With the drafting of Kevin Robinson and Jamaal Charles - both of which are being mentioned as return men - what happens to BJ Sams if the Chiefs go w/ a rookie returning kicks and punts?  I don't know anything about Sams other than some highlights I remember of him returning kicks.  What else does he bring to the table, and where else could he contribute?

Do you think that all the talk about rookies returning kicks/punts has been done w/out thinking about Sams?  It's possible that Sams has the return spot all but locked up, and the rookies will be asked to focus exclusively on their non-special-teams position?  I know competition is king, and that Sams isn't going to be gifted the returner role, but does everyone think he's been forgotten in all the draft hubbub, or that he actually might find himself out of a job if a rookie beats him out for the returner role(s)?

I know we had a link to Gunther's "sledgehammer" comment, but this is the first I've seen of an actual quantifier concerning how many starters are going to be new.  Apparently Herm said we're looking at about 8 new starters.

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/501655.html

What do you guys think?  3 or 4 on the o-line, 1 or 2 CB, 1 TE (if you call the 2nd TE a "starter", i guess probably not), 1 WR, and 1 FB.  If it is 4 on the line AND 2 CB, it looks like we have our 8?  Or maybe if he's calling the 2nd TE one of the starters, my boy Boomer will still be around...

Well, Chris, you've done a pretty good job hiding it so far, but you've really outed yourself now.  All along we thought you were some web guru, holed away in your mom's basement with 6 TVs on at all times so you can watch non-stop ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network, Metro Sports, and other random news channels in case anyone utters the word "chief".  But no, it turns out you just use this site to discuss all manner of info, relevant and not, and then use it as material to write your columns several days after we've beaten every topic into the ground.  Turns out...

Continue reading this post »

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/348355-p2.html

One sentence at the very bottom of an article is all I've got for you guys, but apparently Rudi Niswanger is going to take some playing time from John Welbourn in the upcoming game.  Given that it takes time for an o-line to gel, what's the deal with the change in playing time mid-way through the season?  Not saying that our line has "gelled" into anything close to greatness, but still, rotating a new lineman in for only parts of a game just seems to be asking for trouble.  My question is:

First, thanks for your info and input.  I love nothing more than seeing the chiefs beat up on the raiders, and luckily its happened a lot the last few years, but there is pretty much nothing dumber than trading insults via online messaging.  

Second, can you wax eloquent for a bit about Kiffin?  What's your personal opinion/take, and if its different than the general mood of the bulk of fans, how do they feel?  What kind of coach is he, will he be there for a long time, is he getting the attention of veterans or will most of the roster have to be replaced for the team to buy into his system, etc.  With the Chiefs, they're generally contenders for the post-season so there's always the hope that every year something will push them over the edge.  With the Raiders, who have had some pretty bad teams/records the last couple years, is there much thought that Kiffin will soon bring the team not only back to the playoffs but into contention for a championship?  

That ended up sounding a lot like a watered-down tv interview question, and i didn't mean for it to.  But, for example, i think the general mood in kc is that we're possibly going to make the playoffs but have pretty much no chance of a super bowl appearance for at least another couple years while Herm's youth movement takes hold and really changes the entire team (right now youth has a hold of about 1/3 of the positions).  What's the thinking like in Oakland?