Good morning! We have some interesting stories lined up for you in today's Kansas City Chiefs news. Keep reading to find out what player was in a NYC club where a shooting occurred. Also, be sure to read more than just the Chiefs portion of the "Watch Football In Person To Understand" article. It's good. Enjoy.
The odds were bad, and the mood was sour. An inexperienced quarterback with a discouraging NFL track record was the Chiefs' next in line, and he would be facing a team with a quarterback who will someday make it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Three seasons ago, Tyler Thigpen faced an assignment similar to the one Chiefs quarterback Tyler Palko will take on Monday night.
Ex-Chief Thigpen Knows What Palko Is Up Against from KC Star
Kansas City Chiefs TE
Leonard Pope recently visited youth at the Cleaver Family YMCA with a special purpose. Sitting in front of the children gathered alongside their parents, Pope spoke about the importance of being able to swim. Then, he fielded questions about how learning to swim has changed his life. Chiefs TE Leonard Pope Visits Local YMCA, Laudes Benefits Of Learning To Swim from The Mothership
ESPN Poll: Chiefs Without Matt Cassel
Five New York Giants were partying with other sports bigs and celebs at a Chelsea nightclub early Tuesday when a gunman opened fire, killing an ex-con and injuring two others, police sources said....
...None of the gridders were injured - nor were any of the other stars in attendance - and the police sources said none of the boldfaced names appeared to have had anything to do with the violence.
The star-studded guest list included other current NFL and NBA players, the sources say: Branden Albert of the Kansas City Chiefs; John Wall of the Washington Wizards; Kemba Walker of the Charlotte Bobcats; Carlos Boozer of the Chicago Bulls; Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder; and former New York Knick Chris Duhon, who now plays for the Orlando Magic.
Killer Gunman Opens Fire Inside Chelsea Club Where NFL and NBA Players Were Partying from The New York Daily News
So Stanzi has been waiting, studying a playbook he didn't receive until the first day of training camp because of the NFL lockout, knowing he wouldn't have much of a chance to push for playing time until 2012. Unless, of course, an injury occurred.
That injury has now occurred.
At any given moment Stanzi is one snap away from making his NFL debut.
Rookie QB Ricky Stanzi Readies For New Role from The Mothership
Tyler Palko knows full well that the most popular guy in town is the backup quarterback. He's the one every fan wants to see at the first sign of trouble, whose name floats across the airwaves whenever the starter is struggling.
Well, Palko has a chance to earn some of that popularity now.
Kansas City Chiefs Now In Hands Of Journeyman QB Tyler Palko With Patriots Looming from The Washington Post
The speculation ended Monday afternoon when quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn met with Palko following film review with the position group.
"He just said to be ready to go and we talked about how we're going to approach this week as far as the game plan," Palko explained. "He said that they were up there getting stuff ready to go, so I'll know more (Tuesday) morning about how we're going to attack these guys."
Palko Takes Center Stage from The Mothership
True, the Patriots aren't overly familiar with the Chiefs' players. The two teams have not met since the season opener in 2008 -- apologies to anyone who endured a cringe-worthy flashback involving Bernard Pollard -- and 21 of the 31 lifetime meetings between the two squads occurred before 1982.
As for knowing the guys running the show in Kansas City? Well, that's a whole different story.
Unwelcome Recognition? from ESPN
This is the first meeting between the Chiefs and Patriots since an Opening Day matchup in 2008. In that game, New England QB Tom Brady suffered a season-ending knee injury as
Matt Cassel came on to lead the club. New England pulled out a 17-10 win as Cassel finished the game with 152 passing yards. Kansas City had a chance to tie that contest, but could not convert a goal-to-go situation late in the fourth quarter. Chiefs vs Patriots - Game 10 from The Mothership
On the field, the Patriots have four starters on offense who held that role on opening day 2008 and now (Brady, wide receiver Wes Welker and the left side of the line, tackle Matt Light and guard Logan Mankins); two on defense (tackle Vince Wilfork and linebacker Jerod Mayo).
The Chiefs have five starters on defense who held that role then and now (end Glenn Dorsey, linebackers Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali, and cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr); two on offense (wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and tackle Branden Albert).Times Sure Have Changed Since Patriots, Chiefs Last Met from The Taunton Daily Gazette
In his second year in the league, Gronkowski, who made an appearance at the Boys & Girls Club of Lawrence yesterday, has proven to be money in the place it counts most. He's the guy quarterback Tom Brady trusts with the most important throws down by the goal line.
Go To Rob Gronkowski In Red Zone from The Boston Herald
Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley is cautiously optimistic that he will return to action Nov. 27 when the Steelers visit Kansas City for a prime-time game.
"I'll be back hopefully after the bye week," Woodley said Tuesday.
Steelers' Woodley Hopes To Return For Chiefs from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
In what has been an inspirational story as the offseason and regular season has progressed, rookie OL Marcus Cannon, a survivor of cancer, has been activated to the Patriots' 53-man roster. He was taken off the PUP list on October 25 and began practicing with the team. Today was the deadline where the Patriots had to make a decision as to whether they should activate Cannon or place him on season-ending injured reserve. Apparently, despite undergoing chemotherapy during the offseason after the scouting combine, Marcus Cannon is healthy enough and ready to join the team's active roster.
Cancer Survivor Marcus Cannon Activated To Patriots' 53-Man Roster from Musket Fire
What's very concerning for the Chiefs is their nose tackle and ends - Glenn Dorsey and Lawrence Jackson, both top-five overall selections - were neutralized by solo blockers. That's the opposite of how a three-man defensive line is supposed to work. Any time an offensive line can neutralize a three-man front with only three blockers, a basic inside run by the offense, even with a patient but vanilla runner - like, oh, say, Lance Ball? -is going to net at least four yards, just by the nature of a 3-4 defensive alignment. That's what's happened in this game.
Week 10 Film Review: Cutler and Bears Look Sharp from The New York Times
For now, Peterson is simply a business partner of Ross' in ventures such as the FanVision product that allow folks to track other games and players across the league from the stadium. But few have doubted that the business relationship could eventually evolve into a football relationship.
If Ross is considering it, he'd be well-served to keep an eye on what becomes of the Chiefs over the next seven weeks, because that Kansas City club will be leaning fairly heavily on the final remnants of the Peterson Era.
Supporting Cast Good Enough To Lead Texans With Schaub Out from NFL.com
But after mortifying back-to-back home losses to the Dolphins and Broncos, the loss of QB Matt Cassel and a murderous schedule still ahead that includes the Patriots, Steelers, Jets and Packers, 4-12 or 5-11 isn't out of the question. That most certainly would mean the end of coach Todd Haley, but GM Scott Pioli - Bill Belichick's former right-hand man - has to wonder if it could be the chopping block for him, too. Late Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt was famously patient, but the same can't be said for son Clark Hunt.
Bart's Tuesday Trenchwork: Weekly NFL Wrapup And A Look Ahead from The New York Post
Best Game That Might Have Been Played in 1922: Everyone's talking about Denver winning a game in which the Broncos completed just two passes. Denver coaches called 55 rushes and eight pass attempts. Even with Kansas City knowing the Broncos would rush, and even with Denver down to its third-string tailback, the Chiefs could not stop the rush -- and at home. Tebow's 56-yard touchdown throw to Eric Decker looked like standard high school tactics: run, run, run, run, then throw deep. Kansas City, for its part, posted only 124 net yards passing. The Chiefs did not turn the ball over, yet lost at home to a team that completed two passes. Ye gods.
Watch Football In Person To Understand from ESPN
When Tim Tebow's two-completion performance against the Chiefs sent us scrambling to the NFL record book to see if it was a record, we were reminded that the NFL mark for fewest completions was set at Arrowhead by San Diego's forgettable Ryan Leaf, who was one for 15 against the Chiefs in 1998.
That mark was later tied by San Francisco's Cody Pickett, who was one for 13 (a 28-yard pass to Brandon Lloyd) against Chicago in 2005.
But Leaf's performance got us to thinking about other NFL records set or nearly set at Arrowhead. Here are our favorite 10 assaults on the record book in games at Arrowhead.
Arrowhead Stadium Is One For The Record Books from The Modesto Bee