Back By Popular Demand: It’s the Friday Night Week In Review!
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"By all accounts the deal is about done, and it seems to be something both sides can agree on. I’m no lawyer, to pour over the minutiae and say who got the better of it. I’m hopelessly biased against the owners in any case. But, I mean, shouldn’t it be a given that you’re going to unanimously approve a plan you wrote? I would guess all the disagreement pretty much gets weeded out during authorship, right? Was a “we did it!” press conference before the players had even seen the proposal really necessary?"
"But that said, I am going to look at this lockout, after the fact, as a small blessing. Besides leaving the league and its players (and definitely its owners) in a better state for having hashed out their differences—and I really do believe that—it has given me a new appreciation that I didn’t think I’d allow myself to feel. It isn’t all just going to be ponies and gum drops and rainbows and chicken spiedini from here on. Some very bitter and lingering truths about the owners and the players (but mostly the owners) came to light, and as ticket prices and team profits continue to rise, much of the same fan frustration will remain."
Ladner, Merlin, and Randy after the jump:
"I don’t want to get into an evidential debate about Matt Cassel but, last season I believe he basically operated as he was scripted to perform. This past week I watched a number of last season’s Chief games and would see Cassel “managing” the games while attempting to grasp everything that was going on… on the field… which was diminishing his ability to lead and “make the big plays” that would place him in a class with the other QB’s in the league that you would call “playmakers.”"
"Signing veteran free agents is another front the Chiefs need to deal with. A couple of vets were brought back. Ron Edwards signed with the Panthers. The Chiefs are rumored to be trying to bring Shawn Smith back. Smith can swing between NT and DE. Even if he resigns, that would not close the door on signing a vet NT. If the Chiefs can’t sign Aubrayo Franklin, we would be looking at one year stop gaps like Pat Williams or Kelly Gregg. Pioli didn’t try hard to ink Ron Edwards, so he must have a plan. It will be interesting to see how this position plays out."
"If you have not been to Arrowhead, your missing plenty. But the “New Arrowhead” is not the old one. Not every game sells out anymore. The place is not always packed with screaming fans. Your first trip to Arrowhead can be very disappointing if you pick the wrong game. Pick the right one and its everything you ever dreamed about and more."
It’s great to have football back. It has been a very exciting week, and with training camp now underway it’s just going to get better. Thanks for sticking through it with us, and stay tuned for the best Chiefs coverage the internet has to offer.