Chiefs, L.J. Reach Settlement

ESPN.com under the name of Chris Mortensen is reporting Saturday evening that the Chiefs and Larry Johnson have reached a setttlement on his suspension and his appeal will be withdrawn.

Johnson will remain suspended for two weeks, but it will cost him just one weekly paycheck, rather than two. NFL players are paid on a 17-week calendar during the season, so L.J. will be out $267,647, rather than double that amount.

His contract calls for him to receive a per-game bonus of $62,500. Since he won’t be available for the Jacksonville game, he will also lose that money, so his total ticket in money-lost for his use of slurs on his Twitter account and in the team’s locker room will be $330,147.

Under terms of the suspension, Johnson will return to the team on Monday, November 9th, the day after the Chiefs game in Jacksonville.

A settlement was sought by both the NFL and the NFL Players Association. Johnson’s suspension is new territory for the league and players and if the appeal had been heard, the decision of an arbitrator had potential pitfalls for both sides. That was especially crucial at this time when the parties are trying to reach a new collective bargaining agreement.

Book Review: Warren Moon’s Story

Never Give Up on Your Dream, by Warren Moon with Don Yaeger. Published by Da Capo Press. 264 pages. $25. Available through amazon.com and barnesnoble.com.

Warren Moon’s time in Kansas City with the Chiefs was short, just two seasons tacked on to the end of a remarkable career. If the reader is looking for a lot of insight on the 1999-2000 seasons that Moon spent with the Chiefs, this book will not prove satisfying.

There’s still every reason to read this autobiography, Never Give Up on Your Dream. Moon and writer Don Yaeger take the reader from childhood days in Los Angeles through his unique career as a quarterback, where he was a star at the high school level, the college ranks, the Canadian Football League and finally the NFL.

Most of the book is basic stuff that can be found in dozens of other books written by or with the help of the athlete. What makes Moon’s book a bit different is that he did not try to sweep under the rug or ignore some of the bumps in the road that came in his life. In fact, he talks at great length about the altercation with his first wife which led to him being charged with spousal abuse. He also covers his arrests in the last few years for driving under the influence while living in Seattle and working as a color commentator for the Seahawks Radio Network.

In a chapter titled “Not Perfect,” Moon recounts his arrest in July 1995 for spousal abuse. …Read More!

Around The AFC West … Bye-Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

While the Chiefs enjoy the weekend off, the rest of the AFC West plays on Sunday, so we thought it would be a good time to step back and take a look at the division.

There’s no way to consider the Chiefs part of a race for the AFC West title this season. Certainly, no way unless pharmaceuticals are involved. They are 1-6, Denver is 6-0. The Broncos could collapse, but the Chiefs would have to enjoy one of the greatest team comebacks in league history to get involved.

So consider this more of an assessment of the rest of the division and an indication of just how far the Chiefs are going to have to travel to get back to contender status. Right now, it looks like a long, long road.

DENVER BRONCOS (6-0)

Rookie head coach Josh McDaniels takes his Broncos to Baltimore to face a suddenly struggling Ravens team that is just 3-3 on the season. This would have to go down as probably the biggest test of Denver’s schedule to date; New England was a better team, but they played that game at Invesco Field.

The Broncos are 9th in offensive yards and second in fewest yards allowed on defense. They are the No. 1 scoring defense in the league, allowing just 66 points in six games. That’s an incredible 72 points under the league average at this point. Hiring Mike Nolan as his defensive coordinator was the smartest and most productive move that McDaniels made in the off-season. The Broncos are playing the best defense they’ve seen in the Rockies in some time. …Read More!

Texans End Losing Streak Behind Abner

The Texans-Chiefs franchise is celebrating its 50th season of play in 2009. This is another look at the founding team of the American Football League and its first season of play.

The Texans stopped their three-game losing streak by going on the road and beat the Denver Broncos 17-14 on Sunday, October 30, 1960. A crowd of 13,102 turned out at Bears Stadium in Denver to watch the contest.

It was also the breakout game for one of their best players in that first season: rookie RB Abner Haynes out of North Texas State. From this game on, Haynes became the focal point of the Texans offensive attack and combined with his duties as a punt and kick returner, the Dallas native established a legacy in the franchise’s very first season.

Dallas never trailed in this game, scoring first and leading throughout. But the outcome was not decided until 29 seconds remained to be played in the game. That’s when Broncos K Gene Mingo missed a 29-yard FG that would have tied the game. Remember, at that time there was no overtime in the regular season.

Playing under clear skies and cool conditions, this game turned into a defensive struggle. Twice the Texans put together long drives, going 61 and 78 yards, but came away from both without a point. Denver turned the ball over five times. That topped Dallas, as the Texans had four turnovers.

“The defense played well today,” coach Hank Stram said after the game. “Offensively, other than Abner it was disappointing.”

Haynes had a big game as he started a push that would eventually lead him to the AFL’s rookie of the year and player of the year honors for the inaugural season. Haynes had 177 yards in total offense against Denver, including a three-yard TD run in the second quarter. …Read More!

College Preview: Top 32 For ’10 Draft

We looked at the top 32 players among the seniors two weeks ago and last week we covered the top underclassmen in the country who could make themselves available for the 2010 NFL Draft.

Today, we bring the lists together, for what is a top 32 list here at the end of October. There’s plenty of possibility of changes, additions and deletions before the college season is over.

And certainly, before the Draft comes in April, there will be a lot of shuffling.

But after talking with a handful of scouts and personnel types around the country, here’s a list of 32 players who barring injury will be considered by some team in the first round. It’s dominated by defensive guys, including the top four positions and five of the first seven.

There seems little doubt right now among scouts that Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh (top right) is at the top of just about every team’s draft board, whether No. 1, 2 or 3. As one scout said, “He’s a physical freak.” To be that big at 6-4, 300 pounds, and to have the quickness and speed that Suh has displayed makes him a very desirable player for any defensive system.

Close behind Suh is Tennessee safety Eric Berry (top left), who is physically gifted and NFL scouts are excited about his exposure to Monte Kiffin, an NFL coaching legend who is handling the defense for his son with the Volunteers. …Read More!

Bye Weekend Thoughts … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

“Everybody has to be together on whatever we’re doing.”

As the Chiefs scattered on Thursday afternoon to enjoy a long weekend away from football, the words of OLB Mike Vrabel should never leave their thoughts.

Everybody has to be together on whatever we’re doing … Vrabel was speaking specifically of the Chiefs defense, but his words are compatible with every player on this team.

Whether they are headed to the bright lights of Vegas, or back to their alma mater, or home to a weekend of Mom’s cooking, the Chiefs need to ponder their season, the calendar and their commitment.

Essentially, it’s put up or shut up time. …Read More!

As The L.J. Turns … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

Somewhere under the bad boy façade he loves to wear, Larry Johnson is a very intelligent young man.

So why does he keep doing stupid things?

There are dozens of coaches, counselors, psychologists, friends, teammates and family members that have pondered this subject for years. They haven’t come up with any answers.

Just listen to what Larry Sr. told the Kansas City Star after the most recent La Affaire Larry:

“That’s just not who we are and not what we believe. It’s not how he was raised. It’s tough for me as a father. He does not hate gays. That’s not Larry, and that’s not our family. He’s my son. You can’t disown him. We just talk to him, listen to him, and help him move forward.”

That’s what everybody has said for years with Johnson and his stumbles – we are going to help him move forward. Eventually, however, L.J. ends up going backwards. It’s happened again, and again, and again. Yet I’ve seen so many times when he’s spent extra time signing autographs, intent on making sure everyone got what they wanted or came for. I’ve seen him do things like this while teammates, some with far better public perceptions, snuck out the back door to avoid the fans.

In case you’ve been incommunicado over the last 48 hours, L.J. shot off his mouth and twitter, said several things that were very inappropriate and was suspended Wednesday evening by the Chiefs for two weeks. He’ll lose two paychecks and a game bonus, pushing his loss on this case to right around $600,000.

But Johnson is not going down without a fight. His agent Peter Schaffer out of Denver says they will file an appeal challenging the suspension on Thursday. Schaffer said they will seek an expedited hearing. Any appeal would be heard by an arbitrator. Obviously we’ve not heard the last of this one. …Read More!

Chiefs Slap L.J. With Suspension

The Chiefs investigation is over and RB Larry Johnson has been suspended by the team.

Here’s the team’s statement:

“The Kansas City Chiefs have suspended RB Larry Johnson for conduct detrimental to the club effective immediately.  Johnson will not be permitted to participate in any team activities or be on team premises until Monday, November 9th.  The Chiefs will have no further comment on Johnson’s status at this time.”

Johnson’s suspension is related to his use of slur on a Twitter posting Sunday evening. He then used a similar slur when speaking to the Kansas City media on Monday.

It’s the second time in two seasons that Johnson has been suspended for his behavior. Last year, he was held out of three games by head coach Herm Edwards and suspended for one game by the NFL.

NFL players are paid on a 17-week schedule, so Johnson is in line to lose two weekly checks.

RIP Darvin Wallis

Darvin Wallis was unknown to most Chiefs fans during his 19 years working for the team. But believe me when I tell you he was one of the most remarkable men to ever pass through the doors of Arrowhead Stadium.

Wallis passed away over the weekend in a family cabin in Colorado. Details are sketchy at this point but he apparently died in his sleep. He was 60 years old.

Back in the most recent days when the Chiefs actually played good, sometimes great defense, Wallis was a big part of that. In his role as defensive quality control coach, Wallis worked with every defensive coordinator and head coach that passed through Arrowhead Stadium from 1989 through 2007.

He came to Kansas City with Marty Schottenheimer in 1989 and stayed through Gunther Cunningham, Dick Vermeil and Herm Edwards before retiring after the 2007 season.

“He was the best, just the best when it came to analyzing the opponent and the trends in their play calling,” said Schottenheimer. “I think anybody that worked with him would tell you he was the best. He was meticulous.” …Read More!

In Your Face With Tweets … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

One wonders what Vince Lombardi would have made of Twitter and Facebook.

The 21st Century and its modes of communication can leave the old school guys scratching their heads. There’s a story in the current Sports Illustrated about Penn State coach Joe Paterno and how this coaching legend supposedly doesn’t have a computer, cell phone and has no understanding of social communication systems like “facemask.” That’s what Joe Pa called it.

Todd Haley is half Paterno’s age, but he’s old school. Haley texts, he e-mails, but the whole Twitter thing, well he’s out of the loop on that one.

“I’ve never looked at it or seen it,” Haley said of Twitter. “I ask the question every time the word comes up: what exactly is it?

“I understand this is a new age and there are a lot of different ways to communicate but I’m really worried about one thing and that’s trying to get this team going. That is my number one job and all that I really care about outside of the man upstairs and my family.”

Haley’s gotten an education this week about Twitter thanks to one of Joe Pa’s old charges, Larry Johnson and the running back’s tweets on Sunday night after the 30-point drubbing from the Chargers. …Read More!

Bye-Week Practice Report 10/27

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs ran through a 90-minute practice session on Tuesday afternoon, the first of three bye-week workouts on their schedule.

“Very productive day; this is a very important week for us,” said head coach Todd Haley. “I think these bye weeks are important, especially to teams like us.  This is an opportunity to do a little catchup offensively so to speak and to clean up some of the issues that have consistently given us problems.”

The Chiefs got what sounds like good news on the left knee injury suffered by C Rudy Niswanger. He underwent an arthroscopic procedure on Monday and the report was good. Haley said Niswanger would return this season and he  wouldn’t even rule him out for the Chiefs next game on Nov. 7 against Jacksonville.

FS Jon McGraw did not participate in practice, and Haley said only that he has a strained leg muscle. WR Lance  Long did not practice, as he deals with the after-effects of the head trauma he sustained on Sunday. And out of the work on Monday was NT Ron Edwards, who was ill.

Oh, and RB Larry Johnson was not with the team, told to stay home by the club until investigations of his comments from Sunday and Monday are concluded.

LT Branden Albert worked with the No. 1 offensive line and seemed to be moving around quite well on that left ankle.

Back on the field was WR Quinten Lawrence, added to the Chiefs practice squad after being released from the active roster over the weekend. Lawrence took the spot held by Long, who was promoted to the 53-man roster over the weekend.

The Chiefs announced no other roster moves.

Twitter Dee, Twitter Dumb … Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs have suspended RB Larry Johnson without really suspending him.

Confused? Welcome to the world of L.J. and discipline. Call it a not so secret double-secret probation, or in this case a pre-suspension.

The team announced  on Tuesday that until investigations by the Chiefs and the NFL of recent comments by Johnson are completed, they’ve asked him to “refrain from practicing with the Chiefs or  participating in other team activities.”

Those activities include a bye week practice early Tuesday afternoon at the team’s facility.

On Tuesday, Johnson issued an apology for his use of the slur “fag” on his Tweeter page on Sunday night and on Monday infront of group of Kansas City media. The apology came out of the office of his agent Peter Schaeffer.

“I regret my actions,” the apology reads. “The words were used by me in frustration and they were not appropriate. I did not intend to offend anyone, but it is n o excuse for what I said.”

All this comes almost exactly a year after he was inactive and suspended last season by the Chiefs (three games) and the NFL (one game) for his behavior on and off the field. That ranged from an October 19 game against Tennessee through a November 9 game at San Diego.

Discipline could be imposed by the Chiefs and/or the NFL.

Still Searching For A Team … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

Certainly, Todd Haley learned a lesson in the last few days, actually there were probably quite a few teaching moments for the rookie head coach.

His running back is tweeting, his center has a knee injury that makes his 2009 future very much in doubt, the offense, defense and special teams are coming off a combined failure in performance, his credentials are being questioned and his team is 1-6.

T.G.I.B.W. – Thank God it’s the bye week.

With a weekend off coming up, there’s no opponent to prepare for, no game plan to implement. The Chiefs can study and prepare for their most serious foe of this season – themselves.

One of the lessons Haley learned, if he didn’t already know, was that just because a team practices well on Friday, doesn’t mean it’s going to play well on Sunday.

Especially in the case of the fragile ’09 Chiefs, a group that simply can’t be called a team seven games into the season.

A group of players that has come together and created the internal chemistry needed to win games in the NFL has its best Friday practice of the season, and shows that on Sunday. Maybe they don’t win the game, but they certainly play better than what was seen at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chiefs.

What happened?

“I don’t know if I have a theory,” Haley said on Monday, after brushing aside questions concerning Larry Johnson’s Tweeter rampage from Sunday evening. “I don’t think there was a player on the team after we got off the field Friday that didn’t think we were going to have anything but a great chance to win the game.

“I think when the game didn’t start out positively or quickly went south it kind of caught some guys off guard and really threw some people off. That’s the closest I can come to a theory. We didn’t execute in all phases and you’re not going to have a chance to win if you don’t.”

That’s evidence enough that the ’09 Chiefs remain a group of ever changing 53 players. They are not a team.

Would Haley agree? …Read More!

From The Mouth of Todd 10/26

From the Truman Sports Complex

Boy, the room was pretty crowded Monday afternoon for Todd Haley’s weekly meeting with the media.

Lots of mini-cams, lots of sports talk types, lots of scribblers. We don’t normally see this kind of crowd for a 1-6 football team.

But then these Chiefs like to do things differently. Larry Johnson’s Twitter blast at Haley’s credentials to be a head coach was on everybody’s mind. So too, apparently were homophobic comments and tweets that have now been removed from Johnson’s Twitter.com account.

Haley had little to say about the situation, commenting only that the organization was looking into the situation. As much as the media tried, Johnson would not budge from his stance. The head coach handled himself very well in this situation, maybe better than he did in the first quarter of Sunday’s game when he called for a fourth-and-one play at his own 41-yard line.

This meeting with the media lasted 28 minutes, the longest of the season to date.

Here are the highlights: …Read More!

Twitter Dee, Twitter Dumb

From the Truman Sports Complex

Put Larry Johnson and Jamaal Charles into a room, hand them a standardized test and put them on the clock and there’s no doubt who would answer the most questions in the shortest amount of time and achieve the highest score.

That would be Johnson.

But on Monday, Charles showed he’s a lot smarter and brighter than his teammate. During the Chiefs open locker room period the second-year running back was asked about the Twitter comments of his teammate that sound like blasts of head coach Todd Haley and his lack of a background in playing football.

Charles doesn’t always do the right thing on the football field – see the blocked punt by San Diego on Sunday – but on this day in the locker room, he handled things a lot smarter than Johnson did Sunday night.

“I’m staying away from that,” said Charles. “I’m just going out there and playing, I’m not getting caught up in that.”

Does it bother Charles that Haley did not play football in college or the pros? …Read More!

So Much For the Winning Streak

From Arrowhead Stadium

A bye week may be the best tonic for what ails the Chiefs right now.

And maybe not.

“I don’t know what we are going to solve with three days of practice and a weekend off,” said OLB Mike Vrabel after the Chiefs were hammered by the San Diego Chargers 37-7 on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

The now 1-6 Chiefs are off next Sunday, with their next game coming on November 8 at Jacksonville.

“Disappointed, mad, a little bit of a letdown because we won a tough game last week on the road,” said head coach Todd Haley. “We had as good a week of practice as we had. It was the best Friday (practice) of the year and we were excited to get to the game.

“We got our butts kicked across the board.”

This was a major step backwards for Haley and his team. It was easily their worst performance of the season to date, and there have been some bad ones in seven games this season.

As always there was plenty to talk about. Here’s what we have:

• GAME STORY: A step backward.
• COLUMN: Where does this team go now?
• OFFENSE: This one was ugly.
• SPECIAL TEAMS: Not so special.
• NOTES: Defense struggles.
• GAMEBOOK

Pre-Game Report 10/25 Inactives Update

From Arrowhead Stadium

11 am. – PUNT & KICKOFF RETURNS: Out early catching punts in pre-game are WR Bobby Wade and CB Maurice Leggett. Handling kickoffs are RB Jamaal Charles, RB Dantrell Savage and WR Terrance Copper. Wade and Charles remain the No. 1 options on returns.

10:50 a.m. – CHIEFS STARTERS REMAIN THE SAME: With both Branden Albert and Jarrad Page inactive today, starters will be the same as last week with Wade Smith opening at left tackle and JonMcGraw at free safety. Another strong performance will strengten McGraw’s grip on the starting job.

10:50 a.m. – VERSATILE CHARLES: Don’t be surprised if RB Jamaal Charles isn’t more WR Jamaal Charles against the Chargers. Charles has done more and more work with the receivers and he and Mike Cox were the only RBs on the field for the Chiefs pregame throwing session. …Read More!

Defense Needs Big Day … Game-Day Cup O’Chiefs

There is so much that the Chiefs must show on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium against the Chargers.

Some sort of consistent offensive performance is badly overdue and it would certainly help matters if they can run the football. The kicking game has been the most consistent part of the Chiefs through six games and it must be so again because San Diego brings in the biggest little man in the game, Olathe’s Darren Sproles.

And more than anything, on Sunday we find out just who should get credit for the defensive performance of the Chiefs in their victory last week against Washington.

Was it the Chiefs defense coming together and implementing Clancy Pendergast’s plan that did not allow a touchdown? Or, was it an out of synch, out of sorts and out of whack Redskins offense that could not score a touchdown?

Seven days later, the Chiefs defense takes the field against the Chargers. Kickoff is noon and the television broadcast is on CBS.

San Diego’s offense under head coach/offensive guru Norv Turner is not a well-oiled machine. They’ve had problems running the football and are tied for last in the NFL at just 57.6 rushing yards per game. QB Philip Rivers is throwing the ball well and has hit a couple of big plays, but the pass protection is spotty.

It’s another opportunity for the 2009 Chiefs defense to distance itself from last year’s group that finished the season ranked No. 31 in yards allowed in the league. …Read More!

Lamar & Military Honored On Sunday

It will be a day of honor at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday when the Chiefs host the Chargers.

First, both teams will honor their history by wearing throwback uniforms. The Chiefs will be in replica uniforms of the 1962 Dallas Texans, while the Chargers will be wearing the uniforms of the early San Diego teams.

In pre-game ceremonies, the late Lamar Hunt will be celebrated with ceremonies honoring the designation of a stretch of I-435 as the Lamar Hunt Memorial Highway. Signs will be erected northbound near the Stadium Drive/Raytown Road exit, and southbound near the 48th Street and Worlds of Fun exit. Various polilticos will be on the field along with members of the Hunt family. …Read More!

Mr. Relevant’s Good Start … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

So far, Ryan Succop has been very relevant.

The only noticeable contribution the Chiefs have received from their 2009 NFL Draft class is coming from Succop, pick No. 256 and the final man selected in this year’s annual selection meeting. That’s how he earned the title “Mr. Irrelevant” and was honored in southern California back in June.

With his four field goals last week against Washington and his general performance over the first six games on the field goals and kickoffs, a shaky kicking situation for the better part of the last decade looks like it may have stabilized itself with the addition of Succop.

He’s young (23 years old), big at 6-2, 223 pounds and talented. But what has impressed special teams coach Steve Hoffman more than anything is Succop’s demeanor and mental approach to the job.

“He’s a joy to work with,” Hoffman said on Friday. “He’s a great kid. He’s willing to listen. He’s tried some things, but in all honesty, I haven’t had to do a whole lot with him. He’s naturally gifted. He’s got great height, weight, he’s got a smooth swing.

“I think the best thing about him is mentally he seems to handle it so well. Nothing seems to phase him. He’s just even keel, which is the way you have to be.” …Read More!

College Preview: Underclassmen

     Tennesse S Eric Berry                                     Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy

Right now, the scouts and personnel people in the NFL say there is more talent available at the top of the list of junior players than can be found with the senior class.

There’s nothing unusual about that and like the seniors that will be available for the 2010 NFL Draft, most of the top talent is on the defensive side.

Tennessee safety Eric Berry and Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy top the list right now. Florida DE Carlos Dunlap and ILB Rolando McClain from Alabama are also among the top five or six picks.

Back in August, the number one underclassmen name was Heisman Trophy winner, QB Sam Bradford of Oklahoma. But his shoulder injury and then his re-aggravating of the injury dropped him down the list, if only a few places. The NFL has seen Bradford’s abilities; the question around the league now is about his durability.

Another potential top 10 pick, WR Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State found himself suspended by the NCAA for his contact with former NFL CB Deion Sanders. Whether that affects his standing in the ’10 Draft will depend on what he gets done for scouts starting in February.

Here’s the list of the 32 best underclassmen as compiled from a number of scouts and other sources: …Read More!

Practice Report 10/23 Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

The chances do not look good for starting LT Branden Albert being on the field Sunday against the Chargers with the No. 1 offense.

Albert is listed as questionable on the Chiefs official injury report to the league office. Head coach Todd Haley said it would be a game time decision. Haley did not rule out the possibility that Albert could be active and not start.

Other than Albert, there appears to be no game-day inactive decisions that will be based on injuries. Also on the club’s injury report are LG Brian Waters (ankle), RT Ryan O’Callaghan (shoulder) and FS Jarrad Page (shoulder). All are listed as probable. O’Callaghan suffered some sort of neck/shoulder  injury during Thursday’s  practice,  but he was working with the No. 1 offense on Friday, wearing a neck roll.

Haley took his team indoors for Friday’s final practice of Chargers week.

Albert was not working with the first or second team offensive lines, so the chances  of him starting are slim. Wade Smith will open at LT. It appears that Jon McGraw will open at free safety, which would likely mean that Page would be  inactive since his special teams involvement is minimal.

How Long Can He Survive? … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

Matt Cassel stood at the podium in the room where he holds his weekly gab with the media and he didn’t look any worse for wear.

He was waterlogged from a practice outside in the rain on Thursday afternoon and those off to the side of where he was speaking could see the wrap that he still wears on his left knee.

Funny, but he did not look like a piñata.

But that’s how opposing pass rushes have been treating him for the last three weeks: like a living, breathing crash dummy. Cassel has been sacked 14 times in the last three games: five by the Giants, four by the Cowboys and five last Sunday by the Redskins. In five games, he’s gone down 19 times.

And that does not include all the other times he’s been knocked to the ground. In the last five games, press-box stats put that number at 39. That’s probably on the low side.

But that’s 19 sacks, 39 knockdowns, or 58 times he’s ended up in the dirt. That’s almost a dozen times per game.

How is Matt Cassel going to survive the season? Can he last 10 more games?

“Heck yeah,” Cassel said with a smile. “I’m ready to rock and roll.”

He has been rocked and he has definitely been rolled. The enthusiasm he showed in answering that question is something he’s going to need just to get out of bed in the morning. The odds are not with him surviving this continuing onslaught. …Read More!

Opponent: San Diego Chargers

2009 record: 2-3, with victories over Oakland and Miami, and losses to Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Denver. The Chargers are minus-12 in point differential.

Last year’s record: 8-8, first place in the AFC West. They beat Indianapolis in the wildcard round 23-17, then lost in the Divisional round to Pittsburgh 35-24.

Record for the last five seasons: 56-30 including the playoffs, with four AFC West division titles and a 2-4 record in the playoffs.

Last appearance in the playoffs: last season, going 1-1 with a victory at home over the Colts and a loss on the road at Pittsburgh.

Head coach: Norv Turner is in his third season as head coach of the Chargers (2007-09), 24-18 record at this point. Turner was previously head coach in Washington for seven seasons and Oakland for two seasons. His overall head coaching record in the NFL is now 83-101-1.

Coordinators: Clarence Shelmon, offense; Ron Rivera, defense and Steve Crosby, special teams. …Read More!

Practice Report 10/22 Upate

From the Truman Sports Complex

Todd Haley pretty much thought the heavy stuff wasn’t going to come down for quite awhile. So he took his team outside to practice Thursday morning despite a steady rain that had soaked everything and everyone in a matter of minutes.

“I like the rain,” Haley said afterwards. “It was pretty pleasant out there today. These are conditions that we have to play in. Days like today, being a wide receivers coach for so long, you kind of wanted days like this to really concentrate. I loved windy days and rainy days as a receivers coach because it required great concentration to get the job done.

“I thought today was very productive before it was all over. It didn’t start that way, but it ended up pretty good.”

No, at the start there were a lot of dropped passes by receivers. The ball was wet, the receivers’ gloves were wet and the rain was still falling. At one point, Haley pulled all his quarterbacks and receivers together for a huddle. His words could  not be heard but his point was being made very clearly: concentrate. …Read More!

Mr. Smiths Go To Practice … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

If your initials were K.S., then the spotlight fell on you at the Chiefs on Wednesday.

Kenny Smith spent his first day with his new teammates, signed by the Chiefs as a backup nose tackle and filling the roster spot that came open with the trade of Tank Tyler. For the 32-year old Mississippi native, it’s his first week on an active roster in six years.

Kolby Smith was back on the practice field for the first time this season, as the Chiefs activated him from the Physically Unable-To-Perform List. That’s where he’s been residing since the start of training camp as he rehabbed his right knee. He suffered a torn patella tendon in that knee against Tampa Bay last November 2nd at Arrowhead Stadium.

While these guys play on opposite sides of the line of scrimmage and have traveled very different road to get to the Chiefs practice field on Wednesday, they share one common trait: patience. Without it, both Kenny and Kolby Smith would have gone on to their next careers some time ago.

“Once you’ve got a dream, you don’t ever give up on it,” Kenny Smith said. “I never let go of it. I just kept pushing myself.” …Read More!

Defense Struggles Again & Notes

From Arrowhead Stadium

So now we know that the Chiefs defensive performance last week against Washington had more to do with the struggling Redskins than it did with the struggling red and gold.

“You can’t come out and play like that and think you’re going to win,” said DE Glenn Dorsey.

Defensively, the Chiefs could not handle WR Vincent Jackson in the first half, or RB Darren Sproles in the second half. Each one of those guys had a TD catch from QB Philip Rivers, who was not sacked and the Chiefs did not produce an interception.

Jackson caught five passes for 142 yards, including a pair of 51-yard gains, and all that was in the first half. He didn’t catch a pass in the second half, but then he didn’t have too.

The second half  TD went to Sproles, who was wide open in the right flat and caught a 10-yard pass from Rivers and then raced to the end zone. FS Jon McGraw had no chance of tackling him as Sproles was too quick and a late dive by CB Brandon Flowers couldn’t slow him down. The 58-yard play was one of the three that San Diego had that went over 50 yards. …Read More!

Another Offensive Performance From Offense

From Arrowhead Stadium

Jamaal Charles almost sounded like he was pleading. Unfortunately, the only people he was talking to was a media scrum that formed in front of his locker after the Chiefs got drubbed by the Chargers 37-7.

“You watch them make plays,” Charles said of the Chargers, “and we’ve got good players too. Why can’t we make good plays like they do?”

Good question! It’s not one that anybody around the Chiefs has much of an answer for right now.

“I don’t know what was going through our heads,” said RB Larry Johnson. “I don’t know whether it was false happiness or thinking that we were going to come in and San Diego was just going to lay down because they just played Monday night. I don’t know what it was.”

The lack of good plays on offense was not something new; it’s been a problem all season. Right now, seven games into the 2009 season, the Chiefs are averaging just 251.6 offensive yards per game. They couldn’t reach that average against San Diego, getting just 203 yards. …Read More!

Nothing Special About Kicking Game

From Arrowhead Stadium

If covering punts and kickoffs were the only measure of a special teams performance, then the Chiefs had one heckuva game on Sunday against the Chargers.

Facing one of the league’s most explosive returners in RB Darren Sproles, they didn’t give up a return longer than 18 yards. Sproles returned just one punt for 18 yards and he returned two kickoffs for an average of 17 yards. One of those two kickoff returns also went for 18 yards.

Yes, the Chiefs kicking game had Sproles bottled up.

But the rest of the special teams business was bad. After being the most consistent portion of the Chiefs game over the first six weeks, the bottom fell out of the kicking game.

The ugliest moment was a blocked punt by the Chargers that turned into a San Diego touchdown. …Read More!

Column: Where Is This Team Going?

From Arrowhead Stadium

Have you ever taken a novice driver out and tried to teach them how to operate a moving vehicle?

If you have, then the herky, jerky nature of the 2009 Chiefs season is familiar.

Last week, the Chiefs did the equivalent of driving on the highway, staying in their lane and exiting properly. Then Sunday at Arrowhead, the Chiefs drove off the road, into the other lane, crashed into a bridge abutment and dented every side of the car.

Right now, the tow truck is waiting to haul this team away. The question is, where does it go? Just what direction is the team headed for over the final nine games of the ’09 season?

When a team loses by 30 points at home to a division rival, it’s pretty darn hard to pinpoint one play or situation that decided the game. There were many moments in the Chiefs-Chargers battle where the guys with the lightning bolts showed beyond a shadow of a doubt they were the better team.

They were helped by the Chiefs, and especially their head coach. …Read More!

Chiefs Get Blasted By Chargers, 37-7

From Arrowhead Stadium

On an ugly October afternoon, the Chiefs played an ugly brand of football. Offense, defense and special teams all contributed to a 37-7 pasting from the San Diego Chargers.

By the time this one was over, the fans left in the Arrowhead stands could be counted by sight as a steady rain fell and the Chiefs bumbled about to their sixth loss of the 2009 season.

The rebuilding process is often very ugly, but the one thing that makes it possible to survive the troubled times are signs of progress. For the announced paid attendance of 69,337 that showed up on Sunday, there was nothing good visible.

“Disappointed, mad, a little bit of a letdown because we won a tough game last week on the road,” said head coach Todd Haley. “We had as good a week of practice as we had. It was the best Friday (practice) of the year and we were excited to get to the game.

“We got our butts kicked across the board.”

This was a major step backwards for Todd Haley and his team. It was easily their worst performance of the season to date, and there have been some bad ones in seven games this season.

In the 50-season history of games between these two franchises that were born the same year and have lived together in the AFC West since 1960, no San Diego team has ever administered a beating as bad as the one that went down on this Sunday. And, those 30 points could have easily been 40, because the Chargers wasted chances for another touchdown and field goal.

“This was unexpected,” said OLB Mike Vrabel. “I can’t explain it.” …Read More!

Practice Report 10/21 Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs got back to work Wednesday morning, showing no hangover from their first victory of the season.

“I thought today was a good tempo and had a good feel to it, from meeting and through practice,” said head coach Todd Haley. “It seemed like everybody was concentrating and ready to get to work.”

Working outside, where a few sprinkles were falling 45 minutes into the session, Haley had 51 of 53 active roster players taking part. Missing were RG Mike Goff and LT Branden Albert. Goff  was absent with permission, handling some personal matters according to Haley. He’s expected back on Thursday

Albert missed last Sunday’s victory over Washington because of a left ankle injury. He was in the rehab area and did some light jogging along with walking laps. Albert is no longer wearing a boot on the left foot. “He’s night and day from where he was,” said  Haley. “I’m hopeful from the progress he’s shown from when he had the injury until  now, he’s got a chance.”

Working with the No. 1 defense was Jon McGraw at free safety, stepping into Jarrad Page’s spot. Haley acknowledged the change, but said the position would be evaluated on a daily basis.

Taking part  in practice was RB Kolby Smith. He’s been on the Physically-Unable-To-Perform List since the start of training camp, recovering from the knee injury he suffered back on November 2, 2008 against Tampa  Bay. …Read More!

Chiefs Add Nose Tackle

There’s one thing we can say for sure about G.M. Scott Pioli – if a player has spent any time with the New England Patriots  in this decade there’s a chance he’ll be wearing a Chiefs uniform by the close of business  in 2009.

With a need at nose tackle after trading Tank Tyler to Carolina, on Wednesday morning the Chiefs announced the signing of Kenny Smith.

No not the retired basketball player from North Carolina. This Kenny Smith is the 32-year old semi-retired football player out of Mississippi and the University of Alabama. Smith has not played in an NFL regular season game since the 2003 season. That’s six years off the field. Smith was with the New Orleans Saints at the time, where he was a third-round draft selection in the 2001 NFL Draft.

Smith spent 2001-20004 with New Orleans. He signed as an unrestricted free agent with Oakland in 2005, but ended up on the injured-reserve list and was released in November of that year. The 2006 season was blank for Smith, who sat out the year.

In 2007, he signed with Tampa Bay in March, but was released in April. Smith then signed with New England in June, and was released in August. He re-signed with the Patriots before the 2008 season, but ended up on injured-reserve again. The Pats released him in June ’09.

Smith is 6-4, 303 pounds with 30 games of NFL experience.

Square Pegs In Round Holes … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Chiefs fans with some longevity remember the name Willie Scott. He was the 1980s Tank Tyler.

On Monday, the Chiefs dealt Tyler to the Carolina Panthers for a fifth-round draft choice. The deal was not made because Tyler can’t play the game. The reason for the trade was simply that Tyler did not fit what the Chiefs are looking for in a nose tackle.

When you take the puzzle of an NFL roster and alter the picture with the type of massive changes that have happened with the Chiefs franchise, all the old pieces are not going to fit in the new puzzle. That’s what happened with Tyler.

But it’s not the first time a highly drafted player on the Chiefs ended up losing his spot on the Kansas City roster because he was a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. That brings us back to Willie Scott.

He was the team’s first-round selection in the 1981 NFL Draft, a tight end out of the University of South Carolina. At 6-4, 250 pounds, Scott was picked by Marv Levy and his coaching staff because of his blocking ability, not because of his history as a receiver with the Gamecocks. In Scott’s senior season, teammate George Rogers won the Heisman Trophy running for over 5,000 yards in his career, with Scott blocking throughout those three seasons.

Rogers was the first player taken in the 1980 NFL Draft. Scott was grabbed No. 14 by the Chiefs. While he did not immediately become a starter, Scott was the blocker that Levy was looking for that year. Scott helped fellow rookie, second-round choice Joe Delaney to more than 1,000 rushing yards and a trip to the Pro Bowl. …Read More!

Offense Continues Struggles … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

The fans are unhappy. The offensive play caller has lost his job. The offense can’t score many points and has problems in both the running and passing game, largely because the offensive line is banged up and underperforming.

The head coach is from the offensive side of the football street and there’s a lot of pressure on him to fix his struggling offense.

Fans of the Chiefs saw this team on Sunday, except for that portion of the game where CBS-TV lost the signal coming from FedEx Field. But then they’ve seen them all season.

No, we are not taking about the Redskins here. We are talking about the Chiefs.

Redskins Nation is pondering the eminent departure of head coach Jim Zorn, who had his play-calling duties removed after losing to the Chiefs on Sunday. Washington has struggled on the offensive side of the football all season.

But get this: after six games the offensive numbers of the Redskins are better across the board than the Chiefs offensive numbers. Washington has thrown for more yards, run for more yards, provided better pass protection, picked up more yards per passing attempt and completed more passes than the Kansas City offense. …Read More!

Chiefs Deal Tank

The Chiefs traded NT Tank Tyler to the Carolina Panthers Monday evening.

In return, they will get the Panthers fifth-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft. Based on Carolina’s season to date, that looks like a high spot in the fifth round.

Tyler came to the Chiefs as a third-round draft choice in 2007 out of North Carolina State. The big man became expendable because of the play of Ron Edwards on the nose, along with his problems of making the adjustment from the 3-4 to the 4-3 defense. 

He got only a handful of plays in Sunday’s game against the Redskins. Tyler started the first two games on the nose, but then lost the job to Edwards. He’s credited with 22 tackles on the season.

The Panthers have been trying to upgrade their defensive tackle situation since starter Maake Kemoeatu suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the first training camp practice.

“Tank is a  young defensive tackle who we think will fit in well with us,” Panthers general manager Marty Hurney told the Charlotte Observer. “He has good size and athletic ability and we are excited to have him join the Carolina Panthers.”

The move leaves open a spot on the Chiefs 53-man active roster. The NFL deadline for trades is Tuesday afternoon.

From the Mouth of Todd 10/19

From the Truman Sports Complex

For the first time in his short career as an NFL head coach, Todd Haley was able to meet the media horde without a big fat zero attached to his record and name.

That first victory came on Sunday in Washington and although the Redskins might be really in disarray right now and the Chiefs were unable to punch a touchdown across the goal line, a win, is a win, is a win.

“After looking at the tape, I’m very encouraged by some of the things I saw,” said Haley. “Our defense probably put together our most complete performance. Offensively though we didn’t score enough points, we only had two penalties and no turnovers, again. I think on the road that’s critical (no turnovers) to your chances for success. Special teams for the most part were very good.”

Here are some more of the highlights from his 19-minute session with the media scum. …Read More!

Victory Day For Chiefs In D.C.

From FedEx Field

On a chilly, wet and windy afternoon in the Washington D.C. suburbs the Chiefs celebrated one of their more memorable moments in recent franchise history.

It wasn’t so much what happened during their game with the Redskins. In many ways it was a very pedestrian contest with only a few highlights; not surprising since a touchdown was not scored all afternoon by either team. The point maker was rookie kicker Ryan Succop (above).

It was about how the lights on the scoreboard were arranged after all the work was done. The outcome was a victory, the first of the Pioli/Haley Era. After six games, the Chiefs finally found the winning combination and beat the struggling Redskins 14-6.

It was a defensive battle that made both offenses look pretty lame at times. The Chiefs had many of their same problems that helped them go 0-5 for the season. The pass protection for QB Matt Cassel was spotty at best. RB Larry Johnson had his best rushing day of the season, but still he hasn’t cracked anything higher than 83 yards. The defense gave up several big plays, but did well with the bend but don’t break style.

So much to write and talk about after this one. Here’s what we’ve got:

• GAME STORY – Finally, A Victory For Chiefs.
• COMMENTARY – Dwayne Bowe Finding Peace.
• OFEFNSE – L.J. Enjoys a Homecoming.
• DEFENSE – Variety Drives Chiefs Defensive Performance.
• SPECIAL TEAMS & NOTES
• GAMEBOOK

Pre-Game Report 10/18 Inactives Update

From FedEx Field

10:50 a.m. – The field is now uncovered and the turf looks to be in so-so shape for this game. Several spots have been patchced including a strip of grass running down the sideline in front of the Redskins bench. As the players begin working on the surface, footing appears to be so-so.

Chiefs will be wearing red for today’s game, as the Redskins go with the white tops.

10:45 a.m. – Kudos to Chiefs President Denny  Thum and former players Larry Marshall and Kelly Goodburn for their efforts on Saturday when they visited Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The trio jumped off the Chiefs charter flight into BWI Airport and headed directly to the hospital, where they met with soldiers injured during action in both Iraq and Afghanistan.  

10:40 a.m. – Both teams made roster moves on Saturday. The Chiefs  promoted OT Barry Richardson from the practice squad and released recently signed LB Justin Rogers. The Redskins promoted P Glenn Pakulak from the practice squad and released DE Renaldo Wynn.

For the Chiefs, Jon McGraw will start for Jarrad Page at free safety and Wade Smith will start for Branden Albert at left tackle. The Redskins have a revamped offensive line for this game, as Stephon Heyer moves from RT to LT in place of Chris Samuels. Stepping in at RT is Mike Williams and the new starting RG is Will  Montgomery.

The Redskins will also  have WR Devin Thomas  in the starting lineup, replacing Malcolm Kelly.

10:35 a.m. – The FedEx Field grounds crew is just now taking the tarp of the playing surface. There is still a light mist falling and the wind has picked up at field level. No question that the weather conditions have played havoc with the Chiefs routine of having their quarterbacks and receivers spend about 15 minutes running routes and throwing passes.

10:30 a.m. – Game-day inactive players for the Redskins are P Hunter Smith, CB Kevin Barnes, RB Anthony Alrdige, OT Chris Samuels, LB Robert Henson, G Chand Rinehart, WR Marko Mitchell and DT Anthony Montgomery. The Redskins have just two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. The backup for starter Jason Campbell is former Chiefs backup QB Todd Collins.

10:25 a.m. – Game-day inactive players for the Chiefs are WR Quinten Lawrence, CB Donald Washignton, FS Jarrad Page, LT Branden Albert, TE Jake O’Connel, TE Brad Cottam and LB Pierre Walters. Serving as the inactive third quarterback is Matt Gutierrez.

9:30 a.m. – The morning has dawned gray, cool and rainy. Right now the rain is light, but everything in this part of the world is soaking wet, since  it’s been raining for two days. The FedEx Field field (?) is covered at this time and there is a lot of water on top of the tarp. The weather report is rain throughout the day, with temperatures at game-time reaching the mid 40s. There is a healthy wind blowing at the top of the stadium, but the ribbons on top the uprights are only moving a bit.

Elevating Toughness … Game-Day Cup O’Chiefs

From Linthicum, Maryland

For just about every person, there is a different definition for the word tough.

Some see the word as descriptive of a person or situation that’s hard to deal with. Some use the word to describe a person who is physically strong. Others find it the word to define mental strength. Webster’s Dictionary has eight different definitions with words that range from rough, to stern, to difficult.

Tough is the word of the day as the Chiefs face Game No. 6 of their 2009 season. They will be in FedEx Field to face the Washington Redskins. Kickoff is noon, with television on CBS.

It’s already been a tough season for the Chiefs. They showed some toughness last week when they came back in the final minutes of regulation to tie up the Cowboys and send the game into overtime. Matters got tough in the extra period and they ended up losing another game. Mental toughness has been lacking all year, as evidenced by their high rank in penalties.

And there is the question that has hovered over the Chiefs franchise for some time: are they tough enough, do they have the disposition and mentality to be a contender, rather than pretender? Todd Haley has said since day one that he wants his team to be smart, tough and well conditioned.

But just what is the head coach’s definition of tough? …Read More!

Chiefs Add Richardson

From Linthicum, Maryland

Before they left Kansas City on their charter flight to BWI Airport, the Chiefs promoted OT Barry Richardson from the practice squad to the active roster.

To make room for Richardson, they released OLB Justin Rogers, who was signed on Tuesday.

LT Branden Albert did not make the trip. He did not practice all week because of a left ankle  injury.

Montana-Elway, 15 Years Ago Today

It was a chilly evening in Denver 15 years ago on the evening of October 17, 1994.

But the action on the field at Mile High Stadium was hot. And epic, and unforgettable.

The Chiefs against the Broncos. Joe Montana versus John Elway. Monday night football.

Several years ago, ABC conducted a poll to determine the greatest games in the history of Monday Night Football. The ’94 victory by the Chiefs over the Broncos ranked among the five most memorable games in what is now a nearly 40 years for the historic national TV broadcast.

“Those kinds of battles you get in are the fun games for a quarterback,” Montana said several years ago. “You’re going against the guy that can, you know if you let him back on the field, he’ll do the same thing back to you.” …Read More!

Help From The Kicking Game … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

This week, the Chiefs offense is ranked 30th in the league. The Chiefs defense after five games is ranked No. 32, or dead last in the NFL.

Those numbers are the best explanation available for the 0-5 record.

But there is one facet of football that has consistently gotten things done for the 2009 Chiefs it has been the special teams. With few exceptions, the kicking game has been mediocre or better through five games. Punter Dustin Colquitt ranks among the best in the league. His net punting average is No. 1. The Chiefs coverage team is first in punt coverage. Ryan Succop (left) has been one of the most solid and consistent kickers in the league.

While the offense and defense have had major problems with production and consistency, Todd Haley’s special teams have been reliable. They’ve been so reliable that the Chiefs head coach has been willing to roll the dice and take some chances in the kicking game, a fake punt and an onside kick in a surprise situation.

“”We’ve done a good job of covering kicks (both) kickoffs and punts,” said Haley. “Our kickers have done a pretty good job for the most part. I would have liked to see the result of the field goal last week had we blocked them up front because I thought that Ryan hit it very good. It sounded like it. I think our punter has been a little inconsistent and we’ve been fortunate the ball has got on the ground in the right spots and rolled the right way. So, we’ve got to be better there. …Read More!

Texans Losing Streak Reaches 3 With Loss To Oilers

The Texans-Chiefs franchise is celebrating its 50th season of play in 2009. This is another look at the founding team of the American Football League and its first season of play.

“Dallas is a real fine team. I don’t see how they’ve lost four times.”

Those were the words of Houston Oilers Lou Rymkus on October 16, 1960 after his team beat the Dallas Texans 20-10 at Jeppesen Stadium (right).

It was a bad day for the Texans offense with eight turnovers and the loss left Hank Stram’s team at 2-4 on the season. Many people in the American Football League that first season were amazed that Dallas was not the frontrunner from week one of the season. Because of the Texans success at signing young players like Chris Burford and Abner Haynes, and the deep pockets of Lamar Hunt, everyone in the league expected Dallas to lead the parade.

So 2-4 had Hank Stram frustrated.

“We just made too many offensive mistakes,” Stram said after the game. “Our defense did a good job, but on third down we’d lose the ball on an interception and we wouldn’t even get to kick the field goal.

“We were in a position of needing points, but we couldn’t keep the ball.”

…Read More!

College Preview: Top 32 Prospects

It’s the midway point of the college season, so it seemed a good time to update the list of the top players – at least as of now – who may be available come April 2010.

The fact the Chiefs are 0-5 on the season is an indication they will again get one of those early draft picks at the annual selection meeting.

Picking the top 32 players in October is strictly a project for discussion and information. Once the NFL gets done scrutinizing some of these guys, by April they won’t be a first or second-round pick.

That won’t be the case with Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh (left). Just about everybody in the league believes this talented and athletic young man will be among the first three players selected in the ’10 draft.

Right now there are more top talents on the defensive side of the ball than offense. There are more cornerbacks and wide receivers than other positions. Quarterbacks are not plentiful but there are a handful considered top choices and there’s only one running back that any NFL teams are talking about among the senior prospects.

We talked with personnel types for several teams and then pooled their top 32 lists. Right now most scouts peg the number of sure-fire first-round players at 15 or so. With another 10 who are considered first/second round talents.

Again, a reminder here: these are just the players who have no eligibility left on the college level after the ’09 season. Juniors and sophomore redshirts are not factored in. We will update those players next week and then we’ll bring the two lists together before the end of the college season.

So here are the top 32 seniors: …Read More!

Practice Report 10/16 Updated

From the Truman Sports Complex

FS Jarrad Page was back to practice Friday morning but LT Branden Albert was still riding the stationary bike as the Chiefs went through their final workout of the week.

Page is coming back from a shoulder injury, but whether he’s active on Sunday against the Redskins remains questionable. Jon McGraw will start in his spot. Since Page’s role in the kicking game is minimal, there’s a chance he could be an inactive player.

“He’s  much improved,” Todd Haley said of Page. “He was in there running around and he made great strides from yesterday to today.”

Wade Smith was again working with the first-team offensive line at left tackle for Albert and looks like the starter there on Sunday. But Haley would not rule Albert out of action. …Read More!

Where 2-3 Is Worse than 0-5 … Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

There are four teams around the NFL without a victory right now.

But nowhere is the caldron of discontent bubbling more than in our nation’s capital.

What would be the situation around the Chiefs right now if they were 2-3, instead of 0-5? Even without a victory on the season, and the apparent demotion of an assistant coach in the past week, there is not the feeling of desperation and negativity hanging over the team or the locker room. Nobody is happy, but they continue to put their head down, handle the work they’ve been given and hope to earn their first victory this Sunday when they play the Washington Redskins.

Now, the Skins are 2-3 and the kettle is boiling around the franchise. If you thought the Chiefs might be catching Washington at the right time, think again based on the comments of QB Jason Campbell.

“It’s not just another game,” Campbell told the media this week. “It’s a big game for us, for a lot of ways and a lot of reasons. We’re in a tough division. You can’t afford to fall too behind in your division. And for the morale of our team, to get confidence going back in the right direction, you got to do everything you can to get the win.”

There has been a lot of talking going on in our nation’s capital revolving around the Redskins. It comes from inside the locker room, and from outside, from former Redskins players who are not shy about expressing their opinion of what’s gone on there with managing owner Daniel Snyder (above), GM Vinny Cerrato and head coach Jim Zorn. …Read More!

Special Teams Makes Mark & Notes

From FedEx Field

When the ball popped out of Bobby Wade’s hands at the end of Sunday’s game against the Redskins, not only was the balance of the game in danger, so was the gold star for the Chiefs kicking game.

As they have been all season, the special teams were the most consistent part of the Chiefs performance against Washington. It starts with rookie kicker Ryan Succop and his four field goals on the day. There was ILB Demorrio Williams’ block of a Falcons punt, although he won’t get credit for a block because the ball went beyond the line of scrimmage. It just goes down as a five-yard punt.

There was the best kick return day of the season for Jamaal Charles and the coverage units again did a very good job in keeping a couple of talented returners (Antwaan Randle El and Santana Moss) under control.

Only punter Dustin Colquitt was off a bit, as he averaged just 39 yards a punt and the chiefs had a 33.4 net average. But he had quite a few field-position punts, where he was kicking on a short field.

But the Chiefs punt coverage team was able to finally down a punt. In the fourth quarter, Colquitt got off a field position punt that bounced in play but was headed for the end zone for a touchback. Terrence Cooper came flying in and flipped the ball back towards the field of play where Maurice Leggett grabbed it at the three-yard line.

It was a big play, because it turned the field position table and when the Redskins punted away four plays later, the Chiefs offense started a possession at the Washington 36-yard line. That led to the Succop FG that proved to be the winning points.

The Chiefs had another chance for a Succop field goal in the first quarter, when they had a fourth-and-two at the Redskins 24-yard line. But Todd Haley decided to go for the first down, rather than kick what would have been a 42 or 43-yard FG. QB Matt Cassel was sacked on the play and the Chiefs turned the ball over on downs.

“I had a mindset that I was playing to win,” said Haley. “I wish I would’ve called a better p lay. That was the end of the field that the wind was coming out of. We were really struggling to kick in that direction in the pre-game. We were right on the edge of where we thought he (Succop) could kick.”

PASS PROTECTION HAS CASSEL RUNNING FOR HIS LIFE

The Chiefs pass protection problems were not solved in the team’s first victory of the season. They gave up five sacks of Cassel in 37 passing plays, a very bad ratio of one every 7.4 passing plays. On the season, that’s now 22 sacks in 209 pass plays.

Filling in for the injured Branden Albert at left tackle, Wade Smith struggled all day to handle the Redskins rush, especially from DE Andre Carter. He got credit for two of the five sacks. The others went to rookie Brian Orakpo, LB Chris Wilson and DT Albert Haynesworth and DE Philip Daniels split a sack.

Press box stats also credited the Washington defense with 10 quarterback hurries. Cassel ran six times – all in passing situations – and it was a tough day for the young quarterback.

ZEBRA REPORT

The crew of referee Tony Corrente was busy but they did not take over the game, as there were 11 flags walked off against both teams. There were no apparent major blunders and both head coaches did not ask for any instant replay challenges.

The day did not start well for the Chiefs as TE Leonard Pope was flagged on the opening kickoff for holding. Other miscreants wearing a red and gold uniform were LB Brian Waters (holding)

PERSONNEL MATTERS

The game-day inactive players for the Chiefs had no surprises. Rookies WR Quinten Lawrence, CB Donald Washington, TE Jake O’Connell and LB Pierre Walters did not dress. They were joined by injured veterans LT Branden Albert and FS Jarrad Page, plus TE Brad Cottam. The inactive third quarterback was Matt Gutierrez.

All those moves made CB Mike Richardson active for his first game with the Chiefs. The expected moves were made in the starting lineup with Wade Smith stepping in at LT for Albert and Jon McGraw working as the FS for Page. That last move affected the nickel defense, as S DaJuan Morgan came on the field as a safety, McGraw moved to the LB spot he’s played the last three weeks and Richardson was the extra cornerback.

Chiefs Defense Befuddles Dazed Skins

From FedEx Field

The Washington Redskins are not exactly a football juggernaut when it comes to offense.

In fact, they are just terrible as they showed again on Sunday against the Chiefs. But one of the reasons they looked so bad was the Kansas City defense.

Mixing and matching his nickel defensive schemes, coordinator Clancy Pendergast had three quarterbacks scratching their heads and trying to figure out what was coming next. That would be Washington head coach Jim Zorn, a former NFL quarterback who calls the plays for the Redskins. Zorn’s starter Jason Campbell and his backup Todd Collins who entered the game in the second half.

None of them were able to solve the Chiefs defense. Oh, there were plays here and there that the Redskins hit with, big plays in fact. RB Clinton Portis went 78 yards on a third quarter running play. Collins hooked up with WR Santana Moss on a 42-yard pass play.

The Redskins had 265 yards in total offense, with 120 of those yards coming on two plays. That left 51 plays for 145 yards or 2.8 yards per play.

“We had a good plan for them,” said DE Glenn Dorsey, who played another good game up front. Press box stats had Dorsey taking part in seven total tackles on the afternoon. “They gashed us a couple times, but overall we were able to get off the field.” …Read More!

L.J. Enjoys Homecoming Victory

From FedEx Field

“I was getting calls and e-mails and texts all hours of the night. Guys that I played ankle-bitter football with, guys I played PAL (Police Athletic League) with, guys I went to high school with. It was great to come here and get a win in the city I was born in.”

Sunday was a homecoming for Larry Johnson. Yes he went to high school in State College, Pennsylvania, played his college ball there too at Penn State.

But it was in the Washington D.C. suburbs where Johnson was born and where he spent his formative years as his father was coaching high school football. Larry Sr. remains a legend in Maryland high school football for his nine seasons (1983-91) coaching at Maurice J. McDonough High School in Pomfret. That’s in Charles County, southeast of the District of Columbia. McDonough won three Maryland 3-A state championships under Larry Sr., and his record there was 139-36.

He went on to coach for two seasons (1992-93) at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia. That’s the program made famous in the movie Remember the Titans.

Larry Jr. was 17 years old when his father got a job on Joe Paterno’s coaching staff with the Nittany Lions. So a lot of childhood memories for L.J. came in places like Pomfret and Alexandria and other small burgs around the nation’s capital. …Read More!

Commentary: If You Can’t Beat Him, Join Him

From FedEx Field

There have been times over the last nine months where Dwayne Bowe had swallowed so much junk from Todd Haley that he thought he would explode.

Almost from his first day on the Chiefs campus, Haley was after Bowe about his training, his weight, his personality, his hands, his attitude, his focus, his understanding of the offense; to Bowe it seemed like the head coach didn’t like him. Into his third season in the NFL, Bowe couldn’t understand how he’d survived so long by doing so many things wrong.

There were moments when it would all bubble up inside of him and he’d pondered dark thoughts about his coach and his future in the game.

Yet, there was Bowe on Sunday afternoon just moments after his teammates had given Haley a Gatorade shower, standing there laughing with his tormentor and congratulating him on his first victory as an NFL head coach.

“He knows what it takes; he built Larry (Fitzgerald) up to be a great receiver,” said Bowe. “I see it; I know it and I’m trying to get there.

“I’m on board.” …Read More!

Victory At Last For Chiefs, 14-6 Over Redskins

From FedEx Field

Artistically, it was no masterpiece. The folks in Canton will not be calling for artifacts from the afternoon. The highlights will not dominate Sports Center for the next two days.

But in the homes of Scott Pioli, Todd Haley, their staffs, the players and anyone who still cares a wit about Chiefs football, it was the prettiest darned outcome of a football game this franchise has seen for some time.

Chiefs 14, Redskins 6.

No more losing streak. No more bubbling pain in the stomach. No more headaches.

“We made it difficult right down to the end,” said Haley, still dripping from the Gatorade shower he got on the sidelines in the closing seconds of the game. “We pushed through a very difficult period and we needed to get some positive reinforcement.”

The Chiefs ended their nine-game losing streak with a performance that was short on explosion, but long on determination and guile. The offense did not score a touchdown. The defense didn’t score a touchdown, but they did provide two points from a safety.

The guy who did all the scoring was the rookie kicker Ryan Succop, who was four-for-four and ended up getting the game ball from his head coach, who had been given the game ball by QB Matt Cassel, who had been on the field and took the last snap of the game.

“I didn’t believe it until I called the victory formation in the huddle,” Cassel said afterwards.

For Cassel and 18 other players who were dressed and on the field Sunday, it was their first taste of victory in a Chiefs uniform. …Read More!

Practice Report 10/15 Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

When Dick Vermeil and Herm Edwards were the head coach, the Chiefs practice Thursday morning would have been held indoors.

But for the second day in a row, Todd Haley took his team outside in cool, breezy and wet conditions. In fact, they are pretty much the conditions expected in suburban Washington D.C. on Sunday when the Chiefs play the Redskins at FedEx Field.

“Having been in Arizona for two years I really thought that was something that hurt us, the fact it was too  nice all the time,” Haley said. “We never really had the mental mindset to play in poor conditions. I think it could be a huge advantage for us here, as long as it’s not holding us back.

“The fields are a little bit of an issue when it’s messy, but I still  think the benefits out weigh the negatives.”

The National Weather Service prediction for Sunday afternoon in Landover, Maryland is temperatures in the mid 40s, with a 60 percent chance of percipitation.

“It’s good to get acclimated to the environment, cold weather and the conditions,” said QB Matt Cassel. “I know Sunday the forecast is kind of bleak, so it’s good to be out there  in the cold weather and getting used to the conditions.”

The Chiefs also have a new advisor on the practice field for several weeks: former NFL cornerback Otis Smith. …Read More!

Checking Up On Rookies … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

Evaluating a team’s NFL draft class in the hours after the selection meeting has ended ranks as one of the most stupefying actions in any given year by pundits in the media and NFL front offices.

Making decisions based on five games in the NFL is not as bad, but it certainly is not enough of a sample to make definitive judgment on these rookies.

That’s because every day is something new for these young men.

Take DE Alex Magee, the Chiefs third-round draft choice out of Purdue. One day after practice, Magee was asked what he learned that day. Magee pondered the question for a moment with a perplexed look on his face. With brow furrowed, he said:

“Learn? I learn something every day. That’s all it’s been day-after-day. I couldn’t give you one thing.”

No. 1 pick DE Tyson Jackson feels the same way.

“Every week is a new team, a new player across the line of scrimmage,” said Jackson. “These are all first time things for me.” …Read More!

OPPONENT: Washington Redskins

2009 record: 2-3, with victories over St. Louis and Tampa Bay and losses to the N.Y. Giants, Detroit and Carolina.

Last year’s record: 8-8, fourth place in the NFC East.

Record for the last five seasons: 39-44, with two appearances in the playoffs in ’05 and ’07.

Last appearance in the playoffs: They dropped a wildcard game in the ’07 playoffs at Seattle 35-14. Last victory in the playoffs came in ’04, when they won a wildcard game against Tampa Bay 17-10, before losing in the next round to the Seahawks 20-10.

Head coach: Jim Zorn, in his second season has a 10-11 record. Zorn played 11 years in the NFL at quarterback, with most of that time in Seattle with the Seahawks where he was the team’s first QB when the team began in 1976. He spent eight years in college coaching, before joining the Seahawks in ’97 as an offensive assistant. Zorn went on to Detroit and then back to Seattle where he was the Hawks quarterback coach for seven years.

Coordinators: Sherman Smith, offense; Greg Blache, defense; Danny Smith, special teams. …Read More!

Practice Report 10/14 Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

The mystery of No. 55 has been solved and it’s bad news for RB Jackie Battle.

A shoulder injury sent Battle to the injured-reserve list on Wednesday, ending his season after five games. Head coach Todd Haley said the team expects Battle will need surgery on the injury.

Taking his spot on the active roster on Wednesday was the unknown No. 55 who was practicing with the team: OLB Justin Rogers. At 6-4, 246 pounds, Rogers is in his third NFL season. He broke into the league with the right pedigree to get picked up by the Chiefs, as he was a sixth-round selection in the 2007 NFL Draft by … the New England Patriots.

Rogers was released after his rookie training camp, but claimed on waivers by the Cowboys. He played in 31 games over the last two seasons,  with three tackles on defense and 34 in the kicking game. Special teams is obviously where he’ll get the chance to make his first impressions with the Chiefs.

Battle had carried the ball seven times for 21 yards and caught two  passes for minus-three yards. But he was leading the team with six tackles on special teams and the second-year RB was on all four major kicking game units.

The move with Battle opens the door to a quick trip back to the active roster for RB Kolby Smith. He’s currently on the PUP List because of the knee injury he suffered last year. Starting next week, Smith can begin practicing and the team would then have a three-week window to make a decision on his future. The Chiefs have indicated they think Smith is ready to play.

The possibility of LT Branden Albert playing this Sunday against Washington doesn’t sound good based on the comments of Haley after Wednesday’s practice. …Read More!

Why Broncos Are Better … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

That the Chiefs are one of four teams in the NFL without a victory does not come as surprise considering the team’s 2-14 record from last season.

That the Denver Broncos are one of five teams in the league without a defeat qualifies as a shock, a major shock.

But the standings do not lie. The Broncos lead the AFC West with their 5-0 record. The Chiefs are on the bottom of the division at 0-5.

Both teams changed general managers, head coaches, defensive coordinators and starting quarterbacks in the off-season. Each had controversial moves, with the Chiefs dealing away their 11-time Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez and the Broncos sent their starting quarterback Jay Cutler to Chicago. Both head coaches reportedly had verbal run-ins with players they inherited from the previous regime.

So why are the Broncos unbeaten under Josh McDaniels and new QB Kyle Orton (left) and the Chiefs winless under Todd Haley and new QB Matt Cassel? There’s no single answer, but here a few to consider:

BRONCOS DIDN’T CHANGE OFFENSES IN THE PRE-SEASON: From the first day in the off-season program, the Broncos were learning and practicing with the same offense they currently are using. McDaniels runs the offense and while it hasn’t been explosive it has complimented the team’s defense by gaining a time of possession advantage and Orton has thrown just one interception. Haley had Chan Gailey run the offense until the last week of the pre-season schedule when he was fired. The head coach took over and completely re-did the offensive playbook. …Read More!

Book Review: Lamar Hunt & AFL

Lamar Hunt and the Founding of the American Football League, written by Tom Richey. Forward by Jack Steadman. Published by Richey; printed by Mercury Print Productions. 210 pages. $24.95. Available through the website www.lamarhuntafl.com, or 800-3346-3354. Some copies available on amazon.com.

In this 50th anniversary season of the American Football League we are without the man who made it all happen. Unfortunately, Lamar Hunt passed away without ever having done a book that would have provided depth and insight on his remarkable life as a sportsman.

But we have Tom Richey and thankfully he’s decided to put to the printed page some of the most revealing and fascinating stories of Lamar Hunt’s life. Lamar Hunt and the Founding of the American Football League has some familiar stories that have been written before, but it is filled with some real gems that have never before left the presence of Hunt and Richey.

They were together sitting on a park bench in New York’s Central Park when Hunt decided that the idea of a new football league was the way to go. It was Richey’s New York apartment that Hunt used to interview Tom Landry for the head coaching job of the Dallas Texans. It was Richey who was Lamar’s partner in his first sporting venture: a batting cage complex called ZIMA BAT. At Hunt’s suggestion, Richey became a minority owner in the New York Titans. …Read More!

Cassel Continues To Grow … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

After everything that happened in the first three and a half quarters it was hard to understand how Matt Cassel could be so comfortable.

But it was a comfortable Chiefs quarterback that stepped into the huddle with 2 minutes, 16 seconds to play and his team 74 yards away from the touchdown they needed to tie the game.

Throughout the afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys pass rush had battered Cassel, sacking him four times and bouncing him to the turf on more than a dozen other occasions. Cowboys QB Tony Romo had just taken his team down the field and hit a big-play touchdown of 59 yards to WR Miles Austin to take the lead.

The situation did not look favorable for the quarterback. In just his 19th starting assignment in professional football, Cassel could have been excused if he felt stressed and uncomfortable as he went to the line of scrimmage for the first play.

That wasn’t the case. Cassel was calm, he was cool and he was collected. In the two-minute offense, and working out of the shotgun, it all seemed very familiar and real for him.

“He was very calm,” said Wade Smith, who was playing left tackle by this time as a replacement for the injured Branden Albert. “He was calm the whole game. There wasn’t anything that happened that surprised us.” …Read More!

From the Mouth of Todd 10/12

From the Truman Sports Complex

It was another Monday after a Chiefs loss and another session with the media horde for head coach Todd Haley.

No real news out of this one. LT Branden Albert’s left ankle was sore on Monday according to the coach and his status for this week remains to be determined by the trainers and doctors.

Here’s some of the other stuff worthy of mentioning:

DID HE SECOND GUESS DECISION TO GO FOR ONE INSTEAD OF TWO POINTS AFTER LATE TOUCHDOWN.

“Yeah sure. I replayed a lot of that game. I didn’t sleep a whole bunch last night. Sure, you replay that. I was laying there with my wife and I said, ‘you think I should have gone for two?’ It’s two yards to win. But again, I stand by the decision I made. We’ve got two opportunities in overtime to win the game and really looked good.” …Read More!

A Gallant Effort In Overtime Defeat

From Arrowhead Stadium

It was a home game for the Chiefs on Sunday against Dallas. Only sometimes it didn’t sound like one, as a huge group of Cowboys fans invaded the red and gold den and made themselves known.

And in the end, they were screaming and celebrating as the Cowboys pulled out a 26-20 victory in overtime over the Chiefs.

While the outcome was the same, the plot of this defeat was very different for Todd Haley and his team. Thanks to a pair of first-half Dallas turnovers, the Chiefs jumped out to a lead and held it until the fourth quarter. They fell behind, and then came back to tie the game. They had the ball twice in the overtime and couldn’t get much offense going.

In the end, Dallas WR Miles Austin (left) became the game’s hero, catching a short pass from QB Tony Romo, breaking a pair of tackles and turning it into a 60-yard touchdown play that gave the Cowboys a victory and now a 3-2 record.

Overall, the Chiefs probably played their best game of the season. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but there was more teamwork than they had displayed at any point in the previous four games. It provided a few positives in what was a negative outcome.

That’s 0-5 on the season, nine-straight defeats and 28 losses in their last 30 games. That ranks among the worst stretch of losing in NFL history.

There was plenty to write about, plenty of subjects:

• GAME STORY: This One Really Hurts.
• COMMENTARY: Progress Made In Making A Team.
• BLOCKED FG: A 300-Pound Jumping Jack.
• NEGATIVE PLAYS: More Problems For KC Offense.
• LEGGETT: Living On the CB Island
• NOTES: Cowboys Enjoy Victory
• GAMEBOOK

Pre-Game Report 10/11 Inactives Update

From Arrowhead Stadium

11:10 a.m. – Chiefs on the field in the throwback 1962 Dallas Texans uniforms and they look good. Besides having the state of Texas on their helmet, the only real differences are the stripes on the socks and the red uniform tops do not  have any stripes on the sleeves. Cowboys are in their throwbacks with a blue jersey and then white along the top and across the shoulders with stars on top of the shoulders. They are wearing white helmets with the big blue star.

11 a.m. – Commissioner Roger Goodell is in the house. Goodell is on the field and spending his time with Jerry and Stephen Jones of the Cowboys.

10:35 a.m. – The game-day inactives for the Cowboys today are WR Roy Williams, RB Felix Jones, S Michael Hamlin, S Gerald Sensabaugh, G Montrae Holland, T Pat McQuistan and LB Curtis  Johnson. The inactive third quarterback is Stephen McGee. Dallas made a roster move on Saturday, promoting RB Chauncey Washington from the practice squad and releasing OL  Duke Preston.  Washington will wear No. 31.

10:30 a.m. – The game-day inactives for the Chiefs today against the Cowboys are TE Jake O’Connell, RB Dantrell Savage, OT Ikechuku Ndukwe, CB Mike Richardson, LB Pierre Walters , WR Quinten Lawrence and  WR Bobby Engram.  The inactive third quarterback is Matt Gutierrez. Engram being inactive is a surprise. It’s got to be the first time in many years that he’s a healthy scratch on game day.  Todd Haley has three tight ends active today.

 Matt  Gutierrez is the inactive third quarterback. …Read More!

Can This Group Become A Team? … Game-Day Cup O’Chiefs

Nostalgia will drip heavy Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

Some of the greatest players in the history of the franchise will be around the building, including members of the 1969 Chiefs Super Bowl team who are celebrating their 40th anniversary season. They will be honored during the pre-game coin toss and at half-time.

They will notice quite a change in atmosphere around the franchise as the ’09 Chiefs host the Dallas Cowboys for a noon kickoff. The TV broadcast is on the FOX Network.

Since last season’s Alumni Day, the Chiefs have become the NFL team that loses most often. Right now the number stands at 27 of the last 29 games, winning only two games in that span. They’ve now lost 14 of their last 15 and they currently have an eight-game losing streak.

No Chiefs group in the history of the franchise has experienced this type of losing. The 1977-78 Chiefs lost 24 of 30 games. No other clubs wearing the red and gold have experienced the type of losing that’s gone on since midway through the 2007 season. …Read More!

The Battle For Dallas

It was the most unique situation in the history of American professional sports: two start-up football teams going head-to-head in the same city at the same time.

In the history of pro football, basketball and hockey and major league baseball it’s never happened before or since. The Dallas Texans and Cowboys were teams born in the same football nursery, some six months apart. They had different fathers who shared many of the same characteristics – sons of oil millionaires with quirky personalities who loved sports and liked to stay in the background.

The Texans and Cowboys competed for the hearts and minds of football fans in Dallas for three years. They shared a playground known as the Cotton Bowl and hustled about the Dallas-Ft. Worth metroplex trying to sell tickets and attraction attention with special promotions and half-time extravaganzas that featured everything from Roy Rogers to bathing beauties. The Texans were a football success, a championship team in that time, while the Cowboys struggled to win games at the start. Neither team was able to establish a solid financial foothold as the head-to-head competition split the ticket buying public in half.

Eventually something had to give and in the early days of 1963, Lamar Hunt decided to move his franchise out of his hometown. It was a painful moment for Hunt, but the move to Kansas City where the Texans became the Chiefs strengthened the American Football League. Three years later, the AFL and NFL reached a merger agreement that created what would become the strongest professional sports business in history.

Unhappily, the Texans left Big D for KC. Big parts of the roster at the time were natives of Texas, players like E.J. Holub, Jerry Mays, Jerry Cornelison, Jon Gilliam, Sherrill Headrick and Abner Haynes. They left behind a Cowboys franchise that would ultimately become called “America’s Team.” …Read More!

QBs Cut From The Same Cloth … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

It will be an interesting matchup of quarterbacks on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.

In a league where almost half of the starters are first round draft choices, the Chiefs and Cowboys have quarterbacks who are at the other end of the scale. Matt Cassel was a seventh-round draft choice, the 230th player selected in the 2005 NFL Draft.

At least Cassel was drafted. Dallas starter Tony Romo came out of Eastern Illinois and was not drafted back in 2003. He signed with the Cowboys as a free agent. Both spent three years on the bench, seeing only mop up action before they got their first starts.

And for two guys at the bottom of the pecking order coming into the league, they have certainly been well compensated. Back in July, Cassel signed a six-year $63 million contract with $28 million in guaranteed money. At that point, he had started just 15 NFL games. In October of 2007, Romo signed a six-year contract extension with Dallas for $67.5 million, with $30 million in guaranteed payments. At that time, he had started just 17 NFL games.

And here they are in week No. 5 of the 2009 season and their fans are not happy with either one. Cassel has struggled to get the Chiefs offense on track in his three starts. Romo has as many interceptions as TD passes (four each) and the Dallas fans are not happy. …Read More!

Evening College Preview 10/10

The weekend of good conference matchups continues Saturday evening with Big 12 and Big 10 Conference games that will get time on the television.

In the Big 12, the Texas Longhorns will host Colorado in a game they should have little trouble winning in Austin. Coach Mack Brown just has too much talent compared to the Buffs, who have only a handful of players considered NFL possible.

In the Big 10, it’s Michigan at Iowa, as the Wolverines will try to figure out a way to score some points against the Hawkeyes defense. UM coach Rich Rodriquez needs a big night from the best pro prospect that will be on the field, DE Brandon Graham (right).

Here are the players the pros are watching: …Read More!

Afternoon College Preview … 10/10

The action in college football is getting hot and heavy as teams begin shifting into their conference schedules.

There are a host of games this weekend worthy of attention, but we’ve zeroed in on the potential pro prospects in the nationally televised games that will be shown in the Kansas City area on Saturday.

One of the top players in the country will be on the field when Ole Miss hosts Alabama, and this time he doesn’t play for the Tide. It’s DE Greg Hardy (right) of the Rebels and if he can show he’s healthy next spring, this big pass rusher off the edge will be one of the first players selected in the 2010 NFL Draft.

There are also pro prospects in Norman on Saturday afternoon as the Sooners host Baylor in a Big 12 Conference contest.

Here are the prospects: …Read More!

Texans Fall To Raiders & Jetstream Smith

The Texans-Chiefs franchise is celebrating its 50th season of play in 2009. This is another look at the founding team of the American Football League.

His name was James D. Smith.

It was a perfectly plain and simple name that Jim Smith carried with him from his birth in Los Angeles.

But when he reached the American Football League in 1960 with the Oakland Raiders, nobody called him Jim Smith. He was known by one of the greatest nicknames in pro football history, one he picked up while playing at Compton Junior College.

Jetstream Smith.

A 6-0, 215-pounds running back for the Raiders he set the Dallas Texans on their rears on the afternoon of October 9, 1960 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Jetstream went 98 yards with a kickoff return for a touchdown. It started a scoring splurge that allowed the Raiders to beat the Texans 20-19.

Some 21,000 fans watched a quiet first half, where the only score of the game was an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown by Texans S David Webster. About four minutes before half-time, Webster grabbed the pass of Oakland QB Tom Flores that bounced off receiver Billy Lott and ran untouched for the score.

On the opening kickoff of the second half, that’s when Jetstream made his big splash. …Read More!

Star-Studded Sunday At Arrowhead

There will be plenty of stars around Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday when the Chiefs and Cowboys face off in a noon kickoff.

And we aren’t talking about the stars on the Cowboys helmets, as they will be wearing throwback uniforms. The Chiefs will be in replica uniforms of the 1962 AFL Champion Dallas Texans, including gray facemasks and black shoes.

In their 40th anniversary season, the 1969 Super Bowl Chiefs will be honored and some 15 members of that team that beat the Minnesota Vikings at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans will be at the game. The franchise’s leading career rusher Priest Holmes will be in the building, as will former head coach Dick Vermeil. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be in the house. So will NFL shadow-commissioner Jerry Jones, owner of the Cowboys. Fox-TV’s No. 1 broadcast crew of Joe Buck and Hall of Fame QB Troy Aikman are handling the broadcast.

There are other stars and moments scheduled for game-day: …Read More!

Practice Report 10/9 Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

Todd Haley took his team outside for practice Friday morning, despite wet field conditions and cold temperatures. But then, that’s the weather forecast for Sunday when the Chiefs face the Cowboys at Arrowhead.

OT Ikechuku Nduwke and DE Wallace Gilberry were both injured in practice this week, Nduwke with a stinger and Gilberry with a head injury. Both players were dressed and taking part in Friday morning’s work. Haley said they would be listed as probable when the team submits its injury report to the NFL office later on Friday afternoon.

Two players were not on the field for the session: QB Brodie Croyle and DE Alex Magee.  Croyle was dealing with a family matter and Magee came down with a fever Friday morning and was sent home. Haley said he expects both players to be available for Sunday’s game.

The Chiefs will watch with interest the Cowboys injury report later today as five players have not practice this week because of various maladies: CB Michael Hamlin (wrist), LB Curtis  Johnson (hamstring), RB Felix Jones (knee), S Gerald Sensabaugh (thumb) and WR Roy Williams (ribs). Sensabaugh and Williams are starters for Dallas.

A Messy Rebuilding History … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

Rebuilding is hard. If you’ve ever been involved in a construction project you know it’s a dirty, messy process that never goes fast as you would like or without problems.

Chiefs fans know this. It’s become part of their DNA. Those that still show up at Arrowhead Stadium are dealing with the effects of the major renovation going on inside and around the building.

But the red and gold nation has lived through plenty of rebuilding. In the last 35 years, the Chiefs have done major remodeling jobs on their football operation a half-dozen times, with several smaller jobs as well.

None of those six major rebuilds started with winning. Paul Wiggin was 1-3 in his first season. It was the same record after four games for Marv Levy, John Mackovic, Marty Schottenheimer and Dick Vermeil.

And then there’s Todd Haley and the team’s 0-4 start to the ’09 season.

At the moment, the swirling winds of change around the Chiefs have those inside the tornado worried about what’s next. For those on the outside looking in, they are watching with equal parts concern and wonder at the destruction that has taken place.

Considering the Chiefs history and the circumstances of this particular rebuilding project, should anybody be surprised that it’s a big mess right now? …Read More!

Cowboys Enjoy Victory & Other Notes

From Arrowhead Stadium

For a week at least, the Cowboys fans with the torches and pitch forks will not march on team headquarters in hopes of stringing up the head coach and the starting quarterback.

The 26-20 overtime victory over the winless Chiefs will not be celebrated as any great thing. In fact, by the time the pundits and fans debate this on Monday it will sound like the Cowboys lost the game.

Late Sunday afternoon, none of that mattered to head coach Wade Phillips, QB Tony Romo or the newest star with the star on his helmet, record-setting WR Miles Austin.

“We had a lot of guys come through and play big for us,” said Phillips of his now 3-2 team. “It took all of them in all different occasions to win and that is what we needed. Two games we lost, we needed one more play and this game we had it.”

Romo had a very nice game, completing 20 of 34 passes for 351 yards, two TDS, no interceptions and a 113.7 passer rating. …Read More!

Living On The Cornerback Island

From Arrowhead Stadium

In the post-game locker room Maurice Leggett could have taken a shower pill, thrown his clothes on and run out the backdoor before the front door was opened to allow media access. Certainly some of his teammates did just that, escaping from another losing locker room before they might have to answer questions about why the Chiefs are 0-5.

But as the media horde came over the wall, Leggett was right there. He answered all the questions thrown at him. He looked the questioners in the eye and never raised his voice.

He’s only in his second year, but Leggett already knows that games like what happened on Sunday against Dallas is all part of life on the corner.

“You just can’t allow it to drag you down,” Leggett said. “It’s what comes with playing on an island. When you don’t get the job done, everybody knows it.”

Leggett didn’t get the job done against the Cowboys. …Read More!

Negative Plays Kill Offense … Again

From Arrowhead Stadium

The emphasis all week for the Chiefs offense had been about eliminating negative plays. Whether in the run game, the passing game or offensive penalties, it was stressed, dissected, discussed and worked on.

And then the Chiefs went out against the Cowboys and added 15 more negatives plays to the 51 they’ve already had this year. That 51 led the league; now with 66, it’s unlikely they will be any place but on top of that statistical category again.

“Again, that’s the area to me offensively, that has to change,” said Todd Haley. “We have to improve that.”

In the case of Sunday’s game, all that emphasis on negative plays just produced more negative plays. Credit for some of that must go to the Dallas defense, especially the Cowboys’ front seven that is one of the best in the NFL. They shut down the Chiefs running game and harassed QB Matt Cassel all afternoon.

Here’s the laundry list of Sunday’s 15 negative plays on offense: …Read More!

A 300-Pound Jumping Jack

From Arrowhead Stadium

Dallas nose tackle Jay Ratliff is listed at 303 pounds. There’s a very good chance he weighs more than that, maybe a lot more.

He’s one of the most talented and unheralded defensive players in the NFL, Not bad for a seventh-round draft choice out of Auburn. The Chiefs struggled all day to handle Ratliff, who abused Chiefs center Rudy Niswanger and everybody else that tried to help.

But the biggest play that Ratliff made in the game did not come from his power. It came from his leaping ability.

It was Ratliff who blocked the 53-yard field goal try by Chiefs kicker Ryan Succop with just over three minutes to play. He did it by jumping over long snapper Thomas Gafford and Mike Goff, who was in the left guard position on the FG-PAT protection unit. …Read More!

COMMENTARY: THEY FINALLY LOOKED LIKE A TEAM

From Arrowhead Stadium

Let’s skip the moral victory stuff when it comes to the Chiefs loss on Sunday to the Dallas Cowboys.

Its 0-5 on the season, it’s nine losses in a row and it’s that ugly 28 defeats in the last 30 games.

“Losing sucks,” said QB Matt Cassel.

Yes it does. But there was something different in this one. There was a flicker of hope, a few signs that maybe, finally, possibly the 2009 Kansas City Chiefs are becoming a team, rather than just a group of guys that have been brought together to play professional football.

“I think the most important thing for our team to understand is that today was the first time that we really came together as a team,” said Cassel. “The defensive side of the ball made some big plays for us and the offensive unit went down and scored when we needed to. We battled throughout the course of the day and we put ourselves in a position against a very good football team to win.

“That’s what we’re looking for.”

There were obvious signs to backup what Cassel was talking about. …Read More!

A Heartbreaker Extends Chiefs Losing Streak

From Arrowhead Stadium

It does not get any more painful than that.

Forget the losing streak. Forget the last three seasons of defeats and despair. Every one of those previous 27 losses hurt. But the pain was nothing like what the Chiefs were feeling in the moments after their 26-20 overtime defeat to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon.

They led most of the way in this game. When the Cowboys came back and went ahead in the second half with 17 unanswered points, it seemed like another chapter in losing was about to be written. But the Chiefs offense answered back with maybe their best offensive drive of the season. The tied the game, it went to overtime, and the Chiefs incredibly won the toss. They were on the verge of victory.

But they could not handle Dallas WR Miles Austin. He had burned them all day, including a 59-yard fourth quarter score that gave the Cowboys the late lead. In the overtime, after both teams had multiple possessions, Austin and QB Tony Romo hooked up again in overtime, a 60-yard touchdown play that won the game and made Dallas 3-2 on the season.

On both of Austin’s touchdowns, Chiefs CB Maurice Leggett and SS Mike Brown missed tackles, turning short passes into long touchdowns. Austin finished the game with 10 catches for 250 yards and those two long TD plays. This game was his first NFL start and in the Cowboys first four games, he’d caught just eight passes for 81 yards. It was the biggest receiving day in the 50 seasons of Texans-Chiefs history. …Read More!

Practice Report 10/8 Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

Speaking after practice on Thursday, Larry Johnson did not provide any sort of explanation of his one-word answer to most media questions after last  Sunday’s game against the Giants: ego.

“That’s last week,” said Johnson. When asked for a hint, he declined.

But  Johnson made it plain that it’s time for the Chiefs offense to get its act together and to do it for four quarters.

Dealing With Negative Plays

Todd Haley made his thoughts very plain on Wednesday about what his offense needs to get accomplished if the Chiefs are going to pull out of the tailspin that has them 0-4 with the Dallas Cowboys coming to town.

Even before improving the team’s horrid third down conversion rate and ahead of scoring more points, Haley says the Chiefs offense has to quit being so negative.

As in negative plays.

“Right now, our number one (problem) putting everything else aside is we need to eliminate minus plays whether that’s a penalty, a minus yardage run or a sack,” Haley said. “We need to eliminate that. I’m looking for the stat right now but we’re probably last.”

You are coach. When it comes to negative rushing and passing plays and penalties on offense, the Chiefs lead the league in that category with 51 negative plays for minus-269 yards.

Here’s the top five in the league when it comes to negative offensive plays: …Read More!

First Quarter Awards … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

So here we are at Todd Haley’s quarter pole. The first of the 2009 season’s four quarters is over and the Chiefs are among six teams that have yet to drink from the cup of victory.

But, we do have some awards to pass out, some for good things, some for bad things.

The Chiefs First Quarter Awards

PLAYER OF THE 1ST QUARTER – None. There isn’t a player on the roster that deserves this kind of recognition at this point, not with a 0-4 record and the fact the Chiefs have shown little or no improvement from week one to week four. Comeback and see us at mid-season.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER – TE Sean Ryan. OK, the pickings here are pretty slim, but after four games Ryan is leading the team in catches with 11 and he’s got two touchdown passes. He’s no Tony Gonzalez, but he’s been a far better receiver than anyone thought since he was signed more as a blocker than a catcher. It will be interesting to see if he can beat back the presence of recently signed Leonard Pope. Others considered: WR Bobby Wade.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER – OLB Tamba Hali (right). There were concerns going into the season about whether Hali could make the transition from playing with his hand on the ground to standing up and seeing the whole field. It’s early, but so far Hali has been the most explosive Chiefs defender. …Read More!

Opponent: Dallas Cowboys

2009 record: 2-2 with victories over Tampa Bay and Carolina, and loses to the New York Giants and Denver.

Last year’s record: 9-7, third place in NFC East

Record for the last five seasons: 46-36 including two trips to the playoffs in those five years where they have a 0-2 record. The Cowboys have not won a game in the playoffs since after the 1996 season.

Last appearance in the playoffs: 2007 NFC Divisional Playoffs, lost to the New York Giants 21-17 at Texas Stadium.

Head coach: Wade Phillips in his third season leading the Cowboys. Phillips record is 24-13. Dallas is the fifth franchise where Phillips has served as a head coach, joining New Orleans, Denver, Buffalo and Atlanta. The Saints and Falcons were interim positions. Overall, he’s got a 72-55 record as head coach.

Coordinators: Jason Garrett, offense; Phillips, defense; Joe DeCamillis, special teams.

Roster overview: Of the Cowboys 22 starters, 13 were drafted and six came from unrestricted free agency. There are no Dallas first-round choices in the starting offense, but there are five in the opening defensive group: DE Marcus Spears, OLBs Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware, CBs Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins. There are seven rookies on the 53-man roster and 17 players who are younger than 25 years old. There are 11 players 30 and older, but only three players who are in their 10th season or more. There are 15 players who are in the second season or less. Last year, six Cowboys were named to the Pro Bowl: OT Flozell Adams, G Leonard Davis, C Andre Gurode, TE Jason Witten, NT Jay Ratliff and OLB DeMarcus Ware. …Read More!

Practice Report 10/7 Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

Todd  Haley is pushing hard on this 0-0 theme with his football team.

“We are making this a fresh start for ourselves,” Haley said on Wednesday after practice. “It’s time to figure out a way to win.”

But Haley acknowledges that approach can be a tough sale with some players, who won’t ignore the 0-4 start.

“The tough part is to sell it to a group of guys that hasn’t had success,” said Haley. “Just staying in the present tense,  knowing that if you can go 3-1, 3-1, 3-1 and 3-1, you are probably going to the playoffs each year. It’s a tough sale, but it’s what you have to do. It’s a way to survive.”

Are the players buying that approach? …Read More!

At Least They Can Punt … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Last Sunday was a tough afternoon for Dustin Colquitt.

The Chiefs punter is one of the most overworked members of the 53-man roster, given his 26 punts in four games. That’s the second most punts in the league at the quarter pole; only San Francisco’s Andy Lee with 30 has more kicks.

And at this point Colquitt and the Chiefs are the No. 1 team in the NFL in net punting average, at 44.5 yards. That includes Colquitt’s day against the Giants, when he kicked seven times and averaged 48.4 yards per punt, with a net average of 45.7 yards.

Nice numbers. So why were Colquitt and Todd Haley snapping at each other on the sidelines after one of his punts late in the third quarter? When Colquitt came off the field, Haley said something to him, and the punter made a bee-line to his head coach to give his two cents worth on the situation. This went back and forth for a few seconds before Haley moved on and one of the folks on the Chiefs sideline walked Colquitt in the other direction.

“I thought that was a private conversation,” Haley said when asked what was going on. “I guess I was probably too loud.”

He was definitely loud enough for Colquitt to hear.

“Yeah, we had a discussion,” Colquitt said. “It happens. Sometimes you walk away, and sometimes you have to make your point.”

Haley was unhappy with how his punter picked up those very good numbers last week. Colquitt was not at his best and shanked two punts. But because of friendly rolls once they hit the Arrowhead Stadium turf, they turned into acceptable plays when it came to field position. …Read More!

Throwback Look Coming Sunday

The Chiefs will be wearing the uniform and helmets of the Dallas Texans this weekend when the Dallas Cowboys come to Arrowhead Stadium.

There’s not much difference between the Texans uniform and the Chiefs, with the exception of the helmet. Players will not have to change helmets like some teams must for their throwbacks. Their KC arrowhead logo will simply be replaced by a logo of the state of Texas, with a star on the location of Dallas.

The other noticeable difference in the uniforms will come with the helmet facemasks. The Texans had gray facemasks and as you can see from the picture (right), their grills have already been switched from the normal white.

Ego! What Ego? … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

Trying to decipher the meaning behind some of the things football players say is like trying to make sense of some speech by a politician out of Washington.

What they say doesn’t always mean what they mean.

When Larry Johnson kept using the word “ego” to answer questions in the Chiefs post-game locker room on Sunday, he provided no interpretation, no cliff notes, no explanation. The question that drew his first answer of ego was simple: What’s the difference between the Giants team that just registered a fourth victory on the ’09 season and the Chiefs, who had fallen to 0-4?

Now, there are those in the media business who decided that Johnson was talking about his head coach when he used the word ego. Maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t. L.J. wasn’t providing any more explanations on Monday. So the speculation continued amongst the pundits and fans.

There’s one guy who could care less and that’s the head coach. Todd Haley is winless in his first stab at being a head coach: a 0-4 pre-season and a 0-4 start to the regular season.

But Haley remains steadfast in his beliefs about how the Chiefs will be built. A four-game losing streak has not knocked him off the tracks. He knows only one thing to do: continue to work, in fact work even harder to turn the season around. …Read More!

From the Mouth Of Todd 10/5

From the Truman Sports Complex

Todd Haley met with the media horde on Monday afternoon and the session went for 26 minutes.

Haley handled the questions and even provided some good answers.

Here’s the important stuff he talked about.

ANY POSITIVES OUT OF SUNDAY’S GAME AGAINST THE GIANTS

“I think our defense made some progress. I think our defense I s starting to work together a little bit. Were they perfect? No. Can we give up 27 points and expect to win? Not usually. I saw some encouraging signs from them.”

ANALYSIS OF MATT CASSEL’S PERFORMANCE ON SUNDAY

“Not good enough to win. He has to be better. Was Matt Cassel the reason we lost? No, it was a group effort. I think the kid is a tough, competitive guy, who fought it out yesterday. …Read More!

MORE OF THE SAME FOR CHIEFS

From Arrowhead Stadium

It was another long Sunday in what is becoming a longer and longer string of bad football days for the Kansas City Chiefs.

They fell to the New York Giants 27-16 in a game where they fumbled away the opening kickoff and then struggled onward from there. Offense, defense, special teams and coaching were all poor on Sunday, especially compared to a Giants team that is now 4-0 on the young season.

The Chiefs are 0-4, that’s 0 for 8 if you want to count the pre-season games. That’s 2-18 in the last two regular seasons and 6-30 over the last three regular seasons.

New York QB Eli Manning led the way for the visitors, throwing three touchdown passes before he left the game late with an injury to his right heel. It’s not considered a serious injury, so the Giants should be able to motor on next weekend against the Oakland Raiders.

For the Chiefs, next week brings another NFC East team to them, as the Dallas Cowboys will visit Arrowhead Stadium. Team Jerry will arrive after losing on Sunday in Denver to the now 4-0 Broncos.

As always, the game provides plenty to talk about. Here it is:

• GAME STORY – Another defeat from an NFC East team.
• COLUMN – Chiefs Still Not a Team.
• OFFENSE – Not much is working right
• NOTES: Eli’s hurting and the zebras.
• GAMEBOOK

Pre-Game Report 10/4 Inactives Update

From Arrowhead Stadium

10:45 a.m. – Game-day weather couldn’t be better. Blue skies, no clouds, just a hint of wind and temperatures at kickoff are expected to be in the high 60s. The natural grass playing surface is in good shape and shows no ill effects right now of yesterday’s Iowa State-Kansas State game.

10:40 a.m. – Two of the three newest members of the Chiefs are active for today’s game, just four days after their first practices with the team. TE Leonard Pope and LB David Herron will both be on the field against the Giants. In fact, Herron is scheduled to play on all four major units in the kicking game. Pope is wearing No. 45 and Herron is No. 52. Only CB Mike Richardson is inactive.

10:35 a.m. – The game-day inactives for the Giants are WR Ramses Barden, RB Danny Ware, CB Aaron Rose, OT Adam Koets, OT Guy Whimper, WR Domenik Hixon, lB Clint Sintim and DL Chris Canty. The Giants only have two quarterbacks, Eli Manning and David Carr.

10:30 a..m. – The game-day inactives for the Chiefs are WR Quinten Lawrence, CB Mike  Richardson, RB Dantrell Savage, TE Jake O’Connell, TE Brad  Cottam, OT Ikechuku Ndukwe and OLB Pierre Walters. Matt Gutierrez is the inactive third quarterback.

10 a.m. – The Chiefs receivers and quarterbacks are out early going through their passing drill and WR Dwayne Bowe is taking part and it looks like he’s moving quite well on that sore right hamstring. It’s still 15 minutes away from when inactives have to be declared.

Also out early was OLB Mike Vrabel. Again, remember Vrabel’s history as a TE in goal line situations. Also missing from the pass catching was RB Dantrell Savage, an indication he is a likely inactive today.

Road Warriors Arrive … Game-Day Cup O’Chiefs

When the New York Giants wake up in their Kansas City hotel rooms Sunday morning, they will begin a routine that all traveling teams follow in the National Football League.

They will handle their toiletries. They will have a short chapel for those so inclined. They will see the trainer and take any late treatment needed, and possibly get their ankles taped. They will enjoy a pre-game buffet that will include everything from eggs and bacon, to steaks, to baked potatoes, to pasta.

Then they’ll get on the bus and head to Arrowhead Stadium for today’s kickoff at noon. Television on the FOX-TV network.

Again, that’s close to the routine of all 32 NFL teams. The only difference is what happens when the Giants get back on their buses and head to the airport to fly back home to Newark.

Generally, they fly back celebrating another victory.

The Giants have become the best road team in the league. They are certainly the best road team of this decade and maybe decades before the 2000s. While other teams struggle to win away from home, Tom Coughlin and his team have found a formula that allows them be winning guests.

In their last 22 games played away from Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands they are 18-4. …Read More!

Brain Issues Confront NFL … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

In the last years of his life, Mike Webster was in a lot of pain. That’s true with many former NFL players, but it was especially bad for the man known as Iron Mike.

A football career leaves scars, but there was more with Webby. There was pain, but there was also confusion. Banging heads with defensive linemen throughout his career with the Steelers and Chiefs left scars no one could see when he was alive. When he came back and worked for awhile as an assistant strength coach with the Chiefs, he could barely function with the realities of day-to-day life. He slept in a racquetball court in the team’s practice facility. From one day to the next, he would forget where he was and what he was supposed to do.

The worst part was he knew there was a problem; how frustrating that must have been for a very proud man.

Only when Webster’s body finally gave out and he passed away did pathologists get to see within his brain. It was pocked with tau proteins, a type of sludge that kills cells in the brain that handle mood, emotions and executive functions like planning, abstract thinking, initiating appropriate actions and inhibiting inappropriate acts. It explained a lot about what happened in the final years of his life when Webby was a lost soul. He died just over seven years ago.

It was the same in the last years of the life of former Eagles safety Andre Waters (bottom right). He committed suicide in November 2006 and an autopsy of his brain showed Tau proteins. It’s been the same with a handful of other players who have died tragically in recent years, a total of 17 in all.

Former Patriots LB Ted Johnson (top right) is still alive, but he’s dealing with multiple symptoms that include depression, dizziness, excessive drowsiness, fatigue, irritability, memory loss, poor concentration, ringing in the ears, and acute sensitivity to noise. Johnson has been diagnosed with post-concussion syndrome and thinks he may have had as many as 30 concussions during his time playing football from high school to college and into the NFL. Doctors believe there is permanent damage to his brain.

At some point during Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and Giants at Arrowhead Stadium, one of the 90 players in the game will walk away from a collision with fuzzy vision, mixed up thoughts and a headache.

He will stop, try to shake the feeling away and after the game, he’ll pop some aspirin to dull the thumping in his head. There’s very little chance the player will come out of the game, even for a play; for that to happen generally a player has to lose consciousness.

More and more we are finding out that those collisions on the playing field of the NFL are doing long-term damage to the playe …Read More!

Texans Now 2-2 After Losing To Titans

The football was on the ground, laying there at the New York nine-yard line. A crowd of 37,500 in the Cotton Bowl held its collective breath. The Dallas Texans were down by two points and the clock was about to run out.

The Titans offense merely had to run out the remaining time. But stuff happens in football. With the ball at their 32-yard line, QB Al Dorow handed off to RB Dewey Bohling. Just seconds after the ball changed hands, Texans DE Mel Branch came flying through and punched the ball out of Bohling’s hands. It rolled backwards towards the end zone. Branch kept running and tried to scoop up the ball. Instead, Branch fumbled it and the Titans recovered.

Thus, was the ending of the fourth game of the Texans inaugural season, as they fell 37-35 to the visiting Titans of New York on October 2, 1960.

“I like to died,” said Titans head coach and football legend Sammy Baugh (right).

A strong first-half performance allowed the Titans to survive the late Texans comeback and near fumble return. Dorow threw four touchdown passes in the first half and overall threw for 281 yards. The Dallas defense sacked him once and grabbed just a single interception.

“We tried to rush him a time or two early,” said Hank Stram. “But they were sending only three receivers down and protecting him with two blockers. We couldn’t get through to him. We changed to a zone defense and tried to cover their receivers and we didn’t do a very good job of it.” …Read More!

Sooners vs. Hurricanes … College Preview 10/3

A decade ago, this would have been the premier game of the 2009 college football season.

It’s Oklahoma and Miami, the Sooners and the Hurricanes and athletes, athletes everywhere.

Even now, it’s going to get a lot of attention thanks to the comeback of the Hurricanes. After some down seasons, head coach Randy Shannon has the Canes again playing at a level that ranks them among the country’s top 25 teams.

Playing at home will be helpful for Miami because there’s no question if the level of talent is judged by potential pros, then Oklahoma has a big advantage. Even with QB Sam Bradford and TE Jermaine Gresham on the sidelines for this game because of injury. The Sooners still have talented players like DT Gerald McCoy (right) who is the leader of the defense.

The game begins at 7 p.m. CDT and can be seen on ABC-TV.

Here are the prospects: …Read More!

LSU vs. Georgia … College Preview 10/3

Every year, LSU seems to be loaded with potential NFL players. Certainly the Chiefs think so, no matter who is making the pick, as three of their most recent first round selections in the NFL Draft have been Bayou Bengals.

As usual, coach Les Miles has a roster bulging with potential pros, including WR Brandon LaFell (right) who was considered one of the top 10 players coming into the ’09 college season.

Over at Georgia, the Bulldogs are struggling this year and it’s visible in their list of NFL prospects which is considerably smaller than normal for this program. Last year, they had guys like QB Matt Stafford and RB Knowshon Moreno who were first round picks. Right now, only LB Rennie Curran is considered a potential first-rounder and that would likely be late in the round.

These teams will face each other in Athens, Georgia with a 2:30 CDT kickoff. You can watch on CBS.

Here are the prospects: …Read More!

Practice Report 10/2 UPDATE

From the Truman Sports Complex

WR Dwayne Bowe was running routes and seemingly running them with speed and explosion during the Chiefs practice Friday morning.

Afterwards, Todd Haley said he was “definitely encouraged” by what he saw from Bowe, who is dealing with a right hamstring injury.

“He was much better than yesterday,” Haley said. “We’ll list him as questionable, that’s 50-50 and that’s where he is right now.”

The only other player on the injury report that will be turned into the league Friday afternoon was ILB Derrick Johnson, who will be probable with his groin injury. He was a full participant in practice all week.

In his practic work, Bowe certainly moved with more power on that injured right hamstring than he did during  Thursday’s session. …Read More!

Time For L.J. To Produce … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

It’s Larry Time.

The fans have been waiting for it to happen. So has his head coach/offensive coordinator. And yes, his teammates have waited to see Larry Johnson get loose.

But nobody wants to see it more than Johnson himself.

“It’s time,” Johnson said after practice on Thursday. “I think we learned some things last week (in Philadelphia). I think it will transfer to this week. It’s the same type of defense, so we know what we are going against.”

Johnson was speaking of the second half offensive attack in the loss to the Eagles last Sunday. That’s when a perturb Todd Haley decided if he was going to get crushed by Philadelphia, he was going to get his running game into shape. In the second half down by multiple scores, the Chiefs ran the ball 19 times with little or no success.

But Johnson said things got done …Read More!

A Message To Our Readers

Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve tried very hard over the last 14 months to stay out of the business of your posted comments to bobgretz.com. I’m a big believer that everyone has something to say and providing an outlet for that has been one of the best things about starting this site.

However – you knew that was coming – the tenor of the comments recently has slipped into an area that I don’t want on this site.

I could care less what you say about me, the site or the Chiefs. Feel free to bash, criticize or dissect. But the personal attacks against other posters, the name calling and just silly playground mentality of some of the comments has reached a point that I can no longer ignore. If you do not like what somebody else has posted, then explain why without calling into question his heritage, his mother, his sexuality, his looks or his education. If you can’t manage that, then please go away.

Remember when you would go on a trip with your family, Dad driving the family truckster and you in the back seat with your siblings. Being trapped in the car for several hours would lead to teasing, pinching and other hijinks among the kids.

And remember what Dad would say in his most exasperating voice: “Don’t make me pull this car over to deal with you guys!”

Well, don’t make me pull this site over to deal with this stuff. Feel free to argue, debate and disagree, but don’t be disagreeable.

Eli Injured, Chiefs Defense & Other Notes-Quotes

From Arrowhead Stadium

Eli Manning wasn’t even touched on the play.

But when it was over and he walked to the Giants sideline, he was in pain.

At the end of a passing play early in the fourth quarter, Manning came down oddly and injured the back of his right foot. He did not return when the Giants got the ball back, as David Carr stepped in to finish out the game.

His absence wasn’t because the Giants had a big lead. According to head coach Tom Coughlin, his starting quarterback couldn’t go back in.

“His foot is just hurt,” said Coughlin. “I saw it when he stepped forward to throw … I don’t really think there was any contact, he was just driving into the throw and all of a sudden he kind of showed that he had a little issue.”

When your last name is Manning and you play quarterback, there are no little issues when it comes to injuries.

“I think it’s just a bruised heel,” said Manning. “I can walk around and move around, but there is some discomfort. I don’t think it’s awful. I’ve been injured worse before. We’ll see how it feels throughout the week.”

The bum heel stopped a top-notch performance by Manning, who hit on 20 of 34 throws for 292 yards and three touchdowns, a 104 passer rating.

SOME GOOD, SOME BAD FOR KC DEFENSE

The Chiefs forced two turnovers. They had two quarterback sacks. They limited the big plays for the Giants offense.

But it wasn’t nearly enough to help the Chiefs win their first game of the year.

“Hey, it wasn’t good enough,” said OLB Mike Vrabel. “We did some things, but we weren’t nearly as consistent as we need to be if we are going to help this team win.”

The Chiefs really had no answer for New York WR Steve Smith, who caught 11 passes for 134 yards and a pair of TD passes. On both scores he got behind SS Mike Brown. Whether Smith was Brown’s man or not, he should not have gotten behind the safety in the end zone on two different plays.

“Steve was doing a great job running his routes against certain coverages,” said Manning. “Even on the fumble he ran a great route. I had a chance to hit a big play to him and a guy got a piece of the ball and knocked it out.”

“A guy” was Chiefs OLB Tamba Hali who got the sack of Manning and the strip. The fumble was recovered by DE Glenn Dorsey. The Chiefs other sack went to Brown, who came on a blitz. CB Brandon Flowers had a first half interception. Brown and ILB Demorrio Williams led Chiefs tacklers with nine total tackles each.

The Chiefs basically used two defenses: their base scheme and a nickel defense that had Dorsey and Ron Edwards on the line, Vrabel, Hali and rookie Jovan Belcher at LB, S Jon McGraw playing a LB role and then five DBs, with nickel back Maurice Leggett on the field.

SPECIAL TEAMS A MIXED BAG

It’s hard to give good grades to the Chiefs special teams when kick returner Jamaal Charles fumbled the opening kickoff and set up the Giants first TD. But other than that blunder, the KC kicking game wasn’t bad.

Charles came back later in the game and ripped off a 53-yard kick return, the longest by the Chiefs in almost a year. Last season on October 19 against Tennessee, Dantrell Savage had a 59-yard return.

Punter Dustin Colquitt had an interesting day. His numbers ended up looking very good, as his gross average was 48.4 yards and his net average was 45.7 yards. But Colquitt shanked a couple of punts and lived to tell about it because they took good bounces and rolled for extra yardage. After one of those punts, he got an earful from Todd Haley as he came to the sideline and it looked like he was giving it back to the head coach before several assistant coaches stepped between them.

Colquitt did not want to talk about the incident after the game. “Stuff happens,” he said.

Only three of Colquitt seven punts were returned, those going for a total of 19 yards.

The Chiefs tried to onside kicks, and did not get either one. One was a surprise at the start of the second half, and K Ryan Succop pushed it 10 yards, but the Giants recovered.

“We gave up a possession right out of the gate with the fumble and you’re trying to steal one back,” said Haley of the decision to go onside. “We didn’t get the onside kick and we’ve got to execute better.”

BARELY VISIBLE PRODUCTION FROM ’09 DRAFT CLASS

It was another loss and another afternoon where the Chiefs draft class of ’09 struggled to provide a contribution. DE Tyson Jackson was given credit for one quarterback hurry, DE Alex Magee got one tackle and CB Donald Washington played, but did not turn up on the post-game stat sheet.

The only other draft choice who played was Succop.

Belcher got a lot of playing time in the nickel and had some snaps in the regular defense when ILB Corey Mays went down with an unspecified leg injury. Belcher was credited with two tackles.

OFFICIATING CREW GETS INVOLVED

Jerome Boger’s crew that handled the game got themselves involved in the game, rather than sitting back and allowing the game to be played with little interference from the guys in striped shirts.

Overall, the officials walked off 15 penalties for 109 yards. The worst call of the day was an unnecessary roughness call against FS Jarrad Page. On the play, Page hit Giants WR Steve Smith while he was in the air trying to catch a pass.

Apparently back judge Tony Steratore felt he saw Page hit Smith with his head. That’s what he told Page. In reality, Page hit him with his shoulder.

“It was a bad call,” said Page. “He saw something that didn’t happen. What can you do?”

Todd Haley threw the challenge flag in the fourth quarter on the placement of a completion from QB Matt Cassel to WR Bobby Engram. It was a 4th-and-11 play and the officials on the field placed the ball short of the first down stick. In looking at the replay, they reset the spot and the Chiefs had a first down.

Overall the Chiefs got hit with seven penalties: Page’s unnecessary roughness, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct flag against ILB Demorrio Williams, a pair of false starts by TE Sean Ryan and false starts by Cassel, LT Branden Albert and LG Brian Waters.

PERSONNEL MATTERS

Inactive for the Chiefs were rookies WR Quinten Lawrence, TE Jake O’Connell and LB Pierre Walters, along with CB Mike Richardson, RB Dantrell Savage, OT Ikechuku Ndukwe and TE Brad Cottam. Matt Gutierrez was the inactive third quarterback. Ndukwe started the first three games of the season at right tackle.

Moving into the starting lineup at RT was Ryan O’Callaghan. It’s his first start with the Chiefs since being claimed on waivers from the Patriots back in early September. O’Callaghan had played the previous two games as part of the FG and PAT protection.

Both TE Leonard Pope and LB David Herron played, just four days after their first practice with the team. Herron was on all four major special teams units for this game.

Inactive players for the Giants were WR Ramses Barden, RB Danny Ware, CB Aaron Ross, OT Adam Koets, OT Guy Whimper, WR Domenik Hixon, LB Clint Sintim and DL Chris Chanty.

HORSING AROUND AND OTHER NOTES

Warpaint returned to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday. The horse made a brief appearance at half-time for the Raiders game two weeks earlier. The horse was introduced in pre-game festivities and left his calling card at the 12-yard line in the northeast corner of the playing field … the announced attendance was 69,238, with plenty of them wearing blue and white shirts of the Giants … Hali now has 13 forced fumbles in his career, which ranks him tied for third in Chiefs history with Kevin Ross and Jared Allen. Hall of Fame LB Derrick Thomas is first with 45 and DE Neil Smith is second with 29 … Giants coach Tom Coughlin on the Chiefs: “You can see how they are developing and getting better. I knew that this would be a difficult game from looking at their opener here a couple weeks ago. They did a nice job and had a lot of statistics against Oakland but didn’t win the game.”

Chiefs Get Smacked Again By NFC East

From Arrowhead Stadium

For the second week in a row, the Chiefs got a taste of NFC East football.

And for the second week in a row, they got punched in the face. This time the New York Giants provided the whipping, taking a 27-16 victory that was not nearly as close as that score indicates. Two fourth-quarter TDs by the Chiefs made it somewhat respectable.

Gives this to the Chiefs: they did not give up. They were playing from behind on the scoreboard from the game’s start. But just as they were last week in Philadelphia, the Chiefs were never in a position to win this game. They cannot compete with a team like the Giants, now 4-0 on the season. Tom Coughlin’s team went 3-0 on three-game road trip to Dallas, Tampa and Kansas City.

That’s hard for any team to do, but the Giants have no problems playing away from home. They are now 19-4 in their last 23 road games.

“We knew this would be a tough stretch against some very good opponents,” Todd Haley said. “This is obviously the worst-case scenario. We are where we are. We’ve got to stick together and start becoming a team.

“We’ve got to be better in all areas that’s clear: offense, defense, kicking game. …Read More!

Column: Chiefs Struggling To Be A Team

From Arrowhead Stadium

For the first time in 29 years, the Chiefs have begun the NFL season 0-4.

The last time it happened was in 1980, under head coach Marv Levy. That was Rebuilding No. 2 in the history of the Chiefs franchise.

That was just after Rebuilding I under Paul Wiggin and before Rebuilding III directed by John Mackovic.

This 0-4 biscuit is courtesy of Rebuilding VIII, from the duo of Pioli/Haley.

The business of turning a football team into a contender isn’t easy. I don’t believe Pioli/Haley thought it would be, although I doubt they considered it would be as tough as things have gotten with the 2009 Chiefs.

Bodies come, bodies go, but still the Chiefs can’t win. For the second week in a row, they were never had a chance to even dream of winning. They were easily the inferior team as they played the New York Giants, just as they were the inferior when they played the Philadelphia Eagles.

And, they will be inferior next Sunday when they host the Dallas Cowboys. …Read More!

Chiefs Offensive Woes Are Deep

From Arrowhead Stadium

Matt Cassel seldom drops his guard when he speaks to the media. His answers to questions are generally programmed, very obvious and always quite bland. There are no headlines after a Cassel press conference; that’s just the way the head coach and quarterback want things to happen.

That made one of Cassel’s answers after the 27-16 loss to the Giants quite telling.

Question: After four games are you comfortable with the offense right now?

Cassel: “When you’re 0-4 you’re trying to find a comfort level somewhere. We’ve got to continue to make strides to do that. I don’t know what you would say we’re hanging our hat on right now, but as we move forward we need to figure out our identity pretty quickly and get better at the things we do well.”

Of course, it would be nice to identify something the Chiefs offense does well, but good luck finding that. …Read More!

Opponent: New York Giants

2009 record: 3-0 with victories over Washington, Dallas and Tampa Bay.

Last year’s record: 12-4, first place in NFC East

Record for the last five seasons: 51-36 including four trips to the playoffs in those five years.

Last appearance in the playoffs: 2008 NFC Divisional Playoffs, lost to Philadelphia 23-11 at the Meadowlands.

Head coach: Tom Coughlin, in his fifth season leading the Giants. He has a 51-36 record with the Giants and his overall coaching record including his time in Jacksonville is 123-100.

Coordinators: Kevin Gilbride, offense; Bill Sheridan, defense; Tom Quinn, special teams.

Roster overview: The Giants have put together a mix of free agents and draft choices to create their roster that is now 15-5 over the last two seasons. Of the 22 starters, half come from New York choices in the NFL Draft. Still, only one of those 11 was a first-round choice, RCB Aaron Ross (1st-’07). The Giants are strong on the line of scrimmage, where again they’ve mixed unrestricted free agents with draft picks. They also picked up a starter through a trade in QB Eli Manning. New York has 10 players at 30 years or older, with three at 22 years or younger. In fact, they have a 43-year old in P Jeff Feagles and a 20-year old in WR Hakeem Nicks. …Read More!

Practice report 10/1 Update

From the Truman Sports Complex

QB Matt Cassel says the Chiefs 0-3 record to start the season is not an indication of what the team can be.

“We are not a bad football team,” Cassel said after Thursday’s practice. “We are just making dumb decisions out there and the result is bad outcomes. We are three games into the season, so it’s not time to hit the panic button. We just have to keep pushing forward,  eliminate our mistakes, the penalties and the bad football and we will immediately get better.

“If we change that, the wins will come.”

All hands were dressed and taking part in Thursday’s practice. WR Dwayne Bowe was a limited participant in the session. In position work with the wide receivers Bowe ran routes, but did so gingerly and with no explosion on that injured right hamstring. When the receivers went over to work against the defensive backs, Bowe sat out the drill. At one point he changed the shoes he was wearing on the grass field that was moist from early morning rain.

“He was out there, so he’s better than yesterday,”  Todd Haley said of Bowe. “We are going to be cautious with the injury. We’ll see what he can do (Friday).” …Read More!

No Pressure, No Wins … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

Here’s the most stunning statistic involving both the Chiefs and Giants as they head towards their matchup on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium:

• Chiefs 2009 sacks – 3.
• Giants 2009 sacks -3.

It’s especially stunning given the statistics from last season:

• Chiefs 2008 sacks – 10.
• Giants 2008 sacks – 42.

As we’ve mentioned about one hundred times since the end of the ’08 season, the Chiefs 10 sacks was the worst sack attack in the history of the NFL. That was 10 sacks in 16 games, breaking the mark held by Baltimore that had 11 sacks in the nine games in the strike-shortened season of 1982.

There’s nothing about what’s happened in three games that gives any indication things will be different this season. That pressure by LB Corey Mays on Brett Favre doesn’t count since it came in the pre-season. …Read More!