Vegas baby!

Evidently our star back has been kickin’ it in Vegas with some pretty good looking ladies.

I can’t really blame him. I mean, if i was loaded and it was the one time of the year I could vacation before getting down to business, I’d go to Vegas. Probably not with the same caliber women but hey, girls still go for nice guys. Right?

Nicely done Larry, nicely done.

I can blame the girl however. Did she really think it would be okay to post about an NFL player buying her alcohol? There could be no reprecussions from tweeting that? Sure, this situation seems harmless enough, but I wouldn’t want to be a girl on LJ’s bad side. Hasn’t really worked out in the past. Just sayin’.

Thanks to the one and only Adam Best as well as SPORTSbyBROOKS.

Although I was born and raised in the large city to the East in Missouri, my heart clearly belongs to Kansas City. This is where I completed my training and also become a fanatic of the city’s teams. Unfortunately, despite its loyal fans, K.C. often has been treated harshly by its franchises. Now, during the dead period in the NFL while coaches and players are vacationing prior to initiation of training camp, is an excellent time to review Kansas City sports history.

The Kansas City Monarchs were probably the city’s first major sports franchise, operating in the Negro Leagues from 1920-1930, and then barnstorming until being disbanded in 1965. The Monarchs were a successful franchise and were the home to stars like Ernie Banks, Larry Doby, Sachel Paige and, of course, Buck O’Neil.

Seeking a new home after wearing out their welcome in Philadelphia, the dreadful Athletics moved to K.C. in 1955. During their tenure from 1955-1967, the A’s were the doormats of the American League. In the late 50’s, they traded for a promising right fielder named Roger Maris whom they traded to the Yankees in 1959 for three players in the twilights of their Yankee careers (Hank Bauer, Don Larson and Marv Thornberry). In 1960, the A’s were purchased by insurance magnet Charlie Finley. Mr Finley attempted to move the A’s in 1962 to Dallas, finally succeeding in 1967 moving to Oakland. In the meantime, he made a mockery of baseball by moving fences in and out, using colored baseballs and creating a mascot mule named Charlie O.

Thanks to the work of Missouri Senator Stuart Symington, as well as the civic pride of Ewing Kauffman, the Royals were born in 1969. Behind an innovative, insightful and passionate owner, the Royals ascended the standings of the American League, reaching the playoffs, the World Series in 1980 and becoming World Champions in 1985. Unfortunately, the untimely death of Mr. Kaufman plus the expansion of free agents left the Royals a rudderless ship. Payroll was cut and potential stars like Johnny Damon, Jermaine Dye, Kevin Appier, and Carlos Beltran were traded rather than signed to long-term contracts. Now, under the ownership of David Glass, the Royals have had one winning season since 1993, and have had multiple 100-loss seasons. They have seen other small market franchises (Tampa Bay, Milwaukee, Oakland, and Minnesota) pass them by. Despite a remodeled Kauffman (an investment of over 250million by the people of Kansas City ) the Royals (except Zach Greinke) remain a morbid franchise.

Other franchises have shared in their disdain for Kansas City. The expansion Scouts of the NHL lasted all of two years prior to moving to Denver. The Scouts were a collection of castoffs and played in the difficult Smyth Division. During their first year, they played nine of their first 10 games on the road due to the American Royal sharing Kemper Arena.

Continue Reading »

Today was my birthday, and while I loved going out and eating a giant Chipotle burrito to celebrate and then getting a brand new pair of Ray-Bans, I want more (I’m an only child so selfishness comes naturally). So I decided to make a list of things I want from the Chiefs this season. I do realize I can’t get everything I want, but I think I’ve put together a list that reflects what this team needs most.

1. Signs of coaching life. Going back to my post yesterday, Herm just didn’t cut it. He got a great team in place, but couldn’t do anything with it. And I’ll go ahead and jump on the Haley/Pioli bandwagon in saying that I think those two guys are absolutely great choices to turn this team around. Pioli can find the best coaches around, and Haley is for sure one of them. Hopefully they won’t let us down.

2. A second receiving threat. For the last couple years its been pretty simple: If the Chiefs pass it’s gonna go to Gonzalez or Bowe. We lost Gonzalez. We need a replacement. Like most, I don’t think Engram will be a huge hit, so who will step up? Will it be Cottam? Maybe Jeff Webb will surprise us all. If somebody steps up though then we’ve made serious progress.

3. A motivated team. This kind of goes along with my first request, but I honestly think the Chiefs need to get a fire lit beneath them. Fast. These last two years they’ve looked sluggish, lazy, and not willing to give 100%. That has to stop. I place that not fully on the coaches, but on the veterans and captains of the team too. We lost a leader in Gonzalez, and he has to be replaced. If Haley and his selected leaders can get this done, I’d go so far as to say playoffs might be in order.

Now I like lists to come in fives, as you’ll all probably see in the future. But this seems like a great topic to let the Addicts sound off on. I have two more choices, but if anybody brings up a great wish or two, I’ll be more than inclined to include it in my top 5.

What do you think?

As you know, I, (like all of you), love the Kansas City Chiefs! I am completely obsessed with the team; always have been and always will be. Living in Southern California can be tough for a Chiefs fan, but luckily I have my fix with Direct TV’s Sunday Ticket. However, just like an addict, my drug is getting really expensive.

Now, I don’t want to sound cheap but, the “Early Bird Special” for the NFL Sunday Ticket package is $279.00!!! Additionally, if you want to see the Chiefs this year in HD (High Definition) it will cost an additional $100.00!!! It is going to cost me $379.00 this year to watch my beloved Chiefs from the comforts of my own living room. I am lucky enough that I can afford to pay it, especially in these rough financial times, but when is enough, enough? You can be certain that the price will be even higher next year.

How many of you “out of market” Chief fans are going to pay that price? How many can’t afford it? How much is too much?

(Addicts, I’d like to introduce David Errett, the new lead blogger here at Arrowhead Addict. It took me a while to find a replacement, but I’ve found that guy in David. He’s going to be great! And even though I’m busy with my FanSided duties, I will still be involved with this project on some level.  This is just the start of the new A.A., which I feel will be better than A.A. has ever been before. Everybody welcome David! - Adam)

Fellow Chiefs enthusiasts, there are few things I truly dislike in my world. I don’t like crying babies at all, nor do I enjoy the sight of the New York Yankees/Denver Broncos. Especially the latter; horses are neither scary nor intimidating, so I guess I actually dislike AND don’t understand the Broncos.

But I digress.

Herm Edwards is one of the only things I would add to the aforementioned list. I never have liked his demeanor, his coaching style, nor his track record. Especially with my Chiefs.

So it only serves to piss me off even more when I hear about comments he’s made, such as “You play to win the game” or “We have to score.”

And it really pisses me off when he says what he says here. (the quotes I’ll be referencing are towards the end)

I really hate to bring this guy up again. I know we’re trying to move on, trying to forget the last couple years. But when he blatantly says he “was coaching a college team,” I get angry, pretty much because he wasn’t. He was coaching NFL caliber players, most of whom weren’t rookies.

When he says he left each team better than when I started,” I get really pissed off/angry/mad. I don’t feel I need to explain that.

Again, I’m sorry for bringing him up, but to me these comments couldn’t go unnoticed.

It may just be enough to add him to your own list too.

I was surprised to hear that Coach Haley was making all the players perform a physical performance test before and after the OTA’s and will do so again at the start of training camp. Even more surprising than that is the fact that Chiefs have not done this before. It is so surprising because the idea is so simple, yet so brilliant.

Haley realizes that most players come into camp to get into shape. From a coaching standpoint, such a philosophy is obviously a waste of valuable practice and implementation time, as well as leaving players susceptible to injury. By implementing the performance test upon the players Haley is insuring that the Chiefs will hit the ground running come July. It insures that the Chiefs will be ahead of those ball clubs who do not demand the same level of performance from their players. This is just another example of Coach Haley building a structured, disciplined and fit ball club. It is another example of Haley finding out what type of players he currently has on his roster. It is another example of the little things that will help turn this ball club around. It is another simple tool to find the right 53.

So why don’t all the NFL teams conduct a physical performance test? Maybe it’s because establishing a test can lead to problems, especially for a weak minded coach. Every rule must have a consequence for its disobedience. What happens when your star players fail the performance tests? If you are Todd Haley, what do you do if Brian Waters fails the test upon reporting to training camp? What punishment should he receive? How about Mike Vrabel? What if Matt Cassel fails the test? What if Dwayne Bowe gains the weight again? Wouldn’t you have to discipline them and how?

As the weather gets hotter, the beginning of training camp and grows closer and closer. As we reach the halfway point of this year, it is important to reflect on the first 180 days. Today’s column consists of a critical review of Chief happenings over the last several months, signified by either praise (peace pipe) or criticism (hatchet).

PEACE PIPE

1. Trading for Matt Cassell. Chiefs got a proven NFL starter for at least one year for a second-round pick, and in the process totally dismantled the Broncos franchise (thank you, Josh McDaniels).
2. Drafting of defensive lineman on the first and third rounds.What else can you do after you have resolved the QB situation and are left with the worst pass rush in NFL history?
3. Trading of Tony G. I know this could be on either side of the ledger, but if you really are not selfish and want whats best for Tony and the Chiefs this makes sense.
4. Moving Training Camp to Mo. Western. This makes sense and thank you, Jay Nixon. It allows Royal weary fans to escape to St. Joe for a Chiefs fix, keeps tax dollars in the state and allows the players to get accommodated to the Midwestern heat
5. Roger Goodell for keeping the integrity of the game and handing out discipline appropriately.
6. Continued improvements to Arrowhead. When completed we will have a stadium of equal or superior excellence to the beautiful new Kaufmann.
7. Larry Johnson good behavior? Maybe the trials and tribulations and the lack of interest by other teams have hit home. May we expect a new Larry?

HATCHET

1.Jason Whitlock complaining about the Chiefs trying to run a successful franchise without his interference.
2. Brian Waters acting like NFL Brat of the Year instead of Man of the Year.
3. Continued construction at One Arrowhead Drive — it looks like a war zone.
4. Royals continue their modern tradition of dismal seasons and add pressure onto the Chiefs for a quick turn-around.
5. Mike Vrabel for not showing up for OTA’s.
6. Dwayne Bowe for showing up at 243 pounds. He may be eating his way out of the lineup. Did he get some of buddy JaMarcus Russell’s mama’s cooking when he went back South for the offseason?

Happy Birthday to ArrowheadAddict/FanSided.com co-founder and my son Zach. He continues to amaze me through his teaching, computer skills and coaching.

Not this is breaking news or anything because most of us knew this, but the Chiefs and Governor Jay Nixon will announce today that they will move training camp to Missouri Western.

Governor Jay Nixon will announce on Thursday that a deal has been made with Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph as the location for the Kansas City Chief’s training camp.

Under the agreement, the Chiefs will remain at the location for at least 10 years and will contribute $10 million from sales tax incentives to help the college construct a new athletic facility on the campus. If the Chiefs don’t follow through, they would owe penalties to the state.

This will be the last year the Chiefs will be in River Falls, Wisconsin. Adam and I went up there last year to experience River Falls for the first time. We had a blast and suggest to any Chiefs fan to go up there if you can. This will be the last chance you have to get out of the miserable Missouri heat and enjoy Wisconsin in the summer. Just make sure to get a hotel room well in advance because Adam and I went through two states and couldn’t find one. Here is the Chiefs training camp schedule for this year and a link to River Falls site:

2009 CHIEFS TRAINING CAMP AND PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Thursday, July 30 Depart for Training Camp – River Falls, WI
Friday, July 31 Begin Training Camp – River Falls, WI
Saturday, Aug. 1 First Day of Practice – River Falls, WI
Saturday, Aug. 8 Family Fun Day – River Falls, WI
Saturday, Aug. 15 Kansas City vs. Houston – Arrowhead Stadium (7 PM CT)
Thursday, Aug. 20 Break Training Camp – River Falls, WI

Now that we have gone through the OTA’s and minicamp, it’s time to take some stock. Specifically, I want to focus on the veteran acquisitions. This offseason strikes me as deja vu. I remember when the Chiefs hired a head coach with a tough reputation. He concluded that the Chiefs needed some vets that knew how to win in the NFL. Todd Haley? No, it was Marty Shottenheimer. When Marty arrived in KC, he signed Marcus Allen, Ron Jaworski and Mike Webster. Todd Haley is following a similar plan. It’s a good idea and it can work. Todd wanted to bring in some vets to show the young Chiefs how to prepare as well as instilling a winning mentality. At this point, I am ready choose my off-season winner and loser among those new veteran players.

The big winner is: Matt Cassel. Yes, I know I have been hard on Matt and I am still not sold on him as a NFL QB. However, he has earned my respect for the way he has conducted himself this off-season. He has done just about everything right. He has set a good example in terms of preparation and leadership. He gets my kudos for that. Matt had tough competition for this award. Mike Goff and Zach Thomas have also been big additions in the locker room.

My big loser is Mike Vrabel. Mike as been the polar opposite of Matt. While Matt has lead from the weight room, Mike has set the proper veteran example by not being here. Sorry Mike, you can’t lead from the couch at home. It’s very understandable to be upset going from a perennial playoff team to at team that excels at drafting in the top five of the draft. Sorry Mike, that’s life in the NFL. It is not to early to wonder if Pioli made a mistake in trading for him.

OK Addicts have at it. Any other new pickup excite you? Disappoint you?

Carl Peterson has landed his next career in football after being the Chiefs general manager for 20 years. The AP is reporting that Peterson will be the new chairman of USA Football.

Former Kansas City Chiefs executive Carl Peterson is the new chairman of USA Football. He replaces the late Jack Kemp.

USA Football is the national governing body of youth football. Peterson, who spent 20 years with the Chiefs, will serve as chairman of the independent nonprofit.

The group was endowed by the NFL and NFL Players Association in 2002. It hosts more than 100 football events annually, instructing coaches, players and game officials and providing resources for youth football league commissioners.

The following is a thumb-nail skech of the assistants.

Bill Muir, offensive line coach - This 67-year-old former offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2000-2008 was fired along with Jon Gruden. He adds experience to a young coaching staff.

Bob Bicknell, tight ends- a holdover from the prior staff built his resume in NFL Europe coaching the Berlin Thunder, Cologne Centerions and Frankfurt Galaxy.

Steve Hoffman, special teams - A former college QB and kicker has been a long-time special teams coach. Most recently was assistant special teams coach for the Dolphins and Bill Parcells.

Dedric Ward, wide recievers - A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Northern Iowa played in the league form 1997-2004. Began coaching career at Missouri State and last year served under coach Haley as a quality control offensive coach for the Arizona Cardinals

Tim Krumrie, defensive line - After a distinguished playing career at Wisconsin and with the Bengals, he has previously coached at Buffalo and Cinncinnati. One of the stars of Hard Knocks a couple years ago oversaw one of the all-time worst defensive line performances in 2008. I am clueless why he was retained after his players miserable performance in 2008.

Ronnie Bradford, defensive backs - This former Colorado Buffalo blocked a Notre Dame extra point in 1991 perserving the victory and the National Championship. After a NFL career with Denver, Atlanta and Arizona he has coached special teams and defensive backs for the Denver Broncos. No known association with either Haley or Pioli.

NFL insider Adam Schefter reported on 850 KOA in Denver that Brandon Marshall asked Broncos owner Pat Bowlen for a trade during their meeting Friday.

According to Adam Schefter, “Bowlen asked Marshall to take some time to reconsider his stance. Marshall is not expected to back down, however, which means the Broncos are right back where they were with Jay Cutler. Though it’s possible that a new contract could assuage Marshall, it’s more likely that the receiver will continue to push for a trade. Perhaps the Bears will be interested.” (Rotoworld.com)

What is happening in Denver? Has Josh McDaniels lost all control of his franchise? Can Denver’s offseason be the worst offseason of any NFL franchise?

Have the Chiefs done enough to turn the franchise around in 2009?

If so, what moves in your mind have the Chiefs done to do so, and if not, then what moves do they need to make in order to do so?

Sound Off Addicts.

It is time for you to select your most surprising player for the upcoming 2009 season. Take some time, scour the roster, look at the schedule, consider the Chief’s needs, utilize your football acumen, and come up with one player who you believe will surprise us all and why. Don’t forget the why part! “Surprise” can mean anything you want it to as long as you tell us why. We will be keeping track and will go over the results after the season.

Last year I chose Tyler Thigpen, (blah, blah, blah, ad nauseum….) I was right (feels good to type that), and nobody else picked him (even better). This year I am digging extremely deep and choosing…….. Well, I will post my choice in the comments section after a few of you had had your chance.

What say you and why?

Originally, I planned that today’s column would be spent reviewing the attributes of our new assistants. However, after reading Jason Whitlock’s most recent article entitled “Chiefs loading up on secrecy,” I abandoned that topic. Instead, I have chosen to write a rebuttal to Mr. Whitlock.

First, let me say that I appreciate Jason, his work and his talent. But sometimes he just gets out on a tangent and can’t let it go. I have seen it with Damian Nash at Mizzou, who he interviewed after a bitter loss, then published his displeasure with playcalling and patterns of substitution by the coaching staff. This resulted in Mr. Nash permanently landing in Coach Pinkel’s doghouse.

Another example was his most recent diatribe with Brian Waters. Through amplification, as well as conjecture he has pitted the longest-tenured veteran player and NFL Man of the Year against the new GM and head coach..

Now, Jason is upset with the cloak of secrecy at One Arrowhead Dr. He feels that he should be on the sidelines at every practice, be allowed in the locker room after every practice and be consulted by Haley and Pioli on every personnel decision.

WRONG! Haley and Pioli are not interested in developing articles for the Star and embellishing the personalities of individuals. Their job is to rid the Chiefs locker room of self-serving wannabe stars and develop team concepts without interference from the outside. I have often thought in K.C the last several years we have glorified our players with individual radio shows and spots which in many cases were not earned or justified. As Dwayne Bowe said today in an interview, “It’s kinda nice, we are coming together — it is important for me to keep a low profile with so many young and new players”

Jason wake up and smell the barbeque. It’s not about individuals anymore — its about team. I am reminded of Joe Kapp, the journeyman QB who led the Vikings to the super Bowl in the 70s, who said “Winning it’s about 40 guys for 60 minutes.” Save your critiques for the regular season. Ultimately, Haley and Pioli will be held accountable for their record. Let them do it their way without interference from the media.

As for you, I suggest you go to the nearest Gates and drown your displeasure with an order of long ends.