Croyle arrives at training camp and strikes an eerily appropriate pose.

Now that Todd Haley has identified some of the players he believes will be core guys for the program moving forward, I thought we’d take some time to talk about and discuss the new leaders of this team.

 One of the more surprising core players mentioned by Haley was backup QB, Brodie Croyle.

 Known as “Brokie Croyle” to many Chiefs fans, Brodie was once touted by the old regime as the future of the franchise. Unfortunately for Croyle, due to a combination of poor play, injury problems and an absolutely dreadful team and coaching staff, that future never really arrived.

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The Rams just had to one up Herm Edwards‘ decision to start Damon Huard for the Chiefs this Sunday, didn’t they?

“The Chiefs are going with Damon Huard. They think they can just ride him to the No. 1 pick? Not so fast, K.C. You want to start that hasbeen clipboard holder? Fine, we’ll one up you. We’ll start the guy you dumped to pave the way for that hasbeen clipboard holder. Take that!” – Scott Linehan…I swear

Trent Green? Really? This isn’t 2003, Al Saunders and Co. As far as we go, I’m actually looking forward to Damon starting. Not for his play, but for the sake of our defense and young players like Dwayne Bowe, guys who need consistency in order to develop. That being said, Damon still is a waste when it comes to the grand scheme of things and preparing for the future. It’s not that I like him for us right now, it’s that anything is better than the alternative.

Speaking of that alternative, why don’t we just cut Tyler Thigpen and give Buffalo a call about J.P. Losman, the non-Chiefs QB who seems to most interest our readers?

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Should we try and trade Damon Huard to the Pats while they are still desperate?

Well, we already had one insane, angry outburst by a commenter. He’s probably shooting up a Wendy’s right now. Issues. By the way, going on a Michael “Kramer” Richardsesque rant on the site and the Addicts–its staff and commenters–will get you banned. I know a lot of you are upset about our Chiefs, but you can vent and still be respectful of your fellow fans (and almost all of you do–thanks!)

Was my score prediction wrong? Absolutely. I have no problem admitting that. I mean, how was I supposed to predict that Tom Brady would finally get hurt after 128 consecutive starts? Especially when I misplaced my magic crystal ball recently? Regardless, the Chiefs damn near took the defending AFC Champs down.

Why didn’t they? The same reason I said the Chiefs would get blown out, and the same reason I still think they will go 4-12 again. That reason: quarterback play. Brodie Croyle has a good arm and he’s a good kid. But I’m not sure he could make it through a 16-minute season, let alone a 16-game season. He’s never going to be a dependable starting QB. This isn’t even about talent, it’s about durability. Like Samuel L. Jackson, the kids call Brodie Croyle “Mr. Glass.” He’s just brittle. I’m not trying to be mean, but there’s no other way to put it. Maybe it should be Brokie (KCMizzou!)?

Meanwhile, Damon Huard is a waste of time. He may give us a better chance to win right now than Croyle or Thigpen, but not by much. I have never seen a more timid, flat-footed QB in my life. He simply does not like to get hit and does not get rid of the ball. It’s “two Mississippi” and tuck with that guy. His progressions are non-existent as well. Way to totally telegraph that pass to Dwayne Bowe, who was smothered by tight double coverage.

I’m being hard on Huard, but here’s the point: we are wasting our time with these two quarterbacks. Damon Huard is a 35-year-old back-up who’s made it painfully clear that he would rather hold a clipboard and get paid than get hit. As for Brodie Croyle, like Woody Allen said, “80 percent of success is showing up.” He is never going to hold up to the physical pounding an NFL QB is subjected to. He is officially an injury-prone QB. Besides, he hasn’t been worth a damn when he’s healthy.

This is exactly why I was preaching that we should add another developmental QB this summer. Don’t even try to bring up Tyler Thigpen–you know better than to go Thiggy Smalls on me. Now we have to bring in another guy, preferably Chris Simms. If we don’t bring someone in at this point and hedge what, at best, is a risky bet on Brodie, we are ginormous morons.

Our quarterbacks cost us this game. They will continue to cost us and hold back our progress until we find a long-term solution. King Carl and the Preacher better get their asses looking for Option B, and do it like yesterday.

More on the game to come…

Brett Favre has been traded to the Jets. Brett the Jett. Broadway Brett. The Gotham Gunslinger. I’m getting it all out of my system now, because ESPN, John Madden and Peter King are going to murder you with all things Favre during the season. By the way, what about the Madden curse? He’s on the cover, but in a Packers‘ uni. Will the curse have any effect on him as a Jet? Just a thought.

Does all of this impact the Chiefs? Well, it actually could. Chad Pennington and Herm Edwards certainly have a history, and it looks like he is going to be cut, maybe even traded. From NJ.com:

Chad Pennington has played his last game with the Jets, GM Mike Tannenbaun said today in an early morning conference call. Barring a last minute snag, Pennington will be traded or released today. The holdup is paperwork

From Rocky Mountain News:

In particular, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have Brodie Croyle starting at quarterback, with 12-year veteran Damon Huard as a backup. Pennington, when healthy, is a significant upgrade over either quarterback on the Chiefs roster…

Edwards said during his days with the Jets, he felt he developed that tight connection with Chad Pennington…

Watch for the Chiefs and Pennington to connect if and when a Favre trade to the Jets becomes official.

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Anyway, the real news here for Chiefs fans is that the Bucs have a jillion QBs. Why is that news? Because the Chiefs don’t have a good back-up option at quarterback. Tyler Thigpen is short, and he’s a better athlete than quarterback. As for Damon Huard, it became clear to me last season that he prefers holding a clipboard to getting shellacked. Plus, neither player has impressed anyone up in River Falls. The Chiefs need a back-up quarterback, preferably one who has some long-term potential should Brodie Croyle fail.

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His status doesn’t figure to change any time soon. The Chiefs are committed to Croyle as their starter, at least for now. They are intrigued by the ability of Thigpen and want every opportunity to see what he can do.

The Chiefs may wind up trading Huard if that opportunity comes available to them in the next couple of months.

ESPN’s Bill Williamson agrees over on his AFC West blog:

It makes sense if Kansas City considers dealing him because most teams do not have 35-year-old third-string quarterbacks. Experienced backup quarterbacks are difficult to come by, so it would not be a shock if there is some interest in Huard as teams get closer to finalizing their 53-man rosters.

This potential move makes a ton of sense to me. Let’s get whatever we can for Damon, and get another young quarterback–Chris Simms, anyone?–on the roster. It’s also fair to Damon to give him a better opportunity than third-stringer, and on a team that’s looking to win as he winds up his career. Love him or hate him, he’s been a dedicated, respectable Chief. Stay tuned…

The Chiefs obviously like Thigpen. After he was realeased by the Vikings last year, the Chiefs signed the Coastal Carolina University single-season and career passing leader (in basically every category, folks) the next day. They also didn’t draft a quarterback back in April. To me, that is just as big of an endorsement of Thigpen as it is of Croyle. Clark Hunt is going to be somewhat patient with this rebuilding effort. At the same time, I think the entire front office would like to know if they have a quarterback on the roster they can move forward with by season’s end. That being said, they will want to take a look at Thigpen should Croyle get hurt again or flop.

From ESPN:

Some observers believe Tyler Thigpen will push Croyle. The quarterback job will be Croyle’s if he performs well, but it is surely the biggest unknown heading into training camp and it will be one of the most closely watched stories in the AFC West in the preseason.

Personally, I don’t think Brodie played well enough last year to walk in on day one of the preseason and be handed the job. He should be first in line, but I think Thigpen or someone not presently on the roster (like Byron Leftwich or Chris Simms) should be in the running for the job. I think competition breeds success, especially at that position.

What does everybody else think about Thigpen and a potential quarterback position battle?

“Does this guy ever shut up?”

Arrowhead Pride found an amazing clip of Tony Gonzalez acting with Hikaru Sulu/George Takei (Adam’s favorite actor). I can totally see Tony and The Rock in a movie together. Maybe throw in Howie Long or Xzibit and it’s a blockbuster.

• On a little more of a serious note–it looks like Derrick Thomas‘ son is quite the athlete. Derrion Thomas is a gifted swimmer, sprinter, and defensive end at Blue Springs South. THIS IS A MUST READ!