Here’s a thought; the Chiefs and Cardinals exchange problems by trading Edgerrin James for Larry Johnson, or one problem for another. Both players obviously need a change of scenery, and both teams would be better off without the distractions.

The Chiefs get a versatile feature back who knows Todd Haley’s offense and is more reasonably priced. The addition of Edge would keep the Chiefs competitive while they search for their feature back of the future. Jamal Charles is best suited as a third-down back, so this allows him to play a more natural role. Edge also performed very well during the Cards’ Super Bowl run, and is a much better blocker than L.J. He not only can see incoming blitzers, he actually makes an effort to pick them up.

The Cardinals get a younger back who’s potential upside gives them a better shot at making another Super Bowl run. With J.J. Arrington out of AZ and the Cards waiting to cut Edge to keep him from landing in the wrong hands, it’s apparent they will need more than just Tim Hightower. Johnson could be that guy.

Considering that neither player has any trade value right now, this deal makes a lot of sense to me. Otherwise, both teams could just end up cutting their former star running backs. Plus, the Chiefs have already shown a willingness to deal with the new brain trust’s former teams. With all the problems these two franchises are dealing with, it would make a lot of sense for both teams to solve one by making this swap.

Am I taking crazy pills, or does this make sense to everybody else?

Boldin requested a trade following the 2007 season when his fellow wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald signed a four-year, $40 million contract extension with Arizona [2] and the Cardinals declined to renegotiate Boldin’s contract. He has two years with $12 million remaining on his current contract.

So, Boldin will not  be coming with Todd Haley to the Chiefs. If we want to add another elite receiver, our only two options are really either drafting Michael Crabtree or signing T.J. Houshmandzadeh, who in my opinion is a lot like Dwayne Bowe.

The Chiefs have received permission from the Arizona Cardinals to interview Todd Haley for their head coaching vacancy, sources said.

It was unclear when or where the meeting between Haley and Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli will take place…

Music to my ears. All we need is a Rooney Rule candidate. I wish we could interview Leslie Frazier and make him associate head coach along with defensive coordinator, but I’m not sure that has any chance of happening. Kind of a lateral move for him when he’s close to being a head coach. Same with Ron Rivera. With Winston Moss not yet a coordinator, maybe we could pull off that trick with him? It’s a thought.

Stay tuned for more news on the seemingly imminent Haley hiring. Big thanks to long-time reader Jeremy for posting this in the comments so quickly.

Recently, myself and Primetime of Arrowhead Pride had an interesting debate — conducted via e-mail — over whether Chain Gailey or Todd Haley should be the Chiefs’ next coach. In the Pride corner, Chan “The Man” Gailey! In the Addict corner, Todd “The Bod” Haley! Ding, ding, ding!…

Primetime:

Chan Gailey should be the next head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.  Yeah, he’s not the sexy choice that so many Chiefs fans have been clamoring for since names like Bill Cowher, MIke Shanahan and Marty Schottenheimer have been floating around.  But, he is a coach with a proven track record and gives the Chiefs the best chance for success in 2009.

• Offensive coordinator of the Steelers: Super Bowl
• Offensive coordinator of the Dolphins: 11 wins per year
• Head coach of the Cowboys: 2 playoff appearances in 2 years

The Chiefs are the youngest team in the league.  They need a head coach that is familiar with the players and their development, especially the quarterback position..  Tyler Thigpen owes his success to Gailey.  Being the most important position in professional sports. the development of a quarterback should be placed at the forefront of any rebuilding session.  Gailey took Thigpen and made him a competent quarterback.  His work with Thigpen can not be understated in any way, shape or form.

The turnaround job he did with the Chiefs is nearly enough to make me give him consideration for the head coaching job.  But combine that with his previous success as a head coach in which Jerry Jones admitted he fired him prematurely and he’s a no-brainer.  Once we can get over the young, up-and-coming coordinator obsession and take note of his resume, Chan Gailey is a solid choice for the Chiefs next head coach.

Adam:

It’s not about making the sexy choice. It’s about aiming for greatness. As solid as he’s been as a coordinator over the years — and winning one gimme game with the Arrowspread last year was not one of those times — he’s been a pedestrian head coach. Other than what seems like a millennium ago at Troy (when it was still Troy State), he’s never won more than 10 games as a head coach. Most years he’s hovered right around .500. That’s settling for the crumbs when we should be shooting for the stars. That’s why I simply do not understand the Chandemonium that has hit Chiefs Nation.

Todd Haley’s résumé speaks for itself. Not only has he risen about as quickly as you can in the NFL, some of the brightest football minds in the game — Bill Parcells and Ken Whisenhunt — have recently hired him. I’ll take a Parcells hire over a Herman Edwards one eight days a week. Besides, what Haley has done in Arizona has been astonishing. Whisenhunt is a damn fine young head coach, but it’s been Haley’s offense that has taken the Cardinals to the Super Bowl. The Cardinals to the Super Bowl! That’s as astonishing as us putting a man on the moon. As Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point and 20,000-women conquests. As Seth Rogen becoming an A-lister. And Haley is the man responsible.

The Chiefs are the youngest team in the league, and it would suit them well to have a young coach who can communicate with the new generation of players effectively. Look at the two coaches in this year’s Super Bowl. Their average age is 41. Chan Gailey is 57. Additionally, Gailey was part of a coaching staff that coddled our young players and didn’t get the best out of them. As we saw with Anquan Boldin two weeks ago, Haley is a “no nonsense” kind of coach. In order for the promise of our youth to amount to something, we need balls — not a babysitter.

To top all of that off, Haley even has a strong working relationship with new GM Scott Pioli. Speaking of Pioli, wih him in and Carl Peterson out, it’s time to look forward. Haley is the right coach for this new era in Chiefs football.

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Another thing I want to say is that when Big Ben runs all around the pocket and shakes off defenders and contorts his body and flings it up…THERE SHOULD BE NO ROUGHING THE PASSER. Unless it’s ridiculously late. He’s so hard to bring down, and it’s so hard to know when the play is over in that situation. I compare him to Shaq; when he shrugs off defenders like that, you only need to protect him from cheap shots and really late hits. Karlos Dansby’s phantom roughing the passer was a joke and a disgrace.

It looks like Kent Babb of Red Zone woke up this morning thinking the same thing I did last night:

Haley did everything right. Even the messy things, including the on-field argument two weeks ago with Anquan Boldin, caught the attention of some NFL men as a positive thing. Showed he had fire and passion. Showed he wouldn’t be intimidated or run over by players like some other coaches.

But Haley’s showing Sunday might be the deciding factor if the Chiefs make him their No. 1 target to replace Herm Edwards and name him Kansas City’s 11th head coach. He made outstanding adjustments at halftime, after Pittsburgh shut down Arizona in the first half. Haley’s play-calling on the Cardinals’ last two series was flawless; he leaned on Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald to carve up Pittsburgh’s top-ranked defense, once it moved into its dime formation.

If Arizona’s defense had done its part, which against the Steelers is no easy task, Haley would have directed a Super Bowl championship offense. Still, there’s little doubt that Haley’s name will be on the tip of the Chiefs’ tongue as they close in on their next coach.

Anyone who is blaming this loss on Haley is being utterly ridiculous. Don’t give me this crap that I’m being a hypocrite using the same argument the Chandemonium freaks are either. Chan Gailey did not show any ability to make second-half adjustments or deliver great drives under pressure this season. Haley just did both on the game’s biggest stage and in a helluva pickle. Again, I believe all he needed is another half a minute — or for his quarterback not to throw a pick six in the waning moments of the first half. I was more impressed with Haley last night than at any time during the playoffs, which is saying something.

It looks like Kurt Warner might be coming back, too. Problem is that I’m not sure the Cardinals can afford that with Matt Leinart still under contract and the disgruntled Anquan Boldin and free agent Karlos Dansby both needing new deals. Then again, they could trade Leinart to us to clear money. I guess it all depends on if Haley is indeed the Chiefs guy, and if he believes in Leinart. It’s a long shot, but something to watch. Maybe Warner could end up with the Bears? I’ve heard that rumor.

Arrowhead Pride is also contemplating hopping aboard the Case for Crabtree express. Plenty of room, gentleman. Plenty of room.

Addicts, sound off with your lingering thoughts on the Super Bowl and all the rumors…

Larry Fitzgerald also showed what an all-world talent at receiver can do, as did Santonio Holmes. Let’s not forget that he also was also a first-round pick. The Steelers designed their entire game plan to stop Fitzgerald, and if it hadn’t of been for a few costly mistakes, he would have done just that. All credit due to the Steelers, as they won the game. But the Cardinals lost it every bit as much if they won it. It’s also funny to me that with all of this talk about defense winning championships it was Holmes, an offensive player, who ultimately delivered the championship. Roethlisberger, as much as I can’t stand him, came through, too.

To me, the game was nearly ruined by some of the most overzealous officiating I have ever seen in a big game. You can call a penalty on every freakin’ play — put away the flags, zebras. It almost evened out in the end, but the refs essentially gave the Steelers a gift field goal there when they called the three big penalties in the third quarter. It would have been a touchdown if it hadn’t of been for some inspired defense. That put the Cards in a pretty big hole. That phantom roughing-the-passer call on Dansby hurt a ton. It should have been a punt. Given the predicament, that string of calls kinda crippled the Cards.

I will give these refs credit, though. They had brass balls and weren’t scared to make any call at any time. Now, whether those were the right calls or not is a different story.

I think Whiz deferring might have cost him the game. Ultimately, it allowed the Steelers to dominate the time of possession and wear down the Cards’ D. That’s why  they couldn’t hold at the end there. They were exhausted.

Additionally, Warner is a rhythm player. We all saw what happened when he got hot in the fourth. Deferring took him out of the game. If this game goes another quarter, the Cardinals win it. I know that much. I’ve been hard on Kurt, but he did a lot of great things. That pick six was just the ultimate disaster in Super Bowl history. That’s all anybody will remember about his performance in this game.

I definitely don’t think this game can be considered a win for defense over offense. I truly don’t.

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The Old Chief: Adam,

Everyone is missing the obvious on this Super Bowl. While everyone is focusing on Larry Fitzgerald, I feel the most important player on the field is Casey Hampton. Yes, Casey is at bat again. The eight-year veteran from Texas is responsible for up the middle push as well as stopping the run. Why is this important? Kurt Warner steps up in the pocket, often avoiding the rush from linebackers and defensive ends. With a strong push up front, it will decrease Warner’s ability to make plays and get the ball downfield.

Overall, I think dick Dick LeBeau’s outfit will be more prepared than the Eagles were. It has recently been discovered that defensive coordinator Jim Johnson has metastatic cancer (skin) to the spine, which has limited his involvement. This might be in part responsible for the Cards fast start against the Eagles. The toughness, the balance of offense and defense of the Steelers, as well as the push up front from the three lineman plus one linebacker will be too much for the Cards.

Too tough. Too balanced. Too experienced. Plus, as someone who grew up in St. Louis, I know better than anyone that the Cardinals are born losers. After all, this is still Bill Bidwell’s team. There has never been anything “super” about that man. Meanwhile, Mr. Rooney and his Steelers have five Lombardi trophies. The Steelers win this one decisively.

Remember the name Casey Hampton.

Oh, remember the name Santonio Holmes, too. Very underrated player.

(Adam’s rebuttal after the jump…)

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Convince us: Cards blogger makes his case

Adam: I’m flip-flopping on this one. Call me Adrian Wilson, because I’m all over the place. As my father’s son, I detest Bill Bidwill down to his rotten core. I think he embodies everything that’s wrong with pro sports. For that reason alone I want the Cardinals to lose. As a Chiefs fan, I know what it’s like to suffer a long Super Bowl drought. For that reason alone I want the Cardinals to win.

The guy who screwed St. Louis or the deprived football fans of the desert? Tough call. tough call.

Raising Arizona lead blogger Scott Allen: I tell you, my friend, what I’ve been telling everyone else — why not root for the Cardinals? You’ve accurately detailed just how bad the Cardinals have been; not only in Phoenix, but also in St. Louis and going back to the Chicago days as well. The Cardinals have been one of the long-time laughingstocks of the NFL. On the other hand, people are always on the lookout for an underdog, a real underdog. The Cardinals fit that mold.

Convince us: Steelers blogger makes his case

Adam: More than anything, it’s the arrogance of Steelers fans that rubs me the wrong way. Before Herm Edwards turned the Chiefs into a national punchline (6-26 in the last two years), the Chiefs had the best attendance in the league over the past 20 years. What’s more impressive?: A.) Loyally supporting arguably the most-decorated franchise in NFL history; or B.) Loyally supporting a franchise that hasn’t won a Super Bowl — or even been to one — in 40 years. I’ll take B every time.

I mean, what is it with the braggadocio of Steelers fans? Are you the ones playing the games? No. Chiefs fans hang our hats on being the most loyal fans in the NFL. All the home sellouts. The Sea of Red. Arrowhead being the loudest stadium in the league. We are directly responsible for all of that. Conversely, Steelers fans rub their winning ways in your face like they were the ones who reeled in the Immaculate Reception. Steeler Nation possesses a certain fan arrogance that is a definite turn-off to the other fan bases around the league.

Nice Pick, Cowher lead blogger Chris Viola:

If rooting for the underdog is your thing, go with it. My only argument to you is by supporting the Bill Bidwills of the world, you’re telling them it’s OK to be a laughingstock franchise for decades upon decades as long as you give them one good year. To me, that sets the bar mighty low. I guess if you lived in pitiful cities like Cleveland or Detroit, one successful year would be enough. But it shouldn’t be. You should demand not one year of winning but many. You should demand what Steeler Nation accepts as a given; a consistent commitment to winning. I appreciate being loyal to your home town team, but supporting an abusive franchise which refuses, either through stupidity or arrogance, to produce a winner is the height of insanity. The Chiefs haven’t won a championship in 40 years. The Eagles have never won one. The Bills are synonymous with losers. Why support that?

More teams need to follow the lead of the Steelers instead of wallowing in mediocrity or patterning themselves after, say, the Cowboys, whose increasingly circus-like atmosphere fostered by an obnoxious owner more interested in publicity than actually winning has created a situation where even their die-hard fans are embarrassed by the team. One of the great lies of NFL fandom is “You can’t win every year.” The Steelers have made the playoffs 13 of the last 17 years. They have turned over their roster time and again and continuously fielded competitive teams without any of the controversy or negative publicity many other teams (*cough* Patriots *cough*) seem to attract.

For the rest, head on over to FOX Sports. I didn’t see many sites targeting the unrepresented fans, so I wanted to have the hometown fans present their case for their team. I think the pair of columns make fun reads, but I’ll let you guys be the judge of that.

Another Cards up-and-comer, offensive coordinator Todd Haley, has been equally impressive.

Haley’s transformed the 32nd-ranked rushing attack into a potent weapon. He’s resuscitated Edgerrin James, who just months ago seemed destined for the running back retirement home. He’s helped Kurt Warner protect the football, a miraculous feat considering Warner’s history. Most of all, he’s been the mastermind behind Fitzgerald’s record-breaking run. Even with Anquan Boldin hobbled and defenses keying on Fitz, Haley has found ways to get No. 11 the ball.

What impressed me most about Haley’s performance this past Sunday was the seven-minute, game-winning drive he devised. There was his gutsy fourth-and-1 call to keep it on the ground, even though Tim Hightower had just been stopped short on third-and-1. Hightower converted easily. There was Haley finding ways to get Fitzgerald the ball again after he had been shut out for the half. Then there was that genius third-and-8 call — an unexpected halfback screen to Hightower — that scored the go-ahead touchdown. The most impressive aspect of Haley’s drive, however, was his ability to deliver it with Boldin going all T.O. on him.

This, along with Haley and Co. completely obliterating the Panthers defense on the road, is why I am so high on Haley. It also doesn’t hurt that both Bill Parcells and Scott Pioli sign off on the guy. Plus, dude kinda resembles Bruce Willis. Maybe he could make our AFC West rivals finally Die Hard?

At noon today, according to an NFL source, the Arizona Cardinals have inquired about trading for Gonzalez. According to that source, the Cardinals are unhappy with the play of both Leonard Pope and Ben Patrick. It’s not known how serious the interest might be, but the Cardinals need another receiving threat and Gonzalez would provide that.

Warpaint Illustrated.com has also confirmed that an unidentified fifth team is in the mix. Currently the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills are also competing for Gonzalez.

Of those teams, reportedly the Giants have approached the Chiefs with the most serious offer. However per our source, “no team is willing to give the Chiefs multiple picks for Gonzalez.”

That does not bode well for Kansas City’s hopes of acquiring the multiple-pick package they’ve been seeking per earlier reports. However, our source did expect a deal would be struck today, and the fact that the Chiefs moved back their 2:00 PM press conference to 3:00 PM today to coincide with the trade deadline favors that.

Cards deal? Any deal at all before the deadline?

Ten Reasons Why the Chiefs Are Cooler Than the Lambs:

10. The only thing Steven Jackson has more of than Larry Johnson is hair. He’s no L.J.

9. Orlando Pace should be loungin’ back with ex-teammate Kyle Turley, Willie Roaf and Will Shields in the retirement home. You wonder why something’s always hurting, O.P.? It’s because you’re older than John McCain.

8. Al Saunders. Dante Hall. Trent Green. That’s the core of a great team…back in 2003. On the other hand. Trent’s been concussed so much he might think it’s still 2003.

7. At least our ex-drunken driver DE didn’t put anybody in a body bag. Leonard Little, I’m talking to you.

6. We don’t have any Fakhirs on our team.

5. I’d rather have this Adam Goldberg than the Rams’ Adam Goldberg. The way the latter played last season, I wonder which one of them actually said “I want to dance” in Dazed and Confused.

4. Drew Bennett was good once. For four fantasy games four years ago. The Great White Dope. He’s a homeless man’s Ed McCaffrey, and that’s being nice.

3. Nice dome. Real men play football outdoors. Sissies.

2. The NFC West includes the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers. You call that a division? I call that a Mid-Major.

1. When the Rams are out of the playoffs before October even hits, at least you guys will have the team you really care about, the St. Louis Cardinals, still playing. Actually, probably not this year. Go Cubs! Go Brewers! Anybody but the Redbirds.

For more St. Louis bashing–and let’s be honest here, one can never have enough–head over to Arrowhead Pride.

10. Our young quarterback also can pull some good-looking wool…that hasn’t already slept with half of Hollywood.

9. Ken Whisenhunt is the Wiz of Odds…long odds. The Cardinals are never going to make the playoffs again. EVER.

8. Speaking of playoffs, how many freakin’ years in a row will the Cards be everybody’s sleeper team? Give it up already.

7. Brenda Warner (she was scary enough before I knew she was a Marine–yikes!) can beat her hubby Kurt Warner in arm wrestling. Not in sacking groceries, though.

6. Dennis Green once screamed “they are who we thought they were” as Cardinals coach. Well, the Cards are who we think they are–losers! And they always will be.

5. Nice pass coverage last week, Cards. You guys made draft bust Robert Meachem look like Randy Moss.

4. Has anybody told Calais Campbell that he has a chick’s name? Someone, please, help a brother out.

3. Every time I think about Junior Siavii or Ryan Simms, I just think about how we could have drafted Alan Branch, too, and the pain goes away.

2. Even if Edgerrin James and Larry Johnson are both washed up (and L.J. is definitely not), at least L.J. can read. Have you ever heard Edge speak? He makes Shawn Kemp look like Barack Obama.

1. The Cardinals couldn’t hack it in the Show-Me State.

What will you be watching for when the Chiefs play the Cardinals at Arrowhead tonight, fellow Addicts?

Arizona Cardinals (0-1) take the field this weekend against the Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) on Saturday evening.

What to Watch For: Cardinals QB’s. Coach Ken Whisenhunt still has not announced what the QB rotation will be. I’d look for Kurt Warner to get some playing time this week though after sitting out the New Orleans game last Thursday. As of Thursday, although nothing is official, it is looking like coach Whisenhunt is leaning towards Warner getting the start.

Key Offensive Match-Up: The third receiver spot (fight between Steve Breaston, Lance Long, Jereme Urban, and Early Doucet) vs. the Kansas City secondary. The Cardinals have a good competition going for the third receiver spot, which was vacated by Bryant Johnson, who bolted for less money to play in San Francisco. Breaston and Long have impressed, while Doucet has been hurt during the early weeks of camp.

Key Defensive Match-Up: Cardinals’ secondary vs. Brodie Croyle. This will go one of two ways. Either Croyle will continue to expose a poor pass defense, or the Cardinals will have found a way to keep Croyle and his back-ups in check. Whatever happens, it should be an improvement of the almost 300 yards the Cardinals gave up in the opener against the Saints.