After much anticipation and anxious clamoring, I return this week with my regular season mainstay. That’s right, Double D’s Double Take on just how well, or poorly, the Chiefs are performing in key areas, courtesy of Football Outsider’s DVOA analysis.

For those of you unfamiliar with the DVOA ranking methodology, I’ll simply provide, after the jump, the same rundown that I gave last year. If you are interested in a more detailed (and perhaps more useful) explanation, go here.

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There seems to be a lot of chatter in these here parts about what all is wrong (and right) with the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line and how to make it better. We’ve all heard ‘em, they generally go something like this:

Branden Albert will never win us a Superbowl at LT; he should be moved to . . .

We need a major upgrade at RT, Barry Richardson shoved a coach.

Even at 74 years old, 110 lb Casey Weigmann continues to play phenomenally well. He anchors our OL dammit!

Don’t dare touch Ryan Lilja, he’s from here and more importantly, he went to K-State!

Brian Waters play has slipped, he’s just getting by on reputation.

Okay, perhaps I exagerated a tad on the matters of Casey Weigmann’s diminutive stature and charter membership to AARP, but are all or any of these statements really valid? I’ll do a little review on all this right after the jump.
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Breaking this down a little further, position-by-position, the following table shows how the Chiefs starting OL compared to their respective average OL counterparts. (I am using Richardson’s dimensions for RT even though NFL.com for some inexplicable reason listed O’Callaghan as our starting RT).

At all positions other than Center and Right Guard, the Chiefs are pretty much in line with league averages. Weigmann and Lilja however are a bit shorter and significantly lighter than their average NFL counterparts. In fact, Weigmann and Lilja were the two lightest lineman at their respective positions out of the entire NFL. Is that good, bad, or does it even matter? Well, it can be good and bad, and in certain key situations, it matters a lot. I’ll explain what I mean by that right after the jump.
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 The Kansas City Chiefs are leading the league in rushing attempts and have given up only 4 sacks all season long. That means they have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, right?

Not necessarily. Sometimes scheming and game planning can make up for a lack of talent in certain areas.

So what is going on in Kansas City? Are their offensive successes a result of their offensive lineman consistently beating their man, is it coaching and scheme or is it a little of both?

Pro Football Focus, a partner of Arrowhead Addict, grades every player on every snap of every game. PFF’s statistics and grades are some of the most reliable in football. For a full breakdown of how PFF grades players, click here.

The simplified version, is that each player is graded on a scale between -2 and +2 on every play. The negative is bad, the positive is good. If a player does what he is supposed to on a play, like say a seal block, his grade for that play will likely be 0. 0 is average. Most plays are graded 0. If the player messes up a little, he might get a -0.5 for that play. If  he goes above and beyond, he might get a +0.5 or even a +1. -2’s and +2’s are rarely given out. The grades are then all added up and the player receives his grade for the game. If a guy had a very average game, he would finish with a grade around 0. If a guy had a fantastic game, he might finish with a grade of +8.5 or something like that. You get the idea.

Today I am going to break down the Chiefs offensive line. Check out who is really playing well and who is benefitting from the coaching scheme after the jump.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

I have to admit that it was nice to see good ole Casey Weigman back in the red and gold.  However, he is getting long in the tooth (36 years old) and a bit on the light side (285 pounds).  Which begs the question: Why was he signed?  The obvious answer is to provide depth and competition, but where is his upside?

Before getting to that question, you have to talk about Rudy Niswanger.  As far as who wins the center position battle between the two, I am at a loss.  Center Rudy Niswanger intrigues me, but he also frustrates me.  He can be good and bad all during the same series.  (I could have puked when he hiked that one ball over Casell’s head during one game last year).  He gets driven back and pushed around quite a bit too.

Despite being only 27 years old, I am not sure Rudy is the long term solution.  He has had a couple of years to progress and become a solid center.  I can’t say he has done so.  As a result, you have to bring in someone to challenge him and provide better depth.  Hence Casey’s signing.  If we were contending for a championship then the Casey Weigman signing makes sense.  However, we were 4-12 last year and we need to develop a long term solution to our center position.  I love Casey, but he is obviously not the long term solution.

It is interesting to hear Bob Gretz contend that Niswanger will win the starting position.  Niswanger winning the position is the best result long term for the Chiefs.  However, I find it hard to believe considering Weigman’s skill level, experience, heart and generally mistake free play.  Although, I am at a loss, If I had to guess, I see Weigman starting at center on opening night.  I am ok with that for now, but it hurts to know we will be looking once more for center help next year.

Belcher deals with Fargas. (Photo Source: Yardbarker.com)

A lot is going in the Chiefs favor this offseason. They had (in my opinion) a very good draft. They assembled a very talented and experience coaching staff. They landed key free agents Thomas Jones and Ryan Lilja and they didn’t overpay. Their schedule appears to be their most favorable in years and the team landed it’s first Monday Night Football slot since 2005.

The entire team has been present for the offseason OTA practices, save Jarred Page, who is dragging his feet signing his tender offer. With all the positive energy at Arrowhead, the Chiefs have perhaps a golden opportunity to reverse their fortunes with a winning record and a climb back to respectability.

To accomplish this task, however, the Chiefs are going to need contributions from unexpected places. It is a given that guys like Cassel, Bowe, Waters and Chambers have to show up but the veterans can’t do it alone. It is time for the Chiefs young players to step forward and make a name for themselves.

Here are 5 players that I think could be the key to a 2010 Chiefs playoff push:

(In no particular order)

1. Jovan Belcher

Jovan Belcher is my dark horse to be a starter at MLB by the time the Chiefs debut on MNF. Belcher was a huge surprise last season. The Chiefs signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Main following the 2009 draft. Belcher worked hard and began the season on the special teams unit. By the end of the season, he was playing middle linebacker alongside Derrick Johnson in passing situations. His season highlight was making a first down saving tackle in the Chiefs thrilling OT victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished the season with 47 tackles, 45 of which were solo!

Keep in mind, Belcher, like Andy Studebaker, was a small school prospect. Guys coming out of the smaller college programs often need time to develop. James Harrison for instance, played college ball at Kent State. He was cut and resigned by the Steelers multiple times before he finally got it together. Belcher is ahead of curve. He adapted very well to the pace and competition at the NFL level and he could be poised to make a gargantuan year 2 jump. I am very excited to see how a year at the NFL level and in an NFL conditioning program will do for Belcher.

Right now, the only person standing in Belcher’s way is Corey Mays. If Belcher shows improvement in training camp he could very well unseat Mays as the starter. Personally, I think the only think Mays had on Belcher last season was experience. I know a lot of people were upset with the Chiefs lack of interest in linebackers in the draft but the team has some talented young guys that should be ready to step up. Jovan Belcher is one of them.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

Monday is here and it is time for me to officially weigh in on the Chiefs draft. There have been mixed reviews among Chiefs fans on just how well the front office did last weekend. Overwhelmingly, the fans I have talked to seem to be thrilled with Berry, pretty happy with McCluster and Asamoah and totally baffled at the lack of action in the nose tackle and linebacker department.

I understand the feeling. I too was shocked as the Chiefs passed over Terrence Cody and
later, Cam Thomas during the draft. We have talked at length here on AA about the Chiefs needs at NT. While we didn’t all always agree on where NT should go on the priority list, we all did agree that it was a priority.

I have been sleeping on it and I still don’t have an answer as to why the Chiefs skipped the nose tackle position all together. I just don’t know. I do know, however, that Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel are not stupid men. They know the importance of the position. They have broken down the tape of last year’s defense and they know more about what went wrong than we do. So while I would like to be raking Pioli and Co. over the coals right now like many around the blogosphere, I am going to give the benefit of the doubt right now. The offeason is still young and I anticipate KC will still make a move at the position.

Shortly after the weekends festivities, we took a reader approval poll and the most of our readers gave the Chiefs a solid B on their draft. Out of over 700 votes and counting, here is the breakdown:

B-370 votes or 49%
A-199 votes or 29%
C-148 votes or 20%
D-32 votes or 4%
F-6 votes or 1%

So 69% of Addicts gave the Chiefs either an A or a B and only 5% gave them a failing grade.

Well, after giving it much though, my grades are in and so is my reasoning…after the jump!

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The Cheerleaders get an A+. Source: Yardbarker.com

The initial rush of free agency has long since passed and things have been pretty quiet in Kansas City. We haven’t had any news of any free agents visiting the Chiefs in some time and while it is always possible GM Scott Pioli may still have a few moves planned, it appears as though the Chiefs are through adding talent until after the Draft.

That being the case I thought it would be fun to hand out my grades on what the Chiefs have done thus far to better the team.

Ryan Lilja: A+

In my opinion, this is the best move the Chiefs have made thus far. Lilja is a huge upgrade at over any other guard on the roster, save Brian Waters. Lilja is a true starter which is something the Chiefs need more of as they have backups starting at multiple positions.

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This picture doesn't have anything to do with this article but are you going to complain? Photo Source: Yardbarker.com

I am not big on the Chiefs taking big gambles. I wanted them to take Julius Peppers but I did not want them to pay a billion dollars to have him. I don’t mind, however, when the Chiefs make smart gambles. The signing of Casey Weigmann is an example of a smart gamble, so long as they don’t put all their eggs in his 36 year old basket. A major offseason need the Chiefs have been trying to fill is the offensive line. While it may appear the Chiefs have done enough to improve the unit by signing Ryan Lilja and Weigmann, they still need depth and injury insurance. A player has recently became available. Would you gamble on him? He is a 27 year old, 6-4, 325 pound guard and has been selected to two Pro Bowls. He is currently a free agent. Should be really expensive right? Probably not. You see, that was the good. The bad is that the player has only played 2 games in the last 2 seasons due to injuries and has suffered from depression. These issues are largely why his previous team released him. Still, if the player still wants to play, would you take a gamble on him and take him to camp? The players identity is after the jump.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

The signings of Casey Weigmann and Ryan Lilja have me thinking. Are the Chiefs mostly finished rebuilding their offensive line?

Scott Pioli said at the NFL Combine that the offensive line was a priority but not necessarily THE priority. That was the comment that convinced me that there was no way the Chiefs would take an offensive lineman in the first round. Now that the Chiefs have added two new lineman, I am thinking Pioli may be about finished up front.

The signings of Weigmann and Lilja all but confirms that there is no way the Chiefs are moving Albert out of his LT position. Weigmann has a decent shot to be the starting center and Lilja will obviously fill the right guard position. I think the Chiefs like O’Callahan and I do not see them replacing him at RT with Albert and drafting a LT.

(More after the jump)

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Weigmann started all 16 games for the Donkey’s last year. I am not sure how well he played though.

Weigmann is now 36 and is reaching the end of his career. I am not usually one for picking up ancient veterans like Weigmann but I have to admit, if he really has been released, it would be tempting to grab him as a stopgap.

Thoughts?

***UPDATE***

We have some more info courtesy of ESPN:

The Broncos have confirmed that Wiegmann has been cut and they also confirmed that backup running back LaMont Jordan was cut as well. The two releases will likely become official Wednesday.

Wiegmann signed a two-year contract extension last summer. Wiegmann, 36, made the Pro Bowl in 2008 after his first season in Denver. However, the smallish Wiegmann became obsolete in Denver when the team decided to change blocking schemes this offseason.

It is always dangerous when you take on a veteran as old as Weigman but if the Chiefs are game, it sounds like Casey intends to keep playing.

“Denver is changing its offense and it is moving on,” Wiegmann’s agent Joe Linta said. “Casey will move on as well. He has, at least, a couple of more good years left in him and he looks forward to continuing his career elsewhere.”