Per 610 radio and specifically Nick Wright. Nick reported that he spoke to a number of people in the Chiefs organization that Pioli would have let Haley go sometime after the Indy game. Nick didn't give any names of who he obtained the information from, but he said he had heard the information and followed up with his sources within the Chiefs to confirm this. Well, at least it won't be a slow news week. Take it for whatever it's worth.

Greetings Colts fans!

 You'll be going up against a team that is 1-3 with a plethora of injuries and a depth chart that would make the XFL shake their heads.

 

Currently the Chiefs have a number of starters injured (I know you folks can relate and I'm sorry for that). RB Jamaal Charles, TE Tony Moeaki, S Eric Berry. All starters that are/were instrumental in the Chiefs going to the playoffs last year.

 

Playoffs? Playoffs? You want to talk about Payoffs? -Well, no. But stranger things have happened.

 

The match-up IMHO will be come down between the effectiveness of our QB's -Cassell vs. Painter.

 

So my questions start with:

How is your defensive secondary playing? (We have Bowe and Breaston that we are "hoping" will continue to play well)

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

 

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/George_Santayana

George Santayana (16 December 1863 in Madrid, Spain – 26 September 1952 in Rome, Italy), was a philosopher, essayist poet and novelist. 

 

My mind was wandering as I was contemplating the Chiefs precarious current position of being 0-2 after having been to the playoffs and losing in the first round the prior year. Reading numerous opinions on Arrowhead Pride my mind went from ownership, coaching, team play, management and back through the juggernaut of the aforementioned when I decided to start contemplating on previous Chiefs teams I remembered. Maybe it's a sign of my old mature age in that I tend to come to a point that I begin to take a step back. Maybe it's a sign that I get tired of the self-inflicted diatribe.

I'm sure there are some here that remember John Mackovic and even more that don't. When I started thinking about him, I began to remember similarities to the current Chiefs situation. Then again, "memory" can be a thing that changes as time passes so I decided to do a bit of research.

Was it how I remembered? Why am I having "deja vu all over again"? (Yogi Berra-ism)

So let's take a brief look at Coach Mack otherwise this will turn into a much longer post than I intended. Maybe I'm the only one to see the correlation in some aspects of player/coach relations as well as attitude, and if the reader finds I'm way off base then so be it. I'll concentrate on some of the troubling similarities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mackovic

John Mackovic (born October 1, 1943)

Mackovic had his first HC Wake Forest from 1978 to 1980. Mackovic led his teams to a 14–20 record.In 1979, he was named the Coach of the Year by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.

In 1981, Tom Landry hired Mackovic as assistant head coach and quarterback coach with the Dallas Cowboys, with whom he spent two seasons before accepting a head coaching job with the Kansas City Chiefs in 1983. Mackovic would later name himself his offensive coordinator, a position he held all four seasons in Kansas City. Mackovic's first three Chiefs teams missed the playoffs. In his final season, the Chiefs made the playoffs as a wild card, their first playoff appearance in 15 years and only their second since the AFL–NFL merger. However, owner Lamar Hunt fired Mackovic only days after they were eliminated in the first round due to a lack of chemistry.[2] The catalyst behind Mackovic's dismissal was a meeting between Hunt and eight of the most prominent Chiefs.[3] Mackovic's record with the Chiefs was 30–34.

The thing that stuck out with me was the reference to "the meeting" and remembering the players being involved. I guess the correlation in my mind was the supposed exchange between the Haley and Waters which stuck out (22 guys off the street).

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/mike_fish/news/2002/11/15/fish_straight_shooting/

Here are some snippets that stood out from this article. If you get a chance to read the whole article, it is a very good read by writer Mike Fish.

Mackovic has long been known to tick off players and even his own coaches with his snide, biting comments. The man isn’t red-faced and vulgar. Rather, it’s his air of aloofness and superiority that tends to make the blood boil....

...The last time Mackovic's players protested his actions, some 16 years ago, Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt sided with the players and fired him. Hunt probably had had enough of Mackovic, anyhow.

....I come with the perspective of having been part of the Kansas City newspaper’s coverage of the Chiefs in 1986. That season, which was Mackovic’s fourth in K.C., the Chiefs improved to 10-6 and made their first playoff appearance in 15 years. But days after a playoff loss to the New York Jets, Hunt drove to the home of place-kicker Nick Lowery for a meeting with him and seven other players, including Pro Bowlers Deron Cherry, Art Still and Albert Lewis.

...Within hours of huddling with the players, Hunt fired Mackovic and handed the job to Gansz.

Behind his back, some K.C. coaches referred to Mackovic as Mouse-ovic. They spoke of him as being whiney and unwilling to take blame when the offense, his specialty, faltered.

Which reminds me of his words after his undoing in Kansas City years ago: “It was a surprise, I think that’s a safe thing to say."

Well folks, you can come to your own correlations here, if you see any. Personally I was a bit taken aback by earlier comments this week from Coach Haley about the offense as well as some of the written (true or untrue) articles/comments about his disagreements with other coaches/players on his staff historically. I won't go through all of them since most AP'ers already are well aware of the debates.

If anyone has any additional memories of Coach Mack, chime in. The correlation is just how I see it. I'm not saying that Haley and Mackovic's paths and responses are identical, I'm just seeing similarities that you might be able to conclude....or maybe not.

For those that missed out and still want to be in a league, I've done the yahoo FF for the past 6 years:

 

20 team league (max)

 

League ID: 131611

 

password: christhorman

 

League URL:

 

 

http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/131611

 

-League Details- Yahoo Fantasy Football

 

League Name-ArrowheadPride-2K11

 

League Owner- THE_TRUTH

 

Teams- 20

 

Scoring- Head 2 Head (Basic Scoring rules)

 

Draft Type- Autodraft (yes, by some fluke I'll get Jamarcus Russell)

 

Roster Positions- QB WR WR WR RB RB TE K DEF

 

With all the movie sequels coming out (for decades), it was high time they came out with a sequel to this movie. As I was watching the trailer for this, somehow I wasn't thinking about baseball, it made me think about football instead.

 

Who would've thought a baseball movie would make you think about football? Well here it is for all those folks that have been effected by the football stoppage. Maybe you can get the same feeling I got when watching this and think about football :)

 

Taylor Lautner -Plays Kevin Costner's part

 

Kevin Costner -Plays his Dad, errr, well not his own Dad like in the original. That would be like an episode of "Family Guy"

 

Ray Liotta -The commish.

 

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/7836326dd7/field-of-dreams-2-nfl-lockout-with-taylor-lautner?rel=player

Greetings fellow Chiefs fans. Well, I've been quiet most of the pre-draft discussions, just lurking, reading other folks' posts and deriving my own conclusions on who we should/shouldn't draft. Was WR a reach for me? yes and no, hot and cold...especially since I've always thought FA or later round picks were wise (but I've somewhat changed my mind researching the following.) But here is a breakdown of 1st Round WR picks since 2000.These are listed in order of draft pick Hit or miss?....Your call although some are way early to tell.

2010

Demaryius Thomas Broncos

Dez Bryant Cowboys

2009

Darrius Heyward-Bey Raiders

Michael Crabtree 49ers

Jeremy Maclin Eagles

Percy Harvin Vikings

Hakeem Nicks Giants

Kenny Britt Titans

2008

No WR's picked in 1st round.

2007

Calvin Johnson Lions

Ted Ginn Jr. Dolphins

Dwayne Bowe Chiefs

Robert Meachem Saints

Craig Davis Chargers

Anthony Gonzalez Colts

2006

Santonio Holmes Steelers

2005

Braylon Edwards Browns

Troy Williamson Vikings

Mike Williams Lions

Matt Jones Jaguars

Mark Clayton Ravens

Roddy White Falcons

2004

Larry Fitzgerald Cardinals

Roy Williams Lions

Reggie Williams Jaguars

Lee Evans Bills

Michael Clayton Buccaneers

Michael Jenkins Falcons

Rashaun Woods 49ers

2003

Charles Rogers Lions

Andre Johnson Texans

Bryant Johnson Cardinals

2002

Donte' Stallworth Saints

Ashley Lelie Broncos

Javon Walker Packers

2001

David Terrell Bears

Koren Robinson Seahawks

Rod Gardner Redskins

Santana Moss Jets

Freddie Mitchell Eagles

Reggie Wayne Colts

2000

Peter Warrick Bengals

Plaxico Burress Steelers

Travis Taylor Ravens

Sylvester Morris Chiefs

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/sports/ravens/article_89752a7a-1aa6-11e0-a2bb-001cc4c03286.html

I was listening to 610 with Nick Wright earlier and he mentioned that when Ed Reed's brother jumped in the water to elude police, he never resurfaced. Thoughts and prayers to the family.

Louisiana law enforcement officials are on a manhunt for the brother of Baltimore Ravens star free safety Ed Reed, according to WWL-TV. According to police, Brian Reed is wanted in St. Rose, La., after jumping in the Mississippi River to elude police. Reed's mother, Karen Reed, acknowledged that her son, Brian Reed, has had problems with drugs and alcohol in the past.

Video followup on the following link:

http://www.fox8live.com/news/local/story/Deputies-search-river-for-man-who-could-be-Ed/R_zKn0xtWkmEHL3Z1EDIgg.cspx

The driver told the officer he ran out of gas. As the officer left the scene to help find fuel, he learned the car the man was driving was stolen. When the officer returned and asked for identification, the man fled. He ran over the levee and jumped into the river, according to authorities. The officer never saw the man surface. Deputies are still searching for the suspect.

http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-baltimore-vs-kansas-city-tv-an-01072011,0,1622329.story?track=rss

 

Well, I actually find it interesting that the Baltimore Anchors had no idea about Kansas City BBQ....well they had an idea, but their response was pretty lame. On the other hand, I am a little disappointed our anchors weren't wearing red...they should have. I guess the comical thing about this is that you get 4 people discussing football that probably need to do a little more research about their opponents before going head to head.

 

May I suggest some Arrowhead Pride and Baltimore BeatDown folks.  

Wow, just wow. I'll let all of you decide what your thoughts are on this article. I'm just speechless on some of the points being made but even more-so on the contradictions.

The one thing I agree upon is Jason Whitlock's points on the 4th down attempts. I personally have commented all season that I prefer putting 3 points on the board and I know some of my brethren have liked going for a 1st down.

I did wonder if there was something more to Weis leaving for Florida than meets the eye and made a point of bringing it up, however some of AP's counterpoints were valid. Per Jason, it's more than I even thought...

Read it here:

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/kansas-city-chiefs-are-legit-but-coach-todd-haley-is-a-fraud-010311

There's some interesting debate going on whether our starters should play in week 17 against the Raiders. Some believe that we should sit our starters and have them get healthy against the first round opponents. Others believe that regardless whether we're in the playoffs we need to annihilate the Raiders (who are playing for their jobs). So what does history tell us about Haley's past benching? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Arizona_Cardinals_season#Week_17:_vs._Green_Bay_Packers

2009 -Week 17: vs. Green Bay Packers

 

   Quarter:                 1          2            3             4                   Total

 

Packers                   14       12           7             0                    33

 

Cardinals                 0          0            0             7                      7

 

at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

 

With the Vikings win earlier in the day, this game was rendered unimportant. The Cardinals pulled Kurt Warner along with other starters early in the 2nd quarter while the Packers continued to play their starters until the 4th quarter. Late in the 4th quarter, quarterback Brian St. Pierre threw his first career touchdown pass.

Here's a quote from Haley earlier:

"When you're in that mode and all of a sudden Cincinnati wins to help you get to your primary goal you have to think through things and try to do the right thing anyway."

 

Also, The Cards hosted GB the following week for the first round and beat them 51-45

So here's the poll folks:

Poll

How long do the starters play in week 17?

78%

Most/whole game until we're leading a boatload of points/win

88 votes

21%

If history is an indication...only a few drives

24 votes

0%

Not at all

0 votes

112 votes | Poll has closed

From the Fathership....

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/brad-childress-nfl-coaches-make-dumb-moves-sunday-jason-whitlock-102510

 Jason Whitlock

 Chiefs coach Todd Haley is so concerned with getting credit for K.C.’s success that he has repeatedly made "aggressive" coaching decisions that are just plain stupid.

Early in the fourth quarter Sunday, the Chiefs had a chance to go up two scores on the Jaguars by kicking a 42-yard field goal on fourth and three. Haley ran the ball instead. Jamaal Charles was stuffed for a one-yard loss.

Luckily, the Chiefs were playing the Jaguars and off-the-street quarterback Todd Bouman. The Chiefs scored two more TDs and won 42-20.

The truth is, Kansas City’s 4-2 record is a mirage and Haley knows it. Kansas City is feasting on a soft schedule and good fortune. Two of their four victories came against backup quarterbacks (Cleveland and Jacksonville). The other two victories are over two of the league’s most disappointing teams (San Diego and San Francisco). Cleveland, Jacksonville, San Diego and San Francisco have a combined record of 8-20.

Furthermore, Romeo Crennell and Charlie Weis — K.C.’s new coordinators — are getting most of the credit for the Chiefs’ improved play. Haley keeps trying to make an impact with "bold" decisions — he opened the Indianapolis game with an onside kick. The problem is, his daring decisions are failing most of the time.

Haley wants to be Sean Peyton. Haley is Todd Haley, an insecure head coach.

Hmmm, well you called it "the easiest schedule in the hisrtory of the league" a few weeks ago and now it's a "soft schedule".

Well Whitlock fans....even leading the AFC West I guess it's just all a mirage.

I find it funny that after Haley's 96% rating among coaches in the league, Whitlock speaks for the remaining 4%.

I agree with him partly on the suspect playcalling on 4th down, I've addressed in some previous posts, but the remaining part of the article is just plain rediculous. We can't win....even when we win.

But hey, it's Jason's opinion....right?(per his defenders). He's just a blogger now, so blog away folks and pretend it's another fan saying this. Just curious about what you think.

If this was already posted by someone, my apologies in advance, but I didn't see it.

Poll

Do you agree with Whitlock's assessment of Haley being an insecure head coach and our teams wins being a "mirage"?

6%

Yes

11 votes

90%

No

152 votes

2%

Whitlock can say nothing wrong

5 votes

168 votes | Poll has closed

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/nfl-truths-peyton-manning-white-colts-offense-jason-whitlock-nfl-truths-093010

OK, not really....read on

6. I need to acknowledge that my hometown Kansas City Chiefs are better than I anticipated. However, they still have major problems that can’t be covered by general manager Scott Pioli manipulating the local and national media.

Quarterback Matt Cassel is horrible. Rookie safety Eric Berry is off to a terrible start. Second-year defensive lineman Tyson Jackson’s absence has been a blessing to the defense.

If you’re scoring at home: Pioli’s handpicked QB and his two first-round picks are looking like busts.

The young nucleus of players left behind by Herm Edwards -- Brandon Flowers, Tamba Hali, Jamaal Charles, Brandon Albert, Brandon Carr -- are finally paying big dividends. The addition of experienced coordinators Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis has helped head coach Todd Haley mature.

To Pioli’s credit, rookies Dexter McCluster and Tony Moeaki and free-agent pickups Ryan Lilja and Shaun “The Genital Giant” Smith have been terrific.

The Chiefs might have the easiest schedule in the history of the league. They’re the Boise State of professional football. The Chiefs can’t win important games with Cassel at quarterback.

So, is it a compliment when at the end you slam the team? Read this part again:

The Chiefs might have the easiest schedule in the history of the league. They’re the Boise State of professional football. The Chiefs can’t win important games with Cassel at quarterback.

Well Jason, I'd rather be the Boise State than the Ball State of Professional football. On top of that I'd rather have a QB that doesn't make mistakes and a coaching staff that plays to it's strengths.

As far as Berry....your opinion is just ludicrous. He's not Pro-Bowl but to say he's off to a terrible start?....SPECIFICS please. That's like me saying Jason is "big-boned"....without the necessary proof in my argument it just doesn't hold water. Yes, that's a fat joke and yes, it's a good analogy after reading this drek.

REMEMBER K.C. fans, Whitock in no uncertain terms favored the Browns by 2 points. Think about that for a moment after you read his comments. So, which games aren't important early in the season? It's not like we're in December and we won the division and are contemplating on sitting our starters and deciding whether we should go for a win and get the wild-card or risk injury. They ALL are important games thus far into the season.

I know there are Whitlock supporters that spout that he is just giving his opinion, but I'll argue that there are plenty of opinions that just don't hold up without at least supplying a viable argument. Case in point stating that The Chiefs have an easy schedule. Really? We'ren't the 49ers and Chargers picked as division Champions? Didn't the Chiefs play to their potential through a well coached as well as well play calling game? Are Indy, Houston, Chargers (on the road), Denver (on the road and home) EASY?.

Pioli manipulating the national and local media? Seriously. How so? Specifics again, please. I'm just befuddled since I have flashbacks of King Carl. What has Pioli done in the national media that's somehow been construde as "manipulative"? Someone here help me out. What am I missing? As far as I can tell the national media ihasn't really payed much attention to us since, ohhhhh 2003.

Criticize the QB all you want. I'm not one to claim he's the next Favre or go so far as calling him the next Grbac, but I'll settle for a QB ala Dilfer that's told: "Don't make mistakes and put us in a hole, we can win this as a team effort".

Truth "out"

http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2010/09/29/dirty-dozen-best-and-worst-head-coaches-in-the-nfl-right-now/?ncid=txtlnkusspor00000002&xid=si_nfl

4. Todd Haley, Kansas City. A Bill Parcells disciple who's added a Bill Belichick influence with Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel as his mentors. The conventional wisdom has been that Weis and Crennel are responsible for the 3-0 start because some folks on ESPN, which sets the tone, know them better than Haley. They also credit Scott Pioli although the departed Carl Peterson drafted Glenn Dorsey, Branden Albert, Dwayne Bowe and some of the other young talent. But Haley has put the whole thing together.

Wow, number 4? I think compared to last year Haley's probably skyrocketed up the chart like a newly undiscovered release of a "Beatles" song.

OTOH, Al Davis is just Milli Vanilli

32. Al Davis, Oakland. Yeah, we know who the coach is here and he's not named Tom Cable. Shouldn't Jason Campbell, who's had a dozen offensive coordinators in a dozen years -- or at least it seems that way -- get a little longer to establish himself? Shouldn't ... Hey, they're the Raiders.

Wade Phillips at 6? Seriously? I have to disagree here with that assessment. This is a coach that probably isn't even close to having his team prepared or playing as a unit. One win does not a good coach make with the talent that he supposedly has around him.

So what's everyone's take on the Top 6 and Bottom 6?

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ys-accuscoreplayoffodds092910

After a 2-0 start, the Chiefs were only given a 17.6 percent chance of making the playoffs. However, after a third win, they are up 32 percentage points. While the win itself helped, the main reason why their odds improved so much was the quality of the play offensively and defensively.

Read AP, we could've told you that :)

This helps the Chiefs play better in future game simulations. The Chiefs also benefited from losses by the rest of the division. The slow-starting Chargers are still favored to ultimately take the division at 63.1 percent, but the Chiefs have to be given proper respect.

 

AccuScore uses past performance statistics to describe how players perform under different environmental, matchup, and game-situation conditions. Using projected starting lineups AccuScore simulates each game of the season one play at a time. By repeating the simulation 10,000 to 20,000 times per game AccuScore calculates the precise probability teams have of winning each game, winning their division, and making the playoffs.

AFC	Week 3 review		Playoff	Perc. chance
Team	WK 2	WK 3	Perc. diff.	Win div.
Kansas City Chiefs	17.6%	50.0%	32.4%	33.6%

Oakland Raiders

4.5%

1.1%

-3.4%

0.6%

San Diego Chargers

88.0%

76.6%

-11.4%

63.1%

Denver Broncos

14.8%

4.1%

-10.7%

2.7%

 

I think the stunning numbers here are how low Denver and Oakland are ranked after only 3 games.

The only teams in the rest of the AFC ranked higher than the Chiefs in Perc. chance of winning their respective divisions are the Jets, Steelers, Colts and Pats and obviously the Chargers.

I understand that this doesn't guarantee anything, otherwise, why play the games, however the numebrs are pretty interesting (if you click on the link) in that the Chiefs are at the top of the AFC list for making the largest move/improvement

Perhaps the numbers might change even more significantly in our bye-week if Arizona at 2-1 at home pulls a win over San Diego.

Just an interesting point of topic....

 http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Braylon-Edwards-Michael-Vick-Vince-Young-Jason-Whitlock-NFL-Truths-092310

 

8. A.J. Smith, general manager of the San Diego Chargers, is starting to remind me of former Kansas City Chiefs general manager Carl Peterson, and that's not a good thing.

In the 1990s, Peterson developed a solid reputation while the Chiefs won a bunch of regular-season games but few postseason contests.Peterson acquired Marcus Allen and Joe Montana and drafted Derrick Thomas, Tony Gonzalez and Dale Carter.

Eventually, Peterson's ego ruined his relationship with Neil Smith, Jared Allen, John Tait and several other key players. Peterson never won a Super Bowl. He never won a playoff game after 1993.

A.J. Smith carries himself like he's Bill Polian, the best GM in football. Smith has scrapped publicly with LaDainian Tomlinson, Donnie Edwards and now Vincent Jackson. Have the Chargers won a Super Bowl during Smith's tenure? Maybe I missed that.

I don't know who is right in the Smith-Jackson standoff. Smith probably is. I'm just tired of Smith's name being in the paper. Other GMs seem to handle their business with less publicity.

Pretty interesting take from Whitlock on the comparison of the two. I still don't understand NOT taking a 2nd and a possible late round pick for Jackson to Minnesota. I mean, Jackson will be able to go whereever he wants at the end of the season and the Chargers will get zip,nada,nothing then. Well, I guess the Chargers fans might see what we went through for 20 years with The King all too soon. We were contenders for a few of those years and never lived up to the hype (see the correlation). Here's 20 years to the Chargers ;)

Poll

So do you see a correlation on how King Carl ran The Chiefs versus A.J. running The Chargers?

92%

Wow, kinda deja vu all over again

23 votes

8%

No way, different ego entirely

2 votes

25 votes | Poll has closed

I briefly caught part of a conversation on 610 earlier this morning about a topic that I asked myself over a week ago. It's a topic that actually I didn't want to bring up since I'm not a fan although he's occassionally had good articles IMHO when strictly sticking to sports analysis.

The topic is: "Where's Waldo Whitlock?

Usually this time of year Whitlock does some pretty interesting takes on training camp, but from what I've heard, there's not a hide nor hair coming from him.

Although I'm not a particluar fan of Jason (or Bob Gretz for that matter) and I prefer the writing styles of Posnanski and Flannigan (he's long gone),I noticed that there hasn't been the weekly customary rant/kudo's on AP on anything Jason's written since it's been 2 months since he's actually written for The Star.

Here's some latest info that you might find interesting:

http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2010/08/jason_whitlock_kansas_city_star_deadspin.php

Maybe he's holding out for a contract renegotiation :)

Just curious on how you feel about Whitlock's articles during training camp?:

Poll

How do you feel about Whitlock's previous years analyzing Chiefs training camp?

19%

Enjoyed it (We need him back for more food jokes)

13 votes

45%

Eh, never cared for it.

31 votes

35%

Who's Whitlock?

24 votes

68 votes | Poll has closed

 

Recently I was reading a post where some folks were accussing another veteran poster of being a "newb"or "noob" as stated in some circles. Some also went to the extreme of calling the poster a "troll". This got me to thinking and considering the fact that every year we have a plethora of new posters that begin their AP experience on the wrong foot. (Dare I use the word "We", since it's really the Thorman bro's site).

We always accept new posters with open arms into the "familia" We just hope they understand that they need to garner a level of acceptance and respect through thought provoking posts before they are truly accepted into the community. Some try to use humor and usually early on they tend to offend (inadvertantly) some of the long term folks around here. Keep in mind that when you do see jibes/jokes between two posters and it may "SEEM" that they are hard on each other, it's typically because they've established a long-time repoire...you'll get there eventually. It's not a carte blanche to do the same.

 I thought I'd put together a few thoughts to make those synapse start firing during the off-season and to prepare our new brethren for the upcoming season.

I find some of the folks that are relatively new try to fit in right away by thinking they've established themsleves on the board and in turn start to fire away at users without really either reading, investigating (looking up the poster) or articulating their thoughts succinctly. That should be your first task if you don't immediately recognize a user.

So how well do you know the board....let's see shall we ;-)

BTW..no cheating if you don't  know the answers by reading the replies below...just test yourself first J

So, let's have some fun shall we, and test yourselves...btw, feel free to add additional "you're a newb" for things I might have missed over the last few years of being on here:

• 1) If you're posts number in the single or double digits....you're a newb
• 2) If you're posts number in the triple digits...you're a relative newb
• 3) If you've posted in the thousands (plural), you've probably had some good debates against those above ....and they're newbs.
• 4) If you've never taken the time to actually click on the posters name to get an idea of the length of member time and number of posts before responding to them...you're a newb
• 5) If you're attacking a poster instead of stating your point/asking for clarification....you're a newb.
• 6) If you have no idea who this poster was ....you're a newb

 

• 

   

• 7) If you don't know about "guppy"...you're a newb
• 8) If you don't know about the use of the word "retarted" (not misspelled)....you're a newb
• 9) If you don't know Joel Thormans original username ....you're a newb
• 10) If you don't know that "THE_TRUTH" is a username making fun of any newbs chest-thumping....you're a newb
• 11) If you don't know who our porn rep is on here (username,location,job)....you're a newb
• 12) If you never REALLY read the TOS or rules...you're most definitely a newb
• 13) If you don't know what 2.7 stands for....you're a newb
• 14) If you don't know who Lanier is on AP (not the player) and his life story...you're a newb
• 15) If you don't know what the sarcastic font is....you're a newb
• 16) If you don't know who said (and I'm parapharsing)..."....as long as you don't post some f'ing s!@# with dolphins and unicorns"...you're a newb
• 17) If you don't know who posts pictures of dolphins and unicorns...let's not forget cowbells and the occassional manatee or whale riding one of the aforementioned....you're a newb



 

 

• 18) If you've never posted on a live game day thread....you're a newb
• 19) If you've been on a game day threa and never had to re-open your browser from over 500 comments locking down your browser (yes I've used IE,Firefox and Opera to no avail)...you're a newb
• 20) If you don't know THE_TRUTH's arch-nemesis although we've had some thought provoking debates (Godfather III still rocks bro)....you're a newb hint: stay thirsty my friends
• 21) If your post has never gone green....you're a newb
• 22) If you've never either gotten a H/T or know what one is....you're a newb
• 23) If you don't know or never used/seen a quote on AP from "The Big Lebowski"...you're a newb
So, how did you do?...yeah, nothing wrong with being a newb. Just get to know some of AP's quirks/antics.

Remember, in the end it's all about fun. We're all an extended family here wanting the best for OUR team. YES, OUR TEAM...just remember that. We're not a bunch of fans supporting different teams going at each other, we're all here from different parts of the world with the same desired goal....to make fun of the rest of the AFC west. No,no, ...seriously though, it's to support our cities Chiefs.

Can't wait for the coin flip a couple months away...

Per Adam Schefter on ESPN, Romeo Crennel could be headed to KC as the next Chiefs DC. Schefter mentioned that he (Crennel) was close to taking the job last season but due to his hip injury didn't take hte job. Crennel wants back in (coaching) and KC is the likely landing spot, per Schefter. Well this is good news for many of us that have been wanting to get Crennel in KC.The question for OC is still in the air (obviously), but hopefully this deal gets done sooner rather than later especially to give Crennel a chance to air his opinion on the upcoming draft.

Per the recent news in regards to LJ's off the field "issues" I decided to look at LJ's contract in order to possibly decipher what the CHiefs "might" be doing in regards to his status as a Chiefs player.

Source

2009: $4.55 million (+ $100,000 workout bonus + $62,500 per-game roster bonuses),

2010: $5 million (+ $1 million roster bonus due 3/1 + $100,000 workout bonus + $62,500 per-game roster bonuses),

2011: $5.3 million (+ $1 million roster bonus due 3/1 + $100,000 workout bonus + $62,500 per-game roster bonuses),

2012: $5.9 million (+ $1 million roster bonus due 3/1 + $100,000 workout bonus + $62,500 per-game roster bonuses),

2013: Free Agent. Cap charge: $7.596 million (2009).

Per the above it seems that The Chiefs would owe him 5.3 + 5.9 million= $11.2 Mil for the 2011 and 2012 season if they would outright release him.

As most of you remember, they went to arbitration in regards to the 2009 bonus which they won, however, since he was on the roster opening day, he was actually paid that money.I felt in the end they did that to prove a point, but it obviously fell on deaf ears.

Considering that the Chiefs cap is definitely player friendly at this point I don't think the hit would necessarily cause a problem for the organization, however from a "principle" perspective I don't see Pioli and Co., not going to arbitration to try to retain that money if they were to release him after a lengthy "unpaid" suspension.

So what are your thoughts...even if the Chiefs were to lose arbitration, would you be fine with letting him go and paying the $11.2 million?

Poll

What are your thoughts on LJ's salary?

51%

Release him regardless of the arbitration outcome

96 votes

9%

Keep him if you lose the arbitration since you have to pay him anyways

17 votes

39%

Trade him for anything another team is willing to part with -smelly jock-straps is a start

75 votes

188 votes | Poll has closed

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-giants-chiefs&prov=ap&type=lgns

Vivid in their memory is last Oct. 13, when they came breezing into Cleveland with a jaunty 4-0 record and got ambushed 35-14 by an underdog Browns team that had lost three in a row.

Deja vu all over again? Perhaps. Any given Sunday anyone can win. The question is whether the O-line is tired of losing and whether the D-line will play aggressively.

PLEASE for the love of everything that is holy, have the CB's play man on man without a 10 yard cushion. And blitz,blitz, blitz.

One ray of hope for Kansas City could be the respective injury lists. It was long for the Giants. Running back Ahmad Bradshaw(notes) was even wearing a boot on his right foot because of an ankle problem.

Perhaps a ray of hope, however without pressure on Manning it'll be a long afternoon.

Another problem that has plagued the Chiefs is penalties. In the past two weeks, they’ve had 19...

Unacceptable for any team to have that many. At 5 yards a pop, that's err, naught, carry the naught, centrifical force,errr...yeah that's a lot. I hope the 12th man comes out on Sunday. If our team plays with enough force and is tired of losing, letting it all hang out it'll be a good game. I'm going out on a limb, I think it'll be closer than the 9.5 pt spread. 24-20

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/05/08/rams.ap/index.html?eref=si_nfl

St. Louis Rams have released veteran linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, the team's leading tackler last season.

This is a big announcement IMHO.

Tinoisamoa is a six-year veteran who led the team with 135 tackles in 2008. He was a second-round draft choice, the 43rd overall selection in the 2002 draft.

I guess the overall question is: Why?. I still can't discern their reasoning, but I think Pioli might need to consider him, even though we seem to have been talking about LB quite a bit recently. Anyone that might have watched him on the other side of the state might have some better opinions, but I haven't really had a chance to watch the Rams this year. Maybe the Rams failed the DUI test:

Poll

Should the Chiefs pursue Pisa Tinoisamoa

83%

Yes

116 votes

16%

No

23 votes

139 votes | Poll has closed

http://www.miamiherald.com/459/story/1004632.html

 

 

Beyond the outside guidance, two important points caused Thomas to keep going this year. Most important, he feels healthier now than he did when he left Miami. But he still had one more requirement when deciding to sign with the Chiefs: He needed to return to his proper position.

Thomas' decision to opt out of his contract in Dallas after last season had more to do with his role on the field than the drama that surely turned him off in the locker room. Because Bradie James filled the role Thomas played in Miami for 12 years, he was forced into a less comfortable position that limited his playing time.

Although he limited his choices of potential destinations by doing so, Thomas advised his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, that he only wanted to play for a team that would allow him to play in his natural role inside. The Chiefs agreed. And Thomas signed.

 

Well, that says a lot about how often and in what role he'll be used. I think the mentor role will be there, but it sounds like he wanted to play a lot more than people (including myself) anticipated this upcoming season. We'll see.

...It's fine because he knows his real home these days has nothing to do with a city. It has to do with a position: middle linebacker. That's where he belongs.

 

And it sounds like he's going to play a lot.

 

``And you know what? I might be one step slower, but I'm still two steps faster than most of the guys I play against.''

 

BOO-YAH!!! That's a nice little slam at the kids playing.

I know many of us agree that trading down with a pick in the first five slots is difficult at best, but here's a scenario I hadn't thought of via ESPN:

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afcwest/0-3-1984/On-the-Clock--Kansas-City-Chiefs.html

The Chiefs would likely be happy to nab Curry even though they have added four linebackers this offseason. He is the best defensive player on the board and the Chiefs desperately need help in the front seven. Curry is considered one of the safest bets in the draft. He would make an instant impact in Kansas City. The other scenario: The Lions take Curry and Stafford falls to No. 3. This would put Kansas City in a position of strength. Several teams will likely consider moving up to draft Stafford.

 Although I hadn't anticipated the aforementioned as a feasible option, I began wondering which teams might be interested in moving up to acquire him?

I did a little bit of research and came ot the conclusion that there are two teams that could possibly make a jump for the opportunity.

So let's look at who might want to shore up their QB situation:

Bengals: 32nd/Pts.  32nd/yards

   - The Bengals: Currently picking 6th in 1st, 2nd and 3rd rounds respectively. Although Carson Palmer was called upon to carry the team with their running game ranked 29th, he's slowly becoming less and less a factor for the Bengals. Could there be a QBOF desire to replace Palmer if Stafford is on the board? Maybe. This might be a feasible trade option since jumping from the 6th to the 3rd spot isn't that big of a jump, if they want him bad enough.

Throw in the 6'6" Mario Urrutia, in his second season with the Bengals as a WR or possibly another veteran {insert name here} and Pioli might like the idea.

 

NY Jets: 9th/pts. 16th/yards

- Currently picking 17th. With the loss of Brett Favre and the fiasco with losing Chad Pennington, unless the Jets feel their 3 QB's on the roster Erik Ainge, Kellen Clemens or Brett Ratliff (who, who and who?) are going to be the Jets starter, they're going to want someone they can rely on from the QB position. They relied heavily in their QB position for years and if they think they can get by without a strong starter, it'll be a long season. Perhaps a trade and send a WR (they have 6) or a lineman our way might seal the deal.

Jerricho Cotchery might be a good addition to the swap or could Pioli make a move and get Alan Faneca with a swap and a later round pick?

There's still some options to trading out that I haven't mentioned, but the two teams above I feel are in dire need of a QB to actually start or shore up their offense.

 

 

 

 

http://www.kmbc.com/news/19086933/detail.html

 

The Builders Association wants federal mediators to step in and solve the cement masons strike.The strike shut down all work at the Truman Sports Complex and some other large projects on Friday.

Yeah, let's get Congress involved too. We all know how brilliantly they're handling the bailouts.

The Builders Association has asked for a federal mediator to get involved in the strike.But at this point, there is no response from the cement union on whether they want to do that.

Course not. Drag it out.

Meanwhile, the union on Friday made good on its threat to go on "full strike."

Yeah, no shit. "Threat" is the right word.

The Builders Association said they're offering the cement union a wage increase and a conventional pension plan, as opposed to a 401(k) and health care. Union members said they want more money and a four-year deal, among other things.

And I want a friggin job guarantee as well.

Friggin brilliant. As though the Feds aren't already knee deep in putting their fingers and toes in  the financial crisis, now they're trying to get them involved. I have a gut feeling this strike is going to last longer than anticipated.

I'm starting to get a little irritated with the way this is getting handled. Specifically with the cities part in not putting a "no-strike" clause in the contract negotiations in the first place.

 

 

http://www.kctv5.com/news/19062527/detail.html

I wish it were a joke. So much for "all the confidence spewed by the press"  about renegotiating the last 2 weeks.

The Unions know they have the stadiums at their mercy. The agreement was poorly arranged, they should ahve had a no-strike clause when getting bids for the work.

The union's business manager told KCTV5 News that the sticking points were money and contract length.

Other unions at the stadium who have agreed to tentative agreements are honoring the strikes. They said they won't cross the picket line to work at the stadiums

 The Sports Authority said things will be set for Royals Opening Day at the K next week, regardless of a strike. But improvements are far from done on Arrowhead Stadium, and it could affect the start of the football season for the Chiefs

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4009230&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

 

NFL owners voted Monday to modify the schedule to ease the burden of cross-country road trips.

Last year, the Patriots and the Jets had to make West Coast trips to play AFC West opponents and NFC West teams. The Patriots chose to remain on the West Coast twice last season -- for back-to-back games against San Francisco and San Diego in October and Seattle and Oakland in December -- to minimize the wear-and-tear the schedule presented.

Under the new plan, teams wouldn't have to visit two West Coast teams, just one, along with a team closer to the Midwest. Specifically, Oakland will be paired with Denver, and San Diego will be paired with Denver. In the NFC, Arizona and San Francisco will be paired as will St. Louis and Seattle.

  Teams that have road games against Denver and Oakland will get home games against Kansas City and San Diego. The opposite scenario will also be true. The same format of home-and-away games with the paired cities holds true for the NFC as well.

  Currently, the AFC South and the NFC West are scheduled to play the AFC West in 2010, which is when the new plan would be starting.

 Makes sense to me. Cross country trips can be grueling treks for any team on either coast ESPECIALLY back-to-back weeks. I'm not sure how this might effect KC, but I think that we'd be at a disadvantage at playing away games against stronger opponents than obviously at home. 

Does this give a disadvatage to midwest teams? I can't see a scenario, but I'm sure something will pop-up once the scheduling is made in 2010.

http://www.kmbc.com/money/18866748/detail.html

Sanders said if the city pulls its $2 million annual contribution, it would break the lease and leave the city with no written guarantee keeping the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City for the long term.

 

"The teams would then be, to use the sports phrase, free agents to do whatever they wanted to do. Re-negotiate the deal or to not honor any of the provisions of the lease they did not want to honor," Sanders told KMBC's Martin Augustine.

 "I don't think it would jeopardize leases," Funkhouser said. "We're trying to focus on services that directly matter to Kansas Citians. For example, our city services, basic services like police. That is a core function. Operating a sports venue is not."

  810's Kietzman did a long discussion about this yesterday and actually brought this up a couple of weeks ago.

This should be very concerning to all Chiefs and Royals fans. Kietz spoke to a number of folks on this regard, and it is true. If the city in essence "breaks" the lease by not paying the 2Mil. per year agreement, we've just jeopardized the $500 Million that the taxpayers fronted.

On top of that, there isn't anything binding the Chiefs to front the $200Mil. for the renovations stipulated in the agreement if the lease is broken by the city. Secondly, if naming rights are sold, the teams could keep from splitting the naming rights monies with the city as well since the agreement is null and void.

Win/win for the Chiefs and Royals owners.

Think about this:

It's unlikely the teams would move immediately after these improvements, but let's say 10 years down the road they get offered a new stadium by another city. We'd probably have to match the offer which means spending +$1 Billion after having spent $500 Million. And if that falls through, we'll have empty stadiums we'll have to pay the upkeep on...or bulldoze.

The Mayor's today:

via tbn2.google.com

The Mayor in his prior role:

via stateoftheline.files.wordpress.com