Good morning, AP! Tons of Kansas City Chiefs news today. Seems like the media finally watched some tape of the game. The D is getting some love. The O not so much. Enjoy.
Haley said Tuesday that the conservative game plan was not a sign he or Weis had lost confidence in quarterback Matt Cassel or the capability of the passing game. He warned not to expect a similar plan in Sunday’s game against the 0-1 Browns unless similar weather conditions prevail in Cleveland.
"I hope it’s not," Haley said. "I was just real clear to everybody involved that we are not turning this ball over. I would rather punt than have something like that happen."
Lackluster opener doesn't dampen Chiefs' faith in Cassel from KC Star
A day after the Chiefs organization’s most successful day in years, the team announced that its president was stepping down.
Denny Thum began his long career with the Chiefs in 1974, and it ended Tuesday evening, when the team issued a vague statement that stated neither the reason for Thum’s departure nor an explanation for the move’s unusual timing. Only that he was leaving the organization — immediately.
Chiefs President Denny Thum resigns suddenly from KC Star
Don't get too excited about the Chiefs. I still think they're a work in progress. Look, they won because of a special teams touchdown, a long run from Jamaal Charles and San Diego turnovers. Offensively, they still have a ways to go. The weather at Arrowhead was a factor, but at the end of the day they just didn't look that great.
Chiefs are a work in progress, but 8-8 isn't out of the question from Sports Illustrated
KC Star Photo Gallery: Community Faces | Monday Night Football tailgating with the Chiefs
KCChiefs.com Video: NEW ARROWHEAD GRAND OPENING TRIBUTE
KC Star Video: The lockerroom: Chiefs' players talk about MNF
If you could read my mind? The key players know each other well enough. Eric Mangini, Rob Ryan, Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel all were on Bill Belichick’s budding New England dynasty in the 2000s. Now, Mangini is Cleveland’s head coach, with Ryan as his defensive coordinator. Weis and Crennel are coordinating K.C.’s offense and defense. When Crennel was fired as Cleveland’s head coach after the 2009 season, Mangini replaced him. In New England, Crennel was Mangini’s boss.
Week 2 matchup: Kansas City Chiefs at Cleveland Browns from Sporting News
There are still questions to be answered about the Chiefs, not the least of which is whether quarterback Matt Cassel is capable of being "the guy." Another one is whether the Chiefs can respond from an emotional, gut-wrenching win -- they preserved it with a four-play, goal-line stand at the end -- in a road game on a short work week.
But they are 1-0. And in the NFL, the statistics say that teams are twice as likely to make the playoffs when they're 1-0 than 0-1.
Fresh faces giving Kansas City Chiefs new energy: Tony Grossi's Scouting Report from The Cleveland Plain Dealer
The Kansas City Chiefs, a franchise that's spent three years in the dumps, kept themselves and their town up late Monday night with a 21-14 victory.
Beating the four-time defending AFC West champion San Diego Chargers took until about 12:20 a.m. early Tuesday morning.
And as excited as everybody seemed to be, it's hard to imagine everyone simply turned out the lights and fell asleep after the Chiefs' first Monday night victory in 10 years gave them a winning record (1-0) for the first time in almost three years.
At 1-0, Chiefs have first winning record in years from The Associated Press
What happened was pretty simple. The Chiefs said, "We're going to do everything we can to take awayAntonio Gates(notes), and if Malcom Floyd(notes), Buster Davis, Legedu Naanee(notes), and Randy McMichael(notes)can beat us, then go ahead, B-team. Beat us."
Beat them, they could not. In the second half, when the Chiefs put two defenders at the line of scrimmage with no other instructions than "molest the bejeezus out of Antonio Gates," the Chargers struggled.
It might've been nice to have Vincent Jackson around last night from Yahoo! Sports
My Uncle Jim and I decided it would be fun to go to a Kansas City Chiefs game. I figured that with the way the Chiefs have been playing over the past few years, Jim and I would pretty much have Arrowhead Stadium to ourselves. Sure, there would be some players in the stadium but, as I understand it, the players pretty much have to show up for the games. It’s part of their new collective bargaining agreement.
But the thing is, Kansas City Chiefs fans are crazy. So factor in "Monday Night Football," a newly renovated Arrowhead Stadium and crazy Kansas City Chiefs fans, and you get pretty much the exact opposite of Jim and I having the place to ourselves.
Mike Pound: Chiefs’ ‘MNF’ game was for the younger from The Joplin Globe
But any Kansas City fan who thinks this could be the first sign of a playoff push would be badly mistaken. The Chiefs won four games last season, two against division rivals in a division that was much worse last year. Also, starting quarterback Matt Cassel threw for a whopping 68 yards on 10 of 22 passing. This is not exactly comforting in what is becoming more of a passing league each week.
Surprise upsets aplenty in week one from The Daily Evergreen
Income levels are declining in a majority of the National Football League’s 30 markets, but Kansas City is faring among the best of them.
Kansas City’s income levels fare well among NFL markets from Kansas City Business Journal
The second game Monday, starting just after 10:30 and featuring the San Diego Chargers against the Kansas City Chiefs, drew 7.2 million in the 18-to-49 demo.
'Monday Night Football' Scores For ESPN from Media Daily News
Make plans to visit your local KFC on Thursday, September 16. Ten percent of total sales on September 16 will be donated to the Greater Kansas City Area First Downs for Down Syndrome organization...
...Players from the Kansas City Chiefs will also be making an appearance at the Raytown KFC location from 5-6pm at 9924 Highway 350 East.
KFC Supports First Downs for Down Syndrome-September 16 from Press Release Central
I overheard Jim Rome say the NFL is better when the Kansas City Chiefs are good, and if that's a consensus shared by football fans, how much better is the NFL's product if the Cowboys are good? Sure, it might make the non-Cowboy fans mad, but can you fault the media for putting them on a pedestal of expectations when they are the most popular team in football, if not all of sports?
Popular for a reason from The Washington Post
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Why they lost: Because their special teams weren't special, and I'm talking specifically about the usually reliable punt coverage unit. Kansas City had one big play on offense, a 56-yard Jamaal Charles touchdown run. Otherwise, the Chiefs' offense got stuck in neutral.
Playoff stumblers: What happened in Week 1? from CBS Sports
Don't bother reminding me that Thomas Jones got the start for the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night or had as many carries (11) as Jamaal Charles. If Todd Haley can't recognize that Charles is his most valuable offensive weapon, he's going to be in for a long season.
2010 fantasy football rankings update from ESPN
In addition to watching an epic football game last night, I was presented with the latest in a long line of soft-pretzel failures. The time has come for somebody to speak out against room temperature bread masquerading as a stadium pretzel...
...It's time to go in a new direction because the current system isn't getting it done. Let's take a page from the drive-in theater and make a switch. Pretzel bites are made for dipping and heat up faster. If the Kansas City Chiefs can beat the San Diego Chargers, anything is possible this morning.
Soft pretzel at Arrowhead actually cold, unpleasantly chewy pretzel from The Pitch
What we saw on Monday night was just simply magic. Arrowhead Stadium, a place where Kansas City was 4-20 the past three seasons was jumping like the old days when the Chiefs were 71-25 from 1995-2006, and what was most impressive was the special teams play and the punt return tandem of Javier Arenas and Dexter McCluster was electric.
NFL Cheers, Jeers, and Props Week 1 from The Gridiron Grind
Finally: Phillip Rivers is a whiney, whiney, little baby. I don’t care if you have the second highest passer rating in NFL history, or if you’re one of the best offensive players in the league. You throw fits on the field like an immature child, blame everyone but yourself for mistakes and you can’t even restrict your misdirected frustration from yelling at fans. You’re an embarrassment.
NFL Week One: A Two-Minute Drill from The Cornell Daily Sun
What I liked: Jamaal Charles is still in charge. As the preseason came to a close, Charles' stock slipped as Thomas Jones' looming role reached boogeyman status. He touched the ball 12 times and delivered 100 total yards including a scintillating 56-yard TD run. Jones had 11 carries for 39 yards and still got his share of time in what looked like a timeshare. The good news is that Jones' workload will help keep Charles fresh for big plays, but one also has to wonder how great Charles would have been with all 22 carries.
Fantasy Clicks: Jets crash and burn from Sports Illustrated
Whatever Crennel taught the defense in the offseason, it clearly worked. Unlike in '09, when the Chiefs would consistently get gashed on the ground, this group held prized rookie RB Ryan Mathews in check, limiting him to 75 yards on 19 carries. It also played with an intensity and ferocity that was very noticeable, acting as the aggressor instead of sitting back and reacting to the other team's moves.
Chiefs' 'D' looking light-years better under Crennel from Pro Football Weekly
Fantasy Impact: To anyone who said that Romeo Crennel needed the studs he had in New England to be a successful defensive coordinator, I say watch Monday night’s game. He had his guys flying around unlike any Chief defense anyone had seen in many years. Guys like Glenn Dorsey, Tyson Jackson, and Derrick Johnson, who had failed to deliver upon lofty expectations over the last couple years appeared to be responding well to Crennel’s schemes and teachings.
Chiefs defense opens season in a big way from Midwest Sports Fans
A banquet Saturday night featured former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Paul Wiggin, who is currently a consultant for pro personnel for the Minnesota Vikings. On Sunday, 200 golfers took part in a scramble held at Cedar Valley.
All with the mission of helping raise money for youth sports, programs, and facilities.
Miller events raise record amount from The Winona Daily News