The Morning Fix: Chiefs News From Around The Web

“It’s the No. 1 outside stadium I’ve ever been in” in terms of noise, said Colts interim coach Bruce Arians, who coached running backs for the Chiefs from 1989-92.

“The only place that was even close, when I was in Kansas City, we went to Buffalo and Jim Kelly and those guys, we played them on Monday night in Kansas City,” he said. “Then we went there for the playoffs and they were rocking our buses. We could hardly get in the parking lot.”

All that ruckus in Kansas City seems to be a thing of the past, washed away by an on-field product that has been dull, inept and unsuccessful.

These days, you could probably hear a baby rattle in the upper deck.

“You’re supposed to have a home-field advantage with the Chiefs. It’s been that way for years,” said linebacker Derrick Johnson, who’s been around long enough to remember some of them.

Kansas City fans have been pining for similar moves all season.

There was a “black out” during a game at Cincinnati intended to mourn the lost season and send a message of change to ownership, and some fans have pooled their money to hire airplanes towing banners asking for general manager Scott Pioli to be fired prior to home games.

“Losing has been frustrating, however you lose,” said Chiefs coach Romeo Crennel, whose job also appears to be on the line. “It doesn’t make a difference how you lose, if it’s the offense, the defense, special teams. When you lose, it’s frustrating.”

The Kansas City Chiefs (2-12) will face Andrew Luck and the Colts at Arrowhead on Sunday. While Luck’s size, durability and strong arm are among many of his strengths, the on-field chemistry he has with his teammates, especially wide receiver Reggie Wayne is perhaps the most potent.

“Absolutely,” Chiefs DB Kendrick Lewis said. “(Wayne) He’s a guy that’s close to 100 receptions. Andrew Luck, when he needs a play, that’s who he goes to, that’s who he depends on and I don’t blame him, because (Reggie Wayne) he’s a veteran guy, he’s proven. He’s been doing it for a number of years, so that’s the type of relationship you see between those guys, a guy that he can depend on and count on through any situation.”

For as long as can be remembered, the relationship between the Chiefs and the military has been paramount to this franchise. The 2012 season is no exception and it recently manifested itself in a trip to the Pacific Northwest. Throughout the year, the Chiefs Cheerleaders have the distinct honor of visiting local military bases as well as national and international bases to show appreciation for the men and women and their families who sacrifice so much while serving our country. Recently Chiefs cheerleaders Hayley and Dionne visited the Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.

“One of the great things about being a Chiefs Cheerleader is spending time with our military,” Stephanie Judah, Chiefs Cheerleader Director, commented. “For Hayley and Dionne to have the chance to travel to Seattle to thank the men and women who serve our country is an incredible opportunity that I know they cherished.”

But he was held to just 10 rushing yards against Oakland last week, ending reasonable hopes. Charles has 1,230 yards, good for second in the AFC behind Houston’s Arian Foster and sixth in the NFL.

“When I first touched 1,000 yards for the season, that was in my mind, like, ‘Wow, I really made it there,’’’ Charles said. “We had (four) games left and I was like, I can really get a lot more yards. Now we’ve got two more games and I’m trying to push my team and my linemen to help me finish strong.’’

The next big step for Charles is next week’s announcement of the Pro Bowl teams. Charles finished fourth in fan voting behind Foster, Baltimore’s Ray Rice and New England’s Stevan Ridley. But fan voting counts only as part of the final total.

1. Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Joeckel, Offensive tackle, Texas A&M*

The Chiefs are due for a change at the quarterback position, that’s for sure. I’m just not sure that quarterback is in this draft. Make no mistake about it — there’s no Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III in this 2013 draft class. There may not be a Ryan Tannehill, Nick Foles, Brock Osweiler, Brandon Weeden or Russell Wilson, either. I’ll get clobbered for this and so might their front office, but I think Kansas City is better off acquiring a veteran quarterback (Alex Smith or Matt Flynn, perhaps) than rolling the dice on a rookie quarterback who’s unworthy of the top overall selection for the sake of drafting one. Joeckel — not even ranked in the top 10 of some other mock drafts — is one of the most promising offensive tackle prospects I’ve seen in the past five years. Very athletic. Nimble. He was fantastic in Mike Sherman’s scheme and even better in Kliff Kingsbury’s. This may not inspire the fan base, but it’s a franchise cornerstone.