Good morning! Today's Kansas City Chiefs news includes a couple of looks at the upcoming Chiefs-Rams game, thoughts on Cassel practicing, and a look back at the first prime time game Brett Favre played (at Arrowhead). Enjoy.
That Cassel is back so quickly at practice is a positive sign for the Chiefs but doesn’t yet mean he will play against the Rams. Asked to put a percentage on the chance he would play in St. Louis, Cassel said, "Hopefully 99.99999 percent."
Then, getting serious, he said, "I really don’t know."
The decision rests with the Chiefs and whether they believe Cassel can play effectively. That’s something they watched carefully on Wednesday and will continue to monitor for the next two days.
Cassel returns to practice, but status for Sunday is unknown from KC Star
"The vision I have of what I want our team to be is a balanced team," Haley said. "And a team that can run the football when the other team knows you're going to run it. I think when you can do that, you generally have a good chance to be a good team."
With the exception of last week's 31-0 pratfall in San Diego, that's pretty much been the case for Kansas City this season. The Chiefs are averaging 165.4 yards rushing per game, and Haley's résumé notwithstanding, apparently haven't gotten the memo that the NFL is a passing league.
Chiefs love to run the ball from The St Louis Post-Dispatch
KC Star Video: Reporter to Cassel: "You gonna play Sunday?"
NFL.com Video: AFC West favorite?
NFL.com Video: Cassel practices
On Wednesday, Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said the idea of stopping Chiefs rushers Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles has given him "a lot of nightmares," and he said the league’s top rush offense has gotten his staff’s attention this week as the teams prepare to meet Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
"We’ll just try to get back to the basic things about defensive football," Spagnuolo said. "It’s reactionary and playing fast."
Chiefs notebook: St. Louis, KC have tough running backs from KC Star
With three weeks remaining, the St. Louis Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs surprisingly control their playoff destiny. However, neither team looked postseason-worthy last week.
After finishing at the bottom of their respective divisions last season, the Rams or the Chiefs will increase their playoff chances with a bounce-back victory Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.
Coming off a 1-15 effort in 2009, the Rams (6-7) are tied with Seattle for the NFC West lead while the Chiefs, who are hoping to get Matt Cassel back under center, sit alone atop the AFC West after going 4-12 the previous season.
St. Louis vs. Kansas City from CBS Sports
With Cassel out at San Diego last weekend, the Chiefs' offense staggered with Brodie Croyle at quarterback. The Chiefs lost 31-0 with the offense managing just 67 yards, five first downs and a woeful 0-for-11 on third down conversions.
"It wasn't what we expected," Croyle said Wednesday. "It wasn't what I expected. We fully thought we were going to go out there and run the game plan the way it was supposed to be executed and we didn't do it. We didn't score points. It's disappointing, but we're moving on. We still have three games to go."
Chiefs QB Matt Cassel returns to practice after appendectomy from USA Today
Turning back the clock a few years to pay homage to the end of a career.
It was October 1993 and the Monday Night Football road show was making a stop at Arrowhead Stadium for a showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs...
...The only thing we knew about Brett Favre, who was making his 23rd career start, was that he didn't know how to spell his name. Sure, he had a big arm, but was prone to make mistakes - too many of them. Playing his first game in prime time, Favre made a few plays. He completed 20 of 34 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown.
But he also threw three interceptions and had a fumble returned 16 yards by nose tackle Dan Saleaumua as the Chiefs recorded a hard-fought 23-16 victory over the Packers.
Celebrating the longevity of a career from The Hutchinson News
Goodell said he has received a report about a tampering claim filed by the Kansas City Chiefs against the Detroit Lions, a story first reported by FOXSports.com. Goodell, though, didn't offer a timetable on when a decision would be made or potential punishment if the Chiefs are found guilty.
Goodell optimistic about labor deal from Fox Sports
If the Cardinals decide to deal Fitzgerald, which could happen, I'm sure Kansas City will be considered a candidate. Fitzgerald and Kansas City coach Todd Haley had a good working relationship while Haley was the offensive coordinator in Arizona. Last offseason, the Chiefs tried to trade for Arizona receiver Anquan Boldin before he was dealt to the Ravens.
AFC West mailbag from ESPN
Two questions dominate the landscape in the AFC: Can the Chargers overtake the Chiefs, and what happens if the Jets continue their downward spiral into Kotite-ness?
We'll start with the AFC West. The Chiefs have two games left that should be close calls -- @St. Louis this week, and at home against Oakland in Week 17. The other game is at home against Tennessee, and I like their chances against Oakland in Arrowhead.
That means San Diego's best chance to catch them is this week when the Chiefs go on the road to play St. Louis, while the Bolts have San Francisco at home on Thursday night.
The not-at-all premature 2010 playoff picture: Week 14 from Yahoo! Sports
The class announced Wednesday also includes Olympic bobsledder Vonetta Flowers, ex-Alabama and NFL quarterback Jeff Rutledge and longtime sports writer Jimmy Smothers. Henry Hart, David Hill and Al Worthington will be inducted in the oldtimers category at the ceremony May 21 in Birmingham...
...Hill, an offensive lineman, was named to Auburn's football Team of the Decade for the 1960s. He was drafted in the fourth round in 1963 by the Kansas City Chiefs and spent 13 seasons on their offensive line, playing in two Super Bowls.
Alexander, Thomas head '11 ASHOF class from Star News Online
Even with the soft landing provided by the NFC West, it's pretty remarkable to think of a team making that leap from 1-15 to the playoffs in one year. And Bradford has been the No. 1 reason for the turnaround.
And he'll probably be the No. 1 determining factor in the Rams' three-game playoff push. Sunday's home contest vs. Kansas City will be the most important NFL game in St. Louis since the Rams scrambled to win the final two games of the 2004 season to clinch a playoff spot. Kansas City will be followed into The Ed by San Francisco. Two crucial tests await Bradford and the Rams, and we're curious how the young team and the rookie QB handle the pressure.
Stakes get higher for Sam Bradford from The St. Louis Post-Dispatch