Agreed.

Looks like the top of the off-the-ball LB market is capped at around $20m per year with Roquan Smith and Darius Leonard.

Jones for $30m/year or Bolton for $20m/year. Who do you choose? I’m not sure we can do both, even if we scrimp and save at CB and the rest of the DL.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mahomes&#39; revised contract will save the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> about $2.5M in salary cap room in 2023. His cap number increases by $10.66M in 2024, $12.16M in 2025, and $18.91M in 2026 over the original deal. Using conversions they can probably keep numbers around the same</p>&mdash; Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jason_OTC/status/1704225017536364830?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 19, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

So the way I understand it, they can use the conversions to keep the cap numbers at whatever they want and stretch it out. Essentially what they've been doing.

Why would Hunt all of a sudden not do that.

Blasphemy… Nick Bolton is a tackling machine. Top shelf. Wouldn’t be surprised he heads the league in tackles.

Grown football men crumble when he is in the vicinity.

Please keep. Had enough of Hitchens-type people.

That post reads like a telegram from 1876. All you need is the word STOP after every sentence.

You are probably right, but Chiefsplanet is not going to like it.

I certainly want to resign Bolton though if I had a choice between Gay, Sneed and Creed Humphrey. He would be my top pick but I don't know how we sign pretty much anybody except 2-3 key players with how much we pay Mahomes now.

Clark Hunt has made a huge amount of money the last 5 years hosting a million playoff games in his stadium, including 5 straight AFC title games in his stadium. His franchise has gained around $2 billion of value during this time period. I don't think he has a hard time with throwing cash around.

Regardless, they owe the money to Mahomes no matter what. Whether it's a roster bonus or signing bonus, it makes no difference for Clark Hunt. In 2024 they owe Mahomes $44 million of cash, but $35 million of this cash is a roster bonus that can be converted into signing bonus to help the salary cap situation. Patrick's cap hit is $57 million for 2024, so it would make sense to play around with the $35 million roster bonus in order to drop the cap hit below $50 million.

Yeah, Bolton makes a stop for no gain when it looks like a guy might get 5-6 yards. He stops guys immediately. I doubt he'll get what he's "worth" as a FA, so maybe there's a chance we can keep him.

Spags loves Bolton and the Chiefs really value that inside LB "quarterback of the defense". Also Bolton will be expensive but not superstar expensive, and inside LBs are generally cheaper than any other position on the D except safety.

In short, I fully predict we will re-sign Bolton.

I always felt that we might have hit the sweet spot with Eric Fisher being good but not great. I don't know if we could have kept a Joe Thomas all those years with the salaries superstar LTs get.

Leo is 250 lbs and benched 34 reps with a 4.53 40, 1.5 10 time and a below 7 3 cone.

It's incredible that this guy fell to us in the 3rd rd

i got this weird feeling this defense is about to explode like the 2002 Bucs or 2000 Ravens

the talent accumulation is reaching critical mass where there's nothing left to do but **** all 11 players on the other side of the ball all at once

if I'm Andy i'm dialing back the agressiveness on offense a bit, because the D is going to do more than it's fair share

A reasonable thought, but I don’t see Andy dialing much back. Not really his nature. Although he did run Pacheco behind the Chiefs front three on a 3rd and 1….so anything is possible.

It's why you go BPA. I'm guess Beach was thrilled to see him there, even if LB wasn't a huge need.

Just keep stacking good football players.

Since you’ve watched him in college, can you clear something up for me? The way his name is spelled looks like it should be pronounced, “ChenALL.” But every broadcast announcer seems to pronounce it, “ChaNELL.”

As a type A personality, I need clarification moving forward. Is it really pronounced, “ChaNELL,” or is it supposed to be, “ChenALL?”

Thank you in advance.

It is indeed ChaNELL, which I agree very hard to deal with. I prefer ChenALL, but sadly Leo has never asked me for my opinion.

Interesting. At least is isn't #5.

He's the best LB on a team that has very good LBs.

I mean, I wouldn’t go that far. Bolton is becoming otherworldly.

I'm pleased to say that I was a Chenal draft fan even before we drafted him. Some guys are natural football players and he was one of those in my mind.

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showt...ghlight=chenal

Not sure if I believe this or not. One source claims Chris Jones at 26 reps and another at 30.

It really doesn't matter. Both strong men. If correct = ungodly.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> DC Steve Spagnuolo on Leo Chenal: &quot;He might be the strongest, pound-for-pound, guy we have on the team. He&#39;s strong. . . There&#39;s a lot of places where we feel like we can use Leo &amp; we want to try to do that as much as we can. A lot of it is dictated by what (personnel)…</p>&mdash; Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/goldmctNFL/status/1704903594422804610?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 21, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It'll blow your mind to look up Jerick McKinnon.

I think my stance going into that draft was "There are like 47 freakish power/speed linebackers in this draft so we should probably grab one of them..."

I don't know that I had a preference.

But it's interesting - is some of this, or even most of this, coaching?

I say that because Brandon Smith came out in that draft class as well. Christian Harris, Darrian Bevers, Mark Robinson, Damone Clark, Channing Tindall - there were a TON of powerful fast 'backers in that draft.

And Brandon Smith is, as near as I can see, out of the league. On tape and on paper, there's just nothing that meaningfully separates Smith from Chenal. And yet Smith got cut after one season and Chenal is just continuing to grow.

It's not like Smith's a moron - he quarterbacked Penn State's defense. He did some impressive stuff. And he washed out almost immediately. Whereas we're seeing Chenal work himself into a real key contributor for a much better defense than Smith.

Situation matters, I suppose...

I've come to the conclusion that there are tiny differences between players that have big impacts, and they're not really measurable things (or currently measured things).

I just read an article about Hardy Brown the other day. He was some dude in the 1950s who had a reputation as the hardest hitter in the league. The players who were interviewed said that he wasn't the biggest or strongest guy out there, but he had some way of cocking his shoulder and then driving it through a guy that was devastating. (It sounds like it would be illegal today, but whatever.)

That's what I was reading about Chenal that I liked. The articles that I was reading about him said that he was able to bring an extra level of violence to his hits, without really explaining or understanding why. The other guys were big and strong, but there's just something different about Chenal's contacts.

I find this stuff interesting. You look at most players at a position who are about the same size with similar measurables, and they can have very different outcomes. It's something that we're not great at measuring, apparently, because the scouts get the rankings wrong a lot.

I do think some of it comes down to system and situation, but I think there's more to it than that. I always thought for running backs it's about peripheral vision. It seems like the top running backs always knew where everyone was on the field. It's some element of body control and the ability to quickly translate the need to move with the ability to move. For linebackers, I think there's probably some quickness in converting from running to planting and driving. Those are just my desktop theories, though.

I was very impressed with Chenal's quick play recognition on a couple plays. Can definitely see the jump he's made into his second year from last year.

Picking up on that trick play really wowed me. He killed that play.

Granted, one of the defensive backs also picked up on it and would have stopped it, but Chenal got there first. Great work for a young player.

Spags said in his presser today that Leo is the "strongest guy pound for pound on the team." and they were looking for more ways to get him on the field, and that includes in pass rush / edge situations.

He is built like Nick Bosa. I love the idea of using him that way.

Thanks!

Yes he does seem nice, strong too.

Chenal was mlb and captain in college. He could be a mlb in the NFL, or SSLB. Probably not a cover backer, although when guys are smart as well as superior athletes, who knows. I'd like to keep Bolton and use Chenal at SSLB and some rushbacker stuff like they have started to do. That's a really useful wrinkle.

He sniffed out that pass play last week exceptionally well.

He's been looking really good this year, we have top tier LBs in my opinion.

Secondary is very solid too!

D-line is playing really well, but if there's one group we could add to it be here.

He definitely has a pass rushing skill set. In his last year at Wisconsin he was used a little differently and had 8 sacks and a couple forced fumbles. He wasn’t lined up as a rushbacker to get those numbers, either. He got them mostly by eyeing QBs while in short sone coverages and was shot out of a cannon the moment a qb tucked the ball.

In the times he was lined up tight to the line and blitzed, he was very productive, too. That lead to a few of us asking if he was possibly going to get sone snaps as a rushbacker at the next level.

Well, here we are. I’m pretty excited to see what Spags can do in terms of nascar packages against teams with lumbering OTs and guys like Thompson, Chenal, Uzi and Karl on the edges and Omenihu/Jones/Wharton on the inside.

Should be damn fun to watch towards the end of this year.

I really hope KC can ink CJ95 to a deal in the offseason that keeps him a Chief for life. We have something tremendously special happening on defense. Like, all time type special possibly.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chiefs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chiefs</a> second-year LB Leo Chenal is getting more opportunities to rush the passer in Year 2 and the results have been pretty good through two weeks. . . <br><br>🔗👇 <a href="https://t.co/PLnTjlz1ma">pic.twitter.com/PLnTjlz1ma</a></p>&mdash; Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/goldmctNFL/status/1705265747436740668?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 22, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I went through all his sacks once and my memory is that better than half of them were really just lining him up on the interior and sending him on a middle blitz.

It didn't look like something that would really translate at the NFL level because those Gs are much bigger than the guys he was overwhelming in college.

But they're finding different ways to use the same skills so yeah, seems like there's something here...

So much of it is between the ears. The Chiefs seem to do a good job of figuring that part out.

It reminds me of the people who didn't want Bolton due to his RAS score or some ****.

Seemed like Chenal did a nice job spying Josh in the second half. I felt good having him in there. We have awesome LB depth. Thanks Veach,!

He did a great job on the 3rd down where they scored on the sick pass and catch. But Josh wanted to run and Leo forced him to pass it.

He also stopped the fake along with Tranquil

PFF score of 89. I honestly just f***ing love this guy. Even if our DL eats s*** against the run it doesn't matter when he's behind them to absolutely murder people.

I know that some of y'all don't think highly of RAS scores, and while I will agree that they're not guarantee of success in the NFL, I would just point out that Chenal scored a

9.99, with elite explosion and speed grades and merely a 'great' size grade. And one complaint people have is that RAS tends to weight too heavily for height. So, not in this case.

He was also the MLB at Wisconsin, so he was the 'red dot', so to speak, team captain, defensive leader. Oh, who also had like 10 sacks as a blitzing MLB.

We done good. This kid's an animal, and probably a starter next year.

He also physically destroyed Baltimore's center back in his college days...

No one thinks of a guy like Chenal as being an athletic freak because he's white but he is.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This is a first down and more if Morris can block Chenal. <a href="https://t.co/f1p3tPY0tg">pic.twitter.com/f1p3tPY0tg</a></p>&mdash; Shaun Newkirk (@Shauncore) <a href="https://twitter.com/Shauncore/status/1749461757922255010?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Game tape 'never lies'!! Kid can play and his pass coverage has improved.

Gee what do you know, another stud found in the mid rounds by Bart Varch.

Yawn, whatever, it’s just what Bart does around here. He drafts goddamn studs and chews bubblegum. Then he probably goes on a burner X account and trolls the fans of the teams whose asses we kick.

He just needs to do this with more WRs.:shrug::p

well he got one in the last draft

Maybe work just a tad on breaking down to make a play.

He was made in a lab to be able to spy a fast QB.

We have too many good players.

Turning into a stud before our eyes

He had many keys plays tonight.
The defense played a good game against some very good weapons that the 49's have.

He's turning into a badass NFL player!

Plus if I was a chick, I'd find him to be very attractive.

I can't believe he was the one that blocked the PAT.

Low-key play of the game.

he said welcome to deathrow!

I thought it was Danna. Now I need to see a replay.

Wasn’t it Dana? Chiefs posted a pic on their YouTube and said it was Dana with the block.

Most likely because it wasn't him.

Then Mitch Holthus led me astray on the drive back. Damn him.

No he was right, Chenal got his hand up in there, got credited for it on the stat sheet too. Just a massive play. Chenal brought it tonight.

Leo had the game of his career last night.

I think he got at least a partial block on that PAT (I think two guys actually got a piece of it) and I believe he forced the fumble, though others say Pennell.

Also, he was WORKING George Kittle. There aren't a lot of guys who can take it to Kittle like that but Chenal did it. I really kinda hated the fact that he was out there instead of Tranquill but as the game progressed it became obvious why. Chenal was really messing up that outside zone because he was just crashing Kittle and eliminated the choices that McCaffrey had.

He was probably our defensive MVP last night.

It was Danna who had the blocked PAT but Chenal and Pennel had that forced fumble!

I don't care if he blocked the PAT or not, all I know is I love him very much.

Dude saved us.

DEATH



ROW

On several plays, Chenal took on both Kittle and Juszczyk. He'd start with Kittle, work him over, then move to Juszczyk. Totally screwed up several Niner runs.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Chenal again taking on the TE and FB on thrid-and-2 <a href="https://t.co/VRXmeK7BsY">pic.twitter.com/VRXmeK7BsY</a></p>&mdash; Ted Nguyen (@FB_FilmAnalysis) <a href="https://twitter.com/FB_FilmAnalysis/status/1757077617390534748?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Kittle was a complete nonfactor last night.

Kelce is still the best in the game. Dude had an unreal postseason.

And that completely ruins outside zone because now the FB isn't available to create the cutback lane. He has to maintain outside and the backside pursuit can finish the play.

Like I said, I think Chenal was our defensive MVP yesterday. And there's a ZERO percent chance I'd have said that in the 1st quarter of that game. It was such an "In Spags We Trust" moment that will be forgotten to time.

The decision to lean into a relatively inexperienced player like Chenal (essentially taking Tranquill out of the game) took massive stones and it just flat out worked. It was the right decision.

Spags deserves a shitload of credit for that.

I’ve been impressed with his physicality, of course, that seems to be his calling card, but what takes it to the next level is his athleticism. He does a great job of setting the edge, and even when he is out of position or has to gain some ground, he does a fantastic job of recovering enough and squeezing the ball carrier back inside.

He had a great play that highlighted all of his skills on a Deebo end around last night.

Guys just don’t have that hard of a nose and also end up as athletic as he is. It’s crazy.

He’s been a phenomenal role player and I have nothing but good things to say about him.

He even got hurt after one tackle early in the game, hunched over to gather himself, and stayed in the game to grit it out. Lots of respect.

Fantastic game. Feels like a guy poised to breakout next season.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Leo Chenal: the highest-graded player in Super Bowl 58 (92.0) �� <a href="https://t.co/TkL8PYjzOy">pic.twitter.com/TkL8PYjzOy</a></p>&mdash; PFF KC Chiefs (@PFF_Chiefs) <a href="https://twitter.com/PFF_Chiefs/status/1757122680547955018?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

If I had to guess....Gay is gone and Tranquill will be back.

I'm goof with this.

This dude is a beast at the line of scrimmage. How many players in the league, regardless of position, can shed a block from Kittle, then shed a block from Juszczyk, then earn credit for the tackle on CMC? All in the same play?

He's not the fastest, or the most dynamic, or the most fluid mover, but there might not be a linebacker more difficult to block in the league. What a unique skillset.

He did the same thing last year against the Eagles elite OL. I kept thinking Spags would use him like he did against the Dolphins and he did.

Man he really is a tank out there. You just aren't moving that guy and if he's got any momentum you're moving backwards.

You could tell the Chiefs knew when they would run by their formation and motions. On those plays Spags had Chenal ram into the G on the side there were trying to run to. He also had Sneed blitz to cut off the outside completely and force CMC back inside right where Bolton could tackle him due to Chenal destroying the blockers.

We just completely out worked those guys and figured them out after their trick TD

Yet another grand slam by Veach. Unreal.