Like the Falcons and Dolphins last year, the Chiefs look to be moving away from having a coal black team in the post-Herm Edwards era. The change paid immediate dividends for Miami and Atlanta, and hopefully will for KC, which has traditionally been a black dominated team going back to the days of the AFL.
According to the article belowthe Chiefs may start the '09 season with 3 white starting linebackers in their 3-4, all of them veterans, and all acquired since the end of the 2008 season. 36-year-old Zach Thomas is a future Hall of Famer, and Mike Vrabel became an instant star after leaving Pittsburgh for New England. Monty Beisel has a good chance of joining Vrabel as the team's other starting OLB.
<H1 =title>Position-by-position analysis: Linebackers</H1>
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If the Chiefs needed to aggressively address one position group this offseason, it clearly was the linebackers. And they have addressed it in such a comprehensive manner, it was clear that Kansas City's new regime didn't need many weeks to determine last year's group simply didn't cut it and needed a massive overhaul.
Before the end of last year's dreadful defensive performance -- in which very little went according to plan and hastened the firing of former head coach Herm Edwards, the departure of coordinator Gunther Cunningham, and the abandonment of the 4-3 scheme -- the Chiefs knew they had gambled and lost on a group of linebackers that couldn't stay healthy and just didn't work.
The moves, and non-moves in at least one case, looked fine before last season. The addition of Demorrio Williams from Atlanta seemed like a good signing, which it might still be, and Donnie Edwards was the team's eldest player but still appeared to have some good years left. And in his fourth season, Derrick Johnson was primed for a breakout year. The Chiefs' linebackers turned out to be a constant work in progress, as Edwards couldn't stay healthy, Williams had his own injury issues, and Johnson was inconsistent.
Enter Scott Pioli, Todd Haley, Clancy Pendergast and, ladies and germs, the 3-4 defensive front. And a whole lot of new faces on the roster, too.
Let's not kid ourselves: The Chiefs' linebackers are far from set. Tamba Hali at outside linebacker remains a question, and his adjustment from defensive end wouldn't be so pressure-filled if Hali weren't expected to be a starter at linebacker. But he is, and for any troubles adjusting to his new position, he has done by far the best job. Heck, Turk McBride said last month he didn't even think he was a "good" linebacker. Part of the uncertainty centers on a clear lack of depth at this position; for all the upgrades the Chiefs made to their expected starting linebackers, there's not a lot to feel confident about among the reserves. Monty Beisel was a terrific signing, and his acquisition might even get my vote for the Chiefs' best free-agent signing. Maybe I'll make up a plaque and everything.
The Chiefs just keep waiting for Johnson to break out. He has shown flashes, such as the first Denver game in 2008, of being an elite NFL defender. Then he disappears, drops interceptions, takes odd routes to ball carriers, doesn't wrap up and ... well, even Johnson has said he's been disappointed at times with his play. This is a bottom-line kind of year for Johnson, and he'll need to prove himself as more than an above-average linebacker, which he has been. He'll need to be consistent and motivated, and he'll also need to contribute leadership on a defense that should have been his a long time ago.
Instead, if you ask around the Chiefs' locker room after offseason practice, the defense's leader is Zach Thomas. That's good and bad. It's great that the Chiefs have someone to look up to, and amid all these changes, it's terrific that <CITE>someone</CITE> has emerged as a loud voice in the locker room. Players noticed Thomas' work ethic and discipline, and more than a few suggested they needed to increase their workload to be more like Zach. But it's bad because Thomas will be 36 years old on opening day, and who knows how much longer he'll be effective? Here's a cold truth: In an ideal situation, Thomas wouldn't be a starter and could instead be used as a strong backup and a mentor for the Chiefs' young defenders. Instead, he's likely to be one of the Chiefs' starting inside linebackers and will face the grind of another long season, one that was too much for Donnie Edwards last year and led to his release. The criticism has almost nothing to do with Thomas; it centers on the fact that the Chiefs didn't have another inside linebacker outperform him in OTAs. Thomas was an example on the field and in the locker room the past few months, and his leadership helped earned him starting consideration. But it would have been nice for the Chiefs to have another, younger linebacker on his tail. That didn't happen, and the Chiefs better hope that Thomas can stay healthy and keep burning at that high-octane level he showed in May and June.
The Chiefs certainly wish that Mike Vrabel had been in the house the past few months, in addition to the three days he attended the team's mandatory minicamp. Vrabel said he was exercising his rights within the collective bargaining agreement, which is fine and perhaps noble from a players' union standpoint, but the Chiefs badly needed Vrabel as they made that transition to the 3-4 and got to know each other before this long season begins. After a week or so of training camp, assuming Vrabel arrives in what we'll call "Todd Haley shape," his absence during OTAs will be mostly forgotten. It just was a less-than-ideal beginning for Vrabel and the Chiefs, particularly after he was another guy the team hoped would emerge as a leader before training camp began.
Here's the way I predict the linebacker two-deep will play out come opening day:
LOLB Mike Vrabel
Turk McBride
LILB Zach Thomas
Demorrio Williams
RILB Derrick Johnson
Weston Dacus
ROLB Monty Beisel
Tamba Hali
<DIV =post>full article: http://chiefsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/847
According to the article belowthe Chiefs may start the '09 season with 3 white starting linebackers in their 3-4, all of them veterans, and all acquired since the end of the 2008 season. 36-year-old Zach Thomas is a future Hall of Famer, and Mike Vrabel became an instant star after leaving Pittsburgh for New England. Monty Beisel has a good chance of joining Vrabel as the team's other starting OLB.
<H1 =title>Position-by-position analysis: Linebackers</H1>
<DIV =tabs>
<DIV =node>
If the Chiefs needed to aggressively address one position group this offseason, it clearly was the linebackers. And they have addressed it in such a comprehensive manner, it was clear that Kansas City's new regime didn't need many weeks to determine last year's group simply didn't cut it and needed a massive overhaul.
Before the end of last year's dreadful defensive performance -- in which very little went according to plan and hastened the firing of former head coach Herm Edwards, the departure of coordinator Gunther Cunningham, and the abandonment of the 4-3 scheme -- the Chiefs knew they had gambled and lost on a group of linebackers that couldn't stay healthy and just didn't work.
The moves, and non-moves in at least one case, looked fine before last season. The addition of Demorrio Williams from Atlanta seemed like a good signing, which it might still be, and Donnie Edwards was the team's eldest player but still appeared to have some good years left. And in his fourth season, Derrick Johnson was primed for a breakout year. The Chiefs' linebackers turned out to be a constant work in progress, as Edwards couldn't stay healthy, Williams had his own injury issues, and Johnson was inconsistent.
Enter Scott Pioli, Todd Haley, Clancy Pendergast and, ladies and germs, the 3-4 defensive front. And a whole lot of new faces on the roster, too.
Let's not kid ourselves: The Chiefs' linebackers are far from set. Tamba Hali at outside linebacker remains a question, and his adjustment from defensive end wouldn't be so pressure-filled if Hali weren't expected to be a starter at linebacker. But he is, and for any troubles adjusting to his new position, he has done by far the best job. Heck, Turk McBride said last month he didn't even think he was a "good" linebacker. Part of the uncertainty centers on a clear lack of depth at this position; for all the upgrades the Chiefs made to their expected starting linebackers, there's not a lot to feel confident about among the reserves. Monty Beisel was a terrific signing, and his acquisition might even get my vote for the Chiefs' best free-agent signing. Maybe I'll make up a plaque and everything.
The Chiefs just keep waiting for Johnson to break out. He has shown flashes, such as the first Denver game in 2008, of being an elite NFL defender. Then he disappears, drops interceptions, takes odd routes to ball carriers, doesn't wrap up and ... well, even Johnson has said he's been disappointed at times with his play. This is a bottom-line kind of year for Johnson, and he'll need to prove himself as more than an above-average linebacker, which he has been. He'll need to be consistent and motivated, and he'll also need to contribute leadership on a defense that should have been his a long time ago.
Instead, if you ask around the Chiefs' locker room after offseason practice, the defense's leader is Zach Thomas. That's good and bad. It's great that the Chiefs have someone to look up to, and amid all these changes, it's terrific that <CITE>someone</CITE> has emerged as a loud voice in the locker room. Players noticed Thomas' work ethic and discipline, and more than a few suggested they needed to increase their workload to be more like Zach. But it's bad because Thomas will be 36 years old on opening day, and who knows how much longer he'll be effective? Here's a cold truth: In an ideal situation, Thomas wouldn't be a starter and could instead be used as a strong backup and a mentor for the Chiefs' young defenders. Instead, he's likely to be one of the Chiefs' starting inside linebackers and will face the grind of another long season, one that was too much for Donnie Edwards last year and led to his release. The criticism has almost nothing to do with Thomas; it centers on the fact that the Chiefs didn't have another inside linebacker outperform him in OTAs. Thomas was an example on the field and in the locker room the past few months, and his leadership helped earned him starting consideration. But it would have been nice for the Chiefs to have another, younger linebacker on his tail. That didn't happen, and the Chiefs better hope that Thomas can stay healthy and keep burning at that high-octane level he showed in May and June.
The Chiefs certainly wish that Mike Vrabel had been in the house the past few months, in addition to the three days he attended the team's mandatory minicamp. Vrabel said he was exercising his rights within the collective bargaining agreement, which is fine and perhaps noble from a players' union standpoint, but the Chiefs badly needed Vrabel as they made that transition to the 3-4 and got to know each other before this long season begins. After a week or so of training camp, assuming Vrabel arrives in what we'll call "Todd Haley shape," his absence during OTAs will be mostly forgotten. It just was a less-than-ideal beginning for Vrabel and the Chiefs, particularly after he was another guy the team hoped would emerge as a leader before training camp began.
Here's the way I predict the linebacker two-deep will play out come opening day:
LOLB Mike Vrabel
Turk McBride
LILB Zach Thomas
Demorrio Williams
RILB Derrick Johnson
Weston Dacus
ROLB Monty Beisel
Tamba Hali
<DIV =post>full article: http://chiefsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/847
