FanHouse RonnieCruz

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.

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.

The Chiefs have gotten a lot of press this week because of the nature of their division. All of a sudden, everyone is talking about how the AFC West is the toughest division in the league (though AFC West fans already knew that before the season), and how the division could send three teams to the playoffs.

Little has been made, though, of the team itself. While we have been receiving constant updates about Brian Urlacher and Terry Glenn, quietly the Kansas City Star reported that Brian Waters and Derrick Johnson are out for the Miami game, and that Greg Wesley is still a question mark. Kevin Sampson will miss his second consecutive game.

These are some major injuries, and that isn't even taking into account Trent Green or Ronnie Cruz. Maybe it's because those player don't have a lot of fantasy value, or because the Chiefs are facing a very disappointing Miami team, but Waters is the Chiefs' best offensive lineman (in fact, one of the NFL's best linemen), and Derrick Johnson was on pace for a 100+ tackle, possibly 10-sack season. Meanwhile, Wesley has stepped up his play, and his improvement is a big reason why the Chiefs' defense has improved this year. While Sampson isn't a star, Kyle Turley has not shown yet that he is able to overcome his massive weight loss.

Most are favoring the Chiefs to win, largely based on their winning streak, but you wonder how many of the "experts" realize that so many key components will be missing from the game. Miami has struggled enough this year for the Chiefs to still be favored, but they have a lot more to overcome than people may realize.

This is my second edition of Chief Ponderings, where I get to stand on my soapbox and talk about the ridiculous:

• Kendrell Bell would probably make a lousy fisherman. He'll never catch a single fish because he doesn't know how to get to a tackle
• Was that Martin Grammatica playing quarterback late in the game for the Chiefs? I think Croyle might become the only quarterback in the league to fall to a wind-aided sack.
• The Chiefs lost yet another blocker this week in Ronnie Cruz. Mr. Whitlock still remains on the waiver wire.
• Tamba Hali has 27 tackles. Jared Allen isn't doing so bad himself with 25. Kendrell Bell has 45 tackles over 2 seasons. Pretty sad when your defensive ends combine for more tackles in one season than your highly paid linebacker has with a full season headstart.

When it rains it pours. The Chiefs can't buy a break this season and it's all happening up front.

• The Chiefs don't re-sign standout blocker Tony Richardson
• Starting right tackle John Welbourn "retires" out of the blue
• Starting pro bowl left tackle Willie Roaf suddenly retires
• The Chiefs lose starting right tackle Kevin Sampson to injury for the season opener
• Trent Green misses half the season with a concussion (forces KC to go into a completely run-centered offense)
• The Chiefs lose Kyle Turley for an extended time because of back problems

Now, it's reported that starting fullback Ronnie Cruz will miss the entire season.

Larry Johnson has to be asking himself what he's done wrong. Perhaps he is a real version of Earl Hickey from the NBC sitcom My Name is Earl. Perhaps LJ should start preparing a similar karma list. Either way, the odds keep stacking up against him.

That means that in the course of one half-year stretch, Larry Johnson has lost two Pro Bowl blockers, two starting left tackles, one starting right tackle, and now two fullbacks, in the process of earning a new role as the Chiefs' lone hope on offense.

Every once in a while, I'm going to air out some random things that pop into my mind (that are Chiefs related, that is. I don't know that I could publish any of my other thoughts).

Here we go:

• I would love to hear Al Pacino pronounce Damon Huard's last name: "Hu-aaahhh-rrrddd." Can we get a cameo here?
  
• It's the end of the week and Antrel Rolle still hasn't been fined. Despicable.
• You know what might have been the decisive play of the game against the Cardinals? How about this one: J.J. Arrington deciding to take the ball out of the end zone instead of settling for a touchback. #1 - he drained valuable time off the clock. #2 - he didn't even make it to the 20 yard line -- valuable yards. #3 - the Cardinals drew an illegal block in the back call on that play. The Cardinals barely pulled out a 51-yard field goal attempt, a difficult game-winning kick for a kicker to make, even for an automatic kicker like Neil Rackers. Imagine what the Cardinals could have done with 5 extra seconds and an extra 10 yards. It could have been the difference between a 41 yard attempt and a 51 yard attempt, maybe even closer. The Chiefs should send J.J. Arrington a basket of KC barbeque, because he quietly may have secured a victory for the Chiefs.
• What is the deal with all the Lawrences in the NFL? Lawrence Maroney. Lawrence Tynes. Almost every Lawrence I know in my life calls himself Larry. Imagine if Larry Johnson was "Lawrence" Johnson. Doesn't have the same ring to it, does it? While we're on the name game, I've decided that Lional is the coolest name maybe ever. There sure aren't enough Lionals in this world. Maybe there should be. The Chiefs have already cut a Craphonso and a Lional, but at least they still have a Boomer. Let's hope he never gets cut.
  
• Am I the only one wondering why Dee Brown was the Chiefs' goal line back against the Cardinals? Especially considering that they were planning on smashing the ball down Arizona's throat? That's not what Brown does. Ronnie Cruz, to me, is easily the guy you want in this situation when LJ isn't available. Cruz is a big body that could bruise his way to a first down or a TD. He should have been the one touching the ball on the goal line instead of Brown.