Good morning! Lots of good stuff in today's Kansas City Chiefs news. Of special note are a couple of players that might just become UDFAs for the team if the lockout ever ends. Enjoy.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT JONATHAN BALDWIN
So much of the back story around the Chiefs No. 1 draft choice are his roots of growing up and going to high school in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania.
Like a lot of other places in the rust belt, Aliquippa has been struggling to survive for a couple of decades. It's a tough, tough place to grow up and even the best of you men can end up traveling down a very bad road.
That's why I wouldn't be too worried about the so called attitude problems Baldwin has supposedly displayed during his college career at Pitt. The fact that this kid has survived for 22 years required an attitude.
Drafting On... Tuesday Cup O'Chiefs from Bob Gretz
Less than a year ago, Shane Bannon '11 was contemplating sitting out his senior football season because of a nagging shoulder injury.
Saturday, he heard his name called in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. The 6'2", 265-pound fullback, who many draft analysts knew nothing about even on the day of the draft, was chosen by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 223rd overall pick.
Bannon, who watched the third day of the draft at home with family and friends, said he "basically collapsed" when he received the phone call from the Chiefs.
Bannon '11 drafted by NFL's Kansas City from The Yale Daily News
KC Star Photo Gallery: The Chiefs draft class of 2011
Right about now, veterans normally would be at team facilities for offseason workouts. Minicamps for rookies would be days away, with those veterans attending full minicamps soon after.
Instead, for as long as the lockout is in place, there's nothing.
"Yeah, this is a time we need to be working out and getting ready for the season," said guard Chester Pitts, a nine-year vet. "We need to be at the facilities working hard. A lot of guys are doing it on their own, but it's not the same thing."
How Players are Living With the Lockout from KC Star
Dave Duerson, a former NFL player who committed suicide in February, had "moderately advanced" brain damage related to blows to the head, according to the researcher who made the diagnosis.
"It's indisputable" that Duerson had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a disorder linked to repeated brain trauma, Dr. Ann McKee said Monday.
The findings were announced as part of an effort conducted by the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University's School of Medicine.
Study: Duerson Had Brain Damage at Time of Suicide from KC Star
Final Thoughts: I thought the Chiefs really went after needs and talent. Some may question why they didn't address the offensive tackle position. This could be because they like Barry Richardson or they plan to address this position when/if free agent begins. The Chiefs also took some talented players with checkered pasts. I don't believe it's a big deal for the team. They built a strong foundation last season by drafting team captains and quality character players. So after a bad 2009 draft and a great 2010 draft, Scott Pioli looks to have continued in a positive direction.NFL Blog Blitz: Kansas City Chiefs from NFL.com
Welcome to Elyria, Ohio, home of the Riddell Company. This is where 1 million football helmets will go through the reconditioning process each year. The helmets for Kansas, Missouri, Kansas State and the Kansas City Chiefs end up being reconditioned by Riddell. And so does the Northwest High helmet KCTV5 followed. It arrived along with another 500 from Kansas City.The components are removed, including the chin straps, jaw pads and face masks. The helmets are stripped bare and sanded and then sanitized. The helmets are sanitized by putting them through a special machine.
The helmets are then primed and repainted.
But the real reason the helmets are at Riddell is not to make them shiny again. Workers are looking to catch problems or defects.
KCTV5 Investigation: Ahead Of The Game from KCTV5
Chief concerns
I thought Kansas City had a strange draft. I know the Chiefs wanted Mike Pouncey and even tried to trade up to get him. In the end, they had to settle for wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin from Pitt. Baldwin has talent but might take some time to develop, and he carries a diva reputation. Picking Justin Houston was also strange. He had some off-the-field concerns, and his effort on the field is questionable.
Draft Should Leave Rams Smiling, Chiefs Among Worried Teams from NFL.com
Osama's death may provide closure to some, but I can understand if others are left wanting-his newfound place in hell doesn't bring back those who perished. But at the least, a measure of justice has been served, and there seems to be at least some air of closure to our national healing.
It's a process that began while the ruins were still hot, and it manifested itself in our stadiums and ballparks. The NFL postponed the games of September 16 and 17, but on September 23, the New York Giants took to the field against the Kansas City Chiefs, emerging from the tunnel with NYPD and NYFD hats and American flags. The Arrowhead faithfully treated them like the home team. President Bush threw out the ceremonial first pitch-a strike-at Yankee Stadium during the World Series. The crowd roared. These sporting cathedrals provided a cathartic environment, a unifying venue where tens of thousands could rise as one.
Bringing Back 9/11 Memories from The Stanford Daily
Offensive lineman Laupepa Letuli shares Silva's uncertainty. Early Saturday, the day the NFL conducted the final four rounds of the seven-round draft, several teams contacted Letuli. In one e-mail, the Kansas City Chiefs indicated they would sign Letuli to a free-agent contract if he were not drafted.
Now, Letuli said, "It's up in the air."
The Chiefs are not permitted to contact Letuli or his agent until the lockout is lifted.
Letuli, who played as a sixth-year senior in 2010, participated as a guard and tackle in January's East-West Shrine Game. He also had an impressive showing at UH's pro day, when he was credited with bench-pressing 225 pounds 35 times.
Warriors Left Waiting from The Honolulu Star Advertiser
The three-day NFL draft weekend didn't clear up the future for South Fremont graduate Brandon Bair.
The 6-foot-6, 276-pound defensive tackle from the University of Oregon watched seven rounds of the NFL draft come and go and teams select 254 players.
He wasn't one of them...
...Since teams can't call undrafted players after the draft, they made their calls during the seventh round, and Bair heard from several teams. The Kansas City Chiefs expressed the most interest, but San Francisco, Seattle, Miami, Arizona and Chicago all made their pitches as to why Bair should sign with them once the lockout ends.
Bair Goes Through NFL Draft Weekend Without Getting the Call from The Rexburg Standard Journal