Report: Chiefs down on Glenn Dorsey Posted by Anthony Stalter (10/14/2009 @ 11:05 am) 
According to NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora, the Chiefs are already down on former first round pick Glenn Dorsey and are willing to trade him. La Canfora writes that the new coaching staff isn’t high on Dorsey and that the salary cap ramifications wouldn’t be a deterrent in dealing him before the October 20 deadline. This isn’t shocking news considering that Dorsey isn’t a fit for the Chiefs’ new 3-4 defensive front. He excels at shooting the gaps as a 4-3 tackle, which is what he played at LSU. He isn’t big enough to play nose in a 3-4, and his pass-rush talents are wasted as an end in a 3-4. If the report is true and the Chiefs do plan to trade him, one team that could be interested in Dorsey is the Falcons. They were reportedly deciding between Dorsey and Matt Ryan in last year’s draft and there was also a rumor that the Falcons were interested in trading for the D-tackle before this year’s draft. The Falcons addressed their defensive tackle need in April with the selection of first round pick Peria Jerry. But he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 2 and the Falcons could use an interior pass-rusher to go along with Jonathan Babineaux. Once Jerry is healthy, the Falcons could have a fantastic defensive tackle rotation in Babineaux, Jerry and Dorsey (assuming they trade for Dorsey). But would it be worth it for the Falcons to part with draft picks next year to acquire Drosey? Again, they’ve already addressed the need with Jerry, who will return to health next year (hopefully) and they also don’t have a second round pick in 2010 because of the trade for Tony Gonzalez. I doubt the Chiefs would part with Dorsey for a third rounder, so would the Falcons part with a first rounder? It’s doubtful. Trades rarely happen in the NFL, so it’s unlikely that Dorsey will be dealt. But considering Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff and Chiefs GM Scott Pioli have a sound relationship from their days in New England, a Dorsey-to-Atlanta deal would be intriguing. Was Glenn Dorsey almost a Falcon? Posted by Anthony Stalter (04/26/2009 @ 1:22 pm) 
One of the more intriguing rumors that circulated before the draft was one involving the Chiefs trading former 2008 No. 5 overall pick Glenn Dorsey to the Falcons in exchange for Atlanta’s first and third round picks in 2009. Apparently as part of the deal, Kansas City would have also been on the hook for the guaranteed portion of Dorsey’s contract, which would have been roughly $18 million. From the Falcons’ position, this would have been a phenomenal trade. Dorsey struggled last year as a rookie, but most defensive tackles usually do in their first year. He would have filled a major need for Atlanta, who almost took Dorsey last year but decided instead to select Matt Ryan with the No. 3 pick. The Falcons eventually wound up filling their defensive tackle need with Peria Jerry, who they chose with the No. 24 pick in the first round of this year’s draft. Jerry isn’t the prospect Dorsey was and it’s questionable if he can play nose in the 4-3, but obviously his selection means that Atlanta won’t continue their pursuit of Dorsey (if they ever did in the first place, that is). For Kansas City, this would have been a brutal trade outside of the fact that Dorsey doesn’t fit in their new 3-4 defensive scheme. Acquiring another first round pick and an addition third would have been nice, but they would have been giving up on a player in Dorsey who has tremendous upside. Plus, and this is the killer, they still would have had to pay $18 million in guaranteed money to Dorsey. I don’t see how that deal would have been good for KC in the long run although again, they have a player in Dorsey that doesn’t fit their new scheme. It’ll be interesting to hear if this was just a major rumor or if this was a deal that fell apart on draft weekend. Chiefs switching to 3-4 – is it a mistake? Posted by Anthony Stalter (02/18/2009 @ 1:33 pm) Under new defensive coaches Gary Gibbs and Clancy Pendergast, the Chiefs are planning to move to a 3-4 defense, which is a scheme new GM Scott Pioli is used to coming over from New England.
But considering the Chiefs’ personnel on defense, is the move wise? Kansas City’s best linebacker is Derrick Johnson, who operates best in space and when given the opportunity to run around and make plays. In a 3-4, he’s more likely to stay put and allow the action to come to him, which may or may not be something he can excel at. The Chiefs also drafted defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey with their first round pick last year and it’s uncertain at this point how he fits into a 3-4 front. He’s probably not big enough to play nose in a 3-4 and lacks ideal size to be an end in the scheme as well. At LSU, he excelled as a three-technique pass rusher and someone that is better when he reads and reacts. By implementing a 3-4 scheme, KC is really playing away from Dorsey’s strengths. There is no arguing that the 3-4 can be an effective scheme. Baltimore, New England and Pittsburgh have been running the front for years and have been incredibly successful in doing so, but they also have the personnel to pull it off. Granted, Pioli has an entire offseason to get players that fit his scheme, but it’s unclear at this point how some of the better KC defenders will fit in. 2008 NFL Draft re-do Posted by Anthony Stalter (12/11/2008 @ 1:30 pm) Don Banks of SI.com decided to re-do the 2008 NFL Draft after what we know now. (I.e. Matt Ryan is a freak.) 1. Miami Dolphins (Original Pick: Jake Long, OT, Michigan) RE-DO PICK: MATT RYAN, QB, BOSTON COLLEGE Chad Pennington has been superb, and Chad Henne is locked and loaded as the Dolphins quarterback of the future. But Ryan is in the midst of one of the greatest seasons ever by a rookie quarterback, and you don’t pass on that given a second chance. Just like Ben Roethlisberger in our inaugural re-draft of 2004, Ryan shoots to the top of the heap.
2. St. Louis Rams (Original Pick: Chris Long, DE, Virginia) RE-DO PICK: JOE FLACCO, QB, DELAWARE You think Flacco lingers to No. 18 on the board this time around? Uh, no. It’s a quarterbacks league, and while I’m not sure anyone could win in St. Louis about now, Marc Bulger sure isn’t getting it done. The list of teams that wished it had believed in Flacco last spring is getting longer all the time. 3. Atlanta Falcons (Original Pick: Matt Ryan, QB, Boston College) RE-DO PICK: JAKE LONG, OT, MICHIGAN Without the Falcons getting their quarterback in this slot, they would turn to their need at left offensive tackle, where they took USC’s Sam Baker after trading back into the first round at No. 21. Long, Ryan Clady and Duane Brown have all excelled at LT this year, but the ex-Wolverine has been a solid pro. 4. Oakland Raiders (Original Pick: Darren McFadden, RB, Arkansas) RE-DO PICK: CHRIS JOHNSON, RB, EAST CAROLINA We all know Al Davis loves speed, but in Johnson he gets speed that has actually produced as a rookie. McFadden has just one 100-yard rushing game, and that came in Week 2. Johnson has been a spectacular season-long contributor to Tennessee’s overwhelmingly successful running game. 5. Kansas City Chiefs (Original Pick: Glenn Dorsey, DT, LSU) RE-DO PICK: CHRIS LONG, DE, VIRGINIA The Chiefs have gotten virtually zero impact out of Dorsey, and they sure could have used some defensive line help to offset the loss of the traded Jared Allen. Long has modest statistics, but his four sacks are a good first step in the right direction. Don’t forget it took Mario Williams until year two to find his groove.
It’s always interesting to look back at the draft every year after most of the regular season has been played out. In April, Glenn Dorsey was arguably the best defender in the draft but as Banks points out, he’s made no impact for the Chiefs. Granted, these players are just 14 weeks into their young careers so a lot could change, but how wrong was everybody (myself included) who suggested the Falcons should have taken Dorsey over Matt Ryan? It would have looked like one of the biggest draft blunders of the year, assuming of course Dorsey was equally ineffective for Atlanta. Posted in: NFL Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Chris Johnson, Chris Long, Darren McFadden, Glenn Dorsey, Jake Long, Kansas City Chiefs., Matt Ryan, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams
Four ways to turn an NFL team around in one offseason Posted by Anthony Stalter (11/03/2008 @ 7:00 pm) Each year the NFL provides examples of how teams can rise from the basement to the penthouse in just one offseason. 2008 is no different, as the Ravens, Falcons, Dolphins and Jets have all won as many games this year as they did all of last season.
Here are four ways NFL teams can turn around their misfortune in just one offseason along examples from the 2008 season. 1. Get a strong, football-minded front office person to construct the team. 2008 Example: Miami Dolphins It’s safe to say at this point that Bill Parcells knows what he’s doing. He’s won everywhere he’s gone and it would have been naïve to think he wouldn’t turn around the Dolphins at some point. But the fact that he’s done it this quickly is remarkable and speaks volumes for how necessary it is for teams to have good front office people in place to run the day-to-day operations. Parcells is a football-minded guy and he can judge talent. He parted ways with long-time veterans Zach Thomas and Jason Taylor because he knew they weren’t going to play key roles in Miami’s future. Sure the Dolphins lost veteran talent, but they also were focused on moving forward. Parcells also went out and found a competent quarterback in Chad Pennington and drafted a franchise left tackle in Jake Long. Now the Fish can compete on a weekly basis, unlike last season when they were dead in the water (no pun intended) before games even started. Teams can’t win if their front office makes huge draft mistakes and can’t fit individual pieces into one big puzzle. Credit the Dolphins for spending big on a proven winner in Parcells. They might not make the playoffs this year, but they’re competing again and soon enough, the postseason will become a reality. Read the rest after the jump...Posted in: Fantasy Football, NFL Tags: Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Bill Parcells, Brett Favre, Chad Pennington, Glenn Dorsey, Joe Flacco, John Harbaugh, Matt Ryan, Miami Dolphins, Mike Smith, New York Jets, Rex Grossman, Thomas Dimitroff
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