Answer Bob/Act Two

From River Falls, Wisconsin

Here’s round two of ANSWER BOB with your questions from the weekend.  And, there will be have to another edition because there were so many questions submitted.  I’ll try to get to those in the next couple days so please be patient.

I also wanted to thank everybody for their kind words that were sent along with many of these comments over the last few days.  They are appreciated

OK, here we go.

ALEX K says:

Bob: I was wondering your true opinion on Bernard Pollard, I believe he’s a 22 year old kid who needs more time, however there has been a lot of negative fan reaction to Pollard being a starter on this team. I know the Chiefs plan to run a lot of 3 safety packages.

•1.      I just was wondering if you think this might be an even better year than last year where statistic wise he was a top 20 DB?

•2.      Who do you see leading the pack as the Chiefs 4th/5th corners behind Surtain/Flowers/Carr?

•3.      Has Brackenridge stepped up and claimed a slot?

•4.      What makes Pat Thomas a great fit in this defense and does it allow the Chiefs to run the 3-4 occasionally with Demorrio Williams?

Thanks so much, love the site, heard a lot of great things as a family member of Frank Gansz.

• If it is true fans are down on Pollard I’m not sure why. He’s a physically gifted player, going into his third season and he’s just 23 years old right now and won’t be 24 until December. He was victimized last year by poor play by the linebackers in front of him. Gunther Cunningham thinks he’s ready to break out.
• Right now the corners would line up this way: Flowers, Carr, Surtain, Patterson, Poole, Leggett, Brackenridge and Barksdale.
• Right now, Brackenridge has not really jumped to the front in this camp the way he did last year. Undrafted free agents must always improve each year, starting with training camp. As of right now, Brackenridge has some work to do.
• I’m not sure Pat Thomas is necessarily a great linebacker for this defense; he just happens to be the best available MLB on the roster. Right now, the Chiefs are having trouble settling on three good LBs, let alone four. They do have a four-linebacker package they practice and use against teams that like to run the ball on early downs. But as a regular base defense, they’ll stick with the 4-3.

ROB FROM OMAHA says:

We’ve read about the change in offense terminology, ie. one word to call a play and everyone knows what to do. But, have you noticed a change in offensive philosophy with Chan? For example, is he going to open it up more like in the Vermeil years or are we still going to be a run-first team (and have to deal with 10 defenders in the box?)

• The Chiefs offense will be about running the ball, but Chan Gailey is not a guy who will come out and keep banging his head against a brick wall. Expect the game plans to be very open and varied in the first half. If the team has the lead in the second half, they will run, run, run and then run some more. Keep watching the site and I’ll try to provide more details on the Gailey offense.

JAY A. says:

Should we consider picking up any current or future significant veterans at WR? I know we’re building for the future, but couldn’t an on field veteran presence (like Donnie does for our young LBs) actually help that development more than one more so-so prospect on the roster?

• The veteran leading the young players is a very tempting story line that most of the time does not work out. Everybody thought Ty Law would be a nice veteran presence for young Chiefs defensive backs, but he was the first one out of the building after practice. He was playing for money, not for the Chiefs. That’s one of the reasons Herm Edwards wants to get away from that personnel outlook. Again, once they establish their young base in a year or two, they might be more willing to go out and sign a name veteran to a short-term contract (one year). The Chiefs will be watching pre-season games closely at two positions: offensive line and wide receiver. They might bring bodies in at those positions if they perceive big talent holes in the roster at the end of the pre-season.

FREEDOMRINGS08 says:

Thought I would change the pace of the questions since Tenand6 is about to ask you to predict what type of deodorant Boone will be wearing against the Raiders on 11/30. (My guess: Mitchum.)  Question: I think we all want/need to know is your all-time top 5 Chiefs mustaches/facial hair. Can range from “scary” to “members only jacket” (ala Nick Lowery).

Seriously though, awesome site! Chiefs fans are lucky to have your knowledge and insight on daily basis. Congrats and best of luck!

Now here’s a question I can sink my teeth into, although I’m going to expand things a bit and give you my all-time top 5 Chiefs players with hair, either on the top of their head or facial.  In no certain order it would be:

• 1. Art Still and Don Parrish when they carved Arrowheads into their hair in the early 1980s.
• 2. Nick Lowery’s “porn star” mustache.
• 3. CB Gary Green’s fu manchu ’stache.
• 4. Jack Rudnay’s beard.
• 5. Tyron Brackenridge when he airs out his hair and it blows up into a reincarnation of Doctor J in the ABA.

CRUSADER says:

Great site! I was curious if you could provide info on who might be the next Tyler Thigpen (player picked up off the waiver wire who will make the KC roster stronger). Obviously, we’re getting to see the Vikes “up close and in person” as well as the Chicago Bears in upcoming weeks, so those would be the best targets to evaluate.

• That’s too wide a net to cast at this time and I won’t get any help from the Chiefs personnel department. They won’t tip their hand. They’ll be looking at 31 teams in the next couple weeks. Generally, the players they will be interested in are draft picks that they ranked high but couldn’t get in the draft.

RICHARD says:

Hey Bob my question: is Pat Thomas worth the starting middle linebacker starting spot?

• I’m not sure, but right now he’s the man. Herm and Gunther want somebody in that spot that’s going to run the defense correctly. As long as he continues to do that, Thomas will be the middle linebacker. Doubters should not get caught up in the idea that because the fans don’t know about him, he’s not capable or good enough to be the starter. He’ll sink and swim on his talents and right now, he’s swimming.

ROGER says:

Bob, do think if the QB doesn’t get it done in camp we make a deal for Brady Quinn?

• No. First, I doubt Quinn is available. Two, Brodie Croyle has to be given more time than just training camp, more time even than the 2008 season. It’s tough, frustrating and difficult to develop a young QB in the NFL. Everyone must have patience.

JASON says:

Thanks for your great site Bob. I have a very broad question: Can you get a sense of how much better the Chiefs already are in 2008 as compared to the 2007 squad at this time last year? I know they haven’t even played one pre-season game yet, but I was curious on your gut feeling about the prospects of this season. Keep up the good work!

• As Tony Gonzalez said the other day, the Chiefs are already a better team than the one that played last year. There is more talent, and certainly it has more upside. This may not be visible in the season’s first month, but will grow. It’s much better as far as attitude and outlook.

CHIEF FAN FROM NJ says:

As it pertains to the current Chiefs:

1. Who is the most overrated player?
2. Who is the most underrated player?
3. Who will be the surprise breakout player of the year?
4. Which player do you think won’t make the final 53 that will surprise the fans the most?
5. You are sitting opposite Jason Whitlock. Between you is one last Zarda’s rib. Who gets it?

• 1. Right now, that over-rated player hasn’t shown himself yet, because most of the Chiefs players aren’t exactly rated very high. Last year’s guy would have been Ty Law and this year, it could be Pat Surtain. But we’ll have to let a few more weeks play out before we know for sure.
• 2. The most under-rated player is also tough to answer right now for the same reasons as above. Around the league I think it would be Derrick Johnson.
• 3. The surprise breakout player may not be a big surprise but I think fifth-round choice Brandon Carr is going to shock some people with how well he plays the corner.
• 4. The guy who won’t make the final 53 that will surprise most people will be Napoleon Harris. A starter last year, he’s having a tough time getting snaps in practice now as he’s playing with the second and third units.
• 5. I would never reach for the last rib with Whitlock in the same room. That’s a sure fire way to lose a limb.

BLAKE says:

Bob, who do you think will be the starting FB for the season opener? Which FB has looked the best so far in camp? Who has looked better at the kicker position, Barth or Novak?

Is there any one on the roster that has stood out in practice that no one really knows about? Thanks I love the site.

• I think rookie Mike Cox has had the poll position in the fullback race from the start, because he knows Chan Gailey and his offense from Georgia Tech.
• None of the fullbacks has been especially impressive, but they do not get the chance to do a lot of flashy things that the media might notice.
• The kickers seem pretty darn even right now. We’ll need to see the kickoff more before we can factor in a leader.
• Guys that have practiced well and nobody knows about would be led by the defensive duo of LB LeRue Rumph and CB Maurice Leggett. Both of them are undrafted free agents who if they continue to progress have real shots at making the team.

JD says:

Are we going to have a respectable return game this year?

• If they do not, it will be another long season. So far, B.J. Sams looks good catching the ball, but the Chiefs do not go live in practice, so there’s no way of telling if he’s all the way back from his knee injury. Kevin Robinson was drafted because of his return ability, but he hasn’t been able to get on the practice field as he’s recovering from knee surgery. Starting on Thursday with Chicago, we’ll see if the Chiefs have made any progress in their return game.

CLINE says:

Okay, short and sweet: please compare what you have seen of Glenn Dorsey with none other than the flop of flops, the king of flab, the bust of busts Ryan Sims. Are there similarities? Anything you have seen to make you think that Dorsey could turn into a flop.

• It will be a lot easier to answer this question when Dorsey plays his first pre-season game. Then, if you watch you will see the answer for yourself. Let me tell you simply that in the time he’s been here and on the practice field, he resembles nothing close to Sims. He’s a better athlete, in better shape and appears to be a very intelligent young man. I’ve seen nothing that makes me believe he will be anything but successful.

AL DAVIS says:

Bob, How will these KC fans feel when the Chiefs are 0-2 going to Atlanta? How will these KC fans feel when the Chiefs are 0-12 going to Denver on Pearl Harbor day?

• They will probably feel the same way the Raiders fans will feel after they leave Arrowhead 0-2 on the season. I love a little give-and-take between fans, but how could a Raiders fan talk any trash after the way his team has played the last few years.