Poll

Which Chiefs' draft pick is going to be a bust?

• Glenn Dorsey
• Branden Albert
• Brandon Flowers
• Jamaal Charles
• No one!

  457 votes | Results

Yikes, this week is slow on football news. At least we've got something to talk about today.

Of the seventeen UDFAs the Chiefs signed last week, fifteen still remain on the roster. Here's the original group of 17:

WR Jabari Arthur, WR Sean Bailey, K Connor Barth, FB Mike Cox, G Ian-Yates Cunningham, DE Johnny Dingle, S Ron Girault, CB Maurice Leggett, DT Derek Lokey, G Chris McDuffie, RB Kalvin McRae, DT Maurice Murray, LB Steve Octavien, DE Jason Parker, DE Jonal Saint-Dic, QB Ricky Santos and WR Luke Swan.

QB Ricky Santos and WR Sean Bailey no longer appear on the official roster, which leads me to believe that they have been released.

At least for now, Ricky Santos' Tony Romo-esque NFL dreams are in limbo.

The draft has come and gone.

The next mini-camp isn't until the early part of June.

The Chiefs' players aren't making headlines with their off-the field-behavior (Which is a good thing).

So....what are we going to talk about for the next month? Hell, the next two months?

Last year it was the Trent Green trade/Larry Johnson hold out updates that kept us going. Seriously. Look back at the archives for June. There was nothing going on.

Alas, we found things to talk about though. This time last year was when AP really took off in terms of traffic. Like we do today, we were talking Chiefs everyday back then and people seemed to find it appealing. This is still one of the few if not the only place where Chiefs information is posted daily. We have our good days and our bad days content-wise but we're here each and every week day in the off-season.

We'll still have daily coverage here like we normally do but this year I wanted to make a post asking for your off-season ideas. Is there anything Chiefs/football related you want to see up here on the front page? Are we missing news you'd like us to cover?

I know we have the FanPost and FanShot sections for you guys and girls to post your thoughts but if you've had a grander idea in your head as of late (or aren't really interested in posting FanPosts/FanShots), let us know.

Let's use this post for brainstorming ideas to get through the summer months. Best plays of 2007? Power ranking the Chiefs players? All-time best draft picks?

Anything at all, let us know in the comment section and either I'll run with it or one of our many, many talent readers will.

Thanks for reading!

via i.a.cnn.net

The Kansas City Chiefs' confidence in third-year quarterback Brodie Croyle is well-documented.

Making Brodie Croyle a third-round draft pick in 2006 after a celebrated but injury plagued college career showed Chiefs' fans the team was confident in his future abilities.

After throwing only twenty-four passes in over a year and a half with the Chiefs, the team again asserted it's confidence in Croyle in November 2007 when Herm Edwards made him the starting quarterback after Damon Huard was injured.

Despite losing every start he made in 2007 and despite throwing as many touchdowns as interceptions (6), the Chiefs did not sign or draft a significant challenger to the starting quarterback position.

Perhaps that is the ultimate sign of confidence - a team, which is gambling in many other areas of need with other young players, giving the keys to the offense to a still green, still unproven quarterback.

If Brodie Croyle fails to materialize as a starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, it will put the entire Chiefs strategy on hold. The team is trying to fill too many needs, too quickly to have to focus on a major position like quarterback.

If Croyle doesn't evolve into the Chiefs' franchise quarterback this year, a major part of the foundation laid here in 2008 will be have to be redone. The quarterback position is the most important and arguably the most difficult to fill in the NFL. The Chiefs had a major luxury in this year's draft precisely because they didn't have to pursue a QB on the first day. Or even the second day of the draft.

After 2008 is done, the Chiefs will have invested three full years in Brodie Croyle, only one of those with him as the starting quarterback. With the timing the Chiefs are currently on, looking towards 2009-2010 as the years to see their plans fully materialize, to have to replace Brodie Croyle with another question mark would slow down the pace considerably. Perhaps irreparably.

So goes Brodie Croyle, so goes the Kansas City Chiefs.

Was Croyle's rather lackluster 2007 season due to the terrible offensive line? The lack or Pro Bowler Larry Johnson in the lineup? Or were the 2007 Kansas City Chiefs just that terrible of a football team?

I'm going with all three of the above. And it appears, so are the Chiefs.

As much of a cornerstone as the 2008 draft will be for the future of the Kansas City Chiefs, another cornerstone was laid with the 85th pick in the 2006 draft.

The Chiefs have been hoping that Brodie Croyle is the player the team can depend upon for years to be productive.

If you thought Matt Ryan was a gamble in this year's draft, think about the gamble the Chiefs have made with Croyle. It's almost too late now to turn back and give the reins to another quarterback. If the Chiefs have to during or after this year, so be it. But they're not planning on it. In fact, they're planning against that happening.

Behind even an average offensive line with even a mildly healthy Larry Johnson, I believe Brodie Croyle has the necessary skills to start for the Kansas City Chiefs. His injury history doesn't bother me.

2008 is not only a gamble for the Chiefs but the final test for Brodie Croyle.

His will be the narrative to explain this franchise's course in the latter part of this decade. Croyle, more than any other player currently on the squad, will determine our collective fate.

Is it star-crossed confidence Herm Edwards has in Brodie Croyle? Or is Croyle still on his way to becoming the Chiefs' first "home-grown" franchise quarterback since Lenny Dawson?

Poll

Brodie Croyle

• Chiefs' starter for years to come
• He'll be replaced by next year

  346 votes | Results

YEAR	CMP	ATT	YDS	CMP%	YPA	LNG	TD	INT	SACK	RAT
2004	272	425	3318	64	7.81	60	31	10	23	148.94
2005	301	429	3797	70.2	8.85	66	39	9	21	170.32
2006	293	432	3125	67.8	7.23	43	29	7	35	147.5
2007	256	350	2972	73.1	8.49	58	24	7	30	163.1

One of the more curious names to attend the Chiefs' mini-camp this weekend is New Hampshire QB Ricky Santos. He was on his fair share of sleeper lists before the draft but ultimately wasn't picked by any team. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs, presumably because he saw potential to make the team with our current crop of quarterbacks. In fact, that's almost exactly what Santos' agent Brad Blank said about coming to the Chiefs:

"We picked a place where the players he's competing against (for the third spot) don't have as strong a pedigree," Blank said. "His chances are as good as the other two guys'."

New Hampshire is a I-AA school, so Santos' competition level in college was relatively weak compared to any D-I school. He was the 2006 Walter Payton Award winner, which is given to the top I-AA offensive player. Past winners include Tony Romo, Brian Westbrook, Steve McNair and Dave Meggett.

The knocks on Santos are familiar - his smaller size, the prolific passing system he played in and his lack of "legitimate" competition. He's describe, in very sports cliche terms, as a guy "who makes plays".

What catches my eye is that rather nice TD to INT ratio.

Santos is also often described as being a small quarterback, even though he has almost identical stats as current Chiefs' QB Brodie Croyle. Both are just over six feet tall and right around 200 lbs.

Santos seems to have been surrounded by doubters ever since high school and he seems to thrive on that. The Chiefs starting QB will be Brodie Croyle this season. But that doesn't mean Santos is automatically out of the mix. I suppose he has an outside shot to beat out Tyler Thigpen for the #3 spot on the QB depth chart but I doubt it. Herm Edwards has openly spoken of his affection for Thigpen, ever since the Chiefs scrimmaged the Vikings last preseason. The Chiefs snatched Thigpen off of the waiver wire and put him on the active roster to guard against other teams from signing him.

At the very least, the Chiefs have an underdog story to add to their rather bland QB narrative. I have to say the last Walter Payton Award winner to play in the NFL, Tony Romo, isn't doing too bad for himself.

Don't expect Santos to make the Chiefs squad but his name may pop up here and there on various practice squads or as a #3 guy somewhere.

Including all seventy players currently on the Kansas City Chiefs' active roster (No UDFAs), the average age is just a tad above 25-years old. The average number of years experience is right under 3.5

If you don't count our twelve rookies that we just drafted, the average age only jumps to 26-years old.

Forty-six Chiefs have three years or less experience. Only fourteen have more than five years experience.

Of the seventy players on the roster, only nine were here before Herm Edwards started in 2006.

Of the thirty-eight players drafted by former Chiefs' head coach Dick Vermeil between 2001 and 2005, only four of those players remain Chiefs today.

(As a side note, like most of the NFL, nearly half of the current Chiefs hail from either California, Florida or Texas.)

And for a little perspective on the incredible divergence this franchise has taken from previous years, here is the average roster age for previous seasons:

2007: 27.3
2006: 27.4
2005: 28.1
2004: 27.3
2003: 27.6
2002: 27.9
2001: 27.5
2000: 27.7
1999: 27.9
1998: 27.6
1997: 28.2
1996: 28.2
1995: 27.7
1994: 26.7

To be fair, these numbers are averaged from the end of season roster. But like I said above, even if you take out our rookies this year, our average age is still only a tad above 25-years old. I had to go back fifteen years to 1994 to find an average roster age below 27.

I don't have any major point here other than to bring up more evidence of the dramatic transformation of our football team. The Chiefs are doing what people have been saying they should have done for years - throw off the shackles that mediocrity in the NFL will put on you and start from the ground up.

via assets.espn.go.com

Between 2001 and 2002, Kansas City Chiefs' running back Priest Holmes rushed for 3,170 yards and 29 touchdowns. In two short years after coming from Baltimore, Holmes had established himself as one of the premiere running backs in the NFL, as well as putting together two of the greatest rushing seasons ever for a Kansas City Chief.

With three games left in the 2002 season, the Chiefs traveled to Mile High stadium to play the Denver Broncos in a game they eventually lost by a touchdown. After breaking off a 56-yard run in the third quarter, Priest Holmes was dragged down by Denver defenders and left the game with a bruised right hip. Holmes didn't finish the rest of the season and after a stellar 2003 season, only played in 19 games over the next four years because of injuries.

After the 2002 season, which ended with Holmes nearly being placed on injured reserve, the Chiefs' first move in the 2003 draft was to draft Penn St. running back Larry Johnson with the 27th overall pick.

At the time, it was deemed a curious pick by the experts. Priest Holmes had just had two of the greatest rushing seasons in franchise history and there were plenty of arguments that improving a swiss cheese defense should have been priority #1, considering the squad ended 2002 ranked last in total defense, second to last in pass defense and 24th overall in rush defense.

Thankfully, and this is a rarity out of the Dick Vermeil coaching years in the draft, the Chiefs knew what they were doing (or got lucky). As I mentioned before, Priest Holmes' skills quickly eroded after a number of serious injuries and Larry Johnson was able to fill in and absolutely dominated. 50 touchdowns and two seasons of over 1,750 yards rushing later and the LJ pick is no longer questioned.

Currently, the Chiefs find themselves in a similar position as 2003. They have a Pro Bowl running back coming off a severe injury, the nature of which could affect the rest of Larry Johnson's career. The Chiefs also drafted a running back when many thought they would focus on other positions. Drafting Jamaal Charles in the third round gave me a similar feeling as when LJ was drafted - Interesting but didn't we have bigger needs?

I slept on it. I talked with people here. I became much, much comfortable with this pick. In fact, a few days removed from the draft, I'll contend this was the best pick the Chiefs could have made at the time.

The Chiefs' running back situation in 2007 did not end well. The team was performing emergency surgery at the end of 2007 - trying to keep enough parts working together just to barely function. Without Larry Johnson in the lineup, the Chiefs' lack of depth was exposed. Doesn't the idea of Jackie Battle playing in the NFL sound a bit ridiculous now?

Perhaps not the "third down" back he's being billed as (although he'll play that role with the Chiefs for now), Jamaal Charles showed the ability to shoulder a large workload late in his college career. Charles finished his 2007 season with 258 carries and 1,619 yards.

Jamaal Charles may not be ready to be a 20-25 carry a game running back but he doesn't have to be right now. He'll compliment Larry Johnson quite well and I predict he jumps Kolby Smith on the depth chart rather quickly.

But like Larry Johnson was to Priest Holmes, don't be surprised if Charles gets the opportunity to start and picks up where LJ left off. He has the talent to do just that.

As fickle as the running back position can be in the NFL, and this is a cliche, but you really can't have too many good ones. Picking Jamaal Charles in the third round of the 2008 draft may turn out to be a franchise saver, just like Larry Johnson turned out be.

So you think you can dance? So do Chiefs' safeties Bernard Pollard and DaJuan Morgan. H/T to Zach and Mr. Wendler. I know the FanShots are typically reserved for video posts but this one was too funny to pass up.

Dancers in KC from ZachIsHere on Vimeo.

Both players' teammates really push this video over the edge.

When the talk of Jared Allen being traded really heated up in the ten days or so leading up to the draft, my reactions went from "Oh hell no!" to "Let's maximize the value of a guy who obviously wants out of KC" to "Maybe Herm is right, you don't need superstar players".

That last statement is gaining credence in my head. Well-paid star players often eat up a disproportionate amount of salary cap space, often don't pan out because of injury and I would assume invoke jealously/contempt in lesser paid players. I can't qualify that last statement but I don't think its a stretch to consider it to be true.

The more I thought about it, the more I was convinced that the trading of Jared Allen painted a much, much bigger picture.

Herm Edwards, not unlike the New England Patriots and their rather brilliant GM and head coach, is willing to let superstar talent leave Kansas City in exchange for guys that fit his system.

In exchange for a team. Teams win playoff games. Teams win championships. Solid players at as many positions as possible will win you football games.

Herm doesn't want the contract drama, the diva attitudes and insane expectations. No head coach wants those but the difference between Herm and others - he'll let those problems walk right out of town.

He wants, as the man himself would say, "football" players. Players that are hard workers, know their role and do their job. He doesn't want a player to expect a starting spot. He wants them to earn it.

Herm doesn't believe in a team that has dips and valleys in the talent level. He wants guys that play to the best of their ability and if that ability is at a superstar level, so be it. But he won't think twice about letting an ego, a contract or an agent negatively affect his football team. He has little tolerance for bullshit in a sport filled with it.

Don't take this lightly. After this off-season and this past weekend's draft, this is no longer Carl Peterson's team.

It's officially Herm Edwards' team.

Carl Peterson may still be the GM but don't mistake 2008 and the future for the franchise of the past. We're different now. Clark Hunt knows it, Herm knows it and Carl Peterson knows it. The Chiefs are focused on the draft as the building strategy of this team.

We'll look back at this year not because of the historical draft but for the shift in the attitude and values of the franchise.

It's an exciting and proud time to be a Kansas City Chiefs fan.

Get on board. It's going to be a fun ride.