Another round of Arrowheadlines on the house. Your daily dose of Kansas City Chiefs news. Cheers! Please read responsibly.
Already the Chiefs scouts have cleaned up after last weekend’s NFL Draft and are working on the class of 2011. The personnel process is a 365-day a year job.
In the days leading up to the Draft, during the three-day affair and in the three days afterwards, there has been plenty of personnel movement. Veterans of all kinds have been released, traded or sliced off their old roster for many different reasons...
...But what about some of the other players that have changed teams or remain available? Why were the Chiefs silent? Why did they not add them to a roster that needs more talent? Let’s discuss some of them:
The Search Never Ends … Wednesday Cup O’Chiefs from Bob Gretz
Eric Berry? Captain. Dexter McCluster? Co-captain. Javier Arenas? Captain. Six of their seven draft picks were captains of their teams, with only Troy's Cameron Sheffield keeping the Chiefs from completing the sweep. So what? So they found responsible, productive players who doubled as team leaders, which means they just helped themselves on and off the field.
The bottom line is that Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli did in this draft what I thought he failed to do in 2009, which is to nail top-rated players with every choice. I'm not sure what happened, so I decided to ask Pioli. Here are his responses:
GM Pioli explains organizational thinking on big draft from CBS Sports
Chiefs backers may be a little more unsettled. First rounder Eric Berry is a phenomenal player who should contribute right away and make numerous Pro Bowls, but it's difficult for any safety to make the kind of impact needed to turn around a four-win squad. Left tackle was, and still is, a significant hole. With Russell Okung available, Kansas City may have missed the boat by grabbing Berry. The former Vol may very well have been the best player available, but that doesn't mean you have to take him.
K.C. had two second rounders. The first, Dexter McCluster, is a serious a head scratcher. With Jamal Charles and Thomas Jones already in the backfield, what are the Chiefs doing selecting another running back this high? I understand that McCluster was one of the more dynamic players in college football last year, but this looks like a luxury pick. CB Javier Arenas, the other number two, makes a bit more sense in that you can never have too many quality corners in today's NFL. That being said, it's the same old song: There were bigger areas of need. Again offensive tackle was ignored. Again wide receiver was ignored. Of course you can't draft solely on need - value has to be a part of the equation, as well. But neither McCluster or Arenas grade out as anything approximating a steal.
NFL Draft Recap: Rams Address Biggest Needs; Chiefs Grab Playmakers from KSPR
"It’s awesome," said the soft-spoken Eastman, who anchored the UMaine offensive line at left tackle the last two seasons. "I kind of knew I was going to go somewhere, I just had no idea where."
Eastman had flown to Atlanta two weeks ago to work out for the Falcons and had been contacted by a handful of other teams. Atlanta and St. Louis both called him during the draft, but neither wound up choosing him.
Instead, he’ll get a shot with Kansas City, which last year signed free-agent linebacker Jovan Belcher, Eastman’s teammate for three seasons at UMaine.
"I sent him an e-mail [Tuesday] morning. I’m hoping he’ll send something back and have some advice for me," Eastman said.
Eastman Thrilled to Have a Shot With Kansas City from The Bangor Daily News
KC Star Video: Priest Holmes visits Kansas City, Kan.
Retired NFL star Neil Smith is still bringing a sports bar to town this year. It just won’t be in the old United Building at Sixth and Felix streets.
"The plans didn’t work out," said Charles White, a spokesman for Robidoux Redevelopment LLC, which is working on the project with Mr. Smith. "It was a nice space, but we couldn’t come to terms. So we’re looking at other Downtown properties."
Neil Smith Looking for New Property from St Joe News
Flores certainly had a pro football career to remember.
He joined the Raiders in 1960, enjoying his most productive season in 1966, when he completed nearly 50 percent of his pass attempts for 2,638 yards and 24 touchdowns.
He would eventually be traded to the Buffalo Bills in 1967 before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs two year later. In 1970, the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, with Flores as the backup quarterback to Len Dawson.
He would eventually move on to the coaching ranks, as an assistant in Buffalo and Oakland before taking over as Raiders head coach in 1979 for the retired John Madden.
Former Raiders coach Tom Flores to speak at Las Cruces event from Las Cruces Sun-News
Ten-time Pro Bowler Tony Gonzalez will join his eight-year-old son Nikko this fall for the second season of Cartoon Network's series My Dad's a Pro.
The first season of the show featured Boston Celtics guard Eddie House and his son Jaelen, following the relationship between the two in day-to-day life.
My Dad's a Pro is part of Cartoon Network's ongoing partnership with the NFL.
Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez to appear on Cartoon Network from Examiner.com
After months of waiting and anticipation, four William and Mary football players signed with NFL teams Saturday.
Linebacker Adrian Tracy and defensive end Sean Lissemore were both taken in the latter stages of the NFL draft, while quarterback R.J. Archer and safety David Caldwell signed free-agent deals...
...After visiting the team’s headquarters in April, Archer considered the Vikings his top choice. Although the Carolina Panthers and Kansas City Chiefs both offered Archer contracts, he went with Minnesota.
"The Vikings’ quarterback’s coach [Kevin Rogers] texted me as the seventh round began and said, ‘If we don’t pick you sometime in the next round, and nobody else does, we want you to really consider coming up here to Minnesota. We would like to have you, and we think you would make a good fit up here,’" Archer said. "Going into the draft, they were sort of the top team on my list."
Two Tribe Football Player Selected in 2010 NFL Draft from The Flat Hat
Player Tweets
GlennDorsey72 Nap time
almighty31 my jewels smoke so that means my lungs r black n my heart cold. 30k on it n it aint even gold. owwww
almighty31 thats black diamonds for u bloggers. lol
BCarr39 Worked out hard today. Time for my daily power nap
BCarr39 Bored so I'm goin to watch Why Did I Get Married Too (again) @ the theater
almighty31 no matter how much i make. i play football cause i love football.
GlennDorsey72 Finally gona get around to watching Avatar ...heard it was good
MrKolbySmith Had to come home for Famu Graduation. BW3 edition
BCarr39 Long day tomorrow so I think I will call it a night!
Media and Fans
kentbabb I'll say this: If John Henderson does visit the Chiefs this week, the team should not let him leave without signing a contract.
mellinger Anyone else feel like when Zack comes out and a reliever comes in, the other team feels like their parents are out and it's time to party?