Tony… Kendrick…

I hope this letter finds you in good spirits.

As much as I intend to support the players originally drafted by this franchise, I understand sometimes those players don’t work out. I’m beginning to think that will be the case with both of your respective careers. There’s really no nice way for me to say what I’m about to say, but I’ll be as considerate as I can be. The two of you are on borrowed time in Kansas City if there isn’t significant improvement over the next four months. Your careers have been marred by injuries and inconsistencies. This is a courtesy, gentlemen. A fair warning (if you will). The new administration won’t be hesitant to part ways with the underachieving players from regimes past.

Anthony Fasano and Travis Kelce potentially spell the end of your tenure here in Kansas City, Tony. Fasano is a reliable veteran who’s been the picture of health his last five seasons in the NFL. Over that stretch, Fasano has missed just four games. He provides the kind of stability and productivity that will make him a favorite in the race to become the Chiefs’ #1 tight end. Kelce’s a hungry, physical young player who is gifted both as a blocker and as a pass-catcher. He’s easily the most athletic player on the team at the tight end position. He’s going to give you a serious run for the #2 tight end spot. You’re perilously close to being pushed out the door if you can’t shake the injury bug.

Sanders Commings could turn out to be the thorn in your side, Kendrick. Andy Reid has already told members of the Kansas City media that he got looks at free safety in the Chiefs’ rookie minicamp earlier this month. Commings is bigger, stronger, faster and has comparable ball skills. He was drafted as an outfielder by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2008. He has lots of ball-tracking experience, Mr. Lewis. I’ve defended you on a number of occasions, but loyalty is a curious thing in professional football. If you can’t stay on the field and out of the tub, you’re going to be on the bench by Labor Day (oh the irony).

When the team gets to St. Joseph for training camp, blood should be drawn for a chance to bunk with head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder. He’s been heralded as one of the best athletic trainers in the NFL. His work is very well documented. Burkholder’s rehab program in 1995 helped Rod Woodson return from a torn ACL in about five months. In 2004, he helped wide receiver Terrell Owens return from a severely sprained ankle and fractured fibula in time enough to play in Super Bowl XXIX. The guy knows his way around an NFL injury. Do yourself a favor and get to know him on the right side of the training table.

Finally getting that issue with your shoulder resolved might actually kill two birds with one stone, KL. You’ve been a poor tackler throughout your stay in Kansas City. That’s a weakness your unit can’t afford, seeing as how you’re the last line of defense. Your one good shoulder won’t be enough to bring most ballcarriers down in this league. I tend to think if you were healthier, had better tackling form, and technique, you’d keep your job. Ballhawking safeties are coveted around the league, but ballhawking safeties who can tackle get new deals a little faster.

With you Tony, it’s more of an durability issue. You’ve already missed the team’s first OTAs of the offseason (back in April). In fairness to you, I know you had your knee scoped at the end of last season. Thing is, every opportunity you miss on the practice field, gets Kelce one step closer to pushing you to the bottom of the depth chart at your position. If that happens, I’d be shocked if you were re-signed.

The two of you are good football players who I’m sure most of the Kingdom would like to see earn second contracts with Kansas City. It’s going to be an uphill battle, but I’m sure you’re up for the challenge. As these position battles heat up, along with the summer weather, the pressure will be on. R&D will have a watchful eye on the tight end and safety positions. The best are going to play. Good luck to you, gents!

Until next time, addicts!

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs have undergone quite a makeover under John Dorsey and Andy Reid, but one area that could present problems for the new regime in 2013 is the defensive line.

The Chiefs haven’t done much upgrading to the line this offseason. The major change was the departure of DE Glenn Dorsey in free agency. The former first-round draft pick was a disappointment in KC given his draft stock. He developed into a solid run-stopper in Romeo Crennel’s 3-4, but never really had the opportunity to become the pocket-collapsing DT he was projected to be coming out of LSU. Dorsey had been selected to play DT in a 4-3 but coaching changes forced him to move to end.

The Chiefs replaced Dorsey with a similar player in former New York Jet, Mike DeVito. Like Dorsey, DeVito is know for his physical play and run-stopping prowess but not for getting to the QB.

At NT, the incumbent starter is last year’s first-round pick, Dontari Poe. Poe is still a raw talent and while he played well at times last season, his overall performance was average at best. Poe has incredible athletic talent and if new defensive coordinator Bob Sutton can find a way to use Poe’s talent to make him a better, the second-year player could become a force in the middle of KC’s line. If not, Poe will go down in the books as another bust at defensive line for the Chiefs.

Speaking of busts, Tyson Jackson will likely start at the other DE spot. Jackson is following a similar career path to Dorsey in that he showed some improvement after an abysmal rookie season. Jackson even managed to get to the QB a few times last season, though he still wasn’t able to provide consistent pressure, which is much more important than sack numbers.

Sutton is expected to run a much more aggressive version of the 3-4 than Romeo Crennel so it will be interesting to see if DeVito, Poe and Jackson can flourish in his system. DeVito is familiar with the type of system Sutton runs, so if the former Jet’s sack numbers from his time in New York are an indication of what we can expect from the DEs in KC, we may not see much of a change in 2013.

Lastly, the Chiefs have a staggering lack of depth along their defensive line. Allen Bailey and Jerrell Powe are still hanging around but neither have made much of an impact during their time in KC. The Chiefs could use some more seasoned backups in case of injuries to their starters.

The Chiefs, on paper at least, are extremely talented at the linebacker and corner positions. If the defensive line is up to the task, Kansas City could sport one of the NFL’s best defense. If, however, Jackson continues to be average and Poe fails to improve, then the line could be the downfall of Andy Reid’s 2013 Chiefs.

What do you think, Addicts? Will the 2013 Chiefs defensive line rise to the occasion or will they be the weak spot on the defense?

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs brought in three new QBs this offseason and while Alex Smith and Chase Daniel appear to be locked in as the No. 1 and No. 2 options, there figures to be a pretty intense training camp battle between former Iowa Hawkeye Ricky Stanzi and former Tennessee Volunteer Tyler Bray for the third, and likely final, QB slot.

Stanzi was drafted by the previous regime, led by GM Scott Pioli. Despite absolute turmoil at the QB position over the last two seasons, Stanzi was never given the opportunity to take a single NFL snap. Even with their jobs on the line, neither of Stanzi’s NFL head coaches (Todd Haley and Romeo Crennel) gave Stanzi a chance. That doesn’t necessarily mean that Stanzi can’t play in the NFL, but it is telling that he couldn’t beat out Matt Cassel, Brady Quinn or even Tyler Palko.

New GM John Dorsey has brought in three of his own QBs and it appears Bray, who was undrafted, could be the favorite to make the roster as the No. 3 QB. He was hand-picked by the new regime and processes all the physical tools of a traditional franchise QB. Maturity issues and coming out of college too early contributed heavily to Bray’s draft slide but there are many who think, if given the right coaching, he could be a viable starting QB in the NFL.

As of now, however, Bray is on the bottom of the QB depth chart.

From Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star:

Perhaps deferring to the veteran, the Chiefs are using Ricky Stanzi as their third quarterback while rookie Tyler Bray is getting few snaps as the fourth quarterback. Hard to say if that will change any time soon, but Bray has better ability to make all the necessary throws than Stanzi does. While the Chiefs — with Smith as their starter and Chase Daniel as the top reserve — need to be in no hurry to develop Bray, he has already displayed enough skills to earn more work.

Bray may be last in line right now but it is only May. Once training camp rolls around, if Bray can impress coaches, he’ll likely get the chance to show what he can do in a couple of the Chiefs’ preseason games.

As for Stanzi, it appears to be now or never in regards to his career with the Chiefs. If he can’t convince Dorsey and Reid that he has developed in his two years as a backup, he could be looking for a new team come September.

What do you think, Addicts? Who will win the QB battle? Bray or Stanzi?

May 15, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Donald Stephenson (79) and Jon Asamoah (73) run drills during organized team activities at the University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

“Dwayne Bowe is one of the best wide receivers I’ve seen. He’s going to run crisp, right routes, and he’s going to make defenders look bad. I’m just going to try and learn from him.”

Many undrafted guys have probably never played with a corner as good as Brandon Flowers. Or a linebacker as big and athletic as DJ. Or a pass rusher as fierce as Justin Houston.

Richardson is hoping that the fact the Chiefs didn’t draft any receivers means he can stick. Last season at Jackson State Richardson caught 50 passes for 922 yards and eight touchdowns. The year before he had 37 catches for 896 yards and 11 touchdowns. I’ve barely seen any of Richardson so I can’t say much on his ability but those numbers do show a lot of production, which NFL teams like.

Arrowhead Pride

The 49ers traded Smith away after Colin Kaepernick rose to prominence as a double-threat signal-caller who — like Robert Griffin III — killed defenses out of the pistol. Smith is no Kaepernick when it comes to scampering free, but he’s shown he can take off with the ball, and that might happen more than expected.

The Chiefs made a head-scratching move when they recently named Brad Childress their “Spread Game Analyst.” The Ault hire is more of a coup and suggests that Andy Reid is willing to step outside his beloved West Coast offense to help grow the attack. If Smith can make it work, running an offense the 49ers deemed him ill-suited for would make for a juicy subplot in 2013.

NFL.com

Four original video productions from the 65TPT crew, produced during the 2012 season, are up for People’s Telly Awards. The public picks the winner of each video category, based off the amount of “thumbs up” votes submitted on YouTube.

So, Chiefs fans, don’t miss the chance to voice your opinion about the epic stories found within the Chiefs Kingdom. We hope you enjoy all four!

Videos up for nominations this year include…..

KC Chiefs.com

So they will apparently go into the season with DeVito and Tyson Jackson at end and Dontari Poe as the nose tackle in their regular defense, with Poe and Jackson as the primary line rushers on passing downs.

While that prospect won’t necessarily excite many Chiefs fans, perhaps Dorsey and Reid have been seeing the same things at practice that DeVito has. He compared Poe to Kris Jenkins, a former teammate of DeVito’s with the Jets who went to four Pro Bowl games.

“When he puts his hand down and gets going, there’s just no stopping him,’’ DeVito said of Poe.

KC Star

Knile Davis is definitely the type of player you would consider boom or bust. Watching the highlights of his 2010 season (you can find them at the bottom of the post) can definitely make you understand why any team in the NFL would consider taking him. He has a playing weight in the upper 220-230lb range and has track sprinting speed. He gets to the edge with a tremendous burst and has enough size to break tackles. Davis is a north and south runner. He isn’t going to juke you out of your shoes but has a great one cut move and enough straight ahead speed to out run the majority of defenses. Davis has proven that, when healthy, he can be a very effective back. Reports out of last weeks OTA’s are that the coaching staff is constantly working with him to help change the way he carries the ball to try to solve his fumbling issues. That proves how much the Chiefs are trying to invest in making him the best player he can be. With not much risk, considering he was only a 3rd round pick, the Chiefs don’t have much to lose and so much to gain. Plus new head coach, Andy Reid, has a good track record with running backs in his past (Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy) so it wouldn’t be surprising to see this pick work out for the Chiefs.

KC Kingdom

Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey and resigned free agent Ramon Foster round out the Steelers’ best six lineman. Pouncey played with a nagging knee injury for at least a third of 2012, making him unable to get down the field as well as he did in 2011. Foster is a solid guard who the team was happy to resign. What he lacks in speed, he tries to make up with strength and position flexibility.

Now that its former position coach Sean Kruger is off to coach at UTEP, the young line will be led by former Kansas City Chiefs offensive line coach Jack Bicknell, Jr. Bicknell worked with offensive coordinator Todd Haley while Haley was in Kansas City.

Let’s hope Bicknell is more like Kruger than former line coach Larry Zeirlein. The new coach’s ability to mesh his schemes and teach it to these young lineman is of great concern this offseason.

City of Champions Sports

We are smack in the middle of the offseason dead zone and I know we’re all going to be writing a lot of sentences like: “the complex LT Branden Albert situation” or “the team’s dealings with Albert have yet to play out” etc., etc.

Sam Mellinger summed it up pretty well:

This is an inherently combustible situation — a good player who wants to be paid like a great one, working on a one-year contract on the other side of the line from a younger and better player who was just the first overall draft pick. If Albert was uneasy before, now he will be playing with his obvious replacement. If nothing changes, a season like this will be one filled with land mines.

I’m going to make this much easier.

Albert, take $6 million a year or we’re letting you walk.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Don’t get me wrong, I think Albert is a good player and I’m also not as offended as most fans by his “attitude” – i.e. negotiating hard by sitting out of one voluntary camp. I also think that we may have the best set of bookend tackles in the league this year.

Even so, unless the Chiefs have far and away the world’s best offensive line in 2013 and it’s clear that it will be seriously harmed if Albert is not a part of it in 2014, it is simply not worth it to overpay for him.

Let’s be clear about what Albert is for us long-term – a right tackle. It’s a luxury that we have both Albert, an experienced above average left tackle, and 1^st-round pick Eric Fisher, a versatile, team-first guy that is willing to play right tackle this year. But, beyond this season, we really need to put guys in the positions where they can fully realize their potential. Fisher is a left tackle; that’s what he excelled at in college, that’s what we drafted him to be.

So far, Albert has shown no particular interest in being a right tackle, and I imagine that if push came to shove he would prefer to make left tackle money somewhere else than play for the Chiefs. Left tackles get paid significantly more in this league and that’s the position he wants to play. I don’t blame him for wanting out after this season.

Another variable in all of this is that we’re not entirely sure Albert would play right tackle well once Fisher takes over on the left side. Still, if we want to keep him, we have to offer him a right tackle contract – a generous one, granted – and call it good.

In the thick of the haggling between the Chiefs and the Dolphins over possibly trading Albert came a report that Miami was willing to offer Albert the contract he wanted as a part of the deal – a six-year, $53.4 million extension similar to what Texans LT Duane Brown got. That averages to $8.9 million a year, just a bit less than the franchise tag number and would make him the fourth-highest paid player on the team after OLB Tamba Hali, WR Dwayne Bowe and DE Tyson Jackson (if he comes back with that salary in 2014, a questionable prospect).

Simply put, a smart organization doesn’t lock up that kind of money in an RT. With that kind of contract, the Chiefs would be paying out $13 million to $14 million a year on our three tackles. To put that number in perspective, the Chiefs spent $5,873,835 on the contacts of all six of the team’s interior offensive linemen. Only six teams spent more than $12 million on their tackles last year – Carolina, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Miami, Washington and Tennessee. Obviously this wasn’t the only factor, but you will notice that only two of those teams had a winning record last year. The two teams in the Super Bowl each had less than $7 million locked up in the tackle position.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

So, if Albert wants to stay and be the one of the best-paid right tackles in football, great. He made $4,192,500 last year, so $6 million is a 43% percent pay increase. Not too bad. But, the Chiefs should not offer a dollar more. This saves us more than$3 million this year and we can use that to bring in another good player or two at a different position. Our new #2 WR Donnie Avery is averaging less than $3 million a year. So is NT Dontari Poe, WR Dexter McCluster and OLB Justin Houston

If Albert thinks he can get more on the open market, the Chiefs should allow him to give it a shot. If he does get more, then that contract offer will guarantee that the Chiefs will get at least a 4^th-round, but probably a 3^rd-round compensatory pick for him, which is essentially all the team would have gotten for him in the trade to Miami.

Either way, everyone wins.

Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell introduces offensive tackle Eric Fisher (Central Michigan) as the first overall pick to the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the NFL and the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) are preparing to implement major changes to the league’s offfseason calendar.

From Schefter, via Twitter:

NFL and NFLPA are on verge of pushing back draft to May and moving up start of league year to before combine, per sources.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 20, 2013

NFL and NFLPA are close to enacting these calendar changes for the next three years.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 20, 2013

Currently, the NFL league year typically begins some time in mid-March, with the draft going down at the end of April.

Under the new calendar, the ne league year would begin before the NFL Scouting Combine, which is usually held in late February. That would mean free agency would begin sometime around mid-February, a full month earlier than usual.

Team would then have a lot more time than normal between the end of the initial bust of free agency and the draft. Schefter doesn’t mention when in May the draft would be pushed back to but presumably, it would be around a month. That could mean that this time next year, the Chiefs could be in the final stages of their draf preparation.

It will be interesting to see how this new calendar impacts the offseason workout schedule. For instance, right now, teams are going through their OTA (organized team activities) practices with their entire rosters. Rookies have already been through minicamps and the clubs are prepping for training camp.

The new calendar would certainly serve to shorten the NFL offseason a bit by spreading the major events out. It will also give teams more time to scrutinize draft picks than ever before.

What do you think, Addicts? Do you like this change?

The 2013 Kansas City Chiefs roster is probably almost finished. At this point free agency has pretty much come to a stand still. The draft is over. Undrafted free agents have been scooped up. At this point the pickens are pretty slim out there. The most likely additions to any team’s final 53 man roster will come after teams have to start trimming their roster and veterans lose their jobs to younger, cheaper players.

That having been said, I still think there is one move that KC could make that would have a real impact on their roster. I think they should sign Richard Seymour. Having read that, I’m guessing most of you reading this had one of two reactions. You either went “YES!” because you recognize Seymour’s name and know him from his Pro Bowl caliber days in New England several years back and think adding any “big name” player is exciting. Or…You rolled your eyes and thought “Come on, that guy is way past his prime and isn’t worth the money he would want.”

Let me start my argument for Seymour by saying that I didn’t set out to write this piece. I was originally going to do a piece predicting KC’s final 53 man roster this fall. During the process of putting it together I was working on who I thought might make the team on the defensive line and I was reminded of just how little pass rush presence the team has from its down linemen. Going into the draft I was sure they would take someone to add some push up the middle, even if it was just a developmental guy. That didn’t happen.

The Chiefs have some young guys they’ve brought in. Maybe one will pan out, but if KC is counting on Risean Broussard, Miguel Chavis, Rob Lohr, or Brad Madison to be a key pass rusher this season I think they are setting themselves up for failure.

The Chiefs currently have eight defensive linemen on their roster with NFL game experience. Here are those players with their career sacks and games played.

Tyson Jackson: 5/59
Mike DeVito: 2.5/85
Marcus Dixon: 2.5/22
Allen Bailey: 1/26
Daniel Muir: 0.5/46
Anthony Toribio: 0/17
Dontari Poe: 0/16
Jerrell Powe: 0/10

That’s a combined 11.5 sacks in 281 games played. That’s 0.04 sacks per game as a group. If you’re wondering, that means that as a group they average a sack every 24.4 games.

Let that sink in.

Of those eight players only Jackson and Dixon are averaging more than one sack per 16 games played, Jackson at 1.36 and Dixon at 1.82. Dixon isn’t even a lock to make the team (although I wouldn’t be at all surprised after looking at this list and knowing he played in the Jets system). If Jackson and Dixon both play all 16 games their career averages say they will COMBINE for 3 sacks. Thus far in their careers, that’s the BEST KC has to offer.

Under Romeo Crennel’s gap control 3-4 system you could at least make the excuse that it wasn’t the down linemen’s job to rush the QB in the base package. However, new defensive coordinator Bob Sutton is supposed to be making the change to an attacking 3-4 scheme. If that is going to work they are going to have to do a better job of applying some pressure from the defensive line.

Jackson showed some flashes last season. His 3 sacks last season were more than he had in his first three seasons combined (2). Still, we’re only talking about 3 sacks. Former first round pick Dontari Poe MUST improve his push up the middle if he is ever going to live up to his draft position. His development is probably the most vital piece of the success of this entire unit. Allen Bailey was supposed to be an interior pass rusher on passing downs, but one sack in 26 career games doesn’t exactly inspire a lot of hope.

This is where Seymour comes in.

Now, the fact that Richard Seymour has 57.5 career sacks compared to the 11.5 combined sacks of the eight DL currently on the KC roster says about all that needs to be said. However, it doesn’t really address the concern that Seymour is 33 and his best play is behind him.

Seymour only played 8 games last season, so injuries are a concern. However, when he did play he still registered 3 sacks in his half of a season. In fact, in his last three seasons he’s recorded 14.5 sacks in 36 games. That’s 0.4 sacks per game or 6.44 sacks per 16 games. That’s still more than all of the current KC DL combined. All of that coming in his 30s.

If I look at the current KC roster the number one hole I see is that of an interior pass rusher. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that of the players available that Richard Seymour is the best player to fill that hole. Now, if Seymour wants to be paid like an every down Pro Bowl player, then it won’t ever happen. The Chiefs just don’t have that kind of cap space, and even if they did Seymour isn’t worth that kind of money anymore. However, at this point it should be clear to Seymour that he is no longer a hot commodity around the league. If he would accept a lesser contract and rotational pass rusher role I think it could be a win/win situation.

The Chiefs don’t need Seymour in their base 3-4. The front of DeVito, Poe, and Jackson should be just fine at stopping the run and freeing up the LBs to make plays. However, in the nickel and dime Seymour would instantly become their best DL. Not having to play every down would preserve his body and help him stay healthy. He could conserve his energy and possibly be even more effective in pass situations. I think this could extend his career another couple of years.

He would also bring more veteran leadership to a young team, as well as a very competitive (dare I say “nasty”) attitude that has also been lacking in the recent past. I really feel that adding Seymour could help catapult the KC defense into one of the best defensive units in football.

Andy Reid is obviously known as an offensive coach. However, when the Eagles were their best under Reid between 2001-2004 going 48-16 and advancing to 4 straight NFC Title Games and one Super Bowl they also had a great attacking style defense under legendary defensive coordinator Jim Johnson. The defenses during those four seasons ranked 2nd, 2nd, 7th, and 2nd in points allowed and 7th, 1st, 9th, and 2nd in team sacks. Yes, Reid is great with quarterbacks, but when Johnson passed away and the defense dropped off, so did Reid’s win totals. Without a greatly improved interior pass rush the KC defense (although talented) will not be able to approach the level of those great Philly defenses. I think singing Seymour at least gives them a shot.

If John Dorsey and Andy Reid want to field the most competitive team possible in 2013 they should seriously consider bringing in Richard Seymour. In my opinion it would fill the one remaining glaring hole on this roster. What do you think Addicts? I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Seymour and the KC pass rush in the comments below.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!

During the 2012 NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs were doing a pretty good impression of the late 2000s Cleveland Browns.

Head coach Romeo Crennel?

Check.

Starting QB Brady Quinn?

Check.

RB Peyton Hillis?

Check.

Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll?

Check.

A terrible football team?

Check. Check. Check.

The 2012 season ended for the Chiefs the same way the 2008 season ended for the Browns; with everyone getting fired.

Why the 2012 Chiefs tried to follow the same playbook that led to doom in Cleveland (well, more doom in Cleveland) we may never know.

The one person that was not in Cleveland during the late 2000s that was responsible for creating the Chiefs’ version of the Browns, was GM Scott Pioli.

The NFL is a small world. Pioli worked in Cleveland when Bill Belichick was the head coach back in the 90s. After a stint with the Ravens (formerly the Browns) Pioli landed in New England and became Belichick’s right hand man. The Patriots created a dynasty under Belichick and the people that were a part of the organization during that time have been getting jobs because of it ever since. Guys like Pioli, Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, Brian Daboll, Thomas Dimitroff, Eric Mangini and countless others.

The Browns have been big fans of copying the Patriots, despite the fact that their attempts to do so have failed over and over again. Both Crennel and Mangini have been hired and fired as head coaches of the franchise. Daboll was the offensive coordinator there before heading to Miami and eventually Kansas City.

You would think that the Browns organization would have learned to stop hiring ex-Patriots but you’d be wrong.

As the team rebuilds yet again, the new ownership decided to hire Belichick disciple and former NFL Network analyst, Mike Lombardi, to be their new GM and VP of Player Personel.

Belichick disciples tend to have a history of secrecy and a petty management style and it appears Lombardi is no different.

When Mangini was with the Browns, he was known for strict and unnecessary rules.

Take this article from ESPN from September of 2009:

During training camp, where he blared music during practices to sharpen his team’s focus and made players run laps when they made a mistake, it was learned that he had threatened to fine players for offenses like failing to park in their assigned spots and other conduct he felt was “detrimental” to the team.

There was also his drawn-out quarterback competition between Quinn and Anderson, which concluded with Mangini keeping the winner a secret until an hour before kickoff of the season opener.

Mangini didn’t make many friends in New York, where he was dubbed “Mangenius” after taking the Jets to a playoff bid in his first season.

Last week, former NFL quarterback and CBS analyst Boomer Esiason criticized Mangini’s secretive ways.

“Eric Mangini can take the fun out of a 10-year-old’s birthday party with Big Bird there,” Esiason said. “That’s how miserable this guy is becoming.”

Yahoo!Sports reported that Mangini recently fined an unidentified Browns player $1,701 for failing to pay for a $3 bottle of water he drank in his hotel room during a preseason road trip.

Mangini did not confirm or deny the bottled-water fine, but said he imposes guidelines for his team to follow “because we have a very diverse group of people, and the rules are set up to make sure we can operate effectively as possible.”

Fines over water bottles?

Sound familiar?

Scott Pioli faced some of the same criticism during his time in Kansas City. A piece by Kent Babb, then of the Kansas City Star, called “Arrowhead Anxiety” highlighted some of the peculiar and in some cases, borderline abusive behavior being reported by employees about the Chiefs’ front office. In fact, one incident mentioned was Pioli becoming angry at two employees for parking in the wrong place when they were in working in the middle of the night.

After a while, a saying was adopted by top administrators for behavior that didn’t fit the new standards: “That’s so 2-and-14,” they would say, referring to the Chiefs’ win-loss record in 2008. This pertained to matters large and small: Stephanie Melton, who worked 11 years on the team’s operations staff, recalled Pioli’s reaction after she and a coworker, after working past midnight on a weekend, had parked a courier van in the unmarked space usually occupied by Pioli’s car. The women had forgotten to move it, and Pioli was livid the next morning. Melton said she was made to feel for several days that she’d be fired.

Pioli was also known for bringing an almost comical secrecy to the organization. Babb’s article outlined several of Pioli’s policies, such as forcing business employees who had offices facing the practice field to lower their window shades during practices. Pioli was so paranoid that people that worked for him might let information slip, that he sent security guards around to make sure the shades were down.

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then it sounds like the 2013 Cleveland Browns were so flattered by the 2012 Chiefs’ late 2000s Browns impression, that they’re returning the compliment by trying to turn themselves into the 2009-2012 Chiefs.

Lombardi seems to be following Pioli’s playbook in Cleveland. Take this fantastic piece from Chuck Klosterman of Grantland. Klosterman was to be given access to the Browns in the days leading up to and during, the 2013 NFL Draft. What Klosterman ended up getting, however, was a lot of “off the record comments” from the new regime in Cleveland.

Take this passage, which if you didn’t know what team Klosterman was writing about, you could almost put money down that it was about the Pioli-led Chiefs.

In so many ways, this denial represents the grand irony of the Browns organization (and, I would assume, every other organization in the NFL). The Browns live in a state of perpetual war, endlessly convincing themselves that every scrap of information they possess is some kind of game-changing superweapon that will alter lives and transmogrify the culture. They behave like members of a corporate cult. Yet what do these cultists watch on the day of the draft? They watch ESPN. They log on to the Internet and scan ProFootballTalk. The comments they make about college prospects are roughly identical to whatever your smarter friends might glean from the Plain Dealer. I’ve never witnessed this level of institutional paranoia within a universe so devoid of actual secrets. I don’t even know what they don’t want me to know.

Check out the whole article. It is a fascinating read.

It will be interesting to see if the new Browns (or the old Chiefs, depending on how you want to look at it) benefit from their new Pioli-style football police state.

Something (history) tells me that they won’t.

May 15, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of the Kansas City Chiefs on the field after the organized team activities at the University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

I am not going to focus just on the stats but on what I have witnessed by watching each and every Chiefs game last season, as hard as it was. I watch football differently than I used to, at least I watch the Chiefs differently. I used to just watch the games, all games, game after game, just for the sheer enjoyment of it. Now I watch games much more critically. I will focus my attentions on an individual player or position each series of each Chiefs game, focusing on how a specific player is performing. I spent a lot of time last season watching nose tackle Dontari Poe.

The defensive line is an area Kansas City has struggled to develop for a long time. When Chiefs took Poe with the 11th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, you could see why the Chiefs liked him. He was big – 6’3 1/2″, 350 pounds. Scouting reports pointed out the combination of his size, quickness, and mobility. Those same reports mentioned things like his upper body strength needed improvement (what lineman, on either side of the ball, can this not be said of), and that he could be handled by a single blocker. The hope was that a great defensive minded coach like former Head Coach Romeo Crennel would be able to improve his weaknesses while at the same time taking advantage of his size and athleticism. Alas, that wasn’t the case.

KC Kingdom

Tom Wort’s NFL career suffered a blow after the Crawley-born linebacker was waived by the Tennessee Titans after failing a physical due to a hamstring injury.
The draft hopeful was picked up as an unrestricted free agent by the AFC South franchise – but the Kansas City Chiefs are now a possible destination for the 22-year-old.
6ft, 16 ½ stone Wort impressed with the Oklahoma Sooners since 2009, but suffered an injury during his second 40-yard dash during OU’s Pro Day.

Daily Mail

In 2010, Bowe was able to put up the numbers he did with Matt Cassel as his signal caller. While Cassel went on to have a career year as well in 2010, almost every fan in football would agree that newly acquired quarter back, Alex Smith, is a tremendous upgrade at the position. When head coach Andy Reid and General Manager, John Dorsey were hired, they were not quiet about the importance of getting Bowe a contract extension. It came down to the wire, literally, but the Chiefs came through and gave Bowe a healthy 5 year $56million dollar extension.

That speaks volumes to how much this new staff felt about what Bowe means to the Chiefs. Andy Reid has always been considered a “pass happy” west coast offensive mind. He’s known for quick throws and screens to his receivers, ultimately meaning that having a top level player at the position is necessary for his offense to be effective. You’re only left to think that Bowe will be seeing just as much, if not more passes thrown his way.

Having that upgrade at quarterback might just help the numbers as well. So that leads us back to the question, how much does his predictions bother you?

KC Kingdom

Former Kansas defensive end/running back Toben Opurum signed a free agent contract with the Kansas City Chiefs Friday. Opurum, who attended mini-camp over the weekend with the organization, will join the Chiefs immediately for organized team activities (OTAs) after taking part in KU graduation festivities over the weekend. He is slated to play the fullback position with the Chiefs.

Opurum began his KU career as a running back earning Rivals.com Freshman All-Big 12 honors in 2009. He was the first freshman to lead Kansas in rushing in a season since Clark Green in 2002. As a freshman he shared time with senior running back Jake Sharp, but carried 133 times for a team-best 554 yards and nine touchdowns. His career-best rushing game he piled up 109 yards against Southern Miss. During his one season on offense, Opurum caught 13 passes out of the backfield for 105 yards and one touchdown.

KU Athletics.com

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

As an Arrowhead Addict staff writer, finding new and interesting things to write about every week proves harder and harder during the offseason. Post draft and pre-training camp seems to be the most non-newsworthy time in the NFL. Luckily, I’m not above borrowing and expounding on ideas already posted by other Addict staffers.

If you checked out the site earlier this week, you saw an article by my fellow writer, Ladner Morse titled  “Chiefs 2013 Boils Down to Just One Word.” The executive summary of that article is that Mr. Morse surmises that the entire 2013 Kansas City Chiefs season will come down to one word: Protection. While I agree with Ladner that protection in all aspects of the game is extremely important, I think the actual key to success for the Chiefs this season is “execution.”

In working on this article, I thought about several angles to take on fleshing out my idea of “perfect football execution.” For this guy, it comes down opening drive touchdowns. Granted, a team has to execute throughout the entire game, all four quarters, every minute for 60 minutes (sometimes longer) and minimize mistakes to the greatest extent possible to have perfect execution. I get that. But having a opening drive, where the Chiefs receive the ball and then execute perfectly to march down the field and score a touchdown is just about the best thing ever.

Do you know when the last time the Chiefs scored an opening drive touchdown?

Actually, it was in the emotionally charged, Week 13 game against the Carolina Panthers, following the tragic murder/suicide of Kassandra Perkins, perpetrated by linebacker Jovan Belcher. If you don’t remember, in perhaps the best football performance by Brady Quinn, he led the Chiefs to their second and final win of last season after opening the game with a 74 drive that was capped off with a  two yard Peyton Hillis run for a touchdown. That hadn’t been accomplished by the Chiefs in 29 games. No, that’s not a typo. I’ll type it again so you know you read it right. 29 games. The last time the Chiefs scored an opening drive – in the regular season – was Week 16 of the 2010 season. As in, two seasons ago, as in execution has been non-existent in this organization for quite some time, as in there’s no time like the present.

The opening drive touchdown falls squarely on the shoulders of the offense, that much is certain. While I couldn’t find a stat to back up the theory that a team who scores a touchdown on their opening drive will ultimately win the game, the last two times the Chiefs have had opening drive scores for six, they won (actually, the last three times they did it they won if you count the preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals last season.)

The biggest aspect of the opening drive touchdown execution comes down to red zone efficiency. This obviously must continue throughout the game, however nothing is as deflating as driving down the field on that opening drive, only to stall inside the 20 yard line and having “Mr. Irrelevant 2010” trot onto the field and kick a field goal to send the broadcast into commercial with the tag line Chiefs – 3, Opposing Team – 0. How many times have the Chiefs done exactly this with Matt Cassel at the helm? Fear not Addicts, I think we’re in luck.

Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith has a career red zone quarterback rating (QBR) of 97.1. Since 2005, he has thrown 48 touchdowns when the play started between the opponent’s one and 19 yard line. Conversely, the man the Chiefs gave up two draft picks for has only turned the ball over three times during that same time period. Alex Smith has shown perfect execution in the red zone during his career. But, the quarterback doesn’t do it all himself.

The Chiefs’ undisputed number one receiver is the man known as Dwayne “The Show” Bowe. He has proclaimed he will lead the league in touchdowns and receptions this season, as well he should. I would be pretty upset if he told the media he was predicting a season of mediocrity for himself and his teammates. Looking at “The Show’s” stats over the years, it’s easy to see why the Madden video game franchise labels #82 as a “Red Zone Threat.” Since coming into the league in 2007, Bowe has pulled in 24 touchdowns inside the opponent’s 20 and added 30 first downs for good measure. While Bowe has been an inconsistent pass catcher at times and his execution has been called into question in the past, he has performed extremely well at the goal line.

The next piece of the Chiefs’ execution puzzle is the running game. Even though Jamaal Charles was snubbed by Pro Football Focus’ Top 101 players of 2012, I don’t see how you say #25 isn’t one of the top five running backs in the league. While Charles isn’t exactly an up the middle, bruising, goal line running backs, he’s managed to bang through eight red zone touchdowns in his short time with the Chiefs. I suspect that number will increase substantially this season with Charles catching passes out of the back field more than ever before in head coach Andy Reid’s offense.

The last piece, and perhaps the biggest question mark, is the tight end position. It seems Reid has taken an interest in more than one pass catching blocker this season with signing of unrestricted free agent Anthony Fasano and the drafting of rookie Travis Kelce in the third round of this year’s draft. Add incumbent tight end, Tony Moeaki into the mix and there is a very interesting combination of big bodied pass catchers for Alex Smith to choose from when the enemy’s backs are against their own endzone. Since coming into the league in 2006, Fasano has caught 18 balls for scores in the red zone. In fact, all five touchdowns the former Miami Dolphin caught last season were inside the 20 yard line. He could prove a viable weapon for Alex Smith to execute when the Chiefs look to end that opening drive with six instead of three.

After the first game of the preseason last year, hopes were high in the Chiefs’ Kingdom. The main reason for those high hopes was the opening drive touchdown pass from Matt Cassel to Peyton Hillis. However, until the Chiefs had another opening series touchdown several months later with a different quarterback under center, the execution that existed in that preseason game was non-existent with the Chiefs in 2012.

Hopes are starting to build again in the Sea of Red and those hopes rest mainly on this retooled, Andy Reid devised, Alex Smith led offense. If the hope is to stay high instead of fizzle out by Week 5, execution will be the name of the game at One Arrowhead Drive.

Until next time, Addicts.

Feb 22, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey speaks at a press conference during the 2013 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs announced Friday that the club has signed former Kansas FB Tobin Opurum.

From the Chiefs’ press release:

Opurum (6-1, 250) played defensive end and linebacker at the University of Kansas where he recorded 109 tackles (59 solo), 6.5 sacks (-47.0 yards), four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and seven passes defensed. Opurum played running back for the Jayhawks in 2009, rushing 133 times for 554 yards and nine touchdowns. He also served on the school’s special teams unit. The Richardson, Texas, native prepped at  Plano East High School in Plano, Texas.

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

There is much optimism this off-season at One Arrowhead Drive. The new regime of Andy Reid and John Dorsey has created a stir of intrigue in most fans, something I share with them. An offensive juggernaut with the Philadelphia Eagles, what is Reid going to be able to do with the Kansas City Chiefs? We all knew Reid as a West Coast, pass first, second, and maybe third guy while in Philly. While he has made moves that look like his new Kansas City team may be more balanced then his previous teams, the passing game will always be key with Reid. With the acquisition of quarterback Alex Smith, Reid has a proven steady game manager who can operate his system. My main concern The receiving corps.

We all know who the clear number one receiver on this team is  General Manager John Dorsey signed Dwayne Bowe to a long-term contract this off-season to make sure that wasn’t in question.  You know what you are going to get with Bowe if “The Show” is healthy. He will give Smith a good possession receiver capable of 70-90 catches, over 1,000 yards and double digits of TDs. The key is who will step up after him?

The Chiefs signed Donnie Avery and Mardy Gilyard to help stretch the field. Reid had burners DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin with the Eagles to do this. I am in no ways comparing these two to them, but see them as Alex Smith’s key deep threats. Avery had a pretty good season last year with the Indianapolis Colts, setting a career high with 60 receptions and 781 receiving yards. He needs to duplicate this for this team to take a huge step forward. Gilyard, on the other hand, hasn’t had much success at the NFL level, but was a great college athlete that maybe Reid can reach his potential as a 4^th or 5^th receiving option.

Already on the roster are two guys who will have a bigger spotlight on them then before: Jonathan Baldwin and Dexter McCluster. Baldwin has the physical tools to become a force like Bowe, but coming into his third year, hasn’t done much to get anyone really excited. McCluster has the speed and effort to rival most anyone in the NFL, but at 5-9 and 165, it’s hard to imagine his body can take the NFL lifestyle. Both of these guys are very interesting to me. Coach Reid could make McCluster into a star, but we thought the same thing would happen when Charlie Weis was the OC. McCluster has a similar stature as former Eagles star Brian Westbrook. (Westbrook did weigh 30 pounds more than McCluster though.) Baldwin could create another key possession receiver to pair with Bowe while the other option spread the field. It’s easy to write on paper what could be, hopefully these two can live up to our high expectations.

The tight end position brings intrigue to the receiving game as well. We know what Tony Moeaki can bring to the table when healthy. This is a big question mark, as Coach Reid must agree on by signing free agent Anthony Fasano and drafting Travis Kelce. Fasano was a reliable 30-40 catch guy with 350-550 receiving yardage receiver while with the Miami Dolphins. Travis Kelce was graded as one of the best tight end prospects coming out of this year’s draft. I am very fascinated to see if Reid implements the new double tight end craze into this Chiefs team.

To me, one of the biggest questions going into this season will be how this unit does. If this unit reaches full potential I believe a Division Title if not a Wild Card is within reach. Well Addicts, what do you think about this receiving corps?

Protection.

There. I’ve condensed the whole season to one word. One thought. One critical concept and if the Chiefs can not protect, their season is over before it starts.

Protection.

There’s some good news involved here: the Chiefs “should” be in the top third of the league in that department.

How does that figure? Consider the potential starters… and the depth… especially now that the Chiefs brass have recanted with, “We’re so sorry, Uncle Albert.”

Before we delve into the positive news about the Chiefs offensive line let’s take a look at other aspects of the Chiefs team units to determine if there is indeed anything to worry about more than the offensive line.

The first position that comes to mind is the middle linebacker position. Now, the Chiefs have brought in the underwhelming Akeem Jordan from Philadelphia. Next, the Chiefs drafted Alabama strong man Nico Johnson who I would label more as a project than a finished product. If there is another position on the team that needs to be worried about it’s the ILB right? I don’t think so.

A strength of the Chiefs’ defense should be its pass protection including pressuring the quarterback. Most will agree. For most teams the Chiefs meet, they should be able to play a pass-oriented offense and take the pass away on defense. Not that the Chiefs will be able to shut most teams’ passing attacks down, but teams should have less success passing against the Chiefs than they did in the past year, forcing them to go to their running game earlier because they won’t be playing from ahead like they did last year in the Chiefs’ turnover-plagued season.

(more…)

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe told reporters yesterday that he would lead the NFL in receptions and touchdowns in 2013 but he also had some praise for his new QB, Alex Smith.

“Just watching Steve Young back in the day, he’s that kind of guy,” Said Bowe on Wednesday. “He’s not too vocal about it, but when he’s in the huddle, he makes his presence known. He’s demanding guys speed up — I mean, I never had a quarterback like that.”

Wow. That is pretty high praise.

Bowe isn’t the only player heaping praise on Smith. Despite being early on in the process, the players seem to be warming to Smith as their new leader. Two of those players are WRs Dexter McCluster and Jonathan Baldwin.

“He’s a great quarterback, a guy that’s mobile, a guy that knows how to read defense and take advantage of mismatches,” McCluster said. “He’s definitely confident. As a quarterback, you need to be confident. But knowing him, he’s never shaken.”

Baldwin noted that he is already developing a rapport with his new QB.

“We communicate all the time. We text back and forth, talking about different things we see, different things we want to do,” said Baldwin. “He kind of understands where I’m going to be, and I understand what he’s thinking, and the more you have a relationship with your quarterback off the field, the better it is on the field.”

For Baldwin and McCluster, Smith could be just what the doctor ordered. While McCluster has had a bit more success, both players have failed to meet the expectations that come along with being taken in the first two rounds of the draft. Andy Reid’s offense, combined with Smith’s accuracy, could be the combination that finally helps McCluster and Baldwin get to the next level as receivers.

What do you think, Addicts? How big of an impact is Alex Smith going to have on the Chiefs’ offense?

Sometimes, in the never ending quest for excellence, you have to make unspeakable sacrifices. No matter at what personal cost, we, as humans, can sometimes do things we never thought possible, if something that important is at stake. That is why this week, I spent most of my free time on Bolt Beat, our sister site dedicated to, yes, the San Diego Chargers.

Now let me make one thing clear at the onset: Bolt Beat, as part of the FanSided.com family along with Arrowhead Addict, is a great site with smart writing and passionate fans. But being submerged in Charger-world for  a week would make any Addict want to (a) shower; (b) crawl into a deep hole; and (c) get the heck back to Arrowhead Addict.

I decided to spend a week with the blue and yellow because I consider the Chargers our most immediate competition for the playoffs. My way-to-early prediction for next year’s division winners is:

• AFC East: New England Patriots
• AFC North: Cincinnati Bengals
• AFC South: Houston Texans
• AFC West: Denver Broncos

For the two wildcard spots, I think the following teams will be in contention:

• Baltimore Ravens
• Indianapolis Colts
• San Diego Chargers
• Kansas City Chiefs

The Ravens are a lock. The Colts will be even better than their surprise 11-5 record last year, but with a much, much tougher schedule. But the Chargers and Chiefs have two games with one another. A sweep by the Chiefs could push us into that 10-6 range that we’ll need to make it into the playoffs, and importantly, could close the door on the Bolts’ postseason hopes.

Here’s what I learned over at Bolt Beat.

New leadership: J.D. Fluker. The Chargers picked right tackle Fluker with the eleventh overall pick in the first round this year. Fluker is absolutely huge – 6’5” and 340 pounds – and could well be a perennial Pro Bowler at right tackle. Fluker also took charge at the rookie mini-camp last week. New Head Coach Mike McCoy said, “When you see kids that come from Alabama, the way they’ve been coached, he really was the leader out there on offense today. It’s great to see that because we need more guys like that. Very vocal. Very positive to everybody. (He) broke the team down at the end, and I didn’t ask him to. I wanted to see who would step up, and he stepped up without hesitation.” Chargers’ fans are ecstatic over Fluker, and with good reason.

Growth potential: wide receivers. Bolts fans are equally excited about their wide receiver corps. First and foremost, Vincent Brown is back this year from a season-ending broken ankle in 2012. He was a promising third round pick in 2011. McCoy said Brown is a “great route runner” and “very disciplined” at his position. Of course, Brown joins starters Danario Alexander and Malcolm Floyd, as well as four hundred year old tight end Antonio Gates (who has that Tony Gonzalez gene. Both those guys can probably play until they’re fifty). To make matters worse for us Addicts, San Diego also picked up running back and pass catcher Danny Woodhead in free agency, whom Bolts fans believe will be the next Darren Sproles. To round out the unit, the Chargers drafted Keenan Allen in the third round this year, although he has first round talent. Allen tore up his knee last year but will be ready for training camp. Needless to say, Charger fans are excited to have this set of weapons to receive passes from quarterback Philip Rivers.

The big worry: left tackle. The San Diego Chargers may have the worst left tackle situation in the National Football League, and that’s no exaggeration. They got skunked in free agency and the draft. This year’s starter may be right tackle King Dunlap. Or it may be Kevin Haslam. Or perhaps Mike Harris. The Bolts Beat is abuzz with desperation about the left tackle hole. The Chargers pushed hard to land Ravens’ left tackle Bryant McKinnie, but McKinnie re-signed with Baltimore. Now they are looking at 31 year-old Max Starks from the Steelers and have even brought in veteran right tackle Winston Justice, formerly of the Colts, for a look.

The Chargers were a decent defensive team last year, and rookie linebacker Manti Te’o will make them even better. They took great steps to upgrade key offensive positions in right tackle and wide receiver, and they still have Philip Rivers, who remains a top ten quarterback. But Chargers’ fans are freaking out about left tackle. I mean FREAKING OUT. Check out some of these posts:

Well, BoltFam, I know this is a delicate topic [left tackle] we´re discussing here and we’re all not too amused about the current situation at this specific position.

Unless the Chargers want to make a trade, it seems like we will be going into the season with King Dunlap as the starting left tackle and Kevin Haslam as the top backup on the left side. SCARY!

Just reading the report off of him [Dunlap], it sounds like he had a couple of AWFUL games. His pass protection is the best part of his game, but the consistency seems to be an issue. At least he won’t get Philip killed? Maybe?

This week, the Chargers hosted free agent (and recent super bowl winner) Left Tackle Bryant McKinnie, only to watch him leave and re-sign with the Baltimore Ravens. Chargers fans have been very concerned about the vacant hole at left tackle. Depth is needed, but San Diego does not have a lot of salary to spend on a coveted or premier left tackle.

It’s gotten so bad, Bolts’ fans are resorting to this:

The San Diego Chargers currently have no permanent solution at the left tackle position. We have King Dunlap, Mike Harris and another undrafted free agent, Nick Becton who will hold down our left tackle position until otherwise noted. Or we can call up two-time Sumo World Champion, Ulambayaryn Byambajav! Byambajav, stands at 6’-1” and 350 pounds of pure meanness! He’s also entered over a hundred sumo competitions and has won nothing less than gold. See, now this guy knows what it means to be a champion!

Hmmm…let’s see, Addicts. Who would be playing over the Chargers’ left tackle. Could that be…Tamba Hali?!!! If it’s Hali vs. Dunlap, I’m taking Hali ten times out of ten. This mismatch means that it just doesn’t matter what the Chargers did at right tackle, with their receiving corps and with their defense. Hali will be in Rivers’ face all day long, forcing sacks, hurries and interceptions. When they bring help over, that means Justin Houston and Dontari Poe get one-on-one coverage, forcing pressure from the Chargers’ right side as well as right up the middle. Gotta love it, Addicts!

Addicts, in a nutshell, I learned during my week in Bolt Beat that the Chargers strengthened key positions and their passing game has the potential to be downright scary, but they have a huge Achilles Heel at left tackle with little prospect of improvement. This week was ugly, it was difficult, sometimes it was downright gross, and yes, it was painful, but hopefully, we now all know a little bit more about one of our enemies. Addicts, what do you think are our chances of sweeping the Chargers this year??!!!

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

As the Kansas City Chiefs enter their second day of OTA practices, WR Dwayne Bowe is already feeling confident. In fact, he’s making some pretty bold predictions.

“Jamaal Charles is going to lead the league in rushing this year,” said Bowe in comments obtained via the Kansas City Star, “and I’m going to lead the league in receptions and touchdowns.”

When former Chiefs GM, Soctt Pioli and former head coach, Todd Haley, arrived in Kansas City in 2009, their first order of business was to get Dwayne Bowe to shut up and behave himself. Haley treated Bowe as if he was an infant, demoting the the WR to the bottom of the depth chart for a portion of the preseason. The thinking, I suppose, was that by putting Bowe in his “place” that the receiver would focus and improve. When Bowe had a career year two seasons later, folks liked to credit Haley’s demotion for the receiver’s success.

Looking back, I don’t think Haley had anything to do with Bowe’s improvement. I don’t think that forcing the receiver to hide from the media and requiring that he refer to himself as “Dwayne” instead of “D-Bowe,” made a lick of difference in his play.

Bowe has always been a talented receiver that sometimes lacks focus and drops the ball. He’s explosive but inconsistent.

Bowe’s successful 2010 season had more to do with then offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis than it did Haley. Weis got the most out of the Chiefs’ offense and because a lot of passes were called in the red zone, Bowe got a lot of touchdowns. But even in 2010, Bowe had a stretch of games where he didn’t perform well. The receiver also vanished in the team’s playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Daywne Bowe will likely become a more consistent player as soon as he gets more consistent play from his QB. “The Show” hasn’t had consistent QB play, not ever, in his entire career. Perhaps his newfound confidence is the result of two days catching the ball from former No. 1 overaal pick, Alex Smith.

I don’t think Andy Reid and John Dorsey care about Dwayne Bowe’s mouth. I think what they care about, is his production on the field.

I don’t care about Dwayne Bowe’s mouth either. In fact, I think it might benefit Bowe to bring back the “D-Bowe Show.” A little swagger can be a good thing for a receiver. Frankly, I want Bowe going out on the field looking to prove he’s the best receiver in the league.

Todd Haley spent the 2010 season telling his players and anyone else that would listen, that his team wasn’t any good, even as they marched steadily toward an AFC West title.

A couple of years later, another young coach by the name of Jim Harbaugh brought his family’s motto to his football team. Growing up, Harbaugh’s father used to ask the family, “who’s got it better than us,” to which his family would respond “nobody.”

From the day Harbaugh arrived in San Francisco, few teams have had it better than the 49ers. The coach arrived with a message that essentially says “you are who you are and you have what it takes.”

Perhaps the young and talented Chiefs, are ready to embrace a similar message under Andy Reid. Despite coming off a 2-14 season, Reid has not said a single negative thing about his new team or even the regime that he and his coaches are replacing. Reid has said that the team is talented and will keep working to get better.

For an offense that couldn’t move the ball at all in 2012, a little confidence might be a good thing. Sure, predictions can sometimes backfire but Bowe wants the best for himself and his teammates.

And I’m not sure there’s anything wrong with that.

Give em’ hell, Dwayne.

Check that.

Give em’ hell, “D-Bowe.”

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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.

LM: Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the Chiefs selecting Nico Johnson with the  99^th pick in the draft is… all the good players they passed up to take him instead.

The first one that comes to mind is Safety Shamarko Thomas taken 12 picks later by the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Pittsburgh they are hailing Thomas as the next Troy P. He was a three year starter and actually started more games in his junior and a senior seasons (23) than Nico Johnson started in his four years at Alabama (20). Thomas had two interceptions as a senior with 3 forced fumbles and 85 tackles (that’s 6.5 tackles per game if you’re keeping score). His 4.38 40 and ball hawking skills should make any fan think twice.

Other prospects the Chiefs passed on to take Nico Johnson include: Khaseem Greene, Jordan Poyer, DT Jesse Williams (Alabama), Barrett Jones (Alabama), C Brain Schwenke, or Oday Oboushi.

Quinton Patton is a 4.4 40 wideout who was taken 29 picks later by the San Francisco 49ers and was rated the 58^th best prospect in this draft by NFLDraftScout and CBS Sports. When fans ask me where I get off making “my” evaluations more important than the Chiefs leadership I say I don’t have to… I can use highly successful teams as good examples. I think the 49ers and the Steelers qualify.

(more…)

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs are still searching the free agency bargain bin in an attempt to improve their roster.

According to the Baltimore Sun, the Chiefs hosted free agent defensive lineman Ryan McBean on Monday.

You may remember McBean as a former Denver Bronco.

From the Sun:

McBean spent last season on the Ravens’ injured reserve list after breaking his left ankle in a preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons and undergoing surgery to repair the damage.

The Ravens didn’t sign McBean to a new contract as an unrestricted free agent after his one-year, $1.214 million contract expired. During free agency, the Ravens signed a pair of veteran defensive linemen in Chris Canty and Marcus Spears.

McBean, 29, is a former Pittsburgh Steelers fourth-round draft pick who has recorded 77 career tackles and four sacks.

McBea’s last season in Denver did not go well. He started for the Donkey’s, playing over 700 snaps. Pro Football Focus graded him a -21.9 on the season. He wasn’t much better in 2010, scoring a -17.9 grade in 447 snaps.

McBean seems to have some pass rushing ability but he doesn’t appear to be a player the Chiefs will want starting for them. Still, the Chiefs need depth on their defensive line and if healthy and utilized properly, McBean could be a sub-package contributor.

What do you think, Addicts? Do you want the Chiefs to sign McBean?

Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs are still busy shaping their roster.

The team has added former New York Giants DB Buddy Jackson and former Philadelphia Eagles OT Matt Reynolds. Both players were acquired off of the waiver wire. Since the Chiefs had the worst record in the NFL in 2012, the team gets first crack at any released players that must clear waivers.

Jackson was an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts and then landed on the Washington Redskins practice squad. He appears to be a raw prospect with heaps of athletic ability. Unfortunately, being strong and fast doesn’t always mean a guy will be a good football player. Check out this tape of his Pro Day.

Reynolds will turn 27 at the end of the month. He played college ball at Bringham Young and went undrafted in 2012.

Neither of these moves seem to be particularly significant. It seems that Andy Reid and John Dorsey are trying to bring in as many of their own guys as possible to fill out the bottom of the roster and to create competition. The Chiefs will likely continue to churn the bottom of the roster guys until they hit training camp.

The Chiefs also cut CB DeQuan Menzie earlier today. It will be interesting to see if any more Scott Pioli draft picks get cut before camp. Reid and Dorsey have kept most of the core Chiefs in place but bubble players from the previous room could be in danger as the new-look Chiefs move forward.

(h/t Arrowhead Pride)

When the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Alabama linebacker Nico Johnson in the 2013 NFL Draft, most fans weighing in on Arrowhead Addict viewed the signing as a positive. After all, the Chiefs were in desperate need of depth at the ILB position. Johnson seemed to be the ideal candidate to replace Jovan Belcher. Johnson is a thumper that can fly into the gaps, eating up blockers and opening things up for Derrick Johnson to make plays. 

Not everyone was on board the Nico Johnson bandwagon, however. Arrowhead Addict senior staff writer Ladner Morse absolutely despised the pick, while fellow staffer, Stacy Smith, applauded the move. 

The two have been sparring in the comments for a couple of weeks now and so we thought we’d let them have it out in a two-part debate right on the main page of Arrowhead Addict. And so, without further ado, we present “The Nico Johnson Debate.” -PA

~  ~  ~

SDS: The passing of Jovan Belcher in early-December left the Kansas City Chiefs with a gaping hole in the middle of their defense. The job opening was filled when the Chiefs selected Alabama linebacker Nico Johnson with their fourth-round draft pick. The former high school Butkus Award finalist and Scout.com five-star recruit went on to earn All-SEC Freshman team honors in 2009. Johnson played a key leadership role in a successful Crimson Tide career that netted him three national championships. Having a young football player with that kind of exposure to success will aid the team in cultivating a winning culture in Kansas City.

LM: Yes, Nico Johnson played on national champions for three of the past four years but, was not one of their best players. In the past three years 12 Alabama players have been drafted before the 99th pick in the draft, which is where the Chiefs selected Johnson this year. While many are hoping Nico Johnson would be a full time starter next to Derrick Johnson, his lack of experience and success against the pass make him a liability when the Chiefs face teams who use the pass on all downs. This means Nico Johnson should be viewed as a developmental player. In the 2013 draft, since both New Orleans and Cleveland lost their second round choices, the 99th pick essentially becomes a late THIRD round pick and the Chiefs should not have been targeting a “developmental player” with pick #99 but instead drafting a player who can start immediately and or contribute right away.

SDS: When thinking about those Alabama championship teams, there are a few things to keep in mind. Through the four years of Johnson’s collegiate career, he played with the following: Mark Barron, Dont’a Hightower, Courtney Upshaw, C.J. Mosley, Dee Milliner, Dre Kirkpatrick, Marcell Dareus, Josh Chapman, Kareem Jackson, Terrency Cody, and Javier Arenas. The University of Alabama is an NFL factory and the defenses Johnson played on were absolutely loaded. Despite the unusual depth of those Crimson Tide defenses, he made an impact even while having split time with C.J. Mosley and Rolando McClain.

Johnson is often criticized for what he lacks in pass coverage, but he was rarely asked to drop back in Nick Saban’s scheme. His coverage issues tend to be overstated. There simply isn’t enough game tape available to call him a “liability” in that phase of the game. Johnson is an athletic linebacker with servicable speed for the position and light footwork. Given the opportunity, Johnson could well prove that he’s a three-down player. Here’s a short clip that makes a compelling argument that he won’t have two left feet in coverage (taken from Alabama’s Pro Day):

LM: Admittedly, Nico Johnson is a very good athlete but, he can’t be considered Derrick Johnson good. That’s why DJ stays on the field for every defensive down. At Alabama, in passing situations, Nico would come off and C.J. Mosley would go on. If the Tide is pulling NJ in favor of a better pass protector it means he hasn’t gotten experience in that area. Nico Johnson played in 51 games for the Rolling Tide but, only started 20 games including 5 games as a Senior. That’s only 39%. That’s one reason Chiefs fans should only expect him to be a developmental player. The nature of the pro style game has evolved to where a pass can be expected on every down. Also, Nico Johnson’s challenges don’t stop with pass protection. NJ plays with his pads too high. So, what does that really mean? It’s means he doesn’t keep his shoulders low and he allows blockers to get into his body and cut block him with ease. When I wrote a review of Nico in January I said at that time that he could be a developmental prospect and I still believe it’s this tendency to play to high that he’ll have to overcome before he can be seen as an everyday every down starter.

SDS: I’m not sure that it’s fair to compare Nico Johnson with his surname-sharing counterpart just 17 days into his NFL career. While Derrick Johnson is currently heralded as one of the best inside linebackers in the league, he was widely considered a bust before head coach Todd Haley arrived in 2009. Without Haley’s chiding and a scheme change, DJ may never have gotten a contract extension in 2010. It typically takes time for a young linebacker to play at that level in the pros. Nico deserves the same opportunity to grow as a football player.

It’s been said that Johnson struggles in pass coverage, but what exactly is the argument? I’ll concede that he’s not particularly fast, but he makes up for that by knowing his assignment and being in the right places more often than not. He will also follow the quarterback’s eyes to anticipate where the football is going to be thrown. Having a jump in defending the pass typically helps him keep pace with runningbacks and tight ends for short periods of time.

Exhibit A:

Watch Johnson (#35) in man coverage against Vanderbilt’s runningback Jerron Seymour (who runs a sub-4.4 in the 40-yard dash). He was able to anticipate the play and stay right on Seymour’s hip. Had quarterback Jordan Rogers completed the pass, Johnson would’ve been right there to make the stop. Instead, he had such good coverage he was able to pick the ball off.

My opponent cited a previous AA article where he expressed concerns about Nico Johnson’s game. In case you missed it, here’s Mr. Morse’s mid-January evaluation of “NJ”:

Nico Johnson is a not-ready-for-prime-time-player in the NFL but, would make a terrific understudy there and if he’s available in the 4th or 5th round then the Chiefs should bag that Bama brute. Johnson goes 6-1, 245 and for some reason keeps his pads too upright and allows blockers to get their pads lower than his, into his chest and chop block his legs any time they choose. He’s not much of a “bender.” However, Andy Reid is a good teacher and Nico Johnson has all the physical tools so, in the meantime, he’d make a great special teams player.

The fourth round is precisely where Nico Johnson was taken. It would seem that the Chiefs filled an immediate need and got great value from the pick according to my opponent’s pre-draft assessment. The latter point about Johnson’s pad level is well taken. He does tend to “play high” at times. As a general rule, the player with the lower pad level tends to win a direct exchange (leverage is everything). Fortunately for Nico Johnson, this can be corrected with the right coaching and Gary Gibbs (linebackers) is one of the best position coaches on Andy Reid’s staff.

LM: The video of Nico Johnson having a QB throw the ball right to him is impressive. Your right Stacy, it’s absolutely not fair to compare DJ and NJ. But that’s the point, NJ will never be a DJ. One is a first round pick and one is a 4th round pick. However, on draft day I heard many fans saying they think Nico Johnson is the perfect player to step in next to DJ but, that won’t likely be close to being the case.

Let me make something perfectly clear: I hope John Dorsey and Andy Reid were right about Nico Johnson and that he can come in pick up coverage assignments and learn to be instinctive, read NFL offenses and pick blockers off for Derrick Johnson. I also think Nico is a good guy so I hope he makes it for his sake as well.

In an article called “Belcher is KC’s Thumper” written in December of 2011 by Josh Looney, Derrick Johnson tells the real tale of what a good ILB must be and do. He said of Belcher,

Probably half of my tackles come from Jovan blowing somebody up and I’m scraping over the top,” Johnson said. “He’s not a selfish guy. He knows what he has to do in this defense to allow certain people to scrape over the top for tackles. Sometimes in the 3-4 defense you have to be a sacrifice guy.

To play this role, Nico Johnson must read the play correctly, take out the lead blockers and sacrifice his body to make way for DJ to take a clear path to the ball carrier. Nico has the body to make this happen but, after watching hours of film on him I see a player who over runs plays, shows up late for plays that other team mates have already made and then hoots and hollers at the end.

Chiefs fans should be aware Nico Johnson only made 3.1 tackles per game in his Alabama career. However, the important aspect of the ILB’s game that should be focused on is tacking blockers so DJ and others can make the plays.

In January, when I first evaluated Nico Johnson, I said he would be a good pick in the 4th or 5th rounds. Now it’s clear he should have been a 5th rounder and remember, the 1st pick of the 4th round this year was the equivalent of a late 3rd round pick in any other year. Jamaal Charles was a 3rd round pick but, I can’t see a time when Nico Johnson will ever have the impact of a JC.

Tomorrow I’ll tell you why Johnson should have been a 5th rounder.

The Nico Johnson Debate Part 2 will conclude tomorrow morning.

Look for more fireworks then!

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid keeps defying expectations.

After a fourteen years as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Reid’s tenure ended in failure. His last years with the Eagles were marred by losing seasons and despite a long history of success, Reid was never able to guide Philadelphia to a championship. The organization decided it was time for a change.

As the end of the 2012 season approached and Reid’s eventual fate was becoming more and more apparent, there were some in the media that suggested that Reid should probably take a year or two off from football. Fourteen years is a long time for an NFL coach to hold the same job and Reid had recently lost his son Garrett, who died at Eagles training camp last August from an accidental heroin overdose.

But Andy Reid had no intention in taking time off. Just days after being fired by the Eagles, Reid was being introduced as the next head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Given Reid’s history and status as one of the most respected head coaches in the NFL, the media got right back to jumping to conclusions. It was written over and over that Reid would have full control in Kansas City and would have the final say in all personel decisions, even over the GM.

Yet everything we’ve seen from the Chiefs this offseason seems to indicated that GM John Dorsey and Reid really do have their own areas of power. After being hired, Reid was quoted on multiple occasions to the press,as saying that Dorsey had the final call on personel decisions.

Thus far, that appears to be the case.

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt seemed to have had his fill of power plays with former GM Scott Pioli. Pioli had total control over everything from the personel decisions right down to who picked up candy wrappers in the stairwell. Pioli’s power trip caused strife in the front office and on the field with former head coach Todd Haley.

Hunt may have allowed Reid a say in who the eventual GM of the Chiefs would be. Reid was the big fish and I am sure Hunt wanted the coach to have a GM that he was comfortable with. But just because Reid was afforded a say in putting together the team, doesn’t mean that he was granted all-encompassing power.

Reid seems to trust Dorsey and so far at least, there have been no reports of any disagreements between the two. Reid’s willingness to defy expectations and work with a GM instead of having the GM work for him, should only benefit the Chiefs as they build their team. Running a successful NFL franchise is a large and difficult task and not many men can do it on their own. Instead of being the football czar in KC, as he was originally projected to be by the media, it appears Reid is content with doing what he does best, which is coaching a football team.

Finally, Reid and Dorsey have decided to hire former Nevada head coach and creator of the Pistol offense, Chris Ault, as a consultant. While it isn’t clear exactly what Ault’s duties will be, there are reports that he will be helping install some form of the Pistol on offense, while also helping to coach the defense on stopping it.

This is yet another move that shows Reid’s ability to adapt to the ever-changing and evolving NFL. College offensive schemes are becoming more and more prevalent in the pros and if the Chiefs want to keep up with their competition, then they need to change with the times.

Kansas City has also hired former Minnesota Vikings head coach, Brad Childress, as the team’s “Spread Game Analyst.” While it is unclear exactly what Childress’ duties will be, it is apparent that the Chiefs are wisely bringing in talented and experienced consultants to help them survive and thrive in today’s NFL.

Instead of getting the hotshot, veteran head coach that was going to come in and call all the shots and put everyone in their place, the Chiefs appear to have gotten a thoughtful, forward thinking leader that has learned from both his success and his failures.

We’re way too early in the process to know if this new Chiefs regime will be successful. But the early returns seem positive.

If Reid and company can put it all together, there could be something very special happing in Kansas City.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs made some roster moves yesterday, cutting three players and signing six.

Here are the details:

DL Risean Broussard, S Greg Castillo, DE Miguel Chavis, S Justin Glenn, RB Jordan Roberts and DB James Rogers.

Broussard (6-2, 278) played in eight games in one season at Hinds Community College, recording 61 tackles (43 solo), six tackles for a loss, 6.0 sacks (-42.0 yards), an interception (-15.0 yards) and two forced fumbles. He attended LaGrange High School in Lake Charles, La.

Castillo (5-11, 187) played in 41 games (seven starts) at Iowa, recording 55 tackles (32 solo), two interceptions and four passes defensed. The Mount Laurel, N.J., native earned first-team all-Catholic and all-city honors at St. Joseph’s Prep (Pa.).

Chavis (6-5, 285) played in 47 games at Clemson and had 71 tackles (37 solo), 1.5 sacks (-9.0 yards) and a pass breakup. The Fayetteville, N.C., native prepped at Terry Stanford High School before playing football at Hargrave Military Academy.

Glenn (5-11, 214) appeared in 40 games (16 starts) in four years at the University of Washington, recording 152 tackles (93 solo), three tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions and four passes defensed. Earned honorable mention All-Pac-12 as a senior and was named the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player at the team’s postseason awards banquet. The Mukilteo, Wash., native prepped at Kamiak High School where he was a defensive back and running back.

Roberts (5-10, 222) played in 11 games for the University of Charleston as a senior in 2012, rushing 238 times for 1,572 yards (6.61 avg.) with 18 touchdowns, earning WVIAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. The Yawkey, W. Va., native prepped at Scott High School in Madison, W. Va., earning the Kennedy Award as the best high school player in the state of West Virginia.

Rogers (6-1, 188) played in 46 games (15 starts) at the University of Michigan as a defensive back and wide receiver, starting 13 games at cornerback and two games at wide receiver. He caught three passes for 64 yards (21.3 avg.) during his career and added three interceptions and four passes defensed, as well as 15 special teams tackles. The Madison Heights, Mich., native prepped at Lamphere High School where he was a three-year varsity letterman.

RELEASED 

D’Imperio (6-3, 240) originally joined the Chiefs this offseason as a free agent on March 21. He played in 12 games (one start) in two NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2010-11). After spending the 2010 season on the club’s practice squad, D’Imperio was promoted to the active roster in October of 2011, recording two catches for seven yards. He originally entered the NFL as a seventh-round draft choice (237^thoverall) of the Vikings in the 2010 NFL Draft. D’Imperio played linebacker at Rutgers. He prepped at Washington Township High School in Sewell, N.J.

Eachus (5-10, 212) originally joined the Chiefs as a rookie free agent in 2012. He played in 11 games (two starts) with the club last year, recording five rushes for 18 yards and one catch for 19 yards. Prior to joining the Chiefs, he played collegiately at Colgate. He prepped at Hazleton Area High School in Hazleton, Pa. 

Gumbs (5-10, 210) originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with the New Orleans Saints on April 30, 2012. Gumbs was released by the Saints on Sept. 7. He originally signed on with Kansas City’s practice squad on Dec. 5, 2012. Gumbs was a starter at Monmouth. He prepped at Hebron Academy in Hebron, Maine.

Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

According to Dan Hinxman of the Reno-Gazette Journal, the Kansas City Chiefs have hired former Nevada head coach and creator of the Pistol offense Chris Ault. 

From Hinxman’s blog on the RGJ.com website:

Former Nevada football coach Chris Ault will be a consultant for the Kansas City Chiefs, Ault’s agent, Bob LaMonte, confirmed today.

Ault, whose Pistol offense has become a mainstay in college football and is making inroads in the NFL, will join the staff of newly hired coach Andy Reid, formerly the Philadelphia Eagles coach. Reid is also one of LaMonte’s clients.

Kansas City made a similar hire in late-March when Brad Childress was brought on as their ’spread game analyst.’ It’s unclear whether or not the two consultants have been enlisted to forge a hybrid offense with Reid’s WCO as the centerpiece, or if they’ve been commissioned to help Bob Sutton and his defensive staff stop offenses who utilize those formations.

Ault coached Alex Smith’s former teammate and current 49ers starter Colin Kaepernick at Nevada. Smith doesn’t share Kaepernick’s athleticism, so it seems unlikely that Ault was brought in to help make a runner out of the Chiefs’ new quarterback. More details about Ault’s specific role with the team should come available as the Chiefs’ offseason program wears on.

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs have announced the signing of third-round draft pick RB Knile Davis. With the deal in place, Davis becomes the third member of the Chiefs’ 2013 NFL Draft class to agree to terms. The Chiefs inked sixth-round draft pick C Eric Kush and seventh-round draft pick DE Mike Catapano last week.

Here’s what Davis had to say about the signing on KCChiefs.com:

It’s something that I always dreamed of, just getting to this point in my life,” Davis said. “It feels good but I know (when) much is given to you, much is required, so, I’m staying humble and am going to take it one day at a time. It’s good to have the contract and have the privileges but there’s a lot required with it.

The Chiefs still have five other draftees to sign: Eric Fisher, Travis Kelce, Nico Johnson, Sanders Commings and Braden Wilson. Kansas City’s rookie minicamp, held over the weekend, provided an opportunity for the team to negotiate with Davis. It’s possible that other rookie signings will be announced in the coming days.

In the hours before the 2013 NFL Draft word began to circulate that the Kansas City Chiefs would select Central Michigan’s left tackle Eric Fisher with the first pick in the draft. Once Fisher was selected it was believed to be just a matter of time before KC traded their current left tackle Branden Albert to the Miami Dolphins. After all, a team doesn’t need two left tackles. Albert was already on record as saying he didn’t want to switch positions and a team would be foolish to spend the first overall pick on a position of minimal importance like right tackle.

At least that’s what traditional NFL wisdom has said.

The reasoning for this is pretty simple. The long held belief is that you need an athletic pass protector at left tackle to protect the quarterback’s blind side but the right tackle doesn’t need to be as good of a pass protector and it is often more advantageous for him to be more of a run blocker. Therefore, sticking a great pass protecting left tackle over on the right side would be a waste of his abilities. It would be like putting a great running back at fullback where he spends most of his time lead blocking while his true talent goes wasted. A team would be much better served drafting a different position at first overall and picking up a less talented tackle later in the draft that would adequately fill the less important position of right tackle.

If that last paragraph is true for today’s NFL then the Kansas City Chiefs made a huge mistake in taking Eric Fisher first overall. Either that or they should have traded away Branden Albert at any cost. However, I think even the most “old school” of NFL fans have to admit that this traditional view of the right tackle position is probably at the very least in need of some updating.

This past week I read two fantastic pieces on this subject. The first is Examining Pressure: Are Left Tackles Overvalued? by Steve Palazzolo at Pro Football Focus. If you have ANY interest in this subject whatsoever you MUST stop reading this post right now and go read it. It is well worth the time.

The second was Evolution And The NFL from the blog NFL Philosophy. This blog is by a twitter user that goes by the handle @NFLosophy. He is a former NFL front office employee who posts on all things NFL. He’s a very insightful follow and I highly recommend looking him up on Twitter and definitely recommend reading the linked piece from his blog.

If anyone is concerned with the thought of the Chiefs playing Eric Fisher at right tackle this season or beyond go read those two pieces. I don’t know how you could read them and continue to have the same outdated beliefs about the right tackle position.

Here are a few highlights.

Both articles touch on the history of why we view the tackle positions the way we do. They both mention the game changing impact of Lawrence Taylor. His ability to impact the game by getting to the QB made every team want to find a player to do the same for them. These outside pass rushers lined up on the right side of the defense against the left tackle because they wanted the advantage of the QB not being able to see them coming, hence the “blind side”.

This became common NFL practice and to counteract it teams started looking for athletic pass blockers to play at LT to stop or at least contain these outside edge rushers. Thus was born the stereotyped roles of the tackle positions that some are still clinging to today. It doesn’t take a hard core football expert to watch football and see that QB pressure is no longer just coming from the QB’s blind side. Defensive coordinators are now sending blitzes from everywhere. Plus, as teams use less of the fullback position and split their TEs out like WRs more and more the right tackle no longer has the blocking “safe guards” that were often there 10 years ago. The right tackle is often “on an island” against a quality pass rusher just like the left tackle. The Pro Football Focus article does a great job of proving just how out of date those old tackle roles are in today’s NFL with statistical evidence.

According to their research, over the past five seasons 45.6% of their top rated pass rushers have predominantly rushed from the left side (meaning they line up against the right tackle). The number of quality pass rushers is creeping closer and closer to 50/50 on which side of the ball they line up on. In fact, last season 16 of the top 25 rated pass rushers were guys who lined up against the RT. Palazzolo notes:

2012 saw a big jump in production from left side pass rushers and not coincidentally, we saw 16 of the Top 21 pass protectors residing at left tackle. This brings us to our original question: are the best pass rushers really moving to the left side or are the right tackles simply getting exposed? The answer, of course, is “yes.”

Chiefs fans know all to well about RTs getting exposed having watched guys like Chris Terry and Barry Richardson get manhandled in the not too distant past.

However, the undervaluing of the right tackle position does not just stop there. Palazzolo goes on to illustrate that pressure coming from the QBs right is actually more disruptive. Over the past five seasons the PFF QB grades for QBs facing pressure from around the left tackle is -80.2 while the grade for QBs facing pressure from the right tackle is -130.6. This does actually make sense. If a QB sees the pressure coming he is more likely to force a throw to avoid the hit which will lead to more mistakes and a worse grade. What is surprising is that despite coming from the “blind side” pressure from the LT hasn’t lead to many more sacks. In the five year study 17.2% of the pressures coming from against the LT lead to sacks while 16.4% of those from against the RT did. So only 0.8% more pressures from the QBs blind side lead to sacks.

So since the difference in sacks allowed by pressures from the two sides is less drastic than the negative effect on the QBs passing shown from the grades listed above an argument can be made that in today’s NFL the right tackle position is having a greater negative effect on QB play than the left tackle position. This is how Palazzolo concludes his piece:

The right tackle should no longer be viewed as the athletic inferior to the left tackle and teams should change their team-building strategy to make this happen. Today’s passing NFL makes it a necessity to have two competent pass protectors on the edge and when scouting players, if a tackle is deemed to not be good enough to play left tackle, well you’re better off just putting him at guard rather than exploiting him at right tackle. There’s no hiding — defensive coordinators will find him.

The piece by NFLosophy has come to the same conclusion and specifically addresses how some teams are now evolving:

In the past, right tackles were considered more run blockers than pass blockers and were drafted as such. Defenses saw the weakness and are taking advantage of how slowly offenses are evolving to this tactic. Evolution is always playing catch up. However, this week we saw a couple of examples of teams realizing that the left tackle position has now become over emphasized. The best example is that the Jaguars decided that drafting Joeckel and playing him at right tackle was just as beneficial as playing him at left tackle. They realized that the gap between the importance of the left tackle and right tackle position isn’t as great as the general opinion would have us believe. They’re evolving faster than everyone else.

Now before any Chiefs fans get bent out of shape that the author gives kudos to the Jags for playing the #2 overall pick at RT instead of the Chiefs for using the #1 overall pick to do the same, keep in mind that KC was actively shopping Albert up until about a week ago. That implies that their drafting of Fisher wasn’t done with the sole purpose of playing him at RT like the Jags did with Joeckel. However, the fact that John Dorsey wasn’t willing to take less than top dollar in return for Albert shows that he does see enough benefit in having a great player at RT to stick to his guns. Someone with the outdated view of the RT position would have traded Albert away for pennies on the dollar so that he didn’t “waste” his top draft pick by playing him at the RT spot.

I don’t know if the Chiefs will sign Albert to a long term contract or not. I don’t know if Eric Fisher is still the long term answer at LT for this team or not. I do feel good about the situation now because I believe that if they don’t sign Albert to a long term deal it will be because they don’t think he’s worth the money he’s demanding not because they don’t value the RT position enough to play Fisher there. I just hope that if the Chiefs do sign Albert to a long term deal most KC fans will be smart enough not to flood blogs and message boards with comments like “Great, that means we wasted the #1 pick on a RT!”

That kind of thinking is obsolete in today’s NFL.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs may not have had a very good record in 2012 but that doesn’t mean the roster was devoid of talent.

NFL Network is running down its top 100 players of 2013. This is a yearly event where NFL players vote on which players they think are in the top 100 in the league, based on the pervious year’s performances.

Kansas City Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers checked in at #75.

“I’m glad to have him on my team,” said Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles when interviewed for the program. “I know when its time to play, he’s going to come to play. He come up and hit now, he not a scared cornerback.”

Oakland Raiders WR Denarius Moore also heaped some praise on Flowers.

“Last year, he intercepted the ball and took it all the way back on us,” said Moore. “It’s just little plays like that you think you have him beat but he’s still right there beside you and he’ll hurt you in the long run.”

Chiefs safety Eric Berry told NFL Network that the night before the Chiefs played the Broncos last season, Flowers saw something on tap he thought he could exploit.

“Yeah, it was just like a deep skinny post,” said Berry. “They ran the play and he picked it off. A lot of stuff he called, he calls his shots, just like in pool, you know? I think that’s pretty cool too.”

Flowers likely won’t be the last Chiefs player listed in the top 100. Recent commercials seem to indicated that WR Dwayne Bowe will be in the next grouping and chances are that RB Jamaal Charles could make the list as well.

How many Chiefs players do you think belong in the top 100?

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

With the start of the rookie min-camp, the heavy lifting for the General Manager is mostly over.  So, I thought it would be interesting to look back and compare how Scott Pioli and John Dorsey handled similar situations. To be fair, Pioli inherited a much worse roster than Dorsey. However, how did each one handle their first offseason?

When Scott Pioli reviewed his roster he saw a very young team who was built for a 4-3 defense.  Well, Pioli is a 3-4 guy and he proceeded to tear the roster down to bring in 3-4 guys. I recall at the time DD and I were screaming that Pioli was being inflexible and hurting the team. I doubt we were alone in that thought. However, the inflexibility went much deeper than the defensive scheme. Stories eventually emerged about how the scouting department was handled. A new GM is faced with a very difficult first draft. He is given a scouting department in the middle of draft preparation and no time really to change much staff. What did Pioli do? He froze out the existing staff and worked off of what he took from New England. His draft was very poor, however that must be tempered by the fact that the 2009 draft was a very poor draft crop.

As we look at coaching staff and free agent signings, the picture became even clearer. Pioli was the son-in-law of Bill

December 02, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli walks on the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won 27-21. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Parcells and worked with Bill Belichick. Todd Haley, the new Head Coach had worked under Parcells with the Jets. The Coordinators Pioli really wanted (Charley Weis and Romeo Crennel) had worked with Belichick in New England. Free Agents signed seemed to almost only come from teams that one of the core staff plus Belichick or Parcells had been involved. For the Chiefs, the NFL seemed to consist of the Jets, Dolphins, Patriots, Browns and Cardinals. The other twenty six teams? Who? They didn’t really seem to be on the radar. They were not a part of the family.

Critics gnashed their teeth. Frankly, we would still be gnashing our teeth if Pioli had won with the Chiefs. Winning trumps many things. However, Pioli’s narrow, inflexible approach makes it harder to win, not easier.

By contrast, how did John Dorsey handle inheriting the roster? It was in much better shape then when Scott Pioli took over. So, Pioli does deserve some credit. The team was built for a 3-4. New coach Andy Reid had run 4-3 defenses in the past. Dorsey had drafted for a 3-4. What did the new regime do? They decided that the team was built for a 3-4, they would continue going in that direction. Wow! An understanding that they are many ways to win in the NFL and you win best by finding a way to maximize your talent?

How did John Dorsey handle the holdover scouting department? In his words, he took what they were doing, what he wanted to do and met in the middle. Met in the middle? You mean collaborate and compromise? Can you imagine Scott Pioli saying he compromised? I can’t imagine it. Dorsey has started to move some of his people in, as he should. Who has he hired? Marvin Allen. Who has Allen worked for? The Patriots and the last four years with the Falcons. Connection to Dorsey or Reid? None that I can find. Wow, a hire based on talent, not connections?

Coaching staffs tend to be filled out with people you have worked with before. Reid has certainly brought in several coaches he was familiar with. However he also brought in Bob Sutton as the Defensive Coordinator. For an offensive guy like Reid, the opposite side coordinator is your most critical hire. What is the connection to Dorsey/Reid? None that I can find. Sutton worked for the Jets. If you look at the coaching staff, you see Reid, you don’t see the fingerprints of Dorsey. In contrast, Pioli’s fingerprints were all over the team. From the Head Coach down.

The Free Agents the Chiefs have brought in have been from various teams in the NFL, not just ones that your staff had worked with before. It is natural to bring in players you are familiar with. However, it should not be the sum total of who you bring in.

It is way too early to look at the draft class for results. However, the off-season as a whole has given us an idea of what the new plan is and how the new regime evaluated the current Chiefs. Last year, the Chiefs were talented, but soft.  Fisher, Kelce, Nico Johnson, Commings all give the Chiefs some attitude. Knile Davis? Well, congrats, by picking a RB with two broken ankles, fumbling problems who hasn’t played well in two years…… Knile, you are this years WTF draft pick winner.

What does all the mean for the future of the Chiefs? It’s too early to tell. However, Dorsey is showing the flexibility I believe we need in a General Manager. In the long run, he may be a more important hire than Andy Reid. For the moment, I am optimistic. We could be in good hands and it’s been awhile since that has been the case.

Aug 07, 2012; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Terrance Copper (10) catches a pass as Arizona Cardinals defensive back Larry Parker (41) defends during the Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals practice at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Morning Addicts. Just wanted to apologize if you had some trouble getting on the site yesterday. We had some issues around the network that we are pretty sure we have resolved now.

Here is your Morning Fix:

1. The Chiefs had eight draft picks on the field, along with 13 undrafted free agents, 36 tryout players and another eight first year players. The practice was light, with lots of instructional time slotted in.

2. Watching practice from the sidelines was GM John Dorsey, who wore shorts and a Chiefs sweatshirt, and Mayor Sly James, who wore a red hat, red shirt and a suit coat.

Arrowhead Pride

As the Star pointed out, Chase Daniel is the current back up and behind him there is just Ricky Stanzi who is likely not going to be a challenge against Bray. Had he stayed in college and used his final year of eligibility, he could very well have been a top prospect heading into the 2014 NFL Draft. But Bray chose to leave Tennessee early thinking that fortune would grace him this season.

It didn’t and he went undrafted. But his misfortune seems to be the Chiefs blessing. Not only is Bray capable of passing up Stanzi on the depth chart but he very well could end up being a rookie backup at some point in the season. Bray has an NFL size arm and impressive football I.Q., and the only reason he fell in the draft was due to questions about his maturity.

FanSided.com

“I’ve disappointed you,” Verna Hali remembers her stepson telling her. He was facing one-game suspension, which cost him about $1.3 million dollars.

Hali had been suspended for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, which covers recreational drugs and the abuse of prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and alcohol, but not performance-enhancing drugs. Hali was apologetic but has never revealed the specific reason for his suspension.

But Mom, Verna Hali in New Jersey, was quick to say that she knew better.

“There is nothing my Little Tamba could do to make me disappointed in him. It’s not in him,” said the Jamaican-American woman, whose voice still has the lilting accent of the island.

KC Star

Give credit to Branden Albert for deciding to join the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday.

Albert previously said he would stay away from the team until the mandatory session begin, Yet, Albert will join voluntary session. New Kansas City coach Andy Reid called Albert, and the two have come to an accord.

Expect both sides to continue to talk about coming to terms on a long-term deal. No deal is close, but both sides are interested in getting a deal done. If not, Albert will play for the $9.8 million franchise tag and be a free agent next year.

In the meantime, Albert is joining his team and putting a spring holdout behind him.

ESPN

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 will not use this post to make comparisons between Alex Smith and rookie
quarterbacks who were drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. I
already wrote that article. I will not use this space to say that Alex Smith
is an upgrade from Matt Cassel. If you need me to do that, or you think
Smith isn’t better than Cassel, you probably think the Chiefs will score the
most home runs this year using their football bats and getting past the
opposing goalies.

Nope, this post will be devoted strictly to explaining why I believe Alex
Smith has the “clutch” gene. Yes, I said clutch, as in gets it done under
pressure, doesn’t just manage the clock but goes out and wins football
games, gene. He is clutch.

We all know that Smith didn’t start out his NFL career as well as his No. 1
overall price tag would indicate. Many would call Smith a bust. If you look
only at his stats, I would be inclined to agree with you. But, I’m not just
looking at his stats. Smith is a quarterback, and while the great ones -
Montana, Favre, Brees, Brady – generally make the others around them look
better than they are, there has to be some talent there to begin with.
Smith really had no help in that department his first few seasons in San
Francisco. His first year, his leading receiver was a guy named Arnaz
Battle. Ever hear of him? Yeah, me neither.

So what makes #11 a clutch QB? Is it the ability to sling the football 4000
yards per season? Is it racking up 40 TD’s in one year? Are those stats what
make a QB a clutch player? By that account, Cam Newton of the Carolina
Panthers is the clutchest of the clutch. His rookie year he passed for 4,051
yards, threw 21 TD’s, rushed for 706 yards and 14 more scores on the ground.
But was he clutch? What was the Panther’s record in 2011?  They went 6-10 on
the year, finished third place in the NFC South and obviously didn’t qualify
for the playoffs. On the other hand, in 2011, the 49ers went 13-3, finished
first in the NFC West and were a fumble away from the Superbowl. Despite the
success, Alex Smith’s stats in 2011 were not what many consider top shelf,
or elite for an NFL quarterback. He threw for a career high 3,144 yards and
17 TD’s. While he added 179 yards and two more scores in the rushing game,
his stats were far removed from the Rookie of the Year, Newton. So what’s
the difference? The winning? The playoffs? Was that Smith’s doing, or was it
the defense and the running game?

By 2011, Smith finally had talent in his receivers. While Vernon Davis had
been there as long as Smith, it also took a while for the pass-catching
tight end to come into his own. Let’s not forget, this is the same tight end
who was benched by the “great savior” Mike Singletary, for having a poor
attitude. Smith, also turned the corner in 2011 with his leadership skills
and fire under pressure. While Smith had led comeback victories in seasons
past, he didn’t truly master the art until the week 3 game against the
Philadelphia Eagles, funny enough, against his now head coach, Andy Reid.
Perhaps this was when Reid first discovered the clutch gene in his future
quarterback.

After falling behind to the Eagles 20-3 at halftime, Smith led a crusade
against the City of Brotherly Love and outscored the birds 21-3 in the
second half, including same late 4th quarter heroics that put his running
back, Frank Gore, in position to score the game winning touchdown. Smith
wasn’t perfect on the day, 21/33, 291 yards and 2 TDs, but he got the job
done.

During the playoffs that season, Smith proved his mettle after the famed
49er defense allowed the New Orleans Saints to regain the lead in a back and
forth game with 1:28 on the clock. Smith had just taken the lead in the game
with 1:51 with a perfectly executed bootleg run to the left that allowed #11
to sprint his way into the endzone with the go ahead score and put the 49ers
up by five points with less than two minutes remaining. However, 34 seconds
later, the 49er offense, having barely had time to celebrate their score,
found themselves back on the field, 85 yards from the endzone, and less than
a minute and a half to play.

Smith didn’t cry. He didn’t blink. He went onto the field and led his team
on a seven play drive that ended in a touchdown. I’ve watched the drive so
many times, I could tell you exactly what happens and when. After the huge
catch and run by Vernon Davis, the commentators are talking about setting up
a David Akers field goal to tie the game. If Smith were a game manager, a
facilitator – if Smith weren’t clutch – that’s exactly what would have
happened when they got into range. That’s not what happened. Smith fired a
pass to Davis – into triple coverage – and scored the winning touchdown,
leaving Brees and the Saints only 14 seconds left. Tell me that’s not
clutch.

Smith continued on his winning ways the following season. Out of the gate he
engineered a win against NFC favorites, the Green Bay Packers. Smith went on
in 2012 to win six games and drop two before being injured in the second
quarter of a game against the Saint Louis Rams. Adding to his clutch quality
(albeit a little crazy, considering) Smith stayed in the game and threw a TD
with blurred vision before coming out of the game.

The 49ers have travelled a similar road as the Kansas City Chiefs in the
last couple of years. Both teams have exceptional running games, good
defenses and above average (but not quite elite) wide receiver corps. Both
teams have gone through coaching staffs and especially offensive
coordinators, like most people change their underwear.

Last week Alex Smith took over his football team and started them on the
road to the playoffs in 2013. And that guy who everybody thought should be
drafted No. 1 overall? He fired his agent during a temper tantrum. Is that
clutch? I don’t think so.

Until next time, Addicts.

Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs said they plan to play No. 1 overall draft pick Eric Fisher at RT if LT Branden Albert decides to report to practice. Some people have called that strategy foolish, claiming that it doesn’t make sense to take a LT so high in the draft only to start him on the right side.

Will Shields is not one of those people.

The former Chief guard knows a thing or two about offensive line play. Shields was a Chief his entire career. He was drafted in the third-round of the 1993 NFL Draft and played until 2006. Shields racked up 12 Pro Bowls, eight All-Pro nods, the Ed Block Courage Award and threw in the Walter Peyton Man of the Year Award for good measure. One day soon, a bust of Shields will sit in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

With those credentials, when Shields talks about line play, people listen.

And Shields says Fisher is good enough to play anywhere, so long as he works hard at it.

“It just depends on how good you are as an athlete,” said Shields in comments printed in the Kansas City Star. “How are you going to work at it to make yourself work on both sides. In high school, I played left. Then, all through college, I played right. It depends on your mental makeup of ‘Hey, can I switch sides …’ What are you going to do win a job, that’s what it comes down to.”

To his credit, Fisher has had a great attitude so far. Whenever he’s ben asked, Fisher has responded that he will play anywhere the Chiefs need him to, so long as he can help the team.

It may be that where the Chiefs need Fisher, at least in 2013, is at RT.

And if the rookie is half as talented as Shields, he should do just fine.

Nov 24, 2012; Knoxville, TN, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Tyler Bray (8) during the game against the Kentucky Wildcats at Neyland Stadium. Tennessee won by a score of 37 to 17. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs have announced that the club has signed two of their 2013 draft picks, as well as 13 undrafted college free agents.

The Chiefs have inked seventh-round pick, DE Mike Catapano and sixth-round selection, C Eric Kush. That is two of the Chiefs’ eight draftees already inked to deals. The other picks should follow shortly, as the new rookie wage scale makes signing players, even first-round picks, easier than ever before.

From the Chiefs’ press release:

Kush (6-4, 313) was selected as Kansas City’s first of two sixth-round picks (170th Overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft. Kush played collegiately at California University of Pennsylvania where he appeared in 49 games (31 starts) on the offensive line for the Vulcans. A three year starter, he primarily served as the school’s center. Kush became the highest ever player to be drafted from California (Pa.). Kush prepped at Chartiers Valley High School in Bridgeville, Pa.

Catapano (6-4, 270) was selected as the Chiefs seventh-round pick (207th overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft. He was a three-time All-Ivy League defensive end at Princeton where he recorded 145 tackles (60 solo), 29 tackles for loss, 19.0 sacks (-129.0 yards), four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 13 pass breakups. The Bayville, N.Y., native prepped at Chaminade High School.

The following college free agents have officially signed with the club: Tyler Bray, Darin Drakeford, Otha Foster, Frankie Hammond, Demetrius Harris, A.J. Hawkins, Colin Kelly, Rob Lohr, Brad Madison, Josh Martin, Brad McDougald, Rico Richardson and Ridge Wilson.

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs have a new Director of College Scouting in Marvin Allen, according to Pro Football Talk. Allen comes from the Atlanta Falcons, where he served as a national scout.

Via Twitter:

Chiefs hire Marvin Allen to serve as director of college scouting, per source with knowledge of hire.

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) May 10, 2013

From Allen’s profile in the Atlanta Falcons staff directory:

Marvin Allen has been with the Falcons for four years and spent 16 seasons with the New England Patriots, including his last 12 in the player personnel department as an Area Scout. He was responsible for the collection of data on all prospects in his assigned region. Allen is a graduate of Tulane University and was selected by the Patriots in the 11th round (294th overall) of the 1988 NFL Draft. In four seasons with New England, he rushed for 378 yards and two touchdowns on 94 carries (4.0 avg.).

With the 2013 NFL Draft in the books, we had a feeling these types of moves would be coming. With a new regime in town, GM John Dorsey will want to start getting his own scouts in place.

Dorsey kept on most of the scouts that were already in Kansas City as he prepared for April’s draft. Most of those scouts would have been brought in during the Scott Pioli regime.

Now it is time for Dorsey to start bringing in people he trusts to help build the Chiefs for the future. I like that Dorsey is looking outside the Green Bay organization to find talent. The Falcons have certainly been doing a great job of scouting talent recently so hopefully Allen can bring a little bit of that skill to Kansas City.

Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs rookies are about to head to camp.

Today marks the start of a three-day rookie minicamp. It’s just the rooks, as well as a number of tryout players. The camp will be at The University of Kansas Hospital Training Complex, May 10-12.

Here is the specific schedule:

ROOKIE MINICAMP

Friday, May 10 Rookie Minicamp Practice at 1:45 p.m.

Saturday, May 11 Rookie Minicamp Practice at 1:45 p.m.

Sunday, May 12 Rookie Minicamp Practice at 11:25 a.m.

Head coach Andy Reid will address the media after practice on the first and last days of the camp. These practices will also be open to the media so we should get a pretty good picture painted for us of how things are going.

The most interesting aspect of this camp will be the tryout players. Since this is rookies only and since the Chiefs only drafted eight players and signed a handful of undrafted free agents, the team has invited a number of other players at certain positions to attend the camp on a tryout basis. These players are not signed to contracts but will get the shot to show the Chiefs’ coaching staff what they can do live and in person.

Every offseason, there are players around the NFL that make an impression as undrafted free agents or tryout players. It will be fun to see if any future Chiefs emerge from this weekend’s camp.

I’m a jersey guy.

I’m not ashamed to admit it. I try and often fail, not to take myself to seriously in life. But sometimes it can be difficult.

As someone who has never played in an organized football game in his life (does paper football count, cause if so, I used to run tournaments) I do sometimes feel slightly silly sliding on my Jamaal Charles jersey. Here I am, a grown man, wearing a mock-uniform that another man, a man with actual talent, wears for his job.

Imagine if Jamaal Charles wore a Patrick Allen uniform. Which, give that I work from home, would consist of a pair of boxer shorts and white t-shirts in various stages of whiteness. On my uniform, Charles would have “Allen” printed on the tag of the boxers, rather than on the back. Don’t worry though, Jamaal. Working from home in the blogging industry is way more than just livin the dream of no pants. For formal events and Google Hangout conference calls with other FanSided officials, I have a pair of pinstriped boxers.

Anyway, my point is, I like sporting my Chiefs jerseys and I’m not afraid to admit it.

But any seasoned fan can tell you that buying the jersey of an NFL player is a risky proposition. Do you REALLY want that Larry Johnson jersey? Well, maybe you did then, but do you now? Do you still wear it and hope that people just don’t notice the big #27 on the front in and the back, secretly hoping they think you’re wearing a DERRICK Johnson jersey?

Did the Matt Cassel I special ordered from China (the one I paid to have altered because it was so long it looked like I was wearing a really ugly dress) really pay off for me? What the hell am I going to do with that Matt Cassel jersey now? It’s got the stitched on numbers and everything! The NFL hocks those things for $100s of dollars. Oh, well, at least I only paid $40. Plus $12 for the alteration. Eat it, NFL!

Where was I?

Oh, yeah.

How about that bad ass black and red Tony Gonzalez jersey I bought like 4 months before Scott Pioli traded him? You know what I am talking about, right? Those alternate Chiefs uniforms the NFL sold for a while that the team has never actually worn? I know a lot of people hate those jerseys but I loved them.

I wore that thing one time, while watching another team play in the Super Bowl. Such is the life of a Chiefs fan.

At least with the Gonzo jersey, I can bust that think out of the closet again after he retires. Especially if he stays true to his word and retires a Chief.

So all the rambling brings us to the question at hand. What are the coolest Chiefs jerseys to own?

Do you roll only with current players? What about just old school guys who have already cemented their legacy? Or do you like to mix up your favorite players with your old school guys?

I am starting to feel more and more like I should only target the old school. Even though I wasn’t old enough to enjoy their careers, I’d feel less like a chump wearing a Bobby Bell jersey than I would wearing Kendrell Bell.

Then again, their is a certain hilariousness to having obscure jerseys of players that most folks might not even remember played for the Chiefs. Like, who doesn’t enjoy going to Arrowhead and seeing someone busting out a Pat Surtain jersey? Is there anything more satisfying than drunkenly stumbling into the stadium bathrooms only to see Steve Bono and Keith Cash standing there taking a piss with a urinal between them, just calling to you to join them in your Webster Slaughter jersey?

I was at Arrowhead back in 2010 for the Monday Night Magic victory against the Chargers. I was there with a friend of mine who, I sh*t you not, is named Patrick Allen. We walked down and were watching warmups when Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt walked by and began signing autographs. Patrick (my friend, not me) got really excited and called out “Dustin, will you sign my Colquitt jersey?”

Dustin looked up at him. This had to be a strange thing for Dustin to hear. For one thing, no matter how much you get used to it, it has to be strange to hear someone call out your name to ask you if you will sign their piece of clothing that has your name on it. For another, it probably isn’t something a punter ever expects to hear.

I mean, at the time, Dustin was our best player.

I’m not exactly sure where I stand on this issue any more. On one hand, I’d love to have a Brandon Flowers jersey. But I’ve been burned before. I’m hesitant.

Perhaps, the coolness of the jersey is in the eye of the beholder. Maybe one day, my Matt Cassel jersey will be just as cool as one of those vintage Damon Huards.

All right, Addicts. I’ve mused enough. I want your thoughts on the matter. What os the coolest Chiefs jersey to own?

I know, I know… Derrick Thomas.

For the Kansas City Chiefs and every other team in the National Football League, the initial casting of the wide net for players is done. Most free agents have been acquired, the Draft is behind us and college free agents have been selected. And like with every team, the next phase of the offseason is now upon us– where the Chiefs take their analysis of each player one step further to determine what their role will be on the 2013 roster.

I believe there are three roster questions that rise above all else this offseason. But first, let’s address the positional battles that I’m not as concerned about, because it’ll simply be a case of “may the best man win.” These battles– at corner, safety, the defensive line, inside linebacker and the offensive line– will be important, but it’s not any more complicated than having talented individuals compete to see who starts.

The likely starters at cornerback will be Brandon Flowers and Sean Smith, and the safety positions will likely be filled by Eric Berry and Dunta Robinson. In nickel packages and backup roles, we have a host of potential players, like rookie Sanders Commings; free agent Husain Abdullah; current backups DeQuan Menzie, Jalil Brown, Tysyn Hartman and Neiko Thorpe; and of course, former starter Kendrick Lewis. To start opposite Flowers and Berry at corner and safety respectively, as well as fill the nickel and backup roles, may the best man win.

Similarly, on our three-man defensive front, we’ve got Dontari Poe locking down the nose tackle and four options for defensive end in Tyson Jackson, free agent Mike DeVito, Allen Bailey and rookie Mike Catapano. I think Jackson and DeVito win out as starters, but again, may the best man win.

There’s another hot positional battle to play opposite Derrick Johnson at inside linebacker – free agent Akeem Jordan versus Alabama rookie Nico Johnson. May the best man win here as well.

My last “may the best man win” positional battle is our entire offensive line. For the first time since the glory days of Will Shields and Brian Waters at guard, John Tait and Willie Roaf at tackle and Casey Wiegmann at center, the Chiefs have the personnel to have a dominant offensive line and better-than-average backups. It looks like the Chiefs are going to lock up Branden Albert for the long-term. Joining Albert will be first pick Eric Fisher, free agent Geoff Schwartz and promising young talent in Jeff Allen, Jon Asamoah, Rodney Hudson and Donald Stephenson. With Albert and Fisher, this could be a unit for the ages.

The competition to start at corner, safety, the defensive line, inside linebacker and the offensive line will be a fight for the players and a great summer topic for us. But the arithmetic is pretty simple: if you outperform your competition, you will start.

These next three offseason questions are much bigger, because they have the potential to be multiplicative in nature, in that if they go bad, they create more than one problem. Not coincidentally, they all revolve around our receiving game. I’ll list them by draft pick:

1.  Jon Baldwin, first pick, 2011 Draft
2.  Dexter McCluster, second pick, 2010 Draft
3.  Tony Moeaki, third pick, 2010 Draft

We’ll start with wide receiver Jon Baldwin, whose off-the-field and on-the-field challenges have been widely documented, including a great post by Nathan Bramwell yesterday. I’d like to focus on his production, relative to his draft position. The Chiefs selected Baldwin in the first round as the 26th overall pick in 2011. As Nathan noted, other receivers who went in the first round were Pro-Bowlers A.J. Green at fourth overall and Julio Jones at seventh overall. Offensive “skill” players drafted after Baldwin included quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick. The 2011 Draft class may be one of the weakest in recent history, but still yet, if Baldwin doesn’t play like a first-rounder this year, then not only are the Chiefs out a starting wide receiver, but the opportunity cost of losing a first-rounder puts the Chiefs at a competitive disadvantage, particularly in the AFC West. That year, the Denver Broncos got a gold mine in Von Miller with the second overall pick and the San Diego Chargers picked a two-year starter in defensive tackle Corey Liuget. Of course, the Oakland Raiders didn’t have a first round pick in 2011, because, well, they are the Oakland Raiders.

Next up: Dexter McCluster. The Chiefs selected McCluster with the fourth pick in the second round in 2010. By way of comparison, in 2010, offensive skill players chosen after McCluster included Patriots’ tight end Rob Gronkowski and Seahawks’ receiver Golden Tate. McCluster has shown flashes of greatness but he’s also suffered injuries and the uncreativity of offensive coordinators on how to make best use of his explosive talents. We saw this year, when we didn’t have one, how valuable a second round pick is. If Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Doug Pederson can’t find a way to maximize McCluster’s talents, then once again, we will have failed to secure a starter and suffered the opportunity cost of losing a second round pick.

Finally, we come to tight end Tony Moeaki. Moeaki, who missed all of 2011 after tearing his ACL, was selected in the third round by the Chiefs in the 2010 Draft. Since he was drafted, Moeaki has 80 receptions for 1,009 yards and four touchdowns. In comparison to other third round tight ends from 2010, the Ravens’ Ed Dickson has 86 catches for 905 yards and six touchdowns, while the Saints’ Jimmy Graham has 215 receptions for 2,658 yards and 25 TD’s. Moeaki has underperformed, because of injury and outputs.

Each of these three players has stiff competition this year. For Baldwin, it comes from free agent acquisition Donnie Avery. For McCluster, it’s Devon Wylie. And Moeaki has free agent pickup and NFL starter Anthony Fasano and promising third rounder Travis Kelce to compete with for starter’s rights. I’m hoping Baldwin, McCluster and Moeaki each win out, because if they do, it shows that they do indeed have the talent to start and second, it’ll make the Chiefs’ initial investments whole.

I think it’s no accident that all three of the biggest potentially multiplicative problems are on the offensive side. In the six seasons since 2006, the Chiefs have had seven offensive coordinators: Mike Solari, Chan Gailey, Todd Haley (pulling double duty as Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator), Charlie Weiss, Bill Muir, Jim Zorn and Brian Daboll. This Chiefs’ offense has been in search of an identify since, arguably, the 2005 season when we went 10-6 under Head Coach Dick Vermeil and Offensive Coordinator Al Saunders (with a hat tip to Charlie Weis, who had the offense humming in 2010!). While the plights of Baldwin, McCluster and Moeaki are all individual position battles, each of them only make sense within a larger, cohesive system. If Pederson can pull that off, then he’ll help these these players find their way to a starting role.

Addicts, those are my top three offseason questions for the Chiefs to answer. What are yours??!!

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs added eight rookies to their 2013 roster during this year’s NFL Draft. As we begin to take a close look at the class later this week, we also wanted to see which player Chiefs fans think will have the most impact in 2013.

Since the Chiefs decided to make LT Eric Fisher the No. 1 overall pick, it is evident that most would expect Fisher to be the team’s most active contributor. As such, we are going to remove him as an option from the poll.

The Chiefs used their second-round pick to acquire QB Alex Smith and so beyond Fisher, Kansas City has a pretty mixed back of mid to later round picks that could be in the mix.

Let’s take a quick look at the candidates:

Round 3: 

Travis Kelce, TE

Kelce will join Tony Moeaki and Anthony Fasano on the TE depth chart. Will he be ab;le to surpass one or both veterans to get on the field as a rookie?

Knile Davis, RB

When it comes to running the football in Kansas City, there is Jamaal Charles and everyone else. In this case, “everyone else” includes Cyrus Gray, Shaun Draughn and now Davis. Can the speedy rookie beat out the Pioli’ regime’s hand-picked backs in the race to spell JC?

Round 4: 

Nico Johnson, ILB

Johnson will look to take over the starting role once occupied by Jovan Belcher. But will Johnson be ready in time to play next to the other Johnson?

Round 5: 

Sanders Commings, DB

Commings will reportedly get a look at safety. Should FS Kendrick Lewis continue to have injury issues, Commings could see some playing time alongside Pro Bowler Eric Berry.

Round 6:

Eric Kush, C

Kush is a center from a small school . He likely needs some work before he is ready to compete at the NFL level but sometimes even rookies from small schools surprise. And sometimes injuries force them int action early.

Braden Wilson, FB

Wilson will have to compete with a crowded FB depth chart of he wants to be the lead blocker for Jamaal Charles.

Round 7:

Mike Catapano, DE

Catapano is clearly a fringe guy, having been drafted in the seventh round, however the Chiefs lack depth at DE. Can he make an impression in camp so he can make an impression on the field?

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?

Growing up as a kid in the 60s, outside of L.A., I had many an opportunity as a teenager to go to the In & Out Hamburger stand. In & Out, it was the supreme being of hamburgers and now Andy Reid and John Dorsey might as well change the name of the K.C. franchise to the In & Out Chiefs.

Has there ever been a busier time in Kansas City Chiefs history than the past 4 months and 4 days… since Andy Reid was hired as the Head Coach?

If you’re a Kansas City Chiefs fan then you’ve got an opinion about the moves they’ve made. Some you may like, others, not so much. One way or the other, fans need to see that these Chiefs are making one thing clear: change is gonna come <– If you like Otis Redding and you really want to go old school, right-click on the link and get that wax track spinnin’, slip into your comfy bath robe and grab a cask of your favorite libation then sit back to really absorb the rest of this “piece.” Of course, you might want to re-think that if you’re still at work.

~ ~ ~

If you’re a Chiefs fan… and it’s likely that you are if you’re reading this column… and you’ve also had the opportunity to visit one of our great country’s Southwestern states where they serve In & Out burgers… then you probably don’t mind Kansas City being called the In & Out Chiefs. However, there’s a good reason for it. Look at all the Chiefs who’ve been ushered out and who they’ve also brought in during this period of time:

 OUT:

Kevin Boss, Steve Breaston, Glenn Dorsey, Eric Winston, Ryan Lilja (retired but also rumored to return), Javier Arenas, Matt Cassel, Andy Studebaker, Patrick DiMarco, Steve Maneri, Corey Greenwood, David Mims (stolen from practice squad by Ravens), Alex Tanney, Ropati Pitoitua, Brady Quinn, and Peyton Hillis.

IN:

Alex Smith, Eric Fisher, Anthony Fasano, Geoff Schwartz, Mike DeVito, Donnie Avery, Sean Smith, Dunta Robinson,  Akeem Jordan, Chase Daniels, Travis Kelce, Knile Davis, Nico Johnson, Sanders Commings, Eric Kush, Braden Wilson, Mike Catapano, Husain Abdullah, Marcus Dixon, Mardy Gilyard, Chad Kilgore, Ryan D’Imperio. You should also include all the UFAs: Tyler Bray, Darin Drakeford, Otha Foster, Frankie Hammond, Demetrius Harris, A.J. Hawkins, Colin Kelly, Rob Lohr, and Brad Madison.

The lists above may not spell out the magnitude of the metamorphosis… but, it may be better understood though graphics, like the three below.

I’m going to miss little Stevie “Poet-Laurette” Breaston. It’s going to be tough around here without Glenn Dorsey underachieving — who are we going to kick around? Mr. Winston’s sage wisdom’s will be missed as well. Here’s hoping some team finally gives that gypsy a home.

.Javier, you will be missed when we play the Broncos. Good luck in the desert. Matt, please wipe that look off your face — yea, the one that says, “I never really knew what I was doing here.” To you, Andy Studebaker… thank you… it’s always good to have a cheery teammate warming the bench. Mr. Maneri, you go boy!… and if your new position with dah Bears doesn’t work out, maybe you can get a part as a plunderer in Johnny Depp’s next pirate movie. You got the chops my man.

Please note: these players do not include the following UFAs, that have been added IN: Josh Martin, Brad McDougald, Rico Richardson and Ridge Wilson. The lists  above are not exhaustive of all the changes made this off season but, clearly show a prodigious pattern of planned permutation.

While some of the player moves were not  the doing of Reid and Dorsey it is striking when you go down the list of all the players who have been on the way out, especially when you look at them as: starter, starter, starter, starter, back-up, starter, starter, back-up, back-up, back-up, back-up, back-up, starter, starter and starter. Nine player who were starters for some part of the season and now they’re gone.

That’s a lot of… transmutation… in a very short period of time.

Nathan Bramwell wrote a piece called “Looking at the Chiefs in Free Agency So Far”  on March 16th and said,

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.

Many Kansas City Chiefs  fans and bloggers could be heard early in the off season saying the Chiefs were not as bad as their 2-14 record would indicate. However, no other team in the NFL has had the rate of changeover the Chiefs have had so, the alterations could be argued to be needed changes. There’s a bit of truth in both views.

From time to time, as a writer, when I’m working on a blog, something happens that strikes me and in this case it was about the difference between the  players coming in and the players going out. That difference in the newbies could be the… intensity of their demeanor. When rosters are reseated, you of course hope the new guys coming in are more talented but, it’s also a good sign if there is change in attitude too. The players being brought in appear to be, at least to some degree, more sharply focused… or this may be better typified by saying… no more Mr. Nice Guys at One Arrowhead Way.

Doesn’t that give you a warm, fuzzy feeling deep down underneath the chest pocket of your fire-engine red Chiefs pajamas?

So, the In-N-Out off season is in full bloom.  Of course the above lists don’t include a tabulation of the coaches and administrators who have made the transition.

The change has not been restricted to the player’s roster alone. The Chiefs also signed a scout recently: Brett Veach, who handled scouting for the Southeastern region of the country, making pilgrimage from Philadelphia’s freedom city to our glorious mid-west fountain town of hope and light.

More Importantly, a new Director of Scouting has been added: Chicago Bears director of pro scouting Chris Ballard has left the team to take a job with the Chiefs and will oversee their pro and college scouting departments while reporting directly to John Dorsey.

It’s been an In & Out off season and could be seen as a pigskin-administrator-spectators-performance-artistis’ dream come true. Well, that just me. However, if you like change… you’re probably in-love with this off season. If not… you might want to keep up with the Royals til September.

Now… I just wish they had an In & Out Burger in Kansas City… but, I guess we’ll have to settle for the Chiefs version… which means… Arrowhead tailgating, which is of course, unsurpassable.

Go Chiefs!

What do you think of your “new” Chiefs Addicts? Ready for more IN-N-OUT? Or have you had enough?

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Former Kansas City Chiefs great and NFL Hall of Famer, Derrick Thomas, was denied entry into the College Football Hall of Fame today. It was the third-straight year Thomas has been snubbed.

While playing at Alabama, Thomas set the single-season sack record in 1988. He also holds the record for most career sacks, with 52. Both marks still stand.

Here is a list of players and coaches that made the cut.

Players

• Ted Brown, North Carolina State running back (1975-78)
• Tedy Bruschi, Arizona defensive end (1992-95)
• Ron Dayne, Wisconsin running back (1996-99)
• Tommie Frazier, Nebraska quarterback (1992-95)
• Jerry Gray, Texas defensive back (1981-84)
• Steve Meilinger, Kentucky defensive end (1951-53)
• Orlando Pace, Ohio State tackle (1994-96)
• Rod Shoate, Oklahoma linebacker (1972-74)
• Percy Snow, Michigan State linebacker (1986-89)
• Vinny Testaverde, Miami quarterback (1985-86)
• Don Trull, Baylor quarterback (1961-63)
• Danny Wuerffel, Florida quarterback (1993-96)

Coaches

• Wayne Hardin, Navy /Temple
• Bill McCartney, Colorado

What do you think, Addicts? Should DT already be in the College Football Hall of Fame?

Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Clark Hunt has been characterized as everything but a caring owner concerned with building a winning NFL franchise. Hunt was named Chairman of the Board of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2005. Since then, the Chiefs have a combined record of 48-80. It’s tough to stare a .375 win percentage in the face and make a reasonable argument that the Chiefs are the “No. 1 priority” Hunt said they would be when he took over. So why should the new regime inspire any confidence? I’m glad you asked.

Here’s what general manager John Dorsey had to say, in a post-Draft press conference, about the Chiefs’ sixth round pick fullback Braden Wilson (Kansas State):

He fits the type of person that Andy wants as a fullback. The way Andy described the fullback position to me, how he wanted that filled, I thought it fit his makeup very well.

This suggests that Reid and Dorsey had pre-Draft conversations about the kind of players he’s looking for. It’s probably also safe to assume that Dorsey was open to suggestion. By a show of hands, who thinks former GM Scott Pioli did this with either Todd Haley or Romeo Crennel?

Bueller?…Bueller?…Bueller?

The relationship that Reid and Dorsey seem to share, in the nascent stages of the new administration, is refreshing. It also brings to mind the new organizational structure that Clark Hunt put into place back in late-December. Here’s what he had to say after the Chiefs relieved head coach Romeo Crennel of duty:

You have the structures where the coach answers to the owner, and the general manager answers to the coach. You have the structure we’ve had, where the general manager answers to the owner, and the coach to the general manager. And there are a number of teams that do it as we’re going to do it, as a dual, with the coach answering to me and the general manager answering to me.

What better way to ensure accountability than to have both Reid and Dorsey answering to the owner for their own individual responsibilities? I think such a structure encourages compatibility. That’s something that was sorely lacking in the failed Pioli administration. I never sensed any real solidarity in that group.  I can’t imagine Reid having a Tyler Palko moment to spite John Dorsey.

My early impression of the Reid-Dorsey marriage gives me hope that irreconcilable differences won’t the be roadblock to success. I won’t make any bold predictions here, but I’m persuaded that this administration will succeed (or fail) on the merits of its football philosophies, and nothing else. There’s still the matter of identifying the right football players to help turn the franchise around, but I’m encouraged by the aforementioned Dorsey quote about Wilson. I believe he will make it a point to equip Reid with everything he needs to effectively run his schemes. We’ll have to wait and see how well they ultimately work, but I’m excited that Dorsey won’t stand in Reid’s way.

Q. What happens when the general manager can’t scapegoat the head coach for multiple losing seasons?

A. He has to do his job and either sink or swim as the team’s hunter-gatherer.

Q. What happens when the head coach’s handpicked players don’t succeed in his system?

A. He has to own his failure to either install successful systems or effectively use the talent he’s been given. 

There’s nowhere for Andy Reid and John Dorsey to hide. Their best bet is to have one common goal - to field the best football team possible. If the two of them can extract the best elements from their previous stops, they’ll have an excellent shot at turning things around and having long-term success in Kansas City. If they can’t, our apathetic owner might have to pull the car over and separate them…from the organization. I suggest you two play nice.

Until next time, Addicts!

I think we’re all still trying to wrap our heads around the new regime’s first draft and its apparent strategy moving forward.

While most fans have been hoping to see the team tick as many need boxes as possible in the course of the three days at Radio City Music hall, that doesn’t appear to be the way that Chiefs GM John Dorsey does things. It seems that Dorsey views free agency as a means to fill holes, while the Draft serves to add talent, regardless of position.

The team selected SEC players with its compensatory 3^rd-rounder, its 4^th and its 5^th-round pick but the rest of players it took were from relatively small programs. 1^st overall pick OT Eric Fisher was the first player from the MAC selected that high in the conference’s history. DE/OLB Mike Catapano became the first Princeton player drafted in 12 years. NFL fans worldwide suddenly learned that there is a University of California … in Pennsylvania … after Kansas City picked C Eric Kush in the 6^th round.

Chiefs fans who were furiously googling these guys likely found very little – often not even a photograph. On one hand, the obscurity of these names showed that Dorsey and Chiefs HC Andy Reid have been doing their homework and were digging for diamonds in the rough. On the other hand, one wondered whether these guys were even on any other team’s draft boards.

I think it shows that the new regime is realistic about what it is going to get from the Draft. This is a team that counts on getting prospects – not players – from the Draft. With virtually all the team’s needs filled through free agency, late April was a time to pick up some young, unfinished products. The two big knocks against small school players is that they are difficult to evaluate due to the quality of the opponents they faced on tape and they are also expected to have a longer, tougher transition to the NFL.

But, for Fisher, Kush, Catapano, and TE Travis Kelce, that won’t be a problem, they won’t be expected to make major contributions this year. With the exception of Fisher, who will likely end up as the team’s full-time right tackle this year, the other small school guys have a line of veterans ahead of them.

Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sports

However, it would be a mistake to view these guys as purely depth players. One of the biggest blind spots in Draft coverage is that commentators tend to only look at each team’s current needs and evaluate their draft on how those picks fit with what the team will need in the coming season. The reality is that actual front offices are looking much further to the 2014 and 2015 seasons – especially regimes in their first year or with solid job security.

Indeed, one of the over-looked aspects of the Chiefs’ draft was not how they added pieces for this season, but rather how it shows they are building the team for 2014.

Take a quick look at the list of Chiefs starters whose contracts will be up in the next two years and you’ll see what I mean. The notables include (presumed starters in italics):

Free Agents in 2014:

WR Dexter McCluster (slot)

TE Tony Moeaki

S Kendrick Lewis

G Jon Asamoah

G Geoff Schwartz

RB Shaun Draughn (3^rd down back)

Free Agents in 2015:

C Rodney Hudson

FB Anthony Sherman

WR Jonathan Baldwin

DE Allen Bailey

RB Nate Eachus

QB Alex Smith

Looking at this list and projecting that most of the 2013 draft class will sit this year now makes sense. All three of the Chiefs’ starting interior O-linemen are up for free agency in the next two years and the only one who we have under contract until 2015 is Hudson, who is a bit of a question mark coming off of a broken leg. In this situation, it makes perfect sense to take a high-upside center from a small school knowing that he may have to step in at one of those three interior roles in the next two years.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Similarly, despite the fact that the Chiefs already had two good blocking/pass-catching tight ends in Moeaki and Anthony Fasano, it makes perfect sense to draft Kelce knowing that Moeaki is injury-prone and in a contract year. Kelce may not see the field this year, but his presence on the roster gives the team options at TE next year when Moeaki will be looking at the door. Depending on how Moeaki plays and his health holds up, he may be disposable or he may be valuable, but the team will have a better bargaining hand with Fasano locked up long-term and a young, dynamic tight end in the wings who will be playing on a cheap, multi-year contract.

The same goes for the running back position behind RB Jamaal Charles. Third-round pick Knile Davis was the biggest head-scratcher of the Chiefs draft. He’s been banged up and last put up good tape in 2011. Spending a year in the meeting rooms as the #4 RB will hopefully allow him to heal up and be ready to take up the reins as the contracts for the two guys ahead of him come to an end.

Both De’Quan Menzie (who spent his rookie season on IR) and 5^th-round pick Sanders Commings project as CB/S hybrids and both have the big bodies and hard-hitting style to make them potential replacements for Lewis, who is oft-injured and also in a contract year.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

I should say that I don’t necessarily expect these draft picks to replace all of the incumbents, but you have to admire the cleverness and forethought that Dorsey brings to this front office. No matter what happens this season, he has already set up the team to have flexibility and depth at positions where it will potentially be vulnerable after the next round of free agency.

The one big looming 2015 free agent on that list is obviously Smith and anyone’s guess is as good as mine what the team’s opinion of him will be when February 2015 rolls around. He may have just won us a championship; he may have proven to be garbage without the mentorship of 49ers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh.

I also have absolutely no idea what to expect out of UDFA QB Tyler Bray. He may turn into something, he may turn into nothing. What I do know is that the team wagered absolutely nothing on him so even if his ceiling is that of an average backup, it will have been a sound move.

One way or the other, given that Smith is 29, don’t be surprised to see a quarterback taken high in next year’s draft regardless of how he plays in 2013. His contract will be up the following year and this is just how Dorsey rolls.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

We all know the Kansas City Chiefs traded their 2013 second-round draft pick to the San Francisco 49ers for Alex Smith but until today, we didn’t know exactly what else they traded.

When the news of the Smith trade broke, reports indicated that there was a conditional 2014 pick involved. Supposedly KC offered up a third-round pick that could become a second-round pick. But nobody knew the conditions.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated has revealed that if the Chiefs go 8-8 or better in 2013, KC has to give the 49ers their 2014 second-rounder.

A third- or second-rounder from Kansas City, the remnant of the Alex Smith deal. Now it can be told: The second draft choice San Francisco will receive from the Smith deal will be K.C.’s second-rounder in 2014 if the Chiefs go 8-8 or better this season. It will be a third-rounder in 2014 if Kansas City is under .500 this season.

So: San Francisco will probably have first-, second- and four third-rounders next year. But if the Chiefs surprise, it’ll more likely be a one, two twos and three threes. As we’ve seen, GM Trent Baalke is dangerous with extra picks in his hands. If Colin Kaepernick is very good, the Niners should be annual contenders for years with the picks laid out that way.

I can live with this. I’d rather the deal be “if the Chiefs make the playoffs” but if KC can get to 8-8, they should be in the playoff race for most of the season. Eight wins would mar a +six game improvement. Considering the Chiefs managed to win seven games a couple of years ago with Tyler Palko at QB and no Jamaal Charles, I think it is reasonable to think the squad could get to 8-8 with Smith and Andy Reid.

Then again, I thought the Chiefs could win the AFC West with Romeo Crennel as the head coach so what the hell do I know?

What do you think, Addicts? Did the Chiefs get a raw deal here?

As the dust settled on the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2013 NFL Draft there was a variety of opinions. Some fans loved it. Some fans hated it. Some fans had mixed reviews. However, there was one pick that seemed to have more questions and complaints than any other. That was the selection of Arkansas running back Knile Davis with their late third round pick. By now, most KC fans know the essentials about Davis. He was an explosive playmaker and productive running back against tough SEC defenses in 2010. Then he missed the entire 2011 season with an ankle injury. Finally, last season he (along with the entire Arkansas offense) struggled. Davis particularly struggled with fumbles last season. Davis’s fans list his size (227 lbs), strength (31 bench press reps), speed (4.37 forty yard dash), and production against the best defenses in college football in 2010 as reasons to have high hopes for Davis. His detractors point to his history of injuries and fumbles as reasons that KC shouldn’t have gambled on Davis when so many other highly regarded prospects were still on the board.

Before I made up my own mind I wanted to do some research because I didn’t really know much about Davis except for what I had read online from so called draft “experts”. So I set out to watch all the footage on Davis that I could find. After viewing it and making some observations I decided that I would put my findings together in a video for you. So I’ll just let the video take it from here.

Here’s my latest Armchair Addict Video Production, “Knile Davis: KC’s Newest Weapon”.

So what do you think Addicts? Will Davis realize his upside or will his fumbles and injuries get the best of him? I can’t wait to hear your thoughts in the comments.

October 07, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Baltimore Ravens tight end Ed Dickson (84) runs the ball as Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Derrick Johnson (56) attempts the tackle in the second half of the game at Arrowhead Stadium. The Ravens won 9-6. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs were the worst team in the NFL in 2012 but there were players that managed to have productive seasons despite the chaos around them.

One of those players was Chiefs ILB Derrick Johnson.

The folks over at Pro Football Focus heave released their list of the top 101 players of 2013. Johnson was the first Chiefs player to make the list, coming in at a respectable #67.

Here is what PFF had to say about Johnson:

67. Derrick Johnson, LB, Kansas City Chiefs (28th)

While the Chiefs suffered a disappointing 2012, it wasn’t for the efforts of Johnson. As impactful against the run as any defender in the league, Johnson was as good as it gets finding his way to the ballcarrier. Whether he be working through traffic or shedding blocks, it was an exhibition of what makes a great run defender in the 3-4.

Best Performance: Week 10 at Pittsburgh, +5.9

Key Stat: His 60 defensive stops in the run game were the most of any inside linebacker.

Johnson was 28th last year so he had a significant drop off in his ranking. The problem for DJ is that Chiefs were so often trailing by such a large margin that it made things much for difficult on the defense.

I expect that if the Chiefs can perform better as a team in 2013, Johnson will be ranked higher on this list next offseason. It sounds crazy to think about but DJ is 30-years-old and will turn 31 in November. We have seen ILBs play at a high level into their mid-30s before but the reality of the situation is that DJ is turning the corner toward the final years of his career. Hopefully KC can win now, while Johnson is still able to perform at his highest level.

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs are a completely different team now than they were during the 2012 season.

For the 2012 Chiefs, everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. But now, with a new coaching staff and a slew of new players, Kansas City, on paper at least, is much improved.

Let’s take a look at five reasons the Chiefs will be better in 2013.

1. Alex Smith

It all starts with the QB. As 2012 went on, it became evident that the Chiefs were a team playing with very little confidence. In the NFL, the team goes as the QB goes. Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn did little to inspire confidence in their teammates. Without a leader under center, the Chiefs were doomed.

Smith has had his struggles. Based on his last two seasons in San Francisco, Smith appears to be the kind of QB the Chiefs have been lacking for. If Smith can duplicate his recent success in Kansas City, he could convince his critics that he is a late-bloomer. Was Smith’s poor past performances the result of poor coaching and management or was his recent success a result of excellent coaching and a dumbed down offense designed to limit Smith’s mistakes?

The Chiefs and the rest of the NFL are about to find out.

2. The offensive line

It is looking more and more like LT Branden Albert is going to be with the Chiefs in 2013. If that is the case, KC could end up with the best offensive line in the NFL. There are some question marks on the interior of the line with youngsters like Rodney Hudson and Jeff Allen but Andy Reid and John Dorsey have done a great job of adding depth and competition this offseason. If the interior of the line holds up, the Chiefs will be hard to stop running the football.

3. Andy Reid

Head coach Andy Reid should make a massive difference in the Kansas City locker room. The 2012 Chiefs did not lack for talent, save at the QB position, but they were as a mistake-prone and undisciplined team as I’ve seen in a while. What was most frustrating about Romeo Crennel’s Chiefs was how talented they were. When Herm Edwards led the Chiefs to a 2-14 mark in 2008, it was hard to be angry about the team’s performance. The roster had been gutted and Chiefs fans were basically watching a college team playing in the NFL. They had no chance.

Crennel’s group showed often that they could play with any team in the NFL…but only until the shot themselves in the foot.

Reid will need to use his considerable experience to discipline this young Chiefs team. For all his faults, former Chiefs coach Todd Haley produced a much more mentally tough team that managed to make a playoff run with the likes of Tyler Palko playing QB.

These guys can win but they need the right leader to help them get there.

4. Justin Houston

Justin Houston was one of the few bright spots on an absolutely dreadful 2012 squad. Entering his third-year, Houston had Pro Bowler written all over him. If the Chiefs can manage to move the football and actually play with a lead on occasion, Houston and fellow linebacker Tamba Hali could find themselves among the league leaders in sacks.

5. Eric Berry

To most, Berry has been a disappointment. The former first-round pick has flaws in his game, mainly in coverage. But Berry has had a rough deal. He had a rough start to his rookie season but by the end of that year, he was a Pro Bowler. Then, an injury knocked Berry out for the entire 2011 campaign. 2012 began much the same way Berry’s rookie season did. Yet again, by the end of 2012, Berry was heading to Hawaii for his second Pro Bowl.

While Berry probably didn’t deserve his second Pro Bowl nod, his improvement over the course of 2012 was evident. If he stays injury free, 2013 will be the first time Berry has played consecutive seasons since entering the pros. I don’t expect any steps back from Berry from here on out. Only steps forward.

Aug 30, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Kansas City Chiefs guard Jon Asamoah (73) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. The Packers defeated the Chiefs 24-3. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Take it from Kelso native Colin Kelly, who signed a free agent deal with the Kansas City Chiefs last Saturday.

“Finally, after all my hard work for so long … it’s just kind of the accumulation of all that,” Kelly said. “I have played football for 15 years now, and to see that pay off, there’s no better feeling.

“There’s no better accomplishment that I can think of in my life than that moment.”

The offensive lineman out of Oregon State was projected as a possible late-round pick. Though Kelly wasn’t drafted, it gave him the freedom of choice.

Kelly received interest from the Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens in the whirlwind hour immediately following the draft. But Kansas City, which had scouted Kelly throughout the process and was particularly impressed with his pro day at OSU, emerged as the best fit.

TND.com

One such draft pick was Alabama LB Nico Johnson, who was selected by the Chiefs in the fourth round.

Johnson left Alabama with his third BCS title win, helping the Crimson Tide defeat Notre Dame 42-14. His senior campaign included five starts, while playing in all 13 games, finishing fourth on the team with 55 tackles. He also forced two fumbles and broke up a pass.

The rookie linebacker has a head start when trying to grasp Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s 3-4 scheme, thanks to his four-year run in Tuscaloosa.

“I am familiar with their defense as far as what they run, because they run something similar to what we run at Alabama,” said Nico Johnson during a post-draft conference call. “I’m just ready to get there and learn as much as possible….. and try to earn their respect as much as possible….I’m ready to get to the next level and make a difference.”

KCCHiefs.com

As discussed here last week, an acquisition for Arizona Cardinals fullback Anthony Sherman complicated the Chiefs’ roster with four (and arguably five) fullbacks competing for one spot, following the sixth round selection of Kansas State fullback Braden Wilson. And while Wilson was likely unexcited about the trade for Sherman, the recent release of FB Patrick DeMarco should help him rest at least a little easier.

DeMarco came to Kansas City in August of 2012 as a free agent. However, he was not a highly valued component of the team and only saw action in five games – all towards the end of the season when Kansas City’s shot at a division title was already toast.

Jug of Snyder

One thing that is encouraging is that Reid has also featured the tight end in his offense. Over the past 4 seasons, the Eagles’ Brent Celek has averaged nearly 60 passes a year. The Chiefs seem to be stronger there with Tony Moeaki and Anthony Fasano. Kansas City added Travis Kelce in last week’s draft, and he could prove to be a threat to the middle of the field. Still, will this be enough talent for the Chiefs throw the ball as much as the Eagles did?

With Branden Albert now apparently back at left tackle and number one overall draft pick Eric Fisher slated, for now, to play right tackle, the Chiefs offensive line is in good shape. Jamaal Charles, newly drafted Knile Davis, and returning Cyrus Gray make up a strong running back squad. Dorsey has also accumulated several options at fullback. These components are certainly strengths for Kansas City. The wide receivers after Bowe, are much more question marks than probably more than any other unit on the team. Two or three, even four, of the guys from the group which includes not only Avery, McCluster, Baldwin, and Wylie, but also Josh Bellamy, Terrance Copper, Mardy Galyard, Junior Hemingway, Jamar Newsome, Tyler Shoemaker, and Jerheme Urban, have to step up and take control. Someone needs to excel opposite Bowe. It will be hard for the Chiefs to have an effective passing game if only Dwayne Bowe can be counted on.

KC Kingdom

October 14, 2012; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Daniel Te

If defense wins championships and offense is the key to victory, what cheesy cliché is there to utter about the offensive line?

They protect our multiple round draft pick that many say we shouldn’t have traded for?

That doesn’t quite roll off the tongue.

They spring Jamaal Charles like a jailbreak so he can run like the cops are chasing him?

Again, not aurally pleasing.

What can we say? The Kansas City Chiefs’ hogs up front aren’t pretty like a Jamaal Charles cut and sprint towards the end zone. They’re not full of finesse like Dwayne Bowe catching a pass on the sideline and tip toeing both feet in bounds to move the chains. They’re not either one of those things. I will tell you what they are. They’re mean, they’re nasty and they have the potential to be the best offensive line in the NFL this season.

If (yes, there’s an “if” involved) the starting five can manage to stay healthy, and (yes, an “if” and an “and”) Branden Albert shows up.

Speaking of Branden Albert, let’s talk about Kansas City’s wayward son.

Word on the street is, former Chiefs’ general manager, Scott Pioli, was trying to work a long term deal with Albert’s people last year prior to Pioli being fired. That extension never materialized and when the new regime couldn’t strike a deal with Albert prior to the free agent deadline earlier this year, they applied the franchise tag to Albert. In a nutshell, this means the Chiefs own the rights to Albert for the 2013 season and must pay him $9.8 million for the year.

The Chiefs have three options at this point.

Option #1: Trade Albert

The biggest sticking point with a potential trade is the gaining team will insist on agreeing to a new contract in principle before completing the trade. This will ensure their investment is protected and they’ll keep the traded player for longer than the one year the player is franchised.

The Chiefs tried to broker a trade with the Miami Dolphins for Albert in the week leading up to the 2013 NFL Draft. The Dolphins reportedly agreed to Albert’s contract demands but were unwilling to give into the Chiefs’ demands for a 2^nd round draft pick in this year’s draft. This caused the transaction to fall through and Albert to remains on the roster.

Option #2: Allow Albert to Play Under the Franchise Tag

This is probably the most likely option for the Chiefs this season. If this course of action is followed, Albert will be under contract to attend all “mandatory” team activities, OTA’s, training camp and games. If he skips any of these activities, he would be fined which would affect his bottom line. Since this whole conversation is about money, Chiefs fans can rest assured that Albert won’t do anything that will take cash out of his wallet. Some fans and Albert critics are concerned that Albert won’t “try as hard” this season under this option because he’s unhappy and disgruntled. Let me dispel those rumors.

A: The man is a professional football player who has nearly ten million reasons this season to perform to utmost of his ability.

B: This is essentially a contract year for him. Not only will the Chiefs’ coaching team and front office personnel be keeping a very close eye on Albert but so will coaches and GMs from other potential landing spots for him next season should he become a free agent. This will cause Albert to almost “over perform” in an effort to impress all parties involved with his play.

In the end, trust me; he’s not going to “call in” his performance this season.

Option #3: Sign Albert to a Long Term Contract

This is perhaps the best case scenario with Branden Albert, however at this point the least likely, in my opinion. I say this for a couple of reasons. Despite what I just said about Albert being a professional, I think he’s probably still a bit salty about the failed Dolphin contract. This failed transaction may have soured him on his desire to remain the starting left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs beyond the 2013 season. I’m not saying he won’t sign a long term deal; I’m just saying he may need a bit more convincing than he would with another team.

One thing the Chiefs did gain out of the talks with the Dolphins was  they found out exactly how much money it would take to get Albert to say “yes” to a contract – at least if that contract was in South Beach. The Chiefs, along with the rest of us reading the reports in the news, learned that Albert is looking for money similar to what former Dolphin Jake Long got from the St. Louis Rams, which is around the neighborhood of $36 million for four years. Time will tell if that’s what the Chiefs are willing to pay the man who has protected Kansas City’s blind side for the past five seasons.

All that being said, why should the Chiefs fight to keep Albert long term? The Chiefs just drafted perhaps the best left tackle to come out of the NCAA since the formerly mentioned Jake Long. This has caused some discord with Albert, who has repeatedly stated he does not want to play right tackle. Andy Reid took the first step to set Albert’s mind at ease on that front.

“And so, you never know, I mean, in this business you’d love to say that he’d be here or not be here, one of the two, but I know he’s a good kid, I know he’s a hard worker and I know he’s a good left tackle. So that gives us a whole lot of flexibility, and if he was here today he would be the left tackle.”

-          Andy Reid

In typical Andy Reid-ese, he’s essentially said that Albert is penciled in at left tackle. That leaves Eric Fisher at right tackle and the best two guards and center in between. You see, Andy Reid believes you play the “best five guys” on the offensive line. Apparently he thinks Albert is the best bet to protect Alex Smith’s blindside. I’m inclined to agree. Here’s why.

Since arriving in Kansas City, Albert has only allowed his assigned defender to get to the quarterback 27 times in 73 games played. That’s one sack every three games. I like those odds. Keep in mind, he managed to provide this supreme protection with substandard quarterbacks who generally held onto the ball entirely too long. Through all of this, Albert held up his end of the deal and only got beat once every three games.

If you put an above average quarterback under center (save the Alex Smith argument for another time) who can move through his reads quickly, as well as a quick moving, West Coast Offense, this bodes well for Albert’s protection of the Chiefs’ most important asset. If you look at Alex Smith’s stats, he was sacked 68 times in the last two seasons. That’s more than 2.5 sacks per game. Not all of those sacks came from his blind side. However, it would stand to reason that if he can throw with the accuracy he displayed while being under pressure as he was in San Francisco, imagine what Smith can do with some time behind the best O-Line in the NFL. And, Albert won’t have to do it by himself. Along with Eric Fisher, Albert will most likely be playing alongside Geoff Schwartz, Rodney Hudson and Jon Asamoah who will hold down the center of the line.  

I know I made the argument through the talks with the Dolphins that the Chiefs should trade Albert. I believed since the Chiefs could have potentially gotten back into the second round of a draft full of high caliber second round talent, and they were predisposed to selecting Albert’s replacement with the first overall pick it was the smartest thing to do. I stand firm by that line of thinking. But that was then and this is now. The trade talks have died, the Chiefs have a high caliber player in Albert as well as a guy who can anchor their line for many years to come in Fisher. If Reid can make this whole thing work, the Chiefs have taken a huge step towards turning around that 2-14 season to one full of wins and happy Chiefs fans on Sunday afternoons this fall.

What do you think, Addicts? Should the Chiefs hold onto Albert or continue to find trading partners for him and take less than what he’s worth? Let me know!

Until next time, Addicts!

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs have a new personnel guy coming over from the Chicago Bears.

According to Adam Caplan of The Sideline View, Bears personnel executive Chris Ballard is coming to KC for a promotion.

From Caplan:

Chicago Bears director of pro scouting Chris Ballard is leaving the team to take a job with the Kansas City Chiefs, an NFL source said.

Ballard, who was promoted in June of 2012 to his current role with the Bears, will oversee pro and college scouting departments for the Chiefs under general manager John Dorsey, according to the source.

Ballard, now in his twelfth season in the NFL, spent his first 11 seasons as a Southwest area scout for the Bears.

Now that the NFL Draft is over, there is bound to be some shakeups in scouting departments around the league. There will probably be more moves coming for the Chiefs, as new GM John Dorsey will want to get his own scouts in place.

Just as Scott Pioli did when he came to Kansas City, Dorsey kept most of the scouts already in-house in place through the draft. Since Dorsey couldn’t exactly bring an army of scouts with him from Green Bay, he needed to rely on the guys that Pioli hired to give him intel on perspective draftees. Let’s just hope Dorsey’s first draft does better than Pioli’s did.