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.

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.

Lots of good stuff from the Coach!

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 13^th!!!!!

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.

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 2^nd 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.

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.

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.

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.

LDE	Antonio Smith	6'4	285	Tamba Hali	6'3	275
NT	Bryan Robinson	6'4	304	Tank Tyler	6'2	306
UT	Darnell Dockett	6'4	285	Glenn Dorsey	6'1	297
RDE	Bertrand Berry	6'3	260	Turk McBride	6'2	278

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 3^rd 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….