Tonight is Arrowhead’s preseason opener between the Cardinals and the Chiefs. My credentials for this game have been accepted so I will be at the game capturing interviews hopefully.
-Rookie defensive backs: Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr will both be challenged by two very good receivers in the NFL. Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin will challenge the two. Steve Breaston will be a key player from the Cardinals 2nd/3rd unit as he shined in the Monday Night Football game (that occurred on a Thursday) against the Saints. Lets see if Flowers and Carr as well as DaJuan Morgan can all pass the test tonight.
-Larry Johnson: Will he block? That’s still something we are looking for in Johnson. Also keep an eye on his runs. He has better tackles than he has guards on this team, so he may run to the outside a lot.
-Receivers (including WR/RB/TE): A lot of receivers made strong contributions in that first drive against Chicago, especially rookie receivers. Brad Cottam, Will Franklin and Jamaal Charles all made big plays on that first drive. Lets see if they can keep the engine rolling tonight against Arizona’s defense.
-Play calling from Chan: I know that was only one preseason game, but I enjoyed that offensive drive probably more than any other drive last year. Sorry Mike Solari, but the Chiefs new offensive coordinator, Chan Gailey, really made the offense watchable. But can he keep calling the right plays?
-Brodie Croyle: We know he’s the main guy here. Croyle is not expected to do a whole lot for the Chiefs. He looked impressive against Chicago, so just like the above, lets see if he can keep it rolling.
Also keep an eye on Glenn Dorsey if he plays. Dorsey is very quick off of snaps and knows how to get to the QB.
Many first timers on the Chiefs made some big first impressions. Lets see if they can continue to do so in their preseason game against the Cardinals in Arrowhead.
There are several things you can make judgments on when you watch preseason games. For example, the play calling last week against Chicago was beautiful. It was better than anything last year. In the first drive, Brodie Croyle helped the Chiefs dominate in the first drive going five for five on third down. Croyle could not do it on his own, so he needed some help. Rookie players made an impact on that first drive. Croyle completed a pass to running back Jamaal Charles, tight end Brad Cottam and wide receiver Will Franklin. Croyle also found Dwayne Bowe in the first drive. After all the success in the first drive, the “centaur,” Larry Johnson got in the endzone after missing eight games from last season. However, there was a pretty big negative I need to point out that I think is okay to judge on despite it’s a preseason game. Larry Johnson’s blocking. It’s clear that LJ shows little to no effort while blocking. The good part is, Larry still has three games to improve in that area before it really matters.
See, you can make some clear assumptions for preseason games. Yes, preseason DOES MATTER! Do the wins? Absolutely not. For teams like Indianapolis, New England, Pittsburgh and several other teams, preseason is not a big deal to them as they only have few players to evaluate. And a majority of the players are from the third unit. Teams like Kansas City, a team that lost nine straight last season to finish the season, need the preseason to evaluate a lot of players. A couple wins in the preseason would be nice. But I know people who think the Chiefs will go 10-6 because of their performance against the Bears. So can I assume the Ravens will go 16-0 after beating the Patriots in a preseason game?
My point is, preseason victories are not a big deal. However, the performances of the players who are battling for a key spot on the team do matter. That’s why coaches like the preseason. They use that time to evaluate their players.
As for Chad Pennington, I said this on my show but, he would not come to Kansas City because it would not fit Herm’s youth movement and the fact that this has been shaped as Brodie Croyle’s football team. He is already given the spot. I would like Pennington still as I feel he would benefit the Chiefs as a backup, but Pennington wants to start and he will get that shot in Miami. And good job by the Packers for trading Favre. They promised Rodgers the starting spot and he has waited long enough.
I’ll talk to you guys tomorrow to talk about other Chiefs topics. Have a nice day!
Sorry for the lack of entries. I’ve been busy lately with so many personal things, but I will try to post as much as I can.
Glenn Dorsey finally got signed and is now the highest paid player in Chiefs history. Larry Johnson previously held that record last year after his 25 day holdout not only making him the highest player in team history, but the highest paid running back in NFL history. Now Dorsey is the highest paid player in team history. All I’m going to say is, the money comes from the expensive seats at Arrowhead. More power to Carl Peterson. I must say however, despite Dorsey’s two day holdout after many thought Dorsey would be the last rookie to sign, I have to credit Carl Peterson. I said that it’s important to sign all of our rookies before training camp kicks off. Dorsey missed just one day of camp, so it’s not a lot to lose sleep over. Peterson, good job!
So far nothing huge has occurred in training camp as far as injuries. Last year, Damien McIntosh missed all pre-season action and the first couple of games in the regular season due to an injury during training camp. Let’s just hope everyone can stay healthy. With McIntosh now playing right tackle, a position he is unfamiliar with, it gives rookie right tackle, Barry Richardson a chance to win the starting spot. He has a huge advantage right now as he has more experience in the right tackle spot more than McIntosh. The only disadvantage he has is that McIntosh is a nine year pro. But with McIntosh only 6-4 and Richardson 6-7, I really like Richardson’s chance of starting in week seven of the regular season because of the height advantage. Both tackles are 320 pounds. McIntosh might just win the starting job in training camp because of his experience, but expect Richardson to eventually crawl into a starter.
Brandon Flowers is right now the starting cornerback for the Kansas City Chiefs. No position battle against thirty-two year old pro, Patrick Surtain. Flowers is a first round material type of cornerback, but due to his height at 5-9, many teams passed up on him. However, Herm did not really seem to care much about his height. He cared about the fact that Flowers is a physical and aggressive football player. That is exactly the type of players Herm went after this off season. I hope Flowers is ready to play against Randy Moss on opening day. It will be a great experience for him.
Tamba Hali, who has a total of 15.5 sacks during his two year career will now be playing his original position at right end replacing Jared Allen. Hali played left end his first two years because of Allen being the main guy at the right end spot. Now that Hali can play his original position, you can expect a lot out of this stud. I expect his sack total to be in double digits this year as he enters his third season in the NFL. But who is going to play the left end spot now that Hali has left it? Alfonso Boone was a candidate at that spot once drafting Dorsey. Turk McBride coming off his rookie season also has a chance along with Trevor Johnson and rookie Brian Johnston. I would strongly prefer Boone to be the second defensive tackle and McBride to come in a lot. McBride has the ability to play every position on the defensive line. He could be a good backup who comes in and plays a lot while some players take a quick break in between a couple plays. Trevor Johnson I must say I am not impressed with looking at his career stats. In his four year career with the Jets, Saints and Rams, he has a total of 42 tackles, 1 sack and 11 tackles forcing negative yardage. I really like Brian Johnston and I think he can truly be the prefect replacement for Jared Allen at the left end spot. This guy had a faster 40-time than Jared Allen had his rookie season. He was also projected to go in the 4th round of the draft, but many teams forgot he was available and many felt this was a huge pickup for Kansas City in the 7th round. Allen originally was drafted in the 4th round. Johnston has also been doing well escaping offensive lineman and chasing the quarterback. I’ll be pulling for Johnston to win it and also be a surprise player on this team, just like how Jarrad Page was when he got drafted in the 7th round.
Brodie Croyle does not have to worry battling for a starting spot either. The only reason that Herm will put another quarterback in is because Croyle may be hurt. The Chiefs have a lot of confidence in him now. In OTA’s, I noticed Croyle has improved so much on his decision making and his accuracy while throwing the football. Tony Gonzalez also said he has a ‘cannon arm.’ Gonzalez also brought up that last season, those two were not on the same page. But this year they are starting to understand each other a whole lot and both will understand each other during the season. The Chiefs season all relies on Brodie Croyle and his performance. On offense, he has weapons around him such as Larry Johnson and two good running backs behind LJ. He has Tony Gonzalez, the best tight end in NFL history. Who cares how old Gonzalez is, I have yet to see this guy decline. He continues to make good blocks and does a great job getting open and getting yards. It’s just a matter if Croyle can get the ball to Gonzalez. He also has the best rookie receiver from last season, Dwayne Bowe. The offensive line is not good, but it is somewhat better than last year. My concern is, are we going to see a quick 3-step drop back and a quick throw often, or are we going to Brodie take 3 steps back and have a decent amount of time looking for the open receiver? That might be a concern this year.
That’s all I had on my mind. I’ll try to post another entry sometime this week as I am going to be busy over the next couple of weeks.
Be sure you check out the “Chiefs Endzone Show” on TheSportsStuff.com and iTunes. Dial the voicemail lines at 916-912-4263 and join the forums and chat with us on the Chiefs section at TheSportsStuff.com. Take care.
Today is the day ladies and gentleman! A few teams have already kicked off their season earlier this week as they started training camp. Few have yet to begin. Today, the Kansas City Chiefs are going north to River Falls, WI. The bus heading to training camp will be full of young football players and few veterans. However, two players will not be on the bus as they will need their own personal transportation to River Falls.
Since I last made an entry, the Chiefs agreed to terms with Jamaal Charles from Texas, Brad Cottam from Tennessee, Brandon Flowers from Virginia Tech and Branden Albert drafted out of Virginia.
Jamaal Charles had one of the fastest 40-Yard Dash times as he ran a 4.38 time. That made him the fourth fastest running back entering the draft this year. In the 38 games Charles played, he started in 17games and was one of the most feared running backs in the Big XII. The former Longhorn started all 13 contests this past season carrying the ball 258 times for 1,619 yards with 18 TD’s. He averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Charles will bring his speed to Kansas City by helping out Larry Johnson carry the ball along with Kolby Smith as Charles looks to be competing for the backup spot. Head Coach Herm Edwards also wants to give Charles a shot at the kick return position. The Chiefs have not been so successful in screen plays with their running backs the past couple of years, but with the speed Charles contains, don’t be surprised if you see him involved in screen patterns. Charles will be a huge part in the renovating offense. Charles earned first team All-Big 12 honors and was named third-team All-America and was a two year member of the Texas track team.
Next up is the gigantic 6’8” tight end out of Tennessee, Brad Cottam. He started 38 games but started nine. However, he still got a lot of playing time despite the low amount of starts. Cottam told me that it’s a privilege as a rookie to be mentored by the best tight end in NFL history, Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez last season broke the record for most touchdowns by any tight end in an NFL career and with four years remaining on his contract can set the bar high. Gonzalez is a great receiver and an outstanding blocker. Cottam only caught 21 passes and one touchdown in his three year career at Tennessee. Cottam however was known for his blocking. He told me he feels that during his career, he may be used as a blocker at first but he’ll develop his way into being a receiver after a couple years. With the new offensive tackles in Kansas City, Cottam’s main purpose will be to help block the defensive ends with the tackles. In the NFL today, there are a lot of great pass rushers in the defensive end spot. Cottam would help Brodie Croyle a lot by giving him more time to throw.
Many started to believe the Chiefs would have the best draft once they took Brandon Flowers out of Virginia Tech out of the second round. Flowers was projected to be drafted in the first round, but due to his height, he fell short. But Herm doesn’t see anything wrong about the 5’9” cornerback who was a key reason why the Hokies made the Orange Bowl. Edwards drafted the former hokie because of his physicality Flowers brings on the gridiron. In 41 games, Flowers got 158 tackles and 10 interceptions for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Flowers also recorded 17 stops for -71 yards. Flowers was a big pick up for the Chiefs in the second round and will be a huge part of the team as he fits Herm’s requirements as he is a physical. Flowers was the fifth cornerback taken in the draft.
Last but most important was guard/tackle, Branden Albert. Albert was known to be one of the best offensive lineman in the draft. The Chiefs contained the fifth pick in the draft and received the 17th pick after trading Jared Allen to Minnesota. The Chiefs were prepared to take Albert with the fifth pick, until they could not resist but take Glenn Dorsey who astonishingly fell to the fifth pick in the draft. The Detroit Lions were on the clock with the 15th pick, however, the Chiefs swapped first round picks and gave a couple draft picks to Detroit to get the 15th pick as they feared the Arizona Cardinals would have taken Albert with the 16th pick. The Chiefs do the unthinkable and get some of the best players on the board available. Branden Albert was one of those guys. The Kansas City Chiefs were last place in running with the football last year, that’s very rare to see in Kansas City as the offensive line could not create a whole and give space for running backs last season. The offensive line spot is the number one on the Chiefs priority list for things to improve on, and with Branden Albert, they will improve. It’s very rare that you see Branden Albert get beat by a defensive lineman in college. Albert has outstanding pass protection as he stays balanced on his feet and keeps his hands in front of himself. The former cavalier started nine games at guard and two games at tackle his senior year. As a guard, Albert would run to the outside and would take down linebackers and even defensive backs to give running backs space to run. This is a great addition for the Chiefs as Albert will help out Larry Johnson bounce back and repeat his 2006 performance. Albert will play tackle for the Chiefs. Keep in mind, Larry Johnson loves to go behind offensive tackles and attack the outside, so Albert would be a big weapon for LJ as he will block alongside with Brian Waters.
The Kansas City Chiefs were at Arrowhead as 300 fans showed up to give their farewell to the team as they prepare to go on a journey to River Falls, WI and change things around. However, one player was not at Arrowhead and that was Glenn Dorsey. Carl Peterson has yet to sign the first draft pick. Will Glenn Dorsey hold out, or will the LSU standout come and replace Jared Allen’s key role on the defensive line?
The Kansas City Chiefs are half way through signing their draft picks as they continue the signing before the kickoff of training camp. This morning, Carl Peterson and third round safety DaJuan Morgan agreed to terms in a three year deal. As stated last time, other terms are not to be discussed.
When I spoke to Safeties Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard, they both told me that not only Morgan has played all three defensive back positions (free safety, small safety and cornerback) but he has all the physical tools to be a dominant defensive back. He is a durable hitter, plays great coverage and has perfect speed for a defensive back. Pollard, who told me that he expects a lot out of himself, could be challenged by the former North Carolina State Wolfpack. Morgan only got six interceptions due to only starting twelve games, but Herm didn’t pass up on the hard tackler as Morgan registered 245 tackles and has made some big plays on special teams as well.
Greg Wesley finally got cut this past week after the Chiefs spent a year trying to get value out of the Wesley, who slowly declined as a Safety and was no good in Herm’s eyes, giving Morgan an easier opportunity to win the starting Safety spot as his work has been cut out for him. This will be a very intriguing battle to watch out for in training camp. I like to call this ‘battle of the dancers,’ as both hard hitting Safeties love to dance after making a big play and to pump their team up. Teams are always strict when trading a player to another team in the same division. The Denver Broncos were the only team who showed strong interest in Wesley, but the Chiefs wanted a lot in return if they wanted to trade Wesley to the Broncos. The deal obviously never came through, forcing the Chiefs to release him. Wesley’s agent told the Kansas City Star that the goal was to get Wesley on a team before training camp. Good luck to Wesley and may he join the team that he fits with the most.
Now this takes us to Jarrad Page and Jon McGraw. Page will remain as a starter as he led the Chiefs in interceptions last year with three. McGraw, the former Kansas State Wildcat is the team’s Special Teams captain. But after practice, most players head to the locker room to close their day of practice, but McGraw stays on the field practice against line dummies to continue working on his skills. If Pollard and Morgan fail to impress Herm, then look for McGraw to get a shot at starting in one of the Safety positions.
The Kansas City Chiefs got to work Wednesday as they agree to three year deals with the wide receiver and kick returner Kevin Robinson and defensive end Brian Johnston. According to a Chiefs policy, other terms were unavailable to share with the public. I personally am a bit curious why the Chiefs are over protective about sharing the deal. But hey, at least Carl Peterson signed them!
Robinson played at Utah State as he played in 46 games catching 178 passes for 2,485 yards. But his receiving skills are not why the Chiefs drafted the speedy sixth rounder. With Dante Hall declining and Eddie Drummond being a major bust, the Chiefs were searching for a kick returner. Robinson shattered records at Utah State for punt return yards with 1,104 returning four for touchdowns. Robinson also returned 110 kick offs stacking up 2,725 running them back for a total of four touchdowns as well. Grand total of eight touchdowns returning the football on special teams. This guy will have a special role this year as he competes with four year pro, B.J. Sams who spent four years at Baltimore as a kick returner. Sams returned two touchdowns off of kickoffs his rookie year. His first coincidentally came against the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004. According to Herm Edwards, unsigned third round draft pick, Jamaal Charles will also compete for the kick return spot as Edwards told me towards the end of OTA’s that this position is ‘very high on the priority list.’ Charles is another fast player on the team coming from Texas. But his only concern on special teams may be if he can use the width of the field appropriately, which is exactly what Devin Hester is great it.
Johnston is an immense defensive end coming out of Gardner-Webb. The former Bulldog was said to be a steal in the seventh round as the Chiefs had numerous amount of steals in this draft. Playing 42 games at GWU, Johnston started 40 games recording 268 tackles and 21 sacks for -140 yards. Johnston also caught a three yard touchdown reception on offense. I’m already wondering if this guy can be the next Jared Allen. Allen ran a 4.81 40 yard dash in the NFL combine his rookie year as he was drafted in the fourth round as a long snapper. Johnston ran a 4.68 40 yard dash and was also projected to be drafted in the fourth round. Johnston registered ten forced fumbles and blocked a kick at Gardner-Webb. This guy looks like he has a promising NFL career and could be a huge sleeper in the NFL. He’s got all the physical tools to play defensive end in the NFL as he has spent a lot of time with defensive line coach, Tim Krumrie. Brian Johnston could be the biggest nightmare for quarterbacks and running backs in the NFL soon once he gets familiar with the Gunther Cunningham defense.
These are two very good prospects drafted late in the NFL draft. Neither player will see significant playing time on offense or defense. Both rookies will spend a couple years playing on special teams as both players not only have a good future in their perspective positions, but they have made big plays on special teams in the past and look to carry on in the pros. Don’t be surprised if you see either player make a special teams play that turns into an ESPN highlight. The Chiefs now have seven unsigned picks: Dorsey, Albert, Flowers, Charles, Cottam, Morgan and Merritt.
Be sure you check out my internet radio show, the “Chiefs Endzone Show” on TheSportsStuff.com as we invite Soren Petro from 810 WHB Kansas City on our show Monday and record an interview with him chatting about training camp before the Chiefs get on the bus to River Falls, Wisconson.
The Kansas City Chiefs go to River Falls, WI for training camp on July 24th, but practice officially begins the 25th. With that said, the Kansas City Chiefs still have nine unsigned draft picks, which to let me believe that not everyone will be accounted for by the time training camp approaches. Not many national pundants give teams an “A+” draft grade. Many people felt the Chiefs had that type of draft, and it’s disappointing that the team is at the stage where they may not have all of their draft picks signed. Yes, I know many teams are about to sign their players now, but look who’s our general manager. In my previous entry, I brought up examples of how he’s dealt with trades and negotiations. After the successful draft, Carl Peterson had an opportunity to get back some respect by trying to get his draft picks signed, and so far, signs are not looking good. I’m not going to spend my time repeating what I said in my previous blog. I’ve said just about everything on my mind about this situation. I’ll call Carl a genius if he can get all the nine players in camp on time.
Here is a list of players who are presently unsigned: DT Glenn Dorsey (1st round/5th overall), LT Branden Albert (1st round/15th overall), CB Brandon Flowers (2nd round/35th overall), RB Jamaal Charles (3rd round/73rd overall), TE Brad Cottam (3rd round/76th overall), S DaJuan Morgan (3rd round/82nd overall), WR Kevin Robinson (6th round/182nd overall), DE Brian Johnston (7th round/210th overall) and TE Mike Merritt (7th round/239th overall).
Be sure you check out the “Chiefs Endzone Show” on TheSportsStuff.com or subscribe on iTunes.
I’m back! Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend!
It’s very unfortunate that the Chiefs had the best draft and still have nine draft picks currently unsigned as training camp begins in exactly two weeks. I love what Carl Peterson did when he first took over the Chiefs as President in the late 80’s. But I have no faith in him getting all of our players into training camp on time. Am I overreacting? I could be, but let’s be honest. Look how long it took for Carl to trade Trent Green. He was not able to keep Tony Richardson. It also took him quite some time to sign Larry Johnson and Dwayne Bowe. Oh, and lets also not forget how he handled the Jared Allen situation.
Get my drift here? Kansas City obviously had the best draft out of any other NFL team this year. However, that won’t guarantee you a good season. Inexperience will hurt teams in the NFL these days. But we still need everyone for our rebuilding year just so we can have a good start. Guys like Dorsey, Albert, Flowers, Charles, Cottam, Morgan, Carr, Franklin and Johnston can be big guys in this league in a couple of years along with other young guys like LJ, Bowe, Hali, Page, DJ and Croyle. I say Croyle because of all the weapons around him. If he uses them, he will be a good quarterback, but that is yet to be determined.
This is a rebuilding year, no question about it. However, rebuilding doesn’t mean losing like many people assume, but it’s not a whole lot to push for. Regardless of weather it’s a winning or losing season, everybody must be signed during the rebuilding process. All the players must rebuild together. That is the first step to find the door to success. I’ll be honest, I don’t think the Chiefs will have a great season, but I’m still excited to see some of our individual talent. Dorsey is a candidate for rookie of the year and Bowe will without a doubt have a much stronger year. We have a lot of good guy, but with their inexperience, they need to be in every part of training camp as a team. The question is, will Carl sign the nine remaining players in fourteen days? I’m freighted and anxious to see how the following two weeks unfold for the Chiefs.
It’s disappointing that the Chiefs were on the front cover of Yahoo! twice for a non-football related cause within a week. First the no standing rule at Arrowhead Stadium was a topic, then Tony Gonzalez saving a man’s life got some attention. Gonzalez saved a Chargers fans life in a restaurant while the man was choking on his meat. Gonzalez performed the heimlich maneuver to save his life. It comes to no surprise that Gonzalez would do such thing. The best tight end in NFL history, who holds numerous NFL records for a tight end, is always involved in charity events. We have heard many NFL players on the hot seat because of their actions off the gridiron. Guys like Michael Vick, Marshawn Lynch, Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones and many more immature players. It’s awesome to finally hear an NFL player is out there representing the Chiefs and the NFL and giving it a good name.
However, when that is the only news you have in two weeks, then it’s time to get serious and sign those unsigned draft picks, NOW!
Be sure you check out the “Chiefs Endzone Show” on TheSportsStuff.com as there are a lot of good things coming to that show in the following month!
This was my first favorite non-Chief in the NFL. No major Chiefs news today, so I thought I’d write about a story that’s dominated the news ticker lately.
Favre chose to retire from the NFL in early March of this year. In 2003 after losing to the Atlanta Falcons in the playoffs, Favre started to bring up the topic about retirement, but he still had another year remaining in him, same story the following year, and the year after that. It felt like NFL fans were on a non-stopping roller coaster.
I respect the heck out of Favre for what he’s done on the field, but my respect for the former and only three time MVP is starting to burn. If Favre chose to continue playing football, there is nothing wrong with it. He’s showing that he wants to win another Super Bowl. It’s in him. But when he retires in March and announces that he is attempting a comeback, then something’s wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to win. But not when you already announced retirement.
Aaron Rodgers has waited quite some time to be the key leader for the Packers. Head coach, Mike McCarthy has already spent a majority of the off season helping Aaron Rodgers be the leader of this team. That is the direction this team is going. The Packers drafted quarterback Brian Brohm out of Louisville in the second round, which was a big mistake as they should have maybe tried to bring in weapons for Aaron Rodgers. The Packers also drafted quarterback Matt Flynn out of LSU in the seventh round, which is not as infuriating as drafting a quarterback in the second round. But the Packers cannot bring back Favre after drafting two quarterbacks and shaping Aaron Rodgers into a team leader.
Life can go on in the city of Packerland. The Packers have won nine NFL Championships and three Super Bowls. Favre lead the Packers to victory in Super Bowl XXXI in 1997. Before that, the Packers won a Super Bowl back to back and the first two Super Bowls 1967 and ‘68 lead by head coach Vince Lombardi and elite quarterback Bart Starr. Ray Nitschke, Willie Wood and many others helped the Packers win the first two Super Bowls. The magic in Lambeau Field will come back. Many wonder, will the magic return to Green Bay?
Look at the Yankees, the Lakers and the Celtics. They’ve had many heroes leave the team, but eventually, the magic came back as these three teams found ways to continue adding more championships to their total. Same goes to the Packers. I say this because once you see a team with a rich history, many players dream of going their and being the next big deal to continue to keep the magic running. Favre has broken so many records and has set the bar high for future NFL stars. Who knows how long it will take, but one thing is for sure. A new hero will come. The Packers have twenty six players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, third most out of any other team behind the Chicago Bears (31) and New York Giants (27). You have to move on in life. Maybe Aaron Rodgers is the next guy.
Everyone have a great and safe 4th of July!
Happy July! The Chiefs are on the front cover of Yahoo!, but not for a good quality reason. The Chiefs may ban standing during games. WHAT!?!?!? In the words of Gunther Cunningham “It’s frickin Arrowhead!”
I remember sitting second row in the Chiefs home opener against the Jets a couple years ago with my family. A drunk guy sitting in front of us made the Arrowhead experience a bit annoying as he stood up the entire time blocking people trying to take photos and watch the game. During timeouts/intermissions, he stood up singing to whatever song he was being played. Actually I take that back, he wasn’t singing the lyrics, he was yelling them. Eventually, security escorted the man out of the stadium. I’m fine if the rule is applied towards that.
But the rule is no standing in general while watching the game. I hope they have a lot of security in the stands, because that will be a tough rule to enforce. Football is a religion in Kansas City. Arrowhead stadium has been considered the loudest stadium in the NFL this decade. The Chiefs have won many of their games because of their screaming fans. Many players on the opposing team have admitted how loud the volume is in Arrowhead. Die hard Chiefs fans, nearly 80’000 of them! Brodie Croyle throws a long bomb to Dwayne Bowe, who the fans love, in the endzone. Mitch Holthus will yell “TOUCHDOWN KAN-SAS-CITY!” Fans are not going to let this rule ruin their excitement at Arrowhead. The 80’000 fans will stand up and cheer for their team. What will the security guards do? Eject 80’000 fans out of Arrowhead? This will be a tough rule to enforce.
Now I was planning to write an entry on something else, but I think I can still fit what I wanted in here. General Manager, Carl Peterson, last year on HBO’s Hard Knocks show said he wants a “college atmosphere” type of stadium. This isn’t going to be the “college atmosphere” type of Arrowhead ever again if this rule is applied. Now Peterson has said in the past that he is not the only one making decisions. Really? This guy has three key titles: General Manager, CEO, and President. That’s pretty tough to accept as true. I’ll have to admit, I am not aware of who specifically made this choice. But knowing he carries those three titles, it’s impossible to say he did not take any part in this decision. I can safely assume I am speaking for many people, but I am fed up with this front office. I’m sorry, but today is July 1st and training camp is in twenty-four days! We still have nine guys waiting to be signed: Dorsey, Albert, Flowers, Morgan, Cottam, Charles, Robinson, Johnston and Merrit have yet to agree to a contract with King Carl. Reports say Dorsey and Peterson have progressed, but it hasn’t gone far.
Why are the Chiefs into this stadium deal? They increase ticket prices after winning two games at home. I hope this front office realizes the Chiefs have not won a playoff game in 15 years! This is reminds me of the time Hank Stram left the team. The team went down hill and fans did not care about the Chiefs any more until the late 80’s. The Chiefs are at a critical point in their franchise right now. It’s ludicrous that the Chiefs are more concerned about rebuilding their stadium instead of rebuilding their team. I’m sorry if I am being to harsh on this Chiefs front office, but I’m not going to support the way they are handling things right now. I started to give them respect after that outstanding draft this past April. It’s going to be really hard for Chiefs fans to believe in this team if they screw up this rebuilding process after having the best draft. C’mon Carl! As many say, you put butts in seats when you first came here. You can do it again! The question is, will you?
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