Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

We are now three months and change away from the start of the 2009 NFL regular season.

If you are interested in purchasing tickets to see the Chiefs at Arrowhead this coming season, a phone call to the team’s ticket department will provide this information: plenty of good seats are available for all 10 home games.

And I mean plenty.

The Chiefs are going to struggle to sellout Arrowhead this season. It was a struggle last season and while nobody will provide any real numbers, season ticket renewals were at their lowest levels in the last 20 years.

None of this comes as much of a surprise given the team’s 6-26 record the last two seasons. The one thing I’ve learned in 28 years of living in Kansas City is that sports fans here answer with their wallets. Places like New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Pittsburgh, those towns will buy tickets no matter whether their teams are contenders, pretenders or also rans. They will pay to cheer success and pay to boo failure

Kansas City fans won’t do that. If there’s no belief the team can be successful, they answer by keeping their bankroll.

There’s another factor the Chiefs are fighting this year when it comes to selling tickets, and his name is Zack Greinke. …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/29

On the 149th day of the year we celebrate the birthday of the state of Wisconsin, which became the 30th of the United States in 1848.

On May 29, 1903, Bob Hope was born in England. On this day in 1917, President John F. Kennedy was born. It was on May 29, 1942 that Bing Crosby went into a studio and recorded “White Christmas” one of the best selling and most played songs in American history.

And on May 29, 1953 Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, the tallest point on Earth at 29,028 feet. The 33-year old New Zealander and the Sherpa guide reached the top of the world at 11:30 that morning, after camping that night on the side of the mountain at 27,900 feet. When Hillary woke up that morning, he found his boots frozen solid outside the tent and it took two hours to thaw them out.

The pair carried 30-pound packs as they made their final ascent. Once they got there, they spent just 15 minutes, taking pictures like the one at the right of Norgay. Then they came back down the mountain. One of the first people to greet them was a lifelong friend of Hillary. “Well, George,” Hillary said. “We knocked the bastard off.”

From the Philadelphia Daily News:
What Lisa McHale would like you to know is the way it once was, not the way it ended. Because it is vital to her that you know her husband Tom as she will always remember him – the intelligent, principled, fun-loving man she fell for so long ago back in college.

Away from the violence that unfolded each Sunday on the football field, where he played on the offensive line for 9 years in the NFL for the Eagles and two other teams, the 6-4, 290-pound Tom McHale could fill up a room with his presence. Good guy: Loved his wife, doted on his three boys, and remained loyal to his old pals from childhood. Lisa remembers she was “instantaneously crazy about him” and that would never change, even as she now catches herself saying: “I just wish you could have known Tom when he was Tom.”

Gradually, he became a stranger to her. In the years that followed his departure from the league in 1995, during which he opened some restaurants and worked in real estate in the Tampa area, McHale began taking OxyContin and other drugs to quell the pain that had settled in his joints.

…Read More!

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

In a ruling that surprised no one, the Delaware Supreme Court on Thursday said that a potential sports betting lottery in the state does not violate Delaware’s state constitution.

That takes the Blue Hen state one step closer to having legalized gambling on sporting events.

“What we anticipate having is a sport (book) similar to what you see in Las Vegas, that would be football and basketball,” Lottery Director Wayne Lemons told Reuters news service. “We intend to have it up and running by the time the football season starts in the fall.”

Delaware wants to have three kinds of bets: single-game using a point spread; over-under bets on the total number of points scored, and parlay games.

The five justices ruled that parlay games, in which a bettor picks the winner or more than one game, met constitutional muster. But the judges chose not to rule on whether betting on a single game would constitute a lottery.

The NFL is not happy. Heaven knows why professional football wants a say in the activities of a state where it does not have a team, but the league is pondering legal action to stop the lottery. The league says it violates the Delaware constitution and also violates a 1992 Federal law that banned sports betting.

The only states that can offer sports lotteries are those grandfathered under that law. That would be Nevada, Montana and Delaware, where they had a failed sports lottery back in 1976.

The league’s legal issue is that the Delaware constitution bans games of skill and that betting on pro football is skill, not chance. …Read More!

Bottom of Bird Cage 5/28

It’s the 148th day of the year.

On Mary 28, 1774, the first Continental Congress convened in Philadelphia. In 1892, John Muir organized the Sierra Club in San Francisco. On May 28, 1938, Jerry West was born in Cheylan, West Virginia and on this day in 1940, Belgium surrendered to the German forces of Adolph Hitler.

And on May 28, 1888 quite possibly the greatest athlete in American history was born in Oklahoma. His given name was Wa-Tho-Huk, which translated from the language of the Sac-Fox Indians to “Bright Path.” His baptismal certificate read Jacobus Franciscus Thorpe.

Jim Thorpe played both professional baseball and football. At one point he barnstormed around the country with a traveling basketball team. He won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Summer Games in Stockholm. He was voted the best athlete of the first half-century by a panel of voters selected by the Associated Press.

Thorpe came out of the Indian lands of Oklahoma, spent time at Haskell in Lawrence, but then ended up at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. There he performed in track and football for the legendary Pop Warner and that was the launching pad for his athletic career.

As much success as Thorpe experienced on the field, his life off the field was a struggle due largely to his abuse of alcohol. He was married three different times and lost every dime he ever made along the way. Thorpe worked as a movie extra, construction worker, security guard, bouncer, ditch digger and even joined the U.S. Merchant Marine at one point.

He died penniless of a heart attack in his trailer home in Lomita, California in 1953.

Now, a trip around the AFC West. …Read More!

Thursday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

With apologies to Agatha Christie, here’s a version of her children’s poem Ten Little Indians.

Call it the 12 Little Chiefs:

Twelve Little Chiefs taken in the draft,

One smoked a toke and eleven were left.

Eleven Little Chiefs, taken in the draft,

One showed up heavy and ten were still left.

Ten Little Chiefs, taken in the draft,

One never got a chance and now nine were left.

Nine Little Chiefs taken in the draft,

One was a tweener and eight are now left.

The Chiefs 2008 NFL Draft class was going to be the foundation for the future of the franchise. It still may be, but its numbers are dwindling as 33 percent of the 12-man group has been sent packing by the Pioli/Haley regime. Michael Merritt, Will Franklin, Kevin Robinson and Brian Johnston (right) are gone.

The newest departure came on Wednesday when Johnston was waived by the Chiefs.

So what does that say about the ’08 Class?

Nothing really. …Read More!

Chiefs Waive Brian Johnston

The purge of the 2008 Chiefs draft class continued on Wednesday as the team released DE Brian Johnston.

He becomes the fourth member of the 12-player class of 2008 to be released since the new regime took over the franchise.

Johnston was a seventh-round pick last year, the 210th player selected.  He appeared in nine games last year and was credtied with three  tackleson defense and one on special teams.  A calf injury pushed him to the injured-reserve list on November 12 and he missed the season’s final seven games.

At 6-4, 269 pounds Johnston was too light to play defensive end in the new Chiefs defensive scheme.  He had been working a bit at outside linebacker, although he was not taking part in full team work during last week’s OTA sessions.

Johnston was drafted out of Gardner-Webb.  Don’t be surprised if he’s claimed on waivers by the Detroit Lions and former Chiefs defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham.

Also released were fourth-round choice WR Will Franklin, sixth-round pick PR-KR Kevin Robinson and seventh-round selection TE Michael Merritt.

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/27

We reached the 147th day of the year.

On May 27, 1930 in New York, the Chrysler Building opened to the public for the first time. It was the talents building in the world when it was completed at 1,046 feet. On this day in 1937 the Golden Gate Bridge opened to pedestrian traffic for the first time.

Born on May 27, 1912 in Ashwood, Virginia was golfer “Slammin’” Sam Snead. One of the greatest golfers in history, he won 165 tournaments and three Masters titles. He had one of the sweetest swings in golf and many players at all levels tried to copy his tempo and rhythm. Snead passed away a few days short of his 90th birthday.

And on May 27, 2000 one of the greatest athletes in North America history passed away in Montreal. Maurice “Rocket” Richard died of complications from stomach cancer. He was 78 years old. A native of Montreal, Richard would play 19 seasons of hockey with the Canadians, and was the first NHL player to score 50 goals in 50 games and the first to reach 500 goals in his career. While he was with the Canadians, the team won eight Stanley Cups.

So dominant was he as a player that the Hockey Hall of Fame waived its waiting period for induction and took him in the year after he retired. When he passed away nine years ago, he had a state funeral that was broadcast live on television throughout Canada. Thousands paid respects to him as he lay in state at the Molson Centre before the services.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Peria Jerry almost died one day on the practice field. That was the major hurdle he overcame on his way to starring at Mississippi and becoming the Falcons’ first-round pick (24th overall) in the NFL’s 2009 draft.

There were other hurdles, including weight problems, lack of interest and alleged laziness as he followed a family tradition, climbing the football ladder out of rural Mississippi to the NFL. But for a fast-acting coaching staff, none of this would have happened. Back on a sweltering hot day in 2004, Jerry was on the practice field at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va.

“He got dehydrated, and his whole body locked up,” Hargrave coach Robert Prunty said. “We had to rush him to the hospital. His potassium was so low. Man, I thought I was going to lose that kid.”

…Read More!

Wednesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

For awhile there it seemed like the only quarterbacks that were making headlines this spring in pro football were a guy who wants to find a new place to play (Mike Vick) and a guy who isn’t quite sure what he wants to do (Brett Favre).

That changed on Tuesday when the game’s biggest stars got into the headlines: Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.

For the first time since his knee injury against the Chiefs back on September 7, 2008, Tom Brady was on the field with his football team. He took part in a Patriots OTA session in Foxboro on Tuesday and he spoke at length for the first time about his injury, his rehab and what he expects.

More on him later.

Manning was on the field Tuesday morning as well for an OTA with the Colts on Tuesday. When it was done, it spoke to the media and he wasn’t very happy. Manning is miffed at the loss of assistant coaches Tom Moore and Howard Mudd and he’s unhappy with the lack of communication within the Colts about the entire situation.

“I can’t tell you what’s going on,” Manning told the Indy media on Tuesday. “I will say I don’t think it’s been the most properly communicated scenario around here.

“I think the communication has been pretty poor in my opinion. Somebody says one thing then somebody else says another thing. I’m not sure everybody’s on the same page in this building. I’m just trying to focus on playing quarterback well.” …Read More!

More Training Camp Info

The Chiefs announced on Tuesday that they will head off to training camp on Thursday, July 30, with their first practice session set for Saturday, August 1 in River Falls, Wisconsin.

The annual Family Fun Night practice will go down on Saturday, August 8 at Ramer Field on the UW-RF campus.

The  Chiefs will return home on Friday, August 14 to play their pre-season opener the next day against Houston at Arrowhead.   They’ll go back to Wisconsin for the next week of work, breaking camp on Thursday, August 20 when they bus over to Minneapolis to play the Vikings in pre-season game No. 2 on Friday, August 21.

They’ll finish up the pre-season working out of their facilities at the Truman Sports Complex.

More details on practices and times in River falls will come in the future.

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/26

It is the 146th day of the year.

On May 26, 1868 the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson ends with a vote of 35-19 against the President, but that was one vote short of the needed two-thirds total to remove him from office. Johnson had removed Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and that set off a political and constitutional hurricane that led to the articles of impeachment.

It was on this day in 1959 the word Frisbee became a registered trademark of Wham-O. On May 26, 1978, the first legal casino opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Born on May 26, 1939 in Portland, Oregon was sportscaster Brent Musburger. Hank Williams, Jr. arrived on this day in 1949 in Shreveport and on May 26, 1907 in Winterset, Iowa came the arrival of Marion Robert Morrison. He became better known as John Wayne, and went on to become a Hollywood icon, winning an Oscar and becoming America’s No. 1 box office draw for more than a decade.

And on May 26, 1926 in Alton, Illinois was born a musical genius, Miles Davis (left). He would go on to become one of the great figures in American Jazz, playing his trumpet and changing the way people listened to music. He said it best one day:

I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning… Every day I find something creative to do with my life.”

From the Indianapolis Star:
The on-going uncertainty surrounding the Indianapolis Colts offensive coaching staff, coupled with a lack of communication regarding that uncertainty, isn’t setting well with quarterback Peyton Manning. “I can’t tell you what’s going on,” Manning said during a break for one of the team’s organized team activity sessions today at its Westside complex.”I will say I don’t think it’s been the most properly communicated scenario around here.”

Moore, coordinator since 1998, and Mudd, the offensive line coach since ’98, each retired earlier this month because of concerns with the NFL’s pension plan. Owner Jim Irsay plans to bring them back as consultants, ideally for the start of training camp on Aug. 2.

Not knowing the details during the process irritated Manning, who faced losing his two most trusted coaches. “It’s not a situation that I’m just thrilled about,” he said.

…Read More!

Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Like most everybody else, the Chiefs will return to work on Tuesday after enjoying a three-day Memorial Day holiday.

After going through four OTA sessions last week, the players will get back into the strength and conditioning program for this week. They will not get back on the field as a team until a week from today. Starting with that workout on June 1, the Chiefs are scheduled to have 15 practices in 18 days. It all wraps up on June 18th; that’s when the OTA sessions end.

The Chiefs will then go off on vacation until July 30th, when they are currently scheduled to travel to River Falls, Wisconsin for the start of training camp.

As important as those practice sessions will be, Todd Haley has really been focused on the strength and conditioning program for his team and the gains that his players have made since it began back in March.

“These guys have bought into what we are trying to do and you can see it on some of these guys already,” Haley said. “Bigger, stronger, in better condition, it all helps you play the game and it keeps you healthy.”

It can also help you win in the fourth quarter. Haley hasn’t said so, but more than likely he watched the tape of last year’s Chiefs team and saw fourth quarter performances that were seriously lacking. In the last 10 games of the 2008 season, the Chiefs had the lead, were tied, or trailed by less than a touchdown seven times.

The Chiefs record in those games: 1-6. …Read More!

Honoring History

It began as Decoration Day, a moment to honor the military men who gave their life in defense of our country.

It’s grown into Memorial Day, a time to honor all of those who came before us, the people who helped create the life we enjoy today.

First we honor those who represented the United States of America around the world. Then, we salute those family members and friends who paved the way.

And then we remember those who entertained us over the years, who gave us something to cheer and celebrate.

Here’s a red and gold salute on this Memorial Day to those men who were big parts of the history of the Kansas City Chiefs.

How could we start with anyone but the founder, Lamar Hunt (1932-2006.) His naivete some 50 years ago, combined with his desire to own a professional football team, helped create a new landscape in the world of American sports.

Then, his decision to do what was best for his football team and its survival brought his franchise to Kansas City where they became the Chiefs. People have forgotten how hard that decision was for Lamar. Here he had a championship team, playing in his hometown. The rival Dallas Cowboys were still struggling after three years, putting up a 9-28-3 record. Another year in Big D and it could have been the Texans chasing the Cowboys out of the Cotton Bowl.

But Hunt knew it would be better for the future of the AFL and better for his franchise to find somewhere else to play. He considered New Orleans and Atlanta, but it was ultimately Kansas City that got the team.

Over the years, his decisions or indecisions were not always what Chiefs fans wanted to see. But there’s no doubt Lamar always ran the team in a manner he was most comfortable with. If you didn’t agree with him, that was OK; everyone was entitled to an opinion. He was an original and any time they leave the scene they are missed.

One of the men that Lamar cast his lot with early on was Hank Stram (1923-2005). For 15 seasons, Stram was the head football man for the Texans-Chiefs and he led them to their only championships (1962-66-69). He too was an original, a man with brains, talent and ego far bigger than his diminutive physical dimensions. Hank was a football innovator and one of the most competitive people to ever walk the earth. His spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame is well deserved and when you watch the game of football today, there are bits of Stram that are visible every Sunday.

Remarkably in 49 years of existence, only one other head coach has passed, and that happened just recently with Frank Gansz (1938-2009.) In the history of the game, few men were able to coach the kicking game as well as Gansz and few were as beloved by players and fellow coaches as this Naval Academy graduate. …Read More!

Memorial Day Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

ENJOY YOUR MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

As we head into the first big holiday weekend of the summer, be safe. As Herm would say, we don’t want to see any of you ending up on “da-da-da … da-da-da.”

The Chiefs got through their first four OTA sessions, wrapping up on Friday with a little levity as Todd Haley had the offensive and defensive line catch punts off the jugs machine. The side that caught the most punts got a few gassers taken off their total. The happy side was the offense.

Near as we could tell the team got through the workouts without any injuries, major or minor. That’s always a good sign at this time of the year. There were eight players who were there but did not take part in all of the practice work. The good thing is all of those players were doing rehab, so all are on the way back. Some rode stationary bikes, while others were running sprints and pushing a weighted sled under the direction of conditioning coaches Cedric Smith and Brent Salazar.

As always, there was attention on those who were not there, led by the duo of Brian Waters and Mike Vrabel (right), who have not taken part in any of the off-season work with the team. Neither has returned calls to the media to explain why they are absent. But both have apparently talked with Haley about their absences. “Nothing was a surprise and we are aware of what was going on,” Haley said of the absent players, which on Friday included RB Larry Johnson and OLB Tamba Hali.

But Haley did address the Vrabel situation a bit.

“I would say that Mike is excited to get here and I’m excited to see him in action and see where he is at,” said Haley. “We have been giving him the information and he has been working, calling and checking in. We will see when he gets here where we stand just like any of the guys who haven’t been here.”

Reportedly Vrabel played most of last season with a bum shoulder, not that the information has ever been confirmed by the Patriots. Quite possibly, Vrabel has stayed away rehabbing the shoulder and might not be able to take part in the strength program, or even get on the field to work with the defense. Like most NFL teams these days, the Chiefs are closed-mouth on the injury situation of their players. …Read More!

OTA Update 5/22

From the Truman Sports Complex

“There were  some encouraging signs.”

That was Todd Haley’s assessment of his team’s first week of OTA practices that ended on Friday with a 90-minute workout in the muggy outdoors.

There were 81 players on the field for the workout, with 74 participating.  Joining G Brian Waters, LB Mike Vrabel and CB Donald Washington among the  missing were DE Tamba Hali and RB Larry Johnson.  Haley would not comment on any of the missing, other than to say none were a surprise.  Washington is unable to attend due to NFL regulations.

Haley did comment briefly on Vrabel, who has not been part any activities with the Chiefs since he came over in the trade with New England.

“Mike  is excited to get here and I’m excited to see  him in action and see where he’s at,” said Haley. “We’ve been giving him the information, he’s been working, calling and checking in.  When he gets here, we’ll  know where we stand.”

The head coach also spoke about L.J. and what he saw from the veteran running back during the first three OTA sessions this week.

“He’s made some runs in the last practices that I thought were pretty special,” Haley said.  “I was very encouraged by a couple of those.  A couple of those flashed at me and the coaches, where you say ‘Woo, that was pretty good!’ 

“If Larry continues to work, and stay on point, and do the things asked of him, he definitely has a chance to help us.” …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/22

Friday is Day No. 142 on the year. It’s National Maritime Day, a celebration of the American shipping industry.

On May 22, 1809 a grand jury indicted former vice-president Aaron Burr on charges of treason. Almost one hundred years later in 1906, the Wright Brothers were granted a U.S. patent (#821,393) for their flying machine. On May 22, 1928 T. Boone Pickens was born in Holdenville, Oklahoma. Born on this day in 1942 was Theodre Kaczynski. You know him better as the Unabomber.

And on May 22, 1843, thousands of people left Independence, Missouri in a wagon train that would follow and eventually complete the Oregon Trail. Called “The Great Migration of 1843, these people made their way west out of Independence along the Missouri River. They were led by John Gantt, a former Army captain and fur trader who was paid $1 a person to lead this wagon train to Ft. Hall, Idaho.

After cutting a new trail through the Blue Mountains of Oregon, nearly all of the travelers arrived in Oregon by early October – five months later – finishing their trip by settling in the Willamette Valley. It also established a passable wagon trail from Independence to The Dalles, Oregon.

Our forefathers and mothers were one tough group of people. I wonder what people will say in 160 years about us? …Read More!

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Somewhere along the way these off-season workouts by NFL teams acquired the title of Organized Team Activities, or OTA for short.

It’s just a strange way to say practice. NFL teams are allowed to have 14 of these sessions along with a three-day mini-camp each year. New coaches get the opportunity to hold an extra mini-camp with the veterans.

The Chiefs will have their fourth session of the week on Friday. This one is open to the media, so we’ll have reports on Friday afternoon and Saturday on what happens during the session at the Truman Sports Complex.

The importance of these sessions is not hard to decipher. Among 32 NFL teams, from year to year there are about four or five that don’t really have any major additions to their roster or changes in their coaching staff or approach to the game.

That leaves 28 of the 32 teams trying to create something new and different each year and that requires time together, practice time and classroom sessions. Units with new pieces or ideas need to be able to work together. It’s far more important than actually going full-speed in practice against an offense or defense.

Helmets are allowed to be worn in the OTAs, so every player participating in the team work is wearing one. But no other pads are kosher in these drills. There are in fact a lot of restrictions to what goes on in these things.

The wording can be found on page 173 of the CBA, Article XXXV, Section 5. Miscellaneous: …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/21

It’s the 141st day of the year.

On May 21, 1856 pro slavery forces burned the Free-State Hotel and looted several businesses in Lawrence, Kansas. One man was killed. On this day in 1881, the American Red Cross was established by Clara Barton.

This day is the birthday of Laurence Tureaud, who was born on May 21, 1952 in Chicago. We know him better as the actor Mr. T.

And on this day in 1927, Charles Lindbergh touched down at LeBourget Field in Paris. He became the first person to fly across the Atlanta Ocean non-stop. At the time, it was considered one of the greatest feats in human history. Flying a specially built plane he dubbed “The Spirit of St. Louis”, Lindbergh flight took 33.5 hours. He skimmed over both storm clouds at 10,000 feet and wave tops at as low at 10 ft. He fought icing and had to fly blind through fog for several hours, and navigating was done only by using the stars, when they were visible.

When he landed in Paris, a crowd of 150,000 stormed the field and carried him on their shoulders for several minutes around the air field before Lindbergh was rescued by French pilots.

Lindbergh returned to the United States on a U.S. Navy ship and was honored in Washington by President Calvin Coolidge and then a ticker tape parade down Fifth Avenue in New York.

Now more than 80 years later, Lindbergh’s feat is done hundreds of times each day. But at the time, he was viewed as a Neil Armstrong-like figure and his accomplishment helped spur the further growth and interest in air travel.

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Ben Roethlisberger does not have cancer, and neither does he have a Facebook page. “There’s no truth to it. I don’t have any of that stuff,” the Steelers quarterback proclaimed yesterday.

“That stuff” are accounts on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and any other social networking Web sites. Roethlisberger said he does not use them, including the one under his name that proclaimed he had skin cancer. “I had a bunch of people ask me about it; obviously it’s not true,” Roethlisberger said after yesterday’s spring practice. “We had to go on our Web site to let them know I don’t have an account. There’s nothing going on.”

Accounts proclaiming to belong to Roethlisberger were still listed yesterday on Facebook.com, MySpace.com and Twitter.com.

…Read More!

Thursday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

He is the only quarterback who could knock Brett Favre out of the off-season spotlight.

Michael Vick arrived back in Hampton, Virginia Thursday morning, after make the all day, 1,200-mile drive from Leavenworth. He was released on Wednesday from the federal prison, returning to his home in the Virginia Tidewater to finish out his sentence.

OK, so when will we see him back in the NFL?

Not any time soon.

Is there any chance Vick could end up just down the road from his old cell in Leavenworth and wear the red and gold of the Chiefs?

That’s too hard to believe.

First, Vick is still under an indefinite suspension handed down by NFL Commish Roger Goodell in August 2007. Many in the league believe that even if Goodell reinstates Vick, it will come with more games in a suspension, possibly four, maybe a half-season.

Goodell isn’t going to touch this thing until after July 20; that’s when Vick leaves the custody of the federal government, after serving 19 months on his 23 month sentence for pleading guilty to charges of conspiracy and dog fighting.

The Commissioner has made it plain he needs to see remorse on the part of Vick, and it’s doubtful that’s going to be immediately visible on July 21. …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/20

It would be the 140th day of the year.

It was on May 20, 1873 that Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis received a U.S. patent for blue jeans with copper rivets. It was on this day in 1927 that Charles Lindbergh took off from Roosevelt Field in Long Island and made the first trans-Atlantic flight in history, landing in Paris the next day.

May 20 is a very big day for birthdays. Actor Jimmy Stewart was born in 1908, former Vikings coach Bud Grant was born in 1927, hockey great Stan Mikita was born in 1940, singer Joe Cocker was born in 1944 and singer-actress Cher was born in 1946.

And on May 20, 1506 Christopher Columbus died.

But May 20 is remarkable for a story with a Kansas connection. The town of Codell, Kansas, that is in Rooks County, a few miles north of Hayes, was hit by a tornado on May 20, 1916. And then another one on May 20, 1917, and finally a third hit on May 20, 1918. The third tornado killed 10 people in the tiny farming town in north central Kansas. The church pictured to the left was wiped out in the 1918 tornado.

Wonder what May 20, 1919 was like? It must have been a heckuva party that night when nothing happened.

From the New York Times:
Comcast will make the NFL Network available to 10.8 million of its digital-basic subscribers by Aug. 1, ending nearly three years of legal hostilities with the National Football League by completing a nine-year deal Tuesday.

Comcast, the nation’s largest cable provider, will pay significantly less than what the league had originally sought.

“It’s a chapter that’s behind us and not worth going over,” Brian L. Roberts, the chairman of Comcast, said in a conference call. “It wasn’t where we wanted to be or where anybody wanted to be.”

The battle was between a powerful league aggrieved by Comcast’s relegating its channel to a digital sports tier that cost subscribers extra, and a huge cable operator whose customer base is crucial to a network’s exposure.

MORE

This is a good overall story if you want to understand this long battle between the league and Comcast. …Read More!

Wednesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

If you are one of those people who said Glenn Dorsey was a bust as the Chiefs No. 1 draft pick last year, understand that the man in question has heard you.

And if you are one of those people who think Dorsey is now obsolete because of the change in coaching staff and new defensive scheme, let it be known that he’s heard you on that as well.

“I’m not going to lie and say you don’t hear those things,” Dorsey said this week, as the Chiefs began their round of OTA sessions. “Hey, when a team wins two games there are not a lot of nice things they are going to say about anybody.

“It’s always discouraging when you hear negative things about you. But I don’t pay them much mind. I know what I did last year and I’m starting to get a pretty good idea of what’s ahead for this year with the new defense. I’m just working hard and trying to help this team win some more football games.”

The rush to judgment on the part of some in the media on Dorsey’s rookie season had less to do with what the young man did on the field, and more to do with the agendas of various pundits as they tried to make Carl Peterson/Herm Edwards look as bad as possible. We wrote about Dorsey and his rookie season back in January. Here’s the link to that story.

And here’s a chart of first-round defensive tackles in the last five NFL Drafts and what they did in his rookie seasons: …Read More!

Say Goodbye To Tony G.

Just another reminder that if you wanted a chance to say good bye to former Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez, you have the opportunity Wednesday evening and the  proceeds all goes to help a great cause

The Shadow Buddies Foundation is holding a Tony Gonzalez Fan Appreciation Night on Wednesday evening, May 20th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the foundation offices in Lenexa.  Tickets are $30 for adults and $15 for kids 12 and under.

All the proceeds go to the Foundation’s program to provide backpacks to youngsters attending summer camps around the area.

There will be a raffle for signed items from Gonzalez, along with hot dogs and refreshments. 

The location of the foundation offices is 14700 West 107th Street in Lenexa.

You can call 913-642-4646 for information or to buy tickets. You can also visit www.shadowbuddies.org. There are a limited number of tickets still available.

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/19

It’s day No. 139 of the year.

On May 19, 1536 the second wife of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn was beheaded in London after being convicted of adultery, treason and incest charges. On this day in 1962, during a birthday salute to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden, Marilyn Monroe sang her now famous rendition of “Happy Birthday.”

On this day in 1949, Archie Manning was born, thus providing two of the NFL’s 32 teams with their starting quarterbacks.

And on May 19, 1946, Andre Rene Roussimoff was born in Coulommiers, France. He was better known as the wrestler “Andre the Giant.” At various times during his life, Andre was listed between 6-9 and 7-4, with his weight between 309 and 565 pounds. When he died in 1993 at the age of 46, he was 6-10, 555 pounds and those handling his body had problems making his wishes come true. He wanted to be cremated, but there wasn’t an oven big enough for his body available near Paris, where he passed away in his sleep. Ultimately, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered on his property in Ellerbe, North Carolina.

Andre the Giant was known as the world’s biggest drunk. One of his compatriots once counted 157 12-ounce beers drunk by Andre in one sitting. When it came time to leave the bar, no one could move him and he slept it off inside the establishment.

Think about it … that’s almost 15 gallons of beer at one sitting.

Had he lived, Andre the Giant would be 63 years old today. …Read More!

Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

In the big picture of things, Monday’s OTA will never amount to even a blip on the radar screen of Matt Cassel’s career as a Chiefs quarterback.

That’s good, because it was the typical first full-scale practice performance for Cassel and his receivers as the Chiefs rolled through their first OTA of the 2009 off-season.

There were drops of Cassel passes that should have been caught. There were overthrows of receivers that were open. On May 18th, the Chiefs offense was not in mid-season form.

But then nobody expected them to be. That’s what these OTA sessions are all about, finding a chemistry, a rhythm and having the quarterback and receivers create some timing between them.

“We are out here right now working hard and trying to find out what we have,” Cassel said after the practice session. “We are finding our strengths and working on our weaknesses and trying to get better each and every day.

“It is new surroundings for me and all the new guys that come into this locker room, rookie and veterans included. You meet new people. It’s a new playbook, so you just dive right in and try to get a handle on it.”

That’s been going on for Cassel and the quarterbacks for weeks now as they have had some sessions with offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. They’ve also had some throwing sessions along the way with the receivers. But Monday was more the feel of football; outside, in the sunshine with almost a full squad of players taking part. …Read More!

Chiefs Hire New COO

The Sports Business Journal Daily reported on Monday that the Chiefs have hired Mark Donovan to be their new Chief Operating Officer.

There has been no official announcement by the team.

Donovan has spent the last six years with the Philadelphia Eagles as Senior Vice-President of Business Operations, where he was reponsible for all revenue generating, marketing and branding activities.  With the annoucement of Denny Thum as team president, Donovan would appear to be on the next step below in the corporate structure and the person who will direct efforts in areas like sales, marketing, tickets and media.

Before joining the Eagles, Donovan was the senior director of marketing and sales for the National Football League in the New York league office and he also worked as director of corporate sales and marketing for the National Hockey League.

A native of Pittsburgh,  Donovan graduated from Brown University in 1988, where he was a three-year letterwinner in football and was the team captain and quarterback of the ’87 team.  He is married with two children.

An internal annoucement of Donovan’s departure was made late last week to some Eagles staffers, according to the SBJ Daily.

OTA #1 Update 5/18

From Truman Sports Complex

There were 83 players on the field for the Chiefs first OTA session Monday morning.

“We are trying to integrate some football as rookies and veterans are together for the first time,” said Todd Haley. “I thought we got off to a decent start.  We had 83 players on the field which I think is excellent given that the OTA’s are voluntary.  We had nice weather, so we were all able to be outside.”

The only players on the roster missing from the workout were LG Brian Waters, OLB Mike Vrabel and fourth-round draft choice Donald Washington.  Waters and Vrabel have not been at the team’s facilities at all this off-season, while  Washington is  not allowed to attend under NFL rules because Ohio State’s spring term does not end until the second week of June.

“This is all voluntary so let’s try to focus on the 83 guys that are here and working hard,” said Haley. “We would like everybody here. Those that were not here were not a surprise to us, so I feel comfortable with where we are at with those guys.”

Veteran Wade Smith stepped into Waters spot at LG with the first-team offense, while Tamba Hali and Monty Beisel worked at the OLB spots with the first defense.

“The big guys started to look like a little bit of a group right now,” Haley said after watching his offensive and defensive line work. “Whether they can get it done is another story, but today was a good start.  It looked guys had an idea of what was going on.”

QB Matt Cassel enjoyed getting his first extended on field work with the rest of the Chiefs offense.

“Everybody is working hard and it’s fun to be out here and do what we do for a living,” Cassel said. “We’ve had a lot of hard work up to this point, but mainly it’s been in the weight room.  Now, it’s fun to get on the field and work on some timing. Everything is not sharp right now, but that’s what we are working on.” 

The players had two shifts before they got onto the practice field.  There was a 75-minute strength and conditioning session and then a 75-minute session in the classroom with position coaches.  Everything is fast and moves at a very quick  tempo, something the players have noticed.

“He’s coming out and getting after us with some great enthusiasm, ” Cassel said of Haley’s approach to the off-season. “He’s coming out with an attitude and he’s teaching everyone involved that we have to go out there with an attitude, that we expect to win and play hard for 60 minutes.”

There were a handful of players who did not take part as they rehab from injury: QB Brodie Croyle, CB Maurice Leggett, TE Tony Davis, LB Turk McBride, DT Tank Tyler, DE Glenn Dorsey, OLB Brian Johnston and RB Kolby Smith.

Observations from the workout: …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/18

It’s the 138th day of the year.

It was on May 18, 1897 that the novel Dracula, written by Irish author Bram Stoker was first published. On this day in 1980 Mount St. Helens erupted in the state of Washington, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage.

May 18 is a big day for the birth of baseball players. In 1984, Royals reliever Joakin Soria was born in Monclova Coachuila Mexico. In 1937 Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. And in 1946 on this day, Mr. October, Reggie Jackson was born in Wyncote, Pennsylvania.

His major league career began in Kansas City with the Athletics in 1967, before they moved to Oakland. Jackson played 21 seasons in the major leagues, appearing in 14 All-Star games and he was part of five teams that won the World Series. In two of those he was named the World Series MVP.

Jackson famously called himself the “I’m the straw that stirs the drink” of the Yankees. He had some other good ones as well.

• Fans don’t boo nobodies.
• Hitting is better than sex.
• I didn’t come to New York to be a star. I brought my star with me.
• I was reminded that when we lose and I strike out, a billion people in China don’t care.
• In the building I live in on Park Avenue there are ten people who could buy the Yankees, but none of them could hit the ball out of Yankee Stadium.
• The only reason I don’t like playing in the World Series is I can’t watch myself play.

…Read More!

Monday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

What happens on the field with the 75 or so players who will take part in the Chiefs OTA sessions starting Monday is what’s important in the big picture.

But for these first sessions, the attention will focus on the little picture, in this case the players who are not there. Will unhappy Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters (left) set aside his feelings and take part? After missing the veteran’s mini-camp before the NFL Draft, will LB Mike Vrabel become part of the Chiefs for the first time?

OTAs are a name the NFL and the NFL Players Association came up with to describe these off-season sessions. They are in essence practices, where players are allowed to wear helmets, but no pads. There is not supposed to be contact as the players practice, although that’s nearly impossible, especially when the offensive and defensive linemen start getting after each other.

Under NFL rules, teams are allowed to have 14 of these practices in the off-season, along with a mandatory three-day mini-camp. All of those sessions for the Chiefs will go down in the next four weeks.

With the practices also comes classroom time, as assistant coaches and players review tape and exercising the mental side of the game. …Read More!

Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

Many years ago, some 30 or so, early Sunday mornings during the football season a car would pull into the driveway of the Haley house in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania.

A young Todd Haley would go out the front door and jump into the car. The driver was Steelers assistant coach Tom Moore, and he would be heading to downtown Pittsburgh for the Steelers pre-game meal on home game days at the downtown Hilton Hotel. Haley would hitch a ride. Sometimes so did Pat Perles, son of George Perles the Steelers defensive line coach/coordinator. The boys were on their way to Three Rivers Stadium to work in the Steelers locker room and on the sidelines during the game.

Today Haley is the head coach of the Chiefs. Pat Perles is on his coaching staff, working with the defense.

And on Thursday, Tom Moore (above right) retired as offensive coordinator of the Indianapolis Colts. He was joined by offensive line coach Howard Mudd (above left). Both men had 30-plus years of coaching experience in the NFL, and both men are out of the business not so much because they wanted to be, but because of changes in the NFL’s pension plan.

There are many twists and turns to the pension issue that has drive Moore and Mudd from their jobs, and some of those factors haven’t even been clearly defined yet. Basically both coaches were worried about the future value of their pension pots with NFL teams now allowed to pull out of the league’s pension program. The Colts have not left the program, but apparently nine teams have and that could affect the funding of the program and that could jeopardize that ability of Moore and Mudd to cash out down the road. …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/15

It’s Day No. 135 of the year.

On May 13, 1905 some 110 acres of land were auctioned off and thus started the community of Las Vegas, Nevada. On this day in 1940, McDonald’s opened its first restaurant in San Bernardino, California. On May 13, 1941 Joe DiMaggio began what became a 56-game hitting streak.

Today is Independence Day in Paraguay. On this day in 1969, Emmitt Smith was born in Florida.

And on May 13, 1953, George Howard Brett was born in Glen Dale, West Virginia. He would grow up to become one of the best hitters in baseball history, debuting with the Royals in August of 1973 and playing through the 1993 season.

Brett was an All-Star 13 times, led the American League in hitting three times, was the 1980 A.L. MVP and was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1999 with 98.2 percent of the vote on his first time on the ballot.

Brett was bigger than life during his career, although not quite as big as Morganna the Kissing Bandit who got him in this photo.

George said many things over his career, but one of his last quotes in the public eye was the best:

“I could have played another year, but I would have been playing for the money, and baseball deserves better than that.” …Read More!

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

When the Chiefs begin their OTA sessions on Monday at the Truman Sports Complex, there will not be a No. 88 running around on the field.

But Tony Gonzalez will be there.

He will be there in the form of No. 87, second-year tight end Brad Cottam.

Cottam would appear to be the guy who will step into the starting role in the Chiefs offense at tight end. He knows he can’t replace a 12-year, 10-time Pro Bowl veteran like Gonzalez and he won’t even try. If you want to read more about Cottam and stepping into the shoes of No. 88, then visit my story from kcchiefs.com right here.

But Cottam will bring a little bit of Tony G. to the field this year because of everything he learned from No. 88 last year.

“For a guy like me, all I had to do was watch him, watch how he did things, watch how he went about practice every day, watch how he always was doing something to get better,” Cottam said. “He outworks people.

“The best part was he was also willing to share things. If you asked questions, he would answer. There are certain little things and drills that I’ve seen him do that if I keep doing them, it’s going to help me tremendously.”

Now, don’t translate that into Cottam is going to become the type of receiver that Gonzalez was at tight end. …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/14

It’s the 134th of the year.

On May 14, 1607 the English colony of Jamestown, Virginia was settled. In 1804 on this day, Lewis & Clark left Camp Dubois in Hartford, Illinois on their first journey up the Missouri River.

In 1944, the man who created the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, movie director George Lucas was born. In 1992, Lyle Alzado died from brain cancer at the age of 43. He believed his cancer was caused by his abuse of steroids.

It was on May 14, 1998 when the final original episode of Seinfeld aired on NBC. More than 76 million watched the show that has now been shown about 76 million times in syndication. And on that same day in 1998, Francis Albert Sinatra passed away in Los Angeles at the age of 82. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra became one of America’s iconic figures in the world of entertainment.

Sinatra lived his life very much in the public eye, and sometimes he punched back and the public eye was black and blue. He enjoyed women, whiskey and entertaining. Here are some of my favorite comments from the Sinatra quote book:

- I’m supposed to have a Ph.D. on the subject of women. But the truth is I’ve flunked more often than not. I’m very fond of women; I admire them. But, like all men, I don’t understand them.

- For years I’ve nursed a secret desire to spend the Fourth of July in a double hammock with a swingin’ redheaded broad … but I could never find me a double hammock.

- Fear is the enemy of logic.

- The big lesson in life, baby, is never be scared of anyone or anything.

- I’m for anything that gets you through the night, be it prayer, benzedrine or a bottle of Jack Daniels.

From the Miami Herald: Aspiring actor Jason Taylor already has a penchant for drama. He returned to the Dolphins on Wednesday, a hero who turned down the temptations of more money and grander promises from those villainous New England Patriots and New York Jets.

…Read More!

Thursday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Last season, there were 29 punt and kickoff returns that went for a touchdown in the NFL.

None of those came from the Chiefs.

In the season before (2007), there were 42 punt and kickoff returns that went for a touchdown in the league.

None of those came from the Chiefs.

That’s 71 touchdowns in the last two seasons from the special teams return games. That’s an average of 2.2 TD returns per NFL team. But among the league’s 32 teams, there are three without return scores in the last two years: Tennessee, Carolina and the Chiefs.

Yes, there has become a very big hole in the Chiefs special teams over the last two seasons. They’ve now gone 46 games without a punt or kickoff return for a touchdown. The last time it happened was October 1, 2006, when Dante Hall (top right) returned a punt for a score against San Francisco.

In the NFL, only Carolina has gone longer waiting for a return score, at 49 games.

A touchdown at the end of a punt or kickoff return used to be a regular part of Chiefs football. With Tamarick Vanover (below right) (1995-1999) and then Hall (2001-06), the Chiefs had 19 punt and kickoff returns for TDs over those 12 seasons, with eight from Vanover and 11 by Hall. The only time the Chiefs were not a threat was the 2000 season, after Vanover ran into his problems off the field and before Hall was ready to become the man handling all the returns.

Since Hall left before the ’07 season and went to St. Louis in a trade, the Chiefs have struggled in the return game. Struggle may be too kind. In 2007-08, they averaged 7 yards on punt returns and 20.4 yards on kick returns. The team had only one kick return that went for over 40 yards and one punt return that exceeded 30 yards in those two seasons.

Todd Haley wants to change that missing element in the Chiefs special teams attack for the 2009 season. He’s determined to find a returner.

“I’ve told everybody here that if you can be a better than average punt and kick returner you’ve got a very good chance of making this team,” Haley said during the team’s rookie mini-camp last weekend.  ”I don’t know that we have one right now.” …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/13

It’s the 133rd day of the year.

On May 13, 1914, future heavyweight boxing champion and American icon Joe Louis was born. On this day in 1939 the first commercial FM radio station launched in Bloomfield, CT. It was called W1XPW but eventually and still goes by the call letters WDRC. In 1950 on this day, Stevie Wonder was born.

On May 13, 1958 a trademark for Velcro was registered. On this day in 1961 the actor Gary Cooper died and basketball player-personality Dennis Rodman was born; now there’s a textbook definition of juxaposition!  On May 13, 1994, Johnny Carson made his final appearance on television, as he made a short visit to Late Night with David Letterman that was filming that week in Los Angeles.

And on May 13, 1999 Gene Sarazen passed away in Naples, Florida at the age of 97. Born Eugenio Saraceni, the man who would acquire the nickname The Squire was one of the greatest golfers in the history of the pro game. He’s one of only a handful who won all four major championships in their lifetime and back in 1932, he was named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year. This was at the end of the golden era of American sports and Sarazen was one of the most recognizable names in the world.

He made sure of that during the 1935 Masters when on the par-5, No. 15, he hit a four-wood on his second shot that went 235 yards and into the hole for what in golf is called an albatross. Three shots behind at the time, he made them all up on one hole and went on to win a playoff for the championship.

I never saw Gene Sarazen play, but he’s always been one of my favorites for this one statement:

“I don’t care what you say about me, just spell the name right.”

Amen. …Read More!

Wednesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

More and more NFL teams are getting ready for the 2009 NFL season without a wealth of quarterback experience on their roster.

They are choosing to go with youngsters, not only as the starter, but the backup and even the No. 3 guy.

Now, there’s plenty of time for things to change, but guys like Trent Green, Gus Frerotte, Brad Johnson and yes, even that Favre fellow, are on the outside looking in.

Instead, spurred by the type of play that came from Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco in their rookie seasons last year, teams are going young behind center.

That would include the Chiefs. Last year, they had a quarterback group that had one of the shallowest pools of starting experience in the league. At the start of the season, Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard and Tyler Thipgen had a combined 30 NFL starts.

This year, even though they deleted Huard and his 27 starts and added Matt Cassel with his 15 starts, they are no longer among the league’s most inexperienced starting quarterbacks.

The Chiefs have four quarterbacks on their roster with a total of 34 starts in the league. That’s 15 from Cassel, 11 from Thigpen and eight by Croyle. No. 4 quarterback Ingle Martin has not started an NFL game.

Again, once teams get through mini-camps, off-season programs and OTAs, they may decide they need to bring in a Green, Frerotte or Johnson type to bolster the roster’s experience level.

Right now there are seven teams that have fewer quarterback starts on their roster than the Chiefs. Here’s the list of the 10 teams with the least starting experience at quarterback: …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/12

It’s day No. 132 on the year. We are now past the one-third mark of the year 2009.

On May 12, 1932, 10 weeks after he was abducted the body of Charles Lindbergh’s infant son was found dead just a few miles from the Lindbergh home in New Jersey. The kidnapping of the Lindbergh Baby was one of the biggest stories of the first half of the 20th Century.

On this day in 1864, Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart died from a wound he suffered at the Battle of the Yellow Tavern, just outside Richmond. Stuart was just 31 years old and considered one of the greatest calvary officers in American history. He was stationed at Ft. Leavenworth and Ft. Riley before he resigned his commission to join the Confederate Army in 1861.

And on May 12, 1925, Yogi Berra was born on the Hill in St. Louis. He would go on to become one of the greatest baseball players in history, appearing in 20 different seasons from 1946 through 1965. He was a three-time American League MVP and a 15-time All-Star. His No. 8 was retired by the Yankees.

Yogiisms have become part of Americana. Here are my favorites:

- 90 percent of putts that fall short don’t go in.

- No one goes there anymore; it’s too crowded.

- A nickel ain’t worth a dime anymore.

- Always go to other peoples’ funerals; otherwise they won’t go to yours.

- Even Napoleon had his Watergate.

- Half the lies they tell about me aren’t true.

- I’m not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did!

- I couldn’t tell if the streaker was a man or a woman because it had a bag on its head.

- I usually take a two hour nap from 1 to 4.

- If people don’t want to come out to the ballpark, nobody’s going to stop them.

- It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future. …Read More!

Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

When you hang around this media business long enough you learn a little bit about how things work.

For instance, you come to understand that sometimes when there’s smoke, there’s fire. And sometimes there’s just smoke. But if there’s no fire, why is their smoke? Sometimes it’s because somebody is trying to start a fire.

And here’s another thing you learn from hanging around the world of fun and games: there’s only one group of people on the face of the earth that like to gossip more than scouts, no matter the sport. They’re topped only by coaches, no matter the sport. If you think the ladies in the neighborhood canasta tournament can tell stories, you’ve never seen scouts and coaches in action.

I got that feeling that both of those truisms have come together in the last 24 hours as the pro football blogosphere lit up with a couple of Chiefs items. The blasts involved Scott Pioli and his 2009 Draft class.

First, understand that Pioli does not seek attention. In fact, he’s just the opposite; he runs the other way. He’d be very happy never having to deal with a reporter’s question. In his past, dealing with the media was not really part of his job description; Bill Belichick was around to handle all of that. That’s why way back on the day he was announced as GM, Pioli said he would not be the face of the franchise.

The desire to stay away from attention doesn’t mean attention stays away. Not in today’s world, where rumor is considered news, no matter how much investigation actually goes into fleshing out the facts.

Let me hit you with what popped up on the blogs. …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/11

It’s the 131st day of the year.

On May 11, 1502 Christopher Columbus left on his fourth and final voyage to the West Indies. On this day in 1858 Minnesota officially became the 32nd state of the United States. On this day in 1924 Mercedes Benz is formed in a merger of two German companies.

And on this day in 1986, Fritz Pollard passed away at the age of 92. After serving in the Army during World War I and after graduating from Brown University, Pollard was the first black player and coach in professional football, playing from 1919-26 for teams in Akron, Milwaukee, Hammond and Providence. He was a 5-9, 165-pound quarterback/running back. The Chicago native led Brown to the 1916 Rose Bowl where they lost to Washington State.

Pollard was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:
Jeff Garcia sure looks the part, with that part being the sage veteran and mentor to next-generation quarterback JaMarcus Russell. One minute, he’s spinning a Canadian Football League tale of backing up Doug Flutie in Year 2. Next minute, he’s giving a guided tour through five NFL teams in 10 years.

Garcia’s sideburns are as grayed as his chin stubble. Not even a fresh crew cut can hide the salt and pepper in his hair. All he needs now is a willing and ready pupil, a Grasshopper of sorts for his wax-on, wax-off wisdom (an obscure martial-arts reference, for those not in 39-year-old Garcia’s generation). “I want to help the guy as much as possible and I’m not going to force opinions on him,” Garcia said. “Hopefully, he can just absorb the knowledge that I’m able to lend to him.”

Now, it’s up to Russell to decide how much he wants to borrow from the four-time Pro Bowler. At first blush, Russell does not seem in a rush to cram it all in at once. The Raiders’ minicamp is 2 days and 4 practices old, and the relationship between the Nos. 1 and 2 quarterbacks remains in the awkward stranger stage.

…Read More!

Monday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Todd Haley was frustrated at the conclusion of the Chiefs three-day rookie mini-camp.

You see, Haley wants his football to do everything on the field with three ideas in mind: hard, fast and efficient.

That doesn’t make him any different than most coaches, although apparently he has a different definition of fast than many guys running football programs.

When he means fast, he means fast. All during the time practice sessions were open to the media over the weekend, Haley and his coaching staff stressed moving fast and quick, no dawdling. Whether it was No. 1 draft choice Tyson Jackson (right) or the tryout players hoping for a contract.

But Haley confessed after the camp ended on Sunday that he was frustrated because he had to slow down things because he had only 33 players available.

“We slowed the pace down and did things different than how we’re normally going to do it which is frustrating as a coach because you want to show them the way you want to practice,” Haley said. “But we were very clear with them that we made some adjustments so we could get through practice.”

That means Haley drove home the point that the pace of these workouts wasn’t what he was looking for and wasn’t what he would settle for once the team gets back on the field come the start of OTA sessions on May 18. …Read More!

Rookie Mini-Camp Update Sunday A.M.

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs wrapped up their rookie mini-camp on Sunday morning with a workout on the grass at their facility.  All 33 attendees took part before the camp ended and they were sent home.

“I thought it was a productive three days from the standpoint of getting these guys on our page,” said head coach Todd Haley. “Today was the best day.  The conditioning aspect was pretty obvious to me.  We slowed the pace down, we did things different than we normally will do it, and that’s frustrating as a coach, because  you want to show them the way you want a practice.

“But we were very clear  with them that we made some adjustments so we could get through practice.”

Rookies can return on May 16thand join the team’s strength and conditioning program, but only if their school’s spring term has been completed.  All but two players will be able to return immediately: draft choice CB Donald Washington and rookie free agent LB Corey Smith.  Ohio State and Cincinnati do not wrap up their spring terms until the middle of June, putting both of those guys at a disadvantage as they will miss conditioning work and most of the team’s OTA sessions.

Some observations from the Sunday morning practice: …Read More!

The 13-3 Chiefs All-Stars

The question came during our chat last week: what would be your All-Chiefs team from those who were part of the 13-3 teams in 1995, 1997 and 2003?

Good question and as you will see, I’ve got my answers. Now, yours may differ but then that’s what the comments are for, so feel free to make a contribution.

I know that today, those 13-3 seasons seem a long, long time ago. The first one is now 14 years ago, the last six years past. In today’s world, that’s an eternity.   It makes it even longer when the last two teams wearing red and gold went 4-12 and 2-14.

But before I got started in picking an all-star team I wanted to check something to put some perspective on what the Chiefs accomplished in those three seasons. I wanted to find out how many teams in the last 14 seasons (1995-2008) finished with records of 13-3 or better and where the Chiefs three seasons would rank among those teams.

In that time frame, there were 33 seasons where teams won 13 games or more. It was done by 18 different teams.

And six of those teams did it three times. Here they are:

Ponder that for a minute. How in the name of Martin Edward Schottenheimer did the Chiefs not get to at least one championship game in those seasons, let alone others when they had the opportunity? They put themselves in position three different times with the home-field advantage through the playoffs and a week off to get healthy.

Then they lose at Arrowhead by three points to Indianapolis, four points to Denver and seven points to the Colts. …Read More!

We Lost Another Good One

Let me hit the football pause button for a minute and tell you about how the sports world lost another good man on Saturday.

Former college and NBA coach Chuck Daly passed away after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. Charles Jerome Daly was 78 years old.

Daly is remembered most for his stint as head coach of those Detroit Pistons teams in the 1980s and early 1990s that won a pair of championships and seemed to battle every season with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. The Pistons became known as the “Bad Boys” for their strange collection of talent that was never afraid to throw an elbow; guys like Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn, Adrian Dantley, John Salley, John Dumars and the unforgettable Dennis Rodman.

He was also the coach of the first U.S. Olympic “Dream Team” that rolled through the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona on the way to a gold medal.

During his career, he never won a Coach of the Year award, not on the college level or the NBA. But he is in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA and he was always the coaches’ coach, respected by everyone in the business.

Let me tell you about Daly’s start in the business. It came in my hometown: Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. He was the head coach at Punxsutawney High School for eight seasons starting in 1955. He left there to become an assistant coach at Duke, then went to Boston College, Penn and into the NBA.

Now let me tell you this, Punxsutawney is no basketball hotbed. …Read More!

Rookie Mini-Camp Report Saturday PM

From the Truman Sports Complex

Head coach Todd Haley spoke Saturday afternoon and then he threw the media a Mother’s Day weekend bone and opened the afternoon practice to complete viewing.

Haley’s comments were pretty standard issue rookie mini-camp stuff, as he talked about how the players were processing information.  He was asked about No. 1 draft choice  Tyson Jackson.

“I’m really excited about the player,” Haley said of Jackson. “He’s got a long way to go in understanding everything, conditioning wise and all those things. For two days out there, I’m excited about the player.”

Haley did talk about one opening on the roster that’s there for any player who can show his skills: punt and kick returner.

“I’ve told everybody here that if you can be a better than average punt and kick returner you’ve got a very good chance of making this team,” Haley said.  ”I don’t know that we have one right now. It’s a great opportunity for somebody.” …Read More!

Rookies Learn to Speak

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs made their locker room off-limits to the media this weekend during the team’s rookie mini-camp. But they did bring out a quartet of draft choices to speak at lunch time on Saturday.  Here’s the highlights of what they had to say.

DE Tyson Jackson

Is there anything about making the move to the NFL that is intimidating:  “I played in the SEC and I’ve pretty much experienced everything in the game, the fast guys going against Florida, the real strong guys going against at Auburn and Alabama and the guys with real good technique like Tennessee.  I’ve  played against all of them.  I’ve adjusted pretty good so far.”

On how it feels to be wearing a Chiefs jersey: “It’s been good.  I’ve been putting that red jersey on, No. 94. I’ve felt like a Chief ever since then. I saw Glenn (Dorsey) today and he said I was looking good in No. 94, so I’m really liking the situation.” …Read More!

Rookie Mini-Camp Report Saturday A.M.

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs gave the media  30-minute window into the second full practice of the rookie mini-camp  Saturday morning.

The Chiefs had 33 players participating: six first-year players, eight draft choices, 12 college free agents, long snapper Tanner Purdum and six tryout players.  The team has not released any information on the players who are in camp without a contract.  There were 16 in the white jersey tops of the offense and 17 in the red jersey tops of the defense and special teams.

Here’s a look at what we could see from the defense in our short time on the field. …Read More!

Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

Clark Hunt has made a lot of decisions since he became the man in charge of the franchise his father founded almost 50 years ago.

By far, Clark’s best decision was made Thursday evening, when the Chairman of the Chiefs came to an agreement to keep Denny Thum with the franchise. Thum had the interim removed from his title on Friday as he was named the fourth team president in the history of the franchise.

Had the decision been anything but presenting the job to Thum, it would have been a mistake. Not because the man will wrap up 35 years with the organization next Friday. But because every time he’s been given a task during that remarkable lifespan with the same employer, he’s taken the job and made it his own.

We should expect nothing less from the St. Louis native now that he’s in charge of the business operation of the team.

“It’s a job he can handle because he’s done many of the duties already,” the most recent team president Carl Peterson said several weeks ago. “He has the skill set and Denny is so good with people, he’ll work with everybody and have them pulling in the same direction.

“It would be a mistake not to give him the job.”

When he took over the franchise in 1989, Peterson found Thum in the building. At the time he had the title of assistant to the general manager. “I told him, let’s go for six months and see how this thing works,” Peterson said. “It was one of the best decisions I made.”

Thum’s first day with the Chiefs was May 16, 1974. …Read More!

Chiefs Name Thum President

From the Truman Sports Complex

Just one week short of 35 years after he was hired by the Chiefs, Denny Thum was named the club’s president on Friday.

Thum had been serving in the role of interim president since Carl Peterson resigned back in late December.  Thum and Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt wrapped up discussions Thursday night on taking away the interim title.  He will be in charge of all non-football elements of the organization on the business side, departments like sales, marketing, ticketing, stadium operations, stadium construction, legal, etc.

He will report to Hunt, as will GM Scott Pioli, who is in charge of the football operations.

“I will spend the majority of my time working on the business side of the operation,” said  Thum.

He began his career with the Chiefs on May 16, 1974 as a staff accountant in the ticket office.

“Denny has been an outstanding member of the Chiefs organization for almost four decades, and we are very fortunate to have a person with his level of experience and expertise running the business,” Clark Hunt said in a statement released by the team. “I know he will continue to do a tremendous job in his new role as president.” …Read More!

Rookie Mini-Camp Update 5/8

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs had 33 rookies on the field Friday afternoon for their first practice session of the team’s rookie mini-camp.

“Their heads were spinning to say the least,” head coach Todd Haley said of the group that had meetings Thursday night and Friday morning and physical testing.  “There’s a lot going on for them. They are getting a lot of stuff thrown at them.”

All eight of the team’s draft choices were part of the camp, along with 12 rookie free agents.  That would mean 13 players were on the field as tryouts.

“As far as practice went, there were a lot of errors out there, no doubt about it.  I know it’s bigger than a handful.  It’s hard to evaluate them on that (practice), but there are guys that pass the eye test, clearly.”

The players went through a mini-combine session Friday morning, as the players went through physical drills like they do at the NFL Scouting Combine each year: 40-yard dash, bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, etc.  “There are some smaller school guys who didn’t go to the combine, or we didn’t see their workout, so it helps with that,” Haley said of the physical testing. “To me, as we get on down the road, and you have two, three, four years of those, you have a little benchmark to look at guys.  It’s at your place, there  is no advantage to anybody.”

The group will have two practices on Saturday and then finish up with one on Sunday.

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/8

It’s the 128th day of the year.

It was on May 8, 1945 that the world celebrated VE-Day, Victory in Europe as combat in World War II ended in Europe.

And it was on May 8, 1884 in the town of Lamar, Missouri that the world welcomed Harry Truman, the 33rd President of the United States. The man from Independence served for just over seven years in the White House (1945-53). He always had plenty to say and here are some of my favorite quotes from Truman:

• - I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it.
  
• - A politician is a man who understands government, and it takes a politician to run a government. A statesman is a politician who’s been dead 10 or 15 years.
  
• - (On Richard Nixon) “He’s one of the few in the history of this country to run for high office talking out of both sides of his mouth at the same time and lying out of both sides.
  

- (On why he fired General Douglas MacArthur: I fired him because he wouldn’t respect the authority of the president. That’s the answer to that. I didn’t fire him because he was a dumb son of a bitch, although he was, but that’s not against the law for generals. If it was, half to three-quarters of them would be in jail.
And my favorite, written in a letter to Time magazine critic Paul Hume who panned a performance by Harry’s daughter Margaret: “I have read your lousy review of Margaret’s concert. I’ve come to the conclusion that you are an eight ulcer man on a four ulcer job … Some day I hope to meet you. When that happens you’ll need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes and perhaps a supporter below.”

…Read More!

College Free Agent Update

The Chiefs finally released their 12-man list of undrafted rookie free agents that they’ve signed to contracts.

We’ve had most of the names before.  But there were three first time additions to the official list:

TE Tom Crabtree, Miami of Ohio.  He’s 6-5, 244 pounds and in 48 games for the Redhawks he caught 40 passes for 329 yards and two touchdowns.  He’s an Ohio native.

G Darryl  Harris, Mississippi.  He’s 6-4, 300 pounds and played in 35 games with 222 starts at Ole Miss.  He played center, and left and right tackle.  He’s a Mississippi native.

LB Corey Smith, Cincinnati. He’s 6-1, 225 pounds and played in 48 games with 46 starts for the Bearcats.  He had 271 total tackles, with 7.5 sacks and three INTs.  He’s out of New Jersey.

They join DL Dion Gales and Robert Greenwood, CBs Jackie Bates and Londen Fryar, LBs Javon Belcher and Pierre Walters, S Ricky Price, WR Taurus Johnson, OL Cameron Goldberg.

First practice of rookie mini-camp is Friday morning.

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

The Chiefs started a rookie mini-camp on Thursday night with meetings.

The players will be on the field with the coaching staff twice on Friday, twice on Saturday and then once on Sunday.

As of early Friday morning (OK late Thursday night) the Chiefs had not released their updated roster with undrafted rookie free agents who have been signed, so there’s no idea how big the group will be on the field this weekend.

The team on the field should range from draft picks like first-round choice Tyson Jackson, to first-year players LB Darrell Robertson, undrafted college free agent like CB Londen Fryar (below) and rookie tryout players like former Missouri QB Chase Patton (left).

By NFL rules, the Chiefs can have no more than 80 players signed on their roster. They currently list 74, but eight of those names are draft choices, without contracts. The draft picks can take part in the rookie camp without a signed contract.

That means there are 66 players with contracts, leaving 14 spots at this time for college free agents. They can also invite any number of other college players on a tryout basis for the weekend of work.

Plus, rules allow first-year players to take part in the workouts and the Chiefs have six of those players on their roster: Robertson, TE Jed Collins, G Edwin Harrison, DT Derek Lokey, G Tavares Washington and WR Rodney Wright.

All in all, the Chiefs figure to have 35 to 40 players taking part in the mini-camp. …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/7

It’s day No. 127 of the year 2008.

It was on this day in 1718 that the City of New Orleans was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the governor of French Louisiana. Apparently the next day the Hurricane was invented and by the next day, all the town’s people were sleeping one off.

On May 7, 1946, Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering was founded with 20 employees. We know it today as Sony.

Born on this day in 1901 was actor Gary Cooper, who played many roles but his most famous turn in the world of sports was as Lou Gehrig in Pride of the Yankees. Cooper had never swung a bat before filming this movie.

And born on this day in 1933 in Pittsburgh was one of the greatest players in pro football history, the quarterback with the scrub brush hair, Johnny Unitas. During his career, Unitas went to 10 Pro Bowls and was three times named the league’s MVP. Johnny U played 18 seasons in the NFL, 17 of those with the Colts and then one season, five games actually, with San Diego at the age of 40 in 1973.

John Constantine Unitas died on September 11, 2002 at the age of 69.

From the Green Bay Press-Gazette columnist Mike Vandermause:
Asked last weekend if he cared whether Favre plays for the Vikings, Packers coach Mike McCarthy replied: “If Brett wants to play football, he should play football, and that’s really my stance on it. If he still wants to play, he should take advantage of his opportunities.” Favre doesn’t deserve to be called a traitor. Even if his primary motivation for returning is to stick it to Packers General Manager Ted Thompson, so what? Favre not only has the right to play as long as a team is willing to employ him, but he is entitled to use any legal motivation he needs.

If Favre is having trouble walking away from the game he loves, so be it. If he thinks he can finish with a flourish with the Vikings, let him give it his best shot. Sure, he risks the possibility of going out on a sour note similar to over-the-hill quarterbacks Johnny Unitas and Joe Namath, both of whom overstayed their welcome in the NFL. But since when has the fear of failure stopped Favre? That’s not how he rolls.

Favre is addicted to football and believes he still has what it takes to succeed. If the quarterback-challenged Vikings agree, then nothing other than the lingering bicep injury in Favre’s throwing arm will stop this union from taking place. The sight of Favre in a purple jersey would create high drama, and the hype surrounding Packers-Vikings games this season would be unmatched.

…Read More!

Thursday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

We had a great chat/forum Wednesday evening which you can find elsewhere on the site. Good questions, good participation, I hope we provided good answers; we will do it again.

After going through the questions, without a doubt it seems the No. 1 piece of information still unclear in the minds of Chiefs fans is what kind of defense the team is going to run for the 2009 season.

Head coach Todd Haley hasn’t provided much information as to what the team will do under coordinator Clancy Pendergast. What clues do slip out, make it plain that the Chiefs will try to run a system similar to what the Arizona Cardinals used under Pendergast, an under 4-3 defense. It’s a defense that can morph into the 3-4 very quickly and it looks like the 3-4 at times.

Just how deeply the Chiefs can get into the Pendergast defensive playbook is something the coaching staff doesn’t know yet, because they haven’t seen enough of the players in action. If they don’t have the bodies they need to run the under 4-3, then it would be folly to try to play that defense.

This defense figures to be in transition for the next two years as the pieces come together to do what Pendergast wants from his unit. …Read More!

Now That Was A Chat

I’ve turned off the comments after a great three hours.  If I didn’t get to your question, check back because I’m sure I’ll be answering for another hour or so.

Thanks for taking part and we will do it again.

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/6

It’s the 126th day of the year, and it’s also International No Diet Day, an idea that began in England back in 1992. The idea is to celebrate the difference in body types, so go ahead and have get that Snickers out of the candy machine this afternoon.

It was on May 6, 1889 that the Eiffel Tower opened in Paris. In 1937 on this day, the Hindenburg, a German blimp or zeppelin, explodes in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 people. In 1856, Sigmund Freud was born. May 6th is also the birthday of actor Orson Welles (1915) and rocker Bob Seger (1945).

The day also has significance in the world of sports. On this day in 1931 Willie Mays was born in Westfield, Alabama. In 1998, Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood strikes out 20 Houston Astros, tying the major league record for strikeouts in a game. He threw a one-hitter that day, in his fifth career start.

And on May 6, 1954 at the Iffley Road Track at Oxford University came one of the greatest moments in sports history. Roger Bannister became the first man to run the mile under four minutes with his time of 3 minutes, 59.4 seconds. Announcing at the stadium that day was a man named Norris McWhirter, who would become famous as the publisher and editor of the Guinness Book of Records. He teased the crowd with his announcement after Bannister’s race:

“Ladies and gentlemen, here is the result of event 9, the one-mile: 1st, No. 41, R.G. Bannister, Amateur Athletic Association and formerly of Exeter and Merton Colleges, Oxford, with a time which is a new meeting and track record, and which – subject to ratification – will be a new English Native, British National, All-Comers, European, British Empire, and World Record. The time was 3…”

No one heard the last part of Bannister’s time because of the crowd roar. …Read More!

Wednesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

It would not be an NFL off-season anymore without a Brett Favre is going to unretire story hitting the league.

Favre has become the Freddie Krueger of NFL quarterbacks. He simply won’t go away, his career can’t be killed and he does not want to be out of the limelight.

How else are we to understand this latest twist on the Favre roller coaster: the quarterback and Vikings head coach Brad Childress are going to meet face-to-face at some sort of secret location later this week to discuss Favre’s return to football.

That’s right, Favre is thinking about coming back for a 19th season.

At this point, none of this should surprise us. What comes from this meeting should not surprise us, whether he ends up signing with the Vikings or not. No matter what, it won’t be the last time we hear about Favre and playing football. The biggest surprise Favre could throw at us now is that he actually does retire from the game.

Apparently, Childress and Favre are going to discuss whether he wants to play quarterback for Minnesota. If he wants to comeback, Childress is going to demand that Favre attend the team’s mini-camp and some of its off-season practices. Favre isn’t going to be able to just sit around his home near Hattiesburg, Mississippi, throw to a bunch of high school kids and then show up the first day of training camp. …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/5

It’s the 125th day of the year. Happy Cinco de Mayo!

On this day in 1821, Napoleon died on the island of Saint Helena where he had been exiled by the British. He was 51 years old. On May 5, 1904 pitching for the Boston Americans, Cy Young threw the first perfect game in modern baseball history when he blanked the Philadelphia Athletics.

And on May 5, 1862, forces of the Mexican army defeated the French at the Battle of Puebla and that’s what has led over the years to the celebration of the fifth of May. Badly outnumbered and fighting an Army that had not lost a battle in over 50 years, General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin marshaled his forces and defeated the French. Eventually, the French forces took over Mexico City and occupied the country for more than four years.

Many gringos mistaken believe Cinco de Mayo is Independence Day for Mexico. That’s actually September 16th. May 5th is not an official holiday in Mexico. Of course it’s not an official holiday in the U.S. either, unless you are near a basket of chips and a cup of salsa.

Enjoy the day.

From the New York Times: Pro football,” Jack Kemp said when he first ran for Congress, “gave me a good sense of perspective to enter politics: I’d already been booed, cheered, cut, sold, traded and hung in effigy.”

Maybe that’s why football players such as Kemp, who died Saturday, have seemed to have more success in politics than star athletes who come out of baseball or basketball.

…Read More!

Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

The folks at NFL.com had an interesting story up over the weekend about trading a first-round draft pick for a veteran player.

The theme of the story? Was it worth the risk to give up a first-rounder for a proven player who might have but one or two years left in the league? Of course, the premise could be reversed, as with the Chiefs and the deal that sent Tony Gonzalez to Atlanta. Is it worth the risk of taking a draft pick in return for a veteran player who was still near the top of his game?

The only way we can answer the question involving Gonzalez is time, to see how it plays out. How does he help the Falcons and who comes to the Chiefs with that second-round choice from Atlanta in next year’s NFL Draft?

The trades that the NFL.com story looks at include the deal that sent Herschel Walker to the Minnesota Vikings for a host of draft picks, the three-team trade that sent RB Eric Dickerson to the Colts, a long ago deal between the Giants and Vikings for QB Frank Tarkenton and others.

Another deal in the story is one that’s dear to the hearts of Chiefs fans: the 1993 trade between Kansas City and San Francisco that brought QB Joe Montana (left) to the team.

The trade was pulled off between 49ers GM Carmen Policy, Chiefs GM Carl Peterson and Montana and his agent Peter Johnson. Montana, safety David Whitmore and a third-round choice in the 1994 NFL Draft came to Kansas City for the Chiefs first-round pick in the 1993 Draft, selection No. 18.

The Chiefs used that third-rounder to select WR Lake Dawson. San Francisco made two draft-day deals, trading down and picking up a third and a fifth, and with the 26th choice grabbed DT Dana Stubblefield out of the University of Kansas. …Read More!

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/4

The day is No. 124 of the 365 scheduled for the year.

It was on this day in 1863 that the Union Army retreated from the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia. It was a major victory for an undermanned General Robert E. Lee of the Confederacy. On this day in 1970 on the campus of Kent State University, the Ohio National Guard began shooting during an anti-war demonstration, killing four and wounding nine others.

And on this day in 2007 an EF-5 tornado that was 1.75 miles wide roared through Greensburg, Kansas wiping out nearly the entire village. Winds were estimated at 205 MPH and 11 people died in the storm that leveled 95 percent of the town’s buildings and left the other five percent so damaged they were no longer useable.

Greensburg continues its long process of rebuilding and spent the weekend celebrating the two-year anniversary of the event.

From ESPN. com columnist Greg Easterbrook:
Jack Kemp, star quarterback and innovative public-policy thinker, died Saturday. The Associated Press AFL MVP of 1965 as quarterback of the Buffalo Bills, Kemp went on to serve 18 years in the House of Representatives, became Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the presidency of George H.W. Bush, then ran as the Republican Party’s vice presidential candidate in 1996. Kemp was a leading factor in the rise of Ronald Reagan conservatism in American life, and remained active in public-policy debates until the final months before his death. His were two singular achievements: First, to accomplish more after leaving athletics than he had before; second, to join that small fraternity of sports stars who have gone on to significant careers in serious pursuits.

Byron “Whizzer” White, who twice led the NFL in rushing, became a Supreme Court justice; Bill Bradley, who played for the New York Knicks, became a three-term United States Senator and 2000 candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination; Alan Page, who played for the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, made the Pro Football Hall of Fame, went to law school and is now a justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court; Jim Bunning, a Hall of Fame pitcher with the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies, is in his second term as a U.S. Senator from Kentucky; Ken Dryden of Canada and Roger Bannister of the United Kingdom are the other sports celebrities whose lasting achievements came after they tied their sneakers for the final time. Kemp’s after-the-grandstands achievements rank with anyone in sports lore. Most star athletes spend their second act signing autographs and waving to fans; the real work of Kemp’s life began when he put the football down.

…Read More!

Monday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

It was a weekend of mini-camps around the NFL. It’s not often a tragedy is associated with three days of players practicing in shorts but that was before the Dallas Cowboys practice building fell down.

In Irving, Texas, the Cowboys rookies were working out Saturday afternoon when a severe thunderstorm rolled through with winds that reportedly were one MPH away from a tornado. Built about five years ago, the Cowboys indoor facility featured an air-supported, fabric roof. On this day, the wind caused the collapse of part of the roof and two sides of the building came crashing down on players, coaches and staff around 3:30 p.m. Before the incident was done, the entire building was down and in tatters.

When the carnage was finally cleared, scouting department assistant Rick Behm was permanently paralyzed from the waist down with a severed spinal cord. Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis was in a Dallas hospital awaiting surgery on Monday for a fractured cervical vertebrae and trainer Greg Gaither underwent surgery for a fractured tibia and fibula in his right leg. Gaither earned his master’s degree and worked at Kansas State (1999-2000).

That more people weren’t hurt was largely due to the small crowd involved in the practice, with less than 30 players and approximately 70 people on the field. That the afternoon left one person paralyzed was a tragic moment that would have been inconceivable just hours earlier. …Read More!

Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

The purge of the Chiefs personnel department ended on Friday with one more firing.

Administrative assistant Rosalind Ward was released Friday morning, bringing to eight the number of department employees that lost their jobs this past week.

The Chiefs have not announced any of the outgoing employees, but GM Scott Pioli did announce some incoming hires and holdovers.

Phil Emery has left the Atlanta Falcons to become the director of college scouting for the Chiefs. Former Patriots scout Jim Nagy was hired with the title of regional scout and Jay Muraco, Pat Sperduto and Rod Perry were named area scouts. Perry was with the team last year as personnel department assistant. Muraco comes over from the Patriots.

Those last three join the holdover area scouts Willie Davis and Terry Delp. Also staying is director of pro personnel Ray Famer.

This type of turnover is common when the leadership at the top of the organization changes. Pioli wants people he knows and scouts who understand what he’s looking for in players, whether they are coming out of college or already in pro football.

So far, however, the changes have cost the Chiefs a great deal of experience when it comes to player personnel and scouting pro football. …Read More!

Chiefs Announce Personnel Department Additions

Early in the week, Scott Pioli was cleaning house in the Chiefs personnel department.

On Friday, the team announced additions to the scouting area.

First, Ray Famer has been retained as the team’s director of pro personnel. Two area scouts were retained as well from the previous staff: former Chiefs WR Willie Davis and Terry Delp.

Promoted from the position of assistant in the pro personnel to area scout on the college side was Rod Perry.

Added as the director of college scouting is Phil Emery, who has spent the last five years with the Atlanta Falcons. Before that he did seven years with the Chicago Bears.

Added as a regional scout was Jim Nagy, who worked seven years as a scout for the Patriots. He’s been on site at Arrowhead Stadium for the last several months.

There were two new additions to the group of area scouts who will join Davis, Delp and Perry: Jay Muraco and Pat Sperduto.

Muraco spent the last nine seasons with the Patriots as the college scouting coordinator. He’s also worked for the personnel departments with the Chargers, Browns and Eagles. Before moving to New England in 2000 to join Pioli and Bill Belichick in their first year with the team he worked in Philadelphia.

Sperduto coached with Pioli back in 1991 at Murray State. He’s played and coached in the Arena Football League, his most recent stint was three years as head coach of the Nashville Kats. He’s also worked for the Tennessee Titans personnel department.

Bottom of the Bird Cage 5/1

It’s the 121st day of the year.

Back on May 1, 1931 the Empire State Building in New York was dedicated. At 102 stories tall, it was the world’s tallest building at the time. On May 1, 1960, Francis Gary Powers was shot down while flying a U-2 spy plane over the Soviet Union. That was back in what was known as the Cold War for those who can remember the days when Americans and Russians all thought the other guy was about to blow them up.

It was a huge day in baseball on May 1, 1991 as Rickey Henderson set the major league record for stolen bases when he got his 939th while with the Oakland A’s. That same day, Nolan Ryan threw his seventh no-hitter.

And born on May 1, 1925 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania was Chuck Bednarik. By the time he was done playing football he was known as “Concrete Charlie,” the last of the 60-minute players in pro football. During his 12 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (1949-60) he played center and linebacker and never left the field. He was the last of the two-way players. He was a tough guy but not because he played so much football; he was part of 30 combat missions over Germany in a B-24 aircraft where he was a gunner.

Although in failing health, Bednarik still lives in the Philadelphia area and he’s never been shy about commenting on today’s pro football players. He calls them “pussyfoots” and complains that they are “sucking air after just five plays.” He mentioned a few years ago that he didn’t think most of them “could tackle my wife Emma.”

Today, Concrete Charlie is 84.

Here’s a few shots from the AFC West, plus an inspirational story out of Miami that you should read. …Read More!

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Scott Pioli made it plain at the end of the 2009 Draft that the Chiefs were not done adding talent to the team’s roster.

There is going to be a lot of things that happen with other teams and with other people,” Pioli said. “There are going to be a lot of other opportunities. There are some people out there who are going to be free agents. It gets to about two weeks before the draft and some of the veteran free agents want to stop and settle down and see what teams are going to draft and see where they think their opportunities are the best.”

So who will Pioli be pursuing? Could it be a guy like Jason Taylor (right), who is a free agent after one season with Washington? How about former Bengals tackle Levi Jones, about to be released by Cincinnati? Maybe it’s DE Travis LaBoy, who is well known to head coach Todd Haley and defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast from their time in Arizona. LaBoy was released this week by the Cardinals.

Maybe it’s someone much less visible. Like the move the team announced on Thursday when it signed Eric Ghiaciuc, an unrestricted free agent from the Bengals who has been Cincinnati’s starting center for the past three seasons.

Figuring out the next move is like trying to figure out who the Chiefs were going to select in the ’09 Draft. There are some parts of the profile that can be predicted from the moves of the Patriots in the past. But this situation is so different and we have no idea four months in how Pioli/Haley really think about parts of their team.

But there are obvious holes on their roster as it stands right now. Signing Ghiaciuc helps address one of those openings by adding an experienced blocker.

Here are the top three areas where they need roster help. …Read More!