Posts tagged GlennDorsey at FanHouse

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterbacks: Oh, holy God. Do we have to start here? Can't we start at defensive line? Or even offensive line? No? Okay. So last season, Damon Huard was such the pinnacle of mediocrity, he may have redefined the word for decades. It wasn't so much that Huard was spectacularly terrible, throwing constant interceptions as he heaved them down the field, Rex-Grossman-style, it was that he looked singularly incapable of actually getting the ball downfield to begin with. So, after far too many games watching the offense set new franchise lows, Brodie Croyle who had been waiting in the wings, finally took the reins. The results were less than spectacular. Chiefs fans support Croyle because the kid has shown flashes of leadership and a pretty solid arm. The trouble is, the protection was so bad last year, no one knows whether to pin the offense's disastrous play on an inability by Brodie to produce, or a result of the fact that Croyle spent so much time on the run it's a wonder he's not dead in the cold, cold ground. So with a retooled and slightly upgraded offensive line, he should be better? Right? Right? Oh, Jesus, where's the bottle? Wait, what? Huard's still on the team? Must get bigger bottle. Heat Index: 2

Hey, look at that, the Steelers finally caught a break when it comes to the offensive line. Sure, it's not their o-line, but it could've been. The Chiefs second first-round pick, guard/tackle Branden Albert suffered a foot injury last week, hasn't practiced since, and the prognosis for the rest of preseason doesn't look so hot.

In fact, Albert says he'll need a "miracle" to play in a real live game before September, which sorta puts him behind in his battle to win a starting job. In other first-rounder news, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey is also on the mend after suffering a knee injury during Saturday's Family Fun Night, which, presumably was much more fun for the families in attendance than it was for Dorsey or head coach Herm Edwards, who generally seems like a fun-loving guy.

If Chiefs fans are looking for a bright spot heading into tonight's preseason game against the undefeated Bears, there's always Dwayne Bowe. It also looks like rookie second-round pick, cornerback Brandon Flowers will start, and Edwards expects that to be the case from here on out.

That's one of the benefits to having the BEST DRAFT IN THE HISTORY OF TACKLE FOOTBALL: even when you lose a few players to injuries, there are plenty of other guys who can fill in the gaps.

Former LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey was drafted fifth overall this off-season by the Kansas City Chiefs. Entering the NFL, I doubt Dorsey thought he enjoy an injury free career. Then again, I also highly doubt he was counting on the Chiefs annual "Family Fun Night" being the venue to witness his first professional malady.

That's right, Dorsey tweaked his knee Saturday at Family Fun Night. He will miss the first preseason game, but he's not alone in the KC rookie injury wagon:

" ... the Chiefs still think Dorsey's timetable is ahead of that of their other first-round draft pick, offensive tackle Branden Albert. Albert, who has a sprained foot, might not play at all in the preseason."

Ouch. You get two quality first round picks and they're going to miss time in their first training camp. It's not like the prospects for the Chiefs to make a playoff run were good (or even feasible), but things are already going poorly for Herm Edwards and company.

The best course of action is to be realistic and not take any chances whatsoever with either of these guys. They need to get reps on the field as the Chiefs look to build for the future, sure, but the reps need to be healthy ones.

KC will still play to win the game, I'm sure ... they just won't succeed much.

It's sorta surprising that three of the top four picks from April's NFL Draft are all under contract. More surprising: the Raiders' No. 4 pick, Darren McFadden, is included in this group, which means their won't be a holdout. That's different.

In addition to McFadden, the Falcons have signed Matt Ryan, the third-overall selection, and the Dolphins had Jake Long under contract days before the draft. Despite all the happy negotiating going on, the Kansas City Star's Adam Teicher writes that it doesn't necessarily suggest the Chiefs and their first first-rounder, Glenn Dorsey (taken fifth overall), are close to working out a deal.

President/general manager Carl Peterson said the Chiefs have been in contact with Dorsey's agent, Joel Segal. "We've had conversations, and that's all I can say," Peterson said. ...

Segal declined comment. But given the particulars of McFadden's contract, Segal might not be content with a marginal raise over the fifth pick of last year's draft, offensive tackle Levi Brown.

Teicher points out that the Chiefs have a spotty record when it comes to signing their first-round picks -- 11 of their 16 selections under Peterson have been late to camp, including 2007's Dwayne Bowe. Compounding matters: Kansas City had two first-rounders this April; in addition to Dorsey, they team also drafted offensive lineman Branden Albert.

So according to the laws of probability, based on Peterson's track record, there's roughly a nine percent chance both players are signed before training camp. Hey, it could happen.

Chiefs linebacker Napoleon Harris reads the papers, and he's not crazy about the articles that suggest he could lose his job to offseason acquisition Demorrio Williams.

"We were 4-12, so somebody's going to get blamed I guess," Harris said. "But what did I do? I led the team in tackles. "You know, I just try to do my job."

Harris said he's still under the impression he's the middle linebacker. But then again... "Coaches tell me one thing, I read another," he said.

My advice: quit reading the papers; seldom do teams announce personnel news through the local beat reporter. The Kansas City Star's Jeffrey Flanagan writes that "Someone claiming to be Harris even sent an e-mail to me shortly after the Williams' signing, expressing those concerns."

Harris' response: "That wasn't me ... It might have been my brother - he does that stuff. I don't know." Um, I think I would've just said, "yeah, that was me, I was drunk." It sounds less weird.

Whatever, Harris wasn't the reason the Chiefs won four games last year. Not unless he had something to do with the offensive line not blocking, Brodie Croyle struggling, and Larry Johnson getting injured. And in 2008, Kansas City's first first-rounder, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, should make the middle linebacker's job even easier, whoever it ends up being.

I think we can all agree that the Chiefs had the best draft in the history of the world last month. After having close to 50 picks, Kansas City landed a starting lineman (Branden Albert), a potential Pro Bowl defensive tackle (Glenn Dorsey), a nickel back (Brandon Flowers), and a change-of-pace back to compliment Larry Johnson (Jamaal Charles).

Kansas City also added a humongous tight end (6-8 Brad Cottam) and a heady safety (DaJuan Morgan), and every one of these selections were made in the first three rounds.

But maybe the most important pick (or one of the most important -- it's hard to think anybody will overshadow the impact Dorsey should have) is Missouri's Will Franklin, drafted 105th overall.

Coming off a four-win season usually means a team has any number of needs. The Chiefs did a swell job of addressing most of them, but depth at wide receiver remained a huge question, even after Kansas City added 12 guys to the roster via the draft.

Last year's first-rounder, Dwayne Bowe, emerged as the team's only legit downfield threat a year ago, but the Chiefs may have found another young starter on the outside in Franklin:

Heading into the 2008 season, the Chiefs' have a lengthy to-do list, which isn't all that surprising since they managed to cobble together just four wins last year. They got off to a good start by having the best draft in the history of awesome drafts (head coach Herm Edwards was hoping to land 10 starters, he'll probably have to settle for a considerably smaller number).

The team's first first-round pick, defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, should make an immediate impact, and their second first-rounder, guard Branden Albert, will likely be the Chiefs Week 1 starter ... at left tackle.

That's not completely shocking -- Albert shot up (mock) draft boards because of his versatility, and that's exactly what Kansas City is banking on. From the Kansas City Star's Adam Teicher:

Edwards wouldn't talk about his plans, but the Chiefs will probably line up with rookie Branden Albert at left tackle, Waters at left guard, Rudy Niswanger at center, Adrian Jones at right guard and Damion McIntosh at right tackle.

Arrowhead Pride is skeptical. Not so much as it relates to Albert -- everybody agrees that he'll get a lot of playing time -- but that Adrian Jones, the one-man sack machine/penalty generator, could be a starter, or that Damien McIntosh is anything more than an adequate backup.

Larry Johnson and Brodie Croyle can attest to the importance of having a competent offensive line, and capable unit can go a long way masking other weaknesses. Like, say, an inexperienced quarterback or a wide receiver corps that currently features one legit player.

For all intents and purposes, the Rams were going to use their second overall pick on Glenn Dorsey last weekend. All of the pre-draft hype indicated an interest and, though all of the zany behavior every April has me doubting everything everyone says, it was apparently genuine. All of the teams' scouts and coaches wanted Dorsey.

But team president John Shaw wanted Chris Long. So when he arrived at headquarters the Thursday before the draft, he decreed it so -- Long would be the pick. Even if Shaw was stepping down from his ivory tower to get involved in football matters that are better left to, you know, football people, I agree with him.

The best teams find a way to merge the two divergent draft philosophies -- need vs. best player available. Even if Dorsey was the Rams' top-rated player, they already have a good, young pair of tackles in Adam Carriker and Clifton Ryan. On the outside? The ancient, brittle Leonard Little and the ancient, um, average (to be kind) James Hall. I know a push up the middle helps your ends, but the only thing that would help these ends at this point is the Career Kevorkian.

So it makes sense to draft Long. If the team wants to win now (ie, if Scott Linehan wants to provide his family hot food every night), they need to spread talent across as many positions as possible. What good is clogging the middle if teams can just attack the outside? Right?

Kansas City Chiefs 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (5): Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU
Round 1 (15): Branden Albert, OG, Virginia
Round 2 (35): Brandon Flowers, CB, Virginia Tech
Round 3 (73): Jamaal Charles, RB, Texas
Round 3 (76): Brad Cottam, TE, Tennessee
Round 3 (82): DaJuan Morgan, S, North Carolina State
Round 4 (105): Will Franklin, WR, Missouri
Round 5 (140): Brandon Carr, CB, Grand Valley State
Round 6 (170): Barry Richardson, OT, Clemson
Round 6 (182): Kevin Robinson, WR, Utah State
Round 7 (210): Brian Johnston, DE, Gardner-Webb
Round 7 (239): Mike Merritt, TE, Central Florida

The Good: See all 12 picks above -- that's the good. Kansas City added value with every single selection they made, and addressed nearly every need they had. Glenn Dorsey was considered by some to be the number one player available, while Albert, Flowers, Cottam and Robinson (special teams) all add significant talent to positions in need. And what about the other nine players selected? They all have tremendous upside as well and each represented solid value at the position they were taken.

The Bad: Is there any? The Chiefs made 12 picks this past weekend and on paper, it looks like they made every single one of them count. If there's one knock on anyone, it's that Braden Albert will be a "work in progress." Still, that's hardly a negative for someone who figures to be a quality NFL starter for a very long time. Beyond that, the only other negative that presents itself was the failure to draft another quarterback.

The Grade: A. In comparison to the other 31 teams, Kansas City left Radio City Music Hall on top. They had a fantastic draft and appear to have secured a bright future. Although they may not make it to the playoffs this coming season, they've certainly given their fans something to be excited about.

Click here to read other draft grades.

St. Louis Rams 2008 Draft Picks:

Round 1 (2): Chris Long, DE, Virginia
Round 2 (33): Donnie Avery, WR, Houston
Round 3 (65): John Greco, OT, Toledo
Round 4 (101): Justin King, CB, Penn State
Round 4 (128): Keenan Burton, WR, Kentucky
Round 5 (157): Roy Schuening, OG, Oregon St.
Round 7 (228): Chris Chamberlain, DB, Tulsa
Round 7 (252): David Vobora, OLB, Idaho

The Good: Long is as close to a sure thing as you get and the Rams addressed their greatest need instead of taking Glenn Dorsey. The team got a steal in King, who went about two rounds too late. Likewise, Greco and Schuening are both good values, and both are talented players. Not only did the Rams address their biggest problem, they found good players without spending first-day picks on them.

The Bad: Of course, that doesn't mean anything if the Rams waste those picks anyway. Taking Avery absolutely baffles me. He's fast, and will help in returns, but he's not Devin Hester. You can find a return man later, especially when you need every-down starting receivers and Devin Thomas and James Hardy are available. Even DeSean Jackson was there, and he's the same type of receiver as Avery except better in every way. This is even with the Titans taking Chris Johnson as the worst pick of the draft in my mind. Burton, who has potential, will outperform him.

The Grade: B. The team really improved their two weakest areas from last season -- pass rush and offensive line -- and added a very talented corner who at one point was considered a borderline first-rounder. Still, with the 33rd pick they could have fixed their third biggest need, and blew that opportunity considerably. That's a huge blemish if Torry Holt can't stay healthy this year.

Click here to read other Draft Grades.