Through the draft and free agency, the Chiefs appear to have taken a few decisive steps towards addressing some of their biggest offseason needs. Through free agency they made a very necessary and very significant upgrade at Right Tackle in signing Eric Winston, arguably the most important move of all. They also made a rather bold (some would argue questionable) move, in using their #11 draft pick on the massive, athletic, Combine Wonderkind nose tackle Dontari Poe; deemed long on potential while seemingly short on production, generally speaking.

In free agency they also acquired CB Stanford Routt (to replace Brandon Carr), the once promising QB Brady Quinn,  veteran Kevin Boss at TE, and RB/FB Peyton Hillis. The Chiefs further backfilled on OL depth needs  in the 2^nd & 3^rd rounds of the draft, plus added at least a couple of players who could very well improve the Chiefs’ special teams production  among other things. Such offseason moves, along with the return of key players out with injuries last season, ongoing development of younger players, all tend to suggest there is ample reason for optimism if not a bit excitement for the upcoming 2012 season and beyond.

Well, almost.

I’m not looking to be a downer here with what I’m about to say. There is still one position on this team where objective minded souls can have a lingering and legitimate concern. Unfortunately, it is the most important position of all, to wit, our starting quarterback.  Unless Brady Quinn finds a way to retap his college mojo this summer, or Ricky Stanzi absolutely wows in training camp, it remains a pretty safe bet that Matt Cassel is all but guaranteed to be Chiefs starting quarterback come fall.

I’ll be honest. I don’t really believe in Matt Cassel. I see in him as a guy whose best season basically saw him serve as a middle man for Casey Weigmann and Jamaal Charles. I consider MC’s mechanics in the play action to be substandard, his fakes unconvincing, his decision making in the pass game generally atrocious, and his ability to carry this team on his back if needed completely lacking. In short, he’s not a guy I’m ready to trust to lead the Chiefs to championship.

He’s just not.

Of course Cassel’s apologists are quick to point out that the year prior to his coming Kansas City, he won 11 games with the Patriots. Well whoop dee frikkin doo. That same team won 16 straight the prior season (technically 18-0 prior to the Super Bowl).  All that tells me is that Matt Cassel could be viewed as a guy who will lose you at least 5 games on an otherwise near perfect team. Much as I love my guys, the Chiefs can not (yet) realistically be considered a near perfect team.

In case you have not picked up on it yet, I feel it is reasonable to argue that the Chiefs, not for lack of trying perhaps, did not meaningfully address a very big need at the quarterback position this offseason. That said, are we out of options at this point?

Maybe, maybe not?

One NFL backup quarterback whose career I’ve held a long interest in is still a free agent. This is a guy who while in college, put up impressive passing numbers and rushing numbers. He was among the leading candidates to win the Heismann Trophy his senior year in college. Right up until he blew out his ACL that is.

Anybody know who I am talking about yet?

I am (of course?) referring to former U of Oregon standout Dennis Dixon. Remember him? Primarily because of injury concerns he ended up being taken in the 5^th round of the 2008 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, being variously shuffled around the Steelers depth charts behind the likes of Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, and Byron Leftwich.  Dixon also sat out the 2011 season due a torn meniscus.

As of this writing, Dennis Dixon remains an unrestricted free agent, looking for an opportunity to prove himself once again a winner. As you can probably imagine, I would love to see Dennis Dixon take his shot with the Chiefs, combining a team that loves to run and with a guy who can certainly run when needed and oh who can, by the way, toss an accurate deep pass or two .

Hell, Dixon showing what he’s got as a potential Chief seems to me a whole lot better idea than just standing pat at this point. Besides, what harm is there in amping up the QB competition another notch?

That’s my Double Take Addicts.

Enough of my rambling. I really want to hear your take on Dennis Dixon as a potential Chief?

Addicts, check out the new banner. Pretty sweet. Mucho props to Tony Rangel for putting that together for me.

It’s April, which is of course NFL Draft month, and all the hype, excitement, and anticipation that comes with all that.  Everybody has their own ideas about who they would love to see the Chiefs select with that first draft pick, whether it be directly using the #11 pick, or by trading up or down a few slots. After the draft, because no team gets exactly every player they want, comes another brief flurry of activity in the free agent market.  This activity concentrates mainly on the residue of players who were passed over in the first go round because teams’ interest in such players is typically contingent on whether such teams filled this or that positional need through the draft.

I’ll begin by reiterating that Dontari Poe is still the one player that I would be truly excited to see the Chiefs draft with the #11 pick. It’s not that I don’t recognize Poe’s apparent lack of game tape (while in the same breath noting that Ryan Leaf had wonderful game tape). It’s not that I don’t recognize that Poe may not be as much of a sure bet as players such as, say, David DeCastro or Luke Kuechly. It’s mainly because I believe that if the Chiefs select Poe, I will interpret that to mean that they believe that, in the very capable hands of Romeo Crennel and company, they have identified in Poe a transformative, game changing, impact kind of player capable of being the centerpiece of our defense for the next decade or more.

Another part of me wants Poe simply because I don’t want to say be saying a year or two, much the way I feel about players like BJ Raji and Phil Taylor, to name just two . . .  “Damn! We could have that guy!!!” I guess my feeling about this is probably at the opposite end of the spectrum of those who loathe the very thought of the Chiefs using their first pick on any defensive lineman. I like to think of this particular perspective as “Post Traumatic Stress Simsdrome” because every time the suggestion of taking a defensive lineman is brought up, they are usually the first to start drawing references and comparisons to Ryan Sims.

Btw, I don’t put a whole lot of stock in Todd McShay’s roller coaster opinion about Dontari Poe. This is after all the same Todd McShay who last year claimed Blaine Gabbert was “more polished” than Cam Newton.

All that being said, if Pioli et entourage opt to pass on Poe, I feel I will at least have some understanding as to the reasons why and be content with whomever they select. Unless they reach for Ryan Sims. Or worse, Ryan Tannehill.

Depending on who the Chiefs go with in the first round, I will probably be equally as interested to see who they select in the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th rounds. I’m sold on Branden Weeden in the 2^nd round should the opportunity arise. CB or OL (rotational players) in the 2^nd round also appeals to me. If not Weeden in the 2^nd then maybe Osweiler in the 3^rd? Maybe that NT “bowling ball” Nick Jean-Baptiste or perhaps a dual threat, a la WR/KR Joe Adams or CB/KR Chase Minnifield in the 4^th? Our return game is among the weakest in the league and I don’t accept that that is entirely the fault of the either Special Teams coaching or the return unit’s blocking.

I also would like to mention Glenn Dorsey for a second. I have a funny feeling he will really shine this year. First and probably foremost, he should be highly motivated to play well considering he is set to enter free agency 2013. For another, I just believe he has it in him and is due. Anybody besides me feel this way?

Speaking of free agency, and revisiting a thought from my first paragraph, if the Chiefs do not, for whatever reason, select a future franchise quarterback in the early rounds of this draft, I personally would like to see them offer Dennis Dixon a modest contract. I’ve always liked Dixon going back to his Oregon Ducks days. Heismann favorite until the ACL, all this time sitting behind Roethlisberger learning the NFL way; I’d really like to see what he’s got.  Also, if we don’t take Poe, I certainly hope we meaningfully address NT through free agency. My personal preferences being Sammie Lee Hill and Aubrayo Franklin, in that order.

That’s my Double Take.

What’s your take Addicts?

Like the Weezer song in the title of this post, right now feels like a party atmosphere for the Kansas City sports scene (loving my Jayhawks unexpected trip to the New Orleans for instance . . . also digging how the Royals are showing some longterm potential for greatness). Most significantly, it’s an especially exciting time to be a Chiefs fan.

For me, as I’m sure is the case with many of us diehards, it’s been a long time since I felt this excited about an upcoming season. Among other things, the draft coverage here on AA this past week or so has been nothing short of outstanding in my opinion. Seems like every post is well thought out, well put together, and an absolute must read.

I’m excited about the return of Jamaal Charles and what that could mean to our offense. I’m excited about the return of Eric Berry and what that could mean to our defense. I’m excited to see what Romeo Crennel does with this team.

I’m excited about the growth and development of our roster. I’m excited about the addition of free agents Eric Winston (still pinching myself), Peyton Hillis (a guy I originally wanted us to draft),  Stanford Routt (yes I am enthused about this signing for a variety of reasons), and yes, Brady Quinn (I remember on draft day thinking  . . . oh my god this guy may actually fall to the Chiefs!).

I’m excited about Peyton Manning playing in the AFC West because that means we’ll get to face him twice a year . . . imagine the kind of gameday buzz that will generate at Arrowhead?

At this moment, I am particularly excited about the draft and to see how all that plays out. We’re actually seem to be at a place where we’re for once not desperate for this or that player but instead possess the ability to improve our roster in any number of different ways in the first round and beyond.  There are so many possibilities and every one of them seems incredibly positive.

If we draft DeCastro, we’ll have what promises to be one of the best OL’s in the league. If we draft Poe, it means Crennel and Pioli have thoroughly analyzed the guy and reached the conclusion that they got THE guy and by implication, somebody who they believe will be instrumental in taking our defense to the dominant level? If we draft Kuechly, we’ll most likely be looking at one of the best combo coverage/pressure linebacking corps in the league . . . for many years to come mind you. 

If we draft another pass rusher, so much the better!! I mean the possibilities boggle the imagination and not a one seems awful to me.  There’s the possibility we could even trade down and gain an extra early pick or two. How cool.

It’s also conceivable that we draft a high ceiling quarterback on the first day of the draft. As well, we’ll have the ability to add quality depth to our secondary if we want. We could land a promising receiver or tight end.  

Adding to our stable of running backs certainly seems like a strong possibility. And let’s not forget special teams either because you know there will be opportunities to upgrade our lackluster return game and coverage units on days two and three of the draft.

Once the draft is over, we can once again turn our attention to free agency.  There’s certainly some still intriguing names out there to consider depending on how the draft shakes out for us.  How about bringing one-time Heisman hopeful Dennis Dixon into the qb competition mix? There’s also still guys like Sammie Lee Hill, guys who’s NFL careers may be on verge of greatness.

I’m not saying there’s not remaining areas of critical concern for this team, I’m just saying a lot of key pieces seem to be falling into place pretty nicely of late, our options and opportunities seem especially promising and overall the future looks bright.

That’s my Double Take.

Addicts, how do you feel about where this team is right now? What do you think our roster will end up looking like over the next couple of months? Who or what are you most looking forward to?

In case you missed it yesterday, Andrew Crocker put together some interesting and creative ideas about what the Chiefs could do with their #11 pick. I agree with much of what he had to say.  Among other things, without a doubt, NT and QB remain our two most pressing offseason needs. At this point, it does not appear that anything more will be done to address the QB situation which leaves us to consider what to do about that rather prominent hole in the heart of our defense?

The acquisition of Eric Winston, more than anything, provides the Chiefs with a nice bit of flexibility heading into the draft – never a bad thing.  The way things seem to be shaping up, we’ll go into the draft with Branden Abert, Ryan Lilja, Rodney Hudson, Jon Asamoah, and Eric Winston as our starting offensive line. While I’ve been as critical as anyone about the combination of Lilja and Wiegmann not getting it done in the running game, I nevertheless now feel pretty good about where things stand now with our offensive line, even with Lilja as our starting RG.  I would like, more than anything, to use this draft to add OL depth.

As promising as our OL situation now seems to be, the same really cannot be said about the state of our  defensive line. Resigning Amon Gordon was a necessary move but beyond that we’ve got both current and future problems that need to be addressed sooner rather than later.  For example, our current ability to defend in short yardage situations, particularly through the interior gaps, ranks near the bottom of the league according to Football Outsiders.  Considering Jerrell Powe came in for something like less than 10 snaps last season, I highly doubt he is anywhere close to being a significant consideration for the 2012 rotation.

Neither Glenn Dorsey nor Tyson Jackson have yet to wow anyone since being drafted. Moreover, twilight-of-their-career stop gaps such as Kelly Gregg have yet provide anything in the way of meaningful relief for our DL woes.  Assuming Dorsey and Jackson stick around for awhile (which is a big assumption considering the cost of their respective contracts), we still need to provide them with what most consider the centerpiece of a 34 defense before we can truly assess either . . . to wit, a quality nose tackle. Whether Dorsey and Jackson remain on as long term fixtures of the Chiefs defensive line is not as important as whether and how soon we really plug the gaping hole in the middle.  I feel that once that deficiency is properly addressed, we will see our defense undergo the transformation from that of “on-the-rise” to that of “arrived.”

For this reason, I am holding out hope that the Chiefs, either through free agency or through the draft this year, at long last secure the caliber of nose tackle that will put our defense into a position where they can considered to be among the league’s elite.  We now have all the pieces, save one.

All this leads up to the question of “what are our current options” for getting that kind of nose tackle? Let’s begin with free agency. Just because we missed out on Paul Soliai does not necessarily mean that viable options no longer exist on that front.

For me, four names stand out – Aubrayo Franklin, Shaun Rogers, Antonio Garay, and Samie Lee Hill.  Rogers will be 33 at the start of next season while Garay and Franklin will each be 32. Of these three, I like Franklin the best, but all, given their ages, should probably best be viewed as guys whose best years are behind them and thus stop gap solutions for the Chiefs. That leaves Samie Lee Hill, who at age 25, has some viable tread left on his tires.

Hill, at 25, is a 3 year veteran  and for me the most intriguing of the bunch.  He is a restricted free agent and considering the Lions seem to be pretty loaded with talented DTs, Detroit is probably looking to unload him for a draft pick. Even better, Hill comes as a guy that entered the NFL  just 3 years ago (and with that keep in mind that well worn cliché about learning curves for DTs) as a small school standout and has managed to develop into a pretty solid player who many feel still has additional upside. The biggest obstacle to Hill taking the next step is the fact that he currently plays second fiddle to Ndamukong Suh.

Okay Double D, that’s all well and fine but would a guy like this cost us? Well, how does a 4^th round pick sound because that’s Detroit’s asking price? In case anyone’s worried about us losing a 4^th round pick, here are a couple 4^th round picks that ought to refresh your memory as to just how valuable they are to the Chiefs-  Donald Washington and Jalil Brown. In the 2010 draft, the Chiefs did not even have a 4^th round pick, having traded it to Houston.

Although I’d probably be down with getting Aubrayo Franklin as a short term solution, my gut instinct is to do whatever it takes to make Sammie Lee Hill a Chief. And frankly “whatever it takes” is not gonna be all that much.

Next, let’s consider the draft for a minute. Each and every time the Chiefs have had an opportunity to get what appears to be a good Nose Tackle in the draft, I’ve been all over it. I strongly advocated taking BJ Raji with our #3 pick in 2009. I doubt I need to remind anyone here who we actually ended up with.  In the face of my advocacy of Raji, the objections on AA came fast and furious. Raji’s profile and draft stock was nitpicked to death on this blog and the popular sentiment seemed to be no way in hell he was worth the #3 pick and most likely a late 1^st rounder at best, if that.

Raji, of course, made an immediate impact his rookie year and is widely regarded as one of the top 3 Nose Tackles in the league.

Next came Terrence (“Mount”) Cody. In Cody’s case, I did not advocate taking him in the first round but certainly felt at the time that he was worth our 2^nd round “Tony Gonzalez” round pick that year.  That thought was also highly criticized and nit-picked on this very blog. Instead, we used our 2^nd round picks on Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas. Anyone who wouldn’t trade either of those picks for Terrence Cody right now ought to have their head examined.

Last year, for me, Phil Taylor was the guy we had to have.  That idea was once again nit-picked and lambasted by all the self-appointed draft experts on this blog. Instead, we traded away our #21 pick to Cleveland who in turn used it to take Taylor. The Chiefs ended up with leaving the 1^st round of 2011 with a Wide Receiver who so far seems incapable of escaping the jam at the line. Taylor’s rookie campaign saw him step in as a starting DT for the Browns . . . of course!

Now comes this year’s draft and once again we may have the opportunity to take an outstanding specimen of a Nose Tackle with our #11 pick. Mind you, this is a guy that just about every major and minor sports media outlet has on their big board lying somewhere between 10^th and 20^th best player of the draft overall. Check out just about any mock draft, and the consensus seems to be that he’ll either go the Panthers at #9, the Chiefs at #11, or the Eagles at #15.  I am of course referring to Combine standout Dontari Poe.

And invariably the nit-picking of this early round NT option has begun here at AA.  We’ve all heard them – workout warrior (as if that’s an automatic basis for disqualification), takes plays off (name one NFL DT/NT who doesn’t – there is a no more physically demanding job in the NFL), lack of awards and stats (did Memphis’ scheme put him in a position to rack up gawdy stats and accolades? Not really), blah, blah, blah. I’ll tell you this much – every opposing coach that faced Memphis has stated in no uncertain terms that they definitely had to scheme for Poe. Has it ever occurred to any of Poe’s detractors that maybe, just maybe, there wasn’t any real talent around Poe and as a result, he ended up getting all the attention? Just a thought.

Look, I’m gonna keep this as simple as possible. Poe is high on everyone’s draft boards because his size, his strength, his feet, all dictate that he looks to make a major impact in the NFL. Nevertheless, some suggest that the only reason he’s a first rounder is because of his combine performance. Not true. Going into the combine, Poe was just about everyone’s consensus favorite as the best NT of this year’s draft and generally regarded as 1^st rounder anyway. His combine performance merely confirmed what most everyone already suspected – he is indeed a beast.

Now do I think Poe is flawless? Hell no! Just like ANY 1st round pick, Poe has the potential to be a bust. I believe what Poe needs more than anything to really excel in the NFL is better technique. Technique is something that can be taught. Last I checked, Romeo Crennel still coaches for the Chiefs.

Are there other options in the draft? Yes, but none which I believe have the potential to make as huge or as immediate of an impact as Dontari Poe. For example, some say we should roll the dice with Alameda Ta’amu in the 2nd round. Based on, among other things, how Ta’amu was thoroughly manhandled by Phillip Blake (currently projected as a 3^rd or 4th round Center), I just don’ t see it. Every time he faced top level offenses, like, say Stanford’s, Ta’amu disappeared. Truth be know, Ta’amu will face a lot of top level offenses in the NFL.

There’s a couple other guys, late rounders, in the draft who pique my interest some but those are guys who have to be considered development projects. The Chiefs simply don’t have the luxury to develop a nose tackle and besides that’s kind why we took Jerrell Powe in the 6^th round anyway. In other words, we already kind of have that spot filled.

Let’s recap.

With Branden Albert, veteran guard Ryan Lilja, the addition of Eric Winston and the ongoing development of Hudson and Asamoah, the Chiefs offensive line is actually in pretty good shape right now. While a guy like DeCastro would probably make our OL that much better, our needs on the OL are nowhere near as pressing as those on the DL and it’s chronic inability to stuff the run and/or collapse the pocket.

If we go the free agency route, Sammie Lee Hill is the one guy I would have wearing Red and Yellow next season. His cost would be insignificant. With Hill set to wear a Chiefs uni, I would have zero qualms about taking David DeCastro with our #11 pick. I also wouldn’t have to worry about Carolina taking Poe ahead of us in the draft.

If Pioli fails to address our glaring hole at NT in some meaningful way through free agency, I think the ONLY option we have is to take Dontari Poe, assuming Carolina has not already done so. Poe, by all accounts, possesses all the physical requirements and all the upside one could ask for – he just needs the right coach and the right situation. Dontari Poe would find both in KC and our defense would prosper greatly from his presence.

That’s my Double Take Addicts.

How would you like to see the Chiefs address the need at Nose Tackle this offseason?

To give everyone a slight break from the frenzied first 48 hours of free agency (with which I too am trying to keep up), I’m venturing into the hallowed, funny haired ranks of NFL draft prognosticators.  Let’s begin with a little conversation about which positions teams around the league seem to be looking for and suggest that that is likely to play a major factor in dictating what the first round of the draft will look like. In just a couple of instances, I’ve deviated from the “pure need” approach and selected a player for value or long term strategic reasons.

Over the last few years, most teams have shied away from taking wide receivers in the first round for a variety of reasons: cost, bust factor, position depth… you get the picture. I believe this is the draft where the pendulum starts swinging the other way.

Cliche or not, through its rule-making, the NFL is emphasizing the passing game more and more. This is brought to fore in the 2012 draft by noting that somewhere in the neighborhood 17 receivers are considered high on the list of offseason needs throughout the NFL. Right up there with WRs, the next most in demand positions are, not surprisingly, cornerback and safety, with about 15 needed for each. Think of it as a co-dependent, abusive relationship.

Let me clue you into something: there are not even 10 WRs in this year’s draft class that warrant first round consideration.  I’m gonna tell you one thing more — first round quality or not, there will be a lot of teams grabbing up WRs in the first round for fear that they miss out on filling that need in the 2nd or later rounds.

Here’s how I have primary team needs breaking down by position:

17 Wide Receivers

15 Cornerbacks

15 Safeties

14 Guards

11 Right Tackles

10 Pass Rushers

10 4-3 Linebackers (SAM, MIKE, WILL)/ 3-4 ILBs

6 Left Tackles

6 Quarterbacks

6 Centers

4 Nose Tackles

3 Running Backs

2 3-4 Defensive Ends

1 4-3 Defensive Tackle

I’m making no assumptions about draft trades at this point but I am going to assume that the Free Agent market will take some pressure off of teams looking to draft a franchise QB in the first round. I figure about 3 or 4 QBs with starter potential will be in the mix and likely acquired prior to the draft through FA. The short list of names of who I either know or feel will be in play for starting roles on new teams – Peyton Manning, Matt Flynn, plus perhaps Josh Johnson and Dennis Dixon. The way I see it, that sort of narrows down the list of teams desperately seeking a franchise QB through the draft, now doesn’t it?

Anyway, those are my initial thoughts on this year’s draft. After the dust of free agency has had settled a bit, I plan to revisit these picks and perhaps tweak them for a post free agency mock.

Enjoy, debate, and by all means participate if you agree or disagree with any of these selections.

1. Indianapolis Colts 

Primary Needs -  QB, CBx2, SS, WR

Selection – Andrew Luck, QB – Stanford

2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis)

Primary Needs -  QB, WR, ILB, NT

Selection – Robert Griffin III, QB – Baylor

3. Minnesota Vikings

Primary Needs - LT, CB, WR, OG

Selection -  Matt Kalil, OT – USC

4. Cleveland Browns

Primary Needs - WR, RT, QB?, CB

Selection -  Trent Richardson, RB – Bama

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Primary Needs – CB, 43LB x 2, RT, WR

Selection  – Morris Claiborne, CB – LSU

6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington)

Primary Needs - OT x 2, OG, WR, 43OLBx2

Selection – Riley Reiff, OT – Iowa

7. Jacksonville Jaguars

Primary Needs - QB, WR, CB, 43DE

Selection – Melvin Ingram, 43DE – South Carolina

8. Miami Dolphins

Primary Needs – NT, WR, RT, 34OLB, QB?

Selection - Justin Blackmon, WR – Oklahoma State

9. Carolina Panthers

Primary Needs – 43DT, CB, SAM, RT

Selection – Michael Brockers, 43DT – LSU

10. Buffalo Bills

Primary Needs – 43DE, WR, LT, CB

Selection – Quinton Coples, 43DE – North Carolina

11. Kansas City Chiefs

Primary Needs – RT, NT, QB, G/C

Selection – Dontari Poe, NT – Memphis

12. Seattle Seahawks

Primary Needs – QB, 43DE, G, 43DT

Selection  -  David DeCastro, OG - Stanford

13. Arizona Cardinals

Primary Needs - OT x 2, WR, 34ILB, 34OLB, RG

Selection -  Jonathon Martin, OT - Stanford

14. Dallas Cowboys

Primary Needs - CB, C, G, S

Selection – Cordy Glenn, RT/G - Georgia

15. Philadelphia Eagles

Primary Needs – SAM, MIKE, WR, CB, SS

Selection – Luke Kuechly, ILB – Boston College

16. New York Jets

Primary Needs – WR x 2, RT, 43OLB, S x 2

Selection  – Michael Floyd, WR – Notre Dame

17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland)

Primary Needs – CB, RB, S x 2, G

Selection – Janoris Jenkins, CB – North Alabama

18. San Diego Chargers

Primary Needs – LT/RT, G, 34OLB, CB

Selection – Mike Adams, RT – Ohio State

19. Chicago Bears

Primary Needs – WR, LT, CB, G/C

Selection – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB – Bama

20. Tennessee Titans

Primary Needs – C, OG x 2, 43DE, S?

Selection – Peter Konz, C – Wisconsin

21. Cincinnati Bengals

Primary Needs – CB, RB, S x 2, G

Selection – Mark Barron, S – Bama

22. Cleveland Browns (from Atlanta)

Primary Needs - WR, RT, QB?, CB

Selection -  Stephen Hill, WR – Georgia Tech

23. Detroit Lions

Primary Needs – LT, CB, SS, 43DE

Selection  – Stephon Gilmore, CB – South Carolina

24. Pittsburgh Steelers

Primary Needs – LT, LG, NT, CB x 2

Selection – Ryan Tannehill, QB – Texas A & M

25. Denver Broncos

Primary Needs – LG, RT, CB, C, QB?

Selection  – Kelechi Osemele, OG/OT – Iowa State

26. Houston Texans

Primary Needs – WR x 2, OG x 2, C, NT

Selection  – Kendall Wright, WR - Baylor

27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans)

Primary Needs – 34OLB, WR x 2, 34DE, S

Selection – Whitney Mercilus, 34OLB – Illinois

28. Green Bay Packers

Primary Needs – 34OLB, S, 34DE, RB

Selection – Fletcher Cox, 34DE – Mississippi State

29. Baltimore Ravens

Primary Needs – LT, C, WR, 34OLB

Selection  – Mohammed Sanu, WR – Rutgers

30. San Francisco 49ers

Primary Needs – WR, RG, RT, FS, QB?

Selection – Kevin Zeitler, OG – Wisconsin

31. New England Patriots

Primary Needs – 34OLB, WR x 2, 34DE, S

Selection – Reuben Randle, WR – LSU

32. New York Giants

Primary Needs – LG, TE, FS, 43ILB

Selection – Coby Fleener, TE  – Stanford

Tradeoffs (sigh).

I haven’t seen the 2011 charting stat numbers yet, but I can tell you that in 2010, Stanford Routt, when paired up with Nmandi Asomugha, was a top shelf pass defender. Football Outsiders, for example, ranked him with the 3rd highest success rate, with 66% of passes defended. Carr ranked 10th in that department with 61% of passes defended. In fact, both scored better than Brandon Flowers, for what it’s worth. Also worth noting is that Routt only gave up 5.7 yards per pass to Carr’s 7.1 yd/pass. Given all that, I don’t think it’s at all unreasonable to expect Routt’s production to parallel his 2010 situation playing alongside Flowers.

There are also rumors circulating in the media that Routt was somebody for whom Romeo Crennel actively lobbied. If true, I think that’s also pretty significant in terms of scheme fit. For a really well-written, compelling look into the player we’re getting in Stanford Routt, I recommend Doug Farrar’s (Yahoo! Sports) recent piece on him. Long story short, I personally feel this is a really good signing no matter how you slice it.

Now that Routt is inked, it seems that the popular assumption, or expectation if you will, is that all this means is that Pioli got himself a guy with skills very comparable to those of Carr for what we think could be 2 or 3 million less per year. Cynically put, Pioli avoided some unnecessary negotation stress by landing a comparable replacement for Carr who, oh by the way, just so happens to be cheaper to pay. Given that, one is then further tempted to think that the safe, conservative move now is to simply franchise Bowe and let Carr walk. CB dilemma solved, franchise tag dilemma solved, all good.

Well guess what? I’m going to go against the grain and offer an even better strategy. Scotty, I hope you’re reading this (I also hope that after reading this, you’ll finally start responding to those thousands of suggestion letters I’ve sent you dammit!).

Bowe, while inconsistent at times, has shown the potential to be a gamechanger. That’s worth something in the NFL. I think he can also be considered a foundational player for the Chiefs. Also worth something. Still, I believe that Bowe, rather than being tagged, ought to be locked up into a long-term deal before free agency hits. Unless you’re planning to shop him– in and of itself a risky strategy on many fronts– I see no reason not to just sign him to a comfortable, reasonable, market value contract.

So why no tag for Bowe you ask? Well, first off because if you really want him, and you’ve come up with a good backup plan for Carr, then there’s really no reason whatsoever for not focusing all of your attention and energy on getting a deal done to make Bowe’s long-term presence as a Chief into reality. Not just that, but doesn’t it also help to further underscore that whole PR pledgy thingy to develop and retain core players?

As promising and exciting and foundational as Bowe might seem, it is also important to recognize that he simply has not proven himself to be among of the 5 best receivers in the league which, in a certain sense, is what the franchise tag kind of suggests. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 12th best WR going into 2012 and 19th best among their Dynasty Rankings. Similarly, Football Outsiders ranked Bowe 51st in DVOA and 31st in DYAR for 2011. Not exactly what you’d call eye-popping production.

We all know that Bowe every once in awhile makes for some fun highlight reel footage, but does he honestly merit franchise tag money? Especially when you’re most likely not going to find many teams willing to exchange a high value pick for him? I think you see my point. Bottom line, paying Bowe like he’s a top 5 WR really doesn’t sound all that Clark-like to me. Lest we forget, Bowe was a 1st round draft pick– just how likely is it that we can get that for him now? ROI people, ROI.

Moving on, if Pioli can sign Bowe to a long-term deal before free agency hits, he’ll still have a franchise tag at his disposal, right? Well, please tell me then what would be the folly in using that tag on Carr? In fact, franchising Carr seems to me like the best of all possible moves at this point and I’m going to offer some reasons as to why that is so.

It’s a proverbial seller’s market for top tier CBs and this year is no different. Justifiable or not, Carr is almost certain to command an elite CB level of monetary respect out on the open market. What’s more, it seems there could be some healthy competition for a CB of Carr’s caliber. I can think of at least a couple of teams out there that are desperately needing major secondary talent who, oh by the way, also happen to have some pretty interesting draft pick horsepower to make a lucrative deal happen for the Chiefs. For example, both the Patriots and the Bengals are in need of quality CB help and both are holding on to spare 1st round picks. Just imagine all of the tantalizing draft possibilities that would suddenly open up for the Chiefs if that were to happen?

Move up and get a franchise QB? Check.
Pick up a couple of first round offensive linemen? Check.
Control the draft by moving down? Check.

So you say, “well Double D, suppose nobody is willing to pony up a high draft pick for Carr? Aren’t you then stuck with an overpaid secondary that you’re underutilizing most of the time because, well, as everybody knows, you really only need 2 good corners? Very, very risky. Very expensive (i.e., unClark-like). Not good. Or as my AA colleague Big Matt might say ‘Mattie no likey.’”

Not good? How about not so fast?

Merlin and I were texting back and forth on this whole deal the other day and he brought to my attention a pretty interesting fact of which I was previously unaware. To wit, an NFL nickel plays about 50% of all snaps currently. That is a lot. On top of that, the more success you have at containing teams on 1st down, the more likely it is that you’ll see the nickel utilized on successive downs. In fact, I think with the right personnel, a pretty compelling argument can be made for having the nickel formation as your base D.

When I think of Flowers, Carr, and Routt being on the field all at the same time, I start thinking “two’s company, but hey, three’s a party!” Arenas might excel at wrapping up receivers pretty quickly after the catch but he’s not exactly setting the world on fire when it comes to preventing that catch from happening in the first place. Just sayin.

As many on the message boards here have already suggested, the Routt signing may indeed turn out to be a very forward thinking approach on the part of Crennel and Pioli. In fact, passing against a defensive backfield comprised primarily of Flowers, Carr and Routt would be close to impossible. In this increasingly pass-friendly league, I have to think that that level of secondary presence would basically relegate opposing offenses to beating you with their running game, and maybe tossing in a few dink and dunks for good measure (which painfully brings to mind a certain low-scoring, rather flaccid offense with which I happen to be pretty familiar).

The only practical alternative to going with the run would be to simultaneously risk a lot of coverage sacks. Unless your QB can progress through his reads quickly and also get rid of the ball in a hurry, you’re gonna be in a heap of trouble. If a team goes run, we’ll have DJ, Berry, and perhaps Belcher up in there to contain it. If a team opts to pass, their dealing with a DB set of Flowers, Routt, Carr, and Berry with maybe DJ in coverage while Hali & Houston, along with either an ILB, S, or CB, are all breathing fire in your backfield.

Next– just stay with me here– we grab a very gettable guy in the form of one Paul Soliai as our NT. Tell me, how can that cannot be considered a run stuffing, block eating, shutdown, ballhawking, nightmare defense?

So, armed on defense, we head into the draft to start filling holes on offense.

Final (crazy?) thought. While neither has any experience at the position (at least none of which I’m aware), both Carr and Routt possess prototypical size and speed to play Safety, Routt perhaps moreso because of his physicality. Might this signing, combined with the retention Carr, offer more options and much needed depth at that position as well? I know, stupid idea, probably makes more sense to just plug Sabby Piscatelli whenever the need arises, right? I’m sure we’ll be just fine should Eric Berry happen to miss any games.

That’s my Double Take.

Sound off Addicts!

Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs need to add quality depth at a number of positions this offseason if they want to avoid a repeat of their disappointing 2011 season.

The quickest way to add that depth is to pick up a few veterans through free agency. This is another in a series of posts we are doing trying to identify certain free agents that might be a good fit in KC.

Up next? WR Danny Amendola.

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Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

Throughout the offseason we will be looking at various prospects that the Chiefs might be able to pick up in free agency.

We already broke down the class of centers but for other positions we’ll mostly be looking at players on an individual basis. Today, I want to talk about one of the top TE’s set to hit the market.

Joel Dreessen of the Houston Texans.
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