Larry Johnson released by Kansas City Chiefs / Image: Zuma Press

Head coach Todd Haley explained the decision making process during his presser today:

“Over the last couple of weeks, Scott (Pioli) and I have been spending a lot of time and energy, along with Clark Hunt, in talking about this and trying to figure out the direction that we wanted to go. We decided that it is the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs organization to move forward at this time. It wasn’t any one thing. It was the totality of the situation, and even before I was around here. At this time, we felt that this was best for the Kansas City Chiefs as we moved forward and continue to turn this team in the direction we need to go. The totality of the situation was factored in. It was everything across the board, and again, what we felt was best for the Kansas City Chiefs.”

This was the right decision for the Chiefs. No team needs a distraction like this in their locker room. And Larry has pretty much burned every bridge he’s been on—during his college days at Penn State, and with two different coaches at Kansas City during his seven-year National Football League career. Which leads me to believe he will have a hard time finding work these days. Of course, any team with a desperate need at running back might take a chance on a player considered over-the-hill at his position. But I don’t expect Larry’s phone to be ringing off-the-hook.

Source: KCChiefs.com

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Kansas City Chiefs Release Larry Johnson

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

New England Patriots quarterback Matt Cassel has been traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs also got linebacker Mike Vrabel from New England in exchange for their second-round pick (34th overall) in the 2009 NFL Draft. The agreement is good only if both players pass their physicals, but I don’t think that will be an issue. Chiefs new GM Scott Pioli (formerly of the Patriots, of course) was thrilled to bring old faces into new places:

“I have a long history with both players. Mike and Matt are men that I respect both personally and professionally. I look forward to having them as new members of the Chiefs family.”

I am shocked that the Patriots gave up both players for only a second round Draft choice. I think this is an incredible steal for the Chiefs. Granted, Matt Cassel could be a “one season wonder” and Mike Vrabel is in the twilight of his career, but this has the potential to be a very big deal for the Chiefs.

I knew the Patriots weren’t going to keep Matt around as a $14.5 million backup to Tom Brady. So they must be very secure that Tom’s knee rehab is going well. Matt had a great season by anyone’s standards last year (3,693 yards and 21 TDs to only 11 INTs). So, why let him go for so little — especially with what appeared to be a high demand for his services this offseason?

The Kansas City Chiefs, though, are an organization headed in the right direction in a hurry. After finishing the 2008 season with a dismal 2-14 record, they fired head coach Herm Edwards (one of my favorite head coaches, by the way) and brought in aforementioned general manager Scott Pioli to help get things going in the right direction. I’d say he’s doing a great job so far. And that’s what I expected. He hired new head coach Todd Haley just days after coach Haley’s Arizona Cardinals lost Super Bowl XLIII. He’ll be an outstanding young head coach in this league. And with the additions of Cassel and Vrabel, the Chiefs are on the road to greatly improving their personnel. Just like that the Kansas City Chiefs are ready to contend in the AFC West.

Source: KCChiefs.com, Photo: Newscom

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Patriots Trade Matt Cassel to Chiefs

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast

A record 11th NFL team will be looking for a new head coach this offseason. The Kansas City Chiefs fired head coach Herm Edwards today. New GM Scott Pioli arrived last week and he and coach Edwards have had a number of conversations since that evidently didn’t produce what Mr. Pioli felt was a workable relationship. So he decided to go in a different direction, understanding that the Chiefs were parting ways with what he described as “a great man and a tremendous football coach.” I couldn’t agree more. I’m a Herm Edwards fan. But a 15-33 regular season record after three years isn’t really getting the job done, so I’m not all bent out of shape about the Chiefs searching for a new head coach. Being the class act that he is, Coach Edwards took the time to release the following statement:

“First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Hunt Family for the opportunity to spend nine seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. It has truly been an honor and a privilege to serve as the head coach of ‘Lamar’s Team’ the past three seasons. Lamar was a special, special man, who provided tremendous opportunities to so many, myself included.

“There is not a more gracious family in all of professional sports than the Hunts. To Norma, Clark and Tavia, Lamar, Jr. and Rita, Sharron and David, and Dan, I would like to thank them for all of them for the encouragement and many kindnesses they extended to me, my wife, Lia, and our entire family over the years. The Chiefs franchise is clearly in good hands for many years to come under Clark’s leadership. I have no doubt that Clark and Scott Pioli will continue to steer the Chiefs in the right direction.

“I would be remiss if I did not thank Carl Peterson for his support and friendship over the years. He gave me my first opportunity as a player in the National Football League with the Philadelphia Eagles. He also gave me a chance to coach in the league both as an assistant and as a head coach. What a remarkably positive impact Carl made on the lives of so many.

“There are many fine, fine people in the Kansas City Chiefs organization too numerous to mention who worked so tirelessly to help our football team. I am fortunate to call so many of them friends. I am a better man and a better coach in so many ways because of them. Hopefully, they feel the same way because of our time together.

“Finally, to the players and coaches who worked so hard for our team, I appreciate their efforts. This is going to be a very good football team. The support of Chiefs fans across the country has been tremendous. They are truly passionate about their football team. Chiefs fans will be proud to cheer for this team for many years to come. With the tremendous nucleus of young talent on this roster, I sincerely believe that his team is poised to do great things. I respect the tough decision that was made to move in a new direction. I wish the players and the organization the very best as they move forward.”

As far as a replacement for coach Edwards, negotiations are apparently underway between the Chiefs and former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan. No comment from the Chiefs on this yet, but if a deal gets done, coach Shanahan will need to give up some of his control to Mr. Pioli.

Sources: KCChiefs.com, ESPN.com, Photo: Newscom

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Chiefs Fire Head Coach Herm Edwards

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Former N.Y. Giants defensive end George Martin just completed a 3,000 mile, nine-month walk across America. His purpose? To raise money to help provide health care for the surviving rescue and recovery workers who rushed into danger on 9/11. The journey began at the George Washington Bridge in New York City and ended at Embarcadero Marina Park in San Diego this past weekend. George’s Journey for 9/11 has raised more than $2 million to benefit ailing rescue and recovery personnel who worked at Ground Zero:

“Cancer, chronic asthma, PTSD, gastrointestinal disease; it’s a simple and sad fact that exposure to the unknown toxins at ground zero and other traumas have had devastating effects on the health and well-being on those that sacrificed the time, safety, their families and their jobs for the benefit of our nation. We owe them. We owe them our support. For that reason, I walk.”

I really admire what George did. And although he will fall short of his $10 million goal, three New York-area hospitals are matching donations with medical services. George has also collected contributions from famous friends like his former Giants coach, Bill Parcells, who donated $10,000. Other donors with league ties include former Giants coach Jim Fassel ($25,000), Patriots VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli ($2,500), USC coach Pete Carroll ($1,100), and former Giants Harry Carson, Mark Bavaro and Phil McConkey ($1,000 each). The NFL donated $100,000, the NFL Disaster Relief Fund put in $50,000, and the Players’ Union chipped in another $10,000.

Be a part of the journey and contribute what you can today.

Sources: NFL.com, AJourneyfor911.info

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George Martin’s Journey for 9/11 Supports Heroes of Ground Zero, Walk Complete

Just as an NFL player watches game film to prepare for his next opponent, I watched my share of previous Super Bowl Media Days on YouTube to get ready for today. But nothing could really replace being here. Media Day at the Super Bowl features a throng of reporters from all over the world. And a record number participated today.

Naturally, 2007 National Football League MVP Tom Brady was the center of attention as he had the most traffic around his podium. And I thought he handled it very well. Which is not surprising for someone who has had to get used to being in the spotlight both on and off the field. I didn’t even bother sticking my nose into that mob scene, preferring rather to talk with those players who were meandering about. But Tom was getting the most questions. He even received a wedding proposal from a reporter from TV Azteca in Mexico. Naturally, he declined, but the way he worked through the sometimes stupidity and absurdity of this “circus” was a thing of beauty. He’s done this before. He knew what to expect. And he more than made the best of it, although he admitted he prefers talking about football over his personal life:

“You just deal with whatever question is asked, and try to handle it the best you can. I’m obviously more comfortable answering the football questions. Those are much easier for me.”

We had one hour to speak to the players. My challenge was to get to as many as possible and take pictures as well. Having never worked Media Day before, I had a ballpark number of players in my mind to talk to (5-10) and had specific questions for specific players. I also had general team questions that any player could answer. But despite all the homework I did, I could not possibly know every single player. So I stuck with those I knew. If one player was busy talking to someone else, I either waited or moved on to another. I found that waiting was more or less a waste of time.

The Patriots who were at podiums/risers were Tedy Bruschi, Rodney Harrison, Laurence Maroney, Bill Belichick, Asante Samuel, Tom Brady, Richard Seymour, Randy Moss, Mike Vrabel, Junior Seau and Vince Wilfork. In designated areas in the stands were team owner Robert Craft, VP of Player Personnel Scott Pioli, Troy Brown, Kevin Faulk, Larry Izzo, Ty Warren and Wes Welker. The rest just mixed and mingled.

For the BIGPLAY Radio NFL Podcast, I spoke with Logan Mankins, James Sanders, Kelley Washington, Ty Warren, and Benjamin Watson. Adalius Thomas, who seemed a little agitated and ready to leave before the hour had elapsed, commented on my meticulous notetaking. “Look at you,” he said. “You’ve got everything written out.” I nodded approvingly: “This is what I do.” (Actually, I would like to have individually laminated sheets and a color-coding system like NFL coaches. Hey, I take this seriously. Maybe too seriously.) Anyway, Adalius was one of the few who refused a cell phone interview from a reporter. I saw quite a few players doing “mobile interviews” which I thought was unusual. I guess my feeling was you should either be here at the event or be out of luck. Otherwise, those of us that are here are standing around waiting for the cell phone interview to end. It’s like being at a retail store and having the clerk attend to a phone call instead of dealing with the customer who’s in the store. That was kind of irritating.

Anyway, it was a quick hour. Of course, I felt like I needed more time but one hour is sufficient and really all that can be expected from the players. The media proceeded to brunch for a 60-minute break while a field crew prepped for the Giants.

Photos by David Kindervater

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SBXLII Media Day: New England Patriots