Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 9/11

9/10 Practice Recap: Dwayne Bowe Back Sunday from The Mothership

Since being drafted by the Chiefs in 2007, Bowe has played an integral role for the franchise, leading all Chiefs receivers in receptions every season he has played in the NFL.

"Dwayne has been a big part of the offenses here since he has been here," Reid said of the 29-year old. "He's somebody that the quarterback has a lot of trust in and a lot of reps with and he has got a high skill level so he's always got a pretty good chunk of our offense for every game week."

When asked where he missed Bowe the most in the game against the Titans, quarterback Alex Smith couldn't put his finger on just one.

"There's a lot of different facets," he said of his primary target. "Dwayne's the type of player that contributes everywhere, on all areas of the field and in all situations."

Andy Reid Press Conference 9/10 from The Mothership

Q: On Monday you mentioned the run defense needs to get stronger, in particular is it disciplined?

REID: "I thought we played real good defense the first half and then things got away from us a bit as the game went on. I thought, for the most part, that first half was good quality football. I thought the offensive side had to pick up the pace there. The defense I thought played good football, we just have to maintain that through the game."

Q: How much of the run game was losing Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito?

REID: "The other guys haven't had as many reps, there might be a little bit of that. I hate to get into that because it sounds like you're belly aching up here and that's not what we do. The next guy we expect to come in and play but there was obviously something that took place there without those two in there."

Chiefs Host Local Youth Football Team from The Mothership

In honor of USA Football month, the Chiefs invited a Head's Up Football team, the Heart of America Pop Warner Gators, to tour Arrowhead Stadium with Chiefs Ambassador Shawn Barber.

"When the kids were led down to the field, they were just in awe of the stadium," Jeremy Bowen, head coach of the Gators, noted. "They were completely surprised when they saw Shawn Barber. He talked to them about the importance of safety and keeping their bodies healthy. I've actually had parents tell me that their children haven't been eating cake or cookies anymore because ‘it's football season and they need to be healthy.' They really took what he said to heart and loved hearing from him."

Early Struggles from The Mothership

This is the third installment in a continuing series of columns tracing Lamar Hunt's role in the marketing of the Kansas City Chiefs and situations and circumstances he faced in doing so.

The move to Kansas City following the Texans championship in 1962 must have been difficult for Lamar Hunt after all he had done and had hoped for in his hometown.

KCChiefs.com Video: Chiefs Brief: Week 2

KCChiefs.com Video: Arrowhead Update: 9/10

KCChiefs.com Video: Press Conference 9/10: Andy Reid

KCChiefs.com Video: Locker Room: Kevin Vickerson 9/10

KCChiefs.com Video: Locker Room: Alex Smith 9/10

KCChiefs.com Video: Heads Up Football Skills Challenge

KCChiefs.com Photo Gallery: Heads Up Event

KSHB Video: Jack's Smack: We're trying to figure out who the Kansas City Chiefs really are

Derrick Johnson was on pace to become Chiefs' best ILB since Lanier from FS Kansas City

Let's face it. When it comes to the Kansas City Chiefs and inside linebackers, there are two categories:

1. Willie Lanier;

2. Everybody else.

But of the latter, Derrick Johnson has probably come the closest -- statistically, at least -- to chasing the shadow of No. 63 here. The glue. The anchor. The one who makes all the other chess pieces are in place, the one who almost always finds a way to be at the right dang place at the right dang time.

Week 2: Wednesday Injury Report from Chiefs Spin

The Chiefs list 12 players on the initial injury report ahead of Sunday's road contest in Denver against the Broncos.

Right tackle Jeff Allen (elbow) and rookie running back De'Anthony Thomas (hamstring) did not practice...

...The Chiefs have Ryan Harris listed second on the depth chart at right tackle in the event Allen is unavailable Sunday.

Chiefs signed Vickerson for the longer haul from ESPN

Vickerson's signing may not work out as they hope, but the Chiefs have plans for Vickerson. He takes the roster spot vacated when starting defensive end Mike DeVito was lost for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Jaye Howard will likely slide into DeVito's starting spot. But Vance Walker and Vickerson could get into that mix as well.

DT Kevin Vickerson a welcomed addition to Chiefs defense from Chiefs Spin

And while the Chiefs currently list him second on the depth chart at left defensive end, Vickerson said his exact role has yet to be determined.

But even then, Vickerson brings an air of toughness.

"Being physical," he said, "just being myself, man. Being dominant against the run, playing the run and just coming in with an attitude, giving this team an attitude. I definitely play with a chip on my shoulder and that's how I'm going to approach my season."

Chiefs' history vs. Peyton Manning is sad from ESPN

There's no shame in losing to Peyton Manning. He's won almost 70 percent of his regular-season games since arriving in the NFL, so he's hurt a lot of opponents for a lot of years.

But the Kansas City Chiefs' history against Manning is particularly sad. Manning is 11-1 against Kansas City all-time, counting a pair of playoffs games, including one in which the Chiefs never forced Manning's Indianapolis Colts to punt.

Bowe, new additions give Chiefs new look in Week 2 from The Associated Press via The Hilton Head Island Packet

Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has made his much-needed return to the Kansas City Chiefs after serving his weeklong suspension following an arrest last November.

He wasn't the only player who wasn't there a week ago.

After getting routed by Tennessee in their season-opener, and losing Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Johnson and starting defensive tackle Mike DeVito to season-ending injuries, the Chiefs were forced to frantically retool ahead of Sunday's game in Denver.

Defensive tackle Kevin Vickerson, who spent the past four seasons with the Broncos, signed on Monday, while linebacker Jerry Franklin was promoted from the practice squad.

The Chiefs also turned over half of their practice squad in the search for help.

Broncos' Emmanuel Sanders details offseason free-agent visit with Chiefs from Chiefs Spin

"I was out in Kansas City, of course," Sanders said in the transcript provided by the Broncos. "I was out there for like five hours though, so we were going back and forth on deals and we couldn't come to a conclusion."

Sanders said he had a scheduled flight to visit the San Francisco 49ers before missing it, and then the call from the Broncos arrived.

"Denver ended up calling right before I was getting ready to sign," Sanders explained. "I was either going to sign with Kansas City or Tampa Bay or even catch a flight out in the morning to San Francisco. So there wasn't anything in stone, and they tried to make it seem that way, but I'm way past that. I actually forgot about that. It's crazy, you all reminded me."

Chiefs' James-Michael Johnson ready for expanded role from Chiefs Spin

James-Michael Johnson, who finished second on the team in preseason tackles with 14 (nine solo), is ready for the increased role.

"It's always bad to lose a guy like Derrick," he said Wednesday. "You can't really replace him. He's a great player. I just hope to go in there and play as hard as I can, do whatever I can to help the team."

Even though he's on injured reserve, Derrick Johnson will be around to offer mentorship as the Chiefs adjust to life without him.

Here's what was more negligent of Chiefs from ESPN

The real negligence on the part of the Chiefs came during the offseason when they didn't go after a receiver capable of helping. The four skill players in addition to Charles who were in the game for at least a third of the plays Sunday were a journeyman wide receiver (Donnie Avery), a receiver playing his first NFL game (Frankie Hammond Jr.), a tight end whose career high in catches is 41 (Anthony Fasano) and another receiver who was hurt for most of the preseason and is nobody's idea of a prolific pass-catcher (Junior Hemingway).

For Chiefs coach Reid, there's a difference between Rice and Vick from FS Kansas City

Described by one of his former players as "the coach of second chances," Reid's most famous second chance came in 2009, when the Philadelphia Eagles signed Vick following a stint in prison that stemmed from his role in a dogfighting ring in his native Virginia.

Reid said he addressed the Chiefs about Rice, the former Pro Bowl tailback who was cut by the Ravens and suspended indefinitely by the league Monday after TMZ.com posted video of him punching his then-fiancee, Janay, in February at an Atlantic City hotel.

"I'm focused on the Denver Broncos and not Ray Rice's situation right this moment," Reid continued, "but we talked to the team about it and addressed it there, which is important."

KC's professional sports score big on social media from Kansas City Business Journal

Given the popularity of the National Football League, it's not surprising that the Kansas City Chiefs dominate the local social media scene. However, what you might not know is that the Chiefs have the second-fastest-growing Facebook following in the NFL, currently tallying 1.25 million likes. The team's Facebook following grew 30.3 percent during the past year; the league average is 12.45 percent.

Fantasy Football: Week 2 Matchup Breakdown from The New York Times

Montee Ball (DEN) vs. Chiefs -- Kansas City's run defense suffered a catastrophic blow when it lost the All-Pro linebacker Derrick Johnson and the lineman Mike Devitoto both to Achilles' injuries. While Ball did not have the most impressive season debut (67 yards on 23 attempts), he still scored a touchdown and the high usage is a good sign overall. Ball excelled against Kansas City in 2013, with 142 yards on 21 attempts.

Questioning Chiefs' roster and draft success from WPTZ

Far more often than not, the NFL team with the most talent wins. Sometimes a roster can overcome the advantage of a more gifted opponent, but winning and losing almost always rolls back to the qualities of the roster.

That was not the case on opening day at Arrowhead, when the Titans controlled the game on offense and defense, beating the Chiefs 26-10.

Broncos look to get better results when rushing on first down from The Denver Post

The Kansas City Chiefs, this week's opponents, provide a potential platform, even if this sets up as a trap game for the heavily favored Broncos. Kansas City is dealing with devastating injuries on a defense - linebacker Derrick Johnson was lost for the season with a ruptured right Achilles tendon. And the Titans shredded the Chiefs for 162 yards rushing on 38 carries.

Denver Broncos Await Drug Policy Changes from CBS Denver

And, surprisingly, Denver is waiting to see if Wes Welker might be able to suit up. That's right, despite being suspended exactly one week ago, the NFL's substance abuse policy is in the process of changing and the NFL and NFLPA voted Tuesday on multiple things, including whether or not they'll test for human growth hormone (HGH).

Broncos keeping focus on Chiefs from DenverBroncos.com

Sure, beating Seattle in the preseason was a nice result, but a victory at CenturyLink Field against last year's Super Bowl champions would be infinitely more meaningful in avenging the Broncos' loss in February.

At the same time, Kansas City heads into Sunday's game off of a 26-10 loss to the Titans -- tied for the worst margin of defeat since Andy Reid took over as head coach -- in which Alex Smith threw three interceptions and Derrick Johnson and Mike DeVito went down with season-ending Achilles injuries.

But when asked how the team can avoid overlooking the game against the Chiefs this weekend, Aqib Talib made it sound pretty simple.

"Umm, because we play the Chiefs this week," he said. "So we're going to get ready for the Chiefs this week."

Week 2 NFL Picks: Can The Chiefs Stage a Huge Upset Over the Broncos? from XN Sports

Kansas City Chiefs (+13.5)* at Denver Broncos

The perfect matchup for the theme of the week. The Chiefs lost, at home, to the Titans. Call it a surprise if you will, but even if Tennessee ends up proving to be a terrible team, overreacting to Kansas City's loss is short-sighted. The Broncos looked unstoppable for much of Sunday Night, but Kansas City is no stranger to playing in Denver. After suffering two big losses at the hands of the eventual AFC West champion in 2013, Kansas City will be looking for revenge in the young season...

...The Chiefs beat the spread in a game that ultimately gets decided by a field goal. Upsets occur when a team hangs around longer than they should. Once the game hinges on a single scoring play, the teams are much more balanced than before. The Chiefs prevail and win by three.

Don't freak out about these Week 1 fantasy performances from USA Today

Big stars will occasionally turn in dud games. It just happened to occur in Week 1 for running backs Jamaal Charles, Doug Martin and Zac Stacy. Quarterbacks Tom Brady (doesn't he always struggle against the Dolphins?) and Tony Romo were also not at their best. It happens. These players were high draft picks for a reason - but outside of injuries (looking at you, Ben Tate), little has changed from the preseason.

The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line may not be as strong as fantasy owners had hoped, but Charles will definitely see more than 11 touches going forward. Similarly, the other teams aren't going to give up on their meal tickets either after only one game.

The NFL Needs to Learn What Domestic Violence Really Looks Like from Slate

The lack of basic knowledge about the psychology of domestic violence is particularly inexcusable in light of the 2012 murder of Kasandra Perkins at the hands of Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher. Prior to the murder, the Chiefs had pushed Belcher into couples counseling with Perkins. The murder and Belcher's subsequent suicide should have been a wake-up call for the league to learn more about the realities of domestic violence and why it's not appropriate to treat it like just another relationship problem, like poor communication skills or sexual dysfunction, to be worked on in therapy.

There are several valuable lessons the NFL must learn from this debacle, but one I hope they really get is that domestic violence is not just physical abuse, it is mental abuse, a dominating act that can and does lead women to stand by their men.

Wake-up punch from The Houston Chronicle

After several stumbles, the NFL finally got it right when the Ravens released their star running back and the league suspended him indefinitely. But the action came months after Rice knocked out the woman who's now his wife and then dragged her out of the elevator like a sack of potatoes, leaving her semi-conscious on a hallway floor. Until the release of the security camera footage on Monday, Rice was cleared to play 14 of the Ravens' 16 games this season. That's shameful.

Just as shameful is the fact that Ray McDonald of the San Francisco 49ers and Greg Hardy of the Carolina Panthers, both guilty of egregious domestic abuse, were on the playing field last weekend. And it wasn't that long ago that Jovan Belcher of the Kansas City Chiefs committed the ultimate act of domestic violence. He shot and killed his wife before turning the gun on himself in a stadium parking lot.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has had ample warning in recent years that professional football has a problem on its hands, but it took this week's public shaming for him to take the warning seriously.