Sutton: "We're Proud Of What Houston's Done" from The Mothership
"Punt return ability, that he has, is a natural thing," Toub said. "It's the same thing when I had (Chicago Bears KR/PR) Devin Hester, he has the same thing, you don't coach it; you tell your hold-up guys where to set it up, where it possibly could hit and then the returner has to have a lot of natural instincts. There's always going to be somebody he has to make miss, no matter how well you block, you can't block them all. That (return) was a lot of natural, instinctive moves that you saw from Dexter."
Charles, Flowers And Lewis Return To Practice For Chiefs from KC Star
One day after a season-high 14 players surfaced on the Chiefs' injury report, the news was much better on Thursday.
Three players who did not practice Wednesday - running back Jamaal Charles (toes), cornerback Brandon Flowers (knee) and safety Kendrick Lewis (ankle)- returned to the field Thursday, albeit in a limited capacity, while tight end Sean McGrath (knee), center Rodney Hudson (shin) and guard Jon Asamoah (knee) were all full participants after being limited the day before.
Chiefs Rookie Club Visits YMCA Challenger from The Mothership
"We're just out here trying to make the kids smile," LB Nico Johnson explained. "It kind of touched me more than you may think. It's a blessing to me (to be here). My mom died with type 2 diabetes. She didn't eat right, she didn't exercise like she was supposed to and eating right, taking care of your body and exercising is the most important thing."
Over the years, the Chiefs have made a strong push for the NFL's Play 60 message and supporting all children's involvement in the Play 60 program. Like the Chiefs, the YMCA holds the belief that all children need to know the importance of staying fit and leading a healthy lifestyle, making the Chiefs and the YMCA great community partners.
Toub Had Backup Plan For Colquitt's Injury from KC Star
"When (Colquitt) first injured it, it took a period of time before the pain went away and we realized he was gonna be able to put some weight on it," Toub said. "The good thing was we didn't have to punt right away, but Succop was ready to go."
Succop, who handled placekicking and punting duties during his college career at South Carolina, agreed, though he clearly ceded the Chiefs' punting throne to Colquitt.
"It's a situation that obviously hopefully never comes up," Succop said. "I think everybody in Kansas City loves the way that Dustin punts the ball ... it's been five or six years since I've really worked on the punting so it's been a while, but I'm confident I could get in there and get us through a game if I needed to."
Chiefs' Sutton, Former Army Coach, Pleased Service Academy Games Will Go On from KC Star
For nearly 48 hours, that meant Air Force at Navy and Army at Boston College, football games scheduled for Saturday, were subject to disruptive and logistically complicated postponements...
...The Department of Defense announced late Wednesday night that the games would go on. But only with some creative assistance.
A source told USA Today that Air Force submitted a travel plan in which all travel expenses would be paid with non-government funds, and Boston College is providing financial travel assistance to Army.
Former Chief Bernard Pollard Still Plays The Hits In Tennessee from KC Star
"I don't want to hurt anybody - those are not my intentions," Pollard said. "But I do have a helmet and shoulder pads on, and you do as well, so at some point (in) a violent sport, somebody is going to go down, whether it's me or it's you. We just have to hope for speedy recoveries and for the guy to get up if he goes down."
That attitude is exactly why Tennessee signed Pollard this offseason, once he was cut by Baltimore after racking up 98 tackles and an interception for the Super Bowl champion Ravens.
"Some people want to call me a journeyman, some people want to call me someone who just made it in this industry," Pollard said, "but one name you have to call me is a champion."
KCChiefs.com Video: Sound Of The Game: Week 4
KCChiefs.com Video: Coach Sutton: Week 5 Press Conference
KCChiefs.com Video: 1-On-1 Mitch Holthus With Dwayne Bowe
NFL.com Video: Seattle Seahawks First To Fall?
NFL.com Video: Preview: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Tennessee Titans
NFL Star's Childhood Home Goes Up In Flames from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The childhood home of NFL star Eric Berry went up in flames Thursday night in Fairburn.
Fire crews were called to the home along Shannon Chase Way just after 6:30 p.m.
Homeowner James Berry told Channel 2 Action News that his family got out safely, but the home appeared to be a total loss.
Numbers And Video, And Let's Talk About Chiefs And Titans from KC Star
Fitzpatrick is a solid backup quarterback, but has a weaker arm than Locker, isn't as athletic, and has a sort of hitch in his motion that makes his delivery longer. In very crude terms, Locker was playing better than Alex Smith this year and the Titans have just been downgraded to something more like Matt Cassel.
The difference between Locker and Fitzpatrick is, at least in my view after looking at some numbers and watching some video, the difference between picking the Chiefs to lose on the road this week and thinking they'll move to 5-0.
Double Coverage: Chiefs At Titans from ESPN
Smith opened things up a little more, went downfield a little more against the Giants on Sunday. Most of their long pass plays from the first three games had been of the catch-and-run type, but he has completed some passes down the field. The Chiefs actually have more pass plays of 20 or more yards (14) than their opponents (10). Smith threw his first two interceptions of the season Sunday, but you could argue that neither one was his fault.
Kansas City Chiefs (4-0) At Tennessee Titans (3-1) from Lindy's Sports
Chiefs NT Dontari Poe vs. Titans C Rob Turner: Poe played college ball at Memphis, his hometown, and should have a personal cheering section Sunday. He deserves one as the mobile anchor of the Kansas City front seven. Turner, one of three new offensive linemen starting for the Titans this season, might have to have help from the other newcomers - guards Andy Levitre and Chance Warmack.
Chiefs May Have A Find In CB Cooper from ESPN
The Kansas City Chiefs have six former first-round draft picks who either start or play a lot on their defense, which is a formidable one. The Chiefs have allowed fewer points than any other NFL team.
But for all of those high draft picks, good defenses become great by developing the players who were low-round choices. That appears to be going on now with rookie cornerback Marcus Cooper, a seventh-round pick.
Chiefs Titans Primer: Fear Fitzpatrick from Warpaint Illustrated
Fitzpatrick is more than capable of carving up the Chiefs secondary on Sunday. And should the injuries continue to mount for Kansas City, there's a chance the boys in red might experience their first loss of the young NFL season.
However, if there is a shining light on Fitzpatrick's chances of laying an egg on Sunday, he's never performed well against defenses coached by Bob Sutton. Right now the Chiefs defensive coordinator might be KC's MVP. So you know, he's well aware of the fact Fitzpatrick has run up the score on the Chiefs in the past.
Titans, Chiefs Winning Through Lots Of Turnovers from The Associated Press via The Charlotte Observer
Tennessee finished that win over the Jets with a season's best four turnovers, and Karl Klug recovered a fumble for a touchdown. Safety Bernard Pollard is the only other player with an interception, but the Titans have been very effective at sending a message on defense, according to Chiefs receiver Dexter McCluster.
"They're going to hit you ever single play, so all we can do is go out there and bring it at them," McCluster said.
The Royals And Chiefs Keep Winning, Which Is Good For Your Head, Your Heart -- And Your Wallet from FS Kansas City
But then a series of funny things happened over the span of a few cold winter weeks. Ervin Santana showed up. Then James Shields. Then Andy Reid and John Dorsey. Then Alex Smith. The Royals remained in the postseason hunt for the last American League Wild Card berth until the final week of the campaign, racking up 86 victories, the most in a single season here since 1989. The Chiefs are 4-0 and scaring the living crapola out of opposing quarterbacks.
And business?
Suddenly, brother, business is freaking awesome.
Charles Stellar In Closer Role from Chiefs Spin
While defenses have contained the two-time Pro Bowl running back in the first three quarters during that span, holding him to 52 yards rushing on 27 carries, they've failed when it matters the most.
Charles has saved his best for the fourth quarter in Weeks Two to Four where he's totaled 160 yards on 27 carries, including a rushing and receiving touchdown.
The undefeated Chiefs have a closer and quarterback Alex Smith said he's enjoying the opportunity to watch his backfield teammate perform that role.
Facts And Figures On Chiefs-Titans Matchup from FS Kansas City
Tennessee's Alterraun Verner has been extremely active for the Titans. Verner is tied for the league lead in interceptions with four (also Aqib Talib, Patriots, and Kiko Alonso, Bills), tied for the league lead in passes defensed with eight (also Tony Carter, Broncos), and is tied for the league lead in opponent fumbles recovered with two (tied with five others).
TV Networks Taking Notice Of 4-0 Chiefs from ESPN
A prime target to be flexed to the Sunday night slot is their Nov. 17 game against the Broncos in Denver. The Dec. 1 rematch against the Broncos and the Dec. 22 game against the Indianapolis Colts, both at Arrowhead Stadium, could have the start time switched from noon to 3:25 CT.
Week 5: Thursday Notebook from Chiefs Spin
Still, while Bowe plays a position notorious for diva antics when a player doesn't get the ball, he's mostly been all smiles despite the dropped production.
And perhaps the biggest reason is the difference between what the Chiefs went through in 2012 with a 1-3 start to what they're accomplishing now.
"When you're 4-0, it's OK and Dwayne understands that," Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson said during Thursday's media session. "He's such a team player. If someone else benefits from him being doubled, he's going to continue doing what he's doing."
Taking A Broad Look At Freeman's Potential Landing Spot from ProFootballTalk
Kansas City Chiefs: Along those same lines, Andy Reid could do the same. The Chiefs have a lot invested in Alex Smith and Chase Daniel. But if Smith were to get injured, Reid likely would pick up the phone and call.
Time to Get Ahead Of The Curve from USA Today
Alex Smith is the quarterback no one wants to love but after the first month of the season, he's in the top six in quarterback scoring. Alex Smith has scored more fantasy points than Tom Brady, Robert Griffin III and Tony Romo. Surprisingly, it's not the volume of being in an Andy Reid offense that is making him so valuable since he's only 20th in the league in pass attempts per game. Smith is genuinely enjoying the best month of his career and is showing no signs of slowing down. What Smith lacks in arm strength, he makes up with accuracy, dinking-and-dunking his Chiefs to a 4-0 record and perhaps more importantly, earning the trust of fantasy owners to plug him into their lineup.
Week 5 Start 'Em and Sit 'Em from CBS Sports
Bust alert: Chris Johnson (vs. KC): Now is a good time to buy low on Johnson. He has yet to score a touchdown or top nine Fantasy points in a standard league, and the Titans just lost starting quarterback Jake Locker (hip) for at least four weeks. He also has a tough schedule in the immediate future against the Chiefs, Seahawks and 49ers before his bye in Week 8. But after the bye is when Johnson will get going with matchups against St. Louis, Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Oakland and Indianapolis again through Week 13. If he stays healthy he should be a star for those matchups. As for this week, we'd bench Johnson if possible because Kansas City has only allowed one running back to top six Fantasy points -- which was LeSean McCoy -- including matchups with Jones-Drew, DeMarco Murray and Wilson.
Winning Fantasy Calls For Week 5 from CBS Sports
The timing couldn't be better for the Chiefs. With Jake Locker out, Kansas City will take onRyan Fitzpatrick. That should make for an easy game plan: Focus on containing Chris Johnson and don't let the Titans' receivers beat you deep. Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton, formerly a long-standing member of the Jets, is familiar with Fitzpatrick from their battles in the AFC East.
No-brainers: Jamaal Charles
Fantasy Football Week 5 Running Back Rankings: Maurice Jones-Drew Up, Rashard Mendenhall Down from PennLive
Chris Johnson, TEN, vs. Kansas City: Johnson is in the same boat as Jones-Drew as once-great veterans who are limping through horrid starts. While Johnson has a difficult matchup on paper, consider this: the Chiefs allow the second-highest rushing average (5.4 ypc) in the NFL and have largely the same personnel that ranked 27th in rush defense last season.
CJ, Fitzpatrick On Same Page from The Daily News Journal
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he's had no problems with rookie quarterback Tyler Bray, who went undrafted out of Tennessee because of questions about his maturity, attitude and work ethic.
"I know he's handled himself the right way since he's been here and that I appreciate. Whatever he did before, our scouting department looked at that and evaluated,'' Reid said. "The kid, while he's been here, has been tremendous. There have been no problems."
Can The Titans Win Without Jake Locker? from The Tennessean
Today's debate: Can the Titans win without Jake Locker?
Discuss.
I'll take a stab at it: Yes, but it's not going to be easy. A team that had a small margin for error when its quarterback was playing at a high level now has to sweat every last detail in order to maintain altitude.
This is a body blow, pure and simple.
Mike Bell Is Able To Focus On The Pleasant Memories Of Football from The Wichita Eagle
Mike Bell is 56, an age when many former NFL players are in full physical and sometimes mental decline from the brutality of the game they played and loved.
But Bell, whose journey toward a 12-year pro career with the Kansas City Chiefs started at Bishop Carroll, is holding up. He won't need help when he walks to the podium Sunday to deliver his speech as one of eight 2013 inductees into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame at the Wichita Boathouse.
Live NFL Chat Week 5: Gov't Shutdown? More Football! Bettor's Guide from The Washington Times
Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5) at Tennessee Titans - Walrus Lite Andy Reid has turned the 2-14 Chiefs into a 4-0 team. Yet Mike Munchak has turned around an awful Tennessee team into a 3-1 squad. Tennessee has the home field and a solid defense, so this might be the week that Reid's tusks get pulled into the loss column. Upset special, Titans win outright.
Fantasy Football: Players Need To Adjust To Developments from The Boston Globe
Sean McGrath, TE, Kansas City: Injuries have propelled McGrath to the top of Kansas City's depth chart. Tight end is not an easy position to replace during byes, and McGrath has seen increased attention from Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith during the last three games.
Three And Out: Alex Smith Or Kaepernick The Rest Of The Way? from TSN
I like Smith's increasing fantasy value -- seven touchdown passes in four games will do that -- but I couldn't choose him over Kaepernick because the ceiling with Kaepernick is so much higher. Smith is the safer play and the Chiefs are asking him (or allowing him) to do more than he did in San Francisco, but Smith has thrown for 300 yards in a game three times in 79 career starts. Kaepernick has only done it once (Week One this season), but has started only 11 games. I guess I'm still on the side of potential.
Crystal Ball Says Peyton Manning Will Be MVP from The Miami Herald
Defensive POY - Justin Houston, Chiefs LB: He already has 7.5 sacks as the catalyst for surprising Kansas City. (Sacks leader on undefeated team is a proven formula in this category). Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman also deserves early keep-an-eye-on status. Also, a shoutout - for his name alone - to Bengals LB and NFL tackles leader Vontaze Burfict.
QB Fitzpatrick Ready To Take Over Reins For Titans from FS Tennessee
"Go win this game, that's the biggest thing right now," said Fitzpatrick, who led the Bills to a 35-17 win over the Chiefs with two touchdowns passes in the second game last season. "That's what I am putting all my focus into. And it is a tough opponent for us, obviously 4-0, they have been playing some really good football.
"Defensively, they have had the talent for a long time. And now they're playing up to their potential. It is a team I am familiar with in terms of the guys that they have over there. I've played the Chiefs a bunch."
Joe D And The Quick Pass Game from The San Diego Union-Tribune
It'll be interesting to see how defenses try to counter the Chargers. The Cowboys run a simple defense, powered by several above-average players. Other opponents may be better at disguising their looks. Two examples: the Chiefs and Broncos. Kansas City's defensive coordinator, Bob Dutton, used to work for the Jets and went against the Bills and Patriots. The Broncos' D works against Peyton Manning in practice.
The chess match never ends.
NFL By The Numbers: First-Quarter Edition from Grantland
The top-rated red zone defense is Kansas City, which has only allowed teams 3.25 points on their trips into the red zone, but its real solution has been to keep teams out of that fruitful territory altogether, as opponents have just four red zone possessions against the Chiefs. The league average for all other teams is just more than 12.5 possessions.
Austin Collie Adds Much-Needed Depth To Banged-Up Receiving Corps On Patriots' Roster (Mailbag) from NESN
I think the Chiefs are legit this year. I don't expect them to challenge the Broncos, but I think they'll be in the playoffs.
Alex Smith may feel screwed by Jim Harbaugh after what went down last year, but I think the 49ers' head coach helped Smith out quite a bit while they were in San Francisco together. Smith still can't throw downfield, but he's looked like a different, more confident player.
Kansas City had a lot of nice pieces in place last year. They just didn't have a quarterback or head coach. Now that those are solidified, they have a shot at competing this year.
Bold Predictions: Matt Schaub Rebounds; Ray Rice Runs Wild from NFL.com
Andy Reid and Alex Smith rightly receive much credit for Kansas City's 4-0 start, but don't overlook coordinator Bob Sutton's amazing impact on the Chiefs' seventh-ranked defense, which is maximizing the talent former general manager Scott Pioli acquired throughout the years. WithDontari Poe anchoring the re-energized defense in the middle, Johnson won't be able to go off.
Kansas City will jump out to a lead and take the Titans out of their flow and balance in terms of play selection. Tennessee has legitimate weapons at receiver and tight end, but I have my doubts about Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback.
McCluster Finding Niche With New Chiefs Regime from The Associated Press via The Boston Herald
McCluster has been trying to find his niche in the NFL ever since he was drafted in the second round in 2010. He stands just 5-foot-9 and 165 pounds and he's never been able to handle running back duties, even though previous regimes have tried. He's more suited to be a wide receiver, but his lack of size doesn't necessarily help.
Finally, McCluster seems to be finding his place under new coach Andy Reid.
Along with proving himself a dynamic punt returner, he's also getting more involved in the passing game. He had a season-high five catches in the win over the Giants, and several of them allowed the Chiefs to keep the chains moving on third down.
Chiefs Consistently Winning Field Position from ESPN
If you want one statistic that more than any other explains why the Kansas City Chiefs are 4-0, you can't do any better than this one: The Chiefs have started 13 drives in the opponents' end of the field. Their opponents have started one drive in Kansas City's end, and even that was at the Chiefs' 49-yard line.
Clearly, the Chiefs are consistently winning the field position battle.