NFL Football at its best. NFL Football at its craziest.
Why should this have even been a game? What is it that could get the Chiefs to play so good at the end of the year when they have so little to play for?

KC took the early 17 - 7 lead in the first half, but the Bronco’s came back to take the lead and then made a goal line stand to hold it.

The Broncos finally found a way to win at home Sunday, rallying past Kansas City 24-17, but they lost their sixth tailback when bulldozing rookie Peyton Hillis went down with a strained right hamstring.

Bell came in and helped the Broncos (8-5) snap a three-game losing skid at home by rumbling for 52 yards on 11 carries, including a crucial 28-yard run on Denver’s game-winning, 95-yard touchdown drive.

Cornerback Dre’ Bly then stuffed Kansas City quarterback Tyler Thigpen a yard shy of the end zone on fourth-and-goal to seal the Broncos’ first win at home since Oct 5 and atone for their lopsided loss to the Chiefs (2-11) in September.
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Denver loses another running back and yet still has a three game lead on the underperforming San Diego Chargers.

What is it about division games? The Chiefs have only two victories and wouldn’t you know it, one of them is against the Chiefs. Can you even name one player beyond Larry Johnson? Division games bring you two teams that just seem to know each other to well.

Denver is playing for the Division title. They should have romped, not struggled.

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Larry is eating healthy and looking strong

Two years ago, as luck would have it, my Fantasy Football prime time running back was Larry Johnson. My other running back was that other Johnson, Rudi. The regular season was mine as both backs had great years. We won’t discuss the Fantasy Football League Playoffs. They did not go well.

Last year, Larry Johnson’s season did not go well either. He missed 9 games with injuries. Since then, Larry has decided to lose some weight and come back a different back. Leaner and Meaner!

He is lighter on his feet with the added muscle, the elusiveness flashed on the practice field recently with a sprint to the corner of the end zone to cap a goal-line series. But Johnson, hailing his core-strengthening work during the offseason, is even more bullish on his upgraded endurance. He remembers how dead his legs were in a playoff loss at Indianapolis (13 rushes, 32 yards) following his big 2006 season, and believes he’s found an answer for that.

“No matter how much rest they gave me,” he recalls, “I had to force myself to run. I had no strength there. Coming in refreshed
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Oh, Larry is still 6′ 1″ tall and 230 pounds, but he has reduced his body fat from 12% to 7%.

Chiefs need Larry Johnson

Larry needs to be ready. Kansas City needs to come back and get into the playoffs and cannot do it without a big year from LJ.

Don’t look for Larry to lead the league in carries though, because the new offensive coordinator for Herm Edwards is Chan Gailey and he would like to have the running backs do a little more receiving and less running. Oh, and he did say running backs, plural. The two running back theory in the NFL is still alive and well.

Can Larry catch passes and run less often? The Kansas City Chiefs will depend on it.

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Chiefs

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports.com found KC to be a big winner in the 2008 NFL draft.

The Chiefs’ draft started with defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and offensive tackle Branden Albert in the first round and they continued right through the draft. Even sixth-round pick Kevin Robinson, a return man from Utah State, could be an immediate contributor.

From start to finish, the Chiefs cashed in big. That’s why they get the only premium grade in this report card.

Kansas City Chiefs

Best pick: They saw Dorsey fall to them with the fifth pick. He was the top player on half the boards in the league.

Questionable move: I like Texas running back Jamaal Charles, but do the Chiefs really need to be using a third-round pick on a back with Larry Johnson on the roster?

Second-day gem: Sixth-round pick Barry Richardson, a tackle out of Clemson, is massive (6-7, 338) and was once considered a first-day possibility.

Overall grade: A+. They had a lot of picks and used them well. Good thing, too. They need a lot of help.

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Redskins

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports graded the draft for the NFC.

Washington came out a winner.

Washington Redskins
Picks: WR Devin Thomas, TE Fred Davis, WR Malcolm Kelly, OL Chad Rinehart, DB Justin Tryon, P Durant Brooks, DB Kareem Moore, QB Colt Brennan, DL Rob Jackson, DB Chris Horton
Positives: Thomas, Davis, Kelly, Brooks
Negative: Defensive end not addressed until the seventh round.
Bottom line:A. Ten overall picks with lots of potential from top to bottom. The two wideouts slipped a little and could all end up providing great value. Thomas and Kelly could develop into quality big targets, and an AFC scout told Yahoo! Sports in February that Davis was the best overall talent at tight end in this draft. The punter need was addressed with the best one the college game had to offer in Brooks. Brennan is an intriguing pick late in the sixth round. A lot of potential starters in this draft.
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Too bad there is no trophy for the draft victory.

Even worse is the fact that no one really knows what will happen with all these picks for a couple of years.

NFL Football special comment It feels good if your team is a draft winner, but it feels better if they win in the regular season.

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Mike Florio of Yahoo.com took a look around the NFL and gives you his Top 5 Trends for the NFL for next year. Your intrepid author’s comments are in italics.

1. College coaches need not apply

The Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino experiences are all the evidence any NFL owner should need to scratch the names of all college coaches from the list of candidates for open jobs in January ‘08….

In college, the best coaches are the best recruiters. He who hoards the most talent can win without a 100-page playbook, a game plan or a well-timed time out. Pro football has a flat playing field — leveled by the salary cap and free agency. So the talent gap is small.

NFL success arises from finding a way to consistently get more out of players of, for the most part, relatively equal abilities.

Squibster: Whoa, hold on here. Don’t condemn all college coaches for Saban and Petrino. Certainly a college coach may need some learning time, but come on. Besides, owners are not this smart or we would not have the Detroit Lions.

2. It’s still a league of quarterbacks

Though talent is compressed in the NFL, the biggest differences exist at the quarterback position. There simply isn’t one capable quarterback per franchise…

The dynamic is played out most obviously in Minnesota, where young starter Tarvaris Jackson has been unable to take advantage of the eight-man fronts clogging Adrian Peterson’s running lanes…

It’s no coincidence that the best teams feature guys like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning and Tony Romo and Brett Favre. As long as they play at a high level, their teams will remain in contention for the Lombardi Trophy.

Squibster: Hey no mention of Jon Kitna? Thus the value of Read more