- SPORTSbyBROOKS gives us one more reason to hate Sasha Vujacic. (Hint: He’s dating the girl in the picture.) They also have a strange story about Dwight Howard, as told by porn star Mary Carey.

- RED’S ARMY says that people should forget about LeBron James joining Kobe in Los Angeles. Are there actually those who think this might happen?

- PRO FOOTBALL TALK reports that the 7-1 Minnesota Vikings face potential blackouts after this week’s bye. Seriously. That’s pathetic.

- LARRY BROWN SPORTS wonders if the sign that the Chiefs posted is aimed at a certain running back with the initials “LJ.”

Johnson is only 75 yards away from becoming the team’s all-time leading rusher, and a group of Chiefs fans are petitioning the club to release him before that happens.

An online petition started by Chiefs fans asks general manager Scott Pioli to deactivate Johnson and keep him on the sideline so he cannot pass Priest Holmes for the team rushing record, or join the team’s Ring of Honor at Arrowhead Stadium.

“While we are thankful for his service, we feel that Larry has been a black eye on the organization and has no business being mentioned” among the team’s all-time greats, the petition reads.

After his Twitter blow up a few weeks ago, I don’t think Johnson is in any danger of donning a Chiefs uniform again, but you never know. These Chiefs fans are figuring it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Remember the name Jairus Byrd, because he just jumped on this list…and don’t rule out Michael Crabtree, who had a very impressive NFL opening game against Houston last weekend.

1. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—Four more solo tackles against the Colts last Sunday, so this kid has done nothing to hurt his standing.

2. Jairus Byrd, Buffalo Bills—This safety has been flying under our radar, but he was chosen as the NFL’s defensive rookie of the month for his 15 tackles and (yikes) 5 interceptions in October alone. Wow.

3. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—The bye week should have this young stallion rested and ready to face two daunting defenses in the Ravens and Steelers coming up. Can he handle it? Time will tell.

4. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—Did you see that lucky grab and run for a score Sunday night? Maybe it was more than luck…it was being in the right place at the right time, football instincts that can’t be taught. And along with Byrd, Nicks won NFL offensive rookie honors for October.

5. Jeremy Maclin, Philadelphia Eagles—This rookie has become a new favorite target of Donovan McNabb, and had 5 more catches Monday night against Washington.

Honorable mention: Matthew Stafford, Lions; Johnny Knox, Bears; Ryan Succop, Chiefs; Michael Oher, Ravens

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.”

NFL.com reports that the Chiefs have ordered Larry Johnson to refrain from team activities in the wake of comments he made on his Twitter page about head coach Todd Haley. Johnson also used a homophonic slur to degrade another Twitter user that had commented on LJ’s page.

On Tuesday, Haley suggested that Jamaal Charles has earned a larger role in Kansas City’s offense and could take over the fulltime tailback duties while the team investigates Johnson’s situation. The 22-year old back has flashed big play potential throughout his short career, but he’s had problems holding onto the ball and has been an inconsistent performer.

It appears that the writing is on the wall for Johnson. While Charles isn’t the answer to the Chiefs’ rushing woes (it doesn’t matter who takes the carries if KC’s O-line doesn’t start opening running lanes), he’s worth taking a shot on while Johnson is busy being a malcontent off the field. The cap hit might be too great for the Chiefs to outright release LJ but given his age and production (or lack thereof), don’t rule out the possibility.

Haley has stood by Johnson all season, but it appears that he has had enough. The Chiefs are off this week, but one would imagine that Haley will prep Charles for the fulltime role and depending on what happens with LJ in the next two weeks, Charles will get the opportunity to start at Jacksonville in Week 9.

A tougher award to measure, as no one has really stepped up to be among the NFL’s stat leaders. Well, unless you consider LB James Laurinaitis from Ohio State.

1. James Laurinaitis, St. Louis Rams—45 tackles to date and had another interception against the Jaguars last Sunday. This kid is playing lights out and you have to believe he’s been invited to Steve Spagnuolo’s house for Thanksgiving.

2. Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos—He didn’t do much against the Chargers, but he didn’t really have to with the Eddie Royal kick return show.

3. Hakeem Nicks, New York Giants—It was in garbage time mostly, but Nicks racked up 114 yards and a TD against the Saints, fitting in like a veteran on a team that desperately needed receiver help going into 2009.

4. Michael Oher, Baltimore Ravens—It’s hard to measure O-linemen, but after a nice job against Antwan Odom, Oher got into a pissing match with Jared Allen last Sunday. He gets props just for that.

5. Ryan Succop, Kansas City Chiefs—Even if he hasn’t had many chances, Succop has only missed one field goal, that from beyond 50.

Honorable mention: Matthew Stafford, Lions

In his latest edition of “Monday Morning Quarterback,” SI.com NFL guru Peter King makes a great point about the possible mistake the Chiefs made in not paying defensive end Jared Allen and subsequently trading him to the Vikings in the ’08 offseason:

What the Chiefs got:

1st round (15th overall) Branden Albert, OT — Starting LT has a chance to be good. In-and-out work ethic.
3rd round (73) Jamaal Charles, RB — Change-of-pace back averaging five carries a game in 21 pro games.
3rd round (82) DaJuan Morgan, S — Sub safety who still has to prove self to new coaching staff.
6th round (182) Kevin Robinson, WR — Cut by Chiefs in ‘08.

What the Vikings got:

Jared Allen, DE — The league’s best all-around defensive end has 21 sacks and three safeties in 22 Viking games.
6th round (187) John Sullivan, C — First-year starting center on one of NFL’s best lines.
It’s not certain, but it’s possible that history will show that the Vikings got a more productive player at 187 (Sullivan) than the Chiefs got at 15 (Albert). Ouch.

King makes a great point by illustrating that the Chiefs are definitely on the losing end of this trade so far. Allen has been outstanding and the Vikings felt confident enough in Sullivan’s abilities not to panic when long-time center Matt Birk signed with Baltimore in the offseason.

That said, Albert was a highly regarded offensive line prospect in the 2008 draft. In fact, he was even being considered as a top 5 pick entering the draft and many pundits were surprised that he slipped to the Chiefs at No. 15. So it wouldn’t surprise me if he winds up being a good player once he gets a few years of experience under his belt.

It would probably be more fair to look at this trade after the 2010 season when the Kansas City players have had three years of service in the league. Plus, Allen wouldn’t have been a fit for their new 3-4 defensive front anyway, so the Chiefs shouldn’t lose sleep over the deal. Still, it’s always interesting to look back.

Since being acquired in a midseason trade from Detroit last season, receiver Roy Williams has been a huge disappointment. Whether it’s injuries or his inability to get open, Williams has been largely ineffective.

Williams was inactive for Dallas’ Week 5 matchup against the Chiefs in Kansas City, but Miles Austin stepped up in his place by hauling in 10 catches for 250 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys’ 26-20 overtime victory.

Austin has always had the talent, but up until today he never showed the ability to dominate a game. He has terrific speed, big-play potential and excellent leaping-ability. He abused inexperienced cornerbacks Mauirce Leggett and Brandon Carr on Sunday, even when the defensive backs had safety help over the top.

Now that T.O. is in Buffalo, Tony Romo needs a receiver to step up the way Austin did today. Romo completed 20 of 34 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns but more importantly, he didn’t throw any interceptions and looked confident in his throws.

This wasn’t a pretty win for Dallas, but Kansas City is always a tough environment to play in (no matter how bad the Chiefs are) and a win is a win. Romo and Austin needed a victory like this, especially with the team’s bye week coming up next Sunday. This will give the Cowboys confidence heading into their off week and despite not playing particularly well, they’re still 3-2 on the season.

According to the Chiefs’ official website, Kansas City traded quarterback Tyler Thigpen to the Dolphins for an undisclosed draft pick.

Miami was forced to make this move after Chad Pennington suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in a loss to the Chargers in Week 3. With only Chad Henne and Pat White on the depth chart, Thigpen gives the Dolphins more experience at the quarterback position.

That said, Henne will remain the Dolphins’ starter because the team wants to get a better look at the former second round pick out of Michigan. Given Pennington’s age (33) and injury history, there’s a good chance that Miami won’t re-sign him when he becomes a free agent in the offseason. But they still want to see whether or not Henne is capable of taking over the starting job before the jettison a veteran quarterback like Pennington, who led Miami to an AFC East title last season.

As for the Chiefs, they were hoping to acquire a fourth round pick in exchange for Thigpen this summer after they traded for Matt Cassel, but I doubt they got more than a fifth rounder from Miami.

Thigpen isn’t a bad fantasy quarterback. He was QB12 last year even though he was second string early in the season. His 18.8 fppg average was 10th-best in the league. He posted some good garbage time numbers for the Chiefs because they were trailing for most of the season. The job is Henne’s to start, but if he falters or gets injured, Thigpen could be a sneaky good pickup in deeper fantasy leagues.

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.