SB Nation - Jon McGraw

Who Plays When for the Kansas City Chiefs Defense

Chris Thorman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:06:30 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

about 1 month ago: San Diego Chargers running back Darren Sproles (43) is tackled by Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Mike Vrabel (50) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 25, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Browse more photos »

Position	Player	% Run	% Pass	% Coverage
DL	Glenn Dorsey	50%	50%	0%
DL	Tyson Jackson	57%	42%	0%
DL	Ron Edwards	50%	50%	0%
DL	Tank Tyler	48%	52%	0%
DL	Wallace Gilberry	48%	52%	0%
DL	Alex Magee	32%	68%	0%
DL	Kenny Smith	71%	29%	0%

We've got a whole new set of statistics that we'll be giving you and they're from a fantastic new site we've just discovered - Pro Football Focus.

Pro Football Focus has play percentage stats (as you can see), special teams tackles, run and pass blocking stats and more...It's really an amazing site. Check it out.

To get us started taking a look at these stats, I've posted the percentage that each Kansas City Chiefs defensive player plays on either running plays, passing plays and on special teams.

I've got the linebacker and secondary stats for you after the jump.

If you include special teams, S Mike Brown is actually leads the team in playing time.

I know it sounds geeky but I'm very excited about the possibilities of mining Pro Football Focus for interesting stats. We'll have a lot more of their stats for you over the weekend and coming weeks.

It's Friday, so my laziness is showing through in the lack of analysis on this post. After the jump, the linebackers and secondary playing time stats.

Linebackers

Position	Player	% Run	% Pass	% Coverage
LB	Mike Vrabel	45%	31%	24%
LB	Tamba Hali	45%	40%	15%
LB	Corey Mays	58%	9%	32%
LB	Demorrio Williams	58%	6%	37%
LB	Jovan Belcher	28%	12%	59%
LB	Derrick O. Johnson	29%	15%	57%
LB	Monty Beisel	19%	3%	77%
LB	Andy Studebaker	100%	0%	0%

Secondary

Position	Player	% Run	% Pass	% Coverage
DB	Mike Brown	46%	3%	51%
DB	Brandon Carr	45%	1%	54%
DB	Brandon Flowers	46%	2%	52%
DB	Jarrad Page	45%	1%	55%
DB	Maurice Leggett	33%	4%	62%
DB	Jon McGraw	32%	9%	59%
DB	DaJuan Morgan	56%	0%	44%
DB	Mike Richardson	16%	4%	81%
DB	Donald Washington	26%	5%	68%
DB	Ricardo Colclough	11%	5%	84%

Anything interesting stand out to you?

Chiefs FS McGraw Back to the First Team, Two LBs Still Banged Up

Joel Thorman — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:09:13 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Browse more photos »

The Kansas City Chiefs took the to the field this morning in preparation for Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders. Yesterday, there were a high number of players on the injury report - six, which is nearing the most the '09 Chiefs have ever seen on the weekly report.

Today, things calmed down a little bit. These updates are coming from Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com.

McGraw back to the first team

FS Jon McGraw was back on the first team in the early portion of practice today and he's with the first team.

SS DaJuan Morgan had been filling in for McGraw during his absence.

Getting healthier

WR Chris Chambers didn't appear to be slowed by a foot injury that landed him on the injury report yesterday.

LB Jovan Belcher participated after being limited yesterday with a head injury suffered in last Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

OL Wade Smith was also back in full pads after being limited yesterday.

Still hurtin'

LB Mike Vrabel was in the rehab area yesterday joined by fellow linebacker David Herron. Vrabel is suffering from a hip injury and appears to be getting better. Herron is farther behind Vrabel overcoming a knee injury that kept him out of yesterday's practice.

Chiefs G Goff Absent From Practice; New Player Signed

Joel Thorman — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:58:09 -0000

Apparently it was an interesting practice for the Kansas City Chiefs this afternoon. Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com is filling us in on a few of the happenings at One Arrowhead Drive.

Rogers returns

First, LB Justin Rogers was back out on the practice field. The Chiefs signed him twice in October. The first time he was on the team for a few days and the next time he was signed and then released again within 24 hours.

G Mike Goff was not at practice and, as Looney points out, connecting the dots would suggest Goff has landed on IR (but still no confirmation from the team). It's unlikely he was released while he was injured (which would entail an injury settlement). He was battling a shoulder problem the last couple weeks which eventually helped Andy Alleman land the starting job at right guard last Sunday.

McGraw returns but Morgan stays on the first team

Now this is interesting. FS Jon McGraw has returned to the practice field after missing the last two-and-a-half weeks with a leg strain. SS DaJuan Morgan was taking his place at FS while he was injured but - surprise, surprise - Morgan continued with the first team today.

Linebackers banged up

Three linebackers were in the rehab zone this morning. Jovan Belcher, David Herron and Mike Vrabel were all not practicing fully.

Vrabel's the only one of those players on the first team, which was filled by Andy Studebaker today.

State of the AFC West Week 9

Sam (sdsuaztec4) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:15:45 -0000

Well well well, here we are after week 9, a week I'd been looking forward to for awhile. I had a crazy day on Sunday which of course had a perfect ending. Last night's game was the proverbial "icing on the cake". The Chargers are now 1 game back at the halfway point of the season with 8 games to go. The Broncos still have the advantage with the 1 game lead and a win over the Chargers as a potential tiebreaker. As far as the schedules, of the 8 games remaining, 3 are easy division games (2 KC 1 OAK), but 4 are against tough teams (SD, NYG, INDY, PHI) and their game this week at Washington. On the other hand, the Chargers get the Browns and Titans, don't have to play Indy, but they only play the Chiefs one more time. As far as momentum, it is clearly on the side of the Chargers who have capped their three game winning streak with an emotional win at the Meadowlands. The Broncos on the other hand are riding a two-game losing streak that included two disappointing second halves. Oakland and KC are still out of the picture.

Jump the break for individual teams.

AFC West Standings

	W	L	PF	PA
Denver	6	2	150	124
San Diego	5	3	206	179
Oakland	2	6	78	201
Kansas City	1	7	126	205

(updated 11.10.2009 at 1:30 AM PST)

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders had a quiet bye week getting healthy and trying not to lose any football games. Running back Darren McFadden, wide receiver Chaz Schilens, left guard Robert Gallery and right tackle Cornell Green returned to practice Monday and are expected to play against the Kansas City Chiefs this week. So that's good news. Although Tom Cable won't be charged criminally, the NFL is evaluating the situation and sending out people to determine if Cable should attend anger management classes. The National League of Women (NOW) and other women's rights groups are calling for Cable's job. The Raiders next division match-up is this week's pillow-fight of the week in Oakland. Let the battle to determine the most dysfunctional team begin, too bad nobody will see it because it will likely be blacked out.

Oakland Raiders Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Cornell Green	calf	11/09/2009
Tony Stewart	chest	11/09/2009
Gerard Warren	toe	11/09/2009
Jon Alston	shoulder	11/09/2009
Ricky Brown	ankle	11/09/2009
Robert Gallery	fibula	11/09/2009
Tommy Kelly	elbow	11/09/2009
Chris Johnson	groin	11/09/2009
Chaz Schilens	foot	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
John Bowie	knee	09/30/2009
Oren O'Neal	ankle	10/14/2009

Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs played a close game against the Jaguars which inevitably ended in another loss. As the Chiefs march toward another top 5 draft pick, the big story is still the rapid fall of Larry Johnson which ended in his release from the Chiefs. Although they will probably end up paying him a lot of money since I doubt anyone will pick him up, this gives Jamaal Charles more opportunity to play and gets rid of a clubhouse cancer. Chris Chambers seem to have rejuvenated their offense, at least for the moment, with two TD passes. The addition seems to have helped the Chiefs and the Chargers at the same time, and Chris will probably be happier too. As already mentioned, the Chiefs next division game is at Oakland which I'm sure will be terribly exciting.

Kansas City Chiefs Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Jon McGraw	thigh	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Devard Darling	knee	09/01/2009
Jarrad Page	calf	11/04/2009
Jackie Battle	shoulder	10/14/2009
Colin Brown	undisclosed	09/05/2009

Denver Broncos: Will the real Broncos please stand up? Are they the 6-0 team or the 0-2 team? Are they the second-half juggernaut or the second-half duds? Is Kyle Orton the QB who threw one INT in 7 games or 3 INT's in one game? Are they a punishing opponents on the lines or the team that didn't get ONE rushing first-down against the Steelers? The answer is probably somewhere close to the middle. Teams are starting to key on the Broncos weakness and adjusting their game-plans as such. Kyle Orton looks nervous as opposed to the pillar of strength he looked like earlier in the season. Either way, the Broncos are much better than everyone thought but they still aren't an elite team. The Steelers were clearly the superior team last night, even at Mile High. The Broncos have lost some momentum going forward but they are still healthy and still have the advantage over the Chargers. Now is the time for Josh McDaniels to adjust to the adjustments that other teams are making. Going forward, we will see if the Broncos and McDaniels are studs or duds. The game at Washington this weekend may tell us a lot about the Broncos. Their next division match-up looks to be a huge game with playoff implications at Mile High against the Chargers.

Denver Broncos Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryan McBean	knee	11/10/2009
Peyton Hillis	other-excused	11/10/2009
David Bruton	groin	11/10/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Nick Greisen	knee	08/05/2009
J'Vonne Parker	knee	08/08/2009

San Diego Super Chargers: The Bolts are flying high after an emotional victory at the Meadowlands and gaining the momentum in the AFC West race if not the advantage. They are finally getting healthy, emotionally and physically, as well and it looks like All-Pro center Nick Hardwick will make his return to Qualcomm Stadium this weekend against the Eagles. The Chargers are still a little banged up at the linebacker position; SP95 was injured in the Giants game and Kevin Burnett and Tim Dobbins are still ailing. It looks like Phillips and Burnett will play this weekend while Dobbins will sit. LB Jyles Tucker is also most likely out this weekend. It looks like the Eagles are having the same problem the Chargers were earlier in the season: inability to keep anyone healthy. If Westbrook is out and the Eagles must depend on the passing game, the Chargers could win big with improved pass rush from Shawne Merriman and Shaun Phillips. The Chargers are also only 2-2 this season and they need to improve their play at home. The game is already sold out so we know it will be loud this weekend. Our next division match-up is Week 11 at Mile High Stadium.

San Diego Chargers Injuries

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Tim Dobbins	knee	11/09/2009
Nick Hardwick	ankle	11/09/2009
Kevin Burnett	ankle	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Ryon Bingham	arm	09/05/2009
Jamal Williams	triceps	09/19/2009
Antwan Applewhite	hamstring	10/20/2009
Brandon Hughes	knee	09/02/2009

Philadelphia Eagles Injuries

Probable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Max Jean-Gilles	shoulder	11/09/2009

Questionable

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Victor Abiamiri	knee	11/09/2009
Chris Gocong	other-excused	11/09/2009
Akeem Jordan	knee	11/10/2009
Brian Westbrook	ankle	11/09/2009
Quintin Demps	ankle	11/09/2009

Out (IR / Out / Suspended / Physically unvailable)

Player	Injury Type	Injury Date
Shawn Andrews	back	09/15/2009
Stewart Bradley	knee	09/01/2009
Omar Gaither	foot	10/22/2009
Cornelius Ingram	knee	09/01/2009
Fenuki Tupou	chest	09/05/2009

Chiefs Inactives: WR Bobby Wade, FS Jon McGraw

Joel Thorman — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:43:37 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

about 1 month ago: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Bobby Wade turns to escape Washington Redskins cornerback Justin Tryon during the third quarter of an NFL football game , Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Browse more photos »

As expected, Chiefs free safety Jon McGraw is not active. He's been suffering from an injury and is expected to be replaced by SS DaJuan Morgan.

The surprise here is the deactivation of WR Bobby Wade. I considered him possibly the second best receiver on the team. Well, that's before Chris Chambers came on board.

It's possible Wade is the victim of Chambers addition. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

WR Lance Long is active and probably beats out Wade because he plays special teams. He's definitely a "Haley guy."

Here are the rest of the inactives, courtesy of Josh Looney at KCChiefs.com.

QB Matt Gutierrez (3rd)
CB Donald Washington
S Jon McGraw
G/T Ikechuku Ndukwe
WR Bobby Wade
TE Jake O’Connell
TE Brad Cottam
LB Pierre Walters

Notable inactive from the Jaguars: Former Chiefs T Jordan Black.

Dang.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 11/7

NJ Chiefs Fan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:30:09 -0000

via media.kansascity.com

Losers assemble in small groups and complain about the coaches and other players. Winners assemble as a team and find ways to win.

Nothing earth shattering there, but for some reason it has created a maelstrom with the pundit class. Words like stupid, childish, clownish, distraction have all been thrown out in reaction to those words.

And the reaction has more to do with those screaming than it does with the sign itself, or the people who hung it on the wall.

First, the origin of the sign: it’s a quote from a Hall of Fame member of the New York Giants. Todd Haley said the same sign was up in the facility of the New York Jets when he worked there and the Dallas Cowboys when he was working there. The common denominator in both of those places was the head coach – Bill Parcells. Remember, that Parcells first was the head coach of the New York Giants.

Lost In Signage … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs from Bob Gretz

It doesn’t take injuries to a couple of veteran safeties to summon visions of long touchdown runs by Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew against the Chiefs on Sunday.

The Chiefs already were capable of allowing long runs with Jarrad Page or Jon McGraw in their starting lineup. They’ve allowed a run of more than 35 yards in each of the past three games.

But the odds that the elusive Jones-Drew, one of the league’s rushing leaders, could burn the Chiefs in Jacksonville seem to improve because neither Page nor McGraw will play.

Chiefs need Morgan to mature quickly, limit big plays from KC Star

Smith to return Sunday

Long forgotten by seemingly everyone but the Chiefs since he injured his knee midway through last season, Kolby Smith will play for the first time in more than a year in Sunday’s game against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

The Chiefs planned to activate Smith today.

Smith started nine games during his first two seasons with the Chiefs. He was their featured back for a time as a rookie in 2007 after injuries knocked out Johnson and Priest Holmes.

Smith had a 150-yard, two-touchdown game against Oakland that season.

Controversial locker-room sign isn’t unique to Chiefs from KC Star

It was a remarkable day in Buffalo on November 6, 1960 for Walt Corey.

Little did he know that many years later, he would enjoy many wonderful Sunday afternoon’s in western New York as the defensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills from 1987 through 1994 with four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl.

But in the first season of the American Football League, Corey led a tough Dallas Texans defense in a 45-28 pasting of the Bills on a Sunday with cold temperatures and a biting wind from the north.

Defense Leads Texans To .500 Mark from Bob Gretz

This will be an interesting game to watch, as the Chiefs have one of the worst offenses in the league, while the Jaguars have one of the worst defenses. Kansas City has not played in Jacksonville since 2004 and this will be the first game against the Jaguars since 2007.

Kansas City is coming off their bye week. The last game they played was not pretty as they were beaten badly by the San Diego Charges, 37-7. That is the game that prompted the off field actions of suspended running back Larry Johnson.

Chiefs In The Sunshine State from Missourinet

Imagine playing football with former Kansas City Chiefs long snapper and Pro-Bowler Kendall Gammon as your head coach.

Then add teammate and former Chiefs quarterback Trent Green as your passing instructor and current Chiefs wide receiver Bobby Engram teaching you how to run routes.

Sounds like a fantasy football team?

It’s been the reality for more than two dozen 10-year-old boys playing for the Blue Valley West Jaguars team of the Football & Cheerleading Club of Johnson County. Gammon, Green and Engram’s sons all play on the team.

10-year-olds remind Chiefs why they got into game from KC Star

Love 'em or leave 'em, it is apparent that social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have added a compelling, instant dimension to following and connecting with NFL players — as with celebrities at large, media personalties or the guy next door.

In the NFL vein, the bursts on Twitter (140 characters, maximum), for example, have offered active, media-savvy players such as Ochocinco, San Diego Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman and New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush a tremendous marketing platform.

"I'm on there, 24/7," Ochocinco, who has more than 350,000 followers on Twitter and has posted more than 10,000 tweets, told me via an old-school communication tool — the telephone. "It gives me a voice, the ability to reach people directly and for people to see who I am without the filter of the media, the critics or whomever.

"And people wouldn't have any other way to get to me directly. That's why social networking is so dangerous."

On the other hand, we've learned that tweets can also blossom into a heap of trouble.

The Bell Tolls: Twitter a Boon and a Burden for Savvy NFL'ers from USA Today

It seems like a long time ago, but once upon a time when the Kansas City Chiefs were a competitive bunch, Pellom McDaniels was a key part of a strong defensive line. But now, the former defensive end has a new job title: history professor.

FOX 4's Rob Low sat down with McDaniels, who is now a professor at UMKC and a well-known leader in the community.

MyStory: Ex-Chief Goes from Huddle to the Classroom Video from Fox4KC

Player Tweets

JWilliams48 Chillin in my bed talk to me world

ToonIcon "My way of joking is to tell the truth. That's the funniest joke in the world."-Muhammed Ali

almighty31 jus woke up. y cant i go back to sleep. if u up, hit me up or go to bed. lol

Media and Fans

JoshLooney Savage could get a shot/but 2X duty for JC could happen RT @NICKx84: do we know who is going to be handling the KR w/ jamal starting at HB?

JoshLooney Love the lamar mojo! RT @bemonteer: Lamar Hunt loved the white on white look. Im willing to be our record is better on road w white on white

AlishaOnline: My weekend: filled with friends, the fair, an airshow and some Chiefs football! And I am not even leaving Jax - love it!

AlexsAlias: So excited that finally the KC Chiefs will play a game with Larry Johnson NOT in the building. Not that lj even cares. Good Luck Charles!!

Looking Like Chiefs S Jon McGraw Will Be Out Against the Jaguars

Joel Thorman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:45:16 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Chiefs S Jon McGraw looks like he'll be out this weekend. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Browse more photos »

With each passing day, the chances of Kansas City Chiefs S Jon McGraw playing on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars appear to dwindle.

McGraw missed practice again today, which makes it two consecutive weeks missed. He's suffering from what the organization calls a strain in his leg.

Normally, this wouldn't be a huge deal, but the Chiefs other true free safety, Jarrad Page, was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday, ending his season.

CB Mike Richardson also returned to practice today after being out for two days with an illness.

With Page out, McGraw's injury is causing a bit of a domino effect:

SS DaJuan Morgan moves to the starting role at FS
Who is backing up Mike Brown at SS now?
CB Maurice Leggett has been seeing time at FS behind Morgan
CB Travis Daniels was signed and is providing depth at CB (possibly because Leggett is seeing extra time at FS)

Since McGraw hasn't practiced in two weeks, I'd imagine ruling him out for Sunday is just a formality at this point. The Chiefs will release their injury report today and II think he'll be listed as doubtful (25% chance of playing) or out.

Chiefs G Mike Goff Enters Thursday Injury Report

Joel Thorman — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:45:05 -0000

The Kansas City Chiefs currently have five players on the injury report while the Jacksonville Jaguars have four. This is a little surprising because, through eight weeks, the Chiefs have usually been the healthier team in any matchup.

There were no changes to the Chiefs injury report except for the addition of Mike Goff.

Did Not Participate

S Jon McGraw (leg) - Still no updates but he hasn't practiced in nearly two weeks.

CB Mike Richardson (illness) - Unknown illness. This is the second day in a row he's been gone.

Limited Participation

C Rudy Niswanger (knee) - He practiced again today which is a good sign. Coming back from a MCL injury in two weeks would be impressive (Cassel took three).

G Mike Goff (shoulder) - No clue what this is. Goff's a veteran so this could be precautionary.

Full Participation

T Branden Albert (ankle) - He appears ready to play.

***

The Chiefs currently have 60% of their starting offensive line on the injury report.

SS Morgan Still Subbing For FS McGraw at Chiefs Practice

Joel Thorman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:02:16 -0000

Once an area of strength, the Kansas City Chiefs secondary is now an area of concern.

Strong safety DaJuan Morgan continues to fill in for free safety Jon McGraw as the Chiefs continue their preparation for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With Page's injury, as you know, the Chiefs have one free safety on the roster and that's the injured McGraw.

Morgan has seen very little playing time in his brief NFL career. As Josh Looney points out, it's beginning to look more and more like Morgan will be your starting free safety on Sunday.

No updates on McGraw at this point but I can't say it bodes well for him when it's been nearly two weeks since he last practiced.

McGraw's injury is causing quite the domino effect in the secondary.

CB Maurice Leggett is now seeing time at free safety. It appears if McGraw can't go, Leggett will provide a depth role behind Morgan. Leggett has some experience as a free safety in college, but none in the NFL. He's been the nickelback this season.

New Chief Travis Daniels is filling in at cornerback while CB Mike Richardson continues to be out with an illness.

Brown Talking As If McGraw Will Be Out for the Chiefs

Joel Thorman — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:09:28 -0000

Count Mike Brown as one of the Kansas City Chiefs players that believe DaJuan Morgan can step in this weekend and start at free safety against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

"We’ll be OK. You only need two (safeties)," Brown said.

But that's only if Jon McGraw can't go.

Jarrad Page is now on IR and McGraw is banged up with some sort of leg strain. I figured with an extra week off, whatever happened to McGraw, it wouldn't cost him a game. He was previously the starter after taking the job from an injured Page.

That said, read these words by Brown, distributed by the other AP, and tell me if it sounds as if Morgan starting and McGraw sitting is a done deal.

"It does hurt losing Jarrad and Jon. They’re very good players. But DaJuan is going to step in and play well. He’s young and ready to play and got a little juice in him. He’s excited. This is a great opportunity for him to show what he can do, to show the Chiefs fans what he’s all about."

I wonder if Mike Brown knows something we don't know (yet).