Chiefs GM Dorsey: 'There’s something special here ... 'Team' means everything'
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- John Dorsey won't yank your chain: He digs his roster, as-is. He digs the Kansas City Chiefs just the way they are, 9-0 warts and all.
"I think this roster right here, I like the guys here, I do," Dorsey, the Chiefs' first-year general manager, told a small group of reporters this afternoon at the team's practice facility.
"Because there's something special here. And you don't want to ... there's something special here. 'Team' means everything."
Which would explain, in large part, why the Chiefs didn't seek out an upgrade when the NFL's annual trade deadline came and went last week.
Fans around Kansas City perked their ears up collectively when former Chief Tony Gonzalez told ESPN he would consider being traded away from Atlanta; yet, despite the Chiefs' depth issues at tight end, no deal for Tony G -- or any other tight end -- ever materialized.
As to how close a deal was to actually materializing, well -- when asked, Dorsey chose to play it coy.
"Well, you know, I mean you always have to do everything within your power to see what's out there," the general manager said. "And I'm not going to say anything about (that) ... what we do is we do everything we possibly can to see what opportunities lie ahead."
Which means?
"You know what? There (were) no deals to be had," Dorsey said. "Nothing to be had."
And part of the reason for that might be because of a clause in the trade with the San Francisco 49ers that brought Alex Smith to the Chiefs this past spring. As Dorsey explained it, because Kansas City is assured of a winning record, the Niners will now get the Chiefs' second-round pick in 2014 (up from a third-round choice), as well as the second-rounder they'd already acquired in 2013.
In NFL front offices, picks in rounds 1-3 are like gold. Dorsey was a member of the Packers' front office for most of the last two decades, primarily on the collegiate scouting side; the Green Bay Way is to preserve picks at nearly every turn, given a choice, unless there's an immediate, desperate need on the table -- such as, for example, the hole the Chiefs had at quarterback after the end of last season.
Build from within. Strengthen from within.
"I don't know, but we have always -- to me, personally, we've always felt that draft picks are very important, OK?" Dorsey said. "And that's been ingrained in me over many years to come."
Which begged a few more questions, of course. Namely, is this roster -- as much as Dorsey likes it -- good enough to make a substantial playoff run?
"What I like about this roster is, I think the defense is playing very well, I think the offense is making improvements every (week)," Dorsey said. "And ... we have, how many games do we have left now? Seven games left? I'm kind of curious to see how we play the next seven games. That's what I'm looking forward to. One week at a time."
This week, a bye. The week after that, a visit to the 7-1 Denver Broncos for what's already being billed as a showdown between the best two teams in pro football.
So is this roster, as-is, good enough to win a division?
To that, Dorsey smiled.
"You know what?" he replied. "We'll find out in two weeks."
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter @seankeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com.
