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We're tracking all of the Kansas City Chiefs UDFAs here.

While researching information about Yale LB Bobby Abare for this post, I came across a lot of adjectives used to describe undrafted free agents in the NFL.

Hard worker. Intelligent. Excellent preparation. Good instincts.

All of these describe the 131st captain of the Yale football team.

Bobby Abare (that's A-bear) is a 6'2", 220 pound linebacker who came to Yale with his twin brother, Larry. Both Abare's played defense, with Bobby rounding out his Yale career as a linebacker and Larry as a defensive back.

Abare figures linebacker to still be his best shot in the NFL. He had this to say immediately following the NFL draft and his signing by the Chiefs:

“They play a 3-4 defense. Maybe I’ll be a weak-side outside linebacker, but I’ll probably have a chance on special teams or something. I’m a little undersized (6 feet, 2 inches, 220 pounds).”

Undrafted linebackers often make up a good portion of NFL teams' special teams rosters, which Abare would fit in nicely at. Him and his brother Larry were co-special teams players of the year when they were freshman in 2005.

In addition to that award during his freshman year, Abare's career continued the Ivy League tradition of giving out a ridiculous number of awards each season. Including Abare's "serious" awards, here is a list:

2006

First-team All-Ivy; All-New England selection; New Haven Gridiron Club's Yale Defensive Player of the Year; Columbia and Brown game Walter Camp Yale Player of the Game; FB Gazette Defensive Player of Week

2007

First-team All-Ivy and All-New England selection; Yale Defensive Back of the Week award against Dartmouth; Yale Defensive Line award against Brown; Ryan LoProto Award as Yale's Defensive Back of the Year

2008

Buck Buchanan Award Finalist (Top Defensive Player in FCS); AFCA FCS and Walter Camp FCS First-team All-America; Sporting Network Second-team All-American; Bulger Lowe Award (Outstanding Player in New England); First-team All-Ivy and All-New England selection; Ted Blair Award as Yale's Most Valuable Player of the Year

Sheesh that's a lot of awards. They really try to pump up those Yale bios, do they not?

Even though winning Ivy League awards is akin to being a top Dungeons & Dragons player, Abare was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is no joke. You may remember the 2003 Buck Buchanan Award winner...Jared Allen.

Going back to those UDFA qualities, a solid football instinct appears to be Abare's sharpest attribute he honed at Yale.

His best quality, teammates and rivals attest, is his football instinct, his ability to sense what's likely to happen as soon as (if not before) the ball is snapped.

"Someone once asked me what the play call was," Abare says. "I said, 'I don't know. Just go play.' "

While Abare will actually need to know the plays if he ever makes it in the NFL, this is what finding undrafted college free agents is all about - finding marginally talented guys who want to work their butts off to even sniff a training camp roster. Special teams play is purely hustle and that's why you want guys like Abare on your side.

If Abare does somehow beat the odds and make the Kansas City Chiefs 53-man roster this September, he would join a limited number of Yale players to make it in the NFL. Those include most famously former 49ers tight end Eric Johnson and current Buffalo Bills head coach Dick Jauron.

Click over for a recent interview of Abare right before the draft.

And I know we have some Yale grads around here somewhere so chime in with your Bobby Abare knowledge.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have assigned numbers to the eight new players they acquired over the weekend in the 2009 draft class.  The players were assigned numbers quickly, if we use Matt Cassel's near month long wait to be assigned an official number*.

If you all remember, some folks were questioning why Cassel, signed February 28th, hadn't been assigned a number.  He eventually did (on April 1st) - in fact, it came the day after we learned his number would be #7.  An AP scoop?  Sure!

The following players switched from their college numbers because it was already taken by a current member of the squad or for other reasons:

• Tyson Jackson (#94 - Tank Tyler owns #93)
• Quinten Lawrence (#14 - Ryan Succop owns #6)
• Javarris Williams (#40 - Not sure of the reason for the switch from #28 college number)
• Jake O'Connell (#45 - Mark Bradley owns #83)
• Ryan Succop (#6 - Quinten Lawrence owns #14)
  

After the jump are the numbers for each of the Chiefs eight draft picks.

*I say they're waiting to be assigned numbers, but in reality the Chiefs let the players pick their own numbers assuming they are available.

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We've gone over this trade again and again so it's finally time to say goodbye to Tony Gonzalez in a Kansas City Chiefs uniform (H/T Fox4KC.com and tomahawk44 in the FanShots).

More photos » by Butch Dill - AP

7 months ago: FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2008 file photo, LSU defensive end Tyson Jackson (93) sacks Auburn quarterback Chris Todd (12) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Auburn, Ala. Jackson is a top prospect in the 2009 NFL Draft. (AP Photo/Butch Dill, File)

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Shortly after last year's draft, I asked the Arrowhead Pride community who you thought would be the Kansas City Chiefs' draft bust of 2008. Here's how that poll came out:

• 10% Glenn Dorsey
• 12% Brandon Albert
• 7% Brandon Flowers
• 8% Jamaal Charles

And in true Chiefs fan fashion, 60% of you said none of those players was going to be a bust.

Bust is a subjective term in the NFL. It seems that everyone has a different definition of what a "bust" really means. Is it simply not living up to expectations? Is it a factor of longevity? That's the beauty of this conversation and football conversations in general - there is a lot of room for debate.

Going back to that 2008 draft bust poll, Glenn Dorsey would be the unanimous pick now, no?

For me, I won't consider a player a bust if he's a starter/playing within expectations within three years of being drafted. Of course, we don't have that 3-year luxury with the 2009 class so we'll have to be hypothetical about the whole thing.

I also don't consider guys drafted in the 6th and 7th round busts if they never take the field. Expectations are extremely low for those guys.

So who's the bust this year? Statistically speaking, there's going to be one. Make sure you tell us why they're going to be a bust and what your criteria for a bust are.

"I grew up a life-long Chiefs fan."  - Colin Brown, via FOX4kc.com

The Detroit Lions have reportedly invited Daniel Holtzclaw, a linebacker out of Eastern Michigan, to their rookie mini-camp.

Arrowhead Pride has been tracking Holtzclaw for about a year.  There were a lot of people who wanted the Chiefs to give him a look.  Check out the links below on Holtzclaw.

• Direckshun questions Holtzclaw's ability at the next level.
• Holtzclaw says there is nothing to question.
• Inside the mind of a NFL draft prospect
• Holtzclaw had a "terrific" pro day
• AP talks to him about the upcoming draft

Though it wasn't with the Chiefs, I can say we're all happy to see him get an opportunity.

Update: Changed the title to more accurately reflect his situation with the Lions. -Chris

When Scott Pioli was hired on January 13th, 2009, many of us assumed he was handcuffed to the Kansas City Chiefs current scouting staff because the draft was so near.

I previously chronicled the fate of the Chiefs coaching staff days after Pioli's hiring.  Pro Football Weekly has the scoop on the latest news about the Chiefs scouting department:

Monday was D-Day in the Chiefs' scouting department, as the vast majority of the staff was released by GM Scott Pioli, according to multiple sources.

Not that surprising considering their previous record with Carl Peterson, but just another reminder that no one's job is safe. 

The Chiefs current scouting staff looks like this:

• Director of College Scouting - Chuck Cook
  Regional Scout/Scouting Coordinator - Bruce Lemmerman
  Scouts - Terry Delp, Cornell Gowdy, Mike Hagen, Matt Littlefield, Greg Olejack, Willie Davis

It's unclear which employees have been terminated.  Quick note about Chuck Cook - he's been with the organization for 25 years, 12 as a scout and 13 as the regional scouting director.

There has not been any indication if this purge is related to just the scouting department or also the personnel department which includes:

• Director of Pro Personnel - Ray Farmer
• Player Personnel Assistants - Kurtis Bell, Scott Aligo and Rod Perry
  

Ray Farmer has to be considered on the chopping block considering he comes from the Herm Edwards era who ran a completely different system than Pioli.

The Pro Football Weekly report does say that many of those axed in the Chiefs scouting department had to of figured it was coming.  Now Scott Pioli can bring in the guys that know what he wants.

H/T takclaw and WesternChief.