Good morning! Lots of articles in today's Kansas City Chiefs news. Enjoy!
Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid's NFL Annual Meeting Media Breakfast: What We Learned from The Mothership
Reid said that while the team looked at other receivers, Jeremy Maclin was their top target in free agency.
"There were a couple guys that we liked," he said. "I'll tell you that he was the top one just because I know him as a person and I know him as a player, so I would tell you he was the top of the list, but there were other guys."
With the ways of the three-day signing grace period and Maclin's fondness of Philadelphia head coach Chip Kelly, Reid said he was never completely comfortable until Maclin was in Kansas City.
"I never was comfortable until he was there and signing," he admitted. "It's like dangling a filet mignon in front of you and then you can't talk to the kid ... I just left the room, went in and did football and let [John Dorsey] do all the rest and said 'Have at it.'"
Reid also revealed where he expects the Chiefs' newest receiver to start.
"He's going to probably start at the Z position is the way we're looking at it," Reid said.
2015 NFL Draft: List of Kansas City Chiefs' Picks from The Mothership
For the first time since 1964, the NFL draft will not take place in New York City.
The 2015 NFL Draft will be held from April 30 to May 2 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois.
Round 1 will be held on Thursday, April 30 with Rounds 2-3 scheduled for Friday, May 1 and Rounds 4-7 set for Saturday, May 2.
NFL Fantasy Football: Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles Ranks No. 1 from The Mothership
In the realm of what's important to Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles, ranking No. 1 in fantasy football points per touch probably isn't high on the list.
But that's exactly what he did in 2014, so we'll just chalk it up as a symptom of being really good at football.
According to Michael Fabiano of NFL.com, Charles ranked as the No. 1 running back in 2014 when it came down to how many points he scored on average for each time he touched the ball.
Chiefs headed for competition on offensive line from Chiefs Digest
Of course, the biggest name without a home is fourth-year guard/tackle Jeff Allen, who moved from left guard to right tackle when Stephenson was suspended. Allen then landed on injured reserve after suffering an elbow/biceps injury in the season opener.
Reid indicated Allen would be in the mix at right guard, but should provide the main competition at right tackle.
"Jeff Allen is going to get in there, too," Reid said. "I mentioned Stephenson; Jeff Allen can also play that tackle spot. Tackle might be his best position. By the way, Jeff is coming off that injury, so we've just got to see a little bit."
Chiefs' 2014 free-agent decisions further validated by compensatory picks from ESPN
Shortly after the end of the season, I looked back at the Kansas City Chiefs decisions from last year to let many of their free agents sign with other teams. The Chiefs lost, among other players, offensive linemen Branden Albert (pictured), Geoff Schwartz and Jon Asamoah, slot receiver/punt returner Dexter McCluster, defensive lineman Tyson Jackson, and defensive backs Quintin Demps and Kendrick Lewis.
Though the Chiefs could have used the stability that just one of those offensive linemen could have provided, I thought the Chiefs were making the right decision in almost every case. The reality even before the NFL awarded compensatory picks was those players were of more value to their new teams than they were to the Chiefs. The Chiefs were smart not to mindlessly chase them at other teams' prices.
Andy Reid admits to anxious moments before Jeremy Maclin signing from ESPN
"The way this thing is set up right now, where you've got two or three days to talk to the agent, yet you're not allowed to do a deal, there's a whole lot of anxiety on everybody's part," Reid told reporters in Phoenix at the NFL meetings. "You can't talk to the player, and then you can't do a deal with the agent, but it's kind of dangled out there.
"To me, it's like college football where they have to send in (the letter of intent). There's this great anticipation at that particular moment. You're never quite sure until Jeremy is there and signing on the dotted line."
Signing of Jeremy Maclin doesn't eliminate need for wide receiver from ESPN
But what do the Chiefs really have behind Maclin? As far as proven commodities, Jason Avant is it.
Avant did a nice job for the Chiefs after joining them with five games left in the season. He quickly earned the trust of quarterback Alex Smith, something that seemed to be lacking between Smith and many of the other Chiefs' receivers.
NOTEBOOK: Andy Reid weighs in on Lions-Chiefs in London from DetroitLions.com
Having played there in 2015, Caldwell and the Lions know what to expect, what worked and what didn't from the 2014 trip, and there's a comfort level with taking on a trip of that magnitude again.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid doesn't have that advantage.
"I'm excited to try a crumpet," Reid said with a smile when asked about playing in London at the AFC coaches breakfast at the NFL Annual Meetings Tuesday.
"It's exciting, I guess. I think from a coaching standpoint you're so tunneled in that you're going to try and keep your best routine you possibly can. I don't think you're going to worry too much about all the surroundings and history that you would on a vacation."
No major changes made to NFL instant replay; League will consider additional camera angles from The Washington Post
A proposal by the New England Patriots to have cameras placed along all sidelines, end lines and goal lines to aid reviews was tabled by the owners for more analysis.
A proposal by the Washington Redskins to make personal fouls subject to replay reviews was withdrawn. Also withdrawn was a proposal by the Kansas City Chiefs that would have added potential scoring plays or turnovers to the list of automatically reviewed plays.
A Few Words From Bill Belichick After a Super Bowl Win. Very Few. from The New York Times
One topic of interest was the retirement last week of Chris Borland, a San Francisco 49ers linebacker who left the N.F.L. after one year because of concerns about the long-term health effects of playing football. Kansas City Chiefs Coach Andy Reid did not think Borland's departure represented the beginning of an exodus. The league, he said, is paying a lot more attention to reducing injuries and addressing the concerns that Borland raised.
"It's too personal to make anything about it," Reid said. "The league has put so much emphasis on cleaning it up, protecting the players."
Oakland Raiders NEWS: Andy Reid Believes QB Derek Carr Has Jack Del Rio In A Good Situation from Headlines & Global News
The jury is still out on whether or not Carr is the Raiders franchise quarterback and it remains to be seen if he can build off a good rookie NFL season to become a consistently high-quality signal-caller capable of leading Oakland to victory Sunday after Sunday, but he has already garnered the attention and admiration of some of the top personnel executives and coaches league wide.
AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star while at the NFL's owners meetings in Phoenix that he believes Carr - a player he saw up close and personal twice last season - has the Raiders and new head coach Jack Del Rio in position to take a step forward next year.
"Jack (Del Rio's) got a good situation," Reid said of Carr, per Paylor. "That kid can play. Like, really play."
Chiefs' Reid, Texans' O'Brien laud Eagles coach Chip Kelly from Philly.com
So, is having that power a good thing for a coach? And if it is, why didn't Reid want it anymore, after he was dismissed by the Eagles at the end of a 14-year run?
"I think every situation's different. I loved doing it, when I did it. Where I'm at in my career, I'm glad I'm out of it," Reid said yesterday at the AFC coaches' breakfast, during the NFL meetings, which conclude today. Reid's successor, Chip Kelly, will speak at this morning's NFC coaches' breakfast. "I'm lucky to have John Dorsey there, whom I have full trust in. He does a phenomenal job. It just depends on where you're at in the situation - where I was in my career, I felt that that was a good thing. I enjoyed doing it. I enjoy [just] coaching right now."
Later, Reid reiterated that, at 57, he thinks he is "late in my career" and doesn't need the personnel hassles.
Ranking the NFL coaches 1-32: Belichick on top, of course from CBS Sports
9. Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs -- In 16 seasons as a head coach, Reid has an impressive 150-105-1 record. He is 20-12 the past two seasons with the Chiefs, but was 130-93-1 in 14 seasons with the Eagles. He has been to the playoffs 10 of his 16 seasons, and has one Super Bowl appearance.
Bell: Is NFL playing politics on a sensible proposal? from USA Today
The idea seems sensible enough. Install fixed cameras along the boundaries of the field at every NFL site, and allow for the use of stadium video in providing angles for instant replay...
...Although there's a history of long odds for passage of rule proposals brought forth by teams rather than the powerful competition committee — NFL owners on Tuesday rejected seven of the proposals from teams — in this particular case the idea might have more steam if it were suggested by someone other than Belichick.
For all of his accomplishments, Belichick is not the most popular guy in the room.
Hello, NFL politics.
John Mara, the New York Giants co-owner and competition committee member, told Newsday this week that cost was one of the factors working against the fixed-camera proposal.
Cost? The NFL generates more than $11 billion in revenues.
An AFC Fantasy look at the NFL Owners Meetings from CBS Sports
Reid has a relationship with Maclin going back to their days in Philadelphia, so it was easy for the two to be reunited in Kansas City since the Chiefs offered a big check. It also helps that Maclin knows Reid's offense, but the key for Maclin's Fantasy value will be Alex Smith getting him the ball.
When Reid coached Maclin with the Eagles, he was the No. 2 receiver behind DeSean Jackson, but Maclin proved last year he could be a No. 1 receiver, which the Chiefs are counting on.
"I would imagine that he will probably catch more balls," Reid said of Maclin in Kansas City compared to Philadelphia when he coached him. "He's probably going to start at the Z position right now. That's how we are looking at it. There will probably be a few more balls thrown in his direction."
I like Maclin, but I'll only draft him as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver at best with this move to the Chiefs.
Annual Delaney Bowl crawfish boil, auction, golf scramble set April 2-3 from NSUDemons.com
Money raised by the events will help support the Demon football program.
Delaney was a two-sport All-American at Northwestern, playing football and running track from 1977-81. He was a two-time football All-American at tailback who became the 1981 AFC Rookie of the Year for the Kansas City Chiefs, just months after capping his NSU career as a member of the 1981 NCAA champion 4x100 meter relay team.
A Pro Bowl running back for the Chiefs, Delaney drowned in a heroic June 1983 attempt to rescue three children, one who survived. Northwestern's football permanent team captains annually receive the Joe Delaney Memorial Leadership Awards, and since 1989, the spring football game has been called the Joe Delaney Bowl. A memorial shrine to Delaney sits underneath the home stands on the west side of Turpin Stadium.
Tavarus Dantzler leads the way at B-CU pro day from The Daytona Beach News-Journal
Tavarus Dantzler said he likes to think of himself as an underdog, but he certainly didn't look like one after Bethune-Cookman's pro day Tuesday morning at Municipal Stadium.
Scouts from at least 12 teams — the New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders — attended the workout.
Ex-WSU, CWU standout Hasty hired as Franklin High football coach from The Yakima Herald
Franklin High School has hired former Washington State star and NFL defensive back James Hasty as its football coach...
...Hasty, 49, played at Central Washington before transferring to Washington State. After graduating in 1988, Hasty was selected in the third round of the NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders and later played for the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets. The cornerback was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1997 and 1999 and finished his career with 45 interceptions and more than 1,000 tackles.
Mauga returns to K.C. from The Nevada Appeal
Josh Mauga, Fallon's only player currently in the NFL, recently inked a three-year contract with Kansas City worth about $8 million after signing with the Chiefs last summer. Mauga, too, has dealt with his share of injuries, including a concussion in practice while with the New York Jets and two separate injuries derailing his last two seasons in New York.
But Mauga is well aware of the dangers of the game and has his family in mind when he steps on the field.
"Absolutely. It's something I take very seriously," said Mauga, who has two young children with his wife, Amanda. "The brain is something you don't want to mess around with. I've been fortunate enough to only have one concussion in my career and hopefully I can continue to be head injury free for the rest of my career. Having a family makes it even more important for me to stay on top of it because I don't want to have any problems later down the road."
‘Coach Bono' era opens with Central Michigan's first official spring practice from The Morning Sun
Former Central Michigan left tackle Eric Fisher (left), now with the Kansas City Chiefs, shares a laugh with fellow CMU alumni and current NFL players Nick Bellore (center) and Frank Zombo (back right) plus Chippewas coach John Bonamego (right) at CMU Pro Day Friday, March 20, 2015.
Ex-Iowa State DT David Irving works out for seven NFL teams from NFL.com
Defensive tackle David Irving -- who missed the entire 2014 college football season due to a dismissal from Iowa State team -- worked out outdoors on FieldTurf in San Jacinto, Calif., on Monday.
Representatives from seven NFL teams showed up at the workout: the Chicago Bears, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks.
Football hopefuls chase dream at Sports Reality from The Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Pro Day, organized by the University of Richmond, gave a number of its players along with a handful from Virginia Union as well as a local graduate of the University of Rhode Island, a chance to demonstrate their skills and - if not quite ready for the prime time - to get good advice from the scouts on what they needed to do to stay in the game as a player.
Nine of the scouts that attended were from NFL teams: the New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs and Washington Redskins. A 10th scout attending was from the Canadian Football League team the Edmonton Eskimos.
'Champions Against Bullying' event takes aim at bullies from AZ Family
Athletes are often accused of bullying non-athletes. and are also subjects of hazing and bullying by other athletes. There will be workshops, seminars, activities and events to be held throughout the year to address both sides of this important issue.
On Tuesday's Good Morning Arizona, we talked to Nick Lowery, former Chiefs kicker, about the campaign.
He says technology has made bullying easier. "Kids are using texting," he says. "Rather than looking you in the eye, developing rules of engagement and communication and social skills that develop by talking.
"There are stories every day about cyber-bullying leading to suicide," he continues. "So we're really interested in helping people understand the conditions under which this happens, and the consequences. Mostly it's about empathy. Make sure kids have that sense of empathy. And that starts with athletes."