If Arrowhead Pride's recent web site traffic is any indication, Kansas City Chiefs fans like the off season more than the regular season. We've seen about a 2X increase in daily visitors since the Chiefs' final game of the regular season.
That's because for Chiefs fan, the off season equals hope. In the parity filled world that is the NFL, the off season is a fresh start. A clean slate. A chance to go from two wins to four. From four wins to eight.
The big even of the off season is of course the NFL draft. But there are a handful of other events and dates that you should know.
Check 'em out, after the jump.
January 31st - Senior Bowl
College football's "all-star" game, the Senior Bowl is held annually in Mobile, AL. Most of college football's top players will be there and rest assured, there will be massive amounts of over-hyping going on that week.
February 7 - Super Bowl
Have we mentioned that Joel has press credentials to the Super Bowl yet? He'll be interviewing as many former and current Chiefs as he can down in Miami. Tough life, huh?
February 24th to March 2nd - Scouting Combine
Speaking of hype, late February brings us the annual Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, IN. There will be plenty of rumors and stories leading up to the combine and at least a few players will solidify their top ten status in Indianapolis. We'll be covering every angle related to the Chiefs we can.
March 5th - Free agency begins
Last year's free agency period started off with a bang as the Chiefs traded for QB Matt Cassel and LB Mike Vrabel in the opening days. We'll probably see a few more signings right off the bat I imagine. Scott Pioli and Todd Haley have shown us that when they want a guy, they do everything in their power to go get him.
March 21-24 - NFL Annual Meeting
This meeting in Orlando, FL, is held to vote and discuss various proposals put forth by team owners and front office execs. In recent years, the Chiefs have proposed rules to include more playoff teams and a proposal to force players to keep long hair off of the nameplate on their jerseys.There's always an interesting nugget or two of information to come out of this but for the most part, it's a bore. Compensatory picks for the NFL draft are awarded this weekend as well.
April 22-24: NFL Draft, New York City
The big news on the draft this year is that it's now three days instead of two. It will run from Thursday to Saturday. Here is the schedule:
- Round 1: Thursday, 4/22 6:30-10:30 PM central time
- Rounds 2-3: Friday, 4/23 5:30-10 PM central time
- Rounds 4-7: Saturday, 4/24 11 AM to 5 PM central time
One of the coolest things we do for the draft is tracking the Kansas City Chiefs draft interests. We'll be creating a table that links all of the players the Chiefs are rumored to be interested in. Check out last year's table.
Rookie camp and training camp dates are set yet and when they are, we'll be sure to give them to you.