A favorite pastime for Chiefs fans this offseason has been debating whether or not a Matt Cassel-led Kansas City Chiefs can achieve Super Bowl glory. Abounding arguments eventually degenerate to: you need an elite QB to win a SB, and Matt Cassel is not an elite QB.

Some of the more brazen fans would allude to the possibility that Matt Cassel still might become elite. While there still may be time for him to develop, and it’ll be interesting to see how Tom House’s work with Cassel on his throwing mechanics will translate to the field on game day, the odds of eliteness aren’t too good. However, with all the changes we hope to see, we should be looking at a Top 20 passing offense at the least.

“Big whoop,” I imagine you saying. “In what world does a team with a QB lucky to break the Top 20 have a real chance at a Super Bowl title? Sure, Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson did it. But two teams in the past 12 years are not the kind of odds to hang your hopes on.”

Methinks you doth protest too much.

I’m not gonna rehash the little factoids such as Rex Grossman getting the Bears to the SB in the 2006 season. Or that just this past season we were poor special teams play away from witnessing two non-elite QBs in the big game. Though go-to favorites, we’re all Addicts here, and those arguments are old hat.

But what if I told you that the ’00 Ravens and ’02 Bucs weren’t the only teams to win a SB in the past dozen years without elite QB-play? That three other teams made it happen in a way our very own Chiefs could well duplicate this year? I present to you the ’01 Patriots, the ’05 Steelers and ’07 Giants.

“Wait just a minute, slappy; Brady, Roethlisberger and Eli Manning are all counted among the elite.” Yeah they are… now. But let’s take off the rose-tinted glasses and go back in time to the years these QBs got their first SB rings… And it’s not nice to call me “slappy”…

The date is Feb. 3, 2002: Rams vs. Patriots. After Drew Bledsoe suffered a serious injury in Week 2 of the season, the Patriots had been left to play a sixth-round pick out of Michigan that only just entered his second year as an NFL pro. He hasn’t done too bad over the season, but, still, the Patriots finished off the season ranking only 22^nd in passing. By comparison, they ranked 13^th in rushing, and their defense 6^th in points allowed. Brady has only posted 2,843 passing yards on the season (a career low in seasons he saw significant playing time), 18 TDs (another career low), and a 2.9 percent INT rate (a career high). Further, the Patriots barely made it through the playoffs, and were fortunate that their divisional round game against the Raiders was officiated by a team of refs that were aware of an obscure rule that kept what could’ve been a fumble merely an incomplete pass, opening up an opportunity for K Adam Vinatieri to make an insanely long kick in terrible weather conditions… the kind of kick Hollywood would glorify, but moviegoers would think to be too highly unlikely, if not impossible, to happen in real life. Following up on that near loss, the Patriots met trouble in the AFC Championship game against the Steelers. Brady went down to injury and Bledsoe came back in and was able to save the day.

So it was a rough road, but the Patriots were able to make it into the Super Bowl. Let’s see how Brady did: completing 16 out of 27 passes (a 59.25% completion rate), Brady had 145 yards passing on the day and one TD (an eight-yd pass to David Patten). Not quite yet the showing of an elite QB. So where did the win come from if not on the back of the QB? I see they rushed for a combined 133 yards, almost matching their passing production (not too shabby). Still, the Pats total combined offense didn’t surpass Kurt Warner’s passing offense (365 yards), and chipping in 92 yards rushing for the Rams just adds to the lopsidedness. Guess the Pats’ defense is owed a lot of credit considering all that production didn’t result in more points. Okay, and Ty Law had a 47-yd INT return for a TD. That would definitely help. And Vinatieri shows up again with 37-yd and 48-yd FGs; the 48-yarder getting the win. Guess we know who’s getting the MVP… Wait! It was Brady?!?! I guess giving the K his due would offend your QBs delicate sensibilities. But what about Ty Law, or someone else on D that shut down the Rams when it was needed the most? “What’s that? Defensive players get the SB MVP with the same frequency they win the Heisman, and Ray Lewis just got MVP in the previous SB?” Okay. Let the history book insinuate that Brady was better than he was that early on; in the meantime, sports photographers will make a killing selling Vinatieri pictures and prints to the New England fans that knew better.

Moving on, let’s examine Roethlisberger and the 2005 Steelers. You know what? This one’s easy. The Steelers finished the season ranked 24^th in passing offense, 5^th in rushing offense and 3^rd in Defensive Points Allowed. They had as many TDs rushing as they did passing (21) and four of those passing TDs weren’t even thrown by Roethlisberger. Big Ben had 2,385 passing yards on the season, and had a pathetic showing in the SB, posting a Passer Rating of 22.6. Seriously. Ben completed 9 of 21 passes for 123 yds in the SB, and 2 INTS. The only Pittsburgh TD reception came on a WR pass from Antwaan Randle-El to Hines Ward. If the 2002 Bucs are proof that a team can win it all with a disgustingly high scoring defense, the 2005 Steelers are proof perfect that a team with a shutdown defense and a top notch running game can win it all.

The 2007 Giants are perhaps the toughest to defend. Eli finished the season with 3,336 passing yards (right around Cassel’s top end). While he did post 23 TD receptions on the year, he led the league in INTs with 20… by no means a good ratio, let alone an “elite” QBs ratio. He also completed only 57.7 percent of his passes (Cassel’s career average is 59 percent). All in all, the Giants passing offense on the season was ranked 21^st, their defense 17^th in points allowed (though 7^th in yards allowed), and 4^th overall in rushing offense with their RBs contributing 15 TDs on the season. So their defense was about average, their running game well above average, and their passing game considerably below average.

What makes a tough point to argue is that Eli put in a significantly better SB performance than either Brady or Ben in their first go-rounds (especially Ben… 22.6 Passer Rating?!?! C’mon!) Eli completed 19 of 34 passes (a 55.9% completion rate) for 255 yds, two TDs and one INT. What shouldn’t be overlooked is the fact that the Patriots were having a perfect season, losing no games and averaging just shy of 37 points per game and despite this, the Giants’ defense really stepped it up and held the Pats to 14 points (including overcoming a near successful game winning drive in the final minute of play).

It should also be remembered that the Giants’ final drive was kept alive by David Tyree knowing enough to break his route and give Eli a target down-field before getting sacked… and also making a miraculous helmet catch that may well define the term “circus catch”. While Eli deserves some credit for staying on his feet; Tyree deserves the bulk of the credit for his situational awareness and making such an unlikely catch.

So, there you have it: three more teams and three more SBs, where the quality of QB play was much less elite and much more Cassel-esque. And while these players may be elite now, their production and circumstances indicate that in these years their teams won, not on the strength of their QB, but on the strength of the team as a whole. Be it a strong defense keeping the score low, a running game that pounded the ball and controlled the clock, or particularly good special teams play, these teams persevered and earned the coveted title.

Overall, our beloved Chiefs have the makings of such a team. Our defense is primed to crack the Top 10, if not the Top five. If Charles and Hillis return to some semblance of their 2010 form, the Chiefs are pretty much guaranteed a Top 5 run game, if not No. 1. And the increased talent and strength of our offensive line should keep the Richard Seymours of the world at bay long enough for Ryan Succop to keep us alive when we need it the most. Everyone wants a playoff win (and it has been a while), and as heartbreaking as it may be to hope for a higher goal and fall short, I see no reason why we can’t win it all this year and bring the Lombardi Trophy to where it would look best: Kansas City. Go Chiefs!!!!!!!!

Michael Hickey-US PRESSWIRE

According to Mike Garafolo of The Star Ledger, the Kansas City Chiefs have decided to hire New York Giants assistant Jack Bicknell to be their new offensive line coach.

We heard news that the CHiefs were interviewing Bicknell a few days ago. The team needed to fill the vacancy left by former offensive line coach and offensive coordinator Bill Muir, who recently announced his retirement.

Bicknell has been the assistant offensive line coach in New York for the last three years. I expect the Chiefs will announce the move later today or tomorrow.

Poor Tony G.

The Atlanta Falcons got curb stomped by the New York Giants today 24-2, knocking them out of the playoffs.

It was the same old story for former Chiefs TE and future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. For a guy that seems like he’s done just about everything in his career, Gonzalez has never won a playoff game in his illustrious career.

Tony G just completed his 15th NFL season and has recently signed on with Atlanta to come back for a 16th. He had a bit of a resurgence this season, catching 80 balls for 875 yards and 7 TD’s.

Gonzalez had four receptions for 44 yards today in Atlanta’s loss.

If there is any guy in the NFL who deserves a break in the playoffs, it’s Tony G. Here’s hoping his 16th time is a charm.

If you haven’t heard yet, teams other than the Kansas City Chiefs are picking in the 2011 NFL Draft.  In fact, those teams play a very important role in the Chiefs’ draft since the Chiefs don’t pick in the top 5 this year.  Who the 20 teams before us pick can have a significant impact on who we draft.  So, for those wondering why I don’t think AJ Green or Julio Jones will be there for us at 21, take a look at one way I see the first round of the Draft going.
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Taylor (right) 2 weeks to the day he was charged with raping a 16 year old girl. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Hey Addicts, I know this isn’t Chiefs related but it is an article I wrote for the Fansided.com main page and I am pretty proud of it so I wanted to share it with you all.

First it was Ben Roethlisberger.

He is a two time Super Bowl winning QB. He plays the most important position on the field for one of the most well respected and loved professional football teams in America and he is paid millions upon millions of dollars for it. He can go anywhere he wants, whenever he wants and given his fame and fortune, he probably shouldn’t have that hard of a time meeting women.

Of all the places in the world Ben Roethlisberger can spend his evening, he goes to a small college town in Georgia. He brings with him an entourage of friends and bodyguards. He proceeds to take over the back room or “VIP” section a club. He instructs the bodyguards that “only women” are allowed in the back.

Gee, I wonder why?

He proceeds to entertain all the young women wanting to get a look at an NFL QB by buying them round after round of shots. One of those women, who is underage, becomes extremely drunk. According to the alleged victim, Roethliberger then begins making sexual advances toward her. She tells him that they do not need to do this but he tells her it is ok. She rises to get away from him and walks through the first door she sees, which happens to be the women’s bathroom. Roethlisberger follows her in and continues his advances. She again tells him “we don’t need to do this.” He again tells her “it’s ok,” and according to the alleged victim, he proceeds to have sex with her.

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I also suggested that the Bills might trade up with the Chiefs to aquire Sam Bradford. I was called daft for that as well. Not so crazy these days, is it?

OK, gloating aside, there were also plenty of things I was off base about. But hey, that is the fun of doing these things, no? I hope you enjoy reading these mocks as much as we enjoy coming up with them.

Each mock inevitably brings in new readers that are fans of other teams. To those folks I say welcome to Arrowhead Addict. We are happy to have you. Please, however, keep in mind that this is a Chiefs site, so if we get your teams pick wrong, chilax. Remember, this is all make-believe. I suggest, if you are going to comment, tell us what you think your team should do and add to the discussion, instead of wasting a perfectly thoughts in favor calling me a moron and declaring this the worst mock draft since Mel Kiper’s hair started looking ridiculous. Cheers!

Pick	Team	Player Selected	Player’s Position	Player’s School	Analysis
1.		Sam Bradford	Quarterback	Oklahoma	Different QB, same result. If the Rams were watching the playoffs last year and I know they were because they sure weren’t in them, they saw the caliber of QB it takes to succeed in the NFL. Manning, Brees, Favre, Rivers, Brady. There were some injury concerns about Bradford but those appear to be waning. He absolutely dazzled folks at the Combine with his size and character. Granted, he didn’t throw but unless his arm falls off at the shoulder at his pro day, this kid has a very big chance of going #1.
2.		Ndamukong Suh	Defensive Tackle	Nebraska	Lion’s defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham must be bursting with glee at the prospect of Bradford going #1. Last I heard, he anointed two armed guards to follow Bradford everywhere he goes and Cunningham himself, is giving Bradford daily shoulder massages and is waiting on the QB hand and foot to help him relax for his pro day. That scream of glee you hear when the Rams draft Bradford, that will be Cunningham.
3.		Gerald McCoy	Defensive Tackle	Oklahoma	This choice will be pretty automatic for Tampa. They would probably rather trade back (who wouldn’t) but it isn’t going to happen. Their only hope is that some QB desperate team freaks and goes all in to get Clausen out of fear that the Redskins will take him. I just don’t think it will happen. #3 is really high to trade up. The earliest trade I think we will see is at #5 with KC but you never know.
4.		Jimmy Clausen	Quarterback	Notre Dame	I am baffled when I see mock drafts that have the redskins picking a LT like Okung here to protect Jason Campbell. That is like trying to convince Jamarcus Russel to show up to camp thinner than Tom Cable. It ain’t gonna happen.  Old rat face made his bacon in Denver by somehow creating a running game out of thin air with any HB who happen to be standing on his sideline. He took an entire offensive line cast off by the Browns and made them decent. No, I have changed my mind on this. Shanahan is not going to roll with Jason Campell. I wouldn’t put it past Shanni to pull a fast one and snatch up Chad Pennington for a year to have him run a bootleg extravaganza but I think if Clausen is there he is going to take him and get to work on terrorizing the NFC.

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The loss of Tony G will hurt the Chiefs short-term financially, far more than the value of crap draft picks we would gain in return (unless they are 1st or second round). Additionally, God help the player we get in the draft due to the number of Tony G references he would have to suffer through. Also, from a business standpoint, getting rid of the only player most women can name on the Chiefs is a silly idea if revenue has any importance locally. I can name 10 women off the top of my head that will be soured and bitchy on the Chiefs forever if they ship the Big Vegetarian Burrito out of town. That’s 10 people not going to games, buying beers, paying for parking etc. If Tony splits, you can literally multiply that number by 1000. Ask any female Chiefs fan who their favorite player is and they don’t hesitate to tell you, “Tony Gonzalez.” And of course, there will be tons of those “Tony deserves to be traded to a contender” people out there. Y’all are so sweet.

I’ve maintained this position for a week now, and I continue to support the theory that if Herm and Co. would have gotten Tony the record in front of family and Chiefs fans, instead of dissing him; I don’t think Tony would have been as upset or as accepting of a trade. Tony was mad and he had every right to be. Was this the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back? Some have speculated that T.G. went in after the Atlanta game and asked for the trade. After Thiggy Small’s Interception Party, that is believable. “Oh, you guys have a rookie QB in Matt Ryan? Well, we will play our third string QB just to even things out.”

Some of the real offers being reported are: a third rounder from Buffalo, oh and a new set of speculation from Buffalo too, some interest from Philadelphia, and a low-ball sixth-round pick from the New York Giants. (You kinda gotta love someone for low-balling Carl. How’s your own medicine taste King?) Of course, KC’s former favorite redneck footballer, Jared Allen, had to poke his nose into this too. Mind your business Jared. KC is no longer a concern to you. If you don’t like Big Red then #@CK YOU.

There is also some late talk from the “King of plagurizing Rick Reilly”, Adam Schefter*, that the Dolphins are shopping QB John Beck and the Detroit Lions throwing out last year’s surprise garbage time fantasy hero, WR Shaun McDonald. If Beck can’t outplay Pennington, we shouldn’t want him. *I caught A.S. copying a paragraph of R.R.’s and through that, met Woody Paige at the Denver Post. True story.

Here are some of the scenarios of trading Tony G for some “good” players. Listed below are some potential deals and big name players that will be free agents next year, and could immediately contribute to the Chiefs.

• Trade to the Giants for their 2nd and fifth…surely Tony is at least worth Shockey compensation.
• Trade him for the Cardinal’s Anquan Boldin – drawbacks: Q wants paid massively and we’d likely have to throw in a 1st rounder. Worth it? No, probably not with Brokie Croyle at the wheel.
• Trade for Ocho Cinco – No one in the league needs a change of scenery more. Worth it? I personally like Ocho but I’m not sure if I’d like him in my backyard. Worth it if we don’t give anything else.
• Trade him to the Cardinals for Karlos Dansby He’s 26 and a rising star linebacker. We’d have to throw in a 1st. The Cards will probably franchise him.
• Trade him for Derek Anderson - but after he decided to actually play well last night; weeks after RUINING my fantasy draft and being cut (by me), the Browns won’t trade him, and he can kiss my ass.
• Tony wants to cry? Ship him to Oakland to die. We’ll take next year’s FA corner Nmadhi Asomugha out of Davisland: second to Neverland Ranch on “Places not to be in after the sun sets“.

Other Noteable FA’s:
Tank Johnson, Mike Peterson, Bart Scott, Chris Gamble, Dawan Landry, Terrell Suggs, Jonathan Vilma, Eric Barton and Ray Lewis.


Sound off Addicts: What should we do with the Big Burrito?

The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t going to wake up this year, next or the one after that and discover that they have become the New England Patriots. Not going to happen. That’s why they need to adopt a New York state of mind, and quick. No, Herm Edwards, not your former J-E-T-S–the G-Men. The Chiefs need to examine the New York Giants‘ roster that Jerry Reese and Tom Coughlin built in The Big Apple, and use that blueprint as a guide to success back in K.C.

The Giants have become a hard-nosed team that successfully both runs the football and rushes the passer week in, week out. Because of those highly desired gridiron traits, the G-Men were road warriors. That’s how you get it done in the NFL–protect your own backyard, give ‘em hell on the road.

If you compare the Chiefs’ and Giants’ rosters, you’ll see that the two teams have a lot in common. Bookend defensive ends? Check. Smash-mouth feature running back? Check. Perennial All-Pro tight end? Check. Bona fide No. 1 WR? Check. Rangy linebackers? Check. Somewhat spotty secondary? Check.

The Giants’ offensive line is solid, but not spectacular. Where they really have us beat is at the defensive tackle and quarterback positions. That’s why I fully believe that if the Chiefs adopt my NFL Draft plan they will put themselves on a trajectory similar to the one the Giants have enjoyed. I’m not saying we’ll win a Super Bowl, I’m saying we’ll put ourselves in position to compete for the Super Bowl.

• Step One – Draft DT Sedrick Ellis, USC

There is at least a handful of can’t-miss prospects in this year’s draft class. What does that mean? It means that picking fifth we can’t afford to walk away from NFL Draft weekend without one of the five best players from the draft. It also means that we shouldn’t trade down. The top players in this draft blow the rest of this class away, but it’s deep because of underclassmen. That means that we’d be foolish to trade back to draft two players in the first round similar to the talents we can pick up in the second and third rounds.

Ellis will be a star. His addition to our defensive line will give us one of the most ferocious units in the league by far. We all witnessed how the Super Bowl was won. Ellis will make our D-line G-Menesque. I recommend picking him over even Darren McFadden, Jake Long and Matt Ryan. I’d give Glenn Dorsey the same recommendation if he passes our injury screenings. We also cannot give in to temptation and draft either Chris Long or Vernon Gholston–we have our defensive ends. Two great ones at that.

• Step Two – Draft an Offensive Tackle in Round Two

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Check out the footage…

For all your Super Bowl coverage this week, at least Giants wise, be sure to head on over to G-Men Headquarters (gmenhq.com), our sister site and the best Giants blog on the Net.