Daunte’s Inferno Re-Ignited
Twice this fall, the Chiefs talked with Daunte Culpepper about coming to Kansas City and joining the team.
The first came after Brodie Croyle’s shoulder injury in the season opener. The Chiefs contacted Culpepper and he was lukewarm to playing any more football. It was also not interested in being a fill-in starter, which he would have been until Croyle returned from the injury. Culpepper wanted the chance to be the “man”.
The second conversation came after Croyle’s knee injury last Sunday against Tennessee. At that time, team officials said Culpepper was reticent to make a decision to return to the NFL. He said he was happy looking after his financial investments and coaching his son’s youth football team.
Apparently, Culpepper has changed his mind. The veteran quarterback who is his own agent and also is pretty handy with e-mail sent out this note to the media:
“A number of teams have contacted me since my retirement announcement and have provided some important information that has caused me to reconsider returning to the league. As much as I have enjoyed my brief break from playing, I know that I love the game and I have some unfinished business in the NFL. It has never been because of a lack of passion for the game but rather the absence of a fair opportunity to complete and play that caused me to retire.
“Now that there are some real opportunities that match my desire to play, I will choose the one that is the best fit for both the team and me so that I can continue my NFL career. For the second half of this season, I hope to play a role in helping a team win some games. I want to thank all of those who encouraged me to ‘keep a light on’ for the right NFL opportunity that would eventually come back to me.”
In nine NFL seasons, Culpepper completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 22,422 yards and 142 touchdowns and 94 interceptions. That’s a career passer rating of 89.9. The 31-year old Culpepper played in 93 games and had 90 career starts.
Wow. Well the Chiefs don’t seem “that” interested if there is some competition even if they should be. Hes a good QB but I don’t know how much he (or any QB) will help this season. We need to draft a QB and there is no use spending more than you have to for a QB to finish a losing season.
I don’t like Culpepper, but I didn’t realize that his % for passes was that good. I like Quinn as a pickup more than Culpepper, especially because of his age.
Culpepper would just get hurt again behind our line as it is, so in short Gray is the much better prospect moveing forward at this point in time.
I just wonder how soon we will see him behind center, any ideas?
You guys are going to tear me apart on this one, and I’m usually in the critical crowd, but this year is not over yet. The Chiefs could be right in the thick of the playoff hunt within two weeks. How? Denver is tops in our division at 4-3. We delivered one of those losses. They lost Pat Ramsey, Boss Bailey and Champ Bailey. Their defense will be even worse without the brothers Bailey. San Diego has lots of talent but they aren’t doing much with it. They are 3-4 and as inconsistent of a team as you’ll find. No Merriman, LT has finally reached the slow down point, Chambers is banged up now. These guys aren’t post season locks right now. Finally, is anyone ready to put any faith in Tom Cable’s Raiders who now sit at 2-4?
The AFC West is an absolute sham this year. San Diego and Denver are grossly under achieving. If this coaching staff can figure out how to get their heads out from up their own backsides long enough to get these young guys ready, we could still have some success THIS YEAR! I’d think that may be a big reason why Culpepper is thinking about coming here and why the fan base should embrace him if he does.
I almost forgot….I am still a major Quinn Gray supporter and have faith in his ability to get it done as well.
I too am not all that high on Culpepper, if we can get him to sign a contract that is based mostly on performance, than maybe.
By the way colby, I thought Leatherheads had some pretty funny moments, thanks!
Chiefs in the playoff hunt….thanks for the laugh Colby, I needed that!!!
Even if that miracle happened, it would just result in a repeat of the chiefs playoff appearance against indy after the 2006 season. The way the chiefs played in that game is exactly the way they have played almost throughout this season. No one wants to see anymore of that.
Don’t mention it John.
Well if we could get him signed then our recirvers would really become a lot more productive. And on top of that we definitely have the cap money to spend. Maybe the front office is starting to hear the complaints and are starting to do something about it. Either that or young Mr. Hunt is starting to rattle his saber. Either way we will just have to see how this one plays out.
Hey Guys, maybe you too missed this thread from a couple of days back when Bob site was having technical probs. I know I didn’t see it.
http://www.bobgretz.com/chiefs-football/getting-to-know-%e2%80%a6-turk-mcbride.html
wow that article on turk was freaking awesome someone should make lj read it he could learn a lot from a young man like turk
The Chiefs season is over (ditto for Quinn Gray’s career as a starter.) Too, it’s more entertaining watching Tyler ‘Fran Tarkenton’ Thigpen run about like a chicken with his head cut off…
heh heh heh
limppppp byzkit – chocolate starfish and the hot dog flavored water
Thanks for the link to the Turk article John. I hadn’t seen it when it was up before.
Please, not Culpepper. Has he had any success since Randy Moss was running by defenders for him? Miami? Oakland? I don’t think so. He has been very mediocre for several seasons and won’t be an improvement over anyone. This would just be a move to say they are trying to do something, while wasting money. Just as well get Len Dawson to come down out of the booth.
Oh, yeah. This is also a guy that has had to “find” the desire to play again??? How much does the desire cost$$$$$ That just has success written all over it…
We may have talked to him, but that doesn’t mean that we will be the ones to sign him. I believe the Bengals, Packers and the lions may also be talking to him. Who ever offers the most money and the best chance to win right away are going to be the deciding factor for Daunte to come back and play.
Maybe he wants to sign with Detroit. Calvin Johnson is a big dynamic receiver like Moss and McDonald and Furrey are pretty solid targets as well. He has more weapons up there and he gets to play against the Vikings twice a year.
There you go Colby! My thoughts exactly.
Do not forget we are rebuilding, that does not fit with Culpepper. We just lose the rest of the year and start over in 2009. I do not like it because this leadership probably cannot do the job but we have to live with it.
I agree tmessina, I think we should see what Tyler Thigpen and Quinn Gray have to offer and then start looking to who is available next year, either in the draft or FA. Give these two guys a chance to prove themselves over the rest of the season with this young line since they are both mobile QB’s. I really like the option of them rolling out since John Elway used to kill us that way, and we always had the stand in the pocket passers. I just don’t see where Culpepper is a good fit for this team right now.
I think we’ve all had the wool pulled over our eyes here in KC. We’ve been led to believe that “rebuilding” means that we have to put up with sub-par play on not only the gridiron but the baseball diamond as well. There are ways to rebuild and be successful at the same time. In baseball, look at the Minnesota Twins. They are CONSTANTLY rebuilding that team because they can’t afford a BoSox-level payroll. In the NFL you have teams like the Packers who continue to get younger, but still maintain at least some sembleance of competition. I am all for rebuilding, but I don’t believe that you have to take a team and completely disassemble it in order to rebuild. Teams are like machines. When a part is wearing down, you replace it with a new part. Sometimes you keep extra parts around in case of an emergency; you don’t necessarily go out and replace the entire machine because of one malfunctioning piece.
Granted, the Chiefs have a number of bad parts that have needed to be replaced over the past year or so, but with some preventive maintenance by King Carl back a few years ago, we most likely wouldn’t be sitting here with the minimal amount of veteran leadership we currently have. If he had really managed this team, he would have replaced old parts with “newer” parts he had sitting in stock, instead of letting “Coach” Edwards draft players that I think even Dick Vermeil would have been embarrased to draft. (I’m not talking about this current draft class, mainly Hali (who is undersized to play his position in the NFL and was drafted WAY before he should have been) and Pollard (who doesn’t know how to tackle, just throw his body at people and hope they fall down from the momentum.))
I guess what I’m saying is this: you don’t have to all-out suck to get younger, you just have to replace old parts when the time comes. Other teams have proven it can be done…I just don’t understand why we, as fans (myself included) are settling for this farce.
Josh, There is nothing you said that imo can be argued with any real credence, but the damage is done.
So here we sit, with coaches that can’t seem to get the talent that we do have lined up in the right spots nor can they seem to inspire/teach the team as a whole or at individual skills.
A fan base that is so disenchanted with the organization that “blackouts are certain. A stadium under construction, ticket/parking rates haven’t been reduced, the list of things (negative) going on with the Chiefs
is seemingly unending.
But yet the owner continues to hibernate somewhere unseen and virtually unheard.
So I will continue to support the PLAYERS to the extent that I can and just pray that either Junior Grows some cod’s or the “blind squirrel will find the proverbial nut.
Haha. I’m with you, John.