A Plate of Rocky Mountain Oysters For Finale

It was Mile High Stadium. Then it was Invesco Field at Mile High. Now it’s the Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Such is life in the NFL these days when it comes to the revenue that can be generated by slapping a corporate name on somewhere. Earlier this year, Denver fans got upset when Sports Authority signed on just before the start of the pre-season schedule and the team and stadium put up temporary banners in red and white announcing it as Sports Authority Field. The choice of colors lasted just two days as Broncos fans complained that it had the look of Chiefs colors.

The team and Sports Authority quickly scrambled to get a replacement banner up at the stadium and a full-blown crisis was averted.

But then I’m not sure what the home team has to worry about – since they left Mile High Stadium and moved into the new building, they are 9-1 against the Chiefs, losing only in 2009 in the last game of the year when Todd Haley’s team wrapped up the season with a 44-24 victory.

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4 Keys To Victory For Chiefs In Denver

HISTORY

• This will be the 104th regular-season meeting between these original members of the American Football League. The Chiefs had the series edge with a 55-48 record over the Broncos. Those 55 victories are the most the Chiefs have over any opponent they’ve played over the last 52 years.
• The Chiefs and Broncos have played each other once in the playoffs, that in 1997 when the visiting Broncos grabbed a 14-10 victory at Arrowhead Stadium in the divisional round of the AFC playoffs.
• In seven of the last eight seasons, the Chiefs and Broncos have split their annual two-game series. In 2007, the Broncos had a sweep. The last time the Chiefs have taken two from the Broncos was in 2000 when Gunther Cunningham led K.C. to victories by one and 13 points
• Winning in Denver has not been easy for the Chiefs over the last few decades. Over the last 10 years, they’ve won just once in the mile high city, that coming in the final game of the 2009 season when they left town with a 44-24 victory. Overall, the Broncos have a 33-19 edge against the Chiefs in games played in Denver.
• When both of these teams were born in the inaugural season of the American Football League, the Chiefs – then the Dallas Texans – were one of the new league’s best teams, while the Broncos were one of the weakest clubs. In the first 10 seasons of play (1960-69), the Texans-Chiefs were 19-1 against the Broncos. At various points in the first 15 years of the series between the teams, the Chiefs held winning streaks of 11, eight and six games. …Read More!

2011 Bowl Season – New Year’s Eve

Meineke Car Care of Texas Bowl

Saturday, December 31, 11 a.m. CST/ESPN

Reliant Stadium/Houston, Texas

Texas A&M (6-6)

#17 QB Ryan Tannehill, Redshirt Senior – 6-4, 222 pounds, 4.65 seconds in the 40-yard dash – Physically gifted QB prospect that spent two years playing wide receiver when the door was closed to the starting QB job. Eventually though he returned to QB and that’s where he’s spent the last two seasons, putting together some impressive numbers in that time. He threw for 5,121 yards with 41 TDs and 20 INTs, while completing 62.3 percent of his passes. Against Baylor this season, he threw for six touchdown passes and 415 yards in a 55-28 victory. As a runner, he’s run 112 yards for 359 yards and 5 TDs. As a receiver he caught 112 passes for 1,596 yards and 10 TDs. As long as Tannehill handles the next few months, he’ll be a mid-to-late first-round selection.

#5 CB Coryell Judie, Redshirt Senior – 5-11, 190 pounds, 4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash – He had two very productive seasons at A&M after coming out of Fort Scott Community College in the Jayhawk League. He was a 2008 JUCO All-America selection as he had seven interceptions, 82 tackles and a 26.8-yard average on kickoff returns. Judie did not play football until his senior year of high school; he was a track star. He was hampered throughout the 2011 season by a hamstring injury that cost him several games. If healthy – he also had a shoulder surgery two years ago – then Judie has the raw talent to be a second or third-round selection. …Read More!

Ready For One More … New Year’s Eve Cup O’Chiefs

Don’t ask Thomas Jones if Sunday’s game in Denver will be the last of his career.

“I don’t even want to answer those kinds of questions,” Jones said this week. “I have one game left in this season; I just want to focus on that.”

After 12 seasons, 179 games and 10,549 rushing yards, the 33-year old Jones knows that Father Time has been clocking him for the last year. His opportunities and his production headed south in the 2011 season, much as the Chiefs offensive production has dropped.

Against the Broncos in the season finale, Jones may get plenty of opportunities and a chance to lay down some production and change perceptions about him and where his career sits right now.

Jackie Battle is out; a foot injury suffered last Sunday against Oakland ending his season after 15 games. Only Jones and Dexter McCluster are left in the running back stable, along with fullback Le’Ron McClain.

In the last two games with Kyle Orton at quarterback, the Chiefs offensive game planners and play caller Bill Muir have gone to more plays out of the running game. In the season’s first 13 games, there was an average of 29.9 runs per game. In the last two weeks, that number has increased to 34.5 runs per game. With 139 and 135 yards in the last two games, those are two of the top five running days the Chiefs have enjoyed this season. …Read More!

Succop Gets New Deal

K Ryan Succop rode the wave of his record-tying 22 consecutive field goals to a new contract with the Chiefs. The five-year deal is worth a reported $14 million according to an ESPN report on Friday.

Succop will get $2 million as a signing bonus and $2 million in 2012 salary and that money is guaranteed.

It’s quite a turnaround in events over three seasons for the University of South Carolina product. He was the last player selected in the 2009 NFL Draft and he’s been the most successful player in the Chiefs disappointing class of choices that year.

He’s turned in his best season this year, hitting 24 of 29 FG attempts, with only one miss inside the 40-yard line. He’s also been 19 for 19 on PAT kicks and his work on kickoffs has been very good.

2011 Bowl Season – Insight Bowl

   Insight Bowl

   Friday, December 30, 9 p.m. CST/ESPN

   Sun Devil Stadium/Tempe, Arizona

Oklahoma (9-3)

#28 OLB Travis Lewis, Redshirt Senior – 6-1¾, 228 pounds, 4.72 seconds in the 40-yard dash – One of the most honored defensive players in recent Sooner memory, Lewis was either first or second-team All-Big 12 Conference in each of his four season. An immediate starter when he joined the program out of Texas, he broke Brian Bosworth’s freshman tackle record of 144, while also earning All-Big 12 academic honors. He continues that play throughout his career, with only a broken toe holding him back in 2011. Expected to miss at least half the season with the injury, Lewis was out for one game. Over his 52-game career, he totaled 440 tackles, 29 TFLs, 6 sacks, 9 interceptions, 13 passes broken up and 4 forced fumbles. He was a team captain and has no known off-field problems beyond some academic problems that he overcame. The NFL likes Lewis in the second round. …Read More!

2011 Bowl Season – Music City Bowl

Franklin American Music City Bowl

Friday, December 30, 5:40 p.m./ESPN

LP Field/Nashville, Tennessee

 

Wake Forest (6-6)

#97 OLB Kyle Wilber, Redshirt Senior – 6-3 ½, 240 pounds, 4.7 seconds is the 40-yard dash – During his 42-game career at Wake, Wilber has moved around from defensive front playing at end on both sides and this year moving to outside linebacker. He has good speed and quickness for a player his size. In 42 games, Wilber had 189 tackles, 33.5 TFLs, 13.5 sacks, 6 QB hurries, 6 passes broken up, 5 forced fumbles and he returned a fumble for a TD. He missed more than half of the 2009 season after suffering a broken leg. It appears that opinions on Wilber vary considerably, as some scouts think he’s a sleeper pick, while others view him as a sixth or seventh-round choice. …Read More!

Practice Report/Update – 12/30

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs enjoyed sunny skies and a chilly wind from the north as they went through their final practice of the 2011 season.

It was a pretty vocal bunch as they ran through their pre-practice stretching routine; it was a little bit like the last recess of the school year. But the coaching staff quickly got them back on track and worked on getting better prepared for Sunday’s finale against the Broncos in Denver.

RB Jackie Battle will not play in Denver because of the foot injury he suffered last Sunday against Oakland. He’s officially listed as out. That will put more bread on the table of veteran RB Thomas Jones, since he and Dexter McCluster are the only running backs left on the roster, along with FB Le’Ron McClain.

Offensive coordinator Bill Muir thinks Jones relishes the chance to close out his 12th NFL season with a heavy workload against Denver. …Read More!

2011 Bowl Season – Pinstripe Bowl

Pinstripe Bowl

Friday, December 30, 2:20 p.m. CST/ESPN

Yankee Stadium/New York, New York

Rutgers (8-4)

#70 G Desmond Wynn, Redshirt Senior – 6-5¼, 295 pounds, 5.1 seconds in the 40-yard dash – Earned second-team All-Big East Conference for his play at left guard, where he started all 12 games. He played right guard during his career. He missed 2010 spring practice as he recovered from shoulder surgery and suffered a knee injury early in the 2011 season, but he was able to battle through the pain. Scouts view him as a sixth to seventh-round prospect. …Read More!

2011 Bowl Season – Armed Forces Bowl

Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl

Friday, December 30, 11 a.m. CST/ESPN

Gerald Ford Stadium/Dallas, Texas

Brigham Young (9-3)

#70 OT Matt Reynolds, Redshirt Senior – 6-4 ¼ , 305 pounds, 5.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash – Reynolds connections at BYU ran deep as his father Lance was the team’s associate head coach. He spent his first year out of high school on a church mission in Germany and then redshirted in 2007. He did not get on the field to play until 2008. Since then, he’s been holding down the left tackle spot and has shown durability and availability. He has very quick feet and he was a two-time team captain. Reynolds is married and a father. He is viewed as a fifth or sixth-round prospect for the upcoming draft. …Read More!

Orton+Tebow = NFL Soap Opera … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

If you have spent any time around the television this week it was impossible to miss what the self-proclaimed sports leader ESPN decided was the top story in the NFL this week.

Kyle Orton vs. Tim Tebow this Sunday at Sports Authority Field in Denver – the banished quarterback returns to face the chosen one who chased him out of town with a spot in the playoffs on the line for the home team.

Oh, by the way the Chiefs and Broncos are showing up as well.

The aura of Tebow has so intoxicated the national sporting moguls that CBS is sending its No. 1 broadcast crew – Jim Nantz and Phil Simms – to Denver to broadcast the Chiefs-Broncos. There are other games with as much importance on Sunday, particularly Baltimore visiting Cincinnati – one team in the playoffs, while the other still working to get the last spot in the tournament field. …Read More!

Casey Won’t Say It, But It’s All Done Sunday

From the Truman Sports Complex

After practice on Thursday C Casey Wiegmann would not say it publicly, but he left little doubt about his intentions: Sunday’s game in Denver will be his last, ending a 15-season career that started as an undrafted rookie out of Iowa and spending time with the Colts, Jets, Bears, Chiefs, Broncos and Chiefs again.

His start Sunday against the Broncos will be his 212nd game and start No. 185.

“I’m not going to make a big deal out of that,” Wiegmann said of his retirement. “We have a football game to go play, trying to beat the Broncos. I’ll come in on Monday and say bye to everybody this year… I’ve got a plan.”

That plan is for life after football – working in a business he owns with a good friend leasing farm land each year up in his native Iowa. There are trees to cut down and fences to mend.

“I called my best friend last night, we’ve started a business and I’ll be up there (Iowa) next weekend, doing stuff, there’s work to be done,” Wiegmann said. …Read More!

2011 Bowl Season – Alamo Bowl

   Valero Alamo Bowl

   Thursday, December 29, 8 p.m. CST, ESPN

    Alamo Dome/San Antonio, Texas

Washington (7-5)

#1 RB Chris Polk, Redshirt Junior — 5-11, 222 pounds, 4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash – Polk has not yet said whether he plans to leave school with a year of eligibility remaining. The NFL is very interested because he’s a strong between the tackles rusher who keeps his legs moving and bounces off tackles. In 39 games, he’s run the ball 749 times for 3,902 yards and 25 touchdowns. Worked as a kick returner in his freshman season and averaged 19.8 yards per kick return. As soon as he’s available, the NFL will select him in the first round. …Read More!

Practice Report/Update – 12/29

From the Truman Sports Complex

For the final Thursday practice of the 2011 season, the Chiefs could not have asked for better weather conditions for their second session in preparation for facing the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

Temperatures were in the high 50s, with plenty of sunshine and no wind and it made for a delightful afternoon of football heavy lifting for Romeo Crennel and his team. There’s just one more practice left in a football season of practices that began on August 1 in St. Joseph for training camp.

“It was a great day out today for December so I think that helped the attitude of the guys as we were out there practicing,” Crennel said. “We’ve got this game Sunday and I think we are trying to get ready for it. We are going to play hard and they are going to do good and we’ll go from there.”

Two bodies were missing from the practice field – RB Jackie Battle and WR Jeremy Horne – and one was there, but did not practice – SS Jon McGraw. Battle is dealing with a foot injury that likely has ended his season a game early. McGraw did not work becauseof his high ankle sprain. That would be a setback for the veteran safety who did some limited work on Wednesday. Horne was absent from practice becasue of illness but he was in the building and attending meetings.

From Denver, the Broncos injury/practice report remained unchanged from Wednesday. S Brian Dawkins (neck) did not practice. Limited in practice were S David Bruton (Achilles) and CB Chris Harris (neck). Full participation involved S Quinton Carter (hip) and LB Von Miller (thumb).

2011 Bowl Season – Champs Sports Bowl

 

 Champs Sports Bowl

  Thursday, December 29, 4:30 CST, ESPN

  Citrus Bowl Stadium/Orlando, Florida

 

Notre Dame (8-4)

#3 WR Michael Floyd, Senior – 6-3, 224 pounds, 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash – It’s been a bit of a star-crossed career at Notre Dame for Floyd, who was able to battle back from a drunken driving arrest in March 2011 to have the best season of his career, with 95 catches for 1,106 yards and eight TDs. Over his career 42 games with the Irish, Floyd caught 266 passes for 3,645 yards and 36 touchdowns. Floyd seems to find trouble off the field, where along with the DUI, he was cited for underage consumption of alcohol in 2008 and 2009. Most teams consider him a prime prospect and a first-round talent. League teams will want to make sure that his problems with alcohol are part of his history, not his present. …Read More!

Pre-Game Workout Lifts Hali … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

It goes down about three hours before kickoff every time the Chiefs play a game.

Long before the stadium gates are open to allow the fans in, ahead of when the popcorn is even popped and before some of his teammates have even arrived at the stadium, OLB Tamba Hali is sweating.

Hali is on the field, in one corner of the end zone, usually with a hoodie on and wearing headphones. Out there with him is Master Joe Kim, a trained expert in taekwondo. Joe Kim has spent several seasons working with various NFL and college teams on improving their ability to handle the hand-to-hand combat that is so much a part of football. Todd Haley brought him in during the 2010 off-season and his willingness to work with players brought even more time for Joe Kim around the Chiefs in 2011.

In those early morning moments, Hali would go through a series of drills with Joe Kim. They would go 20 and 30 yards hand fighting, then turn around and sprint back. Hali would work on outside rushes, bending his body around an imaginary half circle as Joe Kim hit him with a large pad. Over and over and over this would go on, usually for 15 minutes, sometimes longer.

Some players wouldn’t work as hard in the entire 60-minute game as Hali did during those. But then most players do not possess the inner drive and determination that Tamba Hali carries through every day.

There was finally a recognition payoff for that this week when Hali was named to the AFC team for the Pro Bowl. He’ll be playing in the January 29th game in Hawaii. The invitation comes after voting done by players, coaches and the fans. It’s a well deserved honor for the six-year veteran who has been one of the NFL’s best pass rushers over the last three seasons. …Read More!

Chiefs Practice Report/Update – 12/28

From the Truman Sports Complex

RB Jackie Battle was the only player on the roster that was not taking part in Wednesday’s practice session, the first of the season’s final week of preparation.

Head coach Romeo Crennel said Battle was wearing a boot and that he was undergoing tests of all kinds on his injured foot. Crennel said if he had to label him on Wednesday for Sunday’s game against Denver, Battle would be doubtful.

The rest of the squad appeared to be taking part in the early part of practice without problems. SS Jon McGraw was the only other player on the injury/practice report, listed as a limited participant because of his ankle injury.

The Broncos have five players on their injury/practice report. S Brian Dawkins (neck) did not practice. Working as limited participants were S David Bruton (Achilles) and CB Chris Harris (neck). Full participants were LB Von Miller (thumb) and S Quinton Carter (hip).

2011 Bowl Season – Holiday Bowl

  Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl

  Wednesday, December 28, 7 p.m. CST, ESPN

  Qualcomm Stadium/San Diego, California

 

 California (7-5)

#72 OT Mitchell Schwartz, Redshirt Senior – 6-4½, 318 pounds, 5.3 seconds in the 40-yard dash – First team All-Pac 12 Conference selection, Schwartz has started all 50 games he’s played in over the last four years with the Bears. He’s worked at both left and right tackle, with the last two seasons starting at the LT spot. A smart player, he’s learned a lot of tricks over the last four years. Schwartz is not an outstanding athlete, so his best NFL position may be at RT. The league views him as a fourth or fifth-round projection. …Read More!

Picture of the AFC Playoffs … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

There are nine teams with some sort of life in the AFC playoffs as the 2011 schedule is about to play its final weekend.

Not among those nine are the AFC’s seven other teams, including the Chiefs that have been eliminated from the chance to play in the tournament. They are one of two teams that were in the AFC playoffs last year that have been eliminated from this year’s January football; the other is Indianapolis.

It now means the Chiefs will have gone 18 seasons without a post-season victory. The last one occurred during the 1993 AFC playoffs, when they beat the Houston Oilers at the Astrodome. Since and including that next game loss in the AFC Championship Game to Buffalo, they are 0-7 in the post-season.

Right now, four of the six teams in the AFC are set – New England, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Houston. This weekend, Denver and Cincinnati are the only teams that can get into the AFC party with a victory in their final game. Oakland, the New York Jets and Tennessee will need help.

Here’s how the conference breaks down: …Read More!

Tamba, D.J. Hawaii Bound

The two players on the Chiefs roster who have had the best 2011 seasons were rewarded Tuesday with a trip to Hawaii and the Pro Bowl.

OLB Tamba Hali and ILB Derrick Johnson were named to the AFC squad for the 2012 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl at Aloha Stadium on Sunday, January 29, the weekend before the Super Bowl.

It was the first time for both Hali and Johnson. Vote totals are not given, so if there were other Chiefs players that were close to be recognized, we do not know at this time.

Hali is second in the AFC in sacks with 12 and combined with the 14.5 sacks he registered last year, he’s the best sacker in the conference over the last two seasons. He was selected last year as a replacement player, but had to beg out of that opportunity due to his own injury problems. Along with the sacks, the sixth-year product of Penn State also has 79 total tackles and 31 quarterback pressures.

Johnson established a new single-season tackling record this year, as he sits at 172 total tackles with one game to play. The first-round draft choice from 2005 out of the University of Texas also has 2 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery and 11 QB pressures. He was chosen the AFC’s defensive player of the week after the Chiefs victory over the Chargers on Halloween night.

Overall on the AFC team, New England and Baltimore had seven players selected, with Pittsburgh given five spots. Teams with three Pro Bowlers in the AFC were San Diego, the New York Jets and Oakland. The Chiefs were one of four teams with two players and there were four other teams with just one player selected. Two teams, Buffalo and Tennessee, did not have a player selected on the initial roster.

But remember the roster will change quite a bit, because players on the teams participating in the Super Bowl, will not play in the Pro Bowl and must be replaced by the league.

2011 BOWL SEASON – BELK BOWL

Belk Bowl

Tuesday, December 27, 7 p.m. CST, ESPN

Bank of America Stadium/Charlotte, North Carolina

North Carolina State (7-5)

#42 LB Audie Cole, Redshirt Senior – 6-4 ¼, 239 pounds, 4.8 seconds in the 40-yard dash – He’s played outside, inside and middle linebacker for NC State and has handled both positions well over his three seasons of starting. He’s appeared in 50 games and has 266 career tackles, 27 TFLs, 12 sacks, 8 QB hits, 1 INT, 7 FF, 2 recovered fumbles and 9 passes broken up. Cole does not appear to have the speed and moves to play outside linebacker in the NFL, so he’s likely an inside type. He’s considered a third-fourth round potential, who could contribute immediately on special teams. …Read More!

2011 Bowl Season – Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

   Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

   Tuesday, December 27, 3:30 pm. CST, ESPN

   Ford Field/Detroit

 

Purdue (6-6)

#93 DT Kawann Short, Redshirt Junior – 6-2 ½, 310 pounds, 5.2 seconds in the 40-yard dash – Selected first-team All-Big 10 Conference, Short was Purdue’s defensive MVP. He had 53 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and he blocked two kicks and forced a fumble. Overall in 36 games for the Boilermakers, Short has 141 total tackles, 24 TFL, 11 sacks, 2 INTs, 10 passes broken up and 4 blocked kicks. He’ll need a strong February, March and April if he decides to enter the NFL Draft, but he’s a probable choice in the third to fourth round. …Read More!

It’s The Same Sad Story … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

Romeo Crennel knew it was impossible. He’s been coaching way too long to believe in Santa Claus, elves and fairy tales.

After spending Christmas Day with family, Romeo was whimsically hoping that when he came to work on Monday morning and turned on the tape of the Christmas Eve loss to the Raiders, that there would be something different on his screen. He walked away from the 16-13 overtime loss on Saturday afternoon with a pretty good idea of why the Chiefs were beaten.

And there it was again on tape, unchanged over 48 hours. All the mistakes, all the failed opportunities, all the problems that brought an end to the Chiefs hopes of repeating as champions of the AFC West and going to the playoffs again.

It was unchanged, just like the previous eight defeats suffered by the 2011 Chiefs. Here was Crennel’s analysis when he spoke with the media:

“We did some good things. The fact we were able to come back and tie the game and have a chance to win at the end, all of that showed some character. All of that was good, but the fact we didn’t win it, that was bad. As you look at it, when you open the game with a 91-yard kick return, that’s not a good sign. Offensively, when you’re in the red zone and only can get something done once, that’s not a good sign. Defensively, when you let them throw the ball over your head two times that led to 10 points, that wasn’t a good sign. …Read More!

Dwayne Finally Burns Champ

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

The last two times the Chiefs and Broncos played each other, Denver’s defensive coaches made the decision to take their Pro Bowl CB Champ Bailey and have him cover Dwayne Bowe all over the field.

It was the Chiefs best receiver mano-on-mano against the Broncos best defensive back. Both of those games were played at Arrowhead Stadium and they proved no contest:

• December 5, 2010 – Bowe had zero catches, zero yards. QB Matt Cassel threw at him three times.
• November 13, 2011 – Bowe grabbed 2 catches for 17 yards. Cassel/Palko threw him seven passes.

Champ Bailey 2, Dwayne Bowe 0 was the obviously outcome of those two games. Round No. 3 came on New Year’s Sunday and the Broncos coaches made no changes. It was Bailey on Bowe everywhere.

Only this time, Bowe was “on fire” as QB Kyle Orton said. Bailey played the same type of smothering man-to-man coverage he used in the last two encounters, but it wasn’t good enough on this day.

In the first half, Bowe had six catches for 93 yards, all of them coming with Bailey covering him. Orton threw at him seven times.

“Man, he was playing great,” said Orton. “He was playing against a great corner in Champ. I have a lot of respect for Champ, but he (Bowe) got him turned around a couple of times and got open. He got off to such a good start.”

But on that sixth catch, a 19-yard completion late in the second quarter, Bowe went to the ground after the catch and was tackled by Bailey. Somewhere in that tackle, Bowe got dinged. The Chiefs announced it as a neck problem during half-time, but head coach Romeo Crennel said it was a concussion.

“They wouldn’t let him go back into the game,” Crennel said of the Chiefs medical staff. “He wanted to come back but he got hit in the head and in the NFL we are more cautious of those kinds of things.

“The doctors suspected that he had a concussion so they were being cautious.”

Bowe did not return in the second half, and you get the impression from his words that Bailey wasn’t too unhappy about his absence. He thinks Bowe may have gotten some extra help from his quarterback.

“I think with Orton remembering things from when he was here, I guess I wasn’t surprised at all,” Bailey said. “It’s the way he did it that kind of caught me off guard. Those are two good players and if Orton is standing straight up, he’s going to hit him every time.”

Orton brushed away the question of whether he was able to provide Bowe a bit of deep insight into Bailey. In fact, he brushed it away so fast you could almost see the canary feathers peaking out of the corners of his mouth.

“They have a good defense,” Orton said. “Their scheme is kind of new to me this year. I studied film like everybody else.

“It was tough having to see him leave and not return in the second half. It’s fun when a receiver gets going like that.”

For his part Bowe left the Chiefs locker room with no problems. He seemed to possess all of his facilities and smiled a big Dwayne Bowe smile when he was asked about his first half against Bailey.

That however, was the sum total of his reaction. But the smile said it all.

Orton Returns, Leaves With Victory

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

Kyle Orton was pretty much invisible to anybody but his teammates and coaches last week as the Chiefs prepared for their season finale against Denver.

Everyone knew he was dodging the talk about his return to Denver and his matchup against Tim Tebow, the man who got his job as the starting quarterback of the Broncos. Early in the week, he said that the game was about the Chiefs finishing out the season strong and had nothing to do with him.

After picking up the 7-3 victory on Sunday, Orton allowed that it was more than just another game.

“It was a little more, there’s no doubt about that,” Orton said. “You can’t hide that. It was nice to win. I hope they have a lot of success in the playoffs.” …Read More!

Chiefs 2012 Opponents

Here are the opponents the Chiefs will face in the 2012 season based on the NFL schedule formula:

HOME

Oakland, Denver and San Diego – the AFC West brothers will return yet again to Arrowhead Stadium. The Broncos, Raiders and Chargers all finished 8-8. Denver earned first place and a spot in the playoffs

Atlanta – (10-6 and wildcard team from NFC South) – The Falcons will make their first visit to Arrowhead since October 2004, when the Chiefs crushed them, 56-10.

Baltimore – (12-4 and AFC North champions) – The Ravens came to Kansas City for the playoffs last January. The last time they visited during the regular season was December 2006 when they won 20-10.

Carolina – (6-10, third place NFC South) – The Panthers last came to K.C. in September 2004, when they left with a 28-17 victory.

Cincinnati – (9-7, wildcard team from AFC North) – The Bengals were at Arrowhead last in October 2007, losing 27-20.

Indianapolis – (2-14, last place in AFC South) – After four straight trips by the Chiefs to Indy, the Colts come to K.C. for the first time since Halloween 2004, when the Chiefs won 45-35.

AWAY

Oakland, Denver and San Diego – the AFC West return matches.

Buffalo – (6-10, fourth place team from AFC East) – The last time the Chiefs were in Buffalo was November 2008 when they lost to the Bills 14-3.

Cleveland – (4-12, fourth place team from the AFC North) – It was the 2010 season when the Chiefs last visited Cleveland, in the second week of the season and left with a 16-14 victory.

New Orleans – (13-3, winner NFC South) – The Chiefs last visit to the Big Easy was in 2004, when they dropped a 27-20 decision to the Saints.

Pittsburgh – (12-4, wildcard team out of AFC North) – Over the years, the Chiefs have seen Heinz Field only one time and that was in 2006, when they fell 45-7 in one of the largest margin of defeats in team history.

Tampa Bay – (4-12, fourth place team from NFC South) – It was 2004 when the Chiefs last played in Tampa Bay, losing 34-31.

Romeo Proves His Worth; What’s Next?

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

After what the Chiefs have done in their last three games under head coach Romeo Crennel, it only makes sense to keep the man, as long as he coordinates and runs the defense.

Crennel’s little coaching moment for the Chiefs came to an end on Sunday with a 7-3 victory over the Denver Broncos, giving him a 2-1 record since taking over from the departed Todd Haley.

But that three-game span was built on defense, Romeo’s greatest skill in coaching. The Chiefs made Tim Tebow and the Broncos offense look very bad in allowing only 266 yards and no touchdowns to a team playing for a chance to make the playoffs.

As the Chiefs players poured into the locker room here at Sports Authority Field after the victory, it didn’t take long for the chants of RAC, RAC, RAC rang out with so much force they went through a couple doors and cinderblocks walls.

The players want Crennel to stay as head coach. Crennel wants to be their head coach. The future remains unknown. …Read More!

Repeating History Works For Chiefs In Denver

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

It was another one of those déjà vu moments.

It was two years ago that the Chiefs rolled into Denver to finish out a disappointing first season under then new head coach Todd Haley. They were 3-12 on the season and the finale against the Broncos meant nothing in the big scheme of things.

But Haley sold his players on a thought – let’s make this our first game in 2010. Forget what 2009 was, let’s start the new year with a clean slate and go out and win a game. The Chiefs did that, beating Denver 44-24 in a game that had big plays on offense and defense.

Fast-forward two years to a New Year’s Day Sunday back in the mile high city. As they talked all week, and then reaffirmed Saturday night in their suburban hotel, the Chiefs approached the last game of the 2011 season as the first game of the 2012 season. It helped them go out and beat the Denver Broncos 7-3 in a defensive struggle that might have been boring football for some to watch, but it was a game that hung on just about every snap in the second half.

“I guess we learned that one from Todd,” OLB Tamba Hali said after the game. “We started the new year today. The season may be over, but the year started today.” …Read More!

Chiefs Report – 12/26

From the Truman Sports Complex

Romeo Crennel enjoyed his Christmas Day and then came to work Monday to start the final week of the regular season with a look at the tape from Saturday’s 16-13 overtime loss to the Raiders.

What was on the tape was just as bad as Crennel had remembered.

“As much as I wanted to see something different, I didn’t see anything different,” Crennel said as he met with the media horde. “Every phase contributed in our loss. There were some good things, like we were able to come back and tie the game up and had a chance to win it at the end. All of that showed some character, all of that was good.

“But the fact we didn’t win it, that was bad. We ended up losing a game that cost us dearly. If we had been able to win, we would have been playing for the division championship this week.” …Read More!

Pre-Game – Chiefs vs. Broncos

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

2:45 p.m. CST – The Chiefs have left the field after completing their warm-up period. It leaves them with a full 30 minutes to kill before kickoff. Come back after the game as we’ll have complete coverage on the game, the season and even looking ahead to some stuff on the 2012 season – schedule and draft order, for instance.

2:30 p.m. CST – GM Scott Pioli chatting at the 45-yard line with Broncos top football man John Elway. The conversation will turn up somewhere, because it looked like NFL Films had about a half-dozen cameras focused on their brief conversation. NFL Films is out in force here today, with what seems like about double their normal compliment of cameras.

2:25 p.m. CST – The grass playing field here is very worn between the hashmarks, but with no rain or snow expected, it should not be a factor in the game.

2:20 p.m. CST – Very good weather for Denver and the Front Range for the first day of the year. It’s sunny, with a high expected to reach 40 degrees. The wind is out of the northeast around 8 to 10 mph. An hour before kickoff it was 32 degrees, with a windchill factor that made it feel like 24 degrees. …Read More!

2011 Bowl Season – Independence Bowl

Advocare Independence Bowl

Monday, December 26, 4 p.m. CST, ESPN2

Independence Stadium/Shreveport, Louisiana

North Carolina (7-5)

#90 DE Quinton Coples, Senior – 6-5¾, 285 pounds, 4.76 seconds in the 40-yard dash – Over the last two years, Coples has moved inside to DT and then back outside to DE. He was more productive inside in the 2010 season with 15.5 TFLs and 10 sacks, along with 12 QB hurries. Coples was back at defensive end for the 2011 season. He earned back-to-back All-ACC honors, the first time a North Carolina player was able to do that since Julius Peppers in 2000-01. Coples finished up his career with 49 games, 140 total tackles, 38.5 TFL, 24 sacks, with 5 forced fumbles. Once considered a top five choice, his 2011 season has dropped him into the pick 10 to 15 range of the first round. …Read More!

Notes & Quotes – Broncos Back Into West Title

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

It was after the Broncos had walked off the field a 7-3 loser to the Chiefs Sunday afternoon that John Fox and his team found out that despite stubbing their toe in the regular season finale, there was more football ahead for them.

In Oakland the Raiders were being the Raiders, unable to rise to the challenge of beating San Diego in the Bay Area. When they Pride and Poise boys had neither in a 38-26 loss, the Broncos backed into the AFC West title.

No matter how they received it, they will play at least one more game; Denver hosts Pittsburgh this weekend in the wildcard round of the AFC playoffs.

“We’re the AFC West champs; it doesn’t matter how you do it,” said Fox, in his first season as head coach in Denver. “Once you get in the dance, they can’t kick you out, so what we do with it we will be determined here next weekend.

“We’re excited about it. Obviously we didn’t want to get into it without winning tonight. I thought it was a great effort, we just came up a little short.”

The Broncos enter the playoffs on a three-game losing streak, making momentum a difficult resource to find in Denver.

“It’s obviously a little bittersweet right now,” said QB Tim Tebow. “We would have loved to have won that game and had a little bit more momentum going into the playoffs. But I think it’s still a special thing what we accomplished.”

Added Pro Bowl CB Champ Bailey: To go into the playoffs with losing the last three games, it sucks. But, we’re in it. We just have to keep preparing, stay positive and move on … I think what we need to understand is why we’re backing in and what we need to do to make sure that we don’t lose in the first round.”

ATMOSPHERE REPORT

There were 76,005 fans in the stands at Sports Authority Field and it was a decidedly pro-Broncos crowd. There have been times over the last 15 years where the stands in Denver would be dotted with pockets of red from Chiefs fans that traveled out to the game.

That was not the case on this Sunday. With nothing on the line for the Chiefs, there wasn’t much reason to invest money in tickets and travel.

The crowd got RT Barry Richardson for an early false start, but after that the noise was not a problem. By the end of the fourth quarter, it was a very quiet place.

MEDICAL REPORT

It was a busy day for the doctors and trainers on both teams. For the Chiefs, the injuries are of little consequences since they have no more games to play. Not so with the Broncos who lost starting RG Chris Kuper to a broken leg and dislocated ankle after he was chopped by his own teammate during a pile up of bodies in the first half.

In the first half, the Broncos also lost FB Spencer Larsen for the rest of the game because of a knee injury.

The Chiefs saw WR Dwayne Bowe leave the game late in the second quarter with what Romeo Crennel called a concussion. Also in the second quarter, ILB Jovan Belcher left the field for a few plays with what appeared to be a shoulder injury.

Later in the game, FB Le’Ron McClain was helped off the field with an undisclosed problem and then late in the fourth quarter CB Javier Arenas suffered a left knee injury after he did a great job of knocking down a Tim Tebow throw to Eric Decker.

ZEBRA REPORT

It was referee Pete Morelli and his crew working the game and they are generally one of the more efficient crews in the league. They showed that side of their personality, walking off 12 penalties for 85 yards against both teams.

Here’s what happened with the yellow hanky and the Chiefs:

PERSONNEL FILE

Saturday night, the Chiefs made a roster move sending RB Jackie Battle to the injured-reserve list and promoting RB Shaun Draughn from the practice squad. Draughn spent 13 weeks with the Chiefs on the practice squad.

As for Sunday, he was active and appeared on the kick coverage team.

Inactive players for the Chiefs QB Tyler Palko, SS Jon McGraw, OT David Mims, WR Jerheme Urban, TE Jake O’Connell, DE Brandon Bair and DT Jerrell Powe.

At strong safety Sabby Piscitelli started, making him the fourth different starter at that position: Eric Berry, Jon McGraw, Reshard Langford and Piscitelli.

Inactive players for the Broncos were SS Brian Dawkins, FB Austin Sylvester, LB Mike Mohamed, G Manny Ramirez, OT Tony Hills, TE Julius Thomas and DE Derrick Harvey.

To fill Dawkins spot in the starting lineup, FS Quinton Carter moved to SS, and David Bruton came in and started at FS.

Chiefs Defense Keeps Tebow Uncomfortable

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

The idea was a simple one, the execution of the idea was not.

As the Chiefs prepared to play the Broncos last week, they discovered every day that in his role as defensive coordinator, Romeo Crennel was adding new wrinkles to what they were going to do against Denver.

Vanilla was not what this defensive game plan was all about. The idea was to keep young QB Tim Tebow guessing. But the only way that could work was if the Chiefs defenders came out and played assignment sound football.

That hasn’t always been the case with the 2011 Chiefs. Frequent breakdowns in coverage have allowed receivers to roam through the secondary unencumbered by anyone in the other colored jersey. If this kitchen sink approach was going to work, it would require the Chiefs defense taking a step forward.

Consider it done. Changing their defensive face as many times as they could, the Chiefs had Tebow at times befuddled and at other times unable to make anything happen with his offense. Denver did not score a touchdown, found the red zone just twice and totaled only 266 yards of total offense.

And Tebow was not a factor, whether it was rushing or passing.

“It was really bend but don’t break out there,” said ILB Derrick Johnson. “You try to get Tebow to beat you with his arm. By the time we got past the 50-yard line, we kind of shut them out a little bit. We didn’t allow them to get anything going with any consistency.”

Denver had 71 offensive plays and had 266 net yards. Only 17 of those plays and 50 of those yards came on the Chiefs side of the field. They averaged just 2.9 yards a play once they got past midfield.

The shifting face of the defense in this game featured:

• The team’s base 3-4-4 defense that had Sabby Piscitelli starting at strong safety.
• The sub-defense they’ve used all season, the 2-3-6 with Wallace Gilberry, Allen Bailey, Travis Daniels and Javier Arenas coming on the field, with the entire defensive line and ILB Jovan Belcher coming off.
• They used a 3-3-5 nickel defense, something they’ve not done a lot of over the season as Arenas and Daniels came in, while Belcher and Piscitelli left.
• When the Broncos brought an extra offensive linemen in to block for a running play, the Chiefs went with a 4-4-3 defense, as Amon Gordon came in and replaced Piscitelli.
• Later, the Chiefs used a different version of the 4-4-3, as Gordon and OLB Andy Studebaker came in, while Piscitelli and OLB Tamba Hali came out.

All of it was designed in part to keep Tebow in a box.

“I think we were able to contain him a little bit and with Tim Tebow if you don’t contain him, he runs and he makes plays,” Crennel said. “So we were able to contain him and he wasn’t able to make the plays that he made against us the last time. That’s what helped us today.”

The Chiefs were not happy with the fact RB Willis McGahee ran for 145 yards. He did that on 28 carries and averaged 5.2 yards an attempt. But no other offensive player for the Broncos had more than the 76 yards picked up by Tebow rushing and passing.

It was the passing game where Tebow struggled and Denver was unable to keep anything going. He completed 8 of 22 throws for 36.3 percent and totaled just 60 yards, or 2.7 yards per attempt. He finished with a passer rating of 20.6 and only one receiver had more than one catch.

On their own legs, the Broncos did not have a play that went for more than 17 yards.

“We feel very comfortable with our defensive backfield to match up with their receivers,” said FS Kendrick Lewis. “Our plan was to come in, stack the box and let him beat us passing if he does.”

He couldn’t and that defensive effort was the story of the game for the Chiefs.

Casey Gets Denver Victory At The End

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

11,162.

That’s the number for Casey Wiegmann. As he closed out his NFL career on Sunday with a Chiefs victory over the Broncos, that’s how many consecutive snaps he’s made for the Chiefs and Broncos since the 2001 season.

It’s a number so impossible to believe and truly understand that the league doesn’t even have a category for career snaps or consecutive snaps. They stop at games and starts.

Oh, by the way those numbers for Wiegmann landed at 227 games, 200 starts, 175 consecutive opening assignments and those 11,162 snaps.

During his post-game press conference, Romeo Crennel addressed Wiegmann’s career without prompting – it was something he felt compelled to do because the center has told the coach and those in the locker room that the game in Denver was the last one.

“He has over 11,000 consecutive snaps as an offensive center in this league and that’s hard to do,” Crennel said. “You are playing against some really big nose tackles and defensive tackles and to be out there every down for 11,000 snaps, that’s pretty good.

“My hat is off to him. Now, just like other football players, sometimes in the off-season after he’s had a chance to heal he might want to continue that record, who knows?”

It didn’t sound that way when Wiegmann talked after the game.

“Finishing it here in Denver where I spent two good years … this is my ninth year with the Chiefs and this is the first time I’ve won in this stadium as a Chief,” said Wiegmann. “It feels pretty good. This is a good way to finish.”

Column – A long, lingering painful victory

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

It may not hit some of them until Sunday, when they sit down to watch a second-day of the NFL playoffs. Others were feeling it even as they dressed after beating the Denver Broncos on this Sunday afternoon 7-3.

Even with the loss they slapped on Tim Tebow and his teammates in the orange and blue, the Broncos are going to the playoffs and will be hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers this coming weekend.

The Chiefs will be scattered around America, their season over. Disappointment will soon be overcome by anger, because the Chiefs should be the team hosting the Steelers.

After everything that happened to this team through the first 14 weeks of the season, they had a chance on Christmas Eve to put themselves in a position to beat the Broncos and win their way into the playoffs.

Thanks to Oakland choking away its chance to win the division by losing at home to San Diego, Denver went into the playoffs through the back door.

And the Chiefs are the team that propped that door open for them.

“We wrapped it up in a nice package with a bow on it,” DE Wallace Gilberry said after the game. “They even lose to us and they still make it. Damn.”

Damn alright. As more and more Chiefs talked about what happened at the end of this 2011 season, the more they realized how close they were and how the team they had just controlled would be the new AFC West champs, replacing the Chiefs on the division throne.

“It stings right now, it really does,” said LB Derrick Johnson. “It’s going to sting for awhile. We walk out of here knowing we beat all three teams in the division, and we got two of those on the road and the defense gave up a total of 3 points in those two games (they beat the Raiders in Oakland 28-0.)”

Woulda, coulda, shoulda – those words will drive you crazy if they come into conversation on a regular basis. “I can’t do that because it will drive you nuts,” said DL Amon Gordon. “I give credit to the Broncos. They found a way to get there.”

You are what you are, and the Chiefs are a sub-.500 team that could easily have been a 9-7 team and division champs for the second year in a row.

Winning in the NFL is not easy. Teams that roar out like the Packers with 15 victories this year and the Patriots a couple years ago with 16 and a perfect regular season, those are far from the norm.

What goes down in the NFL is exactly what has happened with this 2011 season. There are 12 of the league’s 32 teams that finished the season with a winning record. Another eight ended the season with 8-8 records. That leaves 12 other teams joining the Chiefs with a losing record. Funny how it all balances out in the end.

The Broncos don’t exactly go roaring into the playoffs with a lot of momentum. After winning six in a row, they’ve now lost three straight, falling by 18 to New England, 26 to Buffalo and four points to the Chiefs.

No they are sprinting into the post-season, but they are going. They will be there next weekend and while they will be heavy underdogs to the Steelers, anything can happen for a team in the tournament.

A team must get there. Sitting at home provides no relief, no advantage for now or the future. When the chance to seize the opportunity comes, it must be grabbed.

There were too many times in this 2011 season where the Chiefs didn’t clamp down on the chances within their grasp. Losing by three points at San Diego and by seven points to Denver at home are a couple examples.

The biggest was on Christmas Eve, where the Chiefs gave the Raiders life and the Broncos a challenge and neither one could do anything with them.

“They don’t have much momentum going into the playoffs, do they?” OLB Tamba Hali said. “That won’t matter come when they play. They’ll make new momentum. I think that’s what good teams do, the ones that make the playoffs all the time. They don’t ever sit still or take it for granted; they chase it just as hard as they did 10 years before.

“The idea is to make the playoffs. Back door doesn’t mean anything. They could come out the front door next weekend and shock the world. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t.”

Yes, the Broncos will get that chance and whether they can stir up a little post-season magic or not, remains to be seen.

But they will have the chance. The Chiefs won’t, and that pain won’t go away any time soon.

Chiefs First-Round Pick Depends on Flip

With the end of the regular season, we can now piece together the order of selections for the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

Picks No. 1 through 20 are set. The other 12 slots will be filled by the teams in the playoffs.

The Chiefs will either draft at No. 11 or No. 12 and they won’t know that until the NFL Combine at the end of February in Indianapolis. That’s when the league will flip a coin and the No. 11 pick will be decided between the Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks.

Both teams finished with 7-9 records and they have the same strength of schedule with a .512 winning percentage. The same thing will happen at picks No. 8 and9 where Carolina and Miami have matching 6-10 records and the same .504 winning percentage on the strength of schedule.

Remember, for draft order the league’s strength of schedule means position goes to the team that had the lower strength of schedule. The idea being that if a team goes say 5-11 like Washington against a .477 winning percentage deserves a higher spot than Jacksonville with the same record but a .500 winning percentage for their opponents.

How much did beating Denver cost the Chiefs in draft position? Had they lost, they would have ended up drafting at No. 10.

Here’s how the first round will go:

Among the 12 teams that are still active, Cleveland has Atlanta’s first-round selection and New England holds New Orleans’ first-rounder due to trades last season.

4 Keys To Victory In Denver/Recap

4

Special teams need rebound

Last Sunday was not a good day for the Chiefs kicking game in losing to the Raiders. They cannot afford another against the Broncos. Denver has a pair of punt return touchdowns from two different players – wide receivers Eddie Royal and Eric Decker. Amazingly, neither one is the primary returner on the season; that’s Quan Cosby. Punter Britton Colquitt has had a season that matches his brother’s and in some ways has surpassed Dustin. A TD off a return is something the Chiefs have not seen since the 2010 season opener. They need another one now. PUSH – The Chiefs got a strong performance from Dustin Colquitt in a game that was a real field-position battle especially in the second half. But otherwise the special teams really didn’t step forward.

3

Score some touchdowns

Over the last eight games, the Chiefs have not scored more than one touchdown in a game. In three of those games they didn’t score a single touchdown. It’s the biggest reason they are 2-6 in those last eight games. It’s not like they haven’t had the opportunities because they have had 17 trips to the scoring zone, but that produced only three TDs and eight FGs. FAILED – the Chiefs have now gone nine games where they have scored only one touchdown or none. They were never really close to a second touchdown in this game either.

2

Control the Broncos run/option game

Although it comes in a form different than it did during the glory days of Mike Shanahan as head coach, Denver can still run the ball; they in fact lead the league in rushing after 15 games, with an average of 161.1 yards per game. They also showed their affinity for the run game in the first meeting between these teams when the Broncos ran for 244 yards at Arrowhead. It was the worst rush defense performance of the season for Romeo Crennel’s unit; they can’t afford a similar performance. PUSH – Despite giving up 216 rushing yards, the option did not bother them at all. In fact, they were able to force a fumble on an option play. Only a handful of those plays broke, but none for more than 12 yards.

1

Stymie Any Tebow Comeback

There’s one way to stay out of the Tebow 4th Quarter Magic Show – don’t allow the Broncos even the slightest belief they can still win the game in the fourth quarter. For a team like the Chiefs that has trouble putting points on the board, this may be an impossible task. Denver has scored 118 points in the fourth quarter, compared to the 205 points the Chiefs have scored in all four quarters. But somehow they must establish a lead, protect it into the fourth quarter and not adding to the Tebow legend. SUCCESS, SORT OF – Tebow had two chances for his fourth quarter magic and he couldn’t pull it off. Give credit to the Chiefs defense for keep him under wraps and unable to make it happen. But, they couldn’t get the K.C. offense more productive and make the difference more than four points.

REPORT CARD – Chiefs vs. Broncos

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

RUSHING OFFENSE: C – Without Jackie Battle, the running attack was a bit limited, but Dexter McCluster picked up the slack, gaining 61 yards on 12 carries, including that 21-yard TD run. Thomas Jones averaged just 2.8 yards per carry. Twice in the game’s last six minutes the Chiefs run game couldn’t hold on to the ball and gave Denver chances to score.

PASSING OFFENSE: C – Kyle Orton did not make any mistakes, but there were few big plays from the pass offense, especially after WR Dwayne Bowe went down with a concussion late in the second quarter. No other receiver had a catch over 20 yards and Orton averaged just 6.2 yards per attempt. The pass protection was good, allowing just one sack.

RUSHING DEFENSE: D – They gave up 216 yards, which should immediately give him an F for their defensive performance. But the only back that had any success was Willis McGahee who had 28 of the 47 carries for 145 yards, or 5.2 yards per carry. Everybody else was a non-factor, especially Tim Tebow with only 16 yards on six carries.

PASSING DEFENSE: B – Ordinarily the numbers involved here would give the Chiefs a grade of A, but we had to grade this game on a scale because of the Broncos and Tebow and their overall poor passing attack. They got to the quarterback twice, picked off Tebow’s last pass of the game and did not give up a play longer than 17 yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B – Dustin Colquitt had a huge game, winning the battle against his brother Britton, the Broncos punter. He averaged 47.1 on his kicks and finished the game with a 41.8-yard net average, including a 58-yard punt. Denver’s Eddie Royals had two returns of 14 and 9 yards. The Chiefs got nothing going on returns, however.

COACHING: B – Look to Romeo Crennel for the defensive plan the Chiefs had in the game against Tim Tebow. They had many different packages and used them to keep Tebow off-balance. It worked to perfection. The offensive plan really didn’t develop much, especially after Bowe went down with a concussion.

Play of the Game – Lewis Forces Tebow Fumble

From Sports Authority Field, Denver

QUARTER – 2nd, 8 minutes, 47 seconds to play in the half.

SCORE – Chiefs held a 7-0 lead over the Broncos.

DOWN & DISTANCE – 3rd-and-4 from the Chiefs 15-yard line.

DEFENSIVE SET – base defense, 3-4-4.

OFFENSIVE SET – in the shotgun formation, there was one back, three wide receivers and a tight end. The formation was strong right.

When it came to handling the option running attack of the Broncos, the Chiefs entered Sunday’s game prepared far more than they were the first time they saw Tim Tebow and the option at Arrowhead Stadium back in mid-November.

The Broncos use of Tebow and the option is so unusual that it’s hard to find practice time away from Denver week to teach the fundamentals to defensive players who haven’t seen the option since their college days.

“It’s a simple formula,” Romeo Crennel said during the week. “If the players do what we have planned, then we’ll handle the option. If they don’t, then we will have problems with Tebow.”

Well, on this play in the second quarter, they had no problem handling the option. Taking the snap in the shot gun, Tebow ran parallel to the line of scrimmage to his right, with fullback Jeremiah Johnson trailing him as a potential runner to pitch the ball too.

But standing in Tebow’s way was DE Tyson Jackson, who fought off the block of RT Orlando Franklin and was waiting for the Denver quarterback. Rather than pitch the ball back, Tebow changed direction, racing to his left. OLB Tamba Hali was in position, but he was too shallow to Tebow’s path and before you could snap a finger, the quarterback was off past Hali and about to turn up field.

“When he ran so far away (to the right), I should have went to his level and made him cut back again,” said Hali. “But I didn’t, and then it was a foot race and he’s younger than me.

“I’m just glad Kendrick Lewis came up and made the play of the game.”

Lewis was in the secondary and as soon as he saw Tebow turn and head in the other direction he sprinted for that side of the field. You see, Lewis has seen this before, playing against Florida and Tebow a handful of times when he was at Mississippi.

“My mentality was to just get over there and make a play, try to get the ball and let our offense do something with it,” Lewis said. “I got over there and forced the fumble and that changed the game. From there we took it and ran with it.”

What Lewis did was he went high on Tebow grabbing him with his right arm around the shoulder pads and then swinging his left arm around and knocking the ball out of his hands. The ball was on the ground and OLB Justin Houston jumped on it, keeping himself in bounds as well.

“We had a nice drive going and I fumbled and that was very disappointing,” Tebow said. “I was trying to fight for extra yards.”

Those yards weren’t there, and did not show up the rest of the game. The Broncos never broke the Chiefs 20-yard line after the fumble.

“I think we were able to contain him a little bit and with Tim Tebow, if you don’t contain him he runs and he makes plays,” said Romeo Crennel. “We were able to contain him and he wasn’t able to make the plays that he made against us the last time and that’s what helped us today.”

Saturday’s NFL Best – 12/24

LONG PLAYS

99 – N.Y. Giants WR Victor Cruz TD catch vs. N.Y. Jets (W).

91 – Carolina WR Brandon LaFell TD pass vs. Tampa Bay (W).

91 – Oakland CB Bryan McCann 91-yard kickoff return vs. Chiefs (W).

84 – Cleveland WR Joshua Cribbs punt return for TD vs. Baltimore (L).

80 – Buffalo CB Leodis McKelvin punt return TD vs. Denver (W).

76 – Oakland P Shane Lechler punt vs. Chiefs (W).

65 – New England P Zoltan Mesko punt vs. Miami (W).

64 – Seattle P Jon Ryan punt vs. San Francisco (L).

62 – Oakland S Matt Giordano INT return vs. Chiefs (W).

61 – Oakland WR Denarius Moore TD catch vs. Chiefs (W).

61 – Miami P Brandon Fields punt vs. New England (L). …Read More!

Dream Turns Nightmare as Chiefs Fall In OT

From Arrowhead Stadium

Starting in 1960, the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs have met every year, 105 times in all and many of those contests are among the most classic games in pro football history.

On this Christmas Eve Saturday, game No. 106 was anything but classic … until the final two minutes.

Sebastian Janikowski’s 36-yard field goal in overtime gave the Raiders a 16-13 victory over the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

In the AFC West, the NFL’s most mediocre division, the winning Raiders were left with tangible post-season dreams and their 8-7 record. Division leader Denver was beaten by Buffalo, moving the Broncos record to 8-7 as well. The loss left the Chiefs 6-9 and out of any contention for a spot in the AFC playoffs. No matter what happens in the last game next Sunday in Denver, they will finish the season with a losing record.

Here’s our coverage – also, we’ll be adding some stories on Sunday morning, giving us a chance to enjoy some of Christmas Eve with the family.

• GAME STORY: Raiders grab Christmas present.
• COLUMN: New coach, new QB, same team.
• PLAY OF GAME: Palmer to DHB for 53 yards.
• SIDEBAR: Dreams of playoffs die.
• SIDEBAR: Seymour swats down Chiefs.
• SIDEBAR: Penalties dominate game.
• SIDEBAR: Orton takes step backwards.
• SIDEBAR: Red zone means stop for Chiefs.
• REPORT CARD: It’s not a good report for Chiefs.
• NOTES & QUOTES: Raiders still have life.
• 4 KEYS TO WIN/RECAP: Not even close.
• GAMEBOOK
• PRE-GAME COVERAGE

2011 Bowl Season – Hawaii Bowl

 

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Saturday, December 24, 7 p.m. CST, ESPN
Aloha Stadium/Honolulu, Hawaii

 

Southern Mississippi (11-2)

#12 QB Austin Davis, Redshirt-Senior – 6-1, 221 pounds, 4.78 seconds in the 40-yard dash – Originally a walk-on for the Golden Eagles, Davis eventually rewrote the school passing records that belonged to Brett Favre. As a four-year starter he threw for 10,454 yards, 87 TD passes, 27 INTs and a completion percentage of 63 percent. He was a dual threat as well, running for 1,355 yards and 25 touchdowns. Davis is projected as a late-round prospect. …Read More!

Something On The Line … Game-Day Cup O’Chiefs

There really wasn’t any other way this strange, strange NFL season could roll to its conclusion than to have the 6-8 Chiefs fighting for a spot in the playoffs on Christmas Eve.

But that’s where the wacky 2011 campaign has taken us – to the end of the year on the wings of parity and mediocrity. That the Chiefs could still dream of the post-season should not come as that big of a surprise. Remember it was the Seattle Seahawks that earned a home game last year and a victory in the 2010 playoffs after finishing the season with a 7-9 record in the NFC West.

This year it’s the AFC West that is the beacon of inconsistency – 14 games in the books and the difference between first place (Denver) and fourth place (Chiefs) is just two games. One of the four teams has a winning record and the 8-6 Broncos are the only one holding their own destiny in their hands. The Raiders, Chargers and Chiefs need help

So today at Arrowhead Stadium, the Raiders and Chiefs meet for the 104th time in their storied rivalry. The winner will have a shallow breath of life; the loser will be done, no matter the outcome of the final pre-season game. Kickoff is at noon, with television coverage on CBS-TV. …Read More!

Christmas Eve-Eve Appetizers For Chiefs-Raiders

Seldom has a single game been such a crossroads for an NFL organization as the Chiefs and their Christmas Day loss in the playoffs 40 years ago Sunday.

Many members of the 1971 Chiefs have said that team was the best of the great clubs the franchise had over the last part of the 1960s and early 1970s. They were 10-3-1 on that season, finishing up the regular season with three straight victories. It would be the last division title the Chiefs would win until 1993 and the last post-season game until 1986.

The Dolphins had a matching 10-3-1 record as they came to Municipal Stadium for the Saturday afternoon game, with kickoff just after 3 o’clock. Despite the December date, the temperature was 63 degrees with a strong wind out of the southwest, gusting to 20 miles per hour.

It was a remarkable collection of football talent on the field that day, with 11 future Pro Football Hall of Famers on the field, including the two head coaches Hank Stram and Don Shula. Both starting quarterbacks would end up in the Hall, Len Dawson and Bob Griese.

…Read More!

Friday Practice Report – 12/23

It was Friday on the calendar, but for the Chiefs it was a Saturday, the day before a game.

So all head coach Romeo Crennel had for his players on Friday was a walkthrough session and some final meetings in preparation for Saturday’s game against the Oakland Raiders.

Both teams issued their final injury reports and it’s much tougher look for the Raiders than the Chiefs.

Crennel has ruled SS Jon McGraw out because of the high left ankle sprain that he suffered against the Jets two weeks ago. It’s the second consecutive game that McGraw has missed because of the injury.

The only other player on the injury report as C Casey Wiegmann with a calf problem, but he’s listed as probable.

For the Raiders they have five players that have been ruled out of Saturday’s game: RB Darren McFadden, S Michael Huff, WR Jacoby Ford, QB Jason Campbell, WR Jacoby Ford and DT John Henderson.

Questionable for the Raiders are RB Michael Bush (shoulder), RB Taiwan Jones (hamstring) and WR Louis Murphy (groin).

And listed as probable are: DT Tommy Kelly (toe), RB Rock Cartwright (calf), S Matt Giordano (shoulder), CB Bryan McCann (concussion), WR Denarius Moore (foot), CB Stanford Routt (knee), C Samson Satele (shoulder) and WR Chaz Schilens (hip).

4 KEYS TO VICTORY FOR CHIEFS OVER RAIDERS

HISTORY

• This will be the 102nd regular-season meeting between these original members of the American Football League. The Chiefs have won 53 of the previous meetings, holding a 53-47-1 record. The last meeting between the teams came on October 23 when the Chiefs defense pitched a 28-0 shutout of the Raiders in Oakland.
• Although the Chiefs hold the edge in the series with the Raiders, Oakland has had no problems rolling into Arrowhead Stadium and going home with a victory. They’ve done it for four straight seasons, dominating the scores including a 31-10 victory in the final regular season game of the 2010 season. That’s the longest Raiders winning streak in Kansas City.
• The Chiefs hold a 2-1 edge in post-season action against the Raiders. Oakland won in 1968, with the Chiefs coming back in 1969 to beat the Raiders in Oakland in the AFL Championship game. They met again in 1991 with the Chiefs picking off QB Todd Marinovich four times and pulling out a 10-6 victory
• Dating back to 1990, the Chiefs are 31-13 against the Raiders, including a nine-game winning streak at one point. At home, Kansas City has a 14-7 record and in Los Angeles/Oakland, they led the series 17-6.

4

Get after Carson Palmer

In his prime, Carson Palmer was never a very mobile quarterback. The reason he wasn’t sacked more often was the fact he had such a quick release. He’s even slower now than he was during his best seasons in Cincinnati. Since he stepped into the starting lineup, he’s been sacked on average every 16 passing plays. That type of protection has been pretty good for the Raiders. Palmer has already thrown 13 interceptions and that pressure can force more bad decisions and throws, possibly more interceptions. The KC pass rush has produced 14 sacks in the last three games. They have to keep that type of rush active; they are getting a sack every 6.7 pass plays. …Read More!

Toast of the Town … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

It’s just another unusual factoid in what has been an unusual 2011 season for QB Kyle Orton and the Chiefs.

On Saturday, Orton will start for the second time this season against the Oakland Raiders. But it will be only his first start against the silver and black while wearing a Chiefs uniform.

Way back on September 12, Orton opened the season behind center for the Broncos against the Raiders. It was a good AFC West battle to start the schedule and Oakland ended up getting a 23-20 victory.

It would also turn out to be Orton’s best day passing until he helped shoot down the unbeaten Green Bay Packers last Sunday. Against the Raiders, Orton hit 24 of 46 passes for 304 yards, one TD and one INT.

And now here he is 15 weeks later, getting another shot at the Raiders, and with another chance to lay claim to a contract and roster spot beyond these final two games of the ’11 schedule. …Read More!

Practice Report – 12/22

From the Truman Sports Complex

Romeo Crennel decided that Thursday was the right day to help acclimate his team to the December weather in the Midwest, so the Chiefs second practice of Raiders Week was outside.

Temperatures were in the low 30s, with a 20 mph wind from the north that dropped the feel-like wind chill to the low 20s. Trust me … it was cold and tough going, especially for some of the rookies from the South who were really getting their first taste of very cold weather. DE Allen Bailey from the University of Miami and Sapelo Island in Georgia appeared to be wearing every sweatshirt he owned underneath his practice jersey.

The National Weather Service forecast for Saturday sounds like a heat wave compared to Thursday. It calls for sunny skies and temperatures in the low 40s, with only a light breeze and no chance of rain.

All 61 available bodies appeared to be working in the open media period, including SS Jon McGraw who has been fighting that high ankle sprain that he suffered nearly two weeks ago against the Jets in New Jersey. As he ran, McGraw still showed a bit of a limp.

2011 Bowl Season – Las Vegas Bowl

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl.

Thursday, December 22, 7 p.m. CST, ESPN.

Sam Boyd Stadium/Las Vegas, Nevada

 

Boise State (11-1)

#11 QB Kellen Moore, Redshirt-Senior – 5-11 ¾, 195 pounds, 4.98 seconds in the 40-yard dash – No other starting quarterback in college football won as many games as Moore during his four years with the Broncos. He led them to a 49-3 record in his 52 starts, throwing for 14,390 yards, completing 69.6 percent of his passes, with 140 TDs and only 28 interceptions. His 41 TD passes this season included the 100th of his career in Boise’s season opener. Most scouts see Moore as a late-round draft choice because of his size and a less than powerful arm. But in light of the success of Tim Tebow, more than a few teams will re-evaluate because it’s tough to find quarterbacks with a winning pedigree to the extent that Moore has earned during his time with the Broncos. Figure him to go in the fourth or fifth round, as long as he puts together strong post-season performances in the Senior Bowl and at the Combine. …Read More!

Casey’s Streak Rolls On … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

“They pay me to play, not watch. So I play. That’s what I do.”

And that’s what Casey Wiegmann has done, over and over and over again. Lost amidst the euphoria of the Chiefs upset of the Green Bay Packers was a play that will go down as the monument to the idea that a player’s greatest ability is his availability.

It happened in the second quarter, with just a tick under five minutes remaining in the first half. The Chiefs had the ball at the Green Bay 3-yard line. For the third time that half, they ventured into the offensive red zone. The first two produced only field goals.

With a 2nd-and-1 play at the Packers 3, Jackie Battle ran wide to the left and ended up losing a yard on a nice tackle by Green Bay CB Charles Woodson.

That snap was No. 11,000 in Wiegmann’s streak. Not just 11,000, but 11,000 consecutive snaps from the gnarled fingers of the Iowa native who is in his 15th season of playing in NFL. Since he started the second game of the 2001 season, he’s not left the field for an offensive play. Summer, fall and winter, snow and rain, grass and artificial turf, Wiegmann has always been there, now through 11,036 plays. …Read More!

Column – New Coach, New QB … Same Team

From Arrowhead Stadium

That crash we heard around 3:15 on Saturday afternoon was the Romeo Crennel-Kyle Orton bandwagon going off the road, down through the gully and crashing into the trees just outside the Truman Sports Complex.

Should you happen to be one of those who thought the Chiefs problems were solved in the aftermath of the Crennel-Orton led upset of the Green Bay Packers, it might be time to rethink your position.

The essential element to the quick support of the new head coach and new starting quarterback had as much to do with who they weren’t, as to who they were. They weren’t Todd Haley and Matt Cassel and/or Tyler Palko. Those were the guys holding the Chiefs back and Crennel and Orton were going to overcome that history and take the Chiefs to football’s Promised Land. …Read More!

Raiders Steal Away with 16-13 Christmas Present

From Arrowhead Stadium

Starting in 1960, the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs have met several times every year, 105 times in all, and many of those contests are among the most classic games in pro football history.

On Christmas Eve Saturday, they played game No. 106 but it was anything but classic … until the final two minutes of regulation and then another two minutes of overtime. That’s when the Chiefs fought back from what appeared to be sure defeat, sent the game into overtime and the Raiders came back to score the winning points, taking a 16-13 victory at Arrowhead Stadium.

Sebastian Janikowski hit a 36-yard FG early in the extra period to give the Raiders the victory.

“I really can’t tell you how much this hurts,” CB Brandon Flowers said in the Chiefs locker room. “After everything we’ve been through this year, I was counting on playing more games.”

In the AFC West, the NFL’s most mediocre division, the winning Raiders were left with tangible post-season dreams and their 8-7 record. Division leader Denver was beaten by Buffalo, moving the Broncos record to 8-7 as well. The loss left the Chiefs 6-9 and out of any contention for a spot in the AFC playoffs. …Read More!

Practice Report – 12/21

From the Truman Sports Complex

Although the weather was relatively balmy for a day in the second half of December, Romeo Crennel kept his team indoors for their practice on Wednesday; their first preparation for Saturday’s game hosting the Oakland Raiders.

Playing on Saturday leaves the Chiefs with one fewer day of preparation time and also messes a bit with their internal football clocks.

“I talked to those guys about being ready on Saturday because sometimes that body clock, you get on a schedule,” Crennel said. “We’ve been playing on Sunday and all of that, but now we are going to play on Saturday so we need to speed up that clock a little bit so that we are ready to play. We need to be able to get off to a good start from the kickoff, from when the whistle blows, start good and continue to be good throughout the game.” …Read More!

Breakdowns Hurt Succop, Special Teams

From Arrowhead Stadium

Standing between Ryan Succop and records, and between the Chiefs and victory, were the meaty paws of Richard Seymour.

A pair of blocked field goals by Seymour, both on 49-yard attempts by Succop sunk the kicker’s string of consecutive three-pointers. The second of those blocks came on the final play of regulation time and did not allow the Chiefs a chance to win.

“Even though my hand went up to block them, I can’t take all the credit,” said Seymour. “Our linebackers gave me a good push and the coaching staff came up with the calls to put me in the right positions to make plays. That’s what we talk about all the time, the staff putting players in position to make plays and when your number is called, making it and that’s what happened.”

It was an overall kicking game victory for the Raiders and it started on the first play of the game when Succop’s kickoff went five yards deep in the end zone. With WR Jacoby Ford inactive because of injury, CB Bryan McCann was back to handle the kickoffs. He caught the kick in the middle of the end zone came running out straight ahead and then broke off to his right and got past the containment on that side of the field. The two outside men, S Sabby Piscitelli and S Donald Washington were nowhere to be found as McCann blew down the sidelines. He was eventually dragged down by CB Jalil Brown after a 91-yard return.

That set up the first of Sebastian Janikowski’s three field goals on the day.

About 10 minutes later, Succop banged through a 23-yard FG that gave him 22 in a row and it tied the team record held by Pete Stoyanovich and set in 1997-98.

It was at the end of the first half that Seymour got his first blocked field goal. No. 2 came on the last play of regulation time, with the teams tied at 13-13. Both times he came through the left side of the Chiefs FG protection unit. On that side of long snapper Thomas Gafford are Leonard Pope, Steve Maneri, Barry Richardson and Jon Asamoah. Seymour appeared to be on a second push against that group, coming over Richardson.

“They use a double push technique and they were coming over our left side and our guys were trying to stay low so they wouldn’t get pushed,” said Romeo Crennel. “But by being low they were able to get a little push over the top. Seymour is a long, tall guy and he used his length to get his hands up and block the kicks.”

Succop had his head down and was following through on his kick, so he didn’t see what happened ahead of him.

“I can’t speak for all the other guys, I just know their guy obviously made a heck of a play,” Succop said.

The Raiders also blocked a field goal last week against Detroit and they were holding onto history and hope that they could do it again.

“It’s the NFL, anything can happen,” said DE Lamarr Houston. “I’ve seen it happen so you never know. You’ve just got to keep playing and keep looking forward to winning.”

The lack of winning left Succop feeling empty.

“This is a hard loss because everybody in this locker room fought their tail off today,” said Succop. “Obviously all of the guys have bought in and we knew what this game meant. We gave it everything we had. It really hurts when you come out on the short end of the stick.”

2011 Bowl Season – Poinsettia Bowl

Poinsettia Bowl

Wednesday, December 21, 7 p.m. CST, ESPN

Qualcomm Stadium/San Diego, California

 

Texas Christian (10-2)

#43 OLB Tank Carder, Redshirt-Senior – 6-2¼, 237 pounds, 4.67 seconds in the 40-yard dash – He was named the MVP of the 2011 Rose Bowl in TCU’s victory over Wisconsin. Carder followed that up by winning the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year. In 12 games, he’s had 66 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two interceptions that he returned for touchdowns. Over his career with the Horned Frogs, he’s played in 49 games, with 225 total tackles, 25 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 18 passes broken up and 2 forced fumbles. He’s a fourth to fifth-round prospect and will probably make any team due to his special teams coverage. …Read More!

Penalties Gone Wild For Raiders & Chiefs

From Arrowhead Stadium

Mike Carey and his officiating crew came into week No. 16 of the season as one of the more active groups in the league.

They outdid themselves Saturday afternoon in handling the Chiefs-Raiders game. By the time it was all over, they had walked off 26 penalties for 180 yards, the busiest penalty game of the season in the NFL.

“I never want to see penalties,” Romeo Crennel said of the 11 for 88 yards that were walked off against the Chiefs. “The ones that eat at you are the procedure penalties, when you jump offside, when you move early. Those penalties are fundamentals in my mind and they shouldn’t occur. We weren’t very good at some of that today.”

Yes, but they were in second place on this afternoon to the Raiders who were slapped with 15 flags for 92 yards. But then, that’s all very familiar ground for Hue Jackson and his team. Oakland came into the game as the most penalized team in the league and they lived up to that status.

Plus, they are on pace to break the NFL records for penalties and penalty yardage in one season. Both records are held by the 1998 Chiefs, 158 penalties for 1,304 yards. After Saturday’s game, the Raiders now have 155 penalties for 1,294 yards, so with one game to play, they are just 3 penalties and 10 yards away from tying the ’98 Chiefs.

“I’m not even going to get into the penalty thing,” Jackson said. “It is what it is right now. We haven’t solved it, so I’m not going to keep harping on it.”

Interesting fact about the Raiders penalties – over the last 13 minutes, 48 seconds of the fourth quarter and then the overtime, Oakland was not called for a single penalty. In crunch time, either the Raiders got smarter or the officials swallowed their whistles; probably a combination of both.

“It’s like Jekyll and Hyde,” said Jackson. “It’s amazing.”

Here’s the list of transgressions, but know at one point there were four yellow flags and an official’s hat on the field at the same time. All penalties are listed, including those that were declined or offsetting:

Overall there were 17 flags thrown against the Raiders and 13 against the Chiefs. The individual penalty champion was Oakland CB Stanford Routt with four flags. The favorite infraction was holding, with 11 flags in all, that’s six on defense and five on offense.

The Chiefs lost valuable field position on the two intentional grounding calls against Orton. The Raiders lost a touchdown when their fake field goal score was wiped out by a delay of game call – the play clock expired.

PreGame – Raiders vs. Chiefs/Christmas Eve

From Arrowhead Stadium 

11:30 a.m. CST – Both clubs are finishing up their pre-game routines and we are going to wrap up our pre-game coverage. Comeback after the game and we’ll have all the stories from today’s game that you can enjoy tonight while waiting for Santa’s arrival. Merry Christmas.

11:20 a.m. CST – Chiefs injured QB Matt Cassel sharing a few laughs with former housemate at Southern Cal, Raiders QB Carson Palmer. These guys have remained close friends since their college days.

11:15 a.m. CST – Both teams have full squads on the field for warm-ups and it’s unusual there is little or no fraternization among the coaches or front office personnel. Part of the Raiders staff are offensive coordinator Al Saunders and defensive backs coach Kevin Ross. Just as we noticed this, QB Matt Cassel and GM Scott Pioli shared handshakes and hugs with Raiders DL Richard Seymour. Of cousre, all have roots with the Patriots.

11:05 a.m. CST – Kicking toward the west goal posts, Chiefs K Ryan Succop was good from 50 yards away. He did not try a kick any longer than that during his warm-up period.

11 a.m. CST – No real surprises from either team among their inactive players for today’s game. Raiders obviously hurt the worst with three starters out of action: FS Michael Huff, WR Jacoby Ford and RB Darren McFadden.

10:50 a.m. CST – Kicking towards the west goal posts, Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski was good from 53 yards, but missed short and wide right from 62 yards. So far this year, he’s the only kicker who has come into Arrowhead and tried a 60-yard plus FG in warm ups. Kicking towards the east goal posts, Janikowski was good from 59 yards out.

10:35 a.m. CST – Raiders inactive players for today’s game against the Chiefs: QB Jason Campbell, RB Darren McFadden, WR
Jacoby Ford, DT John Henderson, S Michael Huff, RB Taiwan Jones, G Bruce Campbell.

10:30 a.m. CST -Inactive players for the Chiefs today are QB Tyler Palko, SS Jon McGraw, OT David Mims, WR Jerheme Urban, TE Jake O’Connell, DE Brandon Bair and DT Jerrell Powe. …Read More!

Notes & Quotes: Raiders Still Have Life

From Arrowhead Stadium

Oakland offensive coordinator Al Saunders was the last man out of the coaching booth Saturday afternoon; just moments after his team had beaten the Chiefs 16-13 in overtime.

Saunders looked like he’d just spent three hours getting battered about by last-minute Christmas shoppers at the Mall. When he looked up and saw a familiar face, the former Chiefs offensive coordinator just shook his head.

“We can’t do anything easy,” Saunders said.

No, there wasn’t anything easy about the Raiders victory over the Chiefs. There seldom is in the NFL and most assuredly there seldom is when these two teams get together. But while it wasn’t easy for Oakland, it did come with a payoff – a victory and life in the hunt for a spot in the AFC playoffs.

“A great win for our football team,” said head coach Hue Jackson. “Being on the road, right before Christmas, coming up here in a hostile environment against a good football team, a lot better team than a lot of people think they are.

“This team will keep fighting. We do some things that are uncharacteristic that makes it a little tough, but that’s pro football.”

With the victory, the Raiders are 8-7 and still alive for the AFC West title. They even have a very outside shot at a wildcard spot. What they have to do is beat the Chargers in Oakland next Sunday.

“We’re not pretty, but we fight,” Jackson said. “If we can just learn to eliminate some of the things that are hurting us, I think we’ll continue to get better.”

ATMOSPHERE REPORT

It’s safe to say that Chiefs fans, even those that bought tickets for this game, were not that interested in attending the game. The paid attendance was announced by the Chiefs as 70,803, but the in-house crowd looked like somewhere between 55,000 and 60,000.

Those that did show up, made noise and even in the overtime, when some of the crowd had cleared out before the Chiefs came back to tie the game, Oakland QB Carson Palmer had to cover the ear holes on his helmet to hear the play call from the sidelines.

MEDICAL MATTERS

LT Branden Albert twice left the game, once with an injury problem, the other time with a shoe issue.

Albert was down for quite some time in the first half with what appeared to be a lower left leg problem of some kind. He eventually left the field under his own power. With Albert out, RT Barry Richardson moved to left tackle and Steve Maneri came in to play right tackle.

It was just two plays later that Albert was back in the game.

Among the inactive players for the Chiefs, the only decision due to injury was SS Jon McGraw, who is still rehabbing that high left ankle sprain.

PERSONNEL FILE

Inactive players for the Chiefs were McGraw, QB Tyler Palko, OT David Mims, WR Jerheme Urban, TE Jake O’Connell, DE Brandon Bair and DT Jerrell Powe.

With McGraw out of the starting lineup, Reshard Langford opened at strong safety.

Inactive players for the Raiders were QB Jason Campbell, WR Jacoby Ford, RB Darren McFadden, RB Taiwan Jones, S Michael Huff, G Bruce Campbell and DT John Henderson.

Starting for McFadden was Michael Bush, stepping in to the starting lineup for Ford was Denarius Moore and Matt Giordano got the start at free safety in place of Huff.

Only three players did not get into the game, all backup quarterbacks: Ricky Stanzi for the Chiefs and Kyle Boller and Terrelle Pryor for the Raiders.

Play of the Game – Palmer To DHB For 53 Yards

From Arrowhead Stadium

QUARTER – Overtime, 14 minutes, 53 seconds to play.

SCORE – Chiefs and Raiders tied at 13-13.

DOWN & DISTANCE – 1st-and-10, at the Oakland 24-yard line.

DEFENSIVE SET – base defense, 3-4-4.

OFFENSIVE SET – base NFL offense, with 2 backs, 1 tight end, 2 wide receivers, lined up in a strong right formation with the backs in an I-formation.

It was the play that Oakland head coach Hue Jackson kept under wraps through four quarters of football.

“Sometimes you save a play in your pocket,” said Jackson. “You save it for just the right time.”

That time came on the first offensive snap of overtime, as the Raiders won the extra time coin flip and took possession after the kick return at their 24-yard line.

All through the second half, the Oakland offense had been banging the ball between the tackles with RB Michael Bush. They had limited success with the run, but the plays were called for a purpose.

“Sometimes it’s not about the yards, it’s about the attempts,” Jackson said. “Sometimes you’ve just got to keep slamming it up in there.”

As they kept running Bush in the second half (15 carries for 48 yards) the Chiefs defense crept closer to the line of scrimmage. The Raiders had them right where they wanted.

“That’s a play we’ve been working on and we obviously were setting it up,” said Palmer. “I wasn’t surprised by the call knowing Coach Jackson and Coach (Al) Saunders and knowing some of the things that we were getting defensively. It was the right time to call it. I wanted it earlier but we saved it for the right time.”

The Raiders offense came out with a basic personnel set with 2 wide receivers, 2 backs and a tight end. The tight end was on the right side, with the running backs in an I-formation. The way the Raiders lined up said another Bush run was coming.

Taking the snap, Palmer dropped back and used a play-action fake to Bush. WR Denarius Moore was coming around the back of the play in a fake end-around and Palmer faked a handoff to him. WR Darius Heyward-Bey had lined up wide on the left side of the play and he jogged into the second level of the defense like it was a running play.

But after Palmer faked the handoff to Moore, Heyward-Bey stepped on the gas, running down the left hash marks, before cutting deep to his left. FS Kendrick Lewis bit on the play action fake and was out of position as Heyward-Bey ran past him.

Palmer put the ball right on the money and the Heyward-Bey made the catch and rolled out of bounds with Lewis still trailing him. The 53-yard completion moved the ball to the Chiefs 23-yard line.

Three plays later Sebastian Janikowski kicked the game winning 36-yard field goal.

“Just a great call at a great time in the game,” said Palmer. “The protection was flawless and the route was great. Just a great call at the right time.”

4 Keys To Winning Against Oakland/Recap

From Arrowhead Stadium

4

Get after Carson Palmer

In his prime, Carson Palmer was never a very mobile quarterback. The reason he wasn’t sacked more often was the fact he had such a quick release. He’s even slower now than he was during his best seasons in Cincinnati. Since he stepped into the starting lineup, he’s been sacked on average every 16 passing plays. That type of protection has been pretty good for the Raiders. Palmer has already thrown 13 interceptions and that pressure can force more bad decisions and throws, possibly more interceptions. The KC pass rush has produced 14 sacks in the last three games. They have to keep that type of rush active; they are getting a sack every 6.7 pass plays. FAILED – the Chiefs did not put Palmer on the ground in this game, as they were not credited with a sack and hit the passer only three times in the game.

3

Hit Oakland in kicking game

The Raiders have the NFL’s best kicker-punter combo with Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler, but what they can do is off-set a bit by the Chiefs duo of Ryan Succop-Dustin Colquitt. Oakland’s coverage teams have been so-so over the season; they’ve given up two punt returns for scores and a 77-yard kickoff return. This is where the Chiefs must strike and help their anemic offense with a return TD from the kicking game. It’s now been 30 games since they scored on a kick or punt return. The time is now. FAILURE – the Chiefs did not get the advantage on special teams, rather they gave up that portion of the game to the Raiders. Two blocked field goals, the longest kickoff return they allowed this season and nothing in the return game hurt their chances of winning.

2

Score touchdowns when given the opportunity.

Somehow the Chiefs beat Green Bay last Sunday despite the fact they scored just one TD on five trips inside the Packers 20-yard line. Inside the red zone they are the worst team in the league with 32 chances but only 11 TDs. Given the chance, they must improve on offense and put the ball in the end zone. Points, points, points – it’s where the Chiefs must make progress. They’ve won two of their last three games, but in those three they scored just 39 points, or 13 points per game. In fact, in the last seven games, they’ve scored 64 points, or 9 points per game. FAILURE – Again the red zone was a killer for the Chiefs as they visited four times and came out of things with only one score, which should secure their spot as the worst red zone offense in the league.

No. 1

Control Raiders run game.

The Chiefs have struggled keeping the Raiders running attack from taking over the game, especially at Arrowhead Stadium. Over the last three years, Oakland averaged 174 rushing yards in K.C.’s stadium. Early this year in a Chiefs victory in Oakland, the Raiders ran for 155 yards. Over the last four games, the Chiefs have given up an average of 115 rushing yards per game, down from the 130 yards per game over the entire season. With the Raiders, it’s all about the man-to-man matchups along the line of scrimmage. It’s rock’em, sock’em football. SUCCESS – Yes, the Chiefs got their No. 1 goal done, but it did not help produce a victory. Raiders RB Michael Bush did not throw up a big run and had a rather pedestrian day for him against K.C., with 70 yards on 23 carries. With Darren McFadden out for another game due to injury, the Raiders run game was kept under wraps.

The Pain of No January Football

From Arrowhead Stadium

It was part of Saturday’s equation that really had not set in for some Chiefs – their chances of going back to the playoffs were over.

So intent was their focus on playing the Raiders, it did not immediately register that after next weekend’s trip to Denver, their season will be finished, and short of the goal of making the post-season tournament.

“Damn, that sucks,” said FB Le’Ron McClain. “We had a chance to make it happen and we didn’t hold up our end. We played an awful game. We had too many mistakes on our part and they capitalized off them. You do stuff like that in the NFL, that’ll get you beat.”

Not only a chance, but the rest of the division was working in their favor as well. Much as things fell into place around the conference in 2006 and allowed the Chiefs to sneak into the playoffs, it was happening again. They needed to win twice, and they needed the Broncos to lose twice and the Chargers once.

Buffalo knocked off Denver and San Diego lost in Detroit. Everybody did their job save the Chiefs, falling in overtime to the Raiders 16-13 and making the trip to the Rockies on New Year’s Day just a finish out the season affair.

“It’s disappointing all the way around,” said WR Steve Breaston. “I think everybody knew we had the opportunity. I think everybody knew that they (Denver) were going to lose. They gave us opportunities, and as a team, we’ve got to take advantage of them. We didn’t do that.”

On average, five or six teams every year do not return to the playoffs the next year. The 2011 Chiefs are part of that group that already included Indianapolis, Chicago and now also Philadelphia and Seattle.

“It’s disappointing that we can’t play in the post-season,” said OLB Tamba Hali. “I’m going to have to be ready to play another game. We signed up to play 16. We’ve got to go there and show those guys we can play.”

The players knew towards the end of their game that Buffalo had beaten Denver, so they were not in the dark as far as the consequences. Now, they face the terrible fate of 20 other NFL teams who did not make the playoffs.

“When you wake up tomorrow, it’s going to be even tougher,” said Breaston. “After all the stuff we’ve been through, we fought, we kept fighting. This is one we knew coming into the game what was at stake and we didn’t come through.”

Who Has Ticket To Hawaii? … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

On Monday the Chiefs did their voting for spots on the 2011 AFC Pro Bowl team.

Under the rules, they were not allowed to vote for themselves or any of their teammates; they could only designate players from the 15 other teams in the conference.

Will anybody else in the conference, from New England to San Diego, Oakland to Miami, pencil in members of the Chiefs on the ballot?

It doesn’t look good. Last year there were five members of the Chiefs in Hawaii for the game, that coming after a 10-6 season with an AFC West title. The season before that they were 4-12 in 2009 and did not send a single player to the all-star game. …Read More!

Report Card – Raiders vs. Chiefs

From Arrowhead Stadium

RUSHING OFFENSE: C – In another game where they needed their running game to help control the clock and the game’s momentum, the Chiefs got a few things done. They averaged 4.5 yards on 30 running plays. Thomas Jones broke one run for 22 yards, and he finished with 51 yards on 11 carries. Still, the Chiefs did not have a rushing TD and on the season they only have four.

PASSING OFFENSE: C – There were some nice moments in the passing game, as QB Kyle Orton threw for 300 yards and the Raiders defense was not able to sack him during the game – that’s two straight shutouts the Chiefs protection has thrown. But Orton threw a pair of interceptions, including one in the end zone that was just a killer, costing the Chiefs at least three points.

RUSHING DEFENSE: B – One of the keys for the Chiefs coming into the game was not allowing the Raiders running game to get into gear, especially Michael Bush who has always enjoyed running against the K.C. defense. He had 70 yards on 23 carries and no run went for more than 11 yards. It was a successful day of run defense by the Chiefs.

PASSING DEFENSE: D – The numbers were not huge but when it was needed, the Raiders got the passing game going under QB Carson Palmer. He threw two interceptions, but he also completed 61.5 percent of his passes with a 61-yard TD pass and another completion of 53 yards that set up the winning field goal. The Raiders kept the pass rush off Palmer.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F – The Chiefs needed to at least break even in the kicking game, but that did not happen. Oakland DT Richard Seymour blocked two 49-yard field goal attempts by Ryan Succop. They allowed a 91-yard kickoff return that set up the Raiders first score of the game.

COACHING: F – Last week the excitement of the head coach change seemed to have the entire roster ready to play and willing to contribute. None of that was as visible in Game No. 2 of the Romeo Crennel Era. The players all professed their love for Crennel last week and openly campaigned for him to keep the job. But what we saw against Oakland was a team that badly needs a shot of talent to the roster.

Red Zone Means Stop For Chiefs Offense

From Arrowhead Stadium

It’s one of those troubling situations that have received so much attention within the walls of the Chiefs facility that everyone is sick of talking about the offense’s poor performance inside the red or scoring zone.

There’s no question it’s the biggest problem the Chiefs offense has had in 2011. The Chiefs do a decent job of moving the ball until they reach the opponents’ 20-yard line. Then they are the worst team in the league, or at least they were going into Sunday’s game against Oakland.

And going one for four inside the Raiders 20-yard line in losing 16-13 in overtime will likely cement their position as the No. 32 offensive inside the 20.

The Chiefs have had 36 possessions in scoring territory, one of the lowest totals for offenses in the league. A total of 123 points have been scored with 12 TDs and 13 FGs. That’s easily worse than St. Louis, San Francisco, Miami and Cleveland, the team just ahead of them at the bottom.

In the last two games, they scored TDs on two of nine red zone possessions. Overall, they ran 31 plays inside the 20-yard line. Those snaps produced 66 yards. Orton was 3 of 11 for 14 yards, with one TE and one INT. They had 18 running plays for 52 yards. There was also a pair of false start penalties, as both Branden Albert and Thomas Jones were flagged.

“It’s killing us on offense,” said FB Le’Ron McClain. “We should be able to get the ball into the end zone more often than we did. Those type of things sap your energy. It makes you question yourself.”

The Chiefs offense has questioned itself, all the way from offensive coordinator Bill Muir, to the players, to head coach Romeo Crennel.

“We got the one touchdown, but that’s another part of not taking advantage of the opportunities when you have them,” Crennel said. “That happened a couple of times today.”

And it’s killing the Chiefs offense.

“It’s not like teams are shutting down this offense; we are getting up and moving the ball,” said WR Steve Breaston. “We just aren’t putting it in the end zone and that’s going to catch up to you. There are only so many field goals you can kick.”

In this week, there were not enough opportunities for field goals or touchdowns.

Orton Steps Backwards With K.C. Offense

From Arrowhead Stadium

One thing about Kyle Orton – after all the excitement is done and the game is in the record books, he’s not a quarterback that needs any of those clichés about having to see the tape before being able to comment on the team’s performance.

After the 16-13 overtime loss to Oakland, the Chiefs quarterback laid the problems out right up front in talking with the media afterwards.

“We would take one step forward and a couple of steps back,” Orton said. “It seems like the whole game we’d pick up a first down and then get a holding call, bad ball, drop or procedure penalty. It just wasn’t as crisp as last week.”

Orton himself wasn’t as crisp in directing the offense as he was the Sunday before in beating Green Bay. After getting a week to see what the Chiefs did offensively against the Packers, the Raiders obviously had a much better idea of what offensive coordinator Bill Muir was trying to get done with his new quarterback.

In the first half, Orton was nine for 18 for just 77 yards and an interception. This was not just an interception, but an end zone pick that cost the Chiefs at least three points, as FS Matt Giordano grabbed the short throw.

“That’s one I wish I had back,” said Orton “We had too many mistakes in order to be a good football team in December.”

Orton ended up completing 21 of 36 for 300 yards, the three-yard TD to WR Dwayne Bowe at the end of the fourth quarter and two interceptions. That’s a completion percentage of 58.3 percent, an average of 8.3 yards per attempt and 14.3 yards per completion. There were only two completions of any length – a 49-yard pass and run by RB Dexter McCluster that set up the Bowe TD and a 43-yard pass to WR Terrance Copper that helped set up one of Ryan Succop’s field goals.

He did this with another good game of pass protection, as the Raiders were not able to register a sack against the Chiefs. Press box statistics indicate Orton was hit four times after he released the ball.

But beside the interceptions, there were a pair of intentional grounding calls against Orton. Those are especially hurtful penalties because it’s not only yardage, but loss of down. The most damaging came on the final possession of the first half, when on a 2nd-down-and-10 play, Orton threw the ball away under a heavy pass rush, but the yellow hanky came out. Instead of it being 3rd-and-10 at the Oakland 23 after the incompletion, it was 3rd-and-21 at the Oakland 44.

Succop’s 49-yard field goal was blocked at the end of the half.

“They were two big penalties,” Orton said. “I don’t know. The one that knocked us out of field goal range or to make it a longer field goal, I thought I had a receiver there. They made the calls and we have to live by it.”

With all the struggles, late in the fourth quarter, Orton was able to direct his team to a touchdown and then drove them to set up what appeared to be the game winning field goal that was blocked. In those last two possessions, Orton was 6 of 7 for 116 yards and a touchdown.

“When you play good defenses sometimes you hit a rough patch,” Orton said. “It’s not going to go perfect for you the whole game. That’s the challenge in this league, to keep on fighting and keep on clawing. When the momentum does turn you have to take advantage of it.

“As an offense we did a great job of that, just fighting, fighting, fighting. We hit some plays and gave ourselves a chance to win the game.”

Come Back To Earth … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs

Fans of the Chiefs are so thirsty for good news that any puddle they stumble upon along the way of another disappointing NFL season will leave them gulping whatever liquid that may have pooled there.

That was the reaction in the 24 hours after the Chiefs shocked the football world with their upset victory over the Green Bay Packers.

Kyle Orton is the quarterback the Chiefs have been searching for since Len Dawson retired; yes, they both came out of Purdue – that connection cannot be ignored. Romeo Crennel is in the reincarnation of the Mentor, Hank Stram and should be given the job of head coach for the rest of his natural life. Everything about the Chiefs bad season before Sunday was the fault of banished head coach Todd Haley and the injured Matt Cassel. Orton and Crennel are the saviors.

Never in Chiefs history has a single afternoon created so many memories, and at the same time rewritten so much history. It was likely the greatest upset the Chiefs have been part of in 52 seasons of play and it will only grow in its stature.

As wonderful as the outcome was for those that worship the red and gold, it’s time to come out of the clouds and put feet back on terra firma. It’s time to allow reality to set in and to understand the ramifications on the future that will come out of this day. Let’s look at some of the reality. …Read More!

Chiefs Monday Update – 12/19

From the Truman Sports Complex

Almost 24 hours after the Chiefs pulled the biggest upset of the NFL season, Romeo Crennel was still smiling.

“We should all feel pretty good today,” Crennel told a grumpy media horde. “I know I do.”

Why shouldn’t he be? In his first game as head coach of the Chiefs, they knocked off the NFL’s only remaining unbeaten team in the Green Bay Packers and they breathed new life into slim chances to make the playoffs.

“All the credit really goes to the players,” Crennel said. “With this game the way we did, we did a very good job.”

That Gatorade shower he received from his players at the end of the 19-14 victory was the first time Crennel had the bucket poured on his head.

“It’s a little sticky, but it was good,” said the smiling Crennel. …Read More!

NFL Sunday Best – 12/18

LONGEST PLAYS

80 – Indianapolis RB Donald Brown TD run vs. Tennessee (W).

76 – Miami RB Reggie Bush run for TD vs. Buffalo (W).

76 – Cleveland WR Greg Little TD catch vs. Arizona (L).

73 – Philadelphia TE Brent Celek catch vs. N.Y. Jets (W).

71 – Green Bay P Tim Masthay punt vs. Chiefs (L).

65 – Miami WR Brandon Marshall TD catch vs. Buffalo (W).

62 – Buffalo P Brian Moorman punt vs. Miami (L).

60 – Indianapolis P Pat McAfee punt vs. Tennessee (W).

60 – Denver P Britton Colquitt punt vs. New England (L). …Read More!

Chiefs Pull Upset of the NFL season With 19-14 Victory

From Arrowhead Stadium

Last week Romeo Crennel, the new head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs was pondering his opening assignment for Sunday – the unbeaten Green Bay Packers.

“You’ve got to play the game,” Crennel said. “And when you go play the game you just don’t know what’s going to happen and that’s the thing that makes it so interesting.”

What went down Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium will go down as quite possibly the most “interesting” game-day of the 2011 NFL season. With their 19-14 victory, Crennel and the Chiefs made history and destroyed the Packers’ chances for establishing their name at the top of the league record books.

What a performance by Crennel and the Chiefs defense, that got just enough help from Kyle Orton and the Chiefs offense, and four FGs from K Ryan Succop.

Here’s what we have:

• GAME STORY: A touch of Marty Ball from Romeo.
• COLUMN: You can’t make this stuff up.
• SIDEBAR: Romeo stakes his claim.
• SIDEBAR: Orton does what he’s told.
• SIDEBAR: Succop’s streak grows.
• SIDEBAR: Romeo mixes and matches on defense.
• SIDEBAR: 1st down key for offense.
• PLAY OF THE GAME: Chiefs last possession worked.
• 4 KEYS TO VICTORY/RECAP: Score 4 for 4.
• REPORT CARD: Big grades for defense, coaches.
• NOTES & QUOTES: Packers can’t claim home-field yet.
• GAMEBOOK
• PRE-GAME COVERAGE

NFL Opposites Meet … Game-Day Cup O’Chiefs

It would be hard to find two teams among the 32 that make up the NFL that are going in opposite directions more than the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Two franchises that are forever tied together as participants in what would become the first Super Bowl meet on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Packers are going up like a rocket – they are the defending Super Bowl champions, winners of 19 games in a row and with a chance to finish the season with an undefeated record.

The Chiefs on the other hand are falling through the NFL’s elevator shaft. They’ve fired their coach, changed their quarterback and face three games to play out the 2011 season and wrap up what has been a major disappointment.

Kickoff is noon and the television coverage is on FOX-TV.

Odds makers have made the Packers 14-point favorites in a game where they may be able to name their score. They’ve won their last 19 games by an average of 14 points, but the Chiefs are a team that hasn’t scored 14 points in a game since Halloween night. …Read More!

A Reader’s Look: Consistency Missing Under Hunt

Clark Hunt inherited control of the Kansas City Chiefs in 2006 when Lamar died. Since then, the Chiefs have had two general managers, three head coaches, four offensive coordinators, three defensive coordinators and the other coaching positions have been a revolving door. When this season ends, the coaching staff will be overhauled again. By the time the 2012 season begins, the Chiefs will have likely undergone the most coaching changes in the shortest amount of time in the history of the franchise.

Hunt has also fired most of the front office personnel, with most being escorted from the building by a security guard. Almost all of the public relations staff has changed. The scouting staff that drafted the most successful draft class in the last ten years (2008) and that drafted most of the franchise’s core players (Johnson, Hali, Bowe, Carr, Flowers, Charles, Dorsey, Colquitt, Albert) was disregarded and summarily dismissed in 2009.

Under Hunt, the franchise has become secretive and security now has a high priority. One wonders why. Since Clark took over full management of the franchise, the Chiefs are 25-52 with one division title. It is the second worst five-year stretch in franchise history, surpassed only by the 1974-78 stretch, when their record was 21-51. It is highly unlikely that any other franchise is nosing around attempting to replicate that record. By contrast, from 2001 through 2006, the Chiefs were 53-43 with one division title and one wildcard appearance. Hunt didn’t inherit a bad team or a bad organization. …Read More!

Some Cheese Curds & Other Appetizers

It’s the No. 1 question heading into Sunday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium. It has nothing to do with new head coach Romeo Crennel, or new starting quarterback Kyle Orton.

The question is this: will there be more Cheeseheads in the Arrowhead crowd than Chiefs fans come time for kickoff?

My prediction – yes, there will be more fans wearing green and gold than wearing red and gold. It’s just a fact of Packers life.

No team has the fans that travel like the Packers. The Steelers are close, sometimes the Cowboys when they are really playing well. But no group can take over a stadium the way Packers fans can. And, they aren’t necessarily all traveling from the land of beer and cheese.

The Packers are a national brand, and they have fans everywhere. In fact, I’d be willing to wager that the majority of the Green Bay fans in the house on Sunday will have driven 200 miles or less to get to the Truman Sports Complex. …Read More!

2011 Bowl Season – R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl

Saturday, December 17, 8 p.m. CST/ESPN

Superdome/New Orleans, Louisiana

San Diego State (8-4)

#14 QB Ryan Lindley, Redshirt-Senior – 6-3 ½, 230 pounds, 4.9 seconds in the 40-yard dash – The San Diego native has the size, arm and smarts to qualify as a legitimate NFL prospect. But he’s struggled a bit during the 2011 season, falling into the middle of the pack when ’12 QBs are discussed. In 48 games over his career he’s thrown for 12,287 yards, with 87 TD passes against 47 INTs. One problem is he’s just a 54 percent passer, about 10 points below what the NFL seeks from their quarterbacks. If he has a big performance in New Orleans and can show something in the all-star games, Combine and workouts, he may be able to get back up to the third or fourth-round consideration on the draft weekend. …Read More!

2011 BOWL SEASON – FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl

Saturday, December 17, 4:30 p.m. CST/ESPN

Broncos Stadium/Boise, Idaho

Utah State (7-5)

#6 RB Robert Turbin, Redshirt-Junior – 5-9¼, 216 pounds, 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash – He was named the WAC offensive player of the year for his 1,416 rushing yards and 19 TD runs. With one year of eligibility remaining, Turbin has a decision to make about whether to leave Utah State or enter the NFL Draft. Over his 37-game career, he’s run for 3,214 yards on 545 carries and 40 TD runs. As a receiver, he’s caught 66 passes for 838 yards and 11 more touchdowns. If he comes out, Turbin could be anywhere from the third to fifth-round pick right now. …Read More!

A Few Extras From Arrowhead

Lost amidst the firing of Todd Haley and elevation of Romeo Crennel to head coach was another hiring announced last week by the Chiefs.

Me thinks GM Scott Pioli needs to pay extra attention to this one.

Bill Chapin was named Senior Vice-President of Business Operations. In that role, the Chiefs say he will have responsibility for marketing, advertising, strategy, research, business development, special events and a host of other things.

Coming to the Chiefs from the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders team in Major League Soccer, the California native has some pretty radical ideas on communicating with the fans.

For instance, in 2009 Seahawks organization led by owner Paul Allen (Microsoft fame) created the Sounders and with it they created a program that was advertised as a whole new way to empower fans. It was called “Democracy in Sports.” The program gives season ticket holders and team supporters the ability to effect change within the organization. …Read More!

2011 BOWL SEASON – NEW MEXICO BOWL

New Mexico Bowl

Saturday, December 17, 1 p.m. CST/ESPN

University Stadium/Albuquerque, N.M.

Temple (8-4)

#30 RB Bernard Pierce, Junior – 5-11¾, 218 pounds, 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash – One of the least-known but talented running backs in the country, Pierce ran for 1,381 yards and 25 touchdowns for the Owls this season. Twice in three years he’s been a first-team All-MAC selection. He has been fairly durable, missing only a few plays here and there because of a concussion and hamstring problems. Over his 34-game career, Pierce had run for 3,470 yards and 51 rushing TDs on 638 carries; that ranks him among the best rushers in Temple football history. If he decides to skip his senior season, Pierce will likely be a third to fourth-round prospect, with the chance to move up after Combine and team evaluations. …Read More!

Succop Keeps FG Streak Going … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

Generally athletes and coaches don’t like to talk about negatives. They clam up and shy away from discussion if there’s a bit of a dark side to the issue. Whether it’s in the locker room or outside with the public, chatter on negatives is held to a minimum.

Seldom does it happen with a positive. Everybody likes to talk when things are going well. It’s all part of the process of building confidence, acknowledging good performance. But there are exceptions, like a no hitter in baseball. It’s tradition that when a pitcher is in the midst of a no-hit appearance that his teammates do not mention the lack of hits.

It’s the same with streaks. Any athlete that puts together a string of successful performances does not want to do anything to upset the mojo, including talking about what’s going on.

That’s why this story about Ryan Succop’s consecutive streak of 17 field goals came with some reluctant testimony. It isn’t that Succop or special teams coach Steve Hoffman, or even holder Dustin Colquitt refused to speak this week about the streak. It’s just that they were worried about disturbing the landscape in any fashion. …Read More!

4 KEYS TO A VICTORY OVER GREEN BAY

HISTORY

• This is the 10th regular season meeting between these teams.
• The Chiefs have won six of the previous nine regular season games with one tie. The last time these teams met was in 2007 when QB Brett Favre led a second-half comeback and beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium 33-22. Favre threw for 360 yards and two touchdowns in that game.
• At Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs own a 3-2 record against the Packers, picking up victories in 1977, 1993 and 1996, while losing in 1987 and 2007.
• The Chiefs and Packers met in the first AFL-NFL Championship Game, now known as the Super Bowl. Green Bay walked away with a 35-10 victory over the representative from the upstart American Football League. The teams met on January 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Coliseum in a game that was not sold out.
• One of the Chiefs most recent memorable victories against the Packers came at Lambeau Field in October 2003. They won 40-34 in overtime, on an extra period touchdown pass from QB Trent Green to WR Eddie Kennison.
• The Chiefs and Packers have met in quite a few different stadiums over the years, ranging from Lambeau Field and Arrowhead Stadium, to Milwaukee County Stadium, the Los Angeles Coliseum and in preseason games at the Tokyo Dome (1998) and Fawcett Stadium in Canton, Ohio at the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2007).

4

Make something happen in kicking game

Like all aspects of the Packers, their work on special teams has been very good this year. Rookie Randall Cobb ahs returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns. Their kicker Mason Crosby is strong and punter Tim Masthay is serviceable. One spot where they’ve dropped the ball is dropping the ball, as Cobb has lost three fumbles this season. That might be a spot where the Chiefs can turn the tide … knocking the ball out of Cobb’s hands and take it in for a touchdown. To win, the Chiefs need plays like that. …Read More!

Practice Update/Orton Set To Start – 12/16

From the Truman Sports Complex

Kyle Orton will start at quarterback for the Chiefs this coming Sunday when they face the Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium.

That was the word from head coach Romeo Crennel after Friday’s practice where Orton threw the ball well and had no problems taking snaps from center with that dislocated right index finger.

“Kyle did a nice job and it looks like he’s throwing better and so we are going to start him in the game – he’s going to be the quarterback,” Crennel said. “The ball has not been on the ground at all this week, so that’s a good sign there have been no fumbles with him (because of the finger injury.)”

Crennel said the team was not as sharp Friday as they were during practice the previous two days.

“They were pressing a little bit,” Crennel said. “I talked to those guys about fixing problems and moving on to the next play. There’s always another play that you have to get ready to go with.

“Towards the end of practice, they were sharper and looked better. I think they’ll be OK and ready to go.”

Offensive coordinator Bill Muir will move back into the coaching booth starting with Sunday’s game. A month ago, after Matt Cassel was injured and gone for the season, Muir moved down to the field and has been there the last four weeks. …Read More!

How the Packers Have Done It … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

We have had all sorts of discussions around these parts about whether the Chiefs are currently trying to be the Patriots or the Steelers.

Naturally, GM Scott Pioli is partial to the way things were done in New England. Team chairman Clark Hunt likes to talk about the stability of what gets done in Pittsburgh. He just talks it, he doesn’t live that stability.

Maybe Hunt and Pioli should have their eyes on a different target, a team that’s strolling into Arrowhead Stadium this weekend holding last year’s Vince Lombardi Trophy as the Super Bowl winner and this year unbeaten 13-0 record.

Packers GM Ted Thompson and head coach Mike McCarthy have built the NFL’s most well-oiled machine and they’ve done it in tiny Green Bay, Wisconsin, the smallest city in America with a team in one of the major professional sports leagues.

How have they done it? Even before the championship victory over Pittsburgh last February the Packers were the best team in the league at identifying talented players, and then developing them into consistent and productive contributors.

Thompson and a 13-man scouting staff do a remarkable job of sifting through the available players each year and finding those that fit what Green Bay does. Most of that comes through the NFL Draft, as 30 players on this week’s 53-man roster were originally Packers draft choices. …Read More!

4 KEYS TO VICTORY/RECAP

From Arrowhead Stadium

4

Make something happen in kicking game

Like all aspects of the Packers, their work on special teams has been very good this year. Rookie Randall Cobb ahs returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns. Their kicker Mason Crosby is strong and punter Tim Masthay is serviceable. One spot where they’ve dropped the ball is dropping the ball, as Cobb has lost three fumbles this season. That might be a spot where the Chiefs can turn the tide … knocking the ball out of Cobb’s hands and take it in for a touchdown. To win, the Chiefs need plays like that. SUCCESS – With 4 field goals from Ryan Succop, two good punts from Dustin Colquitt and a good coverage effort, the special teams were a big factor in the victory.

3

Protect Orton

With Kyle Orton getting his first start with the Chiefs it’s hard to forget his first play, two weeks ago against Chicago when he dislocated his right index finger. That came on a flea-flicker pass where a blitzing Bears safety was in Orton’s lap as he threw the ball away. Pass protection has been poor in recent weeks. That doesn’t bode well for Orton finishing the game. Overall, the Chiefs have given up 33 sacks, with 11 coming in the last four games. The Packers have 27 sacks on the season, led by LB Clay Matthews with a half-dozen. Orton is going to be rusty since he hasn’t played in months, so it’s imperative that the pass protection allows him time to get his feet wet. SUCCESS – On 31 passing plays, Orton did not get taken down for a sack one time. The shutout the K.C. pass protection threw at the Packers rush is the first time this season Green Bay did not have a sack.

2

Fix the running game

The Chiefs are 15th in rushing yards per game right now, averaging 116.4 yards per game. But anyone who has watched the Chiefs offense in recent weeks knows the running game is broken. The three-headed run game of Jackie Battle-Thomas Jones-Dexter McCluster is not getting the job done. Some of that is their fault, more of that is the fault of the blocking in front of them. Green Bay gives up an average of 106 rushing yards per game, ranking them No. 12 in the league. The best defense against the Packers explosive offense is to limit their possessions. The only way the Chiefs can make that happen is by getting their running game out of the mud and into the race. SUCCESS – It wasn’t one of those outstanding performances that Chiefs fans have been used to over the years, but the running game was huge in making the offense work and developing a big advantage in time of possession.

1

Play the perfect game

The Chiefs chances of winning this game depend entirely on them playing without mistakes. That’s right, none. No turnovers, no sacks, no penalties, no mental errors – it’s an impossible task. Coaches and teams have been searching for the perfect game of football for more than a century and it’s never been found. The Chiefs are not going to find it on this Sunday against the Packers. But it’s their only hope of beating a superior team. At no time this season have the Chiefs played with the type of precision necessary to beat a team like the Packers. The final score will be dictated by the number of mistakes Romeo Crennel and his team make. Limit them, and the score won’t get out of hand and anything can happen. Make them at the normal rate for the Chiefs, and the Packers can name their winning margin. SUCCESS – again a perfect game is not possible and the Chiefs certainly did not get close to playing without mistakes. It’s just that they made sure their mistakes did not hurt them. They did not give up a sack. They did not turn the ball over. They had some bad penalties, but they overcame them. Players were in the right spots at the right time. A big, big effort for the Chiefs.

1st Down Makes It Happen For Offense

From Arrowhead Stadium

It’s always the most important down to winning on offense – first down.

And the Chiefs offensive performance that helped beat Green Bay on Sunday was built on big success on first down.

“I thought we did a great job of having success on first down,” said QB Kyle Orton. “We ran a bunch of 2nd-and-3, 2nd-and-4 plays. We could throw play action, we could run the ball, we could take shots; we did them all.”

Thus, the success the Chiefs had in putting up 438 yards against the Packers defense. It was their most productive offensive game of the season, topping the 436 yards they gained playing against Indianapolis.

And first down was the key.

“We hit some big plays on first down passes, and that’s always important because it keeps the defense thinking about what might be coming,” said WR Steve Breaston. “That always helps you stay on the field.”

Essentially, the Chiefs averaged 7.7 yards on first down plays, not counting 1st-and-goal plays and kneel downs by Orton at the end of the first half and the game. They were especially effective throwing the ball, as Orton was 7 of 10 on first down for 133 yards. They picked up 74 yards on 17 carries from the running game.

In the first half, on average the offense faced 2nd-and-7, but that dropped to 2nd-and-5 in the second half. That included seven plays on second down for 1,5,10,3,4,4 and 6 yards.

“I’d like to give credit to the offensive coaches because they did a good job of putting a plan together and then calling a good game,” said head coach Romeo Crennel.

But first down was big.

“We did a lot of good things on first down,” said FB Le’Ron McClain. “We were winning on first down and that took the pressure off us. It made second down calls much easier and we got the job done then as well.”

Report Card – Packers vs. Chiefs

From Arrowhead Stadium

RUSHING OFFENSE: B – In a game where they badly needed their running game to help keep the offense on the field, the Chiefs were able to put up 139 rushing yards on 39 carries. That includes four runs for minus-5 yards by Orton, so it was really 35 runs for 144 yards. Most importantly, when they needed to run clock with just two minutes to play, they got the job done.

PASSING OFFENSE: B – With Kyle Orton in his first Chiefs start, he handled the passing game with confidence, hitting on more than 70 percent of his passes, for more than 9 yards per attempt. Orton hit 10 different receivers. The biggest keys were the zeros next to interceptions and sacks. That was huge in the offense’s ability to dominate time of possession.

RUSHING DEFENSE: C – Green Bay ran only 18 times in the game, with three of those from QB Aaron Rodgers. Without James Starks, the Packers run-game was in the hands of Ryan Grant with 66 yards on 12 carries. Rodgers did get away for a 19-yard run and a 8-yard TD r un.

PASSING DEFENSE: A – This may have been the best job of pass defense in the league this season.
Rodgers had a passer rating of 80.1, his lowest game performance of the 2011 season. He completed just 48.6 percent of his 35 passes; it’s the only time he’s been under 56 percent this year. WR Jordy Nelson was stifled, catching two passes for 29 yards. TE Jermichael Finley did not catch a pass in the first half. Four sacks, including three from Tamba Hali had Rogers unsettled most of the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B – Ryan Succop was 4 for 4 on his FGs, while P Dustin Colquitt averaged 49.5 yards on his two punts that had no returns. Green Bay’s Randall Cobb came into the game with a punt and kickoff return or TDs, but he managed only 68 yards on three kick returns.

COACHING: A – In one of the most difficult situations a coaching staff could face in season, Romeo Crennel and the rest of the staff not only got the Chiefs prepared to play with their game plans, but prepared them to play mentally and emotionally. Crennel’s plan on defense and Muir on offense worked well all day.

Play(s) of the Game – Chiefs Final Possession

From Arrowhead Stadium

QUARTER – 4th, 2 minutes, 3 seconds to play in the game.

SCORE – Chiefs held a 19-14 lead.

DOWN & DISTANCE – 1st-and-10, at the Chiefs 44-yard line.

DEFENSIVE SET – base defense, 3-4-4.

OFFENSIVE SET – run scheme with 2 backs, 2 tight ends and one wide receiver.

The outcome of the game hung there waiting to be claimed. Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers had just scored on an 8-yard scramble and with the PAT kick the Packers were five points behind.

But the unbeaten league leaders had several things going for them. First, they had all three timeouts remaining. Two, there was the timeout coming at the two-minute warning. And, most importantly they had QB Aaron Rodgers waiting to get his hands on the ball again.

Given a choice between kicking it deep or trying an onside kick, Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy had a decision to make. “You have two options there and I chose to go with the onside kick,” McCarthy said.

K Mason Crosby’s kick went out of bounds, drawing a flag against the Packers and the Chiefs took over with 2 minutes, 3 seconds to play at their 44-yard line.

“It was obvious what had to happen from that point,” said RB Jackie Battle. “It was up to us to make sure they didn’t get another chance.”

That’s just what the Chiefs offense did. With the offensive line knocking down the Packers defense Battle and Thomas Jones did exactly what they needed to do:

• Jones went up the middle for 5 yards.
• 2-minute warning.
• Jones went around left end for 7 yards/1st down.
• Green Bay timeout #1.
• Battle up the middle for 4 yards.
• Green Bay timeout #2.
• Battle around left end for 15 yards/1st down.
• Green Bay timeout #3.

With 1:34 to play, the Packers couldn’t stop the clock and the Chiefs didn’t have to hand it off.

“That was our job to keep the ball,” said Jones. “It’s something we practice a lot during the year and this time we executed.”

And, they iced their sixth victory of the season.

FGs Keep Coming For Succop

From Arrowhead Stadium

Hitters, pitchers, golfers, quarterbacks, three-point shooters – they all talk about the zone, that fantasy place in their sporting world where everything seems to flow perfectly and it shows in performance.

Ryan Succop is in that type of zone. The Chiefs kicker was four-for-four in the Chiefs victory on Sunday over Green Bay. It was his quartet of three-pointers that really keyed his team’s chance to win the game because they were with one brief exception, always leading and never forced to play from behind.

Those field goals of 19, 32, 46 and 20 yards now gives him 21 consecutive field goals, the second longest such streak in franchise history.

“Everything really felt good,” Succop said afterwards. “That long one was a bit interesting, but sometimes you have to push through and we were able to get it.”

Long snapper Thomas Gafford was a bit high on his snap on the 46-yard attempt. That forced holder Dustin Colquitt out of his set spot so he could reach up and pull the ball down. Frequently, that can throw a kicker off his rhythm.

But when he’s in the zone, it’s no big deal.

“I don’t worry about that stuff because those two guys are so good at what they do, I know they are going to have it down and I’m going to have a chance to kick the ball,” Succop said. “I’ve got all the confidence in the world in those guys and that helps me a lot.”

Succop has not really paid much attention to his streak. He’d much rather talk about how important those four field goals were to the Chiefs being able to hang on and top any comeback attempt by the Packers.

“This was a great team win today,” Succop said. “That’s what counts. That’s what matters to me.”

His 21 consecutive FGs is the longest such streak in the league right now and just one behind the Chiefs team record set by Pete Stoyanovich in 1997-98. It’s considerably behind the league record of 42 set by Mike Vanderjagt of Indianapolis from 2002-04.

MOST CONSECUTIVE FIELD GOALS MADE/CHIEFS

Orton Does What He’s Told

From Arrowhead Stadium

“We asked him to protect the football and not turn the ball over,” Romeo Crennel said of Chiefs starting QB Kyle Orton. Check.

“Take what the defensive is giving you.” Check.

“There were some times when he was stressed, but he ran his progression and found the open receiver.” Check.

Orton got things done in the Chiefs 19-14 victory over the Green Bay Packers. Following the script presented by Crennel and offensive coordinator Bill Muir, he made his first start with the Chiefs a memorable one.

“It was all positive for us,” Crennel said of his quarterback.

Orton couldn’t agree more.

“This is about the most fun as I’ve had on a football field,” Orton said after the game. “You go through practice and all that stuff but your teammates don’t really know you until you get in that huddle. That’s a special time for me, inside the huddle.

“I kind of turn into another person.”

Whatever that personality might be, it worked for the Chiefs against the Packers.

“He ran the huddle, he ran the whole team,” said RB Thomas Jones of his quarterback. “He’s a veteran. He knew what to do. He knew his assignments, he made plays. He had a great game. He understood the game plan, ran it almost to perfection.

“It’s tough to do that in your first game with a new team and a new system. I’m really proud of him.”

Orton’s numbers on the afternoon were impressive. He completed 74.2 percent of his throws (23 of 31) for an average of 9.7 yards per attempt (299 yards) and no interceptions. He was also not sacked and despite words from the coaches about protecting the football, he went deep several times in the game, missing on a couple, but hooking up for 33 and 39-yard deep completions to TE Leonard Pope.

“I thought our tight ends showed up,” Orton said of Pope and Anthony Becht, who combined for four catches for 92 yards. “I don’t know if coach expected them to catch that many passes, but they were open and did a great job. I think everybody stepped up. It was a total team win.”

Especially helpful to Orton’s day was the ability of the Chiefs to get a contribution from their running game. It made the play-action passing package something the Green Bay defense really had to honor. That also helped the K.C. offense build a time of possession advantage over the Packers that as huge at 12 minutes, 22 seconds.

“I think that was the key to the game,” said Orton. “We talked about it all week. I thought we did a great job of having success on first down. We had a bunch of 2nd-and-3 plays. We could throw play action, we could run the ball, we could take shots and we did them all. I thought (offensive coordinator Bill Muir) called a great game, was aggressive and gave us a great chance to have success.”

Crennel helped matters as well when early in the week he named Orton the starter, benching Tyler Palko and moving rookie Ricky Stanzi up to the backup role.

“It was good for not only me, but for all my teammates,” said Orton. “No matter what, the quarterback has to lead the team through the week of practice and lead them into the game. I always try to be the most prepared guy on the field.”

The head coach thought it was important for the rest of the team to know early, even more so than Orton.

“It gives them an opportunity to learn his cadence and his voice and how he operated,” said Crennel. “Adapting to that was beneficial to us.”

And what of the future for Orton; he’s got two games remaining on the contract the Chiefs claimed on waivers from Denver. QB Matt Cassel was there on the sidelines Sunday, helping in any way he could.

“We play Oakland next week,” said Orton. “That’s the only thing you think about. We had so much to think about this week; we played a great team in the Packers and now we will play a big rival in the Oakland Raiders and try to get a win.”

Column – You Can’t Make This Stuff Up!

From Arrowhead Stadium

Go ahead, I dare you. Sit down with a piece of paper and a pen and try to come up with a story that will top what went down Sunday at Lambeau Field South on a relatively balmy December afternoon.

Only a writer of fiction would come up with the idea of a struggling team with a new head coach, playing the team with the best record in the league, and doing it on their home field which had been invaded by a heathen horde of cheese wearing yokels from up north.

And only a fertile imagination could paint that plot and then have the struggling team come out and not only punch the giant in the nose, but end up beating them in a fashion that left little doubt on this one day which was the best team on the field.

“We were beaten today,” said Packers coach Mike McCarthy after his team lost its unbeaten season with a 19-14 decision. “The Kansas City Chiefs outplayed us.”

Think about that last line for a second: “the Kansas City Chiefs outplayed us.”

The 2011 Kansas City Chiefs outplayed the defending Super Bowl champions with that perfect record – you just can’t make stuff like that up!

This is not an attempt to blow a torpedo into the Chiefs well-earned victory over the Packers. As we learned long ago, anything is possible in sports and especially football where the sheer number of bodies involved in every play – coaches, players, and officials – makes odd twists and turns an every-game matter. And then there’s the ball, with pointy ends and a blown-up middle that takes funny bounces all the time.

On 10 Sunday afternoons where the Chiefs and Packers would face each other, Green Bay would win nine of the 10 games. They didn’t win 19 games in a row, a Super Bowl title and the first 13 games of this season because of luck, or bounces and odd twists and turns. Talent strung those victories into a long string of pearls.

Then there’s on any given Sunday, and the given was December 18 at Arrowhead Stadium. That’s why it would be quite silly to make what happened against Green Bay anything more than a wonderful afternoon where enough things went right for the lesser team to beat the better team.

Do not read a lot into what went down beyond that. It was in no fashion a validation or indictment of the 2011 Chiefs. It was a single, shocking Sunday where prayers were answered and somehow the pieces fell together. The Chiefs roster has the same problems that it did before the game – there’s not enough talent. On this Sunday, they were able to overcome that defect. Kyle Orton is not the second coming of Len Dawson, or even Trent Green. On this Sunday, he did everything the coaches wanted and most importantly, he did not turn the ball over.

A football team and its season is not one snapshot perfectly framed and in total focus. It’s a string of snapshots that when put end-to-end creates a picture of a season and how a team reached the record it holds.

The most important matter to come out of the day would be the strengthened chances of Romeo Crennel keeping the head coaching job once the calendar turns to next year. The “I told you so” looks worn by Clark Hunt and Scott Pioli in the post-game locker room were a pretty good indication of that.

The most incredible matter from the day is that the Chiefs remain eligible for the AFC playoffs. Don’t ask how, but it’s true.

When the 2011 season is completed, the Chiefs will naturally gravitate to the vivid picture of victory from December 18, where despite the screaming support their visiting opponent received, they stopped history in its tracks.

It’s just one of those days that you can’t make these things up.

Romeo Improves His Odds

From Arrowhead Stadium

There was the customary Gatorade bath on the sidelines for Romeo Crennel.

Hugs were being thrown about left and right, and the 2011 Chiefs almost to a man seemed to be chanting the man’s initials – RAC, RAC, RAC!!! as they ran into the locker room.

The 19-14 victory over the previously unbeaten Green Bay Packers was a remarkable day in itself. But the guys who dress in the Chiefs locker room hope it was simply the first of many future games with Crennel at the helm of the Chiefs.

“I think they should just give it to him now,” said CB Brandon Flowers. “Everybody would be happy with that around here.”

No one more than Crennel, who made it very public early last week that in taking over from Todd Haley, he was not doing this with the idea that it was three games and done. He wants the gig for 2012 and beyond.

Absolutely nothing that happened on Sunday against Green Bay hurt his chances.

“We’ll see what the next two weeks bring because every week is a different week in the NFL,” Crennel said. “We’ll let the chips fall where they may. That’s what you always do in football. That’s what I tell those guys in the locker room. Do your best and play your best and let the chips fall where they may. The only thing we can control is how we play, the kind of effort we give and hopefully we can win as we go.”

Through this strange season, there has never been any question about effort on the part of the Chiefs. Ownership may have decided they were too inconsistent and fired Todd Haley, but they could not question how hard this team played for the former head coach.

They went out on Sunday and played just as hard for Crennel. The difference was the fact they played smarter. They kept their mistakes to a minimum, especially in two key areas – they had no turnovers and they did not allow a sack. After QB Kyle Orton was knocked down after getting rid of his first pass of the day, he faced very little pressure from the Packers.

The idea that Crennel struck home with in preparing not only the players but the coaching staff was simplifying things; getting back to fundamentals. Both the offensive and defensive game plans for the game were built with that in mind. When they had the ball, they wanted to run and make sure they got that ground game going. They did not want Orton to be careless with the ball. They wanted him to get protection.

Defensively, Crennel wanted to keep Packers QB Aaron Rodgers guessing, so there were a number of different packages in the game plan from the standard base defense of a 3-4-4, to one scheme that was 1-3-7 and also a 1-4-6. But Crennel the defensive coordinator dialed back on the blitz and went after Rodgers with four rushers.

There was a certain comfort zone there for the players because it was Crennel taking charge. In two years with the team he’s become a locker room favorite, a tough-minded task-master who tends to hand out a few more pats on the back and hugs than a lot of other coaches, especially defensive coordinators.

It’s obvious from what they say that the players have confidence in him.

“It would be good to keep winning for him,” said DE Glenn Dorsey. “He’s our leader and a tremendous coach. We’ve just got to keep it going for him.”

Added Flowers: “We want to play hard for this guy. We’ve been through ups and downs as a defense, but he’s a great guy and he always has something positive to say. He’s a guy we want to play hard for and the offense felt the same way. We just want to keeping winning for him.”

The offensive guys had only good things to say as well.

“He’s been around here for two years so everybody knows him and knows that he’s a good coach,” said RB Thomas Jones. “He’s just a guy you want to be around and you want to play for. He has that leadership skill.”

Other than trying to simplify things, Crennel did not ask for much from the players this week.

“I ask them to do the best that they can do, that’s all I can ask of them,” said Crennel. “If they do that and we end up winning games, that’s a plus and a positive. They are the ones that play the game and should get all the credit. It was just standing on the sideline. That’s all I did today.”

The victory now gives Crennel a NFL head coaching record of 25-40, including his four seasons as head coach of the Cleveland Browns (2005-08). He wants more.

“The Chiefs played a very good game today,” Crennel said. “They played the way that I would like to see the Chiefs play all the time. They followed the game plan, they had energy, they had effort and they played their hearts out.”

Romeo Brings Back Marty Ball For Upset Over Pack

From Arrowhead Stadium

As he prepared to face the Green Bay Packers in his new role as Chiefs head coach, Romeo Crennel pondered all sorts of pearls of wisdom that hopefully would make his struggling team more relaxed about taking on the unbeaten Packers.

Ultimately, Crennel simply relied on the lessons learned over a many years of coaching. “You’ve got to play the game,” Crennel said. “And when you go play the game you just don’t know what’s going to happen and that’s the thing that makes it so interesting.”

Interesting it was on Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium as Crennel and his Chiefs stunned the NFL by beating the Packers 19-14 in what will go down as the upset of the 2011 season in professional football.

“Everybody had marked it off as a win for the Packers,” Crennel said after the game. “But those guys in the locker room, they’re football players. They decided they were not going to give up. They went out and played a tremendous game.”

It was a script right out of the dusty scrapbook of games played in the same stadium 15 to 20 years ago. What Crennel laid out of his team was this – we are going to simplify, we are going to rely on fundamentals, you are going to have to handle your man one-on-one, we are not going to take a lot of chances and we are going to pressure the opponent to make mistakes.

Very simply, it’s a redo of Marty Ball, the type of attitude the Chiefs took on the field for a decade under then head coach Marty Schottenheimer. It worked in that decade, and there was no reason it wouldn’t work again. It’s basic football – make limited mistakes and take advantage when the other guy screws up.

“As it turned out, it was a great script,” Crennel said. “I don’t care how you get them. If you can win, that’s a positive.”

It was the first loss of the season for the Packers, as their record is now 13-1 and their winning streak that stretched back to last season ended at 19 games. So did their attempt to go unbeaten on the road, something only five other teams have done in league history.

“We talked about it being a spirited football game today and we did not answer the bell,” said Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. “We were beaten today. The Kansas City Chiefs outplayed us.”

It was an improbable outcome for Crennel and the Chiefs. It was just six days before that head coach Todd Haley was fired and defensive coordinator Crennel was elevated into the job for the season’s final three games. At no point has team management call him an “interim” coach and Crennel made it very public that he wanted the job in 2012 as well.

Pulling off a victory like the five-point decision over the Packers will go a long way in convincing management that he should stay.

“We all want Romeo to be the guy,” said CB Brandon Flowers. “If this helps him, then it was really worth it.”

Common belief was that the Chiefs chances for victory rested on doing the impossible – playing a perfect game. They were far from perfect, but in the areas where it mattered most, they followed an ages’ old winning script. They did not turn the ball over. They had a 37-yard edge in the rushing game. They did not allow a sack, while getting four of their own. Plus, they had a 12-minute, 22-second advantage in time of possession.

At no point did the Chiefs defense allow NFL MVP candidate and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to feel comfortable in the pocket.

“We didn’t catch the ball like we normally catch the ball,” said McCarthy. “We had opportunities in the first half, but we had too many penalties. We were not very detailed today.”

Added Rodgers: “(Kansas City) had a good plan today. We just didn’t execute. We didn’t throw it well, didn’t catch it well and didn’t get open enough.”

Maybe the Packers missed their wakeup call Sunday morning because they slept walked through the first 30 minutes of play. Only the Green Bay defense kept them down just 6-0 at intermission, as coordinator Dom Capers’ group bent and bent, but did not break. Three times the Chiefs had the ball inside scoring territory and three times they were unable to get a touchdown.

The first time Kansas City was 1st-and-goal at the Packers four-yard line, but then had to settle for a 19-yard FG by Succop. The second time came when they had a 1st-and-10 at the Green Bay 18, but managed only four more yards and Succop kicked a 32-yard FG.

On the third Chiefs attempt to score, they put together a long second quarter drive that ate up nine minutes of the clock. They had a 2nd-and-1 at the Packers three-yard line, but two runs by RB Jackie Battle and one by RB Thomas Jones produced no yardage and Green Bay took over on downs.

Shut out in the first half for the first time in the 2011 season, the Packers got on the board in the third quarter.

Rodgers connected with WR Donald Driver for a two-yard scoring pass. When K Mason Crosby hit the PAT, it gave the Packers their only lead of the game, 7-6.

But Succop soon added his third field goal, this one from 46 yards and giving the Chiefs a 9-7 lead. When the K.C. offense couldn’t get into the end zone again in the fourth quarter, Succop made field goal No. 4 on a 20-yarder and the score was 12-7.

The Chiefs wrapped it all up with a eight-play, 66-yard touchdown drive with just under five minutes to play when RB Jackie Battle broke into the end zone over right guard on a one-yard run that with the PAT kick gave them a 19-7 lead.

Rodgers came back with an eight-yard TD run to close the gap to five points. The Packers onside kick attempt went out of bounds and the Chiefs were able to kill the remaining time with their running game.

“Nobody gave us a chance to win this game except us,” said ILB Derrick Johnson. “We knew we could do this. We just had to be prepared and execute. That’s what we did.”

Déjà vu All Over Again

How about this for the coincidence of the week for the Chiefs:

Only twice in the history of the franchise has the head coach been fired while the season still had games remaining to be played. The first happened in 1977 when Paul Wiggin was fired with a 1-6 record. The second time was this week, when Todd Haley was fired with a 5-8 record.

Both Wiggin and Haley were replaced by their defensive coordinators – Tom Bettis in 1977 and Romeo Crennel in 2011.

And both of the new coaches had their first game at Arrowhead Stadium against the Green Bay Packers.

That’s the team headed for Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs this Sunday. The Packers were also the visitors on November 6, 1977 when Bettis took over the full team. …Read More!

Practice Report/Orton Update – 12/15

From the Truman Sports Complex

Kyle Orton took another step towards starting at quarterback against Green Bay with his performance in Thursday afternoon’s practice.

Working outside in chilly temperatures and a gusty wind, Orton had no problems throwing the ball with his dislocated right index finger.

“Yesterday, Kyle did more than I expected he would, so we gave him more today and he seemed to have weathered the storm pretty good,” said head coach Romeo Crennel. “We feel good right now about where he is. We’ll have to see how it feels in the morning, how the soreness might be and how he handles it.

“But I thought today would be a good test with the weather. If you can execute in the cold weather and survive it, then I think you’ve got a pretty good chance of playing.”

Waiting to see how Orton’s finger reacts Friday was the only thing holding Crennel back from saying without a doubt he would open the game under center.

“He probably will start for us,” Crennel said. “Like I told him and told the team, if he can go, that he was going to be the guy. He’s done decent so far, and he’ll probably be the guy.” …Read More!

Pre-Game – Packers vs. Chiefs

From Arrowhead Stadium

11:31 a.m. CDT – That’s it from pre-game. Enjoy the game and remember that late Sunday afternoon and then Sunday night we will have complete coverage of the Packers and Chiefs.

11:30 a.m. CDT – The head coaches are having a rather lengthy conversation at the 40-yard line, as Green Bay’s Mike McCarthy chatters back and forth with Romeo Crennel.

11:25 a.m. CDT – A couple of Pittsburgh guys talking it over at the 45-yard line – Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy and today’s referee Gene Steratore. Both grew up in the Steel City.

11:20 a.m. CDT – Chiefs special teams coach Steve Hoffman and Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers having a long conversation at mid-field.

11:15 a.m. CDT – The Packers are 7-0 on the road this season and today is their final road game of the regular season. They are looking to become just the sixth team in league history to go unbeaten on the road in one season.

11:10 a.m. CDT – Among the early arriving fans, it’s very definitely a Packers crowd today. Every time somebody wearing the green and gold comes through the tunnel and onto the field, there is a roar from the Cheese Heads. Chiefs players come out of the 50-yard line tunnel behind their bench to hardly any notice. …Read More!

Notes & Quotes – Another Unbeaten Falls

From Arrowhead Stadium

It’s tough to win in the NFL on any given Sunday. It’s almost impossible to go through an entire season without a loss.

The Green Bay Packers learned that on Sunday as they suffered their first loss of the 2011 season, falling to the Chiefs 19-14.

“We always viewed the undefeated season as really, just gravy,” said Packers head coach Mike McCarthy. “The goal was to get the home-field advantage and win the Super Bowl. That’s what we discussed as a football team. We were fortunate enough to be in the position to possibly achieve the undefeated season.”

Now, the Packers will try to secure home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs when they host the Chicago Bears on Christmas night at Lambeau Field. It didn’t end up happening against the Chiefs because the Packers got out played and made too many mistakes.

“We did not improve as a football team today,” McCarthy said. “It’s been quite some time since I’ve had to address the team in this fashion, but we didn’t get better.”

MEDICAL MATTERS

The Packers had injury problems coming into the game and they took a few leaving Arrowhead, including losing backup OT Derek Sherrod for the rest of these season with a broken right leg.

Sherrod was in the game replacing starting RT Bryan Bulaga, who left in the first half because of a left knee injury. Bulaga did not return.

The Chiefs appeared to come through the game without any serious injury issues.

BOWE STARTS GAME ON THE BENCH

The game was six minutes old and the Chiefs offense had been on the field the entire time before WR Dwayne Bowe got his first play. He was in on a goal-line play as a blocker. The starters at wide receiver were Steve Breaston and Terrance Copper.

Why didn’t Bowe start?

“Dwayne Bowe had a medical situation with his family that he felt like he needed to attend too and he didn’t follow the proper procedures or protocol in getting that done, so I told him I wasn’t going to start him,” said Romeo Crennel.

Bowe ended up with four catches for 49 yards.

ATMOSPHERE REPORT

The crowd was about 50-50 between Chiefs fans and Packers fans. At times, the Cheese Heads were much louder than the home folks. But at other times, the locals made their presence known.

The Chiefs announced paid attendance of 74,093, the biggest home sale of the season.

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT

Ryan Succop – With four more FGs, that’s 21 in a row for Succop (see sidebar story). Four of his five kickoffs went into the end zone with only one brought out. After those five kickoffs, the average starting position for the Packers was their 21-yard line.

Dustin Colquitt – He only had to punt two times in the afternoon, hitting one for 54 yards and another for 45 yards. That was a 49.5-yard gross and net average as the Packers did not return a punt.

Javier Arenas – Still not close to breaking one for a TD, as he took back three punts for an average of 12 yards a return, with a long return of 17 yards.

Dexter McCluster – He returned one kickoff for 22 yards.

Coverage – Tackles went to LB Cory Greenwood, CB Jalil Brown, WR Jeremy Horne and RB Jackie Battle.

Mistakes – The special teams picked up five penalties, the worst a 15-yard roughing the punter call against Horne. They also gave Green Bay a second chance at a FG when they were hit with a 12-men on the field penalty. They also had to take a timeout when they had only 10 men on the field for a punt return.

ZEBRA REPORT

Referee Gene Steratore and his crew handled the game with little in the way of controversy. Coming into the game, this group was averaging 11 penalties walked off for 89 yards over 13 games. They finished right at their average, with 12 penalties for 90 yards. They got the Chiefs seven times for 55 yards with one declined.

In the third quarter, Romeo Crennel wasted a timeout on a replay challenge of a potential interception by CB Brandon Carr. Replay showed without question that Carr only got one foot down in the end zone in making the catch. The call of incomplete pass was upheld.

McCarthy was unhappy with two early offensive pass interference calls against WR Jordy Nelson.

“I would say that’s uncommon,” McCarthy said. “I did not see the replay on either one, so it’s hard for me to comment. We pushed the ball up the field and they were playing man-to-man. They got the calls there.”

PERSONNEL FILE

Inactive players for the Chiefs were QB Tyler Palko, SS Jon McGraw, OT David Mims, WR Jerheme Urban, TE Jake O’Connell, DE Brandon Bair and DT Jerrell Powe.

McGraw was the only inactive player due to an injury (high ankle sprain). Replacing him in the starting lineup was Reshard Langford. Rookie QB Ricky Stanzi was the only Chiefs player who did not get on the field.

Inactive players for the Packers were QB Graham Harrell, RB Brandon Saine, RB James Starks, LB Desmond Bishop, OT Chad Clifton, DE Ryan Pickett and WR Greg Jennings.

Bishop, Pickett and Jennings were out of the starting lineup, replaced by LB D.J. Smith, DE Howard Green and WR Jordy Nelson.

Just Another Day Of Change … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

The only constant in the National Football League is change.

Former Chiefs President-GM Carl Peterson used to say that all the time. The worst thing a person could do in the NFL is dig in and fight change. It would be like digging a hole at the beach and then trying to keep the water out at high tide. No matter what you do, the water races over the sand castle, fills the hole, and 12 hours later, it’s impossible to tell anything was there.

That’s what Wednesday was like around the Chiefs facility, the first full day of everybody coming together in the building after the termination of head coach Todd Haley. There was no remodeling in the locker room or the team areas, but there was also no sign that just a few days before, Haley was the guy running the show.

In the Not For Long, it can happen in a flash.

“It’s just part of the business,” said CB Brandon Flowers. “Coaches and players, one day they are here, the next day they are gone. It’s hard to get used too but eventually you do, because you have to. This is my fourth year and I’ve had three head coaches and three defensive coordinators.

“That’s the way it goes.” …Read More!

Different Looks, Same Results For Chiefs Defense

From Arrowhead Stadium

Yes, Romeo Crennel did a winning job as a head coach on Sunday, leading the Chiefs to an improbable upset of the Green Bay Packers.

But the victory was built on Crennel’s role as defensive coordinator, where he came up with a game plan that appeared varied and different for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers, but was very simple in execution for the Chiefs defense.

And it worked … boy did it ever work. Green Bay was held to 315 offensive yards, its lowest output of the season, and scored just 14 points on the afternoon, their lowest point production of the season.

“We went out there with a good plan and we made it work,” said ILB Derrick Johnson. “Romeo really dialed it up and it worked.”

Part of what made it work was the changes Crennel made, as they showed five different looks:

• Base defense – 3-4-4, with Reshard Langford starting at SS for the injured Jon McGraw.
• Almost base – 2-4-5, with CB Travis Daniels coming into the game and DE Tyson Jackson leaving the field.
• Sub-defense #1 – 2-3-6, the Chiefs normal so-called nickel defense, that brings Wallace Gillberry and Allen Bailey onto the DL, with Daniels, Javier Arenas and Sabby Piscitelli coming in, with the base defensive line, ILB Jovan Belcher and Langford leaving.
• Sub-defense #2 – 1-3-7, with CB Jalil Brown coming and Bailey going out.
• Sub-defense #3 – 1-4-6, with LB Cameron Sheffield in along with Gilberry and the sub-defensive backs.

“We tried to mix things up,” said Crennel. “Aaron (Rodgers) is a very good quarterback and sometimes you can’t contain him all the time. That’s all you can do, is mix it up and play good. Then you have a chance.”

The different defenses came in based on the players the Packers put on the field.

“It’s all based on the matchups we are looking for,” said CB Brandon Flowers. “They can put a lot of receivers out there, so you want to find a way to cover as much area as you can.”

This is one reason that Crennel did not call for much in the way of blitzing from his pass rush. Essentially, they went after Rodgers with a four-man rush, while the corners played man-to-man. On this afternoon it worked, as they got to Rodgers four times and knocked him down five other times. Three of those sacks and two other knock downs came from OLB Tamba Hali who tormented Packers second-year left tackle Marshall Newhouse.

“Tamba was something else today,” said DE Glenn Dorsey. “They should have hit those guys for holding about five times. For him to get in there the way they mug him is pretty amazing.”

Said Rodgers: “They got after me with a four-man rush and had a lot of guys in coverage. We weren’t able to make anything down the middle of the field.”

Practice Update – 12/14; Palko Benched, Orton Throws

From the Truman Sports Complex

When the Chiefs hit the practice field Wednesday afternoon, they had a new starting quarterback.

The only problem is they don’t know if it was going to be Kyle Orton or rookie Ricky Stanzi. All they know for sure is new head coach Romeo Crennel has benched Tyler Palko.

“If Orton is able, Orton will be the starting quarterback,” Crennel said. “If he can’t do it because of his finger, then Ricky Stanzi will be the quarterback.”

Going into Wednesday’s session, Orton had not practiced since dislocating his right index finger on December 3rd in Chicago. Crennel revealed that this week, Orton has been throwing passes with the trainers over the last two days.

“They said for short passes, he has been doing pretty good,” Crennel said. “Now, we will have to see how he does in practice. We might have to protect him a little bit from taking the snap.” …Read More!

Romeo Is The Man … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Get used the sound of his voice, the toothy grin that he flashes when he’s amused and the grim glare he wears when he’s not happy.

Romeo Crennel is the Chiefs head coach for the rest of the 2011 season. For those that like to gamble, put your money down on Crennel being the head coach in 2012 as well. Romeo is the man that Scott Pioli wants to put in Todd Haley’s old seat as the Chiefs head coach.

All one has to do is pay attention to the little things and Pioli’s desire to have Crennel in the job becomes obvious. And make no mistake, Romeo wants the chance to be a head coach again; getting fired after four seasons in charge of the Cleveland Browns (2005-08) left him very unfulfilled.

“When I left Cleveland one of the things that I felt was that my competitive nature, my competitive energy that I have was, I’d like to be a head coach again and show I can get it done,” Crennel said on Tuesday, when he spoke to the media for the first time as head coach. “We won 10 in Cleveland in one year (2007) and probably we had a chance to make the playoffs and didn’t make it and then the following year things kind of fell apart a little it and they made a change.

“So I would like to be a head coach again to show that I can do it, I know how to get it done and I think the experience from the first time will make me better the next time around. Otherwise I don’t know if I would have taken the position to try and finish out this season if I didn’t want to be a head coach again.” …Read More!

What Romeo Had to Say

Romeo Crennel spoke to the media on Tuesday for the first time since he was named head coach of the Chiefs, replacing the fired Todd Haley.

And head coach is what his title is – at no point did team chairman Clark Hunt and GM Scott Pioli use the term “interim” when they announced the promotion of their defensive coordinator on Monday. Pioli said that Crennel will definitely be considered for the head coaching job in 2012.

A four-year stint as head coach of the Cleveland Browns did not end well when he was fired after the 2008 season, finishing with a 24-40 record. Crennel wants another chance.

“I would like to be a head coach again to show that I can do it, I know how to get it done and I think the experience from the first time will make me better the next time around,” Crennel said. “Otherwise I don’t know if I would have taken the position to try and finish out this season if I didn’t want to be a head coach again.” …Read More!

Odd Approach To Consistency … Cup O’Chiefs

Maybe I’m just slow. Could be that I’m hard of head. Maybe I’m just not very smart.

But I don’t quite understand why Clark Hunt fired his head coach on Monday.

Oh, I heard what was said. I sat there in the front row and listened to 20 minutes of explanation from Hunt and his GM Scott Pioli. Essentially what I understood to be the reason for Todd Haley’s termination was a lack of consistency in the play and production of his team.

Consistent was the root of all the descriptive phrases Hunt and Pioli used for the firing – consistency, inconsistent, consistent, as in the Chiefs played with no consistency, they were totally inconsistent in their production and performance, at no time this season have they been consistent.

OK, so if the consistency of the team was poor, how does firing the head coach correct that? Shouldn’t the reaction be to stabilize the situation, rather than create a host of changes that come with firing the team leader? …Read More!

The Reason Haley Fired – Lack of Consistency

From the Truman Sports Complex

Throughout their 20-minute meeting with the Kansas City media, team chairman Clark Hunt and GM Scott Pioli said there wasn’t one particular thing that led to the firing of head coach Todd Haley.

But the more they talked about the situation, the more apparent it became that there was a straw that broke the camel’s back as far as Haley’s future was concerned. It was losing 37-10 to the New York Jets in what was an embarrassing performance that saw the Chiefs offense gain just four yards in the first half. Then in the second half a frustrated Haley lost his cool and got slapped with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

“Clark and I talked last night and then we officially decided this morning,” said Pioli. “Clark and I visited with Todd this (Monday) morning and let him know what our decision was.

“I don’t think there’s a final straw in every decision. It’s never one thing; it’s an accumulation of information and thoughts and we finally got down to where things were and this was the best way to create more consistency for us.”

Said Hunt: “We felt the inconsistent play that the team had experienced through the season including during yesterday’s game made today the right day to do it. We want to give the guys a chance to finish the season on a high note. Mathematically we are still alive in the playoffs and we wanted the guys to go out and face the Green Bay Packers and play to the best of their ability and felt that change was important at this time.” …Read More!

Hunt/Pioli Gift Haley With His Firing

For Todd Haley, it was the best thing that could have happened.

To be able to get out of the mess that is the Kansas City Chiefs right now is a good thing. In the big picture it’s the best thing that Haley and those that care about him could have hoped for at this point.

Nobody likes to be fired. Believe me. I did not know until about three years ago how hard it is to deal with all the emotions bubbling inside you when somebody says we don’t want you anymore.

But in this case, it’s better for Haley to be away from the toxic atmosphere that has become the Kansas City Chiefs. It won’t be his problem anymore, and while that will take some getting used to for a guy who spent 20 hours a day on Chiefs football, he will ultimately learn that stepping away from the situation will be cleansing and more than likely fruitful.

Now, the problem is in the hands of Clark Hunt and Scott Pioli, and believe me they have a problem, make that problems in the very plural sense. Probably their biggest problem is credibility – they do not have any. Not an ounce. Despite the fact they seem to think they are entitled to the benefit of a doubt on their decisions, they are not, and this current mess is just one of the reasons why. …Read More!

Chiefs Fire Haley

For the eighth time in franchise history the Kansas City Chiefs have fired their head coach.

This time it was Todd Haley, fired on Monday morning after 46 games on the job. Since taking over in February 2009, Haley directed the Chiefs to a 19-27 record, including Sunday’s 37-10 pasting by the New York Jets.

Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel has been named interim head coach to serve out the final three games of the season.

“This was a difficult decision but one that we feel is best for the future of the Chiefs,” team chairman Clark Hunt said in statement released by the team. “Although there have been bright spots at different points this season, we have not made meaningful progress and we felt that it was necessary to make a change. We appreciate Todd’s contributions during his time with the club, and we wish him well in the future.”

GM Scott Pioli had something to say as well.

“Todd helped this team in many valuable ways over the past three seasons, and I am thankful for his contributions,” Pioli said. “Unfortunately, we have not been able to establish the kind of consistency we need to continue to build a strong foundation for the future and we believe a change is important at this time.”

Hunt and Pioli will supposedly meet the media sometime Monday afternoon. We’ve just stepped off the plane from New York, so bear with us as we catch up to the decision making and what really went down.

Chiefs Get Sacked By Jets, 37-10

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

The Chiefs miserable 2011 season came to end on Sunday here in the swamps of Jersey.

Some would argue that it was over many weeks ago, while others can pull out math that says Todd Haley and his team have not yet been eliminated from dreaming about the playoffs.

Neither matters. What slim chances they had were snuffed by the New York Jets 37-10 on a sunny afternoon in front of a full house of Jets fans.

It was a dramatic show of inept offensive football in the first half for the Chiefs, who totaled just 4 offensive yards in 30 minutes of play. They managed a field goal for three quarters and then found the end zone for a late score.

New York took advantage of Chiefs mistakes, a turnover, poor punt coverage and other helpful moments to throw five touchdowns on the board. QB Mark Sanchez had two of those. In fact, Sanchez became the first quarterback in Jets history to run for two touchdowns and throw two touchdowns in the same game.

Here’s what we are saying:

• GAME STORY – Another stinker for the Chiefs.
• COLUMN – Can an offense be that bad?
• SIDEBAR – Time running out for Palko.
• SIDEBAR – What’s next for Chiefs?
• SIDEBAR - How hideous the first half offense was.
• SIDEBAR – Jets expose Chiefs defense.
• REPORT CARD – Nobody gets good grades after this one.
• PLAY OF THE GAME – Holmes 4-yard TD catch.
• NOTES & QUOTES – Cheers for Sanchez
• 4 KEYS TO VICTORY/RECAP – Job undone.
• PHOTO OF THE GAME – An unhappy head coach.
• GAMEBOOK
• PRE-GAME

Desperate Teams Face-Off … GameDay Cup O’Chiefs

From East Rutherford, New Jersey

Back when the NFL schedule was announced – and the owners had shut down the league with their lockout of the players – this game looked like one that would be among Week No. 14′s best matchups.

The defending AFC West champions Chiefs would be on the road against the New York Jets, who for the second straight season advanced to the AFC Championship game before losing and missing out on a trip to the playoffs. These were teams headed up on the NFL charts, with the Jets a step or two ahead of the Chiefs.

But these teams carry very different pictures as they head for kickoff Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium here in the swamps of Jersey. Kickoff is noon CST and television coverage is on CBS.

The Chiefs and Jets have been two of the AFC’s biggest disappointments. If you shake out the conference after 12 games, the Jets are ranked No. 9 with their 7-5 record. The Chiefs would fall at No. 11 with their 5-7 record. …Read More!

Appetizers From the Swamps of Jersey

From Lyndhurst, New Jersey

Any NFL road trip to play the Giants or Jets does not mean going to New York. Earlier Saturday, I landed at Newark’s Liberty International Airport, and I’m staying on the west side of the Hudson River.

That would be the New Jersey, one of the most misunderstood states in our 50. If your exposure to Jersey has been flying into Newark or New York and seeing the horizon filled with belching smoke stacks and the landscape of heavy industry, then you’ve missed a lot of the state.

There are parts of New Jersey that are just beautiful, whether it’s the Cap May area at the southern tip, up through the shore resorts like and then there’s the northwest corner, where there’s no smokestack to see for hundreds of miles.

Newark, Camden and Trenton are not garden spots. But Cape May, Princeton and the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area are garden spots in the Garden State.

Thomas Jones And Jets Trade Hugs & Kisses

It’s one of those great to see you weeks for Chiefs RB Thomas Jones and the New York Jets and both sides are saying all sorts of nice things about the other.

After the most productive season of Jones’ long NFL carrier in 2009, the Jets released him. That’s when he signed with the Chiefs.

“I’ve been traded twice and released; I’ve been through pretty much every situation you can think of as far as being a NFL player or professional athlete,” Jones told the New York media this week in a conference call. “I can say when I’m done playing football that I’ve had a lot of experiences that have helped me grow, and not only as a football player but as a person. …Read More!

Ranking The Players After 12 Games

With 75 percent of the season past, it seemed time to update our player rankings for the 2011 season.

Since the last time we published ratings at mid-season, some players have gone up the ladder (CB Javier Arenas, RB Dexter McCluster, OLB Justin Houston) while others have dropped (WR Dwayne Bowe, RB Jackie Battle, DE Glenn Dorsey and LG Ryan Lilja.)

Here’s what we say about where the roster shakes out.

1. ILB Derrick Johnson (1) – He remains the most consistent and productive player on the team and he’s starting to draw attention around the league for his relentless play from inside the Chiefs 3-4 defense. The fact he never comes off the field makes him unusual among many of the inside backers in the league.

2. OLB Tamba Hali (2)

3. K Ryan Succop (left) (9) – After a poor start to his season, he’s become one of the most consistent kickers in the league. He now has 15 FGs in a row, one of the longest streaks currently active in the league.

4. QB Matt Cassel (3)

5. P Dustin Colquitt (6)

6. CB Brandon Flowers (5)

7. CB Javier Arenas (16) – He’s made one of the biggest jumps on the roster over the last four weeks. He’s really stood up in his role as the team’s nickel back and taken on some tough assignments and made them work. Arenas still needs to get into the end zone with a punt or kickoff return. …Read More!

4 Keys To Victory Against The Jets

HISTORY

• This will be the 36th game between these original American Football League franchises. The series is tied at 17 victories for each team, with one tie.
• The last time the teams met was October 29, 2008, when QB Brett Favre led the Jets to a come-from-behind 28-24 victory over the Chiefs at Giants Stadium.
• The Chiefs and Jets have met twice in the playoffs, each team winning once. The Chiefs grabbed a 13-6 victory at Shea Stadium on the AFL playoffs in December 1969. This was the season after the Jets victory in Super Bowl III. The Chiefs win helped them reach Super Bowl IV where they beat Minnesota. The other post-season meeting was in 1986, where the Jets won 35-15 at the Meadowlands. That was the Chiefs first game in the playoffs in 15 years.
• This will be the fourth different stadium where the Chiefs have played the Jets. They met four times at the Polo Grounds, where the Jets won three of four games. At Shea Stadium, the Chiefs held a 5-2 advantage in seven games there and at Giants Stadium the Jets won five of eight games, with one tie.
• New Jersey has never been very kind to the Chiefs, whether they were playing the Jets or Giants. Overall they are 2-12-1 in the Garden State, going 2-5-1 against Gang Green and 0-7 vs. the Big Blue. Their only victories came in 1992 (23-7) and 2002 (29-25). The teams tied in 1988 (17-17).
• The Chiefs visit to MetLife Stadium leaves just one current NFL stadium they have not yet visited – the Dallas Cowboys Dome in Arlington, Texas. Under NFL scheduling plans, the earliest the Chiefs would see the Jerry Dome would be in 2013 when they face the NFC East.
• It has been since the 2004 season since the Chiefs have been able to win back-to-back games on the road in December. With a victory last Sunday in Chicago, the Chiefs have that chance this Sunday with their trip to the Meadowlands. In ’04, they won at Oakland (34-27) and then the following week at Tennessee (49-38).

4

Take Plaxico or Santonio out of the offense

When he’s looking to make a big play, there’s no question where QB Mark Sanchez is going to throw the ball – he’s looking for WRs Plaxico Burress or Santonio Holmes. Combined they have 78 catches and 13 touchdowns and other than TE Dustin Keller, they dominate Sanchez’s view of each play. Over the last three games the K.C. defense has done a great job of blanketing the big play makers of New England, Pittsburgh and Chicago. They need to continue that against the Jets. …Read More!

Growing A Quarterback … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

Tyler Palko will start the fourth game of his NFL career on Sunday against the New York Jets in the Meadowlands.

That he’s reached start No. 4 is a surprise to many fans and pundits who pegged Palko as a quick washout. Palko’s first three starts have been a roller coaster for him, his teammates and Chiefs fans. There were seven Palko turnovers in the first two games, and the Chiefs had two losses. There were no turnovers in the third game, and a Chiefs victory on the road in Chicago.

“I’m just trying to get better every week,” Palko said. “Every week I’ve learned a lot, obviously some through mistakes and some through positive plays but every week I feel more comfortable and I feel like I’m getting better and I feel like our offense is getting better.

“It’s just one of those things where sometimes you take your lumps and move forward.”

Todd Haley sees the improvement in Palko every day, whether it’s on the practice field or in meetings. …Read More!

A Potpourri of Once Chiefly Matters

In the past week, there’s been a lot of news and notes involving those who have departed Arrowhead Stadium, so we will attempt to catch up with some of those items.

Let’s start in Motown.

GUNTHER CALLS OUT JARED ALLEN

The Vikings and Lions play this Sunday and earlier in the week, DE Jared Allen appeared on a Minneapolis radio station where he pretty much verbally destroyed the city of Detroit.

“I don’t like going to Detroit,” Allen said. “I’ll be honest, it’s gloomy, it sucks. Everything is brown and then there is snow on the ground. There’s like Brownstones everywhere and I’m like, ‘Awesome.’ I couldn’t do it. If I had to live in Detroit, I think I’d just drown myself in the river that was across the way.

“I’m not trying to be mean, but it’s just depressing when I go there. There’s two cities like I don’t go out to eat or don’t do anything. It’s Detroit and New Orleans. New Orleans looks like I’m driving through a third-world country every time I get off the plane, I’m like, ‘Oh, flak jacket.’ I’m trying to get down. I’m like, ‘Ah, crap, I can’t carry my gun here. This sucks’.”

Tact was never one of Jared’s qualities and we all know is not averse to saying something to cause a reaction. More than likely he was kidding around, but Gunther Cunningham didn’t see it that way. Gun snapped back at his former DE on Friday.

“He’s not good enough to live here,” Gunther said. “I know him well. He should go back to California, Los Gatos, where all those nice people live. This is too tough a town for him. …Read More!

Practice Report/Update – 12/9

From the Truman Sports Complex

The chances of QB Kyle Orton being available to play on Sunday when the Chiefs face the New York Jets is somewhere between slim and none.

For the third straight day Orton was a “limited participant” in practice on Friday because of his dislocated right index finger that he suffered last Sunday in Chicago. On their injury report to the league, the Chiefs have listed Orton as “doubtful” for the game, which translates to only a 25 percent chance of playing. Expect Orton to be inactive on Sunday.

The Chiefs list ILB Demorrio Williams (groin) and ILB Jovan Belcher (shoulder) as questionable, although both were full participants in Friday’s practice. C Casey Wiegmann (fingers) is listed as probable, as is DE Wallace Gilberry, who was added to the report on Friday after suffering a chest injury in practice.

For the first time this week, Todd Haley had his team outside practicing in the elements Friday morning; It was a sunny Kansas City morning with temperatures in the low 30s, with a light breeze. The National Weather Service forecast for the Meadowlands on Sunday is sunny, with a high near 42. There will be a wind out of the north at 6 mph slowly turning to a west wind.

For the Jets, they continued to list 16 players on their injury report, but only two did not practice at all this week: DL Mike DeVito (knee) and RG Brandon Moore (hip). Here’s how New York classified their walking wounded:

• DOUBTFUL: DL Mike DeVito (knee).
• QUESTIONABLE: RG Brandon Moore (hip), DT Marcus Dixon (hip), RB Joe McKnight (elbow).
• PROBABLE: DB Ellis Lankster (back), LB David Harris (ankle), S Eric Smith (knee), OL Vlade Ducasse (knee), RB Shonn Greene (ribs), WR Jeremy Kerley (knee), C Nick Mangold (ankle), LB Calvin Pace (groin), LS Tanner Purdum (back), OL Matt Slauson (knee), RB LaDainian Tomlinson (knee); DE Muhammad Wilkerson (shoulder).

Dynamic Duo … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

This is a story about a couple of NFL linebackers who are making an impression on the league in this 2011 season. They happen to play side-by-side in the Chiefs defense.

Derrick Johnson is well known as a former No. 1 draft choice of the Chiefs. Jovan Belcher is the unknown guy, a quiet, unassuming, undrafted player out of Maine who arrived to no fanfare and has played three seasons in the shadows.

Together, Johnson and Belcher are two of the most important parts of the defensive effort that led the Chiefs over the last month. Together, it would be hard to find two players with more different backgrounds and paths to the NFL.

**********

The conversation was about Jovan Belcher and Todd Haley kept using the same word as he talked about the third-year linebacker – tough.

“He’s got a tough mindset, he’s very tough minded,” the Chiefs head coach said of Belcher. “I thought it was one of his better games or maybe his best games last Sunday (against Chicago). He’s a tough competitive guy; that inside linebacker position, it’s a tough position to play.

“But the one thing you definitely have to be is tough.” …Read More!

Chiefs Dirty Laundry Piling Up

For an organization that prides itself on operating behind closed doors and allowing very little of the franchise’s internal operations to leak past the locked and guarded gates to their facility, an awful lot of Chiefs dirty laundry still finds its way to the public.

Just this week we had two very different, but very telling stories come from the “new Chiefs” and the way they go about doing their business:

• Former long-time employee Brenda Sniezek filed an age discrimination lawsuit against the organization. Filed late last week, the suit includes a statement attributed to GM Scott Pioli about what the new regime planned to do – “We’re going to get rid of everyone who was with Carl Peterson, especially anyone over the age of 40.”
• According to radio station KCSP-AM 610 Sports, an employee of the team called one of their talk show hosts to share the information that in Chicago last Saturday night, head coach Todd Haley cancelled the team meeting so he could go out to dinner with friends. Again, the report was supposedly based on information volunteered by a member of the Chiefs organization.

Let’s start on the legal side of things. Sniezek was a 29-year employee of the Chiefs and was well known around Kansas City because of her position as the team’s Director of Community Relations. That department was frequently honored not only locally, but nationally around the NFL for their efforts of connecting the team and players to the Kansas City community. It was Sniezek who spearheaded the efforts that helped both Will Shields and Brian Waters earn designation as the NFL’s Man of the Year/Walter Payton Award winners. She and a very hard working staff helped players connect all over the Midwest with various charities and causes. …Read More!

Practice Report/Update – 12/8

From the Truman Sports Complex

The defense has risen to the lead position for the Chiefs in the last month, as they’ve played good, sometimes very good football, while the offense has been ineffective and lacking in production. Over the last five games, the Chiefs have been outscored by 63 points.

Opponents have recently scored 13 and 17 points against the Chiefs defense and have still been able to win the game. Is the defense getting tired of carrying the load? Not in the mind of the Chiefs leading tackler Derrick Johnson.

“Regardless of whatever has happened on the field we have to go out and play defense,” Johnson said after the Chiefs wrapped p Thursday’s practice in their indoor facility. “Our concern is not what our offense can and can’t do. To play defense you have to focus on what you have to do. This is very much a team game and we need to help our offense, like giving them good field position. If they are having problems, we need to help them out.”

The Chiefs were in pads for the 13th time this season. Under the new NFL rules, they have just one more padded practice available to them over the last three weeks.

“There was very good energy and focus out there today,” said head coach Todd Haley. “They understand where we are with four games left and one real big one this weekend with the New York Jets.”

QB Kyle Orton was more spectator than participant as the Chiefs opened their Thursday practice session. …Read More!

The 75 Percent Solutions – Chiefs at ¾ Mark

Through 12 games of the 2011 season, the third quarter has been the least productive for the Chiefs. They’ve scored just 37 points.

The third quarter of the entire season, games No. 9 through 12, were equally as dreadful for this team, as they went 1-3, while scoring just 32 points and two touchdowns in those four games. When we look back on the ’11 season it will be the third quarter where the season sank into the mire of mediocrity.

Hardly seems like a point in the season where anything would be considered good or worth mentioning. But we are nothing if not resolute around here and we honored the best and worst of the first two quarters of the season. Here’s how the last three weeks went in our eyes.

THE BEST

Overall performer – ILB Derrick Johnson turned in what might have been his best performance of the year against the Chicago Bears, with his 13 tackles and one sack. Plus, he knocked Bears RB Matt Forte out of the game with a great tackle right on the knee. Johnson wasn’t trying to hurt him, but it was a textbook tackle. There have been a lot of those types of plays for D.J. this season. Of a dozen games, he’s finished on the plus side 10 or 11 times. One of his least effect games may have been against Pittsburgh, but he rebounded last week. …Read More!

Numbers – Chicago

Saw something Sunday you don’t see all that often from the Chiefs – seven sacks in a game. It was the most in 13 years (10 against the Raiders in September of 1998). It also provided the pressure that helped lead to three interceptions that helped lead to the 10-3 win.

The Chiefs defense has turned in some stellar numbers:

• No third-down conversions allowed
• Fourth quarter shutout for the fourth straight game.
• Three interceptions.
• Dating to Nov. 1, the Chiefs are allowing 161.2 net passing yards per game, best in the NFL in that time frame.

All I can say about that is . . . good thing because they are getting next to no help from the offense.

Against the Jets, the defense needs to come up with a similar effort and rattle quarterback Mark Sanchez in the same fashion that they harassed Caleb Hanie. In two starts, Hanie has almost as bad of numbers as the Chiefs Tyler Palko – two touchdowns and six interceptions. He has been sacked 11 times. …Read More!

Play of the Game – Santonio Holmes 4-yard TD catch

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

 

QUARTER – 2nd, 10 minutes, 7 seconds to play in the half.

SCORE – Jets held a 7-3 lead over the Chiefs.

DOWN & DISTANCE – 2nd-and-goal, at the Chiefs 4-yard line.

DEFENSIVE SET – base defense, 3-4-4.

OFFENSIVE SET – basic pro set with 2 backs, 2 wrs that were bunched left and a tight end strong right.

Playing defense in the scoring zone is tough, but the advantage the defenders have is there is much less ground to cover. When the ball is being snapped from the 4-yard line, that leaves the defense with just 14 yards deep to cover.

The Chiefs couldn’t get that done in the second quarter on Sunday against the Jets. Somehow, Santonio Holmes got behind the secondary and snagged a bullet thrown by QB Mark Sanchez along the back line of the end zone.

Holmes got both feet down and that touchdown made the score 14-3 and opened the flood gates that would not stop until the Jets had a commanding 37-10 victory.

But it was at this moment of the game where the Chiefs still had a chance. They didn’t after Holmes scored.

“It was a mistake that we made,” admitted FS Kendrick Lewis on how Holmes got open at the back of the end zone. Lewis did not name names, and it could have been himself, but the two closest defenders to Holmes were Lewis and Reshard Langford, who was filling in at strong safety for the injured Jon McGraw.

“We should not have let him run back there. That score is on us.”

It also helped that Sanchez had plenty of time to throw the ball on that play, as there was no pass rush pressure at all from the Chiefs.

“We got him a couple of times, but not nearly enough,” said LB Derrick Johnson.

The score came in one of five times the Jets got into the red zone. They scored all five times.

“We were five-for-five in the red zone, or the money zone as we call it now,” said Jets head coach Rex Ryan. “Ever since we started calling it the Money Zone we’re No. 1 in the league in that category. Our guys are doing a great job there.”

It was all part of a great first half offensive performance by the Jets.

“Things were clicking and the running game was phenomenal and it set up a lot,” Sanchez said. “We were pretty efficient in our passing games. We got off to a fast start and that’s important. Red likes to see that from the offense and it definitely does give the team a boost.”

4 Keys To Beating The Jets/Recap

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

4

Take Plaxico or Santonio out of the offense

When he’s looking to make a big play, there’s no question where QB Mark Sanchez is going to throw the ball – he’s looking for WRs Plaxico Burress or Santonio Holmes. Combined they have 78 catches and 13 touchdowns and other than TE Dustin Keller, they dominate Sanchez’s view of each play. Over the last three games the K.C. defense has done a great job of blanketing the big play makers of New England, Pittsburgh and Chicago. They need to continue that against the Jets. SUCCESSFUL – the Chiefs held Burress to no catches and Holmes caught two passes for 12 yards. One of those however, went for a touchdown. It was RBs Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson that hurt the Chiefs.

3

Let Palko use his legs

One thing QB Tyler Palko brings to the field is his ability to run. But so far he’s used his legs only to get out of the way in the pocket from a pass rush. In his first start there was a QB draw called and he ended up losing six yards after the Patriots blitzed right into the handoff. Since, then he’s only run only three times and he has a total of three rushing yards. Todd Haley and Bill Muir need to loosen up and allow him to move, whether in a moving pocket or designed running plays. We aren’t talking about going crazy here, but something that will keep the Jets defense guessing, and loosen things up so Palko has places to throw the ball. FAILURE – Palko ran out of the pocket for a dozen yards at one point, but there did not appear to be any designed runs for him to be able to use his legs.

2

Run the ball on offense

Since losing Jamaal Charles in the second week of the season, the Chiefs have had trouble putting a consistent running game on the field. On the season, they’ve averaged 120.7 rushing yards per game. Since Tyler Palko took over at quarterback for the injured Matt Cassel, they’ve averaged 109.3 yards per game. In the last two weeks it’s down to 101.5 rushing yards per game. They must find a way against the Jets to move the ball with their backs; New York is too good on pass defense to spend all day trying to complete short passes and avoid sacks. Without a run game, Palko will have big problems. FAILURE – with just 65 yards on 21 carries, this was not a winning running performance. It’s even worse if you take Palko’s 12-yard scramble and a 7-yard run by WR Jerheme Urban. That put the backs at 19 carries for 44 yards.

1

Keep Matt Sanchez struggling

It has not been a good year for the Jets QB. He has a 19-11 TD-to-INT ratio. He’s averaging just 6.61 yards per attempt, with a completion percentage at 56.5 percent. Along with his fumbles lost, he’s turned the ball over 16 times and been sacked 25 times. The improved and productive K.C. defense needs to get Sanchez on the ground, force the ball out of his hands and create situations where he makes bad decisions. The home crowd has taken to booing their quarterback, and the Chiefs need to do whatever they can to continue that trend. FAILURE – the Chiefs defense was just what Sanchez needed to sooth his problems. Sanchez became the first New York Jets QB to run for a pair of TDs and pass for two scores. He was on target and when needed he used his feet, as evidenced by the TD runs.

Hideous Offensive Start Looks Familiar For Chiefs

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Le’Ron McClain’s eyes got as big as saucers.

“Did you say four yards?” McClain asked.

Yes Le’Ron, the Chiefs had just four yards offense in the first half of Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets.

“That’s unbelievable,” McClain said. “How could that happen?”

How could it happen especially when the Chiefs have been working hard at starting faster in games?

“We’ve been talking about that for weeks now,” said McClain. “We’ve been working hard at trying to start faster. We are not getting it done.”

That would be the understatement of the afternoon in the swamps of Jersey. How indeed could an NFL football finish 30 minutes of play with only four yards gained? Turns out it’s quite possible when it’s a defense that is playing well and an offense that can’t get out of its own way.

“We are just making too many mistakes,” said WR Jerheme Urban, who had the Chiefs only touchdown, scoring on a 24-yard touchdown pass from QB Tyler Palko. “We are not doing the things that will allow us a chance to score points and win games.”

Here’s and ugly reprise of what happened in the first 30 minutes of action, a period when the Chiefs held the ball for just over nine minutes:

• They had seven possessions in the first and second quarters. Only one led to a score as Ryan Succop nailed a 53-yard field goal.
• There were 21 plays run.
• Of those plays, there were 9 that gained yardage, putting up 34 total yards. But 6 plays went for negative yardage, a total of minus-30. There were 6 more plays that did not gain anything.

It’s an ugly, ugly litany of offensive despair that left the Chiefs with no way to compete in Sunday’s game.

“We have to figure out a way to make some progress here,” said Todd Haley. “It’s been the same thing all year. We’ve just been very, very inconsistent. This game is a microcosm of the entire season.”

There’s some truth to that, considering the Chiefs offense had just one first down and went 0 for 6 in the half. Palko was 3 of 8 in the first half, while being sacked three times and throwing an interception. Those pass plays went 5, 4 and 2 yards. His three sacks cost them 7, 8 and 11 yards.

“We need to get it fixed,” said McClain. “We are running out of time.”

Column: Impossibly Bad On Offense

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Four yards. Four lousy, stinkin’, smelly, awful yards.

That’s what the Chiefs were able to gain in total offensive yards during the first half of Sunday’s debacle against the Jets.

Four yards – on 21 plays. I’m no math major but divided 4 by 21 and that works out to .190476190 yards per snap.

I could keep chopping away at the numbers but that begins to get boring and at a certain point nonsensical. I’ve been watching Chiefs football closely for 31 seasons and I can say I’ve never quite seen a half as pitifully played as this one when the red and gold had the ball.

They finished the game with 221 yards, but all of that was in the second half when the Jets were worried more about wrapping up their eighth victory as quickly as possible and making early dinner reservations in Manhattan.

With the offense on the field Sunday, there was simply no chance of the Chiefs winning this game. They had 19 rushing yards in the half, on 10 runs, or an average of 1.9 yards per play. That’s 1.9, not .19. But it was the minus-15 yards in the passing game that stunk to high heaven. QB Tyler Palko threw eight times, completed just three for 11 yards. But he was sacked three times, losing 26 yards and when the adding and subtraction is over the Chiefs ended up with those four lousy yards.

It was offensive ineptitude that one should never see on the NFL level. Listen, I understand completely the handicaps that the Chiefs are working under with their offense. On Sunday they did not have their best running back, best tight end and best quarterback. They were playing on the road and they were playing against one of the league’s better defenses.

And maybe there’s something to the idea of look what happened after Charlie Weis left, although I’m not buying it. If Weis had been around this year, he would have had the same problems of no Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki, and he would have lost Matt Cassel.

All of that is understood. What does not make sense is how GM Scott Pioli and head coach Todd Haley could allow their offense to fall to the level it has, and once again when we pull that string, it goes right back to the reason this team is 5-8 and playing out the string over the final three games.

They do not have enough talent. They aren’t even close to having the players necessary to be a contender. Last year’s Chiefs team won a division title thanks to a weak schedule and a remarkable string of health that a team enjoys once every decade or so.

Pioli and Haley had to know this; they’ve both been around the NFL long enough to realize what the major factors were in last year’s season. They couldn’t have expected a repeat.

All that time during the owners’ lockout when the front office was marking time for the start of the season appears to have been wasted. With a treasure trove of salary cap money, an owner who keeps saying that money is not a detriment to improving the roster and the largest group of free agents to hit the market since the start of unrestricted free agency in 1993, they got nothing done.

Let’s just take the case of Charles, the engine for their offense in 2010 and a guy they worried about giving too much work over the season because he’s not a physically big back. That’s a legitimate worry in their case.

But going into the 2011 regular-season opener, the Chiefs did nothing to improve their depth at running back. They were happy relying on a tired Thomas Jones struggling to continue his career and Jackie Battle, totally unproven as a primary running back. They did move Dexter McCluster to running back from wide receiver, but that had more to do with McCluster and trying to deal with his small size than improving the running back position.

A team that considers itself a run first offense – and that’s what Haley believes in for his club – must always been searching for ways to increase the talent level at the position. Running backs are prone to injury; a team can never have enough good running backs.

But in the 2011 NFL Draft, they did not draft a running back. Among the college free agents, they did not sign any backs of note. In free agency, they added fullback Le’Ron McClain, but he’s proven to be no factor in the running game. He’s no factor in the offense at all, with 18 touches for 72 yards on the season.

With the exception of Jackie Battle’s 119-yard performance against a still winless Indianapolis team, the Chiefs running game has gotten nothing done. They had enough rushing yardage going into Sunday’s game to rank No. 9 in the NFL.

But they had just 3 rushing touchdowns and they had only two rushes on the season of more than 30 yards. In four games they gained less than 100 rushing yards, including Sunday. After Battle’s game, the next best rushing day was 76 yards.

It was there for all to see on Sunday, in what may have been the most brutal performance of a very brutal season. That first half offensive performance was one for the ages.

Another Stinker As Chiefs Fall 37-10 To Jets

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

An inept offensive performance and a defense that lost the mojo it had built over the last month combined to sink what’s left of the Chiefs 2011 season.

It all died in the swamps of Jersey, as the New York Jets hung a 37-10 beating on the Chiefs in front of a paid attendance of 79,088.

This game was not as close as the score indicates. Give Todd Haley’s team credit for never quitting and playing until the clock struck 00:00. But that’s the least they could have done to earn their paycheck which they stole with a brutal first half performance on both sides of the ball.

The Jets held a 28-3 half-time lead after grinding for 253 offensive yards, in just 40 plays, with four touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Chiefs had just 4 yards in total offense on 21 plays. Other than a first quarter 53-yard field goal from Ryan Succop, they never got out of their own territory on the six other possessions

“When you can’t get a first down and you’re having trouble keeping the other team from getting first downs, it’s not going to be a good half,” Haley said after the game.

“I take my hat off to the New York Jets. They were more prepared and just played better, period.”

The Chiefs are now 5-8 and the math does not point to a future beyond the New Year’s Day game against Denver. The victory left the Jets 8-5 and still in the thick of the race for a wildcard spot in the AFC playoffs.

“I thought our team played well,” said Jets head coach Rex Ryan. “I feel great about our offense. The yards weren’t great, but we were five-for-five in the money zone. I thought the defensive was impressive.

“I guess it would be our best game so far this year.”

The game did not begin well for the Jets. Before they could snap the ball on the first offensive play of the game, they were forced to call a timeout because of confusion in the huddle. For a team that’s been heavily criticized for offensive miscues and problems, it brought a shower of boos out of the MetLife Stadium stands before even 30 seconds had rolled off the clock.

“That wasn’t great,” Ryan said. “That’s not going to go on my coaching resume. It was just a miscommunication on personnel.”

But the Jets offense made up for that when the first play was a 31-yard run by Greene where he broke at least two Chiefs tackles. Ultimately, it was an 11-play, 77-yard drive where they converted a pair of third downs, one thanks to a penalty against Chiefs CB Javier Arenas for defensive holding.

The score came on 1st-and-goal at the 1, when Sanchez rolled out to his left after faking a handoff and ran untouched into the end zone, completely fooling OLB Andy Studebaker who had containment on that side of the defense. The PAT kick by Nick Folk gave the Jets a 7-0 lead they never relinquished.

Before the first half was over, the Jets would add three more touchdowns as the Kansas City defense could not stop the RB duo of Greene and veteran “pain in the Chiefs butt” LaDainian Tomlinson. Plus, Jets QB Mark Sanchez had a very good first half. Sanchez helped put the second New York TD on the scoreboard throwing a bullet to WR Santonio Holmes for a 4-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter.

They capped a 9-play drive with a 7-yard touchdown run by Greene, where he ran through an arm-tackle attempt by CB Brandon Carr and then ran over FS Kendrick Lewis into the end zone. The PAT made it 21-3.

And before the half ended, Tomlinson scored on a 19-yard screen pass on a possession set up in good field position by a nice punt return by Jets WR Jeremy Kerley.

By intermission, the Jets had 253 offensive yards, compared to 4 yards for the Chiefs, who were 0-for-6 on third down conversions and had minus-15 yards in net passing. It was as ugly a half of offense as the Chiefs have played in some time.

In the third quarter, the Chiefs were finally able to move the ball a little bit, but they were unable to get close enough to score or even stay on the field. They turned the ball over three times in the period on punts.

The Jets meanwhile added another touchdown, this time with Sanchez scoring from 3 yards out. The PAT kick made the score 35-3 at the end of a 6-play, 90-yard drive.

In the fourth quarter, the Chiefs lost their cool and also finally reached the end zone. Both Haley and RB Le’Ron McClain were hit with unsportsmanlike conduct calls for their words screamed at the officials. But Palko took them on a 10-play, 65-yard drive, finishing up with a 24-yard touchdown throw to WR Jerheme Urban.

New York added two points for a safety when RB Jackie Battle was tackled in the end zone on a 1st-and-10 play from the Chiefs 1-yard line. That set the final score at 37-10.

Positives in this game were few and far between for Haley and his team. They are now 5-8 on the season, with the unbeaten Green Bay Packers coming to Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday. Then it’s Oakland on Christmas Eve and at Denver on New Year’s Day.

So where do the Chiefs sit now, other than at 5-8 and sitting at the bottom of the AFC West?

“We have to figure out a way to make some progress here,” Haley said. “It’s been the same thing all year; we’ve just been very inconsistent. This game was a microcosm of the entire season.”

REPORT CARD: Chiefs Vs. Jets

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

RUSHING OFFENSE: F – It wasn’t like the afternoon turned out to be a good time to punch up the running statistics. But anything would have helped the Chiefs offense in the first half especially, and they owned a 1.9-yard per carry average. They finished the game averaging 3.1 yards per carry, gaining 65 yards on 21 carries. Take out 19 yards from QB Tyler Palko and WR Jerheme Urban and that’s 19 carries for 44 yards.

PASSING OFFENSE: F – When the first half was over, the Chiefs had minus-15 in net passing yards. That they finished up with 156 yards and a touchdown catch says a lot about their fortitude in the second half. But it wasn’t nearly enough to get the Chiefs back into the game. Five sacks kept Palko pretty gun shy for most of the day.

RUSHING DEFENSE: F – Shonn Greene took off on a 31-yard run on the first offensive snap of the game and that painted the picture that was ahead for the Chiefs. By the time he was done, Greene had 129 yards on 24 carries. QB Mark Sanchez had two runs, but they were designed for that, and both ended up in the end zone.

PASSING DEFENSE: C – The Jets really didn’t have to rely on their passing game in the second half, so heaven knows what their grade may have been if Sanchez was still flinging it around. The Chiefs had three sacks in 24 passing plays, a pretty good ratio for them. They only allowed one play to get away from them, and that one went for 36 yards. Screen passes killed the Chiefs all day.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C – The Chiefs did a good job of not giving up much in the kicking game, but they also did not make anything happen on special teams. Ryan Succop hit his 17th straight FG and the lost contain on coverage only once, when WR Jeremy Kerley got away for a 26-yard punt return.

COACHING: F – Haley blew his cool in the second half and was slapped with an unsportsmanlike penalty call. Later, his example led FB Le’Ron McClain to get his own unsportsmanlike call. While the deciding factor in this game was a question of talent, Haley and his staff did not do a good job in preparing the Chiefs. Or, more accurately they did not do a job as well as Rex Ryan and his staff.

Palko’s Time May Be Short

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

Now holding a 1-3 record as the Chiefs starting quarterback, Tyler Palko knows enough about football and the pressures of the game to understand that the clock is ticking on his chance.

That was very evident on Sunday against the New York Jets when Palko and the offense struggled through one of the worst offensive performances in 30 minutes of play in club history. By the time it was all over, the Chiefs were able to score a touchdown and put 221 offensive yards on the books, but the offense was not a factor in the 37-10 loss.

It was an ugly day for Palko, as he completed 16 of32 passes for 195 yards, one TD and one INT. He was sacked five times. Out of 58 plays, the Chiefs offense was able to gain 20 yards or more only four times.

And late in the game, Todd Haley contemplated putting rookie Ricky Stanzi in the game to finish things up for the Chiefs. Ultimately, he went back to Palko, but heaven knows if that will be the case if Kyle Orton can play this Sunday against Green Bay. Orton was inactive on this Sunday because of that dislocated right index finger he suffered last Sunday in Chicago.

In the first half, the Chiefs had 4 offensive yards.

“It’s frustrating to put in so much work during the week and then start the game like we started,” Palko said. “We came out in the second half and we didn’t quit. We kept fighting on offense and found a way to move the ball and got the ball in the end zone. It was just too little, too late. It’s frustrating.”

Palko was under constant pass rush pressure from the Jets when he was throwing the ball. Sometimes he held on too long, other times he did a bad job of feeling the pressure and sliding in the pocket. Too often he was brought down by an ankle, showing his lack of overall strength and the ability to tear away from tacklers.

But most of the time he was just snowed under. The Jets five sacks did not come because of a lot of fancy defensive machinations worked up by New York head coach Rex Ryan and his defense. They were just able to win the one-on-one battles with the Chiefs protection.

“The Jets put a lot of pressure on you; that’s just what they do,” Palko said. “They are a lot like the Steelers. They have guys all over the place. It seems like they play with 12 or 13 guys sometimes because they have guys everywhere.

“We struggled in the first half but I thought for the most part in the second half we did some good things. We had good protection schemes and the offensive line did a good job adjusting, it was just too little too late.”

And that maybe the status of Palko’s chances to be an NFL starting quarterback.

There’s Only One Thing Left to Play for – Pride

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

“Our main motive right now is to win these next three and finish 8-8 and save some face.”

Those were the words spoken by Chiefs NT Kelly Gregg in the locker room after the Chiefs took a 37-10 beating from the New York Jets. Normally a jolly sort, his face was a mask of seriousness as he talked about what there’s left to play for the 5-8 Chiefs over the last three games.

“The way we started this year was no good, we got to end better,” Gregg said. “Nobody wants to end up with a losing record. We’ve got to win three to be 8-8. That has to be our main goal. Hopefully we can get it started at home.”

Gregg spent a decade playing for the Baltimore Ravens and in those 10 seasons, the team finished with a winning record eight times, made the playoffs five times and won three post-season games. This type of season, where the Chiefs are now 5-8, is something he’s not familiar with and is having a hard time digesting.

“It’s tough,” Gregg said. “The high expectations we had, I know I certainly had joining this team, it seems like we get no breaks, not in the season, not in the game. When it goes bad, it went bad.”

But why did it go bad? That’s the million-dollar question that everyone, including Gregg wants to know.

“This team has too much talent to go out and lose a game like that one today,” Gregg said. “There are too many good coaches, it’s a good organization. RAC (Romeo Crennel) is a great guy to play for; he does an outstanding job of taking apart an offense and putting us in the right positions.

“I think Todd (Haley) does a great job of getting us ready to play every week. He’s very good at knowing when to go to the whip and when to back off. He works us hard, but its good work, smart work, the type that gets you prepared to play.”

So with all those pieces why are the Chiefs 5-8 and dead in the run to the AFC post-season?

“There are a lot of things we have not done when it comes to going out and playing what the coaches have put together,” Gregg said. “I know everybody wants to point to injuries, and they are a factor. But every team has injuries. It’s something you have to overcome in some form every year.

“Man, if I knew how to explain it, I’d probably be able to come up with a way to stop it and I wouldn’t walk out of this locker room feeling as bad as I do.

“I’m sick of it, we are all sick of it. But all we can do is go home, get back to work on Monday and get ready for the next game. We are pros, and that’s what pros do.”

Practice Report/Update – 12/7

From the Truman Sports Complex

The cold and wind chased the Chiefs indoors for Wednesday practice, their first of the week in preparation for this Sunday’s game against the Jets in New Jersey.

Todd Haley said it wasn’t really so much to do with the weather, but the playing surface. The Chiefs worked inside on the fake stuff, the same type of turf they will play on at MetLife Stadium when they face the Jets. He expects to have his team outside for practice later in the week.

Early weather reports for the swamps of New Jersey over the coming weekend call for sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 40s.

All 61 players were on the field for the workout, but QB Kyle Orton was doing a lot more watching than taking part in anything because of the dislocated right index finger. Orton was wearing what appeared to be a small splint on the end of his finger, but it was not heavily bandaged or protected in any way. He made a few hand offs with an imaginary football, and did not attempt any passes during the open period of Chiefs practice.

The team’s practice report listed three players. LB Demorrio Williams (groin) was a full participant, with C Casey Wiegmann (finger) and QB Kyle Orton (finger) as limited participants.

The Jets have 16 players on their injury report, but only seven did not practice or were limited:

• Did not practice – DL Mike DeVito (knee), DB Ellis Lankster (lower back), OL Brandon Moore (hip).
• Limited participation – DL Marcus Dixon (hip), LB David Harris (ankle), RB Joe McKnight (elbow), DB Eric Smith (knee).

Sunday Pre-Game – Chiefs vs. Jets

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

10:50 a.m. CST – P Dustin Colquitt is chatting up Jets punter T.J. Conley, I’m sure to see if he can pick up any tips on the winds inside the stadium since this is the Chiefs first visit to this building. There is wind outside the stadium, but no evidence of any problems on the playing surface.

10:45 a.m. CST – Former Chiefs player personnel director Terry Bradway is on the field enjoying conversation with some familiar faces. Bradway is not the senior personnel executive with the Jets. He helps coordinate the team’s draft preparations each year.                                                   

10:40 a.m. CST – No surprises with the inactive list for the Chiefs today. With the Jets, they will be without RB-Kick returner Joe McKnight. That’s a big loss for New York. He’s out because of a right elbow injury that he’s been battling for several weeks. Replacing him however, is CB Antonio Cromartie, who is no slouch in returning kicks and punts.

10:35 a.m. CST – Inactive players for the Jets today are QB Kevin O’Connell, WR Eron Riley, RB Joe McKnight, CB Ellis Lankster, DE Mike DeVito, OT Austin Howard and DT Kenrick Ellis.

10:30 a.m. CST – Inactive players for the Chiefs today are QB Kyle Orton, WR Jeremy Horne, S Donald Washington, OT David Mims, TE Jake O’Connell, DE Brandon Bair and DT Jerrell Powe.

10:25 a.m. CST – Todd Haley and Tom Moore now enjoying a conversation at the 25-yard line, with Jim Zorn in the mix as well. The throwing session has ended although Ricky Stanzi is throwing a few extra balls to TEs Jake O’Connell and Anthony Becht.

10:20 a.m. CST – A lot of the Chiefs are out early this morning; probably half of the game day roster is on the field doing something right now to warm-up. They usually aren’t out in these numbers when it’s still 90 minutes ahead of kickoff.  One reason may be the artificial turf, which they see so infrequently as a game surface.

10:15 a.m. CST – At the 50-yard line enjoying a conversation are Jets offensive consultant Tom Moore and Chiefs assistant offensive line coach Pat Perles. Moore coached for many years with Perles’ father George with the Steelers. Todd Haley has talked about how Moore was the guy who would give him a ride to the stadium for home games because he lived in the same neighborhood as the Haleys; well, the other guy in the backseat was Pat Perles.

10:10 a.m. CST – RB Dexter McCluster is out early and running routes from wide receiver positions in the pre-pre-game warm-up period. Might be an indication we’ll see more plays in this game where McCluster is set out wide.

10:05 a.m. CST – The Chiefs QBs and receivers have begun their pre-pre-game throwing session and Kyle Orton is not taking part, a pretty clear indication that he’ll be inactive today. Ricky Stanzi is throwing with Tyler Palko, and Stanzi has his uniform pants on and he’s wearing his game shoes. Orton is off to the side talking with QB coach Jim Zorn. Also on the field is Matt Cassel.

10:01 a.m. CST – The weather report for game time is sunny skies, with a high temperature near 40 degrees. The winds are from the north, blowing between 6 and 10 miles per hour. As the day goes on, the wind will turn and come from the west. No precipitation expected or predicted. Right now it’s 34 degrees, with the wind chill making it feel like 30 degrees.

10 a.m. CST – Good morning from the Meadowlands, where the sun has come up on what looks like a beautiful day here in the swamps of Jersey. It’s cold and as there always a wind of some kind. The stadium is built up to the point where it’s hard to tell if the wind will be much of a factor on the field, but there are some spots in the end zones under the upper deck that are open. The wind used to be a major factor at the old stadium, but this building is so much bigger. By the way Giants Stadium as it was called is completely gone. It’s now a parking lot.

Stocking Up On Stock … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs

Who is Jamar Newsome, Will Shields is a Hall of Famer and Joe Horn has a lawyer. All are part of today’s epistle, but first we go north and start with the defending Super Bowl champions.

If there were any doubts about how big the Green Bay Packers are they were settled on Tuesday.

The Pack are so beloved by the Cheese Heads and Wisconsin expatriates that they are willing to give the team money and get nothing but a piece of paper in return.

It’s the closest thing to stealing and it’s all legal and above board. In fact, fans of the Packers are thrilled to death that they can send money to the team and in return get a piece of paper.

For the first time in 14 years, shares in the Packers were available for purchase by anybody with $250 and another $25 for a handling fee. The sale started at 8 a.m.

The first share was purchased by a man from Texas. No word on whether his name was Hunt.

By 8:11 a.m., there were another 1,599 shares sold. That’s $400,000, with $40,000 more in handling fees. That works out to $40,000 a minute.

The pace slowed a bit as fans could not get through clogged phone lines and to a site on the internet, but shares continued to fly out the door.

The Packers are the only team in the NFL that is not owned by an individual or a collection of folks. Technically, it’s owned by the citizens of Green Bay and there are many original shareholders still involved with the franchise. Overall there are 112,000 shareholders that own 4.7 million shares. Do the math and that makes the Packers, at $250 a share, worth $1.175 billion.

They are selling shares because for one, they can, and two they want to use the proceeds to help with a $143 million expansion of Lambeau Field, that will include a new scoreboard and an additional 6,700 seats. …Read More!

Photo Of The Game

P

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

No idea of whether this picture was taken before head coach Todd Haley drew a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, during the flag, or afterwards.

But it’s obvious the head coach is vexed by something and in this case, it’s either the zebras or his team. Maybe it came in the first half when his offense was non-existent.

Anyway, it’s not really hard to provide a caption to this one.

Chiefs Defense Exposed By Jets

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

For the better part of the last month, the Chiefs defense was the only consistent part of the team. While the offense struggled to put points on the board or keep possessions going, the defense was asked again and again to keep the game from getting out of hand.

They got the job done until Sunday against the New York Jets. While they were not as bad as the Chiefs offense, the Kansas City defense got punched in the mouth, run over, ran past and out thought in the first half.

That they staggered into the locker at half-time down 28-3 left them frustrated and just outright mad.

“We’ve been getting the job done and to play like that, in a game that was so important for us to win, that’s just not right,” said FS Kendrick Lewis. “We just had too many mistakes. We didn’t need to help them and we did.”

Yes they did. In the first half, the Jets pretty much did what they wanted to do. It began with an 11-play, 77-yard scoring drive on their first possession. By half-time they had three more touchdowns.

While the Chiefs were able to stymie the WR-duo of Plaxico Burress and Santonio Holmes, they were not able to handle the RB-duo of Shonn Greene and LaDainian Tomlinson. Burress was shutout, while Holmes had two catches for 12 yards – one of those catches was a 4-yard TD play.

Greene and Holmes however, touched the ball a combined 38 times for 251 of the Jets 314 yards of offense. Screen passes killed the Chiefs, as Green had one that went for 36 yards, and Tomlinson added one for 31 yards and then a 19-yard screen for a touchdown.

“They’re a fast flow defense,” said Jets QB Mark Sanchez. “They rush the passer very well and some of that misdirection stuff can get those guys if you have the right timing. And we did. The offensive linemen got out in the screen game, the backs did a great job of positioning themselves and you just have to get the ball to them. They’re like long handoffs; that’s the way we treat them.”

One of the biggest problems for the Chiefs defense was their tackling. Greene started the game with a 31-yard run on the first offensive snap, where he ran out of three different tackles. When Greene scored on a seven-yard run, he ran through the arm tackle attempt by CB Brandon Carr and then blasted Lewis while getting into the end zone.

“That first half was not very good for us,” said LB Derrick Johnson, who led the defense as always with a dozen tackles. “We played a lot better in the second half.”

The numbers would agree, but then the game’s outcome was already decided. In the second half the Jets had just 61 offensive yards on 26 plays, with no only one advance going for more than 10 yards. In the first half on 40 plays, nine went for more than 10 yards.

“Not our best effort at all,” said DE Glenn Dorsey. “I’m not sure why. They didn’t surprise us with anything. We were prepared. They just played better than we did.”

Jets Notes & Quotes: Cheers For Sanchez

From MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

The life of a quarterback is always a tough one when it comes to living in the spotlight. That’s why they get paid so much money. No quarterback has more to gain, or more to lose than the guy working in New York.

Whether the jersey is blue or green, being a New York quarterback can wear you out – remember, they even booed Joe Namath.

Mark Sanchez knows that, but for this week at least, he’s the King of New York, after his performance against the Chiefs and the Jets staying a factor in the AFC race for the playoffs.

The last time the Jets played at MetLife Stadium the crowd booed him. This time, they cheered him in the pre-game introductions and he responded by becoming the first Jets quarterback to throw a pair of touchdown passes, but also score a pair himself.

“We’re just trying to win a game,” Sanchez said afterwards, when asked if he noticed the affection thrown his way to start the game. “That’s the last thing on my mind.”

In one of the Jets best performances of the year, Sanchez was 13 of 21 (62%), throwing for 181 yards, 8.6 yards per attempt. He threw the touchdown passes to WR Santonio Holmes and RB LaDainian Tomlinson on a screen.

All of this in a game where he had to call a timeout before the first offensive snap, setting up a chance for the boo birds.

“That’s something we have to get cleaned up,” said Sanchez. “If we don’t get the right guys in the huddle, then we’re not getting the play until late and we’re fighting the clock.”

MEDICAL MATTERS

In the second quarter the Chiefs lost SS Jon McGraw with a left ankle injury and he did not return. McGraw got the ankle taped, but stayed on the sideline for the rest of the game. His spot in the base defense as taken by Reshard Langford while Sabby Piscitelli filled in for him in the sub-defense against the pass.

DE Glenn Dorsey limped off the field with 10 minutes to play in the second quarter with what appeared to be a left leg injury. He ended up missing just one play.

The Jets had a tough injury when S Jim Leonhard was injured after making the only interception of the game. Leonhard grabbed a short Tyler Palko throw to WR Steve Breaston. As he tried to run, Breaston grabbed his ankle and Leonard tried to twist away and suffered a knee injury that reportedly will keep him out for the rest of the season.

ATMOSPHERE REPORT

It was a relatively nice weather day for December in the Northeast so there was a full house at MetLife Stadium. They can make some noise and they did, but it was nothing that was inhibiting to the Chiefs.

As for Chiefs fans, there are a dwindling number of those showing up for these road trips. Only a few red jackets in the stands for this one; usually there are quite a few when they come to this part of the country.

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT

Ryan Succop – He nailed a 53-yard FG in the first quarter, giving him 17 in a row now. On the season he’s now 3-for-3 from 50 yards out. Succop kicked off three times, with the Jets beginning two of those possessions at their 23-yard line. The third was a botched onside kick attempt where Succop hit the ball and then it bounced up and hit him, ending the play.

Dustin Colquitt – The punter was busy with seven punts for a gross average of 51.3 yards and a net average of 45.1 yards. He had three kicks downed inside the 20-yard line, with a long punt of 61 yards. His punts went 61, 57, 56, 54, 49, 48 and 34 yards. His best net punt was his first of the game that traveled 56 yards with no return.

Javier Arenas – He had one kickoff return for 31 yards and one punt return for 10 yards.

Dexter McCluster – He jumped into the kickoff return duties with five for an average of 17.8 yards. His longest return was 30 yards. He also returned one punt for four yards. McCluster did fumble one of his kickoff returns, but it was recovered by teammate Jalil Brown.

Coverage – Press box statistics credited OLB Andy Studebaker with two tackles in the kicking game, along with solos from CB Travis Daniels, LB Cory Greenwood, S Reshard Langford and WR Terrance Copper.

ZEBRA REPORT

Veteran official Terry McAulay’s crew ran the game and they won’t soon be forgotten by head coach Todd Haley and the team’s defensive back. In one third quarter series where the Jets had the ball, the Chiefs were flagged for six penalties including one against Haley for unsportsmanlike conduct. Two officials on his side of the field at the time – Field Judge Terry Brown and Line Judge Mark Steinkerchner – didn’t like what they heard from the coach.

“I’m not getting into the penalties,” Haley said after the game. “The one thing we can’t do is lose our composure over a call. That’s on me, 100 percent.”

Here’s how the flags went against the Chiefs, who lost 128 yards on 11 penalties that were walked off:

In contrast, the Jets were flagged four times for just 22 yards in penalties.

Haley lost a replay challenge on the placement of the ball on a third down play. The on-field ruling was upheld.

PERSONNEL FILE

The inactive players for the Chiefs were QB Kyle Orton, WR Jeremy Horne, S Donald Washington, OT David Mims, TE Jake O’Connell, DE Brandon Bair and DT Jerrell Powe. The only active player who did not play was QB Ricky Stanzi.

The inactive players for the Jets were QB Kevin O’Connell, WR Eron Riley, RB Joe McKnight, CB Ellis Lankster, DE Mike Devito, OT Austin Howard and DT Kenrick Ellis.

Personnel File – New York Jets

Personnel leader – Executive Vice President/General Manager Mike Tannenbaum is in his sixth season as the GM of the Jets and he has the power. He shares some of that with head coach Rex Ryan, who has a big say so on personnel issues. Tannebaum began his career as an intern with the New Orleans Saints in 1994, after graduating from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in accounting. He spent time as a player personnel assistant with the Saints and Browns, before joining the Jets in 1997 where he handled player contracts. He moved up the ladder with various titles until 2004 when he was named Senior Vice-President of Football Operations.

Key aides – Senior Personnel Executive Terry Bradway, Assistant Player Personnel Director JoJo Wooden, Pro Personnel Director Brendan Prophet, Assistant Director of College Scouting Michael Davis.

Personnel department – 15 people, including the GM. Maybe this tells you a bit about how the Jets feel about their scouts – in a 474-page media guide this year, there is no biographical material on any of the personnel department personnel. It’s a small thing, but I’m sure it bothers a few of those scouts because of the message it sends – work hard for us, but we won’t recognize you. It’s a strange approach to building a personnel team. …Read More!

Chiefs Update – 12/5

From the Truman Sports Complex

There was no update on the dislocated right index finger of QB Kyle Orton on Monday as the Chiefs put to bed the victory over Chicago and started preparations for this Sunday’s game against the Jets in the Meadowlands.

“Not at this time,” was how head coach Todd Haley answered the question of whether there was an update on Orton’s dislocated digit. “We’ve got to gather some more facts on it and see where he is. He was pretty sore this morning.”

Figure that Haley and the Chiefs will keep Orton’s status in the shadows for as long as they can this week, in hopes of forcing the New York Jets to spend valuable practice time preparing for both Tyler Palko and Orton.

As is their practice, the Chiefs had no other injury information on Monday. After the game on Sunday, OLB Tamba Hali said he was on the way to get an x-ray of his hand. Even if the hand is broken, Hali would likely be able to play with a soft cast or brace.

Also, no word on FS Kendrick Lewis; he left Sunday’s game in the second quarter with a right knee injury. Lewis returned in the second half and finished out the game.

Sunday’s Best – 12/4

LONGEST PLAY

77 – Miami WR Edmond Gates kickoff return vs. Oakland (W).

69 – Dallas Felix Jones kickoff return vs. Arizona (L).

68 – Baltimore CB Ladarius Webb punt return for TD vs. Cleveland (W).

67 – Baltimore RB Ray Rice run vs. Cleveland (W).

67 – New Orleans WR Robert Meachem TD catch vs. Detroit (W).

67 – N.Y. Giants TE Travis Beckum touchdown catch vs. Green Bay (L).

66 – Miami P Brandon Fields punt vs. Oakland (W).

66 – Houston P Brett Hartmann punt vs. Atlanta (W).

63 – Denver WR Quan Cosby kickoff return vs. Minnesota (W).

62 – Buffalo P Brian Moorman punt vs. Tennessee (L). …Read More!

Chiefs End Losing Streak With 10-3 Victory Over Bears

From Soldier Field, Chicago

After an ugly month when they went zero-for-November as a team, the Chiefs emerged from their self-inflicted funk and beat the Chicago Bears 10-3.

The defensive struggle saw the Chiefs hold the Bears and backup QB Caleb Hanie out of the end zone. They did it with a pass rush that knocked Hanie down time-after-time, a total of seven in all.

Tyler Palko started and led the offense for all but one play. He threw a 38-yard TD pass on a Hail Mary play to Dexter McCluster on the final play of the first half.

Palko was replaced for the first play of the second quarter by Kyle Orton, who promptly injured his right index finger. He left the game and did not return.

There were great stories in abundance on this Sunday and here’s our coverage:

• GAME STORY – Unbelievable script leads to victory.
• COLUMN – No, Haley’s not crazy, but maybe should be.
• PLAY OF THE GAME – Hail Dexter play provides winning difference.
• SIDEBAR – Round No. 1 of QB Controversy goes to Palko.
• SIDEBAR – Romeo does it again.
• SIDEBAR – Dustin Colquitt waits four years for revenge.
• SIDEBAR – Dexter McCluster comes alive.
• SIDEBAR – Houston, we have a pass rusher.
• REPORT CARD – Special teams, coaching get top marks.
• NOTES & QUOTES – Bears season turns bad.
• 4 KEYS TO VICTORY/RECAP – Great success for Chiefs.
• GAME BOOK
• PRE-GAME COVERAGE

QB In Focus Today … GameDay Cup O’Chiefs

From Chicago, Illinois

Was Todd Haley playing games all week with the Chicago Bears and Chiefs fans? Or, will he really start Tyler Palko Sunday afternoon when the Chiefs roll into Soldier Field to face the Bears (7-4) and leave Kyle Orton on the sidelines?

Everyone will know for sure just after kickoff at 12 noon. TV coverage is on CBS.

“Tyler will start,” Haley said Friday, repeating the theme he’s presented since early in the week. “Kyle will be ready to roll.”

If he follows through on his decision to start Palko, will it be a nominal appearance, or will he jump ship at the first sign of trouble and use Orton? Will Orton possibly come in and take a series or two, and Palko goes back in?

Understand this – anything is possible. Haley has drilled into the heads of this team this week that they are about to start a five-game season where if they won all five they would finish 9-7 and should make the playoffs.

“Everybody thinks were done, but we don’t think that way,” said DE Wallace Gilberry. “There’s a lot we can still get done. We have a lot to play for. It’s a five-game season.” …Read More!

A Pan of Deep-Dish From The Windy City

From Chicago, Illinois

It will happen early on Sunday afternoon. Right guard Jon Asamoah will come out of the Chiefs offensive huddle for the first time at Soldier Field. He will put his hand on the ground, look up and there, just a few feet away from him will be his boyhood hero – Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher.

Growing up on Chicago’s south side, Asamoah was a Bears fan, a big Bears fan. “Where I grew up, everybody was a Bears fan, you had to be,” Asamoah said this week as he prepared to play his first game against his hometown team. “With baseball, if you were south side you rooted for the White Sox, and the north side rooted for the Cubs. But everybody rooted for the Bears.

“Growing up and watching them, it was all about being gritty and tough, especially on defense.”

He’s been to handful of Bears games at Soldier Field. “Tickets were expensive and we didn’t buy many of those,” Asamoah said. “There were a couple of times we got in without tickets. There are ways to make that happen.”

Asamoah’s favorite player was No. 54, the middle linebacker and human missle that was and remains Urlacher. Posters on the bedroom wall, football cards on his desk.

“He was my favorite,” said Asamoah. “I just always liked the way he played the game. He was tough and nasty, but he played with smarts.” …Read More!

Chiefs Must Hold The Forte … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs

Two weeks ago, the Chiefs defense faced the prolific offense of the New England Patriots. They went into the game with the idea of controlling WRs Wes Welker and Deion Branch. If QB Tom Brady was going to beat them, it would have to be through other means.

Welker and Branch were not factors in the Patriots victory (combined 4 catches for 41 yards), but Brady found others to throw too, specifically TEs Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez.

Last Sunday night, Romeo Crennel’s defense faced the not as prolific but sometimes explosive Pittsburgh Steelers offense. They went into the game with the idea of controlling WR Mike Wallace and TE Heath Miller.

Wallace and Miller were not factors in the Steelers victory (combined 3 catches for 37 yards), but QB Ben Roethlisberger found enough playmakers to win the game, even thought it was with one touchdown.

This Sunday, the Chiefs defense has another challenge, but it’s quite different than what they saw the last two weeks. Brady and Roethlisberger are among the game’s elite quarterbacks. Not so much for this week’s starting QB Caleb Hanie. Undrafted out of college, he’s filling in for the injured Jay Cutler and his first performance wasn’t very pretty last week against Oakland – 3 interceptions and just 50 percent completions in losing to the Raiders.

But the Bears do not have to rely on Hanie, because they have one of the most productive offensive weapons in the league – RB Matt Forte. The challenge for Crennel and his crew is handling Forte as a runner and a receiver; he’s Chicago’s leading rusher and receiver and he’s just 15 yards away from reaching 1,000 rushing yards and 10 yards away from 500 receiving yards. …Read More!

Practice Report/Update – 12/2

From the Truman Sports Complex

Friday morning, the Chiefs went through their final practice of the week in preparation for Sunday’s game in Chicago. And, they did it outside in cold, blustery conditions not unlike what apparently they will face on Sunday at Soldier Field.

“It’s like Indian Summer around here,” Todd Haley said after practice, where he was in shorts and just a thin jacket in conditions where the wind chill was somewhere in the low 20s. “When is it going to feel like winter?”

Haley likes to display his “mental” toughness by going to practice, no matter the weather conditions, wearing just shorts and a windbreaker. It’s a habit/tradition/lunacy he started when he was an assistant coach for three years with the Chicago Bears. It was part of an “I dare you” moment with his receivers when he challenged them on handling the cold during a practice in Lake Forest where the Bears have their facilities.

Cold and even snow were part of the forecast earlier in the week for Chicago on game day, but the National Weather Service has altered its report for Sunday, taking the chance of snow out of the forecast. They are calling for a 40 percent chance of rain before noon, with cloudy skies, winds out of the south-southwest from 10 to 20 mph and a high near 44.

All bodies were on the field for practice, and everyone was taking part in the early work. C Casey Wiegmann (finger), LG Ryan Lilja (head) and ILB Demorrio Williams (groin) all appear capable of playing.

Practice squad RB Shaun Draughn who missed the first two days of work returned on Friday.

On the Chiefs official injury report to the league office, Wiegmann is listed as probable, with Lilja and Williams as questionable.

For the Bears, injured players are listed like this:

• OUT – QB Jay Cutler (right thumb).
• QUESTIONABLE – DT Anthony Adams (back) and CB D.J. Moore (ankle).
• PROBABLE – CB Charles Tillman (knee) and Zackary Bowman (groin).

No Happy, Hester Returns … Friday Cup O’Chiefs

The first kick or punt return that lands in Javier Arenas’ hands on Sunday in Chicago will be the 100th of his NFL career.

That’s 60 kickoff returns and 39 punt returns for a total of 1,455 combined return yards. And, zero touchdowns.

Arenas listened to those numbers as they were read to him, and his chin dropped to his chest on the mention of no scores on returns.

“That’s embarrassing,” Arenas said. “I think about scoring every time I catch the ball and not getting there is frustrating.”

He wants to break through with his first touchdown this weekend in Chicago. It’s not only the fact that he wants one so much, but he wants to do it against the Bears and the best returner in NFL history Devin Hester.

“It’s tough to argue whether he’s the best or not,” Arenas said. “You just have to look at his records; that tells you all you need to know about him.”

Hester’s return numbers are record-setting: …Read More!

4 KEYS TO VICTORY FOR CHIEFS/RECAP

4

No Turnovers

Attention Tyler Palko – this Sunday the only way you can keep the starting quarterback job is to not give the ball to the Bears. Seven giveaways in the last two games have left the Chiefs with 23 giveaways on the season; only three other teams have more interceptions and fumbles. On the season, the Chiefs are now minus-5. The Bears plus-9 and are third in the league with 24 takeaways. For any chance that the numbers add up on Sunday, the Chiefs can’t give up the ball. SUCCESS – Chiefs did not have a turnover in this game and they won. Coincidence? Not hardly. They got the job done by protecting the most important thing in the game – possession of the ball.

3

CLAMP DOWN ON HESTER

He’s the best punt and kickoff returner in the history of the game. Everything has been tried over six years to control Hester and his returns, but he’s still found the end zone 17 times over his career. Through the first six games of this season, Hester had only one punt return in each game, as opponents were not going to give him that chance. He was still able to return a punt 69 yards for a TD against Carolina. Three weeks ago he had an 82-yard TD return vs. Detroit. Oakland did a magnificent job last week in keeping him under wraps, allowing him just two punt returns for seven yards and two kickoff returns for 39 yards. They need to repeat that type of performance. SUCCESS – the greatest returner in NFL history was a non-factor in this game and credit for that goes to P Dustin Colquitt who gave up distance for hang time and Hester was very frustrated.

2

SCORE TOUCHDOWNS

Seemingly so simple, it has become increasing hard for the Chiefs to find the end zone. In their last four games, 45 total possessions, they had just one touchdown. Other than the four touchdowns they scored against Indianapolis, the Chiefs have not scored more than two offensive TDs in any game this year. They face a Bears team that has given up 21 touchdowns this season and they are allowing 21 points per game. If bad weather rolls in, this could be a defensive struggle, but the Chiefs will need more than FGs to win. FAILED – One Hail Mary pass for a touchdown in 56 offensive possessions does not get the job done. They need to be better than this.

1

STOP MATT FORTE

Right now, he’s got to be the most underrated offensive force in the league. Even the Bears, who haven’t been willing to pony up with a new deal for Forte, seem to be holding back in a stamp of approval. Forte is the Bears leading rusher and leading receiver. He’s just 15 yards shy of 1,000 and he’s the most popular target for Bears quarterbacks. This season, Forte has averaged 22.7 touches per game. If the Chiefs defense can slow him down or blanket him; that will put more pressure on inexperienced QB Caleb Hanie. SUCCESS – Derrick Johnson took care of Forte early with a tackle at the knees that drove the Bears running back from the game and he did not return, and may not return this season. Forte was a non-factor.

Personnel File – Chicago Bears

Personnel leader – General manager Jerry Angelo has been in charge of the team’s personnel operation since 2001. Before that, Angelo spent 14 years over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scouting department. He was also a scout for five years with the New York Giants and one season with the Dallas Cowboys. After graduating from Miami of Ohio where he played defensive tackle, he immediately got into coaching, working for four different schools. That’s 31 years of experience in the NFL personnel ranks.

Key aide – Director of Player Personnel Tim Ruskell (24 years in the NFL.)

Personnel department – 11 people including the GM. That makes them one of smallest personnel operations in the league. Angelo relies on head coach Lovie Smith and assistant coaches to really dive into the draft as well, but the Bears run a fairly stripped down operation.

Personnel philosophy – The Bears are all over the road when it comes to adding players to the roster …Read More!

Column: He’s Not Crazy, Although Maybe He Should Be

From Soldier Field, Chicago

It has become popular sport at various times over the last three seasons for those who follow the red and gold to question the intelligence of one Richard Todd Haley.

If not his intelligence, then his sanity has been called into dispute, and if not his smarts and sanity, it has been his intentions.

Of the Chiefs head coaches I’ve gotten the chance to know in the last 30 years, I would say I probably know less about Haley than the others going back to Marv Levy. And yet, I must tell you that in many ways Todd Haley may be the most interesting of the lot.

Let me assure you that he’s not an idiot, he’s not insane and his intentions are beyond reproach. Anybody that says otherwise is a.) Trying to sabotage his position or b.) Just plain lying. Yes, some of that is happening.

All this came up for discussion this past week when the head coach told everyone that he was going to start Tyler Palko at quarterback in Sunday’s game against the Bears. The presence of Kyle Orton made no difference in Haley’s belief that opening the game with Palko was the best way to go. …Read More!

Play of the Game: Hail Dexter For TD

From Soldier Field, Chicago

QUARTER – 2nd Quarter, 2 seconds to play in the first half.

SCORE – Chicago held a 3-0 lead.

DOWN & DISTANCE – 3rd down-and 10 yards to go, at the Bears 38-yard line.

DEFENSIVE SET – Prevent, safeties deep.

OFFENSIVE SET – Five receivers, with four wide guys and RB Dexter McCluster.

For the two years that Dexter McCluster has been with the Chiefs, in every Friday practice before a game, they have practiced the Hail Mary throw to the end zone.

For two years, McCluster would run hard down the field to get himself in his assigned position, just inside the goal line. His job was to look for deflections.

And for two years, McCluster never caught a deflection. Not once. The ball always seemed to be knocked down away from him, or caught by the defense or another offensive player. “It never happened,” McCluster said. “I never made a catch.”

Until Sunday afternoon that is, when McCluster saved his first catch on the Hail Mary for a very important touchdown – a 38-yard scoring play that would end up being the only touchdown of the game and give the Chiefs a 10-3 victory over the Chicago Bears.

“You just can’t ever stop running down there and doing what you need to do,” said McCluster. “You just never know what play it’s going to be that’s going to decide the game. You just have to stick to it and make sure you are where you are supposed to be.” …Read More!

Improbable Script Leads to Chiefs Victory Over Bears

From Soldier Field, Chicago

It was the type of script that would be laughed out of the meeting rooms at a television network or movie company as being too much of a farce, too unbelievable, impossibly concocted to the point that those watching would react poorly to the plot.

In the NFL they do not have focus groups that decide football games. There are no pre-arranged scripts like professional wrestling. At any moment, on any Sunday afternoon, teams can play a game that leaves one and all saying “you couldn’t make this stuff up.”

That’s what went down on the shores of Lake Michigan on Sunday afternoon. The counted out Kansas City Chiefs reached deep into their seemingly bottom-less well of resiliency and ended their four-game losing streak with an improbable 10-3 victory over the Chicago Bears.

“We did what we had to do to win,” head coach Todd Haley said. “It wasn’t pretty. We knew that’s how it would look for us to get a win.” …Read More!

Practice Report/Update – 12/1

From the Truman Sports Complex

The Chiefs worked in full pads Thursday afternoon in the most important practice of the week for the team in preparation for facing the Bears in Chicago on Sunday.

“There was good, spirited energy, some good work,” Haley said of the practice. “We only have a few of these padded practice days left and we have to take advantage of them. We did that today.”

The quarterback situation remained unchanged on Thursday, as Haley said both quarterbacks did a good job in practice. Tyler Palko remains the starter and Kyle Orton is trying to get caught up with the offense and his new teammates so he could make a contribution if he had to play.

“Tyler’s got to continue to work hard and improve on the things that he did in the game that weren’t quite what he or we wanted,” Haley said. “We have to continue to get the other guys, Ricky (Stanzi) included, ready to go.

“As we’ve seen around the league, Houston in particular, you had better have a couple guys in the hopper ready to go.” …Read More!

Pre-Game – Chiefs vs. Bears

From Soldier Field, Chicago

11:30 a.m. CST – The Chiefs are heading into the locker room after their warm-up. Kickoff is about 32 minutes away. Remember to check in after the game for indepth coverage.

11:25 a.m. CST – Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt, brother Dan and the first Lady of the Chiefs Norma Hunt make their appearance on the field. Clark Hunt heads immediately for Scott Pioli.

11:15 a.m. CST – It’s a very late arriving crowd here, as there are only a few fans that have filtered into the stadium out of the parking lots and public transportation. This was not a hot ticket among Chicago fans and the Chiefs season surely cut down the number of Chiefs fans who bought in to this game with an airplane ticket.

11:10 a.m. CST – Word out of San Diego is that Jared Gaither will start at left tackle for the Chargers against Jacksonville on Monday night. Gaither was claimed on waivers from the Chiefs on Wednesday.

11:00 a.m. CST – Catching punts and kickoffs in the pre-game for the Chiefs are WR Terrance Copper, WR Jeremy Horne, WR Steve Breaston, CB Javier Arenas and RB Dexter McCluster.

10:55 a.m. CST – Kicking to the north goal posts, Ryan Succop was good from 50 yards, but was unable to hit anything beyond that. All those kicks came on the new turf that runs down the middle of the field. It didn’t appear that he had any problems with the footing. At the top of the stadium, the flags are starched out and blowing to the east. On the field, the wind conditions are quite different, as the ribbons on the south goal posts are blowing south, while the ribbons on the north uprights are blowing to the west.

10:50 a.m. CST – No surprises among the decisions made on today’s inactive players. The most noteable player out of today’s game after the quarterbacks is Chicago DT Anthony Adams. No surprises at all in the inactive moves by the Chiefs. …Read More!

Notes & Quotes: Bears Season Turns Bad

From Soldier Field, Chicago

It’s one thing when you lose your starting quarterback for what may be the rest of the season.

It’s another when you lose the man who is your offense for what’s left on the schedule. Todd Haley knows all about that with the Chiefs.

Now, Lovie Smith and the Bears know the feeling as Jay Cutler (broken thumb) and now RB Matt Forte (knee) are out.

The news on Forte, who has an MCL sprain that’s normally a four-week injury rehab, was just part of an ugly day for Smith’s team losing 10-3 and giving up a Hail Mary touchdown that was the difference in the game.

“Offensively, we didn’t get anything done,” said Smith. “Defensively we did some good things but whenever you give up a big pass before the half like that … that was the difference in the game. Special teams-wise, we missed a field goal and we didn’t really get a lot done with our return game.

“You’ve got to give Kansas City a lot of credit. They hung in there and scored enough points to beat us.”

QB Caleb Hanie ended up throwing three interceptions and could not get the Bears offense into the end zone.

“We missed opportunities there are the end,” said Hanie. “I had a couple of drives there in the first half where you know, you’ve got to get the ball in the end zone. It was just missed opportunities.”

Chicago now turns its attention to the Denver Broncos, their next foe.

MEDICAL MATTERS

The Chiefs lost FS Kendrick Lewis in the first half with a right knee injury, but he returned to the field and played most of the second half.

LG Ryan Lilja started after missing last Sunday’s game after suffering a head injury two weeks ago. Rookie Rodney Hudson came in and played in both halves.

It was the Bears with the more serious medical problems, especially RB Matt Forte and starting S Major Wright who left the game in the first half and did not return because of a shoulder injury.

ATMOSPHERE REPORT

There really wasn’t much electricity on what was a blustery winter day at Soldier Field. The Bears said they sold just under 62,000 tickets for the game, but somewhere around 55,000 actually used those tickets.

A smattering of Chiefs fans were in the building, but nothing major and nowhere near other road trip crowds over the years.

SPECIAL TEAMS REPORT

Lost in what overall was a great performance in handling Chicago returner Devin Hester were a couple of kicking game blunders. Rookie CB Jalil Brown was called for a penalty that wiped out a 71-yard punt by Dustin Colquitt. Hester got away from what looked like good coverage for a 44-yard return.

K Ryan Succop – the Chiefs kicker was solid in how he handled his duties. His only slip was kicking the ball out of bounds putting the Bears at their 40-yard line for first down. Devin Hester had just one kick return, for 23 yards.

P Dustin Colquitt – see our sidebar story on Colquitt’s big day.

Returner Javier Arenas – Not much came out of Arenas three punt returns and one kickoff return. His longest return was 17 yards and he averaged just 4.3 yards on punt returns. Dexter McCluster had a kickoff return that went for 23 yards.

Coverage – Outstanding work by the coverage units, especially by Brown who was the outside flyer on the right side of the punt team. His ability to get down field had Hester continually waving his arm and signaling fair catch. Press box stats gave LB Cory Greenwood, LS Thomas Gafford, S Reshard Langford, RB Jackie Battle, Colquitt and Succop credit for tackles.

ZEBRA REPORT

Referee Jerome Boger’s crew did not have a very good day. They allowed Todd Haley to pick up a red challenge flag he threw without hitting him for a timeout, while taking a timeout to discuss things. They called a Bears pass complete, and then huddled up and ruled it incomplete. But when Lovie Smith challenged, the replay showed it was a good play. Not a very smooth performance for Boger and his buddies.

They combined to walk off 13 penalties for 95 yards. Here’s what they nailed the Chiefs for:

PERSONNEL FILE

Inactive players for the Chiefs were QB Ricky Stanzi, S Donald Washington, ILB Demorrio Williams, OT David Mims, TE Jake O’Connell, DE Brandon Bair and DT Jerrell Powe.

Inactive players for the Bears were QB Jay Cutler, QB Josh McCown, CB D.J. Moore, G Ricky Henry, TE Andre Smith, LB Jabara Williams, DT Anthony Adams.

Just Barely A QB Controversy … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs

It might be one of the most unusual quarterback controversies in the NFL over the last decade.

Just three weeks ago Tyler Palko and Kyle Orton were mired in very similar situations with very different teams. Palko was with the Chiefs and he couldn’t get on the field because the snaps all belonged to starter Matt Cassel. Orton was with the Denver Broncos and he couldn’t get on the field because the snaps all belonged to the greatest phenomenon in recent NFL history, Tim Tebow.

On November 13, that all changed. Cassel broke his right hand and Tebow led the Broncos to a victory over the Chiefs. A day later, Orton asked the Broncos for his release and Palko became the Chiefs starter.

Now on the first day of the new month, Palko and Orton are together, splitting the snaps with the first team offense and essentially in a competition for the last five quarterback starts of the 2011 Chiefs season.

“Tyler is our starter; we are getting Kyle ready to play,” Haley said again on Wednesday. “Kyle’s not like a guy that’s been here for a couple of years. He might have to play and he might not, but we’ve got to get ready to win a big game. We’ve got to do it by whatever means possible and if it takes playing three quarterbacks and going wildcat 20 plays, we’ve got to do that. Then the week after this, it’ll be a similar deal.” …Read More!

Romeo Does It Again With Defense

From Soldier Field, Chicago

The defensive game plan for Sunday’s game drawn up by Chiefs defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel was very simple.

“They always are,” said ILB Derrick Johnson. “He always drills it down to a few points and that’s what we have to think about. He keeps us centered and focused.”

Against the Bears, the plan was to stop Chicago’s running game and put the ball in the hands of inexperienced QB Caleb Hanie. Once that was accomplished, start hitting Hanie with an array of blitz packages and different coverages.

“We wanted to force him to make some throws he shouldn’t make,” said CB Brandon Carr. “We got that done.”

They sure did. Joining Carr with interceptions were SS Jon McGraw and CB Javier Arenas. Contributing sacks with Johnson were three from Justin Houston and one each by DE Tyson Jackson, OLB Tamba Hali and McGraw.

“I think the confidence of this defense is pretty high right now and it’s growing because things are coming together,” said McGraw. “We are getting to the right places and we are making plays. It doesn’t always mean we do everything perfect.”

No it wasn’t always perfect. There was the play in the first half where a confused defense had bodies shuffling in and out of the game and they lined up and completely missed Chicago RB Marion Barber who was lined up wide left as a receiver. Left uncovered, Hanie found him for a touchdown, but Barber was flagged for illegal formation, because he did not step to the line of scrimmage.

“There was some confusion there, no doubt,” Johnson said. “But in the end, it didn’t hurt us.”

There was nothing exotic about the schemes that Crennel drew up against the Bears. They had a sub-defense No. 1 where CB Travis Daniels would come on the field and replace FS Kendrick Lewis. Then there was their normal sub-coverage, as Daniels, Arenas, DE Wallace Gilberry and DE Allen Bailey come into the game with DEs Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey, along with NT Kelly Gregg and ILB Jovan Belcher leave the field.

Where Crennel scratched deep in the playbook for some pass rush toys and plays that he threw at the Bears offense. There were several times it was a jail break on Hanie as a number of rushers were all over the quarterback.

“As always, Romeo had us in a good plan,” said McGraw. “It’s always fun to come in every week and see what he has cooked up.”

Two weeks ago it was blanket New England receivers Wes Welker and Deion Branch, and that defense got it done. Last week it was take Pittsburgh receivers Mike Wallace and TE Heath Miller out of big production and it got done.

And on this Sunday it was stop the Bears running game and put the ball in Hanie’s hands. They got that done as Chicago had 31 passing plays against 24 runs. Plus, they kept them out of the end zone and did not allow them to convert a third down, holding them zero for 11.

The confidence on the Chiefs defense is exploding and it’s starting to show on the field.

“Like coach (Crennel) says, it’s all about us going out and winning our one-on-one battles,” said Johnson. “We are getting that done and that just builds on itself.”

Added Haley: “Obviously when your defense is playing really good, it helps you in this league and it helps you down the home stretch. It was just a gritty, tough performance by everybody involved.”

Houston, We Have A Pass Rusher

From Soldier Field, Chicago

It’s been building slowly, advancing every week in the positive direction for Justin Houston.

The Chiefs third-round draft choice has been feeling his way, finding his comfort zone in Romeo Crennel’s defensive schemes. It finally came through with a breakout performance on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

With the Chiefs sacking Caleb Hanie seven times in the game, the youngster led them. Houston had three of those seven sacks, his first in the NFL. He added seven tackles, two other quarterback hits, a forced fumble and a pass defensed. It was easily the most productive of the dozen games he’s played as a pro.

“It was great out there, a great feeling to finally get the quarterback on the ground,” Houston said. “I was waiting a while for one, and now I want more.”

They may come his way. Houston entered last April’s NFL Draft with first round-million dollar talent and a 10-cent head. He tested positive on the drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, even though he was well aware that there would be drug testing. That knocked him into the third round, where the Chiefs gambled that his was not a problem that would cause them problems.

And so far, he’s displayed evidence that within that 2011 draft class, he has the chance to make the biggest impact. He’s big, fast, quick and strong. Coming off the edge on the pass rush, he can be an explosion. Week after week he’s gotten better at playing the run on the outside, leaving now only some much needed improvement in pass coverage where he remains lost.

Here’s the key with Houston – rather than playing the Bears on Sunday, he could have been playing Saturday in the SEC Championship Game for Georgia against LSU. He left with a year of eligibility remaining and he’s just 22 years old.

“We were all excited about getting him on our team when we picked him, but we also knew it would take some time,” said head coach Todd Haley. “Well those young guys like Justin Houston are starting to make contributions. Justin is a great example of a guy that as he has gotten more comfortable, he’s helping us during these last few games. I thought it looked like he played good again.”

Houston’s first sack came with five minutes to play in the second quarter when he simply ran through a blocker and almost ran through Hanie, taking him down for a nine-yard loss. No. 2 came late in the third quarter, when DE Tyson Jackson and Houston had back-to-back sacks deep in Chiefs territory to force Chicago to attempt a field goal, which they missed.

Sack No. 3 for Houston included his knocking the ball out of Hanie’s hands in the fourth quarter. Hanie recovered his fumble, but the Chiefs had their fifth sack of the day. LB Derrick Johnson and OLB Tamba Hali followed up with two more late in the game.

“We want to get the sack, but more than anything we want to get the ball,” said Houston, who several times hit the pocket with a chop on Hanie’s arm, trying to force him to drop the ball.

Report Card – Chiefs vs. Bears

From Soldier Field, Chicago

RUSHING OFFENSE: D – The Chiefs still were not able to get their running game going to consistently help them, especially in the fourth quarter when they needed rushing yards, to stay on the field and run the clock. Instead, they had nine carries for just five yards in the final period, as they kept giving the ball back to the Bears. Dexter McCluster had a good day, while Jackie Battle continues to struggle.

PASSING OFFENSE: D – A successful Hail Mary does not a great passing day make. Yes, they hit that one play, but otherwise they didn’t have a completion of 20 yards or more. Early in the game, the Chicago pass rush was all over Tyler Palko, but that stabilized later in the first half. A passing grade, but it was not an impressive performance.

RUSHING DEFENSE: B – The No. 1 defensive goal coming into the game was to stop the Bears running game and particularly Matt Forte. They did just that, forcing Forte from the game after LB Derrick Johnson tackled him on the right knee. Forte left with MCL damage and is likely out for the next four weeks. They struggled to get anything consistent from their running game after that.

PASSING DEFENSE: B – If the Chiefs had been able to do what they did on Sunday against an established quarterback, they would have gotten an A-plus. But Caleb Hanie is just the type of inexperienced QB that a defense can take advantage of, and that’s what Romeo Crennel’s team did. They sacked him seven times, picked off three passes and allowed only one passing play of more than 17 yards. Receivers Johnny Knox-Devin Hester-Earl Bennett combined for just nine catches for 93 yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A – Possibly the best kicking game performance in the Haley Era. Facing the best returner in NFL history, the Chiefs were determined they weren’t going to let him find the end zone for an 18th time in his career. P Dustin Colquitt sacrificed distance for hang-time and frustrated Devin Hester who broke loose just once, for 44 yards.
In the end, the Chiefs won the field position battle and in a game with only one touchdown, that was a huge advantage.

COACHING: A – The special teams plan was excellent for the Chiefs and Romeo Crennel dialed up the defenses that really bedeviled Bears QB Caleb Hanie all day. But on top of all that were the motivational efforts of Todd Haley. His team had lost four games in a row, but Haley was in their ear talking about the good things they did in the last few weeks. It’s all about winning in the NFL and when you lose, the key is finding something positive. Haley got that done.

Dexter Breaks Through For Big Day

From Soldier Field, Chicago

As he stood outside the Chiefs locker room in the bowels of Soldier Field, a cold wind blew up the tunnel from off the field, sending a shiver up the backs of even grizzled stadium workers who were in their winter coats and hats.

Wearing just a light sweater and a stocking cap, the Florida native gave no signs of being cold. Not after a game like Sunday’s where for awhile he was on fire and he became the most reliable offensive contributor against the Bears, including catching the Hail Mary pass that gave the Chiefs the game’s only touchdown.

“It worked out for me today where with the help of the offensive line and everybody else on offense, I was able to step up and make a contribution,” McCluster said. “All of us are here for a reason, because of what we can bring to the team. I’m glad I got a chance to show what I can bring today.”

Here’s what McCluster brought:

• 9 rushes for 61 yards, including a 32-yard run that was his longest of the season to date.
• 4 catches for 46 yards, and the 38-yard Hail Mary catch, his longest pass play of the season to date.
• A 23-yard kickoff return.

That’s 107 yards on 13 touches offensively and the touchdown – his first of the season.

That it’s took 12 games for McCluster to reach the end zone speaks a bit about the frustrations of this season for the second-year man out of Ole Miss. Right now, he’s sitting with 628 offensive yards on 126 touches, significantly more than the 280 offensive yards he had last season where he lost five games due to injury.

But he also contributed 729 yards and a touchdown on returns in 2010. This year, he has 464 yards in returns and hasn’t come close to breaking one for a score.

“I’m here to do what I can to help the team win,” McCluster said. “That’s all I’m worried about is winning. I’ll do whatever it takes to win.”

Like catch a Hail Mary in the end zone and then have five people fall on him trying to wrestle the ball away.

“I wasn’t giving up that ball,” McCluster said. “I had a death grip on it. No way was that going to be anything but a touchdown for us.”

Was the cold weather any factor in Sunday’s game?

“Not after that touchdown,” McCluster said with a laugh. “I was warm the rest of the day.”

Colquitt Frustrates Chicago’s Hester

From Soldier Field, Chicago

It was a small measure of revenge on the mind of Dustin Colquitt as he prepared last week for Sunday’s game against the Bears.

So important was Colquitt’s ability to kick the ball and keep it out of the hands of Chicago’s All-Word returner Devin Hester that he did not want to talk to reporters.

“Not this week,” Colquitt said on Wednesday. “I don’t want to get fined and there are some things I probably shouldn’t say that I would.”

Like how important this game was to him personally. Four years ago, Hester got a piece of Colquitt’s hide with a 72-yard punt return touchdown. It’s one of those things that punters don’t forget. They always know the guys who broke one of their kicks back for a touchdown.

Revenge was granted to Colquitt with an excellent day of punting. The statistics do not indicate how a marvelous day, but then it’s hard to quantify on a line of numbers the Hester effect.

“Our plan was just to make him uncomfortable, to keep changing up on him, but mostly to not give him a chance to make a return,” Colquitt said. “With one exception, we did that.”

That exception was a 44-yard punt return that set up the Bears only points of the game, that came through a field goal.

Overall, Hester returned just three punts, taking one back for 44, and . He had one fair catch, four more were downed by the Chiefs, two went out of bounds and one was for a touchback.

It was an afternoon where Colquitt’s gross average was 40.6 yards and his net was 35.3 yards. While those numbers are not anywhere near his career bests, it left Hester exasperated. On those 11 punts, he wasn’t able to catch but two on the fly and one of those he fumbled, but was able to recover the ball. The worst thing a punt returner can do is allow the ball to hit the ground, and Hester kept signaling for fair catches, but then watching the ball bounce on the ground.

“That was fine with us,” said Colquitt. “We’ll take that every time against a guy like him.”

The key for Colquitt was hang time. He gave up distance for keeping the ball in the air and his coverage until did a good job of getting in Hester’s field of vision so he would throw up the arm signaling the fair catch.

“Coach and Hoff (Todd Haley and special teams coach Steve Hoffman) gave us a plan and we stuck to it,” said Colquitt. “We only had that one slip and the plan worked.”

Here’s how the 11 punts by Colquitt went down:

1. Punt traveled 42 yards and was downed by CB Jalil Brown at the Chicago 18. Hester did not touch the ball.
2. Colquitt got his leg into this one, as he flew 53 yards to the Chicago 5-yard line, where it was downed by Brown; again no touch by Hester.
3. Late in the first quarter, the punt went for 36 yards and was downed by DE Allen Bailey. Hester did not have his hands on it.
4. Early in the second quarter, the punt went for 51 yards. Hester returned it 44 yards before he was tackled by Colquitt and Jackie Battle at the 50-yard line.
5. Punt traveled 30 yards before going out of bounds at the Bears 36-yard line.
6. This boot went out of bounds after traveling 33 yards.
7. Early in the fourth quarter, Colquitt’s kick went 39 yards. Hester caught the punt, but muffed it, fumbling at the Bears 33-yard line where he was able to recover.
8. This one went 35 yards and drew a fair catch by Hester.
9. Another punt downed by the Chiefs cover team for 35 yards.
10. Colquitt got his leg into this one, as it traveled 51 yards where Hester grabbed it off the bounce but was knocked down for minus-5 yards on the return.
11. Last but not least, he punted 42 yards into the end zone with 13 seconds to play.

In the end, Hester had three punt returns for a total of 39 yards per return. He added one kickoff return for 23 yards. For the most explosive returner in NFL history, it was an easy-to-forget day.

But one that Dustin Colquitt will remember a long time.

“I don’t know if we are even, but it sure feels better,” Colquitt said.

#30

Round No. 1 QB Controversy Goes To Palko

From Soldier Field, Chicago

Throughout most of the week leading up to Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears, Tyler Palko had extra baggage he was carrying through practices, meetings and film study.

It was all from last Sunday night, and the four turnovers that killed any chance the Chiefs had of beating Pittsburgh. Plus, there were the three interceptions he threw in his first NFL start in New England.

“When you are a quarterback and you are responsible for those turnovers in the first two games, it stings deep down in your gut,” said Palko. “You have to live with that for the whole week and continue to practice and try to get better and show the guys that you’re unfazed by it. It stings. You basically have the weight of the world on your shoulders when you don’t play well.”

Against the Bears, Palko shed some of that weight. Getting his third NFL start, Palko picked up his first victory in leading the Chiefs to a 10-3 decision in Chicago. It was not a sterling performance in any fashion for Palko, but he got the victory, he put a touchdown on the board, and more importantly, he did not turn the ball over.

And this was all done in the shadow of the addition of Kyle Orton and his presence as a potential replacement. The quarterbacks basically split snaps during three practices, leaving little doubt in any one’s mind that Orton was going to get some playing time, whether he started the game or not.

“If you let it, I guess it could be a distraction, but there are too many things that I need to worry about,” Palko said. This is the NFL; no one cares about your feelings. The bottom line is that you have to win football games. My job is to execute when I’m in there and that’s how I’ve always taken it. You need to set your ego aside on things like that.”

Orton did get in the game, but his stay was short. The Chiefs had a 2nd-and-10 at the start of the second quarter when he ran onto the field to take Palko’s place. The play called was a flea-flicker, where Orton handed off to RB Thomas Jones, who stopped and then lateraled back to Orton. His throw went deep down the left side and was nowhere near connecting with a receiver as Orton ended up with Chicago’s pass rushing S Major Wright in his lap.

When Orton got off the ground, he immediately held up the index finger on his right hand and started walking towards the sidelines. It looked like he was claiming No. 1 status, but the finger was obviously dislocated.

“I don’t know how it happened,” Orton said after the game. “It just popped out. It was bad luck.”

Replay shows he could have banged it against the right shoulder of Wright, or it may have happened when Orton fell backwards after he was hit. His hand and finger appeared to hit the ground first, with all his weight and momentum landing there.

Either way it was ugly. Trainer Dave Price popped the finger back into place, which is painful to watch, let alone have it happen to you. After that, he was declared out of the game.

“I don’t know if I could have gone back in; you’re going to have to ask them,” said Orton. “I was pretty sore.”

And he was unable to grip the football, thus his day was over.

“We had some things that we wanted to think about doing with him,” said head coach Todd Haley. “We had a little plan, in addition to having him ready to play. We weren’t making a quarterback change, so to speak. I want to strategically be careful about what I saw. But I felt good about both guys being prepared to play and get the job done.”

Will Orton be available against the New York Jets next Sunday? “Right now I don’t have much to give you,” said Haley.

By the time the game was over, Palko had completed 17 of 30 passes for 157 yards and the Hail Mary TD pass that proved to be the game’s only touchdown. That’s a 56.7 completion percentage, an average of just 5.2 yards per attempt and 9.2 yards per completion. But there was growth from Palko. He was sacked twice early, but then used his legs to get away from pressure, while not taking off and running when he felt pressure. He went on the move with some bootleg passes. He missed fired on some passes, but almost every one of those was long or high and thus far from being picked off.

Depending on Orton’s availability, Palko faces another week of competing for practice snaps, or he’s back in the No. 1 seat for this Sunday’s game in the Meadowlands.

“You have to earn the right to put your hands underneath center in this league,” Palko said. “If that’s on a week-by-week basis then that’s how it’s going to be. It’s a privilege to put your hands under center; it’s not a right. You just have to keep forging ahead and pushing in practice and see what happens on Sundays.”