Dwayne Bowe Holdout: Why the Disgruntled Receiver Needs to Report to Camp

Dwayne Bowe needs to end this charade of his and get to training camp.

Unfortunately, this has not been the case as we near the midway point in August. And according to Bill Williamson of ESPN, Chiefs Head Coach Romeo Crennel stated:

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“It’s just been mentioned that there was a spotting of him, but I have no knowledge,” Crennel said. “No one has told me anything, so if he reports to camp, that will be the first time I see him.

"The way it is, Dwayne can wait until the season starts if he chooses to. It’s kind of up to him. He will report when he wants to, or when he and his people decide they’re ready to come."

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For K.C.'s and the Chiefs' fans sakes, let's hope the receiver comes to his senses sooner than later. Here, we look at why his presence is so vital to K.C. in 2012.

Offensive Potential

The Chiefs have a lot of ability on offense with the dual-back set of Jamaal Charles and Peyton Hillis. Include the versatile Dexter McCluster (receiver, running back, return man) and Kansas City can attack a number of ways on the ground.

Matt Cassel has proven to be a great quarterback with a strong arm and impressive mobility, but his effectiveness will be irrelevant unless Bowe is lined up out wide. He's by far K.C.'s top receiver and is the team's best deep-ball target.

Doing so just opens up the rest of the defense for the underneath receivers, and ultimately the ground game. Opponents won't blitz nearly as much, and Bowe's ability to occasionally draw double coverage puts Steve Breaston and Co. up against favorable mismatches.

After a roller coaster 2011, the Chiefs were still on the brink of making the postseason. The AFC West remains an open division (even with Peyton Manning in Denver) and K.C. has the skill set to be divisional contenders.

Future Implications

Bowe is only going to be 28 years old this season, and he has at least three-to-four solid years remaining.

Regardless of whether he remains in Kansas City or elsewhere for the 2013 season and beyond, it all starts with a strong 2012 campaign. Doing so would potentially position him for opportunities, but nothing can happen until he gets on the field and starts making plays.

His talent alone can beat most corners in single coverage and split a Cover 2 look down the middle. Bowe's 6'2", 220-pound frame also matches up well against bigger defensive backs and helps with run-blocking.

Any team that loves to run the rock would greatly appreciate his size walling off linebackers on the edge. This, in turn, makes play-action so much more dangerous and could lead to more targets. Still, Bowe can't showcase his complete ability anywhere but on the field.

Potential of 2012 Season

With the talent on offense, Kansas City could do some impressive damage to its AFC West foes in 2012. And Bowe would only enhance the Chiefs' production at moving the chains and scoring.

What most forget about, though, is K.C.'s defense.

Guys like Brandon Flowers, Eric Berry, Justin Houston and Derrick Johnson are all NFL studs. Tamba Hali is one of the league's best pass-rushers and is a star in the making, so one can only imagine the Chiefs' 2012 season when it comes to shutting teams down.

Bowe factors into the defense just because he makes K.C. a more complete team. If the offense manages to control the game tempo and keep the opposing defense off balance, the Chiefs' defense will easily take over games throughout.

They have the ability to blitz constantly and hold off in coverage. Combine all the elements, and they become a sleeper team in the postseason. Without Bowe the Chiefs can still make the playoffs, but a lot more pressure will be put on an offense that won't be as dangerous through the air.

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