Teicher: Waters thinks Chiefs don’t need offensive-line upgrade

[Tribal Warfare]

Waters thinks Chiefs don’t need offensive-line upgrade
By ADAM TEICHER
The Kansas City Star

To Brian Waters, the numbers speak with clarity. During the season’s final few games, the Chiefs became one of the league’s most explosive running teams while significantly reducing the number of times quarterback Matt Cassel was sacked.

There can be no better endorsement of the Chiefs’ much-maligned offensive line.

“They say stuff rolls downhill, and we’re at the bottom,” Waters said Monday as the Chiefs, who finished their 4-12 season with a 44-24 win over the Broncos on Sunday in Denver, cleared out their lockers and scattered for winter. “We take that burden because we’re big boys.

“But the last two years, I don’t think that some of my offensive linemates have been judged properly. I feel a lot of eyes that have been judging some of my teammates are unqualified eyes. There are a lot of people basing their opinions off what they know, and a lot of people don’t know football.

“In our position, everything is all about what other guys do. Everything is about how many times the quarterback got hit or it’s all about how many rushing yards we had. We’re pretty much (tied) to the numbers.”

His comments suggest that given Kansas City’s recent offensive improvements, Waters, a four-time Pro Bowl guard, believes the Chiefs don’t need to make upgrading their offensive line an offseason priority.

During the season’s final eight games, running back Jamaal Charles trailed only Tennessee’s Chris Johnson in rushing yards with 968. Charles averaged 6 yards per carry in that time.

Chiefs quarterbacks were sacked 37 times in the first 10 games, but Cassel went down only eight times in the final six. In Denver, he wasn’t sacked for the first time all season.

Some of the improvement has to do with changes on the line. On the right side, Ryan O’Callaghan replaced Ikechuku Ndukwe at tackle and Wade Smith replaced Mike Goff at guard.

The line also had time to adjust after the Chiefs abruptly changed their offense during the preseason when they fired coordinator Chan Gailey.

“That affected us greatly,” Waters said. “We’d be lying to ourselves to not think that the change in offense two weeks before the regular season started didn’t harm what we had already kind of got going. But that’s the head coach’s prerogative to make that type of change.”

The biggest reason for the line’s improved play was Charles, who is smaller and quicker than Johnson and doesn’t need as much space to be an effective runner.

“What we were trying to do offensively wasn’t to the strength of Larry,” Waters said. “We were trying to be a little more open-space, a little bit more no-huddle, a little bit more fast-hitting type of offense. We know Larry, and when he was in his greatest time, he was more of a pounder.

“We finally got comfortable in what we were trying to do. The idea of what we were trying to do from game to game has changed through the course of the year and we finally settled on who we are and we weren’t going to change that.

“Talentwise, I don’t think I’ve ever played with anybody as talented as (Charles) is, with the explosive ability he has. He has the ability to make a 5-yard run a 50-yard run just like that.

“He has the ability to make us look better.”

Monday’s interview ended Waters’ seasonlong silence. Waters asked to be traded last winter shortly after Todd Haley was hired as the Chiefs’ head coach.

Waters said his silence shouldn’t be interpreted that he was unhappy playing for the Chiefs.

“With the stuff I came back here with during the offseason, I just wanted to kind of stand out of the way and just do my job and allow this whole situation to show itself,” Waters said. “I didn’t want to get in the way. I know people are always trying to make it seem like you feel this way or you feel that way. I just wanted people to see this whole program for themselves. I didn’t want to be a distraction.

“It was just a good year for me to focus on my own job.”

Waters started 15 games this season, missing last month’s Cleveland game because of a sore hamstring. That ended a streak of 51 consecutive starts.

He also missed out on the Pro Bowl after playing in Hawaii the previous year,

“I think I had a solid year,” Waters said. “I don’t think I performed any worse than I’ve performed over the last few years.

“I feel I have plenty left in the tank.”

[Mecca]

What do you think he's going to say? That's his position he doesn't want to be the guy who gets replaced.

[DaneMcCloud]

Waters need to see the Turk.

Or Donald Trump.

Anyone that will fire his sucky fat ass.

[tyler360]

Good thing Waters is not in charge of personnel decisions.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by tyler360

Good thing Waters is not in charge of personnel decisions.

Or Tony Gonzalez

[keg in kc]

'course he does.

“I don’t think I performed any worse than I’ve performed over the last few years."

High praise there.

[HotRoute]

He may be right but pioli needs to develop young players behind good players. So just because we have a line that's improving we always have to find a way to get even better

[RustShack]

Oline really isn't our biggest need.. but at least C is very very high up there with both RG and LG not to far behind. Then again, I would like to see Wade Smith starting at Center and I think we might have something in Harris at LG. Hell Brown and Richardson could even be wild cards for RG and/or RT but O'Callagahn doesn't NEED to be replaced right away. Maybe he thinks some of those young guys have what it takes. I'm in no way saying we shouldn't bring anyone in or upgrade... but I'll be pissed if the #5 pick goes to the Oline. I wouldn't mind one in the second round though if someone falls... but don't reach for one.

[BossChief]

Im gonna go out on a limb and say that I dont want Waters replaced.

I understand that wont be popular, but I dont care. The guy has a couple more years left on him and I seriously believe we will be a much improved team next year. The management knows where the holes are now and will move to fill them as well as possible.

I think that Waters poor play was perfectly in conjunction with Alberts and that his play came back to form once Alberts did. I think he will make us forget his suck if/when we upgrade the center position as well. I saw him lunging a lot early in the year and getting a lot of holding penalties and IMHO those are both byproducts of a player trying to do to much because of the players around him not doing their jobs.

I have talked with Brian a couple times and he is one of my favorite players on the team, he one of the few veteran presences and has been a Chief through thick and thin.

If Whitlock never writes that article, the perception of him would still be accurate. Unfortunately, Whitlock made him look like a bitch and its really unfair. It put him in the wron light with us fans.

I even called himout on that article and he responded with saying he should have kept that info private (though, I couldn't tell if he was saying it sarcastically or not by his response) he even went on to say his play hadn't been effected by it. LOL

[DaWolf]

Waters thinks Chiefs don’t need offensive-line upgrade

[BigChiefFan]

He's brings up some decent points, but we still need to attempt to upgrade the O-Line.

[DaneMcCloud]

Originally Posted by BossChief

Im gonna go out on a limb and say that I dont want Waters replaced.

I understand that wont be popular, but I dont care. The guy has a couple more years left on him and I seriously believe we will be a much improved team next year. The management knows where the holes are now and will move to fill them as well as possible.

I think that Waters poor play was perfectly in conjunction with Alberts and that his play came back to form once Alberts did. I think he will make us forget his suck if/when we upgrade the center position as well. I saw him lunging a lot early in the year and getting a lot of holding penalties and IMHO those are both byproducts of a player trying to do to much because of the players around him not doing their jobs.

I have talked with Brian a couple times and he is one of my favorite players on the team, he one of the few veteran presences and has been a Chief through thick and thin.

If Whitlock never writes that article, the perception of him would still be accurate. Unfortunately, Whitlock made him look like a bitch and its really unfair. It put him in the wron light with us fans.

I even called himout on that article and he responded with saying he should have kept that info private (though, I couldn't tell if he was saying it sarcastically or not by his response) he even went on to say his play hadn't been effected by it. LOL

I'm sorry but you're incorrect.

Waters is done and the Chiefs need to move on.

And I could care less about his relationship with Whitlock, Haley, Muir or Pioli.

His play on the field speaks for itself.

Finito.

[RustShack]

I bet Waters is here one more year.

[BryanBusby]

Originally Posted by RustShack

I bet Waters is here one more year.

Think so too. Too many holes to replace his snitchin' ass just yet.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I'm sorry but you're incorrect.

Waters is done and the Chiefs need to move on.

And I could care less about his relationship with Whitlock, Haley, Muir or Pioli.

His play on the field speaks for itself.

Finito.

I expect people to disagree with that.

tell me Im wrong here:

Waters play was much better in the last 4-5 games....the same games that Albert started coming along in his adjustment period.

Im not saying he will ever return to his all pro form, Im just saying that I think his position could make it through at least one more season with him manning the position. If Iupati is available with our first 2nd rounder, Waters is toast though. Id pull the trigger right then. Other than that, I cant imagine a player that could step right in and perform better.

Who do you have on your radar, besides Harris, that could do the job. I know Harris is an option but it would be foolish to go in without a good fallback option so if the PS player doesn't make it, we have an option.

Its ok to disagree. As I have said a few times to you and others here, I have learned a lot more about the game and our team through arguments and opposing discussions that constant agreements.