We've had some surprising debate over the release of Connor Barth this week.  I personally have taken the position that this was a mistake.  Many have expressed their surprise at the high level of debate (drama) this has sparked here at AP.  I'll try to keep it short enough, but I wanted to make the case as to why this is a critical position and getting it right is so important.

In defense of Barth's release by the Chiefs, many here are of the opinion that if Succop sucks, we'll get rid of him and bring in the next kicker.  It's not a big deal because they don't have to learn the playbook.  Well, true, they don't but...

Continue reading this post »

I’m sure that most of us here already know the answer to this question.  For anyone who doesn’t, Mr. Irrelevant is the dubious title that is bestowed upon the one lucky fellow who his selected with the final pick in each year’s NFL draft.  Since the Chiefs were awarded this year’s final pick, a couple questions came to mind.

I was curious to see if the Chiefs had ever chosen Mr. Irrelevant before.  As it turns out, they have.  In 1970 they selected a DB our of Alcorn A&M by the name of Rayford Jenkins.  But of course, Primetime07 already stole my thunder here.

I also wanted to see who else had been chosen as Mr. Irrelevant and if any of them had gone on to transcend their lofty title as a well known player in the NFL.  Sadly, I have to admit that I didn’t recognize a single name on the list.  While this could mean that the title of Mr. Irrelevant is appropriate and nobody who’s been selected with the final pick has ever amounted to a hill of beans as a player, the more likely scenario is that my knowledge of football history is truly underwhelming and I don’t have a clue.  :-/  I figured I’d compile the list and let my AP brethren get us all up to speed.

Before I do that, there were a couple of interesting tidbits that I found along the way.  First off, it appears that the draft has really evolved over the years.  When you consider that there were fewer teams in the league and when you back to say, 1967, Mr. Irrelevant was taken with the 445th pick.  Look at 1976 which ended at pick #487.  Compare that with last year’s Mr. Irrelevant who was taken at #255. Wow!  Seems like the draft would have lasted a week!

A couple of other curious items that I was unaware of were two old-school field positions.  Going back to 1963 and beyond there were players listed at positions “B” and “E.”  I have no idea what they are and the little bit of Google research that I had time to do came up fruitless.  I was hoping one of you geniuses could enlighten those of us who aren't in the know.

Anyway, here’s the history of Mr. Irrelevant:

It’s obvious that we have several schools-of-thought here at AP on what the Chiefs should do to fill our numerous gaping roster holes and we’ve seen all sorts of creative rationalizations to support those views.  Admittedly, I have mixed emotions about many of them.  One day I’ll feel strongly in favor of a certain argument and then the next day…  not so much.  

We should go with Michael Crabtree because he’s the best player available.  We should take Stafford because he’s the best draft prospect for a franchise QB.  Swing a deal with New England for Matt Cassel because we know what he can do.  The arguments go on and on.  I’m just as confused as anyone when it comes to what the Chiefs will do with any of these decisions, so I went outside of our community for some perspective that I’d like to share with all of you.

Continue reading this post »

Now that the Kansas City Chiefs have filled their General Manager position with Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel, Scott Pioli, we here at Arrowhead Pride have shifted our focus to the team's remaining off-season issues.  This past week we’ve hotly debated questions that include how the team should use the 3rd overall pick in the 2009 draft,  what free agent acquisitions should be targeted with $45 million in salary-cap room and  what the fates of veteran stars Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzales will be?

My favorite debate rages over KC’s coaching situation;  Should Herm Edwards be retained for the remaining year of his contract to attempt to capitalize on his roster rebuilding efforts in 2008? Or should he be terminated and replaced by one of several hot prospects?

I’ll lay it out there as I understand it, and if I’m off a tick… I’m sure you won’t hesitate to tell me how or why.  Of course if I missed anything, throw it out there. Let’s break it down.

Continue reading this post »