According to Gun/Gretz Kawika Mitchell
 

Will be our MLB and there are no real competition to beat him out for the spot. Not even the Great Rich Scanlon! I was never down on Mitchell like a lot of people have been and felt like if he'd stay healthy he'd come around. So far this seems to be the case.

So what say the Planet about Mitchell and his apparent progress?

PhilFree:arrow:

Too early to tell. Needs to make it through camp. Looked pretty good Saturday, though, from what little I could see.

Might be falling into Gunther's 3-4 year window that it takes LBs to really "get it".

You know that Gun/Pagac are just holding Gopher down.

We know it 'cause the Roys told us it's so.

No, no, you have it all wrong. The roids were telling us that they were holding Gopher down. It was hard to understand them, though, what with their mouths full and all.

I heard Scanlon is on the Atkins and working with a speed coach and will be auditioning soon for the open corner spot.

Kawika Mitchell needs to stay healthy in training camp. He hasn't made it through camp once since he got drafted. He always comes up lame with a pulled hamstring that keeps him out 2-3 weeks.

If he can stay healthy, let him have it. When it's all said and done, I think Mike Maslowski will give him a run for his money. Call me crazy...

I don't doubt he will be the starter at the beginning of the season as draft pick politics usually trump performance and they desparately would still like to justify the high 2nd rounder they spent on his dizzy and confused self....By mid season I expect he will not be the starter......I expect DJ, Bell and Fuji to be the 3 starters....

maSLOWski will never see the field during the regular season again.

He does need to stay healthy but last year he recieved a high ankle sprain about two weeks before the season started and that's what kept him out of the games he missed. The year before he did have hammy problems all through camp and into the season.

PhilFree:arrow:

whatever... may best player win


i just hope the coaching staff truly allows the best player to win.


imo from what i have seen from Mitchell thus far, he would be better served at OLB.

If Maslowski can stay healthy throughout TC and Preseason, he will make the squad. Gun and DV LOVE HIM. If, and it's a big if, he can prove to be healthy, he'll make the 53 man roster. No doubt in my mind at all.

And that killed us last season because the coaching staff counted on Maz to come back, and he didn't. With Mitchell getting hurt, Beisel was forced to play MLB.

To be honest, Beisel looked better at MLB in TC than Mitchell did.

Hearing DV say "it will be very hard for him, very hard, he's way behind" in an interview this morning pretty much removed all doubt in my mind. I don't think he had the athletic ability to make the unit as it is right now before he got hurt two years ago.

That is all I hope for...However every team plays the draft pick/contract size politics and DV is well know for playing age politics...So that is highly unlikely.

We will have to wait and see. DV says a lot of shit he doesn't mean.

In the midst of all this draft pick/contract conspiracy talk, let's not forget the possibility, however remote it may seem, that Mitchell really has gotten it. It'd be nice to see it on the field a month from now and I think it would certainly be to our defense's benefit if he has. I don't know that that possibility is any more far-fetched than Scanlon or Grigsby becoming a quality starter, or even maz coming back after that surgery.

He may say things that turn out to be wrong, and he may occasionally get his names mixed up, but I don't think I've ever heard him say anything that, either at the time or sometime after, I didn't think he meant. Especially not about something like this, when he's talking about one of his favorite players (and there's no question that maz is).

I agree with Keg.
Maz was probably to slow to make the team against the speed and talent we now have at LB before he was injured.

He's probably lost a step since, not only because of the injury, but he's getting older also.

Care to put a friendly wager on it? Say sig lines?

i think it's a little unfair to call it "conspiracy talk"


it's pretty common knowledge that teams are generally gonna give the money a bigger chance than not.

higher the draft pick, the more the money invested


more money = bigger chance



don't see a conspiracy :shrug:

whaaaaa? :eek:


vermeil says shit all the time ... that he knows is crap


man is a true spinmeister

I don't think Beisel played MLB in TC he was working at LLB up until Mitchell was injured in the last preseason game. That's what I remember anyways. Beisel had two weeks from the last preseason game to the opener to make the change. He did a pretty good job all things considered.

PhilFree:arrow:

Beisel played MLB during the KC Vs Vikes scrimmage in TC last season. I watched him with my own two eyes. I even talked to him about it at the Mall of America...

I don't make silly wagers and I don't have (or want to have) a signature. I just don't get that whole mindset; I don't have anything personally invested in whether or not maSLOWski makes the roster. I don't think he will, but I'm fine if he does. I certainly won't take it as some kind of a personal defeat. Me being right or wrong means absolutely nil in the grand order of things because I'm abso-fucking-lutely nobody who's just here to spout out my abso-fucking-lutely worthless opinion to people with equally worthless opinions who I hope don't really care a rip about what I say. This place is like a bar. And in the end, all I really care about is having the best team on the field and winning some games. So if maz does make the roster, more power to him. If he starts, great. Hell, he could dress up like a cheerleader and heckle other teams from behind their bench for all I care. Whatever it takes to win.

LOL! Couldn't agree more. Although everyone on this board is more than just a nobody to me.

Let us pray.

well, he is better looking than some of the chiefs' cheerleaders...

what, do you pray in bars? :shrug:

Did anyone else notice in the same interview Gun said he didn't know yet who was going to start at LDT.
That is Sims spot so I wonder if he is thinking about starting Browning over Sims or if he is thinking about Siavii. He talked Siavii up.

I find it hard to believe that based upon a few OTA's, without pads, they think Kawika has improved that much. It will be nice if true but I'll only believe it after I see it.

I think you can get a read on whether he is stating to get better feel for the game.

They won't know if he has started to figured out the "knee bend" part until they put on pads.

I was'nt there and I don't doubt you one bit but I'll still submit that he was working at LLB for the most part. I would have like to kept him but such is the NFL.

PhilFree:arrow:

He did spend most of Mini/Training Camp at LOLB. You are absolutely correct.

From what i've seen, Mitchell is soft as shit. Probably looks real good at practice running around in shorts.

Agreed.

i think speed players like kawika mitchell,Derrick Johnson etc always look better early.

no tackling,no pads etc plays to their strengths


guys like Maz and prolly Bell look better when things get dirty

Yes. DV has been a wild ride, in a way, I am kind of glad it is going to be over this year. Hopefully he goes out taking us all the way.

Until he proves otherwise, Mitchell still sucks. Biesel was a better LB and that's not saying a lot.

:shake:

He's just another high draft pick whose being given every opportunity to prove he can't play at this level. He's done a pretty damn good job of it so far.

To be fair here, Mitchell is the leading canidate for MLB, I have stated this over and over many times. Mitchell does have 16 - 20 games under his belt the last 2 years. By playing in Gun's scheme last year, he is/should be farther advanced to understand it.

As good as Rich did in NFLE, this is a step above and it will be a learning experence for him to step in. If Rich of had the same amount of playing time as Mitchell to this point, I can honestly say it's not a contest of who is better prepaired to play at this time. But Rich doesn't have that experence, Mitchell wins this spot as long as he is healthy.

I can honestly say that due to Mitchells TC injuries, if he goes down, it may be tough for Mitchell to get it back.

BTW, IMHO, Maz is too slow after these injuries.

So a TC injury to Mitchell would make him the Chiefs Wally Pipp to Gopher's Lou Gehrig, right?

The biggest comment I've heard when specific 'why' is given to him looking better: he's in place to make plays now, where he's supposed to be because he's (finally) reading plays correctly. He wasn't even close in that regard a year ago, as I recall. I think it's more of a "light coming on upstairs" thing than it is an athletic guy making plays he's always made. We'll see, though, none of it's full speed yet.

And mentioning maz in the same sentence will Bell is kind of weird. Bell is very athletic, not someone who has to overcome physicial deficiencies like mike. I remember some plays when Bell was at his best 2 and 3 years ago, and he could get around the corner in a flash. He's very quick/fast in about a 10-yard range, probably a better initial burst than Johnson, even, he just doesn't have the same top-end speed (but he's not slow), that final gear that Johnson has (not many players do...).

He also looked pretty good on Saturday, along with Fox, Johnson and Mitchell. We had 4 LBs who looked like they could all be all over the field in the fall; I'd never seen anything like that here before. Thinking wistfully of Lew Bush and Marvcus Patton I was not. If that translates into full speed play when the pads are on, it's gonna be a lot of fun to watch. I can't wait to see the preseason.

I would seriously doubt that after a year and a half out of football, that Maz retains the physical and mental skills to compete. If he is not starter, I doubt he takes a trip back to ST and thus does not make the team. Scanlon is a surety to be on the team at least until the last cut because of his NFLEL exemption. I would doubt Grigsby is put on the practice squad, though it is possible. He will probably be a backup and ST while Scanlon and Mitchell fight it out for the starter spot. Scanlon may be hurt by the wear and tear of the NFLEL season.

How ever you wish to make it sound for your own taste, be it.I recall saying that IMHO,......... if he ( Mitchell ) goes down, it may ( nothing about will ) be tough for Mitchell to get it back.

:)

I think he's also hurt by not being here for most of the offseason workouts. There's something to be said for playing live ball, obviously, but there's also something to be said for getting coaching here on our system. That could be an advantage for Mitchell if it does come down to a head-to-head thing. Although the more I hear the coaches talk lately, the more I think it'll take an injury or something absolutely amazing from Scanlon in camp to get Mitchell off the field. And by "amazing", I don't mean looking good late in the second half of a preseason game against guys who probably won't ever be in the league, I mean coming into camp and taking the job the way maslowski nearly did a few years ago when he was fighting with Patton for the starting job until he got hurt, against the Bears as I recall, in a preseason game.

I agree. The live action served what the Chiefs needed to see in Rich, does he have the talent and the brains to pick up the schemes. He excelled well against the weaker league. But it has paid the price as far as scheme and learning how Gun wants to run a D. Kawika has benefited this during the off season. I don't think anybody here has questioned Mitchells ability, it's what's upstairs that was lacking.I hope Gun has it worked out for the Chiefs sake.

I have said it before and will say it again, It's Mitchells job to lose, I don't think Rich can come back from NFLE & grab it away unless Mitchell totally sucks or has an TC injury.Although Rich did get to practice it ( scheme)some last year, it's different than playing 12 games ( like Mitchell ) and having the off season to fine tune the scheme.

Yeah, I don't think there's any question that the best thing that can happen for us is for Mitchell to become a good linebacker. We don't need jobs decided by injury, and we don't need anybody getting a starting nod by attrition the way that Calvin Pickering "beat out" Ken Harvey in Royals spring training. Mitchell needs to come out in a month and prove why it's his job, and then Grigsby and Scanlon both need to play their asses off. Elevate everyone's play at MLB and the team will be that much better.I think that's a fair statement. And Mitchell has to find a way to stay healthy this year, that's maybe his biggest hurdle. The whole team does, for that matter. Let's hope the Battle injury is the exception and not the rule this year.

Due to all the Scanlon hype I saw on the board, I always took note of him in the NFLE games I saw parts of on TV. I just wasn't that impressed with him. He's a Chief, I hope he's the second coming of Dick Butkus obviously, but I didn't really see anything amazing from him. I don't remember him blowing up running plays behind the line or making fearsome hits or anything.

Mostly he reminded me of Maslowski.. a guy who might be allright with other players around him but is never going to set the world on fire. Remember Maz lead a crappy defense in tackles without ever really being that impressive of a player.

If Scanlon can help us, I'll be the happiest guy in the world, I just don't see it. He seems to be more of an effort guy who plays without the natural instinct or talent you would find in an NFL linebacker. Yeah we've turned projects into great players before a la Waters, Richardson, etc. but I won't hold my breath. Hope I'm wrong, I'd be glad to eat crow if he were to somehow start and put up 100 tackles.

I think he is alot better then people give him credit for.And another year with Gunther and better LB's can't make him any worse than last year.

I'm with Laz...who cares who ends up playing as long as they are the best we have at that position???

Booooooomer! Booooooooomer! Booooooomer!

that is all :D

Well Im glad Gun has finally got the point acrossed to him, but Kawika better watch out, cause Rich will be awaiting in the shadows if he fuks up and be ready to step in and contribute.

He's had too many chances to shine and the time is now to get it together or get out.

Im a chiefs fan so I wanna see every chief succeed on the team even if it is Kawika.

I have been wondering about this for a while, and you seem like a fellow that would have the answer to my question. Is Scanlon Batman?

ROFL

Of course, this is all about personal wishes and draft pick politics.

That's why Mike Maslowski is still on the team.

:clap: :clap:

Well said!!

REP

Mitchell elevated his game at the end of the year and looked good in practice. I think Gunther can get the most out of Mitchell this year. He's athletic and has the skills necessary to make a contribution. If he can hone in on his leadership skills and the playbook, I expect big things out of Mitchell this year.

Mitchell/Scanlon/Grigsby pretty decent future IMHO for the position.

Maslowski is still on the team because even with his mutilated knees he's still a better tackler than all of the other MLB's and he can still probably diagnose a play quicker than all of them.

Unlike Gopher, who actually gets younger with each passing day.

I think Mazlowski will make a fine coach one day. Probably sooner than later.

Chris

If that was true, and DV and Gun kept guys that contributed nothing to the team just because they loved them, they would have wasted second and third chances on Greg Robinson, Nate Hobgood-Chittick, errr... nevermind

It's just too bad that by the time he gets there to make the play, the other team is in the locker room catching a shower.

I'm not falling for any BS this year. I'll just wait and see for myself once the pads go on.

I will say that they better have someone else in mind for MLB, cause Kawika has a hard time staying healthy during training camp.

Crazy

And I didn't say "will", I said "would".

Should Kawika get hurt, and Gopher were to take over, never to relinquish the job, then the comparison I made would be a valid one.

I have taken a few shots at and you and Jr, and by extension, Gopher.
But this wasn't one of them.

Gun is like an LB specialist. He will get these guys to the ball and make them tough.

I've said from the beginning that Mitchell will be the starting MLB this season. Bell will be much more effective on the outside then in the middle, so there is no realistic option for MLB besides Mitchell.

Now if Mitchell has finally proved he can play, now he has to prove that he can stay healthy.

Personally I won't be satisfied until he defeats Rich Scanlon American Gladiator style.

Mike Adamle: And here they come down the zipline... Mitchell with a slight lead over Scanlon in this final event!

Larry Csonka: This looks to be a tight race to the finish!

Adamle: Over the wall they go! Now they have to pick the right finishing lane!

Csonka: Mitchell is heading right for Turbo!

Adamle: Kawika breaks through the paper, and gets hammered by Turbo! He goes down!

Csonka: Here comes Scanlon!

Adamle: And he picks his lane... there's Nitro! And... Oh my God! What's he doing? Scanlon just ripped Nitro's heart out of his chest! He has destroyed Nitro! Here comes Scanlon across the finish line in first, holding the remains of Nitro's lifeless body!

Csonka: Now THAT'S an American Gladiator.

Adamle: Well, I guess Rich Scanlon is our winner today. That was some really heartpumping action! Tune in next time on American Gladiators!

[Theme Music]Duh-du-duh-duh-du-DUUUH...[/Theme Music]

Kawika seemed to start "getting it" the last 5 or 6 games of last season. That's why I think he might surprise a few people this year. It's been awful to watch him find a blocker so he can get thrown out of a play, but hopefully that will happen less and less from now on. Also, he's never had any help in front of him. I don't think anybody would do a great job given how weak the middle of our D-line has been the last few years. It still depends in large part on how well Siavii plays this year (I've given up on Sims ever becoming an "impact" player). If the DTs can stuff the middle a bit better, Mitchell will improve by default. If not, he can still play better than he did last season. If he continues to improve from the end of last season, we'll be OK. JMO.

I still hope we can find a way to get Fuj on the field though. He's a quality player, IMO. His ankle injury ruined last season for him. His play dropped right off once that happened. If he gets back to full speed, he'll be tough to hold down.