Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley spoke with the media this afternoon following the team's practice in preparation for the Washington Redskins.
The hot topic outside of the locker room is the status of defensive end Glenn Dorsey. Jason LaCanfora of NFL Network started the local firestorm when he reported last night that the coaching staff is not high on Dorsey and that multiple personnel folks around the league could be interested in his services prior to next Tuesday's trade deadline.
There are a couple of sides to this that I've seen arise, which I'll address after the jump, along with quotes from Haley on Mr. Dorsey.
One side says, simply, that he doesn't fit and there's no use trying to plug a square peg into a round hole. Take what you can get for him now and be done with it. The other side says Dorsey has made improvements and, considering his status as the "can't miss" lineman of the '08 draft, it wouldn't make much sense for the Chiefs to part ways with him 21 games into his NFL career. Plus, what kind of offer would it take to get the fifth overall pick 18 months into his NFL career?
Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com raised a good point this morning when he speculated whether LaCanfora's information is outdated considering the criticisms of Dorsey have quieted in recent weeks.
Looney makes a solid point because the biggest issue the coaching staff reportedly had with Dorsey was showing up to camp "so poor that his body and his frame wasn't able to handle that weight."
"It’s been a long road," Haley said, "and Glenn has got himself in condition now. He’s at the weight we assigned to him which probably looked like an impossibility back in the spring. I think that’s starting to pay dividends for him."
More evidence that the coaching staff is coming around comes from Haley including Dorsey in the "right 53" group.
"Glenn, to me," he said, "has bought in with how he’s worked and fought to get to where he needs to be."
As for the side that says Dorsey simply isn't a fit, skill-wise or body-wise, to be a 3-4 defensive end?
"He can be a very disruptive player up front," Haley began when asked about Dorsey's potential. "He’s got very good quickness and explosion where he needs to be and he can play with the intensity he needs to play with. That’s the biggest thing.
"He’s very strong," Haley continued. "He’s not necessarily the dimensions when you think of defensive linemen, particularly the technique he’s playing."
Haley spoke much longer when asked about Dorsey than any other subject today. You can decide what that means.