Chiefs' Offseason Guide: Kicker/Linebacker

Posted Jan 29, 2007 8:14PM By Jon Yoon (RSS feed)

The next two issues I'll explore in the Chiefs' offseason gameplan is what they will do with their kicker and linebacker situation.

Kicker:
This time last year, I was excited about Lawrence Tynes returning to the Chiefs. He overcame major adversity in 2005 and finished with a very strong season. In 2006, he wasn't bad, but he was wildly inconsistent. Still, the Chiefs have to be absolutely fed up with this inconsistency. Arguably, his lax approach to kicking a chip shot field goal in the playoffs against Indianapolis is believed by many to have been the turning point of the game.

Quite simply, there is no excuse for missing a chip shot field goal in a dome, especially in the playoffs. Tynes is known to have constant lapses in concentration, which is why he has struggled very often at times at making extra points. It also doesn't help that Tynes has a weak leg for kicking off.

What will the Chiefs do?
Expect the Chiefs to bring in some competition this offseason. I think the Chiefs will have to find a huge steal for them to consider cutting Tynes, but don't think that Tynes' job is even remotely safe.

Linebacker:
Okay, so I have also heard from many that linebacker is a high priority position for the Chiefs. I don't buy it. The Chiefs are just fine at linebacker. Sure, Kendrell Bell is a little overpaid, but I also don't believe he's nearly as bad as people think he is.Bell doesn't rack up a ton of tackles, but what people don't notice is that he spends a lot of his time blowing up blockers and, really, since he's been a Chief you don't really see teams running the ball down his throat. The Chiefs can do better, but I also believe they could do a lot worse. If Bell isn't the answer, Keyaran Fox is a more than capable replacement. The Chiefs are just fine at outside linebacker.

Kawika Mitchell is an ascending player and the Chiefs will need to do something to keep him in Kansas City. There have been rumors that he will be moved to outside linebacker, but I don't necessarily buy into that. If Mitchell can be retained, he will likely stay at his middle linebacker spot. What would be nice is if he had defensive tackles that kept blockers from getting to him.

The Chiefs Will Likely:
Do what they can to keep Kawika Mitchell in red and gold. Herm Edwards should like the direction the defense is heading and Mitchell is a major part of that success. In fact, he is the leader of this defense. There have been rumors that the Chiefs will look at Donnie Edwards, but I don't buy into this. Edwards is too expensive for a position that isn't really targeted as high priority for the Chiefs and too old for a team that is looking to get younger. The Chiefs may look at options to improve their depth, perhaps trying hard to find nice draft or free agency values to compete for the starting outside linebacker position. The Chiefs likely won't break the bank for either position, but they will likely make some moves that will add some better quality depth to the roster.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

1-30-2007 @ 2:22PM

dtrip33 said...

I can't believe you are impressed w/ the play of Kawika Mitchell. I think he is the A-1 problem w/ the Chiefs defense and I can't understand this talk I hear about re-signing him. He is the middle linebacker and he is never around the ball! DeMeco Ryans and A.J. Hawk played better than Kawika did and they were rookies! He is constantly getting blocked, or over pursuing. Really just get a tape of any game last year and just watch him exclusively. This is delusional thinking, and I have heard it on other Chiefs message boards. He was ranked 36th in the league in tackles! Is this somebody you want to give a huge contract too! People used to say great things about Eric Warfield too, and where is he now? Bell and Mitchell were not great players for us, Mitchell is not "ascending". His stats this year are exactly the same as last year. Please reconsider your opinion, I feel replacing Mitchell is the best and most dramatic way that the Chiefs could improve their defense next year.

1-30-2007 @ 3:03PM

It is unbelievable to me that you are impressed w/ Kawika Mitchell's performance and think he is "ascending". The fact is that he was outplayed this year by 2 rookies, A.J. Hawk and DeMeco Ryans. Kawika has almost identical stats this year as he had last year, and these are not impressive stats. He ranked 36th in the league in tackles. If you just focus on him during games you will see that he is constantly easily blocked out of most plays or over pursuing and missing tackles. The single most dramatic thing the Chiefs could do to improve their defense next year would be to replace Mitchell. He plays the most important defensive position extremely poorly. Ask Herm if he would rather have Jonathan Vilma or Kawika back there! I have heard this sentiment on other Chiefs sites about how good Kawika is but where is the evidence to back it up?! People also used to talk about how good Eric Warfield was, and where is he now? Out of the league. Signing him to a long-term contract would be lunacy and compound the error of wasting a 2nd round draft pick on him. Please reconsider your opinion, I can't believe we are watching the same player.

Jon Yoon said...

J, you make some good points, but let�s get a few things out of the way:
1) don�t pay too much attention to tackles. Ever notice that a huge chunk of players who typically lead the team in tackles are on the worst defenses? It�s because a) they have to make all the plays b/c their supporting cast doesn�t, and b) their defense is so bad that they�re always on the field. Scott Fujita and Shawn Barber used to have well over 100 tackles back when the Chiefs were lousy on defense. That should prove the point exactly.
2) You say that Kawika is constantly getting blocked. Great LBs shouldn�t have to deal w/blockers to the extent that Mitchell does. Do you remember when Ray Lewis was crying on national TV because he was getting blocked? Brian Urlacher is a terrific linebacker, but he too relies on his defensive tackles to keep blockers off his back. The fact is, the defensive tackle�s job is to eat up blockers so that the middle LB doesn�t have to swim through blockers all day. The fact that you recognize how often he is being blocked is a pretty strong statement about how lousy his help up front is. After all, if Peyton Manning�s guards let defensive tackles through on pretty much every play and Peyton was getting rushed, how good would Peyton be? It�s not entirely different when you talk about a QB expecting help from up front and a MLB expecting help from up front.

The defense was really good last year, and Mitchell is the leader of that defense. He�s not all-world, but he does a pretty good job despite getting zero help from the big boys in front of him. It�s not really his fault that he has to do the job of his defensive tackles because they can�t do it themselves.

1-31-2007 @ 8:42AM

We'll have to agree to disagree. I knew you would give me that defensive tackles not keeping the blockers off the second level spin, but I don't buy it. And I know that tackling statistics are often overinflated by hometown scorekeepers. But the eyes don't lie, and Mitchell played poorly (as he has his entire career). He never tackles anyone behind the line of scrimmage, he never makes the breathtaking play. I still don't get what it is besides this "leader" tag you've given him that shows he is getting better and that he is worth the money he is going to take to sign him. Enough, this is just a hot button issue for me because I was excited by Kawika when we first drafted him and over the 3 years it has been a big letdown. I agree w/ you on all of your other assesments, about Tynes, Colquitt, the D-Line and the others so far. Time will tell. Looking forward to what you have to say about the QB and WR positions!

1-31-2007 @ 4:32PM

Phil said...

I'd agree that Mitchell's performance was not all that great in 2006. I think he regressed last year, after improving in 2005.

However, having Mitchell back at MLB would not be the worst thing to happen in the world. It certainly helps that he'll finally be able to come back to a familiar defensive scheme. I think the point is that the priority has to be up front-- no linebacker can thrive when the defensive front isn't doing its job.