SB Nation - Donnie Edwards

What I'm going to be looking for in tomorrow's game

Stephen (shaynes41) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:30:09 -0000

Preseason games are always funny games to watch. Winning or losing doesn't really matter. You'd like to see our ones do well against their ones, but it doesn't really matter what the score is. It's almost like the anti-game. You really care more about how individuals did and maybe how certain groups did than who wins the game.

That being said, there are a couple things I'm going to be looking for during the game tomorrow. Actually, I'll watch the game Monday since I'll have to DVR it since I'll be gone over the weekend. However, my time warner channel listing still shows the game on at 7PM and no game on at 10:30 on CBS, I'll have to rig something up before I leave and I might not see the game at all... Assuming I actually get to watch the game, here is what I'm going to be looking for:

Running Game - I know this is kind of general and obvious, but there are several things I want to see. 1) Is Jacob Hester getting good blocks and does LaDainian Tomlinson trust him? Last year, Mike Tolbert and Hester didn't do a real good job of lead blocking and you could tell that LT didn't trust them, even when Hester started to get a little better at it towards the end of the year LT still didn't follow him like he followed LoNeal. 2) I want to see Marcus McNeill pushing some guys around. He is probably never going to be like Dielman in this way, but I want to see him moving guys or at least effectively shielding them. Show me that he is recovered from his neck injury. 3) I want to see Kynan Forney doing his best road grader impersonation. If he is not doing this, we can expect the right side to be weak until Louis Vasquez comes around. 4) I also want to see how Gartrell Johnson does, but that is more from a curiosity standpoint since I don't see him contributing a whole lot this year.

Inside Linebacker Play - Kevin Burnett, is he the second coming of Donnie Edwards? I expect to see him do well and make some plays in pass coverage. I am curious to see if he is on the field on running downs and if so how he plays. One thing that has changed between this year and last is that the defensive lineman are supposedly going to be more aggressive. They have been talking about doing more gap penetration as opposed to last year when they were more gap control. Gap penetration has the potential to make big plays, but it also allows the offensive lineman to get into your LBs quicker. How does Burnett deal with this if it happens? Can he shed the blockers and still make plays? Best case scenario for the Bolts this year is that Stephen Cooper and Burnett never come off the field. They play passing downs and running downs. More than likely Burnett and Dobbins will split time at the ILB spot opposite Cooper.

Covering the Tight End - We absolutely sucked at covering the tight end last year. Partly because Wilhelm wasn't very good at it, and that is one of the reasons he is gone and Burnett is here. Hart and Weddle also share some of the blame. Theoretically, between Burnett, a healthy Hart, and additional pressure from Merriman, we will be better against the tight ends. Seattle has a decent tight end in John Carlson. He should provide a good test.

After the ones come out sometime in the early second quarter, you'll want to keep you eyes on specific players

On Offense:

WRs - Buster Davis (84) and Kassim Osgood (81). Can these guys be relied on? I am hopeful.

OL - Tyronne Green (69) is he even on this team? 4th round pick should make some kind of impact. Perhaps he is a gamer, we'll see.

TE - Kory Sperry (47) vs. Kris Wilson (88). I've been hearing good things about both these guys. Kris is a second year player and Kory is a UDFA Rookie. I bet Norv will be looking for more of a blocking TE for this 3rd stringer role.

On Defense:

DT - Vaughn Martin (92) - I know he will make plays eventually, but at this point I want to see how lost he looks out there. If he is getting handled consistently, it's probably because he is thinking too much. The more he has to think, the longer it will be until he can contribute.

LB - Keep an eye on my man Darry Beckwith (46)

SS - Kevin Ellison (25) - Another guy to watch and see if he looks lost or tentative. Does he play any LB? John even saw him on the DL for a play. It will be interesting to see if they get creative with Ellison.

FS - C.J. Spillman (41) - this UDFA has been getting some time at FS with Weddle injured.

X's and O's - Stephen Cooper

John (obviousman) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:20:32 -0000

Time for a positive X's and O's. Or at least I think it will be. We'll start where we always start, with my thoughts prior to watching any of the film.

I think Cooper is perfectly fitted to be a 3-4 ILB. He's smart, he's good in coverage and he's strong enough to be considered a run-stopper as well. The only thing he lacks is the sideline-to-sideline speed that would be necessary to play MLB in a 4-3 defense. Outside of his failed drug test getting him suspended for the first four games in 2008, I don't know that Cooper showed a flaw in his game last season. I think, going into this, that the only thing that could improve Cooper's game is experience and a better player standing next to him. While the ILB spots are not the most crucial to the defense's success, having one or two weak players in the middle of your defense could be disastrous.

Now, onto the stats. After that, the film. Since it undoubtedly took a few weeks for Cooper to work himself into game shape, I'll be watching tape of games played after the Week 9 Bye.

Stats: In only 12 games, Stephen Cooper managed to collect 98 total tackles. If he would've played at this pace or 16 games, he would've ended up with a little more than 130 tackles. In only 3 games during Weeks 14-16, Cooper intercepted 4 passes. Stephen's season-high number of tackles (13) came in the playoff game against the Steelers, showing that he is not afraid of the big-time games. Surprisingly, in his first two seasons as the Chargers starting ILB, there has been only a very small statistical drop-off between Donnie Edwards and Stephen Cooper (who was a special teams standout prior to Edwards being released). Considering the differences in their age (Cooper is 30, Edwards is 36) and Edwards dislike for the Chargers front office, I believe the right move was made.

What the Tape Says: I'll start with some disappointing news. There is just no way to capture the Inside Linebacker position with pictures. With Clary, it was easy to capture what was going on because on running plays and passing plays the camera stayed watching the line for a while. With Hart I was able to capture some long passing plays down the field. While watching Stephen Cooper it became evident that the plays in which he stayed in the frame (mostly running plays) were mostly uneventful. You'd end up with a bunch of pictures of Cooper getting blocked. On passing plays that he was involved with, since they were in the middle of the field and usually only 7-8 yards in front of the line of scrimmage, they were typically over by time the camera got there and was stabilized. It would be impossible to me to try and capture images to show you where Cooper was and where he was supposed to be. So while there's one picture mixed in here, you're going to have to take my word on the rest of the info written about Cooper. If I have the time and there's enough of an outcry for pictures to back up the points made, I'll do a follow-up post. Now, onto what I saw:

My favorite thing about doing these X's and O's posts is that I always catch something that I wasn't expecting, both about the player I'm looking at and otherwise. On the side of things that I caught that didn't really have anything to do with Stephen Cooper:

Shaun Phillips is really good. It's kindof a shame that he's not getting any respect because Merriman was gone in 2008. After watching him on tape for a while now, he's our best linebacker. Not the best pass-rusher, that's obviously Merriman, but Phillips is the best linebacker. He's similar to Adalius Thomas in all of the things he can do well. He could probably play SS if we really wanted him to. Now that he's in the hands/system of a creative defensive coordinator, you're going to see how talented he is.
Ron Rivera's hands are all over the defense in the last few games of 2008. On some plays Shaun Phillips is playing nickel. On others, Antwan Applewhite is playing a "Joker" position which is similar to a QB spy but is sneaky in it's pass-rushing abilities as well. I think English or Phillips will be playing a lot of "Joker" this year. Phillips would be better at it. Also, I saw some plays where Cooper played centerfield (basically as a safety covering the middle of the field) and the defense basically was a big moving puzzle. The Broncos, with as good an offense as they had last year, never figured it out. The Chargers will have some kind of dynamic defense in 2009.

Okay, now the stuff that is related to Cooper. It pains me to say this, but Stephen is not as great as I had originally thought. Perhaps I had my expectations too high, but the man has some gaping holes in his game. Let's go over them one-by-one before we get to his strengths:

Zone Coverage: This one is a hard thing to break down for a couple of reasons. One, typically a second or two after the ball is snapped Cooper has backpedaled out of the picture. When the ball is thrown to a receiver in the middle of the field, I can estimate by where he is whether or not he's in the right position. However, that's the best I can do. Going on that alone, Cooper is not very good at zone coverage. When the ball is thrown to a tight end or receiver over the middle, Cooper should be breaking up that pass or laying the lumber on the receiver and that happens very rarely. BUT, this could be swayed by the second factor: teams seem to avoid throwing to the middle of the field when he's in zone coverage there. Is it because he's good that they're avoiding him? Quite possibly. It could be the only time they will throw to the middle of the field is when he's not there or when he's made a mistake, which makes him look bad on the game tape that I'm watching. Without seeing where he is on the passes that are not made, relative to the receiver or zone he's covering, it's tough to know. If I were to give a slightly-educated guess, it appears to me that Cooper plays smart on the field and is OK, but not great at zone. If zone coverage is a weakness in his game, it would help to explain the Kevin Burnett signing. Very rarely do you need both ILBs playing zone over the middle. If one is doing that, the other is free to rush the passer or double a slot receiver (or sometimes play centerfield). I think this season, Burnett will handle the majority of the zone coverage over the middle.

This is one of the formations I was talking about with Rivera by the way. You'll see there are three down linemen, with Applewhite playing the "Joker" position between NT and RDE. Cromartie, Cooper and Jammer are playing zone for the left, middle and right sides of the field. Weddle is lined up in man on Royal in the slot and Cason is at the end of the line ready to jam Brandon Marshall. Gregory and Oliver are providing deep Cover 2 (out of the picture). I won't show you the rest of this play because at this point this game was a blowout, but Cooper blew the middle-coverage by focusing too much of Putzier and allowing Marshall a wide-open catch after getting off the line and past Cason.

Man Coverage: Man coverage is easier to identify and break down than zone coverage. Cooper does a great job on man, using his size and strength to muscle himself in the way of the ball. Similar to his play in zone, you can often see quarterbacks shying away from throwing to the player Cooper is covering (keep in mind that the games I'm watching are late in the season, when he got a bunch of interceptions). The only things Cooper has to work on as far as pass coverage is concerned are play-action fakes, which he bites on almost every time, and quick slants. Like a lot of defensive players, Cooper waits to see what happens in the first second after the snap to decide what he's going to do. Basically, he does not "read" the receiver but instead "follows" him. This is not a major weakness, because he's a linebacker and not a corner. However, The Chiefs (in their Pistol formation) used this to their advantage by throwing quick slant after quick slant to Gonzalez and Bowe right next to Cooper. It's not something he should be expected to do, but it's a way in which he can try to improve. It's me being nitpicky really.

Blitzing: A dedication to his move at the snap rather than a second after would also help his blitzing. I have yet to see a play where Cooper ends up in the backfield (unless he's coming around the outside on a pass rush or they forget to block him). By time he sees a run or decides to rush up the middle, a blocker has seen him and is in the proper stance to receive him. More times than once this has led to a big play for the opposition, with Cooper being blocked and a running back run right by him. Getting caught up with a blocker for a second might be okay for a linebacker with great speed, but Cooper seems slower than most of the RBs we face and cannot afford to be playing catchup with them. The other thing that hurts him as a blitzer is the lack of any move. He's not strong enough for the bullrush (a Merriman special) and he's not quick enough for a spin or swim move. Cooper brings almost nothing to the table as a pass-rusher up the middle.

Tackling: This Cooper can do. He has upper-body strength to spare and uses it well. If a ball-carrier gets within five yards of him and Stephen's not chasing him from behind, that guy is going down. The tackles are not necessarily jarring, but he does a good job of wrapping up and bringing the ball-carrier to the ground. You really can't ask for anything else.

Positioning: Here is Cooper's bread-and-butter. He stops rushes not because of his speed or overpowering strength, but because he's good at reading the direction of a play and he's patient. He could do a better job at reading blockers while going after the ballcarrier (he gets blind-sided a fair amount), but he fits the job description for a 3-4 Inside Linebacker well. Stay in your lane, wait for the play to come to you and make the tackle. Have good enough hands to scare QBs from throwing over the middle in zone coverage.

Summary: So I was wrong. I thought Cooper was probably the best 3-4 Inside Linebacker in the league. Actually, he still may be, but he has flaws in his game. Dobbins is a better a better pass-rusher and run-stopper, partly because he is better at the bullrush and partly because he reads the snapcount and jumps into the backfield from time to time. However, Dobbins is lost in zone coverage and falls even further behind receivers using the same "Follow" technique as Cooper. Dobbins also relies more on his strength and speed than positioning, which will lead to more mistakes...especially if he's injured. Cooper, in my mind, is always compared to Donnie Edwards and in that comparison he breaks about even. He's stronger and plays the run better, but Donnie played the ILB position like a cornerback or safety and had great success against the pass. They're about equal in their positioning and patience.

My final evaluation of Stephen Cooper is that he's a grinder that's good at a lot of things but not great at any one thing. In the right kind of defense, he could accomplish even more than he did in 2008. With a great rush off the edges like the Chargers had in 2007, there will be more holes in the middle of the line for him to rush the passer. Also, there will be less time for receivers to create space by running away from him if the quarterback only has two seconds before getting sacked. So, just like the answer to every defensive problem, Cooper can get better with a pass rush. The signing of Kevin Burnett is one that will benefit him as well. He can learn from Burnett about coverage, but at the same time he'll be freed up to push the pocket or sniff out a run and his jumping on play-action will have less of an impact on the rest of the defense. I actually think if Burnett is as good in coverage as he's rumored to be, that in the formation picture above he'll take the place of Cooper (playing "centerfield) and English will take Applewhite's place as the Joker. So maybe that wouldn't benefit Cooper as much. We'll see.

Same Old Chiefs Defense

Joel Thorman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 12:48:05 -0000

via www.chicagotribune.com

"Same Old Chiefs" was kind of the theme of last season between Chris and I. It seemed like we were blogging about the same thing over and over again, week after week, game after game. The season dragged on and the defense continued to do the same things over and over again to little avail. The team would play a decent first half, only to inevitably collapse in the 3rd and 4th quarters.

So what has really changed with the Chiefs' defense?

Players Lost	Players Gained
DE Jason Babin (UFA)	LB Mike Vrabel
LB Rocky Boiman (UFA)	LB Corey Mays
S Oliver Celestin (UFA)	CB Travis Daniels
LB Pat Thomas (UFA)	LB Monty Beisel
CB David Macklin (Released)
CB Patrick Surtain (Released)
LB Donnie Edwards (Released)

The Chiefs re-signed S Jon McGraw and tendered S Jarrad Page with a second round tender as a restricted free agent. I think most of us will agree that both these players warranted being re-signed (especially considering the poor state of the Chiefs defense).

So what have we really done? Are you telling me a semi-scheme change in the defense will be that much of a boost?

Sorry. I don't buy it.

Let's say the Chiefs ignore the offensive line and go defense with their first two picks in April's draft. Are these draft picks (only two of which can likely be depended upon to start) going to have a bigger impact than Jason Babin and Rocky Boiman and Donnie Edwards (when healthy) and Patrick Surtain (when healthy)?

As someone who's firmly entrenched in the mindset that it's easier to win consistently for years with a great defense and mediocre offense (vs. a great offense and mediocre defense) I'm coming to grips with the fact that the Chiefs defense has a very good chance of being almost as terrible as they were last year.

The acquisitions during free agency, while definitely upgrades in certain spots (Vrabel and Beisel), aren't nearly enough to warrant any game-changing predictions about the Chiefs defense.

With all that said, I know I'm being impatient. As Chris blogged in early March, the Chiefs shouldn't expect more than an 11 spot defensive ranking boost on average over the course of the next season. But, in most of those cases, the offseason acquisitions have been more than a 34 year old linebacker.

Only the Lions would do the same thing over and over again and expect different results.

Chiefs Free Agency Roster Moves Summary

Chris Thorman — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:31:37 -0000

Additions	Subtractions	UFA Re-signed	UFA not Re-Signed	Visited/ Interested
QB Matt Cassel	CB Pat Surtain	S Jon McGraw	LB Pat Thomas	SS Keith Davis
LB Mike Vrabel	LB Donnie Edwards		G Adrian Jones	WR Keary Colbert
WR C.J. Jones	QB Damon Huard		S Oliver Celestin	WR Bobby Engram
LB Darrell Robertson	TE Michael Merritt		LB Rocky Boiman	LB Clark Haggans
CB Travis Daniels			DE Jason Babin

Since not all of you get to obsessively check Arrowhead Pride for hours a day, here's a roster roundup to help people get caught up.

The Kansas City Chiefs have signed/traded for six players; cut four players; re-signed one unrestricted free agent; and had a number of players in for free agent visits.

The Chiefs have 68 players on the roster. And as of right now, we'll add six players through the draft (possibly more if you don't forget about compensatory picks, which I think we'll get at least one).

That leaves about a half dozen or so players that the Chiefs will add at some point this off season. The current roster is far from concrete. Players currently on the roster will be cut as others at their position become available or they've worn out their potential with Todd Haley.

I've linked back to our discussions about some of those players in case you want to catch up.

Chiefs Roster Moves Increase Salary Cap Space to $50 Million

Joel Thorman — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 14:48:07 -0000

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lead the NFL with approximately $55 million in cap space entering the start of the 2009 league year on March 1st. The Kansas City Chiefs won't be far behind as they're projected to be under the salary cap by approximately $50 million.

Adam Teicher over at the Red Zone breaks down the cap savings yesterday:

Patrick Surtain's 2009 cap hit was $9.73 million. His release two years early from a 7 year, $52 million contract signed 5 years ago brings his cap hit to $3.55 million. Cap savings: $6.18 million.
Donnie Edwards' cap number for 2009 was $6.5 million. His released lowered that number to $1.1 million. Cap savings: $5.4 million.
Damon Huard's contract 3 year, $7.5 million contract signed in 2007 called for a $2.9 million cap hit in 2009. His release reduces that number to $900,000. Cap savings: $2 million.

Yesterday's moves will take approximately $13.5 million off the books for 2009.

Since the Chiefs were already approximately $37 million under the cap, this brings their salary cap space to a shade over $50 million.

There is also a minimum the Chiefs MUST spend to comply with the salary cap rules. The minimum is 86.% of the salary cap according to Ask The Commish. That means the Chiefs must spend approximately $106 million on the players.

This means that the Chiefs are looking at spending at least $33 million of cap space in 2009. Some of that will come free agents and some of that will go to players currently on the team.

UPDATE: Looks like we may have even more cap room.

Chiefs Release Huard, Edwards and Merritt, Too

Joel Thorman — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:05:00 -0000

via www.kcchiefsfootball.com

Just a little bit we ago we learned that the Chiefs released veteran Patrick Surtain. We thought veteran Donnie Edwards might be close behind him.

Turns out it wasn't just Edwards that was cut.

The Chiefs released quarterback Damon Huard, cornerback Patrick Surtain and linebacker Donnie Edwards today. Also released was tight end Mike Merritt.

None of these moves are much of a surprise for those who have been following the Chiefs offseason.

Damon Huard was signed to a 3 year, $7.5 million contract extension by former GM Carl Peterson two seasons ago. (Interesting note about Huard from Rotoworld: "Turning 36, Huard could follow his younger brother Brock to TV." Brock and Damon? On TV?) He will immediately become a free agent and free to sign with any team.
Donnie Edwards was due $5 million in 2009 and his release will free up $4.5 million in salary cap space for the Chiefs. He will immediately become a free agent and free to sign with any team.
Michael Merritt, if you'll remember, brought us this great quote just a few short weeks ago: "All this for a little bit of weed?" You can figure out the rest. Because he's not a fully vested veteran (4 years of service), Merritt will have to pass through the waiver wire before he's free to sign with any team.

Over $10 million in cap space freed up today. Not bad at all, Mr. Pioli.

Poll

What do you think of today's roster moves?

Approve

1039 votes

Disapprove

19 votes

1058 votes | Poll has closed

Chiefs Release Patrick Surtain; Donnie Edwards Next?

Joel Thorman — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:14:26 -0000

via cache.daylife.com

According to the NFL Network's Adam Schefter, the Kansas City Chiefs have released veteran cornerback Patrick Surtain.

Surtain had $7 million due to him in 2009 so it's no surprise that the new regime has decided to part ways with him. The move will free up $6.184 million in salary cap room.

The Chiefs acquired Surtain from the Miami Dolphins prior to the 2005 season in exchange for a 2nd round draft pick.

Schefter also speculates that veteran linebacker Donnie Edwards could be the next cap casualty.

Surtain, 32, isn’t expected to be the last Chiefs player released before Friday. Veteran LB Donnie Edwards also could be in jeopardy, as he is scheduled to make $5 million in base salary. If he is released, it would free up another $4.5 million in salary-cap savings.

The Chiefs were already sitting pretty in regards to salary cap room for the looming free agency period. If we do cut Edwards, that will free up over $10 million MORE in salary cap.

Four Chiefs Out This Weekend Against the Bills

Chris Thorman — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:36:17 -0000

Herm is questionable for in-game management this weekend. Via NFL.com

And we have the final injury report of the week.

Name	Position	Injury	Practice Status	Game Status

BUF
Jabari Greer	CB	Knee	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Aaron Schobel	DE	Foot	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Donte Whitner	S	Shoulder	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Marcus Buggs	LB	Ankle	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)	Out
Josh Reed	WR	Ankle	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable
Bryan Scott	S	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Questionable

KC
Donnie Edwards	LB	Hamstring	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Adrian Jones	G	Ankle	Did Not Participate In Practice	Out
Patrick Surtain	CB	Quadricep	Limited Participation in Practice	Out
Patrick Thomas	LB	Thigh	Limited Participation in Practice	Out
Mark Bradley	WR	Calf	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Brandon Flowers	CB	Thigh	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Derrick Johnson	LB	Thigh	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Jarrad Page	S	Groin	Full Participation in Practice	Probable
Glenn Dorsey	DT	Knee	Limited Participation in Practice	Probable

Nice. Only nine players on this week's injury report for us. And only seven of them are starters! Things are looking up...

Morning Update (Ram It Edition)

Chris Thorman — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 13:39:00 -0000

I...I...no words...H/T Chiefs Planet

Kent Babb's been busy as he pens this article about Chiefs fans avoiding going to Arrowhead Stadium for the games.

Question for this morning: Is attendance at the stadium, especially in a poor economy, the best gauge of fan interest? I'd put more stock in television ratings.

Looks like the Bills are currently 3 point favorites over the Chiefs this weekend.

Chiefs injury notes: Not working at all were receiver Mark Bradley (calf), tight end Tony Gonzalez (knee), linebacker Donnie Edwards (hamstring) and guard Adrian Jones (ankle). Working limited were defensive end Tamba Hali (ankle), safety Jarrad Page (groin) and linebacker Pat Thomas (thigh).

Bills LB Kawika Mitchell returns to Kansas City this weekend and if came back to the Chiefs, he would easily be the best linebacker on the team.

Some of The Star columnists- Jason Whitlock and Adam Teicher - have been going back and forth about whether the Chiefs need to pursue a QB or a DE in the first round of the '09 draft. Kent Babb says it should be neither. He wants a middle linebacker. It's really pretty cool how much debate we're getting out of those guys and it makes the conversation that much better.

Kansas City Chiefs Draft Report II: The Trade Down for Maualuga.

Enjoy the links. I'll be back in a bit, talking about Larry Johnson's future role with the Chiefs.

Poll

Do you prefer to make fun of the Rams or AFC West opponents?

Rams

45 votes

AFC West

113 votes

158 votes | Poll has closed

Six Chiefs are Out Against the Saints this Weekend

Chris Thorman — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:25:06 -0000

Just a quick note in the middle of a very busy day for me:

No surprises here: Herm Edwards said defensive end Tamba Hali, linebackers Derrick Johnson and Pat Thomas, cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Pat Surtain and guard Adrian Jones would not play on Sunday against New Orleans at Arrowhead Stadium. That's five starters plus the third cornerback.

That leaves the Chiefs Donnie Edwards, Demorrio Williams, Erik Walden, Weston Dacus and Rocky Boiman at linebacker. Only Edwards and Wiliams were on the team at the beginning of the season.