SB Nation - Priest Holmes

Opponent History: Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs

sireric — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:00:22 -0000

Buffalo Bills (4-8) at Kansas City Chiefs (3-9)
Sunday, December 13, 2009 at 1:00 PM EST
Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO

Two long-time rivals get re-acquainted this week when the Buffalo Bills travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. This will be the 41st all-time meeting between these two storied franchises, dating all the way back to November 6, 1960, when the Bills lost to the Dallas Texans 45-28 in their first-ever meeting. The Bills hold the all-time series lead 22-18, even with this being the sixth time in the last seven meetings that the Bills have had to travel to Kansas City. Recaps of the last five meetings between these two teams are after the jump.

November 19, 2000: Bills 21, Chiefs 17
Elvis Grbac and Tony Gonzalez beat up on the Bills' defense in this one. Grbac finished with 341 yards and two touchdowns, and those two touchdowns were both hauled in by Gonzalez, who had nine total catches for 76 yards and the two scores. The Bills countered with Rob Johnson. Yes, you read that correctly. Johnson only had 196 yards passing, but he did throw two touchdowns - one each to Jay Riemersma and Eric Moulds - and he was the leading rusher with 42 yards, including a score of his own. The rushing score came with under three minutes to play and gave the Bills the win. If you can believe this, Grbac was sacked more than Johnson, too. The Bills had five sacks - two each by Sam Rogers and Marcellus Wiley, and one by Keith Newman. Chris Mohr even hit Daryl Porter for a 44-yard gain on a fake punt.

November 17, 2002: Chiefs 17, Bills 16
Almost exactly two years to the day after their last meeting, the Chiefs again scored 17 points against the Bills; this time, however, their defense holds the Bills' offense to only 16 points in victory. In the battle of the running backs, Travis Henry got the better of Priest Holmes. Henry finished with 126 yards on 24 carries and added another 38 yards on four catches. It is a safe bet that he went out and fathered another child to celebrate his good day. Holmes finished with 104 yards on 31 carries and added 23 yards on three catches. Holmes, however, put the ball into the end zone, while Henry did not. Mike Hollis hit three field goals and Moulds brought in a nine-yard pass from Drew Bledsoe for a score, but it was a nine-yard scramble by the ever fleet-footed Trent Green that proved to be the decisive score. Chidi Ahanotu recorded the only Bills sack.

October 26, 2003: Chiefs 38, Bills 5
The Bills started the game by blocking a punt out of the end zone for a safety; it was pretty much all downhill from there. Three straight Kansas City touchdowns - two by Priest Holmes - would provide all the scoring Chiefs needed. After Rian Lindell hit a meaningless field goal, Gonzalez and that Holmes guy each scored to put the game away. Holmes was again out-rushed by Henry, 83 to 124 respectively, but again it was Holmes who put it in the end zone. Henry again fathered a child after the game as per his post-game ritual.

November 13, 2005: Bills 14, Chiefs 3
After Lawrence Tynes opened the scoring with a field goal for Kansas City, the Chiefs' offense went and hid. The Bills didn't do much better, and were in fact out-gained on the day 316-209. The Bills, however, benefited from two J.P. Losman-to-Lee Evans touchdown passes to get the win. The Bills sacked Green six times, with Aaron Schobel (2.0), Justin Bannan, Angelo Crowell, London Fletcher and Ryan Denney doing the honors.

November 23, 2008: Bills 54, Chiefs 31
Turnovers were the story of this game. The Chiefs had five turnovers and the Bills had none. Neither defense could stop the other offense, but Leodis McKelvin's two interceptions, one of which he took back 64 yards for a touchdown, helped put the Bills over the top. The Bills kicked the ball off eleven times. Think about that - when was the last time the Bills kicked the ball off ten or more times in a game? I also have to throw some love Trent Edwards' way. He had his best day as a pro in this game, completing 24 of 32 passes for 273 yards and two touchdown passes. He also scrambled for 38 yards and two more scores.

Wiegmann Feels Sorry For Some of the Chiefs Players

Joel Thorman — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:14:15 -0000

More photos » by Reed Hoffmann - AP

18 days ago: Denver Broncos cornerback Andre' Goodman (21) scores a touchdown with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel (7) in pursuit off a Jamaal Charles fumble late in the third quarter of their NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

Browse more photos »

Denver Broncos C Casey Wiegmann spent the best years of his 13 year (and counting) career in Kansas City. While with the Chiefs, he was a key component of perhaps the best offensive line in history and made way for record breaking performances by Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson.

Wiegmann's seven years in Kansas City means he's familiar with a few of the Chiefs currently on the squad. And, he feels for them.

"It is," he said when asked if it was sad to see all the empty seats at Arrowhead. "I feel bad for the guys that experienced the good years when I was here. It's unfortunate. But, they'll get back to where it was. The fans in Kansas City are good and they know how to root their team on. They'll be back.

"But, I feel sorry for the guys."

Following a four win 2007 season, then head coach Herm Edwards and GM Carl Peterson decided to go young and released the veteran center. The right decision? Eh, probably not. The Chiefs have had center issues this season (and last season). Wiegmann made his first and only Pro Bowl last season (as an alternate).

Wiegmann isn't bitter or upset with the organization after their divorce. In fact, Kansas City, like so many of us, still holds a special place in his heart.

"I had seven good years here," he said. "I was happy to be a Chief. We'll probably call this home when I am done playing. I definitely miss the Chiefs. It's good to be here."

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 12/5

NJ Chiefs Fan — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 14:06:00 -0000

Good Saturday morning, Chiefs fans. Her's your daily roundup of news from across the internet.

When it comes to beating the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium in this decade, the Chiefs offense relied heavily on the running game.

The last 10 times these two teams have met in Kansas City, the Chiefs won eight games. From 1999-2008, the Kansas City offense averaged 171.7 rushing yards per game.

Consider that number for a moment: 171.7 yards on the ground.

In that span, four different Kansas City runners went over 100 yards against Denver: Kimble Anders, Tony Richardson, Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson. In three of those 10 games, the Chiefs ran for more than 200 yards. The only time they ran for less than 100 yards was in 2007, when they were beaten by the Broncos.

That’s the history. The present doesn’t look so rosy when it comes to the Chiefs running game.

Patching The Run Game … Saturday Cup O’Chiefs> from Bob Gretz

Todd Haley has tried screaming, changing lineups and emptying the playbook, but nothing has worked in his effort to get the Chiefs off to a quick start offensively.

"That’s the magic question," Haley said. "We’ve tried a number of different ways to start and try to recreate a sense of urgency, whether it’s no huddle, running the ball, throwing the ball, screening or whatever. We’ve tried a lot of different avenues in practice, (such as) tempo. I really feel like we’re pushing the envelope of trying to find a way."

But the Chiefs have only a field goal against Jacksonville to show for the first drive in each of their 11 games. In those 11 first quarters, they have just 19 points, and the only touchdown was on Jamaal Charles’ kickoff return to begin the recent game against Pittsburgh.

Chiefs hope to get off to a quicker start against Broncos from KC Star

In the 16 meetings where the Chiefs were able to score 4 times they never lost a game.

So, in conclusion, the Chiefs’ Magic Number to escape with a victory is 4, which would be the number of times Kansas City needs to put up 3 or more points on the scoreboard. That will properly complete Derrick Thomas’s day.

Magic Number for Denver> from Bob Gretz

It’s a record that still sits there in the franchise record book, unlikely to be broken any time soon. It hasn’t been close for the last 49 seasons.

On a rainy Sunday in Dallas on December 4, 1960, the Dallas Texans held the Houston Oilers to minus-27 rushing yards in grabbing a soggy 24-0 victory.

In the 12th game in franchise history the Texans established a record that has not been broken. The closest a defense came to the number was the n ext season, when they allowed the San Diego Chargers just three yards rushing.

Defense Stymies Oilers, Texans win 24-0> from Bob Gretz

Kyle Orton is the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos.

Jay Cutler is throwing gobs of interceptions for the Chicago Bears, instead of for the Broncos.

Over in Kansas City, Matt Cassel’s doing what he can to make the Chiefs a winning team.

For the most part, the three quarterbacks haven’t had much to do with each other during their NFL careers.

During the spring, however, the three were linked to one another as the Broncos and Cutler played out a public feud.

Broncos coming full circle: Denver faces final piece of the offseason’s QB controversy on Sunday from The Longmont Times-Call

Hoye has been a Broncos hater for almost 40 years. During that time, he has spent Sunday afternoons pulling for two teams: the Kansas City Chiefs, and whatever team is playing the Broncos.

There's just one problem. Hoye, an Iowa native, has lived in Denver since the early '90s. No, make that two problems. There's also the matter of the Chiefs having fallen off the NFL map, with six wins in their past 32 games.

And so it was that Hoye recently sent an e-mail to The Post entitled: "Chiefs fan living in Denver needs an intervention."

Hoye was so desperate, so frustrated, so alienated from his friends and family on Sundays, he asked if the newspaper could arrange for him to be hypnotized so he could accept the dreaded Donkeys into his heart.

Broncomaniac wannabe from The Denver Post

Becoming a great defense in the NFL usually means investing high draft picks in defensive linemen, even if the payoff isn’t immediate.

The Kansas City Chiefs are finding that out this season. In the next few years, the Denver Broncos> likely will experience it as well.

Last year, Kansas City took defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey with the fifth pick of the draft. This year, the team shocked many people by drafting LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson with the third pick.

The Chiefs want to build the defense starting up front, and great defensive linemen are rare and expensive in free agency.

"In order to succeed in the league, you need offensive linemen and defensive linemen that can play at a high level," Kansas City coach Todd Haley said. "This defense has been one that has struggled here over the last handful of years, and usually when you’re struggling on defense that’s an area that you need to invest in."

Defensive line top priority for many NFL teams from The Colorado Springs Gazette

Lanier went on to become one of the greatest linebackers in football history. He earned a place in both the College and Pro Football halls of fame. He also returned to Richmond and became a successful businessman and community leader.

To honor his accomplishments on and off the field, the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Touchdown Club of Richmond are naming the award for the state's small college player of the year for him.

The first Lanier Award will be presented Tuesday at the Greater Richmond Convention Center as part of the Dudley/Lanier Awards. The Dudley Award, named for former U.Va. great Bill Dudley, is given annually to state's top Division I player.

Award named for Richmond gridiron great Lanier from The Richmond Times-Dispatch


If you asked an NFL player to identify the team he gets the most amped-up to play against, odds are good that you’d get a clichéd answer about giving 100 percent no matter who the opponent is. While there’s surely a lot of truth in that sentiment, there’s no denying that certain opponents tend to bring out the best in players. That can be particularly true in rivalry games, where the outcome means a little bit more. Going back as long as I can remember, the Chiefs have always seemed to have at least one player who turned in his best performances against the Denver Broncos. But with the most recent "Bronco Killer" now gone from Kansas City, the position is officially open. Will someone new step up and assume the title for themselves? Or, at least for the time being, could the era of the Bronco Killer be over? Searching For The Bronco Killer from WPI

Denver Broncos safety Brian Dawkins is questionable for Sunday's contest against division-rival Kansas City with an ankle injury.

The 36-year-old did not practice on Wednesday or Thursday, and took limited reps on Friday. Dawkins has played in all 11 games for Denver this season.

Broncos S Dawkins questionable for Chiefs from KMTR.com

Going tweet-free this morning.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 12/3

NJ Chiefs Fan — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:16:12 -0000

via media.kansascity.com

Good morning Chiefs fans. Looks like it's cold as all get out in KC, and I can tell you it's raining like no one's business out here in Jersey. Here's today's Chiefs news.

Winter arrived in Kansas City on Wednesday. Temperatures were in the 30s, with the wind blowing from the north-northwest, gusting at times to 20 mph. That pushed the wind chill down into the 20s.

But there were the Chiefs, a perfectly good – and heated – practice facility sitting empty as they practiced in the winter conditions.

And, there was there head coach Todd Haley, not a child of the beaches of southern California or the hot house of Florida, but of western Pennsylvania where it gets plenty cold, walking around during the nearly two-hour practice wearing shorts.

Putting Chill In The Chiefs … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs from Bob Gretz

Eventually, false perceptions in the NFL get pancaked.

Brett Favre is too creaky to throw. Josh McDaniels is too young to coach.

And now there's this: The Kansas City Chiefs are difficult to beat at home in December.

Favre and McDaniels already have done their part to expose untruths pertaining to them. But for all the talk this week of how difficult it is to beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in the season's final full month, the truth is they haven't won a December home game in almost three years.

True, the Chiefs once were all but unbeatable in December at Arrowhead. Starting with the 1983 season, otherwise known around these parts as the beginning of the John Elway era, the Chiefs have gone 37-10 at home in December.

Chiefs no long December darlings from Denver Post

Former Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil used to say he wanted to give more rest to his smallish featured back, Priest Holmes, but rarely removed him from the lineup in fear the play he missed would be the one Holmes would have made to win the game.
Vermeil and Holmes are long gone, but current coach Todd Haley knows the feeling. He’s suddenly facing a similar dilemma with his new featured back, Jamaal Charles.

The Chiefs have quickly become addicted to Charles and not just as a runner.

Chiefs find using Charles a lot harder to avoid from KC Star

The Chiefs just added a player to their practice squad who may never play in a game.

But the signing of offensive lineman Jermail Porter is intriguing.

Porter, who originally entered the NFL as a rookie free agent with New England (where else?) this year, did not play college football but was an All-American wrestler at Kent State.

He finished sixth at the 2009 NCAA championships after winning the Mid-America Conference heavyweight title as a senior and going 31-4.

Daily download: Porter is a fascinating pickup by Chiefs from KC Star

NFL teams now have new, stricter instructions for when players should be allowed to return to games or practices after head injuries, guidelines that go into effect this week.

In the latest step by the league to address a hot-button issue, commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to the 32 clubs Wednesday saying a player who gets a concussion should not return to action on the same day if he shows certain signs or symptoms. Those include an inability to remember assignments or plays, a gap in memory, persistent dizziness, and persistent headaches.

NFL changes return-to-play rules for concussions from KC Star

Chiefs coach Todd Haley said the team has studied center Rudy Niswanger’s bad snaps from last weekend’s 43-14 loss at San Diego, and Niswanger will spend this week trying to correct those mistakes.

Niswanger delivered two errant snaps to quarterback Matt Cassel, who was in the shotgun formation.

Haley indicated that there was a "common denominator" in Niswanger’s poor snaps, but he wouldn’t reveal the specific problem. Niswanger said he didn’t know what caused the problems, but both he and his coach said the episode was enough to elicit extra work to prevent future mistakes.

Chiefs notes: Team works with Niswanger on snaps from KC Star

Although Cassel said he never talked to anyone from the Broncos during that period and was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs instead, he was unwillingly linked to one of the biggest offseason stories in Broncos history.

"It was crazy, because I was watching ESPN like you were and saying ‘How the heck did my name get thrown in here?’" Cassel said.

Cassel was unwilling participant in Broncos drama from The Colorado Springs Gazette

The Chiefs immediately proffered a six-year, $63 million contract because, clearly, Cassel was a franchise quarterback.

Today, Cassel ranks 24th in the NFL by passing yardage, 22nd by passer rating, 26th by completion percentage and 28th by yards per pass attempt. The Chiefs, whom the Broncos play Sunday, are 3-8.

Cutler and Kyle Orton, who were eventually traded for one another, haven't exactly set the world on fire either, but at least Orton can claim a winning record.

The best thing you can say for Cassel is that it's too early in his Kansas City tenure to say anything.

Krieger: Chiefs' investment in Cassel falling short from The Denver Post

With his team in the middle of the playoff race, quarterback Kyle Orton wants the Denver Broncos to be playing their best football from here on out.

The Broncos hope to fix some mental errors and get their offense in sync Sunday when they visit the Kansas City Chiefs in the first meeting of the season between these AFC West rivals.

Denver (7-4) appeared to be well on its way to the West title after opening with six consecutive wins, but four straight losses dropped the Broncos one game back of San Diego for the division lead.

Denver finally returned to the physical style of play it displayed earlier this season in a 26-6 win over the New York Giants on Thanksgiving. It was the Broncos' first victory since beating the Chargers 34-23 on Oct. 19 and came four days after a 32-3 home loss to San Diego.

Chiefs vs. Broncos from CBS Sports

The Chiefs were driving for what looked like it might be a tying TD in the first half at San Diego when Charles, fighting for extra yardage, had the ball stripped away.

"It hurt. Its not like I got hit hard, or wasn't trying to protect the ball,'' he said quietly, his gaze fixed on the carpeting of the Chiefs locker room. "There was like five people around me and the dude just came around and stuck his arm in. He made a play.''

The Chargers went on to a 43-14 rout. It was similar to the 27-16 loss the New York Giants handed them after recovering Charles' fumble of the opening kickoff and driving in for a quick score. Being fumble-prone already sent Charles to the bench for one game this year.

One of his worst days as a college player at Texas was a close loss to Oklahoma. He was running for the end zone on one play when he was stripped of the ball on the 5. On another, he let a pass slip through his hands for an interception.

But he was touched when the great Earl Campbell sent word he wanted to talk. The two met in the Texas weight room. The older man, the one whose statue stands watch over the stadium, did most of the talking.

Butter Fingers: Chiefs' Charles Must Stop Fumbling from Sports Illustrated

The Abilene Ruff Riders have announced on Wednesday, December 2, 2009 that the organization has acquired former West Virginia University and Kansas City Chiefs defensive linemen, Johnny Dingle, for the 2010 IFL season.

Ruff Riders Acquire Former Kansas City Chiefs DL Johnny Dingle from Our Sports Central

KC Star Video: Matt Cassel continues to make progress

Kim Constantinesco's intriguing argument about the dangers of looking past a mediocre squad playing at a stadium that's seldom been kind to Denver sent me to the Chiefs' official website to look for bulletin-board material -- and it didn't take me long to find it. The page devoted to KC Wolf, the team's mascot, features the dorky, tennis-shoe-clad furball taking out Denver's own Barrelman with a flying kick.
Kansas City Chiefs mascot seen kicking the Barrelman: That prick! from Denver Westworld

Player Tweets

almighty31 wat up to my homies on the eastside

almighty31 so tired but cant sleep

Media and Fans

ChiefsPR #Chiefs QB Matt Cassel has thrown 8 fourth-quarter TDs, the highest total of any NFL QB this season.

jcneedham: ...The Chiefs will win at Arrowhead this weekend. Chiefs 27 Broncos 16

jennarader: I am going to the Chiefs/Broncos game on Sunday...the perfect way to celebrate being done with all these ridiculous group projects.

The Five Best Games of Larry Johnson's Career

Chris Thorman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:40 -0000

Photo source

View full size photo »

Just think. In a couple of weeks, all of this Larry Johnson drama will have died off and then what will we have to talk about?

So we're riding this Larry Johnson media blitz for all it's worth and giving you some more remembrances of #27 that may have slipped your memory.

I know, I know. It's not fashionable right now to talk about anything positive that Larry Johnson did but amidst the dark times, there were bright rays of light here and there.

I'm talking about the games when it was fun to cheer for Larry Johnson and the Kansas City Chiefs. You know, going back to 2004ish the Chiefs were pretty darn good. I know, my memory is foggy too. Tough to remember those times nowadays.

For a period of about two seasons, Larry Johnson and the Chiefs crushed opponents on the ground. It just wasn't fair. It got to the point when I would check the box score and it was completely normal to see LJ rack up 150+ yards rushing. Those were the days.

So let's step out of our I Hate Larry Johnson Attack Mode for a minute and remember some of the best games LJ ever had as a Kansas City Chief. These are good memories after all.

It's all there in chronological order, after the jump.

#1 12/19/2004 - LJ's coming out party against the Broncos (box score)

I don't think this is from 2004 but it's the best I could find (via MSNBC)

Larry Johnson had a couple of nice games before the Chiefs' Week 15 match up with the Denver Broncos. But this week was his coming out party - 30 rushes, 151 yards and two touchdowns. Dante Hall added one carry and Omar Easy had four. The Chiefs destroyed the Broncos 45 to 17.

Included in those yards was a 32-yard TD run by Johnson.

From CJOnline.com on 12/20/2004: Surging Johnson is trade bait for Chiefs

"No one's ever doubted he could play," Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil said. "He needed a better opportunity, and he needed to grow up."

#2 11/20/2005 - Larry destroys the Houston Texans (box score)

Richard Carson / Reuters

Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson is lifted into the air by teammate Jason Dunn after Johnson's touchdown in the first half on Sunday. Johnson rushed for a team-record 211 yards. (via MSNBC)

This is still back when the Chiefs offense was murdering opposing defenses. And Larry Johnson took great advantage of the talent around him.

Against the Texans on the road, LJ rushed for 211 yards on 36 attempts and tacked on a couple of rushing touchdowns. This was the third game into Larry's forthcoming string of amazing games at the end of the 2005 season. He finished the '05 campaign with 1,750 rushing yards and twenty-one total touchdowns.

From ESPN on 11/20/2005: Game recap

Johnson was supposed to come into the interview room after the game, but then told Chiefs officials he wouldn't talk.

"We were looking for big things from him," Chiefs quarterback Trent Green said. "It's very important for him to come up big. When Larry's had opportunities to play, he's played well."

#3 12/17/2005 Another workhorse weekend against the Giants (box score)

At this point, in Week 15 of the 2005 season, we knew we had a special running back on our hands. LJ rushed for 167 yards on 31 attempts. He ran it into the end zone twice in what would become his characteristic workhorse fashion. Larry averaged 30 attempts per game through the final seven games of the '05 season.

The Chiefs would lose this game to the Giants 27 to 17. But it wasn't because of Larry Johnson. It was because the Chiefs forgot how to tackle and gave up 220 yards rushing to Tiki Barber. Yeah, it was that game.

From The Sporting News on 12/30/2005: The punisher: Kansas City's Larry Johnson has been virtually unstoppable

Johnson has done the same thing for the Chiefs as their feature back. Since a season-ending injury to Holmes, he has seven straight 100-yard rushing games--including a 211-yard performance against the Texans-and is establishing himself as a big-time runner and the force who is keeping the Chiefs on the outskirts of playoff contention.

It's hard to find fault with Johnson as a runner. He is aggressive and seeks confrontation. Unlike Holmes, Johnson can make his own hole when one isn't provided for him.

#4 1/1/2006 2005's punctuation mark (box score)

via Sports Network

In the Chiefs' tenth win of the season, LJ angrily stomped all over the Cincinnati Bengals. He rushed for 201 yards on 26 attempts. That's an eye-popping 7.7 yard per carry average.

Larry would also have three touchdowns and if you remember one of those was a 49-yard run. That was LJ's first of two touchdowns in the first half. This is possibly LJ's most dominating day on the football field.

From the Mothership's post game notes:

On a nine-yard run in the second quarter RB Larry Johnson set the Chiefs single-season rushing record, bypassing the previous mark of 1,615 yards established by RB Priest Holmes in 2002. Johnson finished the season with 1,750 rushing yards. He also produced 2,093 yards from scrimmage, the fourth-best seasonal total in Chiefs history.

#5 10/29/2006 The Chiefs ride Larry Johnson to victory (box score)

It's the middle of the 2006 season. We're in full on, survive with Damon Huard mode. It's the Chiefs and Seahawks. What do you do?

Hand the ball off 53 times, 39 of those to Larry Johnson. LJ would rush for 155 yards on four total touchdowns on that day - three rushing one receiving.

Larry would rush for 172 yards the next week against the Rams and would have a handful of great games after this one. But it's tough to top a game where the coach basically rides you to a one touchdown victory under less than ideal quarterback conditions.

Conclusion

Yeah, I'm glad Larry Johnson isn't a Chief anymore. It got to the point where keeping him around was disrespectful to what the Kansas City Chiefs stand for.

But...for a couple of seasons, Larry Johnson was one of the most dependable, consistently producing running backs in the NFL. And that's what this post is about - looking back at the days when it was fun to cheer for Larry Johnson, not against him.

Reminisce away AP readers. I know a lot of these games won a lot of fantasy football games for you guys.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 11/9

NJ Chiefs Fan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:56:42 -0000

via media.kansascity.com

Without knowing the facts of the game, someone would look at the final score and figure the Chiefs must have been in quite a struggle. Save for the last three minutes of the game, they would be wrong. When Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew scored with four minutes, 26 seconds to play in the game, the Jaguars led 24-6 and obviously began celebrating.

That’s when the Chiefs scored a pair of touchdowns and recovered an onside kick in the span of 91 seconds. A second onside kick was not successful and the Jags stumbled off the field with a three-point victory.

Comeback Falls Short, Chiefs Lose Again from Bob Gretz

KC Star Photo Gallery: Jaguars 24, Chiefs 21 | Sunday, Nov. 8

The Chiefs spent two weeks working on tweaking the offense, working on fine-tuning, working on improvement. The play calls and approach looked different. The result did not.

Kansas City lost again Sunday, and it did it the same old way: poor pass protection, questionable play calls, and the appearance of a disorganized unit that couldn’t adjust quickly enough. Coach Todd Haley took a magnifying glass and scalpel to his offense for two weeks. Time was supposed to help the Chiefs swerve back onto the road toward progress. But this didn’t look much like progress: a 24-21 loss to Jacksonville, a team with problems and a fan base that seems leery that improvement is taking place.

Chiefs get going too late in 24-21 loss to Jaguars from KC Star

"I expect him to make every one," said punter Dustin Colquitt, who is the holder on field goals. "But (56 yards), going into the wind? That’s a tall order."

The encouraging thing for the Chiefs is that such a task is reasonable enough for Succop to try it. In the past, when Kansas City cycled through a new kicker seemingly every few months, Colquitt said the decision would have been easy on what to do in a long-range situation.

"We would’ve had to have a short punt," Colquitt said. "You can depend on him (Succop) from just about anywhere."

That’s something the Chiefs just haven’t had. So, even in an impossible situation, Kansas City gave Succop a shot. Coach Todd Haley saw the snap and the kick. Haley thought it would be good, too.

"When it took off," Haley said, "it looked like it had a chance. But the wind caught it. That would’ve been a tremendous kick. It really got knocked down at the end. It looked like it was going to have a chance."

Succop gives Chiefs a chance on field goals from KC Star

Mike Brown did not lose this game himself; he had a lot of help from a lot of his teammates and coaches. If Brown plays this game at an All-Pro level there’s a good chance the Chiefs would have still found other ways to lose.

It’s just that right now, the margin of error for the Chiefs is so thin they can’t overcome a bad day from one of their safeties, especially when his poor play leads to a pair of scores.

Column: Mike Brown Takes The Blame from Bob Gretz

Offensively, the Chiefs continue to have their problems. The running game produced just 60 yards, they didn’t convert a third down until late in the fourth quarter and Cassel was sacked three times by what has been an anemic Jacksonville pass rush.

So anything Chambers can provide will be welcome, like what he did in the last minutes of the game.

First, was the 54-yard score, which is the longest pass play and scoring play of the season for the Chiefs. In fact, it’s the longest touchdown pass the Chiefs have thrown in five years, since RB Priest Holmes caught a 60-yard TD throw during the 2005 season from QB Trent Green.

OFFENSE: New Addition Clicks, But Too Late from Bob Gretz

It took eight games and countless wide-receiver combinations, but the Chiefs finally hit on one that worked in Sunday’s 24-21 loss to the Jaguars.

The most recent additions to the group, Chris Chambers and Lance Long, led the way. Chambers, who joined the Chiefs only last week, scored two touchdowns — both in the last 3 minutes of the game.

Chambers, Long catch on quickly for Chiefs from KC Star

That’s the story of the 2009 Kansas City defense: some good things, but too many bad.

For instance, they put at a lot of pressure on Jaguars QB David Garrard throughout the game. But they were able to sack him only once.

They had a large number of negative plays, as they spent a lot of time in the backfield and forced nine minus plays for the Jaguars, including a fumble that was recovered by the Chiefs.

Yet, they gave up another handful of big plays, as Jacksonville had 10 plays of 12 yards or more, including a 61-yard touchdown pass and a 28-yard TD run. There were also plays of 45 and 33 yards.

"It appeared we were out of position on a couple of those plays," said Todd Haley. "We’re not going to win games or have chances to win many games when we’re giving up big plays and that has been the big problem on defense."

DEFENSE: Same Old Story from Bob Gretz

The Chiefs were happy enough with their running game their first time without the suspended Larry Johnson.

His main replacements, Jamaal Charles and Kolby Smith, combined to average more than 5 yards a carry.

The problem is that the Chiefs gave them the ball a total of only 10 times in a 24-21 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday. The game quickly became unbalanced for the Chiefs. They handed the ball to their running backs — including Dantrell Savage — 12 times while Matt Cassel threw 39 passes.

The Jaguars, who had been playing a 3-4 defense, surprised the Chiefs by playing mostly a 4-3.

Charles, Smith run well in limited opportunities from KC Star

Succop’s kick actually looked pretty good as it left his foot and started to rise. But right around the five-yard line, the wind knocked it down and it was short. The kick fell into the hands of Jaguars CB Rashean Mathis and that’s when the fun started.

Mathis brought the ball out of the end zone and headed right; he broke past several Chiefs, and was then in open field, chugging down the sidelines towards a possible touchdown. Finally, at the Chiefs 15-yard line, punter and holder Dustin Colquitt knocked him out of bounds. The return was 91 yards total, but ended up being just forgotten yardage.

Way downfield, the Jaguars were hit with an illegal block in the back penalty, so even had Mathis scored the TD would have been wiped out by the flag.

Colquitt would have liked to have had that information before he threw himself at Mathis.

"You’ve got to do what you have to do at the time," said Colquitt, who banged up his shoulder a bit on the play but returned in the second half.

Jaguars Change Defensive Spots & Other Notes from Bob Gretz

Consequently, what’s the point in analyzing the team? What’s there to look for that would offer any reason to have hope? You know you have severe problems when your best punter is your punter, your best tackler is your punter and your best player is your punter!
Chiefs - Jags Wrap from Upon Further Review

Jacksonville had four plays from scrimmage of more than 25 yards plus a 44-yard punt return.

"They did some things we really didn’t go over in practice," Brown said. "You prepare for things, but we hadn’t seen those things all week, so there was some miscommunication."

The plays ruined what otherwise could have been a big day for the Chiefs’ defense. Tamba Hali and Brandon Flowers were continually disruptive, and Wallace Gilberry had a third-down sack that pushed Jacksonville to the edge of field-goal position. Josh Scobee was then wide left on a 53-yard attempt.

Derrick Johnson also forced a fumble that put the Chiefs on the Jaguars’ 20, but the Chiefs settled for a field goal in that instance.

"It’s always the same thing," cornerback Brandon Carr said. "We play well and we play well but there’s always a few big plays and we let the game get away from us."

Chiefs’ defense gives up too many big plays from KC Star

Finally, some good economic news: The Kansas City Chiefs have lowered the price of their logo shot glasses to just $7.00 at the team store on their Web site. A gift that makes watching the Chiefs more tolerable - 2 ounces at a time. Chiefs garden gnomes are still $25, however.

Anyway, we think it was a sound business decision to lower the shot glass price as booze consumption is up 821% on Sundays in the greater Kansas City area this year. Or so we hear. Sunday, the Chiefs coughed up 426 yards of offense to Jacksonville, held the ball for just 23:00, didn't convert a third-down until the fourth quarter and, despite a frantic yet unfulfilled rally in the fourth, exited the game as the lone NFL team without a rushing touchdown this season. Just to update, that's 30 losses in their last 33 games and 14 of the last 16 on the road.

K.C. is at Oakland next week and with a loss to the Raiders, we just may get drunk enough with our new shot glasses to order the garden gnome. Maybe two.

Goin' Deep: Intrigue from around the National Football League from NY Daily News

The 3-4 is dead. Long live the 3-4, just not in Jacksonville.

Sunday’s it-wasn’t-as-close-as-the-final-score-would-indicate, 24-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs saw the Jaguars return to their familiar 4-3 defense, and the results were stunning.

The Chiefs were held to 60 yards rushing, a week after the Jaguars allowed a franchise-record 305 yards rushing by the Titans.

Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was sacked three times, by a team that had just five sacks through seven games.

Jaguars return to 4-3 roots from Jaguars.com

Player Tweets

almighty31 thanx to my supporters that came to duval. Valdosta state c u soon

MrKolbySmith @mrbigplay850 good luck tomorrow. Look forward to facing off with you on the 22nd. What up tho

Media and Fans

kb_kcstar Of all the reasons for the Chiefs' offense to be good, it seems that only desperation can motivate this group.

dussery: @goatboytim the chiefs tried the last three minutes of the game

BrentMichael06: @Adam_Schefter funny play Chiefs Leonard Pope gave a first down sign when he was 10yds short on 3rd down

midacoll: the chiefs stink, but you already knew that...

justd913: bummed the Eagles lost, but did the announcer HAVE to call the Chiefs bottom feeders?! Give us a damn break, we are in "rebuilding phase"

jhailos: Awesome day for the Chiefs. We play like garbage and are now tied for the worst record in football. Can we earn the #1 pick??

moneydesignz: #worldsthinnestbooks How to win a football game - by the Bucs, Raiders, Redskins, Lions, Rams, Bills, Chiefs

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!!

Larry Johnson Still on Pace to Break Chiefs Franchise Rushing Mark

Joel Thorman — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 15:15:35 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

2 months ago: Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson (27) is pushed out of bounds by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bradie James (56) during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Browse more photos »

Despite a fairly miserable start to the 2009 season, Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson is still on pace to break the franchise rushing record previously held by Priest Holmes. Entering the season, LJ was 432 yards away.

At his current pace, LJ will break the record in week 11 against the Pittsburgh Steelers (game is in Kansas City). He's averaging about 45 yards per game, which over the course of an entire season, comes out to about 730 yards.

At only 2.4 yards per carry, I think this question has to be asked: Will LJ actually make it through the season to break the record?

At some point, I think Chiefs head coach Todd Haley has to recognize when something isn't working. He's tried his darndest to create an identity for this team but it's becoming clear that running LJ 20+ times a game is not that identity. I understand Haley's thinking, that running the ball is a necessity, especially with this offense, but it's starting to turn into fitting square pegs into round holes.

LJ's yards per carry this season: 1.8, 3.3, 2.0, 2.9 and 1.8. Isn't that a pretty solid trend that either he's not getting it done or the offensive line's not getting it done? I'm not trying to place blame on anyone here because I think there's plenty of blame to go around but it's clear as day, through five games this year, and 12 games last year, that the running game with LJ in there simply does not work.

In 12 games last season, LJ average over four yards per carry on four occasions. That means, in his last 17 games, LJ has a four yards per carry in four total games.

When asked during training camp, LJ acknowledged that the record is a goal of his, but ultimately he was focused on the team goals.

"This year I'm coming up on that mark to possibly break the all time Chiefs rushing record," he said back in early August. "It's a lot of things as far as getting back to the playoffs, a Super Bowl. There's a lot of things on my plate that I'm trying to achieve, not only for myself, but most importantly for the team."

With that said, I think it's a fair question whether LJ will get those final 206 yards to break the franchise rushing mark. And whether that record will become a factor in Haley's decision.

A Ton of Former Chiefs in the House Today

Joel Thorman — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:57:22 -0000

The Dallas Cowboys are enough of a star-studded team to impress me. Seeing Jerry Jones talking to Scott Pioli and then later Clark Hunt was impressive. Roger Goodell then joined all three of those men on the sidelines before the game. The executive of the decade, one of the most visible owners and the NFL's top dog all standing together.

Not a bad scene, right? Just wait. It got better.

Luckily for us, Josh Looney of KCChiefs.com snapped a ton of photos. Check out his Twitter page for more.

Prior to kickoff, Priest Holmes was honored for his time in the NFL. Priest, of course, was one of, if not the best Chiefs running back in franchise history. Coincidentally, Larry Johnson broke his franchise record for attempts today.

In addition to Holmes, former Chiefs kicker Nick Lowery was honored as well. He was officially put into the Chiefs Hall of Fame. It was a great, great honor for him. He had his family with him and you could tell it was a special day for him.

At halftime, a ton of former Chiefs came onto the field. It really was amazing. We wrote about which players were going to be there a couple days ago but it was still one of those moments that makes you stop and think....wow.

Neil Smith, Dan Saleauma, Bobby Bell and Willie Lanier received some of the biggest cheers from the crowd. Our guess our town likes defense, huh? But the biggest ovation went for the last former player that was announced, the Super Bowl IV MVP and a fixture in Kansas City since that game: Lenny 'The Cool' Dawson.

After I walked out of the locker room, I was waiting by a bank of elevators to head back up to the press box. Standing in front of me? A man by the name of Dick Vermeil, who was on the field with Holmes earlier in the game. Of course, Lenny The Cool was there as well.

(That picture was actually taken before the game)

Yeah, it was a loss. A disheartening, and possibly even demoralizing loss, but if you were at the game, you were treated to a level of Chiefs history rarely seen.

Here I was thinking a few weeks back that it couldn't get better than sharing an elevator with Len Dawson. Then I share one today with Lenny, Vermeil and Hunt. I can stand up to current players and ask them questions without much of a problem - but put me next to Len Dawson and I gotta stop for a minute, and think, Chiefs history is about as good as it gets.

If I Were the San Diego Chargers' GM: Q1 Review

John (obviousman) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:08:32 -0000

More photos » by Jack Smith - AP

Being the Chargers GM must be awesome. (AP Photo/Jack Smith)

Browse more photos »

My greatest love, as it pertains to football, is personnel. Even during an entertaining, late season game my brain can't help from scouting the players on my screen and thinking about improvements that need to be made to the roster. Even in the very early stages of an unpredictable season, I love nothing more than to throw my GM hat on and pretend I'm A.J. Smith.

I have two dream jobs. Well, three I guess. Number one would be playing Quarterback in the NFL. However, I'm about 4 inches shorter than Drew Brees and 9 inches shorter than Philip Rivers, so that might be hard. I will admit that I've always been an accurate passer in my backyard and even won my wife a stuffed duck on one of those boardwalk games where you have to hit the target inside of the swinging tire. Still, that one ain't happening.

My second dream job would be as GM in the NFL. This is the reason I look through stats endlessly and the reason I've read Ernie Accorsi's book twice already. If I could one day be the GM of any NFL team, I think I'd skip everywhere instead of walking. Also, I'd do it for free.

My third dream job I'm practically doing. It would be to write about the San Diego Chargers. To share my passion and contribute words to the world that are appreciated, even if it's by a small group of people.

So while writing about it, I'm going to be doing quarterly looks ahead to see the potential holes in the roster in 2010 and to tel you what I would do if I were Mr. Smith. My first attempt at this is after the jump.

Free Agents

Team FAs

Since I don't want to write this post two different ways every time I do it, let's go off the assumption that there will be a new CBA in place by time free agency rolls around. Here's who the Chargers are at risk of losing:

Who to Keep

Vincent Jackson
Brandon Manumaleuna
Marcus McNeill
Tim Dobbins

Look, the WR situation is not as bad as it might seem. Where will we find the money to pay VJ? Simple. We'll give him Chambers' money. Chris is one of the top 20 WRs in the league in terms of base salary. Moving that money over to Jackson, plus VJ's current salary and a little extra, should be enough to keep this dynamic WR in San Diego for another 5 years as least. That's a move that I would do as GM.

Manumaleuna can be kept because he'd probably be cheap. He's an effective blocking TE who can fill in at OT or FB in a pinch. Unless somebody else falls in love with Dobbins, I'd keep him around for run support, depth and his special teams prowess. McNeill is kept because he's an adequate LT that has tremendous potential. It's really hard to find a good LT these days and even harder to try to play without one.

Merriman can go because his price tag is too high. The team cannot afford to be paying starter's money to 3 OLBs. Also, the Chargers could do worse than having Antwan Applewhite and Jyles Tucker as the backups. I'd like to keep Osgood, but don't see him staying. Somebody that likes tall receivers (Bengals?) will give him a chance to catch balls and he'll be gone. Chambers, Sproles and Whitehurst will all cost much more than they're worth on the free agent market.

It would probably cause too many issues to slap the franchise tag onto Merriman. He wouldn't want to play on the one-year deal, he'll feel he's getting underpaid, etc. etc. I'd personally go without a franchised player in 2010.

Roster Holes

The 2009 offseason was the first in a few years where there was legitimate holes on the roster. As of right now, I don't know that the team did a very good job of filling all of those holes. In 2010, those same weaknesses exist along with new ones.

Running Back - The bad news is that LT can't take the beating of a starting RB in the NFL anymore. The good news is that his restructured contract makes him cheap enough that he could be the second option in the ground game without killing the cap.

Trying to buy a running back as a free agent is absurd, unless you find a diamond in the rough (like Priest Holmes). It's even harder when there's only a couple of decent free agents RBs. After this season, the only RBs that might become free agents (they could still sign a contract with their current team) that have any starting experience are LenDale White, Pierre Thomas, Chester Taylor, Willie Parker and Le'Ron McClain. Jerious Norwood is an intriguing name, although he hasn't started much at all since being drafted. I don't think any of these guys are worth the money that they're going to get, so I point my eyes towards the draft.

I think it is absolutely, 100% necessary to use the Chargers 2010 first round draft pick on a running back that can start immediately. Unfortunately, this draft class currently looks thin at RB. Perhaps it's just too early. Even so, I have my eye on Clemson's C.J. Spiller and from the looks of it he might want the chance to apprentice under Tomlinson.

Strong Safety - From what I've seen, Kevin Ellison is not the answer at Strong Safety. He's the Brandon Siler of that position. He's a strong, big hitter than is good against the run but will get burned if he has to cover anybody downfield. I don't think Clinton Hart or Steve Gregory are good enough that I feel secure in having either of them as my starting SS in 2010.

I'm very intrigued with C.J. Spillman as an option here. He was very fast and hit really hard during the preseason. He reminded me of Melvin Bullitt, who I am a big fan of. I'm hopeful that the only reason he's listed as a FS and saw time their in the preseason is because the team liked what they saw from both him and Ellison and did not want them competing for the third SS job. If I was A.J. Smith, I have a meeting with Norv Turner and Ron Rivera and ask them point blank of Spillman is a viable option to start at SS before I make any other moves.

Let's assume they say no. "There's nobody on the roster we're excited about starting at SS." Well, let's see what else is out there. The aforementioned Melvin Bullitt (RFA) is part of a strong class of free agent Strong Safeties that also includes Atari Bigby, Abram Elam, Dawan Landry and Brodney Pool. These guys may cost more than trying to find a decent SS through the draft, but with more important needs to fill with rookies I think the Free Agent route would be the one to take. Any of those 5 guys mentioned, with the possible exception of Brodney Pool, would be a great improvement over Hart and Gregory.

Defensive Tackle - I originally thought this position was a HUGE need, but it may not be by the end of this season. If Ogemdi Nwagbuo and Vaughn Martin both show improvement during the season, to the point where they could both be competent starters on the defensive line, then the Chargers have incredible depth in 2010. That would leave them with 5 legitimate starters (Nwagbuo, Martin, Luis Castillo, Jamal Williams, Jacques Cesaire) and no need for anyone beyond that besides maybe Ryon Bingham.

If neither of them pan-out, the Chargers will continue to look for a young replacement for Jamal Williams. There are plenty of good DTs in the 2009 draft class, including 365 lb. Terrence Cody, so that would be the way to go there. As for right now, Shaun Rogers would be someone that I would inquire about but it would cause problems for the future of the defensive line. Rogers is signed for 5 seasons after 2009, and considering the Chargers would have to give up at least a first round draft pick to get him they would not be eager to dump him once Jamal Williams came back or one of the young kids started to show promise. That means they would have to give up on J-Will, OG and/or Martin and I don't think they're ready to do any of that. If I'm A.J. Smith, I'd like to stand pat and see how the young kids play for the rest of the season. However, the idea of Rogers pushing the line around with Nwagbuo subbing in and Martin playing backup DE seems like one I'd have to jump on if the price was right.

Center - This one kindof kills me. After talking with him at training camp, I can say that Nick Hardwick is one of the nicest people I've ever met. Not one of the nicest Chargers or nicest football players, nicest people. I also think he's a fantastic Center when he's able to stay healthy. I just think the Chargers need a better backup plan for when he gets injured.

Tyronne Green brought some hope. He was a very good OG at Auburn, and they hoped to turn him into the backup Center. Considering he's the 3rd Center and probably the 5th Guard, it's safe to say this pick has yet to pan out. If he shows something before next season, great. He can be a solid Center and nobody else is needed. If he shows nothing, he needs to be cut and a legitimate Center needs to be drafted. It's damn near impossible to find a decent Center as a free agent because of how valuable they are to each team's offensive line.

Summary

It's obviously not a full plan, but there's direction there. Sign Vincent Jackson to the contract he's worth. Scout every college RB in the country. Aggressively pursue the free agent Strong Safeties. Make a decision to trade for a NT or put your confidence in Nwagbuo and Martin for the future. Find a real Center to backup Hardwick. The rest will fall into place as the season goes along, and I hope some of these weaknesses turn into strengths. Right now, that's what I would focus on if I were the General Manager of the San Diego Chargers.