3
Dec
2012
Brady Quinn makes eloquent statement in the wake of Jovan Belcher tragedy (VIDEO)
On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Panthers 27-21. As we all know by now, the game was played under unthinkable circumstances following the horrifying murder/suicide by Chiefs LB Jovan Belcher just one day earlier. As details continue to emerge about the incident, and Belcher’s state of mind leading up to Saturday’s events, our hearts go out to the families of Belcher and his girlfriend, Kassandra Perkins. But most of all, our thoughts and prayers are with young Zoey Belcher, orphaned in the most tragic way imaginable at just 3 months old.
After the game, Chiefs QB Brady Quinn stepped up to the mic and delivered on of the more poignant statements we’ve heard yet about this whole situation. Quinn looks inward to ask what more he could have done to prevent this tragedy, and asks each of us to reflect on the bigger picture, and specifically how we relate to others in a social media-driven society.
It’s definitely worth a listen/read.
“What could I have done different? When you ask someone how they’re doing, do you really mean it? When you answer someone back ‘how are you doing’ are you really telling them the truth? We live in a society of social networks and Twitter pages and Facebook, and that’s fine and stuff, but we have contact with our work associates, our family, our friends, and it seems like half the time we’re more pre-occupied with our phone and other things going on instead of the actual relationships we have in front of us. Hopefully, people can learn from this and try to actually figure out if somebody is battling something deeper on the inside, than what they may be revealing on a day-to day basis.”
(Quinn speaks after Romeo Crennel declines to speak about what he witnessed in the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday)
Well said.
8
Oct
2012
Eric Winston rightly calls out Chiefs fans for cheering Matt Cassel’s injury (VIDEO)
Throughout Sunday’s Chiefs-Ravens game, the hometown Kansas City fans booed quarterback Matt Cassel as they watched the Chiefs’ offense stumble toward a 9-6 loss. And with some good reason. Cassel threw for only 92 yards, with 2 interceptions and 2 lost fumbles, as the Chiefs fell to 1-4 on the year. Fans had come brandishing anti-Cassel signs, and at one point, a banner flew over Arrowhead Stadium that read: “WE DESERVE BETTER! FIRE PIOLI - BENCH CASSEL!”
Now, your run-of-the-mill booing and banner-flying is one thing. But during the 4th quarter, some Chiefs fans crossed the line of what most would consider good taste and sportsmanship by actually cheering when Cassel was knocked out of the game with a concussion after getting drilled by Haloti Ngata (VIDEO HERE).
Eric Winston leans over his fallen QB (Photo: Bo Rader/kansascity.com)
After the game, Chiefs RT Eric Winston called out the Kansas City fans with a rant for the ages for what he called their “sickening” and “disgusting” behavior. It was an impassioned and eloquent statement by Winston, and is worth watching in its entirety (VIDEO BELOW) … but here are the money quotes (which is most of what he said):
“We are athletes, OK? We are athletes. We are not gladiators. This is not the Roman Coliseum. People pay their hard-earned money when they come in here and I believe they can boo, they can cheer and they can do whatever they want. Because I believe that. We are lucky to play this game. People … it’s hard economic times, and they still pay the money to do this.
“But when somebody gets hurt, there are long lasting ramifications to the game we play. Long lasting ramifications to the game we play. Alright? I’ve already kind of come to the understanding that I probably won’t live as long because I play this game and that’s OK, that’s a choice I’ve made and a choice all of us have made.
”But when you cheer, when you cheer somebody getting knocked out, I don’t care who it is, and it just so happened to be Matt Cassel — it’s sickening. It’s 100 percent sickening. I’ve never ever -and I’ve been in some rough times on some rough teams – I’ve never been more embarrassed in my life to play football than in that moment right there.
VIDEO OF WINSTON’S SPEECH AFTER THE JUMP
22
Sep
2012
Carl from ATHF chimes in on the kneel down controversy and replacement refs (VIDEO)
Our old friend Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force is back with his “Stone Cold Lock of the Century – Of The Week”, and this time he’s picking tomorrow’s Saints-Chiefs game. As a reminder, while we’re not gamblers ourselves, we generally recommend betting against whoever Carl picks.
But before he gets to his lock, Carl opines on the Giants-Bucs kneel down controversy (which we can hopefully stop talking about now), as well as the replacement referees and their impact on the game. As usual, great stuff from Carl and his Zubaz pants:
29
Nov
2011
Fake Kyle Orton Says Goodbye to Denver (VIDEO)
After being released by the Broncos and picked up by the Kansas City Chiefs last week, Kyle Orton likely has some mixed feelings about his tenure in Denver. After all, Orton has been on a bit of a roller-coaster ride since joining the team, with Josh McDaniels, John Elway and (most of all) Tim Tebow making his football life anything but simple. So he’s probably looking forward to starting over in KC, and putting this chapter of his career behind him.
Fortunately for us, the guys over at comedy troupe Landlocked Pioneers put together this spoof video of Orton bidding a fond farewell to Denver, with a dead ringer playing the role of a surly, beer-swilling Kyle … who is also clearly hurting inside:
“My rockin Neckbeard!!!
And living in Colorado, I can tell you that they nailed the local references to IKEA and the DIA “demon horse”. Awesome.
13
Nov
2011
Jonathan Baldwin makes an absolutely ridiculous catch (VIDEO)
We’ve seen a lot of incredible catches in the NFL already this year, but Chiefs rookie wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin may have outdone them all today with this amazing around-the-back snag against Broncos S Brian Dawkins.
Unfortunately, the play was called back on offsetting penalties, and the Chiefs ultimately lost the game 17-10, but regardless, this is one of the most incredible grabs you’ll ever see:
[via CosbySweaters]
1
Nov
2011
Philip Rivers fumbles game away to Chiefs (VIDEO)
Chiefs LB Andy Studebaker recovers Rivers epic blunder (Photo: Yahoo.com)
With just over a minute to play in regulation during last night’s Chargers-Chiefs game, Philip Rivers apparently got a case of the Halloween spooks.
After rallying to tie the game at 20-20, Rivers had his team deep in Chiefs territory and was planning on taking a knee to set up a game-winning field goal attempt. But as the Chargers QB stepped under center for the routine snap, something strange happened:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
9
Oct
2011
Victor Cruz and Dwayne Bowe make incredible juggling TD catches (VIDEO)
Bowe is an early contender for catch of the year (AP Photo/AJ Mast via google.com)
Here are a couple of the most impressive plays from today’s early games, if not the early part of the season, with the Chiefs’ Dwayne Bowe and Giants’ Victor Cruz making a pair of impressive juggling grabs for touchdowns.
Watch this amazing 5-yard snag by Bowe with a defender draped all over him. Bowe had 128 yards and 2 TDs in the Chiefs 28-24 win over the Colts:
WATCH CRUZ’ CIRCUS CATCH AFTER THE JUMP
12
Sep
2011
Sunday’s biggest losers
Sunday confirmed Indy's worst fears. (Source: NBCSports.com)
Week 1 in the NFL is a lock to produce its share of over-the-top, knee-jerk reactions. Half the league’s fan base wakes up Monday morning feeling great about themselves — and life. The other half are looking around the house for sharp objects. The meaningless preseason has given way to real games, and losses can’t be shrugged off — for some teams, Sunday was a reality check. Here’s a look at yesterday’s biggest losers:
5t. Cleveland (27-17 to Cincinnati): Extremely disappointing for the Browns. Cleveland has won only ONE opener since 1999, despite hosting every one of those games. With their new pass-oriented attack run by Colt McCoy, the Browns looked poised to take a step up in the AFC North — instead, they’re 0-1 after dropping a stinker to Cincy, who many considered worst team in football.
5t. New York Giants (28-14 to Washington): Every other team in this division gets massive media hype, but Washington could end up surprising. They’re immediately dismissed because Rex Grossman‘s at quarterback, but the Shanahans love this kid, and he performed yesterday. For the (heavily banged-up) Giants, a loss that raises more questions about Eli Manning, but not earth-shattering. They played even in the first half and, more importantly, this is a team that does not give up.
4. Kansas City (41-7 to Buffalo): A nightmare opener for the Chiefs, who were as lifeless as they appeared during a tumultuous preseason. Last year’s 10-6 team looked hundreds of miles away.
3. Dallas (27-24 to New York Jets): The Cowboys ended this one in embarrassing fashion, but it was the loss of their starting three corners for most of the second half that allowed Mark Sanchez to find his receivers (including the tedious Plaxico Burress) and climb back in. It’s a bitter defeat for Dallas, but they looked fantastic defensively early on, and there’s reason for hope here. Jason Garrett is putting together a team that could (or should, at least) defeat anyone else on this list.
2. Pittsburgh (35-7 to Baltimore): Are the Steelers in trouble? Not yet. The team has climbed out of bigger holes than this. The team is aging, yes, but they are among the best-coached squads in the game. The Ravens wanted this one more — and it showed.
1. Indianapolis (34-7 to Houston): Nobody picked Indy to go anywhere without Peyton Manning, but Sunday’s trainwreck was clear confirmation that the Colts are in jeopardy without their all-everything quarterback. Granted, it’s going to take Kerry Collins time to learn the offense, but there was very little, if anything, to be hopeful about in this one.
20
Jan
2011
Injuries in the NFL: How many games did each team’s starters miss this season?
(Photo: Reuters)
Anybody who spends any significant amount of time watching the NFL (or playing fantasy football for that matter) quickly comes to realize how big of an impact injuries can have on a team’s season. So much so that over the years, I’ve fallen firmly in the camp that injuries – and more importantly how back-ups perform in the inevitable case of injury to big-time players on both sides of the ball – are the single most important factor for a team’s success. Everything else can seemingly go out the window if the cornerstone of your offense goes down and nobody steps up to replace him. Add in the loss of leadership on the field, and there can be a domino effect that takes an irreparable toll on the entire team.
(Image: FootballOutsiders.com)
Well, the guys over at Football Outsiders put together an interesting statistical breakdown which might blow my theory right to hell. Or not. This table breaks down the total number of games lost by each team, and as you’ll see, this year’s playoff teams are all over the map. The most startling difference can be found in the NFC Championship opponents. The Packers came in second league-wide with 83 total games missed, while the Bears are tied for dead last with just 11. Meanwhile, the Steelers are middle-of-the-pack with 49, and the Jets got off relatively easy with 38 starter games missed.
In all, 4 of the 5 most injured teams, along with the three least injured teams made the playoffs this season. The remaining five playoff teams (Pats, Steelers, Ravens, Jets, Saints) are somewhere in the middle, and the Colts clearly got the worst of the injury bug this year. So what do we learn from this? Mainly it proves that a team can overcome injuries and still make a run at the post-season. It’s just a matter of having capable back-ups. At the same time, we can also see that some teams who weren’t necessarily expected to be contenders this season (Chiefs, Bears, etc.) benefited from staying healthy.
It should be noted that this breakdown isn’t statistically perfect. It only takes into account 22 starters on each team per game (11 offense, 11 defense), and most teams use more players than that regularly on each side of the ball. Also, it doesn’t take into account injuries to multiple starters at the same position (see the New Orleans Saints RBs). But perhaps most importantly, the table doesn’t assign any value to the importance of the player injured or the total number of games missed by that player. Losing someone like Sidney Rice, Ryan Grant or Ed Reed for much of the season is a far more significant injury than losing a 2-down linebacker for a few games here or there.
So, while this table may be interesting to look at, it doesn’t really give us the full picture. It would probably take a much deeper analysis than I’m capable of (hint hint, Football Outsiders math wizards) to show which teams really faced the most overall adversity due to injury.
10
Jan
2011
Hit Of The Week: Ed Reed levels Dexter McCluster, receives game ball (VIDEO)
(Photo: Baltimore Sun)
Ravens S Ed Reed has long been one of the game’s most ferocious hitters, and most respected defensive players. But on Sunday, as Baltimore traveled to Kansas City for their Wild Card playoff match-up, Reed found himself with a heavy heart, and he wasn’t quite sure how he was going to handle it. You see, Reed’s brother Brian disappeared on Friday and is presumed dead from drowning after jumping into the Mississippi River while being chased by police in Louisiana.
After much introspection, Reed decided that his brother would have wanted him to play, and with his family’s support, took the field against the Chiefs with Brian’s spirit in mind. And during the second quarter, Reed took his emotions out on Chiefs RB Dexter McCluster, who was hung out to dry by Matt Cassell on this swing pass:
The hit came at a fairly critical point (on 3rd and 8 with KC moving the ball), and afterward, head coach John Harbaugh credited the play as the turning point in the game. In recognition of his effort, the Ravens also honored Reed with the game ball in the locker room, which made for an emotional scene post-game:
“This ball is for your family, in memory of your brother,” Derrick Mason said, as he passed the ball to Ed Reed, who choked up as he accepted it on behalf of his family and brother.
“My family will really appreciate this,” Reed said. “So would my brother. My brother would want us to beat Pittsburgh.”
Afterward, Reed said that he took comfort in the game and being around his teammates. He also said that his family helped him keep focused on the job at hand.
Sadly, the search for Reed’s brother was called off this morning.
WATCH VIDEO OF THE RAVENS LOCKER-ROOM CEREMONY AFTER THE JUMP
