Friday, February 11, 2005
Defensive Tackle- State of Flux?
This is Day 2 of our positional analysis. Today, I tackle (pun intended) the DTs. The next entry will be OLBs (possibly MLBs too), either Saturday or Sunday night.
Big Bro: It's time for the Chiefs to admit it. Ryan Sims is a bust. I've been a defender of his (and admittedly he's my favorite defensive player to control on video games), but I can't defend him any longer. Out of 3 years in the NFL, he's been solid for 1 half (1st half of 2003). Call it lack of commitment, call it overrated physical skills, whatever you want, the Chiefs can't afford to wait for him anymore. And he's probably too expensive to keep around as a backup. It's time to cut him loose.
Lional Dalton is an interesting player to watch carefully next season. Undoubtedly, he had a very good year. He finally managed to tap into the potential he'd shown for so many years, frustrating all his previous coaches to no end (in a way, it kind of hurts me to say this, because it sounds like Sims; nonetheless, I still say Sims has to go). Dalton showed he can disrupt the backfield, take up space in the running lanes, and get to the QB. The question is: can he do it again? This is going to be a crucial decision for the Chiefs. They're going to need an effective Dalton again next season.
I like John Browning. I think he's an underrated player on KC's defense. The problem is, I think he still is a liability as a DT. He's just not big or strong enough. He's a valuable backup to have there, since he generally won't make mistakes. He's definitely worth keeping around as a backup to DT and DE. But if he plays every snap, I think the Chiefs get hurt by that.
Where does that leave KC? They have 1 guy who could be really good or really bad (Dalton). They have 1 valuable backup (Browning). They probably do need to pick someone up, and probably to be a starter. One problem is that there doesn't seem to be a strong class of DTs for the draft, at least, in my mind, not as immediate starter material. There are several good free agent DTs (Pat Williams, Seth Payne, and Shaun Rogers, namely... my personal pick, Corey Simon, was franchised and I think out of KC's reach). So the question is, do they spend big bucks on a DT, knowing that LB and CB, and perhaps S, are bigger needs? Originally, I leaned towards no. But I think I'm leaning more towards yes now. The number of good DTs on the market might drive their prices down a little. Furthermore, I think if there are question marks about Dalton as the only dependable starter, then it's important to make sure a good veteran presence is also out there.
Little Bro: This might be one of those positions where KC is just gonna have to take a deep breath and make do with what they have.
I have to disagree that a DT is going to come cheap. There is a huge market this offseason for free agent corners. I think a big reason why so many of these corners are getting cut is because teams are too tentative to pay a corner a big contract after last year's strict enforcement of defensive holding. Out of all the positions this offseason, corners and defensive tackles carry the most star value. The free agent LB, DE, and Safety classes are all pretty low in talent. I can name on one hand the star players that anchor this entire group: Hartwell, Kendrell Bell, Julian Peterson, Darren Howard, and Donovan Darius. If teams aren't biting on corners, I think they will bite hard on the next best option. In this case, it's defensive tackle. Corey Simon has already been franchised. Shaun Rodgers received an enormous contract extension before the season ended. I guess teams are telling themselves: if our corners aren't gonna be allowed to stop the pass, we'll just have to get somebody to plug the run.
This doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. I'm pretty encouraged by what we already have. Big Bro forgot to mention a man on our roster who I believe has tremendous upside: Junior Siavii. You remember the guy? 330 lb. Samoan. A physical specimen. This is a man that was labeled a work-in-progress; a 2 year project, at minimum. Most scouts predicted he wouldn't see a snap his rookie season. Most critics claimed that he was far too raw to even make an impact in his second season. Those critics were dead wrong. Siavii saw snaps and plenty of them, despite being too "raw." If the man we saw on the field was "raw," then I can't wait to see what he looks like when he's seasoned. This despite numerous setbacks beyond his control: he didn't get to practice until very late in the offseason due to NCAA requirements and his season was cut in half by a filthy chop block by a Falcons' lineman. He's not at the point where he will turn heads, by any means, but he is also not a liability. For a man of his size and inexperience, that can only be a good thing. Like Jared Allen, this is a man who played to a high level despite the fact that there are so many areas where he can stand to improve. He needs to play better with leverage and despite his frame, he needs to hit the weight room and balance out his body strength. He also could stand to polish his often-times weak fundamentals. Of any player on the Chiefs' defense, I think that Siavii has the most upside. I'm ecstatic at what the man could do once he hits a focused, disciplined weight training regimen, and when he has a full offseason to work with our coaches to learn proper technique. I truly believe that by mid-season, he will be a full-time starter and a very good one at that. He may even be an impact starter in the beginning of the season.
I also agree that I was very impressed with how Lionel Dalton played last season. I wouldn't be too discouraged by his "attitude problems" in the past. Let's not forget that they began in Denver, where it seems like "attitude problems" are a common recurrence. Dale Carter, Daryl Gardener, etc.... I don't know if that's Shanahan, or perhaps the physical stress of playing in Denver's thin air, but it's a very good possibility that Dalton's work ethic problems are history.
I have to agree that I'm about on my last limb with Sims and I don't know that we can rely on him as an every day starter. However, I think it's worth the chance to keep developing the kid, who is still fairly young. I don't know if Browning's problem is necessarily that he's too small; rather, I think his problems occur because he gets winded too quickly. It seemed like his problem two seasons ago was that he disappeared in the second half of games. Rotating Sims and Browning as backups is a pretty ideal situation. Neither are good enough to be every-down starters, but both provide much better quality depth.
I say we stick with what we've got. Start the season assuming that we'll go with Dalton and Browning, with Siavii and Sims as depth. As long as Browning doesn't see too many snaps, I think he can apply consistent pressure. Give Sims a chance to prove himself. Develop the hell out of Junior Siavii. My dream is that Siavii will have come so far along in the offseason that Vermeil will have no choice but to replace Sims with Siavii. We know that it takes a lot to convince Vermeil to replace his core starters. If we see Siavii get pencilled in as a starter, we'll know that he's ready, and with his size and specs, that is a possibility that I am extremely excited about.
Big Bro: It's time for the Chiefs to admit it. Ryan Sims is a bust. I've been a defender of his (and admittedly he's my favorite defensive player to control on video games), but I can't defend him any longer. Out of 3 years in the NFL, he's been solid for 1 half (1st half of 2003). Call it lack of commitment, call it overrated physical skills, whatever you want, the Chiefs can't afford to wait for him anymore. And he's probably too expensive to keep around as a backup. It's time to cut him loose.
Lional Dalton is an interesting player to watch carefully next season. Undoubtedly, he had a very good year. He finally managed to tap into the potential he'd shown for so many years, frustrating all his previous coaches to no end (in a way, it kind of hurts me to say this, because it sounds like Sims; nonetheless, I still say Sims has to go). Dalton showed he can disrupt the backfield, take up space in the running lanes, and get to the QB. The question is: can he do it again? This is going to be a crucial decision for the Chiefs. They're going to need an effective Dalton again next season.
I like John Browning. I think he's an underrated player on KC's defense. The problem is, I think he still is a liability as a DT. He's just not big or strong enough. He's a valuable backup to have there, since he generally won't make mistakes. He's definitely worth keeping around as a backup to DT and DE. But if he plays every snap, I think the Chiefs get hurt by that.
Where does that leave KC? They have 1 guy who could be really good or really bad (Dalton). They have 1 valuable backup (Browning). They probably do need to pick someone up, and probably to be a starter. One problem is that there doesn't seem to be a strong class of DTs for the draft, at least, in my mind, not as immediate starter material. There are several good free agent DTs (Pat Williams, Seth Payne, and Shaun Rogers, namely... my personal pick, Corey Simon, was franchised and I think out of KC's reach). So the question is, do they spend big bucks on a DT, knowing that LB and CB, and perhaps S, are bigger needs? Originally, I leaned towards no. But I think I'm leaning more towards yes now. The number of good DTs on the market might drive their prices down a little. Furthermore, I think if there are question marks about Dalton as the only dependable starter, then it's important to make sure a good veteran presence is also out there.
Little Bro: This might be one of those positions where KC is just gonna have to take a deep breath and make do with what they have.
I have to disagree that a DT is going to come cheap. There is a huge market this offseason for free agent corners. I think a big reason why so many of these corners are getting cut is because teams are too tentative to pay a corner a big contract after last year's strict enforcement of defensive holding. Out of all the positions this offseason, corners and defensive tackles carry the most star value. The free agent LB, DE, and Safety classes are all pretty low in talent. I can name on one hand the star players that anchor this entire group: Hartwell, Kendrell Bell, Julian Peterson, Darren Howard, and Donovan Darius. If teams aren't biting on corners, I think they will bite hard on the next best option. In this case, it's defensive tackle. Corey Simon has already been franchised. Shaun Rodgers received an enormous contract extension before the season ended. I guess teams are telling themselves: if our corners aren't gonna be allowed to stop the pass, we'll just have to get somebody to plug the run.
This doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing. I'm pretty encouraged by what we already have. Big Bro forgot to mention a man on our roster who I believe has tremendous upside: Junior Siavii. You remember the guy? 330 lb. Samoan. A physical specimen. This is a man that was labeled a work-in-progress; a 2 year project, at minimum. Most scouts predicted he wouldn't see a snap his rookie season. Most critics claimed that he was far too raw to even make an impact in his second season. Those critics were dead wrong. Siavii saw snaps and plenty of them, despite being too "raw." If the man we saw on the field was "raw," then I can't wait to see what he looks like when he's seasoned. This despite numerous setbacks beyond his control: he didn't get to practice until very late in the offseason due to NCAA requirements and his season was cut in half by a filthy chop block by a Falcons' lineman. He's not at the point where he will turn heads, by any means, but he is also not a liability. For a man of his size and inexperience, that can only be a good thing. Like Jared Allen, this is a man who played to a high level despite the fact that there are so many areas where he can stand to improve. He needs to play better with leverage and despite his frame, he needs to hit the weight room and balance out his body strength. He also could stand to polish his often-times weak fundamentals. Of any player on the Chiefs' defense, I think that Siavii has the most upside. I'm ecstatic at what the man could do once he hits a focused, disciplined weight training regimen, and when he has a full offseason to work with our coaches to learn proper technique. I truly believe that by mid-season, he will be a full-time starter and a very good one at that. He may even be an impact starter in the beginning of the season.
I also agree that I was very impressed with how Lionel Dalton played last season. I wouldn't be too discouraged by his "attitude problems" in the past. Let's not forget that they began in Denver, where it seems like "attitude problems" are a common recurrence. Dale Carter, Daryl Gardener, etc.... I don't know if that's Shanahan, or perhaps the physical stress of playing in Denver's thin air, but it's a very good possibility that Dalton's work ethic problems are history.
I have to agree that I'm about on my last limb with Sims and I don't know that we can rely on him as an every day starter. However, I think it's worth the chance to keep developing the kid, who is still fairly young. I don't know if Browning's problem is necessarily that he's too small; rather, I think his problems occur because he gets winded too quickly. It seemed like his problem two seasons ago was that he disappeared in the second half of games. Rotating Sims and Browning as backups is a pretty ideal situation. Neither are good enough to be every-down starters, but both provide much better quality depth.
I say we stick with what we've got. Start the season assuming that we'll go with Dalton and Browning, with Siavii and Sims as depth. As long as Browning doesn't see too many snaps, I think he can apply consistent pressure. Give Sims a chance to prove himself. Develop the hell out of Junior Siavii. My dream is that Siavii will have come so far along in the offseason that Vermeil will have no choice but to replace Sims with Siavii. We know that it takes a lot to convince Vermeil to replace his core starters. If we see Siavii get pencilled in as a starter, we'll know that he's ready, and with his size and specs, that is a possibility that I am extremely excited about.
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You're right. I did forget about Siavii. That changes things slightly. I still think they have to think seriously about a DT in free agency. I didn't know Rogers was given an extension (ESPN still has him listed as a free agent). Still, Siavii is raw, though I agree I was impressed by what I saw.
I don't know if "raw" is the right word. When I think of "raw", I think of Battle and Mitchell, who make far too many mistakes due to inexperience. I never saw Siavii in that way. Siavii doesn't make a whole lot of mistakes. Whereas Battle and Mitchell's rawness was a liability, Siavii never really was. Siavii just needs to improve to the point where he can start to make plays. That's a pretty important distinction. Unlike the other 2, we can watch Siavii develop without having to worry about him giving up big plays. No risk. Tons of upside.
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