Covitz: How the Chiefs’ brain trust has drafted in the past

[Tribal Warfare]

How the Chiefs’ brain trust has drafted in the past
By RANDY COVITZ
The Kansas City Star
New Chiefs general manager John Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid understand the value of taking a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Reid, as head coach at Philadelphia, and Dorsey, as director of college scouting at Green Bay, were with teams that took players who became franchise quarterbacks. But they didn’t stop drafting quarterbacks in the later rounds of subsequent drafts, even when the position wasn’t the glaring need that it is this year with the Chiefs, who own the first pick in the 2013 draft.

From 1999-2011, when Reid was head coach at Philadelphia, the Eagles drafted six quarterbacks, starting with Donovan McNabb in 1999.

Beginning in 1997, when Dorsey became director of college scouting in Green Bay, the Packers drafted nine quarterbacks, even with Brett Favre — and later Aaron Rodgers — on the roster.

By contrast, the Chiefs, preferring to go the veteran route with guys like Elvis Grbac and Trent Green, have drafted just four quarterbacks since 1997 … and only one, Brodie Croyle, a third-rounder in 2006, appeared in a game (he went 0-10 as a starter).

When Reid, a former quarterbacks coach at Green Bay, became head coach in Philadelphia, the Eagles, who finished 3-13 the year before, owned the second overall pick in what was considered a draft rich in quarterbacks.

The Eagles chose McNabb one spot behind Tim Couch of Kentucky, who went first overall to the expansion Cleveland Browns; and ahead of Akili Smith of Oregon, who went third to Cincinnati, and Daunte Culpepper of Central Florida, who went 11th to Minnesota.

McNabb became a starter midway through his rookie year and was soon one of the league’s top-tier quarterbacks, leading the Eagles to five NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl appearance. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, he became the first quarterback in NFL history to finish a season with 30-plus touchdown passes (31) and fewer than 10 interceptions (eight) when he guided the Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX following the 2004 season.

Dorsey was in his eighth season as Green Bay’s director of college scouting in 2005 when the Packers, coming off a 10-6 season, owned the 24th overall pick. Though Favre had thrown for 4,088 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2004, he would be 36 years old in 2005. When Rodgers slid down the draft board — several teams ahead of the Packers were not in the market for a quarterback — Green Bay grabbed Rodgers.

Rodgers would serve as an understudy Favre for three seasons before getting his chance to start in 2008. All he has done since then is win a Super Bowl MVP in leading the Packers to the championship following the 2010 season and garner a league MVP title in 2011 when he set an NFL record with a 122.5 passer rating and broke franchise records with 45 touchdown passes, 4,643 yards and a 68.3 completion percentage.

Even with Favre and Rodgers in Green Bay and McNabb in Philadelphia, the Packers and Eagles kept fortifying the quarterback position.

During Reid’s tenure, the Eagles drafted three quarterbacks while McNabb was still starting: A.J. Feeley of Oregon in the fifth round in 2001; Andrew Hall of Delaware in the sixth round in 2004; and Kevin Kolb out of Houston in the second round in 2007. Kolb was targeted as the heir apparent to McNabb, who was traded to Washington for a second-round pick in 2010 and fourth-round draft pick in 2011.

But Kolb suffered a concussion in the 2010 season opener, providing an opportunity for Michael Vick, who was signed as a free agent after a two-year absence from the league due to a dog-fighting conviction. Vick emerged as one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks, leading the Eagles to an NFC East title.

Even with Vick and Kolb on the roster, the Eagles selected Mike Kafka of Northwestern in the fourth round of the 2010 draft, though he was released at the end the 2012 training camp and is now with New England. The Eagles traded Kolb to Arizona in 2011 for cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round draft pick in 2012 and took Nick Foles in the third round of the 2012 draft. Foles started seven of the final eight games of the 2012 season while Vick was injured, and Foles could be the future of the Philadelphia franchise under new coach Chip Kelly.

The Packers’ roll call of quarterbacks who were drafted as insurance for Favre and Rodgers during 1997-2012, when Dorsey was director of college scouting for general managers Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson, brought value in trades — and some of those guys became starters around the league.

Most prominent was Matt Hasselbeck, a sixth-round pick from Boston College in 1998, who would lead Seattle to a Super Bowl in 2005, four years after he was traded to the Seahawks for draft picks in 2001.

The Packers drafted Aaron Brooks of Virginia in the fourth round in 1999 and turned that acquisition into a trade to New Orleans for a third-round pick in 2001. While Favre was still a star, the Packers drafted Craig Nall of Northwestern (La.) State in the fifth round in 2002 and Ingle Martin of Furman in the fifth round in 2006.

And after Favre retired and then unretired to go to the New York Jets in 2008, the Packers, still unsure of whether Rodgers would succeed, took Brian Brohm of Louisville in the second round and Matt Flynn of LSU in the seventh.

Flynn set franchise records with 480 yards passing and six touchdowns in a 45-41 regular-season win over Detroit in the 2011 regular-season finale while Rodgers rested for the playoffs. Flynn then parlayed that appearance into a three-year free-agent contract worth up to $19.5 million with Seattle last offseason. Flynn was beat out for the Seahawks’ starting job by rookie Russell Wilson and could be available to the Chiefs in a trade.

But the Packers made sure the cupboard wasn’t bare after Flynn departed. With their seventh-round pick in the 2012 draft, they took B.J. Coleman of Tennessee-Chattanooga, and he spent the season on the practice squad.

QBs drafted by Andy Reid in Philly
Year Player Round
1999 Donovan McNabb, Syracuse 1
2001 A.J. Feeley, Oregon 5b
2004 Andrew Hall, Delaware 6a
2007 Kevin Kolb, Houston 2a
2010 Mike Kafka, Northwestern 4c
2012 Nick Foles, Arizona 3

QBs drafted by John Dorsey in Green Bay
Year Player Round
1997 Ronnie McAda, Army 7c
1998 Matt Hasselbeck, Boston College 6b
1999 Aaron Brooks, Virginia 4a
2002 Craig Nall, NW Louisiana 5b
2005 Aaron Rodgers, Cal 1
2006 Ingle Martin, Furman 5a
2008 Brian Brohm, Louisville 2b
2008 Matt Flynn, LSU 7a
2012 B.J. Coleman, Chattanooga 7b

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by MahiMike

Brian Brohm in the 2nd and Matt Flynn in the 7th?

Just shows you the round is not at all important.

true, worthless QBs are found everywhere

[Easy 6]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

true, worthless QBs are found everywhere

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by mcaj22

Brian Brohm in the 2nd?

Dorsey must have been really drunk that year or took a vacation to screw that up

Or, that was the first season that Brett Favre was not in Green Bay, and he had Aaron Rodgers just coming back from a pretty nasty season ending injury in mop up duty earlier in the year. He was asked to be the starter. So he said, "How about if we take a bunch of QBs and hedge our bets a bit?"

Brohm was a responsible pick. There was a guy with talent who got Petrino'd. But Dorsey/Thompson regardless of the hangups did his due diligence to invest in the position in case Aaron Rodgers really wasn't any good, or maybe if he had trouble coming off his elbow injury.

[WhiteWhale]

Originally Posted by Rausch

Aaron Brooks was pretty ****ing good...

Except that he wasn't. Saints fans hated him like we hate Cassel.

[RustShack]

Ingle Martin!

[CupidStunt]

tl;dr

But both guys like QBs, that much is clear. And both like the idea of the team's QB-friendly HC coaching guys up. Let's just hope the complete void of a starter here, unlike in GB and mostly in Philly, leads them to getting that guy #1, not 33 or thereabouts.

[mcaj22]

Originally Posted by SNR

Or, that was the first season that Brett Favre was not in Green Bay, and he had Aaron Rodgers just coming back from a pretty nasty season ending injury in mop up duty earlier in the year. He was asked to be the starter. So he said, "How about if we take a bunch of QBs and hedge our bets a bit?"

Brohm was a responsible pick. There was a guy with talent who got Petrino'd. But Dorsey/Thompson regardless of the hangups did his due diligence to invest in the position in case Aaron Rodgers really wasn't any good, or maybe if he had trouble coming off his elbow injury.

that was a bad year for QBs good year for everything else.

i dont know that it was a responsible pick, but if you are going by the BPA philosophy Brohm wasnt even close to the BPA ideal that these guys adopt

which is the point in the OP. Brohm was not 2nd round value

and for comparison sake we took Charles a few picks after Brohm in the start of the third round so I'm sure if Dorsey had a time machine he wouldnt make that pick again

Even if he takes Henne there its not that bad. They whiffed on that pick badly, and no excuses or justifications can be made, its a crappy pick. But like someone else says he gets a pass for it, because hes like 4 out of 7 on QBs, and thats a lot better than Scooter Peeoli who was 1 for 20 on QBs and the 1 he hit on was pure luck

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Sorter

I'll give him Flynn and Brunell. He was there for Mark, right?

Brooks.
Posted via Mobile Device

[NJChiefsFan]

Originally Posted by patteeu

I think they will take a QB, but if they don't, I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt long enough to see how things pan out.

Lets say they stick with Cassel, maybe draft Dysert in the 5th round or something like that. Cassel starts next year. Are you still giving them the benefit of the doubt? I don't think that is anywhere near a realistic possibility, but just trying to see if people really are giving them the full benefit of the doubt or if a line does exist.

[prhom]

Originally Posted by NJChiefsFan

Lets say they stick with Cassel, maybe draft Dysert in the 5th round or something like that. Cassel starts next year. Are you still giving them the benefit of the doubt? I don't think that is anywhere near a realistic possibility, but just trying to see if people really are giving them the full benefit of the doubt or if a line does exist.

This would be such a depressing scenario. They get the benefit of the doubt as long as they are making moves to improve the team, but that cannot involve Cassel as the starter. Ignoring the biggest roster hole on the team isn't what I call progress.

[patteeu]

Originally Posted by NJChiefsFan

Lets say they stick with Cassel, maybe draft Dysert in the 5th round or something like that. Cassel starts next year. Are you still giving them the benefit of the doubt? I don't think that is anywhere near a realistic possibility, but just trying to see if people really are giving them the full benefit of the doubt or if a line does exist.

In that scenario, I'd wait and see what happens next year before getting frustrated with them (although it's hard to believe they can't at least improve upon Cassel). If they get someone then or if Dysert develops and takes over, I'll be fine with it. If they're still rolling Cassel out in 2014 and he hasn't been miraculously transformed into a stud somehow, I'll start having serious doubts. I think giving them two off-seasons to get a guy in place is pretty reasonable.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by NJChiefsFan

Lets say they stick with Cassel, maybe draft Dysert in the 5th round or something like that. Cassel starts next year. Are you still giving them the benefit of the doubt? I don't think that is anywhere near a realistic possibility, but just trying to see if people really are giving them the full benefit of the doubt or if a line does exist.

I think most of the " benefit of doubt" people are the same ones that tell us that we aren't personnel people.

[Tombstone RJ]

Originally Posted by NJChiefsFan

Lets say they stick with Cassel, maybe draft Dysert in the 5th round or something like that. Cassel starts next year. Are you still giving them the benefit of the doubt? I don't think that is anywhere near a realistic possibility, but just trying to see if people really are giving them the full benefit of the doubt or if a line does exist.

lol, this place would freak out if Cassel starts next season. I don't care if Bill Walsh rose from the dead and coached this team, people would absolutely freak the **** out if Cassel is under center.

Besides, I don't think Clark would allow it. I really don't. I think he'd say "hey listen guys, lets just go ahead and take a chance on another QB. If it doesn't work out you can blame me and I'll give you a pass, but I'm not gonna sit here and watch Cassel shit the bed again, sorry."

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by scott free

If that isnt a heartening read, i dont know what would be.

This club is finally going to give that position the focus it demands.

This is EXACTLY the kind of article ive been dying to see written in KC. That is the sound of truefannery getting sent to the corner and being told to stfu.
Posted via Mobile Device

[007]

Originally Posted by ChiefButthurt

Apparently you have a lisp?

Nope. Just doing my Winston impersonation.