KCMB Kansas City News

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Wide Receiver Donnie Avery Signed by Chiefs

Donnie Avery, wide receiver, was signed by The Kansas City Chiefs today. Avery was drafted by The St. Louis Rams in the 2008 NFL Draft as the 33rd overall pick. Donnie Avery was a wide receiver for the University of Houston until joining the NFL where he enjoyed two good seasons as a Ram, catching 100 balls for 1263 yards and 8 touchdowns. Avery was sidelined in 2010 with an ACL injury and then dealt to the Titans where he was healthy enough to play in 8 games.

Donnie Avery, super star wide receiver in Indianapolis

The next chapter in the Donnie Avery story proved to be a great one as he was a stand out receiver opposite Reggie Wayne hauling in 60 receptions for 781 yards and 3 scores.

With the Chiefs, Avery will be competing for the number 2 slot with Jonathan Baldwin, Kansas City's 1st round pick from 2011 who has yet to shine on the field.

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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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Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Chiefs Free Agency Overview

The NFL free agent signing period has opened, and the Kansas City Chiefs will be looking to fill several holes on its roster. The team has already been busy this offseason, acquiring new players while releasing several veterans.

The Chiefs have made two big acquisitions already this offseason – trading two draft picks for 49ers quarterback Alex Smith and signing defensive back Dunta Robinson. Smith should be an instant upgrade at quarterback, while Robinson will bring experience to a defensive backfield that struggled last season. The team also resigned wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, tackle Branden Albert and punter Dustin Colquitt. To clear up cap space for these signings, the team released tackle Eric Winston, tight end Kevin Boss and wide receiver Steve Breaston.

Kansas City has already done a good job of addressing some glaring needs, but the team still has several holes to fill. The Chiefs could use some help at wide receiver, especially after letting Breaston go. Former first-round pick Jonathan Baldwin has been a bust so far in the NFL, and the team will need to find another target to pair with Bowe for Smith to throw to. Losing Boss makes the tight end position thin as well, and the team could use some insurance behind Tony Moeaki, who has struggled with injuries in his career.

Defensively, the Chiefs could use more depth in the secondary and will have to find a capable starting inside linebacker next to Pro Bowler Derrick Johnson. Despite spending several early draft picks on defensive lineman over the past several years, the team could also still use an upgrade there.

New general manager John Dorsey could have a lot of flexibility in how he will build the Chiefs’ roster, as the team has several unrestricted free agents. Dorsey will need to figure out which players to bring back first, and then start finding free agents that can address some glaring needs on the roster, particularly at wide receiver, tight end and linebacker.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Kansas Falls To Baylor, Still Wins Ninth Consecutive Big 12 Championship

The Kansas Jayhawks’ regular season ended in disastrous fashion, as the team was blown out by Baylor 81-58. Despite suffering its worst loss in seven years, Kansas was able to win a ninth consecutive Big 12 championship due to Kansas State’s loss to Oklahoma State earlier in the day.

Baylor easily played its best game of the season against Kansas, and was carried by two insane performances from Pierre Jackson and Cory Jefferson. Jackson scored 28 points with 10 assists, while Jefferson added 25 points. Jefferson, who had never hit a three pointer in his career, went three-for-three from behind the arc on Saturday, which puts the Bears’ performance into perspective.

Kansas not only struggled defensively, but the Jayhawks never got anything going on offense. Ben McLemore had a strong game, but Elijah Johnson struggled, shooting 3 of 13 from the field and adding only two assists next to three turnovers. Apart from McLemore, the lone bright spot for the Jayhawks was freshman Perry Ellis, who added 12 points.

Before Saturday, the Jayhawks had looked like the best team in college basketball recently. Kansas had won seven in a row, including a home blowout of K-State and two tough road wins against Oklahoma State and Iowa State. The Jayhawks still have the talent to go deep in the NCAA tournament, but they will have to get better play from Johnson. When the senior point guard plays well, Kansas is nearly unbeatable. Johnson played very well in last year’s NCAA tournament, which was a big reason why the Jayhawks advanced all the way to the national title game.

Up next for Kansas is the Big 12 tournament, where the Jayhawks will once again have the top seed. Kansas will face the West Virginia-Texas Tech winner on Thursday. If the Jayhawks defeat the Mountaineers or Red Raiders, they will face either Oklahoma or Iowa State.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Chiefs Release Tackle Eric Winston

Just days after placing the franchise tag on left tackle Branden Albert, the Chiefs have released right tackle Eric Winston. The release may signal that the team is heavily leaning towards drafting a tackle with their first overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

Winston had signed a four-year, $22 million contract with Kansas City a year ago, and this move saves the Chiefs $5.5 million in cash and $3.5 million in cap space. Winston, who was originally selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2006 NFL draft, became one of the better right tackles in the league before the Chiefs made a move for him in last year’s free agency period. Winston had a decent season for Kansas City, but the Chiefs are looking to get younger, and Winston may not be a strong fit for new head coach Andy Reid’s man-on-man blocking system after spending his career in a zone scheme.

Winston became famous in Kansas City for criticizing Chiefs fans for cheering when quarterback Matt Cassel got injured in a game last season. Winston told the media he understood Kansas City’s decision, and was appreciative that they released him quickly so he could catch on with another team.

In response to his release, Winston called the move “philosophical” and also suggested that the team will likely draft an offensive lineman with its top overall pick. Most draft experts believe that Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel or Central Michigan’s Eric Fisher could be likely targets for Kansas City.

One issue the Chiefs may face if they draft Joeckel or Fisher is dealing with Albert, who has made it clear he does not want to move to the right side of the line. The team could try to trade Albert to a team that is desperate for a good left tackle, or convince him to move to right tackle or guard. The Chiefs also could keep Albert at left tackle and use Joeckel or Fisher on the right side of the line.