Some people love the signing of Stanford Routt for the Kansas City Chiefs. Others don’t get it and hate the swap if it leads to losing Brandon Carr. While Scott Pioli insists he wanted more competition and better players this offseason and that one doesn’t have anything to do with the other, detractors point to Routt’s penalties from last season and wonder what the Chiefs are thinking.
Peter King at Sports Illustrated says that the voice of the detractors will go away after Routt’s time in KC. Routt’s talent is clear as a cornerback, and King also says his best could still be forthcoming as he’s coached properly behind the Chiefs secondary coaching staff. He writes:
Now about Routt. There’s been something missing in his game in the last couple of years in Oakland: discipline and technique. The good about Routt: He’s one of a very small handful of corners to play 1,000 snaps in the last two years and hold receivers under 50-percent completions.
The bad bout Routt: He’s sloppy; no corner had more than Routt’s 28 penalties accepted in the last two years. He’s a solid corner who could be very good with better coaching — and he’s coming to the right place. Emmitt Thomas, the secondary coach, was a Hall of Fame player and is a strong technique coach. His assistant, Otis Smith, was a marginal NFL player who had to do everything right to stay in the league — and Carr and Flowers both benefited from his coaching. I think one of the big reasons Routt went to Kansas City is he’s dying to be coached. And he’ll be coached in Kansas City.
To get a good NFL corner for about $6 million a year over three years is a good signing, and should prove to be good insurance for the Chiefs. (The deal would be worth $10.5 million for two years and $18 million for three … if Routt is in Kansas City for a third year.)
Whether Routt is the third corner or taking over for Carr, if he’s able to round off the rough edges that came out last season, the Chiefs made a strong play in free agency. The Chiefs’ coaches have already made big playmakers out of Brandon Flowers and Carr and Routt should enjoy the same treatment.