Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 9/20

Game Preview: Chiefs vs. Dolphins from The Mothership

If you looked at the Week 3 Kansas City Chiefs-Miami Dolphins matchup on the schedule in the offseason, two names you would have expected to play a major role in the game were running backs Jamaal Charles for the Chiefs and Knowshon Moreno for the Dolphins.

In 2013, between the two of them combined, they were responsible for more than 2,300 yards on the ground and 32 total touchdowns.

But as is the case many times in the NFL, unforeseen circumstances can happen.

Chiefs vs. Dolphins: Five Things to Watch from The Mothership

1. Third-and-manageable

The Chiefs converted 11 of 16 third downs against the Denver Broncos last Sunday, including seven of nine in the second half.

It will be important for the Chiefs to continue to have that kind of success against the Dolphins this weekend.

Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson spoke about that success on Thursday.

9/19 Practice Recap: Berry and Thomas Out from The Mothership

When the Kansas City Chiefs play the Miami Dolphins Sunday, it will be without both veteran safety Eric Berry and rookie running back De'Anthony Thomas.

Berry left last Sunday's game against the Broncos with an ankle issue and has yet to take the field since. In regards to Thomas, he was back on the field Wednesday but sat out of practice the rest of the week after feeling some fatigue in his injured hamstring.

"He didn't pull it. It's just fatigue and so we just backed off and said we'll go from there," Reid said. "He didn't re-injure it. It's just more precautionary."

For Reid and the team's medical staff, their goal is to make sure Thomas won't be out for an even longer period of time.

Andy Reid Press Conference 9/19 from The Mothership

Q: Did Jamaal look, for lack of a better term, normal to you out there?

REID: "Yeah, he did okay. Yeah he looked a little sore, but he did okay, you know. He worked a little bit yesterday, but he loosened up and he kind of went as it went. We'll just see how he does."

Q: Have you ever seen anyone return from a high ankle sprain in a week?

REID: "Well, I actually have. Yeah, I saw someone return from a surgery actually on an ankle once and did pretty good."

KCChiefs.com Video: Press Conference 9/19: Andy Reid

KCChiefs.com Video: Jamaal Charles' Participation Update

KCChiefs.com Video: Chiefs Live! Week Three

KCChiefs.com Video: Under the Helmet: Dustin Colquitt

KCChiefs.com Video: Preview: Chiefs vs. Dolphins

KCChiefs.com Video: Tailgate Time: KC vs. MIA

KCChiefs.com Video: Arrowhead Update: 9/19

Week 3: Friday injury report from Chiefs Spin

The Chiefs list eight players on Friday's injury report for Sunday's game against the Miami Dolphins.

Running back Jamaal Charles (ankle) headlines the report, as the All-Pro put in a limited practice for the second straight day. The Chiefs officially list Charles as questionable.

"He worked a little bit yesterday (Thursday)," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, "but he loosened up and he kind of went as it went. We'll just see how he does."

Wait and wonder: Jamaal Charles' availability Sunday remains a mystery from FS Kansas City

The Chiefs on Friday listed their Pro Bowl tailback -- and the leader among NFL running backs in total touchdowns scored last season (19) -- as "questionable" for their Week 3 matchup Sunday at Miami, despite comfortably working through early practice reps late Friday morning.

So, technically, that ankle has No. 25 as 50-50. Still...

...During the first 20 minutes of practice that were open to the media, No. 25 ran and stretched with the other offensive starters and, later, appeared to split first-team snaps with backup Knile Davis.

He hopped. He twisted. He jumped. At times, he even sprinted.

Chiefs' Jamaal Charles questionable from ESPN

Charles practiced on Friday for the second straight day after sitting out Wednesday's workout. Charles suffered what the Chiefs called a high ankle sprain in last weekend's game against the Broncos in Denver...

...Charles declined comment after practice.

Humbled Chiefs LB Nico Johnson focused on second chance from Chiefs Spin

Johnson experienced a roller coaster ride since the Chiefs selected him as a fourth-round pick (99th overall) out of Alabama in the 2013 NFL Draft.

The native of Andalusia, Ala., was a member of three NCAA National Championship teams and joined the Chiefs with high hopes.

An ankle injury, however, sidelined Johnson the first three games of the 2013 regular season and effectively eliminated the chance to compete for playing time.

And getting waived in late August proved an eye opener.

Santos plans to slow down the pace Sunday from ESPN

Santos indicated the problem is that he's rushing his kicks and that he plans to slow things down in Sunday's game against the Dolphins in Miami. 

"I need to slow my pace down, look at the uprights, take a deep breath, just take my time," he said. 

"When it comes time to kick a field goal in a game, I think I've gone off my routine. I'm going too fast to the field. Dustin Colquitt, our holder, told me when I got the kick off for the (missed) field goal that we had about 17 seconds on the play clock. That's 17 seconds I could be taking my time."

Chiefs LB James-Michael Johnson sponsors essay contest; CB Sean Smith returns to Miami from Chiefs Spin

For all the wrong making headlines in recent weeks, the majority of NFL players continue to do the right thing under the radar.

Such is the case of Chiefs linebacker James-Michael Johnson, who is giving back to the community by sponsoring "Project JMJ" with his former high school, Rodriguez High School in Fairchild, Calif.

Johnson's contest involves Rodriguez High School students writing a two-paragraph essay on the importance of establishing and achieving goals.

Chiefs vs. Dolphins preview from ESPN

Teicher: This is the first time the Chiefs will play against Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Give us a little scouting report on him, his strengths and weaknesses. His season isn't off to a great start, statistically at least. How committed are the Dolphins to Tannehill?

Walker: It's funny that you mention Tannehill, because heading into this season, I've often compared him to Alex Smith. The comparison isn't necessarily based on physical traits, because Tannehill is more athletic and probably has a slightly stronger arm. But in terms of Tannehill's ceiling, I'm starting to think developing into a quarterback like Smith is the best the Dolphins can hope for.

Kansas City Chiefs (0-2) at Miami Dolphins (1-1) from Lindy's Sports

PREDICTION: With both quarterbacks struggling to move the ball consistently through the air, this quickly becomes a battle of backup running backs. While the Dolphins' Lamar Miller has added some bulk, Davis has better shown the ability to step in and handle the load as a feature back.

*Our pick: Chiefs 20-17

Week 3 Preview: Chiefs @ Dolphins from Chiefs Spin

MUST-WIN?

Since the playoffs were expanded in 1990, only 2.8 percent of winless teams through the first three weeks made it to the postseason. The last time the Chiefs started 0-3 was the 2011 season when they finished with a 7-9 record.

Therefore, to say that it's imperative the Chiefs leave Sun Life Stadium with a win is a massive understatement. Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith spoke Wednesday about the urgency of the situation.

PREVIEW: Chiefs go fishing for first win of season in Miami from KSPR

EXTRA POINTS

1. Miami re-signed RB Daniel Thomas this week after releasing him in August.
2. Kansas City Pro Bowl S Eric Berry missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a sprained ankle.
3. The Dolphins have won each of the last three meetings and eight of the last 10.

PREDICTION: Chiefs 23, Dolphins 20

Prediction: Dolphins will beat Chiefs from ESPN

But the Dolphins can't afford to lay an egg for the second straight week. Miami is 4-2 in its past six September games and will pull out another close win at home.

Prediction: Dolphins 23, Chiefs 20

Breaking Down The Chiefs from MiamiDolphins.com

THE CHIEFS' QUESTION MARK ON OFFENSE: It would be easy to point to Alex Smith, whose passer rating of 63.6 is the worst of any quarterback who started his team's first two games. But Smith is coming off a Pro Bowl season, so there's reason to think his numbers will pick up at some point. The bigger problem for the Chiefs, really, is an offensive line that's taken all sorts of hits since the end of last season. Only one starter remains from the offensive line that opened in Kansas City's playoff loss at Indianapolis last January - left tackle Branden Albert and right guard Geoff Schwartz departed via free agency, left guard Jeff Allen is on injured reserve, and right tackle Donald Stephenson is serving a four-game league suspension.

Dolphins Special Teams Focus On Fundamentals from CBS Miami

It's not often that a team allows a blocked punt, a kickoff return for a touchdown and muffs a punt deep in its own territory.

So Miami's special teams coordinator, Darren Rizzi, has made sure his unit had a grasp on what needs to be corrected - better fundamentals and execution - before Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Really we just focused on fundamentals," coach Joe Philbin said. "Coach Rizzi was in the special teams meeting today and he made a point that he and (assistant special teams coordinator) Marwan (Maalouf) had watched and there's been 15 blocked kicks in the National Football League in two weeks, punts and field goals. Their assessment was 14 of those were just a lack of fundamentals and execution."

Chiefs' Charles, Dolphins' Clay questionable from The South Florida Sun Sentinel

On the Dolphins side, tight end Charles Clay (knee) is questionable, and it remains unclear whether Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey (hip), who is listed as doubtful, will play even for a series or two.

Top 5 Fantasy Football Busts So Far from CBS Sacramento

2. Jamaal Charles- 4 points, 0 touchdowns, 23 yards rushing

Charles was a top 3 pick in CBS Fantasy Leagues. His four points of production have fantasy owners questioning whether or not to bench the Kansas City Chiefs running back. Charles is listed as questionable for week three. The Chiefs are saying the injury isn't too bad, but it's not exactly what you want to hear about your top pick. Charles is a major part of the Chiefs offense so expect his season to turn around once he becomes healthy off of his ankle injury.

NFL's blind spot may have inadvertently opened the public's eyes to domestic violence from KC Star

"I think that's an important point in moving forward, that just as the NFL has to get its house in order ... this is an opportunity for all us to also see what we can do.

"It's not just the NFL. It's every community in Missouri. It's every community in Kansas. It's every place where someone is in need of help and support."

As Coble considered the murder of Kasandra Perkins and subsequent suicide of Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher in 2012, she noted a recent report that Missouri is seventh in the nation in domestic-violence homicides.

"There continue to be women who pay with their lives for the fact that we're not doing enough. Kasandra Perkins paid with her life," she said. "We need to honor them by doing better."

Roger Goodell's speech was self-serving pap, but Brandon Marshall's can help from The Chicago Sun-Times

So it was blather from Goodell. Crap. Total garbage. We'll do this, we'll do that. We're on full red alert about domestic violence.

Gee, what was wrong with the NFL's domestic-violence program in 2012, when Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher shot his girlfriend - the mother of his infant child - to death, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and killed himself in front of general manager Scott Pioli and coach Romeo Crennel?

Answer: It was nowheres-ville Kansas City. And there was no video.

Column: Violent tendencies develop before NFL spotlight from The Red & Black

Georgia is not immune to the unfortunate trend.

Former Bulldog Sanders Commings was arrested on domestic violence-related charges in 2012.

He was suspended for two games and he now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs.

NFL Teams with Most Player Arrests (Rankings) from The Dayton Business Journal

No. 13 (Tie) Kansas City Chiefs

The Kansas City Chiefs have had 18 arrests during the past 10 years, tied for 13th of any NFL team. The arrests are for a mix of crimes that include domestic violence, DUI and assault.

Chiefs' Reid dedicated to domestic abuse victims from The Associated Press via The Blue Springs Examiner

When Reid was hired by the Eagles in 1999, he told Tammy to focus on a couple of charities where they could devote their attention. Laurel House was one of them, a comprehensive domestic violence agency that serves families and communities in the Philadelphia area.

Over time, it became much more than that, a cause closer to Reid's heart. That's why a series of high-profile incidents involving some of the NFL's biggest names - the Ravens' Ray Rice, the Vikings' Adrian Peterson, the Panthers' Greg Hardy - have been especially troubling to Reid, who has continued to support Laurel House even after taking over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Andy Reid's son settles with Delco man over West Conshohocken road rage incident from Mainline Media News

The son of former Eagles head coach Andy Reid has reached a settlement with a Delaware County man who sued him in connection with an alleged road-rage incident that occurred in West Conshohocken...

...During pretrial hearings, Steven M. Mezrow, another lawyer representing Johnson, suggested he might subpoena Andy Reid, who served as Eagles coach from 1999 to 2012 before becoming head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, to testify during the younger Reid's trial. However, in light of DelRicci's pretrial ruling, the likelihood that Andy Reid would have been called to testify at the trial was slim.

Memorable Returns To The Eagles' Nest from PhiladelphiaEagles.com

2013: Andy Reid Returns As Coach Of The Chiefs

On a brisk Thursday night in South Philadelphia, the winningest coach in Eagles history made his return. In 14 years with the Eagles, Reid won a franchise record 140 games (including postseason). The Eagles took home the NFC East crown seven times under Reid and appeared in five conference championship games. But on this night in 2013, Reid led the Kansas City Chiefs to a 26-16 win over the Eagles.

Former player sues Chiefs for copyright infringement from Kansas City Business Journal

Former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Chris Martin has filed a lawsuit alleging the team and its Ambassadors program used his artwork for their logo without permission.

The Chiefs Ambassadors is a community organization made up of former players.

Dave Duerson's family seeks delay for opt-out date in NFL concussion deal from The Los Angeles Times

Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers linebacker Lewis Bush, joined the call in court papers to delay the opt-out date, asking to do so until after the settlement is final.

"For those sophisticated enough to see through the empty rhetoric, there is no choice but to opt out," their motion said. "But for the fairness hearing to live up to its name, the voices of class members whose valid claims were sacrificed for the sake of expedience must be heard."

First Family of Sod! from PAHomepage.com

Chip goes on to say  dad's answer  was "I figured if I went to Yankee stadium I could mess that up."

Kansas City field was so bad, that he couldn't mess that up and so he was in Kansas City for close to fifty years working for the Chiefs and Royals.

The Tomas' have done super bowls, pro bowls, world series, world cup fields over the years.

Chip's dad is 85 years old now. He's retired from the Chiefs and the Royals, but he cuts 3 or 4 lawns, 3 times  a week in Kansas City.

NO HUFFING AND PUFFING from The Great Bend Tribune

He may have been big, but he definitely wasn't bad.

Clad in bright red and gold, KC Wolf entertained and motivated more than three little pigs Friday as he visited students at Eisenhower, Riley, Jefferson, Lincoln and Park elementary schools in Great Bend.

Wolf is the official mascot of the National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs. But, he is much more - a clown, an entertainer and a motivational speaker who makes dozens of visits around the county and the world each year.

"He got the kids very amped up," said Riley Principal JoAnn Blevins who helped coordinate the mascot's visit. "It was really kind of neat."

The wolf, AKA Dan Meers, is more than a cheerleader, Blevins said. He removed his costume and spoke to all grade levels about the ABCs of success - attitude, behavior and character.