Arrowhead Pride - All Posts

Recap of day 4 at Kansas City Chiefs OTAs

2013-05-21T22:44:20Z

Carrington Harrison and Josh Klingler of 610 Sports breakdown the start of the second week of the KC Chiefs OTAs.

Kids born in the year of the Chiefs last playoff win are now adults

2013-05-21T21:14:40Z

Oh my.

Watch how Branden Albert spent his offseason

2013-05-21T17:46:39Z

This video popped up today. It's of Branden Albert working out earlier this offseason. Pretty neat.

Chiefs fan makes Harlem Shake video, wants job with Chiefs

2013-05-21T17:15:59Z

Mikael Barnheart is a KC Chiefs fan. Recently he came across a posting for a digital media job for the Chiefs. A job that he wants.

via Facebook

So he did what any Chiefs fan would do ... Made a website asking the Chiefs to hire him.

via mikaelbarnheart.com

And a Facebook page.

He ended it as any job hopeful ends their application: with a KC Chiefs Harlem Shake video.

Poll

Should the Chiefs hire this man?

Kansas City Chiefs d-line breakdown: A mixed bag

2013-05-21T16:51:57Z

The Kansas City Chiefs need to see improvement from their defensive line.

Everybody can agree on that, after the team ranked 27th in opponents rushing yards with over 135 allowed per game and 25th in yards surrendered per attempt.

With that in mind, new general manager John Dorsey let mainstay and former No. 5 overall pick Glenn Dorsey walk. To replace Dorsey, Mike DeVito was brought in via free agency from the New York Jets to anchor the run defense alongside nose tackle Dontari Poe and end Tyson Jackson, who restructured his contract to stay in Kansas City.

Twists and stunts: Generating pressure in the NFL

This position group has been a source of anger for years among Chiefs fans considering the lack of return on investment. Kansas City spent three top-10 picks on defensive lineman from 2008-2012, only to see very little improvement if any.

Will anything change?

Let's go ahead and take an in-depth look.

The starters

We know barring injury that the starters will be Jackson and DeVito on the ends with Poe clogging up the middle.

With one year left on his deal, Jackson needs to continue growing as a player. Last year, Jackson saw his tackles dip from 55 to 43, but his sacks rise to three. If he can nab a few more sacks and consistently hold up against the run, he could get another contract.

Poe was decent as a rookie. The rookie had only 16 tackles through the first nine games of 2012 before registering 22 over his last seven contests. With continued coaching and maturation, Poe should be a very solid nose tackle for the Chiefs going forward.

DeVito will be 29 years old in June, so he's in his prime. Last season, DeVito made 52 stops, the second highest total of his six-year career. The New York native doesn't offer much against the pass, but he's a bull versus the run.

We can count on...

Poe to step up and become more of a factor. It was obvious despite being cloaked in a 2-14 season that the rookie from Memphis was developing nicely throughout the campaign. As Poe understands the NFL game and new system, he will only get better.

If Poe jams the middle with regularity and pushes the pocket occasionally, Kansas City will be thrilled. The 350-pounder doesn't have to dominate, he only needs to draw double-teams and free up the linebackers.

The biggest area of concern...

Depth. The Chiefs have virtually no depth at this position after letting Ropati Pitoitua hit the market and sign with the Tennessee Titans. Pitoitua finished sixth on the Chiefs with 51 tackles and even contributed a pair of sacks in 2012.

Now, Kansas City has Allen Bailey as the primary replacement at end with nobody else of note. Bailey seems to be someone people have belief in; don't count me in that group. In two years, Bailey has 15 tackles and one sack. Anthony Toribio is serviceable, but he's not someone who should see a ton of time on the field for a good team.

Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

My prediction

This group is going to make all of us lose our hair if any injuries happen. The Chiefs have absolutely no depth at this position and could be in for serious trouble if any of the three starters go down.

DeVito is a very solid player who I watched plenty of living in New York. The Chiefs and their fans will be very happy to have him on board. Jackson will be quietly respectable and Poe should make some noise, so if health prevails the line should be improved.

If not, expect a lot of run blitzes.

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Kansas City Chiefs OTAs: 5 questions to answer heading into week 2

2013-05-21T15:09:26Z

Today through Thursday the Kansas City Chiefs will be conducting Organized Team Activities (OTAs). This is the same drill as they ran last week for three days. This week's OTAs are from Tuesday-Thursday. Next week things ramp up a little more with four OTA sessions. Following that, the Chiefs have a mandatory minicamp from June 4-6. Considering they've had 100 percent attendance so far, mandatory doesn't mean much.

There are a few things we're keeping an eye on this week:

1. How often will Alex Smith run the pistol? We saw last week that he ran it a few times. Chris Ault, the creator of the pistol offense, was hired this offseason, which has brought the pistol questions up. Will it be a small part of the Chiefs offense or a big part?

2. Will Chase Daniel run the pistol as well? A Twitter follower noted that we haven't mentioned Chase Daniel when talking about the pistol. Should we be? Does he factor in somehow?

3. Will it be Akeem Jordan or Nico Johnson at inside linebacker? It's Jordan for now. But many believe Nico Johnson will pull ahead.

4. Jeff Allen or Geoff Schwartz at guard? It's Allen's job at the moment but Schwartz could move push him. Either way, the Chiefs are in a good spot with one of these guys becoming a reserve.

5. Who wins the No. 2 receiver job? Jon Baldwin, for now. Will that last?

What else?

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Kansas City Chiefs over/under on wins, a more optimistic view

2013-05-21T12:47:03Z

Seven and a half wins is the over/under for the 2013 KC Chiefs according to RJ Bell of Pregame.com. One win better than the last win total we looked at. Another sportsbook has the Chiefs at seven wins.

I believe the Chiefs can win anywhere from 6-10 games. Six on the pessimistic side, if Alex Smith is merely average and the defensive free agent additions don't make a big splash. 9-10 wins on the optimistic side, if Smith is better than average and the defense is as good as it looks on paper. This team is not that different and not that far removed from one that won 10 games three years ago. The same strengths back then that carried the team are carrying the team now. The Chiefs also aren't at all far removed from a two-win season. It cuts both ways.

The Atlantis sportsbook said this of the Chiefs last week: "For me, the toughest win totals to set were the Chiefs, Eagles and Lions because they all underachieved last year. The Chiefs and Eagles have new coaches, with Andy Reid and Chip Kelly, so you'd like to think that would make a difference. But it's an unknown."

My 6-10 wins prediction doesn't seem like such a cop out now that we know nobody is having an easy time predicting their win totals.

In these odds the Broncos are winning the AFC West, just as almost everyone is predicting them to do. Denver is clearly a better team than the Chiefs or anyone else in the AFC West. They likely will not stumble, barring injury. I don't expect the Chiefs to beat out the Broncos. I do, however, think it's realistic to expect the Chiefs to beat out the Chargers and Raiders in the division. The Chargers are at 7.5 wins, just like the Chiefs, while the Raiders are the Raiders at 5.5 wins.

The Chiefs also have the same Super Bowl odds -- 60/1 -- as the Chargers.

Your AFC playoff teams according to these odds: Broncos, Patriots, Texans, Steelers, Ravens and Colts. There is usually more playoff turnover than that on an annual basis. I suspect we'll see a couple of these teams (Ravens? Texans?) miss out.

Your NFC playoff teams according to these odds: 49ers, Seahawks, Packers, Falcons, Saints and Giants. Don't sleep on the Saints!

Over/under win totals

San Francisco 49ers: 11.5 wins (NFC West winner)
Denver Broncos: 11.5 wins (AFC West winner)
New England Patriots: 11 wins (AFC East winner)
Seattle Seahawks: 10.5 wins (#1 NFC Wildcard)
Houston Texans: 10 wins (AFC South winner)
Green Bay Packers: 10 wins (NFC North winner)
Atlanta Falcons: 10 wins (NFC South winner)
New Orleans Saints: 9 wins (#2 NFC Wildcard)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 9 wins (AFC North winner)
NY Giants: 9 wins (NFC East winner)
Baltimore Ravens: 8.5 wins (#1 AFC wildcard)
Chicago Bears: 8.5 wins
Indianapolis Colts: 8.5 wins (#2 AFC wildcard)
Cincinnati Bengals: 8.5 wins
Dallas Cowboys: 8 wins
Washington Redskins: 8 wins
Tampa Bay Bucs: 8 wins
Miami Dolphins: 7.5 wins
Minnesota Vikings: 7.5 wins
Detroit Lions: 7.5 wins
San Diego Chargers: 7.5 wins
Kansas City Chiefs: 7.5 wins
St. Louis Rams: 7 wins
Carolina Panthers: 7 wins
Philadelphia Eagles: 7 wins
Tennessee Titans: 6.5 wins
NY Jets: 6.5 wins
Buffalo Bills: 6.5 wins
Cleveland Browns: 6 wins
Oakland Raiders: 5.5 wins
Arizona Cardinals: 5 wins
Jacksonville Jags: 5 wins

KC Chiefs 2013 schedule:

Week 1. @ Jacksonville Jaguars (Sept. 8, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 2. Dallas Cowboys (Sept. 15, 12 p.m., Fox)
Week 3. @ Philadelphia Eagles (Sept. 19, 7:25 p.m., NFLN)
Week 4. New York Giants (Sept. 29, 12 p.m., Fox)
Week 5. @ Tennessee Titans (Oct. 6, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 6. Oakland Raiders (Oct 13, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 7. Houston Texans (Oct 20, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 8. Cleveland Browns (Oct. 27, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 9. @ Buffalo Bills (Nov. 3, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 10. BYE
Week 11. @ Denver Broncos (Nov. 17, 3:05 p.m., CBS)
Week 12. San Diego Chargers (Nov. 24, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 13. Denver Broncos (Dec. 1, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 14. @ Washington Redskins (Dec. 8, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 15. @ Oakland Raiders (Dec. 15, 3:05 p.m., CBS)
Week 16. Indianapolis Colts (Dec. 22, 12 p.m., CBS)
Week 17. @ San Diego Chargers (Dec. 29, 3:25 p.m., CBS)

Kansas City Chiefs' UDFA: 'These guys are the real deal - there's no fake advertising'

2013-05-21T11:52:39Z

The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot of players like Rico Richardson. Undrafted free agent who does not come from a BCS program. Long shot to make the roster ... but still a shot. There is a huge competition gap and Richardson has just a few weeks of practices with the Chiefs to get used to it.

I enjoy reading stories from the hometowns of the Chiefs undrafted free agents. Every one of them was a star in their respective area so it's neat to see how their community views them. For some reason those stories remind me of kids writing home during summer camp, telling their parents what's going on.

"These guys are the real deal - there's no fake advertising," Richardson said according to this Mississippi daily. "Dwayne Bowe is one of the best wide receivers I've seen. He's going to run crisp, right routes, and he's going to make defenders look bad. I'm just going to try and learn from him."

Many undrafted guys have probably never played with a corner as good as Brandon Flowers. Or a linebacker as big and athletic as DJ. Or a pass rusher as fierce as Justin Houston.

Richardson is hoping that the fact the Chiefs didn't draft any receivers means he can stick. Last season at Jackson State Richardson caught 50 passes for 922 yards and eight touchdowns. The year before he had 37 catches for 896 yards and 11 touchdowns. I've barely seen any of Richardson so I can't say much on his ability but those numbers do show a lot of production, which NFL teams like.

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Arrowhead Pride - All Posts

Recap of day 4 at Kansas City Chiefs OTAs

Kids born in the year of the Chiefs last playoff win are now adults

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Chiefs fan makes Harlem Shake video, wants job with Chiefs

Mikael Barnheart is a KC Chiefs fan. Recently he came across a posting for a digital media job for the Chiefs. A job that he wants.

So he did what any Chiefs fan would do ... Made a website asking the Chiefs to hire him.

And a Facebook page.

He ended it as any job hopeful ends their application: with a KC Chiefs Harlem Shake video.

Should the Chiefs hire this man?

Kansas City Chiefs d-line breakdown: A mixed bag

The starters

Don't miss the other position breakdowns

We can count on...

The biggest area of concern...

My prediction

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