Chiefs: The Best is Yet to Come

The Kansas City Chiefs just went to the last two Super Bowls and… the best is yet to come. K.C. QB Patrick Mahomes has tucked away an MVP plus a Super Bowl MVP and… the best is yet to come. TE Travis Kelce and WR Tyreek Hill just combined for 2,692 yards receiving and 26 TDs and… the best is yet to come. Kelce currently has five straight 1,000 yard seasons and… the best is yet to come.

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For the past three seasons, ever since Patrick Mahomes took over starting duties at quarterback, the Chiefs have not only ascended the heights of the NFL, but have gotten better and better in the process. That includes in the coaching department. In fact, that last reason is also why I believe, when it comes to these Chiefs… the best is yet to come.

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It’s hard to think of a position where the Chiefs will be getting worse in 2021. With a properly healed toe, from turf toe, Patrick Mahomes could possibly have his best year yet. Especially playing behind an Offensive Line that has not only been revamped, but completely re-built into a juggernaut in waiting.

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The running backs actually had a down year last year and so this year, behind a Jugger-naughty OL, will gain the same benefits that Mr. Mahomes will gain and producing, a much better running game. Also, year two CEH+DWilliams+JMcKinnen, will be better than… year one CEH+DWilliams+DTrain (or Le’VeonB).

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The Wide Receivers? I’ll get to them later.

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With the addition of Noah Gray and the return of Blake Bell, the Chiefs Tight End position should be improved, but that’s really due mostly to the starter, Mr. All World Kelce. The Defensive Line interior will be much improved with the addition of Jarran Reed, plus Chris Jones flip flopping to Defensive End on a part time basis, so that position also figures to improve as well.

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With the addition of Nick Bolton, and with Willie Gay Jr. heading into year two in Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, the Linebacking crew should be improved. Don’t discount the sleeker and slimmer Anthony Hitchens. Some may not recall this but, LB Derrick Johnson used to lose weight each year to get faster. I think the addition by subtraction method will help the Hit Man get a few more hits.

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The Safety Crew should be better. Not only is Juan Thornhill now 100% recovered with more than a year behind him since his season ending ACL injury in the last game of 2019, but because Veach added Will Parks who should be an upgrade over Armani Watts, even though Watts wasn’t bad. Parks is a 5 year vet with over 2,100 defensive snaps and 4 INTs, while Watts is a 3 year vet with 293 defensive snaps and zero INTs.

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Now we come to Cornerbacks. I understand why some are concerned here, but I will not be at all surprised if this crew turns out to be much better than the 2020 squad. If you recall, we were all very worried about the CB position a year ago… then what happened? L’Jarius Sneed happened. No, Veach didn’t take any CBs in this draft but with BoPete Keyes ready to step in and up, as well as: Charvarius Ward, Deandre Baker, Mike Hughes, Rashad Fenton, and if you think a UDFA won’t step up, dont count them out. Dicaprio Bootle, Marlon Character, or Devon Key will break through. You heard it here first. Book it. While many say, “Trust in Veach” I say, it’s Veach who trusts in his coaches, and he also depends upon them to tell him when they need an upgrade. With Sam Madison and Dave Merritt running the defensive backfield, I have come to trust them as much, if not more, than I trust Veach.

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At the very least, I’m willing to say the Corners will be just as good as in 2020.

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Special Teams had a down year in 2020 so it’s fairly easy to predict a better year. Punter, and holder, Tommy Townsend, should be better on both counts. While place kicker Harrison Butker had his best year in Field Goal percentage at 92.6% he had his worst year in Extra Points percentage at 88.9%. Interesting that since Butker’s first year in K.C. — and he’s now starting his 5th season here — he’s gotten better each year in FG percentage and worse each year in Extra Points percentage. I expect him to have his best year yet, and maybe even set the record for the longest field goal ever in an NFL game (that would be 65 yards or longer). Dave Toub should have a great group to work with this year and in all likelihood, his best yet.

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So, let’s take a look at three players I think will make K.C. better yet.

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Many are anticipating Noah Gray having a positive impact on Travis Kelce, in the form of occasional relief. Some are even of the opinion that this is the only reason he’s here. Nay, I say, nay. Noah Gray dropped THREE balls out of 107 targets. That’s a 97.2% catch rate. That’s astoundingly good… I mean great. By comparison, Travis Kelce had a 72.4% catch rate in 2020 and 77.0% was his best year ever.

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“Yeah, but he wasn’t very productive in college.” Blah, blah, blah. For those naysayers, you should know that Noah Gray had more receiving yards in college than Travis Kelce did. Kelce = 875, Gray = 948. Google it!

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Gray also played all over the field and will be another nightmare for the DC’s of the league to defend. Gray has shared that his college HC at Duke came up with a lot of creative ways to get guys the ball. Sound like anyone you know? IOW, he’s used to being used anywhere and everywhere.

More Nightmares = Better Yet

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Why there are those that say Bolton is slow and not good in coverage is beyond me. Kyle Crabbs at The Draft Network says of Bolton’s coverage skills:

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“Bolton’s prowess in the passing game shines in zone coverage, as he can drive on shallow routes that flash in front of his face and make receivers think twice about coming over the middle.”

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“Make receivers think twice about coming over the middle.” That makes me smile. However, Crabbs had much more to say about Nick Bolton:

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“Nick Bolton projects as an impact starter at the NFL level thanks to his linear explosiveness to trigger and attack between the tackles and his ability to deliver jarring hits to ball carriers. Bolton has a pro-ready build and carries himself with confidence in traffic—for better and for worse. Bolton was a standout in Missouri’s defensive front and his role as the leader and enforcer of the Tigers’ defense has groomed him well for a featured role in the heart of an NFL defense.”

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I understand Bolton is very smart and doesn’t need to take notes during team meetings which is reminiscent of Patrick Mahomes who has a photographic memory. Here’s what one of Bolton’s coaches said of him:

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“He would come in on a Monday morning after the game plan was sent to him on Sunday with questions, with answers and ideas. That doesn’t happen very often. Throughout a game he would come back, whether it be between series or at halftime, and talk with our (defensive coordinator), who was his position coach, and they could have open, candid conversations about what Nick sees out there because the trust was so high and the belief in him to see things and diagnose things and help prepare the team.”

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BTW, that was Jeff Rayburn, Bolton’s High School head coach who said that. Bolton has had a high football IQ for a long time now and his ability to communicate is excellent too. So, let’s hope he gets more snaps than Wille Gay did his rookie year!

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More Smarts = Better Yet

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Many are screaming for a real Sammy Watkins replacement and think Cornell Powell won’t be. Let’s get clear about Watkins. He helped provide one of the best memories in Chiefs history when he caught a 60-yard pass for a TD against the Titans in the 2019 AFC Championship game to clinch that win and send K.C. back to the Super Bowl for the first time in 50 years. I’ll never forget that and will be eternally grateful for his contribution. However…………. the Chiefs paid Sammy more than $43M over three years, all for the production of 8 total regular season touchdowns. When you think about Mecole Hardman, a WR who so many have been down on, he’s had 10 regular season TD over his first two seasons for K.C.. I’ll also never forget Watkins wonderful jab step in Super Bowl LIV to lose Richard Sherman. This play by Cornell Powell is reminiscent of that jab step.

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I’m not saying Cornell Powell will be better than Sammy Watkins but if you consider who Watkins was while in K.C. it may not be such a steep hill to climb for Powell to outdo Watkins. The Chiefs may not have taken Powell until pick #181 but he was a real sleeper in a draft littered with quality at WR. Sorting through those possible excellent prospects is something Brett Veach has made a habit of mastering, or at least he appears to be getting better and better.

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A couple of observations about Cornell Powell’s stats in 2020. He had his best average per catch rate in the 4th quarter with 20.7 yards per reception. Also, over the last five games of the 2020 season Powell did his best work averaging 121.6 yards per game receiving. If the Chiefs are getting a WR on the upswing of his career, they could end up with one of the best WRs in a WR rich draft.

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For the WR corp to get better this coming season may not depend on the WRs at all. Unless Patrick Mahomes can begin to share the ball more evenly, with more of his wideouts, this may not happen. Yes, we’ve heard that he’s working on becoming more efficient this offseason. I have taken that to mean that he’s going to: take what the defense gives him and not always go for the home run ball. If he follows through there, a wider variety of WRs may end up with elevated numbers, and that’ll be good for everyone. For Hill and Kelce as well, because they won’t have to feel that they carry the load in the passing game.

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Fortunately, Powell doesn’t have to take the burden of “replacing” Watkins upon his shoulders by his lonesome. Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson, Marcus Kemp, and possibly Antonio Callaway, will all get some of those WR#2 targets that previously belonged to Sammy. Add in Powell, and you have, Yahtzee!

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WR Committee + Powell = Better Yet

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What do you think?

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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