SB Nation User Blog: schraggyj

What Do You Do When It Is One Of Your Own?

schraggyj — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:22:19 -0000

Barry Bonds is generally despised in every city with the exception of San Francisco. Mark McGuire was recently welcomed back into St. Louis. As far as I can tell, Shawne Merriman is still liked in San Diego and Buffalo is still behind Marshawn Lynch. So are Chief's fans still adamant supporters of Dwayne Bowe?

This is not the first blog post on steroid abuse and athletes, nor will it be the last. However, I remain intrigued by how fans approach or support team members who knowingly (maybe) broke the rules in the name of athletic performance. Bowe is currently serving a suspension for diuretics that can mask the use of steroids. Diuretics may also be used to facilitate weight loss. Regardless, do we as fans consider diuretics differently then anabolic steroids?

A strong argument could be made for Bowe. He is in first contract. His big pay day comes with his second contract and he is always one play away from never playing football again or never playing at the same level. He has a new head coach and he finds himself on the third team in preseason. Maybe it was due to his weight? So he busts his tail, takes a little help, and gets back into the action. Do we forgive and forget? Do we forgive because he is a Chief? Would we forgive if he was Raider? Bronco? Or an irrelevant Brown?

What about players like Welborn who was the last Chief to test positive for a banned substance? Do we label him a cheater or do we consider whether Welborn maybe needed to cheat just to stay in the league. He was a starter on a great offensive line, but he was just an NFL starter, an average player.

I'm interested in these questions because I don't think there are great answers and there is any underpinning of issues of loyalty. Does loyalty trump our player's transgressions? And if we support Bowe because it "was only diuretics" would be support him if it turned out to be Elephant testosterone?

For what it is worth, here are my two cents. First, I don't blame any player ever for trying to gain an advantage--even if it means trying to beat the rules. Their pay and their livelihood is linked to their performance and unlike most of average joes, they are in signed employment contracts, they are not at-will employees who could be out of a job at the drop of a hat. Second, the pills aren't magic. All the steroids in the world won't help you if you sit around and eat Doritos all day. Finally, its a risk reward scenario. Players have to ask themselves whether the advantage they gain is worth the risk of getting caught. If Lance Long comes back over the summer with an additional 20 lbs of muscle mass he might actually become more like Wes Welker. He might also sit out four games the next year. However, he still may have a career year.

Am I disappointed in Bowe? Nope. Not one bit. He made, probably, an educated decision as what was in his best interest. He got back on the field and he was a productive player. And do I blame Merriman for taking steroids (or supplements or whatever the hell it was)? Nope. Although, I still wouldn't mind seeing someone knock his lights out.

SW Missouri/SE Kansas

schraggyj — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:28:20 -0000

SW Missouri/SE Kansas

I just moved to SW Missouri and I was looking for fans to watch some Chiefs football with. I would be willing to set up Chief watch party or something at a local sports bar if there isn't one up and running already.

Undisclosed Draft Pick

schraggyj — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 03:26:46 -0000

Undisclosed Draft Pick

When do teams have to disclose the undisclosed draft pick? I've been googling and I can't figure it out. I figured I would put it in the hands of those who are either more knowledgeable or better at internet searches.

Thanks to NJ Chiefs Fan

schraggyj — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:34:40 -0000

Thanks to NJ Chiefs Fan

For the last few weeks he has taken the time to put together his Chiefs news from the overnight. It is the first post I read every morning and I know it takes some time to put that all together--so thanks. I also noticed that some other SB Nation Blogs have news compilation posts with witty name and a nice graphic. The name Arrow Heds came to mind. Hed is journalism jargon for headline--it seems to fit all too perfect. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to gather the news and I wanted to throw my suggestion out there. Let's get a name together for NJ Chiefs Fans daily morning posts. Let us know your suggestions in the comments. -Chris

Thursday Night Football Open Thread

schraggyj — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:19:56 -0000

via SBNation.com

From the FanPosts. Thanks schraggyj. -Chris

I've been around AP for a while now and there isn't really a tradition of creating an open thread for other team games, but I figured its preseason still so what the hell. Now I'll try and tie this into some Chiefs related goodness.

I have to say that I will take our QB and WR situation over the Bucs. I am not sure I would say that about very many teams--especially regarding wide receivers. Leftwich reminds me of why I am tired of hearing about QB's with great arms. It is way overrated. Usually the really great QB's have great arms (Brady/Manning/Marino) but there are so many strong arm QB's that seem to never pan out. There seems to be a general consensus among the AP community that accuracy is maybe the most important QB asset.

I do have a question for the AP community. Do we root for poor Buc QB play? The worse the Buc QB's look may equal a higher trade value for Thigpen.

Chris/Joel--just let me know if you want me to delete this FanPost if you deem it inappropriate. I don't want to start a trend of having open threads for other team games every Monday and Thursday.

The Washington Redskins used their 2010 third-round pick on Thursday to select Kentucky defensive...

schraggyj — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:40:11 -0000

The Washington Redskins used their 2010 third-round pick on Thursday to select Kentucky defensive end Jeremy Jarmon in the supplemental draft.

Redskins snag Jarmon in supplemental draft - Washington Times

Do the Bear's overspend on their rookies?

schraggyj — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:41:35 -0000

Do the Bear's overspend on their rookies?

I was wondering if teams, such as the Bears, that are famous for signing rookies early end up overspending? We are entering into the time period where the first rounders start negotiating and begin dominating the football press. I honestly don't have time to do any of the research since I take the bar exam in 10 days. I was hoping some of the excellent writers on this site could take this and run with it. Just an idea.

Dwayne Bowe Twitter?

schraggyj — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:40:21 -0000

Dwayne Bowe Twitter?

The Chiefs as an organization should set up something were they do the twitter pages for all their players who want to tweet so fans know if the person is who they say they are.

Why Randy Moss Doesn't Affect Matt Cassel's Payday

schraggyj — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:04:37 -0000

From the FanPosts. I dropped in the picture. -Chris

This is one of what I am sure will be countless fan posts on the Cassel contract. I figured I’d throw it out there anyway because it’s a blog and that is the point right. So I’ll keep this relatively short. I am going to address what I consider to be the main criticism (mainly coming from the media) that I keep hearing regarding the Cassel signing and then move onto a few real quick reasons (most of which have been already said) that point to this as a smart signing.

Main Criticism: Chiefs Supporting Cast is Weak

I don’t know if you guys have heard but the Kansas City Chiefs don’t have Randy Moss. Was a Cassel a better quarterback because of Moss? Absolutely. Will he be terrible without him? Absolutely not. The argument that the Chiefs have a weaker supporting cast and therefore overpaid for Matt Cassel fails to shed much light onto whether the Chiefs should have signed Cassel to the six year 60 million dollar deal.

First, the assumed lower number may not indicate poor quarterback play. If Cassel doesn’t put up the number this year that he did last there are a ton of factors to include—new system, new coach, different players, and different requirements. Cassel was the New England offense last year (I heard a report from Jay Glazer that the Patriots almost signed Turtle as a running back last year). There is a chance that this years Chiefs offense runs through LJ (go easy on me—I just said a chance).

Second, Cassel’s contract numbers should not be determined by the assumed Chief’s offensive talent level. Hypothetically speaking, assume that the Chiefs signed Peyton Manning this year for 100 million dollars. Nobody would say that the Chiefs overpaid for Peyton Manning due to the existing talent level on the squad. Critics would argue that Peyton won’t be as productive due to a different system, but they would not argue that he was not worth the money. Can you argue that because a QB will be less productive in your system you should not sign him—absolutely not? That is a defeatist Clipper mentality under which no decent GM operates. Furthermore, there is no reason to believe that it is true.

Remember when Vermeil’s offense was not suppose to work in KC because he didn’t have Faulk, Bruce, and Warner and KC was outdoors on grass. How did that argument work out? Finally, it is not an actual criticism of the signing. The criticism is saying "Cassel is worth six years and sixty million dollars, but just not in Kansas City." That is a criticism of the franchise, not the signing. And with a new GM, owner, coach, front office, and even stadium, the franchise is essentially new and I don’t think any criticism based of recent past Chief performance is fair or even logical.

Third, the argument assumes static personnel groups. I think there is every reason in the world to believe that the Chiefs will look at improving offensive personnel next year (especially OL). The only legitimate line of reasoning in this argument is that Cassel is overrated talent wise due to the New England system. I don’t think that is true, but I do understand that argument.

Fourth, if Cassel’s performance does dip because of the assumed lackluster Chief’s current personal, then he wasn’t overpaid because he won’t get the performance incentives, which make up about half his contract. The contract may be front-loaded and you could argue that he will be overpaid for the first few year. However, that argument fails when you consider you have to compare the contract to at least one and possibly two franchise tenders.

Risk Management: Why it was a Good Idea to Sign Him Now

I just want to touch on why this is a good deal and most of these points have been stated already and I know that you guys are aware of them:

Pioli knows Cassel, the deal is consistent with what QB’s are getting paid, the cost of QB’s will go up next year due to the Manning and Rivers free agency, the Chiefs had to pay him 14 million this year anyway, the Chiefs needed to spend money, etc. I just wanted to make a risk assessment point. The worst thing that could happen to the Chiefs is that Cassel goes down for the season the first game of the year (knock on wood).

If he wasn’t signed the Chiefs would be looking at having to pay 14 million this year for an IR spot and then be in the exact same situation again next year. The Chiefs would have to ask is Cassel worth a long-term deal? I get the argument that you can make a better assessment of Cassel’s ability by watching him one more year. However, there is a chance by waiting and seeing you just wait—and don’t get to see him play.

And then what do you do? Trade him away so you can sign a former NFC quarterback with a neck beard that challenges Horace Greeley?

Hunters need guns. Law enforcement needs guns. Why would a 36-year old former NFL quarterback, a...

schraggyj — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 03:53:38 -0000

Hunters need guns. Law enforcement needs guns. Why would a 36-year old former NFL quarterback, a husband and father of four need a gun that wasn’t for hunting? Why would a 20-year old waitress at Dave & Buster’s need a gun? Both McNair and his girl friend were owners of hand guns. One of them was used to take both lives, apparently her’s.

Chiefs News Chiefs Update | Chiefs Football at BobGretz.com

Gretz's write up today is more appropriate when applied to Burress. The fact that McNair owned a gun seems irrelevant.