Observations | SPECIAL "CHIEFS OFF-SEASON" EDITION

BOYS’S DEAN’S OFFICE – Remember a long time ago when I used to do this blog every day? No? think back harder…

Anyways, I used to do this blog every day, and in those days, I had seriously considered a new project: a Daily Cowbell, KC Chiefs edition. Did you know that there’s one new blog started every minute? Well, with my Chiefs knowledge, I thought that perhaps being a center for Chiefs news, rumors, and commentaries would be pretty awesome.

I decided against doing it, in the long run (although I have considered the next step –the podcast. Keep posted…), but with free agency (without this mystical thing called a CBA) starting today, I figured I’d give a special version of my take on what’s going on. So without any more delay...

Three Chiefs Observations:

1. The end of one era, the beginning of another. After the Chiefs’ final victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Arrowhead, Dick Vermeil expectedly stepped down from the helm, leaving KC without a coach for the first time in 5 years. GM/President/Head Cheerleader Carl Peterson moved quickly and confirmed the rumors that had been swirling for the last few weeks with the hiring of Herman Edwards, former Jets coach. When the Chiefs pulled Vermeil from the Rams, it cost them a first round draft pick; when they pulled Herm from the Jets, it only cost them a 4^th. Depreciation, anyone?

I for one am incredible excited about this move. Sure, Vermeil’s time was amazing – who didn’t enjoy scoring 40 points a game! – and has loads of good memories for me. However, it didn’t take me but 2 years under the Vermeil reign to actually miss the Marty Schottenheimer days, when we’d score 10 point and win versus score 40 and lose. Edwards, who actually coached under Schottenheimer here in KC years ago, is a mix of Marty’s defensive prowlness and Vermeils bonding-with-players-so-much-that-he-will-probably-cry-after -every-emotional-victory. Cool.

The bad news is in the hiring of Herm, KC broke an unofficial promise to Al Saunder, the architect of the Greatest Show on Turf Urf. In the last few years, Saunders has been approached by countless teams, from the Raiders to the Cornhuskers to the Peoria Pigskin Punchers, to be their head coach, and he always (for reasons unknown to fans) turned down these offers. Of course, it was because of the fact that he was 2^nd in the line of KC’s coaching succession. However, when that cup completely skipped to an entirely new line, Saunders likely felt betrayed, and so on he went to Washington to try and pull the miserable Redskins out of the pit. G’luck.

So to replace him, we upgraded offensive line coach Mike Solari to the mastermind’s position. From the outside, this might look stupid. O-Line coaches aren’t traditionally known to be revolutionaries in calling plays, and their experience isn’t in RBs and WRs like it is in those fat guys who knock over other fat guys. But really, no one was a better choice. Solari’s a guy whose name has been coming up in NFL circles in the past few years as a future o-cord. He’s worked almost directly with Saunders, so thinking like Sensei Al shouldn’t be a problem. And based on the work he’s done on the stellar offensive line, he’s got a strong knowledge of what works. I’m all in.

I like the changes that have been made, coaching-wise, this off-season. Let’s just pray it’ll make a difference this time around.

2. To T.O. or not to T.O.? So right around the ProBowl time, rumors started to fly out of Philadelphia that Terrell Owens – yes, that Terrell Owens – was looking for a new home to destroy. Suitors included Atlanta (Haha, him and Vick? LOL, ROTFL), Dallas (“Mr. Parcells, EVERY MEDIA OUTLET IN THE WORLD on line one.”), and Denver (Jokes aside, *gulp* Someone, right now, please clone Patrick Surtain.). However, Kansas City’s name has been coming up as well, and there’s a decent shot that the Chiefs really could come out of this off-season with a new number 81. Sorry, Chris Horn.

If T.O. isn’t traded here in the next like 8 hours, he’ll likely be cut by the Iggles, and then he’s free to sign with whichever team he wants. After a lot of soul-searching, praying, and a dice throw, I’m going to go with the opposite of what I’d say 3 months ago; Please, Carl, sign him. Yes, he’s a locker room cancer. Yes, he’s obnoxious. Yes, his end-zone dances aren’t as original as Chad Johnson’s. But T.O. is one of the 3 players in the NFL whose signing itself almost guarantees you 3 more wins per season. (In that list, I’m also putting my arch-nemesis Tom Brady and the playoff -punished Peyton Manning… speaking of him, wouldn’t it be funny if Peyton and Marty ended up on the same football team? You could toss on Jim Kelly as the backup QB, Curtis Martin, and the entire Atlanta Braves organization as well)

Terrell Owens is not Osama Bin Laden. He’s not Terrell Sadam Hussein or Terrell Jeff Dahmer or Terrell Scott Peterson. He’s a selfish football player who wants the ball 100% of the time. But really, what do you expect? Do you want your star wide receiver to not want the ball on every play? Especially when the star wide receiver is literally someone who can take it to the house any play? Would we be upset if Larry Johnson said he wanted 100% of the carries, or if Greg Wesley said he wanted 100% of the interceptions? Don’t think so either. He can help this team. This is the word of Chris: DO IT.

3. Cuts like a knife, but it feels so… wrong. So the AP’s reporting that there’s a chance that the Collective Bargaining Agreement won’t be reached in the next few hours. What does that mean? I dunno. So I went online to research it out. Here’s what I got:

One of the best things about the NFL is parallel to what’s the worst about MLB, and that’s the salary cap and revenue sharing. Basically, every team in the league is limited to how much money they can spend on players. This is so every team has a shot at getting good people and they’re not perennial losers like a dozen teams in the Major Leagues. Also, they all get equal money, no matter if they’re New York (who, between endorsements, TV deals, stadium naming rights, jacked-up-high ticket prices, and everything else makes $240m/year) or Green Bay (who makes like just under $100m/year). This makes life faaaaaaaaaaaaaair.

Well the thing that keeps that in place (the CBA) just expired without the NFL renewing it (they’re trying!), so as of now, while there’s a salary cap for 2006, there’s not one for 2007. Basically, why use your money now when you can buy EVERYONE next year. It’s a scary thing. If this does go down, the NFL will be the first league to have a salary cap go away rather than added to it. Not a good thing.

Even more locally, because of this whole money issue, there’s a list of 7 or 8 guys who the Chiefs could cut, including Shawn Barber, Chris Bober, Priest-Freaking-Holmes, Dexter MeCleon, Eric Warfield, John Welbourn, Greg Weseley, Jerome Woods, and the scariest of them all *gulp* Will Shields. Any/all of these guys could get shot down in order to make room for KC to sign new free agents and draft picks. While every team in the NFL is going through this crisis, the names of who we’re cutting looks pretty significant to me!

This is the word of Chris: Since something has to be done, I’d cut Barber, McCleon, Woods, and probably ask Shields to retire (with tears in my eyes). My prediction for what will be done, however, is different: KC cuts Shields, McCleon, Warfield, Barber, and possibly Priest. Sorry guys :(

Ok, so that’s about all. Hopefully I’ll do another Chiefs update pretty soon here, with good news coming from it. Later!

-cw