Jon Yoon Posts

The next two issues I'll explore in the Chiefs' offseason gameplan is what they will do with their kicker and linebacker situation.

Kicker:
This time last year, I was excited about Lawrence Tynes returning to the Chiefs. He overcame major adversity in 2005 and finished with a very strong season. In 2006, he wasn't bad, but he was wildly inconsistent. Still, the Chiefs have to be absolutely fed up with this inconsistency. Arguably, his lax approach to kicking a chip shot field goal in the playoffs against Indianapolis is believed by many to have been the turning point of the game.

Quite simply, there is no excuse for missing a chip shot field goal in a dome, especially in the playoffs. Tynes is known to have constant lapses in concentration, which is why he has struggled very often at times at making extra points. It also doesn't help that Tynes has a weak leg for kicking off.

What will the Chiefs do?
Expect the Chiefs to bring in some competition this offseason. I think the Chiefs will have to find a huge steal for them to consider cutting Tynes, but don't think that Tynes' job is even remotely safe.

Linebacker:
Okay, so I have also heard from many that linebacker is a high priority position for the Chiefs. I don't buy it. The Chiefs are just fine at linebacker. Sure, Kendrell Bell is a little overpaid, but I also don't believe he's nearly as bad as people think he is.

The next position that I'll evaluate is the defensive line.

Defensive End:
The Chiefs were pleasantly surprised by the production of their defensive ends. Jared Allen was terrific as usual and Tamba Hali, in my estimation, had every right to be Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The issue is what the Chiefs will do in Jared Allen's 4-game absence, as he finally serves time for his DUI. Right now, the Chiefs have Jimmy Wilkerson and Eric Hicks as his backup, but both of those options are a pretty big step down.

The Chiefs might...
Use a higher pick than expected on a defensive end. The Chiefs will almost certainly re-sign Jared Allen. You almost wonder if Carl Peterson will use his first round pick as leverage for contract negotiations with Allen (just as, in many peoples' minds, Peterson did when he drafted Larry Johnson with Priest Holmes in contract negotiations.) More than likely, the Chiefs will bite the bullet, sign Allen to a long-term deal, and settle for Wilkerson to start, unless some new blood comes in. I would venture to guess that Hicks will be cut (regardless of cap consequence) and the Chiefs will either bring in some new blood, or use an early second day pick to compete for the starting role in Allen's absence. Nothing earth-shattering.

In the coming weeks, I plan to start talking about what the Chiefs will likely do this offseason to help themselves at each position. This first blog will reference the easiest positions for the Chiefs to resolve.

Punter:
No mystery here. Dustin Colquitt stays.

Tight End / Fullback:
The Chiefs already took care of business by signing Tony Gonzalez to a long-term deal. They will also return a healthy Ronnie Cruz to the roster, but there's no guarantee that he'll start. Ronnie Cruz turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. He was only an adequate blocker and very average on all other dimensions.

So what now? What the Chiefs do at the fullback position will ultimately determine what they will do at tight end. As of now, Kris Wilson is serving as the starting fullback. He is not a true blocker, but he proved to be a solid receiving option when he was switched into the role of H-back. The question is, are the Chiefs willing to continually sacrifice terrific blocking for a threat like Kris Wilson to serve as an H-back? I think they will. I think Wilson will only get better as a blocker, and he should figure better into a simplified gameplan. Then again, it would not surprised me if the Chiefs used a late round pick on a fullback prospect.

The Chiefs might also want to start looking for a run blocking tight end specialist. Jason Dunn is getting older and more beat up every year.

So the question that every Chiefs' fan is dying to hear right now is, how much money do the Chiefs have to spend this offseason?

Pete Yasinskas of the Charlotte Observer has gotten a head start on the guessing game. He projects the Chiefs to be at about $7 million above the cap, which would rank them 27th in the league.

This is where Chiefs' fans immediately reach for the panic button. Relax. These numbers mean pretty much nothing. There is really no way to project how much money the Chiefs or any team will have available to spend until the free agency officially launches.

I spent so much of my time over the past few weeks wrapping up the Chiefs' 2006 season. It's about time that I put the final nail in that coffin. Here is my overview of the good, the bad, and the ugly for the Chiefs last season.

Offensive player of the year:
Larry Johnson. Raise your hand if you're surprised by that choice.

Defensive player of the year:
Tamba Hali. You know what pisses me off about the sports media? They have become so obsessed with fantasy football that they are now blindly choosing award winners by paper statistical achievements. Tamba Hali should have been neck-and-neck with Demeco Ryans for Defensive Rookie of the Year; instead, Hali did not even crack the top 4 in the voting. I absolutely cannot believe there are voters out there who actually think Mark Anderson was a better defensive end than Tamba Hali. First, Hali lines up to two career backup defensive tackles; Anderson lines up with Tommie Harris and Tank Johnson, one of the most lethal tandems in the NFL. Anderson is a pure pass rusher; Hali is an every-down lineman. Anderson's outstanding 12 sacks were only marginally better than Hali's very good 8.5 sacks, but Hali's 58 tackles far surpass Anderson's 28. Tamba, you deserved better than that.

Biggest disappointment
The big uglies up front becoming... just ugly. Jordan Black was better than expected, but he was still lousy. The problem is, the rest of the offensive line was just as bad.

The Kansas City Chiefs are rumored to be in negotiations for a deal that would send Ryan Sims to the Denver Broncos for a box of Cheez-its.

Sources close to the deal reported that the Chiefs were looking to replace Sims for something worth the same value. The Chiefs would eat up (literally) about $4 in cap space for the box of Cheez-its, though they are in current talks with the league to have that cap hit drop to $2 because the box was purchased during a 2 for $4 sale.

Not all Kansas City natives are happy about the deal. Al Johnstone, a frequent shopper of the local Price Chopper, commented that the Chiefs have been raiding the local grocery stores of late. "All I wanted was a box of Cheez-its," Johnston said. "I saw Trent Green take the last box on the shelf. Trent tossed the box to a guy that looked like Samie Parker, but Samie dropped the box. I should have picked it up off the ground while I had the chance."

A player on the team reported that Cheez-its have created a positive atmosphere in the clubhouse. The team even had a few laughs at the expense of their notoriously predictable playcalling. Reportedly, Will Shields asked Herm Edwards to pass the box over to him, to which Herm cluelessly responded: "Pass the box? Shouldn't we run the ball two times first?"

Sources were unable to confirm the flavor of the Cheez-its.

This is a continuation of a 2-part series regarding what the Chiefs must do next season to fix their woes on offense. Click here to read Part I.

Whether you like Herm Edwards or not; whether you like Herm's offensive philosophy or not, we have to recognize that the offense needs to change. Even if Dick Vermeil were still head coach, the Chiefs would still need to undergo a massive facelift. Will Shields and Casey Wiegmann have gone from terrific to average due to age. Jordan Black is certainly no Willie Roaf, and Kevin Sampson and Chris Terry are no John Tait. Ronnie Cruz is no Tony Richardson. And Trent Green... just isn't Trent Green anymore.

The writing should have been on the wall the minute we saw Herm's drafting and roster decisions on offense. The Chiefs went with Jeff Webb in the draft, a tall, big receiver--by all indications, a terrible fit for Saunders' Coryell offense. As the 5th receiver, the Chiefs went with another big guy: Chris Hannon, a 6'3", 205 lb. receiver. Lightning fast receiver Craphonso Thorpe was cut for being a "crappy" fit to Herm's new offense. Vermeil favorite Chris Horn was also not brought back into Kansas City.

I have been one of Herm Edwards' biggest supporters. This has been no secret. Here's the main reason why: I don't approve of Herm's offensive gameplanning. I also agree that he is too stubborn at time. I also believe that he inherited a limping team and he took them far deeper than expected. Folks, I know we want to compare the Chiefs' offense to the explosive aerial offense that Vermeil and Saunders featured. We have to face facts that this ship has sailed. Joe Posnanski wrote an article in the Kansas City Star that speaks to this same issue. If you haven't read it, I implore you to read it now. I sat in my chair nodding my head at every single point Posnanski made in this article.

The reason I have been so defensive of Herm Edwards is that he was forced to run an offense last year that he was not comfortable with. The media and the fans are largely to blame for that. There were so many people that insisted that Herm not change the offense. Herm Edwards has never been comfortable with a vertical passing game. He wants to feature a ball-control offense, and you can't accomplish that if you're gaining 20 yards on first down or your quarterback gets sacked on first down forcing a 2nd down and 20. Before we accuse Herm Edwards of being a doofus on offense, let's give him a chance to get his own players and his own offensive scheme first, shall we? I don't support Herm's offensive gameplan, but I'm willing to wait one more season to see what he can do when he's given license to run his own offense with his own scheme with his own coaches and players.

More importantly, Vermeil and Saunders' offense revolved around the offensive line. News flash: those dominant years are over. Willie Roaf: gone. Will Shields: rapid decline. Casey Wiegmann: declining. Whoever is at right tackle: ineffective. The Chiefs can't go vertical because their offensive line isn't good enough to protect that long. Even Dick Vermeil couldn't have gotten much effectiveness out of this unit.

The Chiefs' offensive players were inept, as I mentioned in part II of this series. However, there's a lot of reason to also blame the Chiefs' unimaginative offensive playcalling for the Chiefs' offensive struggles.

Even a 2-year-old can predict the Chiefs' offensive strategy:
-Run
-Run
-Pass
And it goes on like this....

One can't help but wonder how much more effective the Chiefs' offense would have been if they had spread the Colts' defense out with a few surprise first or second down passes. It is very difficult to run plays effectively when the defense knows exactly what you are going to do.

It was a frustrating weekend, to say the least, to watch the second round of the playoffs yet again without our beloved Chiefs on the field. Then again, that fate seems about as certain as death and taxes.

So what did we really learn this weekend from the most recent playoff games?

• The Colts are a lot better than the fans gave them credit for being. Like the Colts or hate them, they handled Baltimore as much as they handled the Chiefs. There was one major difference: the Colts played the Chiefs at home, where they were virtually unbeatable during the regular season; the Colts played the Ravens on the road
  
• The Seahawks' fans have it right. Matt Hasselback also struggled through much of the second half of the season. He had some struggles early against Chicago this weekend as well. Like the Chiefs, the Seahwaks' receivers were dropping catchable balls. The difference? The Seahawks' fans booed the receivers, not the quarterback
• Marty Schottenheimer lost a game he had every business winning. Hopefully, the Marty curse is exclusive to San Diego and does not apply to teams he has left his fingerprints on, like Kansas City.
  
• While we're on the subject of Schottenheimer, the Chargers basically dominated the Patriots and still found a way to lose. Paging Herm Edwards: if Marty can open up his offense and ditch Marty-ball, so can you.
  
• Fans can change their tune overnight when their quarterback performs well under pressure. Rex Grossman was terrific this weekend. I still can't help but wonder how Green would have done if his receivers showed up on Sunday
• The Saints have two very good running backs. One of their backs is a bruiser; the other is a slasher with the ability to catch passes out of the backfield. The Chiefs are no different. LJ is a Deuce McCallister type player, only a heck of a lot faster; Bennett is a Reggie Bush type player, a quick slasher with terrific receiving skills. The Chiefs should watch a lot of tape of the Saints to see how they can better utilize their split back
• #1 - Nate Kaeding is still overrated. He has lost Marty two playoff games by not nailing a game-winning kick. I realize that Kaeding's miss was from long-distance, but he wasn't even close. The Patriots and Colts showed exactly why kicking has become a much more important part of the game. The Chiefs have to think long and hard about whether Tynes can be that guy, because he sure didn't look that way in 2006.

The Chiefs have a lot of growing up to do this offseason, and what better way than to watch those who know how to win?