Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 1/28

Chiefs CB Sean Smith's Consistency Helped Lead Chiefs Defense from The Mothership

In just his second season with the Kansas City Chiefs, six-year NFL veteran cornerback Sean Smith had arguably the best year of his career in 2014.

He helped lead a Chiefs defense that ranked second in the NFL in allowing just 17.6 points per game, not to mention allowing just 51 total points in the fourth quarter, which led the NFL.

Developing as a leader for the Chiefs defense, which didn't allow a 50-yard completion, 300-yard passer or 30-plus points in any game this season (the only team in the NFL to accomplish any of those things), Smith impressed those around him with his approach this year.

2014 Chiefs Positional Review: the Running Backs from The Mothership

As Charles' injury would keep him out the next week against Miami, head coach Andy Reid was asked by reporters during the week whether or not he believed Davis was up for the challenge of starting.

"If it's work ethic that determines that and want to, I would tell you yes," Reid said. "Nobody has spent more time in the offseason than him working in the weight room, working on scheme and learning [than Davis]. He's a mature second-year player.

"I think everybody has confidence that he can step in and do a good job there."

Without its best player in Charles, the depth of the running back unit proved Reid right and was very good for the Chiefs early on in the season when they needed it.

2014 Chiefs Positional Review: the Tight Ends from The Mothership

Anthony Fasano, the veteran who left the Miami Dolphins for the Chiefs, had an injury-ridden 2013 campaign in which he only played in nine games and was looking for a bounce-back year.

For Travis Kelce, "injury-ridden" when it came to 2013 was an understatement, as knee issues and resulting microfracture surgery in October prevented him from playing a single offensive snap.

And finally, whether or not the Chiefs could expect anything out of Demetrius Harris, the former college basketball player who had spent all of 2013 on the Chiefs practice squad, may have been the biggest question of all.

As the Chiefs would find out, the answer to all those questions was that all three would be pleasant surprises, and the unit on the field at the same time (13 personnel) would turn out to be one of the team's most interesting and finest offensive sets.

Shields in 2015: Chronicling the Early Years from The Mothership

As Shields reflected on a storied career, he recalled one particular Pro Bowl that gave him a sense of pride in where he came from.

"Of course, being a ‘military brat,' as they call us, there was one year we looked at it and said almost 40 percent of us who were in the Pro Bowl came from military backgrounds," he said. "It was really unique to know that that discipline sort of set us apart for where we wanted to go or what we wanted to do."

That discipline, which was the foundation of what could soon be referred to as a Hall of Fame career, was instrumental in allowing Shields to start 223 consecutive games for the Chiefs between 1993 and 2006, a record that still stands today as the best in franchise history.

Chiefs in the Community Part III: Honoring the Military & Encouraging our Youth from The Mothership

The Chiefs have a longstanding relationship with our military and make a strong effort to honor, encourage and thank the incredible men and women of our armed forces throughout the year. The Chiefs Community Caring Team visits local bases, hosts military members at training camp or Arrowhead Stadium and provide a special recognition for them during military appreciation month in November.

Throughout the year, the Chiefs are continually visiting military members and their families at local bases. Most recently, general manager John Dorsey, Chiefs Ambassadors, cheerleaders and staff visited Whiteman Air Force Base.

"This visit was all about thanking these men and women and thanking them for allowing us our freedoms," Dorsey said. "We wouldn't be able to play the great game of football if it weren't for these guys. We wanted to pay respect to these airmen and women who make this country so great."

KCChiefs.com Video: Positional Highlights: Running Backs

KCChiefs.com Video: 2014 Highlights: Sean Smith

County to provide $150,000 for Chiefs camp from The St. Joseph News-Press

The county will provide $150,000 from its economic development fund for improvement to Western's practice field used for the NFL team's camp in St. Joseph. The county funding matches a similar pledge that a city committee made Monday night.

"It stimulates economic development to bring people who haven't been here before and showcases the community for three weeks throughout the nation," said Dan Hausman, Eastern District commissioner.

Patriots' Brandon Bolden following in footsteps of grandfather, former Chiefs player Frank Pitts from The New Orleans Advocate

Brycen Bolden has sat in his great-grandfather's living room more than once and been forced to watch old videos of the Super Bowl that features a much younger version the man identified by the announcers of Frank Pitts.

Brycen Bolden is only 3 years old. There's little indication he knows what he's watching, but this is how things are done in Pitts' family. He's proud of his football heritage and that he played for the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowls I and IV. Besides, this is the same thing Pitts did with grandson, Brandon Bolden, and he'll be suiting up for the New England Patriots in Sunday's Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks.

No go on the big game from The Madisonville Meteor

This has been a very bitter pill for me to take. Kansas City whipped New England, 41-14, on Sept. 29, and Seattle, 24-20, on Nov. 16.

The Chiefs finished 9-7, and missed the postseason by one game. Of their seven losses, five were by eight points or less.

Kansas City's five losses by eight or less were all road games. The Chiefs lost to Denver, 24-17; San Francisco, 22-17; Oakland, 24-20; Arizona, 17-14; and Pittsburgh, 20-12.

Those five losses were by a combined 27 points. When you consider the fact that the Patriots had the best record in the AFC at 12-4 and Kansas City was 9-7 with five losses by a combined 27 points, the Chiefs were 27 points away from a 14-2 record and homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

When did football get so popular, anyway? from Reuters UK

Michael Oriard, a cultural historian of football, played with the Kansas City Chiefs as a center, a "tall, thin" center, from 1970 to 1973, shortly after the AFL-NFL merger. He's watched the sport change dramatically (for one, there aren't many self-described "thin" centers around) through the rise of 24-hour cable news, the Internet and fantasy sports. Why is football so popular? He says the sport "simply resonates" with more Americans.

"The fundamental appeal of football is the tension at the heart between violence and artistry that really does create the frisson on the field," Oriard said. "We respond to the violence on the field. But it's not sheer violence, it's not ultimate fighting."

The low barrier to entry to gambling and fantasy sports, Oriard said, "creates this ancillary way to connect to the game."

Communicating The Brand: Gatorade from Strategist Magazine

The Gatorade brand's roots are firmly in football. The birth of the brand dates back to 1965, when University of Florida researchers aimed to help their beloved Gators win more football games. And, in the NFL, Gatorade gained traction in the 1969-1970 season, when the drink helped propel the Kansas City Chiefs to a Super Bowl IV win. In 1983, Gatorade became the official sports drink of the NFL, a title it still owns today.