Ranking the Chiefs’ 2014 training camp battles: No. 1 — backup quarterback

[Mr_Tomahawk]

As a lead-in to the Chiefs’ training camp in St. Joseph, which begins when rookies and quarterbacks report July 20, The Star will rank the 10 most interesting position battles.

1. Backup quarterback

Quarterback is the most scrutinized position on the field, so there should be little surprise that the three-man race between Chase Daniel, Tyler Bray and Aaron Murray for the No. 2 job behind Alex Smith is the most interesting battle of camp.

All three players bring different strengths to the table, but before we dive into that, allow me to say this about Smith: he does not have the strongest arm in the world, and he isn’t a flashy guy. But he is, far and away, the best quarterback on the roster, and his performance during organized team activities proved it. In general, he made good decisions and was easily the most accurate quarterback of the four on the roster. The offense simply performed at a different level when he was on the field.

However, the others are interesting. Daniel proved he could play in the regular-season finale against San Diego, when he and the rest of the backups almost engineered a win over a playoff team. Though he doesn’t always make it look pretty, Daniel is a smart, heady player whose professionalism was valued by the Chiefs last season, and with this being his fourth season in the league, he is a veteran now.

Although the San Diego game was the only regular-season start he has during his entire career, if Smith goes down with an injury at some point, Reid might prefer it if a player Daniel’s age (27) took the reigns of a team hoping to earn playoff berth, as opposed to youngsters like Bray, 22, or Murray, 23.

Still, the problem for Reid is that the latter two probably have a higher upside than Daniel. Bray went undrafted in 2013 amid maturity concerns, but his physical tools are undeniable. At 6 feet 6, he is tall enough to see over his linemen, and he is blessed with a very strong arm, easily the strongest of all the quarterbacks on the roster. Because of this, he is a bit of a gunslinger — he never hesitated to chuck it deep during OTAs — but he can also make throws that the other quarterbacks cannot make. Reid also says Bray is more mature than he was last season and has a much better command of the offense. His potential is intriguing.

However, Bray still has a ways to go when it comes to pocket awareness, consistency and accuracy, and it was apparent during OTAs that he’s still got plenty to learn. But if he can prove during the preseason that he’s made significant strides since last season, the Chiefs could have a hard time cutting him, and might be forced to pick between keeping four quarterbacks — which is unusual — or making a tough choice between Daniel and Bray.

Murray, a fifth-round choice in this year’s draft, is likely a lock to make the team, even though he seems poised to spend this season learning Reid’s offense, just like Bray did a year ago. Like Daniel, he is 6 feet tall and isn’t the physical prototype of a quarterback like Bray is, but Murray possesses enough arm strength to throw it deep and has been praised for his intelligence and intangibles.

During OTAs, he took nearly all his reps behind Smith, Daniel and Bray, but he showed a willingness to scan the field in search of the open man, which is a sign of poise. He is certainly one to keep an eye on throughout the preseason, provided he continues to make progress in his recovery from the torn ACL he suffered last November. The Chiefs have to like the fact Murray, who wore a kneebrace during OTAs, did not seem terribly hampered by the injury once he reported for OTAs..

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...#storylink=cpy

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Saccopoo

I'd like to add WR1 (what kind of Dwayne Bowe shows up this year?), MLB (C'mon Nico Johnson! You can't be that ****ing bad, can you?), WR2 (**** Avery and his stone hands - C'mon Hemingway, beat this shitbag out of the spot), Special Teams (will Dee Ford's past injuries limit his potential as our Steve Tasker reincarnated?), Defensive Coordinator (will the real Bob Sutton show up after the ass reaming given to him by the sub-mediocre Colts offensive line and TY Hilton? (I mean, seriously, TY Hilton. TY Hilton?! FUUUUUUUUU*******!!!!)) among others.

Dwayne Bowe will be our #1 WR. You don't sign a guy to a $50 million dollar contract to make him your #2 a year later. Especially with slap sticks like Frankie Hammond Jr and Weston Dresslier on the roster.

Avery will be our #2. Either him or Jenkins. It HAS to be. You can't have Bowe and Hemingway as your 1 and 2. They're the same exact guy. Kind of big, but not really, and slow as shit possession guys. We need to have a guy that can stretch the field.

Speaking of WRs, is Kyle Williams still on the roster? I know he's battling through a knee injury but he's probably better than Dressler and Hammond..

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Mr_Tomahawk

CB4 vs QB2?



really?



REALLY?

If Chase Daniel or Tyler Bray play a meaningful snap next year, we're ****ed no matter what. I don't give two shits who wins the backup although I'd prefer Daniel and his ridiculous contract were removed from my favorite team's books.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Buzz

810 (I think) threw out an interesting stat about loosing / paying 24 of our players in the next two seasons... young team wanting to get paid, what say you CP. The bowe deal was a joke, dude is not worth that kind of money for the production. flame away.

everyone around here just screamed 'just pay Bowe!!!'


so they did

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

everyone around here just screamed 'just pay Bowe!!!'





so they did

I hate the contract now but we really had to sign him long term...

Hopefully the cap will explode and he starts to click with Smith. A couple years down the road we could be be looking at his contract as a bargain.

[Mennonite]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

A couple years down the road we could be be looking at his contract as a bargain.

I think it's a bit premature to look ahead to the 2047 season.

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I hate the contract now but we really had to sign him long term...

Hopefully the cap will explode and he starts to click with Smith. A couple years down the road we could be be looking at his contract as a bargain.

fans do it all the time

They are doing it right now for Justin Houston.

Just pay him!!

It's not their money and some of them don't like the owners so they want the players to get a bunch of money. They just can't comprehend the ramifications later on for the team.

It doesn't help that the chiefs are some cheap fuggers either.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Mr. Laz

fans do it all the time



They are doing it right now for Justin Houston.



Just pay him!!



It's not their money and some of them don't like the owners so they want the players to get a bunch of money. They just can't comprehend the ramifications later on for the team.



It doesn't help that the chiefs are some cheap fuggers either.

To be fair, Bowe has been put in a pretty tough situation. He's produced elite level stats at times with guys like Damon Huard, Tyler Thigpen, Matt Cassel, Brodie Croyle, Brady Quinn and Tyler Palko. Now we brought in a QB that just doesn't sling the rock around that much. I don't think it's a coincidence that his stats took a dive..

And Houston has to be paid. We need to keep him. If I'm not mistaken, we've got something like $14 million tied up in Fasaon, Daniel and Joe Mays this season. Houston is worth more than those slapsticks combined.

[Just Passin' By]

However, Bray still has a ways to go when it comes to pocket awareness, consistency and accuracy, and it was apparent during OTAs that he’s still got plenty to learn.

Say goodbye, Bray.

[jonzie04]

Originally Posted by Inmem58

1. We will probably still be 7-9

2. That means JC will have 3,900 receiving yards and 30 TDs

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

I'm actually more interested in FS, WR3, TE1, RG, and CB4.

Who gives a shit about the backup QB spot? If Smith goes down, we'll be ****ed anyway.

FS: It's going to be Abdullah. Commings has a shot, but it's one of those, "Eh, you never know..." kind of shots. And 90% of the time those end up being wrong

WR3: Junior Jenkins. Or AJ Hemingway. We're not really going to know who the 3rd WR is most of the time. You'll see both guys contributing about the same in a shared type of role

TE1: Fasano if he can keep his dick attached to his body

RG: Up in the air

CB4: Uhh... why the **** is this interesting or important? With Flowers gone, our CBs are set in stone on the roster (Smith, Cooper, Gaines, Parker, Owens). It's the least interesting position group to watch from a roster battle standpoint.

So you have one real position battle. The rest are already pretty much wrapped up.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by SNR

FS: It's going to be Abdullah. Commings has a shot, but it's one of those, "Eh, you never know..." kind of shots. And 90% of the time those end up being wrong

WR3: Junior Jenkins. Or AJ Hemingway. We're not really going to know who the 3rd WR is most of the time. You'll see both guys contributing about the same in a shared type of role

TE1: Fasano if he can keep his dick attached to his body

RG: Up in the air

CB4: Uhh... why the **** is this interesting or important? With Flowers gone, our CBs are set in stone on the roster (Smith, Cooper, Gaines, Parker, Owens). It's the least interesting position group to watch from a roster battle standpoint.

So you have one real position battle. The rest are already pretty much wrapped up.

I'm sure WR3 will mainly depend on what packages and play calls we decide to run but we've got a bunch of unproven outside of Bowe and Avery. It'll be interesting to see who's the guy they look to the most often.

CB4 may not be super important but I'm curious to see how that position will shake out in the long run. Do we keep Smith at 2 and put Coop at 1 like we did last season? Does the staff feel Coop isn't ready for 1 duties after struggling late last season so thy slide Smith to 1 and put Coop at 2? Owens is likely to be the first CB off the bench (well, really he'll basically be a starter in our defense) but will Parker or Gaines get the nod most times when we go to dime? Or will we keep three CBs and three Ss like we often did last season? Will Berry still be a nickel LB in those sub packages? Are we going to run Abdullah in that spot and move Berry to single high sometimes?

It may seem like an insignificant position but it could have a lot of effect on the defenses we run and the guys we put on the field.

[ThaVirus]

I want to say I read that we ran nickel defense something like 50% of the time last season. Unless we keep three safeties on the field like we often did last year, our fourth CB will likely get a lot of playing time. I'm curious to see whether they'll throw the rookie out there or let the special teams ace get a crack at it..

[ThaVirus]

Why the **** am I even arguing this with you? That's 3 out of 5 positions that could easily be awarded to multiple players.

CB4 doesn't seem like a huge deal but if one guy gets hurt all of a sudden he's looking at getting a shit ton of snaps.

I'll give you Fasano. He's pretty much got that position locked up even though he hasn't done a ****ing thing and he's probably slower than you and I.

My guess is that Commings get a ton of reps this year, whether he's the starter or not.

[Discuss Thrower]

I guess I need some serious correction because I just don't see what Fasano brings to the team that McGrath can't provide.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Why the **** am I even arguing this with you? That's 3 out of 5 positions that could easily be awarded to multiple players.

CB4 doesn't seem like a huge deal but if one guy gets hurt all of a sudden he's looking at getting a shit ton of snaps.

I'll give you Fasano. He's pretty much got that position locked up even though he hasn't done a ****ing thing and he's probably slower than you and I.

My guess is that Commings get a ton of reps this year, whether he's the starter or not.

I told you. You're going to see an equal amount of Jenkins and Hemingway when we go to 3 WRs. Sometimes Jenkins, sometimes Hemingway. Alex may pick a favorite target that he likes throwing to by the end of the year, but that shit isn't going to be solved in training camp.

The reason why CB4 isn't that interesting is because it's pretty much going to be Ron Parker. He knows the defense, has impressed the coaches all offseason, and is actually in line to compete for one of the starters positions. Where he falls on the depth chart will depend on whether or not Cooper makes the necessary strides from year 1 to 2.

I'll give you a handful of position battles that are far more up-in-the-air than CB4.

1. RG1- We already mentioned this one. This is for a starting spot, so it's kind of huge.

2. QB2- QB battles are always fun. If you don't like them, then something is wrong with you

3. NT2- Cory Grissom and Jaye Howard will actually be counted on to provide some snaps this year, unlike last year when Howard was inactive all year. Do we have a guy who can legitimately spell Poe when he needs a breather?

4. SS2- I think Jerron McMillan still has the goods to be a decent safety in the league-- no clue why the Packers gave up on him so early. Sorensen is claimed to be good, but he's still a rookie free agent. Malcom Bronson is a dark horse whom the coaches like a lot for some reason. This will be a tight battle to watch

5. OL: This entire line is one giant fatty battle royale. Fisher, Allen, Hudson, Stephenson are locks. May as well throw Kush in there too. Zach Fulton as well, even though he might not win the starting job, though he very well could. That leaves a camp battle for guard depth between Rishaw Johnson/Jeff Linkenbach if Johnson doesn't win the starting spot. We also need a backup swing tackle, and it's usually a bad idea to have one guy back up LT, RT, AND RG. Can Frenchie pull it off? What if J'Marcus Webb is the best? Is Linkenbach a cut from the roster, then in spite of his versatility?

6. TE3: Harris looked great without pads on. When full contact training camp starts, this battle might be over very quickly if he's just another Jon Baldwin. But if Harris keeps stuff up, this has the potential to be one of the fiercest mano-a-mano training camp battles on the team

7. Mc****stick WR: I really don't think that Deanthony Thomas can replace McCluster's route running or possession receiver skills. We may list him as a RB. If that's the case, then there's a huge opening for kick returner/midget WR/worthless gadget player. Dressler, Hammond Jr, Wilson, and the other ****sticks will all be duking it out as kick returners, special teamers, and Chad Hall replacements. Honestly, any of them could ****ing win. It's wide open and completely up in the air between 3 or 4 guys.