Repair Kit 2009 Part III

I've posted two of these before... I think. At any rate I will keep updating this as the off-season goes on and moves are made. Basically what this is, is a list of moves we can make to contend next year, probably not going to happen but it's fun for conversation. I'm going to approach this post a tad different instead of organizing it by steps I'll categorize the steps by Coaching, Current Roster Situation, Free Agency, and The Big Day (the draft). Let's hop into this.

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The Coaching Staff

I've been actively proclaiming that Gailey should be retained as the OC. Whether or not he calls plays doesn't matter he can help with game planning and development just about anywhere on the offensive side of the ball. I'm not sure if either Pendergast or Gibbs will even be defensive coordinator come week 1 but I like having Pendergast on the crew he runs a hybrid 3-4/4-3 which could be exactly what we need to transition effectively to a full time 3-4. I know what you all are thinking. "What's Romeo Crennel doing up there he's not on our coaching staff!" He isn't... yet. A post on Arrowhead Pride explains this. I think we have a legitimate chance at landing Crennel as a "defensive consultant" to oversee the moves of whomever becomes our D coordinator(s) from the booth, the guy runs a killer defense when he is strictly a coordinator, and could show our defense some schemes that will make us look better than we are by hiding weaknesses. Hell the Pats have been able to hide a weak cover safety core with extreme pressure on the QB.


Current Roster Situation

5 Free Agents by level of importance to retain

• Jason Babin
  
• Jarrad Page
  
• Rudy Niswanger
  
• Rocky Boiman
  
• Pat Thomas

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Case 1- Jason Babin

I know I'm starting to sound like a broken record here but I really believe Jason Babin could be an answer for us going into the future. If not he could serve as a solid backup for us at a basement price. At 6'3" 260 pounds  he is a good size for a 3-4 DE standing in the neighborhood of Aaron Kampman, Brett Keisel,  and Shaun Ellis. All of whom are effective 3-4 DE's. Also considering Babin got in action at OLB with the Houston Texans he could be a reserve or starter there for us. Not to mention our sack totals went up 25% since his arrival near the end of the season. All in all he's too valuable to be let go of. I say we give him a three year extension with tons of incentives and see what he does with it. If he fails then it's not much of a loss because he would come at a cheap price anyway. Babin is a must keep player. his potential as a starter is little but there, his potential as a backup is solid and worth a small contract for two or three years. If another team signs him (which I highly doubt will happen) I'd be pretty frustrated.

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Case 2-Jarrad Page

This guy could definitely be groomed into our starter and if not may service as a great backup to Dajuan Morgan should he take Page's job. Page had four interceptions last year. Not too shabby considering that's more than Brian Dawkins, and puts him in the company with the likes of Asaunte Samuels, Ronde Barber, Chris Hope, Brandon Merriweather, Terrence Neuman, and Aqib Talib. See the list for more emphasis. He's a must keep player, he is very young and has shown flashes of potential playing in the secondary, one of our only bright spots currently. I'd hate to see him go because he'd probably fare VERY well in a system with a decent pass rush.

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Case 3- Rudy Niswager

Although he was one of our weakest linemen this year Niswanger still strikes me as a guy worth keeping. He was absolutely morbid at center and could very well have been the worse starting center in the league, but his potential as a week to week fill in for injured starters leaves me to believe he could be a solid reserve for the interior of our offensive line going into the future. He stayed healthy the whole season. He may fare better at guard as a spot fill in for this year until we draft a better Guard next year should we be unable to find a starting guard via the draft or free agency. Still more of a priority than an option in my opinion I would not like to see Niswanger go but if he does I won't lose sleep. 

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Case 4- Rocky Boiman

The only reason I want to see this guy stay is because of the experience he brings to our young crop of linebackers. He's 29 making him one of the oldest players on our team. It's not so much his age though, the experience I like out of him is his past stint with the Indianapolis Colts. He actually started for them for a few seasons and played a bunch of playoff games with them, ultimately Gary Brackett took his job and he was forced off the roster. I like his motor and demeanor though. You should check him out in episode 16 of Mic'd up. He's pretty impressive, although it's highly sugar coated check out what the announcers say about him as he walks out of the tunnel, it'll make you fall in love. Not a major priority, he's more of a backup anyway and hasn't had experience in a 3-4 so he could become a liability. If he does resign I'd look for another one year deal just in case he doesn't fit into the 3-4 well. If he gets let go I would be alright with it, but if he stays my feelings would pretty much be the same.

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Case 5- Pat Thomas

Pat Thomas won the starting job over Napoleon Harris is training camp. A title that hasn't meant anything since Napoleon Harris' freshman campaign n the NFL. I don't see the Chiefs retaining Thomas as a starter but as a backup he could be very solid. He's got a ton of speed and that's pretty much all there is to his upside, I've heard that he's a slow learner so chances are he'll wanna stick with the Chiefs despite the fact were switching systems. But his learning disability concerns me for that very reason. 3-4's require smart linebackers which Thomas is not. He stayed healthy most of the year despite past ankle injuries. He's also a little small to be playing 3-4 inside backer but again, if he's a backup he'll be serviceable for a couple of games. If Thomas is retained as a backup I'd be cool with it. But if he comes back as the incumbent starter we have to worry about our organization. 




5 Current Roster "what ifs"

• Glenn Dorsey in the 3-4 (and switching to the 3-4)
• Tyler Thigpen starting in 2009
• Larry Johnson trade talks
• Tony Gonzalez trade talks
• Players to be released

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Dorsey in the 3-4 (and the switch)

I honestly believe Dorsey could succeed in a 3-4 especially with good coaching. Obviously he would be moved to defensive end and the knock on him there would be that he does not have a long enough wing span to play there. I think Dorsey's high motor and brute strength will make up for that and he could become a very good DE for us as soon as next season. Finding a starter opposite Dorsey may be tricky however. Hali and Babin look more like 3-4 rush linebackers than defensive ends because they don't break 300 pounds. However as aforementioned, Babin may be a good 3-4 defensive end. As far as nose tackles go Tank Tyler could service well at that position at 6' 2" 306 pounds he's in the neighborhood of Casey Hampton, Vince Wilfork, and Jay Ratliff. All  of whom are very effective nose tackles.As for linebackers, Derrick Johnson will play on the weak side, if Tamba Hali can drop some weight he could be a good OLB playing a Joey Porter role in a 3-4. Babin could move back to strongside OLB right now if we needed it, our main concern will be filling the middle with smart linebackers that hit hard. With some good coaching I think we may already have a lot of the personnel for a 3-4. 

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Tyler Thigpen starting in 2009

This one is probably one of the bigger debates between our new coaching staff, do we go after a QB in the draft or retain Thigpen as the starter and make him earn every start this year. Personally i think with some good coaching Thigpen could develop into an NFL starter, he doesn't need the spread he thrives in it, with an off-season working out as the starter I think Thigpen could grasp our offensive scheme. Whatever that scheme is. I am all for keeping Thigpen under the conditions that we acquire the services of a rookie in rounds 3-4 to battle against him in camp and keep an eye out for Jeff Garcia's services should both our QB's fail to live up to starting standards. Should both the young QB's fail we'll turn to the 2010 NFL draft for a round one prospect. Plus keeping Thigpen means keeping Tony Gonzalez happy/productive. 

via www.kcchiefs.com

Larry Johnson trade talks

Want my opinion on this? Trade him and trade him for whatever he is worth. I was a fan of the Jared Allen trade when it happened, I still am. The reason why is when a player doesn't want to play for the team he is on (except Tony Gonzalez) he generally doesn't produce, and I'm happy Allen is gone, he could have been part of something that looks like it will truly be special but because he's so greedy he'll watch as the Chiefs become a dominant team in the NFL as the Vikings continue to regress. Johnson may not garner anything but a 3rd, but it's something the fact that his cap number goes with him is definitely a plus. I think he will have to re-work his contract before drawing any trade talks, but he's too selfish to do that so we may end up just cutting him. He's a nuisance and doesn't deserve to play in the NFL but he will, hopefully for another team next season. Plus I'd like to see what Jamaal Charles could do with an entire season starting in a RBBC offense. 

via www.kcchiefs.com

Tony Gonzales trade talks

I personally would retain Gonzalez, he has recently come out and said that he would like to remain a Chief under the circumstance that we do not start rebuilding again this off-season. I think us switching to the 3-4 kind of solidifies were rebuilding more than getting ready for a super bowl so Gonzalez is probably pretty ticked right now. Despite that I love the idea of keeping Gonzalez. As I've said before he delays the need for a QB and #2 receiving option. Thigpen and Gonzalez have something special with their chemistry, because of this Gonzalez is more of a #2 WR option than a TE threat (it's a good thing) so we can get by with Bradley as our #2 WR because he is actually playing the role of a #3 option with Gonzalez attracting so much attention out of the tight end position. This allows us to use picks on more pressing needs such as the trenches and linebacking core. 


 

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Players to be released

This list pretty much speaks for itself. All of these guys have huge lucrative contracts that they have not been living up to.

Larry Johnson is also on my must trade list but he may ultimately be released.

The only one that may be on the team come opening day is Mcintosh. His contract is so big we may not be able to afford to let him go, but I don't mind he could be a solid reserve or if we can't find a right tackle via the draft or free agency he could be a *puke taste in mouth* starter until we draft or go at free agency agin in 2010.

I respect Donnie Edwards as a player but he is a dinosaur, retirement has got to be an option for him, if he's retained I guess we'll get some veteran leadership out of him.

If ever there were a clipboard olympics Damon Huard would take gold in every event. He would much rater sit on the sidelines than start, we need a three way QB battle in camp this year and Damon won't give us that.

Patrick Surtain still gets it done... somewhat, but still at a serviceable level. It would just be cheaper to let him go, also with Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers panning out so well their rookie season Surtains services are pretty much obsolete. But hey maybe he'll get a shot on the New York Jets as a starter! 




5 Positions we should take a hard look at in free agency

• LB- Channing Crowder 
• RT- Vernon Carey / Ray Willis
• C- Jason Brown 
• DE- Chris Canty / Igor Olshansky 
• Veteran QB- Jeff Garcia 

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Channing Crowder

Pretty much the only legitimate ILB left in free agency after Dansby, Suggs, and Hill have all been franchised and Vilma is disqualified because he cannot play in a 3-4. This off-season the Dolphins will have to chose between franchising Crowder or Vernon Carey. Odds are both of them will stay in Miami but I hope Crowder escapes. He's a solid playmaker in a 3-4 and plays with a lot of intensity (sometimes gets him into trouble) I'd like to see him in red and gold

UPDATE: CROWDER SIGNS MULTIYEAR DEAL WITH DOLPHINS

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Vernon Carey

I'll just repost what I said in my last post

There's been rumors Vernon Carey is going to get the franchise tag slapped on him. I don't buy it. The Dolphins haven't done it yet and were a couple days pass eligibility. Plus I don't think the dolphins want two tackles with ridiculously high salaries. The Dolphins gave up ten sacks the whole season and Vernon Carey was a huge part of that playing opposite Jake Long. Carey is only 28 and can play both left and right tackle. A trait that may prove vital should Barry Richardson pan out as a starter. Then we could slide Albert in to guard, and put Carey at left tackle in the event that Brian Waters retires. 

If he gets tagged it means we could go after Crowder but who knows at this point. 

UPDATE>>> Vernon Carey Resigned with the dolphins

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Ray Willis 

With the Franchise thoroughly designated to Leroy Hill in Seattle, who owns the 12th least cap room in the NFL, they are going to have trouble retaining Ray Willis, especially because he isn't the starter. in relief duties he started 10 games and allowed 1.5 sacks. He's worth a shot, and if anything else he could slide into guard and.. oh! we need help there too.

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Jason Brown

One of the best Centers in the league and at only 26 years old we could offer him a huge contract to be the center of our line for years to come. He could also slide over to guard in relief of Brian Waters when he retires. He's never injured and doesn't allow sacks, two things Chiefs fans were losing hair over last season. With Suggs designated as the franchise player in Baltimore Brown is free game.

UPDATE: JASON BROWN SIGNS MULTI YEAR DEAL WITH RAMS

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Chris Canty

A solid 3-4 DE coming out of Dallas, a place I think a lot of players are ready to leave as long as T.O is there. He's been very productive and rarely bugged by injuries in his young career. At only 26 years old he's got a lot of upside and a lot of time to reach potential. Still a bit unproven as far as being an elite DE we could offer him a reasonable contract to help bolster our horrid D-line.

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Igor Olshansky
Showing signs of being a retread and is sure not to sign with his old team. He is a DOMINANT defensive end in a 3-4 so his services could come in handy for us. His poor performance in his contract year is definitely a concern and questions could be raised about his effectiveness without Shawn Merriman in the lineup, but given our current D-Line situation, he is well worth the risk. He could be had at a reasonable price due to his lackluster 2008 campaign. He could come to us with something to prove.

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Jeff Garcia

I'm going to be hated for arguing he be on our team but I only want him here if the coaching staff decides Thigpen is not the direction were going in this season or that he's still not ready to handle starting duties and we can't get our hands on Matthew Stafford in the draft. Here's my argument for Garcia.




First 5 rounds of the draft

1. 

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   Aaron Curry, LB, Wake Forest(6'3", 241 pounds, 4.5-40)- Really he's the only linebacker worth taking this high and with him on our roster we have an OLB or ILB allowing us to pursue either in later rounds or free agency. The kid is a beast, he's big and smart, exactly what we need. This could be Matthew Strafford, I'm not sure how I feel about that possibility.
   
2. 

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   Herman Johnson, G, LSU(6' 7" 349 pounds, 5.4-40)- The kid is huge, he's actually, to date, the biggest baby ever born in Louisiana... Yeah I thought it would be Glenn Dorsey too. If we could sign Jason Brown and one of the aforementioned right tackles Herman Johnson tops off a stellar offensive line that could open up some huge holes for Jamaal Charles to run through. I like Clay Matthews here if we can't get a hold of Channing Crowder allowing us to slide Curry inside. Clay Matthews could be an excellent rush linebacker for us.
3. 

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   Scott McKillop, ILB, Pittsburgh (6'1" 241 pounds, 4.6-40)- Basically a linebacker prospect with a ton of upside and the size to play in a 3-4, if we don't acquire crowder this pick makes a lot of sense seeing as McKillop could start immediately if needs be given proper time to get ready in training camp and pre-season. If we do acquire Crowder this pick could go to Lois Murphy, WR out of Florida. He's a utility player and is exactly what a rebuilding team needs, he could strengthen various positions on the field, running back, return man, and wide receiver. This could also be Fenuki Tupou the RT out of Oregon if we are not able to get any of the desired RT's listed above. Tupou is a solid RT prospect that can also play any position on the line except LT, he looked really good at the senior bowl and could step in and start for us on day 1.
4. 

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   Nathan Brown, QB, Central Arkansas (6'0" 217 pounds, 4.7-40). -No lie. I don't know anything about this dude. The first time I heard of him is when I heard that we were talking to him at the senior bowl, he's a projected 4th round prospect so here he is! "In Pioli we trust." Plus we need some young blood to push Thigpen in camp.
5. 

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   Jarrett Dillard, WR, Rice (5'11" 182 pounds, 4.5-40) - A shifty receiver to shore up a dismal return game. Could also serve as a legitimate threat out of the slot position playing next to Bowe, Bradley, and Gonzalez. I also like Sammie Lee Hill as a NT here. At 6-4 330 pounds he could definitely take up space in the middle by simply not moving

So there it is! my complete repair kit to the 2008 Chiefs heading into 2009. Love it hate it recommend it, just tell me what you think! Obviously this is purely for conversation, I know the odds of our off-season going as listed is next to nothing but it's something to talk about while the combine takes place and we have nothing else to talk about in the long and miserable off-season. Correct me please I'm 18 and I'm trying to get good at this. Thanks for reading!