Kansas City Chiefs: Where These 8 Chiefs Players Must Improve in 2013

By (Featured Columnist) on February 7, 2013

4,924 reads

15Icon_comment

Previous
1 of 10
Next
Hi-res-157355737_crop_650x440
Jamie Squire/Getty Images

After a 2-14 season, there is no question the Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of room for improvement. Statistically, this 2012 team is the worst Chiefs team in franchise history and also the most disappointing team after leading others to think they had a lot of potential.

Kansas City was the worst team in the NFL when it came to passing yards, points scored and giveaways.

The Chiefs have a lot of players with Pro Bowl talent on the team, and even those players can improve in certain areas.

In this slideshow, I will pick eight players and go over the biggest thing each player must improve on.

QB Matt Cassel

Hi-res-156286459_display_image
Justin K. Aller/Getty Images

Although Matt Cassel isn't favored to be the starting quarterback in 2013, he's still on the roster.

Nonetheless, he has a lot to improve on. His biggest area to improve on is his turnovers.

Before being benched, Cassel led the NFL in turnovers with 19, including one where he fumbled at the one-yard line against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 5.

Hypothetically speaking, if Cassel goes into Week 1 of the 2013 season as the starting quarterback, he must learn to limit his turnovers if he wants to be part of a good offense.

RB Jamaal Charles

Hi-res-158680351_display_image
Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Even some of the best players, like Jamaal Charles, have room to improve. But the list of positives for Charles are unlimited, and he makes few errors while playing football.

Among all NFL players, Charles tied fourth for most fumbles with five. New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and Denver Broncos running back Willis McGahee have also been a victim of losing the football five times in 2012.

When you compare Charles to just the running backs, he coughed the ball up more than anyone. Quarterbacks Robert Griffin III, Colin Kaepernick and Michael Vick had more fumbles than Charles, but there isn't another running back who tops Charles in fumbles.

Charles contributed a little bit to Kansas City's 37 giveaways.

If Charles limits his fumbles, he becomes a more valued and complete running back in the NFL, which is scary when you see how good he is right now.

WR Dwayne Bowe

Hi-res-156659748_display_image
Peter Aiken/Getty Images

It's hard to figure out what kind of a player Dwayne Bowe is, or which version of himself will show up on game day.

It's a scary thing to think about.

Sometimes Bowe comes off as one of the best receivers in the league when he makes circus grabs, finds himself in the end zone and caps games off with over 100 receiving yards.

On other days, Bowe looks like a player trying to learn the fundamentals of football, such as trying to maintain possession of the football. Bowe's hands are certainly not the best in the NFL.

He'll drop some of the easiest passes thrown his way. Sometimes those passes are long first-down throws and even in the end zone. But Bowe's career has been full of embarrassing drops.

Yet in the end, he is wanted in Kansas City because the Chiefs don't have a wide receiver who can step up and successfully fill the void.

WR Jon Baldwin

Hi-res-5700354_display_image
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In his first two years with the Chiefs, Jon Baldwin has been one of the least productive players on the field.

As a No. 2 wideout, Baldwin hasn't shown that he is worth the first-round selection and is already tabbed with the bust label. Baldwin's biggest issue is his route-running. There were times where he and Cassel butted heads on the field after certain incomplete passes.

Cassel surely isn't the greatest quarterback, but Baldwin doesn't do him any favors by not following through with the right play.

New head coach Andy Reid is going to make sure Baldwin limits his errors in 2013 if he stays on the team.

OTs Eric Winston and Branden Albert

Hi-res-6679146_display_image
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

I'm going to mix two of Kansas City's offensive linemen in this slideshow since they both have something in common.

Offensive tackles Eric Winston and Branden Albert combined for 14 penalties in 2012, 10 of them being false starts. In other words, Winston and Albert together cost the Chiefs 50 yards due to a misunderstanding with the snap count.

Winston and Albert are both highly valued offensive tackles. If they can have the yellow flag thrown on them fewer times in 2013, the two could find themselves earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors.

DE Tyson Jackson

Hi-res-6811186_display_image
John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

Since being taken third overall from LSU in 2009, Tyson Jackson hasn't been a household name, nor has he shown any upside. But at one point in 2012, his game changed and he showed he can be a good defensive end in the 3-4 system.

From Weeks 11 through 14, Jackson had three sacks, one additional tackle for a loss and two pass deflections. Those four weeks boosted Jackson's confidence, but he soon went back to his old habits.

The point is, he's seen success before, although he's seen it very few times. But he's capable of it. If he can be more consistent, he'll add more value to the defense in 2013.

CB Brandon Flowers

Hi-res-154007407_display_image
Kyle Rivas/Getty Images

Brandon Flowers has slowly climbed his way to the top, but he has not yet been recognized as an elite cornerback in the NFL.

In his five years in the league, Flowers has collected only 16 interceptions, with nine of them coming in the past three years. His season high of interceptions came in 2009, his second year in the league when he recorded five picks.

As a cornerback, Flowers can make a bigger impact if he comes up with more takeaways to help the team succeed and improve.

S Eric Berry

Hi-res-151642066_display_image
Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Eric Berry was voted into the 2012 Pro Bowl, but it was certainly a shocker to many people. Berry came back after he tore his ACL in 2011, but didn't seem to make as big of an impact on the field as most Pro Bowl voters seemed to think.

Even though he was second on the team in tackles for a loss and total tackles, his coverage created issues at times.

Like Flowers, Berry is just a couple of steps away from being a complete defensive back. With Flowers on the team, the two could create a very strong cornerback-safety duo in the league.

Begin Slideshow
Keep Reading
Flag
Props (0)
This article is

What is the duplicate article?

Why is this article offensive?

Where is this article plagiarized from?

Why is this article poorly edited?

Flag This Article
Kansas City Chiefs Kansas City Chiefs: Like this team?
Default-user-icon-comment
or to post a comment

15 Comments

There are no comments yet. Get the conversation started by leaving the first comment
Big
Loading comments...
just now posted just now
  • Loading...
  • Nobody has liked this comment yet
Cancel

This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete

Follow the Kansas City Chiefs from B/R on Facebook

Follow the Kansas City Chiefs from B/R on Facebook and get the latest updates straight to your newsfeed!

Fans of

Icon_subscribe
Icon_youtube
Icon_google
Kansas City Chiefs

Subscribe Now

We will never share your email address

Thanks for signing up.

We're Scouting Top Writers

Buy or Sell the Chiefs Improving on 2012 Win Total Hint: you can use arrow keys to navigate through this channel.