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HALEY: “BEST INTEREST OF CHIEFS TO MOVE FORWARD AT THIS TIME”
November 9th – 5:07 PM

Chiefs head coach Todd Haley spoke for the first time this afternoon since the Chiefs announced that they had released RB Larry Johnson. Haley said that the decision to part ways with Johnson was a long, thought-out process that wasn’t finalized until an early morning meeting earlier today. In all, Haley felt that moving on was the best decision for the Chiefs organization as a whole.

“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,” Haley said. “We decided that it is the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs organization to move forward at this time.”

Johnson had been eligible to come off a two-week team-issued suspension today after issuing inappropriate comments towards his head coach, fans and the media. Haley said today, however, that the club didn’t pin their decision on just one certain thing. He said that the decision was based off of the totality of the situation.

“It wasn’t any one thing,” Haley said. “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,” Haley would go on to re-iterate. “It was everything across the board, and again, what we felt was best for the Kansas City Chiefs.”

Haley also revealed that today’s decision was an organization-wide decision, that was discussed on a multitude of levels.

“Anytime you make a decision like this, there is a lot of energy expended and a lot of thought put into it, and I think that everybody involved with the decision - myself, Scott and Clark (Hunt) - were comfortable.”

Haley also said that the Chiefs decision to move in separate directions had nothing to do with the fact that Johnson was just 74 yards away from becoming the franchise’s all-time leading rusher.

“Every decision that we’ve made since I got here was what we thought was best for the football team,” Haley said. “Those decisions might appear real good at times, a lot of them might appear real bad at times, but each and every one of the decisions made were one’s in the best interest of the Chiefs at the time that it was made, as this one is right now.”

Moving forward, the Chiefs offense will be lead by RBs Jamaal Charles, Kolby Smith and Dantrell Savage. A year ago, Haley implemented a dual rushing attack in Arizona featuring Edgerrin James and Tim Hightower - James finished the season with 133 carries, while Hightower received 143. Haley didn’t comment specifically how the Chiefs rushing attack will look going forward, but based off of Sunday’s game it appears that multiple backs will be featured going forward.

“I like the average (yards per rush), especially from Jamaal and Kolby,” Haley said. “I think that they did a really good job at blitz pick-up. I don’t think that I called enough runs, in hindsight. I think the game kind of dictated it. Like I said yesterday, a bunch of our run formations were getting heavy pressure and I probably let that dictate some of my decisions too much.

OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
November 9th – 1:21 PM

GLENN DORSEY: (on if Johnson’s release is a distraction) “No. I don’t really have an opinion about it, just trying to get better.“

(on if it was surprising to him): “Nothing surprises me anymore. I know it’s a business and that they have to do what they have to do upstairs.“

(on if Johnson’s release sends a message to other players): “I think that every player who is released sends a message to the players. It’s a business and you have to take care of your responsibilities. I don’t really have an opinion about it, I just keep on going.“

(on the online petition orchestrated by Chiefs fans playing a role): “I don’t know. I don’t anything about a petition. I try to mind my own business and get better myself.“

KOLBY SMITH: (on Johnson’s reaction to the news): “I haven’t talked to him.“

(on if he had spoken with Johnson since the suspension): “Yeah, just small talk here and there. We didn’t really discuss football. Just ‘how you doing, what’s up,’ and stuff like that.“

(on if the players expected Johnson to re-join the team after the suspension): “We didn’t know. We didn’t speculation on it. It was up to the organization on how they were going to handle it.“

(on Johnson’s feeling about breaking the rushing record): “I didn’t talk to him about that. When things are going on like that, I stay away from football. He knew it was out there. He wanted to get the record. I know that the chance to break the record meant a lot to him.“

(on if there is a lesson to be learned): “Yes, there is a lesson. Whenever you see something that’s off-the-field issues, there is a lesson for everybody to learn from.“

MIKE VRABEL: (on Johnson’s release): “He wasn’t in the plans of the Kansas City Chiefs, so that’s where it is. That’s the beginning of Scott (Pioli) and Todd (Haley’s) time here. They want guys who are going to fit in to what they want in their plans, and try to develop and build a team.“

(on if there is a lesson to be learned): “I think if guys want to take it and use any situation, whether it be production on the field, your actions off the field, there are a lot of different things that young guys can learn from in a lot of different situations.“

(on if he was surprised about Johnson’s release): “Not a whole lot surprises me anymore, really.”

KOLBY SMITH TALKS ABOUT LJ
November 9th – 12:59 PM

RB Kolby Smith will receive direct benefit from the Chiefs decision to release RB Larry Johnson this morning. Smith, activated on Saturday from the PUP list, immediately becomes one of the Chiefs primary weapons out of the backfield. He’s also the only player on the Chiefs roster with experience being an “every-down NFL back.“

Johnson’s departure certainly opens doors for the third-year running back, but that didn’t keep today’s news from being bittersweet for Smith.

“He will be missed,” Smith said. “He was more than just a teammate. He was a friend as well. It was unfortunate what took place, but now we just have to move on. Jamaal (Charles), Dantrell (Savage) and I must move forward and continue to help this team try and win a game.

“He looked after me and made sure I was good on every level,” Smith continued. “He had been a true friend.“

Although Johnson will no longer be a teammate of Smith’s in Kansas City, Smith fully believes that Johnson’s days as an NFL running back are not over.

“Yes, he’s a very good back,” Smith said. “He’s a two-time pro bowler and he was only 74 yards away from holding our all-time record here. I know that other teams are looking at that and have seen what he’s done in the past. I think that someone will pick him up.“

Smith also expects many runners to fill the role primary running back role that Johnson once served going forward.

“Going forward, it will probably be more of a running back by committee,” Smith said. “It won’t just be totally on one running back’s shoulders.“

In Johnson’s absence, Smith combined with Jamaal Charles to average 5.3 yards per carry on Sunday. No official announcement was given to players. Smith and others said that the word had spread around the locker room of Johnson’s release by text message, Twitter and phone calls.

CHIEFS BREAK WITH LJ A CLEAN ONE
November 9th – 9:55 AM

There are a number of routes that the Chiefs could have taken today involving embattled RB Larry Johnson today. A few of these decisions could have drawn on for weeks. Instead, the Chiefs decided to make a clean cut with Johnson. Johnson will now go to the waiver wire where any team can claim him and assume his current contract. If he clears waivers, Johnson will become a free agent.

Reinstatement and de-activation were other potential options that the club could have taken with Johnson. The team could have even potentially delayed the process in the short-term by filing for a roster exemption with a player coming off suspension. The exemption path has been taken by a number of NFL teams looking for an extension of time before making necessary roster moves. That route could have pushed the speculation circulating the Chiefs/Johnson the back another 48 hours. More grievance filings, lawyers and a number of ensuing, complicated conversations between the team, the player, the league and the player’s union were avoided when the Chiefs decided to simply release Johnson this morning.

The team took their time, did their due diligence on the matter and didn’t make any emotional, rash decisions that cast doubt on judgment. Really, the Chiefs couldn’t have handled the Johnson situation any more efficiently.

Player reactions to Johnson’s release will be coming after the lunch hour. Chiefs head coach Todd Haley will address the media today at 3:30 PM.

CHIEFS PART WAYS WITH RB LARRY JOHNSON
November 9th – 9:20 AM

The Chiefs have released RB Larry Johnson. More info to come…

THE MORNING AFTER – JACKSONVILLE
November 9th – 6:07 AM

First and foremost, nobody can say that this Chiefs team lacks fight. That may not be good enough for wins now, but it’s a mindset that will be vital to success when this franchise turns the corner. Keep that. Fight is good. It’s the other stuff that can go.

Down 24-6 with just 4:21 to play, the easy route would have been to hurry-up and the heck out of Jacksonville. Kansas City didn’t take that path. Instead, the team took the toll road of improbable comeback and, as a result, turned in possibly the most exciting four minutes of Chiefs football this season. There was reason to hope, there was reason to cheer and there was reason to be proud of this football team during that hectic stretch of time.

“It could have gotten ugly,” Chiefs head coach Todd Haley said. “I thought that the guys really fought back and fought hard to get back into the game. We converted some key plays, recovered an onside kick and it gave us a chance at the end of the game to potentially win.”

Those four minutes undoubtedly made you turn to the person next to you and say with astonishment, “where in the world was this all day?” QB Matt Cassel made clutch passes, WR Dwayne Bowe was once again the go-to playmaker and a man just five days into his tenure gave the Chiefs a deep threat in the receiving game with not one, but two touchdown catches.

“I didn’t have to do much of a move, to tell you the truth,” WR Chris Chambers said of his 54-yard TD catch that started a fast and furious Chiefs comeback bid – (the longest offensive play this season for Kansas City). “I just beat the corner, there really was no safety there, it left me open downfield and Matt threw a great ball.”

All in just four minutes. It was beautiful. It was gutsy. It was what we all want to see when it comes to Chiefs football. If you only caught the final four minutes of yesterday’s 24-21 defeat in Jacksonville, consider yourself the “fan of the game” – the luckiest Chiefs fan in America yesterday.

Unfortunately, those final four minutes were just that – four minutes. Those 240 seconds of glory couldn’t mask the 56 minutes of football that preceded it.

Kansas City turned in a 56-minute snooze-fest filled with just 163 total yards, only one third down conversion (which didn’t come until the fourth quarter) and five three-and-outs. The most disappointing part of these 3 ¾ quarters of football was that many of the same critical mistakes, which have previously haunted the Chiefs, this season, reemerged.

Offensively, Kansas City couldn’t stay on the field (36:13 – 23:47 time of possession differential) and those dreaded negative plays hampered the team nearly anytime the Chiefs started to get something going. Defensively, missed tackles and mental errors crushed the Chiefs chances at victory.

“I didn’t see what we needed to see,” Haley said. “We can’t take sacks. We can’t give up sacks at the beginning of the second half. We can’t give up sacks. We have to do a better job of protection. We have to do a better job of getting rid of the football. We have to better catching the football. I think we’re number one in dropping the football. We can’t overcome negative plays. We just can’t.”

It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Not after a bye week filled with self-scouting and an emphasis on these exact problem areas. But it did happen, and that’s exactly what left Haley and his players so frustrated following the final horn in Jacksonville.

“It was just bad play all around on my part,” S Mike Brown said. “It’s on me. I feel bad, because I feel like I cost the team the game. They won by three points. I missed a tackle on the touchdown run – the first touchdown that they had – I missed that play in the cover two. That’s 14 points cost us the first touchdown that they had; I missed that play in cover two – that’s 14 points. I take responsibility for that.

“Just plays that I cannot do,” Brown continued. “If we are going to win, those are things that I cannot do. My responsibility is the deep half of the field and I wasn’t there. That is a huge mistake and a huge glaring thing that I think cost us the game.” Brown’s words tell the tale of a veteran who expects more. They are both genuine and admirable. WR Mike Sims-Walker…

Timeout for a random thought/sentence interrupter – what is it with the Jaguars and men with three names? Mike Sims-Walker, Maurice Jones-Drew, Jack Del Rio….

…made a day out of coverage miscues – most being preventable. But the loss on Sunday went well beyond the play of one man. Points were left on the field, the team looked flat through much of the day and a pleura of mistakes nipped the Chiefs in the butt.

Yeah, Brown didn’t have a game that met anyone’s expectations, including his own, but the Chiefs struggles have been big picture issues, not a narrow scope focused on one player.

“Big plays” have been a brutal pair of words for the Chiefs – too many allowed and not enough produced. Part of that byproduct has seen the Chiefs allow six 100-yard receivers, two 100-yard rushers, four 300-yard passers and five of Kansas City’s eight opponents have had quarterbacks post ratings of 100 or better. In those same categories, the Chiefs have produced just one 100-yard receiver and have seen just one performance feature a 100 quarterback rating (minimum of 20 pass attempts).

From this game, the Chiefs can move forward with one of two lines of thinking. This team can hold their heads down and carry an “it happened again” (deep sigh) attitude, or they can go to work and figured out how to expand on what made them so effective in those final four minutes.

Kansas City’s offense looked phenomenal during that final four-minute stretch. Maybe the hurry-up style of offense suits this team best or maybe they need their backs against the wall – that’s for the coaches and players to figure out.

Defensively, the Chiefs accomplished goal #1 – corral Maurice Jones-Drew. How can a team keep one of the NFL’s most dangerous ball carriers in check, but allow big plays from players with far less game-breaking ability? Again, that’s for the coaches and players to figure out.

There was a lot of bad on Sunday. But there were also some areas to build upon. Backtrack and harp, or expand and proceed – the choices lay with the players and coaches on this team. I know which route Haley is taking, and I also know which route the newest Chief is taking.

“We’re trying to get that sense of urgency to pick up at the start of the game,” Chambers said. “Every play has to count.”

Hmm, Chambers may not have been around this team for very long, but I think he “gets it.”

A turning point? Perhaps. It’s up to the Chiefs from here to decide.