Chiefs Headliners: 1•17•24

Laddie Morse

With one game down, and three to go until these Kansas City Chiefs are once again crowned NFL Champions, it’s time to take a look at some issues they have inside and outside the team. Let’s begin with what Tony Dungy said this past weekend.

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I used to like Tony Dungy. No, I don’t know him personally but I used to appreciate his comments… until, this past weekend he said some disparaging things about our new queen of Chiefs Kingdom. Alan Covington said this about Tony Dungy’s comments this weekend:

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“Tony Dungy went full buffoon, blaming Taylor Swift

for discouraging viewers from watching the NFL.”

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Michael Stein wrote a piece this week for Yahoo Sports called, “Former NFL Coach Tony Dungy Sends a Blunt Message About Taylor Swift Attending Games” in which he quotes Dungy as saying:

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“That’s the thing that’s disenchanting people with sports now. There’s so much on the outside coming in—entertainment value and different things taking away from what really happens on the field.”

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The announcers often take away what is going on on the field too, Tony. So do the constant TV shots of the coaches… not to mention the Referees. Come on man, with some people hating the break away shots of people in the stands, what is the game of football anyway, if it’s not pure entertainment? Get a life and stop making comments that just make you look outdated. I’m quite certain that the powers that be in the NFL are thrilled that there is someone who is bringing in a whole new fanbase and many of them are female. That leads us to…………….

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I’ve heard and read so many fans say that they dislike Taylor Swift. What’s not to like? If the shots were cutting away to a very pretty fan… like… say… Brittany Mathews, would anyone mind? I haven’t heard that complaint yet. Sure, I’ve heard people complaining that Brittany is too loud, but wouldn’t you be the same in her situation? It doesn’t make sense(2:16):

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Even ex-QB great Brett Favre got in on the negative commenting about Swift saying:

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“She’s obviously using Travis Kelce for publicity.

It’s a money grab that’s not going to end well.”

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I have to admit, at one time, early, early in their relationship, I thought that might be true. However, now I can see that with Swift hanging around Kelce consistently, it’s much more than that. Besides, how does Brett Favre know? Does Favre have some inside info that we don’t know about. I seriously doubt that. So, what gives Brett? Are you just jealous?

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Honestly, prior to Swift and Kelce linking up and making their relationship public, I had no idea what a Swift song sounded like… except for “Shake It Off”… and now I have looked up several of her songs and am familiar with many more. As a song writer myself, I can say: she’s good and deserves all the hype she gets.

The Taylor Swift reach has spread to many new fans. Jordan Strack explains:

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Jordan Strack’s 12-year old daughter isn’t the only example either. Many fans of the NFL came along just this season and the reason for their interest is… that’s right… Taylor Swift. Football is entertainment once and for all. So is the music industry. Why else would the NFL schedule a 13 minute musical halftime show each year during the Super Bowl? The NFL is trying to tap a cultural fan base. If there’s a fan base for music, and there is, and it’s considerable, why wouldn’t the NFL want to tap that? They would, and they do. Thus, the NFL is 101% behind the Taylor Swift/Travis Kelce relationship.

BTW, I think Tony Dungy needs to shut his pie hole… and the same goes for you Mr. Favre.

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We all know by now, that Chris Jones registered his 10th sack of the 2023 season in week 18 thereby kicking in a $1.25 Million dollar incentive. Chris Jones appears to be on the precipice of achieving the vast majority of his incentives. John Dixon at ArrowheadPride says of Jones incentives:

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“Kansas City’s star defensive tackle can earn up

to $6.75 million in bonuses — but very little counts

against 2023.”

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Jeremy Fowler at ESPN adds:

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That’s what I think will happen with Stone Cold Jones in 2024… GM Brett Veach will wait and see if he can sign as many of the Chiefs other free agents, then Franchise Tag CJ… if possible. New Heights with Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce explain the impact of Chris Jones getting his 10th sack of the year (0:59):

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We already know by now that WR Rashee Rice is good. How good will be determined by how the rest of his career goes. This segment will be more about the other receivers than it is about Rashee Rice. That’s because, with Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice stepping up to provide the major impact in the Chiefs receiving game, the question remains… who else will make a statement? Could it be Mecole Hardman? Could it be Justin Watson? I’m not even going to consider Justyn Ross, because I think he’s a next year player and will eventually be a major target … but not until 2024.

Skyy Moore is not going to be that guy. I sure thought when the Chiefs drafted him in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft that he would become another Wes Welker type… only for the Chiefs. Moore has disappointed on some many levels I don’t think it’s even a possibility for hi to step up in these playoffs. With Moore sustaining a knee injury in the win over the Patriots, he’s now on the Injured Reserve list and out for the rest of this year. Even if he wasn’t on that list, Moore has had 494 receiving yards this year and last combined for an average of 11.5 YPC.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling (MVS) is not going to be that man to step up either. He hasn’t been, but continues to be… a bust. MVS has a total of 315 yards receiving this year but the real problem with him is his drops. He’s caught as many passes as he’s dropped this season a 42-to-21 ratio. That’s right, MVS has a 50% catch ratio. Add to that his 3 TDs in two season in K.C. and it’s not good. Not good at all.

Kadarius Toney is known for his post season contributions following the 2022 season. Yes, he helpd the Chiefs win the 2022 Lombardi Trophy but other than that? He’s not been around enough to help. Saying you’re going to count on his mto step up is tantamount to suicide. Toney has 169 total receiving yards for he Chiefs this season. Nothing to get too excited about. I love him… when he’s available. Although Toney has appeared in 13 games this season, he’s only started two of them. Another player that leaves me wanting more, so much more.

Mecole Hardman has started only two games this season like Toney. The difference? Hardman now appears to be available. Also, Hardman can use his 4.33 speed to get open deep or at least provide a decoy so that others like Kelce and Rice can get open underneath. If I had to choose a player who would provide that third wheel extra spark… it would be Mecole Hardman. Besides, he knows Reid’s playbook inside and out.

Richie James is a possibility. While I prefer to see him remain as the Chiefs primary punt return man, I can see James becoming that extra guy who forces the other team’s defense to be disciplined and stay honest. Although James is only a 4.48 guy, he does have some lateral quickness and could become more for PM in the passing game.

Noah Gray is also a candidate for extra work. Gray has become a consistent contributor with 604 yards receiving over the past two seasons. With Gray in on over half of the Offensive snaps the last two season he’s also been a workhorse for Dave Toub on Special teams. Gray is a possibility, but I can see him offering the offense more than the 17.7 YPG that he already contributes.

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sportskeeda Photo Credit

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Patrick Mahomes broke his helmet on a hit by DeShon Elliott when Patrick was attempting ot score a TD. From Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz he quotes Mahomes who said of the situation:

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“I was very unhappy because my helmet’s warm and it cracked … and I put the other helmet on, and it didn’t fit at all. It was sitting out in the cold all day long. I didn’t know what happened in the moment, but I got in the huddle and everybody was telling me. And I was like ‘I got y’all, but I’m not coming out (of) the game. … It was a first for me. We gotta talk about where we store the backup helmet because it was frozen. When I tried to put it on, it was completely frozen. I couldn’t get it on. I don’t know if anyone got a picture of it. It didn’t look great. But we were able to adjust it on the sideline and get it warmed up a little bit and get rolling from there.”

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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