Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 12/30

KCChiefs.com Video: Chiefs Kingdom: Joe Delaney

Signs Of Trouble Appeared Early In The Chiefs' Season from KC Star

The Chiefs' long season comes to an end today against the Broncos in Denver. The Chiefs were extinguished from realistic playoff contention almost from the season's start. For most of the year public attention has been focused on the job security of Crennel and general manager Scott Pioli, and whether the Chiefs will get the top pick in next year's draft, which they will if they lose today.

This from a team that began the season on Sept. 9 against Atlanta at Arrowhead Stadium thinking it would be a contender for the AFC West championship. Instead, they're 10 games behind the Broncos.

The signs it would be this way started in the preseason. With the starters in the lineup, the Chiefs were drilled in back-to-back games against the Rams and Seahawks, a fact that should have been an indication of widespread problems.

Chiefs Facing Broncos And Altitude In Final Game Of 2012 from The Mothership

It was just over a month ago, when the Peyton Manning-led Broncos visited Arrowhead and left with a 17-9 victory. While playing an already-familiar opponent again so soon can be beneficial, it can't be used as a crutch in preparing for Sunday's game.

"Generally when you play an opponent, you find out some things about them, about how you need to play them, maybe what you can do a little bit better to help yourself," Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel said. "And, we played a decent game against them. They had to drive at the end; so if we can play that type of game and then we come out on top at the end, that will be wonderful."

Looking Ahead To 2013: Out With The Old And In With... from KC Star

Kansas City cheered Jamaal Charles, booed Robinson Cano, paid for banners to taunt Arrowhead Stadium from the sky and chanted at Livestrong Sporting Park. We watched Luke Hochevar disappoint us. Again.

Hard to fathom now, but a year ago, 2012 looked promising for Kansas City sports. The Chiefs returned a rising core and a front office with extra motivation and opportunity. The Royals were unveiling a historic collection of young talent. Mizzou had a new profile in the Southeastern Conference. Sporting KC was building off a remarkable first-year rebranding in their new stadium.

As it turned out, most every local team let us down except for KU basketball and K-State football. MU hoops raised our expectations, but Norfolk State crushed them.

Chiefs Place Copper On IR; Elevate Hemingway To 53-Man Roster from The Mothership

The Kansas City Chiefs announced on Saturday that the club has placed wide receiver Terrance Copper on injured reserve and elevated wide receiver Junior Hemingway to the 53-man roster from the team's practice squad.

Former Chief Neil Smith Sues NFL Over Brain Injuries from KC Star

Smith, 46, contended in his suit that because of repeated and misdiagnosed concussions he suffers from "permanent and debilitating injuries," including loss of memory, "cognitive impairment" and early-onset dementia.

"Indeed, Mr. Smith suffered three concussions - all of which were improperly diagnosed and treated - in one game during the 1988 season," the suit alleged. "Despite exhibiting concussion symptoms, Mr. Smith was regularly returned to play, significantly increasing his chances of longterm brain damage."

Tynes, Recalling '06 Chiefs, Knows Giants Aren't Done Yet from The New York Times

Tynes added: "It wasn't like anyone was saying, ‘Go home and watch on TV because we might still be playing tomorrow.' It was only my third year in the league, so I didn't say anything, but I was sort of thinking, Uh, maybe we should see what happens in the other games first?"

As it turned out, Tynes was prescient. While many of the Chiefs players may have assumed their season was over, Kansas City ended up making the playoffs several hours after winning its final game when three other results fell exactly as it needed.

Smiling at the memory, Tynes laughed. "You think history can repeat itself?" he said.

Much To Be Thankful For, Such As Young Guns, Peterson from The Oakland Tribune

There's more than one reason why teams such as the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars find themselves in a morass.

In April, the Chiefs had quarterbacks Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn on their roster. But they selected a defensive tackle in the first round and two offensive tackles in the third round, with quarterback Russell Wilson still on the board.

Worse, the Jaguars selected Cal punter Bryan Anger five picks before the Seahawks snatched up Wilson in the third round.

Now, the Chiefs and Jaguars are headed into the offseason picking one-two in the 2013 draft, with quarterbacks atop their wish list. Good luck finding a player as dynamic as Wilson.

Chiefs At Broncos: Game Plan from The Denver Post

When the Broncos pass.Tampa Bay's Josh Freeman is the only quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards against Kansas City this year. Atlanta's Matt Ryan passed for 299 yards against the Chiefs in their season opener. Tight end Joel Dreessen needs one more catch to give the Broncos five players with at least 40 receptions for the first time in team history.Edge: Broncos

Chiefs At Broncos: Five Things To Watch from The Denver Post

1. Don't let Chiefs' Charles take charge.What Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles has done this season, appearing to be unstoppable on one of the league's worst teams, is nothing short of remarkable. The AFC's leading rusher has a 100-yard game against Denver this year. Charles is the Chiefs' best chance to get a victory in their season finale. Kansas City's running game has the potential to keep the ball away from Peyton Manning and the Denver offense.

Mike Zimmer, Jay Gruden Are Hot Coaching Commodities from Cincy Jungle

Were I Mike Zimmer, I would be extremely leery of the Kansas City gig. The team has chewed up and spit out three head coaches in the past eight years -- Dick Vermeil, Herm Edwards and Todd Haley -- and is about to eject a fourth, Romeo Crennel. The Chiefs have only had one winning season since 2007 versus four years with four or fewer wins. The QB situation is a train wreck. On the other hand, they are in the running for the first overall pick in the draft and RB Jamaal Charles is the real deal.

Mailbag: Another Schottenheimer Coming? from ESPN

Eric from Kansas City wants to know if I think St. Louis' offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer could end up as a head coach in the AFC West.

BW: Well, there are two teams in the division that very likely will be looking for new head coaches -- Kansas City and San Diego. Marty Schottenheimer, was the head coach in both cities and he remains popular in both places. I think the hiring of Brian Schottenheimer would play well in both cities. I also think he fits each team's philosophy and financial guidelines So, yes, I can see Schottenheimer being an option for both the Chiefs and the Chargers.

KCChiefs.com Video: Focus Point: Week 17