So much for a team having a primary spokesman. In an organization like the Chiefs, you're going to hear a company line straight from Scott Pioli, Clark Hunt and/or Todd Haley. It will be boring. It will lack drama. Their voices will be in unison, and any other voice that emerges from the Chiefs -- whether player or staff -- will fall in line with what has already been said. In other words, covering a team like the Kansas City Chiefs isn't exactly a juicy journalistic beat.
Head to the southeast, however, and Deron Cherry apparently believes differently about giving comments to the media. The former Chiefs defensive back is now a minority owner with the Jacksonville Jaguars and has high praise for the team's new draft choice in former Mizzou quarterback Blaine Gabbert. And rightfully so, since Gabbert was a high-profile signalcaller chosen to be the future face of the franchise. You don't trade a first and second round selection to move up six slots without some excitement involved. But Cherry went way too far.
While giving some quotes to the Kansas City Star's Adam Teicher, Cherry praises Gabbert on the qualities he likes and compares him to Josh Freeman. But then he says the words that never should have come out of his mouth -- or anyone else from the Jags for that matter. He told Teicher, "Let’s face it: David is serviceable but long-term whether he’s going to be there or not, who knows? We needed a quarterback. Last year, we wound up playing a quarterback we signed off the street for one game, the game in Kansas City. That shows you how desperate we were."
The David in question is David Garrard, the Jags starting quarterback for the last half-decade. It's the same Garrard who head coach Jack Del Rio publicly backed earlier this spring by declaring him the starter for this next season. He's also the same Garrard who put up career best numbers in 2010 to the tune of a 90.8 QB rating with 23 touchdowns, 15 interceptions and a 64.5 completion percentage. He also went 8-6 as a starter.
Gabbert will have his day and it might come sooner than later, but that's not a minority owner's call whatsoever. You pay guys to make those decisions and you pay other guys to talk about those decisions. If someone is asked for a random off-season quote -- like Cherry was at his annual golf tournament -- then you tow a company line, praise the kid but also support who your head coach is publicly supporting. Instead, Cherry calls his current starter serviceable and references his team's situation as desperate. That's outside the lines for someone in Cherry's position and only undermines what the team is trying to do.