Chiefs’ McCluster has potential but still seeks his niche

[Tribal Warfare]

Chiefs’ McCluster has potential but still seeks his niche
McCluster has scored only four TDs in two years as he’s sought a niche with the Chiefs.
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs list Dexter McCluster as a running back, but he’s seldom in the backfield.

McCluster participates in drills with the wide receivers, not the running backs. In team work, he lines up as a slot receiver in most formations and splits wide in others. He occasionally gets a carry on a sweep or a reverse and sees work as a quarterback in the wildcat. And he’s also a prime candidate to return kicks and punts.

So where does head coach Romeo Crennel like McCluster the most?

“In the end zone,” said Crennel, with a hearty laugh. “That’s where I like him best.”

McCluster, a second-round draft pick in 2010, spent his first two seasons trying to find his niche in the offense as well as in the end zone.

He’s had 244 combined touches as a running back, receiver and kick returner and but has scored just four touchdowns.

A case can be made that McCluster — who would begrudgingly have to change his No. 22 jersey if classified as a wide receiver — hasn’t fulfilled his potential in the NFL because his attention has been divided between so many roles, and he hasn’t been able to master one position.

He disagrees.

“I think being more versatile gives me different outlets to get on the field,” said McCluster, a 5-8, 170-pounder. “Being more versatile can help throw defenses off balance. I like the fact that I can play multiple roles, I like the challenge.

“The running backs coach and the wide receiver coach are doing just as much to help me get better at that position as the next one, so right now I feel like I am mastering both.”

Quarterback Matt Cassel expects the Chiefs’ new offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, to take advantage of McCluster’s diverse skills.

“He can do it all,” Cassel said of McCluster. “He really does have so much versatility that sometimes you have to make a decision what you want to do with him.”

McCluster, an all-purpose performer at Mississippi who earned all-Southeastern Conference honors as a receiver and a running back in his last two seasons, has provided glimpses of his big-play potential.

In 2010 in his first game as a pro, McCluster bolted a franchise-record 94 yards for a touchdown, sparking an opening-night victory over San Diego and igniting the Chiefs’ run to the AFC West title. Last year, he gained 516 yards on 114 rushing carries and picked up 328 yards on 46 pass receptions. He averaged 10.8 yards a carry on punt returns and 22.3 yards on kick returns.

But McCluster is the first to admit he’s still trying to put together a complete season.

“I know what I’m capable of,” he said. “I’m a very humble guy, a very patient guy … A lot of people ask when is it going to happen … They have seen what I’m capable of, but honestly I know I have more than that in me.”

McCluster spent the offseason studying tape of similar players whom Daboll has coached, including Reggie Bush of the Dolphins and Josh Cribbs of the Browns.

“The thing I like about coach Daboll is he tries to eliminate your weaknesses and heightens your strengths,” said McCluster. “It opens up a lot of playmaking possibilities. He lets you play football. … ‘This is how I want it done, this is how I’ve been doing it, this is how it’s been working. So watch the film. Watch guys before who have done it. And try to mimic that in your way.’ ”

The critical issues in determining McCluster’s workload are his durability and his ball security.

After getting off to a good start in his rookie season, McCluster, in a game against Jacksonville in which he ran four times for 28 yards and caught five passes for 41 yards, suffered an ankle sprain that sidelined him for five games and rendered him ineffective in the final five games.

Concerned about keeping him healthy, the Chiefs tried to monitor his touches last season when he averaged 12 per game — seven rushing, three receiving and two in the kicking game. So what’s ideal for him? Ten to 12 touches? Fifteen? Twenty?

“Twenty-five is not too much. I’m going to put that on the record right now,” McCluster said. “People from the outside looking in look at me and say, ‘He’s small.’ But I’ve been doing this all my life. … I know what I can do, I know what I’m capable of.

“My size … I accepted that, and I play bigger than I am. This year, I’m more in the film room. It’s more about technique. … Everybody is running the same speed, everybody has the same capability, but it’s all about technique and that extra space that you need to get open.”

As far as the fumbles go, McCluster is aware that at his size, he has to take extra precautions when hit by players outweighing him by 50 to 75 pounds.

“It’s football,” he said. “You’re going to have fumbles, you’re going to dropped balls. Ultimately it’s your job to limit that … knowing it’s that extra fighting for that extra yard, the ball can pop loose, so it’s making sure you have both hands on the ball as you’re going on.”

[Hammock Parties]

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by PGM

I can't believe people think he'll get cut this year

If Wylie can't take Dex's spot, Wylie probably sucks.

If Wylie is ANY good (and he should be, since The Great And Powerful Pioli drafted him), Dex is our 5th wide receiver.

Midgets who don't cover kicks don't often play the 5th wide receiver role.

[Deberg_1990]

Luv me sum McCluster!

[mcaj22]

wait am i reading this right...

McCluster wants 25 touches per game on offense this season? What in the rats pisshole?! On what planet.. I dont even..

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

wait am i reading this right...

McCluster wants 25 touches per game on offense this season? What in the rats pisshole?! On what planet.. I dont even..

He's a rather delusional young man.

I also heard a nice story about how he takes artwork from a well-known Chiefs artist, signs it, and sells it at his autograph sessions.

He's a piece of shit on and off the field.

[BigMeatballDave]

25?

Dream on.

[BossChief]

The only way he should get 25 touches is if he decides to drive to a game and the team plane gets shot down by terrorists.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by BossChief

The only way he should get 25 touches is if he decides to drive to a game and the team plane gets shot down by terrorists.

I will slash his tires.

[mcaj22]

the best offensive player on this team doesnt even get 25 touches. that's the funniest part.

[Munson]

If McCluster gets 25 touches per game, I'm gonna become a Broncos/Raiders fan.

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Munson

If McCluster gets 25 touches per game, I'm gonna become a Broncos/Raiders fan.

He would need 25 touches per game to get 1,000 total yards like that fan thinks he can get.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning

He would need 25 touches per game to get 1,000 total yards like that fan thinks he can get.

You, of all people, should know he had exactly 10 touches per game last year and gained 850 yards.

He would need 10 yards per game more to gain 1000.

[Hammock Parties]

The more he touches the ball the less effective he would be.

[TLO]

Guy can catch the ball fairly well. I'd like to see him returning punts and kicks\\ (as long as he can hold onto the ball) and play some out of the slot.

[Chiefs Pantalones]

Originally Posted by ChiefsFan369

Guy can catch the ball fairly well. I'd like to see him returning punts and kicks\\ (as long as he can hold onto the ball) and play some out of the slot.

He's not elusive enough to return punts. My grandma is more elusive than McCluster and she's dead.