Answer Bob – Part #3

OK, here are the rest of your questions from the weekend and answers to a few more posts that came rolling in with Answer Bob Parts #1 and #2.

Enjoy.

Niblick says: Was the problem with the right side of the offensive line only O’Callaghan? He took most of the criticism. How did Lilja perform? It seemed the whole right side struggled.

Bob says: Against Atlanta, the whole offensive line struggled. It wasn’t just left or right. And it wasn’t only the offensive line. Remember the sack of Matt Cassel that pushed field position back and gave Ryan Succop a 53-yard FG try? That’s the one that really had Todd Haley frosted after the game. Well, that sack was courtesy of a running back (Kestahn Moore) trying to cut block the blitzing linebacker and failing miserably. I don’t think the O-Line is going to be as bad as it was last year for the first half of the season, but whether it can be as good as the group that blocked in the second half of the year, I’m not sure. Stay tuned. …Read More!

Answer Bob – Part #2

Back to the in-box. Again, thanks for the posts and questions.

Don says: Thanks again for an awesome site! Not being too insightful of a fan I’ll ask like this: I know we shouldn’t take too much from the first pre-season game. It’s too easy to be on cloud nine or in the dumps watching the first contest. When should we be taking cues as to how the season is going to play out? After the third or fourth pre-season game? Or after the first few regular season games? I know, it’s a guessing game, just your thoughts. My thought was to throw the remote but I resisted!

Bob says: Do not throw that remote. Yet. I wish I could give you a head’s up on a fork in the road ahead that will tell everyone the immediate future of the Chiefs. The pre-season games, all four of them are important. But really it doesn’t matter until the Monday night game against San Diego to open the regular season. Even then, that’s one of 16 games. Don’t make any assumptions or decisions on this team until that Monday night game. Get back to me then. …Read More!

Answer Bob: Part #1

From St. Joseph, Missouri

As always you guys provided plenty of fodder for the opinion mill here. I’m always proud of the level of questions that come through the chute here. It’s a great testimony to the readers of this site.

Again, there were so many that I’ve had to divide the questions and the answers up into several segments. So if you don’t see your question and answer in this first part, stay tuned. There’s more to come.

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TruChief09 says: Dexter McCluster has been electric at training camp and was rather successful in the first pre-season game. McCluster ran the ball 5 times in the first game compared to only 3 catches. I know pre-season doesn’t mean too much but what is your prediction on the ratio of catches to runs by Dexter this season?

Bob says: That’s really hard to predict; too small a sample. But the Chiefs coaches went into the Atlanta game with a package of plays they wanted to see McCluster handle at running back. They wanted to see how he handled the contact, especially running between the tackles. The fact he had no problems dealing with the tackling and hitting is going to have Haley/Weis looking at more and more snaps from the backfield. Ultimately, once the regular season comes around and Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles are healthy, then I would expect his catches to outnumber his runs. …Read More!

Answer Bob/Finale … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

OK, here are the final answers to your questions from Ask Bob. My apologies for keeping some of you hanging on all week, but anybody that says there is an off-season in the NFL has no clue.

Once again, thanks for all the great questions – many of them are far better than the answers.

Enjoy!

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Anon says: Bob, I have read reports that the Chiefs have been at or near the bottom in player payroll the past few years. In addition, I’ve read several comments in the media, I believe you included, that indicate unwillingness on the Chiefs part to spend money on free agent players. Now, clearly if spending the most money was the best strategy, the Redskins would be racking up Super Bowl trophies. I believe Pioli and Haley want to build a team mostly through the draft and bring in some free agents that fit a certain profile. I get that, but at the same time, when you’re at the bottom of the payroll list, it leaves fans scratching their heads wondering if Pioli and Haley are talking the talk, yet going about things on the cheap. Could you address why it is the Chiefs have such a low payroll, even now several years after the “going young” roster turnover they went through under Herm Edwards, and do you think that being in such a position now that the Chiefs can honestly say they’re doing EVERYTHING possible to bring winning football to K.C.? Thank you.

Bob says: That there is confusion about just where the Chiefs are financially really shouldn’t be a surprise. There are several factors at play here that must be taken into account: losing, stadium renovation, a new collective bargaining agreement and new management.

Forget the way things used to be in the 1990s and most of the 2000s. The days where the Chiefs practically printed money every season are gone, long gone. Three years of losing has made it hard to sell tickets, hard to sell suites and hard to sell sponsorships. On top of the 10-38 record, there’s the renovation of Arrowhead Stadium. Yes, the taxpayers of Jackson County are helping to fund a lot of the changes, but the Hunt Family threw in close to $150 million of their own money. They did that because they expect to make that money back in tickets, suites and sponsorships. …Read More!

Answer Bob/Part #3

It’s been a busy week with some travel and a host of family in the house, so I’m not getting these answers done as soon as I would like.

But I’m muddling on and hope to have this all wrapped up by Thursday. Again, thanks for the questions and I hope you enjoy the answers.

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Blake says: Bob, do you think Matt Cassel is good enough to lead the team to the Super Bowl in the future, or do you think we need someone different? How has Thomas Jones looked? Do you think Kestahn Moore can make the team if he has the same running style as Jones or would they want a different kind of runner? How many OLB do you think the Chiefs will keep – Vrabel, Studebaker, Sheffield, Walters, maybe Cole? Which undrafted free agents do you think could make the team? How many S will the Chiefs keep and who are they? Who do you like better Derrick Johnson or Demorrio Williams?

Bob says: I’m not sure if Cassel is good enough – there’s not enough of a sample size yet. I don’t think we can base any deep evaluation on what we saw last year. He does need help. Hard to say how Jones has looked since there was no real running game during the off-season. But there’s no question he’s in shape, he knows how to run, the questions that will follow Jones right now are how much tread is left on his tires at 32 y ears of age. I think Kestahn Moore has a real chance to make the team – he must make an impression on special teams to help out his cause. I think the Chiefs will keep five OLBs and right now I’d say it will be Vrabel, Hali, Studebaker, Walters and Sheffield. Cole has a chance, as he’s at the top of the list of undrafted rookies that could surprise. With him I would include WR Jeremy Horne and D Garrett Brown. I would expect the Chiefs to keep four safeties and right now I would say that group will be Eric Berry, Kendrick Lewis, John McGraw and Donald Washington. As for talent displayed on the field, I would take Johnson over Williams. …Read More!

Answer Bob/Part #2 … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Here’s part No. 2 of answers to your questions for Ask Bob. I must say I know it, but these sessions really show me again that the readership here is pretty smart and aware of the Chiefs, the NFL and the game of football.

It’s a pleasure to answer these questions. There will be a Part #3 and you should see that Wednesday afternoon at some point.

Enjoy!

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JLoyd says: I see a couple of huge changes in what Todd Haley is doing. But, is it driven by the need to win a few more games, or is it Todd and Scott Pioli trying to go from worst to first in one big swoop?
Bob, you have seen it all meshing together from the start. They are doing things a little different and there are a lot of little questions that no one has been able to answer.

Bob says: JLoyd I’m not entirely sure what you are seeing, but let me see if I can answer your questions. There’s no doubt that Pioli/Haley are driven to win a few more games. These guys have got to push that four victory total higher in 2010. Remember always the words of Clark Hunt, who said several years ago that he wasn’t nearly as patient as his father. He’s already shown that, and there’s no reason to believe that he’s going to extend a lengthy dose of patience if the Chiefs don’t begin to win more games. There’s no way the Chiefs can go from worst to first in one big swoop, or several smaller swoops. As bad as the Chiefs have been, they have been better over the last three years than St. Louis (six victories) and Detroit (9). If there’s a sense they have changed, it’s probably because they have. Both feel like they have set in place the type of program they were looking for, so they are going to be less inclined to pick fights on the way things used to be done. …Read More!

Answer Bob/Part #1 … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

As always, you guys have loaded me up with plenty of questions and I plan to have plenty of answers. We’ll cover them in the next few days, as well as keeping track of all the personnel movement around the league on an everyday basis.

Here’s Volume No. 1 – enjoy!

Mike in St Louis says: Just what is/was Tony Moeaki’s injury? Do you see him as starting TE Monday night in September? Lastly, with the addition of Weis, do you see Haley now interested in using a TE more often?

Bob says: Mike, I wish I could shed light on what Moeaki’s problem was, but it would be easier getting launch codes from the Pentagon. Moeaki told me it wasn’t an injury, i.e. knee, or ankle, or hamstring, or shoulder or any limb or joint. That tells me it was some type of illness or irregularity, but it could not have been anything too serious because he was there every day and worked in the rehab zone all the time. When he finally got on the field, he didn’t show any type of physical problem. Eventually, we’ll find out. I think Moeaki in the starting lineup for the opener is a bit ambitious. I wouldn’t rule it out, but that would take a very strong six weeks of camp and pre-season performances. I do believe he’ll be on the field a lot in the offense and I think that will start from the get go. I think Haley’s interest in getting the tight end involved in the passing game is directly related to whether he has a tight end who he can count on to get open and catch the ball. If Moeaki can do that consistently, or any other tight end can, they’ll be on the field. It’s not like the Chiefs wide receivers are so strong that a coach wouldn’t want to take away some of their chances. …Read More!

Last Chance For Another Ask Bob

Family business has me on the road this weekend to Austin. This will delay my opportunity to provide answers to your questions to ASK BOB.

But it gives you another day to submit questions. There’s plenty of material already here for me to deal with, but what’s a few more questions. Get’em in before midnight on Sunday and I’ll include your questions with my answers.

Any subject involving the Chiefs, the NFL and the sport of football is fair game. Actually, just about anything is fair game, so do not hesitate to ask.

There are no bad questions … only bad answers.

Attach your questions and comments to this post.

Answer Bob – Part #3

Here’s the last batch of questions from the weekend. Again, thanks to everybody who submitted something.

GeorgeT said: OK, Bob I just got finished reading Jason Whitlock’s latest diatribe against the Chiefs and Pioli and I don’t get it. This guy campaigned for change and to get rid of King Carl and now less than 18 months after the change, he’s bashing the new guys, calling him Fidel Castro (left)? Is it really as bad as he portrays things? Does the media really have to ask to use the bathroom?

Bob says: Yes, the media has to ask for access to a restroom. That’s true. Big deal.

Access to players and coaches is very limited. That’s true as well and it’s a bit bigger of a deal. For a team trying to sell tickets, suites and sponsorships, it shows us that different parts of the franchise are operating with very different agendas. Any publicity the Chiefs can help foster right now would be helpful for sales and generating more attention. Instead the Chiefs have gone in the opposite direction and made it tougher for those types of stories to appear by shielding the rookies with a closed locker room during the mini-camp and making the coaching staff off limits for interviews at this time. All of that comes down from the very top of the organization.

And all that being said, is it like Fidel Castro’s Cuba? I’ve never been to Havana, although I’d love to see the place and smoke a stogie or three. I doubt Whitlock’s been anywhere near Cuba, so how he would know is beyond me. I will tell you that it’s very interesting that Whitlock decided to write his piece on the day Todd Haley allowed the media to watch the entire afternoon practice at mini-camp; at the other workouts we got about 25 minutes. It’s also interesting that Whitlock complained about the rookies and what they had to say in front of the media when he did not even attend the sessions; he stayed in the press room. It’s typical Whitlock: lazy reporting, lazy writing, the entire process wrapped around his insecurities that he projects on others. …Read More!

Answer Bob – Part #2

More questions, more attempted answers on all things Chiefs and NFL.

vincent belt said: I have been listening to a lot of podcasts lately. One comment caught my attention. There are three things that all great teams must have: 1.) the desire to win must permeate the entire organization-Winning is the only thing must almost be in the DNA of every worker. 2.) There must be a clear vision of the type of player the team wants. The scouts must have specific criteria they are looking for and the personnel people should use this to create a cohesive team. 3.) Players must be developed! Great teams take players and develop them to fit into their scheme. This should happen within 2-3 years. What players do you believe are going to develop this year? (especially emphasis on players that played little or no, to becoming regular contributors. Are you able to watch the rookie camp to get a sense of what players are going to contribute this year? (Outside of the top 3 picks) Thanks, Bob you do a GREAT JOB!!!

Bob says: Vincent, good points and good questions. Developing players is huge. I know the fans and media get excited about the new faces from free agency and the draft, but most improvement on a team in a given season will come from within. With the Chiefs, that’s a big group of players that must improve, largely because they remain such a young team. All the draft picks from ’09 have to get better, some have to get much better – guys like Donald Washington, Colin Brown and Quinten Lawrence. Same holds true for all the draft picks from ’08 that are still around, especially Glenn Dorsey, Brandon Carr, DaJuan Morgan and Barry Richardson. Then there are other young players like Andy Studebaker, Jovan Belcher, Pierre Walters, Daryl Harris, Wallace Gilberry and Ricky Price.

From the rookie camp beyond the top three picks, I think they will get contributions from Moeaki and Lewis, and possibly Asamoah, if injuries pop up and he can get on the field. …Read More!

Answer Bob – Part #1

As always, I asked for your questions and they came by the dozens.

And as always, they were well thought out queries and a pleasure to read and answer. There were so many questions that it’s been broken into three parts. Here’s the first batch.

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Mark said: Why do you think the national media was so far off in thinking we needed and were going to draft an OT at #5? Why didn’t they do their jobs a little more diligently and realize we already invested a #1 draft choice two years ago on a LT that has shown enormous promise. It was probably the least area of need on the entire team.

Bob says: Not sure about least area of need, but it wasn’t the priority that media nationally and locally thought it would be in this year’s Draft. The template was passed around that Branden Albert was a complete bust last year, and that’s simply not true. He started poorly, but came around in the second half of the season. He’ll be fine. Albert can play the position; whether he can play to a Pro Bowl-type level, I don’t know. But RT is a bigger question mark in my mind than LT; but the Chiefs don’t see it that way.

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Gump said: Do you think the lack of OL drafting is an endorsement of Barry Richardson and Colin Brown?

Bob says: No, I think it was an endorsement of Branden Albert and Ryan O’Callaghan. They’ve moved Brown to guard and if Richardson doesn’t show marked improvement going into the ’10 season, I’m not sure he makes the club. Yes, depth is a problem at tackle for the Chiefs. …Read More!

Answer Bob – The Combine

The questions were good; I hope the answers are the same. Here’s what I had to say about questions that came in post-NFL Combine. I hope they are educational and illuminating, and at the lease coherent.

Here we go.

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Mad Chief says: “Which player(s) struck you the most as having the “total package” (i.e. skills, intelligence, demeanor, etc.) And thanks again for your coverage, Bob. It was outstanding! …Read More!

Ask Bob – About the Hall of Fame

OK, here’s your chance. Starting from the moment you read this post until Friday at midnight, I will take any and all questions that involve the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the voting, etc.

If  there’s something about the process that you’ve always wanted to ask, or don’t understand, this is your chance. If you think a player is being forgotten and deserves more Hall  consideration, state your piece.

Over the weekend I’ll try to get my answers together and post on Monday. But here’s a warning. It may be Tuesday before all the answers get posted.

Attach your comments here.

Answer Bob Answers Part 2

Here’s round two of the questions you guys posed to me late last week. Round No. 1 was up Sunday night.

Again, thank you for participating and visiting the site.

LABOR SITUATION

What’s going to happen with the situation between players and owners on a new contract?

I would like to think that neither side wants to kill the golden goose that has been laying a lot of golden eggs for the last decade. Both owners and players have made a lot of money. The owners think the players have made too much money and they want them to give some back, or take on some of the risk that goes with the business of running a football team. Reasonable people can come to a reasonable agreement. If either side becomes unreasonable, then we’ve got problems.

What are the chances of a lockout in 2011?

Right now, it looks like there will be no football in 2011. But there is so much ground that has to be covered by the owners and players it is way too early to know. …Read More!

Answer Bob Answers/Part 1

You guys are amazing! What a great collection of questions you left for me at the end of last week. There’s a lot there and I’ve got to tell you, most of them were well written and thought out. It’s a pleasure to know they are some intelligent football fans on this site. Thank you.

Many of you had nice compliments on the site and those are truly appreciated. Others had some questions about the site and yours truly. I’ve saved those because coming up here later this week; I’m going to have another Answer Bob post dealing entirely with the web site.

There were so many questions that the answers will come in two parts. This is post No. 1. More questions and answers will come in post No. 2 Monday evening.

I’ve tried to arrange the questions and topics in some sort of order that will provide a path from one to the other. I’ve read all the questions and have lumped some of them together. You know what you asked, and I hope one of my answers will provide the information you seek, if not specifically your question.

Once again, thanks for participating.

OVERALL

Give us a scenario where the Chiefs could make the playoffs in 2010. Is it possible?

I have to stop myself from being a wise-ass and asking, what have you been drinking? There’s too much recent history out there to say it can’t be done. The Bengals won the AFC North, after going 4-11-1 last year. The Dolphins won the AFC East in ’08 after going 1-15 the season before. The Buccaneers won the NFC South in ’07 after going 4-12 in the’06 season. So is it possible, yes. How can it happen? On the Chiefs side, they must find another six victories. Then, if they can have the Chargers fall from grace a bit; San Diego has won four straight division titles with an average of 11.5 victories a season. The Chargers must fall off the podium right now for the Chiefs to have a chance. …Read More!

Talking Back

In the last week you the reader have dropped an avalanche of comments on the site about the Chiefs and their 0-3 start.

I wish I could answer each individually, but my goodness, that’s all I would do all day.

But they are all read by me and others. I love opinion, even when I don’t agree. It’s fun to read some of the back and forth, the give and take. As long as it’s kept clean, I will not interfere, even when the comments blast me. Listen, I don’t have all the answers, but like everybody else in the media, I think I do!

A moment of time opened up in the Tuesday morning schedule so I’ve grabbed a few of the comments to address here. They generally reflect a lot of the comments post here or grabbed my attention. Some are here simply to correct the record.

Make sure you know this: keep them coming. This site has become, thanks to you and your comments, one of the most intelligent and passionate forums for Chiefs fan in any media, not just the web. Here goes: …Read More!

Answer Bob/Act Three

From River Falls, Wisconsin

And finally, we get to answer all the questions you left us over the weekend.  I was overwhelmed by your interest and this third version should clear up the backlog.  As training camp and pre-season go along, I will try to jump on and answer individual questions to certain stories and commentaries.

But finally, here are my answers the questions from visitors to the site.  Again, thanks for finding bobgretz.com and taking the time to comment and e-mail us.

TENAND6 says:

Joe Namath once said if he was playing today, he would wear a shaded face mask on his helmet to prevent the defense from reading his eyes. Is there any chance the Chiefs would ask their QB’s to do this? It seems like a great idea. …Read More!

Answer Bob/Act Two

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Here’s round two of ANSWER BOB with your questions from the weekend.  And, there will be have to another edition because there were so many questions submitted.  I’ll try to get to those in the next couple days so please be patient.

I also wanted to thank everybody for their kind words that were sent along with many of these comments over the last few days.  They are appreciated

OK, here we go. …Read More!

ANSWER BOB/ACT ONE

From River Falls, Wisconsin

I asked for it.  I told you to send in your questions and you did.  Wow.  This is going to take more than one edition to answer them all.  And now that Glenn Dorsey and Branden Albert are injured, I’m sure there are even more questions.

But read along and maybe my answer for somebody else will be enough to answer your questions as well. …Read More!

ASK BOB

It’s been one week for bobgretz.com and it’s been quite a rush.  We appreciate your finding us and spreading the word.  Right now our traffic has far exceeded what I expected and it’s come simply through word of mouth.

One thing I’ve learned is there are a lot of questions about the Chiefs out there.  I want to give you a chance to ask them.  I’ll try to provide answers.

Simply put your question as a comment on this post before 12 noon on Sunday.  Then, I’ll sit down Sunday afternoon and provide answers and post them sometime Sunday evening.  I’m not trying to be Alex Trebek, but try to make your post in the form of a question.  You can react later to the comments of other posters and myself.

No subject is off limits, but I do reserve the right to provide an answer you didn’t want to hear.

So, the question window is open.  Just ASK BOB.