Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

According to Dave Skretta of the AP, Kansas City Chiefs guard/center Ryan Lilja will retire.

#Chiefs center Ryan Lilja says he is retiring. Says his body told him it’s “time to hang ‘em up”

— Dave Skretta (@APdaveskretta) December 31, 2012

Lilja turned 31 in October. He returned to the Chiefs after spending some time with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He was eventually cut and ended up in Indianapolis where he won a Super Bowl with the Colts. Lilja was brought back to Kansas City in 2010 to help shore up an offensive line that had been struggling. He did a nice job at guard for the Chiefs and moved over to center mid-way through the 2012 season to help cover injuries.

The Chiefs drafted his eventual replacement in Jeff Allen. Allen struggled at times this season but gained valuable experience as a rookie.

Still, the Chiefs will need to add more depth to their interior line. Add guard to the growing list of needs.

Rodney Hudson

The Kansas City Chiefs will have to face the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night without guard Ryan Lilja.

Lilja received a head/neck injury last week against the Patriots and it appears as though that the injury is serious enough to already rule the veteran G out vs. Pittsburgh.

With Lilja on the shelf, rookie second round pick Rodney Hudson will likely get his first NFL start. Hudson came in for Lilja against the Patriots and seemed to hold his own pretty well. He’ll likely have his hands full playing against an aggressive and physical Steeler front seven.

Hudson is showing some versatility. It has been assumed that the Chiefs drafted him to eventually take over at center for Casey Wiegmann. As we know, the Chiefs also value players who can play more than one position. Hudson has actually played more guard than center so he may be more suited to take over for Lilja than Wiegmann at this point.

Other injury updates after the jump.
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There seems to be a lot of chatter in these here parts about what all is wrong (and right) with the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line and how to make it better. We’ve all heard ‘em, they generally go something like this:

Branden Albert will never win us a Superbowl at LT; he should be moved to . . .

We need a major upgrade at RT, Barry Richardson shoved a coach.

Even at 74 years old, 110 lb Casey Weigmann continues to play phenomenally well. He anchors our OL dammit!

Don’t dare touch Ryan Lilja, he’s from here and more importantly, he went to K-State!

Brian Waters play has slipped, he’s just getting by on reputation.

Okay, perhaps I exagerated a tad on the matters of Casey Weigmann’s diminutive stature and charter membership to AARP, but are all or any of these statements really valid? I’ll do a little review on all this right after the jump.
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Breaking this down a little further, position-by-position, the following table shows how the Chiefs starting OL compared to their respective average OL counterparts. (I am using Richardson’s dimensions for RT even though NFL.com for some inexplicable reason listed O’Callaghan as our starting RT).

At all positions other than Center and Right Guard, the Chiefs are pretty much in line with league averages. Weigmann and Lilja however are a bit shorter and significantly lighter than their average NFL counterparts. In fact, Weigmann and Lilja were the two lightest lineman at their respective positions out of the entire NFL. Is that good, bad, or does it even matter? Well, it can be good and bad, and in certain key situations, it matters a lot. I’ll explain what I mean by that right after the jump.
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The Kansas City Chiefs seem to be racking up the awards and accolades this season. Jamaal Charles, Matt Cassel, Brian Waters and Dwayne Bowe are all going to be playing in the Pro Bowl this Sunday. Tamba Hali was selected to replace James Harrison but had to bow out due to injury issues. Charles and Bowe were named All-Pro’s and now, Derrick Johnson and Ryan Lilja have been named All-Joes.

USA Today has released their annual All-Joe team and two Chiefs made the grade. The All Joe team was created in 1992 to and named after who else, a Kansas City Chief by the name of Joe Phillips. USA Today felt Phillips was overlooked for his grunt work in the trenches while stats like Derrick Thomas and Niel Smith got all the glory. Thus, they decided to do a yearly honor of the guys who make a difference but don’t always get noticed.

It makes it all the more fitting then, that this year Derrick Johnson and Ryan Lilja will represent the Chiefs on the All-Joe team.

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2010 Free Agent Acquisition OG Ryan Lilja (Source: dp-football.com)

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2010 season is over, and so our thoughts turn to making the Chiefs a better team in preparation for 2011.  Usually in the offseason there are two main sources for NFL teams to gain players:  Free Agency and the NFL Draft.  If NFL labor negotiations stall, and a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) is not reached, then there won’t be a free agency period.  Unfortunately for the Chiefs, I think that this is a period which is necessary for their continued success.

The first reason I think it is necessary is that the Chiefs are still a team in recovery.  Even though we made it to the playoffs this year, we are not so far removed from our losing ways that we couldn’t easily fall back into them.  While there is no question that the Chiefs are a better team than two years ago, there are still some problems that exist with the Chiefs.
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Source: Kansas City Chiefs

As the end of the regular season draws to a close, the Kansas City Chiefs find themselves first in the AFC West.  It is great that we’re there, but with the lead in the division comes something else…pressure.

Different people handle pressure differently.  I, personally, don’t usually handle pressure well.  I have a tendency to be a spaz when something relies on me.  I watch players like Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and stand in awe of their ability to put games on their shoulders and win.  I’m most certainly more like New York Giants punter Matt Dodge than Peyton Manning.
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The Kansas City Chiefs have released their official injury report for their Halloween showdown with the Buffalo Bills. 

Three players appeared on the report. 

Ryan Lilja (hand) is listed as questionable but he was a full participant in practice. If we are to believe Nick Wirght’s report from last night, Lilja has a broken thumb and will play. My guess is that Wright is right. Lilja is a touch SOB. He’ll tape that sucker up and play. 

Reshard Langford (ankle), who has been injured since Kimble Anders played for the Chiefs, is questionable and was limited at practice. 

Last but most certainly not least, we come to WR Dexter McCluster (ankle). Wright reported last night that McCluster has a high ankle sprain and will miss several weeks. High ankle sprains are tricky and the key to getting them healed is rest. If McCluster tries to play on the bas ankle he could make things worse. 

No disrespect to the Bills but this may be the easiest game the Chiefs play all year. They are more than capable of winning it without McCluster. I think if rest is what the rookie needs, rest is what he will get this Sunday. My guess is the team is listing him as questionable just to make Buffalo prepare for DMC, even if just a little. 

What do you think Addicts? Will DMC play on Sunday?

Source: Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs continued their preparation for the Buffalo Bills today but they did so with a few injured players.

WR Dexter McCluster, who suffered an ankle injury of some kind against the Jacksonville Jaguars, was again limited in practice. Earlier in the week McCluster had been seen on crutches and in a walking boot. While he is no longer using either he still is not a full participant in practice and is said to be limping.

Guard Ryan Lilja was also limited and is said to be suffering from a hand injury. It is doubtful Lilja, a veteran offensive lineman, will sit out the game because of a hand injury. I expect the Chiefs coaches are just giving him some time to heal up.

Reshard Langford, who has been on the injured list forever, was also limited with an ankle injury.

Vote For TJ

Don’t forget Chiefs running back Thomas Jones is up for the Fedex Ground Player of the Week Award. Don’t let the Raiders Darren McFadden beat Jones. Get over to NFL.com and vote for TJ before it is too late.You can vote as many times as you like so get to it.

 The Kansas City Chiefs are leading the league in rushing attempts and have given up only 4 sacks all season long. That means they have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, right?

Not necessarily. Sometimes scheming and game planning can make up for a lack of talent in certain areas.

So what is going on in Kansas City? Are their offensive successes a result of their offensive lineman consistently beating their man, is it coaching and scheme or is it a little of both?

Pro Football Focus, a partner of Arrowhead Addict, grades every player on every snap of every game. PFF’s statistics and grades are some of the most reliable in football. For a full breakdown of how PFF grades players, click here.

The simplified version, is that each player is graded on a scale between -2 and +2 on every play. The negative is bad, the positive is good. If a player does what he is supposed to on a play, like say a seal block, his grade for that play will likely be 0. 0 is average. Most plays are graded 0. If the player messes up a little, he might get a -0.5 for that play. If  he goes above and beyond, he might get a +0.5 or even a +1. -2’s and +2’s are rarely given out. The grades are then all added up and the player receives his grade for the game. If a guy had a very average game, he would finish with a grade around 0. If a guy had a fantastic game, he might finish with a grade of +8.5 or something like that. You get the idea.

Today I am going to break down the Chiefs offensive line. Check out who is really playing well and who is benefitting from the coaching scheme after the jump.

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I have been thinking about that when the comparison of Colin Brown and Ryan Lilja occurred to me. Every year, teams

try to place players that they feel have some potential on the practice squad. Occasionally, another team will swoop in and claim that player. Almost all of the time, the player never develops into a contributor and fans forget about it.

However, there are those examples of players that went on to be contributors (Wallace Gilberry), solid players (Ryan Lilja) or even Pro Bowlers (Brian Waters). It’s easy to remember the good players we got, or the ones that got away. For example, the September first, 2008 Chiefs practice squad consisted of S Dowayne Davis, LB Aden Durde, WR Marques Hagans, G Edwin Harrison, DT Derek Lokey, WR Kevin McMahan and DE Jason Parker. Lokey is the only one that registers at all. The fact is that if a certain player shows a lot of promise, teams keep them on the roster.

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You have to be the dumbest player in the world, or have been living under a rock to not know that you had better report to Todd Haley’s training camp in shape; really good shape.  As you all know, a very big deal was made last year about Todd Haley’s conditioning test.  Warnings were issued, yet players like Dwayne Bowe and Glenn Dorsey failed to take heed and failed the conditioning test.  They were in Todd Haley’s dog house right from the get go.  This is a place you do not want to be.  Failing the test means that you do not run with the ones, twos, or even the threes.  Instead you run with Richard Simmons in Fat Camp, otherwise known as No Man’s Land, instead of training camp. 

As training camp approaches, I wonder who will fail the test.  There will be no announcements about it, but when Bob Gretz, Josh Looney, or even you (if you plan on attending camp) report who is not with the team and on the side lines, then you will have the answer.  My hope is that no one will fail the test.  But I have a few hunches (guesses really) about who will fail the test which include three veterans, one draft pick, and undrafted free agents.

More after the jump

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Source: Yardbarker.com

If you haven’t listened to me thus far and gone to Bolt Beat to vote for the AFC West All-Star team, I need you to please do it today.

Today is a chance for the AA community to show it’s dominance and vote Ryan Lilja on to the All-Star team.

It is between Chris Kuper of the Donkey’s and our very own Ryan Lilja.

This is for the last slot on the team. We will reveal the full roster next week.

What are you waiting for? Visit Bolt Beat and vote for Ryan.

Belcher deals with Fargas. (Photo Source: Yardbarker.com)

A lot is going in the Chiefs favor this offseason. They had (in my opinion) a very good draft. They assembled a very talented and experience coaching staff. They landed key free agents Thomas Jones and Ryan Lilja and they didn’t overpay. Their schedule appears to be their most favorable in years and the team landed it’s first Monday Night Football slot since 2005.

The entire team has been present for the offseason OTA practices, save Jarred Page, who is dragging his feet signing his tender offer. With all the positive energy at Arrowhead, the Chiefs have perhaps a golden opportunity to reverse their fortunes with a winning record and a climb back to respectability.

To accomplish this task, however, the Chiefs are going to need contributions from unexpected places. It is a given that guys like Cassel, Bowe, Waters and Chambers have to show up but the veterans can’t do it alone. It is time for the Chiefs young players to step forward and make a name for themselves.

Here are 5 players that I think could be the key to a 2010 Chiefs playoff push:

(In no particular order)

1. Jovan Belcher

Jovan Belcher is my dark horse to be a starter at MLB by the time the Chiefs debut on MNF. Belcher was a huge surprise last season. The Chiefs signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Main following the 2009 draft. Belcher worked hard and began the season on the special teams unit. By the end of the season, he was playing middle linebacker alongside Derrick Johnson in passing situations. His season highlight was making a first down saving tackle in the Chiefs thrilling OT victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. He finished the season with 47 tackles, 45 of which were solo!

Keep in mind, Belcher, like Andy Studebaker, was a small school prospect. Guys coming out of the smaller college programs often need time to develop. James Harrison for instance, played college ball at Kent State. He was cut and resigned by the Steelers multiple times before he finally got it together. Belcher is ahead of curve. He adapted very well to the pace and competition at the NFL level and he could be poised to make a gargantuan year 2 jump. I am very excited to see how a year at the NFL level and in an NFL conditioning program will do for Belcher.

Right now, the only person standing in Belcher’s way is Corey Mays. If Belcher shows improvement in training camp he could very well unseat Mays as the starter. Personally, I think the only think Mays had on Belcher last season was experience. I know a lot of people were upset with the Chiefs lack of interest in linebackers in the draft but the team has some talented young guys that should be ready to step up. Jovan Belcher is one of them.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

Monday is here and it is time for me to officially weigh in on the Chiefs draft. There have been mixed reviews among Chiefs fans on just how well the front office did last weekend. Overwhelmingly, the fans I have talked to seem to be thrilled with Berry, pretty happy with McCluster and Asamoah and totally baffled at the lack of action in the nose tackle and linebacker department.

I understand the feeling. I too was shocked as the Chiefs passed over Terrence Cody and
later, Cam Thomas during the draft. We have talked at length here on AA about the Chiefs needs at NT. While we didn’t all always agree on where NT should go on the priority list, we all did agree that it was a priority.

I have been sleeping on it and I still don’t have an answer as to why the Chiefs skipped the nose tackle position all together. I just don’t know. I do know, however, that Scott Pioli and Romeo Crennel are not stupid men. They know the importance of the position. They have broken down the tape of last year’s defense and they know more about what went wrong than we do. So while I would like to be raking Pioli and Co. over the coals right now like many around the blogosphere, I am going to give the benefit of the doubt right now. The offeason is still young and I anticipate KC will still make a move at the position.

Shortly after the weekends festivities, we took a reader approval poll and the most of our readers gave the Chiefs a solid B on their draft. Out of over 700 votes and counting, here is the breakdown:

B-370 votes or 49%
A-199 votes or 29%
C-148 votes or 20%
D-32 votes or 4%
F-6 votes or 1%

So 69% of Addicts gave the Chiefs either an A or a B and only 5% gave them a failing grade.

Well, after giving it much though, my grades are in and so is my reasoning…after the jump!

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Last year, just a couple of days before the draft, it came out that the Chiefs were very big on Tyson Jackson. Sure enough, that is who they took. Could the Chiefs pick be leaked again this year?

With just 11 days and a few hours until the Draft, the Chiefs intentions still remain unclear. The same can not be said for the 4 teams picking in front of them. While anything can happen, it seems very likely the Rams will take Bradford, the Lions draft Suh, the Bucs get McCoy and Washington will pick Okung.

This scenario would leave the Eric Berry, safety out of Tennessee there for the Chiefs to snatch. While Betty is a favorite choice for many around AA and Chiefs Nation in general, there has been much speculation that Scott Pioli will avoid taking a safety as high as #5. If he does indeed pass on Berry, pundits are speculating that KC wil go the “safe route” by taking one of the top offensive tackles.

While OT is a possible pick for the Chiefs in the first round, I keep thinking back to something Scott Pioli said at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Q: Will offensive line be a priority for you in the draft this year as you try and help Cassel?

PIOLI: “I don’t know if it’s a priority but it’s certainly something we need to get better at, there’s no doubt. Everyone saw us play. When you win four games, it’s offensive line and there are some other positions. We’ve got some good players on the offensive line and we need to get more good players on the offensive line – just like we need to get more good players on the defensive line and at linebacker. This is an easy question to answer because unfortunately, when you win four games you’ve got to do a lot of things better. Like I said, I have to do a better job, the coaches have to do a better job and the players have to do a better job.”

After Pioli said this, he added Casey Weigmann to compete at C and Ryan Lilja at G. Lilja will almost certainly be a starter. Taking another lineman in the first round, whether it be a LT or a RT, would in my opinion, be making the offensive line a priority. I think that the Chiefs were encouraged by Branden Albet’s improved play last season in the 2nd half of the year. I also think they were pleased how Ryan O’Callahan settled in as a starter at RT. With Lilja taking a starting G spot and Brian Waters still being Brian Waters, center remains the only serious weakness on the team.

You don’t take a center in the first round.

So was Scott Pioli bluffing? Does he not consider adding 2 to 3 starters along the offensive line making it a priority? Pioli may want to take a safe pick but is he willing to reach for a position he feels is safe, like ILB?

We likely won’t find out until April 22nd. So stay tuned because AA will be there when it happens.

The Cheerleaders get an A+. Source: Yardbarker.com

The initial rush of free agency has long since passed and things have been pretty quiet in Kansas City. We haven’t had any news of any free agents visiting the Chiefs in some time and while it is always possible GM Scott Pioli may still have a few moves planned, it appears as though the Chiefs are through adding talent until after the Draft.

That being the case I thought it would be fun to hand out my grades on what the Chiefs have done thus far to better the team.

Ryan Lilja: A+

In my opinion, this is the best move the Chiefs have made thus far. Lilja is a huge upgrade at over any other guard on the roster, save Brian Waters. Lilja is a true starter which is something the Chiefs need more of as they have backups starting at multiple positions.

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Source: Yardbarker.com

I am going to go out on a limb here and make a prediction. Ryan Lilja will be announced as a Kansas City Chief by the end of the day today.I have no evidence to back up this claim, just a hunch.

As we told you yesterday, multiple outlets were reporting that Lilja would be visiting the Chiefs yesterday. All day long I obsessively checked Adam Schefter’s twitter account. I refreshed Pro Football Talk every other minute. Nothing. No news. Not even Josh Looney, who is inside Chiefs headquarters, had any news for us. All he could say was that as far as he knew, there was no ink yet.

Last night I was feeling pretty grumpy that the Chiefs hadn’t locked up Lilja yet when something occurred to me. I had felt this way before. I went through the same thing the day that Thomas Jones was supposed to be visiting the Chiefs. And then it hit me. Lilja will be signed today.Flimsy detective work and outrageous speculation  after the jump.

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Source: yardbarker.com

In case you forgot, the Chiefs are reportedly hosting former Colts G Ryan Lilja today. We’ll be keeping an eye on Twitter in case of any breaking news on a Lilja contract. If you see anything before we do, be sure to post it in the Addict Alerts! forum. I recommend checking that forum periodically as other Chiefs fans from around AA will be throwing up news items once the forum gets rolling.

More on Lilja from Pro Football Talk:

The Kansas City Chiefs, still struggling to turn around a franchise that has of late been in shambles, are in the process of checking out whether another team’s trash might turn into treasure.

Per multiple reports, the Chiefs are hosting former Colts guard Ryan Lilja today.

Lilja, a five-year veteran, started every game in 2009 after missing all of 2008 due to injury, after starting every game in 2007. He also started several games in 2006, including Super Bowl XLI.

Source: yardbarker.com

Arrowhead Pride has it from 810 Sports and Jason Lacanfora of NFL.com that the Chiefs will meet with former Colts guard Ran Lilja on Monday.From Arrowhead Pride:

Had enough offensive line news today? I hope not.

According to Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, the Kansas City Chiefs have a visit scheduled with free agent guard Ryan Lilja, who was cut from the Indianapolis Colts this week.

Per La Canfora, the visit is scheduled for Monday.

Lija has been a very popular free agent among Chiefs fans since the Colts let him go. Lilja apparently failed his physical with the Colts but the team is also reportedly trying to go with a bigger offensive line. Lilja is only 28 and has 5 ears of starting experience. It should also be noted how much the Colts throw the ball. This means Lilja has a lot of experience in pass blocking situations and while Manning helps his lineman out by always making solid, quick decisions and getting rid of the football, he can’t be given all the credit. Mannining is rarely sacked and some of that is due to solid pass blocking. There is no way the Chiefs should let Lilja leave Kansas City on Monday without a contract in place. This is one free agent move where the Chiefs will be getting a starter, meaning G is one less position they have to worry about come April.

What do you think Addicts? How does an offensive line of Alber, Waters, Wiegmann, Lilja and O’Callahan look to you?