Kansas City Chiefs Notes: Derrick Johnson, Alex Smith, Andy Reid

Nov 17, 2013; Denver, CO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker

(56) returns a fumble in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

TWO MORE PRO BOWLERS

An injury to Navorro Bowman and rain check from Tom Brady open up two more spots for the Pro Bowl this Sunday. Derrick Johnson and Alex Smith will fill those holes in the roster.

Johnson should have already been in the Pro Bowl in the first place. Maybe the team’s best defensive player, Johnson was the third rated middle linebacker by Pro Football Focus, behind only the San Francisco’s tandem of Bowman and Patrick Willis. PFF gave Johnson a +12 grade in pass coverage, which was the best of any middle linebacker. He was tied for first with the most QB hits (7), ranked sixth in QB hurries (12), seventh in stops (57), and seventh in sacks (4) among inside linebackers.

Smith is another story. None of the metics sites appreciated what Smith did on the field this season. ESPN’s QBR ranked Smith 24th in the NFL with a 49.4 rating (50 is average), Football Outsiders ranked him 21st with a -5% DVOA, and PFF’s -0.6 grade ranked Smith 24th amongst quarterbacks.

Still… 11 wins. And apparently only quarterbacks can win games in the NFL, not teams.

There is some reason to think Smith may have earned the trip with his performances in the second half. PFF gave his final seven games of the season (includes the playoff game) a +6.7 grade, and his quarterback rating over the last eight games of the season was 98.7. In fact, Smith threw for 16 touchdowns and 1,742 yards in the second half of the season, while throwing only three interceptions.

He also had that nifty touchdown pass in the playoffs.

Source: standingosports.com

As solid as the second half was for Smith, it still should not have been enough to warrant a Pro Bowl selection. I supposed other substitutes were not available.

No matter, the Chiefs now have 10 total players in the this year’s game, which should make Sunday a little more entertaining.

ANDY REID HONORED

CHIEFS SCOUTING SENIOR BOWL

Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star is killing it when it comes to covering the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. He’s been all over the workouts, rumors, and musings from around the practices and workouts. This includes some of the individuals the Chiefs have met with so far this week.

"That list includes (but is certainly not limited to): Oregon receiver Josh Huff, Nebraska cornerback Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Utah cornerback Keith McGill, Georgia Tech outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, Florida State safety Terrence Brooks, Tennessee offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James and North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner. Meanwhile, BYU outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy and San Jose State quarterback David Fales said they had interviews with the Chiefs scheduled for the near future."

Just because the Chiefs talked to them doesn’t mean the Chiefs will draft them, but this gives you an early glimpse of what the Chiefs are looking at in this year’s draft. You can find a whole bunch of information from Paylor by following him on twitter – @TerezPaylor – or in a nearby copy of the Kansas City Star.