*****OFFICIAL Chiefs OL Thread*****

[The Franchise]

http://espn.go.com/blog/kansas-city-...is-has-surgery

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Some observations on the first day of offseason practice for the Kansas City Chiefs:

The Chiefs are short at tight end after backup Demetrius Harris again had surgery on a broken foot that shortened his 2014 season. Coach Andy Reid indicated Harris’ initial surgery didn’t take, forcing the need for another procedure. “The natural grafting that normally takes place when you put a screw in there didn’t take place,’’ Reid said. “So they went in and they grafted it and they represented a screw in the bones there and we’ll see how he does. [The doctors] feel pretty confident about this.’’ Reid said he was confident Harris would be able to return for the start of training camp in July. Until then, the Chiefs have only Travis Kelce as a proven player at tight end. The others getting snaps with the starters in practice were journeyman Richard Gordon and rookie James O’Shaughnessy, a fifth-round draft pick. It might be a stretch to believe O’Shaughnessy, who played at Illinois State, can provide immediate help. “Up to this point, he’s done very well,’’ Reid said. “I’ll be curious to see as we keep giving him things how he handles it. Once we put pads on, that will be another test."

The Chiefs went with a starting offensive line of left tackle Eric Fisher, left guard Ben Grubbs, center Eric Kush, right guard Jeff Allen and right tackle Donald Stephenson. Also of note, Zach Fulton, who started last season at guard, was working as the backup center. Rookie Mitch Morse, a second-round pick, handled all of the center snaps in a seven-on-seven drill but was the third-team right guard in full-squad drills. Reid cautioned not to make much of the lineup. “We’re going to find the five best guys,’’ he said. “It’s open competition.''

Reid indicated safety Eric Berry has completed his treatment for lymphoma. "He’s going to get his big end-of-the-school exam done,'' Reid said. "He’s been through all the treatments. Now the doctor is going to sit down with him and go over exactly what the results of that are.''

The Chiefs were missing two defensive starters, safety Husain Abdullah and lineman Allen Bailey. Reid said both had travel problems because of the heavy rain in Texas and couldn’t get back to Kansas City in time. “They’re trying to make their way back here,’’ Reid said.

Linebacker Derrick Johnson didn’t look like someone who missed all but the season opener last year because of a torn Achilles tendon. Johnson moved around like he did before the injury. “As far as being explosive and running, I’m there,’’ Johnson said. “I’ve got to get the mental part down again. It’s like riding a bike. I’ll get there. I’m very confident in myself.’'

[Three7s]

Originally Posted by -King-

1. You can never have enough corners

2. Next year Sean Smith will be a free agent and we might not be able to afford to keep him.

I mean seriously, we were 2nd in pass defense after Seattle and we didn't allow a single 300 yard passer the entire season. That's weak to you?

You have to remember that the Chiefs run defense wasn't very good. When teams can run the ball at will, why throw it? I'm not saying our secondary wasn't good, just that those numbers a little bit skewed.

[penbrook]

Originally Posted by Three7s

You have to remember that the Chiefs run defense wasn't very good. When teams can run the ball at will, why throw it? I'm not saying our secondary wasn't good, just that those numbers a little bit skewed.

Keep doubting Ron mother****ing Parker

[Reerun_KC]

Originally Posted by -King-

1. You can never have enough corners

2. Next year Sean Smith will be a free agent and we might not be able to afford to keep him.

I mean seriously, we were 2nd in pass defense after Seattle and we didn't allow a single 300 yard passer the entire season. That's weak to you?

Same reason both Oakland and Denver didn't need to air it out to beat the Chiefs in back to back weeks to end this season...

The broke it off by running the ball down our throats with ease...

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by -King-

1. You can never have enough corners

2. Next year Sean Smith will be a free agent and we might not be able to afford to keep him.

I mean seriously, we were 2nd in pass defense after Seattle and we didn't allow a single 300 yard passer the entire season. That's weak to you?

After this year we will almost certainly lose SS and Fleming to FA.

As long as they stay healthy and play like they did last year, they are both gonna get big offers in FA.

Gaines, Peters and Nelson will be our top 3 corners after this year.

[keg in kc]

Everybody takes defensive backs every year. It's just something you have to do.

[Hydrae]

Originally Posted by Three7s

You have to remember that the Chiefs run defense wasn't very good. When teams can run the ball at will, why throw it? I'm not saying our secondary wasn't good, just that those numbers a little bit skewed.

And yet Houston only missed the all time sack record by 1/2 a sack. Can you imagine how many sacks he would have had if teams weren't concentrating on running the ball and not passing much (per your supposition here)?

[Mr. Laz]

Originally Posted by Hydrae

And yet Houston only missed the all time sack record by 1/2 a sack. Can you imagine how many sacks he would have had if teams weren't concentrating on running the ball and not passing much (per your supposition here)?

How many more sacks will we get if we have a secondary that can cover for more than 1.2 seconds? How many teams just decided to throw quick passes to negate the Chiefs rush?

quick pass/run the ball

improve our coverage ability a little and it takes some of that away

also keeps our Dline fresher if teams can't dink and dunk us all over

[In58men]

Originally Posted by ChiefGator

Yeah, he misspelled it, but it did read pretty damn strange in that list. Why not throw in "Jovan Belcher (dead)" while we are at it.

That made me laugh out loud

[-King-]

Originally Posted by Three7s

You have to remember that the Chiefs run defense wasn't very good. When teams can run the ball at will, why throw it? I'm not saying our secondary wasn't good, just that those numbers a little bit skewed.

The Chiefs were average in runs attempted against them. So, no.
Posted via Mobile Device

[RunKC]

Sean Smith is gone after this year. Brandon Flowers just got $36 million and Sean Smith is better.

Sean is about to get a deal close to $50 million next spring and it won't be from us.

[saphojunkie]

Originally Posted by -King-

1. You can never have enough corners

2. Next year Sean Smith will be a free agent and we might not be able to afford to keep him.

I mean seriously, we were 2nd in pass defense after Seattle and we didn't allow a single 300 yard passer the entire season. That's weak to you?

We were also fifth worst in the league in rushing defense, and THIRD WORST in YPA. Teams didn't have to throw the ball deep on us. But when they did, we were DEAD LAST in interceptions.

The reason the unit was a weakness for me, though, was the depth. If Sean Smith went out, we were completely ****ed. That's a weakness.

[saphojunkie]

Originally Posted by -King-

The Chiefs were average in runs attempted against them. So, no.
Posted via Mobile Device

Yes, but they were third worst in the league in yards per rush at 4.7. The secondary had weaknesses - turnovers being one of them. Their weaknesses were masked by an ELITE pass rush and a conservative offense.

[Buckweath]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Sean Smith is gone after this year. Brandon Flowers just got $36 million and Sean Smith is better.

Sean is about to get a deal close to $50 million next spring and it won't be from us.

Brandon Flowers > Sean Smith.

Smith might have been a bit better and a top 10 CB last year and still, he had clearly better passrushers to help him do his job, but I still regard him as an inconsistent player for all the years before. Flowers has consistenly been a top 10 and arguably top 5 CB for many years.

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by Buckweath

Brandon Flowers > Sean Smith.

Smith might have been a bit better and a top 10 CB last year and still, he had clearly better passrushers to help him do his job, but I still regard him as an inconsistent player for all the years before. Flowers has consistenly been a top 10 and arguably top 5 CB for many years.

Makes a lot of sense. Undervalue the guy who's playing well recently, and overvalue the guy who's been on a steady decline (and oft-injured) for several years.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by saphojunkie

We were also fifth worst in the league in rushing defense, and THIRD WORST in YPA. Teams didn't have to throw the ball deep on us. But when they did, we were DEAD LAST in interceptions.

The reason the unit was a weakness for me, though, was the depth. If Sean Smith went out, we were completely ****ed. That's a weakness.

Who cares that we were dead last in interceptions on deep passes? We allowed the fewest amount of deep passes (maybe we were second to Seattle) and didn't let a single opposing QB get 300 yards on us.

It's obvious that there is room for improvement on turnovers (hence Dorsey targeting guys with ball skills in the secondary) but to act like the secondary was a weakness is just flat out wrong.