The Scores Report - The National Sports Blog » Chiefs rumors

Charlie Weis to run Chiefs offense

Anthony Stalter — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 14:36:42 +0000

It appears that Charlie Weis is heading back to the NFL, as ESPN.com is reporting that he has agreed to be the Chiefs’ new offensive coordinator.

Weis will be reunited with head coach Todd Haley, with whom he shared an office when both were young assistants with the New York Jets. Weis also will be reunited with Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who was Patriots vice president of player personnel when Weis was the offensive coordinator for three Super Bowl championships before going to coach at Notre Dame.

The Bears had also been in the mix to hire Weis as offensive coordinator but the Chiefs won out.

Haley ran the offense in his first year with the Chiefs after dismissing offensive coordinator Chan Gailey. Haley had expressed a desire to find a coordinator so he could better manage his head-coaching responsibilities.

This is a good move for the Chiefs. Weis failed as a head coach at Notre Dame, but don’t forget he was successful as an offensive coordinator with the Patriots before he arrived in South Bend. Plus, ND’s offense was rarely the problem under Weis’ direction and was actually quite potent last year with Jimmy Clausen under center.

With Matt Cassel’s experience running New England’s offense, this should be a perfect match. Plus, Haley can now concentrate on being a head coach and not having to worry about running the offense too.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Chiefs’ Dwayne Bowe suspended for four games

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:06:56 +0000

According to a report by the Kansas City Star, Chiefs wideout Dwayne Bowe has been suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

League spokesman Corry Rush announced the suspension in an e-mail, and the Chiefs have acknowledged Bowe’s suspension.
In a news release, the Chiefs said Bowe’s suspension will begin immediately.

“As a result of the league suspension, the team will have no further comment,” the Chiefs’ news release said.

The league’s list of banned substances is so long and extensive that Bowe could have taken anything. Some sports fans like to assume that when the league suspends a player it’s because that player took steroids. But that’s usually not the case and actually, it seems like most players are suspended for some kind of weight-loss supplement.

Either way, Bowe is responsible for putting the supplement in his body without first making sure that it wasn’t a banned substance. Teams keep track of what players are taking at all times, including cough medicine and headache medication. Bowe should have known better and unfortunately whatever it is he took will cost him four games.

2009 has not been kind to first-year head coach Todd Haley. Not only is his team heading for a losing season, but he was also publicly criticized by Larry Johnson via Twitter and he just lost his best offensive weapon for four games.

What a bad way to kick off the start of your first year as a head coach.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Chiefs, Johnson working on a settlement

Anthony Stalter — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:06:07 +0000

According to a report by the Kansas City Star, the Chiefs and troubled running back Larry Johnson are working on some kind of settlement that would decide LJ’s future with the team.

Asked whether that settlement would involve a separation from the team, (Johnson’s agent) Schaffer said: “Not necessarily.”

Schaffer said Johnson’s side is working on an appeal of the two-week suspension the team handed down Wednesday for detrimental conduct. Schaffer said Wednesday night that he hoped an appeal would be filed early Thursday, and it’s possible that settlement talks could delay that appeal.

Johnson would lose more than $600,000 if he serves the full two-week suspension. He also could face further punishment from the league and the Chiefs when this suspension expires Nov. 9.

This situation seems a little ridiculous. Johnson was out of line, the Chiefs suspended him and will decide his future with the team over the course of the next two weeks. So what is there to “settle?”

There’s a good chance that Johnson will never play another down with the Chiefs, so maybe the team is trying to work out a deal where LJ gets to keep part of his contract if he just goes away. Then again, there have been reports that the Chiefs don’t want to outright release him because then it provokes other players to act up if they want to get out of town. So I don’t know what to think at this point.

We’ll see what comes out of this “settlement.”

Cassel could miss 2-4 weeks with MCL injury

Anthony Stalter — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:46:53 +0000

Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel is in jeopardy of missing Week 1 of the regular season after suffering an MCL injury in Kansas City’s most recent preseason game.

From Yahoo! Sports.com:

Cassel, who the Chiefs acquired in a trade with New England this offseason, was hurt Saturday night in an exhibition game against Seattle. The injury is not expected to require surgery because MCL injuries usually heal on their own.

However, the injury means Cassel could miss the Chiefs’ season opener at Baltimore on Sept. 13. If Cassel can’t play, Tyler Thigpen(notes) is expected to start the season. Thigpen, who had been the subject of trade rumors earlier this week, played in 14 games last season when the Chiefs went through injuries at quarterback. He finished the season with 18 touchdown passes, 12 interceptions and a quarterback rating of 76.0.

The fact that he won’t need surgery is good for the long-term status of the team, although it has to be disappointing for both Cassel and the Chiefs that he won’t be lining up under center in Week 1.

After a brutal start last season, Thigpen actually played well in the second half and offers Todd Haley starting experience. That doesn’t mean that Thigpen will fair well in Baltimore, but at least Haley doesn’t have to worry about trotting out a rookie QB in his team’s season opener.

One thing to note is that Thigpen has leapfrogged Brodie Croyle on the Chiefs’ depth chart. Croyle was the Week 1 starter last year and was once viewed as the long-term answer under center. His time as a starter definitely came to an end when the team acquired Cassel, although now it appears that even his time as a backup (at least in Kansas City) could be dwindling as well.

Obviously, this is worrisome for Cassel owners, but if you’re following our QBBC strategy, and drafted Cassel as part of a committee, you probably weren’t planning to use Cassel against the Ravens in Week 1 anyway. He should be able to play in Week 2 or Week 3 at the latest, so while his value is certainly hurt as a starting QB, he still holds similar value as a backup or a part of a committee.

Chiefs sign Matt Cassel to new contract

Anthony Stalter — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:02:53 +0000

According to a report by the Boston Globe, the Chiefs signed quarterback Matt Cassel to a six-year, $63 million contract, which also includes $28 million in guaranteed money. He’ll receive $40.5 million in the first three seasons.

Considering he has just 15 starts in his career, this is obviously a huge risk for the Chiefs. But he would have made $14.65 million this season had KC not signed him to an extension, so the deal is a bargain for the Chiefs, or at least for one season.

Ironically, Cassel will make more than Tom Brady and is now being paid like a top-5 quarterback. But if the offensive-minded Todd Haley can build upon the success that Cassel had in New England, then the financial risk will be worth the reward for the Chiefs.

That said, if Cassel fails miserably, this contract could put Kansas City in contract hell for the next couple of years. But what are they supposed to do? They’ve desperately needed a quarterback for years and parted with a second round pick to acquire him. The next step was to commit to him financially, so hopefully for them everything will pan out.