Kansas City Chiefs: Claiming Kyle Orton Was a Poor Decision by Scott Pioli

Entering this season, I wrote that the Kansas City Chiefs were good quarterback play away from making a deep playoff run.

Of course, I could never have predicted what was going to happen then. The Kansas City Chiefs chances at being contenders in late January, or even February, died when Eric Berry went out after a Stevie Johnson block in Week 1.

Not to mention the fact that before then, Tony Moeaki had been lost for the year, and Jamaal Charles soon followed. Then of course, Jonathan Baldwin couldn't get on the field after injuring himself in a fight with teammate Thomas Jones.

Matt Cassel's early season struggles, also due to injury, were far from the reason this team was underachieving.

Then, things got even worse when Cassel found his way to IR.

All of this culminated in the Chiefs playing against the New England Patriots with a backfield duo of Tyler Palko and Jackie Battle, with a sprinkling of Dexter McCluster and Thomas Jones.

The Chiefs were a team that entered this season with great promise and suffered more than any other roster because of injuries to key players. Losing Moeaki was an issue, but one they could overcome. Losing Berry, Charles and Cassel wasn't a nightmare; it was a night terror.

Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli is a smart man who has had an endless amount of success during his time with the Chiefs and Patriots. However, I believe he has made a mistake in claiming Kyle Orton from the Denver Broncos.

There is no doubt that Orton is a good quarterback who gives the team a much better chance of winning games over Palko.

Scott Pioli's thinking is likely that the AFC West is a division that is up for grabs. The Tim Tebow furrow will likely only last another week or two before he is found out by going against a decent offense that can outscore him. The Oakland Raiders are inconsistent, while the San Diego Chargers are stuck in September mode seemingly for the season.

With Orton under center, the team has every chance of making the playoffs.

However they made the playoffs last year. Making the playoffs isn't a good enough goal for a team that has already achieved that goal. Winning a division would be a great achievement for this coaching staff and management considering the circumstances, but they would have very little chance of bettering their one and done status from last year.

The Chiefs passing attack is built for the deep ball. With Baldwin and Dwayne Bowe on the outside, they have two physical receivers that can get deep. Steve Breaston is a quality player that complements the duo well, provided that the quarterback has enough arm strength to make opposing defenses respect the deep ball.

Kyle Orton does not have that arm strength.

Orton is an accurate quarterback that excelled in Josh McDaniels' system in Denver. His greatest limitation is his inability to find receivers deep down the field. He can get the ball there, but he does not throw deep with good velocity on the football, which would lead to interceptions should he repeatedly attempt to.

Orton will allow the Chiefs to beat weaker teams with greater ease than Palko would have; however, once he comes up against a quality team in the playoffs, the offense will significantly struggle.

The type of offense Orton excels in is much different from the Chiefs one. Orton made a lot of plays surrounded by speed and quickness in Denver, while Baldwin and Bowe have straight line speed; they won't be turning five yard slants into 50-yard touchdowns a la Brandon Lloyd or Eddie Royal.

While you never give up on an NFL season, without four key players, the Chiefs should have one eye on next season. The addition of Kyle Orton will better this football team in the short term, but logistically, it could cost them the chance at a top 10 draft pick.

The Indianapolis Colts passed on Orton in order to hold their grip on the first overall selection; the Kansas City Chiefs should have done the same in order to find a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

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