Bob Gretz's take on Turley

[The Poz]

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2006/06..._turleys_back/

GRETZ: Turley's Back
Jun 12, 2006, 8:05:41 AM by Bob Gretz - FAQ


I know there are more than a few Chiefs fans scratching their heads this morning about the coming addition of Kyle Turley to the active roster.


The former All-Pro tackle has agreed to contract terms with the team. Pending his passage of a physical, he will attempt to make a comeback to the NFL after missing the last two seasons. When Turley was last seen in the league, reportedly he was being escorted out of the St. Louis Rams offices by security guards after a heated argument with then head coach Mike Martz.

The last time he was on the field was the double-overtime loss in the playoffs by the Rams against Carolina in January of 2004. That’s two full seasons on the sidelines due to his bad back.

So why are the Chiefs signing Turley?

First, it’s a roll of the personnel dice that won’t cost them much of anything if it doesn’t work out and Turley’s unable to complete his comeback. If he can return to play anywhere near the level he performed during his previous six seasons in the NFL, then the Chiefs have found a glittering jewel in the garbage can.

There’s no getting around the fact that Turley comes with baggage from his time in New Orleans and St. Louis. But the Chiefs have people in place that can provide insight to pretty much everything that happened with him. V.P. of Player Personnel Bill Kuharich selected Turley in the first-round of the 1998 NFL Draft while he was the GM of the Saints with head coach Mike Ditka. And, his offensive line coach with the Rams during his one full-season in St. Louis was John Matsko, who is the Chiefs new offensive line coach. Obviously, both of them provided input in the decision to sign him.

And, Turley’s presence adds an interesting dimension to the Chiefs offensive line situation for the 2006 season. Yes, he’s an offensive lineman. Last month, Turley spent three days in a mini-camp with the Miami Dolphins playing tight end. That’s not why the Chiefs are interested in him at this point.

Turley will compete for the starting right tackle job that currently belongs to John Welbourn and once belonged to Jordan Black and Kevin Sampson at various times last season. Welbourn was not part of last week’s OTAs. According to head coach Herman Edwards he was absent because of personal reasons. Also missing, and for the same reasons, was left tackle Willie Roaf.

Should we read something into Welbourn’s future with the Chiefs? At this point, no. After the Chiefs went through mini-camp, offensive coordinator Mike Solari had nothing but good things to say about Welbourn and how he’s performed at right tackle in this off-season. Is there a problem with Roaf at left tackle? He did miss the mini-camp and these recent OTAs. He’s also battling a hamstring pull that the Chiefs say is not anything as severe as what cost him six games last year. Remember, Turley played left tackle with the Saints when Roaf left New Orleans. Right now, there’s no evidence to count Roaf out of the picture.

And don’t pencil Turley immediately onto the roster either. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. Turley’s weight is considerably down from his 309 pounds when he was playing full-time. The Chiefs would like to see him around 280-plus pounds, so he’ll need to add weight. He will be 31 years old in September, so he’s no spring chicken. Plus, he hasn’t played in two years. The Chiefs obviously liked what they saw in his workout several weeks ago, or they would not have signed him. But a workout in shorts isn’t bumping heads with a 280-pound defensive end. His back might feel better now; let’s see how it feels after three weeks in River Falls.

But consider this: let’s say everyone else is back and Turley is added to the mix. The Chiefs’ first seven offensive linemen would have a combined 777 starts in the NFL: Roaf (189), Brian Waters (72), Casey Wiegmann (104), Will Shields (207), Welbourn (75), Chris Bober (35) and Turley (95.) No other NFL team could match that type of experience.

Turley obviously wants to play. That’s a good sign. If his play can equal his desire, the Chiefs have scored a coup. If not, they’ve not risked anything other than a roster spot.

[Kylo Ren]

What is a "spring chicken" and are tired of that overused saying like I am?

I guess signing Turley is a low risk, high reward move. I think it's OK, but I'm not that excited about it. I really was looking forward to Sampson, Svietek, Wellbourne battling for the RT spot. I hope Turley's signing doesn't stunt the growth of Sampson and Svietek. I really think they could become our starting RT & LT of the future. Wellbourne is good to have for depth. He can play almost every position on the OL. I hope they don't get rid of him.

[HC_Chief]

Low risk/high reward. Smart signing IMO.

[jidar]

I don't like it. There is an intangible cost associated with taking on players with bad attitudes.
Herm likes to think he can change these guys, but you get too many of them together and it's a bad situation. One thing I liked about DV was his requirement that players be of high character.

[HC_Chief]

Originally Posted by jidar

I don't like it. There is an intangible cost associated with taking on players with bad attitudes.
Herm likes to think he can change these guys, but you get too many of them together and it's a bad situation. One thing I liked about DV was his requirement that players be of high character.

"Bad attitude"? What bad attitude? Are you referring to the helmet chucking incident, where he got penalized for protecting his QB after a blatent cheap shot? Or when he told that idiot Martz to go f#&$ himself? Both are stand-up moves IMO. 1) He won't allow his QB to take cheap shots, 2) He isn't afraid to voice his opinion when the coaches do stupid shit. Those are both EXCELLENT traits in a football player.

[jidar]

Originally Posted by HC_Chief

"Bad attitude"? What bad attitude? Are you referring to the helmet chucking incident, where he got penalized for protecting his QB after a blatent cheap shot? Or when he told that idiot Martz to go f#&$ himself? Both are stand-up moves IMO. 1) He won't allow his QB to take cheap shots, 2) He isn't afraid to voice his opinion when the coaches do stupid shit. Those are both EXCELLENT traits in a football player.

There is no way you can convince me that getting escourted out by security is a sign of an excellent trait.

[chagrin]

This line always scares me:

"If he can return to play anywhere near the level he performed during his previous six seasons in the NFL, then the Chiefs have found a glittering jewel in the garbage can."

I can't think of any player who has come back after missing more than one season and perform "anywhere near the level..." did Deion do anything with Baltimore? Did that date rape drug user Russell do anything, did most of us even know he was playing again?

Okay maybe Garrison Hearst had a 1000 yard season on his comeback, so maybe I'm wrong. Of course, I would be happy to be wrong if Kyle could come back and play well, but I'm skeptical.

[ck_IN]

They're risking nothing but a roster spot. I don't see a problem here.

If he has a 'tude he can be dropped. If he doesn't measure up, he can be dropped. If he get outperformed by Sampson, et all, he can be dropped.

If he does well we may have Roaf's short term heir.

[Inspector]

"Is there a problem with Roaf at left tackle? He did miss the mini-camp and these recent OTAs. He’s also battling a hamstring pull that the Chiefs say is not anything as severe as what cost him six games last year."


Can someone pass me the Pepto Bismo???

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by jidar

There is no way you can convince me that getting escourted out by security is a sign of an excellent trait.

Bullshit.

Getting escorted out by security has nothing to do with whether you are right or wrong, it only shows that the big boss man is the one who pays the security guards.

[ck_IN]

Getting escorted out by security has nothing to do with whether you are right or wrong, it only shows that the big boss man is the one who pays the security guards.

It sounds like somebody has some experience in these matters.

[Brock]

I would imagine that Turley can be quite intimidating. I wouldn't want to be the one giving him bad news either.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by ck_IN

Getting escorted out by security has nothing to do with whether you are right or wrong, it only shows that the big boss man is the one who pays the security guards.

It sounds like somebody has some experience in these matters.

I haven't personally (although I've been escorted out after resigning once because I was going to a competitor) but I've seen it happen. A person was unceremoniously fired for something they did not do. The person that blamed them also happened to be a manager, who called security and had them removed. Later, said manager was reviewed and escorted out by the same security.

[alpha_omega]

Still don't like any player who has had "severe back problems"!

[DeepSouth]

Originally Posted by chagrin

This line always scares me:

"If he can return to play anywhere near the level he performed during his previous six seasons in the NFL, then the Chiefs have found a glittering jewel in the garbage can."

I can't think of any player who has come back after missing more than one season and perform "anywhere near the level..." did Deion do anything with Baltimore? Did that date rape drug user Russell do anything, did most of us even know he was playing again?

Okay maybe Garrison Hearst had a 1000 yard season on his comeback, so maybe I'm wrong. Of course, I would be happy to be wrong if Kyle could come back and play well, but I'm skeptical.

Hadn't Gannon been out of football for a couple of years due to injury when the Chiefs signed him to be a backup?