It's been a week since the Chiefs' blink-of-an-eye exit from the NFL playoffs and most of the cursing and sulking out of Kansas City has dissipated. A few thoughts as we reflect on the season that was and what lies ahead for the Kansas City Chiefs...
Showing posts with label Ryan Lilja. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan Lilja. Show all posts
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Friday, July 30, 2010
Chiefs 2010 Training Camp Wish List
Between the NFL Draft and the regular season getting under way, the most anticipated date on the professional football calendar is the day training camps begin. Late Thursday evening, the Kansas City Chiefs reported to their first training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.
Most sports fans in Kansas City would agree that, regardless of the Royals performance (maybe), the football season could not come any sooner. So as we welcome the Chiefs' training camp with open - wide open - arms, let's take a look at some of things that need to happen in order for the team to have an opportunity for success this season.
Get Berry in camp
As of Thursday night, all of the Chiefs' draft picks have been signed except for their first-rounder, safety Eric Berry. Of the many flaws the 2009 Chiefs possessed, it's possible none was bigger than the overall play of the defense. If new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is to reverse the defense's fortunes, it will be with Berry leading the way. The Tennessee standout has been tagged as a natural-born leader and compared to the likes of Ed Reed. GM Scott Pioli needs to get a deal done. The sooner he gets on the field, the better.
D-Line must improve
Crennel was hired, more or less, to help maximize the capabilities of defensive linemen Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson. It's certainly his main objective.
Dorsey and Jackson are both former first-round picks out of LSU who have so far failed to meet the expectations that come along with being top draft choices. While Dorsey showed some signs of improvement in his second season in 2009, Jackson was virtually non-existent throughout his whole rookie campaign. It's time to put up or shut up. The defensive line's level of success this season could mean the difference between last place or playoffs for the Chiefs in 2010.
Find the right fit for the O-Line and commit to it
This one is key. The Chiefs had success in the running game late last year mostly due to the fact that the offensive line was able to stay healthy and in turn develop some chemistry with eachother. Still, Pioli addressed the issue in free agency by signing guard Ryan Lilja and center Casey Weigmann, two former Chiefs.
It's essential the running game picks up where it left off last year. The Chiefs saw a star emerge in 2009 in Jamaal Charles and have newly acquired rusher Thomas Jones to help keep him fresh. With so many questions on defense, this team will surely have to score some points if it wants to win consistently this season. A consistent rushing attack will help keep some of the pressure off quarterback Matt Cassel. A comfortable Cassel should equate to an overall improved offensive attack.
All of this traces back to the offensive line. Whoever it may be, the Chiefs must commit to a starting five early in camp and allow them to grow together. If this happens and they can somehow stay healthy, the offense should look drastically different this year.
Solve the Page issue
A once promising young player, it seems obvious safety Jarrad Page's days as a Chief are numbered. It's clear that Page, who is one of the few current Chiefs who was acquired during the Herm Edwards regime, just doesn't fit Pioli's "right 53". He has yet to sign his free-agent tender offer and the Chiefs don't seem to mind. They drafted two players who play Page's position, Berry and fifth-rounder Kendrick Lewis from Ole Miss.
Either way, both sides would benefit if a solution could be found quickly. Page is doing nothing positive for his football career by sitting at home in August, and the last thing the Chiefs need is an off-the-field distraction during camp. (They have Dwayne Bowe under contract for that sort of thing.)
Re-establish the return game
One of the many aspects of the game that has been neglected since the Dick Vermeil days is the return game. It seems so long ago that the Chiefs were the most feared team in the league on kickoff and punt returns because of speedster Dante Hall. Since then, the team has consistently finished in the bottom third of the league in average starting field position for the offense. Naturally, this didn't help an already struggling offense score points last season.
Pioli definitely addressed this in the draft in April. In the second round, the Chiefs selected two college players known for their speed, running back (the plan is for him to be a slot receiver) from Ole Miss, Dexter McCluster, and Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas. While the main goals of these two players will surely be to help improve the offense and defense, respectively, there's no doubt what else the team had in mind when selecting these two. Both project as good returners; my thought is that one will return kicks and the other will return punts.
The team did use Charles on kickoffs from time to time last year, but in turn saw his effectiveness on offense drop dramatically because of overuse. It's obvious McCluster and Arenas were selected, along with the Jones signing, to help keep Charles fresh to where he can be a game-changer. If both rookies can live up their potential, the Chiefs could be a threat to score at any time during the course of a game.
. . .
This has easily been the most anticipated football season in Kansas City in recent memory. Along with that comes even more pressure for the Chiefs to have a successful training camp.
Plenty of other things certainly need to happen for the team to come out of camp and into the season feeling good about themselves. You'd like to see the team stay fairly healthy throughout the pre-season. You'd like to hope Head Coach Todd Haley can keep his cool and not let his ego get in the way when dealing with players (and coaches) during camp. One could only hope that most-to-all of the team will pass Haley's dreaded conditioning test Friday, which is a prerequisite to being able to participate in practice during camp.
And hey, we'd all like to think it's possible that at some point during camp Bowe will come to realize that the family who owns the team is the Hunts, not the Clarks.
But that's probably asking too much.
Most sports fans in Kansas City would agree that, regardless of the Royals performance (maybe), the football season could not come any sooner. So as we welcome the Chiefs' training camp with open - wide open - arms, let's take a look at some of things that need to happen in order for the team to have an opportunity for success this season.
Get Berry in camp
As of Thursday night, all of the Chiefs' draft picks have been signed except for their first-rounder, safety Eric Berry. Of the many flaws the 2009 Chiefs possessed, it's possible none was bigger than the overall play of the defense. If new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is to reverse the defense's fortunes, it will be with Berry leading the way. The Tennessee standout has been tagged as a natural-born leader and compared to the likes of Ed Reed. GM Scott Pioli needs to get a deal done. The sooner he gets on the field, the better.
D-Line must improve
Crennel was hired, more or less, to help maximize the capabilities of defensive linemen Glenn Dorsey and Tyson Jackson. It's certainly his main objective.
Dorsey and Jackson are both former first-round picks out of LSU who have so far failed to meet the expectations that come along with being top draft choices. While Dorsey showed some signs of improvement in his second season in 2009, Jackson was virtually non-existent throughout his whole rookie campaign. It's time to put up or shut up. The defensive line's level of success this season could mean the difference between last place or playoffs for the Chiefs in 2010.
Find the right fit for the O-Line and commit to it
This one is key. The Chiefs had success in the running game late last year mostly due to the fact that the offensive line was able to stay healthy and in turn develop some chemistry with eachother. Still, Pioli addressed the issue in free agency by signing guard Ryan Lilja and center Casey Weigmann, two former Chiefs.
It's essential the running game picks up where it left off last year. The Chiefs saw a star emerge in 2009 in Jamaal Charles and have newly acquired rusher Thomas Jones to help keep him fresh. With so many questions on defense, this team will surely have to score some points if it wants to win consistently this season. A consistent rushing attack will help keep some of the pressure off quarterback Matt Cassel. A comfortable Cassel should equate to an overall improved offensive attack.
All of this traces back to the offensive line. Whoever it may be, the Chiefs must commit to a starting five early in camp and allow them to grow together. If this happens and they can somehow stay healthy, the offense should look drastically different this year.
Solve the Page issue
A once promising young player, it seems obvious safety Jarrad Page's days as a Chief are numbered. It's clear that Page, who is one of the few current Chiefs who was acquired during the Herm Edwards regime, just doesn't fit Pioli's "right 53". He has yet to sign his free-agent tender offer and the Chiefs don't seem to mind. They drafted two players who play Page's position, Berry and fifth-rounder Kendrick Lewis from Ole Miss.
Either way, both sides would benefit if a solution could be found quickly. Page is doing nothing positive for his football career by sitting at home in August, and the last thing the Chiefs need is an off-the-field distraction during camp. (They have Dwayne Bowe under contract for that sort of thing.)
Re-establish the return game
One of the many aspects of the game that has been neglected since the Dick Vermeil days is the return game. It seems so long ago that the Chiefs were the most feared team in the league on kickoff and punt returns because of speedster Dante Hall. Since then, the team has consistently finished in the bottom third of the league in average starting field position for the offense. Naturally, this didn't help an already struggling offense score points last season.
Pioli definitely addressed this in the draft in April. In the second round, the Chiefs selected two college players known for their speed, running back (the plan is for him to be a slot receiver) from Ole Miss, Dexter McCluster, and Alabama cornerback Javier Arenas. While the main goals of these two players will surely be to help improve the offense and defense, respectively, there's no doubt what else the team had in mind when selecting these two. Both project as good returners; my thought is that one will return kicks and the other will return punts.
The team did use Charles on kickoffs from time to time last year, but in turn saw his effectiveness on offense drop dramatically because of overuse. It's obvious McCluster and Arenas were selected, along with the Jones signing, to help keep Charles fresh to where he can be a game-changer. If both rookies can live up their potential, the Chiefs could be a threat to score at any time during the course of a game.
. . .
This has easily been the most anticipated football season in Kansas City in recent memory. Along with that comes even more pressure for the Chiefs to have a successful training camp.
Plenty of other things certainly need to happen for the team to come out of camp and into the season feeling good about themselves. You'd like to see the team stay fairly healthy throughout the pre-season. You'd like to hope Head Coach Todd Haley can keep his cool and not let his ego get in the way when dealing with players (and coaches) during camp. One could only hope that most-to-all of the team will pass Haley's dreaded conditioning test Friday, which is a prerequisite to being able to participate in practice during camp.
And hey, we'd all like to think it's possible that at some point during camp Bowe will come to realize that the family who owns the team is the Hunts, not the Clarks.
But that's probably asking too much.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Pressure Is On Cassel Now
Now that the NFL Draft is complete, football fans across the country finally have a chance to take a step back and see what their favorite teams did and didn't do over the off-season. Not that the off-season is over, there's still about three full months until training camp starts, but any big improvements a team needed to make should have been made by now.*
*It's worth noting Jacksonville Jaguar DT John Henderson and New England Patriot LB Adalius Thomas, both former Pro Bowlers, were both released by their respective teams today. Expect one (probably Henderson) or both of these players to be in Chiefs' red by the end of the week.
And if you're like me and you're already ready for football because of the way the Royals have been playing, you'll eat up anything and everything NFL, especially with regards to the Chiefs. The problem is, I don't have a strong opinion about the Chiefs' draft. Well, maybe it'd be better put this way: I have an opinion about the draft, but it's probably no more relevant than my 11-year old niece's opinion about the draft. Any real fan knows the history. It's a crapshoot. Some players will end up being busts, few will be stars, and most will be average NFL players. That's all we really know. We don't know who will do what, and that's really the beauty of the whole thing.
So in looking at the Chiefs' off-season as a whole, it seems blatantly obvious to me as to what will determine the Chiefs fate this upcoming season: Matt Cassel. Sure, there are other factors and storylines. How much impact will first-round pick Eric Berry have on the defense? Can the defensive front seven improve, specifically Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey? Can Branden Albert prove himself to be a real NFL left tackle? Is cornerback Brandon Flowers ready to emerge as a superstar? And so on.
Really, to be fair, without most-to-all of those questions being answered positively for the Chiefs, Matt Cassel's play probably won't matter too much. It does, though, seem obvious that GM Scott Pioli is determined to find out wheter Cassel is the real deal by the end of this season. There were plenty of scapegoats last year, including the offensive line's struggles and Head Coach Todd Haley scrapping the playbook two weeks before the season started. It's also easy to forget WR Dwayne Bowe's four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, handicapping an already depleted receiving corps.
Cassel's time to shine starts now. He must show substancial improvement this season to justify the contract Pioli gave him after trading for him last off-season.
The excuses, most of them at least, are gone, and the improvements on the Chiefs' offense are everywhere. It started with the addition of new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. Weis was the Patriots' offensive coordinator for their three Super Bowl victories in the 2000s and some credit him for Tom Brady's emergence into superstardom.
In free agency, the Chiefs improved their offense with a flurry of moves. They re-signed two former Chiefs on the offensive line, guard Ryan Lilja and center Casey Weigmann. On top of that, they used one of their third-round draft choices on Illinois guard Jon Asamoah, who some think could be a starter as early as next season. Along with standout guard Brian Waters, the Chiefs, at least on the interior line, finally have some stability.
The Chiefs also added my personal favorite off-season addition, RB Thomas Jones. Jones ran for over 1,400 yards last season for the Jets, and should help keep the smaller, yet more explosive Jamaal Charles fresh. All of this equates to the Chiefs all the sudden having one of the better rushing attacks in the league, at least on paper.
If it seemed like Cassel couldn't develop any chemistry with his receiving options last year, he certainly will have the opportunity to this year. Along with Asamoah, the Chiefs also drafted potential slot receiver Dexter McCluster from Ole Miss, and TE Tony Moeaki from Iowa. Both are expected to come in and have an immediate impact. While McCluster grades out to be a Dante Hall-type who will create matchup problems for defenses, Moeaki should emerge as Cassel's best friend on third down. I really like this pick for the Chiefs, as long as he can stay healthy (he had injury problems every season he was at Iowa). He won't be Tony Gonzalez. I'm reminded more of a Chris Cooley-type.
With last year's surprise addition of WR Chris Chambers and a (hopefully) more mature Bowe, the receiving corps, and all of Cassel's receiving options as a whole seem to be more solidified. More importantly, though, they seem to be BETTER.
The Chiefs' confidence in Cassel may not have been anymore apparent than when they passed on QB Jimmy Clausen in the second round of the draft on Friday. Clausen was expected to go much earlier in the draft, and Weis recruited and coached Clausen during their time together at Notre Dame. That may have been the Chiefs' best chance at improving the quarterback position on their roster, at least in the next few years. Theoretically speaking, passing on Clausen means the Chiefs feel Cassel is and has the potential to be better than Clausen. This is a great sign for Chiefs fans.
I think the Chiefs can win with Matt Cassel. I don't know if it will be this season, but we should certainly expect an improved Cassel, and with that, an improved team. I like Cassel. I think I like him more than the average Chiefs fan. This season is a chance for Cassel to prove (most of) Kansas City wrong. It's a chance for him to prove Mel Kiper wrong.* It's really an exciting time for Chiefs fans, and I, as much as any of us, cannot wait for what's to come.
*Before the Chiefs passed on Clausen in round two, Kiper noted that he thought Clausen was a very competitive and fiery quarterback, and he didn't feel Cassel was fiery enough to be a winner in the NFL. I hate Mel Kiper.
*It's worth noting Jacksonville Jaguar DT John Henderson and New England Patriot LB Adalius Thomas, both former Pro Bowlers, were both released by their respective teams today. Expect one (probably Henderson) or both of these players to be in Chiefs' red by the end of the week.
And if you're like me and you're already ready for football because of the way the Royals have been playing, you'll eat up anything and everything NFL, especially with regards to the Chiefs. The problem is, I don't have a strong opinion about the Chiefs' draft. Well, maybe it'd be better put this way: I have an opinion about the draft, but it's probably no more relevant than my 11-year old niece's opinion about the draft. Any real fan knows the history. It's a crapshoot. Some players will end up being busts, few will be stars, and most will be average NFL players. That's all we really know. We don't know who will do what, and that's really the beauty of the whole thing.
So in looking at the Chiefs' off-season as a whole, it seems blatantly obvious to me as to what will determine the Chiefs fate this upcoming season: Matt Cassel. Sure, there are other factors and storylines. How much impact will first-round pick Eric Berry have on the defense? Can the defensive front seven improve, specifically Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey? Can Branden Albert prove himself to be a real NFL left tackle? Is cornerback Brandon Flowers ready to emerge as a superstar? And so on.
Really, to be fair, without most-to-all of those questions being answered positively for the Chiefs, Matt Cassel's play probably won't matter too much. It does, though, seem obvious that GM Scott Pioli is determined to find out wheter Cassel is the real deal by the end of this season. There were plenty of scapegoats last year, including the offensive line's struggles and Head Coach Todd Haley scrapping the playbook two weeks before the season started. It's also easy to forget WR Dwayne Bowe's four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy, handicapping an already depleted receiving corps.
Cassel's time to shine starts now. He must show substancial improvement this season to justify the contract Pioli gave him after trading for him last off-season.
The excuses, most of them at least, are gone, and the improvements on the Chiefs' offense are everywhere. It started with the addition of new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis. Weis was the Patriots' offensive coordinator for their three Super Bowl victories in the 2000s and some credit him for Tom Brady's emergence into superstardom.
In free agency, the Chiefs improved their offense with a flurry of moves. They re-signed two former Chiefs on the offensive line, guard Ryan Lilja and center Casey Weigmann. On top of that, they used one of their third-round draft choices on Illinois guard Jon Asamoah, who some think could be a starter as early as next season. Along with standout guard Brian Waters, the Chiefs, at least on the interior line, finally have some stability.
The Chiefs also added my personal favorite off-season addition, RB Thomas Jones. Jones ran for over 1,400 yards last season for the Jets, and should help keep the smaller, yet more explosive Jamaal Charles fresh. All of this equates to the Chiefs all the sudden having one of the better rushing attacks in the league, at least on paper.
If it seemed like Cassel couldn't develop any chemistry with his receiving options last year, he certainly will have the opportunity to this year. Along with Asamoah, the Chiefs also drafted potential slot receiver Dexter McCluster from Ole Miss, and TE Tony Moeaki from Iowa. Both are expected to come in and have an immediate impact. While McCluster grades out to be a Dante Hall-type who will create matchup problems for defenses, Moeaki should emerge as Cassel's best friend on third down. I really like this pick for the Chiefs, as long as he can stay healthy (he had injury problems every season he was at Iowa). He won't be Tony Gonzalez. I'm reminded more of a Chris Cooley-type.
With last year's surprise addition of WR Chris Chambers and a (hopefully) more mature Bowe, the receiving corps, and all of Cassel's receiving options as a whole seem to be more solidified. More importantly, though, they seem to be BETTER.
The Chiefs' confidence in Cassel may not have been anymore apparent than when they passed on QB Jimmy Clausen in the second round of the draft on Friday. Clausen was expected to go much earlier in the draft, and Weis recruited and coached Clausen during their time together at Notre Dame. That may have been the Chiefs' best chance at improving the quarterback position on their roster, at least in the next few years. Theoretically speaking, passing on Clausen means the Chiefs feel Cassel is and has the potential to be better than Clausen. This is a great sign for Chiefs fans.
I think the Chiefs can win with Matt Cassel. I don't know if it will be this season, but we should certainly expect an improved Cassel, and with that, an improved team. I like Cassel. I think I like him more than the average Chiefs fan. This season is a chance for Cassel to prove (most of) Kansas City wrong. It's a chance for him to prove Mel Kiper wrong.* It's really an exciting time for Chiefs fans, and I, as much as any of us, cannot wait for what's to come.
*Before the Chiefs passed on Clausen in round two, Kiper noted that he thought Clausen was a very competitive and fiery quarterback, and he didn't feel Cassel was fiery enough to be a winner in the NFL. I hate Mel Kiper.
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