Monday, January 10, 2011

A Look Forward

The overall outlook for the Chiefs 2010 has to be a success. Not only did the team win 10 games it also won the division which nobody could have expected. Despite being blown out in the playoffs there is clearly talent on this team and the holes are defined and can be addressed.


There are many holes on the team lets start with the offensive line. The interior part of the line was manhandled against the Raiders (minus Richard Seymour) and the Ravens. A big part of this was having an undersized guard (Lilja) and an undersized aging center (Wiegmann). The first move should be dump Wiegmann, put Asamogha at Right Guard, move Lilja back to his natural position of left guard, and either try and trade Brian Waters or bring him into camp and let him compete for the center spot. A possible first round pick might be Penn States center Steve Wisinewski. Between Lilja,Wisnewski, Asmagoha the Chiefs would have a solid interior offensive line.


The next position that absolutely needs to be addressed is Wide Receiver. Verran Tucker, Dexter McCluster, Kevin Curtis all might be good #3 guys but the Chiefs need someone who is dependable. I would argue Dwayne Bowe is not a consistent #1 wide receiver. The Chiefs will have options at this position free agents who could be #1 guys and stretch the field include Vincent Jackson or Steve Smith from the Giants. A trade for Fitzgerald is possible however the Chiefs aren't just one player away so trading multiple picks for a player doesn't make much sense. As far as the draft goes the best Wide Receiver in the draft not named AJ Green is Oklahoma States Justin Blackmon but is he a Pioli kind of player?


On the defensive side of the ball the Chiefs Defensive ends were great as for the Nose Tackle position not so much and this showed against power running teams like the Raiders. Abroyo Franklin of the 49ers would be a great pick up and should be one of the Chiefs priorities in the offseason. Also a nose tackle should be drafted in the middle rounds to be groomed as Franklins replacement and provide depth on the line.


Linebacker: This unit improved a bunch this season but still needs to improve getting to the QB. Besides Hali this group didn't have much in that department. Will Cameron Sheffield be back? He showed some promise in the preason. Like every other hole the Chiefs have on the team once again there are some great options. Von Miller in the first round or do you try and make a trade with Pittsburgh for Lammar Woodley who's a possible free agent and Pittsburgh has depth at that position.


If all of these positions are addressed in the off season I believe the Chiefs will have a great chance at defending the AFC West title and winning playoff games.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Chiefs-Ravens Playoff Game Preview

Coming out of blogtirement to write about the improbable- The 2010 Chiefs have made the playoffs!




Looking at this game the first thing that comes to mind is each teams record. Baltimore is 12-4, Kansas City is 10-6. Heres an indepth look at both teams strength of schedule:




Chiefs:
Losing records:
Denver 4-12 (W 10-6, L 29-49)
Arizona 5-11 W 31-13
Seattle 7-9 W 42-24
St. Louis 7-9 W 27-13
Tennessee 6-10 W 34-14
Houston 6-10 L 35-31
Buffalo 4-12 W 13-10
San Francisco 6-10 W 31-10
Cleveland 5-11 W 16-14
*Oakland 8-8 (L 23-20, L 31-10)
*Jacksonville 8-8 W 42-20

Winning records:
Indianapolis 10-6 L 9-19
San Diego 9-7 (W 21-14, L 0-31)

Combined record against and of losing teams:
9-4 and 66-110 avg schedule of 6-10
Combined record against and of winning teams:
1-2 and 19-13 avg schedule of 9.5-6.5


Ravens:
Losing records:
Cincinnati 4-12 (L 10-15, W 13-7)
Cleveland 5-11 (W 2-17, W 20-10)
Houston 6-10 W 34-28 (if you watched this game then you saw the way they let Houston come back before a horrible pass by Schaub led to a game winning pick six)
Carolina 2-14 W 37-13
Miami 7-9 W 26-10
Buffalo 4-12 W 37-34
Denver 4-12 W 31-17

Winning records:
New York Jets 11-5 W 10-9
Pittsburgh 12-4 (W 17-14 before Big Ben came back, L 10-13)
New England 14-2 L 20-23
Atlanta 13-3 L 21-26
Tampa Bay 10-6 W 17-10
New Orleans 11-5 W 30-24

Combined record against and of losing teams:
8-1 and 32-80 avg schedule of 4.5-11.5

Combined record against and of winning teams:
4-3 and 71-25 avg schedule of 12-4

We're 7-1 at home and they're 5-3 on the road


Keys to the game:

On Defense: Stuff the Ravens running game making Joe "Unibrow" Flaaco beat us. The Ravens recently have struggled moving the ball and Kansas City's secondary matches up well with their possession receivers.


On offense: The Ravens have a solid front 7 even though this year only 3 other teams have less sacks than the Ravens. The key will be to shutdown Terrell Suggs allowing Cassel and Bowe to shread the Ravens secondary.

Special Teams: The Ravens have played just about every game this season closely, Ultimately the game will come down to turnovers and field possession.


Edgar Allen Poe sucked and so do the Ravens. GO CHIEFS!

Friday, August 20, 2010

Chiefs vs Bucs Game Preview

Chiefs/ Bucs Game Preview

Week 2 of the preseason is upon us and the Chiefs take on the Tampa Bay Bucaneers for week 2 of the preseason. The best part about this game is there's only 2 more preseason games until the season starts. For . Cassel should have more time to throw going up aginst the likes of Stylez G White both who had 6 sacks last season and a young secondary.



Last week the Chiefs Outside Linebackers were great getting pressure aginst the Atlanta Quarterbacks. If they are able to do it vs the Bucs it will leader to turnovers. Prehaps the biggest test for the Chiefs will be going up aginst the Bucs run game which was one of the worst in the league last year. The Chiefs first team looked alot like last years run defense that ranked as one of the worst in the league.





Players to look for:

Matt Cassel: Another poor performance will only solidify the fans false beliefs that Brodie Croyle should get a chance to be the starter.



Brian Waters: I still think the guy is expendable and if he continues to play poorly he should be released to send a message.





Reshard Langford: This guy looked impressive last week and is battling for a roster spot.



Donald Washington: Finally showed some of his ability last week breaking up a pass. My favorite for replacing Javier Arenas at the nickel spot.



Jeremy Horne: This guy torched the Atlanta secondary but Croyle missed him. An undrafted free agent rookie who deserves to make the team if he continues to get open.

Friday, August 13, 2010

Chiefs/Falcons Game Preview

Finally football is here! The last time the Chiefs/Falcons played it was the debut of Tyler Thigpen. The Chiefs lost the game 38-14 Thigpen threw 3 picks.


This game won't count in the standings but it will count amongest the fans. If the Chiefs shutout Atlanta Crennel has fixed the defense, If Cassel throws a few picks he's Steve Bono. All kidding aside the pre-season is meaningless for the average fan but for the football aficionados like myself this is a great time of the year. Heres what to watch for in this game: Last year we had a pretty good indication a few pre-season games into the season that the offensive line wouldn't be good this year I expect it to improve. Teams usually don't scheme in the pre-season thats why QB, RB, and all other skill position stats should be thrown out the window. You can however get the feel for how a team will be in the trenches IE: the most important part of a football game. So look out for these players: Ryan Lilja who is playing out of position, Rudy Niswanger whos never been that great at center, Casey Wiegmann who i'm betting won't make the final roster, Jon Asamoah, and Daryl Harris who likely won't play due to injury. The tandom of Lilja, Asamoah, and Harris could make Brian Waters expendable. On the defense side of the ball keep an eye out on Tyson Jackson who was less than impressive last year and Shaun Smith, Ron Edwards, Derek Lokey and whoever else plays nose tackle. If the Chiefs don't get solid play at the nose tackle position look for this defense to be one of the worst aginst the run this year.


Enjoy Go Chiefs!

Thursday, July 22, 2010

New Season Same Chiefs?

Training camp is in one week exactly. Alot of excitement 2 new established Cordinators, a Nice draft on paper, Easy Schedule, and a new training camp site close to Kansas City. All a recipe for higher expectations but is this the year the Chiefs turn the corner? Depends who you ask.


This year there will be no JaMarcus "Purple Drank" Russell to beat the Chiefs in their home opener like the last 2 seasons. This time it will be the same Chiefs defense that can't stop the run. I'm not predicting a loss in the season opener but what I am predicting is the Chiefs defense will be the same defense it's been for most of the past decade, one that could not stop the run. The last time the Chiefs played at Arrowhead they helped Jerome Harrison break Jim Browns single game rushing record with 286 rushing yards. What did the team do to address the rush defense? Besides hire Romeo Crennel whos big enough to play defensive tackle? They signed Shaun Smith. Smith's best known hit on a QB was aginst his own QB when he punched out Brady Quinn during training camp a few years ago. What else did they add? Looks like Derrick Johnson will be the starter at MLB. Johnson brings big play ability but has a knack for being out of position. The rest of the Linebacker core looks to stay the same. Eric Berry is a nice addition at the safety position but will that make a drastic difference in the run defense?



The offense will be the most improved unit. The offense line looks to be improved still has a few holes, Looks like a solid WR core, Matt Cassel will be inaccurate throwing down field. Enter Charlie Weis who's known for his short passing game which will help Matt Cassel become an average QB who will actually help win a few games this year. The Chiefs look to have one of the best RB tandems in the league this year as well.


Predictions: Chiefs Rookie of the year: Eric Berry
Best Free Agent pick up: Thomas Jones
Best player on offense: Dexter McCluster
Chiefs Record: 6-10



The defense will be terrible but unlike last offseason Pioli and crew will have a better idea of specific holes to fill next year opposed to this previous off season were nearly every position had holes. This team is on the right track alot of people think this might be the year where they turn the corner i'm saying not just yet. However 6 wins matches the win total of the last 2 years combined.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Grading The Draft and Other Offseason Moves

Now is the most boring time for the average NFL fan. The Draft is now over and now only a few weeks of mini camp between the three month layoff until training camp. Now lets talk about the most entertaining draft ever.

First I would like to thank Scott Pioli for making the correct move and drafting Eric Berry instead of Russell Okung.


Eric Berry vs. Alabama from Alo Draft on Vimeo.

Eric Berry Great pick and the best player on the defensive side of the ball in this draft. He can literally do everything in the secondary and will likely play alot of the time in the box where coincidentally he had his best season at Tennesee when playing the Strong Safety position.


Dexter McCluster At first I hated this pick but now I love the pick. It shows the creativity that Scott Pioli lacked last offseason. McCluster can do a plethorea of things. Alot of comparisons to Wes Welker or DeSean Jackson, more so comparable to Dave Meggett who played a large role on the Giants teams of the 80's.


Javier Arenas This was a horrible pick. Arenas is short and lacks break away speed. He won't be a very good CB in the NFL just watch the BCS title game Jordan Shipley owned Arenas.


Jon Asamoah Great pick. A very phyiscal player who could be a leader will help the guard position and hopefully take over for Brian Waters who play has declined the last few years.


Tony Moeaki Another pick I don't really like however I must admit I didn't know Moeaki was a projected third round pick. Pioli has traded four picks for two tight ends. Moeakis biggest flaw is he can't stay healthy. Compared to Owen Daniels lets hope i'm wrong.


Kendrick Lewis Meh pick. Ran a 4.8 at the combine. Will be a bit of a project. I would have preferred signing a free agent like Matt O'Hanlon who would contribute on special teams.


Cameron Sheffield I like this pick the Chiefs needed to address the OLB position and Troy has produced some good NFL talent.


Draft Grade
I Grade this draft a C. Reason being there are a few too many misses especially the Javier Arenas pick. Could have raded up for Clausen and had a franchise QB.


Undrafted Free Agents

To be honest I don't like any of the undrafted free agent signings. Dexter Mccluster benches more than the D tackle Pioli signed. I would have liked to seen Matt O'Hanlon and Freddie Barnes signed.


Free Agents

John Henderson will be in town on Wensday. Henderson would be a great signing the Chiefs gave up 144 rushing yards per game last year. Another free agent the Chiefs should sign is Adalius Thomas who can play a varitey of positions and would provide another pass rusher which is sorely needed on this team.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Final Mock Draft

There are two days until the NFL Draft and below is who I think the Chiefs should pick and who I think Pioli will pick.


First Rond Pick:

Bill: I would pick Eric Berry. Put it this way if Ed Reed was there with the fifth pick would you select him compared to the rest of the talent in this draft? Berry will be a better player in the box compared to Ed Reed.

Pioli: I think the talk of the Chiefs picking an olinemen in the first round is just the clueless mainstream media creating hype. I believe Berry is Pioli's pick, Second wuld be Dan Williams, Third Rolando McClain.


Second Round Pick:

Bill: I would love to package this pick and another pick to trade back in the first round to get Jerry Hughes the DE/OLB from TCU.

Pioli: Did Pioli try to trade for Boldin with the idea of resigning Chambers as well? It's obvious the Chiefs need another WR and Arrelious Benn will be a great prospect to replace Chambers in a few years.

Second Second Round Pick:

Bill: Theres no way Pioli goes past the second round without a defensive linemen or an offensive linemen. I would pick Jared Veldheer from Hillsdale. He's a big linemen who will be a bit of a project and would make a great right tackle until the regime finally decides what Branden Albert is.

Pioli: Pioli isn't affraid to reach and at this pick it's a bit of a reach but Linval Jospeh seems like the perfect Pioli player. Joseph can play both nose tackle and d end in the 34.


Third Round Pick:

Bill: Linval Joseph might still be available at this pick if so I would draft him here because as stated hes versitale and was an outstanding player at East Carolina University.

Pioli: Pioli still hasn't addresed the tackle position and this players stock has seemed to drop. Pioli will draft Vladmair Duccasse a guy who will be a project at right tackle or could play guard. Moving Lilja to his natural position at LG after next year and dumping Waters.


Fourth Round Pick:

Bill: The Chiefs need to address the ILB position. Jamar Cheney is an intriguing prospect who didn't play much last year. He has great size and is a good athelete.


Pioli: Pioli hasn't addressed the Inside linebacker position this off season and will draft one. Selection Donald Butler.


Fifth Round:

Bill: Kevin Thomas, Micheal Hoomanwanui, Freddie Barnes

Pioli: Anthony Dixon, Phillip Dillard, Leroy Vann



Summary:

Bill
Berry
Hughes
Jared Veldheer
Linval Joseph
Jamar Cheney
Kevin Thomas
Micheal Hoomanwanui
Freddie Barnes


Pioli
Eric Berry
Arrelious Benn
Vladmair Duccasse
Donald Butler
Anthony Dixon
Phillip Dillard
Leroy Vann