Janikowski Out for Raiders Against Chiefs

When does quantifying something help us learn — and when does it mislead us?

What would it be like to be in the public eye, but also to vanish?

View the original article here

Chiefs 28, Raiders 0: An Up-and-Down First Game for Palmer

Instead, the focus was on the sideline, where Carson Palmer — after spending the first half wearing a black baseball cap and occasionally checking a clipboard — was finally putting on his helmet. As the buzz from the fans grew, Palmer threw a few warm-up passes, took a couple of practice snaps and then, after the Chiefs scored again, trotted onto the field to a standing ovation.

It had been nine months since Palmer last played in an N.F.L. game and, more important, only five days since the Raiders sent two draft picks to Cincinnati to end Palmer’s self-imposed exile from the Bengals. Still, the Raiders did not hesitate — the first play call for Palmer was a play-action pass, and he dropped back, found Darrius Heyward-Bey over the middle for 18 yards and took a late hit from Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali without issue.

The fans roared. The Raiders on the sideline leapt. And Palmer had a spring in his step as he jogged toward the huddle.

“It felt good to get hit, actually, believe it or not,” Palmer said afterward. “It’s been a while since I played football.”

Of course, three plays later Palmer threw his first incompletion, and for the rest of the game he settled in for exactly the sort of performance one might expect from a quarterback who was practicing on high school fields in Southern California as recently as last week. There were a few moments of brilliance (a pretty completion on a timing route to Heyward-Bey) mixed with several that were less so (an interception by Brandon Flowers that was returned 58 yards for a touchdown).

“That’s Football 101,” Palmer said of Flowers’s interception, which came on a screen pass intended for Denarius Moore. “I can’t do that, and I knew it as soon as the ball came out of my hand.”

Despite the look of his overall numbers — Palmer finished 8 of 21 for 116 yards, with three interceptions — the Raiders found solace in his simply spending game time with his teammates.

Yes, the Raiders were embarrassed at home, 28-0, but Palmer threw passes wearing pads again (something he said took some getting used to) and made a concerted effort to communicate with other Raiders on the bench in between drives.

On a day like this, that had to be enough. Even Raiders Coach Hue Jackson conceded that he did not truly expect Palmer to lead a Raiders comeback from a three-touchdown deficit.

“I thought he could give us a spark,” Jackson said.

Ideally, Jackson added, Palmer would have played sparingly, if at all. Although Jackson was coy all week about who would be his starter, he said Sunday that Kyle Boller — the replacement for Jason Campbell, who broke his collarbone last week — took 80 percent of the first-team snaps during practice. “I wasn’t going to throw him to the wolves,” Jackson said of Palmer.

But Boller struggled against the Chiefs, completing just 7 of 14 passes for 61 yards and throwing three interceptions, including one that was returned 59 yards for a touchdown by Kendrick Lewis on Oakland’s first drive of the game.

“It just didn’t go as planned,” Boller said. “I feel like I let my teammates down.”

After the Raiders went three-and-out on the first drive of the third quarter, Jackson had seen enough, and Palmer, who acknowledged that he knew only “three or four” of the team’s pass protections, restarted his career.

He spent seven seasons with the Bengals, then spent the first six weeks of this season waiting at home in an attempt to force a trade. Now that he has succeeded, he plans to take the next two weeks to immerse himself in the system of his new team. (The Raiders have a bye next Sunday.)

With the A.F.C. West remaining wide open, expectations will rise quickly. Jackson said “there’s no doubt” that Palmer will be the starter when the Raiders face the Denver Broncos here on Nov. 6, and Palmer said he was ready to work.

“It’s not a bye week for me, that’s for sure,” Palmer said. “Two weeks is enough time for me to be where I need to be.”

View the original article here

Raiders' QB Situation Has Chiefs Guessing

Whether it's Palmer or Kyle Boller starting in place of the injured Jason Campbell, the Chiefs are hopeful of capitalizing on an unsettled Raiders quarterback situation. Palmer hasn't played since he guided the Cincinnati offense last season.

When the news of Palmer's trade from the Bengals to Oakland came down on Tuesday, the Chiefs quickly went to the videotape. They last faced Palmer on Dec. 27, 2009. This time, Palmer would be working with new teammates after missing training camp and the opening six weeks of the 2011 season.

Last year, Kansas City showed a knack for disrupting opponents' emergency quarterbacks. The Chiefs hope they do it again Sunday against Oakland amid speculation the Raiders will start the newly acquired Carson Palmer.

Whether it's Palmer or Kyle Boller starting in place of the injured Jason Campbell, the Chiefs are hopeful of capitalizing on an unsettled Raiders quarterback situation. Palmer hasn't played since he guided the Cincinnati offense last season.

"It sounds like Carson has been working extremely hard to be ready if something came up," Chiefs coach Todd Haley said. "This isn't a one- to two-year guy you're talking about. This is a guy who has a bunch of years under his belt."

When the news of Palmer's trade from the Bengals to Oakland came down on Tuesday, the Chiefs quickly went to the videotape. They last faced Palmer on Dec. 27, 2009, when they limited him to 139 yards passing. However, his 6-yard touchdown pass to Chad Ochocinco with 2:03 remaining snapped a 10-10 tie and lifted the Bengals to a 17-10 victory.

This time, Palmer would be working with new teammates after missing training camp and the opening six weeks of the 2011 season.

"The thing about this league is that you think you have an advantage sometimes — less preparation from another team or another guy. But everybody is a professional. He's going to get ready to play," Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said. "He's a smart guy and this is a copycat league. I'm sure he'll fit right in."

Oakland coach Hue Jackson maintained that he wouldn't decide on his starting quarterback until thoroughly evaluating Palmer in practice this week.

The Chiefs faced two backup quarterbacks in their opening six games last year and were able to use key interception returns for touchdowns against Cleveland's Seneca Wallace and Jacksonville's Todd Bouman as a springboard to victories over the Browns and Jaguars. Brandon Flowers victimized Wallace with a 33-yard TD return and Johnson had a 15-yard scoring return against Bouman.

Asked specifically if the Chiefs would be inclined to come with additional pressure packages against a rusty quarterback, Haley replied: "I don't think I'd give much of that out, as much as I could help it."

Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel was a college roommate of Palmer's at Southern California. When he heard that Palmer had been traded to the Raiders, Cassel called Palmer and left a congratulatory message.

"Carson is a great guy and a great friend of mine," Cassel said. "I'll be a fan of his every day but two when we play them."

Cassell said he has never faced the type of situation Palmer may find himself in Sunday — starting for a new team having had just a couple of days to get ready. "I'm sure if anybody can do it, Carson can," Cassel said.

Whether his team faces Palmer or Boller, Haley's overriding message is that the Chiefs can't be consumed by Oakland's change at quarterback.

"First and foremost, we have to stop one of the best running attacks in the league, one of the best backs (Darren McFadden) in the league," Haley said. "If we don't do that, it will be a long day for us. It won't matter really who's playing quarterback. We've got to stay focused on the specific strengths of their team."

Johnson agrees that all the Palmer talk will merely become a subplot if the Chiefs' defense fails to take care of its primary goal of taking away the run.

"Carson Palmer is a guy who can beat you with his arm. He's a guy who's very seasoned at the quarterback position, but they run the ball," Johnson said. "That's their bread and butter."

View the original article here

Video – CBS Vikings vs. Chiefs Week Four Preview

With both teams still searching for their first win, the Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs will battle on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. Who will come out on top? NFL.com’s Pat Kirwan and Jason Horowitz preview this game

View the original article here

Chiefs at Chargers NFL Capsule Week 3

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (0-2) AT SAN DIEGO CHARGERS (1-1)

SERIES

12/12/10: Chargers 31 at Chiefs 0. San Diego limits Kansas City’s offense to 67 total yards & QB Philip Rivers throws 2 TD passes as Chargers notch 5th win in 6 weeks.9/13/10: Chiefs 21, Chargers 14. Long Kansas City TDs by RB Jamaal Charles (56-yard TD run) & rookie PR-WR Dexter McCluster (94-yard PR-TD) fuel KO Weekend victory for Chiefs.CBS (1:05 PM PT): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts. SIRIUS: 137 (KC), 91 (SD). XM: 230 (SD).

STATS

Rivers: 62-88-713 (3L)-4 (T3C)-4-90.8Tolbert (RB): 17 (1L)-131-7.7-2

NOTES

CHIEFS:  In past 2 division road games, QB MATT CASSEL has completed 53 of 88 passes (60.2 pct.) for 685 yards with 6 TDs vs. 1 INT & 102.7 rating. Cassel (67) needs 3 TDs for 70 career…RB THOMAS JONES (1,980) needs 20 receiving yards to reach 2,000 career. RB-PR DEXTER MC CLUSTER is averaging 7.8 yards per rush this season (12 att., 93 rush yards). McCluster had 94-yard PR-TD on 9/13/10 against SD…WR DWAYNE BOWE recorded 11th career 100-yard receiving game last week (101). Bowe is averaging 16.9 yards per catch in 1st 2 games of season (7 rec., 118 yards)…S JON MC GRAW registered 1st INT of season last week. Leads team with 18 tackles…LB TAMBA HALI (42.5) needs 1 sack to surpass JARED ALLEN (43) for 4th-most sacks in club history (DERRICK THOMAS, 126.5; NEIL SMITH, 85.5; ERIC HICKS, 44.5). Hali has 5.5 sacks in 10 career games against SD. CHARGERS: Club has won 6 of past 7 at home vs. KC…In past 6 vs. Chiefs, QB PHILIP RIVERS has completed 140 of 205 passes (68.3 pct.) for 1,771 yards with 13 TDs vs. 4 INTs & 108 rating. Rivers has 33-8 (.805) record as home starter with 66 TDs vs. 28 INTs & 99.4 rating. Dating back to 1/2/11, Rivers aims for 4th consecutive 300-yard passing game (313, 335, 378)…Since ’10, RB MIKE TOLBERT has 14 TDs (12 rush, 2 rec.). Leads NFL RBs this season in catches (17). RB RYAN MATHEWS posted 1st rush TD of season last week…TE ANTONIO GATES has 12 TD receptions vs. KC, most vs. any opponent. Gates (537) needs 5 receptions to surpass HOFer KELLEN WINSLOW (541) for 2nd-most rec. in team history (CHARLIE JOINER, 586). Gates (69) needs TD rec. to join TONY GONZALEZ (90) as 2nd TE in NFL history w/ 70 TD catches…WR VINCENT JACKSON had career-best in rec. (10) & rec. yards (172) last week with 2 TDs. WR MALCOM FLOYD had career-high 2 TD catches in last game vs. KC…LB SHAUN PHILLIPS has 6.5 career sacks vs. KC. Had 1st sack of season last week…LB DONALD BUTLER posted 1st career sack in Week 2.

View the original article here

Berry sidelined early for Chiefs

Published: September 11th, 2011 | Tags: Eric Berry, Kansas City Chiefs, Week 1 injuries 2011

UPDATE: According to the Kansas City Star, Berry is back on the sideline with his left knee heavily wrapped.

—

It’s been a rough start to the season for Chiefs second-year safety Eric Berry.

Berry has left Sunday’s game against the Bills on two separate occasions during the first quarter, a victim of what appears to be leg cramping. After the leaving the game for a second time midway through the quarter, Berry was brought to the trainers’ table on the sideline. He’s been replaced by veteran Jon McGraw.

– Frank Tadych

Posted in: News   comments    

Comments may be no longer than 2000 characters and will post to the site shortly after submitting.

View the original article here

Chiefs Looking Fast to Put Opening Day Blowout Behind Them

If your scoring from home, count Chiefs coach Todd Haley as getting knocked down for an 8-count Sunday in the Chiefs 41-7 opening day home loss to the Buffalo Bills.

The Chiefs were the surprise team in the NFL a season ago, but Sunday at home they were surprised by the aggressive Bills attack that piled up 364 yards compared to just 213 for the Chiefs.

“It’s the coach’s job to have the team ready to go and we weren’t ready,’’ Haley said. “I’m taking 100 percent responsibility for our team not being ready to go. You can point the finger right at Todd Haley. That being said … I believe in my team and I believe we have a chance to do special things.”

Click HERE to read the rest

View the original article here

Chiefs QB Cassel added to AFC roster

Published: January 20th, 2011 | Tags: Matt Cassel, 2011 Pro Bowl, AFC roster, Kansas City Chiefs

Quarterback Matt Cassel will replace Tom Brady, again — this time at the Pro Bowl — the Kansas City Chiefs confirmed Thursday.

Cassel will be making his first Pro Bowl appearance after passing for 3,116 yards with 27 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in 2010.

More …

Posted in: Pro Bowl  

View the original article here

Chiefs clinch AFC West

Published: December 26th, 2010 | Tags: Chiefs, 2010 NFL playoff picture, NFL playoffs

The Kansas City Chiefs are your 2010 AFC West Champions.

The Chiefs entered Week 16 needing a win and a loss by the Chargers to capture the division crown, and both came through. The Chiefs dismantled the Titans earlier in the day, and the Chargers have lost to the Bengals.

While the AFC seeding has yet to be determined, the Chiefs will open the playoffs at Arrowhead Stadium. It could come as the No. 3 seed, hosting either the Jets or the second wild card between the Ravens/Steelers. Looking at the current playoff picture, the Chiefs would host the Jets, the AFC’s No. 6 seed.

Posted in: News  

View the original article here

Chiefs Just Three Plays From a Perfect Game Last Week In Seattle

A blocked punt. A blocked field goal. A blown assignment on an 87 yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

OK, maybe not perfect, but pretty close.

It’s been rare that we’ve seen that kind of break down in the special teams. Maybe you have to credit the Seahawks.

The 87 yard touchdown is more of a concern, one that I’m sure they’ve talked about this week.

This was as complete a game as we’ve seen from this team in a very long time. Take away those 87 yards on that pass play and the Seahawks end up with 195 yards passing to go along with their 20 yards rushing.

The defense was dominating. The running game was fantastic, even by the high standard they’ve already set.

I’m hoping by now it has become less fashionable to criticize Matt Cassel. One of the few stats he is not one of highest ranked quarterbacks at this points in total yards passing.

That’s what “top quarterbacks” are based on. Unless of course you know something about football.

Dwayne Bowe has turned into one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. That came out of nowhere. Two months ago the guy couldn’t hold a ball thrown into his hands.

One of the most telling plays, to me, was a third a ten late in the game. Bowe went about 12 yards, curled back and Cassel delivered the ball low, right where he should. Bowe caught the ball, first down.

It is these type of plays that the Chiefs have not been making. Normally, that route would have been run eight yards and curled for a 6 yard gain. If not, Bowe would have dropped it, or it would have been too low.

If they can do that on a consistent basis, they will be very difficult to beat, home or away.

They have a tough road in front of them. We will know they have turned the corner if they can go into San Diego and win.

Regardless, in many ways they have turned that corner that we have been waiting for.

I have been excited about the way the Chiefs have been building their organization. With ten wins in three years, and a 7-4 record this year, it’s hard not to be.

Winning the Super Bowl is the goal for every team, every year. We all know, however, that’s not really the case. The Lions, Bills, Panthers and Chiefs, to name a few, probably had few expectations of actually reaching that goal this season.

If the Chiefs make the playoffs they will be a very dangerous team. I say that because in order to do that, they will have to win some big games between now and the end of the season.

If they fail to make the playoffs, this will be an off season with great optimism for next year.

Each week, this team grows, matures and improves. That does not mean we should be shocked at setbacks and bad losses. The loss to the Broncos should never happen. The loss to the Raiders is understandable, but avoidable.

This week, just take care of business. Then worry about next week.

View the original article here

Chiefs have figured it out, and Bowe is benefactor

The pieces have all fallen into place for Dwayne Bowe this season, and we’re seeing the results.

There are plenty of reasons why Bowe has 14 touchdown receptions. By and large, he’s benefactor of the league’s best rushing attack, a coach who has a proven track record with receivers and an improved quarterback in Matt Cassel.

It’s no secret the Chiefs have the league’s best rushing attack. They’re the current version of the New York Jets from last season.

Defending the Chiefs is really about picking your poison. Do you load up to stop the running game, like the Seahawks did last week, or leave a player back and double-team Bowe? The Seahawks didn’t, and when you leave Bowe in man-to-man coverage with a single high safety that can’t help out, he’ll kill you. Bowe is facing defenses that are geared to stop the run, and he’s winning his one-on-one battles. He had a monster game last week, and every week he’s seeing a team that’s undecided on how to pick their strategy against the Chiefs.

Bowe could easily have more than 20 touchdowns this season if the Chiefs continue to run the ball the way they have.

Another of the main reasons Bowe has put it all together is Todd Haley‘s influence the last two seasons. Haley entered the league as a wide receiver coach under Bill Parcells, and he’s proven himself everywhere he’s been: Dallas, Chicago and Arizona. He’s a very demanding coach on receivers, and he makes guys better.

Haley has delegated many of his responsibilities to his coordinators, allowing him to oversee the entire game. If you watch Haley before games, he spends all of his time with Cassell and the receivers going over routes, throws and situations. He’s right in the middle of them, coaching them up.

Very quietly, Charlie Weis has done a great job in getting Cassel to understand what type of routes Bowe will run, where he’ll be, and the timing of those routes. Bowe has never been able to put it all together, but I also don’t think he’s ever had a very disciplined quarterback while the Chiefs have juggled multiple starters.

Now that Bowe is healthy, the Chiefs have settled on Cassell, they have a staff that really knows football and a head coach who specializes in receivers — plus leaders on both sides of the ball — it all makes sense.

The Chiefs are putting it all together offensively, and Bowe probably will get a Pro Bowl out of it.

Follow the NFL Network on Twitter @nflnetwork.

Posted in: NFL Network  

View the original article here

Chiefs’ Albert sidelined hip injury

Published: November 21st, 2010 | | Tags: Barry Richardson, Brandon Albert, Kansas City Chiefs, Week 11 injuries 2010

The Chiefs are finishing out a blowout win over the Cardinals, but their doing it without starting LT Brandon Albert.

The team announced during the second half Albert had suffered a hip injury and was questionable to return. Albert is an integral piece for the NFL’s top rushing team, and would be a huge loss if he were to miss any significant amount of time for the Chiefs.

The Chiefs are putting up another dominant rushing day so far against the Cardinals, posting 159 yards on the ground.

Albert was replaced by Barry Richardson to close out the game.

Posted in: News  

View the original article here

Chiefs LB Mark Simoneau to retire after being placed on IR

The Chiefs have placed linebacker Mark Simoneau on injured reserve, and the 33-year old says instead of trying again to make it on a roster in 2011, he’s going to retire.

Simoneau, who missed the past two seasons with New Orleans because of injuries to his back and triceps, was a product of Smith Center, Kansas and played collegiately at Kansas State. He made suburban Kansas City his off-season home three years ago and signed with his hometown team as a free agent on October 27th.

Simoneau was injured in the first half of Sunday’s game while covering a kickoff on special teams. After absorbing a hit, Simoneau was escorted into the Chiefs locker room and did not suit out for the second half.

View the original article here

Chiefs Command

Something we need to know about this blog?
Report it here

All in all, I'm just really happy I don't have to write about a tie. The Chiefs snatched this one out of the Buffalo Bills' grasp just as time expired in overtime late Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium. It was ugly. It took the Chiefs five quarters of football to beat the winless Buffalo Bills at home. read more

October 31st, 2010 at 08:56 pm / #game day #afc west #todd haley #dexter mccluster

Well that was unnecessarily dramatic. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd Haley turned what should have been an easy win into a roller coaster from Hell on a Halloween Sunday in a 13-10 overtime win over the unbeaten Buffalo Bills. read more

October 31st, 2010 at 03:57 pm / #game day #offense #charlie weis #coaching staff #todd haley

Anybody who monitored the Buffalo Bills-Baltimore Ravens game knows that the winless Bills didn't make it easy for the Ravens in Baltimore. Having Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm prevents the Bills from being the pushover that they have been at the beginning of the season. read more

October 31st, 2010 at 09:00 am / #predictions #game day #charlie weis #thomas jones #brandon flowers

NFL week 8 is without a head-to-head AFC West matchup. Depending how you look at it, it can be either good or bad for betting the AFC West parlay this week. On one side, we can win double our money... One the flip side, we must correctly pick four games rather than three. read more

October 30th, 2010 at 10:42 pm / #Gambling #fun stuff #afc west

Branden and the Chiefs Tight End, Leonard Pope, will be hosting a Charity Bowling Event, on November 2nd, with a portion of the proceeds going to Make-A-Wish Foundation. read more

October 30th, 2010 at 08:57 am / #charity #leonard pope #brandon flowers #branden albert #derrick johnson

Ummm.... Yes, I understand "ummm" is not exactly literary brilliance and will not inspire children to begin their own website or take an interest in writing... Not a proper way to begin any form of written communication, but in this case, it is a warranted beginning to an article with the aforementioned title. read more

October 29th, 2010 at 08:57 am / #satire #predictions #fun stuff #defense #game day

No matter what the circumstance, it always feels good to come back home and sleep in your own comfortable bed. That's what winning feels like. As Chiefs fans we are happy to be back home, home being the win column. No one is happier to be back in his home than I am after my disappointing week six fantasy loss. Unfortunately, I seem to have a tougher match-up this week then do the Kansas City Chiefs. read more

October 28th, 2010 at 09:00 am / #predictions #fantasy football #defense #offense #roster

Ahh, what a week it has been. My Indiana Hoosiers continue to suck it up, making each and every Kansas City Chiefs game that much better. I am finally glad that the Chiefs are beating teams that they should beat, and beating them handedly. After a sub-par first half, the Chiefs came out firing and never looked back. read more

October 27th, 2010 at 09:00 am / #schedule #defense #offense #roster #matt cassel

I think we have a decent idea of where the Kansas City Chiefs are at now. They certainly can beat bad teams, and they can hang in with good teams. Good thing for the Chiefs that there are a lot of bad teams on their schedule. It does seem like there are a few too many over-confident fans and commentators. read more

October 26th, 2010 at 09:02 pm / #links #defense #offense #thomas jones #special teams

Another NFL week in the books and another weak showing by the AFC West. read more

October 26th, 2010 at 09:10 am / #thomas jones #afc west #dwayne bowe #javier arenas #jamaal charles

View the original article here