Chiefs GM Scott Pioli On Big Name Free Agents

This is always good to get some feedback on something, I wondered about the Franklin thing, but the money thing may be true too. He may not be worth it, i still have some hope for the La’ron, but that guy would have to give up his twitter account, I started following him after the first piece of nugget that he was a good fit here. Last week I stopped following him. There are few people that i think do thing impulsively and I swear that he twats in his sleep.

=P Hardly any substance, and the sizzle had fizzled out. Then again, he wasn’t a FA, but still.

I’m excited we’re bringing in Warren. Plenty of good depth for us, good rotations, etc. Tyson isn’t the healthiest guy on the field, and defensive lineman get gassed pretty quickly. I also won’t be surprised if we start showing more 4-3 fronts this season, like the Pats do.

Franklin without a doubt had an over inflated value on himself and Pioli shrugged him off.
He did also mention he got burned buying into the hype in the past with FA’s. Warren IMO is a perfect fit.

And he wanted a multi-year contract.

I’m not sure how that fits into the criteria Pioli is espousing. (Is that the right word?)

IDP 401 – The "True" 3-4

"The 3-4 defense is what the Giants used to play. There was a nose tackle, two defense ends lined up on the tackles, two outside linebackers and then two [inside linebackers], both covering the guards. One of those linebackers is a fourth rusher. That is the 3-4 — the only 3-4 defense."
— Charlie Weis, former Parcells assistant coach

The "only" 3-4 defense? ORLY? What would Weis call all the other 3-4 schemes in the league today with three down linemen? Granted, it’s mostly an argument of semantics, but Weis (and others) would argue that a true 3-4 defense is one where the three defensive linemen are responsible for every gap on the offensive line – a 2-gap line. They’d call the other variations – the Phillips variations, the Collier and Belichick variations, the LeBeau and Capers variations – hybrid schemes of a true 3-4, since they frequently use 1-gap alignments that are the hallmark of the modern 4-3 fronts.

All this talk about gaps again. Is it really that big a deal? Absolutely. Though the boxscores and stat boxes of the 3-4 schemes often look the same – OLB with big sack numbers and (usually) less notable defensive linemen, the underlying philosophies are very different.

Let’s look at the "true" 3-4 first: (the graphic looked poor in this format: view it here )

A lot of people chuckled at John Madden’s description of Parcells’ 3-4 as a "double bubble" scheme a few years ago, but it’s a good visual to keep in mind. The 2-gap alignment leaves both offensive guards uncovered by defensive linemen. Instead each ILB covers the "bubble" left by the line. (Acknowledging that I’m an idiot when it comes to the innernets, I’ve attached a screenshot of the Raven defense in a double bubble concept (link at the end of this post) if you’re interested in the real thing.)

This kind of 3-4 requires a specific class of player. The defensive linemen have to be monsters, able to handle the lineman in front of them and control the gap to either side. Ideally, they’re disruptive enough that the guards have to help in many cases. The inside linebackers need to be big enough to take on a guard on every play if the linemen aren’t good enough to keep them clean. It’s Parcells’ "Planet Theory" – there are only so many men on the planet big and athletic enough to play defensive lineman in the NFL. To some extent, that theory also applies to the linebackers in a 2-gap 3-4 scheme. Guys like Dat Nguyen won Parcells over, but he wasted no time in looking for guys like Bradie James and Bobby Carpenter and Kevin Burnett to replace smaller players like Dexter Coakley.

Parcells liked the 2-gap 3-4 for a number of different reasons. It’s design makes it more difficult for the offensive linemen to get an angle on his defenders. It makes it easier to drop eight men into coverage and prevent big plays. It makes it easier for a stud OLB to get an angle in pass rush and generate pressure with just four rushers.

But it’s also more difficult to play in today’s NFL. Those planet-like defensive linemen are getting harder and harder to find. How many players come out of today’s college defenses that are built for speed that can hold the point of attack against a monstrous OT and control two gaps? Not many. How many 245-250 lb linebackers agile enough to elude a guard on every play and still close down on a RB with 4.45 speed? Very few.

As a result, the 3-4 fronts gaining favor today are based on the 1-gap schemes designed by Bum Phillips or those that use other wrinkles to bring pressure and disguise coverage. Other than Parcells’ Cowboy teams in recent seasons, every other contemporary 3-4 has strayed from the 2-gap 3-4 in one way or another. The true 3-4 front is becoming a dinosaur of sorts as an every down defense.

It’s obvious that he has both a long term and short term plan as to how to build a team. He has an historical track record of being successful, and we have seen good results in a short period of time. I agree completely with his attitude here on FA, and I’m glad to see we don’t have a Snyder/J.Jones type of management style in KC. Those guys go for sizzle in place of substance. Pioli takes the Rooney/Kraft approach to building a team. I feel comfortable that he will elevate this team to being the team to beat in the AFC West, and a force to be reckoned with in the AFC/NFL.

This “sizzle vs substance” catchphrase is going to replace “The right 53” now.

I love the Brandon Siler addition. I’d like to see some OL help.

before deciding if letting Shaun Smith slip away was good or bad. I maintain that Warren/Greg >Smith/Edwards.

But I wanted to chime in on the substance over sizzle remark. I can completely respect Pioli if he has shied away from big name free agents because they don’t fit the system, scheme, etc., and I understand that you cannot put a gun to someone’s head to come to KC, but count me as a fan that feels somewhat dissapointed that we have not done everthing we could to make this the best team possible. I for one could go for some sizzle, something that says that we expect to be a contender right now, not two years from now. After watching us get spanked against the Raiders and Ravens to finish the season last year, can anyone say that we have improved enough for our expectations to be any different? The guys on 810 am were talking about this sizzle/substance thing by comparing us to the Jets. They have gone for sizzle in building a team that has gone to two consecutive AFC championship games. I want that for our Chiefs year in and year out. I don’t want to expect any less, and with this year setting up a free agency period like we have never seen, I thought that this was the year. With all of our cap room, etc., we would surely be able to get a few stud free agents to upgrade our roster. I am not trying to completely belittle what Pioli is trying to build here (I am usually a glass half full guy!), but I really think we whiffed on taking more of a quantum leap vs. our usual hop. For the most part I am amazed at what Pioli and Haley have been able to do in such a short time, just sitting wishing it could have been the Chiefs name instead of the Eagles name mentioned on a couple of these signings.
Sorry I had to vent! Not sure I feel any better though.

the important thing is that we get value for our picks and signings.I think Pioli and co. understand that. These ‘’dream teams’’ don’t always work out. (see the Miami Heat ’11). If you can get 2 or 3 good players for your system you come out ahead as opposed to throwing the bank at big money guys.(see Daniel Snyder and everytime T.O. was signed).

Sorry fellow Chiefs fans! I am going against the grain on this one! We, for DECADES now; have been a place where big time free agents don’t even consider. You have to ask why?! My Take: Big time free agents want to go to a place where they can win meaningful playoff games. Does an NFL record 7 game post season losing streak ring a bell? The ONLY time that we have made a splash in the post season was when we sought the services of Joe Montana and Marcus Allen. Outside those two moves, where is the post season success? I have been alive for 41 years. Len Dawson and his boys won it before my birth. I am tired of the “build for the future” movement that has been taking place for about 38 years of my life. I am DEMANDING that we change the flavor of what goes on. In the last 20 years, we have seen ALL FOUR of the original AFC West opponents making trips to the Superbowl. In that same span, ZERO playoff wins for us. I will always be a Chiefs fan. I am not jumping ship. I just want people too recognize that instead of 95% of us being in full agreement of what Scott Pioli is doing, that some of us stop kissing his ass and start kicking it. We allowed Carl Peterson to hang around WAY TOO LONG! He was content with the average play. He seemed to carry the moniker of “building for the future” throughout his stay. During this unique time of free agency, we have missed out on so many opportunities. If you don’t grab a primetime player in the prime of his career and turn around and get players who have talent diminished by years; you have too ask why? Will we be sitting here in 20 years wondering what might have been after the Chargers, Raider and Broncos have made return trips to the Superbowl? I don’t know this. I do know, that we need to crank the pressure up on our Chiefs. There hasn’t been an eventual Superbowl winner in the last 20 years that didn’t add significant free agents to the mix. That is a FACT! Thoughts? Opinions?