The Kansas City Chiefs game release has a list of all the connections between the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills for Sunday's season opening game.
With OC Chan Gailey leaving KC and heading to Buffalo, there are plenty of connections between these two teams. Most notably, that includes QB Tyler Thigpen.
With a hat tip to the Chiefs game release, here are all the connections this week:
- Chiefs GM Scott Pioli (88-89) and assistant GM Joel Collier (88-89) were graduate assistant at Syracuse. Collier was born in Buffalo, NY.
- Collier's father, Joe Collier, served as the Bills head coach (66-68), leading the club to the 1968 AFL Championship game vs. Kansas City.
- Buffalo head coach Chan Gailey (2008), TEs coach Bob Bicknell (07-09), OL coach Joe D'Alessandris (08-09), offensive coordinator/RBs coach Curtis Modkins (2008) and offensive quality control coach Kevin Patullo (07-08) all coached with Kansas City.
- Bills director of college scouting Chuck Cook held the same position for the Chiefs (97-09).
- Buffalo QB Tyler Thigpen played for Kansas City (07-09).
- Buffalo OL Colin Brown spent time with the Chiefs (08), played collegiately at Missouri and is a native of Braymer, Mo.
- Kansas City offensive quality control coach Nick Sirianni is a native of Jamestown, NY.
- Bills special teams coordinator Bruce DeHaven is a native of Trousdale, Kan. and coached at Kansas (79-91).
- Buffalo ILB coach DeMontie Cross played (94-96) and coached (98-99) at Missouri.
- Bills assistant to the head coach Daryl Daye coached at Missouri Southern (06-09).
- Bills QB Brad Smith played collegiately at Missouri.
- Bills P Brian Moorman is a native of Wichita, Kan. and played collegiately at Pittsburgh State.
- Kansas City QB coach and Buffalo assistant special teams coach Stan Kwan coached together for the Detroit Lions (98-00).
- KC pro personnel scout Mike Borgonzi had a tryout with Buffalo (2002).