Chiefs Agree with Harris - Page 7

nychief · 03-06-2007, 12:10 PM

Chiefs agree to terms with free-agent LB Harris
By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star

The Chiefs and unrestricted free agent linebacker Napoleon Harris agreed to terms this morning on a six-year contract.

Financial details were unavailable. Some still were being finalized.

The Chiefs plan to use Harris, a five-year NFL veteran with the Raiders and Vikings, as their starting middle linebacker. He would replace Kawika Mitchell, an unrestricted free agent.

The Chiefs may try to re-sign Mitchell, who has yet to make any free-agent visits. The Chiefs were discussing whether to move Mitchell to outside linebacker even before they signed Harris.

The 6-feet-2, 255-pound Harris was Oakland’s first-round draft pick in 2002. He went to the Vikings in the trade that sent Randy Moss to Oakland.

He visited with Tampa Bay before arriving for his visit in Kansas City.

For more on this story, see Wednesday’s editions of Sports Daily.

**the Talking Can** · 03-06-2007, 01:06 PM

not sure that Harris is even as good as Mitchell, I hope he's cheaper at least....

kcxiv · 03-06-2007, 01:06 PM

Chiefs add Harris, who is perfect for Edwards' D
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

Filling their need for more athleticism and playmaking potential at middle linebacker spot, the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday reached agreement with unrestricted free agent middle linebacker Napoleon Harris on a six-year deal.

Top free agents
Napoleon Harris
Harris
Linebacker Napoleon Harris is No. 26 on ESPN.com's list of the top NFL free agents on the market. Story

• Scouting report Insider

Complete financial details of the contract were not immediately available, but two league sources told ESPN.com that Harris will receive about $6 million-$7 million in guarantees.

Harris, 28, will replace Kawika Mitchell as the starting middle linebacker. A solid run-stuffer but limited athlete, Mitchell is also an unrestricted free agent. He was not expected to return to the Chiefs and the acquisition of Harris all but guarantees that.

A five-year veteran, Harris has drawn interest from several teams since the start of free agency and visited earlier with Tampa Bay Buccaneers officials. But the Chiefs made him a priority, in part because head coach Herm Edwards feels Harris has the skills to fit well into his cover two scheme, and moved quickly to complete a deal with him.

Because of his movement skills, Harris should be a middle linebacker capable of remaining on the field on third down, even in obvious passing situations.

Oddly, the Minnesota Vikings, who also play the cover two scheme and for whom Harris played the past two seasons, made little effort to retain him, even though he was a productive player for them.

Minnesota signed E.J. Henderson to a long-term contract extension toward the end of last season, and will benefit from the return of 2006 first-round choice Chad Greenway, who missed his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury. So the Vikings, who also have a standout veteran on hand in Ben Leber, apparently felt they could allow Harris to move on to another team.

The Vikings acquired Harris as part of the 2005 trade that sent wide receiver Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders. Harris, a college standout at Northwestern, played three seasons for the Raiders, who chose him in the first round of the 2002 draft, before the trade.

In five seasons, Harris has 333 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions, nine passes defensed and four forced fumbles. He has appeared in 74 games and been a starter at the middle and weakside linebacker positions.

That hardly breaks the bank.

Mr. Laz · 03-06-2007, 01:08 PM

sounds like a reasonable deal so far

CupidStunt · 03-06-2007, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiTown

I'd say we need OT's about as bad as we need DT's. Gonna be tough to win if we can't score.

I wouldn't. We have no DTs.

NONE.

Hammock Parties · 03-06-2007, 01:09 PM

No one can criticise Carl right now. And Herm is awesome. We didn't let these guys leave town.

CupidStunt · 03-06-2007, 01:10 PM

Btw, ****ing hilarious to see people think Harris is worse than Mitchell. Hahahaha. WATCH FOOTBALL!

Chiefs Pantalones · 03-06-2007, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

No one can criticise Carl right now. And Herm is awesome. We didn't let these guys leave town.

18 years, no Super Bowl appearances or victories, we'll critisize until the cows come home, he's a failure and Herm will be too. I just hope they don't totally crush our beloved team to the ground before they finally do leave.

Zouk · 03-06-2007, 01:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Laz

possible .... i remember some rumors about Pollard being moved maybe.

but i still think that means we need to change our scheme so that the MLB doesn't drop into deep coverage so much. IMO it's a bad thing anyway.

asking a player to be a main focus of stopping the run AND then asking the player to be responsible for the deep middle on passing players is just begging for problems in coverage.

The only position Pollard could possibly play is WLB, which happens to also be our only good linebacker's position.

People say you need small guys for a scheme that plays a lot of cover 2 and cover 3, but Herm took John Lynch (who many said was too slow to be a safety and should be converted to linebacker) and made him very effective at strong safety in this scheme.

What's wrong with a bigger, physical defense? We're not a dome team. I like Johnson at WLB, Harris at MLB, and my guess is Fox gets his shot at SLB. Pollard and Page at safeties (although Knight might get one more year).

**the Talking Can** · 03-06-2007, 01:12 PM

I like the price....we'll see what kind of player he is, but bargin shopping is what we should be doing right now

kcxiv · 03-06-2007, 01:12 PM

I actually like herm. I think he can do it, once he realizes not to run the clock out with 15 min to go in the first. I think he can get his players to play for him above their ability. THen again all coaches make stupid mistakes on the field from time to time.

Hammock Parties · 03-06-2007, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zouk

The only position Pollard could possibly play is WLB, which happens to also be our only good linebacker's position.

Derrick is SLB.

58-4ever · 03-06-2007, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lj4mvp

Btw, ****ing hilarious to see people think Harris is worse than Mitchell. Hahahaha. WATCH FOOTBALL!

My thoughts exactly.

**BigRedChief** · 03-06-2007, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

No one can criticise Carl right now. And Herm is awesome. We didn't let these guys leave town.

It's always in season to critize King Carl for his inability to draft a quality DT or acquire one through FA

Mr. Laz · 03-06-2007, 01:13 PM

Defensive Tackles currently under contract

Howard, Brian
Sims, Ryan

Mr. Laz · 03-06-2007, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lj4mvp

Btw, ****ing hilarious to see people think Harris is worse than Mitchell. Hahahaha. WATCH FOOTBALL!

who said this?

03-06-2007, 12:10 PM
nychief MVP Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: NYC Casino cash: $5339466	Chiefs Agree with Harris Chiefs agree to terms with free-agent LB Harris By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star The Chiefs and unrestricted free agent linebacker Napoleon Harris agreed to terms this morning on a six-year contract. Financial details were unavailable. Some still were being finalized. The Chiefs plan to use Harris, a five-year NFL veteran with the Raiders and Vikings, as their starting middle linebacker. He would replace Kawika Mitchell, an unrestricted free agent. The Chiefs may try to re-sign Mitchell, who has yet to make any free-agent visits. The Chiefs were discussing whether to move Mitchell to outside linebacker even before they signed Harris. The 6-feet-2, 255-pound Harris was Oakland’s first-round draft pick in 2002. He went to the Vikings in the trade that sent Randy Moss to Oakland. He visited with Tampa Bay before arriving for his visit in Kansas City. For more on this story, see Wednesday’s editions of Sports Daily.
Posts: 8,177

03-06-2007, 01:06 PM	#91
the Talking Can Supporter Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: street Casino cash: $9102208	not sure that Harris is even as good as Mitchell, I hope he's cheaper at least.... __________________ Clark Hunt: "Thank god for the Dominican pool boy"
Posts: 51,585

03-06-2007, 01:06 PM	#92
kcxiv In Search of a Life Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Central Valley, Cali Casino cash: $8697996	Chiefs add Harris, who is perfect for Edwards' D By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com Filling their need for more athleticism and playmaking potential at middle linebacker spot, the Kansas City Chiefs on Tuesday reached agreement with unrestricted free agent middle linebacker Napoleon Harris on a six-year deal. Top free agents Napoleon Harris Harris Linebacker Napoleon Harris is No. 26 on ESPN.com's list of the top NFL free agents on the market. Story • Scouting report Insider Complete financial details of the contract were not immediately available, but two league sources told ESPN.com that Harris will receive about $6 million-$7 million in guarantees. Harris, 28, will replace Kawika Mitchell as the starting middle linebacker. A solid run-stuffer but limited athlete, Mitchell is also an unrestricted free agent. He was not expected to return to the Chiefs and the acquisition of Harris all but guarantees that. A five-year veteran, Harris has drawn interest from several teams since the start of free agency and visited earlier with Tampa Bay Buccaneers officials. But the Chiefs made him a priority, in part because head coach Herm Edwards feels Harris has the skills to fit well into his cover two scheme, and moved quickly to complete a deal with him. Because of his movement skills, Harris should be a middle linebacker capable of remaining on the field on third down, even in obvious passing situations. Oddly, the Minnesota Vikings, who also play the cover two scheme and for whom Harris played the past two seasons, made little effort to retain him, even though he was a productive player for them. Minnesota signed E.J. Henderson to a long-term contract extension toward the end of last season, and will benefit from the return of 2006 first-round choice Chad Greenway, who missed his entire rookie campaign with a knee injury. So the Vikings, who also have a standout veteran on hand in Ben Leber, apparently felt they could allow Harris to move on to another team. The Vikings acquired Harris as part of the 2005 trade that sent wide receiver Randy Moss to the Oakland Raiders. Harris, a college standout at Northwestern, played three seasons for the Raiders, who chose him in the first round of the 2002 draft, before the trade. In five seasons, Harris has 333 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions, nine passes defensed and four forced fumbles. He has appeared in 74 games and been a starter at the middle and weakside linebacker positions. That hardly breaks the bank.
Posts: 29,111

03-06-2007, 01:08 PM	#93
Mr. Laz Don't Tease Me Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: KS Casino cash: $11047037	sounds like a reasonable deal so far __________________
Posts: 95,626

03-06-2007, 01:09 PM	#95
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $730478	No one can criticise Carl right now. And Herm is awesome. We didn't let these guys leave town. __________________ Chiefs game films
Posts: 297,611

03-06-2007, 01:10 PM	#96
CupidStunt offense > defense Join Date: Jul 2005 Casino cash: $-806668	Btw, ****ing hilarious to see people think Harris is worse than Mitchell. Hahahaha. WATCH FOOTBALL!
Posts: 9,018

03-06-2007, 01:12 PM	#99
the Talking Can Supporter Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: street Casino cash: $9102208	I like the price....we'll see what kind of player he is, but bargin shopping is what we should be doing right now __________________ Clark Hunt: "Thank god for the Dominican pool boy"
Posts: 51,585

03-06-2007, 01:12 PM	#100
kcxiv In Search of a Life Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Central Valley, Cali Casino cash: $8697996	I actually like herm. I think he can do it, once he realizes not to run the clock out with 15 min to go in the first. I think he can get his players to play for him above their ability. THen again all coaches make stupid mistakes on the field from time to time.
Posts: 29,111

03-06-2007, 01:13 PM	#104
Mr. Laz Don't Tease Me Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: KS Casino cash: $11047037	Defensive Tackles currently under contract Howard, Brian Sims, Ryan __________________
Posts: 95,626