Midwest Sports Fan Blog

Kansas City signed running back Thomas Jones to a two-year deal worth $5 million, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

The Chiefs announced the deal Tuesday but declined to disclose the terms.

Jones was released by the Jets last week after being due a $3 million roster bonus on top of a $2.8 million base salary this season. He and the Jets failed to reach a compromise on restructuring his contract; the team wanted him to take a pay cut.

Jones wasn’t the only running back on Kansas City’s radar. After spending Tuesday with the Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers free-agent running back Willie Parker was scheduled to visit the Chiefs on Thursday, a league source told Schefter, but the trip was canceled when Jones entered the fold.

The Chiefs also met with Justin Fargas on Tuesday, according to a league source.

Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

As expected, the Kansas City Chiefs have officially hired Romeo Crennel to be their new defensive coordinator, a source close to the situation tells ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Crennel, who replaces Clancy Pendergast, reunites with general manager Scott Pioli and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis, who all worked together in New England during their Super Bowl runs. Weis was hired by Kansas City last week following his ouster as Notre Dame’s coach.

The Chiefs informed Pendergast early Wednesday that they would be terminating his contract one year after hiring him from Arizona, sources close to the situation told Schefter. Potential landing spots for Pendergast could include Atlanta, which did not renew the contract of defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas.

Crennel will not start work for Kansas City for a couple of weeks because of a prior commitment — he’ll be the head coach of the East Team in the East-West college football all-star game on Jan. 23 in Orlando, Fla.


Click here to read the full article – By of ESPN.com

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Larry Johnson’s record-breaking career as a Kansas City running back is over.


The Chiefs confirmed Monday that they had run out of patience with his off-the-field problems and released Johnson the day he was due to come back from his second suspension in a year.

Johnson, who turns 30 on Nov. 19, was just 75 yards away from breaking Priest Holmes’ team rushing record.

The decision by the Chiefs (1-7) was not a surprise.

“A part of him is excited and a part of him is very regretful,” Johnson’s agent, Peter Schaffer, told The Associated Press. “There’s a lot of feelings going on right now. It’s analogous to breaking up with a girlfriend. Maybe you saw it coming, but it still hurts when it happens.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

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Below are links to memorabilia available for Larry Johnson.

Todd Haley stepped into a hallway, the tears still in his eyes and the praise still coming. Somebody handed him a cell phone. It was his wife. That didn’t help the overflow of emotion that he was experiencing.


“I’ve been waiting to enjoy one of these,” said Haley, the Chiefs’ coach.

The postgame meeting and a different kind of news conference behind him, Haley took a breath and absorbed what it meant to get his first victory as Kansas City’s head coach, a 14-6 win at Washington. His shirt was still soaked after an ice bath, and his eyes remained red from four hours of cold and ending five weeks of losses. Haley, 42, leaned against a wall and was honest about the day’s importance.

Click here to read the full article – By KENT BABB of Kansas City Star

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The dizzying pace of change accelerated Wednesday at Chiefs headquarters. They made one change in their starting lineup and filled two roster vacancies with available free agents.

Coach Todd Haley promised more of the same until the Chiefs find a better roster combination than the one that delivered them to an 0-3 start.

“We’re in the process of shaping this team. It’s critical that we understand and all the players understand and everybody really understands this is the beginning stages of the process,” Haley said. “One thing that’s going to be clear to the players is that there’s going to be changes here as we try to improve and get better each week. They can’t let it affect them in any way, shape or form other than to push them to be better each and every day they’re in here and each and every Sunday.

“We’ve been clear with the guys about that. That’s the way we’ll continue to operate.”


Click here to read the full article – By ADAM TEICHER of The Witchita Eagle

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One game into his career as quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassel finds himself surrounded by skeptical fans and critical media. The endorsement he received this week from his coach? Lukewarm at best.


Maybe it’s a good thing that Cassel never reads the newspaper, listens to the radio talk shows or watches sports on television. Otherwise, he might get the idea that some people are wondering if his guaranteed $28 million contract is the reason he will start against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday and Brodie Croyle will not.

“I don’t think a contract has anything to do with it,” Cassel said Thursday. “I think they’re going to play the best person out there.”

That’s exactly what Chiefs coach Todd Haley keeps saying, that his message will be consistent with every position regardless of how high a player was drafted or how much his contract might cost owner Clark Hunt.


Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of NFL.com

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The Kansas City receiving corps is taking on a veteran look. The Chiefs on Monday signed Ashley Lelie, a seven-year pro. He joins Amani Toomer, a 13-year veteran who signed on Aug. 4.

Lelie, in stints with Denver, Atlanta, San Francisco and Oakland, has caught 217 passes for 3,749 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Wide receiver has been one of many problem areas for Kansas City in recent years. Dwayne Bowe, their first-round pick three years ago, has spent most of training camp in the coaches’ doghouse. He did have five catches for 70 yards in Saturday’s preseason opener.

Lelie was the Broncos’ first-round pick out of Hawaii in 2002.

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of NFL.com

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Below are links to memorabilia available for Ashley Lelie.

The last true franchise quarterback to wear a Kansas City Chiefs jersey is already here, sitting where important men sit: in a nearly enclosed, oversized booth, watching waitresses with pleasant smiles hum by and men in business suits strain to catch his words.

This is how far back you have to look to catch a glimpse of what Matt Cassel might become: All the way to the 1960s and Lenny The Cool, he of the Super Bowl ring, the bronzed-tan glow of the good life, the loving looks of folks who remember winning ways and the special place you get to inhabit if you earn the mantle of franchise quarterback.

Click here to read the full article – By BILL REITER of The Kansas City Star

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Matt Cassel, a career backup in college and in the pros, parlayed a great 2008 season into a lucrative franchise tag. Now, he’s locked himself into a deal to be the long-term quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Cassel and the Chiefs worked out a six-year deal that will pay him in excess of $10 million a season, according to a source. The contract will keep Cassel with the Chiefs until 2014. The deal is for $63 million, with $28 million guaranteed, according to a source. He’s going to make $40.5 million in the first three years of his contract.

Click here to read the full article – By John Clayton of ESPN.com

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