Birds in the bush

Mar 06, 2008, 2:31:52 AM by Jonathan Rand - FAQ

After being justifiably criticized for all their misfires in free agency over the past several years, will the Chiefs now get trashed if they stand pat until the draft?

Free agency is like negative political ads and inflammatory talk show hosts. People claim to disapprove of the ads and the screamers, but they keep responding favorably to them, which, of course, is why they are still around.

Fans may claim to understand that free agency has been a trap for the Chiefs, but once they see other teams signing players, many no doubt feel as if those teams are more committed to improvement. Or maybe those fans just figure they’re missing out on all the off-season action and excitement of the free-agent merry-go-round.

Chiefs coach Herm Edwards makes it clear he’s not interested in signing stop-gap free agents. The Chiefs have signed plenty of those, except most haven’t even provided temporary relief. Edwards’ approach makes next month’s draft especially critical for the Chiefs because his 10 picks will provide the lion’s share of new talent.

The only position Edwards can scratch off his wish list is linebacker because former Falcon Demorrio Williams is the Chiefs’ only unrestricted free-agent signee so far. The market has been light on impact players, and there are two basic approaches to most guys out there:

If he’s better than what you have, by all means grab him.

If he offers just marginal improvement, you’re better off drafting and developing your own player.

The first approach assumes that a solid journeyman in the hand is worth a Pro Bowl player in the bush. It’s a tempting approach because while jettisoning over-the-hill veterans is a no-brainer, replacing them with better talent presents a stiffer challenge than you might think.

I was once on the phone with a respected baseball general manager who excitedly revealed he had just acquired a familiar name. Considering the player was a fourth outfielder, I could not understand the executive’s enthusiasm. After considerable thought, I realized that finding talent is a lot tougher than most of us appreciate, and that a very average performer can suddenly seem attractive if he’s better than what you have and the best you can find.

Edwards’ approach requires strict discipline and is especially admirable for a coach entering the third year of a four-year contract. Horrible personnel decisions often are made by coaches who’ve retreated into survival mode and can’t look beyond trying to win right now.

The New England Patriots have deftly managed to use both free agency and the draft, not to mention trades, while assembling this decade’s dominant team. Their success requires that the veterans acquired don’t burn too much salary cap space, or keep younger players on the bench. Most other teams, including the Chiefs, have been unable to pull off that balancing act.

A 4-12 finish in 2007 was, in a sense, liberating for Edwards. Like it or not, he needs to overhaul much of his roster and find and develop players capable of helping win a championship. When you’ve won only four games, there’s not much point in signing a few serviceable free agents who might help you win six, or even eight games – and that’s assuming they come through.

Staying the course is a challenge for any rebuilding program. With the first detour or two, it’s tempting to get cold feet and look for the quick fix.

That is exactly how bad teams stay bad. Time will tell if the Chiefs can draft well enough to get the talent they need. Time already has told us the alternative doesn’t work for them.

The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.

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A former sportswriter and columnist in Kansas City and Miami, Rand has covered the NFL for three decades and seen 23 Super Bowl games. His column appears twice weekly in-season.