Monday, April 27, 2009

Chiefs select Mr. Irrelevant

Chiefs select a Kicker to end the draft.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Chiefs Select Jake O'Connell

Looks like a blocking TE although his pro day 40 time was good for a TE (4.66)

Kansas City Chiefs Select Javarris Williams

A RB at this spot. Don't know this player and information on him is slim.

Leroy Hill

According to the Seattle Times the Seahawks have removed Leroy Hill's franchise tag. That leaves him as an UFA. I like him as a player, however am concerned about his off field issues. Being arrested passed out behind the wheel is beyond irresponsible. He also had some weed in the car with him which isn't good.

Almost home..

The Chiefs have two picks left and I am hoping we are very active in UDFA. There are kids that will be there that can help this team.

Kansas City Chiefs select Quinten Lawrence

This will be an attempt at a deep threat. Might have been higher but suffered an ankle injury in college. McNeese State only had 10 teams show up at their pro day. Unknown if the Chiefs were one of those teams. He ran 4.42 at the pro day but still could not jump due to the injury. Intriguing pick at this point. He averaged almost 20 YPR in college so I am interested.

ESPN On the Raiders Draft

Interesting interview with Cable. When asked about the offensive philosophy he said

"We are going to run the ball and throw it over your head".

I hope Cable really doesn't believe this and is just saying things to keep himself employed. That system hasn't worked in the entire time I have watched football. Pass rushing has gotten to the point to where the QB doesn't have time for that. The only time the Raiders have been successful was in running the West Coast offense.

Love Chris Carter's comments on Darrius Heyward-Bey:

"Honorable Mention in the ACC." "Went ACC games without catches." "How does this help the QB?"

Priceless.

Chiefs draft Colin Brown

Finally the Chiefs go O-Line. Don't know too much about him. 6'6 335 and since Mizzou runs a spread he should be athletic. Played RT in college which is what the Chiefs need. Duke Robinson is still available. I thought he would be the second OG off the board. Is there some secret information out on him that isnt available to anyone but the teams? He has been listed as the top OG available for awhile on ESPN and others have gone off the board.

Chiefs select CB Donald Washington

Interesting selection. The Chiefs need a Nickel/Dime back but is that the biggest need that could be filled at this point in the Draft?

OGs are going off the board quickly

I don't think Duke will be there when the Chiefs make their 4th round pick. Must be happy with the OGs we got.

Did Marvin Lewis just offer Herm a job?

Everyone laughed but Herm and then Herm told Marvin he is "doing great don't listen to us.". Interesting.

The three biggest head-scratchers of the first round

I love this article. A must read.

Raiders draft Matt Shaughnessy

First Oakland pick that makes any sense. At least to anyone outside of Al Davis's skull. This kid has Jared Allen type skills.

Chiefs draft Alex Mcgee

Interesting pick. We might be looking at the Chiefs starting Des in Mcgee and Jackson.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

Chiefs targets for day 2 of 2009 NFL Draft

Michael Johnson - DE

Duke Robinson - OG

Rashad Johnson - S

Shawn Nelson - TE

Shonn Greene - RB

Tyronne Green - OG

Terrance Taylor - DT

Brandon Tate - WR

Johnny Knox - WR

Brandon Walker - OG

Rhett Bomar – QB

TJ Lang – OT

Jason Watkins – OT

Chase Patton - QB


 

AFC West 1st day draft recap

Bad day for the West. At least the Chiefs did better than the other teams. Denver has used all of its picks acquired from the Bears to finish out the Cutler trade. Chicago will pick 140th overall to finish up that trade. IMO Da Bears stole Cutler. Denver wasted those picks and I'm lovin' it.

  • Chiefs
    • #3 overall – Tyson Jackson. Fits with the team, could have traded down and got him. Will be overpaid as a five technique DE
  • Chargers
    • #16 overall – Larry English. Good fit for the team, maybe Merriman is not healthy?
  • Raiders
    • #7 overall - Darrius Heyward-Bey. Are you kidding me? The fastest WR so not a surprise the Raiders picked him up but surprised he was picked here.
    • #47 overall – Mike Mitchell. I guess if you want a safety you get one in the second in this draft. I don't think this is the right guy though…What's his 40 time? Unknown, not invited to the combine. Hits like a ton of bricks on a highlight film so I guess that's all the Raiders need is a nice highlight file. See Brown, Larry…
  • Donks
    • #12 overall - Knowshon Moreno. Nice player, fits the offense. Not even close to a need in Denver. Maybe Josh is the RB version of Gruden.
    • #18 overall – (acquired in Cutler trade) Robert Ayers. Don't see how he fits in their D.
    • #37 overall - (used 1st rounder acquired in Cutler trade) Alphonso Smith. Nice player. Will replace departed Dre Bly. Not an upgrade over Bly IMO.
    • #48 overall - Darcel McBath. Another safety reach due to lack of depth. I guess Denver's best pick of the day and that is not a complement.
    • #64 overall – Richard Quinn (Used 3rd rounder acquired in Cutler trade)

NFL Network big head

When they did the big head thing. Marshall Faulk looked just like Barry Bonds does normally(After Steroids).

Will the Chiefs Trade back into the 2nd round?

Rey Maualuga is still available and is a steal at this point.

No contract for Cassel

Colts on the Clock

Best fit for Dorsey. I hope we can move him.

The Coach on the Chiefs 1st round pick






Oher?

Oher still is undrafted. He is my top RT on the board. Can we trade Dorsey and get Oher?

Dorsey

When do we trade Dorsey? It looks like Maclin is going to Philly and the Browns have traded down again. I was hoping a Maclin for Dorsey deal will work when he started slipping.

Donks get it wrong again!

I don't know what they are doing but am glad they did. Ayers just doesn't fit.

Browns trade down again

Damn I am jealous.

SD got it right

Hard not to with the talent level they have. English is a great fit for them and reduces the risk of Merriman not being 100%.

Donks screw it up too!

I like the guy they picked and he fits in Josh's offense but they signed 2 of him as free agents. They now have 7 or 8 RBs on the depth chart. Insane!

Donks on the Clock

Donks have to pick Orakpo IMO. Best 3-4 guy on the board.

Green Bay is on the Clock

I think that B.J Raji is the obvious choice.

The Raiders draft the fastest WR not the best

No surprise, coming from Al Davis. Good for the Chiefs.

I like the player hate the pick

A 3-4 DE is not worth what a 4-3 DE is worth and Jackson will get a bigger contract than Jared Allen received from the Vikes last year.

The Chiefs have picked…

The Chiefs have drafted Jackson. I like the pick just not at #3.

The Chiefs are on the Clock!!!!!

The Rams have selected Jason Smith from Baylor. Great pick for them. I still think the Chiefs need to pick Crabtree or trade down.

The Rams are on the Clock…..

10 mins until the Chiefs pick…

The Draft has started!

The Lions are on the clock officially and draft well you already know…..

Draft day setup


I am prepared for the Draft with draft, beer that is.

Check out my birthday present from my wife (The Keg-orator), and my mom (The tap handle).

Jets trying to move up to #2

According to NFL Network pre-draft coverage. Bad news for the Chiefs. If Sanchez is off the board will be hard for the Chiefs to trade down. Hopefully it doesn't work out with the Jets and Rams. Better trade for the Chiefs…

Cassel signed 6 years $36 million guaranteed

According to NFL Network pre-draft coverage. Less guaranteed than Stafford.

What I think the Chiefs will do


 

Trade down from #3 into the 6-10 range and pick DE Jackson, LB Curry, or WR Crabtree. I will be blogging the draft at http://ddsuperblog.blogspot.com/

My Dream Scenario

All of this clearly will not happen but this would make my day. Here are the moves….


 

  • Trade Dorsey to Atlanta for their #1 and their DE if we go to the 3-4
  • Trade #3 overall to Redskins for #13, Jason Campbell and another pick this year or next.
  1. We now have #13 and #24

Trade Cassel to Denver for #12

  1. Now have #12 and #13 and #24

Trade #13 to Arizona for Boldin

Trade #12 down and pick up a second round pick

Draft the best Tackle available

Trade Waters for a second round pick

Use the 2 second round picks to draft OGs

  • We end up with 2 OGs, our #2 WR, a 3-4 DE, and Campbell. That would make a great first day of the draft.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Sad day for Chiefs fans...Sadder day for Tony G

As you have no doubt already heard Tony G has been traded to Atlanta. While this is disappointing, Tony no doubt wanted out and did not commit to us no matter what the politics say. I am glad it is the Falcons and not the Giants as Tony would head to Arrowhead as the enemy this year if that was the case. Anyways, I predict KC in the Playoffs and ATL on the outside looking in. That would no doubt make Tony even more frustrated.

Position Value Chart

I find that positions have value just as draft picks do. The tiers listed show: Tier 1 is multiple pro-bowl type evaluation, Tier 2 is a solid starter, and Tier 3 is just below solid starter. I know pro teams look at guys in a lot more tiers but this is just how I look at it. It helps to match up with a draft chart when determining if someone is a reach or not.


QB

LT

RB

WR

DE

OLB

Tier 1

3000

2800

2600

2575

2550

2500

Tier 2

1600

1300

1100

780

800

740

Tier 3

520

470

450

400

92

66

MLB

CB

S

3-4 DE

NT

DT

Tier 1

1610

1600

1590

1550

1525

1500

Tier 2

950

900

850

520

600

550

Tier 3

100

92

76

38

33

25

TE

RT

OG

KR

C

FB

K

P

Tier 1

1460

1250

850

700

590

250

170

33

Tier 2

580

530

380

131

240

24

3

3

Tier 3

28

39

37

14

27

4

0

0

Why Not Curry at #3? Part II

Why Not Curry at #3?

I have had a lot of questioned emailed to me as to why not Curry at #3. Here is my response.

The reason I consider drafting Curry at #3 non sense is for a variety of reasons. I do think Curry will be a fine player but not a top 5 pick. I will admit I love the way he plays and have seen interviews with him and he seems like a great kid. His comments about wanting the Lions to pick him so much that he would take less money than last year's #1 are first class (and supposedly already has a deal in place in case they can't sign the QB they want). If we traded down to say 7 or 8, then I would see Curry as an option. Here is my list of what a top 5 pick should be in order:

1. Franchise QB (I don't think there is a sure fire one in this draft, I like Sanchez and Freeman but wish they had spent another year in school for seasoning).
2. Your rock at LT (We already have this)
3. Dangerous pass rusher (Think of Carl's first draft in 1989. I dont think there is one worthy in this draft. Curry may be this but hasnt proved it for whatever reason).
4. Offensive weapon (A RB or WR who is going to set a team up for big plays. Crabtree is the only guy here I feel fits that bill).

If a guy is not one of those 4 things, he is not enough value for top 5 let alone value considering what you pay top 5. I believe Crabtree is the only player in this draft that fits these roles outside of LTs which is not needed in KC. So IMO, it is Crabtree or trade down.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Opportunities abound for 2009 Chiefs!

I see this schedule as a big opportunity for the Chiefs to win the AFC West. I will break it down fully in the coming months but the biggest complaint I have heard thus far is the 4 game stretch against the NFC East. I like it for a few reasons. One is that it is best to get those tough out of conference games out of the way early. The other reason is the Giants are on the end of a 3 game road march into Arrowhead. I think the Giants will be weak wanting to get back to the Big Apple. The Cowboys will be looking towards their BYE week the following week.


 

Another opportunity is that the Chiefs will be prepared for the AFC West opponents. Only home games against the Raiders and Chargers before the BYE week. No primetime games are bad for fans but good for coaches. The Chiefs have 13 games that are 1PM Sunday starts (A Coaches dream) and the other 3 games are 415 Sunday starts. The 10 games starting at week 7 is what really counts. All the tie break scenarios really matter when looking at that part of the season.

I cannot wait until September 13th!!!!!

Chiefs Schedule released – NO Primetime again!

Hope you out-of-towners like me have the Sunday Ticket


 

Wk

Date

Matchup

TV

Time

1

Sun, Sept. 13

at Baltimore Ravens

CBS

1 p.m.

2

Sun, Sept. 20

vs. Oakland Raiders

CBS

1 p.m.

3

Sun, Sept. 27

at Philadelphia Eagles

CBS

1 p.m.

4

Sun, Oct. 4

vs. New York Giants

FOX

1 p.m.

5

Sun, Oct. 11

vs. Dallas Cowboys

FOX

1 p.m.

6

Sun, Oct. 18

at Washington Redskins

CBS

1 p.m.

7

Sun, Oct. 25

vs. San Diego Chargers

CBS

1 p.m.

8

Bye

  

  

  

9

Sun, Nov. 8

at Jacksonville Jaguars

CBS

1 p.m.

10

Sun, Nov. 15

at Oakland Raiders

CBS

4:05 p.m.

11

Sun, Nov. 22

vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

CBS

1 p.m.

12

Sun, Nov. 29

at San Diego Chargers

CBS

4:05 p.m.

13

Sun, Dec. 6

vs. Denver Broncos

CBS

1 p.m.

14

Sun, Dec. 13

vs. Buffalo Bills

CBS

1 p.m.

15

Sun, Dec. 20

vs. Cleveland Browns

CBS

1 p.m.

16

Sun, Dec. 27

at Cincinnati Bengals

CBS

1 p.m.

17

Sun, Jan. 3

at Denver Broncos

CBS

4:15 p.m.

Why Not Curry at #3?

I have had a lot of questioned emailed to me as to why not Curry at #3. Here is my response.

The reason I consider drafting Curry at #3 non sense is for a variety of reasons. I do think Curry will be a fine player but not a top 5 pick. If we traded down to say 7 or 8, then I would see Curry as an option. Here is my list of what a top 5 pick should be in order:

1. Franchise QB (I don't think there is a sure fire one in this draft, I like Sanchez and Freeman but wish they had spent another year in school for seasoning).
2. Your rock at LT (We already have this)
3. Dangerous pass rusher (Think of Carl's first draft in 1989. I dont think there is one worthy in this draft. Curry may be this but hasnt proved it for whatever reason).
4. Offensive weapon (A RB or WR who is going to set a team up for big plays. Crabtree is the only guy here I feel fits that bill).

If a guy is not one of those 4 things, he is not enough value for top 5 let alone value considering what you pay top 5. I believe Crabtree is the only player in this draft that fits these roles outside of LTs which is not needed in KC. So IMO, it is Crabtree or trade down.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Closed Polls

Big wins for Cassel trade was good for the Chiefs and Cassel being the Chiefs QB on opening day. All that despite the fact that Cassel got a late start. Thanks all for voting!

Roster moves


 

Of course I draw up this big chart, post it and then the Chiefs make some big moves. I will take these one by one.

Signing Goff – Great move as a stopgap at RG.

Signing Zack Thomas – Another great stopgap. Hopefully this means I can quit hearing the Aaron Curry nonsense.

Waiving Franklin – Ho-Hum… Does anyone care? I find it interesting they let him go at this point but was worthless last year.


 

Now those are the official moves. There are also rumors that LJ is good as gone and that the Falcons are offering a 2nd rounder for Tony G. I think either of those moves would be terrible for the Chiefs. There is not one reason to release LJ. Not one worth the time it takes to type it up. Tony G for a second rounder? That is acceptable and I am sure the King would have pulled the trigger last year. 2009 is a different season and the moves made by Pioli have screamed "I am trying to win the fricken division". Bringing in players like Goff, Vrabel, and Thomas isn't the kind of moves you make when you are playing for next year. Goff is the only one with a better than 25% chance of being on the team in 2010. With Carl at the helm, he would have signed these guys to longer contracts that would have hurt the cap for years. These deals are to guys that are stopgaps and are stopgap deals. They are not terrible deals. I am hoping that the Chiefs look at another stopgap in Thomas's sister's husband. That will allow the draft to play out however it needs to play out. There will not be a terrible hole to fill and the Chiefs can draft whatever player is on their board or trade down.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Chiefs needs for 2009 and beyond...


The chart above shows where I feel the Chiefs are solid (Black), where an upgrade is needed (Red), where the player is older and will need replaced soon (Blue) and guys that are really in a year where they will have to prove something (Green). Click the picture to enlarge. The positions listed are ones that I feel are key positions and will be on the field quite a bit. There are 31 positions on this key position list and 7 need replaced badly.

I actually agreed with Herm Edwards when he said the Chiefs are 80% there. The Chiefs have pretty good depth, but are lacking in areas that are important. In key positions, there is still a 22.5% need for replacement. It will be an important 2009 season for those in listed in green. Not only for them but for us the fans and the team as well. The key for the draft, is getting guys to fill those red boxes. The fewer boxes available, the better the team will be. I believe the Chiefs can win the AFC West this year and once in a single elimination playoff tournment, any team can win on any given Sunday.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Peter King on the Cutler trade....

I was reading Peter King's article on the trade and there were some things that blew me away.

But as the deal went down, McDaniels, who watched every offensive snap of more than 10 Bears games with Orton playing, got more and more impressed with Orton's arm, his decision-making and his ability to extend plays when the pocket broke down.


Really? Impressed with Orton? Are you kidding me?

In the end, this trade happened so quickly because, first and foremost, the owner of the Broncos felt dissed.


Oh...Did wittle billionaire get HIS feelings hurt? I have heard people talk about this like it was their job and they didnt return their bosses calls and what would happen...Well if my boss tried to call me during my time off, I would call him back if I felt like it. End of story, I am not getting paid, I am not obligated to call back. Jay didnt get the paycheck portion until July.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

How The (AFC) West Can Be Won

Some call me crazy, others will call me a fool but the reality is the Chiefs are in their best position in years to win the AFC West this season. Why you might ask? They were awful on defense and inconsistent on offense last year. How can I be so optimistic? It is easy.


The Defense

I have no doubt the KC defense will get much better next year even without a fantastic addition from the draft. The reason for this is what I call S2 – scheme and seasons. The seasons are easy to explain the kids got boatloads of testing in actual NFL experience last year. Carr and Flowers passed with flying colors and IMO are the best CB tandem in the NFL with under 3 years experience. Leggett played really well and should at the very least be a big contributor on special teams and a solid nickel/dime back. Dorsey was on the field quite a bit last year, some will call him a failure but I do not. DTs often show little to nothing in their first year and some of the best ever did not even start their rookie year. Glenn Dorsey dominated interior lineman at LSU. I believe Glenn learned a lot last year and will show up and begin to show why he was almost the consensus #1 guy on everyone's draft board in 2008. The scheme part may be much more difficult to explain. Most "reporters" have claimed the Chiefs will run a 3-4 next year. That would be fine and dandy if they even had two lineman that could play 3-4 positions without a doubt. It also would be fine if there wasn't so many other teams trying to move to a 3-4. I think at least 1/3 of the NFL will be running the 3-4 in 2009. The players needed to shift are in short supply with a huge demand. New defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast did not run a 3-4 in Arizona. Some have called it a hybrid of a 4-3 and a 3-4. Maybe that fits and maybe it don't but that isn't important. What is important is that his style is very aggressive and should be a very stark contrast from what the Chiefs fans have been used to seeing. There have been a lot of "reporters" comparing the Chiefs lineman to that of the other 3-4 teams. I have yet to see a comparison of the players on Clancy's defensive line in Arizona and the players he has there in Kansas City. See the chart below.

What I see is players that are more or less interchangeable. Glenn Dorsey was drafted to be the player that Dockett was in Arizona's improbable run in the playoffs. Hali, at LDE IMO is a far better player than Smith. He played out of position at RDE last season and could not handle the big boy pass rushing position. It is understandable why the Chiefs tried moving him last year. Hali was the best pass rusher on the roster and it made sense to see if he could hang…He couldn't. Tank should be able to become a block eater. He has the size and I believe he has the talent. Does he have the motivation? Turk McBride is not the pass rusher one would want in that spot. One sack in ten starts says something. This position needs upgraded one way or another but with an aggressive defense, it is not imperative for success. Linebacker play needs to be better. I believe Vrabel, Johnson, and (Williams?) should perform better than the amateur hour that was out there last year. Page and Pollard will be in much better shape in an aggressive defense. Both are in their do or die season. They must play better and I believe they will. Am I claiming the Chiefs will be a top 15 D? Not at all. But I suspect they will be good enough to help win games and that is what matters.


The Offense

The offense was terrible until Huard and Croyle went down injured in the same game (as it happens, I was at that whoopin' for my annual trek to Arrowhead). But then a strange thing happened. Without Larry Johnson, and without the benefit of the bye, Chan Gailey invented the ArrowSpread offense. I loved it. The most creative offensive move in years came when LJ returned and was placed in the Tomahawk (TV folks called it the pistol) formation. The offense played well, but was inconsistent. I blame that on Thigpen's inexperience. Tyler Thigpen did not even have the luxery of a modern college offense to learn from. Tyler played in an offense that was popular in the 60's in college. He also did not have top notch coaching in college. His rookie year offseason he split between the Vikings and Chiefs and spent the season as the #3 guy more than likely not getting adequate reps in practice. Tyler spent his entire second season as the Chiefs #3 guy until injuries put him in the #1 slot. Tyler might have been the least prepared guy to ever start a regular season NFL game. The right side of the offensive line is in bad shape and needs repaired. I believe if that happens, with either Cassel or Thigpen the Chiefs will be in the top half of the NFL in offense and could very well crack the top 10.


The Opponents

Based on what I expect from the Chiefs, you would expect an OK team but OK teams don't win divisions…Do they? The Chargers were OK and won the West last year, so I would say yes OK teams can win divisions. Here are reasons why I think the Chiefs can be that team.

The Chargers

SD has the talent to win 13 games and challenge for the Super Bowl. Problem is they have lousy coaching and haven't played as a team since Marty left. The Chargers have question marks with their talent: LT: has he lost a step or was last year a fluke?

Gates: Are his injuries a sign of his body not lasting?

Merriman: Can he come back and be the same guy off that injury?

The Broncos

The Donks are done. Kyle Orton, Chris Simms, or some rookie (a Jr. Rookie at that!). Does it matter? B-Marsh just had hip surgery and should see a 4 game suspension. They still have no defense, maybe even less than last year with the move to 3-4. They have 7 backup RBs, no starter quality, and no Mastermind running game magic.

The Raiders

Don't even kid me! Could nose out the Donks for 3rd place.


Conclusion

The Chiefs could win the West and make the playoffs. Can they win the Super Bowl? Probably not, but last December did anyone believe the Cards would still be alive in February? I am stoked and excited and sure someone is ready to burst my bubble….

Cutler traded to Bears!!

Great deal. Cutler out of the AFC West is the best thing that could happen outside of being traded to the Chiefs. The Donks got a lot of out the deal but it is very similar to what the Colts got for Elway and they did nothing with those picks.

Per ESPN:

Here are the trade details: The Bears will send their No. 18 pick in 2009 and top pick in 2010, a third-round pick in 2009 and quarterback Kyle Orton to Denver.

Denver will send Jay Cutler and the first of Denver's two fifth-round picks in 2009 to Chicago.