The Morning Fix: Chiefs News From Around The Web

Two blocked field goals haunted the Chiefs in a 16-13 overtime loss to Oakland that ended Kansas City’s playoff hopes in Week 16. A 91-yard kickoff return also led to an Oakland score and the Chiefs finished the season ranked 29th in kickoff coverage.

The Chiefs were also one of the NFL’s most-penalized special teams units last year at -12.00 yards per game.

McMahon’s hiring makes sense and it’s understandable considering special teams struggles were widely apparent in Crennel’s only defeat serving as Kansas City’s interim head coach.

“Carl hired me back with the Chiefs [in 1997],” Ireland said last week during a visit to the Sun Sentinel offices. “Had five good years there with the Chiefs and enjoyed my time with Carl very much. Sometimes you don’t know where someone looks at you. I hadn’t been around Carl in like 15 years [actually since early 2001]. And I was like the lowly low scout when he hired me, and here I’m a general manager.

“I thought maybe he might look at me as still that low, low-level scout. Think I was making $20,000 a year when I started working with the Chiefs. But he’s been great. He’s been a friend to me. Not at the level of Steve [Ross] that his friendship goes, but he’s been a friend to me. He’s been a nice adviser.”

Bob Moore, historian for the Kansas City Chiefs, credits the idea of using Roman numerals to Lamar Hunt, the late Chiefs owner and one of the godfathers of the modern NFL. (History also credits Hunt with coming up with the name “Super Bowl” for the big game.)

“The Roman numerals made it much more important,” Moore said.