It begins tonight, and Kansas City Chiefs fans across the globe will wait. I'm so ready for football, I could run through a wall and rip someone's head off. Anyway, while we wait for our game on Monday, the Saints and Vikings kick things off (don't forget to set your fantasy lineup). Here's some a lot of news in the meantime.

The guy entrusted with blocking Hali and protecting San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers’ back in Monday night’s season opener between the Chiefs and Chargers came to the NFL in 2008 as an undrafted free agent. He will be making his first pro start at left tackle.

That’s the kind of matchup that could make an NFL quarterback nervous, though Rivers didn’t sound like it when talking about the new tackle, Brandyn Dombrowski

Chiefs’ Tamba Hali has advantage over Chargers' young left tackle from KC Star

While no indication of a visit has yet been given by the team, Clowney did offer up this message on his Twitter account, making it fairly obvious that he expects to receive a workout at the very least.

Clowney is a former high school and college teammate of current Kansas City cornerback Brandon Flowers. The two attended high school at Atlantic Community High in Delray Beach, FL before joining up again at Virginia Tech.

David Clowney on his way to Kansas City? from NFL News & Rumors

In his lone start against the Chargers last season, Charles rushed for 93 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in a 43-14 loss Nov. 29.

The Chiefs, whose 10-38 mark since 2007 is the worst in the AFC, haven't lost six in a row in this series since 1979-81.

Kansas City vs. San Diego from CBS Sports

My heart tells me Kansas City will pull out a win against the slightly damaged Chargers – a hard-fought, nearly lost victory.

My head tells me my beloved Chiefs will take this extremely important game, shove it into an unnamed orifice and stand around the field twiddling their thumbs and missing tackles – you know, kind of similar to what they did against the Chargers the Sunday night after owner Lamar Hunt died. Although, to their credit, they didn’t do that during the 2006 Thanksgiving game.

Prepare for rain on Chiefs’ parade from The University Leader

3. Kansas City Chiefs — The Chiefs should be a little better than last season but that’s not saying much. Todd Haley is not a good coach but the Chiefs have improved their talent base.

2010 NFL SEASON PREVIEW: Chargers the class of formidable AFC from The Winnipeg Free Press

The Chargers hope that Merriman can play Monday, but he has practiced only twice this summer with the team. First he was out because of a contract dispute, and then a sore Achilles' tendon derailed him.

In what could have been a telling sign, when asked about the Chargers' pass rush, Stephen Cooper mentioned fellow linebackers Larry English and Shaun Phillips and blitzing safety Eric Weddle, but not Merriman.

CHARGERS NOTES: Merriman limited in practice from The North County Times

Matt Cassel is already familiar with some of Weis' offensive system from his New England days (Cassel worked there with Josh McDaniels, who learned his NFL offense under Weis with the Pats), and how can you not like a tag-team backfield of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones? The 2009 defense was contaminated-eggs bad, but rookie safety Eric Berry will make a huge difference.

And our XLV NFL winners are … from ESPN

Predicted finish: 1) San Diego Chargers 2) Oakland Raiders 3) Denver Broncos 4) Kansas City Chiefs

Unlike the other three AFC divisions, the competition here is strictly reserved for places two through four. The Chargers should win this division comfortably, even if the receiver Vincent Jackson and Pro Bowl left tackle Marcus McNeill continue to hold out. Behind them, who knows?

NFL 2010 season preview from The Guardian

Now, before we get too carried away with Charles’ numbers, we have to remember that he faced mostly terrible run defenses. 5 of his 8 opponents ranked 26^th or worse in run defense, according to Yahoo! statistics. But there is good news (besides the fact that I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico), In weeks 11, 12 and 16, in which he faced the Pittsburgh Steelers, ranked 3^rd against the run, the San Diego Chargers, ranked 20^thin rush-defense, and the Cincinnati Bengals, ranked 7^th against the run, Charles scored 12, 20.7, and 12.4 points, respectively. If we assume that Jamaal Charles continues a reasonable 12 point production over the course of a 16-week season, he ends with 192 points, good enough for the 9^th best fantasy running back in the league!

Dr. Z’s Fantasy Football Rule #6 from CMC Forum

At 81 years old and a decade into retirement, George Toma is still in demand...

...Toma mainly worked for the Kansas City Chiefs for more than 40 years but consulted for several NFL teams and has worked AFC and NFC championship games and all 44 Super Bowls. He was also the head groundskeeper for the Kansas City Royals for four decades.

Legendary 'Dirt Man' works his magic on team practice field from The Sacramento Bee

As the 23-member Louisburg sixth-grade football team and its coaches walked onto the Arrowhead Stadium turf for the first time, they realized many of their dreams had come true.

Many of those players wondered what it would be like to play on an NFL field in front of several thousand screaming fans. On Thursday, they got that chance.

Wildcats live out their dream at Arrowhead from The Louisburg Herald

Having grown up in a family with rabid Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos fans, the NFL was engrained in my brain from the moment I started watching sports.

It was the sport. All other sports – including college football – were battling for second place.

However, about three years ago, an important fact hit me like a drum: College football is better.

Why college football rules over the NFL from The Kansas City Kansan

Last season the Kansas City Chiefs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Lions and the Rams won 4-3-2-1 games, respectively, and we don’t think we’re going out on any kind of a limb here to suggest that all four teams will top those win totals easily. Hey, they’re still bad teams but they won’t stink to the same degree.

At last, kickoff is here from The Toronto Sun

Here are some of metro Atlanta's other big surprises in high school football this season:

Davion Tookes Jr., Creekside: The junior cornerback got a pep talk last spring from a couple of former Creekside players, including Eric Berry, a first-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Five early surprises in high school football from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Step-back Player: Thomas Jones, QB, Chiefs. It's just bound to happen. He turned 32 last month, and he shares the running-back position with Jamaal Charles. So he won't get the carries he had last season, and he won't run behind the offensive line he had last season...

Team on the rise: Chiefs. Let's make something clear: I'm not saying the Chiefs challenge San Diego for supremacy of the AFC West, but I am saying those days of 2-14 and 4-12 are over. The Chiefs had a marvelous draft, filled in nicely with free-agent acquisitions and have a chance to make a move on .500. 

Season picks: Raven-ous AFC, but Pack-ed XLV from CBS Sports

I think this will be the year the upset will be completed by the Chiefs at Arrowhead and there might be new leadership at the top of the AFC West. In my opinion the AFC West this year is really up for grabs, and Kansas City really has a chance to take over that spot and make the playoffs.

WEEK 1 UPSETS from Gaming Today

When confronted with a media inquiry regarding a team member who is absent due to holdout, injury or suspension, NFL coaches are fond of saying they'd rather talk about the "players that are here."

It's similar to the line I use on my wife when she asks me where all the Tastycakes have gone. "I'd prefer to talk about the Butterscotch Krimpets that are still here."

It's a convenient issue-ducking mechanism for those who would prefer not to engage in the full concept of reality.

Line of Scrimmage: Week 1 - Conspicuous absences from KC Star

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry – Look for a "Brian Dawkins" type impact from Berry.  The former Tennessee star learned a ton from former Volunteers defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin, who is a tried and true teacher of NFL defenses.  The 2009 Jim Thorpe award winner should provide much-needed help over the top coverage as well as in box.

2010 Impact Rookies on Defense from NFL Gridiron Gab

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles posts less than 1,100 total yards and scores less than six touchdowns. Thomas Jones and Dexter McCluster add just too many cooks to the kitchen, and Charles isn’t able to provide a consistent spark.

2010 Fantasy Football and NFL Predictions from KFFL

Tonight, for the first time in seven months, football — real, meaningful, professional football — will be played, and it will be glorious.

Right now, every team stands on equal ground, tied with a pristine 0-0 record. Last year’s Super Bowl contenders and also-rans alike can dream of a great season.

Trietley: There’s hope for NFL’s bottom feeders this season from The Pitt News

Kansas City Chiefs – Some pundits are touting the Chiefs as a surprise team in 2010. We don’t see it. Head coach Todd Haley is an Xs-and-Os guru, but his personality seems to bring more inconsistency and uncertainty to the franchise than organization. And his management style can’t address the roster deficiencies the Chiefs have. QB Matt Cassel is just OK, and he plays behind an offensive line that doesn’t compare to the Chiefs’ great lines of the 1990s.

FR: 2010 NFL Preview from MVN