I'm always intrigued when national newspapers and websites, like the Associated Press and New York Times, do their season previews of the Chiefs. They're widely distributed so this is the information the average sports fan is receiving about the team.
The New York Times sports blog recently did a preview of the Chiefs and it's made the rounds.
So how did they do?
I would say it was a fair review hitting on the surface of all the key points about the Chiefs. However, there were a few points that I thought were misleading.
Number one:
The linebacking corps is unimpressive as a whole but has two key pieces in unheralded star Tamba Hali and underrated rock-of-a-run-stopper Cory Mays.
First, the credibility of your preview is weakened when you misspell the name of a player (Corey Mays, but to their credit, they later spelled it correctly). Second, this is the first time I've seen Mays referred to as a core part of the defense. Is he important? At times, yes. But when talking about linebackers should he be the second one mentioned? I, along with many others, would strongly argue against that.
The article later suggests Williams will "probably" lose his job to Jovan Belcher (And it's Jovan, not Javon). While that's certainly possible, suggesting that will "probably" happen is a big leap.
Number two:
End Glenn Dorsey was drafted fifth over all in 2008. Tyson Jackson was drafted third over all in 2009. Playing next to nose tackle Ron Edwards, both miscast ends have been feeble anchors in this Patriot-esque scheme. This is the prime reason the Chiefs ranked 31st in run defense and total sacks last season.
Suggesting Tyson Jackson is "miscast" as a 3-4 defensive end is a little misleading. Coming out of college, it was unanimous that he was one of the top two 3-4 defensive ends available. In fact, that was considered his best position, even though he played defensive tackle in LSU's 4-3 defense.
Number three:
Every other front seven position is occupied by a passing down specialist. Gilberry and Magee fill the defensive end spots; Belcher and swift-running Derrick Johnson come in at inside linebacker, and fifth-round rookie Cameron Sheffield (an undersized defensive end at Troy) will likely replace Vrabel on the outside.
Cameron Sheffield has a ways to go before he's considered "likely" to replace Vrabel. As of now, the more "likely" candidate is Andy Studebaker.
Again, I thought this was a decent preview because someone who covers all 32 teams will never be able to get as in-depth as people who cover the team everyday.