SB Nation - Glenn Dorsey

Five Good Stats from the Chiefs' Loss to the Browns

Chris Thorman — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:45:08 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

1 day ago: Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Cribbs (16) leaps over Kansas City Chiefs safety Mike Brown (30) while running for a short gain during the third quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 20, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. The Browns won 41-34. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Even though the Kansas City Chiefs lost yesterday in stomach turning fashion, they did put up 34 points and 491 yards. When that happens, you're going to have some good stats to talk about.

And not surprisingly, none of those good stats come from the Chiefs defense.

The Chiefs' defense was so surprisingly bad in the absence of DL Glenn Dorsey that it really shocks you to the core. I didn't think we had that many issues on defense...

Demorrio Williams was a active defensive player, making 13 tackles. His name was close to being on this list. He's by far the team's tackle leader by the way. The dynamic duo of Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers each had picks, which was made even more amazing by the fact that the Browns only made 17 pass attempts for 66 yards. It was tempting to put that stat on the list - 66 yards passing - but the Browns were so clearly uninterested in passing the ball that it would be irrelevant to include that total.

On a sleepy Monday morning, here are my five things to make you feel better about the Chiefs game yesterday. We're talking about:

Check 'em out, after the jump.

The Now Weekly Jamaal Charles Appearance

No matter what, Jamaal Charles is going to end up as the Chiefs offensive MVP, if not team MVP of the 2009 season. He rushed 25 times for 154 yards yesterday. He included a 47-yard rushing TD and two catches for 16 yards.

For a relatively talented NFL team, a guy like Jamaal Charles can win you football games. For the Chiefs, it's Charles that's making the Chiefs games even watchable nowadays. He's had all of the Chiefs' rushing touchdowns this season plus the only kick return for a touchdown the team has had.

The only thing holding Charles back, in my opinion, from becoming a long time, full time running back is his tendency to fumble. On the final kickoff of the game, Charles took the ball back near the 30-yard line and fumbled it out of bounds right at the sideline. The Chiefs got the ball back but I think we all flinched a little when it happened. And we weren't too surprised it did.

491 Total Yards, 34 points

The Chiefs racked up major yards against one of the league's worst defenses. 491 total offensive yards and 34 points were both season highs. Here's how the big stat contributors break down:

QB Matt Cassel, 331 yards passing
RB Jamaal Charles, 170 total yards
WR Chris Chambers, 114 yards receiving
TE Brad Cottam, 62 yards recieving
WR Dwayne Bowe, 56 yards receiving

The Chiefs didn't have a lot of long drives to contribute to that 491 total. Out of thirteen drives, the Chiefs only had three, three and outs. The Chiefs consistently moved the ball, albeit against a poor defense.

It was the best offensive performance of the season for KC. The Chiefs ran the ball well; made some big plays; and converted on 2/4 red zone attempts.

Matt Cassel's Best Game of the Season

Cassel bounced back from three straight sub par games to put together a gutsy performance, performing his best in the fourth quarter as usual.

The Chiefs QB passed for 331 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs. Although, there was one pass near the goal line that really should have been intercepted if the Browns defender wasn't a total klutz. He ended up with a QB rating of 99.1 on 22/40 attempts. Include a reported nine WR drops in those numbers, and you can see Cassel had a great game. 331 yards passing was by far Cassel's best of the season - by 69 yards in fact.

The Chiefs' official wide receiver drop number is around 30 I believe. Todd Haley says it's more like fifty but we'll take thirty for now. If we add just that low estimate of thirty onto Cassel's season completions, his completion percentage jumps from 54% to 61.5%. That's a big jump and hitting that 60% number is really nice to see in a QB's stats.

Dustin Colquitt > Josh Cribbs

Josh Cribbs tore up the Chiefs special teams unit on kickoff returns, when he had the extra space the get a running start. On kickoff returns, Cribbs averaged nearly 40 yards on kickoff returns but only averaged 8 yards on punt returns. He was essentially neutralized on punt returns by Colquitt and the special teams unit.

We Could Be Talking about Chambers being the #1 WR

Chris Chambers had another great game for the Chiefs, catching five passes for 114 yards and a TD. He and Bowe are tied for the team lead in receiving TDs and Chambers is only 28 yards receiving yards behind Bowe for the season. Bowe has only played in one more game for the Chiefs than Chambers has.

Chambers has the Chiefs' best two receiving games this year, yesterday and against Pittsburgh. Him and Matt Cassel are building a repoire as well, which is something we haven't really seen around KC in a few seasons. Right now, Chambers is the biggest threat in the WR corp.

***

Give us your thoughts on these stats in the comments. It's not all bad, right?

Poll

Which one of these is the best stat?

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 12/17

NJ Chiefs Fan — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 11:59:02 -0000

via KansasCity.com

Happy Thursday! Here is your daily dose of Kansas City Chiefs News. Long day at work today. Tomorrow is our holiday party (half non-work day) then vacation for me. Sunday will be my last post until Tuesday the 29th. I'm lucky enough to be spending the holiday on a cruise, and I'm not sure what my internet access will be. I'm looking forward to it. The last time I was on a cruise in the Caribbean, the boat was haze gray and launching aircraft. This should be better.

The Chiefs offense continues to struggle. It was abundantly apparent last Sunday when they played a mediocre Buffalo defense.

While they were able to produce 354 yards – their second best yardage day of the 2009 season – they were able to score but 10 points and one touchdown. They turned the ball over four times. They allowed four sacks.

In all, they had 20 negative plays, a number they should reach over three or four games, not just one. They are 80 percent through their season and they are still making a remarkable number of mistakes. That total of 20 included four sacks, four interceptions, four offensive penalties, three passes for minus-yardage and five running plays for minus-yards.

Essentially the Chiefs big offensive day came down to a 76-yard touchdown run by Jamaal Charles

Working The Offense … Thursday Cup O’Chiefs from Bob Gretz

"I count drops and always have, and have been a pretty critical judge in that area," said Chiefs coach Todd Haley, a former wide-receivers coach. "I do feel like if a receiver gets his hands on it, he should come up with it. That’s what they get paid for. We’ve had way too many.

"There is no trick to it. You’ve got to (work on catching the ball) before practice and after practice. You can’t catch enough balls and practice your craft, whoever it is, tight ends, receivers or backs, because everybody has a hand in it. We need to do a better job. Those are things this young team can’t overcome. We’ve shown that. We can’t overcome dropped balls. The games that we’ve done a good job of catching the ball, we’ve been pretty competitive. When we haven’t, it’s been an additional thing that’s been too hard for us to overcome."

Chiefs in bad hands with their receivers from KC Star

Chiefs wide receiver Dwayne Bowe returned to practice Wednesday and worked with the first-team offense, picking up where he left off before a four-week suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Bowe wouldn’t answer reporters’ questions after the workout, instead saying that he’d have something to say after Kansas City’s home finale Sunday against Cleveland.

Coach Todd Haley said that Bowe, who reported to the team’s offseason conditioning program last spring about 30 pounds over his target weight, maintained his fitness during his four weeks away from Chiefs headquarters. Haley said he spoke with Bowe before the suspension but the team couldn’t be in contact with him during his punishment.

Chiefs notebook: Bowe works with first-team offense in return to practice from KC Star

Not that anyone needs extra time to prepare for the Chiefs -- they are 3-10, including losses to both Denver and Buffalo. But the extra days provide fresher legs and give bodies additional time to heal up from injuries. Those become late-season edges.

But the Chiefs are a small-market team and the NFL pays little regard to the wants and needs of small-market teams when drawing up its schedule.

Unfair scheduling: Chiefs' rested opponents from The Dallas Morning News

It was November 15, and Kansas City had not only beaten the Oakland Raiders 16-10, it might have been their most complete game of the season. The Chiefs threw for over 200 yards, ran for over 100 and Bowe was in the middle of it all, catching six passes for 91 yards, his second-best total in 2009.

Even without Bowe, the upswing continued a week later against the Pittsburgh Steelers in a thrilling 27-24 win. It might have been Matt Cassel’s best game this season, as he threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. At the time, it appeared as if the Chiefs perhaps didn’t need Bowe as much as some had previously thought.

Three weeks later, that hypothesis has been smashed to bits.

Can Bowe Save The Chiefs? from WPI

In the old days, the Romans used career soldiers called centurions to indoctrinate the men in the ranks. Among the new centurions in the NFL is Mike Vrabel, of Walsh Jesuit, Ohio State and the Browns' opponent this Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Before New England's coaching staff made Vrabel a central element of three Super Bowl champions, he was a spare part in Pittsburgh. After New England, he and Matt Cassel, who baby-sat the quarterback position when Tom Brady was hurt last season, were traded to Kansas City for a second-round draft pick.

Cassel is the player of the future; Vrabel is the veteran exemplar.

Wins (for now) aren't the measure of Mike Vrabel's leadership with Chiefs: Bill Livingston from The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Todd Haley compared Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel's situation in Kansas City to that of Brady Quinn's here.

"Matt is a young quarterback experience-wise," said Haley. "Even though he was a backup there in New England for a few years, he's not had a lot of game experience -- even the well-documented college experience where he was a backup at USC. He's no different than a lot of these young guys, Brady Quinn included. They need game experience and the bullets have to be flying.

Chiefs equate Cassel's growth with Quinn's: Browns Insider, with Tony/Mary Kay video from The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Quarterback Brady Quinn:
(On the Kansas City defense)- "Besides their record, they have a lot of talented guys up front. They have (Tamba) Hali coming off the edge. I played against guys like Glenn Dorsey in college. I know that they are tremendous players. I played against Corey Mays, obviously, I was on the same team as him. You know they are talented across the board and across the secondary as well. They do a great job of getting turnovers in the red zone as well as applying pressure. They have some crafty veterans too, guys like Mike Vrabel, who are able to make plays and do some good things in there."

Cleveland Browns: Wednesday open locker room quotes; David Bowens, Josh Cribbs, Brady Quinn from The Cleveland Plain Dealer

Chiefs personnel czar Scott Pioli and Mangini got to know each other as young grunts on Bill Belichick’s 1990s Browns staff, then found themselves moving to Baltimore in 1996.

"Scott actually is responsible for me meeting Julie," Mangini said Wednesday. "On the relocation weekend to Baltimore ... Scott was friends with Mark (Shapiro). He was going out and he said, ‘Hey, do you want to come out? We’re going to meet my buddy’s sister and her girlfriends and, look, you can talk to any of the girls ... just don’t talk to my buddy’s sister.’ "

The buddy was Mark Shapiro, now the general manager of the Cleveland Indians.

"Of course, I sat next to her," Mangini said. "We ended up talking, and now we’re married. He’s responsible for that, and I thank him for that."
Browns Notebook: Chiefs' Pioli Introduced Mangini to Future Wife from CantonRep.com

Cleveland at Kansas City - Wow … I … can't … wait … for … this … game. … It … doesn't … get … any … more … exciting … than … this. Guru: Chiefs 12-7; Vegas: Chiefs by 1.5.
Jr. attempts to pull a Sergio in Sr.'s stead from The Durango Herald

Chiefs Trail Bills by Seven at the Half

Chris Thorman — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 19:26:28 -0000

More photos » by Orlin Wagner - AP

8 days ago: Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Ron Edwards (95) gets to a fumbled ball before Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Kirk Chambers (73) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick fumbled the ball. Chiefs took over on the 26-yard line. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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Besides two turnovers, which the Chiefs did not turn into points, the first half of this game has been uneventful. It's 10 to 3 in favor of the Bills.

Here are some notes on the second quarter. My notes on the first quarter are here.

Positives

The direct snap to Jamaal Charles with the Cassel fake fumble was a good play call, if only because Matt Cassel fumbles so much.
Jamaal Charles is turning into a really solid red zone threat. The extra 2-3 yards he can get on a burst/dive at the end of a run are huge.
Brandon Carr's strip of Bills WR Nelson was awesome and the second turnover of the day for the Bills. It gave the Chiefs the ball at mid-field.
Leonard Pope getting some action - he's had a couple of catches this game already.
Two 4th and 1 conversions for the Chiefs. They faced 4th and 1 three times in the first half.
Matt Cassel, besides a few over thrown passes, is playing very well - 18/24 for 145 yards.

Negatives

Matt Cassel had Mark Bradley open on a deep pass but he overthrew it - twice.
Brandon Albert's false start penalty negated a big first down pass and catch from Cassel to Charles.
Chiefs gave up a sack on 3rd and 3 to force a punt.
Mike Vrabel dropped a sure interception with about four minutes to go in the half.
Glenn Dorsey left the game with two minutes left because of a knee injury. His return is questionable.

I think this is the game a lot of people expected - not too exciting and both teams playing a bit sloppy on both sides of the ball.

Dorsey, Edwards and Krumrie Highlight Chiefs and Bills Connections

Chris Thorman — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:00:30 -0000

by David Duprey - AP

2 months ago: Buffalo Bills' Kawika Mitchell is carted off the field after being injured during the first half of the NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Orchard Park, N.Y., Sunday Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

View full size photo »

The normal five comments this connection post gets each week will likely be zero today because there is really nothing of interest to point out between the Kansas City Chiefs' and the Buffalo Bills' connections.

Let's see. Our nose tackle was a Bill for five seasons. One of our tight ends is from Buffalo. And Glenn Dorsey has a cousin on the team.

Whoopty do.

To make this post more interesting than it already is, can you think of some guys from earlier years that were both Bills and Chiefs? Getcha coffee ready (Yeah, that was a bad TO reference. You got a problem with that?).

Chiefs GM Scott Pioli ('88-89) and asst. GM Joel Collier ('88-89) were graduate assistants at Syracuse. Collier was born in Buffalo, NY.
Collier's father, Joe Collier, served as the Bills head coach ('66-68), leading the club to the '66 AFL Championship Game vs. Kansas City.
Chiefs DL coach Tim Krumrie held the same role with Buffalo (2003-05).
Chiefs DT Ron Edwards spent five seasons with Buffalo (2001-05).
Bills asst. to the head coach/special projects Chuck Lester was a scout for three seasons with the Chiefs ('84-86).
Chiefs offensive quality control coach Nick Sirianni is a native of Jamestown, NY.
Kansas City TE Sean Ryan is a native of Buffalo, NY.
Buffalo asst. LBs/special teams coach DeMontie Cross played ('94-96) and coached ('98-99) at Missouri.
Bills P Brian Moorman is a native of Wichita, KS and played collegiately at Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, KS.
Bills LB Kawika Mitchell is currently on IR. He entered the NFL as a second-round (47th overall) selection of the Chiefs in 2003.
Chiefs DE Glenn Dorsey is the cousin of the Bills TE Shawn Nelson.
Buffalo offensive quality control coach Nathaniel Hackett is the son of former Kansas City offensive coordinator Paul Hackett.

Let us know if you come up with any players that were Bills and Chiefs.

Chiefs LB Tamba Hali Does His Best Derrick Thomas Impersonation

Joel Thorman — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:40:30 -0000

More photos » by Reed Hoffmann - AP

15 days ago: Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton (8) is sacked by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Tamba Hali during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

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Though the final score to the Kansas City Chiefs contest against the Denver Broncos wasn't what we wanted, LB Tamba Hali did conjure up memories of a certain former Chiefs player.

Hali forced two fumbles, both recovered by Glenn Dorsey. He also had three sacks, which extends his team lead 6.5 sacks.

“He had a perfect game,” Dorsey said. “He applied pressure and was in their backfield all day. I told Tamba I have to take him out to eat or something. Every time he was getting back there, I was getting a fumble (recovery).”

And just for good measure he added nine tackles, a team high.

There were two consecutive plays that were especially memorable. On the first one, Hali chased down Orton for his first sack of the day. On the second play, as he was being held by a Broncos offensive lineman, he got to Orton again and sacked him stripping the ball. The penalty was called, Chiefs declined and took the ball for the first of two Hali-forced turnovers.

All in all, the Chiefs put up 10 or their 13 points coming off of Hali turnovers.

It's fitting that Hali had the best game of his pro career on the same day Derrick Thomas had his jersey retired, which would have been the story if the Chiefs had won.

Chiefs LB Mike Vrabel said he wishes they could have won for a guy like Hali. "Tamba did a great job," he said. "He played a heck of a game."

Chiefs fans were encouraged to wear their No. 58 jerseys. They were all over the place. It seems that everyone had (or has) a DT jersey. He was one of the most popular figures in the city.

While their play was similar yesterday, DT the man doesn't seem anything like Hali, who hasn't talked to the media all year. Think about it. The best game of your career and you don't talk to anyone about it.

Well, he did have three words to say, according to Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star.

"I appreciate Derrick."

I think DT would have been proud yesterday.

Chiefs Down by Eight at Half to the Broncos

Chris Thorman — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:29:20 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

15 days ago: Denver Broncos tight end Daniel Graham (89) gets past Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher (59) to score a touchdown during the first quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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It's 14 to 6 in favor of the Denver Broncos.

A Tamba Hali strip and the subsquent recovery by Glenn Dorsey gave the ball the Chiefs at mid field, which led to their second field goal of the half.

It's been a rough day for the Chiefs. They're getting stomped on defense and the offense stalled on the 1-yard line and had to settle for three points.

The stats for the first half are after the jump.


1st Downs	14	7
Passing 1st downs	7	3
Rushing 1st downs	6	4
1st downs from penalties	1	0
3rd down efficiency	1-4	4-10
4th down efficiency	0-0	0-0
Total Plays	35	35
Total Yards	223	108
Passing	92	45
Comp-Att	9-14	7-17
Yards per pass	6.6	2.6
Rushing	131	63
Rushing Attempts	19	17
Yards per rush	6.9	3.7
Red Zone (Made-Att)	2-3	0-1
Penalties	2-15	2-20
Turnovers	2	0
Fumbles lost	1	0
Interceptions thrown	1	0
Possession	16:39	13:19

Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 12/5

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Magic Number for Denver> from Bob Gretz

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

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

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

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

Kyle Orton is the starting quarterback of the Denver Broncos.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Broncomaniac wannabe from The Denver Post

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

Broncos S Dawkins questionable for Chiefs from KMTR.com

Going tweet-free this morning.

Chiefs DEs Dorsey and Jackson Getting Attention of Broncos Coach

Joel Thorman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 16:00:24 -0000

by Orlin Wagner - AP

Broncos coach Josh McDaniels talked about Chiefs DE Tyson Jackson. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

View full size photo »

Way, way back in March and April, as teams prepared for the NFL Draft, a lot of folks were linking Tyson Jackson to 3-4 defense teams in the first round. Jackson had been called the prototypical 3-4 defensive end and apparently caught the eye of a few teams.

One of those clubs was the Broncos. Yesterday Broncos coach Josh McDaniels talked about the Chiefs defensive ends, first year Tyson Jackson and second year Glenn Dorsey. He said both players are "playing well, penetrating at times."

Quotes after the jump come via MileHighReport.com.

"I know something we liked about Jackson this year when we looked at him was he was able to hold a point in the running game, which he can do," McDaniels said.

"Both of them have been disruptive at times in the backfield in the running game and added some things to the pass rush at times inside, also. (They are) two big bodies (who are) hard to move out. You’ve got to do a nice job of staying tight on any kind of double-team blocks or anything like that or else they can get into the backfield and create some problems for you and put you in long-yardage situations.

He also said a focal point for the Broncos this week has been avoiding third and long situations because teams haven't fared well in those situations against the Chiefs.

The former Pats coordinator also talked a little bit about drafting philosophy. It seems like reporters were prodding him a little bit on the link between Jackson and the Broncos.

"I don’t want to speak for anybody else in terms of their philosophy, but I know (Jackson and Dorsey) are two good players."

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)

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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?

The Chiefs Start the Second Half of the Season at 0 - 0

Jon Yoon — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:00:32 -0000

by Orlin Wagner - AP

about 1 month ago: FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2009 photo, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson (56) tackles Oakland Raiders quarterback JaMarcus Russell (2) during the first half of a NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo. For six weeks, Johnson has been benched, taken out of the lineup for reasons that have never been made public. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

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I realize that the second half of the Chiefs' season doesn't officially start until next week, but given the bye week, it really feels like the second half of the season started on Monday. Doesn't it?

I know the idea that the Chiefs are now 0-0 starting today is cliché and may seem like a worthless statistic, but it's actually a pretty crucial measure in a rebuild. Before the season started, there were many that said they would be okay with a 4-12 record as long as the team looked like it was improving throughout the year and as long as the bulk of those wins came in the second half of the season. Hopefully that second half momentum would carry through to 2010.

Because to me, the second half of the season in a rebuilding year is a pivot point. The first half of the season revolves around testing and learning. Lather. Rinse. Repeat. You throw a lot of young guys into the fire and some hop out of the fire, while many of them smolder. You give players time to buy into a new offensive and defensive philosophy, to buy into a new coaching staff and a new culture. In the case of the Chiefs, you have to coach players to play in entirely different schemes. Not just the 3-4. It's a completely new blocking scheme. It's a completely new offense.

The second half of the season should represent a point where players either get it or they don't. You can't dangle the same excuse that players are still learning. Todd Haley gets that. He was pretty out of character in his last press conference. I was expecting him to rant and rave about what a lousy performance his team put in against the Chargers. They certainly deserved the criticism. Instead, Haley focused on the positives. Haley was obviously more excited that his players were starting to "get it," even if his team got routed in that effort. As a motivational tool, it gives the players a fresh start. When the playoffs are out of reach, it's very easy to lose motivation, especially when the first half of the season was so frustrating. If the Chiefs play solid football for the rest of the season, they'll celebrate their improvement and that will carry over week after week.

Another reason the Chiefs' second half should technically start this week is that there is also a major pivot in terms of schedule strength. Their remaining schedule is significantly weaker than it was in the first half. They got the entire NFC East out of the way and they've already taken on one of the AFC North's behemoths. In the second half, the Chiefs get Jacksonville, Buffalo, Oakland, and Cleveland. While none of those games are shoo-ins, they are winnable games. Contrast that with the first half of the season, when the Chiefs only really had two (Oakland and Washington).

Don't get your hopes up. If the Chiefs win 4 games or more in the second half of the season, that would be pretty remarkable. Rather than obsess over wins/losses, here are two things you can look out for: 1) are the Chiefs improving as a team? 2) are the Chiefs getting a lot of improvement from their foundational guys or from their stopgaps? Here are some things to watch for in the second half of the season:

Can they get 3 to 4 wins? If the Chiefs win 3 to 4 more games, that will be a huge accomplishment for a Chiefs' team that is currently on pace to match their pathetic 2-14 record from last season.
Watch Branden Albert's progress. I haven't given up on Albert. People forget that he's learning to play at a completely different weight in a completely different blocking scheme. I wouldn't pay too much attention to the rest of the line. Remember, we're focusing on improvement that can carry over to next season. I hope that Mike Goff improves his pass protection only because it helps Cassel develop as a pocket quarterback, but who really cares about how that impacts the Chiefs in the long-term? Goff and Niswanger aren't a part of the answer after this season, and I'm not entirely sure if O'Callaghan does either.
We need to resign ourselves to the fact that Matt Cassel will probably never have great protection this season. It is what it is. You'd still like to see him improve his accuracy on intermediate routes. I personally believe he has improved markedly at getting rid of the ball faster, but he'll need to get better at that too. That means picking up blitzes. All of those things.
Consistency on the Defensive Line. Forget about tackles and sacks. When you watch Glenn Dorsey and especially Tyson Jackson, hopefully you'll see some fundamental improvements in each of these guys. Jackson, as expected, is horribly inconsistent as a 5-technique Defensive End, but with Vrabel helping Jackson to understand the position, you hope he'll start to get it. Once Jackson and Dorsey both start to consistently get it, you're going to see some major improvements in both the run defense and our pass rush.
The running game is an interesting situation, because it feels like they might have one piece, but it's unclear whether they have the full puzzle. Jamaal Charles has the upside to be a nice complementary back. And that back is probably not Kolby Smith, nor is it any other back on this roster. Consider the primary back in KC to be a stopgap and pay close attention to Charles. Charles has flashed potential, but he hasn't shown it with any consistency. The Chiefs will hopefully use the rest of the season to see how high that ceiling actually is.
Unless Dajuan Morgan kicks some serious butt, none of the Chiefs' safeties have played well enough to justify keeping their job in 2010. That includes Page, as sad as that it is to say.
This might turn a few heads, but I think Dwayne Bowe has a lot to prove over the course of the season if he wants to be this team's go-to receiver threat. With his inconsistency, his knack for dropping key passes on key third downs, and his knack for disappearing in stretches, one has to call into question whether he has any future as the Chiefs' primary target. He would undoubtedly make an outstanding #2 receiver. I can't help but wonder if much of his previous success was due to the presence of Tony Gonzalez. However, no matter which way you slice it, the Chiefs will need wide receiver help at some point. After all, Chris Chambers isn't going to be any kind of a long-term solution.
Mike Vrabel. Yeah, that sounds weird, because he's clearly not in the Chiefs' long-term plans. But one of the key foundational elements to the Chiefs' defense is the progression of Tyson Jackson. If Jackson does his job, you never notice it, but you might see Vrabel get progressively better as the season goes along. So on the one hand, you can pay attention to Tyson Jackson and see how he progresses; on the other hand, if that's too boring for you, then watch Vrabel instead and see if he's getting absorbed by blockers.
The offensive line is what it is. I just don't see any long-term options on the line outside of Albert. The starters aren't very good and the backups don't have any real upside. You hope Waters can milk out a few more productive years. You hope Albert continues to improve. The rest of the line, you just hope that they can become as "not horrible" as they can possibly be. That's a sad reality that we have to face.

The Chiefs need to start fresh and forget about how frustrating the first half of 2009 was. You can't walk in to the second half of the season with the expectation that the Chiefs will somehow, magically pull a playoff season out of their back pocket. However, if the Chiefs see some improvement in the above areas and steal a few wins along the way, that's a very good thing for the team.