Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs signed Stanford Routt to replace CB Brandon Carr.

Then they cut Routt after just eight games.

Routt has been no world-beater while a member of the Chiefs but he is far from the worst player on the roster.

Here is what head coach Romeo Crennel said about the move:

“The transition was taking a little bit longer than I thought it was going to take,” Crennel said, “so we just felt like it was time to part ways.”

“He was trying to learn the system and trying to adapt and making some progress at that but I needed it to be faster. I thought it was going to be faster but it wasn’t happening so I made the move.”

Despite Crennel’s words, it is hard not to feel like the Chiefs just got worse…if that is even possible.

What do you think?

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

According to Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star, the Kansas City Chiefs have waived CB Stanford Routt in order to make room for DT Shaun Smith.

What. Is. Going. On.

I…don’t understand this. Routt hasn’t played that well but he sure as heck isn’t worthy of being cut. Especially considering some of the other players the Chiefs have on the roster.

“The transition was taking a little bit longer than I thought it was going to take,” Crennel said, “so we just felt like it was time to part ways.

“He was trying to learn the system and he trying to adapt and making some progress at that but I needed it to be faster. I thought it was going to be faster but it wasn’t happening so I made the move.”

Well, my fellow KC Chiefs fans, welcome to the football dead zone. The stretch between the NFL Draft and the start of training camp is probably the least exciting time to be a die-hard NFL fan and definitely the hardest time to be an NFL blogger. Yes there are some interesting tidbits coming out of OTAs, but until they actually put pads on and hit somebody, everything is pretty much just speculation.

So what can we do to try and get some good old-fashioned football debates going?

Well how about we play a new game called “Tell me I’m wrong!” It’s easy, I’ll make some predictions that I 100 percent believe about the upcoming season and you tell me when you think I’m wrong. Then I’ll respond to your comment and tell you why you’re wrong for thinking that I’m wrong. It will be great, trust me (hey, it’s the offseason, what else are we going to talk about?).

Ready to play?

Here we go……

1. Stanford Routt will lead KC in interceptions.

I don’t think Routt is a better player than either Brandon Flowers or Eric Berry. However, I do think he will be the most thrown at player in the Chiefs’ secondary. My guess is that Routt may not be as consistent as Brandon Carr was, but he will make more big plays. Carr was a great cover corner but he never was a big interception guy (he averaged just two per season over his four years in KC). I think Routt will probably give up more big plays than Carr did, but will help make up for it by coming up with more big plays. Teams will be tempted to test him both because he may give up an occasional big play and because of Flowers’ great coverage skills opposite him. Plus Routt will be lined up a lot against #2 WRs (as opposed to last season in Oakland when he had to cover the other team’s #1). Because of this, I think Routt will be good for about five interceptions this coming season.

Tell me I’m wrong!

2. Amon Gordon will play more snaps at 3-4 NT this season than either of the “Po(w)e Boys”.

When the Chiefs drafted Dontari Poe with the #11 pick, most national commentators stated that Romeo Crennel would plug Poe in at NT from day one. I haven’t ever believed that to be true. I’m not bashing Poe, or even bashing the pick, just the logic that he would walk right in and be the starting NT. The NT in the Chiefs 3-4 is all about technique and leverage. Those two things happen to be two of Poe’s weakest areas coming out of college. Do I think Romeo and defensive line coach Anthony Pleasant can teach Poe the technique needed to be a starting 3-4 NT? Yes. Will it happen in one offseason? Probably not. Poe has been running with the first team nickel package, but is way down the depth chart at NT (even Anthony Toribio has gotten snaps ahead of him). So that leaves KC with either Gordon or last year’s 6th round pick Jerrell Powe as the starting NT to begin the year. I know fans are enamored of Powe, but the Chiefs have shown no signs thus far that they share that infatuation. Gordon was active over Powe all of last season and when the Chiefs base defense took the field for the first time in OTAs it was Gordon that lined up at NT. In addition, Gordon also has the versatility to play the 3-4 DE spots. So if Dorsey or Jackson were to go down mid-game the Chiefs could slide Gordon over to DE and play Dontari at NT (since he will be active for sub packages). The same could not be said for Powe who hasn’t played at all at DE or in the sub package. I won’t be surprised if Dontari Poe is the starting NT by the end of the season, but I still believe that Amon Gordon will lead the team in snaps played at NT when the season comes to an end.

Tell me I’m wrong!

3. Undrafted FA Josh Bellamy will beat out seventh round draft pick Junior Hemingway for the final WR spot.

I stated before that there really isn’t much that you can take from OTAs other than speculation. I think Josh Bellamy may be an exception. In Romeo’s presser following the undrafted player tryouts, Bellamy was the first player he mentioned when talking about players that got his attention. Then in this OTA update by the Kansas City Star’s Adam Teicher it mentions that with Bowe holding out and Baldwin missing a practice, Bellamy got a few reps with the first string (with no mention of Hemingway). Finally, in this locker room interview, Josh Looney talks about how Bellamy has experience playing defensive back and how that defensive experience helps him to excel on special teams. If Bellamy has flashed more as a WR thus far AND has a leg up on Hemingway on ST (where the last WR will see most of their action) I think Bellamy may be the clear favorite at this point despite the fact that Hemingway was drafted and Bellamy was not.

Tell me I’m wrong!

4. Peyton Hillis will finish the year with 100 more touches than Jamaal Charles.

I love Jamaal Charles. I think he is the most talented player on the team. That having been said, he has a small frame for a NFL running back and is coming off major knee surgery. The Chiefs previously were careful with Charles’ workload and that was before his knee injury. When the season begins, I wouldn’t be surprised if Charles only averaged 8-12 touches per game until the Chiefs start to feel comfortable that he is full strength. If the Chiefs are a run first team that could leave a solid 15-20 touches for Hillis. Plus, Hillis has proven in the past that he is a good receiver out of the back field so the Chiefs don’t have to take him off the field in passing downs. If the Chiefs let an ineffective Thomas Jones have more carries than a healthy Charles; I can’t imagine they wouldn’t let a more effective Hillis carry the load while they slowly bring Charles back. Over the course of 16 games 100 touches would only be an average of 6.25 touches per game.

Tell me I’m wrong!

5. Jonathan Baldwin will play well enough this season that the Chiefs will let Dwayne Bowe walk in free agency next offseason.

Part of the “Patriot Way” has always been knowing when to let a player go. Whether it was cutting Lawyer Milloy, trading Richard Seymour, or releasing Randy Moss, the Patriots have never been afraid to move on. Dwayne Bowe is an incredibly talented player who has always had a bit of a reputation as a “knuckle head.” Bowe may be wanting a huge long-term deal like the one Vincent Jackson signed this offseason, but I just don’t see Pioli giving him that kind of money. Listen to Pioli talk about the scouting process they use on draft picks. He always talks about the players’ “make up” and how they will mentally handle the NFL life and having millions of dollars in their pocket. Ask yourself this, would Pioli have been comfortable drafting Dwayne Bowe out of college based on those criteria? I don’t think he would have. The only way I see him giving Bowe big money is if he thinks he has no choice. Enter Jon Baldwin. Baldwin was a first-round pick by Pioli. He missed time last year on top of having a shortened offseason. Already in OTAs he is getting noticed for highlight-reel, big play catches. If Baldwin can carry that over to the regular season and looks like a #1 caliber WR, that is bad news for those wanting Bowe to stay in KC long term. I’d love to see both Baldwin and Bowe in KC long term, but if KC remains a run-first team they simply don’t need two #1 WRs. I think Jon Baldwin will show himself to be that caliber of player this year and give Pioli the leverage to let Dwayne Bowe walk.

Tell me I’m wrong!

6. Matt Cassel will silence his critics (well, at least some of them) by having his best season in KC.

I already made my case for Matt Cassel in my piece last week. The basis of my argument is this: Every time Cassel has had a good run game and at least an average defense he has put up good results. I think he has a chance to have the best defense of his career this coming year and if Jamaal Charles is healthy then KC could very well lead the league in rushing again. Plus, if you look at Cassel’s WRs in 2010 when he put up good numbers and even made the Pro Bowl (as an alternate), they were horrible after Dwayne Bowe. The additions of Steve Breaston, Jon Baldwin, and even Devon Wylie should mean Cassel has a significantly better core of WRs than he did in 2010. Plus, no one can question Cassel’s work ethic and you know that in the face of all the criticism he’s faced he will do everything possible to prove his critics wrong. I believe everything is lining up for Cassel to have his best season in KC.

Tell me I’m wrong!

So there you go, Addicts, I’ve given you loads of ammo to fuel a good debate in the comments section. Surely one of these made you go, “No Way That Happens!!!!” So let me have it in the comments. I look forward to hearing about how wrong I am.

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

Note: For Internal Use Only. Coaches, players and fans of the Raiders, Chargers and Broncos are not authorized to read this post.

It’s that time of the year. The Draft and free agency have passed and we all feel like we have the best team in the league.  In fact, everyone feels like they have the best team in the league. The only problem is that 31 of them are wrong and we’re probably one of them.

Thus, it has come time for me to assume the role I have carved out on this site and that is being the Debbie Downer. We still have holes and weaknesses. Talented coordinators are going to be able to target those weaknesses and we need to be thinking about how to mask them.

If I am an opposing coach, this is how I plan my game:

Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

1.) Defend RB Jamaal Charles. How? By keeping him out of the end zone. Provided he is back to his old self, he’s almost certainly going to rack up 100+ yards on us. Let him; just don’t let the safeties get beat. Pay the mascot another bounty for taking him out (Just kidding, they’ll be watching this time).

2.) Throw deep. Now, this may seem like a strange prescription given that the Chiefs have one of the best secondaries in the league. However, it makes sense for several reasons.

First off, S Eric Berry and CB Brandon Flowers are scary, scary men when healthy, but there are other bits of the pass defense that are vulnerable. S Kendrick Lewis is a smart ball hawk, but he doesn’t have the wheels to keep up with speedy receivers streaking downfield. Routt is known to willingly take a holding or interference call if he feels like he is losing the wideout, rather than risk give up a touchdown. Send our best track star on a sprint down field a few times per game just to see what happens. Depending on the coverage, we can fake Berry off to the other side, we may get lucky with a blitzing DB, or our guy might just be able to outrun his man. There’s also a good chance we can scare Routt into eating an erroneous penalty. We’ll also probably get favorable matchups with our tight ends against their linebackers and safeties.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Secondly, as we saw last year, all of the Chiefs’ explosive plays comes from two guys –Charles and WR Dwayne Bowe. There is simply no one else on the team who generates big plays with any consistency. While each of those two is guaranteed to have a couple of good-gainers on us, limiting their ability to score will keep the Chiefs off the board. KC was 31^st in scoring last year and 14^th in the league in 2010 when they had all their stars healthy. As long as the game stays close, we will be able to make big plays on them, and it’s likely they won’t be able to keep up. They counted on the ability to run at will and chew clock in 2010. If we can get a couple of quick, easy touchdowns on them, they won’t be able to use that to their advantage.

3.) Stand tall on first and third down. Jamaal Charles is at his best on first down –108 of his 230 carries (47 percent) were on first for 7.2 yards-per-carry (YPC) in 2010. But, he only averaged 5.2 YPC up the middle. Let him have it. On early downs, keep our backers and ends out in contain on the edges. If we can do that, we can force them into lots of third-down situations. In 2010, the Chiefs were 20^th in the league in converting on third down, 27^th in 2011. Watch out for RB Peyton Hillis on third.

4.) Play smart, the Chiefs likely won’t. In 2010, KC was the 12^th most penalized team in the league. In 2011, they were 9^th, and they just added a couple of Raiders. They are a very young team, and when they are frustrated, they will gift you yards. Let’s not be so generous.

5.) Win in the beginning. Both Hillis and Charles put up their best numbers in the first quarter. As long as they are just tallying up yardage while we are tallying up points with a few big plays, we can live with that. Matt Cassel had a passer rating of 52.3 in the fourth quarter of games that were decided by seven points or less. He’s not much better in overtime. If we are still leading going into the fourth, we have to feel good about our chances of winning.

So, Addicts, that’s how opposing teams will be looking at us. What do we do to counter?

With four days to the Draft, we still have no idea who the Chiefs are going to pick first in the Draft.

I myself have argued for Poe, for Tannehill and for neither. The fact is that there is not a single right answer in this year’s Draft for the Chiefs. I believe strongly there are multiple ways they could go that will pay off for them down the road. It’s one of those beautiful times when the question is more about how the Chiefs will get stronger, not whether.

With that in mind, over the last few weeks I’ve been reviewing the Chiefs’ tape. In an admission of total powerlessness to my NFL addiction I paid the $69.99 to re-up my subscription for the NFL Gamepass to be able to watch NFL Network and all the games of the 2011 season on demand until August.

While I’ve already watched every game the Chiefs played in 2011, some stand out more memorably in my mind due to a mix of factors. Because I watch live games from 8-9 hours ahead of Eastern Time all year (meaning noon kickoffs at Arrowhead are either 9 or 10 p.m. here), sleepiness/alcohol remain obstacles to proper analysis. I also feel like the offseason narratives tend to take a life of their own the further and further we get away having actually seen some football played. We all agree that the Chiefs are going to be better and in contention for the division title again this year. But they were downright bad in certain areas last years – and not just at positions where we had injuries.

Therefore, I decided I would take a look a back at the season of ups and downs in a mixed order so to not just look at the awful start and the inspiring finish, but try to see how players played in the season as a whole. My final goal of looking back was to scout the Chiefs’ additions this offseason.

First up:

Week 15 Raiders at Chiefs, L 16-13

• Why: I was actually physically present at this game and long wanted to revisit it, because, although I had great seats and a marvelous view of how it went down, I continued to find it very hard to wrap my head around just how we managed to lose this game. Save for an easy field goal that was blocked as time expired, this would have won the division for us. I also figured it would be a good chance to scout CB Stanford Routt, who saw the light and joined the Chiefs after being cut by the Oakland freak show.
• Moving the ball: The Raiders have a very good front seven, and while the Chiefs didn’t run all over them, we overall did not have problems getting downfield. The fact that we only put 13 points on the board was due primarily to two blocked field goals, some questionable penalties and one AWFUL Kyle Orton interception in the endzone.
• Game-changing defense: Overall, it’s pretty clear that the majority of the Chiefs’ playmakers are on defense. We all love Hali and Flowers, but what was most interesting in this game was the play of S Kendrick Lewis and CB Javier Arenas. Each are young and promising players who also make bone-headed moves at times. Arenas, 24, had a timely interception that could have changed the game in the Chiefs’ favor. But as usual, he also drew a few penalties and got beat on a throws to the flat (although depending on the coverage scheme for that play, it could have been intentional). Lewis, 23, broke up two key passes, and again had a game of stout run support, but he also got beat BADLY on the first play of overtime, which was a deep pass to Denarius Moore that ended up sealing the Raiders’ victory. I have a love/hate relationship with both of these guys. They make plays, plain and simple, plus Arenas is a very valuable special teamer. At times they look so great I hate the idea of drafting or signing their replacements through free agency. But they also make some really deadly mistakes. In the end I think they will keep getting better and will be great for the Chiefs down the road. What gives me pause is the idea: can we afford it if they don’t?

Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

• Stanford Routt is very, very good: Look, Brandon Carr was a great fan favorite and Routt had horrendous 2011 numbers. He both gave up more touchdowns than any other corner in the NFL, he was also the most penalized guy at his position. But, if you actually watch him play, you understand why. First off, the Raiders are a blitz-happy, man-on-man defensive team, which means that whoever is covering the other team’s #1 option is screwed a good portion of the time. That defense was designed for Nnamdi Asomugha, who can handle being on an island, but Routt just doesn’t have his phenomenal ability. Still, he did very well with what he had to offer. As for penalties, the Raiders are the most penalized team in the league and this Week 16 nearly beat the single-game record for penalties. The fact is that it was clear Routt knew the score, knew he had no help half the time, so whenever he felt like Dwayne Bowe was about to break away from him, he took the 10-yard defensive holding penalty rather than give up a touchdown. In the end, he had an interception and held Bowe to six catches and a touchdown (a beautiful, undefendable left-arm bullet-pass). In my mind, that is overall a wash, which, on a team with crappy D-backs against the clear #1 target, is more than admirable. As for his stats and performance for the Chiefs, I think he will be a great #2 CB, and with S Eric Berry able to get to both sides of the field to help out in pass support with his insane athleticism, I think Routt will be safe to lay up on the penalties and just do what he does. In KC, he won’t have to carry the entire defensive backfield on his shoulders.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

• Our offensive line is serviceable: Even against the solid Oakland front seven, the Chiefs were very productive running the ball, and only passed it when it was absolutely necessary, despite the fact that the Raiders were overall weaker in the secondary. For what G Ryan Lilja lacks in pass-blocking, he remains a very good run-blocker, especially when pulling to the outside.
• The “not getting it done” factor: The Chiefs suffered from this all season long. Sure, we lost by the freak probabilities of having a game-winning field goal blocked as time expired. But the Chiefs should have never been in that position. We outplayed the Raiders for all but a few big moments. We should have won by two scores, but we didn’t capitalize on our opportunities the way that winning teams find a way to do.
• Insight for the Draft: This was a very evenly matched game and when we play the Raiders next two times, it will not be so close in terms of the level of talent on the field. With all of the Chiefs’ injured players back plus free agent acquisitions and the Draft (Oakland is all but skipping the Draft this year), we should be able to roll these clowns on paper going into the next meeting. However, they will still be able to shoot at our Achilles’ heel – if Berry is out or is covering a different guy, we do not have any other pure athletes in our secondary that can keep up with the Raiders’ signature track-squad WR corps. If we continue to have problems scoring, this tendency to give up big plays late will still kill us in the end. Lewis may be a great run-support banger safety, but he is a liability against speedy downfield weapons. If the Chiefs trade back in the first round, I will have no problem with selecting Mark Barron with our first pick.

Kelly Lambert-US PRESSWIRE

Barron to KC? What do you think?

Tradeoffs (sigh).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not good? How about not so fast?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

That’s my Double Take.

Sound off Addicts!

Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs made a pre-free agency splash yesterday by signing the best free agent currently available in former Raiders CB Stanford Routt.

The news sent shock waves through the NFL for a number of reasons. For one, it has cause many around the league to assume that Chiefs CB Brandon Carr will hit the free agent market and that WR Dwayne Bowe will be re-signed or franchised, thus tightening the WR market.

In the end, however, we don’t know how this situation is going to play out. What we do know is that Routt is a Chief and that he chose KC over plenty of other interested parties. He spoke recently with ESPN’s Josina Anderson and explained which team’s were courting him and what attracted him to Kansas City.

“I took visits with Cincinnati, Kansas City and Buffalo, and was in communication with Minnesota, Tennessee, Dallas, Houston and New Orleans. I made my decision before taking visits with those teams.”

That is a pretty good mix of teams and so it is good to know that the Chiefs were able convince Routt to come to town. There has been some fear among fans that free agents are avoiding Kansas City for various reasons but Routt’s signing would seem to indicate that those fears may be misguided.

So why choose KC over Dallas and New Orleans?

“I trust the Kansas City Chiefs to lead us in the right direction,” said Routt. “It helps that I’ll be playing in the AFC West going on eight years now, so I think that will be a plus. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Romeo Crennel with his defensive expertise, so the sky is the limit for us. When you look at that, and combine it with the pieces they have on offense, I don’t see why we can’t win.”

The Chiefs’ offseason has now officially begun with the signing of CB Stanford Routt. There are mixed reviews on the signing. The main reason for this is that people are worried about the team re-signing Brandon Carr.

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat. Brandon Carr is not coming back.

“Lyle, the Chiefs have plenty of money to sign Carr, too! If they don’t re-sign him, they’re just being cheap!”

Fine, you’re entitled to your opinion. Here’s what I know. The Chiefs signed Brandon Flowers to a contract that pays him an average of about $8.3 million per season to be their number one CB. Stanford Routt signed for about $6.5 million per season to be the team’s number two CB. What that tells me is that Brandon Carr isn’t taking number two CB money. If he was willing to sign for around $7 million per season, let’s say five years, $35 million, he would have. By all reports, Carr likes Kansas City. He’s great friends with Brandon Flowers, he’s got a great defensive coach in Romeo Crennel. He even chose to make KC his home in the offseason. So if he was willing to take less money than he’ll get on the open market, I think he would have already. The fact is, he didn’t.
(more…)

The Kansas City Chiefs have gotten an early start on free agency by signing CB Stanford Routt this afternoon. What does this mean for Brandon Carr and Dwayne Bowe? Patrick Allen breaks it down on a special edition of AA Radio.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed former Oakland Raiders CB Stanford Routt. The news could mean that the team is unlikely to retain fan-favorite Brandon Carr.

Do you approve of the move?

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Multiple reports are coming in that former Oakland Raiders CB Stanford Routt will sign a three-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The deal is reportedly worth $19.6 million with a $4 million signing bonus due next month.

While there are no guarantees, this very well could mean the end for Brandon Carr in Kansas City. Judging from the size of Routt’s contract and what Brandon Carr would likely expect from a new deal, it is hard to imagine the Chiefs spending so much money on their 2/3 CBs.

Routt chose the Chiefs over the Bengals and Bills, teams he also visited with in the last week.

According to Brian Williamson of ESPN.com, the Chiefs have $62 million in cap space going into the 2012 season. Chiefs Nation has its fingers crossed that they will actually spend said money. If they do, this is where methinks it should go, in order of priority:

1.) Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe and CB Brandon Carr.

I put these two together, partially to make a point. I think it is important to point out just how cool it is that the Chiefs have two top-10 free agents and the cash to re-sign them. Carr was a fifth-round pick and represents the type of talent this team needs to draft, reward and build around in the future. Not all fifth rounders are going to become quality starters, but it sends a powerful message throughout the organization that no matter how you make it to Arrowhead, if you work hard, develop and don’t get into locker room drama or off-the-field problems, you will be heavily rewarded.

Only one can get the tag, so all things being equal, it makes the most sense to franchise Bowe, because the franchise number for wideouts is $1.2 million cheaper than it is for cornerbacks this year. I’m also more enthusiastic about Carr long-term than Bowe. Bowe is fantastic at times, but he’s had enough issues to where there are more concerns about giving him a monster long-term deal. Carr has been a solid workman – no drama, no quitting, no mug shots. Giving Carr a long-term deal should be easy, whereas some other issues may be worked out with Bowe and the franchise tag gives them another year to do that.

All of that said, it may make more sense to front-load the contracts for these two guys. A four-year deal for each of these guys would probably average about $8 million per year each. But, because the Chiefs are sitting on a cap mother lode, they may as well dump a lot of that salary in bonuses this year – paying each of them, say, $15 million and leaving them with a base salary of $6 million or lower for the next three years. This gives the Chiefs a lot of extra flexibility moving forward.

Plan B:

I mean, I guess you go after Stanford Routt and Vincent Jackson if you for some reason can’t lock up Carr and Bowe. But, while Jackson has a bit more downfield speed than Bowe, I think the two of them are at best equal to Bowe and Carr overall. Routt got tons of penalties for Oakland last year, and Jackson has more attitude issues than Dwayne.

2.) New Orleans G Carl Nicks

Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Paddy pointed to Nicks two weeks before the Super Bowl, and he is still very right. He will be pricey, but very rarely do the best in the biz come available at their position while still young. Nicks is 26, and considered by many to be the best guard in the NFL. If we’re going to shell out this season, this is some conspicuous spending I can get behind. Although the Chiefs were decent in the interior of their O-line last year, their overall depth is dreadful. Snagging Nicks gives the Chiefs a solid rotation of Wiegmann/Hudson at center and Lilja/Asamoah at the other guard position.

Plan B:

Stanford guard David DeCastro is frequently mocked to the Chiefs in the 2012 draft. KC seems to be in the sweet spot for picking him up – 11/12 is typically a bit early to draft and interior lineman, but DeCastro is an atypical talent. Furthermore, as Ladner pointed out last week, guard is about the safest position you can pick at the top of the draft. Ravens G Ben Grubbs would also be a decent pickup, he’s 28, but has had a lot of injury problems.

3.) Texans C Chris Myers*

*If Wiegmann retires.

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Just like Nicks, taking on Myers would add talent to the middle of the line, and would also deepen the Chiefs overall depth in the trenches. The Texans had the best O-line in the NFL, and it was anchored by Myers, who may have been the best center. In addition to being a force up the middle, Myers is a grizzled veteran at calling blocking assignments and keeping the Texans unit gelling. Hudson struggled somewhat in limited snaps at center, and I think I’d feel better about bringing in a serious starter at C if Wiegmann retires, considering how dependent the Chiefs are on the run game for offensive success. Myers is 31, so a two-year deal may be the kind of stopgap that will allow Hudson to transition well into the role. With both Myers and Nicks tearing up the middle, the Chiefs could have a historic running game.

Plan B:

I don’t think this is a huge area of need if Wiegmann sticks it out for another year. I still think the Chiefs should spend a mid-round pick on an interior lineman, just because that’s the kind of position you can never be overloaded in. Hudson would likely perform average or better if thrown into the fire this year.

4.) Dolphins NT Paul Soliai

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Soliai is one of the few true NT’s in the NFL. While he doesn’t put up mean stats, he holds down the middle of the line like a trooper. Miami franchised him last year, and with good reason – they recognize that their 3-4 scheme depends on him. But, because the Dolphins would have to pay him more than $15 million to franchise him this year and Soliai appears determined to test the market, the Chiefs should be able to swoop down and snatch him. Last year, AA writers were pounding the table for Aubrayo Franklin, but he was picked up by the Saints and underwhelmed. I do not thing the same will be the case for Soliai. The Dolphins run a similar defense to the Chiefs and he would fit right in.

Plan B:

While older than Soliai, Simone Pouha, at 33, would be both a stopgap and an upgrade over Kelly Gregg. He’s had more than 50 tackles each of the last two years for the Jets at nose tackle, which is impressive.

5.) Patriots RB BenJarvus Green-Ellis

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I touched on this last week, and I think this signing is both wise and likely. While he hasn’t shown himself to be effective as an every-down back – not that the Patriots run it much anyway – he could be a great 3^rd-down back for the Chiefs. Regardless of what the Chiefs do with the RB position in the draft, if they enter the season with Jamaal Charles, the Law Firm, and Jackie Battle, it’ll easily the best and most varied running-back situation they’ve had in at least five years. Light, medium and heavy.

Plan B: Ray Rice is going to get franchised and Marshawn Lynch inspires little excitement as a complimentary piece to Charles. This is an overall weak RB free agent class, which brings us to the draft …

Where this would put us:

If Pioli/Hunt were to take my advice for the first time in the history of time, we would be solid in both the defensive and offensive backfields and have possibly the best interior O-line in the NFL. We would also have the closest thing to a complete defensive line KC has had in a decade or more. The only real hole on the roster would be right tackle.

However, most importantly, making these moves would put the Chiefs in the best possible position to get value in the draft. There is a glut of quality options at right tackle in the first three rounds. It is likely that Jonathan Martin will fall to the Chiefs, an athletic guy that could play either tackle position. But, knowing that they will have the opportunity to pick other good values at their only real need position, the Chiefs could instead use that first pick as a luxury – snagging the best talent on the board.

With a potential trading frenzy over QBs above them and a draft-philosophy bias against running backs, Trent Richardson could very well fall to the Chiefs. Not a need, but can you imagine how well KC would be set up with a RB stable of Charles, Richardson and the Law Firm? The Chiefs could also take the opportunity to go after whatever top-rated QB falls out of the top 10. Regardless of what you think of Cassel, I definitely would feel better about the quality of the position moving forward if he were competing against Ryan Tannehill in the next training camp. But, frankly, the possibilities are endless and I think Pioli should be interested in getting the best talent available.

He drafted for need by picking Tyson Jackson in 2009. He learned his lesson by taking the best player on the board with Eric Berry in 2010. Hopefully, the Chiefs both keep that experience in mind and set themselves up to do it right this year.

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

We told you a couple of days ago that former Oakland Raiders CB Stanford Routt would be meeting with the Kansas City Chiefs yesterday.

It looks as if the meeting went well.

According to NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora, Routt is still in KC for a second day of interviews with the Chiefs.

This is significant news in my view. If the Chiefs weren’t seriously considering signing Routt, I doubt they’d have him hang around for a second day. In fact, sometimes when a free agent hangs around town for an extra day it is because the team is having him go through a physical. If that is the case, a signing could come soon after. Like today.

Then again, it is possible that the Chiefs just took Routt out to dinner last night and are meeting with him at the facility today. Still, two days in town is two days in town and is worth keeping a close eye on.

(more…)

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

According to Jason La Canfora, former Oakland Raiders CB Stanford Routt is set to visit with the Chiefs tomorrow.

Former Raiders CB Stanford Routt visiting BUF today, KC tomorrow and HOU, DAL and TEN later this week.

Routt can be signed at any time because he was released by the Raiders during this league year. Other free agents won’t hit the market until March 13th.

That means Routt can take his time. Since there aren’t really any other big name free agent CB’s on the market yet, he can visit with each team try to work the situation to his advantage. He’ll want to be signed before other CB’s hit the market and dilute his value, but he has plenty of time to ink a deal.

The fact that the Chiefs are meeting with Routt shows they are very serious about potentially singing him. It could just be an exploratory interview but still, the Chiefs have to know that Routt is going to want to be signed with a team before the other CB’s hit the market and dilute his value. That means the Chiefs have to at least be considering offering him a deal before the end of the league year. If that is the case, it could mean that negotiations with Brandon Carr are not going well.

Keep an eye on the site tomorrow. It is probably very unlikely that the Chiefs will sign Routt tomorrow but stranger things have happened.