FanHouse Casey Wiegmann

Patriots nose tackle Vince Wilfork has gained quite a reputation around the NFL for being a dirty player. Broncos center Casey Wiegmann, for example, is not a fan of his work. Nor is Buffalo quarterback J.P. Losman, for that matter.

This week, Wilfork was called into the principals offense to explain himself for an alleged cheap shot on Jay Cutler's head, and was facing a possible suspension for his latest act of violence and rage against his fellow NFL players.

According to Chris (SCOOP!) Mortensen, commissioner Roger Goodell was ready to lay down the law and suspend Wilfork until he was handed a DVD showing a different camera angle of the play in question. Who gave him the DVD? Wilfork's wife, Bianca.

When Matt Lepsis retired after last season and with Rod Smith an unofficial assistant coach, Tom Nalen is left as the only active Bronco veteran who was part of the Super Bowl winning teams of the late 90's. How much longer he'll be able to carry that torch has to be a concern for the team with the news that he had left knee surgery.

Nalen went under the knife yesterday to repair torn cartilage and will miss the rest of the offseason program. He's expected to be ready for training camp in July but recent history suggests that the Broncos would be wise to have a backup option at the ready. He missed all but five games last season with a biceps injury and 37-year-old offensive linemen have a nasty habit of breaking down physically.

They signed Casey Wiegmann from Kansas City over the offseason. He started every game for the Chiefs since 2002 so should be able to step in and handle matters if Nalen isn't ready to answer the bell. Chris Myers, who stepped in for Nalen last season, was dealt to the Texans.

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.

Every offseason for the past several years, Chiefs' fans have clamored for change. Changes on defense. Changes at wide receiver. Changes within the coaching staff.

But never the offensive line. Why would they have to? For years, the Chiefs boasted the best offensive line in the league, made up of veterans who were still in their primes.

Last offseason was a taste of something slightly different. There were worries that Will Shields would retire, but not many people seriously expected him to retire. It wasn't until training camp that we all of a sudden learned Willie Roaf would not return and John Welbourn purported to retire.

This offseason is completely different. The offensive line was not particularly dominant, and was downright bad at times. The only surefire starters are Brian Waters and Casey Wiegmann, and Shields' potential retirement is more realistic now.

By most accounts, left tackle is the most worrisome position. Although I felt that Jordan Black played fairly steadily for most of the year, he is certainly not Willie Roaf, and his performance in the playoffs was, shall we say, regrettable. Further, I have opined previously that the Chiefs did an awful job this year of picking up blitzes; one has to wonder if that was the case because there was more help assigned to Black, rather than in detecting blitzers. The Chiefs appeared to have been grooming Will Svitek for the job, but Svitek was extremely raw as a rookie and missed most of this year with injuries. Kyle Turley simply cannot be an option anymore.

I wanted to take the time to respond to a few comments that Herm Edwards is to blame for the Chiefs' recent woes. I think everyone brings up some very interesting points--I just don't happen to agree with them.

First off, let's get one thing clear: a 7-6 record doesn't warrant panic, especially given the adversity this team has seen all year. Dick Vermeil fielded teams with 6, 7, 13, 8, and 10 wins. I expect that the Chiefs will win at least 1 or 2 of their remaining games, which means that Herm's track record is not all that far off from Dick Vermeil's. Keep in mind that that Vermeil had much more talented, injury-free teams during his tenure than Herm has had in 2006.

As for Herm's actual problems: Is this offense too conservative and predictable at times? Without a doubt. Is this offense the same as last year? Definitely not. Are the offensive struggles mostly attributed to Herm Edwards? In my opinion? Not as much as you might think. This is not the same offense we are used to seeing. The offense has always been built around their offensive line.

I haven't been graded on anything for a while, so it makes me feel good to now grade others and let others feel my wrath. The Chiefs have finished half of their games so far. Here is how I would grade them midway through the season.

Quarterbacks:
The Chiefs have two quarterbacks right now that can carry this team. Damon Huard has been razor-sharp, posting a 105.2 QB rating and a stunning 11/1 TD/INT ratio. The only thing holding back their grade is the fact that the passing game is secondary to the running game in Kansas City.
Grade: A-

HalfBacks:
Larry Johnson is not only playing outstanding, he is a top candidate for the NFL MVP. LJ got off to a fairly slow start, for KC running back standards, but he has carried this offense ever since. Michael Bennett was a big addition this year. The Chiefs often over-relied on LJ last season, asking LJ to do well more than he was capable of. The Chiefs were so deathly afraid of yanking him from games that LJ often had to take himself out of games to take a breather. That's no longer the case with Bennett in the rotation. LJ and Bennett are carrying this team. If I could give them a higher score, I would.
Grade: A+

Fullbacks:
Ronnie Cruz did his job fine, but it too often gave us flashbacks of how much the Chiefs missed Tony Richardson.