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IRRELEVANCY DIES THIS WEEKEND
September 10th – 6:04 PM

Paul Salata must be proud entering this weekend somewhere near Newport Beach, CA. Salata is the founder of “Irrelevant Week,” a week-long celebration centered on “Mr. Irrelevant,” the tongue-in-cheek title bestowed annually upon the last pick of the NFL Draft.

Well, this weekend is extra special for Salata, because he will see the most recent two Irrelevants play significant roles for their respective teams this weekend. We all know that one Irrelevant is Chiefs K Ryan Succop. The other is Rams SLB David Vobora out of Idaho.

Why is this tidbit about irrelevancy relevant today? Because the waiver wire has come into play, and not in the way you would expect it to when dealing with final draft picks.

Today, the Rams released LB Chris Draft, meaning Vorbora will now start in the Rams linebacking core. The only two Irrelevants currently on NFL rosters, Succop and Vobora will certainly have the attention of Salata, and Chiefs/Rams fans, this weekend.

BULLETIN BOARD MATERIAL?
September 10th – 5:02 PM

Yesterday, Ravens QB Joe Flacco had some comments that ruffled a few feathers inside the Chiefs locker room. The exact quote is posted below, and appears inside the Chiefs locker room.

“I don’t think it’s a good way to begin it,” Flacco said of KC starting their season in Baltimore. “We’re going to come in there, and we’re going to play well, and I don’t think they’re really going to want to play us by the end of the game.“

Flacco’s quote can be spun a number of different ways. The route one chooses to take depends on the reader. For Chiefs RB Larry Johnson, the last player to record a 100-yard rushing game (12/10/06) against the Ravens, it all boils down to on-field play, not off-field chatter.

”We kind of stay away from that stuff,” Johnson said. “The only thing that was put up was something that QB (Joe) Flacco said, which was ‘at the end of the game we wouldn’t want to play with them’ or something like that. I don’t pay attention to that because I don’t play defense. If a defensive player said that, then I would have my ears a little perked up. He’s confident in his team, and we’re confident in our team, also. It all comes down to when we start playing.“

When we start playing…what a great way to end the quote. That day is drawing near.

CASSEL OFFICIALLY A GAME-TIME DECISION
September 10th – 3:37 PM

Not much has changed since Monday regarding the status of Chiefs QB Matt Cassel for the season opener this Sunday in Baltimore. Cassel continued to practice with the team and was officially designated on the team’s injury report today as a limited participant.

One thing did change today, but it was inevitable. Instead of taking a day-by-day approach to Cassel’s injury, both head coach Todd Haley and Cassel himself said that Cassel’s playing status would be a game-time decision. No surprise there.

”I think this is something that will go down to the wire with the quarterback,” Haley said. “On game day we’ll still be trying to figure it out.“

And Cassel’s take…

“It is a decision that will probably go right up to game time,” Cassel said. “I am working hard, I have been out there each day at practice and I feel like we are making progress every day. That is why we have a training staff here. If I wasn’t able to go they would hold me back and that is what their job is. As long as I am able to walk and get out there I will be ready to go and it is their job to pull me back.”

CONGRATS TO FORMER CHIEF KIMBLE ANDERS
September 10th – 3:28 PM

This afternoon, former Chiefs RB Kimble Anders was honored as the Chiefs High School Coach of the Week recipient for the state of Missouri. Anders’ Northeast High School football team defeated Westport High School 12-8 last week.

The Chiefs Ambassadors, a group of former players in which Kimble is a member of himself, were on hand to present Anders and his football team with the award. It was a big day for Anders in another regard as well. The the former Chiefs rusher officially resigned his post as head coach to take a promotion to athletic director at Northeast High School.

Congrats Kimble!

AN EPIC DAY FOR KCCHIEFS.COM
September 10th – 2:51 PM

Remember when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon? Yeah, it was that kind of day for kcchiefs.com. Okay, not quite that epic, but today marked a definite turning point in connecting you, THE FANS, with this team.

Chiefs Live debuted today during head coach Todd Haley’s press conference. Essentially Chiefs Live is exactly as it sounds - live footage brought to you over kcchiefs.com. Just find it live on the main scroll on the front page.

Right now, the plan is to bring you coach Haley LIVE every time he addresses the media on kcchiefs.com. From there, we’ll continue to build upon our live programing…who knows what’s on the horizon?

Tomorrow Haley should be speaking live around 12:00 Noon.

RAVENS PLANNING WEEK ONE SURPRISE?
September 10th – 1:02 PM

Looks like the media in Baltimore is getting a bit snippy with Ravens leadership. Well, at least one member anyway. Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun reports that Ravens head coach John Harbaugh became “irate” when he thought that media members were shooting video of Ravens special teams work. Preston says they were not shooting.

Could this mean that the Ravens are up to something surprising for the special teams portion of Sunday’s game? Maybe, who knows? But Harbaugh is probably a lot like the Chiefs in the fact that he doesn’t want formations, personnel groupings and schemes on tape, with the potential for a leak to opposing teams. And, quite frankly, who can blame him?

Anyway, Preston claims he has shots of Baltimore formations on his cell phone and is charging $50 per shot. He just wants you to simply email him. Comments like that aren’t likely to get him very far with Baltimore’s brass, or the second-year head coach. In fact, they’re downright childish. But hey, here’s his email address Chiefs fans - mike.preston@baltimoresun.com. He’s the one who gave it out. Just make sure you negotiate hard, I think that his $50 asking price is a bit steep.

THURSDAY PRACTICE
September 10th – 11:58 AM

Chiefs QB Matt Cassel’s left knee might be bothering him a bit, but his pride sure isn’t hurt. Cassel was his vocal self today at practice, celebrating a perfect throw during QB net drills. It’s that type of competitiveness during simple drill work that helps fans rest easy, knowing that Cassel will go on Sunday should his body let him.

Aside from Cassel’s celebration, it was a normal Thursday practice - shells dress (shoulder pads and helmets) and Baltimore-prep work. All players participated in today’s practice, with the exception of RB Kolby Smith.

THE CHIEFS WERE OFFICIALLY BORN TODAY
September 10th – 8:58 AM

Throughout the 2009 season,  benchmarks relevant to the roots of this franchise will surface. Fifty seasons ago, today, the Chiefs franchise officially became a football team.

On September 10, 1960, the Dallas Texans played the first regular season game in franchise history on a Saturday night at the L.A. Chargers. The Texans were downed 21-20, in front of 17,724 fans, thanks to a late TD pass from QB Jack Kemp to FB Howie Ferguson.

QB Cotton Davidson led the Texans passing attack, going 22-of-40 for 230 yards, with 2 TDs and 1 INT. RB Johnny Robinson was the Texans leading rusher with five carries for 52 yards.

Here is a link to the original game program, courtesy the Chiefs public relations staff and Ange Coniglio.

http://twitpic.com/h6nvz

AN ACE IN THE POCKET
September 10th – 5:57 AM

It’s no secret that the Chiefs enter Sunday’s game in Baltimore viewed as heavy underdogs. The Ravens are actually 10.5-point favorites, the largest favorite role that the team has experienced in its 14-year history heading into Opening Day. But for the Chiefs, the “expert sentiment” doesn’t mean a thing. Kansas City players certainly don’t lack confidence. In fact, the players inside the Chiefs locker room almost seem as if they have a chip on their shoulder entering Sunday’s game.

“The expectations are pretty low for us from people outside of this locker room,” S Mike Brown said. “Inside the locker room we expect to win football games.”

The Chiefs carry a different internal mindset heading into this regular season. A mindset that understands what the outside perception of this football team is, but one that also understands that winning football games is determined by the 53-men that make up the Chiefs roster.

“It doesn’t really matter what people think outside,” Brown said. “Everyone has an opinion, and you know what they say about opinions. We expect to go out and win. We know it’s going to be tough and we know that it’s not going to be easy; they are not going to hand it to us. They went to the AFC Championship Game last year and they’re ready to show the world that they’re ready to make another run. We’ve got to stop that.”

This Chiefs offseason has been unlike any that have proceeded in recent memory. Scott Pioli and Todd Haley took over the franchise, immediately placing and emphasis on accountability, both mentally and physically, as well as an expectation for players to maintain their bodies in peak physical condition. The offseason strength program saw the Chiefs lose some 800 pounds as a team. It almost seems as if each pound shed was added, one-by-one, to the ever-growing chip on the Chiefs shoulder.

“It really doesn’t matter what people think outside the locker room,” S Jarrad Page said. “They haven’t been through the stuff that we’ve been through this offseason and this training camp. We know what we expect from ourselves and that’s why we are so excited to get out there. We know the attitude that we expect from ourselves and we want to get out there and show it.”

A hungry team is a dangerous team, but to Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, so is a new team. Boasting a coaching staff embarking upon its initial season in Kansas City, the Chiefs are somewhat of a mystery to their opponents at the moment.

“It’s a big challenge and I know that it is certainly an advantage,” Harbaugh said of the Chiefs first-year staff. “Certainly it was for us last year going into our first year. We’re really in the grog as far as what they’re going to run and it really forces you to prepare schematically and personnel groups, who is going to be playing what and doing what. It makes it a lot tougher.”

According to Haley though, the Ravens shouldn’t be too concerned about the Chiefs playbook. Apparently the third preseason game vs. Seattle presented a blueprint of the Chiefs offensive scheme for 2009.

“None,” Haley said, while trying to keep a straight face, when asked how much he has changed the Chiefs offense since taking over as offensive coordinator last week. “Exactly what we ran in the third pre-season game is what you’ll see.”

Unfortunately Haley doesn’t keep a good poker face when joking, and Harbaugh isn’t amused. The Ravens head coach knows just how dangerous Haley can be as a play-caller and the fact that the Chiefs have stayed very vanilla this preseason isn’t comforting.

“We just don’t have a real beat on what they’re going to do,” Harbaugh admitted. “I think that they’ve done a good job, as well they should. They have really been smart about how they have handled the preseason, what they’ve chosen to show or not show. They’ve really kept all of their cards close to their chest and they’ve done a good job of that.”

The attitude, the offseason work, the underdog role, and the anonymity – all of those factors add up to positives for the Chiefs. Maybe more than the pundits think. Oh, it also doesn’t hurt that the Ravens aren’t quite sure who is going to line up at quarterback for the Chiefs on Sunday either.