Seasonal Warning… or Global Warning
We should all recognize… tis the season to be folly. Every year, once each team’s season is over, NFL general manager’s everywhere tend to do their best impression of Dr. Jekyll masking Mr. Hyde. While hiding away in their lairs (offices) they tinker with lethal chemicals (evaluations). They do this to decide what drastic measures they will take (in the draft and free agency). So, they embrace ambiguity to keep other GMs from stealing their formula (never being specific about their own needs or who they’ll actually draft).
Beyond that, most general managers make for fairly straight forward and reliable interviews.
Clear and Present Danger
Has there ever been an opening week of the offseason when the Chiefs primary needs have been more blatantly clear to the public? Perhaps this is why I find myself a tad too comfortable with my own condescension for Mr. Dorsey’s selfie picture in the form of a false characterization about the Chiefs state of well being.
I don’t want to open a conversation about which is needed more, wide receivers or offensive linemen. It’s safe, and sad enough, to say both are a top priority for the Chiefs in 2015 and debating which is at the tippy top of the list may be a futile discussion anyway when you consider the Chiefs “best player available” strategy for acquiring talent in the draft. Consider the Chiefs 2014 offseason needs last year were essentially the same as they are now… and then they went out and selected an OLB in the first round.
Flexing on Draft Day
One big plus in the coming draft is, Mr. Dorsey has also indicated that… what having 11 or 12 draft picks does for the team is… it gives him the chance to be flexible, thus open to trade possibilities which enable him to move up and down the board to get the exact player, or players, he’s targeted.
That didn’t happen in 2014 and the Chiefs totally whiffed in procuring a top WR in a draft that has already become well known for it’s wide receiving talent. Last week John Dorsey’s retort was,
"“But then as you go into the free agency process, you missed on a couple of guys. And then as the draft unfolded, there were certain guys that you had pegged in certain situations that may have peeled off a step or two before you, so then you still have got to go with the best player and we kind of stayed true to that.”"
This may be a reason, aside from the cap positives, we can also anticipate the Chiefs to cut ties this offseason with players who may go to other teams and be successful next year… because John Dorsey likes having that kind of “flexibility” on draft day. Not for that reason alone of course because the primary reason will likely be balancing the cap. However, in terms of building the team that he and Andy Reid envision, that ability to maneuver, come draft day, is critical to creating the “family” of players they covet.