Whitlock: Wanted: More Offense

siberian khatru · 05-01-2007, 06:26 AM

http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/89730.html

Wanted: more offense
By JASON WHITLOCK - Columnist

In case you forgot, when last we saw our Chiefs, the final score was 23-8, the Chiefs didn’t get a first down until late in the third quarter, Larry Johnson rushed for 32 yards, and the Indianapolis Colts fielded one of the league’s worst defenses.

Carl Peterson, Herm Edwards and Bill Kuharich should have been forced to re-watch KC’s playoff loss in the hours leading up to the draft. Maybe then they would have been reminded of what they needed to do over the weekend.

Kansas City’s offense needs a major injection of youth, talent and energy. Somehow that has all been forgotten this offseason. So after signing two free-agent linebackers, the Chiefs reluctantly settled on a wide receiver in the first round of the draft and then settled on a Turk and a Tank, two defensive linemen, in the second and third rounds.

Am I the only one who remembers Indianapolis? Am I the only one who remembers that Dick Vermeil went overboard trying to build an offense and that Herm promised to build a complete team?

Am I the only person who thinks it is absolute lunacy to hand Larry Johnson any more contract leverage?

Let me be the first to label this offseason a failure. I don’t mind climbing out on limbs. I’ll be the first to apologize if I’m wrong. But from my view, the Chiefs played this thing all wrong.

They did not do near enough to fix their decaying offense. Will Shields retired. Trent Green is on his way out. Larry Johnson wants Peyton Manning money. The Chiefs never replaced Willie Roaf or Tony Richardson. Eddie Kennison is old.

And let’s see, a little more than three months after the most embarrassing offensive performance in the history of the league, the Chiefs take a flier on Sylvester Bowe or Dwayne Morris or SlyBowe.

Hey, I’m not down on Dwayne Bowe, the receiver out of LSU. I was happy about his acquisition. I called it a great pick at the time. But the Chiefs needed to do more on the offensive side of the ball.

They should have taken an offensive tackle in the second round. Who? I don’t know. If there was no tackle worthy of a second-round pick, I’d have taken another receiver. In the third round, they should have selected Louisville running back Michael Bush, a sure-fire top-15 pick had he not broken his leg. The Raiders took Bush with the first pick of the fourth round. He might be the steal of the draft.

Right now, if Larry Johnson holds out in a contract dispute, Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard should sue Peterson, Edwards and Kuharich for negligence.

It is impossible to develop a young quarterback (Croyle) without the proper complementary surrounding talent. It appears Croyle is going to get Schottenheimered, which is quarterback death caused by neglect.

Dick Vermeil put on a five-year clinic on how to develop a quarterback. You pamper quarterbacks. Peterson didn’t pay attention, and Herm spends his free time fantasizing about 9-3 field-goal shootouts.

Did anyone notice that the Colts drafted a receiver in the first round and an offensive tackle in the second? The Colts are constantly giving Manning new toys to play with.

Croyle and Huard got Bowe and upgraded life-insurance policies. Meanwhile, Herm and Gunther Cunningham got a Tank and a Turk to maneuver, and a new kicker.

If Johnson is a no-show, the Chiefs won’t score a touchdown this season. Not an offensive one. Even with Johnson, the KC offense is still highly suspect. Bowe is not a burner. He won’t open up passing lanes for Tony Gonzalez. In fact, Bowe is likely to crowd Gonzalez’s zones. Best-case scenario, Bowe is a T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals receiver who plays opposite speedster Chad Johnson.

The Chiefs don’t have a Chad Johnson. They don’t have a dominant offensive line, either. They have a top-flight, 31-year-old tight end and a punishing, overworked, hard-to-like running back who wants a $30 million signing bonus. That’s it.

The Chiefs made five key acquisitions this offseason: two linebackers, two defensive tackles and a receiver.

Rewatch the Indy playoff game and ask yourself whether the offseason strategy makes any sense at all.

JBucc · 05-01-2007, 06:30 AM

It's nice to see jason back writing bad football articles.

siberian khatru · 05-01-2007, 06:30 AM

Jason's been on a roll recently, but frankly, I think this column sucks.

Here's the key reason why:

Quote:

They should have taken an offensive tackle in the second round. Who? I don’t know. If there was no tackle worthy of a second-round pick, I’d have taken another receiver.

"Pick somebody, I don't care who! Just draft by position, I don't care if they're any good!"

That's AWFUL logic. AWFUL draft strategy. We pick the 5th or 9th best WR or OT instead of the 3rd or 4th best DT? No way.

You can't change what the draft gives you.

We had too many holes to fill with just one draft, with just one offseason. This isn't about 2007, it's about 2008-09. IMO, we did a good job this year. Hopefully, we'll plug the remaining holes next year.

Reerun_KC · 05-01-2007, 06:52 AM

Beautiful article!!!!!!!

Best Article I have read out of the draft.. best part was "Herm spends his free time fantasizing about 9-3 field-goal shootouts."

Spot on JW...

teedubya · 05-01-2007, 06:53 AM

who? Ryan ****ing Kalil in the 2nd Round.

**Fire Me Boy!** · 05-01-2007, 06:59 AM

I posted this in the other one... but I thought I'd reiterate...

Quote:

then settled on a Turk and a Tank ....

.... Meanwhile, Herm and Gunther Cunningham got a Tank and a Turk to maneuver, and a new kicker.

Weak writing, Jason. I don't like you, but you're generally a better writer than to repeat your jokes.

trndobrd · 05-01-2007, 06:59 AM

Making draft selections in order to prevent current players from gaining leverage on contract negotiations is downright stupid. How does that improve the football team? Let's draft another RB in the 1st and a TE in the 2nd....there, all better.

I still don't understand the comparisons of Sylvester Morris to Bowe. Morris had injury issues which no one could have forseen. Perhaps the Chiefs should not select players when they have had a bust at that position. The same logic used by roulette players who believe a number is 'due'.

Speaking of Bowe. What is the deal with the "slow" tag? All he does is get open, catch the ball and get yards after the catch. KC already has a speedy receiver, he just can't catch the ball. Who are the best friends of a young QB? A good TE and a solid possession receiver who can get yards after the catch.

BTW Jason, the Chiefs stole a pretty good RB who can pass block and catch out of the backfield.

**Tribal Warfare** · 05-01-2007, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trndobrd

Who are the best friends of a young QB?

The O-Line, Trent can tell you that

InChiefsHeaven · 05-01-2007, 07:04 AM

Holy crap...all this because we didn't take an OT early in the draft...other than that, what the hell else did everyone want? What are we supposed to do to improve our offense...draft a QB? A RB? A WR? We missed out on getting an OT...but other than that, what the hell was going to fix this offense in this draft?

This amazes me. As I see it, we have a question at the QB position, which was going to be the case regardless of the draft. We have a solid RB, with a solid (if un-injured) backup, plus the kid from Europe, plus the kid we drafted. We have a solid TE, and Dunn is still around to do that thang he does so well. We have a posession WR in Kennison, and now we just got a big strong over the middle guy in Bowe. We don't KNOW if Hannon or Webb will work out, but we know a hell of a lot more about them than we do about any other WR in the draft, and that's got to count for something...

...this is a stupid article on Jason's part. And he seemed to be making so much sense lately...

InChiefsHeaven · 05-01-2007, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trndobrd

Making draft selections in order to prevent current players from gaining leverage on contract negotiations is downright stupid. How does that improve the football team? Let's draft another RB in the 1st and a TE in the 2nd....there, all better.

I still don't understand the comparisons of Sylvester Morris to Bowe. Morris had injury issues which no one could have forseen. Perhaps the Chiefs should not select players when they have had a bust at that position. The same logic used by roulette players who believe a number is 'due'.

Speaking of Bowe. What is the deal with the "slow" tag? All he does is get open, catch the ball and get yards after the catch. KC already has a speedy receiver, he just can't catch the ball. Who are the best friends of a young QB? A good TE and a solid possession receiver who can get yards after the catch.

BTW Jason, the Chiefs stole a pretty good RB who can pass block and catch out of the backfield.

Indeed. He is this year's Hali...everyone talked shit about Hali too and ate their words...

tiptap · 05-01-2007, 07:09 AM

This year's tackles were not that great, descent but not great. I'm glad we have waited to see if next years crop are better.

eazyb81 · 05-01-2007, 07:29 AM

Blah blah blah.....and if we reached on an olineman or WR in the 2nd, everyone would blame us for ignoring the D-line.

Weak article.

eazyb81 · 05-01-2007, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trndobrd

Speaking of Bowe. What is the deal with the "slow" tag? All he does is get open, catch the ball and get yards after the catch. KC already has a speedy receiver, he just can't catch the ball. Who are the best friends of a young QB? A good TE and a solid possession receiver who can get yards after the catch.

LOL, exactly. When the hell did a 4.4 40 become slow? The haters are really reaching on this one.

Bowe is going to be fantastic if he stays healthy and we make an effort to get him the ball.

Chiefnj · 05-01-2007, 07:33 AM

Whitlock's article does make sense. The problem was that KC had so many holes they couldn't fill them all.

InChiefsHeaven · 05-01-2007, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chiefnj

Whitlock's article does make sense. The problem was that KC had so many holes they couldn't fill them all.

His article would make sense if he agreed with your point. As it is, he's just bitching about stupid things that really couldn't be addressed in the draft. He's being a tool.

05-01-2007, 06:26 AM
siberian khatru 21st Century Schizoid Fan Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: The Gates of Delirium Casino cash: $2414950	Whitlock: Wanted: More Offense http://www.kansascity.com/182/story/89730.html Wanted: more offense By JASON WHITLOCK - Columnist In case you forgot, when last we saw our Chiefs, the final score was 23-8, the Chiefs didn’t get a first down until late in the third quarter, Larry Johnson rushed for 32 yards, and the Indianapolis Colts fielded one of the league’s worst defenses. Carl Peterson, Herm Edwards and Bill Kuharich should have been forced to re-watch KC’s playoff loss in the hours leading up to the draft. Maybe then they would have been reminded of what they needed to do over the weekend. Kansas City’s offense needs a major injection of youth, talent and energy. Somehow that has all been forgotten this offseason. So after signing two free-agent linebackers, the Chiefs reluctantly settled on a wide receiver in the first round of the draft and then settled on a Turk and a Tank, two defensive linemen, in the second and third rounds. Am I the only one who remembers Indianapolis? Am I the only one who remembers that Dick Vermeil went overboard trying to build an offense and that Herm promised to build a complete team? Am I the only person who thinks it is absolute lunacy to hand Larry Johnson any more contract leverage? Let me be the first to label this offseason a failure. I don’t mind climbing out on limbs. I’ll be the first to apologize if I’m wrong. But from my view, the Chiefs played this thing all wrong. They did not do near enough to fix their decaying offense. Will Shields retired. Trent Green is on his way out. Larry Johnson wants Peyton Manning money. The Chiefs never replaced Willie Roaf or Tony Richardson. Eddie Kennison is old. And let’s see, a little more than three months after the most embarrassing offensive performance in the history of the league, the Chiefs take a flier on Sylvester Bowe or Dwayne Morris or SlyBowe. Hey, I’m not down on Dwayne Bowe, the receiver out of LSU. I was happy about his acquisition. I called it a great pick at the time. But the Chiefs needed to do more on the offensive side of the ball. They should have taken an offensive tackle in the second round. Who? I don’t know. If there was no tackle worthy of a second-round pick, I’d have taken another receiver. In the third round, they should have selected Louisville running back Michael Bush, a sure-fire top-15 pick had he not broken his leg. The Raiders took Bush with the first pick of the fourth round. He might be the steal of the draft. Right now, if Larry Johnson holds out in a contract dispute, Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard should sue Peterson, Edwards and Kuharich for negligence. It is impossible to develop a young quarterback (Croyle) without the proper complementary surrounding talent. It appears Croyle is going to get Schottenheimered, which is quarterback death caused by neglect. Dick Vermeil put on a five-year clinic on how to develop a quarterback. You pamper quarterbacks. Peterson didn’t pay attention, and Herm spends his free time fantasizing about 9-3 field-goal shootouts. Did anyone notice that the Colts drafted a receiver in the first round and an offensive tackle in the second? The Colts are constantly giving Manning new toys to play with. Croyle and Huard got Bowe and upgraded life-insurance policies. Meanwhile, Herm and Gunther Cunningham got a Tank and a Turk to maneuver, and a new kicker. If Johnson is a no-show, the Chiefs won’t score a touchdown this season. Not an offensive one. Even with Johnson, the KC offense is still highly suspect. Bowe is not a burner. He won’t open up passing lanes for Tony Gonzalez. In fact, Bowe is likely to crowd Gonzalez’s zones. Best-case scenario, Bowe is a T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the Bengals receiver who plays opposite speedster Chad Johnson. The Chiefs don’t have a Chad Johnson. They don’t have a dominant offensive line, either. They have a top-flight, 31-year-old tight end and a punishing, overworked, hard-to-like running back who wants a $30 million signing bonus. That’s it. The Chiefs made five key acquisitions this offseason: two linebackers, two defensive tackles and a receiver. Rewatch the Indy playoff game and ask yourself whether the offseason strategy makes any sense at all.
Posts: 69,241

05-01-2007, 06:30 AM	#2
JBucc MVP Join Date: Oct 2005 Casino cash: $10004952	It's nice to see jason back writing bad football articles.
Posts: 12,016

05-01-2007, 06:52 AM	#4
Reerun_KC Rock Chalk Jayhawks! KU!!! Join Date: Aug 2005 Casino cash: $8301160	Beautiful article!!!!!!! Best Article I have read out of the draft.. best part was "Herm spends his free time fantasizing about 9-3 field-goal shootouts." Spot on JW...
Posts: 934

05-01-2007, 06:53 AM	#5
teedubya Most Valuable Poster Join Date: Oct 2003 Casino cash: $9480002	who? Ryan ****ing Kalil in the 2nd Round.
Posts: 36,652

05-01-2007, 06:59 AM	#7
trndobrd 'Stachecicle Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: The Tolerance Box Casino cash: $4865087	Making draft selections in order to prevent current players from gaining leverage on contract negotiations is downright stupid. How does that improve the football team? Let's draft another RB in the 1st and a TE in the 2nd....there, all better. I still don't understand the comparisons of Sylvester Morris to Bowe. Morris had injury issues which no one could have forseen. Perhaps the Chiefs should not select players when they have had a bust at that position. The same logic used by roulette players who believe a number is 'due'. Speaking of Bowe. What is the deal with the "slow" tag? All he does is get open, catch the ball and get yards after the catch. KC already has a speedy receiver, he just can't catch the ball. Who are the best friends of a young QB? A good TE and a solid possession receiver who can get yards after the catch. BTW Jason, the Chiefs stole a pretty good RB who can pass block and catch out of the backfield. __________________ "I don't really think there is a need to raise or debate this point." -jAZ
Posts: 7,081

05-01-2007, 07:04 AM	#9
InChiefsHeaven Rockin' yer FACE OFF! Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Omaha, Nebraska Casino cash: $3754937	Holy crap...all this because we didn't take an OT early in the draft...other than that, what the hell else did everyone want? What are we supposed to do to improve our offense...draft a QB? A RB? A WR? We missed out on getting an OT...but other than that, what the hell was going to fix this offense in this draft? This amazes me. As I see it, we have a question at the QB position, which was going to be the case regardless of the draft. We have a solid RB, with a solid (if un-injured) backup, plus the kid from Europe, plus the kid we drafted. We have a solid TE, and Dunn is still around to do that thang he does so well. We have a posession WR in Kennison, and now we just got a big strong over the middle guy in Bowe. We don't KNOW if Hannon or Webb will work out, but we know a hell of a lot more about them than we do about any other WR in the draft, and that's got to count for something... ...this is a stupid article on Jason's part. And he seemed to be making so much sense lately... __________________ We have a million reasons for failure, but not one excuse... Die Donks, DIE!! Holy Crap fellas!!! We did it!!! THREE TIMES!!!
Posts: 25,751

05-01-2007, 07:09 AM	#11
tiptap Is this it? Join Date: Jan 2004 Casino cash: $10007847	This year's tackles were not that great, descent but not great. I'm glad we have waited to see if next years crop are better. __________________ Even a superstitious man has certain inalienable rights. He has a right to harbor and indulge his imbecilities as long as he pleases. . . He has a right to argue for them as eloquently as he can, in season and out of season. He has a right to teach them to his children. But certainly he has no right to be protected against the free criticism of those who do not hold them. He has no right to demand that they be treated as sacred. He has no right to preach them without challenge." -H.L. Mencken
Posts: 5,134

05-01-2007, 07:29 AM	#12
eazyb81 The Illuminati Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: the road less traveled Casino cash: $10004900	Blah blah blah.....and if we reached on an olineman or WR in the 2nd, everyone would blame us for ignoring the D-line. Weak article.
Posts: 12,033

05-01-2007, 07:33 AM	#14
Chiefnj MVP Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Willis, Harris and Davis. Casino cash: $10004900	Whitlock's article does make sense. The problem was that KC had so many holes they couldn't fill them all. __________________ "I always tell (the assistant coaches), 'Make it simple, 'cause I'm stupid,'" Edwards said. "This ain't computer football." Herm Edwards, 3-20-07 Q: Herm, back on December 25th you were asked if Trent Green was your starter going into next season and you said, ‘yeah, why wouldn’t he be?’ Have you changed your mind on that? EDWARDS: No, I have not.” (1-11-07)
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