Arrowheadlines: Patrick Mahomes calls for microchips to be installed in footballs

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Patrick Mahomes calls for microchips in footballs to improve officiating | PFT

“I’ve always thought the chip in the ball has to happen sometime, where if you cross the line, it just tells you a touchdown,” Mahomes said on the WHOOP podcast, via the Kansas City Star. “The biggest thing to me is when they get in the pile by the end zone, there is literally no way to tell if he’s in the end zone or not. It’s like you said, it’s just whatever they call. … I’m sure it’ll happen soon enough.”

Projecting the NFL’s top 10 offenses in 2021: Buccaneers or Chiefs at No. 1? | NFL.com

2 - Kansas City Chiefs

PROJECTED WIN SHARE: 6.14

The Chiefs’ rebuilt O-line and uncertainty at wide receiver in terms of depth (it appears they have 14 WRs on the depth chart as of right now) are the two factors that contribute to them finishing just shy of the Bucs in this exercise. Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce do combine for the highest QB-WR-TE win-share trifecta in the league, though. I was kind of joking about WR depth, but also kind of serious. With Sammy Watkins now a Raven, Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson will be tasked with playing a bigger role. They both had slightly lower off-ball impact numbers in 2020 than they did in 2019, which means they weren’t drawing coverage that created more space for their teammates as often. However, with time comes space, and the new O-line forecasts to give Mahomes more time to operate.

Ranking the NFL’s most vulnerable division winners from 2020: From iffy Seahawks to secure Chiefs | CBS Sports

8. Kansas City Chiefs (AFC West)

2020 finish: 14-2

Division title streak: 5 seasons

Take it to the bank. The Chargers are primed to contend with Justin Herbert at QB, a bolstered O-line in front of him and Brandon Staley guiding their defense. But even they are probably a year away from really vying for the West title. The Broncos, on the other hand, feel like wild-card hopefuls with the Drew Lock-Teddy Bridgewater contingent, and even an Aaron Rodgers blockbuster wouldn’t guarantee them superiority. (Are you taking Rodgers, Vic Fangio and Pat Shurmur; or Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy?) There’s also this: Kansas City has won the West five straight years, and Reid has logged at least 10 wins in seven of his eight seasons atop the staff.

Biggest remaining offseason priority for each AFC team: Can Broncos land Aaron Rodgers? | NFL.com

Kansas City Chiefs

Top priority: Don’t let Honey Badger scurry away.

A month ago, everyone was melting down over the offensive line. Problem solved. The Chiefs — one of the better operations in pro sports — still loom as favorites in the AFC. A big-time contract will come for recently acquired left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. But securing an extension for heart-of-the-defense safety Tyrann Mathieu matters, too. Entering the final frame of his three-year, $42 million deal, Honey Badger has been nothing short of sensational. GM Brett Veach sounded optimistic in April that a deal could be worked out, but Mathieu offered a dose of cynicism this week, writing “probably not” in a since-deleted tweet. It’s fair to argue the Chiefs could (and should) wait to see how 2021 plays out, but we’re also talking about a special squad nestled in a Super Bowl window. Few players mean more to their side of the ball than Mathieu.

Ex-Kansas City Chiefs lineman Mitchell Schwartz roasted the Raiders and their fans | Kansas City Star

Schwartz bought a home in the Kansas City area last year and he and his wife, Brooke, have started to put down roots here. As he works his way back from surgery, Schwartz has made radio appearances on KCSP (610 AM) and on Tuesday answered some fan questions.

That included one about the AFC West rival he dislikes the most. Schwartz didn’t hesitate to answer and offered some pointed remarks.

“The Raiders. I dunno, it just seems the most contentious,” Schwartz said. “Their fans are the least respectful when we go there. They have a little bit more history than the other two as well, so I think they still think of themselves as the glory days and being what they were.

“They were really happy with themselves after they beat us the first time (last season) and I didn’t hear much from them the rest of the year.”

Around the NFL

Buffalo Bills add Sophia Lewin as offensive assistant as part of push to hire, promote women | ESPN

The Bills have hired two women to full-time positions and brought on another two as interns, according to the team and NFL director of football development Sam Rapoport.

Sophia Lewin will work as an offensive assistant for the Bills, while Andrea Gosper will serve as a player personnel coordinator on a full-time basis.

Lewin previously worked for the Bills as a training camp assistant and was most recently a quality control coach at Princeton after coaching receivers at Hudson Catholic High School in New Jersey. She also worked as a student assistant at Monmouth until graduating in 2019.

Gosper has been with the team as a scouting intern for the past two seasons, with the Bills announcing her promotion Wednesday.

Julian Edelman ends talk of joining Buccaneers: ‘I’m a one-team guy’ | NFL.com

“My knees breaking down, I’m not gonna sit here, you know, I got everything I wanted,” Edelman explained. “I got three rings, played in a magical dynasty, with an unbelievable franchise coach, best quarterback of all- time, like, yo, I’m not a greedy guy. I played to win, I played to compete, I don’t need anything else to prove. I’m good with what I did, I left it all out on the field.”

Washington Football Team releases longtime starting RT Morgan Moses | ESPN

Washington saves $7.75 million in salary-cap space by releasing Moses. The move will result in $1.9 million in dead cap room. Moses, a 2014 third-round pick, just turned 30 years old and had two years left on his contract.

Washington also waived offensive tackle Geron Christian Sr. on Thursday, creating $920,000 in salary-cap space. His departure will result in $242,248 in dead cap room.

In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride

GMFB lists ‘craziest, jaw-dropping NFL stats’ — including one from Chiefs

In Week 5 against the San Francisco 49ers, rookie wideout De’Anthony Thomas caught a pass from Smith that he took 17 yards for a score. But because he had caught the ball in the left flat — less than a foot further from the goal line than his quarterback — it went in the record books as a lateral. Today, the official play description reads, “De’Anthony Thomas left end for 17 yards, touchdown.”

Close-but-no-cigar was a recurring theme of that Chiefs season. The same afternoon Bowe fumbled away his touchdown catch, the Baltimore Ravens won their final game of the season — which edged the 9-7 Chiefs out of the playoffs.

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