My Chief Concerns: Staying Centered
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I have to admit that it was nice to see good ole Casey Weigman back in the red and gold. However, he is getting long in the tooth (36 years old) and a bit on the light side (285 pounds). Which begs the question: Why was he signed? The obvious answer is to provide depth and competition, but where is his upside?
Before getting to that question, you have to talk about Rudy Niswanger. As far as who wins the center position battle between the two, I am at a loss. Center Rudy Niswanger intrigues me, but he also frustrates me. He can be good and bad all during the same series. (I could have puked when he hiked that one ball over Casell’s head during one game last year). He gets driven back and pushed around quite a bit too.
Despite being only 27 years old, I am not sure Rudy is the long term solution. He has had a couple of years to progress and become a solid center. I can’t say he has done so. As a result, you have to bring in someone to challenge him and provide better depth. Hence Casey’s signing. If we were contending for a championship then the Casey Weigman signing makes sense. However, we were 4-12 last year and we need to develop a long term solution to our center position. I love Casey, but he is obviously not the long term solution.
It is interesting to hear Bob Gretz contend that Niswanger will win the starting position. Niswanger winning the position is the best result long term for the Chiefs. However, I find it hard to believe considering Weigman’s skill level, experience, heart and generally mistake free play. Although, I am at a loss, If I had to guess, I see Weigman starting at center on opening night. I am ok with that for now, but it hurts to know we will be looking once more for center help next year.