The Arrowhead Fix: The Red Friday Edition

Dec 8, 2013; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry (29) during the second quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Many people need their coffee to get up and going in the morning, and especially in the middle of the afternoon when things are starting to drag.  Here at Arrowhead Addict, we understand that for a Chiefs fan, coffee is simply not enough.

Here’s all that’s happening around Chiefs Kingdom today.

Welcome to The Fix.

We could also call this the “Crushed Orange Edition” as well. If you don’t get it, perhaps you haven’t seen the news. The Denver Broncos suffered their third defeat of the year last night on the season finale of Thursday Night Football on the NFL Network. That means the Broncos and the Chiefs are now tied (as far as records, though the Broncos hold the tiebreaker) going into the final stretch of games.

In order for the Chiefs to play well in the post season, their starters must continue to where they left off last week and play “lights out” down the stretch and into the post season. However, having playmakers on the sideline who can step in and add depth the Chiefs roster is important too. ESPN’s Adam Teicher has a piece up this morning that talks about that situation.

"Where Dorsey and Reid went to work was on Kansas City’s depth. Much of Kansas City’s considerable roster turnover was in backup players and, according to Pro Football Focus, their efforts have paid off.PFF ranked the 32 NFL teams with regard to the quality of their depth and the Chiefs came in a surprising sixth."

While depth is good, as I said before, the starters are the key. Chiefs starting safety, Eric Berry, is a playmaker. Everyone knows this. However, this season he’s getting to use a skillset not many knew he had; he’s a pass rusher. Terez Paylor at the Kansas City Star posted a great piece yesterday about how Berry learned from teammates Tamba Hali and Justin Houston to rush the passer.

"“I didn’t know I’d be doing this much (blitzing). But I kinda just embraced it, figured out what my role was. And like I do in life, I tried to get as much info about it so I could get better at it.”"

Finally, speaking of roster depth, from the Mothership, Reid Ferrin reports that the Chiefs have released the “on again-off again” Chiefs DT Jerell Powe and re-signed the “on again-off again” WR Chad Hall.

"The Kansas City Chiefs signed wide receiver Chad Hall and released defensive tackle Jerrell Powe, the team announced today."

This move is curious one day before the team travels to California to meet the Oakland Raiders. Wide receiver Dexter McCluster was absent from practice yesterday with a reported ankle injury. Perhaps this roster move could have something to do with that. We’ll have to wait until the official injury report comes out to be sure.

That’s it for today, Addicts. Enjoy your Red Friday as the Chiefs get ready to head to the “Black Hole” and defeat the Raiders!