Commentary: More Hurdles For L.J.

What happened on Friday with the announcement of a one-game NFL suspension for Larry Johnson did not bring an end to his situation or clarity to his immediate future.

It’s just the first of a 100 yards worth of hurdles in front of the Chiefs running back.

I’m sure L.J. himself wishes he could put all this behind him, but the penance and possible punishment he faces for his actions are all parts of the penalty for putting himself in those situations.

He has court dates in December for the two charges filed against him in Kansas City, Missouri. The league has left open the door for further sanctions against him depending on the outcome of those legal proceedings.

That’s a hurdle he’ll have to deal with next month. In the more immediate future is November 10. That’s the day he will return to the team. That’s the day he has to start changing the way the Chiefs feel about him.

From the Hunts, to Carl Peterson, to Herm Edwards, Johnson has fences to mend. He’s got a lot of fence line to ride to get them all buttoned up again, if that’s even possible.

When he signed the biggest contract in Chiefs history in August of 2007, with over $19 million in guaranteed money, he made promises to the owners, the general manager and the head coach. Those promises were not only the unspoken ones that come from signing a deal that big. He told all those parties and stated publicly that he understood the responsibilities that went with the contract and his position with the team.

He said he was up to handling those. He wasn’t. He should get one more chance to prove he can be the type of person the Chiefs want on their roster.

Commish Docks L.J. One Game

Late Halloween afternoon NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell finally released his decision on discipline for Chiefs running back Larry Johnson.

Goodell has suspended Johnson for the Chiefs game on November 9th in San Diego.  It’s a one-game suspension without pay at this point.  That will cost Johnson approximately $150,000.

Here’s the statement from the league office:

“Larry Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs was notified today that he is suspended without pay for Week 10 of the regular season for violating the NFL Personal Conduct Policy. Johnson has previously violated the NFL Personal Conduct Policy and has since been involved in multiple incidents in which law enforcement was required to intervene. Johnson also was informed that upon the disposition of two pending law enforcement matters he faces the possibility of additional disciplinary action.”

The important words there are the last five “… possibility of additional disciplinary action.”  The Commissioner has left himself the opportunity to slap further sanctions on Johnson if he’s found guilty of the two charges currently filed against him.  Those will not hit the courtroom until December.

Here’s statement from Chiefs GM Carl Peterson:

“We respect the decision of Commissioner Goodell. The NFL player conduct policy sets forth a set of standards that all NFL players, coaches and staff members must abide by. Upon the completion of his suspension we sincerely hope that Larry will be ready to return to the field for the Chiefs determined to make a positive contribution to our team and, with the assistance of the people around him, turn his life around.”

Early reports are that Johnson does not plan to appeal the one-game suspension.  Also, in his decision the Commissioner took into account the penalty imposed by the Chiefs on Johnson of deactivating him for three games.

That includes this Sunday’s game at Arrowhead against Tampa Bay.  Johnson will be deactivated for that game.

Technically, Johnson’s suspension does not begin until Monday, November 3rd.  He will not be allowed at the team facility for the next week, able to return on Monday, November 10th.

Player Profile: Pat Thomas

He won the starting middle linebacker job in the off-season, which was a bit of a surprise to many who were not aware of Pat Thomas’ talents.

Seven games into the 2008 season and things have not gone well for the Chiefs defense.

That’s why it’s hard to get a smile from Thomas these days. He leads the team in tackles with 45, but he’s not happy with how he and the unit have played. 

He’s hoping for better things over the second half of the season, starting with this Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.

A California native, there’s much to know about this 25-year old from Miami, Florida and that education starts right here.

Podcast: Len’s Look 10/31

Joining us for a discussion on the Chiefs is the legend, Len Dawson.  The Hall of Fame quarterback talks about what he saw from Tyler Thigpen last week and what the next step is for the young quarterback.  He talks about the spread offense and why it won’t work in pro football and what he would have done in the fourth quarter with the lead and five minutes to play.  And Len provides an interesting look at the special teams shuffle the Chiefs have had in the last two weeks.

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Chiefs Update 10/31

From the Truman Sports Complex

Good news for the Chiefs this week as they wrapped up their practice week with a 70-minute workout on Friday in the fall sunshine: RB Jamaal Charles is a go for Sunday.

“He looks good and that’s good for us,” Herm Edwards said on Friday.  Charles suffered a sprained ankle last Sunday against the Jets.

Bad news for the Chiefs: CB Brandon Flowers has come up lame with a foot injury and was limited in his practice work on Friday.

“He should play,” Edwards said of Flowers.

Defensively, the Chiefs will be scrambling at cornerback if Flowers cannot play or is limited.  Veteran Pat Surtain did not practice all week because of a quadriceps injury.  If Flowers cant’ play, that would put rookie Maurice Leggett on the field for the base defense and in the nickel, Tyron Brackenridge would be on the field as the third cornerback.  On Wednesday, Brackenridge wasn’t even on the roster, although he did play in 13 games last season.

Also in Friday’s practice work, LB Wes Dacus and S Jarrad Page were both limited in their participation because of groin injuries.

Larry Johnson was not at practice, nor was punter Dustin Colquitt  After practice, Colquitt said his injured groin feels better and he hopes to be back punting next week.

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

You have to wonder just what else the football gods plan to throw at Chiefs special teams coach Mike Priefer.

Last week, he had a new punter and new kicker.

This week to complete the trifecta, he has a new long snapper.

Nick Novak was released, Dustin Colquitt injured and J.P. Darche knocked out for the season with a knee injury.

Connor Barth, Steve Weatherford and Tom Gafford are in. It does not appear that Colquitt is going to be ready to kick this Sunday against Tampa Bay.

Some teams go seasons without replacing any one of those three key positions in the kicking game. Replacing two of the three happens even less.

But all three and after the season has started? It’s unheard of. But, it’s been that kind of season for the Chiefs.

There was a time when the team had the most stable of kicking groups. In fact, they are the only franchise in pro football history to have a kicking trio all enshrined in the Pro Football’s Hall of Fame.

The long snapper was Bobby Bell. The holder was Len Dawson. The kicker was Jan Stenerud.

From 1967 when Stenerud joined the team, through the 1974 season when Bell was the first of the three to retire, the Chiefs played 117 regular and post-season games. That trio was together for FGs and PATs for 105 of those games. The 12 games they missed came from injuries suffered by Dawson playing quarterback, not holding.

Even the punter was the same guy through all those years: Jerrel Wilson, who arrived in 1963 and punted through 1977.

Consider again that for seven seasons, the Chiefs had the same kicker, punter, holder and snapper for all but 12 games.

Podcasting: Goose’s Football 101 10/30

Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News joins us again for a session to talk about the National Football League.  Subjects include the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, PIttsburgh Steelers, the matchup on Sunday between Indianapolils and New England, the unbeaten Tennessee Titans and the Chargers decision to change defensive coordinators. Plus, Goose addresses the decline of AFC West defenses.

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Chiefs Still Waiting For Commish

On Thursday, the Chiefs were still waiting for word from the NFL league office in New York on the Commissioner’s decision on discipline for Larry Johnson.

It was Tuesday when Johnson met face to face with Roger Goodell in New York to discuss his off-field problems of late, specifically the two charges that have been filed against him.  Goodell has established during his time as Commissioner that he does not have to wait for the legal system to run its course before he hands down disciplinary measures against players.  Johnson will not be in court on the charges until December, but the NFL can act long before that.

For the sake of the team and Johnson, the Commissioner should make his decision as soon as possible.  Heaven knows, by the time this is posted at 2:30 p.m. CDT on Thursday, a suspension may already be decided.  There seems little question that Johnson will be suspended and fined in some fashion.  Players are not called to New York for meetings with the Commissioner just to chat.  It’s doubtful he’s going to be as lucky as New England DT Vince Wilfork, who was fined but not suspended for actions on the field.

The Chiefs plan to sit Johnson again this week, deactivating him on Sunday.  That would be three consecutive weeks where they’ve taken that approach.  Under the rules and regulations of the agreement wit the NFL Players Association, they can only hold him out of participation for a maximum of four games.  Those are rules that came down in the aftermath of the Eagles problems with WR Terrell Owens several years ago.

Here is one man’s prediction on the direction the Commish decides to go: I believe he will suspend Johnson without pay for four games and he will take the two games he’s already missed and this Sunday’s game as time served.  So he would also miss the San Diego game on November 9, but he would then be eligible to return for the final seven games of the season.

No matter what he decides, Goodell needs to make a decision and do it now on this discipline so the Chiefs and Johnson can move on.

Chiefs Update 10/30

From the Truman Sports Complex

The revolving door that has been the Chiefs roster continued to twirl on Thursday as the Chiefs brought back CB Tyron Brackenridge and placed him on the active roster.

The move was Brackenridge was due to the status of nickel back Pat Surtain who has not practiced this week and is unlikely to play because of a quadriceps injury.  That left rookie Maurice Leggett as the only other healthy CB on the roster.

To make room for Brackenridge, the Chiefs moved CB Dimitri Patterson off the active roster.  The Chiefs had not released the exact nature of the roster move with Patterson, whether he was released or placed on injured reserve.

The Chiefs worked for 90 minutes in the Thursday sunshine as they continued preparation for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.  It was an enthusiastic workout, one of the better ones the Chiefs have had since the start of the season.  In an effort to simulate the speed of the Buccaneers defense, the coaching staff has been on the scout team this week to go fast and furious.  That ratcheted up the tempo quite a bit.

The best news for the Chiefs was the activity, although limited, of RB Jamaal Charles.  After suffering a sprained ankle in the Meadowlands, post-game opinions were that the injury could cost him several weeks.  But Charles ran quite well during the workout, although the Chiefs limited his snaps. “He looked a lot better, he might be able to go,” said Herm Edwards. “We’ll have to see.”

The Rehabilitation of Marty Schottenheimer

Stand on the same street corner in the NFL long enough and you will see some interesting things.

At the corner of Kansas City and the Chiefs a decade ago was a head coach who the fans and most of the media in town had grown tired of and were in the process of running out of Arrowhead Stadium. Marty Schottenheimer was too conservative, too old-school, his message was tired and various ghouls and goblins were running around spreading rumors about his personal life. He cried too much, ran the ball too much and there was that problem of winning in the playoffs.

When his ‘98 team finished 7-9 and well out of the running for the post-season, the pot of tar was boiling, the feathers were gathered and when Schottenheimer resigned as the team’s head coach, it seemed like he was leaving Kansas City a step ahead of the posse.

Everyone thought things would be better with Marty out of the picture.

Fast forward to today, and at the corner of Kansas City and the Chiefs, Schottenheimer no longer is considered an extra-long four letter word. In fact, there are those in the media and those in fandom actually clamoring for his return to the team as general manager, coach, anything. They want him to come in and save the franchise from the troubles that have befallen the red and gold.

“They love you again in Kansas City,” somebody shouted at Schottenheimer this past Sunday. He was at Giants Stadium in the New Jersey Meadowlands, watching the Chiefs and Jets play.

“I will always have great memories of Kansas City, Arrowhead, the Chiefs fans,” Marty said.

Thursday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

It was once a proud division that played some of the best defense in pro football.

In the 70s it was Willie Lanier, Buck Buchanan, Bobby Bell, Emmitt Thomas, Randy Gradishar, Willie Brown, Fred Dean and Jack Tatum In the 80s there were names like Mike Haynes, Ronnie Lott, Deron Cherry, Ted Hendricks, Albert Lewis, Lester Hayes, Randy Gradishar, Louie Kelcher, Gary “Big Hands” Johnson, Art Still and Karl Mecklenberg.

In the ’90s it was Derrick Thomas, Junior Seau, Leslie O’Neal and Steve Atwater.

But in 2008, the AFC West is a defensive graveyard. All four teams rank among the league’s worst in all the important defensive stats. Problems abound from the division leading Denver Broncos, to the last place Chiefs. So upset was San Diego with defensive production that coordinator Ted Cottrell was fired.

There are some obvious reasons for what’s happened. San Diego lost LB Shawne Merriman for the season with a knee injury. The Broncos are trying to switch from a 4-3 to a 3-4 during the season. The Chiefs have had seven new starters in their unit and Oakland is, well, they are the Raiders and how does anyone explain what’s happened there.

Here’s a look at some of the brutal numbers and NFL rankings for the defenses in Denver, San Diego, Oakland and Kansas City:

As any Chiefs fan already knows, the team has the worst run defense in the league. San Diego has the worst pass defense in the league. Denver has the worst combined rankings against the run and the pass. Opponents are completing 72.9 percent of their passes and running for 5.4 yards per carry against the Broncos.

Chiefs Update 10/29

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs practiced for just over two hours in the sunshine of a beautiful October Wednesday.

Participating in the practice was RB Larry Johnson, although he did not work at all with the Chiefs when they were on offense and did not participate with the scout team. He ran through individual drills with the rest of the offensive skill players and running backs.

The Chiefs have not definitively said that Johnson will not play this week although GM Carl Peterson has said he won’t get back on to the field until his issues with the NFL are cleared. Both sides await word from the league office on a possible suspension for L.J. for his off-field problems.

A bunch of injuries piled up from last Sunday’s game against the Jets and limited or kept out of practice the following players: CB Pat Surtain (quadriceps), RB Jamaal Charles (ankle), S Jarrad Page (groin), CB Dimitri Patterson (foot) and LB Wes Dacus (groin).

The Chiefs made official several roster moves, as they added long snapper Thomas Gafford (right) and tackle Andrew Carnahan (left) to the active roster and cornerback Michael Grant to the practice squad. Gafford is wearing No. 48 and Carnahan No. 71.

Getting to Know … Pat Thomas

Name: Patrick Wain Thomas.

Born: January 26, 1983 in Vallejo, California. His family moved to New Orleans and then to Miami at the age of four, where he grew up. Dad was in the Navy. Grew up in the Kendall neighborhood of Miami, which is southwest of the downtown area and just southwest of Coral Cables. The Don Shula Expressway runs through Kendall.

Parents: Winston and Monica Thomas. Older sister Laurie Ann and younger sister Cheyenne. His parents divorced when he was four years old and he moved to Miami with his mother.

Attended: Killian High School and North Carolina State University. Other athletes from Killian High included the late Sean Taylor, safety for the Washington Redskins, retired WR Randall Hill, NBA guards Raja Bell and Steve Blake and Tennessee Titans LB Stephen Tulloch.

Miami’s a very big city and there are a lot of temptations for a young man. How did you stay on the right side?
“I’ve came a long way and to look back and see from Miami to Kansas City, you see a lot of different things. There were a lot of influences, friends … just to look back and see that God has constantly made a way out for me whether it was through going to college and not knowing if I was ever going to go to college, to not knowing if I was going to play football and here I am in the NFL. That’s God’s work and graces. My mom always stayed on me, throughout my life, even up to today. I thank her for that. I remember going outside to play and it was night time and she would come out looking for me. She would drive her car around trying to find me and I would be hiding in the bushes. My friends would be like ‘Pat there’s your Mom’ and I’m hiding behind a tree. I would go home and that’s when the whipping came. She never let me forget what was important.”

Is Wain a family name and why the different spelling? “That came from my father. When I was born he was into Bruce Lee movies and he wanted to name me Wain Lee Thomas, but my mother wasn’t going to let that happen. So I think she gave on the Wain. I don’t like that name. Hate it. Why it’s spelled that way only my Dad can answer. I think he just wanted to be different.”

A lot of players have come into the NFL from N.C. State the last five years, how can that much talent not win a national title? “Good question. My junior year was Philip Rivers last year there and we had a great defense that year. My senior year we had a great defense due to our coach Reggie Herring. I was blessed to play with guys who wanted to get to the ball and everybody wanted to make plays and do their job. We’ve got a lot of guys in the league.”

Favorite place in the world? “I would go to Jamaica if I had to pick one place. My family is from there. Both my mother and father were born in Jamaica. My Mom left when she was 16 and my Dad when he was 19. I like the country life. A lot of my family is from the countryside there. It’s real relaxing.”

If the TV is on, what are you watching? “I don’t watch too much TV. I like to watch re-runs: Martin, Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Good Times, stuff like that. My mom is like you’ve seen this plenty of times, but I like to sit and watch them over and over.”

Favorite meal: “That would be curried chicken and rice and beans.”

Who is your hero? “Jesus Christ, no doubt about it. He saved me, he saved the human race. I wish people would realize that God is love and Jesus came to show us how to love.”

What was your first job? “I worked at McDonald’s in the back, making burgers and cheese burgers. I didn’t like it much and then one day I came in after working about two weeks and the manager guy says to me ‘I thought I fired you.’ Man that was bad. He checked the list and I was still on there, but I quit the next day.”

What’s your favorite movie? “I like movies I can watch over and over again. A lot of ’80s movies like Karate Kid and Teen Wolf. Recently, the movie I really liked I saw last year, called City of God. It was Brazilian and you had to read the sub-titles but it was very good.”

What’s your ride? “A Chevy Avalanche. Nothing fancy.”

What was your first car? A Dodge Colt. My grandma bought it for me. It was like a little buggy, like a Geo. It was red. I remember I got into my first accident and the hood got messed up when I ran into the back end of another car. After I was driving away from the scene, I was driving home and the wind was blowing, and the hood kept flying up and I had to reach my hand out the window and push it back down. I eventually had to tie it down. It was a mess.”

What was the hardest class you took at North Carolina State? Chemistry. I had it in high school and did pretty good, so I took it in college thinking it would be the same thing. We went over the periodic tables and stuff like that and I was good. But that was the first week. Then came all this other stuff and oh my, it was tough. That was the worst.”

What’s on your I-Pod? “I have a lot of gospel and some reggae too. I like to listen to gospel, songs about Jesus and God. It gets my motor running.”

Hank’s Gallery/New York Jets

Here are just some of the pictures that Hank Young snapped at Sunday’s game in the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Remember, click on the picture to enlarge.

Wednesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

Maybe they were a bit grumpy after their long flights back from London, but there was plenty going on with the Chargers and Saints on Tuesday with their feet back on American soil.

Out in San Diego, the Chargers fired defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell (below), unhappy with the team’s performance on that side of the ball this season.

And in New Orleans, the Saints were back home but after unpacking, head coach Sean Payton blasted the NFL for some of the logistical problems his team faced getting back home from England.

First with the Chargers, where the trio on top of the franchise – Spanos/Smith /Turner – decided the results of losing to the Saints at Wembley Stadium 37-32 was enough. The Chargers defense was considered too passive and at most times played as if confused. Mistakes were not being corrected, in fact they kept happening.

“There are areas we just have to play better, we have to improve,” said head coach Norv Turner. “Over the next 10 days, those areas will be addressed and hopefully we can not only show improvement right away, but then continue to improve over the next eight games.

“There have been a lot of different situations where we feel we’re close and just not quite making the play or getting it done. That’s the areas we’re going to address.”

The Chargers next game comes on November 9 at home against the Chiefs.

Cottrell has been replaced by linebackers coach Ron Rivera, who was the Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator from 2004-06. Rivera plans to be aggressive in his play-calling, though he was reluctant to talk about it.

“If I told you exactly how I was going to approach it I’d be telling Kansas City,” said Rivera.

Asked if it was correct to assume he would be more aggressive than Cottrell, Rivera said, “Correct.”

Herm Speaks - Volume #7

For once, Herm Edwards’ Tuesday session with the media horde was about football. Oh, there were questions about Larry Johnson for sure, but the head coach swatted those away because it’s all out of the team’s hands right now. Johnson’s immediate future rests with the league.

The Chiefs immediate past is 1-6 and their immediate future is the Tampa Bay Bucs, coming to town this Sunday.

Here’s some of what the coach had to say.

ON TAMPA BAY AND ITS DEFENSE

“Defensively, they’re back to playing Buc-Ball, as we called it. They don’t give up a lot of big plays, not a lot of big runs or a lot of big passes. They hold you to about 15 points a game. They can rush the passer. They tackle real well. They’re built for speed, very aggressive that way and can blitz you a lot. They blitz a lot on third downs, bring pressure and put it on the quarterback. They played in a one-score game last week. They held Dallas to one touchdown. It is going to be a test for us – probably one of the best defenses we’ll play all year. Tennessee was very good and these guys are right up there with Tennessee. Not as big, but just fast; that’s how they were built.”

Translation: Oh, how Herm wishes he had a defense like the one that’s coming in to Arrowhead. Just run down the things Edwards said about the Bucs D and the Chiefs have just the opposite. They don’t give up big plays … they hold opponents to 15 points a game … they rush the passer … they tackle real well … they are very aggressive and blitz a lot on third down. His description is what the Chiefs coach dreams of for his defense and right now, it’s the exact opposite.

5 Chiefs On First Hall of Fame Voting List

There are 133 men on the first list for nomination to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009 was announced on Tuesday in Canton, Ohio. 

DE Bruce Smith, DB Rod Woodson and TE Shannon Sharpe head the list of first-year eligible candidates among the 133 players, coaches and contributors.

Five former members of the Chiefs are part of the list as well: LB Derrick Thomas, DE Art Still, S Deron Cherry, CB Albert Lewis (left) and K Nick Lowery.

From this preliminary list Hall of Fame selectors will choose 25 candidates who will advance as semifinalist nominees.  The list of 25 modern-era semifinalists will be announced later next month.
 
The 25 modern-era semifinalists list will be reduced by a mail ballot to 15 modern-era finalists. 
 
The final list of nominees that will be considered for election will consist of the 15 modern-era finalists and the two previously announced senior nominees: WR Bob Hayes and DE Claude Humphrey. 

The Class of 2009 will be selected from the list of 17 finalists on Saturday, January 31, 2009, in Tampa, Florida the day before Super Bowl XLIII.  Rules provide that between four and seven new members will be selected.

Podcast: The NFL And Czar 10/28

Our friend John Czarnecki of the Fox-TV NFL Pre-Game Show and FOXSPORTS.com joins us for another discussion of what’s happening around the league as we talk about Larry Johnson, Daunte Culpepper, the Chargers decision to fire their defensive coordinator, NFL players failing drug tests, the New York Giants and the Tennessee Titans.

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Chiefs Update 10/28: Another Special Teams Injury

From the Truman Sports Complex

In what has already been a strange season for the Chiefs took another very different turn on Tuesday.

Last week they had a new kicker and new punter.  This week, they will have a new deep snapper to add to the mix.

J.P. Darche who has handled the snapping duties for the last two seasons is headed for knee surgery and is done for the season.

Darche will likely go to the injured reserve list by the close of business on Tuesday, so the Chiefs can sign a new deep snapper for this weekend’s game against Tampa Bay.  Darche played in last Sunday’s game against the Jets and was good on all of his snaps, but he was unable to run,  which made him a liability in punt coverage.

A few teams each year will change punters or kickers because of production, but few make any moves with deep snappers.  In 30-plus years of covering the NFL, I can’t remember a team that has changed all three parts of its kicking combination - snapper, holder and kicker - in a matter of two weeks.

On Tuesday, Herm Edwards said punter Dustin Colquitt was feeling better, but gave no indication if he will be ready to punt on Sunday.

NFL Review: Week #8

He has to be the most valuable player in the National Football League.

And, the Tennessee Titans have to be the best team in the league.

That’s the results from the eighth weekend of NFL play that finished up Monday night with Tennessee beating Indianapolis 31-21.  The Titans won the game in come-back-fashion and at 7-0 remain the only unbeaten team in the league.

The Titans are proving they are not a pretender.

When the Philadelphia Eagles have Brian Westbrook, they are a contender in any season. When he’s down with injury, which seems to happen on a regular basis, the Eagles are an ordinary offensive team.

Coming back on Sunday from missing two of the last three games because of broken ribs, Westbrook returned to his All-Pro form and rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns as part of a dynamic all-around effort, and the Eagles beat the Atlanta Falcons 27-14.

“He was dialed up,” Philly coach Andy Reid said of Westbrook.

Besides the 167 rushing yards, Westbrook also caught six passes for 42 yards. That totaled out to 28 offensive touches for 209 yards.

“It feels good to be back,” he said. “My ankle held up pretty well. My ribs held up pretty well. Things went well for me.”

There was the sprained ankle, which kept him out of the game against the Bears, and then the fractured ribs, which occurred on the first possession of the Redskins game and sidelined him for the 49ers game. Until Sunday, he had played little more than two games while healthy. As a result the Eagles offense had been very inconsistent.

The injuries nagged him throughout the game, but Westbrook said, “those are things you have to play through.”

The Eagles hope that they can get in the NFC East race if Westbrook can stay healthy.

“We need to get on a run,” Westbrook said

Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

The Chiefs made it plain on Monday that the performance by Tyler Thigpen (left) against the Jets on Sunday got their attention.

That’s one of the reasons the club cancelled a planned trip to Kansas City by retired/unretired veteran QB Daunte Culpepper that was scheduled for Tuesday.

A club official said the team was going “in another direction.”

They will move forward with Thigpen, Ingle Martin and Quinn Gray for now, although that’s not set in stone either. What seems definite is that Culpepper is not going to be part of the equation.

The Chiefs contacted Culpepper twice this fall about his interest in returning to action. The first time came after Brodie Croyle was injured in the season opener. At that time, Culpepper said he was only interested in returning if he could start.

The Chiefs talked to him again last week when Croyle suffered the knee injury that ended his season. Culpepper expressed some reluctance to end the retirement that he had announced a few weeks earlier because of family and business issues.

Chiefs Update 10/27-No Daunte For Chiefs

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs have cancelled a visit by QB Daunte Culpepper to Kansas City on Tuesday and will move on with Tyler Thigpen as their quarterback.

Culpepper was scheduled to visit the Chiefs facilities for a workout and physical, but the plug was pulled on that visit Monday afternoon. 

It was just part of the news surrounding the team on Monday, as RB Larry Johnson was formally charged with assault in Kansas City, Missouri for an incident at a Country Club Plaza nightclub during the bye week.  Johnson spent approximately three hours in a holding cell at police headquarters before he posted $500 bond and was released.

Johnson headed for the airport, as he is scheduled to be in New York on Tuesday to meet with Commissioner Roger Goodell about his off-field problems.  Whether and when Goodell might take disciplinary action against Johnson remains to be seen, but the fact that he’s been called the league office is an indication that a suspension is very possible.

On to football, where one of the items that’s a constant in the NFL is the roster juggle every week due to injury.  The Chiefs figure to be doing more of that this week due to the ankle injury suffered by RB Jamaal Charles.   No definitive word from team on how serious the injury is as Charles was undergoing an MRI exam on Monday.  But the way Charles left Giants Stadium on Sunday it appears to be something that will keep him out for this weekend’s game against Tampa Bay, and maybe more games after that.

There’s probably a good chance that Jackie Battle will be elevated from the practice squad to the active roster.  Right now, the Chiefs have just two healthy halfbacks: Kolby Smith and rookie Dantrell Savage.

The other injuries from Sunday’s game that will be watched this week are the groin injury suffered by S Jarrad Page and the quadriceps injury for CB Pat Surtain.

Notes: More Tony G. Records

From the Meadowlands in New Jersey

Every time he catches a pass these days, Tony Gonzalez is establishing new records.

With six catches on the day, Gonzalez now has 853 in his career, which ranks him No. 11 in most career receptions. During Sunday’s game he passed both Rod Smith and Irving Fryar. Just ahead of him at No. 10 is Jimmy Smith with 862 catches.

And he’s moving up the charts every time he starts a game. Sunday’s opening was start No. 165 and that pushed him past Tim Grunhard and into third place for the most starts in Chiefs history. The next player ahead of him is former center Jack Rudnay with 171 career starts.

Defense: Some Good, Some Bad

From the Meadowlands in New Jersey

It was the type of matchup that a veteran quarterback loves to see: a veteran and gifted wide receiver against an inexperienced cornerback.

That was enough to tempt Brett Favre to make the throw that won his team the game: a 15-yard throw to wide receiver Laveranues Coles with one-minute to play that ended up in the end zone. The New York Jets win; the Chiefs go home with another disappointment.

There was a lot of disappointment for Favre on this day. He threw three interceptions, including one that was returned 91 yards by rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers for a touchdown. It wasn’t until the Chiefs final offense drive came up empty that the veteran quarterback was able to breathe easy.

Coles beat the Chiefs fourth cornerback on the play, Dimitri Patterson. He was in the game because veteran nickel back Patrick Surtain was on the sidelines with a quadriceps injury. In his third NFL season, Patterson has played far more special teams than he has defense.

But there really wasn’t much he could have done on the throw to Coles. He battled down the field with the receiver and there was contact several times. Patterson forced Coles to the outside and Favre threw the ball to the only place where it would have worked: behind Patterson. Coles reached back and caught the ball and got both feet in to the end zone.

“Where his alignment was, I was thinking an inside route,” said Patterson. “But this was Brett Favre and he makes those throws that you don’t think he will make. It was questionable at the point of attack whether he pushed off or not. But I have to make that play at the end of the day. I have to find a way to break up the pass.

“It was a good throw. A good catch.”

Chiefs Go College With Their Offense

From the Meadowlands in New Jersey

It’s there every Saturday of the college football season, especially in the Big 12 Conference.

It’s the spread offense, with the quarterback in the shotgun, multiple receivers spread all over the field and little concern for some of the most tried and true offensive pillars of the game.

It’s the Missouri-Kansas-Texas-Texas Tech-Oklahoma State-Oklahoma offensive mentality. Throw, throw, throw. OK run this play, but come back and throw, throw, throw.

Nobody in the NFL does this on a regular basis and don’t expect the Chiefs to start coming out and playing games with this scheme. But for one Sunday, the Chiefs offense could have fit right in with the Big 12 guys. Herm Edwards and Chan Gailey put their team into their version of the spread offense.

Tyler Thigpen took the snaps in the shotgun. He had receivers flanked generally two on each side, with a running back beside him. The Chiefs added the no huddle twist as well. Now, this wasn’t a full-scale jump to the spread. Generally, two of those four receivers were tight ends in Tony Gonzalez and rookie Brad Cottam.

But it was this scheme that finally got the Chiefs offense on track. With Thigpen throwing accurately and with generally good pass protection while in the gun, the Chiefs started generating some offense and some touchdowns.

“It was a change of pace, switch it up a little bit,” said quarterback Tyler Thigpen. “It’s what I ran in college (at Coastal Carolina.) It’s more comfortable. We will probably throw in a few more plays this week. We had a select few plays this week for that. I imagine we will broaden that out.”

Tyler Lays Claim to Job But Daunte’s Coming

From the Meadowlands in New Jersey    

It was the laugh of the week in the NFL in the days leading up to Sunday’s game.

The Chiefs and Tyler Thigpen, starting just his second NFL game against the Jets and Brett Favre, the legend, the guy who would be making regular and post-season start No. 282.

In the end, Favre got the last laugh, leading his Jets to a last minute victory over Thigpen and the Chiefs.

But on this day, Thigpen outplayed the great Favre. Here are the numbers:

• Thigpen: 25 of 36 (69 percent) for 280 yards, two TD passes and no interceptions. Passer rating of: 110.9
  
• Favre: 28 of 40 (70 percent) for 290 yards, two TD passes and three interceptions. Passer rating of: 76.

The only number that really mattered was the “W” for Favre. But on this afternoon, Thigpen displayed some of the skills that had the Vikings and now Chiefs quite interested in his services.

“The job has been handed to me to step in there and play football and I’m going to take advantage of that,” Thigpen said.

Podcast: Post-Game Report/Jets

From the Meadowlands in New Jersey

Comments from the Chiefs locker room after their 28-24 loss to the New York Jets.

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Commentary: Progress, But It Still Hurts

From the Meadowlands in New Jersey

Before a team can learn how to win, it has to learn how to play.

Maybe, just maybe the Chiefs learned how to play on Sunday afternoon at Giants Stadium.

They are now 1-6 on the season and they easily could have that same record and played much better football than they’ve shown for most of those seven games. But they didn’t play good football; in fact, most of the time they were downright awful. They played well in New England and against Denver. Otherwise, their performances were putrid, with no offense, no defense and no special teams. What was most bothersome to everyone involved, from ownership to the fans, with GMs, coaches and players in between, was the lack of improvement. The Chiefs seemed to be going backwards.

That wasn’t the case against the New York Jets on a sunny October Sunday afternoon in the swamps of Jersey. The Chiefs played one of their best games of the season. They made their mistakes, failed to capitalize on opportunities and were beaten physically at times. But it wasn’t anything like the last month. In the fourth quarter, they were not multiple touchdowns behind. They held victory in their hands in the final period with the clocking crawling towards the game’s conclusion.

Improvement But Still Defeat as Chiefs Fall to Jets

From the Meadowlands in New Jersey

In what was their best performance as a team in over a month, the Chiefs chased victory right into the final moments of the game against Brett Favre and the New York Jets. But Favre being Favre, he and the Jets pulled out a 28-24 victory at Giants Stadium.

After the game, Herm Edwards told his team that what they had done was shown the world what they are and what they can become. There’s no question there was improved play, especially on the offensive side of the football. Making the second NFL start of his life, Tyler Thigpen outplayed the great Favre.

But in money time, Favre answered as he’s done so many times before. His 15-yard pass to Lavernaues Coles provided the winning points.

“We saw him do that to us last year,” said LB Donnie Edwards of Favre. Edwards returned to the playing field for the first time in a month. “We knew what he could do. We didn’t stop him and that hurts.”

That the Jets were in that precarious position was due to the play of the Chiefs secondary and the performance of Thigpen. Running most of the time out of a shotgun/no huddle offense, Thigpen produced two touchdowns, 330 yards and did not have a turnover. The Chiefs defense picked off Favre three times and returned one for a touchdown, as CB Brandon Flowers went 91 yards on an interception return for a touchdown.

Inactives from the Meadowlands

From the Meadowlands, New Jersey

The game-day inactives for the Chiefs today against the New York Jets are:

• RB Larry Johnson
• P Dustin Colquitt
• G Brian De La Puente
• T Barry Richardson
• LB Erik Walden
• WR Jeff Webb
• DT T.J. Jackson

Quinn Gray is the inactive, third quarterback.

For the Jets, the inactives are K Mike Nugent, QB Brett Ratliff, WR David Clowney, CB David Barrett, TE Bubba Franks, LB Marques Murrell and DL Kareem Brown.

Erik Ainge is the third inactive quarterback.

Weather conditions are good today.  After heavy rains and wind Saturday evening, Sunday morning has dawned sunny, with clear skies, but it remains windy.  Temperature at game time should be around 60 degrees.

NFL Network is reporting Sunday morning that Commissioner Roger Goodell has scheduled a Tuesday meeting in New York with Larry Johnson.

Sunday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

From the New Jersey Meadowlands

There are a lot of memories in Chiefs history that have been played out in New York and its environs. Another paragraph will be written on Sunday afternoon as the Chiefs make their final visit to Giants Stadium for a game against the Jets.

It never quite seemed right that the place where the Jets played would be called Giants Stadium. But, the N.Y. Giants were there in 1976, before the N.Y. Jets who did not arrive until the 1984 season. Both teams will play in a brand new stadium that’s being built right next door to the old one and should be open for the 2010 season.

Right now it’s simply called the New Meadowlands Stadium. Price tag: $1.3 billion. That’s right, billion. Capacity will be 82,500 and the new building will host both the Jets and Giants.

Under the schedule formula pre-determined by the NFL, the Chiefs will not play in New Jersey in 2009. They will host the Giants and if they finished in the same position as the Jets in the standings, the AFC East team would come to Arrowhead.

Not that the Chiefs will complain. Coming into this game on Sunday against the Jets, they have a 2-10-1 overall record in Giants Stadium.

There’s another New York area stadium that closed its doors this fall where the Chiefs had much more success. Actually, there were two stadiums that went dark. Yankee Stadium got all the attention, but also shuttering its doors this fall was Shea Stadium. The Chiefs never played in Yankee Stadium, but they played against the Jets seven times in Shea, going 5-2. Shea’s football layout is pictured above.

How The Chiefs Can Beat The Jets

From Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey

Yes it is possible. The Chiefs can win Sunday in the Meadowlands. The chances are not good, but the Jets are not one of the NFL’s upper echelon teams.

Under what’s predicted to be sunny skies, with cool temperatures, here are the most important factors in a potential victory.

Saturday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

There will be a pair of quarterbacks wearing No. 4 and starting for their teams on Sunday at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands.

One is making his second NFL start. The other will be making start No. 282.

Tyler Thigpen vs. Brett Favre. Other than the number on their uniforms, they don’t share much.

All things being equal, and without injuries to Brodie Croyle and Damon Huard, Thigpen would have spent the week portraying Favre during practice rather than running the first team offense. Instead that job fell to Ingle Martin (left).

But Martin would have been the best guy anyway to do the job. Martin spent an entire season in Favre’s shadow with the Packers. In 2006 as a rookie out of Furman, Martin was the Pack’s No. 3 quarterback behind Favre and Aaron Rodgers.

As the picture above shows, he spent the season wearing a ball cap and head set and handling a clipboard for the Green Bay offense. He also spent a lot of time soaking up everything he could from the legend that is Favre.

PODCAST: Goose’s Football 101 10/24

Rick Gosselin is the best pro football writer in the country.  Period.  End Paragraph.

There’s no contest.  Goose has written about the NFL for over 30 years, going back to his days with United Press International in New York and Kansas City, through his time with the Kansas City Star and now the Dallas Morning News.  He’s been honored at the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his work.

Goose doesn’t spend a lot of time with the gossip of the game; he’s hard core football and he’s going to join us each week to talk about what’s going on in the league on the field and especially in the draft rooms, where he’s an expert.

Thanks for listening to podcasting on bobgretz.com

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Player Profile: Turk McBride

His rookie season in 2007 was a tough transition for Turk McBride.

Just 22 years old when he joined the Chiefs out of the University of Tennessee, it took awhile for McBride to feel comfortable with the Chiefs, the NFL and Kansas City.

Now in his second season, McBride is starting to make a place for himself in the Chiefs defense.  He’s been a starter at the left defensive end position since training camp and has begun to show the ability to put pressure on the passer.

With his temperment, McBride is also showing some leadership potential as he tries to help his unit get itself back on track during this 2008 season.

Click here to learn more about the Turk, a self-confessed Momma’s boy from Camden, New Jersey.

Chiefs Update 10/24

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs went through a 70-minute practice session indoors on Friday morning to wrap up their preparation for Sunday’s game in New Jersey against the Jets.

Listed on the injury report turned into the league today by the Chiefs is punter Dustin Colquitt as questionable and linebacker Donnie Edwards as probable. 

Head coach Herm Edwards again said that Edwards would be part of the defensive rotation against the Jets.

Colquitt did not kick in any of the three practices this week, although he may have kicked at other times.  Colquitt said he was feeling better on Friday morning as he was getting treatment for his groin and calf injuries, and felt he would be ready to punt on Sunday.

Again, the Chiefs do not have to make a decision until 90 minutes before kickoff on their game-day inactives.  But unless Colquitt has punted or will punt on Saturday, it’s hard to imagine Herm Edwards keeping him active for Sunday’s game.  If there’s any way the Chiefs can keep from having both punters on the 45-man roster for the game, the coach would like that to happen.  If Colquitt and Steve Weatherford are both active, that just means one more body has to be inactive who might be able to help.

Other than Colquitt the only other non-participant in Friday’s practice was RB Larry Johnson, who will be inactive for Sunday’s game.

Zebra Watch #7

So much for the Chiefs having an officiating crew that doesn’t like to throw flags.

Last week at Arrowhead Stadium, Gene Steratore’s crew handled the Titans—Chiefs game. That group came in averaging nine penalties a game. Last Sunday, they had 16 flags, one of the most penalized games in the league. They split those evenly between the teams.

That performance knocked Steratore’s crew out of our top spot for fewest flags. That honor now belongs to Walt Coleman’s crew, averaging 9.3 penalties per game. The gap between least active and most active is closing a bit. Jeff Triplette’s crew is averaging 16.2 penalties per game. They had just 10 in their game last week.

That’s a 6.9 penalty gap. A month ago the difference between top and bottom was 10.5 penalties. Hopefully that means there’s more consistency in the officiating from crew to crew.

I do know this: if you are the home team and you see you’ve got Terry McAulay’s crew, you like your chances. The home team is 6-0 with that group in charge.

The best crews for road teams are Steratore, Bill Carollo and Tony Corrente. All have had visitors win four of their games this year.

Friday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

At half-time of Sunday’s game between the Chiefs and Jets at Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands, New York will honor its 1968 Super Bowl championship team on the 40^th anniversary of their remarkable victory over the Baltimore Colts.

Writing the history of American sports in the 20^th Century would have to include a chapter on the Jets 16-7 victory at Miami’s Orange Bowl. It was the upstart American Football League’s crowning achievement to have finally beaten the National Football League on the championship stage. It was Joe Namath predicting a victory before the game, egged on by Colts players and others who thought the Jets had no chance; in some quarters they entered the game as 20-point underdogs.

At the time, Namath was probably the biggest name in sports. He was young, good looking, not afraid of the bright lights and he played in New York, where everything is bigger and brighter, or at least they think so. The underdog Chiefs victory the next January over the Minnesota Vikings only drove home the point that the AFL was the equal of the NFL.

The Jets got there first. Len Dawson sat in the stands at the Orange Bowl that day, attending as a guest of American Express with a bunch of their clients.

“They were all Colts fans and they were sure the Colts were going to win,” Dawson said this week. “I remember standing up in the fourth quarter and making some sort of comment about who was the best team now.”

Daunte’s Inferno Re-Ignited