Tag: Kansas City Chiefs. (Page 19 of 36)

Chiefs fans petitioning franchise to dump Larry Johnson

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.

NFL Week 7 ROY Power Rankings

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

Chiefs, Johnson working on a settlement

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.”

With LJ’s future in doubt, Chiefs to lean on Charles

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.

NFL Week 7 ROY Power Rankings

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

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