Tomorrow is the beginning of the end to our long, hot summer drought of real Chiefs action. Yes, full Training Camp begins (the rookies and QB’s have been at it since Monday)! All Chiefs players and coaches will be at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph starting tomorrow through August 14, honing their craft. After Camp, exhibition games start, and then before we know it, the season opener will be upon us on September 8th!
All summer long, we’ve discussed the key questions the Chiefs need to answer this offseason. As we enter the offseason’s endgame (and seriously, it could not have come soon enough), here are my final three questions that we really need to know. Andy Reid and John Dorsey – this is your time to shine! Let’s see some smart, executive management as the Chiefs prepare for a new era.
Question 1: Who is Jon Baldwin?
Jon, who are you? Are you the skyscraping, deep ball threat that is going to transform our offense and take double coverage off of Dwayne Bowe? Or are you all potential energy with no impact, like an arrow prior to release? Jon, you teased us last year in the preseason, and then you disappeared. This is it, Jon. This is the last year to prove yourself. Otherwise, we are transferring our hopes and dreams to Donnie Avery. We’re serious. Jon, just be the hero, and don’t be the goat. We just can’t take another first round bust.
Question 2: How good is Chase Daniel?
In today’s league with defensive ends that run like wide receivers but hit like trucks, a backup quarterback will almost definitely see playing time. We have a new backup in Chase Daniel. Here’s the good news: Daniel has a 92.1 Quarterback Rating, over his three-year career. The bad news is, that’s over just nine attempts (he completed 7 of them!). The truth is, we know little about how Daniel will do on the Chiefs. But we’re going to need a strong backup so our offense can keep rolling if Alex Smith goes down. Chase, will you be worth the $5 million we paid for you, for all of nine passing attempts? Will you still have the Mizzou magic? This is homecoming for you – make us proud, Chase!
Question 3: Who can complete the Fearsome Foursome?
Rookie Nico Johnson and veteran (but new Chief) Akeem Jordan will battle it out to play alongside Derrick Johnson at inside linebacker. Johnson, a fourth round pick this year, is a champion who thinks like a champion. He won national titles at Alabama in 2009, 2011 and 2012. Johnson has the potential to join Tamba Hali, Justin Houston and Johnson and give the Chiefs a truly Fearsome Foursome and one of the best linebacking corps in the league.
Addicts, those are my top three questions for Training Camp. What am I missing here? What other questions belong in the top three as we round out the offseason and head into the 2013 season?!!