Answer Bob – Part #2

Back to the in-box. Again, thanks for the posts and questions.

Don says: Thanks again for an awesome site! Not being too insightful of a fan I’ll ask like this: I know we shouldn’t take too much from the first pre-season game. It’s too easy to be on cloud nine or in the dumps watching the first contest. When should we be taking cues as to how the season is going to play out? After the third or fourth pre-season game? Or after the first few regular season games? I know, it’s a guessing game, just your thoughts. My thought was to throw the remote but I resisted!

Bob says: Do not throw that remote. Yet. I wish I could give you a head’s up on a fork in the road ahead that will tell everyone the immediate future of the Chiefs. The pre-season games, all four of them are important. But really it doesn’t matter until the Monday night game against San Diego to open the regular season. Even then, that’s one of 16 games. Don’t make any assumptions or decisions on this team until that Monday night game. Get back to me then.

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Greg says: Thanks for all you do. You are the best! I’ve heard it said that it takes a few years for NFL defensive linemen to develop. If so, should we still have hope for Dorsey, Jackson & Magee? And shouldn’t we be seeing something from them in the meantime … flashes of brilliant play?

Bob says: Thank you for the kind words and yes, we should all be seeing flashes of brilliant play from Dorsey/Jackson/Magee. Those have been too few and too far apart. Everyone must remember that these guys are not going to put up the type of numbers that send guys to the Pro Bowl, as in tackles or sacks, etc. Their job is to handle the offensive line, contain their two gaps and allow the linebackers to make the plays. A defense does not finish No. 31 in run defense with anybody playing well, and that was the case last year. Dorsey improved from his rookie season, but it was not a giant step forward. We need to see that from him in 2010. Jackson was there, or at least his body was for all 16 games. How a man that big can go through a game and not record a statistic of any kind befuddles me, but that happened quite a few times last year. Magee started strong and then disappeared. I believe he was dealing with some injury issues that the Chiefs did not reveal. There are no secrets here – so much of the Chiefs immediate future as pretender or contender depends on those three guys and others along that line improving their performances and production. It’s just huge.

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Joshua says: Do you believe Asamoah has a chance to start this year? Or will it take an injury to Waters and/ or Lilja for that happen… Any chance Waters moves to center to make way for Asamoah at guard, or will Asamoah get a shot @ center?

Bob says: All of this will play out based on the health of all three of these guys. I don’t think Asamoah is going to beat out Lilja for the starting job at right guard to start the season. Same with Waters at left guard. But there’s always the chance he steps in for one of them if they get injured and never steps out. I think center is a little bit different because of the line calls and so forth. It’s not that Asamoah couldn’t handle the duties – he’s a very smart young man – but asking that of him as a rookie is a stretch. If he stays healthy, I think he’ll see a lot of playing time in ’10 even without a starting job.

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Michael says: What Don said is the most insightful and levelheaded thing I’ve heard said after the first pre-season game and I would also like to hear your answer to his question. Other questions: what is the deal with Shaun Smith playing more at DE than NT? If the team thinks Smith is good enough at end, will they consider playing him there and moving Dorsey to nose? Is Magee in the doghouse for something? He seems to play well when he gets a chance, but doesn’t get many chances. DL Kendrick Clancy has been linked to the Chiefs. Any chance they sign him? I’m wondering who is going to be the number five and six wide receivers. Terrance Copper seems a lock because of special teams, and Quinten Lawrence is getting positive reviews on special teams, too. But, Jeremy Horne seems to be a guy they quietly really like. Does Horne have a shot? Who is ahead in the battle for FB between Cox and Castille? Cassel is usually much more productive from the shotgun. How much will they use it this year? If they’re not going to use DJ full time, will they consider trading him for someone or a draft pick? I know you think the Page situation should have been resolved already, but when do you think it will be?

Bob says: Wow Michael, it’s going to take an entire post to answer your questions. But that’s cool; they are all legitimate and deserve the best answers I can give you. Moving Smith to end is an attempt to create more of a chance for him to make the roster. I don’t think he has a shot just as a nose tackle. If he can show that playing end is something that he can do productively, it increases his chances of making the final 53. Magee’s situation is a puzzle and has more to do with consistency than anything else. He’s one of those yo-yo guys that Haley can’t stand. That might be a factor. As for Kendrick Clancy, I have no idea. If they decide they need a body, they could be interested. But I don’t see right now where he’s much of an upgrade. At wide receiver I think the top four are set with Chris Chambers, Dwayne Bowe, Jerheme Urban and Dexter McCluster. I agree that Terrance Copper looks good because of his solid work on special teams. That leaves five guys on the roster and I would rank them in this order for the sixth spot, if there is a sixth spot – Jeremy Horne, Quinten Lawrence, Lance Long, Rich Gunnell and Verran Tucker. At FB, just going by opportunities being given, it appears Castille has the edge.

Cassel was actually less efficient throwing from the shotgun than he was taking the snap under center. His passer rating in the shotgun last year was 59.2. His rating in taking the ball under center was 87.9. In the shotgun, he threw five TD passes and 11 interceptions. Taking the snap under center, those numbers were directly reversed, with 11 TDs and five interceptions.

As for trading D.J., anything is possible. Beyond Cassel and a few others, there are no untouchables on the team’s roster. Page’s situation, who knows? It’s not something the Chiefs care a whit about. They’ll probably wait until it’s largely impossible that somebody will trade for him. Then they’ll release his rights.

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Josh says: Two and three yard passes rarely get it done. How many straight losses before the “Parcells Junior Coaching team” realizes that Cassel is the most expensive bust in the history of the NFL. Maybe Ryan Leaf is available?

Bob says: Josh don’t be so quick to throw in the towel with Cassel. The guy has 30 starts in the NFL, heck he has 30 starts in the last nine years of football. So, yes criticizing Pioli for putting so much into Cassel without really knowing what he was getting is not out of bounds in any way. But Cassel needs a chance. He’ll get it this season. See me in December and I may agree with you.

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Scott says: So, Bob, am I expecting too much from our franchise QB or are first downs out of the question? When do you think it will be time to bring in a Rich Gannon or similar QB coach to help make up for his seeming lack of experience? You got to move the chains! 31 other teams find ways to do it, why can’t the Chiefs?

Bob says: Right now Scott the Chiefs have one of the best quarterback developers in the game of football in Charlie Weis. He was handed a sixth-round draft choice out of Michigan and he turned him into a quarterback who led his team to three Super Bowl titles. Without a doubt Cassel needs improvement in his completion percentage, his average yardage per attempt, his TD passes and he needs to lower his interceptions and sacks. Remember, just 30 starts in the NFL. That’s not even two full seasons.

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Morten says: Great timing for an ask Bob session. I know you touched upon the subject in your post-game articles, but how much should we put into the Jamaal/Jones situation? Should we expect that we end up starting Jones? Does Charles look better/same/worse than end of last season based on practices? Do we in your opinion have a chance to beat the Chargers on MNF playing SMART football?

Bob says: Morten there’s already been a lot of attention on the Jones/Charles situation and we aren’t even in week No. 1 of the games that count. Here’s what I think I know – both are going to play, both are going to get the ball in their hands. Haley is going to stick with the guy that has the hot hand, so I think that means Charles is going to end up getting more work than Jones. Charles looks no worse than he was last year. He needs to be better, and that’s what that shoulder surgery and rehab did to him. Check out my story on Saturday morning; I’ll get into this situation a bit more as they prepare to play the Bucs.

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Chuck says: Please tell me if I am delusional or what. But the Offensive Line and the Defensive Line on Friday night looked just like the pathetic lines looked most of last year. Couldn’t run the ball on offense and couldn’t stop the run on defense. I am purely speaking of the “first teams” play while they were in there. WHY CAN’T WE SEEM TO FIX these two areas????? Thank you, you’re the best.

Bob says: You are not delusional Chuck, but you are reaching for the panic button a bit too early. There’s no question how important the improvement of both sides of the line is to the Chiefs becoming a better team. Right now, they do not have enough talent. Again, it keeps coming down to that. The organization has spent a lot of draft picks and signing bonuses on the defensive line. There’s a chance those three guys can improve and become worthy of the investment. On the offensive line, Branden Albert has an upside at left tackle. The rest of the starting O-Line is what they are – there’s no big improvement that’s going to come from them. Until the Chiefs get production out of these two position groups, they will be treading water and they will drive all of their fans delusional.

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TDKC says: It is clear you think the Chiefs just don’t have the talent to be contenders yet. You said it last year and there is evidence to back it up after the 1st pre-season game. Is Haley doing a good job? He seems to be learning from his mistakes but is this regime a waste of time? Forcing the 3-4 on a developing 4-3 group is going to take time and I fear that will be the downfall of Haley and his staff. Chiefs fans are here but running out of patience.

Bob says: I think Haley is growing as a head coach on an everyday basis and I think he has a good, solid base in the way to get it done. But there’s no doubt that the clock is ticking. I just don’t think that Clark Hunt is going to show the patience that his father did over all those years. I think he’s going to demand visible improvement in 2010 and 2011. Haley cannot afford a backward step. Pioli is a different matter, as he would probably survive a coaching firing and I don’t see him throwing himself in front of the car to stop Haley from getting run over. All of this factors into the problems of rebuilding, of changing everything under the sun, including a roster full of 4-3 players, now trying to play a 3-4. Unless a team is very aggressive in going after veteran personnel, then it’s going to take even longer. I think Chiefs fans may be the most patient sports fans on the face of the earth.