Most of the talent left is over 30 but several players could upgrade our team for a year or two and give us flexibility in the draft to not reach for a position.

C Kevin Mawae – has a past with Weis and Haley at the Jets and still much better than niswanger even if he is 40 (now a man see Coach Gundy)

G Bobbie Williams – huge mauler for the run offense still has a few years left.  Great locker room guy too.

 NT Jamal Williams – coming off injury but still worth the risk. 

 DE Jarvis Green – allows us some depth and versatility on the D Line.  Another 3-4 D Lineman that fits very well into our defense is a very good thing.

 NT Fred Robbins – at 33 still has a few years left and with no options at NT available would be good rotational guy to have. 

 WR Kassim Osgood – GREAT special teams player and worth a roster spot.  A cheap way to improve a unit that got much better last year.

ILB Larry Foote - solid ILB that played well for Pitt and should come very cheap and be an upgrade.

TE Ben Watson - would be an upgrade and now that the first day has come and gone and he did not get any attentio should come at a good price.

WR Chris Chambers - no need to explain.

WR Antwan Randle El - should be cheap and solid player that could play slot for us.

TE Ben Hartsock - just a solid blocker that would help the run game. 

OG Rex Hadnot - big physical run blocker that seemed to do ok against the chiefs when they ran for 1000 yards in one game.

DE Tyler Brayton - solid starter than can play 3-4 or 4-3 DE.  Good depth.

OLB Joey Porter - still had more sacks than any Chief last year.  Would be nice opposite Hali.

OLB Scott Fujita - still mad we let him go.  Not a great player but seems to play smart and do his job. 

ILB Antonio Pierce - now that Chedder Bob (plaxico) is in Jail should be safe signing.  Not sure how much he has left with injuries etc but good player.

CB Leigh Bodden - the player i hope we sign the most that is left.  Really good year for the Pats last year and would be nice addition opposite Flowers.

S Darren Sharper - i dont care if he has one year left only he played amazing last year and would be worth it to add some leadership to this team.

FS Brodney Pool - should come cheap with all his concussions and Romeo knows him well just not sure how much he has left.

FS Ryan Clark - good player but i am scared he just did so well because he was next to Polamalu.  With our current safeties anything is an upgrade.

I think now that the smoke has cleared a lot of the restricted guys will be getting looks and traded.  Those 3 5th round picks could be key in acquiring some talent since pretty much every team just tendered all their players and will look to trade them if they have no intention of keeping them.

On a side note.  We are so blessed to be in the AFC West!  Even with only about 50 million payroll now (per Nick Wright) we should be able to compete in this division.  San Diego has me scratching my head and AJ Smith reminds me so much of King Carl.  Started out with a bang with Marty and then slowly gets worse and his business ethics are just poor.  They pulled off the Eli trade and it saved them for 5 years but they are getting worse by the year.  Rivers and Jackson are studs but after that i see nothing.  I actually understand what McDaniels is trying to do as the Cutler trade was great but they have to draft better with purging the old talent.  I do like what Denver has done in free agency the last 2 years switching to 3-4 but losing Nolan was a huge mistake.  Oakland...well I think that is the only thing saving the Hunt family is that we are in the same division as Oakland and they are so pathetic its amazing (yet they beat us at home!)

I think Pioli goes to work this weekend now that the big names are off the board (I am such a Pioli and chiefs homer)

Just wanted to see what talent Romeo had when they won the first title as I did not remember them being loaded with stars.  This was taken from a late october game that year.

LE Bobby Hamilton

NT Brandon Mitchell

DT Anthony Pleasant

RE Roman Phifer

SLB MIke Vrabel

MLB Bryan Cox

WLB Tedy Bruschi

LCB Ty Law

RCB Otis Smith

SS Lawyer Milloy

FS Matt Stevens

Notable backups:

DT Seymour

DE McGinest

A lot of vets and solid players but nothing amazing.  Milloy and Law where great players.  Seymour and Light where Rookies.  I would argue we might have as much talent on our defense already.  I think these 4 players alone stack up well.

DE Dorsey

DE Jackson (underachieved but DL always takes more time)

OLB Hali

CB Flowers

Take it for what it is worth but i thought it was interesting...

One more nugget that made me laugh.  NE starting WRs that year....

David Patten and Troy Brown

oh and starting RB Antowain Smith

We have both Coordinators, GM, and 4 picks in the top 3 rounds plus Free Agency...this should be interesting.

So from what i read it looks like players that would normally be UFA (unrestricted free agents) are now RFA (registricted Free Agents).  So how will this effect us?  Will teams just tender each player a one year low offer and then keep all there stars?  If this is the case (which it appears to be) why don't the players agree to a cap as players won't be signing a long term deal (why would any owner lock a player up long term for big money when they can have them cheap one more year)

I think a lot of players will be released to unload cap hits this year so that should add to the talent pool.  So the next questions becomes will there be a lot of sign and trade deals?  Like the Pats for example will they tender Wilfork and Mankins and just trade them even if they have ZERO interest in keeping them for the huge contracts they both will get???

So that brings me to my final question.  Based on all of this it looks like the talent will be very poor and with no cap do you think the draft is now that much more valuable (especially the top picks) so it would appear to me that a team like the Chiefs will have a good chance to trade down this year as teams might want to trade up to grab a premier playing as there will be very few available in free agency.  No cap so a lot of owners can front load a big rookie contract and lock up say a Clausen, Suh, McCoy, or Bradford. 

So i feel like all of this helps us for ONE reason.  I can't see many free agents wanting to come sign with us BUT if we trade for their rights then work out a deal long term with them it could work.  Plus if we are able to trade out of the 3rd pick to acquire more picks or players that would be a positive?

I know Whitlock has beat on Pioli and Haley for their ego but one thing i was thinking of is that in times like this it takes a big ego to stay the course.  Sure there are times when you can be overconfident but i think it is much better when you stick to a plan and don't get sidetracked by outside influences.  I am 100 % sure Pioli has Parcells keeping him up and focused as we go forward. But for a change i will state some very positive things we have going into the future:

1. A coach that CARES 100 percent about winning period.  He has made mistakes (admitted them also) and will continue to make more mistakes but unlike some used car salesman slick coach he stands up there takes his beating and works his butt off.  Go look at film of a young Cowher does he look/act a lot different that Haley?  Not standing up for Haley's game day issues or saying his is the next Cowher but we took a risk on a young talented coach as part of the plan.

2. Pioli changed the entire culture from top to bottom.  I do not agree with all his moves BUT if you have read about or been involved with change or change management this is ALWAYS the best move long-term.  Get a new perspective and new expectations.  Again, the key for me is not to keep changing back and forth... most teams go from Offensive coach to defensive and back and forth (Gunther, VErmeil, Herm, Haley, etc).  We have talked about 3-4 for years and knew it would be very tough to make the change but again Pioli did not put the Carl Peterson Ty Law quick fix on it.  He made the change and dedicated one and maybe more entire drafts to the change. 

3. I have been on Clark's case for 2 years now (yes i have called him Clark Bidwell and not going to start that up again) BUT he hired the best.  Pioli was the best available talent and Clark locked him up and for that I give him credit.  I think Clark is very much hands off but he knew that and hired the best.  He also needs to embrace we are in a recession and make an effort to reach out to fans and lower costs and give some great incentives.  Hell call next door I think the Royals have done very nice job at providing low priced options.  NOW i need to see him open up the wallet and let Pioli be aggressive (first with top rate coaches) and second with Free Agents.  The Chambers deal was a good sign as it showed he would invest over 2 million for a player for half a season.  I am not asking for a Dan Snyder approach BUT i have said many times Snyder WILL get it right someday as he continues to try new things...Plus if you look up NFL team values he is not as dumb as he looks.  He owns the stadium outright instead of the city. 

4. In a few weeks we will know a lot about the next 3 to 5 years of this franchise.  Again, not saying we need to go out and play madden with free agents but I want to see that plan that i know Pioli has.  Make trades and act quickly on coaches and players that FIT.  IF i see that i will call this year what it has been...a transition/rebuilding year.  If I don't see the moves made and we have another questionable draft I think a lot of the GREAT KC fan base will be lost for good.  I will always be loyal.  I will always read all I can and do my stupid mock offseasons and watch every play because it is part of me BUT I would argue the people on this site are the rock solid fans and others just cannot stomach the losses (not that i disagree with them)

5. So after watching a really pathetic year of football I am going into 2010 thinking positive thoughts about the Chiefs.  It is pretty clear they understand our needs and I think Pioli will exhaust every effort to give us a better product in 2010 without sacrificing a future.  Just please don't go get bombed by Denver I hate them!

Goals:

Improve the defense so what we have a young ascending potential top 5 D in a few years.  To bring Arrowhead back we need a great D.

Improve the interior line play.  Both depth and starters.  I am pleased with O'Callaghan and think it is too early to give up on Albert.

Improve the Coaching Staff as it was assembled so late in the game.  OC, QB coach, and DC.

Add SPEED to the offense, defense, and special teams.

Coaching:

Hire Charlie Weis as OC and QB Coach.  This is a HUGE need for both the QB position and to help Haley focus more on game management.  Shared an office with Haley with the Jets it just makes too much sense.

Hire Romeo Crennel as DC and allow him to hire his own assistants.  I know these are not original hires but they are the best available coach's and have experience in both the offense and defense we run and with Pioli and Haley.

Free Agency:

Resign:

WR Chris Chambers - would be nice boost to have Bowe, Chambers, and Cassel on the same page working together for year 2.  Will overpay for Chambers but Cassel needs as much support at WR next year as it is a make or break year for him.

QB Brodie Croyle - great arm and depth.  Still looks like a kicker but rocket for an arm.

TE Leonard Pope - really helped this year.  Good 2nd TE as Cottam looks to be the answer.

OLB Mike Vrabel - played great against the Bengals and is very key for the defense to get out of this losing culture.  I will take 22 mike vrabels.

FS Jarrad Page - should come back ready to contribute.

S Mike Brown - would not hand him the job but he has value.  Would be nice to draft berry and let him learn from Brown. (while Berry starts of course!)

OLB Matt Roth –  Would be an upgrade at OLB and add more pass rush.  Local Iowa guy that is still young.

RG Stephen Neal – NE locks up Mankins and Neal immediately upgrades the RG spot for us.  If only for a year as we add depth in the draft.  I don't want to just rely on a rookie center and guard.

NT Ryan Pickett – GB has Rajii and Pickett will get big payday.  He is our major signing and in huge demand so we will need to overpay.  We need a solid vet that can play so we do not have to risk/wait for another rookie to develop.  I think with this signing the entire D Line comes together and really turns into a strength next year.

WR Kevin Walter – good possession receiver that can CATCH the ball.

OLB Darryl Tapp – young player that has some upside as a pass rusher if the Seahawks let him go.

RD 1 FS Eric Berry Tennessee – Best player available period. Suh is gone and right now i do not see Okung as being a franchise LT.  McClain is tempting.

RD 2 MLB Brandon Spikes Florida – might not be here but the MLBs slid last year.  GREAT talent that along with Pickett and Berry would solidify the middle for years.

RD 2 C Kris O'Dowd USC - great career at USC and will make immediate impact.  If you have not seen the piece on ESPN with Jake Olson its a good watch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX0ovhkgR7s

RD 3 MLB Micah Johnson Kentucky- very talented player that would add size and a physical presence to our D.  I am tired of teams running the ball right at us.  Best way to improve any D (or any team for that matter) is stop the run and give them 3rd and long.  Best way to bring arrowhead back is to give us a physical tough defense to cheer for.

RD 4 WR Jordan Shipley Texas – as much as I want a big body WR (Alexander) we have Bowe and shipley will be a huge upgrade in the slot and on returns.  This gives us Chambers, Bowe, Walter, and Shipley.  Big improvement plus he is a solid return man.  I think he falls to the 4th due to 40 time.

RD 5 OG Jeff Byers USC – can play center too and has injury problems but huge talent.  Should be great depth on the line and could develop into a starter.  Was a 5 star center out of high school that just got  banged up a little.

RD 5 WR/RB/QB Juice Williams – could be the short yardage back we need and add a wildcat option to our offense.  Should fly under the radar but a great talent and has a place in the NFL.  Imagine what you could do with some goal line packages with Charles and Juice…and Haley is creative enough to call it.  Plus i do not want to use a high pick to add a short yardage back.

RD 5 DE/OLB Jeffrey Fitzgerald KSU – huge upside and great player for KSU.  kind of a tweener but like Gilberry cannot have enough players with a good motor that can get to the QB.

Ok thoughts? I know i did not draft a tackle but I am fine with O'Cal and Albert for one more year.

No this is not another mock draft BUT I did some thinking on what the most valuable positions are to winning a super bowl. 

1. QB - like it or not we have Cassel and his contract (i think he will be better next year)

2. Pass Rusher - can be OLB or DE and we have ZERO other than Hali

3. LT - Albert is still young and I am not sure even Okung is better.  This draft is horrible for LT in my opinion.

Then what?  I want to know what everyone thinks.  DT/NT? FS? RB? WR? MLB?

It is different for every team i know but i look at Ed Reed and Polamalu and even Bob Sanders and his impact and I think a dominant Safety might be the most valuable player on the entire Defense well other than pass rusher.

I read that only one safety has been picked top 5 and that shocked me.  The only explanation i can see is that the game has evolved so much that the value of a safety is now much higher.  

So yeah after all that I want Berry even if we pick 3rd.

Like i said I am really curious what everyone else thinks.  Not just on what we need but overall what any great team needs.

1. We hire Charlie Weis as OC and just as important QB Coach.  His track record on offense is excellent and he has the background that Haley should respect and trust.  This should help Haley manage the TEAM better and really benefit Cassel.  This is a Mike Nolan type hire (denver new DC) and if we get lucky enough to land him I think we take giant strides on offense.  Plus I always like having assistant coachs with head coaching experience.  This should help in signing offensive Free Agents as well.

2.  We hire Romeo Crennel as DC.  It is really clear we are following the patriots model and I remember the Pats that won all the super bowls as playing great defense and winning a lot of close games at the end by having a QB that is very clutch.  Cassel has struggled but he seems to have IT at the end of the game.  I am not picking on Pendergast because there is not a lot to work with but Romeo is a GREAT DC that is very respected.  This should help in signing offensive free agents as well.

3. We end up drafting around 10 and can trade down at LEAST once and even better trade way down.  This is going to be the deepest draft in years with everyone coming out before the new rookie salary cap next year.  I would much rather have several 2nds and 3rds.  Plus, I see 3 sure thing players in round 1 that would make a huge difference for us (Suh, Berry, and Okung) and they will all be gone by pick 5. 

I think we have made strides and Haley and Pioli showed up very late in the offseason last year.  I hope we are as active in upgrading our coaching staff as we are in free agency.

and why not:

Trade:

3rd for LT Matt Light (only 31 and rookie vollmer looks great and is much cheaper) and move Albert to RG.

Down in round 1 to around pick 25 obtaining an additional 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.  I think teams will jump up to get QBs this year.  This will require trading down multiple times similar to CLE last year.

Sign:

OG Mankins (big money but Weis, Light, cassel, and Pioli get him here and NE will spend on Wilfork and other free agents)

NT Ryan Pickett GB

MLB Kirk Morrison Oak

Draft:

RD 1 FS Earl Thomas Texas

RD 2A WR Golden Tate ND

RD 2B OLB Jerry Hughes TCU

RD 2C RB Toby Gerhart Stanford

RD 3 C Matt Tennant Boston College

RD 4A OT Sam Young ND

RD 4B TE Colin Peek Alabama

RD 5A KR/PR Dexter McCluster Ole Miss

RD 5B OG/OC Jeff Byers USC

RD 5C MLB Micah Johnson Kentucky

I am not giving up on Albert but right now I am not sure he can be an elite LT and after Okung I dont see anyone worth taking a flier on.  If we give him next year to prove himself I understand but Light should be available and just the experience alone should help the entire OL especially if we get Weis.

Free Agency:

Tons of mid-level talent will be available as teams will cut big contracts in the no cap year to clear the books.  Snyder and Jones will spend like mad but after the dust settles a lot of quality will be available. At this point no clue who will be available with all the potential cuts but add but I expect Pioli to be active via trades and signing as Arrowhead will be empty in December:

Best available interior lineman – hope Logan Mankins as Ohrnberger could replace (maybe even a trade for Mankins if he is tendered.)

Best available 3-4 LB – I think Dansby will sign long-term and my hope is that Morrison gets tired of Oakland and likes the future in KC.  OLB Matt Roth would be a nice fit.

NT – Wilfork will re-sign but NT Ryan Pickett for the packers would be nice and after drafting Rajii I doubt they want to pay 2 NT top dollar.

Starting RB to spell with Charles – Jerious Norwood would be a nice addition and not require a top draft pick for a starter.

RD 1 FS Eric Berry Tennessee – Best player in the draft at a position of need.  Suh might be as good but we need Berry more.  Watch him play one game and you can see he would be all over the field for us.  Only way I take Suh is if we trade Dorsey for a first round pick (I would not do it but i would not be surprised if we did)

RD 2 MLB Brandon Spikes Florida – drops just like the MLB last year and is a steal at the top of Round 2.

RD 2 OG Mike Johnson Alabama – should start from day 1 and replace Goff (pronounce goff like you are coughing up something)

RD 3 OC JD Walton Baylor - again should start from day one and with Mankins and Johson provide a huge upgrade next year.

RD 4 OLB/DE Jeffrey Fitzgerald KSU – local talent will get to the QB.  Situational guy that could develop into a solid starter down the road and replace vrabel.

RD 5 TE Colin Peek Alabama – great blocker that should help the running and passing game immediately.

RD 5 OT Adam Ulatoski Texas – can play guard and tackle and will be good depth and could develop into a starter down the road.

RD 5 KR Trindon Holliday LSU –fastest player in the draft finally gives us a game breaker return man

The one change i would make is if Albert struggles then we need to go Okung but I think Albert makes progress and I see no reason to replace O'Callaghan right now.  I would love to add a WR like Dez Bryant or Golden Tate in round 2 but I think we need to fix the O Line and middle of our defense.  Plus Chambers might come in and do well.  If you would have told me in July that Chambers and Wade would be chiefs without giving up draft picks I would have been ecstatic.

As bad as this is I think the one thing that is hurting us the most this year is that it took us so long to hire Pioli and Haley.  We ended up with scraps as far as assistant coachs and were behind schedule in free agency and the draft evaluation.  But just like when a new coach is hired in college football and they have that one bad recruiting class I think it was worth it to be held back one year to get Pioli.  So in my opinion here are some positives we can see for next year...and no this is not a mock draft for players rather coaches.

OC Jim Zorn Skins - dont laugh he is one of the most respected offensive minds in the league...just not as a HC.  As you will see on this list i like adding former HC to your coordinator staff as it adds experience and they had considerable talent to be considered as a HC.  Plus, the Skins are a mess.  It would be fun to have Snyder as an owner because he TRIES to win but this is a joke.  Imagine, how good they would be if they would have stuck with Marty years ago and not ditched him for Spurrier.

WR Coach Ray Sherman Dallas - Haley knows him well and Phillips will get the axe this year opening the door for Shanahan (who will likely bring his new offensive staff).  He has coached Rice, Chris Carter, and now Miles Austin.  From Haley's comments about Miles Sherman has been trying to get Austin more playing time but in Big D they have played the guy that they gave up the picks and money for until he got hurt (Roy).  This would take a lot of pressure of Haley.

DC Romeo Crennel Cleveland - This was the worst kept secret we wanted him and if he did not just have hip surgery he would likely be our DC.  Would be great upgrade for us.

or

DC John Fox Carolina - i always like hiring a DC that was just fired as a HC (Mike Nolan, Dick Lebau, etc) and I think he is a very good Defensive Coach.

or

DC Jack Del Rio Jax - This makes sense as he seems to the personality that Haley likes.  Again, having an X head coach as your DC would help Haley.

or

DC Ron Rivera Chargers - experience with the 3-4 now and I have always liked him since he has coached for the Bears.  Norv Turner cannot keep his job one more year by beating the Chiefs and Raiders and sneaking into the playoffs with all this talent can he?

Anyone I am missing  (no not Cowher or Shanahan either haha? Any Golf coaches I am missing?  Butch Harmon maybe? ok you have to admit that is funny.

It is obvious we have a void in talent but if you look at the difference Mike Nolan has made in Denver and Greg Williams has made in NO it would be nice to upgrade our coaching talent also.  I just want to a different perspective that I have not read before.  If Clark really allows Pioli to spend money this year we have enough picks and Cash to vastly improve but we have to coach them up first. 

Thoughts?

If you hate draft talk then I am sorry BUT looking ahead (even Pioli talked about the draft on the radio monday) I just wanted to hear what some people have seen out of Okung.  I am going to watch the MU vs OSU game tomorrow but just curious if we had any OSU fans willing to give some input.  I watched OU tackle Williams get used and abused at Miami and was not impressed at all.  I still think Albert can make strides and is as talented as all the OT in the draft this year.

I think we need a legit LT but with as many holes as we have on this team we cannot afford to pass on the best player if we are building for the long haul.  For example, DT Suh and FS Berry are by far the most impressive players I have seen so far this year.  Both made tons of plays against good teams when i watched them play.  Suh could play NT in my opinion.

One thing to consider, from what i have read a LOT of very good players will be cut this year due to no salary cap and teams can kind of get out of jail free this year on any big contracts.  Maybe that is why we were so quiet last year in free agency....?

Thanks for your thoughts on Okung in advance..