FanHouse Dustincolquitt

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterbacks: Oh, holy God. Do we have to start here? Can't we start at defensive line? Or even offensive line? No? Okay. So last season, Damon Huard was such the pinnacle of mediocrity, he may have redefined the word for decades. It wasn't so much that Huard was spectacularly terrible, throwing constant interceptions as he heaved them down the field, Rex-Grossman-style, it was that he looked singularly incapable of actually getting the ball downfield to begin with. So, after far too many games watching the offense set new franchise lows, Brodie Croyle who had been waiting in the wings, finally took the reins. The results were less than spectacular. Chiefs fans support Croyle because the kid has shown flashes of leadership and a pretty solid arm. The trouble is, the protection was so bad last year, no one knows whether to pin the offense's disastrous play on an inability by Brodie to produce, or a result of the fact that Croyle spent so much time on the run it's a wonder he's not dead in the cold, cold ground. So with a retooled and slightly upgraded offensive line, he should be better? Right? Right? Oh, Jesus, where's the bottle? Wait, what? Huard's still on the team? Must get bigger bottle. Heat Index: 2

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.

If a special teams player almost breaks a record in the middle of the woods, would it make a sound? Apparently not. Dustin Colquitt tinkered with NFL history on Sunday. He almost became the first punter in the history of the game to average over 40 net punting yards. He came into the game with a 39.9 net punting average.

Who would have thought punting was important?

On the flipside of the punt, Colquitt's teammate was making a difference in a big way.

Does anyone know that a couple of Chiefs are perhaps on the verge of setting new records? Obviously, one of those Chiefs is Larry Johnson, but Jon has already written about his pursuit. How many people know that Dustin Colquitt will be chasing one also? Fortunately, the record is not for most punts in a season, which would have a potential negative connotation similar to Johnson's potential most-carries record.


Currently, Colquitt has a 39.9 yard net punting average. Why is this number important? Because, according to several reports, including this one from the Buffalo News website, no punter has ever had a 40.0 net punting average ever since the NFL began keeping track 30 years ago. In fact, the Dallas Morning News goes an extra step and lists the top net punting averages, and Colquitt could easily exceed the top number of 39.6, achieved by Detroit's Jim Arnold in 1988. There is a bit of a catch-- according to the Chiefs' official news release (PDF), Colquitt would actually still be chasing the team record of 40.0 by Jerrel Wilson way back in 1968. Also according to the release, the best net punting average of the Super Bowl era is 42.1, set in 1972 by Dave Chapple (yes, that is spelled correctly, one of our favorite comedians was not a stud punter before he was born).


But that was before the NFL actually took net punting averages seriously. In fact, the NFL still does not consider the best net punting average to be an official record. But the fact of the matter is that Colquitt has a chance to do something that the NFL has never officially recorded, and something that can at least be confirmed has not been accomplished in over 30 years.

Technically, according to my calculations, Colquitt's net average is actually 39.85, so he has a bit more work than it initially appears. Here is what I calculate. For the no-cheapie record (meaning 40.0 exactly, no rounding up), Colquitt must have: 5 punts, 42.0 net; 4 punts, 42.5 net; 3 punts, 43.3 net; 2 punts, 45.0 net; 1 punt, 50.0 net. If we are rounding up (39.95), Colquitt needs the following: 5 punts, 41.28 net; 4 punts, 41.61 net; 3 punts, 42.17 net; 2 punts, 43.28 net; 1 punt, 46.60 net.


So certainly, Colquitt has a good chance at the unofficial record. I would, of course, be very happy if Colquitt has zero punts and falls just short, but that is unlikely to happen. Pretty impressive stuff for a second-year player.

The Chiefs' defense's bulletproof armor has started to show major signs of wear and tear over the past few weeks. They looked embarassing against the Steelers. They looked strong against San Diego, then collapsed late in the game. Last week, they let a backup quarterback, running back, and right tackle produce 21 points (arguably, seven of those points could be blamed on a careless fumble by Damon Huard that basically placed the Seahawks in the red zone).

The test won't get much easier this week as the Chiefs square off against the St. Louis Rams, a team that features one of the best 1-2 punches of the season in Marc Bulger and Torry Holt. This is a statement game for the Chiefs' defense. Their most recent defensive performance on the road was a fiasco in Pittsburgh. This is a defense that has been credited with feeding off the Arrowhead crowd. The Chiefs' D will need to prove on Sunday that they can perform without the crowd on their back.

When the Rams run the ball
This Rams offense is not Mike Martz's offense. Mad Mike's philosophy was always to pass first, pass second, and maybe squeeze in a run third. Steven Jackson is a terrific power back, which is exactly the type of back that used to give the Chiefs' defense fits. How does Steven Jackson match up against the Chiefs? Is it ever a bad thing for a blogger to raise his hands up in the air and say "I don't know?"

I don't know what to expect from the Chiefs' run defense. I do believe the Chiefs' run defense is pretty solid, though something just makes me feel like they've been untested. The Chiefs obviously stopped LT, which is an extraordinary accomplishment, but really, the Chiefs have for some reason always been terrific against LT. The other teams they have played of late have largely been teams with struggling running games.

So I decided to change the name of my weekly segment to "Chief Shots" because I'm pretending to be clever. Again, this is my weekly chance to be completely off-the-cuff, ridiculous, crunk-tastic, and completely abso-ludicrous

• I wonder what the reaction would be in St. Louis if Don Denkinger was an honorary ref for the game. I also wonder what kind of great calls he could make if he were the ref: 20 yard holding penalties? One knee equals three feet? Or how about making an infamous call for a SAFE-ty?
  
• It would be a funny site to see if St. Louis fans, still pumped up about their beloved Cardinals winning the World Series, accidentally filled the Edward Jones Dome with a sea of red. I'll work on the memo.
• Herm Edwards should be coach of the year: Part 2. The Chiefs had a special, surprise Halloween treat for the media. "Herm Edwards" (aka, Larry Johnson) addressed the media for a few minutes. If you haven't seen it, I strongly suggest you watch it. Anybody that has actually followed Larry Johnson knows how big of a surprise it is to see Larry Johnson show this side of himself to the media. This is a man that plays angry, interviews angry, has been accused of being aloof, distant, uncaring. Larry Johnson showed a very different side of himself during that press conference. Charles Caleb Colton once wrote that "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." I couldn't agree more. I know everybody likes to believe that it's better for LJ to play angry; Herm Edwards has shown that it's far better for LJ to be happy when he's playing angry.
  
• I just came across a really interesting website called "Sonny Moore's Computer Rankings." I don't know what formulas they're using to derive these total scores, but it's a really interesting website to check out. Interesting points to note: 1) the Chiefs are ranked #16 vs. the Rams at #19. However, due to a factor Sonny uses for homefield advantage, St. Louis has a very slight edge over the Chiefs for Sunday's game; 2) the 2005 Chiefs were actually ranked 6th, even though they didn't even make the playoffs. It's about time a computer ranking factored in strength of schedule, which is undoubtedly what launched the Chiefs ahead of the competition (keep in mind, that this ranking includes playoff performances as well).
• The word of the week to describe the NFL's ridiculous overtime system? Imbecilic.
  

Dustin Colquitt voiced visible frustration about the ref's decision on Sunday to rule his forward pass as a fumble.

I don't think they're going to let them do any big games any more after this," Colquitt said. "Is that fair enough to say? There goes their Super Bowl chances.

Here's a thought: If you didn't fumble a perfect snap, you wouldn't need to get up and make a play yourself. If you did the smart thing and downed the ball, rather than make an ill-advised throw to the eligible receiver 5 yards behind you, then no call would need to be made. I didn't agree with a call. But Colquitt made three huge mistakes on the play: he screwed up the snap, he tried to throw to be a quarterback and a hero by trying to throw the ball, then he basically shot a layup over the lineman's head in the hopes that Keyaran Fox would somehow sprint backwards to catch the ball. Don't try to pin this on the refs.

It is truly amazing how some things can be both so beautiful and so ugly at the same time. A messy, but meat-packed, cheesesteak. A baby burping for the first time. Any one of my home improvement projects.

The Chiefs' victory over the Seahawks falls into that category as well. If we look at the game from Chiefs-tinted glasses, the game was beautiful. 499 yards of total offense (what? Al Saunders and Willie Roaf came back?). 240 yards given up on defense (what? Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith are back?). 312 yards passing with no interceptions (what? Trent Green is back?), and 191 yards rushing (what? Priest Holmes is back?). 42:15 time of possession (what? I actually don't have a flashback here-- that's just an unheard of stat).

Yet, the Chiefs did their all to give Seneca Wallace a miracle victory in his first NFL start. While Wallace played surprisingly well, the Seahawks really had no business being within 14 points of the Chiefs. By my count, the final score should have been 47-14, and could have been 51-14. No disrespect meant for the Seahawks, who took advantage of every mistake made by the Chiefs, but here is the breakdown after the Chiefs took a 27-14 lead:

• Patrick Surtain interecepts a pass and the Chiefs promptly march down for an easy FG attempt. But Dustin Colquitt botches a perfect snap, then attempts what appears to be a pass, which is knocked down and taken by Kelly Herndon for a huge Seattle score. I have a real issue with the referee's ruling, and I would like to see Mike Pereira clarify it, but Colquitt deserves all the blame here. Instead of being 30-14, the score is now 27-21.
• You certainly cannot assume a 3rd and 14 conversion, but Damon Huard's fumbled shotgun snap does not even give the Chiefs a chance to convert.
• Chiefs drive down to the Seattle 32 when, on 3rd and 3, Huard throws a perfect screen pass to Larry Johnson, who promptly drops the ball. That was the only dropped pass I can remember all game, but it was a huge one. Johnson had daylight, and instead of missing a 50-yard FG, the Chiefs could have scored a TD or, at worst, attempted a chip-shot FG. Instead of being 33-14 or 37-14, the score remains 27-21.
• On the Seahawks' ensuing possession, Ty Law drops a sure-fire TD interception. The ball hits him right in the pads, a throw Law always gobbles up, and clear daylight in front of him. And you just knew that drop would burn the Chiefs-- Surtain is called for holding on the next play, and Law trips over his own feet to allow Darrell Jackson the easiest long-bomb TD he has or will ever see. Instead of being 40 or 44-14, the Seahawks now lead 28-27.

It's time for my next segment of Chief Ponderings, where I continue to discuss the ridiculous, the deep, and all those little tidbits of information that you likely won't find anywhere else. For example:

• There really is no tactful way to report a groin injury, is there? "Huard experienced tenderness in his groin area." "Huard will miss a game because he's nursing his groin." "Huard pulled his groin during practice." Kudos to Huard if he can play this weekend. The thought of a cortisone shot anywhere near that region makes me flinch nearly as much as when I saw Something About Mary for the first time. Yikes, next topic please!
  
• I'm looking at the upcoming schedule and I am not pleased at all. The Chiefs continue to get wrecked with a tough schedule, while teams like the Colts and Jaguars continue to cruise into the playoffs with super-easy schedules. I'm going to write about this in depth later in the week, because this strength of schedule difference is stupid, insane, and absolutely must change
• Brodie Croyle may start this Sunday. He will officially become the first NFL player with the body type of a 10-year old boy to take a snap in the NFL

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.