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I was one of the early callers for Aviles as a SS replacement for TPJ while he tortured us with his butterfly-net hacking techniques.  As minor league player of the year and proven minor league hitter, Aviles seemed deserving of at least some kind of major league duty to me.  When TPJ's bat hit the fan(shit is a bad word, but...well, that's what it was), Aviles seemed a better option than Berroa and other options playing out of position (Callaspo looking like Cecil Fielder w/ a glove at short and German looking like...well, German, but at short).  Well, Aviles came up, to much cheer and fanfare.  So much so that he went 0-3 in his major league debut and didn't see pt for another week (Buddy Bell would be proud).  27 years old and all, Aviles displayed minor league experience by (being patient and...) having 5 extra-base hits before his first major league single.  He has since been used as our everyday SS.  He has 2 homers and a very good batting line in this short timespan since his call-up.  While he looks like me a fat guy, he has yet to embarass himself at SS as German and Callaspo have.  Let's let this one play out.  Let the guy hit and see where our offense goes.  After all, this is the AL.  Some teams have hitters at all positions here.

For those of you w/o past knowledge of Ryan's calls of Bradley's play....it is really biased.  But as anyone who follows Milton Bradley can attest to, the guy is a prick and doesn't necessarily attract praise.  For instance, during Tuesday night's game, on the ball that went under Bradley's glove as a run scored (i know, miraculously), Ryan exclaimed as Bradley half-assedly (new word Webster, get on it) ran towards the ball, "He's not hustling after it at all."  While this is not unbiased reporting, it is also the truth.  Milton Bradley is a bonafide prick in the baseball community.  He goes after umpires, fans, coaches, teammates, and occasionally his own body in the process (see injury in last season's playoff chase for the Padres).  Now, he has reached a new level.  Four levels in fact.  He climbed four flights of stairs in pursuit of Ryan LeFebvre, our beloved comedian-er, play by play guy.  Link: sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3438827 ...so, who is right?  The comedian honest observer/villain in Milton's world?  Or Milton 'We almost acquired you for Leo Nunez; thank god we didn't' Bradley?

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Did anyone else hear Jose Guillen's rant on 810 last night after the tragic loss?  If not, click on this link and go to the podcast at the bottom of the page... http://www.810whb.com/podcast.asp

Some highlights:

"This team is full of f***ing babies"

"Don't blame the manager.  He works harder than anyone here so we can win some games."

"These guys don't know how to play the f***ing game."

I think we've thought these thoughts for some time, and we had quit blaming Jose Guillen for our problems since mid-April when we realized he really is the best hitter of the bunch.  But, more broadly, isn't it about time someone blew up?  I mean, this team is full of REAL people right, with REAL emotions and anger, the kind that builds after years of torment and losing streaks like this one.  Jose wasn't even a part of those problems, yet he is the one to say something.  I love the emotion and anger here, and I wonder how long it will take for Trey or Dayton to do something about these problems.  I know Trey works very hard, and I'm sure Dayton does as well. 

But there is something going on here, something missing in our organization that tends to make change difficult.  I would call it a Steinbrenner quality in our organization, that urge to make drastic changes to end the losing.  Dayton seems to be immune from this tendency, for better or for worse.  I think it is for worse.  In Jeffrey Flanagan's KC Star article on hitting instructor Mike Barnett, Dayton claims he would not fire a coach until the end of the season unless the manager said something first.  Well, Trey is really nice, one of those good old Texas boys, the type that does not throw his colleagues or players under the bus.  However, if he is not going to point out obvious problems or suggest organizational changes, it is clearly Dayton's role to do it.  Someone, in the spirit of Jose Guillen, needs to put the foot down.  As Harry Truman's plaque said, "The buck stops here!"  Not to call out John Buck personally, but there is a lot of bull that needs to be stopped in this organization, and someone, super-Christian (Dayton, Trey, and I'm sure others in the organization) or not, has to not be so nice about it.  Swearing is okay when things are not going well, because whether it's appropriate or not, it gets the point across.  Also, everyone is thinking it.  Trey's team meeting, while I'm sure it was serious and pointed, may not have gotten the job done that a GM with more power could accomplish.  People need to be fired, DFA'd, or other things need to happen.  In classic French Revolution style, heads need to roll for real change (sorry Obama fans for stealing this one) to happen.  Only then can the Royals embark on Napoleonic conquest for the next decade or so in the AL.  That said, I hope there are angry mobs willing to agree with Jose Guillen.  His rant reveals problems that were known but not discussed.  The babies and fake ballplayers need to go, and we don't have to wait or be nice about it.  So let's go out there and stop this streak and start winning again!

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From the FanPosts. We'll replace the morning update with this. Enjoy. -Chris

so, looking at the chiefs defensive roster, a few things jump out at me. we have gotten some help on the interior DL w/ dorsey. we have become weak at end losing jared allen. we added athleticism and pass-rushing ability (ask nebraska fans, don't consult nfl stats) with the addition of demorrio williams at LB. and we have replaced ty law w/ a youthful multi-coverage first-round talent CB in flowers. so what does this personnel lend itself to? the 3-4. hear me out.

DL:

Hali: Always considered more than a pass rusher. But teams routinely ran at him in 2007. Hopefully his foot injury was a fluke and he can return to rookie form or better in 2008. If he doesn't, it will be a terrible season for the chiefs. He also may have always been a 3-4 end in making.

Dorsey: Consensus best pick in the draft. He has been most compared to Warren Sapp (Herm was an assistant on that defensive staff). Let's hope everyone is right and this guy can immediately dominate opposing lines. In many schemes this guy is the cornerstone, and this can't be more true in the cover 2. I'll get to the 3-4 in a second.

Boone/Edwards/etc.: These guys are role players that are bottom-feeders in the NFL DL rotation. Sure, they will succeed, but none of these guys can contribute to the pass rush w/o killing run-stopping, or the other way around. I hate this DE situation for a 4-3...and this is why we need a shift.

Conclusion: We have the talent at linebacker and in the secondary to change schemes.

LB (the best position group on the team)

Edwards: The veteran leadership and expertise. He is the class of our defense and, arguably, the league. This guy can play OLB, ILB, probably DE if we needed it. But we are apparently attempting to move him back to the middle to remove Napoleon Harris, whom I'll get to in a minute. But Donnie is a great player mostly out of instinct. It doesn't take a real football expert or statistician to see his best and most productive years came as an inside linebacker in san diego's 3-4. He played this role to near perfection, and i think we may need it out of him again due to our dearth of talent on the DL. He CAN and WOULD succeed in any system we put him in.

DJ: Athleticism has never been questioned. He also is a prototype Will LB. He is not much for rushing the passer straight up, but he can be an effective blitzer and run-stopper. He is a freestyle player best-suited for a freestyle system, not a disciplined cover-2 style. The classic OLB role would work for him, but a 3-4 might work better. He might be the guy consistently in coverage, but he has proven a good run-stopper and penetrator. He also has the athleticism to make up for any pressure-lapses from the front 7 w/ his coverage. Screams Derrick Brooks to me, if we can ever muster the rest of the defensive talent.

Harris: There could never be a bigger challenge to your job than an employer hiring someone for another job and moving that person occupying that position to yours. That said, Harris did not do all that poorly last season. Problem is, he didn't do well either. Maybe there is a gray area here...mix schemes to get your best players on the field. I think Harris fits this group and would be benefited by the move. While it's true he wouldn't hold up in the Jeremiah Trotter big 3-4 ILB mold, he has the athleticism to at least make it worthwhile. Donnie Edwards will help him, and If Glen Dorsey is THE MAN, this move makes a ton of sense.

Williams: A small LB. He has outstanding speed but limited experience in pass-rushing. He was used as a coverage linebacker, something he excelled at. Our problem is that we have one of those, DJ. In college, Williams was an excellent stand-up pass rusher. This makes him an ideal transition LB for the 3-4. The only thing i'm concerned w/ him about is his size.

CB

Surtain: Elder statesman and overpaid FA signing. He is still a good cornerback, and i think people lose sight of this. He isn't playing the position the way he did in Miami, when he was a lockdown man corner. To be fair, this has taken some of the aggressiveness out of him that made him an all-pro player. But also, he has not played up to the standards we held for him. He will at worst be a league average corner next year, but that would be a problem, b/c he is the best we have at this position.

Flowers: I love everything I've heard about him, and he tackles well from what little I've seen. He also seems to have played a lot of different coverages in college and has good ball skills. If he likes Beamer-Ball and is the video rat i hear about, he will be fine and could be a steal. If he busts, I'll be stunned.

Patterson/Brackenridge: Hope you make the roster. Herm certainly loves you. As for actual field skills, a lot remains to be seen.

Carr: This guy could be a total steal. But until we hear how he does in camps, he is still just a rookie w/ lesser-college experience. I hope he competes for a top job, but he is a total unknown here, w/ a reputation that certainly exceeds what we know of him.

S

Page: Pure ball hawk. This guy seems to be a playmaker, on the good and bad side. He can end games with picks or missed tackles. That said, I do think he is developing well and will be a productive safety in the league for a long time. Certainly a serviceable starter for us.

Pollard: Some work needed, but overall a good player. Pollard is ideal for a cover 2 scheme in that he could kill any receiver over the middle at any time. He is a punishing hitter (overall tackling could use work). He also could use work in overall coverage discipline, and i think this will happen. He is a raw talent, and keeping the next guy around might help. But it might not....

Wesley: I wish we would have traded him last year before/after the houston game to start the year. He is washed up in my opinion. He has been beaten on blown coverages far too many times in his career to be considered a veteran help. He does have the reputation of a hitter that Pollard already has, but having that w/o considerable success does not help. Wesley is a ball hawk, and still a good player, but i think he is a hindrance and unnecessary player in our defensive development. I have not mentioned his spotty health record either. (Not that Pollard's is better)

Other S: I don't know anything about the other guys, other than McGraw is a special teams guy who should never see the field on defense. Additional depth at safety would help.

Analysis:

Our defensive personnel leads me to think we need a 3-4/4-3/cover-2 combo scheme that is probably more detailed than most teams care to get into. We are seriously weak at DE while deep at LB. This screams 3-4. The issue is whether or not that 3-4 group could consistently stop the run. I think it could if it is mixed in with 4-3 groups that include the bigger guys, including new DE boone (HA!). It would be a challenge, but i think it could work. the secondary would be afforded new coverage opportunities with additional coverage help w/ the LB, which would enormously benefit surtain by putting him in more man situations or mixed coverages, things he excels at.

I love the idea of the 3-4, and i think we could blitz more out of it to get pressure to account for the loss of Jared Allen. I just think we are at a huge disadvantage using the 4-3 version of the cover 2 w/o any kind of DE at one spot. Even if the coverage holds steady, the lack of a pass rush leads to holes in the zone and open receivers. We are better suited for a 3-4 setup for the front 7 to get whatever pressure we can. Mixed coverages and more detail can only help. Further substitutions in and out of the 3-4/4-3 schemes can only hinder, not help, opposing offenses attempting to prepare for us.

As any coach should, a coach should not apply a system to personnel that does not fit. Rather, a coach's personnel should steer his planning and coaching, especially in terms of systems and schemes. I know Herm is a big cover-2 guy, but the front 7 has pretty little to do with this. Even alternating or rotating which linebacker goes back in coverage in the tampa-2 can only confuse defenses. Other than that, i just think what i have suggested really could work and would be innovative, not for us, but for the league. Teams need to further detail and specify what systems and schemes work for certain personnel groups....not the other way around.

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