Alpha's updated offseason plan:

Alphaman · 12-09-2004, 07:44 AM

In my mind, we must overhaul the defense and the starting WRs. Our LBs are soft, poor tacklers and don't display good football instincts. Our WRs are aging and project to provide less production next year. I think you have to move them before the decline, not after. I think there are some 2nd tier FAs that can be signed this year along with a strong draft to overhaul the defense as well as the WR corp.

As I see it, the following guys need to be cut: Barber, McCleon, Holliday, Kennison, Morton. I'd add Hicks and Woods to that list, but since they just signed new deals last year, I'd try and do it after June 1st.

I'd move Fujita and Mitchell to back up roles.

Free agents: Gary Baxter, Ed Hartwell, Kendrell Bell, Darren Howard, Jerry Porter and David Terrell. These guys will get good contracts but not cap busting deals (Baxter, Porter and Howard will be the biggest).

Draft: I'm assuming we get to keep the 3rd and send Philly the 4th. I'm also assuming we a 4th round comp pick for Tait. Finally, I'm assuming we draft 9th. We have 2 extra 5th round picks, 1 from Detroit (moved up in the draft last year) and 1 from GB (Truluck). I've only done through the 5th round. After that, you are talking about long shots.

*Round 1) Ahmad Brooks - LB - Virginia
*Round 2) Carlos Rogers - CB - Auburn
*Round 3) Andrew Walters - QB - Arizona State - Good draft to get a potential QBOTF. Trent and Collins are both getting older.
*Round 4) Chris Canty - DE - Virginia - 2nd round talent falls in the draft due to season ending injury
*Round 5) Ciatric Fason - RB - Florida - Need a 3rd RB, Blaylock is not resigned due to LJs performance/contract and the cap
*Round 5) Ronald Bartell - CB - Howard - Raw with tons of potential
*Round 5) Manuel White - FB - UCLA - Need a backup to T-Rich to sit on the practice squad. Kris Wilson will be the backup FB and 3rd TE, allowing us to carry 6 WRs.

Finally, I would move Julian Battle to Free Safety. While he struggles as a CB is he is a very good athlete. Jerome Woods started off as a CB and became a very good free safety. Unfortunately he's not performing at that level anymore. Pile has shown good tackling skills, so I'd have Battle and Pile compete for the starting spot.

Many will say we can't sign 6 guys with the cap. We are currently $3M to $5M below this years cap. I can't see next year being much different, but let's say we are right at next season's cap. Cutting Holliday saves $5M against the cap. McCleon, Barber, Kennison and Morton's salaries next year that are counting against the cap are large enough to offset the accelerated signing bonus. But to be conservative let's say they cost us $2M of dead cap space. We are still $3M ahead. Holmes, Green, Warfield, and Gonzo all have contracts that can easily be restructured. I think we could easily get $1.5M in cap room from each of them. Note, restructuring is not a pay cut, it's a signing bonus and an extension. Hurts the cap later, but helps it now. That's an additional $6M. So conservatively we'd have $9M in cap space. If those 6 guys total $35M in signing bonuses averaging 7 year contracts, thats a $5M hit. First year salaries on those deals will be in the $500K range, so that's $3M more. We'd still have $1M under the cap. We'd likely have to restructure a couple of more deals (Shields, Roaf, Hall) to sign the rookies, but that's not difficult. I've tried to be conservative with the numbers.

OK...blast away, but be gentle.

Hammock Parties · 12-09-2004, 07:47 AM

You're nuts as far as our WRs go.

This argument everyone makes about them getting older is ludicrous.

They are older than they were last year, yet are having better seasons.

Morton has a year or two before he starts showing a huge decline, and Kennison two or three.

David Terrell.

You want to give KC fans something to bitch about, David Terrell is it. His hands are ATROCIOUS.

KCTitus · 12-09-2004, 07:48 AM

Cut 7 starters and sign 6 FA's....LOL, dude, prepare to be severly disappointed.

If KC signs 3 FA's, I'll be seriously shocked.

Hammock Parties · 12-09-2004, 07:54 AM

BTW, the only guy on your list that will be cut is Holliday.

Alphaman · 12-09-2004, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UserName

You're nuts as far as our WRs go.

This argument everyone makes about them getting older is ludicrous.

They are older than they were last year, yet are having better seasons.

Morton has a year or two before he starts showing a huge decline, and Kennison two or three.

David Terrell.

You want to give KC fans something to bitch about, David Terrell is it. His hands are ATROCIOUS.

You and I will go round and round about this as we already have. Better years than last year is not saying much. They are already declining. We would Kennison have gotten caught from behind 3 years ago? NO, but he did against TB. I've made the injury argument before. It's not they get injured (everybody does), it's that their age is causing them to recover slower. They also have huge drops.

I'll conceed that Terrell may be a bad pickup. I don't follow him close enough to comment on his hands. I based signing him on the fact that he is big, fast, already working in this offense and will come relatively ccheap. If not him, then someone else. I think with Porter and another FA WR can give us the same production as Morton and Kennison with upside and longevity.

Alphaman · 12-09-2004, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KCTitus

Cut 7 starters and sign 6 FA's....LOL, dude, prepare to be severly disappointed.

If KC signs 3 FA's, I'll be seriously shocked.

Like I said, this is my plan. I agree with you. My guess is that the Chiefs sign 2 or 3 FAs. DE, CB and WR.

Alphaman · 12-09-2004, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UserName

BTW, the only guy on your list that will be cut is Holliday.

No I think McCleon will definitely be gone and if Gun has his say, Barber probably as well.

This could be the one offseason where there is considerable movement on the defense. There is great frustration over their performance.

Hammock Parties · 12-09-2004, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alphaman

They are already declining. We would Kennison have gotten caught from behind 3 years ago? NO, but he did against TB.

Based on what?

As far as getting caught from behind, that's the ONLY time this year, he's had plenty of other long gainers where he DIDN'T get caught from behind.

Both of them will start next year, so you might as well get used to it.

Hammock Parties · 12-09-2004, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alphaman

No I think McCleon will definitely be gone and if Gun has his say, Barber probably as well.

This could be the one offseason where there is considerable movement on the defense. There is great frustration over their performance.

I don't think McCleon or Barber will be cut simply because:

A) They don't suck as bad as Holliday

B) Their cap hit is larger

KCTitus · 12-09-2004, 08:07 AM

I have to admit, though, the Arizona St. QB pick is interesting...I could agree with that.

nmt1 · 12-09-2004, 08:10 AM

I'm guessing you are satisfied that our younger players on the OL will be able to step in and fill Roaf's and Sheilds' shoes. I agree to an extent but I'm a little worried about the LT position. Roaf is a HOF'r and, IMO, there's a big dropoff after him.
While I'd love to have Ahmad Brooks, due to me being a big UVA fan, I don't think he's coming out this year. He's a true sophomore that's 3 years beyond his HS graduation so he's eligible but I think he might stay around UVA one more year in hopes of finishing a little higher in the rankings next season. This is all just my speculation.
I see your draft as a little short sighted. We definitly need to improve the defense but I don't think we should count on any rookies to make significant contributions in their first year. We should focus on BAA regardless of position for our higher draft picks. IMO, we put ourselves at a disadvantage when we draft for need.

Alphaman · 12-09-2004, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UserName

I don't think McCleon or Barber will be cut simply because:

A) They don't suck as bad as Holliday

B) Their cap hit is larger

Like I said, I think their salary next year is large enough to offset the accelerated signing bonus cap hit so that the cap hit is close to zero. I'm to work now so I'll do some digging this evening and continue this debate then. I like the debate though.

Alphaman · 12-09-2004, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nmt1

I'm guessing you are satisfied that our younger players on the OL will be able to step in and fill Roaf's and Sheilds' shoes. I agree to an extent but I'm a little worried about the LT position. Roaf is a HOF'r and, IMO, there's a big dropoff after him.
While I'd love to have Ahmad Brooks, due to me being a big UVA fan, I don't think he's coming out this year. He's a true sophomore that's 3 years beyond his HS graduation so he's eligible but I think he might stay around UVA one more year in hopes of finishing a little higher in the rankings next season. This is all just my speculation.
I see your draft as a little short sighted. We definitly need to improve the defense but I don't think we should count on any rookies to make significant contributions in their first year. We should focus on BAA regardless of position for our higher draft picks. IMO, we put ourselves at a disadvantage when we draft for need.

Good points...let me address:

1) No, I'm nervous about the OL, especially LT. But if Roaf and Shields do come back, I think we have to roll the dice there this offseason. The defense and WR needs are too great.

2) I'd really be only counting on the 1st 2 picks as having an impact on the D next year: Brooks and Rogers. While they fill need positions, they are very good players. We draft high enough to get 2 playmakers out of the draft. After that I've taken a QB for the future, a 3rd RB, a backup FB, a DE coming off injury (you know about Canty than I do) who could be good in the future and a project CB.

3) Brooks has a shot at a top 10 draft pick. I think there is a very good chance he comes out.

Alphaman · 12-09-2004, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by UserName

Based on what?

As far as getting caught from behind, that's the ONLY time this year, he's had plenty of other long gainers where he DIDN'T get caught from behind.

Both of them will start next year, so you might as well get used to it.

The others he wasn't in position to get caught from behind. They were different types of plays. NE - Trent kept the safety off of him, Denver - I think he fell down making the catch, but I believe that was Trent's fault and Oak - poor tackling reminiscent of our secondary and LBs.

I won't get used to it until it happens. Until then I'll still yell and scream for their replacement. If they are back, I'll root for them and defend them tooth and nail to other teams fans. That being said, my opinion is that they need to be replaced.

Chiefnj · 12-09-2004, 08:29 AM

My offseason plan as of today.

Resign Fujita.
Move Battle to FS.

Free Agents
Dream FA - Julian Peterson (if healthy).

More realistic approach

LB - Hartwell (fallback is Calmus if healthy).
CB - Hope that Lucas or Smoot aren't tagged.
SS - Donovan Darius. (All teams need veteran leadership and it doesn't get much better than this guy.)

Draft
Round 1: I'm going with Michigan or Georgia. Braylon Edwards, Marlin Jackson or David Pollack.

12-09-2004, 07:44 AM
Alphaman Veteran Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Austin, TX, USA Casino cash: $10004900	Alpha's updated offseason plan: In my mind, we must overhaul the defense and the starting WRs. Our LBs are soft, poor tacklers and don't display good football instincts. Our WRs are aging and project to provide less production next year. I think you have to move them before the decline, not after. I think there are some 2nd tier FAs that can be signed this year along with a strong draft to overhaul the defense as well as the WR corp. As I see it, the following guys need to be cut: Barber, McCleon, Holliday, Kennison, Morton. I'd add Hicks and Woods to that list, but since they just signed new deals last year, I'd try and do it after June 1st. I'd move Fujita and Mitchell to back up roles. Free agents: Gary Baxter, Ed Hartwell, Kendrell Bell, Darren Howard, Jerry Porter and David Terrell. These guys will get good contracts but not cap busting deals (Baxter, Porter and Howard will be the biggest). Draft: I'm assuming we get to keep the 3rd and send Philly the 4th. I'm also assuming we a 4th round comp pick for Tait. Finally, I'm assuming we draft 9th. We have 2 extra 5th round picks, 1 from Detroit (moved up in the draft last year) and 1 from GB (Truluck). I've only done through the 5th round. After that, you are talking about long shots. Round 1) Ahmad Brooks - LB - Virginia Round 2) Carlos Rogers - CB - Auburn Round 3) Andrew Walters - QB - Arizona State - Good draft to get a potential QBOTF. Trent and Collins are both getting older. Round 4) Chris Canty - DE - Virginia - 2nd round talent falls in the draft due to season ending injury Round 5) Ciatric Fason - RB - Florida - Need a 3rd RB, Blaylock is not resigned due to LJs performance/contract and the cap Round 5) Ronald Bartell - CB - Howard - Raw with tons of potential *Round 5) Manuel White - FB - UCLA - Need a backup to T-Rich to sit on the practice squad. Kris Wilson will be the backup FB and 3rd TE, allowing us to carry 6 WRs. Finally, I would move Julian Battle to Free Safety. While he struggles as a CB is he is a very good athlete. Jerome Woods started off as a CB and became a very good free safety. Unfortunately he's not performing at that level anymore. Pile has shown good tackling skills, so I'd have Battle and Pile compete for the starting spot. Many will say we can't sign 6 guys with the cap. We are currently $3M to $5M below this years cap. I can't see next year being much different, but let's say we are right at next season's cap. Cutting Holliday saves $5M against the cap. McCleon, Barber, Kennison and Morton's salaries next year that are counting against the cap are large enough to offset the accelerated signing bonus. But to be conservative let's say they cost us $2M of dead cap space. We are still $3M ahead. Holmes, Green, Warfield, and Gonzo all have contracts that can easily be restructured. I think we could easily get $1.5M in cap room from each of them. Note, restructuring is not a pay cut, it's a signing bonus and an extension. Hurts the cap later, but helps it now. That's an additional $6M. So conservatively we'd have $9M in cap space. If those 6 guys total $35M in signing bonuses averaging 7 year contracts, thats a $5M hit. First year salaries on those deals will be in the $500K range, so that's $3M more. We'd still have $1M under the cap. We'd likely have to restructure a couple of more deals (Shields, Roaf, Hall) to sign the rookies, but that's not difficult. I've tried to be conservative with the numbers. OK...blast away, but be gentle.
Posts: 1,380

12-09-2004, 07:47 AM	#2
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4680478	You're nuts as far as our WRs go. This argument everyone makes about them getting older is ludicrous. They are older than they were last year, yet are having better seasons. Morton has a year or two before he starts showing a huge decline, and Kennison two or three. David Terrell. You want to give KC fans something to bitch about, David Terrell is it. His hands are ATROCIOUS. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 277,984

12-09-2004, 07:48 AM	#3
KCTitus Archivist Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: The Ethernet Casino cash: $9892732	Cut 7 starters and sign 6 FA's....LOL, dude, prepare to be severly disappointed. If KC signs 3 FA's, I'll be seriously shocked. __________________ Anything you post on this BB can and will be used against you...
Posts: 26,193

12-09-2004, 07:54 AM	#4
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $4680478	BTW, the only guy on your list that will be cut is Holliday. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 277,984

12-09-2004, 08:07 AM	#10
KCTitus Archivist Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: The Ethernet Casino cash: $9892732	I have to admit, though, the Arizona St. QB pick is interesting...I could agree with that. __________________ Anything you post on this BB can and will be used against you...
Posts: 26,193

12-09-2004, 08:10 AM	#11
nmt1 Veteran Join Date: Sep 2000 Casino cash: $10004900	I'm guessing you are satisfied that our younger players on the OL will be able to step in and fill Roaf's and Sheilds' shoes. I agree to an extent but I'm a little worried about the LT position. Roaf is a HOF'r and, IMO, there's a big dropoff after him. While I'd love to have Ahmad Brooks, due to me being a big UVA fan, I don't think he's coming out this year. He's a true sophomore that's 3 years beyond his HS graduation so he's eligible but I think he might stay around UVA one more year in hopes of finishing a little higher in the rankings next season. This is all just my speculation. I see your draft as a little short sighted. We definitly need to improve the defense but I don't think we should count on any rookies to make significant contributions in their first year. We should focus on BAA regardless of position for our higher draft picks. IMO, we put ourselves at a disadvantage when we draft for need. Last edited by nmt1; 12-09-2004 at 08:18 AM..
Posts: 1,735

12-09-2004, 08:29 AM	#15
Chiefnj MVP Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Willis, Harris and Davis. Casino cash: $10004900	My offseason plan as of today. Resign Fujita. Move Battle to FS. Free Agents Dream FA - Julian Peterson (if healthy). More realistic approach LB - Hartwell (fallback is Calmus if healthy). CB - Hope that Lucas or Smoot aren't tagged. SS - Donovan Darius. (All teams need veteran leadership and it doesn't get much better than this guy.) Draft Round 1: I'm going with Michigan or Georgia. Braylon Edwards, Marlin Jackson or David Pollack.
Posts: 6,811