Chiefs Face Intriguing Week 1 Test In Jacksonville

Meaningful Kansas City football returns today, Chiefs Kingdom. We all want to see our reigning MVP go wild, but I'm actually more excited to see KC's torn-down, rebuilt defense face off against an improved Jacksonville Jaguars offense. We'll inevitably be amazed by Patrick Mahomes again and again, but we already knew that coming into the season. The Chiefs' defense gives us no such certainty, especially in Week 1 against a Jacksonville squad that KC cannot underestimate.

The Jags ranked 27th in yards per game and 31st in points per game last season, but veteran Super Bowl champ Nick Foles will look like a Hall of Famer to Jacksonville fans after their previous ugly experiences. A healthy Leonard Fournette is a great Week 1 test for the Chiefs' new run-stuffing strategies. He's one of the league's best when he's on his game, and KC's new 4-3 defense will need to limit backs like Fournette in order to be successful. That's no easy task for a group that has never played a meaningful game together.

At no fault of its own, this defense lacks an identity. Edge rush threat Frank Clark brings an impressive four-season resume with him, along with some of that Legion of Boom mystique, but he's in a new place with a new coach and system for the first time in his career. It's tough to say whether or not he can improve upon his 13 sack season in 2018. The much-maligned secondary saw dramatic alterations as well. On paper, they're better this season, but can newcomers like Tyran Mathieu and Bashaud Breeland mesh with Kendal Fuller and Company this early in the season? Nobody knows yet, but I'm excited to learn more.

New defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo knows that his mission is to once again upend the New England Patriots' chances at a Super Bowl. However, to give the Chiefs solid seeding in the playoffs, Spags and KC need to win consistently against good-not-great teams like Jacksonville. The majority of the football world would wager that KC's defense will improve this year, but today we'll see what the new unit is capable of when it actually matters. With the Chiefs' potentially record-breaking offense and consistently stellar special teams play, the Kansas City defense will be the biggest worry for the Kingdom. The speed in which that group of guys finds cohesion factors heavily into the Chiefs' chances to go all the way this season.

In just minutes, we get to witness Chapter One of a story that could conclude in Super Bowl glory. Soak that in and have fun today.

Doug LaCerte is a freelance sportswriter with a Facebook page and a Twitter feed that he likes to neglect equally.

The Answer (Probably)

Here it is, everyone. Here's the big news we've all been waiting for- the answer to the biggest question concerning Kansas City football. The Chiefs have chosen their new quarterback, and agreed to terms to bring him to KC. Probably.

Since San Fran officially announced a willingness to trade Alex Smith, the Chiefs have clearly emerged as the team with the most interest. According to Greg Rosenthal of NFL.com, the deal between Smith and KC is “all but done.” A few hours after this news broke, Jason LaCanfora of CBS Sports tweeted that the 49ers told other interested teams that a deal involving Smith was “effectively complete. Can't be finalized til league year begins 3/12.” This followed several other tweets from around the league that were essentially announcements from teams pulling out of negotiations for the San Fran QB. By late Sunday night, Kansas City appeared to be the only candidate still in the race.

If it's all true, the search is over. The new franchise QB is here- or at least, he'll be here on March 12^th. We can all move on from the QB situation once and for all. Probably.

In another NFL.com report, Ian Rapaport mentions that because of the odd situation in San Francisco last year, the Chiefs know that Alex “won't tear the place apart if he's replaced.” That's a very important and understated point. Several sources have pointed out Reid's interest in using the first draft pick on offensive lineman Luke Joeckel. However, with this move the Chiefs leave themselves the option to draft whichever 2^nd or 3^rd round QB catches their attention. If Ryan Nassib or Matt Barkley or Tyler Bray become the apple in Andy's eye, the Chiefs can still grab him, probably in the 2^nd round. Probably.

Everything is still up in the air, unfortunately. Who knows how we'll use our 2^nd round without knowing the 1^st round pick? We could trade down and change the draft order. We could trade the 2^nd round pick in free agency. It could be gone already; for all we know, the Chiefs already traded the 2^nd round draft pick for Alex Smith and signed the official/unofficial contract.

Since every theory is built on a foundation of probable-truths and hearsay, nothing will be clear fact until we hear it from the mouth of someone within the Chiefs organization. At the very earliest, this would come on March 12^th, the technical start to the new football year. For now though, it seems as if all the rumors and all the reading between-the-lines point to Smith being the answer. With the mediocre Matt Flynn and the untested Nick Foles* as the other legitimate options in free agency, Alex Smith seems to be the optimal choice. As much as I can read into it, Smith is coming to Kansas City, and the Chiefs made the best decision possible for this situation.

You know, probably.

* The Foles/Chiefs situation has supposedly ended with another stern rejection from the Philadelphia front office. According to USA Today, the Eagles reiterated to Reid on Saturday that Foles was not currently on the market. Why they said this publicly the first time while simultaneously naming their price is still a worthy question. Nonetheless, it seems Foles is officially off the list. That is, until a few weeks from now, when free agency begins, draft stocks shift, and every team's long-term plans become more concrete. Don't let the strong posturing fool you- if Smith isn't coming to Kansas City, Foles still looms in the shadows as an intriguing dark-horse. 

The Answer (Maybe)

The search is on for the new Chief's QB, and a new front-runner just emerged. Andy Reid is dancing a rather awkward dance with the front office in Philadelphia at this moment. Maybe it's less of a waltz and more of a slow-paced boxing match at this point, with Andy waiting to counter after Philadelphia's latest moves. As the hearsay spread that Reid and Co. weren't interested in acquiring Michael Vick, the Eagles resigned him to a one-year extension for $7 million.

It seems like Vick was waiting for an invite from Reid, and he never got one.

News broke earlier this week that Reid and the Chiefs have interest in Eagles QB Nick Foles. This would be the first proverbial counter-punch that Reid threw in response to Philly re-signing Vick and also hiring QB Dennis Dixon to compete with him (and Foles, so they say) for the starting job. Andy was responsible for Foles' hiring in the previous draft, where he picked him in the 3^rd round and saw enough potential in Nick to start him in 6 games. In those six games, Foles completed more than 60% of his 265 pass attempts and recorded a TD/INT ratio of 6/5. After Vick posted a positive ratio for touchdowns and picks 4 out of his 10 games and completed below 58.1% of his passes, many Eagles fans were left hoping for Foles to return as their starter. Even now, that may happen.

The Eagles front office is simultaneously telling the press that they aren't considering trading Foles AND letting the league know it would take at least a 1^st or 2^nd round pick to pique their interest. Whenever you hear business talk like that, chances are the two parties are about to, you know, do business together. So, don't let the lofty valuations or bargaining jargon fool you- Foles is on the market, and the Chiefs want him. This is all part of the dance/fist-fight that will quite possibly end with Foles starting his next season in red.

The question now isn't whether Foles is available- it's whether he can be had for a reasonable exchange. The Eagles are reading off page one of the Haggling for Dummies handbook and setting the bar high as their first step of negotiations. There's been no word from either side, at least not publicly, about what else Philly would take in exchange for their possible 3rd-string QB. All the faith is with Reid here, both from the fans and, presumably, from the front office in KC. He knows Foles, so his valuation of him in the current market will determine what happens next. If he can convince Philly to part with their third-string QB for a reasonable price, Foles becomes the answer to the Chiefs' most important question. If the Eagles can't make it worth it for Reid and Kansas City, we'll go right back to the drawing board to further analyze all the Smiths and Flynns and Barkleys out there.

Reid will hopefully never reach the Big Brother levels of secrecy that Pioli has in years past. Every team, however, (or more to my point, every business) keeps certain things under wraps and out of the public eye for good reasons. Things have been quiet since Saturday. Too quiet. Just the fact that Reid's interest in Foles went public seems a telling sign of at least partial commitment to that plan. I have a feeling that Foles will be here in KC next year- whether or not he will start is an entirely different debate.

So, what do you think? What would you offer to Philly in return for Foles? Do you think Foles is the real answer at franchise QB? Do you think I'm moronic for one reason or another? Let me know in the comments section. You can be as honest and mean as you want, guys, it's the internet.