The Chiefs Home Improvement Plan: A Work In Progress
By Laddie Morse
The Kansas City Chiefs GM Scott Pioli has done it. With some deft drafting, shrewd maneuvers and timely signings, Pioli has finally done it: he’s made the Kansas City Chiefs into… a work in progress.
It’s official: ladies and gentlemen, the KC Chiefs are a brick house. Of course the Chiefs are a few bricks short of an out-house… but, at least that’s a house too, right?
So, how did we get here? Wasn’t this was supposed to be a team that competes for a Conference title and bangs with the big boys of the AFC?
The deft drafting? Daft.
The shrewd maneuvers and timely signings? Closer to inept and silly.
Typifying the Chiefs’ drafting in this manner, based upon two hellacious (emphasis on the “hell”) preseason games, is probably not fair or factual, but this is not about accuracy or democracy; it’s about feelings. That’s why we watch the sport, isn’t it? We all want to feel good–at least some of the time–and this doesn’t. Maybe it’s simply that the first Chiefs preseason game was so gloriously fun to watch that the juxtaposition is a big pile o’ poo.
So, what happens next is anybody’s guess. At least head coach Romeo Crennel, appropriately, is not happy, and that makes me happy… at least a little.
As you would expect: the Chiefs will be making moves.
Chiefs fans around the globe are doing their own surveillance in hopes of seeing the team improve. In response to my recent article called, “Will The Chiefs Really Be Better In 2012,” Addict poster “iowaskcchiefsfan” had this to say about possible upcoming moves by the Chiefs:
"The Chiefs could sign FA’s Marcus Thomas, DT/NT, 6’3″, 320 lbs., 6th season. Played NT in the Denver 3-4 for 3 years until their switch to the 4-3. A 2-down run-stopper who won’t provide much as a pass rusher, or Howard Green, NT/DE, 6’2″, 320 lbs., Run-stopper, a bit more pass-rush. They could also trade for Sammie Hill, DT/NT, 6’4″, 330 lbs., 4th season. He had 80 tackles and 4 sacks in the last 2 seasons as a back-up, maybe a 4th rnd. pick. Or. Pat Sims, DT/NT, 6’2″ , 330 lbs., With the Bengals having drafted Devon Still (2nd pick) and Brandon Thompson (3rd pick), should be available. Spent most of 2011 on IR, Had 2.5 sacks and 9 QB pressures in 2010 as a back-up."
If Brandon Flowers is hurt, and stays hurt, who will take over as the Chiefs number one corner? Jalil Brown doesn’t look like the immediate solution, even if he might be that someday. There are some unknowns about Stanford Routt. The Bleacher Report says CB Terrence McGee may be available by the end of camp,
"Unfortunately, McGee might be the odd man out this offseason. The Bills drafted talented cornerback Stephon Gilmore with their first-round pick, who will come in and compete for a starting job. Buffalo already has Aaron Williams—who has a bead on one of those starting gigs thanks to a solid rookie season—and Leodis McKelvin."
There are many other intriguing cuts that may be in the work as well.
The Bengals have a logjam at LB, and because it looks like Vontaze Burfict is going to stick, Dontay Moch may be on the outside looking in when camp is over. I liked Moch when he was coming out of Nevada, especially because he runs a 4.44- 40 time.
Another potential area of weakness on the Chiefs roster, once again, is at backup quarterback. Ricky “I-don’t-like-you-anymore” Stanzi is nowhere near to being the short term solution the Chiefs hoped he might be. Brady “I’m-still-not-sure-about-you” Quinn is a big question mark. Chiefs back-up QBs should wear a big question mark instead of a number.
The Chiefs need a QB who is an experienced back-up with at least some credentials.
Are there any QBs out there who fit that description? Two seasons ago the Carolina Panthers draft QB Jimmy Clausen. Last year they draft Cam Newton. Newton of course is a Pro Bowler and the face and future of the team and the league. Clausen is predicted, by his own coach, to have a future starting for another team. However, it’s not Clausen that I’m hoping to get cut. It’s the other backup, Derrick Anderson, who threw for over 3,700 yards for a Romeo Crennel-led Browns team in 2007. If the Chiefs could land someone like Anderson to back up Cassel, it would be the best backup they’ve had since Rich Gannon was in town. With Anderson currently serving as the Panthers’ number two QB, the Chiefs would likely have to trade for him. Such a trade would be a positive move as long as they don’t weaken the existing starting line-up.
The problem I have with any of these suggestions is that they’re ho-hum. Business as usual. Worse yet, its the same-ole-same-ole second rate organization-on-a-shoe-string approach to player development that we’ve seen for years. At least Carl Peterson would land a big fish every now and then.
Second rate acquisitions of:
Matt Cassel: the player who invented the term “career backup”
Mike Vrabel: the player who was thrown in on the Cassel deal that made Pioli bite on the trade but, who was also on the far-back-nine of this career.
Chris Chambers: a San Diego throwaway. We should have trusted in that analysis because after the Chiefs gave him a nice contract, he turned back into the throwaway he is.
Thomas Jones: what was he good for? He was good for half a season. Then if you subtract the half season he took from Jon Baldwin, well, you do the math.
Pioli was also good for:
Mike Brown
Devard Darling
Sean Ryan
Bobby Wade
Dantrell Savage
Rudy Niswanger
Sabby Piscatilli
Scott Pioli may spend all of his time swinging the hammer, but he sure hits his thumb a lot.
Second rate draft picks:
Alex Magee: why? Just, why?
Donald Washington: with the 102nd pick the Chiefs could have taken Johnny Knox or any of 150 other players like Quinten Lawrence or Javarris Williams. What? Oh. Never mind.
Quinten Lawrence
Javarris Williams
Colin Brown
Jake O’Connell
I’ll give this to Pioli: every single one of the 2010 draft picks are still on the roster and look to contribute. The same might be said for the 2011 draft but, it’s too early to appropriately reflect on that draft.
The Chiefs home improvement project needs a great looking front porch–or how about one of those huge gnarly driftwood mantle pieces? At the minimum, the kitchen needs upgrading so they can get some cooking done.
And if the Chiefs can’t at least look good at home, they may be shopping for a new architect sooner rather than later.
So Addicts, if you were remodeling and had millions to spend: what would it look like?