FanHouse Kendrell Bell

In 2001, a 21-year-old Kendrell Bell started all 16 games at linebacker for the Steelers, he finished the year with nine sacks, and he looked like one of the league's emerging young stars.

Now he looks washed up at age 27.

Bell played three more years for the Steelers and was never as good as he had been in his rookie season, but for some reason the Chiefs signed him to a big free-agent contract anyway. He's been a huge disappointment in his three years in Kansas City, as even Bell attests:

"I wish it had worked out better," Bell said, already acknowledging his time with the Chiefs in the past tense. "I had my opportunities. There's going to be a different future here, and I totally understand that."

Realistically, it's hard to picture anyone offering Bell anything other than a league-minimum salary for 2008. And, considering how much money Bell has made and how beaten up his body has become, Bell might just decide that he's not willing to play for the league minimum. That means this could be the quiet end of the career of a player who was once a superstar in the making.

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.

Defensive Ends:
Simply outstanding. They have been difference makers. Tamba Hali was an absolute steal in the first round of the draft, and Jared Allen is having a pro bowl caliber season. Allen gets his share of sacks, but he is extremely underrated in his ability to strip the football and force turnovers. Watch him tackle a quarterback – he practically integrates a strip into his tackle. Allen would likely have more sacks if it weren't for all those darn forced fumbles. Hopefully, pro bowl voters can look past the sometimes overrated sacks statistic, even though Allen has more than his share. Hali has also been outstanding. He's generated pretty decent pressure, but he is also all over the field and is a critical piece to the Chiefs' run defense. It was almost painful to watch Eric Hicks stand in for Tamba Hali--you could just tell how much Tamba Hali impacts this football team. I almost feel like an injured Hali would have gotten more pressure than Hicks. Jimmy Wilkerson has been a solid rotational DE. He has played his way into a roster spot for next season; I can't say the same for Hicks.
Grade: A

Defensive Tackles:
In short, they get the job done. Nothing more, nothing less. We've certainly seen the pocket collapse a lot more than we have in years past. That's really all you can hope for from your tackles. The tackles have been ordinary; then again, they haven't been awful. There's really not a whole lot to say about them, except that Ryan Sims may have eaten his way out of the Chiefs for next season.
Grade: B-


Linebackers:
It's surprising how little recognition Derrick Johnson is getting this season, but he is on pace to rack up 100 tackles and 9 sacks.

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.

Lost in the many issues related to last Sunday's game against the Broncos was the quietly effective play of Kendrell Bell. Bell finished the day with six tackles, but perhaps more importantly, he actually made his presence known. On one particular play, he stuffed a screen pass to T-Bell for a loss of three yards.

Bell did not play a perfect game. His poor coverage of Tony Scheffler at the goal line was forgiven only because Jake Plummer threw a horrible fade pass. Still, that one play on T-Bell showed us why the Chiefs sought K-Bell.

Bell has been an enigma all his career. In Pittsburgh, he was considered to have unlimited talent, if only he could stay on the field. However, upon arriving in Kansas City, coaches soon determined that he was essentially a man without a position. Covering the middle of a 3-4 defense, Bell was well-versed at neither middle nor outside linebacker. Shifting to outside linebacker in 2005, he struggled in many ways. Unsure of his role in the defense, he often looked lost. Tentative because of a nagging injury, and set on proving that he can stay healthy for a whole season, Bell's play was uninspired.

This year, he received a challenge through the emergence of Keyaron Fox. In the NFL, a big contract does not guarantee a starting position, and reports out of camp were that Bell had to step up or watch Fox from the sidelines.

I have not been as hard on Bell as many Chiefs' fans, but it's pretty clear that the last game needs to have been a statement game. If Bell disappears again, his starting position is not secure. Derrick Johnson and Kawika Mitchell have established themselves quite nicely as the core of the linebackers, and perhaps even of the defense. Bell needs to prove that he can run with them.

Preseason is boring. This is, if you walk around like a blind man without a cane.

Not this writer. To me, the preseason is ultra-exciting because it gives average fans the chance to tinker with possible rosters, debate to the death whether upside should prevail over experience, etc.... Preseason shall be boring no longer! Keep an eye out for some of these preseason battles, and you may just find yourself being the only Chief fan to watch the back-end of the final preseason game with more interest than the front end. Here are some things to look out for on defense:

• Young safeties: Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard. You won't need to look long--they're all over the field.
  
• Defensive tackles: Ron Edwards and James Reed have replaced Lionel Dalton and Ryan Sims in the starting rotation. Given the way Reed played against the Rams, it's hard to imagine his job is in jeopardy. Edwards, on the other hand, has been good but not great so far in the offseason. Dalton is not going to be a stud defensive tackle anytime soon, especially at this point in his career, but he is fairly solid at plugging holes and engaging blockers. It's hard to imagine the Chiefs' defense not involving Dalton in some major role. It's sad to say, but it may be time to close the book on Ryan Sims, the first round draft pick. I would be shocked if Sims was cut, but it does not seem like he will ever be the star defensive tackle most scouts envisioned he would be after he was drafted in the top 10. Sims will have a very long uphill battle to replace Edwards at the tackle position. The extent of Sims' role in this year's defense has yet to be seen. Other players could include Shane Burton, who has been quietly having a pretty solid preseason after his return to football, and Junior Siavii, who looks to be one step away from being cut from this team.
• Linebackers: Kendrell Bell is a lousy fit for the cover 2. Keyaran Fox is hot on his trail and he should be: he's a much better fit for this brand of defense. Don't be surprised if Bell is slowly phased out of the defense.
• Cornerbacks: Anybody think that Lenny Walls was a wasted investment? Interestingly, when the Chiefs went into nickel situations, they were using Ty Law and Lenny Walls as corners and Patrick Surtain as a nickel back.
  
• Defensive end: The Chiefs probably won't give away too much of their hand, but one thing we know for sure is that Tamba Hali is going to have a major role in their formations. Two guys to keep a close eye on are Eric Hicks and Jimmy Wilkerson. Hicks has pretty much lost his starting job, and the way he's playing this preseason, could have his role significantly cut down. Jimmy Wilkerson has done the exact opposite: his improved play has skyrocketed him up the depth chart and he could be the man who takes those snaps away from Hicks.