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“I’ve made myself at home, the fans have bought into me, the community has accepted me for who I am and I appreciate that,” Jones said. “I want to spend the rest of my career here, if that’s possible.
The luckiest and unluckiest team scorers of 2018 | Pro Football Focus
(6,810 yards of offense, 487.1 expected points, 565 actual points, +77.9 over expectation)
Remember a paragraph ago, when I said the Saints had the second-most red-zone touchdowns over the last five years? Last year’s Chiefs were the only team better, averaging 3.2 red-zone TDs per game. Only the 2016 Saints (6,816) put up more total yardage than the Chiefs’ 6,810 in 2018. It was a legendary offensive performance, outscoring the next-best team by almost 40 points. Just on that basis, you almost have to count on regression from the Chiefs in 2019. Patrick Mahomes could be the best quarterback in the league again and still not come close to repeating his incredible performance.
Johnny Manziel has had ‘business-like approach’ in AAF | NFL
During the 2014 draft, Manziel slid down the draft board to set up some drama.
The Chiefs had a legitimate chance to get him at No. 23 until the Cleveland Browns traded up from No. 26 to No. 22 and selected the signal-caller. The Chiefs then drafted outside linebacker Dee Ford and the rest, as they say, is history.
Had the Browns stood pat, however, a dilemma would have presented itself to the Chiefs. And apparently, don’t be quick to discount a possible decision being made that might very well have altered the current quarterback situation in Kansas City.
”Truly, if it had all been just about the player, then they may not have Patrick Mahomes there today because everybody was very much impressed with Johnny as a player,” Lewis said. “He competes, his mobility, his ability to throw the ball, his accuracy, all those things. They just went down the line and checked off the boxes.”
2019 NFL Offseason Acquisitions Set to Make the Most Impact | Bleacher Report
7. S Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City Chiefs
Tyrann Mathieu deserves more credit for his versatility because he’s more than a top-notch safety. The 26-year-old can line up in multiple spots, on the strong side, in center field or the slot.
First and foremost, Mathieu knows how to find the football when it’s in the air. In six seasons, he’s recorded 13 interceptions and 49 pass breakups, primarily in the safety position. Last year, the Houston Texans unleashed him closer to the line of scrimmage, and the LSU product finished the season with three sacks, five tackles for loss and 70 solo tackles.
Ranking the top-five third-down receivers in 2018 | Pro Football Focus
2. TYREEK HILL, 87.2 RECEIVING GRADE
Hill is most known for his big-play ability, and that’s evident in his average depth of target of 17.7 yards on third down (seventh). Four of Hill’s 18 first-down catches on third down were on third-and-10 or more, exemplifying is his ability to stretch the field at any point. But while many think of Hill as a player who wins through speed, he proved his worth in contested situations, as well, catching five of his six contested targets on third down.
Hill was wildly efficient, too, converting 18 first downs on just 21 third-down catches. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had plenty of weapons in 2018 that supplemented his MVP campaign, but time and time again, Hill proved to be the most reliable.
Fox Sports Kansas City broadcaster Rex Hudler’s eyes widened while watching the NFL Honors show last month when Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes won the MVP award.
Hudler was taken with Mahomes’ fashion choice: a royal blue paisley suit with black lapels.
Weeks later, Hudler was shopping with his family at Town Center Plaza when he spotted a coat similar to the one worn by Mahomes.
The jacket was only available as a rental, but Hudler convinced the store owner to sell it to him. To Hudler, opening day seemed the perfect time to wear it.
Around the league
Raiders sign former Seahawks tight end Willson | ESPN
The Oakland Raiders have signed free-agent tight end Luke Willson, the team announced Friday. A fifth-round pick in 2013 by the Seattle Seahawks, Willson will be entering his seventh season in 2019.
He spent last season with the Detroit Lions after spending five years with the Seahawks. Willson had 13 receptions for 87 yards in 14 games, including eight starts, for the Lions.
The Arizona Cardinals are doing their due diligence with the top players available in the NFL draft. The team reportedly met and had dinner with Ohio State pass rusher Nick Bosa on Friday night, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Ultimately, the Cardinals may still select Murray No. 1 overall. Even if Bosa is the consensus top player in the draft, the importance of getting a franchise-altering quarterback could prove too tempting for the Cardinals to pass up.
Duane Brown: Russell Wilson should throw more in ‘19 | NFL
Many wondered why the Seahawks didn’t throw the ball more in their eventual playoff loss to the Cowboys this past January. You can count Seattle left tackle Duane Brown among them.
“When you have a quarterback as talented as Russell Wilson is, you have to have balance,” Brown said. “At times, I think we ran the ball maybe a little bit too much, and that’s kind of hard to say as a lineman. But it worked for us, it worked for us for a long time. The guys up front, they leaned on us, they leaned on Chris Carson [and the] stable of backs we had.”
Next season will be pivotal for the Cincinnati Bengals. The team will not only go into the year with a new head coach, but the futures of both A.J. Green and Andy Dalton could be on the line...While Brown was optimistic the team would reach a deal with Green, he seemed less sure about extending Dalton.
Brown said the team would not consider giving Dalton a new deal before the start of the 2019 season. Dalton’s current deal keeps him with the Bengals through 2020.
”I think it’s a good year for (Dalton) to show like he can, like we think he will. After he re-establishes himself we would want to get together with him and see if we can extend it.
”I think Andy is a good player and that he will rebound off last year. He was hurt. We lost so many other pieces. It fell apart, but if he’s healthy and we stay healthy enough, I have confidence in him.”
John Harbaugh thinks the draft should be sooner | NBC Sports
“I think the draft should be earlier, sooner,” Harbaugh said. “We don’t need to be so involved where we need three months to watch the players ourselves. Let’s draft these guys, let’s get them to us.
“And let’s be honest, they’re all coming. Nobody’s taking their last semester of school. You want to get in the real world here? Let’s understand that that’s how it works. Because they end up graduating a high percentage of the time we get them, anyway, because we make sure they do. Let’s help them, but let’s not have them worried about running 40 times. Let’s get them working on football so they can contribute their first couple of years.”
Payton: NFL ‘pigeonholed’ how it hires coaches | ESPN
“It’s not frustrating, but the thing that can be disappointing is when you talk to someone and they give you the profile. And then I’ll say, ‘Well, you’re not interested in a young Bill Belichick or a young Tony Dungy?’” Payton said. “They get so pigeonholed, because this is cyclical, right? And then ultimately you would say if we did a little history, successful head coaches probably come from the East and the West, the North and the South, they probably come of both color, and they probably come on defense and on offense, and they’re good leaders -- they’re great leaders.
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
Where the Chiefs defense stands a month out from the draft
The free agent market at this position has all but dried up, leaving the Chiefs two options: either making a blockbuster trade to add another solid defensive end, or taking one early in the draft that can contribute immediately. With the depth of this year’s draft, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a player targeted in the upper rounds to help push Speaks and Okafor and add a little more pass rushing juice to the rotation.
The AP prospect of the week is Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram
How he fits in KC: Abram is an energy giver, not an energy taker. He will immediately become a fan favorite if he comes to the Chiefs. He plays with his hair on fire at all times, which can be a blessing and a curse. He was ejected from multiple games for targeting AND his team’s spring game. However, when’s he’s controlled, he shows plenty of range and ability to close on plays.
Two NFL.com analysts pick the Chiefs as the team most ‘in trouble’ in 2019
Reggie Wayne said that expectations would get the better of the Chiefs
Even though they had maybe the best offense in the league in 2018, the Chiefs will no doubt struggle next season. They just jettisoned two of the best pass rushers (Dee Ford and Justin Houston) from an already subpar defense. Not only that, Kansas City comes into 2019 with crazy high expectations, and I know how much of a challenge that is to do from my years with the Colts. It’s hard to duplicate a season like the one the Chiefs had a year ago. There’s a lot more room to fall than there is to climb.
David Carr agreed with Wayne about Houston and Ford, and said the team simply has too many questions.
There are so many questions surrounding the Chiefs. After exits by Dee Ford and Justin Houston, how are they going to rebuild the pass rush? How will they replace Kareem Hunt’s backfield production? What will Tyreek Hill’s status be come Week 1? I’m just not sure what the Chiefs will be. Regardless of their flaws, you can bet that I’ll tune in every week to watch Patrick Mahomes.
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