rushers, cornerbacks. Reid’s draft history supports this thought.

In Reid’s first draft with the Eagles, he took quarterback Donovan McNabb with his first selection, number two overall. Since that 1999 draft, the Eagles used seven first round selections on players that matched the above criteria – two offensive linemen, two defensive ends, two wide receivers, and one defensive back. Not to mention the number of these same positions the Eagles have selected after the first round – Trent Cole, DeSean Jackson, Mike Kelce, Jason Avant, Kevin Kolb, Sheldon Brown, Nick Foles, Vinny Curry, etc.

As Bill Barnwell from Grantland pointed out in his article about Andy Reid’s legacy in Philly “Each of Reid’s first seven drafts after he joined the organization produced at least one Pro Bowl player, with those first seven drafts producing 16 Pro Bowl appearances from eight players.”

Will Andy Reid take a quarterback number one overall with the Chiefs this April? I think Reid would lose all of his good will from Chiefs fans if he doesn’t.

Andy Reid’s Free Agency

You might remember when the supposed “Dream Team” was christened in Philly a couple of years back after several big free agents were brought in. Most of these free agents follow the same passing “prism” that his draft record shows: Nnamdi Asomugha, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Jason Babin. Before them were Asante Samuel, Javon Kearse, Jon Runyan, Jason Peters and Terrell Owens (DMC, Peters and Owens actually being products of a trade, but I’ll still include them in this free agency section). And let’s not forget Reid’s willingness to bring in Michael Vick once released from prison; granted it’s a move that looked much better two years ago then it does today.

It seemed like Philly was always a big player in the free agent market, and whether that was because of ownership or Reid himself, I’m not sure. But if Clark Hunt is as serious about winning as most fans in KC now think he is, I wouldn’t be surprised if Reid gets to be just as aggressive in the free agent market, both acquiring and trading players, as he was in Philly; for better or worse.

Andy Reid in the Playoffs

Reid’s work in the playoffs is very impressive. He has a 10-9 record in the postseason, including taking the Eagles to five Conference Championship games and one Super Bowl. And while the Eagles haven’t won a playoff game since January 11^th, 2008, I think all Chiefs fans can agree that ain’t too bad.

For those knocking Reid’s inability to win it all, I tend to agree with Bill Barnwell, a contributor to Grantland, when he wrote “Particularly bitter Eagles fans will argue that Reid needed to win a Super Bowl to justify his existence, but that argument doesn’t carry a ton of weight these days. How many people have either mentioned or noticed without saying it that the most important thing about the NFL playoffs is merely getting in? The Giants have made a living off of limping through the regular season before dominating in two different postseason runs. If it is really that much of a crapshoot, shouldn’t we be crediting Reid for gaming the system properly and getting as many cracks at the postseason as possible as opposed to lining up to attack him for only reaching the Super Bowl once?”

For perspective, Reid’s playoff winning percentage is .526. Tony Dungy’s was .474, Jeff Fisher’s is .455, while Marty Schottenheimer’s was .348 (ugh).

Questions I have about Andy Reid

How many changes are going to accompany Reid’s presence in Kansas City? I’m not talking about the General Manager position, but potential roster changes. Reid always ran a 4-3 defense in Philly, does that mean he plans on running one in Kansas City? And if he does, do the Chiefs have the personnel on the roster to make the switch back? With all the talent the Chiefs have on defense – which was put on display when the Pro Bowl roster was announced – Reid should have no problem attracting defensive coordinator candidates.

Another, and my main concern actually, is if Reid is emotionally or mentally fatigued and if that will affect him this season. After all, it was less than a year ago that Andy’s son, Garrett, was found dead of an accidental heroin overdose on August 5^th, 2012. Reid learned of the tragedy on a Sunday and returned to practice on Wednesday. That means Reid has taken two days off since his son died, and as a head coach, you wonder how that might affect him now and how it affected him last season in the Eagles 4-12 year which lead to Reid’s termination. Nobody knows better than Andy what he’s going through and what he’s capable of doing and dealing with; just thinking about myself and how I would deal with something like that, I’m not sure if taking some time off wouldn’t be in his best interest. But everyone grieves in different ways, so who am I to question his decision. I just hope that fatigue I think might be there doesn’t manifest itself with this Chiefs team, and that a change of scenery is all he needs to feel rejuvenated.

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading about the Chiefs new head coach! Whether you agree with the decision or not, it’s a done deal, so we might as well enjoy the change. After all, Pioli IS gone. Long live the Chiefs!

December 1, 2012; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith (12) celebrates in the student section of the stands after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks at Milan Puskar Field. The West Virginia Mountaineers won 59-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight, Geno Smith will lead the West Virginia Mountaineers against their former Big East rival Syracuse in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. And while any bowl invite is a privilege, it certainly can’t be the final game Smith was hoping for when he was the Heisman front-runner as recently as the second week of October and the Mountaineers offense looked unstoppable. Five straight wins to start the season, including winning their first two inaugural Big 12 games, surely had hopes higher than a December bowl game. In retrospect, however, Smith can’t be that disappointed in his senior season; from an individual point-of-view at least.

Smith’s team might have only won seven games, but his performance at the quarterback position – 350/490 (71.4%) 4,004 yards, 8.2 YPA, 40 TDs, 6 INTs, 2 Rushing TDs – established him as a guaranteed first round draft pick and potentially the first player off the board. After all, what he did at West Virginia was extraordinary: 5^th in FBS in passing efficiency, 6^th in FBS in passing offense, and 7^th in FBS in scoring offense. The credentials are there, and B.J. Kissel over at Arrowhead Pride made a very convincing case for Geno Smith last week; but I’m going to spend a little more time examining those credentials.

First, let’s take a look at Geno Smith’s career before his senior season (I consider it a mistake to ignore the body of work). In Smith’s sophomore season, he went 241/372 (64.8%) for 2,763 yards, a 7.4 YPA, with 24 TDs and 7 INTs. The Mountaineers finished 9-3 that season with a 6-1 record at home and a 3-2 record on the road. In his junior year, Smith completed 346/526 (65.8%) for 4,385 yards, an 8.3 YPA, 31 TDs and only 7 INTs. Smith also added two rushing TDs. The Mountaineers once again finished 9-3 with a 5-2 record at home and a 4-1 record on the road.

As you can see, Smith progressed from one year to the next just as you would want for a starting quarterback and an NFL prospect. Smith attempted 154 more passes, improved his completion percentage by one percent, improved his yards per attempt by nearly an entire yard, added 1,622 passing yards, and tacked on 7 TDs while keeping his ridiculously low 7 INT mark. Just based on this improvement, there would have been room on an NFL roster for Smith last year, but decided he had some unfinished business to prove.

While that unfinished business didn’t turn up in the win/loss column, no one can say he didn’t improve. Completing 71.4% of his passes, he sits just below Robert Griffin III’s 72.4% completion percentage in 2011 (won Heisman, 2^nd overall pick) and just above Andrew Luck’s 71.3% completion percentage also in 2011 (runner-up in Heisman, 1^st overall pick). Needless to say, that statistic alone puts Smith in good company. Smith’s TD to INT rate also puts him in that same group of names, and is actually better than Luck’s 37/10 rate or Griffin’s 37/6 rate.

What Luck or Griffin didn’t do, however, was lose five games in a row. No matter how good his stats are, this is a black eye on his draft stock. So let me take you into the season Smith had in detail and breakdown what he did in perspective to the schedule and the opponent.

Geno Smith’s season can almost be broken down into three parts: The first five games, the next five games, and the final two games. These three parts are divided by different winning streaks, and obviously don’t take into account the bowl game (I had to have the post up this morning; otherwise I would have waited until tomorrow to see how Smith performs in his final game as a Mountaineer).

First Five Games:

• vs Marshall, W 69-34
• vs James Madison, W 42-12
• vs Maryland, W 31-21
• vs #25 Baylor, W 70-63
• @ #11 Texas, W 48-45

The season began about as well as any Mountaineer fan could hope for: a win over in-state rival Marshall; victories against the first two Big 12 opponents they faced, both of which happened to be ranked in the top-25 (and what would be their only two wins over ranked opponents on the year); and a Heisman frontrunner in Geno Smith who during this five game stretch was 66/204 (81.4%) for 1,996 yards, a 9.7 YPA, with 24 TDs, 1 rushing TD, and no INTs. In fact, after West Virginia’s win over #11 Texas, the University started selling shirts that read on the back “Brand New Conference. Same Results.” Times were good in Morgantown.

Next Five Games:

• @ Texas Tech, L 49-14
• vs #4 Kansas State, L 55-14
• vs TCU, L 39-38 2OT
• @ Oklahoma State, L 55-34
• vs #12 Oklahoma, L 50-49

While West Virginia began its Big 12 birth with a bang, the true baptism came over the course of these five weeks: a blowout loss to an unranked Texas Tech, a heartbreaking double overtime loss at home against TCU, another blowout loss on the road against Oklahoma St, and finally another disappointing outcome against a ranked Oklahoma. The biggest loss for Geno Smith, however, has to be the home loss to Kansas State. Smith, still the Heisman frontrunner at the time of the game – Oct. 20 – was playing in primetime against a visiting Kansas State team and their own Heisman candidate. In the spotlight, Smith was 21/32 (66%) for only 143 yards, a 4.5 YPA, 1 TD and 2 INTs. Those were his first two interceptions of the year. Smith would finish the five game losing skid 139/231 (60.2%) for 1,365 yards, a 5.9 YPA, 11 TDs, 1 rushing TD, and 5 INTs; quite the drop-off from the first five games.

Final Two Games:

• @ Iowa State, W 31-24
• vs Kansas, W 59-10

If you could pick two Big 12 opponents to end a season on, I think these would be the two that you choose. Nevertheless, Smith and the Mountaineers were barely able to squeak by Iowa State, but when you’re on a five game losing streak, no win comes easy. Finally, Smith was able to beat up on Kansas during the final game to the rate of 23/24 passing (96%) for 407 yards, an insane 17.0 YPA, for 3 TDs and 1 INT. This performance allowed him to get to the round numbers of +4,000 yards passing and 40 TDs. The totals for those two games is 45/55 (82%) for 643 yards, 11.7 YPA, 5 TDs and 1 INT.

The Opponents:

While going .500 against ranked opponents in the Big 12 isn’t bad at all, I want to go into a little more detail about the defenses Smith actually faced during his big season. After all, it was Smith who said “I don’t see it as myself against those defensive players, because they don’t come up with their game plan. I see it as myself against the defensive coordinator.”

In three games, Smith faced teams that didn’t have total defenses ranked in the top 100 in NCAA FBS rankings: Marshall (102^nd), Baylor (119^th), and Kansas (113^th). Iowa State was close being 98^th. In those four games, Smith was 122/142 (86%) for 1,622 yards, an 11.4 YPA, 17 TDs, 1 INT, and 1 rushing TD. Smith was 4-0 in these games.

Now that you’ve seen what he did against bad defenses, here’s how he did against good defenses. Smith faced two defenses ranked in the top 20 – Maryland (20^th) and TCU (18^th) – while facing another three that were in the top 44 – Texas Tech (39^th), Kansas State (42^nd), and Oklahoma (44^th). In those five games, Smith was 133/220 (60.5%) for 1,339 yards, a 6.08 YPA, 12 TDs and 5 INTs. Smith was 1-4 in these games.

The other two games include a win over Texas and their 75^th ranked defense and a loss at Oklahoma State which featured the 82^nd total defense. Oh, and I guess I’ll throw in that game against FCS school James Madison. In those games, Smith was 95/128 (74.2%) for 1,043 yards, 8.15 YPA, 11 TDs, 1 rushing TD, and 0 INTs. He was 1-1 against real opponents.

In Perspective:

As you can see, Smith ran all over bad defenses, but struggled mightily (if you can consider 5 INTs in 5 games) against good defenses. While this makes sense, you still want to see a potential #1 overall pick be able to have more success against those teams. After all, losing five straight games doesn’t happen very often for first round quarterbacks.

In fact, during the last ten years, no quarterback taken with the first pick in the draft has lost five straight games during their final college season. Only 3 of the 30 QBs taken in the first round over that time frame have lost five in a row and those were Josh Freeman, Jay Cutler and J.P. Losman, taken #17, #11 and #22 respectively.

Here’s some more statistics for QBs drafted in the first round: only 7 of those 30 QBs over the last ten drafts have had seven wins or fewer in their final college season. For the first quarterback off the board, those QBs average 10.3 wins in their final season. For QBs taken with the #1 pick, they average 11.4 wins in the final college season (including Sam Bradford’s junior year since he missed majority of senior year). And for first round QBs in general, the average wins for final college season are 9.6. Smith sits at 7 barring the result of tonight’s bowl game.

But hey, he can only control the offense, and the Mountaineers defense didn’t do him many favors this season. The defense was 116^th in points allowed (38.1 per game) and is ranked 107^th in Total Defense. This lack of execution by the defense put a lot of pressure on Smith to carry the team, which he did to the best of his ability. Plus, QB wins are a historically overrated stat as it is.

If the Chiefs make him their first round pick in April, I think they got a very good player with a lot of talent that could turn the franchise around. While my selection would be aimed at a different QB out west, I don’t think Smith would be the wrong pick whatsoever. I just wanted to put what he did in perspective to not only his opponents but to precedent.

I hope you enjoyed it and learned some stuff. Be sure to hit up the comment section below.

Dec 16, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) drops back to pass against the Houston Texans during the second quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

If you have tuned in to a NFL game this season and was taken-aback by a pair of shaven-headed cheerleaders wearing wrist bands with the words ChuckStrong* printed on them, then you have watched an Indianapolis Colts game. And it’s not only the team’s commitment to their leukemia-battling head coach, Chuck Pagano, which is strong; it’s their record as well.

*New LiveStrong perhaps?

The Colts enter Arrowhead on Sunday with a 9-5 record, 2^nd in the AFC South, and with a chance to clinch a wild card playoff spot with a win. They are outperforming their Pythagorean expectation, or expected wins/losses – measured using points scored and points allowed and have the Colts at closer to a six win team then a nine win team – which means they are dynamite in close games. With so much to play for in this uplifting and inspirational story in Indianapolis, the Colts are looking to put the finishing touches on their playoff doubts and a whooping on the hapless Chiefs.

Offense

I’m not going to beat around the bush: I love Andrew Luck as a player. Should he be NFL Rookie of the Year? No. Robert Griffin III should run away with that one. Would I promise to name all of my henceforth lineage after him if he somehow defected and became a Chief? Without a doubt. He might still be going through rookie growing pains, but he is running an offense most offensive coordinators wouldn’t dream trying to implement to a quarterback until at least their third year. With just 22 passing yards on Sunday, Luck will pass the 4,000 yard threshold. Additionally, he has 20 TDs compared to 18 INTs (which is why I think it would be a mistake to award him ROTY over RGIII) while completing 54.6% of his passes.*

*Amazingly even lower than Mark Sanchez’s 54.8 completion percentage.

A real struggle for the Colts has been their rushing offense, having a committee approach (Chiefs 2011) to the position between Vick Ballard, Donald Brown, and Delone Carter. Ballard, the rookie 5^th round pick out of Mississippi State, leads the squad with 667 rushing yards, with Andrew Luck leads the team in rushing scores with 5 (he also has 233 rushing yards).*

*Which means Luck has more rushing yards and TDs than Peyton Hillis …

For receivers, Luck has found a favorite target in Reggie Wayne, having a renaissance of a season with 97 catches, 1,234 yards, and 4 TDs. Donnie Avery, the free agent acquisition, and T.Y. Hilton, the 2012 3^rd round pick from Florida International, round out the top three with both having over 700 yards catching. For tight ends, a pair of rookies makes up that group with 2^nd round pick and former Stanford teammate of Luck’s, Coby Fleener, and Dwayne Allen, the 2012 3^rd round pick out of Clemson who occasionally comes in as a full back. Allen has 482 yards and 3 TDs while Fleener, battling injuries this season, only has 278 receiving yards and 1 TD.*

*Better than Jon Baldwin’s numbers.

For the offensive line, the Colts have the 25^th best (or worst) run blocking and 22^nd best pass protection unit according to Football Outsiders; which isn’t good. Injuries have forced a lot of guys to be thrown in the fire, but I’m not sure if their backups are all that much worse than their starters at this point. From left to right: Anthony Castonzo, the Colts 2011 first round pick; Joe Reitz, who was born in Indy; Samson Satele, a second round pick by the Dolphins in 2007 who was traded to the Raiders after just one season; Mike McGlynn, a free agent signing of this offseason; and Winston Justice, because it’s hard to be a right tackle in this league without having Winston in your name.

On the season, the Colts are 8^th in passing yards per game (267.6) and 21^st in rushing yards per game (107.1).

Defense

When Pagano came over from the Ravens, he brought in a different defensive scheme than had been used previously under the Tony Dungy coaching tree. Out went the 4-3; in came the 3-4. And one of the first questions that was asked was: how are Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney going to fit into this? Freeney, a 7x Pro Bowler, and Mathis, a 4x Pro Bowler, were the identity of the defense from the defensive end positions. Well, much like how Tamba Hali made the switch from DE to OLB under Romeo Crennel, Mathis and Freeney have fit right in. They’ve combined for another 11 sacks while continuing to grow in this new defensive system.

For the rest of the linebacking unit, Jerrell Freeman* leads the team with 125 tackles while the guy beside him, Kavell Conner, is a distant third on the team with 54. For the defensive line, Cory Redding, Antonio Johnson, and Clifton Geathers** make up the unit.

*Originally an undrafted free agent in 2008, Freeman spent three seasons in the CFL with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

**Brother of Bengals defensive end Robert Geathers.

In the defensive backfield, the Colts have Vontae Davis and Darius Butler at the corner positions. If you are a fan of the HBO football series, Hard Knocks, then you should be familiar with the scene of Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland explaining to Davis that he had been traded to the Colts. Davis, the former first round draft pick in 2009 out of Illinois, was traded for a second round pick. Well, Davis hasn’t exactly wowed anyone, having no interceptions on the year. But as bad as the Colts defense is now, without Davis the Colts might not be looking to clinch a playoff berth this weekend. As far as the rest of the backfield is concerned, underrated free safety Antoine Bethea* has 89 tackles and 2 sacks while the strong safety, Tom Zbikowski, who followed Pagano this offseason to Indy, has 38 tackles and an interception.

*A two-time Pro Bowler.

With none of the statistics I included above wowed you, that’s probably because the Colts are 21^st in passing yards allowed per game (241.6) and 23^rd in rushing yards allowed per game (124.7).

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, I offered up my opinion on who I think the Chiefs should take with their first round pick, Matt Barkley. I got some positive responses, and I got some negative responses. I clearly expect that to happen again with this post, especially after the editor of Arrowhead Addict, Patrick Allen, wrote about the rumors that have been cycling around about the possibility of former Bills, Jaguars and Colts General Manager, Bill Polian, being a likely candidate to land in Kansas City if current Chiefs GM, Scott Pioli, is let go after the season.

This is what Allen wrote about the possibility: “Hiring Polian would be a brilliant move by Hunt. He’d be getting an experienced executive and personnel man but at the same time, he’d be getting the younger Chris Polian as well. Polian senior was 69 when the Colts fired him in January. He likely won’t be with the Chiefs for long but he certainly could stick around long enough to get the franchise back on track.”

The responses in the comments section were mostly positive to this idea, as I figured they would be. When first considering GM candidates this season when it became clear this whole Scott Pioli thing wasn’t working out, Bill Polian was one of the first guys that came to my mind. After all, he’s taken two different teams to five combined Super Bowls, winning one. He’s won multiple Executive of the Year Awards, and it’s hard to deny the sustained success he was able to achieve with each team he managed.

Then I started to remember some rumblings coming out of Indianapolis when Polian, and his son Chris, the GM, were fired. While many other fans of many other teams seemed shocked that Polian would be fired because of one bad season missing his star quarterback and after maintaining such a high level of success over the years in Indy, I remember Colts fans not being that shocked. In fact, many of them, if my memory served me correctly, were ecstatic that Polian was gone. After spending a few minutes on Google, I found articles supporting my memory.

The first article I found was from the Colts’ SB Nation Blog, Stampede Blue, and titled: The Polian Reign of Terror Ends. As the article goes:

“I couldn’t get out of my head the unbelievable culture of fear that the insecure, violently paranoid Polians used to keep control of the organization. And I won’t lie. I’m glad Polian and his equally odious son were fired.

Not reassigned. Not ‘allowed to resign.’ Fired.

It was a fitting end to two people who simply lacked the ability to treat others decently and respectfully, especially if those others worked under them…

… I don’t wish plague or ruin on the Polian household, but I am glad that their silly little game of playing dictator is now out of Indianapolis.”

Those are some pretty strong sentiments. And the blogger is not alone. Here is another story, this one from the IndyStar, which documents some of Polian’s dictator habits including arrogance, openly ignoring employees, a God-complex, and overall douchebaggery. And yes, I know what you’re thinking: that sounds like Scott Pioli.

And this is exactly why the Chiefs and Clark Hunt should stay as far away from Polian as they possibly can. Just because we’ve become accustomed to one dictator is no reason why we should hire another one. Think of this as GMs think of coaching changes. When one coach is fired, the most common thing to do is hire another head coach with a near opposite personality/coaching style as the one just let go. Think Herm Edwards to Todd Haley and then Todd Haley to Romeo Crennel. Call it an over-correction, but this is just something teams and management tends to do.

I don’t know about you guys, but I’m tired of the whole dictator thing in Kansas City, and that sound like exactly what the Chiefs would be getting. True, what Patrick Allen wrote earlier highlighted Polian’s positives, and admittedly there are many. And I will also admit that winning hides the flaws that losing brings to the surface. But I don’t know if I can support another General Manager/whatever Bill would be that would cause anymore anxiety at Arrowhead.

Been there, done that.

November 10, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley (7) calls a play against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

I’m going to say this, and I’m going to keep saying this until proven otherwise: The Chiefs WILL take a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft.

It’s as simple as that. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Sure, some people will say you should never reach in the draft. Some will say it’s dumb to take anything other than ‘Best Player Available,’ to not become hijacked by your own team needs, and that Rome wasn’t built in a day so don’t draft a player for an immediate impact. Different teams have different draft strategies, and for most scenarios besides one, I hope the Chiefs try to follow those generic guidelines. That one exception I mentioned, however, is when it comes to the quarterback position.

We are all Chiefs fans, so I’ll spare you the embarrassing statistics and the depressing commentary on the state of the current Chiefs quarterback situation. Instead, I’ll sum it up with the following words: It’s bad.

I was not the least bit concerned, however, when I saw Todd McShay’s recent 1^st round mock draft. After looking over it, I chuckled more than every time I see Mel Kiper’s hair. It featured Star Lotulelei from Utah going to the Chiefs with the number one pick, and not just one quarterback – Geno Smith – in the top 10, but one quarterback taken in the ENTIRE first round of the Draft. Not only is this nonsense, it’s also insulting to a fan’s intelligence.

Before you get all freaked out about a defensive tackle being taken with the first overall pick, let’s take a little stroll down memory lane. I will separate my points by bullets:

• McShay and Kiper are draft experts because they are PAID to be draft experts. That means they come out with about 100 of these things between now and then and they never seem to be the same from one to the next. They change when new information, 40 times, strengths, etc. are measured and assessed.
• McShay isn’t the end-all be-all on assessing quarterbacks in the first round and didn’t have Ryan Tannehill in the first round of last year’s draft until the very end of March when he miraculously made a jump to number 10 overall. Whether it’s because he finally accounted for the value of the position or actually took the time to watch some tape on Tannehill remains to be seen.
• Even draft “experts” make mistakes. Mike Mayock, a football and draft commentator for NFL Network and a source I’ve grown to enjoy, had Blaine Gabbert and Jake Locker as his top two quarterbacks of 2011 over Cam Newton before the NFL Combine. And that was BEFORE Cam looked awful at the throwing portion. Nonetheless, Cam went number one and is doing well while Gabbert was the third QB taken and has been … uh (realizes loyal Mizzou fans who read the blog will never accept that he is awful) … lackluster. Just makes you realize that the draft guys who actually work for NFL teams and not TV stations are probably pretty good.
• One quarterback taken in the first round of a modern day NFL draft is a laughable prediction. There has been no fewer than two quarterbacks taken in the first round of every draft since 2001 – Michael Vick . Four quarterbacks have gone in the first round of the last two drafts each. And for the frosting on the cake, the number one pick has gone to the quarterback position 8 of the last 10 drafts – Mario Williams and Jake Long being the two exceptions. This tendency probably has something to do with the trend of teams possessing the first overall pick having quarterback issues.
• I’ll go out on a limb and say that the Chiefs organization has never, in its long and illustrious history, needed a certain position addressed more than this team. If the Chiefs don’t end up with the first overall pick (they’d really have to screw that one up), they would still HAVE to take a quarterback in the first round, by either trading or taking one with their given selection.

Now that I have cleared that up, let’s talk about the quarterbacks. Mel Kiper tweeted out that North Carolina State’s Mike Glennon could be the first quarterback off the board while West Virginia’s Geno Smith looks to be the second quarterback taken. Aaron Murray could be heading back to Georgia, but his name has been floated around as a possible first round pick, and Tennessee’s Tyler Bray (who could also go back for his senior year) had a lot of fanfare before the season began. And while Arkansas’s Tyler Wilson didn’t live up to the hype this season (I blame that on coaching changes and an awful O-Line), I’d be surprised if he wasn’t a pick in the top half of the first round. But as talented as all those quarterbacks are/could be, if I was the General Manager of the Kansas City Chiefs (WHY HASN’T THAT HAPPENED YET?!), I would take USC’s Matt Barkley and not think twice about it. Once again, I will organize my thoughts about him and address concerns I’ve heard about him in bullet points below:

• Let me just go ahead and put a stop to all the illogical “I don’t want another quarterback named Matt from USC” statements being thrown around. It’s not Barkley’s fault that Matt Cassel has been a disappointment and it’s dumb to use that against him.
• Second, I want to address the issue of something else I’ve seen thrown around: that a USC quarterback has never won the Super Bowl. As odd as it sounds, that statement is correct. But once again, that is not Barkley’s fault. If these first two things I’ve addressed are actual reasons why you don’t want Barkley in Kansas City, you can go ahead and stop reading now.
• His height. The way some people talk about Barkley’s height you would think he’s a prominent character in the Hobbit. He is 6-2, which is shorter than your prototypical Brady/Manning-esque quarterback. He would also be the second shortest quarterback of the ones I mentioned above (Glennon and Bray are listed as 6-6, Smith and Wilson at 6-3, while Murray measures in at a minute 6-1). But you know who else is 6-2? Aaron Rodgers. And hasn’t Russell Wilson and Drew Brees almost put the death stake to the “too short to play quarterback” cliché yet? It’s just lazy.
• A sub-point! Height is not nearly as important as throwing motion. Barkley has always had a strong throwing motion with a high release point. In fact, I’d say Barkley’s release point is taller than Matt Stafford’s – listed at 6-3 – release point because of Stafford’s tendency to sidearm passes.
• I’ve heard Barkley doesn’t have a strong throwing arm. Who told you that? Was it Phil Simms, because he also said Andrew Luck didn’t have a big-time arm before last year’s draft. I don’t know where people are getting this idea. In fact, Barkley had more yards per attempt in 2012 than Geno Smith, Tyler Wilson, Mike Glennon, and Tyler Bray. In other words, more than all the other quarterbacks I mentioned except Aaron Murray. Why would the USC coaching staff trust Barkley to make the kind of throws that got him a high yards per attempt if they didn’t trust his arm? And even if it comes out in the combine or the Pro Day that Barkley can’t throw it 60 yards on his knees like JaMarcus Russell could (the gold standard of arm strength that didn’t mean a darn thing), he’s obviously got a strong enough arm to get the job done.
• At this point you might want to argue that his yards per attempt was more reflective of the talent around him – Robert Woods and Marquis Lee – than his own. Let me stop you there; you can’t convince me that his yards per attempt were based solely on those two’s yards after catch. I’m sure they created their share of big plays, but the law of averages dictates Barkley is mostly responsible for such a high YPA. Also, you can’t tell me that Geno Smith didn’t have two great receivers either in Tavon Austin and Stedman Bailey.
• Another expression I’m tired of hearing: upside. Geno Smith has more upside than Barkley. Tyler Wilson has more potential than Barkley. The only thing upside and potential means is that those players have shown the possibility of being good based off their tape. Most of the time, upside is based off the lack of tape, but from a small sample size, the players showed some flashes of greatness. In this case, Matt Barkley might be a victim of too much tape. He’s a four year starter at a highly regarded football institute, and people believe they’ve seen all they need to see. Well, while Barkley’s upside might not be as high as Smith, he’s also more of a sure thing. Potential for greatness also can result in potential unfulfilled. Barkley is more of a proven commodity.
• He ran a pro offense. Say what you want about the evolution of the NFL into a spread offense, but running a pro offense in college is still a plus when entering the pros. Geno Smith hasn’t taken a lot of snaps under center this season (a Big 12 tradition), and he can’t expect to operate out of shotgun on every play at the next level. And say what you want about Lane Kiffin, but he’s coached at the NFL level and knows a thing or two about quarterbacks (he DID think that JaMarcus was a bust after all) and how to prepare players for the next level of offense. Besides Tyler Wilson, who played under Bobby Petrino up until this season, Barkley has an advantage over the rest of the field because of that fact in my book.
• Yes, Barkley hasn’t had the season most analysts and probably even himself expected him to have this year, but he also hasn’t been bad. He threw for over 3,000 yards, completed 63.6% of his passes, and has 36 TDs compared to 15 INTs; and that was a down year. I think he would be the most likely pick to come in and make an immediate impact on this Chiefs team which is in danger of wasting the most productive years of its most talented players.

I think I’ve made my point about Matt Barkley being the Chiefs first round pick in 2013, but I must admit that it is not a sure thing. There is not the quarterback talent in this draft as there was in 2012. And while it seems predetermined that the Chiefs always get the short end of the stick, I think they would do well in taking Barkley. Does he have his flaws? Absolutely. Is he the next Andrew Luck? I doubt it. Will he help the Chiefs win and win now? I believe so. And at the end of the day, that’s what matters most for this team. Feel free to disagree with me in the comment section, but unless Barkley’s Combine and/or Pro Days are unmitigated disasters, I’m pretty set in my belief.

Sep 23, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson (33) and quarterback Brandon Weeden (3) celebrate a touchdown by Richardson during the second quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

This week’s Chiefs-Browns game probably won’t get much press outside of the respected cities represented, and it shouldn’t. The Chiefs are 2-10 coming off a victory over the Carolina Panthers in which they were using raw emotion to get through that day’s events, while the Browns are 4-8 coming off two straight victories against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders. But between these two teams, there seem to be no shortage of connections.*

*Unlike Brandon Weeden’s completion percentage. Boom roasted.

Romeo Crennel was the head coach in Cleveland, appeared in zero playoff games,  created two quarterback controversies (Derek Anderson over Charlie Frye, and then Brady Quinn over Derek Anderson), and is probably most fondly remembered for his Coors Light commercials.* Speaking of Brady Quinn, he was a former first round pick of theirs now winning AFC Offensive Player of the Week Awards for the Chiefs** while passing Brodie Croyle on the all-time wins list for Chiefs starting quarterbacks (all it took was one). Then we have Peyton Hillis, who didn’t exactly leave Cleveland under the best of terms and probably won’t be sharing many kind words with his “crazy ex-girlfriend” Joe Thomas, the Browns Pro Bowl left tackle. And let’s not forget Brian Daboll, who was an offensive coordinator for Cleveland for a couple of seasons under the Eric Mangini regime.

*And he probably remembers Cleveland fondly for the pizza. 

**Pretty good considering he can’t throw an accurate deep ball.

As you can tell, for a lot of these players and coaches, this game will be very personal. From a professional standpoint, however, I’ve been looking forward to the coaching matchup of Romeo Crennel vs. Browns head coach Pat Shurmur* for quite some time. Sure, some of the wind was taken out of the sails when Crennel coached the best game of his life last week against the Panthers going for three pivotal fourth downs that, in my opinion, won the game for the Chiefs, ** but there should still be some interesting game-management gaffs between these two, since both are considered on the hot seat for their season-long avoidance of anything resembling good coaching acumen.

*Check out Shurmur’s fake twitter account here.

**I want to give Crennel a lot of credit here. For the first time all season it looked like he coached with no fear and a sense of pros outweighing cons. He faced fourth and short three different times, each time deciding to go for it. The most notable time was with just seconds remaining before halftime and the ball barely out of the endzone. If Crennel had stuck to his conservative ways, the Chiefs would have kicked the field goal, and then probably done so again on their first possession of the second half, a drive which actually consisted of two fourth and short conversions. By going for it, the Chiefs ended up scoring 14 points, compared to the 6 they would have gotten from field goals. This 8 point difference in created points was greater than the 6 point margin of victory, and in my opinion, was the reason the Chiefs won the game.

But enough about the coaches, let’s step into the Dawg Pound and take a look at this titan from the Cuyahoga.

Offense

With the 22^nd pick in the 2012 draft, the Cleveland Browns selected Brandon Weeden from Oklahoma State. He put up the stats in college to warrant a first round selection, and had much praise as a player entering the draft. But it wasn’t his first draft he’d been involved in. Drafted in 2002 by the Yankees, Weeden did the minor league circuit until quitting in 2006. So when he was selected by the Browns, he was 28 years old, and would turn 29 in October. This is the age when quarterbacks should be in their prime, not in their rookie season.* To give a comparison, Weeden is nearly two months older than Aaron Rodgers, nearly 7 months older than Alex Smith, and a full year older than Brady Quinn. But hey, he’s almost six months younger than Jay Cutler, so there’s that. On the season, Weeden is 247/433 (57%) for 2,820 yards with 13 TDs and 15 INTs.

*Although Weeden seemed to be telling anyone that would listen to not think of him as a rookie.

Now, if I seemed to be a little skeptical of Weeden’s potential success with the Browns, I have nothing but praise for Trent Richardson, the runningback from Alabama the team drafted with the third overall pick last April. The guy’s a big, physical runner who also has the speed and elusiveness to wiggle his way through the secondary. He currently is 13^th in the NFL in rushing yards with 827, and 6^th in the NFL in rushing attempts per game. If those rankings seemed strange, the explanation is that Richardson is only averaging 3.6 yards per carry.* But when the defense loads up the box every down daring Weeden to throw, a low yards per carry makes sense.

*When looking up that statistic, I realized that Adrian Peterson is not only leading the league in rushing but also is averaging 6.2 yards per carry! That’s insane by itself, but the guy’s coming off a torn ACL. What a beast.

Cleveland’s receiving unit has been far from prolific this season, with the lone bright spot coming from Josh Gordon, the team’s 2012 2^nd round pick from Baylor, leading the team with 646 receiving yards off 66 receptions good for 19 yards per reception average. Gordon also has 5 TDs. Second on the team is Greg Little, the 2011 2^nd round pick from North Carolina, with 408 yards and 2 TDs. And this might just be me, but whenever I’ve had the unfortunate opportunity of watching a Browns game this season (curse you Thursday Night Football), it seems Little is dropping every other pass thrown his way.* Tight End Benjamin Watson** is fourth on the team in receiving yards (after Trent Richardson) with 335 yards and 3 TDs.

* But hey, at least he gets targets (more than I can say about Jon Baldwin).

**Clearly a downgrade from the Browns biggest free agent acquisition ever. Or was that a dream …?

As for Cleveland’s offensive line, it’s a real tale from the left to right side. At left tackle, the Browns have the “$100 million” man, Joe Thomas, who was the third player taken in the 2007 draft and has been selected to every Pro-Bowl since his rookie year.* On the right side, the Browns have rookie Mitchell Schwartz, a 2012 2^nd rounder from Cal. In between the tackles, the Browns have Ohio native John Greco at left guard, 2009 1^st round pick and 2010 Pro-Bowl selection** Alex Mack at center, and 2010 3^rd round pick Shawn Lauvao at right guard. According to Football Outsiders, the offensive line is 20^th in run blocking and 7^th in pass protection.

*His resume has arguably-the-best-left-tackle-in-the-NFL written all over it.

**Who was actually sort-of a recipient of Matt Cassel’s touchdown pass in the Pro Bowl. Have a look yourself.

On the year, the Browns are 20^th in passing offense (223.3 yards per game) and 25^th in rushing offense (96 yards per game).

Defense

Upfront for the Browns in their 4-3 defense are Jabaal Sheard, the 2011 2^nd round pick out of Pitt and Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team, at left end; Ahtyba Rubin and Phil Taylor, the 2011 1^st round pick out of Baylor, manning the defensive tackle positions; and finally Frostee Rucker at the right end. Between all four players, they have 9 sacks and 106 tackles.

*Who a lot of Kansas City Chiefs fans wanted in the 2011 draft and then complained when KC took Dontari Poe in 2012. At least Poe doesn’t have THIS wrong with him.

With the linebackers, there’s one player I want to pay special attention to. D’Qwell Jackson is quietly one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL, and nobody seems to ever hear about him. Jackson might be 29^th in the league in tackles this season, but he was second in the NFL in tackles last season and first in the AFC with 158, including 3.5 sacks. That was coming off missing a season and a half due to injury. Before that injury, Jackson had consecutive seasons of 100+ tackles, including leading the NFL in 2008. He has thrived under the 4-3 and is helping the Browns turn around their defense. On either side of Jackson are James-Michael Johnson, a 2012 4^th round pick out of Nevada, and Kaluka Maiava, a 2009 draft pick out of USC. These three have combined for 161 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 2 INTs.

In the backfield, the Browns are not exactly deep. Joe Haden, the 1^st round pick in 2010 out of Florida, has been in and out of trouble with the league all season, but is undeniably their most talented defensive back. On the other corner is Sheldon Brown, the long-time Eagle, who has been in the league since 2002. Both these starting corners have three interceptions apiece. Usama* Young, a free agent acquired in 2011, is the starting free safety while T.J. Ward, the 2010 2^nd round pick of the Browns, is the starting free safety.**

*Can’t be all that popular of a first name.

**As well as first cousin of Maurice Jones-Drew.

Currently, the Browns defense is 24^th in pass defense (252.1 yards allowed per game) and 16^th in run defense (115.6 yards allowed per game).

Special Teams

Phil Dawson – Kicker: 23/24 on the year

Reggie Hodges – Punter: 36.9 Net Punt Average

Nov 26, 2012; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) under center during the third quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Panthers defeated the Eagles 30-22. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

It’s been a rough year for Carolina Panther’s quarterback Cam Newton. The team is 3-8 after his center, Ryan Kalil*, made Super Bowl aspirations public before the season began. The Panthers have blown several 4^th quarter leads, including the one two weeks ago against the Bucs that resulted in an overtime loss. He is experiencing the latest case of the infamous sophomore slump – on pace for fewer passing yards,  5 fewer passing TDs and 2 fewer rushing TDs than his rookie campaign** – and his leadership in the locker room and his character on the field has come into question. He’s even had his presence as the future QB in Carolina threatened by an elementary school child.

*Now on Injured Reserve.

**Not to mention all of his rookie records are looking to be broken by Andrew Luck this season.

But in all this chaos surrounding Cam Newton in his second year in the NFL, the best thing he could have done for the Panthers is what he’s probably being the most criticized for. After searching for answers and remarking on the possibility of a suggestion box, Panthers GM, Marty Hurney, was fired from his job after 10 seasons. While many of the Panthers players spoke out against the move, an outsider’s perspective saw this as a necessary move that was long overdue. Hurney is the reason the Panthers has no cap room in which to maneuver, which I will explain later in the post. And after the season the Panthers are having, Hurney might not be the only one looking for a job in January.*

*Although you wouldn’t know it from this commercial.

Offense

I mentioned Newton’s struggles earlier, but here’s the actual stat line: 189/328 (57.6%), 2,701 yards, 11 TDs, 10 INTs. Newton also offers the duel threat of being able to pass and run, and has rushed for 446 yards and 6 TDs so far this season.

If this 446 number impressed you, it should. Sure, it’s nearly 200 yards less than the rushing yardage Robert Griffin III has collected for the Redskins this season, but it’s also more yards than what Chiefs QB Brady Quinn has passed for this season (431 yards). In addition to leading Quinn’s passing yardage, Newton is also the leading rusher on the Panthers squad.*

*I wonder if he’ll get another trophy for that?

Hurney, in all of his infinite wisdom, collected runningbacks like Jon Gruden used to collect quarterbacks. He paid veteran DeAngelo Williams $43 million for 5 years ($16 million signing bonus), and signed Jonathan Stewart to a six year $37.811 million ($9 million signing bonus) in consecutive years. Obviously unsatisfied with his massive running back depth, Hurney went out and signed free agent Mike Tolbert from the San Diego Chargers to a four year $8.4 million contract ($2.7 million guaranteed). That’s $27.7 million alone in guaranteed money going towards backs that can’t even lead the team in rushing (and have only combined for 683 yards). This salary logjam at runningback is part of the reason why Hurney needed to go.

At the wide receiver position, the Panthers seem to have always been able to count on Steve Smith. The veteran hasn’t seemed to have lost a step in his incendiary speed, and has even calmed down from his teammate punching past. This season, he is once again leading the team in receiving with 770 yards, but has inexplicably only caught one TD pass. Brandon LaFell, the Panther’s 2010 3^rd round pick from Louisiana State, is the second leading receiver with 563 yards and has 4 TDs.

At tight end is one of the most, in my opinion, underrated players in the NFL. The Chicago Bears 2007 first round pick, Olsen was made expendable by Chicago’s offensive coordinator, Mike Martz, and traded to Carolina in 2011 for a 3^rd round pick. Olsen went on to record 540 yards receiving with 5 TDs in 2011 and has added 589 yards and 3 TDs this season.

The Panthers offensive line this season has been a struggle. The team has already lost three offensive linemen to Injured Reserve, the most notable being 3x Pro Bowler Ryan Kalil, and the result has definitely taken a toll. The Panthers are last in Football Outsiders offensive line rankings when it comes to rushing (only 3.29 yards per carry after adjusted stats), and 25^th in pass protection. From left to right: Jordan Gross (2003 1^st round pick and 2x Pro Bowler), Amini Silatolu (the second Division 2 player taken in the 2012 draft, coming one pick after Janoris Jenkins in the 2^nd round), Geoff Hangartner (who is on his second stint with the Panthers), Garry Williams (who might have the shortest Wikipedia page ever), and Bryon Bell (I got nothing).

The Panthers offense is currently 16^th in the NFL in passing (231.8 ypg) and 18^th in rushing (108 ypg).

Defense

I wanted to start talking about the Panthers defense by discussing a rookie linebacker. Luke Kuechly, the Panthers 2012 first round selection with the number 9 overall pick, is the player I wanted the Chiefs to draft. Unlike Scott Pioli, I wasn’t all that high on Dontari Poe (who is putting together a good season at a difficult position), and wanted the MLB out of Boston College. The Panthers took that opportunity away from Kansas City by selecting him before the Chiefs could pick, and it has paid off for Carolina. In a season where Panthers defenders have been lost for the season – DT Ray Edwards, 3x Pro Bowler LB Jon Beason, and CB Chris Gamble – Kuechly has been a star. He currently has 105 tackles, which is good for 4^th in the NFL. On either side of Kuechly is veteran James Anderson (who signed another Hurney contract of $22 million for 5 years in 2011) who is 2^nd on the team in tackles (35 behind Kuechly) and Thomas Davis, the Panthers 2005 1^st round pick, and is 4^th on the team in tackles.

On the defensive front, its four defensive linemen establish the Panthers 4-3 defense. On the left end is Greg Hardy, a 6^th round pick in 2010 whose draft stock fell after he decided to return to Ole Miss for his senior season and suffered an injury. He is second on the team with 8 sacks. In the middle are Dwan Edwards (5 sacks) and Sione Fua (coming in for the injured former Chief Ron Edwards). On the right end is Charles Johnson, the 2007 3^rd round pick, who leads the team in sacks with 8.5.

With the injury to Gamble, the defensive backfield has had to do a little of reshuffling. Josh Norman, the 2012 5^th round pick out of Coastal Carolina, has started all 11 games at corneback for the Panthers this year, but filling in the place of Gamble is 2009 7^th round pick Captain Munnerlyn.* Norman has 1 INT on the year and is third on the team in tackles (not a great sign for a CB) while Munnerlyn has seven pass deflections and two interceptions resulting in touchdowns. At the safety positions, the Panthers have Charles Godfrey, 5^th on the team in tackles, and Haruki Nakamura, 6^th on the team in tackles. The two safeties have combined for eight pass deflections, three interceptions, and one touchdown.

*Who is destined to have a tropical-flavored rum named after him.

The Panthers defense is currently 11^th in opponent passing yards per game (220.9) and 25^th in opponent rushing yards per game (126.2).*

*Which plays to the Chiefs strengths strength.

Special Teams

Graham Gano:  Kicker* – 1/1 on the year

*Starting the season for the Panthers was former Chief 5^th round pick, Justin Medlock*, but was waived on Nov. 20^th to make room for Gano.

**Featured mentally falling apart in the Chiefs Hard Knocks. Remember when he was one of the best kickers ever coming out of the draft?

Brad Nortman: Punter – 36.6 yards net average

Nov 18 2012; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning (18) looks to pass during the third quarter of the game against the San Diego Chargers at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

Since Josh McDaniels was fired in Denver, it seems that the organization can do no wrong. Let me explain:

1. Broncos hire John Elway as Executive Vice President of Football Operations.
2. Elway hires recently fired John Fox as new head coach.
3. Fox names Tim Tebow starting QB after poor start.
4. Tebow leads Broncos to AFC West Championship, winning 7 of final 11 games.
   1. Broncos beat Steelers in Wildcard game before losing to Patriots
5. Elway signs free agent QB Peyton Manning
6. Elway trades Tebow to the New York Jets
   1. Manning will either win MVP or Comeback Player of the Year
   2. Tebow has yet to start and hasn’t done anything other than help create a media circus
   3. Elway looks to be in line for 2012 Executive of the Year
7. Manning has lead Broncos to 7-3 record and comfortable lead in AFC West

It’s sickening, I know.

The Chiefs and Broncos, despite splitting the series last season and nearly keeping the Broncos out of the playoffs, have gone in opposite directions over the past couple of seasons. They’ve drafted well; they’ve played will; and they have even gotten the player that the Chiefs so embarrassingly tried to court during the offseason. Just as Elway was always a thorn in the Chiefs side during his playing days, it seems he is bringing that same sort of frustration to Chiefs fans in a less direct way.

And now they even have Manning, who ended the Chiefs playoff hopes in 2003 and 2006. Another thorn. Another side.

Offense

I’ll skip the Manning back story and just get to the stats: 255/372 (68.5%) 2.975 yards, 24 TDs, 7 INTs. This is good for 6^th in the NFL is yardage (and is within 100 yards of the NFL leader Matt Ryan), 3^rd in TD throws (four behind Drew Brees and three behind Aaron Rodgers), and tied for 3^rd fewest interceptions out of the top 15 passers in terms of yardage. In other words, he’s back*.

*And back in commercials as well, although in his absence advertising agencies were forced to use players like Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, and Clay Matthews. Hmmm, I wonder if the Packers are marketable or not?

Willis McGahee, the Broncos leading rusher, was recently placed on Injured Reserve with designation to return (but due to the rules, won’t be able to do so until the AFC Championship game if they make it that far) after suffering a torn MCL and compression fracture in his right knee in the win over the Chargers last week. Before his injury, McGahee had 731 yards off 167 carries (4.4 ypc) and four TDs. To replace McGahee, the Broncos have, at least for this week, decided to stick with their reserves and go with Ronnie Hillman, the team’s 2012 3^rd round pick out of San Diego State, as the starter. Hillman has 188 yards off 49 carries (3.8 ypc) and one TD. Other backs that will see some snaps are Lance Ball and Knowshon “Sauced” Moreno.

Last season with Tebow, the Broncos receivers were rarely utilized and even lead some to believe Manning had his work cut out with such a downgrade from Indy to Denver in terms of receiver quality. The Broncos receivers, however, have looked fantastic this season.* Demaryius Thomas – Broncos first round pick in 2010 – is tied for 10^th most catches (57) and Eric Decker – third round pick in 2010 – for 16^th most catches (50) in the NFL. Thomas also has the 4^th most receiving yards in the league (933) and the third highest yards per catch average (16.4) amongst WRs with at least 33 catches. Also making his own version of a comeback is Brandon Stokely, who has 387 yards and 5 TDs.

*Except for this play.

For the tight end position, the Broncos have two new players, both of whom were free agent acquisitions this offseason. Jacob Tamme was acquired from Indy, and had prior experience with Manning. Joel Dreesen was acquired from Houston. The two have combined for 61 catches, 562 yards, and 5 TDs.

According to Football Outsiders, an advanced metrics website on football statistics and evaluations, the Broncos are the 12^th best offensive line when it comes to run blocking and 3^rd best at pass protection. These rankings are very good, and are the result of the players that compose the line: Ryan Clady (2008 1^st round pick, 2x Pro Bowler), Zane Beadles (one of the coolest names in football), Dan Koppen (2012 free agent addition from New England), Chris Koper (whose backup’s name is Manny Ramirez*), and Orlando Franklin (2011 2^nd round pick and native of Jamaica**).

*One of my favorite baseball highlights of all time.

**A Jamaican living in Denver? I wonder what his downtime includes … [hit the hyperlink before you judge].

Oh, and Rob Gronkowski’s brother is the full back. Just thought you should know.

The Broncos offense so far this season: 5^th in passing yards per game (288.9) and 19^th in rushing yards per game (105.3).

Defense

I know the Broncos defense got a lot of love last season during the Tebow-lead run the team went on to the playoffs, but they are having a much better season this year. They are currently 10^th in total defense, allowing only 219 yards per game. All those young players that had an impact last year are now coming together to form a vaunted unit.

With the Broncos 4-3 defense, it starts up front. The team’s first pick in 2012, Derek Wolfe from Cincinnati, is the starting left defensive end, while veteran Pro Bowler Elvis Dumervil has the right side*. In between are veterans Kevin Vickerson* and Justin Bannan. You might assume by these last two names that the middle of the defensive line is a weakness. Well, you’d be right. But that’s why the next group of players I’m talking about is so important.

*Behind Dumervil is Broncos 2009 first round pick, Robert Ayers.

**A 2007 First team All-NFL Europa player.

The Broncos linebackers, from starters to depth, are among the best in the NFL. On the strong side is 2011 first round pick Von Miller who, in addition to winning Defensive Rookie of the Year, was also elected to a Pro Bowl. Since the beginning of 2011 Miller has 24.5 sacks, 110 tackles, and 6 forced fumbles. In the middle is veteran Keith Brooking who has five Pro Bowls himself and was brought in as a free agent during the offseason. On the weak side is Wesley Woodyard, a guy that’s been around since 2008 and has benefited this year because of D.J. Williams six game suspension that became a nine game suspension. Williams was the Broncos first round pick in 2004, but has made his share of bad decisions, including on Twitter.

The defensive backfield is a mix of old and young, but the common trait is talent. It starts with future Hall of Famer Champ* Bailey at cornerback, who might have lost a step in coverage, but is still playing at a high level. Behind Bailey is Tracy Porter, a free agent acquisition from New Orleans, and the guy who spoiled Manning’s dream of a second Super Bowl ring a few years back. On the other side is Chris Harris, a 2011 undrafted free agent out of Rock Chalk nation, and the 2011 Broncos Breakout Player of the Year. At the safety positions are Rahim Moore, the 2011 2^nd round pick from UCLA at free safety, and nine-year veteran Mike Adams at strong safety.

*Older brother of Boss Bailey, former Lions and Broncos linebacker.

This Broncos defensive statistics so far: 10^th in opponent passing yards per game (219) and 6^th in opponent rushing yards per season (93.8).

Special Teams

Matt Prater – Kicker: 15/17 on the year

Britton Colquitt* – 43.7 net yards per punt

*Dustin Colquitt’s brother, blah blah blah, first family of punting, yada yada yada

November 1, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles (25) prior to the game against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

There are certain things players need/have to say after a loss. Those things include: taking responsibility; not viewing it as the end of the world; saying something about getting ready for next week; and vowing to get better. Even if he doesn’t mean a thing he’s saying, those are some of the things that need to saying.

As simple as this press process might seem, some players struggle with it. Look at Cam Newton in Carolina. Worst-day-ever demeanor after every loss; asking for a suggestion box about how to improve the team; and throwing GM’s under the bus (although, to be fair, he should have been fired a long time ago). Luckily for the Chiefs, the team hasn’t begun a revolt in the media quite yet; they’ve left that up to the fans I suppose. And while I think the last thing this 1-9 team needs is a media circus fed by the dissatisfaction and dysfunction of the locker room, I take issue with what Jamaal Charles said after the blowout loss to the Bengals.

According to the Kansas City Star, Charles shared his views on the coaching staff:

“I don’t know what the outcome is, what you’re going to get if you keep on changing head coaches and changing head coaches. If you keep doing that, he can’t get the right players here. I feel if you stay with one system and continue to get players, I feel you can be successful. If (Crennel) is here for one year, you just can’t kick him out because he’s not having a good year. Let him get his stuff together and have a couple of years, then we can have a successful year.

“Everybody goes through (coaching changes) every year, and some have success and some don’t. Some come back (without a coaching change) next year and have a better year.

“I feel bad for Romeo. He’s a good coach, but we’re not playing up to our potential to win for him. I feel bad. We should be going out there and playing harder for our coach.”

Now, let me just say, supporting one’s head coach is a necessity from any player. And I’m sure Charles really does want Crennel to stick around for a couple of more years. After all, Crennel has always been known as a player’s coach that the team wants to play hard for. The problem with Crennel’s teams – going back to Cleveland – is that they just don’t play well.

And while Charles has a point with constant coaching changes negatively effecting the development of a team – case in point, the 2000’s Raiders – and he’s already on his third head coach since being drafted, he’s wrong in saying it would be wrong to fire Crennel because he’s not having a good year.

Sure, there are those few games where the team played inspired football: the final three of last season (which took place after Todd Haley’s firing and teams historically play more inspired in the games following a midseason coaching change – and yes, I am aware of the Colorado University study on such impact in college football), and then perhaps the second half and overtime of the Saints game, the Ravens game, and the Steelers game. And only one of those last three games mentioned resulted in a win.

Other than that, it’s been one of the worst seasons in the history of the NFL. We all know (way too much) about the 1929 Bisons, we all know that the Chiefs are GUARANTEED another losing season, and if it wasn’t for some sort of miracle overtime win against the Saints on the road, the Chiefs would be staring at an 0-10 record. These features of the dismal 2012 season might be excused if it wasn’t for the talent on the team, the past two seasons of hope, and the expectations entering the season that was supposed to announce the arrival of the Kansas City Chiefs as a perennial contender and AFC West favorite.

Instead, the Chiefs, for lack of a better term, suck.

Look at the Rams after they hired Jeff Fisher. The 2011 Rams went 2-14. The 2012 Rams, while not much better, are clearly better coached and sit at 1 win (and 1 tie) higher than last season. The Buccaneers, after losing their last 10 games in a row last season, fired Raheem Morris and hired Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. He now has the young and talented team at 6-4, 2^nd in the NFC South and in hunt for a playoff spot. I’m tempted to mention Chuck Pagano, but his circumstances haven’t really allowed him to coach much; plus the Colts have Andrew Luck, which is sort of unfair.

And we can even go back to last season, when Jim Harbough took over the underperforming 49ers, took them to the NFC Championship, and won Coach of the Year in the process. And another reason I like this comparison is because players on that team liked Mike Singletary too, much like the Chiefs players, or at least Charles, does with Crennel. Vernon Davis, the player that Singletary once famously called out in a post-game press conference. Davis said Singletary’s tough love approach caused him to grow up, and that he appreciated Singletary’s presence with him and the team. But I guarantee you he’s happier now being on a winning team.

These coaches haven’t just brought hope to teams that had miserable seasons; they brought a change in culture. Change is only good if it makes things better, and in their cases, it has been so far. The change that Crennel brought to the Chiefs: fan insurrection, pointless talent, excuses, and another losing season (actually, I guess that last point didn’t really change).

Sometimes, a team just needs a fresh start. Crennel might be a victim of expectations, but someone has to pay for this season. I think Pioli will pay, I think Crennel will pay, and I think Cassel has already paid. I love Charles, and I think he’s the best player on the offense, but he can’t be satisfied with the success – or lack thereof – the team has experienced this season. I understand staying the course, but Crennel was hired because he was supposed to offer a seamless transition between the success of 2010 and now. Not to change the culture, not to shake things up, but to keep it all together.

None of that success carried over, and although I’m usually not a fan of firing a coach after one season on the job, but for Crennel, I make an exception.

Oct 14, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) shouts out a cadence behind center Jeff Faine (62) and the rest of his offensive line during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Browns beat the Bengals 34-24. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-US PRESSWIRE

The Chiefs face the Bengals on Sunday at Arrowhead in a game that has a plethora of storylines waiting to be written. First, there’s a group of angry and organized Chiefs fans planning to “Blackout Arrowhead” and fly another banner over the stadium. Then we have a scrappy Bengals team fighting for a second consecutive berth in the playoffs and coming off a win over the defending Super Bowl champs facing a Chiefs team that honestly beat itself against a wounded Steelers team and was eventually done in by an overtime turnover in primetime.

And how could we forget the overbearing storyline of this season? No, not the one where the Chiefs hadn’t gained a lead yet this season (we actually had what some experts call a “two-possession lead” on Monday, whatever that is). I’m talking about the fact the Chiefs are still in the Barkley/Smith race, meaning they are still in play for the number one overall pick. And while I don’t think there’s a way on God’s green Earth that the Chiefs are worse than the Jaguars,* they also haven’t given me much hope that they can win another game the rest of the season.**

*Maybe if their head coach encouraged touchdown celebrations they’d be better?

**And if you want to point to the Steelers game as a turning point with this team and a sign of wins-to-come, I will ask you to look at this year’s close loss to the Ravens and what happened next.

But, as a Chiefs fan and a blogger, I have to stay positive (or would I get more views if I was constantly negative ….?), so I think if the Chiefs were to go on a little run and get some wins, this Bengals team would be the one to do it against (although, I’m hungry for Matt Barkley in a completely heterosexual way and going on a run would probably eliminate the team’s chance to get him).

So, let’s take a look at the Bengals.

Offense

To describe the Bengals offense, I want to take you down a hypothetical trip down memory lane. The year was 2007, and the Chiefs were a mixture of new and young. Brodie Croyle, a 2006 third-round pick, was battling for the starter’s position at quarterback and Dwayne Bowe had just been made the team’s first round pick. Now imagine if Brodie Croyle, instead of losing the starter’s battle to Damon Huard (but gaining a lot of male respect because of his hot wife, which I still remember as the star of Hard Knocks) went on to throw for 3,398 yards, 20 TDs, 13 INTs, and be a Pro Bowl substitute player. Now imagine if 1,057 of those yards and 7 of those TDs went to Bowe. And finally, imagine if the team made the playoffs that season.

I imagine that’s the kind of excitement Bengals fans experienced when rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green did just that last season. Dalton, the 2^nd round pick, got his shot to lead the team thanks to Carson Palmer finally having enough with the Bengals organization and deciding he’d rather feign retirement than go back to work.* Dalton took advantage of his opportunity, and soon emerged as one of the rising young players at the QB position.

*Yes, there are teams more ill-run than the Chiefs. But the Bengals have been able to distract the fans from this thanks to their first two 2011 picks.

A.J. Green, the number four overall pick in 2011 out of Georgia, didn’t just establish himself as one of the rising young players at his position (Green also made the Pro Bowl his rookie year); he established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the game. And while it’s true that the Bengals don’t really have any other receiving threats outside of Green* (second leading receiver from 2011, Jerome Simpson, left Cincy and jumped to Minnesota as a free agent this summer, although he probably should have heavily considered the Broncos), the fans are excited about the potential of Mohamed Sanu, the team’s third round pick out of Rutgers in 2012. So far, Dalton and Green’s numbers look like this: 2,239 yards (64.4 completion %), 18 TDs, 11 INTs/58 catches, 820 yards, 9 TDs.

*Remember when they used to have Chad Ochocinco Johnson and Terrell “Call My Agent” Owens on the same team? Better yet, how about that Houshmandzadeh guy?

Jermaine Gresham, the 2010 first round pick out of Oklahoma, is the next biggest receiving threat after Green. He was the fourth leading receiver in 2010, the third leading receiver in 2011 (his Pro Bowl year), and currently is the second leading receiver this season with 37 catches and 448 yards. The only other tight ends that has catches this season for the Bengals is Orson Charles, the rookie out of Georgia.

After back-to-back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons out of running back Cedric Benson, the team decided to part ways and acquire Patriot’s free agent BenJarvus Green-Ellis.* BenJarvus hasn’t had the impact they were hoping  for – 3.4 yards per carry, only 3 TDs but 2 Fumbles lost – but does have 537 yards, so he’s pretty close to the Benson pace.

*Who, thanks to east-coast biased media, we all know is nicknamed “The Lawfirm.”

Before the season began, Rotoworld ranked the Bengals offensive line as the third best in the league. And although the power-zone unit hasn’t quite lived up to that ranking in the advanced metrics – Football Outsiders has them as the 11^th best run blocking and 22^nd best pass protecting unit – they are still very good. From left to right: Andrew Whitworth, Clint Boling, Jeff Faine, Kevin Zeitler (second of the Bengals two first round picks in 2012), and Andre Smith (Bengals first round pick in 2009).

Currently, the Bengals rank 10^th in passing yards per game (252.9) and 25^th in rushing yards per game (93.7).

Defense

The Bengals used quite a bit of 2012’s draft picks on defensive players, but that’s not because of team struggles in 2011. Cincy actually finished 7^th overall in total defense that season. But Cincy was in the position to take the best players available, so they decided that upgrades to their defense would only help. Dre Kirkpatrick was the team’s first selection in 2012, and was hoped to help replace the loss of Jonathan Joseph, who left for the Texans before last season. But the rookie suffered a summer injury and has just now started playing again, only having one recorded tackle. Luckily for the Bengals, they have done a good job filling their defensive backfield.

While NFL.com’s depth chart and the team’s depth chart disagree on who starts where (I’ll trust the team’s website), it still includes two-time Pro-Bowler Terrence Newman at left cornerback, 2007 first round pick and 2009 All-Pro selection Leon Hall at right cornerback, 11-year veteran Nate Clements making the adjustment from CB to strong safety,* and former 2007 Jaguars first round pick, Reggie Nelson, at free safety. The depth behind the starters is excellent as well, including Adam “Pacman” Jones (too many jokes opportunities here to decide between)  and 2012 5^th round pick George Iloka from Boise State.

*Charles Woodson-esque

Now let’s move to the linebackers, who went through some change this season. Former number nine overall pick from 2008, Keith Rivers*, was traded to the Giants. Then, thanks to injury, one-time first-round-projected-turned-undrafted-free-agent Vontaze Burfict gained the starting role by week five. Ray Maualuga, famously known as the third USC linebacker taken in 2009 draft, sures up the middle while Manny Lawson, the 2006 first round pick by the 49ers, plays strongside linebacker.

*Who’s most notable contribution to the NFL was the “Hines Ward Rule.” See hit here.

But for the Bengals, it starts up front with defensive tackle, Geno Atkins, who made his first Pro Bowl in 2011. He is surrounded by Domata Peko, Carlos Dunlap, and Michael Johnson on the defensive line. Second round pick, Devon Still, plays in a reserve role while Robert Geathers and former Chief Wallace Gillberry come in on situational downs. The starting front four have already contributed 16.5 sacks,* while the backups have contributed another 5.5 (Gilberry with two).

*Atkins responsible for 7 of those.

Currently the Bengals are 19^th in passing yards allowed per game (234.7) and 20^th in rushing yards allowed per game (118.3).

Special Teams

Mike Nugent – Kicker: 15/17

Kevin Huber – Punter: 41.5 net yards per punt

Sep 16, 2012; Pittsburgh , PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) talks with offensive coordinator Todd Haley during the second half of the game against the New York Jets at Heinz Field. The Steelers won the game, 27-10. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE

Todd Haley’s Revenge.

This is how the game will be portrayed in the national media leading up to kickoff. Should it be? Yeah. How else could ESPN pitch it to gather anyone’s interest in a one-win Chiefs team against the Steelers who continue to win close games? This is literally a David and Goliath scenario.*

*Hey, maybe ESPN could pitch it that way?

I don’t want to hear about how the last two contests have been close either. I don’t care that the Chiefs won in 2009 in overtime and how the game came down to the last Chiefs possession last year even though they had Tyler Palko* and his several interception game on their side. The reason I don’t want to hear those things is because it will give me hope.

*Who might or might not be working in a Payless Shoe Store now.

Sure, I’ve thought about it: how these two teams aren’t so different from last year, and how the Chiefs seem to play prime time games close (besides the fourth quarters on Thursday nights). I want there to be hope, but the Chiefs have given me none. And they haven’t given the national media any either. That’s why this Monday night game won’t be about the match up of teams; it will be about the Steelers’ new offensive coordinator and getting back at the team that fired him less than a season after making the playoffs.

Offense

With the success the Steelers have been able to sustain over the better part of the last decade (really about every decade since the ’70s), they are a team that has a lot of well-known players. And like every article I do, I start with the quarterback. “Big” Ben Roethlisberger brings up a lot of different discussions for fans of the NFL. One image is as a likable guy that puts the team on his back. Another image is in quite a darker light, and centers around a run-in with the law a couple years ago.* No matter what you think of the 6’5” 241-lb, quarterback, you can’t argue what he’s done since being drafted by the Steelers: 3 Super Bowl appearances, 2 Super Bowl wins, 2 Pro Bowl appearances, and a boatload (that’s a phrase right?) of regular season wins and playoff appearances. His stats this season are: 200/298 (67.1%), 2,203 yards, 16 TDs, 4 INTs.

*But don’t worry, ladies, he’s married now.

The Steelers running back situation has been anything less than stable. Four running backs have at least 19 rushing attempts on the season, and the back with the fewest is Rashard Mendenhall, who had been the Steelers’ workhorse since 2009* before tearing his ACL late in the 2011 season;** he has appeared in two games this year. Meanwhile, Isaac Redman has appeared in six games rushing for 274 yards and 2 TDs off 76 carries; Jonathan Dwyer has appeared in five games and rushed for 299 yards off 58 carries; and Baron Batch has appeared in all eight games totaling 46 yards off 24 carries for 1 TD.

*After being drafted 23^rd overall in 2008.

**Which was clearly karma for these comments he made about the reaction to Osama Bin Laden’s death.

Now we get to the wide receivers, who have given themselves the collective nickname of “Young Money.” Why? Well it goes along with the nicknames the receivers all gave themselves. Mike Wallace, 39 catches, 525 yards, 5 TDs, is “Fast Money.*” Antonio Brown, 42 catches, 499 yards, 1 TD, is “Cash Money.” Emmanuel Sanders, 24 catches, 302 yards, 1 TD, is “Quick Money.” Throw in Jerricho Cotchery, which I assume is “Haven’t-You-Retired-Yet-Money”, and you have one of the most talented receiving groups in the NFL.

*Which is so much cooler than his full name: Burnell Michael Wallace III.

Statistically, the Steelers offensive line hasn’t changed much; last season, Football Outsiders had them ranked 20^th overall in pass protection, and 3^rd in run blocking. This season, 21^st in pass protection, 22^nd in run blocking (the run blocking is more a product of the issues I talked about at the running back position than a massive drop in the effectiveness of the same players on the line). But one area the team has improved at is sacks allowed. The Steelers gave up 42 last season and is on pace for 36 this year, although it’s likely that number ends up being lower than the projection. The reason is because of the new offensive system Todd Haley has brought to Pittsburgh, and a dink-and-dunk strategy. Roethlisberger is getting his passes off quicker, and not running all around the field as often like we’ve seen him do in the past. That makes it easier for the offensive line, which are (from left to right): Max Starks, Willie Colon, Maurkice Pouncey (2x Pro Bowl), Ramon Foster, and rookie Mike Adams.  First-round pick, David DeCastro, was placed on the Injured Reserve-Recall list after an ACL-MCL injury in preseason.

I’ll briefly mention the tight ends. Heath Miller is Heath Miller,* but now they also have the likes of former Chief Leonard Pope, who just seems to follow Haley around everywhere.

*39 catches, 384 yards, 6 TDs

The Steelers rank 10^th in passing yards per game (262.4) and 21^st in rushing yards per game (104.9).

Defense

Wasn’t this supposed to be the year that age finally caught up with the Steelers defense? With five-time Pro Bowler James Harrison starting the year injured, and seven-time Pro Bowler Troy Polamalu taking just enough time off from his hair commercials to land on the injury report, the two losses in their first three games, which included surrendering 30+ points, seemed to confirm every detractor’s opinions. Now, in the Steelers’ last five games, they have surrendered more than 20 points just once and have beaten the likes of the Giants, Redskins and Eagles.

Upfront, the Steelers are led by Brett “Da Beard” Keisel,* Casey “Big Snack” Hampton,** and Evander “Ziggy” Hood.***  Behind the front three are James Harrison, who has returned from injury, 2007 first-round pick Lawrence Timmons, Larry Foote, and 2006 second-round pick and 2009 Pro Bowler LaMarr Woodley. This seven-man unit has accounted for nine sacks, 170 tackles, two interceptions and three fumble recoveries.

*2002 seventh-round pick and 2010 Pro Bowler.

**2001 first-round pick and five-time Pro Bowler.

***2009 first-round pick from Mizzou and the only one who actually goes by his nickname.

The Steelers secondary, absent Polamalu, now features Ryan Clark, the former undrafted free agent from Louisiana State and 2011 Pro Bowler, as the main playmaker.* Replacing Polamalu is Will Allen, 2004 fourth-round pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. At cornerback, the Steelers still have the veteran Ike Taylor, and also third-round pick Keenan Lewis as the starters. Curtis Brown, Cortez Allen and Ryan Mundy round out the secondary.

*Except in the city of Denver.

By the way, if you ever wonder what’s wrong with the Chiefs team, just have a look at all the veterans on the Steelers squad and that might give you a good indication. Young and talented players are good, but every team needs a balance of veteran leadership and few teams do that better than the Steelers.

The Steelers rank first in overall defense, first in opponent passing yards per game (174) and seventh in rushing yards per game (88.6).

Special Teams

Shaun Suisham: Kicker – 17/18 on field goals, only miss was from 50+ yards

Drew Butler: Punter – 39.3 net yard average punt

***

The Steelers aren’t unbeatable. They’ve played some bad games this season, including losing to both the Titans and Raiders. And, if it’s any consolation, they are 0-2 against the AFC West this season. But these two teams seem to be trending in opposite directions, and it might take Heinz Field collapsing beneath the Gotham Rogues feet again to get the Chiefs the win. It would be a satisfying victory if the Chiefs could pull off the upset on Monday night, and crazier things have happened. Like those stupid yellow towels catching on.

Oct 28, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs fans paid for a sign to fly around the stadium before the game with the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. Oakland won the game 26-16. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

In case you haven’t noticed, the Kansas City Chiefs are awful. With a fourth quarter shellacking against the Chargers now under their belt heading into another prime time game next Monday against the Pittsburgh Steelers, I think it’s safe to say the Chiefs season is, for all intents and purposes (intents and purposes being a playoff berth) over. The Broncos look to run away with the division and the Chiefs would have to win out to finish with a winning record.

So yeah, this team is done.

The struggle of being a Chiefs fan, however, never ends. And while the players can take solace in paychecks, the fans are left feeling hopeless amid another losing season, the soon-to-be third one during general manager Scott Pioli’s four years. But some fans are tired of feeling hopeless, want their voices heard, and are willing to go to great lengths in an attempt to make a difference. 

One such group, and the one making the most noise, is ‘Save Our Chiefs.’ If you haven’t heard of them, they are evolving from a simple social media movement into an organized, active and influential critic of the Chiefs current regime and a tangible venting of fan frustration. If you have heard of them, it’s probably because you follow them on Twitter or heard their name associated with the “Fire Pioli, Bench Cassel” banner that recently flew over Arrowhead.

But they are growing into something that I never thought was possible. Frankly, I figured when the Chiefs started winning games, the whole thing would just die down. But the team keeps on losing and Save Our Chiefs movement keeps on growing. If (big if) the Chiefs start winning games, will Save Our Chiefs be a forgotten cause? I don’t know, but for now, it seems a safe bet that the groundswell of support they are receiving will continue to build. Heck, they even have a music video now.

I had the opportunity to interview the founder of Save Our Chiefs this week and ask him about the campaign. Before I begin, I just want to clarify that I am not involved in the movement. I follow Save Our Chiefs on Twitter, but that’s the extent of my involvement. In other words, I’m not shamelessly pushing my own project. I did, however, want to bring attention to the cause; no matter if you do or don’t support what Save Our Chiefs is doing/trying to do, it is unfortunately (I don’t say unfortunately because I don’t agree with the movement, I say unfortunately because I wish there didn’t have to be a movement) an important part of this 2012 season. 

Here’s what was said.

***

For those unfamiliar or only slightly familiar with Save Our Chiefs, what is it? What is the mission statement?

We are a group of fans dedicated to changing the culture at Arrowhead and returning a winning team to Kansas City.  Our focus is to show the organization that the fanbase of the Chiefs is united in voice and number that we are tired of losing. For instance, the Pioli regime, to date, features 57 games. We have lost by 14 or more points in 19 of those games.  That is the worst margin in the NFL.

Did you see this season coming? I, for one, was very optimistic heading into this season. The players coming back from injury, the free agent additions, and that blowout opening preseason game against the Cardinals all led me to believe this was going to be a special season for the Chiefs. Were you as optimistic as myself and other fans?

Nobody saw this coming. We had a lot of positives with the end of the 2011 campaign and with the talent load we have, expectations were high. This season has been a dumpster fire with some of the worst statistical performances not only in Chiefs history but in the entire history of the NFL. We even saw brief glimpses during preseason that showed a potential rebound to the 2010 season in which we won the division. 

All hope was eroded come September. Several fans from Chiefsplanet.com wondered aloud how we could speak up. We just didn’t want to complain on a message board. We wanted to be change agents because we are passionate about Chiefs football. We had a member of our group come up with the idea of flying a banner overhead and I personally started the social media campaigns on Facebook and Twitter.

What has Save Our Chiefs done so far to spread the message across the Chiefs fanbase?

To get the word out is a challenge.  We have raised $4,000 which covers banner expenses and isn’t close to being anything of substance to develop a full out media campaign so we needed a grassroots effort and social media is perfect for that. As of this interview we have close to 104,000 followers on Twitter and nearly 11,000 likes on Facebook.  It’s reached epic proportions in just a month. We are producing factual content, comical images, and we are a giant interactive zone for Chief fans to commiserate with each other. You can find us on Twitter at @SaveOurChiefs and via the web at www.saveourchiefs.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SaveOurChiefs

One of the biggest wins with social media is the ability to communicate about the Blackout Arrowhead movement on November 18 against the Bengals.

Tell me more about the blackout game Save Our Chiefs is coordinating. You aren’t discouraging fans from attending the game, you are actually ENCOURAGING fans to go, but while wearing black, so that the black among the sea of red stands out, right?

We are organizing a blackout of Arrowhead on November 18 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Thousands of people have already purchased tickets and pre-paid for parking passes. People will still go to the game and tailgate. This creates a situation called “sunken cost.” Logistically we can’t encourage thousands of people to stay home or walk out because they still want to attend the game. In this case, wearing black chiefs gear or Blackout Arrowhead t-shirts (available at Sports Nutz (816) 923-7529) to the game will create a visual demonstration of “mourning” over the Chiefs. We are still supporting the players and the hoodies we have are in the same colors of the Chiefs. We are not dressing like Raider fans either, as some have suggested.

Have you received any negative feedback, either from fans or from the Chiefs themselves, or has it all been positive?

With any structured movement you have some negative Nellies to deal with. We did have some of that occurring early on with the movement but a lot of the people providing negative feedback have finally come to the same conclusions we did awhile ago and now support us. We have had people call us bandwagon fans or fair weather fans and even closet Raider fans just for suggesting black. Those are all hollow arguments at best. The Chiefs sell a substantial amount of black fan gear. Fair weather fans wouldn’t do the things we’ve done to send a message to the franchise.

With all the events you’ve been organizing, and all the feedback from fans alike, how much media coverage, both locally and nationally, have you received?

We are receiving daily mentions on just about every KC sports radio channel. 610 AM was first to reach out to us and we appreciate that. We’ve received mentions in the USA Today as well as Fox Sports and dozens of websites and we’ve received some on-air comments that were very supportive from Rich Eisen to Jason Whitlock to Bill Simmons and more. Without this movement, the national media would continue to ignore KC and the dire situation we are facing.

So, after all this coverage, and after all the attention Save Our Chiefs has brought to a front office that seemingly is lacking accountability, do you think it will pay off? Or do you think the cause is falling upon deaf ears?

We think it will pay off, and we suggest everyone to stand by and watch.

September 10, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer (3) hands the ball off to running back Darren McFadden (20) during the first quarter against the San Diego Chargers at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

This is a team that the Kansas City Chiefs and their fans are all too familiar with. If someone is a true Chiefs fan, then there is nothing on God’s Green Earth he/she hates more than the black and silver team from Oakland during Raiders week. The rivalry goes back to the old AFL days, and is still competitive after all these years. Just last season, it was an overtime loss to the Raiders in week 16 that kept the Chiefs out of the playoffs. But there have been some changes since then.

For the first full season since 1962, Al Davis is no longer involved in the team. And while I don’t like speaking ill of the deceased, this might be a huge turning point for the team in terms of success. It was never a good idea to allow someone to be principal owner as well as general manager. And when the success has passed and the senility* has set in, you get what is called the mid-2000s Raiders. Rest in Peace, Al.

*I assume the only excuse for thinking JaMarcus Russell is a good quarterback is senility.

A new administration is in order at Oakland, with Reggie McKenzie taking over the general manager role that last season’s head coach Hue Jackson tried to give himself in the wake Davis’s death. And just like his predecessor, Jackson gave up more than he should to buy Carson Palmer, who was refusing to play and feigned retirement, from the Cincinnati Bengals after starter Jason Campbell suffered a serious injury. Mike Brown, the de-facto GM of the Bengals, obliged and let Oakland have him for a 2012 first round pick and a 2013 second round pick.*

*Good deal for a guy on his couch.

McKenzie came in as GM during the offseason after having been with the Green Bay Packers since 1994, eventually gaining the title of Director of Football Operations before his move to the Raiders. He quickly got rid of Jackson and hired Broncos defensive coordinator Dennis Allen* as head coach. Allen’s been through the ranks of the league, having been the secondary coach in New Orleans from 2008-2010 and spent time with the Atlanta Falcons before that. Allen also happens to be the first defensive-minded head coach of the Raiders since the legendary John Madden retired following the 1978 season.

*Who looks like he still gets ID’d at liquor stores.

Despite my deep and venomous hatred for the Raiders, I do believe their organization is looking up with these recent changes. I just hope they remember they are the Raiders and continue to squander talent through disorganization and dysfunction. But I digress; here are the 2012 Oakland Raiders:

Offense

Since Chiefs fans are mostly familiar with the Raiders team, this summary will be more statistics-based than the others. And the stat I want to start with is Carson Palmer’s. Palmer* is having a good year when you compare it to the Chiefs quarterback situation; otherwise, it’s been less than impressive. While Palmer’s thrown for 1,732 yards while completing 61.4 percent of his passes for seven TDs, he’s also committed eight turnovers – four INTs and four fumbles.** By the way, the backups in Oakland: Matt “Hot Tub” Leinart and Terrelle “Eight Cars” Pryor.

*Who might or might not be better looking than Tom Brady. Don’t worry, there’s a video here to explain.

**If last year is any indication, however, he should double his interceptions by the end of Sunday.

While the running back situation took a hit after losing Michael Bush to the Bears in free agency, the Raiders still have their 2008 first-round pick Darren McFadden in the backfield. And, more importantly, he’s healthy. But the Raiders haven’t run the ball often this season – just 129 total run attempts* – and McFadden only has 324 yards off 104 attempts (3.1 ypc) and two TDs. Mike Goodson, the second running back, has only 11 attempts for 89 yards.

*Chiefs have 205 attempts.

If I asked you to name the Raiders’ leading receiver this season, would you have guessed Brandon Myers? Don’t worry, me either. But that’s exactly who is, and the 2009 sixth-round tight end has 28 receptions for 334 yards. The second leading receiver is Denarius Moore, who has 323 yards and three TDs. Darrius Heyward-Bey is fourth with 183 yards and one TD, but has missed some time this season thanks to this hit against the Steelers. Juron Criner, the 2012 fifth-round pick out of Arizona, only has two catches for 29 yards.

As for the offensive line, it is a year of transition. Not necessarily for personnel, but for the scheme which they run. The Raiders have moved away from Hue Jackson’s power-blocking scheme and embraced new offensive coordinator Greg Knapp’s zone system. At left tackle, the Raiders have 2010 third-round pick Jared Veldheer. At left guard, Cooper Carlisle, the 2000 fourth round pick; at center is Stefen Wisniewski, the Raiders’ legacy,* and 2011 second-round pick; at right guard is Mike Brisiel.** Finally, at right tackle is Willie Smith, filling in for Khalif Barnes, who has been ruled out for Sunday. The Raiders’ first selection in the 2012 draft, third-round pick out of Utah, Tony Bergstrom, is a backup guard. The line has done a decent job keeping Palmer upright this season, only surrendering 12 sacks, tied for 21^st fewest in the league.

*Wisniewski’s uncle, Steve, was an eight-time Pro Bowler with the Raiders.

**Who played in NFL Europe for the Hamburg Sea Devils in 2007.

Currently, the Raiders are ninth in the NFL in passing per game (273.2) and 31^st in rushing yards per game (76.8).

Defense

The Raiders defense starts and ends with the seven-time Pro Bowler Richard Seymour. The anchor of one of the defensive line, Seymour can create havoc in the opposing team’s backfield at any moment, including after the play. Next to Seymour at the other defensive tackle position is Tommy Kelly. On either end of the defensive line are Lamarr Houston, the 2010 second-round pick* from Texas, and Matt Shaughnessy, the 2009 third-round pick from Wisconsin.

*Back in the olden days when Oakland didn’t trade their top draft picks.

The Raiders also have a strong linebacking corps, lead by their middle linebacker, Rolando McClain.* While living up to the Raider tradition of off-the-field issues, the 2010 first round pick out of Alabama plays between Philip “Once Upon a” Wheeler, a 2008 third round pick who is leading the team in tackles, and Miles Burris, the Raiders fourth round pick from last April’s draft. And, in case you were wondering about Aaron Curry, formerly known as the first round bust with the Seahawks, he was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list at the end of August.

*Cousin of former Chiefs fullback, Le’Ron McClain.

The defensive backfield is lead by strong safety Tyvon Branch, who was the Raiders franchise player this offseason before signing a four year deal for $26.6 million. Next to Branch is free safety Michael Huff, the 2006 first round pick out of Texas. At the corner positions, the Raiders are now without Stanford Routt (who, of course, is now on the much less dark side of the force), but have Pat Lee, a free agent acquisition from Green Bay, and Shawntae Spencer, another free agent pick up from San Francisco. Neither of these players were starters at their respective teams before arriving in Oakland.

Currently, the Raiders are 22^nd in passing yards allowed per game (254.7) and 12^th in rushing yards allowed per game (102.2).

Special Teams

Possibly the best special teams unit in the NFL, it features a first-round kicker and fifth-round punter (emphasis on the first-round kicker).

Kicker: Sebastian “The Polish Cannon” Janikowski* – 14/15 on FGs. Only miss was from 64 yards.

*Oakland’s franchise leading scorer

Punter: Shane Lechler* – 38.5 yards net average in 2012

*Seven-time Pro Bowler and nine-time All Pro

***

This rivalry goes beyond your normal rivalries. The Chiefs and Raiders split the series last season, each winning at their home field. Hopefully the Chiefs continue the trend and Brady Quinn* is able to deliver the goods for an Arrowhead crowd desperate for a win. Oh, and if you are at the game and happen to see a Raiders fan, don’t hesitate to call the police.

It’s in violation of their parole.

*For a good article on Brady Quinn and the aftermath of being named the Chiefs starter, click here.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Now that Matt Cassel has (involuntarily) passed the starting quarterback torch to Brady Quinn, and for all intents and purposes, the Cassel era in Kansas City is over, I think it’s time for a little reminiscing, and for a little nostalgia. Let’s look back and count down the top Cassel moments from his time as starter in Kansas City. So, without further ado, let’s begin.

Honorable Mentions

Hat Missing Head

If this video isn’t about the perfect analogy of Cassel’s time in Kansas City, I don’t know what is.

Cassel’s Celebration Fail

A late entry into the countdown (as in I just remembered it), this failed touchdown celebration in a preseason game against the Seahawks in 2012  is another iconic moment in the Cassel era.

Cassel with Kenny Powers

After Cassel’s excellent 2010 season, he got an endorsement deal with K-Swiss and appeared with the flamboyantly brazen fictional character, Kenny Powers, in a commercial. Warning: the following video does contain strong language, but also Cassel saying “come at me bro.”

Top Ten

10. Cassel Signs in Kansas City

Finally, we get to the top 10. On February 28^th, 2009, the New England Patriots traded Cassel and OLB Mike Vrabel to the Chiefs for the 34^th pick in the draft. Later that offseason, the Chiefs signed Cassel to a six year deal for $63 million, with $28 million guaranteed.  Even for those that supported bringing Cassel to town, a deal such as that for a player that only had one season of starting under his belt after inheriting the greatest offense the NFL had ever seen was a bit discomforting. But compared to the QB situation before Cassel – Croyle, Thigpen, etc. – Cassel was a welcomed addition.

9. Cassel’s First Win in KC

Cassel’s first win with the Chiefs came on October 18^th, 2009 against the Jim Zorn-lead Washington Redskins. The final score was 14-6 thanks to four Ryan Succop field goals and a Tamba Hali safety of Todd Collins to end the game. Cassel was 16/31 for 186 yards.

8. Cassel’s Pro Bowl

In 2010, Cassel put up some of the best numbers in the AFC, and after Tom Brady turned down his spot in the Pro Bowl, Matt Cassel was selected to replace him. Coming off a season in which there were no Chiefs Pro Bowlers in 2009, having Cassel, along with Jamaal Charles, Brian Waters and Dwayne Bowe in 2010, was good to see. Cassel was 5/12 for 95 yards, 2 TDs and 2 INTs.

7. Kansas City Beats Indianapolis, 2011

It was the Chiefs’ second win of the 2011 season, but the way in which we won shouldn’t be forgotten. Down 24-7 with a little over a minute left in the second quarter, the Chiefs would go on to win 28-24 behind Cassel’s performance of 21/29 passing for 257 yards and 4 TDs.

6. Cassel’s Lone Playoff Game

In 2010, Cassel had the best year of his career that culminated in his only playoff appearance as a starter. Unfortunately, it was a blowout at home and the beginning of the end for Cassel in KC. And although you can’t blame the whole outcome on him, his stat line was nothing short of awful: 9/18, 70 yards, 3 INTs.

5. Yelling Match with Todd Haley

After a busted screen and a throw into the dirt in the red zone, Cassel left the field in the Chiefs game against Minnesota in 2011. After some heated words were exchanged on the sideline, Cassel and head coach Todd Haley were visibly shown on the broadcast shouting at each other, with full back Le’Ron McClain seemingly separating the two. This exchange brought on a lot of criticism by national media, but Haley’s tactics seemed to work, and Cassel would go on to lead the Chiefs to their first victory of the 2011 season.

4. Cassel Gets Booed at All-Star Game

With the MLB All-Star Game held in Kansas City, and such festivities like the celebrity softball game, it only made sense to invite local stars to the event. And being the quarterback of the host city’s football team qualifies one as a celebrity – not to mention his background in baseball. But the crowd, in an event that foreshadowed much of the fan frustration this season, booed Cassel when he was introduced at Kauffman for the celebrity softball game. Although, it must be stated his at bats were generally met with ‘polite applause‘.

3. Cassel the Good Guy

Cassel is truly a good person, and this fact shouldn’t be forgotten because of his poor performance on the football field. From helping rebuild homes in my city of Joplin after the tornado (good ESPN video on it here) to saving his neighbor’s life from a house fire, Cassel is a good guy.

2. Cassel’s Last Game as Starter

The close 9-6 loss to the Ravens at Arrowhead will, unless Romeo Crennel backs out of his commitment to Brady Quinn going forward, be Cassel’s last game as starter for the season, and possibly ever in Kansas City. It will also be known as the game some Chiefs fans cheered Cassel’s injury/Charles’ catch and run/Quinn entering the game (depending on which explanation you want to believe and what right tackle you want to ignore). It was also the game a plane flew over Arrowhead with a banner saying “Fire Pioli. Bench Cassel.” And with that controversy surrounding Cassel’s concussion, his era in KC came to an end.

1. Game after Appendectomy

Out of respect to Cassel, I felt I’d end the list with a positive. Cassel might not have been the best QB in the world, but no one could question his will or his toughness. Both were on display during week 15 last year against the St. Louis Rams. Appearing a little over a week after having an emergency appendectomy following his appendix rupturing, Cassel was back out there to lead the Chiefs to a 27-13 victory. He was 15-29 for 184 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, but the image we should take away from that game is Cassel scrambling for a first down, taking a hit, popping up and signaling the first down.

Cassel’s time in Kansas City hasn’t been defined by success. The Chiefs only have one winning season since he arrived from New England in 2009. But the end of any era should be experienced with a bit of reminiscing. It’s like if you hated high school but then got sentimental while listening to Good Riddance by Green Day during graduation.

You might not want it back, but you can appreciate the experience. 

Nov 21, 2011; Foxboro, MA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli on the field prior to a game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE

Let there be no mistake, there is soon to be a reckoning at One Arrowhead Drive. And although I would have seen it begin during the bye week, it will just make the end of the season that much more explosive.

The Eagles are 3-3 and fired their defensive coordinator. With Andy Reid on the hot seat in Philadelphia, he fired Juan Castillo because he believed it was best for his football team. Although no moves have been made in San Diego, general manager A.J. Smith of the 3-3 Chargers stated “ In the next 10 games we will either rally and see a slow, steady rise from the ashes to a division championship — or the beginning of a new era in Chargers’ football.”

But with everyone seemingly on the hot seat in Kansas City, and a bye week on hand, no such changes are being made, and Scott Pioli is making no such comments on his annual bye week pressapalooza. Sure, he’s saying he’s disappointed with how the team has performed, but for a fanbase that smells blood in the water, words will never speak as loud as action.

This lack of any tangible change is a HUGE mistake. The Chiefs are nearly halfway through the season and are arguably the worst team in the NFL. The bye week is the perfect opportunity to make a move that could help out the team for the rest of the season, and it’s a pretty simple solution compared to what, I believe, probably should be done.

Romeo Crennel needs to be relieved of his defensive coordinator duties immediately, and during the bye week is the time to do it.

One could say that Reid is overreacting by firing his DC after only six games, especially with a 3-3 record. But would the Chiefs be overreacting by making a move after six games with a 1-5 record? No. If this team is serious about contending – and to be fair, the AFC West is weak enough where such a hope isn’t completely farfetched – this is the kind of move that should be made. A not-so-subtle wakeup call this franchise dearly needs.

The reason I make this request is not only because of the numerous blowouts suffered by the team so far this season (sure those are disappointing). The reason I say he needs to be relieved of his DC duties is because I think he needs to have some quality time becoming acquainted with how to become a good head coach. And right now, Romeo Crennel is not a good head coach. In fact, he’s looking like the worst head coach in the whole league right now.

The more time Crennel can spend figuring out the whole head coaching thing – when to kick field goals, what “two-possession-ball-game” means, etc. – the better. I mean, head coaches that continuously make Bill Barnwell’s ‘Thank You For Not Coaching’ articles on Grantland (here’s one from last year, and here’s one from this season) usually don’t stick around long.

I’ll be honest, reducing Crennel to only head coaching duties is about the Diet Coke version of what I’d prefer. Scratch that, the Coke Zero version. Right now, I am a disgruntled fan that would like nothing better than Bane to come to Kansas City as the reckoning I spoke about earlier (“Once the Chiefs have secured a top-two pick, you have my permission to resign”). I’m talking about Crennel gone, Pioli gone, Daboll gone, Cassel gone, KC Wolf gone (now you can see how upset I am).  I’m talking about cleaning house; I’m talking about starting over.

Now, let me clarify. Cleaning house is NOT the same as rebuilding. The talent can stay in place, but a new front office and head coaching staff NEEDS to be brought in. I know this team has talent, but it’s clear that talent isn’t being taken advantage of by this coaching staff. Crennel is so bad at being a head coach that none of the defensive success he had with the team in the past should save his job in my opinion. Pioli’s failed implementation of his ideas has left me with no more faith in the tank. And if Pioli gets that extension that was rumored earlier in the week, I am concerned that Arrowhead will be burned to the ground.

But for a 1-5 team at the bye, I would have taken a reduction in Crennel’s role with the Chiefs. Unfortunately, I won’t even get that. And thus, this is how the Chiefs lose even when they don’t play.

September 30, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh Freeman (5) calls a play during the first quarter against the Washington Redskins at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

While many posts and time have been spent this week getting to know the Chiefs new starting quarterback, Brady Quinn, it’s time to turn our collective attention on Sunday’s enemy: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Coming off a bye week, the Bucs have had an extra week to refocus and concentrate on the Chiefs.* The time off should also be used to clear their minds from what could have been. After winning their first game of 2012 against division rival Carolina Panthers, 16-10, they’ve gone on to lose their next three games by just one score each: Giants 41-34, Dallas 16-10, and Washington 24-22.

*They also hope the extra week off allows the media to forget about those two weeks when they were infamous for trying to blow up kneel downs. But, of course, it’s my job to remind everyone.

Lead by new head coach, Greg Schiano from Rutgers, the Bucs are trying to create a new attitude around the team. An attitude that needed implemented after the team lost their last ten games and visibly quit on then head coach Raheem Morris, which prompted his firing at the end of the season. After making a reported run for Oregon coach Chip Kelly, they decided to hire Schiano, and although they are 1-3, the team seems stronger now than they were last year.

A reason for that strength could be how Schiano began his job with the Bucs, and that is by “winning” free agency. A number of big name additions to the roster have increased the depth and talent across the board and made this team more dangerous* on both sides of the ball.

*But not nearly as dangerous as Bucs cornerback Aqib Talib.

Offense

In 2009, the Bucs took the 6’6” Kansas State quarterback and former Grandview grad, Josh Freeman, with the 17^th overall pick. And much like the Chiefs, the Bucs want to get back to their 2010 ways. That’s because, in 2010, the Bucs went 10-6* and a big reason was because of Freeman. In his first full year as the starter, Freeman threw for 3,451 yards, 25 TDs and 6 INTs.

*Yet missed the playoffs.

It wasn’t just Freeman who had a good year in 2010. Wide receiver Mike Williams, the oft-troubled rookie out of Syracuse, had 964 yards and 11 TDs. And undrafted free agent LeGarrette Blount* had 1,007 yards rushing with 6 TDs, the first time a running back had rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season since Cadillac Williams in 2005.** At the end of the 2010 season, it looked like the Bucs were on the verge of reclaiming the NFC South with an assortment of young talent all over the field. Sound familiar?

*Not because of talent, but he just liked to punch people. Like this time in college, or this time in Titans mini-camp.

*Any guesses on who the leading passer in 2005 was for the Bucs? Two hints: 1) it was the son of a legendary Super Bowl winning quarterback. 2) It’s not Brian Griese.

But like the Chiefs, the success of 2010 has not returned to the team since. In 2011, as I mentioned above, the Bucs lost their last ten games of the season. And the young talent that made every fan* in the Tampa Bay area excited about the future found themselves struggling. Freeman went from one of the league’s most efficient passers to throwing more interceptions (22) than touchdowns (16). Blount saw his rushing yards drop to 781, and besides the beastly run (I have to at least call it that) against Green Bay, seemed like a different runner. Mike Williams also saw his production fall to 771 yards but the biggest drop was his touchdown catches to 3.

*Dozens, if not hundreds of them. That joke is brought to you by these following blackouts.

Not wanting to risk another year of decline, the owner* opened up the wallet and improved the team’s circumstance with some big free agent acquisitions. Pro Bowl Wide receiver Vincent Jackson was brought in from San Diego, Pro Bowl guard Carl Nicks was brought in from New Orleans, and the team traded back into the first round to grab Boise State running back Doug Martin with the 31^st pick. Oh, and let’s not forget free agent tight end Dallas Clark made his way over from Indianapolis to replace the loss of Kellen Winslow Jr.

*The Bucs owner Bryan Glazer, knows about opening up the wallet, seeing as he’s also purchased a controlling interest of England’s football club, Manchester United.

Jackson added firepower to the receiving corps alongside Williams and 2010 second round pick Arrelious Benn out of Illinois. Martin was drafted to bring a different dynamic to the running game, and, by being a more complete back than Blount, earned the role of opening day starter for the Bucs. Nicks, meanwhile, reinforced the offensive line while also making it the NFL’s most expensive offensive line, with Tampa devoting $168 million to the unit over the last three seasons. From left to right: 2010 Pro-Bowler Donald Penn, two-time Pro Bowler Nicks, Jeremy Zuttah, Ted Larson and Demar Dotson is filling in for an injured Jeremy Trueblood.

So far in 2012, the Bucs are 29^th in passing yards per game (185), and 23^rd in rushing yards per game (91). Freeman is 65/119 (54.6%) for 790 yards, 5 TDs and 4 INTs. Doug Martin has 247 yards off 71 carries (3.5 ypc) while Blount has been limited to 44 yards off 13 carries (3.4 ypc). Free agent addition Jackson is leading all receivers with 16 catches for 304 yards and 2 TDs while Williams has 11 catches for 219 yards and 2 TDs. Dallas Clark is the third leading receiver with 81 yards.

Defense

Offense wasn’t the only side of the ball that needed a facelift. The 2011 Bucs defense finished 30^th in the NFL in yards allowed per game, and were the absolute worst in points allowed per game at 30.9. Not easy to win a lot of games giving up that many points. The ironic part of those statistics is that the Bucs have historically been known for their defense.*

*Tampa 2 anybody?

It can’t be denied that’s what the team has been trying to get back to. The team’s first selections in the last three drafts have been on defense with DT Gerald McCoy in 2010, DE Adrian Clayborn in 2011, and S Mark Barron in 2012. In fact, eight out of ten draft picks taken in the first three rounds since 2010 have been for the defensive side of the ball.

And with all these draft picks, a young defense is the result. McCoy* and 2009 3^rd round pick Roy Miller out of Texas make up the defensive tackle positions. At the defensive end position, it becomes a little more complicated. In a perfect world, I’m sure the team and Bucs fans alike would love to have defensive ends Clayborn and 2011 2^nd round pick Da’Quan Bowers** line up on opposite sides. Unfortunately for the Bucs, both are injured. Bowers is out with an Achilles injury (with a return late in the season possible) while Clayborn is done for the season with a knee injury suffered in the loss to Dallas. That forces Michael Bennett and George Johnson into action. Bennett started 10 games for the Bucs last season.

*Who is just trying to stay healthy this season. Hopefully he’s fixed his tackling technique.

**If you follow the drafts, then I’m sure you recognize this name for a player that was a unanimous first round pick until an injury was discovered and he continued to slide down the draft board until the Bucs took a chance on him.

At the linebacker position, the Bucs have Mason Foster, their 2011 3^rd round pick, at inside linebacker. To Foster’s right is Lavonte David, the 2^nd round pick rookie out of Nebraska. To the left is Quincy Black, the 2007 3^rd round pick out of New Mexico, who has started at least 10 games every season since 2009. While there is not a lot of experience amongst the group, the group is performing well with Foster and David leading the team in tackles.*

*Which one should expect but I remember those bad Chiefs years when our safeties were leading the team in tackles. Not good.

The defensive backfield for the Bucs is one that should be better. Aqib Talib*, the 2008 1^st round pick out of KU, and free agent pick up Eric Wright from Detroit, man the corner positions, while 2012 1^st round pick Barron and the ageless wonder Ronde Barber** make up the safety positions. But despite this talent, the Bucs are last in the league in pass defense, allowing a staggering 345.3 yards per game through the air. In comparison, the team is 4^th in the league at rushing yards allowed with 73.8 yards per game. Then again, why run when teams are having such success with the pass. Unless, of course, you have Jamaal Charles as your running back and Brady Quinn*** as your quarterback …

*Who’s own mother isn’t even a fan.

**Who my former roommate and avid Bucs fan ensures me will be a Hall of Famer and I see nothing that would disagree with that notion. He’s been good for a very long time. Wish I could say the same for his brother.

***Quinnsanity!

Special Teams

Kicker: Connor Barth* – 9/9 on FG attempts

*Yes, I’m also surprised it’s not another Gramatica.

Punter: Michael Koenen – 43.6 net punt average

***

As far as this matchup is concerned, I will say this: the toughest part of the Chiefs schedule is behind them, and if they want any chance of salvaging the season, it MUST start on the road in Tampa Bay, where my former roommate made sure I informed everyone that the cannons in the stadium don’t just fire on points, they also fire every time the Bucs enter the redzone. So let’s hope we don’t hear the cannons tomorrow.

October 07, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs fans show their opinion of quarterback Matt Cassel (7) during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium. The Ravens won 9-6. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

You want to know why some Chiefs fans cheered Cassel’s injury and prompted a mega-rant by Chiefs right tackle Eric Winston on Sunday?

Disconnect.

Sam Mellinger of the Kansas City Star wrote about the disconnect Chiefs fans and the organization suffer. Basically, he wrote, the relationship between the fans and the team is broken. And, just like most messy divorces, it’s both parties’ faults. “Fans need to be better than to cheer an injury. The organization they pour money and passion into needs to be better than to let this much frustration build, too.”

Ross Tucker, a former NFL player and writer about the sport he used to play, took it a step further. It’s not just the Chiefs organization that’s experiencing a disconnect, it’s the whole sport. He cites video games and fantasy football as reasons why fans no longer relate to the players they support on the field. “Like video games, fantasy football has been a huge boon for the business of the NFL and, in turn, NFL players.  Like video games, however, fantasy football has contributed to the propensity of fans who think of and thus treat NFL players like commodities.  If you draft and trade and drop players on your fantasy team enough you really do begin to think of them in that way.  Ultimately they just become numbers whether that is the jersey they wear or the statistics they generate.  The human element is gone.”

While I tend to side with the correlation doesn’t imply causation crowd, Tucker makes a good point. The human element is, unfortunately, increasingly absent in the game of football.

In high school football, you know everyone who is playing. Whether you are currently attending or if you’re just a proud alum coming to support the team, you usually have a connection to some if not all the players. In college, it’s the same way. You could be attending class with the star quarterback; you could be playing a pick-up basketball game with a future NFL wide receiver. Even after graduation, these memories drive the fandom that follows, and helps your deeply rooted loyalties remain for life.

But when those players start making money, they then are swept into the world of professional sports, where fans are usually just spectators. Besides an occasional trip to training camp, a happenstance sighting at the mall, or a scheduled autograph signing, fans have little to no interaction with the players. That’s where Tucker’s point on the human element being gone comes in. If there is no human element, then these players are little more than statistics and a means of winning or losing games.

This isn’t the players’ fault, however. This is how professional sports operate. You can’t blame an athlete if he doesn’t live in your city during the off season; he’s most likely not from your part of the country anyway. You can’t blame an athlete for not being more accessible or open to the public: imagine if your life was surrounded by people who either wanted to sing your praises or curse your presence.

Now, some players, and owners, interact with fans via Twitter. And while I believe this is a great way for fans to become closer to the players and organization, some teams put restrictions on what their players tweet, even encouraging them to delete their accounts all together. Say what you want about Jim Irsay and his propensity at tweeting, he is connecting with the fans of his team in almost a modern version of what Lamar Hunt used to do for the Chiefs fan-base. Just with more technology.

So take the disconnect I was talking about earlier, and multiply it by 10, and you will get what happened Sunday at Arrowhead. The secrecy, the perceived ego, the stories you hear from within the organization of iron fist rule and alleged wiretapping do nothing but tear down the once unbreakable bridge that linked Kansas City with their most beloved sports team. Sure, Scott Pioli opened up in the book War Room and let readers into his world, but a few chapters of insight doesn’t help heal the wound when the team is losing, and losing in ways that Adele couldn’t even describe.

While I believe winning is the only cure for the current symptoms, long-term is still in question. It might be too late for Pioli to ever garner the goodwill of the city, but it’s not too late for Clark Hunt. If he wants to avoid another national story, he needs to open his organization up to the fans. And I have one suggestion that could help.

Do a Hard Knocks-esque show. Not Hard Knocks, but one almost identical in purpose. Make it a half hour or an hour and show it online or on local television. Open the door to the organization so the fans can better see it. Mitch Holthus is great for a show and training camp episode every week, but I want to see and hear from the players. Mic them up during rookie camp, OTAs, training camp, preseason, regular season. Cut and edit it where the fans see the players, see the raw emotion, the humor, and the characters that make up their franchise. 65 TPT, the Chiefs in-house production, has to have the capacity to pull this off. Get Paul Rudd to narrate it again like he did during the Chiefs appearance on Hard Knocks a few years back. Give us more Boomer Grigsbys. Show us more hot wives. Allow fans to get to know the players they own jerseys of. Show the GM talking to the coach. Show undrafted free agents get cut or make the team, just as long as we have people to root for. Mic up everybody! I want in, because I am a fan. Restore that human element and the bridge can be built once more.

Cleaning house can only do so much.

I know it’s a simple idea, and one that the team might not go for, but you can’t deny there would be the market for it. The fans deserve something like this, and if the Chiefs or the NFL in general want to help fix the disconnect that currently is coming to the forefront of our attention, then my suggestion is something to take under advisement.

And the sooner, the better.

September 27, 2012;Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith (82) congratulates quarterback Joe Flacco (5) after rushing for a touchdown during the game against the Cleveland Browns at M

It’s time for your favorite part of the week: Saturday morning. Saturday is the first official day of the weekend, big college games around the country, and, of course, your weekly ‘Getting to know’ post.* This week, the Chiefs face perhaps their toughest challenge all season in the Baltimore Ravens.

*Also, it’s the day of the weekend where we don’t have to endure the woes of being Chiefs fans.

Chiefs fans will remember the last time these two teams met. It was a cold January morning, and it was the Chiefs’ first home playoff game since 2003. Unfortunately, it ended the way Chiefs fans have become accustomed to games ending. After a promising halftime score, the next two quarters were unbearable and the Chiefs were blown out of their own stadium.*

*Par for the course in 2012.

But, that was two years ago. Both teams have changed since then, so let’s begin.

Offense

In 2010, Joe Flacco was viewed as a game manager, and in some cases, a liability. In fact, in 2010, football fans weren’t even sure who they’d rather have on their team, Flacco, or Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. In those two years, Flacco has emerged as an unquestioned reason for his team’s success* while Sanchez is constantly looking over his shoulder for a bare-chested Tebow running at him with a tire.

*Although Bill Barnwell from Grantland would disagree. Which means he’s probably right.

In 2012, Flacco has helped lead the Ravens to a 3-1 record 99/156 passes (63.5%) for 1,269 yards, 7 TDs and 3 INTs. The Ravens organizations, much like the Chiefs, have surrounded their quarterback with talent, whether it be through free agency or the draft.  That talent includes one of the league’s best running backs, Ray Rice, wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith, tight end Dennis Pitta, and a big offensive line.

Rice happens to be one of the most dangerous backs in the game right now, but is currently 13^th in the league rushing with 64 carries for 317 yards. Under-utilized if you ask most fans,* Rice is perpetually compared to Marshall Faulk because of his size, speed, and running style. But with the emergence of Flacco, the Ravens offense has transformed into more of a passing attack – fourth in the NFL in passing yards per game at 310.2 – than a rushing attack – 12^th in the NFL at 113.8 yards per game. Still, you have to love the balanced approach that’s good for the NFL’s second most prolific offense averaging 424 yards per game.*

*But when has offensive coordinator Cam Cameron cared what fans thought?

**Of course, stats don’t necessarily tell the whole story. Example: Chiefs average 418.5 yards per game, good for fourth in the NFL.

Anquan Boldin leads a good receiving group for the Ravens, but one that has seen its fair share of failed veterans in the past; T.J. Houshmanzadah, and Lee Evans show how veteran wide receivers aren’t always the answer. Ozzie Newsome, the general manager of the Ravens, saw the misses and decided to take a chance on second-round receiver Torrey Smith* out of Maryland in 2011. Taken 32 picks after the Chiefs’ own Jonathan Baldwin in that same Draft, Smith has gone on to look like one of the next-big-things at the receiver position, leading his team in receiving yards and touchdowns.** Another receiver is Jacoby Jones, whom the Ravens signed in May from the Texans but could have been working for the Ravens as soon as January.  Jones also returns punts.

*Who isn’t afraid of anything … except earthquakes.

**While Chiefs fans feel good about Baldwin just getting increased playing time.

The last time the Chiefs and Ravens played, it was Todd Heap the Chiefs defense couldn’t stop. This time around, they will be dealing with third-year player, Dennis Pitta, out of BYU and third-year player, Ed Dickson, out of Oregon. It will be interesting to see how these tight ends matchup with the Chiefs defense, but if the season has been any indication, my guess is not well.

The Ravens offensive line helps bolster this already strong offense. At left tackle, you have a blockbuster hit that won Sandra Bullock an Academy Award for Best Actress,* and the talent continues all down the line. From left to right, Michael Oher, Ramon Harewood, six-time Pro Bowler Matt Birk at center, Marshal Yanda, and rookie second-round pick Kelechi Osemele at right tackle. Even former left tackle anchor, Bryant “Mount” McKinnie, serves as a backup tackle on the line. And while the offensive line doesn’t agree with everything their teammates do or say, we can all agree they are some of the best in the business.

*And had to win some sort of Razzie for worst performance by Tim McGraw

Defense

When you think of the Ravens, you think of defense. Between the future Hall of Famers on the roster to the statistics that back up the dominance of this unit, the Ravens are proof that defense can still win ball games in this record-breaking new age offense. And there are few to no positions on defense that could be considered weak, which must allow new defensive coordinator, Dean Pees, sleep sound at night.

The defense all starts up front with 2006 first round pick, Haloti Ngata, and his 6’4” 340 lbs frame. The three-time Pro Bowler, who’s first sport of choice wasn’t football, is accompanied by 10 year veteran Maake Kemoeatu at nose tackle and the second year defensive end Pernell McPhee. Kemoeatu is starting in place of third-year player Terrence Cody, whose performance in 2010 prompted the Ravens to release Kelly Gregg before the 2011 season. Gregg then, as we remember, found his way into the starting job with the Chiefs before his retirement/Chiefs decision not to re-sign.

With the linebackers, it begins and ends with Ray Lewis.* The ageless wonder who also does a part-time gig giving inspirational speeches before the NIT College Basketball Championship, is the heart and soul of the defense. But although Lewis’ presence is a given, the rest of the linebackers haven’t been so much this season. We all know reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Terrell Suggs,* injured his Achilles’ playing basketball this offseason and his return is in no way secure. 2012 first-round pick, Courtney Upshaw, has yet to fill that void, only being brought in during sub-packages and behind Albert McClellan, the second year player out of Marshall, on the depth chart. Paul Kroger, who hadn’t started a game since his one in 2009, is now the outside linebacker opposite McClellan after losing Jarret Johnson to the Chargers in free agency, while fifth-year player Jameel McClain, who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, fills the last linebacker position.

*13-time Pro Bowler and Old Spice salesman

**Who is NOT a fan of Tebowmania.

And if the Ravens linebacker position seems unusually down, the defensive backfield is exceptionally good. Like always, the Ravens have eight-time Pro Bowler Ed Reed at doing his thing at free safety. And former Chief Bernard Pollard is a threat to hit you really hard, possibly illegally,* anytime he’s on the field. And the Ravens, without question, have one of the best if not the best groups of corners in all of football. 2009 third round pick, Lardarius Webb, looks like a future Pro Bowler, possibly even this year, Cary Williams has been good over the last two seasons, and 2011 first-round pick out of Colorado, Jimmy Smith, is in the hunt for a starting job but is currently just a really good nickel.

*Although his best known hit was legal at the time.

Despite this talented backfield, teams have had success passing on the Ravens, with the team being ranked 29^th in the league in passing yards allowed (295.8 yards per game) compared to 13^th in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (94.5). The team’s only loss this season came on the one-point loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in week two.

Special Teams

Justin Tucker: Kicker – 8/9 on field goals*

*Although Bill Belichick had a question about one of those field goals.

Sam Koch: Punter – 36.6 net punt average

***

This game has potential. For what? I guess we’ll find out.

Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

I’ve been moaning and groaning about the debacle that was Sunday for too long! It’s time to take back my week, take back my life, and take back my Twitter. It’s time to stop concentrating on last Sunday and start concentrating on next April.

That’s right, I’m looking at the upcoming NFL draft.

Yes, this is very defeatist of me, but I am doing myself and all those readers out there who are sick and tired of thinking about the Chiefs 1-3 start a favor; particularly the guy at the helm.

Sure, there are more people to blame than just QB Matt Cassel. Jamaal Charles had two costly fumbles on Sunday. Brian Daboll looks like his cup is so overflowing with talent that he’s drunk off it, which could explain why Shaun Draughn has gotten so many carries this season. Romeo Crennel is making a strong case for the worst head coach in the AFC. And Scott Pioli… calm down Nathan, remember what you’re writing about [deep breath].

Ok.

Cassel is on pace to be awful. Currently, Cassel is 22^nd in the league in completion percentage (58.4%), 28^th in quarterback rating (70.4), tied for 27^th in average yards per pass 6.6, tied for 3^rd in sacks taken (13), tied for first in interceptions (7) in contrast to his 5 TDs. And if Cassel was the improbably victim of stats not telling the whole story, he has also failed any sort of eye test fans and scouts have seen. His passes are high, wide, low, behind, and anywhere but on his wide receivers.

While only four games into the season, Cassel certainly has plenty of time to turn it around. But even if he did, I still want a quarterback in the first round. For a team so deep, the Chiefs are so weak at the most important position on the field. And despite the chants for Brady Quinn and Ricky Stanzi after the multiple-interception game by Cassel against the Chargers, I am looking for a long-term fix. I am looking for the Chiefs’ first 1^st round quarterback since Todd Blackledge in 1983 (Blackledge < Eason, Kelly, O’Brien, Marino).

Not only could a high round quarterback help fix the Chiefs offensive problems, he could restore faith into the Chiefs fan base. I am going to ignore the Pioli tendencies  and make it a democratic decision for the next face of the franchise. And by democratic decision, I mean a twitter campaign of #Suck4Luck proportions. I am going to list a few quarterback twitter hash-tags, list their statistics, and leave it up to you, the fans, to get the campaign spreading far and wide throughout Chiefs kingdom. And no, this doesn’t have to be confined to the limits of Twitter. Facebook it, text it, Pinterest it (whatever that is), shout it at the top of your lungs when the Chiefs are down three touchdowns to the Ravens next week like Frank Costanza would use the ‘Serenity Now!’ technique to help calm his anger.

It’s up to you, ladies and gentleman; you are the fans. Get this thing going; let people know that we are not satisfied by the current state of the franchise. Let your friends and followers know something must be done. And, of course, add your own hash-tags in the comments section to make this thing your own.

Let’s get this campaign started!

#Bark4Barkley

Technically, I started this campaign last year when I thought Matt Barkley would enter the 2012 draft. Instead, Barkley stayed at USC for his senior year and allowed me to keep dreaming about this draft pick. He will go very high in the 2013 draft, so either the Chiefs will have to trade up to get him, or just be so awful they are in the position to nab the 4-year starter (which is conceivable). And for those saying you don’t want another USC quarterback? Actually, history is on your side, but I’d still love to have this guy on my team.

2012 Stats: 88/143 (64.1%), 1,005 yards, 12 TDs, 5 INTs                                                                                    Career: 843/1,318 (64.0%), 10,059 yards, 92 TDs, 38 INTs

#Blow4Geno

Yes, I know there wasn’t the Barkley-like hype entering this season for Geno Smith, but he has, without question, been the best quarterback in college football this year. His meteoric rise resembles that of Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III, the two prior Heisman winners. While it will be interesting to see how he performs against tougher Big 12 competition than Baylor, the West Virginia Senior is as electrifying as it comes. I mean, just look at the stats.

2012 Stats: 141/169 (83.4%), 1,728 yards, 20 TDs, 0 INTs                                                                                          Career Stats: 760/1,116 (68.1%), 9,185 yards, 76 TDs, 15 INTs

#Tank4Tyler

Nowhere near the Heisman watch list for this season, Arkansas fifth-year Senior, Tyler Wilson, has suffered the repercussions of a new head coach, loss of talent around him, and a porous offensive line. But as the losses continue to pile up for the Razorbacks, it should not be forgotten how good of a prospect Wilson is at the quarterback position. With some analysts even penciling in Wilson as the second QB off the board in April, it will be interesting to see how high or how low Wilson’s stock goes based on his team’s performance.

2012 Stats: 76/145 (54.5%), 1,355 yards, 9 TDs, 5 INTs                                                                                           Career Stats: 423/692 (61.1%), 5,733 yards, 40 TDs, 18 INTs

#Erring4Aaron

Currently sixth on ESPN’s Heisman watch list, Aaron Murray, the junior quarterback for Georgia, is putting together a very nice season. Murray might be viewed as an under-the-radar sort of first rounder, but if Murray chooses to come out, I think there will definitely be the market.

2012 Stats: 88/129 (68.2%), 1,370 yards, 12 TDs, 3 INTs                                                                                     Career Stats: 535/874 (61.2%), 7,568 yards, 71 TDs, 25 INTs

Barkley, Smith, Wilson and Murray are my top four contenders. Here are some honorable mentions that might not make the first round but could be an improvement at the QB position.

#LandingLandry

This one was more conceivable last year.

2012 Stats: 68/107 (63.6%), 773 yards, 5 TDs, 2 INTs                                                                                                    Career Stats: 1,089/1,735 (62.8%), 13,152, 98 TDs, 43 INTs

#Pray4Bray

Tyler Bray could easily move up into my top four by the end of the year, but must remember he’s just a junior.

2012 Stats: 118/193 (61.1%), 1,582 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs                                                                                           Career Stats: 390/664 (58.7%), 5,414 yards, 49 TDs, 22 INTs

#LoseAway4EJ

Clearly not a good hash-tag, but Florida St Quarterback, E.J. Manuel, is good.

2012 Stats: 88/120 (73.3%), 1,147 yards, 9 TDs, 1 INT                                                                                                 Career Stats: 425/630 (67.5%), 5,491 yards, 33 TDs, 19 INTs

Well, that does it for looking at the 2013 draft class. Like I said earlier, add your own hash-tags to the comment section and let’s make it happen. And if you can’t wait for the season to end to see someone other than Cassel start for the Chiefs, here are a few hash-tags for that as well:

#WinWithQuinn                                                                                                                                                    #Antsy4Stanzi                                                                                                                                                                #Starve4Favre

The last one’s a joke of course. Unless…. Nah.

September 16, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) hands the ball off during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Qualcomm Stadium. The Chargers won 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

This is a team that Kansas City fans are all too familiar with. The Chiefs see the Chargers twice a season, and over the years there has been no lack of the dramatics. Over the last two seasons, the Chiefs have split the series,* but it’s not long ago when the Chargers used to be the scourge of the Earth.

*Including one of the greatest moments of my life: the Halloween victory over the Chargers in 2011 with the fabled fumbled snap. Oh, and the 2010 season opener on Monday Night Football against the Chargers will always be high on that list too.

Luckily for the Chiefs, the Chargers have fallen off over the last two seasons, and the inability or unwillingness to retain talent might be the key. Just the difference in the Chargers now from the last time they won the AFC West, 2009, is staggering. No LaDainian Tomlinson, no Darren Sproles, no Vincent Jackson, no Kevin Burnett, no Shaun Merriman,* or Marcus McNeill; the list goes on and on of Pro Bowlers and good players no longer with the team.

*This one they are probably better off without.

And while the Chargers’ roster has gotten worse from its title-contention-just-to-fall-short-in-the-playoffs-in-disappointing-fashion days, the Chiefs’ roster has improved each year since 2009. The Chiefs 2010 division title is a testament to that, and also, possibly the beginning of the end for the Chargers AFC West dominance.

Offense

Just like every other offense, it’s defined by the quarterback play.* And that quarterback play is executed by the four-time, Pro-Bowler Philip Rivers. While, as a Chiefs fan, I can’t say I enjoy Rivers, I do respect him as one of the top quarterbacks in the game. And although his ‘scrambling’ ability hasn’t impressed the analysts, I certainly remember the days of Charger dominance with Rivers and his Hall-of-Fame pace at the helm. Currently, Rivers is 69/103 for 688 yards, four TDs and three INTs.

*Except if you have Jamaal Charles on your team.

For the first time this season, Ryan Mathews, the former first-round pick from 2010, returned to the starting lineup last week against the Atlanta Falcons. If trying to replace LT wasn’t hard enough, a broken collarbone in the preseason couldn’t have helped anything. In Mathews return, he had 10 rushes for 44 yards and a fumble. But that is to be expected coming off an injury. For some comparison data, Mathews has 70 carries for 298 yards and three TDs in four games (of which the Chiefs have never allowed him to rush for more than 98 yards). As far as the backups: former Dolphins first round pick Ronnie Brown, and former Chief Jackie Battle.* And let’s not forget one-time Chiefs full back and fan-favorite, Le’Ron McClain.

*Who is currently leading the Chargers in rushing … with 124 yards.

The Charger’s wide receiver position took a hit this year with the loss of Vincent Jackson in free agency. The team tried to compensate for the loss with the additions of former first round pick Robert Meachum from New Orleans* and Eddie Royal from Denver. They Chargers still have Malcolm Floyd, who will be there for quite a few years to come after his new contract extension he received earlier in the week. The deal is good for three years and $11 million, a great deal for a number one receiver, if, that is, you believe Floyd a number one receiver.

*I guess the Chiefs are dat.

It’s hard to think of the Chargers without Antonio Gates, but over the last couple of years, that’s what Chargers fans have had to do with all the injuries Gates has battled as of late. Since 2010, Gates has missed nine games due to those various injuries. It’s because of those injuries that spurred on the signing of Dante Rosario, who had four catches for three TDs against the Titans, and the drafting of Ladarius Green from Louisiana-Lafayette in the fourth round.

As far as the offensive line is concerned, it is in a stage of transition. McNeill is shot, and four-time Pro Bowl guard Kris Deilman announced an early retirement after concussion concerns (and a seizure on an airplane). McNeill’s replacement, Jared Gaither,* brought instant insurance to the left tackle position in 2011 but has been injured so far in 2012 and is questionable heading into Sunday. Nick Hardwick, the 2006 Pro Bowler, still leads the offensive line from the center position, but the rest of the line isn’t great.

*Who Chiefs fans will remember as the guy who became great in San Diego but couldn’t even replace Barry Richardson at right tackle last season while with the Chiefs.

Defense

The defense for the Chargers is dealing with a new coordinator, firing Greg Manusky after just one season. The new coordinator is John Pagano, brother of Colt’s new head coach Chuck Pagano. John Pagano had served as the linebackers coach under Manusky. And although Manusky might not have been given a fair shake in San Diego, Pagano is inheriting a talented defensive group.

For the second year in a row, the Chargers took a defensive player in the first round. Melvin Ingram from South Carolina was their pick in 2011, and Corey Liuget from Illinois was their selection in 2010. While Liuget is starting at defensive end, Ingram is backing up free agent acquisition and underrated linebacker Jarret Johnson, who they got from the Ravens.

Running the Pagano-essential 3-4 defense, the very colorful Antonio Garay anchors the nose tackle position, while the well-traveled Vaughn Martin finishes the starting defensive line. Aubrayo Franklin, who I had quietly wanted the Chiefs to pursue in free agency over the last two seasons, is Garay’s backup while 2012 second-round pick Kendall Reyes from Connecticut is the reserve for both end positions.

For the linebackers, Shaun Phillips, the 2010 Pro Bowl selection, and Donald Butler sure up the outside linebacker positions while Johnson and the ageless wonder Takeo Spikes* man the middle. Former Chief Demorrio Williams, and former 2009 first round pick Larry English** serve as reserves. As you can tell, the front seven of the Chargers is formidable.

*Who has an NFL record for games started without a playoff appearance.

**Bust

Veterans Quentin Jammer – first round pick in 2002 – and Antoine Cason – 2008 first-round pick – are the starters at the cornerback positions, although Jammer is dealing with an injury and listed as probable. For the rest of the defensive backfield, free agent Atari Bigby is at the strong safety position and currently leading the team in tackles at 27, while 2011 Pro Bowler Eric Weddle* returns to his free safety position.

*The highest paid safety in the league according to his agent and the second highest paid safety in his division according to, well, fact.

So far, Pagano’s defense has held opponents to 67.3 rushing yards per game (4^th in NFL) and 238.3 yards passing per game (17^th in the NFL). If the defense keeps that up, A.J. Smith* might not have to fire him in order to save his own job … again.

*The Lord of no Rings

Special Teams

Kicker : Nate Kaeding – 7/7 on the year* but will miss the Chiefs game Sunday. His replacement is the bladder-weak Nick Novak, who also replaced Kaeding during injury last season.

*And still 0-for-infinity in the playoffs

Punter: Mike Scifres – averaging 42.5 net yards per punt in 2012

***

The Chiefs have defeated the Chargers in Kansas City the last two seasons in a row in prime time. Will a noon game slow them down? Let’s just hope the Chiefs’ win over the Saints last week will carry over to Sunday and give the Chiefs first place in the AFC West.

September 9, 2012; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) against the Washington Redskins during the first half of a game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

It’s that time of the week again: Getting to know the Chiefs’ next opponent. This week, it’s the New Orleans Saints. So sit back, relax, and read some stuff.

The Saints have been in the limelight for quite some time. The travesty that was Hurricane Katrina coupled with the sudden and drastic improvement of the team under the leadership of Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton catapulted a once downtrodden team into an eventual Super Bowl winner. The darlings of ESPN and bandwagon fans alike, the Saints were in the news this offseason for all the wrong reasons.

Bountygate has been beat to death by media enough this offseason, so I’m sure you all know Payton was suspended for the season, Joe Vitt, the eventual interim head coach and linebackers coach, is suspended the first six weeks, and Aaron Kromer is the interim coach for the first six weeks as well as the offensive line coach. If you found that confusing, it’s because it is. And it appears that some of that offseason turmoil and distraction has carried over to season, causing a 0-2 start for a team not used to missing the playoffs in recent years.

Offense

The Saints might be the only 0-2 team in the NFC, but the fault certainly does not rest with the offense. Drew Brees & company scored 32 points in week one against the Redskins and 27 against the Panthers.  In fact, the Saints haven’t failed to score at least 20 points in a regular season game since week 17 of 2010. So yeah, they’re pretty good.

Brees, the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year, breaking Dan Marino’s single-season passing record last season, is also the proud recipient of a five-year, $100 million deal. And with Brees, he is not short on offensive weapons.

With his receivers, Marques Colston is the one you always think about, but like the greats do, he’s been known to make his surrounding cast better.* But Colston himself, coming off a 1,143 yard and eight TD 2011 season, is questionable entering Sunday, and the number two receiving option, Devery Henderson,** is also injured, but listed as probable.

*Which could be the reason Colston decided to stay and sign with the Saints. That, and $40 million.

**Former number two option, Robert Meachum, left NO and joined San Diego in the offseason.

But the biggest receiving fear for the Chiefs should be tight end Jimmy Graham. The supposed second coming of Tony Gonzalez (or was that Antonio Gates?), Graham uses his rare combination of speed and size to turn the football field into his own personal basketball court. Holder of the tight end record for yards in a season (1,310) for a couple of minutes,* the former 2010 third-round pick Graham is one of the elite tight ends in the game.** And with the trouble the Chiefs defense has had against lesser tight ends such as the Bill’s Scott Chandler this season, Graham could be primed for a BIG game.

*Rob Gronkowski with the Patriots broke the record the same day Graham set it.

**Taken two spots after the Chiefs own tight end Tony Moeaki.

An aspect of the Saints that tends to get overlooked is their running game, although they have two big name guys on their team. Mark Ingram, the Heisman winner and their second first-round pick in 2011, is a bruising runner who is used to pick up the hard yardage and close to the goal line. Although he’s struggled with injuries, Ingram is still a dangerous runner.* Pierre Thomas is perhaps their most complete back at this point, and currently leads their team in rushing. And although he hasn’t accounted for any rushing attempts yet after leading the team in yards last season, Darren Sproles is probably the most dangerous of the three. Picked up as a free agent from San Diego before last season to replace Reggie Bush, Sproles went on to break the single-season, All-Purpose Yardage record that had stood since 2000. Sproles is definitely a threat the Chiefs will have to keep in check.

*And an excellent host.

As far as the guys that allow Brees to sleep sound at night, the offensive line, they took a big hit in the offseason losing guard Carl Nicks* to Tampa Bay in free agency. Replacing Nicks is free agent acquisition Ben Grubbs (former 2007 first round pick by the Ravens), who some consider a slight downgrade, but still good enough to keep their offensive line should in the top half of the league after finishing in the top ten of both Pro Football Focus and Football Outsiders rankings last year.** From left to right: Jermon “Mr. Tackle” Bushrod (2011 Pro Bowler), Grubbs (2011 Pro Bowler), Brian De La Puente, Jahri Evans (2009, 2010, and 2011 Pro Bowler), and Zach Strief.

*Who insisted he wanted to be paid more than former teammate Evans who received a 7 year, $56.7 million contract in 2010.

**Also, they are the two-time, Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award winners, having won it for the 2009 as well as the 2011 seasons.

Defense

It’s easy to put the lion’s share of the blame on the defense; after all, they’re tied* for most points allowed through the first two weeks of the season at 75. As the Chiefs know, it’s hard to win when you’re defense is allowing the opponent to score at will.

*And the team they’re tied with: the Chiefs.

The bounty scandal this offseason hit the defense the hardest. Veteran linebacker Jonathan Vilma was suspended for the season (and then it was reduced and now Vilma is fighting Goodell to clear his name while he waits for his knee to recover), veteran defensive end Will Smith was suspended for part of the season but had it overturned so he could return to play before the year began. As for the guy who wanted to kill the head so the body would die, Greg Williams, he got out of Dodge and left for St. Louis before being suspended indefinitely this offseason.*

*He is now using this time to embark on a journey of self-discovery and some other hippie crap.

The new defensive coordinator, former Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo, is still trying to teach the Saints players his defense, but it is clearly still taking some time. Admittedly, it’s a complex defense to learn, as former Giants defensive end Michael Strahan said it took the team until about week ten to fully grasp and understand Spags’ system when he was the Giants defensive coordinator.

Although Vilma is still out, they acquired former Falcons middle linebacker Curtis Lofton in the offseason. The 2011 first-round pick, Cameron Jordan out of California, plays defensive end opposite Smith; and former 2008 first round pick Sedrick Ellis and former 2006 first round pick Brodrick Bunkley sure up the middle of the defensive line. Scott Shanle and David Hawthorne play on either side of Lofton.

In the backfield, two-time Pro Bowler Roman Harper is at strong safety, 2009 first round pick Malcolm Jenkins has free safety, Jabari Greer returns from injury to take over at starting cornerback, and 2010 first round pick Patrick Robinson mans the other starting cornerback position.

Despite all this talent on the defense, the team has yet to perform* and is 26^th in passing yards allowed (275 yards per game) and dead last in rushing yards allowed (186 yards per game). While the defense has been gashed so far, they have played two teams with quarterbacks that are hard to game plan for: Robert Griffin III and Cam Newton. Both quarterbacks had much success throwing and running. Going against a more traditional (and mediocre) quarterback in Matt Cassel, it will be interesting to see how the Saints defense responds.

*Sound familiar?

Special Teams

Kicker: Garret Hartley* – 86.5 career FG percentage, 3/3 in 2012

*Although he might soon be replaced.

Punter: Thomas Morstead – 46.1 career net punt average

***

In summary, both teams are desperate, both teams want a win, but it’s not going to be easy for the Chiefs in the Super Dome.

Dec 24, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli reacts during the game against the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Chiefs 16-13 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

If there was one thing to concentrate on from Sunday, it shouldn’t be the second consecutive blowout loss to start the season (frankly, that might be too painful to think about anyway), it shouldn’t be your thoughts about the questionable coaching, the defensive breakdowns, not utilizing Jamaal Charles, or the future quarterbacks entering the draft (actually, you could probably start concentrating on that one).

No, the thing you should be concentrating on is the little nugget of information Kent Babb from the Kansas City Chiefs dropped on us this week. In the article titled “Chiefs will never win big with Scott Pioli in charge,” Babb drops the knowledge that I always suspected but didn’t want to believe about Pioli’s offseason personnel decisions:

“He worries so much about trivial matters that it’s impossible to think that such an emphasis hasn’t been an obstacle to the Chiefs’ success. He was concerned enough about what cornerback Brandon Flowers might’ve thought if Pioli had signed Brandon Carr to a richer contract that this factored into his decision to let Carr leave Kansas City and sign with the Dallas Cowboys.”

I had always wondered if this had factored into Pioli’s decision to franchise tag Dwayne Bowe and let Brandon Carr leave in free agency; after all, Pioli had just signed Flowers to a five-year $50 million contract earlier in the 2011 season. Pioli had to know that keeping his number two corner would take just as much, if not more. But to avoid spending the money just to avoid the possibility of offending your number one corner – who, by the way, happened to be best friends with Carr – is ridiculous and downright offensive from a fan’s perspective.

As we all know now, Pioli tagged Bowe, didn’t reach a long-term solution with him, and Carr went to Dallas, where he received a five-year, $50.1 million contract (notice anything funny about those numbers …). In the meantime, the Chiefs continue to get gashed on defense and panic is now ensuing in Kansas City amongst Chiefs fans.

Am I saying this new-found knowledge is a fireable offense by Pioli?

No.

Although the Chiefs seem to be asunder, there are still 14 games left to be played this season, and anything can happen. But if the Chiefs’ season doesn’t produce a playoff appearance or even a winning record, Pioli needs to be held accountable for his actions. And not reaching out to Carr because of some petty and unwarranted fear of offending Flowers will be one of those acts that will stand near the top of a growing list of blunders made during his regime.

With every loss, Pioli’s ice becomes thinner. For his sake, the Chiefs better start winning.

Sept 9, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) hands the ball to Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller (28) during the second half at MetLife Stadium. The Jets defeated the Bills 48-28. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-US PRESSWIRE

Here’s the post you’ve all been waiting for! Your weekly (since this is the second time I’ve done a “Getting to Know” post I can officially call it weekly) post on learning the Chiefs’ upcoming opponent.* This week it happens to be the Buffalo Bills.

*Including a lot of useless information, hyper-linked pictures and videos you will (should) find amusing, as well as anything else about the team Chiefs fans hate for a week that I deem entertaining.

So here we go!

Offense

Just like any discussion on an offense, it starts and ends with the quarterback position; and the Bills quarterback is Ryan Fitzpatrick. A Harvard graduate, Fitzpatrick blew the socks off the Wonderlic test, but unfortunately, didn’t blow the socks off NFL scouts. Taken 250^th overall in the 2005 draft by the St. Louis Rams,* he eventually made his way to the Bills in 2009 where he became the quarterback who sucked the least amount.**

*While other matchups in the NFL this weekend include the battle of former number one overall picks, Alex Smith with the 49ers and Matthew Stafford with the Lions, the Chiefs-Bills matchup includes the not-too-often battle between seventh-round picks. Our own Cassel was actually taken in the same draft, 20 spots earlier at 230^th overall. Exciting stuff here.

**And I would be lament not to mention Tyler Thigpen is listed as the second string QB on the depth chart. Here’s a look at what Chiefs fans are missing.

Well not only did he suck the least amount, but Fitzpatrick did well enough to earn a six-year extension worth $59 million, with $24 million guaranteed at the beginning of the 2011 season.  But, unfortunately, he didn’t have to promise he’d be worth it. With a 24-23 TD to INT ratio in 2011,* Fitz was less than stellar. He was, however, the second-coming of Jim Kelly against the Chiefs last season, when he threw for 208 yards on 17/25 passes (68 percent), four TDs and zero INTs. That, of course, came in the Chiefs home opener last season – ONE THAT WE WILL AVENGE.

*He’s smarter than that.

As far as the rest of the offense: The Bills entered the season with one of the best running back tandems in football. With Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller (who Eric Berry affectionately knows as Coach Fast) in the backfield, the Bills were in good shape. But one game into the season, and flagship back Jackson is already injured once again with a knee injury. In his place, Spiller has been a bit of a disappointment as a 2010 first-round draft pick. In his first two seasons, he only recorded 844 yards rushing and four TDs. In one game this season, however, Spiller has looked like the ninth overall pick he was, rushing for 169 carries on 14 carries and 1 TD in a losing effort against the Jets.

For the wide receiver position, the Bills will be missing slot receiver David Nelson for the rest of the season after tearing up his knee against the Jets (luckily for Nelson, his girlfriend should be able to take care of him). The Bills still have the notorious Stevie Johnson, who in Kansas City might be known more for the player that ended Eric Berry’s 2011 season than a sometimes funny, sometimes strange touchdown celebrator. Coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons, Johnson is the alpha-male of the Bills receiving corps. Opposite of Johnson is Donald Jones, who had a TD and 41 yards receiving last week. Also added to the receiving group was 2012 third-round pick T.J. Graham out of North Carolina State.

For the tight end position, Scott Chandler has been a decent player so far, and started the 2011 season off well with a five-catch, 63-yard, two-TD game against the Chiefs (but honestly, who didn’t have a TD against the Chiefs that game?). Last week, he added another TD to his resume. Head coach Chan Gailey seemed to know how to exploit the Chiefs last season using Chandler, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried it again this year.

Finally, for the offensive line, Evan Silva at Rotoworld ranked the Bills unit as the 13^th best in the NFL entering 2012. They were graded out as the best pass protecting line last season, giving up the league-low in sacks at 23 in 2011. Nevertheless, they did not pass on upgrading their unit, and brought in left tackle Cordy Glenn from Georgia with their second-round pick and took Florida State tackle, Zebrie Sanders, in the fifth. Glenn is starting immediately, and anchors a good line that includes (from left to right) Andy Levitre, Eric Wood, Kraig Urbik and Erik Pears.

Defense

The defense was been a thorn in the side of the Bills for several years now. Four of the last five drafts, in fact, the Bills have taken a defensive player with their first round choice.* In 2012, it was CB Stephon Gilmore out of South Carolina. He was added to a defensive backfield that includes 2011 second round pick CB Aaron Williams,** SS George Wilson, and FS Jairus Byrd.

*2009 first round pick, Aaron Maybin, is no longer with the team.

**2008 first round selection, Leodis McKelvin from Troy, is listed as Williams’ backup.

Wilson and Byrd are regarded as one of the best one-two punches there are for a safety unit in the NFL. Wilson had 106 tackles, four INTs and two forced fumbles in 2011 while Byrd added 98 tackles, three INTs and three FF.  Just these numbers alone should explain why they are so highly regarded.

Finishing 26^th in total defense in 2011, the Bills also went out and got perhaps the second most coveted free agent this offseason, that being DE Mario Williams. Switching to a 4-3 defense in 2012, Williams and his six-year $100 million contract look to improve the Bills front seven. Williams won’t be alone though. 2011 first round pick, Marcel Dareus, Kyle Williams, and Mark Anderson anchor the defensive line. Veteran linebacker Nick Barnett, 2011 third round pick Kelvin Sheppard, and musically talented Arthur “DaBody” Moats round out the linebacking corps.*

*In case you were wondering, Shawne “Lights Out” Merriman was released by the Bills before the season. What a shame.

Special Teams

Let’s make this short and sweet:

Kicker – Rian Lindell – 80.9 FG percent

Punter – Brian Moorman (who you best remember for this hit*) – 37.6 net punt yard average

*As a Missouri Southern State University alum, I have to spew a little smack toward a Pitt State alum. #Division2Rivalry

***

At the end of the day, I think the Chiefs will (must) win on the road against the Bills. Of course, that’s what I thought last season, too …

Sunday’s beat down at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons was bad, but just like every fan, I must keep my composure until at least Week 6. But even without such a requirement, there were bright spots. Or, at least, a bright spot (singular).

That bright spot was the offense. With a defense that didn’t force a punt until the fourth quarter and a special teams unit that gave up a long kickoff return and missed a field goal, the offense was the only element from the Falcons game that gave me confidence moving forward.

I know there was a part of Kansas City media that put an unfair responsibility for the loss on the shoulders of Matt Cassel. Well, if you were watching the game like I was, I don’t know how Matt Cassel is the first person you want to throw under the bus. Yes, he was responsible for three turnovers, all in the second half, but the defense, like I mentioned earlier, didn’t stop the Falcons offense until the FOURTH QUARTER. And by that time, the game was already out of hand and the Falcons were already taking their foot off the pedal.

While I put the brunt of the responsibility on the defense, there is still room for hope. The defense was missing four starters, including stars Brandon Flowers and Tamba Hali, as well as very good safety Kendrick Lewis and the team’s best nose tackle Anthony Toribio. And maybe just as important as those players missing was the players that had to take their place: Jacques Reeves, Abram Elam, Andy Studebaker.  Going against a team with a good quarterback and good receivers, missing two of your starting defensive backs is a recipe for disaster.

What gives me hope for the defense, however, is how they responded in 2011. After giving up 89 points in their first two games last season, the Chiefs defense then went on to finish with the 11^th best total defense. Obviously, the return of missing starters will help, and the impact of Romeo Crennel won’t allow this kind of performance too often. If they could rally last year, then they can do it this year. It’s also because of last year’s performance that I felt positive about the offense.

The Chiefs offense scored 24 points against the Falcons. Sure, that last second TD run from Shaun Draughn was definitely in garbage time, but in comparison, it took until 4:58 left in the fourth quarter of GAME THREE of the 2011 season for the Chiefs offense to score 24 points COMBINED.

The Chiefs offense looks so much better now than it did then, and whether it’s because of having a full offseason of practice or Brian Daboll replacing Bill Muir, I like the direction the offense is heading. Dexter McCluster looks to have finally found his role, Jamaal Charles looks like he’s fully back and just as deadly as he was, Peyton Hillis pounds the ball, Dwayne Bowe looked like he barely missed a beat from skipping training camp, and Eric Winston looks like the second coming of Willie Roaf compared to the player he replaced this offseason (hint: Barry Richardson).

Even Cassel made some good plays. He seemed in control of the offense, was making audibles at the line of scrimmage to best take advantage of the defense, and made some good throws. Will Cassel be the best QB on the field during many of matchups? No. But is he good enough to get the job done more times than not? I think so, for this year at least (is it too early to get the #Bark4Barkley campaign started?).

But again, it’s only one game. You’re never as bad or as good as you think you are, and there’s a lot of football left to play. The Chiefs are in no way, nor should be, in panic mode. With 15 games left, anything can happen. So here’s to the Chiefs picking up the pieces of their loss and taking it to the Bills on Sunday.

September 19, 2010; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) throws the ball to tight end Tony Gonzalez (88) against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons defeated the Cardinals 41-7. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

If you are a meticulous fan and know the ins and outs of the NFL general managers (or just simply heard a friend talk about the book War Room), then you know that the Chiefs and Falcons are linked. Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff* and Chiefs GM Scott Pioli are best friends, or as close of friends as you can have being competitors in the National Football League. And while these two Bill Belichick products might know the other’s team inside and out, fans might not.

*Notice Dimitroff is the only one not bobbing his head in the commercial.

Chiefs fans who visit this website are kept informed of everything going on with the team; whether it be Tamba Hali’s suspension for Week 1, or the injuries the team has on defense (Derrick Johnson, Brandon Flowers, Kendrick Lewis), you are kept informed.  But how informed are you on the Atlanta Falcons?

That’s where I come in.

Here is your Week 1 “Get to Know” post that I hope to publish before every opponent. Hopefully you enjoy it and become just a little more informed about the opponent’s strengths and weaknesses – as well as some use(less)ful trivia – than before you decided to read it*. So here we go:

*It seems other writers for this blog had similar ideas, but fortunately, mine is the most entertaining.

Offense

2011: Passing – 262.0 yards per game (8^th in NFL); Rushing – 114.6 ypg (17^th in NFL)

A lot of things changed with the Falcons when Dimitroff took over in 2008. He drafted Matt Ryan in the first round and took Turner from the Chargers. That year Ryan threw for 3,440 yards and Turner ran for 1,699. 2009 was a down year for both – Ryan passing for 2,916 yards and Turner running for 871 – but they both bounced back in 2010 when they went 13-3 and the team was the top seed in the NFC. That season, Ryan threw for 3,705 yards and Turner rushed for 1,371. Finally, in 2011, Ryan threw for 4,177 yards and Turner ran for 1,340*.

*And if you’re curious, Burner Turner has 1,189 rushing attempts in his four seasons in Atlanta. Which begs the question: how much longer does he have?

One interesting thing with these numbers is that Ryan’s passing yards increased by 472 yards from 2010 to 2011, but his number of pass attempts actually decreased from 571 to 566. So with five fewer pass attempts he gained an extra 472 yards? That’s where Julio Jones comes in.

With Dimitroff preaching the implementation of “urgent athleticism” to his scouts, he found it his best option to move up in the 2011 draft to grab Jones out of Alabama.  The second wide receiver off the board in 2011 (after AJ Green and before the Chiefs’ Jon Baldwin), Jones made an instant impact. Battling injury for a little bit during the season, he still went on to record 54 catches for 959 yards (17.8 yards per catch, good for fourth in the NFL for players with at least 50 catches) and eight TDs. Paired up with another former first-round pick, Roddy White, the two would go on to account for 2,255 yards and 16 TDs*.

*It should be noted that last season’s offensive coordinator, Mike Mularkey, is now the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Dick Koetter, formerly with the Jaguars as OC from 2007-2011, takes over for Mularkey. Replacing coordinators isn’t always a smooth transition (i.e. 2011 Chiefs).

And what post about the Falcons would be complete without a mention of the great Tony Gonzalez. A homecoming for TG, the tight end has reportedly considered retirement but is coming back for what might be his last season in the NFL. And why not? While his speed is all but gone, his future Hall of Fame hands and route running ability are still there. He’s coming off a season where he had 80 catches for 852 yards and seven TDs. So yeah, he’s still got it.

Finally the last piece of the puzzle: the offensive line. The Falcons used their two highest 2012 draft picks, number 55 overall, on Peter Konz out of Wisconsin, and number 91 overall on Lamar Holmes, a tackle out of Southern Miss. These draft picks were because the Falcons offensive line was so dreadful last season. Evan Silva of RotoWorld ranked the 2012 Falcons offensive line as the fifth worst in the NFL (by the way, he ranked the Chiefs line as the fourth best). Lining up from left to right, it’s Sam Baker, Justin Blalock, Todd McClure, Peter Konz, and Tyson Clabo.*

*Bonus points: Which one of those players did ProFootball Focus label a bust?

Defense

2011: Pass – 236.6 yards allowed per game (20^th in NFL); Rush – 97 yards per game (sixth in NFL)

Smith, a defensive mind through and through, takes a lot of pride in his defense. A meticulous eye for detail and strategy is what got him the Falcons head coaching job – after being the Jaguars* defensive coordinator for five years – in the first place. Having the 12^th overall defense in 2011, however, might not have been good enough.

*Noticing this strange connection between the Falcons and Jaguars yet?

In what was a resignation, and what some believe was forced, Brian VanGorder left the Falcons as the DC to take the same position at Auburn. The Falcons later fired their defensive backs coach, Alvin Reynolds. Replacing VanGorder and trying to bring some defensive consistency to a team that has been embarrassingly blown out in the playoffs the last two seasons in a row is Mike Nolan.*  Nolan spent the last two seasons as the Dolphins DC.

*You might remember him from his dapper days as the head coach of the 49ers.

And Nolan’s cupboard is not bare. In his 4-3 defense, he has one of the most consistent pass rushers in the league with 34 year old John Abraham, and a fast developing weak side linebacker in Sean Weatherspoon, whom the team drafted out of MIZZOU in the first round of 2010.

The team also still has Brent Grimes, one of the best cover corners in the league, and acquired Asante Samuel in the offseason. And while Samuel has struggled with blown coverages over the last couple of seasons, he fits in well with the zone schemes the Falcons run. Dunta Robinson should also do well in sliding over to cover the slot.

The defensive line was a large reason why the Falcons were so good at stopping the run last season. Anchored on either end by Abraham and Ray Edwards, they proved in the regular season it’s not easy to move the ball on the ground against them.

One thing that many people covering the Falcons are concerned about, however, is the loss of Curtis Lofton. The inside linebacker took his talents to New Orleans, and Akeem Dent, the Falcons’ third-round pick in 2011 from Georgia, is there to take his place. He was the leader of that defense, and it won’t be easy to replace him.

The Falcons free safety Thomas DeCoud, a third-round pick in 2008, had four interceptions and 86 tackles last season and William Moore, a second round pick in 2009 from MIZ(SEC), had two INTs for 54 tackles in 12 starts. While these numbers are decent, one has to remember that the Falcons were 20^th in the NFL is pass defense, so they had a lot of opportunities since teams passed against them so often.

Special Teams

I’ll keep this part short and sweet. Matt Bryant is the kicker, he went 27/29 last season and his only two misses came in the 40-49 yard range.

Eric Weems is the kick returner, he averaged 23.5 yards on kickoff returns and just 9.8 yards on punts. Although these numbers don’t rank very high on the list of returners, he did return two kickoffs for touchdowns in 2010, including one in the playoffs.

***

That concludes our “Getting To Know” the Atlanta Falcons. Hope you are now better informed than five minutes ago. If you guys like it, I’ll definitely do it again next week.

August 18, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Kevin Boss (80) looks on in the second half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Bill Belichick seems to always be one step ahead of the competition. Whether that is from his own genius, or from the extra football aptitude that can be learned from illegally filming other teams, he does what it takes to win. And whether you like him or not, you have to admit that when he sets a trend, the rest of the league is sure to follow.

When the brilliance of his duel tight end formations was revealed last season, it was as if you could hear the collective group of other NFL general managers shouting at their scouting department and coaching staff to try to figure out how to replicate it. The NFL is a copy cat league, and for good reason; why be original when you can just adopt?

The Chiefs are not innocent of this, nor should they ignore the constant change the league finds itself in. And for those wondering if Belichick was only kicking the tires on the duel tight end sets, locking up both Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez to contract extensions this offseason put an end to that. If anything, the versatility of Hernandez and the different places he lined up on the field (including tight end, wide receiver, and even half back) makes you wonder what Belichick has up his unmistakable hoodie’s sleeve. But that discussion is for another time.

Back to the two receiving tight end trend: the Chiefs, whether intentionally or not, find themselves with two very good receiving TEs. Since I don’t believe Kevin Boss was only brought in as an insurance policy to Tony Moeaki’s health, I’m going to assume that Scott Pioli, having seen what his former mentor in New England was doing, decided he would follow suit.

So can the Chiefs replicate New England’s success?

In short: No.

The Chiefs are not built the same as the Patriots. And by that I mean they don’t have Tom Brady at quarterback. The Chiefs are a running team, and to be honest, Kevin Boss and Tony Moeaki are not nearly as talented as Gronk and Hernandez. But that doesn’t mean the Chiefs offense won’t benefit greatly from their presence.

I touched in my last article about the importance of the tight end position in a Daboll offense. In 2010, while coordinating the Cleveland Browns offense, TE  Benjamin Watson lead the team in receiving with 68 catches for 763 yards and 3 TDs. In 2011, the stats are not as lopsided, but TE Anthony Fasano for the Miami Dolphins finished 4^th on the team with 451 yards and 5 TDs. And while one might conclude that with Boss and Moeaki competing for catches because of a spreading of the wealth, neither player will have great numbers. But if the preseason has told us anything, it’s shouted the importance of their position.

In the first preseason games, a tight end lead the team in receiving – Steve Maneri with 3 catches for 69 yards against the Arizona Cardinals and Kevin Boss with 4 catches for 62 yards against the St. Louis Rams. In those two games, the TE position accounted for 29% of the team’s receptions and 39% of receiving yards.

While those numbers decreased in the third preseason game against the Seahawks (Moeaki recorded the only catch for tight ends with a 31 yard reception although Kevin Boss did have two targets) it leveled off against the Packers on Thursday night – 3 receptions for 37 yards, 32% of the total receiving yards.

It’s a small sample size, I know, but those percentage numbers compared to last season’s totals of Chiefs tight end utilization create an interesting trend. Last year, Chiefs TEs combined for 35 catches and 326 yards, which was 12% of the team’s catches and 10% of the team’s receiving yards.

If you would like a point of reference, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez accounted for 42% of the Patriot’s receptions, 43% of the receiving yards, and a staggering 62% of the team’s touchdowns.

While I do not think (nor dare dream) that the Chiefs tight ends could be that productive, I do think that some sort of middle ground between last year’s Chiefs and Patriots TE production is a reasonable expectation.

So what do you think Addicts? Will the Chiefs have that kind of tight end success in 2012?

Aug 24, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel (7) sits on the ground after throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown by Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas (not shown) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Seattle won the game 44-14Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Preseason games are meaningless. They are glorified scrimmages.

That’s what fans tell themselves when their team loses preseason games. And while these exhibition games are not transcribed in any sort of record book, I don’t think the results are useless.

I’ve always been a proponent of when the starters are on the field, the game is meaningful. Sure, the play calling is often more conservative because offensive and defensive coordinators don’t want to show too much on tape before the regular season starts. Sure, many teams are just using the preseason games as another opportunity to learn the playbook and build chemistry. And sure, many players aren’t going to play to their utmost in an attempt to avoid serious injury before the real games begin.

For the most part, I think the Chiefs defense has followed the above preseason exercises (unfortunately, our defensive backfield has not remained unscathed). And until game three, I thought the Chiefs starting offense looked solid*.

*Full disclosure, I am closing in on working 100 hours this week so I wrote this post before Friday’s game with the expectation of a good showing by Cassel & company. After staying up late re-watching the game, I knew some of what I wrote would have to be changed.

In three preseason games, the starting offense has looked like it can’t decide if it wants to be good or not. Against the Cardinals they looked unstoppable, with each of their two drives ending in touchdowns. Against the Rams they looked like they still had some momentum even with a one-sided score, as they went on two drives of 10+ plays – one resulting in a touchdown – and converted a field goal after an 8 play drive at the end of the first half. Then on Friday night, I wasn’t sure what to think about them.

The first four possessions by the Chiefs resulted in 18 plays good for four punts and 11 total yards. And then all of a sudden they commence on a 17 play drive (11 of which were in shotgun) that ended in a touchdown to Dexter McCluster that was the result of Cassel extending the play with his legs (which he could have used to land on rather than his back when he jumped and missed during his touchdown celebration).

They would then begin the second half with a 9 play drive that ended in a Cassel fumble and then a 5 play drive with a pick 6. After converting a first down on the next possession, Cassel was replaced by Brady Quinn. And while the offense wasn’t as good as we hoped it would be last night, the play calling seemed to be more about creating chemistry between Cassel and his receivers than anything else. I mean, the guy lined up in shotgun more than me playing Madden 12 on rookie mode. The play calling wasn’t what fans will see when the regular season hits.

I know that it’s hard to be excited about the Chiefs offense after a thorough butt kicking like the one Seattle just delivered to us, but based off these three preseason games, I’m going to break down some points of excitement (and one question mark) fans should have about this Brian Daboll lead offense:

Biggest variable: Dexter McCluster

McCluster has always been a bit of an in-betweener. He’s not quite a running back, not quite a wide receiver. He’s an “offensive weapon,” but until this preseason, many were wondering if the Chiefs had the game plan to actually take advantage of McCluster’s unique set of skills, especially with the return of Jamaal Charles. He kept being moved around from position to position, and never seemed to look comfortable as a situational back. McCluster, however, seems to be flourishing in Daboll’s new offense. He has (before Friday’s game) 13 catches for 129 yards and 1 TD starting action so far. These are short yardage throws, usually screen passes, that McCluster can gain yards on by making people miss. That’s what he’s good at and I’m glad to see he’s not just being used for 3rd and long draw plays like last season.

Biggest Man-crush: Peyton Hillis

This one has to go to Peyton Hillis. With Charles back, some fans questioned the importance of Hillis. Why bring him in if it means taking away snaps from Charles? I understood the thought, but loved the addition of Hillis on a one-year contract. He’s got a lot to play for this season, and let’s be honest, being on the cover of Madden doesn’t hurt. And as I loved the signing, I have not been disappointed with the showing. With the Chiefs being conservative with Charles, working him back slowly, Hillis has looked like a man amongst boys running the football. He’s knocked people down, dragged players with him, and been unstoppable near the goal line, which is exactly what the Chiefs have been missing since perhaps the heyday of Larry Johnson. In three games, Hillis has 11 carries for 51 yards (4.6 ypc) with a TD and one catch for 11 yards and a TD – Hillis only carried the ball twice against the Seahawks. Hillis came to KC to reunite with Daboll; it seems like the match was made in heaven.

Biggest Comeback: Matt Cassel

All due respect to Eric Berry, Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki, but Cassel got my nod for this one. Berry’s been back in the defensive line up, but Charles and Moeaki haven’t got all that many repetitions (what’s the point of getting hurt in preseason?). These three guys are the ones whose returns were supposed to make all the difference, but Cassel has looked better than he did in all of 2011 so far. In three preseason games, Cassel is 37/58 (64%) for 377 yards 2 TDs, 1 INT and 1 fumble. Before Friday, you would have been hard-pressed to find a more efficient quarterback so far in the preseason, and even against the Seahawks, Cassel had many passes hit players in the hands that couldn’t hold on. And even if Cassel didn’t seem the most comfortable last night, it does seem Cassel has found a comfort zone within Daboll’s offense. “The quarterback position is a hard job to play every single year. I’m not going to say it’s easier this year versus other years. We’ll just have to see.” Interpretation: he likes it.

Question mark: Wide Receivers

This is really the one question mark I have, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Until last night, there had been a lack of receivers catching the football. Baldwin and Breaston finally got involved, with Baldwin having 6 catches for 37 yards. Bowe was slowly worked back into the line-up, but not starting. After the first two preseason games used the running backs and tight ends more for receiving, it looked like Daboll wanted Friday to be about the receivers. With the talent the Chiefs have at that position, I’d like to see them get involved in the game plan more.

What to watch further: Use of tight ends

After addressing the wide receiver play, it’s time to talk about where all the reception yards have been going: to the tight end. In three games, several different tight ends have caught passes from Cassel including Tony Moeaki, Kevin Boss, Steve Maneri, and Jake O’Connell. Boss and Maneri both had multiple reception games. This isn’t out of the ordinary for a Daboll-run offense; in 2010, the leading receiver for the Browns – which Daboll was the offensive coordinator for – was tight end Benjamin Watson with 68 catches for 763 yards and 3 TDs. Moore also added another 34 catches for 324 yards and 4 TDs (in a side note, Hillis had 61 catches for 427 yards and 2 TDs). Kansas City has quite a bit of talent at the tight end position between Boss and Moeaki, so I can see them being used heavily in this offense, which isn’t a bad thing.

If the 2012 Chiefs offense falls into place and finally realizes its collective potential, it could be deadly. As Kevin Boss recently stated: “I think we’ve got a real strong team. If you look from top to bottom at each position, we’re deep.”

Now that they’re deep, it’s time for them to be good.

Aug 26, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Ricky Stanzi (13) throws a pass against the St Louis Rams in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Rams won the game 14-10. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Contrary to how the above post title appears, I do like Ricky Stanzi. Who couldn’t? He’s an America-loving (by the way, watch this video if you haven’t already), long-hair growing, mid-west guy that you can’t help but root for. But rooting for and being excited about are two different things.

For some reason, Ricky Stanzi getting snaps with the second team during the Chiefs-Rams preseason game is cause for celebration; as if the depth chart was the only thing standing in the way of the Chiefs’ 2011 fifth round pick from stardom and that playing with the second stringers on Saturday is the next step to his all-but-certain takeover of the ‘Stanzi City Chiefs.’

Maybe it is. After all, we haven’t been able to see much of Stanzi play, and nothing outside of a few passes in meaningless preseason games. For lack of significant evidence, it’s hard to say how good or how bad Stanzi would be as an NFL starter, either right now or in the future. What we can do is look at some college stats and read a few words from somebody much smarter than myself.

It can’t be denied Stanzi improved during his three years as a starting quarterback with the Iowa Hawkeyes. In 2008, he went 150/254 (59.1%) for 1,956 yards, 14 TDs and 9 INTs. In 2009, 171/304 (56.3%), 2,417 yards, 17 TDs, 15 INTs. In his senior campaign of 2010, he capped of graduation with an impressive 221/345 (64.1%), for 3,004 yards, 25 TDs and 6 INTs. While the total numbers aren’t as impressive as higher drafted quarterbacks, you have to like how it seemed he ‘got it’ the longer he was with the team.

In the book, War Room, Jim Nagy, a national scout for the Chiefs, is quoted as saying: “If I could pick a quarterback who we’ll all look back in five years and say, ‘Can you believe he lasted that long?’ it would be Ricky Stanzi of Iowa.

“No one is talking about him as a high draft pick. He was the most improved player I saw all year. There’s something about the guy. And I’ll tell you something else: When I was watching tape [at the Senior Bowl] of practice, he was there, too. Watching Senior Bowl practice tape on his own.”

Seeing the stats and reading those words, I can understand why people would get a little bit excited about the notion of watching Stanzi operate with the second group. But all those stats and all those praises pre-date his NFL career; and I’ll be honest, I haven’t garnered any excitement watching Stanzi in his limited exposure over the last two preseasons (by the way, Stanzi’s numbers in all preseason games combined are 20/41 (49%) for 255 yards, 1TD, 1 INT and 9 sacks).

I know what you are going to say: “knee-jerk reaction”, “not enough opportunities”, “small sample size”, “developmental player”, “you’re an idiot”, “come up to Iowa and I’ll give you something not to be excited about.” And I’ll admit, those are all fair (except the last one). There is just simply not a big enough body of work to really think anything of Stanzi. This, however, is not a good sign.

Remember last season, after Matt Cassel got hurt, when the Chiefs started that Calabaloo, Falko, Tyler Palko guy. During that time which can only be described as [insert joke of ineptude here], the Chiefs went 1-3, helped by Palko’s 796 yards, 2 TDs and 7 INTs. Before being replaced by Kyle Orton with three games left on the season, Chiefs fans far and wide were screaming for Ricky Stanzi. Why not start the rookie to get him some experience, it couldn’t be worse than the travesty fans were forced to watch over the course of a month.

But I’m not one of those fans that think former head coach Todd Haley was bat $#!+ crazy, nor am I going to consider the conspiracy theory that he was trying to get fired by playing Palko. I honestly believe Haley was playing the guy he felt gave them the best chance to win. And while we can argue all day about how ready Orton was after arriving from Denver or how odd it was to just bring Orton in for a single, dislocated-finger-resulting pass in Chicago, the fact still remains that both those options were implemented before Stanzi was considered.

While many think of this as an indictment towards Haley, what always came to my mind was: “how bad must Stanzi look in practice?” I think it was clear last season Stanzi wasn’t ready, and not even in Haley’s last game as head coach did he see the field, although it was at least considered.

Stanzi is, like most fifth round picks, a work in progress. That’s not a bad thing. Some first round picks are works in progress, such as Jake Locker spending a year behind Matt Hasselbeck in Tennessee. The talent can be there, and once Matt Cassel’s time in KC is done, Stanzi could be the guy having learned the NFL at a pace that doesn’t overwhelm him. For all I, or anyone else, knows, Stanzi could be the next Tom Brady.

Or he could be the next fifth round pick that never made an impact in the NFL.

Either way, I doubt the Chiefs expect to find out this year. So is he really worth getting excited about?

Ask me again in 2013.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

The talk of Chiefs Nation during training camp seems to begin and end with one player’s spectacular display: Jon Baldwin.

And the reason for Baldwin’s showing is because of Dwayne Bowe not showing.

Bowe is one of the last remaining holdouts in the NFL, and while many are expecting him back before the season, there doesn’t seem a lot of hope he arrives before preseason, and less hope he sees training camp whatsoever. While Bowe’s absence might have been crippling in any other year he has been with the team, the Chiefs have been moving forward with what could be his heir apparent. It seems that daily reports coming out of camp record an incredible catch that Baldwin made. And although I haven’t been to camp in St. Joseph to see for myself (geography), the media has done enough with their words to get me excited.

Baldwin’s first season as a Chief was filled with disappointment, and it started even before he broke his hand in a fight. It was this time last year after the lockout finally ended and teams were able to assemble their training camps when fans and media alike got to take a look at their team’s new first round pick. What fans, including myself saw, was a very big wide receiver who wasn’t standing out. I was at the camp last season, and I saw what the Kansas City sports talk stations were reporting: Baldwin was losing physical battles to smaller defensive backs. If Baldwin was jammed at the line, it would alter his route to that of an unrecognizable pattern no quarterback would trust throwing to. He was being man-handled at the line of scrimmage, and although he had the hands to make the catch, he didn’t seem to have the toughness or desire to get open when a defender hit him early.

The lackluster training camp was followed up with an injury that would limit Baldwin to just 11 games and 21 catches in his rookie campaign. Being one of just three wide receivers selected in the first round of 2011, Baldwin’s 254 yards and 1 TD were dwarfed in the shadows of his peers. A.J. Green would go on to have 65 catches for 1,057 yards and 7 TDs and Julio Jones would finish the season with 54 catches, 959 yards and 8 TDs. And although Baldwin was probably never going to be put in the position to gather those kinds of stats last season behind Bowe and Steve Breaston, injury or no injury, he still has to think about what could have been and what can be done.

As impressive as Green’s and Jones’ seasons were in 2011, they are more of the exception than the norm. Baldwin’s struggles are much more common of a storyline amongst rookie wide receivers, and they are also correctable. It’s a rule of thumb that receivers are given three years to fully develop into an NFL player, but Baldwin needs to work hard not to get sucked into the undertow of failed potential that litters the history of first round wide receivers.

Between 2000 and 2010, 45 wide receivers were drafted in the first round. Of those 45, only three have gone for 900+ yards in their rookie season (Andre Johnson, Michael Clayton, and our very own Dwayne Bowe) like Green and Jones did in 2011. In fact, based on all these players, one can realistically expect a rookie receiver to go for about 36.2 catches and 508.5 yards. Baldwin, in his injury-shortened season, was below this average.

And while Green and Jones look like they may go on to be the best in the game at their position, just because a wide receiver doesn’t start off their career like them doesn’t mean they should expect failure. Many others had very Baldwin-esque beginnings; and while some of them were complete busts, either due to effort or injury, and washed out of the league in a short amount of time – R. Jay Soward, Charles Rogers, Troy Williamson, Craig Davis, etc. – there are plenty that improved with time and became some of the best in the league.

Plaxico Burress had an uneventful rookie season, catching 22 balls for 273 yards and no scores. He then went on to have 66 catches, 1,008 yards and six TDs in his second year. Reggie Wayne, sitting behind Marvin Harrison, only caught 27 passes for 345 yards and no scores his rookie season. His sophomore year, he caught 49 for 716 yards and 4 TDs. Even Roddy White didn’t start being dominant until his third year, only putting up 952 yards in his first two seasons combined before breaking out in 2007.

While looking at these players and the success they had after a slow start is nice, it can also be wishful thinking. Baldwin is a Chief, so I try to maintain a glass-half-full mindset about him; but success, like the three players I mentioned above, is often rare. Nothing is certain in the NFL, but what is certain for me is a set of numbers that Baldwin will have to achieve before I feel confident about him going past the 2012 season. Out of those 45 wide receivers drafted in round one between 2000 and 2010, all but three went on to have a second season (the exceptions being R. Jay Soward, Rashaun Woods, and the Chiefs very own Sylvester Morris). So given the 42 remaining players, this is the line Baldwin has to achieve to keep pace with the average: 48.4 catches, 691.2 yards, 4.7 TDs.

In other words, can Baldwin achieve about 49 catches for about 700 yards and about 5 TDs.

It’s going to be a crowded receiving corps — between Baldwin, Breaston, Dexter McCluster, Devon Wylie, and Bowe when he returns — considering the Chiefs are a run-first team. Bill Williamson of ESPN, however, believes Baldwin can at least achieve the catch part of his target line. In a mailbag question, Williamson said that 50 catches for Baldwin this season is a “steep, but reasonable, expectation.” If Baldwin gets his 50 touches and maintains the same yards per catch he did last season (12.1), he’s looking at 605 yards. Still short, however, of the target line I have made for him in my mind.

But 2012 has yet to be written, and Baldwin has a lot to prove. This training camp seems to have raised his stock in the minds of everyone watching. Not having seen him myself, I can only take the word of those who have that he has vastly improved from his training camp display a year ago. Assuming that, is it crazy to think Baldwin can’t achieve these numbers? As Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star wrote, “Cassel already looks more comfortable with the youngster than he ever has with Bowe. There’s more confidence that Baldwin will run a perfect route, will be there when the ball arrives, will hold onto it when it hits his hands.”

As Bowe continues to holdout, Baldwin is making his teammate less important. He’s doing all the right things, he’s making all the catches; he’s a buzz-builder, a secret weapon, a player determined to make a name for himself. Bowe, on the other hand, is beginning to have the necessity of his presence questioned, and not just by fans.

So what do you think, Chiefs nation? Can Baldwin achieve the 49/700/5 line I established, or will he fall short? Maybe more importantly, how will Bowe be impacted by Baldwin’s performance? Fill up the comments section.

November 27, 2011; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston (50) celebrates after a tackle in the second half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Arrowhead Stadium. Pittsburgh won the game 13-9. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Danny Parkins from 610 Sports in Kansas City made a very interesting point last week. On his talk show, he talked about how it’s almost an accepted fact amongst Chiefs fans that Justin Houston will be a lot better this year.

While I disagree with the “a lot” better idea, I do think Chiefs fans, myself included, has taken for granted that Houston will continue to progress and grow in his role as outside linebacker for the defense. And while we might look back at the 2012 season and acknowledge our expectations for Houston as wishful thinking, I think it’s more likely we see the season as validation for our hopes and the emergence of a player we saw come on strong at the end of 2011.

The beginning of Houston’s time in Kansas City didn’t start off smoothly. He was late to training camp after an interesting holdout, considering he was a third round pick and the new CBA doesn’t really offer much room for contract flexibility that late in the draft. When he did show up for camp, reports said he was visibly winded after running drills and considerably out of shape compared to his teammates.

His preseason performance, however, was not as mediocre as his offseason conditioning regimen during the lockout. He would finish those four games with 9 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble. And although he was competing against second and third string reserves, he did enough to impress defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel to be named starter heading into the season. After two lopsided defeats, fan favorite (for some reason) Andy Studebaker regained his starting role, which he held for the majority of the time until Week 11.

Through the first nine games of the year, Houston had 26 tackles, 1 pass deflection and nothing else. In the final seven games of the season, Houston had 30 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 3 pass deflections, and one forced fumble. And it wasn’t just the statistics that showed his improvement, it was the eye test as well.

At the beginning of the season, Houston looked lost when dropping back in coverage (not as bad as Tamba Hali does though), was getting dominated by blockers, and not really showing that he had played in a similar defensive system while at the University of Georgia. All-in-all, he looked like a rookie third round pick.

Then something noticeably clicked. He was covering his assignments more effectively, he was generating a good pass rush (which anybody lined up opposite Hali should be doing; here’s looking at you Studebaker), and he was looking like a player that belonged. In the process, he also managed to get the whole of Chiefs nation excited about the possibilities.

A consistent duel-threat pass rush has been missing from Kansas City since the Jared Allen trade in 2008. Let’s not forget about the NFL record for least sacks in a season, 10, the Chiefs set the season after trading the future Hall of Famer. They then finished with 22 in 2009 – good for 31^st in the league – and then jumped to 39 in 2010, finishing tied for 10^th in the NFL – mostly thanks to Hali.

While those numbers went down in 2011 to 29 sacks, it was the potential of the group that excited fans and analysts alike going forward. With Hali being Hali, if Houston continues to improve, we could be looking at our first one-two punch of pass rushers in quite some time.

And it’s not just fans of the team that noticed. Bill Williamson of ESPN ranked Houston as the fifth best linebacker in the AFC West coming in after Hali, Von Miller, Derrick Johnson and D.J. Williams. Williamson recognizes the possibilities of a Hali-Houston pass rush, and believes that the two players complement each other well.

So, can Houston live up to the hopes and dreams of Chiefs fans everywhere? Maybe not all of them (depending on what you are dreaming about Houston …), but I do expect 2012 to be a step in the right direction. Hopefully we aren’t disappointed.