2011 Pro Bowl Rosters Include Former KC Chiefs DE Jason Babin
by Chris Thorman on Dec 29, 2010 1:34 PM CST
in 2010 Kansas City Chiefs Season
Email
Print
When scrolling down the list of 2011 Pro Bowl selections, one name stood out to me: Jason Babin. Babin was a former first round pick out of Western Michigan. He was drafted by the Houston Texans and played three seasons there before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2007.
After falling through the cracks in Seattle, Babin was released in September 2008.
If you didn't black out the 2008 Kansas City Chiefs season from your mind, you may recall that midway through that campaign KC signed Jason Babin to deal with their injury issues at defensive end. Babin had other teams that were interested in him but ultimately signed with the Chiefs because of the opportunity to play right away.
In seven games and four starts for the Chiefs in 2008, Babin had two sacks and 31 tackles. He didn't make a huge splash in KC. Then again, nobody really did in 2008. After the '08 season, Babin was a free agent and the new GM Scott Pioli didn't bring him back. He played a few games for the Eagles in 2009 and didn't make much of a (statistical) impact.
Fast forward to 2010: Jason Babin signs with the Tennessee Titans in March and proceeds to rack up 12.5 sacks in 15 starts on the way to his first Pro Bowl ever.
Now, we don't get to second guess Scott Pioli much around here. But today we get to. Did Pioli make a mistake not retaining Jason Babin after the 2008 season? Could Babin have been a Tamba Hali-like success story?
I say no because Babin was essentially an unaccomplished defensive end in this first four years in the league. There wasn't much to admire about his play. Then again, should Pioli have seen Babin's potential?
48 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Hard to say it's a mistake
Babin hadn’t done much of anything before he left KC. Sometimes these guys slip through the cracks and thrive in a certain environment.
Maybe Pioli should have caught what he’s capable of but I don’t think you can blame him.
That's Pioli's job, to see what the rest of us can't see.
I don’t think it was an egregious error, but it was certainly a mistake.
YAAAAAY! Now you go, lady!
I don't think he would be effective in the 3-4
Hali was very athletic for a DE which gave him the ability to switch to LB. The only way I can see us using him is in the nickel package. He may have chose to go to another team that would let him play more.
I agree
I don’t think he would have been effective in a 3-4 but you never know.
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting 'Holy ****... What a Ride!'
Very true
guess we’ll never know.
Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting 'Holy ****... What a Ride!'
If we would have kept him then we would have 2 of the exact same player
in him and Tamba.
Babin wouldn’t do well in the 3-4 as a DE so would have to switch to LB.
2 LB who can’t cover in the 3-4 makes for a terrible very predictable 3-4 defense.
So wouldn’t have been a good fit even if kept.
by Your_Moms_Boyfriend on Dec 29, 2010 2:45 PM CST up reply actions
Man, that'd be terrible to have two Tamba's
by kcsno56 on Dec 29, 2010 7:39 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
against a good running team it would ;-)
Ryan Succop will be the kicker for the AFC in the 2011 Pro Bowl
Well, someone has to drop into coverage
At that point our pass defense on that side of the field is one man short.
If Piolie made a mistake.....
then so did Texans and Hawks. Sometimes it’s just the fit. Or, the “right” 53.
I’m happy for him though. I actually thought he was OK in KC. Not probowl level mind you but, OK.
i wonder if Babin got caught up in the crappiness that was the '08 Chiefs
by Chris Thorman on Dec 29, 2010 1:43 PM CST up reply actions
I wonder if he took ped's
Let me appologize for my i-pad. It spells words wrong, leaves replies in the wrong spot frequently, and sometimes forgets to post my message. With that out of the way gochiefsgo and #58 will always be king!
to see a turn around like he has had,
it wouldn’t surprise me.
personally though, when we didn’t resign him, i was disappointed. i thought that he had potential. i felt like pioli never gave him a chance.
that said, though my memory is foggy on this, i believe he was drafted to be a OLB. i could be wrong on that but i think that’s why one of his early teams gave up on him. he couldn’t make the switch from DE to OLB. maybe that’s why pioli never gave him a chance. sadly though, if all he did was rush the passer as an OLB, he would have been a good backup for hali.
Live Adventure!
by MountainManMike on Dec 29, 2010 10:19 PM CST up reply actions
Comeback player of the year candidate
To go from off-the-street free agent to Pro Bowler in two years is quite a story.
Josh Looney tweeted that DJ is a Pro Bowl alternate.
But he doesn’t know how far down the list. No word on Cassel and others.
YAAAAAY! Now you go, lady!
Fluke year
i rather take someone w/ 12 sacks on a playoff team
My buddy who is a Houston Texans fan hates Babin and this is one of the reasons:
4. he owns a series of terrible TERRIBLE seafood restaurants in the suburbs of Houston.
Along the same lines of why I hate Mike Sweeney
67. Chums for bass.
I don’t comment on this site for the people that are against me and think that I can’t do it. I comment for the people that have always believed in me. I comment for my family, for my wife, for my mother so it really comes down to that.
Our draft picks are starting to gel
and we have Gilberry who if played full time would probably put up the same numbers. I’m not sad about Babin at all.
Jamaal Charles...Enough said.
Picks
139-85
He has tattoos
Not part of the Right 53
by craig in calgary on Dec 29, 2010 1:55 PM CST reply actions
Does he think he's big or something...
what a pussy…
2010 Chiefs are on the rise. This is the most excited I've been since 'Nam...
by kcchiefsfan72 on Dec 29, 2010 3:16 PM CST up reply actions
But he looks to be part of the White 53
I don’t comment on this site for the people that are against me and think that I can’t do it. I comment for the people that have always believed in me. I comment for my family, for my wife, for my mother so it really comes down to that.
Oh, if he'd have stayed another year
You’d have a bunch of his unis at Arrowhead every week.
Matching the Stude’s, Boerighter’s, Maslowski’s….KC fans love their White 53’s.
I wouldn't say it was a mistake...
in Tennessee he is playing as a 4-3 DE which he is well suited. If we stuck with the 4-3 here I would have said yes it was a mistake, and was sad to see him go. While his stats weren’t overly impressive while in KC he was starting to light things up, showing us flashes, towards the end of the season.
Way to keep up the hard work Jason…
Go Chiefs!!!!
I dont think Babin fit our scheme
I think I subscribe to the notion of having a base sceme and then having plays fit your players. I am an admitted fan of the 3-4 defense. I have always loved awesome linebacker play, and when I became a Chiefs fan that was the system they ran.
I think Babin is similar mold to Jared Allen. Obviously not Jared but both those guys are molded to be 4-3 defensive ends.
I am glad he is having a good year, but I think it goes back to the blind squirrel finds an acorn once in a while.
I have a feeling that 2010 will be a defining year for the Kansas City Chiefs. Do we become the 2001 Patriots or footballs version of the royals??
I know Pioli can do no wrong but...
Man, a 4-3 line with Hali, Dorsey, Shawn Smith, and Babin looks pretty dirty.
I don’t comment on this site for the people that are against me and think that I can’t do it. I comment for the people that have always believed in me. I comment for my family, for my wife, for my mother so it really comes down to that.
Agreed sir...although
10-6 or 11-5 and in the playoffs looks pretty good too….
by The IT Guy on Dec 29, 2010 2:48 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Yes, totally agree.
Probably only average against the run, but elite for rushing the QB.
Gilberry coming of the bench, wouldn’t miss a beat.
by Your_Moms_Boyfriend on Dec 29, 2010 2:49 PM CST up reply actions
Truth
Plus maybe instead of Tyson Jackson, we could have drafted a good player.
by craig in calgary on Dec 29, 2010 2:54 PM CST up reply actions
I think Jackson is progressing faster than Dorsey did
If the guy keeps improving (and this coaching staff is going to do everything possible to make sure he does) he could be a real beast.
The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you've got it made. ~ Groucho Marx
Titans
Making 4-3 DEs look better than they are since the beginning of time.
I love my wife, my kids, and the Chiefs. In that order. Except on game days.
I would say it was a mistake
In seven games and four starts for the Chiefs in 2008, Babin had two sacks and 31 tackles.
Wasn’t 2008 the year the Chiefs as a team only had 10 sacks? Babin had 20% of the Chiefs sacks for the year= we should have kept him.
Chiefs 27 Spams 13 Who's Next!! The Titans? That's one game closer to AFC West champs!!
Played 4-3 DE in college
Drafted by Texans as their WOLB (pass rusher) and… lets says he was less than stellar. He’s not what we would look for as a 3-4 DE and he’s already shown he can’t handle OLB duties, so no. I don’t think it was a mistake. He just doesn’t fit the 3-4.
But...
Maybe keeping Babin could mean no Studebaker.. and then I would be really pissed. There is a ton of upside on that kid.
by Fernando Garci-Crespo Cubillas on Dec 29, 2010 5:40 PM CST reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Arrowhead Pride
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
