Sep 20, 2009; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs fans tailgate before the game against the Oakland Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The Chiefs game experience kicks off by wandering through a sea of red and yellow disciples feasting on BBQ done right. Between the tailgating, red choreography, and general camaraderie, there’s an element of college game day atmosphere other stadiums simply fail at (our fans are so awesome, apparently even San Diego wants a piece). Once you’ve downed a couple Boulevards – or 10 of something less pretentious – you go from parking lot to stadium where 80,000 fans are chanting, “We’re gonna beat the hell out of you, you, you!” Then it gets loud. Arrowhead is part legend, part lore, and affords a litany of anecdotes:

-Constructed in 1972, the stadium is situated partly below ground with a comparatively high seat slope. I call it the Canyon Effect. The Canyon Effect imprisons sound, causing it to bounce and echo while disrupting opposing teams’ concentration. It’s science, and it’s awesome.

-The Acoustical Design Group once used science to measure Arrowhead’s decibel level, which topped out at 116. For reference, a Boeing 727 landing on the runway generates about 106 decibels of noise while three minutes of exposure to 120 decibels causes hearing loss. Awesome.

-The 1991 MNF game against Buffalo featured Jim Kelly’s famed no-huddle offense. The no-huddle lasted one series as Buffalo’s offensive linemen were unable to hear Kelly’s play calls. They went to the huddle the rest of the game, being disoriented into a 33-6 loss (the playoff rematch in Buffalo wasn’t so awesome).

-A bevy of Chiefs fans is far greater than any other team’s followers. This is also science.

NFL changes introduced last month stand to further promote the homefield advantage. Though league rules previously forbid PA announcers from inciting fans to get rowdy, this regulation exists no more. And while this may enhance the experience of fans, other teams probably stand to benefit more than the Chiefs. As mentioned above, Chiefs Nation already knows loud noises are crucial to preventing successful curl routes on 3rd down amid 4th quarter comebacks. Yet when the JumboTron in Arizona or Jacksonville announces the need for racket, those teams will now receive support previously lacking. All opponents will more easily harness the difference-making impact Chiefs fans have set the standard for.

Among the other changes in store for this year courtesy of NFL-mandated upgrades include: wi-fi in every stadium; smartphone apps allowing fans to listen in to players wearing microphones; and the same replay angles being viewed by referees during challenged calls be shown to fans. These moves reflect the challenge of drawing viewers out of their homes and into the stadium, an issue reflected by the fact franchises must now only sell 85 percent of their tickets to avoid a blackout (rather than 100 percent ticket sales).

While my personal game day experience won’t be enriched by wi-fi access in the end zone, these changes represent a solid move to keep up with the enhanced product provided by home entertainment systems. The question is, what else can the Chiefs do to ensure sell-out crowds that keep 116 decibels of smack down in the air? I suggest getting two or three K.C. Wolfs to wander the parking lot before games. Even though I spent my childhood convinced there was a mouse mascot dancing in the end zone, you know damn right I wanted that rodent dropping by my tailgate. Another game day enhancement? Maybe get rid of those red flags on the coach’s hip…

So there you have it, Addicts – the possibility Arrowhead’s unique home field advantage will become more average in exchange for maximum Twitter access. Does it matter? And would it be blasphemous to have more than one K.C. Wolf roaming the lot at one time? Would you party with a rat in the home of the Chiefs?

So, that happened. Another NFL season (and postseason) has come and gone. Forgive my lack of enthusiasm as I watched the New York Giants win the Super Bowl for the fourth time in my lifetime, and the New England Patriots lose it for the fourth time (to go along with their three championships). In fact, in the 38 Super Bowls I have lived through (not that I really remember Super Bowls IX through, oh, XV or XVI), 27 different teams have participated. Not one of them has been the Kansas City Chiefs—their Super Bowl appearances live in other people’s memories.

But the good news, of course, is that as soon as Tom Brady’s last “Hail Myra” pass landed incomplete in the end zone and Super Bowl XLVI officially came to an end, the Chiefs were immediately back in contention. All eyes, and odds, are now focused on 2012-13, and the earliest probabilities are already in. The MGM Grand Las Vegas and at least one leading gaming site have opened betting season with the Chiefs as 50-1 shots to win Super Bowl XLVII, which is as good or better than 13 other teams. Not quite as favorable as the 40-1 odds they were given a year ago, but much better than the one-in-100 chance set before the Chiefs’ 2010 AFC West Championship season.

In other words, the odds-makers don’t really know what they’re doing, at least at this stage—out of last year’s top five preseason favorites, three didn’t even make the playoffs. But for fans, it’s amusing to see just how favorably (or not) our team’s prospects are marked in the books of various distinguished sports-betting establishments, and ask ourselves, “What if…?”

Last year at this time, I made a list of the XLVI reasons the Chiefs could win it all. A number of those “reasons” are now no longer with the team or else tore up their knees within the first few weeks of the season. So I’ve learned my lesson—and I’m not about to try to come up with XLVII reasons now. After all, so many things can happen: the most important players can get hurt, the coach can go crazy, the GM can go crazier…I mean, what are the odds?

Ah. Good question. Why don’t we find out?

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Another season gone, and no Super Bowl appearance for my beloved Kansas City Chiefs!

Oh well, no big surprise. The team did well enough and the administration did enough for me to renew my season tickets. Now that Patrick figured out who our home and away opponents are for next year, I can start calling, emailing and Facebooking my buds to see who gets to go to what game, who drives, etc. The life of a die-hard Chiefs fan is truly active year round.

I like to wrap up the season with discussions regarding the experiences, trials and tribulations of an Arrowhead Adventurer like yours truly. It’s a tough life.

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It was a painful Christmas weekend for the Chiefs and their fans. Hope was high when the day began and even later, the best outcome seemed highly possible: everything was falling into place—if only Kansas City could pull out a win at home. But a failed field-goal attempt at the end of regulation meant overtime and ultimately, one big play and a relatively short field goal—and the Chiefs were officially out of the playoffs.

Hard to believe it was 40 years ago.

Wait. What? Which game were you watching?

Yes, one day after the Raiders defeated the Chiefs in overtime, for their fifth straight win at Arrowhead*, I found myself masochistically sitting through another heartbreaking Chiefs loss in overtime. Double overtime.

*The last time that had happened at Arrowhead? It hadn’t.

I’ve written before about my joy in reliving past Chiefs glory that I was not living to enjoy in the first place. On Sunday, I almost too eagerly took the chance to experience some of the pain I wasn’t yet born* to appreciate, either: The NFL Network had cobbled together some never-before-rebroadcast archival footage for an hour-long special commemorating “The Longest Game Ever,” Kansas City’s 1971 division playoff against the Miami Dolphins, which was—spoiler alert!—the longest game ever, lasting well into its second overtime before—double spoiler alert—Kansas City succumbed 27-24 on a Garo Yepremian field goal.

*Though, as I indirectly explained to my daughter, the game plays a role in my being born:

[There is] a story I like to repeat, though I most definitely was not there: On December 25, 1971, [your grandmother] was watching the historic Chiefs-Dolphins divisional playoff, which I’m sure you know is still the longest game in NFL history (that’s why it’s historic!). When the game went into a second overtime, she had to choose whether or not to leave to go on a scheduled date with your grandfather. She went. This started a process—one that, I hope, your own mother will be the one to explain to you in several years—that eventually resulted in me.

In fact, when my father came to pick up my mom, it was the first time he had ever met his future in-laws, who were visiting—and at that moment glued to the TV. They would claim, jokingly—though we were never sure how much so—that they couldn’t remember meeting him that day.

Though it is part of my own family’s lore, I had never known all the little details and dramas of that day—an unseasonably 63-degree Christmas Day, which was seen as an ominous sign against a team from south Florida. The players were somewhat bummed to be playing on Christmas, an NFL first, though Len Dawson reminds viewers that many were just happy to be playing for an extra paycheck in an era when football salaries didn’t always make ends meet (Bobby Bell was working full time for General Motors—being an all-Pro linebacker for the Chiefs was merely his second job).

In the end, it would come down to the kickers. Miami’s Garo Yepremian, who looks not unlike Wallace Shawn as Vizzini in The Princess Bride, was “the smallest man in professional football,” and had spent the previous two years selling his own line of neckties. Jan Stenerud, meanwhile, was “not just a kicker, but also an athlete”—no offense, kickers—who revolutionized the position as the first dominant soccer-style kicker,* and is still the only “pure kicker” voted into the Pro-Football Hall of Fame. In fact, this game featured 15 future Hall-of-Famers (12 on the field, both head coaches, and one beloved owner). Statistically, though, the game belonged to the unlikely Ed Podolak, whose 350 all-purpose yards set an NFL playoff record that still stands.

*Have you seen the straight-ahead style kickers used to use? It’s amazing they ever made a field goal from more than 10 yards away.

However, the game would be most remembered for how the foremost kicker in the league turned into the Lin Elliot of his day, if only for one day. Stenerud missed two field goals, including a potential game-winner near the end of regulation, and had another attempt blocked in overtime. Yepremian also missed, but not twice. Eighty-two minutes and 40 seconds after the game began (according to the game clock), the short, bald former tie-maker unmade this tie with a 37-yard field goal, and the favored Chiefs were out. Inconceivable!

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I would like to open today’s post with a brief statement. This will just take a moment…

I TOLD YOU SO.

Sure, I’m not usually the type of person to say, “I told you so,” precisely because when I make a rare prediction, it usually turns out not to be so. But six weeks ago today, I posted the following:

The Kansas City Chiefs will beat the Green Bay Packers.

That’s right. You read it here first…

The Chiefs will beat the Packers. How do I know this? The same way I am able to evaluate every other question raised during this up-and-down Chiefs season: I have no idea. But they will. And the Packers may very well be 13-0 by the time they visit Arrowhead on December 18… They may even be resting some starters. In any event, I don’t expect the Chiefs will be playing the spoiler in terms of Green Bay’s cruise back to the playoffs. But at least [the Packers] will leave here feeling rotten.

Perhaps you infer from my giddiness that I did not have the most confidence in my own prediction. Like I said, I don’t often get these things right. Clearly, the Kyle Orton Era in Kansas City has indeed lasted more than one minute, and now the discussion is whether it should and/or will last more than one season.

I won’t say I expected Sunday’s shocker, but I felt it was really possible, a gut feeling loosely supported by historical data. I had been thinking back to the Chiefs’ triumph over the then-reigning-champion Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009—a year in which KC only won three other games—which led me to do a little research. I found that, since 1979, the Chiefs had been 6-2 (now 7-2) at home against defending Super Bowl champs. So there.

But I certainly didn’t predict that by the time this game arrived the Chiefs would have lost their starting quarterback and then ditched their head coach—the two major developments that made the difference in this upset. This changes everything. Or, rather, everything has changed. From the first drive forward on Sunday, this felt like a new team (with the same, but improved defense).

I’ll let others continue the discussion about what these new circumstances on the sidelines and behind center might mean for the Chiefs into 2012 and beyond. For now, I just care about next week and the week after that. That’s right. I’m feeling overly optimistic again.*

*It’s sorta, like, my thing.

So I will double down and offer one more “bold” prediction: The Chiefs will win the AFC West.

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Note: This post was written immediately following the Chiefs’ 34-3 dismantling by the Patriots on Monday Night Football. But let’s be honest, it could have been written hours earlier.

So, for starters, let’s look at some positives, or at least some not-totally-negatives-in-the-context-of-the-really-big-picture: Last night was not the Chiefs’ worst performance in the history of Monday Night Football. That, of course, was the infamous Monday Night Meltdown at Arrowhead Stadium in 1998, when the Chiefs lost it (the game and their composure) against the Denver Broncos and got flagged for a record 14 personal fouls (or at least that’s how I remember it).

And watching Tyler Palko—besides bringing back stirring memories of the preseason—was not the worst experience I’ve had watching a Chiefs quarterback. That, of course, came during my first-ever game at Arrowhead in the early ‘80s, at which I had the chance to witness Todd Blackledge throw a record 14 interceptions (or at least that’s how I remember it).*

*Yes, I’ve referenced this a time or two before here. I should ask my dad if he can remember the exact date of that game so I can track down the stats; it may indeed have been 14 interceptions.

But—despite the fact that Steve Young would later refer to them as “the Washington Generals”*—the Chiefs did not completely embarrass themselves last night. Before you object, please note my use of the modifier “completely” (come on, I even italicized it). For 20-some minutes, the defense made us proud, and the offense was at least putting itself in a position to make costly mistakes.

*At first, I thought he had said “Washington Sentinels,” making the kind of Palko/Falco reference that only the most brilliant commentators can come up with. But, no, it was just some lame Tom-Brady-and-the-Patriots-are-the-Harlem-Globetrotters joke.

Look, it’s hard to say that the Chiefs, despite allowing more than twice the two- touchdown spread, really failed to meet expectations. There wasn’t a single person, on this staff or on this planet, who thought K.C. had a fighting chance.*

*Or even much of a chance of fighting, like in ’98.

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Apparently, the Chiefs don’t do so well against AFC East opponents at home in 2011. That is one thing we did learn this weekend. Not only did the winless Miami Dolphins’ streak of, you know, being winless come to an emphatic end with a 31-3 exorcism at Arrowhead, but a couple of other streaks fizzled out on Sunday, too, starting with K.C.’s own recent undefeated stretch. So it looks like there will be no unprecedented 13-3 season after an 0-3 start, no 16-game run to a Super Bowl title. Oh well.

Perhaps, too, this marks the conclusion of Head Coach Todd Haley’s days as a bedraggled, unwashed sideline hobo. “I want to take my hat off to Miami,” he said after the game, effectively announcing an end to the streak in which he has worn the same streaked cap since the autumnal equinox.

But what’s weird, or not so weird, is that—other than dropping the Chiefs back to 4-4 for the first half of the season (and, hey, who saw even that as a strong possibility back in mid-September?)—the unfortunate events of November 6, 2011, tell us almost nothing about what is coming next for this team in the second half of the season.

Will these Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos at home this Sunday? I have no idea. Probably? Maybe not?

Will these Chiefs win the AFC West? I have no idea. Maybe? Probably not? It is possible. Of course it’s possible. They are currently in a three-way tie for first, and as rough as their second half looks, the road facing each of their divisional compatriots looks just as tough. This team could still end up 6-10 or 8-8 or even 9-7, but which nine? Which seven?

So, at the midway point, I might as well make one semi-bold prediction:

The Kansas City Chiefs will beat the Green Bay Packers.

That’s right. You read it here first. Unless, of course, you’d already read it somewhere else, and that’s okay, too.

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Monday nights are usually when I sit down, reflect on what the Kansas City Chiefs did or didn’t do over the weekend just past, and pull something out of my ass together for my Tuesday post. But on this particular Monday night, it so happens I was a bit distracted by something rather compelling that I was watching on television. I only had time to jot down some observations during breaks in the action as it unfolded. So consider these my Quick Slants. Some of them are even football-related…

• Hey, nice graveyard rendition of Danse Macabre by the Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City during the MNF intro (my friend Kristin was the Zombie bassist on the left).
• Not a big fan of all those not-so-terrible white towels. The idea was lame enough at Busch Stadium during the World Series and it’s no more impressive at Arrowhead. What? Is everyone surrendering? Or just waving their tighty-whities in the air? Hard to tell.
• Is that a five-inch Herm Edwards screaming at a couple of clueless tools to “ice down those Coors Lights, baby?” Finally—a coaching job worthy of Herm’s stature.
• Lamest Halloween costume seen in the crowd: Zach Galifianakis’s “Alan” with beard, sunglasses, and strap-on baby (with sunglasses) from The Hangover. Soooo 2009. (And there’s no good reason to remind Chiefs fans of 2009.)
• Did I hear that right about Chiefs center Casey Wiegmann? 10,502 snaps in a row? I wonder if that statistic about a routine, seemingly mundane element of the game will take on more significance later…
• Newest addition to Todd Haley’s nasty-as-he-wants-to-be ensemble: Navy undershirt with some kind of emblem that resembles either a grease stain or maybe a patch of sweat.

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Bob Gretz is reporting that the Kansas City Chiefs have sold the naming rights to either Arrowhead Stadium or the field at Arrowhead Stadium, to a major national sponsor.

Word is that an announcement will likely come in conjunction with the Monday night game against San Diego on Halloween. No leaks on the name of the company involved, but the word is that it’s a national name, not local, and that this company has not previously been involved in buying naming rights to sports facilities. I’ve been told it will be a very familiar name, one that fans won’t have to use Goggle to discover what that company does.

Google, eh?

I would venture to guess that the team sold the rights to the field so that they can still keep with tradition and keep the stadium called Arrowhead. In instances like this, teams sell the naming rights to the field. When they do that, the name of the field usually comes first when it is referred to on television.

For example:

Invesco Field at Mile High.

Terrible.

If Bob is dropping a hint with the Google think then we could be looking at “Google Field at Arrowhead Stadium” or, God forbid, Google Stadium.

Excuse me while I go vomit.

Let this be a lesson to you, folks. Nothing is sacred to these guys but the almighty dollar.

I wonder if the tax payers who helped renovate the stadium are going to get a cut of this deal?

Way to go, Clark.

So this is how my glorious NFL opening weekend ends: Sitting here in the waning moments of Monday, rooting for the Raiders to beat the Broncos so that I can finish near the top of my pick ‘em pool—but hoping they do so without too much help from Darren McFadden, lest my fantasy-league opponent come from behind in the final game. The Chiefs? Oh, right, that’s what this weekend was originally supposed to be about…

What is there to say, really? What occurred Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead was worse than the lockout, worse than the horrible preseason—unless, as I daydreamed at times during the game, this still was the preseason. How else to explain the lack of competition and emotion, the stadium that emptied in the third quarter, and all those Chiefs on the field who probably don’t deserve to make the team? All we could hope for was that none of our top starters would get hurt.

Well, shit.

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Warning: I am sitting down to type this at 10pm Sunday night after having just returned home from a pilgrimage to Arrowhead. You all know how that went. It is entirely possible that I am no longer in my right mind (am I ever?) so please read this at your own risk.

Wow, that was………not exactly what I was hoping for. Look, I’m a positive fan. I always look for the bright side. My general philosophy is that focusing on the negative all the time will drive you crazy and give you either an ulcer, a heart attack, or both. I can acknowledge the negatives, I’m not living in denial. I just choose to focus on the positives. If nothing else it just leaves me in a better mood.

Here’s the problem.

I’ve got nothing.

I don’t think there is anything I can say or focus on from that game that will make you feel any better. Don’t believe me? Let’s try it.

Leonard Pope stepped up and did a nice job filling in for the injured Tony Moeaki.

Feel better now? Yeah, me neither. How about this?

That's right, KC Wolf dressed as a cheerleader. I'm not sure if I should laugh or cry. Pretty much sums up the day, doesn't it?

If I haven’t scared you off yet then continue after the break for more delirious ramblings that may or may not make you feel better. Plus, find out what Hall of Famer I got to shake hands with.

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As of the time of this post, the kick off of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2011 season is a mere 120 hours away. It had been my intention, in a final effort at unbridled optimism before the first game starts, to put together the ultimate Season-Opening Pep Talk. Instead, since we’re all in this together, from the highs of last season to the lows of the lockout to whatever the hell you might call this preseason, I decided it would be better if we all write our own.

But to help, I composed this quick-n-easy Mad Lib. For anyone who doesn’t remember how this works, it’s pretty simple: Just fill in the first word that comes to mind after each prompt on the list, and then match it to the corresponding space(s) in the form that follows. If it all works out, you should have yourself a perfectly uplifting speech* to rally your spirits for Sunday!

*Special thanks to The Sports Cliché List for help in structuring a more authentically stereotypical pep talk.

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Well, Chiefs fans, the bad news is that it’s still the preseason. The good news: The preseason is almost over. And that means that this, thankfully, is my last preseason post.* And since, try as I might, I’m just not able to follow through on this one idea I had of reimagining the Chiefs coaching staff as the cast of Entourage (which is what’s currently playing on the DVR), I guess I’ll have to fall back on my default optimism.

*In a way, I’d like to think of these August posts as my own preseason performances. After a long lockout that saw me resorting to, among other things, visualizing the Best Picture nominees as NFL Films, comparing Steve DeBerg to Abraham Lincoln’s first-term Vice President, extolling the virtues of soccer, and exploiting my infant daughter, I reserve the right to seem rusty now that I am back to writing about what, just for the sake of argument, I will call “actual” football games. But, much like our dear Chiefs, I promise to get my groove back by Week One.

So, putting aside the fact that I could not care less about the outcome of these preseason games—or for that matter, really, the performances, so long as no one gets hurt—could the Chiefs be showing us a little more right now? Of course. Are there reasons to be disappointed by what appear to be some severe shortcomings and a lack of cohesion in game situations? Uh…yeah. But should we be worried? I think you know my answer to that, but I’ll spell it out for you anyway: It starts with “H” and ends with “ell no!”

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How much does it really cost to attend a ten game home season? Not nearly as much as Kansas City Star beat writer Sam Mellinger would have you think.  As quoted in an earlier post by my man Andrew Crocker:

 

Prices continue to rise even through a brutal economy. Struggling fans are literally asked to pay more with less — when there’s more to experience than ever before by paying nothing.

Using the Team Marketing Report numbers, going to 10 games at Arrowhead Stadium would cost more than $3,500 for a family of four.

For that money, you can buy a 42-inch LCD television with surround sound, three leather home theater seats, the Sunday Ticket package to watch every game, and still have nearly $150 per week to spend on beer and food.

Which one sounds like the better deal?

Let’s look at the real picture Sam.

I don’t have a family of four, so I do not feel qualified to comment on those costs. Growing up in a middle class Midwestern family, I can tell you my parents didn’t take me to anything ten times a year.

 Let’s look at two buddies living in the Kansas City area that want to attend a season of home games including the two preseason events. (more…)

Whether we’re talking Blues, Bluegrass, Soul, Pop, Jazz, Tejana, Rock, Country, Rap, Hip Hop, Protest, Alternative, Americana, or Kenny G, you name it, our music is our highest artform. It is the ultimate expression of everything that embodies our greatness, our ideas, our feelings, and our experience. Deny it not.

I continue after the continue.
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WARNING: This post ends with a bad rap parody.

It’s hard to believe, maybe, that this week marks the four-year anniversary of the debut of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, to celebrate,* the NFL Network broadcast a HK:TCWTKCC marathon yesterday. For one day, it was August 2007 all over again, and the whole gang was there: Herm Edwards, of course, and Gunther “%&#^@!” Cunningham, along with the stars of the show: Turk and Tank. Boomer Grigsby. The Croyles (mostly Kelli). And poor, poor Bobby Sippio.

*”To celebrate” is one way to put it. “To kill six dead hours in the middle of a Monday” is another.

It can also be hard to remember that, at the time, things didn’t look so bad. There was hope. We were coming off a 2006 season in which the Chiefs—though some of you, I’m sure, got “this thing twisted and think we backed into this deal”—were a playoff team, with an All-Pro running back that had just lead the league in carries and finished second in yards. Meanwhile, All-World tight end Tony Gonzalez had been signed to a five-year extension. And now, HBO was reviving its acclaimed NFL training-camp reality series and wanted to feature the Chiefs and only the Chiefs—and had been spending the whole summer hyping it.

No, we didn’t know at that moment just how hard we would all be knocked over the next three years. As late as that Halloween, it still seemed like we would continue to have something to root for. First, there were those 24 unanswered second-half points in San Diego to erase a double-digit halftime deficit. Then, in a very sloppy game in Oakland, the Chiefs outlasted the Raiders to prevail 12-10, securing a 4-3 record and, heading into their bye week, first place in the AFC West. That was October 21, 2007.

The Chiefs would not win again until September 28, 2008. They would lose 12 games in a row and 28 of their next 30, getting outscored 808-499 during that stretch—though the close, late-game losses would be the most pathetic and painful.

(You know, just in case you didn’t remember all that.)

But the point is that now, four years later, though we may whine and moan about our young Chiefs’ growing pains, we also have much to cheer. Which means it’s time for another parody.

So with all apologies* to Jaz-Z for hijacking his original (and to Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, who co-wrote the original original), please enjoy, if possible. Just don’t ask me to perform it for you.

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Thanks for picking up all that trash dude. Now get the hell out.

Fox 4 News in Kansas City is reporting that the Chiefs are taking away one of the key benefits of some of their stadium and parking lot workers.

The ability to watch the game when their work is finished.

According the Fox 4 article, workers have been told that when they are finished they are to clock out and beat it. The worker quoted in the story has been a stadium worker for 13 years.

The question in all this is, why? What could the Chiefs possibly gain by sending these workers home without letting them see the game?

One thing to consider is if the Chiefs reserve seats for these employees. If it was a matter of making a few extra bucks, while I wouldn’t necessarily agree with it, I could at least understand the reasoning for the move. The only problem is that I highly, highly doubt the workers get seats. They likely hand out in the concourse and watch from there…or they might snag an empty seat if there are any available. Heavens knows there were plenty of those ludicrously expensive yellow seats on the club level last season.

This is just a bad move all over for the Chiefs. It is bad for them from a PR standpoint but I think it could also impact the stadium experience at Arrowhead. Let’s face it, taking tickets or standing in the middle of a parkinglot directing traffic in the elements is a crap job. I am sure the pay isn’t spectacular. Folks certainly making a living off working one day a week, for four hours.

No, they probably do it because they love the Chiefs and so they can see the game.

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Addicts, for those of us that have been to games at Arrowhead Stadium I think it is fair to say that the experience is something that is far above and beyond most if not all other venues in any sport in the US.  There is definitely something special about the tailgating, the Sea of Red, the crowd noise, the Hall of Honor, and the list keeps on going.  Yea, the fans of Kansas City’s NFL team are blessed indeed with a pretty bitchin’ venue to see our gladiators do battle with other cities.

This post isn’t about all of those awesome things though.  As I have gone to more and more sporting events I have noticed that although the Arrowhead Experience puts all others to shame there are some very cool things done in other sports that the Chiefs and NFL in general could learn from.

A sport by sport breakdown after the jump.

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Tonight, Chiefs fans, for the second week in a row, there will be big-league, professional football* played in Kansas City—in a glittering, filled-to-capacity stadium—and broadcast live on national television.

*Or, of course, as it’s called in this country, “soccer”—which makes a hell of a lot more sense. I mean, have you seen a soccer ball? It’s round! It doesn’t look anything like a foot!

Last Thursday was a monumental day for the other football team founded by our beloved Lamar Hunt. Sporting KC—the team formerly known as the Wizards, who were originally nicknamed, in a fit of either marketing brilliance or complete cluelessness, the Wiz—christened their brand-spankin’-new stadium, Livestrong Sporting Park, named for the foundation of the much admired cyclist, cancer-survivor, and alleged illegal doper Lance Armstrong. With ESPN2’s cameras focused in, SKC battled the Chicago Fire—a team named for one of the largest and most deadly disasters in U.S. history—to a decidedly indecisive scoreless tie, or what my father would call “a close game.”*

*Throughout my childhood, my father—who simply was not as avid a fan as my mother or me—would walk in on us riveted to the last thrilling seconds of a nearly tied football or college basketball game and invariably say the same thing: “Huh. Close game!”

It ain't Arrowhead. But right now, neither is Arrowhead.

Now, tonight, the U.S. men’s national team is in town to take on Guadeloupe, which as it turns out, is in fact a tiny island nation in the Lesser Antilles with a population one-fifth that of the KC metro area, and not, as I had thought, just some guy named Guadeloupe. This is a crucial match for the U.S., which is hoping to stay alive in its quest for the Gold Cup of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, or CONCACAF—an acronym that is actually longer than the word “acronym.”

Based solely on what you’ll see here on local front pages, TV news, and billboards, it would be hard to deny that Kansas City is—at least for this week and/or until the NFL owners and players settle their dispute or Clark Hunt announces he is giving all of his employees raises and adopting a gaggle of orphans and/or a litter of really cute, abandoned puppies to show what a good guy he is—a fútbol town.*

*Or, if you prefer, a “soccer city.”

So here’s a quick refresher on just some of the subtle differences between our football, the game of inches, and soccer, the game of feet. Yes, it’s been done before, but so has “Here’s Why The NFL Lockout Still Stinks.” Let me have my fun.

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No, the world didn’t end on Saturday—the reports of the Rapture and our impending demise were greatly exaggerated. But the pictures we saw the next day from Joplin, and have been seeing for weeks from Alabama and Mississippi (and now also Kansas and Iowa and Minnesota), look more than enough like a real Armageddon.

When tornadoes tore through Alabama, it got our attention; we were all touched and even inspired by Javier Arenas‘s story of survival and singular mission to help others, as detailed in Lars Anderson’s recent Sports Illustrated cover story. When a mile-wide twister, the single deadliest in the U.S. in almost 60 years, mangled Joplin on Sunday, the story hit much closer to home, literally for some, as those members of our AA team and their families felt the anguish first hand. I’m sure that’s true, too, for many of you out there.

I remember that when I read how Alabama head football coach Nick Saban was encouraging his players to reach out to the people of Tuscaloosa—“Just by your presence and being with them, you can help people,” he said—I was cynical at first. Perhaps because while Arenas’s first move after cheating death was to load up his SUV with $1,600 worth of supplies to hand out, Saban hasn’t yet announced how much of his $4.15 million salary for the 2011 season will be earmarked for disaster relief. Or maybe because the focus seemed to be on sports as a temporarily helpful but otherwise superficial distraction: “We can create a psychological escape for the people of this town,” Saban told SI. “They have a great passion for sports, and we’ll be there for them.”

Sure, sports are and can be a healthy diversion, especially in times like this, what another SI reporter, writing days after September 11, 2001, likened to “pulling a blanket over your head when you’re a kid—suddenly the world goes away and nothing outside that little space even exists; it’s delicious.” But that’s just the game. And being a fan extends beyond the game. There’s something much more important going on here, and we’re starting to see it.

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Last week, the Kansas City Chiefs named Kevin Ross to the team’s Hall of Fame. It was an unassailable choice, and gave us all another opportunity to look back at greatness, which right now is much less agonizing than looking ahead and wondering what—if anything—is to come.

Ross was one of the first Chiefs players I remember knowing by name. That’s probably because his was among the generic-brand, locally produced trading cards that I was given by Officer MacDonald (I never knew Officer MacDonald’s first name, though I probably thought it was “Officer”), the off-duty cop who moonlighted (well, technically, daylighted) as the crossing guard in front of Brookridge Elementary School. As I recall, the free Chiefs cards were part of some initiative to teach kids not to be too shy to approach policemen if they ever needed anything. Did it work? I can’t say I have any fond feelings for the police, but I’m sure this helped feed my developing Chiefs fixation.

I remember, as I first started to understand the basics of football,* that Ross was one of my favorite players because his job was to catch balls that were not thrown to him. That struck me as so much more impressive and difficult, if less painful, than, say, trying to run through a line of 300-pound men without getting crushed. He earned a starting job before his first NFL game and pulled in six picks in his rookie season. Ross, of course, went on to become one of the most consistent, dominating defensive backs in the NFL, and an anchor of one of the greatest defenses of the 1990s. Derrick Thomas and Neil Smith were so free to do their thing, in part, because Ross and Albert Lewis had their backs (and/or receivers). In short, Kevin Ross was a lock.

*In my earliest, earliest memories of watching football—perhaps from my crib—I remember thinking that the whole point of the game was to make as big a pile of bodies as possible in the middle of the field. I don’t think I realized, at first, that there was even a ball involved.

But here’s something I didn’t know, probably because I was in third grade when it happened: Ross was drafted in the seventh round. Number 173 overall. The Chiefs took eight players ahead of him: Bill Maas, John Alt, Herman Heard, and five other guys I’m pretty sure you haven’t heard of, at least not as Chiefs. And Ross wasn’t even the first DB the Chiefs picked that year, so it’s not quite like they just weren’t trying to fill that position—they used their fourth-round pick (#90 overall) on Mark Robinson, a consensus All-American at Penn State, who would be traded to Tampa Bay a few years later and finish with a perfectly respectable 15 career interceptions (23 fewer than Ross).

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My post season ticket stub is in the shoe box I keep in my closet with the rest of them. The Superbowl is over, I finished the leftover chili last night. I packed up all my jerseys in the big box I keep them all in, along with my heavier Kansas City Chiefs outdoor gear. Team hats and gloves are in the box too. Something has always seemed wrong about wearing my gear this soon after another team claims the Lombardi trophy. The rest of the month will be dedicated to Missouri State University Basketball.

But after that brief two week or so in February, the period when it finally sinks in that another year is over. Well I dive right back into being a Kansas City Chiefs fan.

Not that the thought of my Adventure posts going on hiatus keeps you up at night, but they will keep right on coming on their usual Friday time.  I’ll talk about the players that made NFL history at Arrowhead, the coaches that helped them make it, and the the stadium itself that never tires of our yearly vigils.

I’ll brag about my new BBQ set up that I keep in my living room as only a single man can do until I feel like dragging it down to my storage shed. (more…)

Four weeks after the Kansas City Chiefs played their last game, the 2010 NFL season is finally, officially over. Super Bowl XLV* has come and gone, and though it wasn’t mentioned during the broadcast, you probably, at one point or another, noticed that the Chiefs weren’t in it.

*As a friend tweeted Sunday night, “Why not just VL?”

But so what? Yesterday formally marked the first day of the 2011 campaign. Bodog.com has already set the opening odds, and the Chiefs are a 35-to-one shot to get to Super Bowl XLVI and win it all. Not quite as sure a bet as, say, the Packers (seven-to-one) or Patriots (15-to-two), but to quote the distinguished Canadian-American actor Jim Carrey as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber: “So…you’re tellin’ me there’s a chance!”

With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to see just how optimistic I could be (while testing my knowledge of Roman numerals). So, without further ado and in no particular order, here are XLVI reasons why next year could be the year…
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There are 14 NFL teams that have never won a Superbowl. Below are 10 teams that did have made the big game but failed to win it.

1. Minnesota Vikings (tied for the biggest losers, they have  been four times). Great choice for a team Jared! (ok I need to get over it).

2. Buffalo Bills (lost four in a row). Unreal how can they live with themselves?

3. Cincinnatti Bengals (lost twice).

4. Philadelphia Eagles (lost twice). Therefore Carl Peterson felt we needed to bring half their former players and coaching staff from the 1981 team to KC). Ron Jaworski, Herm Edwards, (even Wilbert Montgomery if memory serves). Think of any more? By the way,  anyone know who delivered the motivational speech before the 81 team took the field? I do! Don Rickels! They never had a chance!

5. San Diego Chargers have been once, in 1995 and lost. (The History of this team worries me folks. I don’t want the Chiefs to be regular division winners, and regular post season losers. ) We aren’t regular losers yet I don’t think.

6. Atlanta Falcons went once and lost. (Tony, your ring fingers is gonna remain empty I’m afraid).

7. Tennessee Titans got to go one time and blew it.

8. Carolina Panthers, one time appearance, one time losers.

9. Seattle Seahawks appeared once and lost it in 2006.

10. Arizona Cardinals appeared once of course and lost.  Coach Haley bailed, our gain their loss.

Four Teams have never even made an appearance! (more…)

Dear Coach Haley,

Before the upcoming playoff battle in Arrowhead Stadium, I would like to assume the role as spokesperson for the Chiefs Nation, and more specifically the Addicts here at Arrowhead Addict.  I know that we need no introduction as you probably read our site as often as anyone else, so I will spare rehashing things you already know; for instance that we are the best Kansas City Chief’s blog on the internet.  During your mid week preparation I feel that it is our duty to let you know a few things that we feel very strongly about concerning your organization, and the team you have built these past two years.

First and foremost we would like to say congratulations for the season you and your team have had.  It has been very exciting for all of us to go through the ups, downs, and situational head scratching to ultimately finish the season with an AFC West title that we all take pride in.  It has been too long since we tasted sweet victory over our rivals, and this year has been the light at the end of a long black spiraling tunnel our fan base has traveled through the past several years.  For this we are grateful.

Remember as you read this that although we have no monetary ties to the team other than the countless millions we have invested in Chiefs paraphernalia, tickets, parking passes etc, we have just as much emotional and personal investment in this team (and possibly more) than any one of your players or staff members.  We are the reason that your team exists, and the tax money from Jackson County is the reason you have an awesome newly renovated stadium to play in.  On top of that the legendary home field advantage you gain from us is feared throughout the NFL, and is one of the reasons you and your team will not be watching the playoffs from home this year.  So although this letter contains things you may not want to hear from us, I feel you owe it to the Addicts to continue reading…

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Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley and his players may not allow themselves to so much as utter the “p” word, but I have been and will be saying it as much as any conversation permits.  The Chiefs are in the playoffs!  Kansas City will host a home playoff game!  Playoffs baby!  For us hardcore fans, it seems like a lifetime since we have said that.  So feel free Addicts, there is no ban on that word here, use it as many times as you like.  You have earned it.

There is one reason that the Chiefs clenched the AFC West this year and earned the right to host a playoff game: The Arrowhead Advantage.  Being undefeated at home gets you to .500 if my math is correct, and you can win less than half of your games away to make it into the playoffs as a rule.  The Chiefs have the best home field advantage in the NFL, and this is why we are AFC West Champions.

After the jump we will review my top five reasons that the Chiefs have the best home field advantage in the NFL.

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Champs, shmamps -- have you forgotten? This smirking face should haunt your dreams. (Credit: Paul Sakuma-AP)

The Kansas City Chiefs are the 2010 AFC West Champs, and it’s not even 2011 yet. Before Sunday, so many of us still agonized over whether this moment would come at all, let alone with a game left to play in the regular season—and a week left to contemplate the potential implications and complications of the team’s fortunes.

Like Big Matt, I woke up Monday wondering if indeed it had all really happened. I picked up the morning paper and there it was: “Chiefs Clinch AFC West.” Even then, for a second, I worried that I had mistakenly grabbed a copy of The Onion, especially when I opened the sports section and read “Toledo Stunned in Pizza Bowl”—which, as it would turn out, was also an actual headline.*

*Heartfelt condolences go out to those Toledo alums and fans who had been dreaming since childhood of a Little Caesars Pizza Bowl championship.

Yes, it’s real. But since we are Chiefs fans, we only allow ourselves a few moments of stress-free celebration, followed immediately by ohmigod ohmigod—now what are we going to do about this? Do we rest Matt Cassel and Jamaal Charles on Sunday? Do we put Brodie Alabama in for a strategic “cleanup call?”* Do we just punt out of bounds every time we get the ball? When is a good time to pull the defensive starters and how soon do we suspend Shaun Smith’s Twitter account?

*Seriously, WTF?

This fretting, of course, is silly. The Chiefs must play all out and win on Sunday, and I have heard many good reasons why: To guarantee that #3 seed. To ensure K.C. hosts the New York Jets, a team everyone has deemed to be the Chiefs’ least intimidating potential opponent. To avoid a possible divisional-round match-up at New England. To preserve the “Arrowhead Mystique”—that aura of invincibility that breaks the will of any visiting team.*

*And, based on Sunday’s attendance figures, the will of many potential ticket-buyers.

But for all the analysis, it seems we are too easily overlooking why a win is needed most of all: To beat the Raiders. Period.*

*This asterisk is here only to drive home the point that no asterisk to this statement is necessary. (more…)

Source: Kansas City Chiefs

As the end of the regular season draws to a close, the Kansas City Chiefs find themselves first in the AFC West.  It is great that we’re there, but with the lead in the division comes something else…pressure.

Different people handle pressure differently.  I, personally, don’t usually handle pressure well.  I have a tendency to be a spaz when something relies on me.  I watch players like Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and stand in awe of their ability to put games on their shoulders and win.  I’m most certainly more like New York Giants punter Matt Dodge than Peyton Manning.
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You would think from this billboard that it was a Chiefs home game right? (Source: My Cell Phone)

Sunday it was the Kansas City Chiefs at the St. Louis Rams for the Governor’s Cup.  For those of us that were able to escape our daily lives and make the trek up to the Edward Jones Dome to support KC the day was not a disappointment.  We all know by now that the Chiefs put up a pretty stellar performance despite being on the road and Matt Cassel having an internal organ removed 11 days prior to the game, but was it really a road game?

From my previous posts some of you know that I work retail, so it was a combination of luck and wizardry that got me the last Sunday before Christmas off to travel up to the good ol’ Gateway to the West to watch our beloved Chief’s battle for the rights of best team in MO.  After working all day and driving the six hours from Tulsa to St. Louis, I arrived at my hotel to see throngs of Chiefs fans in the lobby and in the street at 1 a.m. yelling “CHIEFS” at me in my red sweatshirt as I toted my bag up to the third floor.  I figured that it was because I was in a hotel, and KC fans would be traveling, so it made sense.  I retired to my suite to steam my jersey in the bathroom and drink beer out of a MacGyver-esque cooler made out of the garbage pail from our room (clean bag, no worries) with the other people I met up with to watch the game because we were without a refrigerator.

After a clean night of heavy out of town drinking in preparation for a Chiefs game, we strolled out of the Hotel and made our way through downtown a few blocks to the Edward Jones Dome to wait for 10:30 when they opened the gates.  I was astounded with the lack of tailgating (it’s in downtown, where are you going to tailgate?), and although Randy already commented on this, it was downright funny to see people lighting up their Hibachi’s in parking garages trying to recreate the experience of an actual football game.  All I have to say is be very glad that Kate Barnes did not get her dream of a downtown Royals stadium passed.  Really, it was so bad that once we were outside the stadium I didn’t even realize it until I saw “Edward Jones Dome” on the side.  It looks like a convention center or upscale shopping center, think Crown Plaza with a football field in the middle of it…

I feel sorry for the St. Louis fans in that respect, but this isn’t about them, it’s about the presence of Red and Gold.

Waiting in what passes for a park outside the dome with live music and beer for sale, I realized that the amount of Chiefs fans at the hotel was not a statistical outlier.  There really were that many KC fans at the game.  Not only was there a mix of 50% Red and Gold to Blue and whatever, but there was a crazy difference in the way the Chiefs fans acted.  We were all getting together and talking about the game, getting rowdy.  The Rams fans were subdued, quiet, scared?  The way we were acting I expected some banter, some confrontation, something, but it never came.  It was official; Kansas City Chiefs fans had taken over downtown St. Louis.

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The Kansas City Chiefs may find their fans are going to let them down when the need them the most.

Chiefs COO Mark Donovan announced today in an interview on 810 Sports that the Chiefs are in danger of having this weekend’s crucial game against the Tennessee Titans blacked out.

While December games, particularly the day after Christmas, can be difficult to sell out, teams in the playoff race at this time of the year are usually safe.

After 3 miserable seasons, however, the Arrowhead Faithful stopped showing up and the Chiefs experienced a blackout last December for the first time in a number of years.

This year the Chiefs got back on track, winning 9 of their first 14 games. 6 of those wins came at Arrowhead. They have been atop the AFC West all season long and if they win their last 2 games, both at Arrowhead, they will be back in the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Chiefs, that doesn’t appear to be enough to give Arrowhead Stadium it’s old spark.

To be fair to the fans out in Kansas City, there are a number of factors that could be keeping fans from gobbling up all the tickets to Sunday’s game. Let’s take a look after the jump.

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STUFFED! (Source: arrowheadpride.com)

Looking for that perfect last-minute gift for the Kansas City Chiefs fan—or, say, fifth-year outside linebacker—in your life? Well, with only a few shopping days left until the Big Day (December 26 at Arrowhead, of course), you might want to consider one of these stocking-stuffers, guaranteed to please even the season-ticket-holder or journeyman wide receiver who has everything!

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Source: www.apha.com Photo taken by Jerry Circelli

Before moving to Kansas and becoming a Kansas City Chiefs fan, I spent a good part of my life in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby.  We haven’t lived there in over a decade, but we still make it a point to watch the Derby every year.  And every year there is one part of the race that never ceases to give me a bit of a thrill.  It occurs when the horses make the final turn and are on the straightaway to the finish line.  It is at that moment the announcer booms into his microphone, “And down the stretch they come!”  As I look at the Chiefs with three games left, I can’t help but imagine the announcer saying those words.

To begin with, I never thought the Chiefs would make it this far.  I didn’t think they were competitors for the AFC West title this year.  I thought it would be at least another year.  However, we started off 3-0 and in particular by defeating the heir apparent San Diego Chargers.  We came out of the gate quickly and have maintained a fairly steady win pace throughout the season.  The question is whether we’ve kept a good enough pace to win the AFC West.
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Hi. My name is Patrick and I’m an Arrowhead Addict.

Exactly one year ago today, on December 16^th, 2009, those were the first words I ever wrote for this web site.

In the year that has followed I have had an absolute blast covering the Kansas City Chiefs for FanSided.com. I have been fortunate enough to work with a number of awesome staff members who have helped make Arrowhead Addict the success it is today.

In the last year, our traffic is up 97.99% and we’ve had over 1 million visitors. Last December, this website was averaging somewhere around 750 hits a day. Today it averages thousands.

I just wanted to drop a post to say thank you to my staff, in particular Randy, Merlin, Double D and Jeremy who were here before me and have been incredibly supportive and helpful from day one. Those guys are the heart and soul of AA and I know they love this place just as much as I do. I’d also like to thank Andrew “The Crock Pot” Crocker, who helped get this whole operation off the ground.

Lastly, thanks to Adam and Zach Best who created this awesome website and gave me the opportunity to take over their baby.

In celebration of a great year here at AA (and for the Chiefs), I decided to re-post my first ever Arrowhead Addict column. I feel like it is just as relevant today as it was back then. 1,995 posts later, I’d like to share it with you again.

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A Worried Dwayne Bowe (photo by Aaron Miller)

As we sat down in our seats in Amen Corner, something just didn’t seem right with the Kansas City Chiefs. Dwayne Bowe wasn’t doing his usual “Dwayne Bowe Dance” in our corner, and Pioli was on the field mingling with the players in his full length dress coat, I don’t remember ever  seeing him down there before.

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DJ Ashba does his best Hendrix (yardbarker)

Arrowhead Stadium! It’s legendary in the NFL! Every time I go its a whole new experience! As loyal AA readers may know “ad naseum”, well I love the damn place! Crazy stuff happens.  Like DJ Ashba’s appearance, you never know whats next.

If you’re like me, you have a regular nine to five. Mature behavior and responsible conduct for a man my age is expected. A concept I understand and accept.

But at a Chiefs Sunday home game?

Well I must say I don’t know how I’d make it through the year without them.

On the way to the game, this Arrowhead Addict follows required traffic protocol to the letter. You won’t catch me texting and driving. If a lane change is required, I’ll signal my intention. If you catch me at a four way, you’re going to  see a complete stop before this square peg proceeds.

Look! I'm a Kansas City Chief!

When the transmission hits park in Section C, however, as they say in comic book land, your Arrowhead Adventurer undergoes a startling transformation.

The casual observer might see me push a donkey fan out of my way in the ticket scan line, which will quickly escalate to a shoving match,  followed by one unlucky participant spending some time in the “Arrowheadlock”.

Insults will be hurled, obscene gestures might be traded, and the loser will dash around the corner to the freedom of a bright sunny day at the best stadium in the world.

Smell some bratwurst cooking?

Me too! You won’t see me though, just a red and gold flash as a Raiders fan’s bratwurst inventory is depleted from his $5.99 hibachi rig.  A “Welcome to Arrowhead Raiders Fans!” gesture will be left as payment. Bless his heart.

More after the jump. (more…)

Source: Yardbarker.com

I’ve never understood the people who slow down to get a good look at a car accident on the side of the highway.  The police are already there and traffic is slow to begin with, but some people decide to cause more problems because they want to see what’s going on.  I’m of the opinion that the best thing a person can do is pass it as quickly and carefully as possible.  I can’t offer any assistance that couldn’t be better rendered by the professionals who are there, so the best thing I can do is get out of their way.  If I wanted to see a wreck I would watch Jersey Shore.  That’s why I only made it to halftime before turning off the television when the Kansas City Chiefs last played the Denver Broncos three weeks ago.  It got ugly quickly and I just couldn’t watch anymore.  It is for this reason that the Chiefs need to come out this Sunday and make a statement in this game.
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If you are going to Arrowhead Stadium to watch the Kansas City Chiefs get revenge on the Denver Broncos, things will be a little bit easier for you Sunday.

According to infozine.com, Stadium Drive will be open between Interstate 435 and Manchester Trafficway for the December 5^th game.

The opening of the drive will be temporary and it will close Sunday evening after the game.

The good news is, however, the improvement project on the roadway is going to be completed mid-December which is a full 6 months ahead of schedule. The improvements began back in May of this year.

Why so nervous?

If you’re like me, you might have a little trouble believing that Thanksgiving is only two days away. There are several obvious reasons for this: Daylight Saving Time just ended. The weather (at least in Kansas City) has been feeling like late September. And, oh yeah—the Chiefs are still relevant.

Many of you might be flying home in the next day or two, either to be closer to family or just because you enjoy a good holiday rub-down from your local TSA agent. Either way, wherever you are, I assume you’re going to be watching (or streaming, or listening to, or tweeting, or live-blogging, or somehow following) the game on Sunday with intense concentration and a little bit of anxiety. It’s Thanksgiving weekend, and the Chiefs game matters, and not just as a distraction from four days of aunts and uncles or a brief respite from a tryptofan-induced trance. If the season were a single game, then we’re halfway through the third quarter, and the Chiefs are still in it. In fact, they have a one-touchdown lead—and the ball.

And for that alone, I feel like giving thanks.

After the jump, I’ll list a few specific thank-yous (and I’ll start now by saying thanks for lists, which make putting together a post like this so much easier and more amusing).

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Reality is chasing the Kansas City Chiefs.

Reality is chasing their fans.

Don’t look back.

When the 2010 NFL season began not even the most optimistic Chiefs fan could have predicted the team would start 3-0.

When I say “the most optimistic Chiefs fan” I’m not talking about crazy, delusional Chiefs fans like my buddy Casey who last season drunkenly declared during halftime of the Chiefs/Steelers game that if Kansas City pulled out the victory that he would celebrate by tattooing the teams logo on the underside of his forearm. After the game, when the Chiefs had emerged the victor my other buddy Marshall would not let Casey forget his declaration. By the time I got to the next bar where we were going to celebrate (victories were so rare the last three years that any win was worthy of a few more hours of drinking) Casey where nowhere to be found.

“Where is he,” I asked?

“At the tattoo parlor,” said Marshall.
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Source: Yardbarker.com

*
When a running play was called, I felt like we could score. When the other team kicked, I felt like we could run the ball all the way back for six. It didn’t just seem possible, but probable.

Cheers,

Paddy

It’s the calm before the storm.  However, things are beginning to heat up around here at Arrowhead Addict as training camp is right around the corner.  I do believe the Chiefs’ single game ticket sales begin in July too.  Why is that important?  Because this Southern Californian, is finally going to see the Chiefs at the New Arrowhead this year!   So pardon me for the following solicitation, there will be no observations or opinions from me today (insert sarcastic joke here), I just need your help (insert another sarcastic joke).

As a life long Chiefs fan I have yet to make the trek to the motherland.  Go ahead and boo, I deserve it.  I have always wanted to go but, believe it or not, I never had the chance (money, time, just plain laziness).  No more excuses.

I won’t be going to Arrowhead alone though.  I will have my fiancé and two best friends with me. It will probably be the 49ers game in September; I don’t feel like sitting outside in November or December. I want it to be special. I want them to know why I bleed red and gold everyday and that is why I need your suggestions.

I was doing some planning (ie. flights, hotels, restaurants, tickets, car rental, tailgating, etc.) and I thought that I should put up a post and give our  numerous “home town fans”  a chance to let our “out of town fans” know the best way to enjoy Arrowhead (other than a Chiefs win).  So, home town fans please comment even if you never have before.  Here is the question: If you were flying into Kansas City on Friday night and leaving right after the game on Sunday, where would you go and what would you do in between?

So, please offer up some suggestions, your help will greatly be appreciated by all, and will make this fan’s and other out of town fan’s experience even better.

I have a short list of questions after the jump.

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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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You can’t pick which player gets the last roster spot n the 2010 Kansas City Chiefs but you can pick the last food item that will be sold at the new Arrowhead concession stand.

Aramark, the new company handling the concessions at Arrowhead is giving fans the opportunity to pick the stadiums new signature sandwich.

Here are the candidates:

• Red and Gold Short Rib Melt: Pulled short ribs, grilled onions and white American and Havarti cheeses on Parmesan-crusted toast
• Arrowhead Sunrise Stack: Chicken fried steak, hash browns, fried egg, bacon, sausage gravy, sassy slaw piled on a Kansas City cheddar cheese biscuit
• KC BBQ Dog: A foot-long hot dog, heaped with barbecue baked beans, diced burnt ends, smoked bacon, cole slaw, pickles and house-recipe Kansas City-style barbecue sauce

You can vote on your favorite here. Now if you’ll excise me, I’m going to go see what’s in the fridge.

Source: Yardbarker.com

Today we continue our series “Position Battles,” where we will be setting out very own Arrowhead Addict depth chart. It is a chance for Addict Nation to weigh in on who we think the starters should be heading in to training camp.

Last week we tackled the running back position.

Here are the results:

1. Jamaal Charles

2. Thomas Jones

3. Dexter McCluster

4. Kolby Smith/Kestahn Moore

5. Jackie Battle

6.  Javaris Williams

Obviously, the Chiefs won’t be going in to the season with 7 halfbacks. Most of the votes went to Charles and Jones, with Charles being the overwhelming favorite. After the Charles, Jones 1, 2 punch, Addict Nation wants Dexter McCluster to get the call.

Chances are McCluster will be listed as a receiver but he is likely to get a handful of carries each game. That means whoever ends up behind Charles and Jones on the real depth chart won’t see much action unless there is an injury.

Today we move on to the fullback position. The Chiefs haven’t had a Pro Bowl caliber FB since the great Tony Richardson left. Mike Cox has been doing a workman like job for the Chiefs the last couple of years.

Currently, Cox is the only player listed as a FB on the roster. Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jackie Battle got a look given his size. Battle is 6-2, 238. Tim Castille may also get a look at FB coming in at 5-11, 238. Rookie Tervaris Johnson is an option at 6-2, 248. Cox is the biggest of the group, weighing in at 6-0, 252.

By comparison, Tony Richardson is 6-1, 238.

Time to pick your starter:

Source: Yardbarker.com

It may seem far away but before we know it, the Chiefs will be hitting the field for Monday Night Football.

I am going to be making my first ever trip to Arrowhead Stadium this fall for Monday Night Football. Living in NYC, this will be a big departure for how I normally watch the Chiefs.

Being an out of towner, I take in the games at The Village Pour House in the East Village. There is a strong (when we are winning) contingent of Chiefs fans who show up to cheer on the Red and Gold.

I normally start my day with a large cup of coffee (for the early games) and a couple of games of Madden. I usually play whatever team we are playing that day and I enjoy crushing them.

Next I pick out my jersey and hat combination for the day and head out to the bar. I usually start with a Bloody Mary before switching to a pitcher of beer. The Pour House has some fantastic wings and a mouthwatering Smoke House Burger I find it hard to resist. After the Chiefs lose win, we go out to a couple of more bars to celebrate.

This year will be different for me as it will be my first full season running AA. I still haven’t come up with how I am going to cover the games for you guys but you can bet I will be live at the Pour House for most of them.

Thus, my question to you for this evening is, what is your game day ritual? Whether it be at home or at the stadium, sound off and tell us how you watch the Chiefs!

What Tony left "behind" at Arrowhead. Photo courtesy of Randy Murawski

But you did.

I began hearing rumors. At first I didn’t believe them. Then I saw the looks on your face from the sidelines the cameras missed at home. I saw the anguish. I saw the sadness. I saw the frustration.

The same looks I was seeing in my bathroom mirror.

Even before Adam posted it on AA, I knew it was true.

And it made me angry.

I didn’t give up on the Chiefs. I kept going to the games. Some of them by myself, some of them when I couldn’t even give away my tickets. I didn’t give up. So how could you? (more…)

Source: Yardbarker.com

The chiefs still have some holes to fill and some depth to add but here are 5 areas I think the team has greatly improved this offseason. In no particular order:

1. Offensive Line

You know, the more I think about it, the more I am beginning to believe that the offensive line got a bad wrap last season. I am not saying they were great because they most certainly were not, but there were a lot of factors that lead to the line’s poor performance and not all of them were within their control. That, however, is a subject for another column.

The Chiefs are much improved on the offensive line heading in to the 2010 season. They added Ryan Lilja, who will likely become their other starting guard opposite Brian Waters.

Scott Pioli also brought in Casey Weigmann to help create competition and depth at the center position. Rudy Niswanger has not played very well but he is a hard worker and has a lot of experience. He is definitely a Pioli/Haley guy and if he can improve, I think they will let him keep the starting C spot. Having a guy like Weigmann around could certainly help Niswanger continue that development.

In the draft, the Chiefs added Jon Asamoah out of Illinois, who was regarded as the 2nd best G prospect in the draft class. Asamoah may not start right away but he is likely to see plenty of snaps. The Chiefs seem to be interested in using him at the G and C positions so his versatility will give KC much needed depth along the interior of their line.

The Chiefs appear to be happy with Albert and O’Calahan manning the tackle positions but there is some concern about the depth behind those two players. Still, the line is much improved over last season.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

Scott Pioli recently did an interview with Clark Judge on CBSSports.com and it was very enlightening. Judge decided to ask Pioli about the process of picking this years draft picks. I am going to provide you with some of the highlights and my own thoughts on what Pioli said. You can see the entire article here.

Props go to reader Spencer who alerted me of this article in the comments to the great “Better Days Ahead” thread, which you should check out. Thanks Spencer.

The article is great as Pioli goes pick by pick. First up, obviously, was Berry. Here is some of what Scott had to say:

We think he’s a dynamic player at a position where, as a staff, we felt that during different times of the year having more speed and tackling at that position would’ve helped our defense. The coaches had done a study about the number of big plays we had given up and how that position was responsible for it. Along with adding what think is a really good football player, we think his makeup is off the charts. He has leadership, confidence and humility. Talk to anyone who’s been around this guy at any level of his life, and they’ll tell you that he is, without a doubt, a special person. I mean, this is a guy who goes down to the equipment room and helps guys clean helmets before the game. There is something different about this kid. When Eric was available, he was the guy we wanted.”

More after the jump.

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