Chiefs Raiders 2011 Rivalry Game

It's as good as it's going to get for the Kansas City Chiefs right now vs. the Oakland Raiders this Sunday as the Raiders are limping around on a hobbled quarterback position. Recently, the Oakland Raiders lost their starting quarterback Jason Campbell to a painful collar bone snap, and this left them with their less-than-proven backup in Kyle Boller. As expected, the Raiders quickly snapped up Carson Palmer from the Bengals, which was an easy task considering that Palmer had told the Bengals at the beginning of the year that he would "not set foot inside Paul Brown Stadium again" and he also stated that he "has 80 million dollars in the bank" and that he does not have to play football for money any more.

It was speculated in the beginning looking at the Chiefs Raiders 2011 rival game that Carson Palmer would not be ready to participate in the game, but now sources are not ruling out the possibility. This leaves the Chiefs in an interesting position as the Raiders are forced to choose between a sub-par quarterback in Kyle Boller to start or a quarter back in Carson Palmer who has literally been on the Raiders for less than one week and with no time to prepare would be a risky start. Who will start at QB for the Raiders vs the Chiefs on Sunday? We will keep you posted...

The only thing we can focus on right now is what we do know:

Darren McFadden can REALLY run the ball. We have to stop him. Matt Cassel and the Chiefs passing game has been in a brief renaissance period and we need that to continue. We've got to get Steve Breaston involved across the middle and get some tasty passes up top for Dwayne Bowe. Finally, we're going to have to run the ball. Hopefully Jackie Battle can put up similar numbers to his performance last week and Thomas Jones can bash through the Oakland Raiders defensive line for some crucial 3rd down conversions. There are two X factors at play in this rivalry match up as well; Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson need to create an extremely uncomfortable environment for whoever the Oakland QB is, cause turnovers and stop the run. The other X factor is a hobbled Janikowski, the Raiders kicker, who is trying to recover from a hamstring injury. There is no need to mention that the kicking game usually comes into play when the Chiefs play the Raiders.

Chiefs Vikings 2011 Kansas City News

We hate to say it, but this game might actually be a win for the Kansas City Chiefs vs the Minnesota Vikings, who suck almost as bad as the Chiefs. Now remember, we do not WANT to win due to the ongoing "Suck for Luck" campaign in which we must LOSE every possible game this season in order to acquire super star quarterback Andrew Luck in the 2012 draft for next season. It is imperative that we lose as many games as possible this season, and just focus on next season, there is no way that we are going to be a playoff (or regular season) competitor this year with Jamaal Charles and Eric Barry missing. Let's not kid ourselves and just throw the rest of the games this year.

810 sports radio has been heard arguing this case by saying that "they won't blow the rest of the season because staff members, players and coaches will risk losing their jobs". That is an ignorant statement - here's why: EVERYONE sits down and agrees that losing the remaining games this year is in the Chiefs best interest and no one will lose their job based ONLY upon the team's record for the 2011 season. Now, with that said, if someone on the Chiefs payroll was going to be losing their job after this season ANYWAY, then so be it. But the team would need to sit down and actually agree not to fire anyone based upon this season's record. That, my friends, is the solution.

We are kidding ourselves if we think that Matt Cassel is EVER going to be the right guy for us at quarterback. The only way that would be possible is if we were to build the BEST defense in the NFL, then you might get a team that resemble the Baltimore Ravens 2000 Super Bowl winning team behind mediocre quarterback Trent Dilfer. We would need the best defense in the NFL to propel us to a Super Bowl win behind Matt Cassel.

In other news, Jared Allen, our former defensive lineman who now wears a Minnesota Vikings jersey, has requested that the fans at Arrowhead Stadium please not "boo" him this Sunday.

Tony DiPardo's Daughter Patti Keeps the Music Going at Arrowhead

Over the years the entertainment has changed several times at Arrowhead Stadium. In the very early days when the Kansas City Chiefs first arrived here from Dallas (where they were known as the Dallas Texans) they had a small marching band who actually sat in the stands and performed the type of music that you might hear at a college game today. This band had many incarnations and was founded and led by trumpet player extraordinaire Tony DiPardo. DiPardo led The TD Pack Band, then the Zing Band and finally back to the TD Pack Band until his death on January 27th, 2011.

Since Tony DiPardo's death, his daughter Patti has continued to preserve the spirit of her father and the music entertainment at Arrowhead Stadium to this day. Patti took over as the band leader for her father in 1989, and when the owners retired the on-field stadium band to make room for more seats Patti continued to direct the music in what is called the Founder's Club at Arrowhead Stadium during home games. The Founder's Club features Kansas City dueling piano favorite Spike Blake and continues to energize the stadium with great music.

The spirit of Tony DiPardo lives on through his daughter Patti, who has dedicated over 3 decades of her life to providing quality entertainment during Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium.

Chiefs Chargers 2011 Kansas City News

The Chiefs Chargers rivalry continues today at 3:05pm when the banged up and limping Chiefs take on the San Diego Chargers in their home town. The Chiefs are playing with a skeleton crew after losing star running back Jamaal Charles, tight end Tony Moeaki and starting strong safety Eric Barry. With those players missing from the Kansas City Chiefs lineup, it doesn't leave much left on the field. Matt Cassel is an average quarterback at best, and although Dwayne Bowe, Steve Breaston and Jonathan Baldwin might be talented receivers, it doesn't matter if the quarterback can't get them the ball. Cassel made a few feeble attempts to throw the ball down the field last week vs the Lions, but Cassel's long pass attempts looked wobbly and weak and the receivers had to halt their route and turn around and come back to the floppy passes to try to make a catch. This is not the type of quarterback that you need to win games. Your team's quarterback should be able to throw the ball far down the field with zip and confidence or the opposing defenses will never respect the quarterback's arm and will be able to stack up against the run. It's that simple. As poorly as Cassel throws the ball, Jamaal Charles wouldn't have stood much of a chance anyway as defenses would have been keying on him heavily.

The Chargers are also a little banged up, with Antonio Gates injured and on the sideline for this match. Look for Vincent Jackson to make some big plays behind the arm of Philip Rivers, and possibly some rushing yards from 2nd year running back Ryan Matthews.

As always with Kansas City Chiefs football games, if the Chiefs can somehow get into the end zone first, they stand a better chance to stay in this game. But with the incredible passing skills of Philip Rivers, the Chiefs really don't stand a chance. The Chiefs continue to build towards the "Suck for Luck" losing campaign. If the Chiefs can manage to lose all of their games this year, they will get the first pick of the 2012 draft and have a shot at getting a real quarterback in Andrew Luck. Let's hope that happens as we need to get rid of Matt Cassel immediately.

Jamaal Charles Out For Season Chiefs Fans Panic

The Kansas City Chiefs officially announced that running back Jamaal Charles is out for the season with a torn ACL, the same injury that cost the Chiefs Tony Moeaki and Eric Barry. Jamaal Charles was the most important player on the Kansas City Chiefs and his season ending injury is going to have a massive impact on the rest of the Chiefs 2011 season.

On a seemingly common run, Jamaal Charles was on his way out of bounds, with no defenders in site, planted his left foot awkwardly on the sideline, and tore his ACL resulting in a season ending injury. ACL injuries are tricky because as an athlete, if you have no prior history of knee injuries, you don't concern yourself with body movements that may cause an ACL injury. As far as Jamaal Charles knew, he could manipulate his body an any direction, make sudden stops, or plant his foot firmly with his upper body in an awkward position (as was the case in this injury). As an athlete with no prior knee injuries, you just don't think about being careful. As a body ages, the knees are the first to go when you are an athlete that's major function is to run, stop, juke and plant. If you don't know your body's limitations, you are most likely going to blow out a knee. ACL injuries often occur as a result of a firm planting of the foot, with little or no "give" from the playing surface. This is why AstroTurf has been removed from almost all sports environments, because AstroTurf "grabs" the feet of the athletes, promoting ACL injuries.

The Chiefs have been cursed this season with THREE major ACL injuries, and Jamaal Charles was probably the final blow to a team that was doomed from the start with or without Jamaal Charles, Eric Barry and Tony Moeaki.

Jamaal Charles was put on injured reserve today, leaving the Chiefs with only 52 players on their active roster. We can expect the Chiefs to sign someone off of the waiver wire sometime this week, most likely a running back.

Chiefs Preseason Home Opener 2011

No surprises here, just as last year, The Kansas City Chiefs aren't going to give away any secrets during the preseason. Arrowhead filled up about half way on Friday night with fans eager to see the first NFL action since our playoff debacle last season vs. the Ravens. The pregame show was lackluster, with a rag-tag little tribute to the troops (done before often?), and then the torture began. Almost like a boxer taking a dive in the 1st round, The Kansas City Chiefs showed no signs of running any real plays, or even starting most of the top players that the fans came out to see. Matt Cassel, who the fans in our V.I.P. section have dubbed "the league's highest paid back up quarterback" didn't throw a single pass - not that Matt can exactly WOW us with his passing skill, but it would have been nice to see at least one ball get up into the air. No such luck, it was run for 1 yard, punt, watch the other team score, run for another 3 yards, fumble, watch the other team score, then...they took out the starters.

This is typical Chiefs preseason football under it's new leadership regime, and though last year's preseason shocked many Chiefs fans into a deep depression, this year we were ready. We know that coach Haley and Pioli have no intention of revealing any of the Chiefs real playbook to the public until the Chiefs home opener on September 11th, 2011. While other teams in the NFL took to the air and put up touchdowns and defensive sacks, the Chiefs gave all of their bench players ample playing time and seemed to have no game plan whatsoever. Which is fine!

One thing that was fun to watch was backup QB Tyler Palko's performance. There is something very unpredictable and exciting about the play of any left handed quarterback. Left handed people are more intelligent as a whole and much more crafty. Palko is ranked in the top 3 quarterbacks of all time at Pittsburgh where he attended college - another member of the top 3 at Pitt is none other than Dan Marino - and Palko finished only 254 yards behind Marino in passing yards at Pitt. On Friday night Palko gave an athletic performance, scrambling to buy time, and winging the ball with skill and purpose.

Breaking Down the Chiefs' WR Position

The Kansas City Chiefs have made an effort to surround QB Matt Cassel with more weapons to work with, including an upgraded receiving corps. The Chiefs already boast one of the top rushing attacks in the league, and if the team can find some consistency and explosiveness with its wideouts, Kansas City will likely have one of the best offenses in the NFL.

Dwayne Bowe finally delivered the type of performance Kansas City fans thought he was capable of last year, earning a pro bowl bid after a monster regular season. While Bowe produced like a bona fide top WR, Kansas City struggled to find other receivers to take some of the heat off him and spread the field. The Chiefs upgraded their receiver corps this offseason by signing Steve Breaston, who has been productive in his first few seasons in the league. If Breaston can stay healthy, he should have a strong first season in Kansas City.

Since Breaston will likely be used more as a slot receiver, the attention now turns to who will start on the outside opposite of Bowe. The Chiefs selected Jonathan Baldwin in the first round of the draft, and by all accounts, the rookie has been impressive so far in camp. However, Kansas City currently has Jerheme Urban listed as the starter opposite of Bowe. Urban showed a lot of promise in Arizona before missing last season with a broken hand, and his experience could help him get the nod over Baldwin early in the season. No matter who starts, expect both to be mixed into the passing game with Bowe, Breaston and tight end Tony Moeaki.

Kansas City will likely keep Terrance Copper as the team's fifth receiver due to his ability on special teams and may keep Jeremy Horne as a sixth receiver. Horne, who signed with the Chiefs as an rookie free agent in 2010, spent last season on the team's practice squad.

Chiefs Sign Amon Gordon

In an effort to add some much-needed depth to its defensive line, the Kansas City Chiefs have signed free agent Amon Gordon. Gordon has been a bit of a journeyman in his NFL career, having played with the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks.

Gordon has made four starts and seen action in 17 games in his pro career. The former fifth round pick out of Stanford has 36 career tackles and a forced fumble.

The 6'2, 305 lb. lineman should provide some good competition for Tyson Jackson, who has had some motivational issues in the past. By all accounts, Jackson has showed up for camp this season in great shape and could be poised to live up to the hype that surrounded him when the Chiefs selected him third overall in the 2009 draft. This is a make or break season for Jackson, and the Chiefs were smart to pick up a little insurance should the former LSU star once again fail to live up to expectations.

Chiefs Signed Brandon Carr And Justin Houstin

After signing OLB Tamba Hali to a five year deal, Kansas City only had two key free agents left to sign and get into camp. The Chiefs have now reached terms with cornerback Brandon Carr and rookie LB Justin Houston, putting Kansas City at full strength on the defensive side of the ball.

Carr has started every game at corner for the Chiefs over the past three seasons, pairing with Brandon Flowers to form one of the best cornerback tandums in the league. Yesterday, Carr signed his restricted free agent tender, and will join the team in camp shortly. After agreeing to terms with Carr, Kansas City added more depth to its defensive backfield, signing safety Sabby Piscitelli.

Kansas City finally came to terms with rookie Justin Houston, making the former Georgia star the last rookie to sign with the team. Houston's four year deal is worth around 2.8 million dollars, a bargain for a player many thought was talented enough to be drafted in the first round. Kansas City is counting on Houston to provide a much-needed pass rush opposite of Hali, who has been the team's only consistent threat to opposing quarterbacks.

Chiefs Sign Tamba Hali To Five Year Deal

The Chiefs have signed OLB Tamba Hali to a new five year deal worth 60 million, making the Chiefs star one of the highest paid pass rushers in the league. According to sources, 35 million of the contract will be guaranteed.

This has been a long time coming for Hali, who has quietly developed into one of the best pass rushers in the league. Hali led the AFC with 14.5 sacks last season, and has been extremely consistent since being drafted 20th overall from Penn State in 2006.

The deal was absolutely necessary for Kansas City, and the Chiefs were smart to lock up Hali for the rest of his prime. The team doesn't have much of a pass rush without Hali - Wallace Gilberry placed second on the team in sacks last season with seven. As we learned last season, teams cannot reach the Superbowl without a strong pass rush, and a player like Hali makes the entire defense better.

Hali could join the team's practice today, as could Gilberry, who also recently signed. Kansas City has signed all of its top defensive players but two - CB Brandon Carr and rookie LB Justin Houston.

Breaking Down the Chiefs' Schedule

Kansas City surprised the NFL last season with a remarkable turnaround, transforming from one of the league's worst teams into the AFC West champions. Kansas City has made a lot of good moves this offseason, and its younger players will be more experienced when the 2011 season starts. Despite all the signs that this could be a special year for Kansas City, many NFL pundits think the Chiefs won't even be back in the postseason, and for good reason: the Chiefs face a brutal schedule.

Many NFL coaches like to break down their teams' schedule into four segments, so that is what we will do here. In the first segment, Kansas City has two winnable home games against the Bills and the Vikings, and two tough road games against the Chargers and Lions. If the Chiefs want another shot at a playoff run, the team likely needs to win three of these games (since the later portion of the schedule is chalked full of playoff teams). Kansas City should take care of Minnesota and Buffalo at Arrowhead, and a split of San Diego and Detroit doesn't seem that far-fetched.

In Kansas City's second schedule segment, the team faces three AFC opponents it hasn't had very much luck against recently. Apart from a bye week, the Chiefs play the Colts and Raiders on the road, and San Diego at home. Kansas City will likely need to win two of these games to sniff the postseason, which could be asking a lot. The team finishes this portion with a home game against Miami, who will have one of the best defenses in the league. A winnable game, but the Dolphins will be a tough out next season.

Kansas City opens its third schedule segment hosting Denver, a game the Chiefs should win. However, things get a lot tougher, as the team then travels to New England to face the Patriots and hosts last season's AFC champion, Pittsburgh. Next, Kansas City travels to Chicago to take on the NFC runner-up Bears. The Bears have had a poor offseason and were a lucky team last year, and the game in Chicago should be one Kansas City can steal. If it can split between New England and Pittsburgh, the Chiefs could be in great shape. That is a gigantic"if" though.

The final portion of the Chiefs schedule could be even tougher than the third segment, as Kansas City opens with a trip to New York to face the Jets. You may not like all the talking New York does, but the team will have one of the best defenses in the league, and there is a reason why they have made the last two AFC championship games despite starting one of the worst QBs in the league. After the Jets, Kansas City hosts last year's Super Bowl champion. Being in Kansas City gives the Chiefs a better shot at knocking off Green Bay, but the Packers could very well be even better next season. The Chiefs final two games are both winnable, which is good because Kansas City could very likely need to win both to qualify for the playoffs. The team hosts Oakland before wrapping up the regular season on the road in Denver.

The Chiefs will likely be a better team next season, however the team's win-loss record may not reflect that. On paper, Kansas City's schedule looks like one of the toughest in the league, and the team will likely need to pull a few upsets for another shot at a postseason run.

Chiefs Sign First Round Pick Jonathan Baldwin, Several Free Agents

Kansas City has signed its first round pick from the 2011 draft. The Chiefs reached terms with WR Jonathan Baldwin, inking the former Pittsburgh star to a four year deal with an option for a fifth season.

While the news was expected, the Chiefs can breath a sigh of relief now that the team doesn't have to suffer through a messy holdout from its top draft selection. Despite being a rookie, Baldwin is expected to be an immediate contributor to Kansas City's offense, pairing with pro bowler Dwayne Bowe and the newly acquired Steve Breaston to give the Chiefs one of the strongest WR corps it has had in years.

Signing Baldwin means that Kansas City has now come to terms with every one of its draft picks except Justin Houston. Houston, a defensive end selected in the third round out of Georgia, was expected to contend for some serious playing time this season, and should be a priority for the Chiefs now that Baldwin is signed.

Apart from Breaston, the Chiefs also announced several other roster additions - all players who played for Kansas City last year. The team will be bringing back center Casey Wiegmann, tight end Leonard Pope, wide receiver Terrance Copper, running back Jackie Battle, safety Jon McGraw, cornerback Travis Daniels and tackle Ryan O'Callaghan. Fullback Mike Cox signed his restricted free agent tender, while safety Reshard Langford signed an exclusive rights free agent tender. The team released 2008 third round pick Brad Cottam, who was unable to recover from a serious vertebra injury sustained in 2009.

NFL Draft Round One - Will Kansas City Select a Defensive Lineman?

With the 2011 NFL draft fast approaching, the Chiefs are running out of time to evaluate the team's needs and formulate a strategy. Unlike recent years, the Chiefs will not be one of the first teams selecting a player, which makes it harder to predict what direction Kansas City will go with the 21st pick.

Many analysts predict the Chiefs will take a defensive lineman, and one name floating around the internet is Muhammed Wilkerson. The former Temple star will likely be around when the Chiefs make their pick, and has been noted for his run stopping ability. Kansas City already has a pass rush specialist at OLD in Tamba Hali, so improving a run defense that struggled at times makes sense.

Sports Illustrated has also bought into the idea of Kansas City adding a defensive lineman, predicting that the Chiefs will grab DT Stephen Paea of Oregon State. Paea had a monster combine and would provide a boost. Another DT SI mentions as a possibility for Kansas City is Illinois' Corey Liuget. The team has struggled to find a playmaker on the defensive line, as Tyson Jackson has underperformed early and often in his career. The Chiefs may yet again draft a defensive lineman with its first round pick, despite addressing this area several times recently.

Kansas City has several needs, so it will likely grab the best talent it can get rather than reach for someone to address a specific weakness. If a talented defensive lineman is on the board, don't be surprised if the Chiefs grab one in hopes that its 3-4 defense will continue to make strides in 2011.

What the Chiefs Need in the 2011 Draft

The Chiefs had a very successful 2010 draft, putting the organization in a strong position to contend for the next several years. Many of Kansas City's picks ended up contributing to the team right away; Eric Berry lived up to his high draft status, Tony Moeaki was productive at tight end and Dexter McCluster added some explosiveness to the return game.

A successful 2011 draft would give Kansas City a young nucleus as good as any team in the league. The Green Bay Packers have proved that teams can win championships by stockpiling and developing young talent through the draft, and Chiefs GM Scott Pioli would like to follow the same blueprint. Despite taking a huge step forward last year, Kansas City still has some holes to fill before it is ready to compete for a title. The following are areas the Chiefs must address in the draft:

Wide Receiver

Dwayne Bowe finally broke out last season and put up Pro Bowl numbers. However, it is crucial that Kansas City find another big time wideout to open up the offense and take some pressure of Bowe. Some of the top wideouts in the draft like Julio Jones will likely be gone by the time Kansas City is up, and drafting a WR in the first round is always a risk. Kansas City may elect to grab a WR through free agency or a trade, and grab a wideout in the later rounds it can develop.

Outside Linebacker

Tamba Hali is as good as they come, but the Chiefs could use another playmaker outside in the team's 3-4 defense. There seems to be a lot of options here in the draft, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is where the Chiefs go in the first round. An outside linebacker likely provides Kansas City an opportunity to get the most bang for its buck in round one.

Nose Tackle

A good nose tackle is essential for a 3-4 defense, and the Chiefs could use a playmaker at this position. I would be surprised if Kansas City didn't take a nose tackle at some point in the draft.

Offensive Line

While the Chiefs have done addressing this area recently, there is still room to improve. The line got beat soundly towards the end of the last season, and giving Matt Cassel more time must be a priority. In the past, teams have found steals in the later rounds with offensive lineman, and the Chiefs may be able to do the same this year. At the very least, this is an area that Kansas City could use more depth.

Matt Cassel to Start on Sunday vs. St. Louis

Matt Cassel to Start on Sunday vs. St. Louis
by Kansas City News

I'm going to go ahead and call it - after listening to coach Todd Haley's interview today it really looks like Matt Cassel is going to be a go for Sunday.  The Chiefs are looking at this game as the biggest game they have faced so far this year - not because of the weak ass Rams, but because the game means so much now that the 49rs couldn't figure out how to stop the Chargers.  I don't want to hear any more about how great the 49rs defense is - NO GOOD - they suck ass.

We will be the first news source to announce the starting of Matt Cassel, and we hope that Matt feels well on Sunday and can lead us to victory.  Further into the interview today Haley mentions that he is preparing "multiple quarterbacks" for Sunday, showing us that he does not trust Brody Croyle and that he is probably taking applicants from people on the street to play the QB role for the Chiefs.

No matter who is playing QB this week, we need to throw the ball early and often so that the St. Louis defense doesn't get comfortable early in keying on our running game - like we did vs the Chargers last Sunday - sheesh - let's just telegraph exactly what we're going to do - idiots.  The Chiefs running game shouldn't even be featured until the 2nd quarter at the earliest.

Chiefs Chargers - Why We Lost the Game on the First Drive

The Chiefs lost this game on the very first drive.  What moron would call 4 running plays in a row when The Chargers KNOW that the running game is all we have? (oh, that link goes to a Charger's website where they talk about the fact that they KNOW that the run is all we have) - Today, the Chiefs did the classic idiotic play calling sequence:

Run - small gain
Run - amazingly a first down
Run - small gain
Run - small gain
3rd Down - yeah, great time to pass now that they fucking KNOW we're going to pass.  FAIL.

At this exact point this game was over.  Not overreacting here, this actually ended the game.  Why?  Because once the Chargers knew that we weren't going to throw the ball, they got nice and comfortable and teed off on our running game.  Great scheme guys.

Here is what an intelligent NFL team would have done on the first drive:

1st play of the game - LONG BOMB.  Incomplete, interception, who cares?  As long as they know that we're going to test them deep.

2nd play of the game - PLAY ACTION PASS.  They are sitting on the run - the play action would have been PERFECT - even just a short pass would have been effective here.

3rd play of the game - PLAY ACTION PASS.  That's right - ANOTHER pass.  Let them think that we're going to pass all damn day.

If the Chiefs had anyone on staff who knew anything about football, we could have had a chance in this game.  But it is obvious that they do not.  4 fucking runs in a row - great strategy guys, IDIOTS.

This is why the Chiefs haven't won a playoff game in 200 years or so.  The funny part is, there was a girl watching the game with us and she didn't know anything about football - her EXACT quote was "why are they running the ball so much right off the bat when they know that our quarterback is hurt and that we're going to have to run the ball for the whole game?"  - Yes, ladies and gentleman, even a girl who knows nothing about football knows more than the Chiefs coaching staff.  I turned the game off after the 1st quarter.  No need to watch any more of THAT.

Let me know what the final score is - or no, wait, how about don't.  I'm going out to eat.

Matt Cassel Appendectomy Injury Report for Chiefs

Matt Cassel Has Appendectomy Surgery - Injury Report for The Kansas City Chiefs
by Kansas City News

Today the question about why Matt Cassel was suddenly absent from Wednesday's practice was answered when it was reported from The Chiefs camp that Cassel had an emergency Appendectomy this afternoon.  Cassel, who has been performing great on the field for the Chiefs of late will likely miss up to 4 weeks due to this injury.  At the very least he will miss this Sunday's game when the Chiefs play the San Diego Chargers - a must win game for the Chiefs.  According to medical sports experts, the earliest that a player has returned from an appendectomy was 10 days, but the injury should likely sideline a player for up to 4 weeks.

While we are all happy that Cassel will be okay, this will surely affect the outcome of the game against San Diego this Sunday.  Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones will really have to step up and carry The Chiefs to a victory this week.  With Cassel out, Chiefs backup quarterback Brody Croyle will be the starter.  Croyle has not thrown a pass in regular season this year, while Matt Cassel has thrown for 2503 yards, with an astonishing 23 - 4 touchdown / interception ratio with a passer rating of 98.4.

The Chiefs officially gave Cassel a 50% chance of starting once the news of his appendectomy was announced, but this statistic is very doubtful according to medical experts.

Eli Young Band Forgets Words to National Anthem @ Chiefs Game

Eli Young Band botches National Anthem at The Chiefs / Broncos Game at Arrowhead Stadium
by Kansas City News

That's BRUTAL!  The Eli Young Band from Texas completely blew the National Anthem at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, forgetting the words - TWICE - and screwing up the timing of the jet fly over.  The Chiefs fans were immediately all over this guy, booing and laughing as this poor singer struggled to remember the words to our country's theme.  The singer started off the first line ok, then forgot the second line, added an awkward pause, then did the unthinkable and STARTED OVER with the crowd continuing to boo and yell - this might have been the idea of his band mate who whispered something in the singer's ear.  Why did they have the whole band out there anyway?  The other three members of the band were just standing there doing nothing.  This shows the lack of talent of today's young musicians.  Back in the day when bands had talent, an entire band would NEVER just stand around out there while one guy sang the National Anthem, the entire band would sing - for instance when Huey Lewis and The News performed the National Anthem - now THAT was class.  Take a lesson, young talentless musicians of the Eli Young band, watch that video of Huey Lewis and the News and realize that you guys just got lucky with a lift up from Miranda Lambert.

Note:  The Eli Young band got a free lift from country music industry friend Miranda Lambert when she needed an opening act - ah, the empty, soulless, commercial driven music industry - as long as you're under 25, have spikey super-gel hair and can sing into a computer that fixes your voice, you've got a record deal.  The good news is, the label will be taking all of your money.

AFC West Standings - Chiefs Top AFC Standings

The Kansas City Chiefs keep their seat at the top of the AFC West Standings
by Kansas City News


With today's thrashing of the Denver Broncos, The Kansas City Chiefs continue to dominate the AFC West.  The media has not yet fully accepted the fact that the Chiefs are the best team in the AFC.  Sports media reps continue to talk about how great the Chargers are, and hardly even mention the Chiefs during AFC West breakdown discussions.  One reason for this is probably because everyone LOVES Philip Rivers, and cannot accept the fact that his team is just not as good as they should be.  The Chargers prematurely let LaDainian Tomlinson go and he went on to be a big yard producer with the Jets, who are a real team and also sit atop their division (see AFC East Standings).

Hopefully after this week the sports media will begin to take the Chiefs seriously and put a hush on all of the Chargers talk.  The Chiefs have worked harder than any team in the NFL this year and you can tell.  This team, led very emotionally by Todd Haley has established themselves in a category that every team attempts to master - the running game.  Only the strongest teams can put up the kind of rushing yards that our beloved Chiefs (using Mr. Wonderful's terminology) are putting up, and that shows a commitment to the running game that every NFL team strives to build.

Until further notice, the Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in the AFC - don't believe us?  Check out the AFC West Standings and deal with it.

Chiefs Offense Rolls, Matt Cassel Doesn't Suck

What a Game! The Chiefs offense was near perfect in their dismantling of the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday afternoon. 503 total yards of offense, 41 minutes of possession, and a 42-24 final score. The game really wasn't close as Seattle scored 7 of their points on a blocked punt in the first half. No longer will this blogger use the keywords "Matt Cassel Sucks". His play the past few weeks has made a believer out of me. Of course the fact that Dwayne Bowe is playing out of his mind and Jamaal Charles continues his excellent play is helping the cause. Cassel threw for 233 yards and 4 TDs, three of them to Bowe. Dwayne Bowe also extending his franchise record string of games with a TD catch and the record for most TD receptions for a Chief in a season with 14 - there are still 5 regular season games on the schedule. Oh, and did I mention he also leads the League in TDs.

Then there is Jamaal Charles - second in the league in total rushing yards, and he doesn't even have the most carries on the team! He averages a stunning 6.3 yards/carry, more than a yard ahead of the League's leading rusher Arien Foster. He reminds of Marcus Allen, only much faster. He can squirt through the smallest of holes, or beat you with his speed around the outside.

The Chiefs remain 1 game ahead in the AFC West with little margin for error, what fun the remainder of the year will be. I think we can look for a beat down of gigantic proportions as the Broncos (and Todd Haley's Best Friend Josh McDaniels) come to town next Sunday in a rematch of the Chiefs worst game a few weeks ago.