And what a day it was!

Glenn Dorsey, the best player in the draft, at 5! Branden Albert, who we wanted at 5, at 15! Brandon Flowers, who will punch a receiver in the mouth as quick as look at him!

Three starters, three stars, in one day.

Great day to be a Chiefs fan.

And a great day to be at the Arrowhead Practice Facility, a big hello to the 3000 friends I say today!

8 a.m. tomorrow begins a day anew. A new dawn for our KC Chiefs!

(Pic is a screen shot from www.yahoo.com, taken at 10:45 p.m. (central) on April 26, 2008)

The Day is Come!

Upon reviewing the Chiefs' depth chart last night, I have come to a substantial conclusion: The Chiefs need alot of help, everywhere.

While this makes drafting much more daunting, and has somewhat riddled my mock draft with doubt, I have decided that no matter who Herm and the gang draft in the first round, the team will be helped by it.

Trading Jared Allen (the right move, by the way) has opened the 5th Overall pick to a defensive end while still having access to an offensive tackle later in the first round. Chris Long, welcome to KC?


Overall, this will be a positive day. Unless the Chiefs somehow decide to trade a pile of picks to Miami for Jake Long, who at this point can be at best mediocre. The hype surrounding him is simply too great. The man will disappoint. Especially if a team like the Chiefs gets crazy and trades up for him. He is not the answer, if the equation involves giving away our soul! (and more than 2 draft picks!)

One More Day!

Tomorrow is Day One of the 2008 draft, and what a day it will be. Thirteen picks and almost as many holes to fill, the future of the Chiefs franchise begins now.

Consider today the last in season of failure, tomorrow the first in a season yet defined. Hope abounds in Kansas City, and until those first picks are made and Jake Long disappears from our grasp, it remains.

On a similar note, as I am graduating from my undergraduate education in about two weeks, it strikes me that unless I am picked tomorrow, I will have used my NCAA eligibility without even a single NFL scouting.

Soft Determinism people! That door is closed for sure at the end of the draft, changing the context of my decision making and limiting my free will another degree. Such is life.

Thank Goodness!

Despite my well reasoned discourse on the issue of Jared Allen's contract and trade potential, I was not convinced that the discussed 1st and 3rd round pick were worth the risk. Despite his flaws, the Chiefs deserved more than two picks for the league's best pass rusher*. But, by gaining the second 3rd Rounder, this deal is not only fair, but spectacular!

Herm's plan is to rebuild with the youth. He will get at least two starters (with the two first-round picks) and probably three or four more (from the first three or four rounds) plus more youth to develop.

By gaining a mid-1st Round pick, the Chiefs can take the best player on the board with their 5th overall pick, and still grab a talented offensive tackle with the 17th pick.

The team, with 13 picks, will be young as can be. But with such a high number of picks in the first four rounds, the team can both be young and talented. The youth movement doesn't have to be as painful as it once looked, and the Chiefs are all but guaranteed to have a season no worse than last year. Perhaps not much better, but not at all worse!

*He is a pretty good pass rusher, but best?

The Brigade Win, 55-53!

Every time I attend an Arena Football game, I am reminded why I sparingly attend Arena Football games. The defense is poor, the field is crowded, and the attitude is self-centered. But nevertheless, what I saw in the crowd reactions was genuine enjoyment of the whole experience.

The kick-return for a touchdown was the highlight of the first half, with the final seconds ticking away being the highlight of the second. A little tension is good for the soul, right?

It was neat seeing Kendall Gammon in the stands, I resisted the urge to the Chiefs' former long-snapper for photos or autographs. It is always nice to see cross-pollination between our NFL and AFL families. I bet at times he was wishing he could get out there and snap, especially since Colorado's special teams were living up to their name in a more "short-bus" than "elite" kind of way.

Brigade Vs. Crush

Tonight the KC Brigade Arena Football team takes on the Colorado Crush.

In an effort to extend our KC/Denver feud from the NFL season, I am attending with a friend of mine who is a big-time Denver Broncos Fan. Nevertheless, he is actually a pretty stand-up guy.

Well, except for the voluminous vacuum of bad taste emanating from his fandom.

Anyway, just a reminder to all Chiefs fans that the Boys in (powder) Blue (and helmets) need our support while they wallow in last place. Perhaps the losing streak to Denver will end tonight, however, it seems more likely that the Brigade will (as is their usual M.O. this year) fall just short of ending that streak.

Well, there is always September, right KC?

Jared Allen Trade: The Bottom Line

Jared Allen led the NFL in sacks last year, despite only playing in 14 games. Now the rumor is that he is working out a trade deal to the Minnesota Vikings and is going to leave this magical city of KC behind.

So, is Chief's Nation to be excited for the magic beans we will receive from Minnesota, in the form of draft picks? Or should we, the loyal fans of the Organization, simply turn a blind eye to the fact that Carl Peterson may be trading away the one key piece to the Chiefs rebuilding effort?

Simply put, Jared Allen is a loose cannon. His drunk driving arrests are perfect examples of him at his worst. He has since quit drinking, or at least didn't drink in excess during the season last year. It must be considered, however, that Allen's year last year was not only coming off of a suspension, but also a "contract year."

With the cunning use of a personal "babysitter" Allen was able to avoid any drunk driving arrests. He slimmed down, then bulked up. He worked every down like a man possessed, and even played some offense. His effort was almost beyond human.

And this is the problem. Jared Allen worked at a pace last year that is difficult to maintain. This problem will be made even worse when he gets the paycheck and the longterm deal. Injury, something Allen has avoided so far in his career, will begin to creep up as he nears 30 years old.

With all of the guaranteed money in the bank he will have less motivation to continue at his breakneck pace. And why should he work so hard? He sacrificed a year and a half of his life to make an impact on the league, with the big contract being his finish line.

Jared Allen completed his objective, and will soon be a very rich man, no matter who pays him. And if he plays at the level he did last season, he will bring much to any team he plays for. But a team like the Chiefs, with a history of wasted money and large free agent contracts, will take less risk and gain more reward by trading Jared Allen away now, rather than wait until he misbehaves again and trying to cut him loose despite the guaranteed signing bonus.

Bottom Line: Trade Allen away while he is most valuable, and before the jury comes back on whether or not he can sustain his breakneck pace of last year. He gets paid, another team takes a risk on a great player, and the Chiefs add even more potential to their rebuilding effort.

(Image found via GIS. Original URL, Thanks to Arrowhead Addict!)