CHIEFS' REVIEW - THE DEFENSE
This is part two of a three-part analysis of the Kansas City Chiefs.
THE DEFENSE:
Defensive linemen--Glenn Dorsey, Ron Edwards, Tyson Jackson, Alex Magee & Wallace Gilberry
Not a group that inspires a lot of confidence is it? In the 3-4 defensive scheme, the lineman's primary responsibility is to occupy blockers, getting tackles & sacks is secondary. But K.C.'s 3 starting linemen had 121 tackles & only 1 sack between them. Plus, Dorsey was the only one of the three being double-teamed, so they're not holding up their end. Four other teams currently using the 3-4 scheme had 3 starters getting more tackles, getting many more sacks & drawing almost constant double-teams. Dorsey is not the right body type to play DE in this scheme, he has short arms, & stands less than 6'1". There is no denying Dorsey improved from last season, if he was still in a 4-3 defense, he would be just fine I believe, but he's not & he should to be traded. Edwards is a backup at best. Jackson might work out, tho I don't see him ever getting too many sacks. He needs to play with better leverage & improve his hand fighting to get off blocks. Magee & Gilberry combined for 6.5 sacks, Magee could replace Dorsey if he's traded. They still need help on a defensive line that they've wasted pick after pick trying to fix. Tyson Jackson, Glenn Dorsey, Ryan Sims, Eddie Freeman, Eric Downing, Turk McBride, Junior Siavii & Tank Tyler all 3rd round picks or higher. How can you miss with so many premium picks? The jury is still out on Jackson, Gilberry & Magee, but Gilberry doesn't have enough size to be a starter, he's more of a situational player.
Linebackers--Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Corey Mays, Mike Vrabel, Demorrio Williams, Andy Studebaker & Jovan Belcher
One impact player, Hali, made the DE to OLB transition look easy. Hali had 62 tackles, 4 forced fumbles & 8.5 sacks. Damn good for a guy who had his hand on the ground since high school. Hali can be a factor, but he needs help. Derrick Johnson, in very limited playing time, had 37 tackles, a sack, 3 forced fumbles & 3 picks he took back 175 yards & 2 scores. He will most likely become an unrestricted free agent. I can't see him staying since he & Todd Haley have never been on the same page almost from day one. When your starting inside linebackers, Williams & Mays, have zero sacks, zero forced fumbles & zero interceptions, they aren't the playmakers you need to run this defense. This pair constantly overruns the play, leaving gaping cutbacks lanes that backs exploited all season. Vrabel was decent in 14 starts, 53 tackles, 2 forced fumbles & a pair of sacks. So to recap, the starting four had 10.5 sacks, the Steelers four starters had 33.5 & the Cowboys had 22. The Chiefs' starters forced 6 fumbles, the Steelers had 11 forced fumbles & Dallas, 9. Hopefully this shows you just how far we are from having the type of linebacker production needed to compete at a playoff level. If DJ leaves, they need 3 quality starters, 2 by next season to significantly improve this bottom-feeding defense.
Cornerbacks--Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Donald Washington, Maurice Leggett & Travis Daniels
Flowers is everything we thought we were getting when they drafted him in the 2nd round two years ago & more. He should be one of the better starting corners in the league. Carr was hot & cold, especially cold late in the year. He might be better suited for the nickel spot. Unfortunately Leggett is a pretty good nickel back when healthy, but he's not a starter. Carr might excel with better ball skills, he can run with anybody. Washington didn't do anything positive in his rookie season, but I thought it was a wasted pick last April, we'll see. Daniels was picked up to replace Leggett, but played mostly on special teams. If Leggett returns from injured reserve in good shape, they appear to have 1 excellent corner & 2 with good potential.
Safety--Jarred Page, Mike Brown, Jon McGraw & DaJuan Morgan
Bernard Pollard was banished before the season started & after sitting around the house for a few weeks, he got a call from the Texans. Pollard recorded as many tackles as his replacement, Mike Brown in 4 fewer games. He also got as many sacks, forced fumbles & 1 more interception than Brown plus he scored 2 touchdowns. But he & Todd Haley couldn't co-exist, a common theme with too many of his players. We got absolutely nothing in return for Pollard, a 2nd round draft pick just 4 years ago, pretty sad. Now Brown won't be a Chief next year, he's all used up, but Pollard has a great future with Houston. Jon McGraw is a serviceable backup & a terrific special teams player, that's where he's excelled in his career. DaJuan Morgan is a bust, I thought so when they drafted him in '08. He's not even a good special teams player. If Page doesn't come back strong off I.R. & stay out of Haley's over-crowded doghouse, we're looking down the barrel of the league's worst safety play, Part II.
Punter--Dustin Colquitt
Colquitt continues having a very solid career in Kansas City. He was 2nd in the league in kicks downed inside the 20 with 41 against only 6 touch backs. He was 6th in net average league-wide but did suffer one block. He is also the holder on placements, at that he was flawless.
Long Snapper--Thomas Gafford
I compare everyone to Kendall Gammon, the best deep snapper I ever saw & this guy's no KG. His bad snaps caused 2 blocks & his general accuracy wasn't the best. I have to believe there's better out there in free agency or undrafted college players.
THE DEFENSE:
Defensive linemen--Glenn Dorsey, Ron Edwards, Tyson Jackson, Alex Magee & Wallace Gilberry
Not a group that inspires a lot of confidence is it? In the 3-4 defensive scheme, the lineman's primary responsibility is to occupy blockers, getting tackles & sacks is secondary. But K.C.'s 3 starting linemen had 121 tackles & only 1 sack between them. Plus, Dorsey was the only one of the three being double-teamed, so they're not holding up their end. Four other teams currently using the 3-4 scheme had 3 starters getting more tackles, getting many more sacks & drawing almost constant double-teams. Dorsey is not the right body type to play DE in this scheme, he has short arms, & stands less than 6'1". There is no denying Dorsey improved from last season, if he was still in a 4-3 defense, he would be just fine I believe, but he's not & he should to be traded. Edwards is a backup at best. Jackson might work out, tho I don't see him ever getting too many sacks. He needs to play with better leverage & improve his hand fighting to get off blocks. Magee & Gilberry combined for 6.5 sacks, Magee could replace Dorsey if he's traded. They still need help on a defensive line that they've wasted pick after pick trying to fix. Tyson Jackson, Glenn Dorsey, Ryan Sims, Eddie Freeman, Eric Downing, Turk McBride, Junior Siavii & Tank Tyler all 3rd round picks or higher. How can you miss with so many premium picks? The jury is still out on Jackson, Gilberry & Magee, but Gilberry doesn't have enough size to be a starter, he's more of a situational player.
Linebackers--Tamba Hali, Derrick Johnson, Corey Mays, Mike Vrabel, Demorrio Williams, Andy Studebaker & Jovan Belcher
One impact player, Hali, made the DE to OLB transition look easy. Hali had 62 tackles, 4 forced fumbles & 8.5 sacks. Damn good for a guy who had his hand on the ground since high school. Hali can be a factor, but he needs help. Derrick Johnson, in very limited playing time, had 37 tackles, a sack, 3 forced fumbles & 3 picks he took back 175 yards & 2 scores. He will most likely become an unrestricted free agent. I can't see him staying since he & Todd Haley have never been on the same page almost from day one. When your starting inside linebackers, Williams & Mays, have zero sacks, zero forced fumbles & zero interceptions, they aren't the playmakers you need to run this defense. This pair constantly overruns the play, leaving gaping cutbacks lanes that backs exploited all season. Vrabel was decent in 14 starts, 53 tackles, 2 forced fumbles & a pair of sacks. So to recap, the starting four had 10.5 sacks, the Steelers four starters had 33.5 & the Cowboys had 22. The Chiefs' starters forced 6 fumbles, the Steelers had 11 forced fumbles & Dallas, 9. Hopefully this shows you just how far we are from having the type of linebacker production needed to compete at a playoff level. If DJ leaves, they need 3 quality starters, 2 by next season to significantly improve this bottom-feeding defense.
Cornerbacks--Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Donald Washington, Maurice Leggett & Travis Daniels
Flowers is everything we thought we were getting when they drafted him in the 2nd round two years ago & more. He should be one of the better starting corners in the league. Carr was hot & cold, especially cold late in the year. He might be better suited for the nickel spot. Unfortunately Leggett is a pretty good nickel back when healthy, but he's not a starter. Carr might excel with better ball skills, he can run with anybody. Washington didn't do anything positive in his rookie season, but I thought it was a wasted pick last April, we'll see. Daniels was picked up to replace Leggett, but played mostly on special teams. If Leggett returns from injured reserve in good shape, they appear to have 1 excellent corner & 2 with good potential.
Safety--Jarred Page, Mike Brown, Jon McGraw & DaJuan Morgan
Bernard Pollard was banished before the season started & after sitting around the house for a few weeks, he got a call from the Texans. Pollard recorded as many tackles as his replacement, Mike Brown in 4 fewer games. He also got as many sacks, forced fumbles & 1 more interception than Brown plus he scored 2 touchdowns. But he & Todd Haley couldn't co-exist, a common theme with too many of his players. We got absolutely nothing in return for Pollard, a 2nd round draft pick just 4 years ago, pretty sad. Now Brown won't be a Chief next year, he's all used up, but Pollard has a great future with Houston. Jon McGraw is a serviceable backup & a terrific special teams player, that's where he's excelled in his career. DaJuan Morgan is a bust, I thought so when they drafted him in '08. He's not even a good special teams player. If Page doesn't come back strong off I.R. & stay out of Haley's over-crowded doghouse, we're looking down the barrel of the league's worst safety play, Part II.
Punter--Dustin Colquitt
Colquitt continues having a very solid career in Kansas City. He was 2nd in the league in kicks downed inside the 20 with 41 against only 6 touch backs. He was 6th in net average league-wide but did suffer one block. He is also the holder on placements, at that he was flawless.
Long Snapper--Thomas Gafford
I compare everyone to Kendall Gammon, the best deep snapper I ever saw & this guy's no KG. His bad snaps caused 2 blocks & his general accuracy wasn't the best. I have to believe there's better out there in free agency or undrafted college players.
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