Free Agentpocolypse Now

Holy crap, there's a lot of free agent signings and trades happening. My last post was simply getting way too long so I'm just going to start a new one.

Concerning the Chiefs:


Kansas City has released cornerback Jackie Bates and wide receiver Chris Chambers. Jackie Bates was expendable but Chambers was useless. I was a fan of Chambers' ability following the 2009 season, but whether it was old age, a new contract, or lack of want, Chambers was completely disappointing last season.

The Chiefs have signed all but two of their draft picks now. C Rodney Hudson, DL Allen Bailey, DB Jalil Brown, QB Ricky Stanzi, LB Gabe Miller, DL Jerrell Powe and FB Shane Bannon. The only two remaining to not reach contracts are 1st round pick Jon Baldwin and 3rd round pick Justin Houston. Hopefully they can get this wrapped up soon so they can start training camp on time.

Josh Looney from the Kansas City Chiefs announced that the team had released veteran guard Brian Waters. I wondered if the Chiefs were going to do this. According to Looney, Clark Hunt had this to say about the release of Waters: "My family and I have tremendous amount of respect for Brian both as a player and a person, and we wish him the best in the future." Pioli says: "Brian has played a key role in our progress and I am personally grateful for his contributions to the team." Finally, Waters says, "I'd like to thank the entire Chiefs org., especially for giving me an opportunity as a young player when other teams wouldn't." Doesn't sound like Waters is coming back next season.

Defensive lineman and, some would say, fan favorite Shaun Smith turned down an offer from the Chiefs to return to KC next year. Instead, he is heading to the Titans. As much as he was fun to watch and hear about, according to Bill Barnwell, he shouldn't be missed.



Saturday morning, it was reported that Kelly Gregg, who was recently released from the Baltimore Ravens, will become a Chief. It will be on a one year deal. I had suggested it could possibly be either Gregg or Franklin. Now, for those saying that we made a mistake taking Gregg over Franklin (which isn't necessarily true because there's still the possibility we get both), let me tell you this: Gregg is coming off his worst season as a 16 game starter, a season in which he had 38 tackles and no sacks. Aubrayo is coming off one of his best seasons in which he had 39 tackles and no sacks. So we got the cheaper player who is apparently just as good.

Around the League:


Chad Ochocinco is going to the New England Patriots. First Albert Haynesworth and now Chad; the Patriots are really making a splash in free agency. By the way, Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez is already number 85 in New England. So I wonder if Hernandez changes numbers or Ochocinco switches grammatically incorrect Spanish names.

Kevin Kolb has been dealt to the Arizona Cardinals. It looks like Larry Fitzgerald got the man he told the Cardinals he wanted. Too bad that man has more career interceptions than touchdowns. Oh well, he should fit in with the NFC West just fine.

Greg Olson, a tight end for the Chicago Bears, was traded to the Panthers. I am a big fan of Olson and think he was about to break out as a perennial pro-bowler in Chicago, so I have no idea why the Bears would make such a dumb move.

Willis McGahee is becoming a Bronco. I hope that one of the times we play Denver this season, Derrick Johnson explodes this guy (he tomahawked after scoring a touchdown in the playoff game in the 4th quarter against KC).

Darren Sproles is leaving the Chargers and heading to the Saints, where he will seemingly replace the Reggie Bush void.

Nnamdi Asomugha is now an Eagle. Early rumors had him going to the Jets or the Cowboys, but in the end, he chose Philly. Philly had already got Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from their trade with the Cardinals, and already have Assante Samuel. And, they picked up estranged QB Vince Young on a one-year deal. So it looks like Philly is looking to win now.

Todd Heap, who was released from the Ravens the same time as Kelly Gregg, was picked up by the Cardinals.

Keeping Track

With free agency taking flight this week after a summer long hiatus, things are getting pretty crazy, and it's hard to keep track of all the big free agent moves. Well, to help simplify the process, I am going to be recording on this post (which I will update when more news happens) the Chiefs free agent transactions and other big news from around the league.

Concerning the Chiefs:















It's being reported by Jim Trotter of SI.com reports that Steve Breaston has signed a 5-yeard deal with KC with $9 million guaranteed on Wednesday. I am a huge fan of this deal (see post directly below this one) and now think, assuming Jon Baldwin turns out to be half as good as many fans think he will, that the Chiefs have one of the best receiving corp groups in the NFL. This is a big switch from last season.

Terrence Copper and the Chiefs agreed upon a 3-year deal Tuesday. Copper is one of our better special teams player and was used as a wide receiver quite a bit last season.

Casey Wiegmann is returning to the Chiefs on a one-year deal. Good to have him back for another season and Rodney Hudson should be pleased as well.

Wednesday, the Chiefs lost veteran defensive lineman, Ron Edwards, to the Carolina Panthers. For the Chiefs to have let Edwards go, they either feel that they can bring back Shaun Smith and between him and rookie Jerrell Powe, the nose tackle position is set, or, the Chiefs are pursuing a free agent nose tackle. A Kelly Gregg or Aubrayo Franklin (who Chiefs fans on Twitter are crazy about) perhaps.

Chiefs safety, Jon McGraw, resigned with the team on a one year deal. I entirely suspect this to be for depth and leadership reasons because it's my belief Berry and Lewis will be our two starters at the safety positions.

As of now, the Chiefs have reportedly signed 10 undrafted free agents. They are (according to Arrowhead Pride): Auburn CB Demond Washington, Virginia Union OT David Mims, Tennessee-Chattanooga OL Chris Harr, Texas A&M DT/DE Lucas Patterson, UNC OT Mike Ingersoll, Central Connecticut WR Josue Paul, Oregon DT Brandon Bair, Michigan State TE Charlie Gantt, USC OL Butch Lewis and Temple LB Amara Kamara.

Around the League: 


The Chargers added linebacker Takeo Spikes to their roster on Tuesday. Takeo Spikes was with the 49ers last season. The Chargers added safety Bob Sanders earlier in the year before the lockout, so apparently the youth movement in San Diego is in full force.

Matt Hasselbeck has left Seattle and signed a deal with the Titans. With the lack of offseason, I guess the Titans didn't want to put too much pressure on the rookie QB Jake Locker, whom they took with the 8th pick in the draft.

Much like the Titans wanting to protect their rookie QB, the Vikings look to be taking a similar route. It is being reported that the Redskins and Vikings have a tentative trade set up that would send Donovan McNabb to Minnesota. The Vikings used the 12th pick in the draft on QB Christian Ponder, but McNabb would be a good QB to learn from for a season or two.

After Matt Hasselbeck left Seattle, the Seahawks picked up QB Tavaris Jackson from the Vikings. Jackson was previously the Vikings starter before they brought in Brett Favre for the last two seasons. As of right now, it looks like Jackson and Seattle's Charlie Whitehurst will battle it out for the starting job.

Speaking of Seattle, Wednesday saw Sidney Rice, probably the most coveted wide receiver free agent, agree to terms with the Seahawks. Five years, $44 million. Now, the question remains, who's going to throw to him?

Not sure if Dante' Stallworth counts as an important free agent, but it's being reported that he signed with the Redskins on Wednesday.

Former Chiefs legend, Tyler Thigpin, is joining the Bills. This reunites him with former offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. Thigbone.

One of the feel-good stories of the NFL Combine, undrafted cancer survivor Mark Herzlich from Boston College says he signed with the New York Giants. Many Chiefs fans were interested in Herzlich because he would have brought depth to our inside linebacker position.

Wide receiver, Santonio Holmes, has decided to stay in New York with the perpetually obnoxious Jets. The deal is for five years and keeps Holmes, who would have been highly sought after, off the market.

UPDATED JULY 28

Albert Haynesworth, the arguably most overpaid player in the NFL last season, has been traded to the New England Patriots from the Redskins. He was only about to enter the third year of his seven-year $100 million contract. He was traded for a 2013 5th round pick.

Reggie Bush has reportedly agreed to a trade that lands him with the Dolphins. The Saints, needing to lose some salary and probably tired of being underwhelmed, is moving on from the former number two draft pick. They had drafted Mark Ingram in the first round of the draft, so this move isn't entirely unexpected.

Can History Repeat Itself?

If we don't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.

It's really the only cool saying that history teachers have to try to make students pay attention in class (also, the History Channel's slogan of "made every day" is also pretty cool). It's also just what the Chiefs might want to happen.

Allow me to clarify. The kind of history that the Chiefs are hoping to repeat is not the kind that will doom the team. Quite the opposite; the Chiefs should want to repeat this history. Like capturing lightning in a bottle (pardon my metaphors), the Chiefs have the opportunity to possibly do something magical; and Todd Haley has the opportunity of being part of that magic for a second time.

The NFL Lockout has officially ended today, and free agency will start within the week. Sifting through all the ensuing moves and possibilities, there has been strong rumors that a certain wide receiver from Todd Haley's former Arizona Cardinals is a strong candidate to land in Kansas City. Unfortunately, that wide receiver's name isn't Larry Fitzgerald, but it is Steve Breaston.

Breaston was part of the Arizona Cardinals unexpected trek to the Super Bowl during the 2008 season. He was the third receiver in a very potent offense lead by Kurt Warner. He followed both Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald in the pecking order, but still finished with a 1,000 yard season.

Since then, however, Breaston has barely gotten over 700 yards in the last two seasons; and last season saw him in more of a #2 receiver position since Boldin left for the Ravens. That should have meant more yards for Breaston, but I'm not sure how any of Arizona's receivers got yards with the dismal situation they had at quarterback all season.

So, should Kansas City go after Steve Breaston?

Let me present you with a few arguments of why the Chiefs should go after Breaston:

1. Bill Barnwell wrote recently for Grantland, a publication that can be found via ESPN, an article on NFL free agents you meet in Hell. The four types of free agents he warned against were the veteran running back, the defensive end coming off a big year, the veteran Steelers defender, and the second/third wide receiver in an effective passing game. Now, Breaston could very well be that second/third wide receiver in an effective passing game that Barnwell warns of, but what he was warning of was trying to make that type of free agent a team's number one receiver. Breaston should seemingly return to his role of a third wide receiver in the slot for the Chiefs. As Barnwell writes, if 'you pay for the outlier, you get the regression back to the mean.' With Bowe and Baldwin, we won't be paying for an outlier, we'll be paying for a slot receiver, and a good one at that.
2. Speaking of Bowe and Baldwin, there are some similarities with a couple of Breaston's former teammates (I'm going to have to stress this a little bit since Baldwin is still unproven): Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Only Bowe has had some of the success that either Boldin or Fitzgerald has had, but I believe Baldwin has the potential; however, here's the reason I like the similarities. Boldin - 6'1", 217 lbs: Bowe - 6'2", 221 lbs. Fitzgerald - 6'3" 218 lbs: Baldwin - 6'4", 228 lbs. Now, I'm not necessarily comparing talent, but I am comparing size. The Chiefs current 1 and 2 receivers have similar builds as the 1 and 2 receivers for the Cardinals in 2008, so likely similar roles in Todd Haley's offensive scheme. That means Breaston, if he comes to the Chiefs, will be asked to have the same role that he did with that year's Cardinals. We can only hope for the kind of success that ensued. 
3. Haley has already said earlier this offseason that he wants to use the dynamic and multi-purposeful sophomore, Dexter McCluster, more in the running game this season as compared to catching the ball, mainly in the slot. That opens up the slot position for a different player, and Steve Breaston has the credentials to effectively fill in that spot. 
4. Breaston not only seems like a legitimately good guy, but he is familiar with Haley and actually seems to like him, something that none of the Chiefs players seemed to accomplish Haley's first season with the team. This familiarity can help make the transaction to the Chiefs and training camp a seamless process. 
5. If a Boldin-Fitzgerald-Breaston and Bowe-Baldwin-Breaston comparison doesn't do it for you, then nothing will.

Now let's see if it happens. 

Foreseen Wisdom

On February 3rd, 2011, Bill Muir was promoted to be the Chiefs next offensive coordinator. This was not the hire that many Chiefs fans expected or even wanted. We were just coming off an AFC West Championship, and at the helm of our much improved offense was Charlie Weis, the big off-season acquisition, calling the plays.

Charlie was a well-known figure in football and an experienced offensive mind. He was the kind of offensive coordinator that other teams get jealous of because of his experience and success (in New England, not necessarily at Notre Dame). Paired with Romeo Crennel, we had reconstructed two vital pieces from New England's dynasty team coaching staff.

And then Charlie announced he was leaving for Florida. And then we lost in the first round of the playoffs. And then we promoted Muir.

If that had been the end of the "and then's" and we experienced a normal off-season, I would still currently be disappointed with the uninspiring promotion of Muir to OC (and yes, I was disappointed with the promotion of Muir at the time). But it wasn't the end.

And then there was the NFL lockout.

And 129 days into the lockout (although the light at the end of the tunnel seems to be extremely close), everything is different then it could have been. We'll be lucky to start training camp on time, rookies will have to work harder than ever to learn the playbook in time for the season, and an off-season worth of free agency is going to take place in a short amount of time.

And 129 days into the lockout, I feel that the promotion of Muir to OC was the best thing the Chiefs could have done.

Although Muir, in all likelihood, won't actually be calling the plays, he knows the playbook and knowing the playbook and being familiar with the team are very important after missing this much time. Although Kent Babb, from the Kansas City Star, doesn't think there will be a lockout hangover for the coaches (one of the questions I asked him on his 1 o'clock chat today), there will be for the players, and having an offensive coordinator that knows the system and can help coach the players on that system with more ease is what's best.

Muir was the safe call; a decision made on the chance that the lockout would last the majority of the summer. Well it did, and the safe bet looks like the right one. Other teams that lost coaches and coaching staff will have to make up a lot of ground in the first few weeks after the lockout ends. Whether it be becoming familiar with a new head coach or completely learning a new offensive or defensive system, a lot of work will have to be done. By simply promoting Muir, we kept our playbook, and we kept our players familiarity with that playbook.

Plus, we hired Jim Zorn as our quarterbacks coach. Cassel can now have one-on-one coaching from a former starter in the NFL. But more importantly, I believe Zorn is our future offensive coordinator. Perhaps the reason he wasn't made offensive coordinator immediately was because of the impending lockout. But whatever the reason, this wouldn't be the best time for Zorn to be OC, but next season can be.

Now, I did say earlier that Muir probably would not be calling plays. I said that because most people, including myself, believe that head coach Todd Haley will be taking upon that responsibility. Some people may not like that, but with this lockout, it's probably for the best. Just like with the Muir promotion, Haley calling plays insures that the playbook remains the same and that last year's players are still familiar.

Rookies, however, won't benefit much from having the Muir promotion. Rookies everywhere won't benefit from the lockout as a matter-of-fact. As Takeo Spikes said on ESPN, it's like a high school student jumping from algebra to trigonometry without any preparation. But the move does benefit the majority of the team, and when we are trying to defend an AFC West Championship, that's the most important thing.

It's funny how a lockout can change a person's perspective, but, for me, it did. Chalk up a point for the Kansas City Chiefs in the foreseen wisdom category.

AFC West: Worst Division in Football

This is not necessarily a Chiefs post (so continue at your own discretion), this is more a post about the AFC West. I meant to put a post regarding this material up during the actual NFL season but the Chiefs were in a tight battle for a playoff spot and things were much more busy than they are now (then I kind of forgot about it).

But since news is about as scarce as a hot chick at a Harry Potter premier (which I went to last night), I figured this is about as good of a time as ever.

Who out there was upset that the Seattle Seahawks made the playoffs last season? Who out there thought that they should be forced to forfeit their playoff spot with their 7-9 NFC West Championship record for one of the two (Giants and Bucs) 10-6 NFC teams that missed out on the playoffs?

I didn't, and I sort of thought the people that bashed on the NFC West so hard were a bit ignorant. Sure, the NFC West has recently gained the reputation of being the worst (and other derogatory words) division in the whole NFL. Do they deserve this title? That is up for debate.

The Seahawks shouldn't be blamed for being bad and winning their division. That just means the other teams were that much worse. Remember when the Chargers won the AFC West tiebreak over the Denver Broncos with an 8-8 record? Nobody outside Boston complained that the Patriots with Matt Cassel at the helm missed out on the playoffs with an 11-5 record. Was it somehow justified because the Chargers won four straight to close out the season (including that heartbreaking 22-21 victory over our beloved Chiefs)? Was it OK that they made the playoffs with that record because they had been to the playoffs the previous two seasons?

Since the realignment after the 2001 season, which sent the Seattle Seahawks from the AFC West to the NFC West, here are the overall regular season and postseason records for each team and division:

	Overall Record	%	Playoff Record	%	Super Bowl Appearances
AFC East	305-271	53%	17-11	61%	3
Patriots	110-34	76%	11-5	69%	3
Jets	72-72	50%	6-5	55%	0
Dolphins	64-80	44%	0-1	0%	0
Bills	59-85	41%	0-0	0%	0
AFC North	289-285-2	50%	15-12	55%	3
Steelers	93-50-1	65%	11-4	73%	3
Ravens	82-62	57%	4-5	44%	0
Bengals	62-81-1	43%	0-2	0%	0
Browns	52-92	36%	0-1	0%	0
AFC South	312-264	54%	12-14	46%	2
Colts	109-35	76%	9-8	53%	2
Titans	77-67	53%	2-4	33%	0
Jaguars	71-73	49%	1-2	33%	0
Texans	55-89	38%	0-0	0%	0
AFC West	281-295	49%	6-12	33%	1
Chargers	88-56	61%	3-5	38%	0
Broncos	78-66	54%	1-3	25%	0
Chiefs	67-77	47%	0-3	0%	0
Raiders	48-96	33%	2-1	67%	1
NFC East	308-267-1	53%	13-17	43%	2
Eagles	91-52-1	63%	7-7	50%	1
Giants	79-65	55%	4-4	50%	1
Cowboys	78-66	54%	1-4	20%	0
Redskins	60-84	42%	1-2	33%	0
NFC North	269-307	47%	11-11	50%	2
Packers	84-60	58%	6-5	55%	1
Bears	74-70	51%	3-3	50%	1
Vikings	74-70	51%	2-3	40%	0
Lions	37-107	26%	0-0	0%	0
NFC South	299-276-1	52%	14-11	56%	3
Saints	77-67	53%	4-2	67%	1
Falcons	77-66-1	53%	2-4	33%	0
Panthers	75-69	52%	5-3	63%	1
Buccaneers	70-74	49%	3-2	60%	1
NFC West	241-335	42%	11-11	50%	2
Seahawks	74-70	51%	5-6	45%	1
Cardinals	57-87	40%	4-2	67%	1
49ers	56-88	39%	1-1	50%	0
Rams	54-90	38%	1-2	33%	0

As you can see, the NFC West does have the worst overall record of any division with only a 42% win total. But there are two other divisions with below .500 records: the NFC North (47%) and the AFC West (49%).

Now, a sub .500 record since 2002 isn't awful (I'm a Royals fan), and it's certainly not the most telling sign of the success of a division. That is why I included postseason success as well into the chart. Divisions, and even teams, may have over a .500 record in the regular season yet have well under a .500 record in the playoffs; and vice versa.

That is why I have a hard time believing that the NFC West should be made the poster-child of underachievement for the NFL.

If anything, the NFC West should be the prime example of overachieving in the NFL.

They have only a 42% win total in the regular season as a division, and yet, when it comes time for the playoffs, they have a .500 record with two Super Bowl appearances. The most a single division has is three Super Bowl representatives.

The division with the least Super Bowl representation is our very own AFC West, with the lowly Raiders being our only team to make it to the big show. And the reason that number is so low is because of the disappointment our teams face year-in and year-out in the playoffs. It seems that our division is seemingly one-and-done every year in the postseason. No matter how successful or dominant we were during the regular season, none of the AFC West teams seem capable of breaking through to that next level (Chiefs fans remember this problem from the 90s).

It is this inexplicable problem that has our division's postseason record at a dismal and bottom-of-the-league 33%. And that is no thanks to the Chiefs, who are 0-3 in playoff games since realignment. So if you ask me, the poster-child for underachievement shouldn't be the NFC West (although they are terrible, they seem to turn it around when it comes time for the playoffs [just ask the 2010 Saints]), it should unfortunately be the AFC West.