Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs
OK all you Chiefs fans that want the team to trade away the No. 3 pick in the first round of next weekend’s NFL Draft … Scott Pioli has spoken.
Pioli said on Thursday that he’s not out beating the drums trying to deal his first-round pick. He also said he would listen to any offers. He also said the Chiefs would be prepared to make a selection in the first round no matter where they are picking.
So we learned absolutely nothing new about where the Chiefs stand with that first round pick. If you expected anything more just because Pioli and head coach Todd Haley came out of the draft bunker to speak with the media, then you haven’t been paying attention to these guys over the last three months.
Pioli allowed that his willingness to trade would depend on who might still be on the board when it came time for that third pick.
“Tell me who is on the board and who is not … I don’t know if we want someone to make us an offer,” Pioli said. “Here’s what I know: when it’s our turn to pick, whenever that is, we are going to know who we are picking off that board. If there’s an opportunity to make a trade, we’ll listen. You have to take your time, be patient, not be reactive and think things through to make the best decision.
“It’s not the best decision at that second, but long term.”
In talking about being involved with the New England Patriots and their willingness to deal in the draft, both up and down, Pioli did pull back the curtain just a bit on strategy. When the Patriots traded up, they were after a particular player they had identified and were attempting to make sure they got him. When they traded down, the man they wanted was no longer available, so if the opportunity was there and made sense, they moved down.
“Teams don’t necessarily just trade picks,” Pioli said. “They trade picks to get to players. Trades are made so teams can get to specific players. You have to have a partner to make a trade. Sometimes there are opportunities, sometimes you have to be prepared to use the pick if the offer is not of value. You have to be prepared to make a pick because there’s only a certain amount of time.
“There are 32 teams in the league and different teams value things differently. When there are certain players on the board, teams may be concerned because they are close enough to get that player, but they know they have to jump ahead of team X.”
Pioli is very aware of the statistics that show the No. 3 pick in the Draft has not been traded since 2000 and in the last seven years only one top five pick has been traded. That’s why Pioli and Haley will have the Chiefs prepared to make the selection after St. Louis makes its choice.
“The most obvious change has been the cost and the guaranteed money you have to pay that pick,” Pioli said. “Some teams are more conservative and want to go with a safer pick, or whatever their definition is.”
So what does Pioli expect to get with his first-round selection?
“You’re hoping that at a top five pick you are going to get a good football player, a good young football player who has some talent, who is going to make your team good now and in the future,” he said.
THERE’S FOOTBALL ON THE FIELD THIS WEEKEND AT THE SPORTS COMPLEX
The Chiefs will be on the field Friday morning for the first practice of the Pioli/Haley Era.
It will go down at the Chiefs facility and it will be behind closed doors. The team has made the pair of Friday practices off limits to the media. And it’s not just the press, but everyone else in the Chiefs building that’s not allowed to watch t he work. It’s players, coaches, support staff and that’s it.
They will however, open up at least a portion of the workouts on Saturday and Sunday to media viewing.
No matter who might or might not be watching, players and coaches are both anxious to get on the field together for the first time.
“This weekend is more about teaching, so it’s unfair to think we’ll come out of it and that we’ll have any idea about evaluations,” Todd Haley said on Thursday during a pre-Draft press conference. “We want this camp to be about the players learning a little bit about the terminology, the system and a little bit about us as a coaching staff and how we are going to act out there.”
How the Chiefs are going to “act out there” is something everyone wants to see, after they find out who is out there. This is not a mandatory mini-camp under NFL rules, so a player cannot be disciplined or fined for failing to show up. But it would not make sense for a player in this situation with the ‘09 Chiefs to boycott the weekend.
According to ESPN.com, Larry Johnson’s agent says he will be on the field with the team. We’ll wait and see if he’s be joined by offensive mates Tony Gonzalez and Brian Waters.
Pioli said he’s not looking to move any players before the Draft. However, he did say he would listen to any offer any team wanted to make to the Chiefs. “We listen to everything that might be an opportunity for us to acquire players, picks, absolutely,” Pioli said.
Everyone is anxious to see the Chiefs defense. Publicly, Haley has not been willing to commit to a 4-3 or 3-4 defense. The best guess is the defense will be much like the scheme used last year by the Arizona Cardinals, a hybrid 4-3 that frequently morphs into the 3-4.
No matter, there will be a lot of attention paid to the returning defensive players and how they fit into the system. Who would play nose tackle in this defense? Where do guys like Tamba Hali, Turk McBride and Brian Johnston fit; are they still defensive ends, or will they play from a two-point stance as an outside linebacker? How best does Glenn Dorsey fit with the scheme?
The questions continue at linebacker? Will Derrick Johnson stay at middle linebacker or inside linebacker, where he finished up last season? Is newcomer Mike Vrabel going to stay at outside linebacker, or move inside? Is there a place in the scheme for Demorrio Williams?
There may finally be some answers this weekend.
MADDEN RETIRES, COLLINSWORTH REPLACES HIM ON SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
The 30-year broadcasting career of John Madden apparently came to an end on Thursday when he announced his retirement from doing games on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
NBC announced that Cris Collinsworth would replace Madden in the booth with Al Michaels.
Madden worked for all four of the major networks at one time or another. He started at CBS (1979-93), moved to FOX (1994-2001), then ABC (2002-05) and finally NBC (2006-08). His final broadcast was the Pittsburgh victory over Arizona in the Super Bowl back on February 1.
Kansas City saw very little of John Madden the TV broadcaster. His work on CBS and FOX was in the NFC and there were very infrequent trips to Arrowhead for those games. On Monday Night and then Sunday night on ABC-NBC, he made one trip to Kansas City. That was back in November 2004, when the Patriots beat the Chiefs 27-19 in a Monday night game.
But Madden saw plenty of Kansas City during his 10-season run as head coach of the Oakland Raiders (1969-78). He was 14-5-2 against the Chiefs, but he was only 5-4-1 in Kansas City at Municipal Stadium and Arrowhead.
SIGNINGS & MOVEMENT AROUND THE NFL
CHARGERS – restricted free agent CB Cletis Gordon signed his franchise tender.
49ERS – signed LB Parys Haralson to a four-year, $15 million contract extension, including $6.5 million in guaranteed money. Signed K Joe Nedney to a two-year contract extension.
LIONS – signed WR Ronald Curry (Oakland) and FB Terrelle Smith (Arizona).
SAINTS – signed LB Anthony Waters (San Diego).
STEELERS – released RB Gary Russell.
SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY …
Born on April 17, 1938 in Newark, N.J. was G Curt Merz (right). Known by his nickname of “Mother” he played seven years with the Texans-Chiefs (1962-68), appearing in 92 games, including an appearance in Super Bowl 1 against the Green Bay Packers. Merz got into the radio business in Kansas City after his playing career and continued in the business until just several years ago down in Springfield.
Born on April 17, 1940 in McKeesport, Pennsylvania was WR Bill Miller. He joined the team as a second-round choice in the 1962 AFL Draft out of the University of Miami (FL). He played in 14 games that season, catching 23 passes for 277 yards. Miller finished up his career playing in Buffalo and Oakland.
And born on April 17, 1977 in Westfield, New Jersey was P Steve Cheek. He kicked in 12 games with the Chiefs back in the 2004 season out of Humboldt State. Cheek kicked 42 times and had a 39.1-yard gross average and a 31.6-yard net average.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. The draft will be here before we know it.
Good bye Mr. Madden. KC doesn’t miss you as a coach but I’ll miss you on Thanksgiving.
And now….I have just one more thing to say…..
The right 53….the right 53……the right 53……the right 53……the right 53……the right 53……the right 53……the right 53……the right 53…… :)
Madden!
I say good riddance to the man that inspired the character “Fat Bastard”. This man would not say a decent word about Lamar Hunt or admit how instrumental Hunt was to the NFL, even at the prodding of who ever happened to be his Minni Me at the time, Madden would just grunt (fitting for a fat slobbish pig) his acknowledgment.
For all you youngsters who are to young to remember Madden floundering his fat ass up and down the sidelines with his giant burnt orange sideburns and eyebrows that require a brush hog to maintain, just ask your old man, if Madden wasn’t the original “Fat Bastard”
There’s so much posturing and disinformation being released by NFL teams prior to the draft that one would be on more solid ground by taking what’s said and turn it completely around and probably be have a more accurate sense of what the team’s real strategy happens to be.
For example, Pioli says, “If there’s an offer we’ll listen (trade). This could more likely mean: “We’ll be shopping our #3 overall pick harder than a Black Friday special at Walmart”.
And so on and so forth. We’re one week out and I’m getting the sense that the pick can’t be traded and, because they’re hardly ever available on the free agent market, the Chiefs will take the safe choice, LT which means, most likely, Eugene Monroe. Mark it down.
Whatever happens with regards to the draft and trading our pick or whatever…I trust Pioli to do the best thing for the team. The guy know his sh*t…and we as fans can agree or disagree with what he does. But personally, I think this guy is going to get this team back on a winning track. So I’m cool with whatever he does. He knows far more about football than I do. I just want to see us winning some football games again.
I see where Anquan Boldin has said that he’d be open to playing in KC for his former coach.
Too bad the price would likely be too high.
I am glad we are finally rid of Madden and his ignorant comments. I agree with Anonymous, he would NEVER say anything possitive about Lamar Hunt or his family or the Chiefs. Once a Raider, always a Raider. And the big pussy was scared to fly! I don’t see what the big deal is, when it’s your turn to punch the ticket, it’s your turn! Bus crashes can be just as fiery as a airplane crash. He needs to put on the big boy pants and quit blubbering!
I never really understood the big appeal about Madden. He got on my nerves, personally.
That being said…Chris Collinsworth is worse.
I never heard him say anything positive about clean underwear either……so? You guys are just bitter from his time as the Raiders coach. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing…..the Raiders are EVIL…..but I was not a KC fan in Madden’s day (I was a lot younger)…..so I can’t get too worked up about him. It seems weird to me that he was once a part of that organization.
ArrowheadHawk has spoken rightly…
“Once a Raider, always a Raider.”
The Right 53 (22) 2009!
From Pioli I expect more…
Marcus Allen.
Harold C. says:
“Marcus Allen.”
Ouch. That hurt. Good point,though.
My dislike for Madden had nothing to do with his being a Raider. I just found his commentating generally annoying. I never understood all the hype and the BS about him being “the best”. I won’t miss him…but I’m not looking forward to listening to Collinsworth, either.
Marcus Allen had a personal and open fight with the very essence of Raiderhood (Al Davis). In my mind he “turned from the dark side” and was the exception to “Once a Raider always a Raider” rule.
Anyone who blogs on here should be a certified RAIDER HATER!!! if not we can arrange the proper training.
SG
TR22 and TR53 2009!
Pioli will give us what we want.
I liked Madden, try listening to Yogi Berra (like him too). Collinsworth is flat awful, doubt I will even give him a listen.
Once a raider…..rule is always good. Includes caoching hires also. Marcus was good here but still a raider.
Right now we have one first day pick, I believe we will get another somewhere that first day.
As much as I dislike the Raiders…I dislike Denver even more. I think the rivalry with Denver has evolved over time to take the # 1 spot from the Raiders as our “arch-enemy”. In MY book it has, anyway.
Kill em all, then let God sort em out!
Boom! It’s about time. I already knew that the QB throws to WR’s or hands off to RB’s. But I have to admit that he was entertaining for the simple fact that his communication skills were so darned goofy.