Arrowheadlines: Chiefs News 9/11

GAME DAY!! Good morning and welcome to Opening Day! Today's Kansas City Chiefs news includes stories on both teams and obviously includes some rembrances of 9/11/01. For those of you going to the game: be safe, have fun, and raise hell for those of us that can't make it. Go Chiefs!!!

Of the nearly 1,700 players collecting an NFL paycheck in 2001, a little more than 100 are still active in the league. A lot has changed since tragedy struck American Soil on September 11^th, but everyone old enough to remember the event can place themselves on that date...

...We’ve heard individual stories of 9/11 from our friends, family and public figures throughout the week as we remember the 10-year anniversary of that day. These are a few stories from the Chiefs locker room…

Chiefs Players Place Themselves On 9/11 from The Mothership

So, yes, you can go crazy overanalyzing this stuff. It’s enough to confuse even nerds, like the smart guys at Football Outsiders, who simulated the season 10,000 times and found that these Chiefs are harder to predict than any team in football.

So nobody really knows what to expect this year, but here’s the thing that keeps coming up in conversations with people inside, around, and outside the Chiefs: If you pay attention to only one detail this season, make it how the Chiefs do in the running game — on both sides.

As the Season Starts, the Chiefs Are Lacking Arrows from KC Star

Today: Patchy fog before 9am. Otherwise, sunny, with a high near 84. Calm wind becoming north northwest around 5 mph.

Game Day Weather Report from The National Weather Service

Last year’s Chiefs vs. Bills matchup featured a division leader hosting a winless challenger. It took a late-game interception, an iced kicker and a field goal in the final seconds of overtime for the Chiefs to emerge victorious.

It was a game both teams remember heading into this year’s season opener.

Buffalo Take Five from The Mothership

As Haley begins his third season, a question has emerged, and it could affect the Chiefs’ long-term plans: Is the coach more the bold decision-maker who somehow led his team to a division championship last year, or is he a man who’s too enamored of gambling’s thrill that he doesn’t stop often enough to consider his odds?...

...For now, Haley says that’s how he learned to coach the game. He says this is who he is and how he likes to coach. He says this isn’t something he’s willing to change.

Chiefs' Haley On the Clock as Season Begins Today from KC Star

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Saturday that the team has added OL Lucas Patterson to the practice squad. The club released FB Shane Bannon from the practice squad.

Chiefs Add OL Lucas Patterson to the Practice Squad from The Mothership

Bottom line

The Bills, 0-6 at the time, came to Arrowhead Stadium to play the 4-2 Chiefs last season and took the game to the end of overtime before Ryan Succop’s field goal beat them. So it’s not difficult to picture them leaving Kansas City with a victory this time. The Chiefs may win this game comfortably later in the season. But on opening day the game might be as close as last year’s.

Prediction: Chiefs 20, Bills 17.

Chiefs-Bills Scouting Report from KC Star

A new season marks a new experience for Eureka High School graduate Andy Studebaker, above.

The Kansas City Chiefs linebacker from Congerville will start a season opener for the first time in his NFL career.

Eureka Grad to Get NFL Start from The Peoria Journal Star

It would not be until Sept. 23 that the games would resume, including in Kansas City, where the Chiefs hosted the Giants. Tagliabue was there, and as he waited for the game to start he wondered what would happen...

...Normal was gone. But this time it would take less than three minutes to see what had replaced it. Because the moment the Giants ran onto the filed, the people of Kansas City — all of Arrowhead Stadium — gave a loud, raucous, emotional ovation to the opposing team.

Tagliabue was stunned. People cried. Players knew this moment was different. And the NFL, perhaps by waiting, had given its fans enough time to turn a football game in the heartland into so much more.

Tagliabue Recalls His 9/11 Experience from FOX Sports

The Buffalo Bills will be without wide receiver Marcus Easley and nose tackle Torell Troup for Sunday’s opener against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The pair did not travel with the team to Kansas City.

Buffalo Bills Rule Out Marcus Easley and Torel Troup for Opener from Football News Now

Entering his second season in the same system, he thinks the offense will take another leap forward.

"Being a year older, a year more experienced, having the same guys out there on the field, I think you're going to see a better product," he said. "To be honest, I'm a lot more confident right now going into this year than I was last year with the guys we have out there."

Fitzpatrick's intellect, combined with his gunslinger mentality, enhances the faith his teammates have in him.

Smartest Guy in the Room Takes Charge from Buffalo News

1. No where to go but up

As Kyle Williams said, the run defense can't get any worse. The Bills added Marcell Dareus, Nick Barnett, Shawne Merriman and Kirk Morrison in hopes of improving the run defense and they will find out quickly if they've made any strides. Running backs Thomas Jones and Jamaal Charles lifted the Chiefs to a league best 2,627 yards a year ago and both are completely different backs.

Revamped Bills Defense Ready for Its Close-up from Buffalo News