Blame Rankings In The Denver Loss
#4 The Wide Receivers
Right now I see no particular reason not to blow up both the offensive line and the wideout units in the offseason. The Chiefs have probably just two offensive linemen – LT Eric Fisher and C (impending free agent) Rodney Hudson – that would be starting on any other team in the league. The same goes for the wide receivers. WR Dwayne Bowe might be a #2 in another city, but the rest of these guys would be #4’s or practice-squaders most anywhere else.
Sep 29, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Donnie Avery (17) runs the ball as New England Patriots free safety Devin McCourty (32) defends during the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 41-14. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Smith (more on him in a bit) had two bad 3rd down passes that hit Bowe in the ankles in this game, but other than that the wideouts don’t have much to say in their defense. WR Donnie Avery is supposedly a downfield threat – the only one this team has – and yet since that one magical TD reception in the playoff game, he never seems to be where he’s supposed to be, he never makes the catch and when he finally makes a grab at a critical juncture like he did in the 4th quarter on Sunday, he immediately fumbles it. This guy has 432 targets and just 218 receptions, meaning he catches it 50.4% of the time he is targeted.
I’m actually starting to believe that it’s the dark secret of the Kansas City Chiefs that Avery doesn’t actually have hands. He was once a world-class sprinter who lost his hands in a wood-chipper accident, so the Chiefs decided to put him out there with a couple of inflated gloves tied to his wrists just to give the idea they might throw down field. But they never will and they shouldn’t.
What I kept thinking of while watching this game was the failed deal for WR Emmanuel Sanders. This season, he has 82 receptions for 1,152 yards and 7 TD’s. All Chiefs wide receivers combined have 91 receptions for 1,065 yards and 0 TD’s. Missing out on him was devastating. If I’m GM John Dorsey, I keep WR’s Albert Wilson and Jason Avant and clean the slate of the rest this offseason.