NFL Draft Analysts Predict Chiefs Will Trade Down Or Select Texas A&M Tackle Luke Joekel

With the end of the NFL season only a few weeks away, draft talk is starting to heat up. Holding the top selection in the draft, the Chiefs have been the center of a lot of speculation regarding who they may pick. While many fans think the team should draft its quarterback of the future with the top pick, several draft experts are now predicting that Kansas City will trade down or select Texas A&M left tackle Luke Joekel.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper believes only four players are worthy of the top overall selection: Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones, Texas A&M OLB Damontre Moore, Utah DT Star Lotulelei and Joekel. Kansas City already Tamba Hali and Justin Houston as pass rushers in the team’s 3-4 defense, and has drafted a defensive lineman in the first round three of the past five years.

It is also unknown at this time if the team plans on resigning left tackle Branden Albert. If the Chiefs draft Joekel, they could release Albert or resign him and move him to right tackle or guard.

The biggest question new Chiefs GM John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid will have to make is whether the top two quarterbacks available – Matt Barkley and Geno Smith – are worth the top overall pick. Most draft analysts think the two quarterbacks are top ten material, but not worth the top pick in the draft. This presents the Chiefs with an interesting option - the team could potentially trade down a few spots in the first round and still get either Barkley or Smith. While they wouldn’t get a ransom mirroring what Washington gave up to move up and select Robert Griffin III, the team could end up with its quarterback of the future and an extra draft pick or two. The Chiefs would have to find another team desperate for a pass rusher or left tackle to make a deal.

There will also be several veteran quarterbacks looking for a starting opportunity this offseason and the Chiefs may opt to go with one for the next couple of years and wait to see if it can find a quarterback in a future draft.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Sporting Kansas City Ends Relationship With Livestrong

In the wake of the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, and Armstrong’s admittance that he used steroids during his run of a record seven consecutive Tour de France championships, Livestrong and Sporting KC have terminated their deal for the naming rights of the club’s stadium.

Sporting KC announced yesterday that they would sever all ties with Livestrong, the cancer awareness organization Armstrong founded. For the time being, the stadium will be known as “Sporting Park.”

Livestrong has claimed that Sporting KC had only paid $250,000 of its $1 million pledge for 2012. The original agreement called for Sporting to contribute $7.5 million over six years to Livestrong by donating portions of ticket, concession and souvenir sales. Sporting KC President and CEO Robb Heineman has strongly disputed this claim, and has stated that the $250,000 was all that the club contractually owed Livestrong. Heineman also criticized the Livestrong organization for using the media as a platform to criticize Sporting KC.

Armstrong recently admitted to doping throughout his record-breaking and inspirational career in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. This interview is scheduled to be aired tomorrow.

The writing was on the wall for Sporting KC when the United States Anti-Doping Agency accused Armstrong of doping and trafficking drugs, and later when Armstrong was stripped of his titles and banned from competitive cycling for life. 24-Hour Fitness, Anheuser-Busch and Nike have all ended their sponsorship with Armstrong as well, and while Sporting KC initially stood by Livestrong, Armstrong’s confession and the accusations made by the Livestrong Foundation made the decision to end the relationship easy for Heineman.

It is unknown at this time if any potential sponsors have contacted Sporting KC about the naming rights to Sporting Park. The stadium recently was named as the host for the 2013 MLS All-Star game, and has also hosted several United States Men’s and Women’s soccer games.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Autopsy Reveals That Former Chiefs Linebacker Jovan Belcher Was Legally Drunk

The autopsy of former Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher performed by the Jackson County medical examiner has revealed that Belcher was legally drunk when he shot and killed his girlfriend, Kassandra Perkins, before fatally shooting himself in the parking lot outside of the Chiefs practice facility.

Belcher’s blood-alcohol level was .17 just before 8:00 a.m., around the time that he committed suicide in the Chiefs’ parking lot. This level is more than double the legal driving limit in the state of Missouri. Perkins had little to no alcohol in her system when Belcher shot her nine times following a heated argument in the home the couple shared.

What is most disturbing about Belcher’s high blood-alcohol level is that he encountered Kansas City police only a few hours before his murder-suicide. Belcher had been out partying with another woman he had a relationship with, Brittney Glass, before being found in his vehicle outside of Glass’ apartment building by police around 3:00 a.m. Belcher was asleep in his running car when he was awoken by police, who allowed Belcher to go into Glass’ apartment and did not arrest him. The officers claimed they could not smell any alcohol on Belcher.

Belcher would leave Glass’ apartment only a few hours later, returning home legally drunk before the fatal argument started between he and Perkins. Kansas City police were called by Belcher’s mother, Cheryl Shepherd, at 7:52 a.m.

The autopsy on Belcher helps explain what is quite possibly the most disturbing episode ever involving a Kansas City sports team. With a blood-alcohol level of .17 at the time of his death, it is clear that Belcher was heavily intoxicated when he encountered police the night before, although the officers simply allowed him to sleep it off at an apartment belonging to his girlfriend, and couldn’t have known Belcher would wake up a few hours later and drunkenly drive home and confront Perkins.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Chiefs Hire John Dorsey As General Manager

John Dorsey, a longtime personnel man for the Green Bay Packers, has been hired as the new general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs will be hosting a press conference today in which Dorsey will be officially introduced.

After a five year playing career in Green Bay, Dorsey joined the Packers’ front office, where he moved up the ranks and became a key contributor to the organization. Dorsey served as the director of college scouting from 2000 through 2012, a period in which the Packers built a talented team through the draft that consistently made the playoffs and won the 2011 Super Bowl. Dorsey spent last season as the director of football operations.

Dorsey also has a close relationship with new Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. Reid was an assistant coach for the Packers from 1992 through 1998, a period in which Dorsey worked as a college scout.

The hiring of Dorsey should be considered a home run by Chiefs fans. The Packers won the Super Bowl in 2011 with a starting lineup nearly entirely made up of players the team drafted, including Pro Bowl caliber players such as Aaron Rodgers, Clay Matthews, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, B.J. Raji, James Jones, Casey Hayward and others. The Packers have consistently drafted well and signed undrafted free agents that have become productive NFL starters, such as Tramon Williams and Sam Shields. Poor drafting was one of the biggest criticisms of former GM Scott Pioli’s tenure, as the Chiefs often used high selections on average to below-average players and failed to build a deep roster that could sustain injuries.

As the Chiefs start their rebuilding process, the team will need to draft well and add young talent to the roster. Dorsey is the right man for the job, and Chiefs fans have reason to be optimistic that things may start to turn around.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Kansas City Selected To Host 2013 MLS All-Star Game

After hosting the 2012 MLB All-Star game, Kansas City has been selected to host another all-star game this summer. MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed yesterday that his league will be having its all-star game this summer at Kansas City’s Livestrong Sporting Park.

Since its opening, Livestrong Park has grown into one of the top venues to watch a soccer game in the country. Sporting KC fans have quickly become one of the most supportive and passionate fan bases in the MLS, and US men’s and women’s national games held at Livestrong have also been a success.

Peter Vermes, the head coach of Sporting KC, will coach the MLS all-star team in the game. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night, and will be broadcast on ESPN and Univision. The match will also be shown in more than 100 countries.

Tickets start at $50 for the members’ stand and rise as high as $115 for seats in the west stands. Tickets for the Shield Club start at $160. A special presale for tickets has already begun, and it is possible that the entire stadium sells out quickly.

At this point, it is not clear who the MLS all-stars will actually play in the game. Since 2003, the MLS all-stars have faced top club teams from around the world, including seven matches against teams from the English Premier League. The MLS all-stars hold a 6-2-1 record all time in this format. If a European team is selected for this game, it likely will not be announced for at least another month, when these clubs begin planning and announcing their United States tours.

Is Kansas City becoming a soccer town? With the Chiefs and Royals both stuck in mediocrity, Sporting KC has given fans a winner to cheer for. In this case, the support Kansas City residents have shown for Sporting and the US national teams has been rewarded.

KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.