SB Nation - Mike Brown

Horse Tracks - 12/7/09 - Broncos beatdown Chiefs in Historic Fashion

John Bena — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:34:43 -0000

Good Morning Broncos Country! Doug is off enjoying the fruits of his labor...errrr..celebrating his first year of marriage so I will be filling in. I know, Horse Tracks was one of my earliest ideas at MHR but there is no way I can match what Doug brings to the table. I will certainly try, so let's get to it on this 8-4 Monday Morning!

NFL.com - NFL Game Center: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
It was over when ... Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno raced 18 yards for a touchdown to give Denver a 41-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.

DB – Firing on All Cylinders(Zach Eisendrath)
They controlled the line of scrimmage. They made big plays at opportune times. They displayed toughness and intensity from start to finish.

DB - Asserting Their Will(Gary Caldwell)
Football changes when the calendar reaches December. As the weather gets colder, the play gets a little more hard-nosed, a little more physical, and a little more about pounding the ball.

DP - Broncos crunch Kansas City, improve to 8-4(Mike Klis)
Stephen Alexander and Jeb Putzier were the tight ends. Charlie Adams was the No. 3 receiver. Courtney Brown was a defensive end. Kyle Johnson was a frequently used fullback.

DP - McD pick of the litter(Woody Paige)
The Broncos are very lucky. Very lucky they got to play the subterranean Chiefs on Sunday. Very lucky that they get to play the Chiefs again this season in what could be a critical final regular-season game for them — the Broncos, not the mouth-breathers. Very lucky that Haley is in Kansas City, not Denver. And very, very lucky that they chose Josh McDaniels over the myriad other coaches who were available for employment after Mike Shanahan was dumped.

DP - Even cliches fail with awful Chiefs(Dave Krieger)
Arrowhead Stadium ain't what she used to be. The Broncos' December house of horrors has become a wax museum.

DP - Broncos in driver's seat for playoff spot(Jim Armstrong)
True story. Did an article for The Post the other day about a Chiefs fan living in Denver who couldn't take it any more. He was so distraught and disgusted, he e-mailed the paper and asked if we could arrange to have him hypnotized into becoming a Broncos fan.

DP - There's no halt in Buckhalter(Lindsay Jones)
For a moment there, Broncos running back Correll Buckhalter was sure he had broken free. Buckhalter dashed untouched through Kansas City's defensive linemen and linebackers early in the second quarter of Sunday's 44-13 victory at Arrowhead Stadium, but a push from safety Mike Brown knocked Buckhalter off-balance. Buckhalter had gotten past all of the Chiefs' defenders but couldn't stay on his feet and fell near midfield after a gain of 26 yards.

DP - Quinn's deflection on K.C.'s trick play, Royal's returns elevating unit(Jeff Legwold)
There are times when an NFL special-teams coach is like a carnival barker, constantly reminding those who pass by to come inside and see the wild, the weird and all of life's mysteries discovered in the far corners of the world.

DP - Royal's all-purpose show stuns K.C.(Mike Klis)
His commercials call for the Royal Treatment. The Broncos should call him All-Purpose Eddie. Eddie Royal had a busy game during the Broncos' 44-13 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, totaling 182 all-purpose yards.

DP - Briefs: Orton's odd day: Red-zone pick, fumbles lost, win - The Denver Post
Kyle Orton knows when to pick them. Ordinarily, when a quarterback commits three turnovers in a game, he finishes it on the losing team.

ESPN.com - Cassel tanks in front of mentor(Bill Williamson)
This couldn’t have been the Matt Cassel whom Josh McDaniels tried to trade for, completely changing the complexion of his new organization in the process.

ESPN.com - Rapid Reaction: Broncos 44, Chiefs 13(Bill Williamson)
The Denver Broncos excel at not playing down to the level of their opposition.

Looking for the Bright Side: Week 12 Chicago Bears

Sklz711 — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:04:08 -0000

More photos » by Andy King - AP

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Every week, win or lose, there are some things to improve upon for the next game. The opposite of this is equally true, and no matter how soul crushing a loss is there are always a few good things to take from the game as signs of some kind of improvement or life.

So follow me below the jump and lets look at the few pinpoints of light in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Johnny Knox is looking more like a top flight WR every game.

This goes beyond Fort Knox scoring our only touchdown of the game, which was a combination of being a good WR and a picture perfect pass. This is looking specifically at the play in the end zone where Cutler threw a bad ball that instead of going in front of Knox, it went straight behind him right into the man in coverage. How does this make Knox a good receiver you may ask? He didn't come up with the ball, but what he did when he realized he didn't have a play on the ball is something we have been missing for a long time. He immediately went into "CB" mode and attempted to punch the ball loose to save the INT. That's a veteran move from a rookie player, and this isn't the first time Knox has played beyond his years.

If you remember back a few games where Knox drew the unsportsmanlike conduct call by not letting them walk all over him, but then stopping when punches started to get thrown. Great call. Knox consistently impresses me when he's on the field, both as wide receiver and in the return game, and if he's this good as a true rookie we may have the steal of the 2009 draft playing as WR for a long time.

We have an embarrasment of riches in the return game.

Speaking of Fort Knox in the return game, sure he fumbled one against the Vikings but it wasn't your normal guy attacking the ball and knocking it loose fumble. It was one of those spinneroonis on top of the back of an opposing player fumbles that happens once in a blue moon. If you run that play one hundred more times it's likely that Knox is downed and no fumble occurs. He also showed great heart and ability to dust himself off by giving us a fantastic return later in the game that was very close to being a touchdown.

Knox leverages his speed in a different way than Hester tends to, going more straight up field than side to side looking for the home run. Both methods have their place, but when Hester starts dancing too much it spells problems at times. Also back returning we've got Daniel Manning who returns very much in the mold of Joshua Cribbs, less of a finesse runner and more of a bruising return man, he'll make a few shifts but he's heading up field no matter what is in his way. He may not hit the home run ball, but he's going to grab every single yard that he can take from the opposing team on his returns.

If you said two years ago that we'd have two good returners, and neither would be named Hester most people would have called you crazy. Add both of them, and a Hester that could emerge again at any moment and you've got a return game that has to respected even if the rest of the team doesn't earn it.

Al Afalava has a great shot at developing into a quality safety for us.

I'm a guy that likes to admit when he was wrong, and I was wrong about Afalava. I really was against the pick of Afalava due to his off the field issues, since at least the descriptions of the incident showed a real lack of maturity and responsibility. However he's been nothing but a model citizen since coming to the NFL and has had zero negative reports about any of his activities on the field, or off. Boy am I glad I was wrong.

Afalava has really burst onto the scene as one of the only Safeties that I don't cringe when I see him on the field. After watching as much of the game as I could looking for him you could see him dutifully covering his man in the flat at times, and laying absolutely vicious hits at others.

One specific instance of Afalava stepping up would be the pass at the front of the end zone. If you watch the play, HH is the closest man to the play, but doesn't even move more than a couple of inches towards the ball even when he sees it coming in his direction. Meanwhile, Afalava coming back towards the ball makes a really hard hit on the receiver in the end zone. What does this matter? It was still a TD? Yeah, the coverage failed, but at that point the only shot you have is to knock that ball loose and break up the reception which is a duty that Hillenmeyer apparently wanted no part of.

As long as Afalava continues to get better in his understanding of coverages and work a bit more on his mobility, and you could be looking at another hard hitting safety in the mold of Mike Brown in the years to come.

Lance Briggs is getting an opportunity to show himself as a monster with Urlacher's absence.

If you look at the way Lance was talked about during the years of his contract dispute there were definitely two factions. There were the people that wanted to trade him for whatever we could get, and there were people that wanted him to stay. Everyone knew he was a good player, but there was a real undercurrent of thought that Briggs only looked good because teams had Brian Urlacher to deal with. We can put that argument to rest right now.

Sadly Briggs was apparently hurt in this game which is blow I'd rather not have dealt to the team, or to Lance, but while he was on the field he was showing, like he has shown every week, that he is a star in his own right. If you look at the little swing pass to the outside right before Favre got nailed to Chester Taylor you see Briggs literally throw Taylor to the ground with what amounted to one hand. A bit earlier when Hillenmeyer got his first FF, it was HH that caused the fumble, but it was Briggs who launched into the backfield to slow AP down enough to let HH make solid contact and get that fumble.

Lance Briggs has been one of the few bright spots on the defensive side of the ball all year, and he has shown himself in Urlacher's absence as being perfectly capable of being the anchor for our linebackers even once Brian is done with the game.

Rob Gould is rock solid, and may in fact be the real concrete cyanide.

Robbie Gould is a monster with a genetically enhanced kicking leg, woven with dark magick and the tendons of a gorilla. Seriously, Rob Gould is one of the few players on the Bears team that doesn't induce heart attacks when he's on the field. He's one of those few kickers in the league that has earned a trust from the fans and his team, and speaking for myself at least, in Gould we trust. If it's anything less than a 50 yard kick I assume that it's three points on the board and that's that. If you tell me that the Bears missed out on a field goal, I immediately assume there was some kind of blocked kick, and that's how good Gould really is.

Brad Maynard is still looking great, even at age 35.

It's hard to really fathom that Maynard has been in the league for almost fifteen years, but then again the way this guy punts someone may have doctored his birth certificate. He's right there with Gould in the lack of stress factor of this team, whatever you ask of Maynard he does. If you want a high pop fly, it happens. You want them pinned deep with a corner kick, it happens. This year with his new strength program he's even regained some of that pop that had started to diminish the last few years. When you go three and out as much as we have been lately, it really pays off to have a monster like Maynard back punting.

Todd Haley: Brilliant Personnel Guy? Or Just a Guy?

Jon Yoon — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:00:13 -0000

In writing this column, I know exactly what I want to write. The problem is, I don't. On the one hand, some of Todd Haley's personnel decisions have been really confusing. There have been plenty of surprise cuts throughout the year and some players have started in the place of others who seemed more deserving. On the other hand, Haley's been right on several occasions. The good news is, as time passes by, more and more of his personnel decisions appear to be pretty good ones.

This may sound like a pretty small issue, but there are many that would argue that New England's success in the past was largely due to a partnership between Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick. It will be immensely helpful if Haley can help Pioli make good personnel decisions.

Let's start with the bad and then look into the good:

The Bad: Win Now? Or Build Through Youth:

I understand that there is a delicate balance between winning for now, and rebuilding for later. For as much as Herm Edwards has been mocked for his comment: "You play to win the game," the answer isn't always that obvious. Sometimes you have to play the lesser player that gives you less of a chance to win today, in the hopes that he will put your team in better shape to win tomorrow. Sometimes you don't play to win the game. Helloooo.

For the most part, Haley doesn't seem to mind playing young guys. That doesn't mean he's been perfect. Jamaal Charles is playing better and better and better every week. Let me ask the obvious question: why wasn't he playing all along? I understand that LJ was the Chiefs' primary back and that the Chiefs were committed to his contract and ultimately his playing time. But I think in looking at Charles' success right now, there are more than a few people who wonder why he wasn't seeing more carries earlier in the season, if only as a change-of-pace back. Charles was barely getting about five carries a game and his role was largely limited to return and receiving duties. Had LJ not made a few stupid comments on Twitter, we'd still be wondering today if Charles had anything to offer in this league. Judging by his recent success, that would have been an outrageous oversight.

How about another classic example: Andy Studebaker. I really liked what I saw out of this kid on Sunday. I'm not sure that he can be an every-down OLB and he still has a lot to prove as a pass rusher, but I was really impressed with his play on run defense. There were several plays where I saw him trail an outside runner and slip between two blockers to influence the play. Now, this isn't as clear-cut of a case because Vrabel didn't play that poorly and because Studebaker wasn't exactly a prospect that made people do cartwheels. But it goes back to the idea that Haley needs to let his young guys play. Studebaker should have gotten more reps earlier in the season.

I wonder if the same situation is developing with their Safeties. John McGraw and Mike Brown are not answers at Safety. I like the idea of McGraw as a depth guy, but as a long-term starter, he's not a guy you can continually depend on. And don't let Brown's recent Defensive Player of the Year accolades fool you---he's still not a very good player. Two games ago, he benefitted from a few tipped passes where he happened to be in the right place at the right time. Last game, he got credit for making a nice sack at the right time. That doesn't change the fact that he is not a playmaker. As I said in an earlier column, he lets plays come to him; playmakers like Polamalu anticipate plays and blow them up before they get to them.

Hopefully, you see where I'm going with this. Neither McGraw or Brown have anything to offer this team in the long-term. And it's not like they're offering anything much in the short-term. They're in there because they don't make a lot of mistakes. I want the Chiefs to win now, but I would much rather watch Morgan make mistakes and see if he improves over time than watch two Safeties with zero upside play mistakeless football at an average level. If this was a 5-4 team, I can understand what Haley's doing. But this is a 3-6 football team. You have to give the young player with upside some in-game reps. Even if you don't start him the whole game, you do not keep him inactive on the roster or let him rot on your bench. McGraw or Brown are not going to be starters two years from now. Morgan could be. I don't know if Morgan will shine as Charles has, but it's hopefully a lesson to Haley that his young guys might surprise him.

Haley got lucky on Charles and Studebaker. The problem is, he only found out what they're made out of because he had no other choice. When LJ mouthed his way off of the team and Vrabel fell to injury, Haley didn't have much choice but to go with youth. I want to see Haley become more proactive about evaluating young players during the rebuild. It's time to see what Morgan is made of. If he fails, he fails. At least you know he isn't the answer. If he succeeds, well, then suddenly you have one less need to fill in the upcoming offseason.

The Good: Haley's Smarter Than We Give Him Credit For

I've been critical about a lot of moves Haley has made so far this season. And you know what? In many cases, I've been flat-out wrong.

The most glaring example is Derrick Johnson. I couldn't understand why DJ was in Haley's doghouse. As he's gotten more and more playing time, I'm beginning to understand why. He's not really that good. I know some people will point to his "improved" play on Sunday against Pittsburgh as a validation that he's getting better and should have been getting more playing time in the first place. I would have to disagree. DJ made a lot of big, flashy plays. Some of them came at key moments. But if you actually watch him snap for snap, you'll find that he still makes way too many mistakes for a player of his experience level. I don't like the angles he takes to make tackles. In many cases he overruns his gap. In other cases he whiffs on his assignment. The commentators on Sunday very aptly pointed out that DJ's missed assignment led to a receiver waltzing into the end zone untouched. I sense that Haley doesn't like DJ because he freestyles too much. Like a Lavar Arrington, he'll make a few big plays, but he'll make some headscratchingly bad ones too. Haley wants consistency. DJ doesn't give him that. I get that.

The other glaring example is Dwayne Bowe. There were some who wondered if maybe his struggles were due to the fact that he's getting separation but Cassel isn't hitting him quick enough. I'm starting to understand now why Haley has been so tough on Bowe. Thusfar this season, he hasn't been very good. Maybe some of that is on the quarterback, but given Cassel's recent success with Chris Chambers in the lineup, you have to think it's not all on Cassel. I don't agree with Haley's decision to play musical chairs with his receiver corps in the offseason and strip Cassel/Bowe from quality reps. But I do agree more and more with his decision to be tough on Bowe.

Tough Decisions Ahead:

Haley's going to have some very tough decisions to make. His job will actually be much tougher next year than it was this year. In many instances, Haley had to choose between crap and crap. And in many of those instances, it seemed pretty clear that Haley chose to scrap certain players because they weren't "Haley guys." Yet in other instances, as with Charles and Studebaker, he lucked into the right decisions by players getting injured. Arguably, the only position where he's installed a ton of accountability is at the Wide Receiver position, a position that he knows very well from his assistant coaching days.

Next year, he'll need to make much tougher decisions. He'll have to decide whether to play a late-round rookie or to bench one of the veteran Haley guys. It was easy for Haley to bench a Derrick Johnson or a Tank Tyler or a Bernard Pollard who either didn't fit his system or didn't fit his player profile. I wonder if he'll find it nearly as easy to bench a guy like Lance Long or Mike Vrabel. The same applies to guys he likes a lot because they bought into the program---what if Branden Albert doesn't get much better? When do you pull the plug on him? What if Matt Cassel doesn't improve with a better supporting cast? What if Tyson Jackson doesn't improve over time? How do you justify starting a 7^th round rookie over a player who's playing average,

Remember, Dick Vermeil made a lot of sweeping changes after his first season as a head coach for Kansas City. Once he got his guys in the door, he was loyal probably to an extreme. It's easy to push a guy like Tyson Jackson onto the starting roster, given his draft credentials, but is it going to be nearly as easy to put in a raw 4^th round guy with upside to replace an average veteran who doesn't make mistakes? That's going to depend heavily on Haley's ability to see things in practice that he believes will translate onto the field. His inability to see potential in Charles or Studebaker make me pause at this question. They don't make me panic, but they do make me hesitate to answer that question with any kind of certainty.

If Haley can get the personnel side right, that is going to go a very long way to shaping the Chiefs into a team that has a chance to go places.

Looking back at Perry Fewell's career path

MattRichWarren — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:03:15 -0000

More photos » by Don Heupel - AP

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It's only appropriate that Buffalo Bills interim head coach Perry Fewell's first game as an NFL head coach would be against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fewell broke into the NFL as a coach with the Jaguars organization in 1998. Let's take a closer look at the Bills' new leader.

Playing Career
Perry Fewell attended South Point High School in Belmont, N.C. and was inducted into the Belmont Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. Following high school, he went to Lenoir-Rhyne College in North Carolina and was a football standout. He was a four-year letterman, and as a senior in 1983, he was named the team's Most Improved Player.

College Coaching Career
Following his graduation, Fewell accepted a two-year stint with the North Carolina Tar Heels as a special assistant under head coach Dick Krum, followed by one year at Army. From 1988 to 1991, he made the move to Kent State University as a defensive assistant, before holding the same role back at Army (1992-1994). In 1995, Fewell became defensive backs coach and assistant head coach at Vanderbilt University, where they finished 2-9 twice and 3-8 - but coached future Pro Bowl safety Corey Chavous.

Professional Coaching Career
In 1998, Fewell accepted a job on Tom Coughlin's staff as defensive backs coach under defensive coordinator Dick Jauron. The following year, Jauron was hired in Chicago as head coach; former Panthers head coach Dom Capers replaced Jauron as defensive coordinator, and he kept Fewell on staff as his defensive backs coach. Capers left to accept the job as the expansion Houston Texans' head coach following the 2000 season. Gary Moeller was hired from the Lions to replace Capers, and John Pease took over the following year. Fewell continued to be passed over for the defensive coordinator job for much more experienced candidates.

After Coughlin's firing in 2002, Fewell moved to St. Louis, where he was appointed defensive backs coach under head coach Mike Martz and defensive coordinator Lovie Smith. With the Rams, Fewell coached Aeneas Williams, his greatest pupil, to his final Pro Bowl appearance. The Rams snagged 24 interceptions in Fewell's first year. When Smith took the head coaching job in Chicago, Fewell was again passed over for the coordinator position, as the Rams hired recently-fired Cardinals defensive coordinator Larry Marmie.

A year later, Fewell joined Smith's staff in Chicago as the defensive backs coach under defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. During one year with the Bears, both safety Mike Brown and cornerback Nathan Vasher were selected to the Pro Bowl, and Chicago ranked second in defense and third in passing defense.

A year after joining the Bears, Fewell was offered his first chance at a defensive coordinator job with the Buffalo Bills and new head coach Dick Jauron. Jauron, as mentioned earlier, was defensive coordinator in Jacksonville when Fewell broke into the NFL as defensive backs coach there. In his years as a coordinator in Buffalo, Fewell's units have been up and down in statistically in every category - except rushing yards, where they have ranked in the bottom 10 for four straight years. Aaron Schobel is the only Bills defender to be selected to the Pro Bowl in Fewell's time in Buffalo, earning the honor in 2006 and 2007.

On November 17, 2009, the Bills fired Jauron as head coach, promoting Fewell to the interim head coaching position. Here's a quote from Aeneas Williams who says he isn't surprised by Fewell's promotion at all:

"Coach Fewell knew how to relate to the guys to get the veterans as well as the younger guys to play together. He commanded the respect of the players -- not demanded, but he commanded the respect of us players by his professionalism and his ability to help us be successful."

ESPN's Adam Schefter had some interesting points to make about Fewell in a recent article as well:

When NFL teams were sifting through head-coaching candidates to interview last winter, at least three of them were advised to talk to Buffalo's then-defensive coordinator Perry Fewell. None did. But now the Bills have given the 47-year-old Fewell an opportunity as interim head coach... Some men carry themselves in a way befitting an NFL head coach; Fewell is one of them. Sitting in a conference room in an Indianapolis hotel last summer before a preseason game against the Colts, Fewell impressed those around him with his mix of smarts and seriousness. It is what he has done in each of his NFL stops -- Jacksonville, St. Louis, Chicago and Buffalo. Now Fewell inherits a talent-deficient roster, with plenty of holes along the offensive line. But should the Bills play for him the way the 49ers played last season for Mike Singletary, Fewell could wind up having the "interim" tag removed from his title.

On his new role as Bills head coach, Fewell wasn't thrilled his chance had to come at the expense of one of his mentors. "It's something I always wanted to do," said Fewell, "but I didn't envision doing it like this." Only time will tell if he holds onto the position for longer than the seven games he is scheduled to coach now. Either way, Fewell will certainly have a home in the NFL in 2010 and beyond.

A Few Chiefs Players Weigh In On Concussions in the NFL

Joel Thorman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:29:38 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

Chiefs S Mike Brown (30) and C Rudy Niswanger discussed concussions. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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A few Kansas City Chiefs weighed in on concussions in the NFL, which has become a pretty publicized issue in recent years. The NFL has put in a lot of measures to protect the players but how do you protect a guy that doesn't tell anyone he has a concussion?

"I've known of players hiding concussions," Chiefs C Rudy Niswanger said in quotes distributed by the other AP. "...Sometimes players aren't real sure. They hit their head, they get a little cuckoo for a little while. It happens all the time."

Chiefs S Mike Brown was also quoted as saying, "We're trained to play no matter what."

Brown says its possible some players play not even knowing they have a concussion. I've never played at that level but I would imagine adrenaline kicks in at some point and you could play through a concussion, or at least try to play through.

"If you can run, and you're able to focus and know your responsibilities," Brown said, "you're usually out there playing. You wouldn't have enough players if no one played hurt. Especially if you're, like, on special teams, you're going to do everything you can to stay in the game."

Chiefs receiver Bobby Wade has seen players suffering from the effects of concussions.

"You see guys with their eyes rolling in the back of their heads," Wade said. "You see guys shaking their head trying to get it together. If there was a doctor evaluating them, I'm sure they would say, 'Your brain has taken trauma."

Mike Wright, a defensive lineman for the Patriots, would disagree when it comes to concussions.

"I would not hide that," Wright said according to the other AP. "That's not something you hide. That puts you in a terrible position, as well as the team. I think that would be the worst thing you could do in a situation like that. So if I ever got a concussion, I would definitely tell. I don't know how you could hide a concussion."

Indeed there are two sides to this issue.

Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star wrote an article about a month ago that suggested the Chiefs head coach views injuries as a weakness, which would then for the players create a fear of revealing injuries.

I can't think of many concussion issues with the Chiefs this season. A few players have missed a practice or two because of head trauma. Then there are players like Brian Westbrook whose entire is in jeopardy because of concussions.

Bernard Scott named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Kirkendall — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:44:17 -0000

More photos » by Keith Srakocic - AP

about 1 month ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Bernard Scott, left, returns a kickoff for a touchdown past Pittsburgh Steelers' Keyaron Fox in the first quarter of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)

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As if we didn't document Bernard Scott's weekend enough already, we've decided to pile on the mountain of awesomeness that is Bernard Scott. Every Wednesday, the NFL announces players of the week for offense, defense and special teams for the AFC and NFC. Carson Palmer won the award during his five touchdown day (aka, holy-freaking awesome day) against the Bears during week seven and Antwan Odom won it in week two after recording an impressive five sacks against the Green Bay Packers.

Add Bernard Scott to the list.

The NFL announced Wednesday that Scott won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after recording a 96-yard touchdown return against the Pittsburgh Steelers and 206 yards on kickoff return. Scott is the first Bengals player named the Special Teams Player of the Week since Tab Perry in week 13 during the 2005 season, ironically enough against the Pittsburgh Steelers, recording 197 yards on five kickoff returns, including a 94-yarder that setup Rudi Johnson's one-yard touchdown run giving the Bengals the lead (31-24) with 7:57 left in the third quarter (run-on sentences for the win!). Scott is also the first Bengals player to record a touchdown on kickoff return since Glenn Holt on November 4, 2007.

Here's the award winnings for week 10.

AFC Offensive Player of the Week: QB Peyton Manning, Colts
AFC Defensive Player of the Week: Safety Mike Brown, Chiefs
AFC Special Teams Player of the Week: RB Bernard Scott, Bengals
NFC Offensive Player of the Week: WR Sidney Rice, Vikings
NFC Defensive Player of the Week: CB Charles Woodson, Packers
NFC Special Teams Player of the Week: P Hunter Smith, Redskins

Chiefs Safety Mike Brown Wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Joel Thorman — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:07:36 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

about 1 month ago: Kansas City Chiefs safety Mike Brown (30) celebrates with cornerback Brandon Flowers (24) after intercepting from Oakland Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradkowski in the fourth quarter during an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. The Chiefs won 16-10. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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And the kudos continue for Kansas City Chiefs safety Mike Brown who helped secure on Sunday a 16-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders.

Per Josh Looney, the NFL named Brown the AFC Defensive Player of the Week this morning.

Brown's two fourth quarter interceptions played key roles including the final one, which ended the Raiders final drive and any chance of winning.

Brown's first interception turned into three points for the Chiefs offense.

Mike Brown has faced plenty of scrutiny over the past few weeks. Folks have said his skill set is declining and his speed isn't enough to make up for poor angles he's taken, including a touchdown that he admitted himself lost his team the game against the Jaguars 10 days ago.

Despite that scrutiny, I think it's important to note when someone who has been under duress like him has a couple of game changing plays, even if he was in the right place at the right time.

The two interceptions were the first of the season for Brown. He also has one sack.

Brown won this award while with the Chicago Bears in 2001. The last Chiefs safety to win was Jerome Woods in 1997.

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 11/16

NJ Chiefs Fan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:17:25 -0000

via KansasCity.com

In the history of the rivalry between the Chiefs and Raiders there have been many great games and moments over 50 seasons.

This was not one of them.

What went down at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on a sun-splashed Sunday afternoon was 60 minutes of mistakes, blunders and poor football.

Afterwards the Chiefs did not care a lick. They stole out of the East Bay with a 16-10 victory, their second of the season. It was the seventh consecutive victory for the Hunt family over the Davis clan.

Chiefs Win In Oakland Again, 16-10 from Bob Gretz

KC Star Photo Gallery: Chiefs 16, Raiders 10 | Sunday, Nov. 15

Jamaal Charles wasted no time claiming ownership of the newly vacant Chiefs running back job.
Charles delivered the Chiefs’ first individual 100-yard game of the season Sunday against the Raiders. He provided their first rushing touchdown, a brilliant 44-yarder on a fourth-down play.

The Chiefs needed every one of his 103 yards and that touchdown to take their second win of the season, 16-10.

Charles leads Chiefs to 16-10 win over Raiders from KC Star

After being the victim on a couple of key plays in last week’s loss to Jacksonville, Chiefs safety Mike Brown promised coach Todd Haley he would make up for it Sunday against the Raiders.

Brown was good on his word in the Chiefs’ 16-10 win. He intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter, both on tipped balls. The last one came at the Chiefs’ 10-yard line with just 30 seconds left.

"I had the feeling," Brown said. "I told him I was going to get at least one.

"You know what they say. You’d rather be lucky than good. I just happened to be in the right spot."

Brown and defensive reserves make big plays for Chiefs from KC Star

I’m not sure what Ralph Nader is doing these days but I think he should investigate and sue the National Football League in the name of anyone who paid money to see the Chiefs and Raiders play on Sunday.

To call what happened on the field at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum "professional football" qualifies as fraud, bait and switch, deceptive advertising and assorted other crimes against the consumer and humanity.

Of course, with two bad teams facing off, it wasn’t like we were expecting a brand of football that would remind anybody of the playoffs. It certainly did not. There were so many negatives in this game, so many mental errors, so many dropped passes, poor passes, bad decisions and penalties.

COLUMN: THEY CALL THIS FOOTBALL? from Bob Gretz

“It was a toss outside and I saw everybody coming and they didn’t have anybody inside,” Charles said of the touchdown run. “I saw a hole and I just ran. I saw Chris (Chambers) make a good block and I just ran to the pylon.”

The run and his overall performance in the game continued a maturation process that Charles has shown in the last month. A lot of people forget that Charles won’t celebrate his 23rd birthday until next month. He’s still the guy who likes to slide down the railing on the steps the players use coming off the practice field and returning to the locker room. He still has those moments where coaches and teammates aren’t quite sure he’s focused in the way he should be.

But he’s getting better and growing according to Todd Haley.

Offense: Larry Who? from Bob Gretz

JaMarcus Russell said he was confused by being benched Sunday against the Chiefs. He said he thought he was being productive, if not perfect.

Whether Russell, Oakland’s starting quarterback, was putting an optimistic face on another sour performance — or testing the limits of denial — he and his replacement, Bruce Gradkowski, were as responsible as anyone for the Chiefs’ 16-10 victory.

Russell overthrew receivers and underthrew them. He threw to their left, to the right and far above their heads. Russell, the No. 1 pick in the 2007 NFL draft, was as erratic as ever Sunday, and it helped cost Oakland the win — and possibly Russell’s job.

Chiefs benefit from struggles of Raiders’ QBs from KC Star

Chiefs rookie kicker Ryan Succop made three of his four field-goal attempts Sunday, missing only from 52 yards. He made kicks from 50, 25 and 31 yards.

Succop has made 14 field goals this season, and he trails only Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud’s 21 field goals for the team’s record among rookies.

Chiefs blitz: Succop again proves he’s a weapon from KC Star

“There is going to be some bad, and there is going to be some good,” Brown said. “Hopefully there is more good than bad. At least that’s the way I look at it. I want to play perfect, but have I ever played perfect? No. It will probably never happen, but you still strive to be perfect.

“I just try to play hard and let the chips fall where they may.”

The chips fell into Brown’s hands on this afternoon, especially that final interception that ended a late Raiders attempt at a comeback victory.

DEFENSE: Redemption For Mike Brown from Bob Gretz

It’s hard to win the special teams phase of any game against the Raiders since they have one of the best kicking tandems in the league in Sebastian Janikowski and Shane Lechler.

And while the Chiefs may not have won the kicking battle, they at least broke even on Sunday and that helped seal the victory.

Nobody was busier than Lechler, who kicked 11 times and averaged 48.3 yards a boot. He put five of those punts inside the 20-yard line and his long punt was 57 yards.

But Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt punted six times, for a 47.2 average and a net average of 47.5 yards. He knocked four of his six punts inside the 20-yard line and his long punt was 61 yards.

Raiders Have Problems & Other Notes from Bob Gretz

As the most inconsistent and frequently upgraded position group inches toward noticeable rhythm, the two Chiefs receivers are benefiting from the other’s presence. Bowe finally has a wingman, and Chambers has a receiver who relieves pressure while he proves he still belongs.

Bowe, the young receiver, was immature. Bullied by coach Todd Haley. Miles from his potential. Chambers, the old guy, was given up on by San Diego. He’s 31. That’s ancient in his universe. Now they’ve landed in the same wide-receiver corps, and both already are seeing benefits.

“We’re just trying to find out what pieces work together,” Chambers said, “and trying to build an identity.”

Bowe, Chambers give Chiefs some stability at receiver from KC Star

It’s difficult to know what to make out of this win over the Raiders because the Chiefs played against such a horrific quarterback in JaMarcus Russell. Sunday he had at least a dozen wide open receivers that he missed by throwing the ball too short or too high. Russell was eventually benched in favor of Bruce Gradkowski, but the game still dragged on and on.

It’s a good thing that the Raiders weren’t coached all that well on Sunday. Tom Cable had the Chiefs on their heels against Oakland’s running game, and had Russell been benched earlier, we might be talking about a different outcome. Even without a passing game, the combination of Michael Bush, Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden proved deadly.
Chiefs Show Life Signs In 16-10 Win from WPI

The Raiders' latest exhibition of self-hatred, a 16-10 loss to the equally young and defective Kansas City Chiefs before more than 20,000 empty seats Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum, captured in full a team caught in a web of despair, operating under a thin and paralyzed management and an increasingly distant or uninterested ownership.

In between, we find a coaching staff completely bereft of answers.

Not much has worked all season, and not much worked Sunday. It's beginning to look as if nothing the Raiders try, no matter how great it looks on paper or how well it works in practice, will translate into productive performance on game day.

For Raiders, Web of Gloom on Full Display in Loss to Chiefs from San Jose Mercury News

The JaMarcus Russell experiment needs to end. It needs to end as of today. He is not an NFL quarterback right now and he never will be an NFL quarterback. He is a failed experiment, a dud, a $30 million washout. You know it and I know it.

The only person who doesn’t know it is Al Davis, Al who lives in a parallel universe where Russell has solid mechanics and makes good throws that hit the crummy Raiders’ receivers in stride and never sail over their heads or nose-dive at their feet. In the real world, JaMarcus Russell is a catastrophe, one of the worst football signings in world history.

JaMarcus Russell an unmitigated disaster from The Press Democrat

Conner Barth Update for UC. =)

Connor Barth kicked himself into the NFL and Bucs record books Sunday. As a result, the likelihood of Barth getting the boot from the Bucs anytime soon has been greatly diminished.
"That was a glowing positive for us today," Bucs coach Raheem Morris said of Barth's performance, which included going 3-for-3 on field-goal tries, all of which were 50 yards or longer.

Barth kicked field goals of 51, 50 and 54 yards to set a franchise record and tie a league record and keep the Bucs in what proved to be a 25-23 loss to the Dolphins at Land Shark Stadium.

Barth kicks his way into record book from Tampa Bay Online

“[expetive deleted] you!”

Todd Haley, to his assistant head coach, Maurice Carthon, CBS
GH: Another assistant coach positioned himself in front of Haley after his outburst and walked him in the opposite direction from Carthon, who was not seen saying anything but was clearly the target of Haley’s f-you. I’m no purist and cursing on the athletic field has never bothered me. But cursing at your assistant head coach, in front of your players and staff, shows poor leadership on Haley’s part. Haley’s game-day conduct continues to make him look like an immature coach who is in over his head.

OTC: Haley F-Bombs His Asst. Coach & QB And Beats Raiders from KC Confidential

Player Tweets

almighty31 got that victory. wat should I do now?

Media and Fans

kb_kcstar Mike Brown ... torched someone else.

JoshLooney Raiders run all over the chiefs, decide to pass on 3rd and 3...result = INT...silly Raiders. Mike Brown with BIG INT

Adam_Schefter This is as hard to imagine as San Diego winning AFC West last year - Denver and San Diego tied for first this year

RockStarHoney08: RT @ACookOfficial: YES!!! WAY TO PLAY CHIEFS!!! Too bad i had to work but hahaha to all those who doubted

KodaFett: The Chiefs won and the Cowboys lost. What a WONDERFUL Sunday.

SomeHugeRetard: Chiefs won. But they still suck.

iWantnext: IntereSTATing: "the chiefs have won only 5 of their last 35 games (!), 3 of them have been in Oakland." thanks for the info @richeisen

Good Time for Chiefs S Mike Brown to Have a Big Game

Joel Thorman — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:21:17 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Chiefs S Mike Brown celebrated after intercepting a pass from Raiders QB Bruce Gradkowski. The Chiefs won 16-10. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

Browse more photos »

Gotta give it to Chiefs S Mike Brown. At a time when he's under plenty of scrutiny from the media and fans for what's been called a declining skill set, he turns in a two-interception performance in a 16-10 victory over the Oakland Raiders. I'm not saying Brown's now free from criticism or he played a perfect game (by any means).

I'm just sayin', his interceptions were pretty timely for the Chiefs defense.

“Sometimes things bounce against you, sometimes it bounces your way,” Brown told reporters. “You just hope you have more bounce your way than against you.

“Today we got them and we started the second half of the season with a win. That’s important. We have to build something from this.”

At the beginning of the fourth quarter the Bruce Gradkowski led Raiders faced a 3rd and three. Gradkowski dropped back to pass and found....Mike Brown with the interception and returned it for a short gain.

The Chiefs next possession turned this into three points.

And then on the Raiders final drive of the game, Brown was the recipient of a Darrius Heyward-Bey drop. When the ball bounced off of Heyward-Bey's concrete gloves, Brown stepped in and hauled it in.

Interception No. 2 helped finish the Raiders.

I think Kent Babb said it well in a tweet this evening. "Mike Brown...torched someone else."

Both interceptions came off of dropped passes by the Raiders receivers but it's ironic, I think, that the man under the most pressure - at least from the fan and media perspective - turns in a game-changing defensive performance. Like I said above, I'm not saying he's now all of a sudden the answer. I still don't think he is in the long-term (and maybe not the short-term).

But the irony was too much not to point out. When he screwed up against the Jaguars last week, he admitted it. So, when he turns it around, we gotta give it to him.

Congrats, Mr. Brown.

Who Plays When for the Kansas City Chiefs Defense

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

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

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

Browse more photos »

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Linebackers

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

Secondary

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

Anything interesting stand out to you?