Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 11/12

Chiefs On Verge Of Historic Futility from KC Star

More than eight decades ago, one of the most inept teams in pro football history took the field...

...Coached by a native Kansan and former Kansas State player, the 1929 Bisons didn't hold a lead at any point until their season finale, a streak of eight consecutive games.

Such futility went unmatched in the NFL for 83 years. Until now.

Your 2012 Kansas City Chiefs will own the dubious distinction alone - nine full games without a lead in regulation - unless they can jump ahead at any point in Monday night's game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh.

Chiefs Putting Dorsey On Injured Reserve from KC Star

The Chiefs will place defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey on the injured reserve list today, ending his season - and, since he's in the final season of his contract, perhaps his career with the team...

...The Chiefs will promote defensive back Neiko Thorpe from the practice squad to take Dorsey's roster spot.

Change Hasn't Helped Chiefs from KC Star

The Chiefs' nationally televised night of reckoning is exactly 11 months in the making. Last Dec. 12, Scott Pioli sat in front of reporters and television cameras and the eyes of fans across the Midwest to say he had fired Todd Haley. The only coach Pioli had ever hired was now out the door, and with him was supposed to follow the drama and tension that built up between the two men.

Pioli was effectively blaming Haley for the Chiefs' problems. He thought a change would bring calm, cohesion, success.

Steelers Forge Foundation For Long-Term Success from KC Star

"There's a fine line in this league between drinking wine and squashing grapes,'' Tomlin said. "We understand that, know that and embrace that.''

There isn't any doubt which of tonight's contestants is quaffing a fine varietal. The 5-3 Steelers are again in the playoff hunt and could well make the postseason for the ninth time in the last 12 seasons.

The 1-7 Chiefs are the ones with the red feet. They're also more than a little red in the face.

Chiefs-Steelers Scouting Report from KC Star

For a game matching a 5-3 team with a three-game winning streak against a 1-7 team that has lost five straight, this contest carries some intrigue. The angle of Haley vs. Chiefs is one reason, but the Chiefs have also stood up well under similar trying circumstances against the Steelers in their last two meetings. Maybe that just means Pittsburgh is due for a blowout victory. It's difficult to picture anything but that under the current circumstances unless the Steelers, who are in between last week's big win over the Giants and next week's showdown with Baltimore, are caught looking ahead. Prediction: Steelers 31, Chiefs 17.

Monday Night Football: Backfield Clarity Only Place Kansas City Chiefs Edge The Pittsburgh Steelers from The Associated Press via The Mississippi Press

Ask any of the people involved in the current -- and at the moment only -- drama surrounding the surging Pittsburgh Steelers about who should be the starting running back and you'll get a variety of answers. None of them definitive.

Collier: Carries For FB Johnson Are Gaining Ground from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Unofficially, you've got to go back seven years to find a Steelers fullback with more than two carries. Couldn't find any a year ago, or in 2010, or in '09, or in '08, as former offensive coordinator Bruce Arians disdained the breed. Dan Kreider carried once in '07, once in '06, three times in '05.

But the far less trivial aspect of all this isn't just that Haley wants to employ a fullback, it's that the coaching staff isn't afraid to hand it to Johnson, undrafted, unsigned, undaunted Johnson. The coaches aren't afraid to hand it to him, throw it to him in the end zone (he scored a touchdown against Washington), and most certainly not afraid to let him stand in the backfield and protect Ben Roethlisberger or run interference for a stable of running backs.

Head To Head: T Michael Adams/Max Starks vs. OLBs Tamba Hali/Justin Houston from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

One of the best linebacker sack tandems in the AFC will be on the field tonight when the Steelers play the Kansas City Chiefs -- and it won't be LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison.

Well, at least not statistically.

Tamba Hali and Justin Houston have combined for 11 sacks for the Chiefs and have been one of the few bright spots for a defense that has allowed more points (240) than all but three teams in the NFL.

Steelers Realize They Can't Take K.C. Lightly from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

"But their record was bad when we played them last year, and they still came out and it was a close game," outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley said, referring to a 13-9 win. "The time before that, they actually won the game. We've got to go out and prepare for this team like they were an 8-0 team."

The Steelers haven't lost in 14 Monday night home games since Chuck Noll's last season in 1991. This will be their first one at Heinz Field since 2008.

NFL Sunday Gives Us The Leagues Top 5 Teams And The Bottom 5 from E!

Make sure the guest list is promising, because the Kansas City Chiefs bring nothing to this party. The Chiefs, who are in Pittsburgh, are our No. 1 worst team and might be the worst Monday Night Football team ever. The NFL's only two winless teams-Detroit in 2008 and Tampa Bay in 1976-didn't appear on MNF, while Kansas City, 1-7, is on its way to historic awfulness. The Chiefs have not held a lead for a single second of regulation in any game this season, an "accomplishment" not seen so late in the season since 1929 (their lone win came in overtime).

NFL Week 10: Fantasy Sports, Wagering from The Toronto Sun

Esposito made a good point about the dilemma of how bookmakers deal with teams that are barely competitive such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars. "(As a bookmaker) I fear them a lot," Esposito said. "You can't inflate the lines too much, though. We're not going to over-inflate those lines to create value for sharp bettors." That doesn't mean they won't be nervous whenever they have a lopsided matchup like the Steelers versus the Chiefs in the Monday night contest.

Will There Be An AFC West Race? from ESPN

Denver is now 6-3 and it is rolling with the easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. San Diego fell to 4-5 after a 34-24 loss at Tampa Bay on Sunday. It has lost four of the past five games. Oakland was blitzed, 55-20, by Baltimore and is not a factor with its 3-6 record. Kansas City is 1-7 and it plays at Pittsburgh on Monday night. The only question about the Chiefs' remaining season is if they will get the No. 1 pick in the draft.

Play Of The Week: Chiefs' McCluster Finds Home In Slot from The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

The Chiefs' favorite play has become the shotgun 3-wide receiver Y cross, which is designed to get McCluster matched up with a linebacker in man coverage.

Kansas City employs a three wide-receiver set, with Dwayne Bowe split out wide left and Jon Baldwin wide right. McCluster is aligned to the slot to the right of Bowe and to the strong side next to tight end Tony Moeaki, with Cassel in the shotgun and running back Jamaal Charles to his right.

Report: Chiefs Still Owe Former Coach Todd Haley Rest Of His Salary from CBS Sports

If Kansas City is saying it fired Haley for cause, the reason would have to be something other than fielding a subpar team. Here's what owner Clark Hunt said after the Chiefs relieved Haley of his duties.

"This was a difficult decision but one that we feel is best for the future of the Chiefs," Hunt said. "Although there have been bright spots at different points this season, we have not made meaningful progress and we felt that it was necessary to make a change. We appreciate Todd's contributions during his time with the club, and we wish him well in the future."

Steelers Make Pitch For Roethlisberger As MVP from The Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Scott Pioli won all kinds of honors when he was the personnel man for Bill Belichick in New England. Kansas City hired him as general manager to turn the team around, and he has done that by turning the franchise into a mess.

Pioli is another shooting star who gained his reputation working for Belichick and then failed on his own.

KCChiefs.com Video: Focus Point: Week 10

KCChiefs.com Video: Hy-Vee Chiefs Insider: Week 10