1976 … July 4th Weekend Cup O’Chiefs

So you think the last six months have been turbulent for the Chiefs?

The departure of a 20-season president-general manager, the firing of the head coach, the trade of the Pro Bowl and future Hall of Fame tight end, the unhappiness of a Pro Bowl guard with the new regime, the off-field problems of the Pro Bowl running back, near complete upheaval in the team’s front-office and personnel department and diminished interest among the ticket buying and suite leasing fans.

Yes, 2009 would have to be one of the most volatile off-seasons in Chiefs history, and we still have training camp in the near future.

Certainly, it’s been one of the most volatile. But not the most controversial. Not even close.

Did you know that a Hall of Fame Chiefs linebacker once signed with the Oakland Raiders? Did you know a Chiefs player almost died from a drug and alcohol overdose in training camp? Did you know that one of the iconic figures in team history was traded and didn’t finish his career with the Chiefs? How about a second-round draft choice that boycotted practice so he could be traded?

All that and more happened, much more, in the months before the 1976 season with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Chiefs fans, the gold medal for turbulent off-seasons goes to the bicentennial year. It’s not even close. No silver and bronze medals were awarded because there was no real competition.

Thirty-three years ago the Chiefs went through an off-season with enough turmoil to serve any team for a decade.

“That was an ugly time,” said Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Bell. “There were a lot of unhappy people.” Read More..

Cassel vs. Thigpen … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Matt Cassel has the edge in the competition to be the Chiefs starting quarterback for the 2009 season opener.

But that doesn’t mean Tyler Thigpen will spend the ‘09 season on the bench, with a ball cap on and a clipboard.

The chances are very good that Thigpen will play at some point during the coming season. How much will depend on how productive the offense is under Cassel. When and where a change might happen is unknown.

What we do know is this: a string of incomplete passes, a couple of interceptions, any type of losing streak … all of those factors will increase the demand of the fans for a change from Cassel to Thigpen. That’s a given at the quarterback position. Those factors also increase the possibility of Todd Haley pulling the trigger and making a change in the pursuit of victories.

What’s unusual in this situation is that there’s really a very fine line between what Cassel has gotten done as an NFL starter compared to Thigpen. This isn’t a veteran against a youngster. This isn’t a long-time back-up going against an established starter. Cassel and Thigpen have NFL resumes that are very similar. They were both seventh round draft choices – Cassel in 2005 and Thigpen in 2007. Both quarterbacks got their chance because of injuries ahead of them on the depth chart. Read More..

Haley on Coaches/Part #2 … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

As Todd Haley scrambled to put together his coaching staff back in February, he got unexpected help.

When the Arizona Cardinals decided to part ways with defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast (right), Haley wasted little time in getting his former counterpart in the desert on board with the Chiefs.

He eventually named Pendergast his defensive coordinator, after former Cleveland head coach Romeo Crennel decided to spend the year out of coaching; in the early off-season he was recovering from hip replacement surgery and faced a lengthy rehab. That was one of the reasons he decided to sit out this season.

Crennel would have been a big get for the Chiefs staff. But Haley likes how his defensive staff has come together through the off-season program.

On Tuesday, we covered Haley and his comments on his offensive staff. Today, here’s what the Chiefs head coach had to say about the rest of his coaching staff. Read More..

Haley On Coaches/Part 1 … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

Todd Haley got a late start putting together his coaching staff for the 2009 season.

That left him in a position where he was concerned about the kind of coaches he would be able to hire for his first chance at being a head coach.

When the smoke cleared, Haley was very satisfied with the group he put together especially men like offensive line coach Bill Muir (left).

“It exceeded my expectations because of the late start,” said Haley. “To get some of the guys that we were able to bring in here has been a huge help to me in getting everything off the ground. We are all learning from each other and I think that’s a great way to bring a staff together.

“Not one person has all the answers, so we sit and talk a lot about methods, philosophy and the way we want to get things done.”

None of those assistant coaches has been available to the media; that’s pretty much standard operating procedure in the football worlds where Haley and GM Scott Pioli learned their trade. Those restrictions will have to lessen a bit once the season starts because under NFL mandate coordinators must be made available to speak to the media.

But since the assistants have not been allowed to speak, we asked Haley to talk about his staff. On Tuesday, we’ll cover the offense. On Wednesday the coach will speak of his staff on defense and special teams. Read More..

Explosion Needed … Monday Cup O’Chiefs

Think about it for a second.

How many explosive plays can you remember from the Chiefs over the last two seasons?

We are talking about game changing plays, like runs where the back burst through the line of scrimmage and got into the secondary for a major gain. Or long bombs in the passing game. How about punt and kickoff returns into the end zone for a score? Defensive touchdowns, like a sack, fumble, recovery and TD?

If they don’t come quickly to mind, there’s a reason: there weren’t many.

With a 6-26 record over the last two seasons, the Chiefs ability to win has been compromised by many things. One of the biggest factors has been the lack of big plays. They are few and far between for the Chiefs, whether on offense, defense or special teams.

Brandon Flowers picked off a Brett Favre pass and returned it 91 yards for a score in October ‘08. Tyron Brackenridge picked up a fumble by San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers and scored on a 50-yard return in October ‘07. Maurice Leggett returned a fake field goal fumble by Oakland 67 yards for a score and then grabbed an interception off Jay Cutler for 27 yards and a TD. Both of those came last season.

That’s it … the sum total of big plays. Four plays in four different games. The Chiefs were 2-2 in those games.

Doesn’t sound like much, but when a team goes 4-12 and 2-14, that’s 33 percent of the victories. Read More..

Colquitt’s Comeback … Weekend Cup O’Chiefs 6-27/28

First it was a groin pull, where eventually the muscle pulled away from the bone.

Then it was a sports hernia.

Finally, there was damage to his pelvis.

Physical problems No. 1 and 2 required surgery. All three meant a great deal of rehab that started in January.

Through those injuries last year, Dustin Colquitt kept punting. He missed two games when the groin pull became too much to bear. But he came back and kicked the rest of the season. In that time, he couldn’t practice during the week and he had problems running. Every day was an adventure in pain, treatment and patience.

Years from now, fans will look at Colquitt’s numbers for the 2008 season – a –yard gross average and a –yard net average – and think it was an ordinary to good year for the punter out of Tennessee.

Those numbers can in no way explain the physical, mental and emotional pain that Colquitt endured during what proved to be a long, long season.

“It was a tough year,” Colquitt said. “I read and heard some things where people said I had lost it, or wasn’t having a good year, that it was time for the Chiefs to find another punter, stuff like that … if people only knew.”

There are some fans who think being mysterious about injuries is something new to the Chiefs under the direction of GM Scott Pioli. Not so. Last year under Herm Edwards players were told specifically not to talk about their injuries. Sometimes they slipped and revealed too much to the media. They ended up hearing about it from the coaching staff and one player said he was fined for giving away information on his health. Read More..

Chiefs Sign Another Choice

Seventh-round draft choice Jake O’Connell signed with the Chiefs on Friday.

The tight end out of Miami of Ohio signed a three-year deal for $1.3 million.

He becomes the third of the Chiefs eight draft picks to sign, joining fifth-round OT Colin Brown and fellow seventh-rounder K Ryan Succop.

Haley’s Special Teams View … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

Over their first 49 seasons of play, the kicking game has always been important to the Dallas Texans-Kansas City Chiefs.

The Texans won the 1962 AFL Championship with Tommy Brooker’s field goal to beat the Houston Oilers in double overtime. Jan Stenerud is the only kicker in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and he was drafted and played most of his career with the Chiefs. Noland Smith and Dante Hall are in the game’s record book for their kick/punt returning performances.

The team has had two head coaches who got their starts in pro football as the NFL’s first special teams coaches: Dick Vermeil and Marv Levy. They had a third head coach in the late Frank Gansz who is considered one of the best kicking game coach in league history.

None of that was visible during the disastrous 2-14 season of 2008. Other than a solid punting year from an injured Dustin Colquitt, the kicking game had nothing but turmoil and ordinary performances. The kicker, the snapper, the returners, the coverage people were all found wanting. They finished among the five worst special teams groups in the league.

The Chiefs look to recapture those glory days in the kicking game under Todd Haley and special teams coach Steve Hoffman (right), with help from defensive assistant Ronnie Bradford.

“The first time we got to hear from Coach Haley, he made it plain that special teams are important,” said punter Dustin Colquitt. “He pointed out our special teams coach Steve Hoffman and said ‘If you want to make this team, everybody go talk to him because you won’t make it if you can’t play special teams.’

“He made sure everybody knew there was an emphasis on it.” Read More..