Remembering Alex Smith's Leadership During Historic Season from The Mothership
It's hard to delineate the characteristics that make up someone who is looked upon by his peers as the one to steer the collective attitude - the mindset during the tough times.
But that's exactly how
Alex Smith 's teammates were looking at him early in the season, when the Chiefs were struggling and not living up to the expectations of both themselves and the fans - that this was supposed to be the best team in the three years of the John Dorsey-Andy Reid-led era.Fans and pundits don't get to see how Smith carried himself every day he came to work, and not just when the cameras were in his face, but also the other times as well.
It's the same. He's the same guy all of the time, and it's all business.
2015 Offensive Review: Looking Back at the Third Year of Andy Reid's Offense from The Mothership
Reviewing the 2015 Chiefs offense has to start with quarterback
Alex Smith , who, as has been noted, entered 2015 with the same head coach and offensive coordinator for the third year in a row for just the first time in his 11-year career.As can be seen from this three-year look, Smith has continued to build upon each year in Andy Reid's West Coast offense.
Behind the Lens: The Top 10 Photos of 2015 - No. 8 from The Mothership
Chiefs 30, Texans 0
Date: January 9, 2016
Model: Canon EOS-1D X
Focal Length: 400
Exposure Time: 1/1,600
Taken By: Steve Sanders
Former tight end Tony Gonzalez looks forward to being in Chiefs' Ring of Honor one day from The Kansas City Star
Shortly before the Chiefs' 23-13 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 25, former Chiefs star Tony Gonzalez allowed himself to think about the future.
Gonzalez was down on the field before the game, banging the team's huge ceremonial drum, when he looked up at the Ring of Honor that surrounds the interior lining of the stadium.
"I was seeing all the names up there of guys I'd played with, thinking you know what, maybe one day my name will be up there, too," Gonzalez said.
Position evaluation: Building around Travis Kelce from Chiefs Digest
Tight ends accounted for 86 of the Kansas City Chiefs' 310 receptions the past season, with Travis Kelce leading the group with 72 catches and five of the six touchdowns by a tight end.
The Chiefs have the cornerstone at the position with Kelce and need the others to step up in the blocking game.
Chiefs are ninth in power rankings but could swing significantly one way or another from ESPN
The Chiefs are ninth in ESPN's way-too-early power rankings for next season and at this point that sounds a bit too low for a team that won 11 straight games down the stretch.
But the point of this exercise is to project what things might look like when next season begins. Since the Chiefs have a large number of key players who are prospective free agents, it's easier to conclude they'll take a step back next season rather than move forward.
Way-too-early prediction for the 2016 Kansas City Chiefs: 10-6 from ESPN
The Chiefs will have their usual home-and-home games against their AFC West rivals, the Broncos, the Raiders and the Chargers. They went 5-1 against this group in 2015.
They'll have six other games against AFC teams: on the road against Houston, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, and at Arrowhead Stadium against Jacksonville, Tennessee and the New York Jets. The Chiefs will also play four games against the teams from the NFC South: at Atlanta and Carolina, and at home against New Orleans and Tampa Bay.
Based on what we think we know right now, here goes:
Offseason predictions for all 32 NFL teams from ESPN
Kansas City Chiefs: The Chiefs won't be major players in free agency, not with 15 free agents of their own, including 10 players who were regulars last season. The Chiefs will have enough trouble keeping the free agents they want to retain. -- Adam Teicher
Broncos' defense is 'in the argument' over the best ever from ESPN
They led the league in total defense, yards allowed per play, pass defense and sacks, and were third against the run and fourth in scoring defense. Toss in the Super Bowl win, and the Broncos are in elite company.
Of the great defenses that have also been a part of a Super Bowl win, the gold standards are essentially the 1969 Kansas City Chiefs (five Hall of Famers on the defense), the 1985 Chicago Bears, the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers(returned three interceptions for touchdowns in Super Bowl win over Oakland), the 1974 Pittsburgh Steelers, the 2000 Baltimore Ravens and the 1972 Miami Dolphins.
Schmuck: Broncos defense doesn't measure up to '85 Bears or 2000 Ravens from The Baltimore Sun
Their defense might have knocked Newton into another ZIP code, but it wasn't even the stingiest defense in the AFC during the regular season. The Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs gave up fewer points than the Broncos.
The Broncos are understandably guilty of running afoul of something psychologists call the "recency effect." It's not really a complicated concept. The importance and memorability of the most recent event is magnified in a string of historical comparisons, which isn't exactly counterintuitive.
S Eric Berry To Big Blue? from 1045 The Team
Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry is expected to re-sign with the team, however, should he decide to test free agency, expect the Giants to be major players.
The Giants are in need of another safety to play alongside Landon Collins to essentially play centerfield for the Giants secondary. Eric Berry would fill that need immediately and solidify the Giants to be a player for a pass rusher in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Raiders save $5 million in cap space by releasing Nate Allen from FOX Sports
With so much remaining cap space, you can expect the Raiders to be active in free agency at the defensive back position.
If Kansas City Chiefs 2015 All-Pro safety Eric Berry makes it to the market without being franchise tagged first, the Raiders could have interest. Other top free agent safety options include Eric Weddle, Tashaun Gipson and Reggie Nelson
Broncos parade: Fans chase dollars, bubbles and their favorite players from The Denver Post
A brave Kansas City Chiefs fan walked boldly down the Broncos fan-lined sidewalks of Broadway in a gesture that drew loud boos. His defiant move drew profanities and head scratching.
ROBY, HEUERMAN JOIN ELITE GROUP OF BUCKEYES WHO HAVE GONE ON TO WIN SUPER BOWL TITLESfrom Eleven Warriors
Tackle Jim Tyrer was the first former Buckeye to have a shot at a Super Bowl championship, playing with the Kansas City Chiefs in the first installment of the game. The 1960 OSU captain and All-Big Ten performer was a third-round pick of Kansas City in 1961. His Chiefs lost 35-10 to Green Bay, but Tyrer paved the way for those who would come after him by making it to Super Bowl I, played on Jan. 11, 1967...
...Tyrer got a Super Bowl championship in 1970 when his Chiefs beat defensive end Jim Marshall's Minnesota Vikings, 23-7.
Victoria football players Davis, Van Gylswyk draw attention of NFL teams from The times Colonist
"It's 100 per cent true," Davis said of rumours that have been circulating over the last couple of weeks, regarding an NFL opportunity.
"I just got off the phone with the [Kansas City] Chiefs [Monday] night and they seemed pretty interested, we'll see how that turns out, I guess," said Davis, who has also had interest from the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles. "I'm really excited about it. I never thought this would happen, but I'm glad it might turn out this way. I've been dreaming about that since I was a kid."
Most teams are interested in Davis as a linebacker as the 22-year-old made the switch to defence from running back last year.
"The Chiefs would like me to switch back to running back though. They like the bigger-sized running back in their offensive system and that's where they see me at, I guess," said the six-foot, 225-pounder, who came off an incredible CIS season.