King Carl, eat your heart out. Scott Pioli is quickly becoming the real king of Kansas City. Not some self-appointed king bereft of any clout away from his imaginary little kingdom either. The NFL is abuzz over Pioli right now. Actually, the NFL media might be more impressed with Pioli than Chiefs Nation is right now.
Why? Because the new king just went out and got himself a Cassel. As in quarterback Matt Cassel, and for only a second-round pick. Oh yeah, he just happened to get a 2007 Pro Bowl outside linebacker thrown into the deal, too. As if getting [...]

Here’s what’s being said about the deal that sent both Matt Cassel and Mike Vrabel from the Patriots to the Chiefs…
Don Banks, SI.com:
Secondly, and this one’s going to be discussed and dissected more than the state of Matt Walsh’s video skills in early 2002, but the second-round pick compensation the Chiefs gave up for both Cassel and fellow Patriot, linebacker Mike Vrabel, is so laughably low that we must ask whether Bill Belichick has grown soft before our very eyes?
First Tom Brady is caught numerous times looking like Gisele’s well-dressed errand boy, now this. Belichick doing both Pioli and Cassel [...]

This might even be better news than getting both of these players. There is no way we could have drafted a quarterback with Matt Cassel’s experience and caliber in the second round. There is also no way we could get a linebacker with Mike Vrabel’s leadership and poise at the No. 34 spot. Here is more from Peter King:
The New England Patriots have traded quarterback Matt Cassel and linebacker Mike Vrabel to Kansas City for the Chiefs’ second-round pick in the 2009 draft, SI.com has learned.
The trade is expected to be announced this weekend.
The Patriots originally dealt Cassel to the [...]

Matt Cassel has been traded from the Patriots to the Chiefs. Adam Schefter broke the story on NFL.com. More details as they come, but for now…
YEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!! We finally got a quarterback!
Update: Here is some more news from PFT on SportingNews.com:
It’s easy to assume that the Chiefs gave up the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, but the Pats aren’t the kind of team that would want to pay the kind of huge-money contract that the third overall slot commands.
That said, the Patriots could try to trade down from No. 3, continuing their practice of stockpiling draft picks and getting [...]

This Chiefs’ free agency run is turning into a Hitchcock flick.
First, there’s some suspense and build-up. Then something smaller happens (the Mike Vrabel trade) that makes you think things have gotten as crazy as they will get. That’s when the calm before the storm hits. You know, the part of the movie where you finally let your guard down enough to get hit with the biggest shocker of all.
Masters of the suspense genres — horror, mystery and thriller — know you have to both buck convention and use misdirection to pull off a masterpiece. Legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock perfected [...]

It’s official! The Chiefs have traded the Patriots for outside linebacker/mean mofo Mike Vrabel. From NFL.com:
New England’s Pro Bowl linebacker Mike Vrabel is in Kansas City undergoing a physical so that he can then be traded to the Chiefs. General Manager Scott Pioli is reaching out to bring in a player familiar with his system, and New England is a willing trade partner.
Look, Vrabel may be 33, but NFL linebackers have a long shelf life. Plus, he made the Pro Bowl and had 12.5 sacks in 2007. He’s far from washed up, and who would know that better than Scott [...]

We showed interest in Bart Scott. He decided to play for his old defensive coordinator in the country’s biggest media market, not to mention a team closer to being a contender.
Stacy Andrews went to the Eagles. It’s obvious that he wanted to play with his brother in Philly.
It looks like the Giants, Seahawks and Titans are interested in Antonio Smith. If we aren’t among his first group of suitors with Todd Haley as our new coach, then I don’t want him.
We even went after Albert Haynesworth!
Now, I’m not going to be a Bob Gretzesque “yes man” for The Pioli Trinity, [...]

“You will see over time that we will have smart players, because smart players do smart things.”
- Scott Pioli, press conference being announced at GM of the Chiefs
“According to the source, Waters flew to Kansas City specifically to meet with Haley and Pioli and hear their plan for the direction of the organization. Pioli declined to meet with Waters, saying they had nothing to discuss.
- Jason Whitlock, Kansas City Star, 2/26/09
Smart things? I guess that was purely for the players, not for Pioli himself. Blowing off one of your classy veterans is poor on so many levels. How is this [...]