Alex Smith Trade and Where the Chiefs Go From Here

James is back to share his thoughts on the Chiefs trading away Alex Smith. I became a Chiefs fan while in college and then when the Rams left St. Louis (kick rocks Kroenke and Goodell) James has been a lifelong Chiefs fan. You will see his in depth analysis in the first few paragraphs and mine will follow. 

The Kansas City Chiefs just pulled off a trade that gains them three crucial commodities, a 3rd round draft pick, a young cornerback, and cap space. All three of these things are significant for the franchise and give them the opportunity to build around their young starting quarterback, Patrick Mahomes. Fans are excited about this new era, but I wanted to take a moment to analyze the trade and how I feel the Chiefs could best use their new assets.

The Chiefs seem primed to follow the blue print that has led to success for some recent Super Bowl quality teams. That blue print is building around a starting quarterback still on his rookie deal. Recent success stories have been the Seattle Seahawks building around Russell Wilson and this year we saw the Jaguars make impact moves in free agency behind Blake Bortles. Both of these organizations built their defense through the draft and added a few free agents to build some of the best defenses in the NFL. Of course they were not successful right away but their front office was patient, let their players mature, and found themselves making deep playoff runs. They also both had good running backs, Seattle had Marshawn Lynch and the Jags drafted Leonard Fournette 4th overall this year. Having these bell cow backs allowed the coaching staff to take a little pressure off their quarterbacks and they did not have to rely on them to win games right away. The Chiefs hopefully have their franchise running back in Kareem Hunt who they drafted in the 3rd round of this years draft. The $15 million the Chiefs saved by trading Alex Smith puts them about $8 million in the black for the salary cap this year. That money could be used to beef up the defense or add a wide receiver this off season or may be better spent in 2019.

If the Chiefs choose to save the money for a 2019 spending spree, the defense still received a huge boost by acquiring cornerback Kendall Fuller in the trade. Fuller was a third round draft pick for Washington in the 2016 draft. He was a first round talent but slid to the third round because of an injury late in his college career. Many scouts have rated Fuller as a top slot corner in the league and that would be a massive upgrade for the Chiefs. Any KC fan will tell you that except for Marcus Peters, who occasionally forgets how to tackle, the Chiefs flat out sucked at corner this year. Fuller will move from the slot to outside corner opposite of Peters. His versatility of previously playing the slot will allow the Chiefs to better defend wideouts like Antonio Brown, who routinely moves to the slot in three wideout sets. This doesn't entirely solve the cornerback issue in Kansas City but it is a start.

The wild card in this trade is the third round pick the Chiefs received from Washington. KC does not own a first round pick in this years draft so acquiring as many picks as possible is imperative. The Chiefs have proven to be hit or miss in the third round of previous drafts. Success stories like Travis Kelce, Jamaal Charles, Justin Houston, Dustin Colquitt, and most recently Kareem Hunt should give Chiefs fans hope. However for every success there has been a failure drafted in the third round with guys like KeiVarae Russell, Brodie Croyle, Tank Tyler, Phillip Gaines, and Chris Conley. This is also Brett Veach's first draft as a GM but he likes to point out that he was a big proponent behind drafting Hunt this past year. Hopefully the third round magic will continue during this year's draft. 

One final thought, as frustrating as he was Alex Smith should be remembered well for what he did in Kansas City. He came to a franchise that was excited to have Kyle Orton and Tyler Palko as we desperately tried to forget Matt Cassell. He played hard and never made excuses. He worked his tail off and during his last year he put together his best statistical season. People will remember the missed opportunities but I will remember the back to back 2-14 season before Smith arrived. He was by no means perfect but he was better than anything we had since Trent Green. With all of that being said, its time for the Mahomes experience to begin. Let's see what this kid is made of. 

When I saw the Chiefs had traded Alex Smith I expected it to be for a future late round draft pick. He is a good but not great quarterback and every team in the NFL knew the Chiefs wanted to move on and start the Mahomes era. I understand that Smith turned KC around with Andy Reid but when it comes to sports there is no such thing as loyalty as players are requesting trades and signing with rival franchises if it gives them the best chance to win. When I saw the Chiefs got a third round draft pick and a player to be named later I was blown away. Getting a third round pick for a 33 year old middle of the road quarterback was a steal for the Chiefs I thought, then the player's name came out and the trade got even better. The Chiefs filled a big time hole with a young asset and also gained a lot of salary cap money. Of course there are still holes on the team but gaining this money gives the organization the freedom to fill another hole (GIVE ME DEZ). The Chiefs have the talent to make some noise in the playoffs, Mahomes will take time to adjust to the NFL I'm sure but the guy is a gunslinger which I love. Both organizations I have followed never had a quarterback who would take chances deep down field. Mahomes steps into an offense with a variety a weapons, he will have Tyreek Hill one of the fastest wide receivers in the league, Travis Kelce who is arguably the best tight end in the league, and Kareem Hunt will join him in the backfield. The Chiefs could use another receiver on the outside to join Hill, Chris Conley, and Albert Wilson (AGAIN GIVE ME DEZ) but not many young quarterbacks get to start their careers with a supporting cast like this one. 

The Chiefs defense was not great this year and is only getting older with guys like Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali both towards the end of their careers. Adding Fuller will help there is no doubt but there is more that needs to be done. They could use that draft pick to add another defensive player or package that with other assets in a trade if they wanted to. Once again clearing that cap space is huge for the organization and they could use that to add to the defense. I don't believe in Bob Sutton at all but it looks like we will be stuck with him for at least another season. So adding more talent on that side of the ball to cover up Sutton could be imperative. 

A few takeaways for me: this trade was a total fleecing by the Chiefs, get DEZ and inject him into my veins, and I AM ALL IN ON THE MAHOMES ERA!

Do You (yes, you the reader) Qualify for the Hall of Fame?

A few weeks ago I wrote a piece about how we overvalue championships in professional sports. It got me thinking on another topic: We also need to reevaluate the way we view the Hall of Fame and players who belong in it. I was watching a Los Angeles Chargers game a few weeks ago (awful I know) and the announcer mentioned something along the lines of, "there are 2 future Hall of Fame players on the field today." He was talking about Antonio Gates (which I agree with) and Philip Rivers which puzzled me a little bit. Does Philip Rivers belong in the Hall of Fame? This question transcends all sports. Is Carlos Beltran a Hall of Famer in the MLB? Is Pau Gasol a NBA Hall of Famer?

Let's start with a comparison between two NFL QBs:

Player A: 48,096 yards passing, 64.2 completion %, 329 touchdowns, 163 interceptions, 100-85 record in 189 regular season games. 2,165 yards, 60.3 completion %, 11 TDs, 9 INTs, 4-5 record in 9 playoff games. 0 Super Bowl appearances.

Player B: 51,475 yards passing, 56.9 completion %, 300 TDs, 226 INTs, 148-82-1 record in 234 regular season games. 4,964 yards, 54.5 completion %, 27 TDs, 21 INTs, 14-7 record in 22 playoff games. 5 Super Bowl appearances and 2 time Super Bowl champion

Any guesses who these two quarterbacks are? Player A is Philip Rivers and Player B is John Elway, one of the greatest QBs of all time and a Hall of Famer. Looking at the stats, Rivers has put up better numbers but I have never heard anyone mention these two guys in the same breath. Today's NFL is completely different from when Elway was playing, is that a bad thing and should we punish the guys playing today? Absolutely not, the game is played differently today, just look at this stat: Elway attempted over 500 passes six times in his career, Rivers has attempted over 500 passes the past 8 seasons in a row. So does Philip Rivers belong in the hall with guys like Elway, Aikman, Montana, etc.? I don't think so, he is a great player in today's NFL but is not one of the all time best. We need to reevaluate how we view our Hall of Fame players, they cannot be based solely on stats. The yards passing record gets broken every season and it will continue to do so until the game changes again. Are there NFL QBs who belong in the hall? Definitely. I think of players like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Blake Bortles (hahah just kidding, keep doing you Blake), maybe Ben Roethlisberger and Aaron Rodgers. How do we evaluate players and figure out who deserves to be in the Hall of Fame then? Honestly I'm not sure, there are a lot of advanced metrics we should be looking at but it makes it difficult to evaluate players with how much the game has changed and continues to change especially being tilted towards offense and passing offense.

The NBA and MLB face the same problems as the NFL. The NBA is not as physical as it once was and the rules have changed and made the game more offensive minded then ever before. Rookies are dominating the game like never before, are these guys good players? Absolutely, but they are also playing in a great time to put up monster stats. Another aspect for all of professional sports is players are taking better care of their bodies. In baseball guys aren't eating hot dogs, drinking beer, and smoking cigarettes in the dugout. Tom Brady wrote a book titled TB12 which gives a look at how he has lasted so long at one of the most grueling positions in sports and, for God's sake, he talks about eating avocado ice cream. The technology is helping guys stay in the league longer and prolonging their "peak years." In the NBA look at LeBron, in his 15th NBA season through 14 games he is averaging 38 minutes per game, 28 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 8.8 assists. Uhh are you kidding me? For perspective Michael Jordan played 15 seasons and two of those were with the Wizards. It's incredible what LeBron has done in his career regarding his stats and his "ability" to stay healthy. Coming back to the MLB what should we do concerning the steroid epidemic? Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, and Barry Bonds those guys lit the baseball world on fire but got busted for steroids. Should we discount everything they accomplished? Of course not, I think it's completely absurd these guys are not in the hall. I say, create a separate wing and put players busted for steroids there.

Don't get me wrong I think we have a lot of really good players in professional sports right now, look around at some of the jersey's you see people walking around with. I believe we need to reevaluate how we vote players into the Hall of Fame otherwise everyone will get in and it will water down the importance of "being in the Hall of Fame." There are absolutely Hall of Fame players in sports and there always will be but let's not give the honor to everyone.

A Packers Dynasty: What Could Have Been

With Aaron Rodgers suffering a broken collarbone in week 5 of the NFL season and looking like he will miss the rest of the season, I started thinking about all the injuries the Packers have suffered over the years. Without Rodgers the Packers Super Bowl chances take a major hit which shows how important he is to this franchise. This specific NFL season has been a strange one to start out with no dominant team coming out of the first 6 weeks. Most experts liked the Packers to win the NFC because they had Rodgers behind center. I knew it was a lot but the amount the Packers franchise has suffered has been incredible and its even more incredible how they continue to be a perennial Super Bowl contender. I am going to start with Rodgers rookie year and show the team record and where their season ended. Then I will show all the injuries the team suffered and how long they were without that player. I will be showing major players for that team and players that missed at least 3 weeks of the season. After I show the Packers season I will show Rodgers stats and where they ranked in the NFL. Rodgers entered the NFL in 2005 but did not start until 2008 so we will start there.

-2008: Packers Record: 6-10, did not make playoffs Injuries: Nick Barnett MLB(Injured Reserve), Atari Bigby DB(IR), Cullen Jenkins DE(IR), Mark Tauscher OT(IR), Scott Wells C(3 games missed). Even in Rodgers first year the Pack had significant injuries with 2 offensive lineman missing significant time and 3 defensive starters. Rodgers had a great year (which you will notice is an every year thing), he finished 4th in the NFL with 4,038 yards and 4th in touchdowns with 28.

-2009: Record: 11-5, lost in NFC Championship Game Injuries: Atari Bigby DB(3), Jermichael Finley TE(3), Al Harris (who had some great dreads) DB(IR), Jordy Nelson WR(3), Jason Spitz OL(IR), Chad Clifton OL(4). It seems like every season the Packers lose an offensive lineman for a major part of the season and this is what makes Rodgers that much more special.
Rodgers: 4,434 yards (4th in NFL) 30 TDs (4th)

-2010: Record: 10-6, Super Bowl Champs Injuries: Nick Barnett MLB(IR), Atari Bigby DB(PUP), Morgan Burnett DB(IR), Jermichael Finley TE(IR), Ryan Grant HB(IR), Al Harris DB(PUP), Cullen Jenkins DE(5), Brady Poppinga LB(IR), James Starks HB(PUP), Mark Tauscher OT(IR). They won the Super Bowl in a season where they arguably lost the most players and some very valuable ones as well but all that matter is having that ring.
Rodgers: 3,922 yards (7th) 28 TDs (6th)

-2011: Record: 15-1, lost in Divisional Round Injuries: Chad Clifton OT(10), Desmond Bishop LB(3), Bryan Bulaga OT(4), Nick Collins DB(14 and career ending), Greg Jennings WR(3). This was probably their best year regarding injuries but the ones they suffered were major and cost these guys games late in the season.
Rodgers: 4, 643 yards (5th) 45 TDs (2nd)

-2012: Record: 11-4, lost in Divisional Round Injuries: Desmond Bishop LB(IR), Bryan Bulaga OT(IR), Cedric Benson HB(11), Davon House DB(7), Greg Jennings WR(8), Clay Matthews LB(4), Jordy Nelson WR(4), Sam Shields DB(6), Charles Woodson DB(9). This looks like a pro bowl roster not an injury report, going 11-5 seems impossible after looking at this list.
Rodgers: 4,295 yards (8th) 39 TDs (2nd)

-2013: Record: 8-7-1, lost Wild Card game Injuries: Bryan Bulaga OT(IR), Randall Cobb WR(IR), Jermichael Finley TE(IR), Morgan Burnett DB(3), Casey Hayward DB(13), Clay Matthews LB(5), JC Tretter OG (PUP), Aaron Rodgers QB(7). The Pack were 5-2 prior to Rodgers injury but once he went out the season was basically over.
Rodgers: 2,536 yards 17 TDs in 9 games

-2014: Record: 12-4, lost in NFC Championship game Injuries: BJ Raji DT(IR), Davon House DB(3), JC Tretter OG(IR) This was probably a year where the Packers should have won the Super Bowl, they had a great regular season, did not suffer many injuries but lost in overtime to the Seahawks.
Rodgers: 4,381 yards (7th) 38 TDs (3rd)

-2015: Record: 10-6, lost in Divisional Round Injuries: Davante Adams WR(3), Bryan Bulaga OT(4), Morgan Burnett DB(5), Corey Linsley C(3), Ty Montgomery WR(IR), Jordy Nelson WR(IR) Damarious Randall DB(7), Same Shields DB(4). Rodgers lost 3 WRs and still carried the team to the  Divisional Round....have I proven the point that Rodgers is incredible and could/should win MVP every year?
Rodgers: 3,821 yards (17th) 31 TDs (11th)

-2016: Record: 10-6, lost in NFC Championship game Injuries: Demetri Goodson DB(IR), Eddie Lacy RB(IR), Randall Cobb WR(3), Corey Linsley C(IR), Same Shields DB(IR), JC Tretter OG(IR), Blake Martinez LB(3), Clay Matthews LB(4), Damarious Randall DB(7), Quinten Rollins DB(3). The Packers had absolutely no defense and it showed when they lost to the Falcons in the NFC Championship game.
Rodgers: 4,428 yards (4th) 40 TDs (1st)

-2017: Record: 4-2 Injuries: Demetri Goodson DB(PUP), Quinten Rollins DB(IR), Aaron Rodgers QB(Season), Bryan Bulaga OT(3), David Bakhtiari OT(4), Davon House DB(3), Mike Daniels DT(2). 6 games in the season and the Packers are already behind the 8 ball with injuries. With Rodgers being out of the season it appears the season is over for the Packers but maybe Brett Hundley and the dynamic offense can sneak in the playoffs.

I know that every team suffers injuries and has to overcome them but every single year the Packers loose a lot of guys and a lot of them are really important to the team. Their offensive line always seems like a jigsaw puzzle with guys playing out of position and having to fill in for injuries. If the Packers could have avoided some of these injuries I believe they could have won 3 or more Super Bowls and we might be talking about another Packers dynasty.