Chiefs *signing* Mitchell Schwartz

[Dante84]

I'm excited to announce that I'll be joining the @Chiefs!!! #ChiefsKingdom

— Mitchell Schwartz (@MitchSchwartz72) March 9, 2016

Kansas City is finalizing a 5-year deal with soon-to-be former Browns OT Mitchell Schwartz, from @PatMcManamon and me.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 9, 2016

Hearing Mitchell Schwartz is going to Kansas City. True that Browns pulled deal off table. #browns

— Andy Baskin (@andy_baskin) March 9, 2016

[Son of Logical]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

Again, not counting trades or contract extensions, this is the best free agent signing we've had in the modern Chiefs era, I believe.

When Priest first signed with us, he made jack shit, and while we were signing him to be our primary starting RB (not in a committee, either) I don't think we were expecting him to be Marshall Faulk-level good. Maybe Dick Vermeil did, because he had that kind of faith in players and people, but I doubt Carl did, either. At the very least, the rest of the league wasn't expecting it, especially the Ravens who drafted his replacement and let him walk.

Mitchell Schwartz was already considered to be a top 5 RT at that point in his young career. We got him for 5 years and $33 million in 2016-- at the time basically the going price for a very good guard. We got an elite player of greater position importance on the line for very good guard money. And we did it by stealing him away at the last minute from a shit **** franchise even though they were prepared to pay more.

I think the nod has to go to Schwartz in that case. It was the circumstances of how we acquired him, what we paid according to what he could have and probably would have received from other teams, and what he's done for the team in his longevity of play (and continues to do so).

It was like that was the signing that changed everything for this OL. You don't usually think of a RT as the catalyst for propelling an OL into elite play, but that's basically what happened. RT was ALWAYS the weakest part of our line for the past 10 seasons, and no matter what kind of quality players we had elsewhere on the line, it was like we knew it would be mediocre because we just couldn't seem to fix that hole (nor did we seem to try too hard). Once we got Schwartz, we saw greatly improved play from Fisher and LDT. Hell, we've still got that nagging LG hole that seemingly only ever gets filled if a random 1-year vet like Jeff Allen or Wisniewski takes over mid-season. But that's just never a big deal for us, nor do I consider it a big deal now.

We didn't actually sign Priest to be our primary back. T.Rich was our primary back PH's first year, but took over duties during the season after having a breakout game. I believe it was against the Steelers if I am not mistaken.

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by Son of Logical

We didn't actually sign Priest to be our primary back. T.Rich was our primary back PH's first year, but took over duties during the season after having a breakout game. I believe it was against the Steelers if I am not mistaken.

My memory is fuzzy, but I remember Vermeil saying that we were bringing in Holmes to be very Marshall Faulk-like in our version of the Coryell. Richardson had a few breakout games the prior season in that weird season when Grbac threw for 4000 yards, made the pro bowl, and made Derrick Alexander look like a real #1 WR. So a lot of fans didn't really see the need for bringing in Priest, and in the initial games of 2001, it really showed. I think maybe Priest was dealing with a nagging hamstring or something?

I remember actually going to Week 3 against the Redskins at Washington, not expecting much after bad losses where the offense looked pitiful. In weeks 1 and 2, Green looked bad and Richardson looked like the better back even though he split carries with Priest. However, in that game, Green put up 300 yards and a couple TDs, and Priest was the primary back that did all the work. The rest is basically history.

I'm pretty sure that was the intent all along, but it was off to a slow start because it was such a new offense, Priest was a tiny bit gimpy, and we actually faced some pretty good teams. This was back in that little 2-3 year blip when the Raiders actually had our number and we couldn't beat them. Seems like forever ago, doesn't it?

[Bump]

I remember being excited about the Priest signing, I saw that he had a 1,000 yds with the Ravens once and ended up being my sleeper pick that season (or homer pick, but it worked out)

[keg in kc]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

My memory is fuzzy, but I remember Vermeil saying that we were bringing in Holmes to be very Marshall Faulk-like in our version of the Coryell. Richardson had a few breakout games the prior season in that weird season when Grbac threw for 4000 yards, made the pro bowl, and made Derrick Alexander look like a real #1 WR. So a lot of fans didn't really see the need for bringing in Priest, and in the initial games of 2001, it really showed. I think maybe Priest was dealing with a nagging hamstring or something?

I remember actually going to Week 3 against the Redskins at Washington, not expecting much after bad losses where the offense looked pitiful. In weeks 1 and 2, Green looked bad and Richardson looked like the better back even though he split carries with Priest. However, in that game, Green put up 300 yards and a couple TDs, and Priest was the primary back that did all the work. The rest is basically history.

I'm pretty sure that was the intent all along, but it was off to a slow start because it was such a new offense, Priest was a tiny bit gimpy, and we actually faced some pretty good teams. This was back in that little 2-3 year blip when the Raiders actually had our number and we couldn't beat them. Seems like forever ago, doesn't it?

Back in the bad old days when people thought T-Rich and Donnell Bennett and Mike ****ing Cloud could be featured back, or that a committee of mediocre backs was somehow actually a good thing.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by keg in kc

Back in the bad old days when people thought T-Rich and Donnell Bennett and Mike ****ing Cloud could be featured back, or that a committee of mediocre backs was somehow actually a good thing.

I think Marty made the "committee of decent backs" work for so long because it was paired with an absolutely dominant defense.

They always got exposed against other dominant teams in the playoffs, though.

[Brody Wa]

If you’re going to bet on the Chiefs do it now. They have already dropped from 5-1 to 4-1 the last time I checked our odds of winning the SB.

[Chiefshrink]

Originally Posted by Chiefaholic

Lenny, Priest, McGlockton, Anders, Saleuamua, Lowery, Hasty, Roaf, Richardson, Waters, Allen, just to name a few....

McGlockton was a bust. He never panned out like he should have. Motor was very inconsistent IMHO. Everyone else on this list I will agree with.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by BlackOp

People hate on Dorsey....but this is up there with Holmes and Roaf as the best trade in Chiefs history.

Montana was good too...but he was just a hired mercenary at that point.

Originally Posted by RealSNR

Again, not counting trades or contract extensions, this is the best free agent signing we've had in the modern Chiefs era, I believe.

When Priest first signed with us, he made jack shit, and while we were signing him to be our primary starting RB (not in a committee, either) I don't think we were expecting him to be Marshall Faulk-level good. Maybe Dick Vermeil did, because he had that kind of faith in players and people, but I doubt Carl did, either. At the very least, the rest of the league wasn't expecting it, especially the Ravens who drafted his replacement and let him walk.

Mitchell Schwartz was already considered to be a top 5 RT at that point in his young career. We got him for 5 years and $33 million in 2016-- at the time basically the going price for a very good guard. We got an elite player of greater position importance on the line for very good guard money. And we did it by stealing him away at the last minute from a shit **** franchise even though they were prepared to pay more.

I think the nod has to go to Schwartz in that case. It was the circumstances of how we acquired him, what we paid according to what he could have and probably would have received from other teams, and what he's done for the team in his longevity of play (and continues to do so).

It was like that was the signing that changed everything for this OL. You don't usually think of a RT as the catalyst for propelling an OL into elite play, but that's basically what happened. RT was ALWAYS the weakest part of our line for the past 10 seasons, and no matter what kind of quality players we had elsewhere on the line, it was like we knew it would be mediocre because we just couldn't seem to fix that hole (nor did we seem to try too hard). Once we got Schwartz, we saw greatly improved play from Fisher and LDT. Hell, we've still got that nagging LG hole that seemingly only ever gets filled if a random 1-year vet like Jeff Allen or Wisniewski takes over mid-season. But that's just never a big deal for us, nor do I consider it a big deal now.

Originally Posted by keg in kc

It would be hard to say that he's not. Priest could be argued to be a product of that system and o-line. Whereas Mitch is part of what defines this system and o-line, along with Fish. He's not here (they're not here), we probably aren't in back-to-back AFCG's, we don't win a Superbowl, and Mahomes probably looks much more...human.

In this day and age, with teams stacking their rosters with outside rushers, you have to be good on the bookends, and we're as good as anybody. You saw that when Fish went out last year and Cam Irving looked like I-65 reborn. Who else can leave both their tackles unprotected? Who else could give Mahomes the kind of time he needs to be Mahomes? Nobody else in the league can hang behind center and float around for 8 or 10 seconds waiting for a play to open up. It's part because he's who he is, obviously, but it's also in large part because his line allows him to do it. And nobody is more key to that than the guys on the outside, and with his ability to stay on the field (unlike Fish last year...) nobody has done it better than Mitch, and he's done it week after week against the best pass rushers the NFL has to offer, without chips or help from backs.

So, yeah, i think it's safe to say the back-to-back all pro is probably the best free agent signing in team history.

Yeah, keg is on the money. Priest was a good back. Not great, good. Priest's patience was as good as there has been, but the rest of it is meh. Not a ton of speed, no power to speak of, wasn't really all that slippery, acceleration was OK - nothing great. But here's the thing, that patience makes him a shit back anywhere but behind THAT line. **** man, Baltimore's line was really ****ing good. Ogden is considered one of the best to do it, and he was ****ing pedestrian.

Simple truth is Holmes looked all world because he was going one on one with DBs a shitload. Holmes was good. That line was disgusting.

Mitch is a hell of a good signing and a hell of a teammate by all accounts.

Consider this though. How does Geoff Schwartz feel? Poor ****er had to play for the Chiefs under the Franchise Killer and his dumbass younger brother gets Mahomes? That's a raw deal if there has ever been one.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

ProFootballReference.com has an “AV” value assigned to every player in history. Scale 0-26, with the highest ever being Ladanian Tomlinson 2006. It was matched this year. The top 10:

Approximate Value
1. Lamar Jackson • BAL 26
2. Stephon Gilmore • NWE 21
Marcus Peters • 2TM 21
4. Minkah Fitzpatrick • 2TM 20
5. Ronnie Stanley • BAL 19
Tre'Davious White • BUF 19
7. Cameron Heyward • PIT 18
Michael Thomas • NOR 18
9. Dont'a Hightower • NWE 17
Patrick Mahomes • KAN 17
Ryan Ramczyk • NOR 17
10 (tie) Mitchell Schwartz * KAN 16

Yes our old friend Peters is 2 (tie). Sir Patrick led the league last year at 22. And if he played 16 games he’d be AV 19. But let’s talk Schwartz.



Mitch The Bitch signed a 5/$33m FA contract after four years with the Cleveland Clowns. https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/kansas-c...cash-earnings/


His AV by year, Chiefs in bold:
7
5
6
6
10
14
20!
16


Last year he was the #2 most valuable player in AV behind Sir Pat. I don’t know how to evaluate OL but if this is close to accurate he’s the best FA signing ever and an unsung hero of the offense and keeping Sir Pat healthy.

https://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/show...php?p=14706329

[DaneMcCloud]

Just to clear up the Priest Holmes acquisition, yes, the Chiefs acquired him to be a 3rd down back (from Joe Posnaski's site):

https://joeposnanski.substack.com/p/hhof-priest-holmes

Bless Dick Vermeil -- I love that guy too -- but he didn't know what he was getting. The Chiefs had acquired Holmes to be a part-time, third-down kind of back and, yes, a veteran presence. He got just 15 carries total his first two weeks in Kansas City, both losses, and then more or less out of desperation, they fed him the ball more in Week 3 against Washington.

That game he had 23 carries for 147 yards, caught five passes for 78 yards and scored three touchdowns. Dick Vermeil didn't need to be told twice. He had his man. Holmes led the league in rushing in 2001 with 1,555 yards, and he scored 10 touchdowns.

--------
And I'm tired of hearing about the offense line in regards to Holmes.

He was a MONSTER running back, with amazing vision who was absolutely amazing in space. He didn't have sub-4.4 speed but he had plenty of big plays and once he daylight, it was nearly a sure score.

Unfortunately, his body wasn't built for the game but had he stayed healthier for another 2 full seasons, he would definitely be in the debate for the NFL Hall of Fame.

[Direckshun]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Consider this though. How does Geoff Schwartz feel? Poor ****er had to play for the Chiefs under the Franchise Killer and his dumbass younger brother gets Mahomes? That's a raw deal if there has ever been one.

Schwartz never played under Cassel, I don't think.

He overtook Eric Fisher at RT and played RT the rest of 2013 as the Chiefs made the playoffs.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Just to clear up the Priest Holmes acquisition, yes, the Chiefs acquired him to be a 3rd down back (from Joe Posnaski's site):

https://joeposnanski.substack.com/p/hhof-priest-holmes

Bless Dick Vermeil -- I love that guy too -- but he didn't know what he was getting. The Chiefs had acquired Holmes to be a part-time, third-down kind of back and, yes, a veteran presence. He got just 15 carries total his first two weeks in Kansas City, both losses, and then more or less out of desperation, they fed him the ball more in Week 3 against Washington.

That game he had 23 carries for 147 yards, caught five passes for 78 yards and scored three touchdowns. Dick Vermeil didn't need to be told twice. He had his man. Holmes led the league in rushing in 2001 with 1,555 yards, and he scored 10 touchdowns.

--------
And I'm tired of hearing about the offense line in regards to Holmes.

He was a MONSTER running back, with amazing vision who was absolutely amazing in space. He didn't have sub-4.4 speed but he had plenty of big plays and once he daylight, it was nearly a sure score.

Unfortunately, his body wasn't built for the game but had he stayed healthier for another 2 full seasons, he would definitely be in the debate for the NFL Hall of Fame.

The fumble in the 2003 playoff game still kills me. If Priest took over in the 03 playoffs like TD and Henry (and he was capable of it) that could have given him HOF consideration by itself (just like it did for TD). He was absolutely dominant in the playoff game and looked poise to have a legendary run in the playoffs. Ah well. What coulda been.

[BossChief]

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

Just to clear up the Priest Holmes acquisition, yes, the Chiefs acquired him to be a 3rd down back (from Joe Posnaski's site):

https://joeposnanski.substack.com/p/hhof-priest-holmes

Bless Dick Vermeil -- I love that guy too -- but he didn't know what he was getting. The Chiefs had acquired Holmes to be a part-time, third-down kind of back and, yes, a veteran presence. He got just 15 carries total his first two weeks in Kansas City, both losses, and then more or less out of desperation, they fed him the ball more in Week 3 against Washington.

That game he had 23 carries for 147 yards, caught five passes for 78 yards and scored three touchdowns. Dick Vermeil didn't need to be told twice. He had his man. Holmes led the league in rushing in 2001 with 1,555 yards, and he scored 10 touchdowns.

--------
And I'm tired of hearing about the offense line in regards to Holmes.

He was a MONSTER running back, with amazing vision who was absolutely amazing in space. He didn't have sub-4.4 speed but he had plenty of big plays and once he daylight, it was nearly a sure score.

Unfortunately, his body wasn't built for the game but had he stayed healthier for another 2 full seasons, he would definitely be in the debate for the NFL Hall of Fame.

If Shawn Merriman wasn’t drugged up and took a dirty shot that broke Priests neck, he would have probably been a HOFer.

The tear he was on was historic.

[Perineum Ripper]

Not only is this dude a badass RT but he is an awesome cook and has a cooking show on Instagram. I think him and the Chiefs put it together. He is always posting pictures of the food he makes.

[O.city]

Yeah, he's been the best FA acquisition. If he stays healthy and plays this well for another couple years, he's a Chiefs Ring of Honor guy for sure.