The Quarterback Project and the Kansas City Chiefs
A few nights ago the NFL Network ran one of its "Top Ten" shows. I'd seen some of that one before, and I'd noted on the web what a few of the top ten teams were in this episode. That ten?
The Top Ten Snakebitten Teams.
Funny, a full five of the ten were old-AFL teams. And sure enough, as expected, there at No. 9 was your favorite team and mine. I truly think we should've been much higher, but there are two reasons, two very good reasons why I believe it was down at the bottom of the top ten pack of unluckiest teams in the NFL.
One, the Chiefs do have a Super Bowl. The only other team on the list with a Super Bowl win was the Jets, but like the Chiefs -- who haven't been close to getting back since their '69 win over the Vikings -- they also have had wretched luck since their '68 miracle against the Colts. The other eight on the list haven't a single Super Bowl win, though the No. 1 team, the Browns, still had four NFL championships before the Super Bowl era. The Browns, however, have always been that smarmily loveable loser, kind of like the Cubs but in the NFL.
The second reason is the one that relates directly to The Quarterback Project. That reason is very simple. Indeed it is so simple that it is what I believe is the single most profound reason the Chiefs haven't come close to a Super Bowl since the merger, since 1969, yes, since their last glorious excursion to that realm.
That reason is that they've never had a drafted and developed quarterback of any true, lasting value.
In my last post, I detailed the D&D history of every single current NFL team since the establishment of the AFL in 1960. Since that time, every single team has at least one good quarterback in their history, one guy who that team has D&D'ed with some veritable, measurable success. Every one. The teams that haven't done well in the postseason (Seahawks, Eagles, etc.) have usually done the worst, while teams that are very successful (Steelers, Giants, etc.) have done the best. All of them, however, have had at least one -- most have had two or three.
The Chiefs have had none.
Zero. Zilch. Nada. And they are the only one among the 32 NFL teams. The only one.
Let's go over all of their top draft picks, and see. I'm not going over any of their lower picks through the years, mostly because they haven't panned out (obviously). Yes, it is no surprise at all, there has not been a Chiefs' Tom Brady among the Chiefs teams of the past, nope. But guys picked within the top three rounds? They should've been productive. At least one of them should've, sometime over the past fifty-plus years, just like it has for all the other teams. So here is every single Chiefs quarterback pick from rounds three on up in its entire existence.
Mike Livingston, 1968, 2nd round, 48th overall pick. This is the one guy that it could be argued was a successful D&D guy for the Chiefs. He did proficiently lead the Chiefs during their Super Bowl season when Len Dawson went down for a bit, even winning all six games he started. He did take the reigns of the team for much of the early part of the seventies. But I argue against him having truly lasting success simply because he never really took on the mantle of that starting quarterback, and his team's record during that time was abysmal. Was it largely the rest of the team's fault? Sure, but when he was solely at the helm, Livingston still didn't do enough and get us where we needed to go (zero winning records, zero playoff appearances), which was a meager period of about four years total.
David Jaynes, 1974, 3/66. Who?
Steve Fuller, 1979, 1/23. Ouch. 23rd overall, very highly touted quarterback, but truly a first round bust. He was around during that magical 1981 season when Joe Delaney ran all over the place, but he didn't do much. He eventually went to Chicago where he led the Bears to the '84 NFC championship game, but that was it. And that wasn't with the Chiefs, so...
Todd Blackledge, 1983, 1/7. Major ouch. I have to confess this guy was my favorite player at the time, simply because he looked like a quarterback. He carried himself as a leader, he had all the tools, he was bright, articulate, hard-working -- I cannot blame the Chiefs for drafting him when they did even with all the other guys (Kelly, Marino...) who were picked up after him. I was convinced he was going to develop into that one guy, finally finally finally. Let's be honest, everyone else thought so too. But the fact was that he simply could not work through a defense. He couldn't recognize coverages, he couldn't look off defenders -- he just couldn't do it. Sadly, the one NFL Films clip of him everyone probably knows about is one that was shown during that "Top Ten Snakebitten Teams" episode when they were showcasing (or I guess "lowcasing" as it should be) the Chiefs -- you know the shot, Blackledge is standing there in the shotgun, and right at the moment he looks to his left the ball is snapped and it smacks him in the face. ::Whimper:: ...
Mike Elkins, 1989, 2/32. Okay, this guy was going to be the one. Except, when I watched him play in that European league, I'm thinking, this is our highly touted quarterback? Wow, Chiefs management must see something special because I just don't see it. Sadly, all of us not-Chiefs-management were right.
Matt Blundin, 1992, 2/40. Awright awright awright, this guy has the be the one. Whereas Elkins was kind of a short guy, Blundin was a big, strong guy. He really looked like a quarterback. There is no way this can't be the guy. After all the wretched D&D luck we've had, it just has to stop here. It's our turn for at least one good QB we'll have for a while getting us into at least a few playoff games throughout his career... Not. One of the most aggravating things is something I really really try hard not to allow to get to me. That is comparing where we draft our losers against where other teams draft their winners. But I just have to point this out: Blundin was the third QB taken, second round, in '92 -- guess who was taken as the third QB (second round) in the 1991 draft? Brett Favre.
Brodie Croyle, 2006, 3/85. Yet again, I was very excited to watch him play in a nationally televised exhibition game against Miami, I'm pretty sure it was before the 2007 season. And sure enough, yet one more time, I'm watching this going, "This is the guy who's going to get us to the promised land?" Croyle was probably the most underwhelming of them all. He started ten games for the Chiefs, mostly as an injury replacement, and compiled an 0-10 record. His tenth against the Chargers last year was about as miserable a performance any quarterback could have.
Annnd, that's it. Thar ya go. Thuh end.
No one can reasonably argue that the Chiefs have not had the absolute worst record of D&D'ing quarterbacks. And you see, I believe for us to be higher on the snakebitten team list, you'd actually have to have had good solid D&D QB's getting you ever-so close to highly anticipated pro football glory and suffering through watching the spirits of the native American dead buried under Arrowhead Stadium mess with your team. Well, the Chiefs do have that, but they aren't doing it with any D&D QB's of any worth.
Why are those D&D guys so danged important to begin with?
Besides the fact that those guys are usually the ones who turn out to be the best simply by virtue of their talent, the most important reason is that high quality NFL play can only come through having all the cogs of the machine fitting together, all the parts assembled precisely, all the gears humming nicely -- everything moving forward together. Super Bowl contending teams need good quarterbacks who get lots of time to gel with everyone, indeed even power-up the whole operation, and they need to start from day one. When you've got quarterbacks always being plucked off the scrap heap and shoved and stuck and slotted into the team, there're going to be problems.
And the Chiefs have always done that. Always.
With that in mind, let's look at the quarterbacks they have had. Several of these guys were terrific players, and I'm not going to spend a lot of time talking all about them, but I want you to pay close attention to where they were originally drafted. I'm not going to cover all of them, but the following guys practically comprise our entire history of Chiefs quarterbackitude.
Steve DeBerg, Dallas '77, 10th round, 275th overall. DeBerg's time with the Chiefs was really his best in the NFL. His 1990 season was a thing of splendid wonder, it really was. And he should've had better. But look where he was originally drafted.
Bill Kenney, Miami '78, 12/ 333. I really did like Kenney, and he did play pretty well for us. He was actually a terrific passer. But again, look at where he was drafted!
Steve Pelluer, Dallas '84, 5/113. A great runner with lots of potential, he was definitely not the answer.
Steve Bono, Minnesota '85, 6/142. Most now believe that he benefited from being on a terrific team. He played miserably in the '95 playoff game and essentially wasn't heard from again.
Rich Gannon, New England '87, 4/98. Another guy who did well for us as a reserve, and even went on to Oakland to win an MVP in '02. Still, not a high D&D guy.
Elvis Grbac, San Francisco '93, 8/219. He actually did well (even making the Pro Bowl in 2000), but he just wasn't going to get us far in the playoffs. He plainly didn't get the job done in that horrific '97 playoff game against Denver. But yet again, look at where he was drafted!
Trent Green, San Diego '93, 8/222. How funny is that. Green was taken a mere three picks after Grbac. He is probably the best overall long-term guy on this list. But still...
Kyle Orton, Chicago '05, 4/106. Just had to include him here, just to note where he was drafted. Not high in case you were wondering.
Matt Cassell, New England '05, 7/230. Erck. 7th round, 230th overall. You are kidding me. And we sign him for a gazillion dollars thinking he's going to be the ::gulp:: next Tom Brady...
Tyler Thigpen, Minnesota '07, 7/217. He really was our number one guy for a number of games in that wretched stretch from '07 to '09. Big tough guy who could run and kinda throw but simply was not going to do much for us.
How many of these guys roared through the NFL, swatting other teams like gnats on their way to scintillating Super Bowl performances for great Chiefs glory? How many of them did any of that for any other team? Rich Gannon came close with Oakland, and the jury's still out on whether Orton (and I guess Cassel and Thigpen) will ever do anything, but with all due respect,
None of these quarterbacks were going to get us to the promised land because -- you know it: what is the message of The Quarterback Project?
Answer: They weren't originally selected by the Chiefs and deftly fine-tuned by an exceptional coaching staff. Not only that, but look at where they were drafted. People people people, the Tom Bradys of the world are so so so rare that you simply cannot ever trust that your figment of Tom Brady is ever going to pan out, that's all there is to it. Our latest illusion is Ricky Stanzi, a guy picked in the 5th round, 135th overall.
Are you kidding me?
McFly, McFly, are you paying attention McFly Pioli? Have you just not learned from the above extraordinarily detailed and painfully obvious information? Don't you see that not a single one of those guys running our offense year after year after year had ever been drafted by any team higher than 98th? 98th?! Haven't the Chiefs learned from many many many many far-too-many years of trying to spin gold from oatmeal?
So let's cut right to the core, right now. What is the most pressing issue with us right now?
We have the No. 11 pick in the draft. It just seems that Andrew Luck is going No. 1 and Robert Griffin is going very shortly after that. Will there be a Ben Roethlisberger or Aaron Rodgers there for us? There at No. 11? If indeed we are facing a situation where Luck and Griffin are taken and the next best guy is no better than a No. 124 pick overall, then we are looking at more years of having to endure the Curse of Odin's Revenge. (And as you know, I just don't know. I pay no attention to who's available where in the draft because it drives me crazy, as you can see from this post and reading what I do know...)
Granted, I firmly understand that Scott Pioli can't change the rotten Chiefs D&D quarterback luck we've always had. But I will just go really crazy seeing that we're going to try to do anything meaningful (i.e. go to a Super Bowl) with Matt Cassel or Kyle Orton or Ricky Stanzi or some clown we're signing who was originally a sixth round pick and who will get us all excited just because he's our newest Chief and who may even play marvelously in some games giving us a nice little thrill...
Except that he's not going to get us close to a Super Bowl and all of this is happening when there isn't that highly drafted guy back in the stable getting developed all the while.
You get the idea.
But I'm going to close out this whole thing with one last observation. A positive note. Since it just doesn't look good D&D quarterback-wise, I'm going to project Chiefs success another way. How about this.
I looked back at the very last game of the AFL. It was not Super Bowl IV, it was indeed the AFL All-Star Game, played the following Saturday at the Astrodome in Houston. January 17, 1970. Very little information is widely available about it, but I did find out that the final score was 26-3, the West over the East. The only players who scored were Chargers and Chiefs. Dick Post and Lance Alworth scored touchdowns, and a couple field goals were kicked by Jan Stenarud. But the final touchdown of the game was scored by Mike Livingston. Yeah! An All-Pro! He replaced an injured Len Dawson, and sure enough, he scored the very last points ever in any AFL related event (Stenarud's assumed PAT notwithstanding).
Fast forward to the All-Pro game, 2012, played as always in Honolulu. With a few minutes left the AFC is already pounding the NFC, and it is extraordinarily high-scoring because no one's really going all out to tackle anyone. Understandable, no one wants to get their best players injured -- fine.
But the NFC quarterback, I just don't remember who he was, throws an interception to San Diego's Eric Weddle, who then fumbles the ball. It is picked up by Kansas City linebacker Derrick Johnson, who then zigzags through the NFC quasi-tacklers on his way to yes, you got it, the last touchdown the AFC would score in the game.
Can you see what this means? I think this is the sign that the Curse has been broken, I really do.
I think this is the time the Chiefs are going to be that one AFL team that's going to take off -- they're poised to finally take care of business for the honor of the AFL, and begin to do great things for some time.
I think Scott Pioli is going to find a way to get the quarterback situation done. I think Romeo Crennel is going to repeat the Bill Belichick thing: do not-so-well with the Browns then go to a former AFL team and make it a powerhouse. I think our offensive line with Branden Albert and Jon Asamoah is going to be beast. I think getting Jamaal Charles back healthy will really fire up our offense, and getting Eric Berry back is going to make our defensive backfield impenetrable. I think Justin Houston is going to be amazing and make Derrick Johnson even better. I think Allen Bailey is going to add another dimension to our pass rush making Tamba Hali even better. I think we are going to put to good use some of the $30 million we have under the cap (at least this is what my uncle told me we had a while ago) and sign some guys who can really play well for us in key areas.
And I'm not kidding with this assessment. I'm not trying to make light of the significant impact of The Quarterback Project, because it is sobering. But I really think Pioli is taking no prisoners in building this team, and that just has to play itself out.
I still can't watch what happens with the draft, what we're doing with our quarterback issue, or anything else until opening day because again, it just kills me.
But then again, I can have some reasonable hope that it'll get done whether I'm watching or not.
See you in September!
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[Here is the first post in The Quarterback Project.]
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Saturday, February 18, 2012
Sunday, February 12, 2012
The Quarterback Project
I simply cannot stop thinking about how much the Chiefs have been destroyed through their many years of AFL-NFL play by not having a quarterback that they have drafted and developed. Because of this not-quite-so-consuming-as-it-seems obsession, I have taken some spare down-time to look a bit into the meaning of having that guy (or not having him as the most relevant case may be), and I have indeed come across some very interesting things.
First of all, back in October of 2008 after a game the Chiefs played against the Panthers, my blog post unofficially commenced The Quarterback Project when I discovered the extent to which a team truly must have a Hall-of-Fame caliber quarterback or you are just not going to have a chance to win the Super Bowl. Could your not-HOF QB get you there once and by chance get your team to win it? Sure, but I discovered those instances are very rare and very far between.
Here is that post, and I'm not going to repeat all the significant information here. I will say that since that post, I've slightly shifted a few of my considerations for who should be where. For instance, I've moved Peyton Manning up to the "Hall-of-Fame great" category, and while he and Tom Brady are still active, I don't think anyone could doubt they'll both be in the Hall. I also noticed a few of them are in the Hall but I don't have them at "10," but that's because I just don't think they rise to the greatness of that level -- people like Joe Namath and Bob Greise. Again, as I mention in the post, this is certainly up for debate, but I don't think anyone can argue with the general placement.
Anyway, here's that list again, updated for 2012: (* indicates still active)
10: (Hall-of-Fame great) Troy Aikman (3 Super Bowl wins all together), Terry Bradshaw (4), Tom Brady* (3), John Elway (2), Brett Favre (1), Peyton Manning* (1), Joe Montana (4), Roger Staubach (2), John Unitas (1), and Steve Young (1). 22 total Super Bowl wins among them.
9: (Hall-of-Fame great but not the greatest) Len Dawson, Jim Plunkett, Phil Simms, Bart Starr. 6 total Super Bowl wins.
8: (Near great) Drew Brees*, Eli Manning*, Kurt Warner. 4 total wins.
7: (Very good) Ben Roethlisberger*, Aaron Rodgers*, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler. 5 total wins.
6: (Good) Bob Griese, Jim McMahon, Joe Theismann, Mark Rypien, Doug Williams. 6 total wins.
5: (Average) Brad Johnson. 1 total win.
4: (Fair) Trent Dilfer, Jeff Hostetler. 2 total wins.
3: (Poor) No one
2: (Dirt poor) No one
1: (Worthless) No one
For the purposes of this particular post, to analyze the immense value of a drafted and developed quarterback, you'll see that of the 29 quarterbacks on that list, a full 20 of them (36 wins all together among the 46 Super Bowls so far) were drafted and developed by the team for which they won the title. I am counting John Elway and Eli Manning in that category, for even though they were not drafted by that team, after the draft they were immediately shipped off to the team, so they established themselves there as if they were. Once again, see the post for more qualifying information, but the main thrust of this post is the same as it is with all the others:
The Kansas City Chiefs.
Why haven't they even been in a Super Bowl since the merger? Since 1970? Since the last time they won the thing? Yes I am indeed very very very very very proud of them for that. But since then?
It has been abysmal. Let's face it. We've only even made the AFC Championship game once. Eeyralphh.
And the main main mainest answer of all?
They just haven't had that quarterback.
Now let me make this clear. There have been a number of quarterbacks that I have been extraordinarily proud to have lead our team. Don't get me wrong. Joe Montana is my favorite player of all time. Steve DeBerg's year in 1990 was, to me, one for the ages. Trent Green was brilliant for us, he really was. I could name a few others in several instances that just made a Chiefs fan proud. And I'm not even mentioning Len Dawson, but that almost goes without saying.
But here's the bazillion dollar question.
Do we actually want to win the Super Bowl or not?
So what I did to get some grasp of all this was to go through all the teams, just to see which team has had the worst time with drafting quarterbacks. Knowing about the Chiefs awful record of drafting and developing (D&D) quarterbacks of their own, I was sure they would be the worst. I found that indeed there were some other teams that were really, really bad with it, but after it is all said and done, I think I could confidently conclude that yes, indeed...
The Chiefs are the worst.
So, let's dive into The Quarteback Project and look at each team -- yes, I want to be exhaustive this time. Yes, all of this comprises my opinion, but I try really hard to align that opinion with the facts. If you disagree, let me know, fine, but I think you'll find that I do give the highest honor to the truth about things. And yes, if you are a resolute Chiefs fan, you'll probably need that resolve to shield you from the ugliness that is about to follow.
What I'm doing here is looking at all the quarterbacks drafted from 1960 when the AFL came into existence and was considered sort of an unofficial starting point of the modern era. Sure, some will say it was 1958 with the Colts-Giants "Greatest Game Ever," but that's close enough. I'm then going to just look at those quarterbacks -- I really focused on those in the top three rounds -- as well as a few others of note selected from other rounds to see how many of them each team has actually received some pretty decent mileage from.
There are the very rare Tom Brady's, but they are extraordinarily rare. I should say that as I went over the list, I was kind of surprised by the number of highly drafted QB's all over the place who themselves were complete busts. That is not surprising, though, when you think that in any professional team athletic endeavor, some players will just emerge as better than others. The "bad" ones may not have necessarily been that bad at all, it is just that we pay more attention and award more accolades to the better ones. We should also keep in mind the myriad situations where a QB is really pretty good but working with a rotten team that simply drags his entire reputation down with it, and the instances where an actually much-less-talented guy is blessed to have a high quality team around him.
The fact remains, however, that if you aren't going to get a guy somewhere in the top three rounds, somewhere among the top 100 players coming from the college ranks each year, you aren't really serious about getting to the promised land. And even then it really should be from among the top ten or twenty players at that.
But again, what is the observable record for each team getting good play from their own drafted and developed quarterbacks? Let's just do this alphabetically:
Arizona: They've had really only two good quarterbacks that they D&D'ed: Jim Hart and Neil Lomax. Hart was signed as a free agent just as if he'd been drafted and was pretty good for them through the 70's. Lomax (2nd round, 33rd overall) was a stud who I believe went to quite a few Pro Bowls. Matt Leinhart (1/10) and Kelly Stouffer (1/6) were their most notable busts.
Atlanta: This team was a beast with D&D'ing QB's, but they never got the best Falcons success from them. Matt Ryan (1/3) is their latest highly drafted guy, but he's been a bit disappointing so far. Their first solid D&D QB was Steve Bartkowski (1/1), who was terrific. Chris Miller (1/13) and Michael Vick (1/1) were also good QB's, and interestingly they drafted Brett Favre (2/33) and Matt Schaub (3/90) just before sending them elsewhere where they shined.
Baltimore: The main guy they got, have, and who has always taken them far is Joe Flacco (1/18).
Buffalo: Jim Kelly (1/14) was their main guy, and they also did well with Joe Ferguson (3/57) early in the 70's, but he was known mostly for just handing the ball to O.J. Simpson.
Carolina: Their big prize is Cam Newton (1/1), who just finished a fantastic rookie season. That team already has their super D&D guy.
Chicago: Rex Grossman (1/22) got them to the Super Bowl in '06 -- in fact do you know that Grossman is the last QB for a Super Bowl team who is not on that list above? Way back in '06?! That is, the losing QB's in the last five Super Bowls have been Brady, Roethlisberger, Manning P, Warner, and Brady -- all on the list of already super Super Bowl-winning QB's. Doesn't this say something to the value of those QB's?! The Bears also had Jim McMahon (1/5), Jim Harbaugh (1/26) (for a while), and Bobby Douglass (2/41) who was known mostly for his great running ability.
Cincinnati: Andy Dalton (2/35) is their rookie who had a terrific year, but earlier they got wonderful work from Boomer Esiason (2/38) and Ken Anderson (3/67). Greg Cook (1/5) deserves mention because he was an amazing QB who had his bright career ended by an awful injury. Busts may include Carson Palmer (1/1) who hadn't really done what was expected (he's now on the Raiders) and does include Akili Smith (1/3) and David Klingler (1/6).
Cleveland: Oh my oh my, who can forget Tim Couch (1/1) and Brady Quinn (1/22). Those two guys alone should make this the top worst QB D&D team, but sadly for them they can't claim that notoriety, because in 1985 they did get a splendid quarterback in Bernie Kosar, who practically abused the system to allow the Browns to get him through the supplemental draft. This team also got some decent play from Mike Phipps (1/3).
Dallas: Troy Aikman (1/1). Danny White (3/53). Roger Staubach (taken very low in the 1964 draft because his Naval commitment needed to be honored). Even Craig Morton did well for them.
Denver: One of the most revealing things The Quarterback Project has showed me was that when a team can get a super studly quarterback in the draft, they can actually use their high picks for the next several years to get guys that will help the team in other areas not quarterback. This was the case with the Broncos, who didn't draft John Elway (1/1), but it was as if they did because they plucked him right away from Indianapolis. He was so good for them that Denver didn't pick a high QB in the top rounds until '92, and even then, why? It was also very-not-so-great Tommy Maddox (1/25). Anyway, teams like the Broncos were so successful in large part because they truly could have that extra draft advantage for years. And I can't refuse to mention Tim Tebow (1/25), who for all the questions about his ability has still infused the NFL with a tremendous jolt of popularity.
Detroit: A poor QB drafting team to be sure (and their playoff record -- or non-record as the case may be -- demonstrates this). They still have Matthew Stafford (1/1) now, and he's been great when he's not been injured. They also got some decent play from Charlie Batch (2/60) and Greg Landry (1/11). Mention must be made of the whole Joey Harrington (1/3) mess that many believe belied his talent.
Green Bay: Aaron Rodgers (1/24), nuff said. Bart Starr was also a D&D'ed guy, and the Packers actually got good mileage from a number of lower drafted guys, like Don Majkowski. The way the Packers got Brett Favre made him almost a pure D&D guy, but he was actually in for a few plays with Atlanta for a season before being instrumental in making the Packers great during the 90's.
Houston: David Carr (1/1) was their big pick-up, but he played for a woeful expansion team. They haven't really been around long enough to see how much a good D&D'ed guy would mean for them. This year low drafted T.J. Yates was their third string guy who came in when Matt Schaub and their second-string QB got injured, and he still led them into the playoffs.
Indianapolis: Peyton Manning (1/1), nuff said. In fact, (to say more) the Colts have not drafted a QB anywhere near high since he was picked in '98. No wonder they've done so well. I should add, though, that they did also get good play from Bert Jones (1/2) in the early 70's.
Jacksonville: This team is one of those that just didn't draft QB's high. I noticed New Orleans and Washington were other teams that just didn't do that. They did get a major bust with Byron Leftwich (1/7). Since they've only been around for, what, 17 years, the D&D assessment range is very small. The first part of their history was taken up by expansion team pick-up Mark Brunell, who did great for them, and the second part by David Garrard who was a 4th round draft selection.
Kansas City: I'm going to save Kansas City for later. (Hey, why spoil all this fun looking at all these really good D&D'ed guys from allll the other teams?...)
Miami: Dan Marino (1/27), nuff said. Okay, I'm going to say more... and that more is Bob Greise (1/4). Nuff said now.
Minnesota: Fran Tarkenton is the obvious one, but you should also remember Tommy Kramer (1/27), who was a really good QB for them in the 70's, I think early 80's. Wade Wilson also did well for them, plucked in the eighth round. Daunte Culpepper (1/11) also had some early success for the Vikings, making a few Pro Bowls himself. By the way, are you noticing how many guys who stay with their original team for a bit and are at least a little bit good are mostly all first rounders? It kind of means something to have that one guy drop right into your hands in the the first round of the draft every once in a while, doesn't it?... (That whimper, just at the end of that statement, there, was from a Chiefs fan, by the way, just in case you didn't quite catch that...)
New England: Okay, do I have to say "Tom Brady, nuff said"? No, because I have to add Drew Bledsoe (1/1) (who still got them to the Super Bowl in '96), Tony Eason (1/15) (who got them there in '85), and Jim Plunkett who was a No. 1 overall pick who did okay in his rookie year but jettisoned only to eventually land in Oakland where he won two Super Bowls for the Raiders.
New Orleans: Archie Manning (1/2) was a phenomenal quarterback on a wretched Saints team.
New York Giants: They too have benefited from doing very well with drafting quarterbacks. Since 1960 they've only drafted three in the first three rounds. That's all they've needed, really. Phil Simms (1/7) from '79 got them a long, long way. They picked Philip Rivers (1/4) in '04, but instantly traded him for Eli Manning (1/1) who's won them two Super Bowls. Hey, even Jeff Hostetler (3/59), a back-up his entire time with the Giants, got them their '90 Super Bowl win.
New York Jets: Sure many people think Mark Sanchez (1/5) should be better, but ya know? He's still gotten the Jets to two consecutive AFC championship games, in '09 and '10. Chad Pennington (1/18) was good, and I think Ken O'Brien (1/24) was even better. I also think Richard Todd (1/6) was a fine talent -- I really liked watching how he fired the ball. And who was that other guy?... Um, Joe, somebody... Namath or something like that?...
Oakland: This is one team that could very well challenge the Chiefs in the bad QB drafting game, I have to admit. JaMarcus Russell (1/1), Todd Marinovich (1/24), Marc Wilson (1/15). Can't say I'm not unpleased. But hey, they still have it all over the Chiefs with their one, solid, D&D'ed guy, Ken Stabler (2/52).
Philadelphia: Donovan McNabb (1/2) was very good for them. So was Randall Cunningham (2/37). Yes, not the best overall Eagles quarterback showing through the years, but then, yet again, how many Super Bowls have the Eagles won?...
Pittsburgh: These guys haven't had just one great D&D QB, they've had two: Terry Bradshaw (1/1) and Ben Roethlisberger (1/11). Not fair. They also got some nice play from Kordell Stewart (2/60) and Neil O'Donnell (3/70), though I know how much Steeler fans loathe these guys for just not being Bradshaw or Roethlisberger. That's Steeler fans for you.
San Diego: Again, involved in the Rivers-Manning switcharoo, and while the Chargers haven't done anything Super Bowl-ish in Rivers' tenure, he has still been a spectacular quarterback for them. Throw in Drew Brees (2/32), Dan Fouts (3/64), and John Hadl and you have a very successful D&D team, the notorious Ryan Leaf (1/2) debacle notwithstanding.
San Francisco: As much as everyone lauds the Niners for getting such good play from such low-drafted Joe Montana (3/82), he was still picked in the third round, so it wasn't as if he should have been some kind of surprise. Alex Smith (1/1) is their guy now, and he's had a hard time of it with a very disjointed team. He did great this year under Jim Harbaugh and won a clutch playoff game against the Saints, so he may have it in him to do well for some time.
Seattle: This has been a poor D&D team, too, with a classic bust in Dan McGwire (1/16), except that they still have one good solid QB they can hang their D&D hat on: Dave Krieg. Undrafted, he still signed and worked his way to being one of the top QB's in the league.
St. Louis: Sam Bradford (1/1) is their guy now, and he's a good one. (With these very young guys, like Stafford of Detroit and Dalton of Cincinnati, it will still take a while to see if they pan out, yes, but their early play has been pretty good.) Jim Everett (1/3) was drafted by Houston, but he went right to the Rams so it was as if he was drafted by them. Roman Gabriel was a very good signal caller for them in the late 60's, early 70's. And who can forget Kurt Warner, undrafted, but in one magical year, 1999, he just exploded for them. He went on to help the Rams be dominant in the early 00's and continued his great play later with Arizona.
Tampa Bay: Josh Freeman (1/17) is their great hope now, but they also had Vinny Testaverde (1/1) (didn't do so well with a poor Bucs team) and Doug Williams (1/17) (who did do well leading the Bucs to the NFC championship game in '79). Tampa Bay also drafted Steve Young, but didn't do very well developing him and shipped him to San Francisco where he flourished.
Tennessee: Vince Young (1/3) was a recent bust, but they had Steve McNair (1/3) who led them to the 1999 Super Bowl. When they were the Oilers before they had the services of Warren Moon for a long period of time, they drafted Dan Pastorini (1/3) and he did well enough to get them playoff action in the late 70's.
Washington: Again, the Redskins never drafted QB's high. They got a Super Bowl from D&D'ed Mark Rypien who was a sixth round selection, but guys like Joe Theismann (drafted originally by Miami) and Billy Kilmer (San Francisco) were pick-ups from elsewhere. Jay Schroeder (3/83) was servicable for a while, and as far back as 1961 they got Norm Snead who did some good things for them before going off to Philadelphia.
Now to the Chiefs.
Only thing is, this introduction has been quite expansive (and I'd still like to delve much deeper into each team!) I'm going to have to return to The Quarterback Project with a different post for next time, just to address the Chiefs in this whole picture. I'll shoot for next week so this post and its meaning can settle firmly in the minds of those who still need some convincing about the stratospherically significant impact a fine D&D'ed quarterback has on a team.
I don't think for a second that Scott Pioli doesn't know all this.
But then, really, what is all this for?
It's all just therapy, really.
And for Chiefs fans without a single truly meaningful D&D'ed QB in its entire history, unlike, well, every single other team on this list, it is very important that we therapize. I guess.
Anyway, the full lowdown on the history of Kansas City Chiefs quarterbackitude and their D&D activity -- err, their bountiful lack of it -- next time...
(And a quick note: If you see any discrepancy about information I've put together here, I'd love to hear about it! I want it to be as accurate as it can be, so corrections are most welcome. Also invited are the best takes regarding the opinions -- robust debate is also welcome!)
_
[Here is the post that details the Chiefs QB D&D history. Warning: parental discretion is advised...]
_
I simply cannot stop thinking about how much the Chiefs have been destroyed through their many years of AFL-NFL play by not having a quarterback that they have drafted and developed. Because of this not-quite-so-consuming-as-it-seems obsession, I have taken some spare down-time to look a bit into the meaning of having that guy (or not having him as the most relevant case may be), and I have indeed come across some very interesting things.
First of all, back in October of 2008 after a game the Chiefs played against the Panthers, my blog post unofficially commenced The Quarterback Project when I discovered the extent to which a team truly must have a Hall-of-Fame caliber quarterback or you are just not going to have a chance to win the Super Bowl. Could your not-HOF QB get you there once and by chance get your team to win it? Sure, but I discovered those instances are very rare and very far between.
Here is that post, and I'm not going to repeat all the significant information here. I will say that since that post, I've slightly shifted a few of my considerations for who should be where. For instance, I've moved Peyton Manning up to the "Hall-of-Fame great" category, and while he and Tom Brady are still active, I don't think anyone could doubt they'll both be in the Hall. I also noticed a few of them are in the Hall but I don't have them at "10," but that's because I just don't think they rise to the greatness of that level -- people like Joe Namath and Bob Greise. Again, as I mention in the post, this is certainly up for debate, but I don't think anyone can argue with the general placement.
Anyway, here's that list again, updated for 2012: (* indicates still active)
10: (Hall-of-Fame great) Troy Aikman (3 Super Bowl wins all together), Terry Bradshaw (4), Tom Brady* (3), John Elway (2), Brett Favre (1), Peyton Manning* (1), Joe Montana (4), Roger Staubach (2), John Unitas (1), and Steve Young (1). 22 total Super Bowl wins among them.
9: (Hall-of-Fame great but not the greatest) Len Dawson, Jim Plunkett, Phil Simms, Bart Starr. 6 total Super Bowl wins.
8: (Near great) Drew Brees*, Eli Manning*, Kurt Warner. 4 total wins.
7: (Very good) Ben Roethlisberger*, Aaron Rodgers*, Joe Namath, Ken Stabler. 5 total wins.
6: (Good) Bob Griese, Jim McMahon, Joe Theismann, Mark Rypien, Doug Williams. 6 total wins.
5: (Average) Brad Johnson. 1 total win.
4: (Fair) Trent Dilfer, Jeff Hostetler. 2 total wins.
3: (Poor) No one
2: (Dirt poor) No one
1: (Worthless) No one
For the purposes of this particular post, to analyze the immense value of a drafted and developed quarterback, you'll see that of the 29 quarterbacks on that list, a full 20 of them (36 wins all together among the 46 Super Bowls so far) were drafted and developed by the team for which they won the title. I am counting John Elway and Eli Manning in that category, for even though they were not drafted by that team, after the draft they were immediately shipped off to the team, so they established themselves there as if they were. Once again, see the post for more qualifying information, but the main thrust of this post is the same as it is with all the others:
The Kansas City Chiefs.
Why haven't they even been in a Super Bowl since the merger? Since 1970? Since the last time they won the thing? Yes I am indeed very very very very very proud of them for that. But since then?
It has been abysmal. Let's face it. We've only even made the AFC Championship game once. Eeyralphh.
And the main main mainest answer of all?
They just haven't had that quarterback.
Now let me make this clear. There have been a number of quarterbacks that I have been extraordinarily proud to have lead our team. Don't get me wrong. Joe Montana is my favorite player of all time. Steve DeBerg's year in 1990 was, to me, one for the ages. Trent Green was brilliant for us, he really was. I could name a few others in several instances that just made a Chiefs fan proud. And I'm not even mentioning Len Dawson, but that almost goes without saying.
But here's the bazillion dollar question.
Do we actually want to win the Super Bowl or not?
So what I did to get some grasp of all this was to go through all the teams, just to see which team has had the worst time with drafting quarterbacks. Knowing about the Chiefs awful record of drafting and developing (D&D) quarterbacks of their own, I was sure they would be the worst. I found that indeed there were some other teams that were really, really bad with it, but after it is all said and done, I think I could confidently conclude that yes, indeed...
The Chiefs are the worst.
So, let's dive into The Quarteback Project and look at each team -- yes, I want to be exhaustive this time. Yes, all of this comprises my opinion, but I try really hard to align that opinion with the facts. If you disagree, let me know, fine, but I think you'll find that I do give the highest honor to the truth about things. And yes, if you are a resolute Chiefs fan, you'll probably need that resolve to shield you from the ugliness that is about to follow.
What I'm doing here is looking at all the quarterbacks drafted from 1960 when the AFL came into existence and was considered sort of an unofficial starting point of the modern era. Sure, some will say it was 1958 with the Colts-Giants "Greatest Game Ever," but that's close enough. I'm then going to just look at those quarterbacks -- I really focused on those in the top three rounds -- as well as a few others of note selected from other rounds to see how many of them each team has actually received some pretty decent mileage from.
There are the very rare Tom Brady's, but they are extraordinarily rare. I should say that as I went over the list, I was kind of surprised by the number of highly drafted QB's all over the place who themselves were complete busts. That is not surprising, though, when you think that in any professional team athletic endeavor, some players will just emerge as better than others. The "bad" ones may not have necessarily been that bad at all, it is just that we pay more attention and award more accolades to the better ones. We should also keep in mind the myriad situations where a QB is really pretty good but working with a rotten team that simply drags his entire reputation down with it, and the instances where an actually much-less-talented guy is blessed to have a high quality team around him.
The fact remains, however, that if you aren't going to get a guy somewhere in the top three rounds, somewhere among the top 100 players coming from the college ranks each year, you aren't really serious about getting to the promised land. And even then it really should be from among the top ten or twenty players at that.
But again, what is the observable record for each team getting good play from their own drafted and developed quarterbacks? Let's just do this alphabetically:
Arizona: They've had really only two good quarterbacks that they D&D'ed: Jim Hart and Neil Lomax. Hart was signed as a free agent just as if he'd been drafted and was pretty good for them through the 70's. Lomax (2nd round, 33rd overall) was a stud who I believe went to quite a few Pro Bowls. Matt Leinhart (1/10) and Kelly Stouffer (1/6) were their most notable busts.
Atlanta: This team was a beast with D&D'ing QB's, but they never got the best Falcons success from them. Matt Ryan (1/3) is their latest highly drafted guy, but he's been a bit disappointing so far. Their first solid D&D QB was Steve Bartkowski (1/1), who was terrific. Chris Miller (1/13) and Michael Vick (1/1) were also good QB's, and interestingly they drafted Brett Favre (2/33) and Matt Schaub (3/90) just before sending them elsewhere where they shined.
Baltimore: The main guy they got, have, and who has always taken them far is Joe Flacco (1/18).
Buffalo: Jim Kelly (1/14) was their main guy, and they also did well with Joe Ferguson (3/57) early in the 70's, but he was known mostly for just handing the ball to O.J. Simpson.
Carolina: Their big prize is Cam Newton (1/1), who just finished a fantastic rookie season. That team already has their super D&D guy.
Chicago: Rex Grossman (1/22) got them to the Super Bowl in '06 -- in fact do you know that Grossman is the last QB for a Super Bowl team who is not on that list above? Way back in '06?! That is, the losing QB's in the last five Super Bowls have been Brady, Roethlisberger, Manning P, Warner, and Brady -- all on the list of already super Super Bowl-winning QB's. Doesn't this say something to the value of those QB's?! The Bears also had Jim McMahon (1/5), Jim Harbaugh (1/26) (for a while), and Bobby Douglass (2/41) who was known mostly for his great running ability.
Cincinnati: Andy Dalton (2/35) is their rookie who had a terrific year, but earlier they got wonderful work from Boomer Esiason (2/38) and Ken Anderson (3/67). Greg Cook (1/5) deserves mention because he was an amazing QB who had his bright career ended by an awful injury. Busts may include Carson Palmer (1/1) who hadn't really done what was expected (he's now on the Raiders) and does include Akili Smith (1/3) and David Klingler (1/6).
Cleveland: Oh my oh my, who can forget Tim Couch (1/1) and Brady Quinn (1/22). Those two guys alone should make this the top worst QB D&D team, but sadly for them they can't claim that notoriety, because in 1985 they did get a splendid quarterback in Bernie Kosar, who practically abused the system to allow the Browns to get him through the supplemental draft. This team also got some decent play from Mike Phipps (1/3).
Dallas: Troy Aikman (1/1). Danny White (3/53). Roger Staubach (taken very low in the 1964 draft because his Naval commitment needed to be honored). Even Craig Morton did well for them.
Denver: One of the most revealing things The Quarterback Project has showed me was that when a team can get a super studly quarterback in the draft, they can actually use their high picks for the next several years to get guys that will help the team in other areas not quarterback. This was the case with the Broncos, who didn't draft John Elway (1/1), but it was as if they did because they plucked him right away from Indianapolis. He was so good for them that Denver didn't pick a high QB in the top rounds until '92, and even then, why? It was also very-not-so-great Tommy Maddox (1/25). Anyway, teams like the Broncos were so successful in large part because they truly could have that extra draft advantage for years. And I can't refuse to mention Tim Tebow (1/25), who for all the questions about his ability has still infused the NFL with a tremendous jolt of popularity.
Detroit: A poor QB drafting team to be sure (and their playoff record -- or non-record as the case may be -- demonstrates this). They still have Matthew Stafford (1/1) now, and he's been great when he's not been injured. They also got some decent play from Charlie Batch (2/60) and Greg Landry (1/11). Mention must be made of the whole Joey Harrington (1/3) mess that many believe belied his talent.
Green Bay: Aaron Rodgers (1/24), nuff said. Bart Starr was also a D&D'ed guy, and the Packers actually got good mileage from a number of lower drafted guys, like Don Majkowski. The way the Packers got Brett Favre made him almost a pure D&D guy, but he was actually in for a few plays with Atlanta for a season before being instrumental in making the Packers great during the 90's.
Houston: David Carr (1/1) was their big pick-up, but he played for a woeful expansion team. They haven't really been around long enough to see how much a good D&D'ed guy would mean for them. This year low drafted T.J. Yates was their third string guy who came in when Matt Schaub and their second-string QB got injured, and he still led them into the playoffs.
Indianapolis: Peyton Manning (1/1), nuff said. In fact, (to say more) the Colts have not drafted a QB anywhere near high since he was picked in '98. No wonder they've done so well. I should add, though, that they did also get good play from Bert Jones (1/2) in the early 70's.
Jacksonville: This team is one of those that just didn't draft QB's high. I noticed New Orleans and Washington were other teams that just didn't do that. They did get a major bust with Byron Leftwich (1/7). Since they've only been around for, what, 17 years, the D&D assessment range is very small. The first part of their history was taken up by expansion team pick-up Mark Brunell, who did great for them, and the second part by David Garrard who was a 4th round draft selection.
Kansas City: I'm going to save Kansas City for later. (Hey, why spoil all this fun looking at all these really good D&D'ed guys from allll the other teams?...)
Miami: Dan Marino (1/27), nuff said. Okay, I'm going to say more... and that more is Bob Greise (1/4). Nuff said now.
Minnesota: Fran Tarkenton is the obvious one, but you should also remember Tommy Kramer (1/27), who was a really good QB for them in the 70's, I think early 80's. Wade Wilson also did well for them, plucked in the eighth round. Daunte Culpepper (1/11) also had some early success for the Vikings, making a few Pro Bowls himself. By the way, are you noticing how many guys who stay with their original team for a bit and are at least a little bit good are mostly all first rounders? It kind of means something to have that one guy drop right into your hands in the the first round of the draft every once in a while, doesn't it?... (That whimper, just at the end of that statement, there, was from a Chiefs fan, by the way, just in case you didn't quite catch that...)
New England: Okay, do I have to say "Tom Brady, nuff said"? No, because I have to add Drew Bledsoe (1/1) (who still got them to the Super Bowl in '96), Tony Eason (1/15) (who got them there in '85), and Jim Plunkett who was a No. 1 overall pick who did okay in his rookie year but jettisoned only to eventually land in Oakland where he won two Super Bowls for the Raiders.
New Orleans: Archie Manning (1/2) was a phenomenal quarterback on a wretched Saints team.
New York Giants: They too have benefited from doing very well with drafting quarterbacks. Since 1960 they've only drafted three in the first three rounds. That's all they've needed, really. Phil Simms (1/7) from '79 got them a long, long way. They picked Philip Rivers (1/4) in '04, but instantly traded him for Eli Manning (1/1) who's won them two Super Bowls. Hey, even Jeff Hostetler (3/59), a back-up his entire time with the Giants, got them their '90 Super Bowl win.
New York Jets: Sure many people think Mark Sanchez (1/5) should be better, but ya know? He's still gotten the Jets to two consecutive AFC championship games, in '09 and '10. Chad Pennington (1/18) was good, and I think Ken O'Brien (1/24) was even better. I also think Richard Todd (1/6) was a fine talent -- I really liked watching how he fired the ball. And who was that other guy?... Um, Joe, somebody... Namath or something like that?...
Oakland: This is one team that could very well challenge the Chiefs in the bad QB drafting game, I have to admit. JaMarcus Russell (1/1), Todd Marinovich (1/24), Marc Wilson (1/15). Can't say I'm not unpleased. But hey, they still have it all over the Chiefs with their one, solid, D&D'ed guy, Ken Stabler (2/52).
Philadelphia: Donovan McNabb (1/2) was very good for them. So was Randall Cunningham (2/37). Yes, not the best overall Eagles quarterback showing through the years, but then, yet again, how many Super Bowls have the Eagles won?...
Pittsburgh: These guys haven't had just one great D&D QB, they've had two: Terry Bradshaw (1/1) and Ben Roethlisberger (1/11). Not fair. They also got some nice play from Kordell Stewart (2/60) and Neil O'Donnell (3/70), though I know how much Steeler fans loathe these guys for just not being Bradshaw or Roethlisberger. That's Steeler fans for you.
San Diego: Again, involved in the Rivers-Manning switcharoo, and while the Chargers haven't done anything Super Bowl-ish in Rivers' tenure, he has still been a spectacular quarterback for them. Throw in Drew Brees (2/32), Dan Fouts (3/64), and John Hadl and you have a very successful D&D team, the notorious Ryan Leaf (1/2) debacle notwithstanding.
San Francisco: As much as everyone lauds the Niners for getting such good play from such low-drafted Joe Montana (3/82), he was still picked in the third round, so it wasn't as if he should have been some kind of surprise. Alex Smith (1/1) is their guy now, and he's had a hard time of it with a very disjointed team. He did great this year under Jim Harbaugh and won a clutch playoff game against the Saints, so he may have it in him to do well for some time.
Seattle: This has been a poor D&D team, too, with a classic bust in Dan McGwire (1/16), except that they still have one good solid QB they can hang their D&D hat on: Dave Krieg. Undrafted, he still signed and worked his way to being one of the top QB's in the league.
St. Louis: Sam Bradford (1/1) is their guy now, and he's a good one. (With these very young guys, like Stafford of Detroit and Dalton of Cincinnati, it will still take a while to see if they pan out, yes, but their early play has been pretty good.) Jim Everett (1/3) was drafted by Houston, but he went right to the Rams so it was as if he was drafted by them. Roman Gabriel was a very good signal caller for them in the late 60's, early 70's. And who can forget Kurt Warner, undrafted, but in one magical year, 1999, he just exploded for them. He went on to help the Rams be dominant in the early 00's and continued his great play later with Arizona.
Tampa Bay: Josh Freeman (1/17) is their great hope now, but they also had Vinny Testaverde (1/1) (didn't do so well with a poor Bucs team) and Doug Williams (1/17) (who did do well leading the Bucs to the NFC championship game in '79). Tampa Bay also drafted Steve Young, but didn't do very well developing him and shipped him to San Francisco where he flourished.
Tennessee: Vince Young (1/3) was a recent bust, but they had Steve McNair (1/3) who led them to the 1999 Super Bowl. When they were the Oilers before they had the services of Warren Moon for a long period of time, they drafted Dan Pastorini (1/3) and he did well enough to get them playoff action in the late 70's.
Washington: Again, the Redskins never drafted QB's high. They got a Super Bowl from D&D'ed Mark Rypien who was a sixth round selection, but guys like Joe Theismann (drafted originally by Miami) and Billy Kilmer (San Francisco) were pick-ups from elsewhere. Jay Schroeder (3/83) was servicable for a while, and as far back as 1961 they got Norm Snead who did some good things for them before going off to Philadelphia.
Now to the Chiefs.
Only thing is, this introduction has been quite expansive (and I'd still like to delve much deeper into each team!) I'm going to have to return to The Quarterback Project with a different post for next time, just to address the Chiefs in this whole picture. I'll shoot for next week so this post and its meaning can settle firmly in the minds of those who still need some convincing about the stratospherically significant impact a fine D&D'ed quarterback has on a team.
I don't think for a second that Scott Pioli doesn't know all this.
But then, really, what is all this for?
It's all just therapy, really.
And for Chiefs fans without a single truly meaningful D&D'ed QB in its entire history, unlike, well, every single other team on this list, it is very important that we therapize. I guess.
Anyway, the full lowdown on the history of Kansas City Chiefs quarterbackitude and their D&D activity -- err, their bountiful lack of it -- next time...
(And a quick note: If you see any discrepancy about information I've put together here, I'd love to hear about it! I want it to be as accurate as it can be, so corrections are most welcome. Also invited are the best takes regarding the opinions -- robust debate is also welcome!)
_
[Here is the post that details the Chiefs QB D&D history. Warning: parental discretion is advised...]
_
Sunday, February 05, 2012
Long Live the AFL! ( ::Sigh:: ) - Final 2011 Season Note
As we prepare to endure another Chiefsless Super Bowl, I thought I'd wind down the season with one last post. Today is indeed one of those days when I'll be drawn into watching at least a bit of the game. Some years I can delightfully get away with not seeing any of it, like last year when there was no party we had to attend and I could joyfully escape the day without knowing anything about what happened.
But today there is a Super Bowl party held by good people in a nice home with fine comestibles, and my sports celibacy does not allow me to be pathologically anti-social. So I will go, and indeed I will have a good time with friends. In honor of Lamar Hunt I will have at least a tepid rooting commitment for the Patriots, the old-AFL team that is appearing. This doesn't mean the old-AFL teams have really done anything Super-Bowl-wise. Six of the ten haven't won at all since the merger in 1970 (Chiefs, Jets, Chargers, Bills, Titans, Bengals) and the last non-Broncos-or-Patriots win was by the Raiders in January of 1984. But then I detail all the current old-AFL team woes in past posts.
So this still keeps me hoping that the next dominate NFL team from the old-AFL will be the Chiefs. It's their turn all right. But former Patriots mover-and-shaker Scott Pioli has got to take care of business.
The thing is, I know nothing about what we've done since the last game of the season, except for a few things I've picked up on my radar. For instance I have no idea if we've decided to keep Romeo Crennel or be earnestly in the hunt for the next Bill Belichick. I don't know what we're doing with our current quarterback situation. I did hear that after he was fired, Todd Haley complained that the things he shared with others through communication technology were being monitored by higher-ups, which can be good if it means we're taking care of business by ensuring we have the best personnel we can to win football games, or bad if it is considered to be invasively creepy.
In other words, is the organization going to carry itself as all business and will the people in it be enthusiastically committed to excellence all around? Or is it too psychotically paranoid and only frightening all those within the organization leading to many more years of poor performance on the field?
Will Scott Pioli be a beloved leader or a whacko dictocrat? Whichever one he is will be the main thing that determines whether or not we'll be the next Patriots, bringing back a long lost stature to that old-AFL.
As for what can happen with championship-team-assembling type things, we just have to hope that that quarterback falls to us in the draft. Already Pioli has insisted he won't trade up to try to get one. That's actually a great move because the price is always stratospheric to move up a handful of spots. Even though we really need that guy, we just have to hope like crazy a QB good enough to be picked at No. 11 is there for us.
There is only one other exception to the that-QB-has-got-to-be-snatched-up-very-high-in-the-draft requirement. If that guy just is not there, we could get by if a dominant pass rusher is available or the next Ray Lewis. It cannot be another Tyson Jackson! If we don't have that guy right there at No. 11, it'll just be another instance of failing to overcome the Curse of Odin's Revenge.
If there is one thing to be learned from the New York Giants making it to the Super Bowl, it is that an otherwise crappy team is there because
a. It has a fantastic coach in Tom Coughlin,
b. It has a phenomenally resourceful quarterback in Eli Manning,
c. It has an overpowering pass rush.
You have those three things and you're in the Super Bowl. It isn't for nothing that the Giants are there again after beating the undefeated Patriots four years ago.
Will the Chiefs get a coach that gets the most from the players he has and knows how to manage a football game?
Will the Chiefs be blessed to have that field general who can run the offense and just make things happen to win games?
Will the Chiefs slot in that last piece of the puzzle and add that pass rusher to compliment Tamba Hali to truly dominate on defense?
As it is I also noted that Willie Roaf got inducted into the Hall of Fame. How awesome is that. Very much no surprise. It has been my contention that Roaf was the most important player on those early '00's Chiefs teams. Trent Green and Priest Holmes, awesome players, truly, taking nothing away from them -- but they weren't half of who they were without Roaf there. When he retired, I knew it was going to be very hard. And it was. The late '00's were abysmal for the Chiefs.
As for the early '10's here, I have high hopes for Branden Albert and Jon Asamoah. Hopefully Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki will be back strong. It is easy to see the potential of Jonathan Baldwin.
But what about our Eli Manning?
Will he be there?
And can the Chiefs start to actually make the AFL what we all thought it should be after they won it all in '69?
Can the Chiefs finish what they started?
_
As we prepare to endure another Chiefsless Super Bowl, I thought I'd wind down the season with one last post. Today is indeed one of those days when I'll be drawn into watching at least a bit of the game. Some years I can delightfully get away with not seeing any of it, like last year when there was no party we had to attend and I could joyfully escape the day without knowing anything about what happened.
But today there is a Super Bowl party held by good people in a nice home with fine comestibles, and my sports celibacy does not allow me to be pathologically anti-social. So I will go, and indeed I will have a good time with friends. In honor of Lamar Hunt I will have at least a tepid rooting commitment for the Patriots, the old-AFL team that is appearing. This doesn't mean the old-AFL teams have really done anything Super-Bowl-wise. Six of the ten haven't won at all since the merger in 1970 (Chiefs, Jets, Chargers, Bills, Titans, Bengals) and the last non-Broncos-or-Patriots win was by the Raiders in January of 1984. But then I detail all the current old-AFL team woes in past posts.
So this still keeps me hoping that the next dominate NFL team from the old-AFL will be the Chiefs. It's their turn all right. But former Patriots mover-and-shaker Scott Pioli has got to take care of business.
The thing is, I know nothing about what we've done since the last game of the season, except for a few things I've picked up on my radar. For instance I have no idea if we've decided to keep Romeo Crennel or be earnestly in the hunt for the next Bill Belichick. I don't know what we're doing with our current quarterback situation. I did hear that after he was fired, Todd Haley complained that the things he shared with others through communication technology were being monitored by higher-ups, which can be good if it means we're taking care of business by ensuring we have the best personnel we can to win football games, or bad if it is considered to be invasively creepy.
In other words, is the organization going to carry itself as all business and will the people in it be enthusiastically committed to excellence all around? Or is it too psychotically paranoid and only frightening all those within the organization leading to many more years of poor performance on the field?
Will Scott Pioli be a beloved leader or a whacko dictocrat? Whichever one he is will be the main thing that determines whether or not we'll be the next Patriots, bringing back a long lost stature to that old-AFL.
As for what can happen with championship-team-assembling type things, we just have to hope that that quarterback falls to us in the draft. Already Pioli has insisted he won't trade up to try to get one. That's actually a great move because the price is always stratospheric to move up a handful of spots. Even though we really need that guy, we just have to hope like crazy a QB good enough to be picked at No. 11 is there for us.
There is only one other exception to the that-QB-has-got-to-be-snatched-up-very-high-in-the-draft requirement. If that guy just is not there, we could get by if a dominant pass rusher is available or the next Ray Lewis. It cannot be another Tyson Jackson! If we don't have that guy right there at No. 11, it'll just be another instance of failing to overcome the Curse of Odin's Revenge.
If there is one thing to be learned from the New York Giants making it to the Super Bowl, it is that an otherwise crappy team is there because
a. It has a fantastic coach in Tom Coughlin,
b. It has a phenomenally resourceful quarterback in Eli Manning,
c. It has an overpowering pass rush.
You have those three things and you're in the Super Bowl. It isn't for nothing that the Giants are there again after beating the undefeated Patriots four years ago.
Will the Chiefs get a coach that gets the most from the players he has and knows how to manage a football game?
Will the Chiefs be blessed to have that field general who can run the offense and just make things happen to win games?
Will the Chiefs slot in that last piece of the puzzle and add that pass rusher to compliment Tamba Hali to truly dominate on defense?
As it is I also noted that Willie Roaf got inducted into the Hall of Fame. How awesome is that. Very much no surprise. It has been my contention that Roaf was the most important player on those early '00's Chiefs teams. Trent Green and Priest Holmes, awesome players, truly, taking nothing away from them -- but they weren't half of who they were without Roaf there. When he retired, I knew it was going to be very hard. And it was. The late '00's were abysmal for the Chiefs.
As for the early '10's here, I have high hopes for Branden Albert and Jon Asamoah. Hopefully Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki will be back strong. It is easy to see the potential of Jonathan Baldwin.
But what about our Eli Manning?
Will he be there?
And can the Chiefs start to actually make the AFL what we all thought it should be after they won it all in '69?
Can the Chiefs finish what they started?
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