Showing posts with label kc chiefs blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kc chiefs blog. Show all posts

Monday, October 24, 2011

Chiefs Defense 2011 Improving

Well hello Kansas City, I do believe that we have a defense! This Sunday's Chiefs Raiders game only solidified the proof that the Chiefs can hold their own in the trenches on the defensive side of the ball. Although the Chiefs have historically been regarded as a tough defensive team, especially at home, it has been over a decade since the defense has been anything over average. The last good Chiefs defense was during the Derrick Thomas + Neil Smith era back in the late 90's, when opposing quarterbacks ran for their lives from the Chiefs defensive line and the spider bite attack of Derrick Thomas from the right and Neil Smith from the left. After Sunday's slaughter over the Chiefs rival Oakland Raiders it is becoming clear that the Chiefs are turning once more into a defensive team.

The most important thing about the Chiefs defense right now is that they are playing like a unit. At the end of last year and at the beginning of this year it was like "hey, look how good Tamba Hali is, and look how great Eric Barry is" - but now it is clear that other members of the defense are stepping up. Brandon Flowers had an incredible game vs the Raiders on Sunday with two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown (talking smack to quarterback Carson Palmer the whole way into the endzone). Derrick Johnson continues to be a force at linebacker, seemingly involved in every play and tackle, and was personally responsible for the Chiefs goal line stop against the Raiders, who used all 4 downs trying to penetrate the end zone, and Derrick Johnson personally stopped 3 of those attempts. "Law Dog" Jon McGraw is playing out of his mind lately and had a great heads up interception on a tipped pass in the 2nd half, sealing the Raiders fate.

The Chiefs defense is going to be crucial next Monday night vs the Chargers at Arrowhead, when the Chiefs will be playing to land a 3-way tie for first place in the AFC West.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

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.

Monday, August 8, 2011

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.

Friday, August 5, 2011

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.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

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.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

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.

Monday, August 1, 2011

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.

Monday, November 29, 2010

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.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Denver Chiefs 2010 - Must Win Game for Chiefs

Chiefs @ Denver today a Must Win Game for the Chiefs
by Kansas City News


The Chiefs go into Denver today after a bitter loss to the extremely weak Oakland Raiders, who lucked out with a last minute miraculous pass to some receiver that no one has ever heard of, leading to a field goal by fat-legged Janikowski.  Flowers should have intercepted - or at least KNOCKED THE BALL DOWN since he got to that pass first (still pissed about that game, can you tell?).  But alas, looking forward, the Chiefs MUST win today against the ever so poop-stained Denver Broncos, or I will revert to my cynical Chiefs game viewing style that has protected me from stress for so many years.

The Broncos are the equivalent of a mediocre high school team this year, and the Chiefs should tromp these guys by at least 20 points.  Flowers better catch every ball that touches his hands, and Jamaal Charles better run like it's his job, er....wait, it IS his job, yeah, yeah.  I don't like being teased, and with the Chiefs 4-0 start I actually started watching the Chiefs games without being jaded to protect myself from getting upset, which was easy to do for the last few seasons when they were playing for good draft picking order, basically. I would honestly rather have a terrible record and be able to relax and laugh at the Chiefs than to be teased into paying attention to the games, sitting on the edge of my seat on every 3rd down, and then ultimately giving myself yet another ulcer.  All that said, the Chiefs better fucking win today son, and win big, so that I may drinketh beer early and often and not have to look at the TV screen on every play.

At this time, the Chiefs are a mere 1 point favorite, which shows the stat masters in Vegas don't have much faith in us right now, especially on the road.  Denver has a mish-mash of running backs who pretty much don't do anything (believe me, I've had all of them on my fantasy team at one point or another this season and have subsequently dumped them all).  The Denver Broncos quarterbacks are suspect in that Kyle Orton has the same problem as our beloved Matt Cassel possesses in that he can only see about 20 yards downfield at the max.  If they sneak in Tim Tebow at any point, Tamba Hali needs to step on his head and say "welcome to the NFL cracker!".  The Chiefs secondary will have their hands full with Brandon Lloyd, and to combat this wily wide out, the Chiefs have to get some serious pressure on Kyle Orton or they will have some problems.  Lloyd has been on FIRE this season.

Well, off I go to a house party / tailgate full of SERIOUS Chiefs fans, so hopefully this one goes well and we will drink and be merry :)


Here's some dorky stats about the Chiefs / Broncos History...


Chiefs vs Broncos History 
Chiefs are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following a S.U. loss.
Chiefs are 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games on grass.
Chiefs are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
Chiefs are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 road games.
Chiefs are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games overall.
Broncos are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games following a bye week.
Broncos are 16-34-1 ATS in their last 51 vs. AFC.
Broncos are 11-28 ATS in their last 39 games following a ATS loss.
Broncos are 7-18-1 ATS in their last 26 vs. AFC West.
Broncos are 9-24-1 ATS in their last 34 home games.
Broncos are 4-11 ATS in their last 15 games following a S.U. loss.
Broncos are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as a home underdog.
Broncos are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.
Over is 5-1 in Chiefs last 6 games following a bye week.
Over is 5-1 in Chiefs last 6 games as a road favorite.
Under is 5-1 in Chiefs last 6 games in Week 10.
Over is 4-1 in Chiefs last 5 games as a favorite of 0.5-3.0.
Over is 4-1 in Chiefs last 5 games in November.
Over is 4-1 in Chiefs last 5 games as a road favorite of 0.5-3.0.
Over is 4-0 in Broncos last 4 vs. AFC.
Over is 4-0 in Broncos last 4 vs. AFC West.
Under is 3-0-1 in Broncos last 4 games as a home underdog of 0.5-3.0.
Over is 6-0 in Broncos last 6 vs. a team with a winning record.
Over is 8-1 in Broncos last 9 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.
Under is 6-1-1 in Broncos last 8 games as a home underdog.
Over is 11-2 in Broncos last 13 games overall.
Over is 5-1 in Broncos last 6 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
Over is 5-1 in Broncos last 6 home games.
Over is 5-1 in the last 6 meetings.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Chiefs Lead the NFL in Rushing - Jaguars Officially Done for the Season

Chiefs Running Game DOMINATES - Jacksonville is Done - Bowe Catches Two Amazing Touchdowns

Maurice Jones - WHO?  I remember sitting in my comfy 50 yard line / 15th row seat watching Maurice Jones Drew run up and down the field, mud flying up behind his feet, with little or no resistance in previous bouts with our beloved Chiefs.  Today, however, this was not the case.  Jones-Drew, perhaps the only decent player on the Jaguars, was left in the dust as the Chiefs trounced the feeble Jaguars 42 - 20.  The Jaguars are officially DONE.  Last week's Jaguars game vs. the Titans was the most boring game I've ever watched - I'm pretty sure that the CMSU Mules could have put up a better fight.  The fact that Jacksonville was so weak did not take anything away from the pure galvanization that the road-weary Chiefs fans experienced watching this match.

First and foremost we have to give credit to my personal friend Ryan Lilja and the O-Line for bringing this one home.  The running game was on fire and this opened up the flood gates for an offense that would go on to put up 42 points.  The Chiefs currently lead the NFL in rushing yards.  Jamaal Charles continues to be electric - on a side note, we ran into Charles at the store the other day and the checkout guy tried to enthusiastically strike up a conversation with him - Charles didn't even look at the guy, much less respond to his banter, he silently stared straight ahead.  Just so you guys out there know, if you ever run into Charles in public, don't try to talk to him - he HATES you and all other white people - believe me, we've seen it first hand.  So cheer Charles on from the stands or from your couch, but he does not like you, I promise.

Another great sign for the Chiefs today was the performance of Dwayne Bowe, who's role with the Chiefs was in question after dropping two easy passes in week 4.  Bowe had one of the most amazing RAC touchdown receptions in Chiefs history as he caught the ball, SPLIT two defenders to get into open field and then the coup de gras STUFF of the final nameless defender between Bowe and the end zone. Bowe followed this performance up with another stellar catch where he leapt for the sky in the end zone and managed to tap down both feet for a 2nd TD.

Another well deserved touchdown came to Derrick Johnson when he intercepted ill-adept 5th string QB Todd Bouman for a pivotal game changing TD.  Other notables was the hearty performance of rookie safety Eric Berry, who cost the team with a pass interference play (the one that actually WAS pass interference) but then rallied back to intercept lame duck QB Todd Bouman and put on an entertaining run back show for us.

The Chiefs were the butt of another poor pass interference call today, but thankfully the Jaguars are so lame that they couldn't take advantage.  C'MON REF!

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