Chiefs

Kirk FerentzEDIT: I had already written this prior to the Haley announcement, so I put it in the archives... Please forgive me if, being a KU fan, I accidentally write Kirk Hinrich or Raef LaFrentz when talking about this guy. They are all Iowans or at least they have lived much of their life in Iowa. I’ve only driven through the state, so I don’t have the faintest idea how many Kirks there are or Ferentz’s or LaFrentz’s … or, for that matter, LaKirks. So, even though I will HATE having to try to keep his name straight for the next X number of years if he is hired as Chiefs' coach, I thought I would do the same with him that I did for Spagnuolo, Shanahan, Cowher and Haley – that being an analysis of what he brings to the table.

Man of the moment.The Star's Adam Teicher is reporting that Todd Haley is about to become the 11th head coach in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs. We've already broken down Haley's background here and here. The guy that few of us had heard of a month ago suddenly became the hottest commodity on the coaching market. That was thanks to the magical four-game run by the Cardinals to within a hairsbreadth of the Super Bowl title. This will be Haley first head coaching job and comes on the heels of two seasons as Arizona's offensive coordinator. Do those facts in of and of themselves give us any indication what to expect from Haley?

"He's going to be a big loss for us," another Cards player told FOXSports.com.

Soon to be rich.As expected, the New England Patriots have slapped a franchise tag on free-agent-to-be quarterback Matt Cassel. The move was expected because otherwise Cassel could have become an unrestricted free agent later this month. By exercising their right to franchise Cassel, the Patriots now have can match any offer he receives from another team. Thus New England is covered in case Tom Brady's progress during knee rehabilitation doesn't go was well as planned.

LJ made it clear today that he wants out of KC. The reasons are simple. He doesn’t feel comfortable or appreciated. It’s pretty basic. He has never fit into our city and you can bet your life, he never will. He knows it just like we know it. He wants to go. We want him to go. This is a divorce made in heaven if there ever was one.

Following in the footsteps of Bill Kenney?An interesting story ran in the Boston Herald today regarding the buzz in Tampa surrounding Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel. The skinny: Cassel will draw plenty of interest if the Patriots decide to trade him and the favorite to get him -- according to the gossip -- would be the Chiefs.

Todd HaleyIt’s pretty darn hard to have a better offense than Arizona has had throughout the season and in the playoffs. Being a big fan of offense, I have to admit to secretly salivating over the thought of Haley coming to KC even though I readily acknowledge the fact that our defense is our biggest problem – by far. I guess the point is, when you are 2-14, you have to fix both. I love scoring, so if that’s what Haley brings to the table, then I say sign on the dotted line.

Oh no. It's starting again. NFL gossip ... can't stop ... out of control. ESPN's Chris Mortensen, unfazed by the Mike Shanahan debacle, says that "all signs point" to the Chiefs hiring Cardinals offensive coordinator Todd Haley. This was an on-air report, but here's a link to a reaction to the rumor. I agree. Take this with a giant grain of salt. After all, this is Mort we're talking about.

Derrick ThomasAs I type this, there are 17 semi-finalists for the 2009 NFL Hall of Fame. The number will be reduced to 4-7. Whether or not Thomas makes it might, unfortunately, be a function of his personal life as much as his playing career. Thomas established the Third & Long Foundation as an effort to fight illiteracy among youths in the inner city. Of course, that is a great legacy, but the pub he got for leaving numerous children by numerous mothers (with no will) soiled his reputation and threatens his induction. I thought it was time to at least look at what he did on the field and compare him with other contemporary pass rushing nominees.

Is Bill bored in retirement?I want to say up front that I know nothing about the probabilities of Bill Cowher coaching the Chiefs. For all I know, the odds are 1% or less. I do know that my uncle’s brother’s cousin’s barber told my next door neighbor’s mechanic that they know a friend who heard on the radio that Cowher had purchased a home in Leawood and was seen at Wal-Mart picking out drapes. Naturally, that makes sense as all Leawooders are KU fans and Cowher, being a smart guy, would surely be a KU fan as well. But, I admit that’s somewhat speculative...  

Opinions are mixed on Mark Sanchez.Do you know how many mock drafts there are on the Internet? Neither do I, but there are a lot. Hundreds. Don't worry, I'm not going to add another one. I will, however, let you know who the ubiquitous draft experts believe the Chiefs will be taking with their first pick.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe. Larry? Johnny? Jimmy? Joe?As I mentioned in Part I, what led me to this study was the fact that everyone can’t seem to stop drooling over Pioli’s draft of Tom Brady in round #6. The first thought I have when I hear things like that is… “If Brady was such a brilliant pick in round 6, then… was Pioli asleep the first 5 rounds?” So, I set out to determine once and for all whether or not he has truly been an expert at “finding” talent or whether his reputation has been built on the back of a lucky pick or two.

Nothing doing.It's Sunday, an overcast, cold Sunday at that, and the rumor mill's gears appear to be frozen. I owe you some Big 12 hoops content, but before I knock that out, I thought I'd make my daily sweep for Chiefs-related rumblings. There isn't anything substantiative but I did cull a few links which you might find interesting.

This story cites an anonymous source and I have no comment about it. I post it as a public service. CNNSI.com's Peter King is reporting that Mike Shanahan "definitely" will not be coaching the Chiefs -- or anyone else -- next season.

Does Tyler Thigpen have a future in the NFL?While Chiefs fans are stuck in limbo waiting for new coach, let's talk some actual on-the-field football and address a little personnel matter. Actually, it's not so little. If it weren't for all the turmoil surrounding the leadership of the Chiefs, this would be the No. 1 question on the minds of their fans right now. The question is simple and its answer will no doubt have serious ramifications in regards to who KC selects with the third pick in the upcoming NFL draft. Is Tyler Thigpen a legitimate NFL quarterback?

Halfway to Nirvana?I have mentioned twice before that I’m a fan of Mike Shanahan and that I would love to see him come to K.C. Conflicting reports say absolutely yes and absolutely no. Who knows? The only thing I do know is that he is a proven winner. There will be those who say his winning was because he leached off John Elway, but you can make just about as good of an argument that Elway leached off Shanahan. BTW: My Shantastic headline is an unabashed leach job on the ESPN Shaq scrabble commercial – one of the best ever! Let’s face it. Everyone leaches off everyone. If you don’t think Pioli has leached off Brady, just wait until I present Pioli Drafts: Luck, Dumb Luck, and Brainwashing. Part II.

The deed is done. Chiefs coach Herm Edwards has been fired. The details are still filtering in, but ESPN.com is reporting that KC is close to hiring Mike Shanahan as the next coach, which of course spoils the tenor of my post earlier today. What a crazy business. Right now, we know that Herm is out. The Shanahan part, well, there are conflicting reports and it's not done yet.

Mike Shanahan exercised this morning.Rumors based on television reports bite. The whole Mike Shanahan-to-the-Chiefs buzz has had my b.s. detector beeping since yesterday afternoon. I just ain't buying it, especially since The Star's NFL writers aren't reporting anything. NFL.com's Adam Schefter, who used to work in Denver and is about as plugged-in as it gets, writes this on his blog: