Carl Sagan, probably the most famous astronomer since Galileo, once said “if you want to make apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe.” I’ve always liked that quote. It speaks to the fallacy of human egoism. Regardless of our perception of the situation, none of us ever truly does anything alone. If you drove to work alone today, you did so with the aid of the men and women that built your car. If along the way you read a street sign, you did so with the aid of your parents and teachers, who taught you to read. And if you’re logged onto the internet and reading this article, I don’t have to tell you how beholden you are to Al Gore.
I keep a watchful eye on first time head coaches and general managers. A lot of them want to make apple pie from scratch. A lot of them think they have the recipe. They’ve worked in the kitchens of some of the finest pastry chefs. They’ve learned a lot. Not enough to make apple pie from scratch, of course, but enough to really earnestly believe they can. They take that earnest belief into their new jobs, and sometimes they fall on their faces.
It’s hard to fault them when they do. Coaching or managing a football team is intrinsically more difficult than coaching or managing a baseball or basketball team. The front office evaluates 53 active players rather than 25 or 15. There is no farm system or proper minor league. Age and injury are greater factors than in other sports. Cohesive team play is a greater factor too. It’s a tough gig for even the most seasoned vets of the profession, let alone first timers.
That’s why I’m scared as hell watching Scott Pioli and Todd Haley right now. I can’t figure out if either one has the slightest clue what the hell they’re doing.
During the Matt Millen era the Detroit Lions were the perennial laughing stock of the draft. Millen used three of his ten first round picks on offensive tackles and four more on receivers. The common thread is that they consistently panned out poorly (though the jury is still out on Calvin Johnson and Gosder Cherilus). It’s that level of stunning consistency (let’s not forget that their 1st round quarterback and 1st round tailback mightily sucked as well) that gets a team to 0-16.
In the same time frame the Chiefs have used no less than eight high round picks on defensive linemen, and all for naught. The only top flight player they’ve produced in the interim was a happy accident in the 4th round. He’s no longer with the team, as per the tradition of shedding the team’s best player at the end of every season (see also: Willie Roaf, Will Shields, Priest Holmes, Tony Gonzalez). The Chiefs are addicted to questionable linemen the same way the Lions are addicted to questionable wideouts and left tackles.
The problem with defensive linemen, however, is that when a team has bad ones, they have no choice but to keep taking more. If a team is incapable of winning in the trenches, they are incapable of winning. That’s precisely the reason I never once second guessed Herm Edwards’ decision to sink a good part of the 2006, 2007, and 2008 drafts into fixing that issue–he had no choice. Eric Hicks, John Browning, and Lional Dalton were old and Ryan Sims was bad. New blood was needed.
In the same vein, a part of me wants to justify Pioli and Haley taking Tyson Jackson and Alex Magee with high round picks. But I can’t, and here’s why. When Tamba Hali, Turk McBride, Tank Tyler, and Glenn Dorsey were selected, it was done so out of both design and necessity. All of them fit the implemented scheme and all of them replaced players who were old, bad, and/or career backups. At the present juncture, however, Pioli and Haley aren’t replacing players who are old, bad, and/or career backups. They’re replacing first, second, and third year players for whom, as with Detroit’s Johnson and Cherilus, the jury is still out. The change is by design, but not at all by necessity.
The design, of course, is the somehow urgent rush to transition the defense from a 4-3 front to a 3-4, a scheme for which Hali, McBride, Tyler, and Dorsey are not ideally suited. Pioli seems to have forgotten that with Romeo Crennel in New England it took four full years to change schemes. Bobby Hamilton and Anthony Pleasant weren’t ideally suited for the job, so the team phased them out over time, replacing them one by one with players that suited their burgeoning team concept. It was that skillful graduated transition that kept the defense afloat.
In Kansas City, however, there will be no graduation to the transition. The Chiefs will employ a 3-4 in 2009, and they will do so with 4-3 personnel. Tyler (too small) will line up at nose tackle. Dorsey (too short) will line up at defensive end. Hali (too slow) will line up at outside linebacker. Rounding out the starting front seven will be Derrick Johnson (never played in a 3-4), the aforementioned Tyson Jackson (rookie who has never played in a 3-4), Mike Vrabel (old as dirt), and Zach Thomas (older than Mike Vrabel, and with only one season in a 3-4). The likely backups will be Magee, McBride, Demorrio Williams, and Monty Beisel. Three of them have never played in a 3-4.
That doesn’t sound like a recipe for success. It sounds like a recipe for making apple pie from scratch.
I hate to have to rain on your parade, but………..
First of all Carl Sagan (God rest his soul) was nothing if not overly verbose and dramatic. (i.e. billions and billions) If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, first you get yourself an apple, and then another, and then another, and so on. If you want to make a football team, first you get a football player, and then another, and then another. Whether or not they have played in a 3-4 is irrelevant, what is relevant is can they play football? We will see if Herm was able to judge football talent or not. If not, Tamba et.al. need to not let the door hit them in the ass on the way out. Pioli and Haley need to sort out the grain from the chaff right now, not later.
Comment by the hammer formerly known as g.l. — May 11, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
Given the record breaking suckitude of the Hali/McBride/Dorsey/Tank combo in the 4-3, I’m more than happy to see what they have in the new scheme, despite their perceived physical limitations.
Additionally, it seems likely we will be using 4-3, 3-4, and hybrid sets in 2009. Some people are unwilling to accept this fact and want to believe we have to be on or the other.
Finally, I believe the Jury is more or less out on Hali, as i’m a firm believer in the 3-year rule of judgement. Hali has proven to be a adequate COMPLEMENTARY DE in the 4-3, but without a superstar on the other side, is near worthless. Plus, his run defense has always been relatively poor. A somewhat out-of-the-box move to OLB is our best chance to recoup value from that 1st round pick, IMHO.
Comment by VermeilLikesToCry — May 13, 2009 @ 5:54 pm
Of course, to be successful at OLB, Hali will have to dramatically improve his run defense (hopefully the change in position helps) and/or be limited to passing downs.
Comment by VermeilLikesToCry — May 13, 2009 @ 5:57 pm
Yeah, I think the jury is still out on Hali as well. If he doesn’t show up this year, he is probably done as a Chief.
Comment by the hammer formerly known as g.l. — May 14, 2009 @ 1:12 pm
Another gem, Nathan. I agree with the assessment of the current players as well as the new additions. In my opinion, it is very relevant to discuss the systems in which these players have played in. Yes, it is important to have “football players”, but shouldn’t we expect them all to be? Most D-1 players would be considered football players. If you can make a roster in a major college football program, most of those players have proven the ability to play. The system that those “players” are accustomed to is extremely beneficial. Assignments from system to system are totally different, when you are talking about the front seven. Familiarity is a very important part of the development of players and their ability to make an impact. It is rare to plug a player into a brand new system and have equal results as found in a system they are familiar with.
I am the first to admit that I, too, am not totally following the direction the new management is going. I am comfortable with the fact that we no longer have to follow the same GM down the long, and now expensive (based on ticket prices and such) path to mediocrity……or worse. The new team has something to prove and hopefully they are setting a course to a successful revival of the once truly great franchises (in my obviously biased eyes). The draft and subsequent trades and signings have left me with a lot of questions. I have little understanding for many of those decisions. I do understand the importance of allowing management to make roster changes and moves to fulfill the visions they have. But at this point, I am not impressed. Sounds more like mincemeat pie to me.
Comment by tkrolo — May 17, 2009 @ 11:06 pm
A football player is either a player or he is not. Sorry, but having had extensive coaching experience, it is just a matter of plugging a player in, at the right spot in any given scheme. That is part of coaching, getting the most out of the players you have. I don’t buy into the “Dorsey can’t play in a 3-4 hogwash”.
Comment by the hammer formerly known as g.l. — May 21, 2009 @ 3:55 pm
hammer
No need to apologize for having coaching experience. I, too, have a significant amount of playing and coaching experience at 3 levels, understand and agree with parts of your statements.
It absolutely is relevant to the systems in which players have played in. It is the best judge of how that player will play in that system. Sure, you can assess their abilities, but until you stick them in the new position with new responsibilities, you can only guess how they will perform. Getting the most out of the players you have is adjusting the scheme to the players, not the players to the scheme.
To pass judgement on who can play in the 3-4, or whatever they choose to run, is ridiculous at this point. Until we see the way the team plays, no one knows.
Comment by tkrolo — May 21, 2009 @ 10:33 pm
tk,
I think we agree on some of this stuff, as well. I think the only difference is you feel the scheme is more important than I do. I can live with that. I think you are right that until we see them line up and play, none of us really know. You know what bugs me, though? Many people are writing this defense off before they have played a down. I don’t know about you tk, but I am kind of intrigued by the talent available. That’s a lot of first day picks and some savvy veterans who will be lining up. Could be interesting.
Comment by the hammer formerly known as g.l. — May 22, 2009 @ 10:14 am