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NFL and Twitter Announce Streaming Partnership for Thursday Night Football from The Mothership
Partners since 2013 through the Twitter Amplify program, the NFL and Twitter will provide free, live streaming video of Thursday Night Football without authentication to the over 800 Million registered and non-registered users worldwide on the Twitter platform on mobile phones, tablets, PCs and connected TVs.
In addition to live streaming video of NFL action, the partnership includes in-game highlights from TNF as well as pre-game Periscope broadcasts from players and teams, giving fans an immersive experience before, during and after games.
With this partnership, the NFL has again extended its digital presence, making the most valuable content in sports and entertainment available across multiple digital platforms free for all users.
Chiefs.com Photo Gallery: Prep-KC Visit
Mellinger Minutes: Royals hype, Joakim Soria worry, Chiefs future, what Villanova did for Kansas from The Kansas City Star
There are many Chiefs fans who think it's been a great offseason, which is strange to me. The Mitchell Schwartz signing was terrific, because it fills a weakness with the consensus best option on the market, but other than that the signings have been mostly limited to re-signings. It's great to re-sign your own guys, but the Chiefs need to get better, not just maintain.
I seem to think the Chiefs will miss Sean Smith more than most fans. I also believe the team's best player missing at least a chunk of the season is significant, and the loss of a third-round pick limits them on what they can do.
It's a strange thing. I know people inside the building, in football operations and otherwise, who are more worried about how the offseason has gone than many fans.
Chiefs gambled on CB Marcus Peters last year, but the move has been worth it from ESPN
The selection of Peters in the middle of the first round was risky, because he had been thrown off his collegiate team at Washington during his final season because of a confrontation with a coach. As a result, Peters was reportedly not on the draft board of at least one other NFL team. Peters seemed to keep his temper in check during the season, though he was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after the Chiefs allowed a touchdown pass during a game against the Raiders. Either way, it didn't appear to affect his play.
Was there a safer move?: There's always a safer move but probably not a better one.
What are Chiefs getting in safety Stevie Brown? from ESPN
It wouldn't seem there's much for fans to be excited about with the Kansas City Chiefs' recent signing of veteran safety Stevie Brown. He was out of the NFL last season after being released at the end of training camp by both the Houston Texans and New York Giants.
But Brown did have eight interceptions for the Giants in 2012, so he has a history of making plays. Then there's the Chiefs' history of finding veteran safeties seemingly on the scrap heap (Husain Abdullah, Kurt Coleman, Tyvon Branch) and turning them into productive players.
So there might be something to this signing for the Chiefs, too.
Top 20 Games of 2015: No. 4 -- Broncos at Chiefs from NFL.com
Head Scratcher
How the Chiefs got better last season following Jamaal Charles injury defies explanation. Charles has long been considered one of the top 25 players in pro football, yet there is no getting around the fact that Kansas City won 11 games in a row after he went down. The Chiefs rushing game was ranked 14th in the league with Charles, but the 1,495 yards they ran for in the 11 games without him was sixth overall.
A sleek answer to this conundrum is Alex Smith picking up the slack. After Charles got hurt, Smith started taking off, averaging over 35 rushing yards per game in his absence. In fact, Smith ended up averaging more yards per carry (5.93) than Russell Wilson (5.37) or Cam Newton (4.82).
NFL.com suggests Colts should trade for Jamaal Charles from Stampede Blue
The Colts could really be helped by the addition of a healthy Jamaal Charles, as a backfield of Frank Gore and Jamaal Charles would give the Colts a legitimate threat and would help Andrew Luck, the passing game, and the offense as a whole. Furthermore, the idea would be that the Colts could move on from Gore after the 2016 season and then transition to Charles as the starter. By that time, though, the Colts would need to already be thinking about the replacement for Charles.
In addition to chairing the Dream Gala, The Hunt Family Foundation is the presenting sponsor, "We are thrilled that Tavia and Clark Hunt have agreed to be Honorary Chairs for the 2016 JDRF Dream Gala," says JDRF Kansas City Chapter's Immediate Past Board President, Cathy Baier. "The Hunt Family Foundation does so much to make life better for people in our community, and we are honored that they chose to join us in the quest to create a world without type 1 diabetes."
The JDRF Dream Gala raises more than $2 million to support type 1 diabetes research. The Dream Gala begins with a cocktail reception and silent auction at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner, live auction and Fund A Cure at 7:30 p.m. The evening will conclude with live entertainment by The Michael Beers Band beginning at 10:00 p.m. Tickets are $350 per person and can be purchased online at jdrf.org/kansascity.
Lynch preps 'challenging' script for golden pro-day opportunity from NFL.com
For a quarterback expected to be drafted in the first round, Lynch's training for pro day hasn't been interrupted by as many formal visits to NFL clubs as there could have been. He'll embark upon a whirlwind tour of such visits after his pro day, but to date, he's visited only the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns. From the Browns visit, he traveled directly to Memphis to begin the on-campus leg of his pro-day preparation, throwing to UM receivers with whom he has a working chemistry.
The Philadelphia Eagles, who have conducted workouts with many of the draft's top passers, dropped in to work out Lynch on March 31.
Other than that, interruptions have been few since he arrived in Memphis.
Tough Fifth-Year Options Ahead For 2013 NFL Draft Picks from Football Insiders
Eric Fisher, OT, Kansas City Chiefs
It's not entirely his fault, but Fisher is probably the worst first-overall pick since Sam Bradford. Chiefs general manager John Dorsey has managed to win despite not getting the value that most people expected out of his former No. 1 pick.
Dorsey, along with many other GM's, isn't getting torched because of how poor the entirety of the draft class.
He will have to make a tough decision on Fisher, who will be due $11.9 million in 2017.
Is Tyrod the One? from Yahoo! Sports
While some teams are still resisting - Adrian Peterson has never been challenged in Minnesota - the Chiefs have joined the multi-back movement. Last week, Kansas City signed Spencer Ware to a two-year extension while rewarding Charcandrick West with a three-year pact.
What do those contracts mean? On the surface, not much. Jamaal Charles has made excellent progress in his recovery from a torn ACL and should be ready for Week 1. Before getting hurt last year, Charles averaged 108.2 yards from scrimmage with five touchdowns in only five games. Those are RB1 numbers. If he's healthy, Charles should return as the lead back.
But coming off his second ACL tear in four years, the Chiefs would be wise to ease Charles in slowly, creating a need for complementary backs like Ware and West. Both players showed promise while substituting for Charles last year.