I was the only one to come out of my seat and cheer win the Chiefs selected WR Jon Baldwin in Round 1 of the NFL 2012 Draft at a local sports bar back in April. As great as Dwayne Bowe’s overall season was, it was very pedestrian except for a 6 week mid season all world performance. Bowe was locked down consecutive weeks by the Raiders and Ravens as the Chiefs again exited the playoffs early. Additional help was added the other week with the signing of WR Steve Breaston. QB Matt Cassel’s 2012 numbers ought to shoot up 20% over last year’s nice effort.
In addition, newly drafted OL Rodney Hudson and second year OG Jon Asamoah will play key roles in the “changing of the guard” along the offensive line. Younger, stronger, quicker, and healthier, they will provide better protection for Cassel and open up holes quicker for Jamaal Charles and company.
A more proficient offense equals a more rested and fresher defense.
Translation: More yards, more first downs, more scoring!
Turning now to the defense, locking up LB Tamba Hali was huge! Adding LB Justin Houston via the draft was another great move. Pressure now will come from either and/or both sides of the LB corps. I also understand that DE Tyson Jackson has developed nicely over the off season through Mixed Martial Arts training. Word is he is going to be a force. NT Kelly Gregg from the Ravens adds a nice punch in the middle and should be able to help with the youth there.
The secondary keeps improving. CB Brandon Flowers could be a Pro Bowler this year, and SS Eric Berry now has a year of experience, showing improvement with each game. Locking up CB Brandon Carr was probably under-rated by most, but I could see him moved to Free Safety where he could really shine.
Translation: A young, quick, maturing defense coming into their prime!
Another 10 Win Season is not completely out of the picture as most would suspect with the tougher schedule this year. In Todd Haley’s second year we made the playoffs with only two division wins. This team is much better than last year’s! A playoff win could actually be in the offing!