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I didn't get to mention this, but the question of what to do with Tony Gonzalez is interesting. I'd love to keep Tony, but if the powers that be decide to trade him to a winner...

I have a fun TRADE PROPOSAL:

Tony Gonzalez and the Chiefs second round pick ---- for the Eagles first round pick (#21) and their fourth round pick. The Eagles also have pick #29 and could still get first round value with the second pick of the second round. The Chiefs on the other hand could draft someone like Knowshon Moreno, RB Georgia. This would give them a balanced back to mix with Charles and backup Kolby Smith. Moreno can run and catch, giving the Chiefs the complete player they've been seeking. Larry Johnson should be out of the picture, one way or another.

Good idea or bad idea?

You've definitely got the right idea in solidifying the O Line to start building a winner. All the flash and sizzle in the world won't help if you can't push the ball three yards consistently. I'd love to see or hear the Chiefs put together a 120 board for future drafts. I don't know how Carl handled things but it seems the best teams put the core together, then start drafting the best available players and using free agency wisely instead of desperately. My prediction, with Spioli, the Chiefs will return to a Super Bowl ahead of their replacements in Dallas.

Their is no reason the Chiefs shouldn't pick up Crabtree. He is absolutely explosive. Tyler Thigpen was running the spread offense towards the end of the season with KC and putting up points. As we all know Crabtree is a product of Mike Leach and Texas Tech's spread offense. He a physical receiver and explosively fast. He has one of the best entourage of trainers...Former Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson working with him on his speed. Deion Sanders working with him from a CB perspective and Michael Irving helping out with the hands. Deion and Irving are both great mentors to Crabtree and will no doubt show him the path to success. Now with the hiring of Todd Haley as Head Coach, the chiefs have no better options of picking Crabtree. He fits in perfectly with what Haley is experienced in..WR (being Dallas Cowboys WR Coach) and putting up points (Arizona's Offensive Coordinator). The chiefs would be dead wrong to waste there pick on a lineman or LB. With 32 million left in the piggy bank, they could surely find a big boy to fill in the wholes on the offensive line. I can see them justifying a QB, but I really think Tyler Thigpen has what it takes, along with a spread type offense, and an addition of an crazy good WR to make it work. Then again I don't think any of this drafts QB's have had a chance to prove themselves in the long run. They may be 1 hit wonders. Receivers like Crabtree come once every decade, with the heart to win and the speed and brains to get it done...Crabman all the way!!

The spread needs to go away... it's great for college, where the D lacks the speed to cover and still protect under. But the LB's in the NFL are too fast and smart for the spread to be effective. It really only works in the 2 minute drill when the D doesn't have time to make subs... The Chiefs proved it wasn't a strong base offense last season.

QUOTE(#4):

Originally posted 09:24 PM ET  02.06 by cballlv

The spread needs to go away... it's great for college, where the D lacks the speed to cover and still protect under. But the LB's in the NFL are too fast and smart for the spread to be effective. It really only works in the 2 minute drill when the D doesn't have time to make subs... The Chiefs proved it wasn't a strong base offense last season.

I agree that the spread isn't AS effective in the NFL, but the point I'm trying to make is that Crabtree is a product of the spread, Thigpen is familiar with the spread, and Coach Haley is a man familiar with passing the ball to down the field. The combination of the three will definitely work out a way to make a great offensive balance, but I can guarantee the Chiefs will begin passing the ball more with the addition of Haley. The Chiefs put up more points towards the end of the season with the spread offense then they had all year. So how can you say "The Chiefs proved it wasn't a strong base offense last season." Sure some tweaks need to be made, but what do you want them to do...Run it every down like Schottenheimer did. That era has gone away. It's a passing game now. LB's are only to smart when they know the RB isn't capable of getting yards. If we can somehow keep LJ and use his talent for the LB's to respect the the run...we'll be throwing over teams all day long. If the chiefs pick up Crabtree I guarantee you'll be one of the first to buy his jersey!

QUOTE(#4):

Originally posted 09:24 PM ET  02.06 by cballlv

The spread needs to go away... it's great for college, where the D lacks the speed to cover and still protect under. But the LB's in the NFL are too fast and smart for the spread to be effective. It really only works in the 2 minute drill when the D doesn't have time to make subs... The Chiefs proved it wasn't a strong base offense last season.

i dont agree with that. the chiefs proved last yr that the spread can be effective. after the first couple of games in which they were lucky not to be shutout, they were puting up 3 and 4 TDs a game. and about the draft: i believe that whatever the lions do with the #1 pik affects the chiefs. if the liones dont select stafford, which is my guess, there's alot of good veteran qbs available that they would prefer and picking stafford would be too risky at #1. if that happens, the chiefs should trade thy're #3 pic to to chicago, tampa, SF or the jets, i mean teams looking for a franchise qb. they can get in return a 1st rounder and a 2nd rounder. i believe this is best because what the chiefs need the most is pass rush, and there's nobody at that position worth taking at #3.

QUOTE(#6):

Originally posted 12:06 PM ET  02.07 by carloss

i dont agree with that. the chiefs proved last yr that the spread can be effective. after the first couple of games in which they were lucky not to be shutout, they were puting up 3 and 4 TDs a game. and about the draft: i believe that whatever the lions do with the #1 pik affects the chiefs. if the liones dont select stafford, which is my guess, there's alot of good veteran qbs available that they would prefer and picking stafford would be too risky at #1. if that happens, the chiefs should trade thy're #3 pic to to chicago, tampa, SF or the jets, i mean teams looking for a franchise qb. they can get in return a 1st rounder and a 2nd rounder. i believe this is best because what the chiefs need the most is pass rush, and there's nobody at that position worth taking at #3.

Good points Carlos!

Yes they scored more with the spread. BUT... Thats because they were barely scoring at all the first few games. AND... You saw how they were shut down in the 2nd half of almost every game. Look at the points by quarter... The adjustments are to easy for the D.C. and players to make. the spread offense won exactly 1 game. And that was against the Raiders...

The fact is that the Chiefs have many options in the upcoming off-season to improve and reach the playoffs. They are over millions under cap and have the 3rd pick in the upcoming draft. With all of that aside I feel that the best move that could have happened to the Chiefs already happened. The replacement of Carl Peterson to Scott Pioli was HUGE! We have not won a playoff game since Joe Montana almost took us to the Superbowl and Peterson has been making bad decisions ever since. We finally have a GM who has a proven record of success with the Patriots and I am confident that he knows talent. So whatever happens in the draft or off season with Tony and Larry, get ready for a playoff run in '09 Chiefs Fans !!

And just for the record I think we should go crabtree and pray that we can get a qb in the later rounds or through the free agent market because I am not convinced with Croyle or Thigpen. It is the formula that worked for Arizona when they got boldin and fitzgerald and went out and got free agent Kurt Warner to complete the puzzle. We would have 2 young talented WR that no defense would be able to double.

QUOTE(#8):

Originally posted 11:29 PM ET  02.07 by cballlv

Yes they scored more with the spread. BUT... Thats because they were barely scoring at all the first few games. AND... You saw how they were shut down in the 2nd half of almost every game. Look at the points by quarter... The adjustments are to easy for the D.C. and players to make. the spread offense won exactly 1 game. And that was against the Raiders...

Your dead wrong! There is room for the spread..to shake things up a bit. Herm isn't exactly the best spread offense coach or coach period. The fact that we won only two games has nothing to do with the spread , but with the fact that we had bad coaching. "The spread offense won exactly 1 game" and the coaching lost us the rest. We wouldn't have even one that game against the Raiders if it wasn't for the spread. Your blame is in the wrong arena. Something's gone terribly wrong if two of our supposed "franchise players" are wanting out..and it's the coaching not the spread. Do you really expect Todd Haley to come in to KC and not air the ball out? So what do you suggest the Chiefs should do? What's the master plan guru? You've told us no, but haven't offered what we should do offensively. The fact of the matter is we have a Head Coach who's background is in WR's and Airing it out, a qb (Thigpen) who is very familiar with the offense, a slew of highly capable receivers, and a RB that can make the defense bite! There's a reason that more NFL teams are using the spread NOW MORE THAN EVER! Only piece missing is a strong O Line.

Herm didn't run the spread... Chan G. did. He knows the spread... He coached it in the NCAA. And NFL teams use it in the 2 min drill or in certain situations, not as a base. AND... The spread is A BIG REASON that LJ wants out. There is no pounding, 30 attemps from the RB in the spread. TG wants to win a ring, thats why he wants out. I'm sure Haley will want to throw the ball a lot. I think/hope he will take D. Bowe to a new level. He could be on the same path as Larry Fitz. I'm not sure he's that good, but I think he has the tools to get close. But that won't come from the spread.

I never said I was a guru, if I was I wouldn't be typing this, I would be in Hawaii, and you would be complaining about my coaching! HA!

The fact is, KC went to the spread because Thigpen is not good enough, or at least comfortable enough, to work from under center...yet. It was a giant band-aid to try to put some points on the board.

In fact, I just read an article a few minutes ago about John Gruden. He is learning the spread right now so he can adapt it to work in the NFL. (NFL.com) So maybe with some tweaks he can make it work, but right now it's not the answer.

And if you want to blame a 2 win season fully on the coaching, and not hold the players responsible... Well, you might be a bit confused...

QUOTE:

Originally posted 06:22 PM ET  01.29 by KC guy

Next year's offensive line would look like this:
LT - Eugene Monroe
LG - Branden Albert
C - Brian Waters
RG - Kraig Urbik
RT - Jordan Gross

I highly doubt Carolina will let Gross go anywhere. i wouldnt be suprised If they Cheifs went with a QB for their first pick.

The Chiefs won't go offense in the first round unless it's a lineman. But I think they'll trade the #3 overall pick and get as much value as they can from it, along with LJ and Tony G. The defensive pass rush was less than respectable, they could go with a tough D lineman or a linebacker. I could see Maualuga or Cushing if they take a linebacker, Everette Brown or Tyson Jackson. The offensive line is the next thing that needs to be helped out with, keeping Branden Albert at the LT spot would be a good idea because he played extremely well there last year. The 2nd round pick I could see Duke Robinson the LG from Oklahoma

CHIEFS MUST SELECT CRABTREE at #3...How can you argue against it? Calling his name will immediately energize the fanbase and start selling tickets again. Plus, it gives Haley another elite WR duo to work with. Look what he did with Boldin/Fitzgerald in Arizona. I'd keep that mojo working!

We DO NOT need to draft a QB in the 1st round. We can sign a serviceable veteran QB like Jeff Garcia for 2 years to simply protect the football (like Rothlisberger or Flacco). A guy like that would come in and make the team WAY better right away, plus be leader to a young team. That also gives Pioli this year and next to find a QB gem in rounds 3-6. (Or sign Cassel in 2010?)

We do need to solidify the O-line and D-line, but we can do that in free agency or in rounds 2-7 of the draft. Chiefs have like $42 million of cap space to work with.

I like the way you think, KC Guy. It all starts with the O line. And how do we get rid of LJ?

What do ya'll think about picking up Orakpo or Cushing. I think it was a good point to start with the O line, but we still good rush end and a LB that can play outside or inside or DE.

Sorry...

Still need a good...

QUOTE(#16):

Originally posted 04:09 PM ET  02.19 by yomommspicks

What do ya'll think about picking up Orakpo or Cushing. I think it was a good point to start with the O line, but we still good rush end and a LB that can play outside or inside or DE.

It might make sense, but it depends on whether or not the Chiefs switch defenses. Do the Chiefs think Orakpo still make sense as the end for a 3-4 scheme? I'm not totally against defense... I just think that you can get the most value out of offensive linemen. They can be on your team for 10-15 years and become the base of your team if you build a good foundation (Like they did in the 90's with Alt, Szott, Grunhard, Shields and Tait). Don't forget that the Chiefs only have two NFL starters on the O-Line (Brian Waters and Brandon Albert). Also, there are young defensive players that are unrestricted free agents. They can still fill their voids there (Haynesworth, Channing, Scott, etc...) This is an offensive line heavy draft. If you can walk out of there with the best tackle and best guard, why not do that??? Plus, I think #3 is too high for Orakpo and Cushing.

QUOTE(#15):

Originally posted 12:42 PM ET  02.19 by Chris Burford

I like the way you think, KC Guy. It all starts with the O line. And how do we get rid of LJ?

I'd approach L.J. and let him know that you are aware of his desire to be traded. I would then let him know that the team would like to grant him that wish, but his contract makes that a tough task to accomplish. I would then inform him that he has two options...

1. Pay back a certain amount of money and we will either trade you or grant you your outright release.

or

2. Keep the money and we'll sit you on the bench as our third string running back. You won't play for the next four seasons and the fans will hate you, but your bank account will be full.

Give him those two options and I think he'll choose to pay back some of the money to be moved.

QUOTE(#14):

Originally posted 10:19 AM ET  02.19 by crenshdady

CHIEFS MUST SELECT CRABTREE at #3...How can you argue against it? Calling his name will immediately energize the fanbase and start selling tickets again. Plus, it gives Haley another elite WR duo to work with. Look what he did with Boldin/Fitzgerald in Arizona. I'd keep that mojo working!We DO NOT need to draft a QB in the 1st round. We can sign a serviceable veteran QB like Jeff Garcia for 2 years to simply protect the football (like Rothlisberger or Flacco). A guy like that would come in and make the team WAY better right away, plus be leader to a young team. That also gives Pioli this year and next to find a QB gem in rounds 3-6. (Or sign Cassel in 2010?)We do need to solidify the O-line and D-line, but we can do that in free agency or in rounds 2-7 of the draft. Chiefs have like $42 million of cap space to work with.

Crabtree wouldn't be a terrible pick. Sometimes you can't pass up a star. I wouldn't be shocked if Haley chose him here.