Good morning! Lots of Kansas City Chiefs news to lead into the long weekend. Enjoy, and be safe!!
Chiefs Host Play 60 Clinic from The Mothership
The Chiefs Community Caring Team, including Chiefs LBs, Cheerleaders and KC Wolf, assisted individuals of varying physical and intellectual abilities through a Play 60 clinic on Wednesday...
"...We had a great opportunity to get out in the community and work with kids and adults with different types of disabilities," Derrick Johnson said. "It was a wonderful; there were so many smiles and high-fives. This was an event that I will cherish and remember forever. This is why we do what we do, we have the chance to give back and now they're also going to remember this forever."
Derrick Thomas Enters College Hall Of Fame from The Mothership
The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Thomas in the first round, fourth overall, in the 1989 NFL Draft. While a part of the Chiefs organization, Thomas totaled 126.5 sacks, which is the Chiefs all-time record. He was a nine-time Pro Bowl player, recognized as the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award winner in 1993 and holds the NFL record at seven sacks in a single-game.
"Derrick Thomas changed the way the game is played and how other players at his position are now measured," HOF RB Marcus Allen said. "To me, there is a rare group of players who possess both the will and the innate ability to change the course of a game on every defensive snap, their names are Deacon Jones, Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White and Derrick Thomas."
KCChiefs.com Video: Player Spotlight: Dee Ford
KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Play 60 Ability Training Photo Gallery
Chiefs, Missouri Western Agree On Tentative Camp Start Date from StJoeChannel.com
More than two months before the Chiefs first preseason football game, the team's eying the start to its fifth year of training camp in St. Joseph.
Missouri Western Athletic Director Kurt McGuffin says the anticipated date for Kansas City's first practice is July 24.
Derrick Thomas, Willie Roaf Voted Into College Hall Of Fame from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City
Late Alabama linebacker Derrick Thomas has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame, highlighting a class of 14 players that includes another former Kansas City Chief in Willie Roaf, as well as LaDainian Tomlinson, Sterling Sharpe and Tony Boselli.
Thomas was one of the Hall of Fame's most obvious omissions and Alabama fans had been growing increasingly annoyed by the wait in recent years.
Intriguing Chiefs Rookie Minicamp Scenarios from Chiefs Spin
The Chiefs open a three-day rookie minicamp Saturday, offering first-year players an orientation to life in the NFL and potentially a coveted roster spot.
Joining the team's six members of the 2014 draft class, all of whom are expected to attend, are undrafted free agents and players invited for a tryout.
Of course, the meaningful action won't come until the entire team converges for organized team activities (OTAs) and mandatory minicamps. But for the players in attendance, this is an opportunity to make an impression with the coaching staff.
Here are five weekend scenarios to monitor:
Roster Analysis 2013 To 2014: CB from ESPN
Analysis: The Chiefs prefer bigger cornerbacks who can match up physically with the NFL's bigger receivers. At 5-foot-9, Flowers doesn't qualify. He didn't play well last season, raising questions about how well-suited he is for the Chiefs and their preferred defensive style. The other starter is Smith, and he, Cooper, Parker and Gaines are 6-foot or taller.
Roster Analysis 2013 To 2014: Safety from ESPN
Better or worse? Worse. Too much uncertainty for my tastes. Lewis and Demps didn't play well, particularly toward the end of the season. But the Chiefs haven't improved just because they're gone.
Keeping It Together from MMBQ MMQB
"I think in today's NFL you need not just two, [but] multiple pass rushers to continually apply pressure," Dorsey said.
Dorsey also didn't want to lose Ford, who was one of the few proven pass rushers in a weak draft at that position. Dorsey admitted he didn't have enough ammunition to go up and get a Khalil Mack (fifth overall to Oakland). He also declined options to move back.
"When you weigh the compensation against the value of the player, I thought the player would be the better pick," he said. "And we had heard some rumors that people were trying to move up to get Dee Ford too, so I didn't want to move back too far."
In Dee Ford, Chiefs Believe They Have Another Special Pass Rusher from FOX Sports
Jadeveon Clowney, Khalil Mack and Anthony Barr were widely considered the top pass-rushing prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft.
Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey doesn'€™t see it that way.
While all three of those players were chosen within the first nine picks, Dorsey had Auburn's Dee Ford rated much higher when making him the No. 23 overall selection of the first round.
"He'€™s a wonderful kid," Dorsey told co-host Gil Brandt and me Wednesday night on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "€œHe'€™s got an incredible work ethic.
"€œI thought he was the second-best pass rusher in the draft."
Five Of Derrick Thomas' Most Memorable Performances At Alabama And Kansas City from AL.com
In honor of former Alabama linebacker Derrick Thomas' induction into the College Football Hall of Fame, here are five of the most memorable performances from Thomas' college and professional career:
One Hit Wonders? from National Football Post
In 2012, the Kansas City Chiefs won only two games, giving them the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Head Coach Romeo Crennel and General Manager Scott Pioli were let go. Brought in were Head Coach Andy Reid and General Manager John Dorsey. The team improved to 11-5 and earned a wild card playoff spot.
During the off season, the Chiefs lost some key players but also gained some. On top of that, they had a successful draft. With that in mind, did they do enough to challenge Denver for the AFC West title?
Gaines, Thomas Contract Numbers Are In from ESPN
The contract signed by Gaines, the 87th pick in the draft, is for four years and worth $2,824,112. Included is a $549,112 signing bonus. That's more than the Seattle Seahawks gave last year to the 87th player drafted, linebacker Jordan Hill (four years, $2,764,140, signing bonus of $544,140).
Skip Bayless: Chiefs Were Taking Manziel If Browns Didn't Trade Up from College Spun
Today, ESPN First Take personality Skip Bayless tweeted that if Manziel had not gone to the Cleveland Browns in the No. 22 slot, the Kansas City Chiefs were primed to select the former Aggie.
Ex-Tech Star Roaf Headed To College Hall Of Fame from The Monroe News Star
Roaf is among 16 former college stars - 14 players and two coaches - who will be inducted on Dec. 9 in New York City. The College Football Hall of Fame was formely located in South Bend, Indiana, but will open a new facility this fall in Atlanta, Georgia.
"I've been waiting on the call and it was very important for me to get in to represent all the college guys I played with and played against," Roaf told The News Star on Thursday from his house in California. "We had some real good football teams and it just shows how we wanted to play and this honor is as important to me as it is getting into the NFL Hall of Fame. I laid the groundwork to play good on the pro level at Louisiana Tech."
Now It Can Be Said: Derrick Thomas Is The Greatest Defensive Player In Alabama History from AL.com
Justice delayed is justice denied. So said William Gladstone, a 19th-century British statesman, four-time prime minister and the most famous native of Liverpool - until four lads named John, Paul, George and Ringo came along to shock the world.
But sometimes it takes time for justice to be done.
For the late Derrick Thomas, it took more than a decade from the moment he was first eligible and three years after he first appeared on the ballot, but justice finally and formally arrived Thursday when he was announced as a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Keith Wenning Trains With Drew Brees, Carson Palmer And More from BaltimoreRavens.com
In addition to Brees, Wenning also worked out with Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert and Chiefs backup quarterback Chase Daniels.
It was a week-long training session in which they lifted and did field drills together. It also gave Wenning a chance to pick the quarterbacks' brains a little bit and take note of their practices.
White Released By Chargers Hoping For Another Opportunity from The Conway Daily Sun
Ian White will have to take another path to the NFL. The San Diego Chargers were impressed with the Kennett High grad but have a surplus of guards and thus cut the 2013 Boston College captain on Wednesday...
...Brad White said the Chargers, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs were all interested in his son's service going into the draft. Nearly a dozen teams had checked in with the 6'5", 311 pound offensive lineman.
Justin Walker Of Northwestern State And Slidell Sprints To Top Of The 100-Meter Dash World from NOLA.com
Northwestern has quite a legacy in the 400-meter relay. In 1981, the Demons won the NCAA title at LSU with a blistering time of 39.32. Included on that team was future NFL stars Mark Duper, a wide receiver with the Miami Dolphins, and the late Joe Delaney, who played running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. Delaney drowned in 1983.
Walker saw a newspaper article in Natchitoches with a story and picture of the championship team. He snapped a shot of it and told his teammates, "Let's do this.''
Joe DiMaggio League Baseball Season Begins Sunday from The Napa Valley Register
More than 80 sports legends and entertainment personalities will usher in the American Century Championship's silver anniversary at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course with the winner claiming $125,000 of the $600,000 purse.
Early commitments for the championship include NFL Hall of Famers Steve Young, Jerry Rice and John Elway, current Kansas City Chiefs and former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, former major league All-Star Chipper Jones, actor-comedian Kevin Nealon, and NASCAR drivers Denny Hamlin and Michael Waltrip.
NBC Sports and NBC Sports Network will televise the tournament.
Pro Bowl NFL Player Brandon Flowers Names His Top Five Rappers from XXL
There are two things we know about Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers: the Pro Bowler can, when healthy, shut down just about any opposing wide receiver in the NFL; and the 28-year-old can not, under any circumstances, rap.
On a recent afternoon, between injury rehab and football workouts, Flowers hopped on the jack with XXL to discuss his own lack of bars and his deep appreciation for other people's.
What Senators Think About 'Indians' And 'Chiefs' from The Wall Street Journal
Meanwhile, Sen. Claire McCaskill (D., Mo.), who signed the Redskins letter, doesn't find the Kansas City Chiefs‘ name offensive, said spokesman John LaBombard. The NFL team plays at Arrowhead Stadium and has a horse named Warpaint at their games.
"In our view, the word Chiefs does not carry the same negative stigma as Redskins," Mr. LaBombard said. "And we have not heard from tribes or other stakeholders offended by the Chiefs name. Redskins is a racial slur and simply should go."