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QB Brodie Croyle, Kansas City Chiefs

HT: 6-3, WT: 204, Born: 2-6-1983, College: Alabama, Drafted: Round 3

2008 Projections

Best Case

There have been cases where a young quarterback entering his first full year as a starter has played well immediately -- Marc Bulger, Daunte Culpepper, Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, to name a few. Croyle should be in a better situation than he was in last year. Not only will he get a full training camp working with the first team as the starter, but the team helped him out by drafting seven offensive players this year, including a projected upgrade at left tackle in Branden Albert. If all goes well, Croyle could have the kind of success Damon Huard had two years ago.

Worst Case

The problem is that each of the quarterbacks named above who were successful in their first years as starters had a strong group of offensive talent around them. Croyle will have Tony Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe to throw to, but beyond those two the receiving corps is pretty thin. And while the Chiefs' offensive line may not be the worst in the league this season, it will still be well below average. If Croyle stumbles, either Damon Huard or Tyler Thigpen could replace him in the lineup.

Outlook

Croyle is an inexperienced quarterback starting for what should be one of the weaker offenses in the league. That's not a strong combination, and Croyle will likely have next to no fantasy value in traditional leagues that start one QB. His most likely end-of-season fantasy ranking will be in the 25-30 range.

Relevant Articles

2008 Schedule

2007 Game Summaries

Week 2 - Croyle entered the game on the last Kansas City series of the game. He was leading the team into scoring range by going four for four on the final drive. The drive ended with a Michael Bennett fumble on the Chicago 16. Croyle did show off his strong arm by completing a deep pass while throwing off of his back foot to Jeff Webb on the drive.

Week 5 - Croyle replaced Huard in the fourth quarter and played well, although he was running a hurry-up offense, as there was not much time left in the game when he entered and the Chiefs had not scored as yet. He completed several nice passes, including a deep pass to Bowe who caught it in stride. Croyle showed some moxie on the last play of the game by standing in the pocket in the face of a stiff pass rush and completing a pass in the back of the end zone for Kansas City's only score.

Week 10 - Second year quarterback Brodie Croyle's time has been coming. The job was his to take during training camp, but he did not establish himself then. This year, with Huard's poor play, it has been continually anticipated that soon would come Croyle's chance. As he replaced Huard after an injury during this contest, it appeared that Croyle's time has come. He was unable to bring the Chiefs back, but in less than a half of football he completed 17 of 30 passes for 162 yards. He did have one interception, but it is quite possible that going forward this is Brodie Croyle's team.

Week 11 - The Chiefs game plan was designed to give Croyle confidence by calling for quick, short, safe passes in the early going. Most of his passes were on target as he showed both his strong arm and a good touch. Croyle's arm strength was apparent on one play in the first quarter when Dwayne Bowe was unable to handle a rifle pass that would have kept the second drive alive. On the touchdown pass to Bowe, the ball was thrown to a spot where only Bowe would have a chance to catch it. He showed good decision making by not throwing the ball into coverage or forcing passes. The offensive line was able to give him plenty of time to throw as he was only under pressure a handful of times. Croyle fumbled one time on a sack inside the Kansas City 20 yard line. The fumble did not hurt bad as the Colts were only able to convert the turnover into three points.

Week 12 - Croyle displayed the hope of the future with deadly aim on some hard well thrown passes. He also demonstrated the frustration of running an offense with an inexperienced quarterback. He managed only 145 yards on 13 completions in 22 attempts and threw one pick. To his defense, he was often given little time to properly wait for open receivers as he was often chased from the pocket and even was sacked three times. It appears that Croyle needs two things, to be given more freedom to open it up and a much improved offensive line.

Week 14 - Croyle had a rough outing as the Broncos lived in the Chiefs' backfield. For the only good Chiefs' drive of the day, they needed to convert three fourth downs. Croyle gave up the ball three times with two fumbles and one interception while passing for only 132 yards. His statistics were bad, but much of his woes should be shared by an underperforming offensive line. He should and is expected to maintain his job as the quarterback of the future for the Chiefs.

Week 15 - Croyle Looked like the quarterback the Chiefs hope to see in the future during the first half. Coach Herm Edwards let the offense open up and Croyle looked good as he twice drove the Chiefs to a touchdown through the air and provided the Chiefs with a lead at the break. He finished up with 217 yards as he attempted an amazing 43 passes, completing 25 of them. During the second half, Croyle still had good moments, but the Titans began to push him better and his choices were not as well conceived. He threw two critical interceptions in the second half and the game got away from the Chiefs. Croyle has yet to win a game that he started, but he is showing a lot of poise and skill. He should be able to continue to put up decent totals.

Week 16 - Croyle was anything but effective against the Lions. His passing attempts were short and insufficient to mount drives. He finished with just 69 yards on nine out of twelve passing. He threw one interception that was returned 61 yards for a touchdown. On that play he attempted an unsuccessful low block that was called for a penalty and resulted in an injury to his right wrist and him sitting out the rest of the game.

Week 17 - Croyle was given the reigns to be the main offensive leader as he threw 43 times, completing less than half of his attempts for 195 yards and a touchdown. In the fourth quarter, trailing by a touchdown, Croyle was able to hit wide out Jeff Webb for the first Chiefs touchdown of the game, tying the score at ten a piece, and forcing overtime. Croyle played well against the Jets however he was clearly affected by the absence of their rushing attack.