Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 8/21

Chiefs vs. Seahawks: Game Preview from The Mothership

The preseason is always less about winning the game and more about figuring out personnel heading into the regular season.

Right now, with injuries to Chiefs offensive linemen Jeff Allen (knee) and Eric Fisher (high ankle sprain), head coach Andy Reid acknowledged that other individuals would need to step up.

"I think we'll be OK," Reid said after the Chiefs final practice in St. Joseph, Mo. Wednesday. "We've got [Paul] Fanaika and Jarrod Pughsley who can go in there and play at the tackle spot and the rest of the guys you saw in there, so the right tackle spot would be the place where we would need to put somebody in."

In addition to Allen and Fisher being held out, Reid also said that quarterback Tyler Bray (knee), tight end Demetrius Harris (foot), wide receiver Junior Hemingway (hip), linebackerJustin March (knee), defensive lineman Dontari Poe (back) and OL Tavon Rooks would not play.

Chiefs vs. Seahawks: Gameday Information from The Mothership

Parking & Directions:

Modifications were made to the parking process prior to the 2014 Chiefs season and will remain in place for the upcoming season. Key points to remember are as follows:

Counter-Clockwise Traffic: Guests will travel counter-clockwise once inside the Truman Sports Complex and will be directed to park in the nearest lot based on parking pass. Click here for a map of the complex.

Prepaid Only Gate: Gate 5 will only be accessible for fans who have a prepaid parking pass.

Bus Parking: Fans with a Class A or C Bus or RV require a Bus/RV pass and will park on Dubiner Circle behind Kauffman Stadium.

Parking Guide: For additional information about gameday parking and directions, please click here.

Chiefs vs. Seahawks: How to Watch and Listen from The Mothership

TV Coverage

CBS (KCTV5 Local)

NFL Network (outside of Kansas City metro area)

Play-by-Play: Paul Burmeister

Color Analyst: Trent Green

Sideline: B.J. Kissel

Sideline: Jillian Carroll

Chiefs Defense Heavy on Playmakers, Light on Egos from The Mothership

All of the blood, sweat and tears that went into the grueling rehab have positioned DeVito and Johnson to help lead a Chiefs defense that is as talented as any you'll find in the NFL.

But what's truly special about the Chiefs defense isn't just the talent, which is substantial, but the atmosphere these veterans have created in the locker room.

"A lot of times you have really talented players but a lot of egos," DeVito explained. "And on this team, you really have an incredible amount of talent and an incredible amount of selflessness. I've never been around a team that has had that much of both.

"When you go out there and you're going to battle with your guys to the left and to the right and you care about playing not just for yourself and for your own name, but for the team and for the guys around you, you're going to play that much harder."

Game Day Weather Forecast from The National Weather Service

Tonight

A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4am. Increasing clouds, with a low around 67. South southeast wind 7 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

What to watch in Seahawks-Chiefs preseason game from Chiefs Digest

Starters are expected to see more action than the preseason opener, where the first-team offense played in three series and the first-team defense played in one series against the Arizona Cardinals.

"What we'll do with the rotation is we'll get somewhere close to a half with the ones," coach Andy Reid said of Friday night's plan, "and then we'll put in the twos and threes after that."

With extended playing time comes important evaluation leading to the third preseason game, which is widely regarded as the dress rehearsal for the regular season.

Here are areas to monitor Friday night:

Mailbag: Do Chiefs have a quarterback controversy? from ESPN

No. That's not going to happen. The Chiefs are solidly behind Alex Smith as their starting quarterback. They aren't close to benching him or even opening up the quarterback spot to competition. But Chase Daniel's strong play against the Arizona Cardinals last week is still a big positive for the Chiefs. They need to be confident they can win with Daniel as their quarterback if they need him. His game against the Cardinals (17 of 21 with three touchdowns) will go a long way in that regard.

Chiefs LB Derrick Johnson finally to return to Arrowhead from The Associated Press via FS Kansas City

The last time Derrick Johnson set foot in Arrowhead Stadium, he crumpled to the turf without anybody around him. As he stared up at the sky, his foot numb, the Chiefs' star linebacker had a sinking suspicion what was wrong.

"I didn't know for sure until later," he said.

Later, Johnson was diagnosed with a torn Achilles tendon, ending his season before he even reached halftime of the opener. He was just 15 tackles away from passing Art Still and Gary Spani and becoming the franchise's career tackles leader with an even 1,000.

Nearly a full year later, Johnson is preparing to step back into Arrowhead Stadium. He made his return to games in the Chiefs' preseason opener at Arizona last weekend, but he acknowledged this week that playing at home Friday night against Seattle will feel a bit different.

Chiefs might have to cut some players they will later have to face from ESPN

The Chiefs have some younger receivers playing well, but also linebackers and defensive backs. Those are positions where the Chiefs might cut players they'd rather keep.

That's a good problem for a team to have. The Chiefs had such little depth when Reid arrived in 2013, they claimed seven players off waivers from other teams at the start of the regular season.

Love/Hate for 2015 from ESPN

Jeremy Maclin, WR, Chiefs (ADP: eighth round; me: sixth round): He was originally a hate for me. Leaving Philly and going to KC and short-armed Alex Smith? No, thanks. But you know what? The hate has gone too far. He's not a top-10 wideout like last season, of course, but going in the eighth round, next to Mike Wallace? A guy who will be a target monster with an accurate QB under a coach he has had lots of success with before? Maclin's a WR3 with mid-WR2 upside (especially in PPR), and he's being drafted like he's dead. He's not dead; he's just in Kansas City.

Seahawks hoping for cleaner game against Kansas City Chiefs from The Seattle Times

The Seahawks changed things up this week, moving Justin Britt from right tackle to left guard and promoting Garry Gilliam to starting right tackle.

Carroll says that group "looked very good in practice" this week but that the trick now will be translating that into a game against a good Kansas City defense, and also "communicating really well" in what will be a challenging road environment. "Talent-wise we are okay," he said. "We need to make sure that this unit is coming together. Anxious to see how they do. ... it's a good group we are going against. It's a good gauge to see where we are."

Pick 6 Preview | 6 things to watch: Seattle Seahawks at Kansas City Chiefs (Preseason Week 2) from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

And while the starters don't figure to play much more than a series or two, players competing for spots at the bottom of the roster will have a chance to make an impression in hostile territory: The Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium, one of the loudest arenas in sports.

Jeremy Maclin gives Chiefs deep threat but can Alex Smith deliver the ball? from Yahoo! Sports

The skeptical might flag this as a sales pitch, the kind of annual boast that makes training camps sound like echo chambers full of tough talk and promises. But spend a few days watching the Chiefs and you will see some evidence that Smith and Maclin have an exciting connection. A bond that is typically tough to come by for wide receivers reeled in via free agency, then tossed into a soup of new offensive terminology and concepts.

But Maclin isn't that guy. Not after being plucked by Reid's Philadelphia Eagles in the 2009 draft and spending his first four years in his system. It was actually during those four years when Maclin unknowingly convinced Reid that he was a bona fide No. 1 wideout.

NFL teams going high-tech in practice with GPS systems from The Macon Telegraph

The pod situated between Alex Smith's shoulder blades is about the size of a deck of cards, so small that the Chiefs quarterback barely notices it when he slips off his pads.

The information it provides during practices could be worth millions.

In other words, far more than its weight in gold.

The little black device is the brains of the StatSports system, which combined with a heart rate monitor gives the Chiefs the ability to track everything Smith does during every minute he's on the field. How much he runs, how much of that is sprinting, even the force of impact if one of his teammates forgets he's wearing a yellow jersey and lays a hit on him.

Charles wasn't first star athlete in family from The KC Star via The Port Arthur News

Arlene and Robert helped Charles and his numerous cousins get their start in sports. They started a local track club in the 1990s that still is thriving.

Robert also coached Pop Warner football.

Safe to say that early on Charles wasn't an obvious track man or the best player on his football team — or even in his family.

Friday preview: Ryan Fitzpatrick gets some much-needed game reps from ESPN

The Chiefs will be looking to see how their patched-up and remodeled offensive line holds up in their preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Arrowhead Stadium. Because of injuries and other lineup changes, the Chiefs will have new starters from last week's game at left tackle (Donald Stephenson), right guard (Laurent Duvernay-Tardif) and right tackle (either Paul Fanaika or Jarrod Pughsley). -- Adam Teicher

Report: All-Pro guard Evan Mathis to visit Seattle Seahawks from The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Signing Mathis would certainly help shore up a questionable Seahawks line that underwent some serious reshuffling this week, and he'd be a fit for offensive line coach Tom Cable's scheme. But with less than $5 million in cap space in 2015 according to Over The Cap, any deal for Mathis would likely put a major strain on Seattle's cap situation.

Pete Carroll 'anxious' to see Seahawks' new-look offensive line in action from ESPN

The Seattle Seahawks will get their first look at their newly configured offensive line Friday night, and it should be a much longer look than what the starters got in last week's preseason opener.

Starters typically play more in the second exhibition game compared to the first. Coach Pete Carroll said that will be the case against the Chiefs in Kansas City.

"We'll see more of them this week," Carroll said. "That gives us a much better gauge about where we are moving forward."

Snap judgments and snapshots from SI.com's NFL training camp tour from Sports Illustrated

Kansas City: There's enough talent here to push Denver and San Diego for supremacy in the AFC West. But I still don't see the Chiefs being explosive enough on offense to outscore the Broncos and Chargers.

NFL team-specific beer cans coming to stadium and store near you from SILive

"The introduction of these all new Bud Light NFL team cans is a prime example of our brand's new approach to how we work with our team partners across the league to better engage with fans via localized content and experiences. Ultimately, fans love football and the NFL, but what they really invest in emotionally each week is their individual team," said Alexander Lambrecht, vice president of Bud Light, in a press release. "Each of these 28 cans features a customized message that speaks directly to each team's passionate fan base, and throughout the 2015-16 season Bud Light and its team partners will be unrelenting in delivering incredible, one-of-a-kind experiences to fans in their local team stadiums and markets..."

...Kansas City Chiefs: The perfect beer for cheering at 142.2dB with 76,415 of your closest friends.

Top 30 NFL Fantasy Football Tight Ends For 2015 from CBS Miami

4- Travis Kelce

The receiving options in Kansas City are limited so Kelce could be on the brink of a breakout season.  His snaps were limited last year after missing the entire 2013 season following micro-fracture surgery but now that the Chiefs have moved on from Anthony Fasano, Kelce could be in store for an every-down role.

Why Your Team Sucks 2015: Kansas City Chiefs from Deadspin

Anyway, the Chiefs exist now as early round playoff lunch meat. They gave up a home game to London just because Roger Goodell pretended to consider their dump of a stadium for hosting a Super Bowl. They are the league's straight man, here to take a pie to the face for your enjoyment. Being a Chiefs fan means you never get to be the hero. You don't get the girl. You don't get any of the good lines. You are a minor obstacle for the main characters—Patriots, Broncos, Colts, etc.—to overcome on the path to glory. You will always be a supporting player in some other person's story. You are The Baxter. Andy Reid will make sure of it.

What might not suck: Travis Kelce! Travis Kelce is an amusing fellow...