Rookie Spotlight - Javier Arenas

The rookie I am going to be showcasing this week is Javier Arenas.

Javier Arenas came to the Chiefs from the University of Alabama. During his time in Alabama, he was a very versatile player.  He played defensive back and also returned kicks for the Crimson Tide. 

Arenas started 13 games in 2009 and also finished second on the team in tackles with 71. He also had five interceptions which led the team.  On the other end, he accumulated 1,069 all purpose yards that include 551 yards in kickoff returns and 493 yards in punt returns.

Javier also was a crucial player in the BCS Championship game when he had two interceptions against the Texas Longhorns to lead the Crimson Tide to a National Championship in 2009.

With his impressive career at Alabama, he was selected in the 2nd round to Kansas City. Since he has been with the Chiefs, he is a key player on defense and also on special teams as a punt and kick returner.

So far during his rookie season, his stats are 33 tackles, 509 yards on kick return, and 223 yards on punt return.

This week he is going to be a key player to get the Chiefs good field position and to step in for a secondary that got it handed to them a couple weeks ago.

Mid Week Report - Week 13

HE'S BACK!!! 

After missing the last five games, Dexter McCluster will be returning to the field this Sunday against the Denver Broncos.  It was likely he was going to come back last week against the Seahawks because he participated in full practice all week, but I guess they felt like it was best to rest him one more week.

The injury report this week is shorter than the report last week.  CB Brandon Flowers is still the biggest name and question mark on the report with his hamstring injury.  His injury is significant because the Denver Broncos passing game is one of the best in the NFL and Flowers is the Chiefs best defensive back.

The other players on the injury report are G Ryan Lilja (foot), S Jon McGraw (head), and CB Jackie Bates. Lilja participated in limited practice today, but is expected to play this week. As for Jon McGraw, after being injured for the past few weeks with a concussion, he practiced fully today and also is expected to play this week.  This will help sure up the secondary and protect against the good passing attack of Denver.

However, Jackie Bates is not expected to play this week because of a knee injury he suffered last week against the Seahawks.

The Chiefs sign CB Mike Richardson today. Richardson played with the team last year and attended training camp this year, but was released prior to this season.  Also, the team released LB Justin Cole today.  He came into the league this year a rookie free agent and was inactive for the first 11 games.

Chiefs dominate over Seahawks

Today's performance was just what the Chiefs needed to take another step to becoming a great football team.

Kansas City dominated the game today both offensively and defensively.  A couple of stats really popped out to me after the game.  The Chiefs had 270 yards rushing with 173 yards coming from Jamaal Charles. Seattle had only 20 yards rushing during the game. This made the Seahawks become 1 dimensional and had to rely on the passing game all day long.

Another stat that I found to be a key reason why the Chiefs looked so good was converting on third down.  Kansas City converted 11 of the 15 third downs and Seattle converted only 3 of their 12 third downs. 

There was one surprise during the game that I would have never seen coming. It was when Matt Cassel handed the ball off to DT Shaun Smith for a 1 yd run.  Later in the game when Smith got a sack, he became the first player since William "The Refrigerator" Perry to have a touchdown and a sack in the same game.

The next two weeks are going to be very important for the Chiefs with the Broncos coming to Arrowhead Stadium and the an away game to San Diego.  Hopefully the best of the Chiefs is still yet to come.

Rookie Spotlight - Tony Moeaki

Each week I am going to shine a spotlight on one of this year's draft.  This week the rookie I chose is Tony Moeaki. 

Tony Moeaki played his college football at the University of Iowa.  He played in 48 games where he caught 76 passes for 953 yards and 11 Touchdowns. 

Tony was selected in the 3rd round (93rd Overall) by the Chiefs.  Coming out of college, he was rated highly for both his receiving and blocking. Slowly, he is becoming one of Matt Cassel's go to guys in the passing game and a crucial blocker for the #1 running game in the NFL.  So far in his rookie season he has 31 receptions for 378 yards and 2 touchdowns.

His body type and the way he plays the game reminds me of a certain All Pro Tight End by the name of Tony Gonzalez, but it is too early to tell whether he can sustain the durability and statistics like a Tony Gonzalez.

This week he has returned to practice, but it is still unsure whether or not he will be available for this weeks game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Mid Week Report Week 12

So far this season the Chiefs have been fortunate enough to be healthy and keep people off the injury report.  However, over the past couple weeks it seems the injuries have been racking up. 

The most noticeable name on the list this week is Brandon Flowers.  He left the game last week against the Cardinals with a hamstring injury and didn't return. He was seen today working on conditioning while his teammates practiced. His status for this weeks game against the Seahawks is still in question.

Also, Dexter McCluster has been on the injury report since Week 7 with a high ankle sprain.  Since then he has been put on limited practice.  Today that changed when he participated in full practice. This means he has a better shot of playing this week.

Other players that were limited in practice were TE Tony Moeaki (Concussion), G Ryan Lilja (Foot), T Branden Albert (Groin).

King Of The Cassel

At the beginning of the season, I thought that Matt Cassel was more of a liability rather than an asset. After every game, I seemed to be cussing him out for some bonehead throw or interception. I have also felt he is the best option this season, but if we are going to think about going to the Super Bowl, there needs to be someone else leading the offense.  

However, in the past couple weeks he has been playing like a starting quarterback for a NFL team. In the past three weeks, Cassel has thrown for 878 yards, eight touchdowns, and only 1 interception. 

In my opinion, if Cassel plays like he has the past couple weeks, the running game consistently racks up yards, and the defense is the Top 10 defense we have seen this season (besides the Denver game). Not only do we have a shot to win the division, but also a chance to win a playoff game. Something that hasn't been done since 1993.