- Branden Albert has a dislocated elbow and was wearing a brace today. But will the rookie offensive tackle play Sunday against Carolina?
Herm Edwards said today that Albert’s availablility was in question.
Chiefs Rookie Class Grades 2008
I’m not going to lie, I had been thinking about doing this, but it ‘temporairily left my mind’. 
But lucky for me Chris over at Arrowhead Pride gave out his grades for the Chiefs rookies recently so I thought I would give out mine as well… Let’s see who passed.
DT Glenn Dorsey
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Glenn Dorsey does get a bad rap from some fans and media, but I wouldn’t believe everyting thing you hear. Dorsey may have not been disrupting backfields like he was at LSU, but he did lead all rookie D-linemen in tackles this season. Also, if you compare his production to the rookie years of other star DT’s (Warren Sapp, Albert Haynesworth) they are likely more similar than you think. Also, I blame some of this on the coaches; if you draft a DT who’s forte is penetration and making plays in the backfield then why are you trying to use him as someone to takes up bodies? I could be wrong but I think if you unleash Dorsey and let him do what does best then he will take up bodies anyway because teams will be forced to double team him. Sorry, kind of went on there…
Grade: B- |
OT Branden Albert
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The Chiefe offensive line went from worst in the NFL in 2007 to middle of the pack in 2008 and I believe that Albert was a big part of the reason why. Branden Albert was injuried at first, which was a little disapointing (esp for a guy that had ‘never been injuried before’) but you can’t hold that against him. If anything that just showed his work ethic and willingness to succed. This guy could be an All-Pro some day.
Grade: A |
CB Brandon Flowers
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This season Brandon Flowers showed why many anaylist had him pegged as first round talent He coverd big time WR’s and it didn’t phase him one bit. Also, it isn’t his fault the Chiefs didn’t have a pass rush this season.
Grade: A+ |
RB Jamaal Charles
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Charles did have a few nagging injuries this season and overall I’d say he did okay this season. Honestly I would have liked to have seen a lot from him as a RB, esp. with LJ being out for a while, and as a return man ( I would have guessed that he would have taken at least one to the house this season). He did still average over 5 yards per attempt this season so I guess I can’t be mad at that.
Grade: C |
CB Brandon Carr
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Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers had very similar years and this tells me even more about Carr. This is a Diviions II corner who wasn’t affriad of life in the NFL one bit. He covered stud WR’s and didn’t blink an eye. Carr, in my opinion, did not quite play up to the same level as Flowers, but he wasn’t expected to. The fact the played up to that level says it all.
Grade: A |
K Connor Barth
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Barth made 10 of his 12 field goals this season for the Chiefs. I also believe that he had a touchback or two on kickoffs (something no other Chiefs kicker seemed to be able to to do). He was most consistent Chiefs kicker this season (not sure how much that says) but he did what was asked of him for the most part. 10/12 is 83.3334 % so that is what I will give him.
Grade: B |
FB Mike Cox
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It really is hard to judge a fullback. When we were running Herm’s offense at the begining of the year I saw Cox make some big blocks and some nice catches. I don’t remember his name being called by many people good or bad so I guess it would be safe to say that he did a decent job but didn’t stand out. Grade: C+ |
KR Kevin Robinson
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K-Rob was the best returner in a Chiefs uniform this season. I’m not sure what the averages say, but if you watched that games you know what I am talking about. Then again being the best returner out of this group may not be saying a whole lot
Grade: B- |
CB Maurice Leggett
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Leggett really got a lot better as the season went on. He had two very big plays for the Chiefs this season(fumble return for TD and pick-6 against Denver) and was by far the best undrafted free agent pick of the season for the Chiefs. For this season he gets an A, hope he doens’t turn into another Brackenridge (and by that I mean cut the following season).
Grade: A |
Incompletes: Will Franklin, DaJuan Morgan, Brad Cottam,Brian Johnston,Dantrell Savage
What do you guys think? Do you agree with the grades?
Please feel free to make your grades in the comment section below.
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Kansas City Chiefs Injuries halfway through 2008
(sorry I thought a picture of Croyle would be appropriate here)
The Chiefs had quite a few players come down with injuries this year so I thought I would make a list. This is just off of the top of my head so if I have forgotten anyone please let me know in the comments section below.
Any Chiefs who has had an injury this season (missed time and/or listed on an injury report):
Donnie Edwards
Branden Albert
Nap Harris (former Chiefs with Vikings now)
Brodie Croyle (IR)
Damon Huard (IR)
Patrick Surtain
Brandon Flowers
Kolby Smith (IR)
Tamba Hali
Turk McBride
Glenn Dorsey
Jamaal Charles
Dustin Colquitt
Demorrio Williams
Will Franklin
Jarrad Page
Jean-Philippe Darche (IR)
Weston Dacus
Maurice Price
Dimitri Patterson
Erik Walden
J.P. Foschi
Derrick Johnson
In case you don’t believe this the official Chiefs Injury reports can be found by clicking the link.
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Branden Albert injury update
So Red Zone is reporting that our Phat Albert has a dislocated elbow:
Also in the comments section someone said that this is the same injury that Ryan Sims had his rookie year that put him on IR. Is this true? Does anyone have any more information on this?
Well, although Herbie Taylor seems to be doing a very nice job filling in, I hope Albert has a speedy recovery.
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Chiefs vs Falcons - Matchups to Watch
Well, the Chiefs are 0-2 and need a win really bad. Luckily they play a team that gives them a chance to win this week(I think). Here are some of the matchups that I find interesting for this weeks Kansas City Chiefs vs Atlanta Falcons game.
Tyler Thigpen vs Tyler Thigpen:This is a huge game for the second year QB out of Coastal Carolina as he starts his first ever game at QB in the NFL. It will be interesting to see if he when he gets into trouble if he tries to squeeze a ball in somewhere, throw it away, or try to use his legs to get him out of trouble. He needs to make good decisions for the Chiefs to have a chance to win here.
Branden Albert vs John Abraham: Right now Abraham is leading the league in sacks with four in two games. Braden Albert has looked pretty impressive himself in his first two games at left tackle. It will be very interesting to me to see how Albert stacks up against one of the better pass rushers in the league right now. Also, you have to wonder if Atlanta has considered lining up Abraham on the left side so he can go against Damion SackNTosh. Geez, I hope not.
Tamba Hali vs Sam Baker: Tamba Hali has yet to stand out much this year as the RDE and Sam Baker is a rookie LT trying to protect his rookie QB’s blindside. Although Hali is listed on the injury report as questionable, I think he will play. But even if he doesn’t, whoever lines up against Baker needs to test the rookie and see if he can hold up. If the Chiefs can get some consistent pressure from the blindside, it could be a long day for the Falcons (and vice-versa if they don’t).
Falcons running backs vs Chiefs Rush Defense: As we all know the Oakland Raiders ran all over the Chiefs last week and piled up 300 yards on the ground. Needless to say if the Chiefs give up anywhere close to this amount again the game is over. The Chiefs defensive line need to make sure that they man up and allow the linebackers to fill the gaps. Chiefs’ Linebackers: fill the correct gaps and make some tackles this week.
What do you think of these matchups? Are there any other matchups you think will be interesting?
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Game 1 Chiefs vs. Patriots - What I think…
This game just frustrated me… Some people will say they are pretty happy with this performance because they held their own against the Pats, but right now I don’t feel like I should have to settle for that. Here is what I think about the game.
WHAT I LIKED
Branden Albert: He looked very impressive, especially considering the circumstances. He didn’t play all preseason and had to come out and face a VERY good Patriots D-line.
Young CB’s::I could have missed it, but I didn’t see Flowers or Carr get burned bad on any passes. They are showing that the game is not too big for them.
Devard Darling:Finally Darling decides to show up and it couldn’t have been at a better time. It didn’t really matter in the end but his big 68 yard catch set the Chiefs up with a chance to score and send the game into overtime. If only he was a little bit faster.
Forcing Turnovers: The Chiefs Defense was able to force two turnovers against the Pats. If they keep winning the TO battle eventually it will work itself out.
Jamaal Charles: Charles is so fast, and he knows how to use his speed. He was looked like the best Chiefs running back against the Pats and his stats back it up: 5 carries for 28 yards. That is 5.6 yards/attempt.
As always there were also a few things that didn’t impress me so much.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
Dwayne Bowe: I really like D Bo, but in my opinion he cost the Chiefs a chance to steal one from the Patriots. I’m not sure how many drops he had ( I counted at least 3 or 4), but when a ball hits you in the hands you should catch it. And that includes the possible game tying TD catch that bounced off his hands.
Rushing Defense: The top two rushers for the Patriots, Morris and Maroney, each had 10 carries and rushed for over 50 yards each. That is giving up 5 yards a carry… not good!
Special Teams:The Chiefs allowed a big return and their returns were not too impressive. The kickoffs were also pretty short. I still think that we should have kept Barth over Novak, he appeared to be at least as accurate and his kickoffs were longer… what gives?
Offensive play calling: While the play calling seemed a lot better than last year, that is not enough for me. There were way too many what we call “predictable runs” on first and second down. What happened to the playaction pass?
Jon McGraw: Why was he playing safety so much? He seemed to be a liability in pass coverage, which makes me wonder if somebody was hurt. And if somebody is/was hurt, why wasn’t DaJuan Morgan out there?
Tamba Hali: I didn’t see Tamba do too much this game. He was defiantly outplayed by Turk McBride and left me wanting more.
Hopefully we can fix some of these things and come back next week and take it out the Raiders.
Go Chiefs!
Picture from ESPN.com
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Chiefs vs Patriots - Matchups to Watch
I was doing a little thinking today (crazy I know) and I got to thinking about some of the intriguing matchups this week as the Chiefs take on the Pats in Boston.
Randy Moss vs Brandon Flowers: I know Surtain will probably line up against Moss to start the game, but Flowers covering Moss will happen. Flowers has looked very good in the preseason and his work against the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldon was very encouraging, but its Randy FREAKIN Moss. Moss will makes plays I know but hopefully Flowers will hold his own, and I think he will.
Branden Albert vs Richard Seymour: Are the Chiefs really going to start Branden ‘Phat’ Albert this soon after coming off of an injury? Seymour is an All-Pro and will likely school the first round pick a few times. The coaches would know better than I would, but I just don’t see why they should rush Albert back from this injury. Herb Taylor has looked pretty solid. Maybe they could jsut ease Albert in and play it by ear.
Brodie Croyle vs Brodie Croyle: Yes, that does say that. Will the new and improved Brodie come out to play or when things start to go south with Croyle fallback on his old habits and try to go ‘Brett Favre’? We will soon find out if Chan Gailey and Dick Curl have prepared their QB mentally to make the right decisions.
Tom Brady vs Chiefs Defense: Yeah, this is the gimme matchup to watch but that doesn’t mean I won’t mention it. Basically this boils down to one question: Is Brady healthy? If Brady is not healthy it could really affect the outcome of this game because after watching the Super Bowl everyone now knows that you need to get pressure on Brady to have a chance to win, so Brady’s mobility could be a big factor in this game. One last question: Is Brady seriously hurt or is Belichick just getting inside all of our heads?
What do you think of these matchups? Are there any other matchups you think will be interesting?
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Branden Albert & Glenn Dorsey Both Injured
As a fan this just sucks so much. Both first rounders are injured. I guess now we will see what Tank Tyler and Herb Taylor are made of.
Chiefs officials here for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction ceremonies say the best case scenario is rookie left tackle Brandon Albert will miss three to four weeks because of a foot injury.
That makes his presence for the New England regular season opener very much in doubt.[Gretz]
and some more good news…
- The more likely scenario is that Albert will miss four or five weeks. If the injury heals slowly, then it could be six weeks.It’s a ligament injury and does not involves any bones, so it’s nothing like the foot injury suffered last year by RB Larry Johnson. Albert will continue to lift weights and work his upper body, but obviously cardio conditioning will suffer. In several weeks he’ll begin work on the stationary bike and then will progress to work in a rehab pool.[Gretz]
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Injured Albert could miss the rest of camp
This is just our luck… Hopefully Branden Albert will be fully healed by the time the regular season starts… CRAP!
- Rookie offensive tackle Branden Albert could miss the remainder of training camp with what the Chiefs called a sprained foot.
- Coach Herm Edwards called Albert day to day, but acknowledged Albert was unlikely to play in Thursday’s preseason opener against the Bears in Chicago.
“I’d say he’s more out than in,” Edwards said. “He’ll have to rest it and see where he’s at right now.”
[Red Zone]
Here is your chance Herb Taylor, step up and make us all proud!
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Chiefs sign first-round pick Branden Albert
Well, this is one of the two signed from the first round. Now it appears the Chiefs will have all but Glenn Dorsey and seventh-round TE Michael Merritt in on time for camp. I’ve heard the word on Merritt is that he has an injury and Chiefs don’t want to sign him until they can get him on the field.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have signed tackle Branden Albert, the second of the team’s two first-round draft picks, the team announced Thursday.
Financial details of the five-year agreement were not released.
The team appears far from an agreement with its other first-round pick, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey. The team headed to camp Thursday.
The 6-foot-5, 316-pound Albert — the Chiefs’ 15th overall pick — started all 37 games he appeared in at Virginia.
Also unsigned is tight end Michael Merritt, a seventh-round pick out of Central Florida.
Now lets get that O-line working together, they need all the time they can get.
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Q&A with Chiefs OT Branden Albert
This is interview was done by josh Wolff at ProFootball Weekly. I am not taking credit for this interview, just passing it on for all of you to enjoy. Original article found here.
- After starting all 37 games that he played in at the University of Virginia, many thought Branden Albert would be a first-day selection in the 2008 NFL draft. But after showcasing incredible athleticism at the NFL Scouting Combine, his stock skyrocketed and he became the 15th pick overall by the Chiefs.
While primarily a guard in the college, Kansas City saw enough mobility and strength in Albert to project him as the team’s future left tackle. He now is charged with the task of anchoring a rebuilding offensive line as a rookie.
The 23-year-old recently took a few minutes to talk to PFW about barbeque food, transitioning to tackle, the Chiefs’ offensive scheme and Julius Peppers.
PFW: Kansas City is famous for its barbeque — have you been able to sample any great BBQ yet?
Albert: I’ve tasted a couple of places: LC’s Bar-B-Q and Gates Bar-B-Q. Those places have great food.
PFW: How are you enjoying your time in Kansas City so far?
Albert: I am enjoying it real well. I just got a new house, so I’m excited about that. I’m also excited about the new season and being a part of this new era that’s going on in Kansas City.
PFW: Being a guard in college and now moving to left tackle in Kansas City, how is the transition going?
Albert: It’s going pretty well. There are times where I’m doing very well and there are times where I’m struggling. But for the most part, I’m getting it and learning on the run.
PFW: How is the offensive line play different in the NFL?
Albert: It’s the terminology. It’s basically the same scheme I’m used to because (Chiefs offensive coordinator) Chan Gailey runs the same scheme that I ran in high school just with different terminology and terms of plays. But basically, it’s the same scheme. It’s been helping me along, too, so the only thing I have to work on is my technique at left tackle.
PFW: What’s the biggest difference you’ve seen so far from college to the NFL?
Albert: You’re going against a great player every day in practice. Every play, everyone is going hard — every play — nobody is taking a play off. You’re not playing against scout-team players; you’re playing against guys who are veteran players, some guys who are Pro Bowlers. You’ve got to practice against those guys every day.
PFW: Which Chiefs players have you become friends with?
Albert: Dwayne Bowe and Brian Waters. Most of my rookie class I am pretty good friends with, too. A lot of guys, but those two that I mentioned, I talk to and do stuff with on a regular basis.
PFW: With Waters being a veteran, what has he done in the first couple of months to help your maturation and development?
Albert: He’s always telling pointers on the football field about situations I might get myself into. He’s telling me technique stuff and stuff about Willie Roaf. He tells me if I work hard enough, I could be like Willie. It’s a great compliment for me, but I have to prove that I have the potential to be that great. He helps me out a lot with my technique and just learning the game.
PFW: Which player are you most looking forward to playing against in the NFL?
Albert: I would have to say Julius Peppers.
PFW: What makes Peppers so enticing to play against?
Albert: He is one of the perennial Pro Bowl defensive ends in the NFL. I am the type of guy who likes challenges, and he’ll probably be one of the best challenges that I will face. [Editor’s note: The Chiefs play at the Panthers on Oct. 5] He’s been the best in the league and has done it for a long time. So, he’ll present a big challenge to me and I’m looking forward to it.
I’m glad that Albert seems to be doing well at OT so far and hope that be learns as much from Brain Waters as he can. He seems to have all of the tools necessary to be the starting LT for the Chiefs for years to come, let’s hope that works out.
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