Who is E.J. Kuale?

2008 will mark the third NFL season since Kansas City Chiefs linebacker E.J. Kuale left LSU for the NFL. He's found little success in the big leagues, spending the entire 2006 season on the New Orleans Saints practice squad.

Before coming to the NFL, Kuale spent one year at Georgia Tech and one year at Dodge City Community College (we've discussed DCCC before) before making his way to Baton Rouge, LA.

I enjoyed this quote by Kuale in September 2004 before LSU played Auburn - "We do have to stop Cadillac and Ronnie Brown, but I don't think it's gonna be a problem." The previous week, the running back pair gained 122 and 147 yards respectively. Against LSU, Williams and Brown would combine for 142 yards in a one point Auburn win. Kuale registered one tackle.

Kuale was suspended for an early October 2004 game against Florida after his reported role in an off-campus fight.

For his career, Kuale played sparingly, only starting in three games and playing in eighteen. He finished his time at LSU with thirty-six tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks.

After a rather forgettable college career and a season on the practice squad in New Orleans, what does E.J. Kuale do?

Gets arrested in March of 2007 for possession of marijuana and possession of a firearm with drugs. Needless to say, the Saints didn't waste much time releasing Kuale, who ended up sitting out the 2007 NFL season.

So, what does Herm Edwards want with a underwhelming linebacker who missed an entire season because he was arrested and the negatives that came with that outweighed his value as a player?

I'm not sure. The coaching staff certainly does not have long term plans for Kuale. They've seen little of him in the NFL and he hasn't played a game in three seasons. The answer is probably that Herm is just piling these players in this year. Kuale is one of eleven linebackers currently on the roster. And don't forget that the Chiefs just recently added two more cornerbacks. Herm is bringing anyone and everyone to training camp and they'll probably be there until late August when the roster deadlines come around.

One point that makes E.J Kuale's presence on this team interesting is that by today's NFL standards, Kuale's past actions earn him the label "at risk". Herm Edwards doesn't typically take chances on players like that, especially undrafted free agents who have been out of football. Jared Allen was the last "at risk" player the Chiefs had and by all accounts, Herm and Allen got along well. Herm does have a soft spot in there for younger players.

Alright all of you Western Kansas readers. My site statistics tells me you're out there. Tell us about the most famous DCCC player I've ever heard of. Okay, I just looked up DCCC. Former Buffalo Bill Steve Tasker went there and 1972 NFL MVP running back Larry Brown did as well. Not too shabby actually.