Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs may not have had a very good record in 2012 but that doesn’t mean the roster was devoid of talent.

NFL Network is running down its top 100 players of 2013. This is a yearly event where NFL players vote on which players they think are in the top 100 in the league, based on the pervious year’s performances.

Kansas City Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers checked in at #75.

“I’m glad to have him on my team,” said Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles when interviewed for the program. “I know when its time to play, he’s going to come to play. He come up and hit now, he not a scared cornerback.”

Oakland Raiders WR Denarius Moore also heaped some praise on Flowers.

“Last year, he intercepted the ball and took it all the way back on us,” said Moore. “It’s just little plays like that you think you have him beat but he’s still right there beside you and he’ll hurt you in the long run.”

Chiefs safety Eric Berry told NFL Network that the night before the Chiefs played the Broncos last season, Flowers saw something on tap he thought he could exploit.

“Yeah, it was just like a deep skinny post,” said Berry. “They ran the play and he picked it off. A lot of stuff he called, he calls his shots, just like in pool, you know? I think that’s pretty cool too.”

Flowers likely won’t be the last Chiefs player listed in the top 100. Recent commercials seem to indicated that WR Dwayne Bowe will be in the next grouping and chances are that RB Jamaal Charles could make the list as well.

How many Chiefs players do you think belong in the top 100?

Oct. 09, 2011; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers (24) is seen during warmups before the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory credit: Michael Hickey-US PRESSWIRE

So in a season that has had very little highs and what seems like a never ending supply of lows, we’ve got another possible one to pass along. Pro Football Weekly has a piece out today about how upset Chiefs fans are with the team and how they want both Pioli and Crennel fired. Midway through the piece they dropped this little nugget:

A source told PFW that CB Brandon Flowers, who signed a six-year, $49.3 million deal last September, has been telling teammates in the locker room that he would give back all his new money just so he could leave the team.

Now, let me start by saying that I was surprised by that quote. Not surprised that Chiefs players, especially the few that are actually pulling their own weight would be frustrated and fed up with the losing, but surprised that a high character player like Flowers would be walking around the locker room saying things that would be perceived as so hopeless to his teammates. Cue this quote that followed from Derrick Johnson:

“I haven’t heard him saying that,” Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson told PFW. “Brandon Flowers isn’t a problem guy — let’s just get that out there.”

“His locker is right by mine. He’s one of our better players on defense. I didn’t know he said that. He does his talking on Sundays on the field. That’s all we ask of him.”

That sounds more like the Flowers that we know. I’m not sure what to think about this. Anytime there is a media report that sounds fishy that is attributed to an “unnamed source” it should raise red flags. That having been said, elite level players got to be elite because of their competitive spirit. Playing on a team that gets obliterated week in and week out will eventually test the loyalty of any good player. Players want to win, and the harder a guy works the more he’s going to feel like he’s entitled to play for a winner. Flowers is under contract regardless, so its not like the Chiefs are in danger of losing him. However, if their best players develop this kind of an attitude it would be a MAJOR problem with motivation and with resigning future players.

So what do you think, is Flowers THAT unhappy or does this report smell like an unfounded rumor?

Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

Well, Kansas City fans, at this point during the week I’m sure we’re all a little exhausted of hearing about the the Chiefs’ failure against the Rams Saturday night. The Chiefs secondary was lacking in some things (to say the least), the injured status of Kendrick Lewis and Brandon Flowers has us all concerned and Ricky Stanzi performed miserably. To boot, we all have questions pertaining to just what caused Tamba Hali’s suspension. But let’s try to brighten up here. Bowe is back, Cassel is continuing to do well in Daboll’s offense and, at the pace he’s going, Peyton Hillis is looking to be a strong candidate for Comeback Player of the Year. Further, the Chiefs are better off seeing the weakness in their D now instead of, say, the fourth preseason game; the two remaining preseason games should provide us fans with a good litmus test for what to expect from our Chiefs at the start of the regular season now that Crennel knows just what kind of adjustments need made that could hamper some of the better QBs in the league, several of which the team’ll be facing right off the bat.

Before making my predictions last week, I considered how I saw the Chiefs’ 53-man roster fleshing out and drew the following conclusions:

ST: K – 1, P – 1, LS – 1

OFF: QB – 3, RB – 4, WR – 7, OL – 8 or 7, TE – 3 or 4 (8 OL & 3 TE, or 7 OL & 4 TE)

DEF: DL – 7 or 8, LB – 8, DBs– 10 or 9 (7 DL & 10 DBs, or 8  & 9, respectively)

When considering this structure, I felt a few position group numbers were a little high, but a quick look at last year’s roster, courtesy of Pro-Football-Reference, assured me that I’m pretty well in the ballpark. And, yes, having a minimum of nine guys in the secondary and a possible ten still seems a little excessive, but when you consider that last year’s active roster, at one point or another, included Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Eric Berry, Kendrick Lewis, Jalil Brown, Travis Daniels, Javier Arenas, Reshard Langford, Jon McGraw, Donald Washington & Sabby Piscitelli, I’m not too far off base. Of the nine or ten DBs I expect to make the roster, do I expect all of them to be on the active roster come game day? No; just as I don’t expect the 7^th WR, 8^th OL, 8^th LB, or 3^rd QB to be on the active roster. Remember, though it’s a 53-man roster, only a maximum of 46 players may be active on game day (up from the previous CBAs 45-man limit), which leads us to this week’s predictions:

1.  With Flowers and Lewis out for an indeterminate amount of time, Crennel will take a hard look at the DBs on roster (I know, I’m friggin’ Nostradamus, right?). Chalking up Saturday’s problems to a secondary that is “young”, “inexperienced” and lacking “maturity”, Crennel will focus mostly on filling out the roster with the more veteran players. Though some of these players’ ceilings may not be as high as some of the newer guys, their consistency and reliability in the short term will prevail over longer term, but potentially better, developmental projects. As I see it the roster will consist of : 1. Flowers; 2. Routt; 3. Berry; 4. Lewis; 5. Abram Elam; 6. Travis Daniels; 7. Jalil Brown; and, 8. Javier Arenas. This leaves one maybe two spots to take on either Jacques Reeves and a project player, or two project players, with the likely candidates being Dequan Menzie, Terrance Parks and Tysyn Hartman. Dequan Menzie may be in the same boat as Junior Hemingway; an injury plagued camp may spell practice squad, but I think the odds of that are worse than with Hemingway, and choosing Menzie and either Parks or Hartman over Reeves to fill out the bottom of the roster wouldn’t be too surprising. That being said, I could somewhat understand if Reeves was chosen to stay on roster with the other candidates being practice squad eligible. In any event I would not be shocked to see all three of Menzie, Parks & Hartman keep ties with the team, even if one or two is/are kept in the capacity of practice squad player(s). The remaining options (Fenner, Fanor, etc.) just don’t strike me as making the cut in any capacity.  That includes Donald Washington, who despite being a veteran and “more mature”, seems to me to be too costly of a save at this point.

Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

2. Stanzi will still make the roster, but as the No. 3 QB and only for the purposes of continued development. He’s just not looking that good right now, and if a playoff berth is still in the cards and push comes to shove (Cassel and Quinn are unable to play), Pioli has enough sense to make a powerplay for a much better QB. The three I could see getting the most consideration in this hypothetical situation are Matt Moore, Matt Hasselbeck and Mark Sanchez. Moore has the most (and recent) experience in a Daboll-driven offense and could slide in and understand the terminology, assignments, etc. the easiest. Hasselbeck, on top of the reasons Paddy pointed out, not only provides consistently good play, but given his age would not be perceived as a threat to Cassel. And I think Sanchez is simply better than he’s given credit for: he’s actually improved every year he’s been in the league, he has playoff wins under his belt, and given a more stable locker room and stronger supporting offensive cast, I think he would surprise. Obviously, this hypothetical scenario also takes place later in the season where Moore, Hasselbeck and Sanchez may be seen as expendable for the right price. In any case, I don’t see Stanzi taking the field if the Chiefs still have a shot at the playoffs; until he shows us significantly more than he has, I think I’d rather see Zorn suit-up and take the field.

3. Following another lackluster game performance, Josh Bellamy’s stock has dropped some, but he should still be counted as a candidate for the last WR slot (though arguments for Markshausen and, as KCMikeG pointed out, Jamar Newsome have gotten stronger). Bear in mind that a) the last WR isn’t likely to sniff the active roster, b) injury to Bowe or Baldwin will be overcome by Breaston resuming the role of the No. 2 WR, a role he held for most of his career (remember: Boldin played out of the slot in Arizona), and c) an injury to McCluster will result in Breaston, and eventually Wylie, being able to fulfill the role being carved out by Dex. If Breaston or Wylie get injured, it’ll be a blow, but likely not a humongous one. If any two of Bowe, Baldwin and Breaston get injured, the Chiefs would definitely be in trouble, but unless both of those injuries were expected to be long-term, I’d anticipate we’d see Daboll calling for more 2-TE sets until one of the guys returned.

Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

4. I’ve grown quite fond of Kendrick Lewis. As last year wore on after Berry’s injury, Lewis started to improve by leaps and bounds, and I firmly believe he is a better player now than he otherwise would’ve been at this point in his career had Berry not been injured. In the face of adversity, Kendrick rose to the occasion, and how can you not love a player capable of that? But that being said, I agree with AA’s own Lyle Graversen that the loss of Flowers is greater than the loss of Lewis. Abram Elam will provide adequate temporary replacement of Lewis until Lewis can heal up; however, one of the greatest disappointments concerning Kendrick’s injury is that the newly implemented defensive scheme of putting Lewis and Elam in at safety and letting Eric Berry roam freely and wreak havoc is in danger of not being utilized until his Lewis’ return. Enter Travis Daniels. I’ll admit, I was pretty indifferent to Travis Daniels prior to this season (didn’t love him, didn’t hate him), but since he switched to taking on safety duties, I have a little more hope in his capability to make significant contributions to the team. There are two preseason games left, and I would not be the least bit surprised to see Daniels tested harder at safety to see if he can provide suitable replacement for Lewis in the new scheme so it can start being effectively used before Lewis heals up and returns. With Tamba a certain loss in the Atlanta game, and Flowers and Lewis uncertainties as to whether or not they’ll play, Daniels being coached up enough so that the new scheme isn’t a liability may be integral to a Chiefs victory on opening day. That may be a lot of faith to put into Daniels, but a roving Berry may be the team’s best hope for a victorious pass defense without Flowers, Lewis and Hali in the mix.

Thus concludes my predictions/observations for this week, Addicts. If you disagree with anything I’ve said or proposed, or think that there’s a player I’m not giving enough credit to (or giving too much credit to, for that matter), let me hear it in the “Comments” section. And as always, Go Chiefs!!!!!

Well, KC fans, that wasn’t exactly what we were hoping for Saturday night was it?

The Chiefs team, as well as its fans, got knocked off their collective “high horse” by the Rams. The question now becomes “who are the real Chiefs?” Are they the team that looked so good against the Cardinals or the team that got punched in the mouth by Sam Bradford, Steven Jackson, and the St. Louis Rams? The truth, of course, probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Being the veteran arm chair quarterback that I am, I think I’ve seen enough to make some assumptions about the Chiefs this season. Earlier this summer we played a little game called “Tell Me I’m Wrong“. Now that the Chiefs have packed up and left St. Joe and headed back to KC, I thought it was time that we play again. So I’m going to lay some of my opinions out there, and you tell me if I’m wrong.

Here we go!

1. Matt Cassel will be a good NFL-caliber QB under offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.

Cassel has looked really good through two preseason games, going 18-24 (75 percent) for 209 yards (8.7 YPA), 1 TD, 0 INTs, only one sack, and four scoring drives. The best part is that he and Daboll seem to be on the same page. Daboll seems to understand Cassel’s limitations and is playing to his strengths. Daboll is opening up the field with multiple targets, especially on short to intermediate routes. By my count, Cassel has already completed passes to eight different guys (McCluster, Boss, Charles, Draughn, O’Connell, Hillis, Baldwin, and Moeaki) in less than three quarters of play. Cassel will need to complete more passes down the field to his WRs than he has thus far to keep defenses honest, but the return of Dwayne Bowe should help in that department. Finally, Cassel has proven in the past that with a good offensive coordinator and weapons to work with, he can produce.

In 2008 with New England and 2010 in KC, Cassel had good offensive weapons at his disposal and offensive coordinators who played to his strengths. In those seasons he completed 61 percent of his passes for 7.0 YPA with 48 TDs and 18 INTs. In 2009 Todd Haley fired his offensive coordinator right before the season started and called the plays after. In 2011 Haley promoted Bill Muir to what looked to be a “figure head” offensive coordinator while Haley, Muir, and QB coach Jim Zorn appeared to have a “staff meeting” between plays to debate what play should be called. In those seasons Cassel also had less weapons at his disposal thanks to a bad overall roster in 2009 and injuries to Charles and Moeaki in 2011. The result was Cassel completing only 56.6 percent of his passes for 6.1 YPA with 26 TDs and 25 INTs in those two seasons. I have seen enough this preseason that I feel comfortable saying that Cassel is going to produce like the QB from 2008 and 2010 and have another good (not elite, but good) season under Brian Daboll.

Tell me I’m wrong!

2. Ricky Stanzi is a cool guy and a proud American, but not that great of a QB.

KC fans are SO desperate for the Chiefs to draft and develop their own franchise QB that they become instantly obsessed with any guy that shows the slightest glimpse of making that dream come true. I like Ricky Stanzi as much as the next guy, but anyone who has watched him play those first two preseason games has to admit that he’s the third best QB on a team that most don’t think has very good QBs. If you need someone to give you hair care tips or hang out with on the 4th of July, Ricky Stanzi is your guy. However, if you need a QB to take over if Matt Cassel goes down, that guy would be Brady Quinn.

Tell me I’m wrong!

3. The Chiefs can be a top ten defense without Kendrick Lewis, but not without Brandon Flowers.

I was as worried as anyone when I saw Kendrick Lewis on the sideline, visibly upset, and holding his shoulder. Lewis is a good, up-and-coming player that really seemed to improve as last season went along. That having been said, if he does miss significant time (that news may have been released by the time you’re reading this), I don’t think it will be near as big of a blow as losing Berry was last year or if Flowers doesn’t come back in time from his foot injury this season. In a nut shell, Romeo’s secondary consists of the CBs locking up WRs in man coverage on the outside, the SS is the “wild card” that sometimes is up in run support and sometimes drops into coverage, and the FS often plays “center field,” looking for the players that have gotten past their defenders.

Good man-to-man corners are hard to find, and shut down ones like Flowers are incredibly valuable. Likewise, a player like Berry that can be so good in run support and has CB like coverage skills are impossible to replace. Although the Chiefs may not have a single player that can produce at Lewis’s all around level at FS, I think a combination of Abram Elam (run support) and Travis Daniels (playing “center field”) can fill his void without a major drop off in production (as long as Berry stays healthy). On the other hand, if Flowers is out or hampered with his foot injury for any amount of time, it will really hurt the Chiefs defense. Jalil Brown and Javier Arenas may be solid as a 3rd or 4th CB, but neither can take away a side of the field like Flowers can. Obviously, the worst case scenario would be both Flowers and Lewis missing extended time. In that case, the expectations of the defense would be greatly reduced.

Tell me I’m wrong!

4. Jovan Belcher is the most under-appreciated KC Chief.

As I mentioned above, the mere possibility of the Chiefs developing their own QB has led to a cult like following of young Ricky Stanzi. Stanzi is 24, has never thrown a pass in a regular season game, and hasn’t even looked very good in preseason action. Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Belcher has two years of NFL starting experience and has showed consistent improvement since he joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent out of Maine (yes, Maine). Belcher has been a solid, but not spectacular starter since he earned that spot two years ago. Romeo talks highly of him. Derrick Johnson has said multiple times how vital Belcher is to his success. Yet many KC fans entered 2012 hoping Belcher would get beat out for his starting spot by 26-year-old Brandon Siler. Siler has less starting experience, less proven production on the field, a major injury to over come, is older than Belcher, and wasn’t developed by KC. I don’t get it! Belcher is only one year older than Justin Houston and Kendrick Lewis. Why isn’t anybody excited by Belcher as an up-and-coming player? I’ve got news for you. There is no “battle” for the starting ILB spot next to Derrick Johnson. That spot belongs to Jovan Belcher. Brandon Siler needs to worry about Leon Williams who has looked faster and more productive than Siler.

Tell me I’m wrong!

5. The Chiefs need to try Jerrell Powe in the sub package on passing downs.

Okay, here’s the situation as I see it. Jerrell Powe is low on the Chiefs depth chart at NT because he doesn’t play the position the way Romeo wants it played. The KC NT is suppose to “2 gap”. This means he lines up over the center and is responsible to stay put and “plug” both gaps on either side of the center if the play comes his way. Thus far, Powe has stood out at NT because he is penetrating into the backfield on a regular basis. This has led some KC fans to think he deserves more playing time at NT. The problem is that when Powe penetrates through one of the gaps on either side of the center it leaves the other gap open for the running back. It means that for every play Powe stuffs or disrupts there is another that hurts the defense. Romeo is not a fan of this kind of inconsistency. At the rate things are going, I won’t be shocked if Powe were to not make the final 53 man roster. Anthony Toribio is playing the position “how Romeo wants it played” and Dontari Poe was the #11 overall pick. That leaves Powe as the #3 guy at a position where teams don’t usually carry more than two.

So my question is, if Powe is showing the ability to get good penetration into the backfield, why not try him in the sub package on passing downs? Thus far, I’ve seen KC use Bailey, Poe, Jackson, Gordon, Pitoitua, Bair, and Long in the sub package. Surely they could find a couple snaps in the second half to give Powe a shot too. All I know is that I’ll be furious if they cut Powe this year and he goes on to be a disruptive force in the middle for another team. The Chiefs need to give him a shot on passing downs. Besides, being able to have the Po(w)e Boys pushing the pocket on passing downs would be fun to say. You know it’s the kind of thing they would like to say on ESPN.

Tell me I’m wrong!

So there you have it, Addicts. I’ve laid it out there for you. Now I’m daring you to tell me I’m wrong. If you think so I can’t wait to read your arguments in the comments below.

As always, thanks for reading and GO CHIEFS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

According to Bob Fescoe of 610 Sports, Kansas City Chiefs fans need not worry about the status of CB Brandon Flowers.

He’s okay.

Flowers has a bruised foot. Not expected to miss much time #chiefs

— Bob Fescoe (@bobfescoe) August 2, 2012

Flowers was injured during practice on Tuesday night. He left the field with a limp and the pain seemed to be coming from his lower leg.

The Chiefs will likely allow Flowers all the time he needs to rest up. He has been playing in the defense now for a couple of years and while everyone needs practice reps, Flowers will likely be ok even if he misses a few days of practice.

Since we are talking of injuries, is anyone else finding themselves in a constant state of dread about key Chiefs getting injured? I’ve always been aware that injuries happen but I think last year really messed with my head. I am so excited about the team this year that I am terrified of seeing Charles or Berry or Flowers or someone going down in the second preseason game with a season-ending injury.

Anybody know any spells or anything we can use to protect the key players? I’d be happy to offer up my Sabby Piscitelli voodoo doll to appease the injury Gods.

First off, an explanation of how I am approaching this: I don’t look at this list as the 10 most productive players necessarily, but rather how important they are to the team and how much their loss would be felt. This is not a list of the Chiefs best players. A way of looking at it is, “who could we least afford to lose to a season-ending injury.”

1.) OLB Tamba Hali

This one may be a shocker right out of the gates. I know many people would put RB Jamaal Charles as the most important player to the Chiefs if they want to make a playoff run, but I get to differ. The Chiefs still managed to come within a blocked field goal of the playoffs without JC (and a whole lot else) last season. The Chiefs still had the 15^th best rushing attack last year behind Jackie Battle, Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster – not an inspiring bunch.

However, the Chiefs also only had 29 sacks (3^rd least in the league) – 12 of which were Tamba Hali. Hali also probably deserves an assist on most of the other sacks that Chiefs players racked up, as opposing teams shifted their pass blocking to eliminate the pressure from #91. OLB Justin Houston should continue to up his game this year, but it’s hard to know how many sacks he would have gotten in 2011 if teams weren’t so focused on Hali. One thing we know for sure – if Hali goes down, our pass rush will be less than half as effective as it is when he is on the field.

Tamba Hali tackles Chiefs -- err -- Broncos Quarterback Kyle Orton, forcing a fumble in the process.John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Furthermore, the AFC West quarterbacking got a heck of a lot better this year. We won’t be playing against FB Tim Tebow twice a year, Rivers will surely bounce back from his worst season on record, and we won’t be so lucky as to catch Carson Palmer straight off the couch. We’re going to be playing Peyton Manning, Rivers and Palmer in late-season games for the division title. We will need Hali for that, hands down.

2.) SS Eric Berry

To my great surprise, the Chiefs have not addressed the team’s dreadful safety depth with anything more than a 5^th-round CB who projects to the position and a handful of low-level journeymen and UFA’s. Berry going down last year spelled doom for the Chiefs defensive backfield, despite the fact that we have very talented corners. McGraw is dependable as a smart, slow veteran, but with both he and Berry out of the line up, Kendrick Lewis cannot make up the difference. The idea that Donald Washington might see the field for anything other than special teams this season keeps me awake at night.

3.) LT Brandon Albert

Our tackle depth is a mystery right now. While the Chiefs have a bunch of young bodies behind their bookends with Albert and Winston, there are no proven commodities among them. While LT’s are generally looked at as the guys who keep their QB’s healthy, Albert has also been vital to the Chiefs’ run blocking. The team was massively better running to the left than the right last year. If Albert were to go down, they would likely move Winston to LT, a position he is not ideally suited for, and we would be leaving a question mark at RT that could very likely be worse than Barry Richardson – as hard as that is to imagine.

4.) CB Brandon Flowers

What? Three out of the top four are defensive players? But our defense was strong and our offense was weak! True. But, with the exception of the Chiefs, the AFC West is going to be a passing division in 2012. Rivers is poised for a bounce-back, Peyton Manning is in Denver, and Oakland is going to be forced to pass due to the fact that they now have bad running back depth and they will be in shootouts with opponents because their pass defense was decimated in the offseason.

I still think Berry is more important than Flowers overall to the Chiefs pass defense, but losing Flowers would also put KC in a pinch. I am high on Routt, but he did not fair well as the #1 CB in Oakland and Javier Arenas and Jalil Brown should really stay in the slot. Travis Daniels could fill in for a game of two as the #2 CB, but he’s not athletic and would be a liability long-term.

5.) WR Dwayne Bowe

Jon Baldwin has yet to prove he can take on the #1 role. The Cassel-to-Bowe connection remains the entire passing offense.

6.) RB Jamaal Charles

Finally, you’re thinking, he gets around to mentioning our franchise player. I put Charles 6^th because we unfortunately don’t know what we’re getting out of him this year and because the Chiefs now have killer RB depth. Our offense is indisputably more dangerous with him on the field, but we will be able to soldier on without him. Still, out of the ‘backs in the Chiefs stables, he is the only one with true home-run ability and that is something that the offense lacks all around. If the Chiefs want to be a contender, we have to make some big plays.

7.) QB Matt Cassel

He may not be Canton-bound, but he can be very productive with the guys the Chiefs have on the roster. Quinn has been inconsistent in his career and Stanzi is a mystery box.

8.) LB Derrick Johnson

Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

DJ is the rock to the Chiefs’ defense. He’s a tackling machine and is a mean run-stuffer. He also can be counted on to make 1-2 phenomenal head’s-up plays per game.

9.) RT Eric Winston

Winston is here for the same reasons as Albert — he would be extremely difficult to replace. But, we also need to him to cover the Chiefs right side because effective pass blocking there will allow Moeaki and Boss to release and be additional targets for Cassel or to block downfield for Charles and Hillis.

10.) NT Dontari Poe

While I don’t think expectations should be too high, I’m betting that Poe ends up contributing for us this season. If we don’t get production out of Poe we will be relying on Amon Gordon – a decent starter at DE, but a substandard NT. Poe has the chance to make the entire defense stronger, or weaker.

Carr is listed as questionable with an ankle injury, and Flowers has the same designation with a back aliment.

Breer also says that DE Glenn Dorsey, who is also questionable, will be a game time decision.

Should Dorsey not be able to go, Allen Bailey and Wallace Gilberry would likely step in to do the block eating.

As if the Kansas City Chiefs haven’t suffered enough bad injury news this season, they could have a couple of more injuries that could take their chances of beating the New England Patriots tonight from slim to impossible.

The Chiefs have both of their starting CB’s Brandon Carr (ankle) and Brandon Flowers (back) listed as questionable for tonight’s game.

Can we just pause for a moment to think about what will happen if the Chiefs have to face Tom Brady and the Patriots without Carr and Flowers?

According to the team’s depth chart, which we know means pretty much nothing, Travis Daniels is next in line after Flowers and Javier Arenas would step up for an injured Carr.

Rookie Jalil Brown would likely be the nickel corner should both Arenas and Daniels be needed to move outside.

We’ll get the inactives about 90 minutes before kickoff. For the sake of the national audience, let’s hope Carr and Flowers are able to go.

Kansas City Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers has been awarded the NFL Defensive Player of the Week award for his performance last week vs. the Oakland Raiders.

Flowers is the second Chiefs player to win an award of this kind this season. Kicker Ryan Succopp won the Special Teams Player of the Week award for his five-field goal performance against the Minnesota Vikings.

Flowers had two interceptions vs. the Raiders, one of which he returned for a touchdown.

Congratulations to Flowers. Well deserved.

Never miss a chance to get your fix. Follow Arrowhead Addict on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.

“This, then, is the mark of the man, the beard. By this, he is seen to be a man. It is older than Eve. It is the token of the superior nature… It is therefore unholy to desecrate the symbol of manhood, hairiness.”

— St. Clement of Alexandria, circa 180

After the Kansas City Chiefs came back from 17 down to notch their first-ever win in Indianapolis two weeks ago, Head Coach Todd Haley declared to the world (or, at least, to a glaringly lit room full of sports reporters) that he would ne’er desecrate his symbol of manhood so long as his team continued to reap victories on the football field. “As long as we’re winnin’, I’m not shavin’,” he said of his decision, supposedly made during the game in San Diego.

I’ll be honest—I didn’t really believe Haley at the time; it seemed like this could be another one of his, you know, jokes.* But when he emerged before Sunday’s game against the Raiders, it was clear: the man ain’t shavin’. Nor, it would appear, is he bathing, at least not effectively, or changing or washing his nasty off-red cap and hooded velvet man-blouse, which over the last few weeks has turned from a dark gray to a splotchy black.

*Like the one time two times he put Jamaal Charles behind Thomas Jones on the depth chart. That was hilarious!

But the accoutrements of genius will always look like signs of madness to the unqualified eye, just as credit and blame are often a function of who’s doing the assigning. In the last several days, some of Haley’s decisions over the past couple of years—such as who to bench, and when—have inspired a few rounds of the passionate, highly confrontational, and only vaguely mean-spirited debate that the devotees of this site can take pride in. But aside from the effect of Haley’s direct interventions in the playing time of LJ, DJ, and JC, for example, let’s look at the coach’s repertoire of general-purpose motivational devices:

• Dividing the season into “manageable” quarters
• Liberal use of obscenities
• Yelling at players
• Starting sideline fights with quarterback, receivers, and/or others as needed
• Turning routine post-game handshakes into newsworthy morsels for the media
• Introducing bean-bag games—the kind normally played by senior citizens or drunken tailgaters*—into the locker room

And now…

• Not shaving, bathing, or doing laundry

*Or drunken senior citizens, who may or may not be tailgating

(more…)

The Kansas City Chiefs just demolished the Oakland Raiders on their own field Sunday by a score of 28-0. It was a fun game to watch for Chiefs fans because the good guys had things pretty much well in hand from the start.

Let’s take a look at which players showed up on Sunday and earned their Arrowheads.

Matt Cassel

A glance at the box score will tell you that Cassel had a bad game, but if you were watching you know that really isn’t the case. Sure, Cassel wasn’t spectacular and he had a couple of mistakes but the fact of the matter is that Cassel played a big part in this win. He wasn’t great, but he didn’t have to be.

The Chiefs employed a game plan designed to back the Raiders off. Oakland has been having trouble getting pressure this season and so they start using different blitz looks a week ago against the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland couldn’t challenge the Raiders down field and as a result, Oakland was in Colt McCoy’s face all day.

The Chiefs knew they likely couldn’t out-muscle the Raiders up front early so they decided to open things up by taking shots down field right from the start. Even though the passes weren’t completed, it put the Raiders on notice that if they got too blitz-happy, they were going to get burned.

Part of the reason the Chiefs had trouble with the Raiders in 2010 was that KC had absolutely no way to throw the ball down field. The Raiders were able to take Dwayne Bowe out of the game and focus on stopping the run. The Chiefs had no other weapons.

This Chiefs team, however, is different. Defenses now have to worry about Bowe and Breaston. They have to pay attention to Dexter McCluster and now, Jonathan Baldwin.

Cassel did a really nice job getting the Chiefs a crucial first-quarter touchdown to give the team a two-score lead. He orchestrated a nine-play, 61-yard drive that ended in a TD to put the Chiefs up 14-0. The Chiefs took their lead to the locker room and Cassel came out in the third quarter and led his offense on an eight-play, 64-yard drive for another touchdown to put the Chiefs up 21-0.

The defense got KC started and they also put the game on ice but it was Cassel’s two touchdown drives that enabled Kansas City to dictate the pace of the game.

Cassel did what the Chiefs needed him to do and for that he gets his Arrowhead.

(more…)

The Kansas City Chiefs spanked the Oakland Raiders 28-0 today. The KC defense picked off the Raiders QBs six times. This is one of them.

Enjoy.

The Kansas City Chiefs will try to win their third in a row this Sunday when they travel to Oakland to take on the Carson Palmer-led (we think) Raiders.

It will be a tough road test for the Chiefs, who, despite winning two in a row, haven’t beaten a team with a winning record (or even a win at all at the time of the game) all season.

Sunday’s contest will be the game of the year thus far for the Chiefs. Here are five players that could have a big impact on Sunday’s outcome.

Matt Cassel

If the Chiefs have a hope of winning this game, then they need Zombie Cassel to show up and play. Since you are never quite sure when Zombie Cassel will show up, the Raiders are likely to try to clamp down on the run and generate pressure so that they end up facing Sand Cassel as opposed to Zombie Cassel.

Sand Cassel crumbles under pressure. Zombie Cassel can’t be stopped.

What I am hoping is that the addition of Steve Breaston to the offense is helping turn Sand Cassel into Zombie Cassel full time. The addition of Baldwin, if the Chiefs should play him, could help even more.

I fully believe a consistent Cassel could lead the Chiefs to a Super Bowl but I don’t fully believe Cassel can be consistent.

A good game on Sunday could go a long way toward making me a believer.

(more…)

Any team that is starting out 0-3 in the NFL is not in their ideal situation. The situation gets even worse when you are the defending division champions like our beloved Kansas City Chiefs.

This is the position the Chiefs found themselves in going into week 4 against the Minnesota Vickoings.  After three weeks of disappointment, Kansas City saw the Chiefs defeat the underachieving Vikings for their first win of the season. The fans did not immediately jump back on the bandwagon, and I don’t expect them too, but it is safe to say some people began to feel cautiously optimistic again.

While it was great to get that first W of the year last week, in my mind week 5 is a must-win game. The Chiefs will go to Indianapolis and face a Colts team without all world quarterback Peyton Manning.

Read more after the jump to see why this is a must-win game and what the Chiefs need to do to enter the bye week with 2-3 record, and more importantly a two-game winning streak.

(more…)

The Kansas City Chiefs have released their injury report for their game this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

Here is the damage:

Questionable:

Brandon Flowers
Jon McGraw

Out:

Jon Baldwin

Surprisingly, the one I am most concerned about on this list is McGraw. Sure, McGraw might not be very good but the Chiefs need him. He can’t cover, but he is decent against the run. Besides, without him, all the Chiefs have left is Sabby Piscitelli…and Donald Washington. Washington played pretty good last week but as a second free safety. I don’t think he is a guy you want at SS.

Let’s just hope McGraw and Flowers can go.

After watching a small portion of practice, I might be changing my mind. Brandon Flowers sure looked like he’s getting ready to play Sun.

If he’s right, that would mean the reports of Flowers having a high ankle sprain were either wrong, or it is very mild.

Let’s hope Teicher is right. If he is, this would be very good news in a season full of bad news.

If the reports we heard yesterday are accurate, Kansas City Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers may have a high ankle sprain that could sideline him for multiple weeks but that didn’t stop him from trying to get back on the field following his injury Sunday.

While talking about Flowers’ injury at a press conference Monday, Chiefs coach Todd Haley said he was forced to drag Flowers off the field.

“But, I had to drag him off the field once,” said Haley. “Our trainer was over helping somebody else and he sneaks out on the field.”

(more…)

We told you earlier that Nick Wright of 610 Sports is reporting that he is hearing Kansas City Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers has the dreaded high ankle sprain injury.

A high ankle sprain could keep Flowers on the shelf but in comparison to the rash of ACL injuries suffered by Chiefs players this season, this injury would be positively mild.

Still, it isn’t just the fact that KC players are getting injured that is so damaging. Injuries happen every season to every football team.

It is WHO is getting injured that is really a swift kick to the junk.

Eric Berry, Tony Moeaki, Jamal Charles and now Brandon Flowers? Sheesh.

Since we can’t do anything to help these fallen Chiefs, we thought it might be fun to wallow in our own is fortune for a bit and try to predict who will be the next key member of the team to go down to a serious injury.

We’re only concerned about losing good players so “Shabby” Sabby Piscitelli, Donnie “Martha” Washington, Tyson “Tin Man” Jackson and Matt “Sand” Cassel* are out of the running.

*AA founder Adam Best and I decided that from now on, we are calling Matt Cassel “Sand” Cassel. Why you ask? Well, Matt is kind of like a sand castle. He might look good for a while but there isn’t actually much there holding him together. Eventually, he’ll crumble.

So let’s vote, Addicts. Which KC player will be the next to fall, God help us…after the jump.
(more…)

Nick Wright of 610 Sports is reporting that Kansas City Chiefs standout CB Brandon Flowers may have suffered a high ankle sprain in yesterday’s game against the San Diego Chargers.

If Wright is right, this would be another unfortunate blow to a team that has already lost Jamaal Charles, Eric Berry and Tony Moeaki for the season.

A high ankle sprain wouldn’t end Flowers’ season but they are notoriously slow to heal and can put a player on the sidelines for a number of weeks.

There is no official word on this matter from the Chiefs, but Wright has traditionally been fairly accurate in his injury information.

For now, however, hope he’s wrong this time.

More on high ankle sprains, including recovery time, after the jump.

(more…)

Earlier we told you that the Kansas City Chiefs have reached a long-term contract extension with cornerback Brandon Flowers.

Now we know how much he’s getting paid.

According to Andrew Siciliano of DIRECTV’s Red Zone Chanel, Flowers’ deal is for five years and is worth $50 million with $22 million guaranteed.

The deal is a bit less than what Nnamdi Asomugha got from the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent last offseason. Asomugha’s deal was worth $60 million over five years with $25 million in guaranteed money.

The deal means Flowers, who is 25, will be with the Chiefs at least for the remainder of his 20s. Flowers won’t turn 26 until late February.

Flowers has been with the Chiefs three full seasons plus one game. In that time, he’s played in 45 games recording 201 tackles, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, 10 interceptions returned for 189 yards and two touchdowns. He’s also defended 52 passes.

It looks like Scott Pioli is going to use some of that salary cap money after all.

Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star is reporting that the Chiefs have agreed to a long-term contract extension with CB Brandon Flowersa. Teicher does not yet know the terms of the deal.

This is good news for Chiefs fans. After last year’s successful season, many wondered if the Chiefs would be able to keep all of their good players. It appears they are taking steps to do so. The team has already locked up ILB Derrick Johnson and RB Jamaal Charles to cap-friendly contracts. They also locked up some dude named Tamba Hali.

Flowers likely did not come cheap as talented CB’s are in high demand. That being said, the Chiefs have more cap space than any team in the league so it is good to see they using it for something.

Next up are Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Carr.

Some sort of leg injury that RB Jamaal Charles suffered during Wednesday’s practice may keep him on the sidelines against the Rams. It did not appear to be anything serious, but it’s doubtful that Haley will take a chance with his offensive engine.

From www.bobgretz.com (share this quote)

Gretz goes on to say that flowers could sit as well.

I am perfectly fine with this. Flowers and Charles can play. The important thing is that their minor injuries are all healed up for the first regular season game.

This could mean we’ll get some extra looks at Dexter McCluster and Le’Ron McClain.

On a lazy Saturday night, before we do the week in review, I thought you might like to see a little one on one with Brandon Flowers and Dwayne Bowe.

Bets on who wins?

This one is no exception.

Ladies and gentlemen, courtesy of Red Tribe Cinema, we give you Brandon Flowers!

Flowers and Carr are great together...but how long they will be together remains to be seen.

The Kansas City Chiefs proved in 2010 that they are a young team on the rise. While they may not yet be quite ready to contend for a Super Bowl, their worst to first turnaround last season put the rest of the NFL on notice that the Chiefs are a team full of young, emerging stars.

The catch?

Some of those young starts are coming to the end of their contracts.

One of the downsides to have a bunch of young, emerging stars is that sometimes the team is unable to afford to keep them all. While the Chiefs have a low enough payroll that they will probably have a pretty decent chance of retaining their current crop of stars, there is a possibility that they might have to let one go.

The Chiefs made strides toward locking up some of these players last season by signing star RB Jamaal Charles and LB Derrick Johnson to club friendly deals. With another one of their stars, Eric Berry, still locked up for years in his rookie contract, the attention turns to three of the team’s bigger names.

Brandon Flowers, Brandon Carr, Tamba Hali and Dwayne Bowe.

All of those players are going to need new deals in the very near future. Obviously Flowers, Carr and Hali are a huge part of KC’s improving defense and Bowe is pretty much the only legit receiver on the offensive roster.

Now I honestly don’t think the Chiefs can get by with only signing one of these four. I think for them to remain competitive, Hali must stat and at least one of either Flowers or Carr. While the team did just draft Jonathan Baldwin, he is unproven and the KC offense would be decimated if they lost Bowe. Realistically, the team will probably do everything they can to bring all of these players back and at least get three of them.

But what if they couldn’t? If you had to pick only one of the four to remain on the team, who would it be?

Flowers, Carr, Hali or Bow? Sound off.

We told you just minutes ago that the NFL was investigating the use of several NFL players in an advertisement for a party for the porn industry in Miami last month.

A number of NFL players, including Eric Berry and Brandon Flowers were featured in the ad in their uniforms, a big no-no as far as the NFL is concerned.

Now we are hearing that Eric Berry’s camp claims that the safety knew nothing about the party and the advertisement and that he did not attend.

Joel Thorman of Arrowhead Pride spoke to Berry’s agent.

“Eric did not attend and had no knowledge of this event, and he certainly did not approve the use of his name and image in connection with the party,” Berry’s agent told Thorman.

According to Thorman, Berry has an alibi as he was in Kansas City on the day of the party for an Inky Johnson book signing.

I won’t be surprised if we hear from Flowers’ agent here in the coming hours.

What is the Exxxotica Expo?

It is the largest gathering of porn industry stars in the world.

Apparently an official launch party for the expo was was held in Miami last month. A number of NFL players were listed in the ad as “hosts” of the launch party.

The problem with all this isn’t necessarily the players’ attendance at the event, but the fact that they were featured in uniform in the advertisement.

The story was broken by ABC-7 in Chicago. NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy spoke to ABC-7 about the matter.

“The NFL office works on behalf of the clubs to protect their intellectual property rights in matters such as this.”

There is probably a pretty good chance that the NFL players, which also included Bears safety Major Wright, Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson, and Raiders wideout Jacoby Ford, didn’t know that images of them in uniform would be used in the ad.

I don’t know what will come of all this. I doubt any of the players will get in trouble. More than likely, the league will go after the organizers of the event.

You can check out the ad here.

Props to KCCelt for the tip.

Kansas City Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers is holding a charity weekend July 7-10th in Delray Beach, Florida.

Here is a bit about the event from the website:

The Brandon Flowers Charity Weekend will kick off with a Comedy Show on Thursday, July 7th at Old School Square Delray Beach. Friday the 8th, community members can Bowl with an NFL Pro and compete to be the Grid Iron Great Bowling Champion. Saturday the 9h, sixteen high school football teams from around the country will compete in the Brandon Flowers 7 on 7 tournament while NFL athletes are the spectators. Sunday the weekend concludes with the Grid Iron Challenge with local student athletes running drills and competing alongside the NFL Athletes. All proceeds from the weekend benefit the program participants enrolled in Prep and Sports, Inc.

For more information on how to become a sponsor or participate in the Brandon Flowers Charity Weekend presented by Prep and Sports, Inc. contact Dana Brookes at 561-789-5651 or www.prepandsports.org

Good to see Flowers reaching out to help the community. Any of you guys in Florida going to check this out?

Source: Yarkbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs 2011 NFL schedule was released November 19th, and to no one was surprised the Chiefs are slated to face much stiffer completion in 2011.  This increase in competition will mean that the Chiefs players, particularly the starters, will have to come ready and prepared when the season starts.

I’ll give you my preliminary take on how I see it all shaking out after the jump.

(more…)

Suggested reading, further insights, intriguing stats, and maybe a popular assumption or two challenged beyond the jump.

(more…)

As much as I want to, I figured you guys probably didn’t want to listen to me rant about the CBA again this week.  And since the “7 holy days” agreement is reasonably promising, it seems fair to spare the billionaire tyrants my wrath for a day.

Like many of you, I’m starting to lick my chops in anticipation of the upcoming draft.  But I’m no Mel Kiper.  The way I handle the draft is to become extremely attached to a handful of players based on dubious logic and snap-judgements.  There are usually about ten guys I really want, and ten guys I really don’t, and we don’t pick any of them.  It’s a personal roller-coaster that I have a really good time with, but I’m under no illusions that I’m actually able to accurately judge between one prospect and the next.  I can get the obvious stuff right, thats about it.  For expert draft coverage, go to Merlin and Adam, or as I all them, Merl Kiper and Toren McShay (right?).

Draft season always makes me think of our past drafts.  I’m somewhat of a Chiefs draft historian.  I might not be able to predict who we pick, but I can sure as hell remember them.  Name a year, name a round, and I can tell you who we picked.  A fairly worthless skill, big picture.  It turns out people aren’t really interested in when Montique Sharpe and Willie Pile were drafted*.  It is only during draft season, when mentally compiling charts of our previous years’ picks and tendencies, that my memorization becomes at all usefull.

*7th round 2003. We had 2 seventh rounders that year. Cha-ching!

I thought this week I’d consult my mental database and see who checks in as our best picks of the last ten years.  Of course this is all subjective.  But the common perception is that the Chiefs have been terrible drafters for most of the last decade.  And thats true, pretty much.  I’ve been saying for years you could staff a Burger King with our defensive tackle busts (Downing would be manager).  But there have been some pretty great picks in there too.  Here are the ten I’ve deeemed best:

(more…)

PFF watches every player on every play of every game and gives them grades. They have perhaps the most accurate assessment of how a player is actually performing outside of the guys coaching those  players. To say that pro Football Focus goes beyond the box score is an understatement.

So which Chiefs defenders made the team? Find out after the jump.

(more…)

Don't let the playoff loss get you down. Source: Rich Sugg/kansascity.com

For the second straight week the Kansas City Chiefs were destroyed on their home field. Last week the Chiefs could use the excuse that they already had the AFC West (and the playoffs) locked up. This week there are no excuses. Baltimore walked into Arrowhead and proved beyond any doubt that they were the better team.

As Kansas City Chiefs fans, many of us had held out hope that the Chiefs would prove the pundits wrong and bounce the more experienced Ravens from the playoffs. After the 30-7 blowout many of us felt like the guy in the picture above. As the dust settles we are beginning to start the process of appreciating the Chiefs’ turnaround season.

Popular “pick me ups” include:

“We won as many games this season as we had the previous three years combined.”

“Not even most die hard Chiefs fans thought we’d break .500 this year, yet alone win the division.”

I could go on, but you get the picture.

I’m here to tell you that the reason for optimism goes beyond that. After the jump I’ll explain to you why the Chiefs have the 10 most important pieces of a Super Bowl winning team already in place.

(more…)

getnickwright nick wright

Scoop- #Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers OUT this Sunday against the #Broncos. Travis Daniels expected to start in his place.

Wright’s report is 99.9999% accurate. He has been correct about every Chiefs injury this year and he even knew McCluster would sit out last week after participating fully in practice all week long.

This could be trouble given Denver’s skill in the passing game. I just let out a string of some of my choice swear words.

Source: Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs got to work today in preparation for their upcoming game against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.

Since the playoff race is tightening, the Chiefs are going to need all hands on deck for their stretch run. We’ve pieced together an injury report from various tweets and with some info from KCChiefs.com.

The good news? The Chiefs are getting healthier.

-Dexter McCluster, Branden Albert and Jon McGraw were off the injury report and participated fully in practice.

-Brandon Flowers and Ryan Lilja were limited.

-CB Jackie Bates did not practice and spent the period in the rehab zone.

Source: Yardbarker.com

According to Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star, Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers returned to practice today amidst growing concerns over his status for Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

Flowers went down with an injury two weeks ago while playing the Cardinals and sat out last week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Chiefs announced the signing of CB Mike Richardson earlier today leading to speculation that Flowers’ status for this weekend could be in doubt.

Babb was not able to tell if Flowers was limited or participated fully during the brief media period but the fact that the CB was on the field was a good sign.

Another positive sign is that CB Jackie Bates who replaced Flowers last week, was in the rehab area on the exercise bike. This lends credibility to the theory that Richardson was signed due to Bates’ injury and not because Flowers would be unable to return.

We’ll keep an eye on things for you and give you a heads up if any new info on Flowers becomes available. 

Source: Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs announced today that they have signed CB Mike Richardson.

Richardson, a 2006 6^th-round pick of the New England Patriots is rejoining the team after being cut in early September. Richardson was also with the team in 2009.

To make room for Richardson, the Chiefs cut rookie LB Justin Cole. Cole has not been active for any of KC’s games this season.

Sigh. You can’t really like this news. With CB Brandon Flowers’ injury status up in the air, it can’t be a good sign that the Chiefs are still signing CB’s off the street. Especially with game against pass happy Denver and San Diego on the horizon.

There is also the possibility that Richardson is being brought in because of an injury to Jackie Bates, who was working in place of Flowers last week against the Seahawks. Bates got a little dinged up and left the game with a knee injury.

The Chiefs will practice later today so we’ll get word of Flowers’ status then.

Stay tuned… 

Source: Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs, like every other NFL team, have had to deal with injuries to key contributors.

At different points this season he Chiefs have had to play without Tony Moeaki, Dexter McCluster, Ryan Lilja, Kendrick Lewis and Jon McGraw but it looks like Sunday they may be healthier than they have been in a number of weeks.

According to yesterday’s injury report, Dexter McCluster and Tony Moeaki returned to practice as full participants. This is big news for the Chiefs who have struggled on offense when playing on the road and will be able to use all the help they can get this Sunday in Seattle.

Limited in practice were Branden Albert, Jon McGraw and Ryan Lilja. Yesterday was a step forward for McGraw who did not practice on Wednesday.

The bad news?

CB Brandon Flowers who is suffering from a hamstring injury did not practice for the second straight day.

More after the jump.

(more…)

Source: Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs could be without one of their best players Sunday when they play the Seahawks.

According to Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star, CB Brandon Flowers did not practice today. Flowers left last week’s game against the Arizona Cardinals with what the team called a “hamstring injury.”

Hamstring injuries are bad news for NFL players. They tend to linger and plaque a guy all season.

Whether or not Flowers will be able to play Sunday remains to be seen but the Chiefs appear to be taking no chances.

According to Adam Caplan of Fox Sports, the Chiefs worked out veteran CB Tye Hill earlier in the week. Hill was a first round pick by the St. Louis Rams in 2006 and was recently cut by the Titans in September.

Working out hill could be an indication that Flowers may not be able to go Sunday. The Chiefs likely would prefer to have another veteran corner available because Javier Arenas is a rookie.

In other injury news, Babb also reported that Branden Albert (hip) and Tony Moeaki (head) were limited in practice. Safety John McGraw (knee) sat out with Flowers.

Source: Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t have any players in the Pro Bowl last year and really, other than punter Dustin Colquitt, you could make an argument they didn’t deserve any.

In 2010, however, the Chiefs are much improved and have a number of players worthy of a Pro Bowl birth. Unfortunately, the voting so far seems to indicate that NFL fans disagree.

The NFL released a list of top vote-getters yesterday and there are no Kansas City players in the mix.

This list shows that the average NFL fans kind of tend to vote for the same “name” players every year. There are a few new additions here but there are also a lot of emerging players across the league who are having better seasons than the current top vote-gertters.

Fortunately, the Pro Bowl players are selected by a combination of fan vote, coaches and players which helps balance things out a little bit.

After the jump, I’ll run down some KC players I think are deserving of a trip to Honolulu this year next year.

(more…)

How well are the Chiefs conrners playin? We've got the answers. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Last week we got some stats on Kansas City Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers that showed just how remarkable of a season he is having. While I was impressed with Flowers’ stats I wondered how well the Chiefs other CB’s, Brandon Carr and Javier Arenas were performing.

Too often today people throw around stats and make judgments without really understanding the entire story. We’ve even done that here at AA. However, thanks to the good folks at Pro Football Focus, we are about to kick our statistical accuracy up a notch.

Pro Football Focus is the absolute best resource in the business for accurate NFL stats.

How accurate?

Pro Football Focus breaks down every single snap for every single player of every single game. They grade each and every play for each player and have received national recognition for the accuracy of their information. Their site is not free and really, given all the work they do, it shouldn’t be. The price is worth it if you want the most in depth and accurate view of how an NFL player or team is performing. I highly recommend them.

Here at Arrowhead Addict, we do have a subscription to PFF and we will now be bringing you the best statistical view of your Kansas City Chiefs.

After five weeks, I wanted to take a look at how well the Chiefs young corners are performing. After the jump, get the real numbers on Brandon Flowers, Javier Arenas and Brandon Carr.

(more…)

Kansas City Chiefs CB Brandon Flowers has been playing very well this season.

While I think most have notice a jump in Flowers’ already solid play, I didn’t realize until this afternoon just how big of a jump he has made.

Now thanks to ESPN’s KC Joyner, I know.

Joyner took a look at the CB play in the AFC West and while he noted that guys like Champ Bailey and Nnamdi Asomugha were slipping, there was one CB that is playing very, very well.

His name is Brandon Flowers.

According to Joyner, Flowers has been thrown at 31 times this season and has given up a total of 81 yards. That is just 2.6 yards per pass.

The NFL is officially being put on notice: Brandon Flowers is a shutdown corner.

Source: yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs have finished the first quarter of the NFL season with a 3-1 record and they stand atop the AFC West standings.

Let’s take a look at what we have learned so far:

1 The defense is for real

The Kansas City Chiefs defense is definitely for real. What Romeo Crennel is doing isn’t smoke and mirrors. The Chiefs are benefiting from improved play on the defensive line, at linebacker and in the secondary.

The Chiefs are only near the bottom of the league in passing yards allowed because they are among the best in the league in stopping the run. Teams are being forced to throw because they can’t run. They are getting yards but they aren’t scoring. The Chiefs are allowing just over 14 points a game. Thus far they have given up 14, 14, 10 and 19 points and one touchdown was in garbage time against the Chiefs’ backups. Take that away and KC is only giving up 12.5 points a game with it’s starters on the field. That is playoff caliber defense.

(more…)

The league's defensive MVP contemplating his next awesome play (source: yardbarker.com)

My apologies to those of you who stopped by yesterday expecting a Big Matt Monday (grandma, mom, whoever).  I had the post written and scheduled to be published at 1 Eastern like always, but for some reason it never went up.  I suspect sabotage.  Was it Randy?  Jeremy?  Merlin?  All three, working together?  The only option, as I see it, is to have them followed (I’ve been having Paddy followed ever since he hired me).  One of them has something to hide, I know it.  Jeremy may say he’s a “lawyer”, but out in Cali thats code for “I rob old people.”  I’m watching you, Hanson.

Seriously though, sorry gang.  Computers, am I right?  Maybe AA would be better as a monthly newsletter.

We’ve discussed Matt Cassel and the running back platoon ad nauseum around here, and rightly so.  Both are huge issues without a consensus opinion.  Is Cassel good?  Bad?  Boring?  Handsome?  Nobody can agree.  Ditto for the running back split.  Some people want the better back to get the ball, others want to have faith in the coaches’ decisions.  Ask any fan worth his salt about either of these things, and they will have a definitive opinion, one way or the other.

The defense has been more cut-and-dry.  It’s been very good.  Much better than expected.  Romeo Crennel is doing an excellent job.  We can all agree on that.

Here’s a loaded question: is a defensive regression inevitable?

I hope this query doesn’t make anyone bristle.  But this group has performed a lot better than literally anyone thought they would.  Can they possibly keep this up?  When faced with a competent quarterback in decent weather, will they revert to what we’ve become familiar with this past decade?

(more…)

Source: Yardbarker.com

Defense has returned to Kansas City.

Through three games it is evident that the 2010 Kansas City Chiefs defense is much different than the 2009 version.

Not since the days of Niel Smith and Derrick Thomas has a Chiefs defense looked as good as it did Sunday against the 49ers.

Heading in to the season, most thought the Chiefs would have a strong young secondary and a soft front seven that would struggle to generate pressure.

(more…)

Source: Yardbarker.com

Another week and another win for the Kansas City Chiefs. Good teams find a way to win and the Chiefs are showing the league that they are well on their way to being a good team. How good they get this season will hinge on how quickly they improve as the season goes on. Thus far, Todd Haley’s squad has shown heart and toughness as they have given themselves a two game head start.

As we do every week, lets take a look at five players I feel are earning their arrowheads.

1. Brandon Flowers

Brandon Flowers turned in his second solid performance in as many weeks. He continues to impress with his coverage skills as well as in run defense. Flowers is becoming a complete player by not only shutting down his own man but by coming up to help when the ball is ran to his side. He made a couple of nice first down saving tackles against the Browns.

As a coverage man, Flowers locked down Cleveland’s wideouts and picked off a Seneca Wallace pass that he returned for a touchdown. Todd Haley has been preaching that his younger players need to take the next step in their development. Flowers appears to be right on schedule.

  (more…)

This year I have reservations.  It stems from the fact that the last few years have been emotionally draining for me.  As some of you know, last year, while in the deepest darkest throes of losing, I still kept my cool, still kept my optimism, but it was very, very difficult.  (Double D and Randy can attest).  It was hard to find the optimistic words needed to write a blog about the Chiefs on Monday after losing what seemed like every game on Sunday.  The last thing I wanted to do was have our die hard Chiefs fans that have already been battered and bruised over the weekend, come to Arrowhead Addict and read even more negative stuff.   I still don’t like writing negative stuff and I am not trying to be negative.  I just have my reservations.

more after the jump…

  (more…)

Is Brandon Flowers the next James Hasty? (source: yardbarker.com)

When you watch the Kansas City Chiefs long enough, you put together a long mental Rolodex of former players.  There’s no reason I should still remember Patrick Dennis or Ricky Siglar, but I watched them, so I do.  I even remember things about them.  Siglar played tackle next to Will Shields when he was coming up.  Dennis was a 5th round pick who started as a rookie during one of the crazy Gunther years.

There are hundreds of guys like this.  The biggest fans remember the good and the bad.  Sometimes the bad players can gain their own mythic status.  Among my crew, Bam Morris is revered.  All the running backs from that era are.  If we’re busting a Chiefs hang, you can bet at least one of those guys will be referenced in a joke of some kind.  Bam, Mike Cloud, Frank Moreau, Rashaan Sheehee.  We had to have a sense of humor during those years.

Occasionally, a current player will remind me of one of those heroes from days of yore.  More often than not in a good way.  A few prime examples from the current roster after the jump.

(more…)

Belcher deals with Fargas. (Photo Source: Yardbarker.com)

A lot is going in the Chiefs favor this offseason. They had (in my opinion) a very good draft. They assembled a very talented and experience coaching staff. They landed key free agents Thomas Jones and Ryan Lilja and they didn’t overpay. Their schedule appears to be their most favorable in years and the team landed it’s first Monday Night Football slot since 2005.

The entire team has been present for the offseason OTA practices, save Jarred Page, who is dragging his feet signing his tender offer. With all the positive energy at Arrowhead, the Chiefs have perhaps a golden opportunity to reverse their fortunes with a winning record and a climb back to respectability.

To accomplish this task, however, the Chiefs are going to need contributions from unexpected places. It is a given that guys like Cassel, Bowe, Waters and Chambers have to show up but the veterans can’t do it alone. It is time for the Chiefs young players to step forward and make a name for themselves.

Here are 5 players that I think could be the key to a 2010 Chiefs playoff push:

(In no particular order)

1. Jovan Belcher

Jovan Belcher is my dark horse to be a starter at MLB by the time the Chiefs debut on MNF. Belcher was a huge surprise last season. The Chiefs signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Main following the 2009 draft. Belcher worked hard and began the season on the special teams unit. By the end of the season, he was playing middle linebacker alongside Derrick Johnson in passing situations. His season highlight was making a first down saving tackle in the Chiefs thrilling OT victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished the season with 47 tackles, 45 of which were solo!

Keep in mind, Belcher, like Andy Studebaker, was a small school prospect. Guys coming out of the smaller college programs often need time to develop. James Harrison for instance, played college ball at Kent State. He was cut and resigned by the Steelers multiple times before he finally got it together. Belcher is ahead of curve. He adapted very well to the pace and competition at the NFL level and he could be poised to make a gargantuan year 2 jump. I am very excited to see how a year at the NFL level and in an NFL conditioning program will do for Belcher.

Right now, the only person standing in Belcher’s way is Corey Mays. If Belcher shows improvement in training camp he could very well unseat Mays as the starter. Personally, I think the only think Mays had on Belcher last season was experience. I know a lot of people were upset with the Chiefs lack of interest in linebackers in the draft but the team has some talented young guys that should be ready to step up. Jovan Belcher is one of them.

(more…)