What a crazy couple of weeks.

If you’re like me, you’re still struggling to put together everything that happened. Granted, the Chiefs were fairly quiet, but I can’t disagree with a single move they made. Still, obviously, the question of how they are going to do this year depends on much more than how they themselves improved. This year’s schedule will be much harder and all of our upcoming opponents have been busy.

Thus, to see how our upcoming adversaries stack up, I bring you my second Opponent Power Ranking of the year.

Disclaimer: I did my best to put in the latest and most complete FA info on each team, but I only counted FA’s that have been definitively signed or resigned. By the time you read this, there could be a whole swath of new developments.

See what we got coming after the jump: (more…)

Without further ado…

Pick	Team	Player Selected	Player’s Position	Player’s School	Analysis
1.		Jimmy Clausen	Quarterback	Notre Dame	Yep. I’m going there. Look, the Rams have been drafting high for a while now. They usually go with the safe pick. Everyone is going to think they are crazy for passing on Suh but I think the Rams are going to look around at the teams in the playoffs. They’ll see names like Favre, Rivers, Manning, Brees, Brady and Warner. It is apparent you need a QB in today’s NFL more than ever. If the Rams don’t get one now, they aren’t getting one in this draft.
2.		Ndamukong Suh	Defensive Tackle	Nebraska	Detroit, already having a QB, pees their pants when the Rams take Clausen. Litterally pees their pants on their way to the podium to take Suh.
3.		Gerald McCoy	Defensive Tackle	Oklahoma	Tampa is now also freaking out because they had Gerald McCoy’s name circled on their draft board and suddenly Eric freakin Berry is available. They have planned their draft around the fact that Suh and Berry would be gone when they picked. The don’t gamble and they stick with McCoy.
4.		Eric Berry	Free Safety	Tennessee	Mike Shanahan won games with Jake Plumber as his QB. He can probably win games with Jason Cambell. He also isn’t stupid enough to go reaching for Sam Bradford here before he has a season to evaluate his new team. He is building a new program and Eric Berry is one hell of a start. No way does he let Berry slip to the Chiefs.

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The Chiefs may not have much but they do have a chance make a major impact on the playoff race. They have already contributed to the potential downfall of the defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers and can now turn their attention to the stumbling Bengals and Broncos.

The AFC playoff picture is slowly coming into focus. The Chargers clinched the AFC West yesterday with a win and Denver’s loss. The Colts clinched the AFC South and home field advantage throughout the playoffs ages ago and with 2 games to go and a 2 game lead, the Patriots have all but wrapped up the AFC East.

That leaves the AFC North and two Wild Card spots yet to be decided. The Chiefs next opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals currently hold a 1 game lead in the North over the Baltimore Ravens. The lead is really two games as Cinci swept the series between the two teams and holds the tie-breaker over the Ravens. The Bengals simply need to defeat the Chiefs next Sunday to clinch the division. A Bengals loss, however, and a Baltimore win would throw the AFC playoff race into total chaos.

The reason is because of a very tight Wild Card race. The Ravens (8-6) and Broncos (8-6) are currently in the drivers seats. If both win out they will clinch the two Wild Cards. The clean way for this all to go would be for Cinci to win 1 of their last 2 games and for Baltimore and Denver to win out. The monkey in the wrench, however, is the Kansas City Chiefs and a slew of 7-7 teams in the AFC.

Let me illustrate how crowded and complicated the Chiefs can make the AFC Wild Card race.

Current Wild Card Standings:

Denver (8-6)
Baltimore (8-6)
——————————————————————-
Miami (7-7)
Jets (7-7)
Pittsburgh (7-7)
Jacksonville (7-7)
Tennessee (7-7)
Houston (7-7)

I don’t even want to think of what tie breaking nightmare will occur if 8 teams finish 9-7! Now I haven’t looked at everyone’s schedule to see if that is even possible, and I highly doubt that it is, but you get the idea.

The Chiefs may have had a failed season but their remaining games are very important, if not for their confidence going into the off season, then to the teams they are facing. The Ravens play the Steelers and the Raiders for their final two games. If they win out and the Chiefs beat the Bengals it would set up what might be a win and your in game between the Bengals and Jets in Week 17.

The Chiefs can also do some damage in week 17. If the Broncos get by the Eagles next week they will be 9-6 going into their game against Kansas City at Mile High. The Chiefs and Broncos play at 4:15 EST on January 3rd. The Chiefs may have some extra fans in this game as supporters of potential Wild Card Teams that won earlier in the day and sit at 9-7, holding a tie-breaker over the Broncos cheer for a Chiefs victory. The Broncos conference record is an average 6-5 so losing to the Chiefs could be a death-blow to their tie-breaker chances.

Chiefs don’t have much to celebrate this year but a chance to eliminate the rival Denver Broncos from playoff contention on their own field in the last game of the season might make the off season just a little more bearable.

One could argue that despite this being T.O.’s third divorce, he’s more attractive than after his second one. It’s no secret that Jerry Jones and his Dallas Cowboys are a mess, and that Jason Witten, Pacman Jones, Tony Romo, etc…were just as much to blame as T.O. T.O. is just an easy scapegoat for the BOTOX Billionaire and his quarterback. Sure, he definitely played his part in this mess, but by almost all accounts T.O. was on his best behavior for most of his time in Big D.

Now, T.O., like Randy Moss, will have to both take a pay cut and be a model citizen for a contender to have any chance of entering the Hall of Fame. With his legacy now on the line, I’d say there is a good chance he reacts the same way Randy has. Considering that Jerry’s Kids still owe him $10 million, he might go somewhere and play for peanuts. With most players this might not be the case, but Owens cares more about the T.O. brand than he does money. I guarantee it.

If T.O. does decide that his legacy is more important than money or stats, it could work out. Then again, signing T.O. could also wind up being a disaster for the team that decides to roll the dice on him.

The Candidates:

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According to Adam Schefter (NFL.com), the Jets are expected to reach an agreement with LB Bart Scott on a deal that would pay him $8 million a season.

Scott has stated all along that if he was going to leave Baltimore, he would prefer to head north to play for the Jets, as he would be reunited with former Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan, who is now the head coach in New York.

Scott getting paid $8 million a season is a great deal for him, and at the begining of free agency you have to overpay to get talent. The Chiefs will still make moves, but obviously we are going to take the same approach Carl Peterson had and wait until the outrageous contracts settle down. I don’t mind this approach as long as the Chiefs still bring in young talented players instead of the Bells and McLeons of the world.

(hat tip: Vrod74-MikeSD in the comments)

Why the Chiefs are Cooler Than the Jets (Who Says Only Kids Can Play Make Believe, Huh?):

10. Is Brett Favre on The Hills? No? So why in the hell are we fretting so much over who he calls and texts? So lame.

9. Which team now has Herm Edwards, huh? Uh, actually, wait a minute…

8. At least we didn’t spend a fortune on overpriced talent only to lose to the Raiders. We got a discount–go Cheaps!

7. If Len Dawson got tanked on national TV and tried to kiss a reporter, she’d definitely be hotter than Suzy Kolber.

6. Phew, no need to worry about the bailout any more. Kris Jenkins just ate Wall Street for a snack.

5. Every time Chiefs fans get down on Glenn Dorsey, we just look at Vernon Gholsten‘s stats, or lack therof.

4. What in the **** is a Chansi Stuckey?

3. How is the Favre gamble paying off? Let’s see…the Jets shoot from long range, Green Bay actually…it’s up…and…it’s…a…D’Brick! Game over. 3-3 is all the magic Mr. Stubble can muster?

2. You play in New Jersey? Which exit? I kid the Armpit of America. Nothing but love.

1. Jets fans are either: A.) Douchebags who throw on their two-sizes-too-small, mustard-stained Wayne Chrebet jersey and go to the draft every year to boo vociferously when the next Kyle Brady gets selected by tehir J-E-T-S; or B.) “the cheesy, gold chain-wearing, open-shirt, eighties-style guidos with their Gotti boy haircuts and IROC-Z pimped out autos with neon lights underneath.” (hat tip)

1. On a scale of one to 10 how much do Jets fans miss Herm Edwards?

TJB: One being miss a lot and ten being miss him very much? Simple math. Take the total number of fans at the 2006 Draft who booed him while he was on TV (214) and then divide the total number of playoff wins Herm led the Jets to (2) then add the number of times he denied leaving the Jets for the Chiefs (infinity).

2. Chiefs fans still have mad love for Tony Richardson. How has T-Rich worked out for the Jets?

TJB: Richardson has had a quiet season, but he’s been instrumental in creating holes for the running backs. With a bunch of personnel, the running game is still figuring itself out, but Richardson has been a help both on and off the field.

3. Your starting receivers are pretty banged up. That being said, how much of ex-Mizzou star Brad Smith are we going to see?

TJB: Coles says he’s going to play, no word on Cotchery. After a good game last weekend, I’d expect that Smith will see a larger role in Sunday’s game and might even start. Smith is still learning the intracacies of playing receiver, but he’s deadly on reverses or if the offense can create space for him on passing plays.

4. Was the Patriot Act concocted simply to monitor Brett Favre‘s calls? What is going on there? Getting a bit ridiculous, eh?

TJB: It is ridiculous, but he’s Brett Favre so he’s going to get this type of attention. Many players and former players have come out and defended him saying that shoptalk is pretty common. Despite some of his numbers, Favre still needs to make a lot of improvement in this offense, so he needs to focus on business rather than shooting off his mouth to other teams.

5. One under-the-radar Jets player who will open some eyes come Sunday among Chiefs fans?

TJB: Dwight Lowery (AKA Dwight Swipe), rookie CB from San Jose State. Lowery had bad times in his 40 yard dash at the Combine and was downgraded severely because of it. The Jets got Lowery in the 4th round and he has turned into the starter opposite the up and coming Darrelle Revis. Lowery won’t make every play, but he’s got a great ability to defend passes (8 so far) and hits well (1 forced fumble). He’s still learning and teams are picking on him, but he’s a decent second corner.

6. Lastly, don’t you owe us some mercy after Bernard Pollard took out Tom Brady for the season?

TJB: I think that’s only fair. Regardless of whether the Jets have a good or bad season, there’s something to be said for having to deal with Brady’s toothy golden boy “aww shucks” persona. It’s been quite refreshing to say the least.

7. What’s your prediction for Sunday’s game?

TJB: If the Chiefs had Larry Johnson activated, I would say that anything can happen, as the Chiefs so eloquently proved to the Broncos a few weeks back. But without him, and with the Jets in a “back to the wall” situation right now and playing at home. I think the Jets should win easily. The Jets should be able to neutralize both the offense and defense of the Chiefs. Here’s what I will predict: if the Jets lose, I’ll start the petition to fire Eric Mangini.

Thanks, Brian. Great stuff as always! For more Jets coverage visit TJB or our sister site The J-E-T Press.

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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The New York Daily News reported today that Herm Edwards was one of the first coaches to catch Bill Belichick and the spygate scandal. When Herm was the head coach for the Jets four years ago he waved at the Patriots camera during a game.

Sources told the Daily News that early in a game against the Patriots four years ago, Edwards, in his fourth season as Jets coach, and Henderson, in his first year as the defensive coordinator, noticed a Patriots camera from the opposite sideline aimed at them to tape the defensive signals.

And to show Belichick they were aware of his shenanigans, Edwards and Henderson looked right into the camera across the sideline and waved hello.

Herm actually knew before the game that the Patriots would try to steal their signals, so they planned for that happening.

Herm wouldn’t comment on the “wave” most likely because he is friends with Bill Belichick. However, a former Jets staff member did talk about the situation.

“I will leave that one alone,” Edwards said from the Chiefs’ offices. “No comment.”

“At times, we would wave at the guy that was filming over there,” a member of that Jets staff said in September. “We just gave false signals and waved at the camera. I don’t know if they picked up our signals or not. We didn’t really worry about it too much.”

• 4 years before scandal, Herm Edwards waved to Bill Belichick’s camera – NY Daily News

Mike Vogel is now on the clock for the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. Lucky for them, they get their 1st round pick taken away from them rather than the 49ers pick. Will the Patriots try and replace Asante Samuel? Will they finally go after a young LB? Or will they add to their Offense?

For now Herm’s old team is on the clock, so that means Jeremy it’s your time to make your selection.