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Larry Johnson: 10 Things Every Chiefs Fan Wants to Know
Published: May 18, 2009
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Dear Larry Johnson,
After four games in 2008, you were averaging nearly five yards per carry and had 22 or more carries in three of the team’s first four games. After a week five blowout at Carolina, where you only had seven touches, you sat out three games for off the field issues.
Upon your return, you only had one game where you were given 20 or more carries, in week 13 at Oakland. That game also happened to be the last game the team won, with the team’s only other victory coming back in week four against the Broncos when you had your best game of the season with 28 carries for 198 yards.
Since you played a key role in the only two games the team won last season, how confident are you that the team could have won more games down the stretch if the coaches had made you a bigger part of the offensive game plan?
While it’s been well publicized about the off the field issues that led to your missing those three games last season, have you had a chance to think about how the season may have gone differently if those events had never happened?
Did you feel as if you were abandoned by the front office and coaching staff when you came back, particularly in those last four games where you only averaged just over 12 carries a game?
Looking back at the entire season, including the off the field stuff, what was the most disappointing thing for you in 2008?
At the end of last season, you made it abundantly clear in a radio interview that you were ready to get out of Kansas City and start fresh with another team. A few months have passed, and your agent was quoted in the Kansas City Star in April as saying that you were “excited about the direction the team is going in” and that you are “a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and want to help them win a Super Bowl.”
Your agent also mentioned that your attitude about the team had absolutely nothing to do with the decision made by the league about your contract.
What was the key thing that changed since the end of last season that has changed your mind about wanting to be a part of the 2009 Kansas City Chiefs?
How important is it for you to prove to all those skeptical Chiefs fans out there that the off the field problems are behind you and you’re ready to lead this team back into the playoffs?
Your offensive coordinator remains the same this year in Chan Gailey, but you have a new Head Coach and a new General Manager who have added several new faces on offense, including Matt Cassel, Bobby Engram, and Mike Goff.
How excited are you about running behind a line that includes Goff, Brian Waters, and an improving Brandon Albert?
There was speculation that Coach Haley would bring his pass happy attack with him from Arizona to the Chiefs, but he recently said that “we’d like to have balance on offense” and that he wants to “utilize the players that we have to the best of their ability.”
What does that mean to you as far as what you anticipate your role to be in 2009?
Ever since you joined this team as a rookie in 2003, you’ve been fortunate enough to have an All-Pro tight end in Tony Gonzalez to help take some of the defense’s focus off of you and the running game.
How do you think losing Tony, combined with adding players like Cassel and Engram, will change how effective this offense can be this season?
And finally, a few years ago you made a pretty bold prediction about rushing for 2,000 yards and leading the league in rushing.
Any predictions for this year?
Good Luck in 2009,
KC Chiefs Fans
Positional Battles in KC…Chiefs Need to Succop to Mr. Irrelevant
Published: May 14, 2009
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For the past several seasons, most Kansas City Chiefs fans thought Mr. Irrelevant was former General Manager Carl Peterson. However, thanks to being selected with the last pick in April’s draft, Ryan Succop has officially become the new Mr. Irrelevant in Kansas City.
The Kansas City coaching staff would be thrilled if Succop can enjoy as much success as the last Mr. Irrelevant to play for the Chiefs—quarterback Bill Kenney. Kenney, who earned the moniker after being drafted last by the Dolphins in 1978, spent nine seasons with the Chiefs and earned his way to a Pro Bowl in 1983 when he threw for 4,348 yards.
While no one is expecting a Pro Bowl from Succop, he is expected to challenge incumbent Connor Barth for the starting placekicking duties. Barth, who took over for Nick Novak seven games into last season, was respectable in ten games but had trouble getting the ball deep on kickoffs.
The Chiefs are hoping that Succop has recovered from the sports hernia that plagued him during his senior season at South Carolina, because his strong leg on kickoffs would be an upgrade over Barth.
It should make for an interesting battle during training camp and the preseason.
Other positional battles to watch during training camp include…
Wide Receiver
While Dwayne Bowe isn’t your prototypical No.1 receiver, he’s by far the best receiver on the Chiefs roster. The battle will be for the starting spot opposite Bowe.
General Manager Scott Pioli signed free agents Bobby Engram and Terrance Copper in the offseason to throw into a mix that includes 2008 carryovers Mark Bradley, Devard Darling, and Jeff Webb.
If Engram can stay healthy, he will likely start. However, don’t be surprised if Bradley, a former second round pick of the Bears who did well in the Chiefs spread attack last season, sees quite a bit of playing time as well.
Nose Tackle
Since it appears that the Chiefs will be moving to a 3-4 defense this year, it has also been speculated that last year’s first round pick Glenn Dorsey will move outside to end.
If that happens, it should create an interesting battle between veteran Ron Edwards, former third round pick Tank Tyler, and this year’s third round pick Alex Magee for the open nose tackle position.
While it’s likely the Chiefs will start the season with a “by committee” approach, the coach’s are hoping Magee can mature quickly and become the long-term solution up the middle.
He impressed scouts with his play during the entire week of practice leading up to the Senior Bowl, and has the greatest upside of anyone vying for the job.
Backup Quarterback
With the acquisition of Matt Cassel, everyone in Kansas City knows who the Chiefs starting quarterback will be in 2009. However, it’s yet to be determined who will win the backup quarterback job.
Last year’s opening day starter, Brodie Croyle, returns but has yet to prove he can stay healthy. While he is gifted with a strong arm and can make all the throws, he hasn’t been able to stay on the field and is 0-8 in eight starts the past two seasons.
After Croyle’s injury last season, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey changed the offense to more of a spread attack to suit backup Tyler Thigpen. Thigpen proved effective in the spread and threw for 18 touchdowns in 11 starts.
Assuming that Gailey’s offense will be somewhat similar with Cassel at the helm, it would seem that Thigpen would appear to have the upper hand in the battle for the backup job.
Kansas City Chiefs 2009: Who Is This Team’s Offensive Playmaker?
Published: May 11, 2009
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“Matt Cassel, welcome to Kansas City! And on that note, we’re trading the team’s biggest playmaker and future Hall-of-Famer to Atlanta… have a great season!”
A clipboard holder since high school, Cassel stepped in for the game’s best quarterback in New England last year and had a solid season. With thoroughbreds like Randy Moss and Wes Welker in the stable, most figured there was no way he could fail.
Now that Cassel has moved on to Kansas City, however, those same pundits are saying there is no way he can succeed.
So the question remains; with an offensive arsenal in Kansas City that doesn’t include tight end Tony Gonzalez, can Cassel and the Chiefs’ offense score enough points to win more games than the team did a season ago?
The short answer is “yes,” and here are the reasons why:
An Improved Offensive Line
Cassel was sacked 47 times last season with the Patriots while Chiefs quarterbacks only hit the ground 36 times. Guards Brian Waters and Mike Goff, teamed with emerging left tackle Brandon Albert, should be able to guarantee that Cassel doesn’t hit the deck near as many times as he did with the Patriots.
A Capable Receiving Corps
Compared to Cassel’s receivers in New England and what new head coach Todd Haley had in Arizona, the Chiefs are missing an All-Pro or two.
However, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe had a better season than Moss, a comparable season to Anquan Boldin, and continues to improve. If Bobby Engram can stay healthy, and he, along with the rest of the receivers, can divert some attention away from Bowe, Cassel could very well repeat his numbers from last season and put Bowe in a position to have his best season as a pro.
Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey
Assuming Haley doesn’t have his heart set on implementing the “air-it-out” offense he led in Arizona, and he lets Gailey do his job, this team will score more points in 2009.
Gailey was successful last season at understanding his team’s strengths and designing an offense to take advantage of those strengths. In 2008, however, Gailey’s offense stalled at the most inopportune times, not because of poor play calling, but mainly because of poor quarterback play. The addition of Cassel should resolve that problem.
Larry Johnson
Johnson supplies Haley and Cassel with something neither of them had last season on their respective teams; a hard-nosed downhill runner who can beat up the defense and take attention away from the passing game.
Because of his off-the-field transgressions a year ago, however, his contract was negatively impacted to the point where he needs to produce to get paid. The last time he had this much motivation, Dick Vermeil asked him to take off his diaper, and he ran for 1,750 yards and 20 touchdowns.
2009’s Offensive Playmaker: Jamaal Charles
Charles provides the Chiefs’ offense with game-breaking speed that must be accounted for each time he steps on the field.
As a rookie last season, Charles averaged over five yards per carry and caught 27 passes, a number I expect him to double this season. Look for Gailey to line him up in the backfield with Johnson, in the slot as a wide receiver, as the lone back in third down situations, and anywhere else that allows Cassel to get the ball into his hands. Charles should catch 60 balls and run for 500 yards.
At the end of the day, Kansas City’s offense will surprise most of the so-called “experts” this season. The offense should be dynamic and diverse enough to keep opposing defenses from teeing off on Cassel, and thereby allow the Chiefs to improve greatly over last season’s offensive production.
Assuming that happens, the Chiefs will be in the wild card hunt in December.
