Chiefs MSNBC: Kansas City's chief goal: getting younger

**BigRedChief** · 07-17-2008, 10:13 AM

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25607519/site/21683474/

GM Kuharich nabs top-flight prospects in draft, but wins will take time (not edited, I swear)

It may have been time to start all over in Kansas City one year ago. Or two years ago. But the Chiefs chose to delay the starting over process until this year.

So the Chiefs went from one of the league's oldest teams to one of the youngest in the blink of an offseason.

Gone are defensive end Jared Allen, linebackers Kendrell Bell and Keyaron Fox, cornerback Ty Law, wide receiver Eddie Kennison, tight end Jason Dunn and offensive linemen John Welbourn, Casey Wiegmann and Kyle Turley.

In their places are a gaggle of rookies. The Chiefs draft was hailed as the best in the NFL, as it featured both quality and quantity. Bill Kuharich's handiwork resulted in 12 draftees, including defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, offensive tackle Branden Albert, cornerback Brandon Flowers, halfback Jamaal Charles and tight end Brad Cottam. Every one of them is expected to be an immediate contributor, if not a starter.

But this is not a team that is ready to win now. There will be much learning and trial by error.

Even some of the "veterans" on this team are not exactly what you would call experienced. Quarterback Brodie Croyle has only six pro starts and has yet to prove he is a quality NFL player. Leading receiver Dwayne Bowe is in his second year. The playmaker of the defensive line, Tamba Hali, is a third year player. The starting safeties, Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard, have only two years of experience apiece.

The Chiefs still have a few graybeards running around, though it might not be a pleasant season for the likes of Tony Gonzalez, Brian Waters, Donnie Edwards and Patrick Surtain.

Even the old guys will have to learn new tricks if they play offense, as the Chiefs have a new offensive coordinator in Chan Gailey. Aside from developing Croyle, Gailey's most important job will be finding a way to get halfback Larry Johnson running more like he did in 2006 (he set a franchise record with 1,789 rushing yards, which was second highest in the NFL that year) than he did in 2007 (he averaged 3.5 yards per carry before missing the final eight games with a foot injury).

Part of the plan for Johnson is keeping him fresh by working in Charles and Kolby Smith.
Hot seat
The Chiefs acted like they were awfully interested in drafting Matt Ryan, but Ryan was chosen before the Chiefs ever had a crack at him. No one would have blamed them if they had gone after a veteran quarterback to be their starter.

So the heat definitely is on Croyle to prove he can be this team's quarterback of the future. The team has simplified the offense mostly for him. Croyle has to show he can operate it and win games, or he likely won't have this chance again in 2009.
Overheard at camp
The Chiefs thought they were going to end up with a defensive end with their fifth pick in the first round, but a funny thing happened when defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey fell into their laps. They could not pass him up, so they will reshuffle their defensive line to accommodate him.

The plan is to move Alfonso Boone from defensive tackle to left end and play Dorsey at the three technique. Ron Edwards and Tank Tyler will share the nose tackle position, and Hali will move to right end from left to replace Jared Allen. On nickel downs, Turk McBride will take over for Boone at left end.
Comings and goings
Trading Allen was a bold move for the Chiefs. He led the league in sacks last year and probably is the best pass rusher in football.

In return, they received the draft picks they used to take Branden Albert, Jamaal Charles and safety DaJuan Morgan. The combined value of those players might never match the value of Allen, a rare difference maker. But the Chiefs had many needs, and this was the best way for them to address three of them.
Prediction
The beauty of the Chiefs rebuilding project is expectations have been lowered considerably. If the Chiefs win seven games, the perception will be they had a better season than the Patriots if New England goes 18-1.
But the Chiefs probably won't win seven games. Five sounds more like it.

teedubya · 07-17-2008, 10:21 AM

Where is the talk about Favre?

**chasedude** · 07-17-2008, 10:49 AM

Winning Five with this new crew will be lucky, I'm not that optimistic.

Mr. Arrowhead · 07-17-2008, 10:53 AM

its a pretty fair and good article. Better than that crap ESPN puts out

blueballs · 07-17-2008, 10:55 AM

damn this article
KB had been erased from my memory

StcChief · 07-17-2008, 10:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Arrowhead

its a pretty fair and good article. Better than that crap ESPN puts out

very fair....

but beating ESPN isn't saying much.

**noa** · 07-17-2008, 11:05 AM

So we spent a second round pick last season on a DT who is now going to be our nickel LDE? Awesome.

Redrum_69 · 07-17-2008, 11:13 AM

thank god its not from wpi
claythan hates misrepresentation
athan does like cheese though

Fish · 07-17-2008, 11:32 AM

Carl has been here so long he's transcended his position huh?

RustShack · 07-17-2008, 12:29 PM

So pretty much everything I've been reading since the draft, great news!

**BigRedChief** · 07-17-2008, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Carl has been here so long he's transcended his position huh?

I guess we have a new GM?

JuicesFlowing · 07-17-2008, 01:39 PM

5 wins? I'll be severely disappointed if we can't win more than 5.

Valiant · 07-17-2008, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by noa

So we spent a second round pick last season on a DT who is now going to be our nickel LDE? Awesome.

When you figure that it is Dorsey replacing him, that is awesome..

chiefs1111 · 07-17-2008, 01:48 PM

If we win 5 games this year,id be a little surprised,I think its gonna take some time for this team to gel together with all the young guys we have,I think it's more likely we will be 3-13..

**Fire Me Boy!** · 07-17-2008, 08:04 PM

Hmmm. I sent the guy an e-mail... apparently they don't care that much about accuracy at the Chicago Tribune.

07-17-2008, 10:13 AM
BigRedChief Has a particular set of skills Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: On the water Casino cash: $2959627 VARSITY	MSNBC: Kansas City's chief goal: getting younger http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25607519/site/21683474/ GM Kuharich nabs top-flight prospects in draft, but wins will take time (not edited, I swear) It may have been time to start all over in Kansas City one year ago. Or two years ago. But the Chiefs chose to delay the starting over process until this year. So the Chiefs went from one of the league's oldest teams to one of the youngest in the blink of an offseason. Gone are defensive end Jared Allen, linebackers Kendrell Bell and Keyaron Fox, cornerback Ty Law, wide receiver Eddie Kennison, tight end Jason Dunn and offensive linemen John Welbourn, Casey Wiegmann and Kyle Turley. In their places are a gaggle of rookies. The Chiefs draft was hailed as the best in the NFL, as it featured both quality and quantity. Bill Kuharich's handiwork resulted in 12 draftees, including defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, offensive tackle Branden Albert, cornerback Brandon Flowers, halfback Jamaal Charles and tight end Brad Cottam. Every one of them is expected to be an immediate contributor, if not a starter. But this is not a team that is ready to win now. There will be much learning and trial by error. Even some of the "veterans" on this team are not exactly what you would call experienced. Quarterback Brodie Croyle has only six pro starts and has yet to prove he is a quality NFL player. Leading receiver Dwayne Bowe is in his second year. The playmaker of the defensive line, Tamba Hali, is a third year player. The starting safeties, Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard, have only two years of experience apiece. The Chiefs still have a few graybeards running around, though it might not be a pleasant season for the likes of Tony Gonzalez, Brian Waters, Donnie Edwards and Patrick Surtain. Even the old guys will have to learn new tricks if they play offense, as the Chiefs have a new offensive coordinator in Chan Gailey. Aside from developing Croyle, Gailey's most important job will be finding a way to get halfback Larry Johnson running more like he did in 2006 (he set a franchise record with 1,789 rushing yards, which was second highest in the NFL that year) than he did in 2007 (he averaged 3.5 yards per carry before missing the final eight games with a foot injury). Part of the plan for Johnson is keeping him fresh by working in Charles and Kolby Smith. Hot seat The Chiefs acted like they were awfully interested in drafting Matt Ryan, but Ryan was chosen before the Chiefs ever had a crack at him. No one would have blamed them if they had gone after a veteran quarterback to be their starter. So the heat definitely is on Croyle to prove he can be this team's quarterback of the future. The team has simplified the offense mostly for him. Croyle has to show he can operate it and win games, or he likely won't have this chance again in 2009. Overheard at camp The Chiefs thought they were going to end up with a defensive end with their fifth pick in the first round, but a funny thing happened when defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey fell into their laps. They could not pass him up, so they will reshuffle their defensive line to accommodate him. The plan is to move Alfonso Boone from defensive tackle to left end and play Dorsey at the three technique. Ron Edwards and Tank Tyler will share the nose tackle position, and Hali will move to right end from left to replace Jared Allen. On nickel downs, Turk McBride will take over for Boone at left end. Comings and goings Trading Allen was a bold move for the Chiefs. He led the league in sacks last year and probably is the best pass rusher in football. In return, they received the draft picks they used to take Branden Albert, Jamaal Charles and safety DaJuan Morgan. The combined value of those players might never match the value of Allen, a rare difference maker. But the Chiefs had many needs, and this was the best way for them to address three of them. Prediction The beauty of the Chiefs rebuilding project is expectations have been lowered considerably. If the Chiefs win seven games, the perception will be they had a better season than the Patriots if New England goes 18-1. But the Chiefs probably won't win seven games. Five sounds more like it.
Posts: 79,176

07-17-2008, 10:21 AM	#2
teedubya Most Valuable Poster Join Date: Oct 2003 Casino cash: $9480002	Where is the talk about Favre?
Posts: 36,652

07-17-2008, 10:49 AM	#3
chasedude Supporter Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: St. Joe Casino cash: $10004900	Winning Five with this new crew will be lucky, I'm not that optimistic.
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07-17-2008, 10:53 AM	#4
Mr. Arrowhead MVP Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Wichita Casino cash: $10015708	its a pretty fair and good article. Better than that crap ESPN puts out
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07-17-2008, 10:55 AM	#5
blueballs Banned Join Date: Feb 2006 Casino cash: $10004900	damn this article KB had been erased from my memory
Posts: 14,233

07-17-2008, 11:05 AM	#7
noa Band Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $1415453	So we spent a second round pick last season on a DT who is now going to be our nickel LDE? Awesome. __________________ Sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes, well, he eats you.
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07-17-2008, 11:13 AM	#8
Redrum_69 Banned Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: your nightmares Casino cash: $10004900	thank god its not from wpi claythan hates misrepresentation athan does like cheese though
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07-17-2008, 11:32 AM	#9
Fish Ain't no relax! Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $2098919	Carl has been here so long he's transcended his position huh? __________________
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07-17-2008, 12:29 PM	#10
RustShack **** That Noise Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Jack Trice Casino cash: $4606954	So pretty much everything I've been reading since the draft, great news! __________________
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07-17-2008, 01:39 PM	#12
JuicesFlowing Losing with passion. Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Oblivion Casino cash: $10004925	5 wins? I'll be severely disappointed if we can't win more than 5.
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07-17-2008, 01:48 PM	#14
chiefs1111 In Search of a Life Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Parts Unknown Casino cash: $1363166	If we win 5 games this year,id be a little surprised,I think its gonna take some time for this team to gel together with all the young guys we have,I think it's more likely we will be 3-13..
Posts: 21,073

07-17-2008, 08:04 PM	#15
Fire Me Boy! Cast Iron Jedi Join Date: Nov 2004 Casino cash: $9999900 VARSITY	Hmmm. I sent the guy an e-mail... apparently they don't care that much about accuracy at the Chicago Tribune.
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