It's Important That The Chiefs Win The Season Opener Against The Jaguars from KC Star
The Chiefs should beat the Jaguars. Though both teams were 2-14 last season, you've got to like the coaching matchup of Andy Reid vs. rookie head coach Gus Bradley and the quarterback matchup of Alex Smith vs. fill in the blank. And whoever starts at quarterback for Jacksonville won't have his best receiver, Justin Blackmon, who is suspended for four games.
So if the Chiefs beat Jacksonville, it should give them the momentum to come home, in front of a supercharged crowd, and knock off a beatable Dallas team that will be coming off an emotional, prime-time season opener against division rival New York. That's 2-0.
John Dorsey: 'We're In The Thing Together' from The Mothership
Although a very important face of the franchise, Dorsey was quick to give praise to his staff, which helped acquire the next ‘best fits' for the Kansas City Chiefs.
"A lot of the credit, in terms of the moves, goes to the personnel department," Dorsey said. "Let's don't lose sight of that. These guys have diligently been going at this, the entire preseason; my hat goes off to them. We were organized and we had a plan. We had all the positions ranked out, so we were ready; then we had a group evaluation by positions, in terms of, ‘Can they or can they not help us?' and then we evaluated. We narrowed it down and then we told the coaches, ‘Ok, look at some of these guys as well and tell me what you think' and then we factored in everybody's opinion and made the best decision for the Chiefs."
Chiefs' Schwartz Balances Football And His Jewish Faith from KC Star
It's a difficult balancing act for Schwartz and other Jewish athletes to fulfill their obligations to their teams and their commitments to their faith. Invariably, football practices, and sometimes games, conflict with observing the Jewish high holidays in synagogue.
"It's important to me to honor my tradition," said Schwartz, 27. "I try to figure out if I can make the high holiday services. Most years it's tough, but I try to make it work somehow. But I know I have a job to do. ... I know I'll have my job for only a certain number of years, and I'll have the rest of my life to go to services and do all that."
Schwartz's parents and fiancée plan to come to Kansas City next weekend for Yom Kippur, which begins at sundown on Sept. 13 with the Kol Nidre service and includes 24 hours of fasting. And they'll attend the Chiefs' home opener against the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 15.
Chiefs Sign S McDougald, Commings To IR from The Mothership
The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Tuesday that the club has signed safety Bradley McDougald to the 53-man roster and placed safety Sanders Commings on injured reserve with a designation for return. Additionally, the team has signed offensive guard Rishaw Johnson to the practice squad roster.
Twitter Tuesday: Chiefs Roster, Royals Angst, Sporting Goals, K-State Panic, Tommy Morrison's Denial, Concussions, And Johnny Manziel from KC Star
I don't know if these should count, but I believe the following:
- Dontari Poe and Justin Houston are going to have HUGE years.
- Donald Stephenson is going to be important, somewhere on that offensive line, at some point during the season.
Fantasy Football Draft At Arrowhead from The Mothership
"The Chiefs are the only team in the NFL that offer this up for a fan base and we all come to the games anyways, so, we might as well come out here and have the ultimate fan experience in a suite, looking at the field and feeling a good vibe," Jason Bleich, fantasy football team owner, explained.
Chiefs general manager John Dorsey also stopped by, visiting a few suites to meet fans, assess teams and offer advice, even though the draft guru himself knows nothing about fantasy football.
NFL Suspension Rundown: Chiefs' Watkins Among 20 Shelved from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City
Also barred for substance abuse, but with lesser suspensions, were Minnesota fullback Jerome Felton (three games), Cleveland receiver Josh Gordon (two), San Francisco tight end Demarcus Dobbs (one), Rams running back Isaiah Pead (one) and Chiefs offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins (one).
Get To Know The Kansas City Chiefs from ESPN
The Chiefs were fifth in the NFL (and tops in the AFC) in rushing last season and were paced by Charles' 1,509 yards. His 4,536 career rushing yards is fourth on the Chiefs' all-time rushing list and he's 361 yards shy of third place (Christian Okoye, 4,897 yards) and 1,536 yards shy of tying all-time leader Priest Holmes (6,070). The 5-foot-11, 199-pound Charles is a capable between-the-tackles runner, but he's also a big-play threat, having recorded four touchdown runs of 80 or more yards in his career.
2013 Preview: Kansas City Chiefs from FOX Sports
The myth about Smith is that he doesn't take any chances down the field, but his 8 yards per attempt average makes Cassel's 6.5 look like pee-wee league, but that doesn't mean he won't be without a fair share of pressure in Kansas City. This is the first year since he was the No. 1 overall pick in which he is the clear-cut starter and future of the franchise, but can he be that guy outside the nurture of Jim Harbaugh?
CMU's Frank Zombo Making A Positive Impact With Kansas City from MLive
Frank Zombo was a game changer when he was in Mount Pleasant and that hasn't changed in the NFL.
The former Central Michigan star signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason and has proven to be a solid addition to the lineup.
Yet Another Fresh Start For Dexter McCluster from ESPN
Coach Andy Reid has -- from the day he joined the Chiefs in January -- eagerly awaited the time he could get Dexter McCluster on the field in a regular-season game. The feeling is mutual and that time finally arrives Sunday when the Chiefs play against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.
Chiefs Rookie Update: Offense from ESPN
The Chiefs have 10 rookies on their 53-player active roster as they prepare for Sunday's regular-season opener against the Jaguars in Jacksonville. Five rookies on offense, five on defense. In this post, I will look at the offensive players. In a post later today, I will provide an update on the defensive rookies.
Hamilton High Grad DiManche, Princeton University Grad Catapano Land Jobs With Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs from The Times Of Trenton
Before the draft, a lot of teams looked at the then 270-pound Catapano as an outside linebacker in a 3-4. And that still might be his future. For now, after bulking up to 280 pounds, he's being used an inside pass rusher.
"They wanted me to add 10 pounds to get a little bigger," Catapano said. "They like me as a rusher and want to take advantage of that. We have two Pro Bowl outside rushers (in Justin Houston and Tamba Hali), so if I can rush inside that just gives us another guy to get to the quarterback. It's different than what I did in college, but I can adjust."
One 'Bold-ish' Prediction For All 32 NFL Teams from FOX Sports
Kansas City Chiefs - Andy Reid will be Andy Reid at least once this year and cost the Chiefs a game because of poor clock management.
Cowboys, Brian Waters Finally Get Together from ProFootballTalk
Waters played for the Chiefs for 11 seasons and then started all 16 games for the Patriots in 2011 before sitting out in 2012. Waters has a reputation for being a smart and savvy veteran, so if he has stayed in shape he should be able to make an immediate contribution in Dallas.
'Relentless' Tight End From Maine Signs With Patriots from The Portland Press Herald
"He had so much to learn, he was a neophyte," said Cosgrove. "But he had, and has, so much of an upside. That's what the NFL people are seeing right now."
From his first day in Orono, Mulligan attacked the weight room.
"The kid has done it all," said Cosgrove. "He had a great weight room ethic. And the key to that is that his best buddy is Mike DeVito," the former Black Bear who was a teammate of Mulligan in New York and is now with the Kansas City Chiefs. "Both of those guys are special. They were strength and conditioning All-Americans while they were here."
Start To A Season's Worth Of Answers from ESPN Dallas/ Fort Worth
Key stat: Only the Oakland Raiders (nine) and Kansas City Chiefs (seven) have hired more head coaches than Dallas since 1997.
Area Celebrities Join Push To Boost School Attendance from KCTV5
Kansas City native rapper Tech N9ne attended the 4 p.m. news conference at City Hall.
Royals great and baseball Hall of Famer George Brett, mascot Sluggerrr, KC Wolf of the Chiefs, Keith Cash and Bill Chapin are also among those supporting the effort.
Sac State, UC Davis Face Tough Road Tests In Football from The Sacramento Bee
Ault, who stepped down in December and is now a consultant with the Kansas City Chiefs, will be honored Saturday when Nevada renames the Mackay Stadium field "Chris Ault Field."
Ault spent 41 years at Nevada as a player, coach and administrator. He won 233 games as a coach.
Hard Road But Veteran Jaguars Cornerback Wil Blackmon Jumped At His Chance from The Florida Times-Union
The Jaguars signed Blackmon to be a steady reserve cornerback and add reliable depth as a punt returner behind rookie Ace Sanders. Blackmon showed he was up to the task against the Falcons. He appears to have solved some issues for the Jaguars heading into the regular-season opener against Kansas City on Sunday.
"He fills a lot of voids for us," Jaguars coach Gus Bradley said. "That was what was intriguing about him. He's a guy that can be a nickel. He can be a corner, and he can be a backup punt returner. We tried to school him up in a short period of time with what we do defensively. He went out there and, with all of the distractions he had, he performed at a good level."
Jaguars Get Referee Assignment from The Florida Times-Union
Veteran official Pete Morelli has the Big Whistle for Sunday's Chiefs-Jaguars game. The last time we saw Morelli's crew in action last year was the Seattle-Washington NFC playoff game.
Morelli worked one Jaguars game last year - the 34-18 Buffalo win in Week 13. His crew called eight penalties for 74 yards and nine penalties for 100 yards on Buffalo.
Inside The Game: Jaguars Roster Changes Mean Crash Course On Special Teams from The Florida Times-Union
The roster purge that resulted in 21 cuts to get down to 53 players and then seven waiver acquisitions - and seven corresponding cuts - will result in many new faces getting a special teams crash course entering Sunday's opener against Kansas City.
From the Jaguars' game at Atlanta last week, gone are eight of the 11 players on the first kickoff return, six from the first covered kickoff and five from the first punt return.
2013 AFC West Preview: One Contender, Plenty Of Rebuilding from Philly.com
Kansas City had talent last season and was certainly more talented than its record indicated. The Chiefs upgraded the coaching staff and at quarterback -- two of the biggest issues from a year ago -- all while improving through the draft and in free agency. The Chiefs are still a notch below the Broncos, but the gap is closer than you may think. At worst the Chiefs should take a considerable step forward and could contend for a wild card spot while putting pressure on the Broncos.
IndyStar.com's Mike Chappell Unveils His NFL Power Rankings from The Indianapolis Star
22. Kansas City Chiefs: They should generate the biggest gain from 2012 (two wins). Two reasons. Coach Andy Reid. QB Alex Smith. Chiefs might have won six or seven last year if they had gotten even serviceable play at QB (eight TDs, 20 interceptions; 63.8 passer rating by Matt Cassel/Brady Quinn).
Top 5 Utes To Watch In The 2013 NFL Season from KSL.com
First, it's important to know what the Chiefs are getting with Smith - a quarterback with universally praised football intelligence, but a nearly universally panned arm. Certainly, Smith is a game-manager; not a game-changer.
While he may not be the most flamboyant of quarterbacks, Smith has a chance to impact a roster that has pieces. The roster features solid offensive pieces like running back Jamaal Charles and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe. Additionally, the Chiefs drafted offensive lineman Eric Fisher, who looked to be one of the surest picks at any position in the draft. If anything, Smith's intelligence will help mold the team's pieces into a solid unit.
Kevin Haskin: Prep Time Contributes To K-State Outcome from The Topeka Capital-Journal
Anybody take the Chiefs defense/special teams on a flyer in their fantasy football draft?
Something tells me the two kickoff returns for touchdowns during the preseason were no fluke under special teams coach Dave Toub.
Those units may have to carry the Chiefs early as the offense builds under Andy Reid.
Fantasy Football Roundtable: Draft Broyles, Randle Or Sanu? from Sports Illustrated
The season doesn't start for another two days, so I guess I have one more chance this preseason to profess my love for Jamaal Charles. The argument for him ascending to the very peak of fantasy football is simple. He's already proven himself to be a yardage beast. He averages 5.8 yards per carry over his career and about 2.5 catches per game. Andy Reid and Alex Smith represent a huge upgrade in coach and quarterback. A large part of the reason Charles scored just six touchdowns last year was because the Chiefs were last in the league with 211 points scored. The Cardinals, who were second-to-last, scored 250. Reid brings the West Coast offense to Kansas City, a system perfectly suited to Charles' skill set. The injury worries are overstated. Remember, he tore his ACL by accidentally stepping on a yard marker. In his four other seasons, he has missed all of one game. Everything is in place for him to have a career year. He could definitely reach 2,000 total yards and 13 to 15 touchdowns.
32 Beers, 32 Teams from Sports On Earth
In Kansas City, the food is magnificent and the football is horrible. No outsider could possibly select a beer capable of bridging that gap, so I asked Patrick Mullin from the Kansas City Beer Blog to help:
Boulevard Brewing Company's Bourbon Barrel Quad, with the oh-so-Kansas City "BBQ" acronym, is the perfect accompaniment for a Chiefs game. While local excitement for both the beer and the team peaks in the fall, that's where the similarities between the hometown products end. While the Chiefs seem to get worse as time goes on, BBQ gets better; flavors of cherries, vanilla, oak and bourbon are revealed as it warms up. And at nearly 12 percent ABV, it's the perfect beer for drowning your sorrows and disappointments during another losing season.
I'm sold. Of course, with Andy Reid in charge, fans may want to simply chug barbecue sauce.