A Pioli Mind-Meld

by Steve_Chiefs on Apr 19, 2011 9:13 PM CDT

Scott Pioli plays Chess in 3 dimensions, he cultivates relationships with other NFL decision makers, and he always keeps his eye on the BIG picture. This version of the Kansas City Chiefs is known to Scott Pioli, he has been tending the garden for 2 years to get here. The Needs we see are/were the same needs he saw last year. Wrinkles, sure the CBA issue was something that could be foreseen and Charlie Weis leaving was probably not. The possibility that Hali would not resign easily vs getting Jamaal Charles and Derrick Johnson under contract was weighed. Cameron Sheffield and Demorrio Williams were plans B and C. Hiring Jim Zorn is a plum in Matt Cassel's future developement, while the Chiefs might get a veteran QB to fill the hole in the backup position in Free Agency. Scott knows a step backward due to injury is not an option in 2011.

The roster itself has some clues as to where Pioli planned to look in 2011.

The Chiefs Defense has very few holes. The main issue last year was veterans slowing down as the season unwound. Mike Vrabel, Ron Edwards, and John McGraw all had game, but not 16 games worth anymore. The 2011 draft is very deep in Defensive players. I wrote before about the top 148 players have 68 Offensive players, of which only 25 or so are Offensive lineman. Conversely, the Defense has 80 top players. A number of them do not have value to the Chiefs as pure 4-3 players. The Defense, if we go here in the 1st, has to be looking OLB. We all agree on that but has Scott already addressed that with Sheffield/Williams as the Jack and Studebaker as the Sam? The Chiefs should love to bring Vrabel back as the situational Sam behind Studebaker. The Chiefs could resign Ron Edwards and draft or sign a FA to rotate at the Nose, with Shaun Smith as another possibility. Scott did a pretty good job finding a damn good FS in Kendrick Lewis in the 5th round and he could find that tweener FS/SS to be the enforcer over the middle in Romeo's Nickel.

The Chiefs Offense is another matter. We had some veterans slowing down in Chris Chambers, Thomas Jones, and Casey Weigman. We had some position groups that did not perform to expectations in the 2nd WR, Slot, and Fullback. Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki are players to build around. The Chiefs interior rushing game was not very good and it showed in the 3rd down conversion stats. The Fullbacks got showed up by Shaun Smith. Jon Asamoah would help in the push up the middle. A younger Center and a new Fullback thought would help those short yardage conversions. That would help in the regular season. Post-season we need a lot more. A fresher Running back tandem/trio, a Solid Slot WR, and another beat the defense over the top Speed WR.

The Special Teams are pretty good. Solid Punter and maybe an up and coming Kicker. Some more stability in the players playing all the various positions is what I would hope for. Terrence Copper is a ST Stud and we need to keep him. We all saw what happened in San Diego last year. That was Kassim Osgood leaving. We got Javier Arenas and Dexter McCluster to handle returns and just need to block better in the return game. The Return Defense was very good in 2010. The Chiefs were winning in Special Teams and just need to maintain that effort.

To summarize, we can Gold-Plate the Defense and not move forward as much as we could by addressing the Offense. The Chiefs over-achieved in 2010. Scott Pioli filled a lot of the rosters roughest spots last year to help Todd Haley improve the Chiefs from 4-12 to 10-6. I think Scott has some ideas on those player-types referenced above and has for almost a year now. I think Offensive Tackle is a 2012 draft need, QB is a 2012 draft need, and the WR's next year are awesome. Whatever Pioli does not find attractive or maybe misses cause he can't move will be taken care of by resigning current players or spending some Clark Hunt money in Free Agency.

The Chiefs will address in this draft the Center position, a solid Slot WR and a Speed WR, Defensive Line depth, CB depth and of course a FB/TE. In Free agency, another RB, A solid veteran QB, and probably more Defensive Line and/or WR depth.

Geaux Chiefs

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arrowhead Pride's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Arrowhead Pride writers or editors.

Tweet Comment 21 comments | 2 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

I agree on the quarterback thought.

I think they will pick up a veteran qb in fa. Otherwise, they are in big trouble if/when something happens to Cassel. We can draft Luck next year……….

by chiefdan on Apr 19, 2011 9:54 PM CDT reply actions

I hope we are not in that position Dan

A solid vet QB should be the step to take and then a young Developemnt QB in a deeper draft next year. Of Course we have Tyler Palko and Pioli could throw a dart in the 5-7 rounds. But the QB’s are going to be shoved up into the 1-2 rounds with all the needy teams this year and no FA in advance. The Chiefs will have their pick as the teams drafting QB’s will not seek a high dollar backup and the teams with solid starters won’t either.

I am an Old Asshole

by Steve_Chiefs on Apr 19, 2011 10:14 PM CDT up reply actions

Tyler Palko, and THAT'S why we REALLY got Zorn ... to teach the kid what a football is ... how to hold it, how to throw it ... and when, and where

because from what I could see in the pre-season games last year, Palko hasn’t the foggiest clue about any of those things …

seriously, if Palko is our #2 and Cassel goes down … we’re in a world of hurtin’

you mentioned gold-plating the defense wouldn’t help much … I dunno, seriously, the more I think about it, the more I think it doesn’t matter who Pioli gets or what position or side of the ball they play … just keep on getting better players here, there, wherever … keep it going til it’s done on BOTH sides of the ball

I want a Dick Vermeil offense and a Marty Schottenheimer defense … at the same time

Winner: 2009 Nostradamus of Arrowhead Pride Award
"I shall conquer untruth by truth" - Mahatma Gandhi
"It's always easier to sell 'em some shit than it is to give 'em the truth" - Shel Silverstein, The Perfect High
hi, Mo! 5 minutes!!!

by upamtn on Apr 19, 2011 10:41 PM CDT up reply actions

"I want a Dick Vermeil offense and a Marty Schottenheimer defense … at the same time"

Every team wants that, its like, the Golden Dream.

Official Draft Tejay Johnson Fan Club

by ChiefWarPaint on Apr 19, 2011 11:15 PM CDT up reply actions

Valhalla

I am an Old Asshole

by Steve_Chiefs on Apr 20, 2011 8:02 AM CDT up reply actions

Absolutely..

I want a Dick Vermeil offense and a Marty Schottenheimer defense … at the same time

My 'kick ass' draft..

(21) Akeem Ayers OLB UCLA
(55) Jerrell Powe NT Ole Miss
(86) Edmund Gates WR Abl. Christ.
(118) Jake Kirkpatrick C TCU
(135) Owen Marecic FB Stanford
(139) Pat Devlin QB Delaware
(199) Kealoha Pilares WR Hawaii
(223) Lee Smith TE Marshall

by chiefsfan62 on Apr 19, 2011 11:24 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Or go at it, Herm Edwards' Style:

Field a Schottenheimer offense and a Vermeil defense…at the same time.

Remember when LenWhale White, all about 270 pounds of him, outran our entire defense for an 80-yard touchdown in 2008? Yep.

Herm still owes me money for THOSE season tickets—I was promised ten games of football, counting preseason, and I don’t remember getting much more than four or five…

"You've only got 10 fingers to stick in the dike. Is there a breaking point that pushes you over the edge?...Where's the limit?"

-Marty Schottenheimer

by go_saleaumua on Apr 20, 2011 8:24 AM CDT up reply actions

Good post, the new Mantra in the league is you win with offense.

Think not? Just look at what teams have won in the last couple of years. My main QB concern is keep him in the game, so an OT is a big necessity. Then we need to open up the passing game so a receiver who not only gets open but makes the catch is on the list. The defense does need some help at OLB, just not sure if they are on the team already or not. The NT is not that big of priority to me, as it is to some, the D needs to fix what Ray Rice was able to do last year before they fix NT. The new NFL is all about big plays, getting them and stopping them. So on O, a pass blocker and pass catcher, on D, a fix at Vrable’s spot and a tweener LB/S for McGraw’s spot.

by dubld on Apr 20, 2011 4:44 AM CDT reply actions

You're saying PIT and GB didn't play D last year?

would of ≠ would've

by hmills110 on Apr 21, 2011 7:23 PM CDT up reply actions

Of course they did

We can play a pretty stout D to. Did it for almost half a season until some parts wore down.
Remember we had rookie safeties and the CB’s were 2nd year guys too. Some of the front seven were bailing wire and duct tape but the others were 1st round picks.

by Steve_Chiefs on Apr 21, 2011 7:46 PM CDT up reply actions

Yes. There's real potential for the current secondary to take the next step.

Unrealized potential in that group from last season.

CBs were 3rd year guys, though, I think.

would of ≠ would've

by hmills110 on Apr 22, 2011 10:21 PM CDT up reply actions

Greatest Needs:

Offense: Center, WR, RB, OT.
Defense: NT, SOLB, Depth at Safety and CB.

Mind meld with Pioli tells me he would love to trade out of first round for extra high picks. If no trade partner he goes:

NT, P. Taylor, Baylor ; If Foot story is a ruse.
SOLB , S. Acho, Tx; High Motor, High Character playmaker.
C/G, G. Moffitt, Wisc; A Center that can play in ZBS plus move someone when needed.
WR, G. Little, NC; A bookend for Bowe.
CB, J. Brown, Colo; A cover guy that is not a midget, has skill set for Nickel.
OT, W. Smith, E. Car; Has great potential adds depth to a key spot.
CB, Cortez Allen, Citadel; More size and versatility for DBs. Short zones and deep over the top.
RB, A. Allen, GaTech; Big back with enough wiggle to help wear down defenses.

"You talkin' to me? You TALKIN' to me ?" - Travis Bickle

by CatChief on Apr 20, 2011 10:04 AM CDT reply actions

I was looking at Moffitt

He seems a better fit in a Power Blocking scheme

I am an Old Asshole

by Steve_Chiefs on Apr 20, 2011 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions

Wisc asked for Power. Moffitt seems to have technical ability to adapt and excel.

See this from CBS:
04/04/2011 – Top offensive linemen: 7. John Moffitt, Wisconsin, 6-4, 314, 4, Maybe you can find a well-spoken offensive lineman or two in every NFL locker room, but a loquacious one is as rare as a balmy January in Madison. Moffitt might be a walking sound bite, but the 42-game starter can play a little bit, too. He was a first-team All-American and consensus first-team All-Big Ten selection as a senior who has started more than 30 games at left guard and a handful at center. The 314-pounder won’t outrun many of his teammates at the next level, but his phone-booth quickness, mobility and footwork paint the picture of a longtime NFL starter. He’s better than expected on the move and against behemoth nose tackles and if he can quicken his step against three-technique pass rushers, Moffitt could be a Pro Bowl steal in the middle rounds. – Jeff Reynolds, The Sports Xchange

Others paint picture of Moffitt having great feet and ability to handle big Tackles as well as get thru to next level with out over extending and reaching. This ability to keep his balance and legs under him seem to allow him to adapt to ZBS and retain ability to win in the “Phone Booth”. We need both from our center in our Division where we have Center across from some big guys every week.

"You talkin' to me? You TALKIN' to me ?" - Travis Bickle

by CatChief on Apr 21, 2011 11:44 AM CDT up reply actions

Yep

I think I looked and his 3-cone (agility) was not far off from the other top prospects 7.79 compared to Rodney Hudson 8.03 and Sherrod 7.43

http://www.nfl.com/combine/participants

by Steve_Chiefs on Apr 21, 2011 2:11 PM CDT up reply actions

Another very offensive post, Steve. I'm appalled.

But playing next to Lilja, who’s all mobility and not great stout, I like the Moffit descriptions. Plus, Badgers are where you take your OL, NOT your RB. :o)

would of ≠ would've

by hmills110 on Apr 21, 2011 7:32 PM CDT reply actions

I would actually hope for a Lion in the middle of the Offensive line.

A lot of the 2010 draft was Defense and Special teams in thought. I want some balance and some solid Offensive players in 2011. We are not going to out defense Pittsburgh, NY, and Baltimore to win the AFC. The Colts have a very good idea, and the Chiefs have a far superior Defense to the Colts already.

by Steve_Chiefs on Apr 21, 2011 7:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Chiefs added team speed last go-round.

Makes sense to install some more beef in front of ‘em. But more speed/size on the perimeter, especially on offense (but I’m open to a bigger corner in the mix) might be in order, as well. Preferably we get a little of both, but I’m not entirely certain we need a lotta new WR blood, so much as we could use more time in the pocket to help get the ball to the guys we already have.

"/>