I was literally stunned this morning while eating my cereal and watching Mike & Mike on espn2. Greeny was reading the Kansas City Star's story that said the Chiefs were interested in T.O. I stopped moving, and just tried to focus on what he said. Really? The most troublemaking athlete in all of sports, who decimated a team on the cusp of the Super Bowl in what would have been his second year with the team. Who continually criticized McNabb, one of the games best QB's. Really? Him?
After the initial shock, I seriously thought about what TO would do for any team, and the directions the Chiefs could go in.
There is no doubt that TO would sign with a team, and be wildly productive his first year. He would want to prove everyone wrong and he would light it up. And then he would want more money the 2nd year, and it would be a repeat of 2005 with agents and lawyers and the team falling apart.
Forgetting about TO for a second, here is where KC is at and their options on how to make the team better:
Their O-Line (Shields, Roaf) and Trent Green are all getting old. Gonzo is not that far behind. The defense is improving, and will continue to improve under Herm, but it could take 5 years before they are a top 10 D. Larry Johnson is incredible and I just hope he can avoid injury because he has 7 Pro Bowl Seasons in him, and he really could break the single season rushing record in 06, as one last hurrah for the O-Line.
So if you were drafting a plan to get to the Super Bowl with this team, and you had 5 years to do it, you could:
A. Keep improving the defense. Defense, defense, defense. In 3 years Shields and maybe Roaf will be gone and it could be Trent's last season. Could the defense be great? They could be good, but not Pittsburgh 05 or New England 03 good. Not good enough to make it to the Big Game. But good enough to win a playoff game before Gonzo and Trent retire.
B. Pull out the stops. 06 is the year. One shot with this line and Trent Green. He is only one year younger than Brett Favre. And we saw how many picks Favre through in 05. While you have a solid QB, RB, O-Line, you add the only thing you are missing on offense - a stud WR. Make more moves on D, put the cap in jeopardy for the future, this is the year.
Personally, I don't want to screw up the franchise, I don't want to put the cap at risk. The worst thing that could happen would be losing Larry Johnson. And do you see any stud WR's on Super Bowl teams in the last 5 years? You don't need that. You need defense. You need the toughest, fastest defense in the league, plus solid players at every position on offense. So I'd rather spend our bucks on the D side of the ball.
But if TO comes to Arrowhead, he could do wonders for one year.
In his own words, TO is a game-changer: Where you at?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you saw this story at the same time I did. I was about to inform you of this possibility. I like the analysis of year 1 TO vs. year 2 TO. However, there is another factor in this: What if he signs with the Broncos? Is it ok for arguably the best WR in the league to be in the same division as you? Does this change anything about your hopes for the future?
ReplyDeleteDon't forget that Surtain is getting old, and this will be year 2 of Gunther at the helm, so everybody should know the system next year.
My opinion: Roll the dice with TO. you might make a huge score (literally and figuratively) with what I see to be a definite playoff team with him. He would open holes for Gonzo, LJ, and Kennison, not to mention make Green look like the elite QB that he isn't. The problem with rolling the dice with TO is that if you don't win (or make it to) the Super Bowl with him in one or two years, you'll probably crap out.