Chiefs Sign Anthony Fasano, Mike DeVito and Chase Daniel

No NFL team has been more aggressive in free agency than the Kansas City Chiefs. After making a big trade to land quarterback Alex Smith, the team has kept an aggressive mindset heading into free agency. Kansas City kept things rolling yesterday, signing tight end Anthony Fasano, defensive end Mike DeVito and quarterback Chase Daniel.


DeVito

Fasano, a former second-round draft pick from Notre Dame, has been productive in the NFL. Over the past five seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Fasano has averaged 35 catches and four touchdowns per season. After releasing Kevin Boss last month, the only proven tight end on Kansas City’s roster was Tony Moeaki, who has had some injury issues throughout his career. Fasano should provide some nice depth at the position, and the Chiefs are now set at tight end.

DeVito has spent the past six seasons with the New York Jets, where he played under new Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton. The former undrafted free agent has been a starter for the Jets over the past three seasons, and is known for his versatility.

The signing of DeVito may be a sign that the Chiefs will be letting go of Glenn Dorsey. Dorsey and the team could not come to terms on a new contract, and the former first round pick has become an unrestricted free agent. Dorsey has already planned a visit to the San Francisco 49ers, and it appears that his days as a Chief are numbered.

Former Missouri star Chase Daniel was the final free agent acquisition of the day. Daniel has spent his entire NFL career backing up Drew Brees in New Orleans and will provide some nice depth to the quarterback position behind Alex Smith. The signing of Daniel may mean that the team is not considering drafting a quarterback at any point in this year’s draft, and that the team will be resigning quarterback Brady Quinn.

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Chiefs Officially Introduce Andy Reid As Head Coach

The Chiefs officially introduced Andy Reid as the team’s head coach this afternoon, ending a short search that brought the former Philadelphia coach to Kansas City within a matter of days. Now that the ink on Reid’s five year deal is dry, Chiefs fans can turn their attention to several burning matters that Reid must address.

For starters, Reid will have to decide who will be the team’s general manager, an integral piece of rebuilding the team’s roster. The Chiefs have the first overall pick in this year’s draft, and thus will have a pick at the start of each round in the draft as well. This provides the franchise with an excellent opportunity to instantly inject young talent into the roster, as the weak drafting by Scott Pioli was one of the leading causes to the downward spiral the team has been on over the past two seasons. Kansas City also needs to do a better job in free agency, as the team has badly whiffed on several signings while losing valuable veterans such as Brandon Carr.

While the GM is the first step to the puzzle, Reid also must decide how to assemble his new staff. The former Eagles coach was heavily criticized in Philadelphia for some extremely questionable hires at defensive coordinator, and the offensive-minded Reid will likely need to find an experienced coach he can trust to run the defense.

Finally, Reid must figure out what to do with the quarterback position. Reid has constantly had a good quarterback on his roster, whether it was Brett Favre while he was an assistant in Green Bay, or Donovan McNabb and Michael Vick during his tenure as head coach for Philadelphia. If the team does select a quarterback with its top overall pick, Reid and his staff will have to devout time and energy to helping the player develop. If the Chiefs decide to move in a different direction, Reid and his new GM will be forced to find a veteran who will provide a significant upgrade from Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn. That shouldn’t be hard to do, as there are several good veteran quarterbacks looking for a starting shot this offseason.

Reid has a lot of work to do, and Chiefs fans should be excited that a new era has begun in Kansas City. The next several weeks will be interesting to watch.

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Chiefs Move Closer Towards Top Pick In 2013 NFL Draft With Loss To Raiders

Despite playing the lowly Raiders on Sunday, the Chiefs yet again got embarrassed on the field, getting shut out 15-0. The loss now means that the Chiefs are one step closer towards acquiring the top overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

There really isn’t much to be said about Kansas City’s performance on Saturday. Opposing teams know that if Jamaal Charles is contained, the Chiefs have absolutely no shot of scoring many points on offense. The Chiefs only offensive weapon was held to 10 yards on nine carries, and Brady Quinn couldn’t get anything going with a group of young, unproven receivers. While the defense did a good job of keeping Oakland out of the end zone, this one never really felt in doubt.

It is time for Chiefs fans to look ahead to next season, and that starts with the 2013 NFL draft. Currently, the team is tied with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the worst record in football at 2-12. Philadelphia and Detroit are the next two teams in regards to fewest total wins, but both have four wins on the season. It appears that the race for the top pick in 2013 NFL draft is now solely between Kansas City and Jacksonville, and with both tied at the moment in regards to record, it is important to examine the NFL’s tiebreakers for draft order. Tiebreakers for draft order regarding teams with an identical record go in this order:

• Strength of schedule – The team with lower strength of schedule percentage wins this tiebreaker.

• Divisional record.

• Conference record.

First, let’s examine the remaining games for both teams. The Chiefs finish against the Colts and the Broncos, two teams that are vastly superior to Kansas City. The Colts will be fighting for a playoff spot, and the Broncos may be playing for a first round bye.The Jags play the Patriots next week, which is all but a guaranteed loss, but will get the lowly Tennessee Titans in its season finale. The Jags already beat Tennessee this season, and the Titans won’t be playing for anything. The odds of Jacksonville winning one of its final games has to be higher than Kansas City’s.

At this moment, Kansas City owns all of the tiebreakers and is in the driver’s seat for the top overall pick. If Kansas City drops its next two games, it will be picking first in the 2013 NFL draft.

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Kansas City Chiefs - Cleveland Browns Preview

The Chiefs will look to build off the momentum of their emotional victory over the Panthers last week when they travel to Cleveland to face the Browns. Kansas City is looking for its third win of the season, while Cleveland will be trying to earn its fifth win. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

The Chiefs have been the most discussed and dissected NFL franchise over the past week in the wake of the murder-suicide of Jovan Belcher. The focus on Belcher’s death has somewhat overshadowed the Chiefs previous game against Carolina, in which the team played its best football of the season. Most of that credit has to go to the offense, which controlled the clock by sustaining several long scoring drives which was the biggest reason the team won. Brady Quinn will be facing his old team, and he should have a good amount of confidence after playing well last week. Jamaal Charles already has topped the 1,000 yard mark for the season and is averaging 4.8 yards-per-carry, and he will continue to be the focus of Kansas City’s attack.

Cleveland's offense is anchored by two rookies – quarterback Brandon Weeden and running back Trent Richardson, and both have had up-and-down first seasons. Despite being banged up for most of the season, Richardson has already had 229 carries this season. The Browns seem adamant about giving their top-pick as many touches as they can every game, and he needs to be the focus of a Chiefs defense that has struggled lately. If the Chiefs can bottle up Richardson, they will force Weeden to make some plays, and the rookie QB has been prone to turnovers this season.

The Browns have won two straight, although those wins came over the Steelers without Ben Roethlisberger and the lowly Raiders. Still, this team has been competitive all year, and Weeden and Richardson have settled into their roles and aren’t playing like rookies anymore. If the Chiefs can stop Richardson and get an early score, they will force Weeden to make some plays with his arm and play from behind, which could result in Kansas City’s third win of the season.

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Chiefs Overcome Tragedy To Beat The Panthers

Despite playing with heavy hearts after the murder-suicide of Jovan Belcher, the Chiefs were able to win their second game of the season yesterday, defeating the Carolina Panthers 27-21 at Arrowhead Stadium.

The team had one of its best offensive games we’ve seen in quite some time, and a lot of the credit has to go to Brady Quinn. Quinn threw his first touchdown pass in nearly three years on the last play of the second quarter, and added another in the third quarter to give Kansas City a 24-14 lead. Quinn finished the game with an impressive stat line: 19 of 23 for 201 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Kansas City’s banged-up offensive line did a good job protecting him as well, as Quinn was only sacked once on the day for a four yard loss.

Jamaal Charles also had another impressive game, carrying the ball 27 times for 127 yards. Not only were the Chiefs able to score points with their balanced attack, the long drives they sustained kept Carolina’s offense off of the field. Cam Newton and the Panthers had some success moving the ball, but Kansas City absolutely dominated time-of-possession, holding onto the football nearly 15 more minutes than Carolina.

The ball-control attack from the offense was crucial, because Kansas City struggled on defense. Newton had a good game running and passing, and the secondary had no answer for Steve Smith. To make matters worse, Brandon Flowers, Abram Elam and Derrick Johnson all left Sunday’s game with various leg injuries. The Chiefs’ offense will have to continue to protect the football and sustain long drives as a banged up defense struggles to get healthy and find some momentum.

Yesterday was an extremely difficult day for the fans, coaches and players, and all parties handled the situation admirably. Odds are the Chiefs will still end the season with the worst record in the league and many coaches and players will not be back next season, but that doesn’t change the fact that for one day, the organization bonded together to win a football game in the wake of a tragedy.

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Kansas City Chiefs - Carolina Panthers Preview

The Chiefs march towards the top overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft continues on Friday, when the team hosts the Carolina Panthers at home in Arrowhead Stadium. Kickoff for the game is 12:00 p.m.

While the Chiefs have had an absolute disaster of a season, Carolina’s hasn’t gone much better. The Panthers currently have a 3-8 record, held back by a poor offense that is only averaging 19 points per game. Quarterback Cam Newton has struggled this season after a very impressive rookie year, struggling with inconsistency and turnovers. Newton is also the team’s leading rusher, and the team’s entire offense rests on his shoulders. If the young QB struggles in this one and commits some turnovers, the Chiefs are going to have a very good shot to pick up their second win of the year.

While the Panthers’ offense has struggled this year, it has been nowhere near as bad as the Chiefs’ anemic attack that is averaging 10 points per game in its last seven contests. Kansas City has 32 turnovers this year and only 94 red zone points, and both stats rank last in the NFL. After Matt Cassel’s poor play this season – he threw for six touchdowns compared to 12 interceptions – Chiefs fans demanded to have him benched. Unfortunately, his replacement, Brady, Quinn, has not been any better. Quinn has yet throw a touchdown pass this year, and has four interceptions of his own. It appears that neither quarterback is the long term answer, and the odds of the Chiefs selecting a QB with their first round pick in the 2013 draft are increasing.

The lone bright spot for the Chiefs this season on offense has been Jamaal Charles, who has rushed for 928 yards and boasts a healthy 4.8 yards-per-carry average. It is a shame that one of Charles’ prime seasons was wasted this year, but the back should be one of the few offensive players on this current team that is a part of Kansas City’s long term plans.

Despite how terrible the Chiefs have played lately, this is a winnable game. The Panthers played well and picked up a win last week, yet they have been inconsistent all year. If Newton plays well and can put some points on the board, the Chiefs won’t have a chance. However, if the Panthers’ young QB commits some turnovers, this might be a low-scoring affair that comes down to the wire.

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Chiefs Lose To Broncos, Now Have Sole Possession Of NFL's Worst Record

The Chiefs put up a fight yesterday, but ultimately lost to the Denver Broncos, 17-9. The loss drops Kansas City’s record to 1-10 on the season.

The Chiefs were able to limit turnovers in this one, and the only time the team threw an interception was on the final play of the game on Brady Quinn’s Hail Mary attempt. Despite this, the offense could simply not get anything going all game. Quinn struggled all game, and the team committed several untimely penalties that stalled drives. The Chiefs have now not scored a touchdown since the first quarter of their overtime loss to Pittsburgh – a span of 11 quarters and 173 minutes.

Head coach Romeo Crennel’s conservative approach to games is also frustrating. Kansas City’s defense played well yesterday, preventing Peyton Manning from having a big game and coming up with a big interception in the first half. After Broncos kicker Matt Prater missed two makeable field goals, the Chiefs had a shot to win the game. Despite having only one win on the year, Crennel routinely opted to kick field goals and not go for it on fourth and short opportunities, despite being deep in Denver territory. Ryan Succop was able to hit two chip shot field goals that gave the Chiefs an early 6-0 lead, but when you are a losing team facing a hall-of-fame quarterback, you need to get aggressive and play to win. Even more mind-boggling was the head coach’s decision to punt late in the game with a fourth and six near midfield, with the team only down 14-9. Naturally, Kansas City didn’t get the ball back until there was nearly no time left on the clock. Crennel has had an overly conservative mindset all season long, and it cost his team yesterday.

The Jacksonville Jaguars picked up their second win of the season yesterday, knocking off the Tennessee Titans. This is good news for Chiefs fans, as Kansas City is now the NFL’s only one-win team and currently is in the driver’s seat to land the first overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft next year.

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Kansas City Chiefs - Denver Broncos Preview

The Chiefs’ disaster of a season will keep rolling along on Sunday, as Kansas City will host its arch rival, the Denver Broncos. Kickoff for the game is 12:00 p.m.

This game will feature two teams headed in completely opposite directions. The Broncos had a shaky start, but have since caught fire and sit atop the AFC West with a 7-3 record. Peyton Manning has turned into his old self, enjoying a fantastic season that has him in the NFL MVP discussion, and the defense is playing well led by linebacker Von Miller. The only thing that might slow Denver down is the loss of running back Willis McGahee, however the Broncos have several other capable backs on the roster.

The Chiefs offense is only averaging 15 points per game, and they face a tough matchup on Sunday against a Bronco defense that has become one of the better units in the league. Miller has 7 sacks in his last three games, and the team leads the NFL with 35 sacks this season. This is all bad news for Brady Quinn, who was recently named the Chiefs starter. The Chiefs have given up 10 sacks in their last four games, and injuries to Kansas City’s offensive line means Miller and company might be living in the Chiefs backfield on Sunday.

The only way the Chiefs will have a shot in this one is if they can force some turnovers from Manning and sustain some long drives with their run game. Jamaal Charles is quietly having a very good season, and he will have to play lights out for the Chiefs to have a chance. With Manning in a groove and Denver’s defense playing well, this has all the makings of a blowout. Still, you never know what will happen in a rivalry game.

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Chiefs Lose To Bengals

The Chiefs only fueled their reputation as the worst team in the NFL on Sunday, getting hammered by the Cincinnati Bengals, 28-6. The loss drops Kansas City to 1-9 on the season, and the team keeps moving closer towards acquiring the top draft pick in next year’s NFL draft.

Arrowhead stadium was only about half-full for this one, and many fans dressed in all black in attempts to send a message to ownership to clean house in the front office and coaching staff. Chiefs fans are right on the money – Scott Pioli has completely failed as the Chiefs GM and Romeo Crennel is a failed NFL coach who should have never been given another opportunity to lead an NFL franchise. Kudos to Kansas City fans for taking strong measures to voice their displeasure and making a stand.

The game itself was pretty much what most expected – Kansas City’s passing offense completely bombed and failed to complement another strong game from Jamaal Charles. Matt Cassel put up poor stats in the first half, and Brady Quinn failed to do any better in the second half. The Chiefs only committed one turnover all game – a Peyton Hillis fumble that didn’t cost the team any points when the Bengals missed a long field goal. The problem was Kansas City didn’t force any turnovers, and this team simply cannot be competitive when it loses the turnover battle.

Defensively, the Chiefs let Andy Dalton pick the secondary apart all game, consistently moving the chains with quick throws to his talented receivers. A.J. Green had a big day receiving, and running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis had his best game of the season. Kansas City’s special teams even let the team down, as the Bengals converted a fake punt early in the game that lead to their go-ahead touchdown.

Kansas City is getting closer and closer to the top pick in the 2013 NFL draft. Not only are the Chiefs bad, they are banged up – both wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and left tackle Branden Albert left Sunday’s game with an injury. It looks like Chiefs fans now need to be concerned with three things: who will coach the team next year, who will be the team’s GM and which quarterback will the team select early in the draft?

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Kansas City Chiefs - Cincinnati Bengals Preview

After losing to the Steelers in overtime, the Chiefs return home to host the Cincinnati Bengals (4-5), who are currently fighting for a playoff spot in a very even AFC. The game will begin at 12:00 p.m.

Kansas City had a great opportunity to knock off Pittsburgh last week, but several untimely penalties prevented the team from expanding an early lead. After making a brilliant throw to help the Chiefs force OT, quarterback Matt Cassel was picked off in the extra period which essentially ended the game. Turnovers have been the biggest reason why the Chiefs currently sit at 1-8. Jamaal Charles is quietly having another strong season, and Kansas City will need him to have a monster game to score points. The Chiefs receiving unit is very banged up, as Jonathan Baldwin is out with a concussion and leading receiver Dwayne Bowe has been limited by a hamstring injury.

Many Chiefs fans have speculated that Brady Quinn would get another shot at the starting quarterback role, but Matt Cassel has been officially named the starter for Sunday. Head coach Romeo Crennel has stated that Quinn is still recovering from his concussion and has not yet been cleared to play.

The Bengals are coming off their most impressive performance of the year, a 31-13 win over the defending champion New York Giants. Andy Dalton has become a solid NFL quarterback, and receiver A.J. Green has quickly become one of the league’s top wideouts. The Chiefs defense has not lived up to its preseason expectations, but it has the talent to keep the Bengals offense in check. Kansas City will likely need to force a few turnovers to slow down Dalton and Green and give its struggling offense a short field to work with.

The Chiefs proved last week that when they limit turnovers (Kansas City had zero during regulation) they can still compete with anyone. Still, it is hard to see this team repeating that type of performance two weeks in a row, especially with a banged up receiving unit. The Bengals are fighting for a playoff spot and have a lot of confidence, and also may be getting several good players back from injury. The Chiefs will likely need a few turnovers to pull this one out.

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Will The Chiefs Take A QB In The First Round Of The 2013 NFL Draft?

With both the college football and NFL seasons past their halfway point, Chiefs fans can begin to think about the upcoming draft. Currently, Kansas City is one of three teams with only one win this season (tied with the Jaguars and Panthers) and appear to be a lock for a top pick.

The biggest position Kansas City fans will be focused on is quarterback. Matt Cassel has been a disaster this season, and Brady Quinn failed to play any better in his limited playing time. In today’s NFL, you simply cannot win without a good quarterback – the most recent Superbowl winners include Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady. Really in the last 20 or so years, the only two quarterbacks who won the Superbowl that weren’t considered “elite” were Brad Johnson and Trent Dilfer, and both were efficient, mistake-free players who had the top defense in the league. The Chiefs haven’t drafted a quarterback in the first round since 1983, when the team famously picked Todd Blackledge over future hall of famers Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. While Kansas City has had some success bringing in veterans, such as Joe Montana and Trent Green, many feel it is time for the team to draft and develop a quarterback.

At QB, two names have dominated the discussion – Geno Smith and Matt Barkley. Earlier this season, it appeared that Smith was the frontrunner for the Heisman trophy, however West Virginia has struggled since getting blown out by Kansas State. Still, Smith has completed an astonishing 74 percent of his passes while only throwing two interceptions, and his athleticism could be a weapon at the next level. While there are some questions about his accuracy, Smith is extremely talented and will go early in the first round.

Barkley is considered to be more of a finished product, playing in what is his third season as USC’s starting quarterback. Barkley has played well, however many believe he should have done more this season with a bevy of future NFL players around him. USC has struggled this season and Barkley has been given a lot of blame for the team’s failure to meet expectations.

If the team picks up a few wins down the stretch and can’t get either Smith or Barkley, Arkansas’ Tyler Wilson would be an option. Wilson has become arguably the best quarterback in the SEC and has good size and an NFL-caliber arm, and is expected to go somewhere in the top 10 after Smith and Barkley.

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Chiefs Lose Another Home Game To The Raiders

One of the saddest things that has come with the demise of the Kansas City Chiefs organization is how poorly the team has played at Arrowhead Stadium, once considered one of the toughest places to play in the country. Kansas City lost to Oakland on Sunday, the Raiders’ sixth straight win over the Chiefs at Arrowhead.

The Chiefs are heading towards historically bad territory. For starters, the team has not led in regulation this season, the first time since 1940 that a team has gone this deep into the season without having a lead at any point in regulation play. The Chiefs lone win came in overtime over the lowly New Orleans Saints.

The biggest problem for the Chiefs continues to the turnovers – Kansas City committed four more on Sunday and now leads the league with 25 giveaways. Despite once again giving the ball away at will, the Chiefs had a few bright spots offensively. Matt Cassel replaced the injured Brady Quinn and had a decent outing, connecting on 20 of 30 attempts for 218 yards. Quinn looked awful before leaving the game with a head injury, suggesting that the coaching staff once again blew a personnel decision.

The biggest question mark from this game surrounds Jamaal Charles – the Chiefs top offensive weapon was given only five carries in the game, and head coach Romeo Crennel had no explanation as to why Charles wasn’t used more. Cassel ended up being the team’s leading rusher with 35 yards, and Peyton Hillis also received four carries.

There is no way to sugarcoat anything surrounding the Chiefs – this team is really bad and needs to fire its GM, head coach and his entire staff this offseason and start over. Kansas City fans can only hold onto the hope that the team’s next GM will not blow the Chiefs’ top draft pick in 2013, and that brighter days are ahead.

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Kansas City Chiefs - Oakland Raiders Preview

Throw the records out the window, because it is rivalry week in Kansas City. On Sunday, the Chiefs will host the Oakland Raiders, and kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m.

Earlier this week, Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel announced that Brady Quinn will get the start for Kansas City. Matt Cassel has recovered from the concussion he suffered against Baltimore, but Crennel feels that starting Quinn is an “impactful move to get everyone’s attention.” Basically, Crennel is looking for anything to spark a Chiefs offense that has not played well this season. Most of that is on Cassel, who has accounted for a ridiculous 14 turnovers this season and has completed only 58% of his passes. The Chiefs will have to rely on Jamaal Charles to move the ball, although that may be a tough task against the Raiders defense, which is only allowing 102 yards per game on the ground.

Defensively, the Chiefs have been incredibly inconsistent this season. At times the unit has looked great, and other times it has made bad quarterbacks look like hall-of-famers. Kansas City’s main goal will be stopping Darren McFadden; although McFadden is having a down year, he is capable of breaking a long run at any time. The Chiefs have done a good job against McFadden in the past, and the team’s top priority should be to contain the dynamic back and force Carson Palmer to beat Kansas City through the air. Palmer has thrown for only seven touchdowns this season, and can be prone to turning the ball over.

The Raiders are statistically very similar to the Chiefs – Oakland averages 19 points per game and allows 28 points per game, and Kansas City averages 17 points per game and allows 30 points per game. Both teams rely on their running backs for big plays, and that should be the difference on Sunday. If Charles gets going early, Kansas City will have a good chance to pick up its second win this season. If the Chiefs run game is ineffective and Brady Quinn is forced to make a lot of plays, the team will likely be one step closer to a top-five draft pick.

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Chiefs Name Brady Quinn Starting Quarterback

Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel has announced that Brady Quinn will start for Kansas City on Sunday, when the team plays rival Oakland. Matt Cassel has been cleared to play following his concussion injury against Baltimore; however Cassel’s poor play to start the year has earned him a spot on the bench.

Cassel has been an enormous disappointment this season, throwing for only five touchdowns next to nine interceptions and a 66.2 QB rating. His fumbles and interceptions have routinely forced the Chiefs defense to defend a short field, and has neutralized a successful ground attack lead by the dynamic Jamaal Charles. To make matters worse, Cassel signed a huge six year, $63 million contract when he was brought to Kansas City by GM Scott Pioli, which makes his poor play even more frustrating to Chiefs fans.

Enter Brady Quinn, the former first round pick out of Notre Dame who has only 393 career pass attempts. Quinn’s career rating is only 65.4, and he has actually produced worse stats than Cassel when he has seen the field for the Chiefs this season. Quinn has shown some flashes of the talent that led to the Browns drafting him in the first round, and Chiefs fans have to hope that Quinn will improve as he gets more playing time. Crennel has stated that he hopes this move helps shakes things up a bit, and that he plans on sticking with Quinn for the foreseeable future.

The Chiefs have stated they are not giving up on Cassel, but this move seems to signify that his days in Kansas City are numbered. Since enjoying a pretty good season two years ago, Cassel hasn’t played well and cannot stay healthy. Is Quinn the answer? Probably not, but he has shown some flashes of arm strength that Cassel seems to lack. Cassel’s contract and play will likely lead to his exit at the end of the year, and Quinn now has a second chance to earn an NFL starting job.

Many also believe that the Chiefs could take a quarterback in next year’s draft, especially if the team continues to lose and finds itself with a top-five pick. It is very likely that the Chiefs could resign Quinn this offseason and let him compete with and help groom a rookie quarterback when the 2013 season begins.

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Chiefs Find New Low Against Bucs

It is a sad time to be Kansas City Chiefs fan, as the team continues to find new lows. The most recent came on Sunday, when Kansas City was blown out by the lowly Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 38-10. The loss drops the Chiefs record to 1-5 on the season.

Entering the game, it looked like Kansas City would have an opportunity to exploit a weak Tampa Bay offense. The Chiefs were coming off an impressive performance against the Baltimore Ravens, and the Bucs had struggled moving the ball this season. After limiting Tampa Bay to only seven points in the first half, Kansas City was lit up in the second half, and wound up surrendering three second half touchdowns and a field goal. Josh Freeman, who has struggled this season and most of his pro career (Freeman has a career rating of only 79), threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns and looked like a Pro Bowler.

Despite the defensive struggles, Chiefs fans have to be the most frustrated with the offense’s performance. Brady Quinn struggled at times, which is to be expected considering this was his first start since 2009. Quinn did make a couple of good throws, and both of his interceptions really weren’t his fault. A lot of blame needs to be directed at the coaching staff, who dialed up a vanilla game plan despite the fact that Tampa Bay has struggled against the pass this season and lost its best cornerback, Aqib Talib, to a suspension. The Bucs were expecting the dink-and-dunk passes and runs, and with no vertical game, the offense managed only 3 points. Quinn may be rusty, but the coaching staff needs to get aggressive and play to win, rather than playing not to lose. Especially against a struggling unit that was without its best player.

Kansas City’s lone touchdown came on a great special teams play, as running back Shaun Draughn blocked a Buccaneer punt that was recovered by Edgar Jones. Jones made a nice play to get into the end zone, which at the time cut Tampa Bay’s lead to 21-10.

At this point, it is apparent that the Chiefs are heading for a disastrous season that will likely cost GM Scott Pioli and possibly head coach Romeo Crennel their jobs. Pioli absolutely deserves the ax, as he has had four years to build a team and has failed to put a winning product on the field. Crennel is a good defensive coordinator, but has not been successful as a head coach in the NFL. If the team had a top offensive coordinator and a good quarterback, Crennel might not be in the mess he finds himself in.

Unfortunately for Kansas City, the team picked up a victory earlier this season over the Saints. Since the team isn’t getting anywhere near the playoffs, it needs to get the best pick possible in next year’s draft to find someone who can make an immediate difference to this team. It is a sad reality, but winning games no longer does this team any good.

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Kansas City Chiefs - Tampa Bay Buccaneers Preview

If the Chiefs are going to crawl back into the AFC West race and have a respectable season, they’ll need to take advantage of a winnable game on Sunday. The Chiefs’ next opponent, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, have won only one game this season, and have struggled on both offense and defense.

The biggest news for the Chiefs is that the team will have a new quarterback – Brady Quinn gets his first start in Kansas City after Matt Cassel’s concussion injury has ruled him out for Sunday. The Chiefs have run the ball extremely well this season, as Jamaal Charles has rushed for a league-leading 551 yards and also tallied 118 yards receiving. Tampa Bay has only allowed 74 yards-per-game on the ground this year, so this one may come down to whether or not Kansas City can get Charles going.

Tampa Bay has struggled offensively, averaging only 276 yards per game as a unit. Josh Freeman has been average at best under center this season, throwing for a pedestrian 790 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions. The Bucs haven’t gotten their ground game going as well, as the team’s top two backs, Doug Martin and Legarrette Blount are only averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Kansas City’s defense looked very impressive against the Ravens last week, limiting Baltimore to only nine points despite often defending a short field due to Cassel’s turnovers. If the Chiefs defense continues to play well, a struggling Tampa Bay offense may have no answer.

Both the Chiefs and the Bucs are hard to get a read on, as the two teams have been incredibly inconsistent on both sides of the ball this year. Tampa Bay is coming off a bye week, while Kansas City is coming off an incredibly frustrating loss. Still, the Bucs’ offense has really struggled this year, and it appears that the Chiefs defense is coming into its own. If Brady Quinn can protect the football and make a couple of plays, Kansas City will have a good shot to pick up its second win of the year.

Tampa Bay has won the last three meetings in this series by a combined 13 points. Game time is Sunday at 12:00 p.m.

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Chiefs Fall To Packers, 24-3

The Chiefs wrapped up another lackluster preseason last night, falling to Green Bay Packers 24-3. After winning its first preseason game in convincing fashion, Kansas City lost its remaining three. The team is now 7-29 in exhibition games since 2004.

Most of the game was a battle of the backups, but the Chiefs first-string offense looked good early on. The team moved the ball consistently, and found a lot of success on the ground. Despite gaining a lot of yards, Kansas City could only muster three points. One drive stalled and Ryan Succop missed a 54 yard field goal, and another drive ended with a Brady Quinn interception when the Chiefs were about to score. From there, things went south in a hurry.

Offensively, Ricky Stanzi and Alex Tanney struggled to consistently move the ball, and the Chiefs got almost nothing through the air. Despite rushing for 247 yards for the game, Kansas City only scored three points, although it should be expected that the team’s third and fourth string quarterbacks would have trouble lighting up the scoreboard.

The biggest concern Chiefs fans should have is how the team’s defense played. Packers backup QB Graham Harrell had been having a terrible preseason, but he absolutely lit-up the Chiefs last night. Harrell finished 13 of 15 with 223 yards, and he led the Packers to a touchdown on all three of his possessions, and all three were long scoring drives. On some plays, the Packers’ receivers were wide open, and while Green Bay boasts one of the most talented and deepest WR corps in the league, most of these players will likely not even make the team for Green Bay.

The entire preseason exposed one of the Chiefs’ biggest weaknesses – the team has a severe lack of depth, particularly on defense. What makes this troubling is that the team still does not know if Brandon Flowers or Kendrick Lewis will be ready for the start of the season, and Tamba Hali is suspended for the first game. Injuries are a regular occurrence in the NFL, and if the Chiefs suffer any more on defense, it doesn’t appear that it has a lot of guys who can step in and play at a high level.

Kansas City’s regular season starts next Sunday at 12:00 p.m. when the team hosts the Atlanta Falcons.

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