Chiefs Teicher: Moeaki looks good at tight end, while O’Connell struggles - Page 4

**Tribal Warfare** · 06-13-2010, 01:28 AM

Chiefs notebook: Moeaki looks good at tight end, while O’Connell struggles
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

The Chiefs selected a tight end in each of the last two drafts — and those players appear headed in different directions.

This year’s rookie, third-round pick Tony Moeaki, is having a solid offseason. He has shown good hands, is able to get downfield well and had another big day in the afternoon practice at Saturday’s minicamp.

The Chiefs thought enough last year of Jake O’Connell that they traded back into the seventh round to get him. He was even on the field last year for the last few plays when they were futilely trying to rally during an early-season loss to Oakland.

Judging by his play in offseason practices and again on Saturday, O’Connell may have a difficult time making the roster. He had dropped several passes, including two in Saturday afternoon’s practice.

The problem was so bad early last week that after one O’Connell drop, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis yelled, “That’s getting old, Jake.”

Croyle has hot hand

QB Brodie Croyle was still withheld from throwing during the full-squad workout because of his sore throwing hand.

But during a morning seven-on-seven passing drill when the Chiefs use no linemen on either side of the ball, Croyle was sharp.

On a set of plays from inside the 20, Croyle made three straight crisp throws that resulted in touchdowns, one going to Dwayne Bowe, another to Tim Castille and the last to rookie Jeremy Horne.

Mixing up the lineups

The Chiefs will occasionally shake up the starting lineup at many positions on both sides of the ball, even at positions where they is no true competition for the job. It hasn’t been unusual to see backups working with the first unit, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines.

“Sometimes when you just stay the same and nobody changes, you’re going against (the same player) every single snap,” coach Todd Haley said. “They get to know each other and they get to know each other’s little tricks and moves and steps.

“Just by moving guys in and out, now you create different matchups across the board. That’s really all we’re trying to do.”

**DaneMcCloud** · 06-13-2010, 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

Let's see.

Broken wrist
Dislocated elbow

Broken foot
Hamstring

And a concussion

But hey, he's going to be durable in the NFL.

And yet he was still drafted within the Top 100 players of the 2010 draft.

None of those injuries scream health issue to me.

Bad luck? Absolutely. But in a 17 week long season, he would have returned from all of those injuries while playing in the NFL.

milkman · 06-13-2010, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

And yet he was still drafted within the Top 100 players of the 2010 draft.

None of those injuries scream health issue to me.

Bad luck? Absolutely. But in a 17 week long season, he would have returned from all of those injuries while playing in the NFL.

None of those injuries, in and of themselves, would scream health issues to me.

However, all together scream brittle to me.

And the fact that so many scream that it's not an issue, screams blinders to me.

**DaneMcCloud** · 06-13-2010, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

None of those injuries, in and of themselves, would scream health issues to me.

However, all together scream brittle to me.

And the fact that so many scream that it's not an issue, screams blinders to me.

Eh, that's why he went 29th overall in the third. If he had half the injuries (or none), he's a bonafide Top 15 first rounder.

He may never have another injury again. Or he might be consistently injured. Either way, he's worth the risk because his talent is clearly evident.

aturnis · 06-13-2010, 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Cottam's probably not a world beater, but he's only played for 2 years.

Dane was referring to his 21 catches in his 4yrs. at Tennessee, not the NFL. Hell, in just two years as a pro he has already amassed a total of 16 catches.

Hammock Parties · 06-13-2010, 10:30 PM

Why do people care about a 7th round pick?

As far Cottam, people forget that he logged a lot of minutes as a rookie and stayed healthy.

KCrockaholic · 06-13-2010, 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Eh, that's why he went 29th overall in the third. If he had half the injuries (or none), he's a bonafide Top 15 first rounder.

He may never have another injury again. Or he might be consistently injured. Either way, he's worth the risk because his talent is clearly evident.

Top 15 is really pushing it!

chiefzilla1501 · 06-13-2010, 11:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoChiefs

Why do people care about a 7th round pick?

As far Cottam, people forget that he logged a lot of minutes as a rookie and stayed healthy.

While it didn't cost much, I think it's pretty representative of the 2009 draft that we traded up for a guy who's turned out to be pretty horrible.

KCrockaholic · 06-13-2010, 11:06 PM

The 2009 KC draft was horrid to say the least.

But this 2010 draft will be looked at as one of the best, possibly top 3 drafts of all the teams.

I'm glad to see they actually knew what they were doing this time around.

**BossChief** · 06-13-2010, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

There were a shitload of really good players taken in the 3rd this year.

and Moeaki was one of them

Quote:

Originally Posted by kcrockaholic4life

Top 15 is really pushing it!

Not if you read his post. Tight ends that are a weapon in the run game and pass game are over valued in the draft, they are rare. Not top 15 in a draft like the one we just had, but in a normal draft that is where those guys go. His only detractor was his injury history.

If he stays healthy in the NFL, he will be a player that makes a difference for our turnaround.

**The Bad Guy** · 06-14-2010, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by milkman

Let's see.

Broken wrist
Dislocated elbow

Broken foot
Hamstring

And a concussion

But hey, he's going to be durable in the NFL.

Trent Green was known as pretty fragile before he came here. Until Moeaki is injured all the time at this level, I'm not going to be too concerned about his past.

**Old Dog** · 06-14-2010, 08:02 AM

If they put their hot tubs in the same room Croyle could throw to Moeaki all season.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 06-14-2010, 11:36 AM

Trent Green:

The benchmark for head in-sand hope for all of Chiefs Nation.

jspchief · 06-14-2010, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROR

Trent Green:

The benchmark for head in-sand hope for all of Chiefs Nation.

The milk is already spilt. It makes more sense to me to hope he stays healthy than to hope he continues to get injured to justify someone's opposition to the pick.

Sweet Daddy Hate · 06-14-2010, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jspchief

The milk is already spilt. It makes more sense to me to hope he stays healthy than to hope he continues to get injured to justify someone's opposition to the pick.

The trade is done, I'm simply hoping for suckage to justify USING a pick in next years Super-Awesome QB Class.

Or, I'll just hate and hate on Pioli( which I enjoy immensely anyway )until he's fired or otherwise no longer GM.

We're due for the 1st round pick as a franchise. Do it, win a Championship, or GTFO.

**DaneMcCloud** · 06-14-2010, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROR

The trade is done, I'm simply hoping for suckage to justify USING a pick in next years Super-Awesome QB Class.

Or, I'll just hate and hate on Pioli( which I enjoy immensely anyway )until he's fired or otherwise no longer GM.

We're due for the 1st round pick as a franchise. Do it, win a Championship, or GTFO.

They didn't use a pick in next year's draft on Moeaki, they used one of their three fifth round 2010 picks to trade up to that slot.

06-13-2010, 01:28 AM
Tribal Warfare Man of Culture Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Far Beyond Comprehension Casino cash: $-3057187	Teicher: Moeaki looks good at tight end, while O’Connell struggles Chiefs notebook: Moeaki looks good at tight end, while O’Connell struggles By ADAM TEICHER The Kansas City Star The Chiefs selected a tight end in each of the last two drafts — and those players appear headed in different directions. This year’s rookie, third-round pick Tony Moeaki, is having a solid offseason. He has shown good hands, is able to get downfield well and had another big day in the afternoon practice at Saturday’s minicamp. The Chiefs thought enough last year of Jake O’Connell that they traded back into the seventh round to get him. He was even on the field last year for the last few plays when they were futilely trying to rally during an early-season loss to Oakland. Judging by his play in offseason practices and again on Saturday, O’Connell may have a difficult time making the roster. He had dropped several passes, including two in Saturday afternoon’s practice. The problem was so bad early last week that after one O’Connell drop, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis yelled, “That’s getting old, Jake.” Croyle has hot hand QB Brodie Croyle was still withheld from throwing during the full-squad workout because of his sore throwing hand. But during a morning seven-on-seven passing drill when the Chiefs use no linemen on either side of the ball, Croyle was sharp. On a set of plays from inside the 20, Croyle made three straight crisp throws that resulted in touchdowns, one going to Dwayne Bowe, another to Tim Castille and the last to rookie Jeremy Horne. Mixing up the lineups The Chiefs will occasionally shake up the starting lineup at many positions on both sides of the ball, even at positions where they is no true competition for the job. It hasn’t been unusual to see backups working with the first unit, particularly on the offensive and defensive lines. “Sometimes when you just stay the same and nobody changes, you’re going against (the same player) every single snap,” coach Todd Haley said. “They get to know each other and they get to know each other’s little tricks and moves and steps. “Just by moving guys in and out, now you create different matchups across the board. That’s really all we’re trying to do.”
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06-13-2010, 10:30 PM	#50
Hammock Parties I'll be back. Join Date: Nov 2002 Casino cash: $740478	Why do people care about a 7th round pick? As far Cottam, people forget that he logged a lot of minutes as a rookie and stayed healthy. __________________ Chiefs game films
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06-13-2010, 11:06 PM	#53
KCrockaholic Sarcasm Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Olathe Casino cash: $3282900	The 2009 KC draft was horrid to say the least. But this 2010 draft will be looked at as one of the best, possibly top 3 drafts of all the teams. I'm glad to see they actually knew what they were doing this time around.
Posts: 21,180

06-14-2010, 08:02 AM	#56
Old Dog Supporter Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: North Central Kansas Casino cash: $2400201	If they put their hot tubs in the same room Croyle could throw to Moeaki all season.
Posts: 10,771

06-14-2010, 11:36 AM	#57
Sweet Daddy Hate Unsparing Join Date: Aug 2008 Casino cash: $10004900	Trent Green: The benchmark for head in-sand hope for all of Chiefs Nation. __________________ 1. Merciless, severe. 2. Given freely and generously. 100% refusal to overrate 20 year Head Coaches with ZERO **ing rings as a Head Coach. CP's Official Professor of 'Dem Blues for 2019/2020!**
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