Rams and Chiefs: Bright Futures
Parity doesn’t exist in the NFL. The same basic teams stay at the top, and a bunch also stay at the bottom. There really aren’t as many 8-8 teams as you would think, and they are typically the ones people don’t talk about. The Jags and Broncos have been mired in mediocrity for years, simmering around .500. We talk about the Bucs, Rams, Chiefs, Lions, Raiders, and Bills because they are bad every year. Actually, they aren’t just bad…they have been embarrassing. All of these teams share one quality I have talked about at length this year: a lack of a true quarterback.
However, four of these teams (Lions, Rams, Bucs, and Chiefs) share something else: signs of life and reason to hope for their future. I find it perfect that the four teams that have something going at QB of these 6 perennial doormats are the ones developing. Raiders, Bills, meet Andrew Luck and Ryan Mallet. Please, meet them. The Raiders and Bills also both also have administration and organizational tendencies that are quite frankly laughable.
The Lions and Bucs are doing things the right way. They have spent many draft picks on defensive emplacements, and skill players on offense. Both QBs have not proven anything but look legitimate and by all accounts have the faith of their teammates. Specifically, Mike Williams and Jahvid Best look awesome and like they could be difference makers. Both have some decent depth in the defensive backfield, with one or two veteran leaders left to keep things going. At least one of these teams looks like it will rise in the next few years, and perhaps both. However, the two teams I find truly fascinating are the Rams and Chiefs, for completely different reasons.
The Rams I have long thought of as truly the worst team in the league. They managed to regress two seasons in a row from 3 wins. Although the Lions had the winless season, I really think the Rams have been worse. They could not do anything except run the ball a little. That was because Steven Jackson managed to make talent overcome situation. He might have been the only Ram to crack a top 100 NFL player list the last 3 years. However, they did a couple of things correctly. One, they got rid of some of their failures, including coaches and offensive line draft picks like Alex Barron. However, they did most important thing they had to do: get rid of Bulger.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked Marc Bulger. I owned him in many fantasy leagues, especially in the early part of the decade. However, they were not moving forward with him, so why play him (and pay him)? It was wasting time and just making the team look worse (Cleveland Browns, take notice of this situation. If you cannot connect the dots…Marc Bulger=Jake Delhomme). St. Louis did the right thing. Even though the success rate of #1 picks for QBs has not been great in the past decade, they still went for it. They found someone that they liked. They drafted him, got him signed, and put him right in. They went through the process the right way. And, they got lucky.
We’ve had busts at the #1 pick (David Carr, Tim Couch come to mind) and others not quite pan out the way we thought (Alex Smith anyone?). However, Sam Bradford, even through 3 games, seems to be what the Rams needed. He is a leader, the Rams are responding to him, and he is making the best of his situation. His receivers are not great. The TEs definitively aren’t helping, and the line is nothing to celebrate about. However, he has shown good quality already. He made one throw two weeks ago down the right sideline towards the end zone to Mark Clayton that about 10 QBs currently can make. Maybe less. Bradford is so accurate it is almost scary. I still do worry about his frame and the fact that his arm strength isn’t elite. However, he is smart, accurate, went through a good college system, and is turning ordinary (MARK CLAYTON) receivers into above average performers. The Rams should feel lucky about this package, especially because I pretty much just described Drew Brees. They are in good shape. The Colts and Saints have proven for years you can get by with an elite accurate QB and an ordinary team around them. In the NFC West? The Rams could be kings sooner than you think.
So, I am clearly excited about the future for the Rams. However, the team I loved coming into the season was the Chiefs. I even picked them as a playoff team BEFORE the 3-0 start. Check the records. Here is why:
-They have a proven coach who has a clear plan. Haley is focused. He has given his offense and defense to very proven coordinators in Weis and Romeo. They have worked together, and with GM Scott Pioli. None have been true superstars away from Bill Belichick, but the consistency and familiarity is what makes this a good situation.
-The special teams is awesome. Kicking is at least adequate, but the return game is excellent. Not since the days of Dante Hall has this team had such dynamic options. And, they have two! McCluster and Arenas are both awesome, for punts and kickoffs.
-KC drafted heavily on defense. The DLine is now set, and the additions of Arenas and Berry make the defensive backfield dynamic.
-The team took 2 years to add all those DLine players and let them mature. Then, this year they unleashed players on offense that serve specific purposes. Between Charles and McCluster, they have dynamic players that can score from the backfield, the flats, or by going out in routes down the field.
-They have consistency and veterans that do something needed. Thomas Jones is a pounder and leader in the locker room. Chambers, Derrick Johnson, and Bowe have been around a few years, know what they are doing, and you know what you are going to get from them. Mike Vrabel provides a championship pedigree, and is still a viable force on the edge. He also links well to the front offense.
-I really like the offense because while it is not dynamic, it is versatile. It can create points no matter how the defense is arrayed against them. They can pound the run, or run in flashes. They can throw short, do the screen game, go with possession routes, or go deep. It isn’t always pretty, but it works. And, they minimize the pressure on Cassel.
Yes, I got this far without discussing Cassel. I am not fully sold on him either. However, he is consistent. He is smart, still young, and has a grip on what his job is. Haley clearly knows what he has. The Chiefs at minimum have a serviceable passer who will probably get better and grow further into the system. I see a lot of Eli Manning in him, and that did get the Giants a ring.
Finally, the Chiefs pass the simple test for determining whether a team is a contender:
A. Is the QB good enough to not kill them? Yes
B. Do they have at least one dynamic offensive player? Yes, two
C. Do they have enough of a running power to kill the clock at the end of games? Yes
D. Can they stop an opposing running game from killing the clock on them? Yes
E. Do they have good special teams? Yes
If you hit these questions, you can at least be competitive. The Chiefs may do more than that, especially in the next few years.
Coming tomorrow, my week 4 picks.
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