Chiefs Mellinger: Now is the time for Chiefs to make bold move at QB - Page 6

**Tribal Warfare** · 01-15-2012, 01:13 AM

Now is the time for Chiefs to make bold move at QB
By SAM MELLINGER
The Kansas City Star

The old personnel man wants a promise you won’t use his name. He will talk to you, and say exactly what he thinks, but doesn’t want to be the one using a public forum like the local newspaper to tell Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli how to do his job.

It’s just that the man spent a few decades being paid to evaluate NFL talent and he can’t look at the Chiefs without seeing what he thinks is obvious.

“They need a quarterback,” the man says. “Matt Cassel is fine, but look at the league now, the way things are, you need to do better than Matt Cassel. At least bring in someone to compete.”

This is the Chiefs’ major decision now. It is real, even if the decision-makers are maintaining their usual silence. Cassel is the incumbent, and there are no indications that the most important opinions on him are wavering.

But the costs of moving on have never been lower, the potential benefits never been higher, and the timing never better. The easy thing is to see that the Chiefs need to get better at quarterback.

The harder thing is thinking through the options and making the necessary sacrifices.

• • •

That whole Suck For Luck thing is nonsense. A nonstarter. NFL teams don’t throw seasons, and they certainly don’t make progress by throwing seasons.

But right now, it’s impossible not to think about it.

Because the Chiefs will own the 11th or 12th pick in April’s draft — it’ll be decided by a coin flip with Seattle — and that’s just too far to trade into the first (Andrew Luck) or second (Robert Griffin III) pick. Whatever chance the Chiefs had to draft one of this class’ premier quarterbacks died when they won seven games.

Shawn Zobel, who runs DraftHeadquarters.com, thinks a realistic framework for the Chiefs to move into the No. 2 pick would be roughly what Atlanta gave up last year to move from No. 27 to No. 6 in order to take Julio Jones: two first-round picks, one second, and two fourths.

The NFL’s new CBA includes cost-control on rookies, plus the Browns have extra picks from the trade with Atlanta, so it would be an enormous stretch for the Chiefs to make the best offer. Either way, it would be a staggering haul that didn’t help the Falcons, plus left them without a first- or fourth-round pick this year.

Griffin’s potential is real, but the Chiefs have too many other needs — starting with an offensive line that needs to get both younger and better — to do that. Besides, trading up is entirely out of Pioli’s track record.

We also know that re-signing Kyle Orton is both uncertain (he’ll have other options) and entirely inadequate. That leaves two options for a bold move: take a quarterback with the first-round pick, or go big with someone else’s quarterback.

A first-round pick probably means Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill. He’s a former wide receiver with only a season and a half as a starting quarterback, so he’s raw, especially with quarterback intricacies like pre-snap reads and progressing through receivers. He recently broke his foot but is expected to recover.

The last option is the one that makes the most sense. Peyton Manning is the sexy name, of course, and the obvious and sad irony is that the Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game since the last time they brought in someone else’s aching Hall of Fame quarterback, Joe Montana.

Manning would be a no-brainer, both in terms of football and public relations. The problem is the list of what would have to happen — his neck fully heals, the Colts let him go, and he decides he wants to play somewhere else — is wrought with uncertainty.

The positive is that the Chiefs are in a place to offer Manning a talented roster with a coaching staff that could still be suited to him and a presumably winnable division.

Matt Flynn is the best free agent, though the Packers could use the franchise tag to keep him as their backup. Flynn drove up his price by throwing for six touchdowns and a franchise-record 480 yards in the season finale against Detroit, and was also good (24 of 37 passing, 251 yards, three touchdowns and an interception) in his one start last season.

But here’s the irony: his profile is an awful lot like Matt Cassel’s was three years ago. Both are career backups to Hall of Famers. Both have benefitted from being in wildly successful systems. Flynn will be 27 when the season begins, just like Cassel was when he began with the Chiefs.

It’s a small sample, but perhaps instructive that of two NFL personnel men who spoke for this column, one said he liked Cassel more three years ago than he likes Flynn now.

That’s OK. There aren’t many certainties in the NFL, but here’s one: the Chiefs are in a promising place that can best be ruined by lacking the guts to do something bold.

• • •

The advantage the Chiefs have in searching for a better quarterback situation is in timing first, and resources second.

Romeo Crennel hasn’t hired an offensive coordinator, or even given much of an indication on which coaches will be back. That gives him an opportunity to sync the new staff with whatever decision is made about the quarterback.

Acquiring someone else’s quarterback — Manning or Flynn — comes with an added benefit. The Chiefs have plenty of salary-cap space, and could structure any deal in such a way to make the most out of the league-mandated spending minimum that begins in the 2013 season.

The quote at the top of this column is a pretty good summation. Cassel is fine. He’s had four seasons as a starting quarterback. Twice he won 10 games, once he played for a team that had no chance, and the other he got hurt.

But this narrative from the Chiefs that Cassel is young and developing needs to stop. He turns 30 in May. He’s started 54 games. Rookies are coming into the NFL ready.

Cassel told The Star last week he wouldn’t mind if the Chiefs made him compete for the job. Nothing that happened last season indicates that competition would come from Ricky Stanzi.

The Chiefs have the chassis for a good football team, now and into the future. Much of that is because of the improvement of players such as Tamba Hali and Jamaal Charles and Pioli’s ability to sign them long-term.

Since Pioli took over three years ago, two of the most consistent limits on the team have been his unwillingness to make bold personnel acquisitions and the quarterback.

This offseason presents the perfect chance to change that.

Direckshun · 01-15-2012, 02:22 PM

I was on the Peyton Manning bandwagon, and still am. It's not going to happen, but I'll say this aside from it:

Now is NOT the time for the Chiefs to make a bold QB move (excepting Manning).

2013 has a ton of great potential franchise QBs coming out. None of them are in Luck's range but the sheer number of them allows for this team to get a QB with better value than competing with eight other teams for, really, only two or three options.

The reason I except a healthy Manning is because he's truly a gamechanger.

O.city · 01-15-2012, 02:24 PM

I'd love to have Manning. But something about drafting a developing our own Manning makes me excited.

For once I want the Chiefs to be trend setters and be considered serious.

And about 2013 qb class, the same thing was said this time last eyar and this years class.

ForeverChiefs58 · 01-15-2012, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

Franchise QB>Great RB

And it's not even close.

I agree with that, but 3 or 4 1st rd picks seems like an awfull lot to give up.

For all anyone knows, and with our luck, in a couple years the next Joe Montana could come out.

bowener · 01-15-2012, 02:25 PM

Will the Chiefs have a better chance at trading into the 2nd spot than other teams since they can trade Bowe to the Rams? One of the multiple firsts that teams trade to the Rams will get used on the best WR available when they pick anyway.

Bowe with a legit QB and a strong running game would be pretty ****ing scary.

Would the Chiefs have to give up something like: Bowe, 2012 1st, 2013 1st, 2012 2nd?
Essentially 3 first round picks and a high 2nd round pick.

**BossChief** · 01-15-2012, 02:29 PM

The rule with Ricky Williams and Hershal Walker trades is never give up everything for a complimentary player.

Either of those trades would have been good if they had landed a franchise quarterback.

**BossChief** · 01-15-2012, 02:29 PM

The rule with Ricky Williams and Hershal Walker trades is never give up everything for a complimentary player.

Either of those trades would have been good if they had landed a franchise quarterback.

dallaschiefsfan · 01-15-2012, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbucks24

I think because of the draft position of the Chiefs and the number of teams that need a QB, it will take more than that to get RGIII. I think the Browns, Redskins and Dolphins will also be making offers. This could get into a bidding war.

Everyone seems to assume this is the case. While I don't have enough insider info to say this with any confidence for each franchise listed above, I don't believe for a second each front office with these teams will all of a sudden decide that they HAVE to have a QB in the first round and trade the farm to get it. MANY GM's have the same mentality as Carl/Pioli. We should not play down the capacity of most teams to under-value the QB position like us. After all, there's a reason each of those teams suck. We wouldn't necessarily be bidding against more than one other team, I'm guessing...unless everyone has an epiphany at the same time.

I say all this and firmly believe that we won't trade the farm for a franchise QB either...so it's all moot to me. The Rams will get Blackmon at 2 and we'll see what happens from there.

ForeverChiefs58 · 01-15-2012, 02:30 PM

I would rather our team do their homework and find a good QB in the draft like the Bengles were able to do without giving away our future.

I would also hope our GM would be way more savy and experienced than the Bungles.

O.city · 01-15-2012, 02:30 PM

I realize that franchise qbs are worth more than basically any other player on the team. But for **** sake, the Chiefs are a franchise quarterback away from being contenders with the team they have on the field right now.

Trade the whole damn draft if you have to. Trade 3 firsts and 3 2nds if you have to.

-King- · 01-15-2012, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

Most people did. The smart fans knew Cassel wasn't the answer.

Absolutely not. Why would you make assumptions like that.

Because you made posts like:

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

If you watched him play at all you would know Cassel was a different player towards the second half. Saying the O-line did doesn't work. Multiple times the pocket collapsed and Cassel escaped, improvising.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

Because Weis is replaceable. He's good. But he's not an elite OC. The best thing about Weis is that he helped mold Cassel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

I would agree. That also means Cassel will have to be the great QB he's shown that he can be on a consistent basis.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCrockaholic

Me. I said 9-7, and barely miss the playoffs....

I ****ing love Todd Haley and Scott Pioli....And....Eric Berry, Jamaal Charles, Matt Cassel, Derrick Johnson, Dustin Colquitt...

And many more.

Quote:

True. But at this point Cassel is his guy, and I've seen nothing to tell me otherwise.

Because he put 60 million dollars into Cassel, and Pioli doesn't have a personal problem with Cassel like he did with Haley.

And you know this how? We never knew that Pioli and Haley had personal problems until he was fired.

ForeverChiefs58 · 01-15-2012, 02:31 PM

Like everyone else though, 20 years is too long for a playoff win, and 40 years is too long for a SB win, so do whatever to make it happen! Whatever you have to do to get it done, be like Nike, and just do it!

**Rausch** · 01-15-2012, 02:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bowener

Will the Chiefs have a better chance at trading into the 2nd spot than other teams since they can trade Bowe to the Rams?

We trade Bowe to the Lambs for RGIII and I'll find out where you live and kill you in your sleep...

Okie_Apparition · 01-15-2012, 02:32 PM

If Pioli suggests trading 3 1st
he should be fired on the spot

-King- · 01-15-2012, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Okie_Apparition

If Pioli suggests trading 3 1st
he should be fired on the spot

This.

O.city · 01-15-2012, 02:35 PM

Essentially you are trading 2 firsts, because you get one for the Luck pick.

Look at are last say 5 first round picks. Any of them more valuable to the Chiefs than what Peyton Manning was or is to the Colts.

01-15-2012, 01:13 AM
Tribal Warfare The Boom Boom Room Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $532813	Mellinger: Now is the time for Chiefs to make bold move at QB Now is the time for Chiefs to make bold move at QB By SAM MELLINGER The Kansas City Star The old personnel man wants a promise you won’t use his name. He will talk to you, and say exactly what he thinks, but doesn’t want to be the one using a public forum like the local newspaper to tell Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli how to do his job. It’s just that the man spent a few decades being paid to evaluate NFL talent and he can’t look at the Chiefs without seeing what he thinks is obvious. “They need a quarterback,” the man says. “Matt Cassel is fine, but look at the league now, the way things are, you need to do better than Matt Cassel. At least bring in someone to compete.” This is the Chiefs’ major decision now. It is real, even if the decision-makers are maintaining their usual silence. Cassel is the incumbent, and there are no indications that the most important opinions on him are wavering. But the costs of moving on have never been lower, the potential benefits never been higher, and the timing never better. The easy thing is to see that the Chiefs need to get better at quarterback. The harder thing is thinking through the options and making the necessary sacrifices. • • • That whole Suck For Luck thing is nonsense. A nonstarter. NFL teams don’t throw seasons, and they certainly don’t make progress by throwing seasons. But right now, it’s impossible not to think about it. Because the Chiefs will own the 11th or 12th pick in April’s draft — it’ll be decided by a coin flip with Seattle — and that’s just too far to trade into the first (Andrew Luck) or second (Robert Griffin III) pick. Whatever chance the Chiefs had to draft one of this class’ premier quarterbacks died when they won seven games. Shawn Zobel, who runs DraftHeadquarters.com, thinks a realistic framework for the Chiefs to move into the No. 2 pick would be roughly what Atlanta gave up last year to move from No. 27 to No. 6 in order to take Julio Jones: two first-round picks, one second, and two fourths. The NFL’s new CBA includes cost-control on rookies, plus the Browns have extra picks from the trade with Atlanta, so it would be an enormous stretch for the Chiefs to make the best offer. Either way, it would be a staggering haul that didn’t help the Falcons, plus left them without a first- or fourth-round pick this year. Griffin’s potential is real, but the Chiefs have too many other needs — starting with an offensive line that needs to get both younger and better — to do that. Besides, trading up is entirely out of Pioli’s track record. We also know that re-signing Kyle Orton is both uncertain (he’ll have other options) and entirely inadequate. That leaves two options for a bold move: take a quarterback with the first-round pick, or go big with someone else’s quarterback. A first-round pick probably means Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill. He’s a former wide receiver with only a season and a half as a starting quarterback, so he’s raw, especially with quarterback intricacies like pre-snap reads and progressing through receivers. He recently broke his foot but is expected to recover. The last option is the one that makes the most sense. Peyton Manning is the sexy name, of course, and the obvious and sad irony is that the Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game since the last time they brought in someone else’s aching Hall of Fame quarterback, Joe Montana. Manning would be a no-brainer, both in terms of football and public relations. The problem is the list of what would have to happen — his neck fully heals, the Colts let him go, and he decides he wants to play somewhere else — is wrought with uncertainty. The positive is that the Chiefs are in a place to offer Manning a talented roster with a coaching staff that could still be suited to him and a presumably winnable division. Matt Flynn is the best free agent, though the Packers could use the franchise tag to keep him as their backup. Flynn drove up his price by throwing for six touchdowns and a franchise-record 480 yards in the season finale against Detroit, and was also good (24 of 37 passing, 251 yards, three touchdowns and an interception) in his one start last season. But here’s the irony: his profile is an awful lot like Matt Cassel’s was three years ago. Both are career backups to Hall of Famers. Both have benefitted from being in wildly successful systems. Flynn will be 27 when the season begins, just like Cassel was when he began with the Chiefs. It’s a small sample, but perhaps instructive that of two NFL personnel men who spoke for this column, one said he liked Cassel more three years ago than he likes Flynn now. That’s OK. There aren’t many certainties in the NFL, but here’s one: the Chiefs are in a promising place that can best be ruined by lacking the guts to do something bold. • • • The advantage the Chiefs have in searching for a better quarterback situation is in timing first, and resources second. Romeo Crennel hasn’t hired an offensive coordinator, or even given much of an indication on which coaches will be back. That gives him an opportunity to sync the new staff with whatever decision is made about the quarterback. Acquiring someone else’s quarterback — Manning or Flynn — comes with an added benefit. The Chiefs have plenty of salary-cap space, and could structure any deal in such a way to make the most out of the league-mandated spending minimum that begins in the 2013 season. The quote at the top of this column is a pretty good summation. Cassel is fine. He’s had four seasons as a starting quarterback. Twice he won 10 games, once he played for a team that had no chance, and the other he got hurt. But this narrative from the Chiefs that Cassel is young and developing needs to stop. He turns 30 in May. He’s started 54 games. Rookies are coming into the NFL ready. Cassel told The Star last week he wouldn’t mind if the Chiefs made him compete for the job. Nothing that happened last season indicates that competition would come from Ricky Stanzi. The Chiefs have the chassis for a good football team, now and into the future. Much of that is because of the improvement of players such as Tamba Hali and Jamaal Charles and Pioli’s ability to sign them long-term. Since Pioli took over three years ago, two of the most consistent limits on the team have been his unwillingness to make bold personnel acquisitions and the quarterback. This offseason presents the perfect chance to change that.
Posts: 42,170

01-15-2012, 02:22 PM	#76
Direckshun __ Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springpatch Casino cash: $4173447	I was on the Peyton Manning bandwagon, and still am. It's not going to happen, but I'll say this aside from it: Now is NOT the time for the Chiefs to make a bold QB move (excepting Manning). 2013 has a ton of great potential franchise QBs coming out. None of them are in Luck's range but the sheer number of them allows for this team to get a QB with better value than competing with eight other teams for, really, only two or three options. The reason I except a healthy Manning is because he's truly a gamechanger.
Posts: 59,314

01-15-2012, 02:24 PM	#77
O.city In Search of a Life Join Date: Jul 2009 Casino cash: $2424064	I'd love to have Manning. But something about drafting a developing our own Manning makes me excited. For once I want the Chiefs to be trend setters and be considered serious. And about 2013 qb class, the same thing was said this time last eyar and this years class.
Posts: 81,517

01-15-2012, 02:25 PM	#79
bowener BAMF! Join Date: Nov 2007 Casino cash: $9549897	Will the Chiefs have a better chance at trading into the 2nd spot than other teams since they can trade Bowe to the Rams? One of the multiple firsts that teams trade to the Rams will get used on the best WR available when they pick anyway. Bowe with a legit QB and a strong running game would be pretty ***ing scary. Would the Chiefs have to give up something like: Bowe, 2012 1st, 2013 1st, 2012 2nd? Essentially 3 first round picks and a high 2nd round pick. __________________ Main Entry: bowe·ner Pronunciation: \ˈbō-nər\ Function: noun* Date: circa 2007
Posts: 8,358

01-15-2012, 02:29 PM	#80
BossChief SuperBowl or bust Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: BF Iowa Casino cash: $1514088	The rule with Ricky Williams and Hershal Walker trades is never give up everything for a complimentary player. Either of those trades would have been good if they had landed a franchise quarterback. __________________ Dreams do come true... http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showp...postcount=1407
Posts: 47,178

01-15-2012, 02:30 PM	#83
ForeverChiefs58 MVP Join Date: Mar 2009 Casino cash: $2635326	I would rather our team do their homework and find a good QB in the draft like the Bengles were able to do without giving away our future. I would also hope our GM would be way more savy and experienced than the Bungles.
Posts: 10,531

01-15-2012, 02:31 PM	#86
ForeverChiefs58 MVP Join Date: Mar 2009 Casino cash: $2635326	Like everyone else though, 20 years is too long for a playoff win, and 40 years is too long for a SB win, so do whatever to make it happen! Whatever you have to do to get it done, be like Nike, and just do it!
Posts: 10,531

01-15-2012, 02:32 PM	#88
Okie_Apparition Banned Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: floatin cobwebs n the sky Casino cash: $10004900	If Pioli suggests trading 3 1st he should be fired on the spot
Posts: 7,012

01-15-2012, 02:35 PM	#90
O.city In Search of a Life Join Date: Jul 2009 Casino cash: $2424064	Essentially you are trading 2 firsts, because you get one for the Luck pick. Look at are last say 5 first round picks. Any of them more valuable to the Chiefs than what Peyton Manning was or is to the Colts.
Posts: 81,517