SB Nation User Blog: bas

TPJ Update

bas — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 02:31:57 -0000

TPJ Update

He got his first win today in Burlington. Pitched 3 innings of 1 hit ball with 5 Ks.

Over his lat three outings: 7 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 9K

His ERA in A ball is now 3.09

John Lamb Deals Again!

bas — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 04:08:18 -0000

John Lamb Deals Again!

7IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 Ks.

For those keeping score: that is now 14 IP of shutout ball with 5 hits and 17 Ks!!

Update on Wil Myers

bas — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 05:41:51 -0000

Update on Wil Myers

After going 0-4 at DH in his 1st start, he got his first hit tonight -- a solo HR in the bottom of the 2nd inning.

Why our drafting and our lack of trades makes sense

bas — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 16:33:00 -0000

Ok, so waht do we know about our defense:

1) Clancy Pendergast is the DC

2) They split up the groups differently in camp -- Hali and McBride were working at outside linebacker.

3) They have not traded Dorsey

4) Tank Tyler calims he will play nose, and Dorsey will still be a three technique

5) We took two five technique ends to begin the draft

The reasonable conclusion: we are not playing a pure 3-4. We are playing the 4-3 under defense with ome 3-4 looks in it. We knew this already, but few pay attention.

Dorsey fits in the 4-3 under. It shifts the line to the left side of the offensive line with small penetrators, but then asks guys to be stout against the run on the right side.

The DL has a 5 tech on the right tackle, a nose that takes on the right guard and center, a 3 tech that penetrates against the left guard, and a standing end/linebacker hybrid to take on the left tackle. Take a look at the diagrams in one of the recommended fanposts on the 4-3 under. In this defense, the line will look like this:

Jackson and McGee -- 5 tech

Tyler and Edwards -- Shaded nose tackle

Dorsey and Boone -- 3 tech

Vrabel and ??? (I think they had Brian Johnston and Studebaker also in this rotation) -- Standing End (the Joker)

This scheme also makes good use of the linebacker talent that we have. You have a Sam backer that lines up on the outside of the TE to take on the run and to rush (from the right side of the OL). They have Hali and McBride lined up here. This person is a LB, but needs to be really stout like a DE. Both of these guys were used in coverage during zone blitzes last year and could perform limited coverage.

They have a traditional MLB that needs to be really stout at the point of attack. They sometimes have to take on the right guard and to stop the run. Clearly this is Zach Thomas' job.

The Will backer is also a hybrid MLB, since the look put 5 players on the line most of the time. This linebacker needs to be versatile to cover the left side, but is also free to make plays and to rush the QB often. Derrick Johnson and the guy we got from Atlanta last year will work here.

The safeties will have some cover responsibilities, but the SS can come down into the box more. We have the perfect set for this. The CBs are also good, but we will be playing some more man coverage, so the athletic CB from OSU (Washington) makes a lot of sense.

What do we still need? A guy to play behind Zach Thomas (I want Scott McKillop). I also have not been able to fit Darrell Robertson into the scheme so far (perhaps a backup to Tamba). I also think McBride might be one of the worst fitts for the scheme, but I don't know. Don't be surprised if we move him later this year for a mid-rounder next year.

Anyway, this is why it looks like we are going to a 3-4 and yet still have not traded our 4-3 guys, at least IMHO.

All three RFAs tendered

bas — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:28:47 -0000

All three RFAs tendered

Jarred Page, Rudy Niswanger and Jeff Webb.

But keeping with new arrowhead policy, we do not know at what level they were tendered

Assessing the Free Agent Market

bas — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 06:11:19 -0000

From the FanPosts. A nice, lazy Saturday morning read. -Chris

After reading a series of blog posts about some of the high priced free agents, particularly on defense, I thought it might be helpful to do a run down by position. Here are the assumptions:

1) Not all of these are position of need. However, in some cases, the value is really high for the position.

2) I try to focus on good system fits. As such, 3-4 DEs and OLBs are largely ignored.

3) Most of our free agent additions will not be stars. At best, we will likely get one big signings. So, I focus a lot of my energy on b-level free agents (though the big names still appear).

4) Most of these people will not hit the market. I cover much more than necessary.

5) I really do not cover older prospects, in line with the Chiefs FA philosophy from last year.

6) With our GM situation, nobody knows what we will do. I assume no major coaching or scheme changes at this time.

Here's the list:

QB -- In the FA market, we are probably looking for a #2 guy.

Matt Cassel (NE): The free agent gem of the year. I'm not sold on him. He will cost starter money. I think we should take a pass.

Kyle Boller (BAL): Needs a new start. Does not fit the spread, if we stay with that. Looks like a second or third string guy right now.

J.P. Losman (BUF): Has not looked that good this year. Has starting experience, so he can be a decent backup. Does not fit the spread. Can be had for decent money.

Byron Leftwich (PIT): This one is interesting. Has looked good in limited relief. Pittsburgh might try to resign. Might get a look for another starting job. His tools could fit well in our offense. I like this possibility.

Derek Anderson (CLE): Not a FA, but is paid too much to be a backup. Could be dumped with the new GM. Has potential, and might get a look at a starting job, but a good backup. Not necessarily a fit for the spread.

We probably need some experience at this position, and I do not see Huard coming back. At the same time, I really am concerned about overpaying at this position. I might rather just go young and draft another spread system QB in the middle rounds.

RB -- Depending on Larry, we might be in the market for a big back.

Brandon Jacobs (NYG): Fits the bill, but I doubt he hits the market.

Darren Sproles (SD): An excellent player, but we already have a change of pace back that is quick and elusive. Getting him would be giving up on Charles.

Correll Buckhalter (PHI): Has not got much of an opportunity and has had injury issues, but is getting some good opportunities lately. Becomes a big change of pace to Westborok, and fits a West Coast passing system. Might work well in the spread. This is an interesting possibility and he might be a good budget replacement for LJ short term.

There are more RBs, but most are retreads. If we trade LJ, then the best prospects are in the draft.

WR -- Need another complementary receiver, but could use a dominant speedster.

Antonio Bryant (TB): Finally playing up to his abilities. Likely will be resigned. Will cost some green, given his year.

Michael Clayton (TB): He has underachieved, so I think they might let him walk. Can get him on a "prove it" contract, and has a lot of talent. Tough to guage the price of his services, but might have the "Bradley effect" in another city.

T.J. Housh... (CIN): A little old, but a dominant slot guy. We probably won't even get to sniff him, but hey, we can dream. Works well in a spread out offense.

Again, this position might be best addressed in the draft.

OT -- We need a right tackle, but we can take a left too and move Albert.

Jordan Gross (CAR): Can play right or left. Great tackle. Will cost a lot of coin. Likely will be resigned.

Stacy Andrews (CIN): Good guard or tackle on right side, but not dominant. Just got injured with ACL, so likely not ready at the start of next season.

Vernon Carey (MIA): The tackle that we should have got instead of D-Mac. Can play left, but better on the right. Young and has a lot of starting experience. Miami has had good protection and run blocking, so this guy could be a nice addition. They will try to resign him.

Khalif Barnes (JAC): Has played left tackle, but really does not have the skills for the position. Huge guy, so could make a nice right tackle. We have a shot at this guy, and has an intriguing skill set to be a run blocker.

Elton Brown (ARI): A reserve lineman on a decent line. Has the size to be a good right tackle. Will likely be a mid-level prospect allowed to walk. We might get him on the cheap.

All in all, this position seems like an interesting position. With the draft being deep at tackle, I think some teams might let decent players walk for draft prospects, making it one of the more likely places to get a good FA signing.

OG -- Need one bad.

Chris Kemoeatu (PIT): Decent, with some starting experience. Pitt might keep him. Not a dominant prospect.

Most of the other guards are over 30. This is a position to get in the draft.

OC --We have Niswanger, but an upgrade would be good.

Jason Brown (BAL): Excellent player. Baltimore will try really hard to resign him.

Other prospects are older, and many of them are now backups. Again, the draft is where we can get a starter.

DE -- If we do not get one, 2009 will be a waste.

Julius Peppers (CAR): I want him. He likely will be resigned. If not, we will be in a 10 team bidding war for him. Will cost as much as Allen, but not as much production.

Terrell Suggs (BAL): One of the Raven defenders will shake loose, and it will either be him or Scott. Great player. May not be a great scheme fit. Will cost some serious coin.

There are other players, but they are not worth talking about. We have lots of rotational DEs; a dominant one will make a big difference. We are going to have to pay for this position, either in the draft or in FA. The draft is a crapshoot, but I do not know if we will even get an opportunity to look at the FA market.

DT -- We actually have a decent rotaion, but could use a dominant player.

Albert Haynesworth (TEN): Great player. Will cost a ton, but worth it. I think we will try, but will not even get a sniff at him. He's a life-long Titan, in my opinion.

The other DTs are no better than what we got. We could draft one, but I bet we stay put. A hard position to develop.

LB -- We need 2 of these. I lump them together, since we don't know right now whether we need outside or inside.

Leroy Hill (SEA): Has good stats, and plays a 4-3. Is an outside backer, but has the size to play inside for us. Likely to be resigned, methinks.

Jonathan Vilma (NO): If the Saints let him go after paying for him in draft picks, then they deserve to lose. If he hits the open market, I think we are the likely destination. Had great years under Herm, but has had some injuries lately. Solves the MLB problem, and won't totally break the bank. Perfect scheme fit.

Bart Scott (BAL): The most likely Raven to be looking for another job. Big, likes to hit, and can play pass coverage. Will bring an attitude to the defense that we really need. May not be the best scheme fit, but given the state of our LBs, he might be the best prospect for us. Worth the risk and the paycheck!

Michael Boley (ATL): They will probably resign him. Good, but not dominant. Better prospect than Demorrio last year.

Angelo Crowell (BUF): Has not played this year due to injury. Numbers have been good. A little large for our system, so might be a SLB.

Lots of others out there, but I don't know them as well. You can always find decent LBs on the market. We need a starter in FA and another in the draft.

CB -- Really, we have a lot of good, young guys. We need some experience if we dump Surtain, but otherwise, we can overlook this position.

N. Asomugha (OAK): If this guy is allowed to walk it will be a total tragedy. Great man player. Will cost a lot. However, when you have the opportunity to get a player like this in their prime, you got to make a run at them.

Dunta Robinson (HOU): Was injured, so has not played a whole year. Really solid corner. Houston will likely resign him. Will get as much as Asomugha, but not as good of a corner. However, still worth a shot.

Jabari Greer (BUF): Good stats, and could be odd man out in Buffalo. Would be a great nickel addition.

Deangelo Hall (WAS): Washington will likely keep him. Totally overrated and will cost more than he is worth. But he would be a good nickle upgrade.

Some good players, but they will likley command more money than the position is worth to us. This a position that you draft in the mid-to-late rounds for a nickel or dime guy.

S -- Some good players exist. However, we have a full compliment and a lot tied up at that position. No FA or draft at the position.

Conclusions: Let's be honest. The Chiefs have too many holes to fill in one year. We will only get one or two starting caliber players in the draft, and perhaps one or two in free agency. To fill the rest, we have to hope that some of the other players already on the roster develop.

As far as upgrading the roster, it seems to me that OT, LB and backup QB will be the best targets in free agency. To get defensive line help, we will likley need to go to the draft. Interior offensive line will also have to come from the draft. In addition, we need another LB and CB from the draft. The WR positon could be addressed in free agency, but probably the best prospects will be in the draft.

If we can get a right tackle and one starting linebacker, which I think are positions of value in free agency this year, then we would really put ourselves in a good position to draft BPA and to improve our record next year.

The GM Search, the Coaching Staff, and the 2009 Season

bas — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 21:29:23 -0000

I am sure that we have all been reeling, celebrating, kissing babies, or perhaps even weeping about the resignation of Carl Peterson over the last few days. As I finish up my semester work and devote even more time to consuming the endless stream of material that is sports blogging, it occurred to me that Hunt is not covering for Carl; they have had this transition scheme in place for a long time, but the events of this year have pushed him to accelerate the timetable.

Peterson, for the last few years, has claimed that he was not interested in receiving a contract extension. His last major project has been the simultaneous rebuilding of the football team and the stadium. He is getting old, and I believe that even he knew that the Chiefs' business model was not going to work long-term. However, after the passing of Lamar Hunt, they were already into the current project and he needed to see through the commitments that he started.

As the facilities have been largely renovated, the team has taken a pretty severe nose dive. I believe that the original plan was to build a young team seemlessly, while replacing older players and adding a few veterans to fill holes until the entire roster could turn over. After last season's 4-12 record, the plan for seemless transition did not work. Old bodies populated the roster, and a huge chunk of them reached critical mass at the same time. Kennison, Shields, Welbourn, Wiegmann (who is not through, but no longer a dominant player), Law, Holmes, Surtain (to some extent), Wesley, Green, and the DE the name of whom I can longer remember. About 4-5 weeks into the season, Edwards and Peterson both knew that the season was unsustainable, that they would regress as other teams progressed. They dumped people that had some value, but no future with the football team (Green, Sims, and Bennett). They dumped some before the season that had no value and that had replacements (even if not ideal) like Knight and that unmemorable DE (went to the Jets for a bit). And they tried to get value out of anyone that was left on the roster (Parker, Kennison, Law, Welbourn, Wiegmann, Wesley, Huard). They signed some free agent tackles and linebackers to make it through the year or two, and did what they could. By the end of that year, it was clear that the veterans could not keep it together.

This year, it had to change. They blew the whole thing up, signed only free agents that did not come with large contracts (D. Williams, D. Darling, and W. Smith), that could be dumped in the next year or two without much in the way of cap ramifications, and that had some potential to be better. All in all, these did not work out this year, but they can stay as long as we have nobody to replace them. They traded their best player (Jared Allen) in a contract season for three young, new bodies, a reasonable trade for a team that needs numbers of decent prospects. They paid off nearly all the bad debt from previous years, making the 2009 salary cap even better than this year. They held tryouts for unsigned college free agents and claimed any street free agent that had some untapped talent (see: Babin and Boiman). They played rookies at a lot of positions, even ones that were not really ready to take on a starting job, unless the position already had a great player. They kept a few high priced veterans, a most of whom will likely be gone next year with upcoming replacements. Some rookies played well, some did not, and the same could be said of the veterans. The end result: 2-12 with two games left. Some good indications, but a lot of work to do yet.

This brings us to the present: why did Peterson agree to resign at the end of the year, rather than serving out his contract. Answer: look at the landscape. The team is in complete overhaul, and we need to have the next GM in before it is finished. Peterson will not be able to build another shot at a championship next year, and he is out after that. It is going to take a lot more rebuilding next year to make the team competitive, even though Edwards thinks the foundation is laid.I believe that before this season, Edwards was going to be the anchor that held everything together during the GM transition. Now, I think Clark Hunt wants to play both possibilities. Peterson was gone, but Edwards was set.

So, Clark Hunt went to Peterson, presented the facts, and then asked him to step aside this year, rather than next year. I think that had been decided at about the halfway point of this year. Peterson has been a little scarce. However, with the team doing so bad, Hunt wanted to put a little pressure on Edwards' last two games, to see what would happen. I think this had been in discussion a long time, but I am willing to bet the announcement was pushed up two weeks because of the team's second half collapses.

Here are some other interesting details. 1) Stepping up the announcement 2 weeks does little for interviewing candidates. Other than the few guys without jobs (Reese or Casserly), he cannot really get a jump on interviews. 2) I think Clark Hunt does want to do a lot of interviews; I do not get the sense that he has an inside guy to take the job. He may have an idea of who he wants, but I do not think he is committed at this point. 3) He really likes the general direction of the football team, and has said publicly that he can see good promise in some of the team play. 4) He does not like our record (or does anyone), and wants to create severe pressure on immediate improvement next year. I think he believes that judging on this yer is not fair, but stuff better change in a hurry.

Given this background observations/assumptions, here is what I think will happen:

*Hunt will spent a few weeks interviewing people, and by the bye week before the Super Bowl, we will have a new GM. That GM will start around the first of February.

*The football team, finishing its season on December 29th, will be in evaluation mode for over a month before the new GM is online. That means the talent work done before the new GM is in place will push them through free agency and the draft.

*By the time the new GM is in house, all the good coaching candidates will likely be taken, or close to taken. Therefore, I think our coaching staff is stable for next year. In an interview with Petro in 810, Hunt seemed to insinuate as much (so long as the new GM does not find the prospect absolutely revolting).

*The new GM will help in the decisions to retain free agent players, and will make their first major moves in free agency. Expect a few moves, but not a lot.

*The GM will make a major contribution to the Draft, but with the evaluation structure already in place.

*After the draft, if the GM wants to make changes in the college scouting and pro personnel departments, it will happen. The June 1st cuts and later pickups may occur with a new group of scouts and evaluators.

*Herman Edwards and the coaching staff have 2009 to prove their worth to the new GM. If it is not sasifatory, then Herm will not be given an extension, and the rest ofthe staff will likely be purged.

In my take of how this has to go down, 2009 witll be the testing ground. Good 2009 = more Herm. Bad 2009 = new coach. In either case, our last three drafts will be the foundation of the team. If we get a new coach, it will be someone that also can work with the young players we have (and will soon get).

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it. What think you?

Roster Additions from the Mothership

bas — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 18:43:31 -0000

Just in case nobody else noticed, we added 3 players to the 53 man roster and 1 to the practice squad:

Andy Studebaker -- DE (this one we knew about)

Curtis Gatewood -- Linebacker (from the Redskins practice squad)

Jackie Battle -- RB (Moves back up to the 53 man roster)

Antwon Burton -- DT (Some player they want to take a look at. He spent the last 2 years with the Broncos)

Here are the links:

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/11/19/rb_jackie_battle_to_53man_roster_dt_antwon_burton_to_ps/

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2008/11/19/chiefs_add_lb_curtis_gatewood_and_de_andy_studebaker_to_roster/

At this point, they seem to be 3 men over the limit on the roster, which probably means that they have not announced some moves to injured reserve. My guess: Turk McBride, Donnie Edwards, and Ricardo Colclough gets cut. But again, they have not been announce, so that is pure speculation.

Brandt's Mid-Season Rookies

bas — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:11:38 -0000

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80c38999&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true

Grading the rookie class for 2008, Brandt certainly thinks we had an excellent top part of the draft. Albert gets a nod at Left Tackle, Dorsey at DT, and Brandon Flowers is considered a top performer in the secondary. Though none of this is really surprising, it is nice to see KC getting some props for doing some good work in the top part of the draft.

I think Brandon Carr would push out a couple of those other secondary picks, but I can't complain. I think Mike Cox could edge out Peyton Hillis by the end of the year at FB, if you account for blocks rather than offensive statistics. It certainly provides one more piece of evidence that we have a lot of hope for the future. I think we have the most rookies on that list.

Gretz defends Sippio

bas — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:54:26 -0000

In a tactful post, Gretz decided to clown the KC Star's bashing of Sippio as unfounded, though does not make any roster predictions. He argues that B. Sippio works hard, does his job, and does not deserve to be bashed for being a good team player that has one obvious skill deficit. It is a good read, and quite funny. The Star's treatment of him seemed entirely unfair. Cruise on over and have a look and comment on it. I know there are some Sippio fans around here.