Chiefs Place 4 ON All-Decade Team

From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

The Chiefs may have been shut out of the Pro Bowl, but they were well represented on the NFL’s All-Decade teams for the 2000s that was announced Sunday evening here in south Florida.

TE Tony Gonzalez, OT Willie Roaf, G Will Shields and Retuner Dante Hall were all named to the 53-man team that was voted on by the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors.

Hall was the big winner, as he was selected as a kick returner and punt returner, the only player to be selected for two different positions.

Here’s how impressive the Chiefs four picks were – no other team in the league had more. Several others also had four players, teams like New  England, Indianapolis and Baltimore. All of those teams won a Super Bowl in the decade; the Chiefs did win a single game in the playoffs.

Joining Gonzalez as an All-Decade tight end was San Diego’s Antonio Gates. Joining Shields among the guards were Larry Allen of Dallas, Alan Faneca of Pittsburgh/N.Y. Jets and Steve Hutchinson of Seattle/Minnesota.

The other OTs with Roaf were Walter Jones of Seattle, Jonathan Ogden of Baltimore and Orlando Pace of St.  Louis/Chicago.

Joining Hall as a kick returner was Cleveland’s Joshua Cribbs, and joining him as a punt returner was Devin Hester. …Read More!

Representing The Kansas City Chiefs …

From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

When the ball is teed up and kicked off Sunday night for the Pro Bowl, there will not be anybody wearing the red helmet with the arrowhead of the Kansas City Chiefs. For the first time in 31 seasons, there are now Chiefs players participating in the game.

But that does not mean there was no part of the organization taking part in Pro Bowl week. The only Kansas City representative here in south Florida in the run up to the game was …

KC WOLF!

Congratulations to the man in the fur, Dan Meers for getting the Chiefs on the Pro Bowl scoreboard in some fashion. KC Wolf took part in various events during the week that featured some NFL mascots. He was captured below in this picture at a beach party in Ft. Lauderdale.

A Not So Pro Bowl … Sunday Cup 1-31

From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

The Pro Bowl was so important to Minnesota Vikings OT Bryant McKinnie that he failed to show up for practice on Friday … and Thursday … and Wednesday.

McKinnie’s absences finally got him sent home, kicked off the team by NFC Coach Wade Phillips, with help from the NFL office. He will not receive any sort of paycheck for his time spent here in south Florida, where he missed three of the four practices and did not attend any meetings.

It’s just another black mark on the Pro Bowl ledger for this year, and there’s little doubt in the mind of most around pro football that the idea of moving the all-star game to the site of the Super Bowl and then playing it a week ahead of time was a mistake.

Everyone save NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

“What we’re seeing is a lot more attention on the Pro Bowl than we’ve ever had before,” Goodell said this week, “and that in and of itself is a success.”

The change in location – south Florida rather than Hawaii – and timing – coming before the Super Bowl rather than after – were meant to look at two things: whether more excitement could be created with the Pro Bowl being the first event of Super Bowl week, and whether it would have an impact on TV ratings. …Read More!

Chip Hilton Lives … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

My first sports hero was a guy named Chip Hilton.

Now, Hilton was not a real person. He was the hero in a series of 24 novels written by Hall of Fame basketball coach Clair Bee. Chip was an outstanding schoolboy athlete, who played football, baseball and basketball. He faced all sorts of trials and tribulations in each book, but in the end Chip always came out of the competition with dignity and victory.

The NFL’s current version of Chip Hilton retired on Friday. After a dozen seasons in the league, Kurt Warner said he’s done playing football. With his wife and seven children by his side, he told the Arizona Cardinals that after going through a dozen years of trials and tribulations, and coming out of those with dignity many victories, it was time for the final chapter.

“It’s been an amazing ride,” Warner said. “I don’t think I could have dreamt it would have played out the way it has. But I’ve been humbled everyday that I’ve woke up the last 12 years.”

Warner led the St. Louis Rams to a victory in Super Bowl XXXIV, and started Super Bowl XXXVI for the Rams and XLIII for the Cardinals. He was named the NFL’s MVP in 1999 & 2001. His career completion rate of 65.4 percent is the second highest in league history. In the regular season and playoffs, he threw for a combined 36,296 yards and 239 TD passes. …Read More!

More Parcells Blood … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

The Parcells transfusion to the Kansas City Chiefs continues.

As Todd Haley remakes his coaching staff for the 2000 season, there appears to be one requirement for a job: the new coach must have been part of the New York Jets in 1999.

Charlie Weis, Romeo Crennel, Richie Anderson, Anthony Pleasant and Bernie Parmalee (left) all have been hired to full-time coaching jobs with the 2010 Chiefs and they share only one obvious trait: they were all working in some capacity for Parcells with the Jets in that ’99 season. So was Haley, who was in his first year as a position coach, handling the wide receivers. The offensive line coach of the Jets that season was Bill Muir, now the Chiefs O-Line coach.

Weis was the team’s offensive coordinator, Crennel was the defensive line coach and Anderson, Pleasant and Parmalee were all on the Jets roster. Anderson and Parmalee were running backs, working with Weis. Pleasant was the starting right defensive end and Crennel was his position coach.

The coaching moves the Chiefs announced on Thursday were evidence of Haley working towards creating a staff that has the same foundation and values of his personality and constitution as head coach.

He did not have that last year. …Read More!

Coaching Staff Shuffle Continues

Todd Haley’s 2010 Chiefs coaching staff remains very fluid right now, as the team made annoucements on Thursday on some staff moves.

In are a pair of coaches who were with the team last year, but not in defined roles; Richie Anderson will be the new wide receivers coach, while Anthony Pleasant will hold the title of defensive assistant.

Former Dolphins-Jets RB Bernie Parmalee has been hired as tight ends coach.

Going out the door are last season’s defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, tight ends coach Bob Bicknell and former wide receiver coach Dedric Ward.  As we reported on Wednesday, Bicknell has been added to Chan Gailey’s coaching staff with the Buffalo Bills. Ward was relieved of his duties as wide receivers coach during the ’09 season, and Anderson took over the position.

Pendergast lost his job as defensive coordinator when Romeo Crennel was hired. Haley indicated that he wanted Pendergast to continue with the team, but that apparently did not work out.

The team also annouced that defensive quality control coach Pat Perles was moved to assistant offensive line coach.

Parmalee comes to the Chiefs after spending the past five seasons as tight ends coach for Charlie Weis at Notre Dame. He previously spent two seasons coaching special teams and tight ends with the Miami Dolphins (2002-04). He played nine seasons in the NFL with the Dolphins and Jets.

All the additions – Anderson, Pleasant and Parmalee – are former NFL players.

Right now, Haley’s staff does not yet have publicly designated coaches for the defensive line, secondary and defensive quality control.

Senior Bowl Circus … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

It’s not so much an all-star game as it is a convention for the National Football League.

Senior Bowl week each January in Mobile, Alabama is one of the few opportunities for the grunts of the NFL to get together and share some fellowship in the form of a few adult beverages, maybe a quick trip to one of the casinos about an hour away in Biloxi and information.

That’s a lot of information. There are close to 100 potential draft choices working out in Mobile this week in preparation for Saturday’s 61st Senior Bowl. For every one of those players, there are four or five NFL coaches, scouts and front-office types there to watch and chart every move. The Chiefs have a pretty full contingent there, including new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis (right).

And there’s probably another one thousand or so media, agents, along with scouts and coaches looking for work, lingering around the practices of the two teams and the hotel’s that are sold out for this week every year.

There are a lot of observations, a lot of questions asked and a lot of judgments made in the cool winter air of Alabama. But is that time and energy really meaningful? Just how important is the Senior Bowl in the evaluation process?

Here’s what one NFL personnel director said Wednesday night on his way to a late supper: …Read More!

Another Change To Chiefs Staff

Former Chiefs offensive coordinator Chan Gailey has added some familiar faces to his coaching staff in Buffalo, including Chiefs tight end coach Bob Bicknell.

After the ’09 Chiefs season was over, head coach Todd Haley did not renew the contracts of defensive line coach Tim Krumrie and assistant offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris. That appeared to be the only deletions the head coach wanted to make on his staff.

But the Bills announced the hiring of Bicknell as their tight end coach on Wednesday, the same position he held last season with the Chiefs. Bicknell came to the Chiefs in 2007 as assistant offensive line coach, then took over the offensive l ine in 2008 and moved to tight ends in 2009.

Joining Gailey’s staff with Bicknell are D’Alessandris, former Chiefs RB coach Curtis Modkins and offensive assistant Kevin Patullo, who was with the Chiefs staff in 2007-08 as offensive quality control. That’s the same position he’ll  have in Buffalo. Modkins has been given the title of offensive coordinator/RB coach; he was the RB coach last year with Arizona.

NFL’s Team Of The Decade … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Sometime in the next few days the National Football League is going to release the league’s all-decade team for the 2000s.

To put together this all-star team of the decade, the league asked the Pro Football Hall of Fame Board of Selectors to come up with the team. Voting was held last month, with the league asking for multiple selections at each position.

In the last three decades, the Chiefs had five players selected to an all-decade team:

• 1990s – LB Derrick Thomas and DE Neil Smith.
• 1980s – FS Deron Cherry.
• 1970s – LB Bobby Bell and P Jerrel Wilson.

There was also an all-time AFL team, which was essentially also an all-decade team since Lamar Hunt’s league began play in 1960 and ended play as a separate entity with the 1969 season. That group included Wilson, TE Fred Arbanas, LT Jim Tyrer, LG Ed Budde, DE Jerry Mays, LB Bobby Bell and S Johnny Robinson.

What Chiefs players have a chance to be part of the team of the past decade? TE Tony Gonzalez, G Will Shields, FB Tony Richardson, PR Dante Hall and LB Donnie Edwards have a chance. Gonzalez and Shields have the best odds of gaining that coveted declaration. Hall would be next.

I have not yet seen the final results for the 2000s; those will be released down in south Florida as part of the Pro Bowl festivities.

But, here are the players that were on my ballot for the All-Decade Team. The number in parenthesis is the total from each position that the NFL asked for in the voting: …Read More!

Aint’s No More … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

For years, the New Orleans Saints wandered in the NFL jungle. They were one of those bumbling franchises that always seemed t o shoot themselves in the foot.

They began play as an expansion team in 1967 and went 3-11. They would play 11 more seasons with losing record until they went 8-8 in 1979. It would be 21 seasons of play before the Saints had a winning record. Now, after 43 seasons of action, they’ve had nine winning records and four division titles.

But now the Aints aint no more. They are headed to the Super Bowl for the first time after winning their first NFC Championship on Sunday with an overtime victory against the Minnesota Vikings.

So how did the Saints finally get things headed in the right direction? It appears to be the combination of head coach Sean Payton and GM Mickey Loomis. They’ve built a squad that has found performers and contributors on almost every avenue on the league’s personnel highway. Draft picks, unrestricted free agents, trades, street free agents, college free agents – they are all part of the Saints equation. About the only resource the Saints haven’t tapped is the waiver wire.

Payton is a branch off the Bill Parcells tree, while Loomis’ roots are from the Seahawks going back to the 1980s. They have a strong personnel group, led by Rick Reiprish, who began his NFL team scouting career with the Chiefs back in the early 1980s.

Here’s how the Saints numbers break down compared to the Colts and Chiefs: …Read More!

Next Stop Miami … Monday Cup O’Championships

They were the two best teams in either conference of the National Football League during the 2009 regular season. Ordinarily, that does not mean those clubs are immediately passed through to the Super Bowl.

But the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints are headed for south Florida and Super Bowl 44 in 13 days. It’s the first time that the top seed in each conference have both advanced since 1993 when Buffalo and Dallas got it done. In the recently completed decade of championship games, half of the winners were No. 1 seeds. There have been more in the NFC, with six out of 10. The AFC had four out of 10.

The game is rife with storylines and plot twists that will be inflamed and fleshed out over the next two weeks. There’s the great story of the Saints and their survival in New Orleans after the destruction brought by Hurricane Katrina. Peyton Manning gets to play for another championship against the team he rooted for as a youth. There’s Indy’s rookie head coach Jim Caldwell, and with the Saints there’s the Reggie Bush story to be told.

We will let all that play itself out in the coming days. Here on the day after, let’s take a look at how these two football teams were built, and specifically how the Chiefs compare to what these teams have gotten done and experienced success. Is there a path to be learned by the Chiefs in how the Colts and Saints were built? Absolutely, although it’s not a new method or game plan that these teams have uncovered to find success.

It’s always the same: it’s find good players and it’s the process of developing good players. That’s what these teams have done, although it has happened in different ways. …Read More!

Brian Waters Finalist For Man of the Year

Chiefs G Brian Waters is one of three finalists to receive the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

The winner will be announced on Super Bowl Sunday, just before kickoff.  The other finalists are Washington LB London Fletcher and Cleveland WR Mike Furrey.

The Payton Award is presented each year to honor an NFL player for his community service. Begun in 1970 as the NFL Man of the Year, it was renamed the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 1999, after the death of the Bears running back.

Waters is trying to become the fifth Chiefs player to receive the honor, joining MLB Willie Lanier (1972), QB Len Dawson (1973), LB Derrick Thomas (1993) and G Will Shields (2003). Waters was also a finalist for the award two years ago.

Senior Bowl Players Set

The Senior Bowl week begins Monday with the first practices of the week. Almost all of the NFL will be there by Tuesday, from GMs, to head coaches and all the personnel folks.

The quality of the people watching practice will exceed those that they watch. While there may be several last minute additions and/or deletions, the players in Mobile, Alabama this week does not include the names that will be taken early in the first round. The top quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, tight end, offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers and defensive backs. It’s doubtful the Chiefs choice at the No. 5 pick will be playing in this game.

There are only two of the top 20 or 25 players taking part: OT Trent Williams from Oklahoma and CB Patrick Robinson of Florida State. Most of the players on both rosters are considered good enough to be selected in April’s NFL Draft.

In the last five drafts, the Chiefs selected 43 players. A dozen of those players participated in the Senior Bowl: 2009-Alex Magee, 2008-Brad Cottam and Barry Richardson, 2007-Dwayne Bowe, Tank Tyler and Kolby Smith, 2006-Tamba Hali and Brodie Croyle, 2005-Dustin Colquitt, Craphonso Thorpe, Alphonso Hodge and Jeremy Parquet.

Here is the list of invitees by position that will work with the coaching staffs of the Detroit Lions and Miami Dolphins: …Read More!

Championship Sunday … Cup O’Chiefs

Tickets to the Super Bowl are ready to be punched on Sunday as the AFC and NFC Championship. The games will go down in Indianapolis and New Orleans, with the home teams both favored to win.

Some of the best players in the game today are ready to play for a chance to become the 44th winner of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

NEW YORK JETS @ INDIANAPOLIS, LUCAS OIL STADIUM, 2 P.M.

The Indianapolis Colts/AFC South champion/15-2

There have been a lot of changes around Indianapolis in the last year.

But the fact the Colts are in their third AFC Championship Game this decade speaks to the one factor that doesn’t change: Peyton Manning.

The NFL’s 2009 MVP knows there are a lot of teammates like him that have been in this situation before, and that there are a lot of teammates who are getting their first taste of championship football.

“I have always felt that experience is your best teacher, as long as you use the knowledge that you gained from the experience,” Manning said this week. “I think that is important. We have a lot of young players, a lot of rookies that are playing prominent roles for us this year; I know they will be excited. But I think all the veteran players, guys that have been in this game before, will be equally as excited. It’s just a great opportunity.”

The ’09 season was very different for the Colts. Tony Dungy was out and Jim Caldwell was in as head coach. Marvin Harrison was gone at wide receiver and guys like Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon got their opportunities, as did rookie RB Donald Brown.

“There certainly was a lot of unknown to start the season,” said Manning. “Certain guys looked good in practice, but you just don’t know how certain players will respond once you get into game situations. It is one thing to look good in training camp, but do you look as efficient once the lights turn on? We had a number of young guys that really stepped up. The game never seemed too big for them. Guys like Pierre Garcon, Donald Brown, and Austin Collie. I think that was critical when those guys were called on to make plays for us and to fulfill some critical roles. …Read More!

Stats Roundup: A Decade Of Rushing

The 2000s was the most successful decade in franchise history for the Chiefs when it came to running the football. That was thanks to the strong legs and ability of Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson.

Among the league’s 32 teams, the Chiefs finished ninth in rushing yards over the decade, averaging 122.4 yards per game. That was just less than 12 yards per game behind the rushing leader over the 2000s, the Denver Broncos.

Of the team’s 19,581 rushing yards from 2000 through 2009, Holmes and Johnson accounted for 62 percent of those yards.

The Chiefs finished No. 1 in rushing touchdowns during the decade, with 183 scores. Holmes and Johnson had 131 of those touchdown runs. That was 72 percent of the team’s rushing scores.

Over the last 10 seasons, the Chiefs had six different seasons where a running back ran for 1,000 yards or more (missing only in 2000, 2004, 2007 and 2008.) That was done by three different backs – Holmes, Johnson and Jamaal Charles. Those three and FB Tony Richardson were the Chiefs backs that put up more than 1,000 yards over the decade.

Here’s the top 10 Chiefs rushers over the last 10 seasons: …Read More!

That Championship Thrill … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

There is great excitement this weekend in the French Quarter. Same thing in Indianapolis. Parties are planned on Sunday from the concrete canyons of Manhattan to the fishing sheds on the 10,000 ice covered lakes of Minnesota.

It’s conference championship weekend in the NFL. Pro football’s final four. Every fan of the league enjoys this weekend, but it’s something special for the cities of the four teams playing the games.

Remember how that used to feel Chiefs fans? Probably not, because it’s been so long since Kansas City has experienced that type of football excitement. In fact, it was 16 years ago Saturday.

That was the day the Chiefs were in Buffalo to play the Bills in the 1993 AFC Championship Game. It was the first championship game of any kind for the Chiefs since their Super Bowl IV victory over Minnesota in January 1970. That was 24 years between title games, and now it’s been 16 years since the Chiefs have stood on the doorstep of the Super Bowl.

It was a cold day at Rich Stadium in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park. But then, what else would be expected on a January Sunday. At various times that Sunday afternoon, there was rain, snow and sleet falling on the teams. Temperatures were right around 30 degrees, but a wind out of the southwest that sometimes gusted to 20 mph made it feel like 15 degrees. …Read More!

Free Agent Review #2 … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

Piecing together the roster of a professional football team is like a game of stacking dominoes. If one falls, it creates a chain reaction. Fail on a significant draft choice and the rest of the roster feels the failure.

A team signs a free agent with hopes they can contribute at a specific position, and when it doesn’t happen, they must react.

This is especially true on bad football teams. When the talent level is so low, there’s no reason to keep the stability of the roster. Signing players off the street, or claiming players on the waiver wire, or making quiet trades are all tools a team’s personnel decision makers use to raise the talent tide.

As we examined on Thursday, the Chiefs performance in bringing in players with NFL experience before the start of training camp was not very successful. On average, the players and their contributions graded out to a D-minus grade.

The success rate was not much better after the start of training camp in River Falls, Wisconsin. And, part of that was the domino effect from pre-camp failure.

For example, take the wide receiver position highlighted by veteran Chris Chambers (left). The new Arrowhead regime knew that was a weak spot on the club’s roster after the ’08 season. A number of wide receivers were signed: Terrance Copper, Bobby Engram, C.J. Jones and Rodney Wright. By the end of the ’09 regular season, only Copper remained and he was largely a special teams performer. …Read More!

Players Of The Decade

The Chiefs did not have many games of importance during the last decade.

But they did have some important players. Voting by our readers focused on a handful of players and two were at the top when it came to being considered the best Chiefs player of the decade:

• TE Tony Gonzalez
• G Will Shields

Overall, five players received recognition from readers as the best player in a Chiefs uniform during the 2000s: Gonzalez, Shields, RB Priest Holmes, QB Trent Green and WR Dante Hall.

And among all the voters, some of whom listed out their top 10 selections and even more, some 19 different p layers from the past decade were nominated.

But Gonzalez and Shields led the way, just as they led the way on the field with their performances in the Chiefs offense during the decade. Gonzalez played nine seasons, missing only this past year after he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons. Shields played seven seasons, retiring before the start of the ’07 season.

And, both were Chiefs draft choices: Shields in the third round of the ’93 NFL Draft and Gonzalez in the first-round of the ’97 selection meeting.

Their qualifications are impeccable: …Read More!

Free Agent Review … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

The Chiefs football brain trust has spent the week in Orlando watching practices at the East-West Shrine Game. It’s just another step in the personnel process, along with next week’s Senior Bowl, the NFL Scouting Combine at the end of February and other events leading up to April’s NFL Draft.

That’s just on the college side. On the pro side, the evaluations go non-stop all year for players from the start of training camp through the Super Bowl. Last year, the Chiefs acquired 16 players with experience of some kind in the NFL before they went to training camp.

There were players in that group the Chiefs were counting on to contribute in the 2009 season. And some did, like OLB Mike Vrabel (right). But overall the ’09 group of players with NFL experience that were signed by GM Scott Pioli were a disappointment and factored into the team’s bad 4-12 record.

Here’s a look and grade on each of the veteran free agents or first-year players signed by the Chiefs before the start of training camp in the ’09 season: …Read More!

Familiar Faces In Power … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Over the last year or so, there’s been this undercurrent running through the Chiefs Nation that anything that happened with this franchise before the big facelift of 2009 was bad. I’ve heard it many times from fans and posters who in the despair of 10-38 over the last three seasons have forgotten the success that came before.

The frustration that has overwhelmed red and gold fans has made them forget that there used to be victories and outstanding football people working for the Chiefs.

Two more of those people were in the news on Tuesday. As reported on Monday, Chan Gailey was named the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs former offensive coordinator was introduced at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.

All the way on the other side of the country, former Chiefs pro personnel guy John Schneider was named the new general manager of the Seattle Seahawks. Schneider will work with head coach Pete Carroll in the rebuilding of that franchise.

Schneider joins a group with Jeff Ireland (GM in Miami), Mark Dominick (Tampa Bay GM) and Thomas Dimitroff (GM in Atlanta) as men running NFL teams who spent time in the Chiefs personnel department. Others who came out of the team’s front office who became NFL general managers were Terry Bradway (New York Jets) and the late Mark Hatley (Green Bay). …Read More!

Games Of The Decade

There was no across the board agreement by the readers and posters of bobgretz.com on the Chiefs best game of the 2000s.

But there was agreement on whittling down the 162 games that counted to a handful and two games came out on top:

• November 23, 2006: Thanksgiving night victory over Denver 19-10.
• October 5, 2003: Victory over Denver 24-23 on Dante Hall’s 93-yard punt return.

Coming in a close third was the Chiefs victory on October 12, 2003 over the Green Bay Packers in overtime 40-34 at Lambeau Field.

Rounding out the top five was the 56-10 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on October 24, 2004 when the Chiefs scored an NFL record eight rushing touchdowns, and the 2002 regular season opener at Cleveland, when the Chiefs beat the Browns 40-39 thanks to that bizarre end of game moment where LB Dwayne Rudd thought his team won the game and ripped off his helmet and threw it across the field. That drew a penalty that allowed for a game winning FG by Morten Anderson.

Unfortunately, there were no Super Bowls, AFC Championship Games or even victories in the playoffs to consider as the game of decade. That left a historic holiday night game and a big victory over a division rival during the team’s best season of the 2000s.

Here are some of the comments from posters about all five games: …Read More!

Big Comeback Possible For Chan … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

There was a lot of going on Monday in the NFL coaching world and there were some familiar names to Chiefs fans involved in the activity.

Up in Buffalo, out of nowhere it looks like Chan Gailey (left with Matt Cassel) has a chance to be the new head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Yes, the man that Todd Haley fired as offensive coordinator at the start of September, could be one of the 32 leaders in the league as early as Tuesday.

Out in San Francisco, the 49ers hired Kurt Schottenheimer as their special teams coach. Schottenheimer sat out the ’09 season, after leaving the Packers following the ’08 season.

And with the Carolina Panthers, Richard Williamson announced his retirement after some 45 years in the world of coaching, including four seasons (1983-86) with the Chiefs on the staff of John Mackovic.

GAILEY

When he was fired by the Chiefs after the third pre-season game, there was talk about Gailey doing work for the franchise in the personnel department for the rest of the season. That did not happen. Chan and Laurie Gailey spent a few weeks afterwards in Kansas City packing up their condo, and after leaving to go welcome another grandchild into the world, they returned to K.C. and moved everything back to their home in Georgia.

There was little doubt Gailey would be back in the NFL come the 2010 season. He’s a very talented coach, who has seen it all over his career and generally has been very successful. Gailey is also one of the classiest guys in the coaching business. With the gift of hindsight, the job Gailey did with the Chiefs offense in the ’08 season, especially in the second half of that schedule, was one of the better coaching performances the franchise saw in the last decade. …Read More!

Answer Bob Answers Part 2

Here’s round two of the questions you guys posed to me late last week. Round No. 1 was up Sunday night.

Again, thank you for participating and visiting the site.

LABOR SITUATION

What’s going to happen with the situation between players and owners on a new contract?

I would like to think that neither side wants to kill the golden goose that has been laying a lot of golden eggs for the last decade. Both owners and players have made a lot of money. The owners think the players have made too much money and they want them to give some back, or take on some of the risk that goes with the business of running a football team. Reasonable people can come to a reasonable agreement. If either side becomes unreasonable, then we’ve got problems.

What are the chances of a lockout in 2011?

Right now, it looks like there will be no football in 2011. But there is so much ground that has to be covered by the owners and players it is way too early to know. …Read More!

Jackson, Succop On All-Rookie Team

DE Tyson Jackson and K Ryan Succop have earned spots on the NFL All-Rookie team as voted by the Pro Football Writers of America and Pro Football Weekly.

Jackson, the third player taken in the 2009 NFL Draft, played in all 16 games for the Chiefs defense. He had 31 tackles.

Succop, the final player selected in the ’09 Draft, had one of the best seasons of a rookie kicker in the last 25 years. He made 25 of 29 FGs and all 29 of his PAT kicks.

Here’s the All-Rookie team: …Read More!

Moments From The Playoffs … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

It’s one of the best weekends of the NFL season, with four of the league’s top teams in action with Super Bowl implications.

But it turned out to be pretty much of a dud when it came to exciting action, with only the fourth and final game really having any dramatics in the fourth quarter as the New York Jets beat the Chargers 17-14 in San Diego.

Lots of images and plenty of thoughts; no one asked, but here’s some observations, ideas, stats and opinions as the NFL reaches its final four.

FUN WITH FAVRE

It was fun watching Brett Favre have fun on Sunday as the Vikings crushed Dallas 34-3. Favre is an exasperating figure, with all the focus on him over the last two years concerning his divorce from the Packers, his year with the Jets, his retirement and his return to the league with the Vikings. There have been times when it seemed like the only reason ESPN was still broadcasting was to report on Favre and his plans whether in Green Bay, New York, Mississippi or the Twin Cities.

If you wonder why Favre still wants to play, all you had to do is watch him play this game. At the age of 40, he was running around and leading the Vikings like he was 25 years old. His enjoyment of the game and the situation was so obvious, so palatable that it came through the TV screen. …Read More!

Answer Bob Answers/Part 1

You guys are amazing! What a great collection of questions you left for me at the end of last week. There’s a lot there and I’ve got to tell you, most of them were well written and thought out. It’s a pleasure to know they are some intelligent football fans on this site. Thank you.

Many of you had nice compliments on the site and those are truly appreciated. Others had some questions about the site and yours truly. I’ve saved those because coming up here later this week; I’m going to have another Answer Bob post dealing entirely with the web site.

There were so many questions that the answers will come in two parts. This is post No. 1. More questions and answers will come in post No. 2 Monday evening.

I’ve tried to arrange the questions and topics in some sort of order that will provide a path from one to the other. I’ve read all the questions and have lumped some of them together. You know what you asked, and I hope one of my answers will provide the information you seek, if not specifically your question.

Once again, thanks for participating.

OVERALL

Give us a scenario where the Chiefs could make the playoffs in 2010. Is it possible?

I have to stop myself from being a wise-ass and asking, what have you been drinking? There’s too much recent history out there to say it can’t be done. The Bengals won the AFC North, after going 4-11-1 last year. The Dolphins won the AFC East in ’08 after going 1-15 the season before. The Buccaneers won the NFC South in ’07 after going 4-12 in the’06 season. So is it possible, yes. How can it happen? On the Chiefs side, they must find another six victories. Then, if they can have the Chargers fall from grace a bit; San Diego has won four straight division titles with an average of 11.5 victories a season. The Chargers must fall off the podium right now for the Chiefs to have a chance. …Read More!

Rosters For East-West Shrine Game

New Chiefs defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel is in Orlando for the next week, as he’ll handle the East Squad in the annual East-West Shrine Game.

He can learn a great deal about his new home if he talks with the coach of the West Squad, former Chiefs head coach Marty Schottenheimer. The game will go off next Saturday at 2 p.m. CST from the Citrus Bowl. Practices start on Monday in Florida.

They’ve been playing the Shrine Game for a long time, but it has fallen behind the Senior Bowl in importance for NFL evaluators. That makes the two rosters not nearly as strong as what will be seen in the week after in Mobile.

Right now, there are no players in this game that grade out to first-round status. The closest are Nebraska SS Larry Asante and Mississippi DE Greg Hardy, who are both considered second round talents. There are three players considered third round prospects in the game: TE Dennis Pitta of BYU, FS Kam Chancellor of Virginia Tech and OT Kyle Calloway of Iowa.

There are three KU players in this game: QB Todd Reesing, WR Kerry Meier and SS Darrell Stuckey.

Here are the rosters for the two teams as of Friday: …Read More!

Underclassmen In 2010 Draft

The deadline for college players with eligibility remaining to declare for the NFL Draft has now passed.

While there are certainly going to be names that come in the next few days, we have the list of players who have made themselves available.

And, right now it looks like at least half of the first round will be underclassmen. The total may go as high as 20 once the draft rolls around in April. There’s a lot of defensive talent in the first round thanks to the underclassmen, including Florida CB Joe Haden (left).

NFL teams have plenty of information on most of the top-ranked players, but there are some players leaving early that have very slim files in the personnel departments. But from what we can tell by talking with scouts and personnel types, here’s where these underclassmen rank right now before finally evaluations. These names are in alphabetical order:

1st Round/Top 10 picks

…Read More!

It’s The Parcells Chiefs … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

Consider the Chiefs franchise like one of those hyphenated universities. It’s not Patriots or Foxboro West.

It’s actually the University of Parcells-Kansas City campus.

With the formal addition and introduction of Romeo Crennel as defensive coordinator on Thursday, the Chiefs believe they have the big pieces to their coaching puzzle in place. And while there’s a definite look of the New England Patriots to the picture these days, it really has more to do with Bill Parcells, the Big Tuna, the two-time Super Bowl winning coach and current czar of football with the Miami Dolphins.

Call them the Kansas City Tunas.

It’s not just that Scott Pioli, Todd Haley, Charlie Weis and Crennel all worked for Parcells. With the exception of Pioli, it was Parcells that played a key role in the other three getting their first jobs in the NFL: …Read More!

The Romeo Has Landed

From the Truman Sports Complex

Romeo Crennel was in the Chiefs offices on Thursday, meeting with his new boss Todd Haley and talking about defensive personnel with his old buddy Scott Pioli.

We know that not because Crennel was seen by the media horde, but because the newest Chiefs coach told us so over a conference call hookup.

“I’m physically here in Kansas City,” Crennel said from the second floor of the Chiefs offices, to the media on the first floor. “I’m here in the office and we have been meeting on defensive personnel. We are talking about the defensive players strong points and weak points.”

Why Crennel could not meet face-to-face with the scribblers, yakkers and hairdos is just another one of those “Patriot’s Way” methods that supposedly has something to do with winning championships. Nevertheless, whether it was in person or over the phone, Crennel made it plain that he was quite happy to be finally signing on with the Chiefs and Haley.

“I feel really good about being able to come in and help build this program,” said Crennel. “I know many of the guys on this staff. I know who they are and how they coach, how competitive they are. I want to work with guys like that. …Read More!

Background On Romeo … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

Now that it appears the Three Musketeers from kingdom of Foxboro are going to be reunited in Middle America, there are some things that you need to know about the last man to join the crusade.

Romeo Crennel is named after Shakespeare’s Romeo. Really, he is. He even has a sister named Juliet.

It’s just one of the little things we’ve learned about the man who will soon be announced as the team’s new defensive coordinator.

HE WAS BORN in Lynchburg, Virginia on June 18, 1947. He’ll be 63 on his next birthday.

CRENNEL IS THE OLDEST of five children of Joseph and Mary Crennel. His father was a sergeant in the U.S. Army, who served two tours of duty in Vietnam and was transferred to different army bases all over the world, including Fort Sill in Oklahoma, Fort Hood in Texas and Fort Knox in Kentucky.

HIS NAME COMES FROM Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet; his father was a poetry fan and returned home from Paris just before his first son’s birth. Four years after naming his oldest son Romeo, he named his second daughter Juliet. …Read More!

The Problem Waiting For Romeo … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

If Romeo Crennel has watched the Chiefs at all during the 2009 NFL season, he already knows the biggest challenge facing him when he takes over the club’s defense. If Crennel wasn’t watching, then he’s got a real bad surprise coming to him if/when he signs on.

There are a lot of hurdles the Chiefs must overcome to return to contender status. Scott Pioli, Todd Haley, Charlie Weis and soon it appears Crennel will have their hands full lifting all parts of the franchise.

The area that is the most important and needs the biggest change comes with their ability to stop the run.

With the exception of their AFC West division mates in Oakland, nobody in the league has been worse against the run over the last three seasons than the Chiefs. They have given up an average of 148.7 rushing yards per game. And, there is no coincidence that they are 10-38 in those three seasons.

There is also no doubt that one of the cornerstones for any real contender is being able to stop the run. Over the last three seasons (2007-09) here are the stats for the best and worst defenses in the league, along with the team’s overall record: …Read More!

Common Offensive Ground … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

Here was Todd Haley last Friday when talking about hiring Charlie Weis as his offensive coordinator:

“I think we share a common philosophy of offensive football … this to me is as perfect a fit as we could have here.”

Here was Weis speaking about signing on with Haley and the Chiefs:

“Philosophically, what Todd has expressed to me coincides so closely with how I see things in the big picture that this marriage just seemed a very, very simple and plain one.”

OK, so what philosophy do Haley and Weis agree on? Of course that ventures into territory that the current Chiefs administration does not like to reveal. The cracks in the wall that give us a glimpse come from Weis’ time as offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots, and Haley’s coordination of the Arizona Cardinals last season and the Chiefs this year.

Their past provides us with this picture of their philosophy: they believe in attacking, game planning for each opponent, using all possible weapons available on the roster, and maybe even creating some new ones along the way. They will take chances, they will gamble and they will always have a trick play or three up their sleeve.

More than anything they are prepared. They know their opponent inside and out and have found weaknesses in the defense they are playing. They will game plan to take advantage of those chinks in the other guy’s armor. …Read More!

The Historic Season of Jamaal Charles

Jamaal Charles had a remarkable run over the last half of the 2009 season. His race to 1,120 yards is all the more remarkable given the fact that nobody with fewer than his 190 carries has ever topped 1,100 yards.

Simply put, nobody in football history gained more yards on less carries than Charles. 

The fewest carries for a 1,000-yard season was done in 1934, as Beattie Feathers of the Chicago Bears ran for 1,004 yards on just 119 carries in 11 games. That was a remarkable performance from the early days of the league, an average of 8.4 yards per carry and 91.3 yards per game.

Seven other runners reached the 1,000-yard mark with fewer than the 190 carries that Charles had during the ’09 season. But none ran for more than 1,071 yards.

That’s what makes Charles performance all the more noteworthy. Before Charles season, the fewest carries any running back had in reaching 1,100 yards or more was the 1966 performance of Leroy Kelly with the Cleveland Browns. In 14 games, Kelly ran 209 times for 1,141, at 5.5 yards per carry.

  …Read More!

Super Anniversary No. 40

It was on January 11, 1970 that the Kansas City Chiefs won the championship of professional football. In beating the Minnesota Vikings 23-7 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, the Chiefs won the fourth and final game between the champions of the American Football League and the National Football League.

Super Bowl IV MVP Len Dawson will be part of the trophy presentation at the Super Bowl at Dolphin Stadium in south Florida on February 7th. The game program will also feature a story I wrote about the Chiefs victory.

Here’s a sneak preview of some of that story as we celebrate the 40th birthday of the Super Chiefs.

***

In pro football history, the Chiefs 23-7 victory over the Vikings on January 11, 1970 is the forgotten upset.

“Joe and the Jets were first so they got the attention and the headlines,” said Chiefs Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson, who was the MVP of Super Bowl IV. “I think we proved beyond a doubt that what happened with the Jets wasn’t a fluke, that we were the equal of the NFL. We weren’t the so-called other league anymore.”

Actually, there is certain symmetry to the story of Super Bowl IV. It was a beginning to many stories, and the end to others.

It was the final game played by the AFL, a league considered second class when it began in 1960. But six years later came a merger that brought the entire 10-team AFL group under the NFL umbrella. No longer fighting each other, the leagues combined their resources and energy and in a short period of time pro football replaced baseball as America’s favorite spectator sport. …Read More!

From The Wild Card Games … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

So after the first four games of the 2009 NFL playoffs are in the books, what did we learn?

Save for the defensive farce that was Arizona’s victory over Green Bay, we had re-affirmed several football truths, three in-fact:

1. If you want to win in the post-season, you had better be able to score points.
2. Teams that run the ball are going to improve their odds of winning.
3. A team planning to advance must play defense; specifically, they must stop the run.

That’s what the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys did in winning three of the four wild-card weekend games. Arizona followed two of those three commandments in winning the highest scoring game in NFL post-season history. Remarkably, the Cardinals defense won this game as LB Karlos Dansby returned a fumble yards for a touchdown in overtime. That’s Dansby above, celebrating the victory. …Read More!

A Playoff Primer

Understand that I’ve always tried to operate under the advice I received by my grandfather many years ago.

While no philosopher, he sometimes spoke the great truths of life. Sitting on the stoop of my grandparents’ home in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, a chaw of Mail Pouch in his mouth and his coffee can to spit in, we were listening to a Pirates game on the radio when he said: “Never bet on humans.”

I don’t remember the context, but his point was clear. Lay a buck or two on the ponies or the puppies, but stay away from the guys playing games on two legs.

Over the years I’ve learned that figuring out what humans in shoulder pads are going to do is a futile exercise. So don’t expect any inside tidbits and unbeatable insight into the 2009 NFL Tournament.

What I try to do is study history, find the trends and see if they will hold up for another year in the playoffs. Here’s what I can tell you:

THE NFL BRACKETS SELDOM HOLD TRUE – Each conference has a six-team bracket and the slotting of those teams held only three of the 18 conference brackets in this decade. In the AFC, the 2002 playoffs played out as they were slotted, and it happened n 2000 and 2006 in the NFC. Otherwise, the other 15 brackets in the 2000s has seen one lower seeded team beat one with a higher seed. …Read More!

Background On Charlie … Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

There are some things you should know about the newest immigrant from the east to arrive at Foxboro West.

If Charlie Weis is one thing it is this: he’s a Jersey Guy. He was born there, bred there, got his first coaching jobs in the Garden State, won his first Super Bowl ring working out of Giants Stadium. He knows Springsteen and Bon Jovi. He knows what it is to “go down the shore.” He has said “How Ya Doin’ ” about a million times in his life.

Beyond the Jersey roots, here’s what else you should know about the Chiefs offensive coordinator. 

HE WAS BORN in Trenton, New Jersey on March 30, 1956. He’ll be 54 on his next birthday.

WEIS IS THE SECOND OF FIVE CHILDREN, four of them boys. His father was an accountant and his mother a nurse. He grew up in Middlesex, New Jersey.

HIS FATHER WAS A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYER in the Cardinals organization, establishing a love of baseball with his children. In the backyard of the Weis’ home they built a wiffle-ball park, with foul polls, a pitcher’s mound with a rubber and a scoreboard.

HIS WIFE IS MAURA and they have two children, Charles Joseph and Hannah Margaret.

FORMER GIANTS QB PHIL SIMMS ON WEIS: “What I like about him is what I miss about sports in general. I like coaches who are direct, honest and tell you things that are going to make you a better player. Charlie fits right into that mold.” …Read More!

NFL Power Rankings: Final Edition

Throughout the year, the Colts and the Saints stood above the rest of the competition. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees displayed their usual excellence, their teams played better-than-expected defense and they even changed kickers effectively during the course of the season. With identical 13-0 starts, we all but penciled them for February berths in Miami. That was until their wheels came off.

Whether a matter of choice (Colts), or plain accumulation of shortcomings (Saints), the top ranked teams in the NFL finished the ’09 campaign in the midst of losing skids. Those trends can’t help at all. Football is a game of momentum and you’re going to be carried by it right until the very end. Therefore, propelled by that premise, a new contender – Philip Rivers and the Chargers – made a late surge and took over as favorites. All of a sudden, the championship window looks wide open, because Indianapolis and New Orleans don’t look as flawless as they did in the beginning. However, they still have a shot at the hardware, and for that alone, their seasons can be considered successes.

Together the 32 teams wrote the chapters of the ’09 NFL Story. There were surprises, disappointments, records, collapses, hirings, firings and above everything, the games. Seventeen weeks gave each team a rightful place in the history books and along the way, they helped shaped the game. For the last time in the ’09 campaign, we’ll assign a thoughtful number to every squad in the sport of professional football.

Enjoy your NFL’s Chutes ‘N Ladders for Week 17:

Chutes ‘N Ladders – Week 17 – (1-16)

Chutes ‘N Ladders – Week 17 – (17-32)

Hall Of Fame Finalists Named

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 15 finalists that will be considered for induction into the Hall with the Class of 2010.

The 15 players and coach are:

WR Tim Brown, WR Cris Carter, Coach Don Coryell, RB Roger Craig, C Dermonti Dawson, DE Richard Det, G Russ Grimm, DE Charles Haley, LB Rickey Jackson, DT Coretz Kennedy, DT John Randle, WR Andre Reed, WR Jerry Rice, TE Shannon Sharpe and RB Emmitt Smith.

Joining the group are senior nominees RB Floyd Little and DB Dick LeBeau.

Carter, Dawson, Dent, Grimm, Kennedy, Randle, Reed, and Sharpe have all been finalists in previous years.  Although they were eligible in previous years, this is the first time Coryell, Craig, Haley, Jackson, Little, and LeBeau have been finalists. …Read More!

Chiefs Make It Official With Weis

Charlie Weis was officially hired as the Chiefs offensive coordinator on Friday.

“This to me is as perfect a fit as we could have,” said Chiefs head coach Todd Haley. “This should make for a seamless transition for us. Charlie has a tremendous resume of coaching and running offenses. I’m really excited about getting this going.”

Weis said over the last month of the NFL season he watched the Chiefs closely, but did not speak with Haley about the offensive coordinator’s position until after the Denver game.

“What was important to me in looking for a new oppportunity, fit was the No. 1 criteria,” Weis said. “That made Kansas City one of the prime landing spots for me.

“I’m excited to be part of the growing process that I’ve watched from afar for the last month.” …Read More!

It Must Be More Than Charlie … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

One question about this football marriage between the Chiefs and Charlie Weis:

Is he bringing Tom Brady with him?

While no official declaration has been made by the organization, it seems fait accompli that Weis will become the team’s offensive coordinator. Football coaches are the ultimate example of not counting chickens before they hatch. There’s always a second or third thought, another bigger or better offer comes in or the family decides they don’t want to move to a new home. There’s always a chance this thing blows up.

Weis’ addition has been greeted with great excitement not only among Chiefs fans but around the NFL. It’s considered the perfect fit; an experienced offensive coordinator coming in and helping out inexperienced head coach Todd Haley. These guys know each other, having shared an office for three years with the New York Jets. Weis went on to New England where he won Super Bowl rings and worked around Scott Pioli.

Most importantly, he coached and developed Brady, either 1A or 1B on the list of the NFL’s best quarterbacks for the last decade along with Peyton Manning. …Read More!

BCS Championship Preview: Alabama vs. Texas

If an NFL general manager could take his first 22 players off the rosters of the University of Alabama and the University of Texas, he’d have a competitive team very quickly.

As the Crimson Tide and Longhorns play Thursday night in the BCS championship game at the Rose Bowl they will field a remarkable collection of football talent. Many of the names you will see in this game will be names you’ll notice in the NFL in coming seasons. Here are the players at the top of the list of prospects.

ALABAMA

#25 ILB Rolando McClain, 6-4, 250 pounds – a consensus first-team All-America selection the 2009 Butkus Award winner as college football’s best linebacker and the SEC Defensive Player of the Year winner, McClain is a junior and has not affirmed publicly that he’s entering the 2010 NFL Draft. Expect that to happen within days of the championship game. McClain has been bothered with a case of the flu this week and missed some practice time. But he should play against Texas. Nick Saban calls McClain the smartest player he’s ever coached and he spends hours each week watching game tape. He led the Crimson Tide defense with 101 tackles, including 12.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, two interceptions and he forced a fumble. Over his 40-game career with the Tide, he has 270 total tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, one fumble return for a touchdown and eight sacks. He did not miss a game because of injury. EVALUATION – top half of the first round. …Read More!

Fear of Failure … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

Understand this about Todd Haley: he is a stubborn man.

A stubborn man, driven by unshakeable believes about how to build a championship football team.

A stubborn man driven not by ego, but by fear.

“I don’t want to fail,” Haley said on Wednesday, as he wrapped up the 2009 season with a session with the local media. “I don’t intend to fail. I want to succeed. Ultimately I’m going to be the one who is most responsible for determining that. That’s what has always driven me. I want this team to be a great team. I don’t like that feeling of coming home on a plane or going home to the house there were too many this year.

“That’s the bottom line. That’s what drives me and continues to drive me is the fear of failure. I don’t want to fail. I’ll be judged by my record and right now, it’s 4-12.”

Despite the various controversies that floated around him and the team during the ’09 season, Haley is convinced more than ever that his approach and his foundations of building a winner are correct. Forget the ugly 4-12 record. It hasn’t changed his thinking at all.

See what I mean about stubborn. …Read More!

Charles And His Spot In History

Quite simply, Jamaal Charles was robbed.

Politics is the only reason that Charles was not named the AFC’s offensive player of the week for his 259-yard rushing performance against Denver last Sunday.

The league gave the AFC honor to Baltimore running back Willis McGahee. Why? Because they named Derrick Johnson the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, and the league does not hand the offensive and defensive player awards to teammates the same week. They’ve got 32 ownerships to make happy, so in this case Charles got jobbed.

His performance was the eighth best single-game rushing performance in league history. Here are the details:

Talking with Todd

From the Truman Sports Complex

There are some football coaches that whenever they speak publicly, their words need translation. There are other coaches who don’t say enough to even bother trying to define what they’ve had to say. And then there are the majority of coaches that bounce back and forth between those extremes.

Generally, Todd Haley’s public comments do not need translation. They are pretty clear in intent, although not always clear in edification. Haley juggles his public comments carefully so he doesn’t reveal too much. Even with that tendency, his comments provide plenty of information for those who want to pay attention.

Haley wrapped up the 2009 Chiefs season by spending 45 minutes with the media horde on Wednesday. Much of the attention from this session will go to question and answers involving the names Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel. The NFL grapevine bubbles with chatter that both Weis and Crennel will be part of Haley’s 2010 coaching staff.

As this is being written Wednesday evening, ESPN is reporting that Weis has agreed to become the Chiefs offensive coordinator. Certainly, Haley’s comments earlier in the day would have one believe that was highly possible.

“Charlie is a guy I have a great amount of respect for as a coach,” said Haley. “He’s a coach that system-wise I feel we’re as close as we can be. It is the same system. I’ve talked to Charlie throughout the year but no different than I’ve talked to Coach Parcells or some of the other guys that I lean on for advice.

“I would ultimately like someone to run the offense. It’s the most efficient way to run the team. But what’s most important to me in making some of these decisions is that this team made good progress offensively and it showed down the stretch. What I want to make sure is that the fit is a good one. Speaking of Charlie, he would allow us to run the offense we’ve been running.” …Read More!

Award Winners 2009 … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

About 10 weeks ago, it would have been laughable to predict Jamaal Charles would finish the 2009 season as the Chiefs MVP.

But that was before Charles took over as the focal point of the Chiefs offense. Everybody was a twitter about Larry Johnson and he had been sent packing in what the club hoped would be addition by subtraction. It turned out that’s exactly what the move was for the Chiefs offense as Charles got his shot.

The second-year back from the University of Texas went on to have one of the best second-half offensive performances in the league, ran his way into the Chiefs record book and earned the Derrick Thomas Award as the team’s MVP.

The Chiefs announced the selection on Tuesday, along with naming K Ryan Succop as the Mack Lee Hill Award winner as the team’s most productive rookie. …Read More!

Coaching Moves Begin For Chiefs

Less than 48 hours after the 2009 season was over, changes on the Chiefs coaching staff have started to trickle out.

The team has made no formal announcement but defensive line coach Tim Krumrie and assistant offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris will not return to Todd Haley’s staff. Call it fired, released, contract not renewed, it’s semantics; Krumrie and D’Alessandris are now on the job market.

NFL.com reported on Tuesday that Krumrie had been fired, quoting “league sources.” D’Alessandris was seen being walked out of the club’s offices on Tuesday morning, carrying boxes and escorted by security personnel.

Krumrie had been the team’s defensive line coach for four seasons, joining the team in 2006. He’s been an NFL assistant coach for 15 years, after his 12-year career as a player with Cincinnati.

D’Alessandris was in his second season with the Chiefs as an assistant offensive line coach. The ’09 season was his 38th year in coaching. He came to the team on the recommendation of former offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, who was fired right before the start of the regular season.

Waters Still Runs Deep … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

It happened during the Chiefs first practice of training camp in Wisconsin.

Brian Waters had worked very hard in the weeks leading up to the late July start of camp to get into the type of physical shape desired by head coach Todd Haley.

Waters was dueling with one of the Chiefs defensive linemen in a drill when he twisted his left foot and ankle. He didn’t just sprain it; he really ripped it up. There were torn ligaments on the left side of his foot at his ankle. Waters had turned the ankle completely over, to the point where his ankle touched the ground on the twist.

Trainers walked Waters off the field that day. But he was back to practice within 24 hours. While some of his workload was scaled back, he didn’t miss a practice. Not in camp, or not during the season, even though at least twice he twisted the ankle again. Only when he pulled a hamstring late in the year did Waters not practice.

Even as he put the cap on the Chiefs 2009 season, the ankle and foot were still sore, still a bother.

After everything that happened with Waters before training camp even started, why did he practice every day? Why didn’t he take some time off and let it heal?

“Pride,” Waters said. “I wanted to be out there. It was something I could deal with most of the time.” …Read More!

College Bowl Preview: Fiesta Bowl

Fiesta Bowl

January 4, Glendale, Arizona

Boise State (13-0) vs. TCU (12-0)

FOX-TV, 7 p.m. CST

BOISE STATE

#1 CB Kyle Wilson, 5-9, 184 pounds – He became a starter in his freshman season and was not out of the lineup the rest of his time with Boise State. Over his career, Wilson played in 49 games, with 156 total tackles and 11 interceptions. He returned two of those picks for touchdowns. He also had 59 punt returns, averaging 12.8 yards and three touchdowns. This season, he had three interceptions and 39 total tackles. Wilson received conference academic honors.

Evaluation – Very good and smooth athlete, strong and with good speed and quickness. …Read More!

Brian Waters Speaks As He Heads Out The Door

“It’s a new year. It’s 2010. All things from ’09 are old news.”

Starting with that comment, Brian Waters spoke to the media for the first time since the club’s mini-camp back in early June.

On Monday, Waters was in the Chiefs locker room with his teammates for the last day of their ’09 season, as they bagged up their belongings and headed out the door from some rest and relaxation

Waters dropped his shield and spoke to the media horde about many subjects, including the ’09 Chiefs. …Read More!

Chiefs Season Ends With A Smashing Success, 44-24

From Invesco Field, Denver

A tough, demanding 2009 season came to an end on a chilly January day with smiles and record setting performances from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jamaal Charles ran for 259 yards and Derrick Johnson returned two interceptions for touchdowns as the Chiefs blew up the Broncos 44-24 in their regular-season finale. It was the best performance of the season for the Chiefs, as they got contributions from all three phases of the game.

It was special testimony to the fact that despite their miserable record – now 4-12 – they did not give up on the season, themselves or each other. There were no better examples than Charles and Johnson, who at the start of the season were in head coach Todd Haley’s doghouse.

“When this thing started, there wasn’t any light at the end of the tunnel,” Haley said. “There wasn’t light multiple times through this thing. But we’ve continued to forge our way through and it’s nice to see some results.”

It was a memorable way to end the ’09 season with plenty of subjects to talk about and investigate. Here’s our coverage:

• GAME STORY: Chiefs reach their Sunday goals.
• COLUMN: A couple of Longhorns shine.
• CHARLES: Jamaal runs into the record book.
• JOHNSON: A tough season ends with a smile for D.J.
• NOTES: Broncos struggle, kickers score and other stuff
• GAMEBOOK

Pre-Game Report 1/3 Inactives Update

From Invesco Field, Denver

2:15 p.m. CST – Out handling kickoffs are Terrence Copper, Quinten Lawrence and Javarris Williams.

2:05 p.m. CST – Out for early kicking, Ryan Succop was good from 51 yards kicking towards the north goal posts. He tried from 58 yards but missed by about a yard. Kicking towards the south goal posts – in this case into the wind – Succop was solid from 52 yards in and actually got a 56-yarder that bounced off the crossbar and through.

1:55 p.m. CST – There will be no punting battle between the Colquitt brothers, as Dustin Colquitt’s younger brother Britton is one of the Broncos gameday inactive players. Denver signed Colquitt this week off the Dolphins practice squad, largely with the idea of tying him up for the ’10 season.

1:50 p.m. CST – Game-day inactive players for the Chiefs are WR Lance Long, S Reshard Langford, G Andy Alleman, G Darryl Harris, DE Dion Gales, TE Sean Ryan and OLB Pierre Walters. The inactive third QB is Matt Gutierrez.

1:50 p.m. CST – Game-day inactive players for the Broncos are P Britton Colquitt, WR Brandon Marshall, WR Eddie Royal, CB Tony Carter, RB LaMont Jordan, DL Chis Baker and TE Tony Scheffler. The inactive third QB is Tom Brandstater. …Read More!

Spotlight On The Run … Game-Day Cup O’Chiefs

From Denver, Colorado

What should we make of this little nugget from the pile of numbers known as NFL statistics:

• On December 6th at Arrowhead Stadium, the Denver Broncos ran for 245 yards against the Chiefs defense.
• Then, on December 13th, 20th and 27th, the Broncos ran for a combined 245 yards against the Colts, Raiders and Eagles.

The numbers say the Broncos have not recovered from running all over the Chiefs a month ago. It’s like they shot all of their energy and enthusiasm that day in the ground game. Since then they have run for 95, 80 and 70 yards.

On Sunday, we will find out if the culprit behind the Broncos great success on the ground a month ago was the Chiefs defense, rather than the Denver offense. The teams meet at Invesco Field in the final game of the 2009 regular season. CBS-TV has the coverage and kickoff is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. CST.

There is no question the running game will be at the forefront of what happens in this 100th meeting between these original brothers from the start of the American Football League. It’s been that way for a long time between these teams. The team that runs is the team that wins.

Since 1995, the Broncos have been the best running team in the NFL, averaging 137 yards per game. In that time frame they’ve had 15 different runners put up 97 individual 100-yard performances. Denver has had 11 runners go over 1,000-yards in a season. Only the Jets and Titans with 12 runners have had more.

Denver has done with not only a large number of backs, but different blockers, quarterbacks, receivers, even offensive line coaches. How do they get this done? …Read More!

College Bowl Preview: Liberty & Alamo

Liberty Bowl

January 2, Memphis

Arkansas (7-5) vs. East Carolina (9-4)

ESPN, 4:30 p.m. CST

 

ARKANSAS
#66 G Mitch Petrus, 6-3, 315 pounds – Petrus has had a roller coaster career with the Razorbacks. He began as a freshman fullback, was moved to left guard and started 12 games in 2007 and received second-team all-SEC honors. He did not play in ’08 because he was academically ineligible, but has comeback in 2009 with a strong season. Petrus played 30 games. …Read More!

College Bowl Preview: Papajohns & Cotton Bowls

Papajohns Bowl

January 2, Birmingham, Alabama

Connecticut (7-5) vs. South Carolina (7-5)

ESPN, 1 p.m. CST

CONNECTICUT

#9 DE Lindsey Witten, 6-5, 260 pounds – All Big-East first team, Witten started all 12 games during the season, with 41 total tackles and 11.5 sacks, which led the conference. He had seven sacks in the Huskies first two games. It was a breakthrough season for the Cleveland native who had been primarily a role player before the ’09 season. In 48 games at UCONN, Witten had 122 total tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss and 22 sacks. He also had an interception and two forced fumbles. His older brother is Buffalo safety Donte Whitner …Read More!

Unflappable Succop … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

Dustin Colquitt remembers hearing the news and thinking to himself, “Oh no!”

The 2009 NFL Draft was over and the final selection had been announced:

“With the 256th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft the Kansas City Chiefs select K Ryan Succop from South Carolina.”

In his four previous seasons as the Chiefs punter and holder, Colquitt had gone through six kickers, including a couple of rookies in Justin Medlock and Connor Barth.

“Of course it had nothing to do with Ryan,” Colquitt said. “It was just the idea of a rookie kicker. I’d been there before.”

Eight months later, there’s no trepidation on Colquitt’s part or that of anyone else about Succop. With one game to go, he’s had one of the most successful rookie seasons for an NFL kicker in many seasons. Over the last 25 years, only one other drafted kicker tops Succop’s FG percentage of 84.6 in his rookie season.

Succop has made 22 of 26 field goal attempts through 15 games. He’s not missed inside 40 yards and has only one failed attempt inside 50 yards. He’s hit FGs from 50 and 53 yards. He’s also made all 24 extra point kicks and he’s averaging 66 yards on his kickoffs; so on average he puts the kickoff at the opponent’s four-yard line. He’s got 50 of his 66 kickoffs inside the 10-yard line and six touchbacks. …Read More!

Practice Report 1/1

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs first practice of 2010 was the final practice of the 2009 season and it went off indoor at the team’s facility this morning.

There were no indications of a lot of players recovering from the festivities of New Year’s Eve and Todd Haley said his team had a crisp workout in preparation for Sunday’s  game in Denver.

G Andy Alleman was not at practice for the second day in a row and Haley said he would not play against the Broncos. CB Brandon Flowers (shoulder) and DE Alex Magee (hamstring) will be on the league injury reported listed as probable.

Haley said he would not approach this final game of the year any different than the previous 15. His objective is to win, not necessarily give young players who haven’t played much a chance to get game action, players like recently acquired S Reshard Langford.

“We’ll do the things necessary to win,” said Haley. “We’ve been forced by circumstances that some of those guys their play time and practice time has been accelerated. We will play and use the guys that give us the best chance to win.”

Chiefs Achieve Goals In Beating of Broncos

From Invesco Field, Denver

Todd Haley laid out the goals for his football team last Monday. They were ambitious, far-reaching and maybe a bit wacky.

No. 1 was beating the Broncos and knocking them out of the playoffs.

Second was Jamaal Charles rushing for 200 yards.

No. 3 was holding the Broncos under 20 points.

And fourth was the Chiefs offense scoring more than 30 points.

Haley was three for four on his agenda, as the Chiefs beat the Broncos 44-14, knocking Denver from any shot at the AFC playoffs and doing it on the legs of Charles, who ran for 259 yards.

“This was an important win for the Kansas City Chiefs and that group of guys,” Haley said afterwards. “I take my hat off to them for sticking together, continuing to practice hard, knowing that there was light at the end of the tunnel.”

For the Broncos, the light at the end of the’09 tunnel was a train named Jamaal Charles. The Chiefs wanted to get Charles the yards he needed to get 1,000 yards for the season. They did far more than that, as Charles ran 25 times for 259 yards, scoring two touchdowns, including the last one of 56 yards. …Read More!

Notes: Broncos Collapse, Kickers Score & Other Stuff

From Invesco Field, Denver

It doesn’t matter how you start. It matters how you finish.

Just ask the 2009 Denver Broncos. They started the season 6-0. They finished the season winning just two of its last 10 games.

And like the Chiefs, they will be at home watching the playoffs this coming weekend.

“Obviously, something’s wrong and it’s got to get fixed,” said head coach Josh McDaniels after the game. “You can’t be afraid to change things, otherwise you’ll continue to have mediocrity.”

Last year, the Broncos were the first team in the history of the NFL that had a three-game lead with three games to play and blew it. This year, they became the first team to start 6-0 in the 16-game schedule and not finish that season with a winning record.

There was plenty of controversy surrounding the whole week for the Broncos when McDaniels benched his leading receiver Brandon Marshall and TE Tony Scheffler for the game. According to the Denver Post, the match that lit the fuse on this story came from within the Broncos locker room.

After the Broncos lost in Philadelphia last Sunday, a group of veteran players met with McDaniels the next day. S Brian Dawkins, LB D.J. Williams, TE Daniel Graham, CB Champ Bailey and QB Kyle Orton told the coach they felt a sense of urgency regarding their chance to make the playoffs. They urged McDaniels to stress accountability to the team, which he did early last week.

Then jump ahead to Friday, when Marshall was late for a treatment session on his hamstring injury. That’s when McDaniels benched him and he found support from within the team for the move.

“We had the guys that wanted to play in the huddle,” said Orton. “I appreciate Coach for his decision. We’re trying to win games and we’re trying to build something special. And sometimes you have to make tough decisions. And I stand behind him and I know the other guys do as well.”

There are some big decisions to be made in Denver in the off-season, which began on Sunday.

SPECIAL TEAMS STUFF

The most consistent part of the Chiefs game all season has been the work of their special teams. It wasn’t always perfect, but Steve Hoffman’s group was generally very reliable and productive.

That’s especially true thanks to punter Dustin Colquitt and rookie kicker Ryan Succop.

Colquitt finished the season with the best net punting average in franchise history, at 40.8 yards. It was just two years ago that a 40-yard net had not been achieved in decades by an NFL punter. Now, Colquitt joins a group headed by Oakland’s Shane Lechler that has topped that mark.

He also had 41 punts inside the 20-yard line and that’s just one off the league record of 42.

Succop hit three FGs against the Broncos to finish his rookie season making 25 of 29 field goals or 86.2 percent. That tied the best rookie FG percentage in the league over the last 25 years (Pittsburgh’s Kris Brown in 1999) and is the best rookie percentage since the completed merger of the league’s in 1970.

His 25 made FGs are the most by a rookie in franchise history. His 104 points this season was behind just the 108 points scored by Jan Stenerud in his rookie season back in 1967.

The Chiefs did a good job on coverage, but then the Broncos were without their homerun hitter in the kicking game, returner Eddie Royal. He missed the game because of a neck injury.

On their returns, the Chiefs produced very little with WR Quinten Lawrence handling kickoffs and Bobby Wade punts.

DRAFT PICKS & SCHEDULES

After everything was shaken out on Sunday night, it appears the Chiefs will be selecting fifth in the first-round of the NFL Draft.

The Chiefs and Redskins tied with 4-12 records. They are behind St. Louis (1-15), Detroit (2-12) and Tampa Bay (3-13).

As we wrote before, here’s the home and away opponents for the Chiefs in the 2010 season:

• HOME – Denver, San Diego, Oakland, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Arizona, San Francisco and Buffalo.
• AWAY – Denver, San Diego, Oakland, Houston, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Seattle and Cleveland.

That’s four games against ’09 post-season teams for the Chiefs: two against San Diego, Indianapolis and Arizona.

Because of the schedule formula, all four AFC West teams play 14 of 16 games against the same opponents. The difference is the two AFC teams that matchup to where the teams finished in the West standings. The Chiefs got Buffalo and Cleveland. Denver got Baltimore and the Jets. Oakland has Miami and Pittsburgh, while San Diego has New England and Cincinnati.

ZEBRA REPORT

Scott Green and his crew did not factor into the game much, but they do like to get together and huddle up to discuss things way too much. They also spent a lot of time trying to decide whether pass coverage was lawful or pass interference.

They nailed both Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers for interference. Carr’s penalty was big, because it came in the end zone and moved the ball 33 yards for the Broncos. They even got WR Chris Chambers twice for offensive pass interference, although one of those flags was declined by Denver.

Overall, the Chiefs saw five penalties walked off against them for 76 yards. The others were an illegal formation call against the offense and a holding call on LB David Herron in the punt return team.

PERSONNEL FILE

Game-day inactive players for the Chiefs are WR Lance Long, S Reshard Langford, G Andy Alleman, G Darryl Harris, DE Dion Gales, TE Sean Ryan and OLB Pierre Walters. The inactive third QB is Matt Gutierrez.

For the Broncos, the game-day inactive players are P Britton Colquitt, WR Brandon Marshall, WR Eddie Royal, CB Tony Carter, RB LaMont Jordan, DL Chris Baker and TE Tony Scheffler. The inactive third QB is Tom Brandstater.

The Broncos added WR Matthew Willis from their practice squad on Saturday, releasing former Chiefs OT Herb Taylor to make room for him. Willis was active for the game.

OTHER GOOD STUFF

S Mike Brown, CB Brandon Carr, OLB Tamba Hali and C Rudy Niswanger were the only players to start all 16 games in the ’09 season … DE Glenn Dorsey had his first sack of the season, while Hali had the second sack, giving him 8.5 on the year … the Chiefs 317 rushing yards was the fourth highest total in franchise history. The record was 398 yards gained by the Texans against the Houston Oilers in 1961 … the Chiefs 44 points were the most at Denver since they scored 45 points I n 1972 and the 20-point difference was the biggest margin of victory at Denver since a 37-16 victory in 1982.

Column: Don’t Count Out The Longhorns

From Invesco Field, Denver

The Longhorns do not play for the national championship until Thursday.

But a couple of guys who know all about “Hook’em Horns” were the guys who keyed the Chiefs first victory at Invesco Field ever, ending an eight-game losing streaking here in the Rockies and bringing a halt to the 2009 Chiefs season with a fourth victory.

RB Jamaal Charles ran for 256 yards and went over 1,000 yards for the season. LB Derrick Johnson intercepted two Denver passes and returned both of them for touchdowns. Between them, they contributed 367 yards, four touchdowns, two takeaways and enough big plays to make anybody wearing burnt orange very proud. Everybody that is with the exception of the Broncos faithful, who started leaving Invesco with eight minutes to play in the game and their team down by 13 points. They knew this game was over.

It may have ended before it even started. Broncos coach Josh McDaniels decided in the days leading up to the game that he needed to take a stand involving a couple of his best offensive players: WR Brandon Marshall and TE Tony Scheffler. They were benched for this game, although Marshall didn’t think he could play because of a pulled hamstring. But the coach made it public and obvious that this was more about punishment than injury.

It’s a move that seemed to backfire, as the Broncos had a wisp of a chance to make the playoffs, but ended up performing at less than their best.

That left open the door for the Chiefs, who had nothing to play for except blowing up the Broncos chances for the post-season. They also bought into their head coach’s motivational ploy of winning and starting 2010 with a 1-0 record.

“That’s what we did, we are 1-0 in 2010,” said Charles.

That Charles and Johnson would provide the spark that made this happen would have been laughable back around Labor Day. Things were not going well for either player with the new folks in charge. Charles and Johnson were prime draft picks of the previous Chiefs regime. They were holdovers, a group of players who Scott Pioli and Todd Haley inherited. Because of their pedigree, they were viewed with suspicion by the new folks and they both found the dog house of the head coach before the season even got started 17 long weeks ago.

Johnson landed there in training camp and never really got out. Charles found himself there at the start of the regular season, when the Chiefs played Oakland and he was a healthy game-day inactive.

But it says something about the character and talent of the men that months later they were still busting their butts, still working hard, if not always the way the coach and his staff wanted. They didn’t give up. They did not fill-up media notebooks with complaints, they did not tweet their unhappiness for all to see.

They kept working. If that’s not something that should be part of the “right 53 players” I don’t know what would be. These are two guys with talent, two guys with heart, two guys with guts and Pioli and Haley should find a way to get about two dozen more of those types of players on the roster.

There is no one way to build a football team. There is only one requirement if a franchise wants to win – they’d better get talented and motivated players on the field. They can be the right 53, or the wrong 53, or the maybe 53s, or the so-so 53s, but the only way success comes is with motivated talent.

And when that talent is there, it’s up to the head coach and his coaching staff to find a way to get the best out of that talent. It doesn’t matter how those players got to the roster; no decisions should ever be made based on who drafted or acquired a player. It should always be based on talent. That’s what wins football games.

That’s certainly what won Sunday’s game in Denver. Charles is the best player the Chiefs have and he showed that without question in the second half of the season. He’s one of those big play performers who makes the whole team better. He’s the rising tide that lifts all boats in the harbor. Charles makes everybody better. All he needed was an opportunity. Once he got that, there was no stopping him.

Johnson was a different matter. Focus has always been a problem with the former No. 1 draft choice. He’s as physically gifted as any linebacker in the league, but he has survived his whole football-playing life thanks to that ability. Something more was needed. Haley decided that something was removing Johnson from the starting lineup and using him strictly as a nickel linebacker.

After going through the last four months, Johnson speaks about the whole situation with little emotion. He’s learned many things about himself. He’s come through the tunnel to the light at the other end.

“It’s a nice way to end the season,” Johnson allowed.

Actually, football is not over for Charles and Johnson. Both of them plan to be in Pasadena on Thursday for the national championship game between Texas and Alabama.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” Johnson said. “It should be fun.”

Kind of like what Sunday afternoon in the mile high city was for a couple of Texas Longhorns.

D.J. Is Still Fighting; Just Ask Broncos

From Invesco Field, Denver

Derrick Johnson’s answer was quick and to the point: he has no desire to come back to the Chiefs in the part-time role that he played during this 2009 season.

“I don’t want to; I want to play,” Johnson said on Sunday. “I never dreams of playing this role, but at the same time you have to make the most of what you have.’

Johnson certainly made the most of his opportunity against QB Kyle Orton and the Denver offense, and if his two interceptions and returns for touchdowns doesn’t convince the decision makers of his full-time worth to the franchise, what will?

“It’s been frustrating, going in and out and playing a different role,” Johnson said. “But I love football. I had a chance to go make some plays for my teammates.”

And they were two beauties. Both of Orton’s passes were coming at him so fast they almost knocked him over. But Johnson caught the ball, recovered his balance and raced 45 and then 60 yards for touchdowns.

With two interception returns for scores in the same game, Johnson became the 25th player to do that in the history of the league and the third member of the Chiefs. S Jim Kearney did it in 1972 against the Broncos and S Lloyd Burruss matched it with two picks for scores against San Diego during the 1986 season.

Other names on that list of 25 include people like Hall of Famer Ken Houston, Eric Allen, Ken Norton, Ronde Barber and the last player before Johnson to get it done, Arizona’s Antrel Rolle who scored twice on interceptions against Cincinnati in 2007.

“I heard that a few minutes ago and that’s great,” Johnson said of joining a select group of defenders in the end zone.

It was Johnson’s second INT return for a TD that really pushed the Chiefs over the top against the Broncos. They held a six-point lead after Ryan Succop hit a 47-yard FG early in the fourth quarter. Denver’s offense took over and that’s when Johnson stepped up.

“I was actually supposed to be blitzing on the other side, but I read the quarterback and he was looking down on his receiver really hard and I got in front of it,” Johnson said. “I don’t know how I caught the ball. It was a blur in there. It came really fast.

“I thought somebody was going to catch me, but I was all by myself.”

There were times this year when Johnson felt all by himself as he sat in the Chiefs locker room. A starter in each of the games during his four previous seasons, he was moved to a role as a nickel linebacker and Johnson wasn’t sure why. Eventually, he tried to make the best of things.

“If you love football, whenever you get a chance to get out there and play, you’ve just got to go out and seize the moment,” Johnson said. “Do I wish I would have played more? Yeah, I have a lot of confidence in myself. Sometimes you don’t have to agree. All the coaches have great intentions; it was anything about doing something bad to Derrick Johnson.

“It’s a combination of things. We disagree on some things and he (Haley) knows that. We don’t’ have any beef or anything like that. He told me when I get my chance, I need to play. That’s what I did today.”

But more than anything else what happened on Sunday wasn’t about vindication for Johnson. It was about winning.

“The most frustrating thing about this year has been the losing,” Johnson said. “Of course I want to play more, but when you lose a lot, it’s just … this win feels good. Bumps and bruises don’t hurt as much.”

And the previous four months don’t hurt as much either.

“This has been going on all year, and I know how to handle it now,” Johnson said. “It’s made me a better person.”

Jamaal Runs Into The Record Books

From Invesco Field, Denver

“I still go out and play like a regular player. I want to prove to him that I want to be great.”

Jamaal Charles has proven a lot of things over the last two month and there’s little doubt on the part of anybody with the Chiefs that he wants to be great. He already may be.

He showed that Sunday afternoon when he raced around and through the Broncos defense for a team-record 259 rushing yards, and turned down the chance at the end for even more yards.

“I want to get it where I’m in the game and it’s competing time,” Charles said. “People give up at that time (of the game) and don’t really care. I could l have gone back in the game, I just told coach I’m satisfied right now. I’ll get it some other time.”

And how can anyone argue with that? They certainly can’t based on what Charles has done this season with 190 carries and 1,120 rushing yards, 1,417 offensive yards and 2,342 all-purpose yards. He became one of the most productive running backs in the league over the last half of the season.

It certainly was a different finish than what the season started like for Charles. It has been a frequently told and re-told story of him being inactive for Game No. 2 against Oakland and then fumbling the opening kickoff in Game No. 4 against the New York Giants.

By the time the eighth game of the season was over, Charles had 152 yards on 29 carries without a touchdown run. His season was going nowhere.

But then Larry Johnson got himself in trouble again, was suspended and then sent packing. Kolby Smith was still coming back from his 2008 knee injury and would end up on the injured-reserve list again. Opportunity came to Charles because he was the last man standing.

In the last eight games of the season, Charles ran for 968 yards on 161 carries, an average of 6.01 yards per carry with seven touchdown runs.

On Sunday in the mile high air of Denver, Charles was still standing, still fighting, running fast, running hard and that combination was impossible for the Broncos to stop. He started with 54 yards in the first quarter, and then 59 yards in the second period, for 113 yards at half-time. The third quarter brought 55 more yards, getting him past the 1,000-yard mark that everybody wanted to see him accomplish.

Then, the fourth quarter and Charles carries four times for 91 yards, including a 56-yarder for his second touchdown of the game.

“Coach Haley gave me a chance and I just tried to take advantage of it,” said Charles. “Everybody wanted to go for 1,000 yards and that was my goal. Coach wanted me to go for 200. I said 200? I just prayed on that. I didn’t believe. I thought he was crazy. I thought ’200, man this is the NFL? Well Jamaal, this is your last game (of the season) go out and give your all’.”

He gave it his all and ran his way into the Chiefs record books, shattering the old single game rushing mark of 211 yards set by Johnson in 2005 against Houston. There was so much more tied up in his 25 carries and 259 yards:

• He reached 1,000 plus yards on just 190 carries, the fewest of any K.C. running back to reach that mark.
• It was his fifth 100-yard game of the season and fourth in a row.
• His 2,342 rushing, receiving and returning yards was the second best season in team history, trailing only Dante Hall’s 2,446 yards in 2003.
• A per carry average this season of 5.89 yards was the second highest in team history. Only Ted McKnight in 1978 with a 6.03 average got more per carry than Charles did this season.

Charles would like to play some more.

“I would love to play. I feel like I’m getting stronger and stronger every week,” Charles said. “I feel like m

Time For New Habits … New Year’s Cup O’Chiefs

Matt Cassel parses his words very carefully when speaking to the media each week.

There’s nothing unusual about that; most NFL starting quarterbacks handle their public chores with the media horde in much the same way. It’s all part of the quarterback’s handbook, especially in the early years of a QB’s career. Be pleasant, answer the questions, but reveal nothing, most especially what might be going on within the team, the locker room, or the offense.

But on Thursday, Cassel got a question he couldn’t answer, or more accurately he wouldn’t answer.

It started with this question: do you think winning is a habit?

“I definitely think it’s a habit and I definitely think it’s a culture, there’s a culture to winning,” Cassel said. “I’ve been around a lot of successful teams and I think once you have people buy in and you start to win some ballgames it becomes contagious.”

This led to a second question: is losing a habit? …Read More!