Joe Montana could have been a Steeler.

As the Kansas City Chiefs continue their march toward the #1 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, fans can point to the Montana era as the last time the team had a franchise-caliber QB on the roster, all due respect to Trent Green.

In a recent interview given on The Dan Patrick Show, Montana, who grew up in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, was asked if he was disappointed that he wasn’t drafted by the Steelers.

“Oh yeah,” said Montana. “I tried to go there before…when I was looking at Kansas City and they, they said no. I think (Neil) O’Donnell was still there…”

“Wait,” Patrick interrupted. “Steelers said no because they had Neil O’Donnell?”

“Yeah. Neil O’Donnell,” replied Montana.

Patrick then asked if the fact that the Steelers passed on him for O’Donnell still “hurt a little.”

“Yes and no,” said Montana. “It would have been fun to play for them, finish off your career back at home. That would have been fun. And they had a pretty good team, too. That was the other part of it.”

But what were the Chiefs? Chopped liver?

“I was happy in Kansas City,” continued Montana. “It ended up being, you know, I went to another good team. Another good organization. Made the transition a little bit easier.”

Montana was traded to the Chiefs in 1993, though the 49ers were clearly trying to help the QB who brought them four championships end up on a team that he wanted to play for. Clearly Montana would have preferred to go to Pittsburgh but ended up in Kansas City instead.

As a result, the 1993 Chiefs went 11-5, won the AFC West and won two playoff games before losing in the AFC Championship game to the Buffalo Bills.

And the 1993 Steelers?

They lost in the Wild Card round to Joe Montana and the Chiefs.27-24 in overtime.

The 1994 Chiefs went 9-7 and lost in the Wild Card round to the Dolphins while the Steelers went 12-4 and lost in the AFC Championship to the San Diego Chargers, 17-13.

Montana obviously worked out well for the Chiefs, who haven’t won a playoff game since he retired.

Still, it is interesting to think about what might have happened had he ended up in Pittsburgh. Those Steelers teams were pretty good. Might Montana have made the difference in getting the Steelers another Super Bowl?

Jason Bridge-US PRESSWIRE

Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley had his up-and-down moments while in KC but now that he is the offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, he is keeping things classy when asked about his old team.

Some (me) have theorized the Haley would like nothing more than to run up the score on the Chiefs on Monday Night Football, perhaps hammering the final nail in embattled GM Scott Pioli’s professional coffin. After all, it is no secret that Haley and Pioli didn’t get along. In fact, former Kansas City Star beat reporter and columnist Kent Babb has gone on the record as saying that Haley was worried that Pioli may have bugged his office and potentially even his car and personal cell phone.

Still, despite all the apparent bad blood, Haley says he just wants the Steelers to win.

“Really, I think I’ve moved on,” said Haley, while talking to the Pittsburgh media. “I’m really happy to be a part of this great organization and really what is a tight-knit family. It’s a unique environment that I think is hard to find. I know the Chiefs have moved on and I have a lot of fond memories and am proud of things that were accomplished. I think we came a long way in three years from where we started. Like I said, I’ve got a lot of fond memories of a lot of my players from that time and think a lot of them.”

Haley also said that he was proud of his time in Kansas City.

“I’m very proud, number one, of the things myself and the players were able to accomplish,” said Haley. “I thought we made a lot of progress. Even taking the 2010 division win out of the equation, last year was probably the year I was most proud of because in difficult circumstances, losing three really good players early in the year, and starting as poorly as we did, we battled back and won four games in a row, which is hard to do in this league. We hung in there and beat Chicago on the road playing with really our third team quarterback at that time. I’m proud of my players from that time and have a lot of really good feelings towards all of them. They’re good memories.”

Speaking of good memories, Haley definitely has some good memories of Chiefs OLB Tamba Hali.

“He’s really something,” Haly said of Hali. “He is a warrior in every sense of the word. He’s a guy that does not stop. You cannot get out-tempoed by him. He can beat you with speed, quickness and power. He’s a relentless worker in the offseason, regular season and training camp. In between every period, he’s working on his craft non-stop, and it shows. He’s one of the elite outside backers in the league in my opinion and a player that you definitely have to pay attention to and handle as best you can or he can disrupt the game in a negative way fast.”

Let’s hope Hali can prove Haley right on Monday by upping his sack total.

Haley isn’t saying anything here that I wouldn’t expect him to say. But as any Game of Thrones geek will tell you, words are wind. You won’t convince me that Haley doesn’t want to stick it to the Chiefs.

Unfortunately, if the Chiefs continue their horrible play, Haley may not even have to try to run up the score.

A favorite pastime for Chiefs fans this offseason has been debating whether or not a Matt Cassel-led Kansas City Chiefs can achieve Super Bowl glory. Abounding arguments eventually degenerate to: you need an elite QB to win a SB, and Matt Cassel is not an elite QB.

Some of the more brazen fans would allude to the possibility that Matt Cassel still might become elite. While there still may be time for him to develop, and it’ll be interesting to see how Tom House’s work with Cassel on his throwing mechanics will translate to the field on game day, the odds of eliteness aren’t too good. However, with all the changes we hope to see, we should be looking at a Top 20 passing offense at the least.

“Big whoop,” I imagine you saying. “In what world does a team with a QB lucky to break the Top 20 have a real chance at a Super Bowl title? Sure, Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson did it. But two teams in the past 12 years are not the kind of odds to hang your hopes on.”

Methinks you doth protest too much.

I’m not gonna rehash the little factoids such as Rex Grossman getting the Bears to the SB in the 2006 season. Or that just this past season we were poor special teams play away from witnessing two non-elite QBs in the big game. Though go-to favorites, we’re all Addicts here, and those arguments are old hat.

But what if I told you that the ’00 Ravens and ’02 Bucs weren’t the only teams to win a SB in the past dozen years without elite QB-play? That three other teams made it happen in a way our very own Chiefs could well duplicate this year? I present to you the ’01 Patriots, the ’05 Steelers and ’07 Giants.

“Wait just a minute, slappy; Brady, Roethlisberger and Eli Manning are all counted among the elite.” Yeah they are… now. But let’s take off the rose-tinted glasses and go back in time to the years these QBs got their first SB rings… And it’s not nice to call me “slappy”…

The date is Feb. 3, 2002: Rams vs. Patriots. After Drew Bledsoe suffered a serious injury in Week 2 of the season, the Patriots had been left to play a sixth-round pick out of Michigan that only just entered his second year as an NFL pro. He hasn’t done too bad over the season, but, still, the Patriots finished off the season ranking only 22^nd in passing. By comparison, they ranked 13^th in rushing, and their defense 6^th in points allowed. Brady has only posted 2,843 passing yards on the season (a career low in seasons he saw significant playing time), 18 TDs (another career low), and a 2.9 percent INT rate (a career high). Further, the Patriots barely made it through the playoffs, and were fortunate that their divisional round game against the Raiders was officiated by a team of refs that were aware of an obscure rule that kept what could’ve been a fumble merely an incomplete pass, opening up an opportunity for K Adam Vinatieri to make an insanely long kick in terrible weather conditions… the kind of kick Hollywood would glorify, but moviegoers would think to be too highly unlikely, if not impossible, to happen in real life. Following up on that near loss, the Patriots met trouble in the AFC Championship game against the Steelers. Brady went down to injury and Bledsoe came back in and was able to save the day.

So it was a rough road, but the Patriots were able to make it into the Super Bowl. Let’s see how Brady did: completing 16 out of 27 passes (a 59.25% completion rate), Brady had 145 yards passing on the day and one TD (an eight-yd pass to David Patten). Not quite yet the showing of an elite QB. So where did the win come from if not on the back of the QB? I see they rushed for a combined 133 yards, almost matching their passing production (not too shabby). Still, the Pats total combined offense didn’t surpass Kurt Warner’s passing offense (365 yards), and chipping in 92 yards rushing for the Rams just adds to the lopsidedness. Guess the Pats’ defense is owed a lot of credit considering all that production didn’t result in more points. Okay, and Ty Law had a 47-yd INT return for a TD. That would definitely help. And Vinatieri shows up again with 37-yd and 48-yd FGs; the 48-yarder getting the win. Guess we know who’s getting the MVP… Wait! It was Brady?!?! I guess giving the K his due would offend your QBs delicate sensibilities. But what about Ty Law, or someone else on D that shut down the Rams when it was needed the most? “What’s that? Defensive players get the SB MVP with the same frequency they win the Heisman, and Ray Lewis just got MVP in the previous SB?” Okay. Let the history book insinuate that Brady was better than he was that early on; in the meantime, sports photographers will make a killing selling Vinatieri pictures and prints to the New England fans that knew better.

Moving on, let’s examine Roethlisberger and the 2005 Steelers. You know what? This one’s easy. The Steelers finished the season ranked 24^th in passing offense, 5^th in rushing offense and 3^rd in Defensive Points Allowed. They had as many TDs rushing as they did passing (21) and four of those passing TDs weren’t even thrown by Roethlisberger. Big Ben had 2,385 passing yards on the season, and had a pathetic showing in the SB, posting a Passer Rating of 22.6. Seriously. Ben completed 9 of 21 passes for 123 yds in the SB, and 2 INTS. The only Pittsburgh TD reception came on a WR pass from Antwaan Randle-El to Hines Ward. If the 2002 Bucs are proof that a team can win it all with a disgustingly high scoring defense, the 2005 Steelers are proof perfect that a team with a shutdown defense and a top notch running game can win it all.

The 2007 Giants are perhaps the toughest to defend. Eli finished the season with 3,336 passing yards (right around Cassel’s top end). While he did post 23 TD receptions on the year, he led the league in INTs with 20… by no means a good ratio, let alone an “elite” QBs ratio. He also completed only 57.7 percent of his passes (Cassel’s career average is 59 percent). All in all, the Giants passing offense on the season was ranked 21^st, their defense 17^th in points allowed (though 7^th in yards allowed), and 4^th overall in rushing offense with their RBs contributing 15 TDs on the season. So their defense was about average, their running game well above average, and their passing game considerably below average.

What makes a tough point to argue is that Eli put in a significantly better SB performance than either Brady or Ben in their first go-rounds (especially Ben… 22.6 Passer Rating?!?! C’mon!) Eli completed 19 of 34 passes (a 55.9% completion rate) for 255 yds, two TDs and one INT. What shouldn’t be overlooked is the fact that the Patriots were having a perfect season, losing no games and averaging just shy of 37 points per game and despite this, the Giants’ defense really stepped it up and held the Pats to 14 points (including overcoming a near successful game winning drive in the final minute of play).

It should also be remembered that the Giants’ final drive was kept alive by David Tyree knowing enough to break his route and give Eli a target down-field before getting sacked… and also making a miraculous helmet catch that may well define the term “circus catch”. While Eli deserves some credit for staying on his feet; Tyree deserves the bulk of the credit for his situational awareness and making such an unlikely catch.

So, there you have it: three more teams and three more SBs, where the quality of QB play was much less elite and much more Cassel-esque. And while these players may be elite now, their production and circumstances indicate that in these years their teams won, not on the strength of their QB, but on the strength of the team as a whole. Be it a strong defense keeping the score low, a running game that pounded the ball and controlled the clock, or particularly good special teams play, these teams persevered and earned the coveted title.

Overall, our beloved Chiefs have the makings of such a team. Our defense is primed to crack the Top 10, if not the Top five. If Charles and Hillis return to some semblance of their 2010 form, the Chiefs are pretty much guaranteed a Top 5 run game, if not No. 1. And the increased talent and strength of our offensive line should keep the Richard Seymours of the world at bay long enough for Ryan Succop to keep us alive when we need it the most. Everyone wants a playoff win (and it has been a while), and as heartbreaking as it may be to hope for a higher goal and fall short, I see no reason why we can’t win it all this year and bring the Lombardi Trophy to where it would look best: Kansas City. Go Chiefs!!!!!!!!

So, that happened. Another NFL season (and postseason) has come and gone. Forgive my lack of enthusiasm as I watched the New York Giants win the Super Bowl for the fourth time in my lifetime, and the New England Patriots lose it for the fourth time (to go along with their three championships). In fact, in the 38 Super Bowls I have lived through (not that I really remember Super Bowls IX through, oh, XV or XVI), 27 different teams have participated. Not one of them has been the Kansas City Chiefs—their Super Bowl appearances live in other people’s memories.

But the good news, of course, is that as soon as Tom Brady’s last “Hail Myra” pass landed incomplete in the end zone and Super Bowl XLVI officially came to an end, the Chiefs were immediately back in contention. All eyes, and odds, are now focused on 2012-13, and the earliest probabilities are already in. The MGM Grand Las Vegas and at least one leading gaming site have opened betting season with the Chiefs as 50-1 shots to win Super Bowl XLVII, which is as good or better than 13 other teams. Not quite as favorable as the 40-1 odds they were given a year ago, but much better than the one-in-100 chance set before the Chiefs’ 2010 AFC West Championship season.

In other words, the odds-makers don’t really know what they’re doing, at least at this stage—out of last year’s top five preseason favorites, three didn’t even make the playoffs. But for fans, it’s amusing to see just how favorably (or not) our team’s prospects are marked in the books of various distinguished sports-betting establishments, and ask ourselves, “What if…?”

Last year at this time, I made a list of the XLVI reasons the Chiefs could win it all. A number of those “reasons” are now no longer with the team or else tore up their knees within the first few weeks of the season. So I’ve learned my lesson—and I’m not about to try to come up with XLVII reasons now. After all, so many things can happen: the most important players can get hurt, the coach can go crazy, the GM can go crazier…I mean, what are the odds?

Ah. Good question. Why don’t we find out?

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I would like to open today’s post with a brief statement. This will just take a moment…

I TOLD YOU SO.

Sure, I’m not usually the type of person to say, “I told you so,” precisely because when I make a rare prediction, it usually turns out not to be so. But six weeks ago today, I posted the following:

The Kansas City Chiefs will beat the Green Bay Packers.

That’s right. You read it here first…

The Chiefs will beat the Packers. How do I know this? The same way I am able to evaluate every other question raised during this up-and-down Chiefs season: I have no idea. But they will. And the Packers may very well be 13-0 by the time they visit Arrowhead on December 18… They may even be resting some starters. In any event, I don’t expect the Chiefs will be playing the spoiler in terms of Green Bay’s cruise back to the playoffs. But at least [the Packers] will leave here feeling rotten.

Perhaps you infer from my giddiness that I did not have the most confidence in my own prediction. Like I said, I don’t often get these things right. Clearly, the Kyle Orton Era in Kansas City has indeed lasted more than one minute, and now the discussion is whether it should and/or will last more than one season.

I won’t say I expected Sunday’s shocker, but I felt it was really possible, a gut feeling loosely supported by historical data. I had been thinking back to the Chiefs’ triumph over the then-reigning-champion Pittsburgh Steelers in 2009—a year in which KC only won three other games—which led me to do a little research. I found that, since 1979, the Chiefs had been 6-2 (now 7-2) at home against defending Super Bowl champs. So there.

But I certainly didn’t predict that by the time this game arrived the Chiefs would have lost their starting quarterback and then ditched their head coach—the two major developments that made the difference in this upset. This changes everything. Or, rather, everything has changed. From the first drive forward on Sunday, this felt like a new team (with the same, but improved defense).

I’ll let others continue the discussion about what these new circumstances on the sidelines and behind center might mean for the Chiefs into 2012 and beyond. For now, I just care about next week and the week after that. That’s right. I’m feeling overly optimistic again.*

*It’s sorta, like, my thing.

So I will double down and offer one more “bold” prediction: The Chiefs will win the AFC West.

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The Kansas Chiefs made a game of it, thanks to an inspired effort from their defense but in the end fell short in a 13-9 loss.

The Chiefs offense continued to struggle and once again failed to score a TD, a fact that would come back to haunt them late in the game. Tyler Palko struggled against a ferocious Pittsburgh defense, throwing three interceptions, including one that closed out the game.

The story of the game, however, was the KC defense. Romeo Crennel’s unit did a tremendous job of keeping the Steelers offense in check. At one point, Tyler Palko turned the ball over three straight times but the defense kept the Chiefs in the game. They shut the Steelers out in the second half.

The Chiefs had a chance to win it at the end of the game. Trailing 13-9 in the final minutes, the Chiefs were driving before a Tyler Palko pass flew over the head of Dwayne Bowe and into the arms of a Steelers defender.

Palko finished the game 18 of 28 for 168 yards, three interceptions, one fumble and no TDs.

I know this one stings, Addicts, but I think there is a lot of good to be taken from this game. After getting torched by the Patriots a week ago, the Chiefs responded and gave the Steelers all they could handle. The defense played well and if KC can get Kyle Orton assimilated to the offense, the Chiefs might just have a chance to beat the Bears next week. Chicago is struggling with a backup QB as well. Orton could be a difference maker for the Chiefs next week.

I’m proud of my Chiefs tonight. We’ll see you all back here tomorrow for more coverage of the game.

The Kansas City Chiefs continue their “National Audience Embarrassment Tour” tonight when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.

To get you better prepared for what the Chiefs are facing, I sat down with Craig Gottschalk of Nice Pick Cowher, Fansided’s Pittsburgh Steelers site. Craig does a fantastic job covering one of the most popular teams in the NFL. Definitely make sure you stop by NPP throughout the day if you are scouting the Steelers.

Now let’s go Inside the Enemy Camp with Nice Pick Cowher!

If the season were to end right now, the Ravens, Steelers and Bengals would all make the playoffs. Would you like to see a situation where the AFC North dominates the playoff landscape?

I would love it and hate it.  Love it because it shows and validates that the AFC North is one of the toughest divisions in the NFL.  Forget the NFC East.  The AFC North is the real deal.  It says a lot then for whomever comes out on top in that division.  That said, I’m a man of variety and would like to see teams from all over in the playoff hunt.  Nothing makes the playoffs more stale for everyone else than to have just more divisional battles going on.  Although many are partial to the Steelers/Ravens rival.

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In what was a lost season, the 2009 Kansas City Chiefs were going into a matchup with the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh was 6-3 and the Chiefs a lowly 2-7. It was going to be a bloodbath.

Only it wasn’t.

The Chiefs won in dramatic fashion and against all odds.

Can it happen again? Sure, why not? Yes, the Chiefs had Jamaal Charles back then, but Charles didn’t actually have that great of a game. He carried 17 times for 58 yards and no TDs. Sure, he had that awesome kick return to open the game but Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas are both capable of such heroics.

The Chiefs also won that game in 2009 without WR Dwayne Bowe. Bowe was serving a suspension at the time, and Matt Cassel threw for 248 yards and two TDs with Chris Chambers and Bobby Wade playing receiver.

Enjoy the video. Are the odds long? Sure. But they were even longer in 2009.

Flex scheduling allows the NFL to replace poor prime time matchups with juicier ones at their digression late in the season.

It was possible, given KC’s recent two-game skid that the NFL might try to get a better game in there. As it stands, they’ve decided to keep the Chiefs in prime time.

Hey, America? Are you ready for some (bad) football?

Apparently, the Chiefs don’t do so well against AFC East opponents at home in 2011. That is one thing we did learn this weekend. Not only did the winless Miami Dolphins’ streak of, you know, being winless come to an emphatic end with a 31-3 exorcism at Arrowhead, but a couple of other streaks fizzled out on Sunday, too, starting with K.C.’s own recent undefeated stretch. So it looks like there will be no unprecedented 13-3 season after an 0-3 start, no 16-game run to a Super Bowl title. Oh well.

Perhaps, too, this marks the conclusion of Head Coach Todd Haley’s days as a bedraggled, unwashed sideline hobo. “I want to take my hat off to Miami,” he said after the game, effectively announcing an end to the streak in which he has worn the same streaked cap since the autumnal equinox.

But what’s weird, or not so weird, is that—other than dropping the Chiefs back to 4-4 for the first half of the season (and, hey, who saw even that as a strong possibility back in mid-September?)—the unfortunate events of November 6, 2011, tell us almost nothing about what is coming next for this team in the second half of the season.

Will these Chiefs beat the Denver Broncos at home this Sunday? I have no idea. Probably? Maybe not?

Will these Chiefs win the AFC West? I have no idea. Maybe? Probably not? It is possible. Of course it’s possible. They are currently in a three-way tie for first, and as rough as their second half looks, the road facing each of their divisional compatriots looks just as tough. This team could still end up 6-10 or 8-8 or even 9-7, but which nine? Which seven?

So, at the midway point, I might as well make one semi-bold prediction:

The Kansas City Chiefs will beat the Green Bay Packers.

That’s right. You read it here first. Unless, of course, you’d already read it somewhere else, and that’s okay, too.

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The Kansas City Chiefs may not be seeing action today, but there are a full slate of quality games around the league. Below we’ve got some info on the top contests and information on which games will be showing in your area.

Game of the Day: New England at Pittsburgh

The Patriots come off their bye and travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. This game will be welcomed as most of the afternoon games feature horrible teams like Indy, Minnesota, Arizona, Miami and St. Louis.

Announcers: Jim Nantz and Phil Simms

Where: Most of the country

Unless you are in Cleveland, Cinci, Denver, San Fransisco or the extreme North-West, you’ll be getting this game.

NFL Distribution Map: The506.com

The rest of the games, networks and announcers after the break.

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Chiefs Only Two Back In Race For AFC’s Top Seed

Chiefs Will Need To Settle For 14-2 Season

Chiefs Unbeaten Against Division In 2011

Clark Hunt Celebrates Another Year Of Record Profits

No, this is not going to be another Pollyanna-ish pep talk. To quote the guy who was proofreading the alphabet and noticed something missing between E and G: “F that.”

The point (if there’s a point) is that there really is no way to put a positive spin on what’s happening. The sad fact is that essentially all of us will admit there’s no way we’ll see any of those headlines a month or even a week from now (except, of course, for that last one). And there’s really no way to make sense,* or for that matter, fun, of all this, either.

*Be warned, this post will have a lot of asterisks and even double asterisks,** if only to fill space where there is no coherent line of reasoning.

**See?

There is no comedy here, unless it’s a Divine Comedy: The lockout was the first level of hell* and it has descended from there to the preseason and down with each regular-season game, and each new torn ACL. To paraphrase Mel Brooks, “Tragedy is when Jamaal Charles cuts his finger; comedy is when the Detroit Lions walk into an open sewer and die.” (Not exactly sure how or whether that applies, but I gotta fill this post with words, people.)

*Or if you insist on being an I-told-you-so realist, it probably started with the final regular-season game last year against the Raiders, followed by the Wild Card blowout…

Like all of you, I’ve got my computer desktop set with the official, AA-endorsed wallpaper. What a brilliant, visual reminder that the season hasn’t even really begun. And yet, it still feels all but over. (more…)

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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We usually just stick to Kansas City Chiefs news around here but Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison said some things in a recent interview I thought would be worth sharing.

In an interview with Men’s Journal, Harrison went off on a couple of his teammates and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Harrison has had a turbulent relationship with Goodell after the comish fined him on a number of occasions for illegal hits on various players. It is no secret Harrison did not agree with the fines.

Now that he is being locked out, it appears Harrison is cutting lose.

This one is my favorite:

If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn’t do it. I hate him and will never respect him.

More Harrison being a moron after the jump.

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Tonight, Chiefs fans, for the second week in a row, there will be big-league, professional football* played in Kansas City—in a glittering, filled-to-capacity stadium—and broadcast live on national television.

*Or, of course, as it’s called in this country, “soccer”—which makes a hell of a lot more sense. I mean, have you seen a soccer ball? It’s round! It doesn’t look anything like a foot!

Last Thursday was a monumental day for the other football team founded by our beloved Lamar Hunt. Sporting KC—the team formerly known as the Wizards, who were originally nicknamed, in a fit of either marketing brilliance or complete cluelessness, the Wiz—christened their brand-spankin’-new stadium, Livestrong Sporting Park, named for the foundation of the much admired cyclist, cancer-survivor, and alleged illegal doper Lance Armstrong. With ESPN2’s cameras focused in, SKC battled the Chicago Fire—a team named for one of the largest and most deadly disasters in U.S. history—to a decidedly indecisive scoreless tie, or what my father would call “a close game.”*

*Throughout my childhood, my father—who simply was not as avid a fan as my mother or me—would walk in on us riveted to the last thrilling seconds of a nearly tied football or college basketball game and invariably say the same thing: “Huh. Close game!”

It ain't Arrowhead. But right now, neither is Arrowhead.

Now, tonight, the U.S. men’s national team is in town to take on Guadeloupe, which as it turns out, is in fact a tiny island nation in the Lesser Antilles with a population one-fifth that of the KC metro area, and not, as I had thought, just some guy named Guadeloupe. This is a crucial match for the U.S., which is hoping to stay alive in its quest for the Gold Cup of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, or CONCACAF—an acronym that is actually longer than the word “acronym.”

Based solely on what you’ll see here on local front pages, TV news, and billboards, it would be hard to deny that Kansas City is—at least for this week and/or until the NFL owners and players settle their dispute or Clark Hunt announces he is giving all of his employees raises and adopting a gaggle of orphans and/or a litter of really cute, abandoned puppies to show what a good guy he is—a fútbol town.*

*Or, if you prefer, a “soccer city.”

So here’s a quick refresher on just some of the subtle differences between our football, the game of inches, and soccer, the game of feet. Yes, it’s been done before, but so has “Here’s Why The NFL Lockout Still Stinks.” Let me have my fun.

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I weighed in on the article over at NPC but you should check out the article for yourselves. I know Craig worked hard on the piece and he’d love to hear feedback from other NFL fans.

Here is a sampl/link:

The NFL’s hatred has been brooding for a long time, waiting until the right moment, the right turning point in the game itself so that it can remove the vail masking that hatred. The 2009 season began the huge push for player ‘safety.’ The league changed rules for hitting defenseless players – receivers, quarterbacks and even blockers. This became the first shot heard ’round the world against the war on the Steelers. Targeting mainly Hines Ward, the league outlawed hitting defenseless players who were either catching the ball or making a play on the ball. Next league officials (outside of the zebras) began dishing out fines to players for dangerous and ‘illegal’ hits. Now, the moment became ripe for the legue to take aim at one of the hardest hitting teams in the NFL – the Steelers. And boy, did they ever take advantage. James Harrison became the poster child for the ever subjectively defined ‘illegal’ hit. When all was said and done, Harrison accumulated $100,000 in fines. Harrison threatened to retire, and I’m sure the league was drooling over the prospect of that happening.

From nicepickcowher.com (share this quote)

The Chiefs put on a good show in their only nationally televised regular season game of 2010. How many will they get in 2011?

The Kansas City Chiefs have already nabbed themselves a nationally televised preseason game and with the 2011 NFL Schedule likely to be released tomorrow night, it is time to revisit the possible primetime games in KC’s slate of opponents.

This article originally ran when the Chiefs were 10-5 and had just clinched the AFC West title. I’ve decided to spruce it up a bit and rerun it as we look ahead to the schedule release.

The Chiefs are no longer an NFL bottom feeder and that the NFL will have to recognize that when they are putting together the list of nationally televised games for the 2011 seasons.

The Chiefs haven’t spend a lot of time in front of the national audience after winning just 10 games in 3 season but now that they are back on top, we can expect to see them get a few primetime games next season. KC’s record, combined with their schedule next season, could put them in line for a number of Sunday night and Monday night appearances.

After the jump, we’ll take a look at the team’s the Chiefs will be playing next year and try to pick which games might be televised nationally.

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If you haven’t heard yet, teams other than the Kansas City Chiefs are picking in the 2011 NFL Draft.  In fact, those teams play a very important role in the Chiefs’ draft since the Chiefs don’t pick in the top 5 this year.  Who the 20 teams before us pick can have a significant impact on who we draft.  So, for those wondering why I don’t think AJ Green or Julio Jones will be there for us at 21, take a look at one way I see the first round of the Draft going.
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Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney is joining Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and New York Giants owner John Mara in the mediated negotiations between the NFL and the NFLPA. Hunt and Mara joined the fray yesterday.

It looks like the NFL is going old school here, relying on the decedents of some of it’s most historical ownership families to help bring home a deal.

Unfortunately, the buzz is that the two sides are still pretty far apart. We told you yesterday that the NFLPA hired a firm to review any financial information released to them by the league. We speculated that this was a good sign because the players have been asking to see the books for a long time now. It appeared to represent a concession on the part of the league.

As it turns out, various reports are indicating that while the league is prepared to release some of their financial information, they aren’t planning to release all of it. The players reportedly aren’t thrilled with that option. They don’t want to back down until the owners show them the money.

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Four weeks after the Kansas City Chiefs played their last game, the 2010 NFL season is finally, officially over. Super Bowl XLV* has come and gone, and though it wasn’t mentioned during the broadcast, you probably, at one point or another, noticed that the Chiefs weren’t in it.

*As a friend tweeted Sunday night, “Why not just VL?”

But so what? Yesterday formally marked the first day of the 2011 campaign. Bodog.com has already set the opening odds, and the Chiefs are a 35-to-one shot to get to Super Bowl XLVI and win it all. Not quite as sure a bet as, say, the Packers (seven-to-one) or Patriots (15-to-two), but to quote the distinguished Canadian-American actor Jim Carrey as Lloyd Christmas in Dumb and Dumber: “So…you’re tellin’ me there’s a chance!”

With that in mind, I thought it might be fun to see just how optimistic I could be (while testing my knowledge of Roman numerals). So, without further ado and in no particular order, here are XLVI reasons why next year could be the year…
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To get you ready, we’re going to have the Packers and Steelers square off in a rap anthem smackdown.

This all started when rapper Wiz Khalifa wrote a song called “Black and Yellow.” The video features shots of Pittsburgh and the song title refers to the colors of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Well it turns out Lil Wayne is a Packers fan and he has ripped off the Khalifa song and made his one version to represent Green Bay.

So who has the best anthem? Check them out after the jump.

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It’s Super Bowl Sunday Addicts! Sure, another year is tainted by the fact that our beloved Kansas City Chiefs aren’t participating in the big game but to be honest, if they were, I’d probably have a tough time enjoying it. I’d be so dog gone nervous all day long my hair would be falling out in clumps. Today, all I’m worried about is making sure I have enough beer and wings for when my buddies get here. Yes I’d rather be freaking out because the Chiefs were playing but life isn’t perfect.

But Super Bowl Sunday is about ass close to a perfect day as I can think of.

After the jump I’ve got a bit of Chiefs related news for you. Later on today we’ll have our official staff picks for the game tonight and some other Super Bowl related posts.

Until then, here’s your Morning Fix!

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There is only one game that matters remaining in the 2010 NFL season, and the Kansas City Chiefs aren’t in it.  Instead, we will see the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers duke it out in Dallas at the Super Bowl.  Instead of pouting about how the Chiefs didn’t make it to the big game, we should take the opportunity to get a good look at why the Packers and Steelers made.  Those teams have demonstrated how to get to a Super Bowl.  We need to see what we can learn from them so that in the coming years, we can there as well.

Many different kinds of teams can get to the Super Bowl.  Just look at the difference between the teams that went last year compared to the teams that made it this year.  However, there are similarities between the Packers and the Steelers that I will highlight so that we can determine where the Chiefs fell short this year.
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That’s right folks, the Steelers RB who had a fantastic game, thought it would be fun to give his QB a little sumthin extra on national television. Check it out below. Congratulations to the Steelers and congratulations to Ben and Reshard on their new..um…relationship.

Video footage is after the jump.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers held off a rallying New York Jets team to win the AFC Championship and the chance to win their organizations seventh Super Bowl title.

The Jets looked dead in the water after falling behind 24-3 in the first half. In the second half however, the Jets came out firing and the held the Steelers scoreless while mounting a furious comeback. NY managed to pull within 5 points before the Steelers offense got a couple of key first downs and ran out the clock.

The Steelers will go on to take on the NFC Champion Green Bay Packers who held off a comeback attempt by the Chicago Bears earlier in the day.For the Packers it will be their first Super Bowl appearance since the Bret Favre era and for the Steelers it will be their second Super Bowl appearance in three years.

Instead he is wiping boogers on his backup QB.

In a fine display of sideline stupidity, Sanchez is showing that he may still have a long way to go before he is ready to lead a team to the Super Bowl. After his disastrous first half, perhaps Jets fans will soon be taking a cue from Bears fans.

Had all gone as planned, the Kansas City Chiefs would be hosting the NY Jets today instead of the Pittsburgh Steelers but alas, it appears as though our beloved team is still a year or two away from making a Super Bowl run.

Still, we’ve got some very good football on the way and the staff here at Arrowhead Addict has got their picks in. First let’s take a look at the standings. Some of the staff has fallen away for failure to get their picks in so their names are omitted. Randy had a record of 4-2 but forgot to pick two of last week’s games so he was awarded losses for both of those. Lyle missed to picks last week and was also given losses. Big Matt and Adam T. now lead the field with the only +.500 records.

Big Matt: 5-3

Adam T: 5-3

Merlin: 4-4

Randy: 4-4

Patrick: 3-5

Victor: 3-5

Double D: 3-5

Lyle: 3-5

Nick: 2-6

Patrick:

Packers 27, Bears 17

Defense has been ruling in the playoffs thus far and with Chicago playing at home, I want to give the Bears the edge here. However, the fact that the Bears had a week off and then got to play a soft Seattle team is going to hurt them. The Packers on the other hand are battle tested and have gone through Philadelphia and Atlanta on their way to the NFC Championship game and they have done so convincingly. It’s got to be the Pack.

Steelers 16, Jets 9

Talk about a brawl. These two teams are pretty well matched on defense but Pittsburgh clearly has the better QB. The Steelers won’t make the stupid mistakes the Patriots did last week and New York’s run will end here. I’m rooting for the Jets because I don’t cheer for rapists, but the Steelers are going to take this one.

More picks after the jump.

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Though we’d rather the Kansas City Chiefs were hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers today at Arrowhead Stadium for the AFC Championship game, those of us who are football addicts are still excited about today’s bouts to determine the Super Bowl teams.

If you are looking for more team coverage of today’s game check out Lombardi Avenue and Bear Goggles!

And while you’re at it, enjoy this video about Obama and his love for the Bears.

Once the dust had settled on the Divisional round of the playoffs it became clear that the 2011 Kansas City Chiefs would have the pleasure of playing this season’s defending super Bowl Champions.

There are 4 teams left in the NFL playoffs and all 4 of them are on the Chiefs’ schedule for next season. Those 4 teams are the Chicago Bears, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers and New York Jets. One of them will be Super Bowl Champions.

After playing a very easy schedule in 2010, the 2011 Kansas City Chiefs are going to face a murders row type of schedule. Besides having to play the 4 teams above, KC will have to square off against the Patriots, Chargers and Colts.

If the Chiefs are looking to get battle tested, 2011 is there chance.

Each week here at Arrowhead Addict the staff has picked the upcoming Kansas City Chiefs game. Unfortunately there will be no Kansas City Chiefs game today or tomorrow for that matter but at least we still have some football to entertain us before a long and uncertain offseason.

The staff will pick each game throughout the playoffs and we will keep track of records so that after the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, we can crown an Arrowhead Addict Staff Champion. We encourage you all to get in on the action as well by giving us your picks in the comments. We’ll tally them up and declare an AA Reader Playoff Champion as well.

Let’s take a look at the standings from last week’s picks:

Big Matt: 3-1

Adam T: 2-2

Merlin: 2-2

Randy: 2-2

Patrick: 1-3

Jeremy: 1-3

Kyle: 1-3

Victor: 1-3

Double D: 1-3

Alright so we didn’t do so hot, well except for Big Matt. Unfortunately for Matt, the only one he got wrong was Chiefs/Raven

How did you all do? Let’s take a look at our top reader predictions from last week:

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KC's most exciting victory in years came in 2009 against the Steelers at Arrowhead.

The Kansas City Chiefs have wont he AFC West and the only thing they have left to control is whether they are the #3 or #4 seed in the playoffs.

We talked earlier in the week about the possibility of the Chiefs being able to decide their playoff path. By intentionally resting their starters and thus likely losing to the Raiders, the Chiefs could “chose” to play the Ravens at home and then Patriots on the road if they wanted to.

Most AA readers agreed that the Chiefs’ easiest playoff path was likely to win vs. Oakland and host the Jets in the first round of the playoffs. Locking up the #3 seed would give the Chiefs a chance to host the AFC Championship game should the New England Patriots lose in the divisional round.

There is one possibility, however, that we haven’t discussed. If the Cleveland Browns manage to upset the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday and the Baltimore Ravens win, the Ravens would win the AFC North, the Jets would get the #5 seed (because of a victory over the Steelers) and Pittsburgh would be coming to Kansas City.

And that might be in KC’s best interest.

I explain, after the jump.

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We know it will be 1 of 3 teams so we’ve thrown together a little poll to find out which team Chiefs Nation wants to come to Arrowhead for an old fashioned butt whooping.

The Kansas City Chiefs clinched the AFC West title a week ahead of schedule and now they face some interesting questions heading into Week 17.

As I sat here drinking my AFC West victory beer beers, I got to thinking about who the Chiefs might play in the playoffs. Given the situation, the Chiefs could, maybe, technically, choose who they want to play in the first round of the playoffs and beyond.

Basically the Chiefs are either going to be the 3rd or 4th seed in the playoffs. If they win next week when the play the Raiders, they will guarantee themselves the #3 seed. That means they will host the #6 seed, which is certain to be the New York Jets.

If the Chiefs really like their chances against the Jets, then they can send their starters out on Sunday and do everything they can to beat the Raiders while trying to avoid injuries.

More stuff that will make you go cross-eyed after the jump.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

Kansas City Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe is having a career season and he evidently has high expectations for his team this season.

“We will win it all,” said Bowe after the game according to Bob Fescoe of 610 Sports.

Fescoe doesn’t elaborate on what he thinks Bowe meant but one could easily reach the conclusion that Bowe means the Super Bowl.

It is a lofty prediction by Bowe who until recently was considered a disappointment by many in Kansas City for his propensity to drop passes.

His shortcomings aside, Bowe is having a career year for the Chiefs. The WR has caught 10 touchdowns in his last 7 games.

More after the jump.

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This series is brought to you by T.G.I. Friday’s, where every Sunday means Food, Fun & Football! Hut, hut, hut!

Thanks to our good friends at TGI Friday’s, we are going to have a series of sponsored posts on the weekend’s best games. We’ll start with the obvious choice first.

Kansas City Chiefs (5-3) at Denver Broncos (2-6)

The Broncos may be pretty much out of the running for the AFC West title bit a Kansas City loss would throw the division into chaos. The San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders have been closing the gap on the Chiefs, who have been leading the division all season. If Denver pulls out a win over KC, the Chiefs the second place Oakland Raiders will move atop the division without even playing a snap as they are on their off week.

For the Broncos, Sunday is a chance to get their season back on track. At the very least, they could be saving their head coaches job as Josh McDaniels is firmly on the hot seat this season.

More after the jump.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs moved up five slots in the weekly ESPN.com Power Rankings.

Despite being 3-0, Todd Haley’s crew sits just in front of three 1-3 teams in the Cowboys, Vikings and Chargers.

Just in front of the Chiefs are the Eagles, Titans and Bengals.

The undefeated Steelers hold the top spot in the rankings and the 3-0 Chicago Bears sit at #6, behind #4 Green Bay, a team they defeated just last night.

Find our what ESPN AFC West blogger Bill Williamson things of the Chiefs ranking after the jump.

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Here goes:

Source: Yardbarker.com

#10:

Al Davis has actually been dead for 12 years but is being kept alive using a secret formula he developed in the 70′s.

It consists of the tears of a baby, the ground up bones of a kitten and a lock of John Madden’s hair. Al puts all this in a blender, adds ice and goats milk and drinks it every morning. For some reason, this concoction keeps his heart beating but it doesn’t keep him from decomposing before our very eyes. As long as John Madden keeps drinking whatever the hell it is he is taking to ward off death, Al will be ok.

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Source: yardbarker.com

From Adam Schefter via Twitter:

Adam_Schefter From Washington to KC: Steelers free-agent RB Willie Parker is scheduled to visit the Chiefs on Thursday.

Hmm. I wonder if this means things did not go well with Thomas Jones today? Parker had 398 yards on 98 carries last season (4.0 ypc) for the Steelers.

I also suggested that the Bills might trade up with the Chiefs to aquire Sam Bradford. I was called daft for that as well. Not so crazy these days, is it?

OK, gloating aside, there were also plenty of things I was off base about. But hey, that is the fun of doing these things, no? I hope you enjoy reading these mocks as much as we enjoy coming up with them.

Each mock inevitably brings in new readers that are fans of other teams. To those folks I say welcome to Arrowhead Addict. We are happy to have you. Please, however, keep in mind that this is a Chiefs site, so if we get your teams pick wrong, chilax. Remember, this is all make-believe. I suggest, if you are going to comment, tell us what you think your team should do and add to the discussion, instead of wasting a perfectly thoughts in favor calling me a moron and declaring this the worst mock draft since Mel Kiper’s hair started looking ridiculous. Cheers!

Pick	Team	Player Selected	Player’s Position	Player’s School	Analysis
1.		Sam Bradford	Quarterback	Oklahoma	Different QB, same result. If the Rams were watching the playoffs last year and I know they were because they sure weren’t in them, they saw the caliber of QB it takes to succeed in the NFL. Manning, Brees, Favre, Rivers, Brady. There were some injury concerns about Bradford but those appear to be waning. He absolutely dazzled folks at the Combine with his size and character. Granted, he didn’t throw but unless his arm falls off at the shoulder at his pro day, this kid has a very big chance of going #1.
2.		Ndamukong Suh	Defensive Tackle	Nebraska	Lion’s defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham must be bursting with glee at the prospect of Bradford going #1. Last I heard, he anointed two armed guards to follow Bradford everywhere he goes and Cunningham himself, is giving Bradford daily shoulder massages and is waiting on the QB hand and foot to help him relax for his pro day. That scream of glee you hear when the Rams draft Bradford, that will be Cunningham.
3.		Gerald McCoy	Defensive Tackle	Oklahoma	This choice will be pretty automatic for Tampa. They would probably rather trade back (who wouldn’t) but it isn’t going to happen. Their only hope is that some QB desperate team freaks and goes all in to get Clausen out of fear that the Redskins will take him. I just don’t think it will happen. #3 is really high to trade up. The earliest trade I think we will see is at #5 with KC but you never know.
4.		Jimmy Clausen	Quarterback	Notre Dame	I am baffled when I see mock drafts that have the redskins picking a LT like Okung here to protect Jason Campbell. That is like trying to convince Jamarcus Russel to show up to camp thinner than Tom Cable. It ain’t gonna happen.  Old rat face made his bacon in Denver by somehow creating a running game out of thin air with any HB who happen to be standing on his sideline. He took an entire offensive line cast off by the Browns and made them decent. No, I have changed my mind on this. Shanahan is not going to roll with Jason Campell. I wouldn’t put it past Shanni to pull a fast one and snatch up Chad Pennington for a year to have him run a bootleg extravaganza but I think if Clausen is there he is going to take him and get to work on terrorizing the NFC.

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Adam Caplan is reporting via Twitter that the Steelers will not tender restricted free agent Darnel Stapleton.

This could be a very important development for the Chiefs. Stapleton was an undrafted free agent and was signed by the Steelers prior to the 2007 season. He played college ball at Hudson Valley Community College for two seasons before becoming the starting center at Rutgers in 2005.

Stapleton served as the Steelers backup center in 2008 before G Kendall Simmons went to IR. Stapleton was then moved into the starting G position where he started the team’s final 12 regular season games. As you know, that Steelers team went on to defeat Todd Haley and the Arizona Cardinals in the Super Bowl.

Stapleton missed all of last season with nagging knee injuries and it appears as though the Steelers have given up on him.

Stapleton is only 24 years old and if the Chiefs can get a good price for them I think they have to take a look. We know the Chiefs need a center and a guard and Stapleton can play both positions. His injury problems are a concern but for a team like the Chiefs to get better fast they will have to take some chances and find some diamonds in the rough. We know the Chiefs coaches value versatile players so even if Stapleton can’t start, he could be a valuable backup.

Stapleton is listed at 6-3, 305 pounds on NFL.com

Without further ado…

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

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From NFL.Com’s Jason LaCanfora via Twitter:

JasonLaCanfora: Steelers making retaining DT Casey Hampton and S Ryan Clark an offseason priority. Would be shocked if either hit the open market.

Both Hampton and Clark would have been attractive free agent signings for the Chiefs given they need significant upgrades at both positions. With the whole collective bargaining disaster and the uncapped year, it looks increasingly like the free agency pickings are going to be extremely slim. Pioli will have to work some serious offseason magic if he wants to fill a majority of the Chiefs roster holes

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	The Ebony Bird		Nice Pick, Cowher
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	Inside the Iggles		Raising Zona
. Don’t forget to check out our new Arrowhead Addict Chat room. It is open 24-7 and is the new place on AA to gather and chat with fellow Addicts. .

Addicts: Who do you think will win? Choose your winners and pick the scores.
(Winner gets a prize!)

A year after signing center Sean Mahan as a free agent in the hopes that he would fill the void created by the retirement of Jeff Hartings, the Pittsburgh Steelers have added via free agency another new center, who might bump Mahan out of the position.

According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, the Steelers have agreed to terms with former Panthers center Justin Hartwig.  Per Schefter, it’s a two-year deal worth roughly $4 million, with a $975,000 signing bonus.

Other teams are doing redundant signings (Carolina, Oakland and San Francisco with receivers, Pittsburgh with centers, Cleveland with defensive tackles, etc…), and we aren’t signing anybody. I’m too disgusted to write any more, but the Chiefs’ free agent inactivity plus another development has prodded me to change up my blueprint a little. So, tomorrow The Blueprint 2 will drop. Here’s a teaser…