The Search Never Ends … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Already the Chiefs scouts have cleaned up after last weekend’s NFL Draft and are working on the class of 2011. The personnel process is a 365-day a year job.

In the days leading up to the Draft, during the three-day affair and in the three days afterwards, there has been plenty of personnel movement. Veterans of all kinds have been released, traded or sliced off their old roster for many different reasons.

Despite the opportunities, GM Scott Pioli and the Chiefs have not pulled the trigger on any trades or signings. There haven’t even been any rumors about their interest in a player until Monday when Jacksonville released DT John Henderson (right). He’s supposed to talk with the Chiefs on Wednesday, an obvious indication that they have an interest in him.

But what about some of the other players that have changed teams or remain available? Why were the Chiefs silent? Why did they not add them to a roster that needs more talent? Let’s discuss some of them:

LB AKIN AYODELE – He was released back in March by the Dolphins and was available until this past Saturday, when he signed with Denver. Certainly, Pioli had an avenue to check on Ayodele and why he was cut loose by Miami where he played two seasons. He joined the ‘Fins after two seasons with Dallas, where he was signed as a free agent by Bill Parcells. The 6-2, 245-pound native of Texas has played both inside and outside, with 630 total tackles, 95 sacks and seven interceptions. He will be 31 in September.

Did he fit the Chiefs? – They need help at linebacker, especially on the inside where Ayodele has played the last four seasons. Based on what happened to him and the Dolphins defense last year, he seems a duplication of players they already have on the roster. Whether he would have helped is something the Chiefs will see up close and personnel, since they’ll play him and the Broncos twice.

G ALAN FANECA – The veteran guard was released over the weekend by the New York Jets and signed on Tuesday by Arizona. Although he was named to the Pro Bowl, Faneca’s age and a decline in his pass protection led the Jets to put him on the street. In Arizona, he got a one-year deal for $2.5 million. This was after signing a five-year, $40 million deal in 2008 with the Jets, with $21 million in guaranteed money. Faneca began his career with 10 seasons in Pittsburgh, where he was a first-round choice in 1998. He’s been to nine Pro Bowls. Faneca will be 34 in December.

Did he fit the Chiefs? – Absolutely. The question is whether the Chiefs would fit with Faneca? He got his big money with the Jets deal two years ago and right now he’s looking for a chance to win a championship. That opportunity does not rest in Kansas City for 2010. Whether it’s a possibility in Arizona remains to be seen, but the Cardinals are closer. Plus, head coach Ken Whisenhunt and offensive coordinator Russ Grimm were both with the Steelers when Faneca was also there. “There’s a reason he’s been selected to the last nine Pro Bowls,” Whisenhunt told the media in Phoenix. “At a time when we’re facing changes on our offensive line, we’re very fortunate to have a player of his caliber coming on board.”

WR TED GINN, JR.
(left) – A former first-round choice by the Dolphins, Ginn’s selections was booed several years ago by Miami fans who wanted QB Brady Quinn. Things never seemed to get better for him after that rough start. He struggled to make an impact, dropped too many passes and raised the ire of some in the Dolphins for his unwillingness to go into traffic for the football. But he returned a pair of kickoffs for touchdowns against the Jets last year and overall averaged 23 yards a kickoff return. Ginn averaged 8.7 yards on punt returns, with a touchdown as well. He caught 128 passes for 1,664 yards and five TDs in 48 games. Ginn was traded to San Francisco on April 16th for a fifth-round draft choice.

Did he fit the Chiefs? – Again, Pioli would have a pipeline on information about Ginn’s last two seasons in Miami. The price to get Ginn was certainly not expensive, as the 49ers gave up pick No. 145. The Chiefs had the 142nd choice; that’s what they used to draft OLB Cameron Sheffield. Had they made the move on Ginn, they might have been able to use that second-round choice that went for Javier Arenas on another player or position.

DL JOHN HENDERSON – When Henderson and Marcus Stroud were paired together on the inside of the Jacksonville defense, they were as tough a duo as patrolled the line of scrimmage in the NFL. Three years ago, Stroud was traded to Buffalo and since then Henderson’s production has not been the same. In the last three seasons, Henderson had seven sacks. In his first five seasons he had 22 sacks. The Jaguars released him on Monday.

The 6-7, 335-pound Henderson is 31 and will be in his ninth season. He made the Pro Bowl after the 2004 and 2006 seasons. Stopping the run is what Henderson has done best over the years, playing both defensive end and defensive tackle. He’s also been pretty durable, missing just four games during his career. He had 423 total tackles, 29 sacks and eight forced fumbles.

Does he fit the Chiefs? Absolutely, Henderson could fit with the ‘10 Chiefs, whether they played him at nose tackle or defensive end. He’s no longer the player who made two Pro Bowls, but even at this point in his career, he’s an upgrade for the Kansas City defensive line. Signing him would be the biggest move in the off-season to date for providing help on the run defense.

DT CHRIS HOVAN – The veteran defensive tackle found himself out of a job on Monday when Tampa Bay cut him loose. Hovan will be 32 in May and his production has been trending downward the last five seasons with the Bucs; he’s had just five sacks in those five seasons. He’s played 156 games for Tampa Bay and Minnesota, where he was a first-round choice in 2000 out of Boston College. He’s 6-2, 296 pounds. The Bucs cut him loose because of his lack of production and the fact he was set to make $4 million this season.

Does he fit the Chiefs? – Hovan is more of a Tampa Two-type defensive tackle, rather than a nose tackle. At this point in his career it’s hard to see how much he would produce at defensive endi n the 3-4 defense. On this guy the Chiefs should pass.

G ARRON SEARS
(right) – Released this week by the Buccaneers, Sears’ story is a sad one. He sat out the 2009 season dealing with depression, leaving the team a year ago. Sears has not gotten back on the field with his teammates, although he’s been working out. The team remained supportive until Monday when he was released.

“It’s a sad deal,” said Tampa Bay center Jeff Faine.”I don’t know how much control he had over what was going on, but he’s a great guy, a great teammate, a guy you loved being around. This is just a reminder for all of us of how that no matter how much this game means, there’s more to life than football.”

Sears is a former second-round draft choice of the Bucs in ‘07 and started 31 games in his first two seasons. He’s 6-3, 310 pounds and will turn 26 in October. His O-Line coach was Bill Muir, who is now the line coach of the Chiefs.

Does he fit the Chiefs? – If Muir thinks so, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sears at least work out for the Chiefs. If he checked out physically and mentally, Kansas City would be a good place for Sears to attempt a re-start to his career.

LB ERNIE SIMS – On April 19th, Sims was part of a three-team deal that essentially came down to this: the Lions traded him to the Eagles and all Philadelphia gave up for him was pick No. 137 in the fifth-round. Sims will be 25 in late December. He’s played five seasons with the Lions, where he was a first-round draft choice in 2006. He’s played 59 games, with 56 starts and has 420 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, one interception and four forced fumbles. Sims never quite fit the Gunther Cunningham defense of the Lions.

Did he fit the Chiefs? – Sims played outside linebacker in the 4-3 defense with the Lions and he’s on the smallish side for the 3-4, at 6-0, 230 pounds. I realize he was part of a three-team move, but if the price that the Lions were looking for was in the fifth-round area, this was a deal the Chiefs should have pulled the trigger on. Whether he fit or not, if Sims was good enough for the Eagles to go after then he would have helped the Chiefs. Maybe they even could have traded one of those Gunther guys that he’s always talking about picking up once they are released in Kansas City.

DT MONTAVIOUS STANLEY – Released this week by the Jaguars, Stanley qualifies under the journeymen definition. He’ll be 29 in October, this would be his fifth season and he’s been part of five different NFL organizations. In that time he played in 33 games with six starts. At 6-2, 302 pounds, he had 53 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Does he fit the Chiefs? Any player of Stanley’s size should be considered for work on the Chiefs defensive line. There isn’t much in his dossier that says “sign me.”

LB ADALIUS THOMAS (left) – He was cut loose by the Patriots on Monday, after spending three seasons in New England. Pioli knows all about him, because he was there when Thomas signed a five-year, $35 million deal, with $20 million in guaranteed money.

Thomas had a good 2007, playing inside linebacker and then moving outside when injuries required an adjustment in the Patriots defense. He started in the Super Bowl loss to the Giants. In 2008 his season was cut short by an arm injury and then last year, he was a healthy deactivation for a game in October. Thomas later ran into trouble when he was late for work due to traffic from a New England snow storm. Bill Belichick sent him home as discipline and then made him a healthy deactivation for another game. Things went downhill from there.

He will be 33 in August and has played 10 seasons, with 517 total tackles, 53 sacks and seven interceptions. Thomas stands 6-2, 270 pounds and has played inside and outside linebacker.

Does he fit the Chiefs? – If Thomas is healthy then he should be given a look-over by the Chiefs. Pioli obviously has an inside track to what was happening with the linebacker last year with the Patriots. He’s not the player he was in his prime, but the linebacker position needs help.

DT KEVIN VICKERSON – He’s going into the sixth season of what has been an underachieving career first with the Dolphins, then the Titans. At 6-5, 305 pounds, he’s a big man out of Michigan State. In 24 games he racked up 45 total tackles and 1.5 sacks for Tennessee.

He was suspended for four games in 2008 for violating the league’s policy against performance-enhancing drugs. Vickerson was part of the StarCaps controversy, as he tested positive for a diuretic.

Did he fit the Chiefs?
Not really, given he played in the 4-3 defense. Despite playing for an organization that has developed many defensive linemen over the years, Vickerson was not much of a factor for the Titans in the past two seasons. It’s hard to see how he would be able to roll into the Chiefs defense and make a big immediate contribution

RB LEON WASHINGTON – On October 25th last season, a handful of Raiders defensive players fell on Washington at the end of a run in Oakland. The weight of the group landed so that his right leg was trapped under him. Washington suffered a compound fracture of his right fibula, ending his season.

When he was on the field, Washington was a game changer, producing 6,336 all-purpose yards in 55 games. He was especially potent on kickoff returns, where he averaged 25.5 yards a return and scored four touchdowns.

There apparently were questions within the Jets organization about how far back Washington can come from his injury. He will be 28 in August. Also, Washington had been pushing for a long-term deal with the Jets, but couldn’t come to an agreement; he recently signed a one-year tender offer as a restricted free agent.

Did he fit the Chiefs? – If he were healthy, there’s no question Washington would have been a consideration. But if he were healthy, there’s a very good chance the Jets would have wanted more for him than they got from the Seahawks: pick No. 139 in the fifth round. Either that or they would not have been trying to deal him. Washington is the same size as Chiefs draft choice Javier Arenas, who return-wise has similar abilities. Before or during the draft, the Chiefs would likely have kept their distance because of his leg.

RB LENDALE WHITE – Just 25 years old and already an owner of a 1,000-yard rushing season, White became expendable with the Titans because of the emergence of 2,000-yard rusher Chris Johnson. White also had his troubles along the way in Nashville, where he was sometimes overweight, late for meetings and other stuff that reflected a lack of focus and preparation.

“Why didn’t it work out in Tennessee? I have to blame myself some, I guess,” White told the media in Nashville. “But with that said, it was obviously time for me to move on. I didn’t feel like I could become the kind of player I wanted to become at Tennessee because of past history of things, maybe things that weren’t always right. But I’m not mad about it at all. I get another chance to prove myself.”

White ran for 1,110 yards in 2007 and 773 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2008. Last year, behind Johnson, he ran for 222 yards and two TDs.

Did he fit the Chiefs? – Not hardly; his immaturity makes him very unattractive to the Chiefs. If they had been looking for a short-yardage/goal-line banger, there might have been some consideration, especially since the price was so inconsequential (swapping spots in the fourth and fifth rounds.) But the fact that the Titans were willing to unload him for the football equivalent of a bag of donuts screams plenty of what his new team can expect. Maybe his old college coach in Pete Carroll can handle him.