Yardbarker: Adrian Jones

KU Football: Tanner Hawkinson and Company May Be the Best Someday

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 10:18:02 -0500

KU has had some great offensive linemen in recent years. Adrian Jones, Joe Vaughn, David Ochoa, Cesar Rodriguez, Anthony Collins, and Ryan Cantrell are just a few names you might remember. It's too bad that soon you will forget about these men, as well as each and every other lineman who has ever strapped into the crimson and blue. I know that I tend to get a little prematurely excited, but I don't see how Jayhawk fans can avoid feeling great about the future of KU's offensi...

Edwards and Bradley Among Those Listed as Questionable for Sunday

Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:02:41 -0500

The Chiefs have listed CB Maurice Leggett, LB Donnie Edwards, WR Mark Bradley, and OL Rudy Niswanger as questionable for week 15. OL Adrian Jones, LB Pat Thomas, CB Patrick Surtain, and OL Damion McIntosh are probable.

Chiefs vs. Saints Pre Game Gab

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 16:51:22 -0500

Three losses by a combined eight points, for three consecutive weeks the Chiefs have knocked on victory?s door and came up short. As this young team continues to struggle to find a way to win late in ball games they will welcome back running back Larry Johnson, who returns from a four week combined Chiefs-NFL suspension/deactivation. The Saints meanwhile will come into Arrowhead without their #1 RB Reggie Bush who was a late week scratch with a knee injury. In his place will be a combination of Deuce McAllister and Pierre Thomas, the Saints currently ranked 27th in the league in rushing will look to get the ground game on track against the Chiefs who are ranked dead last in rush defense. This is a make or break game for the Saints who are 4-5 and three games back in the ultra competitive NFC south. To keep their playoff hopes alive the Saints will not only need to win this game but win it convincingly enough to generate some confidence within the team to make a stretch run successful enough to make the postseason. As bad as the Saints rush offense is their pass offense is its polar opposite, it is ranked #1 in the league in passing yards a game highlighted by receiver Devery Henderson who is averaging nearly 30 yards a catch. All of this without # 1 receiver Marques Colston for a majority of the season. QB Drew Brees the ring leader of this offensive juggernaut has to lead the Saints to their first road victory of the season. At some point the Chiefs will stop being satisfied with improved play and it will start affecting their physce if they keep losing these close games. With six key players out for the Chiefs this week mostly on defense, the MASH unit is growing larger and larger for the Chiefs. If the Chiefs can beat the Saints this week, a team that has it's back against the wall and will definitely not be looking past them. It will give the young players the knowledge they cannot only play with anybody they can also beat anybody. Herm Edwards was voted a top five coach to play for by the players association, not to say he is on the hot seat but nobody survives a 1-15 season now days, no matter how many were close calls. A win against the Saints goes a long way to ensuring he is on the Chiefs sidelines in 2009. Keys to the Game Work L.J. into the lineup: With the recent success of the spread offense, Tyler Thigpen directing the attack with Jamal Charles, Mark Bradley, D-Bowe and Tony G it would be easy for the Chiefs to say thanks but no thanks to L.J. Who returns this week from suspension, regardless of how he fits in the offense the Chiefs need to remember the only game they have won this season has a lot to do with L.J. and his 198 yards against Denver. This will be the perfect game to work L.J. into the lineup, the Saints defense is not particularly strong ranking 25th overall and 19th against the run. Bottom line L.J. makes this team better it is on Herm and Chan Gailey to make sure L.J.?s return does not mess up the rhythm the offense currently has. Shut down the Saint?s passing attack: This one maybe easier said than done without their starting DE, OLB, CB, MLB and Nickel back. The Chiefs will have to dig deep to come up with a answer for Drew Brees and the #1 ranked passing attack. The Saints thrive on the big play if the Chiefs can shut that part of their game plan down and make them dink and dunk Brees could get frustrated and that could lead to some turnovers. And while the Chiefs were successful last week in stopping the big play, giving up the big play has been the knock on this team along with a bad run defense. The Saints by far are the biggest big play threat the Chiefs have faced this season. Eliminate the unnecessary mistake: Last week the Chiefs lost because they had a injury at long snapper and the replacement blew the snap on a PAT. This team will make several mistakes every single game, young teams do that and it is part of the rebuilding process. Coaches will be ok with aggressive mistakes like pass interference, holding and horse collar tackles but they get infuriated with the mental mistakes, off sides, illegal formation and false start penalties. Uncovered kickoffs right before half and blown coverages deep down field are exactly the mistakes the Chiefs cannot afford to make and give an explosive Saints offense any kind of advantage in this contest. Injury Report Tamba Hali DE Quadricep Out Derrick Johnson LB Thigh Out Adrian Jones G Ankle Out Patrick Thomas LB Thigh Out Brandon Flowers CB Thigh Out Patrick Surtain CB Quadricep Out Jamaal Charles RB Ankle Probable Jarrad Page S Groin Full Probable Saints Report Reggie Bush RB Knee Out Aaron Glenn CB Ankle Out Jonathan Goodwin C Knee Out Mike Karney RB Knee Out Brian Young DT Knee Out Garrett Hartley K Back Probable Aaron Stecker RB Hamstring Probable Marques Colston WR Knee Probable Jon Stinchcomb T Calf Probable Weather Report: Kickoff at Arrowhead will sunny and 51 degrees with 16 mph south westerly breeze. Final Score: Chiefs 21 Saints 31 The Chiefs are the trendy pick to win this week, from local sports talk radio to ESPN every one has the Chiefs beating the Saints? I understand the Chiefs seem to have grown by leaps and bounds the last three weeks and may have found their QOF and played some good teams close but the Saints are way to motivated, explosive and talented for the Chiefs with all of their injuries to pull this one out. Tyler Thigpen will probably have a good game, the Saints defense has been a big disappointment this season. The Saints know if they lose this game they are out of the playoff hunt, QB Drew Brees will not let this game get away.

7 Things that Need to Happen

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:17:04 -0500

Going into the season everybody knew there was a chance this season could get ugly, but nobody anticipates getting beat 34-0, not even in the middle of a rebuilding project. If you take out the Denver game this team has got progressively worse every single week, offensively and defensively. At 1-4 the Chiefs now know they are not a threat for the playoffs. The Chiefs also had a lot of questions heading into the season most of which are still not answered. This team cannot afford to exit the season with those questions still lingering. There are a lot of draft picks that are playing but there are too many that are not playing. At 1-4 it is time to call up players from triple A and see what you really have in your farm system.. 1.Move Donnie Edwards to MLB once he is healthy : This move has less to do with the youth movement and more to do to with the fact that the Chiefs rank 31st in the league in rush defense. Donnie Edwards has made it to the Pro Bowl playing middle linebacker, Pat Thomas the current starter is not the only problem on the defense but when you are second to last in rush defense you have to shake things up. This move would also give the Chiefs more speed in their line backing unit as they could continue to start Demorrio Williams at OLB. Granted, Williams did not play well in the loss to Carolina but nobody on the roster played well in that game. 2. Keep starting Brandon Carr: Coverage cornerback is one of the most important positions on the field, right behind QB and LT. CB Patrick Surtain should be ready to come back from his injury against the Titans after the bye week. The worst mistake the Chiefs can make is to insert Surtain back into the lineup, Brandon Carr has given up yardage against the receivers he has faced but has shown a knack for the ball being involved in two turnovers in the Broncos game. The Chiefs have to know for sure heading into the off season that they hit on Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr so they can focus on scouting and improving other positions. 3. Bench Damion Mcintosh: Damion has been put into a tough position being asked to switch from the left side of the line, where he had played for 9 seasons to switching to the right side. If the Chiefs were not rebuilding I would like to see him get a longer look at RT, but Mcintosh is not part of the future for the Chiefs. That means the more he plays the more it stunts the growth of a developing player like Herb Taylor who has filled in nicely for Branden Albert on two separate occasions. Herm Edwards has been saying he wants "cohesion" on the offensive line but since there has been no real progress made on the right side of the line, making some substitutions should not disrupt their development it should only help. 4.Start anybody but Devard Darling at receiver: Devard Darling has been ineffective at best, Everybody remembers his break away catch against the Patriots. Darling's stat line in the next four games of the season was two catches. That is inexcusable for a number two wide out, To say the Chiefs don't have the best receivers in the league would be a understatement but there has to be a better option than Darling. Will Franklin the fourth round draft pick from Missouri would be the logical answer but he has struggled to find a groove since his preseason knee injury. Maybe Jeff Webb is the answer maybe it is newly signed Mark Bradley but the Chiefs will not find out until they send somebody new out there to catch passes opposite D-Bowe. 5. Play Brodie the rest of the year: All the Chiefs can do on this one is hope, Hope Brodie stays healthy long enough the remainder of the season to show the Chiefs he is their quarterback of the future or that he is not. The Chiefs have to know what Brodie is by the end of the season or it was a wasted season. The Chiefs have to know Brodie is the real deal at QB or find out if he is the long term answer at backup QB maybe being someone who could replace the aging Damon Huard. The Chiefs can ill afford to pull Croyle at any point the rest of the season no matter how much he struggles. Because he will either turn it around and keep his job, or the Chiefs will know for certain to go as hard as they can at the next big college QB. Chiefs Nation will be highly upset if they address the QB situation by throwing just another third round pick they took a flyer on out there. 6. Open the competition at right guard: Adrian Jones has not played up to expectations this season making the switch from tackle to guard. It has been apparent since the training camp he was struggling with the position switch. The bottom line is Brodie will not stay healthy or develop unless the Chiefs can stop the bleeding on the right side of the line. The Chiefs do not have many solid options available at their disposal either. The best option would be to fill in with Wade Smith a six year veteran who is listed as the backup center but played guard in the preseason and played well, not to say Smith is the answer, but over the bye week the Chiefs need to see if Adrian Jones is really the best option at guard before trotting him out on the field again. 7.Move Brian Johnston up in the rotation: Right now Johnston is the second defensive end on the rotation behind Alphonso Boone. Both players are tied for the team lead with one sack, but only one fits into the youth movement. Johnston has played efficiently since seeing a increase in his playing time with Tamba Hali's injury concerns. Johnston may just be a rotation guy or he may end up being a elite pass rusher, but the Chiefs will never know if they don't get him on the field more. The Chiefs are gaining nothing for the future by playing Boone ahead of Johnston. Even if Johnston struggles and he turns out not to be a player at least the Chiefs won't be wondering what they have in him at this time next year.

Five Things: The Hated Raidahs

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:04:34 -0500

Five Things That Scare Me About the Raiders: 1. Ronald Curry. He always roasts us. 2. Tommy Kelly. Warren Sapp says he still doesn't know how to play defensive tackle. With his size and talent, if he figures out a little more this week...let's just say Adrian Jones and Rudy Niswanger could ...

Breaking Down the Chiefs Offense by Position

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:33:36 -0500

Choices have been made and pink slips have been handed out, playbooks handed in and lockers cleaned out. The Chiefs have decided what offensive players they want to take into Foxboro. For the most part the roster moves and cuts went as expected but there was a few head scratchers. Why keep two return specialists when you need bodies at other positions? How can you not find a spot for Bobby Sippio all he does is catch the football and the fans loved him, he definitely could have helped Carl sell a couple extra tickets. Quarterback: Brodie Croyle, Tyler Thigpen, Damon Huard Really no surprises here, the Chiefs feel confident in this bunch. They think Brodie will flourish in Chan Gailey's offense and turn out to be the leader he has been hyped to be. Damon Huard has proved he is a capable backup and efficient in short stretches. The official backup Tyler Thigpen looked more like a developmental QB in the preseason and not as crisp as Huard. Running Back/Full Back: Larry Johnson, Kolby Smith, Jamal Charles, Dontrell Savage, Jackie Battle, Mike Cox The big shocker here was the Chiefs keeping a fifth running back, Jackie Battle. Correction they were forced to keep Battle, he had put together quite a little highlight film for himself in the preseason and the Chiefs knew he would not clear waivers. Now there is a logjam at the position and Carl Peterson could be burning up the phone lines trying to make a deal???.but which running back would go? Wide Receiver: Dwayne Bowe, Devard Darling, Will Franklin, Jeff Webb, Maurice Price The most exciting position battle of the preseason was Bobby Sippio and Maurice Price. Like two boxers that went blow for blow for with each other, they went catch for catch with each other, Price looked faster and had more catches, Sippio looked more reliable and had more touchdowns. In the end this came down Price having age on his side. Dwayne Bowe looks like a super star in the making, Devard Darling will start opposite Bowe but could be pushed by Franklin for that role by season's end. Tight End: Tony Gonzalez, Brad Cottam, John Paul Foschi Gonzalez may be the best tight end in NFL history and does not show any signs of slowing down, last season he had 99 catches and over 1100 yards. Cottam seems to be the perfect compliment for Gonzalez, solid blocker, nice speed for a TE along with soft hands. Foschi will play in goal line situations and special teams Offensive Line: Branden Albert, Brian Waters, Rudy Niswanger, Adrian Jones, Damion Mcintosh, Herb Taylor, Barry Richardson, Wade Smith, Brian De La Puente Looked much improved over last years squad in the preseason. The question marks will come from the right side of the line. With a unproven and inconsistent Adrian Jones and a aging Damion Mcintosh. The Chiefs did go light on the amount of line man they kept due to Wade Smith's ability to play guard and center along with Herb Taylor being able to play guard and tackle. A lot of the Chief's success this year is predicated on ball control and keeping the opponents offense off the field. If this line can't block the Chiefs can't move the sticks and they can't win the game playing defense.

State of the Chiefs Address

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:20:59 -0500

After witnessing the debacle in Miami I came to a conclusion. The Chiefs have too many young players to be competitive. There is just not enough experience to know how to win. With the addition of kicker Jay Feely the Chiefs made the right decision. Kicker Connar Barth and Nick Novak were just simply not going to cut it they both missed field goals the last two weeks from 48 yards out. That's not a chip shot but the Chiefs are going to kick a lot of those field goals this year and once they realized they did not have a kicker that could make those kicks they went out and got a steady veteran. They need to do exactly what they did with Feely at a lot of other positions. I was all for the youth movement you bring the players into camp and give them a opportunity to step up. But after three preseason games and all of training camp the coaches know who is a player and who is not. Herm has said over and over again "this is our team we are not going to bring in a bunch of veterans". In this case it maybe ok to go back on your word. When Herm said that he did not know Brodie Croyle was going to look as shaky as he did. He did not know Tyler Thigpen was going to lack the ability to look off defenders. He did know Damon Huard probably only has about six games left in the tank but did not figure he was going to have to actually use him. Think the Chiefs are rethinking not signing Chad Pennington? After teams cut down rosters to 53 players there will be some veterans out there who can help the Chiefs. Herm and Carl hit on some young players but they missed on some to. They need to admit what players they missed on and replace them our at least let them ride the bench for a year and learn. If a solid offensive lineman pops up the Chiefs have to jump on him. They have to give Brandon Albert a shot at tackle and they found a player in Herb Taylor and Rudy Niswanger, but they missed on Adrian Jones. Barry Richardson could be a good player but is not ready to play this year. The Chiefs have no pass rush. I think in time this line will come together and begin to get after the QB there is just too much talent for them not to. So if the Chiefs add a immediate pass rusher it would need to be a linebacker who can get after it. With all the injury's at linebacker Herm could be tempted if somebody is out there. Herm is a defensive player it has to drive him crazy to watch a QB have all day in the pocket. Trades are also not out of the question as the team continues to overhaul their roster. While Herm loves to coral as many draft picks as he can. If the Chiefs could pick up some players like Anquan Boldin for a second rounder or a player like John Beck who is available for a fourth rounder it could add some spark to the sagging offense. The young players on this team will never blossom to their full potential with out some more veterans to keep them in games so they can learn to play in fourth quarters when the game is tight. Or how to come out and respond in the second half when they just had their buts handed to them in the first half. The Chiefs have to find a way to bring in a viable quarterback option. They have to get a pass rush specialist in here and they need to find a sturdy lineman or two and then the rookies and young players can be in a position to succeed. Without these ingredients the only thing the players are going to learn this year is how to pick yourself up off the ground.

Kansas City Chiefs (Arrowhead Addict)

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 23:33:38 -0500

Team MVP: Dwayne Bowe. If It hadn't of been for Adrian Peterson's remarkable rookie season, The Show would have been the NFL''s Offensive Rookie of the Year. Last season he fell five yards shy of the 1,000 yard mark, but don't expect history to repeat itself. If quarterback Brodie Croyle can get Bowe the rock, then the Chiefs will finally have the dominate receiver they've been searching for since Otis Taylor hung up his cleats. D-Bowe's presence (along with the on...

Chiefs Start Preseason w/ 24-20 Victory in Chicago

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:30:40 -0500

In their first preseason game of the year the Chiefs beat the Bears 24-20. The Chiefs scored three touchdowns. They scored four all of last preseason. More importantly the Chiefs got to see their young players in live game action and a majority of them rose to the occasion . During the first drive of the game Brodie Croyle led the Chiefs down the field on a 16 play drive 81 yard drive. The drive chewed up more than eight minutes off the clock and culminated with a Larry Johnson touchdown. Croyle went 6 for 10 passing and 5 for 5 on third down and looked every bit the leader of this team. Defensively the Chiefs starters looked solid but not spectacular and seemed to still have some of the tackling problems that have plagued them the past couple of seasons. The starters kept the Bears out of the end zone but it is the worst offense they will see all season.. Early in the second quarter Damon Huard came on in relief of Brodie and after shaking off some early rust Huard showed why he is still on this team. Huard went 6 for 8 passing, 77 yards and hit Maurice Price for a 8 yard touchdown that capped a perfectly executed 2 minute drill no huddle offense. That gave the Chiefs a 14-3 lead going into half time. Huard proved he is a fighter and if he has to give up the starter position he is not going to concede the back up job. After half time Tyler Thigpen took over the reigns at quarterback and looked shaky early he did not seem comfortable in the pocket at all. The only passes he could complete were on rollouts where he could throw on the run. After Thigpen threw a interception Garret Wolfe scored for the Bears on the very next play and the wheels started to come off a little bit. The Bears went on to score another touchdown on a 13 Chris Hanie touch down pass and the Chiefs were down 17-14 going in to the fourth. Thigpen settled down in the fourth quarter leading the Chiefs down the field for a field goal to tie the game up. Chicago answered back with a field goal of their own. Down 20-17 Thigpen got the ball back with 3:19 left and the ball on his own 40 ward line. Thigpen marched his troops down the field for a 6 play scoring drive that resulted in a 27 yard touch down pass to Bobby Sippio with 1:15 left. Chicago could not score once they got the ball back and the Chiefs emerged victorious. Of the many position battles none were expected to be fiercer than wide receiver. The receivers did not disappoint Dwayne Bowe made some grabs early but then he gave way to Will Franklin who made some tough catches and looked like a legitimate NFL slot receiver. The second quarter was led by Jeff Webb grabbing 2 catches for 29 yards and Maurice Price snagging two passes for 33 yards and a touchdown. Not to be out done Bobby Sippio got 3 catches for 57 yards and the game winning score. Who helped themselves 1: Bobby Sippio- Game M.V.P. 2: Maurice Price- Made some catches and showed ability to use his size to get separation. 3: Jamal Charles- Showed good hands and ability to run between the tackles. 4: Dantrell Savage- Explosive back who made some big gains and showed he can play in the league. 5: Conner Barth- Made a 37 yard field goal and his kickoffs went further than Nick Novak?s by five yards. Who hurt themselves 1: Maurice Legget- Whiffed on a interception and gave up a touchdown. 2: Adrian Jones: Not effective at all and gave up a sack. 3: Patrick Surtain: Seemed a step slow and like the weak link of the secondary not like a steady veteran. 4: Tyler Thigpen: Even though he threw the game winning touchdown he did not look as crisp as Huard.

What We Have Learned from Training Camp so Far

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 23:18:15 -0500

So far at least one of my predictions has fallen short. Before training camp I listed the biggest position battles in training camp and I would have bet my last dollar that either cornerback or wide receiver or guard would have the stiffest competition. Boy was I wrong . The middle linebacker position has been the most competitive. Early on in camp Napoleon Harris was the starter but out of nowhere has came Pat Thomas who I put down as not even making the team. Thomas has been flying around the ball and the only time Gunther has got up in his ace has been mental mistakes, not calling out formations and missing audibles and things of that nature. If Thomas continues to play lights out the Chiefs will not be scared to go with him. Tyler Thigpen who for some reason was everyone's dark horse candidate to compete with Brodie for the starting gig has been less than impressive. The only time he has been able to throw the ball accurately has been when on the run. Every one knows he can run and is mobile but if you can't put the ball on the money you can't play QB. Damon Huard has been a little better as of late after shaking off some early rust. Huard has been to over a dozen of these things and he might have just been pacing himself early on. I did hit on at least one or two things accurately before camp. One was Adrian Jones would struggle in camp and guess what he has been the least effective lineman thus far. Would already be replaced on the line but Herm has been preaching cohesion on the line and has all the first teamers working with the first teamers and all the second string working together as a unit. Cohesion can only go so far the Chiefs need a right guard. The second thing I hit on is that Jamal Charles is on the next level speed wise and would simply run away from everybody. So far every time Charles has got daylight he has broke it big time. Nobody has caught him from behind in camp and he is easily the fastest player in camp. Finally the receivers Devard Darling is looking like a solid compliment to Dwayne Bowe and has made the most of his chances in camp. It looks like he will be the starter opposite Bowe. Will Franklin has been reliable in the slot and has not made many mistakes some times with rookies especially receivers it's not the big plays they make but the stupid mistakes they avoid and Franklin has not made himself look bad at all. Last the position of "Hype up guy" last year that was Jared Allen's role this year D-Bowe has slid in to that role nicely being vocal and bringing the energy to get fellow players motivated.

Offensive Line Shocker?

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:20:13 -0500

Either this is a misprint or the Chiefs have pulled a shocker at day one of training camp. From the UW-RF camp site: First round draft pick Branden Albert was in on every first string snap at left guard. Brian Waters was at left tackle, Adrian Jones was at right ...

Things That Won't End Pretty in Camp

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:09:58 -0500

Alphonso Boone DE: The Chiefs are really trying to fit a square peg in a round hole with this one. Boone does not look like a DE or a hybrid DE/DT. He does not play like a DE. I don't think he has even played the position. Once two a days start and upper 90 degree heat is pouring down in River Falls Boone will struggle to keep containment on his side of the field and running backs will simply run away from him. But it's not his fault he is after all a DT. By the time the season starts Boone will be back at DT and the Chiefs won't be eager to bring this experimentation up again. Adrian Jones RG: This one really slid through cracks. He was announced the starter and no one seemed to notice. What has he ever accomplished? He was cut by the Jets and they don't have a great line. The Chiefs knew they were going with Rudy Niswanger at center and he has zero experience. With all their money they have under the cap they should have signed a solid upper level free agent guard. Instead they signed Herm's boy that he drafted when he was in NY. Jones has never displayed starter potential and if they don't find his replacement in camp. It will be the weak link of the offense dragging it down. Conner Barth K: This one has d?j? vu written all over it. The Chiefs going into camp with a rookie kicker just assuming he will make field goals and every thing will work out. Rookie kickers struggle unless their name is Mason Crosby or they are really a Australian rules football player. Barth put up nice numbers in college but so did Justin Medlock. Herm likes field goals, he likes to kick field goals, he like to watch them go thru the uprights. He like everything about them. The Chiefs historically like to kick field goals dating back to the Marty Ball days. If we would have signed Jason Elam this would be a non issue.