Arrowheadlines: Kansas City Chiefs News 4/16

Chiefs Replay: Week 7 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers from The Mothership

The margin for error was closing quickly, and head coach Andy Reid and the Chiefs knew it.

In Week 7, the Pittsburgh Steelers came to Arrowhead Stadium while missing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger due to injury. Landry Jones would start in his place.

If the season was to be saved, the Chiefs needed to stop the losing streak. They needed to string wins together, and it had to start with the Steelers.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid has successful knee replacement surgery from The Kansas City Star

Reid had his knee replaced in January 2015, and after battling an infection in the knee, had a plate inserted in February and had his follow-up procedure done Wednesday.

This looks like a schedule the Chiefs can win with from ESPN

Any team can look to at least one corner of its schedule and wonder what it might have done to tick off the NFL. That's part of the deal and part of what makes the whole thing fun.

All a team can really ask for from the NFL is a schedule that gives them a chance. It's a safe bet the Chiefs won't open their season by playing six eventual playoff teams over the first seven games, as they did last season.

So the NFL has done its part. The Chiefs won't get buried by their schedule, as they almost did last season. They should get to December with at least a chance.

Rating the top cornerbacks in the 2016 NFL Draft from The Kansas City Star

1. JALEN RAMSEY, Florida State

Measurables: 6-1, 209, 22, 4.41

Bio: Three-year starter who had 52 tackles, zero interceptions, 10 pass breakups and 10 pass deflections in 13 games in 2015. First true freshman to start at cornerback for Florida State since Deion Sanders in 1985. Declared after his true junior season.

Consensus: Outstanding athlete; former track guy who tested well in multiple drills including the vertical (41.5) and broad jump (135 inches). Has excellent arm length (33  3/8 inches). Can play cornerback or safety, but has the ability to play multiple positions as a Swiss-army knife, of sorts. Potential Pro Bowler at either position. Has excellent instincts, football IQ and leadership ability. Great tackler who can blitz, too. Surprisingly low ball production (only three career interceptions) is a small concern.

2016 NFL Draft: Kansas City Chiefs on the clock at No. 28 from CBS Sports

After striking it rich with rookie Marcus Peters making the Pro Bowl last season, the Chiefs appear intent on solidifying their secondary. They franchised safety Eric Berry and have a chance to pick up another talented, young cornerback in the first round.

NFLDraftScout.com analyst Rob Rang says they should take fast-rising Houston corner William Jackson III and Rang's partner in draft mocks, Dane Brugler, prefers Ohio State's Eli Apple for the Chiefs.

If the Kansas City Chiefs had any fears about their path to an AFC West title, that changed when the NFL unveiled their 2016 schedule. from Warpaint Illustrated

With the NFL handing the Kansas City Chiefs one of the most well rounded schedules in recent memory, it certainly increases the chances this franchise can win its first AFC West Title since 2010. So how many games will KC win in 2016?

Eric Berry brings hope to kids at his youth camp from Go Vols Xtra

The Kansas City Chiefs safety was cracking jokes, cutting up and connecting with the youth at the Sansom Sports Complex during his Knoxville Legends Football Camp.

The kids hovered around him, trying to get as close as possible to the four-time Pro Bowl selection.

But it's not just his stardom and renowned status for big hits and playmaking ability the kids he and his team coach at his annual camp admire.

Ouachita prepares to honor its brightest from The News Star

This year, 252 scholars will be honored. Each of the scholars , who live in Ouachita Parish and have earned an average at least a 3.5 cumulative GPA for seven semesters and an ACT composite score of 25 or higher before Jan. 1.

This year's keynote speaker is Rudy Niswanger.

Niswanter, a Monroe native and a graduate of Ouachita Christian School, earned a degree in pre-med and business at LSU.

Purdue holds groundbreaking ceremony for new football performance complex from WLFI

Tonight's festivities also included a reunion of Purdue Super Bowl champions. Twenty-three Boilermakers have combined to win 33 Super Bowl rings, including head coach Hank Stram of the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl IV.

A former Purdue player has been on the Super Bowl-winning team 13 of the last 17 years.

2016 NFL Mock Draft 1.0 from Click On Detroit

28. Kansas City Chiefs - Paxton Lynch, QB, Memphis

Kansas City has one of the best rosters in the NFL, so they are in a position to draft outside of a current need position. Alex Smith has been great for the Chiefs and is coming off a career year, however Lynch fits the bill of an Andy Reid Quarterback. Lynch has a huge arm, and is very mobile, exactly what Reid likes.

Jason Wolf's analysis of Titans' 2016 schedule from The Tennessean

Sunday, Dec. 18 at Kansas City, noon, CBS

Arrowhead Stadium is a difficult place to play, especially in December, and the Chiefs, led by quarterback Alex Smith, closed their last regular season on a 10-game winning streak. The Titans won their last game at Kansas City in 2014. It was the team's first victory under Whisenhunt.

Breaking down the Steelers' 2016 regular season schedule from Pittsburgh Sporting News

Week 4 - vs. Kansas City Chiefs

It's often hard to know what to make of the Chiefs, especially because it's hard to truly be scared of Alex Smith. But the Kansas City defense is absolutely no laughing matter and could pose problems for the Steelers without Bryant. Pittsburgh has also struggled to defend top-notch tight ends, and Travis Kelce is dangerous. It'll be fun to watch Bell and Jamaal Charles do their things on opposite sides of the ball — especially after both suffered season-ending knee injuries last year.

Jets schedule analysis: Gang Green will go 9-7 and miss playoffs for sixth-straight year from The NY Daily News

Week 3 at Chiefs: The last time the Jets were in Kansas City, Mike Vick and Matt Simms were under center. They'll need much better quarterback play to have a chance to topple a boring — but sound — Andy Reid team. No Justin Houston will certainly help matters, but Arrowhead Stadium is a hellish place to play.

Prediction: Chiefs 24, Jets 20 (1-2)

Winners and losers of 2016 NFL schedule from ESPN

Compare that to the Chiefs, who play on Sundays 15 out of the 16 possible times this season. The only time they stray from their lovely course is to sneak out for a Thursday night contest against the Raiders in Week 14. Kansas City is the only team in the league to avoid facing two or more short weeks this year. The average team is up against 2.6 short weeks in 2016, so that's a nice hidden advantage for Kansas City.

On the flip side of all this, the team that gets to enjoy long weeks most often this year? That's the defending NFC champion, Carolina. Including their time off before the season and their bye, the Panthers will have a whopping seven games in 2016 with eight days or more between contests. Four of Carolina's first seven games come on extra rest, including matchups against the Broncos (in the season opener) and Cardinals, while the Panthers face just one team on short rest over that same time span. The Chiefs, naturally, have the fewest long weeks in their schedule.

Braxton Miller's draft range: Bills, Bengals, Eagles among fits from NFL.com

From a schematic standpoint, Miller would appear to excel in an offense that features a number of catch-and-run concepts on the perimeter. Teams using slants, shallow crossers and option routes would ideally suit Miller's talents as an explosive playmaker.

That's why I would pay close attention to the New York Giants, Kansas City Chiefsand Philadelphia Eagles, based on their roster needs and utilization of a West Coast offensive scheme. All of those teams covet potent playmakers with dazzling running skills, which is why they place added value on punt returners. Most importantly, these teams appreciate pass catchers capable of transforming short passes into big gains with spectacular runs on the perimeter.

Luckett fares well at combine, pro day from The Enterprise-Journal

Luckett plays middle linebacker and went to the regional combine at NRG Stadium, home of the Houston Texans, several weeks ago and estimated there were 14 players at every position present. He said scouts from the Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins were also on hand.

The Bottom Line: Time for introspection on Native American mascots from Christian County Headliner News

One common argument nicknames like Chiefs and Indians being offensive is the fact that there are teams called the Celtics, Fightin' Irish and Vikings and white people don't find those names offensive. So if that's the case, shouldn't American Indians be OK with Chiefs and Indians? No. Because, as Uni Watch Blog creator Paul Lukas pointed out, those are examples of "a culture celebrating itself, instead of taking someone else's culture."

That's a huge difference. It's one thing for people to name a team after their own culture and a far different thing to take someone else's culture and turn it into a mascot. It's time to change nicknames like Chiefs, Indians and Redskins. Or at least, as Jones said, to start thinking a little more deeply about it.

American Indian Sports Logos Do Real Damage, New Study Finds from How Stuff Works

From the Washington Redskins to the Kansas City Chiefs, numerous professional sports teams use American Indian mascots and logos, raising serious questions of cultural appropriation and respect. Those opposed to the practice say that the teams' use of such logos plays on negative stereotypes, violates civil and intellectual rights, and diminishes cultural traditions. Supporters tend to hold up tradition as a basis for not abandoning the mascots, and say such use honors Native Americans.

In a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, a team of researchers from the University of Montana, University of Washington and Washington State University decided to examine what impact viewing these mascots and logos based on ethnicity actually makes.