Babb: Edwards says he needs to rethink Chiefs roster

[Tribal Warfare]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/764742.html


Edwards says he needs to rethink Chiefs roster
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star


The Chiefs shouldn’t expect a light week to end the preseason. Herm Edwards knows there are too many decisions to be made for a vacation.

NFL teams normally take it easy the final week of preseason, allowing projected regulars to rest during the short practice week and play little during the final game. The Chiefs’ only regular practice is today, but the team’s starters will play Thursday against St. Louis.

Teams have to trim rosters by five spots before Tuesday, and rosters must be cut to 53 active players by Saturday. Edwards said last week he knew whom the Chiefs would retain, but after Saturday’s 24-0 loss at Miami, some things changed — and Edwards wants one more week to decide some positions.

One of those is kicker, after Nick Novak missed his only field-goal attempt Saturday. Novak and rookie Connor Barth have each made two of three field goals, their only misses coming from 48 yards. Still, Novak entered with a clear lead because he has NFL experience. Novak has played for Arizona and Washington before spending last season in NFL Europe.

Edwards thought he had his kicker. But Novak’s miss narrowed the margin between him and Barth. It didn’t make Edwards’ decision easier.

“I thought Novak would’ve made that one,” Edwards said. “It would’ve been nice if he had made it.”

Novak still has a lead, but it’s not by much.

Novak said late Saturday that the original spot had the ball partly on turf and partly on the infield dirt at Dolphin Stadium, which the Florida Marlins baseball team shares with the Dolphins. Novak said he requested and was granted the ball be moved back a few inches so that it was on the grass. But Novak said the shortened distance hampered his kicking motion, causing him to push it to the right.

“I thought about calling a timeout,” he said. “I wish I did.”

The Chiefs also want closure to their deteriorating linebacker situation. Donnie Edwards, Napoleon Harris and Demorrio Williams are injured, which moved Weston Dacus, a rookie free agent, into Saturday’s starting lineup. Dacus missed an assignment when he charged into the wrong gap Saturday; Miami running back Ricky Williams hit the hole for a 21-yard gain that led to a field goal.

Kick returns also were a problem Saturday. The two players fighting for the returner’s spot made errors that, if the other player hadn’t done the same, might have cost him the job.

B.J. Sams fumbled during a punt return, though the mistake was erased because of an illegal formation penalty on the Dolphins. And Dantrell Savage stepped out of bounds at the Chiefs’ 2 on their opening kickoff.

“You definitely have to let (coaches) know to have a lot of confidence in you that things like that won’t happen,” Sams said.

With first cuts looming, most bubble players will have at least four more days to prove they belong. Novak said he’s not worried, but even one more mistake might be enough to end his time in Kansas City.

“I know what I did wrong; it just didn’t go through,” he said. “In my mind, I’m the Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker. I’m going to continue to prove that in practice and in the next game.”

He’ll have his chance, and he won’t be alone.

[chiefs1111]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/764742.html


Edwards says he needs to rethink Chiefs roster
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star


The Chiefs shouldn’t expect a light week to end the preseason. Herm Edwards knows there are too many decisions to be made for a vacation.

NFL teams normally take it easy the final week of preseason, allowing projected regulars to rest during the short practice week and play little during the final game. The Chiefs’ only regular practice is today, but the team’s starters will play Thursday against St. Louis.

Teams have to trim rosters by five spots before Tuesday, and rosters must be cut to 53 active players by Saturday. Edwards said last week he knew whom the Chiefs would retain, but after Saturday’s 24-0 loss at Miami, some things changed — and Edwards wants one more week to decide some positions.

One of those is kicker, after Nick Novak missed his only field-goal attempt Saturday. Novak and rookie Connor Barth have each made two of three field goals, their only misses coming from 48 yards. Still, Novak entered with a clear lead because he has NFL experience. Novak has played for Arizona and Washington before spending last season in NFL Europe.

Edwards thought he had his kicker. But Novak’s miss narrowed the margin between him and Barth. It didn’t make Edwards’ decision easier.

“I thought Novak would’ve made that one,” Edwards said. “It would’ve been nice if he had made it.”

Novak still has a lead, but it’s not by much.

Novak said late Saturday that the original spot had the ball partly on turf and partly on the infield dirt at Dolphin Stadium, which the Florida Marlins baseball team shares with the Dolphins. Novak said he requested and was granted the ball be moved back a few inches so that it was on the grass. But Novak said the shortened distance hampered his kicking motion, causing him to push it to the right.

“I thought about calling a timeout,” he said. “I wish I did.”

The Chiefs also want closure to their deteriorating linebacker situation. Donnie Edwards, Napoleon Harris and Demorrio Williams are injured, which moved Weston Dacus, a rookie free agent, into Saturday’s starting lineup. Dacus missed an assignment when he charged into the wrong gap Saturday; Miami running back Ricky Williams hit the hole for a 21-yard gain that led to a field goal.

Kick returns also were a problem Saturday. The two players fighting for the returner’s spot made errors that, if the other player hadn’t done the same, might have cost him the job.

B.J. Sams fumbled during a punt return, though the mistake was erased because of an illegal formation penalty on the Dolphins. And Dantrell Savage stepped out of bounds at the Chiefs’ 2 on their opening kickoff.

“You definitely have to let (coaches) know to have a lot of confidence in you that things like that won’t happen,” Sams said.

With first cuts looming, most bubble players will have at least four more days to prove they belong. Novak said he’s not worried, but even one more mistake might be enough to end his time in Kansas City.

“I know what I did wrong; it just didn’t go through,” he said. “In my mind, I’m the Kansas City Chiefs’ kicker. I’m going to continue to prove that in practice and in the next game.”

He’ll have his chance, and he won’t be alone.


I can't wait till this boob is gone

[KcMizzou]

Yeah, Sams has done absolutely nothing to earn a spot. Savage has been the better return guy, and looked good as a RB.

What happened to that guy we drafted to possibly return kicks? Robinson? Is he still injured?

[DaneMcCloud]

Yeah, Sams has done absolutely nothing to earn a spot. Savage has been the better return guy, and looked good as a RB.

What happened to that guy we drafted to possibly return kicks? Robinson? Is he still injured?

As far as we know. And even then, he was 7th(?) rounder? Expecting him to make an immediate impact is asking too much.

You wanted rebuilding, Chiefs fans?

You got it!

PS - I wanted it, big time

[chiefs1111]

As far as we know. And even then, he was 7th(?) rounder? Expecting him to make an immediate impact is asking too much.

You wanted rebuilding, Chiefs fans?

You got it!

PS - I wanted it, big time

Yeah I wanted it to. I really wanted it when Herm first got here. It's gonna be rough,but hopefully in the long run it will be for the better

[FAX]

Dacus? We have a linebacker named Dacus?

I feel like I've been blindfolded, thrown in the trunk of a space transport, and got my ass hauled to Mars.

FAX

[DaneMcCloud]

I kinda wish Herm would rethink coaching

[Direckshun]

Dacus? We have a linebacker named Dacus?

I feel like I've been blindfolded, thrown in the trunk of a space transport, and got my ass hauled to Mars.

FAX
The ****ed up thing is that Dacus is a MLB that we've put at OLB when Williams went down.

Which literally means we do not have a single reserve OLB we are confident enough to start.

[KcMizzou]

Dacus? We have a linebacker named Dacus?

I feel like I've been blindfolded, thrown in the trunk of a space transport, and got my ass hauled to Mars.

FAXI told my buddy Saturday, "Two of our starting linebackers tonight... I'd never heard of before this season.".

[chiefs1111]

The ****ed up thing is that Dacus is a MLB that we've put at OLB when Williams went down.

Which literally means we do not have a single reserve OLB we are confident enough to start.

i really hope we can get healthy before the New England game...

[FAX]

Wow. Hell, let's shuffle the oline some more while we're at it.

FAX

[JuicesFlowing]

Novak first makes an excuse for his miss, then whines about not calling a timeout. He failed.

[KCJohnny]

Rayner and Tynes are both kicking well and for competitive teams.

[KCJohnny]

Dacus? We have a linebacker named Dacus?

I feel like I've been blindfolded, thrown in the trunk of a space transport, and got my ass hauled to Mars.

FAX

ROFL:thumb:
Post of the day.
Ditto, FAX...

[boogblaster]

Rethinking .. Thats a heavy thought for the day, week, year ... Could this ever end ...

[Demonpenz]

I know what depth chart he is taking a look at

1. huard
2.croyle
3. thigpen

[Bowser]

Why the hell have we not brought in Jay Feeley? And cut Sams yesterday. Who the hell fair catches in the preseason (even if the block is on)?

[Bowser]

I know what depth chart he is taking a look at

1. huard
2.croyle
3. thigpen

No, no. That's Carl's depth chart, not Herm's.

[KCJohnny]

I know what depth chart he is taking a look at

1. huard
2.croyle
3. thigpen

At least you got the sequence right.

[Rausch]

There was no way to fix all the holes in this team in one offseason.

I'm still amazed at what we did manage to come across in the draft.

[Demonpenz]

they are going to have to have a monster draft next year along with some FA signings that actually work out to be competative NEXT year. We might be looking for 2010, but crazy shit happens all the time.

[J Diddy]

There was no way to fix all the holes in this team in one offseason.

I'm still amazed at what we did manage to come across in the draft.


Smartest thing I've read all day.

[Otter]

There was no way to fix all the holes in this team in one offseason.

I'm still amazed at what we did manage to come across in the draft.

Until that and it's better to find out now rather than later in what we have in Croyle this season is going to be very painful for some fans.

Unless of course you're of the school of thought that wants to go back to the 9-7 and humiliated in the playoffs fiasco again in which I really don't know what to do but feel sorry for you and your expectations.

[J Diddy]

Until that and it's better to find out now rather than later in what we have in Croyle this season is going to be very painful for some fans.

Unless of course you're of the school of thought that wants to go back to the 9-7 and humiliated in the playoffs fiasco again in which I really don't know what to do but feel sorry for you and your expectations.

yeah, it's kind of refreshing knowing that we're not going to suffer an excruciatingly painful defeat to knock us out of contention

we're going to suffer several more smaller defeats

[el borracho]

Our head coach is laboring over which kicker and which returner to keep? As if there aren't one million other decisions which are more important on a football team. Can anyone here even imagine Belichek focusing on kicker and returner for more than 10 effing minutes?

[Otter]

yeah, it's kind of refreshing knowing that we're not going to suffer an excruciatingly painful defeat to knock us out of contention

we're going to suffer several more smaller defeats

I'm not sure Carl & Herm are capable of doing it but if it means being a legitimate team instead of a joke (the Chiefs are the Browns to every non-Chief fan BTW) I'll go through some bad season of rebuilding.

The 9-7 and first round exits were a pitiful, sad, lame attempt at being a Super Bowl contender.

[Buehler445]

Mother ****er, if we cut Savage and keep Sams, I am going to go on a mass mudering spree. I don't know who or what I will be killing, but something will have to die. Fumbling the ball is a HUGE deal. Stepping out of bounds is not. Especially when the guy that stepped out is BETTER.

Cut Novak, go with Barth. Tell him he is your man. Tell him he has this year locked up and we will compete next offseason. If you cut a guy for every field goal he misses, you're probably gonna start getting in your kicker's head. The last thing you need to do is get in a kicker's head.

Our LB situation is boned. I heard good things about Octavian, but apparently he hasn't turned out.

Posted via Mobile Device

[philfree]

Herm is probably wondering what to do with our line as much as anything. If Albert can heal quickly and be ready for the opener with "Herbie" moving to RT and Richardson showing some improvement then I can see him cutting McInwuss.

PhilFree:arrow:

[Reerun_KC]

Mother ****er, if we cut Savage and keep Sams, I am going to go on a mass mudering spree. I don't know who or what I will be killing, but something will have to die. Fumbling the ball is a HUGE deal. Stepping out of bounds is not. Especially when the guy that stepped out is BETTER.

Cut Novak, go with Barth. Tell him he is your man. Tell him he has this year locked up and we will compete next offseason. If you cut a guy for every field goal he misses, you're probably gonna start getting in your kicker's head. The last thing you need to do is get in a kicker's head.

Our LB situation is boned. I heard good things about Octavian, but apparently he hasn't turned out.

Posted via Mobile Device


http://ls1tech.com/forums/images/smilies2/bigun2.gif KILL'EM!

[InChiefsHeaven]

Mother ****er, if we cut Savage and keep Sams, I am going to go on a mass mudering spree. I don't know who or what I will be killing, but something will have to die. Fumbling the ball is a HUGE deal. Stepping out of bounds is not. Especially when the guy that stepped out is BETTER.

Cut Novak, go with Barth. Tell him he is your man. Tell him he has this year locked up and we will compete next offseason. If you cut a guy for every field goal he misses, you're probably gonna start getting in your kicker's head. The last thing you need to do is get in a kicker's head.

Our LB situation is boned. I heard good things about Octavian, but apparently he hasn't turned out.

Posted via Mobile Device

Yeah, as a Husker I had high hopes for Octavien, but I guess he's not done anything to stand out.

[J Diddy]

I'm not sure Carl & Herm are capable of doing it but if it means being a legitimate team instead of a joke (the Chiefs are the Browns to every non-Chief fan BTW) I'll go through some bad season of rebuilding.

The 9-7 and first round exits were a pitiful, sad, lame attempt at being a Super Bowl contender.


agreed
:thumb:

[Mr. Plow]

Our head coach is laboring over which kicker and which returner to keep? As if there aren't one million other decisions which are more important on a football team. Can anyone here even imagine Belichek focusing on kicker and returner for more than 10 effing minutes?

Exactly.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like every kicker Herm has had here has been on the "one miss and you're gone" plan. Kickers miss. It happens. And it was a 48 yarder on top of it. Had it been a 30 yard kick, I could see getting up in arms about it.

I'm curious, what is the NFL average % of made kicks from 45-50 yards?

[Buehler445]

I heard good things after the draft, namely that he only fell because he was injured most of his senior year, but was overall a very good player. To my knowledge he hasn't been injured thus far.

Yeah, as a Husker I had high hopes for Octavien, but I guess he's not done anything to stand out.


Posted via Mobile Device

[MGRS13]

Yeah, Sams has done absolutely nothing to earn a spot.
Either has "football jesus" but he's been handed the #2 WR spot.

[Mr. Laz]

now who doesn't have the stomach for a rebuilding year?


Croyle ... Barth ... Savage


go with the young guys and just play it out

[Buehler445]

now who doesn't have the stomach for a rebuilding year?


Croyle ... Barth ... Savage


go with the young guys and just play it out

QFT. Herm is the play the young guys man, and yet he is looking at terribly washed up player sor Kicker and Kick Returner?

Nut up and do it, Nancy.

Posted via Mobile Device

[Mr. Laz]

QFT. Herm is the play the young guys man, and yet he is looking at terribly washed up player sor Kicker and Kick Returner?

Nut up and do it, Nancy.

Posted via Mobile Device
yup ......

seriously every other day someone is slamming the fans for not being "fan" enough and walking around happy,happy,joy,joy during tough rebuilding losses.

how about Hermie?


you started this Youth Movement, so Gawd Dammit, go with the Youth Movement.

no more Eddie Drummonds or ancient kickers ... no more Damon Huard.

If you're gonna suck then suck with the young guys.

[Reerun_KC]

yup ......

seriously every other day someone is slamming the fans for not being "fan" enough and walking around happy,happy,joy,joy during tough rebuilding losses.

how about Hermie?


you started this Youth Movement, so Gawd Dammit, go with the Youth Movement.

no more Eddie Drummonds or ancient kickers ... no more Damon Huard.

If you're gonna suck then suck with the young guys.
:thumb:

[chiefsngop]

Exactly.

Maybe it's just me, but it seems like every kicker Herm has had here has been on the "one miss and you're gone" plan. Kickers miss. It happens. And it was a 48 yarder on top of it. Had it been a 30 yard kick, I could see getting up in arms about it.

I'm curious, what is the NFL average % of made kicks from 45-50 yards?

What speaks volumes to me about Carl Peterson and the Chiefs front office is the fact that season after season they have failed to find a solid reliable franchise kicker.

If over the course of several YEARS, a team is totally unable to find a reliable franchise KICKER, then how in the hell can you trust them to find / develop a franchise QB, MLB, DE, OLB, C, or RT ? If it takes a team 2-3 seasons to find "their" kicker, that's bad. When it takes even longer than that, the red flags go up, way up.

How the hell can we trust these misfits to "rebuild" a whole god d*mn team when they have spent YEARS just trying to find a frickin kicker, with no success.

I'm sure it'll prove much easier for this organization to find / develop a QB, O-line, D-line, and linebacking corp than it has been to simply find a kicker....... Yeah right.... :shake:

[FAX]

yup ......

seriously every other day someone is slamming the fans for not being "fan" enough and walking around happy,happy,joy,joy during tough rebuilding losses.

how about Hermie?


you started this Youth Movement, so Gawd Dammit, go with the Youth Movement.

no more Eddie Drummonds or ancient kickers ... no more Damon Huard.

If you're gonna suck then suck with the young guys.

I couldn't agree more, Mr. Laz. One has to wonder what Hermoine is thinking? If this is the "youth movement" and the "rebuild" and the "Year of the Suck", why not give a young kicker some experience? What justification is there? It makes no sense. Something tells me Herm's wife has more to do with our football club than meets the eye.

FAX

[OnTheWarpath15]

Well, that was quick.

Feely's turn to suck - KC is where kickers come to die.

[DaneMcCloud]

you started this Youth Movement, so Gawd Dammit, go with the Youth Movement.

no more Eddie Drummonds or ancient kickers ... no more Damon Huard.

If you're gonna suck then suck with the young guys.

I disagree about kickers.

Very few enter the league and have success their rookie year. For many, it takes years of trying out, working in preseason, getting signed and being cut many times throughout a season. It's not automatic.

If they Chiefs drive down the field only to be stopped at the 25 yard line, they NEED a reliable kicker to make field goals. If for no other reason than for the young guys to gain confidence.

No one benefits from missed field goals. It doesn't build character. It doesn't build camaraderie. It doesn't win games. There's no sense of accomplishment.

It just makes everyone more depressed.

[philfree]

I couldn't agree more, Mr. Laz. One has to wonder what Hermoine is thinking? If this is the "youth movement" and the "rebuild" and the "Year of the Suck", why not give a young kicker some experience? What justification is there? It makes no sense. Something tells me Herm's wife has more to do with our football club than meets the eye.

FAX


I don't think Herm has ever conceded to sucking just because we are in a youth movement. I believe he said he expects to win with the young guys on the roster. Now don't get carried away with what I posted there because Herm didn't promise a championship either. Also it would be a bad thing for our young players to put us in a position to win some games only to have a rookie kicker blow it.

PhilFree:arrow:

[chiefsngop]

I disagree about kickers.

Very few enter the league and have success their rookie year. For many, it takes years of trying out, working in preseason, getting signed and being cut many times throughout a season. It's not automatic.

If they Chiefs drive down the field only to be stopped at the 25 yard line, they NEED a reliable kicker to make field goals. If for no other reason than for the young guys to gain confidence.

No one benefits from missed field goals. It doesn't build character. It doesn't build camaraderie. It doesn't win games. There's no sense of accomplishment.

It just makes everyone more depressed.

Yup. As I posted earlier, it speaks to Carl's pathetic-ness that the Chiefs haven't found a kicker in years. This is even more dissapointing as you don't have to find a young kicker, even in a "rebuilding" phase.

We want to find youth for offense and defense, this I understand. Young guys can develop with the team, and hopefully blossom into champions, with less risk of injury / retirement. But a good kicker can play into their 40's if they have too, certainly into their 30's.

Kicker is also a fairly isolated position, if your kicker goes down with an injury, and a quality replacement is substituted in, there is no damage to team chemistry. You don't have to redo playbooks or rethink schemes if you replace your kicker.

So rather he be a 21 year old kid or 33 year old father of 4, find a damn kicker who can kick reliably for the next 5-10 years and get him on the squad!

[FAX]

I don't think Herm has ever conceded to sucking just because we are in a youth movement. I believe he said he expects to win with the yound guuys on the roster. Now don't get carried away with what I posted there because Herm didn't promise a championship either. Also it would be a bad thing for our young players to put us in a position to win some games only to have a rookie kicker blow it.

PhilFree:arrow:

If you don't mind, Mr. philfree, I'd like to get carried away. I think, in this situation, it's for the best. It's pretty important to me that I fit into the board somehow and I only have 4 choices .. A) Herm Hater, B) Anti-Croyle, C) Herm Lover, D) Pro-Croyle. I have decided to be an A and a D and take my chances.

FAX

[FAX]

On second thought, I think I'll be an C/D when we win and an A/B when we lose. That way, I'll always be on the side of the majority.

FAX

[cdcox]

A 48 yard FG is going to be missed more often than it it made. Very revealing that Herm "expects" it to be made. This is exactly how the Jets lost their playoff game in 2004 -- two missed long FG when Herm was playing it safe playing for the FG instead of continuing to drive.


"Brien's 47-yarder with 1:58 remaining hit the goal post, but Roethlisberger gave the Jets the ball right back when his off-line throw was intercepted by David Barrett -- just the kind of mistake rookie quarterbacks are supposed to make in the playoffs but Big Ben had rarely made during his 13-0 rookie season. The Jets then drove cautiously from the Steelers' 37 to the 25, giving Brien a 43-yarder to win it on the final play of regulation."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=250115023

Some coaches don't deserve dependable FG kickers. Herm can't go fast enough.

[Reerun_KC]

A 48 yard FG is going to be missed more often than it it made. Very revealing that Herm "expects" it to be made. This is exactly how the Jets lost their playoff game in 2004 -- two missed long FG when Herm was playing it safe playing for the FG instead of continuing to drive.


"Brien's 47-yarder with 1:58 remaining hit the goal post, but Roethlisberger gave the Jets the ball right back when his off-line throw was intercepted by David Barrett -- just the kind of mistake rookie quarterbacks are supposed to make in the playoffs but Big Ben had rarely made during his 13-0 rookie season. The Jets then drove cautiously from the Steelers' 37 to the 25, giving Brien a 43-yarder to win it on the final play of regulation."

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/recap?gameId=250115023

Some coaches don't deserve dependable FG kickers. Herm can't go fast enough.
Ah typical Herm, He deserves what he gets... I love his failures!

[Hydrae]

Ah typical Herm, He deserves what he gets... I love his failures!

I would love his failures if they weren't also the Chiefs failures. :banghead:

[SAUTO]

What speaks volumes to me about Carl Peterson and the Chiefs front office is the fact that season after season they have failed to find a solid reliable franchise kicker.

If over the course of several YEARS, a team is totally unable to find a reliable franchise KICKER, then how in the hell can you trust them to find / develop a franchise QB, MLB, DE, OLB, C, or RT ? If it takes a team 2-3 seasons to find "their" kicker, that's bad. When it takes even longer than that, the red flags go up, way up.

How the hell can we trust these misfits to "rebuild" a whole god d*mn team when they have spent YEARS just trying to find a frickin kicker, with no success.

I'm sure it'll prove much easier for this organization to find / develop a QB, O-line, D-line, and linebacking corp than it has been to simply find a kicker....... Yeah right.... :shake:

lots rate parcells as a "GREAT" football mind and he had one HELL of a time in dallas looking

[SAUTO]

btw i dont like parcells