10/17 Practice Recap: Eric Berry Ruled Out from The Mothership
Safety
Eric Berry is doing everything in his power to get on the field, but his high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos just won't allow him to."He tried it the other day," Reid said of Berry's attempts to practice on Monday and Wednesday of this week. "He couldn't go. He's trying his heart out to get it right and it's just not feeling right so we backed off."
Andy Reid Press Conference 10/17 from The Mothership
Q: Who is your nickel back for Chris Owens?
REID: "We've got a couple of guys we're going to use. I'm going to surprise you Randy (Covitz), doggonit."
Q: With Cyrus Gray, is he going to be used mainly for coverage blocking if he can't catch or run with the ball?
REID: "He can carry it in the opposite hand. He does have ability to use his fingers and they just cast it up from there with a soft cast. He can play when needed, yep."
Supporting First Downs for Down Syndrome from The Mothership
"The offensive linemen have been involved with FDFDS for the past two decades," Chuck Castellano, Chiefs Community Relations Manager explained. "These players are always genuinely excited to interact with these children and their families. These kind of events are a huge component to helping FDFDS make an impact in our community."
All funds raised support local organizations, one of which is The Down Syndrome Guild of Greater Kansas City, which provides education and support to individuals with Down Syndrome and their families.
Coach Barry Rubin Inducted into Alma Mater's Hall of Fame from The Mothership
Recently, Chiefs Strength and Conditioning Coach Barry Rubin was one of seven honorees to be inducted into the hall of fame of his alma mater, Northwestern State University, in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
Rubin, who was a tight end and punter for the Demons, participated in a ceremony over the bye weekend as he and seven others were honored.
KCChiefs.com Video: Locker Room Sound 10/17
KCChiefs.com Video: NFL Films Presents: Husain Abdullah
KCChiefs.com Video: Arrowhead Update 10/17: Chiefs Head to San Diego
KCChiefs.com Video: Chiefs Live! Stopping Philip Rivers
KCChiefs.com Video: Under The Helmet: Knile Davis
RB Jamaal Charles knocking on door to become Chiefs' all-time leading rusher from Chiefs Digest
But Charles didn't want to directly address the question Friday in the locker room with reporters, especially when asked by Randy Covitz of The Kansas City Star about potentially getting the record on one carry.
"I think every running back would love to go 53 yards on every carry," Charles said. "Whatever I can get, I think it's possible. I don't want to jinx myself, I think they jinxed (inside linebacker) Derrick Johnson over this stuff in the past. I'm not even worrying about the record; I just want to go out there and play football and let it happen itself."
The "they" Charles refers to on the jinx are the daily beat writers covering the team.
Johnson was asked by numerous reporters leading to the start of the regular season about closing in on 1,000 tackles before a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon in Week 1 left Johnson 15 tackles shy.
Chiefs have had more than fair share of issues with Chargers from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City
Riding an unprecedented streak, Philip Rivers has played a significant role in the San Diego Chargers' longest winning streak in five seasons.
He's also been a major part of their recent success against the Kansas City Chiefs, and San Diego will look for a fifth consecutive win over its well-rested AFC West rivals Sunday.
Rivers is the first quarterback to post a rating of 120 or higher in five consecutive games and finished at 123.8 in a 31-28 comeback win in Oakland last Sunday. He had three touchdown passes for the third straight game and topped 300 yards for the second time this season with 313, but the Chargers didn't wrap up the victory until Jason Verrett's interception with 1:13 to go.
Brandon Flowers practices, questionable vs. Chiefs from ESPN
Flowers said he went through individual drills on Friday, and it will likely be a game-time decision on whether he plays.
"My previous years I went all the way to Sunday without no practice at all," said Flowers, who played with a knee issue last season in Kansas City. "I just wanted to go out there and move around a little bit and see how I feel. Just keep it simple. Do the stuff I'm used to doing and went out there and went through it."
Bolts game a homecoming for Alex Smith from ESPN
He grew up watching and attending San Diego Chargers games. And with the help of high school teammate Reggie Bush, the San Diego native led Helix High School to two San Diego California Interscholastic Federation section championships played at Qualcomm Stadium.
Smith also led Utah to a win over San Diego State at Qualcomm Stadium in his final year in college.
But as a pro, Smith is 0-2 at Qualcomm, losing in 2006 and 2010 to the Chargers as the quarterback and No. 1 overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 draft.
Smith will play in Qualcomm Stadium as a member of the Chiefs for the first time Sunday.
Week 7 Preview: Chiefs @ Chargers from Chiefs Digest
While the Chiefs have fared well against the pass this season, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers presents a tough test for a secondary that is without nickel cornerback Chris Owens (knee) and strong safety Eric Berry (ankle)...
...Despite coach Andy Reid's success coming off a bye, the Chargers' prolific passing game and strong defense proves too much for an inconsistent Chiefs team.
Outcome: Chargers 38, Chiefs 24
Kansas City Chiefs (2-3) at San Diego Chargers (5-1) from Lindy's Sports
PREDICTION: The Chiefs are well-rested coming off their bye and well-motivated to close the gap in the AFC West - lose this one and they're essentially four games behind their rival. More important, K.C. has film of Raiders rookie QB Derek Carr dissecting the Chargers for four touchdowns last week.
OUR PICK: Chiefs 26-24
Prediction: Chargers will beat Chiefs from ESPN
I'm tempted to go with the Kansas City Chiefs in Sunday's game at the San Diego Chargers. But one thing is scaring me away.
Opposing quarterbacks have a slick 97.0 passer rating against Kansas City, and in Philip Rivers, the Chiefs are facing the league leader at 117.6.
Prediction: Chiefs will beat the Chargers from ESPN
The San Diego Chargers are still short-handed, with several front-line players nursing injuries. At some point that is going to catch up them. San Diego faces a solid Kansas City Chiefs team playing well coming out of their bye week, so they will be well-rested.
Kansas City's Andy Reid is one of the best coaches in the NFL at devising innovative schemes to give his team an advantage, and he's had two weeks to prepare.
Allen Bailey has been nice find for Chiefs from ESPN
The Kansas City Chiefs have been missing four defensive starters because of injuries since early in the season, so they needed help from unexpected places to keep things from collapsing on that side of the ball.
One player who has done that is end Allen Bailey. Mostly a situational pass rusher in his first three seasons with the Chiefs, Bailey is not only a starter but doesn't come out of the lineup much. He has played almost as many snaps this season as Pro Bowl nose tackle Dontari Poe.
Andy Reid is good for the Chiefs from The San Diego Union-Tribune
Coached seven seasons under the Packers' Mike Holmgren, a West Coast offense devotee and former assistant to the 49ers' Bill Walsh. Was head coach of the Eagles from 1999-2012.
Ten of his 15 NFL teams have made the playoffs. Considered better at game-planning and managing players than managing the game clock. Took five Eagles teams to the NFC title game, including every year from 2001-04. In only Super Bowl, lost to the Patriots.
Chargers schedule takes real shift from The San Diego Union-Tribune
Just like the rest of us, the thoughtful within the Chargers locker room looked at the team's schedule over the summer and felt it was reasonable to expect they'd be in good shape at this point in the season.
Lo and behold, a half-dozen games in, they are 5-1 and enjoying the confidence that comes with a five-game win streak.
Awesome.
Now, recess is over.
The Chargers aren't going to like that characterization. And, certainly, it doesn't properly encapsulate their accomplishments.
But, fact is, they've feasted on some bad teams. And there appears to be very little cake left.
When Chargers have ball vs. Chiefs from The San Diego Union-Tribune
The wrinkle for the Chargers' offense this week is Kansas City's balanced pass rush.
Where many defenses have one dangerous edge rusher, the Chiefs have two in Justin Houston and Tamba Hali.
Nose tackle Dontari Poe's explosiveness, evidenced by 6.5 sacks in the last 20 games, further distinguishes the Chiefs from previous opponents.
Danger left, center and right makes setting the blocking tougher for offenses.
Keys to the Game: Chargers vs. Chiefs from Chargers.com
1. Corral Kelce - Travis Kelce may not be a national name just yet, but it won't be long before he's a household name if he keeps up his strong start to the season. The 6-6, 260-pound second-year player was selected out of Cincinnati in the third round (63rd overall) of the 2013 draft, but appeared in just one game last year before being placed on the Reserve-Injured list. With more well-known wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Donnie Avery on the roster, and veteran Anthony Fasano also taking snaps at tight end, it is Kelce who leads the Chiefs in receptions, yards and touchdowns with 20 catches for 274 yards and three scores.
Chargers vs. Chiefs preview from ESPN
Williams: Adam, after starting out the season 0-2, the Chiefs won two of their next three games heading into the bye week. What have been the reasons for the improved play?
Teicher: They're a far better team than the way they played in the season opener in Tennessee. They looked lost, like they didn't know which players to play or how to utilize them. No sense of urgency at all. They started to play better the next week at Denver, where their late rally fell a couple of yards short and they lost by a touchdown. The way the Chiefs have played since the opener is much closer to the real Chiefs than the way they played against Tennessee. They've figured out their strengths and weaknesses and try to play to those, particularly on offense.
Seven for Sunday: Giants receivers have to step up from USA Today
Kansas City Chiefs outside edge rushers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali vs. San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers
The skinny: Rivers doesn't have Colin Kaepernick's sprinter's speed or Tony Romo's spin move. But he has functional mobility within the pocket, knowing how to slide to step up and throw a knockout punch. Despite losing his starting center and top three running backs, Rivers has only been sacked nine times while completing a league-best 69.5% of his passes.
Packers long snapper Brett Goode to face guy whose job he took in 2008 from The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
As it turned out, the Green Bay Packers couldn't have gone wrong with any of the three long snappers on their roster within the span of one month in 2008.
Thomas Gafford, who was signed that March and released Aug. 3, has been snapping for the Kansas City Chiefs since mid-2008.
J.J. Jansen had the Packers' job nailed down before a knee injury in late August sent him to injured reserve. The Carolina Panthers' snapper since 2009, he'll be playing against his old team Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Education in brief from The Blue Springs Examiner
Kansas City Chiefs helping kids
The Independence School District Foundation and Kansas City Chiefs football team are partnering to help make this 2014 holiday season special for the district's students in need.
Discounted tickets for the Chiefs vs. Oakland Raiders game on Dec. 14 and the Dec. 28 game against the San Diego Chargers are available for $35 each through the district, with $10 of each ticket sold going toward the foundation's Holiday Helpers program. Limited tickets are available.
To purchase, visit https://secure.etransfer.com/ecomm/custom/isd/hhtickets/payment1.cfm?d2org=ISD&d2tool=HHTickets