I was always thankful in high school that our first semester report cards came out after the holidays. No kid wants to be confined to their room over Christmas break, and well I had more than a few report cards that got me in trouble. The flip side of that was returning back to school the second week of January and attempting to remember what had been taught to me well enough to get through final exams. The problem was that I had the capacity to be a straight A student, but none of the requisite drive. Like Matt Leinart, I was too busy chasing girls.
I’m going to do something a little different this year. Rather than just a flat out evaluation, I want to reevaluate my grades from last season to see how the team has progressed. I’ve done no prep work for this article (again with the chasing girls thing), so this is all straight from the hip. Here goes:
SPECIAL TEAMS
LONG SNAPPER (2009 Grade: D, Need for Upgrade: Minimal): I really felt this job should have been Derek Lokey’s, and after watching Anthony Toribio struggle through his limited playing time in place of the beleaguered Ron Edwards (more on that in a minute), I have to think Lokey’s versatility (remember, he’s also a halfway decent goal line fullback) would have made him more valuable on gameday than Thomas Gafford. Having said that, Gafford did an okay job. He still doesn’t tackle worth a damn, but he didn’t make any critical errors.
2010 Grade: C.
Need for Upgrade: Minimal.
PUNTER (2009 Grade: B, Need for Upgrade: Nonexistent): My feelings on Charlie Weis are pretty well known at this point, but I will credit him with this: Dustin Colquitt is no longer the second busiest punter in the NFL. This year he climbed all the way down to number six. He still gets more distance on his kicks than most punters, but his net yardage suffered considerably, down to an average of just 37.6 yards. Blame it on special teams coach Steve Hoffman, if you like, for not having taught his guys to cover a little better. Blame it on Jon McGraw for having slipped so much so quickly. Blame it on Herm Edwards for having run Dustin into the ground. Regardless of where you place the blame, however, realize that Colquitt’s leg may be slipping a bit. But hell, I still like the guy, even more than I liked Louie Aguiar. And I liked Louie Aguiar.
2010 Grade: B.
Need for Upgrade: Nonexistent.
KICKER (2009 Grade: A, Need for Upgrade: Nonexistent): Ryan Succop doesn’t quite have the leg I hoped he had. His fieldgoal accuracy is down. His kickoffs were pretty pedestrian this year too. Hopefully it’s a temporary setback.
2010 Grade: C.
Need for Upgrade: Minimal.
RETURNER (2009 Grade: D, Need for Upgrade: Moderate): Javier Arenas and Dexter McCluster opened the season with equally brilliant performances against the Chargers. I, like everyone else, thought it was a sign of great things to come. I, like everyone else, was wrong. The potential is still there, but as of yet it’s nothing more than potential. I think both are capable players, and potentially even game changers. They’re not there yet.
2010 Grade: C.
Need for Upgrade: Nonexistent.
DEFENSE
SAFETY (2009 Grade: D, Need for Upgrade: Critical): What a difference a year makes. Does anybody even remember Mike Brown? Kendrick Lewis and Eric Berry posted veteran-esque performances, one of which was worthy of a Pro Bowl nod. In any other season, Berry would have received serious consideration for Rookie Of The Year too, but he bore the misfortune of coming into the league along with Ndamukong Suh. My only gripe is that Jon McGraw is getting long in the tooth. His better days are behind him, and sometimes he’s a liability. Still, he always bears the advantage of being one of the smartest guys on the field, and I applaud any 31-year old safety willing to take reps at cornerback.
2010 Grade: A.
Need for Upgrade: Minimal.
CORNERBACK (2009 Grade: C, Need for Upgrade: Moderate): I still haven’t figured out Brandon Lite, but as the season progressed Carr looked more and more like Flowers’s twin, not his antithesis. Given from where he’s coming, that speaks volumes. Travis Daniels, on the other hand – I won’t mind if he’s not around next season. As with the return game, I think Javier Arenas has raw potential at corner, but depth is clearly minimal here, and Maurice Leggett will no longer be under contract.
2010 Grade: B.
Need for Upgrade: Moderate.
INSIDE LINEBACKER (2009 Grade: F, Need for Upgrade: Critical): Jovan Belcher is scrappy. Scrappy, in football terms, is slang for not big enough. Last season’s starters, Corey Mays and Demorrio Williams, saw little time on the field, and while Williams made an impact on coverage units, neither is really suited to contribute elsewhere. That leaves Derrick Johnson, who finally cashed in on that cache of potential. I still don’t trust that it wasn’t contract year elevated play we were seeing. Maybe next season he’ll make me a believer. In the meantime, Scott Pioli, find the guy some help. What this team desperately lacks is a Ray Lewis/Brian Urlacher-type dominant run defender.
2010 Grade: C.
Need for Upgrade: Critical.
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER (2009 Grade: C, Need for Upgrade: Critical): Last year I stated that the team needed another pass rushing threat opposite Tamba Hali. They still do. I would have liked to have had more opportunities to see Andy Studebaker try to fill the role, but maybe there’s a reason (other than the presence of Mike Vrabel) he’s not getting that chance. More critical than upgrading the position, however, is simply keeping the talent that’s already there. Hali should have been signed months ago. I can think of little worse for this defense than the prospect of losing the AFC’s top pass rusher. We’ve seen the results of that once. Please, not again.
2010 Grade: B.
Need for Upgrade: Critical.
DEFENSIVE TACKLE (2009 Grade: C, Need for Upgrade: Moderate): What’s the equivalent of a 400-carry season for a nose tackle? I don’t know, but Ron Edwards might. He has no support. Anthony Toribio is no better than the series of misses and has-beens Kansas City trotted out behind him last season. To Romeo Crennel’s credit, he at least had the decency to take Edwards off the field occasionally and run a two-lineman package, a courtesy never paid the big guy by Clancy Pendergast. Edwards is no longer under contract, and if I were him, I don’t think I’d come back to a team that won’t give me help. Besides, he belongs on the bench. Great backup or spot starter, but not an every down type of guy.
2010 Grade: D.
Need for Upgrade: Critical.
DEFENSIVE END (2009 Grade: C, Need for Upgrade: Critical): Glenn Dorsey delivered. Tyson Jackson did not. This is the way of the world for teams that insist on drafting LSU players season after season. Jackson was benched for big boy Shaun Smith, a failed nose tackle who spent the better part of his twenties bouncing around the lower half of the AFC North. Smith doubled on offense as a short yardage/goal line fullback and even garnered himself a single carry for a touchdown. Sadly, it is Jackson, not Smith or capable pass rusher Wallace Gilberry, who is more or less assured a roster spot next season.
2010 Grade: B.
Need for Upgrade: Moderate, provided Smith and Gilberry are back.
OFFENSE
OFFENSIVE LINE (2009 Grade: F, Need for Upgrade: Critical): Save one ugly game against Oakland, the line was one of the team’s better aspects. Casey Wiegmann and Ryan Lilja revitalized the interior, and Brian Waters had yet another solid season. Branden Albert and Barry Richardson, on the other hand, were inconsistent. Richardson at times was outright bad. His brief foray into the world of playing left tackle was unfortunate, to say the least. Waters’s even briefer foray into the world of playing left tackle, by contrast, was brilliant on many levels. I feel confident that even in Wiegmann’s and Waters’s eventual absence (I doubt we’ll see both next season, and it’s not out of the question that we’ll see neither), the interior will continue to thrive with replacements like Jon Asamoah and Daryl Harris. The tackle positions, on the other hand, need to be addressed. Somebody other than Ryan O’Callaghan needs to be around to push Richardson, and perhaps just to take his place altogether. I’d still re-sign Richardson (he too will be a free agent), but unlike Asamoah, I don’t think it’s wise to plan on him long term.
2010 Grade: B.
Need for Upgrade: Moderate.
TIGHT END (2009 Grade: C, Need for Upgrade: Minimal): Tony Moeaki had a better rookie season than the last Tony we saw around these parts. His one-handed touchdown catch against San Francisco was as good as anything I ever saw from the elder Tony. The elder Tony is a guaranteed first ballot Hall of Famer and probably the greatest tight end to ever play the game, but fans aren’t missing him too much anymore. Leonard Pope, on the other hand, had statistically his worst season to date. Here’s the dirty little secret about Pope though: he’s really good. He’s better than most teams’ number two. He’s also better than some teams’ number one. Jake O’Connell isn’t anything special, but I can’t foresee a world wherein he’d beat out a healthy Brad Cottam.
2010 Grade: A.
Need for Upgrade: Minimal, provided Leonard Pope is re-inked.
FULLBACK (2009 Grade: A, Need for Upgrade: Minimal): Does it seem like a lot of the team’s key players are all becoming free agents at the same time? Here’s two more to add to the list: Tim Castille and Mike Cox. Both are pretty damn good. I’d aim to re-sign at least one, preferably both.
2010 Grade: A.
Need for Upgrade: Minimal, again provided that the right guys are retained.
WIDE RECEIVER (2009 Grade: D, Need for Upgrade: Critical): Dwayne Bowe finally made a Pro Bowl. He finally bought in, developed some discipline, and made good on some of that God-given ability. One is not enough. Chris Chambers, Terrance Copper, and Quentin Lawrence are awful, and Verran Tucker and Dexter McCluster are unproven. My wish list is two players long: Larry Fitzgerald and/or Sidney Rice. No lesser a caliber player will suffice.
2010 Grade: D.
Need for Upgrade: Critical.
TAILBACK (2009 Grade: A, Need for Upgrade: Moderate): Last year’s A was awarded on a technicality: Larry Johnson was no longer an employee of the Kansas City Chiefs, which in and of itself warranted high marks. This season, we witnessed the odd couple. Jamaal Charles was brilliant. Thomas Jones was not. He was effective at times and worthless at others. Between the two of them, Jackie Battle didn’t see much field time, but when he did, he played his ass off. Thankfully Scott Pioli had the foresight to wrap up Charles for another five years, but Charles needs a better reinforcement than Jones.
2010 Grade: B.
Need for Upgrade: Moderate.
QUARTERBACK (2009 Grade: F, Need for Upgrade: Mandatory): I think my radar on Matt Cassel is broken. I want desperately to believe the guy that showed up to play St. Louis and Tennessee is the real Matt Cassel, but the law of averages dictate otherwise. He’s played more bad games than good. The choice at hand is whether to stick with a proven, yet proven unspectacular, commodity, or make a risky bet in free agency with someone like Seneca Wallace or Kerry Collins. With so many needs elsewhere, I just don’t see the team addressing the problem in the draft. In essence, there are no good options.
2010 Grade: D.
Need for Upgrade: Critical, but not likely to come to fruition.
Auf wiedersehen. I’m off to do what I do best. Or at least most.
Not bad at all.
I would disagree with you on Leonard Pope though. He caught a few passes, but I think his blocking was less than mediocre. I guess he is an ok piece to have as a #2, but I don’t see your logic in that “he is good.”
Other than that, I agree with you on the rest of your grades. Great job!
Comment by KC63 — February 15, 2011 @ 10:29 am
When I saw you posted grades, I cannot lie, I went straight to the QB section to see if you gave a bad grade to a Pro-Bowl backup. I wasn’t surprised. I did read the entire article and agree with you on just about everything else.
I’m not an NFL GM, coach or scout. I’m just a 47 year old fan of the KC Chiefs. A fan for as long as I can remember (about 1969) and a fan with an opinion.
In the last ten years of KC history, Trent Green the only full-time QB to have a better year than Cassel (Huard had a good year one time playing in only 10 games). Sure Green threw for way-more yards, but that was a totally different (and exciting) offense with better O-line and better receivers. Cassel has been a top ten QB for two of the past three years.
The last two games, both played after Weis announced he was taking his talents south, were poorly played by the O-line, defense, and QB. It was also poorly called offensively. All of this together, made the QB look much really bad. They didn’t stay on the field long enough to get anything going. Unfortunately, this is what a lot of people (especially those who don’t follow the Chiefs) will remember.
I obviously have a different opinion of him than you do. I guess mine is more in line with those (player, coaches and fans) who voted for him to be in the pro-bowl. With that said, I agree they should try to up-grade. In my opinion, the only un-upgradeable player we have is Charles. I would put Jackie Battle in more than Jones next year, but use Charles the same way they did this year, not over doing it like a lot of people want. I think we need a NT/DT, I would draft Corey Liuget from Illinios. If he is gone, I would go to Ayers at LB. McClusters was a disappointment. Yea, he’s exciting, sometimes, but he seems fragile. I would like to see them pick up a QB that could seriously challenge Matt. That is good for the team and I’d like that. Brodie Croyle is not going to challenge anyone and I am not that big on Palko. The QBs you mentioned won’t have a chance of beating out pro-bowler Cassel. I’m a fan of Cassel because he’s my QB. Can we do better, yes absolutely. Are we in position to draft a better QB or is there a better QB in the draft, no. Are there any free agent QBs that would be an upgrade, I don’t know. But I would pick up some of them to compete. Unfortunately, there isn’t a Peyton Manning store or Tom Brady store to go to and pick up a star QB. You know, Cassel might have been the second best QB in college the year Leinhart won the Heisman, we’ll never know.
Comment by Jeff in VA — February 15, 2011 @ 11:06 am
I have to say it but i dont think that cassel is near as bad as you think. Cassel is a solid B. His biggest problem is that our OT sucked ass. Our right tackle is worthless and Albert is inconsistent. Also what is up with our WRs? I hope Bowe is actually as good as he played this year. Where did chambers go? I thought we had something there until he gave up. Mccluster will be a decent slot in time, but we need a #2 bad! I wouldnt hate on Thomas Jones as much as ppl do. He shouldnt be used as much as he was though hes old and shoulda been used like Ladanian Tomlinson was in NY.
Our D needs a huge upgrade at DT or at least and good rotation of thick guys. We need to get a better DE rotation also…we need more pressure on the QB. I like Derrick Johnson and Love Tamba Hali! They need to give Studebaker more time inside and find another OLB. Maybe Gilberry switch to outside?? If we get more pressure on the QB i dont think we will need a single replacement in the secondary with Berry and Lewis at S and Carr and Flowers at CB with Arenas in the slot.
Im worried about the Special Teams. Seems as though Succop and Colquit are decent. I really love the guys, but where is the leg?! They both seem to not have enough. I hope they prove me wrong.
As for our returners. Put mccluster in as the returners and arenas as the back-up!
Comment by corey — March 4, 2011 @ 2:42 am