Chiefs TE Tony Moeaki: A View From the Stands

by Flowers24 on Jun 30, 2011 5:17 PM CDT

In this fourth installment I'll be taking a look at an up-and-comer for Kansas City, Tony Moeaki.

Going into last season one of the glaring weaknesses on offense was the Tight End position. The Chiefs had of course gotten stellar play at the position for quite some time with future hall-of-famer Tony Gonzalez, but in 2009 they saw a huge drop-off. Leonard Pope, Sean Ryan, and Jake O'Connell were all given a chance to fill the void but none could come close.

So in 2010, Kansas City drafted an unheralded Iowa player named Tony Moeaki in the 3rd round after trading up to the pick. The big knock on Moeaki was that while he had ability, he was often on the sidelines due to injury. Last season he quieted many of the doubters (including yours truly), by having a monster rookie season. He even had one of the best plays in Chiefs history in Week Three against San Francisco, with a one handed spectacular in the back of the end zone.

The question is, will Tony Moeaki improve on his very promising rookie campaign?

My Verdict: Yes. Moeaki was an absolute force last season for Kansas City, hauling in 47 passes for 556 yards and 3 touchdowns. He played in 15 games, only missing one due to a concussion suffered in Denver on a questionable hit.

Moeaki seems to have all the tools to become great in this league. He has exceptional hands, great size (6'4'', 250), and good speed for the position. One of the most underrated parts of Moeaki's game is his willingness and ability to block. Because of this, he provides a versatility that is extremely helpful to Haley and co. Many times last season we would see a big run by Jamaal Charles and then see Moeaki with a key block on the replay.

This season the Chiefs will be spreading the ball around more, and I expect this to serve Moeaki well. He was a Cassel favorite last season and I don't see that changing. Moeaki is great at running routes and separating from defenders, which provides a nice security blanket for Kansas City's signal caller.

The Chiefs have a lot of red zone targets this season, but I'm still looking at Moeaki's touchdown numbers to increase. He caught three last season, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him double that number. Many teams will be paying a ton of attention to Bowe, which will open up the underneath routes. This is especially true if Baldwin can be productive.

Out of all the players on Kansas City, I believe Tony Moeaki will have the biggest breakout year in 2011.

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Comments

Totally agree

So much for him being injury prone! Take that other NFL scouts!

Its cool that we just got his old college QB too.

by JaySoy on Jun 30, 2011 5:42 PM CDT reply actions

I agree he's gonna be a beast.

Even being a Hawkeyes fan he is the only one I wanted the Chiefs to actually draft last year. And this year the only one was Stanzi! It’s been a good couple years to be a Chiefs and a Hawkeyes fan. Go Hawkeyes!

*Pioli is my Idol*

by ChiefsFan4Life634 on Jun 30, 2011 5:42 PM CDT reply actions

At the draft last year

When I heard he had some injury concerns I thought to my self great, just what we need, a tight end that can’t stay on the field along with cottam so we will be in the same mess at tight end. But after the niners game I knew we had something special

by Risktaker on Jun 30, 2011 6:30 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

If Baldwin plays to his potential

I think he may take receptions away and I also think Charles will carry the ball more. Schedule is tough as well but I hope he puts up good numbers

by Supersexy on Jun 30, 2011 6:54 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

ToMo is a BEAST

by PirateChief on Jun 30, 2011 6:59 PM CDT reply actions

The assumption was always that no one would ever fill Tony Gonzalez's shoes in KC..

.. and I’m not calling the guy Tony Gonzalez, but I think he’s doing a surprisingly good job at it.

by bamachief5558 on Jun 30, 2011 9:10 PM CDT via mobile reply actions

you mean he can catch but he doesn't block? huge grin

… oh, he’s a vegetarian?

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 Jun 30, 2011 9:34 PM CDT up reply actions

I don't know..

I saw Tony Gonzalez block two guys by himself in Dick Vermeil’s last game (vs. the Bengals) on a Larry Johnson TD run.

by bamachief5558 on Jun 30, 2011 10:51 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Did you count the whiffs and the patty-cakes (opposite of pancake).

Heh.

would of ≠ would've

by hmills110 on Jul 1, 2011 12:07 AM CDT up reply actions

Ha.

Point is, Tony G did not leave KC the crappy blocker some people like to make him out to be. That is to say, he improved, like true professionals do.

Not sure what’s up with the Tony Gonzalez hate. I know it’s jokes, but if I were him I wouldn’t want to go into the HoF or retire as a member of a team with fans like that.

by bamachief5558 on Jul 1, 2011 12:20 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Tony Gonzalez was the man and its still loved around here.

meh...

by Chief-blinders-on on Jul 1, 2011 12:42 AM CDT up reply actions

When people gush about how much a guy improved, it DOES mean he had a long way to go.

But I’m being pretty heretical, with my criticism of Gonzalez. But it’s hard to team-build, if you’re paying your TE and your LB more than your DE and CB. Plus, I place more emphasis on blocking from the TE. Yes, he needs to be able to catch passes, but he also needs to open holes for RBs and buy time for the QB. There was a certain futility in knowing that the guy most likely to get open before the QB was swarmed was the TE. What if he could’ve done real good against edge rushers? That could’ve helped their WRs be more productive.

And if he’d been more of a force as a run-blocker, there’d’ve been more doubt in the minds of defenders. In a way, I saw him like Larry Johnson, because his being on the field funnelled the offense into certain, predictable pathways. We at one time praised Johnson for improving in pass protection, but what did that say about all the games LOST the previous season, because the only thing he executed well was running the rock? When that’s all you’ve got, it makes it harder to do even THAT, because defenders have only the one thing to fear.

So I was always bittersweet about Tony Go’s stats. I’ve written (and destroyed) enough about these pyrrhic victories (Losers love stats) to fill a book. I always think about those games lost, because all they had was Tony in the seam over the middle, and one incompletion spelled catastrophe. And I don’t want to be a TOTAL ass (too late!), but I just have to throw in Atlanta’s penchant for 3-tackle sets…

would of ≠ would've

by hmills110 on Jul 1, 2011 1:31 AM CDT up reply actions

Well a lot of good and great players have things to improve on..

He did improve, but I do realize that blocking wasn’t a strong point for him.

Just saying I personally witnessed him do well in that area, and I kind of feel like being the best (pass-catching) TE of all time makes up for it a little bit.

Now, I NEVER saw LJ block well, or really even try.

I do hear you, though. I’m not trying to hate on anybody for being realistic about the guy’s game.

by bamachief5558 on Jul 1, 2011 4:22 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

No, I'm sure you are right

He would rather appreciate having those fans in his entourage who’s heads would go straight up his ass if he came to a complete stop because they were constantly trying to kiss his butt. ;>)

"You gonna pull them pistols...or whistle Dixie?"

by Aiken_Drum on Jul 1, 2011 10:30 AM CDT up reply actions

Yep, that's me..

Giving Tony G rimjobs since 1997.

by bamachief5558 on Jul 2, 2011 3:07 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

bama, FWIW ... I was joking around, and I do love me some TonyG

one of the bestest to ever pull on a Chiefs uniform

by upamtn on Jul 1, 2011 7:22 AM CDT up reply actions

No worries!

I know y’all were joking, and y’all weren’t wrong.

I’m just very proud of Tony Gonzalez as a Chiefs player, and I’m probably a little defensive because of the folks who DO write him off.

by bamachief5558 on Jul 1, 2011 5:25 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

The Moral of the Story Is

If there is a tight end in the draft and his first name is Tony, then the Chiefs should just go ahead and draft him. Somehow the combination of the first name and the team will make him good.

*Pioli is my Idol*

by ChiefsFan4Life634 on Jun 30, 2011 10:22 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

you said moeaki was an absolute FORCE last year

and then you gave his vanilla numbers. he wasn’t an “absolute force” last year. not even close. he was just a nice added bonus to an offense with a lot of talent. i would define “an absolute force” as some who put up twice moeaki’s numbers, but i’m not going to split hairs.

i think i’m the only member of this site who isn’t sold on tony moeaki yet. he had a decent year, but let’s see if he can improve upon that before we call him a “force”

Eric Berry + Brandon Flowers = a pissed off Phillip Rivers

by fivehead on Jul 1, 2011 12:22 AM CDT reply actions

Solid production.

All-around good TE with exceptional pass-catching skills. As long as he stays healthy, he’s one of the better TEs in the league, already. If he makes the same hay off similar opportunities this year, his stats will maintain or improve, if all they do is get a little more production from some of the other guys.

Tony Mo’s recorded stats are better than Tony Go’s as a rookie. And if you include the number of good blocks, the stats for Moeaki are even more lopsided. If Tony G was a great player in KC, Tony M is on his way to being a great player-and-a-half.

I’m just really glad KC didn’t draft a 6’4’’ WR and pretend he’s a TE. Heh. If I’d been the ‘97-’00 Chiefs, I might’ve just drafted a solid blocking TE with decent hands in ‘98, and split Tony G wide all day. He’d be famous as a great blocker, matched up against corners! But he’d probably draw the double outside, all day long, and do more for the running game, by that, alone. Maybe even take that team to the next level, with as much no-matter-what stuff on the edge that they’d have in their hip pocket. As it was, defenses had to respect Tony G as a receiver, but he was inconsistent as a blocker, which probably hurt the team’s winning chances, overall, looking for balanced offense with him lined up tight.

would of ≠ would've

by hmills110 on Jul 1, 2011 1:15 AM CDT up reply actions

Spot on Mills.

How many times have we hear Haley talk about being a complete football player and that includes becoming a good blocker. Haley wore Bowe’s butt out with that stuff. It is absolutely essential to be able to block when you are not the ball carrier/receiver period. TG was one of/if not the best at taking away jump balls as long as he didn’t have to run too far. That does not mean that he was the perfect complete player in all ways and his blocking did leave something to be desired. I like Moeaki because he came in as a rookie and at least attempted to do all these things we are talking about. The TE has become a much more defined part of the offense over the last 20 years and some of the college coaches are helping to train these kids properly for the NFL game in as much as giving them the basics. Moeaki should turn into a pro bowl player as long as he doesn’t suffer with injuries.

"You gonna pull them pistols...or whistle Dixie?"

by Aiken_Drum on Jul 1, 2011 10:24 AM CDT up reply actions

2009 was a bad year to evaluate TE by production.

I didn’t see very many good looks, well-timed, or well-placed passes. For a pattern to really develop, you need a couple seconds – seconds that Cassel wasn’t getting, or using all that proficiently, on the rare occasion that he got them. Defenses had high confidence that they could sit on routes all day long.

That said, Tony Moeaki turned targets into completions. He’s a cut above the others, and he should be, by his draft position. It’s a real coup that the Chiefs realized his up-side. He played well and stayed healthy. Gabe Miller is their 2011 pick along those lines. Judging by Moeaki, and their handling of the injury front, as a team, it looks like they picked some aces in their medical and training staff.

But let’s think about O’Connell a little bit, here – put things in context. He was selected in the 7th round, 237th overall, in a trade with Miami. Folks, this is one step up from UDFA, and I think he’s developing nicely, and shows some nice H-back potential. It’s nice that both he and Tony Mo’ can line up off the ball and block or go out for a pass. I can see some nice pick-and-roll threats in the future for the Chiefs. Cox and Bannon are both capable of that kind of thing, which gives the offense 3 tiers of targets. They can leave those guys back in protection, and throw FB screens, depending on D-scheme. O’Connell isn’t just instantly open due to great post-up skills, but he’s good enough to make the catch if he’s unaccounted for, or covered by a LB and Cassel has just a little more time.

But it wasn’t ALL sunshine and roses. Cottam made one great play and his season was done. Jackson played most of one great game and went out with a knee. But in fairness, one could argue that their training was what saved Jackson from catastrophe. Still, he made no real progress in 2010, barely getting back to 100%, if that, at the very end.

would of ≠ would've

by hmills110 on Jul 1, 2011 12:36 AM CDT reply actions