Chiefs News

"The Chiefs’ strategy for solving their kicking troubles was a simple one. Too simple, as it turned out. Their solution was to sign the best available free-agent kicker, Seattle’s Josh Brown. They had no backup plan. So when Brown instead signed with the Rams in the opening days of free agency, the Chiefs were left at kicker with journeymen Nick Novak and Billy Cundiff, an undrafted rookie in North Carolina’s Connor Barth and plenty of continuing unease over the situation."

"With every sack, every feeble rushing play, every three-and-out series, the Chiefs resolved they would take this offseason to fix their forlorn offense. They would repair their decrepit offensive line, they would give Brodie Croyle the tools to succeed as an NFL starting quarterback, they would take some of the considerable burden off their overtaxed defense. Despite the Chiefs’ elation over their recent 12-player draft, their efforts are coming under question. “You can only do so much in the draft,” said former Washington and Houston general manager Charley Casserly. “It’s still a work in progress. They got better where they could get better.”"

"Mike Cox was just like every other graduating high schooler heading off to college to play football. He wanted to be the star. He was determined to be the ball carrier and not the blocker even though his coach at Georgia Tech, Chan Gailey, preferred him at fullback instead of tailback. Gailey, though, let the decision be Cox’s. It didn’t take long for Cox to realize his football future was brighter as the blocker and not the runner."

"One of the more interesting names heading to Kansas City for a tryout this weekend with the Chiefs will be former Florida quarterback Chris Leak. Leak, you’ll recall, led Florida to the national title in 2007 by beating Ohio State. Leak was the title game’s most valuable player. But Leak, who is 6 feet, 207 pounds, didn’t get drafted. He signed as a rookie free agent last year with the Bears but was cut before the season."

"When a friend’s phone call came last week with the news that Jared Allen had been traded to the Vikings, Chuck Tabor’s heart sank. Tabor, you see, is the working partner and general manager of the Jared Allen Sports Arena & Grill, a spacious new restaurant/bar on Southwest Boulevard that Tabor and Allen opened in March. “Up until last week, he and I had no idea a trade might happen,” Tabor said as he welcomed several Wednesday lunch-goers to the place. “And I tell you what: We’d have never built a restaurant had we known a trade might happen. Never.”"

"First, Bob Gretz is gone from the Chiefs broadcasts. Now Mitch Holthus, too? There has been some Internet buzz that Holthus is being wooed by Fox to become one of its NFL play-by-play men."

"It’s an easy thing to forget now, blotted out as it was by Jared Allen’s breakout season and the monster contract it earned him from the Minnesota Vikings. But just two seasons ago, Tamba Hali, then a rookie, led the Chiefs in sacks with eight, or one-half more than Allen."

"The Chiefs’ first-round draft picks stood Monday at Arrowhead Stadium and held up their new jerseys. Offensive lineman Branden Albert held up a No. 76 jersey. Defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey held up the No. 72, and that made him smile. When it was time to return the jersey to a team employee, Dorsey wasn’t ready to let go."

"Former University of Missouri safety Cornelius “Pig” Brown will arrive in Kansas City on Thursday night, undergo a physical Friday and "sign a contract on Saturday as a free agent with the Chiefs," Brown's agent,Tim Rogers, said Monday."

"NFL conundrum No. 1: Is it better to draft for need or for the best athlete? Confession: I am a needs guy. Here's why: Fail to fill your needs now and you're still going to be knee-deep in need in a year. Go for the best athlete and you're just playing Lotto. We all know the odds on that. That is why I was down on the Raiders' draft and why the best draft I've seen in years just concluded over the weekend in Kansas City. If player ratings are all they're cracked up to be, the Chiefs should replace San Diego as the top team in the AFC West somewhere around or shortly after the 2010 season."

"The only likely rookie starters in the Sept. 7 season opener against the Patriots in New England are the ones the Chiefs selected on Saturday: LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and Virginia offensive lineman Branden Albert in the first round and Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers in the second."

"Texas running back Jamaal Charles was the Chiefs’ first of three picks in the third round of the NFL draft, the 73rd overall pick. And even though he probably will start his career behind Larry Johnson and Kolby Smith, Charles could be the fastest player on the team."

"Wide receiver Will Franklin spent much of his college career at Missouri overshadowed by bigger-name players: Chase Daniel, Martin Rucker, Jeremy Maclin and Chase Coffman."

"Fast fact: Dorsey spent two years as a child in leg braces after he was born with bowed legs."

"As they finished their preparations and waited for the draft to unfold, the Chiefs concluded LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey would be out of their reach. Not even the fifth pick would be high enough to grab Dorsey, who the Chiefs believed could be the draft’s best player. Surely, they decided, one of the teams ahead of them in the first round Saturday would snatch Dorsey first."

"The glaring hole in Glenn Dorsey’s game was made obvious Saturday afternoon. Chiefs coach Herm Edwards announced that with Dorsey’s acquisition journeyman defensive tackle Alfonso Boone will move to left defensive end. Boone’s flip to end indicates that Turk McBride, Kansas City’s second-round pick a year ago, is a flop."

"Glenn Dorsey could stop sweating now. The big defensive tackle sat in New York and talked about moving to Kansas City and how hot it gets for a 300-pound man in the room where they keep the top draft prospects."

"Branden Albert believed long ago he would be drafted in a professional sport. He just thought it would be in basketball, not football."

"Carl Peterson watched Virginia Tech cornerback Brandon Flowers during Kansas’ win at the Orange Bowl. When the Chiefs called Flowers on Saturday to tell him they were making him the team’s second-round pick, Peterson reminded Flowers that Kansas City might be KU country — but Peterson likes Flowers, anyway."

"Kansas City’s first pick figures to come from a group that includes defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey of LSU, defensive ends Chris Long of Virginia and Vernon Gholston of Ohio State, and offensive linemen Branden Albert of Virginia and Ryan Clady of Boise State."

"The Chiefs might finally draft a quality defensive lineman. There’s a good chance Dorsey might become the best player in this draft."

"Chiefs quarterback Brodie Croyle may work in the big city, but he still describes himself as “a country boy at heart.” Maybe that’s why something stirs deep within his soul once spring arrives. He feels the urge to return to his roots, get back in the woods and hunt wild turkeys again."

"The Chiefs need a sure thing. Six years have passed since the Chiefs traded up to grab Sims with the No. 6 overall pick, a mistake that cost the franchise and Sims for years. It is a mistake the Chiefs cannot afford to repeat when this year’s draft starts Saturday. Whether they like it or not, reminders of Sims — and the pitfalls of repeating such a mistake — will be all around them."

"It took some coaxing, some massaging and some hard negotiating, but the Chiefs finally were able to get a trade offer for Jared Allen that they could live with. Publicly, at least, they have no regrets. Coach Herm Edwards and president/general manager Carl Peterson did not waver Wednesday in their belief the Chiefs are a better team having sent Jared Allen to Minnesota for the Vikings’ first-round pick and both of their third-round selections in this weekend’s draft."

"Thanks in part to the bounty of picks they received from Minnesota in the Jared Allen trade, the Chiefs are now the players in this weekend’s NFL draft. They are one of only two teams with two first-round draft picks; and the Chiefs, with the fifth and 17th picks, will have selected twice by the time Dallas makes the first of its two choices. The Chiefs also have six of the first 82 picks, meaning they could fill most of their remaining lineup holes and recover quickly from their disastrous 2007 season."

"Jared Allen and the Chiefs agreed to part ways this week, but that might be all they agreed on. Allen’s agent, Ken Harris, and Chiefs president Carl Peterson told conflicting versions Wednesday of how and why negotiations broke down to keep the All-Pro defensive end in Kansas City. Peterson said the sides discussed a potential multi-year contract but that Harris “wasn’t interested in any offers.” Harris told The Star late Wednesday he has the airline miles to prove otherwise."

"Jared Allen sounded eager and excited to begin the Minnesota Vikings chapter of his NFL career. And put Kansas City behind him. “I feel like I’m 22 again on draft day … this time a few more people showed up,” Allen said at his introductory news conference Wednesday in Eden Prairie, Minn., after the Vikings acquired him from the Chiefs and signed him to a six-year contract worth up to $74 million."

"Ever since negotiations for a long-term contract broke off last year, Jared Allen’s departure from the Chiefs carried a sense of inevitability. It happened Tuesday night when the Chiefs agreed to trade their Pro Bowl defensive end to the Minnesota Vikings, a source said. Allen went to Minnesota on Tuesday night to sign one of the largest contracts ever for a defensive player — six years for just less than $74 million with more than $31 million guaranteed."

"Patience appears to have paid off for the Vikings in their search for a defensive end. Unsuccessful in landing an edge pass-rusher early in free agency, Minnesota acquired one of the best in the business at an extremely steep price Tuesday night when it agreed to terms on a trade with Kansas City for Jared Allen. Allen, according to the Fox Sports website, will become the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history."

"The Vikings have agreed in principle to a multiyear contract with Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen and to a multi-pick trade package with the Kansas City Chiefs, according to a source close to the situation."

"The Chiefs traded Jared Allen on Tuesday, and even though it was no secret, even though it had been building for days, in the end, it was still a bit of a shocker. Teams don’t trade away 26-year-old franchise defensive ends. Teams don’t deal players who lead the NFL in sacks despite playing only 14 games. Teams coming off 4-12 seasons don’t trade away their best player."

"So did the Chiefs, who held out a slim hope that Long, a 6-foot-7, 313-pounder, might slip to the fifth spot, where Kansas City will draft on Saturday. Now, the Chiefs, who have a glaring need at offensive tackle, will have to shift their attention to the next tier of tackles — which includes Boise State’s Ryan Clady, Pittsburgh’s Jeff Otah and Virginia’s Branden Albert — if they decide to use that pick on a lineman."

"Endless days are nothing unusual for NFL teams as they prepare for the draft. Even more overtime is the norm for a team like the Chiefs, who have a needs list so long they would have trouble fielding a team if they had to play a game today."

"Damion McIntosh is the only proven player and the Chiefs would prefer to move him to right tackle or guard. Need: High."

"For weeks, all we have heard from the draft experts is that the Chiefs will be all over quarterback Matt Ryan with their No. 5 pick. And that still might be the case. But the whole Jared Allen situation has some NFL mock drafts shifting gears. Pro Football Weekly, for example, has the Chiefs taking defensive end Derrick Harvey out of Florida."

"The Vikings' quest to acquire Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen remained on hold Monday as Kansas City continued to explore its options regarding the NFL's 2007 sacks leader."

"The need is obvious and so is the solution. With defensive end at the top of their list, the Vikings can fill their biggest hole this week by finalizing a trade for the Kansas City Chiefs' Jared Allen. "

"The Vikings -- who treat draft picks like gold -- appear willing to surrender first- and third-round selections to Kansas City in this weekend's draft so they can earn the privilege of making Jared Allen one of the NFL's richest players."

"Even after free agency became a vehicle for player acquisition, Lamar Hunt never lost his enthusiasm for the college draft. He, more than anyone, eagerly anticipated the Chiefs’ annual rookie haul. His son Clark, now the Chiefs’ chairman, may not be as outwardly enthusiastic, but he does understand the draft’s importance."

"Defensive end Jared Allen left Minnesota on Sunday without agreeing on a contract with the Vikings. The Chiefs and Vikings also had not agreed to terms of a trade that would send the discontented Allen to Minnesota in return for draft picks."

"Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen returned home to the West Coast on Sunday, but the Vikings remained cautiously optimistic he will be wearing purple before next weekend's NFL draft."

"Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Allen and his agent left the Twin Cities on Sunday after a two-day visit, but that doesn't mean the Vikings have given up on a trade."

"The Chiefs have few options. They might be able to trade down in the draft — teams might be willing to trade up to get McFadden or Ryan. That wouldn’t be a bad deal if they can find a partner. The Chiefs also might get bold and trade up a couple of spots — though that seems unlikely because the Chiefs really don’t have any extra draft picks to spare."

"Pro football’s Big Uglies have become Glamour Boys. Left tackle, regarded as an important but anonymous position in the NFL’s pre-salary-cap era, is now recognized as one of the four cornerstone positions in the game — along with quarterback, cover cornerback and pass-rushing defensive end."

"Jake Long is the type of player that offensive tackle-deficient teams like the Chiefs dream about. Long, who played in college at Michigan, is big and powerful enough to be a dominant run blocker but also athletic enough to someday become a skilled pass protector."

"Trading Jared Allen might be the smart thing to do. Once Clark Hunt decided to retain Carl Peterson, the chance for the Chiefs to retain a happy, productive Jared Allen nearly evaporated. At least for one more year, we’re stuck with The Artist Formerly Known as King Carl, so we might as well contemplate the idea of unloading Kansas City’s best football player for draft picks and whatever else the Vikings, Buccaneers or Team X is willing to give up."

"Jared Allen is expected to leave the Twin Cities still property of the Kansas City Chiefs, but that doesn't mean the Vikings' hopes of landing the Pro Bowl defensive end are finished."

"Defensive end Jared Allen and his agent spent a second day at Winter Park on Saturday, talking contract with the Vikings while they talked trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, but no deal was announced."

"Looking ahead to next weekend's draft, that leaves defensive end and offensive tackle, in that order, as the top two priorities. Unless they can finalize a trade for Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Jared Allen, that is."

"The Vikings have already agreed to $81 million in contracts in signing free agents this offseason, including $30 million guaranteed. But owner Zygi Wilf has given the go-ahead to spend the money to sign Kansas City defensive end Jared Allen, who as the Chiefs' franchise player is guaranteed $8.8 million for this season."