Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 9/28

9/27 Practice Recap: Charles Listed as Probable from The Mothership

Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles will likely play against the New England Patriots on Monday night after he was officially listed as probable Saturday in the team's official injury report.

"He did everything," head coach Andy Reid said of his efforts after practice on Saturday.

Charles had been out since suffering an ankle sprain early in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos on September 14.

Andy Reid Press Conference 9/27 from The Mothership

Q: The Achilles issues, three in three weeks. Are you guys thinking about looking at what you guys do or are you just chalking it up as a fluke?

REID: "No, listen. PFAT, they're on top of that. That's Professional Football Trainers Association are hitting that thing hard. The NFL ankle and committee, they're knocking this thing out. There are like 14 of these in the National Football League right now. Three teams are in double-digits with them. So it's out there and people are examining it to try to figure it out. That's how that works."

Q: You said three teams are in double-digits?

REID: "With the Achilles, I believe the Colts and the Ravens also had the same situation. They've had two and we've had three. So, we're winning that game."

Game Day Activities: Chiefs vs. Patriots from The Mothership

Pregame
Parking & Stadium Gate Times

3:00p.m. - Parking lot gates open

5:00p.m. - Scout Investments Club Level gates open

6:00p.m. - Stadium gates open

6:00p.m. - Guinness World Record Pep Rally at the Ford Fan Experience

KCChiefs.com Video: Chiefs Live! Week 4

CSNNE Video: Are changes coming to the Patriots offensive line?

Week 4: Saturday injury report from Chiefs Digest

Berry and running back Joe McKnight, who ruptured an Achilles during Thursday's practice, are out for Monday night's game against the New England Patriots...

...The Chiefs, however, have good news surrounding running back Jamaal Charles (ankle), who is listed as probable...

...Chiefs coach Andy Reid didn't sound sure when it came to running back/wide receiver De'Anthony Thomas (ankle/questionable).

Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry out Monday versus New England Patriots, RB Jamaal Charles listed as probable from MassLive

Aside from defensive tackle Sealver Siliga, who was placed on the short-term injured reserve Saturday, no New England Patriots seem in danger of missing Monday night's showdown at Kansas City.

Number of Achilles injuries has attention from Chiefs Digest

Coach Andy Reid indicated Saturday the Chiefs won't do anything different from the normal routine, instead the Chiefs will defer to subject matter experts...

...Still, three Achilles injuries on the same team within a span of less than a month grabs attention given the rare instance.

And special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who has 14 years of NFL experience as a coach, offered an emphatic response when asked if he's ever seen anything like it during Friday's coordinator media sessions.

"No," Toub said. "And three on one team, I'm not sure if that ever happened. I'm not sure."

Quick-hit thoughts around NFL, Patriots from ESPN

Here's something to consider when watching the Patriots and Chiefs on ESPN's "Monday Night Football": If Bill Belichick had his way, Kansas City cornerback Marcus Cooper would be a Patriot today, not a Chief. Cooper was a seventh-round draft choice of the 49ers last year out of Rutgers, and the Patriots had put in a waiver claim on him when San Francisco released him at the 2013 final cutdown.

Bill Belichick, Patriots not taking Chiefs lightly from The Boston Globe

Reid led the Chiefs to an 11-5 record and a wild card berth last season - a year after the Chiefs finished 2-14 in 2012.

"I'm not surprised, Andy is really a good coach," Belichick said Saturday at Gillette Stadium.

"He does a great job preparing his team. I thought he always did that in Philadelphia. They do a good job, they're well coached, they have good fundamentals, they make you beat them. They usually don't go out there and just give the game away. You're not going to get that from them, rarely. You have to go out there and play a really good football game."

Week 4 Preview: Patriots @ Chiefs from Chiefs Digest

Prediction

The Patriots are 3.5 favorites over the Chiefs, but this game is ripe for the hometown team to seize control...

...The Chiefs offense comes off a game where it totaled 34 points and 174 yards rushing without running back Jamaal Charles, who missed Week 3 nursing an ankle injury. Charles is expected to play Monday given his probable designation.

Look for the Chiefs to get to .500.

Outcome: Chiefs 27, Patriots 21.

Patriots must keep mobile QB Alex Smith under wraps from The Boston Globe

Smith is arguably the best quarterback the Patriots have faced this season, though he's not the first who will tuck the ball and run when needed; the same could be said of the Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill and Raiders' Derek Carr.

"Alex Smith is a very mobile quarterback. He's a guy that has experience, he can hurt you with his legs and he can hurt you with his arm, and he's a very good decision-maker," defensive end Chandler Jones said. "It's my job and our job as a defense to get pressure on him so we can get a win out there on Monday night."

Smith said he takes a lot of pride in his scrambling ability, and he's learned over the years when it's smart to run and when staying in the pocket is the better decision.

Borges: Rocky road put Smith off track from The Boston Herald

He has never become as good as he was supposed to be, but once the situation around him stabilized, Alex Smith has been more than good enough to accomplish what he was supposed to accomplish. Yet questions about the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback linger, like a bad reputation falsely earned...

...His critics insist Smith is not so much a quarterback as he is a game manager, which is to say a guy his team wins in spite of rather than because of. In the early days in Foxboro, Brady was looked upon the same way, but he kept winning and his production kept growing and now he is considered the elite quarterback of his time. So things change. Just not much for Alex Smith.

Patriots' LaFell followed arrow of Chiefs' Bowe from The Providence Journal

Brandon LaFell was a redshirt freshman and he was struggling. The weather would hit triple digits and his team had two practices a day. To make matters worse, he played quarterback in high school until his senior season and didn't fully grasp the ins and outs of the wide receiver position. It was only natural that he'd gravitate toward an upperclassman and he did, following in Dwayne Bowe's lead.

LaFell tried to do everything Bowe did, from on the field to in the weight room.

"Man, he helped me a lot. Especially in the weight room," LaFell said. "When I came in, I was the smallest receiver. I was like 170. Never lifted weights in my life. [He] helped me in the weight room, helped me run routes, helped me with my blocking technique. He just pretty much helped me grow up and become a better receiver."

North Attleboro's Sherman a key cog for KC run game from The Attleboro Sun Chronicle

Sherman has the unwavering respect of his teammates and coaches, who aren't hesitant to praise him for his toughness, ability and total grasp of the team concept. But even he chuckled when Reid referred to him in a conference call with the New England media last week as having "Cape Cod toughness" - Cape Cod being an hour's drive from North Attleboro as it is.

"Yeah, I heard that too," Sherman said, laughing. "He's just got a lot on his mind so I think he just ran with it. He's been there a couple of times for vacation, so I guess he really likes it and thinks that guys are tough out there."

Sherman is tough, smart and committed - and now, something else as well. He's a new father, as his wife, Jessica, gave birth to Rex Anthony Sherman on Aug. 13.

Chatting with Anthony Sherman. from The Attleboro Sun Chronicle

The Patriots have struggled to stop the run a little. They've improved, but have you seen anything that says you can run successfully against them?

I think one of our big things on offense is that we believe we can run the ball against anyone. I think we're just going to do our game plan and try our best to get these running backs free. My job is to open up these holes, so I'm going to do my best to get these holes open for these guys and let them run free.

Brandon Bolden knows the Kansas City Chiefs from The Boston Globe

Brandon Bolden can't recall how many times he has sat in his grandfather's house in Baton Rouge, La., and watched the film of the Kansas City Chiefs' performances in Super Bowls I and IV.

"I've watched Super Bowls I and IV, I don't know, over 150 times, and that was in the past five years," Bolden said. "[The film quality] wasn't that bad. It's actually a pretty good tape. He had the old reel, I can't remember the size, but we'd cut all the lights out, drop the shade, plug it in, grab some popcorn, and watch it."

Bolden's grandfather, Frank Pitts, played wide receiver for the Chiefs, including their 23-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Super Bowl IV in January 1970.

Kickers Sturgis, Santos paving way for next crop of local talent from The St. Augustine Record

America's first community has been kicking it for years. It's only now that the work invested by soccer stars cum specialists is being recognized beyond the scoring summaries.

Last Sunday, St. Augustine's Caleb Sturgis and Cairo Santos were the opposing kickers when the Miami Dolphins played host to the Kansas City Chiefs. That meeting in Miami Gardens was the result of the snowballing effect of a special teams emphasis in St. Johns County.

Dont'a Hightower brings versatility to Patriots' defense from The Taunton Daily Gazette

The experience gained by Hightower in the 2013 season when he made 97 tackles with a sack has been beneficial this season.

After struggling in the opener against the Miami Dolphins, Hightower has been one of the Patriots' better defenders and is second on the team with 18 tackles with two sacks for 22 yards and four quarterback hurries.

The Patriots, who play the Chiefs in Kansas City on Monday night, are relying on Hightower more and more because of the versatility he provides the defense.

Key fantasy injuries for Week 4 from ESPN

Running Backs

Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs, ankle, (no designation yet): Despite the fact there is no official designation for Charles at the time of this writing since the Chiefs don't suit up until Monday night, there is reason to be encouraged. Charles was a limited participant in practice throughout the week, which is not surprising given his recent injury. Keep in mind, however, that Charles surprised everyone by returning to practice last Thursday, just days after suffering a reported left high ankle sprain. He was allowed to test the ankle prior to last Sunday's game. Although he ultimately remained on the sidelines in Week 3, his rate of progress would certainly hint at his availability eight days later for "Monday Night Football." It appears Charles is likely to play, barring a setback, but it will be interesting to see how the Chiefs list his status late Saturday.

NFL picks against the spread, Week 4: Off to a questionable start from SB Nation

New England Patriots vs. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (+3): I was actually tempted by the Chiefs at home, where Arrowhead Stadium can provide a strong home field advantage. The Patriots are not as good as they have been in the past, but I am still willing to take their history against the Chiefs. New England is 4-1 ATS in its last five games at Arrowhead Stadium, and 7-3 ATS in its last ten overall games against the Chiefs. Pick: Patriots

Patriots-Chiefs Monday Night Football Predictions from CBS Boston

I keep going back and forth with this one.  Even though the Patriots have a better record, I am not sure they are the better team against Kansas City...

...This offense has too many questions, and the main one is can they protect Tom Brady? The Chiefs defensive ends can get to the quarterback and this will be a mess if that happens.

Defensively, stopping the Chiefs running attack could be a daunting task, with talented backs like Joe McKnight, Jamal Charles and Kniles Davis. All these guys are fast and they are excellent in the screen game. Alex Smith may not light up the scoreboard, but he's also not going to cost the Chiefs any points.

I don't like the match up for the Pats at this moment.

Chiefs 27, Patriots 13

10 THINGS YOU HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT PATRIOTS-CHIEFS from WEEI

7. Patriots fans should be worried about ... to quote Dr. Seuss, the noise, noise, NOISE, NOISE! To Belichick's previous point, Kansas City has been accorded as the second-loudest outdoor facility in the league (trailing only Seattle), and the Chiefs fans will likely be loud on Monday. New England practiced with music this week to get ready for the expected din at Arrowhead Stadium (although I'm not sure if Whodini's "Freaks Come Out At Night" is the sort of thing to get you ready for Kansas City), but you'll know if the noise is having an impact if the Patriots start racking up the false start penalties - New England has taken four through the first three games, and if it picks up another couple in the early going, you'll know that the noise is becoming an issue for the Patriots.