Lou Novick-US PRESSWIRE

Former Kansas City Chiefs RB Larry Johnson is still a scumbag.

Old 2.7* was arrested in Las Vegas this weekend after allegedly strangling an ex-girlfriend to unconsciousness before leaving her lying in the hallway of a hotel, in her underwear.

*as in 2.7 yards per-carry late in his career.

LJ was arrested at the Bellagio. According to reports, he had marks on his face and the woman had marks on her neck.

Most unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Johnson has been involved in violence against women. He has been arrested for past incidents, one in which he allegedly threw a woman to the ground and another that saw him spit a drink in a women’s face before threatening to kill her boyfriend.

This incident, however, is more horrifying than all the rest.

Take this bit, courtesy of ESPN.com:

The arresting officer said Johnson and the woman each told him about previous physical altercations, including one at another Las Vegas Strip hotel. Johnson at one point pretended to run from hotel security officers and told one security officer he would rip his vocal chords out, the police report said.

Not only is it time for the law to lock Johnson up and throw away the key, it is time for Kansas City Chiefs fans to throw away their Larry Johnson jerseys.

I know some of those jersey’s were expensive but walking around in a jersey with the name of a violent woman beater isn’t worth parting with an investment you made years ago. You could also take a piece of paper, tape it over the “Johnson” on the back and write “Elam,” as Chiefs safety Abram Elam now wears #27.

Let’s take a stand against violence and crappy football by burning our Larry Johnson jerseys. What do you say, KC?

Now that recent Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley has been “relieved of his duties” (and, presumably, his salary), it’s time to dust off that resume. This is a tough time to be looking for employment, and prospects are especially grim for a man whose primary job skills are his ability and tendency to yell at quarterbacks and NFL officials (honestly, the only place an NFL coach can get hired right now is Coors Light). Fortunately, it seems that Haley has already been busy revising the top part of his resume to reflect his hard-earned experience as a member of the Chiefs organization. Let’s take a look!

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When Kansas City Chiefs fans think back on the Herm Edwards era most probably find themselves with a sudden urge to begin spewing expletives.

Before the team fell into disrepair under Edwards, however, the former coach did lead the Chiefs to a playoff birth in his first season with a 9-7 record. The team wasn’t that good and was mostly made up of aging veterans so Edwards saddled up Larry Johnson and rode him into the playoffs. Johnson later held out for a big pay day and while he eventually got paid, the Chiefs never got a return on their investment. Johnson was never productive again and is now out of football.

In a conversation this morning on Mike and Mike in the Morning, while discussing Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson’s recent struggles, Edwards talked a bit about what he thinks happened to Larry Johnson.

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

— St. Clement of Alexandria, circa 180

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

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

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

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

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

And now…

• Not shaving, bathing, or doing laundry

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

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A lot can happen in a week.  While I was fishing Lake Michigan, camping out, and escaping the inferno of Oklahoma the Chiefs were busy continuing to not care about pre-season games, getting into fights, and then snubbing the media.

Let me make it abundantly clear that I could not care less if we win a preseason game.  The outcome of those games doesn’t matter.  It doesn’t matter to the team, it doesn’t matter to the coach, and other than the people that pay to go to the games who probably don’t care about a win either, the fans largely don’t care.  Hell watching the Giants/Bears game last night even the Monday Night Football crew couldn’t completely hide their total disinterest towards the end of the game.  Todd, lose every freaking game in the preseason so long as those boys are ready to play come September.

As far as the Chiefs approach to their training regimen and these games, it’s a gamble.  No surpise here.  We all have become aware of the gambling nature of Todd Haley.  Sure he can tell you that there is statistical data to show that his gambles are sound, but so can a guy in Vegas with notepads full of supposed patterns he’s found in the slot machines by spending his kid’s college fund.  A gamble is a gamble, that’s why they call it “a gamble.”  Last year the Chiefs took a similarly cockeyed approach to their bye week by having players act as coaches during practices.  I conjectured this format was put into place to prepare our boys in the Red and Gold for player ran practices during the lockout, but the world may never know.  The result of this player-coach approach?  Of course the Chiefs lost to the Colts.  So, will the extra time Haley and Friends took to work on conditioning end up being the smart move over focusing on actual football work?  Only if the Chiefs can keep it close enough at the start of games to make the fourth quarter matter.

Like I said, it’s a gamble.

We dig into Thomas Jones going “Larry Johnson” on Jonathan Baldwin after the jump…

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WARNING: This post ends with a bad rap parody.

It’s hard to believe, maybe, that this week marks the four-year anniversary of the debut of HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Kansas City Chiefs. In fact, to celebrate,* the NFL Network broadcast a HK:TCWTKCC marathon yesterday. For one day, it was August 2007 all over again, and the whole gang was there: Herm Edwards, of course, and Gunther “%&#^@!” Cunningham, along with the stars of the show: Turk and Tank. Boomer Grigsby. The Croyles (mostly Kelli). And poor, poor Bobby Sippio.

*”To celebrate” is one way to put it. “To kill six dead hours in the middle of a Monday” is another.

It can also be hard to remember that, at the time, things didn’t look so bad. There was hope. We were coming off a 2006 season in which the Chiefs—though some of you, I’m sure, got “this thing twisted and think we backed into this deal”—were a playoff team, with an All-Pro running back that had just lead the league in carries and finished second in yards. Meanwhile, All-World tight end Tony Gonzalez had been signed to a five-year extension. And now, HBO was reviving its acclaimed NFL training-camp reality series and wanted to feature the Chiefs and only the Chiefs—and had been spending the whole summer hyping it.

No, we didn’t know at that moment just how hard we would all be knocked over the next three years. As late as that Halloween, it still seemed like we would continue to have something to root for. First, there were those 24 unanswered second-half points in San Diego to erase a double-digit halftime deficit. Then, in a very sloppy game in Oakland, the Chiefs outlasted the Raiders to prevail 12-10, securing a 4-3 record and, heading into their bye week, first place in the AFC West. That was October 21, 2007.

The Chiefs would not win again until September 28, 2008. They would lose 12 games in a row and 28 of their next 30, getting outscored 808-499 during that stretch—though the close, late-game losses would be the most pathetic and painful.

(You know, just in case you didn’t remember all that.)

But the point is that now, four years later, though we may whine and moan about our young Chiefs’ growing pains, we also have much to cheer. Which means it’s time for another parody.

So with all apologies* to Jaz-Z for hijacking his original (and to Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, who co-wrote the original original), please enjoy, if possible. Just don’t ask me to perform it for you.

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According to The Post Game, former Kansas City Chiefs RB Larry “Smack My Bitch Up” Johnson is being charged with batter.

At least it is by a man this time. Looks like Larry is evolving.

Here is the story, from The Post Game:

According to the suit, at 6 a.m. that day, after leaving a party, Graney was “approached and attacked by a man who was later identified as Johnson.”

The suit goes on to say that Graney was “viciously struck … numerous times with a closed fist” and “beaten and brutalized by Johnson.” The suit also claims Johnson chased Graney down the street after kicking him while he was on the ground.

From www.thepostgame.com (share this quote)

Larry’s camp claims the man is trying to extort money from the former Chiefs RB. That very well could be true as athletes can sometimes be a target. The man could be claiming he is more hurt than he really is.

Still, it seems Larry Johnson will never learn. He consistently puts himself on poor situations. It is a shame to see a man with so much talent be so wasteful with his opportunities.

Could this be the last time we have to post anything about ex-Kansas City Chief Larry Johnson? Deadspin is reporting that a tipster sent them proof that Ashley Stewart, the woman who sued Johnson for allegedly spitting a drink on her at Blonde in 2008, has agreed to drop the suit for $100,000.

Hopefully this is the last LJ related post on Arrowhead Addict as well.

In his spare time, Larry enjoys being violent towards women, being a tool and averaging under 3 yards per carry in NFL football games.

Hate is a strong word but I would venture to guess that most Kansas City Chiefs fans strongly dislike former RB Larry Johnson.

Personally, I think he’s a scum bag.

The Kansas City Star reported this morning that Johnson is requesting a change of venue for an upcoming lawsuit filed by a woman that claims Johnson spat a drink on her at a Kansas City bar in 2008.

The drink spitting incident was just another in a handful of disconcerting incidents involving LJ, violence and a woman.

Larry’s lawyer,  Jack T. Bangert, provided in excellent quote in court.

“If we can’t get a change of venue in this case, it is insurmountable,” Bangert said. “We want to go anywhere but here.”

Ironic that Larry wants to be tried “anywhere but here,” because just a couple of years ago, Chiefs fans wanted Larry Johnson to play football “anywhere but here.”

Actually, maybe it isn’t ironic at all.

I hope he does get tried in KC and by a jury full of Chiefs fans and women.

And I hope they throw the book at him.

LJ gets knocked down by a gust of wind. (Source: Yardbarker.com)

Former Chiefs Larry Johnson worked out for the Tennessee Titans today according to Jason LaCanfora of NFL Network.

Larry “Smack My Bitch Up” Johnson has been out of football since being cut by the Washington Redskins earlier this season.

Johnson had a grand total of 5 carries for the Redskins racking up 2 yards. He was averaging 0.4 yards-per-carry before getting cut which is down a bit from the 2.9 yards-per-carry he averaged in his last season with the Chiefs.

What do you think Addicts? Will Larry Johnson be a Titan when Tennessee plays the Chiefs late in the season?

Source: Yardbarker.com

You probably already knew this but Larry Johnson is an ass. He always has been an ass and it looks as though he always will be an ass.

Larry made some comments recently on WPGC’s Lil’ Mo Show in DC that confirmed this fact.

Before I get to that, lets take a quick look at how Johnson went from KC Pro Bowler to Cincinnati Bengal to Washington Redskin.

It all started when Johnson was riding the bench behind Chiefs great, Priest Holmes. Johnson had been complaining publicly about his lack of playing time, despite being the back up for one of the games best running backs. Johnson was too stupid to understand that he was drafted as an insurance policy to Holmes. Priest had been injury prone and Kansas City wanted another dynamic back available in case he went down again, which he eventually did. Larry was always going to get his chance but instead of being a humble, team player and waiting his turn, he griped to the media.

Johnson’s behavior led then Chiefs head coach, Dick Vermiel to say that it was time for Johnson to “take his diapers off.”

Vermiel’s words created quite a stir. Johnson was pissed and the media seemed to think it was uncalled for.

We all now know, Dick was right. Vermiel knew Johnson was immature and hotheaded and that is likely why he was keeping him on the bench. Holmes was injured and Vermiel was simply saying Johnson needed to grow up and grow up fast.

For a while, LJ made Vermeil look foolish for sitting him for so long. He went off once he finally got on the field, racking up huge rushing numbers. Still, if you were paying attention you could see that Johnson wasn’t anywhere near as talented as Holmes.

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Larry once again showing Chiefs fans how useless he is. Source: yardbarker.com

Per Adam Schefter via Twitter:

Adam_Schefter

Filed to ESPN: Redskins are scheduled to host a visit Thursday with former Chiefs and Bengals running back Larry Johnson.

I thought the Redskins we finished making moronic personnel decisions. Guess not.

1. WR Dwayne Bowe caught more passes in his first two seasons (2007-2008)with the Chiefs than any other player in club history. Priest Holmes held the previous record with 132 in his first two.

2. Linebacker Derrick Johnson started 44 of the 45 games he played in his first three NFL seasons from 2005 to 2007.

3. Larry Johnson entered 2008 with 56 touchdowns in his 56 career games. The only two players in NFL history to score more than one touchdown per game at the time were Ladainian Tomlinson and  Jim Brown.

4. Finally, entering 2008, Herm Edwards had taken his teams to the playoffs four times in his NFL coaching career.  At the time, only two coaches,  Tony Dungy, and Bill Belichick had more trips .

Today, Larry Johnson is a man without a team and possibly a career. Dwayne Bowe is now known in some circles as “Butterfingers Bowe”, and Derrick Johnson didn’t continue the streak for 2009 though when I’m bored I replay the TiVO of him running the two interceptions back for touchdowns during the Broncos game.  Herm Edwards, doesn’t even have a coaching job.

Anyway Addicts, what happened? Player demoralization? A matter of being a quart low on brain fluid such as LJ? The simple fact that a team might not have any other options but to depend on one player?  What happened to Herm? I haven’t written either Bowe or Johnson off, but why the current lull?

Mmmm. Smell that? That is the putrid smell of Paul Brown Stadium in despicable Cincinnati, Ohio.

Weighed down by too much money and drugs? Bored with slapping women and spitting drinks in their faces? Weary of running down construction workers drunk and high at dawn? Finally out of jail?

Get away and start over at the luxurious Cincinnati Bengals Halfway House and Resort. We’ll be your home away from home, paying you millions of dollars to play a game and bring shame to our organization.

Domestic violence? Drug possession? Gun possession? Murder? No problem. All are welcome, here at lovely Paul Brown stadium.

Well, what are you waiting for? Call Marvin Lewis and book a private workout free of charge!

The Cincinnati Bengals: The NFL’s version of Australia.

In case you have missed it, over the past few days, the Cincinnati Bengals have completely lost their minds. It was one thing when the signed free agent Larry Johnson, released by the team that drafted him, the Kansas City Chiefs, during the season. The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS! In case you hadn’t noticed, things aren’t going all that well in KC. They can use all the talent they can get. Then again, Larry Johnson really isn’t talented any more so that probably made the decision easier on the Chiefs. The fans in Kansas City hated Johnson so much they started a petition urging the team to dump the woman beater so that he wouldn’t break Priest Holmes’ franchise rushing record.

Did that deter the Bengals? No sir. They needed insurance in case Cedric Benson didn’t get better. They brought in L.J. and his baggage too, for a bargain league minimum. It takes a special kind of desperation to hire a guy another company is paying millions of dollars NOT to come to work there anymore.

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With all to respect to Adam, my employer, I’m going to have to disagree that Tomlinson can be the Chiefs next Marcus Allen.

LaDanian Tomlinson is not worth his contract. He is at most, worth the league minimum as a veteran presence and mentor. That is it. Even behind a good line, Tomlinson probably isn’t going to perform very well. He has a ton of mileage on his legs, more than a guy like LJ who rode the pine for a while. He is also an unnecessary injury risk.

In the NFL, if you have good blocking, you can plug almost any talented back into your offense and he will get yards. If a guy is fast and he isn’t blind, he can run through a gigantic hole, untouched, for 5 yards. Mike Shanahan proved this by plugging any dirt bag he wanted into the Broncos lineup. They were all fairly successful, however, none of them were Terrel Davis. They weren’t special, but they got the job done.

If you have crappy blocking, you need a special back who can make things happen on his own or who can squeeze through the smallest of creases. Like Jamaal Charles does for the Chiefs. Like Barry Sanders did for the Lions.

If you have both of those things, well, then you have Ladanian Tomlinson of old. You have Chris Johnson.

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Both Larry Johnson and Jeremi Johnson are free agents. Larry Johnson is not expected to be back while the Bengals must decide about whether to make an offer to Jeremi Johnson, who had an inconsistent year. One of the reasons why they signed Vakapuna was to get their future fullback on the roster. Depending on how things go with an uncapped year, expect the Bengals to try to approach Benson about an extension. He has one year left on his contract.

Cincinnati.com

Are we really surprised? The Bengals didn’t even have L.J. active for their playoff game. I am sure that half a season with L.J. in your locker room is one too many.

Larry is done. He is over 30, he’s lost a couple of steps and he is pretty much useless unless he is running behind a very good offensive line that can open Jason Whitlock wide holes for him. I don’t see too many teams taking a chance on Larry this offseason, although, wit the free agent pool likely shallow, someone may take a chance on him.

If Larry is picked up, that team will likely be his final resting place. What do you think, Addicts? Where will Larry Johnson go to die?

With the embarrassment of being a Chiefs fan at an all time high, the best Christmas present the players could get the fans would be to shut down Larry Johnson Sunday when they play the Bengals.

Sure, the Chiefs may not be able to stop Cedric Benson, especially not when they are in the habit of giving up 250 plus yards to Jerome Harrison but Johnson, and his evil, must be stopped
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DeeNice42: u shud preach that to 27, he always on some shit in da clubs. he got shit pendin’ n thems just the ones who actually said sumthin. smhabout 23 hours ago

Translation: You’re talking to Larry Johnson? You should be scared sh**less. He’s always in trouble for slapping around women at nightclubs, and those are just the ladies who decided to come forward. Homeboy is a regular Ike Turner.

DeeNice42: yous a good woman then…but b careful wit that no self control shit cause he a big dude n u but like a buck-two-five. hope he dnt put his about 23 hours ago

Translation: You’re a good woman. Be careful, though, because L.J. is a big ass dude who likes to slap chicks around/spit drinks in their faces. Hope he hasn’t whooped that ass already. He’s the black Tom Sizemore when it comes to abusing women.

DeeNice42: he still got almost a buck on ya, so dnt preach him too much lol. he been to nyc yet or wut..about 23 hours ago

Translation: He has 100 pounds on you, so watch what you say or he’ll punch you right in the mouth. Has he made a booty call to see you in NYC yet?

DeeNice42: oh good, did he bless ya wit some bling, expensive dinners n all that…about 23 hours ago

Translation: So he did come through and hook up with you. You better have gotten some jewelery and expensive dinners out of those you-know-what payments. Do your thing gold digger. Take him for all he’s worth.

DeeNice42: no matter if ya into bling or not, we come tru d town of a honey she gotta b taken care of u feel me.. by any mean necessary. about 22 hours ago

Translation: L.J. didn’t buy you bling? Dude’s got no game. Actually I have no game, but I’m rich and I’m letting you know that I will spoil your ass and do anything else necessary in order to get with you. That includes throwing a fellow NFL player who would break me in two under the bus on the world’s biggest social networking site. When it comes to hating, I step into the phone booth and emerge wearing spandex and a cape.

DeeNice42: dinner n clubbin’ man u easy to please. any nigga do that for ya’. im tellin u when we come tru d town of a honey she gets spoiled…about 22 hours ago

Translation: Did I mention that Larry Johnson is cheap? Not me. Me and my crew will give a gold digger exactly what she wants. One of those referee-lookin’ Foot Locker employees can take you to dinner and then the club. L.J. might as well work at Foot Locker. Don’t you want to get spoiled by a sucker like me?

Even though L.J. is still in my doghouse, I gotta take his side on this one. Smearing a fellow pro athlete’s name all over Twitter to the point of libel just to impress some hoochie (and if you search his old Twitter name you see a bunch of chicks trying to holler, so that isn’t off base) was a pathetic move by Sharper. Larry Johnson may be an asshole/prima donna/hasbeen, but Sharper looks like a coward and a hater. It also amazes me that these athletes don’t seem to think about the repercussions of their social networking. It’s as if Sharper thought nobody else would see this.

Anyway, I found this whole thing very amusing. It took some work to translate Sharperese, but I think I have it down now. So, if anybody is looking for a translator, I’m your man. We’ll keep you posted on the Johnson-Sharper beef. Unfortunately, the Chiefs and the Saints, Sharper’s new team, don’t play this season. Regardless, Sharper better have his head on the swivel. L.J.’s got almost a buck on him, too.

(Adam Best is the senior editor of Arrowhead Addict. Follow him daily via email/RSS feed and Twitter.)

They refuse to look at their team’s roster through anything except a Red-and-Gold-colored prism. This is why guys like Brodie Croyle, Jeff Webb, Kris Wilson and Samie Parker got defended for way longer than they should have. This is why I coined the phrase “earn your Arrowhead” (and, ironically enough, Todd Haley is essentially using that very concept with his players).

Speaking of earn your Arrowhead, L.J. has lost his. Permanently if you ask me.

Look, I want the Chiefs to be good just as desperately as you all do. But if I didn’t come on here and tell you what I thought was the honest truth, nobody would read this site. I’m telling you right now that Larry Johnson is all but done in Kansas City.

We’ve seen this in Oakland with Randy Moss. We’ve seen this in Indiana with Ron Artest. The Big Apple with guys like Plaxico and Starbury. Beantown with Manny. We’ve reached the point of no return with L.J. I’m convinced he’s worn out his welcome and that bridge can no longer be mended. And that’s before you consider that he is likely damaged goods with a suspension looming. These things never work out well. Trust me.

Look, L.J. is only desperately trying to save his career at this point. I’ve always said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, especially a diva of an old dog with a chip on his shoulder bigger than pal Jay-Z’s bank account. He’s not going to become Thomas Jones in pass protection out of the blue. He’s not going to all of a  sudden magically transform into Reggie Bush as a pass catcher. He’s not going to stop resenting the Chiefs franchise and its fans, along with the rest of Kansas City.

If Larry Johnson resurrects his career, it will be somewhere else. I doubt he can at this point, by the way. He’s about as wanted as Matt Jones and Travis Henry are nowadays. In fact, I’m not so sure he’s not just still on the roster as trade bait. There’s no real rush to cut him. None at all. And Larry would still show up even if he had a feeling he was going to get cut. He’s auditioning for the rest of the NFL as we speak, practicing his Carlito Brigante “ya Honor, I’m a changed man” speech in the mirror every night.

So, when I say Edgerrin James would be a cheaper, better fit for the 2009 Chiefs than Larry Johnson, it’s not because I’m stupid. It’s because it’s the truth. I can handle it. Can you?

1. Edge is a much better blocker and receiver than L.J., which makes him far more valuable in Todd Haley’s pass-happy offense.

2. Edge already knows Haley’s system.

3. The abovementioned financial reason, and that’s assuming Edge would get paid less than the nearly $4 million L.J. is due to make this year. I think that’s a fair assumption.

4. Get Larry Johnson’s malcontent ass out of the locker room, which would cost us nothing after the Chiefs won their grievance against him. This would send a warning shot to the players and a positive message to Chiefs fans.

Are we interested in signing Edge and cutting Larry? According to Kent Somers of AZCentral.com, some teams definitely are interested in James. Then again, this could just be Drew Rosenhaus inflating his client’s value.

I exchanged some text messages with Drew Rosenhaus, Edgerrin James’ agent, today and he thinks Edge won’t be a free agent for long.

“So far several teams have expressed interest and we may have a deal in place in the very near future,” Rosenhaus said.

Signing Edge to a one-year contract — which would make next year a contract year for Edge — is a smart move. The same kind (Jamal Lewis) of move carried the Cleveland Browns to their best season in recent history two years ago. Additionally, I think Edge is more versatile than Jam with better wheels. Edge could help us be competitive this year, and then both parties could sit down afterward and see if bringing him back makes sense.

Addicts, sound off on the thought of Edge to K.C.?

Now, I’ve had the time to sit down and read almost everything that’s been written about this situation. In my opinion, you can’t compare L.J.to Clinton Portis or Marshall Faulk or even Willis McGahee. I think this is more like Jamal Anderson meets Ricky Williams. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it’s my guesstimation that L.J. has no value on the trade market. I expect the Chiefs to eventually have to cut Larry, I really do.

I’ll be back with a vlog here soon, but for now…

Addicts, sound off on the Chiefs winning their Larry Johnson grievance case today…

By now, you’ve heard the news about Larry Johnson. You’ve heard that he can’t sip bubbly any more. You’ve heard that he can’t go to Blonde or any other bar or club after 9 PM. You’ve heard that he plans to report when the Chiefs kick off their voluntary workouts come Monday. You’ve heard that the Chiefs are filling a breach-of-contract grievance with the NFL to try to free themselves of the $3.75 million they owe wannabe Scarface Andre Rison  Jr.

What you haven’t read is this: Larry Johnson will not be wearing red on Sundays this fall…in Kansas City, anyway.

Say goodbye to the bad guy? No. Say goodbye to the Larry in red.

He might don red as Tiger Wood’s caddy. He might sport the red jersey of the Bucs, Cardinals, Falcons, Niners, Texans or Giants. But he will never rock his red No. 27 Chiefs jersey again. Well, not on Sunday for pay. If he wants to wear it with a pink watch, a trucker hat and camo pants to the club on his own time, hey, that’s his business.

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Before we get to our latest AA Reader Mock Draft announcement (the verdict is pretty clear), we bring you a bit of Chiefs news. No, not the unsurprising news that Clancy Pendergast is now officially our defensive coordinator or the that we have signed another camp body. This news is about Larry Johnson and his new squeeze — Chilli from TLC. L.J. is now the second Chief to be romantically involved with a member of the group, as Andre Rison and Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes used to be an item back in the day. Chilli also used to date Usher and is older than Kurt Warner. Not joking about her age either.

From Media Take Out:

Apparently Chilli from TLC is dating convicted woman beater (and Kansas City Chiefs running back) Larry Johnson. The two had been trying to keep their relationship on the low  but now it’s out.

Don’t go spitting “Waterfalls,” Larry, and don’t expect any TLC from Chiefs fans after the “Creep” you’ve been. And, remember, you better bring your A game back to K.C. because Scott Pioli is a “No Scrubs” kinda guy.

Enter Todd Haley. A few veterans must have been expecting Kindergarten Coach given the team’s recent head coaching hires. What they got was something totally different. In fact, a “tum-ah” might have been more fun given that they had grown accustomed to Pee Wee Herm’s playhouse.

The Chiefs new head coach is not only a hard ass — he’s a smart ass. I’m thinking Andrew Dice Clay with more of a Pittsburgh accent, maybe even a little Dirty Harry thrown in for intimidation. I’m glad he came in here busting balls, honestly. Now that Haley and Scott Pioli are here — and their reputations do precede them — it’s time for the players to STFU and trust The Pioli Trinity to do its thing. Yes, even Tony Gonzalez.

Just who do the Chiefs’ veteran stars think they are? What is the deal with their sense of entitlement? Brian Waters demanding to meet with Haley and Pioli to discuss football would be similar to Chris Brown demanding to meet with Joe Biden to discuss his Violence Against Women Act. Just ludicrous.

Speaking of domestic abuse, Larry Johnson wants a fresh start. So do we, Larry, so do we. But the bottom line is that the Chiefs signed you to that long-term deal you demanded, so you’re here until Pioli tells you you’re not. Your heart may belong to Jesus Jay-Z, but your ass belongs to the Chiefs.

No wonder we traded for Mike Vrabel and visited with Bobby Engram. We need captains — not crybabies.

After his infamous “22 guys off the street” comment, I can totally see Haley going all Diceman and screaming “ohhhhhh!” Can’t you? Or maybe it’s just more fun to imagine it that way. Regardless, my imagination went wild. Here are some of Andrew Dice Haley’s nursery rhymes, written especially for some of the Chiefs’ vets:

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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?

Recently, we were informed that Brian Waters, a stalwart right guard for the Chiefs, had left his Texas home to come to K.C. There he hoped to have a pow-wow with head coach Todd Haley and GM Scott Pioli.Terrible timing, bad instincts and poor form. Pioli and Haley are in the process of putting together a coaching staff, a scouting staff, their free agent wish list and their draft big board. Waters was quickly rebuffed by Haley saying he didn’t intend to meet with him — besides he could go 2-14 with guys off the street!! The uninvited Waters demanding a meeting with Pioli and Haley would be like one of the bankers from Citibank demanding an audience with President Obama.

Mr. Waters further flamed the fires by going to see the Grand Marshall of Dissension — Jason Whitlock. By airing the dirty laundry of their meeting, Mr. Waters was going behind the back of his employers, and playing for support and sympathy from the fans. Unfortunately, such actions only seem to weaken the fiber of the relationship between the coach and players.

This brings us back to the addition by subtraction. The Eagles have been a better and more harmonious team since they released Terrell Owens than the Cowboys have been since signing T.O. The Dolphins became a better team after they eliminated malcontent Jason Taylor and all the distractions that came with him last year. The Falcons were finally able to rebuild once Michael Vick was halfway across the country behind bars. The Tennessee Titans became a team the minute they benched Vince Young. The list goes on and on.

I am not suggesting that Brian Waters is in the same class of troubled stars (nor Jason Taylor, for that matter). What I am suggesting is that this staff will not tolerate self-serving, coddled veterans who could distract form team chemistry and mislead impressionable rookies and young players.

Pioli and Haley have the unenviable task of changing the team mantra — particularly after past two player’s coaches coddled the players. I suggest that the loyal Chiefs fans support their efforts wholeheartedly. I, for one, am sick of Larry Johnson and his off-the-field adventures. Waters, by his recent actions, may have joined L.J. on the express train out of town. If Tony Gonzalez isn’t careful, he could join them, too.

The sum of the team and its culture is more important than any one star. That’s why B-Dub, L.J. and Tony G. might soon have new teams if they don’t soon have new attitudes. Remember, the colors — Red and Gold — are more important than the cast of characters.

I’m a pretty eccentric dude, but c’mon, L.J. You look like you’re dressing up like Andre Rison’s ex-girlfriend for Halloween or something. Yes, the one who’s no longer with us. Seriously, you got that TLC look. Either that, or a mishmash of Lil’ Wayne (fatigues), Ashton Kutcher circa Punk’d worn Kid ‘n Play style (trucker hat?), Kurt Cobain (flannel) and Hannah Montana (pink swatch)?

There’s eclectic and then there’s epileptic. You know, like you just spazzed and threw on a bunch of crap. I think Larry just needs a hug. After his Scarface number, he won’t get it from us. Anyway, back to business soon, but I thought everybody could enjoy a good chuckle at Larry’s expense.

(hat tip: Josh Q. Public via TMZ)

New Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said he’s hopeful the team can resolve differences with disgruntled running back Larry Johnson, who said he wants out of Kansas City.

“All situations there’s solutions to,” said Haley, who added he has not spoken with Johnson since being hired earlier this month.

Haley said there’s a “clean slate for everyone” on the Chiefs, including Johnson, who rushed for 874 yards last season in 12 games.

“Everybody’s going to have an opportunity to show who they are and what they want to be,” Haley said.

On the other hand, he could just be trying to inflate L.J.’s deflated trade value. That’s my spin on these comments. If we can convince the league that there is no way we would just outright cut Larry, then he may yet have some value. I still don’t think he stays in Kansas City, but I also want him gone. After all, once you burn a jersey you can’t put it back together again.

Congrats to our new coach, Todd Haley.  This is the key hiring in Scott Pioli’s tenure, just like the key to Haley’s tenure will be his choice of coordinators. Lets hope there is no one named Clancy as our defensive coordinator. Unfortunately, due to his late hiring, many excellent choices are already gone (Mike Nolan). Hopefully, the Three Musketeers — Clark Hunt, Haley and Pioli — will have the opportunity to draft a franchise player like Carl Peterson did with Derrick Thomas in his first draft.

Stop the nonsense about Michael Crabtree. Yes, he is a great college player, but didn’t we learn anything from Matt Millen and the Lions? Receivers are available every year, but without a line or a quarterback to throw to them they are not worth the investment of a No. 3 pick. Regardless of the position, the Chiefs must find a player that will be Pro Bowl-caliber player at that position for 8-10 years. Often that is an outstanding offensive lineman — see Joe Thomas, Brown, 2007, or Jake Long, Dolphins, 2008.

Lastly, is an appeal to the Chiefs fans for PATIENCE. The Three Musketeers have taken over a mess. Arrowhead is being rebuilt and the Chiefs have the youngest team in the league.  In addition, they have several problem areas which must be rectified — like Larry Johnson. We are likely to get nothing in return for him as a result of his tirades and trade demands. Also, Brian Waters and Tony Gonzalez have mentioned that they might possibly like a change of scenery. It will take several months to assemble a staff, analyze our current roster and size up free agency and the draft. Good Luck!!

Carl Peterson and Herm Edwards are gone. Scott Pioli and Todd Haley have replaced them. Derrick Thomas will soon be a HoFer. Tony Gonzalez has re-written all the records he basically can, even Pro Bowl ones. Larry Johnson thinks he’s Tony Montana, which is funny given all the fountains in Kansas City. So…

Addicts, where do we go now? Let us know!

The Kansas City Chiefs are entering one of the most important drafts in franchise history.  After coming off a solid draft in 2008, the Chiefs must continue to build off of last year’s draft to generate a solid contending team for years to come.  The only way this can be done is to address the major needs of our beloved red and gold.   In this post, I will be ranking our major draft needs; 1 being a non-need and 10 being a desperate need.

Quarterback: -10

Sure Tyler Thigpen showed potential in 2008.  I don’t want to throw him under the bus or anything, but who knows what is going to happen when we get a new coach and if he will want to stick with this spread offense.  If our new coach does not want to go with the spread, can Tyler be an effective under-the-center type quarterback?  The Chiefs can not afford to wait if Tyler doesn’t pan out.  Damon Huard is more than likely gone and lord knows that we can’t rely on Brodie Croyle.  We must pick up a QB in this draft but none of the quarterbacks coming out of the draft seem to be worthy of a 3rd overall pick in my opinion.  I say we pick up a QB in the later rounds.  Here are some who should be available after the first round.

• Graham Harrell, Texas Tech - In 2008 Harrell threw for 5,100 yards, 45 touchdowns and posted a quarterback rating of 160.04.  I know that he is definitely a product of a system but his stats are still outstanding.  Although he does not have the frame of most NFL QB’s, he has good fundamentals to become a solid NFL player.  Great arm, good accuracy, durable, shows poise in the pocket and has great football intelligence.  I see Graham Harrell more as a developmental type player but he definitely has potential.

• Josh Freeman, Kansas State - Standing at 6’5″, 238 pounds Freeman has great size for the NFL.  I personally think Josh Freeman is overrated but a lot of people like him and he is rated high on many peoples boards for QB’s in the 2009 draft, so I thought I would list him.  He has great size and a cannon arm but I question his decision making frequently, especially in clutch situations.

• Nate Davis, Ball State - I think Nate Davis would be a solid pick on the 2nd day of the draft.  He threw for 9,233 yards and 74 touchdowns in 3 years at Ball State.  He seems to be a more NFL ready quarterback and I think he wouldn’t take as long to develop as a Graham Harrell.  Davis has great smarts and plays well under pressure.  If we can get him on the second day of the draft I say we take him.

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As most of you know, I used to be Larry Johnson’s Internet wingman.

I repped my No. 27 jersey every single Chiefs game. I demanded that Carl Peterson re-sign him to a megadeal when he held out, which was not a popular stance with my fellow Chiefs fans. I pretty much castrated anyone who even suggested the possibility of L.J. getting traded, either to me personally or in our comments. Arrowhead Addict had your back like no other branch of Chiefs Nation did. We had your back, and we had it all the way.

Hey, I was wrong. I lead you all down the wrong path. I’m sorry for that.

Larry Johnson is a P.O.S. human being whose best football days are behind him. During the past year, Johnson’s true colors have emerged. We should have traded him to Green Bay before the 2007 season. Sorry, Jared Allen, we traded the wrong guy. I just now figured that out, in large part due to this dagger sticking out of my back that’s covered in bling and has a Roc-A-Fella logo on it.

After a season where Johnson pretty much put up Ahman Green-in-Houston numbers and assaulted his 147th hoodrat while clubbin’ in K.C., he’s acting like everything is our fault? He says we’re the bad guys, Chiefs Nation. He even went all Scarface on us. I kid you not. From PFT:

In an interview on 610 Sports in Kansas City, Johnson made his case for a “clean break.”

He said that Kansas isn’t “a fit for me anymore,” pointing generally to the “environment and things that went on.”

“No sense of delaying the inevitable . . . I think it’s time for us to break ties,” Johnson said.

The interview began with a quote from the film Scarface, which Johnson specifically requested.

“You’re all a bunch of f–king assholes,” Al Pacino as Tony Montana said in the quote.  “You know why?  You don’t have the guts to be what you wanna be.  You need people like me.  You need people like me so you can point your f–king fingers and say, ‘That’s the bad guy.’

“So, what [does] that make you, good?  You’re not good.  You just know how to hide, how to lie.  Me, I don’t have that card.  Me, I always tell the truth, even when I lie.”

So how did Johnson explain the reason for requesting that quote?  “That’s sometimes how I feel when I go in and out of Kansas City,” Johnson said.

You make me sick, Larry Johnson. You call out us fans, after all we’ve done for you? You know how many No. 27 jerseys have been floating around Arrowhead the past five years? Or what about the time when we dubbed you Iron Man and saved you from the gayest nickname of all time — Centaur? Do you have any idea how many Chiefs fans used to throw their diamonds up every time you scored? The key phrase being “used to.”

L.J., we are officially done with you. Dick Vermeil was actually right about you being a crybaby. I guess it takes one to know one. And now we know that your touchdown celebration really is a vagina.

We will never, ever show you any support again. We will never, ever picture you in a Chiefs jersey again. A turncoat like you doesn’t deserve to rock the Red and Gold. You’re dead to us now. You’re Fredo. I wish I owned a boat and knew a guy named Al so he could take you fishing.

You wanna go to war, Larry? Fine. Let’s do this…

This one is simple. We took our turn to say what we had to say to Larry Johnson (above), now it’s the rest of Chiefs Nation’s turn…

Addicts, anything you want to say to Larry Johnson? Shout! Shout! Let it all out!

(After what he did today, L.J. will no longer be seen in a Chiefs jersey in any new post on this site. Period. That’s a promise. – Adam)

Well, gang, Larry Johnson still wants out of Kansas City despite newly hired GM Scott Pioli.  Larry Johnson went into depth about how he feels about the city and the Chiefs in a 23-minute interview on KCSP 610 radio on Wednesday.

Johnson says:

“I’d rather just play somewhere else. This is a rebuilding team. I dont’ really think that I belong on this rebuilding team. It’s just the way the league works. I’ve done what I’ve done for Kansas City. I’m not getting no younger, and the team is getting younger. So I’m not sure I fit in the scheme of things. I never felt like I was in the scheme of things anyways. Everyone wants to do it the hard way, or you can do it the easy way.”

In the interview Larry goes on to talk about the fans of Kansas City saying that he gets boo’ed when out at sporting events or in the public.

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Some KC locals think Tyler Thigpen is the answer going forward.  Everyone is allowed to have an opinion of course, but two wins compared to 11 pretty much seals the argument in Cassel’s favor.  Could he be the next Scott Mitchell? Sure, or he could be the next Tom Brady.  Cassel might end up like other QB’s who weren’t drafted by their current teams like Kurt Warner, Drew Brees, or even Brett Farve. (Farve was drafted by Atlanta originally in case your brain stuttered over that one.)

Considering KC’s track record of developing drafted QB’s, making a play for Cassel wouldn’t be a bad idea.  The Patriots have until Feb. 19 to franchise Cassel, so circle that date on your calendar.  The long and the short of it is that the Chiefs can afford Cassel, and they definitely have a need at QB despite Thiggy Smalls performance last season.  Having two starting-caliber QB’s is becoming vogue in the NFL now due to the massive amounts of injuries at the position. Chiefs fans would have to consider themselves lucky to have a Cassel and a Thigpen considering the ridiculous Brokie Croyle circus Herm brought to town the last few years.

In addition to potentially signing Matt Cassel, there are also rumors O’ plenty about shipping Larry Johnson and even Tony Gonzalez out of town on rails.  One, a malcontent RB who may well not have a lot left in the tank after signing a hefty contract.  The other, a wily veteran TE whose value may never be higher after another Pro Bowl season.  Public sentiment seems to be keep Citizen Tony and boot crybaby L.J. — diapers and all.  However, these opinions are formed with three parts emotion and one part logic considering LJ’s legal “issues” (which would maybe be non issues outside the KC fishbowl), and Tony G’s local celebrity status.

Don’t unbuckle those football helmets just because the Super Bowl is over just yet Chiefs fans…we have quite a few more things to look forward to this season, and expect them to come soon.

At first, I was an anti-spread guy when it came to the pros. I’ve softened a little bit on that stance. First off, it’s obvious that Tyler Thigpen is much more comfortable in this kind of offense. The offense line was a five-lane expressway before we implemented the formation. Larry? I think it’s easy for him to get a head full of steam, which makes him extremely difficult to bring down. I also think this offense could potentially extend his career. Tony Gonzalez? More receiving, less blocking. As a result, he’s thrived. Dwayne Bowe has been his usual standout self, occasional drops due to lapses in concentration and all. Mark Bradley has emerged as a legit complimentary receiver.

The other pro is that both Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow run the spread, and rumor has it that we are still thinking quarterback. Don’t shoot the messenger, yo, but we might still draft a quarterback this upcoming spring. If Andre Smith is unavailable, I think anything that early except a QB might be a reach in this draft class. I don’t see a top-five defensive end among the bunch, and I don’t believe top-five linebackers exist. You reach when you pick a LB in the top five. I’ll put it this way; I’d rather have two good quarterbacks than none. Gotta hedge that bet.

One other potential pro is that it could balance out Herm Edwards‘ tendency to be overly conservative. Because the spread is an aggressive formation by nature, conservative playcalling with this formation is counter-productive.

Cons? Well, L.J. isn’t exactly the Wizard of Westbrook as a receiver and Jamaal Charles hands are suspect. I also think it puts you at a disadvantage in the redzone and on short yardage situations, because if you line up in under-center formations after primarily running the spread it telegraphs that you are going to go to the power running game. Especially with Harm at coach. Additionally, if Harm tries to be too conservative late in games he will clip the spread’s wings.

It’s also currently unknown just how effective either Brodie Croyle or Quinn Gray will be in the spread, or if either guy will even be around next year should we stick with the trendy O. Damon Huard‘s done as a Chief, that we know.

Like everybody else, I’m going to keep an eye on Thiggy Smalls these next three weeks. By the end of the season, he will have had basically 10 games in the spread. I think that’s enough of a look for the Addict jury, and the Chiefs, to reach a verdict.

Addicts, should the spread stay or should it go?

Now before all you Herm Apologists and homers and insane sheep come out and stomp your feet and cry “but we ARE looking better”- hear me out. I’m you! I’m die-hard Chiefs! I hate Denver and Oakland and can’t imagine going to a game in any other stadium than Arrowhead! I am the guy that found Joe Phillips! I am the guy who called for Brodie Croyle’s head! I am the guy who gave you LJ’s accuser! I love you man! Sometimes when we love so deeply we have to give out some tough love. Lock the doors, this has went from column to intervention.

I think Tyler Thigpen is good. I’ll say it again, Tyler Thigpen is good. The guy looks like a capable NFL QB. I don’t know if he can start and win games yet, but he gives the illusion of a good football team. A mirage in a dusty desert Chiefs fans crawl to — reaching out for, holding out hope that someone can rescue us from QB hell and quench our thirst for stability. Oh, hahaha! But then there’s Herm Edwards and Ashton Kutcher there at the water’s edge to kick sand in your face with his 32nd ranked defense. You’re on Punk’d!

Some of my detractors out there, newly-anointed Hermaphrodites, claim that I never have anything good to say about Herm. My reply is, give me something good to say! Why do you think I named him Harm? Because the guy does nothing but bad things for our team. We need a Hippocratic Coaching oath that includes “Do no Harm“, the Lombardi Pledge or Ditka Doctrine could be some good names for said oath.

Fact of the matter is, Mr. Thigpen hasn’t won a game yet, and its not for a lack of trying. The same old Herm reasons also apply here why we are still losing games- poor clock management, poor decisions on 3rd and 4th down, not kicking to send a game to overtime… Common denominator = Herm. The only reason the Thigpen isn’t hurt yet a la Croyle & Huard is because of the spread offense. Thiggy Smalls should be on his hands and knees every G.D. night thanking Chan Gailey for his head still being attached to his body.

We went to the spread offense out of necessity! Necessity! We had to get 8 guys out of our box so we could breathe on offense because Herm’s vanilla ice cream offense melted down our hand — and then like Brodie Croyle’s urine — went straight down the leg. Had we not switched to the spread, we’d be signing more guys off the street and Mark Wahlberg isn’t walking through the doors anytime soon.

You know and I know that we aren’t playing Herm football right now and that’s where this Thigpen mirage comes from. We see the ball flying around and making some first downs and even some touchdowns, but still come up short but “Hey at least it was fun to watch right?” Right and wrong, because next year when we have a starting QB and some semblance of an offensive line and maybe some new toys on defense we are going to be right back to square one with Harm Edwards football. Running the ball (if we still have LJ) and trying to play the vaunted Tampa 2 without the right linebackers and we are going to be having all these same conversations again.

• Why can’t we keep our QB upright?
• What is Herm doing/thinking/watching on that play?
• Why are we losing games in the 4th quarter?
• Why are we running the ball up the gut 3 times and punting?

Get ready Hermlovers, because this is what this site will look like just under a year from now.

Clark Hunt — if you or your minions are reading this, I implore you, I beg you…make your mark on this franchise. Its time to step out of Daddy’s rather large shadow and take the reigns of this stagecoach because its headed over the cliff and the horses have blinders on. Hire us a winning coach and the rest of the pieces will fall into place. None of this “do-over” and free shit season pass business. This football team is exactly that, a business. Treat it as such.

I love the Addicts and all Chiefs fans, but I spit the Herm Edwards bait out, and I’m not falling for this debacle and never will. We are worse than the Detroit Lions record-wise. Think about that.

1-18 is UNACCEPTABLE!

I picked us to go 4-12 again this year. Not too much to ask for and it could still happen, but until I see improvement on the win/loss record, we aren’t getting any better no matter how thirsty we are for victories, what we are seeing now is a mirage, and a lot of Chiefs fans are seeing what they want to see.

Larry Johnson is now being sued by his accuser, Lawrence’s own Ashley Stewart.

From the KC Star-

The woman, Ashley N. Stewart, told police that Johnson intentionally spit his drink in her face and threatened to kill her boyfriend.

Monday’s lawsuit does not seek specific monetary damages, only an amount that is “fair and reasonable to be determined by the jury.” Stewart’s lawyer, Kirra N. Jones, said her client’s injuries are real.

“She has been subjected to not only the initial incident, but the humiliation that stemmed from that,” Jones said. “Basically, what we seek to do is to hold Larry Johnson responsible for his actions and hopefully send a message to him and the community that this is not going to continue.”

Want to see more of the plaintiff? Thanks to WomenofKU.com and the lovely calendar they produced in 2006, we are able to take a peek(s) at Ms. Stewart (ALLEGEDLY). She should be driving something new in the Lawrence area quite soon.

Tyler Thigpen can go out there and play like Drew Brees and we can rush for 100 yards, score 27 points and still lose. The common denominator? Herm Freaking Edwards. Harm Edwards.

My question to you, fellow Chiefs fans, is how much Harm is enough? How long must we deal with Herm wrecking our team and tunneling it further into the ground before we storm the castle?

He’s taken two teams, year-in, year-out playoff participants and gone nowhere but downhill with them.

In KC he took a team with one of the most prolific offenses in the league and turned it into a Pop Warner squad. The Chiefs the last several years have sort of resembled the last two Presidents- (Obama and Bush) a tale of two extremes. Dick’s Team was all offense and no defense, we’ll call his Bush for argument’s sake. Now, I wish I could say Herm “fixed” our defense, gave us a mediocre offense and brought us to the Obama term and Arrowhead glory of the early 90′s: but we have no offense AND no defense; while we still have some offensive stars, their play has been, well…offensive. We can’t seem to find the middle.

Herm’s defensive expertise, which he is given waaaay too much credit for- has given us a worse defense than we had during the Vermeil years. This year we are last in rushing yards allowed by 17 percent. It’s an embarrassment and there’s no way to explain why Harm Edwards still has a job. Unless of course you are Carl’s homie and you work at One Arrowhead Drive, where the “Rebuilding Umbrella” shields you from those heavy downpours of criticism, keeping you warm and dry from the storm.

Fuel to the fire

Herm has been good at squeaking into the playoffs with Bill Parcells and Dick Vermeil teams, at 10-6, 9-7 and then 6-10. He runs RBs like Curtis Martin and Larry Johnson into the ground and can’t protect his QBs. He had to bring Vinny Testaverde out of retirement due to injuries, got Trent Green killed, hurt Damon that year, now Brodie and Damon again. LJ was leading the league in rushing ’til he jumped the shark or we would have been down the same road again. If we had beat the Raiders, we’d be contending for the top seed of the AFC West with two wins! The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. Having Herm Edwards as the coach of your football team needs to be part two of that definition. All roads lead to mediocrity.

Oh yeah and we are 1-17. ONE AND SEVENTEEN! Going back to last season’s losing streak of 9 games.

Miami won one game last year, and look what Parcells/Sparano has done with them. Contending for their division, playoff bound- with Herm’s cast-off QB Chad Pennington! Rams, Falcons and Dolphins OH MY! All out-coaching and outperforming the Germ. Please, by all means defend Herm, but I challenge you to do it without the statement of “give him more time.”

• Are we seeing some improvement from young players? Yes, albeit, a little bit- absolutely. Isn’t that to be expected, at least a little bit?
• Are we still finding ways to lose games under Herm? More than we should.
• Was Brodie Croyle a mistake? Of course he was, it was obvious from the get-go.
  
• Was LJ’s contract a mistake? That’s looking like a yes- but don’t count him out.
  
• Letting Jared Allen go? I think we all know we had to.
• Not letting Tony Gonzalez walk? A mistake if we are truly rebuilding.

Finally, this question is for the fans to answer…

Addicts, how much time do we give Harm Edwards despite the Rebuilding Umbrella and other excuses?

Chiefs running back Larry Johnson was suspended for Week 10 of the NFL season by commissioner Roger Goodell for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.

Johnson is not permitted on the team’s premises until Nov. 10. The suspension will cost him about $147,000, or one game check.

Carl Peterson felt that the suspension was fair and hopes that LJ can rebuild his life.

“We respect the decision of commissioner Goodell,” said Carl Peterson, president of the Kansas City Chiefs. “The NFL player conduct policy sets forth a set of standards that all NFL players, coaches and staff members must abide by. Upon the completion of his suspension we sincerely hope that Larry will be ready to return to the field for the Chiefs determined to make a positive contribution to our team and, with the assistance of the people around him, turn his life around.”

I think the Chiefs have done the right thing by sitting LJ for the last two weeks and this Sunday. I think LJ might have gotten a longer suspension if the Chiefs had taken no action. Let’s all hope that LJ will come back the new-and-improved LJ that we all know he can be for this team.

Johnson, who has been accused of several instances of off-field misconduct including threatening a woman and spitting in her face, has been summoned to New York to meet with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting.

Frequently, when an NFL player is called in to meet with Goodell, a suspension follows. That was the case for, among others, Adam “Pacman” Jones, Chris Henry, Tank Johnson and Brandon Marshall. It’s not clear yet whether Johnson will also get a suspension, or whether Goodell will determine that the discipline already handed down by the team is sufficient.

First, a little Haratio humor at Larry Johnson‘s expense (above) compliments of NESW Sports. Then there’s “Larry Johnson Bobblehead Theatre” from our friends at Hugging Harold Reynolds. On a more serious note, Mike Hendricks of The Kansas City Star wasn’t feeling L.J.’s apology as much as colleague Jason Whitlock.

The problem here is that the only time our Chiefs are getting any play is when they are getting laughed at or scolded. Hey, it makes our job easier here at the Addict, but it makes life sort of miserable as a Chiefs fan. I mean, look at the mockery that’s become our quarterback situation.

Enjoy the links. Maybe we can all at least enjoy some self-depricating humor in the midst of this Autumn tragedy.

On reread I noice a trend:
This what I find troubling about the statements:
1. “the truth will come to light”= I didn’t do anything as far as your concerned.
2. ” *anticipate* seeking help” = I won’t until they make me.
3. “where things don’t come out favorably to me” = I was unlucky and catched trouble with the Pol-lease.
4. “as a man everyone makes mistakes”= Stuff happens, its not my fault.
5. “look for the light and that?s what I **plan** on doing= I’m not looking for the light now “regardless of what suspensions and fines are being handed down”.
6. “take them as sincerely as they give them out”=nothing too serious is going to happen, so I’m not too worried about it.

Our first example of this is Tony Gonzalez. An all-time great and a lock for the Hall of Fame, Tony had the audacity to ask the warden (Carl Peterson) for parole. His lawyers and fans begged the warden to consider the facts; he had been a leader, a very productive inmate, and deserved parole on excellent behavior. Besides, it would open up prison space for a new inmate (a third-round pick). After getting everybody’s hopes up, the warden ultimately said no at the last minute. He said it would disturb the chemistry of the prison. So, there Tony sits, playing out his sentence until he becomes eligible for parole this spring.

Our second inmate is a curious example of imitation. Larry Johnson‘s running style has always been compared to the great Jim Brown. Unfortunately, LJ has chosen to emulate the great one’s relationship with the fairer sex off the field as well. He is soon to face head of the penile system (Roger Goodell) and a likely suspension. It is just a matter of time, unless he gets help, before he goes to a real prison.

Our third inmate resides about 30 miles from Arrowhead. Some people, including the Chief scribe of this site, have suggested he is the savior for the Chiefs franchise. What a ridiculous suggestion. Let’s take a young struggling franchise with issues on and off the field, and add the most controversial athlete of this generation–Micheal Vick. Adding Vick might set the franchise back another 5-10 years. Do the memories of the Falcons of the last two years have any meaning?

Our fourth and final inmate is an escapee–Kawika Mitchell. Deemed rehabilitated and no potential threat to society (the rest of the league), he was released. Since leaving Al-Carl-traz, he has won a Super Bowl and now is an integral component of the revamped Buffalo Bills. His replacement, Napoleon Harris, is now in a minimum security prison in Minnesota alongside Jared Allen, another former prisoner of the warden’s Rock.

What a dysfunctional prison!!! Is it the inmate’s fault? Not entirely. Ultimately, you have to blame the warden. As a famous man from Independence used to say–THE BUCK STOPS THERE! Time to bring in a new warden who can turn 1 Arrowhead Drive back into a respectable facility in time for it’s reopening in 2010.

Sweet Halloween costume, dude!

Yes, that’s Larry Johnson dressed up as infamous woman beater Ike Turner. Hey, Larry, were did you find that chick? She looks just like Tina Turner. What did you say? “We Don’t Need Another Hero?” Um, in light of yet another alleged “altercation” with a woman, it looks like, yeah, we really do. Even I might be saying send him “Rollin’ On The River” at this point (and the other two Bests definitely are).

Before we were ready to give Larry the benefit of the doubt, but this happened at a nightclub right around the time when he’s dealing with an eerily similar previous situation legally. Also, he was dating smokin’ hot Julissa Bermudez for well over a year. If he had of been single all of this time, how many times would he have gone all Lawrence Phillips up in the club? 10? 15? Who is this guy? Tom Sizemore?

For his sake, this better be yet another false alarm. Then again, even if it is how does he keep getting involved in these situations? Most of us have been out among other people, often late at night, often enjoying ourselves, and never have had an altercation with a member of the opposite sex. This pattern is starting to look like something straight out of the Pacman Jones playbook. No bueno.

At this point, we might just have to cut our losses and move him for fitty cents on the dollar after the season.

Addicts, what should we do with Larry Johnson?

Herm Edwards called a press conference this morning at Arrowhead and delivered some shocking news.

Edwards announced yet another devastating suspension for Chiefs fans, coming on the heels of yesterday’s suspension deactivation of star running back Larry Johnson.

“I got some good news and some bad news, the good news is I won’t be on the sideline this Sunday, as I am suspending myself for conduct detrimental to the team. Bad news, which you may have heard about yesterday, is that Larry won’t be with us because he pushed some chickenhead in the face like Samson did on Half-Baked during his back-e-otomy lament, in a downtown KC club 8 months ago.”

Edwards also commented about Johnson’s alleged victim having other motivations than justice, such as money, from his starting running back.

“Now I ain’t sayin’ she a gold digger, But she ain’t messin’ wit no broke ni*#as,” Edwards said.

Bob Gretz asked how Johnson would handle the one game suspension, Edwards said, “He gon’ make it to a Benz out of that Datsun. He got that ambition, baby look in his eyes. This week he’s moppin’ floors, next week it’s the fries. So, stick by his side, I know this dude’s ballin, and yeah that’s nice.”

When asked about why Edwards didn’t wait for the NFL to decide who is suspended and who is not, Edwards continued, “We are trying to beat Commissioner Roger Goodell to the punch, because you all saw Pacman get lifted off the ground and choked out by Roger’s force powers this week, and as you all know from seeing Larry whiff on blocks that the force is not strong with him. We hope this pre-emptive suspension against both Larry and myself will help us get at least one first down and get someone in there to block for Brodie since its possible he could end up in the trash compactor with Chewbacca and Luke facing that Tennessee defense.”

Edwards faced some tough questions from KC media types like Jason Whitlock as well, “Being the best head coach in the league, and maybe of all-time, how can you justifiably suspend yourself?”

“You play to win the game…hello!?” Edwards replied. “My coaching has been problematic for the last six games and two years so I’m hoping that by removing myself from the situation, we will be able to get a win Sunday. It’s a fun time if you have a job. It’s not a fun time when you’re a guy who doesn’t have a job.”

Edwards also commented on the return of Brodie Croyle, the Chiefs oft-injured, winless quarterback and whether he would throw the ball more than usual with his running back out.

“You do what’s best for your team, … throw passes and get (the quarterback) killed. Are you kidding me? For what? That’s ridiculous.”

“What we’re worrying about now is trying to figure out who to blame. But there is no blame, teams go through this,” insisted Edwards. “I mean, really, really, what’s worse for the Chiefs? What’s worse for the Chiefs? If I’m not there, they can’t blame me. Can’t blame me, right? There’s no problem here.”

1. RB Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs

Comment: “By the time the Chiefs are good again, he’s going to be done. … I don’t understand why they gave him all the money and then they wouldn’t sign Jared Allen. If you’re rebuilding, you don’t do it with a running back who’s going to be burned.” Another executive said Johnson has a reputation around the league as being a “spoiled brat” and “not much of a leader.”

Best potential fits: He’s not a perfect fit in Philadelphia because of the style of the offense, but all of the executives said the Eagles could use him now that Brian Westbrook has broken ribs. Other teams that could use him would be the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints.

4. CB Patrick Surtain, Chiefs

Comment: “He’s hurt (shoulder injury) and he has declined, but it’s the same thing as pass rushers; you need cover guys. You can’t get enough of them.”

Best potential fits: Saints, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens.

8. TE Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs

Comment: “He’s a good guy in the locker room and he takes care of himself. Between the leadership and the fact that he might still be really good in two to three years, it would take a lot for me to deal him and I don’t think anybody is going to offer that much.”

Best potential fits: Jags, Bucs, Vikings and Titans.

While I love both Larry and Tony, I’ll pack Surtain’s bags myself. For a sixth and an extra porta-potty for Arrowhead? Done. I’ll even clean that John with a toothbrush. Anything, let’s just get No. 23 outta here.

Larry’s value is back up to some extent following his strong running against the Falcons and Broncos. Cole does have a point given that the rebuilding project is behind schedule with no legitimate QB to be found. I’m guessing that either the Saints or Eagles would cough up a first for him to keep themselves in the playoff hunt. I could be wrong, though. I won’t even discuss the Broncos. Man, the thought of that just makes me sick.

As for Tony G, if he wants out we should grant him that request. This is no way to reward a lifelong Chief who’s shattered essentially ever major NFL tight end record (By the way, I do consider him the greatest TE of all time. I think John Mackey, Colts‘ HoFer, should be in that discussion as well, though.). I do think both the Jaguars and Vikings, my two pre-season Super Bowl picks, would be very interested. I’d move him for a second right now, even though it would hurt like hell. This is no way to repay Gonzalez for all he’s done for the Red and Gold, and he’ll still retire as a Chief regardless of what happens.

Addicts, sound off on the thought of these three as “trade bait”…

I don’t have Larry Johnson on any of my eight fantasy teams – but it certainly wasn’t for lack of trying. I am one of the few, the proud fantasy writers (and I have 12 preseason annuals on my desk to prove it) who believe Johnson will have no difficulty returning to his circa-2006 glory days … you know, before all the injuries, holdouts and incessant whining about the demise of the Kansas City offensive line. In fact, here are five reasons to support L.J.’s uprising in ’08:

1. Johnson can make sharp cuts without pain — something he couldn’t do at the end of last season, after coming back from a “freak” foot injury.
2. Johnson has regained his explosion within two steps of getting the ball.
3. Chan Gailey, a proven power-running specialist, is the Chiefs’ new offensive coordinator.
4. The continued development of receiver Dwayne Bowe and freakishly consistent play of tight end Tony Gonzalez will, in turn, create sizable running lanes for Johnson.
5. Backup tailback Kolby Smith surpassed the 100-total-yards mark three times in six starts last year, behind a supposedly suspect O-line … which now boasts Branden Albert, perhaps the best run blocking lineman in last April’s draft.

Unfortunately, I don’t own him either, as I always picked too early or too late. Nonetheless, I think Iron Man is back. Sing it…

Heavy boots of lead
Fills his victims full of dread
Running as fast as they can
Iron man lives again! – “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath