Who are the most disappointing free agent departures in Chiefs history?

[Rain Man]

POLL IS NOW UP

* - Pre-free agency, but essentially the same result


Who are the most disappointing free agent departures in Chiefs history?

Start making a list, and I'll put up a poll when I get a good list of names. I know that I would probably forget some, and some other guys may have been cut and so weren't actually free-agent departures.

Off the top of my head, here's a starting list:

Greg Hill
Todd McNair
Todd Blackledge
Elvis Grbac
Tony Richardson
John Tait
Nick Lowery
Dave Szott
Gary Barbaro
Albert Lewis
Dale Carter
Kevin Ross
Anthony Davis
Greg Favors
Neil Smith
Chester McGlockton

[Brock]

Joe Horn is the only guy I really miss.

[Mr. Kotter]

For me, TRich rates right there. Damn, that's a shame....but, yeah, it's a business. And Joe Horn?

Lewis and Smith were the other big ones in my memory. Then Ross and Tait, probably.

[tk13]

Neil Smith.

[POND_OF_RED]

Donnie Edwards...

[QuikSsurfer]

Donnie Edwards...

:thumb:

[TEX]

1. T-Rich

2. Donnie Edwards

3. Neil Smith

[QuikSsurfer]

Rich Gannon

[Wile_E_Coyote]

Gannon needs mentioned

~I didn't miss the bastard

[tk13]

Ouch, Gannon. I guess I block that one from memory. That is probably the worst, the guy went on and won the MVP. I always liked Neil Smith though, it was brutal seeing him switch sides.

[Joe Seahawk]

What, no Dan Saleaumua?

[PunkinDrublic]

Neil Smith.

Neil Smith was really dissappointing but he was asking for way too much money at the time. He had that horrible year in 96 and thought he could get a huge contract on the FA market. When nobody gave him the money he wanted he did the worst possible thing and signed with the donks. To this day I still have a hard time forgiving him for signing with Denver.

[KCTitus]

Blackledge...I'll never forget the day that Carl picked him. 1983...the year of the quarterback and KC had a top 5 pick. It was a no brainer.

[Nzoner]

I always liked Neil Smith though, it was brutal seeing him switch sides.

Agreed,but at least you know the donks didn't win it all until he got there.


At least it helps me deal with it better.

[Skip Towne]

Rock. My favorite player at the time. The dude was hit by cars three different times.

[The Bad Guy]

Joe Horn
Rich Gannon
Donnie Edwards
Neil Smith
Tony Richardson

[gblowfish]

The ones that hurt most, no particular order:

Albert Lewis: Basically a "trade" with Oakland for Marcus. Both were FAs that switched teams. He was the best punt blocker in Chiefs history.

Donnie Edwards: We keep Donnie, we don't need Kendrell Bell or Shawn Barber.

Joe Horn: Keep Joe Horn, don't need Johnnie Morton.

Rich Gannon: Took Raiders to Super Bowl. Ouch!

Gary Barbaro was no big deal, I believe he went to the USFL when the Chiefs were crap anyway. Elvis Grbac did us a favor by leaving. Neil Smith was a traitor. The only guy less deserving to be on our HOF ring is Jack Steadman. But we debated Neil's inclusion ad naseum a couple weeks ago.

[Chief Faithful]

I respect anyone that remembers the Gary Barbaro free agency. He was one of the few bright spots in dark times for Chiefs fans. That one hurt, but Deron Cherry healed the wound.

The Niel Smith loss was bad enough by itself then his success with the retarded mules made it the worst free agent loss of all time.

Also hated the loss of Lewis, Ross, Szott, and Horn.

[Chiefnj]

I'm surprised at all the DE love going on. The last 5 years all I've read on this board is that he is overrated and made all of his tackles 7 yards downfield after being dragged for 5 yards.

[ct]

TRich
Neil Smith
Albert Lewis
Kevin Ross
Dave Szott

Kimble Anders' forced retirement as well.

[Rooster]

I miss Bennie Thompson on special teams. He would do the 'dog peeing on the fire hydrant' thing after a great tackle. That guy was a mad man.

[DaneMcCloud]

Neil Smith's departure hurt the Chiefs more than anyone other than Gannon by weakening the Chiefs defense and stregthening the Broncos. Gannon's departure had a simliar effect but where our offense has recovered, our defense has never been the same. I blame CP for both. Those were his decisions, as was Donnie Edwards

As much as I'll miss T-Rich, the Vikings are taking a gamble because he's had injury the problems the past several seasons and is 34 years old. It'll be interesting to see how his body holds up after at least 9 games on artificial turf.

[theWaltMon]

Rich Gannon
Neil Smith

[Sully]

Blackledge...I'll never forget the day that Carl picked him. 1983...the year of the quarterback and KC had a top 5 pick. It was a no brainer.
This is one of those CP jargon jokes that I don't get... right?

[HemiEd]

Neil Smith is first with Albert Lewis and Kevin Ross right behind.

[CoMoChief]

Donnie Edwards

Joe Horn

T-Rich

Rich Gannon

Neil Smith

[Clint in Wichita]

Who are the most disappointing free agent departures in Chiefs history?

Start making a list, and I'll put up a poll when I get a good list of names. I know that I would probably forget some, and some other guys may have been cut and so weren't actually free-agent departures.

Off the top of my head, here's a starting list:

Greg Hill
Todd McNair
Todd Blackledge
Elvis Grbac
Tony Richardson
John Tait
Nick Lowery
Dave Szott
Gary Barbaro
Albert Lewis
Dale Carter
Kevin Ross
Anthony Davis
Greg Favors
Neil Smith
Chester McGlockton


Elvis leaving was a blessing. The retard briefly screwed the Ravens, then left the league entirely.

As I said many, many times when he was still here, McGlockton is/was a complete waste of a roster spot. His best year as a Chief? 25 tackles and 2 sacks, ignoring the phony "90 pressures" :rolleyes: the Chiefs posted on their website. Sims is more productive, when the fat bastard is healthy.

[Logical]

Of your list I would only use:


Tony Richardson
John Tait
Nick Lowery
Dave Szott
Gary Barbaro
Albert Lewis
Kevin Ross
Neil Smith

[Logical]

Joe Horn is the only guy I really miss.

Definitely agree we miss Joe Horn. Excellent addition.

[Logical]

What, no Dan Saleaumua?

Not sure he ever played for anyone else after the Chiefs.

[Skip Towne]

This is one of those CP jargon jokes that I don't get... right?
The joke is CP wasn't around in '83 but he still gets blamed for picking Blackledge.

[Sully]

The joke is CP wasn't around in '83 but he still gets blamed for picking Blackledge.
I figured it had something to do with that... just making sure.
Thanks

[C-Mac]

Mike Garrett
Joe Horn
Rich Gannon
Harvey Williams
Albert Lewis
Nick Lowery
Donnie Edwards
Neil Smith
Tony Richardson

[SLAG]

T-Rich
Joe Horn
Rich Gannon
Lowery
Neil Smith
Andre Rison

[Sully]

Marv Levy.

[Thig Lyfe]

Gannon, Richardson, Horn, Smith, Edwards

[SLAG]

Also if Trent Green or Larry Johnson Ever Left They would Rank at the top

[el borracho]

Missed for their play:
Joe Horn
Neil Smith
Keith Traylor (went to the Broncs the same year as Smith)

Missed for sentimental reasons:

Tony Richardson
Nick Lowery
Albert Lewis
Dave Szott

[Sully]

Also if Trent Green or Larry Johnson Ever Left They would Rank at the top
A lot of that depends on when, and how much they produced afterwards.
If Trent left in 2-3 years, it would be sad, but I dopubt he'd be an impact somewhere else. If LJ hurt his knee, then left and didn't do squat, I doubt it would mean much.

Wasn't Jaime Fields a star to be before getting hurtt and leaving KC?

[Logical]

The loss of
Jan Stenerud
and
Willie Lanier

were also huge but those were before the advent of free agency.

[CHENZ A!]

I miss Bennie Thompson on special teams. He would do the 'dog peeing on the fire hydrant' thing after a great tackle. That guy was a mad man.

That was a great game(Packers on a Mon. night- I forget the yr), he actually did the "dog peeing thing" to the GB sideline after he laid this fool out on a block, on an int or fumble return, it might have been Saleamua's touhdown, but I can't recall for sure. Good memories anyway.

In a side note, I remember when Bennie left us, I believe he went to play for CLE, and a carjacker shot his wife and son, don't think he ever came back after that.

[Rain Man]

The loss of
Jan Stenerud
and
Willie Lanier

were also huge but those were before the advent of free agency.


Did Lanier play for another team? I thought he retired as a Chief.


I'm still in shock about learning a couple of years ago that we traded Otis Taylor. That just wasn't right.

[Skip Towne]

The loss of
Jan Stenerud
and
Willie Lanier

were also huge but those were before the advent of free agency.
I rememer the fans writing letters to Willie begging him to play one more year, which he did.

[patteeu]

For my money, the answer is Albert Lewis in a runaway.

[milkman]

Rich Scanlon's powers are so phenominal, he made Donnie Edwards expendable 3 years before he was drafted.

[Hammock Parties]

What about Donnie Edwards? Man he was good for us, learned from the best in Derrick Thomas

[cdcox]

Knife jabbing out of my back and now I'll hate you forever: Grbac

True sense of loss that one of my favorites of all time left: Albert Lewis.

A big dick: Neil Smith

[Hammock Parties]

Elvis leaving was a blessing. The retard briefly screwed the Ravens, then left the league entirely.

As I said many, many times when he was still here, McGlockton is/was a complete waste of a roster spot. His best year as a Chief? 25 tackles and 2 sacks, ignoring the phony "90 pressures" :rolleyes: the Chiefs posted on their website. Sims is more productive, when the fat bastard is healthy.

I remember at the time i was extremely excited that Grbac left, but when i look back on it he had some really really good years for us. Only real flaw was that he wasnt really all that football smart and threw tons of interceptions

[wolfpack0735]

The loss of
Jan Stenerud
and
Willie Lanier

were also huge but those were before the advent of free agency.
stram trading curly culp to houston. lost one of the best DT`s the chiefs ever had. cant even remember who stram traded for.

[ChiefsLV]

My top three in order of impact:

Joe Horn - Became a playmaker at WR, one of the best in the league for a few years at a time when KC desparately needed a playmaker WR. How the hell we let this guy go, I still cannot fathom.

Donnie Edwards - Was in the prime of his career when we let him go and the defense was noticeably worse when he left. Some of us believed the "yeah he can tackle, but it's always four yards down field" propoganda. DV didn't value linebackers... big mistake, DV spent the better part of the next three seasons trying to upgrade the LB's.

Rich Gannon - We all knew he should have started in that playoff game. Then they let him go so there was no longer a QB controversy. Problem is, they let the wrong QB go. The killer was he went to the Raiders and got them to an NFC championship game and Superbowl. But the NFL gods didn't let us down in that Bucs-Raiders Superbowl. That's still my favorite superbowl ever and to think, I almost didn't watch it out of spite for the Raiders.

[Demonpenz]

reggie tounge

[melbar]

Edwards -especially after DT passed
Smith was one of the core members
Ditto T-Rich
HOw bout KEVIN ROSS!?

[melbar]

Oh ya , Horn :shake: Remember he had that great couple of games including that 90 yard TD where he just blew past the defender and made him look stupid? Announcers were all going crazy over him , everyone saw him starting to come into his own and we didnt even try to resign him. He was signed for hardly anything.

[greg63]

Who are the most disappointing free agent departures in Chiefs history?

Start making a list, and I'll put up a poll when I get a good list of names. I know that I would probably forget some, and some other guys may have been cut and so weren't actually free-agent departures.

Off the top of my head, here's a starting list:

Greg Hill
Todd McNair
Todd Blackledge
Elvis Grbac
Tony Richardson
John Tait
Nick Lowery
Dave Szott
Gary Barbaro
Albert Lewis
Dale Carter
Kevin Ross
Anthony Davis
Greg Favors
Neil Smith
Chester McGlockton

All of those sound like a good start to me.

Poll please. :D

[charlyfreak]

:thumb:


clearly was donnie edwards-

this was a huge mistake- one which vermeil later would admit was a mistake-

joe horn also was a mistake,but didn't mean as much as edwards-

neil smith was getting older and slow-and wanted too much money- he never really did anything after he left the chiefs-

todd blackledge was the worst draft pick the chiefs ever made- so i am not sure why anyone would care that he wasn't resigned-

t rich,will be missed,but I believe they will be ok without him-

i know wilson,is getting ripped a lot,but he should get more action this year- plus don't forget,the chiefs signed robert holcombe last year- i believe he is a fullback- he was hurt last year,but shoud vie for the spot this year-

not sure why...but i am trusting that cp,will add some d help,and that the o will be fine......

[cdcox]

My top three in order of impact:



Rich Gannon - We all knew he should have started in that playoff game. Then they let him go so there was no longer a QB controversy. Problem is, they let the wrong QB go. The killer was he went to the Raiders and got them to an NFC championship game and Superbowl. But the NFL gods didn't let us down in that Bucs-Raiders Superbowl. That's still my favorite superbowl ever and to think, I almost didn't watch it out of spite for the Raiders.

In this case, you mean positive impact by losing him, I can only presume. We had two bad QBs on the roster and got rid of one of them then. :clap: Any success that Gannon had came out of the Gruden offensive system, that the Chiefs didn't run. And we all saw what a choker Gannon was under pressure. Too bad we had to wait another few years to shed Grbac.

[chefsos]

stram trading curly culp to houston. lost one of the best DT`s the chiefs ever had. cant even remember who stram traded for.
Oh man, I forgot about Culp. Badass. I think he became the prototypical modern NT in Houston. It was The Tooz we got for him, wasn't it?

[Rain Man]

In the poll, I went with (in order):

Gary Barbaro - he was a bright spot in a secondary that was turning into a force, and then all of a sudden he defected to the USFL. It's taken me two decades to forgive him, and even now our relationship is strained.

Albert Lewis - That situation happened in a manner where I didn't even know he was at risk until he had gone to the dark side. One of my favorite all-time Chiefs had suddenly embraced evil. It was shocking.

Nick Lowery - To this day, I don't understand that move. In the big scheme of things, kickers aren't expensive, and the salary difference between a top-notch kicker and - you know what we ended up with, so I won't go there - was chump change for most other positions. It was a bad move then, and twenty years later it's still an obvious bad move.

[Gonzo]

Don't forget about Mark Vlasic!!!

[Chiefnj]

Smith, Lewis and Ross.

Horn was emerging as a good WR but IIRC fans weren't in love with the guy until he put up good numbers in NO. In KC he hadn't broken out yet, didn't have the best hands and was a very arrogant guy in relation to his production at the time. Wasn't he calling himself Hollywood Horn, or something ridiculous?

[Rain Man]

With the Horn thing, the only problem for me was that he appeared to obviously have more upside than Lockett, and we kept Lockett over him.

Admittedly, though, Horn was wanting a lot more money. It was a move that I didn't like as a fan, but I didn't know enough about the money part of it to know whether keeping Lockett was the better strategic move.

[melbar]

Horn was on the upswing, but not quite at his potential , so at the time is wasnt as painfull as my top 3 heartbreakers
Neil Smith
Albert lewis
Donnie Edwards

You broke my heart Fredo ...you broke my heart...

[Rausch]

Nick Lowery - To this day, I don't understand that move. In the big scheme of things, kickers aren't expensive, and the salary difference between a top-notch kicker and - you know what we ended up with, so I won't go there - was chump change for most other positions. It was a bad move then, and twenty years later it's still an obvious bad move.

Ditto.

I'd also add Steve Deberg. Not that he was a world beater, but we drop Deberg for ****ing Dave "Fumble King" Kreig?

[KCTitus]

Horn was on the upswing, but not quite at his potential ...

You're kidding right? Remember that back then, Marty valued big WR's that could block. WR's were used for blocking downfield, not catching passes.

Here's Horn's stats his last year with KC (1999):

16 games, 1 start, 35 catches for 584 yards, 6 TD's

and his first year with NO (2000):

16 games, 16 starts, 94 catches, 1340 yards, 8 TD's

http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/1511

[KCChiefsMan]

I was disappointed with Dale Carter going to the Broncos on that huge contract at first.........then I could laugh about it after he got suspended and everything

[KCTitus]

I was disappointed with Dale Carter going to the Broncos on that huge contract at first.........then I could laugh about it after he got suspended and everything

Oh yes...I remember that one. This transaction pre-dated Teej, but fortunately for us we had a Teej clone named Vance who did the same homerish talk about the broncos. According to Vance, it was the FA steal of the year. Sadly, in the move to the Planet, we lost Vance.

[patteeu]

Exit polling indicates that noob power and the psychological scarring of recent Chiefs defensive failures are pushing Donnie Edwards past the much more deserving Albert Lewis.

[Deberg_1990]

Ditto.

I'd also add Steve Deberg. Not that he was a world beater, but we drop Deberg for ****ing Dave "Fumble King" Kreig?

Kreig got us to the Playoffs in 92 and actually saved the season for us in 93 when Montana went down in the middle of the season.

[BigMeatballDave]

I cannot believe noone voted for Elvis. He grew a great beard. He gets my vote...

[BigMeatballDave]

Oh yes...I remember that one. This transaction pre-dated Teej, but fortunately for us we had a Teej clone named Vance who did the same homerish talk about the broncos. According to Vance, it was the FA steal of the year. Sadly, in the move to the Planet, we lost Vance.Wow. I forgot all about him.

[Judge Smails]

I was disappointed when Christian Okoye was released.
F'n "West Coast Offense" and Paul Hacket.

[plbrdude]

i almost cried when albert lewis left, to the raiders even made it worse.
didn't think we could afford to lose donnie edwards.
and i hated to see todd mcnair go. always thought he could have been utilized better.
didn't vote for nick. was actually kinda glad when he left. i thought it would eliminate the "lets get to the 35 and at least get a field goal" coaching mentality. instead we got a guy who could barely make extra points, let alone kick a field goal.
hindsight

[KHinz57]

If we would've never let Rich Gannon go, and just cut Elvis Grbac like he inevitably just a season or two after, he would've never traded our pick #6 overall pick for Trent Green, we would've made the playoffs all of those years. Gunther Cunningham would probably still be coming the Chiefs instead of Dick Vermeil, and Rich would still be taking snaps behind the best line in the league.

[greg63]

I cannot believe noone voted for Elvis. He grew a great beard. He gets my vote...
Yes; the king is gone, left the building...., oh, you meant Grbac.


Never mind. :D

[KCTitus]

i almost cried when albert lewis left, to the raiders even made it worse.

Albert Lewis hated the Chiefs and wanted out as quickly as possible. I think his move to the Raiders was almost as much out of spite as it was for FA dollars.

He was no fan of Carl.

[djplanb]

Lewis and Smith were leaving one way or another which is why they don't rate for me.

1) Gannon - right as he finally learned how to play in the NFL
2) Horn - probably would have been wasted on our roster anyway since we can't seem to develop any WRs (see: Boerigter, who might be going elsewhere for playing time)
3) Edwards - just a horrible decision

[Fish]

What, no Dan Saleaumua?

Not sure he ever played for anyone else after the Chiefs.

Yeah.... he went to Seattle and did pretty well for the Seahawks for a while...

[plbrdude]

Albert Lewis hated the Chiefs and wanted out as quickly as possible. I think his move to the Raiders was almost as much out of spite as it was for FA dollars.

He was no fan of Carl.


i know that to be true. i think he even said that he had wanted to be a raider since being a kid.

[Color Red]

Joe Horn I think, easily, has been the most regrettable FA we've lost, in terms of performance after he left.

Frankly, the list could have been a lot worse. There aren't many players that we've lost who went on and did such great things after they left.

[plbrdude]

Yeah.... he went to Seattle and did pretty well for the Seahawks for a while...


i had it in my mind he came to us from seattle. where did we pick him up?all i can remember is he was a plan b guy. btw was there ever a plan a ?

[Dunit35]

1. Donnie Edwards
2. Joe Horn
3. T-Rich

[djplanb]

plan a sucks, dude. something about a 25-year five-year plan...

And T-Rich is fourth on my list after Edwards.

[WilliamTheIrish]

Keith Traylor.

We resurrected his career, and Carl played God and lowballed him.

[chagrin]

Gotta go with Donnie Edwards. In my opinion, this would have been THE guy on our Defensive squad to help lead that side of the team to greatness.

Also, in my opinion, this to me is the "signature" departure that reflects CP's resemblance to the New Orleans Saints GM that ran that team for so many years. He buys and sells good players, just enough to keep interest in the team but doesn't have a commitment to winning. I'm still pissed about him being gone!