Don’t Grade the Chiefs’ Draft Just Yet
All A’s. That has pretty much been the consensus so far among draft gurus- the Chiefs got all A’s. Glenn Dorsey at #5? Brilliant. Branden Albert at #15? Steal. Brandon Flowers in the second round? Grand theft.
Hold on just a moment, I say. Yes, I was very excited about their picks. Yes, I agree that, in terms of value at the respective draft slots, the Chiefs won this draft going away. Yes, on paper, the Chiefs have built a great foundation for the future.
There is still one problem- Carl Peterson and training camp.
I got nervous about the draft last Thursday. It would not have mattered if the Chiefs drafted Dorsey, Albert, Chris Long, Jake Long, Willie Roaf, Will Shields, Derrick Thomas, and Lenny Dawson this year. It is one thing to draft great players, but it is another thing to develop them, and you cannot develop them unless you put them on the field.
The reason for my nervousness stems from an article from the Kansas City Star last Thursday. In the article, Ryan Sims and his father describe their thoughts on why Sims was such an utter failure in Kansas City. Sure, it might sound like they are making excuses, and maybe they are. But thinking about it from an objective standpoint, there are certainly reasons for concern. Sims’ father, in essence, explains that he hated hearing his son’s name in Kansas City’s draft spot because he knew of Peterson’s reputation in draft negotiations. The following quote from the article is telling:
Two weeks before the 2002 draft, Ronnie Sims began hearing whispers. Agents were calling to warn Ryan Sims that three teams had reputations. The Cincinnati Bengals were cheap, Ronnie Sims was told. The Seattle Seahawks would be a bad fit. The warnings about the Chiefs were simple, Ronnie Sims says: Kansas City’s general manager was Carl Peterson.
Ronnie Sims says he heard Peterson was an unfair negotiator and that he tried to sign high draft picks for less than their value.
To summarize the rest of the article, Ronnie Sims basically claims that his son missed most of training camp because of Peterson, causing Ryan to report to the Chiefs out of shape, leading to an elbow injury, and culminating in many other injuries that may have ruined him. Sure, Ronnie Sims may be having sour grapes, and his excuses may seem far-reaching, but anyone who closely follows the Chiefs cannot help but think that there is an element of truth to his statements as well. When was the last time the Chiefs’ negotiations with their top draft pick went smoothly? When Dwayne Bowe reported to camp 10 days late, it was almost like a victory for the Chiefs. Tamba Hali reported to camp on time, but just barely; he signed his contract the day before camp. Derrick Johnson reported to camp a few days late. Going further back, Peterson’s tough negotiations with John Tait is the stuff of KC legend.
There is something to be said about being fiscally responsible, and Peterson deserves a lot of credit for keeping the Chiefs out of salary cap trouble throughout his tenure. But this 2008 draft is absolutely vital to the long-term future of the Chiefs. Just like the 2004-05 offseason was vital for the Chiefs’ short-term future (we all know how that worked out), this year’s draft will have an even bigger impact on the franchise. So it is absolutely imperative that the Chiefs make sure they get Dorsey, Albert, and Flowers in camp on Day One. Not Day Two, not any other day. Day One, because these guys will be expected to start right away, and the Sims debacle should have taught us that you cannot give extensive playing time to an underdeveloped player without the potential of ruining his career. Bowe might have excelled despite reporting to camp so late, but remember how terrible he looked in the first game. That he rebounded so quickly is a tribute to him, but relying on him as precedent is also a risk the Chiefs cannot take.
I am cautiously optimistic things will work out this year. Clark Hunt has taken a vested interest in the franchise, and Peterson’s authority has been somewhat diminished now that Bill Kuharich and Herm Edwards seem to be running the show. Moreover, Kuharich and Edwards likely understand the importance of developing their picks immediately and should push for an immediate resolution to the contracts. Still, Peterson and Denny Crum remain the primary filter to Hunt’s wallet. Certainly, Carl Peterson, as a GM, needs to be tough during negotiations. He just needs to redefine his definition of tough. Until we see how he handles the negotiations, let’s not anoint the Chiefs or “King Carl” the kings of the 2008 draft just yet.
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20 Responses to “Don’t Grade the Chiefs’ Draft Just Yet”
April 29th, 2008 at 7:25 am
The GM in place is a poor excuse for underplaying to your god given ability. Lazyness and lack of will is a great reason however.
Simms was a bust, on his own accord. He was given more time on the chiefs roster then he should have and we had to hit almost rock bottom before he was gone, good bye, don’t let the door hit you in the A_ _!!
April 29th, 2008 at 8:11 am
stacy- no doubt, Sims deserves most of the blame for his terrible play. But there is also no doubt that Peterson does not have a good history with draft picks, and I absolutely believe Ronnie Sims that agents warned him about Peterson. The Chiefs need to leave no stone unturned in their effort to ensure that none of Dorsey, Albert or Flowers becomes the next Ryan Sims.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:09 am
stacy, you may be right, but what is the explanation for Bowe, Hali, and DJ? These deals also took way too long to finish.
April 29th, 2008 at 11:15 am
The problem is the arrogance of CP toward all those who fail to kneel to his throne. We’ve seen evidence of how haughty Peterson has been over the years, so this latest installment about Sims and his Dad not liking being drafted by KC back in 2002 is part of the Peterson persona.
We all know that Sims was a classic underachiever and a poor pick. Not up for debate on that point and yet, the comments involving Peterson are telling of the ongoing and acrimonious nature of his relationships with agents and players who elect to not kiss his you-know-what. Jared Allen is the latest in a long line.
However, recently, there are a couple of encouraging signs:
1) Peterson has seemingly been reigned in by Clark Hunt who has made his vision known and also that he, CH, is the straw stirring the drink and not CP.
2) Chastened by this turn of events, CP has withdrawn and is allowing Kuharich and Herm to implement the Clark Hunt vision for the future of the team.
I expect all the drafted players to be in camp on time this year and also expect a hammer will fall on CP’s head if this isn’t done in a timely manner. The hand on that hammer? Clark Hunt. And that’s a good thing.
April 29th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
“stacy, you may be right, but what is the explanation for Bowe, Hali, and DJ? These deals also took way too long to finish.”
Bowe, Hali, and DJ didn’t show up to training camp fat and out of shape - they showed up ready to play.
April 29th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Hey, Dont sweat it. Sims was a dumbass. Do you really think Dorsey and Albert are gonna hold out. To me, they look like a couple a guys who just wanna get on the field and play football. Dorsey’s too smart to holdout
April 29th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
Each pick is slotted and each player has a realistic expectation as to how much they shall be overpaid without having played an NFL down yet. Carl needs to stop low-balling. I sure as hell hope these picks will be in on time, but I am just as cautiously optimistic as you Phil. When I read that article about Sims, I almost broke my laptop. When given a new home and a new opportunity last year in TB, Sims didn’t exactly grab it by the horns, which is what someone who blames their failures on other people should do when those people aren’t around anymore. Smart move on TB’s part to make it a conditional pick for the trade because we never got that pick, which was an enormous surprise to me that Sims didn’t play enough or well enough to justify sending a late 2nd day pick. Maybe he consciously did it out of spite for Carl? (Sarcasm inserted)
However, thanks to Carl’s tough negotiation tactics, we got a lot more out of JA than most of us expected we would. Live by the sword, die by the sword…..
April 29th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Carl may be a hard@$$ when it comes to negotiating, but until an athlete has proven their worth at a higher level, it’s Carl’s job to hold the line on salaries and make them earn their money based on NFL performance. If other teams did the same, then maybe the draft picks wouldn’t expect another “million or two” to sign just because another year has gone by.
I’m sure the agents told Ronnie Sims how bad it is to go to KC because if Ryan (or any other pick) was to take less $$$ in the negotiating process, then the agent’s take is reduced as well.
Hopefully Herm and his coaching staff will continue to do a good job developing the talent on the roster, unlike previous staffs that couldn’t develop talent and made draft classes from the late ’90s and early 2000’s look so poor.
April 29th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Hey, dammit! You took my name!
Good points, though. I think the days of shitty drafts and player development are over.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:10 am
Chris Georges, Hali and DJ are about as football-inspired as they come, and even they couldn’t hammer out their contracts on time. If you’ll recall, the only reason Hali was “on time” was because he signed at the 25th hour and booked a plane to show up to camp.
Phil’s right. Peterson’s history has been atrocious when it comes to signing players on time. For that matter, his track record on signing players over the past few years has been extremely spotty. LJ held out. Allen was so pissed he left town. Peterson has NEVER picked up one of the top free agents on the market. And you can’t help but wonder if his reputation kept Faine and Brown out of the negotiation room.
Whether the Chiefs came out on top over the Allen deal or not does not take away the fact that the only reason the Chiefs lost him is because of Peterson’s negotiation tactics. As I’ve said before, Peterson has become a major liability to this franchise and I can only sit and wait until he’s finally gone from the team.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:00 am
I’ve heard that Dorsey’s agent is pretty good. He doesn’t try to break the bank, just tries to get what he’s worth. We’ve also worked with him before (1992, I know it was a little different back then), per a kcchiefs.com article. I’m hoping it goes smoothly like then.
April 30th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Here’s another concern, by the way. Carl Peterson has went on record saying they project ALbert to be a Right Tackle. Anyone think this is a tactic by Carl to lowball and sign him to right tackle money instead of the pro bowl guard money or the potential left tackle money? I know draft pick salaries are somewhat slotted, but this could be a sign that the lowballing is already in motion.
April 30th, 2008 at 9:20 am
Jon-Do you think that it would be better to start Albert over on the right side at first and keep DMac on the left until Albert gets acclimated to the speed of the NFL game and then move him to left? It seems as though putting a rookie (a very talented and athletic one even) on the left side would be a lot to ask the guy. I suppose Herm will see if he can handle it or not in camp. All of those O-line jobs are wide open except for #54. I agree with you though, this is a sign that the low-balling has just begun. As Carl himself said “I still have to get these guys signed” at the 1st round press conference. I guess we all should curb our enthusiasm along with him until then…..
April 30th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Dr. Paine: I’d like to see Albert start out at RT myself, but it’s not what I wanted to hear Carl Peterson say, at least not in public. All it can do is antagonize the player.
April 30th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
You have to say that for the team’s sake, it was an excellent draft. None of us know how these guys will pan out in the NFL though. The one good thing about this is, if they do turn out to be great players, and this team still cannot get to the playoffs or Super Bowl, the higher ups, including King Carl will have no excuses left. We have re-tooled so damn many times under CP, now wer’e re-building from the ground up. I want to see this team back in the playoffs and Super Bowl. I could care less about Carl Peterson. The fans, the players deserve it. It has been almost 40 years since theyv’e been there, and all this time I thought that was the goal of any NFL team!
April 30th, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Dr. Paine, I could see the rationale of starting him out at RT. My gut tells me, however, that we could run the risk of overwhelming the kid by asking him to play 3 positions in the course of his career.
If Albert looks semi-competent in OTAs and the preseason, I’d rather the Chiefs start him at left tackle and stick to a more conservative, run-heavy offense to get him acclimated to the NFL. The risk is that he could lose credibility with the fans awfully quick (fans aren’t patient with young players who make mistakes–see Croyle and Pollard). But RT and LT are much different positions than people realize. I think Jordan Black’s career may have been ruined because of this: I think he would have matured best if he stuck with one position and I still think he could have excelled as a guard, but he became pigeonholed to playing tackle in the NFL.
I see the argument for putting the best front 5 to make sure Croyle properly matures. But my feeling is that if the Chiefs don’t expect to win anyway, would it really hurt to test your young LT at that time?
Regardless, what bothers me most is that the kid hasn’t even stepped on the physical playing field and Peterson has already made a public announcement of where he’s going to play. You have to think that comment was made with a contract negotiation in mind. At least wait until after OTAs to make a comment like that.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Good call about Jordan Black. That was a prime example of the coaching staff setting a player up for failure. We all should know that players who are put in a system that emphasizes their strengths shall succeed. Priest Holmes was a perfect example of that. In Bmore, where I’m from, he was a poor fit for the between the tackles smashmouth run game; an ideal fit, however, in the Vermeil system. Black would have likely excelled at either G or even RT, but Dwight Freeney showed in the playoff game (that we all would like to just as easily forget) how incapable he was at the LT spot.
With that said, I sure hope the Chiefs expect to win every game. Why do we play Herm? Each team is predicted by “experts” to finish with a certain amount of wins. Last year, Tampa Bay won their division. The year before, they picked Gaines Adams with a #4 overall. Things can turn around quick. How do you guys feel about the C from the Fish we signed? Can he start at C? That would solve the O line hopefully if he can be solid.
May 1st, 2008 at 6:08 am
Wade Smith, you mean? My feeling is that he’s pretty much another Chris Bober- versatile, can play any position, but none of them particularly great. I think Niswanger is the odds-on favorite to be the starting C.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:10 am
I agree, Niswanger will be given every opportunity to win the job. He’s a much better fit for the smashmouth ground attack, much bigger and stronger than Casey. I would like to see Richardson make his way into the lineup eventually, but it seems as though the staff feels like he is a couple of years away. Is Svitek a liability at RT? If not, DMac could be at either RG or LT, and Albert could fill the spot that DMac doesn’t fill. I don’t know how I feel about putting a rookie on the LT island in NE week 1….
May 2nd, 2008 at 7:23 am
I think you are spot-on. The nice thing is that the Chiefs have a lot of versatility, and thus a lot of options. Niswanger can be a C or G. Waters can play C, if need be. McIntosh can play either T and either G positions. But yes, I would be nervous about putting Albert at LT immediately, especially since he has so little experience as a tackle, period. McIntosh isn’t a big liability at LT, so why not keep him there while allowing Albert to learn the ropes at RT?
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