So it's been a while since I've posted. I apologize to both of my readers.
I like football. It makes a good excuse to gather with friends and strangers and drink beer while shouting at the TV on a Sunday. Or a Monday night. And some Thursdays, but only if you're lucky enough to have NFL Network. And all day Saturday, if you're a college football fan.
So for the past few seasons my beloved Kansas City Chiefs have really sucked. They won four games in 2009 and it was an improvement. In 2008 they only had ten sacks. As a team. For the season. They then reached in the draft, taking Tyson Jackson about ten places before he deserved to go. And he didn't do much as a rookie --he was one of the worst defensive linemen in the league according to this page on FootballOutsiders.com. They traded a second round pick for QB Matt Cassel, gave him a huge contract, then watched him blossom into a mediocre passer. Not good days to be a KC fan.
However, if the Chiefs follow my postseason plan below, they can get back to competing sooner than later. And thus I will have happy reasons to drink on Sundays, rather than drinking to forget. Here's what they need to do, in my opinion, with nice little bullet points to keep things organized.
- Sign Free Agent DT Aubrayo Franklin
The Chiefs this past year switched to a base 3-4 defense, meaning they have three down linemen and four linebackers. They did this despite not really having a nose tackle. In a 3-4 defense, this is the most important position. He lines up over center, taking on the center and often another blocker. He operates on his own and needs to be able to take up space and force running backs outside and clog blockers, leaving the linebackers free to make tackles.
All things told, Ron Edwards did a decent job for Kansas City last year. Franklin, however, was a beast for the 49ers. He didn't necessarily compile stats -- two sacks -- but that's not his job. He eats up blockers. Franklin can draw double teams.
Young linemen Glenn Dorsey, Alex Magee, and Jackson could still all develop into above average players or even stars. Defensive linemen are historically slow to develop at the NFL level. But none of these guys can play nose tackle.
- Replace safety Mike Brown and linebackers Demorrio Williams and Corey Mays
These were three of the worst players in football last year. Need proof? More Football Outsiders. This is actually good news. If you can manage to replace them with even average players, the defense can improve by leaps and bounds. The Chiefs hold a bunch of draft picks and presumably have money to spend on free agents.
I'm not entirely sure who all the replacements could be, but I have ideas...
- Draft S Eric Berry in the first round
That is, if he's still available. It's possible, but it's also possible that he gets picked before KC has the chance to snatch him up. If not, that's ok. The Chiefs have lots of holes. That's how you get to be 4-12. An OT would allow them to move Brandon Albert to the right side of the line and shore up two positions on the offensive line. A linebacker would solve the lack of depth and youth there. But Berry is my first choice.
Merely adding Berry and Franklin, while getting an average linebacker or two to replace Williams and Mays, could turn this porous defense into a good one. I expect Dorsey to improve. Jackson has nowhere to go but up. Tamba Hali was quietly very good, notching 8.5 sacks and 22 hurries. Brandon Flowers is a good cornerback.
- Draft a RB and a kick returner in the 2nd or 3rd rounds
More than any other position, running backs can step in right away and contribute, so the place to get them is in the draft and not in free agency. Jamaal Charles was really good this past season, but I don't want to wear him out. He needs a caddy, another back to take some of the load off and to give the opposing defense a different look.
The Chiefs have two 2nd round picks and three fifth rounders that can be used to trade up.
- Above all, draft the best player, not necessarily for need
The Chiefs have a ton of holes. Their draft strategy shouldn't be to luck out and plug the holes. It should be to get good players, as many as possible, then find places to put them. That way, they don't get stuck with Tyson Jackson at number three because there's a perceived need at DE.
