Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City police department has released dash-cam video of some of Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher’s final hours.

The first video is taken Dec. 1 around 3 AM. Police found Belcher asleep in his car outside apartment building where he tells them he told them he was waiting for someone who lives up stairs. After some brief conversation, most of which involved the police gushing to Belcher about his Bentley, Belcher promises to go upstairs and both parties leave without incident.

The second video shows the responding officer as he drives to Arrowhead Stadium to confront Belcher. During the clip you hear the officer get some of the information on Belcher. The officer, at one point, reaches speeds of 94 MPH.

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

In the wake of Saturday’s terrible murder of Kasandra Perkins at the hands of her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, both the Perkins and Belcher families released statements today.

Both statements are below:

“On behalf of the Perkins Family, we appreciate the outpouring of love and concern for our Kasandra “Kasi” Perkins. Our hearts are truly broken for Kasi was a beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, mother, cousin and friend. At this time we request the media respect our privacy during this difficult time as we grieve for our loved one. Please keep us in your hearts and prayers as well as the Belcher family for two lives were lost. Again we thank you for your support, our wish is for Kasi to be remembered for the love she shared with us all. Kasi will be truly missed!”

“Jovan was our son, brother, uncle, cousin, nephew, grandson, and friend and we will miss him and Kasandra dearly. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Perkins family as they mourn.

We loved Jovan. His kindness, humility, respect and gratitude for family and friends were steadfast. The man we know and loved for 25 years embraced life and excelled at all he put his energy behind. Jovan was overjoyed when Kasandra gave birth to their daughter, Zoey.

He was happy to be a new father both he and Kasandra loved Zoey greatly. The immense outpouring of sympathy and support from Jovan’s friends, teammates, coaches and fans have been a reflection of the impact he had on so many people. Like them, we will cherish the wonderful memories we have of Jovan and we pray that those memories will bring us peace as we grapple to understand the unpredictable and tragic ending of his life and the life of Kasandra Perkins.

As we attempt to grieve in the aftermath of this tremendous loss we ask that you please respect our privacy in doing so. Only GOD can mend our hearts.”

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs star RB Jamaal Charles and his wife have released a public statement in the wake of teammate Jovan Belcher’s murder-suicide.

Charles was particularly impacted by the events because Belcher’s victim, Kasandra Perkins, was his wife’s cousin.

Here is his statement:

“Our family has suffered a personal tragic loss,” Charles and his wife, Whitney, said in the statement. “Kasandra Perkins was in-fact first cousin to my wife, Whitney. As this is a very tough time for our family, I ask that we are respected as we grieve. Kasandra was not only family, but a friend and a loving mother. As my actual family and my Kansas City Chiefs family have been altered forever, we ask that you keep us and most importantly their child in prayer.

“Thank you all for your continued support.”

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

More details have come out about what Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel, GM Scott Pioli and defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs witnessed on Saturday morning when Jovan Belcher drove into the parking lot at the team’s practice facility.

Peter King of SI.com spoke last evening on Sunday Night Football Night In America, revealing some details of a conversation he had with Crennel following the Chiefs’ emotional 27-21 victory over the Carolina Panthers Sunday.

According to King, Pioli and Belcher arrived at the facility at the same time, around 8 a.m. Central time. Pioli noticed that Belcher was upset and after a brief conversation, Belcher requested that Crennel and Gibbs be summoned. The two coaches obliged and came out to the parking lot. Meanwhile, a Chiefs security officer noticed that Belcher had a gun and phoned the police.

Belcher proceeded to thank all three men for all they had done for him. The men tried to reason with Belcher but he just kept thanking them, not really engaging. Then, as police were arriving, Belcher turned and took a few steps away before shooting himself in the head.

“I wasn’t able able to reach the young man,” Crennel told King.

Chilling.

I wasn’t sure what to write about today. It’s hard to celebrate a win when such a dark cloud still hangs over the Kansas City Chiefs. I don’t know if more needs to be said about the tragedy itself. Like countless other Chiefs fans, my heart breaks for the families and loved ones of this tragedy. None more so than the innocent 3 month old whose life will be forever shaped by this senseless act of violence.

I also can’t imagine how difficult it will be for Scott Pioli, Romeo Crennel, and Gary Gibbs to continue to go to work day after day at the same place where they watched this horrific story come to its grisly conclusion. I have screamed from the rooftops that Pioli and Crennel should be fired for weeks, but now all I can do is pray that they are able to close their eyes at night without reliving the tragic events that they witnessed Saturday morning.

I’ve heard a lot of angry fans scolding Chiefs fans and players for mourning the loss of Jovan Belcher. The reasoning being that they should only mourn the innocent victims, not the man that caused this pain. To those people, all I can say is that the Chiefs coaches and players didn’t know a killer. By all accounts Belcher was a great teammate and friend. They are mourning the loss of that teammate and friend, not condoning the unforeseen violence that will now forever define him. It is possible to love a man and hate his actions. It is possible to be sickened by what he did and miss his companionship.

My advice to all at this time is to try to be understanding that people deal with tragedy and grieve loss in different ways. There is little to be gained by attacking one another for how we attempt to transcend this horrible situation. Sports websites, networks, and blogs are going to focus on Belcher, not because his life is the one that is most important, but because his involvement in this story is what makes it a sports story. Of course Kasandra Perkins is the true victim. Of course Belcher’s 3-month-old daughter Zoey is the one most in need of our prayers as she must now go forward in life without both of her parents. That doesn’t mean that Derrick Johnson can’t miss his teammate that he lined up beside for years. It also doesn’t mean that a person that was a big fan of Belcher can’t be sad that he is now gone.

It seems that the PC stance is that only Belcher’s actual family can mourn his loss and everyone else must hate him. I hate the fact that he murdered someone and took his own life. I hate the fact that his little girl must grow up without her parents because he chose violence instead of any other possible solution. I’m just not willing to judge others who are sad about the hole that Belcher’s loss has created in their life.

So is there anything positive that we can all come together over and focus on as we move forward?

Well, yesterday’s game was a start. Not that football is really important compared to these life altering events, but since this is a football blog and we are all fans of the Kansas City Chiefs football team it makes the most sense that we focus on that.

Let me start by saying that for the first time this season Romeo Crennel’s “grandpa-esque” demeanor and relationship with his players was an essential element of the team’s success. All season we’ve screamed at him to be more intense, get after players, etc. This time, that loving and calm demeanor allowed him to care for and lead his players through their darkest hour. I didn’t ever doubt that Crennel would emotionally be there for his team, that’s one of his strengths. What I didn’t see coming was that by caring for, loving on, and being the “emotional rock” at the center of the Chiefs family he would finally bring out something in this team that they had been lacking all season long.

True Mental Toughness.

All season long the Chiefs have been an absolute joke when it came to focus and execution. They hadn’t scored an opening drive TD since 1982 (or at least that’s what it felt like). So when faced with the most emotional, most distracting start to a game any of those players have ever played, what did they do? They drove right down the field and punched it in.

All season long the Chiefs have destroyed their chances at being competitive by carelessly turning the ball over again and again. So surely on a day when their hearts might not fully be in the game and that their minds might be distracted by what has transpired this trend would continue, right? Wrong, they didn’t turn the ball over once.

All season long the Chiefs have shot themselves in the foot by negating big plays with penalties. Often their focus was so poor that they would be penalized multiple times in the same game for the same stupid mistake. Sunday the Chiefs only committed one penalty all game long and that was at the very end as they were trying to run out the clock.

If I had been asked to give the Chiefs a grade for mental toughness through their first 11 games this season it would have been a big, fat, “F”.

If I had to give the Chiefs a grade for mental toughness for their game against the Panthers it would unquestionably be an “A+”.

That is simply shocking. The fact that a team that had been so unfocused, so unorganized, so “checked out” all season long, was able to fix every last one of those issues in the one game that they had a very legitimate reason to fall apart mentally is a statement to the character of those men. I just wish I knew why they couldn’t have done it sooner, but that is a discussion to be had after the wounds caused by this tragedy have had more time to heal.

For now we as Chiefs fans should simply give our support and deserved praise to the players and the coaches of the team we love. Especially to Romeo Crennel and Gary Gibbs who witnessed such horror, but then were able to lead their emotionally wounded team into a game and not just survive it but thrive in it.

I also think Brady Quinn deserves a special kudos above all the other individual players. He seemed to be a mirrored image of Coach Crennel out there on the field. Calmly leading his team, not ignoring the pain they were all feeling, but helping them stay on track and overcome it. If he hadn’t handled himself so well and hadn’t played his best game of the year (possibly his career) the Chiefs wouldn’t have had a chance.

Brady Quinn, simply put, was perfect on Sunday and he deserves a lot of credit for that. That doesn’t mean you have to change your feelings about his long-term future with the Chiefs — same with Crennel — but these men have earned every bit of praise and credit they are receiving today. Their futures in KC are a topic for another day.

Today I would just like to tell them and the entire Chiefs organization “thank you.” Their efforts yesterday made me proud to be a Chiefs fan. I pray that each and every person touched by this tragedy finds a way to grieve and come to grips with this ordeal in a way that is best for them. Yesterday was a first step, but the closer a person was to this tragedy the longer the road ahead of them is. May God bless their lives as they heal, especially the families of Kasandra Perkins and Jovan Belcher, and most of all little Zoey, who won’t even realize the impact Saturday had on her life until most of us have long forgotten the name Jovan Belcher.

Thanks for reading … now go hug someone you love.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel took the podium for the fist time since Saturday’s tragedy at Arrowhead Stadium. We jotted down some of what the head coach said. Please note that these are not complete transcripts.

Romeo Crennel:

-I think that respectfully to you guys and ladies, I’m choosing not to answer any questions about what I saw yesterday.

-As far as today went, it was a total team victory today.

-We’re fortunate that the outcome is a victory and we appreciate that.

-I’m very proud for the way they played, the way they conducted themselves and the character they showed over the last two days.

-Brandon Siler, I can’t say enough about Brandon. He goes in and plays Jovan’s spot and represents himself and the team very well.

-After we leave here we’ll still work through the tragedy that we had to endure yesterday.

-We don’t always play as well as we need to play but they’ve always gone out and tried hard.

-The thing that I worried about would be that they would not be mentally prepared.

-I didn’t know what our mental state would be. That’s one thing you can’t predict. You just have to go out and play and see what it is going to be.

-I think our players knew that the crowd was supporting them and was behind them and wanted them to do well.

-I felt like I would be able to handle it and I needed to be strong for the players in the locker room.

-Jovan was a good teammate. A hard worker. Sat in front of the room all the time. You don’t expect anything like what happened.

-The experience will probably change me but I’m not changing. I’m the same guy every day.

-I think people need to be honest about what problems they have and how they perceive them.

-I don’t think that you can ever know that they can block it all out. But in the locker room, there was some positive energy in the locker room before the game.

-We were all able to lean on each other a little bit and let some…let a little bit out.

-There was elation. I think they were appreciative of the fact that they were able to get through the game and deal with the circumstance and take their minds off football and deal with the tragedy.

-It’s always comforting when people care about you and you know that they care about you.

-I think what I’ve said is the basic plan for us is to rely on each other, to rely on our family and friends and to rely on our faith.

August 18, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson (56) looks on in the second half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

After coach Crennel spoke, Chiefs MLB Derrick Johnson also addressed the media. These are also not complete transcripts.

Derrick Johnson:

-It was tough. It really hit me this morning, waking up. Not being able to talk to Jovan. Being the middle backer, being the heart of this defense. That is who I talk to all the time.

-You think it’s a bad dream and you wake up and its still there. It’s still a reality.

-We wanted to play the game because we’re football players. We love the game of football.

-Didn’t see any kind of clues. Jovan…Jovan is probably the definition of a teammate. He’s a guy that is on time. He’s going to give 100 percent all the time.

-This is devastating. I was once told that the hardest thing a person can go through is burying a child.

-As a team, we lost a brother. It’s tough. It’s gonna take time. We’re gonna mourn for a little bit. But we lost a good one. We lost a really good one.

-Men don’t really show their feelings. They don’t talk about what’s going on. (Derrick was saying here that as men and teammates they need to talk to one another more and not be afraid to tell one another if something is wrong)

-Jovan was, never had an enemy on the team. Was just the perfect teammate.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Here is a roundup of just some of the Kansas City Chiefs news from this morning. We’ll see you all back here for our live game thread at noon central. -PA

“It’s hard to say a whole lot,” Quinn said. “Unfortunately I was on Denver when Kenny McKinley took his life, and there’s really not any words that can describe the emotions that are involved.“The big thing is (Belcher’s) daughter. I know a bunch of the guys are going to try to set up a fund to try to take care of his daughter. Her parents are not in her life anymore.”The day before a game begins early for some players who want medical treatment or extra film study, but not so early for others. Normally, there is a mandatory 9 a.m. meeting and an 11 a.m. walkthrough practice, but neither one happened on this Saturday.

Several players were, like Quinn, turned away from the practice facility by police. Other Chiefs employees were turned away as well until the building was opened for business later in the day.

“I went out there but I couldn’t get in,” said tight end DeMarco Cosby, a practice squad player. “The police wouldn’t let us in.”

From www.kansascity.com

For today, at least, there is some perspective because what matters is this: A young woman has been murdered, a newborn orphaned, a troubled young man dead by his own hand and several well-known Kansas City football men saw the bloody end to a tragedy that will have an impact for a very long time.That sinking feeling of loss — of an innocent life taken, of a child with a life now fractured, of the idea such horror can simply sneak into our own lives — those are the things meeting at the intersection of Chiefs football and this city.

From msn.foxsports.com

A woman first alerted police this morning that her daughter had been shot by her boyfriend, who was a Kansas City Chiefs player, Snapp said. Police initially believed the woman was Perkins’ mother, but later learned she was Belcher’s mother, who lived with the couple to help care for their daughter and according to family members felt extremely close to Perkins.It is believed Belcher drove to Arrowhead Stadium shortly after the shooting and police were called.”When the officers arrived, when they were pulling up, they actually observed a black male who had a gun to his head and he was talking to a couple of coaches out in the parking lot,” Snapp said. “As officers pulled up, and began to park, that’s when they heard the gunshot and it appears the individual took his own life.”

From abcnews.go.com

Said NFL Players Assn. Assistant Executive Director George Atallah: “There is nothing profound or comforting to say that can help us understand or explain a situation like this. We have been in touch with players. At a time like this, we can only come together as a family and a community.”Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey tweeted: “Very sad day in the NFL FAMILY. My prayers go out [to] the Chiefs and families involved.”Louis Murphy Jr., a wide receiver with the Carolina Panthers, tweeted: “Thoughts and prayers go out to the Kansas City Chiefs players and family.”

The Chiefs are scheduled to play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The NFL told the Panthers to continue traveling to Kansas City for Sunday’s game, the Charlotte Observer reported.

From www.latimes.com

“I don’t get it,” he said. “I don’t get what was so wrong that he felt so alone that he had to do something like this.“This whole town is crying. Obviously something troubled him that made him go out of his character because he is so not like this.”Innes said he talked to Belcher before the Chiefs played the New York Giants last year — and jokingly asked Belcher not to hurt Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

“He said, I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do, Coach.’ ”

Belcher graduated from the University of Maine, where he took part in a Male Athletes Against Violence effort, with a degree in child and family development.

Friends were mystified. “I still can’t believe it,” said Roy Brown. “He was the last person you’d think would ever have a problem.”

From www.nypost.com

“No more violence, Jovan,” they said.The coaches told cops they had never felt endangered, Snapp said.“They said the player was actually thanking them for everything they’d done for him. They were just talking to him, and he was thanking them and everything.”

But they could do nothing to stop him.

“The suspect began to walk in the opposite direction of the coaches and the officers, and that’s when they heard the gunshot,” Snapp said.

His last words, Pioli told Chiefs broadcaster Len Dawson, were, “I love you,” according to KMBC-TV.

From www.nypost.com

It is a terrible morning in Kansas City.

Yesterday, when the news that something was happening at Arrowhead, we were scrambling to compile as  much information for you all as possible. From that point on I was working for hours doing various posts around the site. It wasn’t until later that I had time to sit down and really let the reality of what happened yesterday sink in.

Looking at the pictures of Jovan and his victim, Kasandra Perkins, it is hard to imagine that what happened yesterday is real. Looking at pictures of Jovan, Kasandra and their three-month old daughter, it makes your stomach turn.

There are so many people hurting from this right now. I can’t imagine what this must be like for Scott Piol, Romeo Crennel and the other team personnel that witnessed Belcher’s suicide. They will likely never be the same again.

For the players, they’re forced to simultaneously reconcile the death of a teammate and friend while also trying to understand how he could do such a terrible thing.

Then there is the child who will grow up knowing the reason she has no parents is because her father killed her mother and then himself.

As if today wasn’t difficult enough for everyone involved, the Chiefs will play a football game today against the Carolina Panthers. We are likely to see one of the most charged atmospheres in the history of Arrowhead Stadium.  While I think we could all care less about football considering what happened, I suppose all we can hope for is that today is the beginning of the healing process for all involved.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

We hate to move the conversation back to football in the wake of the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide, but there isn’t much time to ignore the question.

Should the Chiefs and Panthers play a football game tomorrow at Arrowhead Stadium?

I’ve seen a lot of opinions on the matter. Some folks think it should be up to the players/team to decide. Others think the game should go on because there isn’t much room in the NFL schedule for moving games around. Others think it should be pushed back to Monday night.

I am of the opinion that the NFL should take the lead on this and push back the game. Jovan Belcher murdered someone and then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and shot himself in front of Romeo Crennel and Scott Pioli. In my opinion it would be callous and irresponsible for the NFL to expect the players who knew Belcher and more importantly, the head coach who witnessed the horrific scene, to show up to work 24 hours after the tragedy.

I think the NFL should push the game back until Monday night. That would give the coaches and players the rest of the day today and perhaps part of tomorrow to deal with their feelings about the situation. The game can still be played on Monday. Pushing back the kickoff won’t hurt anyone but it may do some good for some upset individuals.

What do you think, Addicts?

Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with a very difficult situation this afternoon following the suicide of one of their teammates, Jovan Belcher, in the parking lot at Arrowhead Stadium. Belcher took his life in front of GM Scott Pioli and head coach Romeo Crennel after murdering his girlfriend at their home.

Many of the players have sent out tweets expressing their feelings on the incident:

Tamba Hali(@TambaHali91):

“I am devastated by this mornings events. I want to send my thoughts and prayers out to everyone effected by this tragedy.”

Dexter McCluster (@dextermccluster):

“Times like this you have to pray!!! I love you man, brothers for life!!!!”

David Mims (@D_Mims70):

“This just doesn’t seem real…praying for 59 and his family”

Tony Moeaki ‏(@TonyMoeaki81):

Devastated. One of everyone’s favorite teammates including one of mine. Great great great teammate. We will miss him forever.

Jeff Allen (@JeffAllen71):

“I am devastated and heart broken. I’m sending prayers out to everyone involved. Always show love and never be afraid to talk.#Valuelife”

Former Chief Donald Washington (@DWashIII):

“Sad day…prayers up!”

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Moeaki took to Twitter today following the suicide of his teammate Jovan Belcher. Belcher shot himself in the parking lot at Arrowhead Stadium after shooting and killing his girlfriend early Saturday morning.

Devastated. One of everyone’s favorite teammates including one of mine. Great great great teammate. We will miss him forever.

— Tony Moeaki (@TonyMoeaki81) December 1, 2012

Moeaki then tweeted:

For the people that misunderstood my intention.. I was talking as far as a teammate standpoint. I’m devastated for everyone involved

— Tony Moeaki (@TonyMoeaki81) December 1, 2012

I am guessing Moeaki received some angry tweets from followers who felt his first tweet was insensitive to the loss of the woman Belcher murdered.

This is obviously a complicated situation for those close to Belcher. I am sure they are all horrified at Jovan’s actions as well as devastated by the loss of their friend.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

The Oakland Raiders have released a statement in support of the Kansas City Chiefs organization following today’s tragedy at Arrowhead Stadium.

From the team’s official site:

“The Oakland Raiders are empathizing with the Chiefs organization. Our hearts are wounded by such an unimaginable tragedy in our NFL family. We will continue to pray for everyone involved.”

The Raiders and Chiefs are bitter rivals on the field but off the field, the Raiders organization is showing some real class here. It is nice to see everyone coming out in support of the Chiefs as they deal with this upsetting and difficult situation.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Earlier today the Kansas City Chiefs released a brief statement that said the organization was cooperating with authorities in the wake of the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide.

Now the team has released a directly from chairman and CEO Clark Hunt:

The entire Chiefs family is deeply saddened by today’s events, and our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy, thoughts and prayers for the families and friends affected by this unthinkable tragedy. We sincerely appreciate the expressions of sympathy and support we have received from so many in the Kansas City and NFL communities, and ask for continued prayers for the loved ones of those impacted.”

We will continue to fully cooperate with the authorities and work to ensure that the appropriate counseling resources are available to all members of the organization.

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

According to the Kansas City Star, a friend of the woman murdered this morning by Chiefs LB Jovan Belcher told the paper that the couple argued early this morning after the victim returned late from Friday’s Trey Songz concert at The Midland.

Information is scarce as the police, media and fans try to make sense out of this pointless tragedy. The Star article claims that the victim, whose name we still have not learned, and Belcher met through one of Belcher’s teammate’s girlfriend. The couple dated for around three years and just recently welcomed the birth of a daughter. The child is reportedly about three months old.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone touched by this tragedy.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

The Kansas City Chiefs players were due for a meeting and walk through this morning when their teammate, Jovan Belcher, arrived at the stadium and took his own life in front of head coach Romeo Crennel and GM Scott Pioli.

The media is doing their best to get in touch with some of the players for comment. US Today was able to get a brief statement from Chiefs RT Eric Winston.

“It’s just all very sad. There’s rumors going around. But I don’t really know. We’re still finding out,” Winston said. “We were all just shuttled out of there pretty fast.”

“Like a lot of guys, I’m still trying to talk to a lot of the guys.”

The US Today article also includes some new information on Belcher’s last moments, courtesy of police spokesman Darin Snapp.

Snapp said police first responded to a call at 7:50 a.m. CT that a woman had been shot. She was taken to the hospital where she died. At around 8:10 a.m., Snapp said police received a call from Arrowhead Stadium security command reporting that a black male was in the parking lot armed with a gun. Officers observed the man with the gun held to his head.

“The suspect walked in the opposite direction and shot himself,” Snapp said. “After talking to Crennel and Pioli, they said he was a good kid. He thanked them for everything they had done for him before walking away.”

Jeff Curry-US PRESSWIRE

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Kansas City linebacker Jovan Belcher confronted Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel and GM Scott Pioli in the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium before shooting himself, ending his life.

From La Canfora, via Twitter:

KCPD Officer Darin Snapp confirms GM Scott Pioli and Coach Romeo Crennel were outside team facility at the time Chiefs player killed himself

KCPD say the player thanked both men before taking his life, and that Pioli and Crennel did not feel threatened. KCPD not revealing identity

As of right now we are hearing that the NFL has told the Carolina Panthers to continue their scheduled travel plans to Kansas City. Football is obviously secondary at this point. It is hard to imagine the game actually being played. Hopefully the the NFL will come to their senses and postpone the game or cancel it all together.

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

With all the talk about the impending free agency of CB Brandon Carr and WR Dwayne Bowe, I fear that many Chiefs fans have overlooked the fact that another starter, Jovan Belcher, is set to be a restricted free agent. That means the Chiefs control Belcher’s rights and can offer him a tender. If Belcher signs the tender, he can be courted by other teams, though the Chiefs will have the right to match any offers he receives. Depending on tender the Chiefs offer, they would receive draft picks from any team wishing to sign Belcher away.

Belcher certainly isn’t as flashy a name as Bowe or Carr but that doesn’t mean he isn’t an important part of the defense.

KC fans seem to be rather lukewarm in their opinions of Belcher. He doesn’t possess the athletic ability of fellow ILB Derrick Johnson. He doesn’t make many flashy plays. There are few sacks and even fewer interceptions. I think if polled, most would agree that Belcher is fine but that he could be upgraded.

Belcher is an under-the-radar guy. We don’t find ourselves talking about him very much. This could be a good or a bad thing considering your point of view. Is it bad that we don’t see Belcher making a lot of big plays or good that we don’t see him blowing plays a la “Shabby” Sabby Piscitelli?

How good is Belcher? Can he get better or has he reached his ceiling. More importantly, what exactly does Belcher do on defense? Might there be a reason for his lack of eye-popping statistics?

Let’s take a closer look with our friends at Pro Football Focus!

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Last week the Chiefs announced that they had re-signed back up tight end Jake O’Connell. When I heard this news my exact thoughts were “I’m not upset that they re-signed him, but he certainly wouldn’t make my list of Top 10 Free Agents that I’d like the Chiefs to re-sign.” Which then got me to thinking, who exactly would be on my list? Obviously, we all can agree that Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Carr are the top priority, but on a team that lacked quality depth last year, what other players should we be hoping the Chiefs bring back? I gave it some thought and came up with the following list.

Let’s get started:

10. Amon Gordon

Nov 21, 2011; Foxboro, MA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Amon Gordon (99) lines up against the New England Patriots during the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots defeated to Chiefs 34-3. Mandatory Credit: Stew Milne-US PRESSWIRE

Gordon was a pleasant surprise last year. He basically walked in off the street last year and locked down the backup nose tackle spot. He even managed to rack up a couple of sacks, which is something that KC’s other “big boys” haven’t been able to do. The down side is that his play kept Jerrell Powe off the field. Speculation is that Kelly Gregg won’t be back and Gordon would be cheap depth for whomever KC brings in to be the new starting NT.

The other two players I considered for this number 10 spot were Barry Richardson and Leonard Pope, both of whom were starters last season. Richardson would provide quality depth if he was brought back as the backup swing tackle, but ultimately I’m so afraid of the Chiefs trying to start him again that I decided to leave him off the list altogether. With Moeaki coming back from injury I’d like to see KC sign someone with more offensive upside then Pope for the number 2 TE spot.

The Kansas City Chiefs are in the process of evaluating their roster and determining their needs for the 2011 season and beyond so we thought we’d do a little bit of evaluating ourselves here at AA.

One way NFL teams will evaluate their players is they will determine whether they guy is an ascending or descending player. Will the player being evaluated be able to significantly improve or are they on the down slope of their career?

Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll break down the Chiefs roster and decide whether each player is ascending or descending and whether we think they are the long term answer at their position. We’ll look at the players play this season and we will also evaluate their grades and statistics from Pro Football Focus, a partner of AA that evaluates and grades every player on every play of every game. We trust the stats and evaluations from PFF to be the most accurate out there. Please note that the stats cited in these articles may not match up with the official stats from the NFL but again, we feel they are more accurate.

We’ll start today with linebacker Jovan Belcher, after the jump.

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The Kansas City Chiefs took care of their home field Sunday and spanked the Jaguars 42 to 20. There were great performances all over the field for the Chiefs so giving out game balls to only three players is going to be tough but I’ll do my best.

Offense:

Dwayne Bowe

This one was tough because both Matt Cassel and Thomas Jones had nice games but Dwayne Bowe came up with two huge plays that helped hold off the Jaguars.

Bowe had two touchdown passes and both were equally impressive. The first was his second catch and run touchdown in as many weeks. Bowe reeled in a pass from Matt Cassel and then broke three tackles on his way to the endzone.

Bowe’s second touchdown came on a beautifully designed fade route where WR Terrence Copper threw an “incidental pick” on the man covering Bowe. Matt Cassel’s throw was just a tad high but Bowe went up, caught it, tucked it, turned his body and got both feet down for the score.

On the day Bowe had three catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He is very deserving of this game ball.

Honorable Mentions:

Thomas Jones, Matt Cassel and Terry Copper for climbing the ladder and making his only catch of the game a beautiful one for a first down.

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What have you done for me lately? Sure, DJ had to picks in the final game of the 2009 season but Demorrio Williams has 3 sacks and a productive preseason in 2010. Who should start? (Source: Yardbarker.com)

It looks as though one of the biggest questions concerning the Kansas City Chiefs heading in to the season opener has finally been answered.

Derrick Johnson will start at ILB.

Adam Teicher has the story in his latest entry for the Kansas City Star.

Teicher nabbed a couple of quotes from Demorrio Williams, who understandably is not pleased with the news.

“They said Derrick is going to start out the first game,” he said. “I’m just going to come to work every day and do my job.”

While a majority of fans seemed to want Johnson to start over Williams most of the off season, Demorrio’s productive preseason is likely to cast some doubts about which player is the best option.

More from Teicher:

Williams led the Chiefs in sacks in the preseason with three. Asked if he played well enough in the preseason to win the job, Williams said, “I don’t have to answer that question. You already know the answer to that question. What do you think?”

Check out Adam’s entire article here.

What do you think, Addicts? Is DJ the right choice to start at MLB? Should Haley change his thinking and start both Williams and Johnson? Or should he stick with the Belcher/Johnson combo?

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.

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Think of it this way. Nearly every team is going to bring in more undrafted free agents each off-season than they are drafted players. Kansas City’s roster currently consists of 42 such players, which represents 53.8% of the players under contract to play for the Chiefs right now. Specific to 2010, the Chiefs currently have 11 undrafted rookies signed and chose seven players through the draft.

While draft classes are subject to grades, many of the sixth and seventh round picks are beaten out by the non-graded, undrafted class of players. The rookie free agents who make the team are often the guys who are asked to perform on special teams and offensive/defensive sub-packages (see Jovan Belcher for KC in 2009).

Another good read from Josh Looney at KCChiefs.com

Rookie Colin Brown 61 and lineman of the Kansas City Chiefs goes through a drill during rookie minicamp at the Chiefs practice facility on May 9 2009. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Thanks to a timely tweet by Chiefs first round draft pick, Eric Berry, I was reminded that KC’s rookies will be arriving at Arrowhead today and will start Rookie Mini Camp tomorrow. This is a time for the coaches to get a look at their new guys, on their own terms. It is also an opportunity for the coaching staff to mine their undrafted free agents  for a potential diamond in the rough.

What can we expect from Mini Camp? I took a look at some reports from last year’s camp to get an idea of what the new meat can expect when they hit the field tomorrow.

Day 1 will serve as sort of a mini combine. The players will get measured, weighed and put through the paces. They’ll do some bench presses, vertical jumps, raw jumps and 40-yard dashes.

Haley and company will also likely test the rookies by throwing a lot of information at them and watching how well they respond. Last year, after day 1, Haley was quoted as saying that the rookie’s heads were “spinning.”

It makes sense that the Chiefs want see how quickly the rookies can pick things up and get to work. Day 1 is important for the new guys as day 2 is structured sort of like a training camp practice.

More on day 2 after the jump.

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