GRETZ: Battle Gone; More to Come - Page 2

Coogs · 08-11-2006, 08:10 AM

I know everyone knows Battle is toast, Just thought I would post the article in a new thread.

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GRETZ: Battle Gone; More to Come
Aug 11, 2006, 7:57:03 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ

RIVER FALLS, WI – It will not go down as one of the more earth-shaking personnel moves in recent Chiefs history.

But the decision to release cornerback Julian Battle on Friday certainly caught the attention of his once fellow teammates.

And there will be more “surprises” in the coming days and weeks as Herm Edwards begins to pull out the weeds in the Chiefs roster.

“Just not good enough,” was Edwards’ reply when asked why Battle was released. “We did it now so he would have a better opportunity of catching on somewhere else.”

A spot was needed with the signing of quarterback Jeff Smoker, but there were others on the roster that could have been sent packing at this time. The decision to waive Battle was done to send the message that Edwards has stressed from Day One in Kansas City: he doesn’t want the players to feel too comfortable about their status.

Battle was one of those players who felt very comfortable. The Chiefs attempted to trade him on Friday. Actually, it’s the second time in the last few weeks they floated his name on the NFL grapevine hoping for a nibble. When they signed veteran cornerback Ty Law the week that training camp starters, Battle expressed his displeasure and asked to be traded.

They found no takers then, and none this week, so he was released.

The fact that Battle actually thought he was tradable was a symptom of his biggest problem: he thinks he’s good enough. Yet, the fourth-year pro has done nothing during his time with the Chiefs to show he could be a contributing player to the defense. His season last year was wiped out by an Achilles’ tendon injury in mini-camp. But he rehabbed and was at 100 percent through the off-season program and during two weeks of training camp.

Battle’s biggest problem was his lack of consistency. There have been times since he joined the Chiefs when he showed flashes of ability. Physically, he might be as gifted a cornerback as Dale Carter.

But the times when he displayed that ability were few and far between. He could not carry it from one play to another. Even in practice, he would handle coverage well on one play, then he would come back on the next play and completely forget about what he learned just 30 seconds earlier. Plus, he’s prone to penalties. Last Friday night in the practice against the Minnesota Vikings, on his first play of one-on-one pass coverage, he was flagged for holding by the NFL game officials who were working the affair.

Edwards isn’t going to put up with that type of inconsistency. That’s one of the major reasons that cornerback Eric Warfield was sent packing in the off-season. This defense is built on a foundation of strong, consistent fundamentals. Battle never figured that out.

His release is another defensive draft failure for the Chiefs. Battle was a third-round pick in 2003, a first-day choice and he joins recent first-day busts like DT Eric Downing (3rd-round, 2001), DT Eddie Freeman (2nd-round, 2002) and DT Junior Siavii (2nd-round, 2004), who remains missing in action in this training camp and could be the next weed pulled from the roster.

When Dick Vermeil was the head coach, his approach to player evaluation could be characterized as: we’ve seen you perform at least once, so we believe you have the ability to do it again and we’ll work with you to make that happen.

Edwards attitude is: do it once, then show me you can do it again, and again, and again, and then I’ll believe you can play.

Julian Battle never came close to achieving that performance level.

The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Eleazar · 08-11-2006, 08:52 AM

I can't wait to see what will happen if we cut Hicks, Siavii, Bartee, etc., all in the same day. Edwards will get a ticker tape parade around here. (well, except from the officers of GERM WARFARE)

InChiefsHeaven · 08-11-2006, 08:56 AM

Herm is supossedly a more Rookie\young guy friendly coach, and it seems our rookies are pouring it on really well in camp, at least Pollard and Page...Tamba is supposedly looking good as well. This is good news to have a youth movement in KC. I just hope the hype is followed up with performance...we'll see on Saturday.

ct · 08-11-2006, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coogs

...

Edwards isn’t going to put up with that type of inconsistency. That’s one of the major reasons that cornerback Eric Warfield was sent packing in the off-season. This defense is built on a foundation of strong, consistent fundamentals. Battle never figured that out.

...

This statement has Greg Wesley written all over it! And Ryan Sims too.

jspchief · 08-11-2006, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaneo69

But for Gretz to blame Vermiel for all the draft failures is typical Carl/Gretz.

Please show me where in that article Gretz blames Vermeil for the draft failures.

shaneo69 · 08-11-2006, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jspchief

Please show me where in that article Gretz blames Vermeil for the draft failures.

"His release is another defensive draft failure for the Chiefs. Battle was a third-round pick in 2003, a first-day choice and he joins recent first-day busts like DT Eric Downing (3rd-round, 2001), DT Eddie Freeman (2nd-round, 2002) and DT Junior Siavii (2nd-round, 2004), who remains missing in action in this training camp and could be the next weed pulled from the roster.

When Dick Vermeil was the head coach, his approach to player evaluation could be characterized as: we’ve seen you perform at least once, so we believe you have the ability to do it again and we’ll work with you to make that happen."

jspchief · 08-11-2006, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaneo69

"His release is another defensive draft failure for the Chiefs. Battle was a third-round pick in 2003, a first-day choice and he joins recent first-day busts like DT Eric Downing (3rd-round, 2001), DT Eddie Freeman (2nd-round, 2002) and DT Junior Siavii (2nd-round, 2004), who remains missing in action in this training camp and could be the next weed pulled from the roster.

When Dick Vermeil was the head coach, his approach to player evaluation could be characterized as: we’ve seen you perform at least once, so we believe you have the ability to do it again and we’ll work with you to make that happen."

OK, so that says he held onto the failures for too long (which is clearly the truth), but nowhere do I see it blaming Vermeil for the failures.

shaneo69 · 08-11-2006, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jspchief

OK, so that says he held onto the failures for too long (which is clearly the truth), but nowhere do I see it blaming Vermeil for the failures.

I took Gretz' quote to mean that when Vermiel was evaluating players for the draft, if he saw a player do something great in college, he wanted the guy because he thought he could coach him to do great things on a consistent basis in the pros. Hence, it was Vermiel's fault for talking Carl into drafting them.

jspchief · 08-11-2006, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shaneo69

I took Gretz' quote to mean that when Vermiel was evaluating players for the draft, if he saw a player do something great in college, he wanted the guy because he thought he could coach him to do great things on a consistent basis in the pros. Hence, it was Vermiel's fault for talking Carl into drafting them.

OK, then we are reading it different ways. I took the comment about Vermeil to mean he held onto these guys too long, as compared to Edwards who's not afraid to jettison a guy that isn't getting it done.

I saw the two paragraphs as making individual points.

shaneo69 · 08-11-2006, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ck_IN

As a rule CP gives his coaches the players they ask for. If we got Battle I've no doubt it was because DV in his infinite genious wanted Battle.

Just another of the typical picks from Dicks magical mystery draft.

Carl's the GM. If we've drafted poorly, he's the guy to blame. I don't care who the coach wanted, it's ultimately the GM's responsibility. When Carl showed some balls in 2003, he got a good player.

Even if Vermiel really wanted Siavii in 2004, or if Gunther wanted Siavii, it doesn't matter. It's still Carl's fault for drafting him.

Chief Faithful · 08-11-2006, 09:26 AM

Sounds like Battle was born to be a Raider. Extremely talented, hugh ego, and can't produce on the field consistantly.

I like the way Edwards is weeding the team of guys with the entitlement mentality even if they are all world talent. First Warfield, now Battle, next Saivii. I'm sure Sims is feeling the heat.

DTLB58 · 08-11-2006, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cochise

I can't wait to see what will happen if we cut Hicks, Siavii, Bartee, etc., all in the same day. Edwards will get a ticker tape parade around here. (well, except from the officers of GERM WARFARE)

I can't wait for that day to come, then Herm will be on the right path of truly turning this team around.

Kerberos · 08-11-2006, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DTLB58

I can't wait for that day to come, then Herm will be on the right path of truly turning this team around.

Sounds to me like he is already peddling down the right path.

Lets see who gets cut between now and the season opener. I believe that if he starts cutting people that some think were doing a decent job will make the rest work even harder to keep from getting cut. I hope his reverse psychology has some merrit.

.

Mr. Laz · 08-11-2006, 09:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bwana

Which is why Junior Siavii and Eric Hicks can't be resting all that well at night. Siavii naver has brought jack to the table and Hicks has been missing in action for years.

as soon as Savaii gets healthy enough to cut ... he's gone imo.

why cut him now and have to pay a settlement.

|Zach| · 08-11-2006, 09:55 AM

I think you folks that are expecting Hicks to get released are going to be dissapointed.

Eric Hicks will be a big part of this defense in '06

jspchief · 08-11-2006, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZachKC

I think you folks that are expecting Hicks to get released are going to be dissapointed.

Eric Hicks will be a big part of this defense in '06

I think he will be too. Maybe not big as in "productive", but big as in "number of snaps".

Hali will likely see about 50% of the snaps at most. And even if he wins the starting job on day 1, Hicks will still be the #2 DE.

08-11-2006, 08:10 AM
Coogs In Search of a Life Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Northern Kansas Casino cash: $1044349	GRETZ: Battle Gone; More to Come I know everyone knows Battle is toast, Just thought I would post the article in a new thread. _____________________________________________________________ GRETZ: Battle Gone; More to Come Aug 11, 2006, 7:57:03 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ RIVER FALLS, WI – It will not go down as one of the more earth-shaking personnel moves in recent Chiefs history. But the decision to release cornerback Julian Battle on Friday certainly caught the attention of his once fellow teammates. And there will be more “surprises” in the coming days and weeks as Herm Edwards begins to pull out the weeds in the Chiefs roster. “Just not good enough,” was Edwards’ reply when asked why Battle was released. “We did it now so he would have a better opportunity of catching on somewhere else.” A spot was needed with the signing of quarterback Jeff Smoker, but there were others on the roster that could have been sent packing at this time. The decision to waive Battle was done to send the message that Edwards has stressed from Day One in Kansas City: he doesn’t want the players to feel too comfortable about their status. Battle was one of those players who felt very comfortable. The Chiefs attempted to trade him on Friday. Actually, it’s the second time in the last few weeks they floated his name on the NFL grapevine hoping for a nibble. When they signed veteran cornerback Ty Law the week that training camp starters, Battle expressed his displeasure and asked to be traded. They found no takers then, and none this week, so he was released. The fact that Battle actually thought he was tradable was a symptom of his biggest problem: he thinks he’s good enough. Yet, the fourth-year pro has done nothing during his time with the Chiefs to show he could be a contributing player to the defense. His season last year was wiped out by an Achilles’ tendon injury in mini-camp. But he rehabbed and was at 100 percent through the off-season program and during two weeks of training camp. Battle’s biggest problem was his lack of consistency. There have been times since he joined the Chiefs when he showed flashes of ability. Physically, he might be as gifted a cornerback as Dale Carter. But the times when he displayed that ability were few and far between. He could not carry it from one play to another. Even in practice, he would handle coverage well on one play, then he would come back on the next play and completely forget about what he learned just 30 seconds earlier. Plus, he’s prone to penalties. Last Friday night in the practice against the Minnesota Vikings, on his first play of one-on-one pass coverage, he was flagged for holding by the NFL game officials who were working the affair. Edwards isn’t going to put up with that type of inconsistency. That’s one of the major reasons that cornerback Eric Warfield was sent packing in the off-season. This defense is built on a foundation of strong, consistent fundamentals. Battle never figured that out. His release is another defensive draft failure for the Chiefs. Battle was a third-round pick in 2003, a first-day choice and he joins recent first-day busts like DT Eric Downing (3rd-round, 2001), DT Eddie Freeman (2nd-round, 2002) and DT Junior Siavii (2nd-round, 2004), who remains missing in action in this training camp and could be the next weed pulled from the roster. When Dick Vermeil was the head coach, his approach to player evaluation could be characterized as: we’ve seen you perform at least once, so we believe you have the ability to do it again and we’ll work with you to make that happen. Edwards attitude is: do it once, then show me you can do it again, and again, and again, and then I’ll believe you can play. Julian Battle never came close to achieving that performance level. The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Posts: 21,674

08-11-2006, 08:52 AM	#16
Eleazar Beyond the Rapids Join Date: May 2003 Location: Langley, VA Casino cash: $-370000	I can't wait to see what will happen if we cut Hicks, Siavii, Bartee, etc., all in the same day. Edwards will get a ticker tape parade around here. (well, except from the officers of GERM WARFARE)
Posts: 80,659

08-11-2006, 08:56 AM	#17
InChiefsHeaven Rockin' yer FACE OFF! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Omaha, Nebraska Casino cash: $3364937	Herm is supossedly a more Rookie\young guy friendly coach, and it seems our rookies are pouring it on really well in camp, at least Pollard and Page...Tamba is supposedly looking good as well. This is good news to have a youth movement in KC. I just hope the hype is followed up with performance...we'll see on Saturday. __________________ We have a million reasons for failure, but not one excuse... Die Donks, DIE!! Holy Crap fellas!!! We did it!!! THREE TIMES!!!
Posts: 25,894

08-11-2006, 09:26 AM	#25
Chief Faithful Predicting Chiefs Victory Join Date: Sep 2001 Casino cash: $9966500	Sounds like Battle was born to be a Raider. Extremely talented, hugh ego, and can't produce on the field consistantly. I like the way Edwards is weeding the team of guys with the entitlement mentality even if they are all world talent. First Warfield, now Battle, next Saivii. I'm sure Sims is feeling the heat.
Posts: 4,315

08-11-2006, 09:55 AM	#29
\|Zach\| For The Glory Of The City Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $5096768	I think you folks that are expecting Hicks to get released are going to be dissapointed. Eric Hicks will be a big part of this defense in '06
Posts: 53,518