RAND: Opportunity knocks for wide receivers

Jun 09, 2005, 4:14:39 AM by Jonathan Rand - FAQ

Every year around draft time, many of us have wondered if the Chiefs, despite their defensive woes, might grab a wide receiver in the first round. If the Chiefs can lead the NFL in total offense despite lacking a Pro Bowl wideout, just imagine how many yards they might roll up if they had one.

And didn’t Chiefs coach Vermeil draft as if he couldn’t get enough top wide receivers when he led the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl title? He already had an impressive receiving corps, led by four-time Pro Bowler Isaac Bruce, when he took Torry Holt with the sixth overall pick of the 1999 draft. Holt became a Pro Bowler, too.

But the Chiefs haven’t had a Pro Bowl wide receiver since Vermeil took over in 2001. That year, his leading wide receiver, rookie Marvin “Snoop” Minnis, had just 33 catches. Vermeil hasn’t drafted a Chiefs wideout in the first two rounds. He shored up the position with veteran free agents Eddie Kennison and recently-released Johnnie Morton.

The Chiefs didn’t draft a wide receiver, Craphonso Thorpe, until the fourth round this year. Now they’re looking at low-budget free agents Freddie Mitchell and Az-Zahir Akim possibly to join the competition for a starting job opposite Kennison.

Why hasn’t Vermeil made a big stab for a Pro Bowl-caliber wideout? He indicated this week that he doesn’t really see a pressing need for one. Not when he has Tony Gonzalez, the NFL’s best pass-catching tight end.

Asked if the emergence of Samie Parker or another young wide receiver might make some of his other receivers more effective, Vermeil replied, “I don’t think it makes much of a difference. Tony Gonzalez set a team record with 102 catches and it’s an NFL record for a tight end. The way we run our offense, we distribute the ball to all our players that play.

“Regardless of who plays split end, if they play all the time, they will catch 55 to 65 balls. They aren’t going to catch 85 or 90 because we don’t feature any one wide receiver. The only guy we really feature is Tony Gonzalez.”

Just when you thought you appreciated how much Gonzalez means to the Chiefs’ offense, Vermeil offered another spin on his tight end’s value. Yet, didn’t Vermeil feature his Pro Bowl wide receivers when he coached the Rams? Not as much as you might think, even when his tight ends weren’t major players in the passing game.

Then, as now, the hub of Vermeil’s offense was a running back. In 1999, the Rams’ Super Bowl season, Marshall Faulk topped 1,000 yards in both rushing and receiving and made 87 catches. Bruce caught 77 passes and Holt 52. That’s not much different from Kennison’s 62 catches and Morton’s 55 a year ago. Tied at 25 catches for the Chiefs were running back Derrick Blaylock, who left through free agency, and Dante Hall, whose smallish size and value as a kick returner make him best suited as a third wide receiver.

Perhaps the Chiefs’ most alarming offensive statistic last year was Priest Holmes’ 19 catches, down from 74 the previous year. Defenses were taking away his short routes even before he was lost at midseason. The Chiefs need to make Holmes one of their leading receivers again and find a competent split end. Just because Vermeil doesn’t need a dominant wideout opposite Kennison doesn’t mean that any warm body will do.

As you check out the Chiefs passing game prospects for 2005, a few things become obvious. This is a great time to be a young wide receiver fighting for a job with the Chiefs. And the Chiefs, as always, better find a way to keep Gonzalez busy and healthy.

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.