SB Nation - Ryan O'Callaghan

Practice Report: Kansas City Chiefs (3-11) at Cincinnati Bengals (9-5)

Kirkendall — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:25:40 -0000

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI	STATUS
S Chris Crocker (ankle)	DNP
TE J.P. Foschi (not injury related)	DNP
DT Tank Johnson (foot)	DNP
DT Domata Peko (knee)	DNP

CHIEFS	WED	THUR	FRI	STATUS
S DaJuan Morgan (chest)	DNP
LB Justin Rogers (thigh)	DNP
DE Glenn Dorsey (knee)	LP
CB Brandon Flowers (shoulder)	LP
DE Alex Magee (hamstring)	LP
G Brian Waters (hamstring)	LP
T Ryan O'Callaghan (knee)	FP

Kansas City Chiefs RT Ryan O'Callaghan Joins the Injury Report

Joel Thorman — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:19:08 -0000

Having veteran guard Brian Waters listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns is a big hit to the Kansas City Chiefs offensive line. Adding right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan officially makes the offensive line battered.

Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star reports the Chiefs have listed O'Callaghan as questionable for Sunday's game. He is not listed on the club's injury report issued late Friday afternoon.

O'Callaghan joins four other Chiefs that are listed as questionable for Sunday.

DE Glenn Dorsey (knee)
S Jon McGraw (hand)
RB Dantrell Savage (ankle)
DE Wallace Gilberry (back)

Gilberry participated fully in practice so on paper he appears to be the most likely to play.

I'd be curious to find out why O'Callaghan wasn't listed on original Friday injury report. If he can't go, Barry Richardson or Ikechuku Ndukwe are candidates to replace him.

What do the Chiefs do with Haley, Assistant Coaches, and the Offensive Line in 2010?

Jon Yoon — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:12:35 -0000

More photos » by Reed Hoffmann - AP

Browse more photos »

Last week, I spoke about some of the moves the Chiefs need to make this offseason on offense, but the Quarterback and Receiver issue pretty much hijacked the entire discussion. I want to use this part of the column to round out that discussion by focusing on the Chiefs' offensive line. I also want to talk about the coaching staff and special teams.

What's really interesting about the scope of this discussion is that two months ago, the fans were stressed about the state of the offensive line but pretty psyched about the progress of the coaching staff. Today, it seems like the fans have flipped opinions.

Special Teams: Let me just get this part out of the way. Ryan Succop and Dustin Colquitt are clearly safe. Steve Hoffman has also quietly built an outstanding coverage unit around them and that coverage will only get better as the roster becomes deeper with talent (remember, when there is a lot more uncertainty on a roster, it becomes tougher to keep dedicated special teams specialists like Gary Stills on your roster). I sense that as the roster gets better, you'll see more Terrence Coppers on this team and that will make an already outstanding special teams unit even better. At the Kick Returner position, given that the Chiefs have a need for both a speed threat at wide receiver and a returner, don't be surprised to see the Chiefs try to kill two birds with one stone by bringing in a guy who can do both.

Offensive Tackle: I know there's been a lot of uproar about how the Chiefs must get the best offensive lineman on the board with the top pick, no questions asked. I couldn't disagree more. With a top 5 pick, the only position that carries any positional value is Left Tackle and while I am not a draft expert, I'm not really that wow'ed by the top Left Tackles on the board and I'm pleased enough with Branden Albert's progress over the last few weeks. If Branden Albert is indeed the answer at Left Tackle, then you absolutely, positively do NOT move him to any other position. Especially with your top 5 pick. On the right side, I don't see Ryan O'Callaghan ever progressing to the point where he would be considered a franchise Right Tackle. However, given the Chiefs' high urgency needs at multiple positions, I would have to think that finding O'Callaghan's replacement is pretty low on the priority list. That's a position that the Chiefs could probably fill through the later rounds of the draft. I am all in favor of bringing in a whole truckload of competitive options; I just don't think the Chiefs need to reach to get any specific one. The Chiefs should try to do better than O'Callaghan, but if he is the Chiefs' option in 2010, that's not a decision that will come back to haunt them.

Stays: Branden Albert (#1 LT), Ryan O'Callaghan (#2 RT), Barry Richardson (#2 LT)
Pick up: New starting RT either through free agency or around rounds 3-7/undrafted

Center: I don't know who will play Center for the Chiefs in 2010, but it had better not be Rudy Niswanger. Wade Smith might be an option, but I doubt it. There really isn't an option on the team that makes you do cartwheels. If I was to prioritize offensive line positions, I would have to say that bringing in a top-flight Center is easily at the top of the list. However, Rudy Niswanger will have a secure roster spot because he's fine as a backup and you have to like his flexibility to play both Guard and Center

Stays: Rudy Niswanger (#2 Center)
Pick-up: A higher draft pick (2nd-3rd round) or highly touted free agent

Guard: Guard is a position that I see as a pressing need, but not a pressing priority. Brian Waters isn't the Left Guard we thought he was when he was playing next to Willie Roaf, but he's still a good option. At Right Guard, Wade Smith really isn't a terrible option and there are some players on the roster who might make for interesting competition. I still think Rudi Niswanger could make a decent Guard, and you have two young players on the practice squad---Colin Brown and Darryl Harris---who might be able to compete in the offseason for the starting job. The Chiefs need to start thinking about bringing in a better player than Smith and an eventual replacement for Waters, but for now, the position is such a low level of priority that the Chiefs shouldn't consider an upgrade unless there is a Best Player Available (BPA) option in the 3^rd through 7^th round of the draft or a clear upgrade who slips into free agency.

Stays: Brian Waters (#1 LG), Wade Smith (#1 RG)
Potential In-house Replacements: Colin Brown, Darryl Harris
Pick-up: Either drafted potential #1 RG or free agent #1 RG, Potential replacement for Brian Waters at LG in 2-3 years via draft

Head Coach:

There's been a lot of talk about Todd Haley being a target for firing. I really hope that's not the case and given his contract, I don't think that will happen. Coaches need time to establish their program. It always reflects badly on an organization when they play musical chairs with their coaches. Oakland and Washington are two NFL markets that can never seem to establish continuity because they're continually changing systems and philosophies. Haley has made a lot of mistakes for sure, but most rookie head coaches do and I still think he would make considerably less mistakes if he wasn't wearing so many hats. The Chiefs need to hire an Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach and that's non-negotiable.

However, the clock has started to tick for Haley. The mistakes he's making now are unforgiveable in 2010. He has to become a better game manager. In his defense, a lot of his game management mistakes are situational. Haley has been over-aggressive on fourth down situations, but who's to say he'll be just as aggressive when this team is a little better? When you have an offense that struggles to put points on the board, sometimes you take a few more risks to score touchdowns. When you have a defense that can implode at any given second of a game, sometimes you have to be more aggressive about going for 7 to create some cushion for the defense.

I'm also becoming increasingly concerned about the team's lack of discipline. Haley was hyped up to be a disciplinarian and yet his team plays without any shred of discipline. Maybe the team has started to give up, but it's also quite possible that they don't buy what Haley is selling. Sometimes when you overthink, you become more prone to mistakes.

Assistant Coaches:

I've said from the beginning that the stupidest move the Chiefs made this offseason was to enter the season without an Offensive Coordinator or a Quarterbacks Coach and they are paying a price for it. How many times have we watched another team's sideline and saw a Quarterback make a mistake, then immediately consult with one of the Assistant Coaches. Cassel hasn't had that luxury. He's had to figure that all out on his own. He's a young QB who's had to coach himself, not only on mechanics, but on how to think through the game. It might also help Cassel to have a fall-back guy. When Haley tears Cassel apart for making a mistake, sometimes it helps to have another coach on the staff to turn to for help. I imagine Cassel doesn't have the same access to good coaching off the field either. The Chiefs bought a $60M product and didn't even equip themselves with a training manual. Unbelievable.

On other levels, rather than go into painstaking detail about each and every coach, let's just talk about the ones whose job security might be called into question. The two names that most often come up in discussions are Tim Krumrie and Bill Muir. In my opinion, Krumrie is a scapegoat of convenience. It started several years ago when he got negative publicity for running what many consider to be a useless combine drill. That escalated into hatred when he coached one of the worst defensive lines in football. In the fans' defense, Krumrie probably should have been canned along with Herm Edwards. But I was okay with keeping him on board because Scott Pioli, a completely neutral set of eyes with no tie to Herm Edwards or Carl Peterson, thought Krumrie was good enough to keep on his staff.

The question is, has the Defensive Line improved under Krumrie? My answer is "yes." Don't get me wrong. The Defensive Line still stinks, but you have to be careful about understanding why that's the case. We shouldn't judge Krumrie based on his ability to coach up players who don't have talent to play their respective position in the first place (Ron Edwards) or rookies who might not see improvement until 2010 (Tyson Jackson). Krumrie has taught his linemen to operate in an entirely different defense, and he has improved several of the players within it. Dorsey went from a non-factor last season to a fairly consistent disruptive force at a position that I still don't believe best fits his skill sets. Tamba Hali has improved by leaps and bounds in his role as a 3-4 OLB. Even Wallace Gilberry and Alex Magee have looked pretty good from time to time. In other words, when he has talent and the time to develop them, he hasn't done a poor job and maybe the 3-4 Defense is his sweet spot. If Dorsey and Hali continue to play at a high level, if Jackson plays better in his second season as Dorsey did, and if the Chiefs bring in a legit Nose Tackle (which they have to), the Defensive Line will be a strength for the Chiefs.

As for Muir, that's also a tough call to make. I never really liked him because I was never a fan of the offensive lines that he coached in the past. But like Krumrie, he's actually made a lot of progress with virtually nothing to work with. The Chiefs have horrible players on the offensive line. No amount of coaching is going to fix that. I do think Muir has done a surprisingly admirable job making a bad unit look increasingly better over the past several weeks.

At Wide Receivers coach, I'd expect a change here too. The Chiefs demoted Dedric Ward earlier in the season and plugged in Richie Anderson. I would be surprised if the Chiefs looked at Anderson as anything more than a stopgap, unless they plan to keep him as an Assistant coach somewhere else.

Finally, Clancy Pendergast. I don't like his defense. Behind all the shifts and moving people around, the defense still seems pretty vanilla. To this day, I still wonder if he was hired because he was the guy Pioli wanted or because he was the only one left late in the season. I sense it's the latter. I actually think Pendergast would make a terrific assistant coach, but more likely than not, he's not going to accept a demotion.

Stays: All Assistant Coaches except Pendergast
Goes: Clancy Pendergast, Dedric Ward
Pick up: Offensive and Defensive Coordinator, Quarterbacks Coach, Wide Receivers Coach

I know it sounds like I'm not pushing for change. Between keeping continuity on the coaching staff

Golden Bears in the Pros: DeCoud Shines, More Forsett, Natalie Eliminated

Avinash — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:00:33 -0000

(Video link here, hat-tip to ieeebear!)

Thomas Decoud, Atlanta Falcons

Decoud earns NFC defensive player of the week honors.

First-year starter Thomas DeCoud had the game of his short professional career at safety Sunday night for the Atlanta Falcons.

DeCoud's five tackles were fifth best on the team and he added two passes defensed, but his two interceptions helped change the game for Atlanta and won him the award.

The interceptions were the first two of his career and marked the first time a Falcons player had a multiple-interception game since DeAngelo Hall's two pick game against Tampa Bay on September 17, 2006.

More on the headlines above, plus news on one pro Bear who will be at the Wazzu game, and find out where some of your favorite Golden Bear hoopsters are now playing overseas after the jump. Also, two Golden Bears got signed to two NFL 53 man squads, find out who by checking out the rest of the post!

Justin Forsett, Seattle Seahawks

ESPN's Mike Sando reports that Forsett could be seeing more action, mainly because his pass blocking abilities might be the best of the three in the corps! Good job Coach Gould and Coach M!

Justin Forsett is earning -- and will get -- more touches in the regular offense. My take three weeks ago was that Forsett, primarily a third-down back to this point, had done enough to start getting touches on earlier downs. Seattle left Forsett alone in the backfield six times in the first quarter against the Jaguars, more than he had in the first quarters of the previous four games. Forsett is challenging to become the best pass-blocking back on the team even though Julius Jones and Edgerrin James are strong in that area. He lacks top-end speed, but he's quick and appears trustworthy in key situations. He did a nice job chipping on his way out of the backfield, helping the left tackle substantially on one play.

Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

Lots of stuff here about the matchup between Gonzalez and Dallas's returning strong safety , who is returning with a cast on one hand due to a broken thumb. He's also expected to see lots of double coverage.

"My whole career I've always tried to look at when they played against maybe Kellen Winslow, and see what they did to him, because I know he's such a threat in the receiving game," Gonzalez said during a conference call Wednesday. "But even sometimes teams will switch it up. Earlier this year we played against New England and I didn't really anticipate getting bracket coverage as much as I was that game, and because of that I only had one catch."

The Cowboys held Winslow to four catches for 30 yards and one score in the season-opener. Gonzalez has had plenty of practice adapting to varied schemes over the years.

"It's always something," Gonzalez said of the different looks he gets. "That's something I've been used to my whole career and whatever they want to do hopefully we can adjust and move the ball down the field."

Tony G was also on Pardon the Interruption for Five Good Minutes on Wednesday--check out his interview starting at about 9:55.

Nnamdi Asomugha, Oakland Raiders

Asomugha was surprised at what happened on Sunday--in terms of Oakland's defense actually following through on what they run in practice.

On Sunday, the Raiders brought a different look to the Eagles game on defense. They blitzed and played zone -- a departure from the defensive scheme Davis prefers. It was something of a revolution, according to cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha. Asomugha said he lobbies every week for a more aggressive attack and less predictable coverage, but usually to no avail.

"We were shocked," Asomugha said, "because coaches say we're going to run it in practice, but we come to a game and that never happens."

Asomugha said defensive coordinator John Marshall finally agreed to make changes. "He said that he might get yelled at for it, but he'll keep going," Asomugha said.

When asked about Asomugha's claims, Cable evaded the issue.

"I think we'll do what we can, and what we think it takes to win every Sunday," Cable said.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Football Outsiders thinks they know why Aaron is struggling to develop a good rapport with one of his primary targets (HT Acme Packing Company):

Aaron Rodgers didn't pad his stats; after a third-quarter sack and fumble, he threw only one pass in the fourth quarter, an interception. A more important question: What's up with Greg Jennings? We thought the star wideout would have a big game against the Lions, but Jennings only ended up with 38 yards on six catches in eight attempts. Our theory: Rodgers is struggling to get the protection he needs to allow Jennings to run double moves and get open downfield.

Zack Follett, LB, Detroit Lions

At least one more time, Follett will be patrolling the California sidelines on his bye week.

Rookie linebacker Zack Follett is heading back to California. He grew up in Clovis and played college football at Cal. He said he's planning to go back to Berkeley to see Saturday's game against Washington State.

"We've got three days off. I'm going to fly home and go back to the Bay," Follett said. "Catch a Cal football game and kind of refresh the mind a little bit and get ready to get back to work.

"I've already been here three months. To stay another two, it would be a tough stretch, especially with this cold weather getting up on me. I'm getting my mind ready for these winters."

Other notes

Lorenzo Alexander recorded 3 tackles in a 14-6 loss to Kansas City. You can see him against the Eagles and Desean on Monday night.
Desean Jackson caught 6 passes for 94 yards (as you saw above), as well as having 4 punt returns for 43 yards.
Dante Hughes was signed by the Chargers! Hopefully now that he's right next to the Pacific coast, he'll be able to regain his "intercepting of North Korean nuclear missiles" abilities.
The Seahawks signed Mike Gibson off the Eagles practice squad...lots of Golden Bears piling up there in Seattle!
Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 19 times for 61 yards, and 2 receptions for 11 yards.
Alex Mack was sidelined by flu-like symptoms; it's not yet known if it was H1N1 that was ailing him.
Ryan Longwell kicked four field goals, including the game-winner against Baltimore.
Brandon Mebane recorded three tackles for the Seahawks in their loss to Arizona.
Tully Banta-Cain was let go by New England...and then immediately resigned for a multi-year deal, according to Adam Schefter. He recorded 3 tackles in the 59-0 dressing down of the Titans.
Apparently long snapper David Binn once dated Pamela Anderson. Wait, WHAT?
Desmond Bishop remains on the special teams with AJ Hawk still the starter, although he is in a good spot to replace him in the future if the team chooses. He recorded one tackle in that capacity against Detroit.
Kyle Boller isn't likely to compete for the starting spot with Marc Bulger in the near future; Bulger still is the de facto #1.
The Hogs, an independent Redskins site, did an interview with Andre Carter the week before Kansas City. Carter had 7 tackles and the pass deflection you saw in the video.
Scott Fujita did not practice Wednesday because of a strained right calf he suffered against the Giants. Still not sure if he will play against Miami.
Kansas City head coach Todd Haley has found his starting right tackle in Ryan O'Callaghan.
Nick Harris punted 5 times for a 39.2 yard average for Detroit.

NBA preseason

Jason Kidd is averaging 7 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals through five preseason games. Since the Spurs are the favorites to win the division, here's what Mavs Moneyball thinks Kidd should do to slow down Tony Parker (hint: he won't): "First Jason Kidd must force Parker into becoming a passer more than a scorer. This is not going to be easy for Kidd, in fact it may be impossible! If Kidd cannot at least slow down Parker's ability to get to the basket the Mavericks will be forced to try and win a shootout, and at this point I do not feel confident enough in their rotation defense to say they can win that type of game with these Spurs."
Ryan Anderson is averaging 14 points, 4 rebounds, and over 50 percent from downtown per game for the Magic in the preseason. According to Third Quarter Collapse, his offensive rating is an astounding 118.7 (translation: very very good) with a usage rate of 23.7%. If you haven't seen it, check out danzig's highlight reel of him against the Bulls, where he hit the go-ahead bucket in the fourth quarter. You can see Anderson in action in the final preseason game tonight on ESPN against the Hawks at 8 PM EST/5 PM PST; considering that starters usually are rested a lot in these games, this might be the most Anderson plays all year long.
Sean Marks? 2 points, 5 rebounds, 30% shooting, 4 fouls per game. We should expect a lot of updates like this; pray for a gamewinning dunk here and there.
Leon Powe met with his old Celtic battery mates during the last preseason game between the Cavs and Cs (he is of course still far away from playing). It was, in his own words, 'strange'.
Rod Benson was released by the Pacers. Sigh. He'll probably be back in the D-League soon enough. Interesting stuff about dissent between Benson and his agent from Ridiculous Upside.

Elsewhere

Week 3 - Natalie Coughlin - Dancing With The Stars (via ABCNetwork)

Natalie Coughlin was eliminated prematurely from Dancing with the Stars, because people who watch Dancing with the Stars obviously hate beautiful women and prefer C-list celebrities. For those who wanted to catch her dances (all in HD!): Week 1 with the salsa, Week 2 with the quickstep, Week 3 with the rumba (her best one) is the embedded video above, Week 4 with the bolero. Here's her post-elimination interview from Good Morning America, where they wake her up at 4 to 5 AM local time the night afterwards and drag her back to the studio for an interview to ask her how much it sucks to be eliminated. You stay classy ABC.
At least it led to this gem by one of the judges. You should spot what's wrong pretty quickly.

"Unfortunately for Natalie, I think that people didn’t know who she was," said the cheorographer, actress and dancer [Carrie Ann Inaba]. "Maybe the fan base of her sport isn’t watching our show or maybe it isn’t as big as someone like Michael Irvin’s fanbase, which is basketball."

Toronto FC's Stefan Frei is a dark horse candidate for MLS Rookie of the Year.
Finally, Joseph Cannon of the Daily Cal wrote up about several Golden Bear hoopsters playing overseas. Ayinde Ubaka's starring in Australia for the Gold Coast Blaze, DeVon Hardin's been hopping from Oklahoma to Greece to Turkey and now Greece again for EO Athens, and Eric Vierneisel's been everywhere (New Zealand, Syria, Jordan), before settling on Heidelberg, Germany.

Golden Bears in the Pros: Week of October 12th

Avinash — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:00:28 -0000

All thanks as usual to danzig for the video!

Marshawn Lynch, Buffalo Bills

Beast Mode is getting back to doing what he's always done--gets amped up, plays amped up, leaves amped up.

He's back. Or, at least the Browns' awful run defense made Lynch look like he's back. He had 125 total yards on 23 touches, he blocked well (while I saw Fred Jackson whiff on at least two blitz pickups), and he made a beautiful play on a wheel route down the middle for the longest gain on the day, a 35-yard pass reception. No, it didn't matter, and yes, playing Cleveland - one of the worst defenses in the league (not that Buffalo could exploit it) - certainly helped. But for this game, he was clearly the better back between he and Jackson - and that's why he starts.

See more about BeastMode's ability after the jump, plus a litany of other Golden Bear pro performances!

Jackson, who had a phenomenal start to the season, looked bad. He picked up 47 yards on 15 touches, but couldn't find holes in the run game the way Lynch did. As I mentioned, he had a couple of poor efforts in blitz pickup - an area where he's usually top-notch. This was just a bad game for a guy who had been Buffalo's most consistent performer to date.

One last note - Lynch came out of this game really early. Again. He's become known for getting super hyped before a game, getting worked up after one or two carries, and having to leave the field to either throw up or finish hyperventilating. He has not yet outgrown that. I have nothing against a guy being amped for an NFL football game - quite the opposite, actually - but as good as Jackson is, flip-flopping runners that early gets the offense out of rhythm, too. Maybe Jackson should start games and let Lynch take more and more carries as the game wears on.

Marshawn takes his cart on the road to New York for a do-or-die game for the Bills against the Jets.

Desean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles

Jackson had a quiet game, letting his teammate Jeremy Maclin shine in the shredding of the Bucs (HT, Bleeding Green Nation).

The Eagles scored 33 points despite receiving next to nothing from DeSean Jackson, their top receiving threat. Of the three passes thrown his way, Jackson caught one of them – for one yard. Jackson also attempted one rush – and gained nada.

"That shows you how dangerous this team is when myself only has one catch and Westbrook has [eight touches for 35 yards]," Jackson said Monday evening on his weekly radio show on 950AM. "We have a lot of weapons.

You might be asking, "radio show"? Actually, it's pretty good, with lots of nice insights about how things are going for Desean and what he thinks of his fellow Eagles teammates. Oh, and he briefly gets his game on with the ladies halfway through. Smooth Desean...

#10 returns to the Bay Area to play the Raiders on Sunday.

Scott Fujita, New Orleans Saints

We strive to remain apolitical on this site, but we give kudos to Fujita for lending his voice and support to one of the bigger political issues of the day.

DZ: Do you have any concerns that teammates, fans, people will say Scott Fujita may be married and have kids, but maybe on the down low he might really be gay? Do you have concern that teammates, bloggers, the press will talk that kind of smack about you either behind your back or to your face?

SF: No, I have no concern about that whatsoever. I know who I am. My wife knows who I am. I don't care one way or the other Dave. I imagine that when some of this gets out guys in the locker room might give me a hard time, and they always give me a hard time. They call me the Pinko Communist Fag from Berkeley. I'm used to it. I can take it all.

Also, the thread on Canal Street Chronicles dealing with this subject was nice to look at. Lots of different opinions expressed without much rancour.

Fujita's Saints have a big showdown of undefeated teams with the Giants.

Tony Gonzalez, Atlanta Falcons

Tony G takes a SHOT at Oakland's bleaguered ~~refrigerator~~ quarterback.

Tony Gonzalez helped explain why Matt Ryan has succeeded as a young quarterback while players like JaMarcus Russell have struggled.

"On a scale of 1-to-10 in terms of work ethic, I hear [Russell]’s like a 3," Gonzalez said. "You hear rumors [from other players] about some of these young guys who don’t get it at all, and I’ve been around quarterbacks like that. Matt’s a 10, which is what you’ve got to be to be a franchise quarterback. At Pro Bowls over the years, I’ve talked to Peyton a lot about this, and that’s the key to being great – a willingness to be prepared at the highest level."

Justin Forsett, Seattle Seahawks

Despite Forsett's awesome play, he still has his weaknesses, as noted by Field Gulls. Hopefully he'll get through it one of these weeks and make the turn upward!

All of a sudden, Forsett has a wide open cutback lane (the triangle beginning between 89 and 74 and extending towards the end zone), a cornerback to beat and Owens to block in front.

Forsett times his cut poorly and runs up on Carlson's legs. Carlson could have blocked Harvey better, but not much better. He eventually pancakes Harvey. Forsett's initial hole is not gaping, it's a cutback lane after all, but it's clear and large enough for any rusher to explode through with a head of steam. Instead he stumbles and the defense swarms around him. He gains two, but if he gets through that hole cleanly, he should have no problem taking it to the house. One only needs to see how empty the right side of the field is to see the brilliance of this play call and how close it was to a touchdown.

Alex Mack, Cleveland Browns

Coach Mangini has plenty of positive things to say about his young center's progress.

"Over the last few weeks, I think Alex has really made a lot of stride. There are multiple plays on tape where he’s getting good drive at the point of attack, whether it’s him alone or whether it’s him as part of a double team. He does a nice job down the field. Sometimes it’s pulling on some of those outside runs and sometimes he’s on the backside of that and he’s not going to be a puller, the way that he’s able to cut off linebackers. He plays with a high motor. He’s pretty good at lining the target up and finishing the block. It’s nice to see his progress each week. I think it is a function of, as he’s played more, not just things have slowed down, but he’s slowed down a little bit. There were times early where, right idea, right place, just a little too quick getting there, a little too quick if you want to execute the assignment. I think he has a better sense now not just where he has to fit, but how he has to fit and at what tempo the fit needs to be at."

Brandon Mebane, Seattle Seahawks

Mebane contributed on a huge play in Seattle's rout of Jacksonville.

The good was Brandon Mebane. After going Zapruder Film on the replay, I am pretty sure Mebane stripped Garrard a split second before Lawrence Jackson. Jackson and Reed were single blocked on the outside and Cory Redding dropped into cover. Mebane navigated a triple team before twisting close enough to Garrard to drop a meat hook on the ball. Before he could slap it away, his indomitable bull rush freed Reed by briefly forcing a quadruple team. Reed disengaged from Tra Thomas and ran across the line. He shed the idle right guard, Uche Nwaneri, before breaking to scoop the ball and run 79 yards for the touchdown.

Zack Follett, Detroit Lions

Pain Train didn't get to toot the whistle this week, but he seems to be determined to bring the heat every week.

"Just from watching, I didn't see the passion," Follett said Wednesday. "I didn't see guys running down there full speed and, like, really wanting it. I feel kind of like a pit bull that's been caged-up that's been watching every week and just been waiting for my chance. So I think I finally get it this week, so I'm going to run down there and try to change the mentality of special teams."

The Lions struggled badly on coverage units in Sunday's 48-24 loss at Chicago. They released linebacker Darnell Bing make room on the 53-man roster for Follett, a seventh-round pick this year.

"I'm strictly special teams," Follett said. "Learn every position. Coach said I shouldn't be leaving here until 8 o'clock tonight. If that's what it takes, I'm going to make sure I know my job."

Thankfully, he's only on special teams, so he won't get any chances to sack...

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Acme Packing Company is higher on their quarterback than the current stats indicate.

Build around QB Aaron Rodgers: After four weeks, he's listed as only the No. 13 QB overall by Football Outsiders, but consider that they count sacks against the QB. He's currently sitting with a QB rating of 101.1. And that's with a disappointing season from WR Greg Jennings and awful pass protection. And as I described in an earlier post, the pass protection can be fixed.

Other Golden Bear NFL pro tidbits:

Kyle Boller had a nice run at starter, but suffered a mild concussion in defeat. Marc Bulger replaced him in relief and has also reclaimed the starting role.
Thomas Decoud had four tackles, two solo, and a pass deflection in the 45-10 beatdown of the Niners.
Nnamdi Asomugha is a superhero. He also happens to be the best player on an awful, awful team. His quote after the 44-7 Giants loss? "We're underachieving as a football team." Although the Raiders are shopping around players, Nnamdi is not on the list.
Will Ta'ufo'ou was involved with many other Bears rookies in unveiling a state-of-the-art fitness center for a North Chicago high school. He is still on the practice squad.
Craig Stevens suffered a concussion on a helmet-to-helmet collision with his teammate, eerily simliar to the one he suffered at Rocky Top.
Lavelle Hawkins was inactive for Sunday Night's game against the Colts. He still remains the fifth/sixth receiver in the rotation behind Washington/Scaife/another-guy-who-I-can't-remember.
Ryan Longwell had a 47 yard field goal and five extra points in the Vikings 38-10 victory.
Tully Banta-Cain had 3 tackles and a sack in a loss to the Broncos in overtime.
Arrowhead Pride ponders whether Ryan O'Callaghan will stay at right tackle or will be moved over to the Chief's more vulnerable left side.

NBA preseason

Ryan Anderson, Orlando Magic

His preseason stats so far have been impressive. He's had three games with double digit scoring. 22 points, 6-9 from downtown starting against the Hornets in Wichita, including sixteen points in 3 and a half minute stretch...had a rough 2-10 shooting night against the Grizz...12 points and six boards against the Rockets...also led the Magic with 16 points scoring against the Heat.

Third Quarter Collapse interviewed Anderson after his performance against the Heat.

If you don't start, do you believe you can help the team pack a punch off the bench?

Oh yeah, I mean, I think this team compliments my style of play. Dwight on the inside, four shooters on the outside. It's tough to guard, it's really tough to guard and because so many guys are going to be sagging down on Dwight, it's going to create open shots for everybody along the perimeter so I mean, I think that for myself, I think I'll definitely be competing in the rotation. Whether or not ... Brandon is a heck of a player, too, whether or not he's a three-point shooter, it doesn't really matter. The guy busts his butt and he does what he needs to do. He's a strong player, like I said before, so I mean, we have so many weapons, so many options so yeah, I'm obviously going to compete for my minutes, I'm not going to be handed anything so I'm going to fight and when I get in the game, just do what I do, just shoot the ball and rebound.

Here's what Stan Van Gundy has to say.

How have you've liked Ryan Anderson's play so far?

Ryan has been terrific. I mean, I remember people, Brian Schmitz especially asking me in pre-season and I mentioned that Ryan would have a chance to start at the four early with Rashard out, he was like, incredulous, now after two games I don't think people would disbelieve as much. Obviously he stretches the floor when we play offensively but you saw other things, I mean, in both games. He can put the ball on the floor, he's rebounded the ball pretty well, he's had more rebounds than Brandon in each of the last two games so he's playing extremely well and I'm really happy with the way he's playing. I thought again, like everybody else, his pick & roll defense tonight was not good but other than that, like I said, other than two guys, I wasn't really happy defensively. Now on the offensive end and on the boards, I thought we did a pretty good job.

Yellow fever will now weep silently into his White Castle burger.

Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks

Kidd suffered a minor ankle injury at practice, but didn't miss a beat with 5 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds and 5 steals against the Grizz. In his other two preseason appearances he went 17 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, +11 against the Wizards, and 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals, and a +7 against the Magic.

Leon Powe, Cleveland Cavaliers

Powe's surgery is ahead of schedule, and he could be back for the Cavs after the All-Star Break.

Sean Marks, New Orleans Hornets

I'm sure Marks is a nice guy, but...

Armstrong, Marks and Barron combined for 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 fouls. Project that production out over 48 minutes and you've got a big, steaming pile of crap

Wince. Rough.

After a Workout, Tauscher Will Join Packers, Not Chiefs

Joel Thorman — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:40:29 -0000

Earlier today, I said it didn't sound like (to me) that veteran right tackle Mark Tauscher was coming to the Kansas City Chiefs.

I cited head coach Todd Haley's recent positive comments of new starter Ryan O'Callaghan as evidence of my thinking.

Turns out, I was right.

Greg Bedard of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel just reported, "[Packers head coach Mike] McCarthy said Tauscher joining the Packers is imminent provided things work out." Interestingly, McCarthy also said they will retain their starter at right tackle which means, for now, Tauscher was/is willing to take a non-starting role. This was a discussion we had earlier in the week regarding the non-signing of Tauscher.

The Packers are the only team Tauscher has played for in his career. He was released after last season following surgery to repair and ACL.

Tauscher worked out for the Chiefs last week yet there was (obviously) no signing.

I wonder whether it was Tauscher's recovery from ACL surgery or the play of O'Callaghan that was keeping him from coming to the Chiefs. Since we can assume Tauscher is healthy enough to join the Packers, my guess is that it was the play of O'Callaghan that kept the Chiefs from signing him. That's just a guess, though.

So, congrats to Mr. Tauscher for finding a job and congrats to Mr. O'Callaghan for seemingly getting a tighter grip on the right tackle job....for now.

(Thanks to stagdsp for the link)

Doesn't Sound Like Chiefs Will Pursue Tauscher, Other RTs...For Now

Joel Thorman — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:58:42 -0000

Ah, Transaction Tuesday. For a struggling team such as the Kansas City Chiefs, and a front office who has proven to be one of the most active teams in the NFL personnel-wise, this is an exciting day. Last week the Chiefs made eight roster moves within 24 hours.

(Photo Source: When will we get a picture of Ryan O'Callaghan in a Chiefs uniform?)

What will today bring?

Well, we can probably count out Mark Tauscher, former Green Bay Packers right tackle whom the Chiefs worked out last Tuesday. Head coach Todd Haley sounded upbeat about right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan's performance on Sunday.

"Our right tackle yesterday, Ryan (O’Callagahn) was a bright spot," Haley said of O'Callaghan after reviewing the game tape. "I kind of like that guy. He competed and going against some pretty good competition. He showed some signs that he might want to stick around."

If you've been following the new regime in Kansas City, then you know that's about as big of a compliment that Haley gives. He rarely mentions players by name and even more rarely publicly recognizes a good performance. He even said the NFL's best punter, Dustin Colquitt, needs to get better.

Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com said that it appears O'Callaghan has "staying power."

O'Callaghan was moved to the first team eight days ago and when asked about the promotion, Haley cited the mental aspect of the former Patriot's game.

"I think he knows who to block," he said. "That’s real important around here right now, as it always is, but probably most important now. He’s been in there and made very few mental errors. He’s a big guy who’s got some experience under his belt. He looks like he’s excited."

The Chiefs head coach sounds enthused enough with O'Callaghan to displace, for now, the idea of signing Mark Tauscher. I don't have any inside information on this but to me Haley's words indicate that a Tauscher signing is not imminent.

Kansas City Chiefs Week Three Storylines

Chris Thorman — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 14:13:10 -0000

via www.kcchiefs.com

View full size photo »

We had quite a bit of news over the last week concerning the Kansas City Chiefs.

After the jump, here's what I'm talking about:

Dwayne Bowe's status
Starting right tackle
Where TE Leonard Pope may fit in today
National Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Roster moves this week

Click Continue Reading to check out the rest.

Will Dwayne Bowe play?

Bowe didn't play against the Eagles last week because of a hamstring injury. He didn't practice on Wednesday but Bowe did end up getting on the field with the second team WRs on Thursday and Friday. Here's the last we heard on Friday, from Bob Gretz:

Bob Gretz reports that Bowe was running routes and doing it with "speed and explosion" during today's practice. The report said he was certainly running with more power than Thursday's session which is excellent news for Bowe's availability on Sunday against the New York Giants.

Bowe is listed as questionable on the Chiefs injury report, which officially means he has a 50/50 shot of playing. LB Derrick Johnson is listed as probable, which means he'll play.

Who will start at right tackle?

Recently signed tackle Ryan O'Callaghan was moved ahead of previous RT starter Ikechuku Ndukwe on the depth chart this week. Here's what Todd Haley had to say about the move on Friday:

Haley also talked a little bit about the offensive line. Earlier in the week, there was a change made on the depth chart. Right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan was moved up to the No. 1 team ahead of Ikechuku Ndukwe. Both players were acquired this season so it's interesting to watch the development of each. As of this week, O'Callaghan has been running with the first team. Ndukwe started the first three games at right tackle.

Haley said he won't determine a starter for Sunday's game until he talks to his staff but did have some encouraging words for O'Callaghan.

"I think he knows who to block," Haley said of O'Callaghan. "That’s real important around here right now, as it always is, but probably most important now. He’s been in there and made very few mental errors. He’s a big guy who’s got some experience under his belt. He looks like he’s excited."

I think you can safely pencil in O'Callaghan in at starting RT today.

Will newly signed TE Leonard Pope see any action?

Nothing definitive has been said about Leonard Pope's role today against the Giants but it looks like Todd Haley wants the former Arizona Cardinal to get in the game as soon as he can:

"Leonard’s a big guy who’s real tough, fast, can really stretch the field," he said when asked about Pope. "I think he’s a great individual – one of my favorites there from Arizona who will give you a full day’s work and your money’s worth every single day. He likes to play and he likes to practice. He’s my kind of guy. When we got the opportunity to bring somebody in we were happy to get Leonard."

Haley indicated that Pope could indeed see time on Sunday. "He's practicing to play," he said.

Pope is listed as the team's fourth TE on the depth chart, which is typical placement for a new player. I doubt Pope gets in much today.

Wearing pink on the field

Since it's National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a few of the Chiefs will be sporting pink to raise awareness.

The game itself will have a special pink feel. Pink ribbons will be painted on the field at Arrowhead and affixed on the back of the players’ helmets. Additionally, various Chiefs players will be using special pink items such as cleats, gloves, towels, etc.

WR Bobby Engram will be wearing pink cleats and LB Mike Vrabel will be wearing pink gloves.

Roster moves

The Chiefs had a handful of roster moves this week too. Here's what went down:

Cut - LB Monty Beisel, CB Ricardo Colclough
Traded - QB Tyler Thigpen (conditional draft pick)
Added to PS - T Chris Patrick
Released from PS - TE Tom Crabtree
Signed - TE Leonard Pope, CB Mike Richardson, LB David Herron

Chime in with any pre-game thoughts you may have.

Chiefs Coach Addresses Right and Left Side of the Offensive Line

Joel Thorman — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:01:51 -0000

More photos » by Michael Perez - AP

Brian Waters and the Chiefs offensive line has struggled this season. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley spoke with the media this afternoon following the team's final practice before Sunday's game against the New York Giants.

On the injury front, Dwayne Bowe will be listed as questionable, meaning he has a 50-50 chance of playing, while Derrick Johnson will be listed as probable, meaning it's a virtual certainty he'll be on the field.

For the Giants, there are four that will be ruled out according to NFL Network's Jason LaCanfora: WR Domenik Hixon, DE Chris Canty, CB Aaron Ross RB Danny Ware.

Haley also talked a little bit about the offensive line. Earlier in the week, there was a change made on the depth chart. Right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan was moved up to the No. 1 team ahead of Ikechuku Ndukwe. Both players were acquired this season so it's interesting to watch the development of each. As of this week, O'Callaghan has been running with the first team. Ndukwe started the first three games at right tackle.

Haley said he won't determine a starter for Sunday's game until he talks to his staff but did have some encouraging words for O'Callaghan.

"I think he knows who to block," Haley said of O'Callaghan. "That’s real important around here right now, as it always is, but probably most important now. He’s been in there and made very few mental errors. He’s a big guy who’s got some experience under his belt. He looks like he’s excited."

Haley also addressed Branden Albert and the left side of the offensive line. Albert, who gave up only 4.5 sacks last season, has struggled this season with penalties and sacks given up.

Haley was asked if Albert's inconsistency was a problem and he said, ""I couldn’t answer that because if I could I’d have it fixed already. I just think it’s a maturation process for him. He’s got a very bright left guard next to him that would help any tackle, so I like the combination we have there. I think the two of them work after practice together, they talk, they communicate and I think if we can be consistent we’ll have a chance to be secure on that side."

There's one thing for sure regarding this offensive line - They're going to get a hell of a test on Sunday.

Are the Chiefs Becoming the New England Cardinals?

Jon Yoon — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:00:35 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

FILE -- This is a Sept. 20, 2009, file photo showing Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel leaving the field after an NFL football game against the Oakland Raiders, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

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Here's a legitimate question that I don't really know the answer to: are the Chiefs developing a little bit of tunnel vision this season when it comes to free agency? Do you approve or disapprove of the Chiefs bringing in so many players from the Cardinals and the Patriots? Please voice your opinions on this.

It's interesting to note that five of the recent acquisitions the Chiefs made had some experience with one of those two teams: Leonard Pope, Mike Richardson, David Herron, Ryan O'Callaghan, and Lance Long. That's in addition to the moves the Chiefs already made for Matt Cassel, Corey Mays, Matt Gutierrez, Mike Vrabel, and the recently cut Monty Beisel. That makes for ten total acquisitions from those two teams in this season alone. It's also curious that a huge bulk of his other moves (Ndukwe, Alleman, Zach Thomas, Tyler Thipgen trade) were made with the Miami Dolphins, an inner-division team that Pioli played twice a season and that happens to be run by his father-in-law.

On the one hand, you could argue that Pioli and Haley know these players well enough to justify a roster spot. Haley knows players like Long a lot better than most teams do, especially since he's seen them practice while other coaches have not. Furthermore, it's not like the Chiefs have a lot of bright alternatives. Their job is to be better than the lousy backup options that they replaced. That's not a particularly daunting task.

On the other hand, you have to wonder if this tunnel vision is causing them to play favorites over outside options. Coaches and front offices sometimes have a tendency to become too attached to players they helped recruit or groom. I remember when Dick Vermeil insisted that the only major change that needed to be made to his 2003 roster was to change the defensive coordinator. I remember when Mike Solari became so attached to his players that he refused to admit that players like Casey Wiegmann and Jordan Black were much more a part of the problem than they were a part of the solution. It particularly bothers me when the bulk of these decisions seem to be made at positions that are of relatively little importance. I don't understand how bringing in Mike Richardson or David Herron solves the Chiefs' major pass protection problems. Maybe that's just me.

My gut tells me that this form of nepotism isn't good business and it leads me to question whether O'Callaghan was really the best player to pull off the waiver wire, or if he was chosen because he was a Pioli guy. That's particularly significant, given that the Chiefs had to use their advantageous waiver wire position to bring him in. On the other hand, my other instinct tells me that this strategy was the best Pioli could do, given that he entered the offseason game so late and without most of his own personnel guys. After all, the guys he brought in from other squads (Eric Ghiaciuc, Bobby Engram, Mike Goff, Amani Toomer) have all been major busts so far.

My feeling? I think Pioli and Haley have most definitely showed an overly strong favoritism to players they previously recruited and coached, but I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. Next season, however, they're going to have to prove that they can recruit players better from the outside.

Let us know your thoughts on this.

Poll

Do you approve of the Chiefs picking up so many ex-Cardinals and ex-Patriots?

Yes. Pioli and Haley know them well.

337 votes

No. They aren't paying enough attention to players on other teams.

251 votes

Neutral. I think it's equally "yes" and "no"

308 votes

896 votes | Poll has closed