Mid-Term Evaluation: Grading Scott Pioli

[Nightfyre]

Please provide your grade of Scott Pioli through the first two and a half years of service, along with some insight about why you graded him so.

Mine:

Changes in Head Coaches:
Firing Chan Gailey - B - It was a no-brainer. Keeping him on in the capacity of an offensive coordinator was somewhat of a mess, but maybe they got some intel out of him they otherwise wouldn't have.

Hiring Todd Haley - B - I like Todd Haley. I think he has the capacity and balls to bring us to the Superbowl. He definitely does things his way, which is both good and bad. He is also willing to adapt as he goes.

Drafting:
2009 -
Round 1:
Tyson Jackson - (D) A 5-tech drafted at number 3 who should have been drafted somewhere around the middle of the first round. Jackson has failed to impress in his first two seasons; however, that is typical of defensive lineman as their development cycle is thought to average three years. He cannot possibly live up to his draft position.

Round 2:
Matt Cassel - (C) - Cassel has probably played at a B- level, but the huge contract he is under mitigates his play. Further, Pioli continues to stick with him despite his limited upside and time-in-service.

Mike Vrabel - (C) - provided below-average play due to his speed, but supposedly provided veteran leadership. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on that part.

Round 3:
Alex Magee - (F) - Traded to the Buc's to swap a fifth round pick for a sixth round pick two years later.

Round 4:
Donald Washington (C) - A high upside pick that just didn't pan out. I like this pick at the time. Still on the roster (they refuse to give up on him)

Round 5:
Colin Brown (F) - Didn't even make the opening season roster.

Round 6:
Quinten Lawrence (C) - Mediocre non-contributor, Currently on the Practice Squad

Round 7:
Javarris Williams - (C) - Released and subsequently signed with the Texans.

Jake O'Connell - (C) - How does this guy justify a roster spot?

Ryan Succop - (A) - What a pickup. A good kicker with the leg to become an elite one.

2010:

Round 1:
Eric Berry - (A+) - A super high upside pick with great intangibles, made the pro-bowl his first year.

Round 2:
Dexter McCluster - (C) - An undersized player they envisioned at the slot. He did win us the first game of the 2010 season, but he suffered an injury. It's hard to pin down just what McCluster will contribute. Regardless, at this point it appears unlikely to be worth a second round pick.

Javier Arenas - (B-) - He is likely a career nickel-back, which he does well and has upside at. Given the frequency with which nickel-backs are used in todays NFL, I am going to say he has potential to justify his draft position, but he will have to become pretty elite.

Round 3:
Jon Asamoah - (B+) - He is starting in 2011, and while he does not yet appear to be elite, he certainly has the potential.

Round 4:
Tony Moeaki - (B) - An elite tight-end in the making. The only caveat is that he has difficulty remaining healthy. May the lord bless us with a miracle surgeon.

Round 5:
Kendrick Lewis - (A) - A starting FS whose play in 2010 was adequate. Here's hoping he continues to improve.

Cameron Sheffield - (B) - After suffering a freak neck injury in 2010, we finally get to see Sheffield this year. He appears to be a moderate-upside player.

2011 Draft:
Round 1:
Jonathon Baldwin - (B+) - A top ten talent/athlete with character questions and a skill-set in severe need of an overhaul. Drafted near the bottom of round 1. His measurables are off the charts. He is slightly bigger than Larry Fitzgerald and as athletic. He must improve his attitude, his route-running, and his ability to break off press coverage. Amazing Hands. I hope this kid pans out, because I see Larry Fitzgerald upside.

Round 2:
Rodney Hudson - (B) - A highly-touted guard/center, but slightly undersized. Based on the preseason he is going to take some polish, but another good selection based on the information we have now.

Round 3:
Justin Houston - (B+) - A first round talent who dropped due to a failed drug test. He appears to have elite upside based on what we have seen thusfar.

Allen Bailey - (B+) - Another highly talented individual who appears to have elite upside.

Round 4:
Jalil Brown - (B) - Appears to have the stuff to make it as a number 2 corner, based on what we've seen thusfar.

Round 5:
Ricky Stanzi - (B) - Appears to have a better skillset and arm than Cassel, but we do not have a sufficient sample to draw any conclusions yet.

Round 6:
Gabe Miller - (C+) - Currently on the IR. I have not seen him play yet.

Jerrel Powe - (B) - Appears to have quite the upside for a nose tackle. Many would have been happy to see him drafted in round four, let alone six.

Round 7:
Shane Bannon - (C) - Currently on the practice squad.

OVERALL DRAFTING GRADE: B
I added less weight to the first draft given the timeframe in which Pioli was added.

Notable Free Agents:
2009:
Jovan Belcher - An UDFA who appears to have high upside as a MLB.
Terrence Copper - Special Teams player

2010:
Casey Weigman - A veteran with good presence in the locker room. Played well early in the season but lost too much weight/steam in the second half to be effective.

Thomas Jones- A veteran presence in the lockerroom, probably responsible for us maintaining Charles (an oft overlooked point.) On the other hand he did break our first round picks hand.

Ryan Lilja - A great pickup at Guard. A starter with some miles left on him.

Shaun Smith - An awesome pickup on the defensive line. He moved on to the Titans but provided one of his best years to KC.

Mike Brown - Lost too much speed to be effective.

Jerhame Urban - Still has a roster spot anyway.

2011:

Steve Breaston - Appears to be a solid addition, currently starting opposite Bowe.

Kelly Gregg - Hopefully he can show Powe the ropes. no one is sure how much he has left in the tank.

Steve Piscitelli - Safety depth, sort of.

Brandon Siler - Appeared to be a terrific pickup until he hit the IR.

Keary Colbert - Has a roster spot. Maybe he can show some of his old magic.

Le'ron McClain - An all-pro FB should provide excellent improvement in the short yardage running game, an area sorely missed last season.

Free Agency Grade: B-
We have added some players, however I would say Pioli has only done a slightly above-average job thusfar acquiring talent through free agency.

Pioli's overall grade: B

He has substantially improved the roster and the coaching staff. However, he has a long way to go to bring us to the Bowl.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

A better QB can cure everything. TJax will be a force against the run, WRs will get open, Richardson won't be a swinging gate, short yardage runs won't be stuffed, etc.

What was the Patriot defensive ranking last year?

Who was their RT?

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by milkman

I think the talent on this roster is capable of competing with most of the teams in the league.

67% of games last season were decided by a touchdown or less.

That's one or two plays a game that decide the outcome.

This team's fortunes, as I've said numerous times, lies squarely on Cassel.

The plays he makes, or fails to make, could be the difference between 10-6 or 6-10.

Most of it does rely on Cassel, I dont argue that. But I do argue that this team cant afford mistakes and still win...

IE the Indy game last year... Being at that game, We were very competitive, but take away Charles fumbles, Bowes TD drop and DJ's dropped pick six and its a totally different game.

That was a perfect example of not being able to over come mistakes... But over the course of the year, most of the critical situations comes down to Cassel.

At this point to me its the glass half full with Cassel, It could be better and it could be so much worse.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

you're the king butt hurt Cassel white knight....you own that


and the truth remains...the only difference between us and those "good" teams is QB...

if Brady played for us, and Cassel played for New England...we'd be the 'good' team...same for Rothelessburger...same for Green Bay...same for anyone

but thankfully, according to you, Cassel is awesome...so we're Golden

Dude you are on a roll today...

Now I am Cassels White Knight?



and since you are adding racism to your posts, does this make you Herms Black Knight?

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Originally Posted by milkman

What was the Patriot defensive ranking last year?

Who was their RT?

To add to that...boy that Packer run game sure was fearsome as well as thier O-line play.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by PGM

To add to that...boy that Packer run game sure was fearsome as well as thier O-line play.

Right.

Bottom line is this.

A good QB can't cure everything, but he can mask a lot of deficiencies, and in this era of parody and salary caps, every team has holes.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by milkman

Right.

Bottom line is this.

A good QB can't cure everything, but he can mask a lot of deficiencies, and in this era of parody and salary caps, every team has holes.

Thats why there are only a handful of great teams, then there is everybody else..

Either you have one of the top few QB's or youre just another team...

[Reerun_KC]

And right now, KC is just another team...

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by Chief Faithful

Yeah, it was a bad draft, yet it was still better than many of the Peterson era drafts plus, 2009 has proven to be a bad draft for many teams. You are right, Pioli owns the 2009 draft, but I don't think it is a good representation of what we will see in the future. I believe the 2010 &11 drafts are a better representation. Under Pioli and the new scouting department they just seem to be more prepared and informed. Plus, they are not looking for the best talent they are looking for the right talent, which tells me they have a template. Scouting can me much easier when you know what you are looking to find.

Can't argue with that. Also, this year told me that they really do have a plan, instead of just doing the "cookie cutter" plan of getting a bunch of nice young men together (team captains). It showed me that they built a core of leaders, and good guys, and are willing to add some questionable high value/high ceiling guys, that aren't choir boys.

I love what is going on, and am still firmly on the bandwagon for the 43rd year.

But people that think playing Green Bay is the same as playing Arizona puzzle me. It is not the same, and should not be graded the same.

[Bump]

I wouldn't say Baldwin is anywhere near the athletic ability of Fitzgerald. Fitz will be top 10 of all time with shitty quarterbacks (except an old Kurt Warner).

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

Dude you are on a roll today...

Now I am Cassels White Knight?



and since you are adding racism to your posts, does this make you Herms Black Knight?

?

do you drink?

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

?

do you drink?

Yes but not at work....

How about you? You a beer man or a Whiskey man?

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by Reerun_KC

Yes but not at work....

How about you? You a beer man or a Whiskey man?

oh..you don't know what white knight means....got it


i was wondering how dumb someone had to be, to find it racist...now i know

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by Bump

I wouldn't say Baldwin is anywhere near the athletic ability of Fitzgerald. Fitz will be top 10 of all time with shitty quarterbacks (except an old Kurt Warner).

Seeing Bowe in person, last week in Green Bay, gave me a lot of confidence in what Haley can do with a WR.

I know, woulda and shoulda etc. , but Bowe was nails in that game, that was decided and given away by 5 stupid turnovers. None of those were his fault, and he made the tackle, after running the guy down from behind, that picked up a Jamaal Charles fumble.

I think this team is just fine in the WR department, and I don't recall ever being able to say that. They may be able to overcome Cassel's 20% target rate.

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

oh..you don't know what white knight means....got it


i was wondering how dumb someone had to be, to find it racist...now i know

Well that pretty much left me speachless... I dont have anything to say, nor can I help you out here anymore.

It was fun while it lasted... PM me your address and I will send you some new batteries for your sarcasm meter...

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by morphius

The way I look at it is as simple as we only have 2 games different than everyone else in the AFC West, that's it. If we beat the second place AFC West team twice that makes up for any disadvantage we have in the 2 possibly harder games.

That still doesn't change the discussion about the Chiefs overall record being worse but the team being better this year.

I imagine the records in the AFC West are going to be lower as a hole this year.

anything can happen, but i see the Chargers as the only team with double digit wins in the AFCW this year. Only because i think they have finally had enough with underachieving label every year.