So Sam Howell is the quarterback, and he's shown out so far this summer…but is the biggest issue outside of him, the offensive line, going to hold him back?
The Sports Junkies called it a 'nubs unit' earlier this month, and on Friday, after the announcement of Howell as QB1/starter became official, Grant & Danny turned their focus to that new line – and it seems like the guys are split on just how important, and good, the line has to be?
"Are they going to be good enough to allow him to thrive?" Grant said. "I don't think Sam has to be the hero – sure, he has to make some plays with his feet, get the ball out and be decisive, but that's all prerequisite tuff. The defense is good, they should be able to run the ball, and Bieniemy as a schemer will be a real asset to him. And, they have some real weapons at receiver, so his skill players are above average for him, so I don't think he has to be exceptional."
"I think unfortunately he does have to do more than he should, because their big fix to their bad offense was Howell and Bieniemy, and a couple scrap heap linemen," Danny replied. "What should have happened this offseason is once they said Sam was the guy, they start building this impenetrable fortress with all kinds of weapons - but they didn't; they said 'well, we have Terry and Jahan' and left him out to dry. I think the running game is pedestrian and won't be terribly sophisticated or productive, so I think he'll have to do too much because they didn't try to improve that line."
Grant, at least, has an idea on how Bieniemy can easily upgrade the offense.
"Their offense is going to be better immediately just based on playcalling. Last year, they predictably ran on first down too much, so they were predictably throwing in passing downs," Grant said. "It makes you less efficient doing that, so by just throwing it on first down more, which was a Chiefs staple, you get better running the football, and on offense, just like that, and can have more success."
He couldn't, though, argue with Danny on the point about not building the fortress on the line.
"That's my great concern, and is what stops me from screaming about Howell being the next great QB in DC – because if they had a great line, I'd have done it already," Grant said. "If their line was what it was a few years ago…it's fallen off a cliff, but if the line still played at that level, I'd feel confident Howell was not only going to have a strong first season, but next few years. But, I'm not sold, because if he only gets one crack at it, which is very reasonable, I hope this line doesn't mess it up for him."
Follow Grant & Danny on Twitter: @granthpaulsen & @funnydanny
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