The Chiefs picked up one of coach Andy Reid‘s favorite receivers two years back…
And former MU standout Jeremy Maclin had a good first season in KC with over 1,000 yards in pass receptions. However he had a strange season last year with odd injuries and some off-field personal reasons to miss games and only two touchdowns.
Maclin was to be KC’s best wide receiver since Otis Taylor – never happened.
At times Maclin looked great and the real deal, but last year seemed to seal his fate – he was a no show.
Instead girlfriend batterer Tyreek Hill seemed to become the Chiefs offense.
Hill had a Pro Bowl season and without him, no playoffs. He’s KC’s new super star.
Yet Hill’s kinda small to be a No. 1 wide out and many see him as more of a gadget player.
Me, I think he’s the real deal, but KC needs another bigger, dependable wide out to help draw traffic away from Hill and do damage.
And right now without a healthy Maclin, we don’t have that player! Yet. Maybe one of the new draft picks?
The Chiefs took a big chance cutting Maclin since the offense is already an issue.
QB Alex Smith needs some receiving help to win, we don’t have much of a running game and Hill and Travis Kelce are not enough to win the division or go deep in playoffs (as we saw last year).
The Chiefs need at least a back and another good receiver to compete for the post season and beyond.
Not only that but KC’s defense has holes and more question marks.
The linebacker spot is big question mark and Justin Houston is still not back to form if he’s even healthy. Dee Ford started out well, then faded. Derrick Johnson has a second leg issue and is 35 and near his career’s end. Tamba Hali is on fumes.
Yikes.
With Oakland adding firepower and getting its Pro Bowl quarterback back, you have to favor them to win the division. Denver has quarterback questions and San Diego moved and has lots of questions.
Right now the Chiefs look more wild card than division champ.
Not only that, but they have a very tough schedule with Dallas, Pats, Steelers oh boy – plus our division rivals.
KC needed money under the cap just to sign Patrick Mahomes their hope for the future and No 1 pick.
All of which makes KC is a real mystery for next season.
Maybe the Chiefs saw more issues in training camp already with Maclin.
I don’t know.
What I do know is we need HELP!
Let’s see if it’s out there.
Other than your over-hype re: hill, you are 100% on the nose with this article, CG. As for “girlfriend batterer”, he’s not a WR any more than Dante Hall was – he’s an kick & punt returner – a gadget player, neither naturally good/big enough play wr at an NFL level. Outside a big play here or there, he’s a smaller version of tamarick vanover. He is too small & as other players like him before, will get injured sooner than later with more usage.
No less than KC/espn reporter Adam Teicher, whose unbiased takes draw ‘hater’ calls from the idiot faction (which comprises about 90%) of KC fandom, believes hill is not even going to start for KC – hence, the gadget tag. If in fact he does start, it will be due the swiss other options being even less appealing, not due to hill’s (limited) potential.
Kerouac also suspects a desperate fandom, one that sees mahomes with their heart in lieu their head, will be majorly disappointed when, not only does smith start at qb for KC this year, but returns again to do the same 2018. Those are the same fans who are of a mind that a 33 year old in 2017 and 34/35 in 2018 /2019 smith will bring a huge bounty of draft choices in a trade… to which Kerouac replies: dream on, Bullwinkle’s. An old qb, one who never succeeded in a tailor-made offense sf/kc, will bring next to nothing from any other team.
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As for the AFC West: the swiss were an 8-8 team at best, before maclin was excised. Now? They’ll be lucky to reach .500, and with Oak/Den both being superior should finish 1-2; KC should battle LA for 3rd place (look out for the Chargers, who may be the NFL’s surprise team of 2017.) Upshot: ‘Wait till next year’, part 2018, verse 49.
🙂
Strange move by the Chiefs, they must’ve found something out recently because they could have cut him months ago for the same cap hit. I think I read somewhere once that if a WR loses a half a step – his ability to break away from a defender – he’s finished.
Chiefs’ fan nightmare: With Jamal Charles in Denver, the Broncos pick up Maclin and both go on to destroy the Chiefs during the regular season.
Very possible..I also think the Raiders are the real deal with Derek Carr at the helm. Still, this is Alex’s last chance to not only get into the playoffs but win a few as well. Hopefully Alex’s soul hasn’t been crushed by the release of Maclin..I think he’ll be a professional about it and still go out and play hard. Plus, Alex is auditioning for a new job for a new team isn’t he?
KC will miss j-mac.
After all the young man went thru in his personal life to become a top nfl receiver
I’m sure another team will gladly pick him up.
I first met j mac before the first KU/MU game at arrowhead and was impressed with his
manners and his humility.
After a tough life prior to MU where his home life was tough and where Dr. Parress,
the father of one of j macs teamates in high school took him in and where one of his
teachers became a role model for him he went on to a #1 pick in the nfl and a long
and hopefully continuing career.
His life was tough…but he overcame so many tough situations to reach his goal.
I think his injuries and the playcalling reduced his effectiveness with the chiefs.
But he’s endured and made good so far…I think his star is still shining.
good luck j mac….we’ll miss ya!
Tyreek hill is a flash just like all the other very small receivers kc has tried.
Hope not….we need him this year to make a run for a wild card spot.
I said last year early on he was the real deal. He was a first pick all pro. 12 td’s and the main reason we won the division and went to the playoffs, without him no way. I think he will be great again this year. Yes we need another wide out. He is not ready to be the one and only receiver outside of Kelce. Those two need help and so does Alex.
As stated Chiefs have several critical needs and hard to believe we can solve them with new draft picks? We have low dough for free agents, maybe a trade but who? Need a solid running back, wide out, likely at least one more linebacker…hey how bout a veteran back up quarterback? Lots of questions….doesn’t feel very good right now…Chiefs on paper are a competitive team, but look .500ish…not 11 wins or more…hope that’s not the case.
It always comes down to QB’s and playmakers. Obviously we don’t have Big Ben, Brady, Luck, Carr so there’s nothing we can do until we get something along these lines.
I meant Alex Gordon on the Royals sorry.
Being a cancer survivor does not make you an honorable guy. It makes you a cancer survivor. When he needed support the Chiefs went above and beyond. They could have kicked him to the curb and many would have been OK with that decision. When Berry recovered he made it very clear he wanted big bucks and the vibe was that he might even leave. Then the Chiefs step up again with dream bucks. He can’t even show enough respect to show up at OTAs and be an example for the young players. That had to feel like a kick in the gonads for Reid and Dorsey… And Hunt too.
I am not a fan of his any longer.
Rainbow man for once I kinda agree with you. The Chiefs and Royals seem to have a habit of overpaying players for past deeds and getting little in return. Hope with Berry that’s not the case. It seems it was for Houston,Charles and others as well as Alex Smith for the Royals. Don’t forget Larry Johnsons final contract either. Charles was one who had earned it the most, then got hurt and dumped. Houston may never be great again.
Yes Eric should have been there. I agree. It was wrong on his part. However if he is close to last years player that will be forgotten, IF THE CHIEFS are winners again. Thats a big IF.
Maybe the Chiefs plan to run the Wildcat this year with Tyreek Hill at tailback. Or Alex Smith takes a page from Terelle Pryor’s playbook and converts to WR and Mahomes starts at QB.
Same day the Chiefs announce new positions in cap management. Coincidence or coorrelation?
Andy has always, sans the TO-time, been running #2s as #1 receiver spot. Kelcie is the main target anyway.
At least Clark didn’t call the new hires capologists, right?
horrible cap management by chiefs. they need 10 million bucks so let mac go.
The rest of the team hated to see mac go.
Travis was especially pissed/Smith was pissed. Way to go dorsey.
Clark needs to wake up and stop letting these idiots run the team.
It’s all about the cap. Look at denver and how they work their money.