Life After Houston and Berry: Is This It?

When I read this I thought I was going to be sick. So, try to manage your gag reflex and maybe sit by a trash can while you read this: Justin Houston’s return is doubtful and there’s now the distinct possibility he may never see the field again.

I don’t know how else to take the news that broke this morning when Sam Mellinger released an article outlining a conversation with the Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey. Here’s the part of that piece I’m referring to. Pay special attention to the ending sentence.

“But the most interesting part of the conversation was about Justin Houston, now six months removed from ACL surgery, and when he’ll be back on the field. Athletes take different levels of jumps in how fast they can come back from this thing,” Dorsey said. “Knowing how he physically is, and his structure and all that, you hope and wish he comes back.” I mentioned that sounded different from what he said before the draft, when he expressed more confidence in Houston’s return this season. “That’s the eternal optimist in me,” Dorsey said. “I’m the eternal optimist. I think he’s going to fight through, and do all his due diligence. This is me now, but I think somewhere down the line, there is a chance he does come back and play.”

“… there’s a chance he does come back and play.”

I have a Master’s degree in Reading Instruction but I will tell you right now that it doesn’t take a person with a Master’s degree in Reading Instruction to know what the “implied” meaning of that statement is. In other words… there’s a chance he does not come back and play.

If you’ve spent much time listening to the guarded jargon and friendly but specific rhetoric that John Dorsey uses, then you’d know he usually parses his words carefully. He is not prone to slips or gaffs and certainly isn’t going to ever give you a peek at his prospect ranking wall in his war room… as has happened twice in Dallas with the Cowboys and Jerry Jones.

Could this be nothing at all? It’s hard to say that “nothing at all” is a likely scenario since we know this is not draft season when GMs and head coaches are saying whatever they want in order to throw the competition off their trail. Plus, I’ve never known John Dorsey to say something like this when any other player’s been rehabbing. In fact, it seems like a “precursory” move and one that’s specific purpose is to be “preparatory” so that fans will not get their hopes too high so when the eventual announcement does come in, that Justin Houston is retiring, they’ll be informed and ready for it.

Justin Houston retiring… now that may be getting a little ahead of ourselves but on the other hand it’s not out of the clear and present danger realm of possibilities. I’m not a betting man so don’t ask me to give you Vegas odds but this morning when I woke up Justin Houston was being slated for a mid-season return… and now Justin Houston may never be returning at all.

As in… ever.

We may be experiencing a similar fate with Eric Berry… that we’ll never see him in red and gold again.

When John Dorsey brought in new Chiefs quarterback Nick Foles he appeared to be spending money that he didn’t have. That’s not exactly the case. Owner Clark Hunt HAS the money, he just can’t spend more than the cap limitation guideline of the collective bargaining agreement will allow. Releasing DT Alameda Ta’amu from his $675.000 contract may not have been enough to offset the $1.75M deal the Chiefs signed Foles to this season but, it may be close enough for Dorsey to make it work.

What appears to be in conflict with bringing Eric Berry back… is that next year, when fans are still hoping the team can sign him to a deal (which would take a lot of cap to accomplish)… the Chiefs have just added another $6M-to-$16M contract with Nick Foles to the growing list of players that will need to be resigned at that time as well. Sure, the Chiefs have an out to that deal with Foles but other signs, like signing journeyman Safety Jeron Johnson this week, appear to tip the team’s hand on what they intend to do with Eric Berry. It’s also possible that they know (from private conversations as well as being able to read the tea leaves when talking to his agent) what Eric Berry wants or what he’s going to do… and it may not be with the Chiefs. That appears like a distinct possibility because the Chiefs and Berry couldn’t even agree on one single aspect of a contract so there were essentially no negotiations at all. “Negotiating” involves one little surrender after another. First one side gives a little bit and makes a concession… then the other side does the same. Back and forth until an agreement is made. There was none of that in the talks between Dorsey and Berry’s agent. Not even a first step.

So, naturally, the Chiefs would then make moves to cover their own needs. That’s kind of what this is looking like here.

As head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles Andy Reid twice pulled the franchise tag on a player once it had been offered so, it’s not like there’s no precedent for that.

Could Eric Berry be back the first week of the season and Justin Houston be back in mid-October as we have been led to believe previously? Yes to the first one but highly unlikely to the second. Could we have seen the last of both of them?

There is a growing chance of that.

Would the loss of Eric Berry and Justin Houston be like ripping the heart and soul out of the defense… and the team? Yes, but it could happen sooner than later. In fact, it may have already happened. So… it’s time to do your Scout’s-honor best… and be prepared.