Position Overview: Offensive Line

Until the start of training camp late next week, we will take a look at the Chiefs 2009 roster and break down the 80 players based on the nine position groups. We’ll also provide perspective on what each position has done in this decade of Chiefs football.

Last season the Chiefs offensive line play improved from the season before, when the Chiefs had problems running the ball and protecting the quarterback.

In 2007, the offense had the worst running season in club history at 78 yards per game and gave up 55 sacks, the second highest total in the club’s almost 50 years of play.

Last season, the numbers improved on the running game to 113.1 yards per game and the sacks were cut to 37 on the season. That came because of the mobility that Tyler Thigpen brought to the offense at the quarterback position and improved play along the line.

Branden Albert (right) was a better left tackle than Damion McIntosh, and McIntosh was a better right tackle than Chris Terry and others. At left guard Brian Waters rebounded from a poor season in ’07 to his Pro Bowl level and while Rudy Niswanger didn’t have the experience at center that Casey Wiegmann provided, his physical skills were superior making it a wash. Right guard was a problem in 2007 and 2008.

As the Chiefs head into the 2009 season, it looks like they’ve solidified the right guard spot with the signing of UFA Mike Goff, who brings the most talent to the spot since Will Shields retired after the 2006 season. The other four spots should have the same starters as last season.

They’ve also helped the unit with the addition of offensive line coach Bill Muir, one of the league’s best and most experienced teaches along the front line.

Question marks now fall on Waters and McIntosh and whether these two 30-plus blockers can come back for another season and play at a winning level. The microscope will also be on Niswanger and whether he can improve and beat off a challenge from UFA Eric Ghiaciuc.

Here’s how the group falls together.

CENTERS/GUARDS

Brian De La Puente (2nd/seven game-day inactive slots and nine weeks on practice squad.) After he was claimed on waivers after the final cutdown of the pre-season, De La Puente was on the 53-man roster for seven games, but was a game-day inactive each time. He then spent the rest of the season on the practice squad. During practices, De La Puente also worked at center. In the off-season program, he was working with the No. 2 offensive line at center.

Eric Ghiaciuc (left) (5th/48 games-42 starts, all at center.) Signed as an unrestricted free agent after he played four seasons in Cincinnati, Ghiaciuc should provide competition for the starting center job for Rudy Niswanger. He actually has more NFL starts at the position than anybody on the Chiefs roster, and he’s a big body (6-4, 303 pounds), along the lines of Niswanger. If he doesn’t earn the starting job, Ghiaciuc will have to also be able to play guard, something he did infrequently with the Bengals.

Mike Goff/Pre-Camp Starter at RG (12th/163 games-147 starts, with 145 at right guard, 1 at center and 1 at left tackle.) Joining the team as an unrestricted free agent from San Diego, he immediately established himself in the starting lineup and as a leader. At 33 years old, Goff is at the end of a nice NFL career. He has been durable and has not missed a game since 2003 and during the off-season there was no indication of a decline in his play. Goff is a step forward from what the Chiefs got at the position last year from Adrian Jones and others.

Darryl Harris (undrafted rookie/35 games-22 starts at Mississippi where he opened games at center, left guard, left tackle and right tackle.) His versatility will give him an opportunity to make the roster, although Harris is probably destined for the practice squad. During the off-season, he worked with the No. 3 line at right guard.

Edwin Harrison (1st/spent 16 weeks on practice squad in ’08.) He caught the eye of last year’s coaching staff during training camp, showing good quickness for a man his size (314 pounds). Harrison played both guard and tackle at Colorado, but he’s worked at left guard in the No. 2 offensive line in the off-season. He’ll need a big pre-season and some injuries ahead of him to continue with the team.

Rudy Niswanger/Pre-Camp Starter at C (right) (4th/30games-15 starts, all at center.) There are some things about his game that are not questioned. Niswanger is smart, handles the line calls and is a leader along the offensive line. When it comes to effort and toughness, there are few better. The hole in his game is leverage and defensive tackles who can get low and under his 6-5 frame have at times controlled him and caved the center of the line. Niswanger gave up 3.5 sacks last year and was called for holding three times. The only time NFL zebras call holding is when it’s flagrant, so that was at least three times when the Chiefs center obviously had a problem controlling his man. Niswanger will not lose this job with himself, but somebody could take it away with a higher level of performance.

Wade Smith (7th/60 games-25 starts, 18 at left tackle, one at center and six at right guard.) He’s hung around the league because of his ability to play at a lot of different spots on the line. He’s done that with the Chiefs, working at guard and center at various times last year. He ran with the No. 1 offensive line at left guard in the off-season. If Brian Waters doesn’t show up in River Falls in shape, or at all, Smith will remain in the starting lineup. He’s an average player, who gave up two sacks last season.

Tavares Washington (2nd/2 games-0 starts, played on special teams.) The Chiefs are the third stop on his journey to earn a living playing football. Washington wasn’t drafted, signed with San Francisco and spent two years on the 49ers practice squad, went to camp last year with the Redskins and was released. He joined the Chiefs practice squad and was on the 53-man roster for the last four games, playing in two. Washington has good size and has shown good feet. He worked at right guard with the No. 2 line in the off-season.

Brian Waters/Pre-Camp Starter at LG (left) (10th/132 games-118 starts, with 117 at left guard and 1 at center.) One of the real question marks of the ’09 season as the Chiefs begin their training camp. Waters is a pro, and it would be a shock if he failed to appear in Wisconsin. There’s no question he wants to be elsewhere, but that’s not going to happen. Staying away will be expensive for him and Waters is not the type of guy who is frivolous with his money. When he shows up, he had better be in much better shape than what he showed during the team’s mini-camp. If Haley doesn’t think he’s physically ready, he will not play. In ’08, Waters played better football than he did in the ’07 season when his production was off. He allowed one sack and was called for holding twice last year and he played well enough to get back to the Pro Bowl. There are times when Waters relies too much on his strength and allows his techniques to lapse. As he gets older – he’s 32 and in his 10th season – Waters need to strengthen his fundamentals.

TACKLES

Branden Albert/Pre-Camp Starter at LT (2nd/15 games-15 starts, all at left tackle.) Talk about a tough assignment for a rookie! Albert was asked to move from guard to tackle and not just any tackle, but left tackle, the quarterback’s No. 1 protector. Only a player with a great deal of athletic ability could make a move like that and Albert fit the bill. He showed very good feet for a young blocker and was able to deal with the rookie year learning experience. Albert allowed 4.5 sacks, but did not get flagged for holding, which is a good sign. Much has been made of Albert’s weight situation in this off-season and there’s no doubt he’ll be an even better player at a lighter weight. That will allow his feet to make him more versatile and able to recover as he blocks. If he pushes himself – and he did during the OTA work – Albert could be rock solid on the left corner for a decade.

Colin Brown (5th-round draft choice/43 games-28 starts at Missouri, all at right tackle.) One of the surprising picks of the NFL Draft for the Chiefs, as most evaluators considered him as a seventh-round choice or free agent material. Brown’s basketball background shows up in his footwork and allowed him to help the Tigers win three bowl games and appear in a pair of Big 12 Conference Championship Games. Brown played in an offense that rarely huddled and he seldom put his hand on the ground. That’s going to be a tough transition for Brown in this rookie season. He’s got the size and athletic ability to play in the league. The question will be how quickly he improves and develops his techniques.

Cameron Goldberg (undrafted rookie/44 games-35 starts at Duke, opening at left tackle.) Tall and lean at 6-6, 265 pounds, Goldberg is far from ready to play in the NFL, especially at left tackle. If he stays beyond this rookie training camp it will be on the practice squad because he shows athletic ability.

Damion McIntosh/Pre-Camp Starter at RT (10th/114 games-110 starts, with 93 at left tackle, 15 at right tackle and 2 at right guard.) Last season, McIntosh handled the run blocking, but looked old and slow in pass protection. He gave up seven sacks over the 16-game schedule, easily the most on the team. Haley stressing of better conditioning and less weight should do nothing but help McIntosh. At 32 years old, he’s not going to get any quicker or faster, so going with less weight is the one way he may be able to better handle the outside pass rushers. If the Chiefs offense is to have success in ’09, McIntosh will have to play better than he did last season.

Barry Richardson (2nd/6 games-0 starts and has not played on offense.) As one of those late round selections from the Chiefs 2008 class in the NFL Draft, Richardson will have to make an impression very quickly on the coaching staff. If he can’t, he’ll be headed down the same road as other members of the draft class who have been released already. Although he weighs close to 320 pounds, Richardson is long and lean and that’s something Haley wants from his blockers, so that might give him a chance.

Herb Taylor (3rd/18 games-1 start at left tackle.) Opportunities have been few and far between for Taylor to play as part of the offense. When given that chance, it’s been a mixed bag for the young man. There are times Taylor has looked like he can handle the NFL load and there are other times when he was obviously overmatched. Taylor will need a big pre-season if he wants to stay, although right now he’s one of just three tackles on the roster who have started in the NFL.

CHIEFS ALMANAC/OFFENSIVE LINE

Likely number of O-Linemen on final roster: 9 or 10.

• A pre-camp prediction on the final OL: Albert, Brown, Ghiaciuc, Goff, Harrison, McIntosh, Niswanger, Smith, Taylor, Waters,

O-Linemen that started in this decade: 24.

• Left tackle (9) – Willie Roaf 59, John Tait 31, Jordan Black 21, Damion McIntosh 15, Branden Albert 15, Kyle Turley 2, Will Shields 1, Will Svitek 1, Herb Taylor 1.
• Left guard (6) – Brian Waters 119, Jeff Blackshear 15, Marcus Spears 5, Donald Willis 4, Chris Bober 2, Dave Szott 1.
• Center (6) – Casey Wiegmann 113, Tim Grunhard 15, Rudy Niswanger 115, Donald Willis 1, Brian Waters 1, Wade Smith 1.
• Right guard (5) – Will Shields 113, John Welbourn 16, Adrian Jones 10, Wade Smith 6, Donald Willis 1.
• Right tackle (11) – John Tait 33, John Welbourn 24, Damion McIntosh 16, Victor Riley 12, Marcus Spears 11, Kyle Turley 10, Chris Terry 8, Kevin Sampson 7, Jordan Black 5, Chris Bober 4, Will Svitek 3.

O-Linemen drafted by Chiefs in this decade: 12.

• First-Round: T Branden Albert 2008
• Fourth-Round: T Brett Williams 2003.
• Fifth-Round: T Jordan Black 2003, T Colin Brown 2009.
• Sixth-Round: T Darnell Alford 2000, G Alex Sulfsted 2001, T Will Svitek 2005, G Tre Stallings 2006, T Herb Taylor 2007, T Barry Richardson 2008.
• Seventh-Round: T Kevin Sampson 2004, T Jeremy Parquet 2005.