Chiefs: Roster Notes and Movie Quotes

Josh Kingsley

The home stretch of the offseason is here, and meaningful football is just around the corner. This is great news from a fan standpoint. However, there is a final step in the process of getting to football, and we just crossed that bridge. I am referring to the final roster process. This is normally a situation of great fanfare, which is an odd thing for me as an observer. Pro sports provides this interesting situation where we as fans watch people get and lose jobs in real time. About this time of year I picture a situation where I and my peers sit in a windowed board room and learn our professional fates at said organization in front of a bunch of bloggers. I am generally happy this scenario doesn’t exist in real life, but a small part of me would embrace the chaos.

I say all that to make the point that I work to keep in mind we are talking about people. More specifically people with jobs, families and livelihoods. Just like all of us. The grim reality: my favorite NFL team fired and/or demoted a bunch of guys in the past 48 hours, and I feel for them.

Quick Movie Side Bar

One of my favorite movies of all time is “Up in the Air.” George Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a guy who flies all over the place and handles terminations for companies in mass layoffs. If you haven’t seen the movie its as messed up as it sounds. My attraction is both the great story and the road warrior travel part. Anyway, a favorite Clooney speech to Anna Kendrick, who plays Natalie Keener, is about what they actually do.

“Ryan Bingham : [sitting across the aisle from each other on a plane] Natalie, what is it you think we do here?
Natalie Keener : We prepare the newly unemployed for the emotional and physical hurdles of job hunting, while minimizing legal blow-back.
Ryan Bingham : That’s what we’re selling. It’s not what we’re doing.
Natalie Keener : Okay, what are we doing?
Ryan Bingham : We are here to make limbo tolerable, to ferry wounded souls across the river of dread until the point where hope is dimly visible… and then stop the boat, shove them in the water and make them swim.“

The best nuance of the scene is the look on Kendrick/Keener’s face during the last line. She has a look of longing hope after the first sentence and a scowl as he finishes. That exchange to me is the essence of the NFL final roster push.

Final Roster Notes

The final roster shaped out for the most part as expected. All the real questions surrounded a few offensive positions, and it really came down to how many. We now have the answers of 4 RB, 4 TE, and 5 WR. This means no real surprise cuts at RB or TE, but an odd man or two out on the WR corps. My biggest surprise cuts:

Danny Shelton (DL): he joined late in the offseason to a significant amount of fanfare. Danny did end up on the practice squad most likely for seasoning on system and profiles as a call up for injury.
Taylor Stallworth (DL): I wrote about his upside when he signed. He simply didn’t work out, but landed on the practice squad with Shelton. I view him as second chair behind Shelton.
Lonnie Johnson (CB): the other Texans trade guy. The Titans claimed him off waivers. CHIEFS CB youth movement is in progress.
Roderick Johnson (OL): this one is mostly surprising due to the starting reps he received in Orlando Brown’s absence.
Daurice Fountain (WR): most expected him on the final 53, but for now he heads to the practice squad.
Nazeeh Johnson (CB/S): most of my surprise here bases around him being a new draft pick. Draftees tend to get a spot (see Kinnard), but Nazeeh had the added factor of position switch to manage. He also landed on the practice squad.

My unfortunate omission to the above list is Josh Gordon. His time in the NFL is most likely over, and his time as a meaningful contributor on a contender seems to certainly be over. Gordon is a great what if in my mind. Look, I know he broke the rules…tested positive…a lot, but his total career seems steep. Especially seeing Watson’s press = 11.

Time to Buy Some Aluminum

The wedding guy in me wants everyone to know we have a big anniversary on deck. This season is Andy Reid’s 10th as head coach of the Kansas City CHIEFS, and it is cause for celebration. Coaching tenure is not really a thing in most of the NFL. In fact, 15 of the 32 teams have a rookie or 2nd year coach leading their team. Reid’s 10 years makes him the 5th most tenured coach in the League (Belichick 23, Tomlin 16, Harbaugh 15, Carrol 13). The average tenure drags up to 4.6 years by our top 5 and a good deal of 4-6 year guys, but the fact remains NFL head coach is a “what have you done lately” ticking clock.

I was on social media earlier today and saw this exchange by Corey (click his name for his art) and Shaggy Shane (click his name for his excellent YouTube channel) had an exchange that grabbed me:

The first thing that always grabs me when I think of the Eagles is the exchange with fans in 2013 when I caught a game at the Linc. Everyone expressed shock in my happiness with Reid as the CHIEFS coach. I thought it was a good deal then, but we all know it is awesome now. Hindsight gives the benefit of 20/20 vision, so it is quite easy to second guess the Eagles. For the record the Eagles (their fans really) deserve every barb they get, and most Eagles fans will admit that. However, Reid’s introductory presser did not take into account one Patrick Mahomes. A player like him makes a Belichick type tenure more likely. Reid’s presser did take into account that he and the Eagles needed a change, and that is a fact.

To The Coach

I am taking a moment to toast Andy Reid and thank him for nearly 10 years of greatness. He took a rag tag team, and made them a playoff team winning his first nine games right out of the box (which is all the more astounding when you consider that K.C. was 2-and-14 the previous year). Then he took a draft day project and turned him into an all pro and most likely hall of famer. Reid could walk out tomorrow and be a legend in K.C. for life, but fortunately for us he wants to give us more. Cheers to that as well.

The only real piece of business now is what to get for the anniversary gift. Aluminum is the traditional 10th anniversary gift. The Lombardi trophy is sterling silver and made by Tiffany and Co. This is obviously not the correct metal, but I hope it is his gift. I’m pretty sure he would be fine receiving it.

Movie Send Off

“The Campaign,” which stars Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, is a ridiculous movie that came out August 10, 2012. It follows the story of a North Carolina House seat election and all the corruption that infiltrates the process. Like all good Ferrell movies it is super over the top and crass. It’s the kind of movie that makes my dad want to break the TV, but me, I laugh my tail off.

Josh Kingsley — ArrowheadOne and Arrowhead Kingdom

Josh Kingsley