SB Nation New York: All Posts by Matt Verderame

Kansas City Chiefs WR breakdown: Dwayne Bowe and crew

2013-05-17T17:30:21Z

After taking a look at the linebackers, running backs and corners in the first three editions of our position breakdowns, it's time to turn the attention to the Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers.

This group has a new member in Donnie Avery, who was signed away from the Indianapolis Colts on a three-year contract. Outside of Avery, many of the names are very familiar with Dwayne Bowe, Dexter McCluster and Jon Baldwin still manning the depth chart.

Top 100 ranking: Bowe comes in at 65

Last season, the Chiefs had the lowest ranked passing offense in the NFL. Much of this had to do with Matt Cassel, Brady Quinn and Kansas City becoming the first team in league history to play without coaches.

However, some of the blame falls on the receivers. Baldwin, a first round pick in 2011, has done absolutely nothing with his career and McCluster has never found his niche. Bowe only played 13 games last year as well, leaving the offense with no hope save Jamaal Charles.

Now, let's go ahead and take an in-depth look:

The starters

On one side will be Bowe, a man with three 1,000-yard seasons under his belt and 39 career touchdowns. As evidenced by NFL Network's Top 100 List which is voted on by players, Bowe is elite. He was ranked #65 in case you missed it, and Baltimore Ravens corner Chris Carr said he's a top-10 receiver.

On the other flank will likely be Donnie Avery until Baldwin can prove he belongs on the field consistently. Avery was productive for Indianapolis last season but dropped the ball, causing consternation among Colts fans. Avery is coming off his best campaign, when he caught 60 passes for 781 yards. He's a burner who will stretch the field.

We can count on...

Bowe going for 1,000+ yards for the fourth time is his career. Along with Derrick Johnson and Charles, nobody has been more consistent in the last few years than Bowe, despite playing with atrocious quarterbacks. Even last season, Bowe was on pace for 1,000 yards until he was injured.

Bowe catches a lot of flack because of this perception he drops passes, which was true early on Now, not so much, but people still criticize him for it. The whole argument reminds me of a girl who still resents her boyfriend because of a fight that happened two years ago, but I digress.

The biggest area of concern...

Everybody but Bowe. Avery is a somewhat proven quantity, but Baldwin and McCluster both need to produce if they want to be in a Chiefs uniform long-term. Baldwin has immense physical gifts, but has done nothing in his career other than fail to beat press coverage and look great in training camp.

McCluster has been bounced all over the field and has health concerns. Nobody expects a monster receiving year out of him, but he needs to make defenses notice him. Beyond those guys, the rest of this group is a disaster. Hope for health everyone.

My prediction...

Bowe will be back in the Pro Bowl, and nobody else will sniff 1,000 yards.

With a legitimate quarterback (not top-10, but legit), Bowe will breakout even further and put up something like 1,250 yards and nine touchdowns. Think about the Chiefs schedule and tell me what corner is shutting him down? Joe Haden maybe, someone one Dallas maybe. Outside of that? Good luck.

Unfortunately, the rest of this group worries me. Avery should serve his purpose, but I have no faith in Baldwin. The guy hasn't shown much in two years. I'm not saying he's a bust yet, but it's time to show up or be shipped out.

Would you rather Alex Smith or Tony Romo running your team?

2013-05-16T17:07:34Z

Last week for my weekly column, I posed the question of whether you would rather have the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback be Alex Smith of Philip Rivers.

I'll continue the trend this week with another hotly contested quarterback, this time of the Dallas Cowboys. Would you rather Smith or Tony Romo under center for the Chiefs this season?

Let's start with Romo. The former undrafted free agent out of Eastern Illinois has put together a very solid and polarizing career. In his seven years as a starter, Romo has thrown for over 25,000 yards and 177 touchdowns, including two campaigns with more than 30.

Last season, Romo tossed the pigskin for 4,903 yards, easily the highest total of his career. However, his average per attempt was 7.57, a figure that only ranked him ninth in the league. He would have been 10th if Smith had played enough to qualify, as he was at 7.97, a number which would have slotted in fourth.

Undeniably, Romo has been spectacular at times in the regular season. The big knock on Romo has always been his postseason performance, which lacks any luster to say the least. In his seven years, Romo has only won once in the playoffs, beating Andy Reid's Philadelphia Eagles back in 2009 before being drubbed by the Minnesota Vikings.

Romo has been spectacular at times in the regular season. The big knock on Romo has always been his postseason performance.

In four playoffs games, Romo lost on his infamous fumbled hold in the 2006 playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks, in 2007 as the favorite against the hard-charging New York Giants, and split in 2009 as talked about.

In fairness, Romo never played on a team with high expectations that were fair in the playoffs save 2007, when Dallas was loaded. The offensive line has been a mess, although his skill position players have always been legitimate.

His leadership has been questioned at times, but he seems generally liked by his teammates. Overall , Romo's biggest flaw has proven to be the late-game situation, and not just in the playoffs.

Last year, Romo threw three interceptions to seal the Cowboys' fate against the Washington Redskins in Week 17 with the NFC East title on the line. A few years before that, Romo had a miserable game against the Eagles in which he was crushed 44-6, again with the division title in the balance.

Jason O. Watson-USA TODAY Sports

Contrast all of that to Smith, who hasn't enjoyed anything like the success of Romo in the regular season. Smith was mostly on awful teams, but he was part of the reason for a long time. Smith was a very below average quarterback for the most part until Jim Harbaugh arrived.

In his limited postseason sample size of two games, Smith has as many wins as Romo. He almost single-handedly beat the New Orleans Saints in 2011, running for a touchdown in the final minutes and then throwing the game-winner with only a few seconds remaining.

In the NFC Championship that year, Smith had a bad showing against the Giants. The game was one of the all-time defensive struggles, but Smith still failed to get the job done.

My conclusion

I'm torn on this one. I would absolutely take Romo in the regular season, as long as the games don;'t get tight down the stretch. He is vastly superior to Smith when nothing is on the line, but when the chips are down he falls apart.

I would take Smith in the playoffs, if for no other reason I personally watched him come up big with all the pressure on him. I've never seen Romo do that and after all, you have to win playoff games to win a Super Bowl last I checked.

Forced to choose, I would take Smith for the simple reason stated above, and that he's four years younger. What good is going to the playoffs if you lose every time? Then you're just the Kansas City Chiefs of the last 20 years.

We all know how fun that is.

*After looking at the comments to my last piece, Omar...Sheezy did in fact talk about this comparison as a topic. The man deserves some pub. Props to my Chiefs brethren.*

Kansas City Chiefs had a free agent visitor this week

2013-05-14T20:50:25Z

The Kansas City Chiefs have a visitor at One Arrowhead Drive.

Free agent defensive end Ryan McBean was in town, taking a tour of the facilities and talking with the front office to see if the Chiefs and he are a possible pair, according to the Baltimore Sun.

Let's be honest here; McBean is hoping to find any job after being on injured reserve for all of the 2012 season with a broken ankle with the Baltimore Ravens. McBean was originally a draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2007 but washed out there, moving onto the Denver Broncos.

All that said, there is potential in McBean as a 305-pound lineman. After getting off the taxi squad for the first time in 2009, McBean had two years where he totaled no sacks and a total of 44 tackles.

In 2011, his last active season before injuring his ankle, McBean came on with four sacks and 33 tackles.

The native Jamican is only 29 years old, and would come in as a rotational piece for the Chiefs.

More from AP:

16 pictures of the new Chiefs

Chiefs cut DeQuan Menzie

4 Chiefs on this top 100 players list

Kansas City Chiefs CB breakdown: Lockdown city

2013-05-14T19:00:10Z

Previous breakdowns: Running backs | Linebackers

Despite going 2-14 last season, anybody who follows the NFL other than WalterFootball will say the Kansas City Chiefs have a talented roster.

Last week, we went over the running backs and linebackers, with the latter group probably being the best on the team with three pro bowl players. This week we dive into the secondary, where we will focus on the corners.

The Chiefs remade the position after watching Stanford Routt do his best imitation of a cardboard cutout last year. Of course, Javier Arenas was also jettisoned for fullback Anthony Sherman.

All of this opened up space for two of the bigger signings this offseason in Sean Smith and Dunta Robinson. Both come with the reputation of big-hitters who like to mix it up, something the Chiefs haven't had in ions cfrom their corners.

Let's go ahead and take an in-depth look:

The starters

We will see a familiar face on one side with the perennially underrated (although finally cracking the NFL's Top 100 this year) Brandon Flowers. With the Virginia Tech product, one part of the field is effectively covered.

On the other corner will be Smith, a 6'3'', 220-pound athlete signed away from the Miami Dolphins. By all accounts, Smith was the best corner available but also comes with hands of granite. Don't be expecting a ton of interceptions. However under new defensive coordinator Bob Sutton's press scheme, Smith should fit beautifully.

Count Robinson as a starter also, considering the nickel back is on the field constantly. Robinson is past his prime but still useful on the inside. He can provide a thump and knows all the little tricks.

We can count on...

Flowers to be terrific once again. In his five years, Flowers has been consistent as time. Nobody outside of Jacoby Ford ever seems to get the best of Flowers, regardless of size and speed. He's also one of the best tackling corners in the NFL, giving help on run support. Consider me stunned if Flowers doesn't play at an elite level.

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The biggest area of concern...

Robinson is too old, and because of it Kansas City gets torched in the slot all year. At the age of 31, Robinson is starting to become over the hill for his position, but moving him inside should help. If Robinson does succumb to age, the Chiefs don't have anybody who can step in with credentials.

Prediction time

The Chiefs will be a very hard team to throw against under this new scheme, but Robinson will make people lose their hair occasionally.

Sutton employs a very physical, in-your-face type of defense. Now, those defenses can give up big plays, but they also make them. With the safety play behind these corners (see: Berry, Eric) and men like Flowers and Smith on islands, Kansas City should be able to control the passing game.

I can't express how happy I am knowing 10-yard cushions on 3rd and 6 are a thing of the past.

Robinson scares me for two reasons. His age, and his penchant for hitting players in the head. The Chiefs can't afford Robinson dropping the crown of his dome on a receiver when it's crunch time. If he can keep it clean, Robinson is a good addition.

More from AP:

Chiefs cut DeQuan Menzie

4 Chiefs on this top 100 players list

What to expect at OTAs

Creator of the pistol offense is coming to KC

Dolphins expect big improvement from Ryan Tannehill

2013-05-12T15:06:59Z

Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill was solid as a rookie in 2012. Now, the organization expects a breakout campaign, according to the Miami Herald.

Expectations for Tannehill are directly tied to the players brought into the fold this offseason. Miami was able to reel in speedy wide receivers Mike Wallace and Brandon Gibson, and signed Tyson Clabo at right tackle. However, the Dolphins also lost some pieces offensively, dropping former left tackle Jake Long, tight end Anthony Fasano and running back Reggie Bush.

More: Extensive Dolphins coverage at The Phinsider

Tannehill sees plenty of areas to grow, per the article:

"There were a lot of throws where my feet were not set, fundamentally not sound, and the ball isn’t as accurate as you want it to be," he said. "You look at the reasons for that and I hope to correct it, so it’s not an issue going forward."

Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/2013/05/tannehill-loves-his-new-weapons-assesses-his-growthum-seeks-qbsfins-heat-marlins.html#storylink=cpy

Last season, Tannehill was overshadowed by fellow rookies Robert Griffin III, Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson. However, he still made general manager Jeff Ireland look good for drafting him, as he threw for 3,294 yards, 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

On their face, the numbers aren't impressive. But considering the fact Tannehill was a rookie that played three years at wide receiver, it's nothing short of a success.

More from SB Nation:

• Wheel Routes: Dan Snyder knows the value of a name

• Ronde Barber, a career retrospective

• Jay-Z's agency pursuing Geno Smith

• Vick leads Foles in Eagles' QB competition

• Spending draft night with an NFL agent

• 2014 NFL mock draft: Who gets Clowney?

Luke Willson standing out in Seahawks minicamp

2013-05-12T14:50:30Z

The Seattle Seahawks are impressed with rookie tight end Luke Willson, according to the Seattle Times.

Willson was a highly touted prospect coming out of Rice University, someone the Seahawks didn't want to pass up. General manager John Schneider took him in the fifth round because of his all-around abilities — not only can Willson block, but he has soft hands and a knack for finding open space down the field.

More: Extensive Seahawks coverage at Field Gulls

In Seattle's rookie minicamp, Willson made a few difficult catches while showing the athleticism that got the attention of NFL scouts leading up to the draft. With the tight end situation unsettled, Willson could find his way into the lineup and promptly help out his quarterback.

At his pro day, Willson ran a 4.51 40-yard dash, a time that would have ranked him second among tight ends at the NFL combine. Willson was in the shadow of Vance McDonald in college, a man taken in the second round by the San Francisco 49ers this past draft. Now, he's getting his chance to shine.

More from SB Nation:

• Wheel Routes: Dan Snyder knows the value of a name

• Ronde Barber, a career retrospective

• Jay-Z's agency pursuing Geno Smith

• Vick leads Foles in Eagles' QB competition

• Spending draft night with an NFL agent

• 2014 NFL mock draft: Who gets Clowney?

Brandon Weeden has a chance to be Browns QB beyond 2013

2013-05-12T14:03:10Z

When you're a 29-year-old quarterback, the laws of development tend to go out the window. Cleveland Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden is learning that hard truth, exacerbated by a regime change in the coaching and front office ranks.

Yet, if Weeden can have a productive year under first-year offensive coordinator Norv Turner, he might not be on the chopping block after all, according to ESPNCleveland.com.

Last year was a nightmare once against for the Browns, who posted a miserable 5-11 record and saw coach Pat Shurmur get his walking papers.

More: Extensive Browns coverage at Dawgs By Nature

Weeden was definitely part of the problem, throwing 17 interceptions compared to only 14 touchdowns.

Unquestionably, Weeden is going to be closely monitored as the 2013 season progresses. His age is already factoring in and the upcoming crop of quarterbacks in next year's draft looks to be deep.

With Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, Aaron Murray and others coming out in the next few years, the Browns will have a franchise-altering decision on their hands. Of course, that's if Weeden doesn't make it for them one way or the other.

More from SB Nation:

• Wheel Routes: Dan Snyder knows the value of a name

• Ronde Barber, a career retrospective

• Jay-Z's agency pursuing Geno Smith

• Vick leads Foles in Eagles' QB competition

• Spending draft night with an NFL agent

• 2014 NFL mock draft: Who gets Clowney?

Would you rather Alex Smith or Philip Rivers running your team?

2013-05-11T16:00:08Z

Like all of you, I spend way too much time thinking about the future fortunes of the Kansas City Chiefs.

How many yards will Jamaal Charles run for this year? Will Sean Smith work out? Does Arrowhead Stadium have a playoff game in its immediate future?

Then today, I got to thinking about Alex Smith and where he stands relative to the AFC quarterbacks. When I got to the San Diego Chargers, I started pondering...would I rather have Smith or Philip Rivers?

Now it's your turn to think about it for however long it takes, while I go into a diatribe about the situation.

Smith is 29 years old and is coming off the two best years of his career. With the San Francisco 49ers, Smith looked the part of a bust before Jim Harbaugh got his hands on him and turned Smith into a solid player.

Over the past two seasons, all Smith did was lead the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in 2011 and had them well on their way in 2012 before getting hurt and ultimately benched in favor of Colin Kaepernick.

Smith was leading the league in completion percentage (70.2) at the time he suffered a concussion last year and had thrown 13 touchdowns compared to five interceptions. Smith was also averaging 7.97 yards per attempt, ranking him fourth in the NFL.

Smith was also 19-5-1 in his last 25 games started for the 49ers in the regular season.

Now, nobody is trying to say Smith is elite. He's not. Smith is a guy who can make plays occasionally and has the ability to play good football. He also has proved he can win, something recent quarterback's in Kansas City can't say.

As for Rivers, he's 31 years old and looked like a future Hall of Fame candidate for his first five years (that he played). In the time between 2006-10, Rivers tossed 135 touchdowns and 57 interceptions while leading the Chargers to the playoffs with regularity.

Once, Rivers even guided San Diego to the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots and played with a torn ACL. However, he would never get to that point again.

In the past two seasons, Rivers has been a model of inconsistency. With his team beginning to erode around him, Rivers had thrown a robust 53 touchdowns, but also 35 interceptions and missed the postseason both years.

He also averaged only 6.85 yards per attempt, ranking him 20th in the league. Right behind Jake Locker.

After always hitting the 65 percent completion rate, Rivers has fallen short in 2011 and 2012, with marks of 62.9 and 64.1 respectively. Not bad by any means, but not the stats he was putting up.

Rivers used to be considered one of the best. Granted, the supporting cast isn't as good, but he hasn't helped the cause by forcing throws and pouting.

Overall, I'd take Smith over Rivers. He's a few years younger, acts much more professionally, and has had more success in recent years.

On top of that, Smith is getting to play under quarterback guru Andy Reid now. Rivers had offensive mastermind Norv Turner for years and now has an unproven commodity in Mike McCoy.

Rivers was a great player, but those glimpses have been few and far between recently. Smith is on the upswing, looking like a guy who's improving daily.

SB Nation New York: All Posts by Matt Verderame

Kansas City Chiefs WR breakdown: Dwayne Bowe and crew

More position breakdowns

The starters

We can count on...

The biggest area of concern...

Bowe, Baldwin at Chiefs OTAs

My prediction...

Would you rather Alex Smith or Tony Romo running your team?

Smith or Rivers?

My conclusion

More from AP:

Would you take Alex Smith or Tony Romo?

Kansas City Chiefs had a free agent visitor this week

Chiefs OTA recap

More from AP:

Kansas City Chiefs CB breakdown: Lockdown city

Chiefs cut DeQuan Menzie

The starters

We can count on...

The biggest area of concern...

Prediction time

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Dolphins expect big improvement from Ryan Tannehill

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Luke Willson standing out in Seahawks minicamp

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Brandon Weeden has a chance to be Browns QB beyond 2013

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Would you rather Alex Smith or Philip Rivers running your team?

From a doubter to a believer

How to 'fix' Philip Rivers

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