Dwayne Bowe is Ready to Return against Cleveland ; Or Is He?
This week marks the first time in weeks that the Chiefs have been able to have their Pro Bowl caliber WR Dwayne Bowe in the line-up. Prior to the match-up against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bowe was suspended by the NFL for use of an illegal substance. Now that his suspension is up, Bowe is allowed to return to the field.
The question that rises from this is simple. Should Todd Haley let Dwayne Bowe play? Personally, I vote for “No”, and I don’t think twice about it.
Let’s just see for example, where trouble within the locker room has gotten teams recently. Cincinnati Bengals never had that kind of issue…. Oh wait. Well hey! What about Jacksonville… Oh wait. Upon further thought, lack of discipline hasn’t gotten any team, anywhere. For those who don’t recall, Bowe isn’t exactly on Haley’s good side. Bowe was benched by the head coach during the pre0season for his indescretions, and was benched for the pre-season games. Now Bowe has to deal with Haley after coming off a league induced suspension after testing positives for HGH’s? Seeing him play isn’t very likely.
Benching Bowe for this isn’t a sign of negative coaching by Haley, in fact, it would be positive. We’ve already seen the progressions of Haley this year. Finding gems like Dorsey as a 3-4 defensive end(although I still don’t agree with the decision) finding Andy Studebaker as a solid linebacker, making a quick move on Chambers. Haley himself is showing he’s ready to take on the trials and tribulations as an NFL coach, but it’s his discipline that is going to earn him respect. It’s the positive, yet tough attitude he’s shown that will help progress the Chiefs.
Take it for what it’s worth, but unless your a Saints or Colts fan, there isn’t any better feeling than a Chiefs fan right now. You’ve found your future head coach. You’ve got great position to draft franchise players in what looks to be a good class. You’ve got money to spend on free agency, and also, would anyone object to bringing in Charlie Weis as the offensive coordinator? No, I didn’t think so.
As for this week, don’t count out Cleveland. Last week they had 8(yes, 8) sacks against Pittsburgh in a WIN over the Steelers. It was their first against the Steelers since 03, and a team coming off of a win like that can be a scary team to face. Regardless of the outcome, the Chieffs are in a win-win situation. Win the game, and you get, a win. Lose the game, and you’re one step closer to a quicker rebuild. Seeing as the Browns have very little speed in the defense, the key to victory against the Browns is to beat them is speed. Defensively, the Chiefs need to watch two things. One, the Browns like to try to get to the outside on the run game. Second, watch quick routes up the middle of the field. All and all, I cant see this being much of a fun game, but either way, it’s a win-win for the Chiefs.
Seeing as were three weeks away from the end of the season, it’s official that the Chiefs 2009 season is about done, but there’s still the fun part yet to come(which is my favorite part), the draft.
As always, I try to leave my weekly input, along with a (hopeful) mock draft for the Chiefs. Here’s a look at what I’d like to see for the first couple picks. Well go from the thoughts of the Chiefs picking 7th overall per round.
1st round - Rolando McClain. ILB. A linebacker at 7th? Yes. He just might be the 3rd best prospects behind Ndamukong Suh and Eric Berry. He’s the complete package for a linebacker. Think of Patrick Willis, McClain is quite similar
2nd round -Jerry Hughes. DE/OLB from TCU. He reminds me the Steelers OLB James Harrison. Great speed, amazing strength, pursuits the QB with intensity, but knows how to cover pretty well, and can make plays.If Hughes is gone by pick 37, look for OT Ciron Black out of LSU to be the pick and step in as the right tackle from day one.
2nd round - Mike Iupati. OG. More OL help is needed, badly. Iupati is an excellent run blocker and a great pass blocker from the LG spot, so this pick can move Brian Waters over to the pulling guard spot at RG.
3rd round - Akwasi Owusu-Ansah. Indiana University of Pennsylvania. CB/S. Wait, who? From WHERE? Yes, this kid is the real deal. a division-II prospect who is rated top 100 right now, and well deserving. At the Div-II level, he’s returned 12 punt, kicks, fumbles, and interceptions(combined) for TD’s. He’s got legitimate 4.40 (40 time) speed, and is a great press corner as well. He’s got the coverage and strength for a press corner, but the speed and smarts for a zone coverage safety. The Chiefs could use a playmaker like Owusu-Ansah, especially one that will be overlooked by many because of his college play. The best part? Owusu-Ansah is a seriously dangerous return man.
I expect a low scoring, low offense game sunday. I predict a 13-10 win for the Chiefs. Let’s hope we see Bowe on the field, but I wouldn’t count out his benching after his debacle.
How can you say Bowe deserves to sit? He wasn’t suspended for HGH, it was some form of anabolic steroid. The man has paid his punishment. He’s one of KC’s best young players. Don’t you think he needs to be given an opportunity to develop after having a chance to learn from this mistake?
Terrence,
I Understand your concern, and appreciate the comment! Two things though,
One, Isn’t HGH just another term for use of steroids? Ive been under the impression it was.
Second, My reasons for benching him are as follows. One, Haley needs to help discipline his young stars. So far, he’s done a great job with that. He’s done that in a respectful and appropriate manner. Benching Bowe would be a sign of Bowe realizing in a correct manner that he needs to mature. Benching him isn’t as punishing as you would think. It’s more of a second chance. A second chance to prove that he can respect Haley’s decision to say “You don’t get special treatment, but you do need to show this team as a young superstar that you can lead by example.” Do you want your star player showing example by being suspended for 4 games, maybe 8, because he broke the rules?
Personally, I see Bowe as a top 10 WR in this league. He’s got the perfect skill set to be a franchise WR, and an NFL multi-time pro bowler, but that all starts with discipline. Promise means nothing if you can’t show progression, and Bowe is showing that, but he needs to better discipline himself to reach his “ceiling” as they say. Look at Pittsburgh, Rashard Mendenhall was noted as not working hard enough, and Tomlin benched him until he showed he could carry the load. Now he’s averaging nearly 100 yards a game and thats under 20 carries with one of the worst offensive lines.
Am I saying this will happen? Not at all. Do I think it’s the right thing to do? Absolutely. Haley benching him as a team decision wouldn’t hurt the Chiefs to be honest. At 3-10, you have no chance of the playoffs this year, and the team has already shown they can beat a quality team without him. I’m not saying they don’t need him now, or in the future, but if he and anyone else wants to see a future playoff contender, the time to progress is now. If Bowe can better discipline himself, he can help future WR’s that come through reach an elite level as fast as he did.