An Apology to Scott Pioli and Others

     I was one of the more vocal on here during the draft about my disappointment with the 2nd round selections this year.  Living in St. Louis I don't get to see much about training camp or preseason, so I've only been able to watch the 3rd preseason matchup against the Eagles and the monday night victory over the Bolts.  Still, that has been enough for me to believe that McCluster and Arenas look like the type of invaluable talents of which this team is so desperately in need.  As such, even though my complaints were not about the talent of either of these players but their durability, I still owe an apology to the management staff and so many of you who believed the talent of these two players to be worth the risk.

     Arenas impressed in his special teams play, but more importantly in his coverage ability.  I didn't expect a 1st year player to be able to make that kind of impact against the passing game, especially as a nickel corner.  I was concerned about how much of an impact he could make due to his size.  I think he answered that question for me.  I personally thought he had a bigger impact on the game than Berry.

     I don't know if there is anything that needs to be said about McCluster other than Get Him the Damn Ball More!  In the special teams game he showed his value immediately.  His speed and athleticism are evident in the offense, as well.  He probably needs to improve his route running for the pro game, but what rookie doesn't?  I also hope Coach Weis shows a little more aggressiveness in the next game in the offensive game plan.  I think that will give McCluster more opportunities.

     Just some quick other thoughts.  I have a hard time getting too excited about this victory because of the horrific display of offense the Chiefs gave us.  I didn't think the offensive line gave Cassel very much protection, and he isn't the type of QB that is going to be successful without a secure pocket.  I also think several of the hits that Cassel took were his own fault due to lack of that "pocket clock" that is required to play QB in the NFL.  I wasn't impressed with Cassel's accuracy, but there were also a lot of catches that need to be made by pro WRs.  The running game is very good, but they aren't going to have much success there without some semblance of a passing attack.  As I stated above, we have to see a more aggressive offensive game plan than the turtle game that Weis gave us at the end if we want to win consistently.  This running attack is good, but if you only call passing plays on 2nd or 3rd and long, any defense can shut you down.  

     I was impressed by the improvements of Glenn Dorsey, Derrick Johnson, Tyson Jackson (before he got hurt), and the defense as a whole.  I was a little perplexed by the defensive game plan on San Diego's last two drives even though it worked out for them.  I think they were extremely lucky that Naanee let that 4th down pass go through his hands and that the receiver fell down in the end zone on his cut on the final play.  Otherwise, we are talking about a loss instead of a win.

     Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy with the win, especially for a 1st game.  This team actually tackled, which is something I haven't seen them do in years!  There athleticism on defense is starting to translate to playmakers on the field, which is something we've been waiting for for too long.  I just want to know where the WRs went in this first week, and I still don't have faith in Matt Cassel as a true franchise QB.  

     Thanks for the time.