Webnews: Trade unlikely, Chiefs hope to reach a deal with Branden

[Coach]

By Michael David Smith
The Kansas City Chiefs have moved their focus away from trading left tackle Branden Albert and are now trying to work out a long-term contract with him. All sides now view the much-discussed trade of Albert to the Dolphins as “dead,” Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports, and that means the Chiefs’ best option left… Read more…

[brdempsey69]

And Albert was good enough that KC franchise him.

He was franchised as TRADE BAIT. It's been reported by Adam Teicher that if Bowe had not been signed to a long-term deal, the Chiefs would have stuck the tag on Bowe again and let Albert walk ( which they should have done, anyway ).

McKinnie is a middle of the road LT, and he gave up sacks in both the Conference Championship and Super Bowl. Not that that's a terrible thing, but he's not better than Albert.

In his prime, McKinnie was a far better LT than Albert has ever been or ever will be. Albert is also a middle of the road LT & with the potential back problems, he could be going downhill fast.

The Dolphins were going to give up the #54 pick for Albert and pay him a lot of money...they brought in McKinnie and he left without a contract.

That's a crock of BS. The Dolphins were NOT willing to give up their #54 overall pick. The Fish were not willing to give up any higher than a 3rd rounder & as much as I do not like Miami, I don't blame them one bit. Nobody knows what the Dolphins were offering Albert. It may have been about the same or just slightly more as what the Chiefs initially offered him, and Albert may have been willing to take it because Miami is Albert's backyard.

Seriously, why the animosity against a LT that has given up all of 6 sacks in his last 27 full games.

What makes you think that laughing at your statement about Albert being better McKinnie represents animosity? McKinnie and Albert are probably about even as far as things stand right now.

And those "6 sacks in 27 games" are totally misleading. I can count the number of opposing pass-rushers on one hand, that were considered among the NFL's best coming into those games & playing at the top of their game & Albert just simply lucked out in that regard in 2011 & in 2012 not having to face a long series of the games better pass-rushers that were coming into those games playing at the top of their game. The fact is, the Chiefs passing game has been heavily constricted to short & medium passes the past 2 seasons.

The more appropriate question isn't "why the animosity towards Albert", but rather, why do you keep turd-polishing this guy like he's the equivalent of Willie Roaf or John Tait, when he's not even close to either of them. You talk like you are Albert's personal cheerleader -- I look at him realisticly & go by what I see.

Worth noting that McKinnie gave up 3 last year in the 5 games he started at LT.

Well, no screaming eagle sh*t ! Four of those five games were post-season games, with McKinnie playing against better opponents than Albert had played in all his starts combined.

Do I think McKinnie is a bad LT? No. I just realize how good Albert has really been.

And I realize that Albert isn't the same class as Willie Roaf or John Tait & if Fisher fulfills his potential, Albert won't be in his class, either. I also realize that a Guard playing out of position at LT the last 5 years, has paid no dividends at all for the Chiefs. I also realize that using Albert as a crutch for passing on Russell Okung at #5 in the 2010 draft, has also paid no dividends, but rather, was a mistake that has come full circle with an OT being taken at #1 overall in 12013.

Did you not watch Albert shut out Peppers against Chicago in 2011? I watched that game at Soldier Field and that was one of the funnest matchups to watch, seeing that the game was a 7-6 final score.

And did you sleep through the entire game & not notice that the final score was 10-3, not 7-6, and that Albert was NOT protecting the QB's blindside for that entire game, except the very first play. Tyler Palko was able see Peppers coming at him & don't try and tell me that doesn't make a difference.

So if you can't refute the evidence, just try to pass off the whole article? Lol. Since you obviously didn't read it, I'll just give you some examples. All this article is saying is that the RT position is as important as the LT position (and obviously the Chiefs, Jaguars, and Eagles agree w/ this since they took guys who are going to play RT early in their career at 1, 2, and 4 overall).

There isn't any evidence that needs refuting. None of that drivel trash changes the fact that QB's are more vulnerable to getting hit from their blindside than they are their frontside -- that was my original point. Common sense ought to tell you that & none of those stats cancel out the fact. And Von Miller has always played mostly on the Strong Side over the RT, anyway.

So again, why is it that big of a deal to have a great LT (6 sacks, 27 games) lined up across from our #1 overall pick at RT? Sounds like an awesome situation to me...Certainly one that someone who has been clamoring for the O-line to be upgraded should love.

Sis..Boom..Bah. The cheerleader skirt and the pom-poms shaking over the stats regarding Albert that are as meaningful as a bloodhound p!ssing the #1 in the dirt. <<---Get my drift?

First off, Albert is a great LT only in your mind ( and the minds of the Eric Berry worshipers ). But, I can assure you, that many of those of us who have watched him closely know differently & aren't about to hype him up to be something that he isn't & I know I'm not alone in that regard. Albert is clearly the worst starting LT that has played the position 3+ years in Chiefs history & it's not even close.

Secondly, some of us are looking at the LONG-TERM situation, not just 2013. Albert most likely will not be in KC after 2013 & Fisher is a TRUE LT, not a Guard playing out of position there. Since the obvious plan is for Fisher to become the starting LT at some point, it makes perfect sense to get him started there RIGHT NOW to help his development. Plus, you have Allen and Stephenson to compete for the RT and they also factor into the long-term scenario & having both of them ride the pine this year is worthless. Add to that, if Fisher were at LT and Albert at LG, the blindside protection for Alex Smith's would most likely be improved.

Thirdly, I can assure you, that you will NOT see me doing any turd-polishing with Fisher or any Chiefs O-Lineman, the way you've been doing with Albert (and the Chiefs O-Line in general) for years. I will demand the utmost level of excellence and professional skill from Fisher...i.e....I don't want him to block opposing defenders, I want him to MAIM them...in other words, be dominant to the point that everybody who follows NFL football looks at Eric Fisher and says "he's one of the best LT's in the NFL"...which has not been the case with Albert or will ever be.

Put away the damn cheerleader skirt & pom-poms.



　

[brdempsey69]

One more thing. If blindside protection for the QB isn't top priority due the QB's vulnerability, then why is this report coming out of Packers cap?

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap100...en-bay-packers

[Ryfo18]

He was franchised as TRADE BAIT. It's been reported by Adam Teicher that if Bowe had not been signed to a long-term deal, the Chiefs would have stuck the tag on Bowe again and let Albert walk ( which they should have done, anyway ).

In his prime, McKinnie was a far better LT than Albert has ever been or ever will be. Albert is also a middle of the road LT & with the potential back problems, he could be going downhill fast.

That's a crock of BS. The Dolphins were NOT willing to give up their #54 overall pick. The Fish were not willing to give up any higher than a 3rd rounder & as much as I do not like Miami, I don't blame them one bit. Nobody knows what the Dolphins were offering Albert. It may have been about the same or just slightly more as what the Chiefs initially offered him, and Albert may have been willing to take it because Miami is Albert's backyard.

Most reports I saw were saying they were offering 54, but you may be right that it was a 3rd rounder.

What makes you think that laughing at your statement about Albert being better McKinnie represents animosity? McKinnie and Albert are probably about even as far as things stand right now.

And those "6 sacks in 27 games" are totally misleading. I can count the number of opposing pass-rushers on one hand, that were considered among the NFL's best coming into those games & playing at the top of their game & Albert just simply lucked out in that regard in 2011 & in 2012 not having to face a long series of the games better pass-rushers that were coming into those games playing at the top of their game. The fact is, the Chiefs passing game has been heavily constricted to short & medium passes the past 2 seasons.

Jared Allen, Dwight Freeney, Clay Matthews, James Harrison, Julius Peppers, Aldon Smith/Elvis Dumervil (2x), John Abraham, Charles Johnson.

That's a lot of fingers.

And I realize that Albert isn't the same class as Willie Roaf or John Tait & if Fisher fulfills his potential, Albert won't be in his class, either. I also realize that a Guard playing out of position at LT the last 5 years, has paid no dividends at all for the Chiefs. I also realize that using Albert as a crutch for passing on Russell Okung at #5 in the 2010 draft, has also paid no dividends, but rather, was a mistake that has come full circle with an OT being taken at #1 overall in 12013.

John Dorsey, Andy Reid, and I disagree that Albert is playing out of position at LT. No dividends? Lol. Ok.

And did you sleep through the entire game & not notice that the final score was 10-3, not 7-6, and that Albert was NOT protecting the QB's blindside for that entire game, except the very first play. Tyler Palko was able see Peppers coming at him & don't try and tell me that doesn't make a difference.

There isn't any evidence that needs refuting. None of that drivel trash changes the fact that QB's are more vulnerable to getting hit from their blindside than they are their frontside -- that was my original point. Common sense ought to tell you that & none of those stats cancel out the fact. And Von Miller has always played mostly on the Strong Side over the RT, anyway.

Also from the article you didn't read:

"Prevailing theory is that pressure that comes from the left tackle should have a crippling effect on the offense while pressure from right tackle should be easier to overcome. The numbers do not back this up:

"In our five years of data, there is little difference in quarterback performance when pressure comes from left tackle versus right tackle. Yards per Attempt, Accuracy Percentage and QB Rating are almost identical."

"Quarterbacks perform worse when the pressure comes from right tackle. Intuitively, this makes some sense as we’re generally not harsh on a quarterback who is pressured and sacked. We rarely downgrade a quarterback in that instance so perhaps pressure from right tackle leads to more errant throws while “blindside” pressure leads to sacks."

"This is not exactly the case. Over the five years, pressure from left tackle has resulted in a sack only 0.8 percent of the time more than pressure from right tackle. In fact, 2012 was the first year that saw right tackle pressure actually led to a higher percentage of sacks than left tackle pressure."

"Gone are the days of designating a player as a “right tackle only.” Given the data, it does not make much sense to deem a player incapable of pass protecting from left tackle, but having complete faith in his ability to pass protect from right tackle where we’ve shown that his performance is just as important as the left tackle’s and he has to go up against the likes of Cameron Wake, Von Miller, and other top-notch pass rushers who come off left end."

So 5 years worth of data says that pressure from the LT isn't any worse than pressure from the RT. You pass this off as "drivel" because it goes against everything you're arguing for. As does the Jags, Chiefs, and Eagles drafting RTs in the top 4 picks.

Sis..Boom..Bah. The cheerleader skirt and the pom-poms shaking over the stats regarding Albert that are as meaningful as a bloodhound p!ssing the #1 in the dirt. <<---Get my drift?

First off, Albert is a great LT only in your mind ( and the minds of the Eric Berry worshipers ). But, I can assure you, that many of those of us who have watched him closely know differently & aren't about to hype him up to be something that he isn't & I know I'm not alone in that regard. Albert is clearly the worst starting LT that has played the position 3+ years in Chiefs history & it's not even close.

Secondly, some of us are looking at the LONG-TERM situation, not just 2013. Albert most likely will not be in KC after 2013 & Fisher is a TRUE LT, not a Guard playing out of position there. Since the obvious plan is for Fisher to become the starting LT at some point, it makes perfect sense to get him started there RIGHT NOW to help his development. Plus, you have Allen and Stephenson to compete for the RT and they also factor into the long-term scenario & having both of them ride the pine this year is worthless. Add to that, if Fisher were at LT and Albert at LG, the blindside protection for Alex Smith's would most likely be improved.

Thirdly, I can assure you, that you will NOT see me doing any turd-polishing with Fisher or any Chiefs O-Lineman, the way you've been doing with Albert (and the Chiefs O-Line in general) for years. I will demand the utmost level of excellence and professional skill from Fisher...i.e....I don't want him to block opposing defenders, I want him to MAIM them...in other words, be dominant to the point that everybody who follows NFL football looks at Eric Fisher and says "he's one of the best LT's in the NFL"...which has not been the case with Albert or will ever be.

Put away the damn cheerleader skirt & pom-poms.

How does one turd polish a guy who has allowed 6 sacks in 27 games? The numbers speak for themselves. I'm simply saying it's awesome that we have Albert at LT and Fisher at RT for next year, and you're pissed about it for I have no idea why. Like it's seriously a terrible thing to have two starting LTs start at LT and RT? If you would have read the article you would have noticed that it's just important to protect the right side as it is the left side...so why is this a bad thing that Fisher is going to play RT? Andy Reid is a genius, I tell ya.

People still think Albert should be a guard, just because he played behind Monroe in college (who he's graded out similarly to in the pros)? Thankfully, the Chiefs brass don't think like this. Fisher, Joeckel, Johnson...all drafted to play RT early in their career. This isn't a bad thing man. Seriously, why are you so mad that our line is going to better next year? Lol, it just doesn't make sense to me.

[Ryfo18]

I've always looked at it as every position on the O LINE is just as important if one of them misses there assignment there's going to be trouble. Reid say he really doesn't care who plays where as long as they have good players on the O line I agree. I don't think he has to play LT to show his worth his worth as the number 1 pick his worth will show based on how he plays wherever he plays on the line.

Exactly.

[OMGLadyGaga]

I agree with Ryofo on this one. Albert at LT and Fisher at RT is a superb situation IMO. It's not like Fisher won't have a chance to develop either, because as that article mentioned, opposing defenses do target the right side of the line due to teams not having thei best o-lineman there. So either way Fisher is going to have to step up and be an impact player right away. The moves that KC has made this offseason and the nucleus of the team as it is, we are trying to win now. So having two good tackles manning our O-line will play a huge part in that, considering Alex Smith is going to need a killer running game and a killer o-line, which the way things are looking, we are going to have.

[brdempsey69]

Jared Allen, Dwight Freeney, Clay Matthews, James Harrison, Julius Peppers, Aldon Smith/Elvis Dumervil (2x), John Abraham, Charles Johnson.

That's a lot of fingers.

Quite the contrary. That's only a lot of fingers stuck in your arse. Albert never went against Aldon Smith or Charles Johnson. Von Miller plays mostly on the Strong side over the RT. Abraham beat Albert for a sack-strip at a critical time that resulted in the Falcon's being able to score a quick TD that took the game out of reach & Abraham is not in his prime anymore. Harrison wasn't playing at a high level in 2012, that he had shown in previous years, and he's over-the-hill. Dumerville didn't go against Albert last year & I know he played in 14 games in 2011 & had missed the 2010 season, so it's uncertain that he was 100% in those games in 2011. Matthews was NOT playing at a top level in late 2011, like he was in 2010 or 2012. Even if you were to count Matthews & Dumerville, that leaves only Allen, Freeney, and Peppers as the only real qualified members --- THAT'S A TOTAL OF FIVE.

And let us not forget Matt Shaughnessy of the Raiders missing 2011 & he's whipped Albert's a$$ repeatedly over the years -- even last year in the game at KC as I watched Shaughnessy go right through Albert & stuff Charles in the backfield & continually control the point of attack throughout the game.

The reality is that Albert has just lucked out regarding the overall caliber of opponents that he's had to play in 2011 and 2012.

John Dorsey, Andy Reid, and I disagree that Albert is playing out of position at LT. No dividends? Lol. Ok.

You are clearly chasing the winds on that one.

Dorsey & Reid aren't agreeing with you on anything !! Dorsey and Reid have made it quite clear from the get-go they will play the best 5 on the O-Line & Dorsey did mention the possibility of Albert playing a different position. Why do you think Albert was crybabying through the social media & Twitter about only wanting to play LT?

All Reid has said is:
"If (Branden Albert) was here today he would be the left tackle,’’ said Reid, the Chiefs’ coach. "Then we’d go from there and we’d just see what happens down the road."

^^That DOESN'T mean that there wouldn't be an open competition between Fisher and Albert through training camp and the pre-season for the LT job. If there is an open competition between Fisher & Albert for the LT, my money is on Fisher to win the job, as he's the better athlete with the superior blocking skills.

BTW, where is your so-called list of dividends regarding your "No dividends? Lol." statement to refute what I was saying about taking a Guard and playing him at LT paying no dividends? Well....uh...er...duh......THERE AREN'T ANY -- that's the truthful and correct answer.

Also, as far as the "vet vs rookie at LT thing" goes, I'd prefer to look at it from the angle of docile sheep (Albert) versus ravenous wolf (Fisher). I'll take the ravenous wolf, thank you.

Also from the article you didn't read:

"Drivel trash that doesn't refute my original point that QB's are always more vulnerable from their blindside than their front side and any QB that has ever played on any level of football, especially the NFL, would tell you that. And the drivel trash is just being used by Ryfo as a desperate means to sidestep my original point, because Ryfo isn't able to refute that point. "

As stated already, that drivel trash is only coming from stat geeks, not NFL QB's.

So 5 years worth of data says that pressure from the LT isn't any worse than pressure from the RT. You pass this off as "drivel" because it goes against everything you're arguing for.

No, I pass it off because of basic human biology combined with the law of physics. QB's have a better chance to see on-coming rushers from their front than their rear due to those two things. Simple, really.

As does the Jags, Chiefs, and Eagles drafting RTs in the top 4 picks.

Where is it etched in stone that these three guys are going to play RT their entire NFL careers? Or even in 2013? You're clearly clutching at straws. In Philly, what happens if Peters gets hurt, again? Or Monroe gets hurt in Jacksonville? Or Albert's back doesn't hold up or he stages a holdout this season? Didn't think of those things, did you? And due to the fact that if Albert ever comes to a sudden halt, your face is going to go half-way up his arse.

How does one turd polish a guy who has allowed 6 sacks in 27 games? The numbers speak for themselves.

Do they really speak for themselves or do they mislead his personal cheerleaders like yourself? Do they reflect that the Chiefs have been near or dead last in the NFL in passing the past few years & have been constricted severly in their passing game? Do they really reflect the overall caliber of the series of opponents that he's faced over that time span (not anywhere in the same galaxy as Okung has and many others). Does it also speak for his inability to roadgrade a DB that he outweighed by 100 lbs. in last years Monday nite game at Pitt. ? Does it speak for the fact that NONE of the other 31 teams in the league view him as a top-10 LT & that a good majority would probably prefer him at LG than LT?

Old saying --- "appearences can be deceiving".

I'm simply saying it's awesome that we have Albert at LT and Fisher at RT for next year, and you're pissed about it for I have no idea why. Like it's seriously a terrible thing to have two starting LTs start at LT and RT? If you would have read the article you would have noticed that it's just important to protect the right side as it is the left side...so why is this a bad thing that Fisher is going to play RT? Andy Reid is a genius, I tell ya.

False accusation. I simply provided an alternative that could possibly benefit the Chiefs better for the long-term. Didn't say that Albert at LT and Fisher at RT was bad, but more likely short-term.
I also like the alternative of having a pair of veteran guys like Albert & Schwartz at Guard as a potential move to strengthen the middle of their O-Line with young & athletic Tackles like Fisher and Stephenson/Allen and Hudson at Center. That isn't bad at all, and if Albert and Schwartz were resigned to long-term deals after the season, then you're looking at an O-Line that could stay together for some time and be very good through the coming years.

Also, never said that protecting the QB's front-side wasn't important, but that protecting the QB's blindside was more important for obvious reasons that QB's are more vulnerable regarding their blindside & that drivel trash from PFF doesn't change that fact, nor what the Packers are doing to help Aaron Rodgers blindside in the link I provided in my last post.

People still think Albert should be a guard, just because he played behind Monroe in college (who he's graded out similarly to in the pros)? Thankfully, the Chiefs brass don't think like this.

No, because he's not a top-10 LT in the NFL and not a clutch performer at the LT position, whereas he could have been an All-Pro Guard with multiple Pro Bowls under his belt. You've had that pointed out to you already. And you don't know what the Chiefs brass is thinking. They very well could be considering the possibilities of Albert playing Guard. Reid drafted Shawn Andrews in round 1, who was a college Tackle and plugged him in at Guard.

Seriously, why are you so mad that our line is going to better next year? Lol, it just doesn't make sense to me.

HA HA!! Nice try, but you fail. The reality is, I'm laughing at your false accusation being done out desperation due to your inability to refute my points and constantly side-stepping them. Anybody who's read my previous posts regarding the Chiefs O-Line situation knows that the statement "why are you so mad our line is going to be better next year" is a crock of BS. It was YOU who were crybabying about an O-Lineman being drafted #1 overall prior to the draft, not I.

I'm also laughing about what's been posted in this article regarding Albert:

http://www.kansascity.com/2013/05/04/4219248/can-the-chiefs-and-albert-hit.html

If what Pioli says in that article is true, then Albert has really screwed his neighbors dog. Especially since it would mean that he's now turned down multi-year offers TWICE and most likely won't get another one from the Chiefs in 2013 -- nor should he until he proves that he can hold for a full season without any back problems. It was stated to the effect about him holding out from the Chiefs until he gets a long-term deal & if he's foolish enough to turn down TWO multi-year deals, then i wouldn't put it past him to stage a hold-out. If he does hold out for any length of time, he can kiss the LT job goodbye, because Fisher will have the inside track of having already learned the playbook. We'll see what happens.

[Ryfo18]

Anyway moving on. Now that the Dolphins signed Clabo it looks like they'll move Martin to LT and Albert is here to stay. Knowing that pressure from the LT and RT affects quarterbacks pretty much the same based on the PFF data, who else is excited about having two great tackles this year?

Albert ranked 5th in Pass Blocking Efficiency among all tackles in 2011 and 8th in Pass Blocking Efficiency among all tackles in 2012 (stats courtesy of ProFootballFocus). Alex Smith is going to have a lot of time to throw, as he had in SF. Hopefully this team can win a frikkin playoff game.