Larry Johnson, running back for the Chiefs, is at it once again. The latest antics from Johnson might get him into trouble with Todd Haley, head coach for Kansas City. On Sunday night, following Kansas City’s 37-7 loss to the Chargers, Johnson bashed Haley on Twitter.

The website for the Kansas City Star is reporting also that on consecutive days Johnson made two remarks that were anti-gay.

Johnson referred to Haley in two different tweets. In the first tweet he said, my father has got more credentials than most pro coaches. In his second tweet he said, my father was a player for the “remember the titans” coach. Our coach plays golf. My father briefly played for the Redskins. Our coach. Nothin.

According to the Star, the quotes were from the Toonicon Twitter account, an alias of Johnson’s. The account has a link to the personal website of Johnson.

On Sunday there was a gay slur that was made on the Toonicon account. Reporters who were at Johnson’s locker on Monday claim that he made another gay slur while turning his back away from the reporters towards his locker and said he wouldn’t talk to the press until Thursday.

The NFL is investigating these allegations, according to ESPN. Haley said he takes how players conduct themselves with the media seriously.

Johnson’s views on his coach should not be made public. It’s the latest distraction caused by Johnson that can drive a wedge in the team. The first mistake Haley made was keeping LJ around after Johnson walked out of the final game of last season saying that it was time that he and the Chiefs go their separate ways.

Reading Johnson’s tweet it’s easy to say he’s the bad apple. However, in the larger sense the question is how many of the other players feel the same way? Some of the moves as well as decision making made by Haley have been questioned in the local media. Many seem to think he’s in over his head. Is this just Larry being Larry or is Haley starting to lose this team?

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The Chiefs still were feeling pretty good about themselves. Then reality hit. It wasn’t their winning streak coming to an end as much as how it happened.

On Sunday in their 37-7 loss to the Chargers at Arrowhead they reverted to their form from early in the season. That type of loss, one week after the great win in Washington, blindsided all who were wearing the Dallas Texans throwback uniforms.

Larry Johnson, running back, said at that time I don’t really know what went through our heads. Maybe it was some kind of false happiness or maybe thinking San Diego would just lie down after playing a Monday night game. Not sure what it was.

Kansas City wanted desperately to believe their win over Washington represented true progress, a sign the team was coming around to the vision of head coach Todd Haley. However versus San Diego, Kansas City gave up over 50 yards on three different pass plays and over 20 yards on two running plays.

Once again they weren’t able to protect Matt Cassel, their quarterback, who got sacked four times. Cassel also wasn’t able to handle the constant pressure. On three second half possessions in a row he threw interceptions. It ended his streak of throwing 150 passes without being intercepted.

Kansas City didn’t see it coming.

Haley said, we didn’t expect it. All of us were excited about the game. It probably made things worse. Last week we were able to win a tough road game. We had a great week of practice. We had a day of practice in the rain. It started out ugly but I thought our team came together. It was probably our best practice all year on Friday. I was very excited about the game.

I was thinking we really had the chance to compete. The Chiefs do have experience having to deal with lopsided losses. In consecutive games the Eagles and Giants really handled them.

However those games didn’t come after a rare Chiefs win. Those games didn’t snatch their vision away that things were improving.

Their latest loss indicates that the Chiefs gave back all the ground they had gained in the game against Washington and more.

Glenn Dorsey, defensive lineman, said a loss is always a loss, whether you lose by three or thirty points. After every loss I feel exactly the same way. It’s not acceptable, not how we want things.

Previously Cassel had been the Chiefs’ rock, staying strong even while very little else around was really working. Kansas City wasn’t able to protect him and wasn’t able to get a consistent running game going to help him out or get big plays from their receivers.

This was the first loss where Cassel appeared to crack under all the pressure. To start the second half he led the Chiefs on a scoring drive, capped off by a fourth down touchdown pass of seven yards to Dwayne Bowe.

Other than that, the game seemed to be a step backwards for Cassel as well. His first intercepted pass was deflected by Sean Ryan, tight end, to a Charger defender, the second one occurred when he and Bobby Wade crossed wires.

Regardless of who as at fault, the interceptions from Cassel killed any chances of a comeback for the Chiefs.

Cassel said, you don’t ever want to lose this way. We definitely didn’t want to play this way. We will have to deal with this as a team. We need to fix lots of things.

It’s a week off for the Chiefs, so players in the locker room were all promising that they would find solutions to the problems. Everything seemed very clear following this loss.

Johnson said, we come back to our locker room. We just have to deal, in or lose. I think maybe we wanted a win to keeping building from what we were able to do last week.

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The game wasn’t pretty. However the aftermath was quite compelling.

The Chiefs (0-5) were able to somehow reverse their 2-28 slump by traveling to Washington and conquering the Redskins.

A 3-0 lead by Kansas City at halftime resulted in Redskins coach Jim Zorn pulling Jason Campbell from the quarterback position and replacing him with Todd Collins, who promptly connected on a deep pass with Santana Moss.

The Redskins took the lead at 6-3.

Kansas City would not go away. On the fly they adjusted to Collins and shut down the Redskins for the remainder of the game and scored points. Ryan Succop, rookie kicker who was the last player drafted in this year’s draft, had four field goals. The Chiefs also had a safety late in the game to give them an eight point victory.

Neither side really had any standout performances. If Dwayne Bowe, receiver, really is on the trading block, he showed plenty of leg with his 109 yards. Larry Johnson, running back, didn’t have a spectacular game but was solid with his 83 yards on 23 carries. For the Redskins, Clinton Portis did have over 100 rushing yards.

But things really got interesting after the game ended. Vinny Cerrato, Executive Vice President of football operations, who is also believed to be on the hot seat along with Jim Zorn, took away Zorn’s play calling responsibilities. Surprisingly, Zorn agreed with the decision.

Tony Dungy from NBC disagreed. I went through that situation in Tampa, said Dungy during the show Football Night In America. It is not good. I made that mistake of agreeing to it. If you are Jim Zorn you need to say I am the one in charge of the team that’s on the field. It’s either that or fire me.

The firing is still a possibility after Sherm Lewis has his dress rehearsal calling plays next Monday night. It is a function he never had while working under Mike Holmgren with the Packers. Zorn could potentially be let go if the Redskins end up losing to the Eagles.

The question would then be whether or not Cerrato gets shown the door with Zorn, or whether he will stick around until the season ends before he is replaced.

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On Thursday Kansas City announced that they had signed Justin Rogers, free agent linebacker.

Rogers (6’4″, 246 pounds) played in a total of 31 games over the 2007 and 2008 seasons for the Dallas Cowboys. He had three tackles along with 34 stops on special teams. Rogers also played in one playoff game for the Cowboys. In 2008 he was third for Dallas with 18 tackles on special teams. He entered the NFL originally in 2007 as the 180th pick overall and six round draft choice for New England.

At SMU, Rogers appeared in 43 games, 33 as a starter. He had a total of 184 tackles with 32 for a loss, a blocked kick and five forced fumbles. Rogers finished his career at SMU as the second ranked in all time sacks with 19.5 He was an all district player two times for Commerce High School located in Greenville, Texas.

On Wednesday the Chiefs put Jackie Battle, running back, on injured reserve. In 2009 Battle played in five games for Kansas City. He had 21 rushing yards on seven carries along with six tackles on special teams.

According to the Kansas City Star, Brandon Alberts, offensive lineman, and Andy Alleman, reserve lineman, didn’t practice with the team on Wednesday. It was still uncertain whether either of them will be able to play this weekend against Washington. It could leave Kansas City short. Last week against Dallas the Chiefs had only seven offensive lineman dressed for the game. Right now the only other roster choice for Kansas City is Ikechuku Ndukwe. During the last two games Ndukwe hasn’t suited up.

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Miles Austin, making the first start of his career, didn’t look anything like a backup.

Filling in at wide receiver for injured Roy Williams, Austin had 10 catches, set the franchise record with his 250 yards, and scored on the winning touchdown during overtime as the Cowboys defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 26-20 on Sunday.

The Chiefs are winless this season and have lost 28 of their last 30 games. Austin broke the previous 246 yard record that was set nearly 39 years ago by “Bullet” Bob Hayes, Hall of Famer, versus Washington.

It’s an unbelievable feeling, Austin said, It is amazing. I didn’t see it coming. I was ready, but you never expect to have such a huge game.

Austin broke a tackle on a catch-and-run 59 yard play, giving the Cowboys the lead at 20-13 with 2:16 left in the game. Matt Cassel then connected on a 16 yard touchdown pass with Dwayne Bowe to tie the game at 20-20 with just 24 seconds left to play. On the second possession for Dallas in overtime, Austin was able to get free on his 60 yard scoring play.

On each play he was able to break the tackle from Maurice Leggett, Chiefs cornerback.

Leggett said it was very frustrating. But we need to focus on the big stuff to get better every day. Don’t try to take big jumps. Just focus every day on getting two percent better.

Kansas City (0-5) have gone winless for a total of 315 days. They have also lost eight games in a row at home at Arrowhead Stadium. During the 1990s the Chiefs were almost invincible there.

Todd Haley, Chiefs head coach said, I felt the guys did fight had in all of the phases of the game. I know that the guys are really hurting.

When Roy Williams is healthy Austin in the third receiver for the Cowboys. However against the Chiefs he was unstoppable. The Chiefs led for a majority of the game but were unable to take advantage of all the opportunities that the Cowboys kept giving them.

Austin said, I just wanted to be able show people that I am ready to play. I just wanted to be able to show my teammates how I want to contribute as much as I possibly can. I did that.

Dallas (3-2) had 13 penalties for 90 yards. Romo overthrew several of his open receivers. There were also several dropped passes. Dallas also missed a punt and field goal attempt.

Wade Phillips, head coach of the Cowboys said, the whole game our guys fought hard, but we didn’t really do all the things right. We have things to work on. Bottom line is winning. Our guys are coming through.

Has Austin played his way into the starting lineup?

Phillips said, we will try to keep playing him. No doubt about it.

Late fourth quarter, Austin grabbed a Romo pass and then broke loose from attempted tackles from Legget as well as safety Mike Brown, before speeding down 59 yards and providing the Cowboys with their first lead in the game.

Cassel then lead the Chiefs downfield. On fourth down and 7 he hit Bowe with a pass in the end zone. Earlier in the game a Ryan Succop 53 yard attempt for a field goal had been blocked by Jay Ratliff just before the last Dallas touchdown during regulation. However, Succop was able to hit the extra point to tie the game.

Romo went 20 for 34 with a total of 351 yards and two touchdown. Cassel, who is still winless since he was traded from the Patriots, went 23 for 41 for a total of 263 yards.

Tony Romo said he noticed during the last play that the Chiefs defensive back was playing Miles really tight. He tried jumping it. I had to keep the ball outside a bit more than normally I would want to. However Miles was able to do a good job of coming back. When a corner takes a chance, there is a possibility. I was happy seeing Miles take off. That was rewarding and really exciting.

During the second quarter after Brown was able to recover the fumble from Romo on the 16 yard line for Dallas, Mike Vrabel, who is a thirteen year veteran linebacker, was able to catch a one yard touchdown pass. He has 11 touchdowns in his 11 career catches.

In overtime the Chiefs won on the coin toss and got the ball. However they were not able to get within field goal range.

Tank Tyler, defensive lineman for the Chief said, you fight for so long for the win. It comes down like that to the wire and then you wind up losing. That just kills everything.

Notes
Neither quarterback in the game threw an interception. Bill Schuster, the umpire, had to leave the game for several plays during the first half. While standing near the pile, Tambra Hali, Chiefs linebacker, rolled up on Schuster from behind and knocked him flat. Cassel has had a touchdown pass four games in a row and hasn’t had an interception in 100 throws.

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On Sunday the Chiefs will be honoring running back Priest Holmes during a pregame ceremony before the team’s game versus the Dallas Cowboys. Priest Holmes played in sixty five Kansas City regular season games, finishing his career as the Chief’s all time career leader in yards rushed (6,070), rushing touchdowns (76) and total touchdowns (83). Priest also owns a whole host of single season records for the Chiefs, including points (162 in 2003), running back receptions (74 in 2003), and 2,287 total yards from scrimmage set in 2002.

The festivities on Sunday will cap a week full of events for Holmes. Kansas City Mayor Mark Funkhouser on Thursday awarded Holmes with the Mayoral Proclamation and acknowledged his accomplishments both on as well as off the field.

The Associated Press named Holmes, three time Pro Bowler, the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2002 after he rushed for 1,615 yards in 14 games. In 2001 Holmes became only the third Kansas City player to be the NFL’s leader in rushing. He had 1,551 yards while debuting with the Chiefs. He also leads the Chief with 1,521 career touches from the line of scrimmage and is in second place for 100 yard career rushing games with twenty four.

Off the field. Holmes’ work as a community and youth advocate through his Priest Holmes Foundation earned him a lot of respect from the community in Kansas City. In 2008 the Scholarship and Standards Program from his foundation awarded 19 scholarships to high school seniors.

In 1997 Holmes came into the league with the Baltimore Raven as a free agent rookie, following his outstanding collegiate career with the University of Texas. In 2007 he was enshrined into the Hall of Honor at the University of Texas. During his collegiate career as a Longhorn, Priest had 1,276 rushing cards on 252 carries (an average of 5.1 yards per carry) along with twenty touchdowns. He enrolled at the University of Texas after excelling as a member of San Antonio’s Marshall High School.

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Miracle plays, surprise, creativity and power the old fashion way. None of these worked for the Chiefs today.

They tried all of them. However the talented and polished New York Giants pummeled Kansas City and then held off a Chiefs’ late rally to win the game 27-16 at Arrowhead Stadium in front of 69,238 fans.

The defense for Kansas City did make some progress while facing one of the most talented teams in the NFC. However the offense for the Chiefs was unable to make a significant contribution. Matt Cassel, KC’s quarterback, was off and the new look offense for the Chiefs was unable to protect Cassel. They also weren’t able to create any rushing lanes for the running backs. The unseen and unexpected were needed just to keep it fairly close.

They tried Mike Vrabel, linebacker, as a receiver in the red zone. An onside kick was attempted to open the second half. They tried the Wildcat offense too. The defenders for the Giants were too fast and strong and Cassel didn’t have enough to overcome the mistakes of Kansas City.

The problems began on the opening kickoff. Jamaal Charles, Chiefs running back, has yet to show that he has solved his past fumbling problem. Just after he received the kickoff he fumbled. The Giants capitalized on the mistake, scoring a touchdown. Later Jarrad Page, Chiefs free safety, was flagged for a 15 yard personal foul. On the replays it looked like a clean hit. The penalty provided the Giants with another opportunity. Eli Manning hit Steve Smith on a 26 yard pass for a touchdown.

Kansas City tried everything. Todd Haley, head coach for the Chiefs, tried the game plan from last week which was to establish the running game and create some yardage. Larry Johnson, running back, was able to contribute his part, running for 53 yards in 18 carries. Haley then switched up the offense to a throw first offense even when they had goal line situations. During the fourth quarter with first down and goal at the one yard line Haley called four pass plays before Cassel was finally able to find Bobby Wade for the score.

This week’s focus on discipline by Haley didn’t seem to help either. Earlier in the week Haley had said that the Chiefs were returning to their training camp mode. Players who flinched during practice had to run. It was supposed to help cut penalties down following the 10 penalties the Chiefs were whistled for in their blowout loss to the Eagles. Today the Chiefs had 7 penalties for 55 yards.

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