Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
There are so many good articles and threads between the subscriber content and the SP that I find myself just wanting to read most of the time rather than engage or fire up a bunch of threads outside of voter polls which I find useful in getting public opinion on things. I really can't argue against taking one of the consensus top5 RBs, top5 QBs, they all seem to make sense. I know they won't finish as we project them all out but on paper they seem the most logical. So that being the case I find myself looking past that to what will likely be the difference between making a strong run or just having an average team and that's the gold you have to find in later rounds or guys that will way out perform their current ADP. If you can find those type of players it makes the draft feel like a walk in the park. Sure you can't have Chris Johnson because you don't have the #1 pick but you can target other players and simply scoop them up a round early if need be to find the gold.
I have a lot of players I like later but I wanted to talk about an overall team that I was high on last year but perhaps was a year early. I'm hoping that they start to come into their own a little more this season and they have enlisted the help of some really good assistants which we will discuss. I'm talking about the Kansas City Chiefs and I want to go thru their skill position players and why I think so many are missing the boat.
1. Coaching: They hire Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel to help out HC Haley and I think the tone has been set. If Haley doesn't get them playing better they probably will make Weiss the HC if all else fails. It will push Haley who could feel a little intimidated with that type pf coaching behind him. He certainly is going to do the best job that he is capable of meaning these 2 assistants are going to push him to be a better HC, that's my opinion but we are going to see the best Haley has to offer.
I'm gonna start with Crennel and move to Weiss in a second. Romeo is a great coach and a master of the 3-4. He did it very well in New England and both he and Weiss have 3 rings from their days in New England. The addition of Eric Berry is going to make this defense better, a lot better. They spent some big picks along that DL, and I think Romeo will coach them up and get the most out of them. A stronger defense is going to help the offense out a lot and it's something you should always think about IMO...if the defense can't get off the field then your players on the offense are sitting on the sidelines and it limits their effectiveness and number of offensive snaps which is not good.
Something a good friend mentioned to me and I wanted to share was that Charlie Weiss has an interesting track record. Yes he helps offenses out but one of the key things he does is make WRs a lot better. Look what he did in New England with very little talent to work with. Was Deion Branch ever really that good? Troy Brown, David Patten, not really HoF type WRs but he got the most out of them. He did the same thing in
with guys like Golden Tate who we'll see if he was truly a talent or not. And so I look at Dwayne Bowe who was in the dog house last year and has fallen down the ranks a bit. Coaching can be very important and I cannot dismiss what these 2 assistant coaches bring to the table. 2. Jamaal Charles: Guy did incredible things last season in a short time span and on a limited number of touches although they allowed him to touch the ball a lot down the stretch. If he gets 15 carries a game plus 2-3 receptions you are going to be very happy snagging this guy in the 3rd, he bounces all around in there. The OL is not great but he seemed to find the holes last year and they certainly are not worse than last year. Ryan Lilja who was arguably the best run blocker that Indy had last season has come over and will help the inside running game especially the right side A gap. If Charles picks up where he left off you might have a potential top 6 back on your hands. The upside is there.
3. Thomas Jones: His ADP is all over the place. I see him go pretty late in some drafts and then not as late as I would like in others. Reports out of camp are that he is as fast and quick as ever...that's great but he wore down in New York and at this stage and age he is likely to wear down again unless the Chiefs stick to using him on 3rd and short situations and in and around the goal line. I understand Charles' owners will not like this and no doubt TJ is going to get some carries in scoring oppurtunities but his age is a concern and while we used to say he doesn't have the normal tread of a guy his age...he's been used a lot the past 4-5 years and made up for lost time. He's good insurance of you take Charles in the 3rd.
4. Dwayne Bowe: This guy was being talked about as top5 last year. That was a little much but he is looking all world at camp to this point. I really think Haley was trying to break him down and the arrival of Charlie Weiss is going to help this kid out a lot. He has the potential to post 1,200/10Tds don't kid yourself. We've seen him do well with poor QB play even. I'm going to talk about Cassel in a minute but I see good things for Bowe and he has a nice compliment in Chambers on the other side and the arrival of McCluster in the slot, he should get open a lot. For a 5th-6th round grab, he could be an excellent WR2 if you waited to start grabbing them or a deadly WR3 if you load up early on WRs. It's all about where and how guys fit your teams. Last year folks were drafting him as their WR1 then waiting till round 7 or 8 before they grabbed another WR, not so good.
5. Chris Chambers: I love him and have scooped him up in the 11th round or later in almost all my leagues. Guy was awesome when he got to KC last year and he has Bowe lining up opposite him. At best he will match up against the 2nd best DB from most defenses, he should be open all the time. He can be streaky but he is an excellent bye week filler for your roster and for some he will be a starter more often than you would like to think. I like him and his value even better than Bowe but I understand CC is not for everyone.
6. Matt Cassel: A lot of people have left his bandwagon and tossed dirt on this guy. He had a rookie HC last year, poor OL play, a disgruntled RB to start the season who also was in and out of trouble, his WR1 was in and out of trouble, no defense to bail him out...I'm not ready to write him off and Scott Piola worked too hard to bring him over for me to assume he doesn't have the skills. If he lays an egg this season I will start to worry more but I see KC as a team on the rise and I believe Cassel will show up and do much better this year. He has more to work with at WR, a good solid ground game under him, better coaches surrounding him, and a defense that hopefully can set up some short fields for him to operate under. At QB21 or whatever off the board I am a fan. I like him as a bye week filler after you lock up one of the top6 or 7 QBs. Interesting stat on Cassel, he had 6 multiple TD games last year, he could really surprise some owners this season.
So one of the teams I like as a dark horse in their division is the Kansas City Chiefs. Their schedule is not candy by any stretch to start but look after about week 5 or 6 and they have the following...
@Hou, JAX, BUF, @Oak, @Den, AZ, @Sea, DEN, and then the playoffs look like this... @SD, @St.L, TN, OAK
I think there is definitely some gold to be had on this team and certainly a group of players to keep and eye on in drafts to see when they hit the value stage.
Your thoughts and input are welcome and appreicated, thanks.
I have a lot of players I like later but I wanted to talk about an overall team that I was high on last year but perhaps was a year early. I'm hoping that they start to come into their own a little more this season and they have enlisted the help of some really good assistants which we will discuss. I'm talking about the Kansas City Chiefs and I want to go thru their skill position players and why I think so many are missing the boat.
1. Coaching: They hire Charlie Weiss and Romeo Crennel to help out HC Haley and I think the tone has been set. If Haley doesn't get them playing better they probably will make Weiss the HC if all else fails. It will push Haley who could feel a little intimidated with that type pf coaching behind him. He certainly is going to do the best job that he is capable of meaning these 2 assistants are going to push him to be a better HC, that's my opinion but we are going to see the best Haley has to offer.
I'm gonna start with Crennel and move to Weiss in a second. Romeo is a great coach and a master of the 3-4. He did it very well in New England and both he and Weiss have 3 rings from their days in New England. The addition of Eric Berry is going to make this defense better, a lot better. They spent some big picks along that DL, and I think Romeo will coach them up and get the most out of them. A stronger defense is going to help the offense out a lot and it's something you should always think about IMO...if the defense can't get off the field then your players on the offense are sitting on the sidelines and it limits their effectiveness and number of offensive snaps which is not good.
Something a good friend mentioned to me and I wanted to share was that Charlie Weiss has an interesting track record. Yes he helps offenses out but one of the key things he does is make WRs a lot better. Look what he did in New England with very little talent to work with. Was Deion Branch ever really that good? Troy Brown, David Patten, not really HoF type WRs but he got the most out of them. He did the same thing in
with guys like Golden Tate who we'll see if he was truly a talent or not. And so I look at Dwayne Bowe who was in the dog house last year and has fallen down the ranks a bit. Coaching can be very important and I cannot dismiss what these 2 assistant coaches bring to the table. 2. Jamaal Charles: Guy did incredible things last season in a short time span and on a limited number of touches although they allowed him to touch the ball a lot down the stretch. If he gets 15 carries a game plus 2-3 receptions you are going to be very happy snagging this guy in the 3rd, he bounces all around in there. The OL is not great but he seemed to find the holes last year and they certainly are not worse than last year. Ryan Lilja who was arguably the best run blocker that Indy had last season has come over and will help the inside running game especially the right side A gap. If Charles picks up where he left off you might have a potential top 6 back on your hands. The upside is there.
3. Thomas Jones: His ADP is all over the place. I see him go pretty late in some drafts and then not as late as I would like in others. Reports out of camp are that he is as fast and quick as ever...that's great but he wore down in New York and at this stage and age he is likely to wear down again unless the Chiefs stick to using him on 3rd and short situations and in and around the goal line. I understand Charles' owners will not like this and no doubt TJ is going to get some carries in scoring oppurtunities but his age is a concern and while we used to say he doesn't have the normal tread of a guy his age...he's been used a lot the past 4-5 years and made up for lost time. He's good insurance of you take Charles in the 3rd.
4. Dwayne Bowe: This guy was being talked about as top5 last year. That was a little much but he is looking all world at camp to this point. I really think Haley was trying to break him down and the arrival of Charlie Weiss is going to help this kid out a lot. He has the potential to post 1,200/10Tds don't kid yourself. We've seen him do well with poor QB play even. I'm going to talk about Cassel in a minute but I see good things for Bowe and he has a nice compliment in Chambers on the other side and the arrival of McCluster in the slot, he should get open a lot. For a 5th-6th round grab, he could be an excellent WR2 if you waited to start grabbing them or a deadly WR3 if you load up early on WRs. It's all about where and how guys fit your teams. Last year folks were drafting him as their WR1 then waiting till round 7 or 8 before they grabbed another WR, not so good.
5. Chris Chambers: I love him and have scooped him up in the 11th round or later in almost all my leagues. Guy was awesome when he got to KC last year and he has Bowe lining up opposite him. At best he will match up against the 2nd best DB from most defenses, he should be open all the time. He can be streaky but he is an excellent bye week filler for your roster and for some he will be a starter more often than you would like to think. I like him and his value even better than Bowe but I understand CC is not for everyone.
6. Matt Cassel: A lot of people have left his bandwagon and tossed dirt on this guy. He had a rookie HC last year, poor OL play, a disgruntled RB to start the season who also was in and out of trouble, his WR1 was in and out of trouble, no defense to bail him out...I'm not ready to write him off and Scott Piola worked too hard to bring him over for me to assume he doesn't have the skills. If he lays an egg this season I will start to worry more but I see KC as a team on the rise and I believe Cassel will show up and do much better this year. He has more to work with at WR, a good solid ground game under him, better coaches surrounding him, and a defense that hopefully can set up some short fields for him to operate under. At QB21 or whatever off the board I am a fan. I like him as a bye week filler after you lock up one of the top6 or 7 QBs. Interesting stat on Cassel, he had 6 multiple TD games last year, he could really surprise some owners this season.
So one of the teams I like as a dark horse in their division is the Kansas City Chiefs. Their schedule is not candy by any stretch to start but look after about week 5 or 6 and they have the following...
@Hou, JAX, BUF, @Oak, @Den, AZ, @Sea, DEN, and then the playoffs look like this... @SD, @St.L, TN, OAK
I think there is definitely some gold to be had on this team and certainly a group of players to keep and eye on in drafts to see when they hit the value stage.
Your thoughts and input are welcome and appreicated, thanks.