Tribal Warfare
04-29-2011, 02:17 AM
Late grab: Chiefs take Pitt receiver Baldwin (http://www.kansascity.com/2011/04/28/2834611/chiefs-grab-pitt-receiver-baldwin.html)
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs have Jonathan Baldwin’s word, and maybe that’s enough. He said he’s a “good person,” and maybe he is. But for now, he is their newest draft pick — and, unlike last year, a player without a spotless background.
Maybe it’s nothing. That’s what Baldwin said late Thursday, anyway.
“I won’t be a problem,” said Baldwin, a wide receiver from the University of Pittsburgh. “I sat down with all the coaching staff and told them the kind of person I am. After they talked to me for about five minutes, they understood.”
Baldwin was charged in May 2009 with misdemeanor indecent assault, summary harassment and summary disorderly conduct after an alleged incident involving a female student on a bus. The charges were later dropped. More recently, Baldwin called out his quarterback at Pittsburgh and criticized his coaches earlier this year.
“Heck yeah, I’m leaving,” he was quoted as saying by the website NFLDraftScout.com. “It felt like they were purposely trying to disrupt my draft stock.”
The stock didn’t seem to affect the Chiefs’ thinking. Coach Todd Haley said Thursday that Baldwin was among a group of players the team was considering, even if it hadn’t traded from the No. 21 slot to No. 27. The Chiefs chose the 6-foot-5 Baldwin with the 26th pick after Baltimore passed on its selection.
“We are very comfortable making him a Kansas City Chief,” Haley said. “(Character) is something that’s always going to be important to us, and we obviously believe Jonathan Baldwin has Kansas City Chief character, or he wouldn’t be part of this team now.”
General manager Scott Pioli said checking into Baldwin’s background was part of the Chiefs’ due diligence on prospects, and he said the team has no worries about his character.
“You look at the full body of work,” Pioli said. “You have to rely on people and resources. We vetted this player and many other players that had situations in their past.
“You spend time with the player; you spend time with individuals you have relationships with, good relationships with, trusting relationships, and you talk to a lot of people. We talked to a lot of people on this, and we feel very confident.”
Haley and Pioli indicated that last year’s perceived emphasis on high-character draft picks, including five former team captains, was more a coincidence than part of the plan. Still, the Chiefs stress well-rounded players who won’t be locker-room distractions.
“I don’t know if I feel like we’ll ever be at a place where we can deviate from what we believe Chiefs players, what we want Chiefs players to be,” Pioli said. “We don’t think we’re deviating in this sense.”
Whether the Chiefs will further tiptoe away from that direction during this year’s draft remains unknown, and they will have a chance to further define their selections with another pick. The team received an additional third-round pick from Cleveland as part of the teams’ trade of first-round picks.
The team has, since Haley and Pioli joined the Chiefs in 2009, distanced itself from many of the team’s former outspoken players. Running back Larry Johnson was cut two seasons ago after several off-field run-ins, and safety Jarrad Page was traded to New England last year after publicly criticizing the team.
Baldwin said that wouldn’t be a part of his future with the Chiefs.
“I’m definitely not that way,” he said. “I’m a teammate — a great teammate. I’m a hard worker. I don’t cause any problems. I do everything that the coaches need me to, and I’ve been doing that since I’ve been playing.”
Haley said the team targets players who combine “real-world character and football character,” combining those traits with on-field ability. Baldwin said he possesses the entire package, saying he enjoys staying after practices to meet with his fellow receivers and with quarterbacks to discuss how he can better do his job.
“I want to learn,” he said. “I want to know a lot.”
Haley said the Chiefs were “digging” on prospects right up until the time Baldwin took the call from the Chiefs, saying he was their choice. Pioli said the team was comfortable with the pick and the background of the player.
Haley said there were no worries and that, despite a perhaps less-than-spotless background, the Chiefs are confident that the team didn’t go away from its philosophy.
“Jonathan Baldwin,” Haley said, “is our type of guy.”
By KENT BABB
The Kansas City Star
The Chiefs have Jonathan Baldwin’s word, and maybe that’s enough. He said he’s a “good person,” and maybe he is. But for now, he is their newest draft pick — and, unlike last year, a player without a spotless background.
Maybe it’s nothing. That’s what Baldwin said late Thursday, anyway.
“I won’t be a problem,” said Baldwin, a wide receiver from the University of Pittsburgh. “I sat down with all the coaching staff and told them the kind of person I am. After they talked to me for about five minutes, they understood.”
Baldwin was charged in May 2009 with misdemeanor indecent assault, summary harassment and summary disorderly conduct after an alleged incident involving a female student on a bus. The charges were later dropped. More recently, Baldwin called out his quarterback at Pittsburgh and criticized his coaches earlier this year.
“Heck yeah, I’m leaving,” he was quoted as saying by the website NFLDraftScout.com. “It felt like they were purposely trying to disrupt my draft stock.”
The stock didn’t seem to affect the Chiefs’ thinking. Coach Todd Haley said Thursday that Baldwin was among a group of players the team was considering, even if it hadn’t traded from the No. 21 slot to No. 27. The Chiefs chose the 6-foot-5 Baldwin with the 26th pick after Baltimore passed on its selection.
“We are very comfortable making him a Kansas City Chief,” Haley said. “(Character) is something that’s always going to be important to us, and we obviously believe Jonathan Baldwin has Kansas City Chief character, or he wouldn’t be part of this team now.”
General manager Scott Pioli said checking into Baldwin’s background was part of the Chiefs’ due diligence on prospects, and he said the team has no worries about his character.
“You look at the full body of work,” Pioli said. “You have to rely on people and resources. We vetted this player and many other players that had situations in their past.
“You spend time with the player; you spend time with individuals you have relationships with, good relationships with, trusting relationships, and you talk to a lot of people. We talked to a lot of people on this, and we feel very confident.”
Haley and Pioli indicated that last year’s perceived emphasis on high-character draft picks, including five former team captains, was more a coincidence than part of the plan. Still, the Chiefs stress well-rounded players who won’t be locker-room distractions.
“I don’t know if I feel like we’ll ever be at a place where we can deviate from what we believe Chiefs players, what we want Chiefs players to be,” Pioli said. “We don’t think we’re deviating in this sense.”
Whether the Chiefs will further tiptoe away from that direction during this year’s draft remains unknown, and they will have a chance to further define their selections with another pick. The team received an additional third-round pick from Cleveland as part of the teams’ trade of first-round picks.
The team has, since Haley and Pioli joined the Chiefs in 2009, distanced itself from many of the team’s former outspoken players. Running back Larry Johnson was cut two seasons ago after several off-field run-ins, and safety Jarrad Page was traded to New England last year after publicly criticizing the team.
Baldwin said that wouldn’t be a part of his future with the Chiefs.
“I’m definitely not that way,” he said. “I’m a teammate — a great teammate. I’m a hard worker. I don’t cause any problems. I do everything that the coaches need me to, and I’ve been doing that since I’ve been playing.”
Haley said the team targets players who combine “real-world character and football character,” combining those traits with on-field ability. Baldwin said he possesses the entire package, saying he enjoys staying after practices to meet with his fellow receivers and with quarterbacks to discuss how he can better do his job.
“I want to learn,” he said. “I want to know a lot.”
Haley said the Chiefs were “digging” on prospects right up until the time Baldwin took the call from the Chiefs, saying he was their choice. Pioli said the team was comfortable with the pick and the background of the player.
Haley said there were no worries and that, despite a perhaps less-than-spotless background, the Chiefs are confident that the team didn’t go away from its philosophy.
“Jonathan Baldwin,” Haley said, “is our type of guy.”