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THE GAME THAT NEVER WAS
October 7th – 5:50 PM

The “Game That Never Was” has very special meaning to football enthusiasts across the country, the Lamar Hunt family and the entire Kansas City Chiefs franchise. Today, we also learned celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the AFL has special meaning to both of the head coaches involved as well.

For starters, if you’re not familiar with “The Game That Never Was,” here is a refresher courtesy the Kansas City Chiefs game release.

After lobbying unsuccessfully in the late ‘50s for an NFL expansion franchise for Dallas, Lamar Hunt was prompted to form the rival American Football League. Dallas then became center stage in the AFL-NFL rivalry as both the
Texans and the Cowboys called the Cotton Bowl home during their three-year co-existence from ‘60-62. The Texans boasted a 15-6 regular season record at the Cotton Bowl and claimed the ‘62 AFL Championship, while the Cowboys managed just a 4-12-2 regular season home mark over the same span.

But by ‘63, it was clear that Dallas could not support two pro football teams and despite the superior record of his club, Hunt opted to move his franchise to Kansas City. In ‘66, a series of clandestine meetings between Hunt and Cowboys President Tex Schramm began, ironically, at Love Field in Dallas. Those secret talks eventually set the stage for the AFL-NFL merger as Hunt and the rest of the AFL’s “Foolish Club” were offi cially ushered into the NFL fold
for the ‘70 season.

While Hunt unsuccessfully lobbied for a head-to-head battle between the Texans and Cowboys during their Dallas co-existence, that game will be played out on Sunday. The Chiefs will wear their Dallas Texans uniforms for the fi rst time since the ‘62 AFL Championship Game vs. Houston (12/23/62). Meanwhile, the Cowboys will wear vintage gear from their inaugural season to celebrate this rivalry.

To Haley, this weekend’s game is all about respecting the efforts of the men who made the NFL what it is today; namely Chiefs Founder Lamar Hunt. He is proud for the opportunity to wear vintage franchise uniforms from the 1962 Dallas Texans season.

“Those AFL guys, and Mr. Hunt being the main one, to fight and stay alive to keep it going and get it to where it is today is a big part of why we’re all here,” Haley said. “I think it’s great. I wore a couple of shirts and hats in training camp and I like wearing them.

“I just think because of the history it’s probably natural,” Haley said of honoring the 50th Anniversary of the AFL. “All the Hunts, and I talked to Norma after the game, it was something that meant a lot to her husband and to (Clark and Dan’s) father.  I think that’s just natural for them to carry that on.  That this is the anniversary adds hype to it. But I don’t know if there is anything more important right now for us than to get a win.“

The Cowboys, although not members of the AFL, will also wear vintage uniforms on Sunday. Their classics will be from the 1960 season and they’re uni’s that you’ve seen them wear a few times before, namely on recent Thanksgiving Day contests.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said of the opportunity to wear classic gear honoring the Chiefs and Cowboys’ history. “Actually, my dad coached for the (San Diego) Chargers when they were in the AFL. It is neat seeing the old uniforms and it’s just fun thinking back of those days, especially with Kansas City coming from Dallas.”

CHIEFS NEARLY INJURY FREE
October 7th – 3:47 PM

Kansas City almost had a perfect day on the injury front. They entered practice today for the first time with a clean slate - no injuries! Unfortunately the “no hitter” was ruined when DE Wallace Gilberry (head) got “dinged” and landed on the injury report as “limited.” So close.

The Cowboys…yikes…not as lucky if you’re from Dallas. Six players didn’t practice today for the Cowboys, including three starters and another key play-maker.

Starters WR Roy Williams (ribs), C Andre Gurode (knee) and S Gerald Sensabaugh (thumb) all were held out of workouts on Wednesday. RB Felix Jones (knee), CB Michael Hamlin (wrist) and LB Curtis Johnson (hamstring) also joined the ‘Boys walking wounded. According to media reports in Dallas earlier this week, Sensabaugh and Jones are not currently expected to play on Sunday.

ELIMINATING THE NEGATIVE
October 7th – 3:12 PM

31 is a nasty number for Kansas City. Ironically, that number has historically been associated with offensive greatness and former Chiefs RB Priest Holmes - who is being honored at halftime this Sunday. But heading into this weekend, the number 31 is not a kind one because it represents both Kansas City’s offensive rank (31st) and amount of negative offensive plays surrendered.

Plays behind the line have been an issue for the Chiefs this season as the team has allowed the fourth-most tackles behind the line in the league. Going backwards contributes to a greater struggle. Fighting any long-to-go situation is more than an uphill battle in the NFL. The proof is in the pudding, so to speak, as Kansas City has converted just two for their last 26 third down opportunities.

“Right now, our number one (problem) putting everything else aside is we need to eliminate minus plays whether that’s a penalty, a minus yardage run or a sack,” Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said. ”We need to eliminate that. I guarantee and I’m looking for the stat right now but we’re probably last.“

Not quite last. That lowly position belongs to the Green Bay Packers - the result of yielding 8.0 sacks on Monday Night Football at Minnesota. Green Bay’s negative total stands at 34, followed by San Francisco’s 33 and Minnesota’s 32.

“When you have a minus yardage play in a drive your chances of getting a first down go down dramatically,” Haley said today while growing visibly agitated from simply mentioning the mishaps.”So, forget running down in the Red Zone. Forget all that stuff and concentrate on minus yardage plays and eliminating those and those other things will take care of themselves. Period.“

Haley did go on to say that the Chiefs are doing some things well, but ultimately he’s focused on correcting what needs corrected.

“We’re doing some good things,” Haley said. “We’re number one on punt, number one kickoff, net average punt we’re number one. There are some good things going on, but right now minus yardage plays ain’t one of them.”

THE PLAY CALLER CONT…
October 7th – 1:55 PM

We began the day discussing Chiefs head coach Todd Haley’s role as primary play caller for the Chiefs offense. Although his duties are new to Kansas City, they’re certainly not new around the NFL (or in the AFC West for that matter).

As mentioned, Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips also balances play calling duties with his role as head coach. Phillips just happens to call the defensive shots as opposed to the offensive calls.

Today, I asked Phillips the same question that has been asked repeatedly to Haley: how do you balance the role as play caller and head coach effectively?

”Well, if it’s what you’ve always done, I’ve been doing it for 25 years as a coordinator or head coach, so it’s something I’ve been used to doing,” Phillips said of calling the defense. “No, (I don’t used help with) the game management, but more the daily stuff during the week, those kinds of things, because your time is somewhat limited at times because of other things. Being the head coach and going over the offense some and finding out what they’re going to do for the game and that kind of thing. I really rely on them during the week more so than during the game.“

So there you have it; the thoughts of a head coach serving as defensive coordinator as well. This weekend, Haley and Phillips will literally be going head-to-head.

WEDNESDAY PRACTICE UPDATE
October 7th – 11:53 AM

All seems well on the injury front as WR Dwayne Bowe, LB Derrick Johnson and LB Corey Mays were all in full pads for practice this morning. The only man working off to the side was RB Kolby Smith, who is eligible to come off the PUP list in the coming weeks.

Of note, the Chiefs offense began the practice in an old school, Junction Boys-type manner, by pushing the seven-man sled. Also, Kansas City has replaced their white face masks with gray face masks in preparation for wearing their 1962 Dallas Texans uniforms this weekend. The Arrowheads still remain as decals though. The switch of decals from the Chiefs logo to the Texans logo is expected to occur on Friday.

ASK THE GM
October 7th – 10:41 AM

A new weekly video segment is coming to kcchiefs.com, furthering your online connection and experience with the Kansas City Chiefs. The newest segment is entitled Ask The GM.

The video piece is exactly as it sounds. You submit questions and Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli answers them via video on kcchiefs.com.

Stay tuned to kcchiefs.com for time and date details involving the debut of this newest online feature. The program will debut in the short-term, so go ahead and start submitting your questions for Scott Pioli NOW.

Just email your questions here: askthegm@kcchiefs.org

THE PLAY CALLER
October 7th – 6:00 AM

Kansas City Chiefs fans have witnessed a number of changes to their football team this offseason. A changing of the guards has taken place at the top of the franchise and a fresh set of talent evaluators are now charged with constructing the roster. The head coach fits this category and construction even surrounds Arrowhead Stadium as well. Phase one of The New Arrowhead is complete and the full unveiling is scheduled for 2010. Change is even occurring in the fashion sense as fans will even see a new uniform this weekend (one that is actually old – ironic, I know) for the first time in 47 years.

Most of the changes Chiefs fans have experienced revolve around off-field elements that directly affect the on-field product and gameday experience. A number of those changes haven’t been seen in Kansas City in nearly a decade or longer. But if you look at the Chiefs counterparts across the league, change throughout the organization has happened early and often. What’s new for Kansas City isn’t necessarily new for the rest of the NFL.

Such is the case for two hot topics currently surrounding this football team – the 3-4 defense and a head coach calling his own plays. Since we’ve spent plenty of time dissecting the nuances of fundamentals and responsibilities surrounding the 3-4 defensive scheme, let’s focus on the latter today.

A Head Coach Calling His Own Offensive Plays
• New for Kansas City
• Old News for Numerous NFL cities

The challenges surrounding a head football coach calling offensive plays has gotten major play in Kansas City this season. Rightly so. The ability to successfully think “big picture” as well as game scheme multiple plays ahead of the action is the ultimate multi-tasking job. When you’re asked to oversee overall game management, time constraints, sideline activity and the three phases of game communication as well (offense, defense and special teams), things can become hectic.

Difficult? Yes. Groundbreaking? Hardly.

For starters, the entire AFC West has head coaches serving as primary offensive play callers. Tom Cable does it. Josh McDaniels does it. Norv Turner does it. Kansas City was the last to jump on the bandwagon, but Todd Haley does it now as well. A year ago, the Chiefs were the only team in the division not to see its head coach call plays as former head coaches Mike Shanahan and Lane Kiffin both did it in Denver and Oakland.

Then there are others in the league. How about Ken Whisenhunt in Arizona, Brad Childress in Minnesota, Mike McCarthy in Green Bay, Sean Payton in New Orleans, Gary Kubiak in Houston and Jim Zorn in Washington? They all do it too. You get the point. Officially, 11 head coaches called served as their team’s primary play caller a year ago.

Oh yeah, and just for good measure, Wade Phillips (Dallas), Lovie Smith (Chicago) and Rex Ryan (Jets) all call their own defensive plays. Go ahead and throw Jaguars head man Jack Del Rio into that mix as well. At the end of the day, calling plays and serving as head coach isn’t anything new to this league, but it’s certainly something we’re not accustomed to seeing in Kansas City.

But what about the success rate? I mean, these guys are so over-worked, certainly the majority of them came up short of the ultimate goal. Well, take a look at these names - Bill Walsh, Dan Reeves, John Gruden and Mike Holmgren. They’ve all won world championships serving as both head coach and primary play caller.

So why does this topic continue to get so much play in Kansas City? Three reasons.

• One – It’s new.
• Two – The Chiefs made their move late, letting Chan Gailey go following the third preseason game.
• Three – The Chiefs are 0-4.

In 1999, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid took over a franchise in a very similar situation as the 2009 Chiefs. Reid has bounced back and forth with play calling duties over throughout his tenure, but he thought it was imperative at the time that he built the team’s offensive base under his own guidance.

“I would say this,” Reid continued. “Todd is extremely good at what he does and when I was in his chair during my first year I absolutely did everything. I made sure that every play, every drawing and everything was the way that I wanted it. You build a foundation that way, just like he is doing. He is doing it his way, building a foundation that will strengthen him to have a nice, long career in Kansas City.”

Any successful leader (football or not) will tell you that success breeds from those that surround you. Haley’s first duty as head coach was to construct a coaching staff that maximizes returns for the Chiefs. In the end, Haley hand-picked a staff that boasts 46 years of coordinating experience at the collegiate and pro ranks, 44 years of NFL playing experience and six years of head coaching experience.

The expertise possessed and, ultimately, the trust that Haley has in his staff have allowed Haley the opportunity to do a few more things that a “coordinator only” coach would do.

“I feel like I’ve got a really good coaching staff that knows how to coach and win games. I made a little more concerted effort (Sunday) to spend some time with Matt (Cassel) in between, specifically at the end of our offensive series’ to bridge the gap a little bit there.

“It’s a work in progress for us, too, as a staff. We had a big discussion today on how we can become more efficient as a staff. We have to be better. It’s not going to stay the same, as I’ve said. We’re going to continue working it, working it until we got it in a spot where we’ve got it right in all phases.”

In the end, Haley made the choice to call plays based off of what he thought was the right thing to do. It was likely a very difficult decision to make with the circumstances surrounding the move. Doing what one thinks is right regardless of peer pressure or outside influence is commendable in any field. Haley did it with the eyes of thousands already watching his every move.

Oh yeah, one more thing. There have also been head coaches in this league who not only call offensive plays, but also oversee all of their organization’s player personnel duties as well. One of those men just left the AFC West last year with 138 career victories and two Super Bowl titles. Imagine that.