Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 1/23

Eric Berry Named PFWA's Comeback Player of the Year from The Mothership

Earlier this week, Berry was also named to the All-NFL team by the PFWA, which is composed of accredited writers from around the country.

His story continues to be the best in the NFL this season.

Andy Reid Named 101 Awards AFC Coach of the Year from The Mothership

The Kansas City Chiefs made NFL history in 2015 by becoming the first team to ever rally from a 1-5 start to end the season on a 10-game winning streak and qualify for the playoffs.

On Friday afternoon, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was announced as the AFC Coach of the Year at the 46th Annual 101 Awards press conference.

"I think putting it in perspective is tough because we haven't seen anything like it before," said Chiefs team president Mark Donovan of the season Reid and the Chiefs had. "I would go back to the leadership that he showed during [the five-game losing streak]. You lose to the Bears at home, and then you go up to Minnesota and you lose that game, you have a lot of people inside the building and outside the building wondering what's up, and you need a leader at that point."

2016 NFL 101 Awards Winners Announced from The Mothership

For the second time in three years, two of the six NFL 101 Awards for outstanding performance will come from the Carolina Panthers after the team achieved an NFL-best 15-1 record and captured its third-straight division title. Panthers Head Coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Cam Newton will be honored for their spectacular season, alongside the other 2015 award winners - Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid and superstar players Tom Brady, J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald. The six awards will be presented at a black-tie awards dinner in Kansas City and will be broadcast on the NFL Network following the event.

The 101 Awards, benefiting the University of Kansas Hospital, will stage its 46th annual awards gala on Saturday, March 5, 2016, at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City.

The event is presented by Burns & McDonnell and, in addition to the national winners, will also recognize two Chiefs team awards.

Chiefs' Andy Reid again wins 101 Committee's AFC coach of the year award from The Kansas City Star

It's the third time Reid has been honored by the 101, a national media committee comprised of 101 sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NFL. Founded in 1969, the 101 Awards are the nation's longest-running professional football honors.

The other winners are: Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera, NFC coach of the year; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, AFC offensive player of the year; Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, AFC defensive player of the year; Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, NFC offensive player of the year; and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, NFC defensive player of the year.

The winners will be honored at the 46th annual NFL 101 Awards dinner on March 5 at the Westin Crown Center.

PFWA names Eric Berry the Comeback Player of the Year from Chiefs Digest

The recognition has piled up for Berry, who earlier in the week was named All-NFL and All-AFC by the PFWA. He also earned a first-team All-Pro selection by The Associated Press was voted to the Pro Bowl.

Berry isn't the only Chiefs player to be recognized the PFWA, which is comprised of accredited writers who cover the NFL and its teams on a daily basis, in the past week.

The organization on Monday named inside linebacker Derrick Johnson and rookie cornerback Marcus Peters to the All-AFC team.

An Andy Reid staff stalwart since the beginning, Brad Childress eager for next role from ESPN

When Andy Reid got his initial head coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999, he hired an assistant off the staff at the University of Wisconsin by the name of Brad Childress to be his quarterbacks coach. Philadelphia's starting quarterback that season was a journeyman, Doug Pederson, who had played for Reid when he was an assistant with the Green Bay Packers.

A few years later, Childress became the Eagles' offensive coordinator and other than 4½ seasons as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings and one as the coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, he's been with Reid ever since.

"I've seen this thing from its infancy from back when I was coaching Doug as a quarterback,'' Childress said.

A QB eight years ago, Matt Nagy has been on the coaching fast track since from ESPN

Matt Nagy is eight years removed from being a quarterback for the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena League. Seven years ago, he was the offensive coordinator for the Palmyra Area High School Cougars in Pennsylvania.

Nagy, 37, has been on the coaching fast track ever since. Three years as an offensive assistant to Andy Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles and three more with Reid with the Kansas City Chiefs as quarterbacks coach and now he's one of the Chiefs' offensive coordinators. He will share the job with Brad Childress.

Nagy had to show Reid a lot to make a rapid climb like that.

Patriots' Danny Amendola fined for hit against Chiefs' Jamell Fleming in playoff game from The Kansas City Star

Chiefs outside linebacker Dezman Moses was also fined $17,363 for roughing the passer on a second-quarter hit to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Moses' penalty spared the Patriots from facing third and 8 and extended a touchdown drive that gave them a 14-3 lead.

Patriots' Danny Amendola, Chiefs' Dezman Moses fined for actions in playoff game from Chiefs Digest

The specific play occurred at the 9:08 mark of the second quarter on a punt return when Amendola leveled Fleming, who was attempting to down the ball at the Patriots' 4-yard line.

Amendola immediately drew a penalty for unnecessary roughness and officials had to separate players from both teams in the end zone. The penalty moved the ball back half the distance to the goal at the 2-yard line.

Chiefs need to follow their best regular season in years with their best offseason in years from The Kansas City Star

The Chiefs, then, find themselves in a tremendously important point in their history. They are more stable than at any time since Marty Schottenheimer left, and just won their first playoff game in a generation. That's a success, a relief, and an important thing to the Hunt family. It's also not the goal, or enough to be satisfied if this is the peak of the current leadership group.

All of which makes the decisions of general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid this offseason disproportionately pivotal if the Chiefs are to stop topping out at almost good enough.

"I think any of us who aren't working this week are a little disappointed because we didn't reach our ultimate goal," Dorsey said this week, the first time he's spoken publicly since before the season. "It's going to make me work harder. Because until you hit that ultimate goal, it really doesn't matter. We have a lot to be proud about, but at the end of the day, we're going to have to move forward and understand what it takes. We're going to have to get better again."

A look at the Chiefs' salary cap numbers for 2016 from The Kansas City Star

Here are the salary cap numbers for each Kansas City Chiefs player on the roster as of Friday. If the NFL sets the 2016 salary cap at $153.4 million, the Chiefs would have a slightly less than $33 million in cap room. Only a team's top 51 salaries count against the cap.

Chiefs' total cap commitments for 2016: $123 million*

Cap carryover: $2.6 million

Projected 2016 salary cap: $153.4 million

A look at the Chiefs' five biggest needs heading into the 2016 season from The Kansas City Star

Here's an early look at the five primary positions the Chiefs might look to bolster this offseason, either through free agency or the NFL Draft.

1. Offensive tackle

This really is not a reflection on Jah Reid, a former third-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens who earned a three-year extension in December after joining the Chiefs as a free agent. Reid proved to be capable at right tackle, but he was very solid at right guard during his short stint there in the playoffs and might have earned a longer look there going forward. The Chiefs' depth at guard is OK with Ben Grubbs, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Zach Fulton. But because they might lose starter Jeff Allen to free agency, a move inside could still make some sense for Reid, who also provides protection in case the Chiefs lose versatile swing tackle Donald Stephenson to free agency.

Chiefs will take ‘strategic' approach to marketing in St. Louis from The Kansas City Star

"I've gotten texts and emails from fans saying I'm now a Chiefs fan, and we appreciate all that," Donovan said. "But we're going to take a strategic approach to that — we're going to be respectful. They've been through a really tough process.

"We're going to continue to do what we do, and we think with the success we're having on the field and the success we're having off the field, it creates a great opportunity for us."

Donovan said the Chiefs could have the opportunity to market themselves in St. Louis in the future.

John Dorsey on Jamaal Charles' future: 'He's a Chief' from NFL.com

Charles is due a reasonable sum of $6 million in salary and bonuses in 2016.

The Chiefs' all-time rushing leader turned 29 in December.Studies have shown that running-back production decreases by 15 percent at age 28, 25 percent at age 29 and 40 percent by the age-30 wall.

On the other hand, Charles has proven to be an exceptional talent, trailing only Hall of Famer Marion Motley (5.7) with a gaudy career per-carry average of 5.5 yards.

How the Eagles' coach search played out from Philly.com

The Eagles had interest in Pederson all along, but with McAdoo off the market, the road to the job appeared more clear. With many of Coughlin's assistants staying in New York, the 69-year-old coach would have required a new staff in Philadelphia. He pulled out of the search on Jan. 14.

No second interviews were scheduled with Pederson or any other candidate.

On the afternoon of Jan. 14, Texas El-Paso coach Sean Kugler introduced his staff, and it was supposed to include Ken Flajole as defensive coordinator. Kugler told reporters that Flajole had accepted a job with the Eagles that morning.

The question was, whose staff would Flajole join? The answer proved to be Pederson's.

Travis Kelce Mocked Tom Brady Before Playoff Game; It Did Not Work Out For Him from CBS Boston

That's when this happened:

Against the Chiefs, he trotted the length of the field slowly, knowing it might be his last chance to soak in the atmosphere of Gillette Stadium this season. When he reached the end zone, he roared, slashing the air with a vigorous punch. Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, looking on from a few yards away, mocked Brady with a celebration of his own, punching the air and bobbing his head. Brady glanced at Kelce, acknowledging he had seen the gesture, but jogged away in a manner suggesting that lions do not concern themselves with the opinions of sheep.

It is a tremendous story, and fortunately for the world, it was captured on video and can be memorialized forever.

How kickers handle knowing one miss can break team's season from ESPN via ABC News

Every kicker has to find a way to navigate the expectations of perfection that come with the job. That's the life of a kicker, too. Tynes said he learned a lot from longtime veteran Morten Andersen when they were competing for the Kansas City Chiefs' kicking job in 2004.

"He was a book of knowledge, and he had done some work with sports psychologists, stuff like that, too," said Tynes, who as a Chiefs rookie beat out the NFL's career scoring leader. "After a kick, he had a routine where he'd go to the sideline and take a quick sip of water, then throw the cup in the garbage. To him, that was throwing away the last kick, whether he missed it or made it, and then moving onto the next one. That's something I remembered and tried to be very good at during my career, too."

Westhoff, Tynes and Lantry all hope that everything will go smoothly if any kicker in this weekend's conference championship games finds himself in position to impact the game.