Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 3/17

Loyalty, Love and Legacy: Chiefs LB Tamba Hali Defined from The Mothership

There aren't many people as down to earth as Hali. He's unquestionably respectful, soft-spoken and genuine; that's what people who have spent any time around him have come to know.

So when he speaks of something, there's no doubt it's coming from the heart. When asked about the love he has for the Chiefs organization and why working it out to stay here was so important, Hali didn't have to think about it.

"I've made this my home," he said. "I've been here through all of the tough times, different head coaches. For me personally, being here and playing for this organization in front of these fans, that was huge to me. I couldn't find myself playing for anyone else."

Chiefs DL Mike DeVito Explains His Decision to Stay in KC from The Mothership

After nine years in the NFL, Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman Mike DeVito knew what was important.

For DeVito and his family, staying in Kansas City was important.

It's the reason he reworked his contract this offseason to remain with the Chiefs for the 2015 season.

"I didn't want to go anywhere else," DeVito explained. "Going through this process with Mr. (John) Dorsey and coach (Andy) Reid, you couldn't have two better guys to go through a process like this with.

"As much as you know there's a business aspect to this and they have to do what's best for the team and you have to do what's best for your family, you know that those guys care about you as well."

Chiefs Sign Defensive Back Ron Parker from The Mothership

"I am happy we were able to work out a deal with Ron and his agent to keep him in Kansas City," Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey said. "He is a versatile player with a great attitude that's made a positive impact on both defense and special teams. Right from the beginning of this process, we wanted Ron back in a Chiefs uniform."

KCChiefs.com Video: Arrowhead Update 03/16: Update on DL Mike DeVito

Chiefs' Ron Parker back where he always wanted to be from Chiefs Digest

Parker, of course, listened to numerous suitors and even had a free-agent visit with the Chicago Bears. He said outside of the Chiefs, the Atlanta Falcons expressed the heaviest interest.

But there was no doubt in Parker's mind where he preferred to sign.

"During the whole process, man, it never left my heart," Parker said during a Monday conference call with Chiefs beat writers. "I was just dying and wanted to come back here, and was hoping that the Chiefs organization and (general manager) John Dorsey could get it done, because just my relationship with the coaches and everybody in the building is just unbelievable. It never entered my mind to think about going somewhere else. I knew I wanted to be a Chief."

New contract is beyond Ron Parker's wildest dream from ESPN

Parker said the five-year, $30 million contract he signed Monday to remain with the Chiefs was beyond his wildest thought.

"I never thought about this large amount of money with this contract I just (signed)," Parker said. "It still hasn't hit me. It's like a dream come true."

Parker earned his new contract with a breakout season. After being released eight times by three teams before joining the Chiefs in 2013, Parker was a regular last season, playing some at cornerback but mostly at safety.

Long journey leads Troy DL Billy Dobbs to NFL's door from Chiefs Digest

"Six hours of tossing and turning, waking up every hour on the hour," Dobbs said with a chuckle during a telephone interview. "I took that weekend to get rested. I was rested, but just the night before it was hard to sleep."

He may have felt a little fatigued by the time he eventually rolled out of bed before the crack of the dawn.

But the adrenaline kicked in once Dobbs saw representatives from the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos, St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins.

Analyzing a Chiefs need: offensive line from ESPN

Offensive line

Likely starters: LT Eric Fisher, LG Ben Grubbs, C Eric Kush, RG Paul Fanaika, RT Jeff Allen.

Top backups: Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Zach Fulton at guard, Donald Stephenson at tackle.

Others under contract or protected with a tender offer: Ricky Henry and Jarrod Pughsleyat guard, Curtis Feigt and Derek Sherrod at tackle.

Updated: Beaufort's Ron Parker officially signs with Kansas City Chiefs from The State

Parker told The Beaufort Gazette this past Saturday his offers also included Atlanta, Baltimore and Chicago.

He flew to Chicago on Wednesday and met with Bears coach John Fox and general manager Ryan Pace. Parker told Chiefs reporters on Monday that Atlanta made the hardest push of the other contenders.

On Saturday morning, Parker heard from his agent that the Chiefs were stepping up their offer.

The deal is the largest contract signed by an undrafted safety, agent Justin Turner said.

Maclin and Reid: Reunited and It Feels So Good from Football.com

The Chiefs needed an identity in the passing game, and Maclin was the best option available on the open market.

Reid believes his new receiver cannot be contained by any defense that currently resides in the AFC. Physical defenders better press him at the line of scrimmage, as Maclin has too much speed for single coverage. His ability to create separation from defenders is ideal in Reid's short precision passing game. Plus, Maclin is best at tracking the football over his shoulder on deep routes.

Familiarity is the keyword for this signing, as Maclin played four seasons in Reid's offense and should have a smooth transition once training camp begins.

Former MSU Football Players Try to Impress NFL Scouts on Pro Day from KXLF

"It's tough,", said former safety Rob Marshall, "It's a quick transition to the end of the season to all of a sudden you're starting a new season, you know you don't get to have closure as a senior so really you have to transfer your body as if you were a track athlete. So more of a track star than a football player which is hard."

Months of work come down to running a few drills in front of NFL Scouts from the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs. Running the drills in front of the people who could decide your NFL future is about as stressful as it sounds.

Three former Bobcats work out on pro day from The Bozeman Daily Chronicle

Singleton said he has previously had contact with the Raiders, and it appeared the scout from Kansas City had additional testing for the NFL hopeful to complete after the on-field drills. He turned in the best short-shuttle drill of the three (4.19), did 15 reps on the bench and had a 31-inch vertical.

Wheatley was 'as good as anybody' from The San Antonio Express-News

Johnson played 15 seasons for seven teams in Major League Baseball before retiring in 1986 with what was then the career record for pinch-hit home runs with 20. In all, he blasted 196 homers.

Johnson followed in the footsteps of late Baseball Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, an alumnus of Dallas' Booker T. Washington, and late Negro Baseball League player John "Mule" Miles, a Wheatley graduate.

"I still marvel at some of the (PVIL) athletes who came before me," Johnson said.

Among the PVIL greats are six members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including Robstown's Gene Upshaw. Wheatley-ex Willie Mitchell played in the first Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs.

People: Executive transactions from Sports Business Daily

The Seattle Seahawks hired David Young as vice president of operations and general manager for CenturyLink Field. Young was vice president of stadium operations for the Kansas City Chiefs.

NFL stars connect with area youth through Ed Block Award events from The Baltimore Sun

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had never been to Baltimore, either, though growing up in Cleveland, he said this city's had a similar feel. The 6-foot-6 tight end towered over the city youth on the basketball court with a smile on his face.

"It's a great cause," he said. "You come out here and you hang out with the kids, have fun with the kids. The awards a prestigious award ... so it's an honor to come out here and represent the Kansas City Chiefs, but at the same time, it's a great honor to be here and have fun with all the youth in Baltimore."

2015 NFL Pro Day Results from Walter Football

Linebacker Junior Sylvestre, who will be in a camp this summer, completed 26 reps on the bench and ran the forty in a time around 4.5 flat, with some stopwatches reading under 4.50. Sylvestre met with the Philadelphia Eagles, who sent their linebacker coach to the workout, and also had sit-downs with the Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, Chicago Bears and San Diego Chargers.

Keep ineffective fans off the court from The Daily Aztec

Lest I be accused of beating a dead horse, let's travel up the I-5 to look at one more example of fan irrelevance. Fans of the Seattle Seahawks are famous for their noise. Announcers say over and over that the ear-shattering decibel level forces opponents to play scared. Yet those fans didn't just start screaming two seasons ago. They've been screaming for years, and often in front of non-playoff qualifying squads. Seattle's streak of NFL superiority isn't from large lung capacity; it's from having the right roster.  Otherwise, they'd be just as forgotten as the Kansas City Chiefs, whose fans regularly compete with Seattle's in terms of loudness.

How Major League Soccer is scoring more fans from CNBC

"We explored technology to differentiate the team from the Royals and Chiefs," said Robb Heineman, owner of Sporting Kansas City. "We realized there was a terabyte of information going out [from in-stadium fans] in a 90-minute match."

To learn from that, the team invested heavily in building out its stadium's Wi-Fi system—and began gathering data as fans used it during games. From that, it has learned everything from what they look at during a game to what they buy and who they come with. That information, said Heineman, is then used to improve the in-stadium experience.

"We want everyone to feel like they're a VIP," he said.