Who needs to step up in 2015?
 

We have a big opportunity to do something big next year and I truly believe that. At least 1 playoff game should be won if some things fall into place and we need a few guys to step up their game for us to have success next year.

Here's the idea...pick a player and tell us why and how he is gonna step up next year and what kind of an impact that can make on the team.

I'll take the low hanging fruit to kick it off.

1) Alex Smith. No question, this is the time to put up or shut up. He was comfortable throwing to Avant and Wilson towards the end of last year (and that's pretty much it) and they both return and we added a guy that will be open all over the field in Jeremy Maclin. We are sure to add another receiver in the draft, too. With our running game and upgrades to the OL, there are NO EXCUSES for him to not have a big year that gets us into the playoffs. It's his third year in the system and that's when the jump usually happens for quarterbacks. He should be comfortable getting more and more aggressive with the ball as the year goes on and everybody gets on the same page.

It all starts and ends with him and I think the team has the horsepower to win a playoff game or more if he steps it up this year.

2) ????

Fisher/thread

Alex.

Fisher.

Parker.

Kush.

Gaines.

Mauga.

The defense.

Alex Smith, with an elite defense, is incredibly underrated.

With a lead, he's a very efficient, smart NFL QB. With a lead, Andy Reid is a very good playcaller as well.

If the defense is a top 3 NFL defense, we'd be legit Super Bowl contenders and our offense would be a strength as well.

I like the idea of drafting another pass rusher at 18. Hali / Houston / Ford / 1st round pick would be fearsome.

I'm okay with Smith.

Who needs to step up is the entire offensive line. Fisher better be ****ing balls this year with a full, injury free off-season to train to go along with a year at LT last season. The guy better be able to hold it off on an island.

Stephenson is an athletic freak of nature (his combine numbers were the best I've ever seen from a guy his size - other than his bench) who better play to his potential.

Kush better live up to the CP circle jerk that's been going on since he showed up to training camp last season totally yoked up.

Grubbs better be Grubbs.

And either Allen, Fulton or Fanaika better have their epiphany at RG.

If that happens, this is a pretty solid team.

Oh, and Dorsey better step up and draft a legit starter at ILB and a solid #2 TE.

Phillip Gaines.

Albert Wilson.

Offense has to get more explosive. If the can be better there, they can get a lead and turn it over to the defense.

The Kush love is completely blind btw. Nobody knows anything about him yet.

We get that with Maclin, a year under his belt Wilson and upgrades on the OL.

Reid needs to step up to an extent.

1) stop giving up on the run so often.

2) his clock management needs to be much better.

3) he needs to stop being so predictable with, and calling so many, screens... get those guys downfield a little bit once in a while.

It's not blind.

He showed that he can move extremely well, can make line calls and has a good work ethic because of the work he put into his body since being drafted.

I totally agree about sticking with the run.

I think he will be more apt to do that with upgrades to the OL.

Reid.

So he's good like everyone says. Ok.

Aside from the obvious Fisher/Alex answer, the undoubted guy who has to step up is Stephenson.

Last year was a catastrophe for him and not only is it a contract year for him, but it's a second chance, which isn't common in the NFL

Stephenson and Allen. 2nd and 3rd round picks that should be making up a solid offensive line now.

He was infuriating with it last year, the run was directly responsible for digging us out of that 0-2 hole and just as soon as we got to 4-2 he promptly gave up on it for a long stretch.

Maybe they were starting to see problems with the lines run blocking that caused that, but yeah... we know the line will be much improved now, so lets hope that tendency is behind him.

Have you seen anything on Twitter about them? Hoping they are putting on muscle

OL and run defense (mainly ILBs).

If these areas improve, KC gets back into playoff discussion.

No, YOU don't know anything about him, which is different than the Chiefs organization that has seen him in two training camps, minicamps, OTA's and in the locker room.

The qb needs to do his part to make the ol better and overall, we will sink or swim based on the qb

Says who?

C-RG-RT might be the worst in the NFL.

Line is a huge question mark.

Fisher: It is his first full off-season to be able to train, condition and prep for his intended draft position. This is a make it or flush it year for him.
Stephenson: After his suspension and being in the dog house it is time for him to step up and show that he is the starting RT he was thought to be from the beginning.
Allen: He needs to make himself a home at RG or get him a van down by the river.
Kush: He needs to show that letting Hudson walk was the right decision and that he can handle the starting C position.
Wilson: Needs to step up and show that he can be the #2 WR and down field threat that this offense needs, even though Smith won't throw him the ball.
Smith: It is time for him to earn his pay. He is surrounded by a good OL, good weapons in Maclin, Kelce, Charles. It is time for him to push the ball down the field more often with improved accuracy.

As of today, my choice would be Stephenson.

I'm not concerned with Fisher, Grubbs, Fanaika/Fulton or even Kush but if Stephenson doesn't perform like a starting right tackle, he'll just go down as another awful Pioli pick.

And C-RG-RT could be the best in the NFL.

You're talking out of your ass.

Yep. We can't assume the OL will be any better, as a whole. We can reasonably predict that Fisher improves.. and that Grubbs will be far superior than McGlynn (lol)...

Other than that, the OL is a huge question mark.

LOL

There is zero percent chance of those guys being the best right side in the NFL.

Come on.

Fulton and Stephenson SUCK and Kush is a huge unknown.

Guys either suck or they're awesome.

why don't you post some PFF numbers to back up your claims, Clay

you know, since they really had Sean Smith pegged back when you "KNEW" he sucked and he had a "ZERO PERCENT CHANCE" of being any good

Replacing McGoon with Grubbs.

Fisher with a real offseason training regimen.

And the near certainty of a high round pick spent on the line is plenty enough to believe the line will be improved.

LMAO

You are in for a rude awakening.

Just putting Grubbs next to Fisher is gonna help him immensely.

Explain.

You don't even know will be starting in September. The Chiefs may draft a guy or two, they may lose someone to injury or may sign someone during training camp.

The only two offensive lineman that are set in stone are Fisher and Grubbs, so for you to say that they will be the "worst" is just more trolling.

I don't think the line will be improved at all.

You should really just go get fat again.

I will weep for you when the time comes.

You will hate again...very soon...very soon.

That's silly, lazy trolling.

I think 4/5 of the line is shit, so it's just my analysis of the situation.

No trolling involved.

Fisher is a classic bust. Kush, Fulton and Stephenson are fringe NFL players.

On the plus side, the horrible line will give Alex lots of excuses so he can stay here forever.

You're embarrassing yourself, buddy.

Fisher will be better after a full offseason
Grubbs over McGlynn is gonna be huge
Either Fulton improves (as he did throughout the year) or he loses the job to a rook or The guy we signed that knows the system.
The drop off from Hudson to Kush isn't gonna be huge.
It can only go up from Harris at RT and Allen/Stephenson have big ceilings.

To say the line won't be better is just lazy trolling.

A convenient fantasy.

How about making some counter points

Fisher will be rocked up this year and we don't know how good Kush truly is. Nobody knows either way

Maclin needs to be as advertised, but alot of thag will be based on the qb

2) Dwayne Bowe. This is the year he explodes and really earns that huge pay check he's been collecting!

Allen Bailey.

We know Houston and Poe will bring it. Hali and Ford will probably be a mixed bag.

We need to get pressure from our down linemen.

And heres the thing about Kush, just because Reid was recently quoted as saying "Kush is our center this year" literally means less than nothing.

It could eeeasily be a big fat baldfaced lie of a smokescreen while they secretly stroke it to thoughts of Erving or whoever.

I was gonna say some of the other dl. Devito, bailey etc.

ROFL

I can't debate with you because you literally believe scabs like Fulton, Kush and Stephenson are good football players, or have the potential to be.

It's like debating with someone who thought McCluster was talented.

Oh wait...

dicky mcelephant. this dude was once a good poster, now he licks taints. plus i beat him arm wrestling that day at loochy's house, right before i banged dmac's old lady.

Lol

Boss is capable of fighting his own fight, but the fact of the matter is that Dex IS talented... in many ways, he was our most dependable receiver and had a sweet kick return or two as well.

We have the better midget now, and thank God for it... but to say he has no talent is bogus.

I'm going to step outside the box and say that Laurent Duverny-Tardiff is the guy that needs to step up.

This idea that guys that move like they are weighed down with anchors chained to their ankles (Fulton and Fanaika) are somehow magically improve from anchor laden scrub status is almost absurd.

LDT, with his combination of size and athleticism could possibly be the next great NFL guard.

The guy is a scrub and proved it last year.

Let it go.

You could make a case for just about anyone, really. We've got a ton of unknowns (Kush), new guys (Grubbs, Maclin), unprovens (Parker, Allen, Fulton, Stephenson, Mauga, Ford, Gaines), underachievers (Alex Smith, Fisher), not to mention this new class of rookies who will likely see some significant playing time.

The only guys Id give an A grade coming into this season are Houston, Jamaal and Kelce. Kelce is definitely on the upswing but it's very likely that Houston's sack total will regress, although I'm sure he'll still be a great player all-around, and Jamaal might start to show his age pretty soon. We'll need these others guys to step up and mitigate any loss we might have in their production.

Hard to argue with that, MM.

Doc has all of the raw tools in spades, I'm just not sure how much he needs and wants football.

Also, anyone that's a backup and is forced into a starting role or plays significant time.

We were fairly unfortunate last season with the injury bug. Luckily, guys like Parker and Mauga filled in nicely, but as we all saw, it only takes one turd looking like shit to sink the ship (I'm looking at you, Mcglynn).

That next man up philosophy needs to shine bright just in case..

Defense? It's much better than you think.

Now the Run D needs improvement.

Wasn't the overall D top 5?

Without reading the thread, I think Albert Wilson stepping up would do wonders for Alex and the offense. Towards the end of the year he wad getting open, and he was doing something after the catch. Perfect for Alex.

No, he's not... he just has a very weird mix of size/skills.

He's a quicker than normal possession receiver in Dante Halls body, last year just proved that Whisenhunt isn't a very imaginative playcaller... Reid had him hitting his ceiling while he was here.

In points allowed I believe we were tied at #2. In yardage we were somewhere around #10, IIRC.

#2 pass defense in terms of yards but the run D was somewhere in the 20s. We all know that area needs work but I think DJ and Devito should help out a bit. Who knows, maybe we'll draft another DE or ILB that can help as well..

A lot of what has hurt Alex in terms of receivers has been them being almost completely unreliable.

Even Bowe had to be pointed at where to line up and wasn't being reliable once the ball was delivered.

AJ Jenkins was terrible at everything.

Hemmingway was strictly a special teams stud and didn't offer anything at receiver. He had terrible hands, was slow, didn't run the best routes and just couldn't get on the field.

When Avery was healthy, Alex targeted him often...including downfield. He got open and Alex found him. Unfortunately for him, he just can't stay healthy or I bet they would love to have him back. Alex had 36 throws in 2013 that traveled 21+ yards in the air and that dropped to 18 last year with a lesser OL and no Avery.

Once Wilson got up to speed, Alex trusted him, too. That meant he was where he was supposed to be when he was supposed to be there and made the plays when they were there to be made...including down the field.

Once Avant got here, Alex had instant trust in him to be where he needed to be when he was supposed to be there and made the play.

Deanthony Thomas was basically a gadget guy, but he also got the trust of Alex when he shifted out wide or in the slot. He has that crazy speed and acceleration that isn't replicatable, too. I read the other day that he was only given a small amount of the playbook last year and is being given more this year, so I expect him to play a bigger role.

Then we get to Travis Kelce (quickly becoming my favorite player) who kicks defenders asses by owning while blocking and catching everything in site and turning the play upfield. Alex not only trusts him, he seems to want to feed him the ball as much as possible.


As it sits right now, we are bringing back the guys Alex trusted from last year and added a PERFECT receiver as the go to guy that has elite speed, route running ability and hands....and also has a few years in the system so he knows the playbook and should be able to contribute in a huge way right away.

That's 5 trustworthy weapons in the passing game that 3 of which have speed to consistently get open deep and on the shorter routes.

I think they will add another receiver through the draft and then also try to develop Rodgers...who is the dark horse for the #2 spot.

.....l

I think this is gonna be EASILY the most talented offense Alex has EVER been on and personally, I think they have done an amazing job at trying to find the exact kind of pieces to put around him to help him step up and put in performances like the playoff game, going forward.

I'm very excited to see Alex Smith operate in this offense this year and beyond...I think he's gonna ascend into the second tier of quarterbacks and lead us to the first playoff win in what seems like forever.

how about Howard?

He's gonna be battling with Devito to start at RDE and impressed last year.

haha

Well, I believe that once we draft 1 or 2 linemen in the draft, this line is gonna be vastly improved with impressive depth.

Sorry that you can't see that going from McGlynn and Linkenbsch to Grubbs and a high draft pick is vastly improving the line, but sometimes you have to lose a bet to learn a lesson.

You and I have seen eye to eye on damn near everything over the years (except Barry Richardson and Dexter McCluster) so maybe I need to do more research on this kid. He's way under my radar.

When you make a statement like that, it's pretty exciting.

Can we get a mod here !!!!!!

Clay needs to be renamed "Debbie Downer"

Clays football takes are generally ridiculous.

He is just trolling. It's crazy that everyone can't see it.

I don't think he used to be this bad, seems like the more weight he loses... the worse his football acumen is.

That's a nice post by Milkman about LDT. And holy **** woukd it be great if he stepped up.

And I also almost choked laughing when Scott Free told Clay to go get fat again.

Clay really needs to step up in 2015, his trolling is sub par as of late but hopefully he has a good offseason to repair these glaring issues

He sure seems to have the tools to be pretty good. Both physically and especially mentally.

Ldt doesn't seem to be committed to football though

Prove it.

Plus your AV is gay as ****.

Yeah, he already has a very lucrative post football career locked in... makes you wonder how hard he will fight to play ball.

Theres already a good bit of competition at guard now, then throw in a draftee or two and you have to wonder if it will make him resentful and even more determined... or if he just says eh **** it, I already have another way to get rich.

Donald Stephenson needs to step up. Too much inconsistent play from him last year.

No. WE don't know anything about him. Which is different than the Chiefs staff that has seen him in two training camps, mini camps, OTA's and in the locker room.

Lael Collins come on down? We there yet?

That's not what you said

That's the concern.

He has the physical tools.
Does he have the want to?