I'm with most of the people here on AP: the Chiefs need to upgrade the quarterback position. We've got some great young talent on this team. We just need the right quarterback for us. What options are there? Let's take a look.

*Matt Cassel: He joined the Chiefs in 2009 and so far he's been very inconsistent. He's got some great leadership qualities but he holds on to the ball too long and his arm strength doesn't scare anyone. He's had some good games here: he's also had plenty of bad games. But after three seasons I haven't seen much progress from him and I think it's time to move on.

*Kyle Orton: He stepped in and performed very well during the last three games. Many of us are clamoring for him to be the starter next year. I'd like to see him do that. However, he didn't play all that well at the beginning of 2011 and he ended up being waived by Denver. He's never been spectacular but he's a good stop-gap player and could help give the offense life next season.

*Ricky Stanzi: My personal man-crush. I liked seeing what he could do in the 2011 preseason. He didn't get any true playing time last year (much to my dismay). I was ready for the Chiefs to start him after the loss to Pittsburgh. He's probably still pretty raw but I'd like to see what he could do in 2012. The team might be favored to win the division next year and if Stanzi sucks, then it might be a wasted opportunity to take control of the West.

*Peyton Manning: A lot of people on here would love to see Mr. Big Forehead playing for the Chiefs in 2012. That would be quite a sight to see. But he will be an expensive target for us and his neck is still a cause for concern. Out of all the options, he's the biggest risk/reward player out there.

*Matt Moore: He's still under contract with the Dolphins next year but new HC Joe Philbin may want to bring in his own guy and Moore could be released. If he is waived, then I believe the Chiefs will take a long hard look at him. He's not a dazzler but he's good enough to win some games. Daboll was calling plays for him last year in Miami and they seemed to mesh well. It might be worth a look.

Now the question remains....

Here's what I thought of Ricky Stanzi's performance against Tampa: I loved what I saw.

The guy had ZERO help. The Little Giants did a better job blocking than the guys in front of him. And he took a beating. Yet he was still competitive and managed to make a few good plays. I was surprised to see how well he could scramble. I'd be curious to see what he could do behind the first team O-line.

Tonight one of my co-workers said she watched the game and she said this about him: "That kid looked like a young Brett Favre."

Hearing that was like music to my ears. Some of us here at AP see him as KC's version of Tom Brady. But her comparison of him to #4 was good news to me. Just don't send out pictures of your junk to random ladies, Ricky.

I know the guy is still a little rough around the edges but  he showed a lot of moxie in a game that was in desperate need of it.

Anyways, what did you guys think about Stanzi?

Jon Baldwin. Justin Houston. Ricky Stanzi. The Chiefs have brought in some great new talent. I loved the Stanzi pick. However, none of them have claimed the top spot as my favorite pick. My favorite selection of the weekend? Rodney Hudson.

Why Hudson? Because offensive linemen do a lot of dirty work and they don't get recognized that often. Here are several reasons why I like the Husdon pick:

*He's an All-American. Pretty good company if you ask me.

*He's versatile. He's played at tackle, guard and center. He's probably going to be a center in the NFL but if Lilja or Waters went down with an injury, Hudson would be able to step in and help fill the void.

*Leadership is obviously important and Pioli loves leaders. Hudson was a team captain at Florida State. 

*Holding penalties and false starts kill any momentum the offense makes. Hudson commits very few penalties (he had only one penalty throughout his entire senior year).

*His maturity level scored big points with me. His mother is a single parent and in high school he worked at a KFC in just so he could help out with bills. His mother didn't make him do it. He chose to get a job on his own. His willingness to take on responsibility like that speaks volumes about what kind of guy he is. Nowadays,

I'm hoping we can keep this guy in Kansas City for a very long time. Here's to you Rodney. You're my favorite new Chief.

Here is my bold prediction for the 2011 NFL draft: Phil Taylor will be drafted by one of the teams in Texas early in the first round. 

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I know many of us would like to see PT in KC but I don't see that happening. It would be nice to have a true nose tackle in the middle of our D-line. But the Cowboys or the Texans will both take a long hard look at him and one of those teams will draft him. I know that the Cowboys already have a solid  NT in Jay Ratliff but it would not shock me if Jerry Jones decided to draft Taylor. He provides depth and extra beef to their line. And now the Texans have switched to the 3-4 defense too. They have a lot of great pieces to their young defense. They don't have a true NT and Taylor would fit in nicely. Since Waco isn't too far from either city I'm sure that both teams have been keeping an eye on him. And when the 21st pick rolls around, Taylor will be long gone.

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So what now? What do the Chiefs do if Phil Taylor is off the board? Better yet, what would YOU do if you were drafting for the Chiefs at #21?

Ryan Kerrigan would be my choice. He's an excellent pass rusher (12 sacks in 2010) and he's also known for forcing fumbles. If he becomes a Chief then I can see the KC-strip coming back to life.

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Again I ask you all: WHAT WOULD YOU DO? Share it with us.

Why did the Chiefs select Tyson Jackson as our first round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft?

That's a question a lot of us asked on that fateful Saturday afternoon. Why reach for him when Aaron Curry was sitting in our lap? Two years have passed and a lot of Chiefs fans are still unhappy with the pick. I understand why the Chiefs drafted him but I will never "love*" this pick.

Anyways, my main point is this: the 2009 Draft class hasn't been great. Let's take a quick look at some other "elite" draft prospects that we missed out on.

*Aaron Curry, OLB: Many experts saw him as the top overall player in the 2009 Draft. I loved his athleticism and productivity in college. I loved his work ethic and maturity. When Seattle drafted him at #4, I thought it was a great fit. But after two seasons, Curry has yet to light up the NFL. He's had a few good games but he hasn't been the superstar that everyone thought he would be. You could argue that he isn't even the best linebacker in Seattle.

*Mark Sanchez, QB: Since he has been with Gang Green, the Jets have been to the AFC Championship game twice. I know the defense has a lot to do with their success but Sanchez has made tremendous strides so far in his career.

*Andre Smith, OT: I was the Bengals GM for the 2009 AP Mock Draft. I chose Andre Smith with their first pick. The Bengals eventually selected him too. I said he was the best lineman in the draft and he would be a huge boost for Cincy's offensive line. Boy was I wrong. He's been injured a few times and when he's healthy he hasn't been very effective. 

*BJ Raji, DT: He's been a major part of Green Bay's defensive success. He isn't the sexiest player out there but he fit a need and has progressed nicely so far in his career.

*Michael Crabtree, WR: He held out until October '09 to sign his contract. Kind of a red flag to me. But what about his stats? They are pretty average so far. Granted, Alex Smith hasn't helped out much but I am expecting more from Crabtree. The jury is still out for him yet.

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I'm not trying to rip on these players. Some of them have been Most of these guys are still learning the ropes and I wouldn't write them off as busts anytime soon. And I believe that is the case with T-Jax. After next year, if he hasn't shown a lot of improvement, then I will start throwing around the term "bust" a little more.

I'm just gonna say it: I hope that Romeo Crennel is a "lifer" here in Kansas City.

When I say "lifer" I don't mean somebody who will spend the rest of their life behind bars. I mean it in a positive way: a football lifer. Someone who sticks around because they want to and not because they have to. I would love to have Romeo Crennel stay in Kansas City for a long time. Dick LeBeau (DC for the Steelers) is a great example of a lifer. He is beloved in Pittsburgh (by both fans and players) and his zone-blitz defenses are very solid. Monte Kiffin and the late Jim Johnson also come to mind when I think of football lifers: both of them had opportunities to be a head coach but continued to stay where they were at.

Is it foolish for me to think that Romeo can be a lifer in KC?

Yes that's right. Tom "Hawaiian Punch" Cable is my pick as the next offensive coordinator for the Chiefs. Here's why I want him to be our playcaller...

*The ex-Raiders head coach loved to run the ball. The Chiefs had the top rushing attack in the league this year. The Raiders had the second best rushing attack.

*His record against the Chiefs is 3-2. He's been pretty good at exploiting the weaknesses on our football team. With him on board, he could help fix those flaws that his Raiders exposed.

*Unlike Charlie Weis, I can see Cable sticking around for longer than one season. 

*Cable wasn't a pushover when Al Davis interfered with his coaching decisions. I can't see him being a pushover against Todd Haley.

*I know a lot of people will not agree with me on this, but I think Cable is a good coach who got the raw end of the deal in Oakland. Plus I'd like to see him go against the Raiders and beat their ass. If Marcus Allen can do it, then so can Tom.

I know Cable has some issues off the field. I know he doesn't come from the Parcells tree. But I think he could be a home run in Kansas City.

Well it's been a while since I've posted some random thoughts. Time to see what's on my mind.

*Before the season started I was upset that I wouldn't get to see many Chiefs games this year (since I moved to south MS in July). I considered getting the NFL package from DirecTV. However, my wife-to-be suggested we just find some bars nearby that have the NFL package. Good call on her behalf. Now I don't have to spend several hundred dollars to watch the Chiefs play. That's one reason why I love her. Thanks honey!

*I have enjoyed looking at our injury reports so far this year. We don't have a lot of players on IR. Sure, there have been a few key injuries but the team has been very healthy overall. FOX sports had an article talking about the least-injured and most-injured teams this year. We were one of the healthiest teams on that list. I'm giving a lot of credit to the strength and conditioning coaches. Excellent job so far. With all of the injuries that the Colts have had this year, let's hope that they don't try to take any of our S&C coaches.

*A couple months ago I made a case for trading Derrick Johnson. I said that he was talented but inconsistent. And I was tired of hearing "this is DJs year" or "he's about to turn the corner". I thought that he would never turn the corner while he was on the roster. Guess what? I was wrong and I'm not afraid to admit that. His tackling has improved and he's been playing at a high level all season. Is it possible that he could be in the Pro Bowl this year? I think so.

*I'm pretty sure Andre Johnson wasn't trying to punch Cortland Finnegan in the head. I think he was trying to fix his stupid "Jersey Shore" haircut. Seriously, the Pauly D look isn't a good fit for this guy.

*I really enjoy press conference rants. Derek Anderson's rant from Monday night was awesome. I want to know what you guys think: What is your favorite sports rant? Anything about crowned asses? Talk about playoffs? My all time favorite rant? Former Colorado coach Dan Hawkins: "IT'S DIVISION 1 FOOTBALL! IT'S THE BIG 12! GO PLAY INTERMURALS BROTHER!"

Well that's all for now. Remember to share your favorite rant with all of us here on AP.

I'm not crushed that the Chiefs lost today. Most people thought it would be a blowout but we hung in there up until the last few minutes . Peyton Manning wasn't Superman today, which made me happy. I loved it when the camera zoomed in on #18 sitting on the sidelines. He looked like a kid in timeout. I would have loved to see us win, but we still played hard and made some good plays. So I'm not worried about what happened today.

Instead I'm worried about us going into Houston. The Giants came into Reliant Stadium and CRUSHED the Texans. Eli Manning and Hakeem Nicks just made that Texans secondary look silly. Houston couldn't get the running game going. Bottom line: they got destroyed. This team is supposed to be a playoff contender. Today they looked like a junior varsity squad. 

So why should this worry us Chiefs fans? Because the Texans will be playing angry football next week. They just got embarrassed at home and they will be looking to take out their frustration. And I believe they will take it out on us. We've seen this happen before: a good team loses one week, so they go out and crush the next opponent for retribution. I can see that happening in Houston next week.

What do you guys think?

I'm just gonna throw this out there: It's time for the Chiefs to trade Derrick Johnson (and I know the team that we should trade him to).

Let's face it guys: DJ has never lived up to expectations while rockin' the red and he probably never will. Don't get me wrong: I don't think he's a bad player. He's extremely athletic and his performance against Denver at the end of last year was awesome. But unfortunately, that's something we haven't seen him do much as a Chief. He has All-Star talent (see Denver game from last year). But he's also very inconsistent (see countless other games). Despite his penchant for underachieving, I can still see him as trade bait. And I know the perfect team to trade him to: the Detroit Lions. 

Why Detroit? Why send him to that career-killing franchise? Here's why...

*Gunther Cunningham loved this kid. He campaigned hard for the Chiefs to draft him. And Gun is probably still convinced that he turn DJ into a superstar.

*He's better suited as a linebacker in a 4-3.

*Detroit is a team on the rise and Johnson could be a big contributor to that defense.

*It would work out for both parties: he'll have a clean slate in Detroit, and the Chiefs will be able to get something else in return. I doubt that Detroit will be willing to trade a first or second round pick in next year's draft, but asking for a third or fourth round pick isn't unreasonable. 

So what do you guys think? Let me know.

I haven't done this in awhile. Here we go.

*I hope that Vikings head coach Brad Childress has been working tirelessly with Tavaris Jackson and doing everything he can to help improve the guy's game. I'm not kidding about that. Favre already knows the playbook so I think he will be fine. Childress needs to be coaching up Jackson. Brett's ankle still hasn't fully healed and if he suffered a season-ending injury, then Jackson will be the man under center. If that happens (Jackson taking over for an injured Favre) and the team doesn't make the playoffs, then I will point the blame at Childress and nobody else.

Having said all that, I hope Favre doesn't get injured and has another good season.

*I have a job interview on Thursday. If I get hired I'm thinking about getting the NFL package from DirecTV. I just saw the commercial for it yesterday (If I buy the NFL package I get five months of regular service free). Would it be worth it to get this package? Does anyone know if it's a good deal?

*I miss Jason Whitlock. And by that I mean that I missed hitting him with my car when he left the Star.

*I'm kidding about that last comment. It was totally inappropriate. What I meant to say was this: I will miss Whitlock's inconsistent and ass-backwards articles. I will miss reading about the great Jeff George. I will miss.......something else......hmmmmm........I'll come back to this one.

Well that's all for today. Feel free to respond. Take care!

Hello APer's! I haven't written anything on this site in quite a while so I figured that today would be a good time to reconnect with you guys. I have a few things I would like to share with everyone.

*Last month I moved to southern Mississippi with my fiance. We live in Saints Country now. The days of Red & Gold are now the days of old - Black & Gold dominate my surroundings. When I turn on ESPN, I hear about WhoDat Nation and Drew Brees and the Saints all the time. When do they mention anything about the Chiefs? They mention the port-a-potty pass catching drills. That's it.

I'm counting on everyone here at AP to keep me going. You guys are doing a hell of a job with training camp updates and breaking news about my beloved Chiefs. Thank you guys!

*I didn't get to watch the Chiefs-Falcons game on Friday. No place around here was showing it and I don't have the NFL package from DirecTV (apparently it's $300 and I don't have that kind of money). So instead I kept following the first half from a play-by-play game tracker. I was finally able to get radio coverage in the second half. I spent three hours by my computer just to listen to a preseason football game that wasn't very good. Can the regular season come any faster?

*Someone mentioned the playcalling being vanilla on Friday night. I'm okay with that. Save the trick plays for the regular season.

Well that's all from me. Thanks again and keep up the good work!

Time for some more random thoughts.

*A lot of people are upset about New York hosting the 2014 Super Bowl. To tell you the truth, I don't see why people are so upset about it. There are three things that I want to say about this:

#1: I don't want to hear people complaining about the cold weather. Guess what? If your team can't handle cold weather games in December, then they aren't going to last in the playoffs very long.

#2: I don't want to hear anything about snow (ie "What if it snows during the Super Bowl?"). There have been plenty of late January games in freezing cold weather. And besides, does anybody actually know for a fact that it's going to snow? Heck, it could be 45 degrees outside with the sun shining and no wind. No one knows yet so pitching these doom-and-gloom scenarios is pointless.

#3: I don't want to hear people complain about New York hosting it and not some other city up North. If it turns out to be a success, then places like KANSAS CITY will have a better chance of getting to host the Super Bowl later on in the future.

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*There's only thing I want to change about future Super Bowl sites: add more variety. Back in 2006, Detroit hosted the Super Bowl and I thought it was pretty cool. The stadium is really nice and Detroit isn't going to be in the postseason anytime soon - might as well give Detroit fans something to cheer about. St. Louis is another place that the NFL should consider hosting a Super Bowl.

*I'm late on this topic but I'm going to state my opinion on it anyways: D-Bowe's comments about "importing" women were stupid. It doesn't make him a locker room cancer. It just makes him look like a dumbass. End of story.

*Next year's teams that will be picking in the top 5 of the NFL Draft: Buffalo, Jacksonville, Chicago, St. Louis, Cleveland.

That's all for today. Feel free to respond.

Ok guys you know the drill. Come along for the ride.

*Here's what I thought about our draft class this year: I LOVED IT! Pioli said it best: we needed to increase the team's overall speed. He certainly did that. And he brought in high-character guys. Leadership and talent? That's pretty good if you ask me. 

*I'm surprised that we didn't draft a nose tackle or a middle linebacker. Last week I said this: "The Chiefs will draft a nose tackle somewhere in the first three rounds. Mark my words." I know I'm not the only one who felt this way. Although we didn't draft a NT or ILB, I don't doubt for a minute that Pioli is still on the lookout.

*I can't believe I'm saying this (and I'm ready for the criticism that comes with it): selecting Rolando McClain with their first round pick was a great move by the Raiders. They needed LB help badly and McClain is smart enough and talented enough to make a big impact on their defense.

*While I think N. Suh will eventually be a big time player in the NFL, don't expect him to blow everyone away in his rookie year. Defensive tackles take time to develop. And I honestly can't think of any DT who had an outstanding rookie season in the last few years. I think he will certainly help out, but don't expect him to be a game changer yet.

*It was only a month ago that I'd heard of Jason PIerre-Paul. From what I understand, he's an athletic freak (doing backflips in shoulderpads is pretty impressive). But it sounds like he is known more for his athletic ability and his "potential" than his impact on the field.

*I only got to watch the first two rounds last week because of work. Here's what I saw: Mel Kiper going crazy over Clausen not being drafted in the first round. Steve Young sounding kinda combative and making everything awkward on set. Chris Berman looking annoyed and frustrated (I think he was agitated by the cameraman). It reminded me of Michael Scott from 'The Office'. Thank you ESPN.

*Lately I've been on Youtube watching videos of fans reacting to their team's picks. The best one I've ever seen: a group of Packers fans getting mad about the selection of Justin Harrell in 2007. "F***ING NAZI!" Priceless.

Well that's all for today. Feel free to respond.

It's been a long time since I've last made a post. So here we go....

*The Steelers will not trade Ben Roethilsberger. He's way too valuable to Pittsburgh.

*The Chiefs will draft a nose tackle somewhere in the first three rounds. Mark my words.

*I'm stoked about the Chiefs showing off the New Arrowhead on Monday Night Football. However, we're playing the Chargers that night, and getting blown out on national television seems very realistic.

*My official prediction for the draft: We take Eric Berry at #5. If we trade down, we get Rolando McClain.

*All of the games in Week 17 are divisional matchups. I think that's a great idea by Roger Goodell. Don't let anyone get too comfortable.

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Well that's it. What do you think?

Ok here we go.

*Switching the Pro Bowl from the week after the Super Bowl to the week before is NOT A SUCCESS, Mr. Goodell! The commissioner said that this year's Pro Bowl is garnering more atttention. Sorry Roger - it's not the kind of attention you want.

*I don't see the Rams taking N. Suh with the #1 pick. Giving a rookie football player $40M in guaranteed money is already risky, but DTs take a lot of time to develop. Don't get me wrong - I think Suh is a stud. And he does have the potential to be a game-changer. But that seems like a lot of money to fork over for a defensive tackle.

*I wish Chan Gailey the best of luck in Buffalo. He's gonna need it.

*You gotta love Kurt Warner. From stockboy to Super Bowl champion. He's one of thte classiest guys in the NFL. He better be in Canton five years from now.

*If he thinks his body can handle it, Brett Favre should come back to Minnesota next year. He obviously wants to get to another Super Bowl - and Minnesota is a SB caliber team. Brett, if you can handle one more year in the NFL, then get your old *** in the end zone!

Ok feel free to respond.

Most of us know who our 2010 opponents are. For those of you who don't know, check it out:

Home: Oakland, San Diego, Denver, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Buffalo, Arizona, San Francisco

Away: Oakland, San Diego, Denver, Indianapolis, Houston, Cleveland, St. Louis, Seattle

 Now I have some questions about this and I'm hoping someone can answer it for me:

*Why are we playing Indy & Houston on the road next season? When we played the AFC South back in '07, our road opponents were both the Colts and the Texans. Shouldn't they be coming here? The same goes with the Jags & Titans. They came to Arrowhead back in '07. Shouldn't we be playing them in Nashville and Jacksonville next year?

*Same question, just a different division: why are we playing the Rams in St. Louis next season? And why are the 49ers coming to Arrowhead? When we played the NFC West in '06, we had the 49ers and Seahawks at home. We played the Cardinals & Rams on the road.

*Is the NFL trying to switch things up with the schedule? Are they unaware of this?

If anyone knows the answer, please fill me in. Thank you.

It's good to be back on here. I haven't been on in awhile. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Oh and a happy new year! So let me start off the year with my first 'Random Thoughts' post of the new year. So here we go....

*For starters, I want to give props to Jon Yoon for his post "Dear Scott Pioli". Jon, I gotta hand it to you man - you hit the nail on the head (at least for me). The point you made about Chiefs fans being duped on numerous occassions during the previous regime was right on the money. So Jon, I give you a big thumbs up for your work.

*For the 2010 Draft: I hope that we don't draft another D-lineman with our first pick. Anything else but D-line please!

*Peyton Manning gets my vote for MVP this year. He's playing the best football of his career. I'm not talking statistics - I'm talking about personnel. The running game hasn't really wowed me, and Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are the only big-time receivers on that team. Manning has carried that team on his back by making clutch plays all year, and he's the main reason why the Colts have been so good this year.

*Speaking of the Colts: I don't think Indy fans should really be mad about the loss to the Jets last Sunday. Here are three reasons why they should not be upset about it.

1) Keeping the starters healthy is key.

2) They have rested starters in previous years when the season winds down.

3)Going 15-0 is great, but that doesn't mean much in the overall scheme of things. While I did think it was cool that New England went 16-0 in 2007, guess what? They lost the Super Bowl. A lot of people have complained that the Colts "blew a shot at history" and it just annoys me. Here's how the Colts can make history this year: win the Super Bowl! That's the only thing that should matter right now.

Well I'm done. Feel free to respond. Take care!

Before I go deer hunting this week, I want to leave you all with some random thoughts.

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*I want Toby Gerhart to win the Heisman. He leads the nation in rushing yards and touchdowns. He's the main reason why Stanford has been so good. If not him, then Suh from Nebraska. I'd love to see another defensive player win the big one.

*Getting Jake O'Connell in the draft this year is a real headscratcher. We actually traded with Miami to get him. So far he has made NO impact. None. I don't care if he's primarily a blocking tight end - I'd like to have seen a little more out of him. I don't care if he was only drafted in the 7th round - we still traded for a no-impact player. It doesn't make sense to trade with another team to get a no-impact player.

*There has been a lot of complaining about the Chiefs and the veteran free-agents they picked up in the offseason. Some say "All we got are washed-up old guys".....That may be so, but at least Pioli went out and tried to get us some pieces for the right 53. That's better than getting nothing. And as far as the free agent pool goes, the 2009 class was pretty bare. Albert Haynesworth was the only big player out there I can think of.

*Speaking of Haynesworth, I remember some AP members were really pushing for us to get him. Honestly if we had brought him here to KC I would have been more pissed off about that than us getting "washed-up, over the hill" veterans. Think about it: he seriously underperformed for most of his career. All of a sudden he started playing hard - right in time for a new contract. Then after Tennessee let him go, the Redskins gave him a HUGE contract. I would think that a football player who gets a $100M contract would be a game changer. Defensive tackles do not really really fit the description of a "game changer". Don't think that I'm knocking on Haynesworth: he's played well (not great) for Washington this season. But does playing well and not great really worth $100M? I don't think so.

*Last year my girlfriend and I went to the Chiefs-Bills game. We both got BBQ from from the Gates kiosk on the bottom level. I won't lie - it was pretty disappointing. It was warm at best, and it didn't taste very "smoky". I've heard that Gates is one of the city's biggest barbeque joint. Was my experience a fluke, or is that how it is everywhere? Oh, and by the way: Arthur Bryant's is amazing!

That's all for now. Feel free to comment and respond. Take care.

Let's all give thanks for more random thoughts!

*The Chiefs can finish the season 7-9 or 8-8. The toughest part of the schedule is over. San Diego and Cincinnati will be the two toughest games remaining. Denver has been sliding BIG TIME. I'm optimistic that we can finish strong!

*Watching Haley smile after a win is a joy. It's a nice contrast to the yelling and scowling we usually see.

*Matt Light is in the final year of his contract. I don't see New England resigning him. If any of this is true, then I see Pioli bringing him in. (If I'm wrong about any of this please correct me)

*I can see the Chiefs drafting a quarterback next year. If they do draft one, the earliest round we will get one is in the sixth. Pioli knows the upside of drafting solid young quarterbacks in the later rounds. Cassel is in no danger of losing his starting job anytime this year (or next year), but it wouldn't hurt the Chiefs to have someone waiting in the wings in case he goes down. Brodie Croyle will be gone next year, and it would just be cheaper to draft a late-round QB. I know Cassel is our $60M man but keep this in mind: Drew Bledsoe was traded to Buffalo from New England a year after he signed his fat contract extension (it was worth over $100M). Fat contracts don't guarantee anything.

*If the Chiefs finish the season strong, then they should get at least one MNF game next year. The Raiders and the Browns both played a Monday night game this year - and they're terrible. Why not us?

Well I'm done with this post. Give me your opinions on this.Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!

It's time for some more random thoughts!

*Dwayne Bowe got the shaft. He took those PED's and still has trouble catching the ball. What a ripoff!

*The Bills are a joke. I understand that Dick Jauron had to go. But after hearing some of the potential replacements for DJ, I have to laugh. Adam Schefter said that some of the potential HC candidates next year were a couple of arena football league coaches. Seriously? That's pretty embarassing. However, those guys aren't their number one guy. Mike Shanahan seems to be their top candidate. Elway made Shanny look like a genius. After Elway retired, the Broncos playoff record is 1-4. Remember the Broncos from 06-08? Each year the team underachieved and fell short of the playoffs. Why do you think the guy was fired?

*Our backfield isn't very good. We scored our first rushing touchdown of the season against Oakland. We were the last team in the league to score a rushing touchdown. That's not a statistic to be excited about. Jamaal Charles has the potential to be a big-time impact player. But with the exception of his touchdown run this last Sunday, his fumbling problem has been his most consistent attribute. With LJ out of the way, I think he can finally shine. Let's all hope so.

*Speaking of the running game - let's run some Wildcat plays. Just 1 or 2 plays will make me happy. We don't need to rely on it like Miami does.

*Here's a Super Bowl match that would literally keep me glued to the chair: the Colts and the Saints. Both teams have awesome offenses. Their defenses aren't too shabby either, but I'm more interested in their offenses.

*Here's something I'm looking forward to in the coming offseason: the 2010 AP Mock Draft. I loved participating in that last year. I'm ready to do it again!

Okay that's all for now. Feel free to comment...

Let's face it people: we're all pretty angry right now with our Chiefs. When your favorite team is 2-7, you shouldn't be happy. If you are happy about that 2-7 record, then you are either: A) wanting the Chiefs to get the #1 overall pick in next year's draft, or B) you are a nutcase. You could be both.

Now I'm going to diffuse the tension here on AP. I'm going to do some Anger Management! Actually I'm just going to analyze some of these issues with our team and come up with positive solutions and friendly reminders.

*I'm angry that we aren't this year's turnaround team (like the 2008 Dolphins). I saw us in the same situation as them. New GM, new head coach, new quarterback, new attitude. We were gonna be competing for the AFC West title this year.

But it hasn't turned out that way and I think I know why. Miami had a very unique situation compared to ours. Bill Parcells is a football mastermind. His hand-picked coach, Tony Sparano, worked under Parcells and their connection was very deep. And Chad Pennington was an excellent pickup. Say what you want about his arm strength: he's sharp as a tack and he's very efficient. He was the ideal triggerman for the team last year while they tried to get Chad Henne up to speed. All of that, throw in some creative playcalling, and guess what? The team took everyone by surprise. Here's something else that contributed to their quick turnaround: they were still a pretty talented squad, despite their 1-15 record. That team probably could have won another 4 or 5 games. But shitty coaching and big-time injuries did them in. So if they won a few more close games they could have been 5-11 or 6-10. A team improving from 6 wins to 11 wins isn't anything new. So their turnaround should not be a total shock.

Why I shouldn't be angry: I need to remind myself that this team is being built like a Parcells-type team. The Tuna model is a proven winner. It may not be quick, but it will pay off well in the long run.

*I'm angry about the coaching. At times I think that our coaching staff is one big fat joke. Tim Kumpie shouldn't be employed at all. And Clancy Pendergrast has shown us all why he got fired from Arizona last year. Haley's playcalling hasn't impressed me either.

Look on the bright side: there are two positives here. First, I still think that despite the quality of these coaches, they are teaching these players to never give up. Just ask Baltimore and Jacksonville. Second, I remind myself that Haley was the last head coach hired this year, and there weren't many top-tier candidates left for Haley to choose from. Kumpie, Clancy, and several others will be gone at the end of the season and Haley will have more options to assemble a better coaching staff. 

*I'm angry about Pioli. He's considered to be an excellent personnel man, but what he brought us hasn't been that good. Mike Goff, Zack Thomas, Bobby Engram, Mike Brown: these veteran guys were supposed to be an upgrade, but they just look like Carl Peterson leftovers. Our first draft class hasn't been impresive either. We reached for Tyson Jackson (and almost everyone else from this class). So far, our kicker has made the biggest impact from this class. And on top of that, Matt Cassel hasn't been performing like a $60M man. Pioli is in charge of these decisions.

Take a chill pill. Pioli is the guy that ALL OF US wanted. He's a big reason why the Patriots have been the most successful team of the decade. Last year the FA market was pretty bare. Outside of Albert Haynesworth, nobody really excited me. Pioli deserves a few more years to do his thing, but if we don't substantially improve, Clark Hunt will have no problem pulling the cord on him. Trust me on that.

So, in conclusion, here is the bottom line: as fans, we have a right to be pissed off. We have a right to be mad. But don't give up hope yet. Carl Peterson had 20 years to get us to the Super Bowl. Why can't Pioli get at least 3-5 years? I think it's a little premature to call for the heads of Pioli & Company. Let's try to be positive about this. Now go out there and apply some Anger Management, Chiefs fans!

Time for some more of my random thoughts....


*We all have mixed feelings on Bernard Pollard (or at least I do). I love the hard hits - hated the fact that his hard hits didn't lead to solid tackles. I loved his Hard Knocks dance - hated how receivers danced all over his ass when he was in coverage. But what really gets me is this notion that he was a "locker room cancer" or he was a bad guy (I think KB reported on this). He never struck me as that kind of guy. I understand that he got into an argument with Pendergrast at one point this summer. But it seems like this just happened once. And I can understand if there's a heated argument. But ONE argument does not mean the guy is a cancer. Can someone fill me in on this? Maybe I'm missing something.

*One more thing about Pollard: he said he didn't like Haley's yelling and cursing. Isn't that the same thing that Gunther did too? (Someone made this point before on AP and I thought that was pretty intriguing).

*It sucks that Mike Goff is now on IR. But let's face it: he wasn't getting the job done. Earlier this year I gushed about having Goff on our roster. I really thought he was going to be a major upgrade for us. Boy was I wrong. He jsut didn't play well at all this year. I guess San Diego really knew what they were doing when they let him go.

*My prediction: LJ to Washington.

*I gotta hand it to Herm: he's still a big time Chiefs fan. Even though he got fired last year, he still roots for KC (maybe it's the BBQ). It seems like he is constantly picking the Chiefs to win every Sunday on ESPN. Say what you want about the guy: I gotta admire him for sticking with the Chiefs.

*If we don't win against Oakland this Sunday, then I see us winning against Cleveland next month and that's it. Yup that's right: back-to-back 2-14 seasons.

That's all for today. Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions. 

Here we go....

*Larry Johnson: He's done. His attitude and on-field "performance" are both shitty. The gay slurs certainly don't help improve his image. He won't be cut right now (as much as I'd prefer that). As soon as the season ends, his ass is gone.

*Rush Limbaugh: He's nothing more than a crybaby. He throws a fit because the league won't let him purchase the Rams. He blames the government and says he's a victim of the media, blah blah. Look I don't have any problem with his political views (I am a conservative myself). But his big mouth is why the league doesn't want anything to do with him. Dan Rooney (Pittsburgh's owner) never said that the NFL is like the Crips and Bloods. But you know who did? Limbaugh did. So I say "fuck Rush"!

*Clancy Pendergrast: He'll be gone at the end of the season. The only reason he was chosen as our DC is because there weren't any other candidates out there that looked good. Many insiders say he is a very creative DC. That's nice to hear but creative doesn't always mean good. He won't be around for the 2010 season.

*Wade Phillips: If the Cowboys do not manage to get into the playoffs, then Wade will be gone. Which is fine with me, because I can easily see him as our new defensive coordinator. Forget his less-than-stellar head coaching resume: as a defensive coordinator, he's one of the league's very best. He is a 3-4 mastermind, and he would be a major asset to this team.

*Demorrio Williams: This guy is playing good football right now. Most of us groaned (or snickered) when we heard that he was our big free-agent player from the '08 offseason. He sucked ass last year and we all thought he wouldn't do much better this year. But he's turned in some excellent performances and he's giving DJ some much-needed competition.

*Norv Turner: I wouldn't be surprised at all if he gets shit-canned by the Chargers. If he does get fired, then I wouldn't be surprised at all if he was our next offensive coordinator. Same with Wade: despite his lack of success as a head coach, he's an excellent OC. I think a major reason why Haley has called plays this year is because there wasn't anyone else around to help out so he wanted to take matters into his own hands. With Turner, he will be able to find an established veteran to work with. Why am I high on Norv? When he was with the '06 Niners, he helped the offense improve immensly and he even made Alex Smith look like a good quarterback.

*Jim Zorn: He'll be gone at the end of the season in Washington. I can see him being hired on as our QB's coach.

*Scott Pioli: One thing I love about this guy: he's is ALWAYS looking for players that he can bring on board and help out the team. He's still looking out for players right now that are available, He's always looking, and he's shown that he is relentless. You gotta love that.

*Megan Fox: She was the only good thing about Transformers 2. Don't even argue with me.

HOLY SANTA CLAUS SHIT!

It's way too early for me to be looking forward to the 2010 NFL Draft. But I can't help myself. So come along, friends, and watch me break down our potential choices for our first round pick.

I honestly believe that we will be picking in the top 10 again next year. You could even say that we will be picking in the top 5 and I wouldn't find that too far-fetched. I actually see the Chiefs picking at the #8 spot in the draft. I hope like hell I'm wrong. I hope we're picking higher. But I just have this feeling that we will be picking at 8 (or around that area).

So, here's my question: if we are at the #8 spot, what exactly do we need? Here are some viable options....

Offensive Tackle. We need more help on the line. Albert's play has been disappointing so far this year. If he doesn't improve throughout the year, I can see him being switched to guard or right tackle. But even if he does improve, then I wouldn't rule out the possibility of getting another offensive lineman.

Defensive Tackle. I'm against this choice but I can see Pioli grabbing a DT. It wouldn't surprise me if he picks Suh from Nebraska (if he's available). He never quits. He does an excellent job and stuffing the run and getting to the quarterback. He seems to be everywhere on the field. If we selected him I'd be okay with that.

Running Back. I know it sounds crazy but if he's a game changer (ex. Adrian Peterson), then we should get him. LJ is barely averaging 2 yards per carry. Our other backs aren't dazzling me either. The O-line hasn't helped the run game much, but it's clear that we could still use an upgrade. Remember: if we get a RB in the first round, I expect him to be a game changer. If he's there, go get him!

Linebacker. Any LB spot is fine with me. We could certainly use some more help up the middle. I don't see Derrick Johnson back in KC next year. And even though I like Vrabel, he's in the final year of his contract and I don't see him staying in KC. So I would not be opposed to an OLB either. Anything to help improve the depth of our LB corps will be appreciated.

Safety. I know this also sounds crazy. Safety isn't a pressing need for us right now. But there is a lot of love out there for Eric Berry (Tennessee) and Taylor Mays (USC). Mike Brown isn't scaring any QB and Page could be gone next year too. If one of those guys could be our version of Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu, I'm all for it.

I know that some of these choices don't make sense. I am also aware that its still October and a lot could change over the course of the season. But hey, anything can happen....

As horrible as the game was on Sunday, there were a couple of bright spots.

1) We scored a couple touchdowns. As poorly as we played, we shouldn't have put up any points.

2) See for yourself....

HOLY SANTA CLAUS SHIT!

Don't fight it - you know that made the game a whole hell of a lot better!

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On a side note:

-As good as Branden Albert is, he's been pissing me off lately with all of those penalties. He's had several key holding penalties. I wonder what Haley thinks about those.

-As exciting as Thigpen's play was last year, I'm not upset that he's been traded. Actually I'm surprised that Miami traded for him. He was fun to watch and I loved rooting for him, but he only led us to ONE victory. I'm not putting all of that on him. Most of that was the coaching. But despite his solid play last season, he should have led the team to at least a couple more victories.

-Okay, one last time....

Coach Haley has a lot on his plate right now. He's the head coach of a bad team, but jsut last month he took over play-calling duties and is now the team's QB coach. That's a lot to handle for a first-time coach. I'm not saying that Haley will buckle under all of his added responsibilities. But it wouldn't surprise me if he hands over the play calling duties to someone else on his staff. When he joined the Cardinals in '07, he didn't start out calling plays. His boss, Ken Whisenhunt, handed the playcalling duties over to him during the mddle of the season. This made me this: do we have a play-caller waiting in the wings?

Bill Muir (O-Line): He's a well-respected line coach. He's called plays before. However his track record at OC in Tampa isn't impressive.

Maurice Carthon (Asst HC): Has called plays before bur his track record isn't that good. Same could be said about his job as RBs coach. Not exactly sure why we hired him - maybe to help fill out a coaching spot.

Dedric Ward (WR): I don't know much about his guy. I've read that he played under Haley while in New York and Dallas. He's young but maybe he has potential. Remember - Haley started out as a WR coach.

Bob Bicknell (TE): I don't know much about this guy either. All I know is that "tutored" Tony Gonzalez (according to the Chiefs website). He didn't really need a lot of tutoring but after the end of the 2008 season, TG had nothing but good things to say about Bicknell.

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I know that some people out there think Haley won't need any help, he can do it all by himself just fine, anyone who thinks otherwise is stupid, etc. Just keep in mind: this list is hypothetical. I'm not saying that Haley will fail as a playcaller. I'm just coming up with some potential candidates to help out. A little help goes a long way.

What do you guys think?

I'll be honest: I actually enjoy reading Jason Whitlock's columns in the Star. I usually find them entertaining - or I can at least see the reasoning for his arguments, even if I don't agree. It seems like the majority of AP members think Whitlock is a tool. I totally agree with you guys after reading today's lame ass article.

As Jim Rome says, here's what I'm burning on:

*Stop calling Scott Pioli that stupid nickname, Ego-li. When I first saw your nickname for Scott, I was dumbfounded. It aIso made me hungry for some Eggo waffles and ravioli. But mainly I didn't see the conection. Seriously - has Jason ever heard Pioli talk? When he came here, he never said "I know it all" or "I am so smart" blah blah blah. He wasn't praising himself during interviews. Bill Belichick did enough of that. Pioli is a low-key guy who worked behind the curtains and never took the credit. The guy is a class act.

*Haley put the blame on himself. Jason said that Haley bitched at all of the players for their errors but he failed to see his own mistakes. Bullshit. At the end of the game, Haley took the blame and even said that he didn't coach well, especially at the end of the game. He didn't throw any players under the bus. He did say that WE all need to get better. That includes the coaches. This isn't the first time that Haley admitted he was wrong and I doubt it wil be his last. But he took the blame. Herm did a lot of things that drove me nuts, but I really hated it when he wouldn't man up and admit that he made mistakes. He always found a way to escape the blame. Sorry Jason, you got the wrong coach on this one.

*Quit saying Haley's arrogance is toxic. Actually, establishing a football culture where the coach says "it's okay we lost, we'll get better later" is more toxic. Losing is toxic. Oh, and don't bitch about Haley's "brutal" offseason workouts and training camps. Better conditining means fewer injuries and fewer chances of the players breakig down.

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I'm not entirely defending the Chiefs. Here's what did bother me.

*Cassel's pass play to Savage right before the end of the first half was piss poor. He should have known better than that.

*When the Raiders scored with less than 2 minutes to go in the game, I wanted to punch Clancy Pendergrast in the face. How did the receivers get so damn open?

*Cassel's first interception was flat out poor.

*The second one wasn't his fault. The reciever let it slip out of his hands.

*If Flowers got his hands on the ball, then it would have been pick 6.

*Yesterday was my birthday. The red-zone errors were a shitty present.

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Even though there were still a lot of empty seats yesterday, Arrowhead Stadium was still pretty loud. It was a good sound to hear. To the 70,000(?) people in the stands, thank you for keeping Arrowhead rockin on my birthday!

This has been bothering me recently.

I know there are some people out there who still think Herm was an awesome coach and that Haley is a joke. I've been on the KC Star's website reading news on the Chiefs and there this one guy named hermstheman who always comments on how bad of a coach Haley is. This guy keeps saying that Haley's the main reason that the team went winless in the preseason and that's he hasn't won any games yet yadda yadda yadda....

I also know that there are some people here on AP that feel the same way as hermstheman. Sorry guys. I know you liked Herm but he wasn't cutting it as our head coach. I'm going to present you all with information that will blow your mind. Or at least prove my point.

*Somebody has used the statistic "Herm has won more games than Haley." Very true. But Haley has only coached one regular season game so far in his career. Herm has been a head coach for 8 years. To this day, Herm's head coaching record is 56-77 (.421 winning percentage). Haley hasn't won a game yet. But guess what? When we beat Oakland next week (it's gonna happen-trust me), Haley's head coaching record is gonna be 1-1 (.500 winning percentage). Which percentage is better: .500 or .421?

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*Speaking of wins, Haley's opening day record so far is 0-1 (kinda redundant but what the hell?). Herm's opening day record overall is 2-6. His ODR with Kansas City is 0-3.

2006: Cincinnati 23, Kansas City 10

2007: Houston 20, Kansas City 3

2008: New England 17, Kansas City 10

Personally I don't think those numbers are too impressive. Here is Haley's ODR.

2009: Baltimore 38, Kansas City 24

This number is not impressive either. But look at how many point KC scored ALTOGETHER on their opening day with Herm running the show: 10+3+10=23. 23 total points. That's averging a little over 7 points a game. How many points did the Chiefs score yesterday with Haley running the show? 24 points.

For Haley, that's 24 points so far on his ODR. Herm's teams scored 23 points total! Now that is piss poor.

Oh yeah and I feel like rubbing this in: If we scored 24 points a game on opening day from 2006-2008, here's what it would have looked like:

Kansas City 24, Cincinnati 23

Kansas City 24, Houston 20

Kansas City 24, New England 17

Hmmm..........

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Last season we set an NFL record for fewest sacks in a season with 10. If I'm correct, how many sacks did we get in our first 3 games? None. We at least got ONE sack yesterday. Hell, if you average that out throughout the course of this season you get 16 sacks. Better verage than last year.

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Herm told the fans to "get over it" when we were losing. He was always the first guy to throw the team under the bus in order to deflect blame. After we lost to the Texans in our preseason opener, what did Haley say after the game?

"If you can tell me the first real one is a win I’ll make this one a loss any day of the week. It’s a special feeling when it’s your team and a lot of responsibility comes with that and tonight I didn’t live up to that end of it."

Even though it was jsut a preseason game, he still wanted to win. And when they didn't win, he said he didn't live up to his end of the bargain. What do you call that? I call that accountability. Something Herm had never heard of.

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In conclusion, Haley is bringing something different to this team. He's doing what it takes to mold this team into a group of winners. Herm just accepted losing and said 'its okay'. Losing isn't okay. And Haley is making damn sure that nobody on this roster tolerates losing. He wants to win it all and he obviously wont settle for anything else. That's what I want in a coach: a winner!

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Oh and by the way, it's the fucking Catalina wine mixer!

Time for some of my random thoughts about our beloved Chiefs.

*We all know that the offensive line isn't very good. Waters was pretty solid yesterday, but nobody else really stood out to me (i agree with onthereg about Albert not playing that well). While I do realize that our line doesn't have that much talent, I also wonder about the coaching they're getting. No - I don't mean Haley. Bill Muir has a pretty solid resume and some say that he is anexcellent O-line coach. Is Muir not doing his job well, or is the talent level on the line that bad?

*Here is my Mister Obvious Moment: Cassel is the key to us winning next week. Brodie didn't manage the game that well until Haley ripped his ass early in the second quarter. While he didn't turn the ball over, he only tried to throw 5 and 10 yard passes. Throughout the entire offseason, what did coaches and teammates keep saying about #7? He's accurate. He's smart. He's tough. My favorite thing to hear about him: his incredible work ethic. Haley has said before that Cassel is the first guy in the training room and the last one to leave. Haley also said that he had to kicked Cassel out of his office because he wouldn't shut up about football! Did we ever hear anything like that about Brodie during the offseason? Hmm......

*Here's another thing about Cassel thatI liked: during the preseason, his throws were right on the money. He threw it into the arms of recievers who couldn't catch a cold. And he never locked onto just one reciever. He seems to have good field vision. Those signs are very encouraging to me.

*After watching the Chargers-Raiders game last night, it made me kinda nervous. Oakland seemed to be playing pretty good ball up until Rivers executed that game-winning drive. If we don't win next week, then the next two months are gonna be brutal! Ah who am I kidding? Of course we're gonna win. We're gonna beat the hell outta YOU!

*Turk McBride is gone. Pioli was smart to get rid of him (I would have done it sooner but thats just me). Talk about a wasted roster spot. I'm curious: what the hell did Herm see in that guy?

Ok. End scene.