Late night bullshit: Where does this team need to improve?

[Direckshun]

1. Name the areas this team needs to go to the Super Bowl.

2. Rank it on a scale of 1-10.

QB

Like 85% of the NFL, we need to upgrade at this position. However, Smith was hardly *THE* reason we lost. We do, however, badly need a new #2 on the roster who can be groomed to take over for the future.

9/10

RB

I think it's pretty clear that Ware is a steady presence on the field, but he's not a game breaker, and he doesn't always get every yard he could. Jamaal is a huge question mark, and Charcandrick West is a good dude to have on the roster but he's a backup at best. We need another RB (or two), one of whom can break a game open.

10/10

WR

We have two really good dudes at the top of the depth chart, and Conley is a solid #3. We could use some more talent to round out the bottom of the roster, however.

5/10

TE

Our #1 is an All Pro, and Harris would be a solid #2 if he wasn't reliable for one ****-up per game. Both of the guys we have for the #3 spot are alright for now.

2/10

OT

Our starters are solid, though Fisher is probably a league-average LT at best. The depth here is okay, too -- Witzmann and Jah Reid are under contract for 2017 and are both acceptable talents.

2/10

OG

Somebody here on this board mentioned the Chiefs were 4-0 with Parker Ehinger starting this year. I don't know; I think it's fine to assume he can lock down the position for a year, but the Chiefs really need to be looking for new blood who can control the line of scrimmage here. LDT is fine, Fulton is an iffy backup, and both are hitting free agency in 2018. Chiefs need to make a key investment here.

8/10

C

Morse is solid and Fulton is a good backup.

1/10

NT

I'll allow for some flexibility here with Poe's situation. If this team does the right thing and brings Poe back, they've also got Howard for another year and T.J. Barnes is a solid backup. I'd say NT is a small need then -- however if Poe departs and Howard is only under contract for 2017, you can vault this position way up.

2/10 with Poe, 6/10 without Poe

DE

Chiefs are super loaded here, assuming Howard and Bailey come back with no problems. Even if we move Howard to NT, we've got tons of talent at the position.

1/10

OLB

I think the Chiefs need new blood here. Hali is coming back in 2017, but he contributed very little on the field. Houston/Ford is a solid combo, but the Chiefs need a very good third option to turn to if/when one of them go down. Zombo is just a guy.

6/10

ILB

I think this team has more talent at this position than CP would care to admit. I'm in the minority here, but I think we need to coach up Ramik a bit more and then roll with him, Mauga, March, and Alexander while we wait for DJ to return late in the season. I'm not opposed to bringing in some new blood here, but I don't think we're needing to draft a stud in 2017 like many on CP believe.

4/10

CB

Chiefs need to make extending Terrance Mitchell a thing this offseason. Mitchell played his ass off against the Steelers, and looks like the real deal. So long as he is, a Mitchell/Peters combo is money. Gaines is a quality backup, and White still has potential. I'd like someone for the slot better than Nelson, but Nelson has competed pretty hard this year so I wouldn't worry too much there, either. Nevertheless, this is one position you can't have enough talent at.

3/10

S

Assuming this team does the right thing and extends Berry, this team is set at safety. Berry/Parker is a Top 3 safety combo in the NFL, and Sorensen (who is an RFA) and Murray are good backups. If the team loses Berry, well.... unless Murray is a revelation, we're in trouble here.

1/10 with Berry, 7/10 without

ST

Santos is an RFA, Colquitt is Colquitt, and Winchester seems to be alright.

1/10

[Buehler445]

To me, it comes down to execution.

On paper we had better talent than those bundle of stickss. Obviously Big Rape is better than Alex but Alex doesn't turn it over and spreads it around to the playmakers. If which ours are better than theirs. If you look at the guys in paper, not in the game, we were better.

Bell is better than Ware.
Kelce is on par with Brown.
Macklin is way better than Coates
Conley is way better than whoever the **** is their #3.
Thy don't have anything close to what Hill brings to the table.
Harris is probably a wash with James
Schwartz and Fisher are better than their tackles.
Their interior OL is better but not by a lot. Most of that is Bells vision

Houston is better than Harrison
Poe is better than their NT
Our corners are far better
Our safeties are far better.

Colquitt is a better punter
Santos is probably a better kicker maybe a wash.

We were better than these sword swallowing assfaces.

So why did we lose? Look around the league, teams that won executed. Green Bay's guys dropped like 2 balls on 6 billion pass attempts. New England's guys never drop anything. ****ing Green Bay put a WR at RB and he didn't lose yards, didn't fumble and ran tough.

Green Bay and Atlanta have shit defenses. But they got the stops they needed. New England lined up guys that should be bagging groceries at every position and they always get the job done.

It comes down to execution. And our guys don't get it done.

[St. Patty's Fire]

I honestly don't see how you can say Pittsburgh's interior o-line "isn't that much better than ours". They very clearly are and are probably top-5 in the league.

Also Eli Rogers is a pretty solid wideout.

[tmax63]

Several on this board are gonna hate but the Chiefs need some big fatties. Poe hasn't been the same since his back, he has been average/above average but not what he was. The 100 mil man hasn't been on the field enough to earn 25 million. Hali didn't have an extra step to lose and he has lost 2 to father time. Current d-line is injured or due a payday. The youngsters may step up but they didn't produce much this year. I don't care if they didn't score any td's, 170 yds rushing in 30 carries (could of been more if they had fed him more) is unacceptable. You need 2 IB, not 1 and an oxygen thief. The Chiefs season went down with DJ when they didn't have a functional backup.
The Chiefs defense were opportunistic and lucky this year. If they don't improve talent they could very well rank in the 20's on yards allowed again and Points allowed as well. Touching on the offense they need another guy to challenge on the o-line and move somebody down to backup and one of the backups out. Any QB benefits from a strong o-line, AS even more than most because as long as he's not worried about getting hit he's pretty good. Hit him a couple of times and he gets happy feet and stops going through his progressions.

[bevischief]

Trade everyone and move to San Diego and start a new gadget midget league.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by JCharles25

I honestly don't see how you can say Pittsburgh's interior o-line "isn't that much better than ours". They very clearly are and are probably top-5 in the league.

Also Eli Rogers is a pretty solid wideout.

Even if you write the interior OL as far better than ours, we still have more talent across the board.

Conley is a solid wideout too. Especially if you put him with Rape.

[luv]

Replace Fisher. He hasn't really been worth much since we wasted a first overall pick on him. I mean, he's good if you like false starts.

WR. No way would I expect any clutch catches that Pittburgh made Sunday night from any one of our guys. I'd love to have at least one.

RB. I like Ware. Good powerful back. Otherwise, meh.

Getting Kelce's attitude in check.

Hope that Hill continues to learn. He's a special teams god.

Keeping the defense healthy. Making sure they don't get as much play time as the offense would be a great start.

[St. Patty's Fire]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Even if you write the interior OL as far better than ours, we still have more talent across the board.

Conley is a solid wideout too. Especially if you put him with Rape.

I agree tht we have more talent all throughout the lineup.

But they have it where it matters most: RB and QB (also OL).

Even though they couldnt get into the endzone (mainly due to awful redzone playcal, partially due to our D stepping up), their offense still looked far superior to ours.

[Sandy Vagina]

Originally Posted by Spider2YBanana

Someone is seriously suggesting we spend more money on Derrick Johnson and wait for him to recover?

He's done.

Hali and DJ should be flushed. Colquitt, too. He's making too much money next year considering our cap constraints.

Be the Steelers. Be the Pats. Be the Packers. Dump your aging players. New blood.

You do realize that this will cost the Chiefs nearly 15 million on the dead cap hit... right?

[kccrow]

QB - 10/10

Smith IS the reason this football team has a ton of problems putting points on the scoreboard. He is captain check down, failing to look deep first and short second. He never pushes the envelope with any consistency to make defenses respect him nor the Chiefs' passing attack. Smith's eyes staying down field on a scramble involve from him to about 7 yards past the LOS. He is a liability. Andy Reid has always called plays that put receivers down the field, and anyone with a brain and two eyeballs can watch it happen regularly week-in and week-out. This offense is subpar because Alex Smith is subpar, and if you think otherwise you're a ****ing idiot (or is it your and idiot?). The problem for KC is that it is extremely doubtful they can draft a QB in 2017 that is a legitimate player for the future. However, there is little doubt that Nick Foles can operate this offense just as effectively as Alex does already and he at least shows the wherewithal to take shots down the field. Nick Foles frees up 10.75 million. Alex Smith frees up 9.70 million and would free up 13.3 million if designated as a June 1st cut. There is little difference as to what QB gets cut from a financial perspective, or perhaps traded. Smith may actually have more trade value at this point, given he's been the starter, so teams like the Jets, Browns, or Bills might be willing to make a deal. Either way, KC can only keep one of the two. Foles is 27 and could still have upside. Alex is 32 without any upside. I know which one I'd choose to roll with in 2017. With regards to the draft, you'd probably have to hope Kizer or Watson falls else you're probably looking squarely at a mid-round #2 type.

RB - 6/10

I'm not saying this is a "must have" type of need, but it's pretty close. Ware is clearly not a full-time feature back and West is nothing more than a complimentary 3rd and distance type of back. The Chiefs need a true bell-cow type, similar to what Jamaal Charles provided. And speaking of Charles, what will KC do? It's absolutely certain they cannot retain his 7 million salary for 2017. Either Charles restructures, or he gets cut and perhaps re-signed to a much lesser deal. I have a hard time envisioning Charles being much going forward to boot. KC needs a starting caliber back or at least one they can run in a heavy committee with Ware.


WR - 4/10

The top three receivers are set even if I think Maclin didn't earn his paycheck this year. The issue are with depth. Albert Wilson is a RFA, but I can't see him being tendered for 1.67 million. I'd bet that he'll hit free agency and the Chiefs may choose to re-sign him to a contract. He's not a terrible #4, even if he frustrates the hell out of me. Demarcus Robinson not seeing a snap all year is a major concern and DeAnthony Thomas has done nothing but become a backup returner. Those 4th through 6th slots definitely need competition, so I'd look for the Chiefs to take a receiver at some point in the draft even if it's day 3.

TE - 1/10

The only concern I have at TE is the lack of a solid #2 blocker. When the Chiefs get into goal and short yardage situations, it would be beneficial to have a better option. I don't see KC addressing this early, but a day 3 selection is certainly a possibility.

OT - 3/10

I have little faith in Jah Reid and have yet to see what Witzmann can offer. There are concerns about depth. The Chiefs don't have the league's best tackles, but they are wholy on par with the average and some of their issues could be better masked if the guards weren't getting their shit pushed in regularly. I'd love to see KC spend a pick on a guy that can play outside if needed, but compete for a starting guard position.

OG - 9/10

I am on the record saying the Chiefs have bad guard, and I stick by that assertion. While KC's guards are average pass protectors, they are atrocious run blockers and struggle with bigger, more physical lineman. The Chiefs must get better here if they want to be a better rushing team and give their QB's more time in the pocket. Watching Alex Smith this season, he had fewer opportunities to step up into the pocket than he should have and that's a problem. Not to mention the Chiefs ground game was not very good either, if not below average. If I were KC, I'd draft a guard early and one early on day 3. Simply must get stronger here. Feeney in the first is looking much more attractive to me now than ever.

OC - 2/10

Morse is a solid overall player inside, but he really needs to get stronger in the offseason. I don't like Fulton, he's big and slow and doesn't generate movement for his size. He can be upgraded, but I don't see the Chiefs necessarily pulling the trigger on a depth player here this season.

NT - 1/10 w/ Poe 7/10 w/o Poe

I think Poe's value to this defense is severely underestimated, and letting him walk would be an enormous mistake. Poe's ability to stack up the middle and generate pressure isn't easily found nor replaced. If Poe walks, moving Howard inside is logical, but not the long-term solution. KC would have to spend a very high pick here if they let Poe walk.

DE - 3/10 w/Poe, 7/10 w/o Poe

Howard, Bailey, and Jones provide an awesome rotation and Nunez-Roches really stepped up at the end of the year. I think KC needs to add a depth guy if Poe is retained, but that's about it. If Poe walks, and Howards slides over, Then I think KC needs to get extremely serious about finding Howards replacement, which could be very early in the draft. NT and DE kind of walk hand-in-hand this offseason, depending on what happens with Poe.

OLB - 6/10

Hali is toast. He may want to be back for one more season, but his body showed this year that he should hang them up. Dee Ford is not overly effective versus the run, but he's light years better than he's ever been in that regard. I like the development, but he's nowhere near consistent yet and he really dropped off the last third of the season. I think he hit a wall. Houston's inability to stay on the field of late is a huge red flag right now. Will he ever be back to 100%? Can he be that dominate player for the entire slate of games once again? Big questions for KC's best player. I really believe KC must find a solid all-around edge defender in this year's draft and that usually requires at least a 3rd round pick. I really like Barnett, Watt, and Dimick as those types of guys this year.

ILB - 7/10

I'm going to say I had little faith in Ramik Wilson, but he showed me alot the last third of the season. I think Wilson can be a player that you can keep as a starter, but he's not a big-time player. He's a complimentary linebacker. The Chiefs need a stud, and they really need that guy to be a stout run defender. This is the reason I have really hung my hat on Ohio State's Raekwon McMillan to this point, but there are certainly others that I really like in this draft. The Chiefs probably need to spend at least a day 2 pick to address this situation. They simply have to be better against the run in 2017. I have no faith that any of the remaining linebackers on the roster are starting material and I feel as though Derrick Johnson is done. It is damn near impossible for a player of Johnson's age to come back from two separate Achilles injuries and be even moderately effective.

CB - 1/10

Other than extending Mitchell, I don't have too many worries here. If Gaines can get healthy, ever, he's a far better slot option than Nelson and Nelson wasn't bad in the slot. This unit could be very strong. I think D.J. White flashed some ability, but he was just lost with the scheme and overall speed of the game early on. I think he's better next season and going forward. This group has really good potential to be incredibly strong. Maybe the Chiefs look for a depth guy here. The only way I see KC swinging early is if an absolute stud like Marshon Lattimore is staring him in the face at 27.

S - 1/10 w/ Berry & Sorensen, 5/10 w/ Berry w/o Sorensen, 7/10 w/o Berry nor Sorensen

I don't see the Chiefs letting Eric Berry go. He's a valuable leader and a good football player. Do I think Berry commands 9-11 million per given his production? No. Do I think its wise to pay what it takes because of his production and leadership? I think so, especially with the age and likely retirements of Hali and Johnson. If Berry isn't retained, then I think you have to go out and get another safety pretty early or bring in a vet. Sorensen has really developed well too, and I think he gets tendered. If not, then you have to look at a big need for that #3 safety. Murray was great on special teams, but we haven't seen him play in a role like Sorensen has taken on. So, while I don't see safety as a need due to the expectation the Chiefs retain both Berry and Sorensen, it could become a rather significant one if they aren't retained.

ST - 1/10 w/Santos, 3/10 w/o Santos

I don't really worry that much about this group. I'm of the opinion that you need to always find a good kicker. I think Santos is pretty solid and will be retained. I think you up this to a day 3 draft need if Santos isn't there. Punters are pretty easy to find and you very rarely see long snappers drafted.

And, to kind of finish up, need is not necessarily indicative of draft position nor does it always correlate with the strengths of the position groups in the draft.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by tk13

Offense, defense, special teams, and playcalling.

Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by JCharles25

I agree tht we have more talent all throughout the lineup.

But they have it where it matters most: RB and QB (also OL).

Even though they couldnt get into the endzone (mainly due to awful redzone playcal, partially due to our D stepping up), their offense still looked far superior to ours.

I'm with you on Smith, but Smith is the right guy to win with the team. He doesn't turn the ball over and spreads it around accurately. We aren't asking Smith to win games. He's asked to get the ball to guys that win games. It should be enough to win playoff games.

As far as running back, this will seem weird, because I am a giant Charles homer, but runningback doesn't really matter. Last year, we got tremendous production out of 2 guys off the street. New England does it every year with ****all. Jonas Gray or whatever the **** that guys name was put up 200 yard games after bagging groceries and went right back to bagging groceries after he didn't play the Belichick game. Green Bay is gaining rush yards with a WR(?!). Charles is amazing and made a world class career out of ****ing NOTHING, but you don't have to have that dynamic a talent to win in the league.

So in my mind, it comes down to execution. Again.

[carcosa]

I still believe Ware can be a solid RB1. He's too talented. We need better run blocking so he doesn't get clobbered every time he tries to run up the middle.

That being said, if you're in position to grab an All-Pro at RB without giving up too much, I think it's probably worth it.

[St. Patty's Fire]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

I'm with you on Smith, but Smith is the right guy to win with the team. He doesn't turn the ball over and spreads it around accurately. We aren't asking Smith to win games. He's asked to get the ball to guys that win games. It should be enough to win playoff games.

As far as running back, this will seem weird, because I am a giant Charles homer, but runningback doesn't really matter. Last year, we got tremendous production out of 2 guys off the street. New England does it every year with ****all. Jonas Gray or whatever the **** that guys name was put up 200 yard games after bagging groceries and went right back to bagging groceries after he didn't play the Belichick game. Green Bay is gaining rush yards with a WR(?!). Charles is amazing and made a world class career out of ****ing NOTHING, but you don't have to have that dynamic a talent to win in the league.

So in my mind, it comes down to execution. Again.

Generally, I'm of the thought that a great offensive line is more important to a running game than the running back himself - but having a guy like Elliot, David Johnson, or healthy Charles back there is invaluable as well. Combine the two and it's the basis of an offensive juggernaut. If you're going to run with a QB like Smith, you absolutely MUST give him an offensive line/dangerous RB. He's not talented enough to stretch the field without the run opening up holes and getting the defense to question itself.

We have neither of those. Ware is decent and the offensive line is average at best. I don't think it's about execution when it comes to those two facets.

When it comes to the receivers, I agree. There's no doubt the dropped balls were a simple lack of execution.

[Dante84]

There was a noticeable drop off in offensive production when Eihnger went down. With him returning, that should help, assuming he is fully healthy.

We should also get another early interior stud in the event he doesn't, or in the event either he or LDT go down.

Fulton is not nearly as mobile as our other lineman and doesn't get to the second level well at all.

[Bewbies]

QB, new offensive line coach, run defense. Maybe new o-coordinator too.