I donʼt understand the logic behind all the Brodie haters out there. Brodie really has not played enough for anyone to say he will or wonʼt make it in the NFL. Yet in the sports media markets across the country it is generally assumed Croyle will struggle. The Chiefs may struggle in 08 but I see Croyle putting it together this season. Through out his career he has won every where he has been. Coming out of high school he was the second highest recruited quarterback in the nation despite missing his whole senior season with a knee injury. Recruited by LSU and Florida State. Croyle chose his fathers alma mater and went to Alabama. In college he led the Crimson Tide to a 10-2 finish and a top ten ranking. During his senior year he threw a school record 190 passes with out a interception.

Out of the five quarterbacks chosen before Croyle in 2005 he and Jay Cutler were the only ones not to throw more interceptions than touchdowns last season. So why no love for Croyle? Granted last year he struggled to stay healthy and did look vanilla at times.. But by the time Croyle got at the helm the offensive line had completely fell apart. And he had to finish the year out with Jackie Battle in the back field and his # 2 receiver was a one legged Eddie Kennison.

This year the Chiefs are reloaded and way deeper at the skilled positions. With his rocket arm he proved he could push the ball down the field last year connecting on several big plays and seems to be able to find Dwayne Bowe in traffic. Developing a relationship with Bowe will be the key to success for Croyle. Also his new cordinator was coaching college last year so he should have the patience to push the young QB while at the same time knowing his limitations and putting him in a position to excel. Either way it goes the Chiefs will know what they have in Croyle whether it be a future star a potential backup or complete garbage but with no real backup plan besides Damon Huard. As Croyle goes in 08 so go the Chiefs.

The Raiders are getting a visit from former Chiefs safety Greg Wesley, who asked for and got his release from KC this past week.  ProFootballtalk.com is stating that Wesley will be in Oakland on Sunday as well as Monday.  The Chiefs were looking to trade Wesley, but were unable to find any takers.  The Broncos were another team that earlier in the offseason was talking about taking a look at Wesley if he was let go, so it remains to be seen if they will or not.

Wesely was chosen by the Chiefs with their third-round pick back in 2000, and had played his entire career with KC.  The former Arkansas-Pine Bluff safety played in 15 games last season with the 4-12 Chiefs, making 30 tackles.  He has played in 118 career games, making 593 tackles, 29 picks and has six sacks.

The Chiefs are in full rebuild mode this year while trying to get back to playing good football after a 4-12 season a year ago, but reports are they are having issues trying to sign their two first-round draft picks. Pro Football Weekly reports that the team is not close to signing either DT Glenn Dorsey or OL Branden Albert, both who are being counted on to start the process of bringing the Chiefs back to being a good team again.

The report says that Dorsey and Albert are waiting to see what other first-round picks make before they start intense conversations about their own deals. The other issue with the Chiefs is the fact they have yet to even get their second or third round picks signed. That’s another issue all together since 2nd round pick CB Brandon Flowers is slated to be a starter and third round picks RB Jamaal Charles and TE Brad Cottam will add depth.

Not having Dorsey and Albert under contracts can be excused since there are numerous teams that don’t have their #1’s signed yet. But not to have their second and third round picks signed is a troubling sign at this point with training camp just around the corner.

DRAFT STEALS

When you think of Carl Peterson if you are a Chiefs fan the first thing you think of is training camp hold outs. Unsigned first round picks, draft blunders and busts. But to his credit Carl has had his moments whether they were moments of genius or pure dumb luck is debatable. Notable players off the list are anybody drafted in the first our second round because they are expected to produce. Or any player selected by the Chiefs who went on to become a star and develop on another team like Joe Horn.

5. Dave Szott: 7th round 1990 Snatched out of Penn Sate in the seventh round I am sure King Carl knew this guy was going to be a anchor on his offensive line for the next 11 seasons. Teamed with Will Sheilds and Tim Grunhard to form the best interior line in football for many years.

4. Donnie Edwards: 4th round 1996 Has played 51% of his career in Kansas city if he had played his whole career here he would probably be a lot higher on the list. Did not get to play much as a rookie but once he got a starting spot the following year. He never looked back and went on to amass over 1300 tackles in his career.

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We’ve been mowing through the offseason with the best and worst, and to date covered each side of the offensive side of the ball, and have thrown out the five best defenses heading into training camp. Now we finish up our series with the five teams that we feel are going to have the worst defenses as training camp starts in the next few weeks:

1. Atlanta - The poor Falcons were not very good last season, and that fact will be the case again in 2008. In 07 they allowed 355.5 yards per game, and don’t forget they got rid of one of their best defensive players - CB DeAngelo Hall. They will count on 2nd round pick Curtis Lofton to play the MLB spot so Keith Brooking can move to his natural weak-side spot. SS Lawyer Milloy is winding down his career, and the team did next to nothing to improve the D-line. It’ll be a long season for the Birds.

2. Kansas City - In a full rebuild mode in KC, this unit is going to have its issues - again. They moved unhappy but sack happy Jared Allen, and hope that youth will be served on the line, and Glenn Dorsey will live up to the hype. We’ll see. In their 9-game losing streak last year, they allowed over 190 yards rushing in those games, and teams seemed to score in bunches. The starting secondary is old, and by the early to mid-part of the year there will be a lot of changes in this unit.

3. Detroit - The Lions allowed a whopping 377 yards per game last year, and they have plenty of question marks up and down the defense again this year. They traded Shaun Rogers, who underperformed to the Browns, and are counting on players like Cory Redding and pickup Chuck Darby to lead the D-line. They let LB’s Boss Bailey and Teddy Lehman go in free agency, and will have Ernie Sims, Jordan Dizon and Paris Lenon as the starters there. The secondary allowed passers to complete 70 percent of passes last year, a number they have to improve on in 08.

4. Miami - Sorry Fin Fans, the Dolphins D is going to be in a transition mode this season, and that means new coach Tony Sparano is going to have growing pains with this unit. There is talent here, as yougnsters Matt Roth and Quentin Moses should have time to develop on the line. They will miss the leadership of Zach Thomas, and the possibility of them moving Jason Taylor seems high still. The secondary has few playmakers, and the LB core needs more from mouthy Joey Porter and Channing Crowder, who needs to make more plays.

5. Cleveland - While the offense in Cleveland can score with the best of them, the defense still has work to do. This was an area the team looked to upgrade big time this offseason, which is why they traded for the Packers Corey Williams and Lions Shaun Rogers to help on the line. The secondary is a huge problem area, as they moved Leigh Bodden in the Rogers deal, and will need Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald to really step up. This unit can be better, but there’s still much to be concerned about here.

Training camps open in about a month, and it’s time to start getting deeper into some of the teams, and today we start with a rather interesting topic, the five worst offenses in the league entering training camp. Of course some of these teams did what they could to improve, but the bottom line is that it could be a tough year moving the ball for these five teams:

1. San Francisco - The Niners last year were awful moving the ball, putting up just 237 yards per game, and entering this year, they will count on Frank Gore to be better, Alex Smith to get back to form of being an up and coming QB, and the O-line to give him more time and open holes for Gore. As for the WR core, they hope that Issac Bruce has something left, and Bryant Johnson will be a playmaker. The Niners though still have a ways to go to prove they can be a decent offense.

2. Baltimore - Quarterback is a huge question for this team, and many think they should just throw Joe Flacco into the fire in week one. As for the other skill players, Willis McGahee ran for 1,207 yards, but even with that was not the game-breaking back they thought they were getting, and will need an even better year from him. The O-line is going to miss Jonathan Ogden big time, and the WR core has little to offer with players like Mark Clayton or Demetius Williams being nothing more than guys filling roster spots.

3. Chicago - For a team that has a very good defense, the offense is downright ugly. Rex Grossman or Kyle Orton can’t be trusted, and the running game is in a flux worse than ever with Cedric Benson gone and the team counting on rookie Matt Forte. They failed to address the WR spot with Bernard Berrian bolting to the Vikings. The O-line should be better with rookie Chris Williams, but gives not much help in the hope departement to fans.

4. Kansas City - Another team with a lot of questions at the skill positions, as Brodie Croyle again tries to prove he can win the starting QB job, which he failed to do in camp last season. The O-line has been overhauled, and they really need Larry Johnson to stay healthy this season and be the L.J. of old. Dwayne Bowe gives the WR core some hope, and Tony Gonzalez is a top 3 TE, but overall, this unit is still scary, and not in a good way.

5. Atlanta - First year QB Matt Ryan is going to give the team a new look, and free agent RB Michael Turner is going to get his shot as an every down back. Other than that, the line is not going to be very good, and the team is going to play a lot of catch up, which for a rookie QB in Ryan is going to be tough. They went just over 300 yards per game on offense last year, and doing that again is going to be a challenge.

Last year the Chiefs had their worst record since 1988. To put that in perspective Faith by George Michael was the best selling single in the country in 88, Rain Man was the top movie, and Frank Ganz was the teams head coach. Last year Larry Johnson got hurt - coincidence? Every Chiefs fan knows the key to a successful 2008 campaign is a healthy and dominant Johnson. Keep in mind the Chiefs were in first place when L.J. got hurt. The question has to be “is L.J. broken after his 416 carry 2006 season”?

Word out of One Arrowhead Drive is that he looks like a million bucks right now and he has a couple things going in his favor. Mike Solari is out as the offensive coordinator and Chan Gailey is building a game plan that will be tailored to fit L.J strengths. Gone are a often injured Kyle Turley, John Welboun, Casey Wiegman and Chris Terry. They have been replaced with Brandon Albert, Rudy Niswanger, Herb Taylor and Barry Richardson. Not to say they will be better than the 2007 unit day one but they are bigger and more athletic than last years unit and once they gel they will be better.

The Chiefs will also have the 6-7 269 pound Brad Cottam blocking up front in two tight end formations. In addition Gailey will call a diverse array of plays to keep defenses off balance to prevent L.J. from running into the brick wall Chiefs fans saw so many times last year. The one missing ingredient that L.J. would need to succeed is a chip on his shoulder. The same chip on his shoulder that made him run for 1750 yards and 20 touch downs after only starting the second half of the 2005 season.

He may have the ammo he needs. Once touted as a sure fire top three pick in fantasy leagues now is being talked about as a fourth rounder in most leagues. Players like L.J. read those things and it can only make him more determined to regain his old form. To add fuel to that fire he also recently broke up with his three-year girl friend VJ Julissa from “106th and Park”. To sum up L.J. will be healthy. Playing behind a massive offensive line and angry as usual. All signs point to L.J. dominating defenses in 2008.

Last season it took some time for the Chiefs to get first round pick WR Dwayne Bowe into camp, and the receiver was behind well into the season.  While the team is hoping to not have a repeat in 2008 with first-round pick DT Glenn Dorsey, so far there has been just a few talks between the Chiefs and Dorsey’s agent - Joel Segal.  “We’ve had conversations, and that’s all I can say,” Chiefs President Carl Peterson said.

It has never been easy it seems to get a Peterson first-round pick in camp for the Chiefs, as 11 of the teams 16 first-round picks have missed at least some of training camp.  The word from the KC Star is that it looks as if Segal is going to want quite a bit more cash for his client than last seasons #5 pick - the Cardinals Levi Brown got.  The deal Brown got was for six-years that could be worth up to $62 million, just over $18 million of it guaranteed.

Last season for LSU, Dorsey played in 14 games, sacking the QB 7 times and putting up 12.5 tackles for losses.  He won five major awards his final season, including SEC Defensive Player of the Year.

The Kansas City Star reported that Chiefs and TE Tony Gonzalez are ready for QB Brodie Croyle to “have a good year.” Croyle has been participating in offseason workouts to gain chemistry with the team, especially the 12 year veteran, Gonzalez. “This is our third year together,” Croyle said about playing with Tony Gonzalez, “We still have to keep working on chemistry. That’s critical. That’s why I’m here.”

So far its paid off, “I think he’s looking great,” Gonzalez said on Croyle. “And I think he will have a good year. It’s his time.” The record breaking Gonzalez wants Croyle to take a leader role for the offense, starting in the huddle. “Absolutely, he has to be in command of the huddle,” Gonzalez said. “It’s his huddle. For a quarterback to be effective it has to be his huddle.”

Gonzalez isn’t the only receiving option with hope in Croyle. “Brodie’s looking good, man,” WR Dwayne Bowe said. “He threw a go route, back shoulder, against the wind. It was on the money. I was like, ‘Dude, you’re ready. It’s on.’”

The Chiefs have two capable starting quarterbacks in Damon Huard and Brodie Croyle. Right now the it seems to be Croyle’s job to loose. Last season, Croyle was the top passer in two of his last six losses in 2007: Game 15 against the Titans (217 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 58.1 completion percentage.) and Game 17 against the Jets (195 yards, one touchdown, three sacks and a 46.5 completion percentage). Reportedly, Croyle’s quickly picked up the new offense, and the offensive coordinator Chan Gailey’s stystem is working with Croyle. Now Croyle must prove to the Chiefs he can win games after a poor 2007. “He’s up, and it’s his turn to show that he can be a starting quarterback in the National Football League, and not only that but to win games,” coach Herman Edwards said. “I think he knows that he’s been waiting for his opportunity.”

NFL Gridiron Gab has spent the past few weeks breaking down the divisions with our “Offseason Overviews.”  We went through all 32 teams, and today we highlight the AFC West.  Click below to read the Offseason Overview of your AFC West team:

Oakland Raiders: Russell and Raiders Should Be Better in 08

Kansas City Chiefs: Chiefs Building From the Ground Up

San Diego Chargers: Health a Key for a Big Chargers Season

Denver Broncos: Broncos Look to Regain Playoff Form