The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t the only NFL team interested in Romeo Crennel as a head coaching option.

According to a report, so were the St. Louis Rams.

From St. Louis Today.com:

In addition, it was learned Thursday that the Rams requested permission to interview Kansas City defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel for the job early in their search process, but the Chiefs rebuffed them. Kansas City named Crennel their new head coach Monday.

My guess is that the Rams weren’t the only team calling to inquire about Crennel. Teams doing their due diligence in a coaching search would be fools to not at least want to interview a coach as talented as Crennel.

The Rams had to ask permission to speak with Crennel because he was still under contract with the Chiefs as their defensive coordinator. Had they attempted to speak with Crennel about their opening without the Chiefs’ permission, they would have opened themselves up to a possible tampering charge.

Smart move by the Chiefs not allowing Romeo to be wooed. Romeos are susceptible to being wooed.

Get it?

(resigns from site)

Jason La Canfora of NFL Network is reporting via Twitter that Broncos Pro Bowl WR Brandon Lloyd is being traded to the St. Louis Rams ahead of tomorrow’s NFL trade deadline.

The details of the trade are not yet known.

Lloyd will now be reunited with Josh McDaniels, who was the head coach of the Broncos when Lloyd had his breakout season in 2010.

This puts new starter Tim Tebow in an interesting position as he will now roll with a talented but young group of wide receivers in his first start this weekend. Should be interesting.

We’ll update you on the trade details if and when we get them.

 Update: La Canfora is reporting the trade has been agreed to but the two sides are hammering out the last details. It should be completed soon he reports.

I’m not sure how much or little a strong performance by the good guys on Friday night will help the Chiefs when the Buffalo Bills come to town on September 11th but a little extra confidence never hurt anyone.

While I definitely want the Chiefs to bring home the Governor’s Cup this weekend, I really want to see the Chiefs offense show some life. We saw a little out of Thomas Jones in the first preseason game. We saw a little bit out of Dwayne Bowe, Dexter McCluster and Verran Tucker in the second game. On the whole, however, the Chiefs offense looked out of synch.

I want to see them come out on Friday and show a little bit of their stuff. They don’t have to open up the entire playbook but I would like to see Matt Cassel, Jamaal Charles, Tony Moeaki and Steve Breason move the ball up and down the field. I want to see Jerheme Urban either catch a dang ball or I want to see him on the bench. If he’s not going to catch a ball, I want to see Verran Tucker show up two weeks in a row and prove he’s becoming a more consistent receiver worthy of starting consideration. I want to see Jon Baldwin on the sideline sharing a laugh with Thomas Jones.

On defense, I’d like to see Tyson Jackson continue to shed blockers and get into the backfield. I also wouldn’t mind seeing Justin Houston getting a few snaps with the starters in obvious passing situations. I think after his performance last week he’s earned it.

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Okay Addicts, I sat down and watched the Ravens game for a second time yesterday and came up with several specific observations on what I saw. I’ll share those with you (if you’re interested) after the break. However, the end result that I have come to after watching the first two preseason games and even seeing and reading about training camp is this: The Kansas City Chiefs need to beat the bean poles out of the St. Louis Rams this week. I don’t mean they need to win. I don’t mean that they need to “play well” or “look good”. I mean they need to walk into Arrowhead Stadium on Friday night and put a beat down on the Rams. The kind of game that is over at halftime. The kind of game where the shots of the sideline in the fourth quarter show the starters smiling and laughing with each other.

Why?

Well its not because we have some proud desire to win the Governor’s Cup. It’s not because the third preseason game is suppose to be the measuring stick of how your team will look in the regular season. It’s not really even the fact that we are 0-2 so far in the preseason (but I guess that is part of it).

Find out why and see my Ravens game observations and Tyler Palko pic of the week after the break.

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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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You would think from this billboard that it was a Chiefs home game right? (Source: My Cell Phone)

Sunday it was the Kansas City Chiefs at the St. Louis Rams for the Governor’s Cup.  For those of us that were able to escape our daily lives and make the trek up to the Edward Jones Dome to support KC the day was not a disappointment.  We all know by now that the Chiefs put up a pretty stellar performance despite being on the road and Matt Cassel having an internal organ removed 11 days prior to the game, but was it really a road game?

From my previous posts some of you know that I work retail, so it was a combination of luck and wizardry that got me the last Sunday before Christmas off to travel up to the good ol’ Gateway to the West to watch our beloved Chief’s battle for the rights of best team in MO.  After working all day and driving the six hours from Tulsa to St. Louis, I arrived at my hotel to see throngs of Chiefs fans in the lobby and in the street at 1 a.m. yelling “CHIEFS” at me in my red sweatshirt as I toted my bag up to the third floor.  I figured that it was because I was in a hotel, and KC fans would be traveling, so it made sense.  I retired to my suite to steam my jersey in the bathroom and drink beer out of a MacGyver-esque cooler made out of the garbage pail from our room (clean bag, no worries) with the other people I met up with to watch the game because we were without a refrigerator.

After a clean night of heavy out of town drinking in preparation for a Chiefs game, we strolled out of the Hotel and made our way through downtown a few blocks to the Edward Jones Dome to wait for 10:30 when they opened the gates.  I was astounded with the lack of tailgating (it’s in downtown, where are you going to tailgate?), and although Randy already commented on this, it was downright funny to see people lighting up their Hibachi’s in parking garages trying to recreate the experience of an actual football game.  All I have to say is be very glad that Kate Barnes did not get her dream of a downtown Royals stadium passed.  Really, it was so bad that once we were outside the stadium I didn’t even realize it until I saw “Edward Jones Dome” on the side.  It looks like a convention center or upscale shopping center, think Crown Plaza with a football field in the middle of it…

I feel sorry for the St. Louis fans in that respect, but this isn’t about them, it’s about the presence of Red and Gold.

Waiting in what passes for a park outside the dome with live music and beer for sale, I realized that the amount of Chiefs fans at the hotel was not a statistical outlier.  There really were that many KC fans at the game.  Not only was there a mix of 50% Red and Gold to Blue and whatever, but there was a crazy difference in the way the Chiefs fans acted.  We were all getting together and talking about the game, getting rowdy.  The Rams fans were subdued, quiet, scared?  The way we were acting I expected some banter, some confrontation, something, but it never came.  It was official; Kansas City Chiefs fans had taken over downtown St. Louis.

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Is it me or does Cassel lool like he is going to eat Weigmann alive in this picture? Source: (kansascity.com)

The Kansas City Chiefs took another important step toward securing their first AFC West title since 2006 by defeating interstate rival St. Louis 27-13 Sunday.

The win also guaranteed the Chiefs their first winning season since 2006, not a small feat considering the team had won a total of 10 games over the last 3 seasons.

After a miserable performance in San Diego just a week ago, the Chiefs returned to form in a total team effort lead my QB Matt Cassel.

We’re handing out Arrowheads after the jump.

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The Kansas City Chiefs took cart of business in a must win game over the St. Louis Rams Sunday.

The Chiefs needed to win to continue to control their own destiny in the AFC West. They now lead the the Chargers by one game with just two games to play.

Kansas City will return home for their final two games of the season. If they win both, they will be playoff bound.

When the Chiefs win it is usually a team effort and that was no different today. It is time to hand out our game balls for the Chiefs’ 9th victory of the 2010 season!

Offense:Matt Cassel

I know Jamaal Charles had a ton of yards on the ground but Matt Cassel is the reason the Chiefs won this game. He demonstrated fantastic pocket presence and made more than a couple of beautiful passes. He showed incredible guts by getting back on the field a mere 11 days after having his appendix removed and there should no longer be any doubt about who the leader of this Chiefs team is.

Cassel’s only mistake came on an interception that, while squeezed into some tight coverage, likely wouldn’t of happened had TE Tony Moeaki not ran into the intended receiver.

The Chiefs needed Cassel to not only play but play well and he delivered. Cassel showed remarkable guts (minus an appendix), heart and passion out there today. Make room for me on the bandwagon boys, I’m climbing on.

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The Chiefs will have traveled across the state today to take on the St. Louis Rams for the Governor’s Cup in a game with huge playoff implications.

The big questions around today’s game center around Matt Cassel and whether or not he will be fit to play just days after having an emergency appendectomy. Cassel practiced in a limited capacity all week and is listed as questionable. He is expected to be a game time decision.

After the jump, we have our staff picks.

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The Kansas City Chiefs are 8-5 and are playing the 6-7 St. Louis Rams Sunday but the discrepancies in the two team’s records aren’t enough for the experts to confidently pick the Chiefs.

ESPN.com has released their weekly picks and the experts are split on the Rams and Chiefs.

4 of the 8 ESPN experts picked the Chiefs to win Sunday while the others chose the Rams. The Chiefs are given an edge, however, as they are picked to win by Accuscore and the Pigskin Pick’em league.

3 of the 4 experts from the Sunday Night Countdown crew picked the Chiefs with Mike Didka being the only holdout.

In the Madden 11 simulation, the Chiefs won convincingly, 27-15. Matt Cassel’s electronic counterpart had a successful return to action, throwing for 357 yards and three touchdowns.

Let’s hope the real Matt Cassel is just as successful tomorrow. As per usual, we’ll have out AA staff picks tomorrow as part of our game preview.

Source: www.apha.com Photo taken by Jerry Circelli

Before moving to Kansas and becoming a Kansas City Chiefs fan, I spent a good part of my life in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby.  We haven’t lived there in over a decade, but we still make it a point to watch the Derby every year.  And every year there is one part of the race that never ceases to give me a bit of a thrill.  It occurs when the horses make the final turn and are on the straightaway to the finish line.  It is at that moment the announcer booms into his microphone, “And down the stretch they come!”  As I look at the Chiefs with three games left, I can’t help but imagine the announcer saying those words.

To begin with, I never thought the Chiefs would make it this far.  I didn’t think they were competitors for the AFC West title this year.  I thought it would be at least another year.  However, we started off 3-0 and in particular by defeating the heir apparent San Diego Chargers.  We came out of the gate quickly and have maintained a fairly steady win pace throughout the season.  The question is whether we’ve kept a good enough pace to win the AFC West.
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AccuScore is forecasting a close game with the Kansas City Chiefs winning 55% of simulations, and the St. Louis Rams 44% of simulations. In close games, turnover margin is especially important. The Kansas City Chiefs commit fewer turnovers in 68% of simulations and they go on to win 69% when they take care of the ball. The St. Louis Rams wins 74% of the simulations in which they commit fewer turnovers. Jamaal Charles is averaging 58 rushing yards per sim. If he can have a great game with better than average rushing yards and at least a 1 rushing TD (20% chance) then he helps his team win 78%. Steven Jackson is averaging 87 rushing yards per sim. If he can have a great game with better than average rushing yards and at least a 1 rushing TD (27% chance) then he helps his team win 71%. SPREADS / TOTALS: Current Point Spread is STL -1.5

What say you Addicts? Is it going to be close?  What are your predictions?  I say we run all over the Rams while on Offense, and as long as we can get pass rush pressure on Bradford we will win. Sounds easy right?

(Source: Yardbarker.com)

We have had enough coverage of the loss Sunday by now right?  It was a hard loss, but in the grand scheme of things, a single loss nonetheless.  It is time to for us to push forward, to move on, to leave it in the past, to (insert positive motivational cliché).

The fact is the Kansas City Chiefs are still a game ahead of the Chargers in the AFC West.  Their remaining opponents have a combined record of 17-22, and if they can beat three teams with losing records (2 at home where they have not lost this year) the playoffs are guaranteed with no crazy mathematical formulas or bracket wizardry needed.  So things are still looking up.

I feel sorry for the Rams.  They are about to go up against a proud KC team that just got pummeled by a divisional opponent with an emerging QB fresh off an injury.  They are looking for blood.  The Rams are much improved from their 1-15 team from last year with the addition of Sam Bradford at QB, and Steven Jackson rushing for over 1000 yads, but they are not equipped to handle this team, especially this week.  Thinking about it reminds me of that scene in “My Cousin Vinny” where Joe Pesci decks the guy and rips his $200 out of his hand because he’s not in the mood to deal with any bullshit at that point in time.  Maybe I’m overly optimistic, and call me out if you think I am, but I think this is a week where the Chiefs are NTBFW.  Make room for the Governor’s Cup.

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The St. Louis Rams can spend today negotiating with potential 33rd overall picks, and they can also spend today entertaining offers from other teams for the first pick in the second round of the draft.

If they decide to trade the pick, two of the teams that are interested are the Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Bills and Browns have already contacted the Rams about acquiring the 33rd overall pick. Both teams want to draft a quarterback, either Jimmy Clausen of Notre Dame or Colt McCoy of Texas.

Jason La Canfora of NFL Network, however, reports that the Bills are not inclined to trade up. The thinking in Buffalo may be that either Clausen or McCoy could fall to them at pick No. 41, or that there’s a quarterback they could take in the third round or later who can be developed into a starter.

Bradford could be KC's ticket to the Eric Berry show!

If a quarterback — either Bradford or Notre Dame’s Jimmy Clausen — is taken at No. 1, it will push the draft’s best prospects further down the board than expected. Kansas City will benefit if a quarterback is taken in the first four picks. The only possibilities are at No. 1 and No. 4 with Washington.

The top three prospects on many team’s boards are defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy and safety Eric Berry. If the Rams take a quarterback, Suh and McCoy will probably be taken at No. 2 and No. 3 by Detroit and Tampa Bay. Washington will likely take a quarterback or left tackle. So, in that scenario, Berry would fall to the Chiefs.

Kansas City needs a safety and Berry is considered an impact player. He’d be a perfect fit there. Many league observers predict Berry is headed to Tampa Bay with the No. 3 pick. But if the Rams take a quarterback all bets are off.

I have been saying this for a couple of days now. Not only would the Rams push the likes of Berry back nearer the Chiefs, having Bradford go #1 might make some QB desperate teams more likely to trade up in an attempt to take Clausen.

Except for ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He recently gave an interview on ESPN Radio and we have some quotes transcribed courtesy of Buc’em.

On the basis of what I’ve talked to people around the league, everything I’ve heard and at some point it’s gonna shift to this guy, and I don’t know whether it will be now or late March. It will probably be after his pro day when he goes to his pro day and goes through his workout, then all of a sudden, it’ll be about a month from now, we’ll start hearing:

“Wow, would and could the Rams take with #1 overall pick, Sam Bradford?”

And I believe ultimately when all is said and done that the Rams’ #1 pick on April 22nd 2 months from now, will be Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford. And I am willing to take all bets on that.

Surprising, right? Especially since everyone is convinced that Clausen, not Bradford, is the QB prize of this draft. I have been saying for a while that I wouldn’t be shocked if Bradford eventually moved ahead of Clausen. It seems I am not alone. More from Schefter after the jump.

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It is from Scout.com:

In addition to finding a franchise quarterback, the Rams are interested in trading out of the top spot in this year’s draft, moving down a few spots and acquiring additional draft picks and players. I’ve been told that the Rams and Buccaneers have had exploratory discussions on a deal, which would involve the team’s first round selections (No. 1 and 3), possibly one of the Buccaneers second round picks (they have two picks in the second round: No. 35 and 42) or their third round pick (No. 67). Again, these discussions have been exploratory, as the Rams continue to investigate all of their options, but the deal involving the Rams and Bucs first round picks and Tampa Bay’s third round pick, not one of their second-round picks, is where it gets interesting.

A source close to the situation in St. Louis told me that if a deal with the Eagles can’t be consummated prior to the draft, they may take the Bucs third round pick over one of their second round picks, because they’re “very high” on third-year quarterback Josh Johnson, who they would insist being in a potential trade with Tampa Bay. Rams officials compare Johnson favorably to Vick athletically, but they feel that he has a greater upside as a passer.

Interesting, eh? Be sure you check out the rest of the article. You have to wonder, if both the top QB’s are still on the board when the Chiefs pic, how much does that increase the likelihood that someone will want to trade with them?

In a move that comes as no surprise yet nevertheless feels surprising (if that makes any sense and it probably doesn’t), Howard Balzer reports via Twitter that Rams quarterback Marc Bulger has cleaned out his locker.

Bulger, a former West Virginia quarterback who attended the same high school as Dan Marino, entered the league in 2000 as a sixth-round pick of the Saints.  He ultimately landed with the Rams, where he rose to prominence as the successor to Kurt Warner.

Everyone knew this might be coming but now that it is real, we have to ask ourselves what the Rams are going to do come draft day. Do they go with Suh or do they believe that Clausen or Bradford can be their franchise guy? I suggested in my last Mock Draft that it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that the Rams could go QB with the 1st overall pick, which would throw every mock draft I have seen into total disarray.

A lot of people seem think Clausen will go before Bradford but I am not so sure. A lot of people were really high on Bradford last year and I think if he goes to the combine and shows he isn’t still suffering from his injury, he could very well jump Clausen as the best QB in the draft.

Regardless of who it is, if the Rams take one of the top 2 QB’s with the first pick, it will send a ripple effect though the entire draft. The question is, will it be a positive or a negative for the Chiefs?

I have heard it argued both ways. Some claim if one of the top 2 QB’s goes in the first 4 picks that the likelihood that the Chiefs will be able to find a willing trade partner in a QB desperate team will increase. I tend to agree with this theory.

I have also heard from folks who claim that it would decrease the Chiefs chances of trading back.

What do you think, Addicts? Will the Rams go QB with the first pick? If they do, what impact will that have on the Chiefs?

*Update*

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, via Twitter, Bolger did NOT clean out his locker.

Rams QB Marc Bulger did not clean out his locker. Rams equipment men did, just as they cleaned out everyone’s locker at end of year.

Remember, if Schefter says it, it’s true. I still don’t think Bulger will be back though.

You know news is slow when we are talking about lockers…

Green told FOXSports.com that he’s agreed to a three-year, $9 million deal with the Rams.

The Rams were an attractive destination for the two-time Pro Bowl QB because it allowed Green to go back home to Missouri as well as play for an organization he had already spent time with in 1999 and 2000.

• Green agrees to deal with Rams – FoxSports.com

After 14 years in the NFL, 11 with the Rams, K Jeff Wilkins will retire, the team announced today.