Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 9/14

Good morning. Remember when people were wishing for more national coverage of the Chiefs? Yeah, be careful what you wish for.  Today's Kansas City Chiefs news includes stories from the LA and NY Times and they are not flattering. Luckily the NY Post, ESPN, Sports Illustrated and CBS Sports had better things... uh, nevermind. If you are standing on the ledge, peering over, at least there's a story that puts all of this in perspective.

One of the top priorities this week will be preparing safeties Jon McGraw and Sabby Piscitelli for increased workloads. McGraw has been best as a backup and special-teams player, and he struggled two seasons ago when he was forced into the starting lineup when Jarrad Page suffered a season-ending calf injury.

Teams targeted McGraw and the Chiefs’ former strong safety, Mike Brown, and routinely took advantage for big gains. If Kansas City is to truly flush Sunday’s loss, McGraw would have to be more effective. He admitted as much after the loss.

Chiefs Are Desperate For Forward Progress from KC Star

Kansas City is likely to add another safety before practices begin this week. Berry still hasn’t officially gone to injured reserve, but a roster move is imminent.

There are a handful of available free agents with loads of starting experience, but the best option for immediate bandage might come from someone already familiar with the Chiefs defensive system. Reshard Langford and Ricky Price have previously been part of the Chiefs 53-man roster, losing out on tight training camp battles for reserve positions in the secondary this training camp.

Moving Forward Without Eric Berry from The Mothership

Kansas City looks to rebound with a trip to Detroit to face the Lions on Sunday, Sept. 18. The Chiefs stand 0-1 in the regular season after an Opening Day 41-7 loss vs. Buffalo (9/13). Detroit won its first game of the season by a 27-20 count at Tampa Bay (9/13). Sunday’s game features two head coaches hired in 2009 in Kansas City Head Coach Todd Haley and Detroit Head Coach Jim Schwartz.

Chiefs vs. Lions - Week 2 from The Mothership

Stafford wasn’t sacked — or even touched — by the Buccaneers’ defense, and he completed passes to eight different receivers, including two touchdowns to brilliant wide receiver Calvin Johnson.

Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham’s unit, anchored by Suh, forced three-and-outs on five of the Buccaneers’ first eight possessions, including three straight to open the second half.

Compare that to the struggles the Chiefs had at home in their 41-7 loss to Buffalo. Cassel was hamstrung by a pop-gun passing attack and was sacked twice. And the defense had no answers for a Bills offense that orchestrated the worst opening-day loss in Chiefs history.

Resurgent Detroit Lions In Better Shape Than The Chiefs from KC Star

"It’s cool and shows that you’re doing something right and are a role model to a lot of people, but it’s also sometimes a distraction to the work and study balance you try to have," McCluster said.

That balance is a serious thing to McCluster, who is now just one class short of completing a degree in Journalism after taking Journalism 378 and English 437 this spring. He plans on heading back to Oxford again next offseason to finish what he started.

Graduating was a promise he made to both his mother and daughter.

Daniels and Washington Graduate; McCluster, Lewis and Copper Near Degree Completion from The Mothership

Football wives, mothers, sisters and girlfriends can learn more about football from someone who knows — former Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro guard Will Shields.

Ex-Chief Will Shields To Lead Football 'Camp' For Women from KC Star

The Kansas City Chiefs gathered at their practice facility less than 24 hours after one of the most humiliating defeats in franchise history and watched every second of the 41-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills play out on a video screen.

Dexter McCluster couldn't hide from his fumble on the opening kickoff that Buffalo turned into a touchdown. Jamaal Charles couldn't cower from his fumble that led to a field goal. The blown coverage in the secondary, the offensive line getting shoved around, the defensive line's inability to get a pass rush — it was all there on film in stark, sobering detail.

Chiefs Focused On Avoiding Downward Spiral from The Deseret News

A revitalized Detroit team is up next for the Chiefs, and all will not be lost if they lose that one as well. Or will it?

Kansas City dropped its first two games during both the 2000 and '01 seasons and lost three in a row to begin the 2004 campaign. The team failed to post a winning record in each of those years. In 2007, the Chiefs started 0-2, won four of the next five games to earn the fans' trust, then dropped the last nine. The following year Kansas City opened the season with three consecutive losses en route to a horrid 2-14 finish in the final year under Herm Edwards.

Chiefs Could Be Headed Down Wrong Road from The Los Angeles Times

As for the Chiefs? It’s been an ugly couple of months in Kansas City. First, Jonathan Baldwin and Thomas Jones made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Then Todd Haley and the fantasy football community continued to exchange fisticuffs. Kansas City went 0-4 in the preseason, and lost starting TE Tony Moeaki for the regular season in the process. In the opener, Kansas City’s promising young safety Eric Berry was lost for the year. The Chiefs defied expectations last year, in large part thanks to a soft schedule. I don’t like to overreact to Week 1, but the 2011 Chiefs seem more likely to resemble the 2009 squad than the division-winning champion version from last year.

Are The Bills That Good, And Chiefs That Bad? from The New York Times

FALLING

1.Kansas City Chiefs: The whole darn team. The Chiefs were awful in the preseason, and they were terrible in the regular-season opener. This team has lost its last three games that count (including the playoffs). All three of the games were at home. The Chiefs lost the three games by a combined score of 102-24.

AFC West Stock Watch from ESPN

Todd Haley will be fired following the 2012 season if not sooner. Mark it down. The Chiefs were lifeless on Sunday and they'll struggle all year. I also said the Ravens, Bears and Giants wouldn't be as good this season. As usual I'm hitting around 50 percent.

The Fire Sale: Quarterbacks Make The Men For Saints, Patriots from Sports Illustrated

This month former Kansas City Chief and future Hall of Fame right guard Will Shields will turn 40. His birthday wish is to raise $40,000 to benefit the Will to Succeed Foundation and Accessible Arts – two local non-profit organizations with a mission to help support area children in need. On Thursday, September 22, Shields will host his 25th Annual Golf Scramble, followed by a 40th Birthday Bash at T-Bones Stadium.

Will Shields' 40th Birthday Wish: Raise $40,000 to Help Area Children in Need from dBusinessNews

It looks like it’s going to be a horse race between Kansas City’s Todd Haley and Tony Sparano of the Dolphins to be the first head coach fired. Haley is firmly on the hot seat after that humiliating 41-7 home loss to the Bills, but he probably has a little more of a leash as the hand-picked choice of Chiefs GM Scott Pioli than Sparano does in Miami. Dolphins ownership already openly tried to replace Sparano last winter with Jim Harbaugh , and Sparano hardly helped his case by giving up nearly 700 total yards to the Patriots at home in Week 1.

Bart's Tuesday Trenchwork: A Weekly NFL Wrapup and Look Ahead from The New York Post

Keeping it in perspective:

"Yeah, go Chiefs," says the 35-year-old Ruff, his eyes twinkling after the monster win by Buffalo. "I’d rather see a Chiefs’ butt-whipping than be back in the ’stan. Besides, I got to be at the game with my son."

Soldier Returns From Afghanistan To Witness Son's Birth from KC Star

Now back to your regularly scheduled doom and gloom:

Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford is poised for a great game against the Chiefs in Week 2. KC’s horrible showing in Week 1 combined with Stafford’s slaughter of Tampa Bay last week make this prediction, well, predictable. Ditto for Lions all pro wideout Calvin Johnson, who should feast on a Chiefs secondary weakened drastically by the season-ending injury to safety Eric Berry (ACL).

Terry Blount: Stafford Should Light Up Chiefs from The Topeka Capital-Journal

I told you the Bills are dangerous. I keep hearing reasons why a 34-point win at Kansas City is cheap. The Chiefs stink, they came out of the lockout unprepared, blah, blah, blah. Sorry. Not buying it. I don't care how bad the Chiefs looked this summer, and how awful they were Sunday. A 34-point road win in the NFL is a big deal.

MMQB Mail from Sports Illustrated

29. Kansas City Chiefs

I speculated last week that this team was in for a rude awakening to start their season because of the lack of reps their starters got during the preseason. For once, I was exactly right (mark it in your calendars). The Chiefs let Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Buffalo Bills walk into their stadium and do everything but take a leak on the field. They’re such gracious and accommodating hosts! "Need another touchdown, Ryan? Oh, you want to get the ball to that nice young man, Scott Chandler? Why didn’t you say so!?

NFL Power Rankings from InsideSTL

This one's a little tough to digest. Eight months ago the Chiefs were a playoff team, coming off a sensational 10-6 season that earned them a division championship. But that was then, and this is now, and now they're in disarray. They just lost safety Eric Berry for the season. They lost tight end Tony Moeaki for the season. They lost to Buffalo ... at home, no less, where they were 7-1 a year ago. And it wasn't just a defeat; it was a blowout. Worse, it was to ...Buffalo. Obviously, they can right themselves quickly because they did a year ago. But there are disturbing signs that make me wonder if that's possible. I already pegged them as a team that would slide. I didn't think it would be this far.

Next loss:: at Detroit

Lucky Losers: Take One from CBS Sports