Posted by Josh Katzowitz

When the Patriots released cornerback Leigh Bodden late last month, there was speculation that Bodden either had gotten very old very quickly or that he was simply going through the motions despite his four-year, $22 million contract.

The truth of the matter, though, is much more painful.

Bodden, in a hospital bed in North Carolina, told the Boston Herald that he had severe back problems after Week 1 and there were times he could barely run because of the pain.

“People may have thought I was angry, but I never was,” Bodden told the newspaper. “I just knew sometimes I would feel healthy, sometimes I wouldn’t. … (After an MRI), it didn’t really show much. I went on, and it got progressively worse.

“I had told them my back was hurting. One time, a receiver caught a ball on me, and I could barely run. They’re screaming at me, and it probably looked like I didn’t care. But that’s never the case with me.”

After New England waived him, Bodden actually had a chance to sign with the Chiefs, but because he has so much respect for Kansas City defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, Bodden told the team about his physical maladies, including his back pain and a weakened right leg.

“Then I got home and noticed one leg was smaller than the other,” Bodden said. “The muscle had atrophied. They measured my leg, and I had lost three inches.”

That’s when Bodden underwent back surgery to fix the herniated disc that was causing so many of his problems.

The issue with New England is that an MRI didn’t show anything wrong with Bodden even though he was in pain. Bodden knew something was wrong, but neither he nor the Patriots knew the extent of the injury. Now that he does and has taken corrective measures to fix the problem, he’s looking forward to the rest of his career.

“I don’t want my career to end like this, and it won’t,” Bodden said. “I know my ability. This surgery is really nothing, they removed the disc, and it’ll just let the leg be normal. I still feel like I’m a damn good player at this point in my career, age or not.”

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Posted by Will Brinson

 

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The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t -- as a certain former Chiefs coach-turned-analyst said -- the “story of 2010.” Maybe at the midway point of last year, but now? Come on. Still, watching the Todd Haley’s crew grow up right before our very eyes last year was definitely fun.

And definitely a reason to give tons of credit to Romeo Crennel and Charlie Weis, the two coordinators that managed to get a slew of the Chiefs’ early-round draft picks to actually play to their potential. Glenn Dorsey, Derrick Johnson, Brandon Flowers, and Tamba Hali all blossomed on the defensive side, and Matt Cassel, Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki turned into fantastic offensive seasons.

Various talent levels aside, there were too many players who took a step forward in 2010 to simply call it a coincidence. Sustaining those levels, though, is the bigger problem.




Scheme, Blocking

The offensive skill positions are pretty well set for KC (depending on what you think about Matt Cassel anyway, and with the notable exception of a second wideout with wheels) and if they can bring back Brandon Carr, the secondary is going to be sick long-term, and possibly even as soon as next year.

But the Chiefs still need some help in the trenches, though. Defensively, Tyson Jackson played well before suffering an early season injury and Glenn Dorsey certainly made people in Kansas feel a little better about his top-five selection.

And offensively, well, it’s pretty obvious how good this team can be. The biggest question is whether or not Haley can stay out of his own way. (Or, alternately, if Weis really is that brilliant a playcaller -- 2011 will let us know to some degree.) Weaknesses in one particular area -- offensive line -- could put the risk of not repeating on the table.




1. Offensive Line
The key indicator that the Chiefs’ offensive line played better than it is in 2010 is the differential in yards per carry for Thomas Jones (3.7) and Jamaal Charles (6.4). That’s not to say the two backs are equal, because they’re absolutely not; Charles is many times better than Jones at this stage. But Charles also creates his own yardage to a significant degree, and made it easier for KC to be the top rushing team in the NFL. There’s enough talent at O-line in the draft this year to warrant beefing up early.

2. Wide Receiver
Chris Chambers, clearly, isn’t the answer to line up across from Bowe, who had one of the more dominant stretches by a wide receiver we’ve seen in a while across the middle of last season, despite the Chiefs not offering anyone that warrants not double-teaming the Pro Bowler. Putting a talented speedster on the opposite side of Bowe would boost the offense’s overall potent-ability and make life easier for Cassel.

3. Defensive Line
Though the defense produced some surprises from guys who previously underwhelmed, don’t be shocked if the Chiefs look to the defensive line with an early pick in this draft. There’s ample talent available in the early rounds (we’ve covered the depth at this position, no?) and stockpiling some big bodies will bode well for an overall defensive improvement in 2011.



2011 will carry the unusual burden of high expectations for Kansas City. On offense, that’s a distinct possibility if Charlie Weis’ presence really was that important to the development of his skill position guys (Cassel, Bowe and Charles, specifically). If Kansas City struggles to score points out of the gate, all fingers will be pointing at Todd Haley, who’s reportedly clashed enough with Weis to run the big guy out of Dodge and down to work for Will Muschamp in the college ranks.

Defensively, Crennel can help continue to restore his reputation if Jackson can step up and the Dorsey/Johnson can keep the redemption story rolling. Eric Berry, Javier Arenas, Brandon Flowers, and Carr should grow as well, so there’s absolutely some upside from last year’s defensive performance.

It’ll all come down to expectations, though. If some of the guys who performed so well last year regress, or the offensive performances in 2010 were a mirage built on Weis’ brain, there’s a good chance that 2011 looks more like a mirage than a blossoming team for a recovering franchise.

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Posted by Will Brinson

Earlier, we mentioned that there were rumors floating that the Florida Gators would be interested in Kansas City offensive coordinator Charlie Weis.

This speculation stemmed from the fact that Pat Dooley of the Gainesville Sun mentioned the rumor on his radio show, and Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported the possibility on Sunday.

Now Mort's reporting the possibility of Weis heading to Gainesville to join Will Muschamp's coaching staff is "likely" and that Muschamp, who wants a pro-style offensive coordinator for his system, contacted the Chiefs for permission to speak with Weis.

Todd Haley was asked about the rumors at his press conference on Friday.

"It would be news to me," Haley said.

But, as Kent Babb of the Kansas City Star points out, Haley certainly didn't deny any of the rumors either.

It seems, then, fairly likely that this is a move that will happen (or at least come close to happening), although Weis isn't expected to bounce from KC until after the Chiefs are done in the playoffs.

For those wondering why Weis would make such a move -- common sense dictates that moving as an OC in the NFL to an OC in college isn't even a lateral jump -- well, it would seem that perhaps Weis and Haley weren't working together perfectly and perhaps Weis sensed that the organization was taking a strong look at Josh McDaniels to replace him. McDaniels, after all, got the most out of Cassel when he ran the Patriots offense in 2008.

But then folks will also remember that McDaniels and Haley had a handshake incident this year, so perhaps that's not the greatest marriage either. Not to mention with the Chiefs coming off an AFC West championship, they'd be "messing with happy," and that's almost never smart.

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Posted by Will Brinson

The Kansas City Chiefs have been a tremendous success this season, in large part because of the increased responsibilities that Todd Haley handed to coordinators Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel.

But according to what Gainesville Sun columnist Pat Dooley (by way of Sports by Brooks) preached on the radio Thursday, Weis might not hang around KC very long.

"In terms of Florida’s Offensive Coordinator, if you’re driving in your car, I want you to pull over," Dooley said on his radio show Thursday. "When I say this, you’re going to freak out. I think this is going to happen but I don’t know that it’s going to happen. That’s why you won’t see it in the paper (Gainesville Sun) tomorrow unless I get another source on it.

"I think you’re new offensive coordinator for the Florida Gators is going to be Charlie Weis."

Dooley said he's "heard this from some people in the NFL" and his reaction was "Are you kidding me?"

I'd like to second that reaction, even though ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported Sunday that it wouldn't be surprising if Weis didn't return to Florida and there's a chance the Chiefs could look to hire Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels was Cassel's coordinator when he became an NFL starter after Tom Brady's injury (and subsequently a franchise quarterback) in 2008.

But still, this is a pretty crazy (and, mind you, still reported) shift in movement for coordinators, although theoretically the McDaniels hire makes sense and, I suppose, so does the Weis to Florida move. Although Weis' didn't have success at Notre Dame, he was the head coach there -- he's clearly a talented offensive mind and if he can help Will Muschamp revive the offense in Gainesville, his stock will only continue to re-rise.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

Since retiring from his 15-year NFL career, spent entirely with the Patriots where he won a Pro Bowl berth in 2001 to go with his three Super Bowl rings and his club record for most career receptions, Brown has delved into media work on the radio and on TV. He helps cover New England for WEEI and Comcast SportsNet, and he’s made national news a few times this season, including last month when he made scathing remarks about Ravens LB Terrell Suggs.

Brown has been working with Captain Morgan in the company’s pursuit of the One Million Poses challenge, which is trying to drum up $1 million for various charities. For more information, click here for the Facebook page.

We caught up with Brown this week, and we discussed Tom Brady’s MVP candidacy, the difference between Bill Belichick and Rex Ryan, and why the branches on Belichick’s coaching tree haven’t been so impressive in NFL head coaching jobs.

Previous Five Questions (or More):

Dec. 3: Panthers QB Brian St. Pierre

Nov. 19: Former coach/author Mike Gottfried

Nov. 12: 49ers LB Takeo Spikes

Nov. 5: former WR, current NFL analyst Keyshawn Johnson

Oct. 29: Chargers LS Mike Windt

Oct. 22: Bengals WR coach Mike Sheppard

Oct. 15: Redskins WR Anthony Armstrong

Oct. 8: Patriots LB Rob Ninkovich

Oct. 1: Kent Babb of the KC Star

Sept. 24: Texans WR Kevin Walter

Sept. 17: former Bengals, Titans DT John Thornton

Sept. 11: Seahawks RB Leon Washington

1. CBSSports.com: As a former Patriots player, you must have loved what happened on Monday when your men beat up on the Jets 45-3.

Troy Brown: They seem to be the team in the NFL, and watching that beating makes Patriots fans feel good.  I was disappointed in the game. I was expecting to come there and see a good football game, though I expected the Patriots to win it. I didn’t think it would be that bad. I thought the Jets would show up a little more than they did after all the talking they did during the week. Obviously, no one on their team showed up. The coaches didn’t show up, the players didn’t show up, and it showed.

2. CBS: It’s an interesting dichotomy I think between Rex Ryan and Bill Belichick. I was reading a column the other day that talked about how much Ryan wants to make it a rivalry. How much he talked and tried to get Belichick’s attention. And then after it was over, Belichick made it seem like it was a preseason win. What do you think about the approach these two coaches take when dealing with each other?

Brown: One guy seems to be pretty confident in his abilities to lead his guys, and the other guy is trying to create some hype around his players. It backfired. The Patriots didn’t show any interest in talking about who’s the best team. When there was no response from the Patriots (after the Jets’ trash-talking), the Jets seemed to get frustrated. Maybe they didn’t have to worry about the Jets, because from watching them on film, they saw some weaknesses. They knew as long as they went out and played well, they could beat these guys.  I think the Patriots were inside of their heads.

3. CBS: What’s it like playing for Belichick? Whenever anybody from the Patriots is interviewed on TV, they talk like him and don’t say anything. Belichick can come off condescending in public, but obviously, his players love playing for him and they feed off him.

Brown: That’s what you have to have in anything, in any business. Everybody has to be on the same page in order to be successful. You can’t have half the guys telling the media one thing and the other guys saying something else and the coach saying something completely different. That’s what you have in New York and Minnesota. It becomes chaotic. It’s about winning. Not talking trash.

If you’re a person that does his job and you come to work prepared to do your job, it’s easy to play for him. A lot of the people who have had problems with him didn’t come to work to do their job and didn’t want responsibility. Those are the guys who have problems with Belichick and with (Bill) Parcells. For me, it was easy. It seems that he plays mind games with you, but do your job. If you know you job and you work at your craft, it’s not hard.

CBS: But you look at Belichick’s coaching tree – guys like Josh McDaniels, Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, and even Charlie Weis at Notre Dame – and these guys haven’t done much as head coaches in the NFL. Why is that?

Brown: The biggest problem is that a lot of those guys, they change their persona to be like Bill’s all the way. You still have to be yourself. They changed who they were. You also have to realize that Bill Belichick is in charge of most everything here. Romeo Crennel didn’t even hire his own staff in Cleveland. It’s kind of tough to coach a team and be successful if you can’t hire your own staff.

4. CBS: There’s been so much talk this week about Tom Brady being the leading candidate for the MVP this season, especially with the way he played against the Jets (editor’s note: You can still check out the Top Ten With a Twist list for non-Brady MVP candidates). You think he’s the MVP at this point?

Brown: If my vote counted, he should with everything he’s done. He’s the guy who’s gotten better and better this year, even after the Randy Moss trade. He seemed to get stronger after he got used to playing with his new crew. You have to give it to him for winning 26 games in a row at home.

CBS: That is pretty amazing. It’s funny. After his knee surgery, he didn’t have a great year by his standards and I think people questioned whether he had lost his elite status. I guess he hasn’t.

Brown: He didn’t have a horrible season last year. If you compared that to his seasons before, he may have had a subpar season, but if you look at everybody else in the league and compared him to them, he didn’t have a bad season. When you come back from knee surgery like that, most guys aren’t the same until that following year, so it wasn’t a huge concern because they’re usually better the second year. But he may have had to get confident and more comfortable with the guys around him.

5. CBS: I know you do some media work in the Boston-area during the season, working for WEEI and Comcast. How is it as a former player to now be a part of the media?

Brown: It’s difficult at times having to talk about your old team and not be biased toward them and be critical of guys you played with. It was a little tough at first. But for the most part, the players understand. They know you have to have thick skin and be able to take criticism. That’s pretty much it.

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Posted by Andy Benoit

The Kansas City Chiefs have only a few days remaining as the “NFL’s lone undefeated team”. Romeo Crennel’s much-improved defense, like many defenses, does not match up favorably with the Peyton Manning-led Colts offense.

To set the table, let’s acknowledge that Manning is very familiar with Kansas City’s 3-4 scheme. For years he faced it in big games when Crennel was the defensive coordinator in New England. Those Patriot defenses were savvy veteran units that relied heavily on presnap disguise. This Chiefs defense is a callow unit that tends to rely more on athleticism.

Part of the reason Manning baits so many players into presnap guessing games is because the Colts offense almost never refers to presnap movements and gyrations. Instead, everyone lines up and holds still. (Think about it….when was the last time you saw one of the Colts receivers go in motion?) This is to allow Manning to diagnose the defense. But a side effect is, there’s nothing for defenders to look at except Manning.

The Chiefs must avoid getting caught up in what No. 18 is doing. Those hand signals will not be figured out. The Colts are so guarded about their signals that they do not even reveal them to their own players until the 53-man roster is set. (This, by the way, made Blair White’s debut off the practice squad all the more impressive two weeks ago, as the undrafted rookie had to basically learn all of the signals overnight.)

Personnel-wise, the Colts have the ability to neutralize Kansas City’s best players. Cornerback Brandon Flowers is on a Pro Bowl track. However, he plays the left side, which means he will NOT be lining up against Reggie Wayne. Wayne, instead, will be covered by Brandon Carr. Carr has the strong frame needed to run with the thick 198-pound Wayne, but it’s a tall order for the third-year pro to defend the league’s most fundamentally sound receiver.

Derrick Johnson is one of the better pass defending inside linebackers in the NFL, which should make for an interesting showdown with Dallas Clark. Expect the Colts to split Clark out even more than usual in order to compel Kansas City’s safeties to tip their hand and get involved.

The difference-making piece to this puzzle is that the upgraded Chiefs pass-rush won’t be a factor this game. Kansas City’s best sack artist, Tamba Hali, is a high-energy, second-effort type player. Manning, who masterfully masks the limitations of his below average offensive line, simply gets rid of the ball too quickly.

Kansas City will need at least two turnovers and a big play on special teams to hang with the Colts this Sunday.

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Posted by Josh Katzowitz

If anybody is a candidate for coach of the year honors so far, it’d be Kansas City’s Todd Haley. After all, he inherited a team after the 2008 season that had gone 2-14, and he doubled the win total last year.

OK, that’s not such an impressive achievement, but after he was criticized for being too demanding on his team in his first season as a head coach – and, on an unrelated note, for playing golf in college – he learned from his mistakes in time for this season.

Now, even with a quarterback in Matt Cassel who ranks 25th in the league in passing yards per game, the Chiefs are a strong 3-0, and much of that has to do with Haley’s coaching (along with GM Scott Pioli, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel).

He had another good idea this week when he had 14 veteran players assume the roles of honorary coaches during the team’s bye week.

Before the team took off on its three-day weekend, Haley said the experiment worked splendidly.

“All 14 guys have really surprised me,” Haley said in the Kansas City Star. “There isn’t one that I wasn’t impressed with in some way or another. They took this and ran with it, took ownership over it and were into helping making our team better from a different perspective.”

See, that’s a smart move by Haley. No. 1: the players love it. No. 2: it’s a good learning experience for everybody involved. No 3: it sounded like there were a lot of laughs involved.

That's good enough to equal at least a couple more wins for Kansas City. 

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