Enough is enough

For instance, you apparently think that most people use it in reference to a choir boy character. And then you yourself go on to use it to reference team captains. But I tend to think of it as just people who can play and win together regardless if they’re boyscouts, captains, soldiers, cheerleaders, or the kind of dick who would flip off the opposing head coach during a game.

mean different things at different times depending on the player involved. For instance, Shaun Smith. Most Chiefs fans are aware of the incident in which a former player on Smith’s former team slugged Smith in the fist with his face. Some would have construed Smith slugging a high profile player on another team as being wrong and eliminating Smith from eligibility to be a Chief. It did not keep him from being a Chief. I am not certain that even I would not have slugged that player. So there you go. Character issues may be decided on a case to case basis and it is not necessarily an eliminating factor if a player has had an “incident”.

I admit I’ve seen some interpretations of “The Right 53” that I’d call exaggerated, but it’s still a concept I put some value in. It’s about getting players that are going to play.

JaMarcus Russell, Sebastian Janikowski, Albert Haynesworth. Wrong 53. All superb athletes at some point in their careers (at least), but all have issues. JaMarcus wasn’t motivated enough to stay in shape. Janikowski…how does this guy stay out of jail? Albert Haynesworth does not want to play football, apparently.

Eric Berry, Javier Arenas, Shaun Smith. Right 53. They want to play football and they work hard because they want to do a good job. Shaun Smith is more likely to get in trouble with the coaches than the authorities.

…“IT’s” what makes The Chiefs what they sre right now. Calling it Captians will get old…calling it Character guys..will get old. But it is what it is and I love it.

IMO, if you dont have “IT” you might as well be a Raider.

“The Right 53” encompasses many things, character just being one of them. I’ve also heard Pioli use the term, “football IQ”. So while character is one of the measures they use to help find a member of the right 53, it doesn’t mean someone will be discounted for an issue from the past, especially if it was a single occurrence. I recall an article by The Star about our 2010 draft class and the fact that they all came from homes where both parents were still present. Does this mean I couldn’t play for the Chiefs because my parents divorced when I was 13? If I were still 20 or 21 and could ball like no other, I’d hope not.
Would we not root for Michael Vick or Plaxico Burress if they were Chiefs? Yeah, they screwed up, didn’t make the best decisions, but they did their time and paid their debt to society. They do deserve the opportunity to move on and play football and some of these kids coming out in the draft deserve the same.

to mention Charlie Sheen in your list of “things I’m tired of”.

yrs truly,

ups

Geaux Bills Raiders Colts Ravens Chiefs

The term that was originally used was just to say they don’t necessarily want the best 53 players on paper but the right 53. The right 53 to have a successful team for years. That could mean the right person for d-line is going to have different personality requirements than say a QB. With anyone on the defensive front 7 or the o-line having a mean streak and an aggressive personality is a good thing while for QB’s and WR’s that can be a hinderance. It’s not a one size fits all term

I’m not tired of “the right 53”. You are exactly correct that this term defies definition. I think that it was intended to do so. While their are specific parts of it that are in the spoken words of Scott Pioli, neither he nor Haley have chosen to define this thing specifically, and in my view they never will. It would be impossible to do that because the number of situations that this could be applied to is as large as the current possible player pool is.

What "the right 53’ does do is loosely define what the Chiefs are looking for concerning character. I think that definition is more important for the players who want to become Chiefs and for other teams who will recognize it for what it is when doing business with or playing against the Chiefs. It sets a bar. How many teams in the NFL have tried to put this kind of thing into words? Not many. It is another way for this team to define themselves as ‘different’ or unique than the other 31 teams. It gives a reference point for the GM and coaches to fall back on when asking those players for more than they are currently giving (which is always). It’s the reason that Cassel, Bowe, LJ, and DJ sat their arses on the bench, right? They were expressing actions that are NOT part of ‘right 53 mentality’—whatever that is. This tool is as effective as it is because it is undefined. As you say, eveybody has their own definition. It is designed to work that way because everybody who is associated with it is DIFFERENT and thinks differently about it. That is a good thing because it allows the coaching staff to apply it to each individual situation to get positive results from that individual only. Then they move on to the next guy and so forth.

It is this inability to be clearly defined that causes these long discussions about it in threads here at AP. If nothing else, it has allowe us to uncover the truth that Ups has been exposed as a fan of the other 31 teams and not the CHiefs (now that was fun to type! :)).

Most importantly, it gives name to the core of what the Chiefs believe in without defining it and pushing our coaches and GM into a box that they must operate within. It is just part of the genious that is Scott Pioli/Todd Haley. I certainly don’t want that to go away.

Pioli and Haley stop referring to it and the character that they seek in their players. Once that day ceases to exist, then I’ll probably expect the same amongst the fans as well.

I’m also extremely tired of seeing people assume that part of Pioli’s quality control strategy is avoiding guys who have had off-field problems. While I would love it if KC avoided those types of players, as that’s one thing I absolutely love about QC for the Texas Longhorns, it’s not something that really happens to a great degree with Pioli or any other GM. Pioli and Belichick have drafted guys with questionable off-field issues. When they’re looking for character, sure, they’re generally going to avoid guys with personalities that indicate patterns of potentially career-impacting issues (Chris Henry, Carlos Dunlap, etc.), but “character” to Pioli is more about what they can do as team members, IMO. Will this guy lay down in traffic for his teammates? Will this receiver run his routes at full effort, even when he knows he’s the fourth option? Will that defensive end keep containment instead of selfishly running himself out of the play? To me, that appears to matter to Pioli (and Belichick) far more than whether a guy has had a few weight problems, was busted for drinking underage, or drove with a suspended license.

…..I want the right 53, team captains, good character, etc.
There are so many quality people and players to chose from, chose wisely. I’m extreme…I don’t want guys doing dances after TDs…no jumping around after a tackle for a loss when your down 20. Please get pumped up and a bit crazy but the attitude and showmanship is a freakin’ disaster IMO.
Gastineau and Ichy Woods should have been shot for starting this crap. Play the game with some respect.
I know I’m in the minority, because NFL has never been more popular. To me it is embarrassing, almost like WWF. Maybe that is why I love Hockey so much. For the most part, the game is played with integrity.

I’m against seeing it used anywhere and everywhere when we don’t have a clear definition that everyone understands when it is used.

Person A believes a player that had a DUI should not be drafted because it’s a “character issue”. Person B believes that if they can play football then who cares about the rest?

I think it is a case by case basis but it’s tiring to see it used when we are looking through a vacuum into one specific incident and making judgements based on that. That being said, there are certain things that a player could do just one time that would make me think he isn’t on our list. J. Baldwin did one of those things.

There are many reasons people dismiss possible players. I’ve seen: too short, too tall, too heavy, too light, arms aren’t long enough…

Saying they aren’t part of “The Right 53” is no different than those above qualities. It is all comes from subjective opinion of what equals good football qualities.

Although I rather talk about the Right 53 all day than hear one more thing about CBA’s, extentions or lockouts. While Right 53 has been disected more than joan rivers face, at least it’s football talk.

…. I think we lose touch on the purpose of “The Right 53”. IMHO Pioli and Haley have great reservations about giving a huge Payday to a young man who has worked his whole toward that end. The opperative word is “End”. …….I believe they wish instead to employ young men who will work their whole profressional life to Justify that beginning Payday.

is just Haley speak. Not everyone “Gets It”. But the important thing is “We Get It Right”.