Kansas City Chiefs Laddie Morse

What Do the Chiefs See in David Amerson?

LadnerMorse July 19, 2018 No Comments

 

 

 

 

What Do the Chiefs See in David Amerson?

 

by Laddie Morse

 

 

On February 16, earlier this year, the Kansas City Chiefs signed CB David Amerson to a one-year deal. Although Amerson signed a 1-year prove-it contract worth $2.25M contract including a $500,000 signing bonus and $500,000 guaranteed, what most fans want to know is whether or not he’ll be any good? Especially in the face of losing Pro Bowl CB Marcus Peters in a trade.

 

We (fans) don’t want to hear that, “He could be good… or he could be bad.” We’d like some reassurance that the position that Peters’ played for the past three years is going to be nailed. No, Amerson doesn’t have to be as good as Marcus Peters but, he must be better than all the other CBs we had last year… not named Peters.

 

David Amerson was drafted with the 51st pick in the 2013 Draft by then-head-coach Mike Shanahan. DA had a decent first year and finished his rookie season in on 48 tackles, 10 passes defensed, 2 INTs, and a TD. Although he played in all 16 games, he only started 8 of those. What might be more significant to the progression of Amerson’s development though, is that Shanahan was fired following his rookie year so Amerson had to start all over with Washington’s current coach, Jay Gruden.

 

Amerson played one year for JG and may have fallen out of favor for being late to a team meeting… because his cell phone was lost and he always set’s his alarm by his cell phone. Who knows what it was, but Jay Gruden waived Amerson on September 21, 2015, just before he could really begin his 3rd season (2nd playing under Gruden).

 

The very next day, on September 22, Amerson was signed by the Raiders and he went on to have his two best seasons overall. In 2015 he had 60 total tackles, 26 pass deflections (which led the NFL), 4 INTs, and a touchdown. What is a little more amazing is… he produced those number in 14 games (12 starts). In 2016, he had 64 total tackles (and 56 of those were solo tackles — for those of you who are wondering if Amerson can tackle), 16 passes defensed, and 2 INTs in 15 starts.

 

Last year (2017) was a year of decline for the whole Raiders organization and they went from 12-4 in 2016 to 6-10 in 2017.  Amerson’s stats reflected that decline as well. Although he had a great game versus the Washington Redskins (you could call it a revenge game like Ragland had vs the Bills last year) getting in on 6 tackles and defending 3 passes, he hurt his foot the next month and ended up only playing 6 games in 2017. It’s no coincidence to me that as soon as Jay Gruden’s brother, Jon, was hired as the Raiders new head coach, David Amerson was cut (almost exactly one month later).

 

Sometimes, players can get the axe without the proper evaluation. IOW… Jon talked to his brother Jay and then canned his hinny. On the other hand… there’s this:

 

 

 

 

Amerson appears to be a feast or famine player. However, if that’s due to the environment around him, that could be good news for the Chiefs. If Amerson is better than the opportunities he’s been given, the Chiefs could, could, yes, could… have a real diamond in the rough. Amerson was not having his best season in 2017 when a concussion and a “sprained” foot took him out of action. Quote marks often denote an author’s hint at sarcasm and there’s no hiding that here. If Amerson was playing hurt, that’s a bad sign for any team who has signed him. Then again, he was playing for the Raiders in a season when their season was in the loo. Still there’s no reason for tanking in my mind. Not saying he did, but when a sprained foot comes on the back of a concussion when the team is headed south??? Rotoworld says of Amerson in during 2017: “Amerson hasn’t been having a great year, but he is the Raiders’ best corner.”

 

The Chiefs general manager is a scout at heart and aludes to that in his statement following the signing of David Amerson,

 

“Yeah, with Dave, certainly a tremendous talent coming out and has production at NC State and if you follow his career from a skill standpoint, he is a 6’0 [6′-1″] corner, he is long and athletic. He has really good hips and can mirror and match at the top of routes. He has been a little inconsistent, been banged up a little.”

 

That means Veach has been tracking Amerson since his college days and he’s been attracted to his skill set since then. Veach also addressed Amerson’s break from the Raiders,

 

“It was just one of those things where the Raiders decided to move on and we evaluated his tape. We liked his skill set. I think there is still some development and growth he can reach and we think he will have a shot in some press-man coverage.”

 

Veach has spoken about the inconsistencies in Amerson’s career before and has addressed those, so it’s not like the Chiefs are going into this relationship blinded to his waffling performances,

 

“You bring in Dave Amerson who’s a guy that we know has been a little up and down on the consistency level, but he has all the physical attributes that you need.”

 

So, let’s take a look at Amerson on the field. I’m especially interested in seeing his performance in 2015 and 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Marcus Peter’s first three years in the league… all Pro Bowl years I might add, he had 130 total tackles while starting 45 games. Now, I know they don’t pay cornerbacks to tackle but… in David Amerson’s indistinctive first three seasons, he had 148 total tackles while only starting in 35 games. Sure, it’s 19 to 6 in the all important INT category, but Amerson does get his fair share of passes defensed. …

 

 

 

Here’s a little video showing David Amerson’s 5 Best Plays of 2017:

 

 

https://youtu.be/hUVvdAwsJ_c

 

In taking a closer look at David Amerson’s 5-year career I can see the inconsistencies but also see the potential for a guy like him to improve with the determined and consistent approach of the Chiefs backfield coaches, Al Harris and Emmitt Thomas. David Amerson’s #24 is on my list of numbers to keep an eye on as camp opens next week. I can see that David Amerson’s heart is in the right place too so I’ll leave you with a David Amerson quote:

 

“You want to be that guy shutting people down and somebody that coaches, fans can rely on… just being the best.” -David Amerson.

 

 

 

If you are viewing this in Apple News and would like to join the Discussion, [GO HERE.](http://arrowheadone.com/what-do-the-chiefs-see-david-amerson/#disqus_thread)

 

..

 

…