SB Nation User Blog: KCporkchop

Your Week 15 Glass of Kool Aid

KCporkchop — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 04:15:34 -0000

From the FanPosts. Kind of a tradition. - Woodman

Well my friends, after three straight weeks of games that are pretty hard to swallow the Kool Aid is getting a little watered down. By that I mean it's getting harder to find new things to write about. There are still things to be positive about but most of them are the same things to be positive about in weeks 13, 14, etc. I did try to dig up some new stats to lift your spirits. So here you go, your glass of Kool Aid for week 15.

In his 5 games as the Chiefs starting RB Jamaal Charles has totaled 570 combined yards rushing and receiving. That is fourth in the league over that span behind Chris Johnson, Ray Rice, and Steven Jackson. If you average that over an entire season he would have over 1,800 all purpose yards and 16 TDs. Against the Bills last week he racked up the most rushing yards by a Chiefs RB since week 4 of last season (24 games).
Flowers and Carr are starting to put up some numbers that compare with the top corner teams in the league. They have a combined 33 passes defended which ranks sixth in the league behind Cincy's Hall and Joseph (48), NYJ's Revis and Sheppard (40, of which 33 are Revis!), Philly's Samuel and Brown (38), GB's Woodson and Williams (37), and Dallas' Newman and Jenkins (35).
In case you haven't heard we get D-Bowe back this week. That in and of itself is good news. However, the better news is that for the third time this season Matt Cassel will have both Bowe and Chambers in the starting line up. In the 2 previous games where he had them both in the line up he completed 57.5% of his passes for 239 yards/game, 6.4 yards/attempt, and 2 TDs to 1 INT. In the other 10 starts he has completed 54% of his passes for 173 yards/game, 5.4 yards/attempt, and 11 TDs to 12 INTs. So in the limited sample we have it appears that having Bowe and Chambers in the line up does open up our passing attack.
This one is my favorite. We are UNDEFEATED in games where Charles, Bowe, and Chambers are all in the starting line up. Okay, so we're just 1-0, but no one can say they have beat us when all three of our top offensive weapons are in the line up.
With a roster short on talent we really need to get some big time players in the upcoming draft. As we stand today we would pick 5th overall, 37th overall, and the Falcon's second rounder we got for Tony G would also land us a top 50 pick. Three picks in the top 50 should give us a much needed infusion of talent to go along with whatever FAs Pioli brings in.

So there you go AP, another weekly glass of Kool Aid. Sorry if some of the "flavors" are similar to previous weeks but I tried to give you some new statistical data to help you battle the "haters" out there. So stay positive AP, at least it will be over soon and the official "mock mania" can commence.

PORKCHOP OUT

Your Week 14 Glass of Kool Aid

KCporkchop — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 04:26:58 -0000

Photo Source

Well that was ugly wasn't it? If you're hoping that this week's glass of Kool Aid is going to make everything seem great after two horrible losses I'm afraid you may need to spike your Kool Aid with something a little stronger.

The point of these posts are not to live in denial of where we are at, but to try and point out some bright spots in the carnage to help keep our sanity until better days come. A lot of these points are ones that have been discussed since the game, but I tried to pull some numbers to back up what people have been saying. I also hope there may be a thing or two you have not heard or thought of before. So here we go, your week 14 serving of Kool Aid.

Let's start with the obvious. Tamba Hali was fantastic. Here are a few numbers for you. Hali's 6.5 sacks may be a ways off the league lead, but when you consider the fact that he is the only pass rusher that opposing offenses have to plan for and that he is almost always held, it is still a good number. For some perspective, Joey Porter currently has 7 sacks and former number one overall pick Mario Williams only has 6. Hali's 4 forced fumbles are tied for 5th in the league.
Brandon Flowers continues to look like a future pro bowl corner. His 17 passes defended is tied for 11th in the league. That's more then Terence Newman (15), Champ Bailey (11), Quintin Jammer (10), and only one less then Charles Woodson(18). He is the only defensive back in the league with at least 10 passes defended, 2 interceptions, two forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries. The other thing that has impressed me with Flowers is his tackling. He is strong enough to take down most guys on his own and when he does take on a bigger guy he is smart about it and takes their legs out.
Chris Chambers only had two receptions for 11 yards on Sunday. Despite that, his 330 yards receiving over the past five weeks (since he became a Chief) is good for 21st in the league over that span. His 3 TDs are good for 6th in the league over that same span. Those may not be dominant numbers for a number one WR, but it is certainly solid for a guy that will be our number two when Bowe returns in two weeks.
A lot of people have commented about the improved offensive line play these last couple games. Here are some numbers to back that up on the pass protection end. Over the first 10 games this year the Chiefs gave up 37 sacks. That is 3.7 sacks per game. Over the past two weeks they have given up only 3, or 1.5 sacks per game. Those two games were against San Diego and Denver who are rated number 7 and number 5 in the league in team sacks.
Finally, a little statistical data supporting the fact that the next two games are ones we can win. Take a look at these two teams:

Team A: 18th rated pass offense, 22nd rated rush offense, 4th rated pass defense, 24th rated rush defense.
Team B: 28th rated pass offense, 19th rated rush offense, 3rd rated pass defense, 32nd rated rush defense.

Team A is Washington and Team B is Buffalo. So Buffalo has a comparable rushing attack and pass defense, but a worse passing offense and rush defense then a team we beat on the road. Here's another one.

Team A: 32nd rated pass offense, 20th rated rush offense, 18th rated pass defense, 30th rated rush defense.
Team B: 31st rated pass offense, 23rd rated rush offense, 26th rated pass defense, 29th rated rush defense.

Team A is Oakland and Team B is Cleveland. So Cleveland is about equal or a little worse in all four areas then a team that we beat once (and actually should of beat twice).

So there you go AP. Another batch of KoolAid to help with the depression that may be setting in after the last two weeks. We may not be there yet, but there are always rays of hope if you are willing to look for them. Have a good week and try to stay positive.

PORKCHOP OUT

No Kool Aid for the Pass Defense

KCporkchop — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:53:58 -0000

via img706.imageshack.us

photo by David Eulitt / Kansas City Star

For those of you looking for one of my positive "Kool Aid" posts, stop reading right now. This is not one of those posts. When I started doing my weekly posts about things we can feel positive about as Chiefs fans I began looking at different areas of our favorite team and looking for statistical proof of things that are going well or getting better. Over the last two weeks I have been digging into the pass defense looking for something positive. You can definitely make a case for Flowers being a great up and coming corner and even a case for Carr being a solid starting NFL corner. However, these two have not been enough to make our pass defense anything even close to resembling an acceptable unit. Early in the season most Chief fans were in agreement that the number one thing that needed upgraded on our team was the offensive line. I now propose to you AP that this is no longer the case. It is the pass defense that should be our number one concern going into this off season.

After the jump I'll give you the stats to back this up.

The Chiefs pass defense is currently rated 30th in the NFL. They are giving up 258.3 yards per game. QBs are completing 59.2% of their passes. They have given up 19 TDs to 7 INTs and opponents are averaging 8.1 yards per pass attempt (not completion, attempt).

Now these numbers are where the Chiefs are at. However, as bad as those numbers are, I'm going to argue that things are actually a lot worse then even those numbers show. Those numbers include two games against J. Russell who we all know is just not a NFL caliber QB. Pass defense numbers against Russell just do not represent how a team really stops a typical NFL passing game. So I averaged the stats of the starting QBs in the other 9 games (I included both Campbell and Collins in the Washington game since they split the game 50/50). Here are the averages for the starting QBs in those 9 games.

298.7 yards per game

64.2% completion percentage

19 TDs to 5 INTs

8.9 yards per pass attempt

Wow, that is some really bad pass defense ladies and gentlemen. For a little perspective here are Tom Brady's numbers for this season.

298.7 yards per game

65.7% completion percentage

20 TDs to 8 INTs

7.7 yards per pass attempt

So basically we make every QB not named Russell look like Tom Brady and the NE pass attack. The only area where Brady can't hang is in the yards per pass attempt stat. Only Drew Brees is averaging that many yards per attempt at 9.1.

These numbers alone are probably enough to prove my point, but I've just begun my friends. Now lets take a look at the WRs and TEs we've faced.

We've discussed before how TEs have hurt us this year. In the non-Oakland games the starting TEs are averaging about 5.2 receptions per game for 66 yards. They have scored 5 total TDs and AVERAGE a long reception of 23.3 yards. This means that we average giving up at least one 20+ yard reception to a TE each game. For some perspective, Tony Gonzalez is averaging 5.5 receptions per game for 60.5 yards and 5 total TDs.

So basically we make every TE not thrown to by Russell look like Tony G.

I wish I could tell you that things get better when we look at the opposing WRs. This is actually the worst of the group. Here are the average stats for the leading WRs in the non-Oakland games:

6.3 receptions

128 yards

1 TD

just over 20 yards per reception

Randy Moss can't stack up to that:

6 receptions

90.2 yards

just under 1 TD

about 15 yards per reception

Larry Fitzgerald can't stack up to that:

6.8 receptions

75.1 yards

just under 1 TD

about 11 yards per reception

So basically we make the leading receiver of all non-Oakland teams look better then Randy Moss or Larry Fitzgerald.

One final stat for you. The average long pass play against the Chiefs this year in non-Oakland games is 51.5 yards. So we give up one 50+ yard pass per game as long as our good friend J. Russell isn't throwing the ball.

I know our offensive line needs upgraded. I know that Matt Cassel needs to step up his game. I know that Haley needs to hire an OC to help with play calling. However, in my opinion, everything else is secondary (pardon the pun) to fixing the pass defense. Some of you are wondering if you can make up for this bad of pass defense by upgrading the offense enough to keep up or just improve the run defense. You only have to look at our own team earlier this decade to find your answer.

In the past 10 years our pass defense has been REALLY bad on two other occasions. In 2004 we ranked 32nd in pass defense with 262.7 yards per game, 59.8% completion percentage, 32 TDs to 13 INTs, and 8.5 yards per reception. That season we were 7-9 despite having the number one offense in total yards and the 12th rated run defense. In 2002 we ranked 31st in pass defense with 261.3 yards per game, 65.4% completion percentage, 27 TDs to 18 INTs, and 7.1 yards per reception. That season we were 8-8 with the number four offense in total yards and the 24th rated run defense.

So even with an elite offense you can't get above .500 with a pass defense this bad. Our team is currently rated 30th in total offense and 27th in run defense. So even with the improvements that we are currently seeing it isn't realistic to think they will improve enough in one year to get us to .500 without fixing the pass defense too.

In my opinion we need to upgrade the coverage by our safeties, nickel backs, and LBs. We also need another pass rusher so that Hali isn't on his own trying to put pressure on the QB. I am also in agreement with most AP posters who think Pendergast has got to go. The numbers we are giving up in the pass game are just totally unacceptable.

Okay, so you know I can't end the post without trying to be a little positive. If there is any good news it is that the final five games we have are against the 18th, 26th, 31st, 21st, and 18th rated passing offenses. So at least we don't have any of the elite passing teams left on our schedule. If you're still depressed, I apologize. I'll be back next week with my regular glass of Kool Aid.

PORKCHOP OUT

Your Week 13 Glass of Kool Aid

KCporkchop — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:21:11 -0000

via img109.imageshack.us

Well, I won't lie to you. It is a lot harder to come up with a good glass of Kool Aid to serve after taking a beating from a division rival then it was after beating the defending Super Bowl champs. However, I do have a couple good tidbits for you to feel good about as we move forward. So without further ado, here is your glass of Kool Aid for week 13.

Once again thanks to 58 was my friend for my signature picture.

Glenn Dorsey is not just improving, he is becoming one of the more dominant defensive linemen in the league. Dorsey currently has 45 tackles on the season. That is good for 5th in the NFL among all defensive linemen. He is on pace for 65.5 tackles this season. For a little perspective, Richard Seymour who is the gold standard for 3-4 defensive linemen has never had more then 57 tackles in one season. The only thing missing from his game is the sacks. If those come along he will statistically be one of the elite linemen in the NFL. Not bad for a guy that "isn't a good fit" for a 3-4 defensive end.
During his three games as the starting running back Jamaal Charles has put up numbers that not only make him a legit starting running back, but are as good or better then many of the elite players at that position. In those three games Charles has put up 330 total yards on 58 touches (not counting kick returns). That is good for 110 yards per game with an average of about 5.7 yards per touch. During that same three game span Adrian Peterson has averaged 114.6 yards per game, but at only 4.6 yards per touch. Steven Jackson has averaged 136 yards per game, also at 4.6 yards per touch. Maurice Jones-Drew has averaged 113 yards per game at 4.5 yards per touch. If you include his kick return for a TD, Charles also has more TDs in that span then any of the other three.
Finally, when I looked into the stats from Sunday's game I did find some signs of improvement. Obviously the bottom line is we lost by 29 points and that is only a one point improvement over the first game with SD. However, if you look at the numbers we did improve in several areas. In the first game with SD we averaged 3.85 yards per pass attempt. In the second game it was 5.74. In the first game we averaged 3.9 yards per rush attempt. In the second game it was 4.96. In the first game SD averaged 3.75 yards per rush attempt. In the second game they averaged 2.76 yards. The only area we did not improve (surprise, surprise) was in the pass yards per attempt by SD. We all know that KC has to do something about the pass defense this off season so I won't dwell on that anymore. What I will stress is that when we went head to head with SD the second time around we averaged almost 2 yards more per pass, 1 yard more per rush, and held them to 1 yard less per carry. That is progress even in a game as ugly as this one was.

So there you go AP. It may not be a huge glass this week, but there are still several things we can be excited about as we continue the progress of building a Super Bowl winner. We have a great young defensive linemen to anchor our defensive line, a RB that is quickly becoming an outright star, and are improving in 3 of the 4 major statistical areas. Let's hope next week I can serve up a batch of "we just stomped us some Donkeys" Kool Aid. Until then, stay positive AP!

PORKCHOP OUT

Your Weekly Glass of Kool Aid - Week 12 Edition

KCporkchop — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:06:41 -0000

via Image Shack

Well what can I say? I put in last weeks post that I would need lots of Kool Aid to cheer people up this week after the Steelers game. Boy am I glad that I was wrong. You probably don't even need a glass of Kool Aid this week to buy into things in the Chiefs universe, but hey we might as well bask in the victory while we can. Alot of what I am including has already been mentioned by others, but I present it to you here in one nice "feel good" package.

Also, mad props to 58 was my friend for the killer picture!

Let's take a second to really think about the victory last week. We were facing the number one rush defense that also happens to be one of the best blitzing teams in the NFL. Our offense was without our #1 WR. Our offensive line gives our QB (who tends to hold onto the ball too long) no time to throw. This did not look like a match up where we would score any points. On the other side of the ball we came in with a weak pass rush and bad coverage by the safeties and nickel backs. We were facing a team with a QB that avoids the rush and has a ton of talented targets. This did not look like a match up where we would be able to keep them out of the end zone. They had won two Super Bowls in recent years and we were 8-33 over the last three seasons. No one (including myself) gave us a chance, AND WE WON BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That alone should give you all the "hope" you need to get you through this week, but just in case you're still not on cloud nine here are a few more to make your day.

The Broncos lost to the Chargers 32-3. Their coach got in a battle of "smack talk" with SD's linebackers. Their star WR was screaming like Todd Haley after a wasted time out at their rookie RB after he fumbled at the goal line. It was great! Over the past four weeks KC is 3-2 and the Broncos are 1-4. Over that span, the "new and improved" Denver D has given up 140 points while KC has only given up 101. :-)
During his first three games as a Chief, Chris Chambers has 10 receptions for 249 yards and 2 TDs. During that same span Malcolm Floyd (who is the new starter in SD with Chambers gone) has 9 receptions for 112 yards and 0 TDs. And just for fun, the Raiders first round draft pick Darrius Heyward-Bey only has 7 receptions for 103 yards and 0 TDs (all season).
Mr. 2.7's final stats this year with the Chiefs were 132 carries for 377 yards and 0 TDs. Jamaal Charles now has 64 carries for 313 yards and a TD. That means with only 65 more yards rushing Charles will pass 2.7 as the leading rusher for the Chiefs this season. If you factor in receiving yards Charles is already ahead of 2.7 in yards from scrimmage (474 to 453). But hey, I'm sure 2.7 is happy to be backing up rookie Bernard Scott (Cincy's very own Jamaal Charles clone) and getting his 2 carries for 5 yards.
This one is for any of you "anti-optimists" that still may not be convinced that we have improved as a team as the season has gone on. We scored a special teams TD, we returned an INT down inside the ten yardline. We gave up over 300 yards passing while playing against a defensive powerhouse that stops the run and gets after the QB. Here's the catch, I'm not talking about the Steelers game, but our week one game against the Ravens. There are a lot of similarities between the two games, but we lost that one 38-24 and we found a way to win this one 27-24. That is progress folks.
Finally, Andy Studebaker (who in case you haven't heard 250 times is out of little, itty bity, teeny tiny, Wheaton College) has as many INTs this year as Nnamdi Asomugha and Champ Bailey combined. (I know, I know, nobody throws at them. It's still fun to say!)

So there you go, a little more Kool Aid for you in case you aren't drunk on the stuff after our big win. No matter what happens in SD this weekend stay positive APers!

PORKCHOP OUT

Log Jam at the Bottom

KCporkchop — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:37:11 -0000

As each week goes by we come closer to the end of what is clearly another hard year as a Chiefs fan. You know its bad when the mock drafts start up only a few weeks into the season. It's never too early to hear information on top prospects that might look good in a Chief uniform next year. The reason I can't get into the true mocks yet is because there are so many really bad teams this year that its really hard to guess where KC might pick. So if for nothing more then my own selfish attempt to find a seat on the mock draft band wagon I'm going to try and look at the numerous teams that are all competing for the top draft spots and try and predict how things might pan out.

I see eight teams that have a chance to finish in the top five draft slots: Buffalo, Cleveland, Detroit, Kansas City, Oakland, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and Washington. I'll now take a look at each of these team's remaining schedules and make my own prediction of where each team will finish up.

Buffalo (3-6): @Jax, Mia, NYJ, @KC, NE, @Atl, Indy

My prediction: I think Buffalo is done. I don't see another win this year. I'm guessing they finish 3-13.

Cleveland (1-8): @Det, @Cin, SD, Pit, @KC, Oak, Jax

My prediction: I think they're done too. I'm guessing they finish 1-15.

Detroit (1-8): Clv, GB, @Cin, @Bal, Arz, @SF, Chi

My prediction: I think they'll beat Cleveland this week and that's it. They finish 2-14.

Kansas City (2-7): Pit, @SD, Den, Buf, Clv, @Cin, @Den

My prediction: I'm trying not to be a total homer here. Since they are at home, I'm predicting them to beat Buffalo and Cleveland and finish 4-12.

Oakland (2-7): Cin, @Dal, @Pit, Was, @Den, @Clv, Bal

My prediction: I think they'll be better now that they benched Ryan Leaf Jr. but they have a hard schedule. I think they'll beat Washington and Cleveland. They finish 4-12.

St. Louis (1-8): Arz, Sea, @Chi, @Ten, Hou, @Arz, SF

My prediction: I think they'll beat the Seahawks and that's it. They finish 2-14.

Tampa Bay (1-8): NO, @Atl, @Car, NYJ, @Sea, @NO, Atl

My prediction: Freeman has played better then I thought so I wouldn't be shocked if they picked one more team off but I don't see any games where I would flat out pick them. I'm predicting 1-15.

Washington (3-6): @Dal, @Phi, NO, @Oak, NYG, Dal, @SD

My prediction: I think they have a pretty hard schedule the rest of the way. I'm calling for them to pick off Dallas in Washington. They'll finish 4-12.

So I have Cleveland and Tampa both at 1-15, Detroit and St. Louis at 2-14, Buffalo at 3-13, and KC, Oakland, and Washington at 4-12. That would put our Chiefs drafting somewhere between 6-8 depending on how the tie breakers work out.

Now its the NFL so a few of these teams are bound to upset a team that they have no business beating (maybe it will be KC!!!!), but what do you think AP? Looking at those teams and their schedules, where do you think the Chiefs will finish?

Bill Williamson is a Tool

KCporkchop — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:59:51 -0000

Bill Williamson is a Tool

In his AFC West players to watch his pick for the Chiefs is Mike Brown. Not Charles who is coming off a 100 yard game, or Chambers who needs to step up with Bowe out, no no my friends. Mike Brown. This is a direct quote: "Brown has become one of the Chiefs best players. The veteran is a savy, smart player."
My opinion of Bill Williamson just hit an all time low. As Bill Walton would say "He's HORRRRRIBLE!".

Your Weekly Glass of Kool Aid

KCporkchop — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:07:18 -0000

via img97.imageshack.us

The on going debate today in a couple of excellent posts by Krayfish and RDOGuy about how we Chiefs fans view our team has had me thinking all day. We fans that tend to be on the "positive" side of things are good at talking about patience and philosophy but are probably not as good at pointing out concrete examples of things we are excited about. In a season like this you have to look a lot harder for positives then negatives. Make no mistake, I am not in denial about how bad we are this season. We're really, really, REALLY bad right now. As I pointed out in Kray's post, the only way I can survive these bad times is to find some positives that we can build on going forward. This doesn't mean that I won't recognize the things that need to be improved. But as your self appointed (and for many unwanted :-P) "Kool Aid Man" I am going to take it upon myself to once a week give AP some of the good things we have going for us. This won't always be easy and I'm probably crazy for starting this right before the Steelers come to town. I promise never to use the word "patience" in these posts and will try to give concrete examples instead of just philosophical ramblings that I tend to go in to (the start of this post, for example). Hopefully these posts will give those like me a glimmer of hope to hold on to during these hard times we Chiefs fans have fallen upon.

So without further ado, I give you your weekly glass of Kool Aid for week 11.

Jamaal Charles is 4th in the league in YPC among running backs with more then 40 carries behind Felix Jones, Chris Johnson, and Correll Buckhalter. (and that's with our line)
The two worst blockers from the beginning of the season (Goff and Ryan) are no longer starting and have been replaced by new players brought in by Pioli.
Of the 5 top receiving targets that will be on the field while Bowe is out (Chambers, Wade, Long, Bradley, and Pope) four were not on the roster on opening day. Stop and think about how bad we would be if Pioli had not been upgrading these positions during the season.
Corey Mays reached double digit tackles for the first time in his carreer last Sunday (8 solo, 2 assists). He is second on the team in tackles with 52 and keep in mind he is usually not on the field on passing downs. In my opinion the coaching staff has done a good job of using Mays so that they get the most out of his tackling ability while protecting his poor pass coverage skills.
As we all know, our kickers are fantastic. You add that to the much improved kick coverage this season and we are one return man away from being a really great special teams team.
Despite being in our third straight season of "suckitude" we still have some of the most passionate fans in the universe AND we have the best blog in the universe for the fans to debate the levels of the "suckitude".

So there you go AP, a couple quick positives to keep you from jumping off that cliff just yet. I have a few more that I could list, but I have a feeling that I better save a couple for next week after the Steelers game.

Enjoy the Kool Aid!

PORKCHOP OUT

How many key players for next year's team are currently on the roster?

KCporkchop — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 17:43:50 -0000

From the FanPosts. -Chris

It appears that we are destined to read about 2.5 million posts about what FA we should sign and who we should select in next year's draft. It is my belief that these speculations are pretty pointless right now. There are several things we do not know that have too big of impact on things to make speculating worth while. Will there be a cap next year? If not, that changes what FAs will be available and how expensive the FAs on the market will be. Even more important is the number of key FAs that will resign with their current team and never hit the open market. Last, when we don't have any idea what the draft order will be and what underclassmen will declare, mock drafts are irrelevant. I love hearing scouting reports on players that people think would be good picks, but guessing who we will pick in what round just doesn't do it for me.

So how about we discuss something that still relates to next year's team, but that we can make a little more educated guess about.

How many key players / starters for next year's team are currently on our roster?

I'll define the key players as: all offensive and defensive starters (22 players), plus K, P, KR/PR, #2 RB, #3 WR, and nickel back. That makes 28 players total that we are talking about. I'll give my guess below and would love to hear what others think.

Players on offense that I think will be key players next year:

Cassel
Charles
Bowe
Chambers
Long
Albert
Waters
O'Callaghan

Not currently on team: RB (to split with Charles), FB, TE, C, and RG.

Players on defense that I think will be key players next year:

Dorsey
Jackson
Hali
Vrabel
Mays
Flowers
Carr

Not currently on team: NT, ILB, FS, SS, and nickel back.

I do think Edwards, Williams, Belcher, and maybe Leggett will play roles, but off the bench.

I think we can all agree that our K and P are set. I think we need a KR/PR guy.

So I have 17 of the 28 "key positions" for next year's team as filled by players on our current roster. That means we would need to add 11 key players through the draft and FA. That is probably too many for one off season. If we're lucky we could MAYBE get 4 from the draft which would mean we would have to add 7 through FA. My guess is we will add more like 7-8 total through draft and FA, which means we will go into next year with starters in a hand-full of spots that are still not what we are looking for long term.

What do you guys think?

Sheffter on ESPN right now saying LJ will be released!!!!

KCporkchop — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:30:32 -0000

Sheffter on ESPN right now saying LJ will be released!!!!