So it seems that no one has known all offseason whether it's DJ-Harris-Edwards, or Williams-Edwards-DJ, or whatever else. The following excerpts provide a little insight into the competition, but I'm afraid it's going to be a muddy situation for another couple of weeks.



Possible starting lineup? I'm not so sure Edwards isn't guaranteed a spot, unless his injury really does linger.



You'd think Harris is definitely out the door. But we'll see.



Or maybe Edwards' starting spot isn't a lock after all?

I'll try to update this thread with any useful info. I can.

Great post, TJ, thanks for the notes.

Follow Al Davis' lead with Archuleta and go get Boulware from Minnesota. Of course you'll first have to convince him ... if he wants to play in the NFL, he's going to have to change positions. Boulware is having trouble with this.

Per KFFL:


80 man roster and they can't find a LB to play the Mike. WTH is going on with this team?

THE DEFENSE
The Chiefs are sending linebacker Demorrio Williams after the quarterback frequently with good results. He would have had a sack on one play had tackle Anthony Alabi not tackled him. … At 5 feet 9 and 187 pounds, rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers yields eight inches and 64 pounds to Gonzalez, but that didn’t matter when Flowers went up high to break up a pass intended for the larger receiver. Almost as if to prove a point, Croyle went right back to Gonzalez on the next play and this time connected with Gonzalez with Flowers in coverage. … Safety Bernard Pollard had the hit of practice when he leveled running back Kolby Smith.

From Teicher

http://chiefsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/128

I found the original blog report. It makes more sense now that I know that Hoyte was swithed early in camp and he played LB in college.

it seemed to me like demorrio always got good production when he saw the field in atlanta, I had just figured he was kind of stuck behind some quality linebackers on the depth chart.
a couple years ago they had a bunch of injuries and everyone was rotating around and getting time, and I thought he put up pretty decent #'s, or am I just remembering all this wrong?

You're remembering right. His numbers weren't indicative of great play, however. Most were well downfield in pursuit and many teams ran at the weakside because he was weak at the point of attack. He wasn't in high demand this preseason; there were a good number of OLB jobs open and he ended up (although KC is his hometown) signing with a team that had Derrick Johnson and Donnie Edwards presumably starting.

An OLB role in a primary Cover-2 scheme is the best fit for him. If he starts, he's a reasonable IDP option.

if Dem. williams starts what kind of total tkls #s will he produce?

Dem. Williams is plainly not starting material. It wouldnt last, and if it did, it would be totally unspectacular barring the Chiefs D-line imploding and their D team spending 70% of the time on the field.

if he starts for the entire season with pat thomas at mlb (Edwards being put out to pasture coninuing the KC youth movement), 65-75 solos is likely. But more importantly, if 2/3 of the KC lb corps are thomas and williams, then bernard pollard moves from a top 10 DB to a top 3 DB.




DW doesn't have to be that good to start. If KC realizes how bad they are, they will want to see what they have in younger players, and will likely phase out DE. Chiefs DLine imploding? possible. The D spending 70% of the time on the field? Likely. KC is going to be a very bad team this year, and their new coach will enjoy a top 5 draft pick.

He's back!

Cardinals game:-

Johnson was brilliant as per usual. Pat Thomas finally showed up a little, although I think he missed a tackle, and he definitely dropped a sure-fire INT. DeMorrio Williams was invisible.

Edwards and Harris didn't play. None of the backups did anything.

Pretty bleh for the most part, although I'll hold hope that Thomas can become something.

johnson's still sam, right?

It varied depending on down-and-distance. He made his tackle for no gain and forced fumble from the weak spot.

He played ROLB.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/chiefs/story/754724.html

The following is much less credible, but still worth nothing:-



http://kan.scout.com/2/780820.html

Does anyone know for sure whether Edwards will start or not?

Just asking...

Dem Williams broke his hand in practice yesterday and is out for the rest of the pre-season. Read it in the sporting news digital paper this morning.

Is Pat Thomas going to start in the middle?

Anyone want to guess what his stats would be if he does?

It seems like he will, but I'll believe it when I see it. As a 2 down LB at best, I don't see much to be excited about.

Yes, he is. His ceiling is probably close to what Napoleon Harris did last season -- low 80s in solos without much in the way of peripheral coverage stats.

Looking into my crystal ball...

85 tackles 24 assists with 2 sacks & 1 int.

Reputable opinion:-



The Chiefs are really thin at LB. They need a MLB badly. Some OLB depth with both Edwards and Williams suffering from injuries would be welcomed, too. Expect them to scour the waiver wire hard.

Wow I can't believe Harris is that bad.
Wonder if he did get cut, if anyone would sign him.

Or if I should just cut him now

Anyone have an update on whether Derrick Johnson will start at weak or strong side LB?

Edwards a two-down LB?

We'll have to monitor DeMorrio Williams' health.

Rumor is that he is supposed to be the Right OLB (stay on that side regardless of formation).

But the preseason game I watched, he was moving back and forth with Williams depending on formation.

He is definitely not the SLB. He may be a pure WLB, or may really be the ROLB when the season starts. Either way, its highly doubtful that he is the full time strong side backer. They've made a conscious effort to get him free to make more plays and are also sending him on blitzes a lot more this year.

I think that is probably the case unless there is another injury to someone. He is 35 years old and I'm sure he's lost a step since even two years ago.

I thought they were really wanting to have D-Williams out there as a starter, but he can't play MLB and I guess it really was Donnie's spot at the other outside. No way is Derrick Johnson coming off of the field as he is their only high quality backer. I guess that makes Williams the odd man out and solely a backup. That would make them pretty solid at OLB, but man do they need another MLB option.

Trade him to Atlanta for the 2 beans he has left in his pocket

I am puzzled by the FBG projections on Derrick Johnson. He has moved from SSLB to WSLB or RSLB (depending on what you read). Everyone agrees (even his coaches) he is a force in the open field and want to free him up for more impact plays. But the projections have him virtually identical to last year (in fact, with 2 fewer sacks). What am I missing in this picture?

I was also about DJ's ranking, as well.

Any opinion on this, Jene? You have him higher than anyone else in the rankings.

Johnson is the only significant talent among the KC linebacking corps. Thomas could be a player, but he's yet to show it on Sundays. Johnson is easily the best all-around player among the KC front seven at this point; Jared Allen is no longer going to suck 50+ solos away from the linebacking unit. The Chiefs are likely to get a lot of tackle opportunity. Johnson looks like he's being used exclusively at WLB on a defense that wants to use a lot of Cover-2/Tampa-2 (if the DL cooperates). That's a recipe for 85+ solos (could be 90+ in things break perfectly) and Johnson has always had average to above-average peripheral stats.

The uncertainly lies in Johnson's health -- he seems to wreck an ankle every season. But here's a guy that's had two seasons of 80 solos playing primarily SLB and battling some injury problems.

My rankings are about tiers and upside. Johnson is near the top of the mid-LB2 tier because he could throw up a 92-20-5 season with a reasonable number of coverage stats. That's a top 25 ranking in most leagues. His floor (barring injury) is nowhere near as low as many of the others in that tier. My 22 ranking probably isn't all that different than those who have him in the high 30s -- it's likely the difference between 82 solos and 88 solos in the big picture.

Hey Jene

What do think about Demorrio????

Is he every worthy of a roster spot right now.

On a DEEP IDP league

He's probably worth a roster spot in deeper leagues as a guy with every-down potential. He could just as easily be a fringe, four or five down a week gimmicky nickel pass rusher by this time next week.

This is my depth chart at LB so it'll be tought for him to see the field anyway (we start 4)

Lance Briggs
Demeco Ryans
Jon Beason
David Harris
Patrick Willis
James Harrison
Gerris Wilkinson

Must be nice to play in a 2 team league...

LOL

No this is a 12 team dynasty salary cap league

Sorry for ignoring this for a while. Not that anyone missed me.

I'm not 100 percent sure who's starting at SLB/LOLB on Sunday. Both Edwards and D-Will are getting back from injury. I'd avoid both. Pat Thomas is the starter and Nap Harris is out with injury. The Cowboys' fifth-round pick Erik Walden will suit up but mostly play special teams.

I expect to see the starters an awful lot in this game; much more than usual and on all three downs.

You're doing great work in this thread. We all appreciate it. The above has been our consensus take as well, so I'm very happy to see that those closer to the situation are thinking the same.

Thanks for keeping us updated.

Thomas: 5-2 ... didn't make any big/nice plays ... tough to make much of his game, New England was passing to the flats and deep so often.

DJ: 3-1, sack ... again, really tough to judge a LB going against New England, they don't run a standard offense ... made some very nice plays, though.

D-Will/Edwards: 4-0 combined ... pretty much invisible.

I think week two will be more of an indicator against a team that should run a lot.