Source: Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs defense followed up with an impressive performance against the Philadelphia Eagles with another solid day against the Green Bay Packers.

The Chiefs starters shut down the Aron Rodersless Packers in the first quarter with not one, not two, not three but 4 straight three and outs.

“It’s very important, said Chiefs first round draft pick Eric Berry. “Just get that momentum going into Monday night football and make sure we’re ready to play.”

The Chiefs defense may not have been facing all of Green Bay’s starters but that never used to stop them from laying an egg. The Chiefs defenses of recent years have often been just as inept against backups as they have been against starters. For a team that was atrocious in pretty much every phase of the game in 2009, these little victories are signs of improvement.

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The defense hasn’t looked so bad either, and who would have seen that coming two weeks ago in a loss at Tampa Bay? Whatever adjustments coordinator Romeo Crennel made, they’ve worked. Whatever the team did to invigorate linebacker Demorrio Williams, who had his third sack in two games, it’s impressive. And the faith Kansas City has in its young and talented secondary is warranted.

From www.kansascity.com (share this quote)

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Source: Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs third stringers managed to hang on to a lead as the Chiefs defeated the Green Bay Packers 17-13 in the final preseason game of 2010.

The Chiefs starters faired pretty well. The running game and special teams units looked sharp and the defense was smothering, allowing only a FG at the end of the first half.

Matt Cassel was 4 of 9 for 58 yards and a TD and an INT while Jackie Battle lead the team in rushing, carrying the ball 10 times for 67 yards, including a 50 yard scramble.

Overall I thought the starters played pretty well in their limited time. We’ll have tons more for you tomorrow. For now, sit back and enjoy the Chiefs first preseason victory in 2 years.

Source: Yardbarker.com

We shouldn’t expect many “experts” to be predicting the Chiefs, who have won 10 games in 3 seasons, to make the playoffs. Heck, even most Chiefs fans aren’t predicting the team to make the playoffs.

Still, I have to say, I thought at least someone would pick the Chiefs to be a sleeper Wild Card team due to their solid offseason and favorable schedule.

The Chiefs may still receive some national respect but it doesn’t look like it is going to come from ESPN. They released their annual NFL predictions today and not a single analyst picked the Chiefs to make the playoffs. In fact, not a single analyst picked anyone other than the Chargers to win the AFC West.

KC did get a little love for Eric Berry. Mathew Berry and Bill Williamson both picked Berry to win the defensive rookie of the year award.

This just goes to show why they don’t hand out trophies for receiving the most offseason praise. The Chiefs are going to have to earn their respect on the field.

Source: Yardbarker

The Kansas City Chiefs play their final game of the preseason tonight, and although they may have only found one win — I’m predicting they beat the Packers — they did discover a few things about their players, and possibly their football team as a whole. The front office probably won’t be forthcoming with these findings, so that leaves the door open for us fans to speculate. Although the preseason may not give us much indication of what we can expect from the 2010 Chiefs, it’s all we have to go on for now. Based on what we’ve seen in the first three exhibition games, below are five predictions from the offensive side of the ball. Look for five more from the defensive side next week.

1. The Chiefs will be one of the best rushing teams in the NFL.

The Chiefs currently rank second in the league for preseason rushing yards per game. Todd Haley said they were going to run the ball, and it looks like he meant business. Jamaal Charles didn’t gain all the yards, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be the featured back. Haley knows this year–as he did last year–that Charles is the most exciting running back in KC since Joe Delaney. Haley was obligated in the first half of 2009 to showcase Larry Johnson in an attempt to get some kind of pick for him. Although it didn’t work, he really didn’t need to waste the precious carries of a premier running back during the first year of a reconstruction era. The same reasoning was used this preseason while restricting Charles’ snaps. Every team does this with their elite talent during these “practice games”. Although we don’t know yet how many carries Charles will get this year with Charlie Weis calling the plays, if Charles doesn’t lead the league in rushing, he will lead the league in average. He’s that good! (There’s a bonus prediction at no extra charge!)

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Source: Yardbarker.com

I wish I could say I am wildly excited about tonight’s preseason game but I would be lying. The Chiefs will be playing with no real game plan and their starters are likely to be pulled after just a series. There may be some guys that we may not see at all. If a starter is even a little dinged up, he will probably be rested. What matters now is getting ready for the San Diego Chargers.

That being said, there will still be some players on the field that will be worth watching. Since the Chiefs are a little shallow on depth, we are likely to see a lot of some guys who might make the team. Look for guys like Jeremy Horne and Bobby Greenwood to get a lot of action.

We’ll have a live chat as usual tonight. Be sure to stop by about 30 minutes before kickoff for that.

Now here are your 5 players to watch for tonight’s game:

1. Matt Cassel

Cassel will probably only get one series with the offense but if that series results in a 3 and out, he may stay in a bit longer. I expect the Chiefs to try to quickly get the ball moving down field on their first series and if I were a betting man, I would say the first play on offense will be a pass. Cassel was less than stellar against the Eagles and Haley likely wants to wash the bad taste out of his mouth. Look for the Chiefs to be aggressive and if they pickup some points, the starters will sit. Cassel needs to play well in his limited action.

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Croyle looked to his left, dragging defenders that way. He came back to the other side with a bullet to tight end Leonard Pope, who was standing in the end zone. And he didn’t look like a quarterback with a sore arm.

“Brodie’s got a gun,” Pope said. “That hasn’t changed.”

From www.kansascity.com (share this quote)

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I agree Matt Cassel. WTF Peter King? (source: yardbarker.com)

Sports Illustrated’s Peter King thinks the Chiefs are going to be better in 2010.

But not much better.

Sports Illustrated hit news stands with it’s annual NFL preview today and King is predicting the Chiefs to finish last place in a weak AFC West.

Here is how King sees the final standings:

Chargers 9-7

Raiders 7-9

Broncos 7-9

Chiefs 6-10

Ouch! Why can’t we get in on the 7-9 action, huh Peter?

I have not yet made up my mind on my official prediction for the Chiefs this season but I think the Chiefs have a pretty good shot of doing better than 6-10.

What do you think Addicts? Is King off his rocker? Or does he have it just right?

Brodie Croyle could stir up some crazy talk this Thursday. (source: yardbarker.com)

Chiefs backup QB Brodie Croyle has a chance to stir up a mini QB controversy this Thursday when he returns to action against the Green Bay Packers.

Don’t believe me? Just watch.

Chiefs Nation is getting nervous. A couple of months ago, most fans were happy to blame all of Matt Cassel’s 2009 struggles on his 2009 teammates. Most reasonable fans would admit that Cassel was far from a finished project but no one was ready to call him a bust just yet. They wanted to see what he did with some talent around him.

Now that the 2010 preseason is nearly complete, it is apparent that Cassel does have talent around him. His offensive line looks light years ahead of last year’s group. He is throwing to the same top two receivers he ended the season throwing to in 2009 in Dwayne Bowe and Chris Chambers. Bowe thus far looks like a new man, holding on to most of his passes in limited action. The running game that sputtered a season ago when lead by Larry Jonson appears to be one of the most dynamic in the league being lead by Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles. Dexter McCluster has emerged as an offensive X-factor and Javier Arenas is setting Cassel and the offense up with favorable field position.

Only to most observers, Cassel looks, well, the same. He is holding on to the ball too long. He appears just as skittish in the pocket this year when he has time to throw as he did last year when he didn’t. He is not throwing the ball down field and appears content with checking down to his outlet man or or falling forward for a one yard gain.

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photo courtesy yardbarker.com

The next preseason game is two days away and the first regular season home game is in two weeks ! Where did the time go, anyway?

As I posted yesterday, I’ll be making that first trip to Arrowhead for 2010 tomorrow. My game partner and I are getting pretty pumped.

Today I thought I slap down some game day tips I’ve developed over the years.

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It should be a different feel for Matt now,” Chambers said. “The [management] did a good job of surrounding him with more talent and players who can make plays to take some pressure off of him.”

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Source: Yardbarker.com

There has been some talk around ESPN.com and the local Kansas City airwaves recently about indispensable players. Most of these conversations have centered around trying to pick one player but in football, as we saw with Jared Allen, one player can’t do own.

OK, maybe Manning or Brady can but even those guys need someone to catch the ball.

This year, for the first time in a long time, it seems like the Chiefs may actually have more than one guy that they that is going to make plays for them.

Here is my list of 5 players the Chiefs can’t live without.

#1 Jamaal Charles

No question. JC took the Chiefs offensive performance from putrid to still pretty bad almost average. He did it without almost no blocking and no real threat of a vertical passing game. Charles is the single most important player on the Chiefs roster. Sorry Matt Cassel.
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