Good morning Chiefs fans! I heart you guys. Despite it being Valentine's Day, there isn't a lot of love out there for the Kansas City Chiefs. Here's today's news.
Belichick's fingerprints are on the Falcons, as well as the Chiefs. "No question, Bill's influence is present," Dimitroff told me. "Both Scott and I had a great opportunity to be around Bill, Scott at a greater level. I feel fortunate I was able to learn about the team being bigger than the I. That was the first time I saw that concept truly successful. That set the tone for this team."
Even though Pioli and Dimitroff have gone separate ways, they remain good friends and sometimes can be found together on the scouting trail. "Our personalities are different, but a lot of our core beliefs are the same," Dimitroff said. "We have discussed team building and philosophies at great lengths over the years on a number of levels. Our approach is very congruent as far as building teams with character guys who believe in the team concept."
NFP Sunday Blitz from National Football Post
Kansas City went along the defensive line with a top five pick two years in a row and nearly missed on both, drafting Jackson, No. 3 overall in 2009, and Louisiana State University defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, No. 5 overall in 2008. The strategy was to cement a young line for the 3-4 scheme, but neither player has yet lived up to their billing.
Dorsey now plays both positions on the line and had a solid 2010 campaign that lends hope to his future, and like Jackson, he is very raw and it is too early to tell if he was worthy of the pick. Last year's draft saw Ndamukong Suh and Gerald McCoy go No. 2 and No. 3 overall, respectively. Suh is already an All-Pro and one of the best tackles in the league and McCoy showed promise before suffering a season ending injury.
Defensive Line Focus of 2011 Draft from The Maine Campus
Right tackle Ryan O'Callaghan, a former Patriots draft pick, will probably earn a starting job somewhere after playing some decent football for the Chiefs during the past two seasons. He never got a chance in New England, but Kansas City might be wise to retain him.
Matt Light, Logan Mankins Negotiations Will Dictate How Patriots Approach Free Agency and Draft from NESN
With all the recent back-and-forth national hubbub over Hall of Fame voter transparency, Roaf's HOF snub hardly needs to be brought to the forefront. The entire debate is good news for fans of Roaf. People outside of the Kansas City and New Orleans communities are talking about a player who both cities overwhelmingly believe is the best left tackle to ever wear a football helmet. The fact that Roaf wasn't a first-ballot Hall of Famer won't change his legacy in either city. His exclusion from this year's class may have brought the offensive lineman more attention than he received as an active player.
"It was an honor to play next to Willie," teammate
Brian Waters said. "Willie was, to me, the best pure left tackle to ever play this game." Sidelined: Willie Roaf from The Mothership