Everyone else is doing it, so why shouldn't I?

1. Sign Peyton (duh). Go with Peyton, Cassel & Stanzi next season. Cassel is insurance against Peyton's arm not returning close enough to form...As for Stanzi, I'll take Scott at his word that he's a very talented QB & he may be ready to take over in a couple more seasons....then again, Peyton could end up playing 4-5 more seasons, so we'll see. As for Cassel, he's the '12 backup & trade bate in case another team's QB goes down early in the season. His trade value is much higher when dealing with a panicked GM on the other side.

2. Sign Shawn Rogers. Of course Soliai is better, but he'll probably cost at least double what Rogers will. Rogers, like a lot of DLmen, has played his best under Crennel, so we should know what we are getting. Also, I'm drafting Poe, so Rogers makes a lot more sense as a 1-2 year player than Soliai would. He takes Gregg's spot.

3. Sign Aaron Curry. Assuming he's released of course. He's not good enough to be the centerpiece of a LB corps, but with his size & athleticism he'd be a great complementary player. Bring him in to compete for starting SILB and backup to DJ at WILB. He'll take D-Williams' or Siler's spot on the roster.

4. Sign Mike Tolbert. One of my favorite players in the NFL. Great complement to Charles in the backfield, he can do it all. He takes TJ's spot.

5. Sign Dallas Clark (again, assuming he's released). Complimentary TE and insurance to Moeaki. He'd be a big help in the transition to Peyton's offense. He takes Jake O'Connel's spot

6. Sign Jeff Saturday. I'm not crazy about this because I think Hudson is ready to take over at Center, but like Clark, Saturday would help a lot in the transition. Hudson remains the backup interior lineman for another year, or competes with Lilja for starting OG. Obviously he replaces Weigs.

7. Re-sign LeRon McClain. I'm pretty much indifferent, but he's a decent player & has some attitude he brings to the offense.

DRAFT

While I'd prefer some trade-downs, I can't predict how that would play out, so I'm sticking with a no-trade scenario.

1. Dontari Poe (NT/DE). Everyone seems to have him going in the top half of the first round now, so that's what I'm going with. If he checks out with Romeo, he's probably going to be one of the best NTs in the league for 10 years to come...hard to pass on that. (Takes Gillberry's spot)

2. Zebrie Sanders (RT). Poor Senior Bowl aside, he's a 4 year starter at RT & passes all the physical & mental traits that are typical of a Pioli pick. He's going to be a good pro, and will be a major upgrade to B-Rich from day one.

3. Alameda Ta'amu(NT/DE). I know it's strange to double up here in the first three rounds, but this is another guy who has a good shot at being a 10 year starter in the NFL. Either he or Poe may be needed to take over Dorsey's spot if he leaves after next season. Beside this, I like the idea of having multiple 350lb defensive linemen who can be on the field for short yardage situations, particularly with this group of LBs KC has.

4. George Iloka (S). Definitely need another S to replace one of the three amigos. George is pretty big, maybe he's the next Kam Chancellor.

5-7 are all projects, so I dont' really care at this point.

Well, I haven't gotten the big name guys that we all want in free agency, other than Peyton, but I think this is a more pragmatic approach that will keep cap space available to sign other unexpected free agents & take care of guys like Albert, McCluster, Lewis & Arenas who are entering free agency after the '12 season

In the spirit of another Cassel vs. Orton post here, I decided to see how the two compare in terms of QB efficiency. The way I understand it, the knock on Orton has always been that he's wildly inconsistent, he'll be great one week and awful the next. The numbers have something to say about this. I also included Matt Schaub for fun, IMO he's about what you can hope for in a good passing QB (minus the injuries).

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Maybe it's the 4 o'Clock coctail talking, but I really believe that we have nearly as good a shot as anyone, and here's why.

First, this team comes to play EVERY week.  The veteran influence and the excellent coaching translate to maximum effort every week.  This means that we aren't going to be losing to inferior teams.  This brings me to point #2.

Second, as is well known, we probably have the easiest schedule in the NFL this season.  Frankly there's not a game on the rest of the schedule that we will be big underdogs in...and given that the team is ready to play every week this means there is a fair chance of going 10-1 or 11-2 over the rest of the season.  This means a potential 13-3 or 12-4 season.

Third, the AFC East & North are brutal.  While those divisions have superior teams, those teams are going to be battling each other throughout the season and beating each other up.  The result is that KC could very well end up with the best record in the AFC and therefore a #1 seed in the playoffs.  Crazy, I know.

Fourth, a great running game and solid D are excellent neutralizers to superior talent.  I have no illusions that KC is the best overall team in the NFL, but who's picking against KC @ Arrowhead in January playoff games?  I think with the Indy and Houston games KC has shown that they can play with just about anyone on the road.  Give me either of those games @ Arrowhead and it's not hard to predict a different outcome.  Frankly I don't think there's a team in the NFL that KC can't beat at home.

Essentially, I'm saying that if KC can take care of business and have a great regular season, there's no reason we can't end up with the best record in the AFC, hosting both potential playoff games.  If that happens I give us a much better than 50% shot at going to the Super Bowl.  Once there, I think any NFC team is beatable. 

So...who's with me?  Who thinks I need to lay off the Vodka?