2010年7月6日星期二

As the Chiefs enter camp

.Getting rid of the dropsies

Perhaps the biggest problem for the 2009 Chiefs  jerseys was the receivers -- specifically, receivers dropping the ball. The Chiefs led the NFL in drops and Dwayne Bowe led the entire NFL, despite being suspended for four games.

Todd Haley comes from an offensive background as a former receivers coach, so this is a major issue for him. He focuses in on receivers, so you know this drives him crazy.

Most importantly, this would help Matt Cassel. Quarterback is the most important position on the field and right now Cassel's confidence may be weakened because of the receiver drops. If you cut the Chiefs 50+ drops last year in half, Cassel's completion percentage would be around 60 percent, which is the minimum a good quarterback wants to hit.

 Derrick Johnson's future

Will DJ win the starting inside linebacker job? Will he be a part of the Chiefs football jerseys in 2011 and beyond?

These are key questions. DJ is working on a one-year contract and has said he's looking forward to his next contract. He obviously wants to maximize his next contract, so playing this year is critical for him.

There have been questions of his practice habits so a solid month of training camp would go a long way to securing a starting role for him in 2010.

 Todd Haley and his new coaches

Todd Haley and the Chiefs hired Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis in 2010. Crennel is expected to handle the defense without a lot of interference.

Weis, like Haley, is an offensive guy. And Weis, like Haley, has a very strong personality. Though it's not expected to be a problem, there are definitely some questions about how the two will coexist.

Will Haley let Weis do his thing with the offense? How involved with Haley be? Will they be able to work together putting the offense in place?

Stock to Let Be: QB Tim Tebow

McDaniels and the Broncos have put a lot of stock in Tebow, but that doesn't mean that you should. Would you want to buy a car that has never been proven to be able to go on the highway? That's what it feels like Denver did with #15.

Tebow took snaps under center at Florida about as often as Bernie Madoff made an honest stock transaction. In the NFL, you can't simply live in the shotgun like you can in college. Athletes are just too good to fall for option garbage on a regular basis. We aren't buying Tebow until he proves to us that he can quarterback an NFL offense with the efficiency that he did as a Gator. However, if past Florida QBs are any indicator, this stock will never be worth buying.

Sacking the Market: DL Elvis Dumervil

Then again, drafting Dumervil five years ago was considered a potential hazard as well for the Broncos. Undersized for his position, Dumervil was drafted simply because of his high motor and his heart that he showed at Louisville. My, has that panned out well!

Dumervil recorded 17 sacks last season, giving him 43 for his career. If there is such a way to have a quiet season with that many quarterback sacks, Dumervil figured out how to do it. Until someone figures out how to get a body on this man, we are going to continue buying away on the former Louisville Cardinal, as he is clearly a 5* stock amongst defenders in the league.

Stock on Bankruptcy Alert: Josh McDaniels

McDaniels probably made a crucial error last year by suspending several key players for the biggest game of the season against the AFC West rivals Kansas City with the playoffs on the line. His differences with WR Brandon Marshall ended in a bloody divorce between one of the top wide receivers in the game and the Broncos.

McDaniels then made it a point to trade up in the NFL Draft to select Tebow to be his quarterback of the future. The problem that the second year head coach has is that he may never be around to see that future. Former coach Mike Shanahan was fired for missing the playoffs two years ago, and he was basically an institution in the Mile High City.

With the success of former New England Patriots assistant coaches so limited, we can't help but wonder if this is the last time that we are going to see McDaniels on the sidelines calling the shots for a team. Under no circumstance should you buy this stock.

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