Five key decisions that shaped the Chiefs’ season

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MOBILE, Ala.

 

The foundation for the Chiefs’ 2015 season was laid over 12 months ago, when Chiefs general manager John Dorsey signed Allen Bailey to an extension.The deal kept Bailey, a rising young lineman with versatility, from hitting the market and allowed them to focus their energy on signing Jeremy Maclin and and re-signing Justin Houston.

 

The 2015 NFL Draft also yielded a pair of starters in Pro Bowl rookie Marcus Peters and center Mitch Morse, picks that were not viewed as automatic slam dunks at the time.

 

Now, with the 2015 campaign officially in the rearview mirror, here’s a look at all those moves and how they helped the Chiefs

1. Extending Allen Bailey

 

Bailey, 26, emerged as the team’s most consistent defensive lineman in the first half of the 2015 season, and was chosen The Star’s midseason MVP. Injuries hampered him some the rest of the year, but he still finished with 38 tackles and 4  1/2 sacks, proving the Chiefs were wise to lock him up with a four-year, $24 million deal in November 2014.

 

“It’s kind of identifying (what a guy is) early and understanding that it’s one of those things that you talk about (being in) the long-term interest of your organization,” Dorsey said. “You try to do deals like that, and we’ll continue to do deals like that.”

But how did he know Bailey would be worthy of the money?

 

“It’s a combination of the athleticism, the strength and the coaching,” Dorsey said.

2. Signing Jeremy Maclin

 

After the Chiefs cut ties with Dwayne Bowe, they moved quickly to find a legitimate No. 1 receiver who also had history with coach Andy Reid and would essentially be a plug-and-play starter.

 

Maclin, 27, lived up to his five-year, $55 million deal, leading the team in catches (87), yards (1,088) and touchdowns (eight). He also brought the added bonus of leadership, bringing with him a swagger and competitiveness that was sorely needed.

 

“He’s a true professional, he’s a really good human being,” Dorsey said. “With those type of dynamics, you know that if you had a chance to sign him, he was going to add to the receiver room and guys were going to see what true professionalism is all about.

 

“I think he displayed that the moment he walked in here, and he will continue to display it. All along, I’ve said I love the kid. I think he’s good for our team moving forward.”

3. Drafting Marcus Peters

 

Peters, the Chiefs’ first-round pick in 2015, had his share of question marks entering the draft. He was super-talented, but there was a question about whether he would or could be a good teammate after he was dismissed from the Washington Huskies his senior year after repeated run-ins with a new coaching staff.

 

But the Chiefs felt confident they knew what Peters was as a person — they did their due diligence on him, even sending director of player personnel Chris Ballard to Peters’ hometown of Oakland before the draft — and pulled the trigger on him with the 18th overall pick.

 

“That’s kind of what we do — we go to the nines in terms of trying to find everything that we possibly can on a prospective draftee,” Dorsey said. “And he just happened to be a No. 1 pick who had some things that needed to be found out about. (We needed) to make sure that everybody within the organization, at the end of the day when the selection was made, everybody was comfortable with it. And everybody was.

The pick turned out to be a home run. Peters led the league in interceptions (eight) and pass breakups (26) and added a playmaking element to a secondary that desperately needed it.

 

“He’s immensely talented, he’s very competitive, he’s intuitively smart, and those are kind of the mantras we talk about,” Dorsey said.

He was also a good teammate, as he deferred to veterans and accepted the coaching of defensive backs coaches Emmitt Thomas and Al Harris.

“I’m glad he’s a Chief and I look forward to him being a Chief for a very long time,” Dorsey said.

4. Drafting Mitch Morse

 

Not many draft pundits had Missouri tackle Morse going in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, but Dorsey and his scouting staff fell in love with his toughness, athleticism and instincts. Sensing that Morse wouldn’t last until the third round, Dorsey pulled the trigger on Morse before the end of the second round and watched him become a 15-game starter, albeit at center — a position he hadn’t played since his sophomore year at Mizzou.

 

Morse had some snapping problems that year, but that didn’t deter Dorsey, and they were nowhere to be seen as an NFL rookie.

“We talk about the quality of coaching … when you’re a sophomore playing in the SEC and you have one or two bad snaps, are you gonna get labeled for something that you could correct once you get to the next level?” Dorsey asked.

 

Dorsey also loves Morse’s versatility.

 

“Today, he could probably get you out (of a jam) as a tackle,” Dorsey said. “He could play center, guard or tackle. I think versatility goes a long way in the National Football League. Then, when you combine that with his athleticism, innate toughness and smarts, that’s worthy of a starter in the National Football League.”

5. Re-signing Justin Houston

 

Houston made the Chiefs pay for failing to get a done with him before the 2014 season, as he racked up 22 sacks.

 

He broke the bank last offseason, signing a six-year, $101 million extension. While the timing wasn’t great — Houston’s franchise number tied up some cap room during free agency — Dorsey and company got key veterans such as Tamba Hali and Mike DeVito to take pay cuts, which opened up some cap room during free agency.

 

Midway through the summer, after adding Maclin and drafting Peters and Morse, the Chiefs finally agreed to a new deal with their best player for 2015 and beyond, and Houston and safety Eric Berry emerged as the emotional leaders for a team that won a playoff game for the first time in 22 years.

 

“We’ve always said, if you can retain your own football players, great football players, that helps you sustain moving forward,” Dorsey said at the time. “He’s young enough to where I foresee many great years in the Kansas City Chiefs organization. Again, these types of deals take a long time. Not everybody is going to get what they want.”

 

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/nfl/kansas-city-chiefs/article57536938.html#storylink=cpyMOBILE, Ala.