Good morning AP. First of all, how amazing was the flow of information on the new LB last night? More importantly, how unusual was it? Am I the only one thinking Mr. Greenwood will be getting talked to about loose lips later today? Anyway, here's today's Kansas City Chiefs news from across the internet. Read and enjoy.
Yanks - Sox tickets tonight and a good chance of rain delays. No clue when I'll get home tonight, so tomorrow's post might be a bit delayed. We'll see.
Say this for the guys in the Chiefs locker room – they’ve bought in lock, stock and barrel. He may drive them crazy sometimes, ruffle their feathers and bruise their feelings, but Todd Haley has won over his roster, and won it over in a big way.With one exception, the Chiefs were present and accounted for on Monday with the first OTA practice session. That pretty much matches the attendance numbers that Haley has seen from the team’s strength and conditioning program that began in the last days of March.
That’s 85 players on the roster and 84 in the house. Thanks to the TI-1795 calculator, I can tell you that’s 98.82352 percent of the team.
Everybody On Board … Tuesday Cup O’Chiefs from Bob Gretz
Several of Waters’ teammates said the attendance Monday was a sign that the team is motivated, particularly after ending the 2009 season with a victory at Denver and an offseason that has brought about plenty of change. After finishing 4-12 last season, the Chiefs acquired a handful of high-profile free agents, hired Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel as coordinators and selected three of the top 50 players available in last month’s draft.
One of those free agents, running back Thomas Jones, said it’s clear that players are taking their offseason responsibilities seriously.
"This is a hungry team. There’s a lot of guys on this team that want to be great players. They’ve shown that so far," said Jones, signed in March after the New York Jets released him. "You come here because you want to be around the team, and you want to work together with your teammates. It says a lot about what you’re trying to do and a lot about the direction that the team is going in."
Waters part of the crowd at Chiefs’ first offseason practice from KC Star
Coming off his best season, legs still fresh and churning at 31, Thomas Jones had plenty of opportunities after becoming a free agent.
He chose Kansas City, a team that already has Jamaal Charles, a star-on-the-rise back who ran for more than 1,000 yards as a part-timer last season and happens to be eight years younger than Jones.
A lapse in judgment? A money grab? Nope.
A chance for competition, to possibly form one of football’s best running back tandems and return a moribund franchise to its power-running roots.
"I just feel comfortable here," Jones said Monday, the first day of the Chiefs organized team activities. "I didn’t look at the 1,000-yard rusher situation at all. Jamaal had a great year last year and he has a lot of ability, a lot of talent, and I look forward to playing with him this year."
Chiefs boast strong backfield from News Press Now
The Sporting News released bodog.com's Super Bowl odds for the coming season, and the Chiefs have 90 to 1 odds of playing in Dallas in February. Not very likely.
If this wasn't sad enough, the only team with the same 90 to 1 odds is the usually pathetic Detroit Lions.
This should also sting: The Oakland Raiders' odds are 80 to 1. Wonder if JaMarcus Russell being shipped out has anything to do with that. By the way, anybody see the Straight Outta L.A. ESPN doc? Al Davis looks even more like the Crypt Keeper.
Here's something that might make you feel better, Chiefs fans: The only teams with worse chances of playing for the trophy are the Buffalo Bills, St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 100 to 1 odds. Suck it, St. Louis.Chiefs fans, better not book that trip to Super Bowl XLV just yet from The Pitch
But with Thomas Jones now in town, I am apprehensive about spending a top-10 pick on Charles. I do love him since I picked him for the second half of last season before he ran for 968 yards and seven touchdowns after week nine. But given the quality running backs behind him -- Dexter McCluster counts even if he is a rookie who will be catching passes primarily -- and his durability concerns, I'll probably let Charles fall out of the top 12 in fantasy drafts. His ceiling is obviously tremendous, but I think there will be safer options available at that point.
Jamaal Charles on the sidelines during Chiefs OTAs due to shoulder surgery from FF Toolbox
We all have issues, and NFL clubs are no exception. USA TODAY identifies the primary question facing each AFC team now that the draft is over and training camps are just over the horizon. Coming later this week, NFC questions:Kansas City Chiefs: Is Matt Cassel a franchise quarterback? He was paid like one in 2009, even if he rarely played like one. But he now has a year in coach Todd Haley's system; C Casey Wiegmann and G Ryan Lilja buttress a line that too often left Cassel exposed; and perhaps best of all, newly signed RB Thomas Jones and rookie slot man Dexter McCluster will draw defensive attention, with RB Jamaal Charles. Have fun storming Cassel now.
AFC Issues: Can Raiders turn to Winners with Jason Campbell? from USA Today
Ever since they were young, Bill’s fatherhood dream was to see Byron and DeSean make it to the big leagues by playing in the NFL. After spending two years on the practice squad for the Kansas City Chiefs, Byron gave up his NFL career to pursuit another dream of his—filming.
After growing up outside of Hollywood, Byron developed a passion for film and knew he was destined for life behind a camera. One day, he made the decision to create a project about his father’s life and explained during the press conference that ever since the first day of filming, he never knew what to expect. His father had such an amazing personality that he never knew what to expect once the camera was turned on.
The William Jackson Project —which was shown to the media at the press conference—is more than just an amazing story about DeSean’s journey to the NFL; it’s a family film that shows the type of man Bill should be remembered for: a man who loved life and a strong passion for hard work who wanted nothing more than to see his sons succeed in life.
Eagles' DeSean Jackson Honors Father by Hosting Gala and Camp for Cancer from Bleacher Report
Mark Brandon says, "No one can tell you what to do. This is a free country, and if you want to run for office you should be able to run for office."He appears to possess all of the qualities needed -- he loves to talk to people, he owns a small business, he wants to contribute to making the world a better place, he's smart, educated on all the issues and very passionate about service. Mark Brandon is running for the State Senate in Nevada and, despite all of his public-service-ready qualities, he is running uphill...
...Brandon went to the University of Toledo, carving a very successful college football career -- All-American, a profile in Sports Illustratedand, named to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) first team and, in his senior year to the MAC Defensive Player of the Year. He was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs and, later, played in the Canadian Football League. He says, "Once that stopped, I went back to Ohio and regroup. I lived in Warren, 45 miles east of Cleveland, then went to Cincinnati where I worked at WCIN radio in advertising.
Running Against the System In Nevada from The Huffington Post
"I don't know how many concussions I had," Thomas said Monday at Grande Oaks Golf Club during a tournament to benefit The Jason Taylor Foundation, Holtz Children's Hospital in Miami and Take Stock in Children. "I played through some of them, I guess. I just said it was a sinus problem.
"You don't want that (concussion-prone) label, because it'll run you out of the league."
That's what happened, Thomas said, in his last stop in Kansas City, where he was cut before the 2009 season after 12 years in Miami and one in Dallas.
But the reality is that what was best for the Chiefs is what was best for Thomas.
"You get fuzzy vision and can't concentrate," Thomas said. "It's hard to focus. Regrets? No. I knew the risks and chose to take them. If somebody told me when I was a rookie that I'd have the career I had, I'd do it all over again."
Commentary: Zach Thomas, happy in retirement, suppresses any bitterness about his exit from the Miami Dolphins from The Palm Beach Post
The smooth-running show was obviously well-rehearsed, but it was well-researched: Its comedy gags contained plenty of local references to Kansas City institutions - from gentleman's club the Shady Lady to the football Chiefs to the gigantic, head-scratching shuttlecock statues at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art (quipped Conan, "It looked like gay giants were here"). "What is wrong with you people?" he exclaimed earlier, after noting the abundance of barbecued meat - a KC specialty -- delivered by catering. This local color, of course, won over the crowd - not that the sold-out audience, which screamed and cheered from minute one, needed the encouragement.Road Trip Review: Conan O'Brien Brings Andy Richter, the Masturbating Bear and Other Special Guests to Kansas City's Midland Theatre, Sunday, May 16 from Riverfront Times
Player Tweets
BCarr39 Yesterday was the earliest I've went to bed in years. Now if I can only fight this nap I wanna take right now!
BCarr39 "Yea you know Tony got me 2 sweaters" lol the funniest stand up I've seen by far!
BCarr39 One of my favorite movies when I was a kid is on: 3 Ninjas!!!
GlennDorsey72 Ima make em B-leee-eee-eeev!!! Kevin Gates stuck in my head ....
GlennDorsey72 Man #familyguy is hilarious right now
Media and Fans
kentbabb New Chiefs I'm already impressed with after watching/meeting them today: Thomas Jones, Eric Berry, Dexter McCluster.
Not sure exactly what this one means. It's from Brandon Guillory.
GreenEyeMonSTAR @bj_blunt decision will be finalize in a few days......going back to KC Chiefs is one team tho!