Chiefs: Would You, Could You? 10.15.20 – Like any other Chiefs fan at ArrowheadOne, I dream dreams about the Chiefs signing cool Free Agents to get them over the top. Plus, I dream of outstanding drafts coming true simply because I once flew to Guadalajara just for fun one weekend. I also daydream of ex-Chiefs players coming back to coach the team like Eric Berry or Derrick Johnson. Especially Derrick Johnson… because… well… you know.
Sign RB Le’Veon Bell?
Can you see the Chiefs signing newly released RB Le’Veon Bell? I’m mostly not a fan of this kind of move… unless… unless… it means the Chiefs will be getting a happy camper in Chris Jones, who happens to be one of Bell’s cohorts. If anyone thinks Bell is going to return to his 2017 form, you’re probably fooling yourself. Since that time, Bell has averaged 3.3 yards per carry and yes, some of that is due to the Jets having a crappy OL, but Bell has to take some of the blame for that as well. Sitting out a year didn’t help his case and any player who decides to do that when he could have been helping his team get to the Super Bowl, is someone I’d be afraid to add to the wonderful mix of dedicated players the Chiefs have now. Players who… BTW… have said down to a person, they will not put individual stats ahead of team goals. Period. Now, I ask you, does that sound like Le’Veon Bell? Sure, Brett Veach may be able to get Bell to come to K.C. on a super low-cost deal but who will he displace at RB? Certainly not RB#1: Clyde Edwards-Helaire. Then you want Bell to take the number two spot from Darrel Williams? The question then becomes: is Bell better than Williams? Right now? Today? Darrel may only have a 3.4 ypc average over his 3 year career, but you have to bank on Bell providing a better punch than he has been providing… even though he came in 20 pounds underweight to start the 2020 campaign.
Could it turn out to be a very good deal for K.C.? Yes. I’m just not so sure there is a loaded upside to such a deal. It seems to be more of a long shot than fish in a barrel.
Bubble Up for the Playoffs?
Would you support a Bubble system for the playoffs in Southern California or Dallas? The idea is being thrown around. I’m not averse to the idea that the NFL could go to a Bubble for all teams who make the playoffs. However, at this point in time, I’m just hoping they make it to the playoffs. At last count, I believe the Tennessee Titans had a total of 24 cases of the Covid-19. Every time a player, or personnel, contracts the virus the league seemingly steps in and postpones a game for them. The Titans have had two games moved which also has affected the schedules of multiple other teams… including the Chiefs in a roundabout way. That’s the real problem for the league over the next three months. If the Titans… or another team… has an outbreak equalling that of the Titans and more games have to be moved, then I expect the number of games required to call this a complete season, will be altered. Minimized.
If — or maybe I should say “when” — more games are moved or postponed, even if it’s only a few games… the greater the possibility of a playoff system in which the teams will be sequestered in one location becomes. While I don’t personally take the Covid lightly, the teams going to a Bubble just seem like it’s a simple mathematical equation at this point: addition by subtraction.
Remake the Offensive Line?
We know it can happen. What, you may ask? Revamping the offensive line in the middle of the season, that’s what. Andy Reid has done it before. Yes, he usually waits until later in the year, like in 2019 when he inserted Stefen Wisniewski in at the Left Guard position for a late season run which ended in a Super Bowl victory. Wiz didn’t get his first start until week 16 so we know it’s a possibility. Why even bring that up now? The 2020 Chiefs offensive line needs help, especially on the interior. Center Austin Reiter remains a weak link. RG Andrew Wylie hasn’t been the revelation I was hoping he’d be. Nick Allegretti is listed as the starting LG at ESPN on the Chiefs depth chart and I haven’t seen him do anything great yet (3 snaps).
So, what are the Chiefs alternative? Perhaps a better question is: when could these alternatives happen? The Chiefs schedule has them playing the Bills, Broncos, Jets and Panthers before they get their regular season Bye Week. The Bye Week appears to be the best time for Reid to take stock and re-evaluate his horses up front and try putting a new hardness on some young stallions. Recently, Reid has stated that Martinas Rankin is not quite ready yet… but maybe he’d be ready by the time Week 11 rolls around which is, November 22, the first week after the Bye Week when the Chiefs face the Raiders in Vegas.
I’m sure the reason that Reid has inserted Allegretti into the starting role instead of Mike Remmers is that he wants to keep Remmers available to serve as the swing Tackle as well as the swing Guard. In fact, Remmers can play any position along the OL so Reid has that covered by making that switch. The problem I see with this move is… Remmers is probably better than Allegretti right now (and we already know that Remmers is more experienced) and although Reid doesn’t want to have to move players at two positions if one of his Tackles goes down, Remmers needs to be in there simply because: he’s better.
I’m ready to see what UDFA Guard Yasir Durant has as well. We won’t know until he gets his shot. Better now than after the Bye Week break. I’m with David Bell when he says Lucas Niang should not have taken a year off. He’s probably sitting at home knowing he’d be getting his first NFL experience right now. However, it’s a little late to be re-negotiating that point… so I’ll move on.
One way or the other… by hook or by crook… by trade or, whatever… the OL needs help, and so does Patrick Mahomes, now that Kelechi Osemele is out for the year (injured tendons in both knees).
Fire LB Coach Matt House?
I jest of course. I know the Chiefs linebacking coach is not the problem, the linebackers are. I’m just so darned frustrated with the Chiefs current room of LBs that I have no idea what they can do to light a fire underneath them. Anthony Hitchens current grade from Pro Football Focus is 44.0 and he ranks 30th in tackles. Damien Wilson’s PFF score is 54.5 (barely above average) and he ranks 38th in tackles. Ben Niemann’s grade is 28.8 and he ranks 75th in Tackles. On a short number of snaps: Willie Gay has a 58.6 grade and ranks 87th in Tackles. Sure, I’ll give Gay a pass right now, but they’re not using him enough for us to get the full effect of what he can do (and that is overly problematic considering the rest of the Chiefs LBs suck so badly).
I guess I didn’t need to show you their stats, for you to know they’re bad, because everyone already knows: they’re ability to play LB is a putrid pile of dragon frack!
I don’t know why Titans LB Kamalei Correa wasn’t worth a 5th round pick to Brett Veach, because he was originally the 42nd pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, but Veach has to do something — anything — to begin to remake a group of Linebackers that appear to have lost all hope of ever being just average. What do I mean when I say “anything?” For example, the Cardinals have just signed LB Isaiah Irving off of the Denver Broncos practice squad. There must be half a dozen (at least) LBs who are practice squad players on other NFL rosters that Veach and Co. have evaluated and have their eyes on. So come on, pull the trigger. Make some kind of move to improve this group because just about anything would be better than what Matt House has to work with right now.
Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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