Herm Speaks Vol. 4

From Arrowhead Stadium

There were a few more smiles from Herm Edwards as he met with the media horde on Tuesday for his weekly press conference.

It always helps coming off a win, but like most head coaches, Edwards has moved on from the Denver victory. A tough Carolina team is ahead and his focus is on that. But obviously, the media has other agendas and naturally there was a lot of talk yesterday about Tony Gonzalez.

Here’s what Herm had to say about that, and several other items that caught my fancy. …Read More!

Chiefs Update 9/30

From Arrowhead Stadium

At his Tuesday afternoon press conference, Herm Edwards had some news on injured players and their possible status for this Sunday’s game against Carolina.

Rookie LT Branden Albert injured his right elbow in the first half against Denver and is unlikely to play this weekend.  The elbow was dislocated.  “I would say he’s probably questionable this week,” Edwards said. “His elbow is pretty swollen. He’s better than he was after the game, but his elbow is really swollen.”

When asked if surgery was needed now or in the future on Albert’s elbow, the head coach said: “Not that we know of at this point.  It was good, nothing broken, just one of those kind of like when your finger comes out, you put it back in. Except it’s an elbow.  That’s kind of bigger than a finger.”

Edwards said CB Pat Surtain, out for the last two games with a right shoulder injury, planned begin practicing again on Wednesday.  LB Donnie Edwards is improved with his ankle injury, but is not ready to return to full practice work.

It sounds like October 19th against Tennessee remains the target date to get QB Brodie Croyle back on the playing field after his shoulder injury suffered in the season opener.  That means he should participate somewhat in practice this week.  Croyle did not practice last week, but was on the field and did some throwing..

College Preview 9/30

There’s a lot of college football on the ESPN family of networks this week, including a Tuesday night game from the Sun Belt Conference between Florida Atlanta and Middle Tennessee State. Kickoff is 7 o’clock on ESPN2.

There are some NFL draft prospects, but only at Florida Atlanta this year. Here they are.

Florida Atlantic

#46 FB William Rose – 6-1, 228 pounds, JR-Redshirt. Rose played every game in ’07 for the Owls and showed versatility as a blocker, runner and pass catcher. He had 333 yards rushing and 264 yards receiving on a combined 101 touches. So far in the’08 season, Rose has run 13 times for 54 yards and caught seven passes for 50 yards.. He’s considered a fourth/fifth-round talent. …Read More!

Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

TO ALL OUR READERS CELEBRATING ROSH HASHANAH, WE SAY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

The first coaching domino has fallen in the NFL.

The St. Louis Rams sent Scott Linehan (left) packing on Monday morning after the team started the season 0-4, giving him a record over the last two-plus seasons. He was replaced by defensive coordinator and former New Orleans head coach Jim Haslett on an interim basis.

That’s a bit of a laugh around the NFL because the Rams defensive play so far this season has been one of the biggest reasons they have yet to win a game. But Haslett has head coaching experience from his time leading the New Orleans Saints, where he posted a record over seasons.

Reportedly Rams ownership and management considered several options besides Haslett. They talked about offensive coordinator Al Saunders, but again he was a bridesmaid. They actually talked about leaving Linehan in the job and bringing in former Rams and former Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil as a consultant for the rest of the year.

This is a hoot because some of the same people that talked about that possibility tried to fire Vermeil as the Rams head coach after the 1998 season. Ultimately, owner Georgia Frontiere decided not to make a move and all the Rams did in ’99 was take a Super Bowl championship. Some of these same people that talked about bringing Vermeil back this week were officials that were happy when he retired after the Super Bowl because they wanted him and his minions out the door.

That’s the NFL. Stand on the same corner of pro football long enough and cars will drive by several times.

Next, the league is waiting on Al Davis and his decision on head coach Lane Kiffin (right). The Raiders are also on a bye week. For whatever reason, Davis is having trouble pulling the trigger on firing Kiffin. On Monday, he had private meetings with several assistant coaches on Kiffin’s staff.  A press conference with Davis himself supposedly is now scheduled for 4 p.m. CDT.  Hard to imagine Davis getting in front of a microphone for any reason other than firing Kiffin. 

UPDATE: DAVIS HAS FIRED KIFFIN AND REPLACED HIM ON AN INTERIM BASIS WITH O-LINE COACH TOM CABLE.  MORE DETAILS TO COME

…Read More!

Gonzalez Still Upset By Lack of Record

From the Truman Sports Complex

Everyone around the Chiefs facility was happy on Monday after the franchise’s first victory in 12 games.

Well, everyone that is but TE Tony Gonzalez, who came up three yards short of setting the NFL career record for receiving yardage by a tight end.

Gonzalez allowed that he was still “upset” because the Chiefs did not give him an opportunity to set the record late in the game on Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

“I had my family out there, I wanted to do it in front of the fans, I wanted to do it in a home game,” Gonzalez said. “That would have been a great way to do it.

“I’m disappointed by that.  For whatever reason, my number wasn’t called.  If that’s going to help the team win, I guess that’s what it is.” …Read More!

Leftovers from Chiefs-Broncos Game

After doing a quick trip through the game tape late Sunday night, let me tell you that given more time for development, Denver QB Jay Cutler is going to be scary.  Cutler is going to be a thorn in the side  of teams in the AFC West for some time.

Now, he threw at least one ill-advised pass against the Chiefs, the one CB Brandon Carr picked off.  Cutler had TE Tony Scheffler open down the middle of the field.  Scheffler was bracketed by safeties Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard, but with Cutler’s arm I’m not sure they could have gotten there in time to break up the pass.  The throw that Carr got was a tough one for any QB to make.

Other than that, Cutler was very impressive.  He threw several balls to places where only his receivers could have caught the ball.  He showed his velocity on the TD pass to Marshall and he showed his touch on several other throws, especially one to rookie WR Eddie Royal where he dropped it in over his shoulder.  Royal never broke stride. …Read More!

Game Coverage of Chiefs-Broncos

From Arrowhead Stadium

Funny thing with young teams.  Just when you think they are the worst club in the league, they show up and surprise everybody with their good play.

Chiefs 33, Broncos 19.

It was a victory that produced relief around Arrowhead Stadium and throughout the Chiefs Nation.

To enjoy our game coverage, then click right here.

Sunday NFL Review No. 4

Things don’t get any easier for the Chiefs.

They were able to overcome a 3-0 Denver team, but coming up in their next two games – sandwiched around their bye week – are Carolina and Tennessee.

On Sunday, the Panthers beat Atlanta 24-9 and they are now 3-1 on the season. The Chiefs travel to Charlotte this coming Sunday. Then, they get a week off.

Tennessee, who the Chiefs will face at Arrowhead on October 19, went 4-0 for the first time in franchise history with their victory over Minnesota.

It was just two of the outcomes from the fourth NFL Sunday of the season. In other outcomes of note, Buffalo went 4-0 with a victory over St. Louis. Cleveland won its first game of the season, beating the now 0-4 Cincinnati Bengals. Houston and St. Louis both lost and also remain without a victory, along with a Detroit team that had the bye weekend.

…Read More!

Denver Inactives

From Arrowhead Stadium

The inactive players for the Chiefs in their game Sunday against the Denver Broncos:

• LB Donnie Edwards
• QB Brodie Croyle
• CB Pat Surtain
• G Brian De La  Puenta
• T Barry Richardson
• KR B.J. Sams
• LB Napoleon Harris

Ingle Martin is the 46th player, the third and inactive quarterback.

Inactive for the Broncos are S Vernon Fox, RB Ryan Torain, LB Louis Green, DT Dewayne Robertson, T Erik Pears, G Dylan Gandy, WR Darrell Jackson and DT Josh Shaw.

Denver does not have a third quarterback.

Roster Move: Chiefs Add Dacus

With a shallow depth chart at linebacker thanks to the foot injury suffered by Donnie Edwards, the Chiefs on Saturday moved rookie LB Wes Dacus from their practice squad to their active roster.

To make room for Dacus, the Chiefs were expected to release WR Marques Hagans with the idea of returning him to the practice squad or active roster next week.

Dacus was signed as a college free agent out of the University of Arkansas. He had nine tackles on defense and three tackles on special teams during the pre-season.

The 6-1, 232-pound native of Searcy, Arkansas was a two-year starter for the Razorbacks. His addition now gives the Chiefs 16 rookies on their active roster.

And his addition now gives the Chiefs six healthy linebackers for the game against Denver. Expect Dacus to be active on special teams, otherwise there wouldn’t be much of a reason to add him to the active roster.

Sunday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

When the American Football League played its final game and the won-loss records for the teams were compiled for the 10 seasons of play, the Dallas Texans-Kansas City Chiefs were the most successful team in league history.

The Texans-Chiefs record was 87-48-5.

Those teams from the 1960s earned that record thanks in large part to their domination of the Denver Broncos. In the AFL Decade, Lamar Hunt’s team was 19-1 against the boys from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

When the Chiefs and Broncos face off Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, it will be the 97^th regular or post-season game between these original AFL franchises. The Chiefs hold a 52-44 edge over Denver.

That’s due in large part to that early domination of the series by Dallas-Kansas City. In fact, in pro football history it’s hard to find one team that so dominated another for so long as what the Chiefs did to the Broncos.

When the AFL began play in 1960 and the Broncos logo was top left, the Texans swept the first eight games. Denver’s logo had changed (middle left) before it won a game against the Chiefs. That first victory came in 1964. It would change again (bottom left) before there was another win for the Broncos, as the Chiefs won 11 games in a row. After that second Denver victory in 1970, the Chiefs reeled off six more consecutive wins. …Read More!

How The Chiefs Can Beat Denver

The Chiefs have quite a chore in front of them on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. First, they must face the 3-0 Denver Broncos, the NFL highest scoring offense. Then they must face their fans, who are in a foul mood with the team’s 0-3 start and don’t figure to provide much in the way of vocal support. If they have something to say, it will probably not sound very good.

But despite those hurdles, this is the National Football League and anything is possible. The Chiefs can win this game, but they have to elevate their play to a level they have not shown yet. If they played as well as they did in New England, that would not be enough for a victory against the Broncos.

The Chiefs must establish a new profile. They can do that by making these three things happen:

College Preview 9/27

There’s a lot of good action on this weekend of college play, including the Arkansas-Texas game that was postponed by Hurricane Ike and moved to this Saturday.

Here are the top prospects involved in some of the major TV games this weekend.

ARKANSAS AT TEXAS, ABC, 2:30 PM

Arkansas

#63 C Jonathan Luigs – 6-4, 314 pounds, SR-Redshirt. Luigs is considered by some NFL teams the top interior offensive lineman in the Class of ’09. He won the Rimington Trophy last year as a junior and was nominated for the award as a sophomore. He’s got the size and speed the NFL is looking for at center these days, but isn’t naturally strong and may need work in the weight room to be able to battle bigger, stronger defensive tackles. He should be a bottom half of the 1^st-round selection. …Read More!

Saturday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

There was a time when the Chiefs and Broncos went head to head that it was a battle of the unstoppable force and the unmoveable object … the Denver running game against the Chiefs run defense.  Especially if the contest was held at Arrowhead Stadium.

Over the last 10 years, only three Denver backs have come into Kansas City and run for more than 100 yards.  Terrell Davis did it in 1998 (18 for 111 yards), Clinton Portis in 2003 (23 for 141) and last year Selvin Young ran 20 times for 109 yards.

Right now, the Broncos backs must be salivating about their trip this weekend to Arrowhead.  They’ll face a Chiefs defense that after three weeks of the NFL season is allowing 204 yards rushing per game.  That’s bad enough to be ranked 31st among 32 NFL teams. …Read More!

No Record For Tony; Other Notes & Quotes

From Arrowhead Stadium

Tony Gonzalez needed 50 yards on Sunday to become the tight end with the most receiving yardage in pro football history.  A representative of the Pro Football Hall of Fame was at the game, prepared to accept the football to be placed in Canton’s hallowed Hall.

Gonzalez came up three yards short.

The veteran tight end caught three passes for 47 yards, including a pretty 10-yard TD catch.  All of those catches came in the second half.  With the Chiefs trying to bleed the clock in the fourth quarter, they went to the running game and thoughts of records were out the window.  The idea was to assure the victory.

Gonzalez did extend his franchise record reception streak to 119 games.  He also became the first tight end in NFL history to have 1,000 receiving yards in his career against three different teams.  He’s over that mark against Denver, San Diego and Oakland.

SPECIAL TEAMS MAKE CONTRIBUTION

When needed the Chiefs kicking game was solid and provided plays that helped decide the game.

Not the least of which was Kolby Smith’s recovery of Denver’s onside kick late in the game.  The Broncos actually had hands on the ball, but somehow Smith came up with it and that ended any comeback hopes for Denver.

K Nick Novak hit four of five field goals, missing only from 48 yards when he was wide right.  Novak had his best day of the season on kickoffs.  He put three of his eight kickoffs into the end zone, three more at the goal line and another at the two-yard line.  His only poor kickoff went to the 11-yard line.

Dantrell Savage had a 51-yard kickoff return that set up a fourth quarter field goal for the Chiefs.  That’s the longest kick return for the team since a 60-yarder by Dante Hall against the Broncos on Thanksgiving Night 2006.  Savage also contributed two tackles on special teams.

The Chiefs made a change in their set up for kickoffs in this game.  Prior to Sunday, the Chiefs had three guys back in their wedge.  For this game, they had four big guys for Savage and Jamaal Charles to run behind.

L.J. & BLY JAW

There were several occasions where Larry Johnson and Denver CB Dre Bly exchanged pleasantries in language that can’t be repeated on a family website.

L.J. instigated a lot of it because of a incident that happened years ago when Johnson was a young player with the Chiefs and Bly was in Detroit.

“When I was a second-year player, he was always busting me about getting scrap time and something about Penn State running backs were busts,” Johnson said.  “I got hurt last year and didn’t get a chance to go at him.  I definitely wanted to go at him today.”

Said Bly, being diplomatic: “Larry Johnson is one of the better backs in this league.  I know he hasn’t gotten off to the good start he has in the past.  He’s a big, physical guy and he was able to make some plays.” 

NOT MUCH FROM SHANAHAN

Denver head coach Mike Shanahan did not have a lot to contribute after the game, pretty good evidence he was really ticked off by the outcome of the game.

“We talked about the keys to the game and obviously the first one is you can’t turn the football over,” Shanahan said.  “Kansas City has an unbelievable home record when they win the turnover battle and they won it by three today.  Credit that to them.”

Here’s what Shanny was talking about: the Chiefs are now 31-4 at Arrowhead dating back to ’95 when they force two or more INTs.  They have won 19 consecutive home games with a positive turnover ratio, the fourth longest active streak in the league right now.  And they are 46-4 at Arrowhead when positive on turnovers dating back to ’95.

Defense Steps Forward

From Arrowhead Stadium

“We were getting kind of frazzled.”

That’s how Derrick Johnson described the Chiefs mental state going into their game on Sunday against Denver.

Just preparing for the Broncos can frazzle a defense, especially one that’s confidence was down, down, down after starting the season 0-3. The Chiefs came into the season believing they had a good defense. They never expected at any time this season to be ranked as low as No. 25 in the yards allowed.

And here came the Broncos, ranked No. 2 in yards gained and No. 1 in points scored.

Frazzled? Yeah, they were frazzled.

But a funny thing happened on the way to a rout. The Chiefs defense rose up and forced four Denver turnovers and allowed the Broncos into the end zone just once in 13 possessions. Instead of TDs, Denver got field goals, four of them.

Six trips into Chiefs territory and Mike Shanahan’s offense got just 19 points. In the four quarters in three games before their trip to Kansas City, the Broncos had scored 20 or more points in each quarter.

So how did this frazzled group of Chiefs defenders make it happen?

“We just fought,” said Johnson. “We had to fight. This team came in 3-0 and played good football. The Denver Broncos played good football. They didn’t let us just have it.”

It was a day where the Chiefs linebackers stood up and made plays. Johnson forced a fumble and intercepted a pass. LB Demorrio Williams, getting his first Kansas City start in place of the injured Donnie Edwards, was a disruptive element all over the field, whether playing the run, rushing the quarterback or dropping in coverage.

“It came down today to every guy doing his job,” said Williams. “That’s all it was. It’s all about effort and everybody doing their job. I haven’t seen the tape yet, but I bet we got that done.”

The Chiefs accomplished a lot on defense, although the statistical box score may not reflect their performance. They gave up 446 yards, including 352 passing yards. They gave up a score of big plays, with Denver getting 40, 32, 28, 26 and a pair of 21-yard completions.

But when the Broncos offense got into scoring territory, the Chiefs were able to rise up and slam the door. In the second quarter they gave up a Jay Cutler to Brandon Marshall 16-yard TD pass where Cutler threw it high and Marshall made a great catch at the back of the end zone.

But that was it when it came to touchdowns. The rest of the time it was field goals:

-In the second quarter the Broncos had a second-and-two play at the Chiefs 10-yard line. Cutler threw a pair of incomplete passes and kicker Matt Prater came on and missed a 28-yard field goal.

-Late in the second quarter, a punt return set up the Denver offense at the Chiefs 42-yard line. But three plays produced nine yards and Prater kicked a 56-yard FG.

-On the first offensive possession of the second half, Cutler got the Broncos to the Kansas City 32-yard line. But a backward pass went incomplete and out of bounds for a six-yard loss. Second down was an incomplete pass and on third down Denver got just five yards. Prater kicked a 51-yard FG.

-In the fourth quarter, the Broncos had first-and-goal at the Chiefs 10-yard line. Three plays produced seven yards and Prater kicked a 22-yard field goal.

-On its next possession the Denver defense had first-and-10 at the Kansas City 15. But Cutler threw three straight incomplete passes and Prater kicked his fourth field goal, this one from 33 yards.

Take those stops and throw in the four turnovers and despite the big Denver yardage, it was quite a day for the defense.

“We went in with the mindset that they have a very good offense and were going to move the ball some,” said Herm Edwards. “But if you just hold them to field goals, you’re going to have a chance. They’ve been a team that has possessed the ball 10 times per game and they’ve scored five times out of those possessions, touchdowns and field goals. We just tried to reverse it and wanted to make them score two touchdowns and kick three field goals. Then, you’ve got a shot. We held them to less than that.”

Thanks in large part to a linebacker group that played its best game of the season, especially Williams.

“Today I feel like I got in a rhythm and it’s time for me to start playing ball,” said Williams. “Gun (Cunningham) is always telling me to believe in myself and the game will come to you and I feel like that’s what happened today.”

Williams brought some emotion to the defensive effort, providing a spark that unit has sought for several years.

“That’s the kind of player I am,” said Williams. “I love to make plays and I love to see this defense make plays.”

Overall, the Chiefs defense got done what needed to get done. They kept the Denver offense out of the end zone.

“It’s something to build on,” said Johnson. “This was a division opponent too, so this is a big win for this football team. We cannot be satisfied with this football game. We need to build on it.”

On The Cusp Of Tight End Immortality

With 50 yards receiving on Sunday against Denver, Tony Gonzalez will hold every major receiving record for tight ends in the history of pro football. Over his 177-game career with the Chiefs, Gonzalez has averaged 56.6 receiving yards per game.

That’s why, despite the team’s offensive problems of late, this weekend against the Broncos should be record setting for the former first-round draft choice of the Chiefs (1997) and nine-time Pro Bowler.

For what Tony G is thinking, here’s a transcript of a segment he did on Wednesday on the NFL Network. …Read More!

Player Profile: Tyler Thigpen

He won’t be the Chiefs starting quarterback this Sunday against the Denver Broncos.

However, based on how things have gone at the quarterback position this season for the team, it’s safe to say that Chiefs fans have not seen the last of Tyler Thigpen.

The opening half of his first NFL start last week against Atlanta was a tough one. But as he’s done several times during his short stint with the team, he came back and played better as the game went on.

So just who is this young man with the Southern drawl from South Carolina? Click here to learn more about Tyler Thigpen.

Chiefs Update 9/26

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs went through a practice session of just over one hour Friday morning, their final on-field work before facing the Denver Broncos this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

The team’s official injury report for this week included DE Tamba Hali, who is listed as probable.  Hali’s been battling a knee injury and was limited in participation during Friday’s workout.

Returner B.J. Sams has a hamstring injury and is listed as questionable. Sams was a limited participant in practice on Friday.  If he can’t play, rookies Jamaal Charles and Dantrell Savage figure to handle kickoff returns and Savage will take punt returns. 

QB Brodie Croyle, CB Pat Surtain and LB Donnie Edwards will not play on Sunday.

Missouri-Ohio Share NFL Bottom

        vs.

It’s remarkable that there are six NFL teams without a victory and four of them are in two states.

The battle for miserable pro football 2008 is being played out in Missouri and Ohio.

The Show-Me State against the Buckeye State. Kansas City and St. Louis against Cleveland and Cincinnati. The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers against Lake Erie.

The land of Len Dawson, Bobby Bell, Roger Wherli, Jim Hart, Dan Dierdorf, Willie Lanier, Larry Wilson and Buck Buchanan, against the kingdom of Jim Brown, Paul Warfield, Ken Anderson, Paul Brown, Bobby Mitchell, Dante Lavelli and Bob Trumpy.

Who would have every believed that this kind of bad football would come from these two states with such rich NFL-AFL traditions. Heck, AAFC traditions, since the Cleveland Browns roots began in the short-lived All-America Football Conference (1946-49.) …Read More!

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

You’ve got to hand it to Mike Shanahan.

Since John Elway retired after the 1998 Super Bowl season, Shanahan has remade the Denver Broncos about three different times over the last 10 seasons.

Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Eddie  Royal, Selvin Young and Andre Hall have Denver averaging 38 points and 432 yards per game. 

The Denver defense is struggling right now and that ultimately may be the side of the ball that sinks the Broncos championship chances.

Shanahan has what for him is a very young team.  His opening day roster doesn’t look that way on the surface.  The Broncos had an average age of 26.83 years, putting them in a tie for the 10th oldest team in the league.  They averaged 4.6 years of experience, making them the 16th most experienced team in the league. …Read More!

DIRTY DOZEN DIES WITH VICTORY OVER DENVER, 33-19

From Arrowhead Stadium

The Dirty Dozen is no more.

After going 11 months without a victory, the Chiefs finally tasted the sweet juice of winning on Sunday in an improbable 33-19 victory over the previously undefeated Denver Broncos.

After losing nine games in a row at the end of last year and then the first three of this season, things were as bad as they could be in the Chiefs Nation. But this young football team finally did what it needed to do and showed the kind of talents that have made them foundations for this rebuilding project.

“We just stopped worrying about everything and just went out and played,” said safety Jarrad Page, a grizzled veteran on this team as a third-year player. “We didn’t talk about losing streaks. We didn’t worry if we gave up a big play. We just went out and played each play as hard as we could.”

Added head coach Herm Edwards:

“That’s a good football team we played today. I think what we finally realized was we had to play with passion. Just play, not worry about doing everything right or the score. I thought for the most part we did that.”

They did it well enough to beat a Denver team that has a potent offense, but a defense that’s going to break the heart of the Broncos faithful.

(More Story Below)

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Chiefs-Broncos Game Coverage

• Commentary: The Streak is Dead
• L.J. wanted work, he’s got it
• Defense stands up
• Rookies contributed everywhere
• No record for Tony and other notes
• A Denver Look: at the Broncos offenseand the Broncos defense
• Game Book: play-by-play and statistics
  

________________________________________________

They found that out thanks to the powerful legs of Larry Johnson. Just two weeks after he said he felt he was being phased out of the Chiefs offensive picture, the big back rumbled for 198 yards on 28 carries and a pair of touchdowns.

But it was the defense that drove a stake through the heart of the dirty dozen. Led by LBs Derrick Johnson and Demorrio Williams, the Chiefs defense gave up 446 yards. But that number is meaningless because they forced four turnovers by the Broncos offense. Denver scored just one touchdown, after putting 13 offensive TDs on the board in the first three games. Derrick Johnson contributed an interception and forced a fumble. Rookie CB Brandon Carr had an interception and a fumble recovery.

“We went in with the mindset that they have a very good offense and they were going to move the ball some,” said Edwards. “But we wanted to hold them to field goals. If you just hold them to field goals, you’re going to have a chance.”

The Chiefs enjoyed something in the first quarter that they haven’t had for some time: a lead. They took the opening kickoff and moved down for a 23-yard FG from Nick Novak that ended a nine-play, 94-yard drive. The key play was a 65-yard run by Johnson on the second offensive snap of the game. It’s the longest run of his pro career. Seven plays later, Novak hit the FG to give the Chiefs a 3-0 lead.

The Kansas City defense stepped up and made its first major contribution, forcing a fumble at the end of a pass play from QB Jay Cutler to WR Eddie Royal. Hustling DE Turk McBride got down the field and knocked the ball out and it was recovered by Carr, who returned the fumble 17 yards to the Broncos 26-yard line.

The offense picked up a nice third down on a 17-yard pass from QB Damon Huard to WR Dwayne Bowe, but couldn’t punch the ball into the end zone. Novak kicked a 21-yard field goal and the Chiefs lead was 6-0.

On Denver’s next possession, the Broncos offense picked up a first down, but their drive ended when Derrick Johnson got a big third down sack of Cutler to force a punt. Early in the second quarter, the Broncos took over at their own 38-yard line and Cutler moved the team on eight plays to a touchdown. The big play in the drive was a 40-yard screen pass to RB Michael Pittman on a third down-and-18 yard play.

The touchdown came on a 16-yard pass from Cutler to WR Brandon Marshall who made a leaping catch at the back of the end zone and got both feet down for the score. Matt Prater kicked the extra point and Denver had a 7-6 second quarter lead.

The defense got the Chiefs back on the scoreboard. The Broncos had Marshall come out of the backfield on a running play and Derrick Johnson came quickly in run support and ripped the ball from Marshall’s hands. The fumble was recovered by CB Brandon Flowers who returned it 37 yards and was tackled just short of the end zone.

Two runs by Larry Johnson produced his 52nd career rushing touchdown, as he went in from the one-yard line. Novak’s PAT kick gave the Chiefs a 13-7 lead.

Denver drove right back down the field, hitting a handful of big plays before the Chiefs defense slowed their pace, forcing a field goal try. But Prater missed a 28-yard FG wide right.

Prater got a chance to redeem himself just before the half came to an end, when he nailed a 56-yard FG with 11 seconds remaining to cut the Chiefs lead to three points, 13-10 at intermission.

The Broncos took the second half kickoff and moved 32 yards with the big play coming on a 28-yard pass from Cutler to Royal. But the Chiefs defense again kept Denver out of the end zone and Prater hit a 51-yard field goal to tie the score at 13-13 with 12 minutes, 13 seconds remaining in the period.

After a nice 35-yard kickoff return from Jamaal Charles, the Chiefs started at their own 37-yard line and Larry Johnson immediately ripped off a 17-yard run on first down. That run put Johnson over 100 yards for the game, the 29th time he’s passed the century mark in his career. However, the drive stalled after one more first down and Novak came in and kicked a 43-yard FG to give the Chiefs a 16-13 lead midway through the quarter.

The Chiefs defense forced the third Broncos turnover of the game when Derrick Johnson picked off a Cutler pass for Marshall on a third-and-10 play and returned the interception seven yards into Denver territory.

But the Chiefs offense gave the ball right back, as Larry Johnson fumbled as he was tackled by the Broncos CB Champ Bailey and the ball was recovered by Denver LB Boss Bailey.

The Chiefs defense again forced a turnover, as Carr jumped in front of a pass to Marshall for his first NFL interception. Carr returned the ball 32 yards, snuffing another Denver scoring threat.

Near the end of the third quarter, the Chiefs started a drive at their own 27-yard line. They had a big third down conversion on third-and-nine when Huard hooked up with Bowe for a 17-yard gain. Just as the fourth quarter started, Huard found WR Jeff Webb for a 15-yard gain, and then Bowe again for 10 yards. The scoring play came on a second-and-seven play at the Broncos 10-yard line, when Huard found TE Tony Gonzalez open in the end zone. Novak hit the PAT kick and the Chiefs led 23-13. It was the 68th TD catch of Gonzalez’s career.

Denver answered with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that reached the Chiefs three-yard line, but they couldn’t punch it into the end zone. Prater hit a 22-yard FG and the Broncos trailed by seven, 23-16.

The Chiefs answered right back, thanks to a 51-yard kickoff return by Dantrell Savage that gave the offense opening field position at the Denver 49-yard line. While the offense couldn’t find the end zone, they ran off more than four minutes as they drove in seven plays to a 33-yard FG by Novak that pushed the difference back to 10 points, 26-16. The big play on the possession was a 23-yard pass from Huard to Gonzalez.

Denver added another Prater FG, but the Chiefs recovered the Broncos onside kick attempt and drove down the field on the legs of Johnson. He cracked off a 34-yard run and finished it up with a 16-yard touchdown jaunt over the left side on a play where it looked like he had been stopped for a minimal gain.

Rookies, Rookies Everywhere

From Arrowhead Stadium

There was a time, and it wasn’t long ago, that if the Chiefs lost a first-round draft choice to an injury in the first half, that would be the last contribution for that game from a rookie.

Those days are gone, killed off by a head coach in Herm Edwards who isn’t afraid to put talented young players on the field. Yes, they make mistakes. But if they are good, they find a way to get better.

Those Chiefs babies are getting better and better and they showed everyone paying attention that on Sunday in the 33-19 victory over the Denver Broncos.

“There’s only one way these young kids get better and that’s to play,” said the man who is not afraid to put them on the field. “You can practice them all you want, but there’s nothing that replaces them being on the field, with the crowd, the pressure, the attention.

Yes, they lost Albert near the end of the first half with a right elbow injury. The Chiefs weren’t talking about the seriousness of the injury after the game, and that’s never a very good sign. Generally, if the injury is minimal, the team will address that.

But there were many other rookies making contributions:

-CB Brandon Flowers had seven tackles and a key first half fumble recovery where he almost scored.

-CB Brandon Carr had a fumble recovery and an interception.

-DT Glenn Dorsey had three tackles and made himself a general pain in the butt in the middle of the Denver offense. It was the best game of his young career.

-DE Brian Johnston was credited with a quarterback sack, the only time the Chiefs were able to get Jay Cutler on the ground. Film review may eventually take that sack away, or at least have him split it with LB Derrick Johnson, but it was the most active Johnston has been on the pass rush in four games.

-TE Brad Cottam saw his most extensive playing time of the year and there were a handful of plays where he was the only tight end on the field, as Tony Gonzalez got some plays off for the first time this season.

-RB Dantrell Savage ripped off a 51-yard kickoff return and contributed a pair of special teams tackles.

-RB Jamaal Charles had a 35-yard kickoff return, and while he did not produce a lot of offensive yards (four touches for eight yards) he made two nice blocks on blitz pickup in the shotgun formation.

-LB Wes Dacus was added to the active roster on Saturday and on his first chance to cover a kick, he ended up with a big tackle.

-FB Mike Cox had two catches for four yards and several nice blocks in Larry Johnson’s 198-yard performance.

-WR Will Franklin caught his first NFL pass, this one for eight yards in the first half.

-CB Maurice Leggett contributed a tackle as he saw his most extensive playing time of the season, working most of the game as sixth defensive back in the dime defense.

The youngsters did not do everything perfect. Carr got himself turned around several times by Denver WR Brandon Marshall. He gave up the outside after a catch, rather than forcing him away from the sidelines where he had more help.

But those are nuances that come with time. They’ll be pointed out in a Monday morning film session and then they’ll go to work again.

“Here’s the encouraging thing about these young guys: they seldom make the same mistake,” said Edwards. “They learn.

“These guys are getting it.”

COMMENTARY: THE STREAK IS DEAD

From Arrowhead Stadium

There’s nothing nastier, or stinkier, or more painful than a losing streak. And nowhere is that harder to live with than in football.

In baseball, a 12-game losing streak means a team has gone without a victory for two weeks, and there’s another game to play tomorrow where the dive might end with a victory. In basketball and hockey, a 12-game losing streak would generally stretch over three weeks and again, there’s always another game to get ready for.

In the world of pro football, a 12-game losing streak means months, in some cases many months of sucking on the most sour lemon you can ever imagine. It’s dealing with a weekly dose of the foulest tasting medicine you could ever remember from your days as a child. There’s only one chance each week to wash it away, and when that passes with another disappointment, the curdling in the stomach causes heaven knows how many internal problems.

In the case of the Kansas City Chiefs, it was 11 months and one week of pure football agony. It had been 343 days since the red and gold drank from the victory cup. There were nine defeats in a row to end the 2007 season and then an entire off-season for those that remained to think about the consequences and outcomes. Then, came three more weeks of agony to kickoff the 2008 season. There were a lot of new faces in new places but the same tired results were going up on the scoreboard.

It was a 12-game team record string of futility that called into question the competency of every employee of the franchise. The general manager was hung in effigy on the editorial pages of the local fish wrap. The head coach was declared an idiot on the sports talk shows. His coordinators and staff were sliced and diced on Internet message boards.

On a sun-splashed Sunday at Arrowhead, the Chiefs got the greatest mouthwash possible. They drove a stake through the heart of that ugly losing streak and beat the previously unbeaten Denver Broncos.

For this day, it was like the old Arrowhead again. The crowd was loud and for the most part supportive. The Chiefs came out and got a lead, something that they had not had in the previous 21 quarters, going back to game No. 14 of last season.

And the defense, the same group that had gotten bashed and battered on the field for the last two weeks, showed they had not given up the ship.

Even the special teams contributed some big plays, something that had not been coming from the kicking game in that losing streak.

Mostly, the Chiefs just went out and played football. The losing streak was forgotten. So was the last play. Everybody used to make fun of Marty Schottenheimer and his old cliché “one play at a time” but it’s so true. A player, a team can’t play the game thinking about yesterday, or the most recent moment. He and they must move on.

That’s a hard concept for humans to accept. We are not wired that way, at least anybody above the level of a psychotic doesn’t think in that manner. The Chiefs defense had been giving up big plays and during the week Derrick Johnson had admitted that once the first one came, more were likely because there was that feeling of “Oh crap, it’s happening again” except he didn’t use the word crap.

Their head coach hammered them all week about living in the present, making that day’s practice the important thing. The next meeting was now a priority. What happened in Atlanta, or against the Raiders, or in New England or back into November and December of ’07 was no longer germane to their duties.

One play at a time. For another Sunday, it worked. It helped slay the ugliest losing streak in the NFL.

It’s not a cure-all. It doesn’t mean anything more than the Chiefs are 1-3. But a team has to start somewhere.

For the Chiefs, that start was Sunday. The streak is dead. Bury it.

More Work Makes L.J. Happy

From Arrowhead Stadium

Just two weeks before, Larry Johnson was standing in the Chiefs locker room at Arrowhead wondering if the Chiefs were trying to slide him out of the offensive picture. He made his feelings known publicly, then privately with his head coach and offensive coordinator.

Now the Chiefs would have preferred he had reversed that sequence and talked it over first with Herm Edwards and Chan Gailey, but that’s not L.J.’s way.

He said his piece and apparently somebody was listening. Last week in Atlanta he got more work, especially in the second half.

But that paled to what went down Sunday against Denver. This was the old-fashioned Chiefs running game against the Broncos. Johnson wanted the work and he got it with 33 touches out of 62 offensive plays.

And, he produced. Johnson ran for 198 yards on 28 carries, scoring two touchdowns. He caught five passes and didn’t gain a yard, proof positive that the Chiefs offensive plan still needs work, especially on setting up and calling for screen passes.

Those 198 yards is the fifth biggest rushing day against the Denver defense over the last 49 seasons. It was the fourth best rushing day in Chiefs history.

Check these numbers and you can see that somebody was paying attention to Johnson when he expressed his frustrations:

• New England & Oakland: 34 carries for 96 yards and 0 TDs.
  
• Atlanta & Denver: 52 carries for 319 yards and 3 TDs.
  

Johnson’s forte is having the ball stuck in his belly and slamming into people. He did that on the Chiefs first offensive play, running for three yards over left tackle.

On the next play he didn’t run over anybody, because no Denver defensive player got in his way. Johnson rumbled 65 yards, the longest run of his pro football career. It fired up the Arrowhead crowd and fired up the entire team.

“I think it helped everybody in understanding that we could run the ball,” said Johnson. “When they came in, they’re 3-0; they’re winning and beating the good teams. I think when that run happened it opened everybody eyes that we could move the ball.”

It also helped that the 65-yard run set up the first points of the game. That Nick Novak field goal gave the Chiefs their first lead in the last 21 quarters. Amazingly for a team that has spent so much time coming from behind, the Chiefs trailed only once in the game, when they went down 7-6 in the second quarter.

The Chiefs got it done by sticking with the running game, making it work like it did in the second half of last Sunday’s game in Atlanta.

“I thought we finished our blocks and we’re starting to learn how to run the ball,” said Edwards. “The only way you can run effectively is if you don’t get behind. We weren’t behind and we kept running it. That was our whole emphasis. It was a close game and we wanted to stick to it. That was our plan.”

That plan worked and worked very well. It should pay dividends in coming weeks.

“I think everyone is starting to get on the same page,” said G Brian Waters. “We’re getting better knowing exactly where we’re going to and the running backs are getting better at knowing where we’re going to, so t hey can set up things for us a little bit.

“Really, it’s just finishing blocks and running hard. That’s really what we’ve got to do as a team.”

Running hard is what Johnson did against the Broncos. He’s always had great success against them over his career, but this Sunday would prove to be as big a performance as the Denver defense has seen on the ground. Johnson had 79 yards on seven carries at the end of the first quarter and 93 yards on 12 carries at half-time, including a one-yard TD blast. By the end of the third quarter, Johnson had 131 yards on 20 carries.

But Johnson kept pounding in the fourth quarter, including a 16-yard touchdown run that made any Denver comeback impossible. On that play alone, it looked like he was stuffed at the line of scrimmage, before he popped out of the pile and rumbled into the end zone.

“This is a new offense, new personnel, new team,” said Johnson. “We h ad to work at it and find out what we’re actually good at and get back to what we do best which is run the football.”

Even if it takes reminding the coaches that he was still there?

“I said what I had to say about that,” Johnson replied. “They listened and I think we are starting to make some things happen.”

Zebra Watch #3

After three games there’s one statistical category where the Chiefs find themselves near the top of the NFL: fewest penalties.

They rank fourth with just 10 flags walked off against them. Whether it’s them or the crews may be visible this Sunday when they host the Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.

It’s my theory that sometimes the teams that have the fewest flags thrown against them get those stats because of the crews that work their games. Same for the teams that have the most flags. Because there’s such a difference between the crews from most frequent flaggers to least frequent, it can make a difference.

So far the Chiefs have had the crews of Carl Cheffers, Walt Anderson and Scott Green. Cheffers (1) and Green (3) and their crews rank at the top of the league in fewest flags thrown after three weeks. Anderson’s crew ranks sixth in fewest flags.

This Sunday, Mike Carey is scheduled to bring his crew into Arrowhead. So far this season his guys are averaging 13 flags in each of the two games they worked.

So, here’s how last week’s crews did and the overall rankings after three weeks. …Read More!

Chiefs Update 9/25

From the Truman Sports Complex

Damon Huard was remembering a conversation he had with Dan Marino, before Huard made his first  NFL  start with the Miami Dolphins back in 1999.

“He said, ‘Damon you think there’s pressure?  Well, there is’,” Huard said as he spoke to the media in the weekly Thursday press conference for the Chiefs starting quarterback press conference.

As usually happens in these affairs, the media tried to draw Huard out on his feelings of returning to the starting lineup, whether he was upset that he did not play last week, his health and assorted other subjects.  He deflected all of those questions and kept coming back to one item: the need for the Chiefs to win a game and end their losing streak.

“It’s all about going out there and winning a football game,” Huard said, repeating the words “win a football game” about six or seven times in less than 10 minutes at the microphone.

The Chiefs worked outside Thursday in a practice that lasted just less than two hours.  There was no change in the participation report.  QB Brodie Croyle and LB Donny Edwards did not work and CB Pat Surtain was limited in his participation.

Thursday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

After the better part of eight seasons, where the team never finished with a winning record, the Detroit Lions parted ways with general manager Matt Millen.

The action came after the Lions began the 2008 NFL season 0-3 and the son of the team owner said publicly this week that he would fire Millen if it was his call, which it wasn’t.

All this happened as the club was coming off its best season under Millen’s leadership when the Lions went 7-9 last year. That included a 25-20 victory over the Chiefs at Ford Field last December.

Whether Millen was fired or left on his own accord doesn’t really matter at this point. He met with owner William Clay Ford Sr. late Tuesday evening and when the meeting was over, he was out of the job.

Naturally, there are going to be Chiefs fans who will see the departure of Millen and start clamoring even more for the same thing with Chiefs GM Carl Peterson. …Read More!

Getting To Know … Tyler Thigpen

Name: Tyler Beckham Thigpen.

Born: on April 14, 1984 in Winnsboro, South Carolina. Winnsboro is 30 miles due north of Columbia. The town was founded in the mid-1700s by Richard Winn, who went on to become a General in the Revolutionary Army. British General Cornwallis spent the winter of 1780 in the Winnsboro area. The Mel Gibson movie “The Patriot” was based on many of the Revolutionary War incidents in this area between Cornwallis and American generals like Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter and Daniel Morgan, who was the basis for the Benjamin Martin character played by Gibson in the movie.

Attended: Fairfield Central High School in Winnsboro (class of 2002) and Coastal Carolina University in Conway, S.C., just minutes from Myrtle Beach.

Why does he wear No. 4? “When I got to Minnesota last year, I wanted to wear No. 16; that was my college number. But it was already taken, so they gave me No. 4. When I got here, they gave me No. 4 and I asked about No. 16, not knowing about Len Dawson and it being retired and everything. They joked around with me and told me I could ask him (Dawson) about it. I decided to just stick with No. 4.”

Why did he not play quarterback in his senior season at Fairfield Central? “I started the first game at quarterback and a guy got hurt; he was playing our wingback and slot position. The coach came to me a couple days later and asked if would switch. If I could help the team out in any way possible, then I was going to do that. We threw the ball maybe eight or nine times a game. I wasn’t thinking of going to play college football as a quarterback, so I figured why not play another position. I was getting letters about playing college football as a tight end or slot receiver. I was thinking about going to a smaller school and playing. But Coastal offered me a scholarship and asked me if I wanted to play quarterback, so I moved back.”

You were also your high school team’s punter and place kicker and you kicked straight on? “Yeah, every time we scored, they would throw this straight-toed boot on the field and I would kick the PAT (17 of 23) and I kicked some field goals too (four FGs). It was fun playing special teams and getting to see another part of the game.”

If the TV is on what are you watching? “It would have to be ESPN or the NFL Network. I love to watch football. I like to catch up with other sports, but if there’s football on, I’ll watch it.”

What was your first job? “I had a summer job where I would work for about two weeks for Harley Davidson at Myrtle Beach Bike Week. I made a little more than $1,000 over two weeks just standing in a parking lot directing bikes to where they could park. It was 12-hour days, from eight in the morning until eight at night. That was a pretty good deal.”

What’s your favorite movie? “I’m a comedy guy. I like Jim Carrey movies. Chris Tucker, I enjoyed his Rush Hour movies.”

What is your favorite place in the world? “I guess it would have to be Myrtle Beach. That’s where I want to make my home with football is all said and done.”

Favorite meal? “Turkey and dressing. I love that. A good old Thanksgiving meal.”

What do you drive? “A 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee.”

What was your first car? “It was a ’95 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I had that all through high school and college and then last year in the NFL. By the time I bought this new one, it had 235,000 miles on it.”

What’s your bucket list? “I want to fly in a helicopter. For some reason, I’ve always wanted to do that. I want to be in the pits for a NASCAR race. I didn’t grow up a NASCAR fan but I’ve become one.

Didn’t you grow up not far from Darlington, where they have a famous NASCAR track? “Yeah, it’s not far away, probably an hour or so away. But when I was a kid, I was always out playing or participating in some sport. I didn’t spend a lot of time sitting around watching things. I was out there playing.”

Something Kansas City fans don’t know about you? “I was second in the state of South Carolina in home runs one year behind Roscoe Crosby, who was drafted by the Royals in the first round of the baseball draft. I had eight and he had about 15 that year. He wasn’t looking over his shoulder or anything at me, but I like to say I was second.”

College Preview 9/25

ESPN’s Thursday night college game comes out of the Pac-10 Conference as No. 1 ranked Southern Cal travels north to Corvalis to take on Oregon State.

Kickoff is 8 p.m. Here are the top talents as viewed by NFL scouts. …Read More!

Chiefs Update 9/24

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs went through a two-hour and change practice session outside early Wednesday afternoon.  Early morning rains drained off the practice fields quickly, but it was very warm and very humid as the players went through the workout.

Not on the practice field was LB Donnie Edwards who suffered a foot injury in Sunday’s game against Atlanta.  Remember, while he’s battled plenty of injuries over the last two seasons, Edwards been a starter at linebacker for 156 consecutive regular season NFL games. Technically his starting streak ended earlier this year when the Chiefs began the New England game in the nickel defense and Edwards was on the sidelines. However it’s counted, Edwards chances of being a starting linebacker for 157 consecutive games is very dim.

CB Pat Surtain took part in some limited practice work, when the secondary went through its individual session.  Surtain’s right shoulder is still on the mend and he did not take part in any of the team work.

QB Brodie Croyle was at practice, but did not participate as he recovers from his injured shoulder.

Price Moves to Patriots; Chiefs Add Another WR

The New England Patriots signed WR Maurice Price off the Chiefs practice squad this week, and he’ll be on the Pats active roster when they return to playing games after their bye week.

Price began the season on the Chiefs active roster but did not dress in the opener and was then waived and re-signed to the practice squad for the past two weeks.  In the 2008 pre-season he was the team’s leading receiver with six catches for 94 yards and a touchdown.

He spent all of the ’07 season on the team’s injured reserve list after suffering a shoulder injury during the pre-season.

Price joins a crowded field of receivers on the Pats active roster with Randy Moss, Jabar Gaffney, Sam Aiken, Matt Slater, Kelley Washington and Wes Welker.

To fill Price’s spot on the practice squad, the Chiefs are expected to annouce the signing of WR Micah Rucker out of Eastern Illinois.  Rucker (6-6, 217) began his college career at the University of Minnesota, then transferred to Eastern Illinois where he caught 105 passes for 1,807 yards and 22 touchdowns over three seasons.

Rucker went to training camp with Pittsburgh as a college free agent.  He caught one pass for 10 yards in the pre-season.  Rucker was released and added to the Steelers practice squad for the first week of the NFL season.  He was released again after Pittsburgh’s first game.

Hank’s Atlanta Gallery

Our man Hank Young was pretty busy at the Georgia Dome last Sunday, clicking away and capturing some of the best pro football pictures on the planet.

A reminder that these pictures are for your viewing pleasure and may not be reproduced in any manner.

Also remember to click on the picture to enlarge.

Here’s his Atlanta gallery. …Read More!

Wednesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Every NFL season brings us very ironic moments.  Things that make you go “Hmmm …”

And in this case I’m not talking about the death watch on Lane Kiffin with the Raiders.  But then, more on that later.

No I’m talking about quarterback moves.  Today both Damon Huard and Trent Green will be officially announced as the starting quarterbacks for their teams this weekend.

Although separated by three years, these guys that were born on the same day.  They were both high school football and basketball stars.  Green was twice named Vianney High School’s basketball MVP, while Huard led the state of Washington with a 24.6 points per game average as a junior at Puyallup High.  Both entered the NFL and failed as rookies; Green released by the Chargers and Huard waived by the Bengals.

They both married women named Julie.  They both have three children.  They were teammates for three years and became friends for a lifetime.

And they both started the ’08 season as backups for teams that are now in danger of finishing the first month of the season without a victory.  We all know Huard’s story this year: replacement in game No. 1, starter in game No. 2, backup without getting on the field in game No. 3, and now starter again. …Read More!

Herm Speaks Vol. #3

From Arrowhead Stadium

Herm Edwards remains committed to what he started with the Chiefs. As he met with the media on Tuesday, carrying a 0-3 record, there was no panic in his voice or manner.

The Chiefs head coach believes the team’s plan to rebuild the franchise is sound and he won’t be knocked off-course.

No real news from the press conference other than it sounds like Damon Huard will replace Tyler Thigpen as the team’s starting quarterback this Sunday against Denver.

Here’s some Herm speak: …Read More!

Talking Back

In the last week you the reader have dropped an avalanche of comments on the site about the Chiefs and their 0-3 start.

I wish I could answer each individually, but my goodness, that’s all I would do all day.

But they are all read by me and others. I love opinion, even when I don’t agree. It’s fun to read some of the back and forth, the give and take. As long as it’s kept clean, I will not interfere, even when the comments blast me. Listen, I don’t have all the answers, but like everybody else in the media, I think I do!

A moment of time opened up in the Tuesday morning schedule so I’ve grabbed a few of the comments to address here. They generally reflect a lot of the comments post here or grabbed my attention. Some are here simply to correct the record.

Make sure you know this: keep them coming. This site has become, thanks to you and your comments, one of the most intelligent and passionate forums for Chiefs fan in any media, not just the web. Here goes: …Read More!

Tuesday Morning Cup o’Chiefs

One of the things that football coaches have to live with is the idea that their IQ is based in the minds of many by the success or failure of individual plays on the field.

In south Florida they are proclaiming the Miami Dolphins coaching staff, particularly head coach Tony Sparano, offensive coordinator Dan Henning and QB coach David Lee as geniuses for the wrinkles they brought to the Dolphins offense on Sunday in their upset victory over the Patriots in New England.  RB Ronnie Brown took a half-dozen direct snaps from center and scored four touchdowns.  QB Chad Pennington lined up as a wide receiver.  Brown even threw a touchdown pass from the formation.

The plays worked.  The Dolphins won.  Sparano, Henning and Lee are hailed masterminds who brought the ‘Fins their first victory of the season. …Read More!

Chiefs Update 9/22

From the Truman Sports Complex

“It’s just not good being a Chief right now.”

Those were the words of LB Derrick Johnson Monday afternoon as the Chiefs took a second look at their loss on Sunday to Atlanta and checked up on their physical condition.

The 0-3 start and the way the Chiefs have played the last two weeks certainly have made for tough times around the team’s facility.  Johnson like the rest of his defensive mates is frustrated by the big plays the unit has been allowing the last two weeks.

“We are going to make mistakes; we just can’t let one lead to another,” said Johnson.

When asked if the one big play leads to thinking on the Chiefs defense of ‘Oh crap, here it goes again’, Johnson said: “That’s what it seems like.  We don’t want to be like that.  If we are good enough to stop them, then stop them.  One big run, OK calm down and let’s go again.”

The Chiefs do not release an injury report on Monday and the only known player dinged from Sunday’s trip to Atlanta was LB Donnie Edwards, who apparently had someone roll up on his ankle in the second half of the game.

QB Brodie Croyle continues to average about seven to eight hours of rehab a day, trying to get his right shoulder ready to go.  He said he hoped that he would be allowed to start throwing the football later this week.

CB Pat Surtain missed the Atlanta game with his own shoulder injury. There was no update on his status.

NFL Sunday/Week #3

It happened in western New York for the first time in 16 years and in northern New Jersey for the first time since 2000. It’s starting good in Nashville for the first time since 1999. Out in Denver, they haven’t done it since 2003.

What we are talking about here are 3-0 teams and the number of undefeated teams in the NFL shrunk on the third Sunday of the 2008 NFL season.

New England bit the dust, losing at home to Miami. Arizona lost on the road at Washington. Pittsburgh fell across the state of Pennsylvania.

But there are five left: Denver, Buffalo, Tennessee, the New York Giants and Dallas.  And don’t forget Baltimore, as the Ravens are 2-0. …Read More!

The Streak Continues to Grow

From the Georgia Dome

It didn’t seem as brutal an afternoon as last Sunday.  Again, not that style points mean anything when you’ve lost 12 games in a row.

Falcons 38, Chiefs 14.  There was never a point when the Chiefs had the chance to win this game.

It was not a good afternoon.  Click here for our complete coverage of what happened in Atlanta.

Losing Streak Continues With Loss To Atlanta

From the Georgia Dome

MORE COVERAGE LATER THIS EVENING

It proved to an ugly visit to the Georgia Dome for the Chiefs. 

With a defense that got smacked for big plays early and an offense that seemed to take forever to get moving, the Chiefs dropped their third straight this year and 12^th straight overall, losing 38-14 to the Atlanta Falcons.

This was a game where the Chiefs never really threatened to win.  They fell behind early, but cut the lead to 10 points in the second half.  They couldn’t get it done after that, as they gave up another Atlanta touchdown.  Late in the game, they had another chance to cut the lead back to 10 points, but they were stopped short of the end zone on a fourth-and-goal run by RB Larry Johnson. …Read More!

Atlanta Inactives

From the Georgia Dome

Tamba Hali and Turk McBride are on the active list for the game against the Falcons here in Atlanta.

The starting defensive ends both missed some practice time this past week because of injury.  McBride is dealing with a bruised spleen and Hali a knee injury.  They were listed as questionable coming into the game.  How much they can play remains in question.

On the inactive  list for the Chiefs for the game were:

QB Brodie Croyle, CB Patrick Surtain, G Brian De La Puente, T Barry Richardson, RB Dantrell Savage, LB Napoleon Harris and WR Jeff Webb

Ingle Martin was the third inactive quarterback.

B.J. Sams will handle all the returns and rookie WR Will Franklin will be active for his first NFL game.

Sunday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

From Atlanta, Georgia

This is the Chiefs first visit to Atlanta since the final weekend of the 2000 season; that was Gunther Cunningham’s last game as head coach of the Chiefs. It was a disappointing 29-13 loss to the Falcons to conclude a 7-9 season.

So much has changed with the Chiefs in those eight years.  Heck, so much has changed with the Chiefs in just the last two weeks.  The last time they made a road trip, Brodie Croyle was their starting quarterback.  Now, it’s Tyler Thigpen, who will make his first NFL start.

Thigpen becomes the ninth Chiefs quarterback to make his first NFL start wearing the team’s uniform. Here’s the list:

That list does not include three other quarterbacks, who made their first start with the franchise, but came from  other leagues: Randy Duncan (1961, from the CFL), Len Dawson (1962, from the NFL to the AFL) and Tony Adams (1977, from the WFL). …Read More!

Keys To Beating Atlanta

From Atlanta, Georgia

The Chiefs arrived here Saturday afternoon with no problems on their charter flight.

Since weather is no factor in any fashion tomorrow because of the Georgia Dome, the keys to winning for the Chiefs are not hard to characterize.

Saturday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Wire Service Photo

When the picture above was taken back in April, it fired up the NFL Draft grapevine.  Surely, the fact that Herm Edwards went all the way to Boston to watch the private workout of QB Matt Ryan was an indication the Chiefs were thinking of drafting the young man with the fifth choice of the draft’s first round.

And they did consider him among the names they would have drafted at No. 5.  Only problem was Ryan went at the third pick to the Atlanta Falcons and Sunday, he’ll face the Chiefs at the Georgia Dome. …Read More!

Notes: 21 Quarters Since Chiefs Had Lead

From the Georgia Dome

We know that the Chiefs 12-game losing streak is easily the longest such stretch in the 49-season history of the franchise.

But how long has it been since the Chiefs actually had a lead on the scoreboard at any time?

How about late in the third quarter of their loss on December 16 last year to the Tennessee Titans.

Take the fourth quarter in that game, plus the eight quarters from the final two games of the ’07 season, plus the 12 quarters of the ’08 season and that’s 21 quarters of football since the Chiefs have had more points than their opponent.

L.J. QUIET THIS WEEK, MOVES  UP IN RECORD BOOK

Larry Johnson’s reaction to the few question he heard from the media after the game were one word answers before he quickly left the locker room.

Johnson got the work he was asking for last week after he had only a handful of touches against Oakland. His 121 rushing yards give him a career total of 4,981 yards.  That pushed him into second place on the  Chiefs career rushing list, jumping ahead of Christian Okoye at 4,897 yards.

Priest  Holmes is the Chiefs all-time leading rusher with 6,070 yards. 

SLASH HAGANS GETS ANOTHER CHANCE

The Chiefs did not use WR Marques Hagans as much against Atlanta as they did the week before in the Raiders game. He caught a pass from Tyler Thigpen for seven yards and could have had more, had he not stumbled and lost his balance.

On several other plays, he was in motion and faked an end around run.

INJURY/ACTIVITY REPORT

The Chiefs reported no injuries from the game, but veteran LB Donnie Edwards was limping around the locker room after the game. He started at linebacker, but did not play much in the second half, as Demorrio Williams replaced him in the team’s base defense.

Going into the game, both starting defensive ends Turk McBride and Tamba Hali were listed as questionable. But both started and played most of the game.

Rookie WR Will Franklin got his first NFL playing time in a regular season game.

EMMITT HONORED

Before the game, Hall of Fame CB Emmitt Thomas was honored on the field with an NFL Films video and a framed picture portrait presented to him by Chiefs chairman of the board Clark Hunt and Falcons owner Arthur Blank. Thomas is the secondary coach of the Falcons.

Thomas will receive his Hall of Fame ring during ceremonies at Alumni Weekend at Arrowhead Stadium on October 19^th when the Chiefs host the Tennessee Titans.

Slow Start Dooms Offense

From the Georgia Dome

There was a new quarterback at the controls, but the early results were the same for the Chiefs offense on Sunday against the Falcons.

Nothing.

Not on the first series, the second, the third, the fourth, fifth or sixth.

On six straight possessions, the Chiefs offense went three plays and gave up the ball.

The new scheme under the direction of Chan Gailey could not get out of the starting blocks. It was a study in offensive futility that few Chiefs teams have displayed in the last two decades.

Yes, the offense finished the game with more than 300 yards for the first time in three games. Yes, they scored two touchdowns for the first time this season. Yes, Larry Johnson ended up rushing for more than 100 yards, as he ran 24 times for 121 yards.

“There were some good things to look at,” said center Rudy Niswanger. “We got the running game going a little bit with Larry there in the second half and that was good. We had some good plays.

“There just weren’t enough of them and we certainly didn’t have any on offense at the start of the game.”

The problem is that almost all of those good numbers came after the Chiefs were already out of the game, as they were down 24-0.

No, it was the offense’s inept start that doomed the Chiefs chances in this game. It was an Arthur Murray offense: one, two, three, kick. And it wasn’t like the Chiefs were done in by just missing on short third down conversions. Their shortest yardage to go on third down was three yards. They were not producing on first or second down, which has been the offensive story for this team all season.

Here’s how the bloody three-and-outs went times six:

#1 – Tyler Thigpen sacked for minus-seven yards, Larry Johnson four-yard run and on 3^rd-and-9, an incompletion.

#2 – Johnson for three yards, Johnson for no gain and on 3^rd-and-7, an incompletion.

#3 – Thigpen threw three straight incomplete passes.

#4 – Johnson for seven yards, Johnson for no gain and on 3^rd-and-3, a Thigpen incompletion.

#5 – Johnson no gain, Thigpen throws incomplete and on 3^rd-and-10, hits Jamaal Charles for a completion that goes for minus-one yard.

#6 – Thigpen throws incomplete, Johnson runs for five yards and on 3^rd-and-5, Thigpen throws an interception.

The seventh possession was only one play better:

#7 – Charles runs for 11 yards, incomplete, Thigpen to Charles for 13 yards, Thigpen throws an interception.

The Chiefs had 14 possessions in the game, and 10 went for four plays or fewer. The only possessions of length that produced points was a 13-play drive at the end of the first half that produced a TD and a nine-play drive to start the second half that also produced a TD.

An 11-play drive ended just short of the end zone and a 10-play drive finished with a missed FG from 32 yards.

The fourth-and-goal play that ended one possession was an indication of the problems the Chiefs offense is having these days. With two yards to go, the Chiefs went with three tight ends and two backs. Rather than hit it inside as they did earlier in the game when Johnson scored, he was sent outside on a play wide left. He was stopped by two tacklers before he could reach the goal line.

Other than Johnson’s 48-yard run, the Chiefs had no other play for more than 20 yards. Their second longest play was Thigpen’s 18-yard scramble.

Veteran guard Brian Waters preferred to dwell on the good things the offense got done.

“We did some things that these guys can go in on Monday and look at and see that it works, that if we do what we are taught and what we are told, we can move the ball, we can make something happen,” said Waters. “There are some positives.”

Novak Thought It Was Good

From the Georgia Dome

Nick Novak thought it was good. So did his holder Dustin Colquitt.

Novak’s 32-yard field goal sailed right over the right upright. Both thought it was good enough to be worth three points to the Chiefs.

It was not. The game officials ruled the kick no good, and instead of cutting the Atlanta Falcons lead to 14 points on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Chiefs were still 17 points back and ended up losing 38-14.

“I thought it was good, it went right over the pole” Novak said. “But then I found out that by the rules it wasn’t good. I never should have left it come down to that.”

Novak’s kick basically went directly over the right upright. By rule, splitting the upright isn’t enough. There must be more of the ball on the inside of the upright. If there is any ball that the officials judge is outside the upright, the kick is no good.

It was a matter of inches.

“You never want to leave it up to the refs to make that decision,” said Novak. “I didn’t expect to do that all. I expected to knock it right down the middle.”

Herm Edwards was very blunt in his assessment after the game.

“That’s a makeable kick,” said Edwards. “You expect him to make that kick.”

There have not been many opportunities for Novak to kick field goals in the first two games and three quarters of the 2008 season. The Chiefs offense has been struggling, falling behind and making touchdowns far more important to the comeback efforts than three pointers. His only attempt before Sunday was the 40-yard kick he made against New England.

“I know I’m good enough to make every kick, especially from that distance,” said Novak. “I’m confident I’m going to make the next kick. The problem with people today is they expect you to not perform on that next rep, they expect you to fail. I’m a very optimistic person, a positive person. I know I’ll make the next kick.”

Chiefs Losing Streak Continues In Atlanta

From the Georgia Dome

 It proved to be an ugly visit to the Georgia Dome for the Chiefs.

 With a defense that got smacked for big plays early and an offense that seemed to take forever to get moving, the Chiefs dropped their third straight this year and 12^th straight overall, losing 38-14 to the Atlanta Falcons.

This was a game where the Chiefs never really threatened to win.  They fell behind early, but cut the lead to 10 points in the second half.  They couldn’t get it done after that, as they gave up another Atlanta touchdown.  Late in the game, they had another chance to cut the lead to 10 points, but they were stopped short of the end zone on a fourth-and-goal run by RB Larry Johnson.

“We were down early and fought back, but we left two scores on the field,” Herm Edwards said of a missed FG and the Johnson run that was stopped short of the end zone. “There was some life, but not good enough to win the game.”

(More story below)

—————————————————————-

Chiefs/Falcons Game Coverage

• Commentary: Defense has been disappointing
• Slow start kills offense
• Tough beginning for Thigpen
• Novak thought kick was good
• Notes: 21 quarters since Chiefs have had a lead
• A few from the other side
• Game Book with play-by-play and statistics

———————————————————–

Not good enough by a long shot. The Chiefs offense was simply awful in the first quarter, producing just seven yards on a dozen plays and QB Tyler Thigpen, making his first NFL start was zero-for-six on passes.  Defensively, they were not much better as they gave up more big plays, a 70-yard pass completion for a touchdown, a 38-yard run and a 30-yard pass completion.

“We gave them two scores quickly and then we turn it over and give them 13 points,” said Edwards. “We are struggling sometimes in different phases in how we are playing.”

Both teams had trouble getting their offenses moving, as the game began as a battle of punters, as the Chiefs Dustin Colquitt and Michael Koenen of the Falcons were very busy.  They each punted three times as both offenses went three plays and out on their initial three possessions.

That’s when the Falcons finally got things moving on offense.  Backed up to their own eight-yard line, RB Michael Turner broke free over the left side for a 38-yard run.  Two plays later, RB Jerious Norwood caught a pass from QB Matt Ryan and turned it into a 30-yard gain.  Then two plays after that, Turner plowed into the center of the line from four yards out for the game’s first touchdown. Jason Elam’s PAT kick gave Atlanta a 7-0 lead. It was a six play, 92-yard scoring drive.

The Chiefs offense went three and out again, its fourth of six straight such possessions, and the Falcons made them pay.  Ryan hit WR Roddy White for a 70-yard touchdown pass.  White got behind CB Dimitri Patterson and FS Jarrad Page for the score. Elam’s PAT kick gave the home team a 14-0 lead as the first quarter ended. The scoring drive went three plays for 69 yards.

The Chiefs offense continued to struggle in the second quarter. After missing on his opening seven passes Thigpen completed his first pass, but it went for minus-one yard on a screen play to RB Jamaal Charles. On the next Kansas City possession, Thigpen overthrew TE Tony Gonzalez and Atlanta S Erik Coleman picked off the pass and gave the Falcons offense possession at the Chiefs 18-yard line. The Kansas City defense stiffened and forced a 27-yard FG by Elam that gave the Falcons a 17-0 lead.

On their next possession, the Chiefs picked up their initial first down of the game and moved to ball into Atlanta territory for the first time on the afternoon. But Thigpen threw his second INT of the quarter, as he failed to connect with WR Devard Darling and the pass was intercepted by CB Brent Grimes and returned to the Chiefs 40-yard line.

Atlanta used 10 plays to move 40 yards, ending with Turner’s one-yard TD run over the right side of his offensive line. Elam’s PAT kick gave the Falcons a 24-0 lead.

The Chiefs most productive possession of the first half came at the end of the period, when they moved 74 yards on 13 plays running out of the two-minute offensive set of three wide receivers, Gonzalez and either Charles or RB Kolby Smith in the backfield with Thipgen, who took the snap in the shotgun formation. They converted a trio of third down plays and reached the end zone on a 15-yard pass from Thigpen to WR Dwayne Bowe on a third-and-seven play with just three seconds left in the half.  Nick Novak’s PAT kick made the score 24-7 at intermission.

The Chiefs offense came flying out of the half-time locker room and moved right down the field on the broad shoulders of RB Larry Johnson, who got it all started with a 48-yard run on the first offensive play of the second half.

Johnson carried seven more times in the drive for 22 yards. A big third-down conversion came on a 12-yard pass from Thigpen to Charles that gave the Chiefs first-and-goal at the Falcons six-yard line. Two plays later, Johnson banged it in over the middle from the one and Novak’s PAT kick cut the Falcons lead to 24-14.

The Falcons came right back with their own scoring drive. They started with a 36-yard kick return from Norwood that gave the offensive possession at the Atlanta 40-yard line. Eight plays and 60 yards later, Turner scored on a two-yard run, his third TD run of the game. Elam’s PAT kick gave the Falcons a 31-14 lead.

A turnover on special teams gave the Chiefs the ball inside Atlanta territory midway through the fourth quarter.  Thigpen drove them to a 1^st-and-goal at the Falcons eight-yard line. Johnson got four yards on first down, a second down pass to Gonzalez was incomplete, and Charles ran for two yards on third down.

That set up a fourth down run for Johnson, who was sent wide left and cut off before he could put the ball over the goal line.

Atlanta added a late TD on an interception and 10-yard return by CB Chris Houston, when Bowe fell down on a pass route. With Elam’s PAT kick, that set the final 38-14 score.

Thigpen’s Shaky Debut

From the Georgia Dome

In the days leading up to Tyler Thigpen’s first NFL start, Herm Edwards had an observation about his young quarterback. The Chiefs head coach said that in Thigpen’s limited playing time so far with the Chiefs, in the pre-season and then last week against Oakland, he was a slow starter, a guy who got better as the game went along.

Sunday here in Atlanta against the Falcons, Thigpen proved his head coach was right on the money. Thigpen’s start was atrocious, as bad as a quarterback could have.

But before the game was over, Thigpen had turned things around and made something of his first start, only to see it end with interception.

Thigpen finished 14 of 36 for 128 yards with one TD and three interceptions. That’s a passer rating of 23.8.

“He did some good things,” Edwards said. “But he did some bad things too. That’s part of the learning process for a guy like that too. He got us in position to score some touchdowns. I wish we would have gotten the last two; the game would have been interesting.”

Said Thigpen: “I’m definitely feeling more comfortable. I just need to avoid the turnovers.”

It would have been more interesting had Thigpen not started so slowly. He missed on his first seven pass attempts. Thigpen finally completed his eighth pass. But it went for minus-one yard as RB Jamaal Charles was stopped on a third down screen pass. That came early in the second quarter.

Thigpen’s ninth pass attempt fell incomplete. His 10^th was intercepted.

That’s one for 10 for minus-one yard and one INT.

Edwards admitted that he and the coaching staff considered going to the bullpen and bringing in Damon Huard.

“We went to the two-minute (offense) and that got him going,” Edwards said. “He felt pretty comfortable moving the team down the field and he put some points on the board.”

Thigpen knows the start to his performance was not what it should have been.

“That wasn’t very good,” Thigpen said. “We were just off on some of our plays. I was just off on some of the throws.

“We started off slow and then got it going. We need to reverse that.”

It could not have started any worse for Thigpen and it began on the first play of the game. He dropped back to pass but before he could even blink, Falcons DE John Abraham was dragging him to the ground for a sack. Abraham came over RT Damion McIntosh and took Thigpen down for a seven-yard loss.

On third down, Thigpen was flushed from the pocket, again because of a rush from Abraham, and his throw on the run to WR Devard Darling was incomplete. His second throw, also on a third down, was knocked down by the cornerback covering WR Dwayne Bowe.

Thigpen’s third pass was an attempted screen to FB Mike Cox that fell incomplete. He missed TE Tony Gonzalez on second down and took a big hit from Abraham as he released the ball. His fifth attempt was incomplete again to Bowe, who was covered.

On his sixth throw, Thigpen saw RB Jamaal Charles drop a wide open pass. The seventh throw was also to Charles on an attempted screen, but it wasn’t caught. Then finally on the eighth throw, Charles held on to the ball. Then he got dragged down from behind for a one-yard loss.

After all those problems, Thigpen was able to get it together enough to lead the offense down for a touchdown drive before half-time. Working out of the shotgun with three wide receivers, Gonzalez and a running back beside him, Thigpen hit Darling for 11 yards. Then the young quarterback took off on a scramble, picking up 18 yards. He completed an eight-yard pass to RB Kolby Smith, then a 12-yarder on third-and-10 to Gonzalez. There was another three-yard pass to the tight end, before he found Bowe for a 15-yard TD pass.

“We were down 24-0 at one point and we could have folded our tents,” said Thigpen. “Offensively we scored right before we went in for the half and came back out and scored right there and we moved the offense down after that and had chances to put the ball in the end zone.”

Will Thigpen get another chance to start this coming Sunday against Denver?

“We’ll see, we haven’t made a decision on that,” said Edwards.

Comment: Defensive Problems A Surprise

From the Georgia Dome

When the landscape was laid out for the 2008 season back in the summer, there were some givens.

First, the Chiefs were going to be young. Second, they were making a lot of changes on offense with a new scheme and a relatively inexperienced quarterback. Three, the team would have to rely on their special teams and defense early in the season until the offense got up to speed.

Well, the Chiefs are young; the youngest and most inexperienced team in the league. The offense is going through growing pains exacerbated by starting three different quarterbacks in three games. Other than punter Dustin Colquitt and his always reliable left foot, the special teams have been pedestrian.

But it’s the defense that has been the surprise of the ’08 season, and certainly not in a good way. It’s safe to say that the defense has been the biggest disappointment of the young season.

“We have to play better on defense,” Herm Edwards said. “That’s two weeks in a row that we haven’t played very good at all.”

That was evident Sunday in Atlanta, as the Chiefs got waxed 38-14 by an Atlanta team that is pretty much on the same level; rebuilding with youngsters. The Falcons even have a new coaching staff with all new coordinators and all sorts of new starters.

None of that slowed them down against the Chiefs defense. Atlanta finished with 378 yards in total offense and ran for 186 yards. That’s certainly an improvement on the 300 yards they allowed last Sunday to the Raiders. But it’s about 100 yards more than Gunther Cunningham wants to see.

Missed tackles were everywhere on this day for the defense and it compromised the unit’s performance.

“We did pretty well in the first three series,” Herm Edwards said. “But then we miss some tackles and give up the big plays and we don’t recover.”

The defense is not getting much help from the offense; that’s obvious to anyone.  Two of Tyler Thigpen’s three interceptions set up the Falcons offense and that produced 10 points right there.

But the defense didn’t help itself in the Dome. Big plays are killing this defense, and not just in the running game. In the first quarter they gave up a run of 48 yards to Michael Turner and pass plays of 30 and 70 yards to Jerious Norwood and Roddy White. The pass to White went for the Falcons second TD of the game.

That had the Chiefs down 14-0 in the first quarter and that’s not something this team is going to be able to overcome. Not at this time. Not with the quarterback situation they are in. Not with the problems they are having protecting the quarterback, especially on the right side of the offensive line, and in particular RT Damion McIntosh.

Right now, the Chiefs need the defense to come out and shut down the opponent, to push the game’s outcome into the second half and give them a chance with their struggling offense. This game was over in the first quarter.

By the time the game was officially over, Turner had 104 yards on the ground in 23 carries with a touchdown hat trick. Norwood had 75 yards on 11 carries. QB Matt Ryan, who is not known for being fleet of foot, converted a third down with a nice 15-yard scramble.

Now let’s remember that the Chiefs defense is also implementing a lot of new faces. There were three new starters on the defensive line, one new starter at linebacker and one in the secondary. In Atlanta, there was another rookie in the starting lineup because of the shoulder injury suffered by CB Pat Surtain.

The Chiefs defense will get better; it must. The team has spent way too many resources in rebuilding the talent base on that side of the ball. Maybe too much was expected from this defense too soon.

No matter the scenario, this defense must play better football. The Denver Broncos are headed to town this coming Sunday. They entered the third weekend of the NFL season as the league’s No. 1 offense. They simply ripped apart both Oakland and San Diego. They hit New Orleans with 34 points on Sunday.

If the Chiefs defense doesn’t fix its problems and do it soon, then the Chiefs have no chance to win.

College Preview 9/20

A lot of action involving teams out of the SEC this week. We’ll update some of the teams we’ve already covered and add a few more that are getting their first exposure on this site.

Again, we are looking specifically at the players that the pros think will be potential draft choices in April 2009.

FLORIDA AT TENNESSEE, 2:30 P.M. on CBS

Florida

#15 QB Tim Tebow – 6-3, 238 pounds, JR. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Tebow remains a mystery to many in the NFL. Where does he fit? His ability to run as well as pass and his background in Urban Meyer’s offense are considered positives for some teams, negatives for others. There’s no questioning his athletic ability or his intelligence which both test through the roof. Last year he had 32 TD passes to six INTs. He’ll need significantly work in NFL offenses, right down to taking a snap from center, rather than in the shotgun. In two games, he’s run for 92 net yards on 22 carries, while throwing for 393 yards with three TDs and no INTs. …Read More!

It Happens Every Decade Or So

When Tyler Thigpen takes the opening offensive snap for the Chiefs on Sunday in Atlanta, he will become the third different starting quarterback for the team in the season’s first three games.

That’s happened before in the NFL. In fact, it happens about once every decade.

The Los Angeles Rams were forced to live through this in 1976. Marty Schottenheimer’s Cleveland Browns had the same problem in 1988. Eleven years ago the Jacksonville Jaguars dealt with the same matter.

How did it all work out? Here’s a look at each team that had to deal with the problem. …Read More!

Chiefs Update 9/19

From The Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs defensive line had trouble stopping the run last Sunday.  This Sunday, they may have trouble getting healthy defensive ends on the field.

After the Chiefs wrapped up a 75-minute indoor practice, Herm Edwards said both starting DEs Tamba Hali and Turk McBride would be listed as questionable for participation against the Falcons in Atlanta.  McBride has the abdominal strain that he suffered against the Raiders.  He was a full participant in Friday’s practice.

Hali, however, was a limited participant because of a knee injury that he suffered during practice.

If both Hali and McBride can’t play, that would move rookie DE Brian Johnston into the starting lineup.  At the least, he’s going to get a lot more playing time than he’s seen in the first two games, when he was sprinkled into the defense for a play or two.  The other defensive end on the roster is veteran Alfonso Boone.  On the practice squad is rookie DE Jason Parker, who would have to be activated and another player would have to come off the roster.

Again, QB Brodie Croyle and CB Pat Surtain are both out of Sunday’s game with right shoulder injuries.

One man’s guess would have Croyle, Surtain, LB Napoleon Harris, G Brian De La Puente and T Barry Richardson as five of the seven inactive players this week.  The other spots will likely depend on how Hali and McBride are Sunday morning at the Georgia Dome.

The Chiefs worked inside with piped in crowd noise since they’ll be playing inside on Sunday.

Thigpen Is Gannon Like

Watching Tyler Thigpen all through the off-season, then training camp and in the Chiefs pre-season I was always struck by a feeling t hat I’d seen him play before. While I certainly enjoy the Carolina beaches almost every summer, I’d never seen him hook it up for the Chanticleers of Coastal Carolina.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on a name until this week.

Rich Gannon. Tyler Thigpen reminds me of Rich Gannon.

Not the Rich Gannon that won NFL MVP honors with Oakland and helped lead the Raiders to the Super Bowl. That was the veteran, experienced Gannon.

I’m talking about the Gannon the NFL saw over his first seven seasons with New England, Minnesota and Washington, before he blew out his shoulder and missed the 1994 season. …Read More!

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Think about that for a second … dominant at one position.

No Chiefs player has ever been in this position when it comes to career numbers. Offense, defense, special teams … there isn’t anyone who ranked the best at his spot in the history of the game. …Read More!

Chiefs Update 9/18

From The Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs worked for just under two hours in the September sunshine on Thursday afternoon, getting ready for their trip south to face the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday.

DE Turk McBride was added to the injury report as he was a limited participant in Thursday’s work.  McBride left Sunday’s game against Oakland in the first half when he made a tackle and fell on the heel of RB Justin Fargas’ shoe.  McBride said Thursday that his spleen was affected by the blow and possibly bruised.  He hopes to play on Sunday.

QB Brodie Croyle and CB Patrick Surtain did not take part in practice because of their shoulder injuries and both will not play on Sunday.

Starting QB Tyler Thigpen did his first NFL press conference and talked about what the Chiefs may be up to this week with him as the starter.

“I think we’re going back to more base stuff,” Thigpen said. “Stuff that as a team, you know, I guess you could say are our bread and butter. Those are the things we’re going to stick to, you know, be good at the things we’re good at, keep it simple and execute.”

Thigpen said he and TE Tony Gonzalez spent time after practice on both Wednesday and Thursday working on their time.

“I feel like he and I have definitely gotten on the same page,” said Thigpen. “That’s one thing we wanted to work on, we talked about it in the shower after the game. We worked on that this week and we’ve gotten a lot better at it.”

College Preview 9/18

The West Virginia Mountaineers need to go on the road and pick up a big victory Thursday night. They’ve got a tough assignment, heading into Boulder to face Colorado.

WVU is 1-1 and Colorado is 2-0. Game time is 7:30 p.m. on ESPN

West Virginia

G Greg Isdaner – 6-4, 322 pounds, JR-Redshirt. Isdaner is a two-year starter at left guard for the Mountaineers and is big and physical. He’s a very strong man who plays aggressively. West Virginia offense in ’07 had a pair of 1,000-yard rushers and allowed just 13 sacks. He’s pegged right now as a second or third round selection, but can improve that with another strong season in ’08. …Read More!

Hank’s Oakland Gallery

It’s again our honor to bring you some of the great football photography of Hank Young.

Here are some of his shots from the Chiefs-Raiders game.

And again, these are all copyrighted photos.

Enjoy by clicking here.

Thursday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Not sure why it has become the thing to do, but media outlets everywhere are now into power rankings for NFL teams.

This used to be the province of tip and tout sheets that would put together these extensive formula’s using statistics and come up with winners and losers each week in the NFL.  Those are still out there and in use, but the rest of the media has brought what amounts to the college football polls to the pro game.

It’s not even as extensive as the college top 25s that are voted on by various media types or college coaches.  These power ranking are generally the fancy of one person, who throws them together and decides who is on top and who is at the bottom.

Thankfully, they are meaningless. In major college football, the polls play a part in deciding the national championship.  Luckily the NFL goes ahead and has playoffs.  So why waste this time and space talking about them?  I thought it would be interesting this week, after the Chiefs lost to the Raiders, to see in general where the national pundits have ranked the red and gold. …Read More!

College Preview 9/19

The Big 12 heads east Friday night as Baylor (2-1) visit Connecticut (3-0). The Bears have victories over Northwestern State (LA) and Washington State, and a loss to Wake Forest. The Huskies have beaten Hofstra, Temple and last weekend they stopped Virginia 45-10.

Game time is 7 p.m. on ESPN2

Baylor

OT Jason Smith – 6-5, 300 pounds, SR-Redshirt. Despite a strained MCL in his right knee, Smith started seven games in ’07 for the Bears at left tackle. He’s a two-year starter at both left and right tackles, who began his football career as a tight end. The pros love his athletic ability, but he’ll need a lot of work on fundamentals and techniques. A strong season could push him into the late second round. …Read More!

Why Thigpen Is Starting

The whole quarterback situation around the Chiefs has been pretty wacky and hard to understand.

And that’s if you are Herm Edwards.

His decision to start his third different quarterback in the season’s first three games speaks to more wackiness in the eyes of some fans and I’m sure the pundits.

Tyler Thigpen will replace Damon Huard who replaced Brodie Croyle as the starter against Atlanta. Huard’s start came because of Croyle’s injury. Thigpen’s start came because … it’s the right thing for Edwards and his coaching staff to do at this time.

Let’s break this down three ways and with three different views of the decision: this Sunday, short-term (the rest of the ’08 season) and long-term (the future).

THIS SUNDAY

Doesn’t Huard give the Chiefs a better chance of winning in Atlanta than Thigpen? Maybe yes. Maybe no. Certainly his experience is a factor that can’t be ignored and he’s got that all over Thigpen. …Read More!

Chiefs Update 9/17-Tyler Is The QB

From The Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs worked for just over two hours in the pleasant late summer sunshine on Wednesday.

After practice Herm Edwards announced that Tyler Thigpen will be the Chiefs starting quarterback this Sunday in Atlanta against the Falcons.

Damon Huard can play and right now is scheduled to be the No. 2 quarterback.

The decision was not based on the head/neck injury that Huard suffered last week against Oakland.  He’s capable of playing and he practiced on Wednesday.

“We think he’ll do a good job,” Edwards said.  “We’ll limit some of the things we ask him to do.  We want to take a look at him. He’s another young player we want to look at and see where he’s at.  If he struggles, obviously Damon can come in. He’s used to that and that’s what’s going to happen.”

Not working in Wednesday’s practice were QB Brodie Croyle and CB Pat Surtain, both out with right shoulder injuries.  LB Napoleon Harris who has been limited in his participation in recent weeks, went full participation in Wednesday’s work

The Chiefs made two moves on their practice squad, adding CB Travarous Bain and G Tavares Washington.  To make room for them WR Scott Mayle and S Dowayne Davis were released.

MORE ON THE THIGPEN DECISION LATER THIS EVENING

Second Look Oakland/Defense

The Chiefs run defense got dented for a number of different reasons this past Sunday.

There were mental mistakes in filling gaps. There were players trying to do too much, rather than their assigned duties. But there were also plenty of times when the Raiders simply beat the Chiefs defensive front physically. The Oakland offensive line was in control of this game, especially in the second half when they ran for 203 of their 300 rushing yards.

For the most part, the Chiefs were in their base 4-3-4 defense throughout the game; probably 80 percent of the time. Several times with that group they showed they old 46-Bear defense, which brings two linebackers to the line of scrimmage and the strong safety moves down to essentially play a linebacker position. However, no matter what they tried, it did not work very well. The Raiders didn’t pick on any one side to run the ball, although they went to their right more often than they did to their left. …Read More!

Wednesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Herm Edwards has his hands full getting his young team to re-focus and come back after last Sunday’s poor performance against Oakland.  Out in San Diego, Norv Turner has to get his 0-2 Chargers back on track and out of the thinking that an official cost them a victory.

But those task pale in comparison to what Gary Kubiak is dealing with.  The Houston Texans head coach had his team back on the practice field on Tuesday in hurricane ravaged Houston. But some of his players are dealing with destroyed and damaged homes and families that right now are without electricity.

Houston Chronicle Photo

Take DT Travis Johnson.  His home in the suburb of Missouri City lost its roof and several ceiling collapsed as sheets of rain poured in.  Johnson, his wife and two small children stayed in a closet, hoping they would survive.

He was happy to be back doing something familiar.

 ”This is what bought me the house in the first place,” Johnson told the Houston Chronicle. “This is my job. To be a professional, you’ve got to take the good with the bad. We’re blessed to be able to come out here and enjoy our teammates, our friends. …Read More!

College Preview 9/17

The Kansas State Wildcats are on the national telly tonight, visiting the University of Louisville at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

Here are the guys the pros think are prospects for both teams

Kansas State

QB Josh Freeman – 6-6, 248 pounds, JR. Freeman has started strong in this his junior season, by completing 75.6 percent of his passes and throwing five for touchdowns in the Wildcats first two games. Over his time in Manhattan, Freeman has played in 25 games, starting 22 with 29 career TD passes and 26 INTs. He’s big, strong and intelligent and is considered coming into the ’08 season as a potential second or third-round selection. If he continues to throw TDs and eliminate his INTs, he could push himself even higher, whether he comes out for the ’09 or ’10 Draft.

…Read More!

Herm Speaks: Vol. 2

From Arrowhead Stadium

Herm Edwards was his usual cool, calm, collected self for his weekly Tuesday press conference.

News items of note: CB Pat Surtain is out of this Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury. It’s the same for QB Brodie Croyle. Nobody else has been ruled out. A starting quarterback will be named tomorrow between Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen. Whoever the starter is, will play the whole game as long as he’s healthy, the Chiefs will not try to mix in a quarterback for a series here or there. And, the head coach plans no personnel changes on his offensive line this week.

Here’s some more of what the coach had to say and what we have to say about what he had to say. …Read More!

Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

There was a lot of attention on three of the four coaches in the AFC West on Monday.  The guy who wasn’t in the limelight was Chiefs head coach Herm Edwards.  He’ll speak this afternoon in his weekly press conference.

Out in Oakland, the Lane Kiffin watch is on.  He’s not expected to survive the week as the Raiders head coach, despite the victory over the Chiefs.  Bay Area papers reported on Monday that Kiffin will be fired, and one writer made an interesting point early Monday afternoon.  The Raiders public relations department in the past has been quick to publicly refute stories it believes cast  the team in a negative light.  After reports that Kiffin was about to be fired, the Raiders have not challenged a world that has been written or said.

…Read More!

ALL Those At 0-2 Please Stand Up, Or Is It Stand Down?

The Chiefs are 0-2, tied with nine other teams with the worst record in the league at this point.

We know the reasons and problems surrounding the Chiefs and their bad start. Does that make them the worst team in the league, as some pundits have suggested?

Could be, but there are some other teams that have started just as ugly, and their on-field stories will challenge the Chiefs for the No. 32 spot. Others among the 10 teams at 0-2 were considered pre-season favorites for their division or a spot in the playoffs. They can still get there.

Let’s take a look at the rest of this motley 0-2 crew, and we’ll do it in alphabetical order:

…Read More!

Chiefs Update 9/15

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs looked at the tape of Sunday’s loss to the Oakland Raiders Monday afternoon.  The view wasn’t any better the second time around.

But the viewing allowed the players to see where mistakes were made on Sunday. Now comes the hard job of correcting the errors and moving forward to get ready for a trip to Atlanta this weekend.

The Chiefs do not release an injury report on Monday, so the status of DE Turk McBride and CB Pat Surtain is unknown.  Both players were injured in the first half of the game and did not return.  McBride was kicked in the stomach, while Surtain suffered a right shoulder injury.

QB Damon Huard spoke about his injury situation, however.  He left the game late in the first quarter and did not return.  The Chiefs reported it as head trauma and after the game Huard said it was a neck injury.

“My neck’s jacked up, it’s a little sore today,” Huard said on Monday.  “It’s part of football.”

Huard suffered an injury when he was driven to the turf by blitzing LB Thomas Howard.  There’s no question his head hit the Arrowhead Field turf with some force.  The veteran quarterback said that Tyler Thigpen was scheduled to take the next offensive series, in a move that was determined before the game by the coaching staff.   As he watched that series, his “neck really stiffened up on me.

“In the heat of the battle you don’t really think about it, but it really caught up with me on the sideline.”

Huard was asked if he suffered a concussion.  While allowing that there were a few symptoms, he did not want to elaborate.

“It’s not going to get us anywhere or bring back the score of the Raiders game,” Huard said. “It’s really not that big a deal.”

NFL Sunday: Week #2

Now that’s guts.

Denver coach Mike Shanahan has two Super Bowl rings and a bushel of victories during his time with the Broncos.

Still, what he did Sunday night at Invesco Field will be remembered for many years.

With his team down 38-37 after scoring a late touchdown, Shanahan called for a two-point conversion play, rather than a PAT kick that would have sent the game into overtime.

QB Jay Cutler hit rookie WR Eddie Royal for the two-pointer that gave Denver a 39-38 victory over the Chargers.

“Sometimes you have to go with your gut,” Shanahan said after the game. “I just felt like it was a chance for us to put them away. I didn’t want to count on the coin flip. I wanted to do it then, and obviously it worked out.”

It was the third successful two-point attempt from a team going for the win instead of a tie in the waning seconds of a game since the two-point conversion was added in 1994, and the first since Tampa Bay beat Washington 36-35 on Mike Alstott’s run on Nov. 13, 2005

GOING FOR TWO AND VICTORY

…Read More!

Chiefs-Raiders Game Coverage

From Arrowhead Stadium

It was a gray, cloudy Sunday in Kansas City.  The weather wore the colors of the Oakland Raiders.

Ultimately, those colors dominated the afternoon as the boys from Oakland regained their pride and poise and battered the Chiefs, winning 23-8.

For all the coverage, click here to get started.

Chiefs Take Embarassing Pounding From Raiders

From Arrowhead Stadium

MORE GAME COVERAGE COMING LATER SUNDAY EVENING

What happened Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium is the type of game that no coach or team ever want to deal with.

But in the aftermath of the Chiefs 23-8 pasting by the Oakland Raiders, Herm Edwards, his staff and his locker room have to address what was an embarrasing performance in their home opener.

The game of football has never changed: it’s won and lost at the line of scrimmage.  Safe to say the Chiefs got pounded at the point attack.  One need only look at two statistics to see evidence of that:

• Chiefs running game: 19 carries for 55 yards a 2.9-yard per carry average.
• Raiders running game: 47 carries for 300 yards, a 6.4-yard per carry average.

In a game with 126 offensive plays, it was that descrepancy in the running game that decided the outcome.

Rookie Darren McFadden ran for 164 yards on 21 carries.  Michael Bush, for an intents a rookie after sitting out last year recovering from a broken leg suffered in college, ran 16 times for 90 yards.  Veteran Justin Fargas ran nine times for 43 yards and couldn’t get in on the action after leaving the game in the second quarter with a groin injury. …Read More!

Oakland Gallery

Game-Day Inactives/Raiders

From Arrowhead Stadium

The Chiefs inactive players for Sunday’s game against the Raiders were named this morning:

• QB Brodie Croyle
• LB Napoleon Harris
• OT Barry Richardson
• G Brian De La Puente
• CB Maurice Leggett
• RB Dantrell Savage
• WR Will Franklin

Ingle Martin was the inactive third quarterback.

Inactives for the Raiders were starting LT Kwame Harris, WR Todd Watkins, S Rashad Baker, T James Marten, C John Wade, OL Fred Wakefield and TE John Madsen.  Marques Tuiasosopo was named the inactive third quarterback. 

Second-year man Mario Henderson will start at LT for Harris.

Sunday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

An e-mailer who identified himself simply as “Sammy from Back East” had an interesting question on Saturday:

“How come I never remember the NFL having problems with hurricanes back in the day,” Sammy wrote.  “You don’t read or hear anything about them getting games cancelled back in the 40s and 50s.”

Sammy’s comment came because of the cancellation of the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans game at Reliant Stadium due to Hurricane Ike.  The game was set for today, but was moved to Monday night and then on Saturday pushed back to November 9th after the stadium suffered roof damage from the hurricane winds.

What the NFL has done is move the Texans-Bengals game set for Nov. 9 to October 26th, which was sceduled to be the bye week for each team.  The Ravens bye week was Nov. 9, so that became the date for their visit to Houston.

Beyond the expected damage and electricity outages that come with a story like Hurricane Ike, the damage to the stadium itself made the site unplayable.  Officials won’t know until they get a good look at the roof whether it can be ready for the Texans next home game, on October 5th.

It’s just another example of hurricane weather effecting the NFL.  In 2005 it was Hurricane Katrina forcing the New Orleans Saints to spend the season as vagabonds.  Remember also in 2005, the expected weekend arrival of Hurricane Wilma, forced the Chiefs-Dolphins game to be moved to Friday night.  The Chiefs flew down the day of the game and flew back with a very unusual 30-20 victory.  The year before, the Dolphins season opener was moved up a day because of the threat of Hurricane Ivan and the kickoff time of another game is moved from afternoon to evening because of the effects of Hurricane Jeanne. …Read More!

How To Beat Oakland

In the past, the Chiefs have never had too much of a problem finding a way to beat the Oakland Raiders. Remember Marty Schottenheimer’s old adage of just keep it close and the Raiders would hand it to you in the fourth quarter with their mistakes and blunders.

That was certainly the case for years. No opponent has ever controlled the Raiders for such a long period of time. Since 1989, the Chiefs and Raiders have played 39 times. The Chiefs have won 29 times. In this decade, the Chiefs have won 10 of 16 games and had a nine-game winning streak that was ended last year at Arrowhead Stadium by the Raiders.

None of that matters for this game because this Chiefs team is dominated by players who have no idea about that history and probably couldn’t care less. They are intent on making their own history. Tony Gonzalez, Donnie Edwards, Brian Waters … they can tell the stories, but this is a new day.

Here’s what the Chiefs must do to win this game:

Zebra Watch #1

One of the most important elements to any football game are the guys in the striped shirts.

The NFL has done a great job in the last two years in trying to make the officiating less of a factor and the evidence of that is the drop in the last two years in penalties.

Consistency is the ultimate goal and while those in charge of the league have made progress there, sometimes there’s way too much of a distance between the penalties called by the most active crew and the number of flags thrown by the least active crew. In the first week, there were crews who threw five and six flags, and there were crews that threw 20 and 21 flags. On a one week basis, that can happen. Over the season, there should not be that much of a difference.

One of the things we plan to do each week is update you on the officials, how busy are they and what we might see and look for in the way of trends around the league. …Read More!

College Preview 9/13

There are other games this weekend beyond the classic tilt between Ohio State and Southern Cal. Here are the prospects for three of those games that can be seen on network television.

CALIFORNIA AT MARYLAND, ESPN, NOON

California

C Alex Mack – 6-4, 315 pounds, SR-Redshirt. A two-year starter for the Golden Bears, Mack has won back-to-back All-Pac 10 Conference honors. In fact, last year the defensive linemen of the conference voted him the best blocker in the league. Athletic with great effort and intangibles, he sometimes has trouble with smaller, powerful defensive tackles. A strong ’08 season could push him into the later part of the first round. …Read More!

Saturday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

There are a lot of things the Chiefs have to improve on in week No. 2 of the 2008 season.

The most important is score  more points.  The major emphasis in making t hat happen would be to improve their performance on first down. Both offense and defense struggled on the first play and it was one of the reasons they both had their troubles.

Offensively, the Chiefs had 23 first down plays against New England, but gained just 44 yards, or an average of 1.91 yards. That means on average they faced 2^nd-and-8. That’s a tough down for any offense, but on a consistent basis, it’s tough to overcome. The Chiefs had 10 plays on second down where they needed eight yards or more to get a first down.

Defensively, the Chiefs faced 24 first down plays (I do not include two kneel downs by the Patriots on first down to end the half and end the game.) New England gained 146 yards on those plays, which means they faced an average of 2^nd-and-4. That opens up a lot of options for any offense.

Improving on first down is the key for the Chiefs if they hope to win Sunday at Arrowhead.

…Read More!

New England Gallery

One of the great joys of starting this website is getting the chance to work with the best photography in the country.  That’s thanks to the best football photographer in the country, Hank Young.

For the better part of the last 40 years, he’s been the Chiefs team photographer. Players change, coaches change, the technology of photography has changed.  What doesn’t change is Hank’s ability to take outstanding pictures.

Each week, we plan to present a gallery of his work.  We hope you enjoy.

Just remember, all the photos are the copyrighted work of Hank Young.

To view the New England gallery, click here.

News & Notes From Chiefs-Raiders

From Arrowhead Stadium

Oakland head coach Lane Kiffin says there are three things that win football games.  His Raiders did all three in beating the Chiefs.

“You win with palying great defense,” said Kiffin. “I thought our defense played  physical all day.  we kept Larry Johnson in check and made him run sideline-to-sideline.  I thought we had a good day against their receivers as well.  I’m really proud of the way our coaches game planned for this game.

“The second way you win is to play great special teams.  Special teams are so valuable on the road.  A perfect example of this is, they go down and score and get the two-point conversion.  Johnnie (Lee Higgins) and the kick return bring it back to midfield and then we fumble.  That brings it back to the 20 if we don’t have the return we had.

“The third way you win is you run the ball.  For our guys to come in here today and run the ball for 300 yards wiht Mario Henderson the first time ever playing in the NFL, I’m very, very proud of that.”

PENALTIES UP FOR CHIEFS

The Chiefs were flagged just twice in their season opener.  Walt Anderson and his crew ended up throwing five flags against the Chiefs in Sunday’s game. WR Dwayne Bowe was hit for an illegal shit.  TE Tony Gonzalez got another offensive pass interference call.  DT Ron Edwards was called for defensive holding.  RT Damion McIntosh was flagged for a false starter and CB Brandon Carr was called for defensive pass interference.

Overall Anderson and his crew had 14 penalties walked off for 97 yards.

WE WILL DEFER

The Raiders won the opening coin toss by calling tails, but chose to defer their choice until the second half.  This is a new rule in the NFL, modeled after the college rule. 

Give the choice, the Chiefs decided to take the kickoff.

MORE  GONZALEZ RECORDS

Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez now  has 831 career catches, and that’s 13th on the NFL’s all-time receiving charts.  He passed FB Larry Centers who had 827.

Here’s who is ahead of Gonzalez now:

• 849-Rod Smith
• 851-Irving Fryar
• 862-Jimmy Smith

With his yardage, Gonzalez now needs 85 yards to set a new career receiving yardage record for tight ends.

Special Teams Don’t Help

From Arrowhead Stadium

The Chiefs keep hoping for some help from their special teams; a big play here or there to help their struggling offense and now their struggling defense.

They did not get that against Oakland on Sunday. The Chiefs kicking game could not produce any game turning plays. The closest player to have any effect on the game from the Chiefs special teams was punter Dustin Colquitt. After he started the afternoon with a horrible 17-yard line drive punt, Colquitt was sensational in his punting battle against the Raiders Pro Bowler Shane Lechler.

Colquitt’s punts went for 17, 56, 66, 49, 44, 39, 51 and 73 yards. That’s a 49.4 average. He averaged 54 yards on the seven punts after his shank. In the game, the Raiders had 46 yards in punt returns, giving Colquitt a net punting average 43.6 yards. He also put five punts inside the 20-yard line.

The wind was a major factor at Arrowhead on Sunday. At the top of the stadium, the flags showed a strong wind from the west. But on the field, the wind was coming from the east. That’s normal for Arrowhead, where the win swirls at different levels of the stadium.

Lechler averaged 44.8 yards on his four punts, but had a net average of 30.5 yards. Oakland K Sebastian Janikowski had an impressive day. He hit a pair of field goals including one from 56 yards which was the longest FG ever made against the Chiefs. That one was with the wind at his back.

Janikowski also did a great job on kickoffs. On his six kickoffs, he had five touchbacks. It should have been six, but Chiefs returner B.J. Sams decided to bring the ball out six yards deep in the end zone. Sams didn’t make it back to the 20-yard line, as he was tackled at the Chiefs 15-yard line.

The Chiefs didn’t get the same kind of distance from Nick Novak. He kicked off twice and put the ball at the 10-yard line. The Raiders returned them 33 and 42 yards. They were not good kicks and not good coverage by the Chiefs.

Sams averaged 12.3 yards on three punt returns and 21 yards on the only kickoff he did return.

For the Raiders, returner Johnnie Lee Higgins averaged 7.7 yards on six punt returns and 37.5 yards on a pair of kickoff returns.

Other than Colquitt, the best special teams performer for the Chiefs was rookie LB Erik Walden who had three tackles in coverage.

Chiefs Defense Gets Handled

From Arrowhead Stadium

For the Chiefs defense, what happened against the Raiders on Sunday afternoon will be a tough game to put out of their minds.

It’s one thing to lose. It’s another thing to get handled like the Chiefs did by Oakland’s offense.

The Chiefs wanted to put the game into the hands of inexperienced second-year QB JaMarcus Russell. They wanted to keep it out of the hands of Justin Fargas-Darren McFadden-Michael Bush and the rest of the Raiders running game.

They didn’t get it done. The Raiders ran for 300 yards. That’s the most rushing yards in a single game that the Chiefs have given up in 31 seasons.

“You know when you play Oakland you have to stop the run,” said FS Jarrad Page. “That’s what they do. They are not a team that’s trying to come out and throw for 300 yards. They try to run for 300 yards and they did. If you don’t stop the run, they’ll do it the whole game, and that’s what they did.

“We were not better than them in the run game today.”

Before Sunday, here were the three worst defensive performances against the run in team history:

• 330 yards by Pittsburgh on November 7, 1976
• 322 yards by Cleveland on October 30, 1977
• 299 yards by New Orleans on September 26, 1976

It was easily the worst performance against the running game in the 10 years where Gunther Cunningham was defensive coordinator or head coach. Over 166 games from 1995 through 2000 and then 2004 through Sunday, only nine times did opponents gain more than 200 yards rushing against a Cunningham defense. None came close to 300. The highest was 265 yards rushing by San Diego in 2006.

“Our defensive line has to play better, it’s on us,” said DE Tamba Hali. “It’s embarrassing to give up that much. We’ve got to look at the tape, figure out what we did wrong and get better. We’ve got to get a lot better.”

Why were the Raiders so effective running the ball?  They were able to dent the Chiefs ends, specifically Hali, Turk McBride and Alfonso Boone.  McBride went out in the first half when he was kicked in the stomach and did not return.  The Chiefs also lost cornerback Pat Surtain in the first half to a shoulder injury and he did not return.  But those injuries did not explain how the Chiefs were just blasted off the ends of the line.  For the most part DTs Tank Tyler and Glenn Dorsey handled things pretty well in the middle.

And the Raiders were able to do this basically without Fargas, their top back from last season and the most veteran halfback in their offense. With five minutes, 14 seconds to play in the first half, Fargas limped off the field after running a pass route. He was taken by cart to the locker room and did not return because of what was called a groin injury.

No worries for the Raiders. They just jumped on the young, healthy legs of McFadden, the fourth player taken in the 2008 NFL Draft. At half-time, McFadden had just 21 yards on nine carries. But with Fargas gone, he became the man and began ripping the Chiefs defense apart. McFadden got 21 yards, then one-yard, then a minus-two on a nice play by LB Donnie Edwards. But then he got outside on the left edge and ran 50 yards before SS Bernard Pollard brought him down from behind.

McFadden ended up scoring on a 19-yard sweep right where he stretched out and got the ball over the goal line.

Later in the half he had runs of 22 and 24 yards. McFadden ended up with five of the eight longest plays in the game. He finished with 164 yards on 21 carries.

The only reason McFadden didn’t run for more was the work Bush received in the fourth quarter. At the end of the third quarter, the second-year guy from Louisville had just 13 yards on five carries. Late in the game, he carried the ball on six straight plays, gaining seven, four, 10, two, three and finally 32 yards for a touchdown.

Bush finished with 90 yards on 16 carries. Fargas had 43 yards on nine carries before he left the game. Russell added three yards on his only carry.

The Raiders killed the Chiefs on first down rushing plays: 20 carries for 103 yards. That’s five yards a carry. Overall, Oakland averaged 4.6 yards on 27 first down plays.

“When you let a team run the ball like that on your, it’s embarrassing,” said Page. “A team coming to our home field, and run the ball on your, what do you say to that? It’s embarrassing. We’ve got to stop it. We can’t let that happen.”

Tale of Two Quarterbacks

From Arrowhead Stadium

Tyler Thigpen knew he would play on Sunday against the Raiders. So did Damon Huard.

But neither quarterback knew that Thigpen would play the final three quarters in the Chiefs 23-8 loss to Oakland.

That’s what happened after Huard was dinged on a sack in the first quarter. The Chiefs announced late in the game that Huard was out due to head trauma, but the veteran quarterback said it was more of a neck issue than anything else.

Could he have returned to the game?

“I’m not going to make that decision,” said Huard. “Tyler was going to play today. That was our game plan.”

Going into the game, Herm Edwards made it plain that Thigpen would get playing time against Oakland. He would get a series here and a series there was the plan, but Huard was going to be the primary quarterback.

That changed with the injury. Right after his neck was hurt, Huard threw an interception. That was his last play of the game.

“I made a bad read and it was a bad throw,” Huard said of the interception. “I threw it probably a little late and the defender made a good play batting it up in the air for the interception.”

Thigpen came in and handled the last three quarters, the most playing time in his young pro career. He ended up completing 14 of 33 passes for 151 yards with one TD pass and one INT. He was sacked three times and ran one other time, gaining six yards.

“I knew I was going to play, I didn’t know when I was going in,” Thigpen said. “Damon came off the field and Coach (Dick) Curl came to me and said ‘Get warmed up, you’re going in.’ I didn’t know if I was going in for one series; I ended up staying in the entire game.”

Thigpen’s performance was a textbook example of a young, inexperienced quarterback dealing with difficult circumstances. He was under pressure almost every time he dropped back to pass, even on bootleg plays where he tried to roll away from the pressure.

“I felt like I’ve got to get better,” said Thigpen. “Our offense didn’t move the ball and you have to put it on my shoulders. We didn’t convert third downs. We wanted to establish the running game. We’ve got to convert and keep the defense off the field.”

Edwards understood that what was going on offensively wasn’t all Thigpen’s fault.

“He was put in a tough spot,” said the Chiefs head coach. “I thought he did a good job in the two-minute at the end where he took the team down and made some throws.

“But it’s a work in progress and it puts a burden on him when you can’t run the ball. That’s too difficult for anybody. But he did some good things and made some throws.”

Who will start against Atlanta? Stay tuned.

L.J. Feels Left Out of Offense

From Arrowhead Stadium

He never raised his voice. In fact, there was a tremendous lack of emotion in Larry Johnson’s voice as he spoke after the game.

The Chiefs No. 1 back was matter of fact in his assessment that he feels he’s being phased out of the team’s offense.

“I don’t want to complain about not getting the ball,” Johnson said. “It’s about the team.”

On Sunday at Arrowhead, Johnson carried just 12 times for 22 yards.

Those numbers are necessarily unusual given the type of game it was, where the Chiefs were behind and trying to come back all day. What is unusual is this: in the second half, WR Marques Hagans in his role of Slash, touched the ball as many times as Johnson did.

After L.J. carried the ball for the second time in the third quarter for two yards, there was approximately 13 minutes remaining in the period. That was the last time Johnson got his hands on the ball.

Once the Chiefs were down 13-0, they went to more of a passing attack and generally that means when they are in the shotgun and three wide receivers, Johnson comes out and either Kolby Smith or Jamaal Charles come in.

In two games, Johnson has 34 carries for 96 yards and one catch for 12 yards.

That provides Johnson with the sense that he’s no longer the top option when it comes to the Chiefs running game.

“I sense what’s going on,” said Johnson. “Things are happening right now for a reason.

“My personal opinion is that no one should run the ball but me. That’s just me. I’ve always felt that way. If I’m tired, I’m tired and somebody else should get the chance. But I’ve been here long enough to know if I’m not tired and not getting the ball, then there’s something else going on. I’ve just got to deal with it.”

Johnson was asked whether it was doing the little things that were cutting into his playing time, like not picking up blitzing linebackers. When QB Damon Huard was sacked in the first quarter by LB Thomas Howard, it looked like Johnson missed the blitz pickup block.

“On that play, we were supposed to run a screen and any time a linebacker blitzes a gap like that, the offensive line has to call heavy and crash down on that man, and I pick up their man,” Johnson explained. “I’m seven yards back there; I can’t fly up there and get him in time. It’s just not going to happen.”

Like the rest of his teammates, Johnson was frustrated by the team’s performance and the outcome of the home opener. But he continued to say that there were changes going on and he was “fighting against them.”

When asked if he sees himself as part of the team in the future, Johnson said: “I don’t see it. I’ve got to do my part right now and hopefully we can get back on track next week.”

Johnson kept hitting the point that “it’s not about me, it’s the team.

“Something is going on and I’m not sure what it is yet until I sit down and talk with somebody” said Johnson. “It’s more than just I’m unhappy. Everyone in this room is unhappy with the two losses. My issues are on the back burner. I put the team before me. I can deal with my own problems; I’d rather have the team be successful in the long run.”

GAME STORY: CHIEFS POUNDED BY RAIDERS, 23-8

From Arrowhead Stadium

What happened Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium is the type of game that no coach or team ever wants to deal with or face.

But in the aftermath of the Chiefs 23-8 pasting by the Oakland Raiders, Herm Edwards, his staff and his locker room have to address what was an embarrassing performance in their home opener.  They must look at themselves in the mirror and figure out just what type of team they plan to be in 2008.

(Story Continues Below)

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RAIDERS-CHIEFS GAME DAY COVERAGE

• Commentary: Will This Performance Define Chiefs?
• Chiefs defense gets punched out by Raiders
• Tale of Two Quarterbacks: Huard  & Thigpen
• Chiefs Unleash Slash to Mixed Results
• L.J. feels left out of Chiefs offense
• Special teams don’t contribute big play
• Notes: Comments from the Raiders coach
• From the Bay Area: Despite victory, Kiffin will soon be fired as Raiders head coach.
• Game Book with play-by-play and statistics
  

———————————————

Especially when it comes to one of the most basics of the game, something that has never changed: the game is won and lost at the line of scrimmage.  Safe to say the Chiefs got pounded at the point attack.  One need only look at two statistics to see conclusive evidence of that fact:

• Chiefs running game: 19 carries for 55 yards a 2.9-yard per carry average.
  
• Raiders running game: 47 carries for 300 yards, a 6.4-yard per carry average.
  

In a game with 126 offensive plays, it was that discrepancy in the running game that decided the outcome.

Rookie Darren McFadden ran for 164 yards on 21 carries.  Michael Bush, for all intents a rookie after sitting out last year recovering from a broken leg suffered in college, ran 16 times for 90 yards.  Veteran Justin Fargas ran nine times for 43 yards and couldn’t get in on the action after leaving the game in the second quarter with a groin injury.

McFadden and Bush both had touchdown runs and long runs; McFadden for 50 yards and Bush for 32 yards.

It all broke the Chiefs back.

“We had to stop the run and we had to try to run the ball and try and protect our quarterback,” said Herm Edwards. “We didn’t get any of those things accomplished.

“They came out and knocked us off the ball and ran the ball down our throat.

“We got embarrassed at home in our home opener.”

The Chiefs offense struggled through the game’s first three quarters and was unable to consistently stay on the field.  They had 12 possessions in the game, but in only one of those did they hold the ball for longer than four minutes.

And they certainly could not run the ball, gaining just 55 yards rushing, only 32 of those yards coming from the team’s running backs. Larry Johnson had 12 carries for 22 yards, while Jamaal Charles had just three carries for seven yards.

Overall, the Chiefs threw for just 135 net yards in the passing game, and they had one play that went for more than 20 yards. Dwayne Bowe had six catches for 90 yards.

“I thought our defense played physical all day,” said Raiders coach Lane Kiffin. “We kept Larry Johnson in check and made him run sideline to sideline. I thought we had a good day against their receivers as well.”

The Chiefs offense actually started with the ball first and put together 10 snaps in their opening possession, including a pair of first downs and a nice 12-yard completion from QB Damon Huard to TE Tony Gonzalez. That possession ate up five minutes, 57 seconds, easily the team’s longest possession of the game.

On several plays in that possession, Huard left the field and WR Marques Hagans took the direct snap at the quarterback position for a pair of running plays.  Ultimately, the drive stalled and Dustin Colquitt’s 17-yard punt set up the Raiders at their own 41-yard line.

In five plays the Raiders had moved into Chiefs territory, but Oakland had to settle for a 56-yard FG by Sebastian Janikowski that gave Oakland an early 3-0 lead.  It was the longest field goal by an opponent against the Chiefs in franchise history.

When the Chiefs got the ball back, a Huard pass was tipped and picked off by Oakland S Tyvon Branch who returned the interception 36 yards to the Chiefs nine-yard line.  But the Kansas City defense held tight and forced another Janikowski FG, this one from 25 yards and the Raiders led by a 6-0 margin as the first period came to an end.

The second quarter was controlled by the defenses, as both offenses couldn’t get anything going on a consistent basis.  Combined the Chiefs and Raiders produced 85 yards in total offense on 26 plays over the 15 minutes of play.

The Chiefs made a change at quarterback on their last possession of the first quarter as Tyler Thigpen replaced Huard, who suffered a mild head-neck trauma.  Thigpen picked up one of two first downs the Chiefs had in the second quarter with a six-yard scramble.  RB Larry Johnson got the other with a five-yard run.

Defensively, the Chiefs forced a turnover when DT Tank Tyler punched the ball out of RB Darren McFadden’s hands and SS Bernard Pollard recovered the fumble.

The game’s first touchdown came on Oakland’s second possession of the third quarter.  Starting at their own five-yard line, Oakland rode the strong legs of the rookie McFadden.  He ran for 21, one, minus-two and 50-yard runs. Bush gave McFadden a rest and ran twice for six yards.

But the No. 1 draft choice out of Arkansas returned to the huddle and on a third down-and-four play at the Chiefs 19-yard line, McFadden went wide right and got the ball over the goal line for the touchdown.  The scoring drive went seven plays for 95 yards. The PAT kick by Janikowski gave Oakland a 13-0 lead with just over eight minutes to play in the period.

Midway through the fourth quarter, the Raiders added another Janikowski FG, this one from 40 yards and a 16-0 lead.

That’s when the Chiefs put together their only scoring drive of the game.  Starting at their own 20-yard line, Thigpen moved the team down the field, starting with a 30-yard completion to WR Dwayne Bowe on first down.  They got a big third down conversion on a 10-yard completion from Thigpen to WR Devard Darling.

The touchdown came on a third-and-goal play at the Raiders two-yard line as Thigpen found TE Tony Gonzalez in the end zone.  On the two-point play, Thigpen ran a bootleg right and threw to FB Mike Cox to make the score 16-8 in favor of the Raiders.

The Chiefs defense came back and forced another turnover, as Bush fumbled on a hit by FS Jarrad Page and the ball was recovered by Pollard.  Thigpen moved the offense into Raiders territory, but threw an interception to LB Kirk Morrison that ended the Chiefs hope of a comeback.

The Raiders added a late touchdown as Bush scored on a 32-yard run that ended a six-play, 58-yard drive.  Janikowski’s PAT kick gave Oakland its final 23-8 margin.

“Give the Raiders credit,” said Edwards. “They came in here and did exactly what they needed to do: run the football and stop the run.”

And the Chiefs need to stop the bleeding.

COMMENTARY: THIS ONE WAS BAD

From Arrowhead Stadium

Maybe Lane Kiffin said it best after yesterday’s Chiefs-Raiders game.

The Raiders coach may be just 33 years old, but in his short time as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders he’s seen a lot of things and lived through some disasters. There was a very good chance he was coaching for his job yesterday, a defeat leading to an early pink slip.

They responded by coming out and pounding the Chiefs, 23-8.

As bad as the Raiders looked on Monday night when they lost to the Denver Broncos, is as bad as the Chiefs looked on this cloudy and gray Sunday afternoon. The sky was Raiders colors and so to would be the green playing surface at Arrowhead.

“One game doesn’t define you as a team,” said Kiffin. “I mean, we’re not going to the Super Bowl, so we have to take it one game at a time.”

The Chiefs must believe the same thing. This one performance is not going to define their season. They certainly have to make sure that doesn’t happen. If what we saw at Arrowhead on Sunday is what the Chiefs are to become, then we are about to embark on one disasterous season.

Rebuilding can be a roller coaster and there’s no question the Chiefs will have their ups and downs in the 2008 season. But two games and two very different performances is a lack of consistency that is unsettling to everyone. This performance was a lot like the team getting off the coaster and throwing up all over their collective shirts.

Oakland ran for 300 yards. That’s an almost unbelievable number for any defense to allow, at any time, but especially one that has played as well as the Chiefs have over the previous 17 games. The Raiders simply dominated the point of attack, running over defensive ends Tamba Hali, Turk McBride and Alfonso Boone; they kept hitting big play after big play outside the tackles.

On the other side, the Chiefs were unable to get anything going against the Raiders defense. Their running game came to a complete halt, totaling 55 yards on 19 carries. In two games this season, the Chiefs have run for 157 yards. That used to be a good Larry Johnson one-game performance.

Sunday, Johnson couldn’t find any running room. There were several negative running plays where he was hit just after taking the snap. Damon Huard started, but got knocked out with a sore neck. Tyler Thigpen replaced him and couldn’t get anything going. They even tried their own version of Slash, wide receiver Marques Hagans, who ran and threw, but couldn’t produce anything either.

Before Oakland scored its first touchdown in the third quarter to take what would be an overwhelming 16-0 lead, the Chiefs had run for just 50 yards on 17 carries. Of course, they had only 79 yards in total offense at that time.

Once the Raiders scored a touchdown, the Chiefs were forced to go to the passing game. Tyler Thigpen took the offense down for a touchdown that broke the shutout, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

That scoring drive produced 80 of the team’s 190 total offensive yards.

Overall, the Chiefs offense looked inept, the defense got controlled and mauled and the special teams provided nothing in the way of any help, other than punter Dustin Colquitt’s 49.4 gross/43.6 net punting average. But even Colquitt had his trouble, as he shanked his first punt 17 yards.

The defeat makes it 11 in a row for the Chiefs. After the promise shown in so many areas last week against New England, it’s an even more difficult loss to stomach. Had the Chiefs gone down fighting, it would not feel quite as bad. But they were beaten up, and the Raiders did it without a single personal foul call.

In the big picture of the season, it was but one defeat. There are 14 more games to go. Whether they are as painful and humiliating as what happened against the Raiders will depend on the Chiefs finding a way to improve their play on the line of scrimmage.

They get to decide if what happened on Sunday defines them.

#30

Shed A Tear For Raiders

Once known for their pride and poise, the Oakland Raiders showed anything but those traits in their season opener on Monday night against Denver, losing in miserable fashion 41-14.

What they will show on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs is unknown, most especially to their head coach Lane Kiffin. Oh, how that young man must second guess his decision to leave Southern Cal and join this asylum.

What we saw Monday was a continuation of Raiders football from the previous five seasons. Yes, the Raiders did play in the Super Bowl after the 2002 NFL season. Since then, they have been awful, a 19-62 record through the loss to the Broncos.

The Raiders have never been the same since one man left them: Rich Gannon. …Read More!

College Preview: Ohio State at Southern Cal

There’s no game in this 2008 college football season that will have more pro prospects on the field than what will be seen with Ohio State’s visit to Los Angeles to play Southern Cal on Saturday.

Both teams are so loaded we had to limit our little bios to players the pros consider first or second-round choices. We’ve tried to list all the players mentioned by NFL scouts.

Here they are: …Read More!

Chiefs Update 9/12

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs went through a 75-minute practice session indoors, their last major work before Sunday’s home opener against the Oakland Raiders.

Nothing changed on the injury front.  QB Brodie Croyle (shoulder) and LB Napoleon Harris (knee) did not practice and will not play in Sunday’s game.  FS Jarrad Page took a full turn in practice.  So did WR Will Franklin, who was out of last week’s game recovering from knee surgery.

Herm Edwards was non-committal on whether Franklin will be active on Sunday. How many running backs and wide receivers are on the game-day roster will be the weekly juggle for the coaches when it comes to naming players to the inactive list.

 When talking about offensive skill positions and rookie RB Jamaal  Charles on Friday, Edwards said:

“We have some players on offense that have some skill. The more you can stay on the field, the more you can get plays, gives you the ability to let those guys touch the ball. Possessions are important … It’s very hard  in those possessions if you go three and out.  We went three and out four times last week, and that’s a little bit too many. You’d like to keep it to two, three at the most.”

College Preview 9/12

One of the better college games of this weekend features the Kansas Jayhawks traveling to Tampa to face South Florida at Raymond James Stadium.  The Hawks are 2-0 and ranked 13th in the latest Associated Press college football poll.  The Bulls are 2-0 and ranked 19th in the same poll.

Kickoff is at 7 o’clock on ESPN2.

Kansas

NFL teams right now do not have any Jayhawks ranked high enough to be a selection in rounds one through five. A big senior season could elevate OLB James Holt into a late-round choice. He’s 6-3, 226 pounds. He played 33 games for the Jayhawks before this season. …Read More!

Like Everyone, SLASH STRUGGLED

From Arrowhead Stadium

Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey reached deep into his coordinator past to try and pump life into the team’s moribund offense.

Years ago when he was coaching with the Steelers, Gailey helped turn Kordell Stewart into “Slash” the quarterback-receiver-running back, who became quite a weapon for the Pittsburgh offense.

Gailey tried again on Sunday with Marques Hagans, a college quarterback, turned NFL wide receiver who watched last Sunday’s opener against the Patriots from his hotel room in Kansas City. As a member of the team’s practice squad, he did not make the trip to Foxboro.

But Sunday against the Raiders, Hagans was not only on the 53-man roster, but he was on the game-day 45-man roster and part of Gailey’s game plan.

“In this league you have to be prepared for anything,” Hagans said after the game. “I was just glad for the opportunity to get out there and play again.”

Understand that Hagans was not a second-round draft choice like Stewart was with the Steelers back in 1995. Hagans came into the NFL as a fifth-round pick of St. Louis back in 2006. He played in the final four games of the ’07 season with the Rams, with all his work at wide receiver.

Added to the Chiefs practice squad after the NFL’s cutdown to 53, Hagans moved up early last week to the active roster. That’s when Gailey dusted off the game plan pages from Pittsburgh.

Hagans first appearance came with just under 13 minutes to play in the opening quarter, when he replaced starter Damon Huard, took a direct snap from center and ran for seven yards. Unfortunately, WR Dwayne Bowe was called for an illegal shift and it wiped out the run.

Hagans came back five plays later and ran over right guard, gaining two yards.

On the Chiefs second possession, he came on and handed off to RB Jamaal Charles for what turned out to be a three-yard gain.

It was the third quarter before Hagans returned to the field on offense. He dropped back to pass on this play, was chased from the pocket and ended up losing one-yard on a scramble. That counted as a sack for Oakland.

He stayed in for the next play and hit Bowe for a five-yard completion on a bootleg play to the right.

All in all Hagans had an uneventful afternoon with five plays producing a total of nine offensive yards.

Hagans had three things to remember when he went on the field.

“The first thing they tell you is don’t turn the ball over,” Hagans said. “The No. 2 thing is definitely don’t turn the ball over. The No. 3 thing is definitely don’t turn the ball over. I wasn’t going to be taking any chances out there.”

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

He is and has always been Lenny the Cool.

Spend any time around the Hall of Fame quarterback and it’s easy to see how he earned that nickname playing football.  Raising his voice  is something that never happens.  I’m not sure his heart rate ever gets elevated.  He’s always cool, calm and collected.

Until his wife Linda wanted him to go in for a prostate cancer exam.  He quickly refused, with emphasis.  She persisted.  Like all husbands, he eventually wore down and went in for the two-pronged test: a blood sample and a rectal exam.  It was the exam that had him saying no.  It’s one reason a lot of men don’t bother with visiting the doctor.  They do not want a finger shoved, well … there. …Read More!

The King Returns!

I know the pictures below are fuzzy and blurry, but it has to be shown. It must see the light of day! I know there are other pictures of this event out there, but I don’t think there’s much in the way of video. There were no TV stations there to record the event. Too bad for them; they missed a good evening.

“The King” returned Thursday night at the 13^th Annual Shadow Buddies Foundation Dinner at the Sheraton Hotel Overland Park.

Yes, Elvis … Gonzalez performed for the crowd in the hotel ballroom. Wearing a black jump suit, sunglasses, gold chains and a very bad wig, Tony Gonzalez became Elvis Presley.

Seriously. Look closely. That fuzzy picture is the Chiefs All-Pro tight end performing at the charity event. He was later joined by the Godfather of Soul, James Brown, known during the day as DaJuan Morgan of the Chiefs. Let me say, the rookie safety stole the show with his Brown imitation and dance moves. Plus, the velvet pants and cape were the perfect touch.

Elvis and James Brown were joined by Diana Ross, otherwise known as Toby Gonzalez, Tony’s wife and by Miles Postlethwait as Buddy Holly and his sisters as the Supremes. More on Miles in a second.

In the audience were teammates like Brodie Croyle, Larry Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, Donnie Edwards, Dustin Colquitt, Kolby Smith and others. Carl Peterson made a visit and said a few words.

It was all to benefit Shadow Buddies, an organization that Gonzalez got involved with during his rookie season. It was created by a mother with a sick child. That’s a very simplistic explanation of what Marty Postlethwait has created with Shadow Buddies, but it really comes down to that single thing: a mother helping Miles, who was born with multiple congenital defects. That single idea has grown to become an international charity and one that distributed over 750,000 Shadow Buddies dolls.

You can learn more about Shadow Buddies at the foundation website. Click here.

Now, anyone who was there and has a picture of Elvis Gonzalez or the “Godfather” DaJuan, please send them immediately to

And if anybody shot video with their phone, send that as well, or post it to YouTube immediately.

More of the King must be seen!

How Much Are The Chiefs Worth?

Every year, Forbes magazine pulls together what numbers they can get their hands on and tries to establish the worth of professional sports teams. They use information from court filings, lawsuits and leases, along with the financial information from the Green Bay Packers, the only publicly owned team in the NFL.

This year’s estimates place the Kansas City Chiefs as the 17^th most valuable team in the NFL, with a current value of $1.016 billion.

Are the Chiefs really worth $1 billion? Like anything else, whether it’s a sandwich, sports franchise, or automobile, it’s worth only what someone is willing to pay. As far as anyone knows, the Hunt Family isn’t considering selling.

So these numbers are really good for one thing: generating discussion. Forbes says the average NFL team is worth $1 billion, up 8.7 percent from a year ago and up 66 percent from just five years ago. Five years ago, the magazine estimated there were no teams worth $1 billion. Last year it was five. This year it’s 19 teams.

Some in the media will soon begin spouting these numbers as fact, but remember they are only estimates, or more appropriately, guesstimates. …Read More!

Thursday Update 9/11

From The Truman Sports Complex

The rainy weather drove the Chiefs back inside for practice on Thursday, as they went through a workout that was a few minutes under two hours.

Good news in that FS Jarrad Page returned to full participation in practice after sitting out Wednesday’s session.  At New England, Page made the tackle on the long 22-yard run by Sammy Morris early in the second quarter.  Morris landed with force on Page so he was a bit banged up. He missed a few plays, but then returned and played the rest of the game.

It’s important for the Chiefs to get Page out there, because he’s been a Raiders killer his whole career. As a rookie in ’06, Page had three end zone interceptions against Oakland and last year his interception sealed a Chiefs victory at McAfee Coliseum.  Page is an Oakland native, growing up there and in nearby San Leandro.

The only other player not taking part in practice was LB Napoleon Harris, still slowed by a knee injury.

College Preview 9/11

Thursday night football on ESPN features North Carolina (1-0) at Rutgers (0-1).

The Tar Heels and Scarlet Knights will kick off at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN.

 North Carolina

WR Hakeem Nicks – 6-1, 210 pounds, JR. In the ’07 season, Nicks set a school record with 74 catches for 958 yards and five touchdowns. This came after he led the team in receiving as a true freshman, catching 39 passes for 660 yards in the ’06 season. He had six catches for 110 yards in NC’sopener against McNeese State.

WR Brooks Foster – 6-3, 205, SR-Redshirt. Foster has played in 28 games over his previous three seasons and showed good athletic ability. He has 67 career catches for 903 yards and four touchdowns. He’s gifted enough athletically that he walked on and played for the ’05 Tar Heels basketball team, seeing action in five games in the second half of the season.

Rutgers

Here’s list of Rutgers players considered draftable from earlier in the season.

More NFL Roster Notes

The league ran the opening rosters through their computers and came up with some interesting numbers and items.

For instance, the league says the average NFL player is 6-feet, 1.7 inches and weighs 246.99 pounds

The average player is 26.68 years old and has played in the league 4.57 seasons.

We told you Wednesday night that the Chiefs were the youngest team in the league and the least experienced.

Here are some more numbers, starting first with age and experience. …Read More!

Thursday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

The question came to Herm Edwards on Wednesday after the Chiefs finished their first practice of the season: would he consider, once Brodie Croyle is able to play again, carrying four quarterbacks on his active roster?

“For me, yeah probably,” Edwards said with a smile.  “Quarterbacks seem to get hurt. In today’s game you better have at least three and one on the emergency. Yeah, if that’s what we have to do, then I have no problem doing that.”

Right now the Chiefs are one of three teams in the league with four quarterbacks on the active roster.  The others are the New York Jets and Tampa Bay. …Read More!

The First Game

It was the first game in franchise history.

Saturday evening, September 10, 1960, the Los Angeles Coliseum

The Dallas Texans traveled to Los Angeles to play the Chargers in the first weekend of play in what was the infant American Football League.

Outcome: Chargers 21, Texans 20.

Here was the lead paragraph from a story about the game the next day in the Dallas Times-Herald:

Los Angeles: The Dallas Texans who had mutilated six exhibition opponents with some marvelous pass thievery, paid a dear price here Saturday night. The Los Angeles Chargers overcame a devastating first half whipping, fired for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and edged Dallas 21-20 in the first American Football League game for both teams.

Actually, Ben Agajanian’s extra point was the margin. Jack Spikes missed the first of three tries for Dallas. But the real tale rested in some spectacular passing by Jack Kemp, a refugee from National League wars and some ironic pass interference penalties against the Texans who had intercepted 18 tosses before they flew west.

…Read More!

NFL Says Chiefs Are Babies

We will provide you with more details in the next day or so, but every year the NFL releases roster information after the first week, detailing size of players (height and weight), where they went to college, age and experience.

Tonight, we look at age and experience, because that’s directly related to the 2008 Chiefs.

At the start of the season, the Chiefs were the youngest team in the league.  They were tied with Green Bay at an average age of 25.57 years per player.  They led the league with the fewest average years of experience at 3.45 seasons.  And, they had 17 rookies or first-year players, easily the most in the league. …Read More!

Psycho Is Gone

Some think he may have been the toughest football player who ever put on the pads.

The men who played with him wouldn’t argue.

“Oh, he was something,” Len Dawson said of his former teammate on the Texans-Chiefs LB Sherrill Headrick. “There were so many times you thought there was no way he was going to be able to overcome an injury, but there he was, the next play, back on the field.”

After a long fight with cancer, Headrick passed away on Wednesday at the age of 71.

As a linebacker over eight years with the Texans-Chiefs and a single season with the expansion Cincinnati Bengals, nothing seemed to be able to stop Headrick. He played with a broken neck, infected gums, hemorrhoids, and a fractured thumb. Sprains and strains were nothing to the Texas native. The only way he came off the field is if there was a bone sticking out.

That happened several times. Once, he had trainer Wayne Rudy tape the finger to a tongue depressor and he missed only a play. Another time, he popped the bone back into place and went back on the field.

That’s how he earned the nickname “Psycho.”

But for those that didn’t see him play, don’t think he was all craziness. He played in 108 games for the Texans-Chiefs and had 14 interceptions and three career TDs. He earned multiple berths in the AFL All-Star Game. San Diego coach Sid Gillman once called him “the best middle linebacker in football.”

…Read More!

Chiefs Update 9/10

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs had a nearly two-hour practice session inside on Wednesday.

On the field with the team was new quarterback Ingle Martin, signed to the active roster off the Tennessee practice squad. Also working was WR Marques Hagans, who was moved up from the Chiefs practice squad to the active roster.

The Chiefs have not officially announced the moves they’ve made to make room for Martin and Hagans, but WR Maurice Price and RB Jackie Battle are headed for the practice squad. They did not take part in Wednesday’s practice session, but were in the building.  …Read More!

Second Look/New England: Defense

Want to know why football coaches work 20 hours a day during the season?

I can tell you … it’s looking at tape. It’s vital to understanding performance of all 22 players on that tape, but it takes forever to get through, let alone chart and make sense of all the information.

So much for excuses; here are some of the things the coaching tape showed me about the defense’s performance against New England.

I charted 58 offensive snaps for New England. The Chiefs were in their base 4-3-4 defense on only 12 of those plays. They spent most of their time in the nickel defense (LB out, extra CB in) with 30 plays. They played their dime defense (2 LBs out, 2 extra CBS in) on three plays. They also used a 3-3-5, with LB Demorrio Williams coming in and sometimes lining up as a defensive end. They also played their extra safety package, where they bring in Jon McGraw and take out a cornerback. That’s what it’s like playing the Patriots offense. Even when Brady went out, they didn’t seem to change much in their approach. On those 58 snaps, New England was in the shotgun 30 times and the quarterback was under center 28 times. Most of the time, they had four receivers and one back. …Read More!

Wednesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

This has been the week to remind everyone who follows the game of football what the coaches and players deal with on a daily basis: one play can lead to one injury and boom, the season is over.

It certainly has shuffled the deck in the AFC for the coming season.  New England loses it’s leader, QB Tom Brady on Sunday.  On Tuesday, the San Diego Chargers lost their defensive leader, LB Shawne Merriman.  And in Tennessee, the Titans have some problems, both physically and emotionally with their quarterback Vince Young.

We all know the Brady story, so let’s move on to Merriman.  After being advised to have surgery on his injured knee by almost a half-dozen doctors in the last month, he decided to play and wait for surgery.  But one game, last Sunday’s loss to Carolina, obviously convinced the Chargers linebacker that he wasn’t going to be able to make it happen. …Read More!

Chiefs Shuffle Roster For QB

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs made several moves on Tuesday to fortify the quarterback position on their roster.

With Brodie Croyle out 2-to-4 weeks with a shoulder injury, the Chiefs signed Ingle Martin off the Tennessee practice squad.

They also elevated to the 53-man roster from their own practice squad WR Marques Hagans, a former college quarterback at the University of Virginia.

To make room for Martin and Hagans, the Chiefs released RB Jackie Battle and WR Maurice Price with plans of adding them to the practice squad in time for Wednesday’s workout.  Because both Battle and Price have not played more than nine games in any one NFL season, they remain eligible to move to the practice squad.  They must first pass through NFL waivers. …Read More!

Herm’s Weekly Speak: Vol. #2

From Arrowhead Stadium

Herm Edwards held his weekly press conference right on schedule Tuesday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium. The coach hustled to the conference after watching a couple of quarterbacks work out at the team’s facilities.

Here’s some commentary, analysis and translation of what the head coach had to say about several topics. …Read More!

Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

For awhile there last season it looked like Lane Kiffin was making progress in changing the culture that has shrouded the Raiders for the last few years.

That progress came to a screeching halt on Monday night in front of their home crowd and against one of their biggest rivals.

…Read More!

The Play In Question-Day 2

Photo by Hank Young

“It will all be OK. I’m excited to see what our team is made of … I still like our chances.”

Those are the words of Tom Brady, the only sounds heard publicly from the New England Patriots quarterback since he screamed out in pain after being hit on the left knee by Chiefs S Bernard Pollard in the first quarter of Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium.

It was the shot heard round the NFL and remained the No. 1 topic of conversation in the league on Monday.  The story lines were: …Read More!

Second Look/New England: Offense

Guess who graded out the highest among the Chiefs offensive line from the season opener in New England?

How about rookie LT Branden Albert (right)! Without a play of action in four pre-season games Albert took the field at Gillette Stadium and played well. He was good enough to score better than his more veteran teammates.

We spent the day looking at the tape, and I don’t mean the TV broadcast, but the coaching tape with a full field view and end zone angle.

A few impressions on the offense:

Larry Johnson ran well. For the most part he read his blocks very well. He was sticking his foot in the ground, making one move and heading north. There was none of the dancing behind the line of scrimmage that he showed at the start of the disappointing ’07 season. There were a couple plays where Johnson may have picked his hole too quickly. But for the most part he ran well, especially on his 22-yard run, when he hit up inside, then jumped outside and got a big block from Albert that sprung him around the left end. …Read More!

Monday Update 9/8

From the Truman Sports Complex

NFL veteran quarterbacks Chris Simms and Tim Rattay should be headed to Kansas City Monday evening and they are expected to workout for the Chiefs sometime on Tuesday.

Right now, it appears that QB Brodie Croyle will miss two to four weeks with the shoulder injury he suffered on Sunday in Foxboro against the Patriots.  That leaves the Chiefs with no option other than to sign a quarterback to help them.

Both Simms and Rattay were rumored to be at the top of the list in New England for the Patriots to step onto their roster for the injured Tom Brady.  But Chiefs sources say both quarterbacks left Foxboro without being offered a deal.  It sounds like the Patriots must have something else working behind the scenes. …Read More!

NFL Sunday: Week #1

Quarterbacks are the marquee players in the NFL and they were in the spotlight on Sunday in the first weekend of NFL games.

The news wasn’t very positive for three starting QBs. As everyone knows by now New England’s Tom Brady suffered a left knee injury that threatens the rest of his season. Chiefs starter Brodie Croyle went down with a separated right shoulder and is likely out for a month. In Tennessee, Vince Young suffered an injury to a ligament in his left knee and is likely out for two-to-four weeks.

That’s one weekend, three starting quarterbacks already out of commission. It’s a tough job.

But not so tough that two rookie QBs couldn’t help lead their teams to victories in their first regular season games. In Atlanta, Matt Ryan got a lot of help from RB Michael Turner as the Falcons crushed Detroit. In Baltimore, Joe Flacco got just as much assistance from his defense as the Ravens beat up Cincinnati.

“He was very composed,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said of Ryan. “Way, way back when we were doing our due diligence and we met with Matt, you knew this guy has something about him. He was very calm, cool and collected. We knew he had the skill set as far as throwing the football, running and operating an offense. I thought Matt did a very good job today.” …Read More!

Complete Game Coverage/Chiefs vs. Patriots

From Foxboro, Mass.

On what turned  out to be a beautiful summer Sunday afternoon in New England, the Chiefs made their 2008 debut and shocked a lot of people.

That would be all those who thought this team was going to be a pushover from the Patriots.  It turned  out to be anything but that, as New England won the battle, beating the Chiefs 17-10.  But they may have lost the war, as QB Tom Brady could be done for the season with a left knee injury.

It was a game with plenty of twists and turns and we’ve got all the coverage you could ever want.

Just click here to start your journey.

This One Felt Different

From Foxboro, Mass.

I will make this point first and foremost: the Chiefs lost on Sunday to New England.

Check the standings and there is a 1 under the L for the Chiefs. There is no MV listing for moral victory. No AW for almost won.

There is a W, an L and a T. The Chiefs are 0-1 after falling to the Patriots 17-10.

But this one felt different. Yes, it was the 10^th straight loss for the Chiefs, but it did not have the same disgusting taste as what went down last season. Maybe the distance between that season ending nine-game losing streak and the ’08 season opener has diluted the acidity of another notch for the losing streak. …Read More!

Early Rumor: Brady Torn ACL

The early reports are not good for the New England Patriots and QB Tom Brady.

The New York Jets, players and coaches are saying he’s got a torn ACL in his left knee.  If that’s the case, he’s done for the year.

Here’s the link.

Chiefs Come Close, But No Cigar

From Foxboro, Mass.

MUCH MORE GAME COVERAGE COMING LATER THIS EVENING

It was a game where both starting quarterbacks suffered game-ending injuries.  It was a game where the defenses had more control over the eventual outcome than the offenses. It was a game where a veteran New England was able to score one more touchdown and make a handful fewer mistakes than the younger Chiefs.

Ultimately, that was the difference in the outcome as the Patriots grabbed a 17-10 victory at Gillette Stadium.

For those who spent the week calling the Chiefs the worst team in the NFL, they got an eyeful.  The Chiefs were competitive, they played with hustle and desire, they just made too many mistakes and that can’t be done on the road against most teams, but especially on the road against a team like New England. …Read More!

Game Day Inactives

From Foxboro, Mass.

RB Kolby Smith was the most notable name among the Chiefs game-day inactives just turned in by the team here at Gillette Stadium.

Smith lost out in a roster spot this week with Jackie Battle and rookie Dantrell Savage because he is not a first-teamer on any of the kicking units.  Battle is on all four major units, while Savage will return kicks and possibly punts.

Damon Huard is the No. 2 QB and Tyler Thigpen is the third, inactive QB.

Also inactive is DT T.J. Jackson.

The other five were fairly well known on Friday: injured WRs Maurice Price and Will Franklin, LB Napoleon Harris, and rookie offensive linemen Barry Richardson and Brian De La Puente.

The Chiefs have just seven active offensive linemen for this game.

Weather is party cloudy with frequent periods of sunshine, a nice breeze on the field and no rain expected.

Sunday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

From Providence, Rhode Island

How far have the Chiefs fallen in the eyes of those who cover the NFL?

Ordinarily, when a team arrives at its hotel for a road game, the head coach and selected players meet with the folks who are doing the TV broadcast of the game.   It’s called a production meeting and when you hear one of the talking heads say “we were talking with so-and-so last night,” they are talking about the production meeting.

The Chiefs arrived here in Providence yesterday afternoon, but they had no production meeting with CBS-TV.  Seems the crew of Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf had more important things to do.  They were in Foxboro, at Patriot Place, the new shopping and entertainment area developed by the Kraft family around Gillette Stadium.

CBS has gone into business with the Krafts, opening CBS Scene a three-story, 15,000 sq. ft. destination that includes a restaurant and bar, memorabilia showcases, private meeting space and broadcasting facilities for the CBS Network and its Boston properties.  More than 130 high-definition flat screen TVs are throughout the venue and will showcase classic CBS programming. …Read More!

College Preview: 9/6

Week Two of the college football season has some interesting matchups and games that involve a lot of potential NFL prospects.  Oklahoma and Florida are  both on national TV and they have rosters filled with players who have attracted attention from the pros.

Here’s a look at the talent in the nationally television games coming up today

Cincinnati at Oklahoma, 2:30 on ABC

Cincinnati

CB Mike Mickens – 6-0, 190 pounds, SR. Mickens is considered one of the top 40 seniors in the country by the NFL this year. The worst thing the scouts say about him is that he may be too light and physically thin. He’s started all 36 games he’s played for the Bearcats and he’s got 10 interceptions with 163 career tackles. Other than size, he’s got the complete package to play the corner in the NFL. …Read More!

Saturday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

This week, we should have just called it the Morning Cup O’Brady.

Only Brett Favre can match the attention that comes to Patriots QB Tom Brady.  Sure, Petyon Manning gets more national TV ads.  But we never hear anything about P.M.’s personal life.

Not so with Brady.  This week not only was his injured/not injured foot in the news, but so were his real estate dealings.

According to the Boston Globe, Brady earned back more than he paid two years ago for a building in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.  In this kind of economy and in real estate, if he didn’t lose his shirt that was a victory. …Read More!

The Man in the Hoodie

So just what is it like playing for Bill Belichick?

Over the years there have been several books written about Belichick’s reign as the head coach of the New England Patriots. There have been countless magazine articles and television special reports. His personal life has been laid out in sometimes unflattering detail.

Throughout it all, there’s never been a lot of comment from the people who deal with him every day. No, not the media; they’ve come to despise him. I’m talking about the players, the guys he leads onto the field each week.

What’s it like playing for the man in the hoodie?

“It’s interesting, it’s testing, it’s challenging,” said Chiefs quarterback Damon Huard. “I learned a lot during the time I was there. He’s quite a coach.”

Huard is the only player on the Chiefs roster who has a Super Bowl ring. In fact, he’s the only guy in the building, counting the coaching staff and front office with the piece of jewelry that all of them are working so hard to get.

He spent three seasons with the Patriots, earning Super Bowl rings after the 2001 and 2003 seasons. …Read More!

Friday Update 9/5

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs got outside for a quick 65-minute practice late Friday morning, their last work before leaving Saturday for New England and Sunday’s game against the Patriots.

One new item from the workout: veteran LB Napoleon Harris did not participate.  Herm Edwards indicated that the knee problem that bothered him in the pre-season is again causing problems.   Harris will be one of the Chiefs inactive players on Sunday, along with WRs Maurice Price (thigh) and Will Franklin (knee).  Again, Price did not work at all, while Franklin didn’t take any physical reps.

But give the rookie from Mizzou credit for this: as the offense went through each play, Franklin stood behind them and went wherever he would have lined up and walked through the route he would have run.  He got in quite a few mental reps, something that’s important for any player, let alone a rookie. …Read More!

College Preview: 9/5

Tonight on ESPN with a 6 o’clock kickoff is Navy at Ball State.

The Midshipmen do not have any NFL potential players, but the Cardinals do, highlighted by a potent passing combination.

Ball State

QB Nate Davis – 6-2, 218 pounds, JR. Davis has started 20 games over the last two seasons and in ’07 he was named first-team All-Mid-American Conference. He set a school passing record last year with 3,667 yards, hitting 270 of 478 passes, with 30 TD passes and only six INTs. He threw for 422 yards last year against Nebraska. Davis hit 21 of 24 passes in Ball State’s opener against Northeastern, passing for 280 yards and three TDs. …Read More!

Quarterbacks & Experience

So as the Chiefs head into the opening week of the NFL season, you figured they had to have the most inexperienced quarterback group in the league. Come on, Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard and Tyler Thigpen – that isn’t exactly the trio with the most playing time in the league.

Between them, they have 30 career NFL starts; Huard has 24, Croyle six and zero for Thigpen.

But get this: there are actually six teams in the league with fewer quarterback starts on their roster than the Chiefs. The team with the most inexperienced quarterbacks is Green Bay. Losing Brett Favre and his incredible streak of 253 consecutive starts left the Packers with none. No starts. Aaron Rodgers and rookies Matt Flynn and Brian Brohm have never taken the opening snap for an NFL regular season game.

Now that’s inexperienced quarterbacking. …Read More!

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

The trials and tribulations of a young quarterback.

If one happened to watch the NFL season opener last night from the Meadowlands, they saw Washington QB Jason Campbell going through one of those moments that will either help forge him as a starting NFL leader or break him.  Last night was a tough one for him, as the New York Giants took a 16-7 victory.

Here’s the scenario: fourth quarter, less than 2 minutes, 30 seconds to play, the Redskins are down by nine points.  Washington needs a TD and a FG to pull off a victory. …Read More!

MVP QBs: The Next Start

New England’s Tom Brady was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2007 season with his remarkable, record breaking 50 touchdown passes.

With few exceptions MVP quarterbacks come back and start the next season with a strong performance. Here are the last 10 passers who won the MVP and what they did in the opening game of a new season. …Read More!

Thursday Update 9/4

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs went through a normal practice session for a Thursday, driven inside again by the unusually wet September weather.

In fact the Chiefs are watching the weather very closely in New England.  Hurricane Hannah is on a path that will take it into New England on Saturday night/Sunday morning.  The team is scheduled to leave on Saturday at noon, but they are considering alternate travel plans as they watch the weather build on the eastern seaboard. …Read More!

College Preview: 9/4

For the second week in a row, South Carolina is on national television. After the Gamecocks victory last week over North Carolina State, they are on the road Thursday night in Nashville against Vanderbilt.

Kickoff is 7 o’clock on ESPN.

We covered South Carolina’s prospects last week. Here are the players the pros are looking at with the Commodores.

Vanderbilt

CB D.J. Moore – 5-10, 184 pounds. JR. Moore is already being looked at as a potential first-round CB choice by the NFL when his class comes up in 2011. He could leave early with another big season in ’08. In two seasons, he has played in 24 games and started 20 games on the corner, with seven interceptions. Moore returned kickoffs in ’07, averaging 25.7 yards a return. In Vandy’s opener against Miami, in the first quarter he had an interception, two tackles, a forced fumble, a sack and a 91-yard punt return that set up a touchdown. He’s also going to get snaps on offense. …Read More!

If You Want to Win, Run The Ball

Sure, everybody likes to see the football thrown around the field with great accuracy and precision.

It’s just not the surest way to victory.

For proof, check out these NFL numbers for teams that have had100-yard rushers, 100-yard receivers and 300-yard passers over the last five seasons (2003-07.) These statistics leave no doubt that running the ball well is the fastest way to earning victory.

100-YARD RUSHERS

  …Read More!

Understanding the Salary Cap

Last week, the list of NFL teams and how much room they have left under the salary cap for the 2008 NFL season leaked out. At the top of the list of 32 teams with the most cap room still available was the Chiefs, listed at $31.9 million.

This set off all the conspiracy theorist in the media and even some among the fans that the Chiefs were going cheap. The Hunt Family was trying to save money because of the commitments to the rehab of Arrowhead Stadium. And of course, there was the ever popular blame it on the guy who is supposedly responsible for everything that goes wrong, Carl Peterson.

Unfortunately, the folks in the media do not really understand the salary cap. Never have. Never will. I can’t say that I’ve got my arms wrapped around it, but I work every day to understand what it all means and the effect it has on the most important thing: what happens on the field. So let’s deal with the facts here and see if we can explain what’s going on and show that having this room under the cap is not necessarily a bad thing.

First, here are numbers you can count on: …Read More!

Thursday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

How crazy does it get when you are quarterback the stature of Tom Brady?

How about your Dad gets interviewed about whether you are injured or not.

Tom Brady

The Boston Globe has a story with Tom Brady Sr. saying that his son’s health is fine and that ”to the best of my knowledge, there is nothing with his body right now that is going to keep him out of one game for one second.”  Brady Sr. also said he believes ”if there was a broken bone in his foot, they wouldn’t have him doing agility drills.”

Dad saw his son Wednesday night and said he is “in fine shape” and “this is nothing that is going to impact him at all.  He’s extraordinary optimistic and raring to go.  He’s champing at the bit.” …Read More!

Boston Coverage of Game

Here’s some of what the two Boston papers are writing about Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and Patrioits.

BOSTON GLOBE

Who needs who more?  Does Brady need Belichick, or does the coach need the quarterback?  The Pats will find out part of that equation.

Columnist Bob Ryan writes about Brady and the play that led to his injury.

Matt Cassel stepped in and got things done for the Patriots against the Chiefs.

BOSTON HERALD

The injury to Brady dampened the entire winning locker room at Foxboro for the Patriots.

Patriots coach Bill Belichick has already reminded his players that there have been teams that won when their starting quarterback went down.

Defense: A Few Plays Away

From Foxboro, Mass.

The Chiefs defense had a strange day on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

There were times when they shut down the Patriots offense with Matt Cassel at the controls.  But just when they needed to make a stand, New England would hit on a third-down play.  Or when they needed to stop the running game, the Patriots ripped off a strong rushing attack in the third quarter that set up a touchdown.

“We did some good things, but we were not consistent enough,” said FS Jarrad Page.  “We let a couple things get away.” …Read More!

Chiefs Close, But No Cigar

From Foxboro, Mass.

It was a game where both starting quarterbacks suffered game-ending injuries.  It was an afternoon where the defenses had more control over the eventual outcome than the offenses. It was a contest where a veteran New England team was able to score one more touchdown and make fewer mistakes than the younger Chiefs squad.

Ultimately, that was the difference in the outcome as the Patriots grabbed a 17-10 victory at Gillette Stadium on a sun splashed Sunday afternoon when the whole direction of the NFL’s 2008 season may have been changed.

(more story below)

________________________________
GAME COVERAGE

• Pollard’s hit on Brady: The Play In Question
• Column: This one felt different
• Offense: why throw on 1st-and-goal?
• Defense: a few plays away.
• Special teams: some good, some bad.
• Tale of two receivers: Darling & Bowe.
• Croyle-Huard  in familiar script.
• Game Notes: would Herm go for 2?
• How Boston covered the game.
• NFL Game Book with statistics and play-by-play.

_________________________________

That was due to the knee injury suffered by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who left in the first quarter after being hit by Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard. Tests will determine how serious the injury might be, but the NFL grapevine was talking about ACL damage, which would end the season for the New England quarterback and the league’s returning MVP. …Read More!

Croyle/Huard: We’ve Seen This Movie Before

From Foxboro, Mass.

This movie is a re-run. We’ve seen both Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard in these roles before for the Chiefs.

Croyle went down in the third quarter of Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium when OLB Adalius Thomas came on the pass rush and landed on Croyle, who landed on his right shoulder. Croyle immediately grabbed at the shoulder and not only left the field, but went to the locker room.

After the game, his right arm was in a sling and he wore a grim look. He wasn’t interested in answering any questions. …Read More!

Special Teams: Some Good, Some Bad

From Foxboro, Mass.

It was a mixed bag for the Chiefs kicking game against New England at Gillette Stadium.

What they didn’t get done was create a big play for the Chiefs, something that was also missing from the special teams last year.

Unfortunately, they gave up a big play. That came in the fourth quarter when Patriots CB Ellis Hobbs returned a kickoff 51 yards and titled the field position battle at that point of the game.

Here’s a breakdown: …Read More!

Offense: Where Was L.J. On First & Goal?

From Foxboro, Mass.

When WR Devard Darling was dragged to the ground at the Patriots five-yard line, the Chiefs were set up for what could have been the touchdown that would have set up the PAT kick to tie the game, or the two-point play to win.

It seemed like time for L.J.

But that was the old Chiefs offense. The new Chiefs offense preferred to go with three wide receivers, TE Tony Gonzalez and rookie RB Jamaal Charles in the skill positions.

Johnson was on the field for the second down play and got the ball on a handoff from QB Damon Huard. He was stopped for no gain. He then went to the sidelines and Charles came back in the game. …Read More!

Just When You Thought …

I’ve been hanging around the NFL for 32 seasons now.

I’ve seen a lot of things.  I’ve heard a lot of stories.  But what’s come out of Detroit this week easily ranks in the top five of strangest NFL stories ever.

No, Lions GM Matt Millen didn’t go out and do something silly again, although he happens to be involved in this story.

If you haven’t heard about what happened, here are the basics. …Read More!

The Play In Question

From Foxboro, Mass.

It will be one of the most viewed plays of the first weekend of the NFL season. It figures to be replayed and replayed again.

And the discussion will start over whether Bernard Pollard’s hit on Tom Brady’s left knee was a cheap shot.

Some have already decided so. That includes Patriots WR Randy Moss, who didn’t see the play live, but saw the replay and he decided Pollard did something wrong.

Only problem is, the officials on the field and the officials in the press box ruled otherwise. Referee Carl Chaffers was leading this game’s crew and it’s his job to watch and protect the quarterback. He never reached for his flag. In the press box, I sat directly in front of Jerry Markbreit, former NFL referee and now part of the league evaluation crew that attends games and reports back on the officials. He spoke via phone with another NFL official and said the play was perfectly legal. …Read More!

Chiefs Wednesday Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

Chiefs got their first practice of New England week in on Wednesday.  Rainy conditions forced them inside.

Taking active part in the two-hour practice was rookie LT Branden Albert.  He took every snap with the first-team offense, his first extensive practice time since since suffering a foot injury way back on July 31st in a joint workout with the Minnesota Vikings in River Falls.  Herm Edwards wasn’t willing to commit to Albert being the starter on Sunday against the Patriots.  What he left unsaid is this: if Albert shows up Thursday morning and has no problems with his foot from all the work, he’s the man. …Read More!

Top Active Chiefs

As the 2008 season begins, here’s a look at the top active players in several statistical categories. We’ve limited this to four categories where members of the Chiefs are listed.

TOP 10 ACTIVE PASS RECEIVERS

  …Read More!

Five Forgotten Plays

Wednesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Well, there’s no doubt what team is the world’s biggest underdog for the first week of the 2008 NFL season.

The Chiefs are now 16.5-point underdogs for their game Sunday in Foxboro against the Patriots.

That easily makes them the biggest dog of the opening week.  No other team right now is more than a 9.5-point underdog.  That’s the Chicago Bears facing the Indianapolis Colts.  The Chargers are a 9-point favorite hosting Carolina in San Diego

Remember that the odds are set to generate betting by the paying public.  Of course this happens only in Las Vegas.  Wink, wink, nod, nod. One of the great things about the odds is there are guys in Las Vegas who track this stuff over years and years.  So how about this little stat : …Read More!

Game Notes: Would Herm Go for 2?

From Foxboro, Mass.

The Chiefs were never in the position where Herm Edwards had to make the decision.

But let’s say Dwayne Bowe doesn’t drop the ball in the end zone, and the Chiefs touchdown makes the scoreboard 17-16.

Would Edwards have gone for the tying PAT kick, or gone for an offensive play and a potential two points to put his team ahead?

After the game, Edwards said he would have gone for two.

“Definitely,” said Edwards.  “On the road, the way we got back in the game.  I’d go for the two points and go for the win.” …Read More!

Tale of Two Receivers

From Foxboro, Mass.

Quarterbacks for the Chiefs spent most of their day looking for Dwayne Bowe when they dropped back to pass.  That’s understandable, given his rookie season.  Only problem was, Bowe played Sunday’s game against New England with a case of the drops.

Nobody was looking for Devard Darling.  Some Chiefs fans wondered why Darling made the final roster given the fact he seemed to get nothing done in the pre-season (no catches, no yards, not TDs.)  He was ignored again, until right up to the time there was one-minute left to play in the game.

Then Darling became the Chiefs offensive darling, with a 68-yard catch and run that gave the Chiefs a chance to win the game.

Damon Huard found Darling on a long pass down the middle of the field.  Darling split the safeties and went across the middle grabbed the ball and took off towards the end zone.  He was tackled just short of paydirt and gave the Chiefs a chance to at least tie the game with a first-and-goal at the New England five-yard line.

It was the longest pass play with a Chiefs wide receiver since the 2004 season, when Eddie Kennison caught a 70-yard touchdown pass against the Raiders in Oakland.

“They dropped into cover three and the middle  of the field was wide open,” said Darling, describing the play. “Damon made a good throw and it should have been a touchdown.  I’m disappointed I didn’t get in the end zone.”

The ball eventually did get in the end zone.  That was when it clanged off Bowe’s hands on the first down throw from Huard.  It was one of four drops that the second-year receiver had, overshadowing a bit his 13-yard touchdown catch.  Bowe finished the game with five catches for 49 yards.

“I had a few drops early and once I got in the groove, I was catching them,” said Bowe.  “I  had a pretty good shot at that one (first down throw) and I should have come down with that.  We need to go to practice and work more on those types of throws.”

The fourth down throw at the Patriots five-yard line also went to Bowe.  But he had no chance to catch that one as the New England defensive back was between him and the ball.

“The guy was holding me the whole play,” said Bowe.  “I can’t believe they didn’t call that one.”

Darling just hopes that his big play starts to generate more action to him in the offense.

“I just go out and work hard with these guys (quarterbacks) and hope they have confidence in me,” said Darling.

But he’d like to have more than one chance a game, right?

“Obviously, but that will come,” Darling said.

After a catch and run like he had against the Patriots, it should.

Across The Parking Lot

There won’t be many times on this site when I’ll venture into the world of baseball. I hold nothing against the game, the sport, or even the business. Like a lot of people of my generation I grew up with the game and drifted away. Somewhere in a box not 20 feet from where I sit at this moment is a notebook with the game-by-game stats of every member of the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates. I haven’t spent that kind of time paying attention to baseball in many years.

I follow two teams: my Pirates and the Royals. Boy that’s a pair. Two teams stuck in the same never ending cycle of losing. Going into Tuesday night’s schedule, both teams were tied with the same record, 57-79. That’s the fourth worst record in major league baseball this season.

What caught my baseball attention was a story in Tuesday’s Kansas City Star with Royals GM Dayton Moore. The tenor of the piece was that it’s another lost September for the boys in blue and Moore is unhappy and promising changes with the team. …Read More!

Chiefs Finish Practice Squad

The Chiefs now have the full compliment of practice squad players as they’ve filled their two openings on the nine-man developmental team.

LB Wes Dacus was brought back.  He made the first 53-man roster, but was released when the Chiefs claimed LB Erik Walden on waivers.

Also added was WR Scott Mayle (6-1, 175) who was released on Saturday by the Buffalo Bills.  Mayle joined the Bills last season as a college free agent out of Ohio University.  He spent 16 weeks on the Bills practice squad in ’07 and was added to the 53-man roster for the season finale, but did not play.

In the ’08 pre-season, Mayle caught one pass for 17 yards and returned three punts for an average of 15.3 yards while playing in three of the four games.  He caught 107 passes for 1,847 yards and 11 TDs while playing at Ohio.

Herm’s Weekly Speak Vol. #1

From Arrowhead Stadium

I’ve been sitting in on head coach’s weekly press conferences for over 30 years. Long ago I learned a very important lesson. No matter how boring they might seem, there is information to be obtained any time the man leading the football team opens his mouth.

An old salty veteran football writer taught me that back when we were both covering the Steelers and Chuck Noll’s weekly press conferences were a cure for insomnia. Over 16 weeks of the regular season, Noll had nothing to say 14 weeks. But as my mentor told me, the way to recognize that he was providing news, was to be able to compare and contrast his comments from those 14 weeks were he droned on and on and said nothing.

So I’ve always paid attention to the head coach each week. Now it’s Herm Edwards in the seat and I must tell you as a Chiefs fan, if you want to get a feel for where the team is and where it might be headed, go to kcchiefs.com each week and watch the video of his press conference. Again, this only works if you do it all the time. Then you can spot when some burr has gotten under his saddle, or when he’s trying to walk the tightrope between too much information and too little.

Knowing that you’ve got a life and I don’t, each week I’m going to summarize some of what I consider to be Herm’s best or most revealing comments about his team and his players. I will also provide my commentary, analysis and at times translation. I think you will learn something. …Read More!

Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

 So who are the best fans in the NFL?

According to ESPN – and doesn’t the world revolve around that network – the best fans in the NFL are in Pittsburgh, wearing the black and gold of the Steelers.

Chiefs fans, where are you ranked?  Fifth, behind Pittsburgh, Green Bay, Cleveland and Philadelphia.

Here’s the whole story for those that want to read the whys and wherefores.

This is one of those harmless little stories that ESPN does constantly because it draws reaction, both pro and con, from fans who want to stand up and beat their chest or beat the other guy’s chest. …Read More!

Movement Continues in NFL

NFL teams have been very busy on the personnel front in the last 24 hours, so much so that a lot of teams can’t publish that opening week 53-man roster just yet.

There was the cut to 53, the waiver claims, the cuts to make room for the waiver claims, the practice squad signings and now the veterans who passed through waivers and the vested veterans who became immediate free agents are finding homes.

Rudi Johnson

In Detroit, the Lions reached an agreement with RB Rudi Johnson who was released by Cincinnati.  They will try to get him up to speed and ready for action this weekend.

The Chiefs travel to New England to face the Patriots who added veteran CB Deltha O’Neal, who was also released over the weekend by Cincinnati. …Read More!

Monday Update & Practice Squad

The Chiefs had a short walk-thru practice on Monday and also went about meeting a couple new teammates and welcoming back some guys who were temporarily unemployed.

The team’s practice squad was not filled as of Monday, as the Chiefs continue to sift through the waiver wire and could bring in some young players who were released by other teams. That’s been their modus operandi for the last season or so.

But active rosters newbees G Brian De La Puente (top) and LB Erik Walden (bottom) were in the house and getting acquainted with their new teammates and coaches.

The Chiefs also released their first semi-official depth chart of the regular season and there were no surprises there from what they’ve shown in the last few weeks of the pre-season. Defensive line has McBride-Tyler-Dorsey-Hali from left to right. Donnie Edwards is listed as the starter at LOLB and Pat Surtain at LCB. …Read More!

College Preview 9/1

The Labor Day holiday brings us college football on Monday.

Fresno State visits New Jersey to play Rutgers with kickoff at 3 p.m. on ESPN and then Tennessee travels to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA at 7 p.m. on ESPN.

Fresno State

TE Bear Pascoe – 6-6, 258 pounds, SR-Redshirt. Brainy receiver who started his college career as a quarterback, Pascoe is an old-school tight end, able to block and catch. He started 12 games last year, catching 45 passes while missing some playing time because of an ankle injury. He’s good on special teams as well, with four blocked kicks over his career. Given name is McKenna Sean Pascoe. …Read More!

Only One Prediction: NFL is Unpredictable

Last year, there were six teams that made the NFL playoffs who were not part of the post-season the year before. 

Nothing unusual there. It was the 12th consecutive season when at least five teams were new to the playoffs.

Working backwards here’s how it’s come down:

2007: (6) Green Bay,  Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Tennessee and Washington.

2006: (7) Baltimore, Dallas, Kansas City, New Orleans, New York Jets, Philadelphia, San Diego.

2005: (7) Carolina, Chicago, Cincinnati, Jacksonville, New York Giants, Tampa Bay, Washington. …Read More!

Labor Day Cup O’Chiefs

There are a lot of players who will not start the regular season this coming Sunday.  That’s because the NFL suspension machine has been working over time in the last week.

Commissioner Roger Goodell seems to be working to clear off his desk of all the disciplinary cases.  Right now at team has to consider itself lucky if they have all their players for the opener.  Last year the Chiefs were without DE Jared Allen.  This year, they have no players who are suspended.

The New England Patriots, the Chiefs opponent this weekend has lost RB Kevin Faulk for a one-game suspension.

There are a host of others:

• Minnesota LT Bryant McKinnie (4 games)
• Denver WR Brandon Marshall (1)
• Cincinnati WR Chris Henry (4)
• Carolina WR Steve Smith (1)
• New York Jets Jesse Chatman (4)
• Baltimore CB Derrick Martin (1)
• Baltimore CB Fabian Washington (1)
• Seattle DT Rocky Bernard (1)
• Seattle CB Jordan Babineaux (1)
• San Diego LB Stephen Cooper (4)

Then there are even more players under suspension.  Their problem is two-fold, because they are not currently employed in the league.  Those players and their most recent employers are DE Adrian Awason/N.Y. Giants (4 games), G Jonathan Clinkscale/Tampa Bay (4), WR Tony Gonzalez/Atlanta (4), LB Mario Haggan/Buffalo (4), RB Travis Henry/Denver (at least one year), OTLuke Petitgout/Tampa Bay (4), DB Dexter Reid/Indianapolis (4), DE Darrion Scott/Minnesota (3), DB E.J. Underwood/N.Y. Giants (4), DB Jimmy Williams/Altanta (5) and WR Cedrick Wilson/Pittsburgh (1). …Read More!