9 posts tagged “johnson”

Once Again, I apologize for the lack of posting as I am currently on the road again for a school trip involving broadcasting. I should be back to posting entries as normal on Monday.

I’m going to open this by admitting that I was wrong. I was wrong! It seems Tamba Hali cannot even win against a back up offensive tackle. And it also seems Larry Johnson is being paid millions of dollars because he earned two whole yards. Yet he’s upset that the Chiefs put Charles as the running back in the fourth quarter. I have a lot I want to get off my mind, so I’m not wasting any time.

Let’s all admit the fact that today the Chiefs were awful on all three phases of the game. Offensively, this team either turned the ball over, or went three and out. The only time this offense began to get things going was in the fourth quarter in which the game was already over and the Panthers were just playing prevent defense. I won’t get on Gunther Cunningham’s back because this defense had to play for nearly 39 minutes and it’s been like that all year. While Dustin Colquitt competes with Tony Gonzalez to be the team MVP, Dantrell Savage gets a -10 yard punt return. Savage can make players miss, but he tries too hard as he keeps going side to side.

I have to credit the defense for their play. They gave up two some touchdowns early in the game, but they made up for their errors by forcing a fumble and intercepting a pass in the endzone while the Chiefs still had a chance to get back in the game. However, the Chiefs offense could not come up with anything as the score speaks for itself.

Let me start with Larry Johnson and let me remind you that he is coming off of a successful week while gathering 198 yards. Herb Taylor stepped up for Branden Albert as well. I felt that Carolina’s defense was as similar to Denver’s. It didn’t seem that way as Johnson only gained two yards off of seven carries. Johnson had tripled the amount of carries compared to the yardage he earned. Heck, Tony Gonzalez had more receptions than Johnson had total yards.

Damon Huard didn’t like he was prepared in this game as he threw two interceptions for 86 yards as he got beat up by the Panthers defensive line as well.

The only highlight in this game was Tony Gonzalez setting the record for most receiving yards by any tight end in NFL history. I have yet to see a congratulatory statement from Shannon Sharpe, even though we should not expect one out of him.

Overall, this team was just awful. This is the first time the Kansas City Chiefs got shut out since December of 2002 against the Oakland Raiders in the season finale. And there could have been a possibility that the Chiefs could have been shutout more than once this year. I have a lot on my mind to share throughout the week with you all. One thing I will say is, Herm Edwards no longer earns the right being the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. I’ll talk more about Edwards tomorrow. But for now, this is an embarrassing loss and Herm Edwards could find himself out of town before the next game as the Chiefs head into the bye week. I’ll have more tomorrow.

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.

This has been an ultra busy week for me and I apologize for you readers. This is my first year trying out a writing blog. I use to be active with doing video blogs on youtube, until I learned how to do a podcast/internet radio shows. But I’m trying to expand myself as much as possible and I appreciate you guys bearing with me. And some good information you might want to know: There is a possibility I may begin blogging for a certain website that I will not name incase things do not go as planned.

In this entry, I will have my Chiefs and Broncos preview as well as my power rankings and week four predictions.

So the Chiefs have lost their first three games of the season. Going back to last years nine game losing streak, they are on a 12 game losing streak. No matter who starts at the quarterback spot, it seems they either get hurt, or they are just awful, or in Brodie Croyle’s case, both. And they are going to host their bitter rivals, the Denver Broncos who are 3-0 and the hottest team offensively. Do I expect the Broncos to win like most people? Yes, however, I think this will be somewhat of a respectable game.

While the Chiefs defense has not been able to keep games close, they haven’t really gotten blown out yet. They’ve played against teams who have young and inexperienced quarterbacks. This week is not the case as Jay Cutler, who is second in passing yards with 914 and has a QB rating of 110.6 which is the third best in the NFL after three weeks. Bernard Pollard and Jarrad Page better be ready to play good coverage, because if they can’t, then this will be a long game for the defense. And if you thought their performance against Matt Ryan was awful, just wait until you see this game.

The Chiefs offense currently is under construction as they’ve had three QB’s start in three games. Damon Huard will get his second start of the season as he started in week two against Oakland. Huard went two for four and threw a pass to Devard Darling, who could not contain possession of the ball as it got intercepted by the Raiders. Huard left the game early because of an injury. No one knows what the injury really was because it seems everyone in the locker room is saying something different. Huard as the quarterback puts a smile to many faces in Kansas City, and it also gives Tony Gonzalez some faith as he as stated before that he has a decent history playing with Huard as they have a ‘connection’ on the field. While the Broncos have been impressive on offense, their defense has been ugly this year. Denver is the worst team against the pass, and with a quarterback like Huard, I expect Huard to have an easy time getting the ball to Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe. The Broncos are 15th in the NFL against run, so the Chiefs will need to work hard on creating holes for Larry Johnson.

Overall, I can see this game turning into a shootout as Damon Huard and Jay Cutler show off their arms at Arrowhead Stadium. Despite the poor play of the Chiefs lately, I think Chiefs fans who plan to attend the game this week are in for a good one. I don’t expect the Chiefs to pull an upset, but I do expect them to make this a close contest. If they end up getting throttled by the Broncos defense, then that will send a message that this team will not be able to capture a victory. Broncos win it 38-31.

( ) = Last weeks ranking

1-Cowboys (2): Welcome to the number one spot Dallas! The Cowboys have stepped up as a team as all their playmakers have been playing with a swagger. The Cowboys went to Green bay and defeated the Packers as they’ve made it clear that they are the best team in the NFC. Are they the best in the NFL? I think so.

2-Titans (4): I really have been impressed with the Titans this year. I’ve always been afraid of the defensive line, and with the addition of Jevon Kearse, this line is more freighting with Vanden Bosch and Haynesworth. While Cortland Finnegan and Michael Griffin combine for seven interceptions (best in the NFL), the guys in front have 11 sacks (third best in the NFL.) Offensively, this team has a great rookie at running back in Chris Johnson. Don’t forget about LenDale White either. As far as the QB position, as long as Kerry Collins is winning, there is no need to wait for Vince Young.

3-Giants (5): The defending Super Bowl champs have been doing the same thing all year as John Carney kicked the game winning field goal in overtime to continue the success.

4-Chargers (8): After two tough losses, the Chargers came out this week with a message against Brett Favre and the New York Jets.

5-Bills (9): This has been the team that has surprised me the most. I never ignored the fact that they have two very good running backs, but it seems many people, including myself, were not aware that this Buffalo team had a secret weapon in Trent Edwards.

6-Steelers (3): This defense is starting to slip after being the best last year. If you thought the Eagles and offense was good, wait until they meet Baltimore, Jacksonville and many others. The offensive line also needs to recover after that awful blocking game from last week.

7-Eagles (10): The Eagles have been very impressive as they were able to limit the Steelers last week. McNabb did not have his greatest game, but the defense was their to make up for it all.

8-Colts (6): When it seemed like they were about to win, Josh Scobee was the hero for the Jags. Peyton Manning also needs to regain himself as he has more interceptions than he has touchdowns at the moment.

9-Vikings (11): With Gus Frerotte leading the way, this team might begin to win some games. The defense is also starting to come together as well.

10-Patriots (1): At home, against the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots simply got beat up by Ronnie Brown. Is Matt Cassel going to be able to help the Patriots this year?

11-Packers (7): What was expected to be a big prime time game turned into a blowout at Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers suffered his first career loss as a starter.

12-Broncos (15): Jay Cutler is emerging as the Broncos are one of the hottest offenses right now. But this team can be defeated if they play a team with a better offense.

13-Jaguars (16): When everything looked dim, Josh Scobee brought a bright light for Jaguar fans winning their first game of the season on the road.

14-Buccannears (19): Scored 27 points against a good Chicago defense and survived a close one.

15-Saints (12): It’s nice to see that Drew Brees can be a valuable fantasy player, however, it did not help the Saints this week against the Broncos. This defense needs to step up if they want to win.

16-Redskins (20): Won against an unproven Arizona Cardinals team, now lets see if they can beat Dallas, a team that has proven themselves.

17-Seahawks (18): A win is a win, but it may not be much to brag about. They beat the Rams after all.

18-Panthers (14): Blew a lead against the winless Minnesota Vikings, allowing them to win their first game of the season.

19-Jets (13): The future hall of fame QB, Brett Favre, has not been a big asset to the Jets so far. However, he is not the only one struggling.

20-Cardinals (17): Despite the tough loss, they are still on top of the NFC West along with the 49ers.

21-Falcons (23): Matt Ryan and Michael Turner continue to impress the world as they win two games. Do the Falcons have a nice future? I think so.

22-Ravens (25): The offense has been doing pretty well with Joe Flacco under center, but the defense deserves more credit for this strong start.

23-49ers (26): Great start to the season, lets see if they can keep it up.

24- Dolphins (30): This team has gone through so much pain and misery. For them to go at New England and destroy the Patriots is just huge. Ronnie Brown should be proud of himself and so should every Dolphin fan. But was this major luck, or are the Dolphins beginning to step up?

25-Texans (21): I guess I was wrong about this team, but there is no question in my mind that Andre Johnson is a monster when given a good QB.

26- Browns (22): Derek Anderson might have been a one year wonder. Is the Brady Quinn era about to be reticent?

27-Lions (29): A major loss to the 49ers, but Lions fans have a reason to celebrate as Matt Millen has finally been fired!

28-Bears (27): Chicago could not hang on against Tampa Bay. At least the Cubs won the division.

29-Bengals (24): Chad Johnson seems like he knows numbers in Spanish. Does he know how to say 0-3 in Spanish?

30-Raiders (28): Lost a very close one to the Bills. I just wanted to see the Raiders win so I can see everyone in the media freak out for the Raiders being above .500.

31-Rams (31): The Rams have Trent Green starting this week, who is very familiar with the Al Saunders offense. Last year with the Redskins, Todd Collins stepped up and had to play an offense he was familiar with as a backup and he succeeded. I expect Trent to help the Rams win a game.

32- Chiefs (32): This team needs a new coaching staff as the current staff really has no idea what they are doing. And they are the team with the best draft. What have any of the rookies done so far?

I recovered well after a nightmare the previous week

Last week: 10-6

Season: 21-24

ATL @ CAR—CAR

CLE @ CIN—CIN

HOU @ JAC—JAC

DEN @ KC—DEN

SF @ NO—SF

ARI @ NYJ—NYJ

GB @ TB—GB

MIN @ TEN—TEN

SD @ OAK—SD

BUF @ STL—BUF

WAS @ DAL—DAL

PHI @ CIN—PHI

BAL @ PIT—PIT

I just want to say, Christmas has arrived!

The Patriots will aim for their 20^th straight win in the regular season. Their last loss in the regular season was at Miami in a 21-0 shutout. The Dolphins defense pounded Tom Brady all day as he played very poorly, which you rarely see out of the MVP. Coming off of a 16-0 season as Super Bowl runner ups after failing to go 19-0, the Patriots will come into this game with a statement to re-attempt their undefeated streak. Tom Brady has said that he will start tomorrow against the Chiefs. The Chiefs second first round pick, Branden Albert, has been practicing and will be ready to start as well.

Let’s face it as Chiefs fans. The Patriots will win the game and the main reason for that is because of the amount of inexperienced players the Chiefs have. Their will be many players starting for the first time in their career tomorrow at Foxboro. The Patriots have a strong defense and will put Brodie Croyle under a lot of pressure, unless this Chiefs offensive line can protect Croyle. If Croyle has the time and protection, then he will get the ball to Tony Gonzalez and Dwayne Bowe as Ellis Hobbs and Terrence Wheatley will have a lot to worry about. If the line can block, then that means Larry Johnson has a shot to get 100 rushing yards for the second time on opening day, his first against the Jets in 2005 with 110 yards rushing. However, my expectations are not very high for this offense line. It will be up to the offensive line if the Chiefs want to be a threat on offense.

Switching to the other side of the football, you have a young, but physical group of defenders against the number one offense. With Brandon Flowers making his debut, Tom Brady should not have a tough time getting the ball to Randy Moss. Glenn Dorsey and Tamba Hali will try to mimic the New York Giants into putting Brady under pressure. If they can do that, the Patriots offense might be in trouble. If Dorsey and Hali (and Turk McBride and Tank Tyler) continue to physically attack Brady, then there is a chance Brady might leave the game, giving the Chiefs a chance to win!

The Chiefs are 16.5 point under dogs and that should not come as a surprise to anyone. But if the Chiefs defensive line can put Brady under pressure and if the Chiefs offensive line can block, then we have ourselves a game at Gillette Stadium.

            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 4^th round of the draft, but many teams forgot he was available and many felt this was a huge pickup for Kansas City in the 7^th round. Allen originally was drafted in the 4^th 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 7^th 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 17^th 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 15^th pick, however, the Chiefs swapped first round picks and gave a couple draft picks to Detroit to get the 15^th pick as they feared the Arizona Cardinals would have taken Albert with the 16^th 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?

            I was on the sidelines at Arrowhead Stadium this Saturday during the Chiefs practice. I will talk about the practices and who has made a big impression later this week. For today, I wanted to talk about Larry Johnson and why I think he will have a better year.

            Last year heading into training camp, Larry Johnson was discontented with his contract as he was scheduled to make just below $2,000,000. Johnson and general manager, Carl Peterson both came to an agreement to make Larry Johnson the highest paid running back in NFL History. Johnson was coming off of back to back 1,700 yard performances. In 2006, he broke the record for most carries in a single season. However, that is not a record Chiefs fans were thrilled to see. Many running backs end up having a disappointing career after carrying the ball that many times. Johnson eventually made training camp, but he missed out on the trip to River Falls as the Chiefs were wrapping up camp in Kansas City. When I asked Herm how he feels Johnson will bounce back, he simply said “that he’s already done that.” He added that Johnson realizes that he is the key impact player on the team, because that is how this team is shaped.

            When I asked Johnson himself how confident he felt heading into training camp, he responded saying that he is really confident and he is excited to head back into River Falls because of his absence last season. I also wanted his inputs on his confidence on this offensive line and he feels that with a young offensive line, things will look better for him when he takes the ball.

            The second of two first rounders, Branden Albert, was here to change this dreadful offensive line. Albert has played left guard in college, but he and the Chiefs are convinced he can play the left tackle spot. While playing in Virginia, a lot of Albert’s big blocks came through when he made big blows to line backers and even safeties on the outside. Albert has also been given advice from former pro-bowler, Brian Waters, who will be playing left guard. Those are two proven lineman on this team that many have faith in.

            Last season, LJ’s support team was not at it’s best. Michael Bennet has always had great speed, but the Chiefs were unpleased with his stamina and health issues as they sent him to Tampa Bay in exchange for draft picks. Priest Holmes did not play in the NFL in nearly two years due to injuries. When Holmes was out of action, Johnson stepped up and took over. But it was Holmes who made an attempt to step up while the number one running back in Kansas City got hurt. But it wasn’t long until Holmes suffered another injury on the neck which forced him to retire. Kolby Smith, a fifth round selection coming out of Louisville in the 2007 draft, had an outstanding performance as he made his first ever NFL start against the Oakland Raiders. But many questioned if Smith could continue the success, due to Oakland’s poor run defense, ranked second to last in the NFL. Smith also had thirty-one carries, which was also a concern. Smith lead all NFL running backs in yards rushing in week thirteen, but Smith was never able to execute another big game like that again. Smith eventually went out with an injury, having the Chiefs stick in their fourth running back. The Chiefs had five key running backs throughout the season.

            The Chiefs feel like they have a solution as they added the “home run hitter,” Jamaal Charles, who was a big pickup for the Kansas City in the third round of the 2008 draft. Charles was named as one of the fastest backs heading into the draft coming out of Texas. The Chiefs also have Jackie Battle and Kolby Smith on this roster. But in the end, head coach Herm Edwards feels this is a good supporting cast to give Johnson relief.

            Johnson has had legal issues in the past while being a Chief as he has been on probation for attacking his ex-girlfriend at a local bar outside of the Kansas City Plaza. Many reports described Johnson as a “cancer” in the locker room. From my experiences walking into the locker room and watching Chiefs practices on the sidelines, Johnson talks to many players on the team in the locker room and on the field. Before this year, a lot of veterans were around Johnson, but this year, there are a lot of young and new players who have never been around LJ before, and from my experience, he has been talkative to his teammates on the field and in the locker room.

            Larry Johnson has a contract he is delighted with. The former Penn State running back also has a better offensive line and a better group of running backs behind him. He’s slowly building close relationships with several of the new players in the locker room. He is now a player many look up to. This is Larry Johnson’s year to get in and rebound. In the interview, Johnson made a statement saying that he’s ready to get this team back in the playoffs. Not many people are firm if the “centaur” is ready for a 1,700 yard season, but he has the tools to do so. Many say the Chiefs may be a team that runs more than passes, and that could be very well the case. Johnson is a skilled running back and he has a lot of weapons around him. He can use them to not only help himself get better, but to help this team improve. The Chiefs finished last place in rushing last season. Lets see what Larry Johnson can do this year.