Chiefs Chiefs can fill some needs in free agency but may be selective - Page 2

Mr_Tomahawk · 03-12-2012, 11:07 AM

This will go over well....

Chiefs can fill some needs in free agency but may be selective

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/11...#storylink=cpy

General manager Scott Pioli indicated the Chiefs would be busy in the free-agent market when the signing period begins Tuesday. He also cautioned that their activity might not result in a big crop of new veteran players heading to Kansas City.

“We are going to overturn a lot of rocks,’’ Pioli said. “We’re going to be very active in the pursuit of a number of different players. How much we get done isn’t just up to us. We’ve already been active in free-agency and not only the players we’ve re-signed but we added Stanford Routt.

“There have been plenty of times when we’ve pursued players in the past, and sometimes it’s worked out and sometimes it hasn’t worked out. We’ll see how it goes. But we’re certainly going to try to continue to improve our football team by adding players that are going to be available in free-agency.’’

The Chiefs don’t have many holes on their roster. They need immediate help at offensive tackle, where Barry Richardson is a potential free agent, and nose tackle, where Kelly Gregg is 35 and contemplating retirement. The Chiefs may pursue players at one position or both in free-agency.

But they have plenty of positions where they’re looking for an upgrade over the incumbent. One is quarterback, where Matt Cassel has been their starter for the last three seasons.

Peyton Manning is out there, and while the Chiefs have indicated an interest in him, it may not be mutual. Veteran quarterbacks who should be available to the Chiefs in free-agency include Oakland’s Jason Campbell, Miami’s Chad Henne and Denver’s Brady Quinn.

The last three have ties to Chiefs coaches. Campbell was coached by Jim Zorn in Washington, Henne by Brian Daboll with the Dolphins and Quinn by Romeo Crennel in Cleveland.

The Chiefs may also prefer to draft a quarterback.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say I would prefer a rookie or a veteran,’’ Crennel said. “I prefer the guy that gives us the best chance. We’re looking at guys in free-agency and looking at guys in the draft and then try to make the best decision we can to move the team forward.

“We’ll just have to see how it plays out.’’

The Chiefs may add a quarterback through both free-agency and the draft. But they’re unlikely to sign a veteran and then draft a quarterback in an early round. The Chiefs already have Ricky Stanzi, their only other quarterback under contract, as a developmental prospect.

“If you have one developmental guy you feel good about, you probably don’t need two,’’ Crennel said.

At other spots, the Chiefs need some depth. They hope, for instance, running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Tony Moeaki can return from their knee injuries, but they need some insurance in case they can’t.

Even if those two can return successfully, the Chiefs could use an extra body at both positions. Crennel suggested much of what the Chiefs do in free-agency could be related to building their depth. They had trouble adequately replacing Charles, Moeaki and Cassel last year.

“We’ll be as active as we need to be, but I can’t tell you how active that will be,’’ Crennel said. “It depends on what happens in free-agency. If we end up losing some guys that we want to keep, then we have to replace what we’ve lost.

“(High-) quality depth is important. That creates competition and competition makes everybody better.’’

The Chiefs’ record in free-agency has been mixed since Pioli joined the Chiefs in 2009. That first year, the major signings were Zach Thomas, Mike Goff and Bonny Engram. None was even slightly useful to the Chiefs.

Since then, with players like Ryan Lilja, Casey Wiegmann and Steve Breaston, their record has been better. But the Chiefs still haven’t added a true impact player in free-agency.

“We’ve got to do a better job in free-agency,’’ Pioli said. “I think we’ve done an OK job. I’m not satisfied with it, because we’re not yet a consistently successful team. That’s the intention. Part of what I said when I got here is that we want to consistently compete for championships. You do that by bringing in good players. I know our roster is better than what it was (when I joined the Chiefs). However, you can’t win a division one year and be sub-.500 the next year. That’s not the goal.

“Of the people we’ve actively pursued and missed out on, there’s not really anyone where I’ve said, ‘I wish we’d gone the extra mile to make sure we’d have gotten that deal done.’ ”

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/11...#storylink=cpy

InChiefsHeaven · 03-12-2012, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sedated

How can our fan-base know that we are 1 or 2 players away, and yet no one outside KC gives us even a shot to make the playoffs?

Hello? Cuz they ain't as smart as us...duh...geeeez...

03-12-2012, 11:07 AM
Mr_Tomahawk Prestige Worldwide Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Spring Hill, KS Casino cash: $-109474	Chiefs can fill some needs in free agency but may be selective This will go over well.... Chiefs can fill some needs in free agency but may be selective Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/11...#storylink=cpy General manager Scott Pioli indicated the Chiefs would be busy in the free-agent market when the signing period begins Tuesday. He also cautioned that their activity might not result in a big crop of new veteran players heading to Kansas City. “We are going to overturn a lot of rocks,’’ Pioli said. “We’re going to be very active in the pursuit of a number of different players. How much we get done isn’t just up to us. We’ve already been active in free-agency and not only the players we’ve re-signed but we added Stanford Routt. “There have been plenty of times when we’ve pursued players in the past, and sometimes it’s worked out and sometimes it hasn’t worked out. We’ll see how it goes. But we’re certainly going to try to continue to improve our football team by adding players that are going to be available in free-agency.’’ The Chiefs don’t have many holes on their roster. They need immediate help at offensive tackle, where Barry Richardson is a potential free agent, and nose tackle, where Kelly Gregg is 35 and contemplating retirement. The Chiefs may pursue players at one position or both in free-agency. But they have plenty of positions where they’re looking for an upgrade over the incumbent. One is quarterback, where Matt Cassel has been their starter for the last three seasons. Peyton Manning is out there, and while the Chiefs have indicated an interest in him, it may not be mutual. Veteran quarterbacks who should be available to the Chiefs in free-agency include Oakland’s Jason Campbell, Miami’s Chad Henne and Denver’s Brady Quinn. The last three have ties to Chiefs coaches. Campbell was coached by Jim Zorn in Washington, Henne by Brian Daboll with the Dolphins and Quinn by Romeo Crennel in Cleveland. The Chiefs may also prefer to draft a quarterback. “I wouldn’t necessarily say I would prefer a rookie or a veteran,’’ Crennel said. “I prefer the guy that gives us the best chance. We’re looking at guys in free-agency and looking at guys in the draft and then try to make the best decision we can to move the team forward. “We’ll just have to see how it plays out.’’ The Chiefs may add a quarterback through both free-agency and the draft. But they’re unlikely to sign a veteran and then draft a quarterback in an early round. The Chiefs already have Ricky Stanzi, their only other quarterback under contract, as a developmental prospect. “If you have one developmental guy you feel good about, you probably don’t need two,’’ Crennel said. At other spots, the Chiefs need some depth. They hope, for instance, running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Tony Moeaki can return from their knee injuries, but they need some insurance in case they can’t. Even if those two can return successfully, the Chiefs could use an extra body at both positions. Crennel suggested much of what the Chiefs do in free-agency could be related to building their depth. They had trouble adequately replacing Charles, Moeaki and Cassel last year. “We’ll be as active as we need to be, but I can’t tell you how active that will be,’’ Crennel said. “It depends on what happens in free-agency. If we end up losing some guys that we want to keep, then we have to replace what we’ve lost. “(High-) quality depth is important. That creates competition and competition makes everybody better.’’ The Chiefs’ record in free-agency has been mixed since Pioli joined the Chiefs in 2009. That first year, the major signings were Zach Thomas, Mike Goff and Bonny Engram. None was even slightly useful to the Chiefs. Since then, with players like Ryan Lilja, Casey Wiegmann and Steve Breaston, their record has been better. But the Chiefs still haven’t added a true impact player in free-agency. “We’ve got to do a better job in free-agency,’’ Pioli said. “I think we’ve done an OK job. I’m not satisfied with it, because we’re not yet a consistently successful team. That’s the intention. Part of what I said when I got here is that we want to consistently compete for championships. You do that by bringing in good players. I know our roster is better than what it was (when I joined the Chiefs). However, you can’t win a division one year and be sub-.500 the next year. That’s not the goal. “Of the people we’ve actively pursued and missed out on, there’s not really anyone where I’ve said, ‘I wish we’d gone the extra mile to make sure we’d have gotten that deal done.’ ” Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/03/11...#storylink=cpy
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