WR Dwayne Bowe and CB Brandon Carr Named to USA Today’s All-Joe Team
Dwayne Bowe and Brandon Carr have been honored by being named to USA Today’s All-Joe Team. This award gets its name from former Chiefs DT Joe Phillips and honors “hard-working, overlooked, underappreciated player(s) who do the dirty work simply because that’s (their) lot in life.”
Kansas City Chiefs - WR Dwayne Bowe, CB Brandon Carr Named to USA Today’s All-Joe Team.
USA Today announced on Wednesday that Chiefs WR Dwayne Bowe and CB Brandon Carr have been named to the All-Joe Team. Both Bowe and Carr are receiving the honor for the first time in their careers.
Here is a little more about Dwayne Bowe. He had a good year.
Bowe (6-2, 221) started all 16 games for the Chiefs in 2008 and totaled a career-high 86 catches for a career-best 1,022 yards (11.9 avg.) with seven TDs. He joined WR Otis Taylor as the second player in franchise history to register a 1,000-yard season in just his second pro campaign. Those 86 catches were the fifth-highest single-season total in Chiefs history. Bowe also led all NFL receivers with 15 broken tackles according to STATS, LLC.
Brandon Carr was very impressive as a rookie and I think he could start showing up on All-Pro list before long.
Carr (6-0, 207) was the first rookie cornerback to start all 16 games for the Chiefs since CB Kevin Ross in ‘84, opening 14 contests at left cornerback and two games as the club’s nickel cornerback. He finished his first professional season fifth on the squad with 77 tackles (71 solo), one tackle for loss, two INTs for 67 yards, six passes defensed and two fumble recoveries. Carr joined teammate CB Brandon Flowers, Washington S Chris Horton, Arizona CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Tampa Bay CB Aqib Talib as the only five rookies with four or more takeaways. In perhaps his finest performance of the season, Carr intercepted Denver QB Jay Cutler, recovered a WR Eddie Royal fumble, amassed three tackles and added a pass defensed in what fueled a 33-19 victory vs. the Broncos (9/28).
Great job guys!
Go Chiefs!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Chiefs Rookie Class Grades 2008
I’m not going to lie, I had been thinking about doing this, but it ‘temporairily left my mind’. 
But lucky for me Chris over at Arrowhead Pride gave out his grades for the Chiefs rookies recently so I thought I would give out mine as well… Let’s see who passed.
DT Glenn Dorsey
 |
Glenn Dorsey does get a bad rap from some fans and media, but I wouldn’t believe everyting thing you hear. Dorsey may have not been disrupting backfields like he was at LSU, but he did lead all rookie D-linemen in tackles this season. Also, if you compare his production to the rookie years of other star DT’s (Warren Sapp, Albert Haynesworth) they are likely more similar than you think. Also, I blame some of this on the coaches; if you draft a DT who’s forte is penetration and making plays in the backfield then why are you trying to use him as someone to takes up bodies? I could be wrong but I think if you unleash Dorsey and let him do what does best then he will take up bodies anyway because teams will be forced to double team him. Sorry, kind of went on there…
Grade: B- |
OT Branden Albert
 |
The Chiefe offensive line went from worst in the NFL in 2007 to middle of the pack in 2008 and I believe that Albert was a big part of the reason why. Branden Albert was injuried at first, which was a little disapointing (esp for a guy that had ‘never been injuried before’) but you can’t hold that against him. If anything that just showed his work ethic and willingness to succed. This guy could be an All-Pro some day.
Grade: A |
CB Brandon Flowers
 |
This season Brandon Flowers showed why many anaylist had him pegged as first round talent He coverd big time WR’s and it didn’t phase him one bit. Also, it isn’t his fault the Chiefs didn’t have a pass rush this season.
Grade: A+ |
RB Jamaal Charles
 |
Charles did have a few nagging injuries this season and overall I’d say he did okay this season. Honestly I would have liked to have seen a lot from him as a RB, esp. with LJ being out for a while, and as a return man ( I would have guessed that he would have taken at least one to the house this season). He did still average over 5 yards per attempt this season so I guess I can’t be mad at that.
Grade: C |
CB Brandon Carr
 |
Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers had very similar years and this tells me even more about Carr. This is a Diviions II corner who wasn’t affriad of life in the NFL one bit. He covered stud WR’s and didn’t blink an eye. Carr, in my opinion, did not quite play up to the same level as Flowers, but he wasn’t expected to. The fact the played up to that level says it all.
Grade: A |
K Connor Barth
 |
Barth made 10 of his 12 field goals this season for the Chiefs. I also believe that he had a touchback or two on kickoffs (something no other Chiefs kicker seemed to be able to to do). He was most consistent Chiefs kicker this season (not sure how much that says) but he did what was asked of him for the most part. 10/12 is 83.3334 % so that is what I will give him.
Grade: B |
FB Mike Cox
 |
It really is hard to judge a fullback. When we were running Herm’s offense at the begining of the year I saw Cox make some big blocks and some nice catches. I don’t remember his name being called by many people good or bad so I guess it would be safe to say that he did a decent job but didn’t stand out. Grade: C+ |
KR Kevin Robinson
 |
K-Rob was the best returner in a Chiefs uniform this season. I’m not sure what the averages say, but if you watched that games you know what I am talking about. Then again being the best returner out of this group may not be saying a whole lot
Grade: B- |
CB Maurice Leggett
 |
Leggett really got a lot better as the season went on. He had two very big plays for the Chiefs this season(fumble return for TD and pick-6 against Denver) and was by far the best undrafted free agent pick of the season for the Chiefs. For this season he gets an A, hope he doens’t turn into another Brackenridge (and by that I mean cut the following season).
Grade: A |
Incompletes: Will Franklin, DaJuan Morgan, Brad Cottam,Brian Johnston,Dantrell Savage
What do you guys think? Do you agree with the grades?
Please feel free to make your grades in the comment section below.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Kansas City Chiefs Injuries halfway through 2008
(sorry I thought a picture of Croyle would be appropriate here)
The Chiefs had quite a few players come down with injuries this year so I thought I would make a list. This is just off of the top of my head so if I have forgotten anyone please let me know in the comments section below.
Any Chiefs who has had an injury this season (missed time and/or listed on an injury report):
Donnie Edwards
Branden Albert
Nap Harris (former Chiefs with Vikings now)
Brodie Croyle (IR)
Damon Huard (IR)
Patrick Surtain
Brandon Flowers
Kolby Smith (IR)
Tamba Hali
Turk McBride
Glenn Dorsey
Jamaal Charles
Dustin Colquitt
Demorrio Williams
Will Franklin
Jarrad Page
Jean-Philippe Darche (IR)
Weston Dacus
Maurice Price
Dimitri Patterson
Erik Walden
J.P. Foschi
Derrick Johnson
In case you don’t believe this the official Chiefs Injury reports can be found by clicking the link.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
The Final Whistle - Post Game Thoughts: Chiefs vs. Jets
Our beloved Chiefs suffered a gut wrenching 24-28 defeat by the right arm of Brett Favre at Giants Stadium. Favre drove the Jets to a game winning score with just under 1:00 remaining in regulation. Though the loss is tough to swallow for the red and gold I am feeling good about the overall performance of our road warriors. You can’t say enough about the play of young QB Tyler Thigpen, I believe he temporarily silenced critics with his impressinve stat line of 25/36 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. His most impressive line of the day was the fact that he didn’t turn the ball over, he gave us a chance to win.
Though the defense stuggled yet again with giving up the big play, see Leon Washington, they did intercept Brett Favre three times. Two of those take aways going to rookie cornerback Brandon Flowers, one of which he returned 91 yards to pay dirt. Some noticable moves for the Jets game was Tamba Hali moved back over to his left defensive end spot, and Gunther spent the day on the sidelines rather than in the booth. I like both moves Tamba recored a sack late in the fourth quarter, plus Gunther was able to communicate with his young defense throughout the course of the game.
Though the loss pushed the Chiefs record to 1-6, it was promising to see improvement from the previous week. We can’t forget just how green this team really is, and it’s going to take time before they become contenders. The only thing I want out of the Chiefs each week is that they compete, and if they are in games late in the fourth quarter that is an added bonus. Some may say I have gone soft in terms of expectations of our Chiefs but I like to be realistic, and progress is all we can look for with our team from Arrowhead Dr.
Today was a step forward, and these are grounds the Chiefs can definitely build on. I am looking forward to next weeks game and hope to see similiar though slightley improved production from both our offensive and defensive units. I expect to see a competitive Chiefs team battle Tampa Bay, but hopefully the final outcome will be different.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Kansas City Chiefs vs Carolina Panthers - Matchups to Watch
The Chiefs are 1-3 and would love to come out with a second straight win. Here are some of the matchups they would have to win in order for this to happen.
Chiefs Offense Line vs Carolina Defensive Line: As you can tell from one of my latest articles, Top 5 Reasons to Believe in the Young Chiefs, I think the Chiefs offensive line is on the rise. This line has given up 12 sacks this year, but only 3 in the last two games combined. The Panthers are ranked 19th in the league with 7 sacks, which is really just middle of the pack, but 5 of those sacks have come in the last two games. With both lines playing their best the last two games this should be a great matchup to watch.
Chiefs Running Game vs Panthers Rush Defense:The Chiefs’ running game, particularly Larry Johnson, has really been picking up stream lately and this matchup could be one of the main deciding factors of the game. The Chiefs are currently averaging 4.9 yards per attempt (7th in NFL) and 138.5 rushing yards per game (also good for 7th in the NFL). The Panthers are allowing 4.1 yards per carry (15th) on average along with 114.2 yards per game (19th). On paper this match up looks like it could go to the Chiefs.
Carolina Running Game vs Chiefs Rush Defense: This is a matchup that has the potential to be bad for the Chiefs. The Chiefs are giving up an average of 5.3 yards per rushing attempt (29th in the league) and are also allowing an average of 176.5 yards per game on the ground. Carolina likes to run the ball but thier rushing offense does not blow you away, as the Panthers are averaging 3.6 yards per attempt (19th in NFL) and 102.5 yards per game (also 19th in NFL).
Carolina WRs vs Chiefs Secondary: With the possibility that CB Pat Surtain might be out again this week the Chiefs could be forced to start the two rookie Brandons’ again, and this may not be a bad thing. Last week the young cornerbacks (Brandon Carr and Brandon Flowers) did a very good job aginast a very good Denver WR crew (the numbers don’t do this justice as quite a few of those catches and yards was when Denver was playing catchup). But, with all of that said these young CB’s, along with 3rd year saefties Jarrad Page and Bernard Pollard, will have their hands full containing the elusive Steve Smith and comeback kid Muhsin Muhammad.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Chiefs vs Patriots - Matchups to Watch
I was doing a little thinking today (crazy I know) and I got to thinking about some of the intriguing matchups this week as the Chiefs take on the Pats in Boston.
Randy Moss vs Brandon Flowers: I know Surtain will probably line up against Moss to start the game, but Flowers covering Moss will happen. Flowers has looked very good in the preseason and his work against the Cardinals’ Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldon was very encouraging, but its Randy FREAKIN Moss. Moss will makes plays I know but hopefully Flowers will hold his own, and I think he will.
Branden Albert vs Richard Seymour: Are the Chiefs really going to start Branden ‘Phat’ Albert this soon after coming off of an injury? Seymour is an All-Pro and will likely school the first round pick a few times. The coaches would know better than I would, but I just don’t see why they should rush Albert back from this injury. Herb Taylor has looked pretty solid. Maybe they could jsut ease Albert in and play it by ear.
Brodie Croyle vs Brodie Croyle: Yes, that does say that. Will the new and improved Brodie come out to play or when things start to go south with Croyle fallback on his old habits and try to go ‘Brett Favre’? We will soon find out if Chan Gailey and Dick Curl have prepared their QB mentally to make the right decisions.
Tom Brady vs Chiefs Defense: Yeah, this is the gimme matchup to watch but that doesn’t mean I won’t mention it. Basically this boils down to one question: Is Brady healthy? If Brady is not healthy it could really affect the outcome of this game because after watching the Super Bowl everyone now knows that you need to get pressure on Brady to have a chance to win, so Brady’s mobility could be a big factor in this game. One last question: Is Brady seriously hurt or is Belichick just getting inside all of our heads?
What do you think of these matchups? Are there any other matchups you think will be interesting?
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Chiefs sign second-round pick Brandon Flowers
The Chiefs have signed 2nd round draft pick Brandon Flowers to a 4 year contract. Now only have the two first rounders left.
“The Chiefs agreed to terms on a four-year contract with rookie CB Brandon Flowers on Wednesday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Flowers, a second-round choice out of Virginia Tech, is expected to step right in as one of Kansas City’s starting cornerbacks, lining up opposite Patrick Surtain. Flowers started 28-of-41 games for the Hokies, recording 10 interceptions, 32 passes defended and 158 total tackles.
In PFW’s 2008 Draft Preview, draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki said Flowers “lacks the height, fluidity and downfield speed to fit as a man corner, but he boasts the physicality, ball skills and tackling ability to excel as a zone corner in a cover-2 scheme.”
The Chiefs now have nine of their 12 draft picks under contract. First-rounders DT Glenn Dorsey and OL Branden Albert remain unsigned.”
This actually puts the Chiefs ahead of most teams in signing picks. Good job guys!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
-
KC Chiefs Football on Facebook
-
