Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 8/28

Chiefs vs Packers Preview from The Mothership

Right around the time of the fourth preseason game, fans start to get a bit antsy. Football is back, sure. But they are ready for the games to count.

Some head coaches aren't so convinced. With a perfectionistic attitude, they might be fine with four more weeks of preseason. That would mean more time to watch, to evaluate, to make the most of any potential resource and most importantly, hold no regrets.

That in mind as the regular season looms, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid realizes that every last second counts.

10 Reasons Thursday's Game Is A Must-See from The Mothership

The Chiefs will take on the Packers in the final preseason game on August 28th at 6:00 p.m. at Lambeau Field.

In Kansas City, the game will be featured on KCTV5 with Paul Burmeister and Trent Green in the booth and Rachel Santschi and BJ Kissel down on the sidelines.

Be sure to tune in as this broadcast will have plenty of incredible coverage.

Chiefs Sign Guard Mike McGlynn; Gottschalk Waived from The Mothership

McGlynn (6-4, 325) has played in 57 games (48 starts) in five NFL seasons with the Indianapolis Colts (2012-13), Cincinnati Bengals (2011) and Philadelphia Eagles (2008-10). McGlynn was signed by Washington on March 28, 2014 and released by the club on Aug. 26. He originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick (109th overall) of the Eagles in the 2008 NFL Draft.

A Man For All Seasons from The Mothership

Lamar Hunt was by nature a person uncomfortable as a public speaker, but still he knew that if his venture into professional sports was to work - and he found himself in a situation where he was taking on the established NFL who wanted no part of his new American Football League - he would have to be front and center the spokesperson for the new enterprise in Dallas, and also act to some extent in a similar role for the entire league.

You might say he took rather quickly to the PR function, however, speaking from what politicians refer to as "talking points", which he always preferred to prepared text, and repeated them again and again in every imaginable public setting. Still, he was not one to be caught mouthing the sorts of platitudes that today are considered diplomatically de rigueur when it comes to promoting your product.

KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Chiefs Kickoff Luncheon

KCChiefs.com Video: Chiefs vs Packers Broadcast Preview

KCChiefs.com Video: One-On-One With Dave Toub

Final Chiefs Preseason Game Offers Numerous Hot Spots To Monitor from Chiefs Spin

Competition and evaluation are two areas the Chiefs will focus on considering starters aren't expected to play Thursday night's preseason finale against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Players on the roster bubble have a final opportunity to show the coaching staff they belong days ahead of key events:

• Saturday, Aug. 30: Final roster cuts to the 53-man roster due by 4 p.m. ET.
• Sunday, Aug. 31: Teams can establish the 10-man practice squad starting at noon ET.

The Chiefs' current roster reflects many positions - starting and backup - still available for the taking, so performances will help shape the final 53.

Chiefs Receivers Bear Watching In Final Preseason Game from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City

With roster decisions looming, the preseason game between Kansas City and Green Bay on Thursday night at Lambeau Field belongs to the backups, rookies and undrafted free agents. It's time for the longshots and hopefuls to make a good impression if they want to stick around.

That means the game is a test for the Chiefs' No. 3 running back job between Cyrus Gray and Joe McKnight, or perhaps it will settle the Packers backup quarterback battle between Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien.

NFL Preseason Preview - Kansas City (1-2) at Green Bay (2-1) (ET) from The Wichita Eagle

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been one of the stars of the preseason, ranking second in the NFL and leading all tight ends with 185 receiving yards. The second-year player has hauled in 10 receptions with two touchdowns in the practice games and is averaging 18.5 yards per catch.

Harris returns to Lambeau Field a different man from ESPN

The deadline has been set for Dec. 7, Al Harris' 40th birthday. But midway through his second training camp as the Kansas City Chiefs assistant secondary coach, the former Green Bay Packers two-time Pro Bowl cornerback decided to do it.

"I got a haircut about two weeks ago. All gone," a laughing Harris said of his signature dreadlocks, which he sported beneath his Packers helmet for eight seasons, from 2003 through 2010. "You're not even going to recognize me.

"I just felt that it was just time to separate the player, as far as presentation, from the coach. You've got to embrace these things fully."

And Harris is embracing coaching fully.

Pressure's On Defense To Create Pressure from ESPN

TEICHER'S PREDICTION

8-8. A win total somewhere between the seven projected by Advanced Football Analytics and nine sounds about right for the Chiefs. They aren't as good as their 9-0 start from last season and not as bad as their 2-6 finish. A difficult schedule dictates a lesser win total than in 2013.

Chiefs' Bus Gets In A Fender-Bender On Way To Team Hotel Near Green Bay from FS Kansas City

Suspensions, injuries, sacks, turnovers -- and now, a bus crash.

For the Kansas City Chiefs, August can't end soon enough.

According to multiple news reports in eastern Wisconsin, one of the Chiefs' team buses was involved in a "minor crash" today in Appleton, Wis., where the squad arrived in preparation of tomorrow night's preseason finale at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers.

According to a report on WBAY-TV's website, "the wreck happened after 3:00 p.m. at the intersection of W. College Avenue and Casaloma Drive," as the team was on the way to the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel in Appleton, roughly 30 miles southwest of Lambeau.

Chiefs Sign G Mike McGlynn from Chiefs Spin

"Mike is very excited about reuniting with coach Reid," said Michael Perrett, who serves as McGlynn's agent. "Coach is someone Mike respects tremendously. Mike has familiarity with the coaching staff and the offensive system. Mike received interest from several teams, but the relationship with coach Reid definitely put this one over the top."

McGlynn, who measures 6-4, 325 pounds, offers versatility as a guard and center.

"Mike projects as a left guard, center or right guard," Perrett said. "He has a lot of position versatility."

Chiefs' Fisher Is Playing Hurt, But He Needs To Be Pushed - Or Replaced from FS Kansas City

Fisher missed Tuesday's practice with a "sore throat," Reid said, and -- as with most of the projected starters -- probably won't play Thursday night in Wisconsin, as per usual preseason protocol. The coach wants to use the final exhibition to gauge the bottom half of the roster, which is standard operating procedure.

Given his upper-body discomfort, the best thing for Fisher right now might very well be an extended rest. And given the importance of keeping Smith upright, the best thing for the Chiefs right now might be searching for a viable, short-term, veteran stopgap to push or supplant him. The shopping continues.

Clark Hunt Expects Playoffs Again For Chiefs from ESPN

"My expectation is that we build on what we did last year,'' Hunt said before the Chiefs' annual kickoff luncheon. "We obviously set the bar very high for ourselves, not only with the undefeated start but the 11 wins and making the playoffs.

"I expect John [Dorsey] and Andy [Reid] to build on that. It won't always show up week to week in wins and losses but clearly we want to get back to the playoffs and hopefully go further than we did last year.''

Regardless of how the Chiefs do this season, in a sense it's already a success. Interest in the Chiefs in Kansas City has rebounded after a horrible stretch of seasons dating from the late 2000s to the early 2010s.

Chiefs, KC Business Community Celebrate New Season from Kansas City Business Journal

About 800 people showed up at this year's Kansas City Chiefs Kickoff Luncheon, hosted by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, the biggest turnout ever.

Kansas City Chiefs Fans Win With Wireless from BizTech

There's no question Kansas City Chiefs fans are a loyal - and vocal - bunch. The team once sold out every game in its 76,416-seat Arrowhead Stadium for 18 years straight (1991-2009), and just last year, Chiefs fans were recognized by the Guinness World Records for the loudest crowd roar in an outdoor stadium.

So when fans began asking for more wireless connectivity inside the stadium on gameday, the Chiefs organization took notice and wasted no time tackling the issue.

Two More Chiefs Defenders In Top 100 from ESPN

The fourth and fifth Kansas City Chiefs players have popped up on ESPN's rankings of the top 100 defensive players. Safety Eric Berry is in at No. 21 and outside linebacker Tamba Hali checks in at No. 27.

Buy A Ticket? Psh! NFL Teams Selling Memberships from The Associated Press via The Miami Herald

The change made by the Kansas City Chiefs a few years ago was subtle - one word, really - yet it ushered a pronounced change in the way the franchise viewed its most important fans.

Season-ticket holders became known as "season-ticket members."

Suddenly, the entire paradigm shifted. No longer were Chiefs fans merely customers, buying a ticket, attending a game and then heading home afterward. Rather they began to feel as though they were part of the franchise, just as integral to the success or failure of the team as quarterback Alex Smith, coach Andy Reid or even general manager John Dorsey.

Jeff Linkenbach's versatility makes him valuable on Chiefs' offensive line from KC Star via The Wichita Eagle

Just a few weeks ago, Chiefs offensive lineman Jeff Linkenbach's hold on a roster spot appeared tenuous at best.

He was submerged on the depth chart as rookie Zach Fulton seized the right guard spot, and veteran Ricky Henry was rotating with Fulton and left guard Jeff Allen in training camp.

But the impending four-game suspension of right tackle Donald Stephenson and trade of guard Rishaw Johnson had a ripple effect on the offensive line.

Chiefs' Hunt: If NFL Eyes KC For Super Bowl 'We'll Be Ready from Kansas City Business Journal

"The league is aware we're interested in it," Hunt said in an interview Wednesday during the team's kickoff luncheon. "The first decision the league has to make is when they plan to do it again. I don't think it's something that will happen very quickly. When it does, we'll be ready."

Bill Althaus: Chiefs looking shaky in preseason from The Blue Springs Examiner

While the Kansas City Royals continue to look like a legitimate postseason contender - thank you Alex Gordon for that walk-off two-run homer in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Minnesota - the punchless Kansas City Chiefs look like a playoff pretender.

Game 3 of the postseason is the only game that really has the feel of a legitimate NFL game. The starters play a half or more, and you see a team's defensive and offensive schemes, rather than the vanilla playbook stuff in games one and two.

Chiefs' Sorensen owes his toughness to competitive family from KC Star via The Wichita Eagle

From the moment the ball left Matt Cassel's hand, Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen could tell he was in trouble.

This was Saturday, the first quarter of the Chiefs' 30-12 preseason loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and Sorensen - an undrafted rookie safety out of Brigham Young - was playing with the Chiefs' first-team defense for the third straight game.

As the ball flew, Minnesota speedster Cordarrelle Patterson broke upfield - instead of toward the corner, as Sorensen predicted. That's all it takes to give up six points in the National Football League.

"Bad eyes, bad angles," Sorensen said. "Yeah, he got up on me quick."

Jack's Smack: The Chiefs have some issues from KSHB

This one won't be pleasant to digest, but it's a necessary gut check for all you die-hard Chiefs fans.

We've got issues.

The Chiefs tried to be good the other night against the Vikings. There was hardly anything to be encouraged about.

NFL's Best Games Of 2014 from The Boston Globe

Week 5

Kansas City at San Francisco, Oct. 5, 4:25 p.m. (CBS): Alex Smith was the 49ers QB for seven seasons, and this is the first time he'll face his old team. He won't recognize his surroundings (Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara is 38 miles away from Candlestick Park). Smith and the Chiefs will be out to prove their playoff campaign last year wasn't a fluke.

Broncos, Patriots Among AFC Teams Whose Ceilings Are Sky High from NFL.com

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Ceiling: 11-5. This, of course, was the record with which theChiefs finished in 2013 after starting 9-0. The problem is the 239 points Kansas City gave up over its final eight games last season, including 45 to the Colts in the playoffs. And the way the offense has played in the preseason ... Here's what needs to happen for the Chiefs to shine: Alex Smith must post a passer rating close to 100 and make some plays with his legs, Dwayne Bowe has to play lights out and the cornerbacks must show they can hold the fort.

Floor: 6-10. Because if the corners stumble, then the players who comprise the strength of the team -- the pass-rushing linebackers -- won't be able to make hay. And if the defense is once again the weak link, Andy Reid's club will be in trouble, especially if the offense struggles and there aren't any defensive return touchdowns or special teams plays to make up for it.