ChiefsPlanet - Chiefs Walter Football: Chiefs will win the AFCW

Not sure I agree with it.

But damn good analysis.

Click through the link to see how he rates each of the team's positional groupings.

http://www.walterfootball.com/offseason2012kc.php

Kansas City Chiefs (Last Year: 7-9)

2012 NFL Season Preview:

Veteran Additions:
QB Brady Quinn, RB Peyton Hillis, TE Kevin Boss, OT Eric Winston, DE/DT Ropati Pitoitua, CB Stanford Routt.
Early Draft Picks:
NT Dontari Poe, G Jeff Allen, OT Donald Stephenson, WR Devon Wylie, CB/S DeQuan Menzie, RB Cyrus Gray.
Offseason Losses:
QB Kyle Orton, RB Jackie Battle, FB Le'Ron McClain, TE Leonard Pope, OT Barry Richardson, C Casey Wiegmann, DE Wallace Gilberry, NT Kelly Gregg, CB Brandon Carr, S Jon McGraw.

2012 Kansas City Chiefs Offense:

If only Kansas City had a talented quarterback. The Chiefs arguably have the best roster in the NFL if the signal-caller position is excluded. Unfortunately for them, Matt Cassel happens to have the greatest impact of any Kansas City player.

Despite his severe physical limitations, Cassel was missed in 2011. He was banged up and ineffective early on, and then suffered another injury, forcing him to miss the final seven games of the season. Tyler Palko was dreadful in immediate relief, and it wasn't until Kyle Orton took over that the Chiefs had some semblance of stability at quarterback.

Cassel is fully healthy again, which means more mediocrity at best. In his final two games of the 2010 campaign, including the playoff contest, Cassel was a combined 20-of-48 for 185 yards, no touchdowns and five interceptions. That's a completion percentage of 41.7 and a YPA of 3.9. Cassel has proven that he's good enough to lead a team to the playoffs, but he's not nearly talented enough to win postseason contests.

There won't be any excuses for Cassel because he's surrounded by a terrific supporting cast. Also returning from injury is Jamaal Charles, one of the most explosive running backs in the NFL. Charles can't handle a full workload, but he's capable of going the distance every time he touches the ball. The problem is that he's coming off a torn ACL, so there's no telling how effective he'll be in his first season back. With that in mind, the Chiefs signed Special Agent Peyton Hillis as insurance. Hillis never lived up to being on the Madden cover, but he's a powerful runner who should be able to serve as a solid complement to Charles.

Tight end Tony Moeaki is also coming off a torn ACL. Tight ends don't have as tough of a transition returning from that malady, so he'll once again serve as a quality intermediate target along with Kevin Boss, who was brought in for his blocking prowess. Of course, Cassel's No. 1 option is Dwayne Bowe, who is holding out because he doesn't want to play for $9.15 million this year. Jonathan Baldwin, last year's first-round pick, is fully taking advantage of Bowe's absence. He's getting all of the first-team reps and has reportedly worked out diligently this offseason. Bowe's holdout could be a blessing in disguise, as Baldwin's extra workcould mean that Cassel will have two No. 1-caliber wideouts at his disposal.

Cassel will have all the time he'll need to locate Bowe and Baldwin downfield. The offensive line, which surrendered 34 sacks (10th fewest in the NFL) received a boost when the front office signed right tackle Eric Winston. The former Texan will offer a huge upgrade over Barry Richardson, who was responsible for eight of those sacks. Winston will play across from left tackle Branden Albert, who struggled with penalties (10) but permitted an average amount of sacks (5).

The other new addition to the starting group is second-year center Rodney Hudson, who will step in for the departed Casey Wiegmann. Those are big shoes to fill, but Hudson played well in relief in his only start against Pittsburgh last season. Flanking Hudson are guards Jon Asamoah and Ryan Lilja. They played well in 2011, surrendering two sacks each.

2012 Kansas City Chiefs Defense:

The undefeated Packers confidently marched into Arrowhead, but walked away with their first loss of the season. Romeo Crennel did a masterful job of shutting down Aaron Rodgers and all of his weapons. Two weeks later, Crennel similarly put the clamps on a red-hot Tim Tebow.

The Chiefs have one of the top defenses in the NFL. It all starts with the pass rush; Kansas City notched only 29 sacks in 2011, which tied for the third fewest in the NFL. However, that number is misleading because 16 of the Chiefs' sacks came in the final five weeks of the season, coinciding with the emergence of rookie rush linebacker Justin Houston. The former Georgia Bulldog was a first-round prospect who dropped into the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft because of off-the-field concerns. He proved why he was so highly regarded by registering all six of his sacks between Weeks 13 and 17. Of course, it helped that he played across from Tamba Hali, one of the most feared pass-rushers in the league.

Kansas City's ability to get to the quarterback helped an already-talented secondary comprised of two No. 1 cornerbacks, Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr. The latter signed with Dallas, but the Chiefs signed former Raider Stanford Routt as a replacement. It's a downgrade, but Eric Berry's return will make up for it. The No. 5 pick in the 2010 NFL Draft, Berry tore his ACL in Week 1 last year. Even if he's not 100 percent, he'll still be a major upgrade over the ineffective Jon McGraw. Meanwhile, free safety Kendrick Lewis is a quality player who is a bit underrated.

While the Chiefs excelled at getting to the quarterback late in the year, they were only mediocre in stopping the run. That figures to change in the wake of drafting nose tackle Dontari Poe with the No. 11 overall selection in April. Poe is a physical freak - he ran a 4.8 40 at the Combine despite weighing around 345 pounds - but he's raw. Crennel is one of the top defensive minds in football, so Poe couldn't be in a better situation.

If Poe lives up to his potential - or anywhere close to it - he may be able to help the two bust five-techniques improve. Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson were both top-five selections in their respective NFL Drafts, but neither has lived up to his billing. Both Dorsey and Jackson played very well versus the run last year, but neither could apply pressure on the quarterback. Jackson is owed $14.72 million in 2013, so this could be his last chance.

The two inside linebackers have to be thrilled that Scott Pioli used such a high selection on a monstrous nose tackle because it'll make their lives easier. Everyone knows who Derrick Johnson is, and rightfully so; he was one of the top players at his position last year. Jovan Belcher, meanwhile, is very underrated, as proven when ESPN ignorantly predicted that the Chiefs would select Luke Kuechly in the 2012 NFL Draft. Belcher is a young, improving player who is a force in run support.

2012 Kansas City Chiefs Schedule and Intangibles:

The Chiefs brought back the Arrowhead magic that was missing between the 2007 and 2009 seasons. In that span, Kansas City was 4-20 as a host. Since 2010, that record is 10-7, which is very good considering that Tyler Palko quarterbacked some of those contests. The Chiefs knocked off the undefeated Packers at home late in 2011, which was very impressive.

It's a good sign that Romeo Crennel was 2-1 to close out the year. In his three years with the Chiefs, Todd Haley was 3-8 after Dec. 5.

Dexter McCluster scored a touchdown on a punt return in his first game ever (a Monday nighter versus San Diego), but he hasn't found the end zone on special teams ever since. Javier Arenas, meanwhile, has been very effective on punt returns. He averaged 12.8 yards per attempt last year, which is highly impressive for not getting to the end zone.

Kicker Ryan Succop drilled 24-of-30 attempts last year, including a perfect 3-of-3 from 50-plus. However, he was just mediocre from 40-49, going 7-of-12.

Dustin Colquitt punted well in 2011. He maintained a 45.9 average with 27-of-89 tries inside the 20.

The Chiefs have their work cut out for them in terms of their schedule. Their first five opponents are the Falcons, Bills, Saints, Chargers and Ravens, all of whom could very easily quality for the playoffs in 2012 (though San Diego could be in its annual early-season swoon). Things get easier after that, fortunately, with matchups versus Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Cincinnati (home) and Oakland twice.

2012 Kansas City Chiefs Analysis:

The Chiefs would be a Super Bowl contender if they had a very good quarterback. Matt Cassel isn't very good, but Kansas City is still a playoff-caliber squad with him under center. He's proven that he can lead a team to the postseason, and he should be able to do that in 2012. It's winning in January that will be the problem.

Projection: 10-6 (1st in AFC West)