Good morning. After a few days of a low national media profile for the Chiefs, they are back on the radar. Too bad it's not for anything good. True, not true, or kind of true, the organization looks bad once again. Here is today's Kansas City Chiefs news.
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Matt Cassel and Kyle Orton developed a close relationship in a short amount of time. The two veterans built up a great amount of respect for each other and their ability to work with one another no doubt helped Orton's huddle command and Cassel's leadership role.
Seeing Cassel and Orton attack the final three games as a team helped Orton in the short-term and Cassel in the long-term. Both players showed a commitment to winning over individual agendas. It's something that goes a long way with teammates.
Offseason Roster Review: Quarterback from The Mothership
This year, as we were still digesting the epic Saints-49ers finish and a Broncos-Patriots game that never really got started, and while we were anticipating Texans-Ravens and Giants-Packers, the Kansas City Star nearly slipped a potential four-alarm story through the national five hole.
According to Kent Babb of the Star, former Chiefs coach Todd Haley believes that the team bugged rooms at the facility and "tampered with" Haley's phone. (The team denies the accusation.)
Watergate Meets Arrowhead, Allegedly from ProFootballTalk
It's an intriguing footnote that Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh, the whistleblower of Spygate, was officially fired for "secretly tape-recording conversations." Because if several current and former Chiefs employees are to be believed, Pioli and upper management have been monitoring their conversations, seeing who was loyal to the cause and who was an enemy of the party.
The Kansas City Chiefs Might Have The Worst Workplace In America from Deadspin
Although the turnover under Pioli is drastic, how many employees remained when former general manager Carl Peterson took over? Pioli appears to have a very controlling way of running the franchise, but many NFL franchises are run in a similar manner.
It's difficult to understand the type of environment the employees are working in, unless you actually work there yourself - too many people have their own agenda; it's difficult to know exactly what's going on.
Perspective On The "Arrowhead Anxiety" Expose' from Missouri Sports Magazine
Carr has feuded with Kansas City management and coaches at times during his career, including this past summer when he voiced frustrations over his contract on his Twitter account.
With Kansas City going through a rebuilding phase and Detroit seemingly on the rise, returning to play in his home state with a starting role on a potential playoff team could be of interest to the 25-year-old cornerback. He'll have other suitors, but shouldn't demand too lofty of a contract on the free agent market.
Flint Native, GVSU Star Brandon Carr Could Be Fit For Lions from The Flint Journal
Through the years, many singularly great offensive teams have seen their seasons ruined by terrible defense. I wrote an awful lot about the Kansas City Chiefs from 2002 to 2004, when I was columnist at The Kansas City Star. Even now, I'm not sure that people realize just how singular those Chiefs teams were:
2002 Chiefs: first in points, 28th in PA (finished 8-8)
2003 Chiefs: first in points, 19th in PA (made playoffs at 13-3, lost first playoff game)
2004 Chiefs: second in points, 29th in PA (went 7-9)
Those offenses - led mostly by an amazing football player named Priest Holmes - were among the best in NFL history. But those defenses were bad. Staggeringly bad.
Offense First from Sports Illustrated
The Chiefs have a young stud in Tony Moeaki. They just need him to get healthy and to stay healthy. Moeki set some Kansas City rookie tight end records in 2010 (yes, the great Tony Gonzalez was a Chief rookie at one time), but missed all of the 2011 season with a knee injury.
Where Do AFC West Tight Ends Stand? from ESPN
"I'd love to go back to a playoff game in 1998, Kansas City-Denver, where I failed to call illegal contact" that a Chiefs defender committed against Broncos receiver Ed McCaffrey in the end zone.
"I swallowed my flag and didn't call it," he said. "I blew it. I just froze."
Pereira occupies a position unlike anyone in TV sports: an ex-official paid by a network to pass weekly judgment on his former colleagues. He often agrees with them. (He has correctly predicted the referees' rulings on coaches' challenges 105 of 111 times.) When he disagrees, he can be viewed as a second-guesser.
Giving FOX Viewers A Clear Window Into Officiating from The New York Times
Yes. The Lions defense ranked in the bottom third of the NFL in most yardage statistics and points allowed. But they ranked ahead of many of the teams they are, in actuality, behind in those same stats - Green Bay, New England, New Orleans.
It's more telling of the modern NFL, than anything else. Jacksonville ranked sixth in the league in total defense. Awful team. Kansas City was 10th. The Lions beat the Chiefs 48-3.
The Lions Aren't That Far Away - Even Defensively from The Southgate News-Herald