SB Nation User Blog: PVChiefsfan

Wiegmann may retire before the 2009 Season

PVChiefsfan — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 14:03:46 -0000

Wiegmann may retire before the 2009 Season

If this desire for a contract extension came up before the 2008 season, maybe that is why we let him go?

Aaron Curry interview this morning

PVChiefsfan — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:34:46 -0000

Aaron Curry interview this morning

I just heard on 96.5 that Aaron Curry is giving an interview on 610 sports today at 10:00 A.M.

I posted the "listen live" link.

Draft Sanchez and keep him?

PVChiefsfan — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 12:35:16 -0000

Michael Ash at Warpaint Illustrated wrote a very interesting article about the possibility of us drafting Sanchez at #3 and keeping him - that way, if Cassel was a one-hit wonder, and can't do anything without Randy Moss, we'll have another starting-caliber QB ready to go, and if Cassel is the QBOTF, then we can trade Sanchez next off season and recoup the #1 pick we spent on him.

I'll admit, the reasoning is sound, and it could explain why Pioli isn't in a huge hurry to sign Cassel to a long-term contract...but I'm not sure this is even possible.

Now I know we still have a lot of salary cap room, but if we draft Sanchez at #3, he'll receive a contract larger than Matt Ryan's, regardless of whether he starts or sits on the bench - do we even have enough money to do that?

Cassel a bigger risk than Stafford or Sanchez?

PVChiefsfan — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 12:57:57 -0000

Michael Ash over at Warpaint Illustrated has written a very good article that makes an interesting case -

There’s no guarantee he’ll succeed outside New England. Cassel may be nothing but a flash in the pan. Maybe he was just the flavor of the month, a one-year wonder, a fluke.

But none of that is news to Pioli. By trading for Cassel when the Chiefs were in position to draft a top-rated quarterback, our new general manager hasn’t wasted any time putting himself in the line of fire.

By pulling the trigger on the trade, Pioli made it clear he believes Cassel is the Chiefs’ best option. Pioli is telling us that Cassel is better than Tyler Thigpen. More importantly, he’s telling us that no matter how good Matt Stafford or Mark Sanchez may turn out to be, Cassel will be better.

Pioli had a chance to draft a QB with a Top Five pick, and barring anything crazy happening in just over a month, he chose against that.

In terms of Pioli’s credibility, trading for Cassel may actually be a riskier move than taking a quarterback in the draft. It sounds silly to say adding a quarterback who’s faced real NFL defenses might be more of a gamble than adding a rookie, but consider everything Pioli has invested in this decision.

If Pioli can’t properly evaluate Cassel, a player he’s been around for the last four years, what does that say about his ability to judge NFL talent? If Cassel struggles at the start of the season, it’ll be no time at all before the usual suspects are out to declare Pioli a fraud and assert that Bill Belichick was the reason for all New England’s success.

While Cassel struggles, what if the one of the rookie quarterbacks starts for his team and plays the way Matt Ryan did last year? Hellfire and brimstone will be falling from the skies in Kansas City in no time.

When Ash puts it the way he does in this article, I see his point about Pioli and the choice of Cassel. And the more I think about it, the more I get excited

But none of that is news to Pioli either. So considering what he’s putting on the line with this move, how can you not at least be a little excited by the obvious confidence he has in Cassel? Pioli clearly believes Cassel was more than just a lucky system quarterback who was throwing to Randy Moss, and he’s practically staking his reputation on it.

The article also contains a brief discussion of the Broncos' descent into self-destruction, Raider-style (though it was written before Cutler requested a trade) followed by a short analysis of the Chiefs' new veteran leader - Mike Vrabel.

It all starts with the lines, right?

PVChiefsfan — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 18:23:12 -0000

So I am a fan of Aaron Curry...whether or not he is the "once-in-a-decade, can't miss prospect, lovechild of Junior Seau and Derrick Thomas, man among boys" some scouts say he is remains to be seen. What I do know is that if our scouts, Haley, and Pioli think he is, I'll trust them. If they think he isn't, so be it.

My thoughts for the #3 pick can be summed up in the title of this fanpost.

We all have talked about drafting a LT, and moving the lesser of the two (our #3 or Albert) to RT - great, right? Bookend tackles for a decade...fantastic.

We have also all talked about B.J. Raji being the guy we need to man the Nose Tackle position in our 3-4 defense...Oh, but if we switch to a 3-4, what do we do with Dorsey? Can he play end? Where do we find more LB's? etc...

Here is my question for everyone.

Even if we stay in the 4-3 defense, doesn't it make sense to complement Dorsey with Raji? Wouldn't he be the big guy occupying blockers while Dorsey could shoot into the backfield?

Rather than drafting a LT and moving Albert, who had an outstanding rookie year at LT, I think we would do well to give Dorsey a talented partner inside, and let them wreak havoc...

Thoughts?

2009 Mock Draft from mid 2008

PVChiefsfan — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 20:32:28 -0000

While looking for a complete 7 round mock draft, I found this gem from the middle of last season...it's really interesting to see what changed and what stayed the same (this draft assumed the Titans beat the Giants in the Super Bowl)...of course, it has us taking Stafford...it's really interesting to see how the LT rankings have changed (Jason Smith fell to the twenties to TB)

http://profootball.scout.com/2/808466.html

Prisco comments on the Cassel/Vrabel deal

PVChiefsfan — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 16:32:55 -0000

and the people posting comments are not too kind...some of them are hilarious. I won't be too hard on him, but I had to post this part.

Prisco writes:

Cassel played well when Tom Brady went down in the opener. The most impressive thing was that he improved as the season went along. Cassel threw 21 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions for the season, but had 14 touchdown passes and four interceptions in the final eight games. He also averaged 265 passing yards per game in those final eight games.

Did he get better? Yes. Is it a sign he is a franchise passer? No. It could mean he was a product of a damn good offense, which some scouts insist.

I do like Cassel. I saw him play live twice last season and both times came away impressed. He was accurate, he got rid of the ball and he spun his head, which is a must for NFL quarterbacks.

But I have to ask: Is there that much difference between Cassel and Tyler Thigpen, the Chiefs' starter last year?

Yes, there is a difference. Cassel had better stats, especially over the last 8 games, and most importantly, he generated those stats in a conventional offense, not the "Arrowspread".

I'm not throwing Thigpen under the bus, but we all knew he would have to prove himself under center, and he will likely still have that chance. Depending on Haley's (or Haley/Gailey) offense, Thigpen may or may not have an advantage (i.e. how many "spread" formations will our new offense contain?)

I was actually surprised that Prisco tried to compare stats, given the fact that Thigpen's success came in a "pad those passing stats" spread offense. Pro scouts and writers often add the caveat "stats may be inflated by offensive system"...why didn't Prisco consider that when praising Thigpen?

Full Article

Brett Favre Retires...Again

PVChiefsfan — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:50:58 -0000

Brett Favre Retires...Again

To be honest, this actually surprised me.

Ratface in KC?

PVChiefsfan — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:23:59 -0000

And can we still call him "Ratface" if he does become our head coach?

Wendler over at Warpaint Illustrated constructs a good argument that the Chiefs' next head coach should be Mike Shanahan.

If you can get past your division-rivalry bias, you might come to realize just exactly what I did when the Denver Broncos surprisingly axed their longtime head coach last week – Mike Shanahan is exactly what the Kansas City Chiefs need. It couldn’t be a more perfect fit.

Wendler makes two main points in his argument.

1) Shanahan builds great offensive lines/rushing offenses.

Over the last 10 years, the Broncos ranked in the top 10 in rushing offense eight times. That’s significant because they did it without a consistent feature back. Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughns, Tatum Bell, Travis Henry, Selvin Young, take your pick. All experienced success in Shanahan’s zone-blocking, cutback scheme.

2) Shanahan can identify and develop talent at the QB position -

Of course there’s more to Shanahan than just ridiculous success with running games. At his heart, as a former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, Shanahan is a quarterback guru.

It’s probably not coincidence that Steve Young finally won a Super Bowl after he hooked up with Shanahan. The same can be said for John Elway, who curiously seemed to either go to the Super Bowl or simply win it when Shanahan was his quarterbacks coach, offensive coordinator or head coach

Wendler goes on to discuss Shanahan's biggest weakness - a complete lack of anything resembling the ability to construct a defense, or even to pick defensive coaches who can do so.

Thoughts?

Tickets to the Dolphins game - half price

PVChiefsfan — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:09:18 -0000

Again, I am trying to sell tickets for my parents.

2 Tickets - Section 112, 17 rows back and about 6 seats into the endzone from the tunnel PLUS two designer Wolfpack bracelets so you can use the "Elite" entrance and avoid the stinky masses =) (and you can go to the Pavilion after the game - Great place to get autographs and admire all the players' cars)

Half price - $84 for both tickets.

If you're interested - post an e-mail address (and a real name) and I will send it to my parents so they can contact you.