TEICHER: Chiefs have some tough personnel decisions to make

[booger]

Chiefs have some tough personnel decisions to make
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

Casey Wiegmann was a free-agent find for the Chiefs last year. The veteran center returned for his second tour of duty with the Chiefs and played perhaps better than any of their other offensive lineman.

But Wiegmann will be 38 in July and the Chiefs face an interesting decision whether to re-sign him for 2011. Wiegmann isn’t the only player with an expiring contract. He’s just one of 25 players on their roster without a contract for 2011.

The Chiefs have six significant unsigned players on defense, including both of their top pass rushers, outside linebacker Tamba Hali and end Wallace Gilberry. Hali led the AFC with a career-high 14 1/2 sacks last season and added another two in the playoff loss to Baltimore.

Gilberry added seven sacks in the regular season. No other Chiefs player had more than three. Their combined total of 21 1/2 was more than half of the team’s 38.

The Chiefs re-signed some of their better young players during the season, including linebacker Derrick Johnson and running back Jamaal Charles, but made no apparent move to re-sign either Hali, who is 27, or Gilberry, 26.

Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel is 35 and has no contract for 2010. The Chiefs have been grooming Andy Studebaker to take Vrabel’s starting spot eventually. Vrabel lost some of his playing time last season to Studebaker, but the Chiefs would face a leadership void without Vrabel.

Other defensive players without 2011 contracts include cornerback Brandon Carr and defensive linemen Ron Edwards and Shaun Smith. Carr was drafted to play the zone system used by former coach Herm Edwards, but survived nicely last season when the Chiefs asked him to play more man-to-man coverage.

Edwards and Smith are the only true nose tackles on the Chiefs’ roster.

Offensive players without 2011 contracts include Wiegmann and quarterback Brodie Croyle. Wiegmann won the starting job from the incumbent, Rudy Niswanger, during training camp and never gave it back. Wiegmann was a key factor as the Chiefs led the league in rushing during the regular season.

Croyle is 0-10 in his career as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback. The Chiefs lost 31-0 at San Diego last month when Croyle replaced the ailing Matt Cassel as the starter.

The Chiefs have no other serious backup quarterback candidates on their roster, so they will have to acquire one if Croyle is not re-signed.

Because the league’s collective-bargaining agreement is set to expire in March, it’s unclear which of the Chiefs’ unsigned players would be unrestricted, restricted or exclusive rights free agents or whether there will be free agency at all.

The Chiefs had 61 players on their roster at season’s end, including eight on injured reserve. Linebacker Mark Simoneau was one of them and has announced his retirement.

The Chiefs signed on Wednesday the eight players who finished the season on their practice squad: linebackers Justin Cole, Micah Johnson and Pierre Walters, defensive lineman Dion Gales, offensive linemen Darryl Harris and Bobby Greenwood, wide receiver Jeremy Horne and tight end Cody Slate.

To reach Adam Teicher, call 816-234-4875 or send e-mail to [email protected]
Posted on Wed, Jan. 12, 2011 11:05 PM

[booger]

unrestricted
QB Croyle
OLB Hali
NT Edwards
CB Daniels
OLB Vrabel
C Weigmann
OLB Charlie Anderson
WR Copper
ILB Mays
RT O'Callohan
C Niswanger
S McGraw
NT Smith
WR Urban
ILB Simineau
WR Curtis

Restriced or Exclusive Rights
OT Richardson
DE Gilberry
CB Flowers EDIT: is under contract for 2011. Not a FA
CB Carr
FB Castille
FB Cox
RB Battle
TE Cottam
CB Leggett

That's a guess and comes to 25. Maybe TE Pope is an UFA too i don't know.

Have to wait for Looney at kcchiefs.com to come out with an official list.

Charles, DJ, Studebaker all got extensions but so did LS Thomas Gafford and his didn't get much press. Could be others not announced but hard to tell.

This is all a guessing game as to who does or doesn't fall under restricted and the frachise and transistion tags because of the CBA.

[ClevelandBronco]

...Outside linebacker Mike Vrabel is 35 and has no contract for 2010. The Chiefs have been grooming Andy Studebaker to take Vrabel’s starting spot eventually. Vrabel lost some of his playing time last season to Studebaker, but the Chiefs would face a leadership void without Vrabel.

I don't buy this one. Young leaders emerge naturally as older leaders step aside. The next leader is probably already in the locker room, but he's hanging back giving Vrabel space and respect. IMO, there's no reason to keep Vrabel for leadership alone and there's pretty good evidence that leadership alone is all he has left.

[booger]

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

I don't buy this one. Young leaders emerge naturally as older leaders step aside. The next leader is probably already in the locker room, but he's hanging back giving Vrabel space and respect. IMO, there's no reason to keep Vrabel for leadership alone and there's pretty good evidence that leadership alone is all he has left.

I agree. He's done. Time for him to go into coaching.

Guys like Studebaker have show leadership on special teams and he did get plenty of snaps on D. He may start next year but i would expect him to come out on passing downs. Studebaker hasn't shown enough to justify anything other than being the first OLB off the bench IMO.

Back to the leadership point though it's the same with McGraw and to an extent Weigmann. The team won 10 games and the youngsters gained plenty of experience in a winning season and one playoff game that they lost. Some of these vets have served their purpose. Bringing in others like Lilja and Jones would make plenty of sense again next year IMO.

[The Bad Guy]

Flowers still has another year on his deal. 2nd round picks don't become restricted.

[DenverChief]

Originally Posted by booger

Croyle is 0-10 in his career as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback. The Chiefs lost 31-0 at San Diego last month when Croyle replaced the ailing Matt Cassel as the starter.

The Chiefs have no other serious backup quarterback candidates on their roster, so they will have to acquire one if Croyle is not re-signed.

WTF?

Was Croyle a serious backup?

[booger]

Originally Posted by The Bad Guy

Flowers still has another year on his deal. 2nd round picks don't become restricted.

that's right, 2nd's usually sign at least 4 year deals.

[booger]

Self-Scouting: 2011

By Josh Looney

Posted 1 hour ago
The Chiefs are undergoing a complete roster evaluation to prepare for 2011 approach

Changes are on the way in Kansas City – both inside the locker room and amongst the coaching staff.

It goes back to the old saying, “the only constant in the NFL is change.”

A worst to first division championship run and the biggest one-year turnaround in team history isn’t going to change that fact. The Chiefs have begun the process of evaluating their roster from top-to-bottom, self-identifying areas of strength and pockets of weakness.

“There is a lot of work to be done and it’s very critical that we get it right and as I’ve said multiple times, you can’t fill all the holes, you’ve got to continue to do the things that were done up to this point to bring in competition at as many spots as possible because competition is the key in my opinion,” Coach Todd Haley said. “Good competition is the key to players pushing themselves to the maximum and developing our team and we’ve just got to keep doing that and we’ll keep getting better.”

Player evaluations started on Monday afternoon and will continue through the next several weeks, alongside staff scouting visits to the East/West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl. The outcome of those assessments will help sculpt the base of the 2011 Chiefs.

More than 20 players are set to become free agents of some type, depending on the structure of ongoing collective bargaining agreement (CBA) talks. In previous years, this list would include unrestricted, restricted and exclusive rights free agency titles. Until a labor deal is in place, qualifications for free agency tags carry plenty of unknowns.

For now, those slated for some form of market-testing include a number of starters and/or regular contributors.

During his end of season press conference, Haley specifically mentioned five such players whose in-season progress particularly stood out. Those names included CB Brandon Carr, DT Ron Edwards, LB Tamba Hali, T Barry Richardson and C Casey Wiegmann.

Hali, the AFC’s sack leader (14.5 sacks), is the name that most Chiefs fans are focusing on as free agency is scheduled to approach at the beginning of March.

“There are just so many,” Haley said of players he saw develop across the Chiefs roster. “The coaches did such a great job of turning some unknowns to knowns and I am not talking about from a marquee names standpoint, I am just talking about a roster standpoint.

“When you go into the draft and into the off-season you want to say we would like to take care of this, this and this but you just can’t do it. That is why the development of players becomes so paramount to your success as a team. I could go down the line, (but) I don’t want to offend anybody.”

At least 18 other players slated to become free agents of some type. Those include LB Charlie Anderson, RB Jackie Battle, FB Tim Castille, WR Terrance Copper, FB Mike Cox, QB Brodie Croyle, CB Travis Daniels, LB Cory Greenwood, DE Wallace Gilberry, S Reshard Langford, CB Maurice Leggett, LB Corey Mays, S Jon McGraw, C Rudy Niswanger, T Ryan O’Callaghan, TE Leonard Pope, DL Shaun Smith and LB Mike Vrabel.

The Chiefs reached in-season extensions with RB Jamaal Charles, LB Derrick Johnson, LS Thomas Gafford, and LB Andy Studebaker.

“We don’t’ know what kind of team we are going to have next year, or what players we will have back,” WR Dwayne Bowe said earlier this week.

That’s partially true, but while the number of potential free agents may be up from a season ago, the amount of “knowns” on Kansas City’s roster has increased as well.

A four-win 2009 campaign was largely about identifying core players and moving forward with those “right 53” into the offseason. This past year was about further developing and adding on to that base of talent.

The apparent speed of that development is what surprised most.

“I am really proud of what they accomplished because I don’t think a lot of people outside of our building or our fan base (believed),” Haley said. “We had some believers outside of here, but I don’t think that was the general belief of what was going to happen last year and for that I am really proud that our guys did the things that they were supposed to do and because of that we were able to win double-digit wins which is a big thing. It is a good thing that allowed us to get into our first postseason together as a core group.

So now the Chiefs venture in to Todd Haley’s third offseason. Core players having been identified and most every candidate for free agency having spent at least one season in Kansas City.

From top-to-bottom, there is now familiarity with the Chiefs roster from both a coaching and playing perspective. Improving overall team speed was a priority last season, as well as heightening the play of the interior offensive line. Those needs were addressed in both the draft and free agency.

Roster needs for 2011 are being prioritized during this time of self-scouting.

“I think if there is a year three approach it will come after this evaluation,” Haley said. “That is what is so important right now is making sure that we are very thorough, that you see things for what they are and you don’t fool yourself and think you are better than you are or not understand that we went through the year from an injury standpoint and kept everybody (healthy).

Changes are coming. They always do in this league.

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/article...a-77aae0c3413c

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by ClevelandBronco

I don't buy this one. Young leaders emerge naturally as older leaders step aside. The next leader is probably already in the locker room, but he's hanging back giving Vrabel space and respect. IMO, there's no reason to keep Vrabel for leadership alone and there's pretty good evidence that leadership alone is all he has left.

We'll just have to sign away Richard Seymour from Oaktown for chump change I guess

[Chiefnj2]

I don't think there will be a normal free agency deal in place this year. I doubt there is a completed CBA by March. It's going to be a very messed up year for personnel decisions.

[Easy 6]

I definitely want Smith back, he's got the angry, smack slingin attitude this D has been been missing for a long time. I'd also like to keep Edwards around as a backup, he played reasonably well this year & knows the system.

[Otter]

It's scary how much this team is depending on Cassle. Not a very good year at all for QBs either, not even a development QB as far as the draft is concerned.

[Art Vader]

Originally Posted by Chiefnj2

I don't think there will be a normal free agency deal in place this year. I doubt there is a completed CBA by March. It's going to be a very messed up year for personnel decisions.

[talastan]

With all the crap that has been left up in the air waiting on the new CBA; this offseason IMO will give us a good glimpse into what type of FO we have. If Pioli is truly working magic and giving us a solid rebuild than he had to have planned ahead for this offseason in particular and should still be able to put together a solid FA and draft. I'm actually excited. I think a lot of teams this offseason will either have incredible gains or losses personnel-wise based off of the instability we are seeing right now with no CBA in place. No better time to have an NFL Executive of the Year overseeing this offseason IMO rather than Carl Whats-his-name.

[Jethopper]

keep tamba, cut the rest loose.