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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LJ wants out of KC? Who gives a rats…
Word from the KC Star is that LJ wants out of KC.
My response: Whip-dee-do…
LJ, if you want out of KC so bad then get out man. I have defended Larry Johnson for while but I have grown tired of him and this last outburst may have done it for me.
“Hopefully, my future is not with this organization,” Johnson said after rushing 10 times for 18 yards.
LJ may be the best RB on the KC roster, but as it has been proven in the NFL you can succend with without a star running back. Running back by committee has worked very well for many teams recently (including the Super Bowl Champion Giants).
If you look at the teams in the playoffs this season, espescially those that willl most likely move on, most of them have good QB play, a strong (or atleast opportunistic) defense, and more than one capibale running back.
For now, I can be content with Jamaal Charles and Kolby Smith. Although I would think if LJ is out the Chiefs would look at picking up another RB either through free agency or the draft.
So LJ, we have all had enough. Go ahead, pack your things and don’t let the door hit you on the way out. As far as I am concerned if a player doesn’t want to be on the team then get him out of there. If the Chiefs truley want to build a contender (ala NE or NYG) they need to also show that no player is bigger than the TEAM.
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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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Kolby Smith out for season with injury
Man the injury bug continues in Kansas City as Kolby Smith, who was filling in for the suspended Larry Johnson is now out for the season.
- Chiefs running back Kolby Smith will miss the rest of this season with a knee injury, coach Herm Edwards said after Sunday’s 30-27 overtime loss to Tampa Bay.
Also, in other injury news there was a woman hit by a car in the parking lot after the game at Arrowhead. It may be wise to stay away from 1 Arrowhead Drive if you value your health at all.
(No, I’m not joking and yes, she is okay)
We wish you the best Kolby. (and good luck Jamaal Charles)
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Chiefs put QB Damon Huard on IR; Larry Johnson Deactivated for Sunday
Well, to be honest this came as quite a surprise to me, but I am not all that shook up about Damon Huard joining Brodie Croyle on IR. The Chiefs are looking for the QB of the future right now and we all know Huard does not fit into that plan. However this does worry me a little bit in the ‘win now’ department, but whatever.
This leaves the Chiefs with Tyler ‘Getin’ Thiggy with it’ Thigpen, Ingle Martin, and new Chiefs QB Quinn Gray as the Chiefs only options as of right now.
I guess we will see what happens.
Also, as many of you could/would have guessed Larry Johnson will be deactivated this Sunday as well. To that I say, “whippidy do da”. At this point it doesn’t really matter who is out there to me because the production seems to be about the same regardless. LJ might be gone before next season anyway, so this gives the Chiefs another chance to see what their future can be without him. Come on Jamaal Charles and Kolby Smith! Git-r-done!
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Larry Johnson won’t play this Sunday
In case you haven’t heard Larry Johnson will be inactive for the game this Sunday when the Chiefs host the Tennessee Titans.
It is being reported by ESPN that LJ broke some team rules
- Coach Herm Edwards refused to specify what team rules the two-time Pro Bowler broke. But Edwards did say his decision had nothing to do with the charge of simple assault filed against Johnson this week.
A league source told ESPN’s Michael Smith that the discipline was in response to a pattern of behavior by Johnson, who is considered to be a high-maintenance headache by some in the organization. Most recently, according to the source, he missed a team meeting during the Chiefs’ bye week.
Most of the time I would be fairly upset that one of the Chiefs best players isn’t going to be able to play on Sunday, but for some reason I find myself being okay with this. IF LJ needs to be put in his place then I am just happy that Herm Edwards is doing his job. Also, LJ has been impressive in two games this year and nearly non-existent in the others, so I would like to see what Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles can do when given an opportunity (even though it is against arguably the best defense in the NFL right now).
What are your thoughts about the LJ “suspension”?
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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 Agree to Terms with RB Jamaal Charles, TE Brad Cottam
Filed under: Carl Peterson, KC Chiefs Football, News, Roster
EIGHT DRAFT CHOICES HAVE NOW AGREED TO TERMS
Kansas City Chiefs President Carl Peterson announced on Monday that the club has agreed to terms of three-year contracts with RB Jamaal Charles and TE Brad Cottam. As per Chiefs policy, no other terms of the agreements were made available.
The Chiefs have now agreed to terms with eight of their 12 draft picks from the 2008 draft class. Charles and Cottam join third-round selection S DaJuan Morgan (82nd overall), fourth-round pick WR Will Franklin (105th overall), fifth-round selection CB Brandon Carr (140th overall), sixth-round picks T Barry Richardson (170th overall) and WR Kevin Robinson (182nd overall) and seventh-round pick DE Brian Johnston (210th overall).
Charles (5-11, 199) joined the Chiefs as the club’s first of three third-round picks (73rd overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft. He saw action in 38 contests (17 starts) at Texas, rushing 533 times for 3,328 yards (6.2 avg.) with 36 TDs. His rushing total ranked fourth all-time behind Texas greats Ricky Williams (6,279), Cedric Benson (5,540) and Earl Campbell (4,443). He was also a two-year member of the Texas track and field team.
Charles opened all 13 contests for the Longhorns in 2007, recording 258 rushes for 1,619 yards (6.3 avg.) with 18 TDs. He earned first-team All-Big 12 honors and was named third-team All-America by The NFL Draft Report. He recorded 45 carries of 10+ yards and seven 100-yard rushing games.
The Port Arthur, Texas native was a Parade All-America selection at Memorial High School. Charles set the Port Arthur City rushing record, breaking the previous mark held by RB Joe Washington.
Cottam (6-7, 269) joined the Chiefs as the club’s second of three third-round picks (76th overall) in the 2008 NFL Draft. He saw action in 38 contests (nine starts) at Tennessee, catching 21 passes for 341 yards (16.2 avg.) with one TD. He also had one special teams tackle and was a three-time Academic All-Southeastern Conference selection.
Cottam’s finest college season came as a redshirt junior in 2006 when he played in 13 games (six starts) and caught 14 passes for 182 yards (13.0 avg.). The Germantown, Tennessee native was an All-Metro Memphis private school honoree at Evangelical Christian High School. He was also a standout prep basketball player.
via kcchiefs.com
And here are some highlights from the two newest Chiefs:
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