Building Expectations
We, and I think I can speak for most of us, are in a frame work of expectations. Some positive. Others? Not so much, but we are beyond the big free agent push. We are beyond the draft. Unsupervised workouts are going on and It all doesn’t mean much of anything… yet. We await decisions on the 90 man roster. We await the initial days of training camp. We await the players donning pads and their time to begin football as a contact sport.
So, we go from there.
Most of us know how this works. Most of us lack the patience and expect immediacy in word about how the team unfolds for the 2019 season. Even when I think I have patience, I know the truth about myself — I must confront daily until I see how things might unfold. It’s far too soon for that.
The following remarks offer a glimpse of some of my expectations as it relates to depth and the importance of new additions to the roster.
Talent and Depth Added
It is going to be far deeper than expected. Many expect the worst and this is where I differ each year — only this year I am not just speaking of a roster of starters but players behind the starters that provide a lot more hope than I have had in the 6 previous off-season ventures since Andy Reid and John Dorsey arrived in town.
Offensive Line — Eric Fisher and Mitch Schwartz at the Tackles, and Andrew Wylie swings outside. At Center we start with Austin Reiter and too many fail to give the young guy credit — behind him though? I am highly encouraged by Jimmy Murray but most highly expecting to see rapid advancement from our 7th round draft pick, Nick Allegretti. He is a mature man and will move up through the ranks of new additions quickly. Aside from my views about Reiter and Wylie, I see Allegretti as an important piece of the puzzle. I am hopeful for contributions in 2019. We will wait and see. At Guard — we have Cam Erving and LDT (two solid pro’s as LDT should be impinging on a Pro Bowl role this year). Kahlil McKenzie? He must prove himself now, because he had his red-shirt swap year in 2018.
If I am going to choose a single player on the OL it would be that Austin Reiter has an even more solid season than most expect. Mitch Morse is departed and the staff must believe in Reiter, and the depth of players they have, can play center.
QB? No questions about it. I am reading a lot about a step back but frankly, I think that is silly. Patrick Mahomes II will have another great season. Who Reid will surround him with remains in question. It’s not as if Sammie Watkins is not up to the job nor the guys behind him. It’s not as if Alex Smith didn’t have a dearth of WR talent but, when he finally had an over the top WR, Smith put up career numbers.
Brett Veach drafted Mecole Hardman to get the over the top speed as a backup plan. Many critique that move as well but you have to know it was a last minute move to counter a major player loss. My expectation is that Mecole Hardman will move quickly forward gaining playbook knowledge week to week and into the season. PM II will help him fit it all together. Hardman is my positive expectation of the WR Corp. If you want to know what I expect? It is for Sammie Watkins to step up to the challenge and take it on. Others too but, Watkins first, and then others and this is especially including Byron Pringle.
At Running back? I believe Damien Williams proved a lot last year. We learned to deal without Kareem Hunt. Williams learned to carry a load and other guys supplied the depth. It’s even better this year with a rookie added to boot.
Tight End? I really expected the Chiefs to draft a top TE and we didn’t because, apparently, the Hardman selection put the kibosh on this and that’s about all I can say. Veach’s draft board did not have a player for selection that fit where things stood in the draft and where the Chiefs were making a selection. I will note that they invited in Logan Park, the Southern Utah TE, who shows promise. We will have to wait and see how the rest unfolds. You can expect a basic journeyman’s job from Blake Bell and we do have the unknown possibility of Deon Yelder really opening eyes. I expect Yelder to at least provide similar numbers to Demetrius Harris… which should not be difficult and sans drop-ball-itis at the same time.
I have written about defense a lot this spring. I have a lot of great expectations from this group and the new DC Steve Spagnuolo and crew. I have covered the front end and back end extensively so I am going to state that this may be the best Front line on defense that most of us have ever seen. Clark, Okafor, Ogbah, Speaks, Jones, and Nnadi tell the story of why I believe this is true. However, I will now mention Kahlen Saunders, a rookie who will make a big contribution up front as a 1 tech (NT). It will happen in season and it will be crucial to the defenses increasing explosiveness, week by week, that even the NFL pundits will admire (because those sorry bas#@*&$… ooops, those sorry experts) just plain are going to be wrong again. Look: this is going to be such a powerful group that they will have rested legs and a new attitude at the same time. I think the 4th quarter of games will be the Chiefs and not the other way round as it has been in the past because our defense couldn’t stop the opposing offense.
Safeties: at the same time, I see the back end of the defense in the same light: the addition of Safety Juan Thornhill to the group puts it over the top, but also I expect Armani Watts to come out and strut his stuff for all of use to say… Wow!… about. Thornhill, Watts and Mathieu all give us a reason to be positive and I have to name all three in my high expectation list. If my expectation is true here, the Chiefs cornerback crew is going to have a lot easier job covering receivers because they are going to be able to expect valid coverage behind them from the true Safety role – single or double high coverage help.
#Chiefs rookie safety @Juan_Thornhill…13 career interceptions at Virginia, described as a "ballhawk."
One practice down.
One interception made. pic.twitter.com/ksccqYc9DS— BJ Kissel (@ChiefsReporter) May 4, 2019
This in turn will allow the Cornerback crew to fulfill and do their job as a basic task and do so far more successfully despite lack of experience but, lookee here, as they say: Charvarius Ward was tossed to the wolves and this included playoff games in 2018. He stumbled early but didn’t quit, and the team didn’t quit on him either. Ward is the man, as an outside CB, that I expect a solid year from. Is that not enough? Well, I really expect Bashaud Breeland to also provide solid play. I guess now that I’ve touted Keith Reaser before he got hurt and cut from last year’s squad and since I did tout Reaser’s play in the AAF as well… that I believe his feet are going to give him time on the field with meaningful snaps. He has, something to prove, and I do expect him to be a surprise to most fans.
Also, keep in mind I did not have the same outlook on Steven Nelson last year and I still think that view was wrong. This year, Breeland will have some solid play from the Safeties behind him, which he can depend on, which Nelson did not have. Nor did Ward, nor Fuller. By default, the strength of the CB world is improved by the Safeties and also by having a couple of players to depend upon besides Fuller in the slot.
My last group? It’s my special case I guess: Linebackers. They had an awful year, but much of that was due to the former DC. I know that Ragland didn’t suddenly get dumb as a box of rocks. Dorian O’Daniel was not relied upon enough and could have been.
Ah, Those Unfathomable Expectations!
Sure. I would like to have been able to draft a linebacker up to in the draft… and a Tight end… and a top Cornerback but, it wasn’t in the cards. However, I am not a glass half empty appraiser of the Chiefs since Reid and Dorsey came to town and since Brett Veach has taken over the GM role. I’m seeing change, enough that the whole roster is capable of gunning for the Super Bowl in 2019. Count me in as a believer. How about you?
David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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