Would You, Could You, Chiefs Fans?

Would You, Could You, Chiefs Fans?

by Laddie Morse | November 13, 2018

Would You, Could You…

… take Marcus Peters back today, if you could?

There’s been a lot of talk about the bad year Marcus Peters is having in 2018 and if you couple that with the “high” number of fans (notice I didn’t say, number of “high fans”) then you would assume there are still those out there who believe the Chiefs should have kept him instead of trading away what looked like the Chiefs best defender from 2015 through 2017. You might think I’m hinting that the Chiefs should not take Peter back based upon his poor play this year but nothing could be further from the truth. I think the Chiefs should not take Peters back because he simply was a disruptive force on the team.

Here’s what the KCStar’s Sam Mellinger said about Peters:

“Marcus Peters was an All-Pro with the Chiefs. Now, as the Chiefs prepare to see him with the Rams next week, he is the sport’s worst cornerback according to @PFF.”

There’s plenty of visual proof as well as an observation from a Rams Fan who calls himself their Unofficial Historian:

The reason Peters is not doing as well this year has everything to do with the way his new DC, Wade Phillips, is asking him to play. Bob Sutton couldn’t control Peters and knew he was going to sell out on as many plays as he could to go and get an INT. That worked for Peters but was a disaster for the Chiefs 2017 defense. In K.C. Peters was often paired with the other team’s 2nd best WR because everyone knew Peters reputation and threw away from him as much as possible. Therefore, they’d send their best WR to the opposite side of the field… away from Peters. In Los Angeles, Aquib Talib is the Rams best corner and so Peters is getting loads of work against the other team’s best WR. Plus, we all knew Peters weakness was the deep ball so you can bet your bottom dollar other teams know this too and that why Marcus Peters is getting beat… no, not beat… shredded… this year.

Would You, Could You…

… bench Tyreek Hill for his cameraman stunt for which he got a flag called on him?

Tyreek Hill is going to get fined by the NFL for his excessive celebration, climbing the wall between him and the stands, taking over the camera from the CBS cameraman and filming his teammates, the ones he says he did it for, to celebrate their contributions to his TD success. Who knows how much the fine will be but if the Chiefs really want to send Hill a message, they’ll bench him for a game, or half a game.

I remember when WR Joe Horn left the Chiefs and went on to have plenty of success with the New Orleans Saints… and when he scored a TD, went directly to the goal post and pulled out a flip phone he had hidden there and pretended to make a phone call. Hilarious. Cute. Inventive. AND… a flagged event.

I have written here on AO several time before that I am in favor of players celebrating. I’ve even suggested a Celebration Zone just outside of the End Zone where players could go to extend their celebrations… then the game could continue uninterrupted. I was thrilled when the league decided to extend the opportunity for players to show their excitement and celebrations: the sack-race with Travis Kelce and a few of his teammates was awesome. Plus, I believe it has added to the game of football. NFL football got better. More entertaining.

I’m sure you could hear the “however” a-rumbling like thunder throughout that paragraph because, as long as the league has rules dictating what is legal and not legal in the, TD Celebration Department, players must curb their activities to include an awareness of what is going to hurt their team, and what is not. This celebration — regardless of whether or not you were for it or against it — was sure to be flagged and for that reason, ultimately, should not have been done.

There are literally dozens of fans calling for Hill’s support, in fact, someone wants to start a “GoFundMe” fund to help pay the penalty the league will levy against Tyreek for his indiscretion. I get it. It was fun to watch. But… as soon as the flag was thrown, that fun ended for me. The team took a hit. You can argue that it ultimately didn’t hurt the team or the final outcome in any way, but that’s not the point is it?

Would You, Could You…

… re-sign Dee Ford to a lucrative contract this coming offseason?

Yes. However, the Chiefs should not be handing Ford a huge multi-year deal. I could see a 3-year deal with an option for a fourth year, but not 4 guaranteed years. Ford’s injury history is too substantial and although he’s been a Godsend this year while Justin Houston has been recuperating, this is really the only year he’s played up to full expectations. This is from sportrac.com:

“Dee Ford signed a 4 year, $8,158,700 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, including a $4,253,600 signing bonus, $6,206,150 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $2,039,675. In 2018, Ford will earn a base salary of $8,718,000, while carrying a cap hit of $8,718,000 and a dead cap value of $8,718,000.”

Putting Dee Ford on the Team Franchise Tag in 2019 may be problematic if that’s what it comes down to.

On one hand, if the Chiefs decide to place the tag on Ford next year, it means he’ll essentially be performing in another contract season and from what we’ve seen so far, that’s the only year he’s excelled. So, placing the tag on him may mean seeing him rise again. If that happens, while it will be great for the Chiefs 2019 season, it will likely price Ford out of range for the Chiefs who will have a host of other players they need to be thinking about re-signing in 2020. 

If the Chiefs can get Ford to sign a 3-year deal he’ll be 31 when it’s over. If he’s still performing at a high rate, or one they can live with, then they should include a 4th-year option. In comparison, Sammy Watkins was signed to essentially a $16M per year, 3-year deal last offseason. Is Dee Ford as valuable as Watkins? Ford is the Chiefs premiere defensive player this year and Watkins is the Chiefs 4th best offensive player (behind: Mahomes, Hunt, Kelce, and Hill). Am I saying I want the Chiefs to offer Ford in the range of $16M per, for 3 years? No. Since this is the first year of his ascendence, my hope is that Ford will come in at around $12-$13M per. Anything more than that and… batter-up Kpass and BSpeaks! I also will not be surprised to see GM Brett Veach jump up and get a premiere OLB in this draft.

Would You, Could You,

… believe the Chiefs Defense is in the Top Ten?

The Kansas City Chiefs run defense is now ranked 23rd in the NFL. That’s a long way from the 32nd position they started out at in September. It may sound awful to some… bragging about a defense that is still in the bottom third of the league. However…

Have you noticed a certain pattern in the Chiefs run defense in past few games? Early in the game, the opposing team is able to move the ball at will… right up the gut. It’s frustrating to watch. Sometimes I have to look away from the screen. Teams continue to bang it there again and again but, as each game progresses, that hole gets smaller and the Chiefs begin to shut down the run much better later in games.

Some of that may be due to the fact that teams are multiple scores behind the Chiefs and so sticking with the run is not appropriate. That… along with a concerted effort by the Chiefs to stop the run, limits those attempts. Whatever the case may be, the Chiefs are now 10th in the league in the number of running attempts allowed per game at 24.0.

No matter how you look at it… you can’t say the Chiefs don’t have a Top 10 Defense anymore.

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