Tuesday Morning Cup O’Chiefs

It’s not every day that a dateline for something involving the NFL reads Copenhagen, Denmark.

But that was the case on Monday, when news broke that former Chiefs kicker Morten Andersen was announcing his retirement from pro football.

Certainly, it’s probably news to a lot of fans that Andersen was retiring this week, when he hasn’t kicked at all this season. But his absence from the league wasn’t something Andersen sought; he wanted to kick. In fact, he had big plans on how he could come back and kick in the league and break George Blanda’s record for being the oldest player in pro football history at 48 years and so many months, weeks and days.

But sadly, the opportunity did not come, so on Monday back in his homeland, Andersen hung up his kicking shoe.

“I realized I no longer can train in an optimal way because of my knees,” Andersen told the Associated Press in a phone interview from Denmark. “So I am retiring.”

Andersen said his knees were worn out after 26 years as a player.

“It’s not that I cannot kick, play golf or go bicycling, but it’s not the same anymore,” he said.

In 30 games over two seasons (2002-03) with the Chiefs, Andersen hit 38 of 46 field goals, including one of the most unusual of his career, when his kick with no time on the clock won the wild finish of the Chiefs-Browns game in Cleveland to open the 2002 season (above.) Later his field goal against Oakland at Arrowhead Stadium brought the Chiefs a victory and earned him a valuable bottle of Napa Valley wine from head coach Dick Vermeil. But the league office stepped in and said the wine was an illegal bonus under the collective bargaining agreement between the players and owners. Andersen had to give the bottle of wine back to Vermeil, wink, wink.

Andersen was in Kansas City earlier during the season for a wedding and he actually brought his sons to a Chiefs game. It was the first NFL game he ever watched from the stands. He was a visitor in the Chiefs locker room afterwards, but not that many of his former teammates were still in the room. He said hello Tony Gonzalez and waved at Brian Waters and that was it.

He talked then about getting one more chance to kick this year or next, in hopes of breaking Blanda’s record as the oldest player to step on the field for a game. Andersen had even figured out the perfect game where he could have broken the record: this past Sunday’s Falcons-Saints game in the Superdome. That would have allowed him to break the record and do it in a game involving the two teams he spent the most games with in his career.

Alas, the Saints and Falcons were not interested so Andersen decided to bring the curtain down.

Over the years the Chiefs have had some kickers with strange personalities and massive egos. Morten Andersen was not one of those. He was very much like another Scandinavian kicker who wore a Chiefs uniform, Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud. He was very level-headed, intelligent, a bit eccentric but not in a bad way, but a kicker who understood his place in the game.

Like every NFL player, the end comes. That’s true even for kickers. Monday was the end of the football line for Morten Andersen. Not a bad life for a kid from Denmark who came to this country as a foreign exchange student and now makes his home here.

MORE FROM THE PAGES OF CHIEFS HISTORY

On December 9, 1979, the Chiefs beat the Baltimore Colts 10-7 at Memorial Stadium. Jan Stenerud’s 43-yard FG early in the fourth quarter allowed the Chiefs to win this defensive battle in front of just over 25,000 fans. The teams combined for 600 offensive yards, but both teams were able to put just one touchdown on the scoreboard. For the Chiefs, that score came on a four-yard run by Ted McKnight midway through the first quarter. Baltimore’s TD came on a 43-yard pass play from Greg Landry to Joe Washington, also in the first quarter. McKnight finished with 97 yards on 14 carries. The Kansas City defense forced four turnovers, as Gary Barbaro had a pair of interceptions and Gary Spani and Don Parrish both recovered fumbles.

On December 9, 1990, the Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos 31-20 in front of 74,347 fans at Arrowhead Stadium. A strong game by Steve DeBerg and a top-notch performance by the defense gave the Chiefs the victory. DeBerg hit 18 of 27 throws for 254 yards and touchdown passes to Stephone Paige (49 yards), Dante Whitaker (one-yard) and Robb Thomas (27 yards.) The defense harassed John Elway all night, as Kevin Ross had an interception and there were five sacks, led by Derrick Thomas with two.

SAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO …

A couple of players who had cups of coffee with the Chiefs: LB James Walker and CB M.L. Carter. Walker, born in 1958, played five games with the Chiefs (1983) out of Kansas State. Carter, born in 1955, spent three seasons and 33 games with the team (1979-81) and had three interceptions.

St. Louis Rams interim head coach Jim Haslett celebrates today. He’s 53 years old.

And a couple of Hall of Fames were born on this day: Chicago Bears LB Dick Butkus came into the world in 1942 and Los Angeles Rams DE Deacon Jones arrived in 1938.

NFL DRAFT 2009

Texas QB Colt McCoy says he’s remaining with the Longhorns for the ‘09 season and will not look at entering the NFL Draft.

OPPONENT NEXT/SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

The Bolts are rested off a weekend off and they are ready to face the Chiefs.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Things are not good in Buffalo, where head coach Dick Jauron is now under fire as the Bills sink out of sight in the AFC East.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has questioned the toughness of his top running back Marion Barber.

Up in Detroit, Lions center Dominic Raiola flipped off the booing Ford Field fans and says he would do it again.

AROUND THE REST OF THE AFC WEST

The Broncos have lost another running back, this one rookie Peyton Hillis with a hamstring injury he suffered on Sunday against the Chiefs.

The Oakland Raiders returned to work on Monday in a familiar role of playing out the string of yet another losing season.