6 posts tagged “flowers”
It was unexpected of Tyler Thigpen to do well this week as the top two QB's and Larry Johnson were all unavailable for this past weeks game. Credit Tyler Thigpen who out played future hall-of-fame quarterback, Brett Favre. But it wasn't all about out playing Favre, it was just playing well and that is what Thigpen did. Imagine if he had a smarter coaching staff, he (and maybe Croyle) could have had some wins under their belt. There is nothing more anyone could have asked out of Tyler Thigpen.
Huge win last week for Kansas City Chiefs fans. However, the Chiefs are 1-3 and have won one of their last 13 games. It’s time to get back on track as the Chiefs are getting ready to face a very fierce Panthers team as they currently hold a 3-1 record. Let’s see if the Chiefs can build off of what they did last Sunday.
Jake Delhomme has been the story for the Panthers so far this season. Despite only completing 60% of his passes, he has only thrown one interception. Delhomme also has four receivers with at least 10 receptions who all have over 100 yards. The hottest receiver, Steve Smith who is coming off of a two game suspension, has really been good as he has 10 receptions for 166 yards. He has an average of 16.6, better than anyone on the team. However, Delhomme may realize that he will need to get the ball out of his hands quickly as offensive tackles Jordan Gross and Jeff Otah are both out for this game. This gives the Chiefs defensive line to step up and put Delhomme under pressure. Quarterbacks realize that it’s safer to take the sack rather than throw the ball way. But they do it anyway. In Delhomme’s case, he is dealing with a minor thigh injury. Therefore, chances of him taking the sack are low as he’ll most likely throw the ball away, and you know what happens next. The rookie corners, Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr have a chance to take over the spot light again. Don’t forget about Demorrio Williams either, who is replacing Donnie Edwards. Williams did a great job applying pressure on Jay Cutler forcing him to get rid of the ball quickly forcing incomplete passes. Expect a play from Gunther Cunningham’s play book which has Williams going after the QB. The Chiefs scored 13 points off of three of their four turnovers against the Broncos. The Chiefs have a very good shot at repeating what they did last week.
As much as I like Damon Huard and the way he comes through, I feel he will be limited in this game as Carolina as one of the best in the league against the pass. But never doubt Huard as he has Dwayne Bowe and Tony Gonzalez. However, like last week, the key to victory will be running with the football. I don’t know if we should expect another 198 yard performance, but we should very well expect another great game from LJ.
If both defenses have a hard time containing the offense, we may be in for a shoot out in Charlotte.
Key to victory:
--Turk ‘N’ Tank ‘N’ Tamba and Dorsey. Defensive line needs to take advantage as the Panthers offensive line is banged up.
--LJ. Despite Branden Albert is out, Herb Taylor has shown that he will make sure the value of this offensive line does not go down. Expect the Chiefs to run a lot. Herm won’t give the ball to LJ 30 times, at least I hope not. So expect Kolby Smith and Jamaal Charles to be involved in this game.
Chiefs win 34-31
I will be doing power rankings a little bit differently this time. Instead of ranking all 32 teams, I figured it’d be more interesting to just do the top 10 teams.
(last week)
1-Titans (2): This team is on fire right now and it’s going to take a lot of fire power to beat this defense. They are leading the NFL in interceptions and forced fumbles and third in sacks. The offense earns credit as well as the passing game is currently in an incipient phase.
2-Giants (3): Despite a no show last week, this team will move up since no other team really deserved this spot.
3-Bills (5): You really have to show the Bills some love as they’ve yet to lose a game when many predicted that this team would be on bottom of the AFC East.
4-Cowboys (1): The Cowboys are no longer the best team as they lost to a divisional opponent, who seems to always have the Cowboys number. The Redskins.
5-Chargers (4): They won, but it wasn’t a pretty win.
6-Redskins (16): I’ve been wrong about the Redskins and it’s time I give them credit. Jim Zorn has really done a great job so far as he’s lead this team to three straight victories.
7-Panthers (18): Now with Steve Smith back into action, this Panthers team is more dangerous as Jake Delhomme has a complete set of weapons.
8-Steelers (6): What seemed like a second straight loss, ended up being a comeback win into overtime.
9-Jaguars (13): The Jaguars look like they’ve found a rhythm after a slow start to the season.
10-Eagles (7): Tough loss to the Bears who were able to limit Donavon McNabb.
Goodbye to the—
Colts: What happened to this team? Is age really starting to get them? Let’s see how Tony Dungy used the bye week.
Vikings: The pass defense has improved, but it’s not enough as this team has only one win this year.
Patriots: This team looks desperate without Tom Brady
Another tough week for me as there were a lot of close games, here are my predictions.
Last week: 7-6
Season: 28-30
TEN @ BAL – TEN
KC @ CAR – KC
CHI @ DET – CHI
ATL @ GB – GB
IND @ HOU – HOU
SD @ MIA – SD
SEA @ NYG – NYG
WAS @ PHI – PHI
TB @ DEN – DEN
BUF @ ARI – BUF
CIN @ DAL – DAL
NE @ SF – NE
PIT @ JAC – PIT
MIN @ NO – MIN
Hope you guys enjoyed the read. I’ll post after the Chiefs game with some post-game comments.
So this was the scene heading into week four. The Chiefs were 0-3, coming off of a 12 game losing streak since last October and the Broncos were 3-0. However, the Chiefs were able to win against all odds while hosting their bitter rivals. And anytime you pull the upset against your bitter rivals in front of your fans, the level of confidence will sky rocket. I’ll tell you what, as a die-hard Chiefs fan, yesterday felt like Christmas in Kansas City. I almost forgot what winning felt like until yesterday afternoon.
While the Denver Broncos were the hottest offense, they also had the coldest defense. This past Sunday, they were cold on both sides of the ball. After a huge block by Damien McIntosh, an offensive lineman who hasn’t been so bright for Kansas City, Larry Johnson earned himself 65 yards, the longest of his career. The Chiefs got a field goal off of that long run. Not bad so far.
After a nice pass to Brandon Marshall, Turk McBride’s hustle forced Marshall to fumble to football to allow rookie Brandon Carr recover the ball. The Chiefs were able to get another field goal following the turnover. Jay Cutler did not let the Chiefs smile for long as he started to get the Broncos going on a hot drive, which eventually lead to a Brandon Marshall touchdown over Brandon Carr. Cutler tried to get the offense to click again after a short pass to Marshall, but Derrick Johnson tackled Marshall hard popping the ball out as the other rookie cornerback, Brandon Flowers picked up the ball and took it to the two yard line. The Broncos were able to bounce back and get themselves a field goal before halftime.
The score was 13-10 heading into the half as the Broncos should have tied the game if it wasn’t for a chip shot missed field goal by Matt Prater. After a field goal by both teams, the action picked up in the boring third quarter as Derrick Johnson picked off Cutler. Despite Larry Johnson fumbling right after the Derrick Johnson fumble, Cutler threw two straight interceptions, this time to rookie Carr. The Chiefs were able to pull off a victory with a Tony Gonzalez touchdown, who is three yards shy of breaking Shannon Sharpe’s record for most receiving yards by any tight end in NFL history. Larry Johnson also got back into the endzone twice for the first time since 1/1/07 in Dick Vermeil’s final NFL game. “It felt good,” said Johnson. “At first I was thinking I should have been in there the first couple of drives. But we kept fighting and T Herb Taylor did an excellent job coming in filling in for T Branden Albert. To be able to put the ball in there twice, especially at that crucial time in the game, that’s how you want to end the game.”
Johnson also had a total of 198 rushing yards off of 28 carries with a 7.1 yard per carry average. This is the old Larry Johnson all the fans wanted to see, and their money was worth it as Larry Johnson is leading the entire AFC in rushing yards. LJ also is third overall in the NFL in rushing.
Larry Johnson did an outstanding job, but he didn’t do it all alone. The rookie cornerbacks and the rest of that defense were on fire as well limiting Jay Cutler to his success despite his 361 yards passing. “I thought our corners did a pretty good job on the receivers,” said head coach Herm Edwards. “Denver passed the ball some but (CB Brandon) Carr and (CB Brandon) Flowers – two rookie corners – did a good job. The one touchdown pass (by Denver) in the end zone was a big time catch and the young (corner) came back and intercepted one later.” Brandon Flowers was also going up against a close friend of his from college, Eddie Royal.
The locker room was full of smiles as the music was playing during the celebration. Even former Chief who got cut this past week, Jason Dunn, showed up to visit his teammates.
Like I said earlier, many Chiefs fans including myself forgot what it felt like winning a game. Kansas City finally won by snapping our 12 game losing streak against our undefeated rivals at home. Larry Johnson is now on top of the AFC in rushing. Could this have played out any better?
Winning was a huge Christmas gift that came early for Chiefs fans this year. The reason Kansas City hasn’t won a game in a while is because of the dull performances of Tyler Thigpen and Brodie Croyle. Anytime Damon Huard starts a game and finishes, the Chiefs find success. Unlike last year, Huard is working with improved and better football players than last year. This was his first time starting a game and playing all the way until the end. There is no question in my mind that if he started and finished the games against New England and Oakland, that this team would be in talks of possibly winning a division. I never want to hear Herm Edwards say that “Tyler Thigpen gives us the best chance to win.” That is not the truth as we all know. I would be really stunned if Croyle replaces Huard if this team continues its success.
Overall, awesome win for Kansas City and I hope each and every Chiefs fan is smiling right now.
—I normally don’t tell you what I will write about next time, but this will be one of few times. Tomorrow I’m going to write about Shannon Sharpe and why I’ve had enough of his pompous attitude.
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?
Darren McFadden has been signed to a 6 year deal in which he’ll earn $60 million. McFadden might not have been the best selection for the Raiders, but he will still be a big force on that rebuilding offense. The Chiefs on the other hand have yet to sign the pair of first rounders they got.
Carl Peterson has said that he is in talks with Glenn Dorsey’s agent, but it’s just talk, no agreements yet. It’s really important Dorsey, Branden Albert, Brandon Flowers and all the other draft picks get signed before July 25th, the start of training camp. The Chiefs obviously had the best draft this year, so it’s really important that Peterson signs these guys before camp. Especially since this is going to be a rebuilding year. You want all your players in attendance, or else the rebuilding process will be slow.
Dwayne Bowe had an outstanding season last year, but he did hold out for a small part of training camp. If he took part in all of training camp, chances are he would have had a better year and maybe over 1’000 yards. Bowe was just five yards shy of 1’000.
The way Peterson has handled contracts and players in the past brings fear to others that the Chiefs may not have Dorsey by the start of training camp. Call me crazy, but I think Peterson will sign everyone before the kickoff of camp. Peterson has to realize he’s in the hot seat and there is no question in my mind that Clark Hunt is keeping a close eye on Peterson. When your team is known as the team with the best draft, you have to have all your players ready by day one. The Chiefs could not have asked for a better draft and it’s important that they take advantage of this. If Peterson wants to see this franchise make a big turn around from last season, then it’s up to him to sign his players!
Tomorrow I will be at Arrowhead Stadium for the big practice. I will take a camera with me and try to get some photos. There is going to be an interview session with Herm Edwards so I will also try to get that. No talk about a player yet. I also have interviews with several rookies and free agents who joined the Chiefs this past off season such as Brandon Flowers, Brad Cottam, Nick Novak, Devard Darling and more. To hear all of those interviews, check out the “Chiefs Endzone Show” on TheSportsStuff.com and on the itunes music store. I will come back tomorrow with a report giving a review of the practice session from Arrowhead. Everyone have a good weekend.
Hello ladies and gentleman, boys and girls of all ages! Thank you for reading this blog. I am Farzin, a young broadcaster from the "City of Fountains," Kansas City! I host an internet radio show called the "Chiefs Endzone Show" featured on TheSportsStuff.com and on the itunes music store. I started the show since mid July of 2007 and it has been a big success so far. I also have a video blog. Check out my internet TV show at Youtube.com/busbrain1.
This is going to be my official blog, so sit back and enjoy. This first blog entry will be a bit long as I recap some off season events that occurred before I had this blog.
We all know this is now Herm Edwards' team. A team with a lot of young athletes. That is the direction Herm wants this team to go at. Clark Hunt, owner of the Chiefs and Herm Edwards want to rebuild their team through the draft.
The week of the draft, Jared Allen trade talks started heating up as the un-happy sack champ felt he was not getting the treatment he deserved. He asked for a new contract heading into the 2007 season, Carl Peterson, GM, CEO, and President of the Chiefs refused. Allen's contract has expired, but the Chiefs slapped the franchise tag on him giving him a 1 year-$9 million contract. Allen however was un-pleased as he was looking for a long term deal. His request was actually "Dwight Freeney" type money, which is more than Peyton Manning money. Allen also felt offended when Carl Peterson went out in public and said that Allen is a "young man at risk" referring to Allen's two DUI's. After talks with the Vikings and Bucs, Allen made a trip to Minnesota and earned first class treatment. After his visit with the Vikings, Allen cancelled his trip to Tampa as he wanted his new home to be built in Minnesota. The trade talk began and in the end, Allen got traded to the Vikings for a 1st round pick, 2 3rd round picks (one from Denver), and both teams traded 6th round picks. The Vikings were huge winners after this trade, making them the heavy favorites to win the NFC North. I hope the Packers, Bears and Lions all have a good group of offensive lineman, because that Vikings front four on defense will be unstoppable. Now on with the Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs were heading into the draft with 13 picks, more than any team in this draft. Here are my takes on the new Chiefs.
Glenn Dorsey--A powerful defensive tackle. This is not the best class of defensive tackles, however, despite the weak class, Dorsey is being said to be one of the best defensive tackles to ever enter the draft in the last ten years. Many were surprised he fell to the Chiefs. With Tamba Hali playing his original position, right end, to replace Jared Allen, you have a very nice defensive line and the Chiefs will have a better run stopping defense as they have struggled in that category the past couple of years. In this division you have LaDanian Tomlinson, Darren McFadden, Justin Fargas and Selvin Young (along with Larry Johnson) who are great running backs. So with Glenn Dorsey and a good supporting cast with him on that front four will come in handy. Let’s not forget, McFadden and Dorsey ran into each other a lot in college as rivals, now they will run into each other a lot in the NFL! Dorsey was a big factor in the championship game with the LSU Tigers. This is the second year in a row the Chiefs pick a player from LSU with their first pick.
Branden Albert--I must say, I was unhappy when the Chiefs passed up on Ryan Clady, my projected 5th pick for the Chiefs. But with the 17th pick, the Chiefs feared Arizona (who was 16th) would take Albert, so Kansas City bumped themselves up to 15th and swapped picks with Detroit, got Albert. A great guard, who Herm Edwards says he will be playing left tackle on the Chiefs. This is a great move by the Chiefs by moving Albert to the tackle spot, because of the fact Larry Johnson loves attacking the outside when he has the ball. With Brian Waters and Branden Albert on the left side, you can expect LJ, as well as the other running backs to go left more. The right side of the offensive line is still in question. But for now, you can depend on Waters and Albert. Albert was also projected by many to go 5th to the Chiefs, but he still fell into the laps of KC in the 15th pick.
Brandon Flowers--The first 2nd rounder for KC, however, the Chiefs get themselves a 1st round material corner back. Flowers will be a big replacement for Ty Law, he'll be wearing #24 just like Law did. Flowers was one of the key leaders for the VT Hokies making a run to the Orange Bowl. The guy has the skills that Ty Law had back when he was an impact player for the Patriots. He looks to be the similar type of corner in Kansas City. He's got great coverage and good hands. After the nice steal in the second round, many began wondering if the Chiefs will come out with the best draft.
I will talk more about the second day and my final review on KC's draft tomorrow in my next entry. Until then, check out the "Chiefs Endzone Show" on TheSportsStuff.com and itunes music store and my video blogs at youtube.com/busbrain1.
--Farzin
