SB Nation - Brandon Carr

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 12/9

NJ Chiefs Fan — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:45:12 -0000

Morning all. We got some slim pickings today. Hope everyone is well, and isn't spending too much time digging out from under a ton of snow. Oh, and the picture was too good to pass on.

An example of what the quarter system can do for a team’s thinking is the Chiefs improved record in each quarter of the season, from 0-4, to 1-3 and finally to 2-2 in the most recent four-game period. Haley can sell his team on the idea that improvement is tangible by looking at record from quarter to quarter rather than getting stuck on the ugly 3-9 number.

We decided to go beyond the victories and defeats, and look at the offensive and defensive numbers of each quarter for this 2009 season. The numbers paint a pretty good picture of what’s happened over the last three months with this team, and what areas have to improve over the last quarter of the season beginning on Sunday against Buffalo.

The Quarter System … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs from Bob Gretz

KC Star Photo Gallery: Chiefs' Matt Cassel visits Overland Park school

For the first time in nearly 20 years, the telecast of a Chiefs home game may be blacked out in the Kansas City area this week.
The Chiefs said Tuesday that about 3,500 tickets need to be sold by noon Thursday for Sunday’s game against Buffalo so that the game will be televised locally.

The club could ask the league for a 24-hour extension if it gets close to a sellout by Thursday’s deadline, which is 72 hours in advance of kickoff.

If the telecast is blacked out, it would end a string of 155 consecutive sellouts by the Chiefs, including postseason games, starting with the 1991 season opener.

Chiefs need to sell 3,500 tickets to avoid TV blackout Sunday from KC Star

Chiefs cornerback Brandon Carr has bigger things on his mind this week, like how to defend a couple of Buffalo Bills wide receivers named Terrell Owens and Lee Evans.

But Carr will hit the pause button on his DVD of the Buffalo passing game for a couple of hours on Saturday night and watch the NCAA Division II championship game between Northwest Missouri and his alma mater, Grand Valley State.

It’s personal.

Chiefs’ Brandon Carr has vested interest in Division II title game from KC Star

I like the 3-4 defense when it's done well.

Kansas City does not play the 3-4 well.

When the Chiefs made Clancy Pendergast, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals, their defensive coordinator, it became immediately clear the speculation of the franchise moving to a 3-4 was a reality.

With the entire offseason ahead of him, General Manager Scott Pioli had to acquire the tools to make this transition work.

Perhaps the greatest card in the Chiefs' hand was the third-overall pick in the draft.

I know it's easy to evaluate a team critically in retrospect, but let's point out what the Chiefs missed out on by drafting defensive end Tyson Jackson with their first pick.

Admittedly, the jury is still out on Jackson.

What's Wrong with the Kansas City Chiefs' 3-4 Defense, Part One: The Personnel from Bleacher Report

Broncos Thoughts and Musings 1.0

Emmett Smith — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:07:22 -0000

by Charlie Riedel - AP

4 days ago: Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton (8) passes while offensive tackle Ryan Clady, right, blocks Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tamba Hali (91) during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

View full size photo »

This week brought some colder, wetter autumnal weather to southern California. It put me in the perfect mood to watch a lot of film and to take in all of the facets of a massive, overwhelming Broncos beatdown of the Kansas City Chiefs, right on their own turf. Despite all the press about the past, this is a new team and they took the opportunity to prove that to KC and anyone else who was willing to watch. It was close right up to the end of the first quarter, and quickly turned into a rout during quarter 3. I enjoyed every minute of it. While I wanted to have the Broncos put a headlock on the Chiefs I didn't expect Ryan Clady (photo) to take it quite so literally.

I also continued to look at past film, spending a little extra time on special teams. I'll talk more about them on Thursday, but this was plenty to get us started. Hats on? Goggles in place? Let's do it. In fact, let's start in Indianapolis.

Defense Wins Game

Did anyone catch the way that Indianapolis won over Tennessee? Tennessee was a hot as any team in gootball, but they fell short when they came up against the Indy defense. The Colts had not one but two goal line stands in a game that brought about a 27-17 win over the Titans.

As usual, they had help. Vince Young fumbled at the one on first and goal. A Titans guard, Eugene Amano (another of the great football names, being mano Amano) committed a holding penalty, but Indy held on all tries and a perfect fade route in the corner of the endzone one fourth down was foiled when rookie Jerraud Powers pushed fellow rookie Kenny Britt out of bounds before he could get both feet down. Clint Session had 12 tackles to lead the Colts and he was joined by a crew that just didn't let up.

I bring this up for a simple reason. When Kansas City was sitting at the one yard line on 1st and goal at the end of the 1st quarter, I wasn't even phased. No chemicals were involved in my level of calm - for once, finally, for the first time in years, I awaited not how KC would score but how Denver would beat them back. Despite the ease with which the Chiefs moved the ball to the one, I knew that they were 17 plays into their drive and that the more opportunities you give Mike Nolan up in the booth, the more likely it is that he'll solve what's happening and that one or more of the Broncos will make a play. That went strangely errant during the losing streak, but that feeling was back again on Sunday, as it had been against NY. The Broncos held KC to a FG. My only surprise was that they didn't just take it away entirely.

The Post said:

"Perhaps Elvis Dumervil, Bailey and the Broncos' fifth-ranked pass defense can negate the Colts' strength. Dumervil ran down Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel in the second quarter for his NFL-best 15th sack of the season. Unlike the Broncos' teams that took trips to Indy earlier this decade, Dumervil offers the chance to apply pocket pressure on Manning, and Bailey appears to have considerably improved secondary mates.

Ty Law has provided us with a veteran's skills at the cornerback blitz. He hits like a particle accelerator, giving us the Denver version of the Big Bang. H was a great pickup. I don't know the issues of contracts that well, so I'll assume that he was let go due to excessive dollars for expected performance, but here's his contract with us:

1/6/2009: Signed a one-year, $800,000 contract. The deal included a $200,000 signing bonus. Another $400,000 is available through incentives based on performance and playing time. 2009: $600,000

That's cheap for what he's bringing to us. He'll be a free agent in 2010, if the Broncos don't sign him to another 1 year contract. Based on what I've seen so far, they should.

Goodman and safety Renaldo Hill each picked off Cassel passes in the third quarter to set up scores. Brian Dawkins blew up a Kansas City first-and-goal-from-the-1 chance in the second quarter by tackling Jamaal Charles for a 3-yard loss and then delivering a blindside blitz to disrupt Cassel's third-down pass attempt. The Chiefs didn't have an answer.

"It's not for one guy," Dawkins said. "Champ does not have to be all over the place. Elvis doesn't have to make five sacks. There's always going to be somebody to make the play. To me, that's a telltale sign of a good defense.""

It is, and that's what I loved about watching the KC game. in every quarter, someone else stepped up. Orton had a 'bad' game but ended up with a 90+ QB rating for his efforts by making two nice TD passes, moving above 60% on his passing completions and by the team going 4 of 6 in the Red zone and nailing those other two as FGs. This is a team that can put together a whole game. Indy is as tough as there is in the NFL, but every team can be beaten. It will take a near perfect effort, though. Are the Broncos up to it?

There's another side to our preparation this week: Denver will be going up against Larry Coyer, who was fired as the defensive coordinator in Denver. While most such individuals claim that it's just a game, theey understand the business and that there is nothing personal in their feelings few of us believe taht and for good reason. It's the nature of the competitive individual to compete, to assert oneself and to repay old slights. Coyer had trouble making the adjustments that kept the Broncos competitive during some of the games and over the course of the season. He will be looking to show Denver that he's learned those lessons and put them to good use.

Two side notes -- Bobby Wade was the best Denver player to wear a Chiefs uniform on Sunday, contributing drops and misses to keep drives from scoring. Ti's always appreciated, but don't expect Indianapolis to be as accommodating. And if you didn't enjoy watching Peyton Hillis show folks that he's not done with Denver, you just aren't a fan. I don't know where they keep the 'yards after contact' stats for RBs, but I'd love to see how his stack up. Great power running against an exhausted KC defense.

Special Teams Fun

A most of you know, I've been tearing apart film recently in an attempt to get a better idea of why the losing streak was happening. Today is the start of some discussion of special teams. Much of today's info came from the KC game. I've got some more coming on Thursday. Theser are some qustions that I wrote down before hitting the film:

Who is blocking on the KO and punts, who stands out? Give me some names

I'll go with 4 - on KOs, Spenser Larsen and Peyton Hillis. I can add Robert Ayers - the more film I watch, the more he's in on the blocking. Quinn? You bet. He's been in on the blocking frequently, on the ST. Against the fake punt play in KC, which could have been another TD if complete, he made a veteran read and play. By the way, calling that play at your own 28? Wow. It seemed that Darcel McBath was caught out of position, following where he thought that play was going, which left the receiver, a center who lined up as an eligible receiver, wide open. Quinn made a totally heads-up play. Nice work, rookie. Quinn also blocked well, not letting up on his man, on the drive following Andre' Goodman's perfect INT on Cassel later that quarter.

For what it's worth, that seemed to be a badly thought-out play. It's a huge gamble, your offense is failing to make any yardage but you're still only down 14-6. Aren't you throwing in the towel when you do that? It lead to a FG that made it 17-6 and would later prove to put the game out of reach.

Who is standing out as a gunner?

David Bruton, Darcel McBath and now Spencer Larsen stand out, as does Richard Quinn, but Darrell Reid (who had 3 ST tackles on Sunday at KC) was also a factor in many plays. It's a nice thing when you need to list 5 good players. Josh Barrett also seems to always be around the ball - not yet making the tackle but fillig the right lanes and keeping the runbacks contained. Champ Bailey had a nice play on the kickoff following Prater's FG at 13:30 of the 3rd Q. He was there along with Spencer Larsen, who didn't get credit for that tackle but who was in on it. Wes Woodyard had two ST tackles of his own. There was a lot of praise to go around, and all of it deserved.

Did anyone notice that when Eddie Royal had some space to move in and come blocking that he was repeatedly able to gain significant yardage? The pattern of not stopping the offense until they are in the area of the 40s and then having Royal backed up to the goal line was broken by our defensive play and the difference was obvious.

He may not have caught a lot of passes but they had to account for him all day and his combined yardage was a thing of joy. The man can block, too. You might also want to go back and rewatch the Marshall TD from the 10 yard line - Marshall started on the right side of the formation, went in motion to the left and received the pass on the right. If Eddie Royal doesn't seal off #39, Brandon Carr, on that play, Marshall maybe gains 2. Instead, Royal drove his man out of the play for just long enough to let the Broncos start celebrating.

On the following KO, Alphonso Smith, Robert Ayers, Josh Barrett and Andra Davis were ready to tackle if Wesley Woodyard hasn't made a perfect takedown on the ball carrier. The Broncos were swarming on STs, and that's nice to see. They need to continue that level of play. They didn't, for 4 games, but have stepped up for the late season run.

Royal's runback at 13:00 of the 4th Q was a thing of beauty. I thought that he was going to waste another return by running vertically, but he faked that and turned upfield into a seam, pounding across into Chiefs territory and nearly breaking a final tackle at the end before being brought down by the kicker. Such a great job...getting the kicks with room to run makes it all work.

By the way, on the 44 yard FG kick following the fake punt, I loved hearing Dick Enberg say of Prater, "Oh, he's got a big leg.." Yes, he sure does. Both of our kickers seem to be gaining in strength as the season is moving along. That's always a nice feeling. By the way, just how the heck did Berger manage to get that punt off with Jovan Belcher in his face? Picked up a penalty, but managed to roll the ball along the sideline for long enough to make that punt a keeper. When you're on, you're on...

Team Game

Renaldo Hill made a great catch on a Matt Cassel throw for an INT but the real hero of the play was none other than Elvis Dumervil. Doom hit Cassel just as he released, driving him slightly backward and causing the pass to sail on him, leading to the INT. Great pressure creates great plays.

Buckhalter takes the rock for 12 to start the Denver drive after that play, but the heroes of that play were Ryan Clady and Spencer Larsen. Clady sealed off his man and Larsen free-lanced to the outside, taking the RDE (91, Tamba Hali) out of the play. Buck ran on past them and picked up 12, the last 3 by sheer force of will. On the next play, it was Larsen, Daniel Graham and Clady. Buck put on an amazing show. 113 yards on 10 carries? I don't recall seeing a performance like that recently , off the top of my head.

Talk about team - did you see Kyle Orton, blocking downfield for Marshall on the reverse? Sure, Marshall didn't make it to that second level, but you have to chuckle when your QB is finishing his blocks. I loved it.

If you blinked, you might have missed it so I'll pass it along. On the fumble forced by Mario Haggan and picked up by Andre' Goodman, in the background you could see Vonnie Holliday hammering his man into the turf so that he couldn't have a shot at getting to the ball or to Goodman. In a single heartbeat, Holliday went from fighting with his man to get to the ball carrier to fighting to drive him into the ground. Great job, heads up play. And, on the following KO, the Broncos filled their lanes to perfection, not permitting any chance of a good runback. The STs stepped way up last Sunday.

Rotating players - Darcel McBath and Marcus Thomas seem to make their presence known every time they step into the rotation. Kudos to both of them.

I'm embarrassed to admit that by the time Cassel completed a nice pass to Bobby Wade over the middle at the end of the third quarter, I found myself actually rooting for him to get one. It was that much of a beating - I knew that he couldn't beat us. I just didn't want to see the Broncos keep slaughtering him. In a few moments, the feeling passed, but it gives an idea of the kind of game it was. Vonnie Holliday sacked him on the next play anyway. The final play of that abortive drive was a hot route out of the shotgun, incomplete to Chambers. If Cassel had put it on the money it would have been intercepted by Renaldo Hill. The overage was as compete as the snow on the Divide. By the end of the 3rd Q, it was time for the mercy rule to kick in.

Variety is the Spice...

On the following series for Denver, backed up to their own 6 yard line. The Broncs came out with a nice little formation that should look familiar to those who read last year's Magic 3 article by Steve Nichols or my own followup to it. Denver brought Spencer Larsen up to just behind the LOS, to the right, with Daniel graham on the line to Polumbus' right and Tony Scheffler outside both of them, towards the right sideline. Moreno was in the backfield, Orton under center and Marshall split out wide to the left. It was essentially a Magic 3 formation, and Denver played with several variations of Multiple TE formations over the course of the game. I saw Quinn in for one of the other Magic 3's. They seem to be running out of it so far, which is fine. I await them using it to throw more - it will give the defensive coordinators fits. It's hard enough to step as a power running option.

Back to the Future

Does it seem familiar that Brandon Marshall is doing so well that teams are obligated to try and stop him, leaving the running game more room to maneuver and Royal a Chance to catch more balls? It should. The more that Marshall catches, the more that other players come open and the more big plays we will see. It was true las year and it is this year as well.

Speaking of the future - I loved that the Broncos when for the big play on 4th and inches at the start of the 4th Q. Moreno could have had 80 yards as easily as 18. Both Graham and Larsen handled their men perfectly. They caught KC in the perfect defensive formation for the playcall and the blocking was once again perfect. Complementary football is a beautiful thing, and watching Moreno make TDs is likely to become something of a habit.

On the following KO, Champ Bailey filled the middle, forcing the returner to pause and giving Mario Haggan (who wasn't credited) and Larsen (who was credited with the tackle) a chance to pounce. That's the kind of thing that only a film review really permits you to enjoy. Quite often, the player who makes the play possible isn't the player who makes the play. That's Broncos football in a nutshell.

Reader Mail

I heard back from Joel Griffin after last BT&N. Nice fellow. He had this to say:

I really enjoyed reading your film breakdown of the Denver Broncos. Without even reviewing the film I could have pointed fingers at Hochstein & Polumbus - but you did an excellent job of highlighting their ridiculous errors. Graham was called for 2 more holding calls on Thanksgiving that resulted in 38 rushing yards coming back for Moreno so I wouldn't go letting him off the hook for his inconsistency yet...

Good points, Joel. Daniel Graham is a huge player, a game-changer when he's on. When he takes a play off by committing a foolish penalty I want to growl at him but he always rebounds for us. That's been a pattern with him for a long time, and he's worth the aggravation of a few plays, although I still hope the grows out of it. I loved his TD play at KC and that's typical of his abilities. Scheffler had a big drop, but also got a PI call that moved the chains and he added a 19 yard reception. I loved seeing Peyton Hillis taking people apart in garbage time. I still think that there's a place for that man in the RB rotation, but time will tell. Buck seems to be chewing up the field again - a 9.4 YPC AVERAGE? Ok, he was a prescient pickup by McD and Co. Nice work by Knowshon Moreno, too. A team ypc of 5.1 really does help the game along...

A Final Thought

One of the things that is being lost in all the perspectives of the last couple of weeks is this: Denver is finally getting to the point where they can be more of a 'big strike' team. No, that doesn't mean that they will change from the short yardage offense that they began with, but it does mean that they have other options when they need them. Marshall's 47 yard run is one example, the increase in longer plays is another. This is a team that is still finding out how good it is. The players needed to get used to the schemes and to each other, but that's happening much as I and many others predicted early in the season. It's great to see.

I'll be back for the usual Thursday Broncos Thoughts and Musings, but too much happened this week to summarize quickly. Let's hope that the injuries are minor, that Denver realizes that they can compete with anyone if they play at their best and that a surprise awaits Indianapolis when we travel there next weekend.

Go Broncos!

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 11/18

NJ Chiefs Fan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:54:43 -0000

via media.kansascity.com

More traveling today, so another tweet-free post. Go Chiefs!

Over the years the Chiefs have had many players who had remarkable athletic talent, and the maturity of a 10-year old. Bowe is one of them. His story of being abandoned as a child by a mother and father distracted and in the clutches of drugs, being raised by his grandparents, running the streets and getting involved in crimes and fights left him without some very important blocks in a solid foundation of being an adult.

That background and then his success in football did lead him away from the drug culture. But there were some stains that could not be erased. Bowe was not suspended for taking illegal drugs or performance enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids. He is gone for four games because he tested positive for a diuretic.

The NFL considers the presence of a diuretic in a player’s urine sample the same as if it was steroids because it has frequently been used as a masking agent.

So Much Talent, So Immature … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs from Bob Gretz

KC Star Photo Gallery: Dwayne Bowe as a Chief

The Chiefs had won their second game of 2009, and their wide receivers had as much to do with it as anyone. On one side of the visitors locker room at Oakland Coliseum, third-year wide receiver Dwayne Bowe put on a hat, slipped on a pair of noise-canceling headphones and left. On the opposite side of the room, Chris Chambers discussed what it meant to be part of a win, part of an improving wideouts unit, and part of a reliable tandem alongside Bowe. Chambers said that Bowe has plenty of potential. But…

"He’s young," Chambers said. "He’s got some growing up to do."

Bowe suspended for violating NFL policy on performance-enhancing drugs from KC Star

It didn’t take long to understand that Larry Johnson had been looking at the schedule his new will play over the final seven weeks of the 2009 regular season.

One game jumped out: December 27, Kansas City at Cincinnati.

The newest member of the Bengals couldn’t suppress his excitement to face his former team in five weeks.

"I’d be lying if I said I ain’t looking at that game as a game I definitely want to play in," Johnson said. "You take one game at a time, one situation at a time. I’m just trying to get on the field as of right now. If that happens, that’d be the best Christmas gift I can get."

L.J. Lands In River City from Bob Gretz

Johnson, released by the Chiefs last week in the aftermath of a suspension for several off-field issues, signed a one-year contract with the AFC North-leading Bengals as insurance for running back Cedric Benson, who suffered a hip injury in last Sunday’s victory over Pittsburgh.

Johnson, clad in a dark Bengals shirt featuring a team logo, told Cincinnati reporters that this "is an opportunity to right some wrongs in my past and have an opportunity to play for a good coach, a good team and a lot of good players that is on this team. For me, it feels like a great fit."

New Bengal LJ craves chance to play against Chiefs From KC Star

Coach Mike Tomlin said Polamalu's status for the 1 p.m. game Sunday is "questionable at best," but he added that the five-time Pro Bowler's injury is not serious.

"More encouraged than I think we initially anticipated," Tomlin said Tuesday. "There is no setback in regards to his MCL. We're going to take it day by day. (The injury) doesn't appear as significant as the MCL he sustained earlier in the season."

If Polamalu doesn't play against the Chiefs (2-7), Tyrone Carter will start at strong safety.

Polamalu's injury not considered serious from Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Cornerback Brandon Carr of Flint had five total tackles in the Kansas City Chiefs' 16-10 win Sunday over Oakland. Carr made a touchdown-saving tackle on the game's second play from scrimmage when the Raiders' Michael Bush broke loose for a 60-yard gain.

Afterward, Bush said he paid too close attention to the stadium's video screen when Carr was in pursuit:

"What went wrong was I looked up at the screen, trying to see who was behind me, forgetting that it's kind of (a) couple seconds' delay."

Flint's Brandon Carr key contributor in Kansas City's win over Oakland from The Flint Journal

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?

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

Game Preview: San Diego Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

John (obviousman) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:37:58 -0000

Another week, another preview. This one should be significantly more optimistic than the past few, though. It's no secret that I think these two Kansas City Chiefs games this season will be easy wins for the San Diego Chargers. I don't buy into the mystique and I don't buy into last year's close games determining how these games will go.

Last year's Chargers games were perfect mis-matches for the Chiefs. Clinton Hart couldn't come close to covering Tony Gonzalez (nobody on the Chargers' D could), when Mark Bradley was hot was when Antonio Cromartie was having trouble staying with fast receivers downfield and Dwayne Bowe took advantage of the Chargers' weaknesses at Safety. More than anything, though, Tyler Thigpen and that Pistol offense worked wonders against the Bolts' defense that, in all honesty, isn't very fast and didn't throw a lot of complicated pre-snap looks at the rookie QB.

This year I think things are different. The only real receiving threat on the team is Bowe. He'll probably get his numbers, but if you shut down the rest of their receivers the Chiefs will have a difficult time putting together long drives. And here's a big kicker.....with a QB that holds onto the ball too long and an offensive line that's struggling, the Chargers might actually get a pass rush.

A full breakdown of the game and stats is after the jump.

When the Chiefs have the ball

After bringing in Todd Haley to coach and Matt Cassel to lead the offense, the Chiefs were hoping to spread things out and create a pass-first attack similar to Arizona's. That hasn't worked out too well thusfar, mostly because the Chiefs don't have the weapons to "spread things out" and the running game has offered no help in bringing opposing Safeties up for help.

Kansas City's offense ranks 30th in the league in offensive yards per game and 25th in points per game. There are some bright spots, like the 9th ranked Time of Possession, but then there are some not-so-bright spots like having the 4th most fumbles in the league. The biggest problem with the Chiefs offense, because they only have one true offensive weapon, is third downs. Their 21% conversion rate on third downs is not only dead last in the league, it is significantly lower than the third down conversion rate of the 31st ranked team (OAK - 26%). This is great news for the Chargers, who have struggled to get off the field because of poor play on third down.

KC's running game ranks 25th in the league in yards per game and 26th in the league in yards per carry. The Matt Cassel-led passing offense ranks 27th in the league in yards per game, but they have more passing TDs than the Chargers do (7). As was illustrated in the Arrowhead Pride post I linked to earlier this week, Cassel's weakness remains his inability (or unwillingness) to throw the ball downfield. The Chief's passing game ranks 25th in plays of 20+ yards and 16th in plays of 40+ yards.

In the preseason I pointed to the extraordinary number of times Cassel was sacked as the Patriots QB as evidence that he held onto the ball too long. This season that same issue has been paired with a bad offensive line, leading to 22 sacks on the Chief's signal-caller. That ties for second in the league with the Lions and behind only the Packers. Considering the Chargers face neither of those teams this year, this is going to be the best opportunity for players like Larry English, Shaun Phillips and Shawne Merriman to get to the QB and pad their stats.

On the season, the Bolts rank 23rd in yards allowed per game and 28th in points allowed per game. They're allowing 141 rushing yards per game, good for 27th in the league. The passing defense has been solid though, ranking 13th in the league in yards allowed. Although the team's 7 sacks makes them the 29th best team (or 3rd worst) in the league on the pass-rush, the secondary's strong play has put them among the top 10 teams in 40+ yard passing plays allowed and 20+ yard passing plays allowed.

Advantage: Chargers. This will not be the game where Matt Cassel finds his down-field touch. Quentin Jammer and Kevin Ellison should spend a lot of time double-teaming Dwayne Bowe to keep him in check. I'm hopeful that the Bolts get Cassel to the ground at least a couple of times, which should hopefully turn into a turnover or two. If the Chiefs find a way to consistently grind out long-drives and score TDs against the Chargers, I will be very surprised.

When the Chargers have the ball

After their best game of the season against the Broncos, the Chargers' offensive ranks remain relatively the same. They're still in the middle of the pack in terms of offensive yards (14th), towards the top in terms of points per game (9th), struggling with the running game (32nd in rushing yards per game and yards per carry) and awesome with the passing game (5th in passing yards per game). The pass protection hasn't been great, especially at Center and RB, but Philip Rivers has done enough to make that group only 10th worst in terms of sacks allowed.

The Chargers are in trouble if the Chiefs are having success rushing the passer, and have tall cornerbacks to cover the Chargers' tall receivers. The 29th ranked defense for yards allowed per game isn't promising, and neither is being 24th in point allowed per game. KC is ranked 25th in passing yards allowed, but they have faced some pretty tough passing offenses already this season. What really gets me excited for this matchup is that Rivers may actually get the chance to throw the ball consistently without having to run for his life. KC's pass rush has yielded only 9 sacks, putting them one ranking spot better than the Bolts.

Also, and this may sound foolish, I'm expecting a big game from LaDainian Tomlinson. Essentially, LT has been healthy and used in only two games this season. I know we're 2-3, but everyone here knows how much I worry about LT's mileage. I think the rest has been good for him and I do think he looked like an effective RB against the Broncos (4th best run defense in the league). The Chiefs' are ranked 25th in terms of rushing yards allowed per game, and RBs are averaging 4.5 yards per carry against them this season. They have allowed four rushes for over 20 yards this season, which is nearly one per game and makes them 10th worst in the league for that statistic (for the record, the Charger have allowed only two 20+ yard rushes, tying them for 19th worst). I think LT is out to prove to himself, the league, the fans and especially the coaching staff that he's healthy and should be the main RB in this offense at all times. I'm not saying I'm expecting 200 yards and 3 TDs, but 100+ and a score would go a long way towards a victory.

Advantage: Chargers. This is a no-brainer. One of the better offenses in the league against one of the worst defenses in the league. Even if the Chargers' D isn't up to the task of shutting down the Chiefs' offense, the Bolts should be able to easily out-pace KC in a shootout.

With four WRs that are over 6'2", one thing that I've been looking at every week is the height of opposing CBs. The defenses that the Chargers have struggled against (Raiders, Broncos-2nd half, etc.) have been ones with at least 2 CBs of 6' or taller. If all of your CBs are 5'10" or shorter, there will be some 7" mismatches that can't be overlooked. Let's look at the Chiefs' secondary:

Not bad height on their secondary. I'm sure Rivers will attack Flowers whenever he's up against Vincent Jackson or Malcom Floyd, but that probably won't be often. Still, I think the Chargers' gameplan going into this game should be able ball control and instilling confidence back to the running game. If it's not working, Rivers can win the game by himself like he always does against the Chiefs.

Former NFL Corner Otis Smith to the Chiefs as an Advisor

Joel Thorman — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:20:00 -0000

The Kansas City Chiefs have a new set of eyes on the practice field. Per head coach Todd Haley, former NFL cornerback Otis Smith will be with the team for several weeks in some sort of advisor role.

(Photo Source)

"We have a player, Otis Smith, who has been on teams that I’ve been on," Haley said this afternoon. "Excellent DB and we have him for the next couple of weeks to kind of help with some technique things with these younger corners."

Smith began a 14 year NFL career when he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 1990. In '95 he went to the New York Jets, in '96 to the New England Patriots, back to the Jets from '97-99, back to the Patriots from '00-02 and finishing with the Detroit Lions in 2003.

As you can tell, there are Haley/Pioli/Parcells connections abound in that resume. And it doesn't hurt to say that you've added a coach who has intercepted a pass in a Super Bowl, either.

Haley talked about Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers today, commending both of them for some good work but also pointed out that they both have a lot to work on as well. It's unclear exactly what Smith's involvement will be with the corners but, per Haley, it's about emphasizing technique.

"Say, Brandon Carr’s play on the sideline," he said. "He did what he was supposed to do and covered the receiver and the receiver went up and basically won with the ball in the air. I thought Brandon was coming down with it.

"That kind of stuff happens. But when we call a defense and a particular technique is supposed to be played and then we don’t use that technique that’s when you have breakdowns.

According to Haley, bringing Smith on board for a few weeks is just another step in what he believes is a way to get better.

"Like I said," Haley told reporters, "we’ll do anything and everything to try to get better."

Great Fourth Quarter Makes the Chiefs' Loss to the Giants Respectable

Chris Thorman — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 20:15:59 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

2 months ago: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Bobby Wade, left, catches a pass in the end zone for a touchdown while running back Jackie Battle (26) holds off a group of New York Giants defenders during the fourth quarter of a their NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. The Giants won the game 27-16. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Browse more photos »

Chiefs lose, 27 to 16. Stats are here.

Well everyone, I'm glad the Chiefs at least closed the gap in the fourth quarter against the Giants. What was looking to be a blowout turned out to be a respectable showing by KC against a great Giants team.

Here are my quick post game thoughts. Chime in with your defensive and offensive MVPs in the comments.

The Good

Two turnovers by the defense. A fumble recovery caused by Tamba Hali and a Brandon Flowers INT off of a Giants WR Mario Manningham tipped pass were defensive highlights. Hali's strip and fumble were Derrick Thomas-esque.
CB Brandon Carr had some great plays deep in the secondary.
RB Larry Johnson ran with an attitude and energy we haven't seen in a while. He fell forward, broke tackles and looked sharper on his cuts than at any point this season.
RB Jamaal Charles had a 53-yard kick return in the fourth quarter.
LB Mike Vrabel played a great game IMO. He constantly made plays, even if they weren't recorded stats.
TE Sean Ryan came out of the four TE mix to have a fantastic game. One TD catch and led the team in receiving with 48 yards.
WR Bobby Wade had a great TD catch at the end of the game on a busted play. Matt Cassel made a heck of a pass to make that play too.

The Bad

The Chiefs had three fumbles. They only lost one of them but this is a continuing problem.
QB Matt Cassel had a couple of deep ball opportunities that he overthrew.
WR Dwayne Bowe had a couple of missed catches that could be considered drops.
I know the o-line has its issues but I felt like Matt Cassel held on to the ball too long on a few of the sacks.
LT Branden Albert continues to get spooked into penalties.
Matt Cassel didn't have any picks but he could have easily had two or three off of tipped passes.
Goal line play calling was off IMO. Too many passes, not enough runs.
The Chiefs offensive line was again inconsistent. Not as bad as last week but not good either. They're improving, which is why they're in the Bad list and not the Ugly list.

The Ugly

RB Jamaal Charles fumbled on the opening kick off, setting a terrible tone for the rest of the game. His inability to hold on to the football is becoming a huge liability.
The passing game was atrocious for most of the game, except for the fourth quarter. Cassel ended up going 15/32 for 127 yards and two fourth quarter TD passes.
The post halftime onside kick was too risky of a call. Straight out of a video game.

Give us your defensive and offensive MVPs for the Chiefs in the comments. I'm choosing Sean Ryan and Brandon Carr. We'll have more for you later.

Poll

Grade the Chiefs overall performance today.

A

4 votes

B

27 votes

C

261 votes

D

483 votes

F

250 votes

1025 votes | Poll has closed

The Greatest Kansas City Chiefs, By the Numbers: #39

Chris Thorman — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:47:23 -0000

Current #39 CB Brandon Carr may end up being the greatest Chief to come out of this group. It's not exactly a star studded crowd.

RB Mark Bailey (1977-78)
CB Ray Crockett (2001-02)
CB Eric Everett (1991)
RB Stephen Griffin (1987)
RB Bam Morris (1999)
RB Rick Moser (1981)
CB Bruce Pickens (1993)
RB Derrick Ross (2006)
RB Del Thompson (1982)

Drug trafficking, Dazed & Confused and NFL Europe MVPs after the jump...

RB Mark Bailey (1977-78)

A fourth round pick by the Chief in 1977, Bailey played two bruising seasons at fullback. He had 66 and 83 rushing attempts respectively and 266 and 298 yards to go along with them. Throw in two touchdowns and 22 receptions over two years and that's Bailey's KC career.

I caught an old news report that said that Bailey was traded to the Colts for a 5th round pick but I also caught a snippet that said that Bailey's trade to the Eagles was voided because of injury. Regardless, Bailey did not play in the NFL after his time with the Chiefs.

CB Ray Crockett (2001-02)

At the tail end of a long career with the Lions and Broncos, Crockett finished his time in the NFL with two seasons in KC. He had three INTs, one sack and 79 tackles as a Chief.

CB Eric Everett (1991)

Everett was an underwhelming corner who played five seasons in the NFL for the Eagles, Bucs, Chiefs and Vikings. For the Chiefs, he had one sack in 11 game appearances. He was signed in late October 1991.

RB Stephen Griffin (1987)

Griffin was a scab for the Chiefs in during the brief 1987 NFL strike. He had one return of 16 yards in one game appearance.

RB Bam Morris (1999)

A former third round pick by the Steelers in 1994, unfortunately you're probably already aware of Bam Morris' story. Before the Chiefs signed him, he ran into some, um, legal troubles...

Morris has become more well known for his off field legal troubles than his football prowess. On June 27, 1996, Morris pleaded guilty to felony possession of marijuana in a plea bargain deal in front of a Rockwall County, Texas judge. Police testified that they found 4 kilograms of marijuana and one gram of cocaine in his car during a traffic stop. He was fined $7,000 and sentenced to 200 hours of community service and six years probation.

Obviously, Bam Morris had no friends. Why was the NFL player trafficking marijuana? Man, Bam. Come one. You gotta get some lower level peons in your entourage to do stuff like that.

Anyway, in two seasons with the Chiefs, Morris started 14 games and racked up 895 rushing yards on 249 attempts.

RB Rick Moser (1981)

Moser played five seasons in the NFL, with his production dropping off dramatically (to nothing in fact) after his second NFL season. He registered no stats in one game appearance for the Chiefs.

You probably remember Moser best as the assistant coach in Dazed & Confused.

CB Bruce Pickens (1993)

Wow. Kansas City boy Bruce Pickens was the #3 overall pick in the 1991 NFL draft by the Atlanta Falcons. A cornerback. Drafted #3 overall. You got what you deserved Atlanta.

Pickens played two seasons in Atlanta before becoming a journeyman. He would be a Packer, Falcon again and finally, where veteran draft busts go to die, Oakland.

RB Derrick Ross (2006)

via www.kcchiefs.com

Ross was a co-MVP of NFL Europe and ended up playing in seven games for the Chiefs. He had three attempts for eight yards.

RB Del Thompson (1982)

A 5th round pick, Thompson barely played for the Chiefs. He finished his NFL career with four rushing attempts for seven yards.

Let's got at it! Who is the greatest Chief to wear #39?

Who is the greatest Chief to wear #39?

RB Mark Bailey

16 votes

CB Ray Crockett

81 votes

CB Eric Everett

2 votes

RB Stephen Griffin

2 votes

RB Bam Morris

113 votes

RB Rick Moser

5 votes

CB Bruce Pickens

7 votes

RB Derrick Ross

40 votes

RB Dell Thompson

5 votes

Somebody Chris forgot

103 votes

374 votes | Poll has closed

Chiefs Quarterbacks, Secondary Biggest Unknown Heading into Cutdown Day

Joel Thorman — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:13:15 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

4 months ago: Kansas City Chiefs coach Todd Haley, left, talks with general manager Scott Pioli during NFL football training camp in River Falls, Wis., Sunday, Aug. 2, 2009. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Browse more photos »

First off, we've got a must read for you. Over at the Mothership, Josh Looney has a nice chart posted that lists the number of players kept at each position for the '08 and '07 Chiefs, Cardinals and Patriots. It definitely helps give us an idea of how many players the Chiefs might keep at each position this year.

I stress might because, well, the more we learn about this team the more we realize we don't know.

One note to mention is that the '08 and '07 Chiefs didn't run a 3-4 defense so the number of defensive linemen, ends and linebackers will be much different.

Today, however, I want to point out the two positions where I think we'll see good players from the Chiefs hitting the waiver wire. Predicting the cuts for this administration is difficult but as we wind down to the league mandated 53 man roster, it's becoming a numbers game.

Here are the two positions where I think the biggest question marks remain.

Quarterback

I won't spend much time here because, if you've looked at Arrowhead Pride in the last month, you know the quarterback debate has been heated and well discussed.

Matt Cassel is safe. There's no question about that. In my humble opinion, Brodie Croyle is safe as well.

That leaves Tyler Thigpen and Matt Gutierrez as the two battling it out for what is likely to be one position. There's a chance the Chiefs carry four quarterbacks, especially in the early goings as Cassel's injury isn't quite known, but I deem it unlikely. Just my opinion, which would mean something only if I was on the Chiefs payroll.

My best guess: Gutierrez is cut, Thigpen remains.

***

Secondary

Prior to training camp, or even a week into training camp, I never would have guessed this would become arguably the most interesting position battle.

DaJuan Morgan's return from injury is what made this one of the best battles in the '09 version of Chiefs training camp.

We've now heard two rumors about the Chiefs trying to move a safety. The first came a couple weeks back when the Chiefs were rumored to have offered the Lions DaJuan Morgan for a fourth round pick in return. Schwartz and Lions didn't bite. The next rumor, reported by Brad Biggs of the National Football Post, stated the Chiefs were shopping Bernard Pollard. As of this posting, there's been no movement on that front.

The Chiefs worked Mike Brown out in early June then had a month full of OTAs looking at the current safeties and brought him on board. Doesn't that say to you they thought Brown has a very good shot to make this team? It does to me.

Here's my thought process on the whole secondary:

If the Chiefs keep four cornerbacks, they'll probably keep five safeties and we won't be discussing the Pollard/Brown/Morgan issue. This is definitely a possibility. Here are the current corners and who I would release if only four were retained:

Brandon Carr, Brandon Flowers, Maurice Leggett, Donald Washington, Ricardo Colclough and Jackie Bates
That would leave the following safeties: Jarrad Page, Jon McGraw, Bernard Pollard, Mike Brown, DaJuan Morgan and Ricky Price

If the Chiefs keep five cornerbacks, then they're likely keeping Colclough or Bates and it could mean only four safeties are retained:

Page and McGraw probably safe
Two spots for Pollard, Brown and Morgan

With a pair of trade rumors involving Chiefs safeties, something tells me they don't want to keep five. Or it tells me they'll hang onto five, for now, and move one of them. Just a hunch.

My best guess: Chiefs keep four cornerbacks (Carr, Leggett, Flowers and Washington) and five safeties (Page, McGraw, Pollard, Brown and Morgan).

How it all really shakes out? I guess we'll know in about eight hours.