Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Safeties- Step Up or Step Down
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Today is Day 6 of our positional analysis. Today, we will discuss Safeties. Tomorrow, we will discuss the heart and soul of the offense: Quarterbacks.
Little Bro: The status of our safeties provides for a very interesting topic of discussion. Of any position, I believe that this is one where the talent and upside are there, but the results are not.
This is most apparent in our strong safety, Greg Wesley. Wesley has everything a safety needs: he’s extremely physical and is athletic enough to cover a lot of field. It’s simply baffling that he has regressed as he has. It’s a waste of talent to watch this man sit on the bench. It’s like taking a huge risk on an expensive bottle of wine that you’ve never tried before. How frustrating it must be, to watch that bottle age in your cellar when you want nothing more than to kick back and see what you spent your money on. It’s this very reason, I believe, that Vermeil—a noted wine connoisseur—refused to let Wesley sit on the bench. And it’s this very reason why fans like myself are willing to wait on him—because we don’t want to give up on his upside or potential. But really, how much longer can we wait? How much longer must we drink boxed wine out of an expensive bottle of Pinot Noir?
One cannot help but wonder what ever happened to the Wesley and Woods we thought we were gonna get when we signed them to huge contracts. The Jerome Woods that used to cover like a blanket now seems to be three steps behind on every pass play. The same Greg Wesley that used to pop and punish any offensive player that got in his way seems to reluctantly tackle as if they had cooties. I don’t know if Greg Robinson is largely responsible for those gross changes in play, but they better shake it off and fast!
At free safety, I began last season believing that Woods was a stud and that Harts was a very able backup. Now I have extreme doubts. Vermeil claims that Woods was injured and that would certainly explain how he lost a few steps last season, but Woods isn’t exactly young and he hasn’t exactly been a cheetah since his major surgery a few years ago. Harts, like in the past, flashed ability. He would blanket a receiver one-on-one or lay a big hit on a receiver and we would all stand and cheer. That is, until the next five plays developed and you watch Harts magically fall grossly out of position or get flat-out burned in coverage. Like Wesley, I believe he has the ability to be a fairly solid safety. I just wonder why we can't get the guy to play consistently.
Far more intriguing than either of the three above options is Willie Pile. The KC coaching staff loves this kid and I can see why. At times, I really wanted KC to put that fine bottle of Pinot Noir on the shelf and let Pile play—he isn’t as athletic as Wesley, but he makes less mistakes. Equally intriguing is converting him over to free safety, where he played in college. He would be a huge upgrade over Woods and Harts (based on last year’s performance, at least), though he may lack a little speed. Another important offseason development to scan closely is the progress of Scott Connot and Eric Crouch in the NFL Europe. Connot has never flashed anything on the NFL field, but he hits like a freight train. Though I wouldn't watch him too closely, because his upside is probably very limited. Crouch, on the other hand, has tremendous upside wrapped around a huge mess of uncertainty. He has incredible speed and has a quarterback’s mind. The question he will need to answer is: will that speed translate into moving quickly on defense and will he learn to think like a safety? Either way, neither of these two can be depended on to start. I do have perhaps a delusion that Crouch will translate into a solid NFL player; however, I would be crazy to expect this to happen overnight. We simply cannot pencil him in as a starter, no matter how well he performs in the NFLe. There are also interesting options in the draft: Ernest Shazor of Michigan could be a huge sleeper pick. Thomas Davis of Georgia is a stud, though I have my doubts as to whether he can translate into a stud NFL safety.
No matter how we approach the safety issue, one thing is clear: our safeties absolutely MUST… STEP… UP…! They are just as culpable for our failures on pass defense as anybody. Although, I have always given them the benefit of a doubt: I still believe our safeties can play better if they didn’t spend so much time playing LB because our LB’s can’t do anything on their own. I almost want to cry when I watch teams like New England and Philadelphia play. Their safeties are everywhere. I can’t think of a single instance where I remember our safeties breaking up a pass, or hitting a receiver right between the numbers for getting in the way.
And THAT is the fundamental difference between a New England cornerback and a Kansas City one--our corners never have the help they deserve. We always pin the blame on Warfield for not making plays deep. Why do we never mention Woods in the same breath? Isn't that the safety's main job? To prevent the big play? When that ball gets lofted in the air, how is it possible that our safeties are a mile away from the play? There's just simply no excuse for that. None! I want to say that we desperately need help in the offseason, but the answer is more complex than that. I believe that the talent is there. I hope that upgrading the LB's will have a trickle effect on the LB's, but no matter which way you stir it, our safeties simply MUST... STEP... UP...!
Big Bro: You won't find too much argument from me. I don't think there's any doubt that our safeties have talent, but they looked like a completely lost and confused bunch in 2004. Jerome Woods was the biggest surprise to me. I thought he was the big difference when the Chiefs defense played pretty well in the first half of 2003, but he looked like a rookie in 2004. You can kind of understand it, as age and injuries are likely taking their toll. But Wesley's case looked to be a lack of desire and motivation, and, to me, that is more disturbing than a decline attributed to age.
I do not have as much faith in Harts as Little Bro. He looked like a career backup, and I am tired of giving veterans time to step up. If a better replacement can be found for him, I think it's about time they go for it.
I too like Willie Pile, and I do think he can be an adequate replacement. I am perfectly satisfied with having a Woods/Pile tandem, provided they upgrade in other areas.
I do not think Connot will ever amount to much. Crouch might someday do something, but not in 2005.
In a nutshell, the safeties are the most intriguing position. It is perhaps the position in which KC has the most defensive talent, but it is also the position that may end up costing KC a shot at the Super Bowl if it doesn't improve.
Today is Day 6 of our positional analysis. Today, we will discuss Safeties. Tomorrow, we will discuss the heart and soul of the offense: Quarterbacks.
Little Bro: The status of our safeties provides for a very interesting topic of discussion. Of any position, I believe that this is one where the talent and upside are there, but the results are not.
This is most apparent in our strong safety, Greg Wesley. Wesley has everything a safety needs: he’s extremely physical and is athletic enough to cover a lot of field. It’s simply baffling that he has regressed as he has. It’s a waste of talent to watch this man sit on the bench. It’s like taking a huge risk on an expensive bottle of wine that you’ve never tried before. How frustrating it must be, to watch that bottle age in your cellar when you want nothing more than to kick back and see what you spent your money on. It’s this very reason, I believe, that Vermeil—a noted wine connoisseur—refused to let Wesley sit on the bench. And it’s this very reason why fans like myself are willing to wait on him—because we don’t want to give up on his upside or potential. But really, how much longer can we wait? How much longer must we drink boxed wine out of an expensive bottle of Pinot Noir?
One cannot help but wonder what ever happened to the Wesley and Woods we thought we were gonna get when we signed them to huge contracts. The Jerome Woods that used to cover like a blanket now seems to be three steps behind on every pass play. The same Greg Wesley that used to pop and punish any offensive player that got in his way seems to reluctantly tackle as if they had cooties. I don’t know if Greg Robinson is largely responsible for those gross changes in play, but they better shake it off and fast!
At free safety, I began last season believing that Woods was a stud and that Harts was a very able backup. Now I have extreme doubts. Vermeil claims that Woods was injured and that would certainly explain how he lost a few steps last season, but Woods isn’t exactly young and he hasn’t exactly been a cheetah since his major surgery a few years ago. Harts, like in the past, flashed ability. He would blanket a receiver one-on-one or lay a big hit on a receiver and we would all stand and cheer. That is, until the next five plays developed and you watch Harts magically fall grossly out of position or get flat-out burned in coverage. Like Wesley, I believe he has the ability to be a fairly solid safety. I just wonder why we can't get the guy to play consistently.
Far more intriguing than either of the three above options is Willie Pile. The KC coaching staff loves this kid and I can see why. At times, I really wanted KC to put that fine bottle of Pinot Noir on the shelf and let Pile play—he isn’t as athletic as Wesley, but he makes less mistakes. Equally intriguing is converting him over to free safety, where he played in college. He would be a huge upgrade over Woods and Harts (based on last year’s performance, at least), though he may lack a little speed. Another important offseason development to scan closely is the progress of Scott Connot and Eric Crouch in the NFL Europe. Connot has never flashed anything on the NFL field, but he hits like a freight train. Though I wouldn't watch him too closely, because his upside is probably very limited. Crouch, on the other hand, has tremendous upside wrapped around a huge mess of uncertainty. He has incredible speed and has a quarterback’s mind. The question he will need to answer is: will that speed translate into moving quickly on defense and will he learn to think like a safety? Either way, neither of these two can be depended on to start. I do have perhaps a delusion that Crouch will translate into a solid NFL player; however, I would be crazy to expect this to happen overnight. We simply cannot pencil him in as a starter, no matter how well he performs in the NFLe. There are also interesting options in the draft: Ernest Shazor of Michigan could be a huge sleeper pick. Thomas Davis of Georgia is a stud, though I have my doubts as to whether he can translate into a stud NFL safety.
No matter how we approach the safety issue, one thing is clear: our safeties absolutely MUST… STEP… UP…! They are just as culpable for our failures on pass defense as anybody. Although, I have always given them the benefit of a doubt: I still believe our safeties can play better if they didn’t spend so much time playing LB because our LB’s can’t do anything on their own. I almost want to cry when I watch teams like New England and Philadelphia play. Their safeties are everywhere. I can’t think of a single instance where I remember our safeties breaking up a pass, or hitting a receiver right between the numbers for getting in the way.
And THAT is the fundamental difference between a New England cornerback and a Kansas City one--our corners never have the help they deserve. We always pin the blame on Warfield for not making plays deep. Why do we never mention Woods in the same breath? Isn't that the safety's main job? To prevent the big play? When that ball gets lofted in the air, how is it possible that our safeties are a mile away from the play? There's just simply no excuse for that. None! I want to say that we desperately need help in the offseason, but the answer is more complex than that. I believe that the talent is there. I hope that upgrading the LB's will have a trickle effect on the LB's, but no matter which way you stir it, our safeties simply MUST... STEP... UP...!
Big Bro: You won't find too much argument from me. I don't think there's any doubt that our safeties have talent, but they looked like a completely lost and confused bunch in 2004. Jerome Woods was the biggest surprise to me. I thought he was the big difference when the Chiefs defense played pretty well in the first half of 2003, but he looked like a rookie in 2004. You can kind of understand it, as age and injuries are likely taking their toll. But Wesley's case looked to be a lack of desire and motivation, and, to me, that is more disturbing than a decline attributed to age.
I do not have as much faith in Harts as Little Bro. He looked like a career backup, and I am tired of giving veterans time to step up. If a better replacement can be found for him, I think it's about time they go for it.
I too like Willie Pile, and I do think he can be an adequate replacement. I am perfectly satisfied with having a Woods/Pile tandem, provided they upgrade in other areas.
I do not think Connot will ever amount to much. Crouch might someday do something, but not in 2005.
In a nutshell, the safeties are the most intriguing position. It is perhaps the position in which KC has the most defensive talent, but it is also the position that may end up costing KC a shot at the Super Bowl if it doesn't improve.
