Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 7/22

Jamaal Charles Ranks Third Among All Running Backs in Madden 16 from The Mothership

As the franchise leader in career yards rushing, Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles has consistently proven that he's a force to be reckoned with.

In what has become a yearly tradition, it appears that EA Sports agrees.

Charles broke in the top five in this year's running back ratings with an impressive 94.

Here's what EA Sports had to say about Charles:

Watch WR Chris Conley Scale Five Tires from The Mothership

The Chiefs rookie wideout posted the video to his Instagram Tuesday morning.

Gridiron Glory at Union Station: Super Ball/Super Bowl from The Mothership

Hunt, as was his wont, wrote numerous notes to Rozelle as the meetings progressed suggesting many innovations or changes. In one of the letters, dated July 25, 1966, he stressed the need to come up with a name for the title game - something approximating a catchy phrase. He referenced that he "kiddingly called it the ‘Super Bowl' which obviously can be improved upon."

Rozelle agreed that it could be improved and admitted that he, a former PR man, found it "corny."

According to Hunt biographer Michael MacCambridge, the word "super" was very much "in the air" at that time. Superman comics were still the rage as was "the phenomenon of supersonic air travel." MacCambridge also notes that Hunt "loved expressive, cutting-edge language" and had used "double unreal" to describe a game's outcome in 1963, and had punctuated many of his responses with the expression, "super." Dated as it sounds now, it was very much a part of the slang of that day.

Chiefs release CB Justin Cox after arrest from Chiefs Digest

Rookie cornerback Justin Cox's inability to avoid trouble before training camp proved costly.

The Chiefs on Tuesday announced the waiving of Cox a little more than 24 hours after he was arrested and charged in Starkville, Miss., on allegations of aggravated domestic violence, burglary and trespassing.

Chiefs waive rookie DB Cox after domestic assault charge from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City

Cox was being held on $40,433 bond. The case is still under investigation.

This is the second time in the past year that Cox has been arrested for an incidence of domestic violence, though the previous charge was ultimately dropped. Cox instead pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of trespassing in January.

If you're cheering for Justin Houston, then remember Scott Pioli fondly from ESPN

Pioli's lasting legacy, the one gift he left for the Chiefs that keeps on giving, is that he selected linebacker Justin Houston in the third round of the 2011 draft.

If Pioli hadn't moved for Houston, with the 70th overall pick, some other general manager would have shortly afterward. Houston was too good in college at Georgia to drop much more.

Foundation of Chiefs defensive line returns to full strength from Chiefs Digest

Kansas City's defensive line will look for improvements in both pass rush and run defense in 2015.

The line accounted for 14 of the team's 46 sacks in 2014 and gave up an average of 127.3 yards per game, but the return of a key player should help.

The Chiefs currently have 11 defensive linemen on the roster:

Alex Smith gets mediocre marks in ESPN's QB rankings from ESPN

That's not so surprising or, from a Chiefs perspective, disappointing. The worst news in this regard is a comment from an anonymous coach whose thinking about Smith might be typical.

"At one time, I would have had Alex [in Tier] 2, but he has to be a 3 because of his arm talent," the coach said. "He has everything else, but his arm talent, his instincts to throw the ball with anticipation [are lacking]. I think it is a product of playing in so many systems. When he was young, I thought he had a chance."

Pass Rushing Over Pass Catching: Assessing the Value of the Wide Receiver in 2015 and Beyond from Grantland

This offseason all but confirmed that, as Justin Houston and Ndamukong Suh got more than $112 million guaranteed combined. The size of the number becomes even starker when you consider that the pass-rushing pair received about $25 million more than the sum of the deals Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant signed last week.

So, why the (comparatively) low deals for two of the premier pass-catchers in the league? First, it's reasonable to hold up both Suh and Houston as the best players at their positions. Suh's consistency — the man plays an absurd number of snaps every season — gives him a slight edge on McCoy at defensive tackle, and Houston's production over the past three seasons gives him an advantage over every other edge player.¹

The second reason is simply about positional value.

Mark Richt 'very proud' of Justin Houston's record deal with Chiefs from The Macon Telegraph

"We're one of the top teams in America as far as having guys in the league overall," Georgia head coach Mark Richt said. "But Justin is a guy that I'm so very proud of. I remember meeting him in high school and just seeing this kid with these long arms and big hands and big feet and kind of not having grown into his frame yet a little bit and watched him grow as a player and as a person throughout the time he was at Georgia."

Improving defense could make Browns playoff team in 2015 from CBS Sports

So while today's NFL is all about offensive firepower, and only teams with a franchise quarterback have a real chance to win the Super Bowl, the road to the playoffs is less restrictive. In 2009 and 2010, the Jets made back-to-back AFC Championship Game appearances with an erratic Mark Sanchez, a very good running game and a great defenses. We've seen that story -- adequate quarterback coupled with strong running game and defense -- play out in subsequent years with the 2011 49ers (Alex Smith's resurgence under Jim Harbaugh), the 2012 Bengals (Dalton was in his second season and Cincy's D ranked 10th), and the 2013 Chiefs (Alex Smith's resurgence continued in Kansas City, which went from two wins the previous season to the playoffs in '13).

Is Ryan Tannehill a 'Tier 3' quarterback? from ESPN

Tannehill currently is in the same Tier 3 as up-and-down quarterbacks Alex Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs, Colin Kaepernick of the San Francisco 49ersand Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals. It will be interesting to see if Tannehill climbs into a higher tier in the coming years or remains with the group of inconsistent quarterbacks.

How 'Hoosiers' Inspired the Pacers' New Uniform from Men's Journal

The tanks are clean and classic, a rich crimson with "Hickory" arched across the chest in gold. The only distinguishable difference from the movie's originals is a Pacers patch that adorns the right breast. If the tanks' simplicity was mirrored by the shorts, it would be a beautiful complete set, reminiscent of the Kansas City Chiefs's red on red. However, the shorts are a bright yellowish nylon, more in line with what you might see on a sixth grade travel team.

Chiefs player struggling to overcome cousin's murder in Charleston from KBZK

While the killings ignited a national firestorm over the Confederate flag, for Commings this was all about losing a beloved cousin.

"Life is precious and short," he said. "You never know when your last moments will be."

On the eve of his fourth Chiefs training camp, Commings sat down with KCTV5 Sports Director Michael Coleman to talk about a man and hero that he calls "his role model."

"He came to a lot of my games in college," he said. "One thing I always remember about him is that he was always positive, no matter if we won a game, lost the game. Good or bad, he was always positive."

Former, current NFL players teach camp from The Bayonet

Over 450 children from across Fort Benning had the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of football July 18 during a free football camp hosted by current and former National Football League players.

The players, who represent teams like the Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs, volunteer their time and expertise. They are partners with Pigskin Patriots - a nonprofit organization whose goal is to support service members and their kids.

"We want to create a day that these kids can remember forever, and just give back," said Chad Hall, co-founder of Pigskin Patriots, Air Force Veteran and former NFL player.