The Chiefs Need A True Defensive Playmaker

Every team needs a true defensive playmaker/difference maker/game changer/sports cliche

Their defense in the early part of the decade never had any real star playmakers, but they won by playing smart & having a great gameplan. With Pioli taking T. Jackson & Alex Magee (and guys like Vrable & Zach Thomas), I think that’s what he’s trying to do here.

It won’t work with Clancy running the D.

… but I do think that Brandon Flowers is a great player.

And possibly the best football player on the team.

My pop and I were discussing the roster after the Cleveland debacle and I made the statement to him that I’ll toss out here now:

Brandon Flowers is the only current player who is guaranteed a roster spot next year.

Anybody else- cut, tradebait, or otherwise tossed aside. I could see and argument for all other 52, but not Brandon.

He plays hard, he plays smart, he plays through injury, he’s a good tackler, he makes open field tackles.

He’s the most complete and in my opinion hardest working player out there.

And you never see him sulk/bitch/whine. He just plays.

We can find more of him and I’m sold- hardcore sold- no doubt.

TD

Tim Freaking Tebow.

I have always said that too. It’s crazy but true. Polamalu is glaring example like you said. But there are others. No one can deny that the Denver RB’s never were heard of again once they left Denver. Emmitt was getting old so I’m not sure about him. But your point stands.

We simply do not have a guy like that. Evidently Dorsey is more of an anchor than I realized after Sundays’ embarrassing meltdown. I feel that Jackson and Dorsey are showing promise but how much promise? I think jackson shows more than Dorsey but that is ONLY MY opinion and it’s only an opinion, it’s not based on facts.

I just always see Jackson on every replay whether he’s the focus of the replay or not. He never turns off the engine until the whistle blows ever. I think that’s one reason Pioli liked him and it shows.

But we have to and I mean HAVE to get a couple of big name stars if we are going to be good. Huge impact players..

Aikman never won without both Irvin and Emmitt. Nor could Irvin and Aikman win the SB without Emmitt. It took 3 hall of famers to get it done. And Haley on defense…so there ya’ go.

I am in the camp that believes the right 53 has to include major talent. MAJOR talent.

We need more Vrabels/talented Vets to teach these young Chiefs how to win,
I mean think about it all this team has know for the last 3 years is losing. Even when players come from winning schools the NFL is a lot different, where everyone is good, and on any given sunday the worst team can win a game.

I think its a personnel issue on and off the field, which I think we fixed some of with the addition of Haley and Pioli.

 This team has D playmakers and some that will come into there own (flowers,dorsey hali) but no one to lead them, someone with Fire to get them hyped, that leads by example to show this young talented team what it takes. Although I do believe Pioli tried to accomplish this with players like Brown and Vrabel, which we know one of those is working and the other well….kinda missed on.

Time, KC all in good time and experience for this team and we will see results, it sucks and I hate to say it but lets see what this team does in the offseason to get things turned around. Lets see what our front office does, who we bring in for talent on and off the field

Were a proud franchise and fanbase lets stay the path and give this new Regime a chance to get our beloved team turned around and back to greatness that we all once knew

would make a world of difference on this defense. We can’t stop the run up the middle, pass in the intermediate middle, or well-thrown deep ball in the middle. NT is a cornerstone in the 3-4, but all we really need there is a someone big and strong enough to command the double team every play.

But we need ILB/FS to be great in coverage and deadly tacklers against the run. We also need these guys to instill a tough mentality and fear in the oppenent. We don’t want people thinking they can just do whatever they want in the middle of the field, and that’s exactly what’s going on this year, and that’s exactly why we have been getting those record-breaking performances on us by no-name players. Guys are lining up against our defense and they are not scared.

Everybody in the NFL has talent to a certain extent or they wouldn’t have made it onto the field on Sundays. That means intangibles like mental toughness, awareness, and intimidation factor can be the difference between a close game and an embarassing day on the field.

I can appreciate the methodical approach to building that Pioli has, but I really hope we use that first pick on a LB or S that has shown these intangibles throughout their college career. We need somebody that can get out there next year and make an impact. We can build the trenches later in the draft.

We don’t have a guy with both. You look at the defensive leaders of the top teams and you see that combination. The obvious position for that is your ILB/MLB. A Ray Lewis if you will. We don’t have the guy who plays like a wild man on every play and tries to intimidate the opposition. We have nice guys who try hard. Nothing wrong with that, but it doesn’t exactly get the fires burning.

same size and speed. Player A gets drafted by a winning organization, Player B gets drafted by a losing organization. Player A makes immediate impact….Player B takes longer to develope. So we need to start winning here in order to make our draft picks look more like studs and less like duds.

Eric. Freaking. Berry. Period.

If he’s not there then draft an O lineman. But he will be there.

They wouldn’t have gotten owned by my team. Tough luck Matt. Thanks for coming out…appreciate your time. ;)

Let me draw a historical parallel: we have the makings of the Dan Saleaumuas, Albert Lewises, and (young) Donnie Edwardses. Those are potentially Flowers, Carr, Jackson, Dorsey, Hali, etc.

What we are missing is a game changer, the next generation of Derrick Thomas. The playmaker doesn’t have to be a pass rusher… it could be a linebacker or safety (but please, please, please one that doesn’t get injured all the time).

Better yet, I’d like to see the next generation of the Derrick Thomas/Neil Smith combo.

It’s tough for a CB to live up to your standard of elevating those around him. It’s the most isolated position on the D. I watch him very closely during home games. It’s tough to see what a CB is doing on TV. You only see them when they get thrown at. With Flowers, this isn’t often. When watching the games at Arrowhead, you see Flowers locking down his man. Make a mistake in his area and he’ll get his hands on it. If you do make a catch, he may just strip it for a fumble.

He needs to get better converting touches into interceptions, and turning interceptions into long returns. But he’s getting there. He’s a top 10 corner in this league right now and sky is the limit on his potential.

He’s a playmaker.

We need more like him.

Along with a stud noseguard in a later round.

just need some mortar to tie it together (coaching), and a big f$%in rock to hold down the middle (NT)

Flowers, Dorsey, Carr, Jackson, Magee, Hali, and
maybe… Page, DJ, Belcher/Mays/Williams/Studebaker…

those guys all look better IF the foundation is set, and your capstone is placed on top (Berry)

(i know, I’m reaching on the analogy)

under Vrabel’s tutelage right now.

we need every position. We still need a Lindell white here too. But you go with what’s most pressing I understand. But we need a lot. And I mean a lot of gaps filled. WE should have the best backups in the game next year.

Where could a guy find a breakdown of the browns running(left/right/middle) game from sunday?

We should use top draft picks on def. Ex berry and cody and lb with first 3 picks. Use rounds 3-5 on o-line, wr/pr. Or grab 2 good free agents. I’m not interested in spending haynesworth money on a free agent but gotta spend some of that cash!

I selected NOT YET in your poll, much like many of the AP readers.

We need not a playmaker or a beast like Jared Allen. We need another DT58 type player. Someone I would consider a true GAMEHCHANGER. When DT was playing, all the opposing offense would do was scheme around DT, how to protect the QB from DT, who to assigned against DT. It’s all about 1 player. SD had a guys like that until he stopped using roids. Merriman is not the same after his injury.

DRAFT BERRY IF POSSIBLE, IF NOT TAKE STUD LB ROLANDO MCCLAIN.

My take on it is like this, did you ever walk into a bar and its full of ugly to average women? and you find the one that is the best looking one, well she’s only standing out at all because she’s surrounded by terrible women. if you put her anywhere else you would’t notice her. That’s the “stars” of the chiefs D