Listen, I'm tired of you people telling me you're tip-toeing the line of giving up the faith in the Chiefs. It's just complete and utter bull honky. If you don't want your season tickets then give them to me, because I actually care about our team. You know why? Because it's OUR team. For those cynics, I declare one thing...

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There is a simple reason as to why this will not happen this season...

He takes up too much cap room to let go. 

Usually this is a bad thing, however, for the Chiefs and their current salary cap situation they are simply too close to the NFL's floor requirement to let go of Damion McIntosh's six year $18 Million contract. He's just too valuable (cap wise) to let go.

Take a look back at Primetime's article pertaining to the Salary Cap situation nearly a month ago and the affect of the Matt Cassel extension. We were still around $30 Million under the cap and needed to spend (by his estimations) another $13 million to meet the Salary Cap Floor. 

The following figures are taken from the wikipedia article on the Salary Cap:

In 2009, the cap will be $128 million per team, while the floor will be 87.6% of the cap, using the formula provided in the league's collective bargaining agreement, the floor will be $112.1 million.

If that be the case our payroll prior to the Matt Cassel deal was around $98 million. The transactions that have succeeded the Cassel deal have been the release/waiver of Weston Dacus, Ingle Martin, Edwin Harrison, Tony Curtis, Tanner Purdum, and Jeff Webb, in favor for Tyson Jackson, Matt Gutierrez, Amani Toomer, Vince Redd, Thomas Gafford, and Ashley Lelie, correspondingly.

The only transaction that created a major flux within the payroll was Jackson's 5 year, $57 Million contract with $31 Million guaranteed. Last year, Glenn Dorsey's 2008 salary was $6,933,250 and his contract was 5 year, $51 million with $22 million guaranteed. Therefore, Jackson's 2009 salary will be in the ballpark of $7.5-$9 Million (I don't know how to calculate the exact number).  Hence, the Chiefs will be remain around $6 Million dollars under the floor (give or take a million dollars or so for Amani Toomer's deal). 

Taking McIntosh's $2.5 Million dollar salary just doesn't seem possible if the Chiefs indeed remain under the floor. Surely his ability does not warrant his salary but that's not currently what is most important. The importance lies within the space consumed by his salary, rather than the space taken up by his rotund belly

Today, as I ignored my History lecture and did my daily browsing of the mock draft websites, I came to notice something peculiar.

I looked at the Chiefs' team needs and noticed that our need for a Right End seems to be  shared by many "analysts." (even though most likely we're switching to Pendergast's Hybrid) But what I also saw was the lack of "legitimate" RE prospects and a number of undersized college REs "Who must make the transition to OLB." And I began to contemplate why this seems to be a problem, especially this year. I came up with the following conundrum:

Is the Spread Offense utilized by most college teams, killing the 4-3's Right End? And could it lead to the temporary extinction of the 4-3?

We all know that the Spread Offense is aptly named for it's stretching of the field. Moreover, the Offensive Line is stretched horizontally due primarily to the agility and nimbleness of today's offensive lineman, thus forcing the Defensive Coordinators to adjust and play smaller, quicker athletes. 

Take a look at the Top 10 RE's in this draft along with their height and weight:

 

1. Brian Orakpo              6'3"    263 lbs.
2. Everette Brown          6'2"    256 lbs.
3. Aaron Maybin            6'4"    253 lbs.
4. Michael Johnson      6'7"    266 lbs.
5. Robert Ayers             6'3"    272 lbs.
6. Connor Barwin          6'4"   256 lbs.
7. Larry English             6'2"    255 lbs.
8. Paul Kruger               6'4"    263 lbs.
9. Lawrence Sidbury    6'4"    251 lbs.
10. Cody Brown               6'2"    244 lbs.
11. Average H&W          6'3"    257 lbs.

Now Look at the 2008 AP NFL All-Pro Team RE's:

1. Jared Allen                6'6"    270 lbs.        54 Tackles      14.5 Sacks
2. Julius Peppers          6'7"    283 lbs.        51 Tackles       14.5 Sacks
3. John Abraham*         6'4"    258 lbs.        38 Tackles       16.5 Sacks
4. Mario Williams**       6'6"    283 lbs.        53 Tackles       12 Sacks
5. Average H&W          6'6"    274 lbs.

* John Abraham is the smallest mentioned and has the least amount of tackles but most amount of sacks, possibly denoting him as pass rush specialist.

**Mario Williams replaced Justin Tuck because Tuck is a Left End. They both had 12 sacks in the 2009 season.

The incoming rookies are on average 3" shorter and 17 lbs. lighter. 

Could this year's RE draft prospects be smaller due to the influx of college teams adopting the Spread, forcing the Defense to employ smaller, faster players? And If so could this lead to a transition in professional football, mainly in the rise in popularity of the 3-4, or new schemes, over the 4-3?

Again, look at the height and weights of the incoming rookie Ends compared to the sizes of the 2008 AP NFL All-Pro OLB's (All are used in a 3-4):

 

1. DeMarcus Ware     6'4"   262 lbs.
2. James Harrison     6'0"    242 lbs.
3. Joey Porter             6'3"    250 lbs.
4. Terrell Suggs         6'3"    260 lbs.
5. Average H&W      6'3"   254 lbs.

The height and weight of the incoming rookies RE's is nearly identical to that of the height and weight of the All-Pro OLB's, which may signify the rise of talent best suited for the 3-4. Thus, encouraging/forcing teams to adopt the 3-4. Ultimately leading to the decline and death of the 4-3.

What do you guys think?

With the recent addition of Matt "King of The" Cassel and Mike "Czech Yourself" Vrabel it is not time to readjust our draft needs around our new commodities. Rather than studying, I take too much time out of my  day to look at NFL draft prospects, scouring the ends of the internet (Walter Football, CDS Draft, NFL Draft Countdown, Draft Tek, etc.) to form my ideas of who would be the best draft selections. Now I am no "expert" like Mel Kiper Jr. or Todd McShay but I do enjoy studying the prospects and subsequently the needs of the Chiefs in comparison to the needs of teams drafting around us. 

The draft is a mere 58 days away and I'm getting frantic and uneasy about the number of selections we have compared to the number of needs we have. And I hate to beat a dead horse but these are our most pressing needs. (These are with our current roster, subject to change: LJ, Tony G, and Brian Waters.)

• I think we can move Damion SackIntosh to RG to limit his playing space, which would only help out his cause. Thus, opening a need at RT.
• A top of the line Center to be the captain of the big nasties.
• A rush DE/OLB depending on our defensive scheme.
• LB's in general, sans Derrick Johnson.
• Depth Everywhere...

We've currently got only 6 selections in the Draft, so how do we use those picks? Additionally, does the acquisition of Matt Cassel mean we choose differently? 
If you know who you want or have a good idea please comment below...

 

Poll

What do we do with our Draft picks?

25%

Save Matt Cassel's "Assel" By Selecting O-Lineman

42 votes

30%

Draft For The 3-4

49 votes

29%

Draft BPA Because We Need Help Everywhere

48 votes

12%

Trade Down

21 votes

1%

Other

3 votes

163 votes | Poll has closed

Bear with me hear guys, this is going to take alot of effort and time. 

Alot of you are interested in switching to the base 3-4 defense for the 2009 season. You also add your opinions on how we should attain such a defense, i.e. trading Dorsey away to get B.J. Raji. This just don't make sense. For those who are interested I came up with some statistical evidence of why the Chiefs should continue to run the 4-3.

Within the fanpost I will provide the Total Yardage rankings for 2006, 2007, and 2008 seasons, along with providing the system used by each team.

2006

Ranking	Team	Scheme	Ranking	Team	Scheme
1	BAL	3-4	17	TB	4-3
2	JAX	4-3	18	BUF	4-3
3	OAK	4-3	19	SEA	4-3
4	MIA	4-3	20	NYJ	3-4
5	CHI	4-3	21	IND	4-3
6	NE	3-4	22	ATL	4-3
7	CAR	4-3	23	STL	4-3
8	MIN	4-3	24	HOU	4-3
9	PIT	3-4	25	NYG	4-3
10	SD	3-4	26	SF	3-4
11	NO	4-3	27	CLE	3-4
12	GB	4-3	28	DET	4-3
13	DAL	3-4	29	ARI	4-3
14	DEN	4-3	30	CIN	4-3
15	PHI	4-3	31	WAS	4-3
16	KC	4-3	32	TEN	4-3

2007

Ranking	Team	Scheme	Ranking	Team	Scheme
1	PIT	3-4	17	ARI	4-3
2	TB	4-3	18	NYJ	3-4
3	IND	4-3	19	DEN	4-3
4	NE	3-4	20	MIN	4-3
5	TEN	4-3	21	STL	4-3
6	BAL	3-4	22	OAK	4-3
7	NYG	4-3	23	MIA	3-4
8	WAS	4-3	24	HOU	4-3
9	DAL	3-4	25	SF	3-4
10	PHI	4-3	26	NO	4-3
11	GB	4-3	27	CIN	4-3
12	JAX	4-3	28	CHI	4-3
13	KC	4-3	29	ATL	4-3
14	SD	3-4	30	CLE	3-4
15	SEA	4-3	31	BUF	4-3
16	CAR	4-3	32	DET	4-3

 

2008

Ranking	Team	Scheme	Ranking	Team	Scheme
1	PIT	3-4	17	JAX	4-3
2	BAL	3-4	18	CAR	4-3
3	PHI	4-3	19	ARI	4-3
4	WAS	4-3	20	GB	4-3
5	NYG	4-3	21	CHI	4-3
6	MIN	4-3	22	HOU	4-3
7	TEN	4-3	23	NO	4-3
8	DAL	3-4	24	ATL	4-3
9	TB	4-3	25	SD	3-4
10	NE	3-4	26	CLE	3-4
11	IND	4-3	27	OAK	4-3
12	CIN	4-3	28	STL	4-3
13	SF	3-4	29	DEN	4-3
14	BUF	4-3	30	SEA	4-3
15	MIA	3-4	31	KC	4-3
16	NYJ	3-4	32	DET	4-3

	Top 5 using 4-3	Top 10 using 4-3	Top 15 using 4-3
2006	80%	60%	60%
2007	60%	60%	66%
2008	60%	60%	60%

 

Additionally, of the past 10 Superbowls there have been 13 teams who run the 4-3 and 7 who run the 3-4. 

More to come... 

 

Thanks to recent events, we may see the Chiefs select Michael Crabtree because of the stellar performance of Larry Fitzgerald during the regular and post-season. But should the Chiefs select a player simply due to the play of another person? This has occured numerous times throughout the recent years; teams selecting a player because of the successful performance of an NFL player of the same position. Take for instance the 2008 Draft. The emphasis was placed on selecting a Left Tackle because of Joe Thomas' Pro Bowl Rookie Season and how quickly the Browns progressed from the 2006 to 2007.  Did the Dolphins pick Jake Long because of Joe Thomas? Will the Dolphins stumble like the Browns did, or are other intangibles responsible for the Browns demise?

Will teams base their selection on the play of Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, Chris Johnson, etc?

More importantly, Should the Chiefs select someone based on the success of another player, or should the Chiefs take the best player available regardless of the aforementioned?

The current salaries for certain players is outrageous. 6 of the top 15 salaries are from players who have no right earning the salary that they currently have; however, sometimes the leadership and knowledge of the older players is invaluable. 

That being said who's outrageous salary would you like to see go within the 2009 offseason?

With your vote please respond to whom you would like to fill their void.

 

I end in Cato-esque fashion with...

Brandon Spikes in '09.

 

 

Poll

Too much?

38%

Patrick Surtain's 6,000,000

32 votes

7%

Demorrio Williams' 4,003,720

6 votes

0%

Donnie Edwards' 3,752,520

0 votes

7%

Damon Huard's $2,631,120

6 votes

27%

Damion McIntosh's 2,300,000

23 votes

19%

Devard Darling's $2,002,520

16 votes

83 votes | Poll has closed

Kevin Robinson and Michael Merritt were added to the active roster today. They let go Tyron Brackenridge, Steve Weatherford and JP Foschi. Kolby Smith was also put on the IR. Also Mark Bradley also jumped up to starting WR. 

I don't know how you guys feel but I'm excited to see Kevin Robinson hopefully play next sunday. Maybe give us a spark on his first career kick return. He's not a burner but boy can he shake and move.

Thoughts?

With the season reaching it's midpoint, and me becoming board with the standard disappointment tone that has been set with this season, I thought it would be interesting to give you my draft predictions for 2009 based on the performances/expectations of the 2008 season. (I'd like to see myself as the next great Mel Kiper Jr. or Todd McShay but in reality i'm just an arrogant college student with optimism being the foundation of my beliefs)

My problems, as well as I'm sure as yours, lie within the offensive line, LB Corp, and Safeties. Likewise, these are the areas in which I would like to spend most attention to. Many of you will disagree and rightfully so, you have your own opinion, but this is what we can spend our time doing instead of mindlessly repeating and declaring our woes for the Front Office and Coaching Staff. Discussion about our future, in my mind, is the best way to draw attention away from such babel. In summation, I present to you what...

Dono J. O'Dono 2009 NFL Draft Prediction, pt. 1 (Oct 27, 2008)

In my first edition of my Mock Draft, I would like to create the most ideal draft; however, this will NEVER happen. Notwithstanding, my delusions get the best of me and I present to you the 2009 Chiefs, sans Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards... They'll get more realistic as time passes.

Free Agent Acquisitions:

• Jonathan Vilma
• Jordan Gross
• Nnamdi Asomugha

NFL Draft:

1. Andre Smith
2. Hermann Johnson/Duke Robinson
3. Jasper Brinkley

I will not go any further because I know very little about late round picks. I do not think that there is a QB worthy of taking in the top 5 due to my belief that Sam Bradford is the person we should go for and he's only a 3rd Year Sophomore, and he will most likely spend another year playing for a National Championship.
Depth Chart:
LT - Andre Smith LG - Branden Albert C - Brian Waters RG - Hermann Johnson/Duke Robinson RT - Jordan Gross WRs - Dwayne Bowe/Mark Bradley TE - Tony Gonzalez RB - Jamaal Charles/Larry Johnson FB - Mike Cox QB - ?
LE - Tamba Hali DTs - Glenn Dorsey/Tank Tyler RE - Turk McBride WLB - Derrick Johnson MLB - Jonathan Vilma SLB - Jasper Brinkley CBs- Nnamdi Asomugha/Brandon Flowers FS - DeJuan Morgan SS - Bernard Pollard