The Wide Receiver Project

You know what today is. If you're a Chiefs fan, you should know. Of course, many Chiefs fans have the will power to forget, to let it go -- next year is coming up soon enough and we'll always have another shot at it. That's fine, that's cool.

But is was a year ago today, Saturday -- it was actually the 4th, but still -- it was a Saturday early afternoon. I had gone paintballing with my son for my nephew's birthday, and at sporadic intervals I'd check on the game and was thrilled to hear that the Chiefs were comfortably ahead of the Colts. Finally, I thought, finally finally finally. Driving away from the paintball park we'd heard on the radio Alex Smith's touchdown pass to Knile Davis making the score 38-10.

I'm not going to write any more. Just not going to. Yeah the acceptance is there but the scars are still there too. Yeah that can seem a bit melodramatic, I know, but it's still the way I feel.

What an opportunity then to start the next blog "project" elucidating exactly why the Chiefs have not won a playoff game in 21 years, and won only three in 45 years. A lot of it is the curse, got that, not going to cover that much except to the extent that it somehow -- and I think most certainly -- contributes to the two "projects." One is The Quarterback Project, already started up and going -- and which I know could use some updating.

The latest is The Wide Receiver Project, and as I've ruminated on this over the past few months I've discovered it is just as gruesomely grotesquely gargantuously nasty as the results of The Quarterback Project.

Let's get into it, shall we? I like a good horror movie. If you do too, you'll enjoy reading further.

First of all, let me introduce you to the rating system I'm using for this. I'm using a scale of 0-10 to denote the "goodness" of a given player. If you get a "10", you are one of the greats -- in the Hall and all that. If you're a "0", you're just no one who really did anything to contribute. You could be far lousier than other zeros, but we're not going negative for these purposes. This means if you manage to get a "1", that means you were actually good at least a little, means you had some contribution. If you get up into the "5", "6", "7" range, you were actually very good.

Next, I have to say this right up front. It is not as if I'm cherry-picking the little baaad things about the Chiefs and trying to make excuses for them. No, these issues are mind-numbingly huge and heart-crushingly wretched. To the point, let's be perfectly fair. Let's look at other areas of Chiefs play and skill and you'll note that we don't have any issues there. In fact, in some of those areas the Chiefs have a history of having some of the best units ever in the NFL.

Running back. Damn. It's a near Hall-of-Fame all by itself. Abner Haynes, Curtis McClinton, Mike Garrett, Ed Podolak, Joe Delaney, Christian Okoye, Marcus Allen, Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson, Jamaal Charles. Knile Davis. All scoring very high in the "goodness" value rating.

How about offensive line? Jim Tyrer? Ed Budde? Jack Rudnay? John Alt? Tim Grunhard? Will Shields? Brian Waters? Willie Roaf? In fact, forgive me, I know we've had so many terrific offensive linemen and yeah, someday I'll look at them and feel the pride about our Chiefs. I'm just not remembering them all for this right now. Point is, we've had some dang great O-linemen.

Over on the defense. Pass rushers. Get outta here. Derrick Thomas says it all. But then you've got Buck Buchanan, Jerry Mays, Curly Culp, Bobby Bell, Art Still, Mike Bell, Bill Maas, Neil Smith, and now Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. There's more, I'm sure, but again. Damn.

Defensive backs. Oh, don't get me started. Johnny Robinson, Jim Marsalis, Emmitt Thomas, Gary Green, Gary Barbaro -- then, then one of the best D-backfields of all time ::deep breath:: Deron Cherry Albert Lewis Lloyd Burress Kevin Ross -- then there was Dale Carter, Mark Collins, Brandon Flowers and now you've got Eric Berry and a slough of fine cover guys who had the best pass defense in the NFL for 2014.

All those guys up there right there just noted all of them with goodness values 5 or better. Every single one.

Now, to the frightfest. It'll be hard not to avert your eyes, but here it is.

Along with the fact we've never had a drafted and developed quarterback, something already proven to have been a tremendous liability of the Chiefs, there's this.

Value	Player	Round	Overall	Year
0	Devon Wylie	4	107	12
0*	Junior Hemingway	7	238	12
0	Jonathan Baldwin	1	26	11
2	Dexter McCluster	2	36	10
0	Quinten Lawrence	6	175	09
0	Will Franklin	4	105	08
0	Kevin Robinson	6	182	08
6*	Dwayne Bowe	1	23	07
0	Jeff Webb	6	190	06
0	Craphanso Thorpe	4	116	05
1	Samie Parker	4	115	04
0	Jeris McIntyre	6	195	04
0	Snoop Minnis	3	77	01
1	Sylvester Morris	1	21	00
4	Dante Hall	5	153	00
0	Desmond Kitchings	7	208	00
0	Larry Parker	4	108	99
0	Kevin Lockett	2	47	97
0	Isaac Byrd	6	195	97
1	Joe Horn	5	135	96
0	Dietrich Jells	6	176	96
1	Tamarick Vanover	3	81	95
1	Lake Dawson	3	92	94
1	Chris Penn	3	96	94
0	Danan Hughes	7	186	93
0	Tony Smith	6	159	92
1	Tim Barnett	3	77	91
0	Fred Jones	4	96	90
0	Naz Worthen	3	60	89
0	Robb Thomas	6	143	89
0	Johnny Ray Ambrose	4	96	88
0	Kitrick Taylor	5	128	87
0	Chas Fox	4	90	86
0	Rufus Stevens	6	146	84
0	Anthony Hancock	1	11	82
0	Ron Washington	4	97	81
5	Carlos Carson	5	114	80
0	Bubba Garcia	6	147	80
Notable acquisitions
2	Johnnie Morton	FA 2		02
1	Marc Boerigter	FA 1		02
4	Eddie Kennison	FA 2		01
4	Derrick Alexander	FA 2		98
4	Andre Rison	FA 2		97
4	Willie Davis	FA 1		91
2	J.J. Birden	FA 1		90
5	Stephone Paige	FA 1		83
Other notable draftees & acquisitions before 1980
3	J.T. Smith	FA 1		78
5	Henry Marshall	3	79	76
2	Elmo Wright	1	16	71
8	Otis Taylor	4	29 (AFL)	65
6	Chris Burford	FA 1		60
Rest of current WR core as of 2014
1*	Donnie Avery	FA 2		13
0*	Albert Wilson	FA 1		14
0*	A.J. Jenkins	FA 2		14
0*	Frankie Hammond	FA 1		14
0*	Jason Avant	FA 2		14

Okay, take a minute. Take a breather. That's it, sit down for a minute, probably good for you at this moment. That's it, there you go. It'll be okay -- it'll be okay.

Just for the record, I tried to get on the list every single wide receiver drafted by the Chiefs since 1980, 7th round or higher. I didn't bother for the time before 1980 because it was so long ago, and most of those guys were zeros too. I did make note of the guys scoring "1" or better whom we signed as free agents or acquired in trades, but I just wasn't sure how we got some. I'm pretty sure we got Derrick Alexander by trade, but it's still not a lot different than a free agent signing (FA). The "1" next to the FA means the player started with the Chiefs, the "2" means he came after playing with another team. If I have misrepresented any of this or missed anything, please forgive me. I've tried to make this as accurate as I can, and to include any wide receiver of note who ever had any notoriety for the Chiefs. If I've overlooked one, again, my apologies. Also, the asterisk means they are still active as a Chief.

Now to the value assignments. ::Grimace:: I really tried to be as fair as I could with that. And a reminder, a value of "1" doesn't necessarily mean they were terrible, it actually means they were okay. A zero just means they were of absolutely no consequence even if they were worse.

Okay, okay, steel yourself, here we go.

Damn. Look at that list. The main thrust of this is that list of wide receiver draftees since 1980. With all due respect, nothing against any of them personally, but damn. What a list of pro football flunkies. I know this whole thing is way not lost on anyone with any length of service as a Chiefs fan.

Of the 38 wide receivers on this list drafted by the Chiefs in the past 35 years, a grand total of FOUR have any goodness value rating above "1". That sports fans, is - ay - TROASH - uss. Um, atrocious for those not quite getting the melifluosity there of the atrocitude of this situation. In fact, two of them were better as scatbacks or kick return guys -- Dexter McCluster and Dante Hall. That leaves ::gulp:: the scantiest of scant TWO pure down-for-down, real split-out-wide-on-every-play, solid, reliable D&D guys the Chiefs have had since 1980. Carlos Carson and Dwayne Bowe. Uhhhhhh-tha's it.

Some notes about some of them. For one, the values offered can certainly be debated, I got that. This is my own opinion, but I just don't think they'll vary from what's there too much. You may give McCluster a "3", okay. You may not want to give Samie Parker even a "1", I got that, that's all fine. Sylvester Morris gets a generous "1" because of the injuries. I could add remarks about a lot of them. But the sad fact is these ratings are still pretty close to what they should be, and no matter what, this is still a dismally awful showing. I mean it is worse than awful. Really.

Individual player notes: These values are only for service with the Chiefs. Look at Joe Horn, who did stunningly little for the Chiefs but later was an All-Pro for the Saints. These values are also only for wide receiver play. Look at Tamarick Vanover, who was a great kick returner but just never got it going as a wide out.

The best wide receiver since Otis Taylor has been Bowe, but criminy, that's it? Yes you could put in a good word for Stephone Paige and Carson, very good receivers, but I still can't give them more than a "5", which is still pretty damn good, but then, how many playoff games did they win for us? How many times did they just carry the team? Paige gets a few of those "goodness" points for that one game when he set a record for receiving yards in a game, I think it was 309 in '85. That's great, but he never did anything close to that any other time.

Yes, I know that's a lot to expect, but how come just about every other team can claim some wide receiver to have come through some time for some major clutch scenario in the last 35 years? Tim Barnett did have that one big-time catch from Joe Montana's pass at the end of regulation in that playoff game against Pittsburgh in '93. Do you know how many TD catches Barnett had during the regular season that year? One. 

So yes, it's a lot to expect from Paige and Carson to be everything for all-Chiefs all-time receiver reputation. Give them a break. Where was Anthony Hancock (a 1st round pick)? Kevin Lockett (a 2nd rounder)? Jonathan Baldwin? (I could be laughing through the tears, but the trauma is too deep...) Yes, every Chiefs fan loved Henry Marshall and J.T. Smith, but who outside of Kansas City knows who these guys were? On the other hand how many in Kansas City definitely know, with the deepest jealousy, some wide receiver from every other team in their histories? How many wide receivers there have been on all the other NFL teams that we do know about, players who were not necessarily great but just caught meaningful passes for their teams at opportune times? Yeah. Yeah.

I just have to make special mention of Dante Hall, who gets a "4" (even though he was a "10" as a kick returner) because there were a few times he was phenomenal as a receiver. Probably the greatest juke anyone ever did on anyone, ever, was the one he made on a Broncos defender -- in fact, on half the Broncos defense, really -- in a game they lost in 2002. It was on a pass reception. That one play is worth two goodness value points right there. And let's face it, Dante Hall was one of the best natural leaders the Chiefs ever had.

What about other teams? Don't other teams have similar flunkies come from their drafted ranks? Of course they do, but come on, few other teams if any have had their histories look as ridiculous as this. I know I haven't done it, looked at all the other NFL teams, but please. Let's be honest. You really think there is any other team that is as bad as this? With The Quarterback Project I did compare drafted and developed quarterback histories from all the other NFL teams. For wide receivers that'd take much more time and effort.

But really, let's face this fact too. When have we ever had a strong and lasting passing game? When? Yeah, Bill Kenney put up a 4,000 yard season in '83, but that was it. Trent Green had three 4,000 yard seasons from 2003 to 2005, but wouldn't you know it, our defense was one of the schlurpiest in our history then, so, oh well. And, by the way, how much of that passing activity was to tight ends like Tony Gonzalez? And how long was Green going to last, even though he was one of the best quarterbacks we've ever had?

Point is, this chart demonstrates one of the brutal truths about Chiefs football. No D&D quarterback to run the system long-term + no D&D wide receivers with a good feel for the system + little coaching ability to get the most from these players whoever they are = the most sparse postseason play in 45 years.

Yeah we've had great backs, linemen, pass rushers, and cover guys.

But without a passing game, we're toast.

This is all in light of the NFL going waaay out of its way to incessantly expand expand EXPAND the passing game. It's almost as if the Chiefs have been living in the dark ages for, well, ages.

A key element in all of this is that third addend in the equation there just above. Coaching. I asked this question of myself as I put all of this together: How much of these guys' failures were the failure of the coaching staffs they worked with to incisively know how to effectively use them? I'm sure that is very much in the mix of all this.

How much of this was in the utter failure of our general managers to know how to draft wide receivers? It'd be another time-consuming task, to look at all the wide receivers drafted after we took ours. I did do this with one year, 1989, when we took Naz Worthen relatively high in the draft. Sure, I admit, before and after Worthen were a bunch of other wide receiver losers, but in the 5th round sure enough, there was Tony Martin, who went on to be really good with the Dolphins and Chargers. Yes much of it requires good coaching and a good quarterback and a good fit, I got that. Yes much of the draft is a crapshoot, I got that.

It is just -- the Chiefs. How can it possibly be this bad? I know some of how, bigtime.

What is funny (if you want to call it that) is the number of times we've tried to fill these positions with has-beens, just like we've done on a regular basis with quarterback. Remember these guys? Pete Mandley, Eric Martin, Brett Perriman, Mark Bradley, Steve Breaston? How many more? Sure we did pick up those decent players for a few years of fine service, you know, Andre Rison and Derrick Alexander and Eddie Kennison. Sure we got good quarterbacks for a time, like Joe Montana and Trent Green and -- yes, now, ::I hope I hope I hope:: Alex Smith.

But when when WHEN WHEN are we ever going to get that D&D the wide receiver -- hey: those wide receiverS -- we can count on for long periods of time. Yes, I like Dwayne Bowe, but again, that's it? He's all we've got in 45 years?

What is most tragic is that all of this has seemed to have reached a head for this past season, yeah, the one we just had. Remember that one? This past year, with a Chiefs team that even had a healthy Dwayne Bowe on it? Remember that?

The one in which the Chiefs had zero touchdown receptions by a wide receiver?

The last time any NFL team had zero touchdown receptions by a wide receiver for the entire season was 1950. It was a pathetically mediocre Steelers team that attempted only 200-something passes the entire year playing in an NFL that allowed the pass defenders to mug the receivers just about anywhere down the field. 

I mean, how on earth did this 2014 Chiefs team even finish with a winning record? This may just be the craziest thing of all. The answer is that we were just so good in so many other areas. You know what they are. We have a history of it. Fine running game. Strong pass rush. Smothering pass defense.

But then, there's that curse thing going too, a curse thing that has kept us from ever having a D&D quarterback and, for that matter, any D&D wide receivers worth a darn to throw to.

There it is. The start of The Wide Receiver Project. It may get more treatment, we'll see.

For now, next week I plan a much more comprehensive look at the entirety of the 2014 Chiefs and beyond. Until then, you can go back up there in this post and contemplate The Wide Receiver Project, perusing the draft list there. It'll be like again watching a horror movie you liked...

Or not...

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