Originally Posted by Wilson8:
Maybe 10, but maybe 9 on DL. They have to pick from the following players -
16) DL –
#55 DE Frank Clark 1
#95 DT/DE Chris Jones 2
#91 DT Derrick Nnadi 3
#99 DT Khalen Saunders 4
#92 DE/DT Tanoh Kpassagnon 5
#64 DT Mike Pennel 6
#52 Demone Harris ????
#96 Braxton Hoyett
#93 Devaroe Lawrence
#79 Tim Ward
#97 DE Alex Okafor 7
#57 DE Breeland Speaks 8
#90 DE Anthony Lanier - Already been cut? He was on team a few days ago.
DE Michael Danna 9
DE Taco Charlton 10
DE Tershawn Wharton - Practice squad?
Perhaps Alex Okafor won't be ready at the beginning of the season?
They would likely keep 10 and I think those highlighted will make it. Maybe Harris can make it and Danna gets the mysterious injury. [Reply]
Originally Posted by MightyMouse:
I truly believe Sutton was always gonna be gone and the plan was to move into a 4-3 in 2019. I think Speaks and DOD got picked to get them a year of experience but ready to help the move into a 4-3. It’s hard to change in one off season from they were getting a start on that. Unfortunately both look like reaches.
I don’t think anything negative of Speaks based on year one. He looked over weight and slow at training camp. There seems to be this belief you either think he will be good or a bust. Some of us are just cautious because no part of Speaks game as shown he will be anything more than a average to below average rotational guy. That is based off of what I’ve seen from the guy. I’ve said before and say it again, I’m not saying cut the guy and I hope I’m wrong because if he could just be then Okafor then that could save us like 5-6mil and not make DE a priority next draft.
I’ve heard Petro freaking out about the 2021 roster but in reality it’s not in bad shape if a couple guys can be ready to start. So far this staff seems to be developing pretty well and spags does an incredible job of working with what he is given.
Veach has said they make moves thinking a couple years out.
In 2018, they'd decided that Mahomes was ready.
You really want to change BOTH sides of a play-off caliber football team? Put the pressure on a first year starter to have to score every drive?
Nah. They knew they were moving on from Sutton. But it was time to hand the keys of the offense to Mahomes. They opted to hope the defense could hold the line one more year.
It worked out to where it couldn't have gone much worse, but I understand the thought process, and I did at the time, and if you wanna go back and look, I was saying so all throughout.
And I was good with gutting the damned thing in Mahomes year 2 and starting over.
Those cats drafted in '18 were drafted for scheme flexibility. I don't know if they had Spags earmarked (but it's entirely possible they did) or whether they knew for sure they were going 4-3 but either way, they knew Sutton was gone. He was a lame duck. They just didn't want to up-end the entire team in one offseason. It's just common sense. [Reply]
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
I don’t get the love for Harris (who is a fine player but nothing special) when compared to Charlton, Danna, or Speaks.
Charlton has pretty intriguing upside because of his size and overall athleticism at that size. That’s someone that, like Ogbah, could really shine as a strong side DE who can benefit from the attention Clark and Chris Jones demand, and he’s big enough to rotate inside on passing downs.
This coaching staff loves big, versatile ends they can use inside or outside. That’s why I believe Speaks makes the roster and is effective at least as a rotational player.
People are being WAY too influenced by Speaks’ being misused as a rookie.
Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic:
They just need to choose a position so Speaks can adjust his weight accordingly. Or fail to and get cut.
He is too heavy to be an effective LB, and too slow to be an effective DE, and not big enough to be an effective DT.
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He's a tweener DE/DT, which doesn't work in some systems, but can be really useful in Spagnuolo's approach.
Having a DE who is stout enough to stand up against the run on early downs and slide inside to create interior pressure on passing downs works just fine in this system. [Reply]
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
He's a tweener DE/DT, which doesn't work in some systems, but can be really useful in Spagnuolo's approach.
Having a DE who is stout enough to stand up against the run on early downs and slide inside to create interior pressure on passing downs works just fine in this system.
this is a good point, and one you can extrapolate to nearly everything Spags does at every level.
It also helps us to identify and utilize talent that is specific to Spags system but maybe not a great fit for other systems.
Kind of like Moneyball, but for football.
We can really use guys that do a few things fairly well better than guys that do ONE thing very well. The fact that pre-snap an opposing offense doesn't know what we're going to do because we have so many versatile players helps hide any deficiencies.
Other than the outside corners, you don't know who's doing what on any given snap. Creating confusion is like shaving a quarter of a second off everyone's 40 time.
And now that we have a LB capable of covering backs, we'll be even better. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Direckshun:
First of all, Harris played meaningful snaps and helped us win a Super Bowl. The other three were barely making an impact at Michigan, being benched by the Dolphins, or on IR. Respect where it’s due.
Harris played pretty much right away after we acquired him and was our 2nd best run defending DE immediately. Dude is tough at the point of attack.
Needs to develop a passrush, but he has started upside if he does.
Damone Harris is basically a Jag, there isn't really any upside there, there's a reason the Chiefs were able to sign him in the middle of the season. Also if the Chiefs believe in Speaks playing there isn't a need for a end that can play the run cause Speaks can do that and play DT snaps also...
On top of that Charlton can give you what Harris does with a lot more pass rush upside. [Reply]
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
He's a tweener DE/DT, which doesn't work in some systems, but can be really useful in Spagnuolo's approach.
Having a DE who is stout enough to stand up against the run on early downs and slide inside to create interior pressure on passing downs works just fine in this system.
What has Speaks ever done with the Chiefs that would make anyone believe he would/could be an effective DE?
When he was in the game, he was almost always neutralized by a single blocker. He doesn't have any pass rush moves to speak of, and I don't remember him ever being successful with a bull rush. I don't remember him ever running down a play from behind along the LOS. I can't remember any play from the all-22 where he stood out.
Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic:
Fair enough. Maybe he doesn't have the strength or skill to be a good DT. I just know the eye test says he is a below average player.
Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic:
What has Speaks ever done with the Chiefs that would make anyone believe he would/could be an effective DE?
When he was in the game, he was almost always neutralized by a single blocker. He doesn't have any pass rush moves to speak of, and I don't remember him ever being successful with a bull rush. I don't remember him ever running down a play from behind along the LOS. I can't remember any play from the all-22 where he stood out.
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You're judging him based on 1 year at OLB with the old coaching staff, by your criteria Kpass should have been cut before last season cause he had no chance of ever being productive. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mecca:
You're judging him based on 1 year at OLB with the old coaching staff, by your criteria Kpass should have been cut before last season cause he had no chance of ever being productive.
The funny thing is Speaks was definitely above KPass on the depth chart before he was injured too... [Reply]
