Bleacher Report - Articles by Dena Crutcher

Kansas City Chiefs: Players Wanted, Positions Available

Dena Crutcher — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 22:04:32 -0400

After a dismal season prior to the 2009 draft, the Kansas City Chiefs have the third overall draft pick. This year’s draft could prove very promising for the Chiefs.

After acquiring quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel from the New England Patriots in March for a little bit of nothing, the Chiefs' staff strengthened both the offense and defense.

Unfortunately, there are still several holes to fill on both sides of the ball.

Kansas City has struggled with the defense for nearly 10 years after the loss of Derrick Thomas.

Hopefully, Glenn Dorsey, acquired in the first round at pick number five of the 2008 draft, will be able to step into that position solidly with the looming possibility of a transition to a 3-4 defensive scheme under new head coach Todd Haley.

Currently, some of the needs for the Chiefs team include center, offensive tackle, defensive end, cornerback and safety. The team has been called “Swiss cheese” on the field, and at times during the last two seasons it has certainly felt that way.

With the the NFL Combine long gone and the Draft only days away, Chief fans begin to wonder what positions will be filled and who will have the honor of wearing the Red and Gold.

I’m certain that our new general manager Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley have been steadily preparing for their first draft as members of the Chiefs organization.

The 2009 Draft marks the first draft for the Chiefs without former general manager Carl Peterson in 20 years. Fans expect high quality from Pioli and Haley after some of Peterson's blunders in past drafts; and with the addition of Cassel and Vrabel for next to nothing, they have already started delivering.

Some of the more notable names that have been tossed around include defensive ends Everette Brown from FSU and Brian Orakpo from Texas, offensive tackle Jason Smith from Baylor, and linebackers Aaron Curry from Wake Forest, James Laurinaitis from Ohio State, and Rey Maualuga from USC.

Will any of those pan out? We’ll have to wait until the draft kicks off later this month.

The question also arises: Will Kansas City trade down in the first round?

If they decide to remain with the third overall pick, I look for them to pass on Curry if he is still available.

Why not Curry you ask? Curry was heavily vetted by the Detroit Lions, who have the first pick of this year’s draft, during the combine and it would be surprising to see him not go to them.

Even though he has excellent talent, if the Chiefs decide to switch to the 3-4 defense he would struggle thanks to his poor pass-rushing ability. His gifts would be better used in a 4-3 scheme.

If the Chiefs trade down, I see them grabbing Rey Maualuga.

Are you rolling your eyes or screaming at your computer screen yet?

Here’s the main reason why I say Maualuga in the first round. Rey is a solid pass rusher. The Chiefs are in dire need of a rock when it comes to the pass rush.

This past season we didn't just trip, we fell...extremely short on pass defense. That is one of the main problems I feel needs to be addressed in the upcoming draft.

Kansas City fans need something to believe in again. Fan morale has hit a new low in the past couple of seasons and I look for the duo of Pioli and Haley to restore the fans' faith in their team.

Pioli is known for finding gems in later rounds in the draft, and I doubt this year will be any different. Look for him to pick up a plethora of gifted athletes.

A new era has begun in Kansas City, so bring on the draft and bring on spring training. Let’s see if this new staff can get this diamond of a franchise shining again.

Rule Changes: NFL At It Again

Dena Crutcher — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 11:30:47 -0400

This past week the NFL has made some rule changes and additions. Let's take a look at a few of them.

Video replay can be used to determine if a loose ball stayed in bounds or hit the sideline.

Could we not have saved trouble by just telling the officials to not rule a ball out of bounds unless they had actually seen it go out of bounds? I think this is more or less a "common sense" rule on the referees part.

The draft order has been reworked to reflect playoff results, not regular-season results

I'm not so sure about this one. This stems mainly from the 2008 playoff incident where the San Diego Chargers (8-8) beat out the Indianapolis Colts (12-4) and made it farther into the playoffs.

Obviously with the previous draft order the Colts would have picked farther down the line than the Chargers. Now, this order will be determined by how well a team does in the playoffs.

How exactly does this help? I don't feel that it does. It's an "any given Sunday" scenario. It just depends on who is better prepared, better coached, and who makes the fewest mistakes during that particular game. For Indianapolis it just so happened that San Diego had the right mix of winning components.

A blindside block cannot be delivered with a helmet, shoulder or forearm to an opponent's head or neck. That'll be a 15-yard penalty.

We need our head and necks, they're rather important wouldn't you think? I think we can file this one under "common sense."

Contact to the head of a defenseless receiver will also draw a 15-yard penalty.

I thought this was already a rule, or maybe I was just using "common sense" when it came to seeing those hits. Regardless, this should be heavily enforced and I look for that to happen in the upcoming season.

A defensive player on the ground may no longer lunge or dive at the quarterback's lower legs

Also known as the "Brady rule" due in large part to Kansas City Chiefs player Bernard Pollard's season ending injury on New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

At the time, the hit on Brady was legal and now it isn't.

I have a problem with this rule, being a Chiefs fan has nothing to do with it. My problem is that it gets its "nickname" due to the Brady hit. There have been other quarterbacks who have sustained hits like this and Tom Brady I'm sure will not be the last.

Now if they want to sack a quarterback, they just have to do it standing up.

I know the NFL is just trying to make the game safer for all involved, but sometimes it just seems as if they're taking all of the fun out of watching football.

I love the [legal] hits, a good solid defense, and an overall great game. I never want to see any player, no matter what team they play for, carted off the field or having to retire, as Priest Holmes did, due to a hit sustained on a football field.

Kansas City Chiefs: Making A Splash Or Just Making Waves?

Dena Crutcher — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 12:49:46 -0500

As the 2008 season was drawing to an end for the Kansas City Chiefs, fans like myself were shaking their heads wondering how we had fallen to such a low point. How had the "Loudest Stadium in the NFL" become so quiet?

I'll tell you in two simple words.

Herman Edwards.

Trading away draft picks for Edwards was a huge mistake. Carl Peterson made a huge mistake. Yes, the first season Herm was in Kansas City, the team limped into the playoffs. But wait, that was with a team he had not put together. The 2007 season ended with a 4-12 record and the 2008 season closed with the worst record in franchise history at 2-14.

When a team is "rebuilding," there will be plenty of growing pains. As Herm would say, "We are what we are". Even as his "rebuilding" team gradually worsened.

He managed to literally run Larry Johnson into the ground and push one of the best tight ends in the NFL, Tony Gonzalez, so far that he wants to leave town. With Clark Hunt under scrutiny from the Chiefs' Nation to oust Edwards, and possibly Carl Peterson as well, it looked as if he needed to finally take over the reigns of the organization left to him by his late father, Lamar Hunt.

As the season was drawing to an end, there was breaking news that Carl Peterson was stepping down after 20 years as the President and General Manager of the Chiefs. The Chiefs' Nation could not have been happier as the end of "King" Carl's reign was now official.

Next in question was Herm Edwards. Would he be on the chopping block when a new general manager was hired? There was plenty of speculation to say the least, and with the announcement of former Patriots Personnel Director Scott Pioli as the new general manager, we found that Edwards would not remain the head coach in Kansas City.

The Chiefs' Nation was roaring once again. Much in the way they did when Derrick Thomas stepped onto the field. Finally, our prayers had been answered. Herm was gone. Fans everywhere broke out in Wizard of Oz style with "Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead."

One of Edwards' most notable quotes started to sail through the air, as fans were telling Herm to "get over it," as he had told them to do so many times during the previous three years.

With the firing of Herman Edwards, fans wondered who the shiny new general manager would bring in to spearhead the team. When the announcement was made that Todd Haley was being brought in, there were mixed emotions, but it was a general consensus that anything other than Herm would be an improvement.

As free agency started, there were fans foaming at the mouth at midnight waiting to see if the Chiefs new staff would immediately make moves.

Of course, they didn't, which is fine with most of the Chiefs fans because no immediate decisions need to be made. We just want some improvement over the last couple of free agency periods, where little to no moves had been made to help the team.

In the last 72 hours, the Chiefs have acquired Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel from the New England Patriots. Maybe things are looking up after all.

With these moves, fans are wondering what else is on the horizon for their beloved Chiefs. Who knows, the offseason is still young.

There's the draft and training camp and roster cuts ahead. Hopefully the team isn't just making waves, it's splashing the water out of the pool.