Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Draft:
This is always a very exciting time, to see new and eager talent just waiting to please their new teams and hoping they go where they have always dreamed of playing.
* Note that we made some moves prior to the draft that involved picks, as a result we have a somewhat unbalanced list of draft selections.
* Also Note that we made two significant moves as the draft unfolded:
- Because we decided to re-sign QB Matt Cassel to a new 4-year agreement and, despite making the commitment only one year ago to QB Ramzee White (involving significant bonus structure, given his #4 overall draft selection, we truly felt it unfair to retain him as purely a backup to Matt and sincerely felt we owed him the opportunity to play ball elsewhere. So we shopped him to target teams that might require, or soon require, a bright young QB and sent him, along with our #2 Pick & #3 Pick to the New England Patriots for their #2 & #4 & #5 Picks!
- As the draft commenced, we again spotted someone we really wanted to take a run at and also made a move with the Green Bay Packers to jump up in the first round. We sent them our #1 & #2 & #4 Picks in exchange for their #1 Pick, which allowed us to move almost halfway up to pick at #18.
After all of that off-season and pre-draft movement of players and picks, we were still left with seven with which to choose some talent to bolster The Chief roster. The day unfolded as follows:
Round 1 (Pick 18) - RT Ed Reed (Colorado State)
Round 2 (Pick 22) - CB George Harris (Virginia Tech)
Round 3 (Pick 1) - OLB Evan Frazier (Tennessee)
Round 5 (Pick 20) - OLB Sam Gibson (Baylor)
Round 5 (Pick 22) - FS Desean Odom (Abilene Christian)
Round 5 (Pick 28) - C Sammy Sammatalle (Hawaii)
Round 5 (Pick 218) - CB Jordin Dority (Rutgers)
Our Draft Grade this year was again a "C" (that might be the third year in a row we've been graded only "C"). Best value was said to be CB Dority (our very last pick of the draft - not sure if that is a good or bad omen)!
The Falcons, oddly enough, were the only team to be graded "A" and as we just faced them for the championship, I imagine they will have even more tools to return in 2015! I hope we too have that re-match opportunity.
Rookie Signings:
RT Ed Reed - 5years/28.5million 74 C
CB George Harris - 4years/3.55mil 67 B
OLB Evan Frazier - 4years/5.3mil 81 A
OLB Sam Gibson - 3years/990k 67 B
FS Desean Odom - 4years/1.32mil 83 A
C Sammy Sammatalle - 4years/1.32mil 78 A
CB Jordin Dority - 4years/1.32mil 78 A
Is it just The Chiefs or are the tougher picks the first round choices you make, when compared to the diamonds-in-the-rough we seem to be lucky enough to encounter in the later rounds.
I was actually very please with this year's draft and feel we have added a lot of young and talented depth to the squad for the coming 2015 season. I can't wait to see them play!
After all the moves, signings and picks, we were left with a CAP number of 9.07-million with the 4.91-million penalties, so I think we did very well.
To strengthen our defense through the middle we also did revisit the Free Agency pool after all and are pleased to announce the signing of MLB Dysean Stone, a bright young defensive team member to back up our linebackers.
* One final note:
FS Darrian Dyles has decided to skip training camp in our to pursue other activities. Not exactly sure what that means, but we repect Darrian's decision and will hold a spot for him in the secondary of course.
We are ready for the pre-season!
We truly feel The Chiefs have such a wealth of talent at virtually every position and any sort of short-coming or future considerations can usually be handled through shrewed drafting, that we have again decided to simply pass on the Free Agent market this off-season.
Re-Signed Player Contracts
* I should point out that, because we operated so close to the salary cap in our past couple of seasons, while assembling our Super Bowl winner, I wasn't so much shocked as anticipating our cap number for 2015. We will start at:
CAP -3.46-million & PEN 4.91-million
You are reading that correctly. As we begin the process of managing in this off-season, we are beyond the cap and clearly have some work to do, not just to get back within cap space but also to re-sign some returning veterans and newcomers in the draft!
This should be a challenge.
We really have only three re-signings to actually contemplate this off-season, barring extending any contracts (which I do not contemplate):
QB Matt Cassel, who is basically coming off a career year!
P Dustin Colquitt
K Ryan Succop
But first, we have to make some roster moves...
Trades
We have contacted the Jaguars about a trade and have moved C Harris & 3rd & 4th Round Draft Picks to the Jags for their 2nd Round Draft Pick.
We were also in conversation with the Falcons, which let me tell you was a tough phone call to make, given our recent history, and concluded a deal that sends CB Brown & 4th & 5th Round Draft Picks to Atlanta for their 3rd Round Draft Pick.
And finally DT Evans & a 6th Round Pick were shipped to the Cowboys for their 5th Pick.
* Subsequent to those deals, it was gratifying to know that all three found positions on the teams to which we sent them, with both Harris and Evans in starting roles on their new squads!
Re-Signings
Those roster moves/trades freed enough space for us to offer a new contract to QB Matt Cassel. We debated long a hard about our QB situation (as you will see later), but feel we simply cannot turn away from a QB that has been such a part of the fabric in our build to a Super Bowl, especially with the year he had meshing with both Chris Johnson and the rest of our very talented offense. Matt agreed to a new 4yr/50-million dollar agreement.
We were also excited when we received quick confirmation that P Dustin Colquitt was eager to return to The Chiefs with a new 2yr/2.25-million dollar contract.
Unfortunately we were unable to come to any sort of agreement with K Ryan Succop and we have mutually decided to part company. That said, we can't thank Ryan enough for his contributions to our success these past several years and wish him the very best.
Released Players
We have released SS Maxwell outright.
I cannot wait for draft day!
Stadium Upgrades
This year we have invested in a new Audio System (12.55 mil), Cup Holders for the fans (2.1 mil), a Team Theatre so we can relive our two Super Bowls in all their glory (1.55 mil) and finally a Fan Wall to salute the people that matter most to our organization (1.35 mil)!
Sponsorship
We continue our agreement with Vandelay World Bank for another two years, valued at $12-million. I'm also excited about cashing their cheque for this past season as we produced the 14-2 record that was expected!
Retirements
Once again we did not have any retiring players!
Here we go again.
I've been told it's much harder to defend than it is to win! I must admit, I have LOVED the latter this off-season and I promise you we will hopefully put a serious twist on the former as we gear up to defend the Lombardi Trophy in 2015!
Front Office
Coaching Staff:
We have Coach Harbaugh locked up for another year and obviously have been thrilled with his performance, winning his first Super Bowl and leading the Chiefs to their second. In fact, we have the entire team locked up going into of year as defending champions:
Defensive Coordinator: Mel Tucker
Offensive Coordinator: Gene Kubiak
Special Teams Coach: Al Saunders
And our contract with the Pumping Iron Training Staff continues.
Monday, July 19, 2010
We're about to begin the seventh year of my Chiefs Dynasty!
Notice I have changed the overall theme above, as quite clearly The Chiefs have RETURNED! So, from now on, it's simply the "dynasty".
Up-coming highlights will include:
- How to manage when on top! * It's one thing to build a team and take it to the top, it's an entirely different matter keeping them there
- The dread salary cap! * You'll see what I mean
- And I may just go into "coach mode" for this next season (instead of simply "spectate") to see if we can simulate some injuries to increase the management required when dealing with adversity! * I am certainly no "Coach Harbaugh", so I will simply choose the best suggested play pretty well all the time
Hope you'll continue to follow along.
And I truly hope that I can get another year (or two) in before Madden 11 hits. Then I have to decide whether to start again with The Chiefs (doubtful) or tackle another team (Bills, Rams, etc.) to build another dynasty?
Or maybe even TWO within the game, if it can be done (AFC and NFC maybe).
Look for more as early as tomorrow...here!
Enjoy
Saturday, July 17, 2010
CHIEFS SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!
I have never been more proud of every member of our organization.
This is what we plan for...
This is what we practice for...
This is what we dream about!
We are The SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!
The team played the same game they have played, week in and week out, through the entire 2014 season and were triumphant in Super Bowl 49, defeating the Atlanta Falcons!
The punishing, grinding ground game of Cassel and Johnson was that, and more, this game! We used Chris, Jamaal and Tavon to pound away at the Falcon defense. The final stats clearly show the enormous success of our running game with 135 yards on the ground, chewing up the bulk of our 23:41 time of possession and allowing us to be 8-15 on third downs.
It could have been any one of the three, but Jamaal was lucky enough to punch one in for a touchdown in the Super Bowl!
Our air force was essentially the "Mack Attack" this day, with Cassel to Mack combining for 4 catches and two touchdowns. Chris, Leilon, Kevin and Dwayne all had great games and that was due in no small part to the setup we were able to provide via the ground game, which I should add, also included some completely shutdown work by our offensive line!
And what can I say about our defense. They have been ahead of the curve since the very first practice and pre-season game! And what was very impressive was not only the contributions from the veterans, but we also saw break-out performances from FS Kevonte Scott and MLB Rakayle Walker, which makes me feel very ground about our defensive prospects for the future!
Bobby Bailey had a stellar game in the secondary, with a key interception for a touchdown, but really it's a team effort in the secondary where each player has the back of the other and together they force an awful lot of quick decisions by opposing QB's.
But I am most impressed by our defensive line and linebackers. MLB Derrick Johnson had one interception and OLB Alonzo Darby set the tone for the entire game with two key interceptions!
All in all, we simply stifled the Falcon offensive and punished their defense. Matt Ryan could never get on track. We forced four interceptions on the day and, more importantly, minimized the effect of the big Falcon weapons he has at his disposal - Michael Turner and Roddy White.
This is the second Super Bowl victory in the history of this franchise and not since January 15, 1967, when The Chiefs beat the Packers 35-10, has there been a better moment!
I would like to thank not only the loyal K.C. fans that made the trip to support us here at the Super Bowl, but to every fan that purchased a ticket this year, picked up merchandise or even watched us on TV or listened to the game on the radio. We do what we do for each of you and totally share this victory with every Chief supporter!
Please celebrate! I know that we are now going to take a few weeks to let all of this sink in and truly enjoy the moment. Then, and only then, will we even start thinking about what we can possibly due for an encore!
NFL Scoreboard - Kansas City Chiefs (14-2) at Atlanta Falcons (15-1)
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Kansas City Chiefs
Atlanta Falcons
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Wednesday, July 14, 2010
What an outstanding football game! This really was the stereotypical analogy of the two prize fighters going at it punch for punch early and then one prize fighter having just a little more gas at the end to put the other away...in this case our Chiefs!
I am proud to announce that we are the 2014 AFC Champions! And that we'll be going to the Super Bowl to play the Atlanta Falcons! Before my report on the game in Pittsburgh, the scores from the finals...
Conference Final Games:
CHIEFS 20 - Steelers 10
Falcons 45 - Cardinals 24
CHIEFS 20 - Steelers 10
Falcons 45 - Cardinals 24
Our game was essentially decided during the 4th quarter by The Chiefs 2-minute drill!
With roughly two minutes left, on a snow-covered field in Pittsburgh, we found ourselves down by one, 10-9. Matt Cassel was able to march them down field and looked pretty good, but got stalled about the 23-yard line. On one of those classic "go for it on 4th down...the game will be decided on this play" calls, he was able to convert for another first down. After that, it was a quick 12-yard pass to Russ Mack for the go-ahead TD with roughly a minute left.
After the ensuing kick-off, the very next pass Roethlisberger threw was into the hands of Darian Dyles, who took it back 40-yards for another touchdown to put things out of reach with 20-seconds left!
Then, to add insult to injury, Deveon Keys picked another and with that, we're going to "The Super Bowl"!!!
We'll take a break and let the Pro-Bowlers play, and yes our guys will do their part, then we'll totally focus on the Super Bowl (I can't say the words "Super" and "Bowl" enough)! And we definitely know that we have our work cut out for us. The Falcons were 15-1 on the season and had, I think it was, a 13 game win streak through the after the third week, so they are unfamiliar with the term "loss". But then again, we posted a 14-2 record and will be ready game day.
NFL Scoreboard - Kansas City Chiefs (14-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (14-2)
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Kansas City Chiefs
Pittsburgh Steelers
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"We're just arriving at the park in Pittsburgh and getting ready. I'll have a report later tonight on the action!
The team is well aware of the challenge ahead and the implications for Kansas City and their fans. They are feeling good!"
Monday, July 12, 2010
The tone for this game was set very, very early. The team marched down field only to be stopped for just a field goal from K Succop for the opening score.
Then, on the ensuing kick-off, the Jags fumbled the ball. K Succop just happened to be in the right place, at the right time, and with a ton of daylight in the direction of the end zone. Personally I don't think I've ever seen Ryan run as fast as he did, partially thanks to the rush of adrenaline at that very moment and more probably because he knew there were some very angry and much, much larger men chasing him. Thankfully there really was nobody within pursuit distance and he scored and converted for a 10-0 score very early. We simply never looked back!
After that, as you can see in the rushing, time of possession and turnover fields, we simply took it to them on the ground and worked the ground game and the clock like a charm. It really was rather text book, the way we have been all year long! But, I certainly don't expect us to encounter that kind of resistance, or lack thereof, going forward!
Before the stats, the entire Divisional Playoff results:
Divisional Playoffs
Steelers 39 - Chargers 12
Chiefs 34 - Jaguars 6
Falcons 25 - Bears 22
Cardinals 38 - Eagles 17
It would appear that we now have a date in Pittsburgh with the 14-2 Steelers for the Conference title on January 25th!
Steelers 39 - Chargers 12
Chiefs 34 - Jaguars 6
Falcons 25 - Bears 22
Cardinals 38 - Eagles 17
It would appear that we now have a date in Pittsburgh with the 14-2 Steelers for the Conference title on January 25th!
NFL Scoreboard - Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6) at Kansas City Chiefs (14-2)
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Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs
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Here's the way the Wild Card week played out:
Chargers 43 - Texans 36
Jaguars 35 - Patriots 32
Eagles 32 - Giants 24
Bears 27 - Saints 16
Jaguars 35 - Patriots 32
Eagles 32 - Giants 24
Bears 27 - Saints 16
So the Divisional Playoffs have been now set:
Chargers @ Steelers
Jaguars @ Chiefs
Eagles @ Cardinals
Bears @ Falcons
Jaguars @ Chiefs
Eagles @ Cardinals
Bears @ Falcons
By the way, neither the Colts, who lost in last year's Super Bowl, or indeed the defending Super Bowl Champion Green Bay Packers (8-8) made it to the post-season, which only shows how tough this league was this year!
While the team practices to be ready for the Wild Card week playoff winner, I though I would take time to relay some awards and outstanding statistical performances for this past regular season.
First, the annual Pro Bowl selections were announced and I'm excited to say that The Chiefs will again be well-represented at that game!
G Albert * Third selection in a row
QB Cassel * Second time in a row
T Taite * Selected in his rookie year
CB Flowers
DT O.Williams
Congratulations gentlemen on very well-deserved recognition in this year's Pro Bowl!
Matt Cassel - BEST QB
I'm also thrilled with the news that Matt Cassel has again (for a second year in a row) been deemed BEST QB in the NFL. He had a great season, using all of the tools at his disposal in any way required to win, taking us to our best record ever as a franchise!
Oddly enough, I'm sure this will spice up the conversation as we sit down and chat about the expiring contract at the end of this season. I'm sure we can look at ways to allow him to continue proudly as a Chief!
Stats
I also thought it might be of interest to note some outstanding statistical achievements by our people individually over this past regular season.
Matt Cassel
#1 NFL QB Rtg (113.8)
#1 NFL Completion percentage (68%)
#3 NFL Touchdowns (31)
Dwayne Bowe
#1 NFL Average Reception Yards (18.8)
Chris Johnson
#1 NFL Yards After Catch Avg (7.3)
Brandon Flowers
#1 NFL Pass Deflections (16)
Once again, to both the gentlemen above, and the team on which they play that allows them to perform at such a high level, Congratulations!!!
We had a lot on the line this week.
We certainly wanted to win, not just because we do every week when we take the field, but because this was already one of our greatest seasons ever and we had a chance to make it "the" greatest season ever in the history of the franchise. The Chiefs have never won 14 times in a season, even in 1966 and our Super Bowl IV season we were 11-2-1 (obviously not yet playing 16 games per season yet).
We also wanted to win because we wanted to enter the post-season on a high. Both the Falcons and the Steelers are on very impressive rolls right now and we know that eventually our paths will cross with one of them, so we wanted this badly to let them know we were ready.
And we were playing the Broncos. A rival is always a great way to either start or end a season and, in spite of season ending injuries to both QB Kyle Orton and ROLB Elvis Dumervil , we wanted to make sure we did not give them an inch in the last game of the season!
* Once again ever so briefly stepping out of my role as GM of the Chiefs, I would like to again note that when in CPU vs. CPU "Spectate" mode, NO injuries actually happen in the games in which I participate, which is only slightly unfair and reduces the challenge and strategy of managing through what could be a devastating turn of events for your team during the season. I even spotted a "Career Ending Injury" on the list this season for what I think was the first time I remember.
Obviously injuries happen in purely "simmed" games between the other teams, but because of issues I had with purely simming and odd things happening (like a starting HB never getting into the game, ever, for multiple games...my very first experiment at a franchise that only lasted two years before starting this one) I simply "Spectate" every game.
I do hope they have dealt with this in M11? Please...
I was absolutely thrilled with the performance of the team this week and elated when we were able to post our 14th, club record-breaking, victory of the year.
I also recall when we signed our sponsorship agreement just prior to this season that the expectation was $12-million in return for 14 wins. I will be more than thrilled to cash that cheque AND then try to do it all over again!
Here's the the end of a great season and the beginning of what I hope will be an even better post-season!!!
NFL Scoreboard - Denver Broncos (7-8) at Kansas City Chiefs (13-2)
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Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
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If you have to leave K.C. to play on the road a couple of days after Christmas, then Miami is a darn good choice. Another factor that made this a great week for football, was the fact the Dolphins are certainly struggling right now.
We, on the other hand, have hit an impressive stride as we near the end of the regular season. Our work ethic is methodical. If we falter at all in another one area, on either defense or offense, we simply shift to another way of getting the job done.
The team had a particularly good pre-game practice, likely because of the warm weather, and then scored early and simply shut down the Dolphins. Between almost doubling the number of first downs to the Dolphins and holding them regularly on third down, this was a pretty clinical victory.
Our record, with one final meeting of the regular season, stands at 13-2 now. We close out the year with our rivals, the Denver Broncos at home. The Broncos have also been struggling of late, losers of their past 3 games, so I really do hope we can leave the regular season on a high note!
NFL Scoreboard - Knsas City Chiefs (12-2) at Miami Dolphins (5-9)
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Knsas City Chiefs
Miami Dolphins
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I feel the Jets are much better than their record indicates, but I am also quite confident that we are easily as good as our record indicates and we showed that this week!
This game was not really quite as close as the score might indicate. Through a combination of our being very strong on defense, except for a couple of mental lapses that gave up big plays and touchdowns, and our ability to score when needed, we had a very good week!
The time of possession was virtually equal, but we made more efficient use of our time and came away with the win. That takes us to 12-2 on the year!
Of to visit the Dolphins next and if you have to play football in late December, Miami ain't that bad a spot in which to play.
NFL Scoreboard - New York Jets (5-8) at Kansas City Chiefs (11-2)
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New York Jets
Kansas City Chiefs
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