After Q1 - a look back at the Chiefs locker room raid

by Evan Skev on Oct 5, 2011 1:03 PM EDT

The KC Chiefs did their best to sign as many players from the Baltimore Ravens team that beat them in last year's playoffs. They gave contracts to Baltimore's beloved Kelly Gregg, and the not so beloved Le'Ron McClain and Jared Gaither. Unfortunately for them, none of the three is living up to expectations in Kansas City.

from http://arrowheadaddict.com/2011/10/04/the-morning-fix-491/

"The Chiefs picked up a trio of players from the team that knocked them out of last year’s playoffs and right now they aren’t getting the expected returns on those investments. Jared Gaither can’t get on the field (when he did last week he false started), Kelly Gregg is show signs of age and is being out-performed by Amon Gordon, and Le’Ron McClain looks a shadow of the player he was for the Ravens. McClain in Baltimore was a big bodied, punishing lead blocker, runner and receiver; in Kansas City he looks noticeably thinner and doesn’t bring anything like that sort of strength in any facet of the game. McClain is still listed at 260lb but he doesn’t look that big and really struggled in this game with the likes of Henderson brothers. If the intent was to slim McClain down to give him the speed to lead for Jamaal Charles, then the Chiefs will now be desperate to have his power game back."

No one is surprised that Jared Gaither can't play or that LeRon is no longer that bruising FB that he used to be but it is a little surprising that Buddy Lee isn't whipping his young competition on the D line. Could it be that he knows this team is headed nowhere? What does this mean for future Ravens castoffs... will they find it more difficult to get new jobs after King Ozzie gives them their walking papers? Something to think about...

The opinions posted here are those of the administrator of this blog and his loyal readers. They are in no way official comments from the team, and should not be misconstued as such, even though he thinks he could do just as well or even a better job!

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Ozzie knows when to let a player walk

by Luke E on Oct 5, 2011 6:05 PM EDT reply actions

McClain4RB

I’m afraid Le’Ron read his own tweets too often and decided he was a RB and not a FB.

Buddy Lee’s age just caught up to him. 35 is not young for a NT.

Jared Gaither is a beast and will be an All Pro. Next year.

"What we've got here is failure to communicate."

by Fandemonium on Oct 5, 2011 6:42 PM EDT reply actions

The whole team is falling apart in KC, not just our former players. The gamplanning appears to be horrible on both sides of the ball and with injuries, they have become 1 dimensional and predictable.

Leron is a good blocker and a good RB if given the chance and a good supporting cast, but he doesn’t have either of those over there. Losing the weight really has hurt him though and I have to imagine that is why he didn’t get more looks from teams in the offseason.

Gaither will end up starting by the end of the season and will go into the next season as the starter. Its just hard to look good as an OL when the whole team looks horrible and the coaching won’t do anything to help.

by Mstevens_Design on Oct 6, 2011 12:09 AM EDT up reply actions

any facts to support your opinion that Gaither will be starting this season and next?

by Evan Skev on Oct 6, 2011 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Just that their Oline is horrible right now and they will want to make a change. If he’s seeing time already, they are just getting him ready for the spot. But no real fact or any rumors or anything out there, just thought process.

by Mstevens_Design on Oct 6, 2011 10:23 AM EDT up reply actions

You state it like it’s a fact with no regard for actual facts… Why not say “Gaither could” or even framing it as a question and encouraging a dialogue.. seeing if anyone else agrees with you

In this case, Gaither sucks… He won’t be starting anywhere this season or next because the foundation upon which a professional career is built is the work ethic… And his is well-documented as being unacceptable for a pro.

by Evan Skev on Oct 6, 2011 12:35 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions

You have any facts to back that up?

I mean besides his career as a Terp or Raven.

"What we've got here is failure to communicate."

by Fandemonium on Oct 6, 2011 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m pretty sure that if it was a factual statement it would be well documented by me. Since this is a blog where we share our opinions, you have to assume everything written without documentation is just opinion.

Evan, either way you would have had your panties in a bunch because its talk about Gaither that isnt straight bashing him. The fact that you asked me if it was fact, I responded by saying its opinion and you feel the need to respond to that with a long winded post about how I “state it like fact with no regard for actual facts” just shows that you continue to look for a fight on anyone that doesn’t agree with your opinion.

On top of that, at the beginning of the season you mentioned that Gaither wouldn’t get signed by anyone, then you mention he won’t even play, then you mentioned that he wouldn’t start. Its funny to see you backpedal as Gaither gets him self up to speed and in the starting lineup of a decent Oline that is currently struggling without a rushing attack.

I won’t even go on about you having no factual evidence to say Gaither won’t be starting at any point this year and that you have no factual evidence of his “negative” work ethic as a Raven. But because you like to pick a fight over an opinion, I’m sure you’ll try and Google something and you’ll find some ridiculous article where you allude to his bad work ethic while he was here, when in all reality, you and everyone else on here has no idea what really went on between Gaither and the FO.

Just to summarize for you…. If you don’t like the way I state things, then feel free to ignore my posts and me in general. Or you could chill out a bit, and take things in stride.

by Mstevens_Design on Oct 6, 2011 7:52 PM EDT up reply actions

The guy was a top 5 left tackle when on the field

That’s good enough for me

by TheShadow on Oct 6, 2011 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions

I believe someone had mentioned that he was the top LT in the game for a year. I can’t recall who said it or where it is, because it was some time ago.

by Mstevens_Design on Oct 6, 2011 9:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Not to stir up shit, but the keyword in your comment is was. If the rumors about his work ethic have any truth to them, then he’ll be out of the league in a year or two. If he can keep his head on straight, he has the potential to be a top notch OT. Only time will tell, but I’m skeptical.

"Is adult entertainment killing our children, or is killing children entertaining adults?"
-Marilyn Manson

by StuckInUtah on Oct 6, 2011 9:47 PM EDT up reply actions

was only because of injury though and he’s battling through those and seeing playing time. He had some reputation from failing out of college as having no work ethic, but you don’t become a regular starter with a playoff team by not working hard. During the offseason, I posted numerous articles that mentioned how hard he was working to reverse that stereotype about himself and gain the respect of the team.

So far all those “rumors” are just that, rumors and they all come from people that assume a guy failing out of college makes him a slacker forever. My point with Evan has been that he made mention that Gaither wouldn’t play at all this year. Yet here he is getting snaps with a team that has a good Oline (they are struggling because of having no rushing attack and a very limited passing attack).

By Evan making vague announcements now like “Gaither will amount to nothing” he’s always right unless he becomes a Pro-Bowl player or goes into the HOF and that’s just playing the odds instead of staking your reputation on a comment. Last time we all talked we had set it up to where the under/over was on Gaither playing this season and now that isn’t good enough for him because it goes against his weird Gaither hate.

We are all a little skeptical of Gaither, even me. Not to continue to stir the pot, but I mentioned before that if Gaither sees the field this season, he would be worth every penny of that vet minimum contract he signed. Again here we are and my prediction came true.

by Mstevens_Design on Oct 7, 2011 9:24 AM EDT up reply actions

why doesn’t a 6’9’’ 340# O lineman with great natural athletic ability become a starter? we witnessed it happen and we witnessed the fall from grace

when did Gaither become a Ravens project? why is signing him to a vet minimum even an option for the Ravens? he already shat the bed in Baltimore.

and why do you (and others) refuse to associate the problems with the results? why are you trying to come out on top of this argument where the subject of your praise was unceremoniously released by a GM that you agree is the best in the biz… how do you reconcile all of this?

what is “weird gaither hate?” that’s your imagination at work. i dislike professionals who refuse to put in the work necessary to be the best at what they do while, at the same time, using proxies to manipulate their employer and potential employers in order to secure large financial guarantees.

finally, we are not all “a little skeptical of gaither.” ozzie newsome wants nothing to do with him, i and other want nothing to do with him, and you and hawk and others continue to argue that our starting LT be demoted to a project lineman. and you have the unmitigated gall to continue to argue that he is now a success in KC as a project OL. does any of this make sense to anyone? I’d love to be educated so I understand it that wat

by Evan Skev on Oct 7, 2011 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions

why doesn’t a 6’9’’ 340# O lineman with great natural athletic ability become a starter? we witnessed it happen and we witnessed the fall from grace

Yep, the reason is because of injury. The guy had major injury concerns last year that could kill his career and ultimately force him to be very limited in normal life. To take that and turn it into a work ethic problem is a stretch though.

when did Gaither become a Ravens project? why is signing him to a vet minimum even an option for the Ravens? he already shat the bed in Baltimore.

He never was a project. At the time he was signed by the Chiefs we had absolutely no offensive line at all aside from Yanda, Grubbs, Birk and Oher (even if he is the worst guy we have) and absolutely no depth behind those guys. At the vet minimum, him sitting on the bench as a backup or short spells of playing time would have been worth it. We have a guy like Mattison on the team making the same amount even though he will never be half the OL Gaither is and was. You are assuming he “shat the bed” here in Baltimore. Like I had mentioned, there are absolutely no facts that say this is the case aside from rumors that he faked an injury.

ozzie newsome wants nothing to do with him

We were interested in him and stated numerous times that we were interested. In the same way we were interested in Mason and things soured, maybe the same thing happened here. You are speaking for people you have no job speaking for. Unless you have a key to the practice facility you can’t say that you know what Ozzie is thinking. For a guy that likes to get pissy at people for stating opinions without facts, you seem to do it an awful lot here.

you and hawk and others continue to argue that our starting LT be demoted to a project lineman

I like McKinnie in there right now, but that wasnt what we have been talking about by any means. Here again you stretch was has been said so it makes you look right when no one has said anything like this. Did he deserve the LT spot if healthy over Oher?…. YEP! Was he worth the vet minimum if he sees the field at all this year, in my opinion?… YEP!

finally, we are not all "a little skeptical of gaither."

By any skepticism, all of us wonder about 1 of his injuries given how frustrated he was about being moved to RT and his agent/ agent’s reputation. Have you noticed that you are the only 1 that speaks up about Gaither being gone a good thing and there are many people that say he was worth the vet minimum at that time? Its because while we are all a little skeptical of his injuries and the rumors of a work ethic problem, no one can justify not taking the risk/reward given the information we know about him.

To blindly follow what Ozzie does is plain foolish. The man may be the best in the business, but he makes mistakes like everyone else. He too has a temper and can make decisions based on emotion instead of analysis. No one really knows why Gaither isn’t back with us, just like we don’t know why Mason isn’t still with us. Given the factual information we have on hand and not any rumors or what we think is the case, we can make an educated guess on why he wasn’t signed by us and then make a conclusion on whether we think his promise and talent would have been worth the vet minimum based on his cons.

you have the unmitigated gall to continue to argue that he is now a success in KC

First and foremost, I was never talking to you, but to Fan’s post. I know how you feel and we disagree and that’s fine with me. I still don’t get your reasoning when you have no facts to back any of it up aside from a College career that happened years ago and should be dismissed given his history here as 1 of the top LTs in the league that put time and effort into improving his skillset and the way he was viewed.

You keep calling him a project. He is taking it slow due to injuries and being on a brand new team with a bunch of new players and a new scheme and he’s still seeing playing time on a very good Oline. Again, at what point in your eyes does Gaither become successful this year? Until you set a solid goal to argue against, your opinion is moot and not valid at all in any debate. Why not post up articles that state without a shadow of a doubt his “work ethic problems” instead of alluding to it in every conversation like you have some secret evidence no one else has.

So just like you like to do….

And his is well-documented as being unacceptable for a pro.

You have any links to back this up?

by Mstevens_Design on Oct 8, 2011 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

if you take the things that coaches and GMs say to the media regarding personnel at face value, you’ve likely to be a little naive. and there’s no proof other than gaither getting terminated from MD and terminated from his dream job… i love how “he’s still seeing playing time”

ok my friend… you win. gaither is whatever you say he is

by Evan Skev on Oct 8, 2011 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions

He never said this was his dream job. Why do you need to take things to an extreme? Why can’t you argue based on what actually happened and actual facts instead of representing things in your own little vision like they are what happened?

Its just a shame that others let you bully them while they ignore your passive aggressive comments and let you go on thinking you’ve won, instead of putting you in your place with reasoning and accountability. If more people slapped you back down to reality, maybe you wouldn’t act like a spoiled little brat.

Your not worth any more of my time at this point since your opinions are unfounded and hostile to everyone else’s opinions.

by Mstevens_Design on Oct 9, 2011 12:38 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

i cant win an argument that’s already been decided by the people who matter

keep an eye on gaither and maybe you can come back and tell me you told me so… and hold your breath

by Evan Skev on Oct 9, 2011 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Can someone take Evan’s Keyboard privileges from him? His mother should be ashamed for letting him back on the computer this soon after his head injury.

by Mstevens_Design on Oct 9, 2011 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

good one…quality talk

by Evan Skev on Oct 10, 2011 6:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Matt, the proof is in the pudding.

And… Show me where I’ve backpedaled… I’ve been very clear about where I suspect Gaither is headed.

One more time…just for you. Gaither doesn’t work hard so Gaither will amount to nothing.

Mark it down.

by Evan Skev on Oct 7, 2011 12:43 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Evan, that is as vague of a prediction as you can make. Why not say exactly what you think and if you are wrong, you are wrong. What makes it a successful year for Gaither given his low salary for you? Would it be if Gaither starts 1 game this year for the Chiefs, it is a successful year for him?

Honestly, you aren’t worth going back and highlighting anything you said because it really won’t matter with you. So far you have your opinion and I have mine. My biggest thing here is that your opinion will never change regardless of how well Gaither does in his professional career and that’s fine, but recognize that and lay off of other people that don’t follow that same train of thought.

Just come out and say it so we all have something to gauge how well Gaither is doing in a season and can debate on that point instead of your opinion that Gaither had no work ethic and my opinion that he does have work ethic, but major injury concerns.

by Mstevens_Design on Oct 7, 2011 9:28 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs