SB Nation User Blog: Buck'O

For all you Jake Locker Fans

Buck'O — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 21:51:18 -0000

For all you Jake Locker Fans

He's staying in school next year.

Fox Sports did a write-up on the Chiefs today

Buck'O — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:56:43 -0000

Fox Sports did a write-up on the Chiefs today

More or less a recap of the recent Pioli era. Not a bad read.

The Case for More Than One Kicker in Camp

Buck'O — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:03:37 -0000

We've had some surprising debate over the release of Connor Barth this week. I personally have taken the position that this was a mistake. Many have expressed their surprise at the high level of debate (drama) this has sparked here at AP. I'll try to keep it short enough, but I wanted to make the case as to why this is a critical position and getting it right is so important.

In defense of Barth's release by the Chiefs, many here are of the opinion that if Succop sucks, we'll get rid of him and bring in the next kicker. It's not a big deal because they don't have to learn the playbook. Well, true, they don't but...

KICKERS ARE HEAD CASES.

If we have to replace Succop, who is an unproven rookie with mediocre college statistics, at mid-season then we have a compound problem. For starters, the best kickers are already on teams. It takes practice to be consistently good. If a guy is just hanging around at mid season waiting for a spot to open up, he's there hanging around for a reason. :-\ He's also not likely to have been practicing as though he were on a team. :-\ That tends to make a guy rusty. As far as the mechanics of kicking go, I have a bit of a frame of reference here because I played competitive soccer for nearly 30 years and I also did some kicking in highschool football. Any golfers here? Yeah, the level of difficulty is similar to driving a golf ball straight down the fairway. The only way to get good is to practice. Let me tell you, kicking and oblong ball with power and accuracy under variable wind conditions is an art. It's more difficult than you might think.

The really weird thing about a kicker on a football team is that they often exist on the fringe in the locker room. What they do requires a ton of practice and technique. On the field, it's probably the single most individualistic function in the game. Kickers often practice pretty much by themselves and yet they bear the responsibility for putting a large number of points on the board for the team. If they get into a rut, it can be a massive head trip for them. They have to battle with themselves mentally and physically to correct their mechanics, not to mention their shaken confidence which can also be a tough to overcome. Fans boo at them. They have 52 of the biggest meanest toughest hombre's on earth looking at them in disappointment because they're costing the team wins. Coaches start closing in on them to see what they can do to correct the problem. Rightfully so to all of these things, but in many ways this all feeds on itself and makes everything more difficult on the kicker.

If the Chiefs were to just release Succop because he's not doing well after five or six weeks and they bring in the next kicker, the odds are stacked against him. He has to come in when everybody's (fans, players and coaches) confidence in the kicking game is already dammaged and knock the rust off in a hurry. That's a couple of strikes against the guy already. Like I said, kickers are head cases. Their game is incredibly mental. That's why you have to be sure about who your kicker is going into the start of the season. It's a far more critical and difficult position to get right than most people realize.

Not having Barth in camp in my opinion is a mistake whether he would have won the job over Succop or not. The only way to have known would to have them compete for the job. OTA's don't equate game scenarios where pre-season games do.

Poll

Are the Chiefs making the right move by only bringing Succop into camp?

Yes

34 votes

No

20 votes

Dead Horse

34 votes

88 votes | Poll has closed

Who is Mr. Irrelevant anyway?

Buck'O — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:32:50 -0000

I’m sure that most of us here already know the answer to this question. For anyone who doesn’t, Mr. Irrelevant is the dubious title that is bestowed upon the one lucky fellow who his selected with the final pick in each year’s NFL draft. Since the Chiefs were awarded this year’s final pick, a couple questions came to mind.

I was curious to see if the Chiefs had ever chosen Mr. Irrelevant before. As it turns out, they have. In 1970 they selected a DB our of Alcorn A&M by the name of Rayford Jenkins. But of course, Primetime07 already stole my thunder here.

I also wanted to see who else had been chosen as Mr. Irrelevant and if any of them had gone on to transcend their lofty title as a well known player in the NFL. Sadly, I have to admit that I didn’t recognize a single name on the list. While this could mean that the title of Mr. Irrelevant is appropriate and nobody who’s been selected with the final pick has ever amounted to a hill of beans as a player, the more likely scenario is that my knowledge of football history is truly underwhelming and I don’t have a clue. :-/ I figured I’d compile the list and let my AP brethren get us all up to speed.

Before I do that, there were a couple of interesting tidbits that I found along the way. First off, it appears that the draft has really evolved over the years. When you consider that there were fewer teams in the league and when you back to say, 1967, Mr. Irrelevant was taken with the 445th pick. Look at 1976 which ended at pick #487. Compare that with last year’s Mr. Irrelevant who was taken at #255. Wow! Seems like the draft would have lasted a week!

A couple of other curious items that I was unaware of were two old-school field positions. Going back to 1963 and beyond there were players listed at positions “B” and “E.” I have no idea what they are and the little bit of Google research that I had time to do came up fruitless. I was hoping one of you geniuses could enlighten those of us who aren't in the know.

Anyway, here’s the history of Mr. Irrelevant:

Year	Pick #	Team	Name	Position	School
2007	255	Detroit Lions	Ramzee Robinson	CB	Alabama
2006	255	Oakland Raiders	Kevin McMahan	WR	Maine
2005	255	New England Patriots	Andy Stokes	TE	William & Penn
2004	255	Oakland Raiders	Andre Sommersell	OLB	Colorado State
2003	262	Oakland Raiders	Ryan Hoag	WR	Gustavus Adolphus
2002	261	Houston Texans	Ahmad Miller	DT	UNLV
2001	246	Arizona Cardinals	Tevita Ofahengaue	TE	Brigham Young
2000	254	Chicago Bears	Michael Green	DB	NW Louisiana
1999	253	Chicago Bears	James Finn	RB	Pennsylvania
1998	241	Baltimore Ravens	Cam Quayle	TE	Weber State
1997	240	Green Bay Packers	Ronnie McAda	QB	Army
1996	254	San Francisco 49ers	Sam Manuel	LB	New Mexico State
1995	249	Carolina Panthers	Michael Reed	DB	Boston College
1994	222	New England Patriots	Marty Moore	LB	Kentucky
1993	224	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Daron Alcorn	K	Akron
1992	336	Washington Redskins	Matt Elliott	C	Michigan
1991	334	New York Giants	Larry Wanke	QB	John Carroll
1990	331	Los Angeles Raiders	Demetrius Davis	TE	Nevada
1989	335	Minnesota Vikings	Everett Ross	WR	Ohio State
1988	333	Los Angeles Rams	Jeff Bethard	WR	Southern Oregon State
1987	335	Green Bay Packers	Norman Jefferson	DB	Louisiana State
1986	333	San Diego Chargers	Mike Travis	DB	Georgia Tech
1985	336	San Francisco 49ers	Donald Chumley	DT	Georgia
1984	336	Los Angeles Raiders	Randy Essington	QB	Colorado
1983	335	New York Giants	John Tuggle	RB	California
1982	334	San Francisco 49ers	Tim Washington	DB	Fresno State
1981	332	Oakland Raiders	Phil Nelson	TE	Delaware
1980	333	Pittsburgh Steelers	Tyrone McGriff	G	Florida A&M
1979	330	Pittsburgh Steelers	Mike Almond	WR	NW Louisiana
1978	334	Dallas Cowboys	Lee Washburn	G	Montana State
1977	335	Oakland Raiders	Rolf Benirshke	K	California-Davis
1976	487	Pittsburgh Steelers	Kelvin Kirk	WR	Dayton
1975	442	Pittsburgh Steelers	Stan Hegener	G	Nebraska
1974	442	Miami Dolphins	Ken Dickerson	DB	Tuskegee
1973	442	Miami Dolphins	Charles Wade	WR	Tennessee State
1972	442	Dallas Cowboys	Alphonso Cain	DT	Bethune-Cookman
1971	442	Oakland Raiders	Charles Hill	WR	Sam Houston State
1970	442	Kansas City Chiefs	Rayford Jenkins	DB	Alcorn A&M
1969	442	New York Jets	Fred Zirkie	DT	Duke
1968	462	Cincinnati Bengals	Jimmy Smith	TE	Jackson State
1967	445	New Orleans Saints	Jimmy Walker	WR	Providence
1966	305	Baltimore Colts	Tom Carr	T	Morgan State
1965	280	Baltimore Colts	George Haffner	QB	McNeese State
1964	280	Chicago Bears	Dick Niglio	RB	Yale
1963	280	Green Bay Packers	Bobby Brezina	B	Houston
1962	280	Green Bay Packers	Mike Snodgrass	C	Western Michigan
1961	280	Philadelphia Eagles	Jacque MacKinnon	B	Colgate
1960	240	New York Giants	Bill Gorman	T	McMurry
1959	360	Baltimore Colts	Blair Weese	B	West Virginia Tech
1958	360	Detroit Lions	Tommy Bronson	B	Tennessee
1957	360	New York Giants	Don Gest	E	Washington State
1956	360	Cleveland Browns	Bob Bartholomew	T	Wake Forest
1955	360	Cleveland Browns	Lamar Leachman	C	Tennessee
1954	360	Detroit Lions	Ellis Horton	B	Eureka (IL)
1953	360	Detroit Lions	Hal Maus	E	Montana
1952	360	Cleveland Browns	John Saban	B	Xavier
1951	362	Cleveland Browns	Sisto Averno	G	Muhlenberg
1950	391	Philadelphia Eagles	Dud Parker	B	Baylor
1949	251	Philadelphia Eagles	John (Bull) Schweder	G	Pennsylvania
1948	300	Chicago Cardinals	Bill Fischer	G	Notre Dame
1947	300	New York Giants	Don Clayton	B	North Carolina
1946	300	Los Angeles Rams	John West	B	Oklahoma
1945	330	Green Bay Packers	Billy Joe Aldridge	B	Oklahoma State
1944	330	Boston Yanks	Walton Roberts	B	Texas
1943	300	Washington Redskins	Bo Bogovich	G	Delaware
1942	200	Chicago Bears	Stu Clarkson	C	Texas A&M Kingsville
1941	204	Pittsburgh Steelers	Mort Landsbert	B	Cornell
1940	200	New York Giants	Myron Claxton	T	Whittier
1939	200	New York Giants	Jack Rhodes	G	Texas
1938	110	Chicago Bears	Ferd Dreher	E	Denver
1937	100	Cleveland Rams	Solon Holt	G	Texas Christian
1936	81	New York Giants	Phil Flanagan	G	Holy Cross

Peppers to Pats?

Buck'O — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:46:30 -0000

Peppers to Pats?

Looks like the Patriots may still have their off-season mojo! Hmmm. This Cassell/Vrabel trade still has legs. Our 2nd round pick could be the compensation that makes this happen.

A Patriots Fan Weighs In

Buck'O — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 07:05:57 -0000

It’s obvious that we have several schools-of-thought here at AP on what the Chiefs should do to fill our numerous gaping roster holes and we’ve seen all sorts of creative rationalizations to support those views. Admittedly, I have mixed emotions about many of them. One day I’ll feel strongly in favor of a certain argument and then the next day… not so much.

We should go with Michael Crabtree because he’s the best player available. We should take Stafford because he’s the best draft prospect for a franchise QB. Swing a deal with New England for Matt Cassel because we know what he can do. The arguments go on and on. I’m just as confused as anyone when it comes to what the Chiefs will do with any of these decisions, so I went outside of our community for some perspective that I’d like to share with all of you.

I have a guy working for me who grew up in Boston. He moved out here last year and we’ve had some pretty interesting conversations about the Chiefs. He’s a complete Patriot’s fanatic and he stays up on all things as they relate to “his boys.” He’s a little bitter because we took out “Tommy Boy” in week 1 and then landed Scott Pioli as our GM.

By no means am I siting him as any kind of an authoritative source, but he’s been living with the Belichick/Pioli regime since day one and he knows what it’s all about. He has a perspective that might help us all deal with this new and uncomfortable silence emanating from One Arrowhead Drive.

This morning we got into a long, drawn out conversation about free agency and the upcoming draft and I started to tell him about some of the various things that folks here at AP think the Chiefs should do. I got him interested enough to read through some of our posts to see what he thought. Of course it should come as no surprise to any of us that he laughed his ass off. His commentary went something like this; “Dude, you should tell everyone on this board that you have Scott Fucking Pioli. You will not draft a quarterback and you will not draft a wide receiver with the 3rd overall pick. If there’s even a chance of trading that pick for more picks, you can bank on it.” He sited the post about the trade scenario with the Eagles to move out of the #3 pick for additional picks as exactly the kind of thing we can expect. He said that if there is even a small chance, then Pioli will do everything possible to find a way to make this sort of thing happen.

What amused him the most was how so many of us spend so much effort lobbying for our for our favorite draft pick, free agent or head coaching candidate. He admitted that we have a great community, but at least a half dozen times he shouted “forget about it!” as he picked through our meanderings. He promised that this time next year, none of us would be wasting so much energy on speculation because we’ll understand exactly how futile it is. He guaranteed that more often than not, Pioli will do something that nobody expects. His advice to all of us is “Get used to it!” with a parting shot of “Welcome to my world.”

I’m not saying he’s right or wrong, but I see little evidence so far that would cause me to disregard what he’s saying. One player does not equal another and choosing one because another had similar stats isn’t going to get us any closer to getting inside of Pioli’s head. I say we take our friend’s advice patiently expect a deliberate evolution toward an overall team concept rather than getting ourselves emotionally hung up on our favorite prospects. “Pioli,” he says, “will not reach for the stars on any player. Get used to it.”

I posted most of this in a few places earlier today because I felt it was relevant, so if you’ve already read it, sorry for the redundancy. Hat’s off to Chiefs_swagger for suggesting that I make a FanPost out of it so more people would see it and weigh in.

Chiefs: About that Head Coaching Job

Buck'O — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 08:13:39 -0000

Now that the Kansas City Chiefs have filled their General Manager position with Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel, Scott Pioli, we here at Arrowhead Pride have shifted our focus to the team's remaining off-season issues. This past week we’ve hotly debated questions that include how the team should use the 3rd overall pick in the 2009 draft, what free agent acquisitions should be targeted with $45 million in salary-cap room and what the fates of veteran stars Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzales will be?

My favorite debate rages over KC’s coaching situation; Should Herm Edwards be retained for the remaining year of his contract to attempt to capitalize on his roster rebuilding efforts in 2008? Or should he be terminated and replaced by one of several hot prospects?

I’ll lay it out there as I understand it, and if I’m off a tick… I’m sure you won’t hesitate to tell me how or why. Of course if I missed anything, throw it out there. Let’s break it down.

Here are the prospects:

Herm Edwards – Chiefs incumbent head coach. He has a year left on his contract but could be let go by Pioli. Many here at AP argue in favor or Herm to finish out his remaining year. Team owner Clark Hunt has made several public statements in Herm’s favor. Many here at AP argue in favor of firing Herm and starting Pioli’s reign with a clean slate citing insufferable records and statistics as cause. An exodus began this week, primarily on the defensive side of the Edward’s coaching staff.

Rex Ryan – Defensive Coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens. Those guys are playing out of their minds under Ryan’s leadership. They’re still in the playoff hunt this weekend, largely due to fierce play of Ryan’s unit. The latest rumors have him headed to the New York Jets to be its head coach in 2009.

Steve Spagnuolo – Defensive Coordinator for the current World Champion New York Giants. Has interviewed with other teams and reportedly did not present well. Spagnuolo runs a base 4-3 system that would be a relatively nice fit for the defensive personnel that KC already has. It is speculated that the Giants view him as their heir apparent coach-in-waiting.

Kirk Ferentz – Head coach of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. He’s led the school to six consecutive bowl games from 2001 to 2006 and was named 2004 Big10 Coach of the Year. He is widely speculated to be considered one of Pioli’s top candidates. The two are known to be good friends.

Marty Schottenheimer – Former Browns, Chiefs, Redskins and Chargers head coach. Whew that’s a long run! Marty knows how to coach and he knows how to build a team. It’s been speculated that he would rather take a job in the front office rather than on the side lines. He publicly stated that he would not be taking a job with the Chiefs prior to Pioli accepting the GM job, but I included him because his name continues to surface throughout these debates.

Mike Shanahan – Head coach of the Denver Broncos – Terminated. Shanahan comes off a long and successful tenure in Denver and has two Super Bowl wins to prove it. He’s widely regarded as one of the best candidates available. Questions about Shanahan include: Will he want too much power in terms of personnel decisions to be a good fit in Kansas City? Does he have enough of a collaborative personality to develop long-term chemistry with Pioli and the rest of the organization?

John Gruden – Head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Terminated. Gruden comes off back-to-back tours as head coach of the Oakland Raiders and the Bucaneers respectively. He lost a Suber Bowl with the Raiders and won one for Tampa Bay. Questions about Gruden include: How much control over personnel decisions will he want. Is he open minded and collaborative enough to work well with Pioli and Co. for the long-term?

Bill Cowher – Long-time head coach of the Pittsburg Steelers - Retired. Cowher coached the Steelers from 1992 to 2007 and won the 2006 Super Bowl. He is currently working as an NFL studio analyst for CBS. He is widely reported to have no interest in coaching until 2010.

Mike Holmgren – Head coach of the Seattle Seahawks – Retired. Holmgren comes off back-to-back coaching efforts for the Greenbay Packers and the Seahawks respectively. He won a Super Bowl with the Packers and lost one with Seattle. Holmgren hasn’t been given much lip service in terms of the Chiefs job, but his credentials and circumstances make him a worthwhile candidate for consideration.

Considering the grueling lifestyle of an NFL coach, Cowher has publicly made it clear that he’s not ready to come back yet. Marty’s itch has shown subtle signs of a resurgence, but he’s done nothing whole-hearted as of yet. It is speculated that Gruden, Holmgren and Shanahan are all considering some time away from the game after extensive runs at the coaching helm, but could just as easily coach again in 2009 if the right opportunity were to present itself.

So what’s it gonna be AP?

A. Do we honor Herm’s contract? If we do we risk running an entire year with a lame-duck coach. If he succeeds, how to you turn him lose at the end of that year? If the Chiefs do this they better make damn good and sure that they're willing to keep him beyond a successful year! My hunch is that this is what Tony G. grumbling about. This path could however, be the way to land Cowher or even Gruden, Holmgren or Shanahan if they decide to step away for a year.

B. Do we blow out the coaching staff and go with an up and coming coordinator? This is a commitment to building the team in a similar vein to the Atlanta Falcons and the Miami Dolphins. Are the available options worth the risk?

C. Do we take a chance on a coach from the college ranks? Ferentz could be our man. Should he be?

D. Do we go with a coaching retread? These guys all know how to get it done. Cowher, Gruden, Holmgren, Shanahan and Schottenheimer are proven winners. Cowher and Schottenheimer are basicly out as options this year but may be open to something in 2010. If any of them throw their hats in the ring, you have to wonder if they can avoid burnout. They’ve all been in the grind for a long time.

E. None of the above.

F. A combination of some or all of the above.

Poll

Which is it?

A - Do we honor Herm’s contract?

75 votes

B - Do we blow out the coaching staff and go with an up and coming coordinator?

117 votes

C - Do we take a chance on a coach from the college ranks?

8 votes

D - Do we go with a coaching retread?

54 votes

E - None of the above

5 votes

F - A combination of some or all of the above

56 votes

315 votes | Poll has closed

From Boston.com

Buck'O — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 23:35:59 -0000

From Boston.com

I was looking for opinions from the Pat's crowd regarding our new GM acquisition but only found this.