The 4 Things the Chiefs Need On Defense.

[Chiefnj]

Not that Gunther is looking for any assistance, but I think the following 4 things need to be accomplished for the Chiefs defense to climb to the middle of the NFL pack.

1. DL. I'm not sold on the line. People look at the total number of yards they gave up and it looks okay, but the average per rush is still too high. Siavii is still raw, Sims is still lethargic and Dalton tends to wear out as the season progresses. They need a veteran to push them and to step in when one of them goes down with an injury. Step 1, find a cheap June 1 cut.

2. Linebacker. Last year it was reported that the linebackers are the last to grasp Gunther's scheme. With two new starters, of which one is a rookie and the other coming from a 3-4 defense, I think Gunther needs to simplify the scheme for the LBs. With two big divisional games in primetime to kick off the season, the Chiefs don't have time for the new guys to get acquanted with the system. Simplify it and let Bell run wild.

3. Defensive Backs. The more I think about it, the more I think Hodge needs to step up right away; especially if Warfield is to miss a game or two. I'm hoping McLeon is released because of his salary and Bartee because, well because he's Bartee. That will leave Sapp, Battle and Hodge. Hodge probably has the most upside. Here's hoping Guinta can to something with him.

4. Attitude. I know the offensive players are the stars and are getting old, but the D needs full contact practices. When they scrimmage with the Saints or Vikings I'm sick of hearing about the other team not following the limited-contact rule. The D has forgotten how to hit. They need to pop those shoulder pads more frequently in practice; sorry Trent, Priest and Tony.

[CosmicPal]

1. DL. I'm not sold on the line.

The defensive line is fine. It has a lot of youngsters with a considerable amount of talent. Like most defensive lines in the NFL, it could use a little improvement.

2. Linebacker. I think Gunther needs to simplify the scheme for the LBs.

That won't happen. You change the scheme for the linebackers, you change the schemes for the entire defense. Gunther doesn't need to change the schemes- the players need to grasp the schemes and play to the best of their abilities.


3. Defensive Backs. The more I think about it, the more I think Hodge needs to step up right away; especially if Warfield is to miss a game or two.

You obviously have absolutely no faith in our defensive backs, if you want to throw in a mid-round draft pick who has yet to even see the practice field for the Chiefs. My gawd, you have absolutely no idea how Hodge will perform and already you want him as a starter?

I'm hoping McLeon is released because of his salary and Bartee because, well because he's Bartee.

McCleon most likely won't be released and will make a rather nice, veteran nickle back. Bartee is history.

4. Attitude.

I agree. But, I think there will be a whole new attitude on the defense. The existing players are not happy for their jobs are being challenged for once and that is the best thing for the defense- nobody's job is safe. I think the most important thing though for this defense is for one or two of the players to step and and command leadership both by example and by command. Once that occurs, this defense will then have a good chance to be in the top 10-15 defenses in the league.

[Coogs]

I especially agree with 2 and 4. In fact, I hope the defense has a huge turnover in personal. Getting rid of the same old "crap" on the defensive side that has managed to come in at 32, 29, and 31 in the last three years should be the first step.

Then simplify the system for the "new" guys that are humgry to be part of the NFL.

[JimNasium]

The defensive line is fine. It has a lot of youngsters with a considerable amount of talent. Like most defensive lines in the NFL, it could use a little improvement.

I'll believe that the d-line is fine when I see them demonstrate that they're fine. You're living in a fantasy world if you think that their play to date has been anything other than mediocre.

[Katie]

Personally, I think we have upgraded the talent enough to be respectable, how much we improve will depend on how these guys perform together. If the chemistry is good, I think we'll see drastic improvement.

[Cormac]

1. DL. I'm not sold on the line. People look at the total number of yards they gave up and it looks okay, but the average per rush is still too high. Siavii is still raw, Sims is still lethargic and Dalton tends to wear out as the season progresses. They need a veteran to push them and to step in when one of them goes down with an injury. Step 1, find a cheap June 1 cut.

I don't think we can afford further additions. I think Siavii will play much better this year. He showed flashes last year, and suffered from injuries. Sims is in a contract year, so if anything will motivate him, that will. I agree that Dalton wears down, but Browning is solid, and we can't afford an upgrade from either of those two.

2. Linebacker. Last year it was reported that the linebackers are the last to grasp Gunther's scheme. With two new starters, of which one is a rookie and the other coming from a 3-4 defense, I think Gunther needs to simplify the scheme for the LBs. With two big divisional games in primetime to kick off the season, the Chiefs don't have time for the new guys to get acquanted with the system. Simplify it and let Bell run wild.

Good point. We have the talent at that position, we need experience and understanding. Hopefully that'll come quickly.

3. Defensive Backs. The more I think about it, the more I think Hodge needs to step up right away; especially if Warfield is to miss a game or two. I'm hoping McLeon is released because of his salary and Bartee because, well because he's Bartee. That will leave Sapp, Battle and Hodge. Hodge probably has the most upside. Here's hoping Guinta can to something with him.

I will be very surprised if McCleon isn't our starting nickel back this year. DV swears by him. Actually I think he'd be OK. He'll get beaten sometimes (they all do), but he has a better chance of making a play than our other options. Maybe Sapp will step up, but he'll have to look electric to beat out McCleon, IMO. I have no expectations for Hodge this year except STs. Not that he's bad, I'm just looking at our record of developing corners, and the fact that he's not a complete player yet.

4. Attitude. I know the offensive players are the stars and are getting old, but the D needs full contact practices. When they scrimmage with the Saints or Vikings I'm sick of hearing about the other team not following the limited-contact rule. The D has forgotten how to hit. They need to pop those shoulder pads more frequently in practice; sorry Trent, Priest and Tony.

This should be fact #1, IMO. The additions this offseason have added a huge amount of talent. But more than that, I hope they have added TACKLING ability and ATTITUDE. I want Knight and Bell to start banging heads once somebody whiffs on a tackle this year. From now on, that has to be made an unforgiveable error. The person who whiffs on most tackles should be docked a percentage of their game cheque. JMO.

[Chiefnj]

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The defensive line is fine. It has a lot of youngsters with a considerable amount of talent. Like most defensive lines in the NFL, it could use a little improvement.
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They gave up 4.6 yards per carry. That ties them for 2nd worst in the league. You aren't going to win many playoff games giving up over four and a half yards per run. I just fail to see the "considerable amount of talent" at the DT position.

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That won't happen. You change the scheme for the linebackers, you change the schemes for the entire defense. Gunther doesn't need to change the schemes- the players need to grasp the schemes and play to the best of their abilities.
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I'd rather have a simpler scheme that the new starters understand rather than a complex scheme that puts them out of position the first few weeks of the season.

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You obviously have absolutely no faith in our defensive backs, if you want to throw in a mid-round draft pick who has yet to even see the practice field for the Chiefs. My gawd, you have absolutely no idea how Hodge will perform and already you want him as a starter?
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You are correct, I have no faith in the Chiefs existing secondary. Why would anyone when they have been benthic feeders the last three years? So yes, I really am hoping Hodge can step it up because it is proven that Bartee sucks, McLeon is past his prime and Battle hasn't demonstrated an attitude or playmaking ability.

[TRR]

John Browning is also a solid spot DT. We won't find anyone after June 1st better than John Browning at DT.

The problem with our LB's last season was that all of them were hurt through TC. Maz never made it back (and was counted on) Mitchell got hurt, Beisel got hurt, Barber we lost for the season. Fujita was playing hurt. If they can all stay healthy, our LB crew will be much better. You can't learn the scheme while nursing an injury.

McCleon, unless he looks horrible in mini/training camp, is penciled in at the nickel spot right now. Vermeil has said that McCleon was never brought in to start....Just play nickel. If I remember correctly, McCleon's salary is of an aging nickel back.

FWIW, I believe Hodge will start as the dime CB, and see the field more and more as the season goes on. If he were 6'1, he would have been a first round pick.

[CosmicPal]

I'll believe that the d-line is fine when I see them demonstrate that they're fine. You're living in a fantasy world if you think that their play to date has been anything other than mediocre.

I didn't say anything about their play-to-date. I was merely pointing out the fact it has a lot of talented youngsters: Allen, Siavii, and Wilkerson. If Allen improves upon his first season, Siavii becomes the monster in the middle and Wilkerson plays to the pick we took him early for- they could greatly improve the mix. Add in the fact, Carlos Hall will provide the rushing DE we sorely missed the past few years with Hicks, and you have the makings of an improved defense. The defensive line is fine. They need a chance to gel together- it is not the weakest link in our defense.

[eazyb81]

1. DL. I'm not sold on the line. People look at the total number of yards they gave up and it looks okay, but the average per rush is still too high. Siavii is still raw, Sims is still lethargic and Dalton tends to wear out as the season progresses. They need a veteran to push them and to step in when one of them goes down with an injury. Step 1, find a cheap June 1 cut.

Agree completely on this one. Like I said in another post, I think the key to our season will be how the Dline plays, the DTs in particular. We need to get a consistent push up the middle to keep blockers off our LBs and to keep the pressure on the opposing team's QB. I am hoping Siavii steps up bigtime this year, he has the the size to create havoc and has had a year to learn the system. He has the potential to be a dominant 2-gapper and take on 2 olineman consistently. I am hoping that Sims plays well since this is his contract year, but I am not planning on it.

[patteeu]

The defensive line is fine. It has a lot of youngsters with a considerable amount of talent. Like most defensive lines in the NFL, it could use a little improvement.



That won't happen. You change the scheme for the linebackers, you change the schemes for the entire defense. Gunther doesn't need to change the schemes- the players need to grasp the schemes and play to the best of their abilities.




You obviously have absolutely no faith in our defensive backs, if you want to throw in a mid-round draft pick who has yet to even see the practice field for the Chiefs. My gawd, you have absolutely no idea how Hodge will perform and already you want him as a starter?



McCleon most likely won't be released and will make a rather nice, veteran nickle back. Bartee is history.



I agree. But, I think there will be a whole new attitude on the defense. The existing players are not happy for their jobs are being challenged for once and that is the best thing for the defense- nobody's job is safe. I think the most important thing though for this defense is for one or two of the players to step and and command leadership both by example and by command. Once that occurs, this defense will then have a good chance to be in the top 10-15 defenses in the league.


I agree with almost everything you say here (and disagree with almost everything Chiefnj says), but I don't think Bartee is going anywhere this year. With any luck, he'll feel his NFL career slipping into the abyss and try to redeem himself on special teams and as depth behind McCleon, Warfield, and Surtain.

We're all in agreement on the attitude part.

[JimNasium]

I didn't say anything about their play-to-date. I was merely pointing out the fact it has a lot of talented youngsters: Allen, Siavii, and Wilkerson. If Allen improves upon his first season, Siavii becomes the monster in the middle and Wilkerson plays to the pick we took him early for- they could greatly improve the mix. Add in the fact, Carlos Hall will provide the rushing DE we sorely missed the past few years with Hicks, and you have the makings of an improved defense. The defensive line is fine. They need a chance to gel together- it is not the weakest link in our defense.
I'm generally not this pessimistic about things but we need a dose of reality around here.

Exhibit 1 - Junior Siavii - Still a project. I've seen Phil post some things that make me believe that he has significant motivation issues.

Exhibit 2 - Jared Allen - Had a great rookie year but I get mixed messages from the Carlos Hall signing. I hope he doesn't suffer from a sophomore slump.

Exhibit 3 - Jimmy Wilkerson - I've seen nothing that encourages me about him. It will surprise me if he makes a significant contribution this year.

Exhibit 4 - Carlos Hall - Is he even playing on Hicks' side of the line. I thought he would be in rotation with Allen.

Once again, I'm not trying to shit in the picnic basket. Just trying to keep myself from becoming overly excited about the D. I think the line is by far our weakest link.

[JimNasium]

I didn't say anything about their play-to-date. I was merely pointing out the fact it has a lot of talented youngsters: Allen, Siavii, and Wilkerson. If Allen improves upon his first season, Siavii becomes the monster in the middle and Wilkerson plays to the pick we took him early for- they could greatly improve the mix. Add in the fact, Carlos Hall will provide the rushing DE we sorely missed the past few years with Hicks, and you have the makings of an improved defense. The defensive line is fine. They need a chance to gel together- it is not the weakest link in our defense.
Oh, and I'm sorry about the rash of football posts today. I'm sure I'll return to my regular smartassed self within a day or two.

[CosmicPal]

I'm generally not this pessimistic about things but we need a dose of reality around here.

Exhibit 1 - Junior Siavii - Still a project. I've seen Phil post some things that make me believe that he has significant motivation issues.

Exhibit 2 - Jared Allen - Had a great rookie year but I get mixed messages from the Carlos Hall signing. I hope he doesn't suffer from a sophomore slump.

Exhibit 3 - Jimmy Wilkerson - I've seen nothing that encourages me about him. It will surprise me if he makes a significant contribution this year.

Exhibit 4 - Carlos Hall - Is he even playing on Hicks' side of the line. I thought he would be in rotation with Allen.

Once again, I'm not trying to shit in the picnic basket. Just trying to keep myself from becoming overly excited about the D. I think the line is by far our weakest link.

Jim- I absolutely agree with everything you are saying here....damn. If you read my ORIGINAL post, you will see that I was being "realistic" with my post- With the exception of the line in that I was saying it was "fine" In retrospect to the rest of the defense, I am was merely trying to say the line is the lesser of our worries.

We have players in every position who are not playing up to their potential, and now we have injury issues in the linebacker spot.

The fact that people are ALREADY high on Hodge is absolutely the most ridiculous statement by far- particularly when nobody has even seen the guy practice with the team- and already he's penciled in as everyone's starter. I'm not the one being overly optimistic here, I'm with you in that I'm trying to be realistic about this whole thing...

[milkman]

Exhibit 3 - Jimmy Wilkerson - I've seen nothing that encourages me about him. It will surprise me if he makes a significant contribution this year.

To me, Wilkerson is the one guy the Chiefs should have sent to NFLE.
He could have really benefitted from gettting some real live action in a real game.

[JimNasium]

Jim- I absolutely agree with everything you are saying here....damn. Then why are we arguing?
ROFL

[TNTEICHER]

At this point I'm more worried about our special teams coverage and blocking units.

[penguinz]

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They gave up 4.6 yards per carry. That ties them for 2nd worst in the league. You aren't going to win many playoff games giving up over four and a half yards per run. I just fail to see the "considerable amount of talent" at the DT position.

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Much of this can also be blamed on our LB's and Secondary not being able to tackle once the RB makes it to the second level. How many times did we see our LB's bounce off of a RB and then the secondary makes a half ass attempt to tackle.

[Chiefnj]

The fact that people are ALREADY high on Hodge is absolutely the most ridiculous statement by far- particularly when nobody has even seen the guy practice with the team- and already he's penciled in as everyone's starter. I'm not the one being overly optimistic here, I'm with you in that I'm trying to be realistic about this whole thing...

I'm not high on Hodge. I do however believe that the Chiefs need someone to step up at the nickle spot or perhaps even start a game or two if need be. It rests upon the shoulders of a bunch of players who have continually demonstrated an inability to cover a receiver and a new draft pick who played well in college. I have hope for the draft pick. I have no hope for the players who are proven failures.

[ct]

#4 is #1. Attitude on D can carry a squad a long ways!! But there's NO WAY you let them tee off on our starters in practice, play them in a live practice vs. the scout team. There's a particular QB from Tulsa who they say can run fairly well? We'll see... :)

I agree on the D-Line, but disagree in the approach. It's already been said, there will be no cheaper or better option then Browning as your 4th DT. I do see room for improvement at DE still, as far as personell, but don't see the $ to pull it off. Allen and Hall on the right, Hicks and ? on the left. I have no faith that Wilkerson will produce...ever.

The LBs will have to learn the scheme or sit on the sideline, we don't have time to coddle these guys any more!

McCleon, while I wish we had a better NB, will in fact be the NB. Call this one the inertia factor. Unless somebody knocks him out of the job, it is his and his alone. Be sure of this, at least 1 of Sapp, Bartee, Battle, and Hodge will NOT make the roster. My hope is we see enough from Hodge to push Bartee out the door, otherwise we'll have to cut him and cross our fingers he clears waivers to sign him on the PS. Sapp is also a possiblity to cut, despite some decent appearances last year. Face it, all the other 3 are draftees, Battle hasn't had the time to develop yet, so he gets a pass, and if Bartee can show anything resembling a clue, a former 2nd round pick WILL be retained over a 5th round rookie or 2nd year UdFA.

[CosmicPal]

I'm not high on Hodge. I do however believe that the Chiefs need someone to step up at the nickle spot or perhaps even start a game or two if need be. It rests upon the shoulders of a bunch of players who have continually demonstrated an inability to cover a receiver and a new draft pick who played well in college. I have hope for the draft pick. I have no hope for the players who are proven failures.


McCleon will do just fine as a nickleback, though. The other thing is- Battle is doing a fine job of covering- he just needs to back off the receivers a bit and not be so aggressive. Once he is more comfortable with his ability to stay with the receivers, he'll make a fine nickleback as well.

But, I honestly believe the addition of Knight will improve our defensive backfield. He's already demonstrated he wants to be the leader back there, but more importantly his addition begets a challenge to the other safeties on the team to up their performance or be gone.

Don't get me wrong- I love the Hodge pick myself. He was one of those mid-rounders I was hoping the Chiefs would pick up. He'll compete with Battle for one of the nickleback spots unless he can prove he can be a reliable starter. He's not polished, but you never know what will happen come training camp. But, I wouldn't pencil him in as a starter just yet...

Lastly, I expect the Chiefs to pick up another experienced defensive player come June 1st.

[Chris Meck]

I would just about put money on Hall being the passing down rush end to spell Hicks.

He played that side of the line to spell Kearse when Jevon was injured, no?

Hicks on 1st and 2nd and short, Hall on 2nd and long and 3rd and long is the plan, I would imagine.

Allen was the one bright spot on the field last year-and you're not gonna take the one positive and put him on the bench. Hall will spell Hicks.

The young DT's DO have a lot of talent, and they haven't lived up to it yet. It's time. You MUST develop your young players/draft picks or you're done for. Sims and Siavii have GOT to get better. Dalton and Browning are fine rotational players, but at this point that's what they are.

The LB situation is much better, IMO this season...Bell, DJ, and Fujita will be your starters, and again, I'd just about put money on it.

pencilling Hodge into any defensive slot at this point is kinda silly; I agree that he's likely ST material right now. That could change, but he's not going to leapfrog into the nickel spot or starting in Warfield's spot unless the entire league's scouts are all very wrong about his talents. Bartee would be odd man out, however, and a fan favorite to be cut. Battle is younger and therefore not quite as lost a cause, and Sapp outplayed them both. McLeon is a crafty veteran type that just can't defend the jump ball against big receivers, but is perfect for nickel duty against generally smaller slot receivers. Surtain is a HUGE improvement here. Who plays for Warfield? Well, depending on how good a camp Sapp has, it could be him. If he's not looking like he can handle it (pretty likely) it'll be McLeon. It won't be Hodge unless he's a freak at camp. Could happen, but not likely.

The attitude issue is one, I think, that we've addressed in personnell. Bell, Surtain, Knight, Hall, and Johnson will all bring some swagger and nastiness. If one of the others-i.e. Boomer or Hodge has a monster camp and earns some PT, well then that's just all the better.

The big immediate help of this draft is that our ST should be much improved, which will help the defense immeasurably.


Chris

[patteeu]

Once again, I'm not trying to shit in the picnic basket. Just trying to keep myself from becoming overly excited about the D. I think the line is by far our weakest link.

That may be, and probably is, true, but just a couple of months ago it was the strength of the defense and since then they've improved it (through the addition of Carlos Hall and a better supporting cast of linebackers and defensive backs).

It's fine to avoid getting overly excited, but lets not cower like abused dogs either. (Not that you are doing so). The expectations for this defense should be reasonably high, IMO.

[bkkcoh]

a 1/2 second of better coverage by the lb's and db's will make our dline a lot better I think.

Likewise, better lb's will make our dline a little better, especially when the lb's blitz more.... less double teaming of out dline middle will make a huge difference.

[Nightfyre]

Not that Gunther is looking for any assistance, but I think the following 4 things need to be accomplished for the Chiefs defense to climb to the middle of the NFL pack.

1. DL. I'm not sold on the line. People look at the total number of yards they gave up and it looks okay, but the average per rush is still too high. Siavii is still raw, Sims is still lethargic and Dalton tends to wear out as the season progresses. They need a veteran to push them and to step in when one of them goes down with an injury. Step 1, find a cheap June 1 cut.

2. Linebacker. Last year it was reported that the linebackers are the last to grasp Gunther's scheme. With two new starters, of which one is a rookie and the other coming from a 3-4 defense, I think Gunther needs to simplify the scheme for the LBs. With two big divisional games in primetime to kick off the season, the Chiefs don't have time for the new guys to get acquanted with the system. Simplify it and let Bell run wild.

3. Defensive Backs. The more I think about it, the more I think Hodge needs to step up right away; especially if Warfield is to miss a game or two. I'm hoping McLeon is released because of his salary and Bartee because, well because he's Bartee. That will leave Sapp, Battle and Hodge. Hodge probably has the most upside. Here's hoping Guinta can to something with him.

4. Attitude. I know the offensive players are the stars and are getting old, but the D needs full contact practices. When they scrimmage with the Saints or Vikings I'm sick of hearing about the other team not following the limited-contact rule. The D has forgotten how to hit. They need to pop those shoulder pads more frequently in practice; sorry Trent, Priest and Tony.
So, tell me. How do you know how raw Siavii is? How do you know how lethargic Sims is? I agree that competition in training camp is nothing but good, but you are being fairly presumtuous about stuff none of us can have any knowledge about.
Tell me, how important is the LB in Gun's scheme? I'd be willing to bet that its complex for a reason. If nothing else, it sets the Chiefs up for a better year next year.
Why don't you let Romie play nickel, or McCleon? He'll be fine as a nickle. As for hoping Guinta can do anything with anybody....
As for your full contact shit, thats how people get hurt outside of games. I'll call BS. The last thing this team needs is to be injury plagued.

[Chiefnj]

So, tell me. How do you know how raw Siavii is? How do you know how lethargic Sims is? I agree that competition in training camp is nothing but good, but you are being fairly presumtuous about stuff none of us can have any knowledge about.
Tell me, how important is the LB in Gun's scheme? I'd be willing to bet that its complex for a reason. If nothing else, it sets the Chiefs up for a better year next year.
Why don't you let Romie play nickel, or McCleon? He'll be fine as a nickle. As for hoping Guinta can do anything with anybody....
As for your full contact shit, thats how people get hurt outside of games. I'll call BS. The last thing this team needs is to be injury plagued.

I know Siavii is raw because he played a limited amount of football in college and Peterson, Vermeil and the rest of the team has acknowledged he is raw and was drafted as a project.

I know Sims is lethargic by watching him play and get his ass handed to him the last few years.

Gun stated last year that the LB position is the toughest to pick up and that it takes a few years for the guys to pick it up. The Chiefs don't have a few years for Johnson and Bell to pick it up.

Romie or McLeon may very well end up playing nickle. I'm still hoping someone else can step it up rather than depend on the same guys who have failed a few years straight.

As for contact, I think the D needs it.

[AirForceChief]

So, tell me. How do you know how raw Siavii is? How do you know how lethargic Sims is? I agree that competition in training camp is nothing but good, but you are being fairly presumtuous about stuff none of us can have any knowledge about.
Tell me, how important is the LB in Gun's scheme?

Christ, if your asking Planeteers to only post what we know about you'd shut this site down. It's the off season, conjecture is all we have!! Lighten up... :(

[Spicy McHaggis]

Gun stated last year that the LB position is the toughest to pick up and that it takes a few years for the guys to pick it up. The Chiefs don't have a few years for Johnson and Bell to pick it up.

I would say it is a safe assumption that this year will not be Bell and Johnson's best as a Chief. We don't need them to be world-beaters right away though, as nice as that would be. I'm looking for at the very least solid seasons from them and hopefully they'll start to excel in the 2nd half. Johnson's athletic ability will help him overcome his lack of experience with Gun and Bell should be savvy enough to pick it up quickly.

I guess my point is here that both these guys should be fine and really we've done all we can do to improve the position. I mean what was the other option, let the same guys who were "familiar" with the scheme from last year start again?

[Chiefnj]

I would say it is a safe assumption that this year will not be Bell and Johnson's best as a Chief. We don't need them to be world-beaters right away though, as nice as that would be. I'm looking for at the very least solid seasons from them and hopefully they'll start to excel in the 2nd half. Johnson's athletic ability will help him overcome his lack of experience with Gun and Bell should be savvy enough to pick it up quickly.

I guess my point is here that both these guys should be fine and really we've done all we can do to improve the position. I mean what was the other option, let the same guys who were "familiar" with the scheme from last year start again?

My point was to simplify the scheme to get the most out of Bell and Johnson in the early divisional games. By no means do I want the same three starters from last year.

[Nightfyre]

I know Siavii is raw because he played a limited amount of football in college and Peterson, Vermeil and the rest of the team has acknowledged he is raw and was drafted as a project.

I know Sims is lethargic by watching him play and get his ass handed to him the last few years.

Gun stated last year that the LB position is the toughest to pick up and that it takes a few years for the guys to pick it up. The Chiefs don't have a few years for Johnson and Bell to pick it up.

Romie or McLeon may very well end up playing nickle. I'm still hoping someone else can step it up rather than depend on the same guys who have failed a few years straight.

As for contact, I think the D needs it.
The talk of Siavii is all from last year. I havent even seen him mentioned this year. Sims may get his ass in gear, and again, i haven't heard about him this year. Gun needs his LBs to follow his system for it to work so having the LBs freelance will probably not work out very well.
And yes, they do have a few years for the LBs to pick it up. This is teh defense of the future too. Romie and McCleon have only failed in the last year, and Romie was coming off an injury and McCleon wasn't playing nickle, where he should be.

[tk13]

In my ideal world, Hodge would show enough in training camp to take the nickel job. It'll probably be McCleon though. I'd like to be able to keep Bartee on the roster somehow, because he's a good special teams player.

[ChiefsCountry]

Wilkerson could be a key to our defense this year, at the end of last season he played fairly well. He might not have been making the big plays but if you watched he was doing alot of the right things. For one, he didn't bite on Jake the Fake bootlegs. The one who needs to step this year though is Ryan Sims. If he steps up, then our D will rise to great levels.

[Spicy McHaggis]

The talk of Siavii is all from last year.

Siavii might play very well this season and I hope he does. At this point though I wish we hadn't taken him with our first pick last year. I know we wanted a big body 2 gap tackle but I'm of the belief you don't spend a high pick on those guys unless its a blue-chip prospect like Wilfork. Please prove me wrong Jr.

[JohnnyV13]

If we let the no. 1 defense scrimmage against the no. 2 offense, they can get their live tackling practice without beating up the starters. When the no. 1 offense and no. 1 defense practice against one another, THEN you can play flag football.

People who want Hodge to start and don't realize the kid had ZERO interceptions in college. ZERO. If he starts, there is a good chance CP labels him the "new Bartee" and regurgitates all of the old "neck" jokes.

[JimNasium]

Wilkerson could be a key to our defense this year, at the end of last season he played fairly well. He might not have been making the big plays but if you watched he was doing alot of the right things. For one, he didn't bite on Jake the Fake bootlegs. The one who needs to step this year though is Ryan Sims. If he steps up, then our D will rise to great levels.
I hope that Sims has a huge year because I would really love watching the debate rage on whether to keep him or not.