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CHIEFS SIGN RB/FB TIM CASTILLE
November 17th – 5:13 PM

The Chiefs have filled their open roster spot created by WR Dwayne Bowe heading to the Reserve/Suspended List.

Kansas City has signed free agent RB/FB Tim Castille - most recently a member of the Arizona Cardinals. The 5-11, 238-pound Castille played in 14 games under Todd Haley’s offense with Arizona in 2008.

ROSTER IMPLICATIONS WITH BOWE
November 17th – 3:38 PM

Similar to the team’s situation when RB Larry Johnson was suspended, WR Dwayne Bowe will not count against the team’s 53-man roster count. With Bowe’s suspension already on the books, the Chiefs currently have 52 men on their active roster.

There are a number of areas the Chiefs can use depth, particularly at a razor-thin safety position. Obviously, the wide receiver position comes into focus as well.

WADE BACK IN FOCUS
November 17th – 3:10 PM

Today’s events regarding WR Dwayne Bowe and his league-imposed four-game suspension have put WR Bobby Wade back in the spotlight. Wade, the Chiefs second-leading receiver for most of the season, had found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reasons over the past two games.

Wade gained much pregame attention in Jacksonville when word broke that he would be “down” for that Sunday’s game. Citing a numbers crunch, Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said that Wade’s inactive status wasn’t due to practice or game performance. Most thought that Wade would, in turn, see the field in Oakland. That didn’t happen either as Wade was inactive for a second-straight week last Sunday.

Haley yielded some futuristic vision yesterday when he said that he expected Wade to get back on the field in the short-term, possibly as early as this Sunday. Little did the rest of us know that the news of Bowe’s suspension was pending.

“Strictly roster stuff,” Haley said of Wade’s deactivation. “Bobby’s a pro and continues to work real hard and I have no doubt Bobby is going to be back up here pretty quick if not this week it’ll happen soon. I think he’ll be ready. Bobby is part of our plans.

“Again, that’s a roster deal,” Haley re-emphasized. “That’s one of those things that as the week goes on that are the hard decisions. He’s been the last guy every week and it’s one of those things of who plays what, who can cover what spots, all those things. Bobby had done an adequate job punt returning and that probably hurt us a little bit not having them.“

Wade is a player who quickly won over Chiefs fans as an immediate contributor following his free agent signing on September 15th. Just five days later, Wade was the Chiefs leading receiver vs. Oakland (9/20/09). Chris Chambers, the Chiefs newest acquisition at receiver also conquered the learning curve and has already notched two TD catches in as many games he’s appeared on the roster. Both players are following in the footsteps of WR Mark Bradley, who was a quick learner following his acquisition in mid-season 2008.

For the Chiefs to be successful, they’ll need all three of these players to work together, step-up and take the reigns of the Chiefs receiving core. Bowe is unquestionably the team’s biggest go-to play-maker in the receiving game and his four-game absence leaves a gaping hole in what was viewed as a unit growing into a considerably strong asset for the offense.

Bradley is the receiver on the roster who most resembles Bowe’s physical stature. He will certainly see his playing time increase this Sunday as a result. Bradley’s finest game this season came in the season opener when he hauled in four catches for 73 yards at Baltimore.

Bowe leads the Chiefs in all statistical categories with 33 catches for 466 yards and four TDs. The rest of the Chiefs active receiving core has combined for 57 receptions, 682 yards and five TDs.

Some of the familiar free agent receivers include Joey Galloway, Marvin Harrison, Jerry Porter, Reggie Williams and Matt Jones. There are also available players who are familiar with Kansas City’s offensive system such as Bobby Engram, Ashlie Lelie and Amani Toomer. WR Quinten Lawrence is also available as a member of the club’s practice squad.

BOWE SUSPENDED
November 17th – 12:35 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs today confirmed that the National Football League has suspended WR Dwayne Bowe for four games for “violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing substances.” Bowe’s suspension will begin immediately.

As a result of the league suspension, the team will have no further comment.

UPDATE: Per Corry Rush of the NFL office, the terms of this league suspension mean that WR Dwayne Bowe cannot be at the facility, stadium or participate in any team functions, meetings or practices until the suspension is lifted.

QB’s IN FOCUS
November 17th – 11:26 AM

Trolling through the numbers of Chiefs QB Matt Cassel and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, there are a few things that stand out heading into this Sunday’s match-up. Cassel, undoubtedly, will need to perform at the top of his game should the Chiefs expect to upend the defending Super Bowl champs. Roethlisberger, on the other hand, is quietly going through one of his roughest stretches as a pro.

Have you not read this in the news? The Steelers’ signal-caller is struggling significantly heading into Arrowhead this weekend. Last Sunday in Cincinnati, Roethlisberger turned in a game without a touchdown for the first time in 16 starts. His 174 yards and 51.5 passer rating against the Bengals was the worst showing since an early regular season game against Philadelphia in 2008. Fluke?

There’s more. Roethlisberger’s next-worst game in terms of yardage came at the end of October this year against Minnesota (10/25/09 - 175 yards). Over his past three games, Roethlisberger has been significantly worse than his career averages on two occasions. In those games, Roethlisberger has been very un-Roethisberger as his yardage output has fallen over 100 yards below his usual output over his career.

Roethlisberger’s comments after the game in Cincinnati just 48 hours ago? “Offensively…we…we…I played bad.“

The Chiefs will certainly see a very hungry Roethlisberger when the Steelers quarterback makes his first-ever appearance at Arrowhead Stadium. A major key to beating Pittsburgh on Sunday will be getting after Roethlisberger early to shake his confidence.

Like Roethlisberger, Chiefs QB Matt Cassel will also aim for his initial Arrowhead victory this Sunday. Currently, Cassel is 0-4 as a starter at home. Going up against some tough competition (Dallas, N.Y. Giants and San Diego) at home, Cassel has struggled by completing just 52.6% of his Arrowhead passes for a 67.1 QB rating. Cassel’s season rating stands at 75.3.

Although Cassel’s home numbers a down, he’s still on pace to pass for 18 overall TDs this season. If he can reach that mark, those 18 passing TDs would represent the most by a Chiefs QB since Trent Green had 27 in 2004. That’s a pretty remarkable stat considering the Chiefs average just 15.8 points per game as a team.

Unfortunately, Cassel’s home slate of opponents won’t get any easier this weekend. The Steelers defense ranks second among NFL teams in total defense (277.4 yards per game), first in the NFL against the run (69.3 yards per game) and 12th against the pass (208.1 yards per game).

Quarterback play is always something to watch each Sunday, but this weekend’s game will truly be a test for both players under center.

THE GAMBLER
November 17th – 6:30 AM

If Todd Haley is a gambler, then Bill Belichick must be Kenny Rogers.

Belichick’s decision on Sunday night to go for it on fourth-and-two from his own 28-yard line with 2:08 to play, and a six-point lead, broke every football coaching rule ever written. That kind of gutsy move is simply unheard of, at any level of football. Even the mild-mannered, uncontroversial and well-spoken Tony Dungy said after the game that Belichick, “had to punt in that situation.”

Belichick didn’t punt, he went all in. I understand Belichick’s rationale, mindset and the fact that one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history was standing on the opposite sideline with his helmet strapped up and ready to go. I also understand the people who say that the soon-to-be legendary head coach was out of his mind by trying the conversion attempt, and that he looked like he was playing a game of Madden.

(Random Thought Timeout – Don’t you just hate playing against those guys who never punt when playing Madden? Those guys drive me crazy. Come on man, play for real!)

Regardless of which side of the fence you stand, Belichick’s decision to “go” is a great topic of debate. But whether or not his decision was correct isn’t the focus here. The point is simply that Belichick’s gamble stands as the single-most publicized late-game coaching decision that this generation of football has witnessed in recent memory. Our focus, however, is on Sunday’s “other gambler,” Todd Haley.

While Haley prefers the pennies, Belichick is racking up comps in the high limit area.

Following a few debatable fourth down decisions during Sunday’s game at Oakland, Haley was officially tagged as a “gambler” – at least on the offensive side of the football. He’s not the type of gambler that will attract the national attention that a Belichick-sized wager demands, but to Chiefs fans, Haley’s gambles are much more important. Haley’s decision to “hold ‘em” or “fold ‘em” directly affect the Chiefs kingdom. Meanwhile, Belichick’s gambles are simply amusement for Chiefs fans to view in their spare time.

Holding a 13-10 lead at the start of the second-half, Haley opted to skip the punt, facing a fourth-and-seven from the Oakland 34 yard-line, and opt for a 52-yard Ryan Succop field goal attempt. The result? Wide-left; fail. The aftermath? Personal scrutiny from Haley, towards Haley.

On the Chiefs very next possession, while holding that same 13-10 lead, Kansas City faced a fourth-and-one from the Oakland 14 yard-line. This time Haley ditched the three-point try and decided to go for the conversion instead. Maybe Haley was still beating himself up for his decision on the last possession, who knows? The decision certainly drew plenty of scrutiny, this time from the public. The result? Incomplete pass; fail.

“I think it comes down to the game, the ebb and flow of the game and what’s going on and how you feel,” Haley said of his fourth-down decisions on Sunday. “As I said, my biggest regret (Sunday) was the series before kicking the 52-yarder. I was on the head-set telling the coaches, ‘why didn’t someone tell me to punt?’ I really felt that was the one that I should have thought out a little clearer. We had a chance to keep field position in our favor. A 52-yarder, though Ryan has kicked the ball really well, is not a guarantee. I feel like if we could have pinned them there and got the ball back in good field position we could have really turned the ball game.

“But that’s all part of the game and learning,” Haley continued. “Each game is going to be different.”

A day later, there was plenty of chatter around the city about “what could have been” and “what almost happened”, instead of what actually happened. Yeah, it was the Raiders, I know. But the Chiefs came from behind, tied the game and took a lead on Sunday. From there, their opponent never held another advantage.

How many times have we seen a Chiefs team give up that advantage late? Just think about that for a second. I mean, the Chiefs even let this very same Raiders team stage a late comeback in their September 20th meeting at Arrowhead. The win was a very positive step for this team.

The win, however, was also set up by a gamble; the “forgotten wager,” if you will. The turning point of this football game came on (check out the “Turning Point” video on kcchiefs.com for a breakdown of this play) RB Jamaal Charles’ 44-yard TD burst. That run tied the football game and the Chiefs wouldn’t allow another Oakland point going forward. That run was also a gamble. But this time the fourth-down gamble paid out.

“I was just trying to get the first down,” Charles said of the fourth-and-one attempt from the Oakland 44 yard-line. “It was my will and my want, trying to go out there and make a big play.”

CBS play-by-play man Gus Johnson didn’t miss the impact of Haley’s gutsy call. His TD call on Sunday’s telecast was dead on – “Forty-four yards on fourth-down-and-one! So Todd Haley decides to gamble and rolls a seven!”

The sheer fact that Charles was in a situation to make a play at that time in the game may have even been a gamble itself. Last Monday’s decision to release record-breaking RB Larry Johnson put an unproven player in the spotlight as Kansas City’s feature back in a “running back by committee” system. Charles, on the other hand, has felt like he’s belonged since the day Kansas City drafted him in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He’s also rewarded fans with some game-breaking runs that this franchise hasn’t seen in quite some time.

“I’ve felt like (this team’s running back) since day one,” Charles said. “Even though I was stuck behind LJ, I just wanted to prove myself that I can make plays and make things happen. It was just hard with LJ up in there. They couldn’t make a series for us both. When LJ was here, he was up in there all the time. Now I’m starting to get more carries and they can see what I can do.”

The Chiefs certainly did find out what Charles can do. Ironically, Charles turned in this season’s finest rushing performance against the same opponent who he was a healthy inactive against during the two teams’ week two meeting. Seven weeks later, Charles is still pulling from that week two experience of watching from the sidelines for motivation.

“It just made me what to play harder,” Charles said of Haley’s decision to deactivate him on September 20th. “Coach had to do what he had to do. I just came back and showed him that I wanted to play for the rest of the year.”

Now that you think about it, Haley took a gamble with Charles’ psyche early in the season. The early returns point to that gamble paying off as well.