Kansas City Chiefs

K.C. Chiefs: Too Many Unanswered Questions

LadnerMorse January 19, 2017 No Comments

K.C. Chiefs: Too Many

Unanswered Questions

Laddie Morse

 

I’m guessing that not enough time has gone by for many of you to not still be stuck in one of the three “A’s”: agony, anger or apathy. Although, if you’re in an apathetic place, reading this article may not be the Chiefs adrenaline high you’re in need of.

Let me clarify up front that this piece isn’t called, “Unanswered Questions” because, as in the past few years I believed that by answering a few good questions, the Chiefs woes could be fixed. What I’m really saying here is that I don’t think that answering the questions that the Chiefs have to answer this offseason… will net them an improved team.

Now, I thought general manager John Dorsey did a masterful job last offseason… and still, think he should receive votes for General Manager of the Year in the NFL. But this offseason? I hate to be the messenger of doom and gloom but, this year I just can’t see it happening.

Question One

Is it Andy Reid’s play calling or failures along the offensive line that is holding this offense back?

I used to think that it was unfair to evaluate QB Alex Smith until he got a good offensive line. I have thought it was unfair to truly evaluate the WRs until the Alex Smith gets the protection he needs from… the offensive line. I’ve wondered if you could actually evaluate the running backs the Chiefs have until you get better… offensive line. Fair or unfair, the offensive line has been the “buck-stops-here” excuse for me when attempting to figure out what is going on with this offense.

Now… I’m not so sure. Yes, I’ve heard fans ragging on Andy Reid and his play calling for years now but never thought he really had the right tools — key players — to make it work. That’s right… it’s taken Rumplestiltskin-Morse 100 years to wake up to the idea that Andy Reid could be the problem. Well, his play calling anyway.

Let’s be clear, Andy Reid is a great coach in so many respects. He was a great coach while he was in Philadelphia too and that’s the reason he was hired here but, he made a change once he came here and now I’m now sure he changed enough. The change he made was to give up the locus of control in the evaluation of prospects and the drafting and signing of free agents and college players. However, Andy Reid should also give up the play-calling responsibility and move on to the full-time job of head coach.

Giving up the control of calling plays. That’s the real issue for Andy Reid: trusting another person to carry out his pre-game wishes without any on-field influence.

That’s a question that will likely never even be asked to Andy Reid but remains a top priority for a team headed nowhere until he faces the issues involved.

 

Question Two

Will John Dorsey re-sign DT Dontari Poe or S Eric Berry?

I’ve done the math before (and I won’t rehash it here) but, I see no way for the Chiefs to pay both men the huge contracts they’ll be seeking as free agents this offseason. My preference and prediction is that the Chiefs re-sign Berry.

The Four Amigos aside, there are more options for the Chiefs along the defensive line in 2017 than there are at Safety. Chris Jones is ascending, Jaye Howard and Allen Bailey will return and players like Rakeem Nunez-Roches (aka, Nacho) give the Chiefs a strong returning core group to not just build around but continue to dominate. It’s no secret that Poe has not been quite the same player he was before his back surgery a year and a half ago but there are also those out there who think that the Steelers game was a “Try-out” for other teams for Poe… and he failed.

The pluses of keeping Berry are too many to mention them all, not the least of which is his leadership role, showing other players how to prepare and take the game seriously.

Losing Dontari Poe will leave an identity hole more than anything because I think the Chiefs can fill his position with existing players and players they may draft. DC Bob Sutton did a fair job of bringing other talent into the fold but ultimately the Chiefs finished 26th in run defense so the presence of Poe hasn’t made a difference in that stat.

Question Three

The playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers revealed that the Chiefs still need playmakers at a number of positions so… how will the Chiefs fill all their needs in this years draft or offseason?

Let’s do a quick rundown of the Chiefs needs:

QB

The Chiefs need a playmaking QB of the future. Yes, it’s painful to consider that Dak Prescott was selected 61 picks after bust KeiVarae Russell. It’s also been rumored since that draft that John Dorsey was wanting QB Paxton Lynch. If QB Deshaun Watson falls to the Chiefs this year, the Chiefs would be foolish not to jump.

RB

As I mentioned yesterday, Spencer Ware is the only RB that I think the Chiefs have who can be part of their plans. The Chiefs need someone for Ware to run behind. The Chiefs need a playmaker here as well.

WR

They have the now overpaid Jeremy Maclin but if he has a strong comeback year he’ll hold the #1 WR spot again. The Chiefs don’t know what they have in Tyreek Hill or how much he can be counted on to be an every down WR because they’re not going to remove him from kick return duties — as they shouldn’t — and that doesn’t leave a full-time contributor to the offense. The Chiefs still need another playmaker to the WR corps.

TE

At the minimum the Chief need a top notch blocking TE. If he also has good hands that would be a big plus.

OL

C Mitch Morse is the star of this group but he’s only just above average. RT Mitchell Schwartz has been alright and LT Eric Fisher has continued to not excel. Both Guard positions need major upgrades. You don’t usually call an OG a playmaker but that what the Chiefs need on the interior… a nasty bull-fighter who won’t back down from anyone. Don’t look now but… they need two of those dudes.

DL

Howard, Bailey, RNR, Jones plus whoever else they pick up to run in there will work.

ILB

Even if Derrick Johnson comes back and has another very good year, they must find his replacement this year or next. Josh Mauga, Ramik Wilson and Justin March-Lillard may be all that’s needed in 2017 but beyond that, a playmaker, and a thumper, is needed.

OLB

I hope Tamba Hali retires. That would help out with the cap. If an offseason to fully recover is what Justin Houston needs to return to form, fine. If not, the Chiefs need another playmaker at OLB. If Dee Ford doesn’t ever fully catch on… make that two playmakers at OLB.

DB

I’m thrilled with the progress of Terrance Mitchell and of course, Marcus Peters makes everyone around him better. Who the heck knows where Phillip Gaines is at. Steven Nelson improved a lot this season but he may have reached his max potential for his physical ability. As John Dorsey has said before, you can always use good corners with the way the league is trending towards the pass.

Question Four

What will the Chiefs do now, if they’ve wasted the window for DJ, JC and Tamba?

Between the three of those youngsters, Tamba Hali played 7 snaps in the playoffs this year. I’m not sure that’s what they had in mind for those guys this year. This question is not about the salary cap but… in 2017, Tamba will make $5,750,000 (with an $8,916,667 dead money cap hit if he’s cut), DJ will make $4,750,000 (with a $5,500,000 dead money cap hit) and Jamaal Charles is scheduled to make $3,750,000 (with no cap hit).

Lyle Graversen explains what will likely be cap “news” in the coming weeks:

 

 

Yep, players get old and their time comes and goes but these three have been a major part of the team’s identity for a decade. The question is… how do you replace these guys — not as K.C. icons — but on the field?

The answer to that is clearly — you don’t. This could be it for all three of them… but replacing them will be tougher than missing them.

 

Question Five

Will the Chiefs make the necessary changes to take the team to the next level?

There was so much Super Bowl talk this year that if I hear anyone even mention the words Super Bowl next season, I think I’ll vomit up a rainbow then stomp on it. When a team gets this close to the Super Bowl — or the Lamar Hunt Trophy game — it’s quite normal, or typical, to think that with a few changes, they could go all the way. I don’t think that’s the case here. A quick review of the team’s positional needs above will tell you otherwise.

The problem is, that the Chiefs are standing so close to the mirror like a high schooler… examining every zit… that they won’t step away from the mirror far enough to see that they’re getting ready to wear a tux to a bar fight.

Coaching changes should be made. Which ones is not up to me to say but the team had some major inconsistencies in their offense and their defense this year and someone not on the field failed as much as all the someones on the field.

The offensive coordinators were Andy Reid, Brad Childress and Matt Nagy and someone should be fired. Only the Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, L.A. Rams and Miami Dolphins has fewer plays from scrimmage in 2016 than the K.C Chiefs. In their playoff game with Pittsburgh the Chiefs ran 49 total plays to the Steelers 66. “Failed drives” was the theme for this group and someone should be axed. But will they?

 

Andy Heck, the OL Coach should probably be gone… but will they make that change? I doubt it.

 

Gary Gibbs, the Chiefs Linebackers coach should hit the bricks as far as I’m concerned but he’s probably staying put.

 

On the other end of the fence I see a fantastic coach like Dave Toub — and he may be the all-time greatest special team coach in the NFL — who has interviewed for a head coaching job in Denver recently and I’m wondering why the team can’t find a more suitable — but suitable I mean larger and more important — role in the team structure? If Toub gets away… I immediately will become a fan of the team he goes to… no matter where he goes. Those kinds of coaches don’t grow on trees. Someone at the top of the food chain needs to wake up and smell the Toub-roses.

Question(s) Six

If the Chiefs re-sign their own list of Free Agents… are they doing the right thing?

No- Albert Wilson

Yes- Daniel Sorensen

No- Knile Davis

Yes- Kendall Reyes (or keep Jarvis Jenkins… one or the other would be solid depth)

???- Cairo Santos I’m not sure I want to see him back… there has to be someone better than him available)

 

Question Seven

Do you trust that this organizational structure will make the Chiefs better in 2017?

I have grown to “trust in Dorsey” but have a decreasing appreciation for Andy Reid and his ability to “get the best” out of his players. I don’t believe he’s doing that anymore and perhaps I accepted — with a blind eye — his professions of pulling out the skills that a player has to give but I think he’s actually keeping Alex Smith back from progressing as much as he’s capable of developing.

Andy Reid’s control issues for calling the plays has spilled over to the quarterback and actually keeps Smith from sculpting his own on-field presence. I’ve always wondered what the difference is between a player like Peyton Manning and Alex Smith functionally? Now, I think it could be that Smith hasn’t been allowed to just take the offense over and improvise on the field. I’m not talking about changing a play at the line of scrimmage. I’m talking about letting Alex Smith see what’s going on with the other team then calling a play without being told what that play must be in his headset. After all, Smith has just finished his 11th season and he’s played in 141 NFL games while starting 136 of them. You’d think he’d know what will work… or not work… by now.

We can bank on that not changing.

There are just too many questions this offseason that must be answered to believe that the Kansas City Chiefs will be better for it. They are 11-and-1 in the division the past two years and do you think they’ll match that again? It’s also hard to imagine that they’ll improve on their 12-and-4 record against the tough schedule they have in 2017.

I guess we’ll find out eventually but there are just too many unanswered questions for now. Plus, I don’t think the answers are simple.