Yep, the second half of the game yesterday was pretty painful.

Paddy has already laid out a lot of the good that came out of the game and I don’t want to repeat the same points, but I have to say that, overall, I was also encouraged.

Last week, I wrote that this game would answer the burning question for the Chiefs – whether or not they could score and keep up with high-flying offenses. In the comments, I said, “if they put 28 points on the board and we still lose this game I’ll be satisfied, because at least they will have shown that they are able to get into the end zone. They’ll be getting their defensive stars back soon, and if that’s the only reason they lose this game then it’s nothing to worry about going forward.”

Although we fell slightly short of that, I stand by it and am basically satisfied.

At halftime, the Chiefs were hanging tough with the Falcons, answering them score-for-score at 17-20. Then, the Chiefs were hit with a stream of extremely bad luck. The Chiefs’ second half possessions ended: missed field goal, fumble, interception, interception, punt, touchdown, end of game. Considering neither team punted in the first half, it was clear that there was zero room for error in this game and we couldn’t afford to not score on a single drive. Therefore, when things went awry, it was obvious that the game was going to get out of hand quickly.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Turnovers on three consecutive possessions (especially on your own 20) is enough to kill pretty much any team in any game. If you consider the fact that a missed field goal is essentially a turnover as well, the Chiefs had four in a row. Not all were Cassel’s fault as some have suggested and generally he played a good game.

Simply put, this game was a one-off. LB Justin Houston showed some good moves and got a sack and two QB hits, but we still cannot create consistent pressure without Hali. Having reserves Jacques Reeves and Abram Elam in for CB Brandon Flowers and S Kendrick Lewis is more than a step down, it’s a lifestyle change – our strength was suddenly a weakness. We went from being a Wall Street exec to being a bum, eating a hairy fish on the bus in a Santa suit. There are quite a few teams the Chiefs can beat while eating fish in a Santa suit (cough – Arizona!), but those teams don’t have Roddy White and Julio Jones. We had no answer for those two.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Sometimes the game is just stacked against you and you’re going to end up getting kicked in the mouth. That’s what happened here. For me, the low point was Gonzo dunking on us in the end zone as the Falcons went up by 17. Tony G was my childhood idol – I even played tight end and wore his number at Topeka High – and I for some reason thought he wouldn’t do it. Basically he gave into his quarterback’s urging, which he probably couldn’t refuse, but like the thousands of Chiefs fans booing at Arrowhead, I felt betrayed.

John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

But don’t get down on yourselves, Chiefs fans! As Grandpa Romeo assured us on Twitter, “No one panic…. The Steelers, Saints, Packers, Giants are all 0-1 #StepAwayFromTheLedge.” The vaunted Steelers defense allowed 31 points to the Donkeys. The Saints got smacked around by a rookie at home. But you know what sure feels good after a loss like this? Revenge. No, I’m not suggesting we sleep with Tony Gonzalez’s wife. (But, seriously, if you have her number, do pass it along.)

Denny Medley-US PRESSWIRE

Next week, teed up for our enjoyment are the Buffalo Bills, who just got utterly pummeled 48-28 by the Jets and the hapless offense of Mark Sanchez. Chiefs might also remember, somewhere in the deep recesses of your repressed subconscious, that in last year’s opener, the Chiefs got hammered by the Bills 41-7. We also lost Eric Berry for the season to a low hit from Bills WR Stevie Johnson.

Andrew Weber-US Presswire

Week 2 is our chance to erase the hurt from both of these awful games with a resounding win over the upstate New York Bison. I’m sure Buffalo fans are good, well-meaning people. In fact, they have suffered for the past two decades with similarly disappointing franchises. That said, when the Chiefs come back and trounce Buffalo in their own house, I am going to be screaming at the top of my lungs “IN YOUR FACE!” No score is too high, no celebration too excessive. We will all dance a magnificent obnoxious dance in our crushing victory. Not because it’s the right thing to do, but because it will be effective, and necessary therapy.

Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

“It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle.” – Sun Tzu, Art of War

The Kansas City Chiefs square off against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. As Addicts, odds are that we as fans are well aware of the Chiefs’ strengths and weaknesses, even if we choose not to outwardly express our thoughts and concerns on certain issues. We know our Chiefs, so to speak. But beyond a few players or personnel, not all of us can say the same about knowing the Falcons.

Though Central Pennsylvania tends to be a melting pot for NFL fans, I can’t say that I know any Atlanta Falcons fans that I can speak football with on a regular basis. Deciding to be proactive, I looked a little further in depth to what Atlanta excelled at last season, and what they might be looking to do this season, and wasn’t really pleased with what I discovered.

Offense

The Falcons are generally perceived as one of the more balanced offenses in the NFL. The likes of Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Julio Jones and Tony Gonzalez pose a clear passing threat, and Michael Turner has been one of the better premier backs in the league for some time. This is well-known.

Julio Jones put in an impressive preseason and has shown that he should be worth every bit that GM Thomas Dimitroff gave up in order to draft him. This should also be known.

What may not be known by the average fan is that the Falcons are among the fastest starting teams in the league. Since 2008, the Falcons ranked first in the league for points scored on their first offensive possession (173), and last season ranked third in the league in this category scoring 51 points on opening drives, which includes six touchdowns. It could be said that Atlanta has become quite accustomed to putting up points right off the bat, and if Kansas City can stall such efforts it may be a bigger momentum-shifting, tone-setting course of events than might otherwise be suspected.

Further, the Falcons and Matt Ryan have publicized Atlanta’s intentions to make more big play attempts in the passing game this season. They are going to throw the deep ball, and they are likely going to throw it more often than other teams, and with much more serious threats in Julio Jones and Roddy White. Matt Ryan has gone so far as to state that “… [completing] one out of three [passes] on balls way down the field [is] not a bad day”, so do not expect a couple failed attempts to be enough to deter Atlanta from going to the air on Sunday. The threat of the deep ball will be a daylong threat, and it will be up to the Chiefs’ banged up secondary and hurting pass rush to keep this threat from becoming a reality.

Additionally, the Falcons boast an 83% scoring efficiency on drives lasting 10 or more plays during the period of 2008-present, and own a 40-13 Win/Loss record during this period when Matt Ryan throws at least one touchdown pass during a game. So on top of guarding against the quick, big play, Kansas City will have to safeguard against the long drawn out drives. Peachy.

On a more positive note, Tony Gonzalez is winding down on his career, and though he has not experienced quite as big of a dropoff in productivity as, say, Antonio Gates, he is not the same player we remember so fondly from his time in Kansas City. Returning to Kansas City may give him an added boost in his play, but overall he’s not as big of a threat as some of us may remember; make no mistake about it, though, he is still a threat. Additionally, there has been a lot of speculation over several outlets that Michael Turner may be looking at a decline in his production. Turner has been around long enough for the general wear and tear that comes with being an NFL running back to take its toll on his body and slow him down a bit. The only other Atlanta running back getting a lot of notice this preseason has been Jacquizz Rodgers, and quite frankly, Nate Eachus put in better performances than Jacquizz Rodgers. When the Chiefs’ No. 5 RB looks better than the Falcons’ No. 2 (or 3) RB, it either says great things about the Chiefs, terrible things about the Falcons, or some combination thereof; in any case, if Turner can be shutdown, the remaining options aren’t looking too threatening.

Defense

If the Falcons’ offense is exceptionally good at scoring on their first possession, the Falcons’ defense is exceptionally good at preventing opposing teams from scoring on first offensive possessions. In fact, the Falcons only allowed 16 points to come from opponents’ first possessions last season, with only one touchdown contributing to that total. Since 2008, the Falcons have only allowed 20.1 points per game, and the organization seems to chalk this up in large part due to the team’s ability to set the tone of the game by preventing opponents from scoring on their first possessions. If you’re Romeo Crennel and Brian Daboll, this one seems pretty clear: score, and score at the first opportunity. Even if the drive takes several plays until meeting the end result of points on the board, it will be a great blow to the Falcons to shove the ball down their throat and have them second guessing their defensive decisions and strategy.

During the offseason, Atlanta traded a seventh-round pick to Philadelphia to retain the services of Asante Samuels. This move gives the Falcons three very good players in their secondary at the CB position: Samuels, Dunta Robinson and Brent Grimes. Samuels himself is a bit of a ballhawk, but has been justifiably labeled as a bit of a liability at times. Samuels tends to play on instinct, and while sometimes those instincts help lend to his interception totals, he is apt to give up the big play when those instincts cause him to make the wrong decision on where the ball is going.

Brent Grimes is one of the better CBs in the league, and should be likened a bit to Brandon Flowers. Just as Flowers may not be much of a household name outside the AFC West, Grimes may not be much of a household name outside the NFC South. But like with Flowers, this doesn’t make Grimes any less great.

As for Dunta Robinson, he has been somewhat subjected to the stigma of not living up to his potential; this is likely to change this season. The Atlanta Falcons are putting a high priority on getting to the QB this season, and have been devising new blitzing schemes to better incorporate their personnel in reaching this goal; Dunta Robinson is a large part of these new plans. DC Mike Nolan will be playing Robinson out of the slot position, and allowing Robinson to take on a more physical style of football from this position. Robinson is expected to see more blitzing opportunities and couldn’t be happier for it. This might not be too much of a factor for Kansas City. Though Cassel didn’t look too good in the preseason on the longer developing plays where blitzing was involved, the Chiefs did realize quite a bit of success in throwing the shorter, quicker passes utilizing Charles and Hillis out of the backfield, and McCluster and the TEs over the middle. A successful drive against the Falcons may not involve a lot of impressive deeper down the field style plays, but may rather involve chipping yardage off one play at a time and rendering the Falcons’ new blitzing designs largely ineffectual.

Rubbing salt in the defensive wound, the Falcons lost MLB Curtis Lofton during the offseason which will not only have their LB corps hurting quite a bit, but is a big loss to their leadership on that side of the ball. I am much happier that the Chiefs will be facing a Falcons defense without Lofton than a Falcons defense with him.

Special Teams

The Falcons appear to boast an impressive punting game. P Matt Bosher is consistently successful at dropping the ball inside opponents’ own 20-yard lines, and the punt coverage unit was the NFL’s best last year, holding opponents to an average of 4.8 yards per return.

K Matt Bryant is 37 and has likely lost some kicking strength. While I wouldn’t classify him as great, he is performing at a slightly above average level, and can be trusted to ace kicks less than 40 yards, with 40+ yard attempts being a little iffier.

As for Atlanta’s return game, it looks to be in a transitional stage with untested (in regular games) returner Jacquizz Rodgers currently topping the charts. With poor coverage any returner could take it to the house, but the Chiefs do not appear to be likely to give up a TD to a team at this stage of their return game.

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Overall, Sunday’s game will definitely be a tough battle, as Atlanta looks to be among the more well-rounded teams in the league.

Expected momentum shifts the Chiefs’ defense may cause: 1) stopping the fast start; 2) preventing the big play multiple times in a row; 3) holding Atlanta’s drives to nine plays or less before forcing the punt.

Expected moment shifts the Chiefs’ offense may spur: 1) enacting a fast start of their own; 2) beating the blitz; 3) making Atlanta’s D doubt itself (and their FO sorry for letting Lofton go) by striking up the middle by land and by air.

Expected momentum shifts on special teams: 1) engineering punt returns for double digit yardage; 2) forcing Matt Bryant to attempt 40+ yard FGs.

And, of course, the final momentum shifter is Kansas City’s 12^th man: Make it loud, Chiefs fans, and remember, there’s no shame in making their ears bleed: it just adds more red to the field.

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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Former Kansas City Chiefs TE and future Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez has signed a one-year contract extension with the Atlanta Falcons, according to Jay Glazer of Fox Sports.

I saw some Chiefs fans around the net hoping that Gonzalez might return to KC to play along Tony Moeaki for one final season at Arrowhead.

Well, he will be playing at Arrowhead next season, but he’ll be playing for the Falcons.

Gonzalez said when he was traded to Atlanta that he would like to retire a Chief so regardless of what happens next year, Gonzalex will likely sign with the Chiefs one last time before he hangs them up.

Gonzo has 79 catches for 867 yards and seven touchdowns this year. He’ll return next year for his 16th NFL season.

Congrats to Tony on his new contract and his continued success.

What do you think, Addicts? Will the Arrowhead faithful give Tony a warm welcome next season?

Chan Gailey, the original offensive coordinator of the Pioli/Haley era, was served his pink slip by Todd Haley less than two weeks before the start of the 2009 season. Apparently Gailey never forgot that firing and who can blame him considering it occurred at a time when his prospects of finding another respectable coaching job anytime before the next season were probably slim to none? In a Radio 610 interview during the week leading up to his week 1 match-up, Gailey made it pretty clear that his firing from the Chiefs did not sit well him. Following the humiliating defeat his team served up in Arrowhead, his exact words after the game were “It feels good . . . You’re lying if you say it doesn’t. It does. It feels good.”

Gailey didn’t just beat Haley. He outcoached him in every aspect of the game. Gailey also had a few other things to say about his coaching philosophy that I find somewhat pertinent to the situation, if not in total contrast (I suspect even specifically targeted) to Haley’s own approach of breaking the season up into four segments and his monotone mantra-chant of “just trying to get a little bit better” each week.

Here’s what I’m talking about, in Gailey’s own words: “If you say, ‘Well I hope we’re a little bit better than last year,’ you ought to get out. That’s wrong. I expect to win every one of them. I expect to be undefeated. That’s the way I’ve always been, and that’s the way I’ll always be. I want to be 1-0 after this one and whoever we play second, I want to be 2-0.”

Did you catch that?

I’ll go a step further. I believe last Sunday’s game may very well determine more than simply who won the game, if not its subtle battle of wits. I’ll explain what I mean after the break.
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WARNING: This post ends with a bad rap parody.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com has an interesting article over on the NFC South blog about former Kansas City Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez and I thought it would be interesting to bring up the topic here. Yasinskas is making an argument that Gonzo should, without question, be voted in tot he Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

An NFL player is eligible to enter the hall five years after he retires. I had never really given much thought to whether Gonzo would go in during his first year of eligibility. In my opinion he is the greatest tight end to ever play the game so I would think his immediate entrance to the hall would go without saying.

Yasinskas, however, brings up some interesting points that I had never considered. (more…)

Source: nfl.com

One of the less talked about concerns of the NFL lockout potentially wiping out the entire 2011 season is the impact it could have on the careers of certain players.

The average career of an NFL football player is dramatically short and while some guys seem to be able to play for longer stretches, father time eventually catches them all.

Former Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez is one of the luck few NFL players who has been playing the game at a high level for a very long time. Still, even Gonzalez knows the end of his career is drawing near and that is part of the reason he requested to be traded out of Kansas City when it became apparent the Chiefs were a number of years from a Super Bowl run. Gonzalez, who has never won a playoff game, got his wish and is making one last run of things with the Atlanta Falcons.

That run could come to an end if the 2011 season is canceled.

In an interview with Clifton Brown of Sporting News, Gonzalez indicated that he was unlikely to return should the 2011 season vanish in a sea of litigation.

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Tony walks off the field after another post season failure. (yardbarker)

All of you read last weeks post (ok I know TWO of you did), in which we reviewed the career of wide receiver Yo Murphy.

Through no real contributions of his own, Yo went to the Superbowl, the CFL’s Grey Bowl, the NFL Europe championship, and whatever the hell the XFL called their  big event.  A ring for each finger, (a thumb isn’t a finger it’s a thumb) yet the only reason anyone recognized his name, was because of the fact that it was on one of the pages of my awesome KC Chiefs daily calendar.

 Yo is now the head coach of a team in the lingerie league.  If you bet  his rings will wind up on an episode of Pawn Stars, in my opinion you’d have an excellent  chance of winning.  The name Yo Murphy, who appears to be a great all around guy, is destined to fade into the foggy fields of NFL nothingness.

For sure, playing in the Superbowl can be a historically significant experience, no doubt. But as we all see in Yo’s situation, well it can also wind up not meaning a damn thing.

It makes me wonder if Tony has regrets.

Tony put up stats for the Chiefs like no other KC tight end.  Hell no other KC player.  I personally do not rank him as the greatest end of all time, but like Ted Williams once said about his hitting career , Tony certainly   ”deserves to be mentioned when the topic comes up”.

The patience Tony showed with the Chiefs season after season, failure after failure, makes him deserve to be mentioned when the topic of the Biblical Job’s trials  come up now that I think of it.

So a couple of seasons ago Tony threw in the towel. He wanted out of KC. And Carl Peterson (controversy here ) finally honored his wishes.

Flash to 2011 as Tony again walks off the field with the dejected look I saw year after year through my Buschnells. But this time he walks off with less fans in the stands, and at his age certainly less bargaining power for the future. In Atlanta,  Tony I’m sure is well thought of, but he isn’t the hero he used to be in KC. (more…)

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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Source : Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs are out of the tournament and it will likely make watching this weekend’s games a little bit harder for the Arrowhead Faithful.

Still, sporting events are always more fun when you have someone to root for. I usually pick an AFC team I like once the Chiefs are eliminated from contention but this year I am switching things up

For the rest of the playoffs, I’m going to be an Atlanta Falcons fan.

I’m rooting for Atlanta because of Tony Gonzalez.

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The exciting 2010 season already starts to fade into memory...

Yes, this past Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs’ 2010 season ended with a thud on the cold, hard, two-toned turf of Arrowhead Stadium. And just like that, a nation of Chiefs fans was cut off cold turkey.

If you’re like me—and if you’re reading (or for that matter, purposefully avoiding) this blog right now, I know that in some way you are—you’re experiencing a bit of a psychological break. We’ve all been on a weekly cycle of ebb and flow…win and sometimes lose…soar and crash…vent and recover…for the last four-plus months, and it’s not the kind of routine you just delicately step away from.

Last week, Lyle made a nice analogy between our Chiefs’ uneven progress and the art of potty-training, explaining that with any young team, fits and starts and “accidents” are all part of the process. To apply my own, much more convoluted and less appropriate bathroom-related analogy, one might say that the Kansas City Chiefs’ season rather suddenly went down the toilet on Sunday. And now that our toilet is clogged to the point of cracking because it’s full of Chiefs (Shaun Smith in particular), it sure would be nice if we could just shut off the water main and remove the pressure from the situation.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way with adrenaline. (more…)

Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley and his players may not allow themselves to so much as utter the “p” word, but I have been and will be saying it as much as any conversation permits.  The Chiefs are in the playoffs!  Kansas City will host a home playoff game!  Playoffs baby!  For us hardcore fans, it seems like a lifetime since we have said that.  So feel free Addicts, there is no ban on that word here, use it as many times as you like.  You have earned it.

There is one reason that the Chiefs clenched the AFC West this year and earned the right to host a playoff game: The Arrowhead Advantage.  Being undefeated at home gets you to .500 if my math is correct, and you can win less than half of your games away to make it into the playoffs as a rule.  The Chiefs have the best home field advantage in the NFL, and this is why we are AFC West Champions.

After the jump we will review my top five reasons that the Chiefs have the best home field advantage in the NFL.

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It cannot be ignored any longer.  There is a new Tony in town and he is quite promising.  Despite what some of you might think it is not blasphemy to point out the following: 

Tony Moeaki is on pace to shatter Tony Gonzalez’s rookies stats. 

More after the jump…

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photo courtesy of yardbarker

We have come a long way Addicts. In my opinion its way to early to celebrate, but enjoying the moment is a requirement for all Chiefs fans!

This morning’s news that the Chiefs remain the only undefeated team in the NFL made me think.

Jared Allen. Tony Gonzalez. Larry Johnson.  Three players that in their prime (save Johnson) were the best in the league. Traded primarily at the players request, or because of attitude and behavior problems. No doubt they felt they would have better futures with other teams as the Chiefs were in the middle of a historical losing streak.

But what about now?

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Source: Yardbarker.com

The Kansas City Chiefs have a new TE named Tony catching touchdown passes for them these days.

But they’ll never forget their old Tony.

Former Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez reached a big milestone today becoming the first TE ever to reach 12,000 yards receiving.

Gonzalez was traded to the Falcons for a second round pick shortly before the 2009 draft.

Congratulations Tony G.

Source: Yardbarker.com

SI.com recently released a top 10 list entitled “NFL Tight End Matchup Nightmares.” I am sure you, like me, expect the smart folks at SI to figure out who the #1 TE in the league is. They are astute football minds. This is an easy one. No way are they going to screw it up.

But they did.

They screwed it up colossally. Their flub is so bad it is actually laughable.

Tony Gonzalez is not #1. He is not #2. He isn’t even #3. Shocked? You might want t sit down because he isn’t #4 either.

He is #5.

Here is what they had to say about the greatest TE to ever play the game of football:

A first-ballot Hall of Famer who only continues to produce and produce big. At 34, Gonzalez is coming off his seventh consecutive season of at least 70 -catches and 800 yards in receptions. The argument easily could be made he deserves to be No. 1 or No. 2 in this ranking, but he is 34 and the explosiveness and leaping ability have slipped ever so slightly.

Pardon? His skills have diminished?

Guess what picture SI has accompanying this atrocity? A shot of Tony G, in his Falcons uniform, doing his signature football dunk over the goal post. Yep. They have a picture of him jumping high next to a blurb that says he can’t jump high anymore.

They also say his skills have diminished after saying he has 7 consecutive years of 70 catches and at least 800 yards. So what they are saying is that while at 34, he hasn’t gotten any worse than when he was 26, he is losing his touch?

Sees to me he is still going out there and schooling 26 year old linebackers.

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Read AA’s exclusive interview with Tony Moeaki right here.

Source: Yardbarker.com

There won’t ever be another TE like Tony Gonzalez in a Chiefs jersey. There may not ever be another TE like him – period – but will anyone even come close? For a while it didn’t look like the Chiefs were even going to attempt to replace him, but now it looks like they may have made that attempt. With all the hype surrounding Tony Moeaki, many KC fans are already asking the question:  Will Tony M. be any closer to Tony G. than anyone else so far? We know lightning doesn’t usually strike twice, but do these two TE’s have anything more in common than their first names? No one is going to forget Gonzalez any time soon, but this year there’s a good chance Moeaki will help Chiefs fans move on without the greatest TE to ever play the game.

The below table compares the college careers of the recent TE signed by the Chiefs with each one’s best year totals in bold. Please note this is not meant to be an exhaustive list. Players using the Chiefs revolving door are not included, neither is Leonard Pope, since we all know he’s no Tony G.

More after the jump.
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In this week’s edition of Monday Morning Quarterback, Peter King of SI.com caught our attention with a fairly obvious, but largely overlooked, fact.

Tight end Tony Gonzalez has averaged 20 more receptions over his last three years than his did in his first 10 seasons.

From 1997 through 2006, Gonzalez caught on average 72.1 passes.  From 2007 through 2009, the number has spiked to 92.7.

And he has missed only two games due to injury, none in the past three years.

Pro Football Talk

Source: Yardbarker.com

They say flying is the safest way to travel but that doesn’t help my fear that it would be a terrifying way to die.

Former Chiefs TE and future hall of famer, Tony Gonzalez got a major scare when his plane had a temporary engine failure and had to make an emergency landing. From Tony’s twitter page:

Long day but SO glad to be home!! We took off and the right engine went out. Had to make an emergency landing. Its a good day to be alive!!

Yikes!

The plan took off from Hartsfield-Jackson airport bound for LA when “the captain suspected possible engine trouble.”

We’re glad Tony is ok and that the pilot took the precautions to make sure everyone on the plane was safe.

What Tony left "behind" at Arrowhead. Photo courtesy of Randy Murawski

But you did.

I began hearing rumors. At first I didn’t believe them. Then I saw the looks on your face from the sidelines the cameras missed at home. I saw the anguish. I saw the sadness. I saw the frustration.

The same looks I was seeing in my bathroom mirror.

Even before Adam posted it on AA, I knew it was true.

And it made me angry.

I didn’t give up on the Chiefs. I kept going to the games. Some of them by myself, some of them when I couldn’t even give away my tickets. I didn’t give up. So how could you? (more…)

Source: Yardbarker.com

Thanks to the fantastic Mr. Josh Looney, we now know the first Chiefs game of 2010 will be an August 13th showdown with Tony Gonzalez and the Atlanta Falcons at 7 PM (CST)!

Looney got the news from the Falcons who released their entire exhibition schedule.

This may mean it isn’t long before we find out the specifics on all of KC’s exhibition games.

Don’t worry Chiefs fans, only 127 days till Chiefs Football!

Let me begin by saying that I believed at the time of his hire that Scott Pioli was the best choice available. I still believe that but would also add that Scott Pioli was probably the only candidate worth having. A “no-brainer” if you will. At a time when time was truly of the essence, it still troubles me that Clark Hunt took so long to agree to terms with Pioli.  It is because Pioli came so late to KC that I think it is not only tough, but also unfair, to make a definitive call on how well or poorly he has performed. Lest there be any doubts as to my motives here, any negative opinions I express should not be regarded as some sort of indictment against Pioli, but rather simply my critique of major moves he has made and the approach he appears to be taking all in the ultimate hope being that even he can recognize his weaknesses and thus improve upon them.

(more…)

First let me start by saying that Dwayne Bowe is a great talent and plays hard.  He is young (age 25) and has so much potential on his side.  But is he squandering that talent?  After registering 70 receptions, 995 yards and 5 TDs in 2007, then 86 receptions and 1,022 yards and 7 TDs in 2008 was Dwayne Bowe resting upon his laurels?  Yes, and it is not far fetched to believe so.

Maybe he was so impressed with his skill and his first two seasons’ statistics that he made no effort in the offseason to improve himself.  The greats always do: for example, Jerry Rice was notorious about working out in the offseason well after he was considered the greatest of all time (Tony Gonzalez’ good work ethic is notorious too).  According to unrefuted reports, Dwayne Bowe showed up to training camp, (after being told well in advance that he needed to be in shape), 20-25 pounds overweight.  That would put him at approximately 240 to 245 pounds as a WR!  What kind of training was he doing in the offseason to accomplish that?   He obviously did absolutely no training at all other than partying with the likes of Jamarcus Russell.  This put him in the Haley dog house.  That coupled with his intermittent case of the “dropsies” caused him to lose his starting position for a short time.

(more…)

Hollywood looks. Vegan shakes. Commitment ceremonies. Flirtations with the NBA. Infatuation with the Cali way. Not exactly your typical Midwestern good ol’ boy. From the start, the California Kid stuck out like a sore thumb in Kansas City. Tony G wasn’t like Larry Johnson, disliked from the start, or Jared Allen, beloved from the start. He was somewhere in between.

Despite all that, Tony Gonzalez strung together a decade’s worth of Pro Bowls in his 12 years with the Chiefs to become one of the most popular players in team history. Make no mistake about it; he will enter our Ring of Honor and the NFL Hall of Fame as a Chief. I, for one, will still rock my No. 88 jersey at Arrowhead, and do so proudly.

I met Gonzalez on several occasions and he was always a super nice guy. Seldom will you find a professional athlete who is such a pillar both on the field and off it in the community. Tony G was exactly that for 12 years, and if you ask me he earned every cent we paid him and more. You were as likely to see him at the Plaza as you were in the endzone, and he dunked on the goalposts quite often. Tony G became an unlikely football version of George Brett to Kansas Citians. Let’s not forget that because things didn’t work out after 12 years.

Now, the big question on everybody’s lips: why move the greatest tight end in NFL history for a second-round pick, and a 2010 one at that?

Why? Because it makes sense.

(more…)

Per Jay Glazer of FOX Sports, Tony Gonzalez was traded to the Atlanta Falcons for their 2010 second-round pick. We will greatly miss our most beloved Chief. That’s all I have to say.

Did we get a good deal?  Will we use that pick to trade into the second round this year? Sound off, Addicts.

So the news has hit the Intertwebs that Anquan Boldin wouldn’t mind playing for the Chiefs. The price for the Cardinals is apparently a first and a third. I wonder if the No. 3 pick and a 2010 conditional would get it done (high third, low fifth)? If so, I would pull the trigger. As much as I love Crabtree, Boldin has proven that he is a Pro Bowl player and a tough-as-nails one at that.

This would also clear the way for us to trade Tony Gonzalez if we wanted to in exchange for second-rounder, where we could snag a linebacker. After all, one fundamental belief I have is that teams overvalue their draft picks because they believe they can assess talent better than they truly can. Definitely food for thought.

Addicts, would you trade our firt-rounder and change for Anquan Boldin?

Week 1 – At Baltimore Ravens

At first glance, I was taken aback by the sheer terror of this match-up. Ray-Ray and his crew gets first crack at our new franchise quarterback? Yikes! Then I remembered that Ray Lewis and Ed Reed used to babysit Tony Gonzalez (practically). I also remembered that the Ravens’ offense is no juggernaut and that their corners are pretty suspect.

Sure, Terrell Suggs and Co. will come after Matt Cassel, but that’s not what concerns me most. What concerns me most is our defense being able to apply heat to sophomore signal caller Joe Flacco. If we can accomplish that, then I think we can rattle him, deter that offense and keep pace. If not, it might be a long Sunday for our Chiefs. Then again, how many points can that limited O possibly generate?

My other big worry is that the Chiefs will pick things up where they left off and start out the season susceptible to the run. That would be no bueno, but it’s certainly a possibility — especially while the new unit is gelling. I could see LeRon McLain, Ray Rice and Willis McGahee absolutely carving us up. After all, that’s a pretty talented and versatile trifecta. Personally, I would load the box and make Flacco and his receivers — Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton and Todd Heap — beat us. Mason and Heap are over the hill, Clayton is inconsistent and Flacco is overrated. I don’t think they could win an aerial shootout with our Red and Gold. Especially if A.) Tony Gonzalez sticks around; and/or B.) we draft Michael Crabtree.

In my vlog, I called this a loss. So, yes, on the road this game will be quite tough. It’s a winnable game. Much more winnable than say Philly two weeks later, in my opinion. That’s the toughest game on the sked if you ask me. The Chiefs can win this one, but they will have to limit their offensive mistakes and the Ravens’ rushing attack to do so.

Prediction:

20-17 Ravens

Marquee Match-Ups:

FS Ed Reed vs. TE Tony Gonzalez

I suspect that the Ravens will try to cover Gonzalez with Reed some. If so, this could be a pivotal match-up as it pits the league’s best tight end against its best free safety.

OLB Terrell Suggs vs. OT Branden Albert

Their paths will likely cross. When they do, Albert will need to be at his best if he wants to keep his new quarterback upright. Suggs is one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL.

Chiefs’ Front Seven vs. Ravens’ Running Back Trio

The Chiefs new hybrid defense will have to shut down the B-More ground game in order for the Chiefs to have any shot of leaving crabcake country with a W.

Intereting Factoid:

The Chiefs have never lost to the Ravens in Baltimore — ever!

Addicts, sound off on the season opener at Baltimore…

Personally, I don’t think the Chiefs would reject a second-rounder, but I could be wrong. If the Chiefs do pull the trigger, they should draft Michael Crabtree to replace Gonzalez and pick a pass rusher in round two. Matt Cassel, Scott Pioli and Todd Haley are all coming from systems where they had two Pro Bowl receiving options. To not give them the same kind of tools they excelled with in the past would be plain stupid on our part. After all, if those three fail, then the Chiefs fail. End of story.

We could also draft a pass rusher early, say Brian Orakpo (who we just worked out), and pick a receiver in round two. I think that would be a riskier move for both positions, though. There is only one top-flight receiver in this draft. Meanwhile, there are a lot of highly skilled pass rushers, but no Lawrence Taylors, no Derrick Thomases. Crabtree could be the next Larry Fitzgerald.

My other thought is that maybe the Falcons low-balled us and offered a third. I don’t think the Chiefs are going to move Tony G for a second-day pick. Not when Cassel needs a supporting cast that can help speed up his maturation process as a quarterback. Plus, Tony getting moved for anything less than a second would be hard for the fan base to stomach. Even Pioli’s political football capital might not be able to withstand that.

More on this story to come…

Addicts, sound off on Tony G potentially heading to Atlanta for a second-rounder…

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Contrary to remarks by Kansas City owner Clark Hunt, Tony Gonzalez wants to be traded if the right deal can be made, a person close to the Pro Bowl tight end told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Asking not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the subject, the person said Gonzalez was surprised that Hunt had said the Chiefs were definitely not going to trade their 10-time Pro Bowler.

“If the right deal can be made, Tony very much wants the Chiefs to trade him,” the person said. “Tony is not demanding a trade. Tony cherishes the time he’s spent with the Chiefs and he loves the way he’s always been treated by the fans there. But he knows of some other teams that would be interested in him and if the right deal can be made, he wants it to be made.”

Now, this is not coming directly from Tony, first of all. Second, the source clearly says that he isn’t “demanding a trade” from the Chiefs. Then there’s his trade value. If we all think long and hard and recall the 2008 trade deadline, we’ll remember that the most Tony G will probably net us in a trade is a third-rounder. Considering all of those things, I highly doubt No. 88 gets shipped out of K.C. Especially when Clark Hunt just said that he has no desire to move his Pro Bowl tight end.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

FOXSports.com has learned that the Chiefs offered the position to Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley and he has accepted. They are now trying to work out terms of a contract agreement.

This offseason has been like Christmas for me.

Fire Carl Peterson? Check!

Fire Herm “Harm” Edwards? Check!

Hire Scott Pioli? Check!

Hire Todd Haley? Check!

Tomorrow, when the ink has dried and this thing is official, we will be the envy of the league. We now have the hottest young coordinator in the game as our head coach to go along with the hottest young executive, an estimated $40 million in cap room and the No. 3 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. Haley seems to be loved, respected and even feared by his players, and I think his football knowledge might even exceed his people skills. That was definitely not the case with one Herman Edwards.

Even if Chan Gailey is retained as offensive coordinator — and I don’t expect him to be — this is a clear message to the fans and the rest of the league. That message? That the Chiefs are only looking one way — forward.

Pro Football Talk discusses an interesting thought — Kurt Warner to the Chiefs?

If Haley ends up taking the job, it’ll be interesting to see whether the Chiefs make a play for Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in three weeks.

I had previously speculated a trade for Matt Leinart, but obviously the folks over at PFT expect the Cards to keep Leinart and let Warner walk. Yes, even after taking them to their first ever Super Bowl. You didn’t think that one little Super Bowl would make Bill Bidwell stop being cheap, did you? For a minute there, yeah, I sort of did.

But it’s a thought. We sign Warner and draft a young quarterback. We let Warner play and tutor the young QB until he’s ready to go. He was a pretty good mentor for Eli Manning, and I’m sure he helped out Leinart quite a bit. With some other moves, the Chiefs would be AFC West contenders immediately. In part because the AFC West is that bad, but also because Warner would combine with Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez to form one of the most potent passing attacks in the NFL. And, remember, there’s always that Michael Crabtree guy, too.

We’ll keep an eye on Leinart and Warner, especially now that the Patriots have franchised Matt Cassel and are rumored to be asking for two firsts in exchange for him. Yikes!

As for Haley, this is the Chiefs big second step forward towards success. We know that he and Pioli work well together. We know that the Chiefs are going to have a potent offense soon — look what Haley built in the desert in a mere two years. What the Chiefs need to do now is bring in a good defensive coordinator and pounce on defensive free agents when the market opens. As an offensive guy, Haley will need a strong D coordinator and some more talent on that side of the ball. I don’t expect him or Pioli to neglect those needs.

This is a great day in Chiefs history, fellow Addicts. I think we got the best hungry, young coach out there, and I expect him to be a perfect match for our hungry, young front office and nucleaus. Welcome to Kansas City, Todd Haley. We’re thrilled to have you!

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

Quarterback: -10

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

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

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

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

(more…)

Tony Gonzalez is simply putting pressure on the Chiefs through the media. First off, he basically put a gun to Scott Pioli’s head and said hire Kirk Ferentz and see what happens. From Yahoo!:

“I want to see who they name as head coach,” Gonzalez said. “Yeah, I hear they’re talking to Todd Haley, but then there’s this coach [Ferentz] from Iowa State, some [expletive] like that and I don’t want to deal with that. It seems like we’re rebuilding anyway, and I don’t want to do that. I don’t know that I want to do that any more than I already have been.”

Reading between the lines there, I believe Tony is saying that hiring Haley would be cool, while hiring Ferentz would be very uncool. I think he doesn’t want Kirk Ferentz as our head coach, and as the elder stateman of the Chiefs he’s sending a warning shot out to the front office. Good for him. In my humble opinion, hiring Ferentz to be our head coach would be an even bigger disaster than hiring Chan Gailey.

He doesn’t stop there either. And if you read the subtext, he’s basically saying: A.) The Chiefs need to start going in the other direction and actually winning games, and fast; B.) Star talent needs to be imported — not exported. From Yahoo!:

“I love Kansas City. I really do. If I could stay there, I would. That’s why this is going to be a tough decision,” Gonzalez said. “We’ve been rebuilding. It hasn’t really seemed to go well. We won four [in 2007] and two this year. It’s getting tough. … I don’t want to make it seem to the fans in Kansas City and to my teammates that I’m abandoning them. I hope, I think, they’ll understand.”

“We traded away our best defensive player [Allen], by far. A game changer and you trade him away,” Gonzalez said. That’s just too much, and that’s sending a message to the guys on the team.”

Tony G is a veteran’s vet and a master of the media. I warned everybody that they were putting too much stock in Tony’s (paraphrasing) “if Thigpen isn’t the starter, then I go” comments. I always thought that was actually quite funny. First off, that he expected people to actually believe that. Second, that people actually did — hook, line and sinker. Now he’s just putting a little pressure on Pioli to make some big moves this offseason. The right moves, too. Moves that will make the Chiefs playoff contenders next year.

So, please, don’t read too much into Tony’s lip service. Like a young boy with a new step daddy, he’s simply testing the new sheriff in town. If Pioli makes the right moves — and I believe he will — Gonzo won’t be gonzo any time soon. For now, just ignore Tony’s venting down in Hawaii. He needed it.

Step two? That’s where things have gone wrong, forcing me to wad up my previous Blueprints, toss ‘em in the trash and start on a new draft. Josh McDaniels is now coaching the Broncos, Steve Spagnuolo the Rams. Maybe it’s for the best, as a new candidate has emerged that I’m sweeter on than either of my previous preferred head coaching choices.

That being said, let’s get this show on the road…

The Blueprint 2K9 V3: Raiding Arizona

Step 1: Pioli hires Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley as the Kansas City Chiefs’ new head coach.

Every NFL team must have its own identity in order to be successful. Last year, the Chiefs didn’t have one. Well, a positive one anyway. No, I don’t consider “gimmick offense” a positive one. C’mon folks, that’s what the Arrowspread was. Don’t even get me started on the defense. That’s why it didn’t work in the second halves of games all season long. Still, the Chiefs are much, much closer to being an offensive powerhouse than they are to being a defensive one. And that is precisely why hiring Haley makes so much sense.

Haley is the hottest offensive coordinator in the game. He’s devised a deadly pass-first offense that has carried the Cardinals all the way to the Super Bowl. He has the temperament of a head coach. Like I recently stated in a comment thread, we need a boss — not a buddy. We need a Bill Parcells or a Mike Tomlin — not a Herm Edwards or Wade Phillips. This guy has shown that he can deal with the egomaniacs of the NFL; he didn’t take any lip from T.O. as an assistant coach with the Cowboys, and he put Anquan Boldin in his place last week while calling the NFC Championship-winning drive. That proved that he could not only handle the players and the pressure, but thrive in the hectic environment in which a head coach must operate. The Tuna made Haley one of his disciples for a reason.

Lastly, we want a young, hungry coach with lots to prove. Why? Because we want someone who can allow us to forge a coach-G.M.-owner triumvirate that can grow and win together over the course of the next decade or so. Something that lasts. That’s what we are trying to build here. With Hunt and Pioli both 43, and Haley 41, they have nothing but time. Hell, the Hunts kept Carl Peterson around for 20 years — Clark is going to want that same stability with this new regime. With a Haley-Pioli pairing — the two have known each other for a long time and reportedly have a good relationship — that kind of front office stability would be a real possibility.

The critics will have their gripes. They’ll say that he’s not proven. Um, leading an offensive-minded team to the Super Bowl as its offensive coordinator isn’t proving yourself? Then they’ll say why are we hiring an O.C. when our defense was so atrocious last year? Because Haley can mold an offense featuring some serious talent into something special. Because Haley, a Parcells disciple, won’t neglect the defensive side of the ball. Because Pioli, a Belichick disciple, won’t neglect the defensive side of the ball either. Because that’s why you hire the right defensive coordinator.

(more…)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Addicts, should the spread stay or should it go?

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

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

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

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

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

Fuel to the fire

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

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

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

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

Finally, this question is for the fans to answer…

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

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

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

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

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

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

At noon today, according to an NFL source, the Arizona Cardinals have inquired about trading for Gonzalez. According to that source, the Cardinals are unhappy with the play of both Leonard Pope and Ben Patrick. It’s not known how serious the interest might be, but the Cardinals need another receiving threat and Gonzalez would provide that.

Warpaint Illustrated.com has also confirmed that an unidentified fifth team is in the mix. Currently the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills are also competing for Gonzalez.

Of those teams, reportedly the Giants have approached the Chiefs with the most serious offer. However per our source, “no team is willing to give the Chiefs multiple picks for Gonzalez.”

That does not bode well for Kansas City’s hopes of acquiring the multiple-pick package they’ve been seeking per earlier reports. However, our source did expect a deal would be struck today, and the fact that the Chiefs moved back their 2:00 PM press conference to 3:00 PM today to coincide with the trade deadline favors that.

Cards deal? Any deal at all before the deadline?

Sinorice Moss caught his first two career touchdowns against the Seahawks last Sunday. And Monday night, he rested.

Moss, the Giants’ third-year wide receiver, was inactive for the game against the Browns. Rookie Mario Manningham was dressed in Moss’ place. It’s the third time Moss has been a healthy scratch this year, so what’s the big deal?

Well, the trading deadline is Tuesday. So did the Giants have a trade worked out for Moss and did they want to make sure he didn’t injure himself? Perhaps they had a trade worked out with the Chiefs for tight end Tony Gonzalez?

Addicts, let’s hear your thoughts on Moss as the clock ticks down?

The Bills are now reportedly offering up a third for Tony Gonzalez. – Arrowhead Pride

Larry Johnson is now also being discussed in trade talks. – FOX Sports

Even Damon Huard might need to back his bags tonight just in case he gets dealt, too. – Arrowhead Pride

Was Monday Tony’s last practice donning the Red and Gold? – Associated Press

Should Brett Favre campaign for Gonzo in green? – FanHouse

Here is what some of our FSB brothers and sisters in blog had to say about their team potentially landing Gonzo (after the jump):

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Jared Allen sent a text message Saturday night to Tony Gonzalez, his good friend and old teammate from the Kansas City Chiefs. The word is, Gonzalez wants to be traded and the Chiefs are open to making that happen. Anyway, about that text message. Allen sent it after getting wind of the trade rumors.

“I said, ‘You want to get traded, man?’ ” Allen said he wrote in his text message to Gonzalez. “I was joking with him. I said, ‘Why don’t you come join me in Minnesota?’

The two teams have shown that they can get a deal done before, so you never know. Stay tuned, as we’ll be watching the Tony G situation like a hawk over the next 48 hours or so.

Chiefs TE Tony Gonzalez to the Giants: Why would a team trade a man many consider the greatest tight end of all time? The Chiefs are rebuilding and by the time they turn around their fortunes, Gonzalez’s time in this league could be over. Why let his career end on a rebuilding team? He and team President Carl Peterson are extremely close. If they can find a trade that would work for all parties, it would actually be quite honorable for a team executive to not hold a player hostage in his final years on a rebuilding team. Get something for him to assist with the rebuilding process. He’ll forever be loved in KC regardless.

The Giants are the perfect fit as they’d provide Eli Manning with one of the most reliable targets in the league. Between Gonzalez and Plaxico Burress, their red-zone threat would be downright scary. The Giants should take the second- and fifth-round picks they got for Jeremy Shockey’s trade and offer them to the Chiefs for Gonzalez. Shockey for Gonzo? Who doesn’t do that?

I don’t think this would happen, but it should. Not all fans agree with me, but it’s the best thing for the franchise and one of its best, most loyal players ever to don the Red and Gold. It makes a ton of sense for the Giants, too. In my opinion, his addition would make the G-Men the favorites.

Addicts, what do you think about the possibility of us moving Tony G before the deadline hits next Tuesday?

1. RB Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs

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

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

4. CB Patrick Surtain, Chiefs

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

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

8. TE Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs

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

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

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

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

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

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