Teicher: Chiefs not making much noise in free agency

[booger]

Chiefs not making much noise in free agency
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star


If you blinked over the last few days, you might have missed the sum of the Chiefs’ activity in free agency.

Coach Herm Edwards indicated Monday the Chiefs could well be finished signing players. If so, that would leave former Atlanta linebacker Demorrio Williams as the entire free-agent haul for a 4-12 team that lost its final nine games and has desperate needs at cornerback, wide receiver and several offensive-line positions.

“If we don’t get anybody else, that’s OK,” Edwards said. “What I don’t want to do is go out and get a guy, any guy, just so people think, ‘Well, they got somebody, so they must be doing a good job in free agency.’ No, that’s not what we’re going to do. If that guy can’t help us win and he doesn’t fit what we’re doing, we will not bring him in here. That would be a waste of our time and a waste of his time.

“That’s what’s great about our attitude now. There are certain guys we’d like to have, and we’ll try to get them in for a visit and we’ll try to sign them. If you don’t get them, you don’t (necessarily) bring in somebody else. You don’t need to. That’s why they have the draft.

“I believe in the draft. Free agency is great, but for what we’re trying to do, we’ve got to draft our football team. To me, I’m more excited about the draft. We’re going to pick guys we feel can come in here and start. That’s not a bad thing for us. That’s a good thing for us. We’re trying to build for the long haul, and we’re trying to build with youth. We’re trying to keep this team together for a long time.”

Edwards said the Chiefs had no free-agent visitors Monday and no visits scheduled for later in the week. They have three vacancies on their starting offensive line, at least one at cornerback and one at wide receiver, and Edwards said the Chiefs would load up at all three positions in the draft.

“There are a lot of good offensive linemen in the draft,” he said. “We’ve got 10 picks and we’re evaluating the guys who would be a good fit in our system, and we’ll get some good offensive linemen.

“There are enough good cornerbacks available in the draft that we’re going to get some good ones. There’s an abundance of good corners in the second or third round. The draft is heavy at all of those positions.”

In addition to signing Williams, the Chiefs met with Buffalo tight end Michael Gaines, who instead signed with the Detroit Lions. They planned to visit this week with Dallas cornerback Jacques Reeves, but he joined the Houston Texans.

The Chiefs never even got that far with their two top free-agent priorities: former New Orleans center Jeff Faine and former Seattle kicker Josh Brown. Neither agreed to meet with the Chiefs before signing elsewhere, Faine with Tampa Bay and Brown with St. Louis.

Edwards defended that failure, indicating the Chiefs didn’t believe Faine was worth the kind of money he was paid by the Buccaneers. He also said Brown preferred to kick in the controlled atmosphere of the Rams’ dome rather than in Arrowhead Stadium’s unpredictable conditions.

“You know when you go into free agency that you aren’t going to get them all,” Edwards said. “You wish you would have gotten another guy or two. But we didn’t. In the end, does it make you better if you had gotten those guys? Maybe a little bit. The way we’re approaching it, we’re going to be OK if we didn’t get anybody in free agency.”

The Chiefs plan to use Williams as a starter at one outside linebacker position, with Donnie Edwards moving to the middle. Derrick Johnson would keep his starting spot, with middle linebacker Napoleon Harris moving to the bench.

Edwards indicated that plan could change.

“(Williams has) played both spots on the outside, and Donnie’s played in the middle and on the outside,” Edwards said. “So we’re going to create competition, and the best three guys are going to play.

“He’s been a starter, played a lot of football in a short career already, plus he’s the kind of guy that fits our system. So I think it’s a good get for us. He creates competition. He’s young and athletic and plays well on special teams.

“Now, in the draft, we don’t have to worry about getting a linebacker. Even if we draft another young guy, he won’t have the experience. This guy has experience, so we’ve got four linebackers with experience now.”

Edwards said the Chiefs would not release Harris, who was signed as a free agent last year.

“But he’s got to play better,” Edwards said. “He knows that.”

•The Chiefs were awarded fullback Oliver Hoyte off waivers from Dallas. Hoyte made 15 starts over the past two seasons for the Cowboys. Hoyte was a linebacker in college at North Carolina State.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chi...ry/515739.html

[doomy3]

I like Herm's approach to this.

[Chiefs_5627]

Originally Posted by doomy3

I like Herm's approach to this.

Me 2.

[Rausch]

First time I've seen an emphasis on Herm wanting O lineman. Not that now is a good time to say so.

****. Probably means a smokescreen.

[Tribal Warfare]

Originally Posted by Rausch

First time I've seen an emphasis on Herm wanting O lineman. Not that now is a good time to say so.

****. Probably means a smokescreen.

to me I believe he's saying that the BPAs in later rounds coud/will be OL

[Rausch]

Originally Posted by Tribal Warfare

to me I believe he's saying that the BPAs in later rounds coud/will be OL

Sounds good to me.

I'd love to see a 2nd-3rd or 3rd-4th type approach to the line. There damned well is depth in this draft on the line. All the more reason why I'd love a trade down...

[Tribal Warfare]

Originally Posted by Rausch

. All the more reason why I'd love a trade down...

Excluding the #5 pick of course due to possibility of landing Dorsey,Ellis, or Gholston.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Tribal Warfare

to me I believe he's saying that the BPAs in later rounds coud/will be OL

It's virtually guaranteed. This is one of the deepest OT drafts I can remember.

[Direckshun]

I agree.

There's maybe one or two players the entire offseason that I've liked for the Chiefs that didn't sign for something more than they were worth, and DeMorrio Williams was one of them.

I love the way Herm's putting this team together. It's slow, to be sure, but it's steady.

Now if we can just put the youth on the ****ing field.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Direckshun

It's slow, to be sure, but it's steady.

it's only steady if you draft well and you keep the good players you draft.


if you don't draft well or keep them, then you suck ....... forever.

[the Talking Can]

“What I don’t want to do is go out and get a guy, any guy, just so people think, ‘Well, they got somebody, so they must be doing a good job in free agency.’


"Edwards defended that failure, indicating the Chiefs didn’t believe Faine was worth the kind of money he was paid by the Buccaneers."


the only two smart things Herm has ever said

[Mecca]

This team is taking a DT first it becomes more apparent to me every day.

[Chiefs_5627]

Originally Posted by Mecca

This team is taking a DT first it becomes more apparent to me every day.

Perhaps but everyone is freaking out about Dorsey and Ellis will be long gone imo.

[Tribal Warfare]

Originally Posted by Chiefs_5627

Perhaps but everyone is freaking out about Dorsey and Ellis will be long gone imo.

this how I see the top 5 panning out

Miami- Chris Long

STL- Jake Long

Atlanta- Ryan

Oakland- McFadden

KC- Dorsey ( gets the edge over Ellis because of his leadership intangibles)

[Stryker]

Originally Posted by Tribal Warfare

this how I see the top 5 panning out

Miami- Chris Long

STL- Jake Long

Atlanta- Ryan

Oakland- McFadden

KC- Dorsey ( gets the edge over Ellis because of his leadership intangibles)

and if Miami where to take V. Ghloston with the 1st pick instead? Do you think STL would still take Jake Long or Chris Long instead? Then would OAK take Chris Long if STL didn't or stay with McFadden?