如果前任NFL专员保罗·塔戈里亚布（Paul Tagliabue）推迟一年退休，那么坦克·泰勒（Tank Tyler）现在可能会成为一名更加富有的人。当然这只是事情的一方面，从另一方面来看，泰勒陷入了困境。在塔戈里亚布的继任者罗杰·古德尔（Roger Goodell）宣布打击球员违纪问题之后，泰勒直到选秀的第三轮才被挑中。

　　泰勒很清楚自己的处境，他在北卡罗来纳州立大学校队时犯过几次错误，不过已经接受了教训。现在，他正准备与堪萨斯城酋长队的一起迈向成功。这名身高6英尺2英寸、体重315磅、推举510磅的防守截锋正是球队急需的球员。

　　增强防守线实力是酋长队需要解决的问题之一，所以球队利用第二轮选秀权签下了田纳西大学身高6英尺2、体重278磅的特克·麦克布莱德（Turk McBride），并且在第三轮选中了泰勒。

　　如果这两名新秀能够给对方的传球手形成压力，他们将获得更多的机会。这正是是赫姆·艾德华兹（Herm Edwards）担任酋长队主教练的第一个赛季所缺乏的。不管怎么说，这两名新秀将扩大防守的深度，帮助首发截锋詹姆斯·里德（James Reed）和罗恩·艾德华兹（Ron Edwards）保持体力。

　　一些选秀专家曾认为泰勒可能在首轮选秀的后期被挑中，或者成为一些球队在第二轮的选择。不过一些负面消息影响了他的选秀顺位，他在与南密西西比大学的一场比赛中因乱吐口水而受处罚，还卷入了一起发生在北卡罗来纳州一家夜总会的纠纷。

　　尽管这些都算不上大事，但是在古德尔宣布严惩球员的不当行为之后，许多俱乐部都对球员场外的麻烦十分担心。在这种情况下，泰勒的处境变得困难了，首轮选秀的薪酬与第三轮选秀的薪酬具有明显差距。

　　然而泰勒表示，他并不是一个为事情原本可能怎样而操心的人，他甚至不愿谈论自己被拖入第三轮选秀的原因。

　　麦克布莱德曾在田纳西大学打过截锋和防守端锋，酋长队表示希望其在队中继续打多个位置。不过他也有可能在杰拉德·艾伦（Jared Allen）禁赛期间作为防守端锋首发参加前四场比赛。

　　麦克布莱德认为如果专注于一个位置将更容易发挥出自己的水平，但是这种情况似乎不太可能发生。

　　
原文

KANSAS CITY， Mo. （May 14， 2007） —— If Paul Tagliabue had put off retirement just one more year， Tank Tyler might be a richer man today.

That's one way to look at it. Another is to just say he messed up and got in trouble and dropped to the third round of the NFL draft after Roger Goodell， Tagliabue's successor， announced his crackdown on the "character issue." The second way is how Tyler has chosen to view his world. What happened in a couple of incidents during his playing days at North Carolina State was his fault. He learned his lesson. Now， he's setting out to make the most of an excellent opportunity with Kansas City.

The Chiefs are greatly in need of what a 6-foot-2， 315-pound defensive tackle who bench-presses 510 pounds has to offer.

"I feel like I'm in a very good situation，" Tyler said during a break in the Chiefs' three-day rookie minicamp. "The D-linemen who are here are great and I can learn from them. And I can come in and start playing right away， so I'm in a good position." Help on the defensive line is one thing the Chiefs need. That's why they took versatile Turk McBride， a 6-2， 278-pounder from Tennessee in the second round and used their third-round pick on Tyler.

Both are certain to get plenty of opportunities， especially if they can put some pressure on the passer. That was something else the Chiefs were sorely lacking last year in Herm Edwards' first season as head coach.

If nothing else， the two rookies with the catchy nicknames will provide depth， allowing starting tackles James Reed and Ron Edwards to stay fresh.

"Obviously， they've got a lot of energy，" Edwards said during a break in the hot-weather workouts.

"Last year a lot of young guys started playing for us， and that's the plan this year，" Edwards said. "I think if you let them play， they get better as they play. So， yeah， if they do what they anticipate doing， they'll be in the rotation.

"You look at us last year， we were short a lot. Now， this year we should be a lot better there because we'll have more depth." Tyler， in the opinion of some draft experts， might have been a late pick in the first round， or certainly a solid second-round choice. But he was disciplined for a spitting incident during a game at Southern Mississippi. And he was also linked to off-the-field controversy in an incident at a nightspot in Raleigh， N.C.

It was nothing major. But with Goodell making an issue of player misconduct， many clubs might have been scared off by off-the-field trouble.

If so， it was a tough break for Tank. There's a big difference between first-round money and third-round money.

But Tyler says he's not one to worry about what might have been.

He's not even going to say if that's what dragged him into the third round.

"Only the GMs and teams were in control of that. I'm not in control of that，" he said. "I'm just happy I'm out here playing football and not sitting home. The people who have seen me play on ESPN and seen me play at North Carolina State， they've seen what type of defensive tackle I am. I think I'm a pretty good defensive tackle. I still have a long way to go and I have to work every day to become great.

"I had a couple of incidents that kept me down a little bit. But they didn't keep me down， they kept me moving forward. I go through things in life and I learn from it and that's what made me the man that I am today. I don't look back." McBride played both tackle and defensive end at Tennessee， and the Chiefs have said he might be asked to maintain that versatility with them. But he might also get a chance to start the first four games at defensive end while Jared Allen sits out a suspension Goodell handed him for DUI convictions.

"Tank is a big， strong， powerful guy inside. He can run，" Edwards said.

"McBride， we can have him at end. He's a pretty good end. He can really change direction and he can chase down the ball from the backside. He's got a lot of speed. Those are the things you saw in college， and they've done them out here in shorts." McBride admits it would be easier if they just gave him one position and stuck to it. But that doesn't sound like it's going to happen.

"McBride can play on end on first and second down and then go inside and rush the passer，" Edwards said. "We feel pretty good there. They've got to stay healthy and they've got to play good. But we've got some guys there who are pretty good players."