ASK BOB … Post-Draft

Bob,

First off let me say I think you asked the best question at the post draft press conference. They did an excellent job dancing around it. I also liked the fact that they had the press conference at the time they would have so they could wiggle out when the bullets started flying. I would like to know if Eric Berry can play the nose and ilb? People seem to think this is the move that makes us a top ten defense. He is a good pick but not the right pick. Are we building a football team or a 4×100 relay team. With drafts like these it’s no wonder we pick in the top 5 .

Thanks
Gary in Il

Bob,
Could you give us a update on Charlie & Romeo as in: Did they rent or buy a home here in KC or are they just in a apartment?
A home would make me think they are here for the long haul, an apartment shows me they don’t plan on staying very long at all…

Go 2010 Chiefs!!!

Bob,

Thanks for doing this again, awesome!!

who would you picked in the draft?? not before hand, but at our picks and who was still left on the board?? and reasons why?

Thanks

Bob,

Thanks for all of the great draft coverage you’ve provided over the past few weeks. Your work is stellar as always. I have two questions.

1. Outside of Berry, who do you think was KC’s best pick and worst pick? Obviously this is all speculative, but I’m curious which picks beyond Berry had you excited and which pick was the biggest head scratcher for you.

2. Do you think we’ll see KC trade some of our guys away before the season opener? DJ, Page, Croyle, Cox, and Cottam would all seem like possible guys who we’d have on the block.

Bob:
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 dilligently, and realize we already invested a #1 draft choice 2 years ago on a LT that has shown enormous promise, and it was probably the least area of need on the entire team.

Bob,
Do you think the lack of OL drafting is an endorsement of Richardson and Brown?

Hi BobGretz,

We all appreciate the great stuff you have provided this offseason and greatly like the ASK BOB segments…a couple questions for you…

1) At this point, what would be your grade our GM’s performance?

2) If you were trying to get the new players fired up about Chiefs heated rivalry with the Raiders, what would be the best things you could tell them about from this team’s history about why they should want to crush the Oakland Raiders every time these two teams face off?

Thanks!

SG

Hi Bob
Out here in the country we appreciate what you do to keep us informed.

What are the chances of picking up another tackle or do you think the ones on the roster will continue to develop?
Thanks
Mick

Based on the two Pioli drafts:

1. When will on the field production match the drulling over the picks, as in being on the north side of 8-8?

2. Compare last year’s draft to this year”s. How does it all fit together for the Chiefs future?

3. How could the Chiefs ignor NT, DE, LBs, C, or Wr in the draft? is McCluster the answer at WR?

4. What is Pioli’s love affair with TEs? two drafts, gave up extra picks for unknowns guys.

Mr. Gretz,
First off nice work the past few weeks. I cannot imagine the amount of effort that went into you player analysis posts. You’re the best at what you do.
Few questions,

What happened with John Henderson? Seems like everyone was set to get together, then someone got cold feet. Did management decide he’s not a good fit or is it possible they got turned off when Henderson showed up on local sports radio airing out Chief laundry?

A lot of people are saying Josh McDaniels dug his grave with the Tebow pick. Could we be that lucky, your thoughts?

What’s going on in Oakland? Seems to me either, no one told Al Davis the draft started on Thursday or, the 6:00pm start time was past his bed time. Should I be concerned they’re turning things around in Oak. or can we expect continued self-destruction in the black hole?

Keep up the good work.

Hey Bob,

How do you think our Special Teams unit looks post-draft? Would it be legit to believe that the addition of two explosive returners could swing a few close games our way?
Last year we had a strong, well coached unit. I’m looking forward to seeing what Hoffman can scheme up with these weapons.

Questions:
- Regardless of whether folks liked the guys we drafted, they are here. What do you feel their impact will be next season individually and as a team?
- What impact do you feel the 2 new coordinators will have?
- There is speculation about Glen Dorsey being a nose tackle. As compared to other NT, he seems a little short to be effective, but what is your take? How important is the NT height in being effective vs being a force?
- What are others, such as Rick Gosselin, saying about our draft and other off season moves and non-moves?
- Lastly, it would be great to get your take and other knowledgeable folks take, on the status of other teams, especially in our division, considering the draft and other off season moves.

Thank you!

Bob:

Who is you best guess at Center and Rigth Tackle and where does John Asamoah fit in?

Jeremy at Arrowheadaddict.com

What do you think Pioli’s long term plans are/were for 2009, 2010, 2011 & 2012.

My opinion is in 2009, he acquired/developed seven foundational players from previous regime or draft: QB, RB, DE, OLB, CB, punter & kicker. In 2010 draft, he develops three starters at these positions: SS, CB/KR, WR/RB, and three quality backups at RG/LG, TE & FS. Free agency is a short term fix in general therefore not included for forecasting. I believe Pioli will find starters in next year’s draft at NT, ILB, C & WR. 2012 is Super Bowl run. Do you agree?

I still think they needed a left tackle. Albert struggled last year, I put some of the blame on Haley for making him lose weight and I think that really hurt. Also Cassel got sacked 40 something times last year who knows how many times he was knocked to the ground, if that was Croyle he would have been put on IR after 3 games. Your quarterback is your money maker. Hopefully Weiss and Crennel will be our best draft choices. Haley did not impress me ( to much of an attitude)

gosh doug yeah, really blame haley for forcing albert to get into shape, and to a weight where he can MOVE in a ZONE BLOCKING SCHEME THAT REQUIRES AGILE LINEMAN!

Bob
Do professional football teams, specifically the Chiefs, utilize the services of psychologists for performance enhancement? If not, why not? If so, do they have a “team psychologist,” or is it up to the individual athletes to obtain these services?

What rookie free agents have the chance to make the roster or more, based on potential?

This year’s draft class has created a lot of debate between Chiefs fans. There were a lot of questionable picks but after a few days of looking at the players more closely I am able to see where they all fit into the plans of the new regime…except for one. I am still baffled on why they picking Kendrick Lewis. First of all, in my opinion, there were still some talented players left at positions of greater need. Second, while I admit I don’t know much about him, I don’t see him contributing much more than another body for special teams. Bob, what is your opinion of Kendrick Lewis and do you think he will be able to compete for a starting spot on this roster any time soon? Thank you.

Hey Alex, if you looked at Alberts first year he did much better than this. Trying to push 300 plus pounds is alot harder than 290. No one complained about Willie Roaf’s weight. Any coach will tell you you build your lines ( offence & defence) from the center on out. How many right tackles did we go through last year? Let’s see Indukwe, Richardson, O’Callhan? I think there were at least 2 more. Like I said I hope Crennell & Weiss are our best draft choices.

As always, appreciate your work and insights Bob.

1) What do you think of the Chiefs O-Line going into 2010? Personally concerned with O’Callahan and 37 year old Wiegmann.

2) Thoughts on Brandon Carr? He seemed to have a sophomore slump…hopefully just a slump.

3) Off-season sitings of Dorsey, Jackson, Magee, Albert or other Chiefs who may have hit the gym exceptionally hard or in contrast the burger stand?

Urbin wat kind of a W.R. is he?

What do you think about tradeing Charles and McCluster be our running back ?

1) Bob, who’s been invited for Tryouts?
2) OT backups – your take?

Bob, we are all glad you survived the weeks leading up to the marathon boot camp once known as the NFL draft.
Last year, despite all the near misses and “Oops” plays, when it would have been easy to throw in the towel, Todd Haley’s offense never quit attacking. It was fairly plain to see he hates to lose and was frustrated as the dickens with the results. Now that the reins have been turned over to Charlie Weiss, he may well feel jealous of all the new toys.

And while McCluster adds a delightful mix of elusiveness and speed to the arsenal, can we be assume that Charlie Weiss is enough satisfied with the OL that the organization was able to concentrate on the defense?

In that regard, i.e., standing pat, if Glenn Dorsey is moved to NT, why is there snickering in the punditry universe? Granted, he is–what, 6′1″?–not the size traditionally associated with that position, but he has always impressed me as having good football IQ and should be able to adapt if given the necessary coaching and opportunity.

Also, just how good a QB tutor is McDaniels? Is his choice of Tim Tebow brilliant, or will it prove to a Titanic-like bad decision? True, Tebow brings strong leadership qualities, attitude and aptitude, but are his “mechanics” so fundamentally flawed that he will be relegated to wildcat formations?

I was watching the Post draft press conference with Pioli and Haley, and noticed that when you asked a question (well I thought that it sounded like you) there was a blurp in the feed.

Was there some editing done from the question you asked to the response that Pioli gave that was not aired?

Also who was your guess on who Pioli was trying to trade up for with the 2b (50th pick) selection?

Absolutely love these segments of your site Bob!

Mr Gretz,
Thank you for the good work and insight you bring to us; Mr Pioli said they “wanted” 3 players in the second round, McCluster,Arenas and X, who do you think was the third one they failed to get, was it a NT? If it was a NT then why take Mccluster over a NT? That was taking a risk to wait one more year to have their “franchise” NT, and we know rookie D lineman take 2-3 years to be performant…Could the reason be that they wanted to give Cassel an immediat weapon so they can this year if he is really the QB they want? Or do they think they have already a legit NT? (probably not) Thanks

Love these “Ask Bob” moments. Bob, given the volatile personality of Haley, interfaced with the analytical and reserved Pioli, I was surprised at the initial pairing of the two, which leads in to my question:

How much power did Haley have in the draft? Did he have any legitimate input/say-so or was he simply biting his tongue and going along with what Pioli wanted?

aPacific asked the same exact thing I was wondering about (I thought I was the only one that noticed). I also saw the blurp in the feed after you asked your question (Haley looked annoyed that you didn’t address it to anyone specifically, although Haley looks generally annoyed about everything). So was there an edit of the answer, or was it nothing at all?

I would like to add something:

The AFC West. To many of us think if the Chiefs draft well, we are headed for the playoffs. SD released LT and drafted a rb, Denver released C and traded WR, drafted same, Oakland got best MLB and got a new QB (not a very good one at that). KC ignorred some of their needs in favor of team speed. What do you think, Bob? Did the Chiefs gain ground on the team in the West in 2010? Where do we stand in the West?

Hi Bob,

My question is about the conservative nature of NFL strategists. An example is the speculation about whether you can pick a safety with the 5th spot. To my way of thinking, this is ridiculous. If you target one player as most able to help your team, you grab him, unless you’re confident that you can trade down and he’ll still be there.

Which brings up my second beef – the thought that each draft pick is worth a certain amount based on some mysterious and mystical chart. If no team will give you what the chart says your pick is worth, that means the chart is wrong. It’s basic economics. If you can trade down a few spots, the player you want will still be there, and the best you can get for trading down is a ham sandwich, YOU DO IT. Because now you’ve got the player you want, plus a ham sandwich. I’m joking, of course, but you see my point.

From the leaked photograph of Dallas draft board, Berry was rated 6th player in the first round by Dallas, McCluster the 5th player third round, Arenas the 2nd player fourth round, Asamough mid third round and the TE mid fourth round. These ratings for our second round picks are basically in line with published ratings. Who do you think was driving these two picks in the second round? Do you attach any significance to the fact that Haley was the one defending the Arenas pick at the press conference? Also why do you think we stayed off Cam Thomas?

Hi Bob
About the Draft, about how many scouts do most organizations have? Can one organization have more scouts than others? How many scouts do the Chiefs employ?

Hi again Bob
Since we didn’t draft any one to plug the middle in the draft.

Do you think Shaun Smith, Ron Edwards, and Glenn Dorsey will be the rotation at nose now with Magee, and Gilberry playing at end?

What do you think the chances are that Kendrick Lewis will start in front of Page. Or was Lewis picked up to add depth.

With Mike Vrabel recording all of two sacks last year will Cameron Sheffield or Andy Studebaker be the starters this year or is that a respect thing?

Do you think the Chiefs should pick up Adalius Thomas?

Was there any since of which pick got away that the Chiefs wanted the most?

Who do you believe is the better athlete coming out of Tennessee, Eric Berry or Dale Carter?

Were any guys on the current roster being shopped around for picks on draft day?

Bob,

Haley seemed impressed with how hard the guys are working in the weight room. Do you have any insight as to who isn’t in great shape, who is taking more of a leadership role, what young guys seem to be stepping up in this year’s off season workouts? And, based upon what you know now, what players do you have your eye on from last year’s team to surprise or make good progress?

Thanks for all the outstanding information and great writing. Fantastic.

Bob the chiefs did upgrade their speed on both sides with McCluster and Arenas but the need of the key positions kind of have me baffled. During the second round and third rounds why didn’t the Chiefs consider taking Cody or Tate or taking Brown the USC left tackle all three were there in the second round?

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 permiate 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? (especial 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!!!

Thanks for opening it up to questions, Bob.

My first question has to do with how many NFL teams, the Chiefs in particualr, handle college free agents. Many times, you’ll see a player get put on the practice squad and stay there for two, three years, and seemingly sometimes more. After being on the team for a couple seasons, you’d think the guys would be able to make the team. Why invest two to three years in developing a guy, and then just cut him. Sometimes these guys get cut during the first cut of training camp. Does it take that long to tell if the guy is worth developing? A couple of guys currently on the roster are good examples: NT Derek Lokey and OG Darryl Harris. If those two get cut early in camp this summer, I’ll be left scratching my head again. The Chiefs have been working with them for over two years, and that just gets tossed. That’s a puzzle to me. Any insight, Bob?

Bob,

Aside from DL John Henderson, who was supposed to visit the Chiefs but didn’t, are there any other NFL vets you’ve heard of the Chiefs being interested in bringing in for a look?

What do you think is realistic for the Chiefs this year? 8-8, 9-7? Or another losing season?

Also, what is the minimum start up cost for starting an NFL franchise? Can you do figures with stadium cost and one without?

Great job on the site!

I’m interested in how the players coming back for their second season under Haley are doing as far as being in shape and getting bigger and stronger.

A number of players seemed to be underweight for their position, or not quite as strong as they need to be. I know a lot of players got in much beter shape last year under Haley. Is that continuing? How about players like DL Bobby Howard, Wallace Gilberry and Dion Gales? Gales is listed at 259; no way he can play NT or DE in a 3-4 at that weight. Are there players, young or veteran,you know of who the team wants to get much bigger? Which playes will have the hardest time passing Haley’s famous conditioning test?

Good work Bob, like hearing your well thought-out opinions and it is more meaningful to me knowing that you are real close to this team. My question concerns the middle of our offensive line. There is some real interesting competition going on there. I feel confident Lilja has one spot, Waters the other, but that third spot between Niswanger, Wiegman and now Asamoah could be VERY interesting seeing the reports on Jon. What are your thoughts on this situation and could Waters still move to center? Thanks.

During and right after the draft, I counted myself among fans who were sorta baffled by the Chiefs draft after roung 1. I figured I, along with some pundits I read, knew what the team needed and who they should get. After some reflection, though, I really believe the answer to why they drafted as they did is self-evident.

First, the team believes it has numerous young players who are about to really take it to the next level; players such as Cassel, Charles, Bowe, Albert, O’ Callaghan, Dorsey, T. Jackson, Magee, D.Johnson, Studebaker, Flowers, Carr, Morgan.

Second, they went after players who fit their profile of the type of players they want, and who have a chance to fulfill the top priorities they had for the team: playmaking ability, leadership and team speed. And bringing in these players gave them a chance to improve all three units: offense, defense, and especially special teams.

Third, post-draft and moving ahead, they will still have opportunities to improve the team via trades or free agent signings.

To me, the alternate points of view that Pioli, Haley, Hunt, etc. either don’t care if the team improves this year , or just don’t know what they’re doing, are not really plausible.

From your point of view, Bob, what seems to be closer to the truth?

Bob,

Can you tell us what some of the personalities of some of the players and coaches are like? Who are the loud, outspoken leaders; the stoic low-key leaders; the jokesters; the quirky wackos and odd-balls; the laid-back let-it-flow types. Are there any who are just a bit too full of themselves? Pro athletes; there must be some. I suppose some can back it up, and some can’t. Who are the toughest of the tough-guys? Most inspirational?You get the drift. I’m sure you’ve got stories, and some that you can tell.

Bob,

I’ve been meaning to ask you this for some time now…and this is my chance. Just exactly, how much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Come on now…you’re a Punxsutawney native. Fess up! Your insight would be appreciated. Ha ha!

Seriously…good questions from all. Can’t really think of anything to add. I’m at a loss for anything to say, which is unusual…as the “regulars” here should know.

Bob, thanks for continuing to do these Q&A’s. It’s good stuff. Looking forward to your answers on these great questions.

In an earlier posted question, I referred to some of the Chiefs young DL. One, I called Bobby Howard. That should have been Bobby Greenwood.

A few more if you have time:

1) In those games Brian Waters was healthy, what grade/evaluation would you give him this past year?

2) It appeared to me that Branden Albert’s mental mistakes led to more QB sacks/pressures than getting beat physically. True? Do you have an evaluation of Albert’s strength’s/weaknesses?

3) It appears Cassel has difficulty finding the most open receiver in the least amount of time.

Assuming the O line plays like it did in the second half of the ‘09 season or better, what do you think Cassel needs to improve on to be the right guy to lead the Chiefs?