TEICHER- Chiefs draft helps, but it doesnt fill all the gaps

[C-Mac]

Chiefs draft helps, but it doesnt fill all the gaps
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

The Chiefs wanted to help Brodie Croyle stay upright by fixing up their offensive line — but first-round draft pick Branden Albert is the only newcomer of impact up front.
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With every sack, every feeble rushing play, every three-and-out series, the Chiefs resolved they would take this offseason to fix their forlorn offense.

They would repair their decrepit offensive line, they would give Brodie Croyle the tools to succeed as an NFL starting quarterback, they would take some of the considerable burden off their overtaxed defense.

Despite the Chiefs’ elation over their recent 12-player draft, their efforts are coming under question.

“You can only do so much in the draft,” said former Washington and Houston general manager Charley Casserly. “It’s still a work in progress. They got better where they could get better.”

Yet it’s difficult — if not impossible — to argue the Chiefs will be better on offense. They do have some reasons for optimism. They traded an offensive coordinator learning on the job, Mike Solari, for a proven veteran, Chan Gailey.

Running back Larry Johnson won’t be a holdout again and — if the law of averages prevails — won’t miss half the season because of a foot injury. Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe could be even better than he was as a rookie.

Elsewhere, the Chiefs appear held together with a lot of wishful thinking. Croyle has yet to win a game or prove he’s a high-quality NFL starter. The offensive line still has holes. The Chiefs are relying on a boost from two third-round draft picks, running back Jamaal Charles and tight end Brad Cottam.

“Can you get everything you want in the draft? No,” Chiefs coach Herm Edwards said. “But we got a lot. We got some tight ends. We think we’re better there. We’ve got another runner. The problem is they’re all young, but that’s OK.”

The offensive line, the source of many ills last year, was to be the focal point. But Branden Albert, the second of two first-round draft picks, is the only newcomer of impact.

Albert will join Brian Waters and Damion McIntosh in the starting lineup. The two other starters will come from a group of journeymen and young players that includes Wade Smith, Herb Taylor, Anthony Alabi, Adrian Jones, Rudy Niswanger and Will Svitek.

They hoped to draft several linemen but wound up with Albert and sixth-round tackle Barry Richardson.

“The best thing they did was stay disciplined in the draft,” Casserly said. “They could have gone and drafted five offensive linemen right off the bat, but if they did that, maybe four of them can’t play. What good does that do for them?

“There was an elite group of offensive linemen in the draft this year. The Chiefs got one of them. That group went faster than anybody thought. So if they would have drafted an offensive lineman in the second round, they would have been getting a third- or fourth-round offensive lineman. They didn’t do that, and they should be commended for that.”

Since late last season, the Chiefs also added Smith as a free agent and Alabi and Jones off waivers. Two of those players could wind up starting.

“It’s not like we haven’t signed some guys that are pretty decent football players,” Gailey said. “Nobody’s proven it yet, but we think they have a chance to help us.

“The one thing Herm and Carl (Peterson, president/general manager) and Bill (Kuharich, vice president of player personnel) didn’t want to do was reach for somebody just because it would have been nice to have another one.”

Bowe, meanwhile, is the Chiefs’ only proven wide receiver.

Their other receivers are Jeff Webb, free-agent addition Devard Darling, former Arena League star Bobby Sippio, Maurice Price, fourth-round pick Will Franklin, sixth-round choice Kevin Robinson and three undrafted free agents.

“Bowe had a good year last year,” Edwards said. “We’ve brought some guys in. We drafted (Will Franklin). (Maurice) Price was a young guy we had hope for last year and he got hurt. We brought in Darling. We have some guys.

“I’m comfortable with the guys we have, but we’ll continue to look. There will be some guys available June 1. If we look at these guys all through (offseason practices) and minicamp and no one has really taken that No. 2 spot and run with it, we might go and bring somebody in.”

The Chiefs have already talked about Charles being the big-play threat at running back that neither Johnson nor Kolby Smith is. They once had similar hopes for Michael Bennett, but that never materialized in large part because of their dependence on Johnson.

For now, the Chiefs sound determined to make Charles part of the plan.

“He can score from anywhere on the field,” Gailey said. “He’s got that kind of speed. And he’s better between the tackles than I think people give him credit for even though he’s only 200 pounds.”

[keg in kc]

Looks like some folks forgot to take their mydol this morning.

[Fish]

Originally Posted by Micjones

I disagree whole-heartedly.
The problem we have with this God awful Offensive Line exists for one reason. Drafting and missing on Defensive Linemen taken high in the draft.

The reason why we needed Dwayne Bowe? Because we hadn't made a real commitment to the Wide Receiver position in almost 10 years. His predecessor, Kennison -- the best Wide Receiver to play in Kansas City in 20 years, was in the twilight of his career. Did I mention that Kennison was a Free Agent?

Green is arguably the best QB to play in Kansas City since Len Dawson.
He was plenty good enough to have won the big game.
Do I think we need to groom our own QB? Absolutely... But don't tell me Free Agency doesn't work. It sure as hell did with Green.

A sure-fire Chiefs Ring of Fame player and the best to ever play his position for this franchise. This argument is failing you.

The way to build a team is to have a balanced approach.
Free Agency...
NFL Draft...

They're just scapegoating to avoid taking full blame for their own failings.
Signing young, ascending Free Agents makes sense. Especially when you're trying to rebuild.

Mic..... I'm not arguing that those were not great veteran pickups for the Chiefs. They were. But what did those great FAs get us in return?

Freakin zilch. No playoff wins. Nothing. That approach didn't work. We kept reloading with other FAs every offseason hoping we'd finally have those 2 or 3 guys that would get us over the hump. It failed for 2 decades.

How exactly did free agency work with Trent Green? Because he'll be in the ring? Is that the goal? To have guys in the ring? Because that seems like a fairly easy approach if that's the goal. Do you think Trent is satisfied with that? If my argument fails because we had 1 or 2 guys in the Ring of Fame while still not winning any playoff games, then I'm done arguing.

[BigChiefFan]

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Did you actually believe that Herm would(or could) rebuild the team his first year when the GM clearly thought there was still a chance to "Win now"? Did you expect the head coach to overule the GM immediately and start making changes?

It would be totally different if we actually had started the rebuild Herm's first year.... but we didn't. We went to the playoffs his first year, and most everybody was still hanging on to a shred of hope that we were just a few pieces away from a consistent squad. Then we see on Hard Knocks that the coach wanted to start Croyle and play the young guys, but King Carl still wanted to "Win now". We had to hit rock bottom before the rebuild actually began. And we didn't hit rock bottom until halfway through last season.

Herm didn't choose shit. He slowly put himself in position to get the owner behind the rebuild and get away from Carl's Mediocrity Express, so they could actually get shit done. We're finally seeing the changes that Carl never had the balls to make. We're seeing the rebuild finally come. And I'm sorry you think it should have come 2 years ago, but it didn't. That blame is not all Herm's. Get over it!

He CHOSE to ACCEPT the job KNOWING the pretenses-it's his team now, evidenced by the roster. I don't expect the team to do well, but that's not my problem. Hermie knew what he was getting into and so did Carl, hence giving up the 4th rounder for Hermie. They've had THREE YEARS to turn this mess around and they haven't. If they don't show major strides in becoming a better team, they need to be canned. This changing horses in mid stream is their CHOICE and a haphazard one at that. I agree with the philosophy, but it's pretty ****ing shortsighted to be JUST NOW starting this, this late in the game, therefore the "Grace" period is gone in my book. Put up or shutup time.

[Coogs]

Originally Posted by Micjones

You've got it halfway right...
Holmes wasn't acquired through a trade.
Neither was Kennison (if memory serves).

My point is to utilize every option available. Free Agency, Trades (how nice would Vilma have been in this defense?), and the Draft.

I totally agree with using all viable options. But I do think the new philosophy that Clark Hunt is taking is the way to go. I don't think we will be throwing away draft picks like we did in the past for players. That is how the Saints got Vilma. I think our future trades will be more like this season where we trade a player for picks. And the FA big names usually cost way more than they are worth.

Time will tell if Hunt has the right formula to produce championship caliber teams on an anual basis. Our lack of championships under CP watch... which is what you describe.... has failed more often than it has hit. It gave us a few years of hope... but they all came up short.

[Coogs]

Originally Posted by BigChiefFan

This changing horses in mid stream is their CHOICE and a haphazard one at that. I agree with the philosophy, but it's pretty ****ing shortsighted to be JUST NOW starting this, this late in the game, therefore the "Grace" period is gone in my book. Put up or shutup time.

Ownership of the team changed in the midst of this as well. Lamar was on the end of his life, and maybe wanting the championship. He may not have wanted to sell out to the new philosophy that Clark is adopting.

[Hoover]

I think all of you are nuts!

The best thing the Chiefs have done is taker a break from signing free agents this year and instead focus on rebuilding through the draft. This was wise because, 1. There were not many top notch FAs to sign, and 2. And the guys we would have liked to grab signed quickly and for top dollar.

Now for those who think we will never sign a top FA again are just crazy. Its fine to go out and get a player, but this team needed a foundation first. It would be like if Phobia was working a house and went out and bought a high dollar kick ass clay tile roof, but the four walls of the house and the foundation were crap. Once the chiefs foundation is soluid I expect them to go out and grab a key piece to the puzzle.

When will that be? It could be as soon as next year. Maybe its a FA DE, QB, or offensive lineman. Who knows, but the number of holes that will need to be addressed will be a lot fewer in the years ahead.

[the Talking Can]

Originally Posted by Micjones

Free agency misses aren't what have this team in this position.
Failures through the draft are.

The best WR, QB, and RB of the last 20 years were all FREE AGENT SIGNINGS.
Roaf? Free Agent. Surtain? Free Agent. Wiegmann? Free Agent.

Stop drinking the "Free Agency is the devil" Kool-Aid.

yeah, FA did get us in this mess and tied up a lot of money in mediocre players along the way....none of them got us anywhere...sure, our drafts sucked too...there is plenty of room for blame....

we have no business wasting $$$ in FA until we see the fruits of this and likely next years draft...then we can fill the remaining holes - on a young talented team - with some FAs...

there are FA OL every damn year....and people are crying that we didn't give a fat contract to who?...Jeff Faine??

right....

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Mic..... I'm not arguing that those were not great veteran pickups for the Chiefs. They were. But what did those great FAs get us in return?

Years of quality service time.
You can't demonize the process because the staff chose to ignore the other side of the football.

How exactly did free agency work with Trent Green? Because he'll be in the ring? Is that the goal?

To identify players who will provide you with some of the best service time your franchise will ever enjoy? Absolutely.

If my argument fails because we had 1 or 2 guys in the Ring of Fame while still not winning any playoff games, then I'm done arguing.

Your argument fails because it doesn't take anything else into consideration.
Had we been able to identify talent in the Draft on the defensive side of the football this team would've accomplished more than what they did.

Our failures in the Draft (yesteryear) isn't a reason not to utilize it effectively in the future. The same is true of Free Agency.

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

yeah, FA did get us in this mess and tied up a lot of money in mediocre players along the way....none of them got us anywhere...sure, our drafts sucked too...there is plenty of room for blame....

we have no business wasting $$$ in FA until we see the fruits of this and likely next years draft...then we can fill the remaining holes - on a young talented team - with some FAs...

there are FA OL every damn year....and people are crying that we didn't give a fat contract to who?...Jeff Faine??

right....

Bingo

This draft helped us create a solid foundation on which to build. If it comes together we then can go be players in free agency.

For every Priest Holmes the Chiefs have signed there is a Brent Perriman, Lew Bush, and Carlton Gray. The problem when you miss on a FA is that it haunts you for years to come. Draft your core, then add a piece to the puzzle when its the right guy and they right time.

[Chiefnj2]

Herm has had a full 3 drafts to work with. Everyone acts like this past offseason was his first year. There should already be a solid foundation if his drafting has been worth a crap.

[Hoover]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

Herm has had a full 3 drafts to work with. Everyone acts like this past offseason was his first year. There should already be a solid foundation if his drafting has been worth a crap.

I like his 3 drafts a lot actually. They are a hell of a lot better than the previous 10 drafts.

[keg in kc]

You don't build a team with free agency, you build a team in the draft and use free agency to put the last pieces in place. We're not at the 'last pieces' stage yet, and even if we were, this was an extremely weak free agent class. And like it or not, free agency is losing steam, and has been for several years now. Teams either hold on to their best players or trade them off to the highest bidder. Usually all you find on the market now is old, infirm or high risk players, or mid-level talent trying to land high-dollar contracts. Let the buyer beware, in other words.

We're smart to stay out of it this year, whatever the reasoning behind it. And likely when our time comes to put that 'last piece' in place, we won't be doing in through free agency, anyway, we'll be making a trade with someone.

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

yeah, FA did get us in this mess and tied up a lot of money in mediocre players along the way....

If we had hit on half of our Day 1 Draft picks we wouldn't be in this position.
Need I remind you?

we have no business wasting $$$ in FA until we see the fruits of this and likely next years draft...then we can fill the remaining holes - on a young talented team - with some FAs...

Identifying young talented FA's can't be construed as "wasting money".

there are FA OL every damn year....and people are crying that we didn't give a fat contract to who?...Jeff Faine??

Faine was the only Free Agent available?
There weren't affordable FA's available? My mistake...

[Hoover]

I don't think we missed on Hali or Bowe? Turk and Tyler need to be given the opportunity to play and same goes for Pollard.

If you want to be the pissed off "the sky is falling" Chiefs fan have at it dude. I think the majority of us have seen some welcomed change with this franchise over the past year.

[Micjones]

Originally Posted by Hoover

Bingo

This draft helped us create a solid foundation on which to build. If it comes together we then can go be players in free agency.

We had a foundation before.
Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Dwayne Bowe, Jarrad Page, Brodie Croyle (according to some CP posters), Derrick Johnson, Tank Tyler, Claude McBride, Tamba Hali, Rudy Niswanger, Bryan Waters...

We could've had the very same draft even after signing 1-2 Free Agents.
That's no excuse.

For every Priest Holmes the Chiefs have signed there is a Brent Perriman, Lew Bush, and Carlton Gray.

None of which have been on the team in the last 5-7 years.

The problem when you miss on a FA is that it haunts you for years to come.

How much longer are you haunted by missing on a draft pick?