Chiefs Chiefs Branden Albert admits he's 'selfish' - Page 6

ShowtimeSBMVP · 03-21-2013, 10:49 AM

There's a word being used in reference to Branden Albert that he resists – "disgruntled." It's the impression many got after reading his now-deleted Twitter account following his franchise tag and the release of Kansas City Chiefs teammate Eric Winston.

There's another word being used that also has a negative connotation, but Albert is fine with that one. Hey, he's even using it himself.

"You've got to be somewhat selfish in this situation," the Chiefs' left tackle told USA TODAY Sports by phone in his first interview since he was tagged before the start of free agency.

"My prior years being in Kansas City, I've been through a lot of dark days. Not just me, but Jamaal (Charles), Derrick Johnson, Brandon Flowers, Eric Berry, Dwayne Bowe, all of us. I just want to see lighter days for myself and my teammates.

"I'm not disgruntled at all. I just want a commitment. I want to know where I'm going, when I'm going and I want some security," he said.

Where Albert is going is a lot less clear these days than it was when the Chiefs tagged him.

Though Albert has signed his franchise tender at $9.828 million, that doesn't mean he's guaranteed to play with the Chiefs this season, because the team is talking to other clubs about a possible trade, according to a person informed of those negotiations.

The person, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity, said the Chiefs aren't desperate to move Albert but realize another team might offer him a better long-term contract. The Chiefs have the No. 1 pick in April's NFL Draft and might use it on tackle Luke Joeckel.

According to the person briefed on the trade talks, Kansas City isn't just listening to offers, as Sports Illustrated reported this week. The team is seeking out suitors. To borrow a word from the New York Jets' Rex Ryan in shooting down the Darrelle Revis rumors, the Chiefs are "actively" shopping Albert.

And he's OK with that, if it's best for his future.

"I have no problem playing in Kansas City," Albert said. "Everybody knows trying to go to another city and another place to play is kind of hard. But at the same time, the answers are not there for me (yet). I've got to do what I've got to do.

He added, "I don't know if I'm being traded, but I understand it's a possibility."

It's also possible the Chiefs could fail to find an acceptable offer, which means Albert would play out the year and potentially hit free agency next spring. At the very least, the team has made a commitment to him at a big salary for 2013, which should put to rest any rumblings of a serious back issue.

"I just had nothing more than back spasms (last season)," Albert said. "I tried to come back early and it flared up again. I haven't had any setbacks or things I couldn't do because of my back. That's the God's honest truth. If there was something wrong with my back, do you think the Chiefs would franchise me and give me $10 million?"

Good point. And here's another: One more season with the Chiefs might allow Albert to reestablish his value.

After all, the former No. 15 overall pick has been through a lot of change and should welcome the chance to play for a proven coach in Andy Reid.

"Four offensive line coaches, two GMs, three head coaches, five different offensive coordinators and seven quarterbacks I've blocked for," Albert said, rattling off the numbers. "But I think I've done well with the situation I've been given, with the teammates and coaches. I've learned how to play football and left tackle because I've had to, otherwise I was going to be a bust.

"With my pride, I didn't want that to happen."

And with his pride, he's not moving. Not inside to guard and not to right tackle to make room for Joeckel. That's what he said on Twitter and again this week when asked about such scenarios by USA TODAY Sports.

"I think you know the answer to that, based on my tweets," he said with a laugh.

Selfish, because he knows it's his time to be.

"The best thing I can control is myself," he said, "and that's training every day and being ready for whoever I'm going to play for in the 2013 season."

***

Follow Mike Garafolo on Twitter @mikegarafolo

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...medium=twitter

**The Franchise** · 03-21-2013, 03:54 PM

Sweet....can't wait to trade Albert for that piece of shit Joeckel.

Joeckel better be a top 10 LT in his first year.

**Tribal Warfare** · 03-21-2013, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Sweet....can't wait to trade Albert for that piece of shit Joeckel.

Joeckel better be a top 10 LT in his first year.

he better be top 5 if KC selects him, and with what happened last season the KC crowd will still be unforgiving if the soft bitch flops and Smith shits himself.

jd1020 · 03-21-2013, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Sweet....can't wait to trade Albert for that piece of shit Joeckel.

Joeckel better be a top 10 LT in his first year.

Only the Chiefs.

Trade a 2nd round pick + a 2014 3rd/2nd for another mediocre starting QB.

Then realize you really want a 2nd round pick and trade your top 5 LT for a 2nd round pick and draft a LT at 1.1.

They sure know how to kill excitement by kicking you in the balls.

**RealSNR** · 03-21-2013, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Inmem58

@evansilva: ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Branden Albert: "The #Chiefs are pretty determined to pick up a 2nd-round pick ... He's definitely on the market."

A 2nd round pick by itself is not nearly enough.

JFC. He's a top 5-10 starting LT in this league who is just entering his prime. He's STILL learning and growing, too. Who knows just how good he could be if he had a stable coaching staff/offensive play book.

If a rookie that we know ****ing nothing about is worth the #1 overall, Albert is worth a 2nd round pick and extra. A LOT extra.

Trading Albert for peanuts would make me ****ing furious

**RealSNR** · 03-21-2013, 04:03 PM

Oh, and we're STILL out a RT, too. You have the potential of this offensive line next year:

Joeckel (rookie who will probably struggle for awhile)
Allen (sucked ass last year)
Hudson (was meh before his season-ender)
Asamoah
Schwartz/Stephenson (okay... HOW is this an upgrade from Winston again?)

Great way to build the trenches, Dorsey. You not only made our offensive line ****ing worse, but you spent the first two picks in our draft to do so. The only reason this lineup isn't a total ****ing garbage piece of AIDSrape is because Hudson and Schwartz MIGHT not suck.

**** you, you ****ing moron. This is the kind of ****ing bullshit Pioli would do.

-King- · 03-21-2013, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pestilence

Sweet....can't wait to trade Albert for that piece of shit Joeckel.

Joeckel better be a top 10 LT in his first year.

Unless hes top 5, we would be downgrading.
Posted via Mobile Device

**Easy 6** · 03-21-2013, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rapist

A 2nd round pick by itself is not nearly enough.

JFC. He's a top 5-10 starting LT in this league who is just entering his prime. He's STILL learning and growing, too. Who knows just how good he could be if he had a stable coaching staff/offensive play book.

If a rookie that we know ****ing nothing about is worth the #1 overall, Albert is worth a 2nd round pick and extra. A LOT extra.

Trading Albert for peanuts would make me ****ing furious

Everything contained herein.

**RealSNR** · 03-21-2013, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -King-

Unless hes top 5, we would be downgrading.
Posted via Mobile Device

But we saved teh cap space!!!!1111

jd1020 · 03-21-2013, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by -King-

Unless hes top 5, we would be downgrading.
Posted via Mobile Device

Even if he's top 5 I'm unlikely to care because the Chiefs will have effectively progressed at nothing.

OrtonsPiercedTaint · 03-21-2013, 04:06 PM

They would want to work out a contract before they traded for him. Unless it's Miami... The Chiefs would match that for him to stay if it's reasonable.

**BigMeatballDave** · 03-21-2013, 04:08 PM

Prozac: cure for butthurt

**RealSNR** · 03-21-2013, 04:10 PM

If Andy Reid REALLY cared about protecting Alex Smith, he wouldn't trade the best player on our offensive line for chump change. That's counter-productive.

All this move does is protects Dorsey's orthodox commitment to the Ron Wolf religion. Which, sure, that kind of stuff works WHEN YOU HAVE A REAL QB.

That's the problem in all of this. They think Alex Smith is just as good as Aaron Rodgers, thus they can ignore positional value and player potential entirely when drafting.

DTLB58 · 03-21-2013, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rausch

Dorsey said he'd passed the physical and had no concerns with Albert's health.

Then tagged the ****er and decided to pay him a top 5 salary.

I suspect he's ready to play...

And trade.

**RealSNR** · 03-21-2013, 04:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave

Prozac: cure for butthurt

Being a fan of a team that repeats the same destructive behavior over and over again is like watching a loved one with a drug addiction.

Yeah, let's watch you be "butthurt" when your brother is getting the shakes without his heroin needle.

Poor word choice.

**BigMeatballDave** · 03-21-2013, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rapist

Being a fan of a team that repeats the same destructive behavior over and over again is like watching a loved one with a drug addiction.

Yeah, let's watch you be "butthurt" when your brother is getting the shakes without his heroin needle.

Poor word choice.

Why be a fan any longer?

I don't like the Smith trade and I want to keep Albert.

I cannot control any of it, so I've made my peace with it all.

03-21-2013, 10:49 AM
ShowtimeSBMVP Chiefs Join Date: Feb 2009 Casino cash: $3346009	Chiefs Branden Albert admits he's 'selfish' There's a word being used in reference to Branden Albert that he resists – "disgruntled." It's the impression many got after reading his now-deleted Twitter account following his franchise tag and the release of Kansas City Chiefs teammate Eric Winston. There's another word being used that also has a negative connotation, but Albert is fine with that one. Hey, he's even using it himself. "You've got to be somewhat selfish in this situation," the Chiefs' left tackle told USA TODAY Sports by phone in his first interview since he was tagged before the start of free agency. "My prior years being in Kansas City, I've been through a lot of dark days. Not just me, but Jamaal (Charles), Derrick Johnson, Brandon Flowers, Eric Berry, Dwayne Bowe, all of us. I just want to see lighter days for myself and my teammates. "I'm not disgruntled at all. I just want a commitment. I want to know where I'm going, when I'm going and I want some security," he said. Where Albert is going is a lot less clear these days than it was when the Chiefs tagged him. Though Albert has signed his franchise tender at $9.828 million, that doesn't mean he's guaranteed to play with the Chiefs this season, because the team is talking to other clubs about a possible trade, according to a person informed of those negotiations. The person, who spoke to USA TODAY Sports on condition of anonymity, said the Chiefs aren't desperate to move Albert but realize another team might offer him a better long-term contract. The Chiefs have the No. 1 pick in April's NFL Draft and might use it on tackle Luke Joeckel. According to the person briefed on the trade talks, Kansas City isn't just listening to offers, as Sports Illustrated reported this week. The team is seeking out suitors. To borrow a word from the New York Jets' Rex Ryan in shooting down the Darrelle Revis rumors, the Chiefs are "actively" shopping Albert. And he's OK with that, if it's best for his future. "I have no problem playing in Kansas City," Albert said. "Everybody knows trying to go to another city and another place to play is kind of hard. But at the same time, the answers are not there for me (yet). I've got to do what I've got to do. He added, "I don't know if I'm being traded, but I understand it's a possibility." It's also possible the Chiefs could fail to find an acceptable offer, which means Albert would play out the year and potentially hit free agency next spring. At the very least, the team has made a commitment to him at a big salary for 2013, which should put to rest any rumblings of a serious back issue. "I just had nothing more than back spasms (last season)," Albert said. "I tried to come back early and it flared up again. I haven't had any setbacks or things I couldn't do because of my back. That's the God's honest truth. If there was something wrong with my back, do you think the Chiefs would franchise me and give me $10 million?" Good point. And here's another: One more season with the Chiefs might allow Albert to reestablish his value. After all, the former No. 15 overall pick has been through a lot of change and should welcome the chance to play for a proven coach in Andy Reid. "Four offensive line coaches, two GMs, three head coaches, five different offensive coordinators and seven quarterbacks I've blocked for," Albert said, rattling off the numbers. "But I think I've done well with the situation I've been given, with the teammates and coaches. I've learned how to play football and left tackle because I've had to, otherwise I was going to be a bust. "With my pride, I didn't want that to happen." And with his pride, he's not moving. Not inside to guard and not to right tackle to make room for Joeckel. That's what he said on Twitter and again this week when asked about such scenarios by USA TODAY Sports. "I think you know the answer to that, based on my tweets," he said with a laugh. Selfish, because he knows it's his time to be. "The best thing I can control is myself," he said, "and that's training every day and being ready for whoever I'm going to play for in the 2013 season." *** Follow Mike Garafolo on Twitter @mikegarafolo http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports...medium=twitter
Posts: 23,755

03-21-2013, 03:54 PM	#76
The Franchise Most Valuable Villain Join Date: Dec 2006 Casino cash: $2575047	Sweet....can't wait to trade Albert for that piece of shit Joeckel. Joeckel better be a top 10 LT in his first year.
Posts: 92,316

03-21-2013, 04:03 PM	#80
RealSNR Special Teams ACE!!! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Where the hell is SNR Casino cash: $1800208	Oh, and we're STILL out a RT, too. You have the potential of this offensive line next year: Joeckel (rookie who will probably struggle for awhile) Allen (sucked ass last year) Hudson (was meh before his season-ender) Asamoah Schwartz/Stephenson (okay... HOW is this an upgrade from Winston again?) Great way to build the trenches, Dorsey. You not only made our offensive line **ing worse, but you spent the first two picks in our draft to do so. The only reason this lineup isn't a total ing garbage piece of AIDSrape is because Hudson and Schwartz MIGHT not suck. you, you ing moron. This is the kind of **ing bullshit Pioli would do.
Posts: 90,859

03-21-2013, 04:06 PM	#85
OrtonsPiercedTaint MVP Join Date: Dec 2012 Casino cash: $10004980	They would want to work out a contract before they traded for him. Unless it's Miami... The Chiefs would match that for him to stay if it's reasonable.
Posts: 5,994

03-21-2013, 04:08 PM	#86
BigMeatballDave GBM 8-12-15 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Dayton, Oh. Casino cash: $10052154	Prozac: cure for butthurt
Posts: 59,997

03-21-2013, 04:10 PM	#87
RealSNR Special Teams ACE!!! Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Where the hell is SNR Casino cash: $1800208	If Andy Reid REALLY cared about protecting Alex Smith, he wouldn't trade the best player on our offensive line for chump change. That's counter-productive. All this move does is protects Dorsey's orthodox commitment to the Ron Wolf religion. Which, sure, that kind of stuff works WHEN YOU HAVE A REAL QB. That's the problem in all of this. They think Alex Smith is just as good as Aaron Rodgers, thus they can ignore positional value and player potential entirely when drafting.
Posts: 90,859